tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329150982024-03-13T05:39:11.592-04:00The Chicken CoopSome people say I have ADD, but they just don't under....
Oh, Look, a squirrel!The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.comBlogger304125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-84532890122805562802014-01-11T19:36:00.002-05:002014-01-11T19:41:00.228-05:00Last night I went to the last Holiday Party of 2013. Yeah, it's 2014, but December is just too busy, so my very smart friend has her party in January. It's such a blast to hang out with all the girls, eat, drink, chat..... We have a White Elephant gift exchange. Well, last year, there were a couple of blankets and the hostess made a comment about them. Of course, I can't remember what the comment was, but it was something about how nice blankets are, people like them...whatever. So, a couple of the girls decided we should ALL bring BLANKETS and not tell the hostess! Texts went around and we spread the word. Most of us remembered, a couple of girls forgot, but there were about 8 - 10 blankets. Finally, toward the end of the exchange, the hostess said "wow, you all must have been in sync with your thinking, all these blankets". We started laughing and told her we had planned it. It was very funny. :) So, I decided that I didn't want to bring a regular old blanket (even tho there are some awesomely soft blankets out there), I wanted to take a quilt, but we only had a $20 limit. PERFECT time for me to use scraps and get rid of some of the bulk in my room. I found a picture of a quilt like this on a blog somewhere and decided to make it.<br />
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If you have a quilt or project from me, look closely, you might see some fabric for your quilt~ :) It was a big hit and now we are planning a weekend of sewing....me teaching 10 chicks to make a quilt. I have to decide what pattern we'll do. Something easy, but nice. I have a few ideas, now to plan! :) BTW, the girl who ended up with the quilt said that it was very special to her because it's something her Grandma did when she was young and so she remembers having all those quilts in her life. I'm sure it will be loved a lot.<br />
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The other quilt I've made recently was for my baby niece, Lilliana. She is my brother and sister-in-law's baby girl. Of course, she's gorgeous, but tiny so she needs a quilt to keep her warm and something to love and drag around as she gets older. :) Her mommy said they would probably decorate her room with Lilys if the baby was a girl (they didn't find out gender until she was born). I LOOKED for cute lily fabric but couldn't find anything I loved that would be cute, so I found these fabrics by <a href="http://www.meandmysisterdesigns.com/">Me and My Sister Designs</a>. <br />
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I'm so happy with it. I love the colors and the pattern is called a Disappearing 9-Patch. Super fun and looks like you did so much more work that you really did. :)<br />
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Now I'm anxious to start a new project. I was out with my friend the other day and she showed me this line of fabrics by Michael Miller (who I LOVE) called Waterfront Park. The particular fabric I was really interested in is called <a href="http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/bridgetown-1.html">Bridgetown</a>. It's all the Portland Bridges. Well, as I was looking through the remnants at Fabric Depot, I found a yard remnant of the fabric! Total Score!<br />
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One of Portland's fun facts is that we have 12 bridges in the city. 10 over the Willamette River and 2 over the Columbia (so we can go from WA to OR and back again). :) There are 8 that are quite beautiful along with being useful. Here are <a href="http://oregonportland.tumblr.com/post/12953846181">7 of them</a> and then there's the <a href="http://portlandoctopus.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/st-johns-bridge1.jpg">St. John's Bridge</a>. I bought Travis a <a href="http://www.errolgraphics.com/pages/portbrid.php">Portland Bridge poster</a> a while back with all the bridges on them, and it's now in the living room. I think I'm going to do a Portland quilt to go up on the wall also. Now, to collect ideas and fabrics!<br />
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Well, as you can see, I'm actually making things AND adding posts to my blog. I'm pretty impressed with myself. hahahahha not. :) But, I hope to keep it up...both sewing and blogging. Have yourself a warm, snuggly day! qxoqxo :) <3></3>The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-16387696611012997052013-12-31T14:16:00.001-05:002013-12-31T14:16:36.562-05:00Keeping my promiseWell, I'm going to try to keep up with my promise to keep you all updated on my SUPER DUPER exciting life.....<br />
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Ok, so now that you're back in your seat from falling out of your chair laughing, I will show you what I've been up to.<br />
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Every year the girls get new Christmas ornaments. Sara's was easy this year. A burger. I found one at World Market and got it. Anisa looked and looked, then decided she wanted something that nobody had - a jellyfish. Oh, ok, thanks Anisa for giving me the impossible task of finding a jellyfish ornament days before Christmas. Well, my search came up with nothing, so I figured I'd just make one. I hit up Joann's for some sparkly chiffon type of fabric, a little bit of tulle and some ribbon. Here's the result. She is thrilled with it (and so am I)> :) <br />
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So, as you might be able to guess, Sara's into burgers. Renee got her a Cheeseburger Pillow as a graduation gift. Sara loves her pillow, and named him Cheeseburgery. We all give Cheeseburgery hugs and kisses and usually we talk to him more than we talk to Sara. I wanted to make her a soft ornament. Well, I didn't do it before I found her other ornament, but wanted to then just make Cheeseburgery a little friend. Here is the Cheeseburger Trio. The small, but tall one was my first attempt. I wasn't sure how wide to make the patty and buns. Well, that first try was not a good one, but it did allow me to figure out that I needed to cut my slices smaller. :) We love Little Burgery and how he looks.<br />
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Another project I finished was a quilt for Travis for Christmas. Yeah, I know.....like he needs another quilt. Well, I never made one SPECIFICALLY for Travis. He loves Chickadees, he talks to them in their native language - Chickadese. My husband is very talented. Anyway, I was browsing the aisles at Heaven, I mean Fabric Depot, and saw the Chickadees and knew I had to make a quilt for Travis.<br />
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My sewing room is the computer room. Not the ideal set-up, but until the kids move out or we move, this is the way it will be. Travis usually has no interest in my projects, but for some reason, this was harder to keep from him. He saw the chickadees and had to ask what I was doing. really? REALLY TRAVIS? Go play with your ipod. Anyway, I finished it and he loves it. He's already used it a few times to snuggle with while watching TV. I used the Attic Window pattern and I call it Chickadees In The Windows. I even used some of the scrap triangles in the border!<br />
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There is another quilt on it's way to it's owner, and when that person gets it, I will post about it. <br />
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My next project is underway. It's another quilt, and another surprise, so it will have to wait to be posted JUST IN CASE anyone actually reads this.<br />
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So, now that you've had your daily dose of Cindy excitement, you can happily get on with your day. Enjoy it and I hope everyone you come in contact with today is super nice! ;) qxoqxo (quilty kisses and hugs)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-79764957542419292162013-12-23T12:40:00.001-05:002013-12-23T12:40:22.072-05:00Nothing like the present...It's almost the end of 2013 and I have only entered 2 posts this entire year. Bad me! We have had so many adventures and I have only a few pictures to remember them. I plan to use this more of a journal this year...for my (and hopefully your) enjoyment. :) Christmas is a couple of days away, so I have lots of errands to run today, but I plan to be more active here...keep watching! And MERRY CHRISTMAS! :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-44700148939234918242013-01-28T18:42:00.001-05:002013-01-28T18:42:27.327-05:00Well, I guess I should start with Anisa. She turned 22 on the 21st. I really can't believe she's already 22. Time sure has flown by. We have so many awesome memories. God sure has blessed us.<br />
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We had a surprise visit last night from Shelby...Anisa and Shelby have been friends since birth..well, Shelby's birth since she's 3 months younger. :) Here are these gorgeous girls this weekend, and one from when they were close to a year old.<br />
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I started volunteering at Chinook Elementary school. It's where the girls went to school, I was the lunch lady and a Special Ed One on One with some terrific little boys. I always loved going into the school. The kids. The staff. It's just a really cool place. I REALLY want to get a PAY job there, but for now, I can only volunteer. That's ok with me, tho. I've got a big job in the library already, and Friday I got to work with the Kindergarten reading groups. I was very warmly welcomed back by some of my old friends and it truly felt like I was back HOME. I would appreciate prayers for a job to come open there for me. It will be nice to have a job in place when Travis retires in less than 2 years (shocking).<br />
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So, in other news in my house, it's been cold here. We have a woodstove in this house. I didn't really think it was a big deal when I looked at the house. Travis found out it was a really good one (after all his research) and was looking forward to using it this winter. Well, he's a complete pyro now. He builds the fire every night. We got our second load of regular wood delivered last week. He's been using a combination of just plain old cut wood and 2 different kinds of eco logs. One of the brands is <a href="http://www.northidahoenergylogs.com/">Idaho Energy Logs</a>. He's been super happy with the stove.<br />
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I've been sewing some bags. A Coastie wife wants me to make her an Owl print purse. We THINK we found the fabric, and now I'm trying out some patterns. I bought a McCalls pattern that I thought was pretty cute, but after getting it out and reading the directions, I don't like it. I also don't like how they have you sew the bag together, so I did it my way. :) I made 2 of these Hawkeye bags for 2 friends' daughters who are going to University of Iowa. I'm going to order an Amy Butler pattern that I found. I really like how her directions are written and her patterns are fun.<br />
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We went to the Oregon Zoo for Anisa's Birthday! We all slept in a little, then she opened her presents, then we all got ready to head out to the zoo to see Lily the baby Elephant. She was cuter than we had imagined. I literally could have sat and looked at her all day. They have her and mommy in a room (I don't love the bars and the small space, but it's warm), and there is a long line to stand in for a quick picture and to admire her. Isn't she so precious??<br />
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So, I think that's about it for now. It seems like the weather is changing a little bit and it might be on a warmer/wetter trend. I don't mind. I guess that means I really am a true PNW girl. :) I hope you all are enjoying your day/week/month... :) mwah!The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-23651500347780919102013-01-18T12:13:00.000-05:002013-01-18T12:13:03.919-05:00I have completely neglected my poor little blog and all the people who log on here to read about my wonderful, so exciting life. heehee I can only blame Facebook a little. I am just a procrastinator...plain and simple. I will work on it! And for now...ta da...an update!<br />
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Travis bought me a new sewing machine. She is a Juki TL-2010Qj. He did an amazing amount of research and figured this was the best machine for me. At first I was kind of upset because I showed him the machine I WANTED and I'd never even heard of a Juki. I told him I'd give it a chance, and so far, I like it. Pushing quilts through this machine is very nice and smooth, so that's a huge thing! I even decorated her. I still have my little Rosey (Viking). She comes out for the fancy stitching. Now, all I need is a studio about an RV garage built in the backyard...<br />
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So, since I have a new machine, I've been busy sewing lately. I've made a few bags, a quilt and am working on some more bags with a pattern that I'm not happy with. It's McCall's M6045. The pattern itself is ok, but the instructions aren't what I'm used to. I need someone to just say, "Ok, cut this and this out of this and this. Sew A to B, etc". This has 2 fabrics, 3 interfacings, and 4 bag options. The instructions are all over the place. Cut this for A. Cut this for B, Oh, but you need to cut one of these for A again. I just don't like how they wrote them out. But, because I've used the Fabulous Amy Butler patterns, I have some background on how to fix the issues with this pattern. :) <br />
