Trick or Treat!

The Fischer's came and joined us for Halloween again this year. Last year we went trick or treating in Tigard which was nice because the road is flat and the houses are one after another. You can hit up a bunch of places and only go a few blocks. Since we moved we decided to stick around our new neighborhood. I knew it was hilly I just forgot how much so. We all got a lot of exercise trudging up and down hills of spaced out homes. While it was a lot of work the girls were rewarded with a TON of candy since they seemed to have been the only three little trick or treaters out. We're talking the good stuff and big stuff. So to a parent it was worth it (says the one who ate most of their candy) but to a kid I think our old neighborhood would have been a little better.

The girls had been planning their costumes for months and by August Emily had settled on pink super girl and Ellery was going to be a fancy princess. We were expecting the Fischer's at 5:30 and at about 5:29 Ellery was crying her eyes out because her princess costume wasn't as fancy as Emily's. Emily had special boot and gloves. Wahhhhhh. Clearly we had limited options but I did happen to have a spare set of cat ears and tail that I bought years ago as my "back up" costume in case I ever needed to dress up. I asked Ellery if she wanted to be a cat and her tears dried up. Off she went to find a cat clothes and within minutes we were back in business. I think this was the better option than the white princess dress because that would have been covered up by some sort of a jacket...and I had yet to break the news to her yet. Crisis Averted!











Earlier in the day the Girls dressed up in their best Oregon gear. Part 1 of their costumes..

Fall Trips

We've taken a few trips so far this fall. Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, and Ocean Shores Washington. Two were work related, one Andy joined me on, and the last was family trip to the beach in Washington. We happened to go on the wettest, grayest, and stormiest weekend ever. We were essentially stuck inside the entire time. Normally that wouldn't be such a bad thing but it took almost 4 hours to drive there and we already were cutting the weekend trip short. I'm not sure I've given Ocean Shores a fair chance but there seemed to be nothing to do except go to the beach and the drive alone is enough to remind me that we have plenty of beautiful beaches with lots of fun things to do down here in Oregon. I'm pretty sure we have crossed that location off our list.



Work trip to Vegas.  Stayed at the Bellagio.  It's a beautiful hotel but there are always so many people looking at the exhibits or just walking around that it makes it hard to maneuver when you are staying there and on a mission (to find a meeting room in the endless halls of the conference center).



Apparently my dad has a casino and never told us.



The Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara.  A week of work was never so relaxing!  The resort was beautiful and the spa was to die for.  That is saying a lot from a person who doesn't like massages (or at least before bacara).  We also did a 12 mile bike tour through wine country that was so pretty and scenic.  I realized I haven't been on a bike in quite a long time and was sore for a week after.   It was fun though (as long as my hand was close to the breaks!)



And finally....the rainy weekend in Ocean Shores.  We tried to go to the beach but the girls were not big fans of the sideways ran and strong winds.  After two attempts we gave up.  Luckily we brought and easy bake oven, lots of books, and a DVD player.  The power also went out while were were there and thank goodness the townhouse had a flashlight.  Dark, unfamiliar place, facing the choppy ocean, at 7:30 pm isn't so fun.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1014"] Emily & Ellery and the biggest pumpkin ever![/caption]

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1014"] Emily wearing her pumpkin picking costume[/caption]

The pre-school annual pumpkin patch field trip was earlier this month.  I took the girls last year on my own and between the mud and the fact that the kids were hungry and tired I vowed never to do it again.  Of course that vow was short lived but this time I brought reinforcements. Grammy Bobbi and Grandpa Bill came along and we had a blast.  The weather was beautiful and the girls had fun trying to find the perfect pumpkin in the field of hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins. 

Sister Love

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1014"] Ellery & Emily[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1014"] "OOOO" for Oregon Ducks![/caption]

You Are My Sunshine

When we finished remodeling the house last spring and moved in the last big project we had (aside from landscaping which I can't even wrap my mind around yet) was to paint the siding.  We originally thought we would do a paint/stain combo to show off the raw cedar siding we used that had come from the trees growing on our property.

Here's a photo of the original paint inspiration I had.



Zipper House is a project by DeForest Architects based in Seattle Wa.

However, after leaving the cedar paint/stain free to dry out over the summer the unique look kind of grew on me.  I just didn't want a cabin-ish feel and while others may think that is exactly what it is....i still hold firm to my belief that it's modern rustic.  However, cedar needs to be stained otherwise it starts to get yucky.  Fast forward to this last week.  We had a natural stain applied to the house along with a few surprises.  I love it!  The last thing will be to figure out what do do with the exposed brick fireplace.  I'm thinking I want corrugated steel panels to play off the garage door....but not sure just yet.   Andy's trying to be more traditional and go with some sort of rock...but I'm not ready to give up!

Here's some photos of how far we've come since October 2011 when we first fell in love with this sweet little home.  And then sadly took it all apart only to make it more sustainable and functional and resalable because while we don't plan to move anywhere why would you buy a house that you may or may not be able to sell in the future?

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="674"] House right after we got our hands on the keys[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1014"] Cedar being milled on site. Wood used to side the entire house.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="470"] Almost finished - but the cedar is not stained or painted yet.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1150"] Sept 2012 - back of the house stained and concrete painted[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1116"] Sept 2012 - black trim, new stain, concrete painted[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1519"] Sept 2012 - New front door paint & trim, stain, and concrete painted.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2016"] Before the door was painted[/caption]

Lincoln City - Labor Day

Last year we stayed at a great duplex in Lincoln City just 10 steps from the beach.  The quick weekend trip wasn't enough so this year I rented both sides for 5 nights.   We wanted to be able to wake up on the beach and go out to play as many times as we wanted.  The weather was AMAZING the entire time so we definitely lucked out.  I'd keep going back to the house year after year if I could get a good weather guarantee.   We had two great years in a row so I think my luck could run out if I book again...but we will see.  Grandma Bobbi and Grandpa Bill and Cody and his family joined us for parts of the trip.  We had a great time just relaxing, playing on the beach, spending time with all the kiddos (3,4,and 5 years old as well as the newest addition to the Cummings family baby Micah who just turned 3 months).  What a great way to end a fun filled summer.  I took a ton of pictures so be prepared or be warned...  Lots of  beach time, silly poses, sand angles, long walks, and tea parties.