Hodge Lodge Blog

Special Occasion

2012-02-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

Autumn was eating mangos right before dinner.

I said, “You’re not supposed to eat mangos this close to dinner.”

Autumn said, “It’s a special occasion.”

I said, “What’s the special occasion?”

Autumn said, “Eating mangos.”

Why I haven't blogged

2012-01-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It's been a crazy month here at the Hodge Lodge. In just the first 3 weeks of the new year, the following has happened (that kept me on my toes and off my blog):

- We realized that we could no longer put off putting on a new roof. So, we had our old roof replaced. Cha ching! (that's the sound of our money going into someone else's pocket)
- That same weekend we had a heater mishap and went without heat for 2 days and had to call the repairman. Cha ching!
- The next day Eric and Amber got the flu (or food poisoning).
- A week later Autumn fell into the picnic bench at the park and had to have six stitches right below her eyebrow. The trip through the ER door will cost us a pretty penny, as we have a very high insurance deductible. Cha ching!
- The next morning, I came down with a cold (probably from the 3-hour hospital stay the day before).
- A few days after that, one of our chickens, Lighty Flighty, died of unknown causes.

So here I am, catching my breath and enjoying the quiet of a Sunday afternoon. And blogging--finally!

Autumn (who was the bravest child I know) is doing fine and her wound healed nicely! We are all well! We have a new roof, and heat! It is a beautiful day today and we are enjoying what God has given us.

Christmas at the Hodge Lodge

2011-12-29T23:52:00.000-08:00

It was my goal to post these Christmas 2011 pictures while it was still 2011. My dad came to visit for a week and spent Christmas with us. The girls had a great time with both their grandfathers. It was a nice, quiet Christmas this year.

Cute Christmas Couple!

We got these dresses at a thrift store. I curled their hair. The girls looked adorable.

Weeks ago...Eric, Autumn, Taylor & Amber decorating the tree. I helped, too, but mainly as the photographer!

The two grandpas. We celebrated Christmas with Eric's dad a week early, before he headed off to see the other grandkids.

Me and my dad!

Papa Gow and his two cuties!

Seeing Santa on Christmas Eve!

Christmas dinner!

Guess Who's 6?

2011-11-17T16:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Autumn Brooke turned 6 years old! I made a "cat" cake and we had a little party at the park. She loved all of the attemtion. She is so adorable!

Quote from Amber on taking care of the earth

2011-11-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

"You know, if the world dies, we'll die."

School Funnies

2011-11-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today in school, Autumn was on the letter X. I said some words that end in X.

"Fox, Box," I said.

"Mox," Autumn said.

I said, "No, Mox is not a word."

Amber said, "Botox."

Halloween at the Hodge Lodge

2011-10-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year, Amber decided that she wanted to be Jessie from Toy Story 3. Autumn wanted to be Slinky Dog. Amber made her costume, with the help of her art teacher, Miss Rie. First, they painted black cow spots on white flannel for the chaps. Then they sewed the rest of the costume. I made Autumn's costume, but I did not do any sewing. To quote Amber, "The person who invented fabric glue saved my mom's life!" Um, maybe that's a little too dramatic. Anyway, we went costume roller skating with Young Life tonight. Eric and I were a 70s couple. Enjoy the pics!

School Stories

2011-10-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

AUTUMN:

Today Autumn was on the letter V in school. She was coloring a picture of vegetables. I said, "What do we call these?" pointing to the picture. She didn't answer. I said, "What do we call carrots and potatoes and beets?" Autumn quickly said, "The CSA box." (It's a box of organic veggies we get each week). I said, "Yes, but what do we call the things in the CSA box?" Autumn said, "Carrots and potatoes and beets." I finally had to tell her they were vegetables. She sighed. "Oh, yeah, vegetables!"

AMBER:

In history today, Amber learned of a civilization in the Indus Valley called Mohenjo-daro. The city was abandoned in 19th century BC and was not rediscovered until 1922. She had to write a story answering the question, "What happened to Mohenjo-daro?" Here's Amber's story:

One morning, the people in the city of Mohenjo-daro woke up. They decided they would move away to Africa to seek their fortune. But before they could do it, a king tried to rule and conquer the city. Not just that happened, but a huge tornado came. A big, huge invention appeared in an inventors back yard. It was a big, huge helicopter. The helicopter was there to save the people of Mohenjo-daro. And that is the reason why they left.

Cocka-doodle-doo and other chicken stories

2011-10-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

If it looks like a rooster and crows like a rooster, it's a rooster!

This morning, when we heard crowing outside our window, our suspicions were confirmed. We have another rooster. This time it was my chicken, Nutmeg. When we got the baby chicks, we all chose one to name. Kind-of prophetic--don't you think--that I named my chicken a kitchen spice since he's going to end up on the dining room table in the near future. We'll have to take him back to our friends who gave us the chickens. And then there were three...

Reverse discrimination in the chicken coop

We are chicken-sitting for our friend whose house flooded. Her chicken is a small white bantam. She's the only white chicken among the darker hens that we have. We call her Snow White. Several weeks ago when we introduced Snow White to the other chickens, they wanted nothing to do with her. They weren't violent with her. They just ignored her. When Snow White goes into the roosting box, the other chickens come out and when the other chickens go in, Snow White comes out. One evening I had forgotten to put away the chickens, so I went outside to round them up. They had already put themselves to bed, but Snow White was sleeping outside the coop. I can only imagine that they wouldn't let her in. And then there's the sleeping arrangements. When we peek inside the roosting box, all five chickens are on the bar, asleep. However, the four darker hens sleep side-by-side on the bar and Snow White is all the way over at the other end, by herself and facing the opposite direction! I hope she's not developing a complex!

Cleaning & eating greens...what will they do next?

2011-10-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

My girls never cease to amaze me. Today, I was cleaning the white board during school and Autumn said, "Let's clean the whole house today, Mommy." I said that we actually were going to clean the bathrooms today. She said, with a lot of enthusiasm, "Yes, Mommy! Thank you so much!" I didn't know cleaning the bathrooms could be so fun.

Last night, Eric was cutting up rainbow chard to steam for a snack. Amber said, "Chard? You're cooking chard? Can I have some, please?" Of course, Eric obliged. As Amber was eating her greens, she said, "I just know this is--like--so healthy for me."

A few days ago I was washing dishes and Amber and Autumn came running into the house. They had been picking up little pieces of trash all over our front and back yard. With excitement, Amber said, "Mom, we have the best idea! We want to go around the neighborhood and pick up all of the trash we see on the sidewalk. Can we do that this Saturday, please? We don't have school Saturday." Eric actually took them out that evening, after dinner. They walked a few blocks and only found an aluminum can. They had a great time anyway.

First Signs of Fall

2011-10-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

-- My house is all decorated for the harvest season! I did that yesterday.
-- I have a pumpkin spice candle burning in my living room.
-- There's a huge batch of granola in the oven and the smell wafting through the house is even better than the candle. The girls and I made the granola during school today.
-- There's zucchini bread in the freezer from my big baking day last week.
-- I'm going to make homemade hot chocolate later.

Sulphur Shelf Mushrooms
(chicken of the woods) grow on trees.

-- The girls and I went on a nature walk in the crisp, cold weather this morning. (I'll post about that later.)

-- The leaves are changing color.

-- I'm wearing a sweater and jeans. I love wearing jeans! That probably explains why I have 8 pairs.

-- I have crafts galore just ready and waiting for those rainy days when we'll be indoors. (or dry days)

-- Mushroom hunting season is coming up. (see picture)

-- Lobster season just started!

-- And let's not forget the holidays...my birthday, Halloween, Eric's birthday, Autumn's birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah...I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this time of year!

Happy Birthday, Mom

2011-09-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

Today is my mother's birthday. She would have been 75. Earlier, I told the girls that it was Nana's birthday and Autumn immediately held up the toy that was in her hands and said "Here, Nana." Amber followed suit by holding up both her arms real high and saying, "It's a hug for Nana." We went out to dinner to celebrate her birthday, even though she isn't here with us. It helped, I think. It's interesting how these "firsts" can swallow me up in sadness. I think about my mom every day. But today is definitely different. More sad. More real. Next week when I decorate the house for the autumn season, the sadness will overwhelm me again because I always call my mom and talk to her while I decorate. Then there's one holiday after another... We decided to buy my dad a plane ticket for the week of Christmas. I can't wait to see him. It will be good to have him here. I wonder if they celebrate birthdays in heaven. (Please no theological answers.)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Mmmmmm good!

2011-09-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Whew! I am exhausted! I've been in the kitchen since 7:00 (and it's now 9:30). But it's a good exhaustion. I made 4 batches (8 loaves) of gluten-free, sugar-free zucchini bread. I've finally perfected my recipe. I wanted to develop my own recipe, one that tasted just as good as my regular zucchini bread. My family and neighbors and the ladies in my Bible study tell me it is even better.

I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour, and I use 1/2 coconut oil and half applesauce instead of the olive oil, and I use maple syrup or honey (whichever I have on hand) instead of the sugar. The last batch I made tonight was quite unique. It had a little bit of maple syrup, some honey and prickly pear cactus juice (hand made by our friends Ched & Elaine). I had run out of both the maple syrup and honey, and I still needed at least 1/2 cup of sweetener, so I opened my fridge and got creative! It turned out well, but I did have to bake it longer than the other batches.

I love zucchini bread best when it is hot, right out of the oven, slathered in butter. Now I have a stomach ache, though, from over-indulging.

Good night!

P.S. Stop by for a slice of bread.

I think he's on to our evil plan

2011-09-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

My favorite scene in the movie "Marley & Me" is when the husband and wife are taking the dog to the vet to be fixed. The dog leaps almost all of the way out of the car as they are driving and John says to Jenny, "I think he's on to our evil plan."

We got five baby chicks on July 4th. This week we discovered that one (possibly two) of them are roosters. Tonight Eric is taking the one that we know is a rooster back to our friends who gave us the chickens. They will make the rooster into chicken pot pie soon. As I put Lyric (the name of the rooster) into the box, he took his very sharp beak and sliced it into my arm, leaving a 4-inch red mark. Ouch!

"I think he's on to our evil plan!" I told my husband as he put the box in the car and drove away.

First Day of School!

2011-09-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school for my girls. Autumn is officially a kindergartner and Amber is in 3rd grade. Here's some photos of our first day...

The happy school-girls!

Kindergarten!

Mommy and her students--self-portrait!

Autumn working on the little a.

Autumn loved the cut & paste page!

Amber at the calendar.

Amber's history book!

Craft project to go with our butterfly lesson.

Painting with an eye-dropper and a coffee filter.

The beautiful butterfly!

The Process

2011-08-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Grief is a process. That's what I told Amber today as she watched me cry and cry over missing my mom. A friend of mine who lost her mom nearly 20 years ago, said she cries a bit every day. For me, the tears come in waves. Not predictable and never calculated. I may shed a tear or two (almost every Sunday in church) or the floodgates might open wide, like this afternoon. I wish there were a simple formula to follow regarding grieving. Do this, do that and then you are healed. Step one, step two and then no more tears. But it isn't that simple. And do I really want it to be? When my brother died three years ago, it was the most precious time in my life with the Lord. I never felt more close to Jesus than that day and that week when Steve died. Had I followed a simple formula for grief, I would have missed that sweet time with Jesus. And so here I am in the process again and again. Some moments I can hardly breathe, other times I am "okay." Almost every day, though, I want to call my mom and ask her about a recipe or a craft I'm doing or--when Autumn is driving me crazy--ask her "Was I like that when I was 5 years old?" Then it hits me all over again. Mom is gone.

My dad moved into a studio apartment yesterday. It was a win-win situation for him in that he qualifies to live in a Veteran's Administration retirement home for about $200 a month. Three meals a day in the dining hall is a nice bonus, too, since my dad never cooked for himself a day in his life. My parents had a precious, "old-fashioned" marriage. My dad went to work every day. My mom stayed home and cooked and cleaned, even long after the kids moved out.

