midnight creations

my adventures with crochet, DIY projects, cooking, baking and having fun in Portland!

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Camping at ecola state park

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Flowers all grown in our driveway, With little to no maintenance. We had an end of year/ retirement part at work that was garden themed. We were going to get fresh flowers for the tables and I mentioned that I had a nice rose bush in the front of our place. Low and behold, we were able to adorn all the tables with fresh flowers for zero dollars. I rearranged some afterwards at home. Also pictured is a vase that I hand painted:)

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Homemade thank you cards for my co-workers. I used clear block stamps and repeated the same stamp in a pattern on the front of the card with varying amounts of pressure and ink for a more vintage or distressed look. I hand wrote 'thank you' on the front,

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Rob's asked for a ring ding birthday cake, and a ring ding birthday cake he did get. It was a little labor intensive because I had never made any of the components before. But it came out great!

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Brunch time!

We made a frittata, latkes, and french toast for our friends "baby shower" brunch that John and Julia hosted. We were so excited to eat I didnt really get any good shots of the food, oh well. Duncan had a wonderful day in the sun. And I think the baby blanket was a hit =)

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Elowah falls and Munra Point via the John Yeon trail. Amazing and somewhat tough hike, with a great open rock summit. Loved the view!

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Memorial Day breakfast. Whole wheat waffles with walnuts , chocolate chips and maple syrup for topping. Egg scramble and tempeh bacon. And jammers made with my homemade jam.

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Apricot breakfast crisp. Yummy! Highly recommend this recipe from the smitten kitchen cookbook. I found some great fresh apricots at the local farm stand. I would use a smaller dish next time to get more even cooking. Served it with Fage yogurt :)

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Asian inspired dinner I made with John. Vermicelli noodles, tofu with chili basil sauce, stir fried eggplant in a dark soy and (vegetarian) fish sauce with baby bok choy. Oh and some wonton chips for good measure. It actually came out really great.

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Our Memorial Day weekend hike in the gorge. Horsetail falls, triple falls on the Oneonta trail. Beautiful day with great views. As an added bonus, John taught us a lot about the plants.

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My first foray into making jam and canning… Earl grey rhubarb jam. I am keeping my expectations low. I didn’t even get the right amount of yield. But it smells good at least.

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We saw this photo from 1964 on the wall at one of the Edgefield bars. The caption reads "paralyzed resident...impresses his physical therapist by lifting a 150 pound dumbbell"

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After a long shopping trip to a very large asian market, FuBon, we are attempting to make pad see ew. Update on outcome to follow....

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Zwikelmania

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Started our adventure playing with the goats that mow the field in our neighborhood. Then we drive over the Bridge of the Gods to Stevenson for a hike. We started at the Bonneville hot springs resort and took the Dick Thomas trail to Aldrich Butte. It was a great hike, hardly any other people and a great view. Then we tried to go to the walking man brewery, but they closed early due to a busted pipe. So we wound up at the Backwoods in Carlson. It was great! Beautiful view from a great patio.

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Some photos from Dad's visit! We had an amazing time. From the top: Upright brewing anniversary party. Croquet in the park. Hike in the gorge. Tasting tray at Crux brewery. Hiking and lava field in Bend (3). Hiking on the coast and Astoria (3).

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I made the scarf for my co-worker Susan's birthday gift. I think it came out cute and will be nice for the warmer weather.