My3sonz

Adventures in Odyssey 24/7??????

2012-01-26T10:34:00.000-08:00

I am an adult who still loves Adventures in Odyssey...yes we have a million albums but sometimes it would be nice just to get a story real quick.

Well now you can...Focas on the Family has a station that plays 24/7. They start with album #1 and go through album #500, then repeats. Pretty cool huh!! It does require a Flash Player....so you wont be able to listen on your cell. :(

Here is the link Odyssey Stories 24/7

Church on Christmas Morning

2012-01-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Our Church service on Christmas morning was so good... the real meaning of the season is Jesus!!

Bro. and Sis. Carl Brown and Jarron were here from Rialto, CA visiting for the Holidays. Bro. Brown preached an awesome messge, a great day in the House of the Lord.

More pics at www.avendano.smugmug.com

Christmas Morning 2011

2012-01-05T12:44:00.001-08:00

With Christmas being on Sunday it did prove to be a little challenging, but we did accomplish everything we wanted to....that being said it was a Wonderful Day. Since Church was at 10:00 am, we needed to get up early and open gifts before....so I drug my tired body out of bed and the fun began.

More pictures at Avendano Photos

Happy Birthday Jacob!!!

2011-12-31T10:28:00.000-08:00

To my sweet precious son....you are now 19....I am sure this is NOT possible the time is fleeing by so fast!!! You have made us proud parents, WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

Opening Pj presents with Grandma :) More pics at www.avendano.smugmug.com

Love my precious boys!!!

Christmas Program at Church

2011-12-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

The Sunday School kids were absolutly adorable, so sweet and sincere. As always the Youth Choir was incrediable... A very special time in the House of the Lord.
To see the rest of the photo's click here Avendano Pictures

Joseph and Kimberly's Wedding Pt. 2

2011-12-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

The reception was held at the Grand Ballroom in downtown McMinnville. To see the rest of the pictures click on this link. www.avendano.smugmug.com

Joseph and Kimberly's Wedding PT.1

2011-12-16T15:17:00.001-08:00

December 2, 2011 Joseph and Kimberly's winter wedding ~~~ To see the rest of the pictures, visit this link www.avendano.smugmug.com

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving breakfast at Grandma's and dinner at my sister Rachel's. the rest of the pictures are here ~ www.avendano.smugmug.com

West Coast Conference 2011

2011-12-06T09:16:00.001-08:00

Great WCC as always....great preaching and a fun and hilarious time with friends!!!

At Sacramento Airport, exhausted waiting for our plane to Oregon.To see the rest of the pictures go to this page www.avendano.smugmug.com

Pumpkin Farm 2011

2011-11-11T11:14:00.001-08:00

While there are many pumpkin farms to choose from around here, for some reason my boys like this one the best. Maybe, because there aren't too many people at it and they can be as wild as they want....I think that might be it..:-)