My dad would have had to move eventually anyway, since the owner of the house my parents were renting recently put the home up for a short sale. It wasn't the home I grew up in, but it was the home my girls remember as "Nana & Papa's house." So it does sting a bit to think that we will not be visiting "home" next time we go to Arizona. Meanwhile, I've been on the phone daily with my dad as he packs up the house and gets ready for his estate sale next Saturday. There's just too much stuff for him to fit into his tiny apartment. He's set aside all kinds of sentimental things that he plans on mailing to me in a huge box. Each day I remember something else that is just too precious to sell, and he adds it to my box. Photo albums, of course, framed pictures, jewelry, anything the girls made my mom and--yes--even that 1970s orange Tupperware measuring cup and spoon set! Every time we use it, I will think of the days when I watched my mom make culinary delights for the family.

Good memories.

Berries for Books.

2011-08-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

This evening an adorable college student from the Czech Republic came to our door selling books. Now I don't like buying food or magazine subscriptions from door-to-door salespeople, but I can definitely get into books. I love books! These were more like really cool textbooks. We liked the science series, and I thought it would be a great investment for our homeschooling this year, to use as curriculum. Autumn was definitely into these books, as well, and so Eric decided that if we all wanted them, the girls had to contribute $5 each. They agreed. Sold!

One way the girls earn extra money is by picking wild blackberries and selling them to Steve at Farmer & the Cook. So, we all set out this evening to pick berries. We were having a great time, but the patch of berries I was in front of was slim pickins. I had more cuts than berries in my bucket, so I took my dozen berries and headed to where Eric and the girls were. Crossing over a big log, I decided to sit down to retrieve a sticker from my shoe. I'm glad I did because as I sat down, the log gave way and I was tossed from my seat. Imagine if I was standing on it! Anyway, as I was tossed off of the log, so were the few berries I had in my possession. They went flying, and I was left with an empty bucket! Amber had a similar problem, tripping over a vine and spilling half of her berries! Oh well, at least it made for a good story.

While we were picking, a man walked by and scolded Autumn for getting too close to the berry bushes. He said, "Honey, watch out, those are berry bushes and you could scratch yourself."

I said, "That's what we're here for; to pick berries," and then he went into an intense tirade about how he crashed his mountain bike into a berry bush when he was 17 and got all scratched up." When he was out of ear-shot, we all had a good laugh...not at him or his story, but at how intense he was!

When we could no longer see in front of us, we decided to head on over to catch the end of Music in the Park. It was such a fun evening!

In the end, we were too late to go to Farmer & the Cook, so I decided to buy the berries from the girls for $5. Now all they have to do is sell another $5 worth and they will have paid for their portion of the books.

Berries for Books. Sounds like a good idea to me!

This is my mom

2011-07-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of writing the eulogy for my mom's memorial, which is this Saturday. For those of you who didn't know her, or those of you who knew her and can not be at the memorial, here is a glimpse at my mom's life on this earth...

Vivian Annette Gow was born on September 29, 1936, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was sandwiched right in the middle of two older brothers and two younger sisters. At a young age, Vivian became a Christian. After finishing high school, she attended Midwest Bible Institute, studying Bible and accounting. She also taught Sunday School at her church in St. Louis. In fact, that is how she met her husband, George. He was a single dad and she was his children's Sunday School teacher. How convenient!

Back then, the Sunday School teachers would visit the homes of their students. Vivian visited George's house more often than any other. Of course, she would never admit it, but then again, she's not here to deny it.

Vivian's mom told her that she thought George was looking for a wife. Vivian's retort was that she was looking for a husband.

Six weeks later, they were married. That was almost 43 years ago.

Romance notwithstanding, you could say that the two combined forces to raise their five children. One year later, child number six was born.

In 1971, the family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where they finished raising their children. They attended Bethany Bible Church, where George and Vivian became volunteer youth leaders.

Vivian liked working with the teen-age girls, and there's a funny story about the time she volunteered to be a chaperon for the youth group's inner tube trip down the Salt River.

Vivian had a fear of water. She never learned to swim. She reluctantly agreed to being a chaperon because if she didn't go, the teen-age girls wouldn't be able to go. There she was, scared to death of water and floating in an inner tube down the river. But wouldn't you believe it, there was a bend in the river, and a tree branch knocked her out of her tube. Out of all the people on the trip, she was the only one who needed to be rescued.

Besides working with the youth, Vivian's passions included gardening, making cards and crafts, motorcycle-riding (as a passenger only) and camping. She was a charter member of the Christian Motorcyclist Association.

One of her bike buddies, Kim Looper, said Vivian made camping on the motorcycle look very easy.

Susan Harty, who lived across the street from the Gows for most of her childhood, also remembers the good-old-days of camping with the family. And then there was the Friday pizza nights, where Susan and her sister were always welcomed. Susan remembers laughing so hard that soda would sometimes come out through her nose. She especially remembers coming home from school and Vivian always having the best snacks in the freezer--stuff her mom never let her have.

Vivian sure did enjoy cooking, and--of course--feeding people. Entertaining was her specialty.

Her daughter, Deborah, said that her mom passed down to her the art of entertaining. Family gatherings were important to her mom.

Her daughter, Christine, said that her mom could throw a party like no one else. The food was always great. The table always set perfectly. The house always looked beautiful.

Vivian had an open heart and open home for those in need. Growing up, there was always an extra person in the house, whether it was a relative, friend or stranger.

One of the people Vivian reached out to was Dawn Luptak and her family. Dawn said that Vivian was a godsend to her because she watched her two toddlers, just to give Dawn some "mommy time." Eventually, the children called Vivian and George, 'Mommy & Daddy Dow.'

George said that his wife wanted to be remembered for being caring and giving and helpful to people.

He said that when the two of them went shopping, there were always extra items in the basket. He would ask, "Why are you buying that?" and she wouldn't respond. But he knew that she was storing things away for other people. She would buy something for someone, even if their birthday was a year away. Then she wouldn't be able to stand waiting to give it to them. That was just the way she was. She was a very giving person.

One gift that she left her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren was her positive attitude about dying.

When she was diagnosed with mesothelioma, she accepted it as part of God's plan for her life. She never complained, even when she became bed-ridden. She accepted it.

Vivian's positive attitude had an affect on everyone who came to visit, including the caregivers. They loved to come to her home because Vivian was so positive. She wasn't bitter. She wasn't bitter because she had hope. She knew she was going to be with Jesus.

Vivian's favorite verse in the Bible was Philippians 4:8, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

My Mom

2011-07-19T05:01:00.000-07:00

Vivian Annette Gow
September 29, 1936 - July 19, 2011

Teeth, Fish, Chickens, Horses

2011-07-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

I would love to accompany these little posts with pictures, but my computer has been down for weeks and I don't have the energy to try to figure out how to get my photos on Eric's laptop. Someday I will add pictures (they are adorable). Meanwhile...

Lost Tooth

Autumn lost her tooth last week and got a dollar from the Tooth Fairy, along with a coin from Mexico. Autumn's & Amber's Tooth Fairy is a world traveler. Along with putting the tooth under her pillow, Autumn put a note that read, "What is your name?" The next morning, along with the dollar and peso, the Tooth Fairy replied with a tiny answer. Her name is TRIXIE.

Spearfishing Tourney

Sunday, Eric got 2nd place in the annual Blue Water Hunter Spearfishing Tournament. He weighed in an 8-pound white sea bass and two little calico bass. The fish weren't very big this year, but Eric managed to place in the tourney and received a plaque and a gift certificate. Eric has won this competition several times over the years and so I am running out of wall space for the plaques. I am so proud of him!

Baby Chicks

We are the proud owners of five baby chickens. They were born in Ojai on the 4th of July. We traded our friends sea bass for chickies. They are adorable! They are in a box in our home, and we are going to trade car repair for a chicken coop to be built in our back yard. We are looking forward to fresh eggs daily. In the meantime, we are enjoying watching them through the plexiglass window on the box. Autumn especially loves the chicks and she sits in front of the box hourly and talks to them in a cute, high-pitched voice. We've named a few of them so far: Sparkles, Rainbow, Smokey... But I am sure the names will change over the months until they are full grown and the titles stick.

Horse Camp

Tomorrow is Amber's last day at Horse Camp. She has thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and has gotten to ride the horses every day. Along with learning about horses and how to ride them and groom them, the kids have studied the Fruit of the Spirit through Bible stories, songs, crafts and skits. While Amber has been gone five hours each day, Autumn and I have been making cards, cooking, reading and snuggling.

Answered prayer

2011-07-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

On the way home from church today, my 5-year-old daughter, Autumn, gave her heart to Jesus. She didn't even want to wait the 3 minutes it took us to get home.

I was driving the girls home (Eric is at a spearfishing tournament) and we started talking about being a Christ-follower and some of the things the Bible has to say about believing in Jesus. Amber said, "Autumn is not a Christian yet." I informed her that--Lord-willing--she would be someday. Autumn said, "I want to do that now." I said, "Okay, we'll pray when we get home." (I wanted to concentrate on my driving.) Autumn said, "I don't want to wait until I get home. Can we do it now?"

So, as I was driving, Autumn was praying. She asked Jesus to forgive her for "the bad things she has done" and asked Him to come into her life and she said she would follow Him.

Today God answered my biggest prayer for Autumn. My #1 prayer for my girls is that they would fall in love with Jesus at a young age. Amber gave her life to Jesus at age 5 and I was overjoyed. Today, I am overjoyed again and overwhelmed with gratefulness to God! Both my daughters love God. What more could a parent ask for?

She is so cute!

2011-07-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

My 5-year-old, Autumn, does the cutest things. Sometimes she does them on purpose because she is the comedian of the house. But sometimes she just does the most adorable things, not meaning to, and not knowing that it will make me smile. Take today for instance. She was using the "shark" cordless mini vacuum to sweep up the bits and pieces of tiny paper left over from their craft day. She paused at one point and--leaving the vacuum running--sat down on the tile floor and started working on something. I asked her what she was doing. She got up, walked over to me and showed me two larger pieces of paper. She said, "These are too big for the shark, so I am tearing them in smaller pieces so I can vacuum them up." I chuckled and said,"Wouldn't it be easier to just throw them away." She laughed and said, "Oh yeah, mom, that's a great idea!"

101

2011-07-03T23:44:00.000-07:00

Flies, not Dalmatians.

Believe it or not, today I killed 101 flies in my house. No joke. No exaggeration. I am sorry if I've grossed you out. Some of you may never want to set foot inside our house again. But they're all dead, so you can rest easy the next time you stop by for a cup of coffee.

How did I kill them? Why so many? How did I keep count?

Well, I think they must have hatched in the window frame because I found them all over the window. They were regular-sized ones, but they were the slowest, stupidest flies I have ever killed. All I had to do was capture them in a kleenix, several kleenixes. That's it. So, I killed them and sprayed my homemade, natural bug spray all over the window frames.

I started keeping count after the first ten. Our friend who had stopped by said, "I don't know what is more disturbing: that many flies in the house or the fact that you kept count." Ha ha ha!

But seriously, have any of you ever encountered that many flies in one place at one time? Just wondering...

The best day

2011-06-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Amber woke up very excited. She said, "It's VBS and the park play day today!"

I said, "It's the best day of your life!"

Amber quickly informed me, "No, the best day of my life will probably be when I go to heaven."

This is my mother-in-law's doing, and I am so grateful to her for it. Myrna Hodge lived her life well. She died well, too, never complaining of her cancer or wishing she were healed. Two months before she died, Myrna said, "I feel like I have one foot on this earth and the other in heaven."

