A Breath of Fresh Air

Today is an absolutely beautiful day. The sun is shining. The air is not hot and not cold, just right. The birds are chirping.

So the doors and the windows are wide open. The kids are on the patio playing. I won't allow them in the house. Days like this should not be wasted shut up inside.

It is refreshing to breath the fresh air.

Thank you God! I needed an afternoon like this.

Fruits of Labor

Our peaches are coming fast and furious. I am determined to allow as few as possible go to waste, however, it is next to impossible to keep up with them. I took a few days off of climbing up into the tree picking the "just starting to get soft" peaches and now I am in trouble. Now many are in the "eat me this moment" stage. So back at it I will be. I love our peaches, and most stone fruit in general, but as far as growing, the citrus is much easier. They will last many, many months on the tree and even on the ground for days provided they stay dry. But not so with stone fruit. You better be ready, because when they are ripe, you only have a couple of weeks and then they are gone. They have either fallen to smash on the ground or our friendly neighborhood birds have pecked away at them all. Maybe friendly isn't the word to describe the birds. The other day while up in the tree, one was squawking terribly at me. I felt like I was in intruding on its space until I reminded myself that we were the ones that pruned the tree this winter and thinned the fruit one by one this spring. We are also the ones to rake the leaves in the fall and pick up the fallen fruit in the summer. So I do believe I have every right to be in the tree picking its fruit!

Our raised bed garden on the side yard isn't doing too bad either. Mix tomatoes and basil from the garden, garlic, cheese and olive oil from the farmers market and some lavash bread from Trader Joes and you have a pretty tasty lunch!

I hesitated about putting a garden on our side yard by the street. I wasn't sure if our neighbors would appreciate the look of it. But I found it to be quite the opposite. Every time I am out tending it or picking something from it, if someone is walking by they comment about how much fun they have watching the garden grow. I have conversations with people I have never met before because of the garden. So it has been a blessing.

We are using the abundance of peaches to make more contacts with neighbors as we have been delivering fresh peaches to most all of them. Jathan and I realized and are convicted that we have not been using the opportunity we have in the neighborhood for the gospel. So that is going to change. The peaches have helped us open the door with communication and now we are working on more intentional contacts. You can pray for us if you think of it.

We are back

Well maybe you didn't know we were gone. We just returned Wednesday night from a 2 1/2 week road trip. Colorado for a conference, Kansas for nephews graduation and then New Mexico to see friends on the way home.

It was an adventure. Lots of fun and a bit stress ("M" spent 3 nights in the hospital for asthma). I'll share some of our trip in the future. Right now we are adjusting to home.

Laundry has been the focus. Washing clothes, hanging them to dry, taking them off to fit the next load on. I finished the last load this afternoon, they are folded, not quite put away, the kids will do that in the morning. I believe there is suppose to be rain, so it is finished just in time. Of course, I can never really get caught up with laundry.

In addition to putting things away and washing clothes, I decided to rearrange some furniture. I realized today that the last several times I went on a trip, I came back and rearranged some furniture. I am not sure what that is about.

But anyway, we made it home after traveling over 3,000 miles. Thanking God for protection.

I'm Still Alive and Still Walking

We did it! We finished the race. Jathan had hoped for under 2 hours, we did 2:05 but I am happy and I know that Jathan would have finished a whole lot faster if didn't stick by me, but he did and encouraged me the whole way. Maybe next year we can beat his goal together. (I'm hoping I will speed up rather than slow down in a year)

Spring in the Valley

Winter lasts really only 2 months where we live, December and January. November still feels very much like fall and in February, more blossoms are coming out and we have some shorts days. Even though winter is shorter (and much, much, much milder), we still anticipate the spring as much as anywhere else. It is a change and one we all look forward to. Our part of CA is known for it's fertile valley soil where we can grow most anything and we do grow most everything. One of the favorites though in the spring are the fruit and almond blossoms that send a beautiful fragrance in the air and and are gorgeous to look at when they are in bloom row after row after row. The colors of pink and white are everywhere. And it can almost look like you are in a fairytale when you are among them. It is a short time that they are in all their glory, but when the petals float away and the leaves begin to uncurl we know that something better is on its way. Soon the plump, juicy peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots will weigh the branches down and not long after that, they will be in our mouths with the juices dripping down our chins. And the almonds, oh I love them too!