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Speaking of Amy Butler patterns, I've made another 2 Weekender bags
in Cupcakes! Sara's totally into cupcakes right now, and I found this
fabric in Home Dec weight and bought a whole bunch. I didn't have the
pattern with me, and it turned out I bought enough for 2 bags. :) I
love how they turned out.<br />
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I made this Memory quilt for someone. I can't say who, since it's a surprise and I've PROCRASTINATED and haven't sent it yet. It was a super fun quilt to make, tho, and I think whoever gets it will be happy. I'm hoping it will make them move closer... :) <br />
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Speaking of Sara and cupcakes... We recently bought a new table and chairs for our kitchen nook (try to find a round, counter height table that's 45" across..impossible). While we were at a furniture store, we happened to find a Cupcake Painting. I took a picture and sent it to Sara. She wanted it (she usually wants stuff). :) The problem was that it was $200 for 4 pics and 2 of them were of cupcakes, but the other 2 were really large ice cream cones. Cute, but not really anything we wanted, plus, $200? really? I told her I'd get her a canvas and some paints and she could paint one. Well, here's the result. We were actually surprised at how good it turned out.<br />
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Sara's still loving school. She recently had Little Mermaid Red hair. It was shocking at first, but then we grew to really like it. The bonus was that she was very easy to find in a crowd. She loved it but changed it back to brown because it was pretty high maintenance. Here is a picture of the entire family that we had taken for our church directory. You can see Sara's red hair.<br />
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Anisa is in limbo. It's quite irritating, but I know I am to blame. I'm making it too easy on her, but whatever....I try not to complain too super much. She's a great girl, and we have fun shopping, doing lunch, etc, but she is going to 22 on Monday and hasn't figured out life. Her boyfriend, Jason, lives in VA. He doesn't know where or what he's going to do. He has a good job there, but the problem is that it's so expensive to live there. We have encouraged Anisa to find a job here for now, then figure out what she wants to do in the spring, summer. They wanted to go to Colorado Springs, but apparently jobs are pretty scarce there. Maybe we need to make her live in her car! heehee just kidding..but only a little bit.<br />
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Travis is doing pretty well. He likes his job, but is worrying about the future. He will probably be forced to retire in less than 2 years since he'll have done 30 years in the Coast Guard. That is crazy to me. I got him when he was 17 years old and now I can just admire the man I got to marry. <br />
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I've been looking for a job. I've applied to a lot of places, but so far, nothing. I suppose the right job will come at the right time. My dream job is back at Chinook Elementary, so I filled out my Volunteer paperwork and will start volunteering a day or two a week. I figure that will at least get me back "in" with the staff and such, and when a job opening is coming up, I'll be the first to hear about it. :) The most convenient thing about that is that it's right across the street from my neighborhood, so I could walk to work! Keep me in your prayers! :)<br />
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Sara went to Virginia for Christmas and New Years. She had a blast and didn't want to come home (who wants to come home from VACATION?). While she was gone, we drove down to Eugene (a 2.5 hour drive, one way) to go to the Ninkasi Brewery. Their Total Domination IPA has become our most favorite beer, but we like a few of their other brews too. It was SO.WORTH the drive. OMG... we had a really great time. We got there and I told them we had driven all the way from Vancouver just to come there. They gave us free beers! We took the brewery tour and had some yummy hot dogs and homemade pretzels. Then as we were leaving, they gave us 4 pint glasses and some stickers. The crew there is small, and everyone was really nice. I wish we lived closer so we could go there all the time..just to hang out with cool people - alright...and to drink beer too! :) <br />
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Travis, Anisa and I also went to Peacock Lane to look at the lights for Christmas. It was very crowded but very pretty. We took the time to go downtown and take a picture of the Portland sign right over the Morrison Bridge. I love being back HOME!<br />
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Travis and I have been kind of jogging/walking. We go every once in a while, not as regularly as we should. Travis is better about going than me. He's even taken his running gear to work and run during the day. My problem is that I run to the trail, then see birds or squirrels then I have to stop and look at them! hahaha Oh well, as long as we get OUT, I guess that's good. <br />
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Well, I think I've caught you up on what's been going on here. I'm sure there is a lot more, but I can't remember things! Travis calls me Dori (from Finding Nemo) since I forget things almost instantly.The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-2799246041219377692012-11-05T12:08:00.000-05:002012-11-05T12:08:00.181-05:00And some New Pictures :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This past weekend, we had company . Travis' brother and family came to visit from Eastern WA. We had a blast. A Winterhawks hockey game on Friday night, then a trip to Ikea (they had never been), swedish meatballs and then off to Multnomah Falls to hike to the top. Here are some pictures from our adventures...</div>
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We had blinds up in our master bathroom, but they were old and discolored, so I took them down and made curtains. I like how they turned out, but my "theme" in the bathroom is kind of beachy, so I plan to collect some shells, rocks and driftwood next time I hit the beach, which should be soon since I haven't been there in a while. :)<br />
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<br />The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-76661464201224116092012-11-05T11:59:00.000-05:002012-11-05T11:59:15.588-05:00The new normalA NEW POST! Well, I figured I'd decorate this place a bit with a new entry. Most of you know we've moved. If you are my friend on FB you've seen the adventures of the move, the house and all that's been going on. If not, then I'll catch you up. :)<br />
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We got orders back to Portland...HOME. We were so happy but had a lot of work ahead of us, as with any cross country move. We had to house hunt from all the way over the other coast. Travis and I flew to OR for a week. We met up with our realtor and looked at several houses all over the county (back in Vancouver). We didn't find a house, but we decided exactly what area we wanted to be in...back where we lived before. Ok, so now we had an area, but still no house. 3 weeks later, I loaded up my precious van and drove all the way to WA by myself. It was great and I realized that I probably would be content being a long haul trucker. But I would need a mechanic with me and my darling husband who I love SO MUCH would probably drive me crazy being stuck in a truck for weeks at a time...oh well. Baby and I made it to WA in about 4.5 days. I think I could have done it quicker..now that I've done the trip, if I ever do it again, I'll know what I can handle. Anyway, I drug my friend, Evonne, along with me to look at houses. I figured it was good to have 2 pairs of eyes and different opinions. We looked at a whole bunch of houses. Some awesome houses in not so awesome neighborhoods. Some not so awesome houses in awesome neighborhoods. Finally, Travis found a house online and told me to go look at it. The Pool House. We went and looked at it, I even drug my old neighbor, Brian, with us to see it. It was a nice house, nice neighborhood. Bonus..it had a pool and hot tub..the kids were pretty tickled about that. It is a mile down the road from our old neighborhood so we know the area really well. I didn't LOVE the house, but it was ok. Travis and I talked and I made another appt to go see it again. The second time we really looked at stuff. Or so we thought. :) I took pictures to send to Travis and we decided to make an offer. It was accepted and I flew back to my family in VA (after being gone for over 2 weeks). From there, we faxed, emailed, called back to our realtor because of some issues with the stupid mortgage company the the previous owners. After a stressful month or so, we finally owned a house in WA. :) <br />
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We packed up our junk in VA (well, the movers packed it up), loaded it into the truck and hauled it away. We had to stay in VA for an extra week for Sara's high school graduation, which seems weird, since I don't think I'm old enough for my BABY to have graduated high school, but whatever. After graduation, we said good-bye to the baby girl, loaded up the other 3 vehicles and headed out on a caravan expedition. Travis in Chuck hauling Traily, Anisa, Jason and Batman (Nisa's fishie) in Foxy, and me in Cupcake. We planned to take it kind of easy and make it over in 5ish days, but got a phone call from the moving truck saying he had to deliver 2 days early or put our stuff in storage. We knew that a military delivery going into storage meant a possible VERY LONG wait for our stuff, so we pushed it and made it to Vancouver in 4 days. Hauling the trailer made our driving slower, so we did a couple of 16 hour days to make it on time. Based on my experience from that trip, if we ever have to make a cross-country move, I will drive all the vehicles, one at a time, by myself. It was too stressful with Travis trying to keep up or falling back.<br />
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Anyway, we arrived and the next day got our stuff delivered. I didn't have any time to really clean or paint the way I wanted to, so that came later. With a house full of boxes and furniture not where it belongs, we started to try to get settled.<br />
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The bad thing about moving is you don't see the problems with the new place til you actually live in it. The previous owners had lived here for almost 20 years so even tho they had done some upgrades, other things had been let go. Besides that, I'm an OCD clean freak, and saw all the dirt and grime. I got to work scrubbing cabinets and lining shelves. Steam cleaning carpets AROUND the boxes and furniture. Oh, and the pool. Yeah, it was GREEN. It hadn't been covered the there were 2 weeks between them moving out and us moving in, so it had leaves and cotton from the trees in the filter, and lots of algae. The rain gutter system had crushed pipes so we had to have the front yard dug up to replace the pipes and because of water issues in back, we had the backyard dug up to install a french drain. We quickly realized we had paid a lot for a fixer upper. doh. We got rid of lots of junk, realized we don't have enough storage here, but have found creative places to store things. I have painted most of the house and we're just now, after about 4 months, feeling a little settled. There are still things that need to be done, we want a new, bigger shed, I have to finish painting which includes a 25 foot ladder. The pool still has some algae, but we're converting to chlorine (right now it's kind of "organic chemicals") and we're hoping the chlorine kills all the plant life, and besides, it's too cold to swim right now. Next year, we're planning to put in an awning over the deck so we can spend more time outside.<br />