Round Up Sunday

2011-11-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

Round up Sunday is a fun time for all the Sunday School kids (adults too) !! It was a little rainy though....my camera kept getting rain on the lens. Over all a great time.
~~~More pics at www.avendano.smugmug.com

To see the rest of these pictures click here www.avendano.smugmug.com.

Caleb's Birthday Pics

2011-10-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

Caleb's Birthday started with breakfast in bed......then we met his cousins and aunt for lunch. In the evening we had the party with friends over and ended with a game of hide and seek throughout the neighborhood. :/ (crazy) Love my boy...had a great day celebrating his 15th Birthday!!

Recipes

2011-09-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

I remember growing up and watching my mother look at cookbooks and more cookbooks and I used to think......my poor mother is just pretending.....to enjoy browsing through those extremely boring, useless books :)

Well, time has a way of maturing our little pea sized brains and we wake up and realize, now I am the cook who has to have a home cooked meal everyday for 30 days out of the calendar....and I have boys that are starving 45 minutes after they eat 2 sandwiches at Subway!!! Can you imagine, I can barely finish a half of a Veggie Sandwich.

So I am constantly on the alert for great and new recipes (because I believe baking has now become my full time job at Home) Wouldn't have it any other way I love baking and having the boys eat it and then I can try something new!!

So all that was to say there is a web page that has some awesome recipes on it and also some....... Copycat restaurant recipes. It is called CDKitchen. Browse through the site and see what you think.

Have a great day in the KITCHEN!!....

More pics ....

2011-09-16T11:44:00.001-07:00

Click on the picture below and it will take you to our Family Photo Page

Happy Birthday Caleb!!!

2011-08-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the youngest of the family. Wow!!! I can't believe you are old enough to drive now!!!! The time has flown by.....I love you so much and hope you have a special day...Love mom

Family Reuinon - Smith's

2011-08-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

So we went to a family reunion on my grandma's side of the family. She comes from a large family of Smiths up in Washington. The park we met at was very pretty, would love to go back sometime for a picnic and inter-tubing down the river. We knew absolutely no one except our immediate family...but that's OK....at least we participated :)

Oh I forgot the best part....we got some snazzy name tags!!!

Fourth of July 2011

2011-07-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

The fourth of July......we went to Salem and had lunch with my sister at Best Little Roadhouse . This is not a chain restaurant and the food is excellent. They have huge servings which please my boys.....one of the side entrees on my plate was a HUGE sweet potato, baked with butter and brown sugar in it. Oh my it was fabulous!!!! The establishment is in south Salem on your way to Minto Brown Park.

The we went to the town of Independence :) for the fireworks. Kind of over populated for sure!!!

Caleb, Jacob and Sammy

My mom and my sister Rachel

The town of Independence

The long;.....walk back to find the car on some side street....which my husband is almost sure where he parked it. :-o

Sammy's 21st Birthday Pics

2011-07-20T14:51:00.001-07:00

Sammy turned 21....wow can't believe it!!! Breakfast in bed and then dinner at our house.....I Love you son!!!

Our Yearly Visit to Enchanted Forest

2011-07-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

A summer would not be complete without visiting Enchanted Forest.
We went while the kids cousins were here from Indiana. Fun time always ~~

For more pictures CLICK HERE.

Cannon Beach

2011-07-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

So our last beach town to visit was Cannon Beach (my favorite). We enjoyed browsing through all the shops and then we always stop for the BEST PIZZA in the world!! The beach is always incredible ...this one in particular because it has a huge sandy area to walk on.

Caleb brought his kite that Bro. Montano had given him and it was really cool...............until the string broke loose and about landed on some people sun-bathing!!! LOL

To see more pictures CLICK HERE

Right behind Jacob, the Saucier's were trying to have an Anniversary get away...and then we arrived for pizza too...:)

Victoria must have saw a shark??

Astoria, Oregon

2011-07-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

Love Astoria and the beautiful view from the beach house. We all packed in and stayed the night.... so glad we went because the beach house sold.....so that was the last time to be there :( Good memories though!!

To see more pictures CLICK HERE

Seaside, Oregon

2011-07-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach for a few days with relatives...first stop was Seaside, Oregon.
We ate at a little Mexican restaurant which was pretty good, and then went out to the beach. Of course the goal of the boys was to push the girls into the ocean!!

To see more picturesCLICK HERE

Jacob's Graduation Reception

