Family Time

Hello and Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Just a moment ago my hubby, who is sitting on the next couch over, said "you need to update your blog honey. You haven't done anything since March." So here is an update my love. Not much to say and yet a lot of changes in our lives over the past year. I am so busy living life that I run out of time and steam to write about our life. We have had a very interesting year and it seems to me that we are finally settling into a routine for this new life, of course now that I have said something everything will change. For those of you who have known me for a long time you know how I feel about change, and how well I handle change. I will say that this is an area where I have grown and I know without a doubt that I still have more growing to do in this area as well. We took our annual summer trip to my grandma's cabin with our kids and grandma. Our friends came up for a couple of days to enjoy the water and cribbage games. We also only went camping 3 times last summer. Very unusual for us but hey unusual has become usual for us this last year. Last Thanksgiving we took a family vacation, with just the four of us, down to AZ to see my brother, sister-in-law, five year old niece and the newest addition to our family. Once I saw him I just couldn't help myself from nicknaming him Popeye. He was only 3 weeks old and he would do the cutest stretch while opening one eye. On the way down we stopped in Vegas (would never take the kids there again). We viewed the Grand Canyon. How anyone can see that and not stand in wonder of our awesome God just blows my mind. We went all the way down to Benson, AZ to see a cavern only to be told that the tickets were all sold out, to a school field trip. Then back up to Tucson to visit the Pima Air Museum. We would recommend this to anyone who visits the area even if you are not a aviation enthusiast. We then landed in Mesa and had a wonderful 2 bedroom suite with 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and front room. It was at the hotel that my SIL works and it was wonderful. I would highly recommend it. The kids especially loved the pool swimming at least twice a day. We enjoyed a full Turkey dinner, that my SIL's co-workers provided for us. We took all the kiddos to see The Muppet's and of course swam some more. As soon as we returned home it was time for Christmas. Christmas was different but good. There were some sad and hard moments but we made it through. Including a time where my son was struggling and when he said he needed a moment alone to compose himself he went down on his knees to talk to the ONE who could give him the comfort he needed. It was a moment where I was happy and sad at the same time. New Years Eve was also different. For the first time in 10 years we did not spend the evening at our home. Instead we rung in the New Year at our friends new home. (They now live only one mile away and we love it.)
Well that is what our year looked like in one long paragraph. I am looking forward to 2012 and all that this year will hold for us. I pray that through it all, the ups and the downs, everything I do and say will bring Glory to my Heavenly Father who has showed HIS faithfulness to me and my family this last year.

P.S. There is your update hunny.

Changes....

2011-03-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

Hi There...I know it has been awhile since I have written anything and really since I started being a FB junkie I have found that a couple of words or sentences can pretty much sum up my daily life. Lots of things have changed in my life over the last month or so and I have found that one moment I am okay with them and other moments I am still wanting to hold on to the way it was. This last month I watched as my MIL's flesh body deteriorated and she received her new body. I found myself in a situation that I had never imagined I would be in. It was hard and easy at the same time. We are still trying to figure out what life looks life with Donna at home with our Lord. Last weekend the kids had their first Friday Night Sleepover at their Grandpa's house since Grandma's home going and really they hadn't had a Friday Night Sleepover in over a month. As they were getting ready my daughter said to her brother "Isn't it weird saying Grandpa's house and not Grandma & Grandpa's?" To which he replied "Yeah". This is what our life looks like right now. It is kind of surreal on some levels and yet very real on other levels. The other big change in our family life is that our bookkeeper has officially retired and now I am the book keeper at the shop. I am not going to lie and say that I have taken this change as I should have, with thanksgiving in my heart because we still have work. I will keep it real with you and let you know that I have fought it tooth and nail, the whole way. It is not that I can't do the job or that it is hard. Really it is quite easy for me. I have always liked working with numbers and have found that even paying payroll tax, sales tax and all the other taxes and reports that have to be done for the government isn't that bad. (It probably helps that our bookkeeper was also our tax lady and she had it all figured out and she even wrote me a manual so I can just follow directions if I can't remember exactly how to do something.) So that part isn't so bad. I guess I am just not happy that after being a stay-at-home mom for over 10 years I am now a working mom with all that it entails like when exactly do you clean the house? Do laundry? Shop for food? Plan meals? Pay household bills? I know that these are things all working mom's have to figure out but usually the job comes with a paycheck and well mine does not. For someone whose love language is not words of encouragement or acts of service this is a really hard thing. I am trying to remind myself of my Lords promise to me in Jeremiah 29:11 but I will admit that there are days that I take my eyes off of Him and well things just go bad. So these are the things in my life that I can't just sum up in a couple of words or sentences on FB. My life with all it's bumps and bruises......

12 years and counting...

2011-01-30T11:00:00.001-08:00

Wow...12 years ago I married my hubby! Sometimes it feels like yesterday and other times it feels like forever ago that I walked down the isle and joined my life with his. I will be forever grateful that he married me. He is a wonderful husband, truly my better half. He is our provider, he doesn't complain about going to work everyday to provide for us. He is a loving father to our children. I love him more every day!!!

Oregon

2010-12-29T00:48:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

It Must be a food kind of day!!

2010-12-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

As I was preparing the marinade this morning for our dinner tonight my brother called. We talked about our Grandma's Christmas gift, which has to do with food and we talked about what I was making for dinner. Then my sister called and we talked about the Carnitas she was making for the progressive dinner at the Ranch tonight. So it must be a food kind of day!

Chicken w/ Tomatillo Sauce
Marinade:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Splenda
1 TBS Chili Powder
1 TBS Cumin
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
Zest of 1 Lemon
Zest of 1 Lime
Juice of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 Lime
3 TBS Olive Oil

Marinate Chicken in Ziploc at least 2 hours.
Grill chicken

Tomatillo Sauce

5 Tomatillos (Med-Lg) If usually buy 6 if they are med/sm
1 cup Chicken Broth

Remove Husks & Stems, rinse and place in pan w/ chicken broth. Bring to boil then lower to simmer cook covered for 8 min or until Tomatillos are soft. Let cool & drain out broth.
In blender add
cooked tomatillos
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Splenda
1/2 tsp Sriracha Sauce (Chinese Hot Chili Sauce)
1/4 cup Cilantro
1/2 cup green onion
1 garlic clove
juice of 1 lime

Blend, don't forget to remove the middle piece of the blender lid otherwise it will explode because of the heat. Cover lid with towel to stop sauce from shooting out while blending.

I usually make cook the sauce while the meat is marinating and then I blend it while I am grilling the chicken.

I usually serve this with rice and I pour the sauce over the chicken and the rice. Then for days after I enjoy the sauce with chips. Yum!!

Well I really do hope you give this a try. I know it is winter and most people don't grill outside but hey I have snow on the ground and I am grilling tonight. Grilling is a year round way to cook, even if you don't live in AZ.

Enjoy!!

(P.S. I just have to give credit where credit is due...this recipe is from the kitchen of my friend Bon.)

Hello...Is this thing on????

2010-12-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Hello.

I know it has been a while (8 months) since I have last posted here and I would like to say I am sorry and hopefully it won't be another 8 months until I post again. I make no promises though.

I just had to post tonight because I cooked our dinner in a way that would make my friend Bon so proud of me. I had a recipe to follow (the only way I like to cook) and well my ingredients were different. So after I panicked a little and told my hubby that we were going to go out to eat, to which he replied "I don't think so", I thought of my friend who is FABULOUS at improvising a recipe and I walked back into my kitchen. Guess what!?! It turned out wonderful. My daughter gave it 5 stars as did my hubby. My son gave it only 4 stars because "I reserve the 5 star status for my favorite meals only".

Well I am not gonna complain if 4 stars is my lowest score.

If you want to make the original recipe you can find it at Cook's Country.com and search for Cider-Glazed Pork Loin. I received this recipe from a friend who had tried it and loved it. Now just to give you fair warning when I went to the web site I found out that you get a 14 free trial and then it looks like you have to pay to see their recipe's. So If you decide that you wish to invest in this resource please forward any recipes that you try and like because I am just to cheap to do it. Seriously. I just can't. Or maybe it should read that I just won't. Now I will share my modified recipe with you and it will only cost you.....a comment to let me know what you think of it after you have tried it.

Cider-Glazed Pork

1 lb Pork slices , Sliced less than 1/2" thick
2 TBS Vegetable Oil
1 Large Shallot, thinly sliced
2 cups Apple Cider
1/2 cup apple butter
1 Bay Leaf
1 Sprig Fresh Thyme (I didn't have this on hand so I used 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp Cider Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

1. Heat 1 TBS Oil in large skillet over med-high heat until hot. Season Pork with salt & pepper on both sides then place in pan. Brown both sides and then remove to plate and cover w/ tin foil.

2. In same pan add 1 TBS Oil and add shallots and cook until golden brown. Increase heat to high and add Cider, Apple Butter, Bay Leaf and Thyme. Bring to boil and cook, stirring frequently until it starts to thicken.

3. Place pork back in skillet and cover. Lower heat to med and cook until pork is done, turning once.

4. Remove pork, yes remove it again, and whisk in 1 Cider Vinegar then return pork to pan.

I served it with Rice Pilaf and as an after thought I also served green beans (canned).
Next time I think I will precook fresh green beans and then add them with the pork in step 4 to serve them smothered with the sauce.

Well I hope you, all 3 of you who read this blog, give this recipe a try. It really is Yummy!!

Do you know Him??

2010-04-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

Do you know Him??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upGCMl_b0n4

A year older....

2010-02-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a friend made me a cake

for my birthday. It was fabulous!!

