Fall Colors

On Saturday morning, Dave and I filled our Starbucks travel mugs with fresh coffee and headed North through Monroe and over Steven's pass to check out the scenery. Of course, we did stop for Chuck's donuts after gassing up! Here are a few photos that we took. We neglected to stop often enough to capture the purples and reds, but it was a beautiful day for a ride.

When we got to Leavenworth, we drove around for several minutes looking for a parking place and I finally said, "let's just go, there is nothing I need to shop for anyway!" They did have a craft fair going on and I would have liked to check that out, but we've been there many times and neither of us felt like we would be missing anything if we didn't stay. Besides.....German food is not our favorite. And really, what can you do in Leavenworth except eat and shop!?
I don't remember exactly where we saw this rock formation, but I thought it looked like either a gopher or a pig head. What do you see?

We spent a good amount of time in Wenatchee, enjoying the antique stores and then drove over the river to East Wenatchee. By then we were getting quite hungry, sugar low after those donuts, and didn't want to drive back over the river to the restaurant we had selected there, so when we saw an Olive Garden, we made a quick right turn and had a wonderful linner, or dunch....well a big mean anyway between lunch and dinner. Yum yum. If you haven't had their Chicken Parmigiana, try it. I like theirs better than any I've had at other restaurants.

We were definitely tired by the time we got home, but are glad we went. It is easy for me to just take for granted our spectacular scenery as I drive here and there, but thankfully I am married to a man who is still in awe of all that the Lord has created! For the past many years I have taken my knitting or crocheting with me and I am often interrupted by his comments to "Look at THAT!" as we pass something truly incredible. And for the most part, I don't mind the interruptions. I love that man!!

Charlotte Marie Myron

It is now official! Our newest granddaughter has a name. It seems that the old style names are coming back into fashion these days and we are very happy to announce that Baby's name is Charlotte! The name is French and means "petite" and "feminine." It will be fun to watch this wee one grow into her name. Dave immediately took to referring to her as Charlie, although Shauna doesn't want her to have a nick name. I like the nickname Lottie, but think I will just be calling her Charlotte. Don't want to cause any waves with Mom and Dad!! Besides, Charlotte is really a pretty regal sounding name!

Two Hours Old

One Week Old

Two Weeks Old (zzzzzz...)

Three Weeks Old

Guess Who! This is Hailey on her birth day

And I'm sure you guessed, this is Charlotte on her birth day.
They could be identical twins!!

Trust Your Gut Feelings!

A couple of days ago I was cleaning out some old files and came upon 4 newsletters (35 to 40 pages each!) that were sent to me back in 1989. I have saved them all these years because they were promoting homeschooling and I was in agreement with much of what was written, although they definitely had more radical thoughts than I did about public education. But, there was something that just didn't seem right about them. They were from a place called the Gentle Wind School in Surry, Maine, with a PO Box listed as their address. They would only be printing 4 newsletters, and I do have all four. There are no names to be found on any of these articles. The special notice to readers says "We are a group of researchers who have been studying the human consciousness, particularly the mental and emotional systems, for the past seven years."

Back in 1989 I was knee deep in homeschooling and eager to read anything that promoted homeschooling, especially since I felt like I was breaking new ground in homeschooling high schoolers. HOWEVER, I found myself thinking "something just isn't quite right with these newsletters!" Little did I know! At the time I couldn't find any references on the computer to this "school" so had no way to find out why I was bothered. Yesterday I decided to see what I could dig up on the computer. I discovered, much to my shock, that these people were the founders of a mind controlling cult. They were shut down by the law in Maine and relocated to Reno, Nevada.

They operated under a variety of names: Gentle Wind Project, Gentle Wind Retreat, Gentle Wind/Turning Point, Gentle Wind, and their first 2 newsletters were titled REBOUD (Redeeming Education By Observing Universal Natural Development) and the last two were called "Great Education Moves."

So, my only point in writing this is to say, "I WAS RIGHT!!" When your gut tells you something is amiss with what you are reading or learning about....trust it! Run! I'm so glad that I never took their writings too seriously and that I saved them for all this time and was able to finally find out the truth about these people!

Be aware, people...and don't get sucked in to other people's schemes!!!!!

Tribute to my Aunt Eileen

Aunt Eileen with Hailey

My mom's sister, Eileen, is 88 years old and has been living independently since my uncle passed away fifteen years ago. Eileen is my last living elder relative. I remember when my dad's last sibling passed away and how weird it was to think that he had outlived them all (5 brothers and 1 sister.) Since my only sibling, Bob, passed away 14 years ago I guess I have been in the same situation! Except that I still have Aunt Eileen! But I digress.

