theNest

1 new dog, named Piper:
6 – number of rooms he has pooped in
3 – number of times Karna woke up last night to let the dog out to “wee-wee”
2 – number of very irritated cats, named Sam and Eddie
15 – number of “piddles” Karna has cleaned up since Saturday
7 – number of chew toys laying around the house
2 – number of baths that Piper has had since Saturday because he rolled around and stepped in his poo
50 – percent Poodle
25 – percent Shih-Tzu
25 – percent Maltese
100 – percent a LOVE!

I finally have a quiet morning to sit and write. The kids have been on spring break and we have been going, going, going. Madeline, Owen, and I hit the road last Monday and it was a blast! We stopped by Westmont in Santa Barbara, met up with Ayres (In college, I began tutoring her when she was Madeline’s age and she just graduated from UD – University of Denver. I’m old!!), and then she took us to see a new litter of Dalmation pups in Goleta. Then we headed on to my folks’ house in Lompoc…the ole stomping grounds.

While in Lompoc, we went to Jalama Beach to collect shells and eat a Jalama burger. MMmmmm. On Wednesday, we all piled in Dad’s car and went to Los Olivos to see the mini-horses and then we had a picnic at a super cool park that resembled the Danish “Solvang” style architecture. After lunch, we hiked Nojoqui Falls and then stopped by Solvang for an ice cream. The kids also got to play with Luke – the grandson of the neighbors who live next door to Mom and Dad. We came back Thursday and I was exhausted! Here are some pics:

My little sister Michelle lives in San Antonio, TX with her husband Kevin and their son, Jackson David. Michelle was sent to the hospital last Saturday morning (at 8 mos. pregnant) for some tests to rule out Toxemia (high blood pressure, extreme water retention, and possible liver/kidney damage. I’ll stop there because it can get much worse). The results revealed that she was in the danger zone so they decided to keep her in the hospital. Poor gal! She is a stay-at-home-mom and rules the roost with pride (she is much better at it than I am!). Over the weekend and through this week, Kevin has taken as much time off as he can from work to take care of Jackson. Kevin’s parents and sister live close-by and took turns caring for Jack, cooking, cleaning, and stopping by the hospital to see Michelle.

Well, the doctor wanted to wait as long as they could to induce to make sure that the baby was “fully cooked.” If she didn’t go into labor on her own, she was going to be induced Thursday, starting at 6am. My mom and I talked a lot this week because we both have felt absolutely useless here in California. All we could do was offer words of encouragement and prayer. It felt wrong on every level to not be able to take care of my baby sister and her family. Luckily, Mom and Dad get to visit in the beginning of April.

Sure enough, on Thursday they began the Pitocin drip and labor was off and running. I will spare the details but I got the call that Cody Johnson Barnd was born at 3:38pm weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great and they went home from the hospital this afternoon.

Michelle and Jack

Barnd Men

Cody Johnson Barnd

My parents showed me this picture of a recent family celebration and it made me crack up. That is my dad (the driver) and from clockwise, my Grandma Johnson (88), my Bumpa (83), and my Great-Auntie Ruthie (81) is peeking through to smile at the camera. Notice Bumpa’s cane…in other words, the two in the back should have been seated instead of hitching a ride! My mom was behind the photographer and freaking out. She is yelling at my dad to slow down – which he he was only going about 2-3 MPH anyway – because we wouldn’t want to lose all of our elder family members in a single golf cart mishap! They look like they were having a blast. The best is yet to come…

I have been working on this and it is about to get posted on the main site but I just couldn’t wait! I used a 12 x 12 tile ($9) and finished it as I saw fit. For the “Open” I used 12 x 12 scrapbook paper and decoupaged it using Elmer’s spray glue. On the “Closed” side, I taped it off using painter’s tape and sprayed 2 coats of blue. The expression is in the new Antique Bronze. The possibilities are endless!

E-I-E-I-O! And on that farm he had 5 acres of avocados, 7 chickens, some citrus, a cocker-spaniel, and two adorable grandchildren that love exploring the land. Garth’s parents live in avocado bliss just up the hills of Temecula and we affectionately call it “The Grove.” It is like going to another country when we visit – it is green with endless trees and natual goodness. The kids love it and spend the whole time outdoors when the weather permits. They even have special Grove clothes because anything can happen in the great outdoors. They have a tree fort just within view of the house and they play for hours at a time with their giant imaginations. Recently, my father-in-law bought himself a tractor to haul avocado bins and anything else that may need to be transported. The kids are all over it as you can see.