Scrapbooking my life...one page at a time

Reliving Old Traditions & Making New ....

Most years we go out to dinner on Thanksgiving (usually to the Seattle Space Needle) because making a Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner with all the fixin's for 3 or 4 people always seemed like too much work.  Jessica always complained about our lack of turkey &  tradition - so we came up with our wonderful family tradition of going down to Portland, OR. on the train for Thanksgiving.

The Mallory Hotel is an amazingly beautiful old historic hotel in downtown Portland.  We Love it!  We enjoyed taking the train down because it was something different and when we got to Portland we were FORCED to be tourists and ride the buses and Max (their light rail system).  We had some great, great times down there at Thanksgiving ...

We always stayed at the Mallory hotel and loved eating in their very elegant & beautiful Old-World dining room.  The Girls and I especially loved going down early while Mike was still sleeping and having a great big breakfast of Eggs Benedict or French Toast ...

A trip down memory lane is sure to include:

• Waiting for 5 hours in the lobby of the Mallory for Turkey Dinner because of overbooking ...
• Benihana - being driven home by the restaurant manager from Beaverton to Portland after waiting about 2 hours for a taxi which never came...
• The World's smallest park ...
• Shopping at one of the biggest & best flea market ...
• Jake's  - a 110 year restaurant which is considered one of the Top 10 Seafood restaurants in the US ...
• The 24-Hour Church of Elvis ...
• Portland Alien Museum ...
• Ice Skating at Lloyd Center Mall ...

We stopped going after Jessica left for Montana  and eventually started going out to a nice restaurant instead. But ...

... this year ... at the last minute Mike & I decided that we wanted to stay home, make our own turkey and just chill at home at with Katy, the dogs & a glass of wine.   We raced out the store late Wednesday afternoon and bought all the necessary supplies even managing to find the perfect little 'petite-sized' turkey - at only 11.5 lbs. 

Last Christmas I had bought Mike a Turkey Deep Fryer (TDF)  because he LOVES Hot Wings so much and I thought it he'd like it if he could make them at home.  As it turns out ... because of remodeling the yard & adding the scraproom he just never seemed to have the time or space to use it this year - until now ...

So when I said that I would like to just stay home for Thanksgiving and forget about going out - Mike got very excited and suggested that he could use his deep-fryer and cook the turkey!!  Sounds like a plan says I and he was off to the garage to hauled it out almost before I had finished talking.

For years now one of our favorite talk show hosts has been raving about John Lovick's [Snohomish County Sheriff-elect] deep-fried Cajun marinade (recipe is posted at the bottom of today's post) & Mike has been wanting to give it a try forever!  It was soooo good - very flavorful, moist & the best part ...
it only took about 40 minutes to cook ...

First he chopped, diced & measured the marinade ingredients:

Then he blended it all up into an OH SO YUMMY marinade concoction: 

Rounded up the bird:

Injected it full of marinade:

And then it was out to the fryer:
 

And into the pot ..
. 

Mr. Turkey now bubbles for about 40 minutes ...

And what to do while Mr. Turkey is bubbling -
Well, you can sift through the Black Friday Ads & chat with boyfriend ...

Or watch TV ...

Or play with the dog ...
actually Katy made a delicious Green Bean Cassarole while waiting ...

Turkey's almost done ...

Yep, it's done ....

Delish ...

Even Sneakers was licking his lips ...

As Kung Fu Panda would say ...
Mike's turkey was, 'Pure Awesomeness' ...

 

All in all
It was a wonderful holiday ...
& a New Thanksgiving Tradition was born!

 

Have a wonderful weekend ...
- N -

John Lovick's deep-fried turkey recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 medium, chopped onion
6-8 cloves garlic
6 tablespoons mild hot sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
4 tablespoons seasoning salt
2 cups water
1 turkey, thawed if frozen

Marinade

Mix Worcestershire, onion, garlic and hot sauce in blender until liquified. Add prepared mustard, seasoning salt and water. Dry turkey inside and out. With a meat injector, inject ½-cup of marinade into each breast, then inject legs, thighs and wings. If desired, also season the turkey with a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Deep-frying

Pour 5 gallons of peanut oil into a pot and heat to 350 degrees. Lovick typically uses 40- and 60-quart pots and places each turkey into a stainless-steel basket, which he then lowers very slowly into the oil. "Where people mess up is they rush it, they drop it in too fast," Lovick says. "You're exposing this cold turkey to the hot oil, and it boils right over." The bird's skin immediately turns a crispy gold, then darkens to a deep amber as it cooks. Cook 3 ½ minutes per pound; Lovick says he knows a turkey is ready when it floats slightly when its basket is lifted for inspection. Remove from pot and allow to cool and "rest" for 30 minutes. "All those juices have to settle down."

