John Edwards has withdrawn from the presidential race. He's been my first choice, though he remained in third place. Since I'm very torn between Clinton and Obama, my plan was to vote for Edwards in the primary. I guess I hadn't counted on him dropping out before I could. Now I will have to choose. Shoot.
-Liz :)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
What a good-looking bunch!
The Wood clan gathered for a family photo while sis-in-law Jill was in town. We tried a professional but didn't get any pictures worth looking at. So after we got home, we played around with the digital camera and got a pretty good one in our living room! We should have saved the money and done this from the beginning.... lesson learned :)-Liz
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Hearty soup for a very cold night
I made Hearty Corn Chowder tonight from BHG.com (photo stolen from Web site). I pretty much followed the recipe, though my measurements are never exact. I used frozen corn and didn't peel the potatoes (a major waste of time, in my opinion). It was super tasty and, indeed, hearty! I paired it with a baguette and a simple fruit salad.-Liz
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Recycle, reduce, reuse!
Pastor Gregg shared a great message Sunday about the Bible's perspective on environmentalism and what the response should be from "the church."
He posted the message on his blog. Click HERE to read it.
-Liz
He posted the message on his blog. Click HERE to read it.
-Liz
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Fun in the snow
Sean, Brad and I set out yesterday for some cross-country fun in the snow. We started out on the Yellow Jacket trail at the White River Canyon sno-park.
We knew it was a challenging trail, but it ended up being a bit above our ability (or at least my ability). And Sean had rental skis that weren't designed for the back-country terrain we were trying to tackle. So after some fruitless attempts, we ended up changing our plan and heading down (or up, I guess) the canyon. It's a gradual incline that you don't notice so much until you start heading back. I got into a groove (literally and figuratively!) and ended up coasting a long way in the soft, new snow. At one point, I overtook Brad, barely missing him and some trees as I sailed past. Low clouds blocked any potential view, but it did snow most of the time, and that's always fun.
Oh, and there was a local band shooting a music video when we got back to the parking lot. We overheard that it was "Blue Skies for Black Hearts." We're curious to see the finished product. It reminded us of our Whistler ski trip last year during which Janet Jackson was filming a movie right outside our condo! Fun stuff.
Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera again rejected the cold weather and wouldn't let me take a picture of the adventure :( I need to get that figured out ASAP.
We knew it was a challenging trail, but it ended up being a bit above our ability (or at least my ability). And Sean had rental skis that weren't designed for the back-country terrain we were trying to tackle. So after some fruitless attempts, we ended up changing our plan and heading down (or up, I guess) the canyon. It's a gradual incline that you don't notice so much until you start heading back. I got into a groove (literally and figuratively!) and ended up coasting a long way in the soft, new snow. At one point, I overtook Brad, barely missing him and some trees as I sailed past. Low clouds blocked any potential view, but it did snow most of the time, and that's always fun.
Oh, and there was a local band shooting a music video when we got back to the parking lot. We overheard that it was "Blue Skies for Black Hearts." We're curious to see the finished product. It reminded us of our Whistler ski trip last year during which Janet Jackson was filming a movie right outside our condo! Fun stuff.
Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera again rejected the cold weather and wouldn't let me take a picture of the adventure :( I need to get that figured out ASAP.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Muffin top
No, I'm not talking about tummies pooching over jeans - that's a different topic for a different day. I just realized that the "cakie" cranberry cookies I made Tuesday are like little muffin tops. When you think of them that way, they are WAY yummy :)
-Liz
-Liz
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Stealing
I am totally stealing this idea from my friend, ChaCha. I just found her blog, which shares her kitchen successes on the World Wide Web. Since I'm home a lot more than I used to be, I've been indulging my passion for baking and cooking. I like to try new recipes, so now I will share my successes and failings with you!
#1 - I'm going to ChaCha's house for dinner tomorrow and was asked to bring "something dessert-y." Knowing that Mr. ChaCha is a cookie monster, I promised a treat "in the cookie family." I had a container of whole cranberries burning a whole in my fridge, so I went out in search of a recipe.
I came up with Cranberry Drop Cookies on Cooks.com. I mostly followed it, but I melted the butter and didn't sift the dry ingredients separately (I never do). Oh, and I didn't use nuts (because I didn't have any). I added a little dried cranberry on the top of each just to be festive.
They turned out well. I baked them to the minimum 10 minutes (always under cook - that's my secret). They taste great, though I wouldn't call them fabulous. In other words, I was able to eat just one without gobbling up the whole batch in one sitting like I often do. They are more cakey than I was expecting, but still yummy.
