Follow this link….

Ok, WordPress is driving me NUTS! I cannot add links, side bars . Nothing. So, Back to blogger. My new computer likes blogger better than my Mac did. So.. here goes…..

 

Click here.

 

Thanks!

Views of the day

Taking a cue from a blogger friend of mine, I will post a view of my day from time to time.

I-5 Southbound going towards Portland coming from Vancouver. I am over the Columbia River here.

I-5 Southbound . Portland. The exit to my ‘hood is on the right.

Country Mouse

I am no longer a  city mouse. I am a country mouse. I am longing, absolutely longing to move from this rat race and get  into a smaller community.

Driving around the other day I realized that I was just done. plain done. Ever have that feeling about something? Just weary and fed up and done with it all? That’s how I feel.

So, I guess that would mean that we should get this house remodeled already, eh?

We are starting some this weekend.It’s kind of a long road but we are ready.

I am going to think of a blog name and have a dedicated blog just to track our remodel process. It will be such an interesting journey.

On other news, Sadie is starting her “Good Manners” class this February. The classes are at the Oregon Humane Society and they are excellent. You get a punch card for $100 and can go to as many classes per week as you want. I think that based on Sadie’s..umm…lack of manners, we will be hitting every single class! My goal with her is to get her to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. Maybe? I cannot imagine her ever getting to that level, but she is super smart so there is hope.

Just placed a HUGE order with the East county soil and conservation dist. For native plants and plants for a rain garden. We are getting rain barrels for our house and creating an outdoor living space with plants so I have to get started asap! I am already overwhelmed and also finding that I really do not like gardening all that much…sooooo much work.

Off  to get coffee!

Cheers!

Quiet Thursday

Sadie looking cute.

 

It’s a quiet Thursday. We are staying home today. Tomorrow we have lots to do. I have tons of papers to shred and a local new station is having “Shred Day” downtown so we are dropping our papers off bright & early, then going to pick up the W2′s to get taxes done tomorrow. I am all set to whip them up and e-file them.. hopefully to the  get our refund in10 days! Whoo-hoo!

After all our vacationing in October after Dave’s surgery and with all the holiday excitement, Camille has gotten into the night owl bed routine. It is extremely annoying and finally with the help of Hylands Calms Forte`, she is on a schedule yet again. It is bliss in the house now. 8:00 in bed, 20 minutes self reading and then lights out. We even have a timer to remind her. Working good so far.

Camille is writing a letter to President Obama…she is telling him what she thinks he should do and also asking him important things like is the girls have their dog yet.

 

Camille riding a deer in Downtown Portland on Tuesday.

 

The budget is going well. Yet tough too. It takes a lot of restraint. Oh Boy! But it is so worth it, I just keep invisioning the place we are moving and then it’s all good again. Good to have such a big goal.

Hopefully I will have more to write about tomorrow.

Cheers!

Chico…sneaking onto the warm laundry.

Life is good.

Sunny Day

 

Good friends Chico and Violet hanging out in the warm laundry basket.

 

Today is a sunny yet very windy day here in Portland. The sun and seeing the sad state of my plants, makes me want to get out and garden but I have so much to do inside today so I may get out there tomorrow.

I am trying to do one post a day, it is hard because we are not really doing anything too exciting lately.

My main focus is the pro/ con list of potential places to move to next year. We actually know where we want to go but I will not be revealing it on here. Once we move, then everyone will know. I really am not into jinxing my move.

Camille has also ended up with 2 more little pen pals. They are sisters living in Blackpool UK. Their mom is french and their dad is Irish. They are cute girls and Camille is so thrilled. The letters are keeping her quite busy.

So, 2009 is our year of remodeling. I am keeping us on a super strict budget. Every receipt goes into an envelope, we record the totals and let me tell you…by doing this you spend so much less because you are more accountable. I think we have spent at least 50% less this month than normal months. Very exciting. I also have 2 checking accounts. 1 for bills ONLY and 1 only for shopping; online, etc. and I have 2 savings accounts plus a high interest 5% APR account that is online only. This really delegates certain accounts for certain things and you save sooo much faster!

Exciting times. Cannot wait to get this remodel started! Next weekend Dave starts to dig under the house! Yay! It is really happening! I am so mentally outta here!

