Of Unexpected Blessings: Pt I

 

Who would have ever thought that in mid February our plum tree would have its first bloom?

And our garden would also be seeing daffodils, daphne, camellia and pieris blooms too?

And who would have ever thought that my Farmer Boy would be mowing

our yard on a sunny, dry weekend?

Certainly not I.

 

And who would have thought their wish would come true and they would be standing looking at this beautiful coastal creek -- all because of a little girl's request and a traffic jam?

 

Or that a certain big girl would be blessed with seeing sights she had never seen or be able to touch and walk on the rock that has enchanted her for a long, long time--

but has always been just a little out of reach?

 

And who would have thought that the tide would be so kind (LOL)

as to reveal more of the magic that is THIS beach...?

 

 

Not I, not I.

But there was even more to come on this special weekend of love.

And it involved a return to a location that was changed because of weather that was not nearly as wonderful as our weather has been...

 

 

In other news,

the G Room bed has been finished and has officially been slept in by a

 certain, much loved Small One.

I will soon be calling upon all of you very gifted crafters to

advise me on a certain idea I have about it...

 

How was your weekend?

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

Satsuma plum bloom--just in time for Valentine's Day:)

Neskowin Creek looking inland

(two creeks come together on what is considered by some a very romantic beach;

kind of like two hearts becoming one...)

North portion of Proposal Rock

(yep I really like this romantic Valentine's Day weekend theme I got going here)

Looking south towards Cascade Head and part of the "ghost forest"

More "ghost forest"

(an earlier post with a link to a wonderful video)

Part of the finished Scandinavian Style daybed with storage

 

Time for bed. Lots of garden work to get done today:)

 

Recent Journeys: Of Pixies + More

I LOVE it when my kids come for a visit; it's always SO very good to see them

and I treasure every moment they're here!

Each of my kids, like my grandkids, is a very unique person so each visit is different;

still I can count on doing some things with each child that I also enjoy...

 

For example, our most recent visitor, I knew,

would want to visit Portland where he used to live.

I knew there would also be plenty of meals eaten out, 

because this son is a chef

 and because we both love gourmet and international food

 (which the DH doesn't really care for)...

 and I was pretty sure we'd be going to the beach at least once--

because when former Oregonians return home for a visit, that is what they do...

well at least that is what 2 of my 3 do!

 

Add in the Small (active, never boring) One

 and I knew we'd have plenty of fun at the beach...

and that we definitely did!

First up on our itinerary,

 a trip down Memory Lane...

 

 

For those who have been visiting for awhile, you've already met my mom's pixies and elves that I recently received. And, you also know that I used to spend major time at a magical, yummy place on the coast called Pixie Kitchen. And, you may even have gathered that I was totally bummed out when this big part of my childhood memories closed down for good in the 80's.

But as I researched for that recent post

and as fellow blogger Sallie kindly pointed out to me in the comments.

part of Pixie Kitchen DOES live on in a VERY special place not too far

from the site of the former restaurant.

 

With all the time I spend on the Oregon coast,

I was shocked I hadn't found this wonderful place before:)

 

 

First off I want to tell those of you with kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews,

small friends or who are just kids at heart about the SPECIAL room they have there.

It is called the Mildred + Marie Children's Corner and honestly it was AMAZING!

Where else can one find:

marionettes and a wonderful assortment of puppets to enjoy,

a kid sized HARP to play,

dress up clothes and hats to wear,

coloring pages,

a place to play cowboy

(or cowgirl--as in our case)

and a lot, lot more!

Needless to say, we will be back for more fun!

(it's nice to have another rainy day activity at the coast).

 

 

Being a museum

(North Lincoln County Museum)

the history lover will find a lot of interesting artifacts here also--

like these Japanese glass fishing floats and many things from the past and

not so distant past of this area.

 

FYI...

during Antique Week

(http://www.oregoncoast.org/antique-week/),

 you have a chance of finding your very

own vintage float on the beaches of Lincoln City...

this year hundreds of them were hidden.

Don't tell anyone, but someday I am hoping to find one:)

 

 

In addition to the great regular museum exhibits

and the awesome kid's room,

there are special exhibits---

vintage Valentine's Day cards

(someday I will post photos of the ones from my childhood that mom kept for me.

Their collection was beyond wonderful!),

dolls

(not sure if this was a regular exhibit or a special one, but I AM sure I LOVED it)

and

historical quilts

(you know I LOVED those).

The one above is a hand pieced, appliqued quilt from the 1830-1860s time period. It is a Democrat Rose variation quilt and made from cotton.

LOVED IT!

