Life is Good 2009

We're gearing up for the GoodVibrations Unschooling Conference coming up this week! I remembered I hadn't done anything with the few Life is Good pictures I took in May. I was inspired by Mandy's slide show. I followed the link from hers and had a blast creating my first slide show!

Unplanned Vacation

On January 20th of this year, Dave became unemployed. Today, April 27th, Dave has started work at a new job. While we will be happy to have the full-time income again, the change is bittersweet. I'll miss him. While he was unemployed, I continued at my part-time job 2 days a week. That was mostly enough to keep our heads above water and I could pick up extra shifts here and there when needed. Losing a job is scary. If it had taken longer for Dave to find another job, I may have found myself working a lot more. We are thankful things worked out the way they did. It was a happy time here.

Dave worked on several projects around here that we already had most of the supplies for. He hauled large rocks from our field over to the side of the house. He used them to build stone steps at the side of our front porch and a rock border around the front and side gardens. They look beautiful! He poured a new concrete floor for the girls' playhouse in a new location, moved and rebuilt the playhouse. Our vegetable garden is all tilled and partially planted. The tractor project got some attention.

AND!

He spent lots of time with the girls. We spent so much time together as a family. I have SO enjoyed this time! It was so wonderful to see Dave's relationship with our daughters grow.

It was a glimpse of what our lives could be like without a "typical" work schedule. It is an inspiration to think about how we could have a vacation like this again, without defaulting on loans and without waiting for official retirement age - whatever that is.

-Jenny

How to make a candy roll-up (October 2008)

While camping at Carpinteria in October, Melissa
demonstrated how to make a candy roll-up.
A California Roll, candy style.

First the ingredients:
sour rainbow strip candy and gum tape.

Then lay them together,
and roll 'em up!

Viola!

Almost a White Christmas

Not quite. We had our snowstorm that dumped about a foot of snow in our neighborhood the week before Christmas. We had a blast playing in it. We were glad we didn't have to be anywhere else.

Most all of it melted by Christmas Day.

We're swingin'

Saturday, we picked up our new swing set. Well actually, it's about 15 years old, but it's new to us! We are so excited! We have my brother and his family to thank for this donation. He and his father-in-law built the swing set when my niece was 2 years old. It's made out of 10.5 foot steel pipes and built so strong that an adult can swing on it. They even made a glider for it. Dave and my brother spent 3 hours taking it apart on Saturday. They were able to fit it INSIDE the minivan for the hour-and-a-half drive home. Dave spent most all of Father's Day putting it together. He still has the glider to finish. What a DAD! It needs a new coat of paint, and the glider seats need re-upholstering. But otherwise it was operational today. The girls had a blast swinging together this afternoon. Linda was swinging herself on her without someone pushing her for the first time today. Yay!!

LIFE is Good 2008

We just returned home from Vancouver, Washington, where we experienced LIFE is Good for the second time. It was a wonderful and exhausting experience! We connected with friends from last year, and made new friends. Linda and Melissa played with their new friends every waking moment they could. Karen hung out with old and new friends, hosted a funshop, sold her hand-painted wooden spinning tops, swam in the pool. We saw the amazing Amy Steinberg in concert. Enjoyed the opening band, The Vibrations. Very cool.

Still decompressing, processing, reliving moments from an amazing weekend.
It's a Wide Sky Life!

-Jenny

Theater - A Cat in the House

October 15 Karen auditioned for a Missoula Children's Theater production of Cinderella.

She was cast as Cleo the Cat and really enjoyed the part. This was her fourth Missoula play and her first where she had a solo part instead of being one of a group. They come to town twice a year and Karen auditions every time.

Missoula Children's Theater is an international touring children's theater. The tour team of two directors arrives in town with set, props, costumes, make-up. Local kids, ages 5-17, audition on a Monday and perform on Friday and Saturday of the same week. It's amazing what comes together in that short time!

It's Harvest Time!

I love Fall Colors!

Camping at the Beach in October!

October 8-12
The girls and I went camping at Carpinteria State Beach with CHN (California Homeschool Network). I did not bring my camera on this trip, so I've relied on my friends for photos. Here's a great slideshow of the trip. We had a wonderful time. Some of the activities included: exploring the tide pools, salt marsh field trip, mini geological dig, weaving, knitting, crocheting, playing in the sand and waves, a talent show, campfire fun, yoga on the beach (yay!) & connecting with friends old and new.

My friend, Karin, got this great shot of Linda with her seaweed "fishing pole."

Backpacking

Labor Day weekend, Karen & Dave backpacked at Click’s Creek in the Golden Trout Wilderness.

About a week after they got back Dave hurt his knee while he and Karen were on a walk in preparation for another backpacking trip they planned to do mid-September. He ended up with arthroscopic knee surgery to repair torn meniscus. He's on the mend and already talking about planning trips for next year! We want to take the whole family on a backpacking trip in the coming year.

A Beautiful Gift

Yesterday, as we were leaving our homeschool Park Day, Karen says from the back of the car, "How about if I make dinner while you and Dad relax together and Linda and Melissa watch a movie?"

Really? OK!

When we pulled into our driveway, Dave was just coming out of the house. He had also just gotten home and was getting ready to go for a walk. Karen got her sisters set up with a movie, got out the walkie-talkies, turned them on, handed me one, and sent us out the door. So, Dave and I headed out for a walk TOGETHER! Just the two of us!

When we returned from our walk, Andrea Bocelli was playing on the cd player, and the table was set with a fresh green tablecloth. Karen was whipping up some buttery scrambled eggs, and had some fried eggs already on a serving plate. We got out of her way - it's easy to want to offer "helpful" advice and she was doing just fine on her own. After cooking the eggs, she set about making blueberry muffins from the recipe in her American Girl Samantha cookbook. A few minutes later, she called us all to dinner and we enjoyed delicious eggs, yummy blueberry muffins and romantic music. It was a wonderful peaceful evening.

It was such a joy to receive this special gift from our lovely daughter, given straight from her heart.

Thank you, Karen!!