I see sunshine!

I took these pictures 3 days ago. Look carefully at the orange in the middle of the one with the shrubbery, that is the sun, I couldn't get a better picture, sorry. Look at the sky behind the sunflower, yucky with smoke. We had a few days of just dull gray smokey skys. We have been able to see blue sky and sun for the last 2 days. However, my throat hurts and my eyes sting from the smoke. The winds come in the evenings and according to the weather reports there are upper airs blowing north, so some of the smoke is being blown away.

Big Sur

Have you ever visited a place so beautiful that the images always are there in your mind. These are some photos of a camping trip we took to Big Sur in the summer of 2006. We lived there from 1976-1980 when our older children were in early elementary school. An experience that is indescribable and we wanted our younger children to have a little taste of it as they had never lived there.

In the summer 1977 there was a massive fire called the Marble Cone fire (lightening) which burned for more then 3 weeks and consumed over 205,000 acres of land. It was more in the backwoods and paralleled the coast. There is a fire there now, threatening the community of Big Sur. The area of Big Sur that we knew, places we went, names I hear in the news of families we knew then. I've been through the be ready to evacuate if necessary and it is VERY,VERY SCARY to decide what to take and what to leave~ we were spared and didn't have to evacuate (1988 Sierra Nevada's) Pray for containment and to spare the community and natural beauty of the area.

God Bless

Oops!

more cat pictures


Looks like Chloe ♥

Living Well Wednesday

I am somewhat motivated to begin watching what I eat again. (I don't like the word diet). Today is the first day of the rest of my life and I think I will start. Can't weigh as my scale needs a new battery and all it says is "YES". With gas as high as it is I need a list longer then 1 battery before I go to the story.
While on vacation I know we ate more then we should have. When you go visit others they "feed" you and you don't want to be impolite. Even then we can make a choice of how much we eat ~ which I did most, but not all, of the time. Thusly I know I put on a few pounds. I am home now and I will begin again. I will do some grocery shopping on Friday and I will be shopping to fulfill a menu plan for at least 4 days.
I will start at the gym again. I am motivated to take a walk and take the dog, she loves walks but at her age a block is about all she can handle. However, with all the smoke from the fires outside the air is unhealthy and this morning there is no sunlight as the smoke is so thick. Well maybe a little sun is trying hard to get through. Hopefully the fires will be out soon and the air will clear sufficently for walks in the evenings, that is unless it well into the 100's plus. I can use the stationary bike, no excuses it is inside.
God bless

Home

After 2 weeks we are finally home. Now the fun begins!
I took over 600 photos! Can you believe that? However, not all of them will be published or put into a scrapbook.
Many taken at the Evergreen Aviation Museum out of McMinnville, OR. were for the boys (I should say the men in my family)! The fun thing about digital is you can take many photos in hopes of the good one!
I will do a real brief run though of our trip with a few photos. I noticed they are not in the order I wanted, We started out early Sat. morning, and drove to Medford to spend the night. That is a LONG drive. Here is a bird I spotted while at an Elk Reserve in Oregon.

Some of the sights at the Newport Aquarium.
This seal would come and press herself to the glass to be "petted", according to the guide.It was cute to watch two little girls "petting" her and giggling in delight.
We saw otters, and they were showing off for us.
We went to the Devil's Punch Bowl.
See the buildings in the back ground? That is where we were staying. The day we arrived and the day we left were the only days we saw any sun. Otherwise, it was cold, windy and rainy. BUT ~ we went out anyway as much as we could.

Visited with my sister in Grants Pass, and went with her to feed her horses.
We rode the tram from the top of the Veterans Hospital in Portland to the bottom. That was fun.
Saw some beautiful roses in the Portland Rose Garden.. I especially liked this one, it is called Rhapsody in Blue.
Hiked many waterfall along the Columbia Gorge.
And went inside the Spruce Goose! That thing is gigantic. No matter how many pictures you see you don't realize the size until you see it in person.

We ended up in Kelseyville to do some necessary grooming of the grass, etc. It was fun but it is good to be home, I have much to do before my oldest and grandbabies come for a visit from Colorado.

So I need to get some sleep tomorrow will be a busy day.

God Bless

Half way through

We are half way through our vacation. We spend 3 cold, windy and rainy days on the northern Oregon coast. However, we did get out and do some sight seeing. It was relaxing. We are in Vancouver, Wash. at my SIL. Beautiful and sunny the day we left the coast and yesterday. (today is over cast and cloudy and little cooler) Yesterday Dan and I did the Columbia Gorge, and went to Multnomah Falls, also may other falls ~ it has been 26 years since we did that. I think we walked our legs off. We went to a play last night and saw "I Never Sang For My Father". A melodrama, but very well done. Today I think we are going to down town Portland.

My SIL & BIL have a condo that is on the 7th floor. The view is just fantastic. They are near the Columbia River and I find I am fascinated watching the boats go by. The airport is just across the river so we have been watching the planes coming and going. I don't think I could ever get tired a this view. She has a telescope in a little sun room aimed at a hawks nest with 2 young hawks. It is fun watching their escapades - or not.

We will leave Monday morning and go to my sisters, Clear Lake and then home. I won't have access to a computer until we get home ~ after we leave here.

Have a great day and God Bless

We're off

After we eat, we'll be off. Have reservations in Medford tonight. Then will reach our destination on Sunday.. I hope to have some good photos. Feels strange not having kids with us. This will be a first, taking a trip for more then 3 days not have any kids ~ in more then 38 years!! It is something I need to get used to. At least I don't need to board the dog, and they can take care of the cats, gecko ( and fish from school~ 4 gold fish).
God bless

Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am all done for the next 8 weeks.

