The Oregon Women's Report - Women's News from Oregon

Chef Brian Wilke’s Amazing Home Kitchen

By Heidi von Tagen
Gorgeous Bits Blog
Portland

A few months ago, I thought it would be cool to start a series of posts called “Chef’s at Home” which would feature Culinary Instructors in their home kitchens talking about what inspires them and what they love about cooking at home.  I started out with Chef Wilke.  Wilke founded OCI, the cooking school where I’ve worked now for over four years.  I’d met him over 10 years ago at another culinary school in town and he’s constantly amazed me with his Rock Star attitude and how he exudes passion and confidence in the kitchens at school.

Wanna Have a KidVenture?

by Crystal Kupper,
Crystal’s Cliffnotes
Salem Writer

Oregon has been experiencing some freakishly sunny weather for over a month. Nothing but sunny day after sunny day. As a native used to viewing an inch of rain as a “little downpour”, I have to confess: all this sunshine is depressing.

My friend Jen, on the other hand, is used to real winter weather, Indiana style: snow, wind, cold and everything in between. She also happens to be the mother of 6-year-old quadruplet boys (whom I’ve had the privilege of writing about!). So when she says she’s ready for spring, summer and plenty of outdoor adventures, she really knows what she’s talking about!

7 ways to make your own history

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by Shannon Ables
Eastern Oregon writer
The Simply Luxurious Life.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Someone recently posed the question, “Why not make your own history?” and I began to turn over this idea in my head. As a history teacher and someone who has an insatiable curiosity for the past, I couldn’t help but ask the question, how does someone consciously go about making their own history?

As young children we are influenced and molded by the people who raise us and counsel us – for better or for worse. Unless we are able to step outside of the inner circle our family has created or have parents that allow us to see more of the world offering us a broaden perspective of all the different ways life can be lived, it is easy to be ignorant of the possibilities the world can offer. Ultimately, whether a child has been offered the opportunity or not, there must be something within an individual to create a life for themselves that is uniquely their own, tailored to their talents, passions and abilities. And in tapping into this inner curiosity, one must be willing to face adversity along the path toward their most fulfilling and content life.

Lessons boy teaches mom about spilt milk

Krystle,
Oregon Blog
Earth Monkey Moms

There are some things about boys that are learned early on,

and then over the years they are deeply ingrained into your brain.
1) They are gross.

They are often seen picking things out of areas and then wiping said items on certain things other than a napkin or Kleenex.

2) They are messy.

“Skinny” and Other Dirty Words

by Elisha Joyce, Oregon blogger
Rebel Grain

“Everything is permissible,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up. — 1 Corinthians 10:23

Our family has a list of ‘no-no’ words we don’t throw around lightly:

• Hate.
• Stupid.
• Butt.
• Fart.

I can’t stand them. They are ‘dirty words’ around here – and, I always tell my kids: you are way to smart and classy to need to use these cheap words to communicate an idea.

“Thanks Mom” video ad is simply the best!

This Mother’s Day, take a moment to see motherhood from around the world with this great video commercial thanking moms.

I refuse to engage in the lawn wars

“To Mow or not to Mow,Taking a pass on grass”
Or “Hell, no, we won’t mow”.
By Carolyn J. Rose
Deadly Duo Blog

A few days ago a young woman came to the door selling lawn care services. Apparently, looking at the
scraggly grass, exposed roots, clover, dandelions, moss, and bare patches in our yard, she assumed we would jump at the chance for a lawn makeover.

Not wanting to damage her self-esteem, I controlled my laughter and contained my comments. The fact is that our lawn looks the way it does because we made a conscious decision not to get involved in turf wars. You know what I mean, those escalating battles for the title of best lawn in the neighborhood, battles fought with fertilizers and weed killer, thatching machines, sprinklers, mowers, edging tools, seed, sod, and sand.

Crafty way to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week

By JulieChats
JulieChats Blog
Oregon’s Scrapbook Expert

This week is a very important week in schools all across America!  It’s Teacher Appreciation Week!  This week was a huge deal in my daughter’s elementary school.  And it still is!  Even though she’s moved on to  middle school and her brother doesn’t start elementary school until next year, I was asked to pitch in during this special week.  I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that I work our local scrapbook store.  Those volunteers know just who to ask when these projects come up!

One of the mom’s at the school came up with the idea of having each child in the school (about 600) create a scrapbook layout for his or her teacher.  Some kids also created layouts for the “specials” teachers: music, library and technology.  In an effort to include the office staff in this fun project, a mom contacted me and asked me to design pages for the principal and the three ladies who work in the office.  Of course, I was delighted to help.  These ladies were part of my and my daughter’s life for six years and will be a part of my son’s life for the next six years!

We cry before we smile

by Crystal Kupper,
Crystal’s Cliffnotes
Salem Writer

Today, at exactly three weeks old, Avinly smiled, her right cheek revealing a dimple previously hidden. After oohing and aahing over her beauty — the burst of love from a once expressionless face — I pulled out her baby book and turned to the milestones page.

There it was, listed right on top, just like always. “First smile,” the entry read. I jotted down the date and returned the book to the closet shelf, savoring the seconds-long taste of dessert amidst days of repetitive meat and potatoes.

Just a few minutes later, I got a message from Reece’s Rainbow that I never wanted. Colt, the boy I’ve been praying over for a year, was denied the chance to find a family in January by his own president. As the weeks passed, we held out hope that Russia would allow exceptions for special-needs children like Colt to be adopted.