C is for Carbaugh

Lake Fair 2009

2009-07-26T15:21:00.001-07:00

First fair of the season: Lake Fair 2009

Josephine is finally old enough and big enough to go on the rides....so that is what we did!

New Work Out!

2009-07-08T08:15:00.001-07:00

I was inspired by stories of people who start running and complete a 5K. I have no desire to work run, but I need a new workout for the gym.

I am starting a program called Couch to 5K. The program is completely free and comes with podcasts so I don't have to time things out on my own.

Yesterday was Day 1, Week 1, of my program. I loved it! I didn't feel tired or winded after I was done. Then, I went home, and wanted to pass out. I am definately taking a rest day after yesterday.

I heart faces week 24 - Lets Here it for the boys!

2009-06-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

My husband Doug!

See more adult faces atI heart faces.

Week 20: Silhouttes - I Heart Faces

2009-05-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

See more Silhouttes atI Heart Faces

Week 19 - I Heart Faces Blurb Book

2009-05-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't say this is one of the best pictures I have ever took, but it's my current favorite. Mainly because it goes against most rules of photography.

"I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites."

Want to see more faces? Go to I Heart Faces and check them out!

Night time / low light photography

2009-05-16T14:19:00.001-07:00

I took a class on Wednesday night on low light and night time photography. I am a natural light photographer at heart, and this is a new medium to me. Since the class was free, I thought I might get something out of it.

Here is a picture I took today on a forested little walkway, using the technique I learned Wednesday night. This was taken with a point and shoot, and I can only imagine what I could do with my DSLR. As noted in the previous post, I have no photo processing software, so for now, these are coming straight of the camera.

I'm supposed to go out and shoot with the photographer tonight, and extension of Wednesdays class, but I have to bring Josephine with me, and we will see if I even make it there.

This is a test.....

2009-05-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

I have tons of picture to post, but our computer has gone crazy and won't do certain things. We had to unistall all Adobe products and are still can't seem to get it to work right.

While Doug works on the computer, I thought I would share this picture (if it will load) from a walk around Capital Lake on Friday. This is straight out of the camera with our little point and shoot.

Tulips!

2009-05-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Every April this area gets all abuzz about Tulips. The largest farms are in Skagit County, about 3 hours away. A friend told me about a Tulip Farm in Mossyrock, and the three of us headed out there to see the tulips.

I'm still having a difficult time deciding wich one I like.

This was a complete oops. I was trying to take a picture of Josephine and had the wrong shutterspeed. I ended up moving the camera while the picture was being taken.

I Heart Faces - Week 17 Kids: HATS!

2009-05-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Go to I Heart Faces for more pictures of kids and hats!

Vegas!

2009-05-05T14:04:00.001-07:00

Doug and I had a little mini vacation in Vegas last weekend. I took my camera, and have been editing photos all morning. I didn't take many pictures, but this one, I just fell in love with and need to share it.

I Heart Faces - Week 17 Adults - HATS!

2009-05-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to attend a party in Las Vegas this weekend, where Doug's coworker was having her 50th birthday party. Her theme for the day was "Red Hats." It was a blast to meet all of her friends and family. Even walking through the our hotel, people would stop and say, "are you with Monica's party?!"

Here is the beatiful Monica, with her wonderful red hat.

Go to I heart facesto see more adult entries.

Doug can take pictures too!

2009-04-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

Park Day

2009-04-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today is supposed to be the nicest day of the week. I decided to take Josephine out to a new park for lunch today. She loved it.

I Heart Faces Week 15: Self Portrait

2009-04-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

I learned the hard way, I can't hold my camera and take a picture with my 50mm lense. I got creative and decided to use the bathroom mirror instead. This was a tough picture to take considering there is no natural light in my bathroom.

See more self portrait pictures at I heart faces

20 days!

2009-04-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 20 days since our last posting! We have been up to a lot of good stuff. Here is an update in bullet points:

* Doug worked in Seattle the first weekend of April. Josephine and I went up to Bellevue to spend the night with him one night. I have pictures and will post them.

* Had my birthday....April 7th.

* Left on my Birthday to help Laura and her broken Ankle. Josephine spent a week over in Spokane and loved hanging out, just us "girls." Spent Easter in Spokane (Doug and my mom joined us).

* Made it home with snow over the pass.

* Spent a week playing catch up with groceries, playgroups, and meetings.

* Spent almost an entire weekend outside! Finally, we have some spring weather.

I will try and post pictures this week.

Thank You Penelope Coffey!

2009-03-30T14:30:00.001-07:00

Today we headed out to the Dupont Public Library to pick up some books that were on hold. I got a Pierce County Library card last week, after finding out that I could get a non-resident card. I looked through their online catalog and decided they had a better selection of books then my Timberland Library system. I love my local library, but if I can utilize two systems, then I will!

