Picture Day

Yesterday Kendle had school pictures and before she left we took some of our own to practice. Am I just weird, or does anyone else have their kids practice smiling before their picture is taken? Anyways, I do it because Kendle tends to bite her bottom lip with her teeth a lot. Here are some shots we took-

I love her little profile and how her eyes seem to twinkle when she smiles. Here's one I took of Morgan and Kendle last week.

My two little munchkins!

On another note, I've been looking forward to this for a long time:

I was not disappointed. Can't wait for next week's new episode.

Smell this....

Delicious ingredients:

Green Apple +

Brown Sugar +

Maple Spice =

Delicious Apple Pie

This afternoon, Tami brought over my delightful Urban Botanic ceramic oil warmer and fragrances that I won from her giveaway.


I had to try it out right away, and let me tell you, it smells WONDERFUL! It smells even better than apple pie, it's almost like caramel apple pie. It only took a few drops and in a matter of minutes my home was smelling like utter deliciousness. It really smells like I actually just baked something. So I know you can't smell through your computer, but just try to imagine this delectable aroma wafting towards you.

Thanks again Tami for the AWESOME giveaway. I'm sure I'll be getting many compliments on the great smell thanks to you.

Random Thoughts On A Tuesday Morning

I'm having a giggling match with my little Morgan boy as I write this. Maybe my hair looks extra crazy this morning, I'm not sure, but boy is he laughing at me. He is a drool monster lately, he wants to chew on everything. He is a scooting machine in his walker as well. My pinkie toe took quite a beating yesterday from him slamming into me. This baby has some major determination. If he gets stuck or runs into a wall, he will sit there grunting and pushing with all of his might. He's only 3 1/2 months! It's uncanny I tell you. My children are little stubborn machines on baby steroids.

Riley was looking all over the house for his cell phone this morning, which is not an unusual occurrence. He misplaces things on a regular basis. Even though I have this handy little shelf in our kitchen for him to put all of his things, it's impossible for him to put them there. So we're calling his phone and calling and calling and all we can here is the tiniest ring. Is it in our bedroom? Under the cushions of the couch? No, it was left outside all night on our patio table. He mowed the lawn last night and must have left it out there. Good grief. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Kendle is really bored in school and the homework she was sent home with last night is a joke, so I'm basically doing school with her on my own time. I was wondering if anyone has some good suggestions for some beginning reading books. When I was little they had those old "Dick and Jane" books, but I haven't really found anything similar. I would love to know some of the books you're children learned to read from. She can read simple words and sentences, so anything along those lines. It's just so frustrating to see her come home so dejected and negative, and then I start teaching her some simple math and she gets so excited to be learning something new. Makes me wonder how many other kids in her class feel the same way. This is going to be a long school year. On a better note though, Kendle is going to be singing "Tomorrow" from Annie in their primary talent show activity on Saturday and she is pretty excited about it. We've been practicing and practicing and I hope she won't chicken out in front of all of the other kids. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Slow Sports weekend

This was a pretty slow weekend for sports watching.

I went to my little sis's v-ball game on Thursday night against Umatilla. They managed to win despite the worst rat ball I've ever seen. It was a league win though, so that's good. So far her team has only lost one league game. One thing I enjoy about watching Tamra play sports, is that no matter how bad her team plays, or if she makes mistakes, she doesn't get down on herself and have a pouty attitude like other girls on her team. I can't stand that in girls' sports. Remember Tom Hank's line in "A League of Their Own"-"there's no crying in baseball!" That should apply to all sports as well in my opinion. Unless something really, truly, horrible happens like losing a state championship game by one point or something.


Here are some pic's I took:

I'm not sure if it was the light in the gym or my camera that made all of these pictures look kind of fuzzy. It's no fun taking a picture next to someone that tall and skinny either.