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Life is settling down to a new normal. Travis is back to work in Portland doing what he enjoys..inspecting ships. And he has several guys he knows that are there. Anisa is currently in VA trying to figure out where she wants to settle for now. Sara is attending Aveda Cosmetology Institute in Portland. As of last night, she has bright red hair, but she LOVES LOVES LOVES school. I'm just trying to stay busy and not get into trouble at Fabric Depot. :) We've already spent countless hours and tons of money at Home DEPOT. :/ But, we're super happy to be back Home. Anyway, that's what's been going on here. I'm going to try to be better at updated the blog, but I'm not making any promises. :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-33583100660473674462012-04-09T10:10:00.003-04:002012-04-09T10:17:05.254-04:00Back in VAWell, our trip to the Great PNW wasn't a complete success or failure. We didn't find a house, but we realized we want to be back in the same exact area we left. In fact, we'd love to be on our same street, and our old neighbor is working hard to get us there...he actually talked to one of the neighbors and they want to move, but they don't have a yard big enough to put a trailer pad on. darn. <br /><br />We drove the entire county while we were there, saw some nice and not so nice homes. There were a couple that I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to live in, but not the areas. Buying a house stinks. And especially when you're not willing to budge on a few wants/needs.<br /><br />We had some awesome beers (um, PORTLAND...most of the beer there is awesome), spent a gorgeous day at Cannon Beach (it was supposed to be a day of showers and we didn't get a drop of rain), on our way back to Vancouver, we went through a little snow storm. Overall, the trip was good. We didn't get to visit, except one night, we went to sushi with the Hisatomi family to celebrate the March birthdays (there are 4 our the 6 of us), and I ran into Evonne and one of my Chinook kids, Porter, at Fred Meyers (we were there at least once every day). :) Yep, it rained a little every day - a lot on a day or two, but we didn't mind. It felt great to be back HOME. The air smelled wonderful. The drivers were nice. The people in Portland are still as weird as ever. It was a great trip. :) I'll post some pics later...Travis needs to use this computer for now! :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-60932329022800036932012-03-23T07:51:00.008-04:002012-03-23T08:07:09.832-04:00100th Anniversary of the Cherry BlossomsWell, we went to see the Cherry Blossoms for the last time while we live in VA. Of course, they were beautiful and fun to see. Wandering around the Tidal Basin really never gets old. I could go into the city every day and see something new and wonderful. After swearing that I would never live in DC, I have to apologize to Travis every once in a while, because I have come to love living here. Sure, it's not HOME (my heart is in Cannon Beach), but it has been a super wonderful experience. I will miss many things about DC...museums, eateries, Cherry Blossoms, Monuments, History. I won't miss the drivers and all the people who can't speak English, but whatever. :)<br /><br />Anyway, yesterday we headed in to see the cherry blossoms, but also to go to Ford's Theater (where Lincoln was shot) and the National Geographic Museum (they have a Samurai exhibit that Travis wanted to see). It was a little on the hot side, but that's just cuz I like cooler weather. In a lot of peoples' minds, I'm sure it was perfect. We saw a squirrel, so I was happy. :) hahahaha Here are a few pics from the day.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn20lni1QveDPFBLqrxpNojIOw8eMScC4mh7FF0_g81bUC-DLW9LcUYYzpDCTddSC71VlyaSF2tF9DOwmIojYZ_fooTYAOapnDW3pREa6VWjRisz-s9jQ9qUPbMWp2bTtBJ32Lvw/s1600/3-22-12+Ford%2527sTheater.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn20lni1QveDPFBLqrxpNojIOw8eMScC4mh7FF0_g81bUC-DLW9LcUYYzpDCTddSC71VlyaSF2tF9DOwmIojYZ_fooTYAOapnDW3pREa6VWjRisz-s9jQ9qUPbMWp2bTtBJ32Lvw/s320/3-22-12+Ford%2527sTheater.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723061154895384226" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYIPJlHRb0m0qcywmv0kZZdemmJs9O7fZFVQrl8iA77hbcBbzHi1GJ9Z1iGq9-G-wSTKn9v2NtztF91mB9kzfOCR088QVpHHy7Pdq74EoX5CHoekK1ioSnzyuDZQXG6UE-5uUuw/s1600/3-22-12+Ford%2527sTheater11.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYIPJlHRb0m0qcywmv0kZZdemmJs9O7fZFVQrl8iA77hbcBbzHi1GJ9Z1iGq9-G-wSTKn9v2NtztF91mB9kzfOCR088QVpHHy7Pdq74EoX5CHoekK1ioSnzyuDZQXG6UE-5uUuw/s320/3-22-12+Ford%2527sTheater11.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723061286682123906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmesbcSmA5SGoJJ-L3j4IDKa0fwnT9YT7d0fhfASkL058dOVl1vx8bMk3m0wqzwFtWW4cQoeMvt4356agTf7oQobRhe7XWeJLnoxBEtuYPtbvh4bF0DmoVB6UB9IyzZgv_d6OgSA/s1600/3-22-12+DC25.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmesbcSmA5SGoJJ-L3j4IDKa0fwnT9YT7d0fhfASkL058dOVl1vx8bMk3m0wqzwFtWW4cQoeMvt4356agTf7oQobRhe7XWeJLnoxBEtuYPtbvh4bF0DmoVB6UB9IyzZgv_d6OgSA/s320/3-22-12+DC25.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723061741594764434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_sNgGxF26oy2ii8Tbqj08l0sf5Tx8ppqokVT5YG7bhgUUV-8j2vZXJJBDoKUXRDJhoMu-dYKfuhSDmwOKtyVwko5jV9NxZnQaQpz_f6YeL5hT2idbcYleA9nvJ4XKYDLw7MG8Q/s1600/3-22-12+DC14.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_sNgGxF26oy2ii8Tbqj08l0sf5Tx8ppqokVT5YG7bhgUUV-8j2vZXJJBDoKUXRDJhoMu-dYKfuhSDmwOKtyVwko5jV9NxZnQaQpz_f6YeL5hT2idbcYleA9nvJ4XKYDLw7MG8Q/s320/3-22-12+DC14.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723061602661313970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS3B-zHhiWvtVrfiWaPsz9pLo67SJ7ZIa4jhe9wUBzlrKcPqVvMqpYyYVnoJZv1HwYEEYo19XOo_V45OiK5SMAxW_X0rpjfqypR51Fgq23Jgm89hpQajXLmfTaZ-ir_B4UJTn2g/s1600/3-22-12+DC42.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS3B-zHhiWvtVrfiWaPsz9pLo67SJ7ZIa4jhe9wUBzlrKcPqVvMqpYyYVnoJZv1HwYEEYo19XOo_V45OiK5SMAxW_X0rpjfqypR51Fgq23Jgm89hpQajXLmfTaZ-ir_B4UJTn2g/s320/3-22-12+DC42.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723062046227456322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9wt4in72LLrIFcAIhkZUemQioSvNyicfENzqxyaJj79mJ0rF3eVSWjuujwUHOTExML-0WYk2E3jHGidOjDTKvNREngkRT7qCjvPrmmOmIScJln5Ut8GQHUSNKpQPrssKx-6Nmg/s1600/3-22-12+DC32.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9wt4in72LLrIFcAIhkZUemQioSvNyicfENzqxyaJj79mJ0rF3eVSWjuujwUHOTExML-0WYk2E3jHGidOjDTKvNREngkRT7qCjvPrmmOmIScJln5Ut8GQHUSNKpQPrssKx-6Nmg/s320/3-22-12+DC32.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723061896167351826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I'm going back into DC today to meet with some Coastie Chicks. We're meeting up with a Chick who is visiting the city. We plan to look at the blooms and have lunch. Should be fun....other than the fact that it's going to be even hotter today. :( I'll post more pics later!The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-23342807393973853552012-02-21T18:28:00.007-05:002012-02-21T19:25:13.484-05:00Charleston and Savannah tripOMG. Ok, we just got home from our southern trip. Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. The main goal of the trip was to see Paula Deen, my BFF. And she proved that she's my BFF...she patted me on the butt! :) highlight of the whole weekend, y'all!<br /><br />Charleston and Savannah are beautiful. And the bonus was GOOD DRIVERS. :) We're surrounded by the most horrible drivers in the world here in VA. That's because all the bad drivers in the world move to the DC area. Down south, people were polite, they used their signals, they let you in if you needed to merge and had your signal on. We only got honked at once by someone who was visiting. It was so nice. AND, the people there were nice. People held the door for you. They said please, thank you and excuse me. Oh, Gosh....it was great.<br /><br />We stopped into a prom dress store and Sara may have found her prom dress. You'll have to wait for pics, but the one she found is beautiful and so flattering.<br /><br />I used to say I didn't like the spanish moss hanging from the trees, but this trip made me realize I really DO like it. It's just part of the beauty of the south.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuarH1oy4AJ25S4dg142A4KICCyfKpsPkOXUa8IOU4ZjAfYp2B8qvcKhPLOVIepvGmQeS_TwwHusPvvZ3M6YpZ6gCfO6wvOuO2dkw-9GG7d_X0DKgZnhJGdQ5Wqnpgc4N-AVy-A/s1600/DSC03488.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuarH1oy4AJ25S4dg142A4KICCyfKpsPkOXUa8IOU4ZjAfYp2B8qvcKhPLOVIepvGmQeS_TwwHusPvvZ3M6YpZ6gCfO6wvOuO2dkw-9GG7d_X0DKgZnhJGdQ5Wqnpgc4N-AVy-A/s320/DSC03488.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711747331608150002" border="0" /></a><br />The houses....ok, they were AWESOME! Mostly old and so cool. AND, Savannah is the most haunted city in America! Cool, huh? :) We didn't see any ghosts, or the movement of ghosts, but we saw lots of very nice things. The weather was perfect. It was supposed to be rainy all weekend, but we only got a few drips and then sun! The top pic is of Rainbow Row in Charleston. The lower pic is one of the MANY cute houses in the historic district of Savannah.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9LMH8C4i6_14BYu-yosGhJcUH2d3JVjFCQfechDg-BZUOQ5YK4TQyY6s6qRFAap_2xacMLxMrToLfRffBs1uQNtZgMRxYo1FAFcP9Osyl5351tGp4fCRkfQgZk7VIYY7h4zXNg/s1600/DSC03469.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9LMH8C4i6_14BYu-yosGhJcUH2d3JVjFCQfechDg-BZUOQ5YK4TQyY6s6qRFAap_2xacMLxMrToLfRffBs1uQNtZgMRxYo1FAFcP9Osyl5351tGp4fCRkfQgZk7VIYY7h4zXNg/s320/DSC03469.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711746234055689906" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwwnoj6Nd5_Dk6E5T9pc74SrlJZr_WXZMeYjFhHkuZExETRN8diLja5CudSycDcpVlhcHwW-zR-JyyajhBOkC_EJ1ZhdmzqyG84z_2C6tcrAJKBfs9Rq42LwqFnsPSc5hG52B4Q/s1600/DSC03497.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwwnoj6Nd5_Dk6E5T9pc74SrlJZr_WXZMeYjFhHkuZExETRN8diLja5CudSycDcpVlhcHwW-zR-JyyajhBOkC_EJ1ZhdmzqyG84z_2C6tcrAJKBfs9Rq42LwqFnsPSc5hG52B4Q/s320/DSC03497.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711748483510637458" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Saturday we took a trolley tour of the city and saw all the sites. Then Sunday, Travis dropped me off at the Lady and Sons restaurant to get in line for a wristband to get Paula, Jamie, Bobby and Aunt Peggy. What beautiful people. OMG...They were all so sweet, friendly and made us all feel like we were friends. They are just so dang nice! I can't even tell you how awesome it was to meet them. Anisa and I are going in May to the next book signing, and I'm SO.EXCITED!! This is Paula with the little girl who was standing with her Gramma and me in the line. They were all so great. Paula gave out lots and lots of hugs and compliments.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWfh4_Ix0TMD-X_SWf1Mt1QIYYIai9p8wKJbkAWBJCZUH3fc-08xcgfz_95S7hL5Z_Katuzqy6REFuIkh-NzAypLWoAcXRKhpFwC0GHwYmRJAqLJmZ7EcvJ6ZCahRb0TqWkarBQ/s1600/DSC03582.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWfh4_Ix0TMD-X_SWf1Mt1QIYYIai9p8wKJbkAWBJCZUH3fc-08xcgfz_95S7hL5Z_Katuzqy6REFuIkh-NzAypLWoAcXRKhpFwC0GHwYmRJAqLJmZ7EcvJ6ZCahRb0TqWkarBQ/s320/DSC03582.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711748963574122722" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Travis did his daddy duty and took Sara to another prom dress store (same name, different location). What a guy! She found one that she liked, but I think the one she found in Charleston is still her favorite.<br /><br />Today, we got up early and headed home....8 hours later, we got home safe and sound to see our Anisa. I missed my kid. Sometimes it's fun to just have one kid, but I love my girls so much. It'll be nice to sleep in my own bed tonight...which will be very soon since I got home, had dinner and a delicious beer. ;) Hope you are having a great evening wherever you are. :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-27463390905728699462012-02-16T10:27:00.002-05:002012-02-16T10:31:57.480-05:00Beeyooteeful creations<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GO3FQSxY4JmSAUDpKtrGfYLuuLwJkCL-pwJT1nd3l0zE6sYrdJpD82O_yQ3M4HYbmcYJkbk_GueymBy-tNjIaT2oJYE1dzQiEXhFdzSLGW7ZwvEvh9ekfHcPZ79YaZ5o4nUiEg/s1600/ByooteefulMacarons.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GO3FQSxY4JmSAUDpKtrGfYLuuLwJkCL-pwJT1nd3l0zE6sYrdJpD82O_yQ3M4HYbmcYJkbk_GueymBy-tNjIaT2oJYE1dzQiEXhFdzSLGW7ZwvEvh9ekfHcPZ79YaZ5o4nUiEg/s320/ByooteefulMacarons.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709756583299923202" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFD978hR4rYXKFHYf0na-8XHgN3jQ5QtwEwKDVlKuk6feum_jcqFotUAEKSd-yJ_FyNEkcMReF0H7odl8v8hRdYCSRoV_fn7foqIf245vwR4rZmQG6JQZ1bRo6D6hUSPAKnvuWXg/s1600/ByooteefulMacaron.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFD978hR4rYXKFHYf0na-8XHgN3jQ5QtwEwKDVlKuk6feum_jcqFotUAEKSd-yJ_FyNEkcMReF0H7odl8v8hRdYCSRoV_fn7foqIf245vwR4rZmQG6JQZ1bRo6D6hUSPAKnvuWXg/s320/ByooteefulMacaron.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709756588314455266" border="0" /></a><br />I am kind of amazed sometimes when I watch Anisa cook. She doesn't do it all that often at home, mainly because we don't eat a ton of sweets and she cooks at work, so doesn't often feel like creating in our little, underpowered kitchen. But, every once in a while, she creates and I love to see how it turns out. These are the little beauties she made for our Bunco night. They are delicious. Little pink macarons filled with a creamy filling and decorated with raspberries topped with a real rose petal and a sugar dew drop. The great thing about them is they aren't super sweet. I can actually enjoy them. :) Someday she'll own her little bakery and make custom macarons...who wants one?? :) :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-35450930466110405352012-02-15T06:51:00.004-05:002012-02-15T07:37:20.835-05:00What's been UP latelyWell, not a heck of a lot, but I've been staying busy. Doing what...I have no clue. :) Ok, I actually do have a tiny clue. I've been sewing a little. Working on a quilt that I have had fabric for, for years. I saw this great quilt on a website a long time ago, and bought all the fabric that I needed and then it sat there. I never got the Pattern, but in my research, have found what blocks needed to be made, and so now I'm working on it. It's not turning out how the picture looked, but that's ok, I guess. Quilts are great like that. Even if you mess up really bad, you're usually the only one who knows. :) I also made another 2 Weekender bags. One for Sara and one for my friend's 50th birthday. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGq9yfCMJAq4eIa5414uz_tRBHbv3Jwls8dWNBybdPwDIr10VjWsDdAV0EVkU_f17iGneAq_rBOXkcQ6jUhj8i0K-PTmLmpmkg8xfaPxx9qOV2E38GYzWIW8njetoa1Nu1Jp6gQ/s1600/Sara+Bag.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGq9yfCMJAq4eIa5414uz_tRBHbv3Jwls8dWNBybdPwDIr10VjWsDdAV0EVkU_f17iGneAq_rBOXkcQ6jUhj8i0K-PTmLmpmkg8xfaPxx9qOV2E38GYzWIW8njetoa1Nu1Jp6gQ/s320/Sara+Bag.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709336393502838306" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qdlID8gHqp91b864xcSYbue9l_4oqQ0pCPKaFgZFJdls2GWIDCSABCEZAgSDczbMTJzyYXk36-noDYfFb18_5g6UEcJmNZzEyxQF8nxfEBs9Oswonw7alcAldCkbctzHx8Lc4g/s1600/Sara+Bag+Inside.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qdlID8gHqp91b864xcSYbue9l_4oqQ0pCPKaFgZFJdls2GWIDCSABCEZAgSDczbMTJzyYXk36-noDYfFb18_5g6UEcJmNZzEyxQF8nxfEBs9Oswonw7alcAldCkbctzHx8Lc4g/s320/Sara+Bag+Inside.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709336402310077378" border="0" /></a>The blue one is Sara's. She wanted a "Tiffany" blue bag and found these fabrics. Not the perfect blue, but she loves it so I guess that makes it perfect.