Farmer's Market

I was raised in southern suburbia also known as Mission Viejo....the town is know for great shopping, perfect California weather and it's close proximity to the beach. Every summer I would escape the sea of cement and spend time in Nebraska canning green beans, riding horses and eating as much sweet corn as my stomach could hold. One of those summers I fell in love with agriculture and I have not turned back. There are so many things I love about farming. FIRST, it is biblical. You reap what you sow. SECOND, farmers are hard working, loyal people. They work sun up to sun down, they sweat, they understand the power that God and this earth has on prosperity and they take seriously the responsibility of feeding this nation and much of the world. FINALLY, it is just a part of me. As much as my hair is brown is agriculture in my heart.

I have been sharing my passion for agriculture with Wade and Hunter....Farmer's Market is a part of this tradition of fresh food and food knowledge I am trying to share with my son. We picked up a wagon full of food today and as Hunter grows I cannot wait for him to learn all about where this food comes from....until then I hope it nourishes his body and strengthens his mind.

If you have the opportunity to support your local farmers you should and not only because it is good for the community but because the food will be good for your body.

Happy Eating.

I'm lovin' it

Hunter is having a snack as he helps dad install drip irrigation!





-- Post From My iPhone

Learning to Use my Camera

My gladiolas are finally breaking out in full bloom. They are a welcomed and long awaited pop of color and life. I had to snap a few pictures of them so I could share with them with you. When the first picture was taken I realized that flash was on and that the camera was set on auto. One of the biggest and best tips I have gotten is that if you cannot take a picture without flash do not take it. I quickly switched the camera over to manual, set the white balance, ISO to auto and F-Stop to 4.8 and turned off the flash. The second picture is the result of this quick change. I was lucky and the next picture came out well...most of the time I have to make a few more adjustments until I get the right settings.

I can see a huge difference in these two pictures and it even further encourages me to tinker with my camera and continue to learn how to take great pictures.

Have fun with your camera and most importantly take lots of pictures!

Hunter's Birthday

I cannot tell you how many times I have sat down to write out every detail and feeling I have from celebrating Hunter's first birthday last weekend....but I end up in tears or speechless. This past year has powerfully changed my life and I am overcome with gratitude and joy. I look back at his baby pictures and it is as if I am reliving every detail of his birth again...what incredible and miraculous moments those were....and now here we are celebrating one year of life.

WOW. How do I begin to recap all of these moments and memories? I am working on it and promise to share as soon as I can make it through a post without tearing up.

Dear Sun

Dear Sun,

What is going to happen in the next few months as Oracle takes ownership of Sun? Will my husband loose his job to India or to another group already working inside Oracle? If he stays employed and becomes an Oracle employee will he be valued? Will he enjoy the work he completes most days? Will he be challenged and will he grow?

As much as I hate the unknown I understand that you need this period of time to organize your thoughts and put together an action plan that will make Oracle profitable in the years to come. Please make wise choices. Please be kind in your process of letting go of thousands of hard working, loyal employees.

Whatever your answer is in respect to the future of Wade's employment...we look forward to just knowing so that we can move out of this frozen state we are living in. I have faith that nothing but good will come to our family through this period of trials and tribulations.

Good Luck and Gods Speed.

Renee

Walk with Her

I have a dear friend, a sister, that is is hurting. Her heart is swollen in pain and there is nothing I can say or do to fix it, nothing. I pray I can find the right words to encourage her, I pray that she will find justice for the man that has left her in more pain than my heart can handle to watch, I pray that her son is shielded from the pain of the actions of his father, I pray that God uses me to help her find healing.

I have realized that there is one thing I can do besides pray. Walk with her. Eat good food, play with our boys, talk about everything openly and honestly and make new memories that are full of love and laughter. I know that her healing process will be long and full of peaks and valleys. I am ready to go there with her....that is what friends do.

Super Human Power

If I could have any super human power it would be an easy choice for me. I want to see the whole truth when ever I look at anything. No more guessing what people are thinking and feeling, no more wondering if a part is broken or breaking, no more would people or things be able to mask their problems. Total exposure.