We walked into the library and I noticed a sign that said 5 magazines for $1.00. How did they know I was wanting some magazines to read? I started looking and found mostly Time and People, but then saw Parenting. I picked it up, and kept looking, then I saw 4 issues of Town and Country. It was done, I picked up my 5 magazines, the $1 goes to "friends of the Dupont Libary". 4 of those magazines were donated by Penelope Coffey. Then I saw a Kiosk that said, "Books Plus, To Go." These are non researvable books and DVD's. I picked up Kung Fu Panda for Josephine. I decided I really needed to take a look around this little library and see what else I could find. The Family Movie section was huge (not Blockbuster huge, but bigger then any library I have been to in the last couple of years) and had current titles. I picked up Horton Hears A Who.

Are you counting yet. I have 5 magazines, 2 DVD's, random books Josephine keeps taking off the shelves, and I still have not picked up my books on hold. I did remember my reusable shopping bag and after I got everything in it, it was heavy.

I LOVE the library!

New Cast Iron!

2009-03-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

I have been helping a friend out, by taking her daughter to classes with Josephine. Emma is two weeks older then Josephine, and they get along great. Josephine has enjoyed having someone to "talk" to, while riding in the car. Emma's mom is packing her house for an unexpected move, and when I asked her how it was going, she said she had too much "stuff". Some of the "stuff" she had, and didn't know what to do with, was a set of cast iron. I didn't hesitate to tell her I would take them off of her hands. I came home and instantly started seasoning the pans.

Here is the cast iron pan:

I had been planning on making soup tonight, and thought this pan will is perfect for Pumpkin Curry Soup. I found this recipe a couple months ago and love it! I add mushrooms to the onion saute, and then use my own curry spice mixture instead of store bought spice. When the soup is done, I use my hand mixer and puree the onion and mushrooms. Yum!

Josephine helping me stir the soup:

Here is the almost finished soup:

If you are wondering what goes in my Curry Spice Mixture, well here it is:
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili power

If you want to add spice, add some ground cayenne pepper (not too much!)

I Heart Faces - Week 11 Kids: No Flash

2009-03-24T07:22:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken with my 50mm lense. We were inside Taco Del Mar eating lunch with Grandma. The owner came over and gave Josephine a cookie, and she went straight for it. I have spent the last two days editing this photo in photoshop, only to discover I love the look of the photo straight out of the camera, with a crop. So, here it is, my "no flash" entry SOOC.

See this weeks other kid entries at I heart faces

I did it!

2009-03-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to make collages and story boards with the digital pictures that I have. Photoshop scares me, and I never learned how to use it properly, plus we have Photoshop 7. By my calculations, it's almost 10 years old. We could upgrade, but it would be $200.00. I recently went out and purchased Photo Shop Elements 7 for $50.00 after working on the trial version.

I made the new blog header, which may be changing daily, since I'm still trying to get the perfect look. I made the following story board after figuring out how to make the header.

I am so excited! This is the first version, and I will probably change the pictures to black and white, and maybe add some frames.....I will keep you updated.

I Heart Faces - Week 11 Adults: No Flash

2009-03-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

See more adult entries at I Heart Faces

Under construction!

2009-03-17T13:40:00.001-07:00

Please excuse the editing and bad formating, while I change the layout.

New and improved blog coming soon!

She's growing up so fast!

2009-03-11T20:37:00.001-07:00

A day at Toddler Gym Jam

2009-03-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Josephine's grandmother came down from Puyallup, to join us at Toddler Gym. Toddler Gym is a 45 minute program where the kids 2 to 3 years old run around an enclosed room. There are two circle time's where we do songs, reading, parachute, and have a generally good time.

After Toddler Gym, Gerry took us out to Lunch. We went to Taco Del Mar, and Josephine impressed the owner with her good table manners. He gave her 2 cookies.

I <3 Faces Week 9: Creative Crop Adults

2009-03-10T08:46:00.001-07:00

Creative or Accident? Well, I was trying to be creative and take some self portraits. I ended up with a picture of just my eyes. I decided to work with it, and use in this weeks creative crop category for I heart faces.

After:

Before: I didn't do much to this photo except edit it in photo shop, and take out just a little extra around the edges.

Visit I heart faces to see other adult entries.

I Heart Faces Week 9: Creative Crop Kids!

2009-03-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was going through my picture files of Josephine last week, deleting pictures that we are no longer in need of. I came across this picture and her smile just made my heart melt all over again. I decided to play with it in photoshop and see what I could do with it.

After: I cropped and tilted Josephine's face just a little. Then I played with different elements in photoshop until I got this picture.

Before

To see more kids entries go to I heart faces.

I heart faces Week 8: Messy Face

2009-03-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

I am not a beginner, but I don't put my knowledge to use as often as I would like. Hopefully, this contest will make me practice more.

This weeks entry "messy face" is of my daughter eating a pork chop. She loves to eat meat off the bone.

See other entries atI heart faces.

Coffee Roasting 101

2009-03-02T08:14:00.001-08:00

Doug's brother, Steve, came over on Friday night to learn how to roast coffee. Doug has just started this new hobby. First you roast the green beans over a propane flame (outside).

Doug takes a look at the beans to see how they are doing.
When they are done, the chaff needs to be taken off of the beans, and they need to be cooled so they stop cooking.
On the left is dark roast, and on the right is espresso roast.

Thoughtful Friday

2009-02-27T13:38:00.000-08:00

Fridays are busy for us, especially on payday. We left the house at 9am this morning and didn't get home until 1pm.

Josephine has music class in Olympia on Fridays. After class I went through the drive through of McDonalds because Josephine was hungry (and I was in a rush and forgot to pack her snacks). We don't typically eat at McD's, but I thought since it was there, and was easy, I would just do it. When the person taking my order asked if I wanted 2 apple pies for an additional dollar, I said yes. I don't know what made me say yes, except I had a craving for apple pie a couple days ago. I knew I wasn't going to give one to Josephine, and I knew I wasn't going to eat both of them, but I took them anyway. On my way out of the drive through, there was a man holding a sign. The sign said "Out in the cold, anything will help, God Bless." That was my sign that this man needed my other apple pie. I handed him the apple pie and drove away. When I looked back in my rear view mirror, he was eating it right then and there. Most of the time, I see people take food and stash it. Not this guy, he must have been hungry because by the time I got through the light, he was done eating his pie.

My other thought falls to McDonald's and how my not so picky eater ate almost an entire double cheese burger and french fries. Josephine doesn't get fast food very often, and I am glad, because if she did, she would be a chunky monkey right now. I can see how easy it would be to fall into the trap of fast food, and since the kids like it, just let them eat it. I have to be a better parent than that. I do see how fast food and obesity can be interconnected.

I'm off to make a salad for dinner.

I heart Faces week 7 entry

2009-02-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

Visit I heart faces for this weeks entries.

This is a great visual on the Credit Crisis.

2009-02-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Sometimes, I wonder......

2009-02-16T19:35:00.001-08:00

Are our schools really working?

It snowed in Seattle this morning

2009-02-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

but the weather is not stopping us from going out and playing in the park. It actually did not snow here in Lacey, but was pretty cold last night. The day time temps are around 50 degrees, and it's sunny out. We can't pass up the opportunity to go to the park. Josephine was very excited to get outside and play and this weather has me itching for Summer.

I haven't updated this blog the last couple of weeks, because I have been sick. I caught Josephine's cold and it stuck around for a long time. I am finally starting to feel normal again, and will hopefully keep you updated on what we are doing.

Girl Scout Cookies

2009-01-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Time to put in your yearly order of girl scout cookies. Our neighbors granddaughter is always hitting us up for fundraiser sales, and every time I tell them "no thanks, but when the cookies come, I will order them." Last week my neighbor's granddaughter made her appearance. When I order, I just take one box of each. I don't even want to look at all the yummy goodness they offer and order many boxes of each. I figure this method will keep me honest, and not gain 300 pounds. Plus, they keep forever in the freezer.

Today, I found Homemade Girl Scout Cookie Recipes! Poor Doug, he starts a diet on Monday, and I find this lovely website, that will give me Girl Scout Cookies today, if I choose to bake any.

Sick

2009-01-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

Josephine had a rough week this week. She ended up with a horrible cold and cough and has spent most of the time laying in bed or watching movies. I caught her cold just in time for the weekend.

I heart faces - Week 2

2009-01-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

Josephine was not happy about being photographed.

Check out more entries for I heart faces.

Thing 1 and Thing 2

2009-01-18T18:57:00.001-08:00

Thing 1 = Pippin

I got Pippin from the Lewis Clark Animal Shelter in Lewiston Idaho. I wanted a dog, and small dog under 50 pounds. I was seriously considering getting a Boston Terrier, but my mom convinced me to take a look at the shelter and see if there were any puppies there. I found Pippin and he stole my heart. He was 4 months old and all wrinkles at the time. He was obviously part Shar Pei, and the shelter people told me, they don't go over 40 pounds. I decided he was mine, but had to wait 6 days for someone who owned him to claim him. If no one claimed him, I could take him home. And I did.

8 years later, he is 100 pounds (rounding up). He is not over weight. I watched him, grow and grow and realized that I had a BIG dog. I also realized that big dogs have the biggest hearts, and I am still in love.

Thing 2 = Duke

Duke came to us this last summer. We were out and about in Puyallup one morning, and I noticed there was an adoption event at PetsMart. Usually, the adoption events only involve cats, but I saw a sign for Puyallup Animal Rescue Dogs and Cats. So we decided to take a look. They had 6 dogs, and the first 5 did not interest us. Duke, was on the end, in a large kennel, and was just patiently wondering what was going on. He didn't have any noticeable reaction to Josephine when I put her in front of the kennel. Duke was Rottweiler / Black Lab mix, which was the exact type of dog we were looking for. After a very long day of introductions to Pippin and Josephine, we took him home.