2011-06-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Jacob's graduation reception held in the gym at the Church. Thank you to all that came and helped it turned out so nice!! That you.... Jacob, for making us proud parents!!http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

To see more pictures CLICK HERE

Happy Birthday Sammy

2011-06-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

Happy 21st Birthday!!! I hope your day is special....I love you dearly!!!

Honoring the Graduates

2011-06-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Jacob Avendano, Juan Acevedo - High School

Marcy McCune, Isaac Wooten - College

Graduation Brunch at Grandma's

2011-06-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Grandma made a lovely brunch for Jacob's Graduation Celebration. Tons of food with lots of friends and family..

Bike-a-thon

2011-06-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

The annual Church School fundraiser...they bike ride at Minto Brown Island Park, which is so beautiful!!!
For more pictures click HERE

Mothers Day

2011-06-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day is really about all our family...love my kids, they are what makes being a mom so wonderful!! Thankful for my mom...and my family.
To see more pictures click HERE

The Girl Who Ate Everything

2011-06-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

The name of this web page cracks me up......but to you moms who are cooking everyday and trying to find new recipes you will like this blog.

I don't know about you, but everyday in the morning... I start planning what food I will be making for dinner. I have hungry boys that never seem to fill the hunger pains :)

Check out this link and see what you think.

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/

New Photo Page

2011-06-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

We moved our family pic page..

So bookmark our new site which is....

www.avendano.smugmug.com

Putting up more pics soon!!!

What do you do after Church?

2011-05-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what a family with girls does after Church.....but a family with boys can sometimes be very eventful.

It usually involves food..sometimes if we have mixed company they sit and talk, play games...but if there are boys at our house it will probably end up with some arm wrestling or many unimaginable things that boys do.

As you can see here instead of my husband telling them to settle down he is helping them in their plans.

Jacob's Graduation Photos (more)

2011-05-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

Jacob's Graduation Photos

2011-05-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

Easter

2011-05-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Easter what a special time at Church and a nice time spent with relatives for lunch.
We had lunch at Beth and Sam Rhoades house....a very busy day:)

Sunday School

Photo Album

2011-05-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

So to my dismay..the web page that I post all of my family pictures on, is closing down their site... May 31st.

I have found a new site but it is going to take awhile to reload old photos.

Here is the new Photo Web Page

www.avendano.smugmug.com

Chris and Elizabeth ~ Wedding Part 2

2011-04-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

Chris and Elizabeth ~ Wedding Part 1

2011-04-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

Jacob's Student Convention Pictures

2011-04-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures Jacob took and entered into the competition.\

A Sea Lion :)

Caleb's Student Convention Pictures

2011-04-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures Caleb took and entered into the competition.

Oncourse 2011

2011-04-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

The preaching at Oncourse was excellent!! Enjoyed seeing friends and also we were privileged to enjoy some SUNSHINE !!!!!!
As far as the sugar ants in our Hotel...well don't get me started!! :)
Didn't get very many pics...:(

S.C. Awards and Youth Night

2011-04-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

The awards were given for Student Convention and then they had a youth night with all the participants.

Student Convention 2011

2011-04-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

The annual Student Convention always a neat time for the students to demonstrate their talents. They are so amazing I think we have a great abundance of talented youth!!

Graduation

2011-03-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

This time is soon approaching...Jacob is graduating from High School!! I think I have all of his friends' and family members addresses... but if you are unsure that you might not be on the mailing list, just email me your address and I will double check.

~~Thanks~~

Blueberry Oat Muffins

2011-03-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite fruits is blueberries....I especially like them in muffins and quick breads. We grow our own and I hope to add a bunch more blueberry bushes this year. I freeze them and then we can use them all year long. This recipe uses oats which in my opinion "Makes the Muffin".

Blueberry Oat Muffins

2 eggs
1 c. milk
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 c. oats
1 c. flour
½ c. sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

