Taking a Class

Have you ever wanted to take a class? I'm not talking about school. I'm talking about learning something you can really use in life...like cooking.

Well, I have.

And this weekend I'm signed up for my very first cooking class. Now, I've taken decorating classes, like cake decorating and knitting and sewing classes before...but cooking is something we can all use.

So Monday, I'll tell you all about it but right now I'm pretty excited about learning something new and useful.

How 'bout you? Doing anything fun this weekend?

Recycled Boots

We used to have horses. My daughter had a paint and I had a quarter horse. We used to muck out stalls and ride with our boots on and let me tell you . . . it never occurred to me to make a purse out of my old boots. But these are pretty purses and they are made from fine leather. I love people that come up with ideas and ways to reuse things and I think this is pretty creative.

The Great Critique

It was another busy Saturday morning for me. The day was filled with donuts from VooDoo and coffee brought in from Starbucks. But on top of that there were awe...mazing mentors sitting at each table to help show writers how to critique other works and how to share suggestions in a positive, inspiring way.

This event had a record breaking 57 attendees show up. And The Great Critique went from 9:30 a.m. to after noon. And some people didn't want to leave even after we started turning out the lights. It was just so much fun no one wanted to have it end.

So if you get a chance any time soon to attend one of the SCBWI events like this, don't miss it. You'll find that your time will be well spent and you won't just learn a thing or two, you might even make more than a few friends.

The Columbia River Gorge

 When you're driving up I84 from Portland toward The Dalles you will pass a bevy of waterfalls. Some you can even see right from the road. But if you pull off to the side of the road and hike for a little ways, you will find some more unbelievable falls and some breathtakingly beautiful views.

And if you want to walk just a little ways at Multnomah Falls, (yes that's a Native American word) you can see the falls drop from one level to the next.

This was how we spent Saturday afternoon, hiking the falls and taking in the views.

What did you do?

Dinner with the Danes

It was a busy weekend, filled with feasting, waterfalls, hiking and even a Great Critique.

We were lucky enough to have a couple in town from Denmark. They came to celebrate Jesper's birthday and their first wedding anniversary. So, we started the evening on Friday at Papa Haydn's in S.W. Portland.

The food was good but it was the dessert that got me going. Of course that's usually the way it is with me. Anyway, it was wonderful to share a special day with a special couple who traveled nearly around the world to share their celebration with us.

Tempting Tuesday

Do you love cake...or is your fav dessert pie...?

My hubby loves pie, while I'm a cake lady and my favorite part of pie is the crust, while my husband would rather simply eat the filling. So, it seems that we are always on opposite sides of the . . . platter.

But, if I had to choose a piece...of pie, mine would be lemon or banana cream or maybe chocolate cream of coconut cream so still not one of those berry things.

While my husband loves pumpkin (and I can't even stomach that stuff) or apple (another NOT for me).

And, when it comes to cake...I love all sorts of them, from carrot to chocolate and beyond. I can't think of a cake I don't like. And it's even better if its ala mode.

Now, why did I think about cake tonight...? It was a blog post I saw on a friend's blog. If you want to read more about cake, you can check out this blog here.

The Color Run is Coming

If you want a discount ticket, check out Living Social and this Funtastic run will take place at the Portland International Raceway.

The Color Run presents - The 2014 Kaleidoscope Tour! Amazing new participant gear, fresh music, and color crazy race attractions. This 5K Magic is coming to Portland on Saturday, September 6 at 9:00 a.m.

So, even if your not a super sprinter, you can still have fun at this run.

Hope to see you there.