From Scratch

Josh had a "work" potluck type function to attend in late June. Our dish to bring was dessert. Being the end of the month, and as always, short on cash. I had to improvise, using what I had around the house to make an appetizing dessert of some sort. After flipping through one of the many cookbooks I have, I decided to try this, a Chocolate Cake roll. Basically it is a variation of a jelly roll. But, I made it completely from scratch. That's right, me, the one who burns chocolate chip cookies half the time! Some small, but amazingly delicious, substitutions were made. For example, instead of filling it with a traditional whipped cream frosting, I filled it with an amazing cream cheese frosting. I topped it with sliced almonds and homemade chocolate sauce. Impressed? I totally am stunned that I pulled it off, it looked decent, and was not only edible, but incredible!

Beating the heat

Those of us on the West Coast saw some record breaking days of heat in mid-June. How does this family beat the heat? In a pool? Well, that would be wonderful, except we don't have even have a kiddie pool, and the community pools are overcrowded on hot days. In a nice air conditioned building? Sometimes, but everyone needs to get out and run out a little energy and get some fresh air. Run through the sprinklers? As fun as that is, it loses its appeal quickly. So, what did we do? See for yourself!









Yes, that's right! Nothing a beats a good, old-fashioned Slip N Slide, to take you back to those heat filled childhood days. Hearing the kids' laughter, playing tag, getting soaked by freezing cold water, and trying not to slide over the end makes you feel somewhat nostalgic for the days of your own youth. Memories flash of those days spent running through sprinklers, the bright yellow of the Slip N Slide, the big, green crocodile at the end of the slide, then the bump into the "lagoon." Where did the time go? All this reminiscing sparked by one little attempt to beat the record-breaking, triple-digit, 110+ degree heat.

I'll be back

Okay, I know that I have been MIA for some time. It isn't because I have lost interest in blogging, it is because we have had an extremely busy summer. Please come back and visit again soon to see what we have been up to. I have a lot to catch you up on. In time... I promise.

:)

Congratulations California!

A hearty congrats to the state legislature of CA for passing one of the most moronic laws of all time! Some FAQs from DMV's website (including link).

DRIVERS 18 AND OVER
Drivers 18 and over will be allowed to use a "hands-free" device to talk on their wireless telephone while driving. The following FAQs apply to those motorists 18 and over.

Q: Does the new “hands-free” law prohibit you from dialing a wireless telephone while driving or just talking on it?
A: The new law does not prohibit dialing, but drivers are strongly urged not to dial while driving.

Q: Will it be legal to use a Bluetooth or other earpiece?
A: Yes, however you cannot have BOTH ears covered.

Q: Does the new "hands-free" law allow you to use the speaker phone function of your wireless telephone while driving?
A: Yes.

Q: Does the new “hands-free” law allow drivers 18 and over to text message while driving?
A: The law does not specifically prohibit that, but an officer can pull over and issue a citation to a driver of any age if, in the officer’s opinion, the driver was distracted and not operating the vehicle safely. Sending text messages while driving is unsafe at any speed and is strongly discouraged.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/index.htm

So to recap... A person cannot be talking on a handheld cell phone while driving (when one is most likely looking at the road), but CAN dial the phone (when one is most likely looking at the phone, not the road) AND CAN text message (when one is CERTAINLY looking at the phone)!

Am I the only one to see the humor in this? Am I the only one to see a total lack of common sense in this absurd law?

Don't get me wrong, I don't nessarily disagree with the law, but I do think that it is a little bit backwards. Would it not make more sense to outlaw talking, texting and dialing? Especially considering that the latter two are much more distracting than actually talking on the phone.

Now, the part of the law that I do agree with... Minors under the age of 18 (currently the definition of a minor, I know) are prohibitted from using the cell phone in any capacity, hands free or not, while driving. Good! I think that new drivers are distractable enough when they first get their licenses and need to gain some experience driving before attempting to drive while distracted.

I have always been a good driver and this law, of course, would not have pertained to me!

What do you think about the proposal for off-shore drilling?

So our beloved president is proposing that we begin drilling for oil off our American coasts to combat the rise in gas prices? What do you think? Is this a plausible idea?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/18/bush.offshore/index.html?iref=newssearch

I'll reserve my opinions until you all have weighed in...