¾ fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping:
½ c. oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Combine eggs, milk, butter and vanilla; mix well.
Add dry ingredients just until moistened.

Fold in berries then pour batter into muffin tin (12).
Sprinkle topping mixture over muffin batter.

Bake at 400 for 20-22 or until tops are lightly browned.

Cool 5 min. before serving.

Snow Day

2011-03-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

We can count our snow days in a year usually on one hand....but that's OK...we really cherish those days when they finally do come our way. Caleb enjoying it to the fullest...eventually Jacob was convinced to come out and enjoy it too!!

Untitled Poem by Jacob Avendano

2011-03-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

By Jacob Avendano

Untitled

Lost in the moment that killed Father Time
Became the high-school dropout's cop-out line.

Up on the stand he heard his end near
Sentenced to death, proclaimed with no fear.

As he turns his tattooed covered head
His face turns gray with a slip of red.

He looks at the people who have surrendered him to fate
And silently asks them to review his case.

A life without love, a house not a home
Was the thing that had turned his heart into stone.

Calloused, bruised, not having a weakness
Always taught him that cold nights should be sleepless.

To die would be gain for those who hated
To live would be hardship to he who waited.

Life has no meaning with one who is doomed
Who has given up hope and become mentally entombed.

To one who has a life such as this
Void of sense and meaningful purpose.

To live again, in a life without pain
One must give up the fight and follow the slain.

For the Christian with his hope on Golgotha's hill
Is something that man tried, but could never kill.

To die with the hope of Christ in your chest
Would not be dying but simply entering eternal rest.

Ski Trip

2011-03-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

Skiing always sounds like a good idea till the alarm clock goes off at the unreasonable hour of 5 a.m. Who in their right mind would want to pay alot of money to stand on top a freezing mountain, when I would rather get a blanket and go sit by the fire? These were some of the "nice" thoughts that passed through my mind as my boys and I loaded the van up with snowboards, skis, and plenty of food. We had only just left our home development when Sammy, who had been determined to wear regular pants and then change at the mountain, realized that he had forgotten his snow pants at home. Thankfully, Jacob did his usual, " What did everyone forget today?". Sammy has him to thank.

The weather report showed signs of a strong wind picking up on the mountain, but at least while we were skiing, it was blue sky and sunny, and only started looking bad at the end of the day. By that time I was done skiing anyway.

All in all, it was a very fun day and I'm reminded of our ski trip every time I walk. Hopefully by next week, the reminding soreness will have diminished. ;)

Memories Past

2011-02-18T11:10:00.000-08:00

I was sorting through pictures on my computer this morning and found these; of course as a mother they put a smile on my face and then soon after a few tears in my eyes....Oh my how the time has gone by so swiftly....Thank you Jesus for my lovely family.

Crescent Rolls

2011-02-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

I needed a bread to go with my Herb Chicken and this came to mind. Another very easy recipe which starts in the bread maker and then using the oven to bake. Some day I would like to fill these with raspberry preserves....sounds so good!!!

Crescent Rolls

¾ c. plus 2 Tablespoons warm milk (70 to 80) degrees
¼ c. water (70 to 80) degrees
4 Tablespoons butter cut into pieces
1 egg, beat slightly with fork
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 c. bread flour
1 Tablespoon yeast

2 Tablespoons melted butter

Put the 8 ingredients listed in order into your bread machine.
Set to dough cycle.

When cycle is complete, turn out dough onto a floured surface;
Punch down and divide into, two equal parts. Roll into two 10 inch circles. Melt remaining butter and brush onto both rounds.

Cut each circle into 8 triangles; totaling 16. Roll up wedges from the wide end and place seem side down on GREASED baking sheet; keep them 2-inches apart. Curve ends around to form crescents.

Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.
Preheat oven to 375.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done. Place on racks to cool.

****My baking sheets are large so I can only bake one at a time.

Bread Machine Hamburger Buns

2011-02-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight just felt like hamburger night so....I got out my recipe and went to work. Now let me say for the first part of this recipe, you put it in the bread maker, the second part you bake in your oven. Really there is no work to these.... very simple. Once you start making your own rolls you will never want the store bought.

Bread Machine Hamburger Rolls

1 c. warm water (110 degrees)
2 Tablespoons butter
¼ c. powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 c. bread flour
3 Tablespoons white sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast

Place all ingredients in order listed. Set on dough cycle press start.