She made me a simple white cake with

a cream cheese and lemon filling, just the

right amount of lemon I must say. It

was topped with a whipped cream frosting,

my favorite, then it also had these

crumbly crumb goodness on top of that.

To top it all off she placed some beautiful fresh

flowers right on top. I was so touched

that she went through all that just for me.

Thank you Jeannie for the wonderful Birthday cake!!

I don't think I will mind getting older

if I have this to look forward to!!

11 years already!!!

2010-01-29T15:46:00.000-08:00

Today the hubby and I celebrate 11 years of marriage.

Wow...I can't believe it has been 11 years.

I feel like I should have a lot to say about this but

I really don't have much to say except,

Happy Anniversary Hubby!!

I am sure there are times that hubby blames his

friend for not letting him run when he had the chance!!

(Just kidding friend, he is forever grateful

that you held on and so am I.)

In 11 years I think my hubby knows me better than

he did at this moment. I am sure he couldn't quite figure

out what the gleam in my eye was truly for....

Yep that gleam in my eye was because he had

just fed me my cake and didn't get a drop

on my Grandmothers 49 year old wedding gown..

but I knew his tux was a rental!!!

I might seem brave but deep inside I like to run

away from confutation or should I say retaliation.

The great thing is...He still loves me!!!

Let it Snow, let it Snow, Let it Snow....

2009-12-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Last night it started snowing here. The forecasters said it was going

to keep snowing until tonight. Of course I didn't believe them

because really how many times do they accurately predict the weather?

So around 7 pm I went and started shoveling my driveway.

If you have seen my driveway you know that this is a project

that I can not tackle on my own. Usually my hubby gets out his

snow plow and helps me but last night it was all me.

So I set out to shovel right in front of the our garage doors,

an impossible place for the plow to get to, and our walkway.

Pretty soon my sunshine had suited up and was playing

in the snow in our front yard. After about an hour I was getting

pretty tired of shoveling not to mention it was still snowing and

so I felt like I was fighting a loosing battle. So I took my shovel out

to a part of the driveway that I had yet to touch and decided to write

a little message. My heart was happy because I was thinking that we

just might get that white Christmas after all.

My sunshine decided to join me and we had a great time

together trying to figure out how to write big letters

in snow with snow shovels.

Where was my princess?? Well she had gotten a very bad headache

and fell asleep on the couch right before I went outside.

This morning though she was up at 6am with her snow gear

on and playing out front. She almost got buried in the angel

she made in our front yard.

Sally also loves the snow but when we opened the garage doors this

morning she stopped in her tracks and tried to figure out the best

way to hop into the snow.

P.S. It is still snowing!!!!

The kiddos

2009-10-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

My M&M

3rd grade

My Sunshine
5th grade

Happy Birthday to you.....

2009-10-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my hubby.

In his eyes....

2009-09-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I had the TV on and tuned in to Food Network. Don't ask me which show because I really don't remember. My kids were home from school and having a snack while watching the host cook something...no I don't remember what but I do remember that it was in a certain baking dish that I have been salivating over for the last couple of months. As we are watching my 10 year old boy says, "Mom you should have your own cooking show because you cook good food. Grandma and Grandpa could pick us up from school and then we could eat the meal you made on TV." My heart was happy for two reasons. First this child of mine who can sometimes be picky and take a long time to eat a meal I made because he just really doesn't like it just gave me an out of the blue complement. He likes MY cooking!! Second it made my heart happy because he is so secure in his love from his family that he knows without a doubt that if I am not able to be there with him then his Grandparents would be. What a blessing that is.
Last Sunday we took a trip up to Apple Hill and brought home some eating and baking apples. While we were there we of course had an apple pie. We were kind of disappointed with it and when we got home my family wanted me to make them an apple pie. Last night I did and as we were sitting around our table eating it my boy told me that he liked my pie better and that I should call Apple Hill and give them my recipe..."then they would sell more pies because more people would like them." So this last week my boy complimented me and my cooking, twice. So look out Food Network TV Stars and Chefs in my sons eyes I could be right there with you and that is worth far more than any TV program you could ever give me.
As I plan my menu next week you can bet that my sons favorite meal will be at the top.

How I roll....

2009-09-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is how I roll to the grocery store. Unfortunately

on this trip my stomach, and my list, was bigger than

my ride and I had an overflow situation.

Notice the Frito's, all 5 bags , in the front basket??

It's not that we just love them but when they

are a buck a bag you buy them.

My hubby made this cart for me. Now that

I have tested it out a couple of times and we know

that it works he will paint it white to match my bike.

(Note to Hubby: Please oh Please paint my cart white

to match my bike soon!! Love you!)

Flashback to the 80's with a twist

2009-08-31T16:58:00.001-07:00

My friend emailed me this clip that I am sharing with you. I watched it and was AMAZED!! First lets go back in time...the year was 1982 and yes big hair was in, especially the bangs.
-Side bar- I just have to know if anyone still uses Aqua net? Anyone?
Sorry but I just had to ask. Where was I??? Oh yeah the 80's. Do you remember the group Toto and their big hit- Africa...remember-"hurry boy she's waiting there for you" that was me singing and just be glad that you got the typed version and not the live one. My kids are walking by with their ears plugged. Nice. Well the clip below is from an a cappella jazz choir from Slovenia and they do their own rendition of this song...I actually like it better than the original and as you know I really don't like change but it is that good. So please turn up your speakers and sit back and enjoy this fabulous show...for that is truly what it is.

African thunderstorm

Shared via AddThis

Give me S'MORE!!!

2009-07-29T21:31:00.001-07:00

What better way to end a day at the beach than having

s'mores! You know the oooweeey gooey mushhy smushhyy

yummy treat that we all know and love from camping.

What?!? We are not camping tonight?

Well that's true but we still can have that wonderful summertime

favorite right in our own back yard.

How?!? My Hubby bought me an outdoor Fire pit

for Christmas, two years ago, and it would be nice to use it.

So after the boys stacked firewood and the girls rode our bikes

to the store to get the goodies we needed the kids sat

around the fire pit waiting for their uncle or daddy to

light the fire.

I have never seen a sky I like as much as our good old

Nevada sunsets. The clouds, the colors, the mountains. Now I have seen

many nice sunsets- nothing like a Hawaiian sunset with the

tiki torches on the beach or the sun setting into the ocean

as you sit relaxing on a beach in Mexico with no kids..HMMM

one thing both those have in common is that they are vacation

sunsets on beaches. So yes those are both enjoyable for their

own reasons but in all honesty, and this is only my humble opinion,

I love our Nevada sunsets. Now ask me next week after I have

seen a Montana sunset and maybe I will have a different opinion.

What was my original post about?? Oh yeah s'mores mmmm.

My nephews waiting patiently.

Daddy and his little girl.

We have a couple of bats that come out right as the sun sets

and they fly around looking for food. It is pretty neat to watch

until they start to dive bomb near you to get the bugs.

I screamed a couple of times.

Roasting mellows.

Sally really wanted someone to drop something.

To bad, so sad. It all ended up in our bellies.

Showing my little girl how to twist the stick to

get the mellows to puff to just the right size.

I waited for my turn then I made myself one.

I think it was even yummier because there

was no sand in it, no bugs biting me and

I knew I would be sleeping in my own bed.

This one makes me laugh. I just have to wonder

how he got marshmallow all over his face?

The smile shows you how much he liked it and

that makes me happy!!!

Fun in the Sun (or clouds)

2009-07-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

Today we went up to Tahoe to spend the day in the sun and sand.

Well it started off as a beautiful day but then the clouds came

and the thunder started and we didn't stick around and wait

for the lightening. Of course the kids had a blast and Grandma Rose

and I played cribbage while watching them.

"This is the life" Grandma said. Of course I agreed with her whole-heartedly.

(Thanks honey for working so hard for us.)

After the sun screen soaked in the kids were off to catch crawdads.

They caught about seven then made a little hole for them

in the sand in front of us.

For lunch we met my mom and grandma treated us at the

Harbor House. Uncle Paul even treated the kids to ice cream

afterward.

After lunch is when the clouds started and so the kids stayed out of the

water and buried each other in the sand.

We left the lake around 2:50 and when we headed back to town we

decided to stop off at the farmers market and get some tomatoes.

Then we dropped Grandma off and got back into my car to head home.

The boys (G&J) were sad that they were not going to be seeing their

great grandma again on this trip but I know they were grateful for all the

time they spent with her.

How does lunch and a movie turn into 9 1/2 hours???

2009-07-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Today was our first full day with my nephews visiting from Montana.

My Grandma Rose wanted to take us out for a special treat.

First we went to lunch at Applebee's. Cousin Sheena

also joined us for lunch. The food was good and the visiting was great.

After lunch we had about 30 minuets before we needed to be at the movies.

So without much time we headed over to the duck pond park

and the kids played. R & J are two peas in a pod actually more like

two monkeys. The first thing they did was find a tree to climb.

Then when that wasn't fun enough they decided they would rather

hang from that tree.....

Grandma Rose couldn't believe it.

I love that my kids love their cousins.

After the park we went to the movies to see G Force.

I have come to realize that I really don't like 3D movies.

After the movies we decided that we would go to Target to let

the kids use their gift cards that they got the night before

at our family birthday celebration. After shopping for a little

over an hour we headed over to Grandma's and she invited the

kids to play the Wii. Then since it was getting close to dinner

we decided to order take-n-bake and have the hubby pick

it up on the way over. The kids had fun playing the Wii again after

dinner and we were able to play two rounds of cribbage, I won

the first game and Grandma won the second. Hubby wasn't to happy

about loosing to girls but had a fun time anyway.

