Crabs are done

I finally have all three crabs appliqued on the border. I have them running away from the octopus. A little potential violence I guess, I like it.

Now I have to create the 6 inch strip to insert into the frame on the other side, and this quilt will be ready to quilt. I think I'll hire it out. This has exhausted me. I jumped in way over my head. :)

I wasn't going to post this

This is a mural painted on the inside of the women's bathroom. I turned to the door and did a quick double take. I pulled out my camera to show Craig. This, of course, was at the Ripley's Believe it or Not. Some seriously twisted humor.

Cheer competition

All the pictures I took turned out grainey. But I loved the action of this one. We went to see Thea and her team compete. I was amazed at the danger involved. One of the girls on Thea's team got elbowed at the beginning of the routine and kept going with blood dripping down her face. I didn't notice, because I was focused on Thea. I'm going to have to widen my focus next time.

All the teams were flipping and tumbling and running complicated patterns. I was scared that they would collide more than they did.

No wonder cheerleading is the leading sport for girls injured.

Anyway, we had a lot of fun watching Thea cheer. :)

The light house

There are two lighthouses near Newport. We were in a bit of a hurry to see the museums, so we didn't stop at the North lighthouse. After the museums, we went to the South lighthouse. We got there just before they closed up for the night, so we toured the living quarters. It's set up like a museum. I know that is a lot of musuems in one day, but we were living dangerously. The volunteer walked us to the gate and locked it behind us. Then I took these pictures.
Josh liked the compass. He told me I had to take a picture of it.

Karly noticed that not all the shutters were closed on the house. If I would have taken a picture when we first got there, I would have had all the shutters open.

This trip we didn't get close to the water. So no sand to shake out of shoes and cloths and hair and various skin creaveses.

The boys were very good about it. Brenda had just taken them to the beach the week before. And I'm sure we will go again. It's nice to have the beach just an hour away. Although it's an Oregon beach and much colder than a beach at say, California. :)

A trip to the coast

We were stuck behind some road construction and Josh told me to take a picture of the beach. If you look really hard, you can get a glimpse of the waves through the trees.

We went to Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, the Wax Works and the Undersea Garden in Newport. The big hit were the sea lions on a pier just outside the Undersea Gardens.

Boaz was a bit freaked out by Ripleys. There are some seriously weird exhibits in that building.

Good bye to the beard

Every once in a while Craig will humor me and grow a beard. This is the longest he has allowed it to stay on his face. I think he looks good in a beard. I took this picture just before he shaved it off. He is back to being clean shaven. A good look too.

First day of the mask

Here is Boaz with his funnest thing from Christmas. This really beats out the Wii. At least at moments. It will be a sad thing when the thing breaks from so much love.

Boaz's mask

I scrolled through my blog and noticed that I did not explain the mask. Boaz got the mask for Christmas. He got batman shoes and the mask was a bonus. It fast became one of Boaz's prized possesions.

The Dark Knight

I'm surprized that he let me take the picture. He knew what I was going to do with it. I wonder if I'm safe tonight. He looks pretty scarey.

Funny videos

Boaz crackes me up. He bounces around and has little thought for form. Yet he kills me in every game. I think about throwing straight or lining up right or proper swing and I end up playing about the same way I do in real life. Honestly, there is no justice on the Wii. But still fun.

Sunday evening fun

Mother and daughter boxing on the Wii.

What I love about this picture is the difference between Karly's stance and Brenda's.

Karly won the first round.

A great picture on the couch watching others too.

A fun evening.

The middle crab

Yea! after a 2 year hiatus I have one crab complete on Josh's Ocean. And, I actually have the big claw of the big crab done too. I'm hoping in a week or two I will have all three crabs appliqued on the quilt. Then I can get going on the six inch strip that I have to add to inside the frame. I'm determined that this quilt will get done soon, so I can start on other quilts. :)

Oopsie

This is what can happen when you play basket ball with your brother.

The last day of our trip to Idaho, New Year's Eve 2008, Craig and his younger brother decided to play basketball with the young teenagers. I stayed home, well--at said brother's home--because I had gotten into a really good book.

(Now Craig is saying on the 30th. I'm still not too sure. Anyway, before the New Year.)

When they got home, I went to the door and saw Brad being the crutch for a hobbling Craig. Josh says, "But be sure to say they won the game."

I thought great. I hope my driving doesn't drive him to distraction on our way home with all the snowy roads. But never fear, his driving foot was okay. He drove the whole way, although I did offer a few times. But he was a bear when we got home.

Craig is now saying that Brad pushed him ;), but actually he was trying to get to a ball that was on its way out of bounds. He rolled his ankle and heared a pop. The first worry was an Achilles' tendon. What a blessing that was not it.

We drive home Thursday, the first. And Craig is headed to Madras after church on the 4th. He was finishing up training of the new guy at the hospital. So, he's around doctors all day on Monday. They talk him into having an X-ray on Tuesday and it's broken. Thanks to the good doctors in Madras, he's all fixed up with a cast and crutches. And instead of this being his last month to go back, he heads back in 4 weeks as a patient. :)

Can you tell from the cast that they still love him? :)

Celebrating the gifts

Nuff said.

Scavenger Hunt

What is Christmas without a scavenger hunt? The boys looked where the cold cereal is and then were directed to Santa's favorite Star Wars episode before they were told to look under the bed (where the remote in Thea's room is when you can't find it) There they found the Wii.

I know we are crazy. But I really liked the tennis. I actually worked up a bit of glow and was a bit short of breath. So we are looking forward to turnaments and beating individual bests.

They boys loved playing, and then they went back to the PS2 and played the new games. (Santa didn't tell Mom about the new system until after she had purchased a new game or two for the old system.)

Note the new pajamas that actually fit the boys now. Yea for Auntie Brenda for a pair and two other new ones.