Hattie Jane: Five months old today!

Cute little doll face, fluttery eyelashes, and a melty smile. Yep, Mommy likes unique adjectives, but there aren't enough in the world to describe our Hattie. Happy five months, beauty!

Paperback Goldmine

So Hattie and I ventured to the children's books section at Barnes & Noble today. I was growing more discontented with every shelf we passed. I saw far too many books written by celebrities or politicians. Jenna Bush and the other one "wrote" a book; there was another one called "John McCain: My Dad" or some crap like that. Finally I decided to just ask the lady to help me. Here is the exchange. Nana Kay will find this particularly amusing.

Hattie's Mom: " Excuse me, can you help me find the Stephen Cosgrove books?"

Book Lady: "Are you looking for 'Serendipity?'"

HM (disapointed): "Is that the only one you have?"

BL (matter-of-factly): "I keep trying to get more copies, but they sell out immediately and I can hardly get them to send me more."

HM: "Oh, I thought I could just walk in and buy them."

BL (incredulously): "Are you kidding? All of his books- even Serendipity- are extremely hard to find!"

HM (coming to realization): "Oh gee, I guess I'm lucky. I have the entire collection in paperback."

BL (also coming to a realization): "You don't know how lucky you are!!!"

Thank you Nana Kay!

A life lived well

Thank you.

A Sausage Fest in Time...

Certain pleasures in life are a comfort because they are reliable. Take Sausage Fest, Christ the King's annual fundraiser. It's a big deal here, whether you are Catholic, Protestant, or...other! I was stoked to finally go after many years, and relieved to find that, besides the addition of a Bavarian-styled Espresso hut, most of this event has stayed exactly the same.

I was thrilled to attend this spectacle with 4-month-old Hattie Jane not only because having a family instantly qualifies you to enjoy "family festivals," but because after nearly 20 years of vegetarianism, I was going to sin and sin big time: I ate a Rider's sausage. With sauerkraut, no less! And then I had a funnel cake. And later, a pretzel. Weight Watcher's Bun Lady be damned! This one is for you.



Matt and Amy indulged as well. He had onion rings. He was fairly disappointed.



Then, of course, there was Daddy, Traveling Festival Food Critic. Last but not least, the Incomparable Hattie Jane, finally wearing one her Etsy hats I bought for her before she was born.


God Bless You, Sausage Fest!! And Godspeed!

Rootin' Scootin' Hattie

Daddy finished the Vespa and plans to ride it in this weekend's upcoming Bacchus Raucous! Hattie couldn't resist posing when her "Super"-proud dad.

It's an autumn Saturday

Bumbo love

Hattie Jane wants to sit up and see the world. Constantly. So her Daddy bought her a chair: the Bumbo. The perfect gift for our big, 14-pound girl who got shots today.

Waiting for the pumpkins

On Saturday, we went on what I like to call a grocery shopping field trip to the Country Mercantile in Pasco. I was hoping to get a jump-start on some cute "Hattie meets a pumpkin" photos, but we have to wait a little while longer for the pumpkins to be ready. I love pumpkins. I have a fetish. When the pumpkins are displayed in bins outside the stores, I can't resist hugging the biggest one I can find.

Hattie rolled in the stoller with bags of groceries above her head. See? Here she is outside with her Daddy.

Hattie: Four months old!

Hattie had the best weekend ever at Bumbershoot. And thankfully, she doesn't have the nasty stomach flu that Mommy got. Although, she is pretty wiped. Daddy and I found her sleeping on her side today. Happy four months to you, big strong cutie girl!

"We're just a coupla high rollers from the Tri-Cities."

Remember in my earlier post when I alluded to Agent Cooper?

A handful of viewers may remember the David Lynch TV series, "Twin Peaks," starring Yakima's most famous native son, Kyle MacLachan, as FBI Special Agent Cooper. He is sent to a small logging town in Washington to investigate the murder of the town's homecoming queen, Laura Palmer. Scenes were filmed in Snoqualmie Pass and North Bend. I was crazy about that show- I even fashioned a Laura Palmer Halloween costume out of mattress sheeting once! (She was found wrapped in plastic and twine.)

After the mortifying directions incident with the cop, Daddy and I found Twede's Cafe, which used to be called the Mar-T Cafe, part of the reason why I couldn't remember it! This is the place where Agent Cooper fell in love with the cherry pie and "damn fine cup of coffee." They are still banking on that. The hallway to the bathroom is lined with Twin Peaks photos.

Daddy, Hattie, and I enjoyed a late lunch and some cherry pie and coffee.