{blueberry crumb cake}

I love fresh blueberries.
I love my coworkers.

So what do you do when you have some extra blueberries in your house, well, besides eat them, you make something yummy for the girls at work!  Martha Stewart's Blueberry Crumb Cake. 

I hope they like it.

Random trip details

I don't think I blogged about my trip to Washington DC at the beginning of the month.  It was work related.  Spend a Sunday traveling.  Meetings Monday and 1/2 day Tuesday.  Fly out.  Nothing glamorous.  Any free time was spent roaming the city with some colleagues.  We dined out both nights, walking leisurely to a local restaurant.  I love the feel of DC.  I love the old buildings, the hub-bub of the city, it almost had a capital hill (Seattle) type feeling.  The diversity of the population, both in ethnicity and sexual orientation.  And everyone is so comfortable.  Not so friendly, but comfortable.  I love that you could walk any block and find an amazing restaurant.  You could tell people walking were going to or from work.  Women, you didn't see high heels with that business skirt but flats.  Flats everywhere, no pumps.  Many had "to go" bags of food, maybe picking up dinner on the way home from work.

I had the chance to visit the Barack and Michelle.  Well, I stopped by.  They weren't expecting me, so I didn't really get to meet them.  But I waved from the gate.  They have a beautiful house.

*************

Just got back tonight from Portland.  Well, actually about 15 minutes south, Tualatin.  Sofia had a soccer tournament.  Our travels looked something like this.

Thursday:
8:30 finally depart the house with the girls
9pm pick up Rhea in Tacoma.
Midnight arrive at the hotel
unpack, to bed

Friday:
conference call until 11am
head to Bridgeport Mall.  Very cool.  Has the same feel as U-Village.  Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Crate & Barrell.
2:30 to game
5:30 dinner at Teriyaki.  See a woman throw her shoes into the street and cause an accident
6:30 back to hotel
7pm Sofia with team for "bonding".
Rhea, Lilia and I head to another mall -- Forever 21 and Victoria Secret
9:00 back at hotel with Coldstone for the girls

Saturday:
11:40 game
Rush to a "barnhouse" sale and pick up some cool finds
3pm back to field for another game
5:15 done for day
back to hotel for quick swim
7pm, family dinner at hotel
9pm, upstairs
10pm lights out

Sunday:
hello 6am alarm
7:15 at field
9:30 we lost, done for the tournament
out for breakfast
at hotel at 10:45
checked out at 11am

girls shopping, shopping and shopping.

8:30 arrive home

Portland area is beautiful.  It's so green, everywhere, trees galore.  In all the places I went, none of the "towns" felt like Federal Way with strip malls.  I saw many parks, which looked to be maintained.  Some had scheduled events this weekend  -- 1 music and 2 outdoor movies.  I think I could live there.

But I'm back home with my family.  Getting caught up with it all, and loving it.

Night.

Ahhhhh

Do you feel it?

Can you smell it?

The weather is changing.  It's cool outside, which means it's cooling inside. Yes!  I don't mind the sun, but I do love alternating a bit of cool with that sun.

It has cooled down enough for Sofia and I to bake tonight.  Mmmmmm, a yummy batch of "mama cookies" is in the oven as I type.  Sofia finished the kitchen and we are just waiting for them to be done.

Then off to bed...must get to bed before midnight.

nighty night.

Life happens

With or without me blogging.

I know I'm slacking.  But DC, Entiat and Bellingham called.  Along with a ton of laundry and going back to work.

Last weekend was the Salazar family reunion at Birch Bay.  It was great, a bit drizzly which didn't stop the kids from swimming.  It was great to see family.  Something about the Wood's beachhouse comforts me.  Maybe it's the heated floors.

Here are some girl cousins at the pool -- Ravae, Sofia, Mia, Rhea and Isabella.

How sad, I look through the pictures I took, and not one of Alex.

Being beachside made me long to go to the ocean.  Actually it made me long to go somewhere, sans kids.  Not sure where I'll go.  Not sure when.  But it will be solo.

I'm thinking I want to take a new journey ... I want to be an artist.  Can I change my career at 44?

Back in the Saddle

After nearly 4 full weeks off, I'm back to work.
And to be honest, I don't like it.
It's not that I don't like work.  I do.
I just enjoy my time off more.

I will miss my full days with my kids.
I will miss sleeping in.
I will miss being spontaneous.

Only 4 weeks left until school starts.
Only 4 weeks left of late nights outside in the park.
Only 4 weeks left of friends hanging out and sleepovers.

We still have more things to do.

Checking off the list.

Bake sale. Check.

Brownies, cookie, rice krispie treats and milk oh my.

Another item off our Summer List is a bake sale.  With the recent cool days outside, we thought it would be best to spend some time baking inside.  So we I baked.  So we I packaged.  So we I prepped.

Perhaps I didn't pick the best time to do this.  Sofia was gone.  JH was gone.  It was me and Alex.  And as we all know Alex, his "new idea" excitement lasts a nano second.  He helped for about 10 minutes, then something else caught his attention.

Lilia was eager to help, but I limited that to licking the bowl.  We are serving potential strangers.  Let's keep the fingers in the "pot" to a minimum if you know what I mean.

1:30 am.  Baking done.  Packaging done.  Kitchen cleaned.

11:00 am Sofia and Alex help set up.  Lilia colored the sign.  Sofia and Bailey posted signs throughout the development.

At noon we opened shop.  Andrea and the kids were probably our best customers.  They arrived and stayed and kept the customers entertained.

We made roughly $45.  Enough for about 1/2 a ferry ticket to the San Juan Islands.

Bake sale.  Check.

Today

I have been really struggling to be productive while being on vacation.  Nearly 4 weeks has gone by and I really feel I don't have much to "show" for it.  Yes, we've put a dent in our "summer list", but I don't feel like I've done too much here at home.

Today, I'm still up trying to accomplish a bathroom cleaning.  Not only the essentials, scrubbing tub, toilet, sink and counter.  But a cleaning of under the sink and counter top, specifically of junk.  You know, stuff that's just been collected.

For example, the dozen or so 1/2 used bottles of conditioner, shampoo and lotion you get from the hotels.  I don't know why I bring those home.  Dumped.  Stale lotions and deodorants.  I'm really picky about deodorants, I must have at least 5 used just once.  In the bag for Lita.  Dental floss.  Probably 10.  I do floss, but I guess not enough.

So you get the picture.  I'm dumping, collecting for Lita and cleaning it up.  Feels good.

Next up.  Collecting and organizing my jewelry.  Then, the closet. Dun dun dun.

I live the vida loca.