My spirit is happy

I in a place where spirit does not go very often. It is place of calm and Joy.

I don't think I could ever express how happy I am to have my girlfriend and her children here. I don't have many girlfriends that I just hang out with, so I am enjoying my hanging out time.

Today Chris was with us and he just kept grinning at my girlfriend and I . I finally asked him what he was grinning at and he said "I have never seen you with a girlfriend." My girlfriend and I just laughed. We both know the reason we get along so well is because we both hate drama, gossip and bull shit. I don't know if Chris understands but that is the way it is.

My girlfriend got right into housing, so tomorrow she has to go check into her unit and then pick up the keys to her house. I am so glad that she will have this taken care of before she has to start working.

Thursday we are taking the children to the beach. I can't wait to play in the ocean with the children. I think the triplets are old enough to learn to body surf, so maybe I will teach them how to do that.

I am just so relaxed right now. I don't care that my house is a mess, I actually like it. I have to admit something. The other day when my girlfriend and I walked in the house the front room was covered in Barbies and everything that Barbie could own. When my girls were little that is how my house looked all the time. Rusty and I would wait for the children to go to bed and then we would walk around and pick everything up and clean the floors. Only to have it all destroyed when the children got up. I miss those days and I wish I could have them back.

That is o.k. I am going to spend this week making more memories. I am living the good old days.

sitting and watching

As I sit here and watch my children's lives unfold I have to wonder why they don't listen to me.

Several months ago Nikki was told about an opportunity to go to Africa for year. This has been one of Nikki's goal's for a very long time, but she turned the offer down. I said nothing because I knew why she turned it down.

Now Nikki is starting to rethink all of her life. The other day Nikki said that she wants to break up with Chris because she can sees that they are going in different directions. My mind was racing. Did I not say that two years ago? I saw it all back then and Rusty and I tried to warn Nikki about this and yet she would not listen.

I finally said "I told you so". That was when Nikki said "Yes but if I would have listened then you guys would have won at breaking Chris and I up."

I kept my mouth shut and chose my words very carefully. I finally said "You this was not about Chris. Chris is a good kid. This is about you putting your dreams and goals on hold for someone who is moving in a different direction then you. This is about you finding someone who shares your passion. You just gave someone two years of your life, and you can never have them back."

Nikki no sees what Rusty and I have been saying. Nikki is now thinking about that Africa trip after she graduates high school. I am glad.

I also sat down and talk to Chris. I told him that the two of them are moving in different direction, and that there is nothing wrong with that. It is called life. Chris does understand, but he is hurt. I think a lot of his hurt comes from being rejected by his family. I think he is trying very hard to find someone to hold onto, and that is fine, but I just hope that he discovers that he needs to be is own number one priority right now.

I told Chris that he is always welcome here, even if him and Nikki break up. Rusty and I gave him our word, and we will keep our word.

Amber. Oh that child. I found out last night that she turned down a babysitting job, so that she could be here when the triplets arrived. I did not chew here out. I just looked at her and said "Let me get this straight. You turned down money so you could see the triplets. They will be for almost a month, and you have not paid your phone bill yet."

Amber tried to come back with, "Well you know Nikki and Chris would not watch the kids while you guys are gone."

I fired back with "They would if you were not here." Amber just walked away.

I guess Amber will learn. I don't know.

I have taken a very backseat in the girls lives. I offer my advice once and if they don't listen then I let them fall. At least I am letting them fall in the safety of our home and not on the streets somewhere.

The triplets will be here before to much longer! I can't wait to hug them. Then their mom and I have to unpack the u haul and head up to 29 palms, so she can check into housing. My girlfriend has a hard top jeep, so I am so wanting to take the top off. I can tan, ride, and spend time with a girlfriend. If that is not multi tasking then I don't know what is!

Well, I need to go hang some laundry. So far this year I have not turned our air conditioner on. I am so trying to hold off on doing that, but with temps reaching 110 it is getting harder and harder.

