Weddings galore!

Wow....I just looked at the last time I actually blogged...it has been WAY too long!  I big reason for this was that I was helping friends and family get ready for weddings.  There were 3 weddings in a one month period, 2 of which I helped with, and one of which was my little sister!

First wedding I assisted by sewing a corset for my friend who was a bridesmaid here.  The bride and groom had a sweet wedding with a steampunk theme to it. 

I somehow missed getting a pic of the bride!  But there was an awesome photo booth, where we got a lot of fun and crazy photos taken. Like the one at the bottom left. 

The next wedding was my little sister's wedding!  Crazy to know my lil' sis is now grown up and married. It was a fun and gorgeous wedding.

I loved the colors and the dresses my sis chose for the girls.  And I must say that my hubby was pretty excited about the groomsmen's outfits, too.  But my hubby and I had to switch the shoes up at some point....(bottom right photo).  A good friend of mine performed the ceremony, my dad made the awesome arbor, and everyone pitched in on food, set up and take down.  I even had good friends helping take these wonderful pics! It was really nice.

Then this last Saturday was the last of the weddings with my one of my cousins.  They got married in Hood River, OR, and it is a very pretty part of Oregon.  And they lucked out with the weather (as did all the weddings, actually) as there was a couple days of down pours with lightning the days approaching this wedding.

It was great to see and catch up with some of the family whom I had not seen for years (way, way too long).  The ceremony was held at a vineyard and the reception was conveniently located just up the road at the bride's grandmother's house. (And grandma was so very cool! We enjoyed chatting with her about times she rode a Harley!) It was very nice.

I have more to share from our crazy summer soon.  But for now, I am just feeling excited for all the newly weds we know! (And somewhat relieved that all the weddings are done!)

Ash

Busy times in the Summer!

Man...I have been so busy!  Not just work this time...also fun summertime activities!  But, it has definitely taken a toll on my blogging.  Sorry all my wonderful followers!

So just to prove I have not been completely slacking off...let me share some of the fun with you!

First...I have baking a TON of delicious bread in my new, gorgeous dutch oven!  Best investment ever! 

(You have GOT TO TRY out this recipe.  So easy and really, really good bread!  Find it here at Frugal Living NW!)

Then a couple awesome trips to the coast for fun and work....

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is always a good time!  And these sea lions were cracking us up on the bay!

Our friend's graduation!  Masters degree, schmasters degree.

Lots of times with silly animals!

(What is the cat doing?!)

Delicious food from our little garden...

Dirty Dash Eugene!  I am pretty sure we had THE BEST costumes!  Star Wars, baby!

Whew!  Lot's of exciting events!  

Stay tuned, as I also have to share an awesome table redux.  We took some interesting items to recreate a wonderful and sturdy new outdoor table.

More soon!  

Ash

Feature Fridays Revisits....Sneezy Detour!

I have definitely been enjoying doing Feature Fridays (even if I am late on occasion....), but today I thought that it would be fun to look back at a few of the blogs that I featured early on in the Feature Fridays and see what they have been up to lately!  Today I want to check back in with one of the first blogs I featured - Sneezy Detour!

So, what has Sneezy Detour been up to?  You may remember back from my first post on this great blog, that this blog's tagline is "Embracing high pollen-count in Eugene, OR", and it seems quite timely, as June is when the pollen count in Eugene get's just outrageous.  Grass seed is blooming all over the place and just hanging out in the valley.

Anyway, Tracy at Sneezy is a wonderful photographer and catches snapshots and glimpses into the beauty of Oregon. 

I love this pic of the North Jetty in Florence, OR.  

And her recent posts and photos of the Eugene March against Monsanto...

(This is totally Eugene!  I had to miss this march, so I am glad that she captured photos of it.  So cool!)

I especially love this pic and her comment.  

One day in Eugene, all these utility boxes were suddently painted pink (kind of pepto pink).  A few days later, messages started showing up on them.  I agree with Tracy, this is definitely one of my favorite corners in Eugene, too.  I always imagine back to a time when huge trees as big as the building sat, shading some ducks.

I hope you will check out Tracy's visually stunning blog and great commentary and tell her hello!

Happy Fr-aturday! :)

Ash

Oh man, sometimes life gets in the way of blogging!

Well, everyone.  I am sorry to have been super neglectful as of the last couple weeks!   My life has been something else as of late, and I must admit that, while I will try to be better, I may be a little M.I.A. until after the election since I work in politics!