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yzBV1QppdOioWQBF-zyAgTHoEvKFK8iUO1-Hmq11Y1uxq-MIWNPPalLso7g3goKNkT0XZWkPMJci9PZSW8Y7dkzLkvOuvMnJhzpMIgETPpU80JhRGOjOSR0yaV3FTJzTZLCmNQ/s1600/RhondaBag4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yzBV1QppdOioWQBF-zyAgTHoEvKFK8iUO1-Hmq11Y1uxq-MIWNPPalLso7g3goKNkT0XZWkPMJci9PZSW8Y7dkzLkvOuvMnJhzpMIgETPpU80JhRGOjOSR0yaV3FTJzTZLCmNQ/s320/RhondaBag4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709335529590881602" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPU72aIL1FNyuvI7lkUeo9uA1_r39nxBtnfQEJ-JYB9vCZkchpgkJ4d2kPTbqjCBphUXXxYeBvGE6ih7A3AHHvcLRc-4aNze_BYlnA6_n8eSkMWkJ_kCQ35_FoKeU39KfgliUx-g/s1600/RhondaBag5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPU72aIL1FNyuvI7lkUeo9uA1_r39nxBtnfQEJ-JYB9vCZkchpgkJ4d2kPTbqjCBphUXXxYeBvGE6ih7A3AHHvcLRc-4aNze_BYlnA6_n8eSkMWkJ_kCQ35_FoKeU39KfgliUx-g/s320/RhondaBag5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709335547587346802" border="0" /></a>This one is Rhonda's. She didn't get to pick her fabrics. :) heehee Hey, it was a Bday present! Travis actually suggested I make her one since I couldn't think of what to get to this special bday. 50. She's an antique and I will tell her that often. hahahahah, yeah, I know I'll be 50 someday, but that's a while away. And she still looks and acts young so it's all good. :)<br /><br />My next Weekender will be for Anisa since she doesn't have one yet. Poor baby. That's ok, tho. She can't go anywhere since she's a working girl now. Being grown up stinks. We're heading to Savannah this weekend and she couldn't get the time off, so she has to stay home. We're planning to go (Just the mom and kid) in May, tho, so that will make up for it. Paula Deen is doing a book signing gig at her restaurant on Monday, so we're mainly going for that. Sara has Monday off of school for President's Day, so this works out really great. Pictures and an update will be coming soon. :) After the trip...heehee<br /><br />Anisa just got back from WI. She was gone 3 weeks and it flew by. It's sometimes nice to just have an only child. She had fun. Now she's trying to decide if she'll move back to WI or go back to Portland with us. We think she should go back to Portland (duh), mainly because there are gonna be more job opportunities for her, but she has to decide on her own. I hate watching her have to decide. I know how she feels....anxious to get out there an conquer the world ON.HER.OWN, but also being scared. She'll figure it out and make it however she needs to.<br /><br />Tonight I am hosting Bunco. So, I must get off the computer and start cooking the chicken. I'm making chicken enchiladas....mmmmm! Anisa's making her famous macarons with a fruity twist. Those pics will come soon too! :) I hope you all have a fabulous day. :) mwah!The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-50664762802199209842012-01-21T12:17:00.007-05:002012-01-21T12:45:08.167-05:00Craftiness<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr_3f7wGCu5PcVJYtPMpU5bswgM5cVGXCzGrawfRjmdt3AvmHlh97b1RSzzUhSdSrp7xG6WLyucYRfie88AHqqClrm5lisCJOieCbMb5_XCCCkaoxrVThwPDTDoKHeh-J97d2hQ/s1600/Weekender.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr_3f7wGCu5PcVJYtPMpU5bswgM5cVGXCzGrawfRjmdt3AvmHlh97b1RSzzUhSdSrp7xG6WLyucYRfie88AHqqClrm5lisCJOieCbMb5_XCCCkaoxrVThwPDTDoKHeh-J97d2hQ/s320/Weekender.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700141816886326770" border="0" /></a>I finished my Weekender and I.LOVE.IT! I will definitely be making more of this bag. It was challenging, but not too bad. I want to take a trip now, so I can use it. :) It took me about 3 days of working on for a little bit here and there. I think if I had a whole day, I could whip one out now since I kinda know what to do...with this one, I actually had to read the instructions. I wasn't going to do the cording, since I was a little scared since I had read other blogs that said it was really hard, but I found it to be more time consuming than hard. I was also unsure about all the interfacing and stabilizers, but that wasn't too bad, either.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUoFkGjc0cypnG6c5c-HNOKVbTF1cZy_VggdsaQ6fof6a3nAkavNP9t7ebxibyUzILHgI0iVmCudrwOafGXglJJRBT46Mvu3kEy5VrAhHM6yFnwkr0ctj2JDEF9HXadl2NmeL0A/s1600/Weekender+hold.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUoFkGjc0cypnG6c5c-HNOKVbTF1cZy_VggdsaQ6fof6a3nAkavNP9t7ebxibyUzILHgI0iVmCudrwOafGXglJJRBT46Mvu3kEy5VrAhHM6yFnwkr0ctj2JDEF9HXadl2NmeL0A/s320/Weekender+hold.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700141981721987202" border="0" /></a>For anyone who does this bag, just give yourself time. Definitely use a heavy duty needle (I didn't break any needles or bend any pins, although, a lot of time I didn't even use pins.....I hate pinning).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8p8YWOKpXO4wHw7Ttllb8MXTSWG-jmD6rG_vWew7LtnF-67UuEpbo_w1jdp5XD5ZLRV9KoMPKR00RMzOFWU0EgnKGy3DTFXopDlcgZyRq1reFxVblPsZ71LN-2_9nfEGTEad4ww/s1600/Weekender+Inside.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8p8YWOKpXO4wHw7Ttllb8MXTSWG-jmD6rG_vWew7LtnF-67UuEpbo_w1jdp5XD5ZLRV9KoMPKR00RMzOFWU0EgnKGy3DTFXopDlcgZyRq1reFxVblPsZ71LN-2_9nfEGTEad4ww/s320/Weekender+Inside.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700142112421412226" border="0" /></a>I made a couple of pockets on the inside which was something not on the pattern, but other chicks had done it, and I liked the idea. I showed Sara and she wants one. We are gonna make a dress together, but once that is done, I might take her out to pick out fabrics for her own bag.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1aT7AQG4nW8RC4kVLv6PWkteMtZjsQyH7jfqOsjjGo_6gKEMaFbQWIPfqYEbWGB8E1McO5Z3Mgaxl7hwZ8S3QI8AJBSUkRLghZfB2SQ-SXa1s0Nu6KCiet7cJS5lzNFyuXzROw/s1600/Anisa+Camo+Purse.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1aT7AQG4nW8RC4kVLv6PWkteMtZjsQyH7jfqOsjjGo_6gKEMaFbQWIPfqYEbWGB8E1McO5Z3Mgaxl7hwZ8S3QI8AJBSUkRLghZfB2SQ-SXa1s0Nu6KCiet7cJS5lzNFyuXzROw/s320/Anisa+Camo+Purse.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700141018303398258" border="0" /></a>Here is Anisa's Camo Purse. She found a purse that she really liked, and we came home and figured out a pattern and made this. It's a little bigger and bulkier than I had thought it would be, but it was a perfect bag for her to take to WI...she loaded that thing up! :) She is REALLY happy with it, and has gotten lots of compliments on it. Yep, she's a redneck. :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ5_O41zED9ntOzynRhgWIaBkGThzCKNCnSjREZVzu9eMcpxze2t4zLk6kuosJdT4Aw9wUVE2fIFKAi32bu6MXOphKYeFJnPUTnkwRifQZ__JDB43wSVT03Wpi6lGlwHeGpqsZw/s1600/Anisa+is+21.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ5_O41zED9ntOzynRhgWIaBkGThzCKNCnSjREZVzu9eMcpxze2t4zLk6kuosJdT4Aw9wUVE2fIFKAi32bu6MXOphKYeFJnPUTnkwRifQZ__JDB43wSVT03Wpi6lGlwHeGpqsZw/s320/Anisa+is+21.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700141658449673634" border="0" /></a>The most important part of today, tho, is it's ANISA'S 21ST BIRTHDAY!!! I can't believe that I have a 21 year old kid. That's just so weird. She had mixed feelings about not being home for her birthday, but ultimately decided to go spend her birthday in WI. We went to dinner at Chevy's for her birthday dinner. The next day (yesterday) we went to the airport and off she flew on a plane with a buffalo on the tail. :) Of course, at midnight she started drinking, but I talked to her this morning and she said she didn't feel great, but she's alive. :) Dumb kids. I told her just don't be driving with anyone who's been drinking...I hope she listens.<br /><br />So, today, I plan to spend time with Sara who loves being an only child. We're gonna work on her dress, I hope. We cut out the pattern and now have to cut out the fabric. As soon as we're done, I'll be posting on that...It's satiny fabric and chiffon. I've never worked with either fabric, so it'll be very interesting, but I'm on a Challenge Kick.... :) I hope you all have a great day and challenge yourself with something fun! :) mwah!The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-43859489882465539032012-01-18T07:16:00.005-05:002012-01-18T07:46:40.164-05:00First Post of 2012Well, it's a couple of weeks into the new year, but Happy New Year. I have been busy with, um, well, I don't know, but I'm sure it was something important. :) I've gotten a little bit of sewing done. Anisa and I found some Camo canvas a while back in a remnant so we bought it figuring we'd made a purse or something out of it. Then, I found some cotton fabric that she likes to line it with. I didn't take a picture of it yet, but will have to post one later. She found <a href="http://www.justcamo.com/ecommerce/camo-mossy-oak-purse.html">this purse</a> that she loved, we figured out a pattern and made it. It turned out really cute. A little bigger than we both thought, but she likes it so I'm happy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uBEpEcXSEhyphenhyphensRUk3ypN9YUrUCG4VyNKVv8tUo8uSVL2yKM00QttCG382TKFyEmo8RdW2z3eyBbSlbdHIyUT5nQw3cHcgyLqPC5BaDBOqY76MdwuCy2zDBN3wbsGyG0aOTEG9FA/s1600/amybutlerfabs.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uBEpEcXSEhyphenhyphensRUk3ypN9YUrUCG4VyNKVv8tUo8uSVL2yKM00QttCG382TKFyEmo8RdW2z3eyBbSlbdHIyUT5nQw3cHcgyLqPC5BaDBOqY76MdwuCy2zDBN3wbsGyG0aOTEG9FA/s320/amybutlerfabs.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698946899359704930" border="0" /></a>I bought these fabrics to start making <a href="http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/patterns_display.php?id=22">Amy Butler's Weekender bag</a>. Happy Zombie made it, and of course, she inspires me so I had to buy the pattern. heehee I cut the fabric out a couple of days ago, working on the interfacing hopefully this morning then I can get to sewing soon. I'm VERY anxious to get this done, since everyone that has done it, LOVES it. It's a challenge, but I'm up for it. :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvMsCXCd5wlXLkzZDuaCQhiLXTRIU-QndnlrboMEPHo962rkditWNKB7ogtUu2wPj8kp5ysiFkVv-eWNsNeN6MJNjz0l-6j3Vng0-w5w0E8UQd2YdxJIxx4qZeRw0S4NI6_cmbA/s1600/Moms+bag.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvMsCXCd5wlXLkzZDuaCQhiLXTRIU-QndnlrboMEPHo962rkditWNKB7ogtUu2wPj8kp5ysiFkVv-eWNsNeN6MJNjz0l-6j3Vng0-w5w0E8UQd2YdxJIxx4qZeRw0S4NI6_cmbA/s320/Moms+bag.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698948198486815074" border="0" /></a>I also made this bag for my mom. She had another tote that she loved and used the heck out of. It finally died (I think the strap broke). When she came to visit for my birthday, we hit one of my new favorite fabric stores in NJ...<a href="http://www.jandofabrics.com/">J and O Fabrics</a>. Awesome selection of novelty fabrics. Anyway, I found the fabrics for this bag there, and she asked if I'd make her a bag out of them. I said SURE and used HZ's pattern to make it. I love that pattern. I love the fabrics. Mom loves her bag. :)<br /><br />Travis and I are slowly getting back into jogging. :) I'm not saying running since we're going pretty slow cuz we're out of shape. We jog/walked on the <a href="http://www.patc.us/images/bull_run.gif">Bull Run Trail</a> a week ago which was super fun. We went in about 3 miles, then back. It's VERY hilly, which is good and challenging. We have a goal on a nice weekend to jog walk from the top of the trail to the bottom end. It's about 18 miles total. We'll pack a little lunch and do it in a day. We just want to see the whole trail.<br /><br />My cell phone finally bit the dust yesterday. It's been a while coming since I've dropped the poor little thing a few times. Anyway, I was forced to get a new phone. Unfortunately for the people at Verizon, I still refuse to buy a "smart" phone (which I don't think there's anything smart about). I got a nice little basic PHONE. I use it to call people and text. I don't need a camera on my phone. I have a camera. I don't need a GPS...I have maps. I don't need to read my email on my phone...it's a PHONE for goodness sake. Ok, that's my vent. I got a little LG Octane. I like it so far, but I have to get used to the keyboard. I hate change. Oh well. I also got to go to Trader Joes, so that was a little bonus. :) It's not far from here, but it's in a shopping center that I don't usually get to just because TJ's is the only store there that I like.<br /><br />So, that's about all my latest news. Sara and I are making a dress for her. We cut out the pattern pieces, and I ironed the fabrics. It should be interesting since it's a silky under dress and a chiffon top layer. I've never worked with either fabric cuz of how crazy slippery they are. I'll post about that when we start...wish us luck! :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-10796750172015223982011-12-30T07:11:00.003-05:002011-12-30T09:31:42.151-05:00Last post of 2011I know it's not the last day of the year, but I've been such a slacker, I don't expect to make another post in the next day or two...sooooo, this is my non-official last post of 2011. I'm choosing to call it non-official in case I surprise myself and log on tomorrow or Sunday! :) hahahah<br /><br />So, we celebrated Christmas just the 4 of us, like I like it. I like getting up really late, staying in my jammies all day, eating whenever I feel like cooking and just chillin'. We had to wake the kids up at about 9:30 since they were OUT. Travis was quite involved in the laying out of gifts. He bought Sara a guitar and wanted to make sure she didn't see it before she actually got out to the living room. He's pretty cute. :) The girls got spoiled, as usual. Nisa didn't get a guitar, but she got money for her Wisconsin trip next month. Sara got Uggs, Nisa got dishes - plates and bowls for when she moves out. :) It was a good day. We had a simple ham dinner and thanked God for sending Jesus. Watched some tv, then after a wonderful day, went to bed early. :) Perfect.<br /><br />My timeline here is a little backward, I just realized, but I'm going to tell you about Nisa's graduation which was Dec. 14. :) She actually graduated in Aug, but they only have one ceremony a year, so she walked in Dec. She was all cute in her official Pastry chef uniform and her pretty blue Magna Cum Laude cords. She met up with her sweet friends and off they went, giggling and being crazy. The ceremony was nice, and we even got to see friends who we've known since Santa Barbara (their son graduated too). We're so proud of her. She still loves her job at Swiss Bakery. She doesn't love getting up early, but likes getting home early. <br /><br />She's also discovered that she loves Bass Pro Shop. We went up to the one near Baltimore the other day and she went crazy. about 90% of the people in there had camo on. She was a happy girl. My little redneck girl. She got some cam flannel sheets, a can koozie, and looked at and almost drooled on the knives and guns. Oh, and the boats and 4-wheelers. :)<br /><br />Yes, then there's Sara. Sara is Sara. Going to school, sleeping, spending time with her friends, Younglife, church group, and TONS OF TIME playing her guitar. She's learning lots of new songs. We love to hear the music coming from her room. She also still loves learning new make-up tricks and hair styling things. Who knows...maybe someday she will be doing make-up to the stars. :) Although, I'd rather see her be happy in Portland or Seattle. We'll see.<br /><br />I mentioned to a friend that Sara had been sick EVERY Christmas. She asked if we had a live tree, and said Sara might be allergic to it....ugh! It makes perfect sense. She's sick.. . LITERALLY..every Christmas. So, this year may have been our last Real Christmas tree. Dang. Anisa and I looked for a fake tree the day after Christmas, but they were all gone. Too bad they have sales for months leading up to Christmas so the after Christmas sales aren't that great. Stupid stores ruined my "day after" shopping days. The day after Thanksgiving sales aren't good cuz they are open on Thanksgiving.....I miss the old days when stores were closed on holidays. jerks.<br /><br />On to happier items. We have red house finches bedding in our tree at night and we love it. Every evening at dusk, they sit on our deck until it's time to go into their little sleep tree. Then, between 5 and 7 a.m. they get up and sing their sweet songs on the deck or trees around. Man, I love birds, and squirrels! :) heehee<br /><br />Our winter has been very warm. Today it's supposed to get into the 50s again. Next week, they say it'll get into the 30s. We'll see. No snow at all this winter which makes me sad. <br /><br />My mom came up for my birthday and so we decided to take a trip to New York to see my cousin and go pub hopping. We had a blast. April's friend, Laurie met us in the city and we had a really great time at a pub called McSorleys. Very fun bar, very fun people, yummy beer. We also cruised through New York City in the car which April said was better than walking cuz we were warm and we covered A LOT of area. :) All the stores were decorated for Christmas so it was very pretty and bright.<br /><br />If you want to look at my pics, you can view them on <a href="http://2011familystuff.shutterfly.com/pictures">shutterfly</a>. :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-25346758328213463882011-11-01T07:59:00.009-04:002011-11-01T08:35:47.742-04:00Things to reportWell, it's been a little while since I've written, but not as long as some of the times I've gone with no reports. There are a few things in the Nolen family that have happened recently. Here goes...<br /><br />Sara has had a bit of a dilemma. She says she has lost her passion for dance, at least on the team, so she made up her mind to quit the dance team. On Oct 20, she faced the coaches and told them her decision. It was hard for her, but she handled it like an adult and is happy about her choice. She has gotten to hang out with friends who she didn't get to hang out with while on the team because of the huge time commitment for DT and is even planning to go on a church retreat. She loves her DT family and will always treasure her memories of her time on the team, but this year is a new chapter. She's a senior and wants to make it spectacular. She's actually gonna enjoy her first long weekend this week coming up. Mon and Tues are days off of school, and normally we'd be at Dance Camp, but not this year. We might even make a trip to NY to see April and Chris....and MAC, Macy's, Times Square, Lady Liberty...... :) She's a lot less stressed and even got a B+ on her math test (she's not a math girl, and struggles with it, so this is awesome news. :)). Now, my reaction is more sadness. I didn't quit the team, and I think they need me! :) heehee Actually, I've been working on bags to sell as a fundraiser at the end of this month, so I'll still be kinda involved. Plus, I still work with Tammy and talk to Dianna every day (DT moms), so I'm still in the loop. I even told them I could still chaperone for Nationals. We'll see! :) Here she is with some friends on their way to an away football game. They had a "white out", that's why they are dressed in white (trash bags). They had lots of fun..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NX2mK8RFkCDWdCOXR-1lBIRxtnjZDX6onCVsVAdpwF2pxPnPbqyUYNLxzf8xNWczgn-S0DWcpLh6FzZsR-uk1f5PRUGyby7YYTnwPLgzqT0oKSOOGuolDO0xL-yCu5_GegfSYw/s1600/White+Out.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NX2mK8RFkCDWdCOXR-1lBIRxtnjZDX6onCVsVAdpwF2pxPnPbqyUYNLxzf8xNWczgn-S0DWcpLh6FzZsR-uk1f5PRUGyby7YYTnwPLgzqT0oKSOOGuolDO0xL-yCu5_GegfSYw/s320/White+Out.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670002285905044690" border="0" /></a>As many of you also have heard, we got snow on the 29th. Yeah, it came down, but nothing stuck cuz the ground was pretty warm and it was rainy along with the snow, but you can see that we got big flakes coming down. It sure was pretty. It's been cold lately, and it seems like it went from HOT to COLD real quick. I guess that's usually how it seems to go around here. We go from air conditioning to heat. Poor little heat pump. :) heehee<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXWRe2FThH7WuLRqYSDJKDMmmPRm_w1eY76RHppbkhA9h1XA003ObW30bSwFzHRaS3GWmMMDLbkQLUNSSnVHZNQVguIax_AGNKJweTTD4x6_2HLCnGuWvHDI45eaI2HICZVe6mg/s1600/DSC02427.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXWRe2FThH7WuLRqYSDJKDMmmPRm_w1eY76RHppbkhA9h1XA003ObW30bSwFzHRaS3GWmMMDLbkQLUNSSnVHZNQVguIax_AGNKJweTTD4x6_2HLCnGuWvHDI45eaI2HICZVe6mg/s320/DSC02427.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670001854513078658" border="0" /></a>Last night was Halloween. 35 bucks worth of candy and not many kids. Dang. Now, I have a ton of candy in the house. Guess we better keep running to work it off. :) Now, if I can just stay motivated and work out time to go. Well, stop making excuses, that's what I need to do. :) Sara and some of her friends went out trick or treating for a bit after they went and got $2 booritos at Chipotle. Those crazy burritoholics. :) Here are the girls....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgLcY84x1pKf6xe0c1W1oYp6EZlE0zvYj69B2CmX0fdTTFrifEd73O9iTro2VtzAPCxKibZBBCBWTcNvTigsZX0vTjzVQ1drPB8CwoqYBIg7JUkHXIAWsedgwNoCTlDvkT0t00g/s1600/Halloween%252711-3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgLcY84x1pKf6xe0c1W1oYp6EZlE0zvYj69B2CmX0fdTTFrifEd73O9iTro2VtzAPCxKibZBBCBWTcNvTigsZX0vTjzVQ1drPB8CwoqYBIg7JUkHXIAWsedgwNoCTlDvkT0t00g/s320/Halloween%252711-3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670001383780148514" border="0" /></a>We went out and took some pics hoping to start on our Christmas letter/card/pic for this year. I'm saving the family pics for the card, but here are my beautiful girls. I just love them so much. :) Especially when they're being sweet. :) heehee We had fun and wanted to at least get some pics with the fall colors. The trees are so confused this year with the weird weather we've had, so the colors didn't seem to be as vibrant as normal, but they are still really pretty. This was at Mercer Lake right here by our house. We even saw some little tiny fishies. Yeah, Anisa has taken up fishing. Her friends like to fish, so they go her "hooked". She went and bought a fishing pole and even a little tackle box with hooks, bobbers, and all that stuff. She wants to make a trip to Bass Pro Shop soon. We like to tease her about it, but she doesn't care. She likes to go out with her friends and fish. Crazy kids.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivTImQwaVaSudFRLxQXdVsoxEuV72fY0_o_xF9EDo3r8H3qZKr6O2umhM1DDPkvqtctJR7vUGI01mOAPdaqptpAOlZLRW8CmJQZV-sOPTPJmOMwdP6fCTN5V8Y9Kjo2vHL2mXvA/s1600/10-23-11-5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivTImQwaVaSudFRLxQXdVsoxEuV72fY0_o_xF9EDo3r8H3qZKr6O2umhM1DDPkvqtctJR7vUGI01mOAPdaqptpAOlZLRW8CmJQZV-sOPTPJmOMwdP6fCTN5V8Y9Kjo2vHL2mXvA/s320/10-23-11-5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670001084115215266" border="0" /></a>I'm working on making bags, and today I'm going to work at Tammy's. She's got a lot of events and baskets to make and get ready for. Her business is taking off and I'm so proud of my friend. For those of you who I don't normally talk to, Tammy is one my Dance Mom friends, who has a gift basket business. She quit her full-time job to get her business running again (she's a single mom, so this was a GIGANTICALLY HUGE step). Anyway, the girl is on fire getting all kinds of new accounts with some big companies. I hope she makes it big. Oh, here's her website in case you want to check it out...<a href="http://www.talkofthetowngifts.com/">Talk Of the Town Gifts</a>....we ship anywhere in the country! :) I'll put extra love in any basket you want! :) heehee This is a picture of a luncheon she did for <a href="http://www.networkingexecutivewomen.com/">NEW - Networking Executive Women</a>. Mali, the speaker of the day was awesome. Check out her book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Million-Fireflies-Mali-Phonpadith/dp/0980220947">A Million Fireflies</a>. This woman has been through some crazy stuff in her life, starting with her family fleeing their home in Laos in the middle of the night when she was just 4. If you want to be inspired, get the book. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFK0zB5rqoPrdhi2UL1rqqtX1xkPKgJmWJexa3U4PCcZpqsyKpk_zdi0l6VYY4IY9XWfeDt7XDt3cPw7m3QNV23a5r2cYAgsab6sPpECoLzaDMM0Ko-7F2adxux6spIcuxBtfZg/s1600/DSC02422.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFK0zB5rqoPrdhi2UL1rqqtX1xkPKgJmWJexa3U4PCcZpqsyKpk_zdi0l6VYY4IY9XWfeDt7XDt3cPw7m3QNV23a5r2cYAgsab6sPpECoLzaDMM0Ko-7F2adxux6spIcuxBtfZg/s320/DSC02422.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670003908990245346" border="0" /></a>As usual, you can click on any picture to make it bigger. :) So, now you've been updated. Hope you all have a spectacular day. Love and kisses!! :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-83087385235420955732011-10-17T12:03:00.007-04:002011-10-17T12:25:05.403-04:00Working girlAnisa finally got herself a big girl job. :) She is now an employee of <a href="http://www.theswissbakery.com/">The Swiss Bakery</a> in Springfield, VA. :) She's kind of a "floater" right now and doing a little bit of anything they need. She's made ice cream, delivered goods to the Burke store, made cookies and stocked the store and freezer. She likes the job, but is still getting used to having to get up and go to work. She commented that she hopes she gets a day off soon because she's so tired...well, she's on her 4th day of work.....welcome to adulthood my precious child. :) It kinda sucks, but when she gets that paycheck, she's gonna be happy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhup9XIBRkAxIwrK-TjEGlAqL8tZuXc7w301e1-G9eiUpAZRDUw3E4M3YuRpu-D7oM2Tl9foMeztQ5KPvtRe6ysBvAzDfrzJSTVFE2YyHd84fjZc9SFO-Vvv9aLghWtnPoFZUlg/s1600/Anisa+1st+Day+of+work+10-14-11+back.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhup9XIBRkAxIwrK-TjEGlAqL8tZuXc7w301e1-G9eiUpAZRDUw3E4M3YuRpu-D7oM2Tl9foMeztQ5KPvtRe6ysBvAzDfrzJSTVFE2YyHd84fjZc9SFO-Vvv9aLghWtnPoFZUlg/s320/Anisa+1st+Day+of+work+10-14-11+back.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664497506441457842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_EIqWvHoSUhcCp2Ik9Oks4M-y5ned3oKNrKCn0EKhUvq2q7fx9wGE_5opE9a9ArUZqCV4Ofn3G0VtqlNsOJ5GB6gqwo7TiK0GIG2sq_dlTRRBEoouk4R19nGPxzZZcYBOJeMoQw/s1600/Anisa+1st+Day+of+work+10-14-11.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_EIqWvHoSUhcCp2Ik9Oks4M-y5ned3oKNrKCn0EKhUvq2q7fx9wGE_5opE9a9ArUZqCV4Ofn3G0VtqlNsOJ5GB6gqwo7TiK0GIG2sq_dlTRRBEoouk4R19nGPxzZZcYBOJeMoQw/s320/Anisa+1st+Day+of+work+10-14-11.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664497340348779890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />How did this all happen, you ask? Well, after she graduated school, we kept telling her she needed to get out there and find a job. I had found the Swiss Bakery a long time ago and she even was referred there by one of her chefs at school. She had an interview a couple of weeks ago at a fancy french bakery in DC, but the owner interviewed her and she said she thought maybe English is his second language because she could barely understand him. She was not excited about getting a job there, but knew it would be good experience. Luckily after a few not returned calls by the bakery, she gave up. I kept bugging her to download the application from Swiss Bakery and just turn it in. She finally did and went into the Burke store and the very sweet manager there told her the owner was in Switzerland and she does the interviews. She'd be back by the weekend. Well, sure enough, Monday morning Anisa got an email asking if she could come in for an interview on Wed. She replied ABSOLUTELY. She was SO nervous and went in (I sat in the car waiting for her since we had errands to run before and after AND to give her that mommy support). About 45 minutes later, she returned and said she had a "stage" (working for free to see how things work) scheduled for Thursday. She had to be there at 8:00 a.m. and didn't know when she'd be done. I kept expecting a text from her telling me she was on her way home (I was working at Tammy's). Well, she just showed up at Tam's with a smile on her face. She said she had fun, was really tired, but they liked her so much, that instead of working for free, she was hired AND getting paid for Thursday. :) Since then she's had three 8-hour days. Today is her 4th day. Yesterday and today she had to be there by 7 a.m. Not super early in the Bakery world, but SUPER DUPER early in Anisa's world. We're pretty proud of her, and are trying to be supportive and understanding when she's tired and wants a day off. We tell her we know, and sorry that she's tired, but this is what adults have to do. Growing up stinks sometimes, but there are good things too...like a PAYCHECK. :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-57834755863435724182011-10-11T08:02:00.010-04:002011-10-11T08:32:16.368-04:00Happy stuff :)Lots has been going on and I have been slacking getting this updated. Here goes...