Cherries, laundry, fancy clothes

Just a random picture. Alexa is learning how to do laundry by watching me, so she takes things out, and gives them a good shake, and then piles them on top of the dryer. (I fold them in the middle of this procedure, but she hasn't quite got that figured out yet.)

I found this silky poncho thing that I bought a long time ago and have never had the panache to wear, but it sure is fun to play in!

I continue to buy sour cherries and make jam from them. Its like I just can't stop myself, they are so pretty and shiny red and they beg to come home with me, and I just can't say no. Also some mint..good for mint lemonade. I have discovered that if I put any herb into the lemonade, David doesn't like it and I can have it all to myself. Kind of evil of me!

I have been spinning and knitting a lot lately, my work is going to be displayed at the local yarn shop for the next two weeks, so I wanted to get some stuff done for that. I post my knitting pics on the other blog so as not to bore those of you who really just want to see pictures of Alexa..totally understandable!

More summer business

Yet another picture of Alexa, Babe, and Lynn. I am not sure why I keep taking them, they all look the same, and it is hard to take good pictures into the dark arena from a distance...but Alexa is doing so well, she gets to trot a little bit and she holds her hands out to the side while she does it, she doesn't even use the "handle" thing anymore, just a blanket. No fear at all.
I finally opened an etsy shop to destash some of my handspun yarn, and this took quite a bit of computer time and camera time, and weighing and calculating yarn amounts, and I only got three items listed, but one of them sold. I was pretty excited that someone paid money for my handspun yarn! I linked my shop in the sidebar if you want to look at yarn, but here is one of them.

We had one playdate with Deneice and her brother Christopher. They are both adorable and bright. Alexa and Deneice are so cute together, every once in a while, they stop and hug the other person, for no discernable reason other than that they like each other.

Deneice was a little camera shy, so I didn't get very close pictures.

I am hoping to do this again soon, it is so nice for Alexa to have a friend so much like her.

I continue to make jam like a maniac, but it is so good, especially the sour cherry. Unfortunately that one is the most work too. I have about 20 pints of jam now, and I am trying to stop soon, I am pretty sure that will get us through the winter! Now if the peaches would hurry up and ripen.

We had Alexa's 5 year check-up, and she is officially underweight, so we are being sent to OHSU to a dietician to figure out how to fatten her up. We also have to take her off all the red foods with little seeds that she loves so much. She pretty much has constant diarrhea, and this is contributing to the problem. We also can't potty train her until she is regular.. the doctor said to me "you are doing all the right things, so let's get you some help." So nice to hear!

To finish off with June

I have been a horribly sporadic blogger of late, so just to catch up with a few things on this last day of June:
We have been keeping busy doing many things. You all know how summer is, wonderful, and exhausting at the same time. Alexa loves the park still. In fact today we are going to meet her school friend Deniece for a playdate there.
I finally finished a project I started a couple of years ago, the Icarus Shawl, and I wore it to the annual fiber festival in Eugene called The Black Sheep Gathering.

We went to the zoo with friends. Here are Tayler and Alexa.

Alexa riding a "horse."

I love that Alexa has so much fun running up and down the ramp, even more than seeing the animals possibly. The orangutangs remind me of her, one was playing hide and seek under a sheet the way she does with her blanket and the mirror.

Tayler riding an elephant.

Cute baby Kaia and Carleen.

Alexa enjoyed Tayler's hat very much.

I have also been making jam like crazy this summer, strawberry, rhubarb, sour cherry, yum!

We are still taking horseback riding lessons, and Alexa is doing gymnastics. We go to the gym almost every day so I can swim, and spend a few quiet minutes soaking up the sun before it goes away again. We had our front lawn killed and replanted, so we have been watering it a bazillion times a day. Farmer's market is twice a week here, and we go to every one we are home for. Alexa is loving the tomatos, strawberries, raspberries, and cucumbers, and so are David and I. It is so easy to eat locally here!

A quick camping trip

Alexa still falls asleep suddenly sometimes in the late afternoon. She had a nap on her monkey here. We went camping Friday night at Memaloose State park in the Gorge. It was a beautiful campsite, and the first camping trip in about three years.

Alexa loved it, she got to ride her trike, and go hiking down the hill with Daddy. Our campsite was overlooking the river on the edge of the campground, so we had a beautiful view.

