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Yesterday I visited my local Do It Center and picked up an herb growing kit made by Ferry-Morse, with these cute little pots. This is something I've been wanting to do for a while and because of laundry, a two year old, t.v. shows, dinner duties (and lunch and breakfast), nail biting, and many other nobel distractions, have put it off until now.
The kit included basil, oregano, and parsley and I purchased a packet of mint because I couldn't have an herb garden with the tasty and aromatic mint!
Anders had fun watching me put the seeds in the dirt and even sprinkled a few himself. 
Now let's just hope they sprout! If not we'll try the experiment all over again so that I can revel in fresh herbs!

As I re-did my blog I began thinking about Christmas and what it means to us.  I've been reading Luke and in Chapter 1 verse 67 an old man named Simeon rejoiced when he saw the baby Jesus and said, 

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, A light for the revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory to your people Israel."

The Holy Spirit had come to Simeon and promised that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ the Messiah. What a remarkable day for this man to see the promised Messiah!

It's amazing to me that not everyone would know the power of this moment in history (They soon will!). To many people the story doesn't pack the same punch as it should. This little baby would become the last sacrifice. The lamb that was slain for the forgiveness of our sins.  The whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth as a baby, was to not only experience what we as humans go through but to be the perfect sacrifice that was needed to heal the relationship between God and man. 

This is good news!

This is our first real rainy day of the season. Anders likes to climb up on the window seat and watch it pour.  According to Chris this is just a light rainy day in Cincinnati!

Since this blog also is used for documenting Anders life I had to sit down and think about what he has been doing lately and what I want to remember when this stage has passed.

In the last couple of weeks, I've been giving him a bit more freedom to ride his tricycle up and down the walkway in front of our door while I'm cleaning or cooking dinner. I can see him and hear him and I leave the front door wide open. I've set some boundaries as to where he is allowed to go etc.... next to the path is a little hill with ground cover plants on it. There are usually swarms of happy bees pollinating the flowers on this hill. But in the late afternoon they've gone back to their hives and there aren't any bees on the hill. So, a couple of days ago Anders was hitting golf balls around and he happened to hit one up the hill into the foliage. I was watching this from inside and I saw him contemplate going up and then looking back to see if I was going to shout some directions to him.

  He wanted the ball but was unsure about entering unknown territory especially with all of my strict guidelines about where he could and couldn't go. He didn't see me so he started doing something else. I thought about how I want him to be a bit adventurous and how good it is for little boys to feel like they accomplished something dangerous, so I wandered out and suggested that he go up the hill and get the ball. I climbed halfway up and then spotted him as he climbed up. I could tell that he was trilled to be able to do something kind of adventurous and to step in all of those plants! It's a steep little hill so of course I told him to come and get me when he has to get another golf ball so I can watch him. The rest of the afternoon he was hitting "slap shot" balls up the hill. Eventually the tricycle was re-discovered and I could get back to vacuuming.

Here are a few funny words or phrases that I have to document for my own purposes. 

Honey dew melon - "blum blum"

Blueberries are still "baboos"

Milk is "mulk"

Water is "wawa'

He says "lovely", "darn", "shoot" "poo poo cow", and "oh noooo baaaad!" about anything off kilter.

Lately before bed he starts demanding "wii time! wii time!!" He is a good audience and cheers us on. If we are playing Tennis he'll yell "love!" or "deuce!" And golf gets the cheer of "birdie!!". He always claps for us as well. We're trying to teach him but it hasn't quite caught on yet.

 

Tonight I was looking for a dvd of a fireplace that we like to break out around Christmas (sad apartment living). I couldn't find it but Anders would go over to the various places we keep dvd's or cd's and with much enthusiasm say "Flower place, Ohhhh found it! Wow...... hmmmmm nooo". I guess that's what I sound like when I'm looking for things!

The fun of being two has brought on new words like "lettgo!" and "no mine!". my favorite is saying "share" while clutching the item tightly to his chest and glaring at the poor person he doesn't want to share with.

