Living on the Edge

Two Legends Pass

I love how the little stuff pops up on the msn.  Such interesting and odd little stories that I probably don't need to know about.  But I saw that a legend from my childhood passed on, and actually this morning on the news I saw that another one passed as well.

Evel Knievel died today in Florida.  Not jumping anything other than the gates of heaven.  He was only 69, but apparently his health had been declining for awhile as he suffered from diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis.  He had also had a liver transplant because he'd nearly died of hepatitis C after contracting it through a blood transfusion.

It sounds like his fearless, crazy jumps were much easier than his current dealings with health issues.  How sad for him and his family.  Just this past summer, we visited friends in Twin Falls, Idaho and saw where he jumped the Snake River Canyon.  He was a bit crazy!  He changed the lives of boys forever back in the heyday of his jumping craze!

Here's from Wikipedia:

Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in the 1970s
Born	October 17, 1938 Butte, Montana, USA
Died	November 30, 2007 (aged 69) Clearwater, Florida, USA
Occupation	Motorcycle Daredevil
Website	www.evelknievel.com

The second legend is Mr. Whipple.  Do you remember him?  Please don't squeeze the Charmin?  He died just before Thanksgiving! There are some interesting facts about the actor, Dick Wilson at Wikipedia.  There is also a commercial tribute to him that started on November 28th.  He was apparently the third 'best-known' American in a survey taken in 1978!  He was 91! 

I guess we all should squueze some Charmin.  It must be healthier than jumping the Snake River Canyon on a motorcycle!

Green or not Green

Did you read my post about our Christmas tree yesterday?  Did you see the picture of the tree?

I have to admit, it's not real. We went fake last year.  But it does look real--at least we think so.  It was a tough decision, not done in haste. We shopped around groping trees in all the stores till we found one that felt and looked life-like.

There were a number of reasons we went fake.

1. We have a wood stove and it's too hard to keep tree watered and 'living' from Thanksgiving till Christmas.  It's just so sad to watch the tree die before your eyes!
2. Since the trees dry out so quickly, the needles get EVERYWHERE!  You just can't vacuum them all up and they get tracked throughout the house.  By Christmas you end up with a Charlie Brown tree.
3. A dry tree is a wicked fire hazard.  We love our family too much to lose them in a fire.
4. We found that our allergies got bad during the time it was up in our living room each year.  Instead we burn a pine scented candle.
5. We feel bad being responsible for the death of a tree each year.
6. The trees are costing more each year!  So each year our tree was having to get shorter just to stay within the family budget.  Which meant fewer of our ornaments could fit on it!
7. Instead we spend the money each year on trees to plant on our two acres!  This year we planted to Spreading Poplars for about the same price as a Christmas tree!  (Plus that's two more oxygen producing trees!  Our part in reducing the carbon dioxide that we produce and to lowering the temperature in our backyard during the summer! Our part to fight global warming too!)

I was feeling really good about our decision until I read the article on MSN today: Is a fake Christmas tree the Green Choice?

This is one of the problems they explain with plastic trees:

"The problem with plastic

If you're thinking you're keeping a tree alive by hanging on to an artificial tree for nine or 10 years, don't pat yourself on the back just yet. Once you're sick of the plastic tree, Chastagner says, it'll live on in a landfill for centuries. Not eternal, perhaps, but from the American perspective, darned close.

Plastic trees also can cause more-immediate health problems. After just a week indoors, many artificial trees shed a dry dust containing lead, a powerful neurotoxin, the University of North Carolina's late environmental studies director, Richard Maas, found in his research

"It would still in many usage scenarios expose a young child to enough lead to knock a couple of IQ points off that child's intellectual ability," Maas told WSBTV in Atlanta in 2005."

I'm starting to believe that everything contains lead!  If that's the case of everything that comes from Asia, how come China is known for its overpopulation problems?  Are they immune to the lead or do they just send it all over to the U.S?  Are the Asian countries trying to dumb us down?

The article also says that most people don't go out to a forest and cut down their own tree.  The living trees come from tree farms and...

In fact, the market for Christmas trees means millions are planted each year, each "sequestering" by expert estimates, anywhere from 40 to 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

So, by buying a real tree, you're saving the Earth, just a little, as well as sustaining what many would call the green heart and soul of Christmas. "They were originally put up to show life in the dead of winter," says Patrick Downey, a Christmas-tree grower in Sherbrooke, Quebec. "Putting up a plastic tree has no meaning whatsoever."

So now did we make a good decision?  Or are we compensating enough by planting trees each year.  We promise to use the tree till it falls apart!  And we're sure to sell it at a garage sale if we ever get rid of it!  You can count on that! 

Being green sure is difficult!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Here is our Christmas tree this year.

We put it up on Saturday.  The girls as always were excited to decorate it.  Not so much for hanging the ornaments on the tree, but just for seeing all the ornaments from each year of their life.

Every ornament has a story.  And it's fun to teach them the meaning behind each ornament.  They (especially CC) are filing the stories away (in her steel trap memory).  We enjoy reflecting back to where they came from too.  It's our family's tradition that we pass down orally.

It makes for a fun evening of talking and laughing and reflecting on all the places we've been and the fun family trips we've taken.

Most important of all...Buddy seems to approve of the tree.  That's a big thing considering we stole his spot by the front window!