 

Well I have about a hundred photos of the museum  but when I asked for permission to take and post them I said I was just going to post just a few.

Here is their website should you want a rainy (or sunny) day activity.

I definitely recommend them

AND

it's free right now:)

http://www.northlincolncountyhistoricalmuseum.org/

 

 

Now back to where we started---

the Pixies and Pixie Kitchen.

My kids didn't have a chance to grow up with the magic that was Pixie Kitchen,

 like I did,

and obviously my grandkids won't have that opportunity too.

So it was a BIG blessing to at least show them a bit of what made PK so very special.

Not too far from the kid's room you can find some Pixie Kitchen memorabilia...

pixies (of course!),

a backdrop,

an actual table from the restaurant,

a menu and much more.

It was glorious to see my pixie 'buddies' again,

to see my son and granddaughter standing in front of the carnival mirror that I once

(ok more then once) stood in front of...

and it was wonderful to walk down memory lane again:)

 

And then it was time to make some new memories at my favorite beach in this area, 

 

 

 

and a great restaurant...

 

 

And then head home for pizza:)

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Notes:

A BIG thank you to the staff of North Lincoln County Museum for granting me permission to take and post photos of their wonderful museum!

Please excuse any typos and/or grammatical errors.

I am being distracted by some ear problems that decided to 'visit' last night...and now blogger is acting up.

Sigh. I hate it when my ears are this congested and

I hate it when blogger does strange things.

 

Recent Journeys: Of Goats + Irish Magic

This past week was full of adventures spent with someone very dear to me...

Here are some photos from one of those adventures:)

 

 

After a yummy Dutch Baby pancake for breakfast

(eaten by a sunny window overlooking some pieris in BLOOM),

we had some time to kill before lunch at Kell's...

so we tracked down a historic house that is soon to be demolished

(more on that in another post),

and

after a bit of trial and error,

we tracked down some very famous goats...

well, famous here in NW Oregon that is!

 

 

These are the Belmont Goats and you can meet them here:

http://thebelmontgoats.org/

Very soon they will be moving to a new place in the Lents area of Portland. 

Aren't they simply adorable?

I definitely think so!

 I wish them very well in their new home--
happy grazing guys!
 

 

And then we were on to Kell's

(http://www.kellsirish.com/portland/),

where we celebrated a very early St. Patrick's Day.

Mmm!

After lunch, these two quarters and a dollar bill

 joined a lot of other dollar bills and quarters

already on the ceiling.

 All of this money will be collected soon

and given to charity.

(I LOVE that)

 

 

I know, I know...

you are asking yourself

"How does the money get UP there?"

and,

 I am most positive you are also asking yourself,  

"How does the money stay UP there?"

 

Well, I will tell you the secret

 if you promise never, ever to reveal it to anyone... 

promise???

 

OK, I think I can trust you.

 

The secret...

 

according to our wonderful Kell's waitress that is

(and she is an expert on such things)

 is a little thing called

"Irish magic".

 

All I can say is Irish magic must be a very powerful thing because no money

 showered down on us while we were there...

 

 

Here is my very yummy meal of Irish lamb stew and soda bread!

Mmm! Makes me hungry just looking at it again...

and I just scarfed down a smoothie not that many hours ago.

I also had a bite of their most yummy Shepherd's Pie...

sooo good!

Makes it hard to decide what to cook for St. Patrick's Day when there are all these yummy choices!

 

 

Portland is known for many things...

rain,

gray skies,

Portlandia,

Grimm

and...

bicyclists

(actually it is known for many other things, but I don't want this post to be TOO long) 

 

 

OK--I feel the need for another cute goat photo here...

 

Can you tell I really LOVE goats?

I wish I had brought my bigger camera though

(some how I couldn't see myself lugging it through the streets of downtown Portland though)

 

 

One last photo for today...

got to get some sleep you know:)

 

Have a great week!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Valentine's Week: Aimee's 'Heart' Trail

About a month ago,

 Linda of Linda Len's posted photos of her hike to the Christmas Ornament trail.

From the moment I saw it, I was captivated by the idea and wanted to recreate it at home--

in our not so hidden woodland.

Yesterday, with snow still on the ground (yippee!)

 and some raindrops falling, a friend and I set up the beginnings of what will be--

I hope--

a magical place for my granddaughters to visit.

 

 

Red hearts...

 

white lace...

 

heart bead necklaces for two little ladies.

 

 

 

Valentine's Day cookie cutters

(Mmm...makes me hungry for sugar cookies)

and some glass ornaments still to come

(after the wind settles down a bit).

 

Lacey bow on a Japanese maple.

