How He Ticks

New Stuff

2010-09-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Down to 239.8. Little by little....Busy busy busy

week 3 down

2010-09-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Weighed in at 243.2 this morn...less than 100 pounds to go....will write more later

End of week one

2010-08-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

Wigh in today...251.2 Thats a ten pound loss in first week. I wish I could lose that every week. It will drop to about four pounds in second week then about 2 pounds a week from then on. Always lose water weight in the first week.

That Time Again

2010-08-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

Gonna start a new diet. Just that time again. Fun Fun Fun. Kids are doing great. L wants to be just like her big sister. K the baby wants to follow his siblings everywhere but still puts everything in his mouth. K the 5 yr old loves school and her new teachers. C always loves school. J is enjoying hos new teacher and loves his new dog. E is a big 7th grader now, hard to believe, He is growing up which causes some friction with him and J but thats brothers. Kris is loving her new job. I am still trying to find one. If I could close a big house deal that would help too of course. LIFE IS GOOD>>>>>GOD IS GREAT

Fini

2009-06-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

The hard part is finished. Finally... I am sure Kris will post pics soon, but the stone patio is done. After the third trip to HD for more sand (36 bags total), I finished screeding and levelling the patio area last night. I then started setting my stones. I finally finished at about 10:30 last night. I admit for a first timer it looks pretty good. I do have to find some gravel or something to fill the cracks between the stones, but thats easy stuff. I also am going to pour a concrete berm at the end of the pavers to help prevent washout of the sand. But IT LOOKS GOOD.

Lots of fun

2009-06-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

I know its been a bit. Kris has kept you up on most things though. Finally almost done with the front yard. The grass is also getting to be a much richer green color. Been working with E on his mowing skills. His bike riding skills are improving greatly. E officially graduated from cub scouts to boy scouts last night. He received his Arrow of Light last night. This is the Highest award a cub scout can obtain and the only cub scout award that can be on his boy scout uniform. J got his tiger cub badge last night so he will officially be a wolf next year. He is so proud of himself. C gets to be a tiger next year. Kris even got a ribbon for her assistance. K is still lovin ballet. L wants to do everything everyone else does. The unborn is kicking I hear. I start my training next Wednesday night. Day Camp starts next week.

Been a while

2009-05-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...Its about time. What have we been up to? Not necessarily in this order. Kris is off work until after baby comes. So nice being able to relax with her at night. I finally got my Real Estate brokers license, something I've wanted to do for a long time. The kids only have a few weeks of school left. E will be in middle school next year. E still loves electronics. J has his drawing. C likes Video games but also plays Tball. K is my little ballerina. L pretends to sing and dance. We started at a new church Saturday night. They have a real good kids program. They have the same service three times...Saturday night, and twice more on Sunday morning. We will probably go to the Saturday night one mostly. The kids were not real excited about going when we pulled up Saturday night except for J. When it was time to go home they did not want to leave. The youth pastor apologized that on Saturday Nights they kept all the kids together the wholetime for Children's church because it was a much smaller crowd than Sunday. Funny thing the place was packed for a smaller crowd. If you want to read about the place check out www.considercornerstone.com . We finally finishedthe planting in front of our living room window where we have a flagstone pathway. It looks nice. I am sure pics are coming on Kris' site. We added some Ribbon Grass, SeaOats, and Plumeria. Now just the paver patio and a couple plants in front of that and the front will be finished. I did finally get to moms and fix her timer and rewire her panel..Sorry it took so long mom. We hada very nice visit with mom and dad and the BBQand chili were great. Well thats all I can think of at the moment.

Leaky toilet

2009-03-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

Question...How long does it take to fix a leaky toilet. Answer...I dont know its still leaking.

About three weeks ago I started working on the tank on my toilet in the master bath. I could see the shank washer between the flapper and tank had worn a lot so I just figured I'd remove the tank and replace it. I bought the part and took the tank off the stool. Thats when I realized the tank bolts had rubber washers that were wearing too as well as a washer on the line that leads to the tank. So the next day back to HD and pick up those parts. When I wenrt to work on it that evening I discovered the nut on the bottom of the tank had not been hand tightened but wrench tightened. If youve done this then you realize most people dont have a wrench that large lying around, and of course I am some people. SO IT SAT. Yup disassembled. I was going to finish up the next weekend, but that was the weekend of my sisters FIL's funeral. Finally, last weekend, I bought all new internals and washers, and a wrench, and got to work. I got everything replaced and fixed, put it back together, cleaned the bathroom up and voila, it worked, that is until I noticed the small pool of water forming towards the back corner. i am hoping i just need to tighten the flapper nut a little more.

Thats my weekend HOWS YOURS>>>

Big Day

2009-02-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well, today is the big day. Father daughter dinner dance at the Refuge. Kiara is so excited. It should be a lot of fun. The refuge is the name of a nice restaurant here in Yuba city. Got our taxes back...now we can pay off the Explorer...Lot of good thatll do as the kids are just getting to big for it. We are gonna have to get either an Expedition or a Suburban. Used of course. No van before anyone says it. Kris would shoot me. AND A BELATED HAPPY 1ST TO L...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BOY

2009-01-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

CAYLUM is 6 today. He thinks he owns the world. I hope you have an awesome day buddy. You will always be one of my babies. I love ya buddy. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY>

Come see the presents

2008-12-16T14:29:00.001-08:00

I have probably posted about this one before, but it bears repeating.

It had to be in the 1970's as we lived on A street.

