this is going to be a long post...and a little random...and lists seem to be a common theme

Destination, Grand Coulee Dam.

That's where we went on our Sunday drive the other weekend.
I didn't mean to leave you hanging for so long, I'm not quite sure where the past week and a half went. I had intentions of posting about our adventure last Monday or Tuesday, but obviously that didn't happen.
We got in the truck and drove drove drove, up and over Badger Mountain (looking back over the Wenatchee Valley).

hmm, strange road.

We arrived at Dry Falls and munched our lunch. This golf ball sized grape is the biggest grape I've ever seen, took 3 bites to get it down!

Then we explored Dry Falls a little.

That is a place you could easily spend the whole day exploring, but we had places to go! More driving driving driving...to Grand Coulee Dam.

A view from the backside.

11,975,521 cubic yards of cement = largest concrete dam in N. America

I'd like to see the lazer light show they do at night sometime.

I love how the whole big place is built into the rock.

I squealed with delight when I found acorns all over the ground...

I gathered as many acorn caps as Cory would let me...they will be used for a project I've been wanting to make lately (more on that later).
The moon was out and oh so pretty as the sun was setting on our way back home.

It was the perfect Sunday. A few more pictures from our adventure found here, and this is the ground we covered, we made a big figure-8:


I have the day off from work today, in honor of our country's veterans. There is a monster of a flag flying on the pole at Banner Bank, which I plan of taking a picture of. Every time I drive by it, I think about how I want a picture. Today I'm making it my priority. Another thing on my lengthy list of things to accomplish today (besides making a cheesecake, I really have a taste for cheesecake - random) includes making a pretty yarn wreath using this tutorial, and acorns that I've been felting using those caps I scored at the dam. (click images for sources)

Also needing to come up with a design for our Christmas cards sometime soon, so I can get crafting. Have you seen the USPS stamp set for 2009?

Love that happy reindeer.
Now that Halloween has passed, the holiday season is upon us, and I have a feeling the weeks are going to fly by. Also on the list is to start compiling a wish list (I like lists!), gathering gifts, decide on a wrapping paper scheme (because I like all the gifts to look like a coordinated collection under the tree - don't ask). And then little Betty Baker appears in the kitchen. I love holiday cookies :)

On the baking topic...I don't know how I ran across these adorable cookie monster cupcakes, but I thought I'd share. I love the ones with the broken cookie crumbs.

Once I found the first set, I had to look for more...love that Elmo!


Did you know what Sunset magazine had a blog, Home By Sunset (it only makes sense, everyone else is doing it). Did you also know that Amy Butler has some pretty new bath towels, available at bedbathandbeyond.com for $14.

They don't really go with my bathroom scheme, but they sure are pretty. I love all of her patterns...makes me want to sew.

I really like this "to do" list idea (...another list!) Age minus a year = number of things to do before your next birthday. Since I'm already just about half way to my next one already, I can make my list half as long, or get a move on...or just wait until my next birthday cycle so I can have the full year to work on crossing off items on my list (plus that will give me time to work on making my list, right?)

Hey, U2 is coming to Seattle June 20th...tickets go on sale Monday. Am I a little excited? I think so! Oh, and the CMA's are on tonight. Out of all the award shows, I think that one is my favorite.

Speaking of shows to get excited about...I wish I had a ticket to the PNB Director's choice. Looks amazing, here's a peek:

and another, and another, if you are interested.
If that's not inspiration for my class tonight, I don't know what is.

And a little story about a tragic event that happened last night...
Cory wins. I had close to a bajillion windows & tabs open on the computer, the collection has been growing for a while now. He has been telling me for days (or maybe closer to a week or two, or more?) that the computer needs to be restarted. Yeah, yeah...I'll work on it.
With some of my time after work yesterday I was honestly working on bookmarking the sites I wanted to revisit, saving images that were inspiring to me, I had this blog post started about a few things I wanted to share with you...
Overnight the computer restarted itself. Website overload. I use Mozilla, and I can usually "restore previous session" when I reopen the browser, and all my sites magically pop back onto the screen (and then it takes 5 minutes for all of them to load), then onto my regularly scheduled habits. Not this morning. Nothing. They were all gone. He wins. Then I remembered what he had told me the other night as he was reminding me about restarting the stupid thing, "Oh Michelle, you will never reach the end of the internet." Errrr!
Oh well, I guess I have to be over it, it was kind of my fault and I knew it would happen eventually (...but I had such good looking recipes just waiting to be printed and tried!)
I guess, if that's the worst thing that happens today, then things aren't that bad.

I'm off to take my picture of that monster flag, and for items for cheesecake and my yarn wreath.
Happy Veteran's Day.
Thank you, to all the brave men & women that have served, are serving, and will serve our country.