 

And, of course, the garden had some pre-existing 'ornaments' of its own.

This plant--a Scarlett O'Hara pieris looks perfectly suited for the Day of Love

 

 

Not the best photo---

but I included it anyway because of a scary incident yesterday.

In the morning, one of our three dogs all of a sudden came up missing;

no where to be found.

Farmer Boy who always goes out with our dogs unless I do,

called and started to search the property while I prayed

(the last time this happened we believe our dog saw a coyote or mountain lion--

that time dear dog didn't bark either in response to our calls;

we finally found him cowering under our deck.)

This time dear dog, who is pretty well blind, was in our upper pond.

Fortunately the pond was so full of dense plant growth and such that he didn't sink.

Scary--for him and us.

Tonight I am very grateful for answered prayer:)

 

Time for bed now--

busy, busy week ahead with a Small One set for a weekend visit.

Wishing you all a very blessed and most lovely Valentine's Week!

Blessings,

Aimee

 ~

Another GREAT idea for Valentine's Day can be found on

the site of another blogger friend, Teresa.

Teresa lives in the incredible Columbia River Gorge region of Oregon

and is extremely talented in all sorts of crafts!

 On her site she has made available a free pattern

 for Scandinavian crocheted hearts.

Take a look--

I KNOW you will love them as much as I do!

Perhaps next year, after some practice, you will even find some of them

making an appearance on my Heart Trail:)

Month of Love: Day 14

"They do not love that do not show their love."

William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act I, Scene 1

This year I wanted to do something special for my hubby.

So starting on Monday I began cooking his favorite meals...

tacos, Reuben sandwiches, a heart shaped meatloaf...

and tonight a meal from the land of amore--Italy

(or at least my version of Italian food).

 We are starting to get changes in the yard outdoors--

 

promises of the spring still to come,

and I wanted to bring a little spring to our table

with some 'lovebirds', a lantern, some greenery and these napkin bundles.

BTW--sunstarved Oregonians.

Did you hear tomorrow's forecast?

I am giddy just thinking of it...

today, when a friend and I were on a roadtrip

we actually saw blue skies and a farmer in his field.

I should also say, while it is still Valentine's Day--

Happy Birthday Dear Oregon!

And now back to our meal

(and further proof why I am not a food blogger)

First up antipasto...do you have a favorite?

I confess there will probably be no more green olives by tomorrow eve...

I LOVE green olives:)

 

And at the same time,

a tossed salad.

The main course,

spaghetti and meatballs

(my DH said they were as GOOD as THAT Italian restaurant...

perhaps you know which one I am referring to?

I LOVE their chicken marsala;

he always, always orders their spaghetti and meatballs...)

 They were pretty good,

and so was the garlic bread.

Mmmm, Italian garlic bread...

 

And then there was dessert...

but since it is almost tomorrow

and since we are going to have a winter 'heat wave'

and since I am going to be busy...

 

Happy Valentine's Day

and night all.

 

Blessings,

Aimee

Month of Love: Day 13

Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind;

charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly,

seeketh not her own,

is not easily provoked,

thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity,

but rejoiceth in the truth; 

 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things,

Charity never faileth...

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three;

but the greatest of these is charity.

 

I love you Farmer Boy.

May God enable me to love you even more:) 

Blessings, Aimee

 

Notes:

Scripture from I Corinthians 13:4-8a, 13 KJV

charity=αγαπη (agape) unconditional, perfect love

 

Photos:

My wedding veil and gown.

DH and I on our wedding day.

The Month of Love: Day I

"Love comforted like sunshine after rain."

William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis

 

The first day of February saw me admiring a golden sun and blue sky.

Unfortunately, I had slept little at my dad's and had fallen asleep with my contacts on 

(my eyes were screaming at me of the 'wisdom' of that decision).

So after a morn snack,

a 'chat' with my dear daughter

(whose eye was screaming at her too),

and a little TV

(please pray for the little boy being held against his will in Alabama and for his family too).

it was off to bed for a few hours.

 

Yes, it was a little difficult because of the sun

but my eyes were SCREAMING and I couldn't ignore it anymore.

And then I got up, put on my contacts and went in search of love...

 

Well I went off to find things that remind me of love...

specifically my wedding day:)

First goal-

my going away dress....

it was a struggle to get it out of the dark recesses of the closet where it

 and my wedding gown have been residing for years.

But I was determined because it was

1. a sunny day

2. it is the first day of the month of love

(besides it was good exercise).

My going away dress was a Gunne Sax,

very popular at that time

and apparently experiencing a 'revival' in popularity.

