ARRRGGGG!

I thought this week might be the week for getting my licensure and starting my job. No dice! The Teachers Commission representative told me this afternoon that they are even farther behind than when my application was accepted at the beginning of August... now I have to wait ANOTHER 2 weeks or more.

Treehouse Progress

Uncle Bear and Fil and Michael have made great progress on the new treehouse. The stone foundations and steps are done, railing is going up, the framing is done, and the skylight is ready to be put in. Eli approves!

Crystal Cove

We went exploring the beach again this weekend to find relief from the 100+ degree weather we're still having. Just south of Newport is a tide pool area called Crystal Cove. It's a funky little beach and very pretty. The undertow is really strong though, so we just played at the edge of the water.

And although there is no collecting allowed, there's nothing posted about no decorating sandcastles with shells (and lobster carapaces!) that wash up in the surf...

 

Budding Chef

Abi decided to make chocolate chip cookies like the ones from Starbucks. She used just about every bowl and mixing utensil in the kitchen, but I think hers actually turned out even better!

First Day of School

Yay! Eli finally made it to his first day of school this year! He was placed in the county class at Alta Loma Jr High about 15 minutes from the house. The teacher and aid reported that he had a great first day :)
On Thursday we will start one more new thing - bussing. Wish us luck!

Dye workshop

The dye workshop hosted at the Foothill Farm this weekend was tons of fun. Uncle Bear made up a jig to 'reel' skeins on for dyeing in stripes. Mia and Abi and I also got to dye some roving at the end of the afternoon. It was a lovely afternoon enjoyed by all. Especially Eli who got to go swimming at the Hansen Dam.

Week 3 - Shopping!

Well, hopefully this is Eli's last week off school. I got a response this afternoon that his transportation was delayed, so I will end up driving him in starting next Tuesday. Hopefully this is the last hiccup! But on the plus side, having Eli at home means that I have been finding errands and things to do during the day to break up our time. Today we discovered a wonderful shopping district called Victoria Gardens. It's like Disneyland for shopping! Eli wasn't so impressed at first, but he warmed up a bit when we discovered that they had a little train that he could ride in.

 

 

Sailing the High Seas

Weeks ago, Uncle Bear found a 'tall ship' cruise to the channel islands and got a spot on the waiting list. Well as luck would have it, spots opened up and we were able to go sailing aboard a 2-masted schooner called the Bill of Rights. The ship is part of a program for troubled teens that takes kids expelled from school out to do marine science experiements. It was a pretty chilly day out on the water, the sun never broke. But it was a really neat ship, and we all had a great time.

We saw lots of sea lions, pelicans, cormorants and other sea birds, and several pods of dolphins. Shelly, Nick, MJ, Captain Steven and the rest of the crew were lots of fun and made sure we all enjoyed the ride. Abi even got to steer the ship on the way back to port!

Week 2

Well, it looks like both Eli and I are in limbo for now :( Finding a placement  for him has proven to be really difficult. Our meeting with district and county administrators had been pushed back another week. And I have yet ANOTHER license to apply for, which promises to delay my start date another 4-8 weeks.

Other than that, we're settling in and the kids seem to be doing pretty well.

Even OGDR (Our Good Dog Router) and Tsuki:

 And Abi..... well, there's just no caption that fits this one:

Labor Day Weekend

Here we are at the LA County Fair! It's kind of like the fair I grew up with, but on steroids. The kids even got to go on a ride that Eli picked out! By lunchtime it got to be pretty hot and crowded, so Aunt Pat, Uncle Bear and Carleen took Abi for the rest of the day and explored, and Shaun, Eli and I went and ran errands instead in nice, cool, airconditioned stores.

We even made it over to Newport Beach on Monday to play in the sand and surf a little bit:

Week 1, upstairs

Here are the upstairs rooms, starting with the kids' rooms:

Master suite, with deck:

And Shaun's office/guest room (so you really have no excuse not to come and visit!!):

Week 1

I'm beginning to get the house put in order, between all the errands and meetings I need to go to. It looks like my start date for working is delayed another couple of weeks while my license application is in process. Oh well. I needed the time anyways to get the kids settled!

Here's the 'library' area, before and after:

Great room, from above and arranged:

Kitchen, mid-process and arranged (more or less, though we still want to get an island storage unit and cupboard):