Dinner at Nanna's

When you go to Nanna's you can be assured of a few things:

1. The house will smell wonderful.

2. There will be fresh flowers.

3. And seasonally appropriate decorations.

4. Papa Duke will greet you with a hug and a huge smile.

5. Nanna will be in the kitchen, and she will want to feed you.

6. You will never leave hungry. EVER.

7. There's an 80% chance there will be homemade treats.

8. You will be treated like the most important and special guest.
9. Whipping cream is always available to top your hot beverage.
10. You won't want to leave. And Nanna won't want you to either. Which is why you will stay longer than you planned. EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Ten on Tuesday: farming, fishing, and a touch of awkward

1. I didn't mean to skip blogging yesterday. What happened is that I was strong-armed gave into playing Hay Day this weekend after resisting it's siren call for at least two months, and lo-and-behold I am now a bona fide farmer who cares for little else besides harvesting crops and tending animals and the likes.

In other words, I've been busy playing a game on my phone.

2. And this is the part where I eat crow for making fun of many of my friends for the past few months for their addiction to the game. I get it.

3. Let the record show, however, that I did quit Candy Crush a over a month ago (after reaching level 425), and it is now dead to me. I can only obsess over one game at a time.

4. In real world news, we had a lovely weekend. Low-key, awesome weather, friends over Friday night and then dinner out at different friends' Saturday night, cards and qwirkle, church and naps, it was pretty perfect.

^^Dave, Kelly, and Qwirkle^^

5. Well, pretty perfect until late Sunday afternoon that is, when Blake hurt his arm playing basketball. We iced it for the evening and watched it all day yesterday and even though he says it's not really bothering him, it looks funny. Funny as in, we're off to get x-rays this morning.

6. This didn't stop him from going on his first salmon fishing trip yesterday though... Russ woke him up at the ungodly hour of 4:45 am to join Russ's buddy, Brian, and his son Brooks (age 4), on their boat in the Columbia River and they were gone until 4 pm in the afternoon. They returned happy and rosy-cheeked but sadly salmon-less.

7. Here is the point where I would normally show you several great photos of said trip, if only Russell had remembered to take any. SAD DAYS :(

8. Instead I will show you a pretty Spring picture I took out my car window while driving through my sister's neighborhood yesterday. I love gardens in the spring! (Just not mine with it's sole two tulips.)

9. In an update on the boat project, Russell has received 4 offers to purchase it so far, without actually advertising it yet or even beginning any work on it. I don't know how he does it but the man is gifted.

10. And last but not least, a helpful hint from yours truly, the ever-awkward Jodalamode: if you let your daughter babysit someone else's child for the evening in your own home, please remember that someone will be coming to pick that child up late at night, and you won't want to turn all the lights in your entire house off and go to bed, especially when you currently have no front porch and therefore no accessible front door. This will avoid the mortification of a timid knock-knocking at your unlit backdoor when you have no bra on. Or pants. 

Helpful, no? You're welcome :) 

Just a few things

1. First of all, thank you for helping a mama out yesterday with the eyebrow question! I feel fully supported, whatever my choice ;)

2. On Monday my sister informed friends and family via facebook that it was the 22-year anniversary of our family moving to the United States.

My reaction was twofold:
a) "it can not have been twenty-two years ago! What?!!! How could I have been raised in New Zealand and lived here for so long on top of that?! I'm sooooo OLD! Waaaaaaaa!" (the inside of my head can be a very dramatic place)
and b) "well that's why Kelly is the memory-keeper of the family... I would have sworn we moved here January 21st."

3. Sunday night's episode of Downton Abbey was quite traumatic and I'm not over it yet. I couldn't sleep afterwards. I was afraid to actually... of the dreams I might have. Not cool, Downton, not cool.

4. I love January because the kids are only back in school for a week before finals week... meaning three half days of school and then another 4-day weekend. I don't know why I equate school vacation with me vacation but I guess that's where I'm at right now, because it totally is! Yeah!