Before moving here, I really didn't appreciate agriculture as much as I should have and as much as I do now. When I have taken the time to learn about the plants, the trees, the bushes, and the animals that produce the good healthy food that I so enjoy, I can't help but thank the Maker for his wonderful plan and provision for us. I see how He has provided the soil, the sun, the water, the pollinators so perfectly to produce a nourishing product that I so often have taken for granted. I appreciate the farming men and women too for their hard work in raising these crops and livestock.

Some fun agriculture trivia that I thought very interesting.

Over 3/4 of the world's almonds are grown here in CA. And did you know that 2/3 of what you eat are dependent on bees to pollinate? Even the milk you drink and the steak that you eat. Remember that cow has to eat something and that something was most likely pollinated by a bee. During the weeks of the almond blossoms in California, so many bees are needed for pollination that bees are brought in from nearly every state in the U.S. Have you ever seen a truck with bees driving down the road? I am sure you have heard of a sheep dog guarding the sheep from predators, but have you ever heard of donkeys and llamas protecting livestock? Well they do and are used here in California.

Almond blossoms

Look closely and you will see boxes on the left side of the road.

Those are bee hives.

March Madness

We look forward to the tournament every year. And every year we are hopeful that our Boilers will go all the way!

We all fill out a bracket, trying to go with reasonable guesses not our heart, well most of the time anyway. Paige loves it! And has won several years. Drew picks the lowest number every time and only has to make a decision as to which number #1 to pick when it gets to the final four and the championship game. This year the winner gets a night to pick the menu for dinner (and if I win, well I was told they would prepare dinner with for me)

So we will see how it goes.

I know we are already to a good start when as soon as we finished filling out the brackets, Drew says "Who won?" Um, it has just begun. Then "M" says, "Is this football?"

My New Floor!

I mentioned a little bit ago about getting new flooring. This weekend we worked on it and finished the family room, dining room and kitchen. And I love it!!!

Those three rooms are all opened together. The family room and dining room both had carpet, which was in really bad shape. Carpet under a table with kids is really not a good idea. The kitchen had linoleum, that was well, pretty ugly. It was beginning to pull up, so to me that was reason to replace it.

After a lot of thinking and not knowing for sure what I wanted, I started thinking about laminate flooring. Still I wasn't sure when it would be that we would take the plunge and purchase it. Then a couple of weeks ago, after church, a friend (Candace) was telling how they had some water damage on their laminate in the kitchen because of a leak in there roof. There whole house was laminate only 1 year old, but they decided they wanted tile instead, so they decided to pull it all up and sell the undamaged part. She had just listed it on craigslist for $400 for all of it. Another friend (Karen) was wanting to pull up the rug in their living room and was interested and kinda acted first, so I quietly told Candace that if Karen decided she didn't want it, let me know because I was interested.

Well a couple of days passed and Karen's husband calls and says, "hey the laminate is beautiful and in really good shape and I will help you lay it." I was a bit confused and asked why he didn't want it. He then told me that there was plenty for both of us.

So here we are with two homes getting the laminate we were wanting for $400 total. That even included quarter round that hadn't been used, floor transitions, plastic moisture barrier and several unopened cartons of the laminate.

We are so blessed and I am so excited. I love it! Here are a few pics...

Here is the old and the new next to each other.

The dining room.

Working hard and remembering to measure twice, cut once.

Happy Belated Valentines!

I hope that you had a wonderful day yesterday. I am a little late in posting, but that is mostly because I was a bit busy to sit at the computer for any length of time.