Remove risen dough from machine, punch down and turn out on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in to 8 equal parts. Form into rounds lightly flatten to fit hamburger meat shape.

Place onto greased cookie sheet. Cover buns and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume.

Preheat oven to 350

Bake for 12-15 min. or until buns are golden brown. When done take out and lightly spread butter on tops.

****Cut with an electric knife if the rolls are warm, otherwise a regular knife will smash the rolls.

Easy Flan

2011-01-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

The normal flan recipes.... you must brown the white sugar on the stove and then continue with your recipe. I found this easy recipe and the only difference I can tell is in the color. When you brown the sugar it tends to be more a reddish brown color.
When doing it this way it comes out a caramel brown color. This recipe has become my favorite...try it and let me know what you think.

Easy Flan

8 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cans evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ c. brown sugar

Preheat oven 325

Using a whisk, beats eggs slightly; add sugar and salt. Blend in milk and vanilla. Do not over mix ..it will result in lots of air bubbles.

Pat brown sugar (sift through fingers to make sure there are no lumps) into the bottom of a 1-½ qt. baking dish.

Very slowly pour custard mixture over sugar. Do a water bath by placing dish into another shallow pan with WARM water.
Bake for 70 min. now this depends on how big your dish is. You should start checking at 45 min. insert a knife in the center of flan and it needs to come out clean to be done.

Cool on counter for 1 hour than refrigerate for at least 5 hours before serving.
Minutes before serving run a knife around edge to loosen and invert onto platter. Don’t let sit; serve right away for prettiness.

Jaocb's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-01-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

Grandma was willing to lend us her house for both party's. Thank you ~ OK party time is now officially over... :)

Sammy Avendano and Sam Rhoades

The Food ~

Jacob make a wish :)

Jacob Avendano, Cousin Sam Rhoades and Cousin Beth Rhoades

The First Party

2011-01-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

Jacob ended up with two parties this Birthday but I guess that's what happens when you turn the BIG 18. Love you Jacob!!

Grandma serving food and Luke Wooten

Jacob's Birthday Breakfast

2011-01-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

For Birthdays we always serve breakfast in bed, well Jacob decided its to hard to eat food in bed so...he had breakfast served in the living room. The dog continued to bug him for a bite without any satisfaction....Happy 18th Birthday we love you Jacob!!

Caleb GETS to serve Jacob breakfast :)

Opening presents

Jacob Avendano

The dog will not leave him alone!!

Happy 18!!

The dog trying to mooch off Jacob's breakfast.

Christmas at Rachel's

2011-01-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

We drove over to my sister Rachel's house and enjoyed a nice evening. If my sister is breathing then she is doing some sort of remodeling to her house. She always has some project going...spring, winter, summer and fall!! So since part of her house was being reconstructed we had dinner in one of the empty rooms. But it turned out very beautiful and a awesome menu, which included....Sirloin Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Rolls, Potato Mix (which was sweet potatoes and white potatoes, with half and half, garlic and cheese I think, baked in the oven...delish!!)then two salads, and a whole dessert table too good to even think about!!

Sammy Avendano

Caleb Avendano

Jacob Avendano

Beth and Jacob squished the life out of Charlie!!

My niece Beth Rhoades

My niece Katie Lethin

Christmas at Grandma's

2011-01-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

This year Christmas went so fast but before you knew we were at grandma's having breakfast. On the menu was Spiral Ham, Eggs, Cheesy Hash-browns, Cardamon Coffee Yeast Braid (Bread), Cinnamon twists and a Fruit Dish. As you can tell by my Pics on this blog we get together often and ....eat!! We also had some friends over and enjoyed stuffing our faces!!

Grandma's pretty breakfast table ~

Was this the middle of the prayer?? Hopefully at the end :)Ummm was I taking the pictures?? oops!!

More of grandma's beautiful table ~

Grandma and Doug Lethin looking at pictures from his family's cruise

Cousin Katie and Jacob Avendano in a big debate at breakfast about files on her iPhone.

Webster Beard

Sam Avendano Sr. and Lizzy our poodle taking a morning nap :)

Christmas Morning

2011-01-05T12:15:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning starts at 6:45 am, they open Christmas stockings and then we all try and assemble our sleepy selves into the living room. What a fun time even Lizzy the poodle was excited to open her presents..LOL at least we would like to think so.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we open one present, that is... pj's. Then we have a new recipe of homemade hot chocolate. Love my family!!

Apple Cranberry Bread

2010-12-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

