“I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful." - Bob Hope

Summer seemed to take quite awhile to get to the Pacific Northwest, but it's here now and we need to embrace it (it seems like it's deciding to come and go on a whim!). So, my lovely cousin and I decided it was time to update the toes for summer. So fun!

And in the spirit of laughter and to play with my new iPhone app I thought I would share a little photo I snapped while at Victoria's Secret yesterday. I don't usually share pictures of "unmentionables" (haha) on my blog, but these were adorable...and funny...seriously, they are bedazzled....

Okay, Okay...just one more pair. These cracked me up...I really wanted a pair just for fun, but alas they only had an extra small left...

Oh the beauty of stealthy cell phone cameras...Ok maybe I wasn't too stealthy. Lorinda and I were cracking up the entire time!

Happy Day!

“Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. 
Inhabit your moments. Don't rent them out to tomorrow.” —Jerry Spinelli

One of my favorite ways to unwind and have fun is to spend a day with my cousin Lorinda. We finish each other's sentences, we know when the other needs to eat or have more coffee, if we're shopping we know exactly what the other will love. There is no better thing than a best friend/cousin (frousin!).

Our new shoes. Lovely, lovely. Last week I went to Sole Obsession and went a little nuts. I got the cute little black Merrells and I picked up the green and gold J-41s (now Jambu) because she has been wanting them for a long time. (I also picked up a couple pair of flip-flops...necessary you know).

No day would be complete without a trip to Starbucks. We had too much fun with the self-portraits...there are a few that we have promised never to show another living soul (of course).

And finally. The important stuff. Cake. Lemon-blueberry chiffon. It was heavenly...We ate that piece in less than 8 minutes (how we know this is not important, what is important is that we do know how fast we ate it...).

So very thankful for this girl, my cousin, my best friend.

I love spending time with Lorinda. Celebrating our family, our friendship. She loves me for who I am - my faults, my fears, my idiosyncrasies - and she knows them all...

Life is good.

Celebrate: Coffee. Starbucks.

"A cup of coffee is a miracle. It's what can be. Tell me something that can simultaneously be warm and comforting and invigorating." - Dave Olsen (Starbucks)

I don't know if you know this about me...but I really do love coffee. You know on facebook where you can see the top words you use in your status? Mine is coffee (sorry to my family, friends...). And I truly do love Starbucks. A lot. I like their mission, their trade practices, how they give back locally and globally. I also like their coffee. Yes I do.

So, one of my favorite places to sit and read a book or write in my journal is Starbucks. It is also one of my favorite places to sit and chat with friends.

Last summer I started this Starbucks album. Since I spend so much time there I have quite a few pictures. It isn't complete - probably never will be.

*the cover*
painted black with a sleeve on the front.

*first page*
oh. I love sleeves or bras as my friends and I call them. Isn't it more fun to say "I want a bra for my coffee" than a sleeve?
Come on. You know it is.

*inside*
photos, "bras" and fun

*another little inside glimpse*

This album is fun because it is filled with my friends, my family, my coffee. It uses scraps - no need to be matchy-matchy.

I like that Archer enjoys Starbucks like I do. He's turned into kind of a coffee snob (ooops!) and definitely prefers Starbucks to other places. When we go places we try to take a picture at Starbucks (send it via phone to Lorinda! she loves it) and print one for the book. We have pictures from Washington D.C., Indiana, Gig Harbor (all exotic locales)...sometimes we forget...the picture you can see above is from our local store. Fun times.

So friends, if we are out and about and a Starbucks comes within my sight you know I'll want to stop (please let me) and get coffee (I'll be a better person for it) and I might take your picture and add you to my book...

Celebrate what you love! Coffee! Starbucks!

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” - Willie Nelson

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the crafting that so naturally fits in amongst the season. Katrina made one of these magazine trees the other day. When I saw it on her blog I smiled as I remember making these with my Grandma's old Reader's Digest magazines. Of course I had to copy her and make one myself. I'm thinking I need a few more. Archer even got in the crafty mood and made one himself as we watched Dexter (I know that Dexter and Christmas crafts may not seem like a likely pairing but with him being a full-fledged teenager I'll take what I can get).
Every year I say I'm going to do a Christmas card sabbatical like my friend Tami does sometimes and every year my dear, sweet cousin Lorinda insists that a sabbatical will NOT take place and we spend a few days ensconced in the creative process of making cards.
This year was an every-card-is-different year. We used all our different Christmas papers, stickers, and embellishments in a variety of different ways. Some cards far more successful than others. :) In the past I've made the same card over and over, but sometimes I just like the process of something new each time. Everyone will get their own unique card. Fun fun.

