MY NEW FAVORITE FINDS

The Juiceman!!!

Thermal Composter!!!

So these are my new favorite purchases and toys! I was visiting my parents in Mt Shasta this last weekend, and my step mom had a juicer. She made Charli fresh apple juice, which Charli sucked down and just loved. And she made me fresh carrot juice. It was so good and it really got me thinking about how good fresh veggies and fruits are for you and I do not get enough, neither does Charli. So when I got home on Sunday I was on a mission to purchase my own juicer. I have used it everyday since!!! I have made the kids apple juice in the morning and myself, I used my step mom's recipe, carrot * beet * and a little ginger. It really is so good and good for you. I really want to buy a recipe book to give me more ideas. Thanks Jerri for the great juice and for the inspiration to buy my own juicer.

*

I also purchased a composter. Chad and I have talked about composting for a while now, but have never acted on it. Well Chad saw composters at Costco and we jumped on that. We have been looking online for some but the price was right and Costco being just a short drive away was perfect for us. My friend Amy is a teacher here in Paradise and her school composts and is very Green overall. She has been a hugh help as far as educating us on what is involved in composting. For the last couple weeks I was giving Amy our veggies, fruits, dryer lint etc... so she could put it in her schools compost but now I can put all my waste in my own composter. Charli has even gotten into it. She will ask me if certain things can go in the compost and if it will turn into dirt. I really like the idea of educating her at a young age as far as conserving and reusing what you are wasting. It is a really good feeling. Charli did ask me if a cracker box that was on our counter was going to turn into dirt. I told her, well someday it probably will. So she really is taking it all in and trying to make sense of it all. The composter we have is a thermal composter but I would also like to get a worm composter as well. I have been told that if you recycle and compost, you can cut down on your garbage waste by 30%. That is pretty good!!! Next thing I would like to tackle is getting rid of using plastic garbage bags and go to paper.

MY PURSE, SOMEDAY

My future purse

This is the fabric that I plan to use for my purse!!! I have finally bought some fabric that is not for other people. It is all for me!!! Any left over, I am sure I will use for a Charli'z bib, or changing pad or something. It really was weird to purchase something for myself. I think I am going add a chocolate brown velvet ribbon on the front of the purse. The sample has a blue ribbon and I think brown would be perfect on mine. Also instead of doing fabric handles. I want to add bamboo handles and also a pocket or two on the inside. So there will be some alterations to the pattern, but that is okay, isn't it? I haven't followed a pattern in quite some time. All my Charli'z products are free handed. Following a pattern is so confining and I am not the greatest at reading patterns. Sometimes I feel like I am reading a foreign language. Some day I will sit down, in my spare time and catch up on sewing lingo. Until then I hope to find the time to make this purse.

AND ONE MORE

So I just discovered this picture on our camera

The other pictures my mother in law took from her camera.

Chad said he took this picture when they got out of the car

Charli already had her glove on

and he showed her how to put her golf bag on

As you can see, she is grinning ear to ear.

she is looking at the tee box in this picture

ready to play her first round of golf.

little female version of Tiger Woods

or at least that is what I am sure Chad was thinking

GOLFING WITH DADDY

Chad showing Charli how to hold the golf club

Charli hit the ball!!!

Gearing up to take a ride in the golf cart

Hitting the ball on the green

Posing with Grandpa Bill

*

Chad finally took Charli out golfing today. They went to Paradise Pines Golf Course, in Magalia. Grandpa Bill has a membership there and it is a very low key course. It was a true father daughter outing. Mommy had to stay home and work. Chad said that Charli golfed all 9 holes and had a great time! He helped her the first few holes but then she told him she wanted to do it all by herself. She is so much like her dad. I do not have that stubborn/determination in me, it comes directly from the Finch side of the family. I did tell Chad that there is no way he is gonna be able to go golfing by himself anymore, he is forever going to have a golfing shadow.

HERE'S OUR BABIES!!!

So I had to find this picture and post it.

This is James and Charli in Dec. 2005

They both were a little over a year old.

They both have those round baby faces

the wispy hair, pudgy noses.

Look at their shirts,

So gender appropriate

Amy and I both agreed on that.

I promise it wasn't planned.

WHERE DID OUR BABIES GO!!!

James and Charli have known eachother since the womb

James was born May 21, 2004

Charli, Sept 2, 2004

I have taken care of James in my daycare since he was very little.

James, for quite some time now, has been saying that Charli

is going to marry him.

Today they took turns watering the flowers outside

had a blanket blanket fight on my bed

James tried to hand feed Charli during lunch

and he was whispering in her ear, something about a wife

during lunch.

They put their heads together like this

and I had to take a picture.

These two have had their moments

but today they seem to be really enjoying eachothers company!!!

RAIN MAKES APPLESAUCE

This is a book that I received from my great aunt Mosie

when I was 2yrs old.

I have had it ever since

My mom used to read it to me all the time.

I can remember sitting and listening to her voice while she read this book

The pictures are so detail oriented and just so great.

Charli has recently discovered this book

It has been sitting on a shelf in my bedroom.

I pulled it out and read it to her the other day.

She has been requesting to look at it a lot since.

This book brings back so many memories

of when times where simpler,

being a child.

*

Charli told me today

" Mama I want you to be the applesauce,

and I can be the rain.

Daddy can be the cherries"