<br /><br />Dance Team has been taking up some of our time. After the whole AGT thing, the team is getting back into the swing of the season. Homecoming is this week, so the team will perform at a school pep assembly, and the game and will be walking in the parade. It looks like the weather will be good. They were asked to perform at the Field of Screams this past weekend. It was pretty fun, even tho Sara and a few others HATE scary things...I know, strange that their theme is pretty much scary. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-a1N-FXOndzWdYmiEox7cvivB-Pq56JD9YVloXGfhV4OgRdbwVyB__MDO_-6R7vEm9JU4rabQsOQa_25gOcmcSSdnsEJ2oss-AkkytPOr6-8JpiBW9kZfayDSk7F4BbmdgZOnQ/s1600/FieldOfScreams+10-8-11-16.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-a1N-FXOndzWdYmiEox7cvivB-Pq56JD9YVloXGfhV4OgRdbwVyB__MDO_-6R7vEm9JU4rabQsOQa_25gOcmcSSdnsEJ2oss-AkkytPOr6-8JpiBW9kZfayDSk7F4BbmdgZOnQ/s320/FieldOfScreams+10-8-11-16.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662207435871809858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHwNLoxRDHd0eVuU9e12fNeXRkA8PXQg5-qxgp2qMtlXikAD1POJ7Sn9ckrO5YRH1UxenZ0DPeDUvKRq2DfXYv0OK4ANhO3OWb3rQR3gXtiBgnVDigWXFeVTDUkC5-Op9cdRi7w/s1600/FieldOfScreams+10-8-11-29.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHwNLoxRDHd0eVuU9e12fNeXRkA8PXQg5-qxgp2qMtlXikAD1POJ7Sn9ckrO5YRH1UxenZ0DPeDUvKRq2DfXYv0OK4ANhO3OWb3rQR3gXtiBgnVDigWXFeVTDUkC5-Op9cdRi7w/s320/FieldOfScreams+10-8-11-29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662208089100469458" border="0" /></a><br />Biggest thrill? Deep Fried Oreos and Twinkies. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaPejQrvFDQibMMtvD9VexmHF09vQB0i949JZrA543E80a0Su3WZ70RKgvf7ELxfvr4t2Sh49zZuEWwOIBgiG2IXL898a6AeXiInoiduhmb-UzzI-HaPuV9ovF3b7hcdY_9XFoA/s1600/FieldOfScreams+10-8-11-Fried+Oreos.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaPejQrvFDQibMMtvD9VexmHF09vQB0i949JZrA543E80a0Su3WZ70RKgvf7ELxfvr4t2Sh49zZuEWwOIBgiG2IXL898a6AeXiInoiduhmb-UzzI-HaPuV9ovF3b7hcdY_9XFoA/s320/FieldOfScreams+10-8-11-Fried+Oreos.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662208723960508194" border="0" /></a><br />They also held a 2-day dance camp for littles. The DT taught the kids a routine and then the littles got to perform at a football game. The campers were so excited to perform and did a great job. I've been doing a little bit of shopping for the Homecoming performance (which I LOVE- shopping with other people's money - hee hee).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDxMSbhf_I1qP92lA7THLgUhyphenhyphenJIqqjds5syIPe4djw14NcnU64Lw_yCBYBaLfJ0JIQYzl6SSOyt-NuI9XzBXetvCZhY6bCNmAI8mNGtweH4884J_g4sXRFZldh-ZrHVPWwmpMGg/s1600/DanceCamp+10-5%25266%252C11-3.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDxMSbhf_I1qP92lA7THLgUhyphenhyphenJIqqjds5syIPe4djw14NcnU64Lw_yCBYBaLfJ0JIQYzl6SSOyt-NuI9XzBXetvCZhY6bCNmAI8mNGtweH4884J_g4sXRFZldh-ZrHVPWwmpMGg/s320/DanceCamp+10-5%25266%252C11-3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662209389108430786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7zWgbsCtrw_LShc8Bet3U1YC9LwN5xApIAGe6AG0vJWy0MQi8GxZIoOR8cdz1N23xujo9N8VgZDkAU9XFDgMdBCxYBOQnOXD-bVeZ9kj-s1MHBPA4kmNHxi9b8Sdoll9bpKNRQ/s1600/DanceCamp+10-5%25266%252C11-14.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7zWgbsCtrw_LShc8Bet3U1YC9LwN5xApIAGe6AG0vJWy0MQi8GxZIoOR8cdz1N23xujo9N8VgZDkAU9XFDgMdBCxYBOQnOXD-bVeZ9kj-s1MHBPA4kmNHxi9b8Sdoll9bpKNRQ/s320/DanceCamp+10-5%25266%252C11-14.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662209620268087954" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Renee was in town last week staying with friends down in Stafford, so i went to spend a couple of days with her and the kids and friends. :) It was fun, but it stinks that she's all the way in TX now. I guess it's ok, tho, since I'll get to see some of Texas when I go see her! :) We took the kids to Build A Bear. They had a blast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRmF0RXOHXmgSExdpbYisC-c2wvW5RYub8UwCa5zD-p5Wdfjb3rxn1RP6rEoGoPBYWh-LOJhpeJOpTzaaewtTPLiKX336iI-BGLIDMy0Dji1UUSKExzNGzf3b60vamCA4mdoaSw/s1600/ReneeVisit9-30%252610-2-11.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRmF0RXOHXmgSExdpbYisC-c2wvW5RYub8UwCa5zD-p5Wdfjb3rxn1RP6rEoGoPBYWh-LOJhpeJOpTzaaewtTPLiKX336iI-BGLIDMy0Dji1UUSKExzNGzf3b60vamCA4mdoaSw/s320/ReneeVisit9-30%252610-2-11.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662210333664941378" border="0" /></a>. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIihKOZ_pwr9IGOiIoOEmuWB7rcV8fJ_xZAoVAorjLPB7ExpYqmmml1HSNKd_DrlwoqgQHRokY9jLZeh49X2sGMO9SaJ4YtcPElye-37RvDx9KB0inbwsPA1VCbz1CaC9eBcguw/s1600/ReneeVisit9-30%252610-2-24.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIihKOZ_pwr9IGOiIoOEmuWB7rcV8fJ_xZAoVAorjLPB7ExpYqmmml1HSNKd_DrlwoqgQHRokY9jLZeh49X2sGMO9SaJ4YtcPElye-37RvDx9KB0inbwsPA1VCbz1CaC9eBcguw/s320/ReneeVisit9-30%252610-2-24.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662210517957195282" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Today, Anisa has a job interview at Swiss Bakery. We're super excited and hope she gets the job...for lots of reasons, but we think it will be an awesome experience and the people who own/work there are very nice. :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-67453178395462030552011-09-29T22:08:00.002-04:002011-09-29T22:53:09.541-04:00F U CF!I am sitting here so totally heartbroken for one of my dear friends. I just found out that in February of this year, Joe's body was done fighting CF and he went Home to live with the Lord.<br /><br /> I met this sweet lady in the late 80s when I subbed for her at work while she went off and got married (to a Coastie). I didn't really know her when I took the job, but we got to know each other and became FRIENDS. She is a person who would do anything for anyone. Super sweet. <br /><br />In January of 1992 she gave birth to her precious son Joe. What a treasure he was to his mom and dad. He was such a little cutie guy. He was perfect in every way, but one....he was born with Cystic Fibrosis. CF if a genetic disease that affects the lungs and pancreas. I only know about this stupid disease, because my little brother was born with it. I wish I didn't know what it was. I wish it didn't exist. <br /><br />As a Christian, there are things that I just don't understand but I trust that God has life taken care of, but I don't have to like parts of this life. I hate that there is disease, I hate that there is deep heartache. I love that He takes care of us when we are broken. He takes care of us when we hit the bottom and we have no way of getting up without His help. Joe was a Christian guy. I know where he is right now, and that makes me smile. He is not suffering any more. There are no more pills. No more hospital visits. No more needles. <br /><br />I'm the most sad for my friend, Wende. I don't think I can even come close to imagining what she's had to go through this year. I'm thankful that she knows the Lord and will continue to look to Him for strength. I also know, that because of who she is, she has a lot of people to love and support her.<br /><br />This is a sad post, and I apologize, but the main point of it is to ask you all for your prayers for Wende and Jerry and everyone who was touched by Joe's special life. I also would like to ask for prayers for my brother, Blake and another friend, Matt, who has CF and all the families affected by this stupid disease.The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-78291816681902285352011-09-24T08:08:00.003-04:002011-09-24T08:45:06.858-04:00College?? Psha...she's DONE!Well, Anisa is now a certified Pastry Chef. She has her AA degree in Pastry and Baking. It's weird to think that I have a baby who is now done with one degree (she's not sure what's next).<br /><br />On Wed, 9-21-11, we trecked into the city to the Building Museum for her Portfolio Show. All the graduates show off what they have learned/what they do. Some have their AA, some have finished their BA. There are culinary students, graphic artists, musicians, video artists....a little bit of everything artsy. :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhvUdZssnfqGgqrmzFtl0rcnf2-w3QIbwGx6Yd5uJMSWQX3FFuJ9ych2ev-HgFWA-vYT5_If-oOwZR0O7kLh11LgxAfAZwIa926Fqz5m5OVQ5R2GhekTSco_tAhEImB-NJZv-DA/s1600/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+13.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhvUdZssnfqGgqrmzFtl0rcnf2-w3QIbwGx6Yd5uJMSWQX3FFuJ9ych2ev-HgFWA-vYT5_If-oOwZR0O7kLh11LgxAfAZwIa926Fqz5m5OVQ5R2GhekTSco_tAhEImB-NJZv-DA/s320/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+13.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655905395757781746" border="0" /></a><br />The day actually started on Tuesday. Anisa had to go into school to make her desserts. She chose to make <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaron">french macarons</a>. Macarons are actually like little puff cookies with a frosting-ish center. Lots of people know of the coconut macarOOns, but those are not the traditional french cookie. Macarons can be made of almost any flavor combination you want. She chose to make Orange Creamsicle (by Daddy's request), Lemon-Lime, and Raspberry. There is an exact method to making macarons (I found this <a href="http://lisamichele.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/what-beautiful-little-feet-you-have-miss-macaron/">blog</a> and it tells an adorable story of making them and how they are so temperamental). The humidity in the air has to be just right, the batter has to be beaten just right, the oven temp has to be just right...there are many many ways to ruin the little cookies, and only a couple of ways to make them perfectly. They have to have a perfect "foot", and a perfectly domed little top. I'm so proud of my baby who made very nice looking and tasting french macarons...I didn't know she had it in her! :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRacS2j4wwNe1wrv5r371xFtibHE8mI_Spz0K8qvTWP0mq0W1EO-nwdGoI8WG19_CAnRFJ1dupGyeKzMyxhARzhna1zOCAaaOhLokCLWVT7x3pTZ86AIv23Inmn8DDH1_FD7fzag/s1600/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+10.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRacS2j4wwNe1wrv5r371xFtibHE8mI_Spz0K8qvTWP0mq0W1EO-nwdGoI8WG19_CAnRFJ1dupGyeKzMyxhARzhna1zOCAaaOhLokCLWVT7x3pTZ86AIv23Inmn8DDH1_FD7fzag/s320/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655905411025729490" border="0" /></a>So, on Wed, we drove into DC in rush hour traffic. Our normally 20-30 minute drive became an hour long stop and go fest. Luckily we had Toby Keith, Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton to keep us company. Plus, we can always find stuff to talk about, other drivers to talk smack about, etc. :) We arrived at the Building Museum right on time. Anisa ran in to find her table and we started unloading. Luckily, her table was right between her 2 good friends from school, Shakyla and Sama'Ria.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4rUCo_NLOoUVKYvLJ6XQR8en1jJdGCh50sfG3ioOYPLcPourhHHufbfbF6oCMRFHq5-tslUIyXl82Kj5BZKNyiNWRUeHMg56EkdNnlwAYrpfWWxQg3OqttlMNUpOjc3eXtV28A/s1600/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+11.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4rUCo_NLOoUVKYvLJ6XQR8en1jJdGCh50sfG3ioOYPLcPourhHHufbfbF6oCMRFHq5-tslUIyXl82Kj5BZKNyiNWRUeHMg56EkdNnlwAYrpfWWxQg3OqttlMNUpOjc3eXtV28A/s320/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+11.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655905398606780754" border="0" /></a>The idea of the Portfolio show (from what I can understand) is to basically show what they've made in their Capstone class. She had to "build" a bakery from the ground up. She had to find a property, shop for it - ovens, counters, sinks, tables, lamps, display cases, etc. then come up with her total business plan. She chose to name her "bakery" CRUMBS. She came up with her menu and logo. We had shopped and I had sewn for this event. We ran to Joann's and found some cute fabric to make her a tablecloth and a cute little apron. We hit the Container Store and found some little spice racks to display her little macarons. Target was where we found her little 3-tier dessert holder. Then off to Michaels for flowers and ribbon. She was set. Didn't really know what to expect once we got to the show, but her table turned out to be one of the most decorated/pretty tables. :) I helped her get her stuff inside, then headed home to get Travis. It only took me half hour to get home. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBysuRjv9Pj7cPSyq9hj0aOcMwPqEZHolu4K81YqDNt3RfoHc_sZ909upVII6xy3Ql2vkm9rpiNcPgDmu7Kq88P5qaSUYnnpddFQE52VkJiqckpjo2a2TRcpng2XnxNjpPKgLcg/s1600/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+8.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBysuRjv9Pj7cPSyq9hj0aOcMwPqEZHolu4K81YqDNt3RfoHc_sZ909upVII6xy3Ql2vkm9rpiNcPgDmu7Kq88P5qaSUYnnpddFQE52VkJiqckpjo2a2TRcpng2XnxNjpPKgLcg/s320/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+8.