Oh well that is life.

busy and sick

As of late I have been very busy. I can't really say what I have been busy doing, but I have been busy. Maybe all the usual stuff is just keeping me busier since I am fighting a damn head and chest cold.

A lot of little things have been happening this week. Rusty's big boss called him in off vacation to help move the warehouse. Sop for the last 3 days he has put in 14 hour days. Rusty is just plum worn out. I am worn out just seeing him. I also feel so bad because I so want to go help him, but Rusty said what he really needs are more strong backs. That is not me.

I am writing an article for another blog and this is usually easy for my, but all of this cold medicine is fogging my head. I really need to get all my pictures together and get everything e mailed off.

I ran into Nikki's other mom the other day. She really wants Nikki to be a team leader on an outreach ministry right here in our own community. Deb, Nikki's other mom want to camp out on the lake and minister to the homeless, and all the other people that come down to the lake. I think it is a great idea! So I got a list of all the supplies that they are going to need, and I am going to start making phone calls. The more stuff we get donated the cheaper it will be on everyone. Add that to my to do list.

The marines just left to go help Rusty. I think I am going to go get some burgers and dogs and give them all a nice cook out for dinner. I am thinking, burger,dogs,cake,homemade ice cream, fruit salad and maybe some corn on the cob. That should feed a hungry group of men.

I have been getting a lot of sewing done and I am still amazed at how much material I have. I have started cutting a quilt for myself. I would love to get the rest of the quilt cut today, but I don't think that is going to happen. This quilt will go on the bottom of the list of quilts to put together. I told Rusty that the time has come for me to bite the bullet and start buying batting for the quilts. I am just amazed at how expensive batting is. I can buy cheap batting, but that is all it is. Oh the joys of my life.

Amber has been picking up odd jobs and she is keeping her head above water. Amber has come to realize that she should not have gone to Oregon or told my mother that she would come visit. You can't make any money if you are not here working and no work means no pay. Reality is finally setting in on her. I guess that is a good thing, but it is hard to watch her struggle. On the other hand, it is a life lesson that she has needed to learn for a long time.

Nikki was looking at all of my containers on the counter. She finally said "Can I have this container?" I asked what she would need it for and when I finally realized what she was making I suggested a coffee can. Nikki was suppose to work the next day so I told her that I would decorate it for her. Me and my big mouth.

This is a plastic coffee can. So it has these handles things molded into it. Oh this is going to be fun. Not. I went to bed and that was when I figured it out. The next morning I got up and started rummaging through the garage. There it was. A milk crate full of can's of spray paint and the can's even said that they would stick to plastic. I grabbed a stake, dropped the coffee can on it, and spray painted away. Nikki printed up a sign and taped it to the front of the coffee can. Boom instant prayer request box.

So that got me to thinking. I was thinking about making up some homemade dishwasher soap and giving it out in some Christmas baskets. I am so going to painted up all of my coffee cans and put the soap in it.

One of the marines has his younger brothers in visiting and they came up last night. I about fell over laughing when they asked for a paper towel to wipe their hands on. I just tossed him a dish towel. I guess not everyone lives like me. I am sure if I left my house more I would know this.

I better get this day started. I have a lot to do and no ambition to do any of it.

teaching

Here I am in my element. I love the beach.

Yesterday Amber and I spent the day together and I think Ambers eyes were open to somethings that go on my world.

Yesterday we went to the wounded warrior battalion. I talked with the quilt lady up there and with the Sgt. Major that ran the battalion. The new 200 bed facility will be open next year. All the rooms will have a queen size bed,tv, and a recliner. He said this was going to be the nicest wounded warrior battalion. This facility is going to be the model for other facilities not only here but in Australia and the UK.