Our friends have nine kids and Charlie who is one, is the youngest. She and Anders have a special relationship where they are either hugging or fighting. I hear a lot of "Chalie, noooo hit mmm push noooo." We are really working on being nice to our friends, sharing, not pushing or hitting or kicking. This really is a fun age..... 

Chris and I are getting  a lot of cuddles which is VERY pleasant. Anders likes to be read to while snuggling up on the couch next to either of us. He likes being "cozy" and playing rough. He likes to be all together on the weekends and prefers for both Chris and I to put him down to bed. He asks for "desus" (Jesus loves me), "tar" (twinkle twinkle little star) and "b" (abc song). One night he asked for "moon" song so Chris and I started singing "moon moon moon moon, moon moon moon moon" starting out slow and then getting progressively faster. It's not a classic yet but he still asks for it. 

We love our little red head!

Here is an interesting article I found while googling "tips from living through the Great Depression". 

I was talking to my mom this afternoon about frugality and my Grandpa's mom (Edna Seelye). She and her sister Anna Bell were so careful and frugal and creative at the same time. They made it through the Depression and seemed to thrive while doing it.  They created beautiful things around themselves and knew how to make a lovely meal (always with some kind of dessert) on very little. 

I personally am a person of excess. I have never liked or looked for the challenge of making something out of nothing. I don't like crafts or sewing very much and in makes me squirm when I have to make a budget. Of course that has changed a bit over time because a budget is a neccessity and now that I am no longer a free wheeling single gal I have come to understand a little better the value of money. I learn most everything the hard way and money issues are no exception.

But.....there is a part of me that really likes an adventure. Even if it's uncomfortable it's something new. I like "something" to be happening. It gives me a thrill to move, change jobs, start projects learn a new skill etc.... I also have a deeply buried desire to survive.... to work for what I eat and live on. It quickens my spirit to scramble a bit, to feel like I need to pull off something important, like daily living. 

Lately Chris and I have been discussing different options for our finances. One of the options was for me to work a bit and try and pull in some extra cash. I am now working on Saturdays cutting hair.  The other option is to sell one of our cars. It would eliminate a car payment and it would enable us to put some money towards some unwanted debt. This plan is still in the works but the more we think about it the better it sounds. As good as it sounds I realize that it would be inconvenient(said in a sing songy drama voice).... I am not very used to inconvenience.

 I figure that it will be a good opportunity to nurture my deeply buried survivalist instincts and maybe awaken a bit more creativity. 

hmmm maybe I'll hide some chickens on our patio and start weaving tunic style dresses out of hemp....

For any of the women that may read my blog, I just stared a new "beauty blog" where I review products and discuss beauty related topics.  The address is ggbeautyblog.blogspot.com.  

I have always been a product junkie and so I figured that I could put all of this expensive knowledge in one place and maybe help someone else find just the right thing! 

Chris' Grandpa passed away today. He was a good man who I was so lucky to get to meet and spend time with. He was an electrician and after Hiroshima he went in with a number of other good men to re-wire the whole city.  He was 90 years old on October 12, the same day as Chris' 36th birthday and luckily Chris was able to have a good conversation with him that day.

We will miss you Grandpa Thompson.

I added a couple of blogs to my blog roll. Before I did this I wondered if I should because they are more on the "controversial" side of things. I realized that if I knew about these blogs, I've been following them from brother-in-law Will's blog, then I needed to make these known to those who I care about.  I would encourage you my esteemed reader to have a look-see especially at Constance Cumbey's blog. She has been a researcher of the New Age movement since around 1981. Constance is a lawyer from Detroit and has a knack for digging up interesting information about well.... you'll see. 

I think that now is a good time to see what is happening in the world and how that will possibly affect Christians. I had a thought recently, it was in regards to Prop 8 but it applies to much of the anti-Christian sentiments lately. I realized that "the noose is tightening" around Christians necks.  Saying that there is only one way to God through Jesus is becoming quite upsetting to the world. It always has been an uncomfortable reality but as of late strength is building against that belief and anyone who believes that there is only one way to God and it's Jesus, is seen as narrow minded, judgmental, etc.... I'll post the link to the you tube video of Oprah one more time as an example of New Age thinking and it's impact on Christians. (Warning: Super cheesy tone to this video)

 In John 14:16 Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but through me." 