So that is how we turned lunch and a movie into 9 1/2 hours.

10 years and still growing...

2009-07-22T09:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my sunshine's 10th birthday. I remember when he was a little tyke thinking to myself...I have no problem getting older but the thought of having a 10 year old really freaks me out...now not so much. I do have to get used to letting him do more things with out his mommy like climbing on the rocks and catching crawdads with his buddies. Of course he has to be where I can see him at all times.
When we were planning his birthday he really wanted to have a sleepover with is friends. Well after the hubby and I talked, tried to get him to change his mind, and then talked some more we decided OK. Well then I took it one step further and since Tuesday is our Tahoe day and it just happened to be his actual birthday we invited all his friends to join us at the lake for the day. Luckily one of the moms also wanted to join us so I wasn't left alone with the boys and my M&M had a friend too.

Here they are waiting patiently so I could take a picture before they all ran to play in the water.
The boys eating cheesy puffs.

I know that at some point my son would start noticing that girls are different

but I didn't expect it to happen on his 10th Birthday. They played out in the

water with this one set of girls. The best part was that the girls held their own

and in my opinion they walloped the boys. HEHE!!

Grammie from SOCal was here and joined us for pizza dinner and dessert.

He loved his legos from his Aunt and Uncle and cousin in AZ.

They built it right away.

At 10:30 my hubby came out of our room and told me that the boys were

being to loud and needed to come inside, he was trying to sleep.

So I went outside and told them that they needed to quiet down and

that they got me in trouble. They thought that was funny.
11:30 I told them that it was time to go to bed. I know that they were tired

because I only had to get up once to tell them to quiet down.

Happy 10th Birthday Sunshine!!!

Baking Diva??? NOT!!

2009-07-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

Last November when we were planning my MIL's Birthday tea the kids drew pictures of cakes they wanted to make. Well one of them had the number 66 on it and it kind of looked like the route 66 sign. So we put it aside to maybe use later for my FIL's Birthday. I told my MIL about it and we agreed that I would make the cake for his birthday celebration. Now he is a huge chocolate fan..not kidding...HUGE!! The cake of course had to be chocolate. The hard part was trying to decide what kind of frosting I could do that would taste great and be white. Well I found a recipe for a Chocolate Truffle Frosting and I just substituted white chocolate for the chocolate chocolate. Now I know I am no cake diva and I had a hard time because it didn't turn out perfect but once I put a piece in my mouth all thoughts about imperfect cakes went away. I will definatly make this cake again.

I started out with a 9X13x2 pan. I did have a little sticking problem though.

I downloaded a picture of the sign and blew it up and then cut it out. It was my template. (See sometimes I'm pretty smart.)

I thought the cutout looked pretty good until I put the frosting on. Then it didn't show as much of the shape as I would have liked.

I melted dark chocolate with butter and put black food coloring in it to make the writing. I would change this next time but I don't know how. The chocolate was melting the frosting and the bag I used as my tube was really hot. The chocolate kept getting clogged in the opening and then coming out in a clump. Very frustrating but now I know for next time.

Dick really liked it because it was chocolate. Donna liked that it was the Route 66 sign. Me I just like that I am done...at least for now.

Shasta 09

2009-07-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from our trip up to Shasta. The weather was beautiful. It rained a couple of afternoons and only got really hot (110 F) on one day. We stayed in the water all day that day and didn't come home until 8:30 pm. On our last day there my youngest cousin, Mitch and his fiance Tiffany came up to spend some time with Grandma. We took them out on our boat before we left. This trip we stayed for 9 days and we loved EVERY minuet of it.

Tahoe Tuesday...Finally!

2009-07-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

We finally made it up to Tahoe for our summertime treat of Tahoe Tuesday. None of our usually friends were able to go so it was just the kids and I. After they got over their initial disappointment they had a blast. The wind picked up in the afternoon, which was great because you could sit in the sun and not roast. The best part though is the waves it brings with it. I choose to stay on shore and just laugh and laugh and of course take some pictures. At one point the wave flipped R over and when he got up another one crashed over his head. It was so funny and when he saw me he started to laugh too. When we got home I told the hubby that one of these years I would love to take the kids camping at the ocean. I think we all would have a blast. Well I guess I need to start saving for that trip. In the meantime we will just enjoy our "beach" at Tahoe.

Writing in the sand.

She found a paper shaped like a heart.

Showing off their treasures.

Riding the waves was way fun!!

Next time I just might have to join them.

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! Today I decided not to talk about this country we live in and where we are headed. Instead I decided to make a patriot drink in honor of this county and all the freedoms we have had and will continue to fight for. To everyone who has or is serving in the military I THANK YOU for your sacrifice and to those whose loved ones have never come home I THANK YOU for your sacrifice. I salute you with my Red, White and Blueberry Soda.

Pruning

2009-06-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

I am the vine, and my Father

is the gardener. He cuts off every

branch in me that bears no fruit,

while every branch that does bear

fruit he prunes so that it will be

even more fruitful.

John 15:1-2

Pruning- To cut off parts or branches of (e.g. a shrub) to improve shape or growth.

Today I decided it would be a good day to prune my peach trees. For some that might seem like a natural thing but for me it was the first time I have ever done this.

A little back ground...We planted our fruit trees about 3 or 4 years ago (I blame my age for not being able to remember the exact year). Every year we get some fruit but I have never done anything with it and have just let the birds enjoy it. Well this year I thought no more birds. This fruit is mine um I mean ours. So I started rereading all the paperwork I had received with the trees. There in black and white ,actually black on blue, I was told that I needed to thin the fruit on my tree. Well to me that just didn't make sense. Don't I want the most fruit from my tree? Then I remembered back to my second year with my little orchard and I recalled how I lost a rather large limb because the fruit it was holding was just to heavy. It couldn't handle the weight and it broke at the base of the branch and trunk. So OK maybe these garden people know what they are talking about. Back to today.

I head out to the side of my house with my bucket (actually my kids beach bucket), my gloves and a little five foot ladder. Up I go. I grab a hold of a branch and gently pull it towards me and then I freeze. How do I know which peaches to remove? The paper didn't tell me and I didn't see anything in the books I have. So how do I choose? What if I choose the wrong one? What if I ruin the whole branch by choosing peach number 1 over peach number 2 or 3?? So I take a couple of deep breaths up on my 5 foot ladder and look up at the whole tree above me...mistake. I am not really afraid of heights but when I am perched on something high I get dizzy when I look up. Looking down I am OK but up well that's a different story. So down the ladder I go back into my garage where I grab my hubby's 10 foot ladder. Up I go and boy is it better. Now back to the pruning. There I am up about 7 feet off the ground and grabbing my first branch to prune. I look at it and I see that there are some spots where the peaches have grown in a bundle. Well that seemed like a logical place to start so I start pulling off the excess peaches. Then as I am doing this it dawns on me that some branches are sturdier while others are weaker. So I started looking at the strength of the branch to determine how many fruit it should have per branch. There I go pruning away. I actually was enjoying myself talking to my tree while I lovingly plucked the fruit that is its sole purpose in life to produce.

Before pruning After pruning

No longer sad over the fruit that will never reach its full potential but excited for the fruit that now has a chance to become even sweeter and juicier than before. As I stood there pruning away looking at each branch and deciding where to prune a little thought pops into my head. I wonder if this is how God feels when he is pruning me? I can just imagine him looking at me as a whole and then looking at my individual branches and deciding which ones are weak and which ones are strong. Then pruning the things in my life that might cause my weak branch to break away from my trunk (Jesus). I can just picture him with his eyes full of love and whispering sweetly as he pulls off a fruit because it just isn't meant to grow anymore. I can see him looking at the ones he leaves just picturing what they will become. How sweet and beautiful they will be to him.

At some point I decided that this job was to precious to do while wearing my gloves and so I took them off so that I could feel each peach. The ones that I was leaving and the ones that I was removing. I couldn't help but think about how much more God loves me than I love my tree. How precious my fruit must feel to him. How full his hands must get sometimes when there is so much that needs to be pruned away.

While I walked around gathering all the fruit that didn't make it into my bucket I was thinking again about those little peaches that will never be. For two trees there seemed to be an awful lot of pruned peaches.

Then I focused on what was left on the trees and I was again excited over the fruit that my trees would produce for us to enjoy.

Now if I can only keep the birds away!

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD

whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water that

sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and it never fails to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

My mini orchard includes two peach trees, two apple trees and two cherry trees.

Hello Mother, Hello Father......

2009-06-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning I dropped our boy off to go to his first church camp. I remember going to a couple when I was younger and it didn't seem that hard, at the time. Now as a mom dropping off a child I see it as a whole new (scary, frightening, cried myself to sleep the night before he went) experience. He, on the other hand, was excited. He normally is a morning person (gets up by 6am without the use of an alarm clock) but this morning he set his alarm for 5 am. I told him that was to early and had him adjust it for 5:30 but when I went in his room to make sure he was up he had already taken a shower and was completely ready to go. Yeah..he was excited. So off we went to drop him off.

pants...check

socks....check

underwear.....mmmmoooooommm

embarrassing my son....check

R invited his buddy from school, J, to go with him.

His mom was just as nervous as I was.

"We are going to sit all the way in the back. Yeah cool."boys

"Well you know this bus has a bathroom in it right?" Dad

"That's so cool. I am going to use it while we are driving. Yeah me to." boys

"Well do you really want to sit in the back near the bathroom?" Dad

"Why not?" boys

"What if someone has to, you know, use it?" Dad

"So" boys

"What if they are in there a while and umm?" Dad

"Gross, what if the smell comes out to us. Lets sit towards the front. Yeah." boys

There are just some conversations that are better suited for boys and Dads.