Charles woke me up about 3 am Christmas morning. " Ken you should see all the presents out there." He'd been peeking. He started describing the haul we were gonna get come early morn. I believe he had a bike out there, walkie talkies, and assorted other goodies. As he described more, I couldn't keep it in any longer. " i want to see". I imagine he struggled with the idea for a bit, It was one thing to describe what he saw but to take his little brother out there and let him peek too, that could land him in all sorts of hot water. Of course he finally gave in, he was ghonna take me to see what gifts were out there. " Don't just run out there I'll take ya and we don't want to wake mom or dad. So we started heading down the hall, but just as i reached the "promised land" I felt his hands suddenly reach around and cover my eyes. Now at this house you could walk through our living room to the kitchen and circle back out the hall and back toward the bedrooms. This is exactly what we did too. The whole time his hands imprisoning my eyes as I am sure I struggled to be free so I could see the presents too. Didn't get to see them until the next morning.

I guess Charles felt he kept his promise to me yet still kept himself out of too much hot water.

Candy Making

2008-12-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

Not a lot going on here just a lot of working. It is Candy making season though. I made some fudge for the kids last Friday. Yesterday I made walnut Brittle. The brittle was pretty good. I had my pans keeping warm in the oven while I made the candy on the stove. I followed the directions to a T. After getting the candy up to 300 degrees I had Kris pull the pans out I turned the heat off the stove mixed in the final ingredients and spread the brittle out between the two pans. The one pan started hardening up right away but the other didn't want to seem to set up.
Only when it started bubbling did we realize we had set the pan on the hot burner.

Still turned out ok though

Friends and Family

2008-11-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

We had a nice weekend. After work on Saturday we went to my parents to visit with my Aunt and Uncle. They were here visiting from Arkansas. Its always wonderful visiting with them. The kids had a blast too. C wouldn't stop rough housing with Uncle Coy. My Aunt said shes been having such a nice time visiting with her sister (my mom). All shes wanted to do is cook. My mom does love to cook. She doesn't taste test her own cooking though. Uncle Coy helped with there garage conversion too. Its looking good. My Uncle Roy called while I was there, so I got to talk to him a little bit. Hopefully we can get back there to see everyone soon. While we were there my friend Mark and Janel were there visiting for a little bit too. They adopted a handicapped baby. The baby is three now. He gets around though. Very happy little boy. It was great seeing them too. We usually catch up to Mrk and his wife around the holidays every year. The kids helped make apple dumplings. I am not a big fan of cooked apples, but they did look and smell great. Especially when it was topped with a rum sauce. Plus there was Ice Cream Kris' favorite. She found a spoon just her size too. I am sure you can imagine. Unfortunately Kris had to work last night and I had to work this morning so we had to get back home yesterday. She did get a couple hours sleep last night before she had to go to work.
Now its time to start planning our Thanksgiving meal. We are not ham eaters nor that much into turkey. Maybe this year we will stray a little and do something unique. We'll see.

A post about nothing

2008-11-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Big Bro

2008-11-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

Heres to a very happy birthday to Charles. Hope you have a great one.

Random Thoughts...Literally

2008-10-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

Been busy times at our house. Kris finished a 7 straight night run at work Sunday night. I did overhauls on kids rooms as far as cleaning putting away toys, organizing movies. We caught up all the laundry, trying to stay ahead of it. Its the putting away thats a pain. The kids have more clothes than drawers.

E goes to his environmental camp next week. a little anxious around our house.

I prefer the King James Version of the Bible to other versions I have read from.

Mondays here

2008-10-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

It was a good weekend. Went to a halloween party Saturday night. Lots of fun. Then did some cleaning Sunday morning. Mom and dad came by Sunday afternoon and stayed for supper.

Tonight Kris goes back to work, thats no fun. Seems like we have to rush to feed the kids and get them in bed, so we can get the baby to sleep before she leaves. Then I am waking up in the morning and getting ready when she gets home and takes back over. She doesn't get to sleep though because by then its time to get kids off to school.

The diets going well so far. I am down 41 pounds since Aug. 4th. Kris has lost weight also. Not that she really had much to lose.

We are still taking turns reading to the kids from the Bible. They don't let us forget. E and J have been learning about jesus and John while K and C have been learning from Genesis. (I figure need to stress creationism as both major candidates believe in evolution.)

The weather has been great. I love the high 70s and low 80s. perfect weather.

Saturday yay...

2008-10-18T15:02:00.001-07:00

Its Saturday. Kris doesn't work again until Mon night. We have our yearly Halloween party tonight at Ben and Hollys. Always a lot of fun with lots of games.

Customer left the store a little while ago after leaving a deposit for an in stock pool. Its been a long drought since the last sale. Thats why had to lay off two very good workers and friends yesterday.

Kris picked up our costumes. I don't think this one will have as much of an impact as people are used to. Pics will come tomorrow I am sure.

Friday?

2008-10-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Its Friday. For some people I guess. Have a Halloween party tomorrow night. That should be fun.

I laid off two employees today. Lack of work. Not any fun there. Not just employees but friends with families to support.

Kids are still doing great. L sleeping better and better every night. I think she has got used to when momma get home and sleeps until close to then.

E woke me up this morning and said there was something green glowing on his bed next to his pillow. Me being the protecting father that I am did what any great dad would do. "well move your pillow to the other end of the bed and I will check it out in the morning." Just light from something I am sure.

Good nights

2008-10-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

L has pretty much slept all night the last two nights. So nice.

E may need glasses. Kris is gonna take him to Sears soon and have his eyes checked.

All the kids are doing well though. They are all good kids too. Big Hearts.

Work stinks. I have to lay off 2 guys tomorrow. Both have families to provide for. Where's their bailout? LOL

Monday it is

2008-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

ITs Monday again. I Know God gives us our Mondays so that we can truly understand our Fridays. Whatever day they fall on for you.

Kris was off last night.. Shes off again tonight. We both get rest that way.

Really didn't do much this weekend. To cold and windy for kids to be outside. Kris was catching up on rest all day. Mostly just caught up on some of our shows we like to watch but don't get to for various reasons.