Scripture warns us that this Gospel would be offensive to many.

 So, in the words of a popular roller coaster ride announcer "Hang on to your hats and glasses folks! This here is the wildest ride in the wilderness!"

Anders was loaned a tricycle from Grammy and PaPa (my Grandparents). He has found a way to ride it without sitting on the seat or pedaling. Pretty inventive and cute looking!

So, we have a boy that likes things to be just so. If we say we are going to do one thing and then the circumstances happen to change, watch out! If I am driving and need to do a U-Turn I can expect a royal freak out from the back seat. Every once in a while I pull into a parking place and then see one open up closer, or I will need to adjust my parking job so I have to back up for a second. Instant drama. 

I looked up the term "unwavering" and some of the other descriptions were, "steadfast, resolute, determined, persistent".  

Every once in a while I'm going to post about something Chris and I like to call "Things we've lost because of litigation."

Today the item I would like to highlight is the home pool diving board. These are a rare thing indeed because, well, it's possible to get hurt on them. People would try something stupid and low and behold, a broken nose. Then the insurance claim and maybe a lawsuit would follow the possibilities are endless! Of course these accidents were fairly rare but where does that leave us? With less summer fun and more diving off the side of the pool which has the ability to be even more dangerous! 

Ahhh, the things we have lost because of litigation.

I appreciate the explanation of this little video describing prop 8 and what it's affects would be.  

I know that most people who read this blog will most likely vote Yes on Prop 8 but if you are on the fence and are hearing that this is an equal rights issue then research a little more to find out what it's all about. This video is helpful but I recommend finding out more on your own.

I know that everyone in my family and extended family has strong opinions about politics (and religion) and that is a really good thing. I appreciate this so much and feel lucky to be in family and to have friends with strong view points and opinions. It keeps me thinking about what I believe and why I believe it. 

As a Christian I feel obligated to act on a few things politically. The main ones are

- Freedom of religion (this is huge)

- Protection of the innocent (this is why I feel so strongly about abortion)

- Capitalism (this is a weird one because CAPITALISM is almost a dirty word lately, but I believe that having a society that encourages competition financially and has the ability to grow can also do more good for the poor and helpless than a society where everyone is kept 'equal' by Socialism. It never works out like the idealistic formula.)

Lately I have felt like these fundamentals have been challenged. People don't see them as important and kind of scoff at the "idealism" that they perceive in believing in these things. I believe that much of this has to do with postmodernism and seeing things as all relative. There is a hopelessness in this and it kills me to see it.

What we believe matters. It affects how we see the world and how we see God. It also affects how we relate to the world around us and God.

America has made it's mistakes but it has mostly been a force for good in the world. And the reason for this? Freedom, defense of the innocent and yes, capitalism. 

I mean, without America would we have computers, cameras, cars, space ships, light bulbs, airplanes, and any thing else that was invented or discovered in the last 150 years in America? This country has encouraged and championed entrepreneurship, humanitarian work, missionary service, big and small business. It has given the freedom for more cults to be formed, more churches to meet, fashion fads, entertainment galore. America's citizens (and non-citizens) have been able to prosper and thrive enough so that we can share our wealth, good ideas and bad with the world. 

I guess in writing this I want to challenge the Anti-American words that I keep hearing whispered and shouted lately. It's on t.v. it's on bumper stickers and t-shirts. And, I hear it in the cynicism of my peers. I want this to be out there whether it's read or not. I feel that these things need to be said if not shouted.

We had some fun with our friends John and Annie tonight. They came over and brought our favorite thin crust barbecue chicken pizza from Sharky's with them. Yum! And they indulged Anders who just thinks that Annie is the best thing since macaroni and cheese. Since the last time we saw them which was about a month ago Anders will randomly say "Annie?" and look around expectantly. When we went to a restaurant that we had been to with them he freaked out with excitement about seeing ANNIE! And of course was disappointed by not seeing her upon entering. So, needless to say he was thrilled to have Annie in person tonight and he also realized that John was pretty fun as well.  He practiced saying "John, John, John etc...." quite a bit.

