This year's applesauce...Labor of Love

Once again, thanks to our parent's generosity, we have some awesome fruits to enjoy. The apples are "skinned", micro'd for 12 minutes and then thrown in a pot to boil and simmer. Add a little sugar and cinnamon....yum!

Hummingbirds Love Fuschias

You'll have to look hard but there is a beautiful red headed hummingbird in this picture.

Haley modeling.

Peppers. Pears. Squash. Tomatoes.

It's Corn Time!

Once again, thanks to the generosity of Mom and Dad, we have this great corn! It came directly from the farm and Annie cooked it, and then froze it so we can have an entire year of sweet goodness.

Annie with Lemon Cucumber

This summer we got lucky. We found some great lemon cucumber plants and at a garage sale we found a foldable "plant triangle". Combined together equals bliss for Annie! (picture taken in our back yard)

Red Potatoes.

Annie's Blue Squash!

Annie loves this giant blue squash. It makes excellent soup!!!

And here it is, getting souped up!

Waiting to be enjoyed.

Bounty from the Garden

Annie loves those melons!

Fresh from the folk's farm... Watermelon and Cantaloupes!

Camping at Timothy Lake.

Haley's Passport expires. Time for a new one!


And the new face for that passport.

Annie With Flowers at Home.

We Celebrate 4th of July at ROCKAWAY!

Haley listens to tunes while the crowds build...

It's dark enough to begin...

I think they are enjoying it!

Haley and Emily went to Oregon City's Basketball camp this summer! 

Haley's dream of playing the guitar begins! 


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Annie at the Rose Gardens in Portland. 

Special Delivery from the Philippines!

What a nice surprise! Annie recently met a wonderful lady who is also from Lipa in the Philippines. Her son just visited and returned from there. He took some gifts there for us and in return Annie's mom sent us a care package full of letters, candies, photos and other great treats from the Philippines. I know how exciting it is to box up treats and bargains to send there so I can imagine it was great fun for our family there to have this chance to do the same for us. Maraming Salamat!

Finally! Haley hits the 12 year mark!

After the wonderful trip to the beach last weekend (see following), Haley spent a quiet day with Mom and Dad today on her birthday. A minor disappointment was an eBay purchase made two weeks ago that didn't arrive. On the plus side, there were plenty of presents from Grandma and Grandpa, her friends, and a few extras from Mom and Dad. She even received well wishes from aunts and uncles and cousins in the Philippines. All in all, a very nice birthday for our wonderful daughter!


This is May 22nd, last Sunday, and Haley had the distinct pleasure of taking two of her good friends, Holly and Emily, to the beach to celebrate her upcoming birthday. We chose to go one weekend early because her birthday weekend is the Memorial Day holiday and we fully expect massive traffic to and from the beach.


Oh yeah! And here's Annie taking a moment to chat on her cell phone while standing on Rockaway Beach. Notice the beautiful weather!


And just for reference... Here's Haley one year ago at the same table in the same house! So cute!!

Nikes in the sky...

Memorial Day Weekend and these nike's are getting a well-deserved airing out.

Road Trip! (Haley Gets Early Birthday Wish)

Haley and friends spend the day at the Oregon beach! See details above...

Oh, and this picture was digitally altered by a free software product, Picasa! I was really surprised at all the edit features. This is the same software company owned by Google that uses "Hello" to post to this blog. Check it out ---> Picasa!


Here's a little idea of what picasa can do!

A Nice Quiet Mother's Day...

Annie woke up to Cafe Mocha Latte this morning. We bought her this little french press and some malaysian ground coffee. Haley used the "Bullet" blender to froth the milk with cocoa and whip some cream. She then made a great pancake breakfast.

After church we visited Mom and Dad at the farm and spent some time. The night before, Annie called her Mom in the Philippines to wish her a nice mother's day. Unfortunately, her mom was at a wedding so Melly was given the message.

Jogathon Means Lot of Running!

This once-a-year event helps raise money for the school. Haley and classmate, Robin, were the girls that put in the most laps (>5 miles) for the 6th grade. Haley's comment on seeing this picture... "I don't look happy".


And here is a great little trophy! You are awesome, Haley!


And finally, just for the record, Haley says she likes this picture. Reason? In her words, "It's the only picture I'm smiling in".

Basketball Season Ends Today!

The season ended today for Haley's 6th Grade team. It was a fun and exciting time for Haley and she really looks forward to next year!

Eskimo Girl Arrives!

Coming this May, Haley's school has an auction. We thought this "American Girl" doll and book would be a nice choice for someone to enjoy!

From American Girl:
Winner of an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award (2003)

White missionaries have come to 12-year-old Minuk’s tiny Yup’ik village. Other children run away from the newcomers, but Minuk is too curious to be afraid.

New customs are coming, too, but clothes are still made the traditional way. Minuk’s one-of-a-kind parka is sewn from arctic ground-squirrel pelts, with triangles of white caribou fur decorating the hood. Her wolverine-fur ruff and tassels and her caribou-fur boots with sealskin bottoms keep her warm and dry.

The clothes that her mother and grandmother sew with such skill and love keep Minuk safe through what turns out to be the darkest winter of her life.

9-inch Minuk™ doll includes stand and Minuk: Ashes in the Pathway paperback book by Kirkpatrick Hill.

Science Fair Tonite...

Haley chose to make a homemade "cooler" and then tested to see if it would cool hot liquids faster than letting the same hot liquid sit at room temperature. Her hypothesis was that the cooler, using evaporation, would cool faster. Unfortunately, her hypothesis was wrong. Seems the steam got caught inside the chamber and made a little "oven". Haley's future as a scientist may be limited, but she did win first place for her sixth grade class. Alright, Haley!

Haley Goes To The Tournament!

What a nice highlight for 2005. Haley, Mom and Dad, went to Eugene for the St. Paul Invitational Basketball tournament. There was one game Friday, February 18th. One game Saturday, February 19th. And one game Sunday, February 20th. Haley is a sixth grader but got to "play up" onto the 7th-8th grade team. It was a great experience for her and we really enjoyed seeing her play.

Going to the Big Dance!

Haley's real reason for wanting to go to the Eugene, Oregon basketball tournament... The Saturday night dance! Mom Annie looks almost as excited as Haley.

Box Headed for Philippines!

Several times a year, Annie fills boxes with goodies to send to her family in the Philippines. This is both a labor of love and a labor of, well, labor! Lots of basic needs are sent like school supplies, toiletries, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. And of course, Annie always finds nice toys and clothes for the children there. She is always on the lookout for bargains and even from the earliest years of our marriage she has been the, "Queen of Coupons"!

Everything has to be labeled and Annie double-checks to make sure no one is forgotten. She can put as much weight in each box as she can so she likes to send a lot of canned goods too. American magazines are very expensive there so Annie likes to top off the boxes with those we have. The boxes are stuffed so full they end up looking more like huge balls than regular boxes.

Four weeks from now when Annie calls the Philippines she will once again be greeted with excited relatives and neighbors who enjoy the "miniature Christmas" they get to experience each time a box arrives!


and these are two boxes ready to go out the door!