Kris made the kids tortilla pizzas for dinner last night..They only ate about 4 a piece. LOL

Sunday Sunday

2008-10-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

Yay!! Kris is home for next couple nights. Shes gettin a little extra sleep right now. I am sure she is thrilled too. I got up and fixed the kids some eggs this morning. K3 wanted cereal and milk though.Drinking my morning coffee. Now I am talking about actual coffee, not a glass full of creamer with a hint of coffee flavor. The closest I come to that is either buying flavored coffee beans or I put a couple lids of extract in the pot.

Sheri.

You happy now. You got mentioned.

J suddenly has this great interest in drawing and coloring. Hes always grabbin a pad and some pencils and crayons . Certainly didn't get an artistic side from me.lol...

Later all

Good News from Washington

2008-10-11T11:20:00.001-07:00

My brother and his wife got some good news finally. God is good. Now hopefully they make the most of this opportunity. How did that song go..."get on your knees and fight like a man".

Mom has been sick. I don't think it was just the flu or cold mom I think it was stress. You have always told us to let God handle things. If you are stressing you are not truly letting God handle it, Let go and wonder at what He can do for you.

Kris has worked 5 straight GY's with one to go, I am tired so I know she is. The good part is L and I are bonding...LOL.

E has been coming out of his shell so much this year. He wants to be in everything. I have been reading to him and J about Jesus and John at night. J asks me every day, Are you gonna tell us more story tonight? "Yes". "Oh Yay". I know as Christians we need the fellowship, but the modern churches have created their straw Gods so I am not sure I trust them to teach my kids.

I started reading Genesis to the younger two. I sat On C's bed last night to read and when I finished K says OK now my turn sit on my bed to read. I will tomorrow night I told her. Sleepy time now . So you know...E and J share a room and C and K share a room.

I am afraid Cay is getting bored because school is so easy for him. Gonna have to keep our eyes open just in case.

Dad.

Hadn't said anything about him and didn't want him to feel left out. LOL

L is such a happy baby. She flies around the house in her walker.

Gonna close for now.

Big weekend

2008-09-05T09:56:00.001-07:00

Gonna go to mom and dads this weekend. Kids are so excited. Kris' mom is supposed to swing by there too and say hello. Mom and dad are going to watch the kids tomorrow night since kris and I have a housewarming to go to. That should be fun. Hopefully the weather will start cooling down the next couple weeks.

Kris made homemade chicken tamales last night. They were light, but they were still great. All the kids liked them except Evan. He is our pickiest.

Drums

2008-08-26T14:20:00.001-07:00

E wants to start learning the drums this year. I asked him what about the Saxophone, as that is what he had been learning last year. He thought deeply about it and told me if he had a couple more hands he could do both. I had to laugh. I really didn't want him to quit on the one to start the other, but I kinda pushed for the sax last year and in all fairness the school required he was in fifth grade before he could take up drums. He seems genuinely interested and I think intends on working on his sax some too. The good news is, unlike the sax there is not a big outlay of money to get started.

Sunday

2008-08-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday was nice. The kids got me that game for my birthday, so we each took turns playing it a little. After everyone had a turn, I thought we needed to get out for a bit. We decided to mall walk. We just kind of mosied around when we got to the food court all the kids were saying how hungry they were. Kris and I didn't get anything for ourselves but let the kids choose what they wanted. E wanted Teriyaki chicken of course, J wanted pepperoni pizza, K and C wanted cheese pizza. There slices were huge. there were no leftovers though. They were so happy with their treat, I love to see that. Sometimes you just have to get out of the house no matter where you go.

Six Quirky things me-me

2008-08-23T14:52:00.001-07:00

All right Calisixpack.blogspot.com you asked for it.
Rules:
Link back to the person who tagged you (Check)
List the rules on your blog
Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of your own
Tag 6 "unsuspecting" bloggers to complete the meme

1. I hate to hear someone "earned" a million dollars or more. Whether a regular person, athlete, star, etc. I DON'T believe anyone ever "earns" this kind of money.

2. I like to wake up several times during the night. It makes the night longer.

3. I hate to misspell words. I hate to see words misspelled. I even spell words in my head as I hear them or say them.

4. I believe teachers should make more than any other professional out there..With this their own training and background checks should be more stringent.

5. I believe most people have "minds of their own", but don't use them. They become puppets, whether of their church, political party, peers, etc.

6. I don't like sun...I love rain. I hate being hot. Doesn't work well for Nor-Cal.

I have noone to tag so I'll get off my soapbox now.

My Birthday

2008-08-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Well, turned 41 yesterday. Kris put together a very nice evening for us. She made low calorie homemade tamales. They were delicious. Her mistake though now I know she can make them so it will become a more regular food around our house. She also made me a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, also one of my favorites. She used cake mix and diet mountain dew to make the cake. 1/15th was a serving, so still a pretty good size serving yet still able to fit it into my diet. It too was delicious. The kids got me Zelda for the Wii...eat your heart out D-13...LOL JK wish you guys were here to play too. Kris got me one of those picture frames that you use an sd chip in so the picture can change. Of course she had a chip loaded wth pics to go with it. It had pics of all the kids when they were real little as well as current pics. All in all a great evening. Thank you babe, Love you.

Happy Birthday

2008-08-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Big E ....We love you so much and are so proud of you. Can't believe you are 10

OLYMPICS

2008-08-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note...Olympics ...By the way...I Don't care...I don't even care who wins...

Just another day

2008-08-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

Just another Monday on the work front. We've been selling a few pools lately...Finally. Problem is we can't make much money on the sale because the market is so competitive right now with the blowout prices other builders are offering. I start my days here moving cars around front to look like its busy here. Then I go out to our display area and check for cleanliness as well as for weeds. Turn on a few water features to catch peoples attention as they drive by. Fixed some sprinkles this morning.

To my brother and his family, I do think of you and pray for you all every day. As you well know God always has a reason.