My sunshine loves to laugh and make others laugh.

To cool to wave goodbye but right before they drove away

he did look right at me and smile.

Where has the time gone??

2009-06-03T18:01:00.001-07:00

Today is my daughters 8th Birthday. All day I kept asking myself

"where did the time go?" It seemed to have just flown by.

One minute I was huge and pushing with all my might and the

next thing I know I am sitting at a table at the Villa Basque Cafe

watching my little girl eat her lunch. Which by the way was a

Mickey Mouse pancake. We have been so blessed that the Lord chose us

to raise this precious little lamb of His. I just pray that the next eight years

don't fly by like the last have seemed to do.

Last weekend we had a birthday party for our little girl.

There were about 24 kids celebrating with us.

E's friend from her "old" school was there too.

The theme was spring time celebration.

We had fresh flowers on some of the tables and

candles on the other ones.

Her menu:

Hot Dogs

Watermelon

Green Salad

Chips

Strawberries

Veggies and Ranch Dip

RootBeer and Lemonade

For dessert she helped me make Triple-Citrus Cupcakes.

Everyone loved them but of course Grandpa Steve said,

"You put spinach in these cupcakes". He ate it anyway.

Happy 8th Birthday to our little Princess!!

Waiting....

2009-05-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

This week I was offered a part time job up at my Aunt & Uncles place in Tahoe. It seemed the perfect opportunity for me. It was only three days a week, it is only for the summer and the amount that I would be making would pay the rest of our deductible from R's surgery. It seemed like a gift from God. So hubby and I prayed about it. My prayers were all about how perfect it would be for us and how it would help us and relieve some of the stress we have right now because of this economy. I was also very excited at the the thought of working again and doing what I would be doing. It was very hard for me to end my prayers with "But Thy will be done". I would always add something like "but it seems like it is from You". We were praying about where the kids would go. The answers we got just seemed incomplete. My in laws were more than happy to have the kids for two days a week but what about that third day? We had options like my Aunt who is always letting me know that she would love to watch the kids or our friend who is a teacher and has the summer off..but we struggled with the fact that it would be every week for more than 9 hours that day. That's a long day. So last night I called said friend and didn't hear back from her after she talked to her husband.(A blessing in disguise) So as much as I wanted to call her back to find out the verdict and then call my Aunt & Uncle to let them know our decision..I didn't. That small voice (Holy Spirit) was whispering to me to "Be still and know that I am God". He would give me the right decision at the right time.
You see I have a hard time waiting on decisions. I like to know what is going to happen..I like to plan, to the best of my ability, and know what lies ahead. I have a hard time waiting. Well I did wait. I had a hard time falling asleep and I just talked with God. Back and forth...the pros and the cons. I was finally able to fall asleep with my last thought being...Thy will Lord. I woke up still feeling all jumbled inside about this decision. I went for a walk with Sally in the hills and I was reminded of some of the plans I had for this summer...told you I liked to plan. I am working on being healthy and treating my body the way it was designed to be treated. So I have been thinking about how I would incorporate my kids into that this summer..bike rides, walks, tennis..things like that. Well if I worked three days a week when would we do that? For eight years I have taken my kids up to Tahoe on Tuesdays and I don't want to give that up. They look forward to it just as much as I do. If we go camping and stay an extra day when would I clean the camper let alone do the mountains of laundry that comes from camping. (I think it mutates when we are gone) OK so I just make it work. I do all this stuff in the evening or in between running here and there. Of yeah I forgot about cleaning the house. I mean I know I don't like to do it and I put it off as often as I can (I should be cleaning toilets right now) but can I really put it off for a whole summer?? Yuk!
Sometimes when it seems like God is giving you a half answer it really isn't. So without another thought or delay I called my Aunt & Uncle and let them know what our decision was. It was very sad for me because I was looking forward to the opportunity and yet it just wasn't Gods timing and His timing is ALWAYS perfect. I do feel that I look towards God when making most decisions (working on changing this to every decision) but I do struggle with waiting for His answers. Sometimes it works out perfect and other times He makes it work anyway. (With some bumps and bruises along the way when I rush ahead of Him.) This my friends is what I am going to work on...Asking and then WAITING.
He promises to answer but He doesn't promise to answer right away. I mean just look at Joseph. He was sold into slavery and had a very bumpy life for the next 22 years until he saw his family again and was able to save them, the family line of Jesus, from the famine. Yet never did he think his God had forsaken or forgotten him. He just stayed faithful and gave all things to God in prayer. He waited for God to do what He intended to do. And what did he do while he waited?? He made the most out of where he was. He became Potifars right hand man, overseer of his house and all that he owned. He stayed faithful by not sleeping with his master wife and was thrown into jail because of it. Then in jail he was given charge over all the prisoners. He listened to and gave Gods interpretation of their dreams to the Chief cupbearer and Chief baker of Pharaoh. Then when he asked the Cupbearer to remember him to Pharaoh, and was forgotten, he continued in his current roll. It took the cupbearer two years to remember Joseph (God's timing). Then he was put in charge of all the grain in Egypt to prepare for the upcoming famine and the distribution of grain and food once it hit. 22 years. That seems like along time to me. I can't imagine how long it must have felt for Joseph and yet he stayed faithful and waited on the LORD for His timing. (Genesis is a really good book to study) The LORDS timing is always the best timing. God tells us "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him" James 1:5. But we must also wait for His answers.."Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary" Isaiah 40:31.
Waiting..a hard thing for me but something that He wants me to do. My new goal..
ask and then Wait.

Week of the Dogs

2009-04-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

This last week our home felt like it was being overrun with dogs. Which is kind of crazy since we only had one extra dog with us. Our friends went out of town and we had the pleasure of watching their dog Curly. Of course before we even got her we had to tweak our backyard a little because over the last year or so we have figured out that individually both Sally and Curly are great dogs but when you get them together well that's a different story. (One likes to dig and the other likes to eat the drip lines) So we fixed our fence in the far back so that when we leave we can put them in the "back 40" where they can dig all they want and there are no drip lines to chew. Well you put these two adorable heads together and they found a way out. Sally squeezed through the side where the neighbors fence has a little give and then she cohorts Curly into finagling her way between the wood fence and the chicken wire we put on top of it. You probably ask how we know this?? Well they both left a little fur evidence at the scene of the crimes. So after one day together we had to fix the fence and figure out how to keep them in the far back. We did and they stayed...all was well. The great part about having the two dogs is they wear each other out. At night they are exhausted.

Today Curly goes home and a little something will be missing from our family...until we go over there for dinner tonight and bring Sally with us.

CakePops!!

2009-04-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

I am involved in a fabulous bible study called CBS. I teach the three and four year old class with my wonderful team teacher Jenny. (She is from England and has a gorgeous accent.) I can't believe that as this school year ends so does my sixth year with them. I am excited about next year because we will be studying Revelations. God's timing is so perfect. Every month the leader get together after our class and have a luncheon together. We rotate between the children's teachers and the core group leaders (women's groups) and we provide a great lunch. For the most part the meals are always themed. This last one we had we did it around the theme of princesses. Now I know I am a princess, not because my family has royal blood lines but because I my FATHER the THE KING. It was fun. We had little cucumber sandwiches and chocolate covered strawberries..just to name a few of our mouth watering choices. I decided to branch out and make something I have never made before. I made CakePops from the bakerella web site. They tasted fabulous but being the perfectionist that I am I was a little disappointed that they were not perfect. Well at least to my eyes. The ladies loved them and they were the perfect addition to an already "princessy table" (is that a word..princessy??).

Do you know Him??

2009-04-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Do you know Him??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upGCMl_b0n4

How can something so little cause so much pain??

2009-03-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

So on Tuesday my sunshine woke up at 4 am with pain in his abdomen. I told him to lay on his side because it was probably gas. A little while later he told me it never went away so I told him to go potty because he was probably full of poo. Well that didn't do anything either. At around 5ish he started throwing up. His body had processed all he ate the night before so all that was coming up was the stomach acid. So for the next 3 hours he was getting sick every 20 minuets or so. At 8 am my FIL picked up Em and took her to school. I went to WebMD and looked up appendicitis. R seemed to be having all the right symptoms. I could press in on his left side but not his right. He couldn't stand straight up and down. So I called the ER to talk to a nurse. She suggested that I take him to his doctor or come there. Well since we just changed insurance about a week ago I decided to take him to the ER. We arrived around 9:30 and they got us in pretty quickly. The nurse we had was awesome. He talked to R and explained everything to him before he did it. The doctor was also really good but we didn't see him as much. They hooked him up to an IV right away and withdrew some blood for tests. The results came back that his white blood cells were elevated so they ordered a CT Scan. Well in order to do that R had to drink some medicine without throwing it up. (The bags they make you use in the ER to trow up in are totally gross. They are clear and your see everything. I almost needed one myself.) They gave him some anti-nausea medicine and he was able to drink down the yukky "apple juice" in two hours. Then he had a CT Scan and a couple of hours later I got a call from the surgeon saying that he wanted to remove the appendix but he wanted to do it at another location. (The local Surgery Center). So we start getting ready to leave and R is really worried that they are going to remove his IV then have to give him another one. Well as we are waiting to be released the nurse comes back and tells us that the hospital won't release us to a place that is considered a "smaller" center. So I would have to sign out AMA. So we decided to stay there. The relief on R's face was amazing. He was still worried about the surgery but he was doing better. Than I get another call from the DR and he tells me that I can sign out and do the surgery at the other place and that it is all my choice. So I told him that I think R would do better at the Hospital. (I felt very grown-up telling a doctor what I thought was best for my son.) So he got a little snotty on the phone and said fine...we can wait around for an opening, which probably wouldn't be until 8pm, if that was my choice. I said thank you we will. Then the phone calls are made to let everyone know the latest. They decide to transfer R up to Peeds to wait and we start getting everything together, again. Then the nurse comes in and said they had an opening in the OR and we were going straight up to pre-op. So back on the phone I go to let everyone know the change in plans and that it is happening sooner rather than later. Up to pre-op we go. They get him all ready for surgery and then guess what we did...we waited around for the surgeon. I guess he was still mad at me for not moving. He finally arrives and they wheel are little boy away. That is a very hard thing to watch. Now while we were waiting in pre-op my MIL and FIL had picked up our daughter from school and as they were walking into the hospital my MIL tripped and cut open her nose. So as soon as they wheeled our son off we headed back down to the ER to see what was going on with Donna. She split open her nose and needed a couple of stitches. She has bruises all on her legs and arm and her neck really hurts. She was released from the ER and got home about the same time we did. (8:30pm).