6 months later, he is larger then Pippin. We love him still, but do hope he stops growing sometime soon.

Self Portrait

2009-01-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

I'm getting reacquainted with my Nikon D50 DSLR camera. I spent some time this afternoon playing with the shutter speed and aperture settings. I took this after focusing on one of Josephine's books and then setting the timer. Next time I will set up the tripod so I can have my entire head in the photo. I would spend all nap time playing around, but the clouds have taken all of my natural light.

Maybe I will get more tomorrow.

I Heart Faces Entry

2009-01-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

Children's face entry:

My daughter at Long Lake this last summer.

Adult face entry:

My dad holding my daughter up to see the Tiger at the Zoo.

Look at more entries at I {heart} Faces

Fun with Photoshop

2009-01-11T07:48:00.001-08:00

Straight out of the Camera

New picture with Photoshop editing.

The Sky is FALLING!!!!

2009-01-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

On December 16th we had our first snow of the year 2008. Yesterday, January 8th brought the first flood of the year 2009. Snow for 7 days straight is unusual......floods are not, unfortunately. The rain fall in our area was 6 inches in a 24 hour period. For some reason I like the floods, it makes thing interesting in the Spring and Summer when we go camping. Roads get washed out, campgrounds get wiped out, and old trails are washed away, but new ones are made in their place. When we were looking for a house to buy, anything near a creek or river or any body of water made us nervous. Instead, we purchased a house that has 3 major overflow retention ponds to keep all the back up of water, and they are holding.

Today, we went to Tumwater Falls Historical Park because one of Doug's coworkers said the falls were incredible to look at. We had no idea where we were going, but we ended up following all the traffic and ended up in the right place.

Here is what the falls would look like on a normal fall day.

Here is what the falls looked like today. The guy taking a picture in the first photo would be wet right now. We couldn't get any closer, they closed the park so looky loos like us wouldn't get too close. Instead we ate at a restaurant called Falls Terrace, and just enjoyed the view. Many other people had the same idea, because the place was packed when we left. The food and service were excellent.

Zoo Lights!

2009-01-06T13:51:00.001-08:00

We went to Zoo Lights on New Years Day (I can't believe that was almost last week!). The entire Carbaugh Clan met up at the zoo, and walked around the zoo looking at all the displays. Josephine had a blast, even though it was raining and cold.

A day in the life of a Stay at Home Mom

2009-01-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

You would think that I would have more time on my hands, being that I don't work, and stay home to take care of Josephine. Most of the time we don't stay home, Josephine has many activities to keep us always on the go, plus I need to make time to go to the gym and cook dinner most nights.

Today, we woke up late, we slept in until a quarter to eight. This meant no gym for us today, because I had made a portrait session at JCPenny's for Josephine at 10:40 am. Poor Doug injured his eye last night, so we are in between getting him in to see the doctor and getting me and Josephine ready to hit the mall. I have to add here, that I do not enjoy going to the mall. I only go as a necessity but I always try and make the most of it. Josephine tried to show me what she wanted to wear for her studio session, and this is what she came out as:

Nice, but no can do!

I am also planning on making dinner tonight, using my crock pot. Usually, this means I have to make sure I am home at a certain hour to make sure it gets in the crock pot and cooked before we all go to bed. Today, this meant I had to get it together before we left for the mall.

Want to know what I am making????

Thai Peanut Chicken - Crock Pot

4 each chicken drumsticks and thighs (about 2 ½ pounds)
2 cans petite cut diced tomatoes with chili’s
½ cup creamy peanut butter

Serves 4
Cook for 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low
Prep time 20 minutes

1. Remove skin from chicken.
2. Mix all ingredients in a 3 quart or larger slow cooker.
3. Carefully lift chicken onto serving plates and garnish with cilantro.

Per Serving
Calories 451
Protein 48g
Carbohydrates 14g
Fiber 7g
Fat 24 g (saturated fat 5g)
Cholesterol 154 mg
Sodium 1,141 mg

Source: Woman’s Day Magazine 8/5/03

I love this meal, and you can spice it up with Cayenne if you need it spicier or spice it down with just one can of diced tomatoes with chilies, and one can of regular chilies. I serve this with rice.

I still have a ton of things to do today, and lucky for me, Doug is home sick (really he is, he can't see due to a tree branch meeting his eye last night). Once Josephine goes down for her nap, I will head out to run more errands and Doug will listen to make sure she is sleeping.

2008 year in review

2008-12-31T09:16:00.000-08:00

It’s been quite a year for us here in the Carbaugh house. We started out the year with finding out Sunshine was pregnant, only to find out she miscarried in March. It was a little tough to get through, but we survived and continued on with our year.