Safety

Make sure the pot is sufficiently roomy, because a grease fire may result if the oil bubbles over when the turkey is added. Never leave the pot unattended. Lovick always sets up his propane cookers outdoors — and away from wooden decks — as a fire precaution. "The key word is safety," he says. "It's not the first thing — it's the only thing."

Give Thanks ...

For Love of the World
- Charlotte Tall Mountain -

For the love of a tree,
she went out on a limb.

For the love of the sea,
she rocked the boat.

For the love of the earth,
she dug deeper.

For the love of community,
she mended fences.

For the love of the stars,
she let her light shine.

For the love of spirit,
she nurtured her soul.

For the love of a good time,
she sowed seeds of happiness.

For the love of the Goddess,
she drew down the moon.

For the love of nature,
she made compost.

For the love of a good meal,
she gave thanks.

For the love of family,
she reconciled differences.

For the love of creativity,
she entertained new possibilities.

For the love of her enemies,
she suspended judgment.

For the love of herself,
she acknowledged her worth.

And the world was richer for her.

It is my Thanksgiving prayer.

Happy Thanksgiving

- N -

 

The William Tell 'Mommy' Overture ...

Hey ... I'm still up in Canada but I thought I'd sent out  this absolutely hysterical clip to cheer up your day ...

I think I've posted it before but it's too funny not to post again ...

 This is for anyone that's had a Mom, been a Mom or just likes to laugh ...
- this Overture's for you -
Enjoy

Have a fun day with the kids

- N -

Holy Skid Marks Comrade ...

I got this amazing video from Uncle Frank a couple of days ago and I just had to post it ...

The 3,150 meter long "Lefortovo Tunnel" in Russia [near Poland] is the longest in-city tunnel in all of Europe.  It is nicknamed, 'The Tunnel of Death'.

See for yourself why ...

There is a river running over the tunnel & water leaks into the tunnels at some points.  When the temperature reaches nearly o⁰C - like it does in the winter in Russia, the road freezes and becomes as slippery as ... well ... ICE.

The result is the attached video which was taken during a SINGLE day with the tunnel surveillance camera.

Congratulations to the dual-carriage bus driver ... imagine the passengers in the back ... what a Ride!

Talk about your Traffic Jams! Those Russians sure don't scare easy - neither the ICE nor the multiple car collision just ahead of them seem to slow them down ...

Life is Good:
Kate is home for Thanksgiving Week
 We are all up in Canada for the weekend
 Job hunting starts up full force on Monday AM!!!

Life is Great:
If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning.
 Face it, friend - He is crazy about you.
God didn't promise days without pain,
laughter without sorrow, sun without rain,
but He did promise strength for the day,
comfort for the tears, and light for the way.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Have a Great Weekend
Drive Safe ...
- N -

Scrapbooking & Six Degrees of Separation ...

Holy Scrap!  I have spent the last 4 days fighting with Typepad trying to figure out why it would not upload pictures for me.  The Typepad Help desk has been trying to help but we just were not getting anywhere and then FINALLY - tonight - after almost 3 hours of detective work ...

Mike FINALLY figured it out.  It's a MIRACLE!!! 

The problem was so random I am still marveling that Mike ever figured it out.  Turns out an add-on from Real Player [which has nothing to do with Typepad W.H.A.T.S.O.E.V.E.R]  was messing my ability to upload pictures up!

Extremely random but finally Fixed ...

Anyhoo ... This past weekend Jess & Aidan came down for a visit and so Jessica & I could attend the BIG Scrapbooking Convention in Bellevue.  It is a BIG 3-day scrapbooking extravaganza!!  We only attended on the Saturday but it was GREAT FUN.  We took several classes & spent the day poking around all the vendor booths checking out the newest Scrap-toys!  But ... the best part of the whole Scrapbook Convention was the HUGE crop that we went to from 7pm - 11:30pm.  As you can see below - there were so many people that attended the crop and talk about a SMALL WORLD ...

Jessica & I went to dinner before the crop and it was just packed by the time we got there - we were only about 20 minutes late.  Jessica finally spotted a table with some extra chairs way, way in the back of the room so we wove our way back and set up shop.  There were only 2 other ladies sitting at the table so it worked out great ... we had lots of room to scrap. 