Myrna told her grandkids about heaven, what it would be like, and she taught them how to get to heaven. She made it so exciting that when she died, Amber's cousin, Sarah, said, "I'm jealous of grandma. She's in heaven with Jesus!"

I know--without a doubt--that when Myrna crossed over the threshold from this life to eternity with Jesus, God said, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant."

***

2 Timothy 4:7-8:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

Autumn's Loose Tooth

2011-06-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Autumn--rather tearfully--informed me that she had a loose tooth and it hurt. It was her first loose tooth and the reason it hurt was probably because she was constantly wiggling it.

We told her all about the Tooth Fairy and she got excited. Tuesday morning, she lifted up her pillow and said, "I didn't get a dollar!"

We had to explain to her that she doesn't get a dollar until the tooth falls out. And so the wiggling began again!

Was it the gleam in my eye?

2011-06-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after the memorial, Eric's dad gave me a teapot belonging to Eric's mom. It matched the tiered server and the tea cups/saucers that Eric's mom had given me years ago. Tonight I was starting to find a place for the teapot in my china cabinet. I opened the lower cabinet doors, saw the contents, and the wheels of my mind started turning and going in a very familiar direction. I'll call it "the land of organization." It doesn't take much for me to venture into that land of fun and adventure.

Autumn walked into the dining room, looked at me and the open doors and said, "Are you re-arranging mom?"

I hadn't even told anyone what I was thinking of doing. Was it the gleam in my eye? Or does my daughter know me that well?

Almost

2011-06-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had explained to Amber that "on the house" means that you don't have to pay for your purchase.

Later, the girls and I were playing "restaurant" for lunch. I asked Amber how much the pizza cost. She said, "Nothing, the manager said it's on top of the house."

Even at 8 years old, Amber still manages to say the most adorable things.

In Memory of Myrna Hodge

2011-06-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

After battling cancer for 17 years (and I mean battling), Friday night my mother-in-law, Myrna, went home to be with the Lord. I just finished writing the obituary, and so I thought I would just copy it onto here, as it tells a little bit about the person she was.

Myrna Louise Hodge, 76, died in Santa Barbara on June 17, 2011. Myrna was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania and grew up nearby.

At the age of 9, Myrna accepted the Lord as her savior at an evangelistic meeting. She attended Philadelphia College of the Bible and taught Bible clubs in the inner-city of Pennsylvania. In 1968, Myrna married Robert Hodge. A year later, they moved to Santa Barbara, California, where she spent the remainder of her life on this earth with her husband and three children.

Myrna attended Santa Barbara Community Church and Shoreline Community Church. She taught Bible studies in Santa Barbara, worked in the loan department for Great Western Bank and was a bookkeeper for 12 years at Hill and Gaeden.

Myrna’s favorite thing to do was spend time with her family.

“She just loved seeing us all together,” said her daughter, Amy Tolsma.

Other things Myrna enjoyed were cooking, crossword puzzles, cross-stitch, playing the piano, writing letters and sharing God’s love with others.

“She was a cook, homemaker and spiritual mentor to her kids and many others,” said her husband, Robert.

Myrna is described by her family and friends as a woman who touched people’s lives everywhere she went. Even a few days before she went home to be with the Lord, Myrna was sharing His love with one of her caregivers.

Myrna was preceded in death by her father, George Bomboy; her mother, Mary Bomboy; and sister, Emma Jo McGill.

She is survived by her husband, Robert Hodge; daughters, Sonja Hodge and Amy Tolsma; son, Eric Hodge; son-in-law, David Tolsma; daughter-in-law, Christine Hodge; and grandchildren, Pieter and Rachel Tolsma, Sarah Hodge, and Amber and Autumn Hodge.

A memorial celebration for Myrna will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, June 25 at Shoreline Community Church, 935 San Andres St., Santa Barbara.

In lieu of flowers, Myrna requested donations be made to Food For The Poor,

6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073

, www.foodforthepoor.org.

Graduations, Anniversary, Reunion

2011-06-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened in the past 12 days. May 31 I picked up my sister, Deborah, from the airport...June 1 Deborah cut everyone's hair in the Hodge Lodge...June 2 Autumn graduated from preschool...June 2 (right after the preschool ceremony), Eric and I went to Avila Beach for 5 days for our 15th anniversary...June 8 I took my sister back to the airport...June 9 I did lots of laundry...June 10 I did lots of laundry...June 11 (today) we all went to Santa Barbara to celebrate Eric's cousin Grace's graduation from UCSB--and to have a huge Hodge family reunion! Whew! I need another vacation!

Kindergarten, here I come!

The happy graduate & mommy!

Auntie Deborah gave the girls new looks!

Anniversary dinner at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort, where we stayed.

We biked or walked almost everywhere!

Congratulations, Cousin Grace!

The Hodge family (most of them)!

Eric and his sisters, Amy & Sonja. I can never get a serious picture of those three!

Cousins: Amber, Sarah & Autumn. I can never get a serious pic of them, either. Hmmm...I wonder why?

15 Wonderful Years!!!

2011-06-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

Today is the 15th wedding anniversary for me and my sweet husband, Eric. Tomorrow--after Autumn graduates from preschool--Eric and I are going to Sycamore Mineral Springs (near Avila Beach) for 5 days! My sister, Deborah, will be entertaining the girls while we are gone. She's been here only 24 hours and has them spoiled rotten! Ha ha!! Words can not describe how grateful I am to God for bringing me and Eric together. After our first date (15 3/4 years ago) I knew Eric was "the one" for me. He was--and still remains to be--my knight in shinning armor.

School Project #4: Calendar Collages

2011-05-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

We did this project today with recycled materials. I had two calendars that I never used (you know, the free ones that you get in the mail). I also had these huge manila envelopes that a friend gave me. The result: Calendar Collages.

All you need is scissors, a glue stick, an old calendar or magazine and a large sheet of paper. (We used the envelopes because they were free!)

The finished project! The girls actually spent about an hour on this because they talked to each other about the animals and asked me questions, such as, "Do mountain lions eat cheetahs?" or "What animal eats a turtle?"

The girls said they were going to use the envelopes to put cards and drawing inside. But if you just used paper, you could tape the finished product to a wall or hang them on the fridge.

School Project #3: Bead Caterpillars

2011-05-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

For the month of May, we studied caterpillars. It all started when Amber brought home a black, fuzzy caterpillar and he became out class pet/project. We researched and found out what kind of caterpillar we had (see pics at the bottom). Then we watched time-lapsed videos of caterpillars forming cocoons or chrysalis and becoming moths or butterflies. To end our series, we made Bead Caterpillars. It was so easy...

Step 1: Gather pipe cleaners and beads with large holes (plastic &/or wooden). Have your kids thread 5 or so beads onto a pipe cleaner. Leave 2 to 3 inches of pipe cleaner at the top for the antennae.

Step 2: To make the antennae, fold the pipe cleaner at the top into a heart shape and tuck the end of the heart into the top bead. For the large caterpillar, weave the remaining pipe cleaner around each bead and tuck the end around the first bead. For the small caterpillar, cut off most of the remaining pipe cleaner and tuck the end into the 4th bead.

The girls have had so much fun playing with these. They carry them in their purses and take them everywhere.

Here's "Spikey," the caterpillar that Amber found. He is a "Giant Leopard Moth" caterpillar and he will be black and white when he emerges from his cocoon. We were able to watch him as he ate through leaves. It was so cool! (Yes, those are his little poops.)

"Spikey" grew out of his little container into a nicer, bigger home. He has stopped eating, and from our research, that means he is an adult now and is getting ready to make a cocoon. We are hoping that we will get to see him become a moth.

School Project #2: Bird Nests

2011-05-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

For the month of April, we studied birds and bird nests. We checked out a cool book from the library that showed different birds and how each one makes a nest. It was also a book Amber used for reading. Then we watched a nature video that showed birds making nests. I also found an empty nest on my walk one morning, and we brought it into the class room to study how it was made. To conclude our series on birds, we made nests of our own. Here's how we did it:

Step 1: Go on a nature walk (we like nature walks) and gather long blades of grass, twigs, sticks, leaves.

Step 2: Tape the ends of 5 or so long twigs to a 8x10 sheet of paper and weave other sticks through the twigs.

You can weave branches with leaves attached.

Step 3: When the weaving is finished, carefully cut the ends of the woven "nest" off of the paper.

Step 4: Using school or tacky glue, attach the "nest" to a big leaf. You also can add more leaves to fill in the gaps.

Step 5: Let dry and display them in the classroom.

We were blessed to have a blue jay build a nest outside, right by my office window. We had a "bird's eye" view of the mama and papa taking turns sitting on the nest and then feeding the baby birds when they hatched. We even saw a baby fly the coop!

School Project #1: Pressed Flower Bookmarks

2011-05-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

It's a little late in the school year to be posting ideas for homeschool moms, but you can always use these ideas for this summer or next fall. And you don't have to homeschool to do these fun things with your kiddos. So, here's the first of many projects I am finally posting on my blog. We made these Pressed Flower Bookmarks in early April, when the flowers were in full bloom. It was fun to show Amber & Autumn how to press and preserve flowers, similar to how they did it in the "olden days."

Step 1: Go on a nature walk and find flowers (pick flowers from your own garden or ask a neighbor if you can pick a few of theirs).

Step 2: place flowers between two sheets of wax paper.

Step 3: Put wax paper between a book and place several heavy books on top (finally I have a good use for these hundred-year-old Bible concordances from my grandpa).

Step 4: Wait a day or two and remove the flowers from the books.

Step 5: Arrange flowers between laminater sheets (or use contact paper).

Step 6: Laminate the flowers (or use contact paper). I got this "Purple Cows" laminater with 100 laminating sheets at Costco for $20.

Step 7: The finished project. These make great family gifts. We gave one to our neighbor as a thank you for letting us pick his flowers.

The Perfect Place

2011-05-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

I'm recording this so that when Amber is a teen-ager I can remind her of what she said...

Today we went to Rainbow Bridge (a health food store in Ojai), and then we walked across the street to go to the bank. As we walked back to our car, Amber said, "I love this town. There's just something about it. It's small. It's cute. It's tiny. It's perfect."

Baby Rattler

2011-05-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: Michaela, you may not want to read this.

Two weeks ago I helped my neighbor kill a huge rattlesnake near our driveway. (read about it here) About 30 minutes ago, a family on their twilight walk found a baby rattlesnake in the street near our house and asked to borrow a shovel. The man tried to chop its head off, but missed and hit the tail. That made the baby rattler mad! I said, "I'll go get my car and run it over like I did before." I went to get my car, but then we saw a lady in a big SUV, flagged her down and asked her to run it over. "Pop" went the snake and the man chopped his head off to seal the deal. Two snakes in two weeks! Yikes! Summer is a-comin' and we better keep our eyes wide open and our shovels and car keys nearby!

Kid's Day?

2011-05-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

The girls just couldn't wait until tomorrow to give me their Mother's Day gifts, and so--of course--I obliged.

Then we talked about tomorrow, and I hinted that they could bring me breakfast in bed.

"I want my breakfast in bed, too," Autumn said.
I explained to her that tomorrow is a day for moms, not kiddos.

Then she asked, "When is Kid's Day?"

Eric answered, "Every day," and we all laughed.

Snake in the gutter

2011-05-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

My neighbor, Eddie, and I killed a rattlesnake just now. It was an awesome display of neighborhood teamwork.

I had walked outside to put some recyclables in the bin, and Eddie told me that there was a rattlesnake in the gutter near their driveway. His roommates weren't home and Eric wasn't home, so it was up to us to kill that bad beast. It was a really big rattler, too, and it was mad. I got our shovel, handed it to Eddie and he took a jab at the snake. He got 'em, but not at the head, so he was still very much alive. I said, "Why don't I run him over in my car!"

