View this morning

This morning in front of my house were hundreds of pelicans feeding. Its was quite a sight, just wanted to share it with you.

Busy evening

It is now 8:50 pm and I am in the middle of baking 2 giant cookie cakes, boiling chicken, making meatballs, pesto and preparing to feed about 30 teenagers tomorrow.
Tomorrow's menu:
Pasta bar ~ with choice of pesto, grilled chicken, sauce and meatballs, cheese sauce
salad
fruit
2 giant (16 in) chocolate chip cookie cakes
possible. . . probably garlic bread

I will post pictures of the feast later.

Hanging around

Its a sad day when you cannot hang upside down on the climbing bars without having your neck and head on the ground. This picture I took last year and am going to try to get a new one this year just to compare.
Working on my summer vacation plans, it is looking more and more like Wyatt and I will be taking separate vacations. He will me going to Indianna and I will be going to Maine, I think I will be going to a better place. . . the lake and probably a trip down to the Cape.

Sunset

I am loving that I have been home this week to see the sunset each night, they have been so beautiful. I race home from school and while dinner is cooking I step outside to watch for migrating whales and watch the sunset. I am hoping to catch a whale since they said on the news this morning that there are an unusually large number of whales this year. Hopefully I can capture one one night.

Where Do You Go?

When I have a few moments to escape from the crazy world around me I run into the beautiful meditation gardens at Swami's Self Realization Center. It is so peaceful and beautiful there, not only does it look over the Pacific Ocean but it has beautiful Koi ponds. If you ever get a chance to drop in and check it out it is a great place to take pictures and catch your breath and slow your life down, even if it's just for a minute.

Happy Monday!

So I am doing a photo project for the Brooklyn Museum of Art and my photo theme is 27 days of . . . I decided to take pictures of The Holy Cows FIRST robotics team. I am snapping pictures on this disposable camera they sent me, I am so not use to photographing like that but it is fun. I am following the team from the kick off al the way thru the World Championships in St Louis. All the pictures will be mailed back and sent on tour of the United States along with all the other wonderful pictures people have taken. After they tour they will be bound in a book and placed in their library, I already have my bar code!
As I am snapping pictures, with both cameras, I am sworn to not let any out until the San Diego Regional. Building and what the bot looks like is a B I G secret with them. Here is a picture I took at the machine shop Saturday.

How boys and girls are different

I was at a neighbors birthday party tonight and found out something about one of my sons. My friend/ neighbor has a daughter who kissed one of my sons. That is the difference between girls and boys, girls share that type of stuff with their moms, boys don't tell their parents. Of course Melissa wants to arrange a marriage as soon as her daughter graduates college and med school. HMMMM.

Thumb Wrestling??

Wyatt was babysitting the neighbor boys tonight and I really wanted to go down to El Norte for a margarita and a yummy bowl of tortilla soup. Wyatt and his little charges came along, it is pretty funny to watch him babysitting in action . . .he is really good. After dinner Max, the 4th grader, wanted to thumb wrestle with Wyatt. The size difference made me laugh they were both a good sport and even let me snap a picture.
The Mayor of Encinitas is a dear friend that I have know for about 20 years (I've known him since the days of Jeffrey playing baseball). I guess he hasn't seen Wyatt in a while and he came running over to me and was shocked at how big he is. . .lat time he saw Wyatt he was probably 4 years old. The boys were impressed that I knew the mayor of our town. They are easy to impress!

Homeless????

If you happen to fall upon the unfortunate happening of becoming homeless than it would appear that the Volleyball courts at the beach would be a great place to rest your weary bones at the end of a long day walking the streets.
One morning I was down at the beach walking very early and I saw this homeless person sleeping under the protection of the umbrella on the volleyball court. Now these courts are not just for any novice player to play on, you have to be really good and almost be invited to play in this sand.
It makes me sad to see homeless people anywhere but at least he is in a fairly warm climate and there is no snow. One morning I offered a homeless women who sleeps out back of Starbucks a breakfast sandwich and she said "I am a vegetarian and do not want your sandwich with Canadian bacon on it . . . but I will take $20.00 if you have it." I quickly turned away. I guess the homeless here have learned some "key" terms.

To all the Invisible Mothers

just got this e-mail this morning and loved it, had to share it with you.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become. At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're going to love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Projects

I started this quilt project because I fell in love with the polka dot pattern. I am using vintage and new fabric and L-O-V-E the look of it. Here is a sneak peak of what each block will look like. I haven't made a quilt in years but I am so happy that I have friends who inspire my creative side (yes, I know I need something else to be doing).

After the polka dot quilt I am going to make this square patterned quilt, I love this look and feel as well. Don't ask me what I am going to do with all these quilts and yes I am working on 3 more afghans at once, only have plans for one of them. I just enjoy the quiet relaxing time I get in the evenings working on them. I will post pictures of them at a later date.