So anyway ... amongst this sea of scrapbookers I glanced over at the table next to us and I saw a woman that looked exactly like Daphne. For a few minutes I kept glancing over thinking ... that sure looks like her but would she really be all the way down here at a 'Scrapbook Convention'?  Finally I just got up and walked over and said ... 'Daphne' and surprise!  It was her.  She had come down to the convention with 2 girlfriends.  We chatted for a few minutes - it was such a nice surprise to see her there!

 And talk about -Six degrees of separation ...I am still in shock because it turns out that the 2 Never-met-before women that Jess & I were sharing a scrap-table with & I had a mutual friend in common!!!! 

Talk about your Six degrees of separation!!  We were busy doing the, 'Hi - how are you - how long you been scrapbooking - what are you working on?' kind of getting-to-know-each-other chit chat.  Just Scrapping & Chatting away ...

The conversation then turned to the convention and what we had seen - and if we had found anything interesting.  Then I said, 'Hey, did you guys see the booth for that Camano Craft Hideaway Retreat' on Camano Island?"  They had and the conversation moved on to scrapbooking retreats.  I said I had never been to one but Jessica & I were already making plans to go to the Camano Retreat for my birthday and they said they had been on one but it was in Monroe and was with a woman named Tracy and a Creative Memories group.  Hmmm, that name sounds familiar and I thought for a moment and then I said her name didn't happen to be Tracy Bohman did it?  Well - as you probably guessed it was!

They asked how I knew Tracy and I explained that I didn't really know her but only of her through another friend of mine ...
'who they asked'
'Trista', I said. 
'Trista Charlton' they said.
'Yes!', I said, 'except it's not Charlton anymore - she just got married!'
They were thrilled to hear that Trista & Charlie had gotten marrie

Denise & Joyce (I hope I have their names correct - my memory is atrocious - so correct me if I'm wrong Trista)

It was so funny, amazing & exciting that out of such a large group of people I had run into Daphne & then sat at a table with 2 of Trista's friends. 

So ...
as the Sherman Brothers wrote:

It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all

There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev'ryone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all

It's a small, small world What a small world!

Let's go out & make it a great Day
- N -

Oh Deer, Endlessly Organizing & there's always HOPE ...

I am so EXCITED because I got up yesterday morning at 6:30 and looked out my scraproom window to take a look at the world (as I always do) and for the very first time I saw a DEER walking along our greenbelt. I was so excited & I wanted to get a picture of him so bad that I almost broke a hip crashing into the table trying to grab my camera.  I know it's a bad picture of his rear-end but that was the best I could get.  I hope he comes back! [it almost looks 3-Dish with all those leaves doesn't it]
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I hate wasted space!  It drives me nuts to have a room of the house just sitting empty all the time - especially when other parts of the house are bursting at the seams!  So ... YA - You guessed it ... I woke up Sunday [to Mike's horror] and decided that I was sick & tired of our ' never used because it was tooooo small little dining room and nobody ever sat in it except the furniture family room!!! 

So Yah ... Mike woke up Sunday morning to the tune of 'Time to put on your moving gloves & grab the furniture sliders! 

Meet my new Reading Room ...

I really think that it is a better use of the space - it is now an extension of the living room and I am not sure if it will get used all that much more than the dining room did but at least I now have a bigger much more usable dining room.

Meet my new Dining Room ...

I now have the leave in my table and it is quite large and the dining room is right beside the deck where the BBQ . I think after Christmas I will rip the carpet out of the dinning room & living room & have hardwood floors put in to match the other hardwood in the kitchen.
+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

'The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious.'

- Marcus Aurelius -

And speaking of getting more organized ...  I love being organized!  I hate disorganization - I hate reaching for a pen only to find there are none to be seen.  I hate needing to cut something and can't find scissors anywhere & it drives me mad when I know I have something - spend hours looking for it only to find it 2 days after I bought another one!!!I love the quote above because I totally agree with it!!!  No matter how organized the 'house' is on the surface ... it's what lies beneath the surface that matters the most.  I always thought that I was GREAT at organizing but after six years in this house I am still busy at it because no matter how organized you are ... you just can't fit a 6' sub into a sandwich bag!!!

I have a lot of Epicure spices [I LOVE them] and I remember Candace mentioned at one of the parties that you should never keep your spices near the stove because it gets to hot and dries them out.  Well, I have always had mine piled up right beside the stove because I never really had another good place to put them.  This morning I cleaned out several 'JUNK' drawers - rearranged - threw away - organized - and condensed the two drawers into one and voilà...

Meet my new Epicure drawer ...

