Thanksgiving Day Desserts Gone Wild!

I'm sort of jumping around to catch up on topics from the extended weekend.

Thanksgiving day we participated in our annual "orphan's dinner" at the Scott's House. Julie was out of control this year. She is normally a key contributor to the dessert menu and this year she outdid herself. As you can see from the packed back of our Jeep - she made 6 different dessert type and 9 total (including duplicates) desserts! I have no idea how many calories the 'jeepload' of desserts represents - but it's a lot.















After receiving her baking training earlier this year - she decided to do all her own pie crusts. They were crisp and yummy! In addition to all the pumpkin pies (her specialty!) there was also a delicious cake, a wonderful cheese cake, a multi-berry pie and a rice pudding.



















What a stud!















She even made a little baby pumpkin pie - gluten free (meaning no crust) for Emily and Allison this year. She is so thoughtful.



















We are so thankful that we were able to celebrate with our friends another year of God's unceasing love for us all. He is truly Jehovah-Jireh!

Open for Business!

The guest bathroom was complete enough to be 'opened for business' on Saturday. Hannah was in town for the Thanksgiving break and her friend Maggie joined her. We also had 13 or so guests for a card night - so it was essential we got it up and running.

It's not quite done. I've got to lower the towel rack (don't ask). And we're having a mirror built to match the vanity. We've got to get the original mirror cut to size and delivered to Dr. Rose (our carpenter) to be built. We also have some pictures to hang. But, other than those minor details - we're done!

Here's a look from the doorway.



















Here's basically the same picture - but with the shower curtain opening to the other side so you can see the shower controls.



















We included an arched shower curtain rod that moves the curtain further from you when showering. It gives the shower a more expansive feel.















Here's another view.. that gives you a better view of the vanity.



















This is the custom vanity that Julie designed and Dr. Rose built for us. It is beautiful. So much so, in fact that we didn't want to mount the toilet paper dispenser to the side of it. Julie came up with this beautiful floor model as an alternative. The vanity top is a product called piedrafina; which is a marble product. It matches the shower surround. The sink is a very cool Kohler rectangular sink that Julie picked because it is relatively deep. Hannah commented that it is really good for hair washing.



















This is a closeup of the faucet Julie picked out - in polished chrome. The sink faucet, shower controls and towel rack are from the same collection. Sweet!















I think this project turned out really well. We're happy and everything seems to work ;)

Next... our bathroom??

Thanksgiving Tweets

Please feel free to tweet away - and tell us who or what you are thankful!

Tod: is thankful for my wife. God has given me the most amazing gift in her in so many ways!

Tod: is thankful for Brian Cairns - my plumber. It's hard for me to ask for help (let alone pay for it!). Brian has been a joy to work with on the bathroom and was there to help me get final plumbing steps done before thanksgiving! You rock Brian. I hope to pass along the skills and tricks I learned last night to others as generously as you did to me.

Tod: is very thankful for God's hand of protection on our family throughout this difficult economic year. He has been Jehovah Jireh in so many fantastic ways all I can do is be thankful.

Tod: is thankful for Joel, Hannah, Carissa and Tater! Thank you for being willing to let me love you. Thank you for loving me back. Thank you for opening up to me and sharing your lives with me. Thank you for breeding :) and allowing me to be a grandfather! (Hannah, that last comment was not directed at you!)

Tod: is so thankful for all the relationships that I have that make my life so much richer than it would be without all of you. You are loved and appreciated more than you will ever know. I am thankful for every text message we share, every shared prayer we pray, every meal we share, every game we play and every little intimate detail of our relationships that make life for me so enjoyable! I am literally bursting with thanks for you!

Cool Driving Game

for those of you that don't have a clue what we are talking about when we mention Mandy - here's an explanation - and how we played this cool new driving game while we were in Oregon.

Mandy is our GPS navigation system. she is awesome, helpful, understanding, patient and long suffering. she's the perfect driving companion.

we used Mandy to play a little navigation game we call "driving by tourette's". the game starts by giving Mandy the address of your destination. in our case that was Mo's restaurant in Newport, Oregon. Mandy computes driving directions and proceeds to suggest a direction we go it to get to Mo's. next, carissa - who was holding Mandy - would pass those directions on to me - the driver. i would either go in the right direction - or biff by turning incorrectly. next, a player in the back seat - in this case joel - screams a tourette's quality comment due to increasing hunger pain and disgust. the front seat players, then, laugh so hard at the situation (being off course and experiencing a full on tourette's attack in the back seat) that you get further off track. the game ends when you are facing a dumpster at the end of a cul-de-sac.

an optional 4th player is allowed to provide consolation and emotional support to the primary back-seat, tourette's screaming participant.

Big Victory

The Big Game around these parts is Stanford vs Cal. This year the game was the 112th Big Game and it was played at Stanford. We were a little bit nervous because Stanford has been doing so great the last few weeks. They have been one of the hottest teams in the nation.

After a fantastic - tailgate (sorry... forgot to take pictures). We went to our seats - and Stanford scored so quickly we got even more worried. Toby Gerhart is a horse. Literally. Often during a game he will have one or two people riding on top of him as he tromps down the field. He's already set the Stanford single season rushing record this year - and his 4 touchdowns during the Big Game means he set the single season touchdown record as well. It's been a pleasure to watch him achieve this level of success.















