Tuesday, November 27, 2007

More Ornaments (see 1st post below)

If you haven't seen the first blog post, click here or scroll down...




This ornament is from a street market in Austria!







Monday, November 26, 2007

Christmas Arrives...

Tree's up, outside lights up, Christmas has arrived...this first ornament is new this year, in memory of my Mom...the only one I know who "lived for the Holidays" more than I did.





Friday, November 23, 2007

Greene Family Christmas Wish List

Biz: ANYTHING - surprise me
Derrick: See Biz
Mike: two items - a 72mm to 77mm step up ring and then a 77mm circular polarizer.
Julie: surprises, an old navy fleece, high quality chocolates, Ratatouille dvd, gift cards, another white SB mug like the on in this picture.
Kathryn: a Starbucks photo mug, SB peppermint syrup, I really want to spend time having fun with people so a "treat with people or a person" sounds great. There's also a lime green big cute teapot at the SpiceHut in B'ham. The identifying factor is that has a strainer that works for roiboos tea, if that's easier than figuring out that treat. :) Also a great gluten free baking book is welcome. and a surprise
Dave: Gift certificate to Flats Tapas Bar in Bellingham <http://www.flatstapas.com/ > or Milano's Restaurant & Deli(360-599-2863) in Glacier. :)
Nicki: a cheap, brown guitar strap, not leather: sephora stuff, Pilates or Yoga mat
Matt: Ok, just so I'm not the only person without a Christmas item on the list: Box of Joe-Joes cookies from Trader Joes - $2.49. Yes, I bought two boxes today. Yes, they only have them this time of year. Yes, I will need another box come Christmas time. :) I'd be perfectly happy with a box of Joe-Joes and being able to hang out with family and go on a walk in Whatcom Falls Park. I might think of something else later that I want, but I really just want people to not stress out about buying gifts and just have a fun day with the family. Sharing my Joe-Joes - best Christmas cookie known to man.
Here's more from Matt:
Bourne Ultimatum @ Best Buy - $14.99http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8575062&st=bourne+ultimatum&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1777946
Narnia @ Half.com - $12.90http://product.half.ebay.com/The-Chronicles-of-Narnia-The-Lion-The-Witch-and-the-Wardrobe_W0QQprZ51082657QQtgZinfo
America's Cheapest Family @ Half.com - $7.92http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ54343784QQcpidZ1375904398

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Camano Island Retreat

Julie and I just got back from a much needed 3 day retreat at Camano Island. What did we do? Not much! We read, walked, slept, ate and that's about it.




Friday, November 16, 2007

Frodo?

I took this picture at the Bellevue Botanical Garden...it reminded me of 'Frodo.'

Monday, November 12, 2007

A Stormy Day

So it was quite stormy today - the official high wind gust was 74, but un-officially there was a gust of 97 today in Bellingham. Mostly, it was about 30-40 mph sustained. Yes, we lost power from 6:30 AM until about 2:30 PM...a big tree fell on Lakeway, close to our house, and did quite a number on the power lines. I took these pictures down at Boulevard park.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

An Anniversary to Remember

So for our fifth anniversary, Friday (the 8th), I surprised Julie with the cake you see below. This cake was made by Randy Isselin, who is an amazing guy. His wife is our church secretary/receptionist and if you want to see more of his stuff, click here.

Why the cake? Well, when we got married our wedding cake had an accident, (it fell). As a result, Julie has often regretted not ever seeing her wedding cake the way it was pictured in her head. So, to celebrate our 5-year anniversary, I surprised her with this one. Needless to say, I scored some husband points!

It looks amazing, and tastes amazing. It's a white cake with cream cheese frosting and a "tayberry" filling (a cross between a blackberry and raspberry). Yes, those flowers are made by Randy and are edible! It's an amazing cake.






























Monday, November 05, 2007

Lake Geneva?

Yes, it's true, Julie and I found a beautiful lake, er uh "pond" only a few minutes from our house. Just head out on Lake Louise Road (off of Lakeway) and go about 5 minutes, looking for the parking lot on your left.

It was a beautiful day and we hit the trail following the signs to "Geneva Pond" - when we got there, we encountered another older sign that called it Lake Geneva. Sounds like there's some confusion there...still, a highly recommended walk/run/hike - (about 2 miles from the parking lot, round trip).

The other two pictures are of our Japanese Maple Tree in our yard which turns a brilliant red this time of year.