A LITTLE EASTER MORNING PORN

I have come to expect some things to be a certain way. Like Easter for example, it should be a day of peace, relaxation and joy. A day of contemplation, a day for family. A day for...



homemade, all the way from scratch, with love in your heart and a song in your soul, cinnamon rolls! I have really been craving a good cinnamon roll, hot out of the oven, but getting up three hours before breakfast, on a holiday? Not happening!! The answer Overnight cinnamon rolls! I'm so happy I found this one! A little crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside, just right, and the smell. On an Easter morning, the smell of bread, sugar and cinnamon. What could be better?

A man who does the dishes! Man am I lucky! He doesn't even mind the pink curtains! Since we've moved things have changed, Nick is still stressed, but not like he was in Portland, he's not nearly as angry. I'm not as stressed either. We get to spend more time together doing "normal" couple things, like the dishes or puttering in the yard. We talk more, about the future, the past, mistakes and blessings.

We laugh more. We decided to spend our lives together because we enjoy each others company, in Portland we didn't really have much time to enjoy, we were both so exhausted from just trying to get by. Here, well, I can only speak for myself but I've fallen in love with this big silly goof ball all over again. Nick and I don't really argue, we don't always agree but, life is too short to worry about little stuff like the toilet seat or the cap on the toothpaste or dirty clothes on the bathroom floor or clutter on the table. Maybe it's because we have both been in "bad" relationships or maybe, because we found each other later in life, I'm not sure, I do know that, all my life I have wanted a relationship like my Mom and Dad's and now that I've found it I'm going to hold on to it, and appreciate it.

It's a beautiful day in Ontario and I think I might just go plant some seeds. Maybe I'll just go sit in the yard with Bru and enjoy another cinnamon roll, oh and work on wedding plans.

Happy Easter-
xo

MY HOW TIME FLIES

It's hard to believe that we left Portland two months ago, one day short of two months. So much has happened, it feels more like six!

In two months, we've sorted and packed all of our belongings, driven completely across the state, bought a truck, bought a house, I've gone back to work...WOW...



Both Nick and I have remembered lessons learned as children, lessons from parents and grandparents. We have truly been able to slow down a bit, relax a little, and enjoy time together.

We've seen snow that doesn't cripple a city, sunshine, and yes even rain. We've looked to the sky and seen more stars than I've seen since I was a kid on the beach.

We've seen snow covered mountains...

and majestic buttes...

it hasn't been easy...we've had our bumps...but through it all we have all been able to keep in sight what really matters most...we are together, and we are in love. We might not be rich, but who cares!

Well, it's off to work with me.
I hope your day is filled with love, wonder and beauty.

xo

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME

I love the sky here...it's big and expansive...usually blue. Coming from the lush Willamette valley to the high desert of the Treasure valley is a big change. One that I celebrate every day, with or without wine. Life is good here once you get used to the smell of the onion juicing plant.

I spent my day off baking bread, grocery shopping and hanging out with my two favorite guys. Living here is simpler, less rushed, and happy. I have plenty to do. Plan a wedding, finish decorating not one but two houses, work, but I'm not crazy stressed here,  my attitude is more...get done what has to be done and the rest will fall into place.

I think Bruno enjoys the changes the most, his people aren't going nuts, I get to spend more time at home, Nick is actually starting to relax a little, and there is fresh bread, once a week. The smell of bread as it cools is something that really gets him to focus.

One of these days he is going to swipe at least one of those loaves right off the table, I just know it.

That tongue sort of gives his little plan away, he doesn't fool me! Angel dog my hinney! Future bread thief! Oh well if he does and it makes him happy I won't get too upset.

I really enjoy working the morning shift, it forces me out of bed so that I get to enjoy the sunrise. My walk takes me east so I can't miss it. I can't believe that I live in a place where I get to see this.

I hope your day is full of beauty and silly puppy faces!
xo

HAS SPRING SPRUNG?

This beautiful sunrise is what I started my day with yesterday.

This is today! Happy spring!

Bruno loves the snow, chasing snow flakes is one of his best tricks.

He thinks it tastes pretty good too.

They're awfully hard to catch on your tongue.



 Well, HAPPY SPRING! and WARM WISHES.
time to get ready for work and a mile walk in the snow (don't tell Nick, but I'm looking forward to it) it's supposed to stop by noon.