In June we adopted our second dog Duke, from the Puyallup Animal Rescue. He was a rare find, in that he was 16 months old (still young enough to teach new tricks), he was a Rottweiler mix (which is what we both wanted) and he was a male dog (male dogs are bigger!). Duke took instantly to both Pippin and Josephine, so we decided right there on the spot to take him home with us. Taking in a dog was a huge change for us, especially a young dog who needed exercise and training. We were even a little leery about his behavior, like would he turn on us at any moment that we were not expecting. Lucky for us, that never happened. Duke is a great dog, and is now bigger then Pippin and takes up a space in our house and our hearts.

We also started work on our home improvements with the arrival of Spring. . . . well, we never did get a spring around here, let’s just say, that when it didn’t rain, we did some home improvements. First up, we added raised beds, to the side of the house, for our garden. Next, we moved the fence to the front of the house, instead of the back of the house, giving us more yard space in the back. Our garden did not turn out as nicely as we would have liked this year. We tried to grow many things and failed. We started composting over the summer as well, and added that to the soil for the winter, hoping to give the soil the much needed nutrition for the next growing season.

The summer was filled with Camping and trips to the Ocean. We completed 3 full camping trips of 4 days or longer. We were a little nervous with how Josephine would take to it, but she loved every minute of it, and we will be doing more of it this coming summer. Our big summer vacation trip was postponed many times, and ended up getting canceled due to gas prices. $4.50 a gallon was just too much for us, and we ended up just staying local and camping instead of a road trip to California to see family and friends. Maybe this year, we can make the big trip, if gas prices cooperate.

In August we found out Sunshine was pregnant again, only to find out at 10 weeks that she had miscarried again. We have forgotten who we told, and didn’t tell. So here is the notice, Sunshine is not pregnant at the time of this posting. We went through numerous tests to see if there was a medical explanation for our losses, and the only thing they found was Sunshine was a healthy woman. We are currently trying to get her knocked up again, hoping the odds are in our favor now.

Josephine started getting old enough to enjoy and participate in classes offered through parks and recreation. She started in Toddler Gym, which is more of a play and music type of class. Then Sunshine got her into gymnastics, which she absolutely loves. Starting in 2009 she will be taking 3 classes, Toddler Gym, Gymnastics, and Music and Movement. If Josephine drops her nap then she will be doing Soccer with Doug.

Overall we have had a very full year, full of family and friends. We love all of you, and thank you for all the support you have given us, and we hope to return the favor in the years to come.

Peter and the Wolf

2008-12-30T16:55:00.000-08:00

I came upon this little gem while looking through Netflix one afternoon. Josephine and I have watched it over and over, and still can't get enough of it. The film is by Suzie Templeton, and she won an oscar for her short film.

Jim's Birthday!

2008-12-30T14:03:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Jim C's birthday last night at their house. Doug and I cooked, and Josephine entertained. On the menu: Gyro's, and it was yummy.

Just in case you are interested. We did Lamb Souvlaki for the Gyro meat. I found this recipe over the summer and loved it.

Doug and I got this recipe from a cooking class we took at the Y. In order for the sauce to be right, you have to use Greek style yogurt. The only place I have found true Greek style yogurt is at Trader Joe's. Our nearest TJ's is in University Place (not close to our house at all!), but for Jim, we went there anyways just for the yogurt. I later learned, through the Internet, that you can strain regular yogurt in cheese cloth, to get the thicker texture of Greek style yogurt.

Tzatziki Sauce (Niko's)

This yogurt dip is great for breads, vegetables, and can kick up any appetizer. As a traditional Greek dish, this dip is usually eaten with fresh bread. The cultured yogurt, raw cucumber and garlic also aid as digestive components to a meal. The quality of yogurt used in this recipe determines the entire outcome of the tzatziki's texture and taste!

1c. Greek Yogurt
¼c. shredded cucumber
1tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Several mint leaves finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground pepper

To make our Gyro's we used pita bread (NOT pockets), lettuce, chopped cucumber, chopped olive, chopped tomatoes, feta cheese (Trader Joe's), souvlaki meat, and topped it with Tsatziki sauce.

Some Recipes

2008-12-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

We like to cook, oh how we like to cook!

The Internet has helped us expand our horizons, in the cooking world. Doug and I have also taken cooking classes through the YMCA over the years and learned some more about our exotic tastes. A friend of mine also has a food blog with fabulous recipes, that I have tried many times. If you were wondering where I get these fantastic recipes, here they are:

Christmas Eve Dinner:

Poached Pear Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Ham
Scalloped Potatoes made with Gruyere Cheese (I used Betty Crocker's recipe)
Candied Yams (I cheated and used S&W candied yams)
Green Been Casserole
Favre Family Bread Roles

Dessert - Chocolate Crunch Cake

For our Christmas Baskets I made:
Snickerdoodle Muffins
Pumpkin Scones
My secret recipe Chocolate Chip Cookies (I can't share everything)
Cranberry Infused Vodka

Snow (more of it!)

2008-12-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning (December 23rd) we woke to a layer of ice and snow on top. It was very beautiful outside and I had to take my artistic skills and get this shot.

Our Snow man started tipping, but her also is berried waist deep now.