#2 - Brad had asked for meatloaf on this week's menu. I don't have a recipe, so I again went hunting. I found a simple one that looked traditional (Mom's Basic Meatloaf) on About.com.
While the photo is a little less than appetizing, Brad assures me that it was really good - a keeper! (It was a vegetarian grilled cheese sandwich for me tonight) The loaf didn't stay together, but I think that's because it finished before Brad got home and I covered it with a lid. I think it just sweated a lot.
#1 - I'm going to ChaCha's house for dinner tomorrow and was asked to bring "something dessert-y." Knowing that Mr. ChaCha is a cookie monster, I promised a treat "in the cookie family." I had a container of whole cranberries burning a whole in my fridge, so I went out in search of a recipe.
I came up with Cranberry Drop Cookies on Cooks.com. I mostly followed it, but I melted the butter and didn't sift the dry ingredients separately (I never do). Oh, and I didn't use nuts (because I didn't have any). I added a little dried cranberry on the top of each just to be festive.
They turned out well. I baked them to the minimum 10 minutes (always under cook - that's my secret). They taste great, though I wouldn't call them fabulous. In other words, I was able to eat just one without gobbling up the whole batch in one sitting like I often do. They are more cakey than I was expecting, but still yummy.#2 - Brad had asked for meatloaf on this week's menu. I don't have a recipe, so I again went hunting. I found a simple one that looked traditional (Mom's Basic Meatloaf) on About.com.
While the photo is a little less than appetizing, Brad assures me that it was really good - a keeper! (It was a vegetarian grilled cheese sandwich for me tonight) The loaf didn't stay together, but I think that's because it finished before Brad got home and I covered it with a lid. I think it just sweated a lot.Both recipes are going in my box :)
-Liz
Young blood
It was such a delight to have a great, young band leading worship Sunday morning! While they are louder and more ruckus than we're accustomed to at NFC, I thoroughly enjoyed their music and enthusiasm. And they're good! It made me smile to see those young men (and woman) using their talents, playing their hearts out, for God.
Click HERE to take a listen!
One of my favorite things about NFC is the musical variety and the apparent ability to let people worship in their own styles. We're not stuck with a "traditional" service and a "contemporary" service. We mix it up and let young people learn organ hymns and let old people groove to new tunes. Amen. (Hey, why don't we ever sing "amen" at the end of hymns??? I've always wondered. I miss those cool harmonies from my growing-up years.)
Click HERE to take a listen!
One of my favorite things about NFC is the musical variety and the apparent ability to let people worship in their own styles. We're not stuck with a "traditional" service and a "contemporary" service. We mix it up and let young people learn organ hymns and let old people groove to new tunes. Amen. (Hey, why don't we ever sing "amen" at the end of hymns??? I've always wondered. I miss those cool harmonies from my growing-up years.)
Monday, January 14, 2008
She's home!
Brad's sis, Jill, arrived this weekend for a two-week visit! She's taking a little break from her big-city life in NYC to visit her Oregon/Washington family. First stop was The Olive Garden, her fav. We all took turns snapping pictures at the restaurant.Next was a mini Christmas at the folks' place. Instead of sending our packages across the country, we waited until Jill got here to open them in person. (Thanks for the groovy necklace and Brad's GIANT Homer Pez!!)
Hopefully we'll get in a ski trip while she's in town.
-Liz :)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
On top of the world
Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to stand on top of the world, died today at age 88. He and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay summitted Mount Everest in 1953. Click HERE to read more about the mountaineering legend's amazing life.-Liz
CHA-LU-PA!
Having grown up a Blazers fan in the glory days of Clyde, Duck, Rick, etc., I gave up on the team when they literally became a bunch of criminals. While they now appear to be turning it around, I won't be ready to be a fan again until they can keep their noses clean and their butts out of jail for a while.Having said that, I went last night with my grandparents and dad to the Portland/Golden State game (free ticket!). The game was great, the crowd was good and I began to feel some of the old excitement again. The guys play really well together - fun to watch. We creamed the Warriors, ahead by 15 or 20 a lot of the game! Chants of "cha-lu-pa, cha-lu-pa" filled the arena as we neared 100 points. We won 109-91, and the fans went home with coupons for free Taco Bell!
I'd really given up on the hometown team, but now I'm not so sure......
-Liz :)
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Brad's sis, Jill, forwarded this the other day. I thought it's funny enough to share:
Why did the chicken cross the road?
DR. PHIL : The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.
OPRAH : Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
GEORGE W. BUSH : We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
COLIN POWELL : Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...