R makes it through the surgery wonderfully and the surgeon calls his appendix "wimpy"..whatever that means. It takes him a couple of hours to come out of the medicine and they send us home. I can't believe that we brought him home within an hour and a half of him having surgery. Crazy. He did get sick off the anaesthesia a couple of times. That night I was giving him ice chips to suck on every hour. So needless to say yesterday I was a basket case.

I asked E if she wanted to go to school yesterday and she said no so I kept her home. Later she tells me that while she was taking a shower to get ready for school she was crying in the shower. My poor little girl went through a lot on Tuesday too. She saw her grandma fall and bleed all over. Every time she came into the room to see her brother something was going wrong and he was either in pain or throwing up. Then as soon as we got home and got him all set up in bed she came in to see him and he got sick again. My poor little girl. She was a great help yesterday. She played battleship with her brother and got him things that he wanted and was just there for him. What a big little girl. Today she was off to school without any incidents, well besides spilled milk. R is eating better and getting around better too. Below are some pictures I took yesterday. His anaesthesiologist was fabulous and calmed all his nerves before the surgery. He even gave him a hat to take home that was just like his.

They go in lapriscopically (sp had no suggestiona on how to spell it) and he only has three little holes. He will be more sore from the co2 that they filled him up with to expand the area they were working on.

Thank you all for your prayers. When we were praying with R before the surgery and we were asking for God's "peace that surpasses all understanding" I can truly say that the whole time he was in surgery I had peace. Peace in the knowledge that my son is more precious to God than he is to me. Peace in God's love for myself and my son. Peace that "even before R took his first breath God knew when he would take his last" and that "everything works for the good of those who love the LORD"!!

Changes

2009-03-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

So this July will be our 7th year in our house. I believe this has been the longest I have lived in the same place. Well lately I have been having that itch for change. I have talked to my hubby about selling and building again, because I loved the process the last time. In his kind and gentle ways he reminds me that it is not the best time to make a change like that. So unless the Lord decides to move us I am trying to come to terms with staying put. But just because I can't build a new house doesn't mean I can't change things about this one. Over the last couple of days I have been working on making some changes, some that I have been wanting to do for years and others that have just come about. I still have a couple of things left to finish but here is what I have done so far.

My dining room walls have always been a dark red. I have loved this from the moment it went up but lately I have been wanting to give it more depth. So I took an antique glaze and went over my walls with it. It came out exactly how I pictured it.

Above my Grandma's piano there used to be a clock. Well I moved that clock into my kitchen to make room for my picture that used to hang over my niche near the front door. (I had to move that picture to make room for the ducks that my hubby is having stuffed.) So now my dining room has a huge map of the world, my antique map of Italy and the picture of my favorite vineyard in Napa.

Ever since we moved in our fireplace has been a nightmare. I love it because it is how we heat our house all winter long but esthetically it is ugly. About a year after we moved in my hubby had a friend make us our mantel. It was suppose to be two very large pieces of distressed wood. Well what I got was this...

Two very ugly, not distressed pieces of wood. We have talked about taking down the side row of slate to redo the mantel so it fades into the wall but as you can see it is still not done. Our other dilemma with this space is what to put above it. Because of all the ash that flys about during the winter I can't put anything on it that will attract and hold said ash. So last week I dragged my Aunt all around Reno to find something, anything that would end this misery of a wall. Well needless to say that after 6 hours of looking we were no closer to fixing this eye sore. Then on Saturday my family and I went out to lunch with my in-laws and on the way home we saw this sign that said "Sale". So we stopped in and there on the wall was something that both my hubby and I agreed would work well above the fireplace. So after some haggling we got these two pictures for about half of what I was looking to spend on this area. YEAH!!

Now all that's left is to fix my mantel. I found a picture of what I want on the web and hubby said he knows someone who can do it for us. So on Monday he will call and see, if after 6 years, my mantel will turn into what we originally wanted it to be. Very distressed and stained dark to match the darkest part of our wood floors. I am so excited I don't even want to move anymore!!

I will post an updated picture when its all done.

How many fingers would I need???

2009-02-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

Looking at this picture I couldn't help thinking about how many fingers I would need to hold up this year. Would I have the same smile on my face as I proudly displayed my new age? Would I announce to all at Chuck E. Cheese (that's were this party was at) that I am now a year older! No I won't announce it at Chuck E. Cheese but as I type this I do have a smile on my face and I will announce it to all, at least those of you who visit my site, today I turned 34!!

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-01-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

Happy 10th Anniversary Honey!!

Christmas Bells

2008-12-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

Today as I was cleaning the house I realized that I haven't posted a picture of my bells on my Grandmothers piano. They are placed in order of the year that I received them starting in 1998. This year I received my 11th bell. I placed them on my Grandmother-in-Law Gladyce's doilies that Grandpa Mac gave to me when he came for our wedding. A couple of years ago my Mother-in-Law gave me a Christmas bell from her past. It is the Raggedy Ann bell from 1978. Every once in awhile I find myself going up to the bells and just ringing them. The sound is truly beautiful.

My Sweet Loving Girl

2008-12-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

This morning as I went into my daughters room to drop off some laundry I saw a new sign on her door. It brought tears to my eyes.

Oahu

2008-12-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!!

2008-12-01T23:52:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. We had a great time in Hawaii. I just spent the last 3 hours on Publisher trying to put together our photo album from the trip. I am only up to Tuesday (we stayed until Sunday). I will try to update my blog later on this week with some pictures but here are a few. Love you!! (Yes..I cut my hair off a week before we went. I love it, except when it got curly because of the humidity.)

Tea for Two...or 14

2008-11-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we celebrated my MIL's Birthday. My mom wanted to give her friend a Tea party so E & I decided to join in and help out. My mom made all the sandwiches and E & I made the desserts. My Aunt Sheryl helped me wrap my MIL's favorite candy, Truffles, into little party gifts for all the ladies to take home. I think all the ladies enjoyed the time of great food and fun fellowship.

E loves to bake. Look out Rachel Ray!!

E invited her best friend and this was their Tea Table

Apple Hill

2008-11-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

About a month ago we piled into Old Blue and went up to Apple Hill with the in-laws. E really wanted to pick an apple but we were to late in the season for it so she was really bummed. We did feed some Llamas and had apple pie. We had lunch at a rib joint called Poor Red's. Hubby & I had been there before and so had my in-laws. It was the sight of their second date some 40 years ago. All in all I think a great day was had by all.

Grandpa Don

2008-10-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me

has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will

hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live."

John 5: 24-25

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep,

or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

We believe that Jesus died and rose agian and so

we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have

fallen asleep in him.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

Until we meet again!

Book Report!!

2008-10-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

R just finished his first book report of his fourth grade year. Instead of a normal written book report they had a different assignment. They had to write up at least 13 questions. Then they were going to give an interview in front of the class with the teacher asking the questions. They also were asked to dress up as the main character of the book. Well R's book was called "Choosing Up Sides". It is about a young man in the early 1900's who found out that he was good at baseball because he was left-handed. I won't go into any more detail but if you know anyone in this age group who likes to read then this is a good book for them. Today was the day that he had to dress up and be interviewed. I asked him if I could sit in on it and he said "I don't care". Typical 9 year old response. Well I will just tell you that I stayed to watch three of the students give their interview and I was amazed at how much the kids enjoyed it. I don't ever remember doing a book report that I was exited about and yet it was all these kids could talk about for the last week. Amazing. Here are some pictures of my boy from this morning.

Armor of God

2008-10-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was tucking my daughter into bed she asked me "mom are demons real?". So I responded by asking her what kind of demons or where did she hear about demons. I thought if I knew where she was coming from then I would be better able to explain to my seven year old about demons. Well it seems that in the morning my son was reading to her from the book of Matthew. He was reading about when Jesus cast the demons out of the man into the pigs and drove them into the water. He tells me that he had read that at school the day before during his religion time. (Have I told you how happy I am that we have been able to send our kids to a Christian School!) Anyway now knowing where she is coming from I try my best to explain to her about demons. Well after I fumbled with it for a good 10 minuets the Lord brought a scripture to my mind. Now I have never been good at memorizing scripture from the Bible. I might remember what it says but very rarely do I remember where it is found. Well last night I did. Ephesians 6 just popped into my head. I thought I may not be able to explain to her adequately about demons but I can show her what she should do daily to keep them at bay. So I opened up her little Bible and I read to her Ephesians 6:10-18. The best part was that even though I had never gone over this with them they had learned about it at school. I love the word picture that Paul gives us to dress ourselves in everyday. May we not forget in our busy mornings to put on what is most important...The Armor of God.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have dome everything, to stand. Stand firm then with the BELT of TRUTH buckled around your waist, with the BREASTPLATE of RIGHTEOUSNESS in place, and with your FEET fitted with the READINESS that comes from the GOSPEL OF PEACE. In addition to all this, take up your SHIELD of FAITH, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the HELMET of SALVATION and the SWORD of the SPIRIT, which is the WORD of GOD. And PRAY in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Before we head out the door or even before our feet hit the floor in the morning I pray that we will all be dressed in the ARMOR of God.