This is the kids last week off til school starts. I don't know whos more excited, Kris or the kids.

Went to a Kenyan party the other day. Lots of fun. The kids were wiped out. I visited with a friend of the homeowners, very nice guy, graduated from MIT...I don't think he truly realizes what a major engineering school that is. I was afraid the kids were going to overheat. We had to keep stopping them and make them get water.

Just me

2008-08-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

Been a while I know. The kids are growing so fast. I love to watch there different personalities. Es developing quite a sense of humor. Hes also a lot of help cleaning now. J just loves people, loves to play and have fun. Cay is Mr friendly. At the park we have to watch him he just picks people out and starts talking to them. "Hi I'm Cay" just walks right up and says it. Followed an older couple around yesterday while they were playing with their grandbaby. Then Ki she is a princess and knows it.."watch me dance daddy"..is her favorite greeting. Sometimes I dance with her of course. Ad finally L she'll wait til she catches your eye then grins and turns her head. I'll never need therapy, just thinking on my kids always helps calm me on stressful days.

I have been tearing out shrubs in the back yard one by one. Makes the yard look even bigger. Don't know what we are going to do with that area but helps clean the area up anyway. That many less rotting leaves in the backyard anyway. Plum season winding down so we don't have as many to pick up as usual.

Kris is taking her English Comp class. Shes not thrilled. Other than that shes doin well. Tired I am sure but well.

School starting soon. Boys are lookin forward to it I think. Also means Scouts starts soon. Jarod gets to join. I think he will love it.

Kris and the other two will get a little girl time. Ki will love that.

4th of July

2008-07-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

We had a blast. Had a BBQ at Robert and Ginas. Couldn't hardly keep Cay out of the pool. Someone made a delicious blueberry dish. I love blueberries. We played some redneck horseshoes, visited, the went home early and visited with Sheri and the kids. The neighbor called us and we went over there to light fireworks. FULL DAY. Sher and kids were exhausted and of course not adjusted to our time yet. Of course we were missing Charles and CO. Mike, and Mark. Still lot of fun though. Came to work the next day to find someone broke into the yard and stole a $35000.00 work truck. Sac PD is worthless. My salesman and I rebuilt the fences that were destroyed as best as we could. At the same time we were swamped too.

Not enough time

2008-07-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

It seems like something always comes up lately when we are trying to plan out our front yard. The smoke kept us in a few days. The lawns were getting to thick so I mowed those yesterday instead of working on the front patio area. I did finally pull out the Gerbera daisies. I don't know why anyone would plant those on purpose. I tried to edge the lawn, but I think my weed edger is broke. I havent been able to find the parts to fix my front sprinkler valves so we have been watering manually. We still haven't built Evans bed. I still have a few bricks left to get out of the back yard from our fireplace and mow strip demolition.
As I was mowing yesterday I looked around the corner at our fruit trees and couldn't believe the sea of plums on the ground, not to mention how loaded the branches were. I see lots of plum butter in dads future...LOL

Happy 70th

2008-06-26T08:16:00.001-07:00

Have a very happy 70th dad.

HAPPY 70th

2008-06-26T08:15:00.001-07:00

Another month Random thoughts

2008-06-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe June is almost over. Tomorrow dads gonna be 70. Doesn't look it.
We haven't done any more work on our front patio since Sunday due to the air quality. I also have to figure out what to do with all the rocks that were in there. Its gonna look awesome when finished.
The kids are having a blast with their summer vacation. Last night we all watched Spiderwick. Good movie.
Kris has put in a lot of applications, no call backs yet. Just doing it for a little spending money anyways.
We did discover some really good fried chicken. The chicken that was donated to Evans day camp. Of all places it was Wal-Mart fried chicken.
I need to mow lawns but these dreary days make you feel like you should be inside relaxing.
In case I forget...HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD AND HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD

2008-06-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Evan will be having his third day of cub scout day camp. Hes having a blast. Playin marbles, shootin bb guns, archery, playin games. There is just not enough play time for adults these days. I wanna shoot bb guns and bows and arrows. LOL. The other kids miss him during these times though. I think Kris not only misses having him there but also he is getting more helpful by the day.

Fathers Day

2008-06-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hope all had a great fathers day. I know I did. We all went to Home Depot and bought 20 more bags of black bark. Also picked up a few plants. Came back home and all of us were in the front yard pouring the bark onto the weed fabric Kris had laid out Friday. Kris raked as we poured out the bark. Then we went and brought the flagstone around to the area. I started laying it out in a path from the sidewalk to the concrete bench. As we laid it out Kris would move and switch rocks so that it had a more natural flow. Once we had the design down, we started moving the bark underneath the stones to make them flush with surrounding grade. I then placed the plants in the area to see how it would look. They are still in their pots of course. It was starting to get hot and it was Fathers day so we put our tools away and all went in and showered. I am sure Kris will get some pics on her blog soon. It looks great. We still have our solar lights to put out too. Just need to get sprinklers fixed and area in front of kitchen window landscaped and front yard will be done. YAY...We will have to get some more plants in the newly barked area too of course.

The cats NOT in the cradle

2008-06-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Its Fathers day weekend. Being a father five times over has to be one of the greatest feelings in the world. It may be work but thats OK, after all I was taught by the best. Thanks dad.

Working in sawmills, fields, etc. made dad a very strong person, yet he is the gentlest man I know. He wouldn't hurt anyone unless it was to protect a weaker person. Even then only as a last resort. Growing up I remember him chopping through a log for firewood in one swing. I could hack at it for ten minutes before it would split.
He also comes from the old school..."men don't cry" Whenever he would get bad news he rubs his forehead for a second and then gets to work on whatever he needs to do whether its funeral or hospital arrangements. Odds are he will even find room to make someone laugh about then.
He is quick to laugh good joke, bad joke doesn't matter. He loves to laugh. When I find times where things just seem to rough all I have to do is think of my dad and his humor and I smile.
He's young at heart. He is gonna be 70 this year but he loves to walk and talk to his grandkids.
He never has a cross thing to say about the ones he loves. He'll laugh at himself all day long and may tease others but he would never purposely hurt their feelings. And he doesn't judge.

