12.17.2011

Merry Christmas from the worst procrastinators. Ever.

This year I had lofty goals to produce our first ever family Christmas card.  I knew I would fail miserably after I began receiving requests for updated addresses and I hadn't event begun to start the process myself.  Needless to say, I am still filled with glee when I receive YOUR family cards and they will happily grace our refrigerator until next year.  I love to see the smiling faces, happy families, and babies {some that I have yet to meet!}.

So, THANK YOU for being such productive, efficient, and wonderful friends.  I'm sorry we are so lame.

Here is our version of a late/last minute/but heartfelt Christmas greeting {taken just this morning on our walk, naturally}.







{look who we ran into at the coffee shop! Nana & Poppy!}









Merry Christmas!
Love, 
The House of Thorns




11.27.2011

Momcouragement

I say, to mothers collectively, in the name of the Lord, you are magnificent.  You are doing terrifically well.  The very fact that you have been given such responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your father in heaven has in you.  - Jess, Alora Handmade

Thanksgiving Vacation: Day 8 - It's Over???

It's been 190 hours and our amazing week of nothingness is coming to an end... and I am now, officially, a believer in staycations.

We have never taken an entire week to just be together as a family - no traveling allowed!  {And, NO, when P was born doesn't count because it was kinda a lot of work!} This week we:

- napped
- hung our Christmas lights outside 
- baked
- watched movies
- took long walks
- napped
- started projects around the house {mostly Chris}
- giggled
- drank coffee
- raked leaves
- cuddled
- played at Frog Pond
- did some real estate stalking 
- napped some more {mostly P and I}

To be honest, there were 2 days that P and I were in jams until after second nap... {And, yes, "second nap" is an official term in the House of Thorns}... 

This might sound enormously sentimental, but, this week has been one that I know I will cherish forever.  And although I'm not sure if we will ever quite capture this beauty of nothingness again, I think we ought to make it yearly goal.  Tonight our home is filled with peace, warmth, and the joy of having soaked one another up every second of the last 8 days.  It's an incredible feeling. Am I high on family time???

Tomorrow Chris will kiss me on the forehead as he walks out the door.  I will eat my breakfast while I watch the TODAY Show and attempt to quietly get ready for work so that P sleeps until the very last second.  I will leave for a job that I love and come home to a family that I will have missed like crazy.  We'll start our daily grind again and rush around until it's Christmas and then wonder where the time went.  But I will think back on this week and remember what a blessing this time was.  I am so thankful.  

Amen for staycations at the House of Thorns.


11.21.2011

Thanksgiving Vacation: Day 1 - True Crime

Happy Monday... 
The House of Thorns is on Thanksgiving Vacation!!!
In the spirit of staycation, we ventured out to experience a little something new in our neighborhood.  Today it was a  new coffee shop {we are weekend Peete's devotees}and it was fab.  It's a cute little place called Java Love.  And now I digress... I was going to post a quick little link to the shop but when I typed in "java love lake oswego" I found something FAR more hilarious and so much more telling about the city that we call home.  The following is ALL real, and nothing - no nothing - has been added by moi.  Must share: 

Taken from the LO Police Blotter: July 28, 2011 

9:18 a.m. A big yellow dog ran into Java Love coffee house.

5:28 p.m. Two “weed” smokers were jumping off the dolphin statues at Oswego Point Drive.

6:31 p.m. Two nuts were bothering people in Millennium Plaza Park by jumping on tables. A park ranger put a stop to this nonsense.

6:49 p.m. A silver BMW was besmirched by egg throwers on Fifth Street.

7:33 p.m. A bush on Tanglewood Drive was the scene of a drug deal between a male and female.

9:01 p.m. Three juveniles were caught red-handed on the roof of Rivergrove Elementary School.

10:09 p.m. A woman saw mysterious eyes peering out at her from a bush on Hallinan Circle.

10:05 p.m. A birthday party for a 5-year-old grew so loud that neighbors complained. The parents promised to quiet things down and send the children to bed soon.

10:58 p.m. A 16- to 18-year-old male ordered a meal at a restaurant, then dashed away without paying for it.

12:38 a.m. Two subjects rang a doorbell on Douglas Way, ran 

8:02 a.m. A man on Uplands Drive went out to his pool and found feces floating and damage to his lawn chairs and barbecue.

11:04 a.m. Some mischief-makers on Pioneer Court unplugged lights, inverted outdoor light covers and tossed over planters. The damage was only $100 but chagrin ran high.

11:23 a.m. A daughter did not want to go to church with her father.

11:50 a.m. A disgusting concoction of ingredients was spread over two cars on Pfeifer Drive — a mixture of ketchup, relish, chocolate syrup and powdered sugar.

True Story.  Each of these incidents were cause for alarm and required police attention for the residents of our sweet little town.  I am cracking up.  Happy Holidays from those of us in crime ridden Lake Oswego.

