Chicken Run is DONE!

So, last year Adam built an awesome chicken coop, but the chickens are most happy roaming the yard digging holes in the flower beds and pooping all over the driveway. Adam decided to finally remedy that problem by building them a run. Fortunately, he was able to acquire some used materials at a very very good price and the building began sometime in July. Adam built the entire thing entirely by himself...I did absolutely nothing. He even lifted all those heavy poles all. by. him. self. ! I'm so proud of him, he did a wonderful job!

In the beginning stages...

The horizontal beams, some cable, wire, and other hardware were the only thing we had to purchase retail. Everything else was recycled materials purchased from the Warrenton High School Fish Farm (old pheasant cages). Thanks Henry!

Adam finished it last weekend. The entire area is enclosed in either nylon net or cyclone fence all sewn together with wire. To me, it looks like an exhibit at the zoo!

I think Adam was pretty proud of his chicken guillotine (door). The door is attached to a pulley and can be opened or closed from the outside of the coop. The chickens found their way out in no time.

10 Things I Hate About...

...My House

Don't get me wrong, I really do love my house. It is everything that I need it to be. It's just not everything I WANT it to be. Here's just a few examples...

1. Light Fixtures

Though many of the lights in my house are in need of replacement, these are the three that take the cake. Behind door number one (the front door) we have the brushed brass with waffle-like inserts. It actually runs quite well, however, because it is soooo high up, it is set on one speed and you can't turn on the light without turning on the fan. Currently, all the bulbs are burnt out. The second eyesore is visible just as you come up the stairs in the carpeted dining room. This fixture, I'm guessing, was replaced 1 or 2 owners ago as it dates from the late 80's/early 90's. I call it "The Dust Collector" as it is always clouded with dust...no matter how much I dust it. Fixture number 3 is the epitome of 1970's glory...the smoke/amber colored crackle glass "Boob Light." You don't have to hide your awe...I know you want one.

2. Banister

I'm sure, in it's hayday, this railing was quite a showpiece. It's solid, sturdy, and...well, it's solid and sturdy. I get mixed reviews from folks that come to visit, as some people really like it. I am not one of those people. I don't know what kind of wood it is, but the grain has been torched to define the grain. Adam and I have contemplated sanding and refinishing, but because of the way it is attached (bolted through the carpet/wall), I don't know how well it will look once we get our fancy wood floors....many, many years from now. The deer netting is to keep the kids from falling through the cracks.

3.) Bathroom Number 1

I could have included LOTS of pictures of this hideous bathroom/laundry room, but decided this was enough. I don't think I could imagine a more perfect place to poop.

4.) Bathroom Number 2

Our master bathroom is a mystery. It screams "what were they thinking?!" on sooo many levels. For one, the floor is 75% carpet. Two, the floors are brown/cream/orange, while the running toilet and sinks are powder blue. Three, there is enough space in this bathroom to fit both of our dressers and then some, yet it only has one cabinet. Four, the room was "updated" 2 owners ago with pastel pink/green/blue/purple wall paper and pastel pink walls. Five, the sinks are located outside the bathroom in what I call the "Return to Oz Hall of Mirrors" with no door separating the bedroom and the beaming lights. The vanities "mirror" each other, as do the hanging "boob lights" and mirrors, creating an endless hall effect. Ooo psychedelic!

5.) Windows

The windows in this house are all different ages. Some date from 1975, others date from 1988, 1990, and a few in between. The previous owners were smart and replaced an entire wall of windows in the living room from hideous amber windows with coveted Andersen Windows. I love these windows, however, they have already begun to fog. They also replaced some other amber colored windows with clear glass, and installed 2 beautiful skylights! The owners before them replaced some windows that just plain needed replacing. ANYway, most of the double paned aluminum windows need to be replaced. There are only like 5 windows in the house that have screens and many of the windows leak. You can't tell from the pic very well, but that is our taped up screen so that the BATS don't get in!

