It's FINALLY HERE!!!

Moving day has arrived. Am I prepared? No. is it here anyway? Yes. We signed our papers today, the new home owners signed their papers today, and as soon as the Canby house records, the Salem House will be not far behind! And then... we'll make the move.

The travel Trailer is all packed (I could PROBABLY fit pillows in, but not much more!), and the garage is mostly empty. I still don't have any of the boxes from the house packed, but that's for later. I have to find the packing tape before I do any of that, and I'm afraid I accidentally donated it to DI sometime. Oh well. If that's the least of my worries, I'm doing well.

The phone will be turned off tomorrow when I return the Internet modem, and we'll be on our way to a more settled life! I think maybe I'll unpack the scrapbooking stuff first... TOTALLY JUST KIDDING! Although if I did that, at least they'd get unpacked!

It's sad to realize that I have boxes that I haven't unpacked for 5 years... Andrew would (as would most people) say, "just throw those ones out!" But you see, I can't. I have to sort through them and decide what is really important. And once I get the first box open, I'll probably realize that NONE of it is really that important, and when am I going to have time to put together a scrapbook of my college years anyway? Oh well... the burn barrels may get some food this winter from the boxes...

TTFN!

The Countdown Begins...

Actually, we've been counting down for a while. Finally, though, we're in our final week (two more days) of living in Canby. We do have mixed emotions, but Andrew pointed out to me last night (as I was blubbering about something else) that the only difference in our friendships here is that we won't see them at church on Sunday. We can still call and maintain those friendships. So... all that over with, the moving begins! I have started loading boxes (the ones that never got unpacked) into our little travel trailer, and we'll start the move down to Salem on Thursday night!

We may not have phone service for about a week (hopefully it won't be longer than that) or at least until we get the Internet back up and running. Other that that, the phone number won't change, and I'll send out "we've moved" cards with our new address as soon as I'm settled! (Don't expect them before Halloween... :))

Field Trip #1

Now... this is my idea of a great day learning! Savannah, Margaret, and I checked out a pass to the Portland Children's Museum from the library the other day, and spent nearly the entire day at the museum. It was such a fun day, that Savannah has asked me if we can go again. And, since admission is free (checked out the pass from our local library), we're going again!

If asked, Savannah will admit that her favorite parts were playing with the flubber (a substance made from liquid starch and glue - not at all like the movie), and the water. I've promised her that the next time we go, we'll spend more time playing with the water.

Our first stop was the picture frame just inside the door...

I had a hard time getting Margaret to move to something else. Either she wanted to have her picture taken, or she was really trying to find a way to get over the top of the little wall...

Then it was on to play dress up. Savannah loves to perform, so getting her to find an outfit wasn't hard. It was a little hard for her to take her turn - there were a lot of other little children there who were taking longer turns at the microphone. However, Savannah handled herself admirably, and waited patiently, even helping some of the other kids so that she could take a turn. Margaret wanted to get dressed up, but then kept tripping over her outfit. She wasn't sad to take it off.

Playing in the clay was more Savannah's style. We made different shapes and other sorts of fun things - Savannah has a great imagination, but if someone is making something cool, she's also very likely to mimic them.

Then on to an area that Margaret could play in, and I let Savannah play alone for a little bit - always keeping an eye on her - she had a great time playing that she was a patient in a medical clinic; building something in the woodshop, and playing with the trucks and cars in the dig pit; Margaret found the slide and didn't want to leave.

Alas, it was time. We had signed up for a special class (the flubber class...), and we needed to get over to our orientation for that. I came home with some great ideas for things to play in; things like "Oooh-Blech" (equal parts cornstarch and water), Flubber (equal parts liquid starch and white glue), Clean Mash (ivory soap, liquid something that I can't remember, and toilet paper), and clean clay - crayola brand. Margaret didn't much like anything in that little corner - probably because it was way beyond her nap time, but like a little trooper, she continued to hang out and eventually tried all the things that Savannah was well into.

Our final stop was the water works. I know how popular this is with the kids, and decided to wait until we were ready to go home. Margaret didn't want to play - until she figured out that there was water involved. That changed EVERYTHING. She brought the little apron that they wear, stood still while I put it on her, and charged off to the water. Savannah was already building bridges and floating boats. It was a very fun day, and we're looking forward to a return trip. Next time, we'll see if there's another mini class that we can take that will be as entertaining as flubber!

Photos from Golden Spike...AT LAST!

Finally - the photos from Golden Spike National Historic Park. We had such a great time that day - even though it was wicked hot outside. I can't imagine how the people who built this railroad survided working conditions - the amazing thing is that they probably didn't complain half as much as people today would! (Either that, or they just didn't record all their complaints...)