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655905401521795810" border="0" /></a>Travis and I headed BACK into DC, found parking and went into the show. There were potential employers, teachers from the school and of course, friends and family. It was fun to see all the other chefs/artists and what they made. We walked around, tasted some of the other foods, looked at the art and listened to music. We chatted with some of the other students then went upstairs to watch our baby at work. We watched as people would stop at her table and she would explain her business and desserts. We really enjoyed seeing people's reactions to her macarons. As one of the chefs took a bite, we saw him nod his head positively. She smiled and chatted and just looked cute. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lAv5FjLg0VLV4J3_feTHU2bHxF2pYcTQID0L7qtCUvTlQeFrMivgA-LsVkkgu1pvHfyFEoABCIq8poj-n_M-pC4_kTm5ToHVFSGEfBFgz9lhtxiqvrU5fuilePimw3uJB9lb4w/s1600/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+25.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lAv5FjLg0VLV4J3_feTHU2bHxF2pYcTQID0L7qtCUvTlQeFrMivgA-LsVkkgu1pvHfyFEoABCIq8poj-n_M-pC4_kTm5ToHVFSGEfBFgz9lhtxiqvrU5fuilePimw3uJB9lb4w/s320/PortfolioShow+9-21-11+25.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655905414873449906" border="0" /></a>She said she was nervous about the whole show, but when it was all finally over and done, she was disappointed that it was over. I was amazed to look through her portfolio to see all the work she had done to "build" her bakery. It was one of those "Wow, I didn't realize my kid could do something like that", proud mommy moments. Of course, I'm proud of my kids, they're awesome (except for those times when they're being little turds, but that's normal). But sometimes they do stuff that still shocks me. God really did give me some GOOD girls. I'm gonna really enjoy watching them as they become productive citizens....and I hope you all can enjoy some of Anisa's sweets someday. :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-69799836410834832192011-09-20T07:28:00.010-04:002011-09-20T08:11:42.466-04:00Some of my latest stuffWell, I've been a little busy crafting lately. Lots of fabric, but not lots of quilts. BAGS! Yep, some might call me a bag lady, but it's just a phase. :) (*click on the pics to make them big).<br /><br />It started when Sara needed a cosmetic bag for her AGT adventure. I looked at patterns/tutorials on the internet for a little bag that was easy to make. I found this<a href="http://threebears.wordpress.com/"> awesome tutorial</a>. I tried it and I.LOVE.IT! It's SO SUPER EASY and fast to make these little bags. I've made about 5 or 6 of them, since Sara's friends have seen them and have wanted them. Plus, my kids needed them. Oh, and btw, we ended up finding a Vera Bradley bag for Sara for her bigger stuff, but she uses her little cupcake bag for smaller things. :) Here's one of the little cupcake bags I did and one with Hello Kitty. Not loving the handles on the cupcake bag, but since I made this one, I've managed to perfect the handles. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjGxzR0nFK9nDf4951zZrZRPH5A7CIQOVRnCgBYqa70biWuhsn3qNPYdNTqPH3PLX-hrgSTBP_ck7fAI2nYMA-DlU7GL57hhNDyn6Q9KDqZ9zx4Y3g_FuZzlWxmngPL2iDwtlSA/s1600/DSC02034.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjGxzR0nFK9nDf4951zZrZRPH5A7CIQOVRnCgBYqa70biWuhsn3qNPYdNTqPH3PLX-hrgSTBP_ck7fAI2nYMA-DlU7GL57hhNDyn6Q9KDqZ9zx4Y3g_FuZzlWxmngPL2iDwtlSA/s320/DSC02034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654410971036084786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOrD3e18VmEax7k6ieT5a1fY-4inZriP2-6A9QieQ2F-nS9rfCS5FuLvZ4Et-E8-qEJnh8o-YsDeO5tLlBgafvfZsw96yPQBeI-59FmpPI40TeHMxKcJUyyUflLNRhmTxNa1HiQ/s1600/DSC02035.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOrD3e18VmEax7k6ieT5a1fY-4inZriP2-6A9QieQ2F-nS9rfCS5FuLvZ4Et-E8-qEJnh8o-YsDeO5tLlBgafvfZsw96yPQBeI-59FmpPI40TeHMxKcJUyyUflLNRhmTxNa1HiQ/s320/DSC02035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654411135687756098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />While scanning through the tutuorials, I found this incredibly<a href="http://ayumills.blogspot.com/"> cute site</a>/pattern. I made the little <a href="http://ayumills.blogspot.com/2010/08/tutorial-lunch-bag.html">lunch bag</a> cuz I liked the idea of it (it's the second tutorial down on the right side of her blog). After I made it, it was sitting around and I thought I'd better take it to LA in case I couldn't use my Eddie Bauer little backpack/purse (we were told we couldn't have any logo gear in the audience). This was THE.PERFECT.BAG for my sudoku book, The Help (which is a great book, go get it and read it), and lots of snacks (I was the snack mom). I put some iron-on vinyl inside in case any liquids spilled, but probably won't do that again. It's too crunchy. Anyway, here are 2 of them that I made...the purple one is the one I took to LA, the sushi one is on it's way to it's new home. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLmv2BsWZB1mNl8oSpfC6eIDCRDBUIko8raais9AMqgMa5q3nP_6Y6WeR0bR7_jq1tzy3_wUCfCAx8mTlvbKvp1LKYAsq3h3mVg55EoKh5xaYOKhkkUiXwZBITbeSc8da1Bo5Mg/s1600/DSC02031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLmv2BsWZB1mNl8oSpfC6eIDCRDBUIko8raais9AMqgMa5q3nP_6Y6WeR0bR7_jq1tzy3_wUCfCAx8mTlvbKvp1LKYAsq3h3mVg55EoKh5xaYOKhkkUiXwZBITbeSc8da1Bo5Mg/s320/DSC02031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654411310838229346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I also made this little pyramid/teepee bag that I found <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cascioli/398244195/in/set-72157625998022588/">here</a>. I like this tutorial, but I wish it was all on one page (you have to click on NEXT to see the next step). Oh well. I use it for my little tylenol, advil, pepto bismol, etc that I keep in my purse. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELpOcyi9lSGIAEsnclWIlO9ikM0p0TY3_iJnsyz11Uyo1ly3kHIqOgh2F26EMtLmSm00ywWyTvmcMbdtOWtHtQ15QzcyHD6ZhEfBLuxJeqyJOgGSZavJpI6gwba0T3ljaPG7bEA/s1600/Pyramid+bag+w+tylenol.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELpOcyi9lSGIAEsnclWIlO9ikM0p0TY3_iJnsyz11Uyo1ly3kHIqOgh2F26EMtLmSm00ywWyTvmcMbdtOWtHtQ15QzcyHD6ZhEfBLuxJeqyJOgGSZavJpI6gwba0T3ljaPG7bEA/s320/Pyramid+bag+w+tylenol.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654411575581881218" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Another project that I've had in my brain for a while is a WSDT waterproof blanket for the cold, rainy, wet football games that we will be sitting through, starting this Friday night. This is the official logo of the team for now. Coach J made it and it's now on everything. :) heehee Anyway, this is just one of the tied fleece blankets, but I sewed on the logo made of silver metallic fabric, BUT inside, I sewed that rubberized flannel (you know the kind they make baby mattress covers out of). So, now when Sara sits on the damp, metal, freezing bleachers, she won't get wet OR freezing. :) It's THICK and HEAVY! But, I like it and I'm sure it will get lots of use and Sara will have lots of people huddling around her to snuggle in it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSmEmM4JBgoP2h9d7Kgc3jr7bgzWxwExRLZ_BY_I4EkWC2jVP6lltF-Nb5WaTf29I-oetvc1ZW30CytdRkMjD0SffEDRW85RNi_v_NdXGR1jRxsbk9vKn6pytEHTR9jF7hmUrdQ/s1600/DSC02092.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSmEmM4JBgoP2h9d7Kgc3jr7bgzWxwExRLZ_BY_I4EkWC2jVP6lltF-Nb5WaTf29I-oetvc1ZW30CytdRkMjD0SffEDRW85RNi_v_NdXGR1jRxsbk9vKn6pytEHTR9jF7hmUrdQ/s320/DSC02092.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654411433837087042" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So, now for the non-crafty picture. I found this while we were at Michael's yesterday and had to buy them. They're good, but I had to have them cuz of the name. :) heehee<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5E30me5wfyY_AAZ851y8SATHPz2_gtnz8h6OoR8thOvNzJeAjPalVKZQjgqRd09-lqMPXVMbV1t3UUCLJLXCuzRFWLbJx8qq6w_s8pyKA8jqaIQ-k06s2a8ixYykaqj82_09Nw/s1600/DSC02090.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5E30me5wfyY_AAZ851y8SATHPz2_gtnz8h6OoR8thOvNzJeAjPalVKZQjgqRd09-lqMPXVMbV1t3UUCLJLXCuzRFWLbJx8qq6w_s8pyKA8jqaIQ-k06s2a8ixYykaqj82_09Nw/s320/DSC02090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654411749962529714" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Why were we at Michaels you ask? Well, Anisa will be all done with her AA degree in Baking and Pastry tomorrow. Today she will be cooking macarons all day at school, then tomorrow she'll present them to employers, chefs and family/friends. It's part of her capstone class. She had to "build" her bakery from the ground up. this is the final presentation, so yesterday we spent the day shopping for the last minute display items she needed. I will make a whole post on that after her presentation with pictures and everything. Of course, we're super proud of our girl. Now, she just needs to get a job! :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-40826818517839919852011-09-13T08:28:00.013-04:002011-09-13T09:21:28.965-04:00GoshWow, I'm getting pressure to post, so I better do it before anyone kills any poor defenseless creatures! heehee Julie, I still love you, but I'm sad you didn't go make sure the little guy was dead. He maybe suffered a painful death.<br /><br />Ok, on to happy things. As most of you know, Sara's dance team, The Fabulous WSDT, was on America's Got Talent. We left on August 1st thinking that we would be there for a week. That turned into 3.5 weeks, then a 4.5 day break then another week. It was fun, but super tiring and stressful for the kids and coaches. They had their first routine DOWN since it was their Nationals routine that they had been performing for a year (with a few tweaks/new music). But they had 3 days to make up, learn and clean their next 3 routines. Us parents were only there to be GoFers...Go fer lunch. Go fer make up. Go fer this and that. We also got to do a little sightseeing in LA/Bev Hills, so it was fun, I just with the kids could have done more playing. We DID get to take them to the Santa Monica pier one night and they had a great time, but at night, it's a little scary to take 17 teenagers who are cute to an amusement park type area with strangers. I've posted most of the pictures on Facebook, but I'll stick some on here too. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCMtvc15GmVHl1iZyHc6VVgl9aarligJ8A0oE8UUh4xy60w8sid2ZgeC8g9q_P3N-rX72iSkgihTmFbDTnVWsH9eQuU6VZEeE1gxEFXhlSfui8sVwrTDRLQX3QM7e1zbuDqji1A/s1600/DSC01368.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCMtvc15GmVHl1iZyHc6VVgl9aarligJ8A0oE8UUh4xy60w8sid2ZgeC8g9q_P3N-rX72iSkgihTmFbDTnVWsH9eQuU6VZEeE1gxEFXhlSfui8sVwrTDRLQX3QM7e1zbuDqji1A/s320/DSC01368.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651827252709086866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4FEWYc5IQsuSinfyzlM2y-kIvH8nz560ojgiInIjmvaIt00KRzUCJ5QWWJ9M1HMRVt-5ltZRwcT7R60izKjT-yHe3w5N6S64js5s0EMrBbAW95LjeyjqamPV8uUVUSVVsMgV6g/s1600/DSC01585.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4FEWYc5IQsuSinfyzlM2y-kIvH8nz560ojgiInIjmvaIt00KRzUCJ5QWWJ9M1HMRVt-5ltZRwcT7R60izKjT-yHe3w5N6S64js5s0EMrBbAW95LjeyjqamPV8uUVUSVVsMgV6g/s320/DSC01585.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651830033410826466" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtFosJnUhAB1mYDROcwEdzRgu1nMeVaHRUpkT25zx4MmDwCdH2WJY69ynRoUfjkL4WtC-m95hEOICZ7pcklXaDR2CB87DHLWv87pWtQu0KPYiNsf7RFIjbhxZQLtGpAiwVrGpvA/s1600/DSC01384.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtFosJnUhAB1mYDROcwEdzRgu1nMeVaHRUpkT25zx4MmDwCdH2WJY69ynRoUfjkL4WtC-m95hEOICZ7pcklXaDR2CB87DHLWv87pWtQu0KPYiNsf7RFIjbhxZQLtGpAiwVrGpvA/s320/DSC01384.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651827665003208898" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZVFIu31f5nIh-eqKJSWK31Cajw5Lctwp5EZnDQvN-KOV4-Z6OKJ63Gpz3jobawMfgiFZNrsB3uZbLiVuUMiOtKKAEJwlZrhWsRZeP1aSuqeK-Q0ZbmOH3NG0j5IM4swqV1w_lA/s1600/DSC01457.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZVFIu31f5nIh-eqKJSWK31Cajw5Lctwp5EZnDQvN-KOV4-Z6OKJ63Gpz3jobawMfgiFZNrsB3uZbLiVuUMiOtKKAEJwlZrhWsRZeP1aSuqeK-Q0ZbmOH3NG0j5IM4swqV1w_lA/s320/DSC01457.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651828498727886786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18wxuepg7qDps9DpN6pd7IQlHe7kFFdioX1T7fF-sU8EzNmJ0P-R73nVoo0-fZzUv4HTVl3o0SSwn_3CY6p7uHsFNI8vgtm6U31cnTTHafoHB-3V0KjLh3FWxzVl31kTwyn671w/s1600/DSC01526.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18wxuepg7qDps9DpN6pd7IQlHe7kFFdioX1T7fF-sU8EzNmJ0P-R73nVoo0-fZzUv4HTVl3o0SSwn_3CY6p7uHsFNI8vgtm6U31cnTTHafoHB-3V0KjLh3FWxzVl31kTwyn671w/s320/DSC01526.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651829518206872210" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLN75SE3SvCEsAFVm-aquD-MQ1nCRJUXL07VFi4YrJWMFcU5aQQA_Htp-gTiiUmd-y2sAP2UAdWfn8ZW9fP8gzskPO8IPQkT35TlvMXZnP2oqex2EXA18gpllHWdQTxm98Y9jVg/s1600/DSC01623.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLN75SE3SvCEsAFVm-aquD-MQ1nCRJUXL07VFi4YrJWMFcU5aQQA_Htp-gTiiUmd-y2sAP2UAdWfn8ZW9fP8gzskPO8IPQkT35TlvMXZnP2oqex2EXA18gpllHWdQTxm98Y9jVg/s320/DSC01623.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651830765156011042" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DtH0STvhmi1LQjQjE49C2dq8BQ38srnJw7FqJkCGOMSZY6iKDRQhrXHDbLzhZb8CWr9JqMOGvlwjBU_wAFC89wgW4CQZ28sztTTTzU2GWvYso9MtcpVOVZ4aeRuLOx7Ypbw92Q/s1600/DSC01829.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DtH0STvhmi1LQjQjE49C2dq8BQ38srnJw7FqJkCGOMSZY6iKDRQhrXHDbLzhZb8CWr9JqMOGvlwjBU_wAFC89wgW4CQZ28sztTTTzU2GWvYso9MtcpVOVZ4aeRuLOx7Ypbw92Q/s320/DSC01829.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651832238258651106" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHH15WQxexL7XGnS_s7UQ3SjwHlDkiqdEikuueOSwRfvhg7Jm4iDXnw2mvlE7dZwXUHLD387e2b_tpSYRT2exusd_Pdkq04m3ZiEwNEb9v60-9WYY17kyuPPfR99PgLsexXoiuA/s1600/DSC01743.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHH15WQxexL7XGnS_s7UQ3SjwHlDkiqdEikuueOSwRfvhg7Jm4iDXnw2mvlE7dZwXUHLD387e2b_tpSYRT2exusd_Pdkq04m3ZiEwNEb9v60-9WYY17kyuPPfR99PgLsexXoiuA/s320/DSC01743.