Making Memories

Cole loves to camp and build bonfires. He loves the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and being a boy:) He had convinced his grandparents and his father that it was time that we set up camp down at the Creek. On Saturday, Travis worked around the house, spreading rock and picking up odds and ends. We put up more bender board with landscape rock and I officially finished detailing our travel trailer. We moved our trailer back into its spot and our house is finally getting into shape.

More Dahlias

I wish and pray that my Dahlias will be just as beautiful next year. I am going to plant a bunch more this year. I love the red/pink vibrant colors of Dahlias and even cosmos.

Girls will be Girls

Carly should have a whole entire blog devoted to herself. She has enough energy to power an entire village or in her case a football team:) All of her outfits are her creation. I really only push her school attire. I also had to get out my Childwise book last night for some new strategies....I am back at it again, on a babywise kick and frankly I don't want to hear people complain about their kids not sleeping or blah blah blah because babywise works miracles. People/parents that say "it doesn't work" don't know how to use or in other words are weak...Yeah I said it and I may make people mad but oh well. It's my blog and I'll type what I want to:) Love Danielle

P.S. I am in a bad mood, if you couldn't tell:(

Roses and Dahlias

I just picked some flowers from my yard and I thought that I would upload some pictures of them.... I love gardening and it works better when I see results. Fall is my favorite time of year because the rain is beginning, flowers are blooming, grass in green, and the smell of my yard. Someday I will have a quiet place where I can read, drink coffee, and relax. Don't get me wrong, I can do all those things in my yard now but I dream about living in the mountains, in seclusion....Someday:)

MY SPACE:)

I have been thinking recently about how much I love my computer! This post is dedicated to my dear friend, and confidante, aka: My space!lol Anyway, back in February while I was in the credential program I buckled down and bought a 20inch iMac. My love affair with Mac/Apple computers began with Christmas of 2006. I had been working on a P.C. which (I won't refer to what I think those intitials stand for because I respect that many people use and like them, but they're no longer for this computer woman:) I had purchased from my sister, Rachelle, back in 2003. In computer years....this P.C. was old. My parents decided to buy me a Macbook laptop for Christmas in 2006 and I had reservations. I didn't want to switch computer allegiance.... I opened my new Macbook, created my new user profile (which I was not ready for a computer with a camera, lighted keyboard, groovy mouse, no clicking, ctrl space for right side of mouse, and many awesome ergonometric features.

After my complete and utter conversion to MAC I made the HUGE purchase/decision to buy a new iMac. Sidenote... Many of you who know my husband, Travis would probably assume that he wasn't into computers but let me tell you that my renaissance man(aka: a person who is versatile in many arenas) can hunt and peck with the best of them:) In the winter time he uses the computer frequently and wasn't able to get onto the internet because I always had the laptop with me at school. My laptop experience and the need/want to have a home computer propelled me into a great decision..... I know that many of you are thinking who can love a computer this much well I do. My MAC's don't reboot, give strange error messages, and are not controlled by unknown spirits!haha The bottom line is that you should really think long and hard before you buy a computer and give MAC a try..... Until my next strange post:)

Accomplished?

Since I made such a big deal about posting my TO Do list I think I should post what I actually got accomplished:)

Finished...
1. Made business appointment
2. Went to Nail, and Dentish appt.
3. Updated substitute list at local schools
4. Paid Bills
5. Did bi-weekly grocery shopping
6. Have cleaned house both mornings before leaving.
7. Walked on my treadmill both mornings.

I have a couple more things to do this week that need to be followed through on. I promise I won't bore you too much with the monotony of my to do lists.

To Dos

I resolved last week, in order to make this year, at home, the most productive I can that I would stick to my habit of making lists. I also made lists when I was in school but for some reason I think that I have all the time in the world and do what I can, when I can....Well at the end of the day I seem the sit reveling at what I didn't accomplish for the day and I get pissed. Below is a sample of what my planner looks like for the week.

