The Journey Out

Four Little Indians

2007-05-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

First Fruits

2007-05-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

This is a tree that we planted last spring. It was really just a twig. I think it cost us $5. Last night we enjoyed fruit from it for the first time. They are small, but sweet. The fact that they come from our own backyard make them even sweeter :) I haven't counted, but I estimate that there are at least 75-100 apricots, maybe more. Now to protect them from the birds, the dog, kids....

Through Gabe's Eyes

2007-03-10T14:32:00.002-07:00

Apple Blossoms

2007-03-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

I never thought it would happen, but we are having a hard time finding places for our new fruit trees. YIKES!!! I had plans to get some more! Here's the break down: 2 apple (one producing, one waiting to go in the ground), 2 more trees (apricot, necterine, or peach). Last year we planted 3 trees at the same time. I don't remember what we put where, but one of them died. I'm pretty sure the peach tree is the one that bit the dust. Too bad, because of the three that's one I like the most. Of course, with my allergy, it doesn't much matter does it? Back to the count, 1 plum (producing) + 2 seedlings that need to be transplanted, 1 huge pecan tree, & three more trees waiting to go in the ground; orange, lemon & advocado.

We've also been spending a lot of time getting the garden ready for planting. We have tomato and peppers growing in a seed tray inside, and the rest we'll plant directly into the ground. The garden really isn't all that large. We have 3 4x4 squares and 1 that's 6x6, all made out of cinder blocks. The big one is for corn, squash and pole beans. Of the smaller ones, two are for the peppers and bush beans and one is for watermelon. The whole garden is about 25x30 (fenced in area) and so the tomatoes are getting 1 1/2 sides, the cukes 1/2 a side (we'll see about this they don't always do well in the extreme heat), muskmelons: 1/2 a side, pumpkins: 1/2 a side, and the sunflowers, more squash, and black-eyed peas will share the other side. Lest you think I've planted way too much squash, I must tell you that some of them are winter varieties. Hopefully we'll be able to find a way to store them. We are trying to plant all native/hierloom seeds. We'll see how it goes.

As good as new

2007-03-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

The long wait is over. After six months, the puppy is finally free!!! As you can see I have some extremely happy children (not to mention a very excited dog). Yippee!!!

Documentation

2007-01-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

Mountains, saguaros and snow....what a beautiful combination.

Snow Day

2007-01-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

Last night around 5:30 I got a call from my husband, who was out running errands with the girls, "It's snowing! Go look". By 10 pm it looked like a winter wonderland, not so much this morning :( There is still some on the ground. Here's the proof; four extremely happy children, who never thought they'd see snow in their own backyard.

Tower of Cards

2006-10-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Before & After

2006-06-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

OK, so this should really be entitled "Before & Before". I've been experiencing some minor technical difficulties uploading pictures. Not sure if it's due to my connection, but suspect that it is (56K modem, connects at 28.8 dial-up). My husband though, has this nifty little thingamajig that plugs into the USB port of the computer and can hold a lot of information. So today, I transferred some pictures and uploaded them at his office (yeah for DSL!!!). Unfortunetly, I forgot a picture, and have been unable to upload it here at home. I'll see if he can add it on Monday.

After the first month of swimming I decided that long hair was just too much of a bother. 12" less of hair sure fits under my cap a lot easier :) For those of you that haven't seen me in a while, which of course, is, well, all of you, my hair is a lot darker. Yup, I'd even go as far as to say I'm no longer a blond. The chlorine is lightening it some, but I'm pretty sure that I'll be going white before I ever turn blond again. FYI, my first masters meet is on Sunday. I'm swimming the 50m free & 50m breast LC. LC stands for long course and that translates into "Grace, doesn't have to do flip turns this weekend." YEAH!!!

For Grammie

2006-06-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

The Bodhran Boys

2006-06-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

When Josh's new bodhran came from Ireland they included a little one, with tipper, for free. Nate thinks that his "rum and gong" are the greatest.

Yummy Coffee: Boca Java's Blogger's Boot Up Blend

2006-05-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here is my first ever coffee review.

My first ever exposure to Boca Java came when visiting my family in JAX. It was wonderful. The coffee I had was a decaf blend, but you couldn't tell. It was rich and smooth. So I was really looking forward to recieving some of "my own" coffee in the mail. I was not disappointed :) The first bag that I opened was the Blogger's Boot Up Blend. The smell that greeted me was rich & dark. My son says it smelled "heavenly". This coffee is a good pick-me-up for a tired SAHM. I have made a pot every morning this week, and nursed it all day long. Yes, it is even good old and cold :)

On Doing Flip Turns

2006-05-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Some of you know that 6 weeks ago I joined a masters swim team. At first the biggest hurdle was getting up at quarter to five each morning, then came the very sore muscles (OK, I still have some of that going on), but today presented the biggest challenge so far....flip turns!!! The first attempt resulted in coughing & sneezing, plus my sinuses becoming full of pool water. Blow out through your nose everyone says. No such luck. I tried, came up spluttering. Finally I got to the point where I could flip sideways (that will sure do me a lot of good in a race). But, by the time practice ended, I could flip fairly straight and usually be close enough to the wall to push off, albiet, not very efficiently. Five hours later I'm still smelling chlorine & my head feels like it's full of cotton. But I figure, if my 7 and 10yo's can do these things, I should be able to as well. Now to try and tackle that butterfly :O

My Crafty Husband

2006-04-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Our rope hammock has finally bit the dust. Being the thrifty & crafty man that he is (and I mean that in a good way), my husband bought some supplies and got to work. Here are the kids enjoying Dad's latest creation.

Little Sailor

2006-04-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Sailing across the kitchen floor in the oven roaster.

Of Flowers and Sunburns

2006-04-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

We have the first official sunburn of the season. Since I don't think ya'll are intersted in a picture of my husbands back, here's a picture of one of the flowers boxes in the front of the house. They have enjoyed the overcast weather of the past week and are showing their brillance.

My five cuties

2006-03-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

I thought this might be an easier way to share what the kids are looking like these days, since I'm so bad at keeping up with everyone.