Kids

Not much to post.
Justin is so dramatic. He hurt his finger and swears it is broken. Yet he can still climb the fire truck at Baskin Robbins, skate board, play basketball and play recess at school. I think he just wants attention not that the attention is lacking here at home. I think he wants one of the metal things like his friend Cole had. It really hurts when its time for homework, bed and shower time.

Big news to pray about. We have decided that it is in Austins best interest to homeschool him next year. It will be his senior year. That is the tough part taking him out of ACA after 5 years. He started ACA in 6th grade. 7-8 th grade we homeschooled. 9th - 11th He has been back at ACA doing well but ACA lacks in some areas. Overall the school is excellent in academics.They don't have the classes that Austin needs to help him in college.Even with the school being college prep. Some of teachers think they are teaching college and forget to review the basics. That is the best thing about homeschooling I have the freedom to teach Austin using the methods that he learns best from and can keep teaching a subject until he gets it.
I've talked to the umbrella school we will be going through and have ideas of curriculum and classes he needs to take. We go to a mandatory meeting in 2 weeks. We will make the final decision at that meeting and notify ACA of our leaving on the 15th of May.
So for now that is the plan. I pray every year about homeschooling and this year the Lord has sent many confirmations to bring Austin home.

Beef, Barley and Veggies

Ok I have had a least one request a week for some of the meals I cook. I will try to post a recipe once a week. This is a old favorite. It's from the American Heart Association cookbook. I have made changes so it's not as printed in the book.

1- 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1 potato per person
1 can of beef broth
1 tsp onion powder
1tsp garlic powder or garlic salt
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
pepper to taste

1/4 -1/2 c barley

1/2 bag of frozen mixed cut veggies ( green beans, pea, carrots)


cook ground beef until no longer pink.
remove excess fat
return beef to pan and add potato's -barley(wait if using quick cooking barley)
bring to boil over high heat. Then reduce heat to medium low, covered 8-10 minutes until potato's are tender

add frozen veggies and quick barley. Cooking until barley is tender about 10 minutes.

You can find barley in the rice/pasta section of the market and quick cooking in cereal section.

Enjoy and let me know how your family rates this recipe.

email me or call me if you have questions

Family time at the movies

It's Sunday. We did the usual wake up early to leave by 6:50am to have Austin at church to serve by 7:10 am. Had wonderful fellowship , worship and teaching. We headed off to breakfast after service. This time visiting CBU for the delicious buffet. After overeating we drove home and took our Sunday nap. Once I awoke I started the routine of laundry.
We decided to go to the movies. Our choice 17 again. I did enjoy the movie thinking it went a little long. It's true, we make bad choices in high school thinking they are good at the time. As we mature we realize we did not know much I guess what counts is that we learn from our mistakes and change. We need to take responsibility for our actions and not blame others for who we've allowed ourselves to become. I wish I would have listen to those who told me about Christ in my teen years. I didn't think I was lacking in peace or joy. I thought life was one big question and no one had purpose. Greg said today at church that we need someone to convince us of our sin. In high school I didn't think I had any big sins. I was wrong. I am glad that I was convinced and convicted of my sin. I wish it would have happened earlier but blessing sometimes do come from hard lessons.

Other than the movie I took Dutchess for a walk I thought. She decided to run after Austin and Justin as they rode their bikes. So I ended up going on a 1/4 mile run. Why is it when I want to run she looks at me as if I am crazy?

Back to laundry...

Woo hoo !!

Wow, this has been a busy week. First the fun news Justin made a double play in T- ball tonight. He was playing 3rd base. He caught the ball and tagged the base. I think he was surprised to have caught the ball. He did just like the coaches taught him.

Yesterday, Debbie and I went shopping in the LA textile district. We were looking for the perfect fabric mostly geometric designs to use for our custom creations. We are going to start a business using the gift of sewing that God has blessed us both with. We found just what we were looking for and now have to make the time and get serious about sewing daily. I have a marketing plan. Starting a business has so many details. I pray that we will be successful .

I have been watering my garden daily. I hope to plant tomorrow evening. Well its bed time for Justin so I have to go up stairs.

New Garden Spot

The last few days I've been busy so I haven't had much time for my garden. All I have to do is finish planting some seeds and pull weeds. My big news is that Lloyd has entrusted me with one of his garden plots for the season. Lloyd has been apart of the community garden for 20 years. He has become ill and will take the spring/summer season off and prayerfully return next year.Until then I plan on planting many greens for salads. I plan on taking a few morning this week and all of next week to plan and plant in plot number 7. Hope to have some exciting updates soon.