Kendle had her third soccer game of the season on Saturday. It was pretty bad, but comical. Mainly because the other team was mostly boys and were making plays a lot of high schoolers don't make. Kendle looked pretty disinterested and her lack of enthusiasm was underwhelming. But, we love our kids anyways right? I just felt bad for Riley because I could tell it was very frustrating for him as a coach. Fun times, fun times coaching kids athletics. I've said it before and I'll say it again- the things we do for those we LOVE.

I didn't really watch any football this weekend either, what a let down that Oregon State lost. I didn't even keep tabs on how Pasco did as well. I was kind of in a tired funk you could say, just wanted to read and relax in between my cleaning frenzies. Did anyone else go to and or watch any football games this weekend?

Seasons may change....

September-By Helen HuntJackson

The goldenrod is yellow;

The corn is turning brown;

The trees in apple orchards

With fruit are bending down.



The gentian's bluest fringes

Are curling in the sun;

In dusky pods the milkweed

Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest

In every meadow-nook;

And asters by the brookside

Make asters in the brook.








From dewy lanes at morning

The grapes' sweet odors rise;

At noon the roads all flutter

With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer's best of weather,

And autumn's best of cheer

Have a lovely weekend

Deadly combination

This

+ this

= one tired mom

Is it really only Wednesday?

Sports Wrap up

We had a busy weekend of being sports fans once again. It all started off on Thursday afternoon when I went to watch my stud muffin little sister play volleyball.
















Her team won three straight to win the match and she lead her team with amazing kills and kill blocks. Her and her team were seriously on fire. It was awesome and so fun to watch.










































It was a non-league game, but it got their confidence level up for their back to back games on Saturday which opened their league play. I wasn't able to go so my mom kept me updated through out the day. They left at five in the morning to travel all of the way to John Day Oregon. They played Grant Union High School first and beat them in three straight. Then they traveled to Burns, OR to play last year's state champs and their league champ for I don't know how many years. Let me just say, Burns knows their stuff. To say they are good would be a huge understatement. There is not much else to do in Burns, and those girls pretty much play volleyball year round. Tam's team didn't win, but my mother reported that they played them very tough and did a lot of good things and that Burns made lots of mistakes that we didn't. So overall, Tam's team is off to a good start and I'll be going to watch them play again this coming Thursday.

Friday night we went to the Pasco vs. Moses Lake football game. My cousin Mitch Hill plays for M.L. so we thought it would be a good one to watch. Moses Lake ended up beating Pasco for the first time in I don't know how many years. Final score 34-21. Come on Bulldogs! I was really disappointed also that Moses Lake's tiny fan following was louder than Pasco's. Those games need to be a lot louder and rowdier, that's why they call it home field advantage people.


Saturday Kendle played in her second soccer game. She scored her first goal and was over the moon about it. Not sure if the fact that I promised her Dip 'n Dots helped or not, but it was awesome to see her finally get excited about playing. I know her coach was proud. They have some good kids on her team who are a lot bigger than her, and it's a miracle if they let someone else kick the ball or score a goal. Fun times. And boy was it hot.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning, baking and watching college football. When I tell people that I am married to a football fanatic, I am not exaggerating in the least. It used to really bother me, but then I learned to embrace it and actually enjoy it a lot more now. Oregon State played Idaho State and gave them a brutal beating of 61-10. It was a blowout. Idaho State is not very good, so it didn't really mean anything, but it was good for the Beavers to get another notch under their belt before their conference opener this week against Arizona State. WSU beat U of I on Saturday as well 45-28. Those poor Idaho teams.

Now I know I've told you that I'm not an NFL watcher, but I have to give a shout-out to former OSU quarterback Derrick Anderson, now playing for the Cleavland Browns, who threw for five touchdowns against the Bengals to lead his team to a 51-45 victory.





Also Beaver alum Chad Johnson , who plays for the Bengals had 209 receiving yards despite his teams loss. Ladies, if your husbands have either one of these players on their fantasy football team they are in good shape so far.

Well, that's all I've got. So till next time.....