We sit right in the Stanford season ticket holder section so we were surrounded by rabid Stanford fans. And they pretty much got what they wanted for the first half. It was 14-3 at the half.















During halftimes this year Stanford has been honoring this year's inductees into their Sports Hall of Fame. During the Big Game they honored Tiger Woods. The ceremony was right in front of us! Here's a picture of Tiger surrounded by fans on the sideline just after he received his award. As Hannah says 'I can almost reach out and touch him!'.

















The second half was Cal's half!

Here's Maggie and Hannah getting into the game as Cal started their comback!















Odd. Maggie had never had garlic fries! Well, we took care of that!















Okay - since you know that Hannah usually only takes 'expressive' pictures.. here's one you would expect :)















Cal dominated during the second half - but Stanford was coming back at the end of the game. However, a late interception sealed the game for Cal. With the seconds ticking down - Hannah prepared to storm the field!

That's Hannah in the grey sweatshirt with Maggie in the Gold sweatshirt trying to catch her!

















Here's the last we saw of her and she joined the thousands of Cal fans who celebrated with the players on the field. They were so excited!















Seeing Hannah so excited was the best part of the whole game.

So, sorry Stanford. Guess that whole Beat Cal thing didn't exactly work out. Bummer :)

GO BEARS!! (where's the bowl game???)

Catching Up

You wouldn't know it watching the blog for the last week - but Julie and I traveled to the Oregon coast to hang out with Joel, Carissa and Tater last weekend. We decided to meet the kids in Salem (where they live) and then travel out to the coast (Newport) for a day or so. [that was a bit of an OOPs.. because Newport is more than an hour away and we didn't factor in Carissa having some remaining nausea associated with her pregnancy. she was sweet about it.. but we should have found a closer spot!].

We stayed the night at the Elizabeth Street Inn right on the coast. The rooms featured private balconies - which Joel used to do some modeling for us.. and cozy fireplaces. It was very comfortable.



















































Just beyond the balcony's was the beautiful Oregon coastline featuring sandy beaches and gorgeous views. Here's the view to the north from our balcony. One of the many lighthouses that dot the coast is visible in the far field.















Saturday morning was sunny and clear. Julie and I had the chance to take a walk in the cool (okay.. COLD to wimpy Californian's) morning. It was invigorating.

































Here's some cool birds that would wait for a wave to come in and then would scramble all over the beach looking for goodies that were either revealed by the water or deposited by it. They were interesting to watch - scampering across the beach.















Here's two guys we saw on our walk. I don't mean this mean - but we named them dumb and dumber... because that water was SOOOO cold. We weren't exactly sure just what they were doing out there.

































While we were there Carissa thought it would be fun to visit Mo's. Mo's is a local seafood restaurant in the Newport's Historic district. We had a glorious time finding the restaurant ;) Once we arrived the food was good and the company very great.















While we were at Mo's we had a change to meet one of the friendly policeman that serve Newport. Apparently, they didn't like the way I had parked and were going to issue me a ticket. But, they decided to check in at the restaurant to see if they could find the owner. After explaining what I had done wrong he was more than welcome to let me re-park the car and return to our dinner. That wouldn't happen in California right now ;)

Saturday night we returned to Salem and enjoyed a wonderful home cooked meal Carissa fixed for us. We are blessed to be provided for by excellent cooks. Then, Joel SMOTE me on the Wii. In fact, it was so bad I am not going to say anything more about it :)

Sunday morning we had the pleasure of joining Joel and Carissa for church. During the service we had the chance to enjoy Joel participating in performing the service. Afterward we had lunch together and then it was time for the drive back to California.















Thanks Joel and Carissa for allowing us to come share time with you and the little Tater! We can't wait to visit again!

Friday Tweets

Please feel free to tweet away - and tell us a little about your day today!

Tod: Our prayers go out to Joanne who is having some medical issues and is in the hospital getting a blood transfusion right now. For more go to the Bucker's Buzz.

Tod: Getting pysched for the Big Game! Get to see Hannah and Maggie and tailgate tomorrow!

Tod: I know, I know... I will try to catch up and post about last weekend shortly. Also, the bathroom is stalled out because of the fabricators. Things will kick back into gear next Monday. Stay tuned.

Public Confession

i love blogging for many reasons. first, because it keeps us all connected. in times past family news and history passed orally. grandma marian is an amazing example of this within our family. it is difficult to have a conversation with her that doesn't incorporate some remembrance of those that have become before us. i don't honestly know if she is intentionally trying to keep our history in front of us or if it is just so natural to her to tell our story that it just happens. and we are all a little bit more connected to each other and the past because of her.

secondly, i love blogging because it's a great way to express my creativity. i may not be able to make a quilt or craft project. my fingers simply are too fat and i don't have fine motor control in my hands. but, i can think. and i can imagine. and i can string words together to create suspense, or sadness, or joy, or.. total fiction.

the trick appears to be to not confuse the two. sometimes the best fiction is that which mimics life enough to be plausible. grandma elsie enjoying a harley. or getting left at a chocolate factory to toil. but some care needs to be exercised to not blur the line too much. while i - and the writers of The Office - love to walk that line - it can be uncomfortable for some to experience. in those instances the wisest course of action is to stay on the non-fiction side of the line. mea culpa.