5. Sometimes Russell wears my purple silky sleep mask to sleep and then I take pictures of him to send him at work the next day. Hubba, hubba ;)

6. So there's this Japanese thing on the market called Happy Kitchen kits; little boxes of tiny edible candy-type food to mix together, mold, and decorate - no baking. My brother Jamin saw them on TV and ordered all the nieces and nephews three different kinds for Christmas, just as a fun experiment to try. The boxes and instructions don't have a lick of English on them so you have to go to youtube to watch a video tutorial (there are tons) to get the basic idea of what to do, but it's not complicated. We dove in Sunday afternoon and tried out the donuts.

Look! It's like Barbie food! It was pretty much the best half hour of easy entertainment you could ask for. And I didn't try one because, umm, no thank you, but the kids said they were tasty. Thanks, Uncle Jay!

7. And that's all I have for ya. I was going to go for ten but I just spent an hour helping my daughter study for her history final and my brain quit working 40 minutes in. I'm done.

10 Things (a Tuesday list)

1. I think I mentioned yesterday how much I loved the new Hunger Games movie. Looooved. Well one of the trailers before the movie was for a film called Divergent. Which apparently is also a 3-part book series, and I know this because I just downloaded all three onto my kindle, that's how interesting the movie trailer was.

2. This means I shall not be going to bed before midnight all week because I can NOT put a good book down. And I can tell, these are going to be good.

3. While on the subject of good books, I would like to share my excitement about a new book by my parenting mentors, Joey and Carla Link from Parenting Made Practical.

I have been listening to Joey and Carla's Mom's Notes presentations for probably ten years now... and a more practical and relatable, wisdom-filled teaching based on the Growing Kids God's Way (Babywise/Childwise) series you'd be hard-pressed to find. The help we have received from them in our parenting journey has been truly invaluable. You can find their new book, Why Can't I Get My Kids to Behave? on Amazon, or at Barnes and Nobles here.

4. And having nothing at all to do with books... a week ago I asked Blake what he would like for Christmas. His answer was a power wheels car that you can ride in and that "can fly just a little bit". Hmmmm.

5. Last night I asked Blake what he'd like for Christmas again, wondering if he'd remember what he'd said last time or if he'd be onto something new. His answer? "Meat. Deer meat." Well, that we have in abundance, my son. And also, YOU ARE STRANGE.

6. I think it says much about my age that my top two Christmas wishlist items are a new four-slot toaster and a sonicare toothbrush. Hey, properly toasted english muffins and good oral hygiene are both very important to me.

7. Remember back when I said I loaded new books onto my kindle? I may have just taken a writing break to "peek" into the first one and lost an hour of my time. Good gravy I'm in trouble.

8. Everyone is doing these "month of thanks" daily posts on facebook... or at least it seems like everyone. I'm thankful for lots of things too, but I have this stubborn streak that makes me not want to do something like that just because so many people are. So instead I think of the things I'm thankful for and refuse to tell anybody. Ha! Does that make me the Thanksgiving Grinch?

9. Don't answer that question.

10. Ten things is really hard when all you want to do is dive back into a book! SEE YA! ;)

10 on Tuesday

(10 instagram pictures, that is. It's been a while.)

The start of school two weeks ago meant the start of fresh chores. Yeah! Woohoo! Hurrah! I love me an organized chores list.   

Kicking off a new month of walking/running/reallyjustwalking. I didn't complete August but am not letting myself give it up. 

Favorite fall colors. 

Oh you know, just playing mommy/baby. Ages 12 & 5 1/2. 

Kids back in school means free mornings to hang out with one of my favorites! Nanna likes to invite me over to help her with camera/computer things and to feed me delicious food. I am up for this 100% of the time. 

My workout buddy is back! Our good friends moved back to town after a year away  and Kristie and I are up and running with a new twice-a-week workout schedule (to make up for the ZERO times I worked out to a fitness video without her.) 

Two months ago I accidentally left my beloved heavy duty baking sheets and spendy silicone liners in Sunriver while on vacation (yes I took them with me, that's how beloved they are.) This week I finally got them back, after driving to Emanuel Hospital in Portland at 9 pm at night to meet the wonderful night shift nurse who brought them back for me after her stay in the same rental house. (Isn't that the kindest?!)

In case you are as concerned at the idea of me driving into Portland alone at night to meet a stranger as Jana was, after I texted her to announce that THE EAGLE HAD LANDED, I'll reassure you the same way I did her: calm down, Mum came with me!

Blake's life dream has become a reality... he is finally on a sports team. If you run into him he will be quick to inform you, "I play soccer ball now".

