More sunny Hawaii for a Monday

Firstly, I want to thank everyone who helped me in my decision-making process for the stone that will go under our new woodstove. I've made my decision and it's a finished piece now sitting in our kitchen nook. I will be posting some pictures probably sometime next week after the installation is done. I'm getting very excited at the prospect of having a source of wonderful wintertime heat, even if we have a power outage. Our pellet stove which sits in the living room does a great job of heating that room, but the rest of the house is uncomfortably cold and I'm tired of hanging blankets over doorways to try and keep out the cold air. And, the prospect of being able to heat or even cook simple meals on the woodstove is very exciting! I know, it doesn't take a whole lot to excite me these days. Blame it on living in the country, I guess.

We had a very productive weekend. Besides finishing the work on the stone and getting it inside the house, I went out for breakfast with my hubby, did some shopping at the local farmer's market, got a ton of stove pellets unloaded and stacked in the woodshed, and did some cleaning and reorganizing in our house. I even baked homemade bread rolls last night...yum!! It always feels good to accomplish tasks, even if it's just little things. Makes me feel productive and useful. The whole weekend wasn't just work though, I enjoyed sleeping in and some quality leisure time as well. Now, here we are back to another Monday and I'm simply not ready for the reality just yet, so...

what better than to post some more beautiful Hawaii pictures and dream a little dream...


Looking oceanward from the grounds of the hotel.

There was a great walking path that went from our hotel along the ocean down past all four of the lagoons and eventually ending at the Ko'Olina Marina where we later took a cruise and went snorkeling and swimming with dolphins. A nice man we met along the way offered to take our picture.

These lagoons were ideal for swimming and lounging on the various floating devices that were available because you didn't have to worry about being carried out to sea if you fell asleep. So nice...

I thought these little girls were adorable the way they all lined up to watch the pretty Hawaiian dancers that performed poolside. The dances and the music were just beautiful, and very soothing.

The dances are very relaxing to watch and the girls are so very graceful in their fluid movements.

These pictures are not in any particular order because for some reason blogger won't allow me to move my pictures around anymore. *sigh* Anyway, this is our very first glimpse of the island as the plane was banking just before landing. I thought it was a beautiful site.

Anna and one of her bridesmaids at the reception. They had exceptionally good food, delicious desserts and an open bar for the party. We all danced, ate and drank ourselves positively silly. I just love weddings because they're such a happy event and everybody has a blast. No worries about driving either, we just had to find our way to the room afterwards.

The beautifully scented Plumeria was everywhere.

I have no idea what this flower is, but I thought it was lovely.

My hubby snorkeling in the ocean.

More merry-making at the reception. Mmmm Mai Tai's are yummy!

Anna and the proud papa, Steve. This is my hubby's baby brother.

A beautiful location for a wedding overlooking the Pacific Ocean in all its' splendor.

Anna and John.

The wedding party. It was a very large group.

Sorry honey, I just can't resist...the first words out of my hubby's mouth when his brother told him about going to Hawaii for the wedding were: "I'm not wearing a Hawaiian shirt!!!". Too funny!! He just had to have one, and so here he is in all his glory...I think he looks very handsome too.Back to the real world...tomorrow my girl kitties are going to the vets to be spayed. After they've recovered, we'll move on to the boys. Here kitty, kitty, kitty...

:) It sure is a good thing that cats can't read!

Decisions, decisions - I need your help!!!!!!!

I don't think I'm very good at making decisions about the interior design of my home. As far as a "style" of design...you could probably call it eclectic farmhouse, otherwise known as a medley of stuff I like and stuff that was already there when we moved in. Anyway, we're having a woodstove installed in our kitchen. I've picked out the location of the stove, and I've chosen the stove. Good start. Here begins my dilemma...we went to my hubby's shop and tried to pick out the rock for the mat/hearth, whatever you call it. The non-combustible material that goes underneath the stove. Waaaaay too many choices for my brain to pick just one.

Here's my vision so far... this is what I want, not necessarily what I have right now; so please, bear with me. :) The woodstove is black cast iron, floors hopefully someday will be medium-toned "oak" colored wood or laminate (Pergo). A fairly light, neutral wall coloring maybe in pale, buttery yellow, cabinets painted bright white with countertops of french-vanilla toned stone with brown/black flecks or warm browns. And, for the curtains we'll throw in something like red and white gingham check or old-fashioned off-white lace.