11.15.2011

Occupy Portland {and my mind}

Weird thing happened at work today.  I was sitting at my desk, sipping on my PSL {stabux lingo, ya'll}, when all of a sudden I heard yelling and shouting which sounded like it was coming from the front of the shop.  I popped out of my chair {forgetting my camera, darn!} and raced to see what the commotion was all about.  I was shocked to see hundreds of Occupy Portland protesters streaming in through the front doors of our building.  They were chanting things like "banks got bailed out, you got sold out" and so on.  I could do nothing but stand there with my eyes wide, taking it all in.  It wasn't until almost all of the protesters were in the building that I noticed police in riot gear surrounding the exits outside the building.  WTFace???

When I told my husband, he said "did they look homeless?"... um, no.  They did not.  They looked like us.  Some younger.  Hipper.  Maybe dirtier.  But, no, not homeless.  They were organized, loud, and they made me feel kinda weird.  As I watched them march down the hallway of the US Bancorp building, I couldn't help but feel the nagging sensation that I might be missing something.  Do I have my head in the sand?  Why aren't I standing up for myself?  They're chanting about me.  Yeah, I guess I got sold out.

I am by no means the protesting type.  I am also not convinced that this movement is going to be effective {yes, for all of the same reasons that you are thinking right this moment}.  The feeling wasn't about right or wrong, effective or nuisance.  It was the feeling of odd detachment, watching other people stand up for a notion that directly affects ME.  And my family.  It made me think of the civil rights movement and I wondered if I had been alive then, would I have marched for equality?  That wasn't easy.  It certainly wasn't pretty.  Or popular in most circles.  I'm sure at times, that movement seemed full of crazies and had their equivalent of the directionless and homeless hangers-on.  It was dramatic and sensational and a fringe movement.  But the end result dramatically changed the society that I live in and I am so grateful for those that demanded change.  That's all.

10.29.2011

Pumpkin Patch Edition

May I start this post with some pictures that I took on our walk this morning?  I am so in love with Fall in the NW and this is exactly why...







Thanks for letting me digress.  Now, on to the Pumpkin Patch!  {And yes, that should be capitalized because that's the official name}.  Our favorite pumpkin pickin' joint is out on Sauvies Island so we bundled up and piled in the car {bellies full of Costa Rican tacos - yum!}.  It also happened that Grammer was visiting from Tulsa so we met Uncle Jake, Aunt Marita, and Maddy to spend an afternoon scouring the patch for any pumpkins not yet rotten...











We had a great time and I'm so glad we didn't just skip it this year.  Better late than never.  Bring on November!

10.04.2011

September at the Thorn's

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who turned one and then got the FLU.  She was a very sad monkey for days.

 
Her mama & papa cuddled & rocked her for days until, one day, after lots of love... she was all better! Crisis averted.


But mama needed a break.


So the papa took her out for a night on the town.  Well, it was Sunday afternoon.  So they hit up the happy hour. Still, the mama was happy to be out of the house with clean hair for the first time all week.  {TMI?}


A few days later, the little girl was assigned her first job.  As a chicken sitter.  She loved it.


Until she didn't.


A few days later, the mama took the papa on a little, belated birthday trip.  They invited their best friends {Dr. and Mrs. Douglas} and they all four jumped in the car for a road trip.


They drove for hours {3, to be exact} and ended up in a magical land called Emerald City.  Also known as Seattle.  


The four best friends ate incredible food, went antique shopping, stopped at Pike's market...


Ate a donut hole...


And then went sailing!


It was an incredible sunset & the mama & papa were so happy to share it with their friends.


The papa had a very nice birthday.  He drank wine on the boat and finally convinced the mama that their little family should invest in a sail boat of their own.


The next day, the friends headed home because they missed their babies.  Especially the mama & papa.  They were so happy to see this little munchkin...


And then, it was October.

THE END.

9.18.2011

P is for Paley, Pink, and Party!

DISCLAIMER: I apologize, kinda, for the length and number of photos in the following post. 

But, last weekend we celebrated our little P's first birthday and I wanted to share it with everyone!  The entire day was filled with sunshine {90 degree weather!}, family and the best friends we could ask for.  We enjoyed southern strawberry and lemon almond cupcakes, apple pie {thank you, Auntie Kristi!}and homemade peach and vanilla ice cream {courtesy of Grandma Carol!}. Oh, and we had an overkill of PINK {Our motto is "it's never too much"}...

So, for those of you who had to miss this momentous occasion {or those of you who want to relive the day}... enjoy!


{yes, I made P's smash cake all by myself - homemade cream cheese frosting and all!}


{mom and I picked up fresh dahlias at the farmers market the day before and we used them down the table}

First on the agenda: Presents!












Next: Cake {not exactly her first taste of sugar - thank you Grandpa for the Twinkie}






{P making up to Rhys for trying to steal his hat}

After the presents & treats were gone, we let our sugar highs take us into the lake...




Hudson & Maddy

And what's a day at the lake without a ride in the paddle boat?

Ryan & Rhys

The House of Thorns


The Douglas clan


Kirkpatricks {minus Rhys}


And even Nana & Poppy joined in!



Jaimee & Rhys

{Seriously?? Karen & GG feeding her more sugar...}

The adorable Madeline Thorn

Grandma Carol.  We love her.


 Uncle Baby teaching P how to ride her new purple sparkle-mobile.

And Uncle Alex showed up after his baseball game to get some P-love!

Hudson and the bubbles that he ceremoniously dumped.  


Happy Birthday, Paley Caroline!
I love you.