6.) Wall O' Shame

About a year ago, when I had exhausted my painting projects throughout the house I decided to take some time to decide what to do with this wall. Though quite "artistic" and "geometrical," I just couldn't bear to look at it any longer without actually doing something to change it. How I was going to accomplish that was beyond me. It didn't take me too long to figure out that there was sheet rock behind those ugly panels! Hooray! I was so excited at the prospect of being able to reface this wall that I immediately began to tear down the panels...piece by piece. It started out pretty good until pieces of wall started ripping off with the panels. And as I continued, it seemed as if the builders began to use more and more glue, and they were impossible to pry off. I had to quit. The wall underneath is fully finished, textured, and painted....such a travesty of home design. Until we scrape up the money to re-Sheetrock, the "Wall O' Shame" is a permanent contribution to our fabulous decor.

7.) Carpet

The carpet in our house is in varying stages of old. However, most all of it is in very good condition. The carpet downstairs dates back to when the house was built almost 35 years ago, yet the wear and tear is hardly noticeable. The carpet in Synnove's room is the only carpet that looks used, albeit for it's light color and plushness. Of course, the permanent purple spots are from the incident last spring. Soren's room has a pea green carpet. It is ugly, however, because his walls are covered in cedar, the "peaness" is muted in a way that it looks somewhat pleasant and appropriate for his room decor. The brick red/orange carpet covering the rest of the downstairs is unattractive, yet functional and hides stains...so who knows WHAT lies deep in it's fibers.

8.) The Front Door

Adam, for some odd reason, loves this door. I, on the other hand, can't wait to replace it. Notice the fancy 70's carvings on the front? Again, Adam likes them. I actually wouldn't mind so much if the door actually shut out the bugs and air and opened with quiet ease. Upon walking through, you feel like a vampire opening your coffin for the first time in decades. If it's raining outside, you practically break your hip when you slip on the slick laminate in the entry, as there is absolutely NO clearance to put a rug. And you can feel the breeze coming through allll the way upstairs on a windy day. It's no wonder I find creepy crawlies (lizards, millipedes) in my house!

9.) Basement Tile

No, this tile ain't so bad, but it doesn't fit in. It actually has a tinge of pink and didn't match the ugly brick fireplace that I painted over, and doesn't really match the carpet either. Adam and I want to replace it with slate someday...to match the existing slate mantle shelf. Why the builders didn't think of that in the first place is beyond me.

10.) Bathroom Number 3

Like the other two, this bathroom is gigantic. I didn't post a very good picture, but you sort of get the idea. In the back is a giant, unused, carpeted space that was meant to be made into a sauna at some point. There is one small cabinet behind the door, no bathtub, and a small enclosed space for the toilet. The toilet, shower, sink, floor are fashioned in varying colors of tan and medium brown. I didn't paint this room to match the rest of the basement, as I plan to gut the entire room and start over. The kids don't even like going in this bathroom because they think it's scary. In the list of major remodeling projects, this ranks #1. I'm already making plans ;)

New Nephew!

Cash Michael Hollett was born on Saturday, August 15th. If I remember right, he was 7lbs 15oz (same as Soren!) and 20 inches long at birth. He is quite adorable and quite perfect. I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours with this little man yesterday. I drove straight from camping (got to take a $3 shower at a little market up the hill from the campground) to Vancouver to see him. I had planned to anyway since Sunday was supposed to be his baby shower. But, he was born 10 days early. Faith had a fairly easy labor (a breeze compared to her first labor with Alice) and looked great at the hospital when I saw her. They were scheduled to move from Battle Ground to Vancouver the day he was born...so I can imagine they were all under a lot of stress. Hopefully, they'll be able to get the rest of their stuff to the new place this week.

Congratulations Chris, Faith, and Alice!!!

Our Spelunking Adventure: Ape Caves

While camping at Swift, we decided to head down the mountain a ways to the Ape Cave Lava Tube. A few of us had been there before, but it was fun to go again and take the kids. We went on Saturday so Adam could come with us. I was surprised at how much the kids enjoyed it. Synnove, though her tiny flashlight was quite dim, led the way with no fear whatsoever. I don't think she complained even once during the 1.5 mile hike in the creepy/cold/dark/slimy cave! She did have to go to the bathroom when we got to the end so she had to squat in the cave (sorry fellow spelunkers!). Soren wanted to fit into all the little nooks and always wanted to travel the paths that were more difficult. It was a really long and often rugged walk for such a little guy. He loved it until about halfway back out. He was exhausted and whined and cried most of the rest of the way. No nap + swimming + caving + hunger = cranky little boy!