I got in my car, and Eddie poked the snake until he slithered into the street. Then Eddie gave me directions: "A little to the left," "More to the left." Okay, go for it!" I ran that sucker over and backed up and ran him over again and again until it was quite dead. When Eddie picked it up with the shovel, a rat was protruding from him belly. At this point, my girls had wandered outside, and they weren't at all disturbed as they watched Eddie chop the head off.

I'm not normally a brave one when it comes to dangerous creatures, but that snake had to go, and my adrenaline must have kicked in enough to make me brave. After Eddie disposed of the rattlesnake, we gave each other a high-five and I thanked God that the snake didn't have a chance to wander over to our yard where the girls were just playing.

It's never a dull moment around here!

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T22:43:00.001-07:00

I never knew I could add a link to Snapfish from my blog. Cool! We celebrated Easter today (since I was in bed with the flu last weekend). I took lots of pictures of the girls in their Easter dresses this morning, and then after school we had a big Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard with the neighborhood girls. It's an annual tradition at our house. The girls had a blast and after the hunt we made purses out of empty tissue boxes. Check out the photos at this link...

Click here to view photos

Blessed

2011-04-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

There are so many things I want to blog about, but I've been in bed for 3 days solid with a nasty flu and horrible headache. Still, I want to post this before going back to bed because I don't want to forget--in the years to come--how blessed we were by one person whom God placed in our lives at the exact moment we needed him.

We have a friend of ours living in our back yard in a tent (that's how he wanted it). His name is Taylor and he is 23 years old and responsible far beyond his years. He's been here for three weeks, I think, and will be here three more weeks until he goes on a short-term adventure to Indonesia. The deal was that he would live here, rent-free, and help us out every once in a while around the house and babysit the girls (who adore him) a few times. In his first week here, he had already filled his end of the bargain.

First of all, he loves our girls. He actually spends his time off work sometimes just playing with them in the front yard. He makes up riddles for them to solve and sent them on a hunt in the back yard to find a hidden treasure. In the evenings, when he comes home from work and we are in the living room playing a game as a family, he asks if he can join in. He teaches the girls about the great outdoors and even reads to them. And yes, he has even sat through more than one of their silly videos.

Last week, Taylor planted a vegetable garden with the girls. This was a huge blessing because Eric's dad usually does this each year but this year he has to take care of his wife who is dying. I almost cried as I saw the three of them digging and planting and Taylor educating them about horticulture, which is one of his specialties. When someone delights in my children, not because they have to or they are being paid to, it touches the deepest place in my heart.

Just now, Taylor took the girls on an outing with him to do some painting at Eric's new shop. This was a blessing to me because I don't have the energy to do anything with them today. Over the past few weeks, Taylor has been getting off work in the early afternoons and just hanging out with the girls. This also has been a huge blessing to me because I've been battling with headaches more often than not lately and it's nice to know there's someone keeping an eye on them while I rest.

Eric has been blessed, also. He has enjoyed having another male in the house (yes, he sometimes does feel outnumbered). Eric and Taylor have had some great, long talks in the evenings. And I could write a separate blog post about their culinary creations. Those two can cook up a gourmet meal!

We sure are going to miss Taylor when he leaves for Indonesia, not because of what he does for us, but because of how he has blessed us by just being himself. He has become a member of our family and I thank God for placing him in our lives.

Cakes

2011-04-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

I've made a few cute cakes lately. The first one was for Amber's early birthday party with her cousins when they were visiting a few weeks ago. (Amber turns 8 on Sunday!) It was a horse themed party. The second picture is of the cupcakes I decorated for a baby shower I hosted Tuesday for two of the moms in the homeschool group who are having boys.

Lately

2011-04-06T14:32:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to post these pictures for a few months--better late than never. Here's what my family has been up to lately:

We discovered early on that Amber was naturally good at drawing and art. In January, she started taking weekly art lessons from our friend, Rie. Amber made me a really cool valentine with a drawn sketch of her and her sister. It was quite good. We're running out of space to hang her art!

Autumn fell in love with bicycle riding a few months ago. She can't get enough of it. Now she does tricks on her bike. She's a better bike rider than the rest of us! We may have a new "Corey Coffey" on our hands.

Last month, Amber watched some ladies hula hoop at a restaurant. She tried it, loved it, and then saved her money and bought a nice hula hoop that lights up. For weeks, that's all she did . She is quite good at the sport.

Eric's hair is now long enough to go into a pony tail. I love it!

Eric and I recently perfected a recipe for laundry detergent using melted bars of the glycerin soap we make. It is going to save us so much money.

We're going even greener than were: using cloth napkins now. Last week we ran out of paper napkins, then paper towels. I was in bed for days, so I couldn't go to the store and the girls started using dish towels for napkins. Amber said, "We should do this from now on and save on paper and save money, too." (That's my girl!) I remembered being gifted two sets of cloth napkins and then I found another set I had bought on clearance. Now we have 22 cloth napkins and we save about $6 a month. We also save another $10 or so a month because I got down to using only 2 rolls of paper towels each month. We have lots of hand towels and I decided to stop reaching for the paper towels every time I need to wipe up something.

That's what we've been up lately.

Hodge Humor

2011-04-06T10:29:00.001-07:00

Lately my daughters have been saying some funny and adorable things. (The best one is at the bottom--pun intended)

Amber said to me: "I love laughing around you, because you are so joyful." (3-13-11)

Amber and Autumn were in the tub taking a bath and Amber said, "Come here, Mom... Autumn gave her heart to Jesus. I showed her how."
I said, "I don't know if she really understands what that means."
Amber said, "Well, she said everything I told her to say. And I showed her how to get baptized. Watch..."
Autumn held her nose and went under the water.
Amber said, "See, now she knows how to be baptized when she wants to." (3-13-11)

I was talking to Eric about how I never have any cash in my purse and I have to use my debit card a lot. Amber--in her usual generous way--said, "I have 93 cents you can have." (3-22-11)

We were looking at pictures in school and Autumn said, "That's a hair balloon." (hot air balloon) (3-23-11)

I was showing Amber my new essential oils and she smelled one and said, "I don't like euca lipstick." (eucalyptus) (3-27-11)

We were talking about food and nutrition and Amber said, "McDonalds and places like that are the worst places to eat."
Then she continued, "Also the place with the clown."
I said, "Jack-in-the-Box?"
She said yes and said, "And the king's crown place."
I said, "Burger King?" She said yes.
I think it's awesome that my girls don't even know the names of some of the fast food restaurants. (3-23-11)

This one is my favorite.It happened today: Background: The other day Amber informed me that out butts are also called our bums (as if I didn't know). I informed her that a bum is also a negative name for someone who doesn't work. Amber informed me that another name for a person who doesn't work is a "hobo." (I have no idea where she comes up with these things.)
So, this morning I was putting on my jeans and snagged my fingernail and said, "Ouch."
Autumn said, "Did you hurt your hobo?"
I said, "My what?"
She said, "Your hobo. You know, your hobo is your butt." (4-6-11)

Green Week

2011-03-17T17:22:00.001-07:00

St. Patrick's Day-themed Young Life was at our house on Monday night, complete with "pass the buttered hot potato" (a real one) and decorate the leprechaun (pictured above).

One of the older homeschool girls taught Amber how to crochet on Tuesday. Amber bought this fun, green yarn at a yard sale and made belts and hair ties all week. Amber has caught on quickly and will have another "lesson" next Tuesday!

Our family is "going green" by doing more bicycling. A few months ago Autumn fell in love with bike riding and a few days ago Eric bought a bike. Now we are looking for a bike for Christine.

Traditional "Green Eggs and Ham" (or sausage this year) and green milk for breakfast. The little leprechaun helps mommy make green food every year on March 17. This year, Autumn said, "He's not real!" as if we all didn't know that!

Amber picked out these matching green shirts at a thrift store on Tuesday. She couldn't wait to wear them today! Aren't they cuties?!!!

St. Patrick's Day fun with leftover shaving cream from Monday night. It was a fun, fun day!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day and "Top of the Evening" to you!

Classroom changes

2011-03-14T13:45:00.001-07:00

My headaches are gone (I didn't post about it because I sent out an email). In their place, I have renewed energy. Those of you who know me well, know what that means--organization central! And so, I have been working on little projects over the past 10 days. Eric told me to pace myself, so I did--until Saturday when I bought this cute little book rack at a garage sale for $15. I had been looking for one for three years, ever since we started homeschooling. However, the cheapest one I could find cost $100. I gave up my search and was delighted to find this Saturday at a little garage sale It has two sides and a lot of room for books.

I didn't buy it right away, rather I went home, surveyed my dining room and determined if it would fit. I returned at 2:00, thinking that it would be gone. When it wasn't, I knew it was "meant to be." So, I came home and "had to" juggle around the furniture, moving the big bookcase out of the homeschool room and into the dining room to make room for the new addition. Then--of course--I had to do some more organizing and re-decorating and by Sunday night I had fulfilled my longing to organize something.

Now, doesn't that look like a fun classroom?

Milking a goat

2011-03-05T22:36:00.001-08:00

I've always wanted to milk a cow. It's on my top ten list of things I want to do before I die. Well, I decided to settle for a goat and during my recent trip to Indiana, I got to milk Juni--a swiss alpine goat. I was so excited! My friend, Trudie, who owns the goats, showed me how to milk them. I tried and tried and finally got 1/8 of a teaspoon to come out (it is so much harder than it looks). After several minutes and me only getting a few tablespoons-worth of milk out of Juni, Trudie said--in full humor, "Is that enough to satisfy your dream or do I have to stand here for an hour and watch you milk Juni?" I laughed and let Trudie finish, which took all of five minutes! A few minutes after that, we were sitting down to breakfast with fresh, raw goat's milk. It was delicious! Below is a self-portrait of me and Heidi, the other goat, who loved the camera. I think she wanted to eat it!

Vintage Girls

2011-02-21T09:25:00.001-08:00

I had a lot fo fun with these pictures! They just lent themselves to black-and-white images, especially the ones with the hats. I took a dozen pictures, but posted my top five favorites. Which is your favorite?

That empty space

2011-02-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

Today is the anniversary of the day my brother, Steve, went home to be with Jesus. Three years have gone by, and this year seems even harder than the first two. I'm not sure why. I think it may have something to do with the fact that my mom will also be joining him soon. I called my sister-in-law (Steve's wife) and she shared the same thing with me.

All day I've been fighting back the tears, because the girls and I had such a fun day inside while the rain poured, and I didn't want to make the weather even gloomier. But now I am alone in the house while Eric is out with the girls, and the tears are coming down like the rain outside. I miss him so much today. I want to hear him laugh just one more time. I want him to give me that "awkward" sister hug. I want to hear him tell a story. There's this empty space in my heart. It will heal, little by little, but it will never completely go away. And I don't want it to, for I want to be reminded of my big brother whom I thought was invincible.

I love you, Steve!

The Artful Creation Station

2011-02-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I managed to find something else to organize. I'm sure that doesn't surprise those of you who know me well. But this time I roped the girls into helping me. As the girls have gotten older and become more creative, we've added a lot to their craft supplies. However, as we added a little here and there, we just put in in different places in the house where it would fit. Some supplies were put in the hall closet, some in the homeschool desk, some in my office, some in their room. The other day as I listened to a podcast on my morning walk, I was inspired by what the speaker had to say. It was only one sentence in her speech and it had little to do with her message, but the organization guru inside me heard that one little sentence and the wheels started turning. I got home and--after school--we gathered all the craft/art supplies, found a plastic 3-drawer container in the girls' room that was almost empty, hunted around the house for unused baskets and bins, and put together what Amber named "The Artful Creation Station." Now the girls have all their craft supplies in one location, in the dining room. What I love about this project is that we didn't spend any money on storage containers. We used what we had on hand. We also picked out pictures on the computer and made labels for each drawer, showing what is inside them. This all happened yesterday, and since then the girls have made numerous creations. To top it all off, I now have an empty drawer in my office and more shelf space in the hall closet...to fill with my scrapbooking supplies, of course! But I'll save that project for another day. Enjoy the pictures, and be inspired!