The Week:
1. Make an appt. with business associate
2. Pick up additional Birth and Marriage Certificates
3. Finish Detailing our Travel Trailer
4. Nail Appt. Dentist Appt. Hair Appt.

Today:
1. Update my contact inform. on sub lists.
2. Call Medical insurance
3. Update Idaho Thanksgiving trip details
4. Pay some bills
5. Call garbage company
6. Work in the office
7. Go to Costco, Wildberries, and Safeway
8. Pick up house before I leave for work.

*Kids spent the night at my mom's last night so I can get a little more done than usual before work. I will also post what I actually got accomplished today:) I like to Dream big.... Till next time. Danielle

Weekend Highlights

I know I posted that I had ordered a replacement usb cord for my camera but I ordered the wrong one!:( Anyway, this weekend has been relatively mellow. I worked around my house cleaning bathrooms, folding laundry, reading, enjoyed being at home, and went to a wedding.

I Love.....
1. Being at home
2. Reading at home
3. Cooking dinner
4. 800 thread count sheets
5. Clean bathrooms with soft bath rugs
6. Watching movies with Travis
7. Online shopping
8. Taking baths with Carly
9. Listening to Cole tell about how he went hunting and killed a Grouse:)

I am sure I will think of some other things:)

I dislike....
1. Putting laundry away
2. Unmade beds
3. Messy closets
4. Kids staying up past 8pm especially on school nights. I love it when parents complain about their kids not doing well in school and then they get to decide when they go to bed. *I should worry about my own family:)
5. Eating dinner late. Travis doesn't get home from work until 7:15 and I have dinner on the table and the kids I eat as soon as he walks in the door. I think 6:00 is the perfect time to eat dinner.
6. Not being organized.
7. Having trash in my yard
8. Having a dog on crack cocaine
9. People who complain and are not problem solvers.

Both of my lists are random but I want my blog to be a reflection/journal that is glimpse into who I am. Until next time. Danielle

Never a dull moment.

Hola! I hope everyone is doing well. The past two weeks have been nice and busy. I am still not in the swing of life without school. I haven't paid close enough attention to my planner, haven't made lists, and seem like I forget things....Which is not like me:) I am planning on making a list each morning, and making sure I get some things accomplished in my year off....

On another note, Travis hasn't been feeling very well. Many of you know that he has a benign tumor on his kidney and he had it embolized this past year. Basically, they went up his femoral artery and wrapped coils around the blood supply to the tumor. It was a painful procedure but we survived. He had felt a lot better but in July he started to have pain again. He says that the pain is what he thinks labor contractions would be like:) He said that he can feel it coming on and then it goes in waves.... To make a long story short he went in for a C-T Scan yesterday and then we flew to U.C.S.F. to meet with his urologist specialist. His appt. was at 8:30 this morning. The Dr. said that the tumor is down to 4 cm from being 10cm. That is great. We have two options, one is to remove the tumor which would most likely be a loss in Travis's kidney (NOT AN OPTION) and our second option is to have the tumor embolized again... Needless to say Travis is going to go through the procedure again. The good thing is that we know what to expect, and what the recovery should be like. Here we go again. I would ask that every would keep us in their prayers and thoughts.

I will report back to everyone on how I am doing next week with my goal to get organized. Love Danielle

Pics from our weekend

Camera Issues and Labor Day.

I have tons of new pictures from our Labor Day weekend trip/vacation to Six Flags Discovery KIngdom but I am having another camera complication. I bought a new camera from Costco and I got it home and didn't work.....Needless to say I was MAD. I took Janelle's camera with us to Sudie and Michael's because it is exactly the same one that I bought that didn't work:(

I trudged back to Costco and bought another camera... I came home and immediately plugged it in to charge. I was apprehension about it not working, so carefully I took the parts that I needed out to charge it. To make a long story short I had to rearrange the battery and then recharged the battery. Remember when I didn't take out all the parts for my second camera? Well, I through them away on garbage day....UUH. I am going to borrow Janelle's cord to download my pictures and buy another one:( Enough of that sob story... Pictures Later to come...