We had pretty wimpy flashlights...Fi Fi carried around Uncle Don's bike light. We were desperate.

Soren insisted on wearing his play safety goggles during the ENTIRE camping trip. He even slept with them the night we came home.

Soren wanted to sit on the top of that little lava bridge but we couldn't quite get him up there. He was disappointed.

Fi Fi and the kids went as far as was "safe" for the little ones to venture at the end of the cave.

Soren wanted to keep going...but it was getting to the point where Fi Fi couldn't fit.
Synnove and her plumber's butt

Soren in one of the little nooks etched in the cave wall

We finally made it back!

Uncle Don took some great shots with his fancy camera...I can't wait to see them!

Us vs. Ernie, The "Grouchy" Camp Host

Last Thursday, the kids and I, along with Uncle Don, Aunt Alice, and Heidi packed up and went camping. Adam couldn't get the time off work, but came with his tent on Saturday to stay one night. We were all looking forward to spending some warm days basking in the sun, but when we got there, it actually rained! Every morning we were hopeful that the sun would come out, but it didn't arrive until Sunday when it was time to pack up and go home. We still had a very fun and relaxing time!


Swift Forest Camp is located near Cougar Washington on the Lewis River. It's pretty isolated in that there is no power or cell service. Houses seem to run off of solar power or generators. Thankfully, for tent campers, there are restrooms with actual flushing toilets! We camped in a trailer, but the other folks that we were camping with were in tents. Leanne Rund and her two daughters, Teyal (I think that's how you spell it) and Tess headed out about the same time we did and picked some campsites near the restrooms. And, although there were roadways and far off pathways, we were constantly having people-traffic running right through our campsite. We found it quite odd, and definately quite rude, so we put up some clotheslines (WITH towels on them) to redirect folks to walk elsewhere. We did get a little crazy with the rope...but whatever. When it started to rain, we took the towels down and went to bed, so the ropes weren't as visible. Apparently, some people complained and at 8:30 the next morning both Leanne and us were rudely awakened by the camp host demanding we take our ropes down... "right now." This 80 year old guy (Ernie) was a real jerk from the moment we arrived and it seemed that nobody in the campground had anything good to say about him.


We took the ropes down...all but two (seemed pretty reasonable). A few hours later Ernie comes back demanding us to take down the ropes. I can't emphasize enough how much of a jerk this guy was...to the point of unbelievable. There was just Leanne, her girls, and I at the camp at this particular time. We went ahead and took down one of the ropes and then retied the long one to make it shorter. We also put the tarp over it (over the tents) and began staking it down to make it more visible and more purposeful. Not even 10 minutes later Ernie comes back. This time, I make a run for it and let Leanne deal with him (she was really good at it!). By this time Ernie is more than ticked and thus begins the real drama. Leanne, although flabbergasted and ticked herself, tries to speak without yelling and tries to reason with the guy. He is not reasonable. Leanne even asks "please tell me where I can put a rope for our 8 towels.." he says "it's not my job to tell you where to put your rope, it's my job to tell you where NOT to put your rope!" Uhh...OK??? Many loud and swift words transpire throughout the conversation. It escalates so much that his false teeth fall out!! THEN, as if that wasn't enough, he claps his hands together right in front of Leanne's nose as if he wanted to slap her!! I'm thinking..."are you KIDDING ME!!??" Leanne swiftly tells him what she thought of that and does it back to him when he doesn't even apologize. She then asks to speak to someone else in charge (even the sheriff) because he is "the grouchiest camp host" she has ever encountered in her 20 years camping there. I thought she was being rather polite when she said that!


30ish minutes later a lady in a Pacific Corps truck arrives (the company that owns the camp). Poor gal had just been wrangled in as a neutral party and really had no authority whatsoever. Ernie hung back and smoked a couple of cigarettes while the lady spoke with Leanne. Of course, the lady wasn't too impressed with Ernie's behavior and thought that the position of our rope was quite reasonable.


More time passed and a police officer arrives! All over a stupid clothes rope!! He was quite nice and he spoke with Leanne and Don for quite some time. Don had even gone around the whole campground and wrote down every site that had a clothes rope. The officer was nice and had told them that the camp had been having trouble keeping hosts and that this was Ernie's first week at this particular camp (Ernie had claimed he had been a host for 20 years). Long story short, we moved our rope AGAIN and Ernie kept his distance. The cop even gave them some names of people to make complaints to and went on a bit about the various problems that they have been having. Some time after the cop left, the area manager of the company contracted by Pacific Corps to run the camp came by and apologized for Ernie's behavior.