Our house is not fancy. At all. Quite the contrary; it's an oldish Cape Cod style built in the 50's that's been turned into a farmhouse out of necessity. It's cozy, it has lots of room for improvement, and it's our home. It's where we live, it is definitely not a showplace. But, I would like to make it look nicer if, and when we can afford to.

Below are the narrowed down choices that I came up with. The pictures aren't great, but they're what I have. I would like your opinions, your comments and your pinnache'. Hey, I figured what the heck...it worked for Pioneer Woman!! It's worth a shot.

Choice 1

Choice 2

Choice 3 (this one's sort of pebbley and textured making it less shiney)

Choice 4

Choice 5

Choice 6

These are all granite pieces and it's what we can use to save some money. My hubby will do the cutting and the edge detail enabling us to save about $500 or so by not having to buy a ready-made stove pad. I'm just afraid of it looking too fancy in our little house. That's definitely not the look I'm going for.

Thanks everybody!! I will greatly appreciate any assistance or opinions you're willing to share with me.

Humbly, Cingspots

Aloha sweet Hawaii

We're experiencing a change in our weather. Gone are the bright blue skies and glorious sunshine of the last several weeks. Today dawned very windy and rainy. As I've said before, when it's November in Oregon...all bets are off. Fall has arrived, and so we must adapt.

NOT!!!

I say we go into denial and revisit some wonderful memories and lazy days of summer.
Shall we??

Here we are arriving at our hotel in Ko'Olina on the island of Oahu. My hubby's brother Steve and sis-in-law Chris on the left and bride-to-be (niece) Anna in the center. I'm the chubby one looking deliriously pleased with things and my hubby on the right.


The entire time we were there the weather was deliciously perfect. Hot, sunny days and warm, tropical nights. Who could ask for anything more? I was meant to live in a tropical environment...I thrive there. And besides; who doesn't look better in a tan?

Below is the view of the ocean from our room's lanai. I LOVED our room!!! I seriously could have lived there forever. The bathroom was bigger than my kitchen. Aaahh sweet memories.

The pool at the hotel and the cabana on the right. They served lunch-type food and appetizers along with just about any kind of drink you could desire. The ocean and beach can be seen in the background. There were 4 private lagoons at this hotel, each one rocked off from the ocean itself creating the perfect place for swimming. In the evenings poolside, there were dancers in beautiful Hawaiian costumes.

One of several water features on the hotel grounds. There were walking paths throughout the grounds with several pools featuring different kinds of tropical fish, sharks and eels. There were tables throughout where you could enjoy your morning coffee, a meal or just lounge and read.

At night these areas were lit with tiki torches creating a very romantic setting.

This picture doesn't really belong here. This is a very early morning shot from a completely different side of the island. Whoops!!

Okay, back on track...this is an evening picture taken from our lanai. We spent a lot of time enjoying the view from the lanai. Heavenly!

My hubby in his beach attire. These doors were so cool! When you opened them for more than a minute or two, the air conditioning automatically shut off; close the doors and the air came back on. I've never really enjoyed living in air conditioning before...but at night here, it was greatly appreciated. We snuggled each night under the down comforter and slept like the dead.

I would loved to have brought the bed home too...so comfy and huge!!! No matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn't fit in my luggage. *sigh*

Such beauty, and so very romantic...

I am so ready to go back!!

I have a lot more pictures to share, so until next time...

moonlight over the Pacific

Blessings and Aloha from cingspots

Hello Sunshine

Fall is one of those seasons where you just never know what to expect. Traditionally, it's a cooling down of the summer and a mellowing of the temperatures before the extreme wet or cold of winter. The crispness of the mornings and the gorgeous colors of the foliage are definitely something to savor and appreciate. Today is no exception. I woke up to another beautiful, sunshiney morning and gave a hearty thanks for the bright light streaming through my window.

I tell myself to enjoy it, because it is after all...November. October is usually a beautiful month in Oregon, but come November first, all bets are off. You just don't know what to expect. For the last couple of weeks we've been experiencing beautiful weather. Bright blue skies, crisp temperatures, you know the kind; where it feels delectable to slip into a warm, fuzzy sweater or a fluffy down jacket and revel in the sensation of a brisk breeze blowing through your hair.
Perfect riding weather if there were any daylight hours left after I get home from work. *sigh* Nothing's ever perfect is it? Business is dreadfully slow, and I detest having to be cooped up all day long in the clinic when there are endless possibilities awaiting me; outside...and at home. But, I am thankful to have a job. Thankful for being able to pay the bills. Thankful. I need to remind myself to have gratitude...always.