The one disadvantage was that the railroad track also border the river here, and many trains went by throughout the night. There is a track on the other side of the river too, so we could hear those trains also. I managed to sleep through most of it, but David did not.

Alexa got to run around in her pajamas and Keens. She sat in the dirt a lot, and didn't understand why she shouldn't stand on the air matress in her dirty shoes.

David does not like having his picture taken, but he endured it for one shot.

On Saturday we drove to the Tri-Cities for a graduation party given by the Fosters' old friends the Sloughters for their children McClean, Kalin, Kalin's fiance Josh, and Carolyn. We are proud of all these graduates!

And Sunday we drove all the way back home. That is a tedious 5.5-6 hour drive, and I am glad we don't make it often.

The fifth birthday.

As many of you will know, Alexa does not like cake. We made a cake for the candle and for the rest of us to eat. Alexa is still a little uncertain about the whole candle thing too. When you think about it, this is understandable, we have this odd little ritual of baking her a cake once a year, and putting a candle in it, then we sing to her and blow it out. We only put one candle in because she is a little worried by it.

There is the exceedingly unflattering photo of me blowing out the candle for her. (When she blows she holds her nose and spits a bit, which we thought would not add to the flavor of the cake.)

And then Alexa got to have strawberries while we ate her cake. She opened her presents and played with them and cried when she had to go to bed. Carolyn and Penny came for the party, so we had a nice time.

Yesterday was also the last day of school, a sad day for mommy and Alexa!

A little party.

We had a little party for Alexa's birthday on Friday. She gets a little overwhelmed with too many new people. Tayler wanted them to have matching dresses for convention, and so they brought Alexa a beatiful dress as a gift. She also received a book, which she loved! Carleen knows her well!

Tayler and Alexa got to ride horses at the same time as a special birthday gift, and we got to see the newborn Welsh pony.

I wanted to take him home with me, he is so cute.

General Business

I haven't written here in so long, so I'll try to update a little. Here is Alexa in her cute Sunday clothes.. I am not sure why we hadn't put her glasses on yet. If I stand her on the piano bench she holds still long enough to take a picture. She seems to have hit the terrible two's or three's now that she is almost five. Every time I ask her to do something she runs the other way. She now has angry crying fits when David leaves for work, or when I deny her something she wants. You know the kind, where they go limp and fall on the ground and pull away. I am trying to do the thing where you give her two choices, so that she feels more in charge, but sometimes it's hard to think of two good options.

She still goes to therapy, once every two weeks, speech therapy and occupational therapy. This picture is just her playing on the ramp and stairs, I am not sure why she is carrying the pull rope.

We had a big garage sale and sold all the baby stuff. It was a relief to get it all out of the house.

I have been making scones right and left. Rhubarb scones mainly. Thanks for the recipe Holly! Here it is.

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

6 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together and cut in

1/2 C butter

then stir in

1 cup milk

1 egg

If it is really hard to stir at this point I add a little extra milk

Then stir in whatever you want, fruit, chocolate chips, coconut

Drop onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 400 for fifteen minutes.

If you like (and I do) ice with a little powdered sugar/milk glaze.

Also I have been very into making lemonade lately. They have good lemons at the coop and I have made two pitchers of lavender lemonade and one of raspberry. Both delicious!

Lavender lemonade

1/4 to 1/2 cup dried lavender

1 Cup sugar

5-6 lemons

Make tea with the lavender, allow to steep for 10 minute, strain into the lemon juice and sugar, dilute to 1/2 gallon approximately

Raspberry Lemonade.

Make the same way, minus the tea and dump a pint of raspberries in, mash them against the side of the pitcher with a spoon, and then let the whole thing sit in the refridgerator for a day or so. The raspberries sort of dissolve into the lemonade and make it so wonderful!

I got to lope/canter at my horseback riding lesson Tuesday. I am not sure if those two are the same thing..(Carleen?). I wasn't terrible graceful at it, and thus am very sore in the part of me that hits the saddle. I love it though, so fast!

We have the big meeting at the school today to decide where Alexa goes to school next year. This has been a very paperwork laden process, and seems sort of ridiculous, but we should get it finished and figured out today.