Team Work on a windy day....

So today we have 50 mph winds with up to 85 mph gusts... needless to say everything that is outside is under a little stress. Our one wood pile that we covered from the rain became uncovered late last night. Craig was unable to secure it all by himself and left the "tie down" as a chore for Hunter today.... so after a little prep and planning he and Lexy headed out to tackle the job. Here is what that looked like!

The pictures are taken from the safety of our warm school room thru the window screen! Dad will be proud!

Wood splitting....

Dad is really excited to have a growing young man in the house, especially when it comes to splitting all the wood.

Fall Photos of kids & friends

Most of these were taken at Taylor Creek.

Salmon spawning, Taylor Creek

It was a beautiful day, and after lunch we headed to Taylor Creek on the Southwest end of Tahoe to take in the salmon run. It was the first time we had seen one and the kids were hoping to see a bear. The only one we saw was a dog that looked like a bear.

At one point you get to go under the ground and see the salmon from under the water. Really cool.

Thank you Ward family for letting us tag along. It was a wonderful time!

Prayers answered...

Craig's mom started applying for medicaid for Peter in Feb. of 2009. In September we heard that he was finally accepted! This was both good news and bad.

Good because mom's money has been running out, and at $2200/month for private care we were uncertain of what was to come. Bad because Dad had to leave a very special place we had found for him, Galena Care.

So this last Friday we packed dad up and moved him to Evergreen at Mountain Springs in Carson City. He is a little further away but still in good hands!

His Alzheimer's continues to progress but he is still able to walk on his own. He can no longer speak clearly but still smiles when we come to visit! Please continue to pray for us as we are on a very long journey with this disease!

Its that time of year....

On September 1st our family focus starts to change, the kids start to point out trees that have been cut or have fallen in the forest and we start to eye where our winter heat is going to come from! So we head down to the forest service office in Sparks, NV and purchase our wood cutting permits, then each and every weekend we go out and comb the forest floor for trees to cut up and stack. Last year we were able to heat our house all winter with wood alone! It is a substantial savings over our propane heat option!

So here is what we got yesterday! After carrying, pushing and rolling the first 9 up to the truck Hunter and I could do no more! So Craig had to carry the last 5 himself, seeing as they were getting progressively bigger as we got to the bottom of the trunk!

This should be about 1 months worth!

Canning?? I can do this!!

CANNING

Not something I have ever... but that doesn't mean I can't right?!? Well, when Craig brought 36 lbs. of pears home that were going bad, I had to do something. So while the kids sat at the kitchen table doing school, I stood in the kitchen and tried to make do with what I had in order to can properly.






The kids did not sit at the table long, they were very interested and by the time we were done we had 4 quarts of pear sauce! As the days went on we also canned applesauce and Tomatoes as well. I now have one whole shelf dedicated to our canning with still more to come!

Photo Friday.....

From here on out, I will post photo's each Friday. Just photo's no typing! Enjoy!

Ski Passes....

Well, we did wait until the last day! But after much thought and prayer we decided to get 2010 Mount Rose Ski Passes. You see, the ski area is only 3 miles from our house making it an awesome winter PE place. Mt. Rose is very family friendly and reminds me of Coper mountain in summit county Colo. before it got so big. You can park right by the lifts, bring your own lunch and they even allow you to "walk" the bunny hill with the kids! We feel so blessed to be this close and look forward to making some wonderful memories there this winter!

September 30th...our 1st snow!

Wow, was it cold last night, down to 25!


It felt great to have a fire in the fireplace again but at the same time made us nervious because we still have not cut all the firewood we will need for the winter. Time to get going on that project. Last year we did not have to start burning until early December. I wonder what we have in store for this winter!




Sorry this is so short we are heading out the door for ortho appointments and then off to buy supplies for the smoke bombs we will be building in ballistics class this week and the final stop will be at Mt. Rose to purchase our ski passes. Winter here we come!!!

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

I know I have been bad about posting.... but I have been back dating lots of posts and adding them in when I have time, so please check the older posts as they will be new to you!!!

15 Years Ago......

On this day 15 years ago I woke up to the sound of a phone ringing, it was the front desk of the Hyatt Regency, Denver Tech Center, with my "wake up" call. This was THE DAY, the one you will never forget, Our Wedding Day! I left 3 sleeping friends as I went to get my hair and nails done with Mom & Mom-in-law. Only to return to a flurry of ladies getting ready. We had to be at the church by one for pictures before the service at three. As I tried to eat lunch I wondered if everything was going to turn out just right???? But that thought only lasted a moment because we had too much to do. I remember being on top of the world, almost floating thru the rest of the day it was so wonderful. I remember walking down the isle, only for my husband and praying together before everyone arrived. I remember the long kiss and embrace on stage at the front of the church that made everyone in the crowd laugh. I remember it being the hottest day of summer that year in Denver at 106. I remember our limo breaking down, several times on the way to the church and the reception because it kept overheating. Also, all the family and friends we were able to share this special day with!!!

And lastly I remember each one of our beautiful children that we have added to this special union and look forward to the many more years we will be blessed with!

I hope all of you enjoy the pictures and maybe some of you are glad you did not know us then....otherwise you would be pictured here today!

Horses, Horses and More Horses

This is what happens when you let your kids take a few picture with your digital camera. They love the horses at Mom & Dad's!!!!!!