Happy B-Day to my man!!

2008-10-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we celebrated my hubby's birthday. I can't belive this is the 10th birthday that we have celebrated together. (not counting when we were kids).

Long Overdue...

2008-10-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

P.S. Happy 17th Anniversary to my Sis and her Hubby!!!

So Long, Farewell!!

2008-08-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

Last night we had our final dinner with my sister and her family before they headed out this morning to their new home in Montana. Mom made a wonderful meal and it was a great time. Many people keep asking me if I am sad that my sister is moving. I have honestly thought about it and as I dove away last night I did have some tears that ran down my face but they quickly disappear when I think about the opportunity that has been given to this wonderful and deserving family. God is Good! He is taking care of them in ways that we never would have imagined. How can I cry for long when I know deep in my heart that this is God's will. Am I sad that my sister, brother-in-law and my children's cousins no longer live 15 minuets away? Of course but it is kind of hard to be sad when something so wonderful is happening. So to my beloved family that hasn't lived more than 30 miles away (and sometimes no further than a step outside my door) for over 13 years I wish you a safe journey and until we see each other again....Adieu!!!

Finally!!

2008-08-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well here it is. The post I said would be here a week ago has finally made it's way to my computer. I decided to squeeze the last couple of weeks into one slide show. You will see us at our church camp out at Eagle Lake. You will see the kids first day of school (sniff, sniff). You will see pictures of the going away party for my sister and her family (my heart is breaking more and more as the day draws nearer) and finally you will see the arrival of my Grandmother's piano.
I have to tell you a little about that. Back in the 80's my Grandfather bought my Grandmother a piano. In the mid 80's I was taking piano lessons here in NV. Then we moved to CA and my family couldn't take the piano so I stopped taking lessons. From as long as I can remember I always thought if they ever have to give away that piano I would love it and cherish it. Well fast forward 20 years (boy am I showing my age) and my Grandfather is up in Heaven and my Grandmother is moving in with my Aunt and her family and the piano can't go with her. I am shopping one day and my phone rings. It's my dad and he says that if I want the piano it is mine, my heart jumps, but I have to pick it up by the 29th (this call is taking place around the 10th). My heart sinks. I tell him that I will pray about it and talk to my hubby. Well on my way home from the store I go by my In-Laws to pick up my kids and I just happen to mention the phone call I had received. Without hesitation they both said that they would make the 9 hour trip to go get Grandma's piano. Wow. Well let me back up about 10 years and clue you in a little. 10 years ago it was my 1st Christmas with my hubby. I just happened to mention to my soon to be mother-in-law about the bell collection my Grandmother always had on her piano at Christmas time. I don't know why but I always loved those bells. To my surprise I received a bell that Christmas and one every year since. I have always displayed my bells on a shelf that I have but every time I put them out I feel like they should be on a piano. Well this year I get to do that thanks to my In-laws. I will now cherish the piano because of the memories it holds and because of the memories that are yet to come. I know my Grandma was sad to see it go but I can't wait to have a place to showcase my Christmas Bells just like her and I hope that knowledge will bring her a little peace about having to let go of a piece of her past. Thank you Grandma for the piano and all the memories. I will forever cherish them!!
Now on with the show!!

I know, I know...

2008-08-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

I know I promised to blog this last week but it just didn't work out that way. The kids started school at their new school on Monday and then that night R got sick...8 times. Gross.
The next day E went to school and I took R to the doctor.. he had strep throat. Tuesday night E stayed at grandma's and grandpa's and they took her to school on Wednesday. On Thursday R finally got to go back to school. I had my first week of school all planned out and well we all know what happens to plans. So I had to pack 5 days of chores into two days. I got it done. You might ask why the rush? My sister's going away party is at my house on Sunday and I knew D wouldn't want me being the crazy lady I am when I am in cleaning mode on his day off today. Well to make a long story short I was going to catch you all up with photos today as well but in my cleaning pallooza I misplaced my camera. ARRGGG! So all I can say is photo's coming soon. I hope!!

Yes..We are still alive!!

2008-08-17T21:07:00.001-07:00

My oh my has it been forever since I posted anything. The last couple of weeks have been CRAZY. We just got back from our last camping trip and the kids start the new school year at their new school tomorrow. So my camper is sitting in the back yard completely dirty and filled with all our camping stuff and I am going to be leaving it that way. At least for now. After we get through our first day I will post about what's been going on in our lives and get everyone up to date. Then just maybe I will try to tackle that big box o' mess in the back.

Has it really been 9 years?!?

2008-07-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

So my sunshine turned nine today and I can't believe it.

I can't believe that I am old enough to have a child

who is nine. I can't believe that I have been

a Mom for nine years. I can't believe that I still

wish that they came with a handbook. (Besides the Bible)

Today we had a party to celebrate this fabulous day and

the boy who graced our lives 9 years ago.

The kids played on this water slide thingy that we have. Then

we had Hot Dogs, Chili (with fixins), Salad, Fruit and Chips.

For dessert he wanted an Ice Cream Cake made with

Chocolate Cake and Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

All the kids at the party.

It was extra special because Grammie (R & E's Great Grandmother)

is visiting from So Cal and was able to join in the festivities.

(I couldn't get her to partake in the water slide though!)

AAARRRRGGGG Mate.

Happy 9th Birthday!!!!!

First Camping Trip of the summer

2008-07-16T13:52:00.001-07:00

So we finally were able to load up our camper and head out for our first camping trip of '08. Normally we have a good two or three trips under our belts by now but this year it has just been kind of hectic. Even though the water was extremely low and turned while we were there and R got pink eye and the wind blew and kept us up when the men had to drive back into town to work the next day and we were camped next to lezfest '08...well we had a great time anyway. The worst part was after all that fun in the water and playing with her friend Curly our little Sally Mae had an appointment to get fixed on Monday. I have never seen a more pitiful puppy than she was when I brought her home. Today she is starting to become herself again and that makes keeping her calm so she doesn't rip open her stitches kind of hard.

Is this what July is gonna be like???

2008-07-07T19:23:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a very busy one. We had a party on

Friday night. On Saturday my hubby and my dad

crawled under the house to hook up the light

for our flag pole. (It only took 6 years). Then they went over to

my parents house to put up a ramp for my Grandma who

is coming to visit from SoCal for a month. We were gonna stay home on

Sunday but we ended up going to Lake Tahoe with our friends.

After that we came back for a BBQ at my mom & dad's to celebrate my

Grandma and Aunt and Uncle's arrival. It was a nice visit

catching up with our family that we don't see that often.

Now it's Monday and I am back to my weekly routine...

Laundry, Laundry and more Laundry.

Happy 4th of July!!

2008-07-04T11:03:00.001-07:00

Every July 4th my husband takes the day off. He

likes to say that it just isn't American to work on

America's Birthday. He makes me laugh. So

of course since he is not at work and he gets bored

just sitting around during the day I put him to work

here at home. Just don't tell him it's work.

Happy 4th of July!!!

I Need You to Love Me

2008-06-28T10:57:00.001-07:00

This last week I went to the last day of a two day bible study titled

"Falling in Love with Jesus-Again and Again. The Perfect God. The perfect Man"

It was a great study. Over two weeks we looked at Jesus and how He can heal you, meet your every need, always watch over you, Never reject you, won't condemn you, will forgive you, won't leave you and how He loves you best...just to name a few days of the study. One of our days we spent in the book of John chapter 8 verses 1-11.

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a women caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this women was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her". Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the women still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?". "No one sir, " she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

John 8:1-11 NIV
( In Greek what the women said was "No one Lord".)

While we were going over this portion of the study as a group our wonderful speaker, Kara Miller, played a song. It just embodies what this women might have been feeling standing there in front of Jesus all her sin exposed. (Though He knows all our sin even before we bring it to him.)

I Need You to Love Me
( I believe the artist is BarlowGirl)

Why, why are You still here with me
Didn't you see what I've done?
In my shame I want to run and hide
But it's here I see the truth
I don't deserve You

Chorus

But I need You to love me, and I
I won't keep my heart from you this time
And I'll stop this pretending that I can
Somehow deserve what I already have
I need you to love me

I, I have wasted so much time
Pushing You away from me
I just never saw how You could cherish me
'cause You're a God who has all things
And you still want me

(Chorus)

Your love makes me forget what I have been

Your love makes me see who I really am

Your love makes me forget what I have been

I need you to love me.

The greatest thing is...He Does Love Us.

(I found this song on youtube but I don't know how to put it here. So here is the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eASyNtUEYE )

Lake Shasta!!!

2008-06-24T00:08:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures of our recent trip to my grandparents cabin.

Enjoy!!

My son!!

2008-06-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

This is my Sunshine. He will be nine years old in less than a month.