This recipe is great when you have leftover cranberries from the Holidays. It is a tasty bread that is not loaded with sugar. Make sure that you cut your cranberries in half that way they mix with the batter and are not quite so tart. Of course this time I was in a hurry and forgot!! Enjoy~

Apple Cranberry Bread

2 eggs
¾ cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons oil
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups finely chopped and peeled apples
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries cut in half

Mix eggs, sugar, and oil; add in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Mix just until combined, batter will be very stiff. Then stir in the apples and cranberries. Put into a greased and lined loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 60-65 min or until done. Cool for 10 before removing from pan.

Serves 16

ww points 3
ww Pointsplus 4

Youth Ice Skating & Broomball

2010-12-27T16:59:00.000-08:00

The youth went to Lloyd Center to ice skate and play broom ball. The broom ball looks kind of scary but they all seem to have a blast. :)

Luke Wooten, Matt Ruck and Jacob Avendano

Caleb Avendano

Vanessa Burton

Caleb Avendano and Jacob Avendano

T. G. Dinner

2010-12-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

Since the year is almost over I guess maybe I should play catch up and post Thanksgiving Dinner Pics. LOL.. We had dinner at grandma's house and as always we had way to much food. So thankful for our many blessings!!

Thanksgiving Breakfast

2010-12-14T18:58:00.001-08:00

Long ago we decided to make Thanksgiving an all day thing. So we start with breakfast and then dinner in the late afternoon. This year breakfast was at Rachel's house. I really liked the table decor, so pretty!!

My Sisters Birthday

2010-12-13T14:29:00.001-08:00

We had my sister Rachel's Birthday party at her house and Beth cooked a lovely dinner. My sister Priscilla from Tennessee was also here visiting so it was nice to have everyone together!

A Platinum Elite

2010-12-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

My son composed this poem several years ago, he doesn't like it but I think its so cute!! At our Church we call the elderly folks the Platinum Elite. Now you must read this poem all the way to the end, so not to get the wrong idea. We love older people so much!!

A Platinum Elite

A Platinum Elite,
Is like an old piece of meat.
Like an old pair of pants,
Without any pleats.

When their hearing goes bad,
They get hearing aides.
When they get Alzheimer's,
They say its old age.

They are like an old drum,
That soon loses rebound.
They are like lost glasses,
That cannot be found.

They are like an old record player,
When the needle gets broken.
They are like an old hymn,
That never is spoken.

They are like a piece of bread
That when it gets old,
Is covered from top to bottom,
In fuzzy, green mold.

They are like an old page,
Torn from a book.
They are like an old fish,
Caught on a hook.

They are like an old record case,
That begins to crumble and crack.
They are like an old car,
When the tires go flat.

They are like an old elephant,
With a lot on their mind.
They are like an old friend,
That really is kind.

So when you need someone to talk to,
They are not hard to find.
Like an old mountain,
That hasn't been mined.

So summing it up,
A Platinum Elite,
Sounds something like someone,
I’d like to meet.

Written by Jacob Avendano

Shopping

2010-11-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

I love the weekend after Thanksgiving!! Now first of all I am NOT an all night shopper but I do love to go shopping on Saturday after the Holiday. It puts me in the Christmas spirit. We went with grandma and had a nice time shopping and eating of course!! I took this picture with my Iphone and the flash kind of made it looked washed out :) the pic was taken at a HEALTHY Italian restaurant called Pastini Pastaria I thought it was good but I don't think the boys were to impressed by it.

After Thanksgiving Poem

2010-11-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

Jacob has a very wonderful talent for writing poems at the drop of a hat!! It takes me three days to get one line written. I thought this was so appropriate I asked him if I could post it on my blog!!

Twas the Day After Thanksgiving
And all through the place
Everyone was groaning
It was quite a disgrace

For gluttons they were
And they now must pay the price
For eating to much on Thanksgiving
Their dignity they did sacrifice

They ate like men on death row
Like those who were doomed
I even saw this one guy
Eating with two spoons

It was a frantic eating frenzy
As I tried to calm everyone down
They all screamed, jumped and shouted
Well, until the chandelier fell down.

No remorse they felt
As they filled their empty plates
Webster said," I'm skinny!
Could use to gain some weight."

I shook my head in utter dismay
While walking out of the room
These people who say they are celebrating
Are really sealing their Edible Doom.

Written by Jacob Avendano

WCC 2010

2010-11-19T12:35:00.000-08:00

West Coast Conference came and went so fast. Always fun to see old friends and make new ones. Awesome preaching too !!! To see the rest of the Pictures... click HERE

Caleb Avendano

Nathan and Jacob Avendano

Caleb Avendano, Story Wodoslawsky, Valena Wodoslawsky

Jacob Avendano and Leonard Contreras... Jacob is in awe of this man's drum playing!!

Alex and Roy

