This was in front of a wonderful smelling bbq restaurant in Depoe Bay...hee heeSunday, October 12, 2008
You won't find this in Olympia!
This was in front of a wonderful smelling bbq restaurant in Depoe Bay...hee hee
Depoe Bay Vacation
We had a great mini-vacation with Greg's family. Here are a few shots from the trip. Our condo was right on the beach. All of the ocean pics are taken from our patio. Wow! It was breathtaking.
Our nephew is so much fun and is such a great kid. We loved getting to know him better.
Mason shares his auntie's love of iphones and computers!
Waves are crashing!
The silhouettes are of Greg's parents.
We are at the salt-water taffy place. Yummy!
We could have spent all day watching the whales. They were everywhere we looked. Of course it's so hard to take pics of these magnificant creatures, but I had to try. Again, these are taken right from our patio.
It's a tough life hanging out with the adults...
Our last sunset... we hated to leave.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Life with Dyson
A co-worker of mine, asked that the Dyson piece be published over on this blog. Even a couple of years later, Dyson is still 100% dependable and I LOVE IT!You would think by the title of this piece that Dyson is a person. Dyson is a vacuum. He was photographed in Vanity Fair.
It comes in many different “specialties” and a variety of crazy colors like purple, orange, and red.
It costs enough, that it should be parked in the garage next to the Taurus!
First things first: which Dyson to buy? Once I decided, I loaded the box into my cart and off to the checkout. I don’t know about anyone else, but I do think I was the most popular person in the store. Everyone was whispering and pointing and making comments. I just smiled and went on my merry way. There were stupid comments that resonated from people in line. Here’s my pet peeve of the day:
Don’t examine the items in a person’s cart.
And if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Everyone seemed to have a comment about how over-priced it was…consumer reports didn’t like it. Did I know it didn’t have a head-lamp? Who cares? I don’t usually vacuum in the dark, nor do I have tons of things on my floor hidden in a dark crevice that I would necessitate the expense of having a head lamp. If I’m really worried, then I will actually get down and LOOK before I vacuum. Someone said it’s really hard to push. Did she have one? No, but that is what “they” say. If I ever meet this “they” person…well, I don’t know what I would do. Yes, it is actually a little harder to push than our Hoover, but what I am doing is called house WORK! I gotta get a workout somehow. Anyway…finally after escaping the PX, I brought my prized possession home.
Right off the bat, they had instructions on the proper way to open the box. I was started to get nervous. I had to assemble it and there were at least 10 pieces! Now, being a geek like I am, the last option I utilize before giving up is to look at the manual. Well, that manual is the size of my computer manuals. Needless to say, got it together, and fired it up. WOW! It really does have suction. Poor Tucker lost an ear when I got too close! Okay, not really, but it has eaten several area rugs. It reminds me of the vacuum cleaner in the movie “Mr. Mom” when it attacks the “woobie.” Dyson’s favorite meal is doggy fur, cookie crumbs, and stuffing from Tucker’s toys.
It is a great invention and I believe it was worth every penny.
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**Update: 8/23/05
I used the bare floor attachment today. Okay, it almost sucked up the entire piece of linoleum! I think a board got sucked lose on on the dining room floor, too. I swear it almost ripped my arm out of the socket and I don't think I can handle using that again. I will resort to the broom.
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**Update 8/28/05
Okay, this bugger sucked up a pair of tweezers! A pair of tweezers, people!
Beetlejuice
Back by popular demand.... The saga of Beetlejuice
Bag a Bug
The word around town and our neighborhood is that Bag a Bug is the way to go if you want to be somewhat protected from those Japanese Beetles. Here’s a little background:
I grew up in the Northwest. We had bugs. I think we had beetles. I know we have Japanese people. But nothing could have prepared me for the bug world out here in Clarksville, Tennessee. There are flying bugs that I swear when they hit you or land on you weigh like a pound.
To keep up with the trend here in the neighborhood (I'm the only one without a Bag a Bug), I decided to purchase the infamous contraption. 
I find the spot I want to put the bag up. I then get out the directions because I swear you have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. Okay, you just have to NOT be blonde. So I unseal the “lure”. It is a very nice smelling “lure” about the size of a quarter. So I’m trying to read the instructions and keeping the lure from falling into the bag. So, needless to say, I’ve already begun the mating ritual because a SWARM of them were all over me. Duh. Note to self: Do not assemble out in the yard!!! You will become the love machine for these beetles. Did I mention they fly at upwards of 50 knots?? So I proceed to run to the deck and into the house when I realize that the door is locked!!! Now, they have invited more friends than were in Heidi Fleiss’ little black book. So I’m running around to the garage with Tucker wondering why his mom is freaking out.
After finally regaining my composure, I finished putting the bag together and brought it outside and ran back in to see how many bugs would actually fly into the bag. Wow. It works great. I just hope I’m not attracting more bugs.
Pleased with my feeble attempt at being a complete, self sufficient homeowner, I go into the front yard to unload my mulch and tons of plants that I am going to landscape our yard with. A beetle completes his mission and flies right into my ear. I freak. He’s gone. Then his buddy comes over. I know I washed my hands, but the smell is still there. Okay. I need to get this stuff unloaded, so I run inside and take a quick shower. Meanwhile, Tucker is out in the backyard trying to engage the bag a bug in a game of tag. Barking and assuming the playful stance with his rear up, he is disappointed when the bag a bug just teases him by blowing in the wind.