They say to be a Christian by definition is to be Christlike. I know no man who is more of a Christian than dad. Christ preferred hanging out with the poor and the sinners people he felt had a true need for him. Dad is the same way. He would rather spend a month with his clients than a day with some arrogant pompous rich man.
I don't believe dad ever forgets where he came from. He was poor and did without a lot growing up. So many people today pass by that beggar in the street because "he's just gonna use the money to buy alcohol...or drugs" dad would tell you thats not for you to decide only God knows the beggars heart. Dad would give his last penny to make sure one would not go hungry.

So on this fathers day weekend dad I hope you have the greatest fathers day. We love you very much. Thank you for all you have done and all you have taught me.

2008-06-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Evan got a realy cool backpack last night. He and another boy are entering their second Webelo year. Since they were the only two not advancing to new rank (Webelos have to work at their rank two years), they both got these expandable backpacks. I am sure Kris will post pics.
Supposed to get to 100 here this week. I am not looking forward to that. Pool weather I guess.

More randomness

2008-06-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

We watched a CGI Garfield movie with the kids last night. Cay used to love to watch Garfield with me... I remember him running to the videos yelling "Garfield, Garfield". I also remember to get Ev to sleep I would go to my room with him and put Rugrats on. Time rolls to fast and you feel like your in a tail spin with no control. Evan moves up to his second year of Webelos tonight. Next promotion will be to Boy Scout. Ki is my princess as always. Jar is all smiles...oh to be that carefree...LOL Lei is starting to grasp items . "...and I think to myself, What a wonderful world"

Sunday

2008-06-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Starting to warm up here, I can see the triple digits coming. I HATE heat. I really do. Got up this morning and mowed back yard, then picked up the fallen lemons, and a few fallen plums. The plums are going to be getting ripe soon. By the time I finished the back yard the kids were up. Kris and Evan had some scouting to do. They went and cleaned tables at the hall. The other two boys and Kiara stayed with me and we had a Mario Kart tourney...Winner got to keep playing, usually they have to give up controls after two races. It was fun. Looks like dogs tonight for dinner. Kris cleaned my BBQ yesterday and fixed burgers. Love BBQ. Cleanups great also. I still haven't fixed the front yard sprinklers yet. Been puttin out an old fashioned Oscillating one.

Long Week & random thoughts

2008-06-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Wanna know what I hate about holidays? The shorter week always makes the next full week seem so much longer. Sales are way down here. Kris had a coughing fit for two hours last night. I told her to keep it down but she wouldn't listen. Went outside shot a few baskets with the kids. Tonight I will have to have some Kiara time, she doesnt shoot baskets she likes to swing. To shoot baskets I have her hold the ball and pick her up so she can reach but evertime I pick her up she wants to let go of the ball to keep her balance.

Monday, Monday

2008-06-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

I feel very garfieldish today. Yeah thats not a word but it works. We didnt do much yesterday, just kind of ran around town, went to lunch, watched a movie with the kids. The boys all got haircuts. MOHAWKS. I am sure Kris will put up some pics.

Growin up

2008-05-31T12:49:00.001-07:00

Ev finished the fourth grade yesterday. Hes a little upset. He loved his teacher. He changed so much this last year, growing out of his shell. I can barely believe hes in the fifth grade this next semester. Then there is Jar, moving on to the first grade next year. He loves school. He seems to make friends quite easily. His speech has improved greatly. He also gets to join cub scouts next year. Following him o course is Cay. He gets to start kindergarten. I think hes gonna be teachin the class. He is so excited. Ki is gonna be a little lonely in the mornings without him. Mommy will be getting a little quality time with her girls though. Won't be long until Lei will be crawling after her big sis anyway.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY

2007-05-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

6 YEARS...Unbelievable. We love you so much Jarod. Hope you have a wonderful 6th birthday.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL

2007-04-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

Just a Big Happy Birthday to my baby girl...Shes 2 today...We love ya baby...

Yard work

2007-03-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

The deed is done...The photinias are all out...I am sure Kris will upload some pics later, before and after. The last one had quite a root on it. I had to find where the root forked so I could cut the smaller shoots as the clippers wouldn't fit around the whole root...Clark and I worked together on the first two but as yesterday was my day off I went out and got the last one out by myself...YES I got muddy but our front yard looks so huge now...That was the easy part now I get to till up the soil, rake it level, put down some weed fabric, put down some topsoil, and start planting...Not sure what we are gonna plant there yet. The neighbors must love the torn up look we got goin...LOL

More Home Improvement

2007-03-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Kris finished the closet doors...They look great...She took out the pocket door to the laundry room yesterday will be puttin that back in today...White is so much nicer than wood grain...Not gonna get much done this weekend as I have my chico home show...Kris made homemade pizzas last night with a wheat dough she made from scratch, they were great....Evans doin awesome in school...Jarods speech has improved vastly...Kiara is growin to fast...and Caylum...well...hes.....Caylum...LOL hes my bruiser, my buddy, my teddy bear...