Sammy Avendano, Jaron Brown, Kim and Nicole Montano

Sarah Montano and friends

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves.......

2010-11-17T10:51:00.001-08:00

Every year the fun of the falling leaves.... usually it rains and then we don't get to enjoy them. This year we had a few sunny days to enjoy the leaves. If you have never jumped into a pile of leaves and smelled the smell that only dry leaves can bring you are missing out!! I love Fall!!! To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Caleb's hand and the shovel

Caleb and Jacob ready for the leaf fight

Caleb Avendano and Jacob Avendano

Fall Dinner

2010-11-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

Caleb came up with the idea to have a Family Fall Dinner, so we did. It was nice to start the Holiday season early, I think we will keep this new tradition. We had lunch at grandma's house and served Mexican food. To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Jackson Rhoades

Beth Rhoades, Doug Lethin, Caleb Avendano, Andrew Lethin, Sammy Avendano, Jackson Rhoades and Jacob Avendano

Charlie Lethin and Sam Rhoades

Isabella Benjamin being silly

Jacob Avendano, Katie Lethin, Sammy Avendano and Jackson Rhoades. The boys tormenting their cousin!

Isabella Benjamin

Rachel Lethin and Bristol Lethin

The Pumpkin Farm

2010-10-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

In my opinion it isn't fall unless you go visit the Pumpkin Farm! We had just a little bit of time to go, with every one's schedules so crazy....we went to one close to our house and we had a fun time!! To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Josh and Bethany's Wedding Reception pt.3

2010-10-27T20:45:00.001-07:00

To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Josh and Bethany's Wedding Reception pt.2

2010-10-23T17:57:00.001-07:00

Josh and Bethany's Wedding Reception pt.1

2010-10-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Lots of pictures....but I love taking them :) sorry if I am boring my bloggers to tears!!!

Jacksons Birthday

2010-10-16T11:20:00.001-07:00

My niece Beth...her little boy Jackson his Birthday Party. Can't believe he is getting so big. The time surely does fly!! Love you Jackson!!!

Round - Up Sunday

2010-10-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

Round up Sunday is a day to promote Sunday School and encourage the kids to come back to SS. What a fun day love all those cowboy hats. ;) To see the rest of the picutres click HERE

Special Services

2010-10-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

We went to Bro. Hearn's Church for some special meetings ~ Had a nice time visiting with friends too:) To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Caleb's Birthday

2010-10-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Finally posting Caleb's Birthday pictures...My baby has turned 14 years old...he is getting way to old after all he's my baby!! Love you so much Caleb!!!! To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Beautiful Cakes

2010-09-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

I have a passion for baking and cooking, although I must say there is one area that I really lack in when I bake.
That is cakes..... I've never learned how to decorate cakes and make them beautiful.

When I see a beautiful cake it inspires me to great heights only to try my hand at it and not succeed. So I gladly admit my failure in cake decorating and leave it to those who really have a talent.

I was recently shown some wonderful and fabulous pictures of some cakes..... here are a few pics of them... to see more you can visit the web page where these originate from. Simply divine is my opinion!!!!! Click HERE THE CAKETRESS to see these wonderful creations.

Misc. Labor Day Pics

2010-09-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

I am posting these Misc. pictures for the Family to see. Now I must confess I have been sent so many pictures that I get confused as to what belongs to who. So... if you see a picture that you personally took, and would like me to remove it let me know. These are very misc. pictures. I give credit to Lindsey H. and Sarah M....I believe, these are the people that took these pics. HAHA I think I am rambling...LOL

Sunday Night ~ Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

The last night of our Labor Day Meetings...Church....Food....and Fellowship!! To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Apple Pie and Red Velvet Cupcakes ~

2010-09-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Chef Montano and his Apple Pie, Grandma was the instructor and I think he turned out a very nice pie. Sarah was also baking some wonderful cupcakes with nummy frosting!! It can't get any better then when your guests come and do the baking for you!! I like this!!! To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Saturday Food and Fellowship

2010-09-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Labor Day Services

2010-09-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

The services and fellowship were great as always!! To see the rest of the Pictures click HERE

Mama Mia's

2010-09-10T13:30:00.001-07:00

