Friday, November 27, 2009

A Thanksgiving review.....


This is where I grew up.. although, right now, it looks somewhat like a restaurant.
I have treasures of memories in this house. Yesterday, another was made with
Thanksgiving 2009.
Gathering around the thanksgiving buffet. Hey Cutz..see the Turnip gratin??

Mom, Dad and the two oldest grandkids Darryl and Miles..Hey Dad!! Open your eyes!
Mom and her sister, Teta Phyllis.


The ultra cheesey couple..
My Mothers Black toast and marmalade dishes, looking lovely.



Grama and her little kiddies Finn and Jack..on fudge overload..and below, the cute babies of the family Reagan and Drew..

This is what Thermadors are made for..
Doing big dishes in the utility room. My handsome and handy companion of 19 years, Mr WoNdErFuL!!


My brothers big hands, messing with the leftover taters..Making the devils tower...rememeber, anyone???
Excellent cousin Marcy and her hubby Jimmer, who by the way, makes the best MArTiNiS eva..

Happy Thanksgiving
2009
We hope you had a great day!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving, yall!!




Theres nothing like family!
Enjoy your day together...
and eat lotsa nummys!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

A wreath tutorial, and how about 19 years of marriage people.. WOWZA!

Its no secret I am crazy, yes CRAZY about this man..Undoubtedly, he drives me crazy sometimes, but for the most part, our years together have been absolutely funfilled and very satisfying. Its a lively relationship we have and are mostly happy to crack eachother up at least 3 or 4 times a day. Just have a look at those beautiful smiling eyes. He looks so much like his Dad, I am craving the way his hair is turning white, CRAVE it! I really am not sure what I would do without him, my Mac Daddy.
Long story short...I love ya, to the moon and back baby...
*******
Now, do you want to know how to amaze your friends and make your neighbors green with envy?
Get your boots on, lets go. To make things perfectly clear, these are my hubbys boots, not mine. But I knew you would really like to see me in them, so here they are..I know, not very attractive..oh well. Are you ready yet???

Go get one of these el- cheapo grapevine wreath bases and a little green paddle of wire..
I think the wreaths were about $5 at JoAnns, I bought 3 and some other miscellaneous stuff and wasnt paying attention to the $$.
Now you need some pretty leaves, or Holly, or cedar. Whatever you have in your shrubery outside..I find that this gorgeous huge leafy rhodedendron works just pefectly..clip away girl.. Please please do NOT pay any attentnion to my ugly MAN HAND in this photo..oy.. Actually these are not my hands..These are hands of a random over aged hand model. yes thats it..
Now that we have our ingredients we are on to the real meat and potatoes of the wreath making business..a little thing I like to call.....wait for it.....
wrapping the wreath. Fantastical, eh? Secure the wire to the backside of your wreath by simply making a sturdy knot. Make sure you can pull it tight.Wreath making is all about "tight" or "taut" if you want to use the fancy lingo..Now all you do is lay those pieces of cut greens on to your form and pull the wire around it. Lay another piece, pull the wire around it..remembering to keep it...TIGHT. Dont unwind the wire, keep it close to the wreath and short on slack. This will be much easier to work with. Trust me.
Once you get all the way around your form you should have a wonderful wreath to hang on your fence, over your mantle, give to your neighbor..whatevs....There isnt any magic to it, just remember to **put one down (stem of greens) and pull it around (green wire)**

  Steve and I were fortunate enough to have my Mom and Dad watch the kids overnight, so we escaped to the beach for a little alone time. We were thrilled to have a lovely candle-lit dinner together and a whole evening to ourselves.
-and we didnt even burn the little Coastal Nest down! We had a great time together laughing and talking and dancing. Pacific Beach has a local radio station out there that plays the best Saturday night music, lusty blues from all the greats. It was just what we needed. Outdoors were wild, windy and rainy, but inside, whoa baby.
Finished wreath, and OUR reasons for living. Heres to another 19!
Happy Wife-Happy Life
I love you SJMc!!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Get a load of this dump!

There is something special about a beach cottage, the smell of the salt air, the wind in your hair, the sand on the front porch, shells all around. Giggling children, a silly, happy family passing the time away all the summer days long. Pacific Beach Washington was were we love to go and frolic, its only 25 minutes from our "real" home in Aberdeen. Pacific Beach is where we stumbled upon this diamond in the rough, and here is a few little photos and some really interesting commentary on our trip down" before and after", Coastal Nest Style...believe me, it WASNT pretty. I am really not sure why my photos are loading up BACKWARDS...This is after..obviously.
take a look of the lovely entry..prior..

Our bedroom..after..


And prior, this window is where the french doors to the deck are now.



The 3 square windows replaced this lovely one...




here. oy.







I remember the ilk and the stench.
Wet cigarettes mold mildew and pee.
are you getting the visual?--and the scent-ual?
to say the least, the children didnt come out with us for MONTHS.




this little knee wall beside the stove here replaced this....







lovely moldy rotten wet wall...here.
we opened her up and let the sunshine in, vaulted the ceiling and worked our little tails off!









and now..ta DA!!
We initially purchased this property to flip, prior to the market meltdown. Now she is like one of our children, and I cant really think of getting rid of her, but we toy with the thought every now and then.
If you are ever in the area, we do rent her out for a vacation rental! Its an easy walk to the miles and miles of sandy beaches and the relaxed laid back little coastal town is only about 1/3 mile away!










Wow!
did my man and I have a vision, or what?
If you are interested in more of our fun and funny before and after series, come check my sweet BobVila and I out over
here!!









Saturday, November 14, 2009

The boy and his "commitment"

Here is the ever charming and oh, so handsome eldest son. He will tell you about his dislike for sports. He COULD be one of those jock types. But, he will tell you he "doesn't wanna"..can you see me with the eye roll?? He could RULE the POOL if he wanted. Just look at him.
LOOK AT HIM~
Suave strut with the mightily handy pool towel in extra extra large..
One of his biggest fans, his poppy (hi Dad) congratulating him on a good race..

The young buck, you know..wanting to get some good advice on how to "break-in" to the sport..Although, young buck says he could kick his brothers butt..with one hand tied behind his back..
Then there's DAD, with the highlighter and the permanent marker..and the
WHAT WHAT on the smooth turns and the perfect dive..you know, to get that first place!
We love swim team!!
the greatest sport for my (non) athlete.
Gooooooooo Ryaaaan~

Thursday, November 12, 2009

The morning at blind #3...

I got a great little email from my Father last week.
Seems as though he is soooo happy to be duck hunting he wanted to give me a play by play...



The life of a duck hunter, do you suppose?
..oh, and dont send any anonymous hate mail, this is how we roll in the great
Pacific Northwest.
You can see the awesome duck club he is a proud member of
Have fun on your trip, DADDDY~~