Sunday, June 29, 2008

Ankle

Well, the ankle is still swollen, but not as bad, and it's bruised a bit. I've spent the last couple of days "nursing" it. I've iced it several times a day, kept it elevated at work, and have been wearing a brace on it. I think I'll probably have to sit the next game out...Darn it! I probably just pulled some tendons or ligaments. I seem to be able to walk better on it today, but I certainly don't have full range of motion in it, or it's normal strength.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Trip to Canada

We got back from our trip to Canada Tuesday night. Check out Our Trips blog on what we did and pictures! We had a really nice time. And a special thanks to Allie for watching Ollie!

Another Soccer Season

Tonight we had our second game of our second season. So far, undefeated!! Unfortunately, I rolled my ankle in the game. I had to be helped off the field. I stretched it out, and decided I was ok to go back in. It was a little sore playing on it, but not bad. However, now that I'm home, It's pretty painful, and swollen. Hopefully the ice will help.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Project #4 Compost Bins

Today we got our compost bin system set up! We have had a small "Earth Machine" composter that Raj's mom gave us (you can see it in the bottom left corner of this picture) when we moved into our house, and have enjoyed the benefits of it each year. However, we have way too much yard debris, and so this year we wanted to incorporate the yard debris and kitchen scraps into a whole composting system. Why pay to have it taken away, and then pay to get compost for gardening later, when you can make it free at home!

Last year we found some free pallets offered on Craigslist. (Don't you love Craigslist!) We had done some reasearch on building a compost bin system, and found out that most people use the pallets for the bins.

Last fall I started clearing out a spot in the back of the yard, leveling it, and getting it ready for the bins. Today, Raj and I actually got the bin system put together. We have one bin which will be like a holding cell for yard debris, and leaves, and coffee grounds (free from Starbucks), and then the other bin will be our compost pile bin. We will layer our compost, much like you would a lasagna. We will layer green, brown, kitchen waste, and coffee grounds (which eliminate any early odor)!

Here are some picture of the progress. We are still working on the area around the garden, that's a whole other project!

Raj helping to clear the spot.



Deena moving debris. (Nice action shot Raj!)



Nailing the two pallets together...I even got to help with this, and I got to saw some of the wood pieces!



Ollie after hearing the power saw for the first time, nothing but ears! Surprisingly he didn't try and attack it like he does the vacuum cleaner! We did find that he likes the get into the new composting area, so we are going to attach some chicken wire to the inside of the compost bins, and put up a small gate so he can't get in. We don't need another $200 vet bill!



This is what was inside of our "earth machine" when we removed it. The top hadn't broken down yet, but underneath, there was nothing but "black gold"!



And one shot of what we accomplished today!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Project #3 Side Yard

Today I worked on the side yard. It was full of weeds. Last year, we built the "trellis" and tried to grow tomatoes on it. However, for some reason we didn't get any! I think we got one tomato that turned red. It was a very sad year! Yesterday we went up to my sister Mandy's house and she gave us a few raspberry starts. I decided to try them in this spot. Hopefully they grow better than the tomatoes. I started by pulling all of the weeds out, and then amended the soil with peat moss.

Here are some before and after shots.



Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Oliver

I just realized that I don't have any pictures of Oliver on our blog. So, here are a few:

Oliver's first picture, taken at the Oregon Humane Society in Portland.



Ollie's graduation photo from puppy training. We took him to CJ's dog training school.



Oliver's first Road trip...Seaside, Oregon.



Oliver napping/hiding in the covers.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Lesley's Graduation

We just got home from my little sister's high school graduation. It was a lot of fun. The ceremony was pretty much the same as when I graduated but the fireworks show seemed longer.

Here is a movie of Lesley receiving her diploma:



And a couple of shots from the event:

Her cap...She will be attending Utah Valley University in Orem Utah.



Raj and I during the ceremony:



All of my sister's, sporting our Mountain View High School sweatshirts:



Mandy and Ammon:



The firework show:



Mom and Dad...the last child has graduated!



The Graduate...Congrats!!!

To Vegan or not.