Um...close

2011-02-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

I brought some pictures home after my visit to see my parents in Arizona last week. Some of the pictures were of me as an infant. In one of the photos, I am sleeping in my crib with my arm around a Kewpie doll (my scanner is broken so I can't show you the pic). I still have that doll. When Amber saw the picture, she recognized the doll and said, with enthusiasm, "That's your Pukie doll!"

You are absolutely right!

2011-02-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

Amber was having what she calls a "sad moment" yesterday. She was feeling very discouraged and I was comforting her when Autumn came up to us and pressed her way onto my lap, vying for my attention. This is the conversation that followed.

Amber: Autumn, would you please stop it, I'm having a sad moment here.
Mommy: Yes, Autumn, please go in the living room.
Amber: Why does she always do that?
Mommy: It's called 'being the little sister.'
Amber: It's not called 'being the little sister,' it's called 'thinking only of yourself.'

Nothing gets past my oldest daughter!

Walk in the Woods

2011-01-21T17:00:00.001-08:00

We are so blessed to have wonderful, beautiful, fun places for our girls to run around and play "right in our own backyard." There are two places in particular that we like--one is within walking distance, the other is a short drive and across from Autumn's preschool. We call both of these places "Fairy Forests" and we pretend (mommy included) that we're fairies fighting off the goblins. This is so much better than anything we do indoors. Yesterday I brought my camera for the first time. Here's a peek at our adventures...

Broken Crayons

2011-01-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Autumn likes to peel the paper off of the crayons. Then they break. So when I saw this clever craft idea in a kids' magazine, I started saving the broken crayons. I've been saving them for a year and yesterday we had so much fun making new heart shaped crayons out of the cast-offs. I think I might have had more fun than the girls. We are planning to make more so we'll have enough for all of the preschool/homeschool valentines the girls give out. We just need more broken crayons...we might try the thrift store. Here's the instructions below, so you can get in on the fun! Feel free to borrow my heart-shaped muffin molds. I have two.

Have fun breaking the ones that need to be smaller, or...

...use karate moves to break them by hand!

This is about the size you need them to be.

Fill each mold on a mini heart-shaped muffin pan to the top with crayons. We made some rainbow and some the same color scheme. Don't use black, dark blue or brown crayons, as they tend to overtake the other colors.
Bake them at 250 degrees for 20-25 minutes in a silicone pan or 10-15 minutes in a metal pan. I bought Wilton silicone pans at Ben Franklin, but I bought the last two. You can buy them at Michael's and probably Target. The silicone pans make it easier to pop out the crayons.

Wait until the crayons are solid (at least 15 minutes) before popping them out of the pan. Let them cool for another 15 minutes. Note: They look solid on the bottom, but don't fear, when popped out of the pan, the mixed colors are on the other side.

Not only are then cute, when you use them they write in a rainbow of color. Have fun, and if you do the craft, let me know how they turned out.

OCD?

2011-01-13T17:29:00.000-08:00

I just spent 90 minutes (yes, 90 MINUTES) on the phone answering dozens of questions for our application for new medical insurance.

The agent asked me if I have been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Diagnosed with OCD?

Okay, well, no.

Good Mischief

2011-01-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

My girls are up to something...but it's something good.

I was on the phone with my mom for awhile and when I hung up, they brought in a plate with string cheese and a piece of buttered toast for my "afternoon snack." Amber told me that she swept and mopped the kitchen floor, too. Then Autumn brought me three colored sheets from her coloring book. Then a rose from our bush out front. Then a dead branch from our Christmas tree with the tinsel still on it. Then a baggie of peanuts (in case I wasn't full enough). Each time they brought me something, they told me to stay in the office because they still had more surprises for me.

So I went online and checked airline tickets for my trip to see my mom at the end of this month. Then I checked my email. They said I still couldn't come out of the office, and so here I am writing this blog...

Well, the last surprise was a hot cup of coffee that they made, complete with hazelnut creamer and whipped cream on top.

"We put too much whipped cream on top so we had to scoop it off and into the trash can," Amber told me.

"Why didn't you just eat it?" I asked.

"We didn't want to get in trouble," she said.

Ooooo, what good little girls I have!

Now, I'm off the drink my yummy coffee.

Lemons for sale

2011-01-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

I can never be accused of just putting in my blog all of the positive, cute little things my children do. Here's proof:

A few minutes ago, Amber and Autumn came in from playing out front. Amber, my little entrepreneur, was telling me what she and her sister did outside.

"We tried to sell some lemons today, but no one wanted to buy them," Amber said.

"Where did you get the lemons to sell?" I asked.

"Well, Autumn picked some of our neighbor's lemons and we tried to sell them."

Christian Romance?

2010-12-30T18:09:00.001-08:00

I was playing Yahtzee with Amber tonight when I found a scribbled little note on the back of a score card from when Eric and I were on vacation this past summer. I had meant to blog about it because I thought it was so funny...

We were shopping in Avalon at Catalina in the only bookstore on the island and I wanted to see if they had the newest book from one of my favorite authors of Christian romance-type novels. After scanning the store, I approached the very young clerk.

"Do you have a Christian fiction section?" I asked.

"Have you heard of The Shack? We have that." she answered.

"No," I said. "I mean Christian romance."

She looked at me, cocked her head to one side and said, in valley-girl style, "I've never heard of Christian romance. You mean, like, they meet in church?"

I chocked back my laughter and went to find Eric.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T22:22:00.001-08:00

Once a year

2010-12-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

Once a year, my neighbor down the street makes homemade Chex mix. Next to my moms, it is the best Chex mix I will ever eat! So two days ago when she told me that she may not get around to making it this year, I said, "Oh that's okay" when in actuality I was thinking, "Oh, I hope she makes it!" You can imagine my delight this morning when she brought by a generous serving of my favorite savory holiday treat. We ate some of it at 10:30 in the morning!

Once a year my dad makes incredible fudge, the only fudge of it's kind--I have never had it's equal or even a close second. It's my favorite Christmas sweet. We eat some now and freeze some for later--although it never makes it until "later" as we eat it right out of the freezer whenever we remember it's in there (which is every day)!

Once a year my mom makes cranberry bread--I don't even know of anyone else who makes cranberry bread. She also makes almond-sour cream bread--another one-of-a-kind creation that only my mom makes. This tasty bread with just the right mix of almond and sour cream is mine and Eric's favorite quick bread. It's a secret family recipe that I have now, but I refuse to make the bread while my mom is still able to do her culinary magic. With her new found energy and waking up at 4 a.m. not able to go back to sleep, my mom has been able to be the kitchen fairy again. She has made all of these treats and her famous caramel rolls which I have tried--and failed--to duplicate. While my sister was visiting, they also made what they called "the world's ugliest sugar cookies."

When my mom called and told me she was sending a box of all the goodies, I said that she didn't have to. And I meant it. Still, they sent it and it arrived today--just now. So, of course, my girls ate some of "the world's ugliest sugar cookies" right before lunch--and loved every bite. Eric and I delved into the fudge, too.

After all, it only happens once a year!

Healthy Lions

2010-12-22T11:18:00.000-08:00

One evening we were eating a venison roast that Eric traded fish for, when we got to discussing predators and their prey. Eric told Amber that a mountain lion has to eat roughly one deer a week to survive. Amber said, "Cool! They probably eat very healthy."

Down Time

2010-12-21T17:01:00.001-08:00

Being a mom who teacher her children at home, I don't get a lot of chances to be in the house alone without the girls. So it was a treat to get some surprise "down time" yesterday. I took the girls down the street to a Gingerbread House-decorating party. I had no idea it was a "drop off" party. My friend said, "Come back in 3 hours. Go have fun!" I walked back home and didn't know what to do with myself--for about a minute! I knew I wasn't going to do any housework. I decided to work on a project I had been wanting to do for months. I framed several of Amber's drawings and hung them on the wall in the hallway. Last night when I walked out of the bathroom into the hallway, seeing those beautiful sketches in pretty frames cheered me up. Today I am watching my friend's two girls so she can be alone in her house and wrap Christmas presents. She'll need some down time after hosting that party yesterday.

Cambria Vacation

2010-12-19T21:31:00.001-08:00

It's about time I updated my blog. We went to Cambria for four days in early December for a much-needed family vacation. We stayed at Cambria Pines Lodge, which was decked out for the holidays. We went to Morro Rock, saw the elephant seals at Piedras Blancas, saw zebra right by the road in San Simeon and saw deer right outside our back door in our hotel room. We found lots of mushrooms, many were what I call the "Alice-in-Wonderland-type" but we also found edible mushrooms, including chanterelles and huge porcinis.We relaxed A LOT and the girls went with Eric to the "cuzzi" (hot tub) every day. We also sat on the shores of Moonstone Beach for more than an hour, finding moonstones. It was our best vacation ever, or as Amber likes to say, "Our best vacation YET!"

The gardens at the lodge
This pic reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.

Amber took this, at Morro Rock.

Autumn wrote her name in the sand!

Precious!

Having fun on the beach at Morro Bay.

"Alice-in-Wonderland" mushroom

(there's an official name, Amanita, but it's not as fun).

Porcinis- we took them home and dried them.

Lights in the gardens at the lodge. There were so many!

Now, this is what I call "relaxing."

Eric called it "multi-tasking."

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T11:36:00.001-08:00

Miss Piggy Pumpkin

Just call me Dora

2010-11-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

This morning I went to Autumn's preschool to help with the Thanksgiving Feast. As I walked onto the playground, a little girl (pictured right beside me in this photograph) called to me, "Aunt Dora, Aunt Dora."

I looked behind me, but I was the only adult standing there. She kept calling, "Aunt Dora," so I walked over to where she was at the swing set and asked her if she was talking to me. She said, "Yes, you're my Aunt Dora." I thought she was just playing with me until her teacher said that I look like one of her aunts. I said to her, "I'm not really your aunt." She said, "Yes you are. You're my Aunt Dora and I saw you last week at a party." She was serious and continued to call me Aunt Dora as she asked me to play with her, push her on the swings, ride with her in the helicopter. It was hilarious! I didn't even get to play with my own daughters because this little girl kept me occupied! I guess I must have a twin somewhere in Ojai.

Autumn Is Five!

2010-11-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

Autumn Brooke turned 5 today. She celebrated at preschool with her little friends. I brought pumpkin mini-muffins that Amber and I made. They were a hit! After school, Amber gave Autumn her present--a Strawberry Shortcake doll that used to be Amber's doll. Amber knew that Autumn wanted it, so a few weeks ago when Amber was giving away toys to the thrift store, she set aside Strawberry Shortcake and surprised Autumn with it. After Eric got home, Autumn opened the present from us--roller skates. Last month, we took Autumn rollerskating with Young Life and she loved it, so Eric wanted to get her a pair of skates. She was so excited that she took a little spin outside in the dark, with some help! Then we went to Autumn's favorite restaurant for dinner--Sea Fresh. I think she just likes it because of the stuffed fish and big shark on the wall! She had such a fun day that she fell asleep on the 10-minute drive home!

This is all that I can say

2010-11-15T09:17:00.000-08:00

Sometimes someone else can say exactly what you are feeling at the moment, and sometimes say it even better than you can. I found this to be true as I was on my walk today, listening to my iPod, tears streaming down my face, feeling like my heart has been ripped out.

Both my mom and Eric's mom are battling terminal cancer right now and they may leave this earth a lot sooner than I want them to. Lately, my morning walks are my most difficult times to process this grief as I have a lot of silence (even with the music playing in my ears) and 2 1/2 miles to think about these incredible women God has blessed me with. This morning when this David Crowder song came up on my iPod, I was tempted to skip it because it's a very slow song, but I decided to let the words minister to my aching heart. The third verse is what really spoke to me. Through all of this mess that doesn't make any sense to me, Jesus is crying with me. God is holding me.

