Oregon Fun!

We also spent a day working at a local farm so I'll post a part II soon.

The sweet Miss Annah, hugging Samantha.

Hippie girl Lu, ready for the farm!

Scruffy, mom & Lu.
Mira & Lu playing outside in beautiful Oregon.

Mira, Lu and Annah with their American Girl dolls.

Jude, Lu, Scruffy, Mira and Shane riding stick horses (the girls not the dad's) in the Silverton pet parade.

I like this pic of our family but I feel like I look puffy....can a person look puffy?

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go.....

We're leaving tomorrow for a week and a half and I don't know if I'll have an oppurtunity to read or write. So, if I don't, I guess we'll talk when I'm back. Try not to have any babies while I'm gone:)

A Rose by any other name.....

Hi All,
And by all I mean the three people that read this blog:) No worries, I love you all and appreciate you reading my rants. Liz, aren't you sorry you talked me into blogging:) Ok, so as much as I love my husband, I just never felt comfortable taking his last name. For a while, we discussed taking mine but due to circumstance, his heart really wasn't into it. The thing is, we're very close, The Three Musketeers, but we've never felt 100% united because I have my maiden name and Danny has his name and Lu has both hyphenated. I've never been a Mrs. because one isn't called that when they have their maiden name. Also, at events for Lu, like at church and such, I've always felt that it appeared like her parents weren't married and I'm really proud that we're married and have been for so long.

There's so much that has gone on in the past two years and at current that I don't share here because it's too much and I'm sure you all don't want to read a novel. However, we have decided we will be making an out of state move, hopefully by August and we are really feeling the need to be united as a family more than ever. And to have a new start.

That being said, we've picked a last name that we love and are going to start the legal proceedings this week. Only, I've been considering changing my first name since birth:) and figure now is the time to do it. Also, Danny did some art work for one of my books and used the name Christian Daniel but his brother's name is Chris and he didn't want to be called that. One night we started talking about my favorite Saint, Jude. The Patron Saint of hopeless causes. I told Danny that he reminded me a lot of Saint Jude because he likes to help everyone. To my surprise, he fell in love with it. I know it will take some getting used to, and we've kept our original names in the mix in case some just can't do it. However, we have chosen and they are as follows:

Jude Christian Daniel Landry
Avery Jessica Joy Landry (Avery means councilor, which gave me a laugh and seemed perfect)
Lucy Erika Joy Sailor Landry (I know, poor kid but I could never decide so I gave them all to her and thankfully, she loves them!)

Hope all of you had a fabulous Mom's Day as you are all fabulous mothers!

Early Mother's Day

Kami and I wanted to have tea for Mother's Day but the local place is closed on Sunday so we went today. It was by far the best Mom's Day I've ever had!

The tea shoppe, it reminds me of a little Snow White type cottage.

Yes, Danny enjoys tea too:) But he didn't dress up.

Lady Rose, Lady Snapdragon and Lady Violet (the names they gave and called themselves and each other during the lunch).

The girls. Lady Kamelot (Kami) and Lady Estoria (me, because it has the name Story in it). I feel like I was posed strange in the picture. I look awkward.

Some of the pictures are out of order. This one was taken after tea at the local nursery.

A friendly bird kept landing near us. He's so pretty!

Lady Snapdragon (Aurora) and Lady Violet in deep conversation.

At the nursery on a hammock.

Kami.
Aurora looking very lovely in the hammock.

Do the Can-Can...that has a double meaning here:)

So, about 4-6 months ago, I had the brilliant idea to start preserving or canning or jarring, whatever. I LOVE fresh jellies and jams and have a strange obsession with blueberries and pomegranates and mangoes, all seasonal fruits. I figured, if I learn to preserve, I can have them all year long! I ordered a starter kit on Amazon so I'd have some idea of what I was doing. Seriously, the boiling pot is big enough to cook a small child in. Not that I would do that. Ok it depends on the child. Not the point. I had to find a place to store it. I did. It fit nicely into a nook on a bookshelf in my family room. In fact, it looked so lovely, that I allowed it to remain there. I tried to dust it now and then but the spiders seemed really comfortable and they'd worked so diligently to build their home. I'm sure it was a journey much like that of the pioneers. How could I just evict them because I HAD to have jam or jelly? Really. I'm just not that selfish of a person.

Then, last week (Thursday to be exact) I woke up and declared (that word is to be spoken with a southern accent)to myself, (if I just awakened and declared it out loud, Danny may have thought me crazy-er) am I going to talk about the way I want to live or am I going to live? Then I went back to sleep until 10. We'd gotten to bed really late the night before. And when I woke up, the second time, I said yes, I am going to live! So, I made a plan with my neighbor Kami that we were going to have fresh jelly by the end of the weekend, no matter what.

I started the process late afternoon on Friday and had everything ready to stir by the time Kami arrived. She stirred and stirred and stirred (I offered to stir but she said something about tightening the flab on her underarms which she doesn't actually have). Finally, it was finished, we knew this because there was a slight burning odor about it, and ready to be placed in the jars for further boiling. It was around this time that we realized the "jelly" was cementing itself to the side of the funnel. Hmmm...it's not supposed to do that right? Maybe the boiling will help. No such luck. What we had? Apple brittle, only not as easy to chew. We put it on some wax paper thinking we could use it as candy. That would've been a good idea if we liked to eat wax paper, or if my ultimate goal in life is to have dentures before I turn 30.

We tossed the first batch and started over. By the end of the night, we had Apple soup. It was just too darn watery! I awoke Saturday morning like a crazed woman on a mission. I took that soup and added a bit of this and that and stirred and stirred and stirred and stirred and boiled and stuck it in the refrigerator to sit. Sunday morning, we had toast and the best darn apple jelly I've every eaten! And in the long run, I really enjoyed making it. I think I have a new love and you know, it's time I did start living my life instead of just planning it. Even if all I get it wax paper apple brittle and apple soup. At least my diet won't be lacking in fiber:)

School pix 4 Lu

I really like this one when it's blown up

I took a few with Lu and Danny too

Pretty little one

We thought this one was the most school picture-ish

But Lu chose this one