Last weekend, however, I totally bailed out and went camping along the beautiful McKenzie River.  It was sooo nice and sooo needed.  

Mmm...cookies and tea while camping.

How gorgeous is this river?  It is the river that many of the towns nearby get our drinking water, a great river for rafting, and absolutely beautiful to camp along.

And then last weekend, I used much of the weekend to put some food up for the upcoming busy work season.  Plum sauce, plum jam, breads, applesauce, and frozen soups.  MMMM!  Oh, and I will be soon sharing the recipe for my apple empanadas which I am seriously loving.  Here is a peek at the pretty little guys.

Fried little pockets of goodness.

Ash

Blueberry picking...

The other day my friend and I went to pick some blueberries before they were all picked and gone.  While we had to do a bit of searching, we both did pretty good!

It was a little farm that is just near Mt Pisgah in Eugene.  My friend knew about it, and I was surprised how close to town it was!  How come I didn't find this out sooner?

Lots of berry bushes...

Mmmmm....

The view....

You are mine, blueberry!

See, there were still a few.

And my friend gave me the best berry freezing tip ever.  It seems so simple, but it was something I never thought of.  She spreads the berries on piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet and freezing the berries for about 20 minutes.  Then you put it in your freezer container and the berries won't stick together!  Duh! Maybe you already knew that, but it was one of those ah-ha moments!

Get out there and enjoy some of the summer harvest!

Ash

Antiquing in Coburg, Oregon

Recently we made a mini-trip out to a neighboring tiny city, Coburg, Oregon.  They have many cute little antique shops there, and I had to share some of the things I found to be extra interesting.

Ok...this was something I really had to tell myself that I did not need.  But I totally had this colorfoms playset as a kid!  Sometimes I wish I'd held onto things like this...but then again I might have become a hoarder if I had.

I just loved this set.  With things coming in disposable containers now, we rarely put up things like oil and vinegar in a nice container.  I am still contemplating this set, as I am trying harder to purchase things in bulk and cut down on my footprint on the earth.

And speaking of throwing things away now...check this out!  These were so interesting to me!  They are little metal disks that you put over holes in your pots and pans so you could fix them, rather than toss them. 

Hmmm...I think I have a theme here.  I mean, who saves old cardboard items?  Yet I was all about these.  The strawberry containers were covered in wax to keep them stiff and sterile.  I love the retro look.  And the egg container...would be perfect for my girls' eggs!

Hope you are getting out and enjoying new (and old) things this summer!

Ash

Whoopsy! It's been a few...

Wow!  I have had an interesting month!  I have gotten way behind about posting, but I promise I am back!

I have all kinds of things to tell you....but have not yet written it all up.  For now I will share my lovely bike ride home yesterday!  We don't have a ton of sun here in Eugene....but days like this is what makes you forget all the rainy days!

From downtown Eugene I can take the bike path along the Willamette River almost all the way to my house.

So pretty!  

Pulling over for pics on my bright orange cruiser.  (Apparently I need to take care of the rust on the handlebars.)

Hope you are getting to go out and enjoy some good weather.

Ash

Instagram fun

It has been really busy at work right now, and will be for the next week and a half.  So, thought I'd share some of my Instagram photos that I have taken this week.

I love Instagram, but often forget to use it.  But I am getting better. ;)

I thought this ducky was too cute.  Just standing there all tall and cute in Salem, Oregon on a work trip.

Look at how big this Ball Jar is!  This store display gets me all excited to actually can some things this year!

A few of the plants that are waiting for their new home in my garden.  That is, if I ever finish the little fence to keep the chickens out!

And finally, check out my awesome new Sharpie collection!  I am so excited about this!  Can't wait to play with these more.  And, I got the new fabric pens!  

I am working all weekend, but going to try and take breaks to find fun things to take pics of.  Need some kinds of creative outlet while working!

Happy Instagramming!

Ash

Running a half marathon - Tip #1 - Meet your running partner early....

This is not, as many of you know, my first half marathon.  In fact, last year my friend and I ran a full, and that was the plan for this year as well, until the universe told us otherwise.  So, my running partner and I decided we would try to beat our personal best times.  (Maybe that is tip#0, that it is ok to realize something isn't in the cards, but you can still do awesome things!)  Mind you, I am not a fast runner, but I was definitely proud of us both for running our fastest halves yet!