December is in full-swing. Loving it!

“Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, 'Sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.' I know I am very fortunate in that respect. ” - C.S. Lewis

She's my best friend. She's my cousin. I am so fortunate and thankful to have her in my life. Today is her birthday. While often her day is marked with sadness (our Grandpa died on her b'day, a beloved aunt was buried this day, and normally Rin seems to be sick, sick, sick) I look on this day as a day of celebrating life. She is so dear to me!

Looking forward to spending the day with her tomorrow...celebrating HER!
And here we are. Cousins on the couch. Me, Jen, Jeremy, and Lorinda, the birthday girl, with Snoopy!

Happy Birthday Lorinda, Rin, Rinna, Lorinder....
(there are a few more, however I will leave it at that. haha.)

Love ya my frousin!

*also off to the cemetery to say hi to Papa today. Love ya Papa!

Wrapping up a long and busy week. Archer is teaching VBS, I've been running around with/for my sister who was (finally) diagnosed with mono. I was able to enjoy a wonderful night out with my book club ladies...it was bittersweet as one is moving far too many hours away. Next week I am off for a few days with my lovely cousin Lorinda for scrapping, shopping, and relaxing.

Catch up with you all soon.

Much love. J.

"You spin me right round, baby
right round like a record, baby
right round round round."
-Dead or Alive

You may remember this girl. She makes it on the blog a lot. My best friend. My cousin. I adore her. We drink coffee, we eat cupcakes, we scrapbook our hearts out.

Well, I might not have mentioned that she makes her living as a personal sadist (as in extreme cruelty). Oh sorry. I mean she is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. Much nicer titles than evil, evil, evil torturer which is what I'm calling her today.

See, she has taught "group fitness" classes for a LONG time and I have never taken one. I hear she is hard. Well, today I took my first class. It was a spin class. It was hard. Very hard.

Lorinda (the spin torturer), brother Alex, sister DeAnne, Me, cousin Rob, and Rob's girlfriend Tasha

Some of my family joined me for my first class - I need reinforcements! The picture isn't great...maybe next time! What? Did I say NEXT? Ya, I think I'll go back. I was able to walk up the stairs and out the door and drive my car home. That is good right? And people keep saying that it will get easier...

and Lorinda? I LOVE her. Forever. She's the best (even if she torturers people for a living - someone's got to do it!).

Hope your Monday was great!

"There is a tree that grows in Brooklyn. Some people call it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed falls, it makes a tree that struggles to reach the sky." - Betty Smith

(my great-great grandmother Nellie. My love of reading seems to be inherited. LOVE it.)

When I was a little girl one of my favorite things to do was grab a book off of my grandma's bookshelf. One would think that I would grab a book and begin to read, but it was never that simple.

First, I would grab the book and then the fun would begin. I would take the book to my grandma and ask her about it. What is it about? Whose was it? Why does she have it? Has she read it? How many times? Should I read it? Will I like it? And the list goes on. As you may have guessed I was an inquiring child. I loved to talk, I loved to ask questions and I could do both for a long, long time - usually until someone asked me to stop or told me to go outside. However, when it came to her books my grandma was infinitely patient. She would answer my questions, no matter how many there were.

See, she was a reader. She understood. She always fostered a love of reading in me (and my dear cousins, most notably Lorinda with whom I have much in common).

When I look back on those times with my grandma I do so with gratitude. No book was ever off limits. No book too hard, too old, too anything. They were books and her idea was if I didn't like it/understand it/or even if I didn't posses the skills to read every word it was okay. I could either plow through, asking questions along the way or I could set it down and come back to it at a later time (Think about a seven or eight year old trying to read A Tale of Two Cities or East of Eden - YIKES).

One of my favorite memories of grandma was when I pulled a book off the shelf and brought it out and began my quest of knowledge with the seemingly never-ending questions. When I showed her the book she smiled and said it was perfect and that I would love it. I was about eight at the time and thrilled with her response. The book? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. And I did love it.

The best part was that she said she wanted to read it with me. She knew it was beyond my reading level (just as A Tale of Two Cities was earlier) and she wanted me to enjoy the book so we spent the next few weeks reading it together. I would read aloud and she would read aloud. It was perfect. (Just thinking I haven't read this since high school, maybe it is time to take it off the shelf and give it another go. Splendid.)

Several years ago grandma gave me her copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It is one of my favorite possessions. I cherish it, but most of all I cherish the memories. I miss my grandma everyday, holding tight to her memory and loving the lifelong gifts she has given me.

I love you Grandma! Thank you!

this & that

“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” — Barbara Kingsolver

A little bit of this and that from the past week (or so...):

Thanks to me my baby sister knows how to use jumper cables without blowing anything up. I know how to use them, but don't because I am scared.

