Boys Grow Up

This is my boy.

Celebrating in style after completing his Pharmacy Doctorate Program from OSU (Oregon State University).

Out of a class of just over 100 graduates this year, OSU and OHSU (Oregon Health Sciences University) gave away ten awards to twelve of the graduates. My son was given the Most Outstanding Graduate of the entire class.

He has been president of his class, been active in the pharmacy fraternity, attended numerous pharmaceutical conferences and events, helped produce a winning film for OSU about the pharmacy program. He also helped get legislation passed that allows Oregon Pharmacists to dispense birth control to women.

Above and beyond that, he has a mom who has an auto-immune disease. He has seen me actively seek tests and information so I can be as functional as possible. His education, just like medical doctors leans heavily on drugs to help symptoms. He knows I would like to be drug-free for as long as possible and has acknowledged that my naturopath and voodoo hippie doc (chiropractor) have identified what is wrong with my immune system where traditional doctors have failed miserably.

He has seen my awkward health journey and has worked to incorporate it into his training.
He will be doing his residency closer to home next year (residencies are optional) and is very excited to finally be out of school.

 I am so proud to be his mom. He is amazing.

Central Oregon

Pendleton Pillow Time

I had a request by the nephew to make a U of O pillow ;'()


He was here in the summer and saw one on the top shelf of my sewing room. I used to do holiday bazaars and still had a couple of Oregon State &  University of Oregon pillows leftover - need to photograph them and throw them into the etsy shop.

I thought while I was at it, I might as well sew some new pillows for the son's new place.
I had one 24" pillow form in stash - the others are a small 16". The 24" is nice and big for three young men.
You have to have a matched pair of pillows  - I certainly have enough wool. I may even go for a triplet set.
It's a great excuse to go to the fabric store to buy another 24" form. 

 I sewed some Pendleton pillows last fall for a friend and repeated it on a larger scale.
 

 Her's came out at 18" and they look kinda puny on today's humongous couches.

I picked up the red plaid shirting at the Pendleton booth at SewExpo this spring. The rest of the wool strips are from my stash. I've been sewing for 2 1/2 days straight from my stash and has it decreased in size???
{rhetorical question - do not answer}{{unless you have a joke about the size of stashes}}

Here is the U of O pillow case (18") folded into a ziploc bag. This is how I am mailing it.
Yes, you can mail in a see-thru ziploc bag. Use the freezer ones as they are thicker. Tape well - no loose edges.
The recipient (and me, too) gets ridiculously excited to see the actual item inside the packaging they are getting in the mail. Smiles all around!

Usually at 18", the envelope back will pop open (exposing the dirty underside of pillow business). I incorporate zipper installations to keep things square. My stash did not include a green nor a yellow zipper so I did a wide envelope back.

One side is cotton, the other is soft polar fleece.

New Pharmacy Building OSU/OHSU/PSU

Looking up at the artsy light installation in the new OHSU/OSU/PSU Combined Medical Services Building on the south Waterfront of Portland, Oregon.
The large atrium with walkways overhead.

OSU- Oregon State University
PSU - Portland State University
OHSU - Oregon Health Sciences University

My son is attending his third year of Pharmacy school here. Last week, we saw his new house he's living in (with two other pharm. students) and stopped to gawk inside this brand new building.

Combining the dental students with doctors, with pharmacy and other medical fields.
World-class medical research.
This building also serves real patients along with state-of-the-art medical technology learning portals.


Weirdly shaped, this is supposed to represent the barge & shipping industry that was positioned here before. If you squint, it's ferry shaped. . .

His main classroom.
 Windows, at the push of a button, will close off light. Seats are backed with dry erase boards for more inter-activity between students. Power point presentations occur on a giant screen (not shown). Presenter can see where they are in presentation by looking at the tv screen above - towards windows.


The new walkway bridge across the Willamette River.

Only walkers, buses, and light rail allowed - no cars. This is at the foot of the OHSU tram that takes you to Pill Hill where the heart of OHSU exists.
No traffic yet - they just connected the middle.


99 luft ballons ?
art installation.




more info:
ohsu combined services

Portland Business Journal

OSU bit

My Second Kid

My kid.

Finishing up his 2nd year of Pharmacy school. Next year, he's headed up to OHSU (Oregon Health Sciences University - Hospital).
He's president of his class and this is his second video. This one is for recruitment.

Incredibly proud mama.





Here's his first video - earlier in the year.

My Kid

Incredibly proud of my son. He helped make this video.




2nd year pharmacy student, president of his class. He's going to support me in the way I could become accustomed to.

OSU Snow Day

God Has Spoken, "No Kale For Thou"

One of the good guys.

God smote the baby kale. See those aphids. They DEVOURED the little babies.
Nancy challenged me to make Kale Chips - 'cuz we all know how HEALTHY those are.
But they taste bhlegh and they're not chippy enough to scoop hummis on to disguise them.

I planted some kale seeds to see if baby kale would be tender, tasty, better.

Someone does not think I need to do that.



Can you count those aphids?
They had a good 24 hours! as happy campers. Until I blasted them with the hose.


On the other hand, this is one of my favorite fuscia's. A semi-hardy variety the aphids do not like.
This is a Cape Fuschia - gartenmeister? It comes back, too.


Guara - wish I knew a common name.
I've had this plant for several years. It dies back in the winter and then blooms it's head off all summer on the patio- delighting the dive-bombing hummingbirds.