We've almost trained him to turn off the lights....well, actually he does it by accident by stepping on the remote switch behind the tree!

Pita Pit

Yum Yum!  My husband and I got to have a mini date today.  We stopped by the Pita Pit on the way home from dropping off my parents at the airport.  When you have kids, 5 minutes alone counts as a date!

Anyway, this is one of our favorite lunch spots.  My honey can get his carnivore fix, while I get my fill of the veggies.  There are even kid pitas, but my 9 year old prefers the philly cheese steak one!  Man, dad won out with that kid!  Whether you are looking for breakfast, lunch or a late night snack...there's something for you at The Pita Pit.

We had never heard of the Pita Pit before moving to Spokane.  Now it's one of our favorites. 

The best part is that, no matter where you live in the Inland Northwest, you can find one!!

Here's a list of the locations:

Spokane

6314 N. Ash Street

707 W Main Avenue

818 East Sharp, the Gonzaga location

There's even one in the Spokane Valley Mall

122 College Avenue in Cheney

900 N. Hwy 41 in Post Falls

271 W. Prairie Shopping Center in Hayden

320 Sherman Avenue in Coeur d'Alene

You can get a full menu on their website.  Some of the 'Pits' even allow you to place you orders online!  Stop by and visit one today!

CC, chief cookie baker

We stopped by the book fair during conference week, just before Thanksgiving.  Nothing exciting this year.  She reads so much that it is hard to find something that she hasn't read.  But CC is always thinking.  Her teacher gave her an extra credit assignment to do different tasks over vacation.  One of the choices was to follow a recipe and cook something.  So at the book fair she picked a cookbook for her book choice!  (Not that we don't have a cupboard FULL of cookbooks....but this one is hers.) I have to admit, I liked her choice.  There are a lot of great recipes in it...that will ruin any holiday diet attempt!

This is the recipe she chose.  They look and taste just like Daddy's favorite cookie from Eureka.  They are called Lacy's cookies.   We can't find them here. In Eureka, they sell them at Costco!  One time at work, daddy was on patrol and found that the door was open in the back of the factory building where they were made.   He was really hoping they would have shown their gratitude by giving him an endless supply of Lacy's.  Alas, it wasn't the case. But CC is taking care of her dad.

Did you notice that one of the main ingredients is oats?  With oatmeal in them I think they fall into the breakfast food category!  Don't you think so?

She made them mostly by herself.  I just hovered enough to be sure that she added a teaspoon rather than a tablespoon for the salt (and things like that!) There's the cookbook...can't go wrong when chocolate is the main ingredient in every recipe.

Here's the final product of all her work...of course she set aside two to bring to her teacher.  She had to prove that she made them you know!  I wonder if she'll get extra credit for bribing the teacher bringing in cookies?  We sure liked them.  They didn't last two days in our house. Don't ask how many daddy ate!

Winter is Here!

Thanksgiving ends as we put up our Christmas Lights.  This year, just as we finished hanging the outdoor decorations (in 20 degree weather mind you! Now I know why some people hang them and leave them up!  My fingers were FROZEN!) it began to snow.  I still have a few things to finish outdoors, but that will have to wait till the weekend.

Here are a few pictures from the first snowstorm...this is for those of you still living in 70 degree weather, wearing shorts and flip flops, and trying to feel like it's Christmas.

The girls helped with the last of the lights...ON THE ROOF!  Not my favorite place to find them.

Our back yard...

This is the road leading to our house.  It's one of my favorite views in the winter.  It makes you feel like we live in the middle of nowhere....or at least that we Live On The Edge!

What a cold, lonely little house right now!  I like my warm, toasty home for the winter!

SNOW!

Hey,  just so you all know.....

IT'S FINALLY SNOWING!! 

I think I'm more excited than my dogs or my daughters!!

Quote for Today

Here's a great quote to start the Monday Morning Madness!  (Oh, waking up early after a week off...groan, moan!)

“To do more for the world than the world does for you - that is success.”

- Henry Ford (1863-1947),
inventor, founder of Ford Motor Company

Spokane's Color Me Mine

Whether you have an inner creative side or just long for one, Color Me Mine has the perfect project for you!  They make it easy to make a beautiful project worth giving as a gift or for just enjoying yourself!  They have classes for beginners through advanced and special themes that make if fun for the kids to paint too!

SpokaneMama is giving you an opportunity to enjoy the fun at Color Me Mine for only $10.00!

When: Sunday, December 2nd    6:30-8:30 pm

Why:  It will be fun!  Enjoy painting with other Mamas in a fun and festive atmosphere.  Taste Boehm's fine chocolates, win some cool prizes and store coupons that will be helpful for the holidays, and create a beautiful holiday plate!

Where:  Color Me Mine, River Park Square, 808 West Main, Spokane    509-838-3037

Who:  EVERYONE is invited (seating limited to 40)

How:  Register online at SpokaneMama.com

Kitchen Remodel

Ooops!  I realized I didn't get a chance to show the after pictures from our kitchen remodel.  Bear in mind the final photo of our kitchen is as it is now...lived in!  I didn't clean up every nook and cranny for the photo...thought it could look real and lived in!

This was taken during the flurry of Thanksgiving cooking this morning.  Kind of messy!

But oh, so much counter space now!  And room to move!