Fresh Sqeezed

April 22, 2011

I made fresh squeezed OJ this morning and it was yummy. We have a tree of Valencia oranges that are a little less sweet and more firm than the Washington Navels (our favorite). So I used the Valencia's for OJ since hey are just sitting on the tree uneaten.

We made a friend (well a couple). Cory served his mission in Spain at the same time as Brian Fischer who is also in the Porterville ward. Caleb plays perfectly with their 6 yr. old daughter and Hannah with their 3 year old. I also really like Nathalie, (the Mom). It is a win-win situation.

Extra Miles

April 22, 2011

I took my Mom's Carpet cleaner for another spin. I cleaned the front room carpet this time and it came out great. Stains were lifted and it smells divine (I get a little excited about cleaning).
Caleb had another game tonight. These are his team mates.
Caleb takes a swing.
Hannah gives Caleb a hug.

Copy Cat

April 20, 2011

I was looking at a blog I like and saw this ric rac skirt (here) and thought it was do-able. So I bought the Wal-mart skirts and ric rac (Wal-mart didn't have the Jumbo ric rac suggested in the tutorial in any other color other than Black so I bought the medium size ric rac in two shades of pink instead).

Grandma comes!

April 19, 2011

I came home from running errands with the kids and guess who drove up while I was bringing in the bags? Grandma! I had no idea she was coming. It was the best surprise.

Hannah's nickname is "Hannah the destroyer." Wherever she goes she destroys! Grandma is teaching Hannah a lesson (previously given by me 12 times) to not pick the tiny green and growing peaches.
Hannah loves to wear dresses and be a "Princess." But she also loves to get dirty too. It's a good and not good combo. Good: because she isn't afraid of dirt and Not Good: because it means more dirt.
Okay... So when I was a little girl I would pick rose petals and tear them into shapes to fit over my lips to pretend I had lipstick. After I shared this story with Connie she wanted to try it for herself. But she went a step further and put more petals over her eyes. Does it look scary? Maybe.
Grandma had to leave but not until she gave the kids "treats": Chocolate pudding and sour gummy worms. BIG HIT!

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

April 18, 2011

The rose bushes in the front yard are blooming and the roses are not only huge but they smell really good. Have you ever seen a beautiful rose only to discover it had little or no smell? That's kind of disappointing isn't it?

The owner also planted white banks roses which are also very fragrant. While they are in bloom we are enjoying them also.





















Caleb and Hannah began dancing together this morning in the drive way (Hannah provided the music). They were entertaining themselves while I put up our first USA flag (ever) on the house. We don't own a power drill so it was the "Old School" way... screwdriver. About 15 minutes and a sore forearm later, Caleb and Hannah posed with their hands on their hearts.






Another new game? Yes it's called: Drag each other down the stairs.

April 16, 2011

A few weeks ago I noticed that the carpet in the family room smelled like an old dog. So for two hours this morning I shampooed the carpet and guess what? it still smells a little like old dog by the laundry room door. The rest smells clean. On Monday I'll redo that spot and hope for the best.














Today was the Iris festival in downtown Porterville. We went (Caleb fell asleep in the car but woke up after Cory carried him five minutes) . We got separated. After looking for Cory and Caleb for 10 minutes with no luck I figured my best bet was to walk back to the car and wait. After 30 minutes Cory and Caleb came back to the car and told me how fun and cool the festival was. Cory began listing out all the cool things they saw and I felt bummed I missed it. Next year...

A new interest

April 15, 2011

We met Cory for lunch on the Rez. The weather was perfect. After we ate the kids ran around and played and Cory and I sat on the Picnic bench in the warm sun and talked. "I love it here." I kept thinking and saying.


The Porterville Library was offering a free Calligraphy's course this afternoon. I dropped off the kids at a Babysitters house and went to the Library. For two hours I practiced lines, pen angle and my initials. It is really fun. As many people know I'm not really computer savvy. I prefer writing letters instead of emails even though I freely admit it is faster. I just like writing. I mean... who wouldn't love to get a letter in the mail? knowing someone took the time to pen down thoughts, ideas and feelings just for them.





After the class, I picked up the kids and we headed back over to the Rez to pick up Cory. AS Cory finished our Tax return Caleb pretended to work next to him while Hannah and I drew pictures and she played with my earrings.

Take me out to the Ball Game

April 14, 2011

Caleb found a lot of peach pits this morning and wanted to do something with them. He asked me to help him make a number 1 with them and then a number 2. I thought why stop there? So we went all the way to 10.













Hannah in the tube part of the tent.
















The first official game was tonight for the Lil' Rhinos. Caleb had fun. Cory was the 3rd baseman, and basically made sure each kid made it to 3rd base and touched the plate. When it was time to run home he told each kid when and where to run.

One on One

April 13, 2011
Due to weather, the Baseball Camp day was canceled last Saturday and moved to tonight. All the Tee Ball kids got one on one time with the Coach of the Babe Ruth (whom I found out was last years City Champs) Baseball team (13 - 15 year old boys). The Coach taught each kid how to stand next to the plate, hold the bat and swing. It was a really long time for young kids to wait but when it was their turn they loved all the individual attention they got.

