Random vacation pictures

Our Christmas was busy but very fun and blessed. We enjoyed lots of parties and fellowship with family and friends! Here's a few pictures of the holiday and our short vacation. Read until the end because I had to do 3 different posts. I don't know how to post more than 4 pictures at a time with Picassa, so if anyone does, let me know! :)

Here's Grace, at 6:30 in the morning. It doesn't matter what time WE go to bed, but the kids are always up at the crack of dawn!

Lily is enjoying the outside play area at the SLO Children's Museum.

Turning the Archmides Screw, which delivered water to the water wheel.

This is Lily this afternoon at home: too much vacation, too much junk food, too much scooter riding, too many late nights, too many friends, and too much fun! (It's all good...she'll be ready to go again after a good night's sleep!)

More Christmas 2008

Christmas Day - We woke up at 7 and actually had to get Lily out of bed at 8 so she could see what Santa had brought! She was thrilled that he ate her cookies and drank the milk that she had left him. He even left her a note. We went to my parents for breakfast after we opened presents, and then we had lunch with Kevin and Brooke. In the evening, Kevin and Brooke came over with the Neilsens (our neighbors) for ribs, company potatoes and green beans. The day after Christmas, we went to Kristen's to celebrate with Charlie's kids (sorry...no pics...it is chaotic with 7 kids there under 7 years old!), and then we went to my parent's again for dinner. Between the parties, I packed up our fifth wheel, and we left for Paso Robles around 8:30 PM and were there by 10:30. We met up with some old friends, the Thalmayers, whom I had grown up with, and we camped there for 4 days. My sister and her family were there with some friends from their church also. We enjoyed lots of fellowship, good food, good wine and great fun.

The adults (with little Grace) were able to leave for a few hours to go wine tasting. Here we are in the barrel room at Cass Winery.

Jeff Thalmayer and his dog, Gus, around the fire.

The whole gang before the Thalmayers left yesterday.

Christmas 2008 pictures

Charlie received sunglasses from my parents, and Lily got a box with dress up clothes. Grace received a very cute, green trike. I got new wine glasses (which I am enjoying a very nice Central Coast Zin in right now!). Charlie also spoiled me with a beautiful bracelet, a tripod and a remote control for my camera.

Here's Lily, putting out "food" for Santa's reindeer at 11 PM on Christmas Eve. They made a little pouch with glitter and oatmeal at preschool. It was pretty cute! Lily really got into Santa this year. Our friend, Grace, bought the girls The Elf on the Shelf for Christmas (click on the link for an explanation...it's really clever!), so one of Santa's elves lived at our house from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve.

Dressed up in their matching Christmas pjs on Christmas morning. I buy all the Bakker kids and grandkids Christmas pjs each year, and this was this year's choice (for the girls).

Lily and Grace received a wagon from Santa for Christmas. They enjoyed a ride in it tonight.

an update

We're camping in our trailer (if that's what you want to call living in a 36 foot second home) right now on the Central Coast. I can't post any pictures because the USB port on my lap top doesn't work. Christmas was great....loved living it through the eyes of a 4 year old. My mom had surgery on the 22nd to replace her left hip, and we're very thankful that went well. She was even able to celebrate Christmas with us (twice!). We left last night after the last holiday gathering and arrived at our campground at 10 PM. This morning we had a great visit with the Thalmayer families (I grew up with the brothers, Jeff and Matt, and they are here with their families. So fun!) We were supposed to continue on farther south, but we decided to stay here with the rest of the crew, which includes my sister and her family and another family from their church. It's been great reconnecting with old friends and making new friends. Lily's been super busy with new toys and new friends. We're looking forward to staying here until Tuesday, and then we'll be back home for the New Year! Look for pictures after we get home!

Riding my bike!

Lily decided on Thursday afternoon that she'd like to ride her bike without the training wheels. Charlie quickly took them off (before she could change her mind!) and away she went (with a little help at first). A little more practice, and she'll be a pro. As you can see from the pictures, we've had some great weather the last few days. It's been sunny and in the high 50's/low 60's. Sorry all you midwest people with snow!

Sick!

See the two pale girls laying on the floor next to the bucket watching cartoons? Guess what we had at our house this week? The Flu! Charlie seems to be the only one who's escaped, so far!

Citrus Display and Tasting

University of California has an extension in Lindcove (I had never heard of that town before Saturday!) Every year, they have a citrus display and tasting. Apparently, over 200 varieties of citrus are grown on their Foundation Block, and the orchard provides bud wood to California citrus farmers to grow disease-free and true to type California citrus (Their words, not mine!).

Our friends, Beth and Enjar Knudsen, told us about the citrus tasting, but they gave us the best kept secret! Arrive at 11:30, taste the citrus, and at 12:00 PM, they give away all the citrus that is left over. We enjoyed the tasting, with some being very sweet, and others being very tart, and we came away with four large bags of free citrus. It was a fun, local outing, and we will definitely be going back next year.

