First three

Here is where we stand so far on the treat making.  First I made the standard fudge with marshmallows and canned milk.  My second candy was Peanut Butter Fudge.  I took the recipe I found and tweaked it.  The recipe online was made with peanut butter, sugar, canned milk, and vanilla.  I added about a cup and a half of marshmallows.  The kids love it especially Kian.  Last night I got the ingredients together for Rice krispie treats.  Kris ended up making those with a little recipe tweaking againg.  Just as the marshmallows finished melting we added 2 teaspoons of milk and a teaspoon of vanilla.  Once we took it off the heat and added the cereal we then added a quarter bag of premier white vanilla chips.   I understand it was great.   I, of course, have not been trying any of this.   Next will be peanut brittle or almond roca.  

I am my kids friend

I have heard so many parents say.  I tell my kids I am NOT their friend.   I disagree.  I AM my kids friend.  That and so much more.  To me it is one of the many things we have to be as parents.  Being their friend does not mean you would let them get away with anything they shouldn't do.  If you think about what a true friend would be then as a good parent you are most likely the ultimate friend.  We are also their parnet, counselor, job adviser, disciplinarian, spiritual teacher, teacher, chef, maid, laundromat, banker, grocery store, etc. etc.  but in no way are you not their friend.  Now I realize by another parents definition of a friend then they in fact may be correct they are not their kids friend.  Just another thought for today.

San Francisco

Took the kids to San Francisco yesterday.  They had a blast.  We went to the exploratorium first where they could learn about all types of different science info.  Then we took the down to fishermans wharf.  We realized where we were parked we were close to ghiradelli square.  Then we walked to the wharf.  By then the kids were starving so we swung in to a Burger king and got them burgers.  From there we went on to Pier 39 and walked through a few shops and to the end of the pier.  Pointed out alcatraz to them as well as a world war 2 sub you could see a couple piers over.  They had a really great Ireland shop on the Pier.  As we walked back we stopped to watch a guy who was painting pictures and selling them.  The amazing part is he was doing it all with spray paint.  The only items that were not frehanded were licensed products such as the 49ers symbol.   We were going to take them to Lombard but it was getting late and it was rush hour plus we still had one more stop to make in Walnut Creek.  Evan had seen the San Francisco Creamery on a couple of Food Network shows and has always wanted to go and order the Kitchen Sink.  It is 8 GIANT Scoops of Ice Cream with 8 toppings plus whip cream, nuts, and cherries. 

4 more years....

Romans 13:1-2

New International Version (NIV)

Submission to Governing Authorities

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

OK election is over now.  No major controversy rearing its ugly head.  I found it interesting and seized the evening to try and explain the electoral college to the kids.  Caylum and jarod were gathered around my laptop as I watched the different states being called.  I explained to them about projections vs. actual final numbers.  I even pulled up particular states and showed them how the districts were voting and where a district had not been counted yet.  I explained how we at this time do not know what makeup the uncounted district may have but how the news agencies do know and can call a state with only 60-70% counted sometimes or even call a state as soon as its polls close.  Technology is just amazing as far as info at our fingertips goes.  I showed them how a candidate could win the electoral college and thus win the presidency in spite of the fact they may lose the popular vote.  This was easy to show as at many points Obama led in Electoral but trailed popular.  I showed them how every state had so many electoral votes based on population and of course let them know California was the biggest prize but not necessarily a decision maker.   I talked to them about projections changing as they did in the Bush-Gore election in Florida when Florida had been called for Gore yet Bush ended up winning* it.  I didn't think or I would have pulled up the old pic of Truman holding the paper that said Dewey wins.  That would have been a good history/ political lesson.  I also went over how I felt about voting.  I let them know voting is personal and the great thing about it is noone can force them to vote one way or another.  I let them know they should never be afraid to vote for how they believe and never let anyone tell them how they should vote and never vote a certain way just to make someone happy.  I let them know I would never expect them to vote a certain way just because I do.   That is the way I was raised and would want them to know that.  I also let them know do not let anything bother them for to long if someone they like loses or someone they could not stand wins as that is going to happen at times because that is how our process works. 