After Anders was put to bed we watched Transformers which I was happily surprised by. I never would have chosen to see a movie about machines but I had heard it was good and it was. There was enough relationship and action to keep me interested. 

I thought I'd post a couple of pictures from our evening. 

Today we took some family photos and we had the privilege of having them taken by Dana Fineman. She is an amazing photographer who has done many covers for various magazines and has photographed many celebrities and she was doing this as a fund raiser for my MOPs group. (lucky us!)  She captured some really nice pictures of our family (unfortunately we didn't look like some of the celebrity clientele that she has shot) and some really sweet ones of Anders.  The best part about this is that we get to keep the disk and do with the pictures what we want! So of course I had to put a sample on the blog.

Here is a link to my Aunt Mary's blog. She is a new blogger and I've enjoyed keeping up with her blog since she started.  Her current post has a couple of funny video's of Anders from when she was out here to visit on Wednesday.  

Ever since we have moved I feel like we have had way more visitor's and I love it! It has been so enjoyable to have people stop by and just hang out. We need a couple of comfy chairs in the living room to lounge on but other than that I feel like we have the space to have people over.

So, remember to let us know if you are passing by on the 101 so that you can stop in to our little "hobbit hole".

Chris brought home a large box of Icelandic Glacial Water from the concert on Sunday. On the box it says that it is a "Carbon Neutral" product.  This statement, we decided is one of the funniest and most pretentious things we've heard. First of all is it environmentally friendly to bottle glacier water? I mean it's the glaciers that are melting from global warming and we're bottling it in plastic and shipping it across the world and then trucking it to various stores all the while using many forms of energy, gas, coal etc... so that someone can feel good about themselves! I mean isn't it more carbon neutral to just drink tap water? Or even Arrowhead water? 

So, I know that eating local is the big thing right now and for good reason but shouldn't we be pushing the concept of drinking locally too?

In the mean time I'll sip this lovely looking water and wonder if this is what Iceland tastes like?

So, I got to go to the K.D. Lang concert on Sunday night. That was really amazing and I really enjoyed the music. It's been quite a while since I have seen a concert and this one was one of the best that I've seen. It was put on by KCRW the NPR station for L.A., and the auditorium seats about 500. I was on the far left in the front so my view of the stage was pretty decent. It was really informal and the band did some "old timey" music with the 40's style mic and a hand accordion as well as some banjo, stand up base, and dulcimer. It was very eclectic.

Of course Chris was helping to man the sound booth so I didn't get to sit with him which was a bummer but we were able to enjoy it together anyways.

There has been  a fire burning in Porter Ranch (maybe 10 miles from us) since yesterday and last night there was some concern that the wind might pick it up and bring it our way. Luckily things stayed fairly calm and we didn't have to evacuate at 3 in the morning. I had bags packed just in case. Now we're just hoping things stay calm and contained because if the wind picks up the fire will spread even faster. It's already burned well over 1000 acres.

I'm sure I'll post something if things change.

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                     HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!

It was 5 years ago this weekend that Chris and I met. What a special weekend that was! So, Happy Birthday to a loving and thoughtful husband and a wonderful dad!

We love you!

I am sitting here waiting for Chris and Anders to hop off to their Saturday morning sports class so I can curl up on the couch and read my book! I am really enjoying these Saturday mornings and the much needed respite that comes along with them. 

Chris and I are going to finally have a date tonight and we now have a list of three potential babysitters that we can call if need be. Big answer to prayer! Tomorrow is Chris birthday but he will be working all day at a K.D. Lang concert. I guess that he will be supervising the sound equipment and such. It will be a very easy day since there is already a sound guy that comes with K.D. Lang.  Chris just gets to be the point guy for the building. 

It's a bummer that he has to work on his birthday but he is happy to make a little extra and couldn't turn down the opportunity.

While Chris is working I'll be doing hair at the house. There is a couple in our church that are getting married next week and needed cuts and color. So, I'll be turning our guest bathroom into a salon for a couple of hours. 

So here I'll say HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS a day early!

If you are going to vote this year please Vote YES on Prop. 8.  This will affect families for years to come.

Watch this video and read about Prop. 8! 