Jathan and I celebrated Saturday night with dinner out at Chili's (I love gift cards), a little shopping (now that is something that I don't love to do, but Jathan insisted that I buy a belt since my one and only one fell apart and purchase new running shoes) then we headed over to some friend's house for a game. The game was guys against girls. It wasn't exactly marriage building, but it did help us practice seeking forgiveness from each other. And just to let you know the girls won! To help Jathan's sore feelings we stopped by Coldstone Creamery (yet another gift card) on the way home. That will lift anyone's spirits!

Yesterday, was more of a working Valentines. The kids and I had school. And with it being Jathan's day off he worked really hard at tearing out the carpet and padding and removing/prying off the nail strips. The nail strips were not easy to get up from the concrete, I image they had been there since the 80's when the house was built. Before Jathan was finished he took "M" to an appointment and I took over the job. The other three kids were at a neighbors house, I enjoyed the quiet (except the pounding of the hammer on the concrete and my music blaring) Jathan said he didn't want me to mess with it, but once he left I changed clothes and got to work. As I was working I was formulating in my mind my answer to convince him that it was good I didn't listen to him and did it anyway. I was practicing my "I love you and I wanted to be an encouragement, I enjoy this type of thing, so it was fun, I was careful not to hurt myself" speech. Thankfully when he got home, he was happy on the progress and admitted that he was beginning to get overwhelmed with this project and how he was going to get ready for a bible study on Tuesday and a sermon on Wednesday. So I wasn't in trouble. Jathan's parents sent the kids money to take us out for dinner, so that was what we did in the evening. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

In case you are wondering why Jathan was ripping up carpet, we are redoing our floor in the kitchen, family room and dining room. It has been something we have wanted to do for a while, the carpet is quite disgusting (it is under our dining room table, you can probably picture what it looks like) and the linoleum in the kitchen, well, it is an eyesore and beginning to come up. In the midst of figuring out what I want, God blessed us with wood laminate flooring at an amazing price from a friend. When it is all said and done I will show you pictures and share with you more about how we got the floor.

Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day.

Dinner Tonight...

I came across this recipe in my Sunset Magazine.

Take a close look and see how many types of critters you find in this dish.

I don't think my kids will go for this as our dinner tonight!

But if you are interested in the recipe, you can click here: Bouilloabaisse.

I showed Drew this picture, his comment was "they should poke those eyes out" I agree, I don't want my food looking back at me!

Recovered

I think our home is in the recovery stage now. Starting last Sunday, we had a new person come down with a fever everyday. It hit everyone except me. Jathan was struck the hardest, that happened on Tuesday, making him victim #3, and he still isn't quite right (health wise, I mean!)

Today, I was freezing and tired all day and Jathan was sure it was my turn, but this evening after a run, I was rejuvenated. So hoping and praying that it is over.

Anyway, in case you were wondering what was going on in our home, now you know. :)

?????

As I was taking photos off my camera and putting them onto the computer, I found this picture:

This is my dresser, but those are not my G.I. Joe figures. And I didn't take the picture either.

Proverbs 19:21

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand"
Proverbs 19:21

I am a planner and organizer by nature. In high school I was voted the most organized girl. Not only that, the category was actually made up specifically for me. Schooling my children at home requires me to plan. Planning the hour, the day,the week, the school year and even long range with what I want to have accomplished by the time they leave the house.

Today was like most every other school day. The plan was in place, we were to start school at 8:30 with Bible and everything else that follows. But 8:30 comes around and I can't find my Bible memory CD. Paige is sick with a fever needing a bit extra care this morning. Ok, so we will skip to Science. Science, done, now we will draw what we just learned and I will look for that CD, I find it GREAT!, but right when I start to get excited I hearing fussing and yelling between two children and now they are coming down the hall fighting over who tells the story first. After sifting through the stories, I find I have a significant discipline issue. Now an hour later because the child refused discipline we are ready to do Bible. But we are way behind schedule and I am starting to get frustrated.

