This week...

On Saturday we celebrated Nick's 21st. Here is a photo of the birthday boy and his "special friend."Pretty presents lined up in a row...No cake for this boy-apple pie always!Oh and fall is here so that means Starbucks has their pumpkin loaf out. Love that stuff but $1.75 is a bit much. So baking was happening here yesterday. I downloaded a recipe and set to work.

One can of pumpkin yielded a large loaf and 12 larger than normal muffins. Pumpkin and mini chocolate chips-yummy! I used a popover pan and also a lg. muffin pan-

to produce these...I love how the popover pan made these taller, skinny versions.

Projects

Project #1: Imagine a table sorta like the one I talked about here. Only this one had been left outside in the elements for years. It was found in the back of the property that Amy my DD bought with her husband. With rusty legs and the top peeling in places and a layer of thick dirt it was headed for the dump. But I saw a treasure and I also needed a table for the back yard. I always forget to do the "before" picture! So we brought it home and took it apart. Gary took the legs to work and had them sand blasted. Then a coat of rust inhibitor and paint. The screws got a bath in vinegar which took some of the rust off. The table top was cleaned and glued. Then spray painted and layers of urethane. This is what I ended up with...I love it and it will go so well with my newly painted yard furniture.Project #2: My dear friend Tracy who sometimes goes by Rose came over for dinner and a movie last night. It has been awhile since we had seen each other so it was a good chance for a visit because Gary was out for the evening. Oh, and I wanted to celebrate her birthday which was a few weeks ago. Chocolate cake (made in my cupcake pan), with chocolate frosting and chocolate decorations that kept wanting to melt onto the cake. I did catch a picture before the letters flopped over though.

We watched Miss Pettigrew lives for a day a fun, don't have to think too hard, movie.

A birthday and potstickers

This boy is now 21 years old with a grown up driver's license! Hope you have a fantastic year Nick...
His girlfriend planned a fun filled day for him and on Saturday we will have his "family" party. What did he request to eat? Lasagna, garlic bread, apple pie and Tillamook vanilla bean ice cream. I'm planning a linner (lunch/dinner) because that is a load of food.


I made potstickers tonight for dinner. I have never attempted them because I thought they were too difficult. But they aren't and they were soooooo good. I had to actually leave the kitchen because I wanted to keep eating them. I used a recipe from America's test kitchen.

They have a website you join for free and then can get the recipes. I am all for someone else doing all the testing and research and telling me what to do. You will have to try it too!



Then we headed out to take portraits. Tonight's student is a ballerina so we got some great photos of her in her tutu. Gary was having such a good time that I finally had to tell him to put the camera away...

Amazing new discovery...

This is kinda amazingly true...

What Karin Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Something new in blogland

Over on the right side of the page, you will see a section titled "followers." This is a new service and if you sign up for it, then everyone will see that I have friends. That others find me interesting. They may even head on over to your very own site! I haven't signed up on anybody else's so I can't tell you exactly what to do. I assume when you click on "follow" it will have information.

So go ahead and follow me...then you won't have to check back to see if I have posted...I think!!

Vacation and work

I'll need a vacation after our vacation...Gary has had the week off from his day job. However, the "part time" job is still going full blast! A wedding, 4 seniors and portraits of Amy before he heads back on Monday. Oh, and I helped out my very sick friend of paperdoll-co for a couple of days.

So I promised in my last post to put up some shots from the wedding. Remember that the bride is Kristi who I used to take care of when she was little. Here is a picture of her and my little man about 17 years ago...

and here she is with her sweetie Rob.

I thought this was a beautiful shot.

Here is the whole group, a fun bunch of friends for sure!

The wedding was held at a private residence out towards Ridgefield. A beautiful 2+ acre spot.

Now for a few of the seniors we had this week---Introducing Alex,

In his amazing yard---Introducing Trevor

We asked him if he had a car and he pointed to the driveway. When we asked if he wanted a picture with it he said no. Well, we wouldn't let him NOT get a picture with it. I mean really,if you had a car like that why wouldn't you want a picture with it?!

So that is what I have been up to...I want to get out to the cottage and craft-as soon as I get some time without work!

A man and his camera

I think the man I am married to is a fantastic photographer. And I'm not just saying that because he lives with me. He has grown so much in the last year and has changed his point of view about what a great portrait is. He is willing to take more chances and his portraits show it.

Here are a few from the last week;

this is Caylah....

this is Hannah-she came from Hillsboro for "something different"...

She likes shoes! We were walking back to the car, ready to leave when Gary and I saw this dramatic sky and told Hannah to stop where she was...On Saturday we spent the day with Anthony and Holly at the Academy and the Grant House,

a beautiful wedding full of special moments. She wanted a "timeless" look so we did a few photos to show that exact feeling;

a handsome couple....One of the few places that still has a bell tower and allows the couple to ring in their new life... We have another wedding next Saturday for a gal I used to take care of while her parents worked. My next post I'll share a photo from then and some of the wedding....