Here is Lily, with her glove on, ready to taste! She really got into it and was a sport about tasting all varieties.

This is only ONE table that they had set out. There were at least 2 others, full of beautiful varieties of oranges, mandarines, clementines, limes, lemons, and grapefruit.

This was the weirdest variety; the Buddha's Hand is lemon-like, but it doesn't have juice, pulp or pith. It's primary use is in candy making. Who knew?!

On a completely different note, the Koetsier kids are doing pretty well. Samantha is recovering from her injuries, and Tommy is still under medical sedation. They are cautiously optimistic about his condition. They are still playing the "wait and see" game. Keep praying for them!

Please pray for the Koetsiers

Please pray for the Koetsier family. Tommy (9th grade) and Samantha (12th grade), both at CVC, were in a serious auto accident last night. Here's what was on our church's prayer chain:

Here is a recent update regarding the accident:
After being in a car accident early this evening, Samantha & Tommy Koetsier were both brought to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno.

Samantha is doing well, though she has an injured spleen and broken ribs, as well as possible air in her lung cavity. Her vital signs are good.

Tommy has suffered a fractured skull and has some bleeding in his brain. He will undergo a 3 hour surgery, beginning at about 9:00 p.m., to repair the fracture, relieve pressure and remove blood from his brain. Doctors have said there is a possibility that he will suffer some injury to his brain.

Please be in prayer for Samantha's healing, for the complete success of Tommy's surgery tonight and that no long-term damage will result. Hold up Tom & Jackie, and the extended family, in prayer during this difficult time also.

Tom (their father) worked with Charlie and Kevin on a real estate deal recently, and Tommy was a student in my library 3 years ago. He is such a neat kid. PRAY PRAY PRAY that Tommy comes out of this without any long term injuries and for strength for his parents. Say a prayer for them as you read this...

Another post for today....

Here's a picture of me and my college friend, Heidi. We were able to meet last week Tuesday in L.A. for 24 hours. She invited me to go to the Celine Dion concert with her for her birthday! What a fun time we had! It's so great to reconnect with someone after not seeing each other for a significant time, but it's like you never were apart. Does that make sense? :) We started planning a Rooks Hall/Calvin freshmen year reunion, so everyone, get ready! We're hoping to meet in Scottsdale, Arizona, for a long weekend in September of 2009. It will have been 20 years ago that month that we met. Can you believe it?!

On an entirely different note...Charlie and I took Lily, Sarah Kate and Caleb to see Madagascar 2 this afternoon. We had the entire theatre to ourselves and danced to the credits. It was great fun, and we got everyone all sugared up before we took them home! :) Let's get crack a lackin'!

Don't these three look like siblings?

The Walhofs come to the farm for a visit

Our friends, the Walhofs, came out to the farm for a visit a couple of weeks ago. Clint and Sarah go to our church, and their daughter, Anna Grace, was born just a few days after Lily. We were in Lamaze class together in January of 2004. Clint and Sarah are from Minnesota, so there is a connection there too, since my mom's side is from the great white north as well. The kids had a blast with the chickens and the horses. We also let them tire themselves out on the (still) huge cotton seed pile. Nathan, who's two, even was able to climb to the top. Grace just ran around and got dirty. Thankfully we did this before it got cold and foggy. Today was the first time we've seen the sun for any amount of time in about 15 days!

Look who got their hands on the scissors!

We had Charlie's grandson, Caleb, over night last Thursday. Charlie and I were trying to recover from a busy 24 hours (Deep pit party where the turkeys DID NOT cook completely for the Rescue Mission, Thanksgiving festivities, and tryptophan overload), and Lily and Caleb were playing in her room. Lily came out holding the scissors and a rather large hunk of hair! I was stunned, speechless, extremely angry (you pick!). We haven't gotten the whole story from the would be hairdressers, but we think they cut each other's hair! It looks pretty bad, but luckily she can wear two little ponytails on the top of her head to hide the damage! I guess this is a rite of passage...most kids do it! (She won't be doing it anytime soon again, though, I can assure you of that!)

Great reminder for me....

I follow a blog of a former colleague at Redlands Christian, Heather Ledeboer. She started her own very successful Cyber company after the birth of her first child (great stuff!). This post was made by a guest blogger (Angela Gifford) on Thanksgiving Day.

"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." Psalm 50:23

Doesn't your heart just melt when your kids say thank you? I'm reminded of Beth Moore sharing how one of her dauthers used to call for her bottle in the morning, by yelling, "Thank you! Thank you!" from her crib. It honestly made Beth want to jump up and get the bottle, because it was just so precious.

I Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Giving thanks in EVERY THING is hard! I love the fact that God understands that it is often a sacrifice to be thankful. I've come to learn, too, that God hears the thanksgiving of His children and is moved to act on their behalf- just as Beth wanted to get her daughter's bottle.

When we choose to thank God in spite of our circumstances, we not only tender His heart toward us, but we set in motion a change in our own hearts. Gratefulness, like patience and love, is not a feeling. It is a choice. When we make the choice to be thankful, our feelings often choose to follow.

This week, we are all reminded to show an attitude of gratefulness that should be a daily habit. It isn't a daily habit for me. Sometimes, I need to have a little help getting my attitude in line. So I wanted to share with you one of my favorite resources.

31 Days of Praise by Ruth Meyer is a great little resource to help jump start your day. There is a short reading for each day of the month, that helps the reader pray through passages of Scripture focusing on God, His character, and all He's done for us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's working!

I've used the laundry soap for 5 loads of laundry, and it works! I first used it on Charlie's dairy clothes, and they are the worst, especially in the winter. They are full of hay, mud and you know what! All the laundry came out clean. It doesn't smell pretty, but I can buy essential oil to take care of that. It also doesn't suds up as much in the machine as the store bought kind, and that did concern me a bit with the first load. No worries! All the clothes came out clean. I am sold! I will now be making my laundry soap. Make a comment below if I have converted you to homemade laundry soap.

Making laundry soap...yes, you read that correctly!

I have a fascination with large families. I love to watch Jon and Kate Plus 8 (Though I do think Kate can be a bit over the top.) and 17 Kids and Counting (the Duggar family from Arkansas), which are both on TLC. Some of the most valuable info I get from these shows has to do with how they save money and provide for their LARGE families. The Duggars do about 5 loads of laundry a day, and they make their own laundry soap. It saves them hundreds of dollars each year. I looked up their recipie and decided to give it a try. I bought the three ingredients for about $8, two of which will last me for YEARS, and the girls and I made soap in the kitchen this morning. I do about 15 loads of laundry a week, and I typically buy a container of laundry soap (128 loads) every 2-3 months at Costco (cost: $22). The homemade laundry soap will last for approximately 640 loads, and I'll probably be using it now for about a year (providing that it works!). I can save about $100.

We are grating the Fels-Naptha soap into a saucepan that has 4 c. of hot water in it. (My mandoline will never be the same! Next time I'll use an old cheese grater.)

Lily is stirring the soap. This process takes about 20 minutes, and in order for the soap to melt, you do have to stir constantly. Good thing I have my little helper.

The girls stop here for a short wrestling match, right in the middle of my work space.

Here's the finished product. It sits in a covered 5 gallon bucket in my storage room. I am going to try it tomorrow on Charlie's dairy clothes.

Here's the recipie:

4 c. hot water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 c. Washing soda (I had to get this and the Fels-Naptha bar at Winco. Check smaller, local supermarkets if you can't find it right away.)
1/2 c. Borax

Grate the bar of soap and add to a pan with the water. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until everything is disolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover, and let it sit overnight.

Stir the soap and fill a used, clean laundry soap dispenser half full with soap, then fill the rest of the way with water. Shake before each use. It will gel a bit.

Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add this once soap has cooled. Suggestions: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

Top load machine: 5/8 c. per load (approx. 180 loads)
Front load machine: 1/4 c. per load (approx. 640 loads)

Doing our part....

The girls and I returned home from San Francisco yesterday afternoon with a suburban full of shopping bags. We certainly did our part to help the economy! But, we couldn't help ourselves because there were such great deals! In between trips to the stores, we enjoyed an Italian meal on Monday night and dinner in Chinatown on Tuesday. Both were great! Down the street from Hunan's Home in Chinatown was a reflexology place. We had our tired and worn feet rubbed, which was enjoyed by all!

I didn't go right home yesterday afternoon. Charlie and our neighbors, Karl and Rhonda, picked me up, and we headed to Fresno for dinner and to see Trans Siberian Orchestra. Fantastic! In case you're wondering, Charlie did fine on his own with the girls, the house was clean, and everyone was happy. Makes me think that I should leave more often!

Eggs

Brooke's chickens continue laying for us. Yesterday, Lily collected 18 eggs! Notice the variations in color of the eggs. The different colors come from different varieties of chickens. I'll have to ask Brooke which variety lays which. Or, Brooke, if you read this, post a comment explaining the varieties you have. Mmmm....I'm getting hungry. Maybe I'll go whip up a quiche or frittata!

Introducing Sophia Joy!

Sophia Joy was born to Kevin and Brooke on November 6 after a very quick labor! We're so happy to welcome another girl to our Road and look forward to the fearsome foursome growing up together. Charlie and Kevin will be cleaning their guns in about 10 years, so boys, watch out!

Introducing Anna Marie to her little sister, Sophia .

Kevin and the three women in his life