More Painting, Strawberry Hill, and a Bonfire

Tuesday we watched more 7th Heaven, the girls were painting, guys videoing it. After dinner everyone but Amy and Steve went to Strawberry Hill, it was differant at dusk.




Greg said that if you put your tongue in a sea anenaome, it would wrap around it and your tongue would go numb for a while. So Greg, Clay, and I tried it. We just let it touch our tongues, it was weird. First it was a mild pain, then it just felt like you had just drank some really hot chocolate and now your tongue was burnt. It was a fun experience I guess? I know I would have regretted it if I hadn't done it. Mike was off on his own, or I am sure he would have tried it also.





I loved these pics of Clay and Greg, I took more than these it was hard to choose.





It wasn't long and Danielle and Megan decided this wasn't for them. So they went back and sat on a bench.

The boys and I continued to venture. I like the whole climbing on rocks and looking at things. My big dilemma, was that I want the pics, but I don't like the inhibiting factor of the big camera around my neck. So I slung it around my neck and shoulder and put it more on my back and went off exploring. Clay found a hermit crab.





We eventually found Mike and he showed us his finds. The tiny green one is from the earths core. We had a future geologist with us you know, so that was neat. Clay explained things about how the earth does it's thing, and we taught him about the ocean stuff. It was fun.





We came back and built a fire and ate smores. It was a great night for it, almost no wind, and just the right size fire. I had one of the best smores I have had in years, you know those kind where everything is melty, mmmm. Clay has never liked them much, but liked them for the first time. Danielle told him it was because he was in Oregon. :-)







We came in and we put in Mission Impossible 3, Meg and Greg went to bed because they had to leave early the next morn, I started getting sleepy so I didn't make it to the end. So another great day.

Here's a pic of Amy and Danielle boxing with the wii, it was pretty funny to watch. Mike was a riot to watch and listen to as he coached and cheered his wife on.

Danielle and Clay come!!

Daneille and Clay came on August 25th. Megan and Greg came shortly after, and Mike and Amy came the next day. We have been having great fun! The first evening the Wii got set up and we all had fun creating our selves. It was so funny how seriously you take what you're person is going to look like. You try to make it look like you as much as possible. You can choose everything from your size to the arch of your eyebrows. It's pretty funny to watch. Then we all took turns playing. Danielle said shortly after we started bowling that she now saw where her competitiveness has come from. Hee Hee.

The next day when Mike and Amy came they made themselves and the guys started to golf.





Danielle having a serious conversation with Steve on accounting.


People watching the golfers


Monday the girls and I started watching 7th Heaven Dvd's Amy brought, then the girls started doing crafts and the guys went out to build Mikes vision of an Egyptian site. It turned out really cool. They were fun to watch.










Voilla the finished project



The men with their work

Showing how tall the pyramid is

Mike it appears is discussing the process

Daneille and Clay




Meg and Greg I almost caught Megan in her favorite posittion



Amy's eyes were closed in their pic so I will have to catch them later.

We came back in and made dinner. Steve had caught two nice Coho Salmon, so we ate that along with fresh veggies from the greenhouse and garden. We all mmm'd through dinner. The girls then did crafts again, and the boys played an internet video game together.





I picked blackberries before they all came and had enough to make a pie. I froze it and then kept forgetting to get ice cream. How can you eat blackberry pie without ice cream. I mentioned after dinner that I had forgotten to buy ice cream and Mike quickly said he would go and buy some! So we had the pie after all. It was pretty and nummy. I used a pie thing for the crust from Williams Sonoma.



We then watched "She's the Man", that is so much funnier than I remembered. If you have only watched it once, you have to watch it again. It was so funny.

Well, we miss those of you that aren't here!!!

Weight Watchers and My Dad

First about my dad. He went into the hospital again today and they had to put in another stint. So keep him in your prayers, he's supposed to come home tomorrow.

The last two days have been good. I finished putting our new vacation rental on the all our websites yesterday, and bright and early this morning we got a request for our new home in November. Had mutual last night.