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651831669841233410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjZZ7-rjbVM37Iz36Mkpu8QYT_0SpSzUSVA_WHmiV4U9jkxbJkich5sI4Dw3E2wPLqO-g2oSJRl_64H3MIuGQIHtY3WESi1-sMwPCUa0gy8CCgQSL7IhTmMHX_AUwJBvC_Y2PfQ/s1600/DSC01340.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjZZ7-rjbVM37Iz36Mkpu8QYT_0SpSzUSVA_WHmiV4U9jkxbJkich5sI4Dw3E2wPLqO-g2oSJRl_64H3MIuGQIHtY3WESi1-sMwPCUa0gy8CCgQSL7IhTmMHX_AUwJBvC_Y2PfQ/s320/DSC01340.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651826903267153874" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />When we got home from our trip to CA, Sara had to start school. Lucky for her, we had major flooding in the area and school was canceled on Friday (the day after we got home). She started school yesterday AS A SENIOR! OMG. I can't believe it. Here's my baby on her first day...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDa_l5t5mc6J_c_EUivGW_YtiE5ITqoTj-jrkNYJkBxyV4_1xmS_ADDIfuPFxc-kZIqP2Do-rgFjwZfXJIxvrkNBfBYbsJDnMbgkzhBI2N87A6efmbgBuK1S1TdQLE6-K3uyfog/s1600/Sara+First+day+of+Senior+Yr..JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDa_l5t5mc6J_c_EUivGW_YtiE5ITqoTj-jrkNYJkBxyV4_1xmS_ADDIfuPFxc-kZIqP2Do-rgFjwZfXJIxvrkNBfBYbsJDnMbgkzhBI2N87A6efmbgBuK1S1TdQLE6-K3uyfog/s320/Sara+First+day+of+Senior+Yr..JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651826096421637170" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I also finished a quilt on our little 4.5 day break to send to my friend Amber who just had her 3rd baby boy (pray for her). :) Her and her husband have rival college teams. She's an Iowa Hawkeye and he is an Ohio Buckeye. So, i thought it would be appropriate to make the quilt in their team colors. The pattern is called Anita's Arrowheads, but in our house, it's called Anisa's Arrowheads. My friend Ann Marie gave me the suggestion and it was a good one. Super fun pattern.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46M1h0nPYvZtwSfBDSmy_U7NMMP4JTzZpaWyaOTlp5vtYSeKnm58mEp56IVs2EqatLOaTJJGtVaXKBu7n-FsNpwAaom9MRwNH0K99q5kzftS8KNiQOtQfsFZOo9cl1CAua-6lHA/s1600/O%2527s+quilt.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46M1h0nPYvZtwSfBDSmy_U7NMMP4JTzZpaWyaOTlp5vtYSeKnm58mEp56IVs2EqatLOaTJJGtVaXKBu7n-FsNpwAaom9MRwNH0K99q5kzftS8KNiQOtQfsFZOo9cl1CAua-6lHA/s320/O%2527s+quilt.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651823039015087426" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'll post more pics later of all the fun I'm having making little bags. I'm on my way right now to make some more so I must quit for now. Have a super great day. :)The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-18600730274458045632011-08-29T21:47:00.000-04:002011-08-29T21:48:06.483-04:00What?? :)<a href="http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/">
<br /><img src="http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/images/banners/finalist/180_wfinalists.jpg"
<br />width="180" height="540" alt="We're Finalists for America's Got Talent" />
<br />The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-38086943704135874892011-07-19T15:35:00.004-04:002011-07-19T16:15:58.266-04:00obsess muchOk, I have a new little sewing obsession. These little pouchy totes, bags, or whatever you wanna call them.....I call them TOTALLY FUN TO MAKE! :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rctUcuJSZHGVola2db0Wa20BYlCqSKI8JbkO-8pPMJ7pOBlQXz16LCXqo3Ih3bhdBadqhXpGpPQveo8O71viXF9cj4QhLRbCsArb9qU9CTyBccgunbdzJsu3ifrIXEomg442vg/s1600/smallpuffybags.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rctUcuJSZHGVola2db0Wa20BYlCqSKI8JbkO-8pPMJ7pOBlQXz16LCXqo3Ih3bhdBadqhXpGpPQveo8O71viXF9cj4QhLRbCsArb9qU9CTyBccgunbdzJsu3ifrIXEomg442vg/s320/smallpuffybags.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631158732086654978" border="0" /></a><br />I made the blue one as my experiment and gave it to Nisa. She loves it, but isn't sure what she'll use it for. Last night one of her friends came over and she really liked it, so while the girls went shopping, I whipped out the pink one for Sasha. :) I timed myself making the pink one and from start to finish it took about an hour and a half.<br /><br />I used<a href="http://threebears.wordpress.com/"> this tutoria</a>l that I found while looking for a cosmetic bag pattern. I used 8x8"squares instead of 6x8 rectangles and I quilted my fabric before I made the bags, so they have seams showing inside, but they're lined. :) I also loved her tip on using zippers that are longer than you need. It makes them so much easier to handle. I went and bout about 10 more zippers so I can make some more.<br /><br />I also made this little owly bag. I went to a quilt shop in town that I had never been to, and found these cute fabrics. So, I made this bag. I like how it turned out ok, but kinda figured it out as I went (didn't use a pattern). I also lined it and put a little pocket inside. Not sure what I''m gonna do with it, but it was also fun to make...and I LOVE the owls. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvjz2AqqSSJnsageW8uWnU48CxgR6-PqMvijUPePFyGLhBXyAw0BuAWZc-j0VjfM190r5Ucjpfaxg565h4ndiOv_GOLBRQdW-mDxDQ4NlvtnpnXe8kbIh_S8oYHcXjnCgPp0q5g/s1600/smallowlbag.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvjz2AqqSSJnsageW8uWnU48CxgR6-PqMvijUPePFyGLhBXyAw0BuAWZc-j0VjfM190r5Ucjpfaxg565h4ndiOv_GOLBRQdW-mDxDQ4NlvtnpnXe8kbIh_S8oYHcXjnCgPp0q5g/s320/smallowlbag.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631159342926400450" border="0" /></a>The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915098.post-43473770635803966572011-07-07T06:50:00.011-04:002011-07-07T07:30:24.925-04:004th of July in DC and baby bugsI'll go with the baby bugs first, but I don't want to scare anyone away..so if you don't like bugs, you can scroll down past the pics..I won't be offended - I won't even know you did it. :) So, since most of you who are reading this know me, have known me for a long time, or at least have seen through other posts that I like animals and creepy crawlies. I don't even kill bugs in the house. I save them in a cup and release them. I DO kill mosquitos and gnats, but only when they are biting me or flying into my eyes! A couple of weeks ago, I found these little eggs on the screen door. I didn't know what they were, but I looked at them through a magnifying glass and saw that they were super cute. They had little smiley faces. Of course, I had to take 500 pictures of them, but this one is the best.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_tzPVyQm1L1qnroEmXNJmFRdI2nNnGCPMvJiMVgOsf_YZ0ru_HCqjKpTrWRtANQyxazq0P0jPwhcjTwSVUu5PGkTXBYpltCt_DHTvEbWRIFrBi_kUpkifMGQZXOg4NJpCgHbUw/s1600/IMG_8448.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_tzPVyQm1L1qnroEmXNJmFRdI2nNnGCPMvJiMVgOsf_YZ0ru_HCqjKpTrWRtANQyxazq0P0jPwhcjTwSVUu5PGkTXBYpltCt_DHTvEbWRIFrBi_kUpkifMGQZXOg4NJpCgHbUw/s320/IMG_8448.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626570599103526050" border="0" /></a>I made Anisa look at them later because, like her mom, she loves little creatures too. She googled "smiley bug eggs" or something like that and found out that they were baby stink bug eggs. Days later, we went out to look at them and they had hatched! And, her search was correct. They were baby stink bugs. A lot of my friends have had lots of problems with stink bugs, but we have only had a few in the house every once in a while (I hope I didn't just jinx myself). Here are the babies having a baby stink bug convention.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLxYbKPacbVca7f85Ar3GpE-HoQ1IHer8yPJVrF2KvgLqJ2euX0KnxVTT1gcQXVAl92T-FzfZI8IwZqEfxWTkrLtaOgZYZK6w7dMTZat4Z8SRbZmteW3PKW6Lb_KUUwM-L5Uerg/s1600/DSC01160.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLxYbKPacbVca7f85Ar3GpE-HoQ1IHer8yPJVrF2KvgLqJ2euX0KnxVTT1gcQXVAl92T-FzfZI8IwZqEfxWTkrLtaOgZYZK6w7dMTZat4Z8SRbZmteW3PKW6Lb_KUUwM-L5Uerg/s320/DSC01160.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626570799086376898" border="0" /></a>After another couple of days, they all took off. We watched them and their movement around the door then one day we came out and they were all gone. Probably flying to bother some of my friends..sorry.<br /><br />This part of the story is better for most people cuz it has nothing to do with creepy things, but fire! :) FireWORKS. In DC! We're really hoping to be going HOME next summer to the great Pacific Northwest so we're trying to take advantage of living near Washington, DC. I've learned over the years to try to see as much of the area that we're in as we can because we may never come back. This year I told the family we're gonna go into the city to see the fireworks over the capital. We didn't quite make it into the city, but we were on the edge of the city so we could see the Washington and Lincoln Monuments and the capital building (we could even see the Library of Congress in the daylight). I don't care who you are, the view of this city is spectacular...see...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjqAdriCWoultE1k4NEXsWAA5GFcsziE_mP8pLrA0gf8mm-YZNa-r-GegxvRIRmLywmUBeCdERsGx-RNxqlm8CrFuHRIwGmmUSwIe8Pl4upqTgD1r2ohvrXacIdbO617IFdylCg/s1600/DSC01161.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjqAdriCWoultE1k4NEXsWAA5GFcsziE_mP8pLrA0gf8mm-YZNa-r-GegxvRIRmLywmUBeCdERsGx-RNxqlm8CrFuHRIwGmmUSwIe8Pl4upqTgD1r2ohvrXacIdbO617IFdylCg/s320/DSC01161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626567120845382034" border="0" /></a>We got to the park at about 3:30 in the afternoon so we could get a good seat, and we found a perfect spot and plopped down for a hot, steamy wait for fireworks. Luckily there was a threat of a storm so there were clouds covering the sun a lot of the day. It was still humid, but we didn't have the sun beating down on us. We sat close to lots of people with BIG, EXPENSIVE cameras.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoJUEJGH3s8VndzkRrYhlJ_jBt_sV1oBj_bkvAWQY4a2VLEsCGziGEZEAKThL8HnUXyX4idRNGCUeZ7yOgrmIhFO592j-Uryjo2JdQTTAlVwsNaHF3Mi5xi4XXFkhcs75ndFA1A/s1600/DSC01168.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 70px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoJUEJGH3s8VndzkRrYhlJ_jBt_sV1oBj_bkvAWQY4a2VLEsCGziGEZEAKThL8HnUXyX4idRNGCUeZ7yOgrmIhFO592j-Uryjo2JdQTTAlVwsNaHF3Mi5xi4XXFkhcs75ndFA1A/s320/DSC01168.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626567777834304146" border="0" /></a>It was fun to see them and listen to them, but you know me, I don't just sit and listen. We started talking to them and found out that a lot of them were in photography/camera clubs. They were super nice. I told Anisa that we are lucky cuz whenever we go someplace like that, we end up by someone cool. As evening drew near, lots of other people showed up and because our spot was so great we had to shoo a lot of people out from in front of us. dummies. Please, please, please. If you ever go somewhere where you KNOW there are gonna be lots of people, either show up early so you can get the spot you want, or be ok with sitting in the back and your view not being so great. Don't squish in front of people who have the good spot. :) Whatever. We watched the show, and at the end, started walking toward metro. We had decided to try one station, but it seemed like everyone else was going to that one, so we took off in the other direction toward Arlington. Well, the crowds around the escalators were HUGE, so we continued on our little trek and walked to the Pentagon. That station wasn't crowded at all, and we got on a train right away. Travis found out when we got home, we walked about 2.5 miles, and it was worth it...although we were all sticky icky when we got home cuz it was so humid out - which, by the way, it never really stormed. We got a couple drops, but no real rain.<br /><br />Anyway, here are some of the fireworks (**click on the pictures to make them big**). It was a good show. Beautiful fireworks over a beautiful setting. If I get to do it again, tho, I'll leave Travis home (he hates crowds and the thought of waiting for a REALLY LONG TIME for Metro makes him crazy) and go right down into DC. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPS-7W_kDRg3Ns71j2WBJSgA4F9OZXHowplGLn-cH9GiD2cqVhiBiRSCSEFrnhHROcmqSiHUyVow7_dWGBViamPPFTrQXiS7H-BlG7TCkzZgtxxo1O7Mpj72wMi20Xv5ONb3eOQ/s1600/DSC01230.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPS-7W_kDRg3Ns71j2WBJSgA4F9OZXHowplGLn-cH9GiD2cqVhiBiRSCSEFrnhHROcmqSiHUyVow7_dWGBViamPPFTrQXiS7H-BlG7TCkzZgtxxo1O7Mpj72wMi20Xv5ONb3eOQ/s320/DSC01230.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626569929671657538" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjGTnnUksI-O2t4YztNnE_3vyWzmnn0bQvf5jx0-mx6nGmntLEaLhN-eS8ougqU1bhPbBa5QqYSVh7IpLyI-JrEkczNgGJNbWpaiNWVSGn4bv9QsxtUsnbs00ZqIXdrxu10BHOQ/s1600/DSC01240.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjGTnnUksI-O2t4YztNnE_3vyWzmnn0bQvf5jx0-mx6nGmntLEaLhN-eS8ougqU1bhPbBa5QqYSVh7IpLyI-JrEkczNgGJNbWpaiNWVSGn4bv9QsxtUsnbs00ZqIXdrxu10BHOQ/s320/DSC01240.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626569594088575346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkER8Fv2sbDegVVVgUPvL8O2Kov4ciy6mv8V6MYHwnFO2meVTllwk3X-PE5cTp3iOeOd3Ib6tN1VOJKe3g2BjrnyZM7E86FX7HonxPR_CWWHZmZzCMbESQC6P7Fb6-eZNBCM7Sw/s1600/DSC01198.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkER8Fv2sbDegVVVgUPvL8O2Kov4ciy6mv8V6MYHwnFO2meVTllwk3X-PE5cTp3iOeOd3Ib6tN1VOJKe3g2BjrnyZM7E86FX7HonxPR_CWWHZmZzCMbESQC6P7Fb6-eZNBCM7Sw/s320/DSC01198.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626568687618573714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUidVj0S4Z0iy0UjocO2I9lMBhptcIaTzk4ca4dolOrvy1PONRQ8a8m6YE86faBJ8QJbZdEgO9p1YyHiYs0IFMOqKpsZVJ_TBvwqil28lD5FXvFAJDYd5Wq91nLG7yLXaKi-5fjg/s1600/DSC01195.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUidVj0S4Z0iy0UjocO2I9lMBhptcIaTzk4ca4dolOrvy1PONRQ8a8m6YE86faBJ8QJbZdEgO9p1YyHiYs0IFMOqKpsZVJ_TBvwqil28lD5FXvFAJDYd5Wq91nLG7yLXaKi-5fjg/s320/DSC01195.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626568343388115378" border="0" /></a>The Chicken Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12125456173266511640noreply@blogger.com0