All I Can Say by the David Crowder Band

Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark is creeping in
Creeping up to swallow me
I think I'll stop, rest here a while

And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
That's my everything

And didn't You see me crying?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember where you sat it down

And this is all that I can say right now
I know it's not much
And this is all that I can give
Yeah, that's my everything

I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that that was You holding me
I didn't notice You were crying too
I didn't know that that was You washing my feet

And this is all that I can say right now
I know it's not much
And this is all that I can give
Yeah that's my everything...

My favorite thing

2010-10-29T21:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the girls and I were watching a Barbie movie in which a character was skydiving. Amber said, "Is that your favorite thing to do, mom?" I said it was one of my favorite things. Then Amber said, "My favorite thing to do is love people."

The Hodge Lodge Funnies

2010-10-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

When the girls say something funny or something out of the ordinary happens, I quickly jot it down on a small piece of paper. I had quite a stack building and so I thought I'd put them on my blog before the papers end falling behind my desk never to be seen again.

July 2010:

Autumn was pretending to read her new children's Bible. One chapter was about ice cream. Another chapter was about putting on shoes and going to the fair. Then Autumn said, "Chapter 4 is not amazing."

August 2010:

Eric and his friend--who has equally long hair and also wears a beanie cap a lot--were listening to Bob Marley when a young girl on a scavenger hunt came to our door. After asking for her items, she asked them in a valley girl voice, "Are you, like, Reggae?"

Amber said this after weeks of Autumn--on purpose--not responding to Amber's orders and instead ignoring her: "Mom, I think there's something wrong with Autumn's hearing."

My 13-year-old niece, Rachel, said this on her visit after I mentioned that I was 40: "I thought you were 28. Seriously, you don't act that old, your personality, I mean. You act so young." She also said we were the best relatives.
After she said these things, I gave her my car and told her she could come live with us if she wanted!

September 2010:

Amber is learning about the United States in school. She calls Louisiana: "A-loozy-anna."

One day I was complimenting Amber on her new blue hair clips. She said, "I think it's called awkward marine." (Aqua marine)

October 2010:

When Eric was cleaning a lobster that he had just got on a dive trip, Autumn said, "I want to see the lobster poop."

Even more disturbing...When Amber goes out on the boat with Eric, she likes to hold the beating heart of the fish in her hands after Eric has gutted it.

And...Today in church I was helping in Amber's class. The teacher (Jan) said that Moses was a shepherd for 40 years. Amber's hand shot up and she blurted out, "That's how old my mom is!"

Well, I am 40 for a few more hours anyway...

That's a great idea!

2010-10-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

This morning, I woke up earlier than normal. Eric was already out of the house and--amazingly--the girls were still sleeping! I had some time before breakfast and starting school, so I tiptoed into the kitchen, fixed myself a big cup of coffee, grabbed a warm blanket, curled up on the recliner and started to read my book for Bible study. I usually don't get to have quiet time until after lunch, so I was feeling particularly warm and fuzzy inside as I sipped my coffee and cracked open the book. Well, I'm sure you can imagine what happened next. No sooner had I finished the first page than I heard the pitter-patter of four little feet in the hallway. "Oh well," I thought to myself. "It was a nice idea, anyway."

I transferred myself and the blanket to the couch and let the girls curl up with me as I read them their newest favorite book from the library. Then we had breakfast and Amber asked what I was doing earlier. I told her that I was about to read my book when I was interrupted by two little fairy princesses. Amber said, "I have an idea. Why don't you take a long bath and read your book in the tub."

It was a great idea, I knew that. And Amber was a sweetheart for suggesting it. Still, my gut reaction was to just get a quick shower and put off my quiet time until later today. Then I paused and thought, "I have plenty of time this morning. I should take my daughter's suggestion." I filled the tub and grabbed my book and coffee that I had yet to finish drinking. As I trotted off toward the bathroom, Amber got out the play dough for her and Autumn. She turned to me and said, "How's my idea working, Mom?" Speechless, I gave her a big smile and marveled at how blessed I was to have Amber, my daughter who is very often filled with compassion and gratitude and a giving heart.

It was perhaps the best quiet time I've had, not because of the warm bath or because I got to sip my coffee for once or because I got great insight from a good book. It was the best quiet time because of the selfless suggestion of a 7-year-old who demonstrated kindness beyond her years.

School Project

2010-10-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

As part of "Science/Nature/Art," Amber and I have been working on a really neat project. During school, we've been going on Nature Walks--mostly on the Ojai Meadows Preserve trails next to Nordhoff. The goal was to find nature items (treasures, as Amber calls them) to use in making doll furniture. After several Nature Walks, we got down to the business of building doll house rooms out of cardboard boxes and only the items found on our walks. We just completed the project and I thought you'd like a peek at the finished product. Amber's creativity really shone in this project. She did all the designing; I just used the glue gun. Autumn made one house, too. It was a really fun project!

The treasures.

The baby/big sister room.

The baby and big sister.

Big sister changing baby's diaper.

The living room.

Amber proud of her work.

Autumn's room.

Autumn made the room for her ponies.

The kitchen.

The biggest sister's bedroom.

The stable.

Reverse Crank Calling

2010-10-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was in the kitchen making apple crisp when our home phone rang. Eric answered it. The man on the other line asked if we were selling a motor home. Eric said no. He asked if we were sure. Thinking it might be work-related, Eric said, "No, but I've worked on motor homes." Then Eric suggested that maybe the man dialed the wrong area code.

A few minutes later, the phone rang again. It was the same man. Eric put the phone on speaker and answered it. The man said that we had called him. Eric said that he called us. The man then asked, "What's your name?" I waved to Eric from the kitchen and shook my head. Eric said, "Fred." The man said, "Noooo?" Eric said, "Fred Flintstone." We all started laughing; the girls thought it was so funny. The man heard all of us laugh, so Eric hung up.

I really wanted the man to call back again so I could answer the phone and say, "This is Wilma speaking."

October

2010-10-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

October is my favorite month, and it's not just because my birthday is in October. Here's the other reasons:

- Halloween--one of my favorite holidays. I love to dress up!
-Fall--some time this month, we get the cooler fall weather (although it's debatable this year).
- Decorating the house for Harvest is so much fun, especially now that the girls are a bit older!
- Croptoberfest (3 days of scrapbooking) is in October. Need I say more!
- It's the only time of the year that I am in touch with my "orange side."
- I get to drink coffee out of my big mug that's shaped like a piece of candy corn (like I'm doing right now).
- The changing of the colors. A few trees on our block are just beautiful with red and orange leaves.
- Baking, baking, baking!!!
- You can leave the cobwebs up and people will think they are a part of the decorations!

Do you like fall? Why?

Happy Harvest!!!

Fishie, Fishie!!

2010-09-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

I swallowed a goldfish tonight.
A real one.
A live one.
Without water.
On purpose.
I love being a Young Life leader!

Cardboard Sign

2010-09-13T21:54:00.001-07:00

I meant to post this last week:

9-8-10

I was on the bike trail this morning--halfway through my morning walk--when I saw a young man across the street holding a cardboard sign that said “Need work. Anything helps.” I kept on walking, wishing I could give the guy a job when I remembered that our front grass was growing quite tall and our jungle of a back yard had an overdue date with the clippers. I crossed the street at the next traffic light and made my way back home, in the direction of the young man. Inside I was having one of those silly debates that went something like this:

“I should hire him to do some gardening.”
“Yeah, but how is a few hours of work going to help him?”
“Well, the sign said, ‘Anything helps.’”
“Yeah, but I don’t even know the guy. And I don’t have any extra cash on hand.”
“He’s just going to be mowing the lawn, not moving in. And I’m sure Eric has some extra cash to pay him.”
“Well, what am I going to do, just have him follow me home?”
“Yes, and then you can get to know him.”
“Fine, you win. And for the record, it’s what I was going to do anyway!”

By the time my mental conversation was over, I was introducing myself and hiring the young man. He said he could work right away and he walked back with me. I told him that I walked fast, but he had no problem keeping up. On the mile back to my house, I asked him a few questions and found out that he rented a room in a house nearby, but that he was homeless before that. He has a 3-year-old son, too, who lives with his ex-girlfriend nearby. He is trying to find a job so he could see his son again, but even the fast-food restaurants are not hiring right now. So, this morning he decided to stand on the street corner with his cardboard sign. It was 8:30 when I saw him. He had been on the curb for two hours already. He said he was grateful for the work, even if it was only for a few hours.

When we got to our house, he set to work on mowing the grass and I made him a big breakfast. Eric chatted with him before heading to work, and I started school with Amber, who really wanted to skip the whole thing and stare out the window at our new friend as he clipped the rosebushes. A few hours later, the front lawn was manicured and the back yard looked a lot less like a jungle. We were finished with school and on our way to an appointment and so I drove our friend—with cardboard sign in tow--back to his spot on the curb. Inwardly, I prayed that he would find more work today and a permanent job soon. I also prayed that he would be drawn to Jesus.

Later, I was on the phone with my sister, recalling the day’s events. I said, “I know that $40 isn’t going to help him tremendously, but more than anything, I just wanted him to know that someone cared.”

Locks of Love

2010-09-09T20:04:00.001-07:00

Today Amber had her first major haircut (unless you count the time she was 3 and cut off all her hair with her new kiddie scissors!) Amber wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love, an organization that uses real hair to make wigs for kids who lost their hair due to illness. The hair has to be at least 10 inches long--Amber's was 15 inches! Here's some before and after pictures...

Geek

2010-08-31T19:52:00.001-07:00

The computer I currently have--the one I am using to type this blog post--is on its way out the door. The USB port doesn't work. The disc drives do not work. It's slow. I can't make photo cds or upload songs to my ipod. I can't open half of the documents people email me. So, it was time to upgrade.

My new(er) computer arrived today. It is sitting on the floor in the middle of my office. I am staring at it. I am wishing I could just click my heels or wriggle my nose or wave my daughter's magic wand or snap my fingers and all of the documents and photos and videos on this current computer would transfer to my new one...and my new computer would be in it's perfect place under my desk...and the dust mites that are currently occupying that space would be vacuumed up...and I could sit down and browse iTunes or upload photos or...

I guess if I keep on wishing the job will never be done and my new computer will still be in its place in the middle of the room.

Sigh!

Anyone know a good computer geek fairy?

Getting Ready

2010-08-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today I am sharpening pencils, gathering reward stickers, organizing books, going over curriculum, finding flash cards, typing out a schedule, dusting off my desk and getting excited about teaching on Tuesday!

Amber will be in second grade--it's hard to believe that myself! Autumn will be in her last year at Noah's Ark Preschool, in pre-kindergarten! So my day also was filled with packing extra clothes for her, going over parent information, getting teacher gifts ready and dusting off Autumn's lunchbox.

Of course, that means that I had a large cup of coffee at breakfast, a few chocolate-covered espresso beans with lunch and I just finished an ice-blended peppermint mocha. I think I'm ready for school.

I'm bragging again

2010-08-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

Today Eric got 1st Place in the Los Angeles Fathomiers Scramble Meet (spearfishing tournament). He speared a 37-pound white sea bass and a small barracuda and calico bass. This is the second time he has won a spearfishing tournament this year! Way to go, sweetheart!

Cooking & Crafts

2010-08-12T22:43:00.001-07:00

This summer, I've been doing a lot of cooking and baking. Tuesday I made a big bowl of guacamole, an even bigger bowl of peach salsa (3 jars) and six loaves of chocolate zucchini bread. I was in the kitchen for 4 hours that day! We have a lot of summer produce that I don't want to go to waste, so I make salsa of some sort once a week and either a cobbler or quick bread every week.