Weather or not

2007-03-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

No I didn't misspell it. Just remarking on the beautiful weather we are having. My phones starting to ring a little bit...I have written two bids in past week...Home show coming up Saturday and Sunday...We need this...The guys started a job in Orland yesterday...The pool should be ready for deck by this weekend...Unfortunately we seem to be running out of work...We really need to sell some more pools...Kris finished painting the closet doors for the entry closet yesterday...Gonna look so much better white than wood grain...updated hardware on it too...probably start staining the entry door tomorrow...thats the haps today

Weekend work

2007-03-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

I am sore...We got up Saturday morning and went rght to work. I started removing weeds while Kris was sanding front door. I edged the front lawn then mowed it. Then I moved all the large river rocks around the utility box we have out front and vacuumed the leaves around that...I was going to take the photinias out that day also but Clark from work came by and said hed help if he could have them...no brainer... I also cant take the agapanthas out until I know I will be heading to Redding because I know mom would like those...I sifted out the dead from among the daises...LOL that doesnt sound right...sanding on that door took a couple days..We also started painting the entry closet door...Bye bye wood grain...well that was my weekend off...Oh and Sunday night we watched Facing the Giants...Excellent Christian movie.

General Info

2007-03-09T10:09:00.000-08:00

The debate is on....Do we want solid surface counters in our kitchen..or the less expensive granite tile....Definitely leaning toward solid. Its funny...I didnt buy a house but a bundle of projects...Lets see so far ...carpets, flooring in boys rooms, new shower door, paint, removal of old wood stove, add a light to ceiling fan in the living room, removal of wood deck (good thing I have connections there), removal of old sheds, removal of old hedges out back around deck, removal of rose TREES, have i forgotten anything Kris? Whats next? Removal of photinias in front yard, removal of brick mow strip, fix sprinkler lines, build Evan a bed, clean up rock area near gingko tree, get BBQ ready for spring, put in low planter wall closer to house with shorter plants so we don't hide house, flagstone patio in backyard, some sort of porch in front yard, remove agapanthas (ugliest plants ever), remove Shasta daisies, Fix cracked sidewalk, fix fence, Tile kitchen and entry, kitchen counters, sound like fun? YES

Doctors appointment

2006-12-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

Finally had my checkup yesterday...First physical in a while...and just as I was afraid...I dont have a fat virus...No antibiotics to prescribe...On a more serious note though, he said everything looked good my cholesterol is low(160)..Triglycerides(115)...weight down 33 from last timr I saw him (actually 49 since starting SP)...Even my blood pressure was good...Plust all the other internal checks and tests he performed he said looked great.... I wish I had known they would want to do a pee in a cup test...I wasnt ready when I got there so it took 2 hours to finally build up to a stream... and I hadnt eaten since 7 pm the night before and finally ate at 11 AM needless to say my head was roaring the rest of the day...Admittedly though I am very pleased with the results...The only thing he recommended was to bring my good cholesterol up some more. Thanks you SP for all you have done Even more though thank you GOD.

Weight Loss

2006-09-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

Sarted yet another diet last month. So far I am down about 25 pounds. Kris has been on it with me...like she needs to LOL...Using the spark people web site to track things combined with my experience with good and bad nutrition, fats carbs etc... I have been adding a lot of walking to my day. Never have been much of a runner.

Cub scouts

2006-09-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

No dont get on your coats nothing froze over, just figured i would post. We had our first official cub scout meeting last night. Good turn out. there are lots of Tiger cubs ( first graders). No wolf cubs yet(second graders), One Bear Cub, thats E, (third graders). There were also a few Webelos (fourth and fifth graders). Now mind you this is a Brand new pack, we just got our charter. K is the Bear den leader and Tiger den leader(for now), I am the cubmaster. The boys had a blast, they tried to pop balloons tied around their competitors legs. NOT ONE Popped after about ten minutes of playing, so we stopped them and told each one to try and pop their own balloon, even that took some effort. Hopefully some parent will step up and take the reins of the Tiger cubs so that we might be able to better build up the other dens and the pack as a whole. The Sponsors daughter stepped up and is working with the Webelos, hopefully she will stick with it, she seems to do well with them.

Sunday Sunday

2006-04-24T07:48:00.001-07:00

we got a lot of little things done yesterday. Bought some veges toplant. Broke up the garden area..Worked on Kris' truck. Cleaned out the gutters. Just all in all a busy day...Really felt like we made some headway...Mom and dad came by too...happened to be in Chico so they surprised us with a visit.

My Family

2006-04-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

I have an awesome family...Wifes great...Kids are great...Love them all...BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you babe...Lova ya lots

Sunny Cal

2006-04-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Suns here...Looking more like spring everyday...Evans enjoying baseball...learned to play up the crowd when he doesnt get a hit...sulks quite well...The one thing i really do like about the sun is I can break out the BBQ... I like to BBQ...doesnt everyone. Hopefully pool sales will start going up now too.

Easter Sunday

2006-04-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Easter was great. Mom and dad came down...went to church with us...For dinner we had a potato bar, baked potatoes with choice of numerous toppings...Finished off with an ice cream bar, and I dont mean a popsicle either. Evan had a blast the night before at the game...He couldnt sit still... he got on the jumbotron too... hes ready to go again.

Baseball

2006-04-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Takin Evan to a Rivercats game tonight if the weather holds. Should be a lot of fun. Then got Mom and Dad coming tomorrow for Easter. Probably going to church with us too. Rain is supposed to stop Monday for about four days. Hows that song go " It never rains in California, But it pours....Man it pours"

Sunny California

2006-04-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

I am not a big fan of sunshine...Thats right I like the rain...Enough is enough though we need some sun so we can start putting pools in again. Rice crops are gonna be low too due to the rain...I like rice good stuff. Yeah that right just running through general thoughts nothing better to do. Wrote a bid for a redneck today...How do I know hes a redneck...easy...we are giving away a choice of one of our three most popular upgrades with a pool purchase, but what does he ask for? He wants us to throw in that picture of a fish we have in the bathroom...LOL...

