Moles Part Two

This post should probably be called Moles Part Two, Three and Four! So we went back to Home Depot and they said that we needed to bomb more of the tunnels all at once and then sprinkle this pepper based stuff around the holes.  We stocked up on more supplies!  

 We have determined that there is more than one mole. The damage continues to spread and the frustration continues to grow. They didn't even respect the Tiger...

  So we lit 8 bombs, sprinkled the stuff all over the front yard and around the hills in the back yard.   

 And guess what, the hills were back the next morning.  And there were more of them!  So Ben decided to take matters into his own hands.  

This is serious business.  Look at this yard.  This is war and the moles are going DOWN!

 Hiding in the grass, Ben starts to plot his revenge!

  Be afraid, be very, very afraid!

 The next morning, there was one (only one) new hill on top of one of the hills we bombed. Time to head back to Home Depot for some castor oil spray.  Ben cut the grass and then soaked it with this mixture that is mostly castor oil.  Fingers crossed, it appears we have finally gotten rid of the moles.  No new hills for 4 days now.  But it left Buddy with a fine sheen on his coat so time for a bath.  Don't know Buddy?  You will meet him in the next post!

Our Housewarming 9/10/11

So, we finally scheduled an Open House to show off our new home.  We were more excited to visit with our friends and family and enjoy some down home cookin'!  Ben ordered Seafood Boudin Balls, catfish and  alligator from Tony's Seafood in Baton Rouge. He made chicken and andouille jambalaya. He used different batters for the catfish and alligator and fried hush puppies too.  We had bread pudding for dessert.  The food was so yummy!   Hey Rosemary!

 Ben's co-workers lent moral support as he cooked and cooked.

 Chuck & Lynnettee serving up some yumminess!

 My beautiful niece Danielle and her BF Scott.  Aren't they so cute?!

 My beautiful daughter and her husband Brady.  I am so proud of them both! (And they are cute too!)

Not sure who Janet and Lynnettee are talking to but they must have been funny!

All the CO gang, hanging out relaxing in the sun.

After full tummies, the boys decided it was time to ride the row bike.  Ben went first to show them what to do.

Ty's son decided he wanted to ride also...

He was better than all the big boys!  Go Matthew!

Stephanie and Sidda decided they wanted to slide!

That was fun!

It was such a nice surprise to see Stephanie!  So glad Dora and Chantel could make it also.

I borrowed the warmer from school to keep the food at temperature.  You know how I am about food and proper temperature and not taking any chances with food safety!

We had so much fun and it was great to host our friends in our new home.  Too bad everyone couldn't make it!  We are looking forward to many more fish frying and crawfish boils!

Moles Part One

So Ben has worked very hard since we moved in and our grass is a beautiful green.  Unfortunately, he has worked so hard that he has made the lawn attractive to a nasty mole.  So very frustrating!  His first attempt at getting rid of them was a huge gasser stick that you light and put in their tunnels.

 It's supposed to kill them.  It kinda just makes the house smell if you forget to close the windows!  After you light it, you cover the hole to trap the smoke inside without extinguishing the bomb.  That's what Ben is doing in this picture.

 He put bombs in the backyard also.  Stay tuned, we'll see what happens next!

Cabela's 2011

So Ben decided that we needed to go to Cabela's to get things for the Open House.  He learned that a new store opened in Springfield Oregon in May.  Since it was a few miles closer than the Cabela's in Washington, he determined that is where we were going as we wouldn't have to pay sales tax there. (Always gotta save money when you can!) 

 We left really early, dressed completely in LSU gear, flying LSU flags on the car so that we could get what we needed and get home before the big game started.  We were excited for a road trip but a little nervous too.  Know why?  Because Springfield, Oregon is less than 4 miles from Eugene- yup...the heart of DUCK country!  But we were brave and we even found a few supporters (mostly among Beaver fans!  We had fun and it worked out well since we all know the outcome of that game now!

 The day was pretty and we saw lots of lambs, cows and horses.  Farmers were out working the land and we saw this windmill.  It was located in the middle of nowhere along with an RV campground. Windmills are cool as well as practical.

 As we were crossing back into Washington on the 205 bridge, you could see the layer of smoke from the Dollar Lake fire on Mt. Hood.  It was eerily beautiful and scary at the same time.

  You could see the line of smoke for miles and miles around Vancouver and we are about 85 miles from Mt. Hood.  

 This shot is looking out over the Columbia River.  Sad!

By the way, we made it home in plenty of time to celebrate the Tigers eating Duck gumbo.  That was some real good gumbo too!  Now I get to go back to being a Tiger fan first and a Duck fan occasionally!

Around the House

These are random pictures from around home.  All the places we went and things we did and the children spent hours playing in cardboard boxes. They were space ships, doll houses, barns and a circus tent.

 Lots and lots and lots of fun- just using our imaginations!

 Pencil grip is very important to good penmanship so many nights after dinner, we played with playdough.  It's a great way to work those muscles, use your imagination and have some bonding time.

He made a croquet set complete with hoops and a mallet.

Time to pick some strawberries.  Marshall asked if he could pick them and I asked what color they were.  He said, "red, red as the color of your blood."

Ben helped Marin to lick the bowl so every drop of strawberry shortcake would be savored.

There was a little bit of whipped cream fun going on.  Marshall wanted some on his brownie...

Marin had eaten everything else so of course it should go on her nose...

Trying to lick it off but she just couldn't reach...

Marshall said, "let me just open my mouth!"

Many nights, we had exciting rounds of "Go Fish."  So much fun!

Had to have some bubble baths, right? It took days for all the bubbles to disappear!

Our house is very quiet now... we can't wait for the next visit!

Pittock Mansion

The Pittock Mansion was home to Portland pioneers Henry and Georgiana Pittock from 1914 to 1919.  A house of historical significance and visual magnificence, the Pittock Mansion today offers us a uniquely personal opportunity to peek into the past, and study our world as it was – from the viewpoint of one Portland family.  It was our destination today.
 
Looking out of the kitchen window to a magnificent view of Mt. Hood.
What a beautiful house, Grandfather.  Would you want to live here?
This is such a great picture on so many levels.

I saw her looking in the mirror and couldn't resist snapping the shot.  

 This picture was not set up.  It was just a sweet moment to savor and to remember.

Grandfather and Grandson- so cute!

There's always enough time to smell the roses!

 You can't tell by this picture but Mt. Hood is in the distance behind the children.  It was a beautiful day and we actually took about 100 pictures.  There were so many excellent shots, it was hard not to include even more of them. 

Even though there were other people around, none were close enough to ask to take our picture so the four of  us  could be together.  We didn't think to bring the tripod. 

 Follow the link above to the Pittock Mansion website to see a photo of the full house.  It is so beautiful and beyond it's years in innovation. I've visited several times and it fascinates me each time. 

This is one of the pictures Ben took.  Isn't it breathtaking?!

 You knew there was going to be one of these pictures didn't you?  As usual, it's one of my favorites.