I was going to take three of the babies back to the shelter and we asked if we could take the kittens in to show them to the marines. The answer was yes. The marines loved the babies! The babies loved all the attention, and they did not care what was wrong with these men, they just wanted to be loved. We were also told that once the new facility is built some of the residents will be allowed to have pets! I think this is cool.

Amber learned about a double edge sword. While it is good that we have a place for are our wounded warriors, it also sad that we need a place like this for our wounded warriors.

Our next stop was the animal shelter. We carried in the babies and some quilts. It was sad to see the babies go, but it was also rewarding to know that we saved their lives and now they can go on to forever homes.

The director of the shelter took me back to iso room and there was a Dalmatian that was in just horrible condition. You could see every rib, hip and joint on this dog. I just looked at the dog and said "Who did this to you?" Amber said "This is so sad." Yes it is. I am always amazed how some people treat their animals. I just wanted to cry. There is also a German Shepperd in there that is scared of anyone in cammies. I would like to catch the marine that beat this dog and beat the crap out him.

Once we left Amber was just in shock at what she saw. Yep. Some people should never be allowed to have animals. I guess for Amber is was an eye opener as to how some people treat animals. Here in our house we would never do that to an animal. Not every animal is as lucky as ours are.

I know my children think that I am crazy. I know that. They don't understand my passion for animals and for the need to protect them. Weather that is a kitten, a dog or cleaning a beach so other animals don't get hurt. I now think that Amber understands a little bit better.

I also think that Amber understands why I sew for the wounded warriors. These guys are just so thankful. Weather it is a quilt, a gift card to McDonalds, or petting a kitten. They just want people to remember the sacrifice they made for everyone else's freedom.

I am not asking my children to have the same passion for animals, or to sew for marines, but I want them to realize that we are people and animals out there that just want someone to show some love to them. That is not to much to ask.

eco dirty and pissed warning!

I have just spent a good amount of time trying to post these damn pictures, so if they don't come up please view all images.

I had to go down to base today and run several errands. So I asked Amber if she would like to go to the beach after I was done with everything. So this morning we loaded everything up and headed south.

We got to the beach and we got all set up. That's when I said "lets go walk the beach". We walked maybe a mile or so. We watched marines training and we talked about life, then we turned around. It was then that I told Amber to give me her towel. I made a sack out of it and started picking up trash. I gave Amber the camera and told her to go take pictures of the trash.

Amber did as I asked but she could not believe that she was taking pictures of trash on a beach. I always talk about my beach clean up days and this time I wanted to show everyone some of the stuff that I find.

Amber then asked me when I started picking trash up on beaches. I just smiled and said "You for years I have brought you guys here. We would walk up and down the beach and one day I just got sick of it. I no longer wanted my children swimming in trash. I did not start out to save animals or to be eco friendly. I just wanted you guys to be able to swim on a clean beach."

Among the trash we found was a shirt, girls underwear, a condom wrapper, and lots of beer can's. I will leave that to you imagination as to how they got there. I found a ton of balloons and that bright string that birds like. I also found a string a beads and a city street cover that said water. One of the most useful things I found was a sand bag. O.K. I can actually see a sand bag on a beach on a marine base, but I filled it with more trash.

At the end of our walk we filled a 55 gallon trash bag!

There are also two disturbing things that I found on the beach. One of them was the dead animals. I often see dead birds but today I saw two of them! I have never and I mean never in all my years of going to this beach have I seen a dead seal. So far this year I have seen two!

The other disturbing thing was all the trash that was in a birds nesting area! This area was set aside by the base so that the birds would be safe and here it was filled with trash!

I would love to be the beach police and make sure that everyone leaves with what they came with, but that would only solve half the problem. A lot of the trash comes from boats and cruise ships. They just dump stuff and then it washes up on our beaches.

The really sad thing is, this was not a public beach. This was a beach on a marine base. What ever happened to pride?

So many times I have been tempted to take my pictures and start showing them to everyone until someone stands up and takes notice of the condition of the beach. Rusty told me not to because at the time he was on active duty. So now that he is retired does that mean I can raise hell?