Volleyball has started too (Go, Kendall!), which may require a little juggling this year. I am learning how important it is to really keep a calendar and use it at ALL times!

Remember that freshly painted new house I showed you last week? Guess who accidentally got left outside at night and tried to claw her way back in through the front door? Miley the dead-to-me dog, is who. Arrghhh.

Thank goodness for leftover paint. 

Labor Day weekend: Top 10 moments

We spent the Labor Day weekend at Foster Lake for our church family camp and had a GRAND time squeezing the last bit of fun out of summer (while refusing to think of school starting up when we returned.)

Here are the top moments of the trip! (My 18th family camp trip, holy McMoly!)

"I'm not speaking to you" moment:
When we were all packed and loaded to leave for camp Thursday evening right after kindergarten roundup so we could be there by 11 pm and then Russell realized he'd forgot to pick up the adapter to hook up the trailer lights to our vehicle so we had to wait till morning to leave. Suffice it to say this was NOT a happy discovery and somebody whose birthday was the next day and who wanted to wake up at camp for her birthday was not very gracious and things may have got a little ugly.

Don't worry though, all was well again before too long (because we are terrible at staying mad/remembering why we're mad) and we were on the road by 7:30 am Friday morning! First stop? A white mocha for mama!

Proudest moment:
Blake learned how to ride his bike without training wheels! Auntie Cara (the bike whisperer) taught him in half an hour, just like she taught Cooper at family camp several years ago. Blake then rode off into the sunset down the camp row and we barely saw him the rest of the weekend!

Cutest moment:
Miley riding in my bike basket around camp. She loved it!

Most fun moment:
Game nights, baby! Settlers, Qwirkle, Apples to Apples, Can you Name 5?, Spoons, and Canasta. I was in game-playing heaven all weekend.

Most relaxing moment:
Hanging out at the day beach and floating in the lake for hours. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Sweetest moment:
And I mean that in the most literal sense. This was the birthday loot awaiting me at camp from multiple friends who are well aware that my love of white chocolate knows no bounds. God bless birthdays.

Funniest and also "most awkward" moment:
when I held up a purple game card to my Spanish-speaking friend, Veronica, and confidently declared, "pupitre!" Veronica gave me the look of "what in the heck, crazy lady?" and then burst out laughing. AT ME. So I guess purple in Spanish is morado. And maybe I shouldn't be so confident just blurting out words in another language, although at least it is a real Spanish word, and not even a curse word! (it means desk.)

Matchy-matchy moment:
sporting our TCC camp tees on Sunday. Awwww, we're so... coordinated.

"Money well spent" moment:
we stopped at a garage sale on the way down (surprise, surprise, I know) and picked up a bag of pipe cleaners for $1.00. Cheapest entertainment for a whole bunch of girls ever. They crafted and crafted with those things!

Saddest moment:
coming home to a dead fish. Not Rocky the miracle fish of course, he's six-going-on-forever and as healthy as... well, a living fish. No, it was Cooper's beta fish, Leroy. Which is unfortunate because this is Cooper's fourth fish to die and Cooper is pretty sure he has the kiss of death when it comes to fish now and there was a good half an hour of gloom and doom and much woeing and the likes until I finally offered up a vanilla ice-cream sandwich as a condolence gift.

Crisis over.

And a bonus moment just for making it this far!

"Okaaaay then..." moment: 
We asked all three kids what their favorite part of camp was this year.
Kendall: "sleeping in a tent with all my friends"
Blake: "riding my bike without training wheels!"
Cooper: "you know how your forget all your favorite memories about a place and then you get there and suddenly remember them all? That was my favorite memory"
Me: "so your favorite part of camp this year was remembering your favorite memories about camp?!"
Cooper: "yes"

Well God bless family camp for wonderful memories every year :)

Until next year, Foster Lake!

10 on Tuesday

1. I just realized that I passed my blog anniversary... 12 days ago. It's been three years now, how crazy. I don't really have any profound thoughts about it, just that I like to blog and that's why I keep on doing it!

2. Blake threw up yesterday - without warning - in the backseat of the car. In times like these I like to call Russ at work and tell him how lucky he is to NOT be home cleaning puke out of a seat belt, booster seat, floor and door, which helps make up for all the times he comes home to find me in the middle of an afternoon nap.