Rejuvenated and Ready for the Next Round

After an emotionally taxing week last week, we decided to head out of town five hours before it was time to leave. So we headed to the Northern California countryside, where we rested, relaxed, visited family, saw people we haven't seen in years and years, and more years.

I really enjoyed watching my nieces and nephew sell their steers, especially considering that while they were showing their animals, Josh and I were in a meeting, listening to a dispicable human being tell lies. Maybe next year I'll get to see them show.

Josh blew off some steam by hitting a few.

Dad irrigating the pasture.

Tacey watching Grandpa and trying to wait patiently for him to come back.

The kids rarely get to ride their "cars" in such large open areas. Taylor rode his so much that we had to charge his battery 3 times! Tacey had fun too, but it's time to get her a new one, as steering this one is too difficult for her.

Tacey helped Grandma feed the orphaned calf.

Taylor preferred to watch from a little further away.

Taylor and I watched, amused, as Tacey jumped on Grandpa.

Hmmm. I wonder where she learned this. It couldn't be that her brother was pouring the hose water over himself with a loud gasp from the cold water, seconds before I got the camera and missed the shot.

So she tried to get him, like he got her and the rest of us!

Then Grandpa got the nozzle so he could get Daddy, who was on the diving board, headed into the pool.

What a great weekend though. It was just the short escape that we needed. Now I am feeling rejuvenated and ready for the next round against the school board. Here we come.

Politics are So Disheartening

We went before the County School Board yesterday to appeal for Taylor's transfer to the other district. It was very disheartening to hear the local Board President get in front of the county members and tell bold face lies. She did not tell 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 lies! And was caught red-handed in front of the County Board! Oops! While watching this was amusing and humorous, it was also disheartening that even at the local school district level, politicians have such a blatant lack of integrity, claiming to want what is best for the children, yet acting in ways that will only increase the district's pocketbook. These are innocent children who count on adults to speak for them until they have a voice of their own to be heard! Why in the world would you want to do anything but act in their best interests? I can't fathom it. Thank goodness that the county members: A) identified that she was lying and B) acted in the best interests of the children.

What was our outcome? Our appeal was "remanded" to the local school board, as we provided additional information to the county that was not at our disposal for the first local meeting. So, what does this mean for us? Well, we have to submit a new request to the local district's board. Should they deny our request again, we will have to file another appeal with the county. If the county upholds the denial, we are stuck.

I, however, refuse to allow my children to go to school in a district that is more concerned about its finances and only views my children as revenue streams. The district will not get one red cent for my children! Should the denial get upheld, I will homeschool my children until we can relocate within the preferred district's boundaries. I will NOT put my children through changing schools. At least homeschool does not require any changes, as the status quo will continue - the kids being home with me. Furthermore, it is not as if I am not qualified to teach in a classroom (I'm only missing my credential), much less my own children, considering that I have a Masters degree in Teaching!

As a sidenote... The current local district superintendent has been sued personally and her previous school district not once, but twice, for sexual discrimination (both cases were settled, hmm, guilty?). One was for discriminating against a 7th grade girl who claimed she was a lesbian, then was not allowed to attend PE because she would be changing with the other girls. The other was for wrong termination based on discrimination, I'm not sure of the specifics. I find such discriminatory actions so offensive, and I'm not even a part of the community being discriminated against!

Angry, much? Yes I am angry. I am an angry at the gall of some people. I am angry about the lack of honor and integrity at every level of politics. (This is compounded by the fact that the winner of our local County Supervisor race, ran despite making a deal with the incumbent that he would not run against, nor would he run until the incumbent resigned or retired! He had made the same deal and renigged on it with the previous mayor as well!) How in the world do we teach our children to do what is right and to act with integrity when the majority of the public role models show such disregard for common values. The most frustrating thing about this whole thing is that I am powerless to stand up against these people. I can only control how I respond to their lack of ethical resposibilty. Rest assured, I will continue to react with intergrity, honor and moral and ethical responsibility. After all, I have to look at myself in the mirror every morning and like the person that I see looking back. Can they say that?