He seems so young to me and yet this last week while on a

family trip up to Lake Shasta he made a split second decision

that could have changed our family forever. While we were

watching my BF Bon trying to get up on a single water ski

my sunshine, my princess and our friends son J were in the

front of our ski boat. We have had this boat for over two years

now and have never had a problem or concern about the kids

being up front. As my hubby turned the boat around to

go after our fallen skier we hear a yell from the front of the boat and

only see two kids. J had gone over the front of the boat. As C (J's dad and

my hubby's BF) and I race to the back of the boat ready to dive in

my hubby throws the boat into reverse and then kills the engine.

As soon as the boat is off the kids yell and my hubby goes to the front

of the boat and their is my precious little nine year old boy

leaning over the side of the boat, but

"not to far so that they wouldn't fall in" he tells us later,

with a death grip on J who is trying not to let go of the boat

handle he was holding when he went overboard.

In the split second that J went overboard my, no longer little in my eyes,

boy reached over and grabbed a hold of his friend who was in trouble.

When my hubby grabbed J's life vest and lifted him into the boat he

also had to grab our sunshine's vest because he was not

going to let go of his friend. Later after our tears were dried and

our hearts were no longer beating out of our chests we looked at J's

arm and we see the love our son has for his friend...he left nail marks

where he was holding him so tight.

I thought about ending this blog with a reminder of the Helper

who is always with us but as I am finishing my post I am struck by

the image of Jesus and the nail marks that are on His body

because of the LOVE He has for US!!!

Thank You Jesus!

My sunshine and his buddy J.

Silly, Silly boys!!!!

We were able to have a great time at Shasta despite of

this incident because of God's promise to us in

Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28 (just to name a few).

I will post again with all the fun memories we had this last week a little later.

Father's Day

2008-06-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Every year I give my husband (aka father of my children)

the choice as to what he wants to do to celebrate

Father's Day. Almost every year it ends up being

our first camping weekend. This year he decided

he didn't want to go camping he just wanted to go to

Lahonton or the "brown lake" as the kids refer to it.

So on Saturday he dewinterized the boat and got it

all ready for our day trip. As one of his gifts I told him

that we did not have to take our dog Sally with us.

He said that was the best gift I could have given him.

Of course our friends brought their dog so it wasn't a

wet dog free day completely but we had fun. (Until my husband

some how broke his toe. Oh the drama!)

Happy Father's Day Honey!!!!

That's my man in the cowboy hat

lugging the cooler down the beach

with his buddy.

Here are the girls playing around with

a bucket. Hey girls whachya doing???

EEEWWW!! They were playing with a dead

fish that the boys found in the water. And their

bowl of choice is a watermelon rind. We didn't have

watermelon today! Gross, you never know what

you are going to find at that beach.

Quick Bon get out the extra strength hand sanitizer!!!

Tahoe Tuesdays!!

2008-06-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

I just love summer time. It's a time when I can sit or play all day and not feel guilty about not getting the house cleaned or the laundry folded. I mean...it's all about the kids and keeping them busy. So today was my official start to summer. I relaxed, talked with friends, went on a rock climb and got my toes wet...burrrr. It is Tahoe at the beginning of June and my was the water cold.

Isn't she cute!!!

We got the kids this game for Easter and we take it everywhere with us. It is so much fun!!

The temperature was in the mid 70's today but the girls braved the frigid waters to play in the waves.

Beth, this one's for you!!

Angels

2008-06-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

As I was cleaning my hose today for my daughters upcoming birthday party I turned on my IPOD and the first song that came on was from Amy Grant in 1984..Angels. I have heard it many times growing up and yet as it played I got goose bumps and tears in my eyes. Just like when I read a story in the Bible that I have heard many times and yet I see it with new eyes. What a blessing it is that His word will always be new and exciting.

(For my last birthday my sister gave me the CD The Collection by Amy Grant. What a blast it has been listening to it. Thank you Tree for being a part of my past and knowing what brings me joy in the present and the endless possibilities before us in the future. Love Ya!!)

"Take this man to prison," the man heard Herod say,And then four squads of soldiers came and carried him away.Chained up between two watchmen, Peter tried to sleep,But beyond the walls an endless prayer was lifting for his keep.Then a light cut through the darkness of a lonely prison cell,And the chains that bound the man of God just opened up and fell,And running to his people before the break of day,There was only one thing on his mind, only one thing to say:Angels watching over me, every move I make,Angels watching over me!Angels watching over me, every step I take,Angels watching over me!God only knows the times my life was threatened just today.A reckless car ran out of gas before it ran my way.Near misses all around me, accidents unknown,Though I never see with human eyes the hands that lead me home.But I know they're all around me all day and through the night.When the enemy is closing in, I know sometimes they fightTo keep my fight from falling, I'll never turn away.If you're asking what's protecting me then you're gonna hear me say:Got His angels watching over me, every move I make,Angles watching over me!Angels watching over me, every step I take,Angels watching over me....Angels watching over me....Angels watching over me.Got His angels watching over me, every move I make,Angels watching over me!Angels watching over me, every step I take,Angels watching over me!Angels watching over me,Angels watching over me,Angels watching over me,Angels watching over me!Though I never see with human eyes the hands that lead me home....

Has it really been 7 years !?!

2008-06-03T09:52:00.001-07:00

Today my little M&M turns 7.

I can't believe it was that long ago

that I gave birth to this beautiful and

very large (9lbs 3 oz) baby girl.

I couldn't imagine my life or our family

without her.

Happy Birthday Princess!!!

Dinner Menu:

Hot Dogs

Apple, Grape, Pear and Banana Salad

Curly French Fries

Pumpkin Pie

Field Trips, Field Trips and more Field Trips

2008-05-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

WOW. The last couple of weeks of school are brutal (on me but the kids love them). In the last 7 days I have been on 3 field trips, yes I only have 2 kids, and one walk-a-thon. My goodness if I never see the Virginia City train again....I can't even think about how to finish that sentence. Let's just say that I have ridden the train enough times to be the conductor. So as you probably figured out 2 of the field trips were up to VC to ride the train. The other one was to the indoor pool. That one was a blast. My sunshine spent most of the day going off the diving boards and myself and another mom spent most of the day going down the water slides. As I write this I have a HUGE smile on my face. I love water slides!!! So below are some pictures highlighting the field trips and our school walk-a-thon. Notice that there are no pictures of our field trip to the pool...Like I am going to take the chance of someone taking a picture of me in a swim suit!!! It's a good thing that I like water slides enough to even wear a swim suit in public....I was only self-conscious about 20 million times that day. Enjoy!

Sunshine and his BFF Z. He just loves his mommy!!

All school walk-a-thon. Yes..that's the whole school.

Em and her BFF J. The day of her field trip was cold.

Genesis 1:11-13

2008-05-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation:

seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear

fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds."

And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants

bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing

fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God

saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there

was morning-the third day.

Genesis 1:11-13

Today we took a drive up to Tahoe in the rain and then we drove down to Reno through the snow that was falling on Mt Rose Hwy. After lunch we decided to stop by some garden centers to see if we could find anything that could replace my wonderful Western Caltopa (??SP) that died last year. Well after looking at a couple of places and going from ornamental maples to rose trees we found a tree and fell in love. I still can't believe that hubby and I agreed!! We decided on a Weeping Goldenchain. It is a dwarf tree that will only get about 8 feet tall. The best part is that it has these beautiful yellow flowers that hang in groups. I am so excited to see it grow and produce its beautiful flowers.

It smells just as good as it looks.

"Thank you Lord for the beauty that you have given us here on this earth."

Thank You's, Cupcakes & Bubbles

2008-05-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 6:18

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds

of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert

and always keep on praying for all the saints.

This morning I met my MIL Donna and FIL Dick at my children's school. We were there to deliver little thank you gifts to their classes. We have been very blessed to be able to send our children to a Christian school. The teachers that they have this year are wonderful women who love the Lord and it flows out of them. As a class they have been praying for Donna. It amazes me when parents come up to me after school and ask after her because their child has been praying for her at the dinner table or at bed time. It is so important to teach our children about the power of prayer and I feel my children have seen this in every aspect of there lives this year.

Now back to why we were handing out cupcakes and bubbles to the classes. When Donna was getting ready for her surgery they all wrote her letters of encouragement. They included wishes of "get well soon" , "I hope you do good at surgery" and many other cute sayings that only kids in all their innocence can think of. One thing that they all included was "I am praying for you". Now while at the hospital Donna was out of it for the most part but Dick would read them out loud to her. Even thought the kids were writing letters to Donna I know that they comforted Dick as well. When Donna came home she sat in her special chair and read these letters with a smile on her face. What a blessing these little ones have been to our family this year. What a great example they are about lifting each other up in prayer.

Donna & Dick in Emily's class.

Donna & Dick in Ricky's class.

Donna & Dick listening to Ricky's class

tell them about the bible story they

learned today. (Paul and Silas in jail)

Therefore encourage one another and build

each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

BBQ Pizza (and I don't mean the flavor)

2008-05-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever craved Pizza but knew that if you turned on the oven to make one at home your house would be way to hot? Have you gone out for pizza with the family and had shell shock when you paid the bill? Well if you are like me and you just have to have pizza when the weather doesn't permit you to turn on your oven then you will just love this recipe. I must admit that even though I enjoy cooking I am not a good enough "foodie" to create my own recipe. So indulge me for a minuet while I pay homage to the people that I borrowed this idea and recipe from.