I started reading a book by Dr. McDougall. It's called Digestive Tune-up. His theory is basically most diseases are brought on by what we eat. He suggests that the "Western diet" is killing us. He says Humans weren't meant to eat meat or dairy products and backs this by physical evidence from what are teeth are like, and how our digestive system processes food. Anyways...I don't really believe that we should eat an entire "Vegan" (no meat or dairy) diet, but he makes some really fascinating points. He has a section in the book on the Gallbladder, which is why I started reading his book in the first place. He says that gallstones are formed by excess cholesterol in your body. Plants don't have any cholesterol, therefore to avoid gallstones, you should eat a plant based diet. (Makes sense!) He goes on to say that women shouldn't use birth control because of the high amounts of estrogen which help form cholesterol...wonder why my Dr. couldn't tell me this! He also talks about over all digestive health, and how it can affect your health. I can't believe it, but I think over the years, I've had just about every thing he talks about. From constant constipation, to mid night cramps with diarrhea, to fissures, and GERD, and now gallstones. And if I think back, all of my problems started in College, which is right after I started taking birth control...hmmm...Maybe there's something to be said for what he's taking about. Well, I think I'm going to try eating a vegan diet for one week and see how I feel. If I have no pain after that week, than I'm going to try and eat mainly vegan. Of course, I'm not going to do it all of the time...I'm not going to be that strict in my diet, but no pain is the goal, and if Vegan is the trick, then I'm on board. I've already noticed that milk gives me pain. Every morning after breakfast I experience the same kind of pain/nauseous feeling after eating my cereal. For the last 2 days I've changed from cereal to fruit and nuts, and what do you know, no pain! I still have to do some research on eating Vegan, before I start. I'll keep you posted on what I decide.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Project #2: Front patio

I started working on the front patio today. We think we want to take up all of the cement stepping stones and replace them with a slate paver. I found one at Home Depot that looked really nice.

Here is what the patio looked like before:




And here are some pictures of the patio after weeding and cleaning it up today:




The current patio doesn't go as far as the grass line, as you can tell in the last photo. We are trying to decide if we should extend the new patio to the grass line, or if we don't what we put in the dirt area. Any suggestions?

Where I once was...

Last night I was digging around in the garage looking for the famous "Clothes to fit into" box. I was hoping I would find a dress that would fit that I could wear to an upcoming wedding we are going to in Canada. Well, I found a dress, and it fit, but it's a little too casual, so I guess I'm just going to have to go shopping for one! Anyways, inside the box was a pair of my old capri pants. And...are you ready for this...they were size 28. These pants are significant because they are the largest size I ever was. So, naturally, I put them on, and boy was it an ego booster! They just fell right off. I had to take a "Jenny Craig" shot! I have decided to take the capri's to Spankies and try and sell them. I've already sold some of my old clothing and made $35! I really don't need to hang on to them anymore. And if I am ever feeling down, I can just look at these pictures and it will remind me of where I started and how far I've come.





Grass Update

Well, we are at our 2 week date since planting seed. The grass looks pretty good. There are patches where the grass is growing really well, and some not so well. I can tell I am going to have to lay seed one more time before I get nice even coverage, but I will probably wait to do that until fall, I don't know, we'll see. I walked on it a little bit today, but it still seems a little tender, so I'm going to wait to let Oliver on it until next week. He's dyeing to get out in the back yard!

Here are some updated pictures:



Project #1: The hedge

Today I started on my project list for the summer. Today's project was the hedge in the front yard. The hedge should have been trimmed last fall, however it wasn't. Consequently it was looking wild! Unfortunately the battery in the trimmer ran out of juice, so I actually didn't finish the entire hedge.I still have to do the part by the driveway. I'll try and finish it this week. (It's supposed to be nice weather!)

Here are some before shots.







And some after shots.





Now that's one good look'n hedge!!!

Friday, June 6, 2008

Soccer Game

Last night we played a game against on of the best beginner's team. Unfortunately we only had 1 sub, so it make it really tough. We played well, but they ended up winning 3-1. I definitely was exhausted by the end of the game. I need to work on my endurance! I can tell you one thing, it sure it's fun when you don't have adequate subs! My parents ended up coming to the game, and took some pictures and video. Once they give me a copy of them, I'll post them.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Petunia

I bought a bunch of flower starts from a plant sale that my sister has at her work every year. And today I noticed this lovely stripped petunia had bloomed! I just thought it was so pretty. Enjoy!

The Grass

Update on the back yard grass:

Yesterday morning I got up and watered the grass seedlings, and what do you know, it ends up pouring from the afternoon into the night! Oh, well, I guess the seeds really needed it, because when I went out there today, I could finally see some grass starting to grow. Yeah!!!

Here are a few shots...You have to look closely!



I'm Done!!!

I am done with school for the summer! Yesterday I took my Calculus final. It went well. I am so excited, I won't have to take another math class again! Done, Done, Done!!!

So, now that it's finally summer, I have all sorts of projects planned. The back yard, and porch, and garage are a total mess! So, I've decided to clean things up a bit and hopefully in the process get rid of some junk! I'll be posting pictures and writing about my progress in the upcoming weeks.

Oh, and I bought a nice 4 piece furniture set off of Craigslist from a couple out in Lake Oswego. It was $110 for the set. It's a brown wicker outdoor furniture set with iron work on it. We are going to use it on our porch. There is a love seat, chair, coffee table, and an end table that they were using as a stereo cabinet. (They were using it indoors.) I'll take some pictures and post it once I get it set up.