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for you I lift up soul." Psalm 143:8

Garden Update

It's been a busy week. Justin is home with me week two of his spring break. We purchased our Tomato and Pepper plants on Monday and got them in the ground that afternoon. We planted a variety of plants including: Roma, Better Boy and Big Boy Tomato's and Hot banana, Jalepeno, and Green Bell Peppers. Today we went out in the chilly wind and planted summer squash varieties black beauty and early summer crookneck. In between my raised beds of squash we planted Nasturtium's I hope they bloom like the picture below.

All the seeds we planted today have a 10-14 day germination period. So I might have some photos in a few weeks. I still have many veggies seeds to plant. I hope to be finished by Sunday. My watering system is a drip system. I prefer the drip system because I can space mini in line dippers as close together or as far apart as I want. I do have a few Adjustable flow sprinkles for my heavy feeding plants. This time of year I water 15 minutes every 2-3 days. As the weather warms I will water every other day for 15- 30 minutes. To make the roots stronger and grow deeper you want to water less often. This makes the roots go deep in search of a water source. So if your on vacation and your timer fails your plants can survive the harsh weather. When you water everyday you will have shallow roots and the first day without water you plants could wither away. Drip systems are fairly easy to install. I purchased a kit( Raindrip)last year and I was able to install myself. I reconnected this year and it still works I changed out only a few pieces to adjust for my change of crops. I moved everything over one space. This helps the avoid veggie plants from taking all the minerals in the soil over time. I've been praying about getting another plot in the community garden and I think I might be getting one to borrow for the season. That is all for now.
Be green.

" The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden" Gen 2:8

Home sweet home

We finally made it home. In the last 24 hours we have departed Breckenridge Colorado. Visited friends in Erie, Colorado. Flown home arriving at John Wayne Airport at 8:20 pm.Drove Austin to the Smiths house so he could help out at Sunrise service.Got home at 10:00 pm. Went to first service ay 7:45 am. Visited my mom. Her and my grandma hosted Easter brunch for us, Glenn's parents and Aunt Mary. Came home for 1 hour then went to Lisa's house for dessert and egg hunt. Since there is no food in the house we went to Carl's Jr. for dinner Yuck. Finally arriving home at 6:00 pm. Visited with the neighbors, (Justin, Carissa, Cassandrea and Collin had a egg hunt) started laundry, caught up on facebook, sent emails for Gurrlie Girl biz and now blogging. I am so ready for bed. So good night.

Good day gone uh oh

Well today started very quiet for me. I was able to just sit at the Lords feet this Good Friday morning. I went to picked up lunch for the guys. After lunch I dropped off Glenn and Austin back at the lifts and Justin and I went off on our date. We started off at Ready, Paint, Fire. We each painted a ceramic piece. Justin is very creative so he had fun. Then we headed off to the museum on the top for children. Justin had so much fun not your typical museum. It was filled with interactive toys , he didn't want to leave when Glenn and Austin were ready to be picked up. That is when the trouble began. They loaded their ski stuff into the car and Glenn got his finger smashed in the car door. He went to urgent care just to be on the safe side(there was blood everywhere) and ended up with a tetanus shot. He could have gotten 2 stitches but decided not to get them. So 3 hours later we had dinner. Now we are all packed up and ready to leave after breakfast. We will be visiting Glenn's friends the Dishman family on our way to the airport. Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. Not that this bed is bad but its good to be home.

Good times

First a word from Justin... We heard a big noise while in the gold mine we visited today. Tom our tour guide showed us how the miners made holes to place dynamite into the mountain face. Using a pick and hammer and also a widow maker that was the noise maker. We went 1000 ft into the mine. When we got to the end Tom turned of the lights. We went panning for gold after our mine tour. I found a little gold flake. It was freezing cold in the Eureka River. There were two dummies (mannequins) in the mine to show us how they worked in the mine. And there was a fake mouse and there was a pink slip that we used as a brass ring. If they had one missing person they had to go to get them out of the mine. Thats it from Justin,

Yesterday we drove 2 1/2 hours to Colorado Springs to see the Garden of the Gods. The drive was through the back country of Colorado. As we first started to drive out it was like mountain driving then we crossed the continental divide and the landscape changed to flat lands and desert. The temperature also went up about 20 degrees. Once we arrived to the Gardens we decided they should be call the gardens of God not the gods. Only our amazing God could created the rocks we seen in all their splendor.
We left the gardens to visit the Air Force Academy. The grounds of the academy were beautiful. So much so Glenn was ready to join. It was so hot at the academy I was ready to buy shorts and sandals. The Chapel at the academy is something to see. They have many faiths that use different areas for their services.
On our way back to Breckenridge we spotted Focus on the Families headquarters. So we stopped by. Then we spotted Chipotle we had to stop. I needed a Iced tea I haven't had a tea since we left John Wayne Airport. As we were driving the weather started to change a storm had been in the forecast. We had perfect timing once again as we crossed the divide the weather changed.The clouds and winds pick up a bit but we made it safe to our room.