Maybe I worry to much?

I like what Elisabeth Eliot says in one of her devotionals
"The clothes we wear are what people see. Only God can look on the heart. The outward signs are important. They reveal something of what is inside."

"Put on the garments that suit God's chosen people, his own, his beloved: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience" (Col 3:12 NEB).


Our Bible Study this past spring was in the book or Revelation. Quite an interesting study. Revelation is an intense study, but not really a difficult one.
During one of our times our leader was talking about one of the great ladies of faith (I wish I could remember) who ~on her death bed~told her (adult) child/ren somethin like "I'll see you in heaven, and if you're not there then I wish you'd never been born." quite a powerful statement. It has stayed with me for the past couple months, like that one song that plays over and over in your head, again and again. Making me ask myself, did I do enough raising my children? I pray I did, I know I tried. It is so hard with adult children, after all you spend so much time and energy both physically and emotionally. All I can do at this point is turn them over to God. I really pray I did enough to raise them right and Godly. I feel haunted at times and can't sleep because of it. It really brings me to my knees as I pray for ALL my children and grandchildren everyday!!!!!

Last minute stuff

Water play with a small pool and sprinklers. That's what we did today. This is a long shot, but they sure had a blast. We had 2 birthdays and they got the long anticipated ice cream they had been promised.

I'm taking a slight break right now. I'd much rather be in bed sleeping then sitting at the computer doing last minute things for the last day of school tomorrow. When my computer crashed, it left me in a bind for a few days, not to mention the time it took to purchase a new one and set it up. All the filing and putting things together. I have always had staff to help me in the past, but not this year and that is a first.
For the last 3 years I have given a photo CD to the families in my class. My gift to them, pictures taken through out the year, memories of their children doing different activities and field trips. I had made a sample CD just a few days before my PC crashed, so all I had to do was down load the photos and make copies. This is minus the tree ceremony we had, however, I did take more photos of the tree and add them. Then it's just a matter of a few clicks and the CD is burned, it just takes time. I just finished around 10:30 tonight. I usually do music for the children, but this year that won't happen. It would just take way to long for me to upload all the music then select the 30 or so songs I download. One the other compute, the music was already there and ready for me to download. It makes me a little sad, because the children and families enjoy it. These are my gifts every year. I have their memory books done, with just one addition to put in, and I my just go in early to finish that. Their take homes are all ready. I am just finishing up their ABC books and I need to make 7 birthday crowns for tomorrow. We make the crowns for the children who have summer birthdays and don't get to share their special day in class with their friends. They are excitedly looking forward to that.

Then tomorrow after all is done and everything is turned in I need to prepare for a trip to OR. So when I get home it is laundry to do and grocery shopping for those staying home, it is just dad and I going. This will be the first long trip we have taken without at least one of our kids, it feels a little strange.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Living Well Wednesday

Wednesday already, the week has gone by fast. I stayed exactly the same, which is good considering ................
School is out Friday YEAH! Our ceremony is this morning then the next 2 days we will have a pool party (wading pool and sprinkler) and a good by brunch. Sat. we are heading to OR. for a couple weeks. I will be happy when it is Monday.

Going out of town, I am planning how I will eat. I really need to be good so I will take some planned food and really watch what I am doing. With no stress of school I think I can do it and have a great time also. I just got a new camera and am anxious to get some nice photography done.

We went out to dinner the other night, when our food came we all bowed and gave thanks to God. Something we have done for years. Sometimes we see others praying before their food, most of the time not. I/we need to remember who gave us our food and thank Him for it. I also need to remember my body is a temple unto God and therefore I need to be careful what I put into it. I have been study the life of Moses and I do not have it as tough as he did so I think/know I can do it.

As I pack I will remember books: Bible, a novel and some WW magaznes I have not had a chance to look at. And when we return I look forward to going to the gym on a regular schedule! I need to remind myself what I look like in a bathing suit as we are a boating family. OMG that is something I don;t like to see in a mirro........so.....................

God is good. Have a great day ♥

It morphed ♥ ♥

A silk moth has emerged!!!!!!

To make a long story short.

We recently bought a new car. That is something we had planned on and prepared for since last Sept. We were happy when all was said and done. What we didn't plan on was having our refrigerator start breathing it's last -that was last Tuesday. Dan gave me the bad news when I got home on Wednesday, after he bought parts and tried to fix it, so we purchased a new one. Not like we could wait on that. On Friday our computer decided to turn off and has been that way since - thus on Sunday we bought a new computer. I could scream at the fact that many of my photos for the last year weren't backed up and lost, also, that I DIDN'T want to HAVE to buy a new refrigerator or computer!!!!!!!!! But, we can thank God we were able to.
Fortunately not all photos, but still - some lost were important photos. We had done the tree ceremony on Thursday and my daughter took many photos for me. As I was preparing them to copy on a disk my computer shut off. I had the disk in hand, and was just shy of copying them. New photos, not with the family though. The children were divided into pairs and they planted flowers around the tree. Eli's mom planted one next to the tree. It was a good ceremony, many family member there. But sad, losing a child will always be a tearful memory.
It is colorful tree to reflect the diversity of the class, I had the school principal choose the tree. There will be a plaque placed on it at a later date in his honor.
(the new computer has a feature I set up that will (if I click on) copy what photos I want onto an online photo program I subscribe to. I also just found out last night that the photos I blog are automatically copied online to my Picasa album!
One of our silk moths emerged from a cocoon yesterday. It's wings are still folded. I am excited to show the children this morning!
God bless and have a great day!