I am also scared of the courthouse...weird. I get really anxious when I have to go there (and I do sometimes have to for my cemetery secretary job).

Troy gave me this lovely quilt set for my birthday. All matchy-matchy. Isn't it nice?
(thanks sweetie)

My friend and fellow blogger sent me the most delicious message the other day regarding rhubarb. She knows I love rhubarb and a huge - HUGE - thank you to Farmer Shelly @ this old farm. Thank you Thank you Thank you! We are loving it (and will love more if it you have anymore w/out a home - hehe).


I've begun running. Don't tell anyone. K? Thanks. We're keeping it on the down-low. I'm not fast and don't go far, but I do it and that is what's important right...to just DO it!?! My cousin, personal trainer (yes, HER, Lorinda) and my husband are getting me running. Very important - running shoes (these were my gift to me - saved and saved and were my healthy birthday present). I went to Fairhaven Runners and was properly fitted by a nice guy named Erik. Good shoes make a huge difference. HUGE.

Remember that sister I mentioned above? She adopted a pound puppy from the Humane Society. This sweetheart, Chloe. Chloe has joined DeAnne, Alex and Charli Ann in their home. She is a beautiful four-month-old Boxer-something mix. Full of life - so fun!
What else? I've been scrappin' away with cousin Lorinda, working away at school and the cemetery, basking in the lovely Spring weather that is turing to storm tonight, loving my family, enjoying my friends.

Happy May!

“To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.” —Bernard Edmonds

Tuesday. After a full day of work at school on Monday, I am ready for a little home time on Tuesday. I've been working dutifully to "spring clean" the house and today I shall continue.

I'm also meeting with my friend Crystal today to help plan a 20-hour crop. First of all, let me say, I am not really one to go to crops. Me and Lorinda in my kitchen are about my speed, however Crystal asked and I said yes. I am pretty excited for her. She had lap-band a year ago and is training for the Seattle Rock & Roll marathon...How could I NOT say yes.
*We're meeting for coffee which makes me very happy too!

Hopefully I will find a little free time to read (I will) and watch FlashPoint (which has been on my DVR since Friday).

Have a glorious Tuesday friends.

"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Lewis Carroll

I've been on a little blogging break this week (I hope I'm back now!).

Some things I love right now (and luckily got to experience this week! WoooHooo!):

cupcakes (especially Trophy cupcakes).
I believe cupcakes are the best cakes...small, tasty, mmmm...yum.
A new little cupcake shop opened in town which is where
Lorinda (cousin in picture 3) and I will be
celebrating next week for my birthday.

my friends and being goofy. Even better being goofy with friends!

my cousin. You know I love her. And Starbucks.
Cousin + Starbucks = Perfection.

A new book by an awesome author. Love a new book.

Have a fantastic weekend. Do something fun. I am working on looking at my one little word for this year - refocusing and reflecting and possibly preparing a list of 35 things to do before I'm 36 (I love reading the posts at Hula Seventy about her lists and I thought maybe...). Lots of stuff running through my brain...just need to channel it (good luck to me!).

blessed.

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This weekend was the weekend of friends. On Friday, Troy started out having drinks with Tami (aka the lady in the stone house) and her fabulous hubby. Such fun.

Then Saturday night was "girls night out" with a few of my best girls (and my brother and a few of his friends for awhile and an old friend who was in the band we saw...but we still call it girls night).

We started the night at the Chuckanut Brewery to listen to the last performance of my friend Raphael's group The Diamondbacks. I enjoyed the crab cakes, the strong bock, and of course the company of my friends (and brother and band...).

After the band finished we headed up to Poppe's for a few drinks. I hadn't been there in years, however anyone who knows me knows I love a martini...What fun!
Here are my girls - Cheryl, Lisa, Lorinda. Lemon Drops and a Naughty Schoolgirl (our drinks), fun times.
So, now it is Monday and the fun continues. I am off to Seattle with Cheryl and Lorinda for cupcakes, shopping, and seeing Jodi Picoult speak. I'll take it, as tomorrow will be back to "normal" life.

she's a beauty.

It was right around age 13 that I fell in love with the University of Washington campus. David (my stepdad) took me there along with my cousin (yes, Lorinda) and a couple friends. We walked the campus. Looked in the buildings. And, while I didn't attend this university, I have always held a special place in my heart for it. So, this weekend when Troy and I went to Seattle we stayed in the U District, strolled the campus, visited the Burke Museum, went to U Village and Trophy Cupcakes (brought home a dozen -YUM).