In my line of work we rely on electricity a great deal....and we do not have the best conditions for all of the sensitive equipment. Every couple of years I have a company come out and take thermal pictures of our electrical panels, breakers, motors ect. These thermal images tell me where potential problems are and enable me to fix the problem before it ever becomes an issue.

The same way I used these thermal images I would use my chosen super human power. I would try and fix everything I could before problems became problems. Oh wouldn't that be nice.

What super power would you want to have?

Vaccines

Wade and I took Hunter in to get him caught up on his vaccines late yesterday afternoon.

The shots went well...besides the part where I watch a nurse make my baby well up with tears and scream.

What I did not expect was the doctor to notice and be uncomfortable with Hunter's wheeze, especially after the negative allergy test and asthma treatment.

His wheeze comes and goes. It gets better and disappears to only come back unannounced at a later date. I had chalked it up to childhood asthma or irritation to the wind in Tracy. But the doctor wanted to take it to the next step...which is wise.

Now we will be scheduled to go see a specialist at Oakland Children's Hospital.

CAn we just say goodbye to this wheeze already?

Books

I need to get better about reading books to Hunter. I should make it a part of our routine every night. I have a tendency to be very lazy any time past 8pm.

I want Hunter to learn to read. I want to be a part of teaching him. I guess if that is what I want then I need to take action! Any ideas on how to incorporate reading into our busy lifestyles?

I have fond memories of several childhood books. Books are special, especially those given as gifts. If you ever give Hunter a book, write a note in it for him with the date. I hope to build a collection of books, love, memories and literacy. Let the laziness end and the work begin!

Why

I was looking through my pictures trying to find a great shot of Hunter when I came across this photo.

Immediatly two things popped into my mind...

Why do I have to live so stinking far away from Skye?

Why did I cut my hair?

I love pictures like this. I am instantly taken back to the moment this was taken. We were walking in downtown San Luis getting ready to have a morning coffee. I had a smile from ear to ear becuase I was with one of my favorite people in this world.

Pool Party

Hunter is a fish! We spent the weekend in Visalia with Ericka and Nathan. The boys had a good time playing with bubbles, balls, cars and every other fun toy that Ericka had in her beautiful home. Friendships are an important part of life. Good friends hold you accountable, they are selfless, unconditional, honest but not judgemental, reliable and fun. I hope that our boys have a lasting friendship....now if Hunter will stop steeling toys from Nathan that might be possible:)

Week Three

Our garden is 3 weeks old today and it has more than doubled in size. Hunter, like Ava, is ready to eat the onion tops:) Hunter looks forward to fresh veggies and home grown, fresh food.

Ready for a fun day!

Hair styles curtosey salon de Ericka!


-- Post From My iPhone

Grass or Fruits/Veggies?

"I love summer produce too! Remember how I always took you into the field whenever I could? Picking blueberries and peaches in Louisiana, strawberries and apples in Connecticut and running around in the corn fields of Nebraska?! I have found mint growing in my yard and I made another fresh pitcher of mint ice tea today. I was thinking about the water shortage and that they should let Calif. Yards go back to their natural habitat, which is desert and give the water to the agriculture valley. Fresh food is more important than grass! But I don't really like grass, so easy for me to say.
Love, Mom"

My mom sent me this great email and picture today. What do you want more grass of fresh food? I think my vote is obvious....but for clarity I would vote for fresh food any day of the year.

Snap

Have you ever snapped? Well I have done more than my fair share of snapping. Just the other day I was not feeling 100%, no excuses, when Wade called and wanted to chat about on thing or another. I just about ripped his head off for nothing and got of the phone. Two seconds later I realized how I had acted....then all of the thoughts came pouring into my mind....

who am I to act like that to my husband

why do I always treat the people I love the most the worst

do I even have a reason for my behavior

what do I do to adjust my attitude

I need to call Wade back

I rushed back to the phone and dialed Wade. I told him how sorry I was and that there was no excuse for my attitude. He laughed and told me he loved me.