You can compare this picture with some of the previous posts to see how much snow we have.
Our poor garbage can is full, and no one will come dump it. The garbage trucks can't make it into out neighborhood.

Josephine is 2!

2008-12-26T14:33:00.001-08:00

Josephine's second birthday was on December 18th. This year we decided to have a small family gathering at Jim and Gerry's house in Puyallup. I made Josephine's cake again this year. I used different size muffin tins, and came up with this design.
Josephine enjoyed everyone singing to her and blew out her candles.

Josephine didn't want a hat this year, so we went with the headband crown.

Josephine got the big cupcake this year.
From Kelly, Josephine got a large package of play food for her kitchen.

Grandma and Grandpa Carbaugh gave Josephine her very own vacuum cleaner. Now, Josephine vacuums along side of me everyday.

Grandma Jody gave Josephine a the book, The Frog Wore Red Suspenders.
Great Grandma Sally and Frank sent Josephine a toy she already had. I was able to exchange it for this little set of cupcake play food.

We gave Josephine this book/sketch pad set. Josephine loves to write so, this little number is definitely keeping her busy.
Jerry and Karisa gave Josephine this cute little doll. Josephine loves it.
Josephine had to test out her vacuum cleaner, and did a very good job helping us clean up.

Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was at our house this year. The only person missing was Steve (Doug's brother) who ended up stuck in Spokane because of all the snow we had prior to Christmas.

From top to bottom, left to right.....Jim C, Jerry (Doug's son, 18 years old), Josh (Kelly's son, 17 years old), Gerry, Rick, Jaesen (Kelly's son, 10 years old), Kelly, Doug, Sunshine, Josephine (2 years old) and Jim S (who is a Carbaugh, whether he wants to be or not!)
Josephine was not happy any time someone went to the bathroom. I caught her trying to get under the door while someone was in the bathroom.

Josh and Josephine. We don't get to see Josh as often as we would like, so it was nice to see Josephine getting to know her cousin a little more.

We opened presents after dinner. Josephine was more interested in sitting on her present then opening it.

Then we showed her what to do, and she had to study the box for a minute to make sure she knew what she was doing.

Then Josephine got to work. She wasted no time getting this box unwrapped.

Jim got Josephine this tent, which is supposed to fit over a twin bed. Since Josephine is still in a toddler bed, they put the mattress in the tent and she was very happy with it.

Doug's parents got him a Scrabble game. Doug LOVES to play Scrabble.

Josephine was very Thankful for all of her gifts and went around and gave everyone a hug.

Doug and I made some homemade Cranberry infused Vodka for Jim's Christmas present. This was some very good stuff, and it help end a very good evening.

2008-12-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday Dec 17th, we got our first snow fall of the season. It doesn't usually snow this much here, but it is cold enough that the snow kept coming and the snow has stuck around. We are on day 4 of snow, and more is expected. We are under a storm watch tonight and could get as much of a foot of snow tonight and freezing rain in the morning.

3 day old snowman. He has tipped a little, but so far he isn't going anywhere.
Our neighbors have been doing a good job at keeping their sidewalks clear. I think they are sharing a snow shovel between the three of them. Sadly, they don't really sell snow shovels here, so we are making due with a flat regular shovel.
Duke (Black Lab/Rot Mix) and Pippin (Shar Pei/Shepard Mix) are LOVING the snow. They get out to play in it every chance they can get.

Josephine will only go in the snow if she is in this sled. Doug takes every chance he can get and runs down the street with her.

Again, I need to thank Laura and Tori for the wonderful snow boots and coat. They are perfect for this weather, and I would have never thought of buying them myself this year because, well . . . . it doesn't get that cold here. I even went out and got myself a pair of boots yesterday, since I can definitely use them.

Snow Day Continued

2008-12-17T18:09:00.000-08:00

This is the only video camera that we have that will upload to our computer. No sound and the quality is not very good.

Here's a look at Josephine and Doug playing in the snow.

Snow Day!

2008-12-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

We hardly ever get snow here in Western Washington, but today has been a great snow day. Thanks to Laura and Tori, Josephine sported a parka and boots to go out and play in the snow.

Since it is a snow day, all activities have been canceled.

Instead, we made play doh and played in the snow.

Josephine has also watched the entire movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

3 Years!

2008-12-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

It's been 3 years now, that Josephine has been able to visit Santa.

The first visit to Santa was on Christmas Eve 2006. If you are good at math, Josephine was less then 10 days old. This was one of our first official outings.
The second visit to Santa was before her birthday, in 2007. We went to the South Hill Mall in Puyallup for this one. Josephine was not exactly pleased to be on this guys lap, but we got a picture of them together without her crying. Josephine was barely 1 in this picture.
I am not the mom who tortures their kid at Christmas time to get the Santa picture, well I am, but I don't want to see Josephine crying. So we were prepared for the worst, and decided to get a family picture. Josephine was scared of Santa the minute he walked in. I have been talking him up for the last month, but Josephine wanted nothing to do with him.