Little man

Morgan was so happy today, I got out the camera and started snapping away. I love his little smile and how happy he is. I can't believe he's already 3 months old.
He's started scooting around in his walker and when he gets excited about something, pushes off really fast.















I love his expression in the above picture. He was trying really hard to figure out what mom was holding in her hand and pointing at his face.














His little socks are probably black on the bottom. I need to mop my kitchen floor.














Oh, my heart melts. I love this beautiful little man of mine.

This made my day

Doesn't it feel good to do a secret surprise for someone? That's what me and a few others did today. I hope the recipient liked it and that she had a great day.








On my way home, I stopped by the mail box and wouldn't you know it, I just had feeling it would be there today. Hurray!

Ikea is one of my most favorite places in the world, and now that they have opened a new store in Portland I can shop there tax free. Hurray again! When we moved into our house we bought a ton of stuff from the Ikea in Seattle and I'm amazed at how little we spent for how much we came away with. I'm glad they have a place to eat inside because I can spend hours and hours in that place. I just feel like I'm steeling every time I buy something from there because it's so cheap. Here are some things that I liked from the new catalog:

Aren't these cute storage boxes?

This storage bench is only 84.99

This measuring cup looks like a beaker from a science experiment:

This cute mug, coaster, and mini stirrer set would make me want to have hot cocoa every night:

This chair looks so fun:

These bibs are ingenious. Why couldn't I think of that?

Who doesn't love polka dots? These look like they would make cooking way more fun.

I love how Ikea's items are a little more funky and non-traditional and it makes me want to be braver with my decorating and not be afraid to try something new once in a while. OK, so now that I'm done doing a non-paid plug for the store, I better go so I can do my Oprah workout, (I pre-record the show and then watch it while I'm on the treadmill) and as an added bonus Kendle has soccer practice today so I will have one less child interrupting my O.W.

Hope you all had a great day as well!

It's cookie day

My need to bake something at least once a week has really been thwarting my weight loss goals. Especially once the weather starts to turn a bit cooler, it's like baking fever sets in. Now I'm not Martha Stewart by any means, but I do make pretty good cookies, although how I married someone who prefers cheap generic store bought cookies is beyond me. When I was a kid, there was nothing better than cookie day at our house. My mom would have to triple the recipe to make enough for all of us and they would be gone in less than an hour. Here's what I'm making today:

Chocolate pudding cookies with peanut butter chips. Mmmmmm. It makes the house smell so good. These cookies are really soft and the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite in pretty much any treat.

Something else I love to bake in the fall is pumpkin bread. It's making my mouth water just thinking about it. I love anything with pumpkin actually. Have you ever tried pumpkin icecream?

Well, I better get back to my baking. I can't wait for Kendle to walk through the door after kindergarten, take a big whiff, and know that it's cookie day.

Recipe for Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies or Pudding Cookies:

1 cup margerine

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 small package instant chocolate pudding

1 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 cups flour

*Additions: you can add regular chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut, nuts, pretty much anything you like.

Mix all ingredients together and bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake, they are meant to be soft and slightly underdone when you take them out.

The day I dread during the week.....

Welcome to :

Usaully Monday is laundry day at the Dodson house, but since it was Labor Day on Monday, laundry day got pushed back a bit. Laundry to me is like listening to a bad song over and over again. I don't mind throwing it in the machines, but folding it, sorting socks, and putting it all away is one of my least favorite chores. I tried painting my laundry room a nice color and decorating it a bit to make it a little more bearable - didn't work. It's still not fun no matter how I try to trick myself. Riley always has a ton of socks with no mates (seriously, where can they all go?) and Kendle's clothes get so dirty that I have to scrub and scrub before even putting them in the washer. I do love the clean, fresh smell after it's all done. I just wish I could take it to one of these instead -

I am seriously the only one in my family who wears just one outfit during the day; it's insane how much piles up in a week. So I just had to stop and rant a bit in between my 99 and 100th load of laundry for the day. And if you happen to be doing the same thing today at your house, happy folding to you.