Today Justin told you about our adventure to the gold mine. After the mine we had a lazy afternoon hanging out in the room and playing cards in the lounge. We finally decided to head out to dinner. I had the night off from cooking. We had great Italian dinner.We decided to walk back to the room and it started to snow. It is 2 hours later and still snowing. The guys are going to have a great Friday skiing.

" For you are my rock and my fortress Therefore for your name's sake lead me and guide me." Psalm 31:3

My day out

Today was day 2 of skiing for my guys. Instead of going for another walk I decided to try something new out of the box for me. I don't like the cold, ice, snow or slipping and falling. I tried something that involved all those things. I tried Cross Country Skiing. I started my adventure taking the shuttle to The Breckenridge Nordic Center. I went with the plan of snowshoeing but the concierge said I would have more fun cross country skiing. When I arrived at the center I decided to face my fears of snow and falling and signed up for the lesson before I chickened out. Todd my instructor was very informative. I did enjoy this new sport, even after falling twice. I got up and kept on going. Enjoying the view of the Blue Spruce trees and blue skies. The air was brisk and crisp. It was a excellent workout. By the end I told Todd the sport wasn't for me because my ankles and knees were hurting from the wedge ( stopping when going downhill). He was a little disappointed. After the lesson when returning my boots he seen my swollen pink and blue ankles and didn't feel so bad that the sport wasn't for me now he knew my ankles really hurt and it wasn't his instruction. I told him I would be back with the family in a few days. So I returned to pick up my guys so I could prepare them lunch before they went back out. My knee really hurt so I pulled up my jeans and discovered this small but painful bruise. So now that I have experienced cross country skiing and falling isn't so bad even after my little injury I think I might go back out again. I still want to walk these amazing beautiful trails by showshoeing. Maybe on Thursday snow is predicted that day God's creation is just so amazing. I can't wait to spend the day with my guys tomorrow at the garden of the gods. That was my day.
"She is not afraid of the snow for her household." Pro 31:20

Slow Day

Well today was uneventful other than the guys going skiing not much has happened. I had a nice day alone. I walked around town for 2 hours and seen about half the town. I'm thinking tomorrow is the day I will go snowshoeing just me and my Zune. It is so awesome to sing praises to God while walking in a beautiful location. We walked down to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some dessert tonight. Justins tooth is almost ready to come out. It is hanging. by the root. eek. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Sunday in Breckenridge

Today has been a very slow day. We decided to take it easy since we need to acclimate to the elevation of 9600 ft. almost 2 miles high. I read it takes two days for the body to adjust to the high elevaton.We started watching Harvest.org this morning but the live feed just stopped so we left for Walmart and Safeway.Having a kitchen helps keep the cost down when traveling. My meals aren't anything to rave about when on the road but still healthier than eating out every meal. We also picked up the ski lift tickets and went to get the ski rentals. Yes, my guys will be wearing helmets on the slopes. I will be out on my own exploring this quiant town. I am debating about snowshoeing and cross country skiing. I will save that adventure for Tuesday. So for now my guys are hitting the slopes in the morning and I'll be shopping and preparing a simple lunch and nice hot meal for dinner. Oh yeah Justin decided to go swimming this evening with outside temps being 15 degrees feeling like 1 degree. Luckily for Glenn and I the pool is in a tent so it was warm but Justin still had to walk back to the resort outside in wet clothes he survived and is looking forward to a swim after a day of skiing tomorrow. Justin's tooth is getting looser everyday. He was paying in the arcade today and bumped into a game and had a mouth full of blood. Hopefully it will fall out soon and not on the slopes.

Day of Traveling

I haven't been to garden but once this week. I went to check my watering sytem. It's good. I water every other day for 15 mins. at 5:00 am.I will continue to blog about garden next week when I return from our trip.
Today is the day we've been waiting for traveling to Breckenridge, Colorado. I have never been to the snow before except to our local Southern California mountains. We started our day at 8:30 leaving for John Wayne airport. A new airport for our family.We flew on Frontier Airlines a new airline for us too. Flight left in time. Our flight was the only one not canceled or delayed due to weather. So we left sunny 80 degree California for 4 degree Breckenridge.
Here are a few adventures we have had so far. Toward the end of the flight Austin got really sick with sinus infection symptoms which turn into flu like symptoms that turned into him breaking out into a sweat. The flight crew was great responding to him. Cooling him down and giving him some o.j. to drink. There was also a EMT who check him out. This all happened within a 5 minute period.I give frontier airlines 5 stars. My adventure was driving in the snow for the first time. I had my first experience having the car slid on ice a little scary so Glenn took over driving to stressful for me. We arrived at our condo safely. Our Condo is beautiful and the view is grand. Not sure of what tomorrow will bring. I'm going to see if there is a local church we can attend or we will watch Harvest online. God is good and his creation is amazing.