What?

So I am driving on the 680 north to go to a place I have never been before, to meet up with a lady I have never met, to get a key to a 100 year old building I rented for four hours to do a home school event, (breath) and I see that the guy in the car in front of me is driving while eating a bowl of cereal!!!! How the hell does that work? I mean, he wasn't even swerving or anything! I was almost impressed.

Here is another one for you:

Shad and I meet up with a guy who he went to training with, for dinner. Now, this guy is a paranoid person who seems to have all kinds of bad things always happening to him and I am not talking just little bad things but lots of big bad things as well. It is like he is a walking Murphy's Law or something. Anyway, we are sitting at dinner, and this guy has already been yelled at by the waitress for some stupid reason, and has burned his thumb on his plate to the point of getting a huge blister. Then, we are just eating and talking and I go to grab my soda, and it slips out of my hand and ends up all over his lap. A full cup of soda! I was so embarrassed! All of us couldn't stop laughing because it was so hilarious because this guy has so many bad things happen all of the time. And he is just sitting there with this look on his face and decides to just grab all the napkins he can and sits on them while finishing his dinner. I felt so bad! I couldn't believe it happened.

Crazy weekend, crazy week.

Here are three of the 500 pics I took while family were here.

I would love to share more with you, but I think you would fall asleep by the 300th shot.

Everyone stayed here at our house, so come on down Carder family. Free place to stay in Northern Cal!

What a Trip

Some family was here for a week of fun and adventure. We went shopping, went to the Muir Woods, and drove all over San Francisco to places like Twin Peaks, Lombard St. (which is that really curvy road), China Town, Pier 39 was fun, the aquarium, you name it, we drove it or saw it. Oh, there was this sub that we went into. Very tiny place with no room for anything but work and sleep back in the day. I can't imagine the men that lived on that thing for months and months.

I have pictures of Mackenzie and her cousin Dana. They had gone shopping and bought new outfits. Hailey too. She loves her new sweater. Also there is one is of the family at the woods. We went on a small hike and enjoyed the fresh air and cool weather. (The pictures will not upload so you will have to wait to see them.) Having them all here was great, and we really had an awesome time. (Now, we are a little on the depressed side. We miss them, and all of the people we left behind in Vegas. But, life goes on.)

I have school to keep me busy, and the girls will start their school year a week from today, so that will keep them busy. I will try to post the pics later. Hey Alicia, we miss you too!

Another Day...

Hey there! Having technical difficulties with the pictures this week as Shad went and made a few changes. Oh, well!

Nothing new going on. I am about half way through my Philosophy class and getting ready for Math next. Sometimes I wish it were over, and other times I am glad it isn't. School has been fun for the most part, and full of good experiences.

I don't know if I ever updated, but we are no longer looking for a home here as we just can't justify spending so Much money on such little house. We plan to save up what we have and just buy when we land some place new.

Family is on their way for a visit this coming week which will be a nice change. We don't get to talk with anyone very often, and the girls miss their family back in Vegas, so this will be a nice healing time for them. We plan on going into the city, and maybe taking the kids to the zoo. If time permits, we might also take a trip to Monte ray.

Just something to share:

Nan-in, a Japanese maser during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

-N. SENZAKI AND P. REPS, "ZEN STORIES"

Another three credits earned and another class on the horizon. Will it ever end? Yes, but not any time soon.

Shad has been chosen to take a class on teaching defense to other Inspectors, so he is busy this week studying as well. Ha, ha, ha, ha!

And....the girls drove me a little bonkers this weekend, so I started them on a little bit of structured work today. Okay, it was just one worksheet and it took them about five minutes to finish, but that was the quietest five minutes I have had in a while and well worth it.

I have been taking pictures of the work the girls are doing on their studies for the Trip Around the World thing. They made some great display boards and are now gathering up all of the info and trying to get it all organized. It has been fun learning with them.

I am going through a hard time of missing my home. We received the EAGLES year book in the mail today, and upon looking through it, it became so apparent just how much we are missing out being here. The group there was so much more organized and so much more fun than the group we are with here. I miss the ladies nights out, and the meetings and well, just about everything EAGLES had to offer.

This group here is so worried about offending others that they never put anything up to do, or if they do it costs $100 or more which is ridiculous! Okay, I am venting. I mean, I know we are blessed and need to leave it at that.

The birds are gone. Within a two week period they were born, grew and flew off. I will post those pics later.

So now it is off to read my last chapter for school, then write my paper that is due the first night of class. Hope your day is a blessed one.

We have new babies!

Baby birds that is. The new Mourning Doves arrived last week. They are huge and healthy I believe, and so very cute to look at. Mackenzie discovered them right away when they hatched which was awesome. It caused a lot of excitement and we were right out there with the camera and mom was gracious enough to let us take a few snap shots.