Sweet!  It feels so good to have that done!  It's been on my hit list F.O.R.E.V.E.R

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Hopelink ...

After flip-flopping back and forth about whether I wanted to back to work or not ..... I am very happy to have finally ... once and for all ... made the decision to NOT return to work.  I have decided that volunteering would be a better use of my time & energy and so I have signed up to begin volunteering on a regular basis with Hopelink. 

They are a non-profit which serves 'homeless and low income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities.  Hopelink’s mission is to promote self-sufficiency for all members of our community; we help people make lasting change.'  I have volunteered to work at the Food Bank, within their Adult Literacy Program & be on their Event Planning Committee.

I am going to go to my Volunteer Orientation  meeting on Dec. 3 and can then start volunteering regularly.  I am very happy & excited to begin working with this organization.   I feel so good about this decision and feel it is absolutely the right place for me to be!!

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 Have a great day!
- N -

Ten on Tuesday ...

 

It's a dreary kinda day - so far there is no sun and we are shrouded in that famous Seattle - gray-blue overcast sky.  I am not sure what I am going to do today - I am nursing a sore back so I will probably just putter around all day.   It's hard to get UP on such a gray day!

I am super-duper excited because this weekend is the BIG scrapbook convention in Bellevue.  It's HUGE!  Jess & Aidan are coming down so J & I can attend.  We have signed up for several different classes - It should be a ton of fun! 

I just finished watching the current episode of John & Kate Plus 8 and they were vacationing in Hawaii!

The water was so blue .... the sky's were blue  .... it's amazing what happens to that blue when you mix a little Seattle gray into it ....

They don't call it paradise for nothing ...

*****************************************

It's been a long while since my last Ten on Tuesday.

Today's question is:

What are your Top Ten Favorite Drinks

1. Coffee with cream or a Latte
2. Water
3. Diet Pepsi
4. Samuel Adams Beer
5. Strawberry Milkshakes
6. Red Wine
7. Cranberry Juice
8. Apple Juice
9. Margarita
10. Tea

*****************************************

- N -

Happiness, Love & A Lego Camper ...

Mike & I getting ready to leave for Trista's Wedding

On Saturday Mike & I had the honor of witnessing the marriage of my friend Trista. It was such a beautiful wedding - full of laughter, tears, hope & lots and lots of love!!  The church they were married in was quite lovely and the perfect setting for a wedding.  The whole front of the church was stained glass and it was quite amazing when the pipe organs began to play and filled the church with music ...

CLICK ON EACH PICTURE TO ENLARGE IT ...

Trista & her Dad walking down the aisle

Trista's loves the color Purple

Trista looked absolutely gorgeous - GORGEOUS - her gown & veil were so pretty -  but truly it was that non-stop smile on her face made her look so amazing.  Although, I must say that her veil was probably one of the prettiest I have ever seen.  It had crystals set in it & all along the edge.  Her dress was all sparkly too which was perfect because Trista is one of the friendliest, ^_**_** ^**_*sparkliest^_**_** ^**_* people I know!

 
Trista's veil

Trista & Charlie met online through eHarmony.com back in about 2 years ago. Trista explained how they met through eHarmony in her Wedding Program so I'll let her tell the story:
Our sincere thanks to eHarmony.com for introducing us!  Since Trista lives in Renton and Charles lives in Oak Harbor our paths would not have crossed if it hadn't been for the internet.  eHarmony matches people up based on 29 dimensions of compatibility.  They never disclose which dimensions you specifically matched for each other so we (Trista & Charlie) have fun making up our own reasons.  Reason 5 - we both have an Aunt named Judy.  Reason 12 - we both love the Sunday comics and reason 23 - we both think the video game Guitar Hero rocks! 

Trista & Charles listening to Trista's brother sing during the wedding ceremony.

I LOVE weddings and  was very happy & excited to be able to watch Trista get married - she is one of the sweetest people I know & I know that she and Charlie will be very, very happy together. 

I love seeing the look of absolute peace, happiness & adoration on the bride & groom as they whisper their intensely intimate vows to each other in front of so many.  I love that look of knowing with complete & utter certainty that they are ready to commit for eternity - without reservation and without doubt. 

As you can probably guess from the uniform - Charlie is in the Navy and is stationed in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island. He looked very handsome in his uniform.  Trista is now a Navy newlywed! 

Me, Linda (Trista's Mom) & Trista on morning 2 of the 3-Day walk

Trista & I met when we became walking partners for the Avon 3-Day Breast Cancer walk in 2001 and have been friends ever since. Trista & I both have a love of all things 'SCRAPBOOK' so I was happy to find that she had incorporated several super cute & very creative 'scrapbookesque' ideas into her wedding.