ANDERSON COOPER - CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
JOHN KERRY : Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
NANCY GRACE : That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN : To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
MARTHA STEWART : No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
DR SEUSS : Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY : To die in the rain. Alone.
JERRY FALWELL : Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth?' That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.
GRANDPA : In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
BARBARA WALTERS : Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.
JOHN LENNON : Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
ARISTOTLE : It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
BILL GATES : I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% ........ reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN : Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
BILL CLINTON : I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?
AL GORE : I invented the chicken!
COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one?
DICK CHENEY : Where's my gun?
AL SHARPTON : Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.
-Liz :)
Why did the chicken cross the road?
DR. PHIL : The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.
OPRAH : Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
GEORGE W. BUSH : We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
COLIN POWELL : Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...
ANDERSON COOPER - CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
JOHN KERRY : Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
NANCY GRACE : That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN : To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
MARTHA STEWART : No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
DR SEUSS : Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY : To die in the rain. Alone.
JERRY FALWELL : Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth?' That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.
GRANDPA : In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
BARBARA WALTERS : Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.
JOHN LENNON : Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
ARISTOTLE : It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
BILL GATES : I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% ........ reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN : Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
BILL CLINTON : I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?
AL GORE : I invented the chicken!
COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one?
DICK CHENEY : Where's my gun?
AL SHARPTON : Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.
-Liz :)
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The Dark Side
A skiing friend sent this to Brad. If you telemark or backcountry ski - or know someone who does - we think you'll appreciate this video!
-Liz :)
-Liz :)
Monday, January 7, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Happy Birthday, Brad!!!
Today is Brad's 32nd birthday!!!!
We celebrated yesterday with a cross-country ski trip to Pocket Creek on Mount Hood. The snow and weather were perfect, as was the company! Michael, Kendra, Tim, Laura, Joyce, Sean, Karen and Eddie the dog (not pictured here because of dead batteries) joined us for snow fun and Mexican food.
We celebrated yesterday with a cross-country ski trip to Pocket Creek on Mount Hood. The snow and weather were perfect, as was the company! Michael, Kendra, Tim, Laura, Joyce, Sean, Karen and Eddie the dog (not pictured here because of dead batteries) joined us for snow fun and Mexican food.
Today was Round 2 with family and ribs at the Claim Jumper. Yum :)
-Liz
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
A white Christmas in Tigard?!
We don't get white Christmases in the Portland area's valley floor. This year, I was opening a gift at my grandparents' house in Tigard with my back to the window when Ma suddenly yelled, "It's snowing!!!!!" My gift-opening moment was lost when the entire family ran to the window and started screaming. Still, we never expected those flakes to stick or pile up outside. The commotion died down and we went back to presents. But every once in awhile someone yelled, "It's still snowing!", "It's starting to STICK!" or "It's really snowing out there!" and we'd all run to the windows for another glance.
The flakes started slow:
But they were soon piling up:
By the end of the morning, we were all giddy, enjoying the rare Christmas morn snowfall:
The neighbors turned their flakes into a giant snowman:
The next day, the newspaper confirmed our discussion about never before remembering a white Christmas. The last Christmas-day snowfall was in 1990. But the last time it stuck in Portland was in 1937! Truly a once-in-a-lifetime treat!
The flakes started slow:
But they were soon piling up:
By the end of the morning, we were all giddy, enjoying the rare Christmas morn snowfall:
The neighbors turned their flakes into a giant snowman:
The next day, the newspaper confirmed our discussion about never before remembering a white Christmas. The last Christmas-day snowfall was in 1990. But the last time it stuck in Portland was in 1937! Truly a once-in-a-lifetime treat!Even without the snow, the rest of the day was awesome! First stop: Mom and Dad's house. Eryn's looking for a comfy spot on the floor:
Dad's sporting his new Christmas undies - on his head:
Next up: Ma and Pa's house. The cousins have to put their ornaments on the tree before we can start:
Next, we headed to Vancouver. Steve opening shirts he bought, wrapped and gave to himself:
Brad trying to stay awake as we neared the end of our marathon:
Dad's sporting his new Christmas undies - on his head:
Next up: Ma and Pa's house. The cousins have to put their ornaments on the tree before we can start:
Next, we headed to Vancouver. Steve opening shirts he bought, wrapped and gave to himself:
Brad trying to stay awake as we neared the end of our marathon:
Donna laughing about something:
Grandpa cuddled with his new bear:
Mocha wants to be a present:
We hope your Christmas mornings were as wonderful as ours!
-Liz