At any rate - the last picture is of the entire family... sorry it's so far away and we look like little specks. At least you can see that we're all there. I'm the crazy one wearing the long pants, and regretting it; but as I tell Savannah - you make your own choices, no one makes them for you! Besides - the truck has great air conditioning, and I was cold in it. No complaints here! - Linda

This Old House...

Is going to be ours. We plan on closing on this house October 25th, and moving in that weekend. Plans for Saturday include attending two Halloween Parties, there is a church Super Saturday going on that day, and practice for the Primary Program. The good news is, all of our stuff has been in boxes for the past two months, we won't miss them if they're in boxes for another few days...

We will freely admit that we have driven past the house at least twice since finding out that our offer was accepted; and telling each other on a regular basis (before we go to bed, as soon as we wake up, when we get home from errands... you name it) how excited we are to be moving into this house. It truly is perfect for our needs.

We are looking forward to making this Dream House on the Hill our own. Last night we drove past it to see if we could see it from the freeway... coming from the south, you can! However, it is far enough off of the freeway that we still feel like we're out in the country. (How can you not with all those Christmas trees around you?)

This is what I get...

For telling everyone that we've moved! We're moving again! We sold our cute little purple house, and now we've been looking for another house to live in. If all goes well, we'll be living in a new house by the end of the month.

This is the house that Andrew and I have selected... or maybe this house selected us... we're not quite sure. We just know that we LOVE the house. This house was built in 1922, has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and sits on 2.22 acres. The basement is unfinished, but the rest of the house has been beautifully maintained. Granted, with a house this old, there are some things that need updating, but for the most part, this is the house that we feel like we can live in for a much longer time than just one year!

The view from here is incredible... there are Christmas trees on two sides (the left and the back), and there is a vineyard on the right side of the house. The property has grapes, cherry trees, apple trees, and at least one pear tree. It also has a swing set (which we are planning on asking them to leave - since it is connected to the trees in the back yard) and a hot tub.

So... hopefully no one wrote our old address in their address books using pen! We'll send out "we've moved" cards as soon as we've moved... again. We'd appreciate any prayers on our behalf! We close on the Canby house on the 24th of this month - and hope to close on the new house on the 25th. It's going to be a busy month.

possible old news...

It's entirely possible that this is old news by now, but just in case...

We sold the farm. Someone else bought it. (just as no surprise to anyone who really knows me, I'm sure) This particular phrase makes me laugh. While we miss the farm (not really the animals since we still have them - they're living at the Bishop's house until they're ready for slaughter), we are greatly relieved to not have two house payments.

Currently, we're in limbo. We feel rather like we've never left Oregon. One of the benefits of moving back into a house that you've lived in before is that you can put your things back in the location they were before (provided, of course, that you LIKED them there before), and that's what we've done. The majority of our things is still living in the garage (the car WOULD like its old spot back, I'm sure), but as soon as we figure out what we're planning on doing with the house, I'm sure that will change.

Until the next time (meaning - when I think about doing a new post or finally find the charger for the camera), Andrew's phone works.

Linda

More to come...

So I heard through the grapevine that people want to see more of the girls... I'll have to get the camera out and take some more photos! (Oh, darn...)

We did have a great time this past weekend at Golden Spike National Historic Park. I got some great photos of the family, but they are all on film, instead of the digital camera. So... they'll be posted - eventually!

Anyway, I'll try to get some full body shots of the girls up within the next few days - just keep checking back!

Linda

Margaret Elizabeth

She's walking. She's trying to talk. She has 8 teeth. She drinks from a regular cup with minimal spillage. She's into everything. And, she's developed this great imagination. She likes to take her doll and pretend to feed it. She even makes the smacking noise that sometimes we make when we pretend. And she loves to run away from me. Margaret still loves her milk, and loves the bath. Her favorite thing to do is to play. Her favorite animal is a cat - and she LOVES to play with the kittens that we have. They're not all that fond of her, but they do a great job tolerating her loving them. And she knows pretty well when to just let them go. She can imitate a cat fairly well - and if she sees one on TV or in a book, she'll meow to tell me that there's a cat somewhere. She's getting big - no longer a baby, she's headed to nursery in two weeks!!!

Views toward the Mountain

This is the view from the back door... Andrew was out helping the neighbor with the horses that are in our pasture - I was actually hoping for a little different picture, but I like the sunset anyway...

This was taken right out the mudroom door. I just liked the cloud formation.

Fire on the Mountain...

On June 16 we were standing outside selling the boat, when we saw some smoke on the mountain in front of our house. The fire came from the next street over (several miles away), and travelled just to the field at the end of our street (1/4 mile away). Our house wasn't in any danger ever, but we had a hard time convincing Savannah of that! This is a shot of the fire from the stop sign at the end of the street - taken on my way to work.

Savannah... a day in the life of.