 

I still love the lace detail,

the feminine style,

the color--a very light natural (between an ivory and white),

the neckline and all the other detail.

It also gave me some more incentive to keep on the path I have been following since January 20

(although I don't plan on losing quite that much---

I was a size 5 when I married and way too skinny!

Funny how I could eat everything then and not put on a pound. ).

Here's the label...

And here's a close up of some of the lace...

 

Yep, I LOVE lace...

which reminds me I found some pillow shams in another dark recess of my room.

They have some nice lacy detail on them,

which is what I've been wanting for the bed.

Now I can cross off those items on my 'wanted' list:)

After my search for the day was over I went outside to tour our yard,

count (LOL) the gopher/mole holes in the Japanese-style garden and check for any blooming items...

and found this

 

and our irises were even bigger!

It almost feels like spring

and I LOVE that:)

 

What are you up to these days?

Are you craving spring also

(or autumn if you are in the southern hemisphere)?

And now,

speaking of cravings,

I need to go devour my new secret weapon that keeps me from devouring my DH's chocolate:)

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Notes:

For help with identifying whether your dress is real or not

(I guess some people are now selling counterfeit Gunne Sax dresses)

see this terrific post

http://www.bignabazaar.com/2013/01/identifying-gunne-sax-dresses.html

LOVE vintage...wish the mice hadn't gotten into some of my other old clothes.

 

Of Vaflers, Lingonberries and Lefse

Back in May of this year, I had a burning desire to get a heart shaped wafflemaker

so I could make those thin Scandinavian waffles I am so fond of...

I thought they would be fun to make for special days like

Valentine's Day,

Syttende Mai,

and Christmas morn

(oh and a whole lot of the mornings in between).

A quick call to my one of my favorite Scandinavian shops and
I was on my way to pick a wafflemaker up:)

Of course, when I go there it is never for just ONE item...

if you could see my house,

you would know that is true!  

 After a nice drive we arrived at their front door -

and found shoes!

High heeled ones with succulents planted in them

(what a CUTE idea)!

Through the door

we entered paradise...

well, paradise to me.

Imported chocolates and other candy (gummi's--yum),

cloudberry and lingonberry preserves,

lingonberry juice concentrate

(update: today they also had elderberry juice concentrate)

and many other Nordic food items.

They also carry cardamom bread (yep, it's yummy),

lefse (YUM) and other items

(hint: check out the refrigerator--for years I didn't).

 I LOVE their selection of books--

favorites of mine are Carl Larsson

(love, love, love his artwork--the colors he uses, the themes, etc, etc)

and

I really love the Northern Lights series by Lisa Tawn Bergren!

I don't see them in this photo but I have also read

and enjoyed these Scandinavian themed books too:  

The Emigrants, Johan Bojer

The Emigrants (a trilogy), Vilhelm Moberg

Kristen Lavransdatter, Sigrid Undset

(I like the translation by Tiina Nunnally).

By the way,

if you have any suggestions for books with a Scandinavian theme,

I'd love to hear them:)

Scandia Imports also carry books on crafts, interior design

(I would like to learn rosemaling and wheat weaving one day;

have books on both of these crafts).

 Today when I was there I noticed that the new owner has changed the layout of the shop

and I really like it as it seems so much lighter in there!

I LOVE light

(especially as we go into the autumn + winter).

~

My shopping list was shorter than usual today--

Nordic chocolate

(for the hubby man),

lingonberry juice concentrate

(LOVE this),

a hallonkräm mix
(sounded good)

and

2 bottles of Solo

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solo_(Norwegian_soft_drink)).

 

But, though my list was short,

 I couldn't resist checking out some favorites

 (Swedish textiles, tomten/nisser,

wooden kitchen spoons, etc)

and a few new items...

after all Christmas is coming:)

And, yes, I am VERY happy with my vafler maker!

 

What are your favorite kind of places to shop at for your home and food?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Syttende Mai?

You've never heard of it, you say.

Well you are in for a wonderful time

 if you are lucky enough to find a Syttende Mai celebration near you.

Here are some links to posts from this year's festivities:

http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2012/05/syttende-mai-parade-from-different.html

http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2012/05/syttende-mai-norse-hall.html

 

And a post on one of my favorite horse breeds (which of course just happened to be there)

http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2012/05/syttende-mai-of-fjords.html

LOVE fjords!

Notes:

Thank you to Scandia Imports for permission to take photos this spring and post them here!

And if you are reading this -- thank you for our talk today!

It meant a lot to me:)

 

You can find their facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/ScandiaImports

With more photos:)

 

Disclaimer: as per usual, I have no association with this business

except as a long standing, happy customer!