by sandra.

two weeks ago frank and i drove to hermiston, oregon, to pick up the newest member of our family. he is a 3 1/2 month old pug puppy that we’ve named mr. “schmoo schmoo” magoo.

we are VERY happy to have schmoo schmoo, but definitely feel like new parents. we worry about him when we’re not with him, get up with him in the middle of the night, and wake up at 6 AM with him every morning. oh, and we can’t get over how ridiculously cute he is!

schmoo schmoo is growing and learning every day, though. so far he’s experienced his first hike, learned to sit and fetch, and is getting better at potty training and walking on a leash. he’s also met my parents’ dogs, sugar and angel, and some of our friends’ dogs, millie and tosh. we’re so thankful that he “plays well with others,” although angel and sugar are still a little afraid of him. we still figuring out why, though, since angel and sugar are at least 3 times as big as he is.

we’re also getting to know schmoo schmoo and his quirks. so far we’ve learned:
-he snores when he sleeps
-he loves toys with strings on them
-our shoes are especially tasty
-he’s scared of heights
-he likes eating yard debris like rocks, sticks, bark, leaves, and rose petals
-his hobbies include sitting on the couch, chewing on toys, and sleeping
-he doesn’t like to be left alone

by sandra.

since we’ll be home-bodies (instead of world travelers) this summer frank and i have finally created a garden. we’ve been thinking about this for awhile now, but now have the time and space.

first we built raised beds so we could use the square foot gardening technique. (more about that here.) in short, you divide your garden into square foot sections. then you plant a different plant in each square foot section in a grid based on the size of the full grown plant. so a tomato will take up one square foot while there’s 16 radishes per square foot.

we decided to plant starters for our peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and broccoli. you can see those in the picture below. we planted the bush bean, radishes, green onion, basil, and carrots from seed.

we’ve already harvested some radishes and lettuce, and are looking forward to eating some tomatoes soon. yum!

Here’s the full playlist on YouTube of our 15 minute video, “Frank and Sandra’s Bulgarian Honeymoon.”

Frank and Sandra’s Bulgarian Honeymoon

Chapter 1: Introduction

Stay tuned for more chapters to be posted over the next several days.

by sandra.

frank and i are excited to announce that we just signed a new lease at a house in ne portland.  we hadn’t really planned on moving so soon, but pursued this house when its ad caught our eye on craigslist.  it’s perfect for us in so many ways — bigger kitchen, more space from the neighbors, a working fireplace, and a spacious backyard.  we know we’ll especially enjoy it when we’re home this summer.

below are a few pictures that i stole from the ad: