A Grand Day Out: Gratituesday

Today I'm linking up with Laura at Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday. If you get the chance, visit some of the other participants to find out what they're grateful for today!

We've recently moved to northern Washington and have been excited to explore the surroundings.A couple of weeks ago, my husband planned a fun day out for our family.

We began at the Washington State University Discovery Garden in Mount Vernon. What was estimated to be about a 20 minute jaunt around a few paths turned out to be a 2 1/2 hour stroll through garden upon garden! It was beautiful! There are way too many pictures to post and too much to tell so I'll just include a few highlights!  

I thought the most interesting plant was this giant rhubarb. I know it looks big in the picture but I'm telling you...this thing was HUGE! It was seriously three feet tall! I don't think they grow 'em like that in eastern Oregon???

There was a special garden just for children where Selah and Lynzie posed with some favorite story book characters.
Alice, The Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts were all hiding in the bushes.  

Elisha was really excited to find what he thought was a beehive. (Although he called it a "bee hind"). Turns out, it was just a storage box for hoses...but I couldn't convince him so we got a picture in front of the "bee hind".

I thought it was really neat that they had a little bit of everything and that there was something for everyone. There were rose gardens, herb gardens, areas specific to fruit plants and others for vegetables. There was a veteran's memorial and a children's garden. We got a little turned around in a thicket of trees and even saw a frog in a pond in the "native to Washington area".

One part of the garden that I thought was especially useful was a pavilion that featured several gardening ideas for the handicapped. There was a big display that showcased lots of different gardening tools to aid those who need a little help in gardening. There were also displays to show creative ways to allow those with impairments to enjoy the plants and soil too. For instance, there was a little garden planted in a high, table-like planter for the visually impaired:

There was also a display of a garden built into a planter with seating all around it so someone who was not able to stand or bend could sit on the edge and work in his or her garden:  

My favorite display of all was the Espalier trained apple tree!  You can read more about Espalier training here but the picture should give you a pretty good idea what they've done. Can you imagine having your apple tree grow out along your fence? So awesome!  

After an "interesting" lunch in the car (I grabbed the peanut butter and bread but forgot a knife...Jamie had to spread it on with a pocket knife while I was feeding the baby!), we headed out to Whidbey Island to take some pictures.

We eventually ended up in a little town called Coupeville and found a park where Jamie stopped so the kids could play and I could feed the baby. Jamie put flowers in my hair:

Then he found a trail that we walked down to a little beach just the right size for us!

There we found lots of sea shells and skipped some rocks.

It was a really great day and the best part of all was that we spent it together!

Mc Call's from January 1966: Pink Saturday

It's Pink Saturday over at Beverly's blog, How Sweet the Sound. Head on over, if you have the chance, and visit other Pink Saturday participants!

I recently visited my next door neighbor, the thrift store, and found this Mc Call's magazine from January, 1966. I stood there and flipped through it for a little bit---since several of the stories and ads caught my attention, I decided to go ahead and buy it. I'm sure my mom will enjoy it when I'm done. She was 9 years old in January, 1966.

This magazine features several photos with the color pink. The first thing that just cracked me up was this ad for Frigidaire refrigerators. Check out their "Space Age" suits, helmets and goggles!




















The next ad that caught my eye was one for Comet cleanser in the "pretty, new Bathroom Size!" Now this is something that I really wish was still around---Comet in a plastic container! I don't know about you, but there has been more than one instance of my Comet shaker can getting all nasty from a leaky pipe under the sink! How smart to make them plastic---I wonder why they ever took them away??

My mom would really enjoy the next ad for the Columbia Record Club (now Columbia House...for cds and dvds!) Here's one especially for you, Mom!


What's up with the accent mark over the "e" in Cher?




My husband loved this ad for Dermassage skin lotion...because "You don't have to be fat to be soft"!! So funny!

Have a happy Pink Saturday!

Skagit County Memorial Highway: Gratituesday

I think it's pretty much a given that a lot of Gratituesday participants are going to have a Memorial Day-themed post today. That's why I wasn't going to do one.

I really don't want to admit this but I'm going to: I don't think that the majority of the people of my generation take military service as seriously as those in the earlier generations do. I don't think we really "get" the idea of sacrifice---of valuing freedoms. There's several reasons for that: we've grown up in a "me-based" culture, we've been taught to look out for "number one", we've been inundated since infancy with images and talk of war to the point that it's just not a big deal anymore. That's really super disgusting---but it's the truth.

So...I was going through my pictures just now, trying to find something really "neat" to write about tonight. I came across the picture above and realized that I needed to write this Memorial Day-themed post after all!

Last week on my husband's day off, we took the kids to a local public garden and spent a good two hours walking around and enjoying the beautiful plants and trees. In the rose garden, we came across this memorial marker for the Skagit County Memorial Highway that was dedicated in 1931 to those who served in World War I. Before actually reading it, our kids were curious about it and 8-year-old Michael walked up to check it out. Soon, he was gathering us all around and waiting for everyone to quiet down so he could read it to us. When he was finished, he just stood there for a little bit and thought about what he'd read. In fact, they all just kind of stood there quietly---contemplating.











I really don't remember the conversation after that---just the feeling that they had really taken the time to remember those soldiers and recognize their humanity---those were real people who left their families, homes and familiarity---never knowing if they'd return to normalcy. I can't imagine making that sacrifice.

To be honest, I wouldn't make that sacrifice. I'm not soldier material. Not because I'm not physically fit enough, not because I'm afraid. Sickeningly enough, it's because I don't really love my country. I don't really understand the price that continues to be paid, year after year and century after century to keep the good in this country. I read on someone's blog today that it's easier to take liberty for granted when you've never had it taken from you. Thank God he's not done what we deserve and stripped us of that liberty.

Today, I'm grateful for my children who showed me the importance of remembrance, acknowledgment, and respect. I pray that they'll be some of












many in a new generation who will honor and cherish their freedoms and be willing to defend them and the country that they love.

For more Gratituesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.