OREGON – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & RECIPE LINKS week 27 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.183

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

This was supposed to be super brief as we are still away having a fabulous time on the coast with beautiful weather, at least weather we like – cool, cloudy, 60’s, breezy… Thanks to a dear friend we had the opportunity to spend several carefree days in the coastal resort community of Ocean Shores. But, I couldn’t sleep and was ups so early I found quite a bit to say.

We left last Thursday after my eye doctor appointment to avoid the Friday traffic. Well, that didn’t work. Between construction and just way too many people, traffic was still a nightmare, just not as bad as it would have been on Friday. We ended up in a cute little and colorful town for the night.

Friday we trekked down to Cape Disappointment that has 2 light houses and seriously earned its name for more reasons than the internet will tell you. 😀 We then crossed one of our favorite bridges to Astoria, home of the Goonies where we visited a favorite antique store, but didn’t buy anything for a change and had a fabulous late lunch/dinner at Astoria Brewing Company before checking in at Ocean Shores. Such a beautiful place and what a view! We also had a momma deer and her fawn that spent the evenings in front of our balcony.

Saturday we spent at the Sand & Sawdust festival followed by a little antiquing in junk stores and then beach combing in the afternoon at low tide. We found odd things to buy this trip like a vintage pair of pinking shears that hubby is going to oil for me and 3 OLD knobs for a set of drawers I already have as well as an OLD rusty hand saw that hubby will clean up for me so I can paint it for a Christmas tree. I LOVE the new architectural salvage company we found.

Sunday found us having our coffee with having a bit of a storm and turbulent waves that sounded glorious by the fireplace while we had the sliding door open. The weather was such that we were certainly glad we had opted for indoor activities which included a coastal drive where we encountered an odd “new” (built in 2005) little town, Sea Brook, that is a planned community resembling Pleasantville or home of the Stepford Wives or maybe the Truman Show or even the fictional town of Stars Hollows from the Gilmore Girls in a location previously abandoned by the navy after WWII and left off maps for years as well as a visit to make a deposit at the local casino for a friend LOL. Here’s an article that really spells out that odd little town. We also had brunch/lunch at a fun little spot called, Brunch 101. Oh my was the food awesome. This was half of an amazing chicken and biscuits Benedict that hubby and I shared. But I LOVE their motto! “Brunch without mimosas is just a sad late breakfast”!

Unfortunately, today we will be saying goodbye to Ocean Shores and heading homeward, but will stop somewhere tonight near a few towns we like that have some great antiquing.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Can you believe it’s July already? It seems like the days are running on double time. I’m not ready for July!!!!! For heaven’s sake it’s only 177 days until Christmas!!!!

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

The weather is glorious here, but will get warmer and warmer as we trek towards home. I see at home we will finally and consistently reach the 80’s this week, so I’ll enjoy the 50’s-60’s here as long as I can.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

There is a cribbage tournament this next weekend that I will be shopping for on Tuesday on our way home, but with the holiday I’m not planning much else this week except trying to get a hold of the primary doctors office to process a necessary referral to the ophthalmologist.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

Whatever taped while we were away. I know Christmas in July started on Hallmark and the Summer Baking Championship will be on there.

READING TIME

I’m about two thirds through Phillipa Nefri Clark’s House at Angel’s Beach. I decided to wait on the The Memory Thief until we get back – just seemed too heavy for a vacation read.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	7/1 MONDAY	7/2 TUESDAY	7/3 WEDNESDAY	7/4 THURSDAY	7/5 FRIDAY	7/6 SATURDAY	7/7 SUNDAY
DINNER	OUT	TACO TUESDAY	MEATLOAF & SAUER POTATOES	HOBO PACKS on the GRILL	CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT CORN/YOYO	CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT CORN/YOYO	CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT CORN/YOYO
DESSERT				BUTTER BISCUIT CHERRY COBBLER

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

This is a wide open category this week and if you have been following me on Facebook or Instagram you know I’m really behind in posting pictures 😀 so I’ll just give a couple of the highlights from this weekend – A couple of sunsets from our balcony, a foggy rainy landscape, Irwin the friendly raccoon who was living in the boulders I was crawling on to get a lighthouse picture, the town hall from the cute little town of Sea Brook.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

WILDLIFE SAFARI ~ BLOG 366.26

Back during COVID on a whim we took a trip to Wildlife Safari where humans are captive in their cars and the animals roam free which was perfect for not being able to interact with people at the time.

We recently found out that Wildlife Safari accepts food donations to help feed the animals. And by food donations I mean that the local county works takes roadkill there, but they also accept other donations like the freezer full of meat and berries (whole turkeys, fresh picked blackberries, recent meat from a deer and elk hunt…) I cleaned out from the new estate sale we’re working on.

