Week in Review 

I took the kids on a hike to a place called Jack's Peak.  The views were beautiful.  Ocean in front of us and the forest behind us. Owen loaded his backpack with 25 pounds of "stuff" he said he was training for his future military career.  

 We found a Swiss Restaurant and tried their fondue - Pascal is a true critic when it comes to a cheese fondue.  This place was spot on!! It was amazing! We will be heading back!  It was super good!  

Off to pick strawberries

 We couldn't follow this sign fast enough

 The produce in CA is fantastic.  I picked up a few things at a road side stand.

We just finished this middle-school novel.  We loved it!!  The kids had to keep reminding me that Doug Swieteck is not a real person.  Meg said, "Mom, if you ever met Doug you would just go up and hug that kid."  I said, "exactly!" What a great read for any middle schooler.    Gary Schmidt had us looking up Apollo 13, John James Audubon, Aaron Copland and The Vietnam War.  

Check out our premier sound system.  Putting it in the bowl amplifies it just perfectly!

 I was super happy to find out that once a week the Bookmobile visits our neighborhood.  I have never seen or used a bookmobile.  But I heard I could request books from the library and then pick them up from the bookmobile.  It is magical!!  I get an email saying my books are ready and then the kids and I ride our bikes down to the bookmobile to pick them up.  This was my latest pickup.

 I found some Polish Pottery at a local thrift store.  I was thrilled!! I made my way to my car with my new plates half walking and half dancing!

 

and that's a wrap

Weekly Round-Up

Meg makes me the sweetest signs and cards for when I come back from a run or yoga...and Owen.... well this is him greeting me.  

 Owen likes to grab a Lunchable now and then but they just don't cut it anymore for a growing 13 year old.  They fill him up for like 5 minutes.  So I grabbed him one of these the other day and brought it home  - the look on his face... it was like Christmas came early!!  Food+13 year old boys = happiness.

 Out at the ranch the owner adopted two new dogs!!  Maggie and Tess...they are so sweet and Owen and I are going to start walking them while Meg has her lesson.

 Check out this new riding helmet!!  Meg sold enough bubble wands to earn it and she was super proud!!

 I had to get a picture of this cute store that is on the way to the ranch.

 We have found some great thrift stores.  We found Meg a bike basket for $3.00.  She shed a few tears when her other one broke.

 Meg is so cute... she saw people riding these down by the beach and so wanted to rent one.  So here we are getting ready to peddle away.  The following photos are from my backseat view.  Owen was the bike master.  This kid was a power house on this thing! We reminded him several times that it was not a competition - to slow down and enjoy the view.  Owen had us flying!!

 Check out the seals!! They were so funny to watch.  Just how they were sun bathing was hilarious.

and that's a wrap for this week  - California has so much to offer - I have a feeling we aren't going to be able to squeeze in everything we want to see on our list in the amount of time we have here.  We'll give it our best shot though!

Weekly Round-Up

The beaches here are so different than what we are use to.  We are finding it so fascinating!

 I told Owen to pose and this is what he did:

 Hanging out in the neighborhood with the kids on the street

 Meg at her first riding lesson - she stuck with Western style and her instructor is a sweetheart!

 So this week we landed in the ER with Poison Oak - This stuff is really a nightmare!  Owen seems to be very sensitive to it!  Owen's leg was so swollen he couldn't bend it.  So we left with steroids - but then we couldn't find a pharmacy opened late on a Sunday night.  Finally, after searching we found one!!  This will NOT take us down - Owen lives outside  - so we have to just figure out how to best wash so we he doesn't keep getting it.

 We just finished this book as a read-aloud.  The kids didn't love it.  It is a sweet story but the kids just  weren't into it.  I told them we are FINISHING it!! Sometimes you have to read books you don't love.

 We gave The Invisible Man an honest to goodness good try!  But we just didn't like this one.  This one we read several chapter of and then decided to ditch it.

So sweet Meg has a little entrepreneur's heart.  She decided to make and sell bubble wands.  She sold 10 this past week!!   She wanted to earn some money for a horse riding helmet.  So off to work she went!!

The name of her business:  

One of our sweet neighbors bought a wand and left her payment under our doormat.  She wrote on the envelope:  To the CEO of Pops for Joy

 Meg's little assembly table

Check out the video below of Meg and her Bubble Wands!! - Meg said I could be her "manager"  I feel super proud that I get to hang with the CEO!!