Lavender Festival 2011

A few moments from the 2011 lavender festival in Yamhill.

We visited 4 farms - Wild Rain Farm, Willakenzie Lavender, Red Ridge Farms and Mountainside Lavender Farm. And we also spent most of the morning at the Yamhill Festival shopping at the Plein Air Artisan market.

 

 

My goodies:

Olive oil and Passion fruit vinegar from Red Ridge Farms

Late Harvest Riesling from Sokol Blosser winery

Lavender Honey (can be found at all the farms)

Lavender bunches and a dram of lavender essential oil from Mountainside Lavender Farm

I bought the Blue collage art and turtle print from Magda Moor

I bought another sea turtle print and a mini sunflower oil painting by Megan Turner-Baxter (Art By MTB on Etsy).  Not pictured because she had to send them to me.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

To my sweet lady bug, Hazel!  I love you so much!!

Tea Time

Hazel is having fun playing with the teapot that she got for Christmas.  I taught her how to pour a cup of tea and how to "eat" the little treats that came with the set.  She doesn't quite have the "pinkie out" while drinking down yet, but we're working on it!

I also got a tea set!  Except mine doesn't talk, or come with a teapot.  It was at Starbucks and discounted (yay), and I've been eyeing it since November.  I bought some Jasmine tea pearls, because that is my favorite.  And every afternoon I've enjoyed some tea while I knit or crochet, it's perfect!  I'm loving the little red one the most.

Christmas Re-Cap

Well, we survived another year!  I can't believe it's almost 2011, but I'm really happy that 2010 is out the door.  We've had our fair share of colds and other illnesses (nothing life threatening) in our family and I want to start this new year with my smell and taste intact! I'm working on that last part.  Haven't been able to taste since Thanksgiving, with a brief intermission around the 2nd week of December, but now that the tree is out of the house, I hope my allergies go away.

Here is our lovely tree on Christmas Eve, with all the presents neatly displayed around it.

Hazel setting out carrots for the reindeer and milk  & cookies for Santa.

Opening up a ball from Santa.

I stayed up late on Christmas Eve to finish my sweater.  Yes, that sweater, the one I started in August!  I'm thrilled with how it turned out.  I still need to block it though, but I keep wanting to wear it.

Hazel's new passion is coloring!  She loves the new table her Oma got her for Christmas, and we've been using it every day to draw "circles".  She is a little OCD about her crayons where she has to have them all within reach and if one sneaks it's way across the table she has to either reach for it or go around to get it so that inspiration strikes, she has it.  A fun game she started playing is she likes to try out a color then hand it to me to use, or she wants me to try a color and she will take it from me if she wants it.  It's interesting.

Outtakes

Today we did our annual Christmas card photo. I take pride in the fact that I have taken every photo for our Christmas cards, but this year I almost wanted a professional to do it for me.



While Hazy was napping we set up the shoot in our side yard. We got the tripod out, we marked where the legs needed to be with chalk, we marked the edges on the grass so we would know where the edge of the frame was, we even bought a remote control so we wouldn't have to do the dash back and forth from the camera like I have done in previous years.



To get Hazy to smile we hung her glowworm doll under the camera and that worked, for maybe 2 shots.



But who would have guessed that what really made her happy was the remote control???? She was fascinated with it. We let her hang onto it to take some photos, but none of them turned out that great because she would stare down at the remote, and not look at the camera. We did get it back, eventually.



We took about 75 photos total, but at least we got a few that were acceptable. Some were absolutely horrible. Some are too embarassing to ever be seen by anyone. I do think it's interesting to see what kind of faces you can come up with when you're trying to wrangle a toddler for a photograph.



I don't want to spoil the people who might be getting the photo in the mail, so none of these are the final picture we chose.

Good Eats

As much as I hate to admit it, Hazel is kind of a picky eater. We offer her a variety of different foods and most of the time she'll try it, then decide it's not what she wants and she'll throw it off her tray. She will also like a food one day and the next day think it's gross!