Our local Wildlife Safari has a globally successful cheetah breeding program. That day we were fortunate enough to run into a docent that was FULL of wonderful information. My favorite piece of trivia was that like other jungle cats, female cheetahs are loners and do not bond well with others, whereas male cheetahs MUST bond with other males to survive.

They had several new cheetah cubs at the time that are now grown, but playful. The giraffes and elk were full of piss and vinegar that day! 😀

WHEN I GROW UP

I have always been interested in architecture, remodeling, repurposing and just being a creative problem solver. If I could go back in time I think I would LOVE to be an architectural salvager! What an interesting career that would be.

On our last trip we finally went to the AURORA MILLS ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE and I was NOT disappointed! We had driven by MANY times over the years, but never actually stopped. I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!! I fell in love over and over with so many of the fun and unique items and I let my mind run free creating project after project.

They had beautiful furniture pieces. I fell in love with the solid 8 foot tables, dovetailed chests and well used drafting tables as much as the old game pieces of pool balls, boxing gloves and carrom tables, corbels and banisters. The barber chairs and old mannequins were so wonderfully unique and preserved.

Here are several and I do mean several pictures of some of the fun things we saw.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 18 of 2020

GOOD MORNING everyone! It’s Monday, isn’t it? Truly some days I’m not really sure right now. We have another week of staying home under our belt. How is everyone faring? Staying Busy? Happy Kids? They (those in charge) are starting to talk about opening a few things around here. Personally, I try and avoid the news at all costs and only listen to the medical professionals. I continue to pray that there is a breakthrough in the end allowing us to go back to more “normal” daily lives.

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up
with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING Levis and a purple 3/4 sleeve t-shirt are the uniform of choice today. It supposed to be in the 60’s and gray most of the week with a little bit of rain here and there.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water & Apple Squash Pineapple baby food

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS With all the time in isolation things are looking really good around the house with a lot of projects done well before we even knew they needed to be doe LOL 😀

MONDAY	SORTING AND FILING UPDATE WALK
TUESDAY	recipe updates on the computer STORAGE CLEANING
WEDNESDAY	LAUNDRY
THURSDAY	FEED PEACOCKS
FRIDAY	PLAN TRIP TO SEE SIL and help her out with a few things since we had to cancel the family reunion
SATURDAY	Farmer’s Market would be nice – still dreaming
SUNDAY	cleaning and laundry

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/SOMETHING INTERESTING I’VE WATCHED There are a few Hallmark movies and shows I’ve taped as well as some cooking shows that I’ll try and catch up on

I’M READING Switching over to Jana DeLeon’s Bayou Bodyguard was a good choice. I’m enjoying the diversion!

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA Yesterday was ABSOLUTELY beautiful and we did the whole loop around the pond where I got a few great pictures of the BIG beaver dam, goose island where there was some loud territorial disputes going on since there is a limited beach area, new geese families, some pond wood, wild thistle, and a stray fisherman.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
BREAKFAST	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	QUICHE	PANCAKES
LUNCH	TURKEY & CHEESE WRAPS	GRILLED CHICKEN & TOMATOES	MEAT & CHEESE WRAPS	??	SALAD & FRUIT	??	??
DINNER	POLYNESIAN CHICKEN & SALAD with PEPPER DRESSING	HAM & BROCCOLI NOODLE CASSEROLE & SALAD	ANTIPASTO PASTA SALAD	MONROVIAN CHICKEN PIE	NATCHITOCHES MEAT PIES & SALAD	PEPPER STEAK & SALAD	SAUERBRATEN & ROASTED POTATOES with GINGERSNAP GRAVY
DESSERT		ZUCCHINI GINGER CAKE

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS NEXT WEEK OR SO

INSTA POT BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
ZUCCHINI GINGER CAKE with GINGER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
PORK CHOPS IN TOMATO GRAVY
SWISS CHICKEN CORN CASSEROLE

INSPIRATIONAL

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MILDRED KANIPE MEMORIAL PARK

Yesterday we took a short drive to see just how many trees actually toppled and blocked roads around us during #TheNightTheLightsWentOutInOregon 3 weeks ago, to find a new place to hike and explore as well as just plain enjoy the almost spring like weather. We also ran across some local history!

One thing is for sure, road crews are guaranteed jobs for the foreseeable future! On ALL the roads, but especially the smaller roads where trees fell they have come along and used a chainsaw to cut out the part across the road for now leaving the tops and bottoms along the shoulders for later.

We ran across a sign for the Mildred Kanipe Memorial Park and followed it to a fun area with equestrian camping, old historical buildings and an animal preserve. The weather was beautiful for several hours and we enjoyed a nice walk, but I fell in love with the peacocks especially!

From the signs around the park and what little information I can find, Mildred Kanipe was a very colorful, strong willed woman and extremely set in her ways, an unforgettable character all the way around. She always carried a pistol and a rifle when n the ranch. She NEVER married and ran the 1100 acre ranch ALL by herself except for the occasional hand she would hire.