Birthday party

2006-04-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Kiaras party was a lot of fun. Couple of the guys from work made it with their wives and families. Mom and dad were there. Mark and Jenel swung by since they were in the area.. Mike and sheryl and the kids even made it by. Kiara likes attention as long as shes clinging to mommy. Kris had mowed the lawns Friday and Saturday so all I had to do was edge them. It was the first mow of the season so she was sore a couple days. It was just a very nice day overall everyone was helping..................................We also got our carpet and tile ordered last week. One of my coworkers used to do floors in Colorado and still has all his tools, so hes gonna put the carpet in for me...I really want to do the tile myself just to prove I can...He has offered to do that too though...He said instead of replacing baseboards and the coving in the kitchen he will just cut the tile and make trim out of that. (its good to know people who can do things)...Speaking of which thanks mom and dad for the help in purchasing the carpet.

Hot Peppers

2005-11-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me can tell you I enjoy Hot food, and yes I mean spicy hot. Lucky for me my coworkers didnt all know that. We were having our day before thanksgiving party just before we closed up when my coworker ben called me over and said he'd give me a dollar to eat the pepper Jose (most of our laborers are from Mexico or Guatemala) had. I unfolded the napkin that the pepper lay in to reveal a small orange lantern shaped pepper knowing full well what i was looking at was a habanero, also known as a scotch bonnet, one of the hottest peppers on earth.. Just as I revealed the pepper another coworker, Antonio, chimed in "I'll give you five dollars" At that point it would have been a given but barely had he got those words out when I heard Marvin (thats a Guatemalan name by the way) say I'll give you Fifty dollars as he threw a hundred on the table to show the color of his money. At that point there was no hesitation the pepper was gone in two bites.

How was it?

It was mildly hot, AT FIRST, then the heat just kept increasing. It wasn't the heat in my throat or mouth that was so bothersome It was when it hit my stomach that I started wondering if I had made a big mistake. Jose told me to start taking in lots of sugar, I was chugging the Mountain Dews. It wasn't cutting the heat at all. I went onlinand started researching and found the most common remedy is one I had heard before. I kinda chuckled because I thought it would make the perfect commercial.....

GOT MILK

Now anyone who knows me ca also tell you I havent drank milk since I was a baby,

I couldnt get to the mini mart fast enough. How dare anyone be in line when I am trying to buy my milk. I was sipping on the milk as I drove home, larger gulps were making me gag and I sure didnt want that heat coming back up. Yes I polished of the whole bottle and it worked wonders...

There was some burning the next day as the pepper left me... but ultimtely if presented with the same opportunity I would be 56 dollars richer again less the price of a bottle of milk.

Shotgun weddings do last

2005-11-22T19:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary baby i got you on my mind. Love ya babe

Gotta post huh?

2005-11-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

We got our new freezer today. An upright with manual dfrost. You know you are a homeowner when you have a fdreezer. Brought it home and unloaded myself. it rocks. will post again soon

yardwork Monday

2005-10-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Gone, gone, gone. Tore out the last of the hedge around our deck....I am sure pics are soon to appear on Kris' blog. Next up Rail around deck, then two foot sidewalk in back yard.

Sunday fun

2005-10-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

We got our living room painted yesterday. Mom and dad came down and helped. The boys would heave been everywhere if they hadnt been there. Looks great, Kris has some touching up shes gonna do. Cant wait to carpet it...Mom and Kris went out and picked out some carpet...sounds nice. The boys bed came in yesterday...dad and I put it together while Kris and mom finished the painting (and Caylum)...Like i said Kris has some touching up to do.... I am down to 242.0 now...lost another pound and a half, 14 total.

whats for dinner

2005-10-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

We had tacos tonight....No I did not go off my diet. I bought 4 % fat hamburger meat...split up about three ounces cooked among four corn shells... stretched it with 1/2 cup refried beans...I carefully calculate my points. Just gotta know how to work the system.

Week 2

2005-10-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Its week 2 and i am at 243.6. Lost 5 more. This next week is the week itll slow down to about 2 pounds a week. I have lots of yard work to do though to help me burn calories. Getting ready to tear out our backyard deck and sidewalks. Meanwhile in the house we have picked out our paint colors for the living room. Gotta get that done soon too.

2005-10-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

week 1=248.6. Its a start. I have to start adding in some exercise this week.

what to eat

2005-09-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

You get creative when the food gets limited. Pickled veges rock.Maybe i should post before and afters on here. gonna try and install a pool this weekend so it should rain.

Once again

2005-09-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

Here we go. 256...I had 2 dannon light and fit yogurt smoothies, an apple, a banana, an orange, 3 servings of white beans(yeah Mike right out of the can), weight watchers chicken enchiladas suiza, some pickled brussels sprouts(am i the only one in the world who eats brussel sprouts?), two slices bread,a microwaved potato with nonfat sour cream.

Yesterdays project

2005-09-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

before

look close
and here are the after

can you tell whats missing?????
and no its not just the roses

Heres the desk

2005-09-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

You asked so here they are

The rickety old thing

Another view

Hard at work

Look at my new desk

I SAID LOOK AT MY NEW DESK

2005-09-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

1 more coat of paint then add the hardware and we are done...Next up the coffee table

