You may want to sit down for this.... I am doing Crossfit. I've never been much for the gym or strenuous exercise but I think I like this. I've been three times. Surprisingly I was able to do sit-ups using an abmat. I wish I had know about these sooner. My lower back doesn't even pop like it used to when I use this. I had a couple of days walking funny from doing more squats than I have done in my entire life. The workouts are scaled down for beginners like me but they are still very intense. I will try to keep posting about my progress. I can't believe I'm doing a Sumo Deadlift High Pull!

Our little bundle of energy and joy is one year old now. We had a little shindig on Saturday to celebrate. She is getting very close to taking her first steps and I think there may be some molars coming in.... not sure. She's been waking up at night and tending to be a little clingy/fussy during the day. Still a kick in the pants though. Love it.

Activities...

Did some kayaking with a friend in Morro Bay on Saturday.  Not so sunny day but really enjoyed it.  Today my bike basket runneth over!  Hauled all this back home on my bicycle.  Beautiful sunny day. 

This is the first post I have done from my phone.   We'll see how it turns out.

I have actually completed another sewing project. Still at the difficulty level of hemming pants but I'm happy with it. I took this....




To this...



...and now that I look at the picture I realize that you can't really tell what's been done. I took the lower ruffles from the skirt and sewed them onto the bottom of the shirt to make a dress. It actually turned out to be more like a long shirt. The picture looks like she's just wearing the before pieces together. Take my word for it.

Here are a few more pics from our day at the beach. We let Naomi play in the sand. We tried to keep her from eating sand. We played in the sand too.... we buried our daughter in the sand.



Only up to her armpits of course. We're not crazy!



She liked it.



We all got a little sandy so Jess took Naomi down to the water for a rinse and a stroll.







We finished our time at the beach with a little cuddle time.



Thank you Jessica for taking wonderful pictures with your nifty camera.

I just have to share this. Most of the time people say that Naomi looks just like me.... and usually she does. This picture today really captured the Jess side of her. They both have the best squinty face. There are more wonderful pictures from today but I will have to add them on another time. I've got to do bath time for Naomi now.

Naomi is 11 months old now. It's crazy that she is going to be one year old in less than a month. She is on her way to walking and really getting a funny personality. She cracks me up all the time.
This pic was taken while hanging at Hazzard Canyon out in Montana de Oro. We've got a cool beach tent to hang out in. Spent some time playing in the tide pools. Naomi likes the water and is working on her tan. Haven't used it as much as I thought we would.
Jess' cousin Jessica is here for a visit and we had a great time. We've got the guest room ready for visitors - hint, hint! The weather is getting better and better. You should come visit.
Yes, I mean you!

Oh boy! It's been over a month since I've posted. I thought I would be doing this more frequently. It's not like I haven't been on the computer. I've been sucked into Pinterest now.... it's just as addicting as facebook. I have discovered a million different uses for pallets and pop bottles.



So there are things that I have actually done and not just planned to do lately. I did my first spray paint makeover. It was a little step stool from my neighbors garage sale (50 cents) and a can of spray paint (didn't pay attention to price). It's not perfection. I just wanted it to be done. I missed a spot on the back. At least this leaves room for improvement on my next spray paint makeover....


which will also be yellow because there is paint left over. I spray painted some of my folding table in the laundry room so that may be my next project - painting it white again. These little steps will be used so kids can get in and out of the window nook. Naomi has learned to get out of it by falling so now we will have to teach her to get in it.

Update time. Naomi is crawling double time now and pulling herself up to standing. Major baby proofing necessary. She talks often but not really calling anything by name yet. Still she is a very easy baby. We have fun with her. Here are some pics taken recently.







I know I am biased but this girl is frickin' cute!!

Took a nice walk on the beach on father's day. Just a little bit foggy. The fog is a daily thing lately.... I guess that's the norm. It's really not so bad. Some days it starts out clear and ends clear so some fog in between I can handle. We should be spending more time at the beach.

Slowly I have been changing our home decor from neutrals to bright colors. Recently found just the right kind of rug for me and my yellow chairs!

We went from this...



to this...



True to my usual shopping style I sold a different piece of furniture for the same amount I bought it for and then used the money to get this rug which was mucho discounted at Tuesday Mornings. It's a Waverly rug too and I know they run a bit to pricey for my taste. Come on by and feel how soft it is.

Spent a day working on our gardening project. Added a new bed, moved our lettuce and peppers out of the wall and made cone covers for the tomatoes. Naomi cooperated for a while by sitting on a blanket and playing. When she started eating the bark she had to be entertained so our neighbor Sue took her on her first wheelbarrow ride.