Eileen called me three weeks ago and said "I can't do this anymore. Find me an assisted living home." So I did. I am so proud of my aunt!! She didn't wait until someone told her that she needed to move and she didn't go kicking and screaming. I hope I will be as gracious should I live to an age where I need help. She gave away most of her "stuff." She was living in an apartment, so she put on the table in the public area all of her food, kitchen items and all sorts of things that she wouldn't need in her new small room. They got snatched up in no time at all.

Last Saturday was moving day. Dave, Jason & Pete were in charge of moving her things to her new home. Dave rented a U-Haul and we began at 9:00 am and she was settling in by 11:00! I stayed for several hours and helped her get organized. We hung lots of pictures so it looks like her space. They allowed me to eat lunch with her in the cafeteria and I was pleased to find that the food was tasty.

It has been 4 days now and Eileen has told me more than once that she is very happy that she made this decision. She is meeting all sorts of people and if she wants, she can find lots of ways to fill her days. They have church services, dominoes, bingo, trips to the store and bank, craft time, etc. etc. etc. I don't know why some people are so reluctant to make this decision. Why do we hold on to our way of life so tightly?? Like I said, I am very proud of my Aunt Eileen. She has a good attitude and has accepted the fact that as a diabetic, with neuropathy in her legs which makes it difficult to walk, she needed more care than she could give herself. She wanted to make this move while she could still get around because she knew the day would come when she would be forced to move.

She is selling her car, never to drive again. Life is full of changes and difficulties. I hope to remember the lessons that my Aunt has taught me. Have the courage to change. She made the decision to sell her home in Lyman, WA, and move to Renton to be near her only sister, my mom, after my uncle passed away. I know she was sad to leave, but with each change she has had to make, she has done it with dignity and a sense of calm.

I wish everyone had Eileen's attitude about change. A house is a house is a house. (or apartment) But a home. A home is what you make of whatever space you are living in. I know that all of this life is temporary and should be of little concern. My real home is still to come. I will find that perfect home situation after my death here on earth and I am living in my new eternal home with my Savior!

Thank you, Aunt Eileen, for reminding me of what is truly important!

10 on 10 for the 10th Month of 2010

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE!
10 Photos taken on the 10th day of each month. Join the fun! Go to Blogs I follow to the right and click on 10 on 10.

8 am Church service, then God and Government Sunday School Class at 9:30. It was my turn to provide treats......homemade cookies.

Daily ritual of seeing who will win the days match! Nice break, Dave.

Bath time for Frodo. Lathered....

Rinsed.....

Soft and fluffy. Smells good! Needs a haircut. :(

This is the hat I knit for Baby. Too big. Baby has a small head!

Uh oh....Baby is NOT HAPPY!! "Get this hat off my head!"

Hailey is happy to pose for a photo.
BUT SHE DIDN'T WANT TO TRY ON THE HAT EITHER!!

I better get busy with my Bible Study Fellowship homework!

Finished with the ear flaps for Hailey's hat. Hope she likes it!

Knit Baby Afghan

I finally finished knitting the white afghan for Baby Myron Girl #2!! Or Katelyn....the paperwork is not finalized yet on her name, so she is just Baby for now. This only took me about 2 months and although it is a relatively simple pattern, the Bobble row took me much more time to knit so it seemed to go on and on. I did watch quite a bit of TV while knitting! There are so many wonderful patterns to knit or crochet, but I decided on this one called "Mint For Friends" from the Leisure Arts book "Our Best Knit Baby Afghans" but I wanted it done in white. I am pleased to say that Shauna loved it!! It is always VERY rewarding when the people I make things for actually LIKE what I made!

I'm working on a sweet pink hat for Baby and will post that when I finish it. I did think ahead and asked Shauna what hat pattern she liked for Hailey from the book I have called "Baby Beanies." Now the trick is to see if Hailey likes it when I finish it! When Shauna was 2 she was VERY opinionated about what clothes she liked and didn't like. I spent some time at the Osh Kosh Store at Factoria today with Shauna and the girls and Hailey knew exactly what she liked and was quick to shake her head "NO" when she didn't like what I pointed out. Shauna is doing a really good job of asking her opinion before buying her clothes.

You can expect to see some other things that I make here on my blog. I love to do all sorts of crafty things and have enjoyed being creative since I was a kid. I learned to sew when I was in junior high school and bought my first NEW Singer sewing machine right after I graduated from high school. I don't know what I would do with myself if I didn't have these outlets to keep me going!

Here is the afghan for Baby:

Katelyn Marie

Here are some new photos of Shauna & Pete's newest addition to their family. Ssshhhhh, I took these from Shauna's Each Day site. Is that all she does is sleep????

