Countdown!

Only 2 days to go until the celebration of Jesus's birthday. I think I'm just about ready, and I've enjoyed every minute of preparations.

Made my cards, and some "Sasquatch" cards for the shop where I consign my paper crafts.

Made some Hershey Bar pockets for the shop.

Put my Christmas bedspread on my bed and a few decorations in my bedroom.

Finally set up my tree and a few decorations. So pretty. I love the lights at night. So cozy.

Maddie says hi.

She likes to be right in the middle of things! Sits on my table while I create!

Played with Gemini AI on my phone to make some digitals, just for fun.

Drove down the road to see if the little creek has flooded. We've had all those "atmospheric rivers" in the last few weeks. New name for an old weather pattern, HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODING, which has been going on here forever! 

Yup it has flooded.

More decorating and a snuggly night watching Christmas movies.

A couple of more cards I made for my neighbors. (Sorry there are 2 of one, and turned sideways!) I'm posting on my phone and it won't let me rotate them or delete the extra one - good old Blogger)

Played with my new toy, the Cricut Joy Xtra cutting machine. I can use it to make stickers! I've wanted this for a couple of years. Will play and learn after Christmas.

I am so grateful to be living close to my son and his fiance. They are coming over here on Christmas Day. We'll have a little feast and open gifts. We are having a "slimmer" Christmas this year, which is as good thing. Being with my son is the best gift of all!

MERRY CHRUSTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD 2026!

Marilyn

Getting Ready

Well friends, I've let Fall pass me by without posting. I just can't seem to keep up with Father Time. He moves way too fast for me!

When I visited my sister in Terrebonne, Oregon, I drove home over Mt. Hood and took time to stop at some fruit stands. I was looking for fresh peaches, although it was October and  past the season.

Still some beautiful Fall colors in October, up near Mt. Hood.

After 3 fruit stands, no one had any. I was so disappointed. But what do you think I found over in Oregon on my way home at a little produce stand in Clatskanie, about 20 miles from my house? Fresh Hood River peaches! How ironic is that?

I managed to take a stroll through our local nursery, Blackberry Big Farm, right before Halloween. Oh it was so pretty!

Went on a mushroom hunt/photo shoot with my daughter-in-law. I'm amazed and fascinated with these red dotty ones around the outskirts of Astoria. We took some of her little fairies and elves to pose for us!

Hoping to use some of my photos for Christmas cards.

And I took a quick drive over to the ocean on a gorgeous, unwindy day.

Everything looked purple! No I didn't do any editing of this photo or add color tinges.  Wow.

And now................... I'm getting ready for Christmas!

Father Time, I'm going to catch up with you, I really am!

How is your Christmas planning coming along?

Hugs..........Marilyn

Fall day

Today is the first gray and rainy day here in Astoria for a few weeks. It really feels like Fall! Time for pumpkins, cider, and baking.

So......today I made a 90 second Pumpkin Loaf by Low Carb Love on YouTube. It's a very quick, easy, and low carb recipe.

Mix all the ingredients in a little bowl, which uses almond flour, pumpkin puree ( very little), 1 egg and spices.

Then microwave for 90 seconds. Mine took 120 seconds. Let cool a few minutes and then put on a plate.

Oh it looks so moist and perfectly cooked! Now prepare the cream cheese frosting while it cools, which is a little cream cheese, milk, a tiny bit of sweetener, ( I used organic coconut palm sugar), a drop of vanilla, and a little pumpkin pie spice.

Frost and voila!

This is the yummiest, quickest and soft and fluffiest cake I've had in a long time ( since the last mug cake I made). Plus the bonus is it's low carb and low sugar!

This is the typical "mug cake" that you usually mix in a mug and nuke. I just used a little bowl this time. I may double the recipe next time and make two!

They are that good.

Later my friends. Very busy here!

Marilyn

(Posted via my phone)

Summer into Fall

NOTE: I started this post on July 11th and never got it done! So here it is, with a few more current things added here and there.

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With the humid climate here, overly warm days, and some rain sprinkled in here and there, my vegetable (small) gardens are reaching higher and higher!

My 2 tomato plants are ginormous! They tower over my poor artichokes and onions.

Although my onions seem to love their little shady spot. They are Walla Walla sweets and I'm looking forward to onion rings. NOTE: They actally are quite big now and will be pulling them up soon!

Some baby cukes are almost ready to pick. I've already picked a few.....really early to have them in July. I'm disappointed they aren't the lemon cucumbers they were labeled to be. 

NOTE: I DID end up getting mostly "baby cukes" and now as of Sept. 1st, my vines are overloaded with them! Here is some of my harvest from the other day, plus I've eaten alot and given some away!

I'm still getting strawberries, and my cherry tomatoes are going nuts! My vines have tipped over from thre weight of the stalks.

There's such pleasure to stand and look at my raised beds. These are my strawberries. The nasturtiums from last year have come up again and are trying to take over! I've pulled many up. NOTE: I've since this photo, pulled out almost all of the nasturtiums, so my strawberries have a chance to bear fruit. And they are still bearing nicely.

Such a colorful time of year!

I took a trip to see my sister in Redmond, Oregon, the one whose house burned down a year ago. The new house build is coming along really fast! Their move-in date is set for October 1st! 

We were there the weekend of my birthday (late June) and it was so nice to celebrate it with my sister, son and his fiance. My son and his fiance drove, so I rode with them and didn't have to drive, which was nice, as it's a 5-1/2 hour drive from my place. 

Hi Line Homes has been doing a "bang up" job on building this house in the time frame that they promised.

Side, looking out to their 5 acres.

View looking out their kitchen window, of the Three Sisters Mountains in the Coast Range. There also is her garden (which she tried to keep alive this summer, but too much heat and too many critters ate it!)

So nice to share my birthday with my sister! Delicious gluten free cake.

Sharing a feast with my son!

While in Redmond, we went to the Petersen Rock Gardens, a wonderful place that has been open since the 1950's, but closed for a couple of years when the owner died. It is many acres of all stone and rock structures, houses, castles, bridges, waterways, etc. I'll show pictures from that visit on my next post.

Now that it's September 1st, I'm feeling kind of sad about the less and less amount of summer left. I still haven't gotten my camping trip in this year, and I'm very sad about that. Life just gets in the way! 

I did manage to go western dancing ONE time. Seems like when each Tuesday rolled around (when the class is), I was busy with something else (or it was just TOO hot to go dance)! Will try again for this next 6 week course. Even got me some new cowboy boots! Stay tuned for that saga.....

Be well everyone.............

Marilyn