School is Out!!

Here we are again...finally!

Being short on time and long on responsibilities

coupled with being lock out of my blog and having to find 

 a new browser to open it, has kept me away.

To celebrate the end of another school year,

we spent the day soaking in the sun at the ocean.

Santa Cruz, to be exact, well known for its beach and boardwalk.

During an educational program put on by a wildlife organization,
Tiana turned to me and said, "I already knew that because I learned
it on Wild Kratz."  So, I guess edu-tainment programs are beneficial after all.

Our first ride...

As seen from the air...

Built in 1924, The Giant Dipper is the 5th oldest roller coaster in the U.S.  The roller coaster and the carousel have been designated as National Historical Landmarks.
It reaches speeds up to 46 mph and I had forgot how exciting it was to ride.
One ride was enough for me.

Tiana went on it and it was her first large roller coaster ride.

One ride was enough for her too.

So, while the older kids visited some of the very exciting rides,
her and I were content to spin around on ones that didn't
have so many drops and loops.

One of my favorites was the Ferris Wheel.

This one was pretty exciting, according to Tiana,

who thought she might fall out at any moment.

All of my kids rode on this one and if you look closely you can see

both of the boys on the left hand side.

Wesley is trying to not be sick and Nathan is bending his head forward

a little because this was his second round and he was trying to avoid getting sick!

Tiana decided she never needed to go on this one again.  Ever!!

When we had enough of the rides and noise, we ambled over to the quietness

of the pier and slipped into Woodies to enjoy a peaceful late afternoon meal.

The view from our seats...

To finish out the day, we decided to head over the hills to shop at the outlets.

At one point on our curvy journey on a fairly deserted road we came across

 these stop lights out in the middle of nowhere.

The road narrowed to one lane and only one side was allowed to go at a time.

Obviously, no one is going either way at this point.

The outlets were kind of a bust; nothing great and wonderful was purchased.

We did appreciate the fact that they were fairly empty, which was somewhat surprising 

for a Friday night.

We headed for home 12 hours after leaving it that morning.

Daddy was eagerly awaiting our arrival not quite knowing what to do

all by himself in an empty house.

Summer break was finally here and we had dropped the routine

 and were headed into the excitement and busy times

 of the season.

************************************

I hurt my back so I have been walking around telling

everyone else what to do.  I can't really bend so I have the nearest 

person get what I need out of the cupboard.

One boy was complaining that this was as bad as the time I had surgery

and that I was acting like an old lady.

I told him I was just preparing him for when he gets to take care

of me in my old age.

That was enough to make him consider moving out...promptly! :-)

 

Junior-Senior Banquet

 

 

Bethany's charter school hosts a banquet every May

where the Junior class develops a theme

and then invites the Seniors and their parents for a night

of food and games.

This year Bethany is a Junior and her class picked "Peter Pan."

 

Months were spent deciding on costumes, decorations, food,

job assignments, games, parental assistance

 and all the other details that go into hosting a party.

 

This is one of the decorations she made for the party.

She particularly enjoyed using Rudy's nail gun to attach the signs to the poles.

 

The big night finally came and she donned her pirate best.

 

Here she is with her favorite Indian. 

 

Many many hours were spent decorating the basement venue.

 

There were games set up for the Seniors to participate in as they came down the

stairs:  Walk the Plank (while having "cannon balls" thrown at them that they had to deflect with a wooden sword), Peter Pan Pictionary, Photo booths, Find the Shadow.

 

Dinner was served up by myself and another mom and consisted of:

marinated chicken breast, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and Parisian Salad.

Dessert was brownies and fresh strawberries.

Somewhere within the night a marshmallow food fight occurred and

I was informed that the parents were even more into it than the kids.

 

After dinner a slide show was shared that included pictures of each of the Seniors

through the years.  That was followed by each of them standing up and verbally

expressing appreciation to their parents.

 

The night was hailed as a success and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

One more event marked off the calendar of the Junior year

as another school year has continued to fly by.

 



Bits and Pieces

 

Here's my favorite family picture from Easter.

Not the "best" picture of us but it works for me. :-)

 

Tiana was excited to wear her flower girl dress again.

There's not too many occasions that call for such a fine outfit.

 

My oldest daughter turned into a floral designer...much against her will.

She did a great job.

 

 

This little guy got separated from his mother hen and ran

in our open front door.

He was in quite a dither and wasn't too happy about being caught.

 

This is one of the few good things about free-range chickens...free eggs

 (if we can find them!).

 

This was another kind of egg we enjoyed this week. 

 

 

Tiana has been busy.

She was thrilled to receive an embroidery kit for Christmas

and has produced various projects.

Her latest was embroidering on one of my tea towels.

 

She also finished the reading program at the library.

This in one of our favorites.

Too bad she is the only one young enough to do it anymore.

 

Her expression belies her true feelings.

She does not like to sew but I seem to think it is a worthy endeavor.

 So, she perseveres.

 

Progress!!

We are approaching the finish line.

 

This week we are on our much anticipated (and needed)

Spring Break.

What a blessing and we are enjoying it to it's fullness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Snippets From Our Days

 

 

 

 

These days have FINALLY drawn to a close.
What a relief!

 

Spring has arrived along with some chicks

that hatched from hidden eggs.

 

Spring cleaning has also arrived.

The exceedingly damp winter has not bode well for our windows.

 

The bathroom project is back into full swing.

The exceedingly damp winter was not conducive to helping paint dry either

so the project had to be temporarily abandoned.

 

Projects do not lend themselves to gracious living.

 

Bethany has been a busy girl.

She had a piano recital at an assisted living facility.

She is introducing herself and her piece.

She also was in charge of the project and snack for Tiana's

American Girl Book Club.

Their book of the month was Kirsten books 1&2

 

First, she had to figure out what craft she wanted to do.

She settled on painting trinket boxes like the Swedes would

have painted the chests they brought to America. 

 

Then she had to lead the class.

The girls were so well behaved and so quiet while they focused

on painting their boxes.

 

After some games and activities, led by the teacher,

it was snack time.

We discussed how items like butter, eggs, flour, and milk

were obtained in Kirsten's day and then made into goodies like this.

 

 

Tiana goes to a home school PE class one afternoon a week.
This month they are learning how to play volleyball.

Obviously she is paying more attention to me than to the game!

 

When he is home, this is his normal place and position.

Just like everyone else around here, he is looking forward

to spring break the week of Easter.

Sometimes people vote for things and don't realize the repercussions.

It's just a cheap these days to buy organic free-range eggs as it is to buy

the traditional cage produced eggs.

 

On the first day of spring my cousin on the east coast sent a picture

of their snow covered lawn and bushes.

This is the picture I sent her in return.

I snapped it while driving along the creek in town.

 

Here are a few more lovely shots from Nathan...

 

 

Happy spring!!