The UW - she is a beauty.

An anniversary celebration wouldn't be complete without cocktails. We went to The District. I had a (couple) Yazi Kazis - made with ginger vodka (there was a piece of candied ginger at the bottom of the glass - LoVeD it!). Fabulous.

Perfect anniversary trip with my hubby. Fourteen years! - we've made it through the seven year itch twice! :)

what we keep

So far this year has been very contemplative for me. Soul searching. A reminder of what is important. Who is important. The new year, mixed with high emotions from the end of last year and the hospitalization and death of my grandma have put me in an almost peaceful content mood (most of the time at least).After my grandma died her house needed to be gone through, of course. What a job. Emotional, exhaustive. How does one decide what to keep, what to toss, what to donate? Because it was only my aunt, uncle, and one cousin (the lovely Lorinda) we had to make decisions for the rest of the family. I believe we made good ones.

Of course most of the things in my grandparent's home are sentimental to us. But, what to keep? Obviously the person isn't their objects, objects not the person who owned them. However, there are certain items that can help bring us that feeling of a person. Remind us of them.
So, what did I keep? More than I expected to. A few things that are just things - a great, old Tupperware caddy and a vase that I don't ever remember seeing. A little metal figurine of a man in a barrel that I assume was my grandpa's. A necklace of my grandma's. However, those things aren't the things that stirred up my emotions.

So, what made my heart sing? What did I feel like I HAD to have?

Well...for starters Mark Twain up there. He always sat on a coffee table next to the shot glass stage coach. My grandpa had a collection of items from the McCormick Distilling Company. What is great is that Mark Twain's head comes off...he originally came full of bourbon.

And the toaster salt and pepper shakers (picture above). My grandma had a vast collection of salt and pepper shakers. Some were quite remarkable. When I was about 7 or 8 I bought her the toaster ones at an antique shop. If you lift the handle the toast pops up. I love them. Always have. Now they sit above my stove, not to be used, but to be loved. I also grabbed the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox shakers that I bought her on a trip to Minnesota with my other grandpa.

She also wanted me to have her knitting needles. In the hospital I told her I was learning to knit. Even though she said I "have a long way to go" she was excited and insisted I take them. I will never have to buy knitting needles. I guess this means I need to continue with this hobby - at least long enough to knit purple scarves for me and my cousin! :)

There are a few other items I picked up, however the one I will treasure, that both Lorinda and I cradled in fear it may be damaged is the cookie jar. It would figure I would have a love of the cookie jar. When we walked in the house it wasn't sitting on it's spot on the counter. I was confused and I could see concern in Lorinda's eyes. I turned around to talk to my aunt and in seconds Lorinda comes to me cradling the bird and handed it over to me...makes me tear up thinking about it even now. I love the birdie cookie jar - I need to fill it with some oatmeal cookies soon, but most of all I love my grandma, I love my cousin. I love that I have a family so rich in blessings.

Have a great love week all! Enjoy!

Genius

This is marketing genius, don't you think?

Calling lard "snow cap" with a mountain and a heart makes me want to run out and buy some RIGHT NOW!

Let's thank my dear cousin, Lorinda, for sharing this. As she was walking through the grocery store she spotted this and whipped out her phone and shot me a picture. Gotta love that! 

Happy Wednesday! We have no school due to flooding/power issues. So, today is going to be a lazy, lounge-y day with a little bit of this and that thrown in for fun!

conversation

My cousin, Lorinda (you know the cousin of which I speak, right?), and I make Christmas cards every year. Every year I try to take a sabbatical like my friend Tami does sometimes. Lorinda, however, doesn't let me. Let me tell you right now that NO cards have been made to date. Uh, what day is it? Whatever let's not think about it. So, Lorinda and I have a date for tomorrow while the kids are at school and we WILL be making cards.

Today, I thought I would share our email exchange this morning, which so defines who we are as cousins and friends.

Here goes:

From: Jerrie
To: Lorinda
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2008 6:50 AM
Subject: tomorrow


Hey girl. Are we still making cards tomorrow? I have started receiving some...Uh OH!!!!

Let me know. I am up for it. My house is seriously a disaster...I know I say that all the time, but seriously just finding the counter right now is a feat in engineering.

I am working all day (teaching...GASP). Email me back or text me. Between 9:45 and 10:45 I am free to text!!!!


Love ya.

j

(should we invite your sister?)

From: Lorinda
To: Jerrie
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2008 6:59:27 AM
Subject: re: tomorrow

Hey!

If we don't make shit loads of cards tomorrow, I am not going to get them done in time. Work is crazy. School, appointments.................My only real chance will be at your house. I am coming out!