Why is Labor Day a Holiday? I think that Labor day began as a holiday that the founding Union leaders of America inspired to shorten the work load of many Americans and to bring awareness to Blue-collar employees... I like to celebrate Labor Day by not doing anything but as a mother that doesn't happen. If the kids are with me, I am running errands or doing much needed housework. I remember Labor Days where I laid at the Lake and ate whatever and whenever I wanted... It is difficult realizing that I don't when I will have any day like that much less a holiday:)lol.

We began our trip to Vallejo by flying to San Francisco, renting a car, checking into the hotel(which was right across the street from the park!) and sleeping. The kids woke up with excitement and all three of them, Cole, Carly, and Connor were standing in the window staring/imagining all the rides they could see. Each morning we ate at our hotel before the adventure to the park. We came back to the room and laid Connor down for a morning nap and caroled Cole and Carly with Movies until the we were ready to go and the park was open. We went to Six Flags on Saturday and Sunday and then headed to San Francisco on Monday. We went to Union Square and shopped but with three kids, feeding, and strollers, it's hard to get into the mood.. Coming from me who LOVES TO SHOP. I am rarely not in the mood:) We decided to head to Pier 39 where one of my favorite restaurants is located. No it isn't a chain franchise but a old/historic/classy/elegant restaurant that can seat up to 350 people, doesn't take reservations, and has valet parking (The best feature!) It is called SCOMA's. If you are in the area, check it out. They are online as well;) They have OUT OF THIS WORLD Seafood and Pastas. Enough of that I am salivating.

After one chocolate/candy store and toooooooooo many tourists/people we were ready for home. We headed to the airport and returned the rental car . As we were approaching our gate we noticed that another flight was leaving for Eureka/Arcata and we all were put on standby. They could only take three and Cole, Carly, and I were nominated. I felt bad for everyone else because they wanted to go home just as badly but I didn't have long to ponder. As I rushed both the kids down the "chute" and towards the last row in the mini-plane I had a brilliant idea. I will sit in between the kids that way they can't bug each-other. Well the lady who was sitting next to Carly kept making rude comments. I told her in not so many words where she could take her bad attitude and she marched right up to the flight attendant. She trudged back with the lady and asked me if I would be willing to move seats... at this point "H*ll no!" was my answer. I also informed the passenger and the flight attendant that the passenger should switch seats with someone who didn't hate children. Needless to say that a very nice HSU student switched seats with the kids:) He also let Cole and Carly play his practice bagpipe while waiting for our bags. He is a profession bagpipe player. People never stop ceasing to amaze me. As a side-note, Carly had not even touched the lady, cried, screamed, or done anything to provoke the crazy. Our whole altercation happened before we started taxing to take off and mind you, we were the last people on the plane, right before they closed the door.

Our weekend was filled with fun, laughter, and memories. In my last post I talk about taking my children to explore the world and every day is adding to our memories and our exploration. Where will be go next? Danielle

Week of a lifetime?

This week has been remarkable! Below is a recap on what we've done each day and are what else I have planned.

Monday- Cole went to Vickie's and Carly went to work with my dad, as a CAT/Dozer operator and I worked in the office until 4pm. Came home and made Raviolis for dinner.

Tuesday-I woke up at 7:20 and had to get the kids fed and ready for school. I dropped them off at school with a huge smile on my face.....I do not work on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I have been day dreaming about being able to drop and pick the kids up from school and be at home while their at school. I came home and began cleaning my car out, weed eating, edging, and mowing. I also ordered take-out chinese so I didn't cook at all! I will follow up with some pictures of our house when my NEW camera gets charged. Back to our week. Tuesday was fabubulous because it was spent at home. I also watched my nephew Connor while my sister was at school. I finally get to be the watcher for once. This fall is off to a great start:)

Wednesday- Woke up at 7am again and promised that I would set my alarm the following day. I like to wake up before the kids so that I can drink coffee and be fully awake when I am making breakfast. I don't like to have my house disastrous when I leave for the day. Took the kids to school, went to the office for a couple of hours, went to Eureka and ran work errands until 3pm. Came home and the kids were riding Speck (horse) so I came home and they rode home... I made Tacos for dinner.