We wanted to go to dinner in Portland, but the question was where?? Our first choice was Mothers Bistro's. But after waiting around for them to open we changed our mind and went to Mama Mia's. Very good Italian food definitely would return. Cute decor and nice atmosphere, and of course... fun company. :) To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Happy Birthday Caleb

2010-08-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Caleb is now 14 years old!!! Wow and hes the youngest....so that tells you I am getting really old!!! Love my baby... it doesn't seem possible that in a year he will have his drivers permit..

He had his breakfast in bed.. (he was already awake before we got up)can't imagine why :) Will post his party pictures later!! I love you Caleb ~

Baseball

2010-08-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Summer fun playing baseball with friends from Church.To see the rest of the Pictures click HERE

Enchanted Forest

2010-08-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

Went to Enchanted Forest with cousins, Katie, Charlie and Jackson. Haven't been here in years, its so cute....Love the beautiful trees and pretty UPHILL walkways... and Oregon is just the best OK? OK!! To see the rest of the Pictures click HERE

The Beach

2010-08-10T10:23:00.001-07:00

Since we live only 45 minutes from the beach we try to go over for the day as often as we can. (not often enough!) Nothing like our beautiful coast!!! To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

The Creek

2010-08-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes on a hot summer afternoon, we sneak away for a few hours to this creek ~ it is amazing how relaxing it is to sit and listen to the water and get your feet wet!! Love this place.... To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

4th of July in Port Orchard, WA

2010-08-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July ~ Having a potluck and basketball game at Bro. Raineys Church in Port Orchard. To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

2010-07-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

2 ½ cups flour
¾ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon orange flavoring
1 egg
¾ cup buttermilk
2/3 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ to 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, spray muffins tins or line with papers.

Mix flavoring, egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Then gently mix in flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Do not over mix or the batter will be tough. Gently fold in blueberries.

Fill each muffins cup almost to the top about ¾ of the way up. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar.

Makes 12 muffins ( I found it made about 14 muffins )

Ferry Ride to Seattle

2010-07-23T14:08:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful ferry ride over to Seattle!!! the glare was really bad, so that's why all the squinting. So pretty out there on the water, and no.... the pink blanket does not have a baby in it. :) It was Lizzy our dog, the wind was cold so .....OK you can figure out the rest of the story. LOL to see the rest of the Pictures.. Click HERE

The Port of Bremerton

2010-07-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

The guys wanted to take a tour of an old Navy ship. Pretty small living quarters they said it held 133 people. Yikes the only word that comes to mind is claustrophobia!!! To see the rest of the pictures click HERE

Ingenius Me

2010-07-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is a song that Jacob and Sammy composed for Chelsie's Graduation that we went to in Glendale, Arizona. Can't let it only be played once, :) so thought I would post it.
My boys........they love to tease her!!!

#3 Sammy's Piano Recital Recording

2010-07-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

#2 Jacob's Piano Recital Recording

2010-07-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

#1 Caleb's Piano Recital Recording

2010-07-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

The next three posts are going to be recordings from the CD the boys' piano teacher made of them playing, at their yearly Spring Recital that they perform at Willamette University.
This is the only format I could seem to use to be able to post my own audio files.
First will be Caleb, followed by Jacob and then Sammy.

Ballard Locks

2010-07-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

First of all the pictures do not show justice to how interesting it was to watch this ship go through the locks. We happened to get at the locks at a perfect time as a huge Coast Guard ship was waiting to go through. It was amazing the people on the ship were above us and then before long they were below us. It took quit awhile for the water to lower, so we talked to the crew introduced ourselves and talked to them, found out where they were from etc. Definitely a place to return and visit again. To see the rest of the pics click HERE

Banana Muffins

2010-07-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

2 eggs
½ cup melted and cooled butter
3 ripe bananas, mashed about 1 ½ cups
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ¾ cups flour
¾ cup white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin tins with non stick spray, or line with muffin papers…which I also spray those too.
Mix wet ingredients and then add dry ingredients. Do not over mix or you will have rubbery muffins. Fill 12 muffins cups bake for 20- 25 minutes or until done. Enjoy :)