I’m out of the shower and into a fresh set of yard work clothes. Okay, I have the kavorka (only Seinfeld lovers will know what that is) and the beetles love me.
Have any of you watched that show “How Clean is your House” with those two ladies that come into the most nasty of homes and turn it into a garden of loveliness? Their favorite cleaning supply is white vinegar. I had some believe it or not. So I showered with vinegar and smelled like an Easter egg factory. Apparently, the beetles don’t celebrate holidays so my smell repelled them.
Conclusions:
Bag a Bug definitely attracts Japanese Beetles and kills them.
Do not assemble outside.
Vinegar works miracles on everything from odor removal to cleaning your coffee pot.
Bag a Bug
The word around town and our neighborhood is that Bag a Bug is the way to go if you want to be somewhat protected from those Japanese Beetles. Here’s a little background:
I grew up in the Northwest. We had bugs. I think we had beetles. I know we have Japanese people. But nothing could have prepared me for the bug world out here in Clarksville, Tennessee. There are flying bugs that I swear when they hit you or land on you weigh like a pound.
To keep up with the trend here in the neighborhood (I'm the only one without a Bag a Bug), I decided to purchase the infamous contraption.
I find the spot I want to put the bag up. I then get out the directions because I swear you have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. Okay, you just have to NOT be blonde. So I unseal the “lure”. It is a very nice smelling “lure” about the size of a quarter. So I’m trying to read the instructions and keeping the lure from falling into the bag. So, needless to say, I’ve already begun the mating ritual because a SWARM of them were all over me. Duh. Note to self: Do not assemble out in the yard!!! You will become the love machine for these beetles. Did I mention they fly at upwards of 50 knots?? So I proceed to run to the deck and into the house when I realize that the door is locked!!! Now, they have invited more friends than were in Heidi Fleiss’ little black book. So I’m running around to the garage with Tucker wondering why his mom is freaking out.
After finally regaining my composure, I finished putting the bag together and brought it outside and ran back in to see how many bugs would actually fly into the bag. Wow. It works great. I just hope I’m not attracting more bugs.
Pleased with my feeble attempt at being a complete, self sufficient homeowner, I go into the front yard to unload my mulch and tons of plants that I am going to landscape our yard with. A beetle completes his mission and flies right into my ear. I freak. He’s gone. Then his buddy comes over. I know I washed my hands, but the smell is still there. Okay. I need to get this stuff unloaded, so I run inside and take a quick shower. Meanwhile, Tucker is out in the backyard trying to engage the bag a bug in a game of tag. Barking and assuming the playful stance with his rear up, he is disappointed when the bag a bug just teases him by blowing in the wind.
I’m out of the shower and into a fresh set of yard work clothes. Okay, I have the kavorka (only Seinfeld lovers will know what that is) and the beetles love me.
Have any of you watched that show “How Clean is your House” with those two ladies that come into the most nasty of homes and turn it into a garden of loveliness? Their favorite cleaning supply is white vinegar. I had some believe it or not. So I showered with vinegar and smelled like an Easter egg factory. Apparently, the beetles don’t celebrate holidays so my smell repelled them.
Conclusions:
Bag a Bug definitely attracts Japanese Beetles and kills them.
Do not assemble outside.
Vinegar works miracles on everything from odor removal to cleaning your coffee pot.
Halloween 2005
Some people have been asking me what the boys are doing for Halloween. Click the link below for Halloween 2005 pics. The boys do have their costumes and I'll post the pics when I get them taken!
http://www.rebeccaford.com/halloween.htm
http://www.rebeccaford.com/halloween.htm
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Our 'Ol Virginia Home
We bought our very first home in Virginia back in 2004. It was near the height of the real estate market there in suburban Virginia. It was so stressful buying your first home, let alone competing against at least 10 other people for the same house. We got the house and did basically no upgrades except for painting the kitchen.
Hollie...I don't know if you remember what it looked like before a NIGHTMARE! 
Anyway, we heard from our old agent Joe who said our house was back on the market - in foreclosure :-( We sold it for $315,000 and the market has tanked so bad that it is for sale now for $145,000! I can't believe that we made $60,000 on our 11 month investment on that house and today it is worth nothing! I don't know why I'm sad about it. Maybe I'm upset about the color they used to paint the master bedroom.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Washer & Dryer
Greg also bought me a new washer and dryer. Apparently our "laundry fairy" keeps complaining about the Montgomery Ward Washer & Dryer that the previous owners had left. I had to wash the clothes 2 or 3 times to get them cleaned and the dryer...forget about it. It would be more efficient to use a hair dryer.
These are AWESOME! We have a very narrow laundry room, so I couldn't get a front loader. These 2 are just as efficient as the front loaders. You have to buy special laundry detergent for them! I went out to Albertson's and spent $18 on detergent, where I usually spend about $10. I'll be going to the commissary from now on for that. If you use regular detergent, you will have so many suds and the soap won't wash out becuase you use only 20 gallons or so of water, whereas your standard washer uses 40. This washer will do a king size blanket or queen comforter!!! That was my main thing. I had to be able to wash my own comforters. You know how it is with dogs. They seem to mess up the bedding 1 hour after you get it back from the cleaners.
Yeah! I love my new appliances!!
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