When we weren't fighting off angry camp hosts we were enjoying a relaxing time by the fire. We chatted, played games, read books, and cooked meals over the fire. We also found time to ride bikes, take a couple of quick and chilly jaunts out into the water, and visit the Ape Caves!

A campfire shot (Fi Fi and Synnove on the left, Leanne in the hat, Leanne's friend Lisa is reading, Teyal in the white sweatshirt, Tess at the table.)

Riding bikes to the water. The kids did a LOT of bike riding.

The "kids" at the playground

Fighting the horrendous wind!

At least we didn't have to worry about Soren drifting off...the wind kept him on shore.

Heidi, Adam, and I actually braved the water and "swam" with our floaties all the way to the logs at the far end of the swimming area.

Cold little boy

Some Alone Time with Synnove

There are many times during each day when I just stop to admire my children. The little things they do that are often remarkable to me. I don't know how so many people can leave their kids to go to work each day. I know, there are many days that I say that I wish I could...but then I wouldn't get so see all their precious little moments.

Before Soren was born, Synnove was very good at playing on her own. She could sit and keep herself busy for quite sometime. When Soren came she got a playmate. They are very rarely apart. But, this evening the boys and girls of the family made separate plans. Adam took Soren with him in the Montero to have dinner at my Mom and Dad's, while Synnove and I had a dinner date with Aunt Alice and Fi Fi. Soren has never gotten to ride in the Montero with Daddy in the car seat...and since Adam took the back seat out, he gets to ride in the front. As I waved goodbye, he looked to be on top of the world...all smiles, sitting in the front with Daddy. They made "big" plans to do some "man" things before heading off to Warrenton. It was adorable.

Synnove and I didn't have far to travel, as we were going to the Mexican restaurant down the road, so we got back with much time to spare before bed. Synnove wanted to play on her "computer" (Leap Frog), so I went on the computer myself (still here, obviously). After a little while, Synnove decided that she was done with her computer, so she turned off the TV. I decided I was gonna finish up browsing Etsy.com and find something to do with my little girl since Soren wasn't here. Of course, it took me longer to "finish up" than planned. Hey...YOU try going to Etsy and see if YOU can finish up quickly! Anyway, Synnove didn't really care that I wasn't getting off the computer and immediately dove into playing with her babies. She was talking to them, strolling them around in her double stroller (thank you Fi Fi) and feeding them. For a moment, I just stopped to watch her. She wasn't doing anything special, but she was laying out fancy plates and cutting up toy pizza for her babies. I loved listening to her talk to them, and telling them what she was going to do next. They finished up "eating" and she put them back into the stroller taking much time trying to buckle them in properly. Normally, she would just get frustrated and quit trying...or ask me to do it. Instead, she took her time and figured it out on her own. Then, she asked me to tie on her apron "like Mary Poppins." I asked her, "do you remember that Grandma Barbara made this for you?" She said, "oh yes, that Grandma is so nice, I love this apron like Mary Poppins...she's so cute (referring to Grandma)!" Now she has her music going and is dressing up her babies in fun clothes. I'm now the audience of a fabulous fashion show with dancing!

Synnove and her baby Sept. 2006

Synnove with that "Cute Grandma" Mother's Day 2005

I know, no big deal...but there are times when I just want to savor my mom-hood. Watching Synnove play on her own is a rare treat.

(AGAIN, Blogger is being dumb and won't let me put spaces between paragraphs!!)