For example. on each guest table she used as white sailor hats as place cards and then using stickers she had the table number on the top of them and beautiful quote on the brim.  They were a such fun touch!

Such a cute idea for her Navy wedding!

Trista also had a board set up that showed the seating arrangements and each person had a tag with their name & table number on it and in front of the seating chart she had a beautiful white Journal Jar sitting.  The jar was engraved with the words, 'Life's Moments' and the idea was that every person should take his seating card and write a note or thought on the back of it & then place it in the Journal Jar.  Trista & Charlie are going to seal it up and open it together on their 1st wedding anniversary! 

I LOVE that idea - Trista is so creative - not to mention romantic!!  They are a beautiful couple and I wish them all the very best marriage has to offer.

Life's Moments Journal Jar

Navy Wedding Cake - it was sooo elegant & yummy!  Chocolate!

Beautiful blown glass 'Navy' wedding cake topper. 

'Skansonia'

The reception was held on an old historic ferry called the 'Skansonia' which now no longer sails but is moored on Lake Union. It was soooo beautiful inside and so fitting of their Navy wedding. 

Someone certainly was smiling down on Trista for her wedding day because it was pouring down rain when we entered the church & after the ceremony we excited the church to sunny skies!

There were amazing views of the Seattle skyline from the ferry

A beautiful wedding!

'Love seems the swiftest but it is the slowest of all growths. 
No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century.'
 - Mark Twain -

Wishing you guys an Eternity full of happiness & love!
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Lego Camping

Hey everyone -  Look at the AMAZING Lego City that Aidan Built!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Today I am grateful for our sunny sky & my clean kitchen
 
Have a great day
- N -

Home ...

'Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.'
- J. Pearce -

HOME is a word that carries with it so many different meanings, connotations & emotions.  I have lived in many different houses throughout my life but HOME, to me, is never a house -  it is where ever my heart lies - it is where ever I feel loved - where ever I feel comfortable - where ever I love ...

HOME to me is:      

• Where ever Mike is
• Where my family is
• Canada & the United States of America
• Outside in the garden & nature
• The Farm - where I grew up
• My Heritage
  
• Timeless because it is all at once & at the same time our history, our present and our future. 

When Mike & I were in Vancouver for Jessica's 60km Breast Cancer Walk I had Mike drive by the house  where Mom & Aunty Agnes grew up.  186 E. Main Street, Vancouver, BC (I think that is the address?)
 (I know I sent these pictures out to some people but decided to post them so I could share them with everyone.)

The house looks familiar but different - same bay window & front porch but the yard seems so much smaller!  It was fun to go back and see a piece of my past. 

Uncle Frank lived in the red house next door for part of his life. 

Today it is raining cats & dogs out and so I think I will stay inside & just enjoy my HOME!  I have officially unpacked all the boxes from my pseudo-move but I am still trying to organize everything and find a spot for it.  Kate is home in a couple weeks for Thanksgiving Break and I need to get her room back in order before then so she will some place to lay her head when she walks in the door.  Her room became a 'dumping ground' for every homeless piece of junk I came across while unpacking.

A GIGGLE & CHUCKLE

At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he was ill, and she said, "Johnny, what is the matter?" Little Johnny responded, "I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife."

I hope you can stay warm & dry in your home today!

- N -

Capture Your World ...

Bridget Bardot once said, 'A photograph can be an instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you.' and I think this is why I love taking pictures, scrapbooking & journaling so much. Photographs are proof of life - they forever show the world that you were here & leave little hints of who you were, how, what & whom you loved and reflect everything that matters the most to you!

Being able to share someone else's scrapbook is like being invited deep into their life & to me this is a honor of the highest order. 

Hannah loves to journal & scrapbook and she is VERY CREATIVE!  As you may remember - I have showcased some of her work on my blog in the past.  But, you can't be a journal keeper without a pen nor can you be a scrapbooker without a camera and so a short while back Granny gave Hannah her  digital camera - she wanted Hannah to be able to begin taking her own pictures to scrapbook.  What a thoughtful & generous gift!

A couple of nights ago Hannah shared a few of her photographs with us and has generously agreed to share them with everyone on my blog. 

She is a natural at taking 'people' pictures and capturing her world on film ...

- Take a look & enjoy a glimpse into Hannah's world

Make a Smilebox postcard

Go capture some of your world today & until we meet again

- N -