Some of the foods she likes right now are beans, eggs, almond butter, cheese, cottage cheese, toast, oatmeal, broccoli, cooked carrots, oranges, apples and sometimes grapes.

So, when she showed interest in his sandwich Owen gave her bits from it, and she demanded the whole thing! She started taking bites from it, it was entertaining to watch! I just wish she was more predictable on what she will eat!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Life's short, eat dessert first!

Hazel got into the apple pie before dinner. At first she was unsure about it, but then decided it was really tastey. Then I jumped in and did something I never do, 1)eat dessert before Thanksgiving dinner and 2) eat apple pie. Yeah, I'm more of a cookies and chocolates type person, not a pie person.  It was fun sharing that moment with her and I'm glad we got it on camera:)

Zoolights

Oh, the magic of Zoolights on a freezing autumn night! I think it's my favorite holiday tradition. And now that I have a baby, it's even more special.

Tonight was the members only preview night for the Zoolights and it was about 30 degrees at the zoo! Don't worry, Hazel was bundled up! She had on 2 shirts, 2 pants, 2 jackets, a hat and a scarf, oh and a blanket for when she was in the stroller. It's been a long time since I've seen her so mesmerized! The only time she made a sound was when we were on the train and she imitated us when we were calling it "choo choo". She was just wide-eyed and happy. We are definitely going to Zoolights more than once this year, especially since there was a camera snafu (Someone Owen forgot the battery for the camera at home and we only had our camera phones to take pictures with).

Snow Day

The snow and ice hung around today, so we took Hazy for a walk down the block. She didn't like walking on the icy sidewalk, because she kept falling down. And even though her bum is padded and she had a poofy jacket on, she just didn't like the idea of falling. At least I got a few cute pix of her all bundled up!




Here she is picking up a leaf that was frozen to the sidewalk. She didn't understand why she only got the stem. She probably thought it was a defective leaf.

Flowers from Hazy

Hazel bought these flowers for me "just because". She was out shopping with Owen and picked these flowers out all by herself!  I thought it was so sweet of her! Apparently roses are Hazel's "signature flower" for any arrangements that she picks out. Lucky me!!

Orangutan Encounter

Hazel and I braved the blustery, rainy weather and went to the zoo today. We checked out the Otter, Sea Lion, Penguins, Polar Bears, Elephants, and Lions. The most touching moment happened with the Orangutan though. We dodged into the primate exhibit when the rain started and the Orangutans are the first animal in the exhibit. Now, I don't go to the primates exhibit as much as the other animals, because they look so much like humans I feel bad for them being held in cages, and I find that depressing.

well, the female Orangutan, Inji was hanging out in the back of her "room" playing with large sheets of brown paper. I wasn't exactly paying attention to see what caught her eye, but all of a sudden she got up to move. I thought she was going to play on her structure, but no, she came right up to the window and sat down. She was actually breathing on the window and she seemed so interested in me and Hazel. I took her picture and then I showed it to her. I have no idea why I did that. She was just kind of ho hum about it. Then I wheeled Hazel around so that I could fit them both in the frame. She sat there for about 2 minutes total, then she went off.

What a special encounter:)

Hazel is very familiar with these "monkeys" as we refer to them here, because this is her favorite youtube video right now!  She loves dancing to the music and she tries to copy the "monkey" by trying to take off her shirt and playing peekaboo.

Zoo Days

For my birthday this year Hazel bought me a membership to the Oregon Zoo. We try to go at least once a week, weather permitting - I'm not going to take her there when it's raining buckets or freezing cold. So far she LOVES it! She gets to see the real animals that she sees in the books, or that we do baby signs for. She has a look of awwe on her face when she sees each animal, and most of hte pictures I have are her facing the exhibit with her hands on the glass, peering in at the animal. We don't try to do the whole zoo each visit, we just focus on one area and we usually stay around 2 hours, which is enough time for her to be out and running around so that she gets a good nap, and it's enough time for me to be chasing her around. Starting after Thanksgiving is the annual Zoo Lights festival, my favorite holiday tradition. The zoo gets decorated in cute light displays and you can see some of the animals and ride the lighted zoo train. It's just a lot of fun!