It's Safe to Say, We've Been FAIR-ly Busy

It's hard to believe, but my kids didn't roll out of bed till 10 AM this morning! I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened in my kids' lifetime. Exhaustion has been commonplace around here for a while now...for varying reasons. Fortunately, the reasons are good :)

I suppose the madness started to creep a couple of weeks ago. Synnove was starting up swimming lessons again and I was looking forward to using our lazy mornings/afternoons visiting family and friends that I hadn't seen in a while. Well, those mornings/afternoons soon became filled with other plans and the week flew by in a flash. We went to Portland for a shopping trip, spent some warm afternoons at Fi Fi's house playing in her pool, took a quick trip to Longview, and my MIL and niece, Brandi, came for a visit. On Saturday, Adam continued work on the chicken run in the blistering sun while I finally finished laundry and cleaned the house. I was up late that night printing photos and framing them to enter into the fair the next day. On Sunday, Adam left the house early to meet up with his friend Chris and visit his Dad before heading to PGE Park to see his sister Amanda graduate from college. It was gonna be SUPER hot in Portland that day, so I opted to stay home with the kids. I had to do some last-minute things to get my entries ready for the fair, dropped the kids off with my parents, and headed to the fairgrounds. That night, Adam didn't get home till pretty late because the Civic busted a hose. Talk about deja vu!

On Monday, the heat was almost too much to bear. The animals were in survival mode and the bunnies' fur was all sweaty. Bunny-Him was the worst...so Adam brought him inside and put the fan on him. He didn't even want to jump away...he loved the fan! Adam then put one of our window fans above their cages so that they would be cool through the night.


Tuesday was the the beginning of the fair. Elise had asked Henry and I if we would volunteer our time to come and work in her coffee/smoothie booth. I thought it sounded like fun! It was gonna be a bit tricky for me though since I needed someone to watch the kids. Mom was busy working at the shop in town, Fi Fi was busy at the fair all week, and Dad was only really available for one of the days. It was quite the juggling act...especially since Synnove had swimming lessons every morning.

Henry worked Tuesday morning, so I didn't come in till around 2ish. Of course, right when I got there, I headed to the exhibit hall to see how my entries did. My cross-stitch got a blue, and two of the 4 photos I entered got ribbons...one got a third place ribbon, and another got a champion ribbon with a special "judge's choice" award. I was pretty excited, so I snapped a picture of the display.

After that, I headed to Weesie's booth and lived there off and on for 5 days. I don't think Elise realized how busy she was gonna be. We hardly ever sat down and were completely wiped out by the end of each day. Elise was there every day from 6:30 AM till around 10 PM. Henry usually worked in the mornings and late evenings, and I worked everywhere in between. Dad watched the kids on Tuesday. Fi Fi watched the kids at the fair for a few hours on Wednesday till Dad got back from a meeting in Portland. Thursday was tricky because Dad went tuna fishing and took Henry for the entire day. Adam went too and got seriously seasick...poor guy. Anyway, we stayed the night at Mom and Dad's on Wednesday night. Mom got up at 4:30 AM every morning to make fresh cinnamon rolls for the fair...so, she made them, dropped them off at the fair, and came back to be with the sleeping children and take Novie to swimming lessons. I left when she got back to work at the fair the entire day. I was there for like 13 hours without a break...Henry came in the late evening to help Elise close up. On Friday I was draggin' my feet. Dad watched the kids for a couple of hours until Mom got home from the shop (the shop was busy too, so Mom was pretty exhausted every day as well). On Saturday Adam, of course, watched the kids. All three of us (Elise, Henry, and I) worked the entire day. Henry had to leave at around 8, so I stayed late and helped her pack up some of her stuff to take back to her shop in town. I got home at around 11. The whole week was a marvelous success for Elise, and it was great exposure for her coffee shop in town. She'll likely do it again next year.

It was fun, the 3 of us working together.

Nice, Henry...

Through all the madness, the kids got to come to the fair like 4 times. Once with Papa, once with Fi Fi, once with Grandma, and once with Daddy. This year, Soren actually rode the rides without being scared. I was sad to have missed it all. Here are a couple of pics Adam took...

Soren didn't want to ride the "alligator" (as the kids call it) on the first day, but rode it on the last!

On Sunday we all slept in and I headed to the fairgrounds to pick up my exhibits. Apparently, Elise slept in too and I ended up meeting her and my parents there to help clean and pack up her booth. Once at home, I spent the entire day cleaning up my messy house while Adam continued to work on the chicken run and finally fix the hose on the Civic.

The next day (yesterday) I spent the day helping my Dad can the tuna they all caught on Thursday. We filled 96 pint jars! Then we all had a big BBQ tuna dinner with Chris and Elise, Jack and Jeanne, Grandma Barb, and Henry and his new girlfriend Kiley. We didn't get home till after 10.

Today, I plan to do a lot o' nothin'.