Slippin Away

This is what I've been thinking about lately:

Is it just me, or does it seem as if the days are getting shorter? Not just because summer is pretty much over and it is starting to get dark earlier, I mean the days feel like they are going by faster and faster. Remember when you were a little kid and it seemed like it took FOREVER for your birthday or Christmas to come around again? Well, that's sure not a problem for me anymore. Maybe my time management skills could use some fine tuning. Old Father time is just speeding up that clock for me. Fall is coming, did I really enjoy every moment of summer that I could? I'm not ready to put my flip-flops and capris away just yet.

The real question that has been gnawing at me is - am I using my time for what's really important? When my daughter wants me to read a book with her or take a walk, why do I always tell her maybe later instead of just doing it? I hate that I feel that my house always has to be super clean or I can't relax, and that my family suffers in the process because I'm a big meany until it's done. I hate that my hair takes forever to blow dry and style (yes, even when it's short) and that I always feel like I could use another hour of sleep. And what about taking time out for myself once in a while? I'm horrible at this, because I can always think of something more important I should be doing. Why as mom's is this so hard for us?

You can't borrow, buy, or steal it - in the end Time always wins.

GAME ON

This is my sports wrap-up for the last week, which I'll probably start doing every Sunday night or Monday. Bear with me if you aren't quite a sports fan yet.


Wednesday marked the day of Kendle's first soccer practice. She seemed to really have fun, but I'm not sure what she was more excited about- playing, or getting to wear her new cleats and shin guards. Riley ran them a lot and she did seem quite tired afterwards. Pretty good deal I'd say. Their first game will be this coming Saturday. Anyone else have a child on a U-6 team with TCYSA this year?


Thursday night we watched the Oregon State vs. Utah football game and I'm happy to say the Beaver's pulled out a victory 24-7, to start the season right. Proof of OSU's amazing defense was shown once again as two of Utah's starters were injured, one being their quarterback who after a grueling game ended up with a dislocated shoulder. Ouch! Not a good way to start off the season. We kept trying to spot our family and friends who were at the game, but ended up only seeing the usual sorority girls in the front row that the camera men just can't seem to get enough of . (Gag) Anywho, go OS. Looks like Canfield will be the QB and Yvenson Bernard is still in top form. I think I"ll still be keeping my fingers crossed for the next game though.



WSU wasn't quite so lucky, but did put up an initially good fight against Wisconsin. Final score ended up being 42-21. The Cougs put a good scare in them though, and did a pretty good job of representing the Pac-10. I pretty much root for any Pac-10 team (as long as their not playing against the Beavers) because most of the other conference's are highly over rated and they never rank the Pac-10 teams as high as they should.




Pasco Bulldogs pulled off a season-opening win against Rainer Beach 28-14. Carlin Andrew is the Dog's new quarterback this year, filling Shane Kelly's gigantic shoes. He finished 8-of-12 with 200 yards. Not off to a bad start. Hope you all can get out to at least one game this year. Pasco's games are basically like watching a college game, so fun.





Friday afternoon I picked Kendle up from school and then headed to Umatilla, OR to watch my little sis Tamra play in her v-ball tournament. They ended up tying for first place and beat last year's 2A state champs. Not too shabby. She had quite a few blocks and hits and served really well. Their team has improved a lot since last year, but still need to work on jumping higher and looking a bit more enthusiastic about playing. Their coach is basically worthless, so I end up yelling a lot of unsolicited advice from the bleachers. Her next game is another tournament this Thursday at Mac-Hi. Hope I can go.


*I don't pretend to represent the world of sports, these opinions and comments are mine alone and do not represent the opinion of said college's or school's. OK, that was my disclaimer.

Hope this was at least a little interesting for all you gal's, and hey if you really want to shock your husband, ask them what they thought about Appalachian State beating Michigan.