When I'm not in the kitchen, I've been scrapbooking and making jewelry. I've made several necklaces and some bracelets. My daughters and I have made scrapbooks together, too, and crafts using items out of the recycle bin. They are getting quite creative.

I also read two and a half books.

What have you been doing this summer?

Confetti in My Hair

2010-08-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Last night I took my nephew and niece, Pieter and Rachel, to State Street in Santa Barbara to walk around and do some shopping. It happened to be Fiesta weekend and the street was lined with people throwing confetti, waving giant glow sticks and having a good time. (Some of them were having too good of a time, but that's not what this story is about.)

Eric dropped us all of at the corner of Carrillo and State, and headed back home to his parent's house a mile away. Pieter had a wad of cash to burn and so he bought all of us confetti-filled eggs. Rachel cracked one on Pieter's head and in turn Pieter cracked one on Rachel's head and then they turned to me with mischievous looks in their eyes. Silence. More mischievous looks. Hesitation.

"Go ahead, crack one on my head," I said and then braced myself.

"Really?" Rachel said, and with that I was covered in confetti.

We had an awesome time window shopping and eating frozen yogurt and helping Rachel, who is 12 years old and five foot 9, find a pair of jeans. Okay, Pieter didn't enjoy waiting while Rachel and I were in the dressing rooms, but the two of us had a fun! We scored big at one store. We found jeans that fit Rachel perfectly, and when the cashier scanned the $54 pair, they had been discounted to $9.99.

From there, we decided to head home. We had thought of calling Eric's dad to come and pick us up, but decided the long walk in the cool night air would be fun. It was almost 10:00, and we were back at the corner of Carrillo and State. Then we saw them. They're called Pedi-Cabs. Little bicycle-driven carriages that--for a small price--will take you where you want to go. I hadn't spent any money except on yogurt, so I decided to treat my niece and nephew to a sweet ride home. We barely fit on the seat in the "carriage" and I felt bad for the rather small guy and the heavy load he was carrying--us. But he assured me that he could do it. Pieter and Rachel really enjoyed the ride, and the comedy of it all.

We started out down State Street so slow that we could have walked faster. Our driver was pedalling so fast and we were going so slow that people on the sidewalk started cheering and I heard one lady say, "Poor guy, he's pedalling so hard!" We turned onto Carrillo and picked up a bit of speed as we were on more level ground. Then we were really flying--for about a minute--as the road went downhill. We had our driver drop us off a few blocks from Eric's dad's home, when the incline looked too steep for him to make it. We paid him more than it was worth because we had such a good time and walked the rest of the way home.

I rarely go to State Street. It's not a place to take little kids at night. It's crowded and loud and a bit sketchy at times. Eric grew up near there, so he rarely wants to walk around downtown. However, I enjoy going there every once in a while--to drink coffee, people-watch, window shop and be in a place that doesn't shut down after 5 p.m. It was so much fun to hang out there with my niece and nephew--who live in the middle of nowhere in a town in Alberta. We all had a night we will long remember. Lights. Music. Confetti. And a slow cab ride home.

Tha Canadian Cousins

2010-08-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Sounds like the title of a western novel, doesn't it?

A few weeks ago, we had cousin Sarah visit us. She lived in Canada until a month ago when they moved to Las Vegas. Sarah is the daughter of Eric's oldest sister, Sonja. Sarah is 10, and she and the girls got along great together. We all had a wonderful weekend. We made jewelry, crafts, swam in our neighbor's pool, had a tea party and--of course--Uncle Eric took all the girls on a boat trip the the islands.

Today, and through the weekend, we are having fun with the other Canadian cousins, Pieter and Rachel. They live in Alberta and belong to Eric's other sister, Amy. Pieter is 14 and Rachel is 12. Right now, Pieter is helping his Uncle Eric made soap and Rachel is braiding the girls' hair. They've only been at our home a few hours, and Rachel wants to move here! Pieter is anxiously looking forward to tomorrow, when Uncle Eric takes all the cousins on a boat trip to the islands. Here are a few pictures.

Amber & Sarah showing some strong Hodge genes.

Their baby pictures look very similar!

The Hodge girls!

Having fun with Eric!

Rachel & the girls.

Autumn is representing the brunettes of the world.

Pieter, Rachel, Amber & Autumn.

Quite a height difference.

And coffee, too!

2010-07-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up and shuffled into the hallway. I thought I smelled coffee wafting through the house, but I shrugged it off. Eric was still asleep and the girls were playing in the living room, so my nose must have deceived me. Then as I walked into the bathroom, my girls came running up to me.

"Mommy, mommy, we made breakfast for you--AND COFFEE!!" They were so excited and led me by the hand into the dining room where a plate of yogurt, toast with butter and coffee with my favorite creamer awaited me.

I tasted the coffee and it was good! I've never shown Amber how to make coffee, so she must have just learned by watching me. It wasn't too strong or too weak. I was very impressed.

Later this morning, I was sharing with my friends about how the girls now get up and play on their own for about an hour sometimes while we are still sleeping. They get themselves breakfast sometimes and make us breakfast sometimes, too. Amber makes lunch for the two of them occasionally. Right now they're taking a shower all by themselves.

I'm not sure when they turned the corner--the proverbial corner where they are a little more self-sufficient. I can't recall the day they started letting us sleep in or made us breakfast in bed or took their first shower--it just happened. And I am blessed to watch them grow a little more each day.

Gotta love a bargain!

2010-07-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

I got the most amazing deals at the "Second Helpings Thrift Store" in Ojai today...

Cressi-Sub fins, my size, like new, $3
O'Neill full wet suit, Amber's size, like new, $5
Nike and TYR goggles for the girls, $2.50 each
TYR swimsuit for me, like new, $3.50 (these swimsuits range from $60 to $125)
SwissGear briefcase/bag for Eric, like new, $1.50
Canvas print for the girls room, really unique, 50 cents
2 flower-print square dessert plates, 75 cents each
2 tall drinking glasses, like new, 50 cents each

I love a bargain! I think I might go there again tomorrow and see if I missed anything! He he!!

Eavesdropper

2010-07-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

The land line phone rang a lot tonight. For Eric.
When the phone was finally not in use, I went to call a friend. Then the phone rang. I waited and waited for Eric to get off the phone and Amber said, "Mom, you can use the other phone." I thought she was talking about the cell phone, but she pointed to the other land line receiver.

I said, "Amber, I can’t use that phone when Daddy is on the other one. They’re the same line."

She said, "Oh that’s right because when you’re on the phone I get the other phone out of the office and listen to what you are saying."

I was shocked and after I stopped smiling, I said, "When do you do that?"

"Last month I did," she said.

"Amber, you shouldn’t do that," I said, almost laughing. I couldn’t be as strict as I wanted to because I thought the whole thing was rather funny. She is growing smarter and more clever each day.

She reassured me by saying, "Don’t worry mom, I never tell anyone what you say."

I was finally serious and said, "That doesn’t matter, Amber. You should never listen in on a phone conversation."

"I forget what you say right afterward anyway," she said.

I don’t reveal my innermost secrets on the phone, however I still I hoped her last statement was true!

Yikes!

First Place!

2010-07-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

I just have to brag about my man. Yesterday Eric was in the "Blue Water Hunter Spearfishing Tournament" in Santa Barbara. He got First Place for bringing in three fish totalling 81 pounds. He also won the Largest Fish award for spearing a 46-pound white sea bass. We'll be eating good all summer!

A Rose by any other name...

2010-07-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is the "out-of-the-blue" conversation I had with Autumn, my 4 1/2-year-old, at the dinner table tonight.

Autumn: Mommy, I want to change my name.

Me: Why?

Autumn: I want to change it to a pretty name--a really, really pretty name.

Me: Like what?

Autumn: Rose. (That's her new friend's name.) It's pretty, like a flower. I want a flower name.

Me: We're not changing your name. Daddy and I carefully chose your name. You were born in autumn when the pretty leaves are falling from the trees.

Autumn: What does Amber's name mean?

Me: It's a color.

Autumn: I want a color name.

Silly Songs

2010-07-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

My girls have this Cd set that has a bazillion kids songs on it. Some of them are classics. Some of them are newer songs. Some of the songs just don't make sense, like Bonnie lying over the ocean or Feeling like a morning star. Seriously? They couldn't think of better lyrics! And then there are the songs that just state the obvious. For example:
"She'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes."
She will? You mean she won't be coming around the mountain when she goes? I'm glad you cleared that up for me.
How about this one:
"The grand ole duke of York, he had 10,000 men. He marched them up to the top of the hill and he marched them down again. And when they were up, they were up,"
Now way?
"And when they were down, they were down,"
Really?
"And when they were only half-way up, they were neither up nor down."
Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Backyard Treasures!

2010-07-07T21:36:00.001-07:00

Lately, we've found a lot of things in our backyard. Some of them are treasures, like the two plastic Easter eggs I found today and yesterday. Each had a dime and some stickers in the eggs (no candy) and were leftover from our Easter egg hunt in April! The girls enjoyed those treats!

Definitely not a treasure, Autumn found a bloody, dying rat on the backyard path. Eric finished him off and buried him.

The best treasure of all, in my opinion, was found today by Amber. She came running in the house to tell me that she saw a snake in the bushes by the back fence. Of course, I didn't believe her 100 percent and thought it was just the tail of a lizard that she had spotted. Upon further inspection I did see a tail--a long, skinny, orange tail and it was attached to a long snake. We watched in stillness and the snake turned around an let us have a full view of her! She was actually checking us out! She was beautiful! I think she was either a garter snake or even a corn snake. She was very long with a black head and an orange body that got deeper orange toward her tail. I just spend several minutes on Google and Wikipedia but didn't find an exact match. I tried to catch her but she was fast! I thought it would be really neat to have another pet snake, like we did seven years ago. Well, maybe we'll see her again tomorrow. She may be living in our backyard, eating the mice. That is good! But she also may be eating the lizards and frogs, and I like having those creatures around.

One last backyard treasure we've been enjoying lately is the new family of blue jays who are quite used to us now. They should be--the baby birds hatched in a nest right outside my office window. We've watched them fly for the first time and find food. They let us get close to them to throw them a crust of bread every once in awhile. It is really fun having them as our "pets." Maybe we should name them.

Being a former "big city girl," I am really enjoying all of this nature right out my back door.

Summer?

2010-07-05T12:58:00.001-07:00

It's nice fall weather we're having today. I think we skipped summer and went straight to autumn. I was having coffee with a teen friend today at an outside coffee shop in Ojai. I was wearing jeans, a jacket and a wool cap and I was still chilly. Weird! I absolutely love this kind of weather, but it is the 5th of July and by now Ojai is usually heated up. It just seems odd that I am debating putting a fire in the fireplace. I will enjoy it while it lasts!

Camp Highlights

2010-06-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

Last week Eric and I helped take a bunch of Ojai teens to a Young Life Camp in the Sierras. The week was awesome! I laughed a lot, cried a lot, talked a lot, listened a lot, walked a lot, got covered in mud, got a pie smashed in my face, climbed a 60-foot tower, got bit by a dozen mosquitoes, danced, swam, played frisbee golf, fell up a hill, counted the bruises on my body, sang silly songs at the top of my lungs, drove a sand-rail around a dusty track, dressed up in numerous costumes, made bracelets, stayed up past midnight every night, drank a lot of coffee and had the best week of my life AGAIN!

The Ojai girls!

Ready to climb the tower.

Climbing the 60-foot tower!

Christine on the climb.

Christine at the top.

Cabin Fun!

Pie-in-the-face!

The Ridge Runners (my favorite activity)!

Cowgirls!

Christine & her cowboy!

Yee-haw!

Spy night!

Christine's cabin mates!

School's Out!