They are very fuzzy little things, and they eat a regurgitated milk like fluid from mom which is what is happening in the picture where it looks like they are kissing.

We were also introduced to mom's "life mate" as it is called in the research book. He happened to stop by after we had put the camera away. Probably to check in on the family. A very cool experience for the girls for sure.
Enjoy the pics!

Just Stuff

We finally made the decision to start looking for a more permanent home here. We love the house we are in, and are fine if we end up having to stay where we are, but we would rather not pay the equity on someone else's home, so we thought it time to just find our own. We will take our time, and be picky, as we have specific things we are looking for in a house. And we are looking for something cheap in a land where cheap is not easily found. It's not going to be easy, but it will all work out though.

The girls are doing Studies on different countries. Hailey has changed hers to Iceland and Mackenzie is studying Spain. It has been a lot more fun this year to watch them learning about the different countries. Right now Mackenzie is writing down a recipe for buttermilk biscuits that she found while searching for info on her country. She will make them tonight to have with dinner. This should be a lot of fun!

Yesterday the girls when to a friends house to play on a trampoline with a hose. They were soaked when I picked them up, and they had a lot of fun. It was a nice change for them. They have decided that we need a tree or two in the backyard of our new house so that we can have a tree house or a swing. Hailey has also requested a larger room to fit a larger bed. She is so tall that her little bed is just not big enough anymore. Crazy!

Time to go. Blessings to you all.

Moving In

We have a new neighbor. I am assuming it is a she as she has created a nest right inside the holder of what holds my newly dead plants. (See, the plants were alive and well until we had a heat wave and they suddenly died. I have tried to water them and bring them back but with no luck.) This was certainly unexpected.

This morning I had to make an unplanned trip to the store, and when I got back to settle down in my favorite spot to have some ice tea-lemonade and read a little, something caught my eye. A little bird creating a new home right in the middle of the dead flowers that are hanging in front of our house. And my first thought was "How cool is this! Now we can do a study on birds." (Oh how I've turned into such the home schooling mom. And all thanks to Amy! Thanks Amy!) But now I am wondering how this is going to work. Shad is definitely not going to like this. Then again, he doesn't really notice little things like birds living in dead flower baskets. Perhaps I will just let him figure it out for himself. Anyway, the girls are excited to watch what happens and all from the comfort of our front window.

Does anyone out there know what kind of bird this is?

It's Raining it's pouring, the old man is snoring.

Of course in this case it is the old woman. I slept in until 10am. Okay Amy, I know that is a bit early for you, but I am averaging about 9am and so 10am is late for me. Kiss, kiss!

It is clouded over and the girls keep trying to play outside but it keeps raining on them. It is a nice change from the heat though. The birds are chirping and loving it too. I hear them every morning right outside of my window. It has red on its head and chest and is small. I wonder what kind it is? It also has a very distinct song.

Today is supposed to be park day. I wonder who will show up if it is raining? We will still go just to get out of the house. I plan on bringing towels and snacks. If nothing else, we will play in the rain and have lunch in the truck at the park. I find it funny that no one will go out in the rain here. It isn't like Vegas where it pours down and floods the road in five to twenty minutes. It rains a steady and slow rain and I find it fun to run around in it. I will bring the camera and take pictures too.

I broke down and watched some of the news today and it totally sucked. Horrible things going on all around. I really don't like watching the new as they usually are all about the shock of a story and how much it can make them. I wouldn't even have a television if it weren't for Shad.

I am going to look for the largest puddle to jump in.

We went into San Francisco last night to see the Giants play Oakland. The Giants lost, but it was a fun experience anyway to watch the girls at the game. I thought they would be totally bored and want to go home before the game even got started, however they are now Giants Fans. It all starts so innocently doesn't it?

The first picture is of part of the field as we saw it from our seats, and then there is a picture of the girls being crazy with excitement. Next is B. Bonds standing in the outfield. He really is a good player, and Oakland was afraid to throw him anything worth hitting, so they walked him a lot.

Overall, the trip was a lot of fun and in the end, the girls were super happy to have had the chance to see a game.

I look forward to our next adventure which looks to be the Alameda County Fair which starts today and lasts for 13 days.

Well, I am off to the farmers market. Blessings to you!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/grooviemomma/

Check it out.

Busy

We have been doing a lot in the last month or two. We took a trip to the local mini golf coarse and had a great time playing in the wind. Notice Mackenzie's awesome golf stance. We did a little site seeing of some of the homes around San Fran., we went to Vegas to see family which was awesome and we just got back from Utah to go to my sister's wedding. The picture is of her and her new husband John, her daughter and new step son. It was a great wedding. Very beautiful and fun. We had a great time.