I love this woman and this picture.

I love traveling and exploring with Julie. I am so blessed to have a wife who shares an enthusiasm for being outdoors and having fun with me. Who wouldn't want to date such a woman?

During our recent trip/date to Oregon we took advantage of a gorgeous morning by taking an early morning walk; during which I snapped this picture of Julie racing ahead of me across the beach. While I'm no photographer - I must admit that I love it.

It appeals to me on several levels. First, I love that she is out ahead of me. Not tied to me at the hip - or behind me - but in front. An equal in a very positive way.

Second, this image captures her energy. Julie is so good for me because she makes me want to stay young and able to chase her through life. While you can't see her face in this image - I just imagine her face is happy when you see how effortlessly she jogs across the sand.

Third, I love how so much of the beach - a metaphor for life - is in front of her. I see her moving confidently into the future. Unafraid. Enthusiastic to see where it leads. While only some of the path in front of her is visible (the beach curves to the left ahead) she seems eager to see where the path will take her.

Some pictures just move you.. and this one did it for me!

Restart

Hey, just in case you're interested - a quick note to say that I restarted posting on the Henderson Op-Ed Page today. I took an extended break during the Summer to do fun Summer things as well as reflect on what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. I'm back and if you're interested you can join me in looking at and interacting on topics 'Not Fit for the Family Blog'.

Hope your day is going well.

Thursday Tweets

Please feel free to tweet away - and tell us a little about your day today!

Tod: Having a very difficult time concentrating today at work. Distracted thinking about the weekend and having a fun time in Oregon.

Tod: Just burned a Glee CD for the ride :)

Tod: Interesting questions that came up at Bible Study (OAG) last night: Think of your day and ask yourself "When did I feel most alive today?" and "When did I most feel life draining out of me today?"

From Bad to Worse to Better

Sometimes when it rains; it pours. Sometimes when you biff; you get biffed on.

Most days, if there is not something urgent or pressing happening at work I get away for a walk. Yesterday was just another day of walking. I was reading this really interesting economics book and humming along - when all of a sudden I feel this, 'twap' on my head. Something had dropped on my head. Since I was reading, I was distracted and it didn't immediately dawn on me what had just happened. I thought a leaf bounced off my head or something. Instead, as I brushed through my hair I transferred the bird poop that had so gloriously rained down on me from the top of my head to my hand. Sheesh.

Thankfully, I was only a few hundred yards from our building. I was able to get back to the bathroom without further incident. There, I washed my hair (thank God for big sinks) and hands. Back to normal.

I have never had that happen to me.. although I've experienced prolonged attacks on my car. How bizarre.

Coming off the worse.. I am pleased to say that I was able to successfully mix up grout last night and apply it to the floor without further incident. So, Hannah - it only took one extra bag ;) At least I finished the day strong. TKA would be so proud of me.

The Good and the Bad

It's easy to write a blog post when you've accomplished something. When something good happens. When there's something good to share. But to be fair and open - every once in awhile you need to admit your failures.

Well, today was a massive biff in the effort to finish the guest bathroom remodel.

I was planning to grout the bathroom floor this afternoon. Grout is this sandy, mortar type stuff that you mix with water and mash in-between the floor tiles to form a water barrier. Normally, you put a bunch of the mix into a bucket, pour water in and mix to the consistency that is required. For some reason, I decided to start with filling a bucket with water and then dumping the mix in. I was obviously using my mad jello skills.

Well, that method might have worked had I not put about 5 times more water than I needed in the bucket. Within 10 seconds I realized that I just wasted an entire 15 pound bag of grout as it mixed with the water to form a nice runny soup. A total biff.

So there you have it. The good with the bad. Isn't that just how life is?

Floor Down

Well, after a full day we got the bathroom floor down today. It took us awhile to figure out exactly how we wanted to do the layout. Julie finally decided that a diagonal layout would be the best. It added a bit of challenge - but we eventually mastered a system and had a good time working together to get it in.

It was a long - but fruitful day. Now, we let it set up and will grout on Sunday. We're getting closer :)

The work in progress:















The finished product:

Our Newest Neighbor

Today we got to witness an auspicious occasion. Our newest neighbor went for her first walk.

You see, our newest neighbor is a very cute Chihuahua named 'Mochie'. And she's a very active young lady. In fact, these are about the best pictures I could get of her since she was in constant motion. Lee, our next door neighbor, got Mochie recently and has been enjoying her so much.

Perhaps we'll have to set up a play date for Mochie and Indy! She really is incredibly cute.

Thursday Tweets

Please feel free to tweet away - and tell us a little about your day today!

Tod: Will the bathroom have a floor soon?

Tod: I continue to pray for the many members of our extended family that are dealing with health issues. You are loved.

Tod: 8 days till we see Joel, Carissa and Tater!