Today was weight watchers, was reminded why they have meetings. On my trip I tracked to the day I would have gone back to weight watchers for my meeting if I had been at home. From then on it was downhill. I shared that at weight watchers. I am so grateful to be a leader it is fun and helps me and others. I gained 9 pounds!!! Oh well, I have three weeks to get back down. That will be interesting. I won't be crazy about it just track and let happen what happens. If I don't make it I'll beg mercy because of my trip.

I came home and laid on the couch and didn't move until now, about 5 hours later. I expend a lot of energy at weight watchers, and I think I am still catching up on rest. Also I swear part of it is because I can't exercise. I always feel more energetic when I exercise. Oh well. I think I will try to start on Monday. We'll see!!!

Danielle and Clay are coming this weekend, it is exciting. It will be fun to have almost everyone out here this weekend. Then Amy and Mike are going to stay all week. It will be fun!!!!

Day of Gratitude

Today was one of those day's when I realize how incredibly blessed I am. I woke up at 6:30 and laid in bed for a while. All those years of getting up because a baby was crying, or because it was time to make breakfast or etc. is over, and I laid in bed thinking about things and what I wanted to do. It felt good.

I got up after about 15 min or so and Steve came in and said he was going fishing. Now I love my husband, but I love fishing days also. We are together 24/7, and so it is nice to have the house to my self sometimes. It was cloudy and rainy, but that was okay. Yesterday I did basically nothing but talk to my children with my foot up, nursing it along with ice and ibuprofen. I decided I would baby my foot today also.

So I ate oatmeal with peaches, I forgot there are fresh blackberries outside, tomorrow!!! I then took my shower, and sat on my love seat with my journal and Pres Kimball manual and studied my scriptures. It was wonderful. ( with my blinds open of course, the ocean out my window)

Then tried to call Amy a few times, and set up a few Vacation Rental sites. Watched a little TV.

Steve came home at about 6:00 with two nice sized Salmon. By the late afternoon the sun was out and it was gorgeous, I had to open all the doors and windows. We sat on the front porch for a few minutes talking about our days. And I thought about our view out the front porch on our bench. We talked about that for a minute.


I then walked out to my greenhouse to pick some veggies to go with the salmon.
My petunia plant is starting to grow out of the greenhouse

This is what I see when I open the door, and this is after I have pruned my tomatoes on the left.

I haven't really looked at all the veggies since I got back so it was an adventure.

Peppers

Herbs

2 Cherry Tomato plants


More Peppers and a volunteer Bean plant that gave us enough beans for dinner




2 Regular Tomato Plants

7 Bean plants

Yellow Squash, which always think they deserve to take over the universe

Zucchini Squash and chives

1 Cucumber Plant

Another cucumber plant, shallots, and carrots

Volunteer alyssium

As I am listening to my music and picking veggies I think about how incredible this all is. How blessed I am to have this huge greenhouse and all the years of expereicne so I can have these incredibly delicious organic perfect veggies. I go outside and dig a few red potatoes, look at the spinach and chard that has gone crazy. And I think again I am so blessed. This is what I picked for tonight

I realize and my kids will laugh, that I am a small town, country gardener. New York was fun, but I love my spacious yard and home! The dream that Steve and I had when we were first married has almost come to pass. Tonight we had food that I had grown and Steve had caught.

As I walk back to the house with my veggies, I see my beautiful flowers, amazed at all the years that I couldn't grow flowers.





It tasted as good as food can taste.

Our view was this-

Life cannot get better. I thought where much is given, much is expected. I am going to enjoy all this until Heavenly Father says it is time to serve a mission. Then at that time I need to go whole heartedly without any holding back, for I have much to give back!!!

I think He is trying to prepare me, this week I told the Joseph Smith story to two different people, and told them what the Book of Mormon was all about. It was a sweet experience both times.

Heavenly Father has given me everything and more than I have wanted in this life, so I am going to have faith that he will give me my wish to be here when my children have their babies. I am hoping he doesn't ask that sacarifice from me. Rebecca and Lizzie said they would step in and help, and I know they would, but I want to be there.

Just a side note totally off the subject, Steve and I have been watching a very fast bat flying around in our back yard! It's not the first time I have seen them.

Well, I have gone on long enough I love you all!!!
mom/Sharon