3. Kendall and I are in the middle of her bedroom makeover that I have been somewhat attempting to photograph along the way so I can do a fun before/after post when it's all finished. I say "somewhat" because I keep forgetting to take before pictures. Including pictures of her room before we took everything out to paint, pictures of her old wall color, and today, pictures of her dresser before we took the hardware off to refinish it. I did remember once we had the dresser outside ready to sand, and asked Kendall to go grab my camera for me. She took a couple of shots but I decided *I* needed to do it and asked her to move the mirror she had leaned in front of the dresser to the side.

And then this happened.

and Kendall burst into her ugly cry.

4. I don't think I was cut out to be a DIY project blogger.

5. my cousin Dylan is being deployed to Bahrain next month as part of the Marine Reserves and we had a big family BBQ send-off for him this past weekend. Go Marines! (You better believe I immediately googled everything there is to know about Bahrain the second we came back home, including studying a picture map of the naval base he'll be stationed on. I can now tell you all SORTS of useful information about the island nation. Like, it's hot there!)

6. Cooper had decided he MUST run a lemonade stand before summer is over and will not let the idea go. I've been dragging my feet like crazy because we live out in the sticks so we have to find somewhere to do it and then I have to supervise, and frankly it all just sounds like effort to me, but I can't say no because who doesn't love an entrepreneur? The big day is happening this week. I'm still working on my attitude.

7. Lemonade stands aside, I'm one of those obnoxious people that thinks almost everything even slightly entertaining is REALLY FUN and then almost gets offended if other people don't think the same thing is as fun as I do. ("What?! You didn't love that movie/place/activity/game/book/trip/grocery shopping adventure... what's wrong with you?!!")

Recently I've discovered Kendall is the same way and I love that we have this in common! Yes darling, please tell me every single minute detail of your awesome church kids camp that you loved every second of and thought was the MOST FUN EVER. It took her an hour. I ate it all up. (And then Russ thanked me afterwards because Kendall lost him seven minutes in.)

8. My candy crush addiction continues. You know it's bad when your children ask what level you're now on and then roll their eyes at you because you've reached level 200. Shoot, even I'm rolling my eyes at myself.

9. As I type this post (possibly in the wee hours of the night) deer are crunching apples from our fruit trees QUITE loudly right outside our open bedroom window. Kinda cool, mostly freaky sounding. I'm definitely going to close the window now.

10. Good night! (Actually, good morning :)

10 things on thursday

It's been a while since I've done one of these... let's get random!

1. Today is Blake's last day of swim lessons, which I've been taking him to daily for the last two weeks. Based on the fact that he started out strong jumping in all on his own off the platform, and has now regressed to crouching on the side of the pool with his arms stretched out to hold the teachers hands before stepping in, I'm not really sure how much progress I've seen... but he's loving it and we get a free swim coupon when he's done so I'll take it.

2. Last night was Cooper's last baseball game of the season. His team made it to the pre-county playoffs and lost. To which I texted my sister-in-law the following message: "We lost! Hallelujah :)" Sorry, but c'mon, it's practically July. Baseball has to end sometime.

3. Our sheep all sold in one fell swoop last weekend. Me and the kids were out at the time so didn't get to say goodbye, which I think actually made it easier on the kids. Since then we have been a tiny bit sad but mostly all rejoicing in the fact that our driveway gate can stay open and no one has to jump out of the car every time we leave or return.

4. Candy Crush Saga. You know your level of addiction is high when you actually mention it in your journal writing during devotion times. (Mainly to look back at one day and laugh at yourself, but still).

5. I am loving our summer hours - the kids have successfully converted to the sleeping hours of 10 pm to 9 am (with an earlier bedtime for Blake unless he's had a nap that day) and I'm back to my favorite routine of staying up till midnight or 1 am and sleeping in till 8 or 9 am myself. I function very well this way and have a daytime routine/chore chart written out for the kids that makes our days pretty smooth when we're not out and about for the day. Not that things are perfect of course (see item #4). 

6. Since Mum's return last Saturday I've hung out with her every day except one. I missed that woman!

7. Russell and I are watching a little bit of Braveheart each night on Netflix before bed (that's a dang long film!) and while it's always been one of my favorites, I forgot why it's so very deserving of it's R rating! Sheesh with the nakey boobs and flashing Scotsman behinds! 