This last summer on my trip across the country we stopped in Denver, Co. While there we had the privilege of staying at Kurt and Becky's house. Now way back when Becky babysat my little sunshine for me during the last summer I worked. Kurt just happens to be the brother of my BF Bon. I will tell you that Becky just happens to be a foodie and rightly so. She had a fabulous idea to make us our own personal pizzas that we would get to dress. The twist was she had Kurt cook them on the BBQ. The kids absolutely loved this. She had a pizza bar ready and they put on their pizza's what they wanted and how much they wanted. To this day they ask "can we have pizza like we did last summer?". And of course since I love pizza how can I say no. Now I don't know the pizza dough recipe that Becky used but while talking to my sister she told me about the pizza dough recipe she uses. She got it from her BF Crystal. After making it a couple of times (in the oven and on the BBQ) I can tell you that it is g-u-d good. (Those of you who have hung around with my husband will know what that means. For those of you who don't...count yourself lucky. HAHA)

Thank you ladies for sharing your homes and your recipes with me.

What you will need:

BBQ

pizza dough (recipe to follow)

pizza sauce

oregano (I always add a little extra when I buy the sauce premade)

cheese

toppings (any kind your family likes)

Pizza Dough

1 1/4 c warm water

2 TBS Olive Oil

1 1/2 TBS sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 TBS yeast

4 cups flour

1. Place first 5 ingredients into your Kitchen Aid and with the hook turn on low and mix while you pour in the flour. Mix well.

2.Turn it off and leave it just the way it is. Then cover the bowl with saran wrap and place a towel over the Saran wrap. Let rise 1 hour.

3. Remove towel and wrap and turn on low to punch down dough. (about two rotations of the hook)

Now you are ready to make your pizza's.

1. Preheat your BBQ. You want to cook your pizza's on a medium heat.

2. Take a handful of dough and roll out on a floured surface. Repeat until you have enough done that will fit on the BBQ.

3. Prick your dough with a fork. (to prevent big bubbles)

4 Place your pizza dough on the BBQ and cook on one side until you can see the grill marks and it looks done. (Sorry I have never timed it)

5. Once one side is cooked then place the pizza's cooked side up (uncooked side down) on a baking sheet.

6. Dress your pizza's on the cooked side-- kids love to dress their own.

7. Carefully place pizza's back on the BBQ and close the lid. (helps the cheese melt faster)

8. Take off BBQ and Enjoy!!!!

I hope you and your family will enjoy this as much as we do. Happy eating!!

Psalm 142

2008-05-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

My Bible's notes describe this as:

A plaintive prayer for deliverance from powerful enemies-

when powerless, alone and without refuge.

Psalm 142

I cry aloud to the Lord;

I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.

I pour out my complaint before him;

before him I tell my troubles.

When my spirit grows faint within me,

it is you who know my way.

In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me.

Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me.

I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.

I cry to you, O Lord;

I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land

of the living."

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need;

rescue me from those who pursue me,

for they are too strong for me.

Set me free from my prison,

that I may praise your name.

Then the righteous will gather about me

because of Your goodness to me.

Where's the Beef!!!

2008-05-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

Today as I was grocery shopping I ran across a great deal on ground beef. It was on sale for 99cents a pound plus it had a 50cent off coupon attached to it. I sat there racking my brain thinking to myself..How much should I buy???? Then it hit me. My baby girl will be 7 years old in just 19 days. (Sniff, Sniff) Every year we have a party for her. It always starts out simple enough cake, friends, decorations, fun and every year we always decide at the last minuet to feed everyone a meal. So there I was looking at this beef and it hit me...buy it all. That's right I bought all 17 packages they had marked down. Since my mind was made up about how I was going to use it I got home and took 2 pounds and stuck them in the freezer and the remaining 15 pounds I put into bowls to season and make patties out of.

So here is all the ingredients I use to

make my hamburgers. First I start

with a red wine,(I usually use 2 buck chuck)

some what's-this-here-sauce,

season salt and black pepper.

Here I am mixing it all together.

Have I ever told you how much

I hate raw beef!!!

Here is what 15 pounds of ground beef

looks like. Now it's off to the fridge until

tomorrow. Then I get to touch it again.

(oh boy)

After I finished putting the beef bowls in the fridge I decided to

take a peek at my freezer to see how much room I have to

freeze all these burgers. Well because of my husbands duck

I don't have much room. I think it's time for the birds

to fly into my dumpster. Move over duck here comes the Beef!!

So my question to you is..How many burgers do you think I will

get from 15 pounds of beef???

Peace

2008-05-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!

I have overcome the world."

Jesus is telling the disciples this before he is taken and killed.

He knows that their grief will turn to joy.

Have you ever had those weeks that just seem to last forever??

Well this past week was one for me. It all started on Monday when my husband, my brother-in-law and I drove down to San Fransisco to be with my mother-in-law Donna for her surgery. She was scheduled for surgery not knowing if the doctors were going to complete the full surgery we all wanted her to have. For those of you who don't know the whole story I will

briefly try to fill you in.

In August 2006 Donna was diagnosed with colon cancer. She had it removed and had chemotherapy. Everything looked good and she was felling better that she had in years. Then this last January they found that her cancer had metastasized. It spread to her omentum (outside part of the stomach) and to her liver. After undergoing a more rigorous chemotherapy she went to S.F. to a doctor who would perform the surgery. Well on Tuesday of last week

she had her surgery. So down we go to S.F. It was a long day (8 hour surgery)but the news came back good. They removed the spot on her omentum, the little one on her liver and the larger one on her liver plus the left side of her liver and her gull bladder. Happy that they got what they did and she was awake we headed back home Tuesday night. Thursday was the last day of my CBS bible study for the year so Wednesday I spent preparing a dessert and finishing my lesson. Thursday night my son got the flu. YUK! Up all night with my poor sunshine as his little body tried to empty itself. Friday I was on edge just waiting for more to come from my son and nervous about the phone call to tell Dick and Donna that we wouldn't be able to come down for the weekend with the kids. Saturday Dan is off work and Ricky is feeling better so we step right into our weekend ritual of baseball. Mistake. Saturday night Ricky showed us he wasn't done with the flu. Poor baby. At this point I am so tired that I feel bad for myself and ask the Lord to heal my son so that I can rest. Sunday...Mother's Day.. I will admit that I had a bad attitude going into this day. What kind of day was it going to be with a sick child. Well the Lord blessed me even though my attitude didn't deserve it with a wonderful breakfast, cute cards and a surprise visit from my friend (who helped me pick weeds).

I bring this all up because despite the week I had the Lord reminded me that I can have peace. His kind of peace. The best kind of peace. All I have to do is look to Him and what He has done. He has overcome the world and all the sickness, anger, sadness and grief that fills it.

What joy fills my heart when I remember that.

Even in the middle of my crazy week He showed me how much He loves me and the peace that comes from knowing Him when I sat down and watched my daughter in her school concert.

Rain Rain Go Away

2008-05-04T21:19:00.001-07:00

Growing up (a good portion of my life) in Nevada has

given me a chance to see some great spring and summer

thunderstorms. But today we had plans. We

were going to go bike riding along the Truckee River.

So we packed up the bikes and hit the road.

We are not afraid of a little rain!!

Luckily we beat the rain to Reno. We had a

great bike ride from Sparks to Downtown.

Here is the gang (us and the Benson's)

taking a little break.

Spring is a great time to see mother nature

and God's hands at work. We saw so many new

geese and their gooslings (?) up and down the river.

Here is Dan and all the kids taking a rest after

our 5 1/2 mile ride. Good job guys!!

Boys Best Friend

2008-05-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Ricky loves to cuddle Sally. Pretty soon she will be bigger than him.

Take me out to the ball game

2008-04-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Well Baseball season has officially started. Ricky is playing in the farm league this year and Emily is trying her hand at T-Ball. Our dilemma was now that both kids are playing ball they are going to be at different sections of Governor's field.
Our solution: "Grandpa will you be my coach?". Who could say no to Emily's sweet face. Of course Grandma gets talked into being team manager. Go Giants! Go Yankees!

Growing up Dan never played baseball. I think he is getting pretty good at playing catch with his kids!

Swing Batter!!

Hello windy nights and sunburned days,

goodbye Saturdays!

Catching up #2

2008-04-26T14:49:00.001-07:00

Yes, Danny finally caved and we got a dog.

Sally Mae at 7 weeks old.

It snowed about a week later. She loves

to play with the kids.

She also loves napping with them.

Emily and I went hat and wig shopping with

my mother-in-law Donna.This was Donna's

favorite hat.

"Get this wig Grandma"

Catching up #1

2008-04-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

After a 9 year hiatus Dan decided he needed to

go hunting again with his buddy Chris.

My freezer's (yes, two of them) are full of

duck. The only thing you can make with it is Jerky.

Duck Jerky Anyone???

This year Ricky (3rd grade) was able to sign up

for the ski program at school. The first

day we all went.

Life of a business owner.

"Mom I'm cold"

Diamond Peak was having a special this week.

All first time skiers got a lesson and rentals for

only $25. So after 32 years I finally strapped on

ski's. We talked Emily (1st grade) into trying it by

telling her that if she fell she didn't have that far to go,

but if mommy fell I would have a long fall. So

she kept reminding me "If you fall mommy you

will go splat"! Thanks for the encouragement.

Hello Technology!

2008-04-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, certain things just scare the daylights out of me and believe it or not the thought of blogging is one of them. Yes I love to look at other peoples pages and to connect with them and their lives at all hours of the day and night. To do it myself really makes my insecurities come out. Will I be creative enough? Will anyone want to see what I have to post? Will I sound like an idiot? Just to name a few. I have decided to ignore all those scary and ugly things that have come to my mind and ,like the Nike ad says, JUST DO IT! So it might take me a while to figure out how to blog and how to post pictures but I will work on it. So Hello Technology here I come!!