Now we have to get back to things here at home. I have my last class for Communications this Thursday, and then I move on to Research. The girls are working hard on piano and we are preparing for visitors as they are coming. Family in July and August, then September, and we will be going to Vegas for Christmas if I have any time off of school. I found my cousin Rocky who lives in San Francisco and so I will get to hook up with him soon.

Friday we are going to our first baseball game (San Fran -vs- Oakland) and I will of course take pictures and share the experience with you all. It can't be like the football games right? So I wont need battle armor. Or will I?

It is music that has been missing in my life these days. I turned off the big box and turned on music and have listened to it all day. It gives me energy which is probably why I loved metal back in the day. It fills me with emotion and sometimes affirms where I am at at the moment.

Life is moving right along. We have a busy week this week with meetings and park day, school and packing. We go to Utah this weekend to see my sister get married. I look forward to having some fun time with my family again. However, I am praying that certain people like my father and others are on their best behavior while we are there so that the visit becomes a little less stressful than it already is.

The turtles are growing a little, but still small. I believe it was about two years before my niece and nephew's turtles began growing at a rapid pace. I can only hope ours don't grow super fast as we live in a place that is way too cold for them, and I don't really want to have to buy a huge glass container for them right now with no place to put it except the middle of the floor. Wait! I could use them as a coffee table! Now that would be cool. Different, but cool.

Looks to be getting late in the day so I better go get some dinner plans made. Oh, and turn the music down so the neighbors don't get upset. Hope all is well with you and yours!

Back from Vegas

What a strange trip it's been!

It is rather weird, but going to Vegas was exciting and I was very happy to see family and friends even if for a short while. But I have to say that I am so glad to be home. I still miss my church the most and wish we could find that here.

The girls got super tan after being in the pool for up to eight hours a day for four days and I even got a little bit of sun. We had a great time visiting family, going to movies, and the best part for me was visiting with Susie and Zack. It really made me miss our church family though.

So now that we are home, I have taken on putting together a home schooling event for our group. A trip around the world in a day. It should be fun and has me dealing with difficult people. You can't please everyone. I am enjoying it though and look forward to sharing the experience with you all when it is all done.

Time now to go take care of some animals. The turtles are getting restless.

I'm watching Hailey watch the news. Her reactions to the stories are very interesting. She was so concerned about a fire she heard about until she heard that no one was injured and then she was so relieved. She sometimes has a curious look about her, and then she has a confused look. Watching the traffic report she was so worried because she thought we might get stuck in the traffic on the Bay Bridge when we leave for Vegas. I had to explain that we went in a totally different direction when driving to Vegas. Hey, I think I will take out the map and have her find out the way from here to Vegas.

There are flowers of all kinds growing in my yard which is really cool because back in Vegas, nothing grew for long except the palm tree in my back yard, and even it was dying. So I went out to take a picture or two of the plants in my
yard, and there were the squirrels, ready to drive my dog nuts. As you can see in the picture, she was up on the couch watching a squirrel climb the tree in the front, and she has this funny curl in her lip as she was giving us a low growl to let us know she was on the hunt. Those little critters just drive her insane. But, I have to admit that it is kind of funny to watch her try to chase them. Hopefully she will never catch one, but it could happen. Let's just hope she doesn't try to bring one in if she does. Maybe we should take down that doggie door. Hmmmmm.

The home schooling group I joined has been having some very interesting conversations over the group email loop about unschooling. Some are very defined in what they think it is or is supposed to look like. Others are very concerned that they are being labeled. Isn't it amazing how by raising your children in the way you feel is best you can get caught up in a battle of what it is supposed to be called and what it is supposed to look like? I mean, in my opinion, all that really matters is that you are loving your children the way God intended. Yet we have people that we place in some type of authority and let them define what learning should be like for our children. And I feel like these children aren't ours in the first place. They are children of God in my opinion. He basically created them and placed them in our care because we had that something to give them that would help define who they would be so that they could become and do what was intended for them to do. And sometimes I feel like He gives them to us because He has something specific for us to learn or do that is provided by something the children have to offer us. But either way, God is entrusting us with his creations. That is HUGE! Wow, thinking about it that way makes me hope I don't screw up!

Anyway, I am just throwing out there some thoughts from my brain which isn't always functioning properly these days.


So Mackenzie is learning the theme to Star Wars on the piano this week. I am so proud! She has the beginning down and is currently working on the next part.

Hailey is learning super-cali-fragile blah blah, Okay, I don't know how to spell it, but it's that really annoying song from Mary Poppins. She plays it so well, and I loved it the first hundred times, but now it is just really annoying.