Have a beautiful day-
xo

WHAT A LIFE

Yum! Fresh strawberries! There's something about strawberries that says summer to me...here it is...mid March and the strawberries in the local Red Apple store are sweet and ripe...and large!

This was just an average sized berry! When I saw these at the market I knew that God loves me!!! Everybody sing...Jesus loves me this I know...look at how the berries glow.

I'm still walking to and from work, it's only 25 minutes, a lot better than the 50 minute bus ride in Portland, and I'm loosing some weight too.

This was the view going to work at 7:30 am yesterday. How beautiful is that? It's been cool and wet and overcast for the last 5 or 6 days here but it's still not as bad as Portland. At least the sun comes out for a little while every day. Coming home I got to see this...

Can you make out the snow capped mountains in the distance? Ontario is really surrounded by a ton of beauty, you just have to look out, not just straight ahead. On clear days this view is truly spectacular.

Nick built me this cabinet the other day, out of scraps of this and that. I love it! It gives me an extra 17 inches of counter space which I desperately need! The other counter is only 3 feet long! I think we will paint it to match the drawer pulls and really funk it up. I like that it looks really weathered.

Poor Nick, yes I had to say it again, the truck project has turned typically Nick and is not going well at all. In fact courtesy of the JERK at NAPA AUTO PARTS it could have killed us. The shocks went in in a wind storm, luckily no one named Dorothy landed a house on him, but it could have happened! Then he found a missing lug bolt...you have to disassemble the brake to fix that...and once that was done and the bolt was in, brakes bled etc. we went to run some errands. The brake fell apart!!! Why? because a guy at Napa told Nick he didn't need a spring (one that was on the brake when he took it apart) and Nick took him at his word. Lesson learned...not everyone here is a decent person! One of these days these older guys out here are going to figure out that people do look at reviews on line, and a bad review can in fact hurt your business.



Well, we've been in the house for one month, yesterday, and we still love it! Plumbing and all. We've made progress turning it from a rental house into a real home, and there are lots more changes coming. An old house is truly a labor of love. Speaking of love I just found out Ms. Jane will be here May 10th! I can't wait! Buno is beside himself! She doesn't know it yet but I just might have a project for her, one that will be a big part of our new home! TEE HEE!

Hope all is beautiful where you are-
xoxo

WHY NEETIE MAE'S HAT BOX?

Nettie Mae was my great grandmother. Simple as that, she was a hard working, loving, beautiful woman who I loved and respected even though I really didn't know her that well, she passed away when I was 13, and my family might accuse me of romanticising or idealizing her life, but if I am please keep it to yourself. I didn't even know that her real first name was Nettie until this summer when my hero, my grandfather died, I knew her as Grandma Richards or Grandma. She lived in Payette Idaho, which is only about 10 miles from my new home in Ontario, and played a big part in our decision to move east(that and the fact that, in Portland Oregon we couldn't move far enough west to get away from the jerks without drowning)to the high desert.

We started planning our escape quietly in June or July. The Oregon coast sounded like heaven, I spent a very big chunk of my childhood there. Let me tell you,it's expensive and jobs are very hard to come by. Central Oregon has the same issues. We bought a big map of the state and lived with it on our kitchen wall,running over to it looking for places that had something to offer, a low cost of living, a job, low land prices, it was the same every evening around our place for quite awhile, check the map and then check the web. We fell in love with Sumter, but how to make a living? The idea of being snowed in and house bound with Nick and Bruno was beautiful, but love doesn't put food on the table. One day, while I was at work, Nick went on line and googled the company I was working for. There was a location in Bend, one in Redmond and one here in Ontario. We planned a trip out here to see what it was like in October. To say that, initially, we were underwhelmed would be an understatement, but we decided to give it a couple day to explore. Boy am I glad we did! This town is great for us, the people are friendly, the sky is blue, the town is flat and there is great coffee! So that was that, the decision was made, Ontario it is.

I gave my notice at work, we picked a date and we started packing. There were a few times when I asked myself if this was really the right thing to do. When I had those moments all I had to do was look over at Nick, I know that beside him is where I want to spend the rest of my life, and that when we work together to achieve a goal we can't fail.

So here we are, at the Ontario Inn, our temporary home, waiting to hear if our offer on our dream house is accepted. The proud owners of a newly acquired 1980 Datsan pick up truck. Two people and one dog who love each other and want to build our dream life together.