This is us at about mile 6.  Sadly, we had a bit of a rough start.  We were supposed to meet up 20 minutes before the race near the start, and we both got screwed up.  Thankfully, we found each other somehow in the 8,000 or so people who were at the Eugene Marathon!!  

So tip #1 - make sure to really meet your partner early!!  I think because this was our 5th big run together, we were somewhat complacent.  I thought I'd know which roads they'd close, but those changed, and my friend accidentally told me the wrong street to meet.  (Not that it mattered, since I was late!)

After that, I'd love to say it was smooth sailing, but it was not....leading me to tip #2 - really watch your diet before the run.  I was pretty good about carbo-loading, but I think I ate something that didn't quite work for me, leading to a few unexpected bathroom breaks.  Another thing that I really should know better, but was being bad about!

But, eventually things evened out and the running went well.  Tip #3 - choose a really big (as in lot's of people) run for your first half or full!  It is so much fun and so invigorating.  Having tons of people to run with (and run past....hehe) and having tons of people cheering you on is fantastic.  It make for a much more enjoyable run, even when you want to die!  We have done a couple half marathons where the crowd was much smaller, and while still good, nothing like the big runs!

And that brings me to tip #4 - have someone there to cheer you on right at the end!  My hubby and some of our friends were there right before the finish, which totally gave me the energy to sprint as hard as I could over the finish line!

My running partners' partner got this awesome shot of me sprinting the end.  (I think the first thing I said to my running partner is that I hoped someone got a shot of me sprinting! hehe)

We did it!  So happy!

Finally, tip #5 - have people there for you at the end to take pics and tell stories of the run to.  And then go get lunch with everyone!

Happy trails! 

Ash

Beautiful Silver Falls, Oregon

Several people asked me what I did over the weekend, and when I said worked, they gave me that 'what? why?' look, and then said sorry.  But then I told them it was out at Silver Falls, drinking wine, eating yummy food, staying in adorable little cabins and hiking the falls, they asked me how they could get a job where I worked. I love that!

On Saturday I trekked out to an area in Oregon just east of Salem, up rolling hills to the Silver Falls Conference Center to hold a retreat for my hard-core volunteers that I head up to make plans for what they wanted to work on this year.  

In the dining hall we made plans for world domination by the fire in the huge fire place, drinking wine and eating yummy food.

The next day, after sleeping in and having a late breakfast, we took a hike down to the water falls.  So full right now because of recent snow, we enjoyed hiking behind one of the falls and feeling the spray hit us.

How awesome (in the true sense of the word) is that?

And, to top it off, I will be visiting the area again next week for another retreat for work.  Hard knock life for me.

Ash

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Can you believe it?  It is 2012.  I have big plans for this year.

But more on that soon.  But I will tell you that one of my many goals this year is to do more blogging. :)

We had a wonderful holiday season!  I just had to share a few photos of our holiday travels.  I made tons of gifts for family and friends, many of which I forgot to take photos of, but in a near future post I will share some of the fun things I made.

First...the trip to and around Klamath...

Upper left and lower right - Hwy 97 hills between Klamath Falls and Chiloquin, lower left - Klamath Lake, upper right - roadside snow, center - sunset in Klamath.

 Next was the trip to the ranch in central CA where we stayed for 2 very nice, 70degree days (but too short).....

Upper right and center left, rolling hills at the ranch, lower left, Mt. Shasta, lower right, night view of drive through Vacaville, center bottom, Lake Shastina, upper center and left, view of the ranch.

 And on that ranch they had a....

We rode horses, petted the goats, fed Gloria, the pig, played with the ranch kitties and doggies, talked to the young bulls, and watched a filly sniff the kitty...too fun!

Then we had to return to our life back in Eugene.  Nice to be home, but my, does time fly when you are having fun!

Happy New Year! 

Ash

End of summer...

I love Oregon.  But I am not so in love with the summer that we had this year.  It was so very, very short. But we are still trying to get outside while we still can.  Last weekend my hubby, our friends and I went out to enjoy one of our last nice weekends of the year.

Even though I got us lost and didn't find the real hiking spot...we still found a neat little area.  

Hope you get a few more days of sun to get outside!

Ash

From the road....

Just love the sights from the road...this one is on the way out to the coast...

Happy travels!

Ash