Baby Shower for Martha

I thought I would share my part in helping with the baby shower for Martha yesterday. I made a diaper cake using hydrangeas (held in place by a water-filled baby bottle and a bag of moss that I got from Michaels. This was my 2nd diaper cake to make. The first one was monkey themed. They are a little pricey (it takes about 60 diapers) but they look so neat! I also made from scratch cupcakes.

I used the recipes from Pamela Clark's CUPCAKES book on pages 44 (Baby Blue) and 100 (Pineapple Hibiscus Cakes) except I used blue sprinkles on the top instead of hibiscus.



I had some boxed Wilton fondant in my pantry but it was pretty hard, so I decided to make my own for the baby blue cakes. Have you ever done that?? I don't know exactly what I did wrong but maybe I had a bit too much glucose in it or something. I used Wilton's recipe in one of my cake decorating books, but IF there is a next time, I will search the internet and use a different recipe. I was able to roll it out just fine and cut it to size but it was just not the right firmness. The cupcakes were good but I really don't know what all the fuss is about with all these new cupcake shops! These cupcakes were tasty but not like a light and tender cupcake from a boxed cake mix. I'd rather have a Hostess Cupcake!! Or devil's food cake with cream cheese frosting. I'm sure the younger generation just doesn't get it!

I'm kind of waiting for my Kitchenaid mixer to bite the dust as it has had quite a bit of use over the past 30+ years. It growls but still works. I'd love one of those beautifully colored ones. Maybe turquoise....or red....or yellow. I guess I will be content, since I would have a hard time deciding what color to get!

Here is a photo of the beautiful mom and sweet baby Ian.


Martha received lots of neat gifts and it was pretty funny watching us "elder" women trying to figure out how the Babybjorn is worn! All the guests were friends of Martha's mother-in-law, Dorene, as we are all so happy that Dorene has this new little grandson to love. Ian is 6 weeks old and very good natured. He got passed around from one of us to another and never complained! Grandchildren are the best!!

Myron Baby Girl #2

Here are a few photos of Shauna's newest daughter. Her parents are still in the process of making sure they have selected the correct name for her, so for now she is baby girl #2! Aside from not having an official name, she is a delight and perfect in every way. Official Stats:

Born: Wednesday, Sept. 22nd at 7:57 am
Weight: 7 lbs. 12 oz.
Length: 20"

Here are some photos of her at 2 hours old! Dave, Hailey and I came to the birth center in Kirkland and brought some breakfast for them. We only stayed a few minutes and about 2 hours after we left, Pete and Shauna and baby girl #2 were packed up and driving home. Right now, all is pretty quiet in the Myron household. Shauna is resting and Pete has been doing a super job of caring for the needs of his family. I'm on call and ready, willing and able to lend a hand when needed without allowing myself to be a nuisance!! I did stop by for a bit this afternoon so I could spend some time holding my new granddaughter and then I played with Hailey for awhile. I came home when it was time for Pete to put Hailey down for a nap.

Time to change my blog

I guess it is time that I change this blog from real estate based to my personal blog. Keep an eye open for changes!

Yelp.com

Have you been frustrated when you want to find a good restaurant, hair salon, or hotel? Need recommendations but don't have time to quiz all your friends? Go to www.yelp.com

You can type in the city you live in or the city you will be visiting and then look up what you need. Most places will have some customer reviews and they can help you decide where to go.

Try it! It just might become an indispensable aid!

10 on 10

TuTu for Annika.....sssshhhhh don't tell her!

Super Low Interest Rates

I can't believe how low home interest rates have gotten. Check this out!

Rates at a Glance:

30 Year Conforming
4.375% 1.0 point

5/1 Conforming
3.375% 1.0 point

30 Yr Conforming Jumbo
4.625% 1.0 point

30 Year Jumbo
5.375% 1.0 point

5/1 Jumbo ARM
3.875% 0.5 point

30 Year FHA
4.375% 1.0 point

30 Year Jumbo FHA
4.500% 1.0 point

Tax Credit Extension?

Check out this article. You might still have time to purchase a home and take advantage of the tax credit!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100616/ap_on_bi_ge/us_home_tax_credit

Relatives Moving to Retirement Living?

Do you have parents or other relatives (or yourselves) who need to make a change in their living accommodations? Perhaps their health is failing or it is simply time to downsize to a smaller home or a move to an over 55 retirement community. I would love to help! I have had much experience in "elder" issues, from health problems to financial concerns and would be pleased to help you or your loved ones to find just the right new home. Give me a call and let's put our heads together to come up with just the right move! (425)890-0124