pancakes unlimited!

We have received our first package in the mail at our new house -- hooray for mail!! Doctor Hectic's parents, Jan & Lee, knowing our fondness for all things breakfast, sent us our very own swedish pancake pan! And cute little spoons for applying tasty toppings!

Many fine weekend brunches at Jan & Lee's have turned into all-day affairs as we took turns cranking out the wee & delicious pancakes. Sweet toppings of sugar or jams, or Eric M's inventive and tasty savory toppings of whatever else he might find on the table... it makes me miss the days when we all lived in the same area and could gather for breakfast any old weekend. Now we are scattered across all parts of the country (or world, depending on where Bengeance is), which I guess makes the times when we do get together, like for Molly & Kenny's wedding in April, more special, but it makes me a little lonely too.

I miss my Minnesota peeps, wherever they may be currently living. Maybe that's why I'm warming up to this whole blog thing, because I realize that by reading their blogs it allows me to sort of be a part of their daily life and to share in the moments that shape their day. And now, by having my own blog I'm maybe having the same impact on them?

Sheesh, this kinda turned into a depress-o post; that wasn't my intention. Pancakes! That'll cheer me up! Good 'ol GricklePants and I will have a fine banquet of swedish pancakes this weekend to infuse the walls of this house with delicious pancake smells, and if I can ever find the little thingy that allows me to get pictures off the camera, I'll even post a few!

horsies

I keep forgetting to post this and was reminded again when I saw Doctor Hectic's Top Dog photos today.

All over the city of Portland there are small metal rings on the street curbs which date back to the days when horses were the standard mode of transportation; the rings providing a convenient place for you to tie up your horsey while you did whatever it is that you did way back then, before the time of the intarwebs. Well someone has found a genius way to bring smiles and delight to all Portlanders by doing this with the horse rings:

You can read more about the nice people behind this project here.

"holy crapface!"

We got the keys to the house yesterday and went over there last night. As I unlocked the door, GricklePants said it felt like we were breaking into the house as it just didn't feel real yet. And no, he did not carry me over the threshold of the door, I was just too eager to get inside and see if they had left behind the clock over the fireplace (they had -- score!)

Friends arrived and we poured wine and gave them the tour of the place. The above quote is from Jecca, who has been in town this week and to date, it's the best thing anyone has uttered about this house.

omg! wtf! sbj! we're homeowners!

sorry bloggy!

It wasn't our intention to ignore our blog for so long, we've just, uhh, been busy. Doing little things like buying a house!

Yep, so we bought our "shrine to 1959" -- the house that has remained virtually untouched since it was built in 1959. The previous owners took meticulous care of it and did nothing to spoil its beauty. Dear bloggy, you may be ignored for a bit longer as we move and unpack and get everything set up, but I promise you we'll be back.

In the meantime, I'll post a few pictures of non-house related activities from recent weeks.

#1 -- Fireworks are cool. I thought we were going to be arrested because, no, fireworks are not legal here in Oregon. After the city-sponsored/sanctioned fireworks, we made our way to a schoolyard and set up shop setting off our own stash. We were joined by a few other neighborhood gents and ladies and together we took turns lighting our fireworks. To end the night, we lit the Peacock -- omg, it was huge. And awesome. Everyone was jealous.

#2 -- Picking berries on Sauvie Island is thoroughly enjoyable. We went on a Friday morning and it wasn't too busy, so we had little competition for the ripest and tastiest blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and marionberries. I think we got carried away because we ended up with pounds of berries, but it's really hard to stop when you know that there are 75 acres of delicious berries and the next bush might be the best. Or maybe the bush next to it. Or the one after that...

Note to self: review Alton Brown's puff pastry and/or cobbler episodes and make use of these berries!


#3 -- Seattle has nice underpants. We drove up to see the lovely Miss Rachael's art show, conveniently held at a store that sold very enticing underpants. Although I liked this pair, I'm not sure I would like to find them on GricklePants. We saw more underpants than just the ones in this store, however. The young Mr. Nicolaus was very proud of his Lightning McQueen diapers, and let me tell you it's quite a sight to see a 2 1/2 year old walking about yelling "Ka-chow!" as he shows off undergarments!

OK, bloggy, more later!