A Photo Essay of my Life

I'll check us all up using photos - sorry, not one of them has sea glass!! I keep checking the beach on my runs but nothing... Here is how I have been using my time.

Took a vacation and "camped". Here is s'more time!

Morro Bay. Chopping wood for another fire.

This is what we camped in!!

Yes, we took the kids out of school for 4 days and drove up the CA coast. I have never done RV camping and I quite liked it! Plus, I drove our van behind the RV while the kids rode with Papa. It was nice quiet time for me.

Here is a part of a Sunday School lesson I taught a few weeks ago. It is from 1 Corinthians 13. A really great list if you ask me. I also taught about Chastity. Chastity and Charity - two intense topics:)

Less intense - I have been doing some canning. Check out the latest and greatest!

Strawberry jam

Marinara sauce from tons of tomatoes! I learned how to easily peel tomatoes.

Bread and Butter Pickles. I made these for my husband's birthday. They taste good - even with the sugar substitute.

We've been having some beautiful sunsets lately!

This is "pink time" when the sun is setting and everything is a lovely shade of pink.

More pink sky

 And if those photos weren't random enough, here are the last few to round everything out...

Finally, after 8 years of growing tomatoes - we have this! Thanks to lots and lots of sunny days!

Preparing for Halloween. I thought they were so cute!

Selfie in the kitchen!

Happy October!

Running with the Whales

On Monday, I went out for a run on the beach. It was a quiet day with only a lone fisherman. I was surprised to hear him call out to me, as I turned back he pointed to the ocean and there were whales! Lots of them! We watched for a while as they swam around and then I thanked the man and continued my run. One of the whales was swimming in the same direction as I was running and close enough that I could easily see him. It was such a treat!

Then on my run home (I was gathering up bits of plastic because the beach had been really busy the day before), I stopped to catch my breath and there in front of me was an whale coming up for air. I borrowed this picture from Google images but it looked just like this:

 

It was really a wonderful sight - a fantastic way to start the day. I came home made the kids get dressed and hurried them down to the beach. I also brought big trash bags and we collected a lot of trash! And some fun sand toys, towels, sweatshirt, flip flops and good shoes. They went to the lost and found and I will collect them in November if their owners don't come. And the bag of trash was huge! It was a great day.

 

The rest of the week has been beautiful and with a report that more whales were out - we went to the beach again yesterday. No crowds, but warm sun and lots of whales. This is what I was able to see from my beach chair at the surf line.

 

Can you see the tiny blowhole spout?

Playing in the waves!

Local whale swimming back and forth

 And the next two photos are documenting my life full of sand and silliness:

Sand logged clothes from the beach

Child #2 project - pounding bottle tops in the dirt with a hammer and nail.

Summer is done, kids are in school, maybe I'll find time to blog more?

Stay tuned :) Kirstin

 

 





Summer Glass

I love all these tiny pieces! From one of my favorite beaches!

 Sharing my beach with a dear friend in town. We found a ton of glass! I tried to be nice and let her gather it all but after a while I realized there was plenty for both of us to gather.

This was my collection at the end. She had much more - which I was happy about!

 

 

This collection was a random Saturday when I pulled the kids out to the beach Not huge but worth it.


The following photos were from a collection sometime this summer. I love how Child #2 sorted out all the colors! You can tell it was breakfast time when I brought them home.

Not much glass on the beaches as of late but these photos remind me that it does come!!

Kirstin

Overdue post!

Here are only a few of the photos I have been wanting to post about sea glass I've found and adventures in my life....

Recent collection

Found the glass AND the shovel!

 

Red when it is wet...

Some sort of covering when it is dry..

Tiny bit of pottery!

Baby blanket for friend's baby girl

This boy's birthday -8 years old and got baptized

Science Project for 2nd grade. Idea by student, work and lay out by parents.

 

Now on to summer - I'll post in a few weeks:) Kirstin

 

 

A great way to start the day!

This is what I found Monday morning!

These beauties showed up along the way...

This was the collection that came home! It was a good day.

Kirstin

Easter Walk

Happy Easter! I love all the Easter week ideas that are posted on blogs. I found this idea last year and really love the idea. This morning before the park was open, we were heading our on our Easter Walk. It looked like this.

1. Mark 15:17 And they clothed him with purple, and plaited a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,

Look for something pointed and sharp to represent the crown of thorns Jesus has to wear

 

This is the tip of a stalk of  Ice Plant and a little burr

 2. John 19:17-18

 17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

 

Look for something made of wood to represent the cross



Notice how Child #2 is making a cross with her sticks?

3. Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

 

Look for something dead to represent the Savior's death.

 

 

 

 

4. 3 Nephi 8:23 And it came to pass that it [the darkness] did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.

 

Look for something dark to represent the darkness in Jerusalem and in America.

 





See the dark head of the ladybug? You'll see her later on!

 

5. Mark 15:46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

 

Find something hard and round to represent the stone placed in front of the tomb.

 

Not really round but certainly smooth.

This was last years Easter find! A perfectly round, smooth piece of glass. 

6. Matthew 28:5-6

 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

 

Look for something alive to represent that Jesus Christ is alive







Birds flying in the gray morning sky







Little ladybug found on the beach - alive and well!


We returned home and I gave their children their very simple
Easter baskets reminding them that Jesus' life and sacrifice is
the greatest gift of all. Because he was resurrected, we too will live again.
Happy Easter!