This is a picture of a neighbor's Halloween display. There were about 8 very big jacko'lanterns
lining the walkway to their house. I took several shots, unable to get all of them in one shot, but this was one of my favorites. Late, I know. But, too fun not to share.

This is some eastern Oregon Sagebrush in full bloom from the weekend before last when we went to Ritter Hot Springs between Pendleton and John Day. It was a beautiful place and the weather was perfect. Sunday morning everything was frozen, which made the hot tubs feel even better.

Annie went with us, of course. She had a blast hiking across the countryside, flushing out quails, swimming in the John Day River, and of course hot-tubbing. Silly dog jumped right in the hot tub with us. She liked it, for a while until she got overheated. Sure made her hair coat silky for a while. The mineral water is great for the hair, but devastating on silver jewelry. My bracelet turned black almost instantly...very strange. This was the first place I've ever experienced a warming sensation on the bottom while sitting on the toilet. Kind of a nice touch, especially in the middle of the night when it's very cold outside and the bathroom is outside your room and several rooms down the boardwalk. :)

Very cool how the low-lying clouds settled in the treetops.

An old abandoned homestead we spotted on the way to Ritter.

On another subject, we picked out our new woodstove last night. The installation is scheduled for the weekend before Thanksgiving. This weekend we're going to pick out the piece of granite for the pad/hearth underneath the stove. My hubby will cut the stone and do the edgework and that will save us the money we would have had to spend for a ready-made pad. We are putting the woodstove in our kitchen since we already have a pellet stove in the living room. I am very excited at being able to shut off the heating element to the electric forced air furnace which is an energy hog...yippee!!! In the event of a power outage, I will even be able to cook on the stovetop. Cool huh? I've never had a real woodstove before. Now I want to find an old cast iron teapot to put on the top. I'm even excited about going into the forest and chopping our own firewood. I can't wait!! I feel like a pioneer woman.

Hope everybody is enjoying this beautiful fall season. Blessings everyone!!

Cingspots

Hidy Hoooo friends in Blogland!!!!

Well just what the heck anyway!!?? I've managed to escape from under the gigantic rock I've been hiding under for the past 6 or 7 weeks and come up for a little air...and say hello to all my long lost buddies here. Whew!! I have to admit that I'm kind of a tired gal. It's been a whirlwind of a summer and now that we're 1/3 of the way through fall (can you believe that!!??) already, I am going to try and sloooow down a little and get back into some sort of routine here.



The last time I posted anything here on my blog was a day or so before we left for our Hawaiian vacation. We had a blast! Hawaii was absolutely gorgeous and we loved it. And of course, we want to go back. Imagine that! It is everything it's supposed to be...and a bag of chips.



We went to the island of Oahu, which is the most populated island, home of Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head, World-famous North Shore (home of the big waves), the Dole Pineapple Plantation, Hanauma Bay (unbelievably, breathtakingly beautiful), which is world famous for seriously cool snorkeling...and probably a whole bunch of other places I have either forgotten or don't even know about. Whatever. We had so much fun, soaked up so much sunshine, ate so much wonderful food, took so many beautiful pictures, shopped till we dropped, attended a wedding and subsequent after-wedding party, took an ocean boat ride, snorkeled and of course...swam with the dolphins!!!!! One of my all-time coolest things ever. I also drank many, many MaiTais...and yes, one of them even had a little umbrella in it. Truely. I took a picture of it just so you'd all believe me.



One of these days very, hopefully, very soon I'll start uploading my pictures and post some of them here. This past summer has been so very busy. We attended 3 weddings and 4 wedding receptions/parties, went horse camping, our vacation, a few weekend roadtrips and all the usual summer stuff of working, gardening, yardwork, trying to accomplish the ever-increasingly long list of "honey do's"...and who knows what else. I'm telling you - seriously - I'm ready for a nice, long winter's nap. I should have been a bear.



But, as the poem goes...we have miles to go before we sleep. I still have a fairly lengthy list of things that I'd like to accomplish before we get too much deeper into the winter doldrums. Probably won't, but we're trying nonetheless. Last weekend, we added a couple more tons of hay to our quickly shrinking stockpiled supply. This coming weekend, we're heading to eastern Oregon for an Adventist's Horsemen's officers retreat south of Pendleton at a place called Ritter Hot Springs. I can't wait...hot tubs here I come!!!