It was fun and I believe Kris and I were able to explain without bias.

Election Day

I voted early this morning.  I was in line waiting at 7 am for polls to open.  I believe every American who is entitled to vote should.  I know many people don't believe that as they are afraid of their vote but to me its one of the greatest freedoms we have.  I would like to see the choices become more multi party and not just the two major parties.  I do know there are others on the ballot I mean it would be better for our country if the presidential election looked more like many local elections with several candidates getting in the 20% range.  Unfortunately many Americans who may want to choose another candidate feel it would be a wasted vote.  The only wasted vote is the one not made.  And yes I do realize that is just my opinion.  Do not misunderstand,  I do not mean to imply that people should be forced to vote, I just believe its a mistake to not vote.  I also do not subscribe to the addage "If you don't vote you can't complain"  .  I believe very strongly in the freedom of speech.  Just some random thoughts on this election day.

Fall and All

This is one of my favorite times of the year.   No Not Election time.  Fall and Winter.  I love the cooler weather.   I love the Holidays.  I have started my fall/winter candy making.  I already made the basic fudge.   Next I am thinking Almond Roca or Nutella fudge.  I told Kris she can take care of cookies.  I am hoping my kids will have some of the same type memories I have of this time of year.  Cookies, candies, decorations always filled our house this time of year.  Music too.  As the song goes "Its the most wonderful time of the year"...Candy making is my favorite though as its so precise as far as how long to boil and/or what temp to boil to.  The way you can change the consistencies by changing the temp or time.  Peanut Brittle time is here also.  I will try not to make same mistake as last time.  After spreading out in a pan I sat the pan on the stove, forgetting the burner was still hot and cooked some of it a litlle more.   Always something.   Thank you Mom and Dad for all the great memories from this time.  Thank you for all the hard work.

Kiddos

I Love my Kids!!!!!!  They just make my day with their personalities, smiles, sense of humor...


Just sayin....

Achieving correctness

Has anyone else noticed that truth has gone out the door, even with the people we most expect to stand for it?  It amazes me how much people will lie and even when confronted with proof otherwise they do not care.  There seems to be an underlying attitude its ok to lie as long as the intent is good.  It seems to be even worse now that we can communicate with so many people at once with the internet.  I have seen many posts from both sides of the aisle as well as other types of non political posts that with just a few seconds of fact checking the person who posts could have elected to do the right thing and not repost. 

What about basic manners these days.  What is happening there?  Its happening with both young and old alike too.  My opinion is apologizing is never a bad thing.  It doesn't necessarily admit guilt just shows some remorse.   But many people will say apologizing is something a weak person does.  If they believe that then tha is obviously their right but many times I think its just said so they have an excuse not to apologize.  Of course that tends to lead to another problem.  An apology is never enough for the wronged person or group.  It seems noone can accept a simple I am sorry I was wrong they want the offenders proverbial head.  Some of Jesus last words as a man were an apology for us and he was NOT weak and really had no reason to ask for our forgiveness to the father as he died for us.  And when one receives an apology the I can forgive but not forget attitude seems less like an acceptance and more like an admonishment.   Doesn't seem like on the surface they have truly forgiven. 

Just some random thoughts and opinions.   Blogging to vent....LOl

General stuff

Well on the home front, I am down to 196 lbs.  I feel great.  My biggest problem is I would like to eat some no-no foods once in a while but I am terrified of falling off the wagon completely so to speak.  We did go out to Casa Lupe the other day and I did fine the next few days, but not sure if that will always be the case.  The kids are great.  L never stops talking from when she wakes up until she goes to sleep.  K-3 is getting over a cold.  K-7 is her usual princess self.  J struggles with school and I do not believe he has a good teacher for him this year.  C is doin great inschool and will not put a book down for anything.  E can do well if he chooses to but is always a battle when it comes to school.  We have our own little Bible studies in our house on Sundays to teach the kids the Word without the bias of religion. 