That is what marriage is about. Learning what love looks like, and living your life according to those lessons. What does love look like? For me it is working hard on a project together, solving problems, planning, holding hands, laughing, spending time with our son, walking to the park, sweet surprises, thoughtful cards, honestly and thoughtfully loving all of our family and friends, praying together....and fighting and making up. Fighting is healthy...to a certain degree...lets say bad days and honest disagreements are healthy....lets say making up is VERY healthy:)

Pink Gerber Daisy

I LOVE my pink gerber daisy. It sits on the front steps to my house. A portion of the proceeds went to breast cancer research when I purchased it from home depot a week ago. I am learning that as long as I water it daily it will stay alive. It gets hot here in Tracy during the summer and I am hoping that this plant is as resilient as some of the cancer survivors I know.

You are Invited!

Summer Time

Hunter is enjoying his new play set in the back yard! We are all enjoying the warm weather.

Speaking of warm weather....I cannot wait for all that summer brings. Farmers markets, concerts in the park, playing in the pool and warm summer evenings hanging out with family and friends. I am not looking forward to 3 digit weather, killings plants because I miss one night of watering or nights that are so hot I cannot sleep because the air conditioner cannot keep up....Why can't is always be 80 degrees?

What do you love/hate about summer?

{Vote}

It is time again to vote and not for people but for bills.
Bills that affect the budget for the state of California.
Bottom-line, as I understand it, the state is out of money.
In order to avoid cuts they have to find the money somewhere.
Borrow against tomorrow, raise taxes, cut children's programs for health.
Check it out. Become informed. Vote May 19.
http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/quick-reference-guide/
As for me, my vote is in the mail and on its way to building a free market.

What do you think the outcome will be?

How did you vote?

Sweet

How sweet it is to be loved by you. Thank you Hunter for loving me, and most importantly for giving me the opportunity to be your mother. God choose you for me and I pray that I rise to the occasion every second of every day.

Special

I love when friends come over for a visit. It makes me feel special. Kristin was in San Ramon for a wedding shower for her upcoming BIG day in July and she came over to to Tracy for dinner last night!! I made a homemade tomato cream sauce with cheese tortellini where I used my home grown herbs for the first time!! I also made roasted chicken legs and fresh veggies from farmers market. I loved our visit, I loved sharing my home, I love this dear friend. I wish I had the time to cook and visit like this more often....someday soon I know.

What makes you feel special?

Almond Tree

Here we planted squash and cucumber...some of Wade and Hunter's favorites....let's just hope they do well...I have two hungry boys.

You can also see the difference one week can make with raddish seed in our small vegtable garden.....lots of growth happening around here!

Our Almond trees are taller than me now! We are just a few months away from harvest and the almonds are as big as they are going to get. They have a jelly consistency inside and over then next few months the almonds will harden and dry out. We have really been enjoying the nice weather and spending time in the yard.

My darling friend Kristin Wetmore is coming for a visit tonight. I cannot wait to spend time with her! Happy Saturday!!

Getting Ahead

I feel, I know, that getting ahead in any area of my life is impossible right now. My desk at work is overflowing with things that need attention...especially that donut. So...if you are wondering what I am doing today...now you know....clearing off my desk!

Do you ever feel like you are being pulled in too many directions, or you are spread thin enough to never be very productive in one area? How do you balance it all and still make progress?

A New Word

I never knew bubbles could be a learning tool! Today we played with bubbles in the front yard as we watered the plants. His joy was contagious. Watching him learn the word 'bubbles' was breathtaking. Thank God I remembered the camera!

Can you hear the background music as he plays? "There is no place like Nebraska, Good ol' Nebraska you..." Thanks for this shirt grandma, seeing him in it instantly sends me back to my childhood days of wearing the infamous BIG RED gear.

Park

I love every second with my boys. I especially love it when I remember my camera so that I can capture these moments and relive them.

Next time I am with you remind me to grab my camera I need more pictures of you.