A visit from Mom, new boots and a Tradgedy

April 12, 2011

My Mom came to visit and brought her Pressure washer, these darling rain boots from Target and her power drill.
We...
1. washed all of the windows top to bottom and did the walls of the house too.
2. hung up a Mirror in the entry way
3. and the curtain (that was in the kids bedroom made by Jocelyn) over the laundry room window.
4. organized the laundry room
Mom also left me the carpet cleaner and her sewing machine. So I will have plenty to do and the tools I need to do it. Thanks Mom!





The hair is Hannah's. Isn't that sad? Caleb and Hannah were playing in my Mom's car and found a pair of scissors she keeps in her glove box and Caleb cut her pretty blond hair. I wasn't angry because It seems like it's a story every Parent gets to tell their friends and family. I did feel sad because her hair is so pretty to me. If I were Pollyanna I would say, "At least it wasn't her bangs, or in front and at least it wasn't cut at the scalp." If I were to cut her hair to match the "new" length, her hair would be just above the neck of her crew cut style T-shirts. : - (




Tonight was the first practice game of the Tee Ball season. Despite the picture Caleb was really excited to be there.























All the boys and girls on Lil Rhinos team were wither Tule Indian or Hispanic. And all the Indian boys (and girls) had long braids, even the young boys. Can you see the little boy next to the girl with the long sleeved red shirt? He was probably 3 years old. The older boys had thick braids with gorgeous hair. I just wanted to braid it like the little girls braid Rapunzel's hair in the Tangled movie (minus the flowers).
This is Hannah swinging. She loves to swing.

Measure by Chocolate Chips

April 11, 2011

Hannah and I were making FHE treat (Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies) and of course having a few chocolate chips in the process. After she had finished the handful I gave her she asked for more (of course) and put out her hand. I put 3 in her hand and couldn't believe how small her hand is. I placed one chip and took a picture. Who would have thought you could measure size ratio via chocolate chips.

Sunday Stroll

April 10, 2011

Our new ward starts at 9am. 9am always sounded really early to me. Now that we've done it I hope it always starts at this time. I have made a new friend. Her name is Brooke Tree. She has 3 boys and just had a little girl. She is very nice and I like her a lot. An Enrichment activity is planed for this week and I look forward to seeing her and getting to know other women a little better too. I'm never nervous meeting people for the first time because there aren't any expectations. You don't know them and they don't know you. I love learning things about people because every one is special and worth knowing.
Since church starts earlier, we're back home earlier too. This afternoon we fed the kids lunch and then went for a stroll outside. We met a neighbor (Camille 15 or 16) and talked with her and her best friend for a while. It was interesting to listen to them talk. They were in High School, and as teenagers they acted like the world was full of drama and injustice and perhaps even revolved around them, (some of the time). But as I asked questions and listened to their answers they seemed like good girls. I thought about the Young Women's' program in our Church and wanted them to come to the activities and gain confidence as they came to realize that they are daughters of God. High School sounds so much harder than when I was in it. If I had been a member of the Church then, perhaps I would not have made so many mistakes.

Tee Ball

April 9, 2011

We signed Caleb up for Tee Ball. His team name is the Lil' Rhinos. His first practice is Tuesday. Today we bought all the things he needs to play at Target. After all the running around was over Cory and Caleb enjoyed the last hour of daylight throwing the ball to one another. I love having a backyard. It is so fun to see the kids play outside and be Free! I love to see the kids being "kids." Childhood is so short, I'd like them to enjoy every minute of it.

A Room with a View

April 8, 2011

When Cory and I wake up in the morning we look out the window from our bed and see this: This was an especially pretty morning and definitely photo worthy.














The kids were hungry before dinner so they had a few carrots and sat in their camping chairs in the backyard and enjoyed the late afternoon sun.






Behind them is the start of the 10 acres of olive trees.

Work and Play

April 7, 2011

One of the first things I decided I would work on (after unpacking) was to remove the wallpaper in the upstairs bath. Who ever did it did a fabulous job; everything is perfectly straight and even. I like white, plain and clean. I change my mind so much white serves as the perfect background for me it goes with anything and can keep up with my desire to change things... spontaneously and often.
Caleb helped my work on the walls for literally an hour. He never complained once. I paid him $5.00 because he worked so hard and never expected payment.

The wood floors in the dinning room turned out to be the inspiration to a fun game. I bought a jump rope to exercise with, when the kids found it they thought it would be more fun to drag each other on the wood floor and slip and slide around the table. I will admit it does look like more fun.

A friendly visit

March 29, 2011

These are a few pictures (hopefully not on Alison or Connie's blog) taken during a family visit. I used to honestly worry whenever people would come over to our previous place that our house was boring or that I wasn't very exciting. I always preferred to go to someone else's house because (I imagined) it was more fun for them and more comfortable for me. Now I don't feel worried. Our house is fun. There is so much to do and see and I feel at ease in this beautiful place.

The big purchase

April 2, 2011

Caleb has been working and saving to buy a bow and arrow of his very own. During the two hour break of conference we drove to the archery store (next to the 24th street cafe) and Caleb put his money on the counter and bought his very own kid size bow and arrow. The owner gave him (and us) a few pointers and a quick lesson and sent us on our way. Caleb is so excited and he seems to be very comfortable and careful with his new hobby.