Strange OSU creature, pest or friendly?

Patio collage.


Another starving aphid moment...


Here's looking at you.

July Threads

 Basil loves to be trimmed. Unless you want flowers and 'bitter' basil.
I dry the leaves between two dishtowels out on my patio.
I weight the top towel down at the corners to keep the wind out.
I cover with the second towel to keep weird things out of my basil.
In a day or so of hot, sunny, summery weather, the leaves are dry enough to crumble into glass jars or ziploc snack bags.

When to switch threads? Or not?

I needed two hotpads to finish out a bridal shower gift (for an OSU alum) which did not coordinate with what I was sewing on the machine and on the serger.
After spending some time contemplating* whether I could get away with leaving the bobbin in white and just changing the turquoise out for black, I stepped up to the plate and changed both bobbin and thread to black.
No serging as I am using a woolly nylon thread in my upper looper and I got the tension on the rolled hem right on the first try on the floaty turquoise fabric. Not changing those threads - I may be this side of lazy but I am not stupid.

This is also when I realized a real need for the 2nd machine to get placed in the sewing room. I wouldn't have had to switch thread at all then.




*Contemplating Time is greater than Actual Sewing Time.

Bucket Bag

My nephews birthday is today- in Minnesota - two hours ahead of us.
He's 12 and when I asked what he wanted for his birthday, he gave me the list.

The list of stuff I have no idea where to get whatever it is that he wanted.
The list which I probably  cannot afford.
The list that got put somewhere special.
Alternatives?


I was at my local Thriftway and next to all of their wonderful alternative foods is the bulk bins of food, including candies you can't find just anywhere.

Including the gargantuan jawbreaker in the pocket above.

 I needed to sew something to hold the baker's dozen of different candies.
I used a free craftsy class, taught by Kirstin Link, of our own SewMamaSew fame.
The class is called Bag Making Basics, Drawstring Bag & Bucket Bag.

The outside is Oregon State University fabric in orange plaid. Just to remind him where his mom and cousin graduated from.
The pocket on the outside was made from Ikea basic black. You can sew the divider lines anyhow; I chose to make three pockets.

Oops, something fell out.

It was made to fit  into the priority padded flat-rate envelope (best thing since sliced bread) which I can send domestically for under six bucks. I feel so challenged by what I can stuff into these envelopes. (free at usps.com)



Inside lining is from a thrifted plaid shirt. Kinda cements that Halloween feel.




I commiserate with my friend in Japan who moved to Kyoto recently and is slowly putting her sewing room back to rights. I spent more time figuring out where the fleece interlining was, the dang rotary cutter, and the stinkin' iron!
Sewing things went into boxes and were marked but they are in a new place now in a pretty sewing room and I don't know where anything is. It took longer to find my tools than to sew up this project.
This was an easy project which I needed in order to get my feet wet sewing after all that overtime of last year and the remodeling homestretch this spring on the bedroom floors.

Canby Master Gardener Plant Sale

I helped a friend set up her booth for this show on Friday - between drenching rain showers and tiny sun breaks.
The Spring Garden Fair features free pH soil testing, luscious plants, and decorative garden art.
Held in conjunction with OSU extension services, you can bring all of your garden quandaries in to be answered.

Saturday & Sunday, May 5 & 6th, 2012
at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds in Canby, Oregon.

I get to preview what kind  of plants are coming in by helping set up. Total plant lust.

I Locked Myself In The Sewing Room

Two cute small bags. Big enough for cosmetics or a wallet and cell phone.

Serious amount or rick rack

Have to go back to the real world now. I canned tomatoes yesterday - they need to be washed to get canning residue off and labeled and put away.
I need to also pick some oregano and thyme before it rains so they can start drying. I've already dried enough sage. My second batch of basil is almost dry enough. I'm trying to get better at utilizing what is in my yard before I have to go buy oregano or basil because I need some right now.
Planning ahead.
And then comes the million dollar question: What's for dinner?

Hatfield Marine Science Center

Sea Anemones close up when you lightly touch them.

Before Keiko the whale and the ($15.00 admission) Newport Aquarium, there was the (free!) Marine Hatfield Center.
When we were kids, we lived in Newport during the summer months. My parents were both school teachers so summers were spent traveling or staying at the beach. We would hop in the car and head down Hwy 18 driving through the Van Duzer corridor and depending on the trip spend our time in Lincoln City or Newport.
We had a great-uncle who lived in Newport who made Strawberry-Rhubarb Wine which is the only way I tolerate Rhubarb. Other relatives called Newport home as well. We kids knew if we were well-behaved we could finish with the relatives and hit the beach. First one to sight the ocean was a game we never tired of.

One of the highlights was the Marine Center at the end of the breath-taking Yaquina Bay Bridge.
We kids could touch sea anemones -quickly!, sea cucumbers & starfish. The giant octopus creeped us out with the help of an older sister & brother. And it was always free.
The Hatfield Marine Science Center is closely aligned with OSU and one of my son's friends has a job down there this summer.

Sole hiding in the gravel/sand

Wow - they have a science cam. On when they are giving presentations, you can ask questions - live! The OctoCam doesn't appear to be working but our friend is aboard the R/V Wecoma on a three-day research trip.

Hatfield Marine Science Center - still here, still free, still cool.