In the end, Josephine said "Thank you" for her toy, and "bye-bye" as we walked away. So, it wasn't too traumatic for her.

Some things just have to be shared!

2008-12-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

This story is priceless!

Confessions of a Pioneer Woman

2008-12-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

December 6th was our first Christmas Party of the season. It started out at Mandy and Steve Sheet's house in Covington. Instead of a Christmas Tree, they had a Holiday Palm Tree (which is not a bad idea, because all the presents fit under the tree). We left Josephine at home with her brother Jerry for the evening.

The party had contests, and one of them was "Festive Holiday Costume." Here is Santa, this guy was dressed like this all night. Once in a while he had a PBR in his hand. (For those of you who don't know, that stands for Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer).

This little guy is Tegan. He was the youngest party guest (15 months old). He was stuck to me like glue the entire night.

There was a gift exchange, and one of the rules required the receiver to wear what ever they opened. Sunshine was lucky enough to open Batman and Stewey underwear.

Sunshine modeled her gift.

There was tons, and tons of food at the party. Most foods had a theme, like food on a stick and food inside a food.

Time to get a Christmas Tree

2008-12-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

This is Josephine's first year to hunt for a Christmas tree. I dressed her in the warmest outfit she would let me put on her, and away we went.
We went to Hunters Tree Farm off of Yelm Highway. Inside the barn there were pgymy goats, pot bellied pigs, and one Turkey. Josephine now knows what a Turkey is supposed to say!

The tractor ride dropped us off in the middle of all different kinds of trees. Too bad we don't know a what kind of tree we were looking for. So we wondered around for a while.
And kept looking for something we liked.
We got this little beauty. A 6 foot spruce. Here is Doug trimming the bottom.
We decided to walk back to the main area instead of wait for a tractor. Josephine had to help.

The next morning Josephine helped us decorate the tree. She studied each placement of the ornaments.

The finished product!

Gymnastics!

2008-11-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

One of Josephine's newest activities is Gymnastics. She loves it much more then I do. It's a lot of work for me, but she gets a lot out of it, and ends up taking a very long nap afterwords.
Warming up.

Running around on the floor. Unfortunately, on this day, there were only 2 kids in the class.

Playing on the bars, which is Josephine's favorite activity.

Walking the beam, Josephine's other favorite activity.

Today is ELECTION DAY!

2008-11-04T08:18:00.001-08:00

4 years ago, (and I still hold a grudge about it!) I was mandated to attend a meeting for work, on election night. I told my supervisor that there was no way I was going to a meeting on election day, at 7 pm when a majority of the polls were closing. My supervisor said, "it's election day, oh, well you will still have time to vote." That wasn't my point, and I let him know how important it was for me to know who the winners of the election were. I wanted to be in the thick of it rallying for my party, and my candidates. I wanted to feel the tears of hope, and the fear of defeat. In the end, I didn't get out of the meeting.

Little did I know, that the Governors race in Washington would not be decided that evening, but was decided in the following weeks, after 3 recounts (which Rossi lost on the third count, he won the first two).

I hope everyone has exercised their vote, for the candidate of their choice. Tonight, we will not be at a rally, but sitting near our computer and radio (since we don't have cable) to hear the returns. Josephine goes to bed at 8pm, so she will have to wait until morning, to hear who our next Governor and President will be.

SNL

2008-11-02T07:30:00.001-08:00

Halloween - first Trick or Treat!

2008-10-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

The Halloween Witch!

Josephine says "hi" to Elmo (Will)

Josephine and Hanna sitting on the couch.

Group shot in front of Becky's house.

Josephine walking to the next house.

Trick or Treat!

The Faceoff!

2008-10-31T08:24:00.001-07:00

Harvest Party (aka Halloween, but they have to be PC)

2008-10-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

Doug and I attended my MOMS Club anual Harvest Party last night. Our little witch was ready to party, and we enjoyed talking to the other moms and dads, and letting the kids run and be wild!

A Weekend at the Carbaugh's

2008-10-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday mornings started out with errands and Marinara prep. Gerry (Doug's mom) and I grew tomatoes this summer in the hopes of canning marinara. As typical with Northwest summers, our growing started late. It was just after 4th of July the weather warmed enough to grow tomatoes. However, it left little time for them to grow. Gerry had the greatest success with Roma's and our tomatoes were okay. We started harvesting around the beginning of September, and took the last harvest the first week of October. Typical of Northwest weather, you never know what you are going to get, and we are having a beautiful fall.

The beginning of Marinara, 4 gallons of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and anchovies.

Prepping the pots.
Eventually, we had two pots of Marinara.

Two pots of Marinas turned into 8 quart jars. We ate one last night!

On Sunday, we went for a drive to Elma to check out some hotels for Doug's hunting trip next week. We ended up at some beautiful parks and just enjoying our fall weather.