Fran Healy Double Feature!

For Owen's birthday this year, I bought him tickets to see Fran Healy and Brandon Flowers at the Roseland Theater. I follow Fran on Twitter and he tweeted that he would be at Music Millennium at 3pm today! I told Owen we were going. So, we packed up Hazel and drove over to the East Side (gasp, hehe inside joke).



We got there right at 3 and there wasn't any place that great to stand. We found a semi-decent place to stand, where Hazy wouldn't bother anyone if she wanted to walk around (or play on the stairs). He played a few songs from his new record (Sing Me To Sleep, As It Comes, Rocking Chair), and 2 Travis songs (Driftwood and Selfish Jean). Then he came downstairs to sign autographs.



I managed to be 3rd in the line, wahoo. I was glad, because Hazel would not have wanted to stay much longer. We didn't want her running around the store and she was getting a little annoyed that we were holding her for so long.



Here he is signing my "Invisible Band" the album cover



Then he graciously took a picture with me and Hazy :)



I made him this pair of fingerless mitts as a present.  I remember last August I would have brought him a present if I had been thinking, so this time I planned ahead and made them while we were on in Tahoe.  I really hope that he likes them and uses them!

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Fast forward to tonight, Owen and I drove downtown, got coffee and maxed to the Roseland, in time to get in a very long line!  Luckily we weren't standing in the misty rain for too long.  Then we got inside and stood for 40mins waiting for Fran.  He started his set at 9pm.



He played a good mix of songs.  I was really disappointed that the inconsiderate people at the bar were talking, rather loud.  Loud enough that Fran asked them 2 times for them to shut up.  Annoying!  Oh well, he did a great job and I enjoyed listening him, even if I was the only one singing along.



His Setlist:
Sing
Sing me to sleep
Anything
Fly in the Ointment
As it comes
Dear diary
Blue flashing light

At 10pm Brandon came out on stage.



I have to be honest, I don't really know Brandon Flowers.  I am not a huge fan of The Killers and didn't know his name until I found out Fran was touring with him.  The only song I've heard is Crossfire, because it's the one on his website.  I know pretty much everyone there was there to see him, but we were there for Fran.  Despite not knowing his music I had a fun time, I just wished I had listened to his album first so I could get to know the songs better.

After 3 hours of standing, it was nice to take a walk back to the car! As it turned out, I'm really glad we went to the afternoon appearance, because then we didn't have to wait around for them to come out to sign autographs. I was just too tired to stay.

The Mailbox

When I was a baby, one of my dad's aunts sent this plastic canvas mailbox as a Christmas present to me. Since then, it has been my favorite ornament on the tree! The reason being that as long as I can remember, every day this ornament is on the tree, I have gotten "mail". When I was little, my mom would put a piece of chocolate inside for me to get before school, usually a Kiss or a mini Peanut Butter Cup. Note, this is separate from an advent calendar. Then I moved out of the house and got married, Owen took over the "mailman" responsibility and every day this ornament is on the tree I get either a chocolate or a small love note.

When the mail is late, I notice!!!

Now that I have a little one, I wanted to continue this little tradition. So, I copied my mailbox almost exactly and made Hazel her own mailbox. I cannot wait until she is a little older so that she can appreciate how great this ornament is!!

Hello Kitty in Real Life!

Last week, the Small Gift Pop-Up Tour stopped in Portland's living room (Pioneer Square). They were promoting Sanrio's 50th Anniversary. There were trucks and trailers wrapped with way cute Hello Kitty and Friends pictures, a pop-up trailer that was selling exclusive anniversary HK merchandice and of course Miss Hello Kitty herself!!

I had heard about this event from 3 different friends, who all know I LOVE Hello Kitty! Well, that day happened to be a rainy,depressing, dragging day for Hazel and me, and I really didn't feel up to driving downtown in the rain to see it. Owen checked it out for me on his way to work, and he didn't think it was much to see. But my friend Tami texted me a few times that afternoon to see if I was going, and she talked me into going even though I resisted. I think she knew I would regret not going and I totally would have!