I must really think about this, because everything I do will still reflect on my husband. Until I decide I will keep walking the beach and picking up the trash. People throw you trash away!

way to go!

The big news at our house is..... drum roll please...... Chris took the test to go into the military and he scored so high that he can do whatever he wants! I was telling rusty last night that he went from homeless to the world is his oyster. Rusty and I are bursting with pride.

Rusty took a week of vacation. To some that I might mean fun with the hubby, and maybe a little bit of that is true, but it also means that he around the house all the time. Yesterday I cleaned the carpets in one of the living rooms. Rusty just stood there shaking his head as he watched me vacuum and then get out the carpet cleaner. What? Has he never seen a person clean the carpets before?

Rusty says that I work to hard. I say no it has to get done. Now don't get me wrong. Rusty knows that I do not sit around and eat bon bons all day, but I sometimes wonder if he really knows what I do.

Amber and Nikki are gearing up for the summer. Nikki is in summer school and she is taking two classes there. Amber is still looking for work and trying to figure out what class she needs to take down at SDSU. Then the triplets arrive on Monday! I can't wait. This house will be full of activity then.

I took the quilt over to the people that will take the quilt down to the missionaries. The lady, Deb, was just so excited. She told me all about the missionaries that will be getting it and she just knows that they will love it! I can't wait to see the pictures of them receiving the quilt.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for Amber and I. We have to get up early and head down to the base. Our first stop will be the wounded warrior battalion where we will meet up with another quilter and give the battalion more quilts. Then it is off to the animal shelter to return three of the kittens.

side note: we got one more kitten in last week! That makes a total of five babies in the house.

After we drop the kittens off then we have to go pick up a cover for a marine stationed on a navy base. Then it is play time! We are heading to the beach. I cant wait to walk on the sand and catch some rays. I will also walk the beach and clean it up. I think this time I am going to take pictures of everything we find. I am just amazed all the crap people leave behind and what people just dump.

My carpets are calling to me so I better get moving and get them cleaned before it gets to hot. Life is Good.

catching up

Well I took a break from sewing for the marines and I made this quilt top for some missionaries. I think it turned out great. When I quilt for the marines I just do simple squares but I wanted to show off my handy work, so here it is.

Amber and Jake made it back from Oregon. I was very happy to see them. I must say that Amber did good at trying new things and Amber even said that she had a blast. I am just glad that Amber is getting out of her box and is trying new things.

On Monday I get the great pleasure of paying for Ambers classes. I am actually glad that she has picked them early, so at least this way I can wait a little while to buy the books.

Amber is also looking into taking a classes down at sdsu. Amber wants to get into this summer intern program where she can travel to other countries, but she has to be registered at sdsu, and take a class.

Chris is leaving on Monday to take all of his testing for the military. Rusty has spoken with the recruiter and everything is in order. The only down side is Chris wont be leaving for boot camp until October so that means he will miss Christmas. Then again USMC stands for u suckers missed Christmas.

I went to some yard sales today and I scored most of what I was looking for. I have been needing to get some sheets, so that I can back some of the marines quilts, so this lady sold me a huge bag of sheets for 5 bucks! SCORE.

Rusty is looking for a new job. He is just so sick of dealing with all the crap at work, and I don't blame him, but Rusty is still employed so for that I am ever so thankful. I keep telling Rusty that everything comes out in the wash.

My birthday was amazing. I got to go walk on the beach and see a ton of seals and sea lions. To me that is awesome. I love being close to nature and being able to explore the world around me.

On Wednesday I went to the Hotel Del down on Coronado, and I met up with Tracy...a fellow blogger. It was so nice just to sit on the sea wall and talk. We walked along the beach and watched her girls play in the ocean. We created a memory, and that is what is important.

Well my sewing machine is calling me, so I better get going. I have the creative bug and the drive to sew, so who knows how long this will last!