The big project

So Friday night was Teri's 50th birthday party...she looked so cute and party-ready!Here she is with her lovely husband Jim who threw this bash for her...
Jim went all out and we helped get it all out and ready for the guests...I was afraid that Teri would not open her gifts at the party and I wouldn't be able to see her expression when she saw the project I have been working on for her. But she did! And she loved the book...here is a little video so you can see it too. It has journaling prompts about her memories and thoughts. Such as "what is your earliest childhood memory" and "what was it like to become a mom."


Here is the smile I got after she opened her gift-she liked it!
and some of my favorite pages...Journaling prompts read-
Did your family move often and if so where and what time periods?
Do you remember the room in which you slept as a child?
Who were your friends when you were growing up?
Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?What were some of the best presents you ever received when you were a kid?
Where did you go on vacations when you were young?Did you have an after-school or summer job,what did you do? What did you like about it? Dislike about it? How much did you earn? What did you do with your first paycheck?
How did you meet Jim and what was your first date like?

And just for the fun of it...the Brave Girls!

Hope you had fun Teri and thanks for letting me share!

I've been hard at work on a secret project for a very special friend. I have known her for over 30 years. Our lives have intertwined through that time and currently I get to see her every week for our Brave Girl sessions. She has just had her 50th birthday and a big bash is planned for Friday night...can't wait! Have you figured out who it is yet??

It's my friend Teri...Watch this blog for a photo or two from the party...

While looking for Teri's photo I stumbled across some random images Gary has taken for me because I asked him to. He's nice that way!

These geese were so cute with the babies waddling behind-
This house-too weird...
Have you ever heard Gary talk about how I always seem to find the best parking spots? Well a week or so ago we went up to Multnomah Falls and Gary was trying to direct me to this spot way down at the end and I said just let me look...do you see that I got the very FIRST spot!!
Gary was doing test shots and I was brushing Daisy so an impromptu shot-
That's it for now...

Some crafting fun...

Did I mention that I am doing another Brave Girl session? This one is all about taking the steps to achieve the life you want to live. One of the projects is to make a booklet with your rules about how to make decisions. Things to ask yourself as you process whether you should do something or not.

I made mine from an old child's board book that I picked up at a thrift store. First I sanded it a bit, then covered with gesso. Next came paints and papers to jazz it up and then I added my "rules".

The cover

Just looking at it makes me happy...now for an application....

These next photos are from a baby shower that I helped a friend throw. I made breakfast jummies and cupcakes.
I made her a wall canvas and a crochet blanket. Here is a close up of the canvas...
and the two together before I wrapped them...

One year-24 days

Remember these faces from last year?...
Well it has been a year! Actually a bit over but I have been negligent on blogging so I am just now posting images. Here they are on their anniversary-

oh and there are the mustaches again-

Papa Hayden's made their wedding cake and if you remember to call-will make an anniversary cake just like the top layer of the wedding cake. So glad they remembered-

They were kind enough to share some of their cake with us too.

Congrats to you two-hope your year is full of fun adventures!

Amazing dinner

This was an amazing dinner I made last week. It was certainly tasty enough to make for company too....

Moroccan Blackberry Chicken with Curried Rice Pilaf

Moroccan Blackberry Chicken

1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 lbs. bone-in chicken pieces (I use a combination of breasts & thighs)
3 tbsp. combination of fresh thyme, rosemary, & basil or 1/2 tsp of each, dried.
2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. mashed blackberries (for sweeter taste, use 2 tbsp. blackberry jam)
2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and minced
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup whole blackberries for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350. Pour 1/4 cup wine into a large glass or porcelain baking dish. Rub chicken pieces with olive oil and arrange in the dish, skin side up. Sprinkle liberally with herbs and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake for 35 minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup wine and then the chicken stock to the pan as the juices evaporate. Occasionally baste chicken.

While chicken is baking, combine brown sugar with mashed blackberries, garlic, vinegar,and remaining 1/2 tsp. paprika.

Spoon the blackberry mixture over the chicken and continue cooking for 10 minutes, basting occasionally until the juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.

Pour the cooking juices into a non-reactive saucepan and bring it to a boil over moderate heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Season the salt to taste with salt and pepper and spoon over the chicken. Garnish with whole blackberries and enjoy.


As soon as the chicken is in the oven, start the rice.

Curried Rice Pilaf

2 tsp. curry powder
2 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup blanched almond slivers
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups long grain white rice
3 cups canned or homemade chicken broth
1 tsp. salt (if using salted broth, adjust amount to taste)
1/3 cup dried currants
Zest of one orange, chopped finely
I added some shredded carrots too

In dry 2-quart pan, heat curry powder over medium heat until fragrant. Add olive oil and almonds; shake over medium heat until lightly browned. Reduce heat slightly, add onion and garlic; cook until translucent. Add rice to pan and stir until evenly coated with oil. Stir in chicken broth and currents and bring to boil over medium high heat.

Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in orange zest and cover pan. If there is residual moisture in the pan, turn heat to very low. If the rice has absorbed all moisture, turn burner off, cover pan and allow rice to rest until the chicken is done.

Bird bath

We have had this little bubbling fountain for a few years now and I have told Gary about the hummingbird couple that visit. Usually they get sent away by bigger birds-but the other day was perfect. No other birds were around and Gary and I were by the back porch and even had a camera with us. This little guy approached and had a bit of a dip, flew off a bit and came back for more. I can't believe how many images Gary was able to take and how dirty the thing must have felt to stay so long.

Enjoy...















It was especially funny to see him sit over the bubbler and lay down too!