GREAT NEWS!!!

We FINALLY have high speed internet access at the house. Which is why, within a matter of minutes, there were 7 new photos of the girls on the blog! We'll be able to put pictures of a new baby on also - as soon as baby chooses to make his or her presence known. (well... i'm pretty aware of the fact that it's there - comfortable sleep is virtually impossible, and I look like I swallowed a rather large beach ball and then blew it up... but hey - we like the end results, so we're not complaining!)

In other news - Andrew and I are doing well. Spring is in full bloom here with the flowers out like there is no tomorrow - the roses are starting to really blossom, and the rhodies are having a hey day with their blooms. I'll post a picture of the house when I get the weeds out from in front of the stairs so that it looks like the manicured house it should.

Savannah has two more weeks of school - still not sure what we're going to do for the summer, but I won't be working, so perhaps we'll have a lot more fun playing and barbecuing and other such summer stuff. And I'm personally hoping for some warm weather here really soon...

Margaret has learned to get out of her bed - and last night came downstairs completely dressed again - I'm sure she thought that if she were dressed we wouldn't send her back to bed... boy was she wrong! Back in the pajamas, and back in the bed.

More news later! I have a house to clean before Andrew and I go out for a night on the town! (Any bets who will bet the better miniature golfer??? - if you put money on it, put money on Andrew, he's beaten me every time we've ever gone!) Love to all!

Margaret's first haircut...

This is Margaret with bangs... her first comment after getting her hair cut was... "NANA! I see you!!!" I guess I hadn't realized how much she couldn't see...
this is the "I don't want to have my picture taken" pose... after the long bath.
Savannah and Margaret - as previously mentioned that Savannah loves to have her picture taken... i couldn't get Margaret alone. Oh well... Good thing they're both cute kids!

Photos of the kidlets in the top of the Garage

This is Margaret - I asked her to put her hands on the side of her face... this is what she did. Of course, she also didn't want to be up there at the time.
Savannah and Margaret...
Margaret - she had just gotten out of the bathtub - an event that lasted for an hour and a half - Never have I seen such pruny skin! It took her longer than that to get her skin back to normal! So this is the photo that she posed for... just before we cut her bangs.
Savannah - the little poser when it comes to pictures! She loves to have her picture taken, and posed with NO problems when I asked her to.

Been a while???

It's been a LONG while since I posted anything to the blog - but... here's the most recent of updates!

Still no internet access at the house, and it's not easy for me to get pictures loaded from the library. Just know that the kids are still cute, Andrew is still handsome, and I've grown a basketball on my front.

Life is good in the Stahr home - Andrew is currently building me a canning kitchen on the cement pad that used to hold our hot tub (we never used the hot tub anyway, I'm sure I'll use the kitchen a lot more!), and it's incredible. I am increasingly more grateful for a talented husband! He has also taken the time to tear a wall out of one of our upstairs bedrooms (it wasn't being used, and walls are overrated anyway...). Having a house built in 1922 does get one's curiosity up on occasion, and Andrew wanted to know if we had insulation. We don't. But then - anyone who visited us this winter probably would have be money on that one and done fairly well... We have found some really interesting things - such as massive ancient beehives (or wasps nests, we don't know) and some old letters stuffed around the windows with such fun dates as July 7, 1932... we haven't read the letters yet, and are still hoping to find the sheets of uncut $100 bills that may have been used to line the walls... of course, the money is purely fictious, but we can always dream, can't we???

Savannah is loving school. Her reading skills have improved immensely - she loves to find new things that she can read, and is rapidly gaining confidence. With the change in the weather, her new favorite thing to do is to play outside... a blessing for MOM!!! She is a good sister to help Margaret on the swings (Margaret's favorite thing to do...), and loves to dig in the dirt. Last Saturday we had some incredible weather (the view from the house was awesome...), and I made a deal with Savannah that if she would play outside ALL day, she wouldn't have to clean her room. She took me up on the offer, and as hard as it was for ME to be inside cleaning, I cleaned her room.

Margaret just had her first haircut. Her response was, "NANA!!! I SEE YOU!!!!". Should have been a clue to me that the bangs were bothering her. At any rate, she can see now. We miss the cute hair that she had, and she looks a lot more grown up than I was really ready for, but at least she likes it! And, she's still cute. Her favorite things to do are to swing (she seems to think that she can swing on the swings no matter the weather - or how she's dressed...), eat grapes and cheerios (she's figured out how to open the refrigerator), and play with the toys. She's in massive denial about a new baby in the house, but will get used to the idea once baby comes.

As for me... Life is exciting. Baby is due on 7 July, and we're waiting to be surprised on gender. I've been feeling great (except when I stand with my hands over my head... low blood pressure - I have a tendency to pass out if I do that too frequently. The Dr. did tell me that if I pass out, at least it's a self correcting problem!). The other big news is that I was invited to hang some of my photography in a doctor's office in downtown portland (118 N Killingsworth), so I've been trying to get just the right pictures. It's been an adventure!

At any rate, I have three minutes before the computer kicks me off again... so, until next time...

TTFN!

News from the Stahrs...

Just on the off chance that the news hasn't been spread to everyone...

Andrew and I are expecting to add to our family in July! My first doctor's appointment is tomorrow (January 16), and I'll send more news as soon as we have it. Our due date is currently 7 July, but since this is my first appointment, it may change...

In other news, Savannah started kindergarten on 2 January, and SHE LOVES IT!!! (and so do I!) Savannah goes to all day kindergarten, and she is one of 14 students in the class - it's been a good experience for all involved. Margaret is learning to play without Savannah, and I have more time to do more things! (Like... play with Margaret and take afternoon naps... - usually when Margaret is sleeping too!)

At any rate, I'll send more news as soon as we have more news.

Linda

OOPS... I made a mistake...

I don't know my phone number. And since I have a problem with number orders, I didn't get the phone number right. SO... Anyone who's tried to call, my bad. The number is in the wrong order. The first three digits are right (that being the area code...) and the last FOUR are correct. It's the middle three that are transposed. The phone number should be 363, NOT 636. Sorry for the mix up.

More news later! My time is going to expire on the computer here at the library.

Linda

Just a VERY quick update...

Since I'm at the library and trying to finish this before the s finish story time...

Here's the news. We still don't have internet access at our house. Turns out that the house that we fell in love with is in the middle of "no man will provide high speed internet access to your address" land. So... we're trying to figure out another alternative. In fact, I don't even have the computer out of the cedar chest that I packed it into a month ago. Oh well. Other pressing things.

The other news is that because we don't have high speed internet access, we have to have a different phone service. No more the vonage. Are we sad about this? YES! Vonage is a great deal that saves a ton of money... oh well. The new number is 5othree.6three6.4three8nine. And it's working.

The s are doing well. The hogs have taken up residence in the freezer (and they're mighty tasty). We enjoy our new ward, and we're slowly getting everything unpacked.

Christmas this year will be a home-made affair, and I'm looking forward to having everything all complete so that I can take pictures of the finished products.

I'll update as soon as I can and have internet access!

Linda

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!