Mildred’s Gift

She passed away in 1983 leaving her entire beloved ranch, that her family had owned for over a hundred years and she had added to over the years, to the public as a county park. Mildred’s gift included almost 1,100 acres of land consisting of pastures, creeks, rolling hills, orchards and forests. Historical structures include a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse that they are seeking grants for to restore, a farmhouse, and outbuildings. Her wish was for the buildings to be preserved, a ranch museum developed, equestrian trails and camping to be available and the land was to remain an animal refuge and the land and plants preserved.

Mildred left VERY specific instructions for her burial on the property also.

I fell in love with the natural beauty of the area and the peacocks in particular! They are so beautiful and graceful too. This older woman comes to feed them regularly and when she pulled in the birds flocked over to her like she was a long lost friend 😀

We’re going to go back with a picnic when the weather warms up a bit. I’ll remember to take my regular camera, but here are a few from my cell phone for now.

There was quite a bit of damage within the park from old trees that fell and literally splintered picnic tables, but I was impressed with these metal braces someone made many years ago for this old tree to preserve it. The peacocks seem to really like this tree and while I wasn’t able to get a picture, they were all up in the tree when we first arrived.

I truly felt like I could hear these trees making a SERIOUS noise as they landed and splintered these tables. Not that I was there when it happened, but in my head they were really loud!

I saw this glove and my mind went to Tom Hanks LOL He has an InstaGram account where he posts single lost items – a truly virtual LOST & FOUND 😀

2019 SNOWMAGEDDON update

So while the power is on and the internet is cooperating I’m going to do a quick update. Hubby had been saying how disappointed he was that snow had been on the forecast all month, but never really materialized. Well, I’m here to tell you BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!

We’re accustomed to snow, lots of it even from our time in the U.P., but unfortunately this little town wasn’t! They are used to a couple inches that melts away fairly quickly. It would have been okay and even a little bit funny if it hadn’t happened ALL at once and taken down thousands of trees and the power too! I was never this cold even during the long winters of the Upper Peninsula… Here we are a week later and still have several inches covering everything.

Hubby tried to keep the walkway cleaned off, but every time he’d finish it would start snowing again. At one point during the 3 day outage it was warmer in the refrigerator than the house and it continued to snow even more with tons of road closures all hampering the repair crews and their efforts to restore power. Even the cell towers took a beating leaving us with compromised communication. My neighbor and I resorted to throwing snowballs at each other’s window to get each other’s attention.

During daylight hours we would use the cars to charge up phones and electronics which would also help melt the snow off the cars while we sat there getting a little bit warm and charging up. I braved it and walked over to talk with my neighbor. Neighbors checked on each other and banded together as necessary. Some were kinda stupid running propane heaters in houses that had gas pilots, letting their kids go out and get cold and wet with no way to warm them back up or take their cars where they couldn’t get out without making a HUGE slushy, icy mess.

I have to tell you 2019 Snowmageddon will not be forgotten ANY time soon. Remote rural areas will NOT even be restored for weeks to come.

When we finally left the house we were so surprised by just how many trees and I mean BIG trees had fallen onto and over roadways, onto power lines, houses, cars… Clean up will take some time! The sun made an appearance on Friday for a few hours and it felt heavenly, but other than that it has usually only appeared at the end of the afternoon in time to start setting.

VAMPIRE SLAYER MAC & CHEESE

I’m a BIG believer in buying local. I also love when we move to a new area and there are so many new things to try. My newest favorite is FACE ROCK CREAMERY cheese based out of Bandon, Oregon a quaint little seaside town that we visited not to long ago when our son and DIL were visiting. I’ll add a few of those pictures after the recipe. I tried a sample of FACE ROCK CREAMERY Jack cheese at Costco the other day and fell in love with their smooth and creamy cheese. On a whim I bought their Vampire Slayer Garlic Cheddar and found a new favorite way to make an old comfort food on a cold and cloudy night.

Tonight because it is cold, foggy and miserable, I served it with left over Wagon Wheel Soup for a rib sticking good meal.

VAMPIRE SLAYER MAC & CHEESE
1 1/2 cups dried macaroni (elbows or shells)
3/4 cup heavy cream**
2 tablespoons butter
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 pound or 2 cups shredded FACE ROCK VAMPIRE SLAYER garlic cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350˚.
Prepare macaroni according to package directions. Drain well.
Using the same pan, melt butter and add cream until smooth.
Add cheese a few pieces at a time, stirring until well blended.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Fold in pasta.
Pour into casserole dish.
Sprinkle with crispy onions or Garlic Croutons if desired.
Bake 20 minutes or until heated through and golden on top.

**I found I was out of heavy cream, but wait, there is a substitute using what you have on hand.
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 tablespoon Wondra flour (this can be omitted if using whole milk)