We should invite her that would be nice.

You want me to bring food? I cant wait to see you!!!!!!!!!!!

Love you!
l


From: Jerrie
To: Lorinda
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2008 7:52:42 AM
Subject: tomorrow

Oh...ya shit loads tomorrow. No time for lack of inspiration. Even if I am sending complete crap I am getting them finished!!!!

Um...YES bring food. Archer & I went to Starbucks this morning for breakfast. NOT (only) because we love it, but because we have NO food, no bread, no muffins, no cereal, no no no nothing. It is so sad. And I have to work a full day today so no shopping!!!! I DO have coffee, cocoa, tea...no lack of beverages! I even have the gingerbread syrup from Starbucks. YES I DO!!!

Do you want to ask your sister or should I? Let me know. I don't think I have her number, will you send it my way?

I will clear off the table and counter (which means load all the SHIT into a basket and put it in the laundry room) and we will be set. Then you can come back another day and see the clean, merry house.

So, it sounds like your week is spiraling out of control with mine. Does it seem like it is either all or nothing? Really there are days/weeks/maybe even a month (haha) where there is NOTHING then WHAM BAM it hits like a (insert bad word/s here)...

See you tomorrow. 9:30ish. I will make sure Troy doesn't come walking out all naked! hehe

LOVE YA.

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time." ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Last year my cousin, Lorinda, gave me this lovely book for Christmas. Cooking Up A Classic Christmas: Santa's Secrets for an Unforgettable Holiday, is a cookbook filled with gorgeous illustrations of Christmases past and some fantastic recipes.

So, I am creating a Christmas Eve menu out of this book...I am very excited. My in-laws come for Christmas Eve and I can't wait to share some of these recipes.

Do you have a traditional, have it every year without fail, meal on Christmas or Christmas Eve? or Do you mix it up a bit? (as you may gather I am of the mix-it-up variety, but there are certain dishes that make there way into the festivities every year, such as Butter horns made by my mother-in-law - YUM!)

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." ~Thornton Wilder

This week was full. Full of all those things that fill up weeks. Sounds exact doesn't it. Work. Family. Errands. Friends. Just daily stuff.

This girl, my lovely cousin Lorinda, had a birthday this week. She turned 29 (again...she just keeps doing that over and over and over + a few more overs!). On Friday I was lucky enough to spend the whole day with her. We did the stuff we usually do. Nothing out of the ordinary or special, just what makes us us. Just what makes us happy. Coffee (at Starbucks of course), scrapbook store, lunch, hanging out in Fairhaven, more coffee, book store. The usual.

I am thankful for Archer having such a great youth group. This weekend they had a double lock-in - brave souls those leaders are, so Archer is gone until tomorrow morning. I am thankful for the kids who are so good to each other, who are friends and family and care for one another AND the leaders who truly enjoy their calling with the kids, who are fantastic role models and care for each kid and connect with them on an individual and group level.

With the teenager gone my thoughts were to get the house in order, to knock some of those items off my list which have been there for so long. So, what did I do? I finished up my December daily album - well almost finished just need to punch some holes (Tami!), began Troy's birthday present (I hope I finish - and sssshhhh it is a surprise - lucky he doesn't read this), had Alex out for dinner, watched a movie...I did a load of laundry and dishes, but didn't get the house cleaned and that is ok.

Thankful for a quiet Saturday.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”- John F. Kennedy

Today I am thankful for:

Lorinda - my cousin, my best friend, the "big" sister I never had. We understand each other, we always have fun together, I can talk to her about anything. She gets me. I have known her longer than I can remember - she was two and a half when I was born. What a treasure to have someone who has known me all my life who is not only a relative but a real, true friend. I love this girl!


I am also thankful for Gingersnap Lattes from Starbucks - the replacement for the Gingerbread Latte. It is so incredibly yummy! Anyone who knows me knows that if Starbucks messed up this replacement drink I was going to blow a gasket and I have to say - it is fine, good...wonderful, delicious - so it is ok - go have one! Just a little recommendation - I always get half syrup in my drinks (2 pumps in a grande) and light whip - the drinks are plenty flavorful with half the syrup and everyone deserves a little whipped cream (just get non-fat milk!)....

Let the Holiday Coffee Season begin! Enjoy!

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new." - Ralph Waldo Emerson





Today I am thankful for:
Our wonderful vet, Dr. Berry - there is no one I would trust more with the health of our dear furry family.

Gingersnap lattes and Eggnog lattes start tomorrow at Starbucks! and a text from my dear cousin, Lorinda, to meet for a latte tomorrow morning before work!

Yummy smelling Yankee candles burning while I work on a new scrapbooking project.