Josephine takes a moment to smell a flower.
I had to put this picture in, since you don't see tire swings very much anymore. Josephine enjoyed it.

What a difference a year makes!

2008-10-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

10 days ago....

2008-10-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sunshine's dad came from California to visit us. We had a ton of fun together, and here are some of the pictures we took.

Dad and Josephine hanging out in the morning.

Dad and Josephine watching Sesame Street.

Taking a ride at the Spooner Farm's Corn Maze

Watching the Tigers at the Point Defience Zoo

Lattin's Cider Mill Pumpkin Patch

A little funny....

2008-09-14T09:06:00.001-07:00

I just had to share!

Swim Lessons!

2008-08-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Having children, ultimately means you will take your child to swim lessons. Josephine (with Doug's help) started swim lessons earlier this month. Josephine is learning to kick, blow bubbles, and use her arms. Josephine quickly picked up on jumping off the edge and going under. Lucky for us the pool is indoor, since the weather around here can be unpredictable.

Our Hungry Little Girl!

2008-07-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

In my (Sunshine) attempt to keep this blog updated, I am posting a recent picture of Josephine.

Here she is eating a pork chop meat off the bone a couple of nights ago. The girl has a healthy appetite and rarely refuses to eat anything.

Her favorite foods: vegetable juice, tortillas, cheese, lunch meat and mustard.

Her least favorite foods: Bread, avacodos, smores!

Jerry Graduates High School!

2008-07-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

June 13, 2008, Jerry James Carbaugh graduated from Walker High School!

This was one of the longest graduation ceremonies, but worth it to see Jerry graduate. Each student had a little bit said about them by one of their teachers.

Jerry receives his diploma.

The Graduate.

The Gang.

WAY TO GO JERRY!

Camping at Lake Wynoochee

2008-07-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

On July 24th we headed out to Lake Wynoochee camping area in the Olympic National Forest. The campground is right next to a lake, and we thought it would be a good opportunity to drop the boat in and do a little fishing.

We departed the house at 10:30am thinking it would take 2 hours to get there. It took us 4 1/2 hours after running into some bad directions and road construction. The road leading directly to Lake Wynoochee from Montesano (Hwy 12 towards Aberdeen) was closed for road work. The other back roads put us on a logging and single-lane road. We decided to take the last possible route to Lake Wynoochee we could find on the map. This was via Highway 101 on the western side of the peninsula. When we found the Donkey Creek road, we discovered we could get to the campground and the closed part of the oringially planned route was before the campground.

We arrived and found a wonderful spot. Space 27 was big enough for a few more tents, but also had open space for the dogs to run and not get into trouble (well that was our hope anyway!). We were taking one of 5 spots that were occupied in the campground. Because we arrived on Tuesday, all the other spots were available and we enjoyed the quiet for a while.

While at the campground, we enjoyed fishing, hiking and general exploring. The campground is above a dam, and there is a recreation area for swimming, including a swim platform. The weather was a little to cold for us to go swimming, but it was a beautiful place to be if it was warmer.

Josephine was great while camping, she helped Doug set up the tent.

Josephine checking out all the camping supplies.

Cub Scout Dinner!

Time for a cocktail!

Josephine gets a bath.

Josephine helps put wood on the fire.

Wynoochee Dam (upper side) and swim area.

Sunshine holding on to "the beast."

Josephine and Sunshine on a hike.

The campground name is "Coho" and like all of the Olympic National Forest it is first come, first served. Thursday night before we left, the campground was full! By the time we left Friday morning, we had 3 people wanting our spot. One person left chairs before we left and another person paid for the spot before we left. We decided to let them duke it out and left to go home.

For reference, here is the map of the Olympic National Forest Campgrounds.

Playing in the Garden

2008-07-27T14:23:00.001-07:00

Josephine is 19 month old now. We spend a lot of time with her grandparents, Jim and Gerry. Here are some pictures from a visit a couple weeks ago.

McCord Air Expo 2008

2008-07-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 19th, we ventured over to McCord Air Force base to see the air show. Getting there was a pain. We sat in traffic for an hour, then once we parked we waited in line for a while, and then once we were inside we had to wait for Doug's dad who was right behind us. We also met up with Jerry and Carissa.

We had a great day! Josephine did awsome for having to be couped up in the car for so long, and stroller most of the day. Josephine LOVES airplanes! Once the demostrations got started she was easily entertained.

B-2 Bomber. You definately could not hear it coming!

Josephine saying hi to Jerry

Josephine and Daddy

The airshow demonstrations were great, but the best one was the Thunderbirds! The show started at 3:30pm, which made for a long day.

Overall the day was excellent. It was a little warm, and we did a lot of walking. The worst part of the air show was trying to leave. There was 150,000 people there, and they were all trying to get out through the main gate. About an hour after the show was over, they finally opened the north gate (near where we were parked) and we were able to get out after about another 45 minutes of waiting.

Day 1

2008-07-21T20:55:00.001-07:00

Doug thought we should have our own family blog. Here it is!