Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Another Brief Post for My Fans
Hello loyal readers! I have been informed that some of you may be missing my updates. Well, I'm still without internets at home; I saw no point in paying for it until we can really use it. We have pulled out almost all the carpet at home, we are waiting on the appraiser before we put in the money for the finishing on the floors. It's a good thing it's summer!
It turns out we have an apricot tree in the front yard. It needs pruning in the fall, but the fruit up high is ripening right now. I have taken a couple pictures of the house before the changes have been made. When we get up and running on the home computer, I'll post them.
It turns out we have an apricot tree in the front yard. It needs pruning in the fall, but the fruit up high is ripening right now. I have taken a couple pictures of the house before the changes have been made. When we get up and running on the home computer, I'll post them.
Labels: Blog Info, Family, Homesteading, House
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Arrived, But Not Settled
We are safely across the mountains, we have all of our things here, we are living at the farm house, but there are tons of things to do. We don't have internet set up at home yet, so posting will be sparse.
In the meantime, we are ripping out original 1970s carpet which looks like Muppets were slaughtered and skinned and laid out across the floors. There is hard wood underneath, so the plan is to sand and seal.
We will get pictures up as soon as we can. The place needs a lot of work, but has great structure and bones. We've already met some neighbors and are going to a neighborhood potluck on Sunday after church. It is hard living out of boxes and suit cases, but we are glad to be here.
In the meantime, we are ripping out original 1970s carpet which looks like Muppets were slaughtered and skinned and laid out across the floors. There is hard wood underneath, so the plan is to sand and seal.
We will get pictures up as soon as we can. The place needs a lot of work, but has great structure and bones. We've already met some neighbors and are going to a neighborhood potluck on Sunday after church. It is hard living out of boxes and suit cases, but we are glad to be here.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Yasmina Bean-a
is 1 year old today!
Unfortunately, her life is turned upside down for it, as we are in the last throes of packing. We are having a barbecue with our neighbors and eating lots of cake to celebrate one year of her life with our family.
Yasmina truly was the brightest spot of this past year, we are so grateful that we were allowed to welcome her into our home. We are just starting to catch glimpses of her little girl face that peek through her baby face. She can stand for a little while now and has been making tentative steps, one at a time. She chatters all the time, but it's pretty much only we who understand her. Of all our children, she has been the latest to get her teeth. She didn't get her first until she was seven months, which is three months later than our previous latest child.
One Wonderful Way Yasmina Brightens Our Lives
1. She never fails to bring a smile to our faces.
Happy birthday Yasmina! May you grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord and become a beautiful woman of God. We are blessed to know you and to have shared in your creation.
Unfortunately, her life is turned upside down for it, as we are in the last throes of packing. We are having a barbecue with our neighbors and eating lots of cake to celebrate one year of her life with our family.
Yasmina truly was the brightest spot of this past year, we are so grateful that we were allowed to welcome her into our home. We are just starting to catch glimpses of her little girl face that peek through her baby face. She can stand for a little while now and has been making tentative steps, one at a time. She chatters all the time, but it's pretty much only we who understand her. Of all our children, she has been the latest to get her teeth. She didn't get her first until she was seven months, which is three months later than our previous latest child.
One Wonderful Way Yasmina Brightens Our Lives
1. She never fails to bring a smile to our faces.
Happy birthday Yasmina! May you grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord and become a beautiful woman of God. We are blessed to know you and to have shared in your creation.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Hard to Say Goodbye
Not to the blog, but to the friends we have had here for almost 10 years. I know it isn't a forever goodbye, but it is still hard having to say goodbye every time I see someone. We have three more days in our house. It looks like they are going to leave it derelict and eventually tear it down. It may only be a house, but it was our home for six years and eight months. It has been a place where we could welcome many others, it has been a haven, a blessing. This house welcomed three of our children, has been the only home in memory to four of them and has shaped how we have grown and see the world.
How many other children have grown up with nearly 19 acres to run around in, watching planes take off and land, all while raising some portion of their own food? I'd wager that the number is small, perhaps only six. It makes me sad to watch it empty out, to see all that we have put into it be taken down.
Rich's replacement at the airport is someone who has no experience in aviation or with airports. We would have understood a little more had they replaced him with someone of equal ability, but from their staff, or if they had found someone who was much more qualified. Instead, they are ruining this place already, and it hasn't even been in their charge yet. It is sad for Rich to watch all that he and the management company that had responsibility here worked for be destroyed by petty politicians who are more worried about their control than what is good for the facility.
Please continue to pray for us. Especially for Rich, who is watching nearly 10 years of his effort and work be undone by people who are ignorant, foolish and just don't care.
How many other children have grown up with nearly 19 acres to run around in, watching planes take off and land, all while raising some portion of their own food? I'd wager that the number is small, perhaps only six. It makes me sad to watch it empty out, to see all that we have put into it be taken down.
Rich's replacement at the airport is someone who has no experience in aviation or with airports. We would have understood a little more had they replaced him with someone of equal ability, but from their staff, or if they had found someone who was much more qualified. Instead, they are ruining this place already, and it hasn't even been in their charge yet. It is sad for Rich to watch all that he and the management company that had responsibility here worked for be destroyed by petty politicians who are more worried about their control than what is good for the facility.
