10-31-12

Trick or Treat!  As Bruce was leaving, coming, leaving again, and coming back, he had to fight to get by the trick-or-treaters.  They were quickly approaching as I clicked this.  His good old (very old!) M&M costume still lives!  We had 192 kids come to our door, even in rain and wind.

10-30-12

Got ducks?

Gearing up for the festivities tomorrow.  This year I ordered extra rubber ducks, since I seem to run out each year before I am ready to turn out the light and be done.  Started this when we moved to Longview just to be different, but now I’m excited to be offering an alternative to the sugar.  And less temptation for me!

10-29-12

The hole.

I tried to stop it as soon as it started, but it took on a life of it’s own.  We now have mud everywhere – shoes, clothes, porches, carpet, community garbage can, alley.  The hole is so deep that there is a third kid standing in it that we can’t even seen.  And not a short kid either.

I mourned the loss of my bulbs, but now I can contemplate what to plant there instead, now that the grass is clearly no longer competition…

10-28-12

Today was a quiet restful day.  We went out for breakfast, something we rarely do, before I headed to the main campus of church for the ministry fair.  Bruce decided to install Windows 8 on his PC.  I like the Seattle screen, but it seems to be pretty different…

10-27-12

Got cookies?

Our church has 38 different ministries.  One of which is the Adopt-A-Block program I’m spearheading. This weekend we have a ministry fair to education and involve (and bribe with cookies, I suppose) the congregation.  It’s been fun talking to members and others people representing other ministries.

“You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed with the won-lost record of the referee.” – Napoleon Hill

10-26-12

Welcoming the weekend!

I hate having my photos taken at restaurants,  so I always look a bit uptight, so softening it with polarizations seemed fun.

Like the weekend is fun!

10-25-12

If we have enough food and clothing,

Let us be content.

-  1 Timothy 6:8

The hay bales in the alley are still producing broccoli, yum!  I worry way more about having enough time than having enough food or clothing, but regardless of the why, “don’t worry” can be seen as an oppressive command, or an invitation to trust.

10-24-12

Today I went to Federal Way for work.

This afternoon Anastasia and Bruce headed to Vancouver for a swim meet.

This evening Xander stayed home alone.  With every single light in the house on.

Had to chuckle when I saw the house lit up like a Christmas tree.

10-23-12

Hmm, thought I was having a good hair day, but guess after walking into the high school pool (completely fogging up my glasses) and a long walk, it’s a bit frizzy.  This shot made me laugh (guess I got the lens too close to my nose), so decided to share.  Added fun that my monitor has a black spot right at the edge of my nostril…

10-22-12

I was at the Highlands Neighborhood Association meeting tonight when Liz asked me if I had a camera on my phone.  I said “I have a camera!”.  Not sure why my photos didn’t turn out better, but here’s some of the HNA cast: AmeriCorps worker, coach, president, librarian and new dad, Mr. Fix It (put a bike light together before my eyes tonight), and security officer.  And then I slipped out so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat cake…

10-21-12

Bruce thinks I look stupid.

Is it because my arms are behind my back (my fault), or because a fountain is coming out of my head (his fault)?!?

Regardless, a wonderful fall day in Longview.

10-20-12

The black swim cap is Anastasia.  I like this shot, because her coach, in the black shirt, is verbally motivating her.  You can call it screaming or cheering, I’m not sure.  Loud seems to be the theme for friends and coaches.

Things aligned for Anastasia, and she finished her 500 meter at 7 minutes 6 seconds and some odd change, a personal best and a time that qualifies for districts.  And so the swim season is extended…

We’re proud of her and happy for her!

10-19-12

Look who finally got his birthday pumpkin crisp!

I tried a new recipe this year.  It turned out really ugly, but tastes delish.

Happy birthday month, happy Friday, and happy homecoming… Xander’s at the game with friends, Anastasia and Bruce are hanging out at the dance, and I’m at home warm, dry, & enjoying the peace and quiet.

10-18-12

Did you know that this was earthquake preparedness week?

Today at 10:18am our building participated in “the largest earthquake drill in history”.  [This is a reenactment at home.]  I notice during yoga sometimes that my body doesn’t want to go in the positions, and today during the drill I was having a heck of time folding myself under my desk.  It’s good to practice; we realized that our staging area is too close to power lines.

“The safest place to be during an earthquake would be in a stationary store.” - George Carlin

10-17-12

Ventured out into the garden this evening, and was surprised by how many zucchini are still growing!  This is the time of year when I stop spending daily time in the garden and start painting my nails again, since yard work wreaks havoc on my manicures.  Love how the ground is very wet and pliable but the sun is shining at dusk.

10-16-12

Decided to watch the debate tonight.  I’m interested, it’s just hard to invest that much time watching.

The kids feel pretty strongly about who they’d vote for.  I’ve known for a long time, too, but there are some aspects I am uncomfortable with.

Enjoyed watching Candy Crowley moderate.  She’s a journalist I am quite familiar with from CNN, and she shares my healthier eating adventure.

“I'm a vegetarian who doesn't like eggplant parmesan. Isn't that awful? I'm also sick of portobello mushrooms. People are like,"A vegetarian's coming to dinner," so they serve those.” – Candy Crowley

10-15-12

What a dark and dreary day!  Anastasia welcomes the rain, but I sure miss the sun!  It is fun to get out the cold weather wardrobe again, though.  And enjoy the decorations of the season.  Like these samples I painted for the harvest party.

10-14-12

Woke up and started boiling quinoa, potatoes, and brown rice.