Almost bought them….

Well, yesterday I had the idea that I was going to use my frequent flier miles to get two tickets to Washington DC to see Obama sworn in. How amazing would that be? ! Yes, exactly!

So I searched and searched and talked to the customer service people and was soooo close to getting them. What stopped me? No hotels! And standing on the National Mall for 6 hours in 30 degree weather with a six year old and no potty to be seen for an eternity. Yep.

I still am trying to devise a way in my head that it could work…we could wear depends underwear? (kidding) We could try to stand near-ish to a porta potty? No. Not happening. And no hotels? Well, that is a big problem. It felt so good to be so spur-of-the-moment, but totally impractical. My last option was flying into NYC, staying there , then taking some sort of train down, it would be an adventure but not one I want to make with a 6 year old all by myself. Yes, other thing.. Dave would stay here working so it was going to be just Camille & I.

I guess I will just watch the BBC and see him sworn in from my couch.

That is still witnessing history… I just wanted to be a wee closer.

Pen Pals

Camille writing to her new pen pal.

 

Camille has been dying for a pen pal, via a homeschool group on Yahoo we have connected with a little girl in Holland named Serah. Camille and Serah are beyond excited and are sending stickers, photos, letter and crafts. Camille has been working on this for the last few days and I think the package is finally ready to mail.

I had 2 pen pals when I was young and I had the great fortune to meet both. I am pleased that this girl is in Holland as it is a place that we want to visit one day. It is also great that she is homeschooled as well. This children are so amazing and engaged.

Now, on to my rant for the day… well.. because I like to rant and vent really and also I am so done with bad behavior of people and their unawareness.

The rant is about homeschooling and the perception from other people. Actually, Portland in general is very accepting of homeschool, mainly because most aware people know how horrific the schools here are! Our neighborhood school… which is supposed to be an “excellent school”… looks like a prison. The school has cut art, PE and most science. And of course, the main focus of all schools nowadays is the lovely standardized tests. Imagination is squelched out and they become drones with no love of learning.

Fine if you have no choice and have to put your kids in public schools but do not start implying that I am doing my child an injustice by not sending her to school. On the contrary. Camille is well, if not overly socialized, she participates in camps of all sorts… camps that most kids would only dream of and she is free to study what she is really interested in and we make it a unit study. We also love the lack of competition amongst homeschooled kids. I do realize we are lucky to be able to forgo an extra income to homeschool but she is our child, we must do right by her. And what a wonderful decision it was.

Mainly though, it is people who are our “friends” that love to make little comments and question our decision. they love to “test” Camille on what she knows like she is a trained seal and love to ask me.. in front of her no less.. “Oh Jennifer, when do you ever get time for yourself???!!.. this must be sooooo hard on you” What the hell is that? Then Camille assumes that there is something wrong, which there is NOT and I just tell her that she is absolutely NOT obligated to ‘perform” for anyone whatsoever! And she is lucky to be homeschooled. Thank you very much. I am just as much.. if not MORE qualified to teach her as some of those so called public school “educators”. I have 3 degrees and an intense love of learning and I swear to god I am about to lose it if any more of our ” friends” starts this again. They had better be prepared to face my wrath. Maybe next time I can question them and see how much they know. Enough of this behavior!! It is insulting. We are going to homeschool her. Get over it, it’s none of your concern and instead enjoy engaging with a very clever little girl.. that is something you don’t get to do everyday.

 

On a lighter note….It is sunny today and we are off to the zoo.

Hello. New year. New blog.

I changed my blog name and have decided to start anew.

The new blog name is very fitting.

Life. One day at a time.

Life seems to be so ever changing and full of surprises. I find it hard to keep up. Things that you never thought would happen infact do happen whether you welcome them or not.

2008 was full of doors opening and sometimes doors thankfully closing. It was full of hope, promise, research, seeking, forgiving, accepting and letting go. All the while trying to stay sane.

Sadie. Having fun & adventure in 2008.

 

I am vowing to post every day. We shall see how far I get with that.

Most of this blog will be about our remodeling, our search for a perfect place to live and our daily adventures.

Here’s to a very interesting year