Jess built the second raised bed - it was much easier the second time around - and did all the hard labor of getting it filled up with dirt. I had the more technical job of building the tomato shelters. Just wrapped painters plastic around tomato cages to shield them from the wind. Hopefully that will help them along. I am also going to bring in a few to hang in the kitchen.





I started some kale and cucumber inside on the kitchen windowsill. The kale sprouted up within a day. Nothing so far on the cucumbers. I am also soaking some sugar snap pea seeds to plant. Usually peas are planted earlier in spring but I think it stays cool enough here for them to go in now. I'm going to try putting the carrots in between the lettuces. We'll see. It's really just a trial and error for us. The sunflower is doing amazing.... 10" to 2' in two weeks.

More to come later. We went on our first hike as a family. I took pictures.

Naomi got a hand me down hat. What do you think?

Alright, I will try to do a bit of updating here. What have I been up to? Spending too much time online?

Yes. I still have been getting outdoors enough. There are some beautiful hikes around here. I meant to take my camera on the last one but forgot. I'll get some photos for a future blog... could be months from now.
I have been working on growing plants. Food plants. They are not flourishing. Jess built a raised bed garden for the front yard, a composting bin and bought me a potted lemon tree. A co-worker of his gave us some starter plants and a neighbor also gave us some cherry tomato plants. In the pictures you will notice that you can barely see the plants... that is because of their puniness. I am thinking that I will bring the cherry tomato plants inside and put them in a hanging potter upside down like such. I don't think they are going to survive being in my garden. I have cilantro - doing ok, giant pumpkin - to be determined, onions - could pull through, suprise plants - I wouldn't know how they are doing because I don't know what they are. I also have planted lettuce in the brick wall at the front of the yard. It hasn't died but it hasn't grown since planting the starters.... same as the peppers I planted up there.




There may be a chance for these plants.... I've just have to get my black thumb to turn green.

I do not like the formatting on blogger. There has to be a better way. No time to figure it out. Got to get goin' now.

It's just amazing that just nine months ago we had an answer to prayer arrive in our lives! This little girl is a kick in the pants.



Just a few more of my favorite pictures... and there are so many.





I think I'll finish this off with one from her first day with us....



Sorry so short a post but I'll add more details soon.

Uh oh. We're in trouble here. We have made the most wonderful gin and tonics! Thank you California. Thank you for your more reasonable prices on liquor. Thank you that a bottle bigger than my head is sold at Costco - which my not be best for us. Thank you California for growing wonderful limes that are yellow that I can not remember the name of... they are delightful. I got them at our local farmers market and now I want my own tree.







I also found a new tonic to try at the grocery store. We used to get Schwepps in the little glass bottles. I didn't like the fact that they used high fructose corn syrup. I try to avoid the stuff since reading the Omnivore's Dilemma. Well I was delighted to see that Hansens had small cans of tonic using real cane sugar. They taste great and they have 20 less calories, 3g less sugars, and no sodium. I like to use the Livestrong website now and again to look up nutritional information.








We like to serve them up in our his and hers glasses. Jess has the mustache and I went with the octopus. I thought the octopus was a good representation of motherhood and the need for eight arms. They were very nice. I think my favorite so far. We are in trouble.

I have a thing for unusual fireplaces. Not sure what it is about them. Of course, once I get into the place I then have the challenge of arranging furniture around it and decorating the mantle and such. It is a difficulty. I am having some issues now.


This was the fireplace in the house in Everett that I just had to have. The rest of the house was not so hot but this fireplace made me go "Ooh!". It was so unusual and big. It needed some paint. I even had a brief moment where I considered stripping the paint off the brick. That lasted all of one hour of internet research before I knew that was not going to happen. After three years there I had it how I liked it... and then we sold.


All of the furniture, except the coffee table which will never leave us, has been sold on craigslist. I have also replaced it with new, to us, pieces off craigslist. In most cases the items are sold for more than I bought them for and the new stuff costs less than I sold the old for... I love this! I guess you could call it a hobby. Jess might call it annoying at times. I get carried away and sometimes the things I purchase are a shade of yellow that is somewhat abrasive to the eyes. Most of the time he is very proud of my shopping savvy and I know he appreciates my thrifty ways.


So now we are at a new place down here in California. It is a rental so I am limited in what I can do. I have an all new, as in direct from 1981, fireplace. I am having some issues figuring out how to work it. It's big and off center.... and again it was one of the main things that I liked about the place.


I need help.