So, I got myself and Hazel all ready to go downtown. She wore her Hello Kitty top and pink pants and a pink jacket (which she didn't need because the rain had already stopped). I met up with my friend Nancy, who is also a Hello Kitty fan.  It was weird, because we had not discussed meeting up, yet we got there at the same time.



At first, Hazel was curious about Hello Kitty, but as Hello Kitty got closer, Hazel got more wary. She didn't want to stand anywhere near her, and I can understand that since, HK was really tall and Hazel is so short. Well, I knew I wanted a picture with her, so I scooped Hazel up and had my friend take our picture.



I went home with a cute Lunch box, a button set and some stickers. The lady at the counter thought Hazel was super cute and gave me a few extra stickers and some bubbles for Hazel! I love that CBD (Cute Baby Discount).

Family Vacation

(In-N-Out, Redding,CA)

2 weeks ago we went on a family road trip to Tahoe and Yosemite! This was Hazels first long car trip so we decided it was time to face her carseat forward. She wasn't as amazed as I thought she would be, but she was definitely not as fussy as she was on our Seattle trip. My favorite times was when she would nap though :)

The first night we stayed in Redding, CA. That was a rough night, because Hazy was not used to the pack n play crib and she was just not liking the hotel I guess. We ended up taking turns driving her around and eventually she passed out of exhaustion, and so did we!

The next morning we started our drive to Tahoe. We went through Lassen Volcanic Monument, but I missed most of the drive through it because I had horrible sinus pressure and just reclined my seat to try and sleep. The rest of the drive was very scenic, we watched the sun set on Lake Tahoe as we ate pizza for dinner. It was dark by the time we got to our hotel. Hazel had another rough night.


(South Lake Tahoe)

We stayed in Tahoe for one week at the Marriott Timber Lodge. It was a nice hotel, had a heated pool and 4 hot tubs, which we used each night! During the days we would drive around to scenic places and take pictures of the beautiful fall foliage. My favorite place that we saw was Emerald Bay. We saw the sun set one night there and it was totally my colors - pinks, blues and purples, fading in to dark blues.

One day we went to Mono Lake and spent some time at the visitor center and we even walked on this nice boardwalk down to the lake's edge to see the "tufas" (salt formations).



(Lily Lake, South Lake Tahoe)

I brought my spinning wheel along and used almost every night for an hour, I even finished 2 skeins of yarn! I used my wheel more than I worked on all the knitting I brought. I had a chance to visit the one yarn store in town (Wool Tree) and spent an hour chatting with the people in the shop and knitting a bit.


(Tunnel View, Yosemite NP)

On our way home we stayed one night in Yosemite's Curry Village. Our "room" was a tiny cabin that had 1 double and 2 twin beds, inuslated canvas walls and a heater. Can't say it was the best night ever, since the 3 of us squeezed onto a double bed, and Hazy got the prime sleeping space (the middle, with both of us hanging on the edge of either side). The whole place is covered in "Be Bear Aware" signs and making sure all food and toiletry items are stowed in the bear boxes. We didn't see any bears, but they neglected to warn us about mice! We had a mouse that chewed through a bag of chips, a granola bar and couple other things.

I have been wanting to go to Yosemite for years now to re-visit the place my family went camping every year when I was little. Unfortunately it was cloudy and rainy for the two days we were there. This was the first time I had not seen Half Dome! That's ok, we had fun hiking in the Tuolomne Meadows and checking out the Visitor Center and Village Store. On the drive out we took the road up to the Hetch Hetchy Dam. The weather there was not too bad and we could see all across the lake. I bet this place was so pretty before they dammed it up. It was supposed to be like the Yosemite Valley.

We stayed in Redding on the way home again, and by then Hazel was used to the pack n play so the night was easier on us. The next day we drove home in a huge rainstorm. We stopped in Ashland for lunch and for a walking break, that happened to include a Starbucks and Yarn Shop :) A few nice things came home with me! Our final stop was in Salem for dinner with Owen's brothers and then finally we made it home!