Sorry to post a political blog but these things really do matter and they change the course of history. 

Today we braved the 98 degree weather and  headed out to Underwood Farms in Moorpark. Our Wednesday play group was meeting there for a hay ride and some good Fall fun.  It was so dreadfully hot that we left by 11:30 just to get out of the heat. It felt good to get home to our cool house and get a big glass of water! Anders loved the tractor ride and he thought that the "pumps" were very interesting. We even got to pick out to small "pumps" and bring them home! He wanted to help me carry one of the bags inside and made a big deal about how "HEAVY" it was.

When we got home we had mac n' cheese, asparagus and grapes. I realized that Anders wasn't getting enough greens when I came out to the patio the other day and saw him bite into one of the palm leaves. When he saw me he said "lunch!". Hmmmm I know that we call broccoli "trees" but I didn't think he would think that he could eat all trees! That night we had broccoli and he cleaned his plate.

I've been trying to update my blog the last couple of days with a video I took of Anders playing one of his favorite games. He lines up a few cups and then bowls with a little ball. He has been enjoying "games" and asks me to play with him. It's a pretty fun stage. 

Last week I started MOPS put on by Malibu Presbyterian church. They really know how to put on an event and we had a lovely brunch overlooking the ocean. Each place had a little gift bag with Kiel's product samples some Bed Head hairspray and a folder containing advertisements for a local upscale spa. It was a funny experience coming from a very down to earth regular sort of existence and stepping into this tanned, wealthy, scarf wearing community.  Of course the women are all in the same boat as me as far as being a mom and dealing with all of the joys and challenges that that entails and most of them are believers so it felt fairly comfortable in that way.

Anders and I also go to a "mommy and me" play day on Wednesdays with some of the same moms and that has been really enjoyable. Anders gets a kick out of circle time and even says his name (very quietly) when we go around the circle to introduce ourselves. 

When we first moved here I started out by looking up every fun thing to do in the area and have tried to do as much of them as possible. We have found some fantastic parks and indoor play areas as well as the library and the beach. We do something almost everyday but sometimes it is nice just to stay home and play.

Chris and I are DYING for a date night but as of yet haven't found any babysitters. That is our next priority! I realize that it's been kind of difficult to always be parents and not have much time together alone. We do go out as a family but many times there is the stress of having a active and slightly moody two year old and we have had a couple of tense meals out where we had to leave early just so that we didn't lose our cool. So, hopefully in the next couple of weeks we'll find some nice high school or college girl to rescue us!

Other than that all is going well. Chris is thankful for his job and is just on his way home from work as I write this. This week has been really busy and he has been pretty tuckered out. We really look forward to the weekends lately.  Tomorrow Chris takes Anders to his "little sportster class" while I get to enjoy some time alone. Nice!

I have felt compelled lately to watch what is going on in the world and to rely on Jesus as a strong tower through difficult seasons. 

Here is a link to a post that brother-in-law Will wrote back on February 18 of this year. I just thought it might be a comfort to know that God knows the future and provides a place of safety and rest for His children.

God is good. He is good all the time.

Here are a few more pictures of our fun day today.

So today was Anders and Chris' first day of "my little sportster" class. I went along to take some pictures and of course hollered a little from the side lines. They are learning how to kick a soccer ball and hit a t-ball. I'm sure there will be some other skills to learn as well. The class was pretty chaotic and the poor girl who was running it had a pretty quiet voice and didn't seem to feel comfortable telling people what to do.  Hopefully next week will be a little more organized. 

After class we went to grab some breakfast and then headed over to the Paramount ranch. The Paramount ranch is basically a set built to look like an old fashioned looking town and it was used in a ton of old western movies. 

There used to be a train track and a train on location but was moved quite a while back. There is still a very realistic train station and platform. The whole time Anders kept talking about a train and he thought we were going to get on a train! Since it was close to 100 degrees outside we sat down at some picnic tables under a nice covered area. We told Anders that the train wasn't here anymore and that we weren't going to see a train today.  He climbed up on the picnic tables and walked back and forth all the while having a conversation with himself. It went something like this. "old train...new train...on?? noooo! hmmmm, train old? Yeah. no train. New?? hmmmm...."