I got my hair cut! Mom cut it for me because she was tired of seeing it in my face all the time. Not only that, it's been so hot here, Mom thinks it's better for my to stay cool. And I agree!
This butterfly landed on me one Sunday after church. I was able to hold it for a long time!
It even crawled on my shirt. I didn't like that it was so close to my face, but I kept a close eye on it until I put it on the rosebush in the back yard.
Mom just likes this picture.

Busy...

And that's been my life in a nutshell. Andrew and I are having the craft room put in within the next two months, a room that I am THRILLED to finally be getting, and as I was cleaning the room out the other day, I found a newspaper article that I've been saving for informational purposes. As you can see... I put it to good use, publishing a book over the weekend.

I have diligently been working on a couple others - one that I'm doing reasearch for - I want to be able to give a little history with the next book, but I hope to have it finished by the end of this month.

I am working on a book about my experiences in the Ukraine - that book is taking some time, and won't be finished until the end of the year at the earliest.

My hope is to have my books in a couple different local bookstores - my copy will be at my house on Monday, and I plan on taking it around to the stores to see what I can do to see my name on the bookshelves. I knew there was a reason I loved books so much!!! As my sister, Brittany, said, "It's nice to see you putting that English degree to good use!" Personally, I find that it's more about putting my journalism skills learned during yearbook (both high school and college) to good use.

Anyway - enjoy the preview!

I published a book!!

portfolio: fac...

By linda rené stahr

Book Preview

Just click on either the title of the book, or book preview to see what it's all about! It was fun to put together, and even more fun to share the news with others! I've got at least four other books in the works - two that will most likely remain private, the others will be put on the market as soon as I have finished them.

The next book will be out by the end of the month - it's another portfolio, only it contains nature shots. I've got to input the text, and then I'll be ready to send it out to be published!

Family Photo

this is the only family photo that we have of all four of us... we'll get another one another time. This was taken in October - Savannah was 4 at the time, and Margaret was 8 months old. Andrew and I were still older than we feel and younger than we ought to be.

At the Park in Provo

This is Savannah - at the top of the rock wall... she wasn't sure if she really wanted to be there, but I convinced her that she could not only make it to the top, she could also make it down without falling. Mostly by telling her that I would take her picture if she made it to the top.
On the swings... her mood changed as rapidly as her swing did... forward for a good mood, back for a bad mood. This is the good mood... I told her I wasn't taking her picture if she was in a bad mood.
Posing at the top of a climb thing! She's gotten so big, and so independent! Sometimes I find it hard to believe that Andrew and I are the parents of a 5 year old, but then I realize that school is going to be starting and although growing up is sometimes hard, it's definitely worth it.

Walking in Dad's shoes

Dad left his boots out when he left for work... Margaret decided that she wanted to be like dad and put them on.
Apparently, having your arm in the air helps with balance when you're desperately trying to get Dad's boots on...








And taking a little break. Actually, I think Margaret was just trying to plan her next move.
So... with a little help from Mom, the boots went on. And doesn't she just look pleased with herself???

Peanut, Peanut Butter... And Jam!

I love peanut butter. Can I just tell you how yummy it is? Or can you tell by the completely satisfied look on my face how much I love it? I love to take the sandwich apart and eat each piece of the sandwich individually... first the jam, then the peanut butter, and finally... the bread.
Eating so much peanut butter makes me really tired though. In fact, sometimes I fall asleep while eating.

A dancer in the house...

Here's another of Savannah. She loves to play dress up and she loves to dance. This seemed to be a perfect combination - the outfit she's wearing now is actually a skirt that she has with her dress up stuff... she came to me at the door when I came in after feeding the animals and said, "How do I look!?"

After having her put on an undershirt so that her underwear wasn't so obvious, I told her it was a cute outfit and asked if she wanted me to take her picture; then, we had a little chat about modesty. She agreed that it wasn't a very modest dress (in fact, she told me that it was probably something that she could wear after she got married and just for her husband.) I think little pitchers must have bigger ears and better hearing than this little one is letting on...

Savannah Smiles...

Since there haven't been too many photos of Savannah lately, I thought I'd spend some time with her in front of the camera tonight... this is the result.


In this photo, she thought it was funny that Margaret was tickling her foot.

I caught her thinking while lying on the floor...


Sometimes I wonder what goes through her head, but then she opens her mouth and says something and I quit wondering. For example... this morning, we were visiting with a friend who had surgery, and my friend asked Savannah where she got her smarts... I just said, "It's in your genes." Not completely understanding me, she told my friend, "It's running down my jeans."

And here... She found a new way to wear a dress up skirt. It made a cute (though slightly immodest) halter top that I don't find a problem unless she is in high school and wants to wear it to the Prom. After all... she is only 5, and not thinking about boys yet... (I hope!)