what we learned on our spring break...

hunter and bryn: a crayon is a crayon; a sharpie is a sharpie; watercolors are watercolors; but when mixed together they can be so much more

bryn: waffles taste so much better when in the shape of hello kitty

family: at the beach you can feel the warm sun on your face one day and the next day it can rain LOTS and LOTS and LOTS



sarah: the sound of 5 happy boys (9,9,9,7,4) playing for almost 24 hours straight is a sound that makes me feel very lucky

bryn: aunty lulu and devyn are sooooo much fun at sleepovers

sarah: dinner with friends (6 adults & 8 kids) is the best way to start spring break week

hunter, bryn & gray: fruit loops on donuts from voodoo donuts are the best

family: good-byes can mean new beginnings



hunter: sometimes a great idea in your mind isn't as much fun as you think it's going to be (such as a plan not to leave your house during spring break)

hunter and bryn: sleepovers are the best but can make you very tired the next day

family: yes... snow is possible in late march

gray: just go with the flow and mom will let you stay up late... late... late

i'll take mine with the hard mini marshmallows if you please.....

I've read a lot of different books lately. I've enjoyed many of them but felt they were all lacking in what I really needed to read right now in my life. Then my dear friend Colleen announced last week that she had finished her book. Guess what? I got to read a copy of the first draft. I spent most of yesterday wrapped up in my big red chair taking breaks to feed children and put them to bed. Then I was up till 2am last night reading till I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I finished it today with a great big sigh. It was exactly what I've been craving. Thank you Colleen for sharing and I can't wait for the world to read it. Tears of joy for a touching, delightful, lovely story.

time to say good-bye

Today we took Haruka our house guest of 6 months to the airport. I think she had a good experience. I hope she had a good experience. She lived in Portland for 1 year learning and observing in an American elementary school. She'll take those experiences back to Japan and finish university to become a middle school or high school teacher by next year this time. Looking forward to hearing about her future adventures.

that's my girl

gutter ball or no gutter ball she has a great time throwing that big heavy ball.


i'd love to bowl at this bowling alley and we definitely can't wait to visit the newly remodeled grand central restaurant and bowling lounge. maybe we'll add it to the spring break to do list.

Freezer Paper Stencils AGAIN?

I can over dose on freezer paper stencils every once in awhile but I always come back to it.

Can you believe that all 3 of my children's teachers are pregnant right now. What are the odds? I made this cute skateboard onesie for Hunter's teacher who is having a boy very soon.


I couldn't resist making these two 0-3 month onsies were for our neighbors new baby. It's their 3rd boy! They were totally high school sweet hearts in the 80s with a tendency towards the finer art of hard rock. I'm not sure but I suspect there was some mullet action going on back then.

Happy Monday!

Random Sunday

I've lost my voice. Literally and figuratively. There are so many things I want to say but I'm having trouble expressing them. The fact that I'm consumed by a volunteer obligation for our elementary school and that our nice camera is still waiting for a back ordered part is starting to wear and tear on me. I most definitely appreciate the opportunity of not having to work right now so that I can focus on the kids and school. However, in good ol'Sarah fashion I keep volunteering and soon it becomes a full time job and I'm turning on the TV to occupy the kids while I complete my volunteer obligations. WHAT???? Also, taking pictures with the ok camera while the other one is in the shop isn't as much fun so capturing life in our household has been slow lately.

Here's for a random Sunday.

Our overnight trip to the Portland Ace Hotel.


Shells I collected on Shuuki's Beach in Japan.
6x6 Ikea Shadow Box Frame.

Travel Swap - BRAZIL!!!!

Angela this was my favorite swap yet. I am still so excited that I had a swap partner from Brazil!

I love everything.. the picture book of Sao Paulo, the photo album she made me, the hand crafted goodies, the crafting bag full of the cutest buttons and ribbons, Brazilian candy and exotic juice boxes. I'm crazy about passion fruit. I love it in desserts, drinks, and anywhere else I can get it but it's either so hard to find or is very expensive here in Oregon. So, I'm really enjoying my passion fruit juice and candies.


Check out these handmade goodies. The three flowers are pins and they are going to look so good all together on both me and Bryn.

Why are we drawn to maps? All kinds of maps. The Sao Paulo map is the cover of the photo book. I will most definitely save it for those future Brazil travel photos.


I'm a label girl. Each of her items were intimately wrapped with their own little note. Especially fun to open the packages that said "Surprise No 1 and Surprise No 2." So much anticipation.

I had so much fun sending my package to Angela and receiving hers. I'm still thinking of items I should have sent her. You can check out what I sent Angela here.

obrigado Angela (did I get that right)! You've got me dreaming of Brazil.