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.

Birthday Week

A couple of weeks ago turned out to be a birthday week at our home. Our littlest one turned 6 on March 15th. Drew had been looking forward to the day for quite some time, when he was finally 6 years old! And the week before, my mom and grandma began their visit and we were able to celebrate my grandma's 92nd birthday.

In our house you get a party for your odd birthday and we do something special as a family for your even birthday. Thankfully, it was a "celebrate as a family" year since I had strep throat on Drew's birthday. So the rest of the family, including my mom and grandma, all went out to celebrate his special day. However, I did get to join in the celebration when he opened his gifts.

Here is the birthday boy, with his sibling made "birthday crown"

Out to dinner for Drew's birthday.

Out to dinner for Grandma's birthday.

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?"

No Snow

Well it didn't come. There were a lot of disappointed people. I, however, was NOT disappointed. I will go to the mountains if I want to be in the snow and look up yonder at them if I want to look at it. To most of you who have had snow for a few months now, it probably seems weird to want snow, but when you only get snow once every blue moon or so, it is a novelty. Growing up with it, myself, not so much. Maybe next year.

Rain/Snow Showers

I just checked the weather forecast and this is what it said:

Tonight

Rain/Snow Showers

Low 36

I have never since we have lived here seen that in our forecast. I heard about a snow over 10 years ago, and apparently everything shut down.

This will be interesting.

Not the news I wanted

I received a letter from our social worker a couple of days ago. She had talked to the social worker in charge of our finalization. She sent me a list of the paperwork that was left to be done and the date that the other social worker was giving the court for finalization. She told me earlier in the month that the dates he gives court are usually very accurate. So with anticipation I skimmed the form and found "date of finalization" which read: 11/19/11. Oh, my heart sank. I knew that it would not be early spring, but at least early summer! I haven't broken the news to "M" yet. She is so anxious to be adopted. I know that there will always be a bit of uneasiness until it is official. Why, oh why does it have to be that far away. The only thing left to do is his part which is a child study (whatever that is). But as I have heard before, there are others that have waited longer. At least we have her, so to me there really isn't going to be too much of a difference, but to her, it is a huge deal.

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.