I'm also up to my eyeballs dealing with Golden Bond Rescue of Oregon. Yes, that's right - we're trying to adopt a Golden Retriever. Like we need another animal around our place...but whatever, we love dogs. And, Annie would probably really enjoy having a companion. Anyway, it is far more complicated than I ever would have imagined. Sheesh!! You'd think we were trying to adopt a real child or something. I am feeling totally inadequate and completely incapable of having a dog. All the questions...you just can't imagine!! We have an adoption coordinator (our very own) and our next step is a home inspection. You know, to see if we and our house measure up. I'm starting to feel just a little paranoid, I have to admit. Then...I guess we'll have to add fixing the hole in the fence to our list of "to do's". Like I said--it just keeps getting longer and longer...



And...we're trying to get a woodstove installed in our kitchen before December 31st, so we can get the tax credit on this year's taxes. Okay, I think I'm getting a little headache right between my eyes.



Our horse riding club's Harvest Party is next weekend on Halloween. We're pressing apple cider, having a potluck and playing softball in the arena. I may just feel like vegging around the bonfire, but we'll see. I'm really not complaining, really I'm not...well, maybe a little. I've been enjoying all the socializing and accomplishments and everything, but I'm getting very tired right about now. I visualize laying on the couch, remote in hand...for days

We interrupt our regular programming to let you know that Blogville had a problem. I went home and got some sleep.

Fast forward to the present folks...(no, I am not on drugs!!)

Seriously, today is Monday October 26, 2009 and I'm A-okay - really, I am!! We have just returned from our riding club officer's meeting in Ritter Hot Springs last weekend. Very cool place!! But, that's another whole post in itself. I got some really great fall color pics to share with you all here. But, the point is that I started this post last Wednesday evening, I think and was not able to publish my entry...so, long story made short...I've just finished and updated you all on my crazy goings-on.

Please forgive me.

Blessings from cingspots. :)

Two Tickets to Paradise

...won't you, pack your bags we'll leave tonight...I've got two tickets to paradise...Not exactly how the song goes, but you get the picture. We actually fly out very early Friday morning!! I've tried very hard not to think about this trip for fear that my summer would whizzzz by, and quite frankly, I think I've done a fairly good job. But dagnabbit anyways!! - my summer has flown by quite nicely all on it's own. I can't believe that fall is just around the corner. Technically, the first day of fall takes place on September 22 if you check the calendar, but by my personal calculations, I detect a nip in the air and the scent of fall all around me. On my most recent trail ride in the mountains, I happened to notice the leaves are turning colors and there's a crispness in the mornings that wasn't there until recently. School days are coming up rather quickly and it feels good to snuggle under the covers at night. And, a sure sign of autumn are the apples that are being scarfed up at an alarming rate practically before they hit the ground by the horses...sigh...time stops for no one (thanks Mick). So...what's a gal to do???

Why...head to paradise of course!!!!! Yeaaahh baby!!! We are leaving for Kailua, on the island of Oahu. Yippee!! Now, I am relenting all my inhibitions and letting go of all my worries and strife and plan on doing absolutely nothing but bask in the Hawaiian sun, swim in the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean, eat, drink, shop, whatever my little ole heart desires...can you say swim with the dolphins??? Oh yes, I've always wanted to get up close and personal with a dolphin. One of my bucket list things, don't ya know. Actually, I'll be crossing off two things from that list. Going to a tropical island and getting acquainted with a dolphin...maybe even more than one...if they're friendly and in the mood, of course.

Now is the time to get excited. I've decided it's okay.

Today is my last day of work for almost two weeks, and I'm sooo looking forward to a little rest and relaxation that I could fairly bust!! Wish us well, won't you?

A little prayer that our plane doesn't take a nosedive into the big drink would be appreciated too. No pitstops, no unexpected landings in shark-infested waters is not too much to ask - is it?

Bye all.

Blessings from cingspots :)

Dog days indeed

Whew!! Thought I'd better check in lest you all would think I'd been long lost or something. No such luck my pretties!! I'm doing just fine - thank you very much. It's August already. In fact, it's nearly the middle of August and it's been just over 3 weeks since my last post. Truly, the Dog days of summer. Busy, busy, busy. Too darned busy if you ask me! But seriously folks, it's freaking August already!! Can you believe that!? Blah blah blah, here we go again with the same old time thing...enough already!! (it's so true though!) Have I mentioned before that time passes a little too quickly for my liking? Oh okay, sorry...I won't mention it again. I'm trying; seriously, I am.