A couple of days ago I read this verse from Proverbs in my quiet time. "many are the plans in the mind of a man" yes I remember several years ago being hit over the head with that verse when my plans didn't work out exactly the way I planned. "but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand." I remember realizing that there is a bigger purpose in all of this. And you know what? I don't see the whole picture like the LORD does. So I learned this lesson several years ago, right? Then why is my first response when I am doing Bible at 10:00 instead of 8:30 like I had scheduled get me so out of sorts and to be honest angry?!? Why can't I just say it is the purpose of the LORD that stands. The heart of my child who I had to minister to is more important than my time table. Caring for my sick Paige is more important that getting worked up over who is going to help with vacuuming today because that is her job.

Just sharing my heart right now. I am still in the refining process and as you can see have a ways to go. Lord willing, tomorrow when Math isn't finished in the allotted time, I will see God in it and show my children a proper response to a change in plans.

Kid Swap

It was a bit confusing after church today figuring out who was going where, but we eventually got it straightened out. Paige went to her friend's house, while the brother of her friend came to our house and the sister of her friend went to the house where Drew and "M" went. The oldest daughter of the house that Drew and "M" are at went to the house Paige is at and the son of that house is here. Oh yes, and Clay is here too. Do you have it straight? Don't worry I don't either, but I know where Clay is and I know the three others are at friends' houses.

Clay and his two buddies started right away at the Legos and are now joined with our neighbor boy. Clay thought it was funny that I was now the only girl in our house. Once my lunch settles, I am going for a run, then it will be an all boys house. I believe everyone is happy, at least the kids are. The house with the youngest kids might have gotten the short end of the stick, but I am sure next time it will be a different swap.

Just Checking in...

Not much to write about. This morning started with trying to get to the farmers market as soon as it opened so I could get home in time to go to Clay's game. It was a foggy morning, I couldn't see more than 10 yards in front of me. I turned on the wrong road and didn't notice (because I couldn't see anything) I noticed when I was at least 3 miles down, thankfully I was headed in the right general direction. After talking to the lady I buy milk from, she happens to be from Chicago, we both decided we won't complain about the fog, not as bad as the weather from where we came. Thankfully I made it in time to get to the game and then Paige's game, then by the time the games were over the sun was out. It ended up being a beautiful, spending time outdoors with no jacket kinda day. But you sure wouldn't have thought that from this morning.

I think the fog here is like snow in other places, no one wants to go anywhere, schools are on delays, and you just want to cuddle up and read a book by the fire. The nice thing though, is that usually later in the day it burns off and you can be out and about. But it can be bad to where you are almost blind when it is thick.

When I first met my new dental hygienist, she learned I was from Indiana and asked about tornadoes. She had never lived in an area with tornadoes and was amazed at the damage they could do. But right away she said, "they may have tornadoes but I bet they don't have the fog like us" I kinda laughed to myself, I think I would rather have fog all around my house than a tornado.

Just to be really random, here is a picture below from around Christmas. Some days we have a beautiful view of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Most days you wouldn't even know it was there. Our air quality is quite poor here in the valley. But on days of lower temperatures and after a nice cleansing rain (which unfortunately rarely ever happens) you can see every jagged, snow covered peak.

Hair

Not a very creative title, but I really didn't know how to describe this post. Anyway, Clay needed a haircut. He didn't think he did, but Jathan and I sure thought so. He hadn't had one since before our trip to Indiana this past summer. Jathan thought he was looking a bit like a sheepdog with the hair hanging over his eyes. And I was convinced it was affecting his hearing as it was hanging over his ears. So one evening, the clippers came out. I calmed Clay down when I told him we could do some fun things with his hair to show Daddy when he came home before I cut it all off. So this is what we came up with...










I cut the sides, used a bit of hairspray and gel, and here you have it. Jathan was a bit shocked when he got home. I thought he looked a little scary myself. Five minutes after Jathan was home I sent Clay to the shower and cut the rest.

A Theology Question to Ponder

Paige asked me tonight...

"If Adam and Eve hadn't sinned, would we still have to brush our teeth?"