We were trying not to laugh but it was sweet and funny to hear him try and work out the dilemma of not being able to see a train today.

So, Chris and I were chatting last night and I was telling him something about the day regarding Anders and a bottle. He gets this smug smile on his face so of course I stop and ask him what is so funny! He then points out that he has never heard me use the correct past tense form of "drink". It turns out that whenever I refer to something that has been drunk I say......"drank'n" like "after he had drank'n it all up he didn't want any more"......I'm blushing just writing this!

 

Now, I grew up reading a lot, going to private school, having parents that were educated and who loved to read and are both articulate writers and yet here it is, "drank'n".

So, if any of you who see me catch me using this term, please stop me and correct this horrible mangling of the English language!

Well, all a ya'll folks out thars, i'd betta go and git me somma that there moonshine yonder and drinks it all up! A'n after I've drank'n it all up Im's gonna go and skin me some possum!

Hear is a little silent movie for those family members that live far away. Jumping on the bed is a new thing and although we think it's kind of funny I think it's going to do the crib in one of these days! The crib is already a bit wobbly.

Our camera doesn't record sound unfortunately. I was asking him if he wanted to go to the park and of course he wanted to and mentioned that he wanted tennis at the park. 

Here are a few little quirks about our new place in Calabasas. 

- A downstairs corner apartment next to the parking lot. We get lots of talking late at night about 9 feet from  our heads. One of the conversations went something like this (at 2 in the morning). "hey man, that was fun let's do that again sometime! @$#@ yeah, N!$@#r! Oh man! I'd better get home or my wife's gonna kill me! Maybe I can sneak in and say I fell asleep on the couch! @#$%!"

Charming to say the least.

- Lots of bees on the pathway leading up to our door. Anders say's "scuse me!" I taught him to give the bees space so that they can make honey. =)

- A thief(s) in the neighborhood. Anders tricycle was stolen from in front of our door during dinner last week. Yesterday I came out and noticed that the car next to mine had had it's window broken into. I guess they couldn't see anything valuable in my car under all of the stuff!

Yesterday Anders came up to me and shrugs his shoulders, throws up his hands and says dobedoo? ohhhh, doobedoo, sad... New??

Doobedoo means tricycle, bicycle or motorcycle in our house.

Other than these little bumps we are really, really loving our place. It's convienent to friends out here, it's pretty and rural feeling. The parks are incredible. We have a washer and dryer. The list could go on!

Since we now live 15 minutes from a good beach I decided to take Anders down last week. I realized that he really had never been to the beach to play in the water! He had more fun than I expected and he still talks about it.

It was my first time taking a child to the beach by myself so I learned a few things like, don't forget the cooler in the car, bring a chair, bring some kind of talc powder to prevent sand/diaper chaffing, bring fresh water for rinsing afterwards and lastly, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best beach food!

Kristy Caver and I took our boys to Disneyland two weeks ago so here are a few of those pictures. The highlight for Anders was the Winnie the Pooh ride and getting to meet Winnie the Pooh IN PERSON. I'll include the picture of Anders looking up at me in line with the look on his face that say's "what? I get to actually walk up to Pooh and hug him????" It was pretty fun. =0)

Here are a few random pictures of our new place. It has taken WAY too long for us to finally find the cord that makes this possible so I have a lot of photos  to go along with all that we've been up too lately.

We recently had our friends Mike and Denise over with their one year old son Gus. Anders loves him and they get along fairly well. Gus is big for one so he can hold his own if Anders plays like a two year old.

Below is a picture of the park that is just down the street from our apartment. It is a lovely walk and the view is so pretty.


These pictures don't really do our space justice so hopefully I can take a some better ones later and post them. 

We really love it here and are so happy that we moved. 

I had to post this hilarious satirical article that Chris read to me this morning. If you are a baby boomer you will find it either really hilarious or slightly offensive. Although I think that any of the baby boomers that read this blog will find it funny. 

Here is the link.

(disclaimer - All of the baby boomers that I personally know do not fit with the "hippy" stereotype. This article is completely for fun....)