The OC: Rugged & Wonderful

{Rugged & Wonderful}

The Oregon Coast has never been famous for its hot sun or warm water.  Instead, the beauty lies in the rugged landscape, sandy shell filled beaches, & making your own adventures.

So last week we spent our time finding special rocks & other seaside treasures,

playing in the sand,

and flying kites!

{Our Fun}
It may not be the sort of fun that you think of when you go to the beach, but we like it.

(This is what happens when I say "open your eyes".)

And stay tuned! Whale watching and crabs will be coming soon!

Love,
Your Beach lovin' Toad

Special Bottles & Baptism Gifts

{300 years ago}

This salad dressing bottle should have created forever ago.  Its not only a classy looking bottle, but around the outside has bunch of salad dressing recipes...complete with how much of each item you'll need.

So smart! Right?  My brother Travis picked these up for Tanya at Target.  Good call Trav! It was the perfect addition to the post-baptism taco salad spread at my parents house.

{And believe me when I say that when Tanya cooks I gain about 5 pounds.  She's amazing.}

{Trey's Baptism}
Which brings us to our Saturday afternoon.  It was a special day...our little 8 year old nephew was baptized! We are so happy for his decision to follow Christ, and it was a very spiritual ceremony.


{Some baptized at birth, but we baptized at 8 in the Mormon faith.  We believe that you should be aware of and understand the commitments you are making.  You can read more here if you're interested.}

{Gifts}
I have a new favorite gift to give to someone about to be baptized...a fluffy white towel for them to dry off with after they are baptized!  Of course, it wasn't originally my idea, but I loved it and wrote my own little poem to go along with it.

Here is Trey before his baptism (yes, he changed his clothes:) with the towel...

Margo also had a great idea and gave Trey a Baptism Book to remember his baptism day! I wish I would have had one of those when I was baptized!

Here's the my brother Travis & his sweet wife Tanya and their cute family...as well as Tanya's dad Jess.  Grandpa Jess performed the baptism...that's why he's wearing white too. (FYI: White has a lot of symbolism associated with it.)

Travis made is a very memorable day...he even called me by my maiden name in the program...I felt 17 again. :)

Special day, special guy. Love ya Trey-boy! 

Love, Aunt Toad

Voo Doo Dontus: Portland, OR

 {Voo Doo Donuts}

When was the last time you sunk your teeth into a nice fatty donut like this?

When you want a killer donut, downtown Portland is the place.  Voo Doo donuts has made its name & now we know why.  Ever seen the TV series Grimm?  Its filmed in Portland.   

                                           

With my parents raving about it,  Grimm & I {via On Demand} began a relationship.  20+ episodes later I'm hooked. I've always had a special place for Portland in my heart, but this show sealed the deal.  And if you're a details type of person you may have noticed a pink box or two in a few of the scenes...

{The Wait}

Trey and Lucy had been raving about "The Texas" donut, so we had make our way downtown and check it out for ourselves!

Yes, there will be a line to wait in when you get there.  But it moves fast and the kids loved the glitter brick the building was made out of, plus people watching is super entertaining. 

Not sure what they do when it rains, but I bet it doesn't detour too many folks!

 Trey claimed "The Texas" was this big! A fish tale? You make the call.

  

 

Introducing, The Texas. And a few other buckaroos Aidan and I picked out.  Trey was pretty darn close with his description!

 We came, we sat, we ate.

When was the last time you saw RC instead of Coke or Pepsi?  I didn't even know they still made it.  Gotta love Portland. 

Yum. Voo Doo is a pretty fun, funky, Portlandy place. And we loved it.

Love, A soon to be very chubby Toad.:)

 

Homemade Push-Up Pops!

{Pop this!}

Why is it that when we add a little plastic tube our little treats become just a little more fun? 

A month or so ago I saw these little tubes on one GroopDealz...a crafty deal type site.  Today they are on another cute site called Rubee Lane, so I just had to share!  They are $11.50 for 12 push pops.

They look so great and are so much fun!  I've seen so many cute things you can do with them on Pinterest & you better believe I "pinned" them!

They come in 3 parts...the tube, the pusher part, and the lid. And if you can't find yours you may want to check the front room...especially if you have boys. You see, they make great little shooters. 

{Rookie Run}

Our 1st time making them we decided to go for a simple trifle.   With my dad being diabetic we made some with this sugar free Jello layer with whipped cream and raspberries.  Then for the real sugar loving crowd we  layered some with ice cream too.

And they were yummy!
Can't wait for the next round...maybe it will include some chocolate? :)

Love, Your Push Poppin' Toad