8. It's been cool and rainy almost daily for the past couple of weeks so I am not going to complain about this forecast:

{Nice!}

9. Counting today I have 4 days left this month to finish the #56milesinjune challenge. I'm at 43 miles (FORTY THREE MILES!) so thats... hang on I need a calculator... 3.25 miles per day to make it. Doable. I'm going for it. 

10. During the writing of of this post, I have taken two Candy Crush breaks. I AM SAD.

A few things about this picture

1. That's one cute husband.
2. And one adorable lamb.
3. The grass is mowed in the background. Hallelujah. Four sheep and two lambs are just not cutting it, folks. (And I guess I mean literally!)
4. The grass is mowed because husband taught daughter how to use the riding mower. Hallelujah and amen.
5. There's a step ladder in the background because daughter sprayed grass ALL OVER our huge living room bay window and I spent a good portion of Saturday afternoon washing it off.
6. All our fruit trees are in blossom right now and I love them. And thankfully I can see them again now that I have a sparkling living room window!
7. This picture was taken approximately half an hour after we were supposed to be at a couple's game night on Saturday.
8. Yet here we were in the driveway, because our sheep wouldn't go in their pen where they must be shut in each night to keep them safe, because husband cleaned it out and put new straw down and one step in was all it took for the sheep to collectively decide, "Something is different here! ABORT PEN ENTRY. REPEAT, ABORT PEN ENTRY!!!"
9. After 20 minutes of completely ineffective herding, I decided to wait it out in the car and Russ decided to catch the lambs so their mamas would follow them (and him) into the pen. Thus, the dirt on husband's elbow. The lambs are getting darned fast and it took a few failed grabs and a couple of falls before catching this little guy. I'll tell you what, it's a miracle I didn't pee my pants from laughing so hard because it was hilarious.
10. What you will not see in this picture: tulips. The sheep ate them all. Which is why having sheep in my yard is NOT hilarious. Not at ALL. (But I still love the lambs ;)  

Ten Things on Thursday

1. Basketball has been consuming our lives around here lately. But the end is near! Russ's team plays at district's tonight for a spot in the state playoffs. Even if they go all the way there's only a couple of weeks left!  (Of course I'm rooting for that to happen... go Cougars!) And Cooper's season ends in a short 9 days.

We aren't going to know what to do with ourselves after that!

2. My parents are in New Zealand right now. In 75-80 degree, beautiful, still-summer New Zealand. I am so happy for them, and so, so jealous at the same time :) The cool thing about technology today is that before they left we all downloaded this free app called Viber onto our phones and now my brother and sister and I can text and talk to them while they're there for absolutely free. So we're keeping up on all the family visits and cool stuff and yummy food that we're missing out on. Which isn't helping the jealousy but is still really awesome.

Cutest V-day pic ever from my Dad's facebook page this morning

3. Survivor started last night. Does anyone else still watch Survivor or is it just me? Because I still loooove that show! Bring on the drama, baby.

4. Downton Abbey is almost over and I have to confess that after watching the first episode of season 3 on PBS I couldn't handle the suspense and searched the internet to find a way to watch the rest of the season (since it already aired in the UK) online. Which I did, in like 3 days. Cheaty McCheaterson right here, folks.

And I can't wait for the last episode to air here so I can finally talk to somebody about it! I have EXTREME emotions that I need to vent!

5. While my Mum is in NZ I have been helping watch my nephews for my sister. It's been pretty easy because Hayden spends the whole time playing Lego Star Wars with Blake and Elijah spends the whole time running back and forth through the living room calling as loudly as he can for the dog to chase him. I have literally listened to "C'mon Miweeeee, c'mon!" being repeated about 200 times so far.

The funny thing is that Miley is only slightly interested for the first 10 times or so before she gives up and sits on the couch blatantly ignoring Elijah. And this has not phased the two-year-old one single bit. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be hearing "c'mon Miweeeee" in my sleep after this week.

6. Russ and I are going out tomorrow night to celebrate Valentine's and I'm pretty excited about it. And not just in a "hey I'm going out and it's not to a basketball game!" kind of way. We're going to Cinetopia up in Vancouver, WA and we've never been before so we're looking forward to the fun new experience.

7. And while on the subject of fun experiences, I'll tell you of one that wasn't so much. Last night I helped Kendall and Cooper put together their class Valentine's gifts. I saw this idea on pinterest and thought it looked so simple yet cute:

    

So I bought the supplies and made little name tags to attach to them. When we began assembling them however we quickly realized that gummy candy doesn't slide as easily as you'd think onto a bamboo skewer... in fact some kinds don't slide at ALL. And thus began the stickiest, slowest, hour of my life. That's right, it took all three of us working together an HOUR to put together 27 candy kabobs. 

They turned out pretty cute, at least.

  

8. And now for a safe family movie recommendation: Touchback. Russ and I watched it the other night and both enjoyed it. And seeing as that it was a sports drama it of course made Russ cry ;)

(And as an interesting side note: the actress in the movie that play's the main character's wife, Melanie Lynskey (of Sweet Home Alabama, Ever After, and Two and a Half Men fame) is from New Zealand and went to New Plymouth Girl's High School with my sister Kelly. Weird.) 

9. Watch this video in Kelle Hampton's blog post today. It will make you tear up good tears (if you're a sap like me that is). I don't have kids with special needs but I hope my kids will be the ones serving and dancing with and loving on those that do like the teens in this video one day.

10. Last but not least... Happy Valentine's Day!

Love Jodi

Some things I want to say

1. We were a little excited for the new season of American Idol to air last night. We don't necessarily make it all the way to the end of every season, but we always start out strong... especially through the highly entertaining auditions.

2. It took me all of 10 minutes watching to confirm my suspicions that I would not care for that Nicki Minaj. No sir.

3. In more important news, can we talk about my all-of-a-sudden barely there eyebrows, as witnessed in the above picture? (while not talking about my weird ONE droopy eye, not sure what was going on there.)

Once upon a time, my eyebrows used to look like this:

WHERE DID ALL THE EYEBROWS GO?

I don't pluck or wax them at all these days, just fill them in, thanks to this little guy:

Maybelline's Define-A-Brow

I don't really know what I'm doing though. Or why my eyebrows decided to start disappearing at such an alarming rate.

4. And in other face-related news, I have just recently discovered that I have quite the asymmetrical hair line.

Was my hairline always like this and I didn't notice? Or is hair abandoning ship all over my head?!! I'm a little concerned.

5. Yesterday I went to my cousin Linley's final prenatal appointment with her and posted a picture of her 39-week belly on Facebook, tagging her in the pic. A sweet acquaintance thought it was me though and I imagine about fell over thinking she was just now finding out I was about to pop one out of the oven. I found this quite hilarious for the sole reason that if I WERE pregnant there is no way anyone would NOT know, because I would be complaining every single darned day of the entire 9 month wait. Loudly.

Which pretty much explains why I'm not pregnant.

6. I did think I might be a couple of weeks ago though. After fighting nausea on and off for over two weeks and taking an at-home test that came out negative, I took myself off to the doctor's office to see what was going on. Turns out it was not a baby growing in my tummy, but acid reflux.

7. So yes, disappearing eyebrows, receding hairline, acid reflux... I think my body has decided to skip a couple of decades and head straight into its golden years.

8. Maybe this explains why twice yesterday I had to speed up my pace to keep up with Linley, the 9 MONTH PREGNANT LADY?

This just in: I am the slowest walker in the world. But I guess I always have been. What can I say, I like to enjoy the scenery. So picture ME 9 months pregnant walking with my speedy-McSpeedster of a sister, Kelly. I can't tell you how many times she would get 3 or 4 car-lengths ahead of me before turning around and noticing I was no longer beside her. It always made us laugh.

9. Now back to the acid reflux for a moment: there has been a plus side. As my triggers seem to be coffee, chocolate, and peppermint, things I majorly over-indulged in over the holidays (hello triple-threat of peppermint white mochas!), I've been avoiding them ever since (a Herculean effort, believe me), and in two weeks I've lost 9 pounds.

10. 9 pounds!! It's been a great kick-off to the new year. Oh the happy consequences of a much-restricted diet.

(This is me choosing to look at the bright side. Best not to discuss chocolate with me yet...)