2005-09-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

1. Careless Whisper, Wham!
2. Like A Virgin, Madonna
3. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Wham!
4. I Want To Know What Love Is, Foreigner
5. I Feel For You, Chaka Khan
6. Out Of Touch, Daryl Hall and John Oates
7. Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Tears For Fears
8. Money For Nothing, Dire Straits
9. Crazy For You, Madonna
10. Take On Me, A-Ha
11. Everytime You Go Away, Paul Young
12. Easy Lover, Phil Collins and Philip Bailey
13. Can't Fight This Feeling, REO Speedwagon
14. We Built This City, Starship
15. The Power Of Love, Huey Lewis and The News
16. Don't You (Forget About Me), Simple Minds
17. Cherish, Kool and The Gang
18. St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion), John Parr
19. The Heat Is On, Glenn Frey
20. We Are The World, U.S.A. For Africa
21. Shout, Tears For Fears
22. Part-Time Lover, Stevie Wonder
23. Saving All My Love For You, Whitney Houston
24. Heaven, Bryan Adams
25. Everything She Wants, Wham!
26. Cool It Now, New Edition
27. Miami Vice Theme, Jan Hammer
28. Lover Boy, Billy Ocean
29. Lover Girl, Teena Marie
30. You Belong To The City, Glenn Frey
31. Oh Sheila, Ready For The World
32. Rhythm Of The Night, Debarge
33. One More Night, Phil Collins
34. Sea Of Love, Honeydrippers
35. A View To A Kill, Duran Duran
36. The Wild Boys, Duran Duran
37. You're The Inspiration, Chicago
38. Neutron Dance, Pointer Sisters
39. We Belong, Pat Benatar
40. Nightshift, Commodores
41. Things Can Only Get Better, Howard Jones
42. All I Need, Jack Wagner
43. Freeway Of Love, Aretha Franklin
44. Never Surrender, Corey Hart
45. Sussudio, Phil Collins
46. Strut, Sheena Easton
47. You Give Good Love, Whitney Houston
48. The Search Is Over, Survivor
49. Missing You, Diana Ross
50. Separate Lives, Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin
51. Raspberry Beret, Prince and The Revolution
52. Suddenly, Billy Ocean
53. The Boys Of Summer, Don Henley
54. One Night In Bangkok, Murray Head
55. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, Sting
56. Obsession, Animotion
57. We Don't Need Another Hero, Tina Turner
58. Material Girl, Madonna
59. Better Be Good To Me, Tina Turner
60. Head Over Heels, Tears For Fears
61. Axel F, Harold Faltermeyer
62. Smooth Operator, Sade
63. In My House, Mary Jane Girls
64. Don't Lose My Number, Phil Collins
65. All Through The Night, Cyndi Lauper
66. Run To You, Bryan Adams
67. Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen
68. Voices Carry, 'Til Tuesday
69. Misled, Kool and The Gang
70. Would I Lie To You?, Eurythmics
71. Be Near Me, ABC
72. No More Lonely Nights, Paul McCartney
73. I Can't Hold Back, Survivor
74. Summer Of '69, Bryan Adams
75. Walking On Sunshine, Katrina and The Waves
76. Freedom, Wham!
77. Too Late For Goodbyes, Julian Lennon
78. Valotte, Julian Lennon
79. Some Like It Hot, Power Station
80. Solid, Ashford and Simpson
81. Angel, Madonna
82. I'm On Fire, Bruce Springsteen
83. Method Of Modern Love, Daryl Hall and John Oates
84. Lay Your Hands On Me, Thompson Twins
85. Who's Holding Donna Now, Debarge
86. Lonely Ol' Night, John Cougar Mellencamp
87. What About Love, Heart
88. California Girls, David Lee Roth
89. Fresh, Kool and The Gang
90. Do What You Do, Jermaine Jackson
91. Jungle Of Love, The Time
92. Born In The USA, Bruce Springsteen
93. Private Dancer, Tina Turner
94. Who's Zoomin' Who, Aretha Franklin
95. Fortress Around Your Heart, Sting
96. Penny Lover, Lionel Richie
97. All She Wants To Do Is Dance, Don Henley
98. Dress You Up, Madonna
99. Sentimental Street, Night Ranger
100. Sugar Walls, Sheena Easton

Labor Day weekend

2005-09-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows what I'm doing this weekend...Desk project...whats on everyone elses agenda for the weekend?

2 day weekend

2005-08-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have a two day weekend coming up. Evan and I are gonna sand and repaint dads old desk, plus put some new hardware on it. probably gonna start tearing out these ancient shrubs too if there is time. I dont know where to start on this property, seems like everything i want to do there is something else i have to do first. i have two wood sheds that have to go, fence that needs replaced and repaired, deck that needs removed, garage floor that needs epoxied, plants that need replaced, and on and on, and thats just the outside

Santa sighting

2005-08-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Where I live there is a high concentration of mid-east religions. Many of the men in these religions believe it is very important to let your beard grow long. This being the case it came as no great surprise when jarod climbed out of our car at the grocery store and hollered "hi, Santa" as one such older gentleman passed by.

Vacation

2005-08-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

I need a vacation....Doesnt anyone take vacations anymore? I remember growing up, it seems like we took a week or two every summer to go somewhere. Every 3 years it was Arkansas, (no seat belts, baby seats, and we slept in the window too by the way), We went to hawaii one year also. A few times we went camping with other families from our same church. I think thats part of whats missing with families these days, Maybe its time to change that. Maybe somewhere they dont have phones or electricity, but I really need to go to Washington before Oklahoma, LOL. I REALLY want to see New York City one day.

The dig

2005-08-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Well the crew arrived at 630 am started digging aroun 7 hole was finished by ten. Thats right we dug a 16x40 pool in 3 hours. Just thought id update

New house new post

2005-08-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well everyone keeps saying post something...here it is. We are in our new house. Its awesome. There's something different about mowing your own lawn, cleaning your own yard, Steaming your own carpet. The list goes on. We cant wait to start changing things. But today we are heading to Redding...Digging mom and dads pool tomorrow. Should be delivered sometime next week. I knew they wouldnt go to long without one(well I guess it has been about twenty years actually)

A funny

2005-07-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Out All Night Drinking

An Irishman's been at a pub all night drinking. The bartender finally says that the bar is closed. So he stands up to leave and falls flat on his face. He figures he'll crawl outside and get some fresh air and maybe that will sober him up.

Once outside he stands up and falls flat on his face. So he crawls home and at the door stands up and falls flat on his face. He crawls through the door and up the stairs.

When he reaches his bed he tries one more time to stand up. This time he falls right into bed and is sound asleep.

He awakens the next morning to his wife standing over him shouting at him. "So, you've been out drinking again!!"

"How did you know?" he asks.

"The pub called, you left your wheelchair there again."