Today- Woke up at 6am, hip hip hooray!!! Going to make breakfast, take Carly to school (Cole spent the night at my mom's house.) Going to come home and finish mowing and doing laundry. Going to go up to the office and work for a couple of hours. Vickie is watching Connor and picking up the kids from school. SHE CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF HER BABIES. I can't thank her enough and I have the best mother-in-law!!! After work I am going to come home and pack for our labor day weekend. My mom, Janelle, Connor, Cole, Carly, Vickie, and myself are flying to San Fransisco on Friday and renting a car and driving up to Vallejo. We found the flight for REALLY cheap. We have all been driving a lot lately and really don't want to have to drive 5-6 hours each way. We are going to Marine World on Saturday and Sunday and then on Monday we are going to Pier 39 and San Francisco before we fly out, Monday night. The kids are jazzed about going on an airplane:) Tonight I am making black eyed peas (beans and ham) with fresh bread. I hated beans as a kid but now I love them. I especially like them on Indian Tacos on Day 2.

Friday-Work if I need to. Finish packing and cleaning up the house because I don't like to go out of town with a filthy house. Travis will be home working but he doesn't make a mess.*If he is working and by himself:) We don't fly out until 8pm so we may have to have Indian Tacos, we'll see.

This week has been a day dream for four years. Since Cole was born I have dreamed about staying home (A couple of days a week) and worked at my house. After four long years I have accomplished my academic goals and now I am moving towards my personal goals. Chat with you soon. Danielle

More Pics

Updated Pictures

Summer in a Nutshell....

Things that we've accomplished 3 months.

1. Finished my bender board project (rock landscaping)

2. Read a bunch of books, some teaching theory books and plenty of pleasure novels.

3. Watch the complete series of Lipstick Jungle, Sex in the City, The McLeod's Daugthers, and Mad Men, and a load of misc films.

4. Taken the kids to the waterslides. We bought season passes and we defiantly got our money worths.

5. Helped put on my sister, Rachelle's wedding.

6. Vickie and I took the kids to Visit Sudi and Michael at their home in Oakhurst, California which is near Yosemite National Park. We had a lot of fun, even on our 9 hour car ride. Bass Lake is 5 minutes from their home and we went out on a Patio Boat one day and we had a great time.

7. Cole and Carly have become very comfortable in the water with swimmies and lifejackets on.

8. Travis is slaving away at work all week and saving up for his BIG hunt in November.

9. Booked our airline tickets, and planned our trip for Thanksgiving week. Travis, his Dad, Mom, and two of his uncles are going on an Elk, and Deer/Mule Deer hunt over the week of Thanksgiving so the kids and I are going to fly to my grandma Mickey's home in Sandpointe Idaho! The kids are very excited because their is so much wildlife right in her yard. I am more excited for Travis to go with his parents on their hunt because this is a trip of a lifetime. They have all dreamed about going on a private guided hunt and we are finally in a position to do so. When Travis and I got married we decided that everyother year we would try to go on a vacation together and then the next year we would try and have him go hunting in a place that he really wanted to go. So far so good..

10. That brings me to my next thought...Our next vacation. The last two times that we have went on vacation together we have went to Mexico. I really want to take a trip with the kids.... We take short trips within the continental U.S. with them but I grew up traveling around the globe and it is a priority to have my children experience different cultures as well. I know that I want to go to a place that is centered on families. Meaning rooms that are kid friendly, activities, and etc. I am thinking possibly Canada, Alaska, but I am not set on anything yet, but I have begun researching. My children and Travis love Wildlife so we'll see what I can find.

11. Over labor day we are taking the kids to Six Flags for the weekend with my mom, vickie, janelle, and connor.

12. I forgot to mention that I taught a summer course, Hollywood and History at College of the Redwoods this year. I am also working between 20 and 30 hours a week in the office, McCullough Const.