2010-06-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of school for me and Amber. (Eric still has two more math lessons to teach her.) After our final lessons, we celebrated with extra games and double prizes for each winner. I also gave Amber an end-of-the-school-year gift: a strawberry shaped notebook, and I let the girls pilfer the sticker box. They had so much fun!

Below are a few pictures of the last week of school. Today we ended our sign language lessons. I have been teaching Amber and Autumn sign language, and they have learned well.

Last week Amber and I went on a nature walk along the Ojai Meadows Preserve trail and found the tiniest frogs we have ever seen. We took them back to Autumn's preschool to show the kids and then relocated them in our backyard. A week later, they're still alive. We keep seeing one of them hopping around our garden.

Friday was the homeschool group's year-end swim party. The girls had a great time.

Now it is officially summer at the Hodge Lodge. Wednesday my sister arrives from Denver and Saturday Eric and I get on a bus with a bunch of teen-agers and travel nine hours to Woodleaf, a Young Life camp in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We'll be there for a week, climbing towers and riding zip lines, getting wet and muddy, singing crazy songs and sharing our lives.

The rest of the summer will be full of reading, scrapbooking, making crafts, spearfishing, swim lessons and a whole lot of relaxing! Happy summer!

Hi, My name is Christine...

2010-06-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

I think I need to go to "Organizer's Anonymous."

Free Day

2010-05-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day in two weeks that I really felt good, so I ventured out into the "big" city of Ojai to run some errands. I went to my favorite store in town, "Second Helpings Thrift Shop," and scored some great deals on clothes and accessories that we need to take to Woodleaf in two weeks. While I was there, I saw my friend Jennel, and gave her a ride home because she doesn't drive. As we pulled into her driveway, she pointed out the five large bags of clothes that were sitting on her porch. Her sister, who happens to be my size, did some spring cleaning and was more than happy to pass her clothes on to me! If I hadn't given Jennel a ride home, I would have missed out on a sweet deal! I couldn't wait to go home and try on the clothes. I found the cutest tops and jeans and shorts and sweats. They were in such good condition, too. There were far too many clothes for me, and so I passed some of the bags on to a friend so she could have a new wardrobe, too! Then I did some spring cleaning of my own.

Later I took my girls on a walk and one of my neighbors had a bunch of things on her porch to give away. More spring cleaning and more free stuff for me! I only took what I would use:

* a set of oars, which comes in handy since we broke an oar at Catalina Island last year.
* a wooden folding chair--I have been looking for nice folding chairs for years because we entertain so much.
* a Rubbermaid set of drawers on wheels--next week I was going to buy a plastic bin to store costumes for Young Life and this is even better!
* a wet suit to loan (give) to the next high school student who wants to go surfing with Eric.
* a chalkboard for the girls to use outside.
* and a plastic sword to replace my pirate sword that Amber broke last year (my Jack Sparrow costume is complete again!)

This just goes to show you that if you wait long enough, you don't have to pay for anything, and that includes food. To end our "free day," we ate out at Farmer & The Cook gratis because Eric fixed the owner's car door and he was paid with a gift certificate.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, "If it's free, it's for me!"

Perspective: found on the sidewalk

2010-05-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

I just recovered from having the flu. I spent the last four days in bed--literally. While I lay in bed day after day, my outlook on life got grimmer and grimmer until I felt like I was in a pit of despair (no wise cracks from Princess Bride). Not only was I sick, but I had my usual headaches and there were a few other troubles thrown in the mix. It made for one hurting, crabby and very sad Christine. Until last night. I decided to surrender all of my troubles to the Lord. I had been doing that all along, but my natural tendency to control things found me taking all my troubles back.

Today I felt better--physically, emotionally and spiritually. It was the first day I felt good and so I decided to go on a walk, since I had missed a week of my morning walks. On my way back home, I saw a friend of mine and crossed the street to chat with her. I inquired about her husband, who recently had back surgery-gone-bad. She told me that he has not improved and for now he can't even walk. He can't even walk. He can't walk. I had to pause when I returned home to let that sink in. I felt pretty miserable after my inaugural walk (a touch of the flu still in my body) but I was still able to walk. I walked to the bedroom to change my clothes. I walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I walked. It put things in perspective for me. Now I'm not discounting my former feelings of despair or pain or sadness. Most of them were valid and true. But I got out of bed this morning and I can walk.

I can walk.

I can walk.

Real Conversation and Instant Communication

2010-05-14T23:29:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my husband tonight about how disconnected we, as a society, have become. With texting came easier, faster, instant communication, but at what cost? I know most of you have read the articles or heard the experts talk about how texting has fostered an inability for teen-agers to have face-to-face conversation. This is not what I am writing about.

Lately I've been disappointed with the fact that it is getting more and more difficult to have a real conversation with another adult. By "real conversation," I mean one that is uninterrupted by a phone call or a text message. More than once I have sat in a coffee shop with a friend who has checked her phone throughout our short time together. Sure, the phone is on vibrate and it isn't ringing the whole time we talk, but it is sending her little signals to check her text messages, which she so dutifully does. She assures me that she is paying attention to me and tells me to "continue" with what I am saying, but at some point it gets rather old, and I feel that what I have to say isn't really important. The truth is, it isn't.

This happens not only in the coffee shop, but it happens as I talk with people who are visiting in my home. It happens during Bible study, and yes, I have even seen people text in church. I guess what the pastor has to say isn't that important, either. At least I'm in good company.

I may have ticked off a few friends by what I wrote. After all, who am I to talk about texting, I don't even own a cell phone. On the other hand, maybe no one will read this since blogs are a thing of the past. But I really am concerned with how far we've come in this techno-savvy age we live in. Have we come so far that we've forgotten the importance of a real, uninterrupted conversation--a conversation in which both people can talk and be heard, really heard? Have we forgotten that the people who are right in front of us are--at least for those few moments--more important than the people who are on the other end of the cell phone? Instant communication has its costs, just like instant gratification, instant coffee and instant mashed potatoes.

Woodleaf Family Ministry Getaway

2010-05-10T15:15:00.001-07:00

It's been more than a week since we returned from Woodleaf, and I am finally sitting down to record some of the highlights of our 10-day stay in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This is the second year we've gone to Woodleaf, a Young Life camp, so that Eric could help the camp mechanic service and repair camp and staff vehicles. In exchange for Eric's help, we get to stay on this beautiful campus free of charge. This year, we got to stay in a home that is 100-years-old! That was fun!

While at Woodleaf, we went on walks in the woods by ourselves (me), went on walks as a family, fixed cars (Eric), homeschooled, petted horses, picnicked by the lake, picnicked on the porch, painted (the girls), fed the birds, fed the fish, took lots of pictures, found an elf, had dinner at the Gardners, had lunch at the Greshams, had dinner at the Gardners again, had lunch at the Hagenbuchs, went on a muddy walk with Becca (me), slept in, babysat the Gardner kids, went on a date (Eric & I), made a lot of crafts, went to a Ladies' Bible study, raided the Lost-N-Found, cleaned and organized the Falck House kitchen, went hot-tubing, ate ice cream at the Sugar Barrel, had a fish fry with Eric's sea bass, strengthened relationships, made dandelion wishes, stopped to smell the flowers, saw six baby goslings, saw dozens of geese, helped build a fence, built a fort in the living room, watched it rain, watched it hail, WATCHED MY GIRLS DANCE IN THE FALLING SNOW!

The 100-year-old Falck House front porch

(I failed to get a pic of the whole house!)

Dancing in the snow.

Picnic on the porch.

Painting by the lake.

The girls.

Running, running, running.

Dandelion wishes.

Amber took this adorable picture!

Daddy & his girls by the lake.

Petting the horse.

Queen of the mountain!

The Gardner and Hodge kids.

Fish fry!

Lunchtime conversation with Jimmie.

Swingin' in the woods.

Aubrey & Autumn are almost the same age!

Lucky

2010-05-09T23:23:00.001-07:00

Tonight we were joking around at the dinner table about someone being "the luckiest person on earth" and Amber said, "That's not true. Daddy was the luckiest person in the world when he got married!"

The Best Mother's Day YET.

2010-05-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today was a wonderful Mother's Day. I could go on and on about how my family spoiled me...actually I will go on and on. It started with flowers from my husband last night, then this morning Amber & Autumn let us sleep in until 8:00. When I awoke and stumbled into the hallway, I almost collided with Amber, who was carrying a plate of food to my room. Breakfast in bed included bread, a banana and yogurt--with a sweet hand-written note from Amber.

Then I got to open my hand-made cards from the girls; the cards that they made on their own with no help from dad. These girls may have a future in card-making! Autumn gave me a trinket box she made in preschool and Amber gave me a home-made necklace and also lotion & lip balm (from her own stash). Eric also made me a card, with photos of me that he cut out in the shape of hearts! After church the girls presented me with more goodies: colored pictures, and Amber brought in a beautiful bouquet of flowers from our garden.

After lunch, we went to the matinee showing of "Disney's Oceans" and sat with friends who joined us at the park afterward. Then we returned back home for a game of Sorry and dinner cooked by Eric--white sea bass!

As I sat on the living room carpet and Amber rubbed my feet (I am not making this up), I said, "This is the best Mother's Day ever!" Amber stopped rubbing my feet and said, "I say this is the best Mother's Day yet, because next year will be even better!" With a family like mine, I'm sure she's right.

Disneyland!

2010-04-17T00:16:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow Amber turns 7. Wednesday we went to Disneyland to celebrate. The weather was beautiful! It was a low-numbers day for Disney and the longest we had to wait in line was 40 minutes (to see the Princesses). Amber and Autumn were on their best behavior, not complaining at all. And we didn't spend a penny once we got inside Disneyland (we brought all of our food and drinks)! We all had a wonderful time. Amber's favorites were: the parade, seeing Mickey & Minnie, Toon Town, Pixie Hollow (where Tinkerbell lives) and seeing the Princesses. She thoroughly enjoyed Thunder Mountain Railroad, a wild roller-coaster. I really like it, too! Autumn liked the Dumbo ride, the parade, Mickey's house and the Princesses. I liked Pirates of the Caribbean, of course! Eric and I both liked seeing the excitement and joy on the girls faces all throughout the day! Below are 16 out of the 160 pictures I took (only 10 percent). Enjoy the smiling faces!

My favorite picture: the birthday girl!

The classic family Disneyland photo!

Amber going solo on her first ride!

Hi, mom!

I remember riding Dumbo as a kid!

Mickey!

Minnie!

One of Tinkerbelle's pixie friends!

Tink!

The sword in the stone!

Amber & Autumn got to dance in the parade!

Jasmine--Amber's favorite Disney Princess!

Sleeping Beauty!

Pluto!

Riding a car in Toon Town!

The drive home: she was out in 5 minutes!

Playing With a Possum

2010-04-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Today the girls were playing out back with their neighbor friend, Nathalie, when all three of them came running in the house screaming like they'd all been seriously injured. I quickly shut the door behind them, thinking our neighbor's pit bull in our back yard again. Thankfully, it was not a pit bull, but a harmless baby possum. Of course, at the time I had no idea what it was, because Autumn was the one who first saw it and labeled it a rat. I kept the girls in the house and went out back in search of the "rat" with a shovel in my hand. If you've ever seen our jungle of a back yard, you may be thinking what I was thinking, "It will be nearly impossible to find a rodent in our backyard!"

To my surprise, I found a baby possum cowering in the bushes, shaking and scared to death. I think the girls' high-pitched screams almost gave the little thing a heart-attack! I had Nathalie go get her dad and he scooped it up with the shovel and put it in a box. A man from Animal Regulations just drove away with the little creature, but not before he let me pet the baby. He said they don't bit at that age, it's all just a show when they bare their teeth. He didn't even wear gloves when he picked that possum up by the tail! I said they look cute when they're babies, and he said that we might find more of them in our backyard. Great--that means more screaming!

Seriously, though, I hope that is the last possum (baby or not) that we see in a long while.