So, what exactly have I been doing that seems to be taking up all my free time lately? Darned if I can remember. My head's positively swimming with the daily grind though. I live such an exciting life. NOT!! We did attend a wedding though, and those are always a lot of fun. One of my best friend's daughter got married. The wedding was held in my friend's yard and it was truly beautiful. The bride was beautiful, the flowers were gorgeous, the food was delicious and the spirits were freely flowing, and everyone in attendance had an enjoyable time. Hubby and I even got to dance. First time in a long time...it was nice. Did I mention that it was FREAKING HOT though!!?? Seriously, everybody there was positively sweating bullets - I kid you not. I don't think I've sweated that much in my entire life...barring spending time in the sauna. Hot. Miserably so.

As you may or may not know, we here in the Pacific NW have been experiencing an unusually long, dry and exceedingly hotspell that's lasted about 2 weeks. We're just not accustomed to this kind of heat. We are heat weinies. For sure. Most of us don't own air conditioners, or swimming pools, and therefore have been wilting on the vine, so to speak...not to mention our vegetation and our animals. We are all quite spoiled and enjoy it that way. Triple digits cause our weathermen to hyperventilate with the excitement of it all. Extreme heat warning in effect. You get the picture.

So, yesterday afternoon when the skies turned grey and cloudy, we all waited with bated breath. And yes, it paid off. A refreshingly cool and most welcome rain began, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. I fell asleep last night listening to the luxuriously soft, soothing sound of rain falling on my roof...and a cool and moist breeze wafting through the open window. So peaceful; and blessedly cool and comforting. I didn't even have to water my flowers or garden plants last night. I love it.

One of my girlfriends and I spent a couple of days down at the beach a couple of weeks ago. We left home fairly early in the morning and stopped for breakfast on the way down. German styled fried potatoes, bacon, eggs and homemade molasses bread with plenty of coffee. Yum!! This particular restaurant is a tiny little place and is well-known for their wonderful homestyle cooking and especially, their pies. Oh my!! Those pies looked absolutely delicious, but we were way too stuffed to indulge further. My friend did take some pictures of all those lovely beauties though. There must have been 30 or more pies freshly baked just sitting there smelling up the place. That kind of thing ought to be illegal, don't you think?? Anyway, we travelled on to our destination. Leaving temps nearing the 90's it was invitingly cool at the beach. The skies were blue and temps were in the upper 60's with a light coastal breeze. Perfect!! We even made a stop at Depoe Bay and were astonished to see a pod of grey whales just offshore. How mesmerizing it is to watch those mammoth creatures swim and break through the surface and blow water and air from their blowholes!! It was amazing and we felt blessed to be witnessing such majestic creatures frolic in the ocean!! Truly breathtaking and awe-inspiring. Before long a crowd of spectators and a couple of boats had gathered to partake in this scenic adventure that just moments before had been just for us. We felt truly blessed.

We stayed in the "Ernest Hemingway" room at the Sylvia Beach Hotel on Nye Beach in Newport. It's an old hotel in the heart of a very quaint neighborhood where you can walk to any number of local destinations. Within a several block radius, there's a neighborhood grocery store, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, pubs and an array of unique little shops perfect for browsing and finding treasures. Our hotel was right on the ocean and we enjoyed leisure strolls on the wide, sandy beach and just lounging in the sand. We had a nice dinner in the local Irish Pub and then breakfasted in the hotel's dining room, where you never know what the chef will be planning. Besides the hot entree', they always serve a variety of baked goods, fresh fruits, juices and hot coffee. On the way home we stopped at a local farmer's market and came away with some fresh fruits and veggies to enjoy later. We had a wonderful time and I would love to do it again sometime with my good friend. One of the best things about summer is ample opportunities for making memories for cherishing later. I have a lot of pictures that I will hopefully be able to post sometime soon. Thanks Miss B, I had a fantastic time!!

My good friend Shannon is still staying in her motorhome at our house. We have enjoyed a bunch of great conversations, lots of horseback rides and quiet times on the deck. It has been very enjoyable for me to have such a good friend spending the summer with us. In years to come, I do believe that I will refer to this summer as "the year with Shannon". With someone at home, it has allowed my hubby and me to be more free to travel on the weekends without having the worry of caretakers for our horses. I will treasure this summer and all the wonderful memories we are storing away for later.

Well, I had intended for this to be a brief summary of what I've been up to over the last several weeks of my absence from blogging; but as usual, I've rambled on and on...always the chatterbox. Some things will never change.

There's still plenty of summer adventures to come...more horse camping, trail riding, peach canning season, jam making, barbecues, suntanning on the deck with my friend, two more weddings to attend...and our trip to Kailua, Hawaii. *sigh* I cannot wait!!!

Life is good...

Blessings from Cingspots!!