Please continue to pray for us. Especially for Rich, who is watching nearly 10 years of his effort and work be undone by people who are ignorant, foolish and just don't care.
Labels: Family, Prayer Requests
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
A Couple Funny Things
I still can't remember what Jerome said that day that was so funny, but I have a couple other stories for you.
The first is recent. The airport restaurant held a party for Rich and our family as a going away/send off type thing. It was wonderful, and I only almost cried once. As it was winding down, Jerome, who had spent as much time as he could behind the bar probably playing with the spray nozzles, was crawling under the table where he had been eating with his brothers and sisters. I looked over and saw him pick up what looked like a grape and put it in his mouth. You remember how we have gone over this before? Well, he evidently did not.
I told him it was yucky and to take it out of his mouth being careful to remind him that we don't just eat things off the floor, especially in public places. So, what did he do? He chewed really fast, then opened his mouth and pretended to try to look for what might be in his mouth.
I rolled my eyes and turned back to our friends with whom we had been talking, who asked what he had done. I said, "Oh, he picked up a grape from the floor and ate it."
Jerome looked up and in his little almost three year old voice said "It was an olive."
He is shaping up to be our funniest child so far. Rich and I think it is because he is so verbal and yet still has the mind of a two to three year old. People are always shocked at how young he is because of how clearly he enunciates and his vocabulary. He can articulate more than most children his age, but he still just says whatever is on his mind. Amira was close in how verbal she was, though it almost always ended up getting her in trouble (like announcing proudly to her brother at the lunch table at age two that she was disobeying).
Anyway, this other story is from a couple weeks ago. I needed to get good photos to illustrate it, though.
We were all in the house in the morning during a break from school. We heard a crack and crash. We all figured it was a tree down. It happens. However, after I called Rich to tell him about it, Alexander told me that a tree fell on a phone line. Well, this made it slightly more urgent. So, I'm calling Rich and telling him it fell on a telephone line, but I can't find it. He tells me he'll be down as soon as he can and I continue looking for this line down.
I asked the children where it fell and they tell me to look at the tree in front of me with the ivy on it.
You know. The one tree with ivy on it. So, they tell me that it is behind that tree with ivy on it. The madrona tree.
THE madrona. We're short of them around here.
Much like we are short on trees with ivy on them.
This is the view down the hill right next to where they were telling me the tree had fallen.
As we move around the house toward the front.
And here, from the front southeast corner of the house.
So, you can see how easy it was to find the newly fallen tree. Then, since I could see the phone line and it didn't seem to be down anywhere I asked when and where Alexander saw it. He didn't. He heard me telling his dad that the connection on the phone was bad, so he assumed it was because of a phone line, since it seemed to coincide with the tree falling. Both Rich and I were on our cell phones.
The first is recent. The airport restaurant held a party for Rich and our family as a going away/send off type thing. It was wonderful, and I only almost cried once. As it was winding down, Jerome, who had spent as much time as he could behind the bar probably playing with the spray nozzles, was crawling under the table where he had been eating with his brothers and sisters. I looked over and saw him pick up what looked like a grape and put it in his mouth. You remember how we have gone over this before? Well, he evidently did not.
I told him it was yucky and to take it out of his mouth being careful to remind him that we don't just eat things off the floor, especially in public places. So, what did he do? He chewed really fast, then opened his mouth and pretended to try to look for what might be in his mouth.
I rolled my eyes and turned back to our friends with whom we had been talking, who asked what he had done. I said, "Oh, he picked up a grape from the floor and ate it."
Jerome looked up and in his little almost three year old voice said "It was an olive."
He is shaping up to be our funniest child so far. Rich and I think it is because he is so verbal and yet still has the mind of a two to three year old. People are always shocked at how young he is because of how clearly he enunciates and his vocabulary. He can articulate more than most children his age, but he still just says whatever is on his mind. Amira was close in how verbal she was, though it almost always ended up getting her in trouble (like announcing proudly to her brother at the lunch table at age two that she was disobeying).
Anyway, this other story is from a couple weeks ago. I needed to get good photos to illustrate it, though.
We were all in the house in the morning during a break from school. We heard a crack and crash. We all figured it was a tree down. It happens. However, after I called Rich to tell him about it, Alexander told me that a tree fell on a phone line. Well, this made it slightly more urgent. So, I'm calling Rich and telling him it fell on a telephone line, but I can't find it. He tells me he'll be down as soon as he can and I continue looking for this line down.
I asked the children where it fell and they tell me to look at the tree in front of me with the ivy on it.
You know. The one tree with ivy on it. So, they tell me that it is behind that tree with ivy on it. The madrona tree.
THE madrona. We're short of them around here.
Much like we are short on trees with ivy on them.
This is the view down the hill right next to where they were telling me the tree had fallen.
As we move around the house toward the front.
And here, from the front southeast corner of the house.
So, you can see how easy it was to find the newly fallen tree. Then, since I could see the phone line and it didn't seem to be down anywhere I asked when and where Alexander saw it. He didn't. He heard me telling his dad that the connection on the phone was bad, so he assumed it was because of a phone line, since it seemed to coincide with the tree falling. Both Rich and I were on our cell phones.