We wrapped up in early afternoon, and we now have the following in our freezers:

Fresno Potatoes

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa bites

Slow cooked taco chili

Quinoa black bean burrito bowls

Italian Beef sandwiches

Pumpkin oatmeal cups

Chicken parmesan meatloaf

Chicken & White bean Enchiladas

Black bean falafel

Baked chickpeas & veggie egg rolls

Grilled honey soy flank steak

Pumpkin choc chip muffins

Santa Fe casserole cups

Lemon chicken with broccoli

Main dishes cooked into muffin tins seems fun, but is really a nightmare.  Wish I’d stop falling for it.

“Food remains the center of every culture.  Ours is run on empty calories.” - Unknown

10-13-12

So what do you do when you start to feel better, work starts to calm down, and the home calendar has some space?  Rest?  Get caught up on life?

No, apparently I decide to subscribe to oneamonthmom.com, convince Bruce to do a cooking weekend, spend way too many middle of the night hours choosing freezable recipes and figuring out the shopping list and sequencing (since we are way too picky to do it the easy way), spend $230 in groceries with Bruce at Safeway this morning, and start the cooking frenzy this afternoon.

Yes, I’m not so bright, especially considering several recipes don’t fit my desired eating criteria, but hoping it will ease meal planning, cooking, and keep us out of the grocery store for the rest of the month… a wacky experiment, I guess.

10-12-12

I didn’t take this photo, but I didn’t take any photos today.  I was a little busy.  I was there when this clicked, and this is my favorite.

Another successful Adopt A Block event!!!  Even with very wet weather, our volunteers and residents turned out for the outdoor harvest party, we had about the right amount of supplies, and we had a fun evening.  The highlight was the pumpkin pie eating contest for sure, silly boys!

Loving life, ready for some dry jeans, and thankful that there are still two full days of weekend left…

10-11-12

This was a pumpkin kind of evening.  Painting example pumpkins for the harvest party tomorrow night.  And chasing down a pumpkin milkshake for Bruce’s birthday after whining about not getting pumpkin crisp until the weekend.

10-11-12, won't be back for another 100 years...

10-10-12

A still life of things as they are today:

Tissue always handy, still stuffed up and feeling foggy.

Trusty to do list that has been cut down to the bare minimum this week.

Bible for Bible study this evening, daily devotion for a quick fix.

Hat to keep warm outdoors for Xander’s tennis, except his match was forfeited – no opponent to play.

And cider to represent scurrying to gather supplies for the outdoor harvest party this Friday… forecast is looking pretty bleak!

Happy midweek!

10-09-12

Another quarter ended, time to reflect on books read.  Have been reading more lately with feel so bad.

This quarter brought several intriguing reads.  Stones from the River by Hegi was long, but interesting historical fiction.  Divergence by Roth and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Riggs were intriguing young adult reads. Before I Go to Sleep by Watson was freaky but a good read.

Happy reading!

10-08-12

Another day of tennis.

Xander had an “away” meet at Mark Morris this afternoon, and since I go there to take Anastasia to swim practice most days anyway, it was easy to travel to.  Parking, on the other hand, is a different challenge.

The afterglow of victory didn’t last long.  Still fun to watch though.

10-07-12

“Do you have $20? Dad forgot to give it to me...” – Anastasia, needing to pay for her latest swim tee

“Cool shirt, but you’ll never wear it, since it says Tennis, right?” – Mom to Xander

Here’s the kids, sporting new shirts.  Xander’s came with his entry fee to the Rookie tennis championship, where he won the Champion spot for doubles in his age group.  Anastasia’s giant axe is a bit unsettling, but that is the logo of the Lumberjacks, and at least it’s breast cancer pink.

10-06-12

The only thing I made it to today was Anastasia’s swim meet.  Or “Stasia”, as they announce her before her heats.  Stasia is swimming in the closest lane, working on 20 laps of the pool.

Didn’t make it to a baby shower or church tonight, hoping if I rest this weekend I can hit it hard next week.

10-05-12

Yes, I really am resorting to photographing the television.

It's either that or take another picture of my book...

Others in the office are planning how they will spend the "last good weather weekend of the year" and I am planning to crawl in to bed ASAP for as long as I can get away with.

On the plus side, Water for Elephants was a great book and a great movie...

10-04-12

Milkshakes

Rest

Chasing numbers

My world and priorities have shrunk pretty small as I battle my second bug of the cold and flu season.

Many people eat less when they don’t feel good, but I get ravenous.  And I can’t think of anything better than curling up with a book.  If only this wasn’t my busy season at work; those numbers don’t get all lined up in order on their own!

10-03-12

“Guess who’s on the front page of the paper today?” – Darrell

“Um, I’m guessing Bruce Fischer.” – Donna

Last Tuesday I found out the newspaper reporter was trying to reach me.  Big pit in my stomach, I’d rather not be in the paper.  We played phone tag a lot.  The photographer came to take photos of our dump runs Saturday.  I got the impression that the article was already written, so the knot in my stomach eased a bit.  We finally connected late afternoon yesterday.  Deep breath.

Don’t think I’ll ever like being interviewed for the paper, and I got way too much air time, but hopefully some good can come of this article.

10-02-12

Last week I posted a photo of the front of Anastasia’s sweatshirt, but I like the back of it too.  Well, I’m not sure about the Sweetpea part, but the swim goggles hanging from the Lumberjack ax is pretty cool.

Another day of sleeping too little, working too much, and wishing there were more weekends and yummy coffee in my world.

10-01-12

Another month, another chance to choose a new Move More Eat Well goal.

Bruce decided on a lazy man triathlon.  And I’m going to focus on eating 5 servings of veggies every day.

Which meant grilling some zucchini at 9pm tonight…