I found a house that was really perfect for us, 4bedrooms, 2baths with a bitchin back yard and great hard wood floors, and it is just over 1800 sq. feet. But the price is all fuc%*^ up!!!! 789,000! Let's see, if we actually agreed on that amount, with crappy financing we would have a house payment of about $3500.00! The part that really sucks is that it is right near a park, and a home schooling family live right across the street! I would love to buy that house, but just not for that much money!!! Perhaps some day we will find a home we can call ours. But for now, I won't complain because we are super blessed to be where we are.

Hope to see some familiar faces at the end of the month in Vegas. But most of all I am looking forward to the pool! I am also wondering if it will feel weird at all coming back to Vegas after living here for the last five months.

So the trip to Deer Hill Farm was awesome. The girls really had a great time. We made cotton thread by carding the wool from a sheep and then pulling it and twisting it all the while trying to make it as thin as possible, and the lanolin in the wool gets all over your hands and it feels kind of good and makes your hands soft. The kids also went into the hay loft and it took quite a few kids to lift a bail of hay. They fed chickens, groomed horses, ponies, and mules. They held rabbits and chickens, went into the hen house to get eggs right from under the chickens, saw and handled the baby chicks, climbed fences, among other things. It was really great to have the girls get to experience it all. We will have to make another trip some time. They have summer camps there and there are all kind of trails around the property. Fun! Our next adventure is to travel to the Red Wood forest. But that won't be for a little while.

We are about to leave on a fieldtrip to Deer Hill Farms. I will make sure we take lots of photos to share of our adventure.

First though, I had to share this little story.
We were at the park and since it was during "school hours" there were no other kids there, however there was a group of 4-5year olds doing soccer over on another field far from where we were. So I am looking off towards the trees that surround the parking lot and along comes this little kid. He could only be one of the soccer stars because of the way he is dressed. So I see him, and then start looking for the parent who must be behind him a ways. I see no one. This little boy wandered from the soccer group and decided he was going to stop at this playground and play. I asked him if his mom or dad knew where he was and he tells me that his mom dropped him off for soccer and she won't mind if he is there. I restate my question and he ignores me. So I tell him that mom's and dad's don't normally like not knowing where their kids are, that it scares them. He looks at me and smiles, perhaps giggles and continues to play. So I decide to wait it out and if no one shows up by the time we have to leave, I will call the cops. Pretty soon, here comes this black truck screeching into the parking lot, and a hysterical mother races out screaming the name of her child. He runs to her and she is flipping out about how everyone is looking for him. The kid, seeing his mother's look starts crying and mom precedes to have a little talk with him.

How easily he could have been gone. If it were not me, but some kind of child predator sitting in that park, in the amount of time it took for someone to get there, (around 10 minutes) this little boy would have been gone, probably never to be found. I prayed right there for those two people. Then Mackenzie comes to me and says, "who drops their kid off alone?" Hailey says, "you have do be dropped off alone for school. Every day kids get dropped off alone at school." Mackenzie looked at me and said, "Yes, but not little kids like that." Hailey tells her about kindergarten and daycare. Mackenzie shook her head and walked away saying "glad I don't go to school or daycare."


Oh, time to go, well, I will have to share the rest of this story later. Blessings!

I grabbed my bag of school books and folders to head out to my team meeting. It was 6:30 and I had to be at the meeting place by 7. I reached for the door and my cell phone went off. That's odd, I thought, who would be calling me? I already talked to Gram today.

It was my brother. Curious, he doesn't call me often. "Hey, it's your brother. What's up?" He sounded tired and a little under the weather so to speak. We exchanged greetings and then the true nature of his call began.

"So I thought I might do something nice for mom for mother's day." He said.

"Well isn't that special." I said, waiting for the blow.

"Wouldn't you like to have a visit from mom for two or three days so she can hang with you and the kids?" He asked.

Silence.....

"I thought I would surprise her by buying her a ticket to fly up to see you, if that is alright with you." He waits patiently for my reaction.

Silence......."Of course she can come visit us." I say. ( What in the hell am I supposed to say, "Hell no!" Nope, can't say that. He took her in, cares for her by way of groceries and deals with her on a semi daily basis. The guilt enters along with the reality that I am not doing a thing to help him.)

"I thought you might like that." He laughs.
" Great idea. I'm sure she will love that. Just let me know the details when you get them." I say with a slight tenseness to my tone.

We speak of a few other things and hang up, then I go on to my meeting.

So there you have it. I am going to have a visitor next month for three or four days. Prayer. That is all I ask for. For those of you who don't know, I don't really mesh well with my mother. I haven't since around age five. So I ask for lots of prayer.