How to Build a House

Ainsley just brought this picture to me. It's instructions on how to build a house. We don't have the top to bottom down yet but I think it's pretty nice :)

Yoo Hoo the Bento Box Arrived

I anxiously awaited my new hobby to arrive at the door. All dayI was contemplating what I would initiate the new bento box with. I even found a Rubbermaid facsimile at the store for Kenny and got it so that he too could enjoy a bento-riffic meal. My hobby has made MAKE magazine. Looks like I just barely beat the geek mainstream to this art.

See what I made for the family today www.flarinfoods.blogspot.com

First Effort for Vegetation in the Backyard

Yesterday I went to Mac's Garden Center on the corner of court street and rd. 68 (I like their plant selection and prices. Usually less than half the cost of Beaver Bark.) And purchased a small fortune worth of plants. All of them are full sun, heat tolerant perennials. I always spend more on perennials, I hate the idea of replacing plants every year. There is a full year guarantee on the plants so I better keep the receipt around. Anyway, thats what I did yesteray. Now I should work on the next tier and get their water working so I don't have to drag my hiney out there every day to water.

Before and After

Here's a few pictures of my main floor bathroom that I redid last Friday. It's one of the few rooms thats not still contractors white!

Almost Famous

Our kids were "almost famous" again. I got an invitation to a Camp Fire benefit wine and poo poo's night in Spokane. The invitation was sent out to probably the entire council and numerous supporting corporations and individuals. On the front cover was a big picture of, you guessed it, our club. Nate says it's funny how they are starting to use pictures of our group instead of more local ones. We're really the only club so dedicated to photo journaling the events. When the council PR lady is looking for pictures and our club has the bulk of pictures available to her, ours get chosen. It's pretty neat anyway. It's nice to get junk mail that has your kids pictures on it once in a while. LOL

American Style

Yesterday we went to the fiery foods festival... yummy foods, fun entertainment and lots of people. We went primarily because of Ainsley and Chloe's gymnastics exhibition. The exhibition went great. Grandma and Grandpa were proud.

We perused the many ethnic food vendors looking for something unique and you know, ethnic. Something that taco bell doesn't serve. Immediately, fried bread caught my attention. Little gortita rounds topped with spicy slow cooked beef, cabbage and salsa. It was definitely traditional Mexican cuisine and I was very interested in getting some for my belly. Two LARGE elderly women peeked over my shoulder and said, "boy, that looks good. They're so small though." I chuckled a little to myself. It was a normal single serving, they've obviously not ever eaten at a taco truck or authentic (not Azteca) Mexican restaurant.

As I start to stock up on recipes for Bento lunches, I notice the difference in size between Asian Bento and American Bento. We are piggies arn't we.

It clearly says, on one of my recipes, serves 2-3 American style 4-6 Chinese style. Thats even worse, we're piggies and the whole world knows it. You know I don't think that it's exactly because we want to eat that much, we just like to feel like we get more for our money. Even if we don't need it. A world of excess eh. So, after we've eaten like that for a few generations, we have begun to expect that much food and when we don't get a family size "individual" portion we are disappointed because "they're so small though".

I've always known this, but it's come up in my observations of the world in recent days. I do partly blame the government for the ridiculously huge amount of food requirements are in the food pyramid. But it can't all lie there. We have to have some responsibility for what and how much crap we put in our bodies.

A little tidbit from my brain. Have a good American Style dinner, we sure will.