Kris is still going to school and working full time.  I have a couple houses in escrow but nothing closing any time soon.  I also have one listed.  There is no work at the pool store at the moment so I have not been going there.   Aslan has had some growths removed but no issues so far. 

I do not have much venting at the moment .  Holidays are coming....My favorite time of the year.

See just random thoughts.....

Church and politics

I heard a major evangelist is buying ads for this election.  Will have to see if the reports are true.  Claims are they are not pushing any candidate but just going to remind people to vote for the man who upholds biblical principles.  That in and of itself could be ok if it ended there , but then they go on and cherry pick the biblical principles.  They say the candidate that believes in the sanctity of life, the candidate that believes marriage is between a man and a woman, etc.  Sound like a certain candidate is being pushed?  You decide.  What about a candidate who believes the Biblical principles there is only one God?   What about a candidate who believes the Holy Bible is complete and true with the Old Testament and New Testament and no additions after that?  What about the candidate who believes Jesus is God, and always has been, and is a manifestation of the one true God?What about a candidate that believes the Bible does not say we can be raised up to Godhood one day?  What about a candidate who believes the Biblical principles of helping the sick, needy, poor, widows, orphans, "the least of these"?  Bible also says Put your faith in no man. 


My point here is not to argue for any major candidate since neither major candidate may fit this description necessarily.  The point is there is a lot of interpretation involved in what the Bible teaches us and when the leaders of a particular church step in, we may be subjected to a biased version of the Word.  Even Jesus believed in the separation of Church and State.   I do believe our laws should reflect Gods laws but, As we are told, our thoughts are not his thoughts.

If you read this, understand these are just my thoughts and my way of venting them.  Not intended for argument sake.

(A quick note.  I am not convinced these ads are really coming from the man they claim.  He is very old and has not taken strong stands in the past in politics, but instead was dedicated to teaching the Gospel.  He has an heir who is getting to be very political and is probably pretty much in charge.  I know a prayer was circulated a few years back and attributed to this evangelist even though it was proven again and again it was not his prayer.)

2 years

Yes its been two years since I blogged.  I am on a diet again, actually more of a life change.  A heart attack will do that to a person.  I am down to 209 now.  I have reduced sodium, fats, saturated fats, processed sugars, cholesterol, while increasing whole grains.   A friend gave us a home gym that I have started working out on. 

The kids are doing well too.  Evan is home schooled and doing OK.  Takes some work sometime getting him to do his work.  Caylum is showing extreme gifts in math and reading.  Jarod is doing great when we can read his problems to him.  Kiara does well also.  Leila and Kian are still not in school yet.  Leila has a speech impediment that the school is going to start working on.  We have discovered several of the kids have cholesterol issues, but the indication is its a heredity problem.  That is being worked on diet wise.  I am working real estate full time and work in a pool store part time.  Kris is working for a veterinary hospital part time and going to school full time.  Aslan, our lab, still thinks hes a puppy and is just plain crazy.  He recently had some lumps removed and a lot of tissue rremoved where a spider had bit him. 

Election coming up and not crazy about either major candidate for President.  I am also not a fan of the hatred and lack of respect for the right to an opinion being spewed from constituents on both sides.  I will have to take a good look at the third party candidates on our ballot.  I do NOT believe your status as a Christian automatically determines your vote as both major candidates have stances that I believe are anti-Biblical and stances that are pro Biblical.  I believe this is one reason we are told to put our faith in NO man.  And that No Man is Good.  These are just my opinions and I am not looking for comment especially since most likely it will be a comment or opinion I have heard before.  I believe the best thing for both major candidates would be to stop talking, and even more so for their VP's.

Dad has been in pain with his arm, but sounds like he will be seeking surgery to try and fix it.  Mom pretty much has heart issues daily, but since shes mom it doesn't stop her much.  I actually understand that better now.  You don't wanted to be treated like an invalid or like you are on deaths door, but at times you have a better understanding how fleeting life can be.  Neither of them can stand not working.  With mom its yard work, etc., with dad its going to a job where he can make a difference.  Mom has a job now too.

Thats what I got...See ya in two more years...LOL

New Stuff

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

week 3 down

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

End of week one

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...