The past couple weeks have been very rewarding. I have the opportunity to go and spend quality time with Cole and Carly and my family that I love. I haven't been sidetracked with preparing for school to start! I AM FINISHED! I haven't applied for any teaching positions because I am taking a year off to regroup and I am busy enough managing the office. I have realized that many people in my extended family and in the community keep bugging me with asking "filler" questions such as "what are you doing Danielle?" I want to say " I just lay on the couch, eat ice cream and gossip about people." YEAH RIGHT! Instead, I give them a polite rant about how I manage my families construction company, take care of the kids, wife, and I am taking a year before Cole goes to Kindergarten to refocus. Why can't people find better things to talk about....

I am also realizing that people who aren't busy enough or are really negative are not people I want to be around...but that is a different post.

My plans for this year include parenting, working, spending time with Travis, traveling, writing, and being happy!!!

Love you all. Danielle

Last Day!!!!!

Today is the last day of school at Sunny Brae Middle School. Everyone knows how happy I am to be finished with this year. I feel like summer has begun because I have been now getting up early in the morning to watch episodes of "Lipstick Jungle." It is a new series that piloted this past spring and I didn't have a chance to watch it. I read the novel that it is based off of by Candace Bushnell and LOVED IT! If anyone has anytime it is definitely a show worth watching. Google Lipstick Jungle and it will take you to the shows NBC site. If you get there make sure to choose episodes not chapters. Chapters are within episodes. (Something I figured out:)

I have to attend my school's graduation tonight, and tomorrow is Rachelle's bridal shower. My mother is amazing. She is having the event decorated, catered, and the only we have to do is clean up! (She may have something planned for that, though:) Now that my life/career is finally able to begin I have been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish in the next couple of years. I have been milling over writing somethings. I have two lesson plans that I want to try and get published. I also want to write a biography about my mom....sshhshshs. She would be modest and say why? But everyone who knows her can understand why! I know one thing, and that is anything is possible!

On the home front I have a list of things I want to accomplish this summer while I am only working part-time. Below is a prioritzed list of my summer to dos!

Family

Make my kids real pancakes, not microwavable.
Take them to the beach
Take them to the waterslides
Let them sleep in past 6:00am, because I don't have to have them at Preschool when it works for me. I will take them when it works for them!
Lastly, I don't want to keep going otherwise if I don't accomplish them all I'll be mad!hahaha

Personal

1. Finish putting Rock on my bender board project. Pics will come, I promise.
2. Read 3 Pedagogy (Teaching Theory) books, that I have been wanting to read. I am 1/2 way done with number one.
3. Create a community building file that I can have for my classroom. This is a file with hundreds of ideas on how to create a safe classroom community.
4. Clean out my attic, Have a yard sale? Probably, I'll just donate to goodwill.
5. Teach a College of the Redwoods course for Upward Bound!

I think making lists are important and having goals. Where are you going?

Hi Everyone!
I am currently in my last credential class!!!! It is Saturday and beautiful outside but I am here in a room, that will eventually end. Enough of that! The pictures below are from our Memorial Weekend. We branded and marked (cut off the balls) of our new calves. We had a lot of help from our family, and close friends. Thank you! Cole and Carly were both in the corral with about 20 calves and they were each trying to rope them. It was precious.

I know that I told everyone that I would be taking the year off next year but some things have changed. I have accepted a position teaching Upward Bound at College of the Redwoods this summer. It is only a four week program and the class is only one hour a day. I submitted a course proposal for a course titled "Hollywood and History." This course is where students learn how to analyze and view film critically. Why are films made, how violent films are, AND HOW WE ARE MANIPULATED as viewers. It is a great class! The films we're watching are Amistad, Kite Runner, and Charlie Wilson's War. If you can't tell I am on a Middle Eastern Kick. I won't tell you more....

Cole and Carly are doing well and today they are in the Azalea parade with Aunt Sis. Wish I could be there! Last day of school is Friday! Have a wonderful week, make sure to take time for yourself! I defiantly will thinking about it:)