Ta-da: mini cup-a-cakes

More mini cup-a-cakes
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

I like what Leina calls these guys, and the nickname that one of the folks at the Dragon Boat party gave them - sugar shots!

New Crafty Site

Loobylu , one of my favorites, had a kiddie and has a new site , which is similarly great! I love the crayon cookies. About a year ago, in a craft-mania-I-hate-my-job-and-need-to-go-Michael's moment, I bought the BIG box of crayola crayons - 96 colors! I'll have to dig them out, because as of late I have been using my mini-muffin pan a whole lot. The pan would be perfect to make mini-muffin crayons!!

Now, off to frost some actual mini-muffins and head to the L&E party!

Look what was hanging in out in the backyard tonight

2 Racoons
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

Not just 2, but 4 - count 'em - 4 racoons. Must have liked what Josh has been putting in the compost lately. These 4 little fellas, or maybe a mama racoon and 4 little kiddies, were a lot cuter than the 2 that were using our backyard as a den of sin a year or so ago. The fence helps keep them out, save for the one access point back by the composters. Little buggers climbed right up into the tree when Josh decided to interact with the wildlife. Needless to say, Melo won't be going out unattended now. She's a cuddler, not a fighter. Those buggers would eat her alive!

6 Degrees

Yikes. Al Gore's internet needs to get bigger. Fast. Surfing innocently away, I went to Chrissie's site, which in turn lead me to check out Urban Mamas. Intrigued by the name, I checked out My Whim is Law, curious to see if it was someone from good old Lewis & Clark. And low and behold, there it was - Professor Jack Bodanski's blog . Way too small of a world. His income tax class is the one that Erica and I would regularly take spiked coffee into in an effort to make tax a bit more understandable. Let's just say it did not work. At all. Might help explain why I had to have an accountant do my taxes, before I was married and before I had a house or any meaningful deductions. One of my most distinctive memories is studying for that bloody final, and realizing I did not understand (and did not really care) what the heck was "income" and whether it was above or below the line.

And yikes, check out the name dropping in his blog. It reads like a roster of former law school professors and attorneys at the Firm, where ironically, Prof. Jack used to be a partner. Y'up, Portland just got a little smaller. Mommy.

Allright, time to go to bed. Josh is lost to You Tube and episodes of Robot Chicken. That show is so wrong, but so funny.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Thank goodness - the killer heat wave 2006 seems to be over, or at least on its last gasp. Good thing too, there are not too many more movies I particularly want to spend full fare on this summer. Except maybe Miami Vice, although the original Crockett and Tubbs probably can't be topped. For keeping straight faces during all that bad 80s' fashion alone they deserved Emmys.

After the air conditioned oasis of the McLaughlins Saturday night (cup-a-cakes and Arizona mister) and recovering from all the laughing, we escaped to Cinetopia to enjoy Clerks II followed by Lady in the Water. Cinetopia - it rocks. I am now totally spoiled and it is the only way to watch movies. Clerks II - loved it. Not as biting as the original, but Kevin Smith still writes the best dialog and he just gets it man, he just gets it. Lady in the Water - eh? Me thinks M. Night believes his own hype a wee tad too much. And hey, those scary grass things look an awful lot like the Nothing in Neverending Story - good special effects, but a little bit close for copyright comfort.

Its Hot!

Africa hot. No, even worse. Pacific Northwest my sweat glands were not made for this hot. My shins are sweating. I don't think its natural for shins to sweat. Let's hope this heat breaks soon or I will never be able to leave the one air-conditioned room in the house.

We did venture out last night to the PDX Timbers soccer game. My co-worker Dan won a suite for the game and invited his friends and family. It was great (save for the hot part) - the suite was great, perfect view of the pitch, and Dan's family was really cool!. Those poor soccer dudes - I cannot imagine how hot they were running around. Soccer players could kick football, basketball, and hockey players butts in terms of stamina - 90 minutes, no subs!! Seattle won, 2 to 1, but it should have been tied (they got a sneaker goal right after their first goal, but Portland's penalty kick in was much prettier!).

As promised

IMG_1834
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

The McLaughlins at the Zoo!!

Hapa Hapa Hapa

I can't possibly summarize it any better than Chrissie - so check out her summary of last night's Zoo Concert adventure! It was lots of fun, and if I make it home tonight before it gets too late, there'll be pics to prove it. (But alas, none of the most well-endowed animal on the planet . . . )

One wonderful weekend away

Never underestimate the power of simply running away for a weekend - it can be great and very therapeutic. I'd love to test out the therapeutic value of running away during the workweek, but I'm already sure to be in enough trouble tomorrow at work.

We caught some quality with Jenn, Rob and Jack and got to see the Alaska pics and play the Pirates of Caribbean DVD game. Thanks again guys for all the wonderful prezzys. Polar bears rule!! Then we got to check out Greg and Lani's new place (very cool 50s ranch-built for partying!!) and celebrate Greg's birthday. Happy 29th (again), Greg. On to Sunday and a chance to check out some houghty-toughty and beautiful gardens and homes on the Bainbridge in Bloom tour with Virginia. Wow - there's no end to what we could accomplish in our backyard with several thousand dollars and entire gardening team. Maybe next year!

If there were only one more day in the weekend, Josh would have so much more time to check out videos on his new obsession, You Tube . Do a search for "Ok Go" for a great music video - those guys are so FLY.

Shiver Me Timbers

Pirates of the Caribbean II, no matter what the critics say, is good summer fare. (Although in truth, according to Chrissie, I'll see and like just about any film in the world - save Anchorman and Srgnt. Bilko, whose producers should be executed!) So it totally sets up the 3rd movie, which is unfortunately delayed until next year. Will finally got some cahones, Cap'n Jack is great, and Keira Knightly isn't too annoying. Couple that with great special effects, lots of action scenes and you got yourself a bona fide summer hit. Granted, not Armageddon, but pretty dang entertaining nonetheless.

Now if only I could think of a way to use the 'pirate' excuse in daily life. Now that would be great!!

Happy Happy Anniversary

5 years? Can't believe it!! I am the luckiest person in the world. Five and going strong.

We didn't quite make it Tahiti this year, but I got a black pearl to save the date, so to speak. I think it might be time for another countdown!!!