Moon Set

This morning neighbors came over and we all watched the beautiful full moon set over the Pacific Ocean. It was so beautiful! We were happy to be up at 5:00 to see Mr. Moon in all his full glory. Have a wonderful day and enjoy the small things today.

The sun came out to play

I am only one, BUT I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.

It was a beautiful day to drive down the coast yesterday, I love our beautiful coast. It makes me think about all my wonderful friends that are living on the east coast who are buried under all the snow, sorry I had to post this picture to make you all warm. :)

Bluff Failure

One of the bad things about living where I do is that the hill side (bluff) falls sometimes. This picture is from down at the other end of my street. We have had so much rain that the sand cannot hold it all and it slides, it makes me sad for my neighbors especially the ones who have lost large chunks of their deck. This failure was sand and some retaining wall, no one was on the stairs, in the line of falling sand and they did not loose any of their deck.
It is sad that bluff failure is becoming such common place that people walk by not even noticing or looking up. The news covers it but it seems that if some one or something is not missing, injured people just ignore it.
Have a wonderful, safe day

Green Thumb????

0.k I really have two black thumbs, I kill fake plants! I was able to force this Amaryllis to grow and bloom and it did not die. I think I will try another soon.

It Never Rains In Southern California?

So the song says. . . but we have had our share of this lovely wet stuff so far this winter. It is kind of a nice change but enough ios enough and hopefully we will be getting some warmer weather. I know those of you who are living in really cold weather do not think that the 30's and 40's here is cold, but it is cold for here and my very thin California blood.
My poor son Wyatt has been injuring himself daily, usually while in robotics or at school. I am sure he must be growing more (6'2" isn't tall enough for him I guess). I am praying that he will survive the build season and I am thinking that I should be taking out another insurance policy on him?
I am trying to figure out our summer plans which I doubt will be together. . Wyatt was nominated to attend COSMO's science and technology program at UCSD this summer (a 4 week live in camp thingy) then he will be attending the Indiania Robotics Invitational again this summer. I hope we can get a chance to do a short trip somewhere close this summer. Also, my 25th high school reunion is this summer so I am trying to figure out those plans as well. My friends in Michigan want me to come visit their lake house this summer. It is January and I am already overwhelmed with summer plans, knowing that they will all work out exactly how they are suppose too.

The Holy Cows are going Green

The Holy Cows robotics team has opened a store and will be selling these low energy LED lights for $19.99, with 100% of the profits going to the team for traveling. You can also order light bulbs and in the comment section specify which Cow will get the profits from your purchase. Hint, hint, hint. . . Wyatt Schulz. We have these light bulbs in our house and they bright and very cool, you can touch them and they never get hot. My favorite part of them is they are super cute and look like a cupcake.

Do you. . .?

Do you take time to stop and appreciate the beauty in your own back yard? My life is always so busy that sometimes I forget to stop and look at the beautiful, blessed beauty that is my back yard. People would love to live where I live, they drive miles to stop and watch the sunset each night. I have decide that my harried life will still be their if I stop to appreciate the beauty of a sunset painted across the sky, enjoy watching the dolphins feeding in the kelp forest or watching for the migrating whales.
Life is to fast NOT to stop and appreciate what we have right in our own back yard. Do you stop or do you run from place to place, forgetting to stop and enjoy the beauty all around?

After all the rain

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.

After all the rain we have had last month we have been left with some beautiful white stuff in our local mountains. I always amazes me to be at the beach and look east and see snow. Hopefully in our crazy robotic schedule we will be able to get up to the mountains and get some snowboarding in, at least Wyatt anyways. Saturday is the big kick off for the game and we are getting pretty excited to find out what the game will be. Wyatt will be a much bigger part of the building and playing this year so he is very excited.
Have a wonderful blessed day.

Happy New Year. . . finally!

Wow 2011 has already started off just as busy as 2010 ended, but you all know me and I would not have it any other way. We rang in the new year with yet another neighborhood party, this time only two houses from ours. We originally were planning a traveling party but with our crazy, rainy weather we have been having here in Leucadia we decided it needed to be just contained in at one house.

So many people make resolutions that they never are able to keep this year I decided that there are still many things I want to learn:
1. to knit
2. to be more patient
3. be more honest without worrying about hurting friends feelings, being truthful is much more
helpful than a little white lie to make someone feel better for a moment.
4. to be more diligent and follow thru with posting more often on my blogs
5. to live in the moment and not be thinking about the 400 other things I have to do, enjoy each
thing as it comes up.
I hope you all had a safe and wonderful New Year and enjoy all that 2011 brings to you.