Humm???

Would our teeth still be dirty?

What do you think?

The Tape Player Returns

My sister-in-law brought us a tape player that her kids have long outgrown. It is one with the bright primary colors and has a microphone that the kids can talk through to record their voices on a tape cassette. She also brought along a few story cassettes for our kids to have. It was quite hilarious watching the kids try to figure out how to use it. I am not sure if they have ever seen a cassette tape before and they certainly didn't know how it worked. I guess cassettes to them are like 8 tracks to me. I wonder what their kids will think when they see compact discs and iPods?

Exhaustion and Disappointment

The past 7 days have been CRAZY! Lots to do and the emotions of knowing that there is a little girl for us! So we started the 7 days getting to meet our little girl "M". You can read about that crazy day in an earlier post. Thursday and Friday were spent getting ready for the crazy weekend. We were watching my friends two kids and their two pets for the weekend (which was really no problem at all) We also had a mission retreat at our church and were housing a missionary couple and their child. Friday during the frantic cleaning frenzy the belt broke on my vacuum right after we had to rip the boys room apart because Clay took out his 2 hermit crabs and put them in a shallow bowl and forgot about them. Of course when they were remembered, they were not in the shallow bowl. Finding two crabs that could be anywhere in a house was not what I wanted to do as I was getting ready for all the company. I was just imaging one crawling across one of the missionaries as they were trying to sleep that night. Thankfully after removing everything from under the boys bunk beds, and toy box, we found both of the crabs not far from their home. I was able to get the house mostly the way I wanted before company. Saturday I spent most of the day at the retreat helping with the meals for the missionaries. The time I had at home I was preparing for Jathan's sister's family who was coming in that evening from out of state. After the Saturday night mission's meal, I came home and our family had arrived. Thankfully they were traveling with their camper so they could hookup outside our house. It is always nice when your company bring their own beds. We had a cozy night with 10 extra people around! Sunday, after church, the missionaries left, then my friend's kids left that evening and we were back down to 5 extra people. Monday we went up into the Sequoias and spent the day hiking and exploring. So that brings us to today. Our family was going to leave after we picked up "M" in the afternoon, but we received a call that "M" is sick and not able to come. Now that our family left, we are now back to just the five of us. I have to admit that I am quite disappointed that we didn't get to see "M" today. I really hope that she will be better so we can have her Friday night. This transition time is kinda weird to me, but I guess it is all necessary.

And now that the day is over I think I am going to head to bed early and look forward to a quieter day tomorrow.

Good night!

San Fransico Triathlon at Alcatraz 2010

I have been told that triathlons are addictive. And I do have to admit I would like to do another and hate to wait until next year when the one I did rolls around again. My friend sent me a link for some triathlons around California. Here is a description of one:

Swimming from Alcatraz Island was once thought to be impossible. This year, 1,800 athletes make the treacherous swim, fighting the strong currents and ever looming fear of what lies below the water's surface.This is certainly not a race for the faint of heart as the swim is just phase one of your Tri-California San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz journey.

Next, jump on your bike and head up and down the hills of San Francisco's sharp turns, fast descents and agonizing climbs.

Putting the bike leg behind you is merely conquering 2/3 of the race. Now you get to take in the scenic views of the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge and as you weave your way back to the finish line the shadows of Alcatraz Island loom as a reminder of your epic race. Throw in a beach run with a 400 step sand ladder and you have one of the most difficult triathlons in the world.Come prepared both physically and mentally to challenge yourself as only a triathlete can.

What do you think? Ha! I think that I might be a little too faint of heart for this one! I don't think this is one that my friend had in mind for me.

The Things They Say

Drew had on his jacket today and I noticed that he had something white on the back of it.


Me: "What is this on your jacket?"

Drew: "What?"

Me: "This white stuff" (as I tried to see if it would come off)

Drew: "It is probably snow" (totally serious)

Me: (trying to hold back a giggle) "No, it isn't snow"

Drew: (smiling at me) "How do you know?"