Spring Break - Day 1

We have declared the upcoming week to be SPRING BREAK.....and we kicked it off by welcoming 3 more children into our home. They'll spend a few days with us while their parents have some pre-deployment couple time.  It's fun for all of us to have little ones in the house again.  Wednesdays are ALWAYS crazy and Thursday the kids and I are leaving town for a few days.

We settled in, played around and when we thought Yuuki would appreciate a break....we walked to the blue park.

Stacia, Zander and Clara Beth

Shoot out at the OK Corral - Cole on top

Elise doing her Calamity Jane impression

Nolan and Elise

Ah - sweet hugs for Arielle from Elise

He decided not to use it in this setting - great choice!

 Stacia is five feet tall now! She comes to the top of my nose. She is nine years old. I think she may hit six feet in the photo below.

LOVE THE HAIR

 The girls needed a water break..and I was going as fast as I could but eventually Elise decided she could use the dog watering faucet much easier....

 

Elise was nice enough to help Clara get a good drink

 After dinner we had about an hour to play. Cole LOVES the walkie talkies the boys have......

It was a lot of fun to listen to the dialogue between him and the big boys upstairs. It's obvious these are military kids.

Meanwhile Mr. Mike entertained the kids taking strange photos.....

Elise is quite the photographer!

Michael, Elise and Clara (in the pjs)

Odd, odd photos.....Michael, Elise, Clara, Stacia and Arielle's feet

 

I'm glad we opted to simply enjoy the kids this week - rather than trying to fit school in too - we're brainstorming what we want to do.

We settled down with a bit of Veggie Tales and then off to bed.

Michael and I are going to spend some time in the backyard onsen to reward ourselves for successfully resurrecting our pre-school parenting skills. ::grin::

A Very Full Week

Some weeks are busy and we've had several in a row like this.  I'm starting to realize this may be life until we skid right into retirement. I think I'm o.k. with that if I can find one day to rest a week. ::grin::  We don't often post a long "week in review," but that's  what I'm doing this week.  In addition to this, add in a busy work week for Michael as he still catches up from his weeks off after surgery, sermon prep and workouts.

We left off with Stacia's determination to sell enough lemonade to get us all to Japan.

FRIDAY
We finished up our school week and I went to an appointment with my favorite base doctor. He ordered my typical labs: cholesterol, blood glucose and thyroid. He also referred me to a dermatologist to check out some suspicious spots and insists I must have a colonoscopy. It is currently scheduled for next week - but I will not be in town. I'll get it rescheduled.

I capped off the week with some PWOC board chatting time and then some Star Trek episodes at home.

Seesters....

 

 

SATURDAY
Arielle has been joining Stacia and I for Saturday morning breakfasts. We went to Kim's Country Kitchen in Lincoln this week.  

As always we enjoyed the conversation and the time spent together.

I must admit it's a tad bit alarming to eat with a canoe over your head.

Arielle needed to buy some new sheets and Target was nearby. 

Ah the decisions..... I told her to go with the set that made her smile.  Who cares what room mates may think? She chose Olaf. I'll turn the top sheet into a quilt for her as she prefers not to have a top sheet...sort of a futon type of thing going on.


 When we got home Michael was done with sermon prep and suggested we drive to Roseville and see Paddington - which we did.  Unfortunately, the showing we planned to attend was sold out. We went to the mall - yep - first time we've done that and we've been here 1 1/2 years. LOL  Michael doesn't like shopping.....but the Disney store provided  a fun trip down memory lane.

We remember hunting EVERYWHERE for a Woody for Jamin(23)

SUNDAY

Gathering together with the body of Christ is always a blessing. Michael preached on Matthew 14:22-27. His points were Be Obedient, Be Bold, Be Not Afraid and Be Amazed. Powerful.  I think I'm somewhere between the "Be Not Afraid" stage and the "Be Amazed" stage of our particular walk on the water.

 

It was Zander's turn to choose our Sunday dinner restaurant. He wanted to go to Taste of China. I have no desire to give them any further business after "the incident," but it was Zander's turn. We discussed it and discovered he likes Taste of China for the sweet and sour chicken. So Michael found another Chinese restaurant to try out. 

 

Full House Chinese in Yuba City - a winner. There were only two women working but they were courteous, the facility was clean and the food was yummy (not over the top yummy but yummy). Next time we'll order family style as we discovered when Zander wants "Sweet and Sour Chicken" he wants CHICKEN....not the rice, egg rolls etc.... I mentioned that I'd like to order just veggies and she created this for me.  I could only eat 1/2 of it. MINE was over the top yummy.

Veggie Delight

We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening resting.

 

MONDAY

Lots of school.

 

I had my fasting labs and then put the PWOC trainer hat on and trained this year's PWOC Leadership Selection Team. A team of five great women committed to praying for God to reveal leaders for next year's ministry here at BEALE AFB PWOC. 

Stroller parking for training

Japanese lessons are a highlight of Mondays.

 

I was hugely blessed when the pharmacy had BOTH my meds ready and I didn't have to make two 30 minute trips to base to get them!!!!

 

TUESDAY

We did mega amounts of school!

 

We got the news that Prince King had made his arrival in Germany! We do miss Josh and Christine.

Daniel John

 Jamin made a trip to Texas A & M and was interviewed for a program in National Security and Diplomacy.

 

I finished the day discussing Daniel 9 with some sweet gals.

 

WEDNESDAY

Our Retreat Logo

Stacia came down with the flu. This changed our Wed routine. Zander stayed home with her. Nolan, Arielle and I went to PWOC.

 

After PWOC the older two watched kids and I attended a Retreat team meeting. It's going to be good.

 

THURSDAY

Stacia was still sick - so Zander got some school done and stayed with her.

 

Us older 3, headed for M&Ms (Moms and Mentors). We finished discussing Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson.  This group is growing and we are praying for older moms who are willing to join and invest in the group. I've committed to leading until retirement.  We had nine moms today - plus quite a few children - and we'll be starting Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood at the end of this month. The group determined to meet twice weekly through the spring/summer.

 

I decided to make sugarless chocolate chips - so I could make sugarless, gluten free cookies on

Friday. LOL

Stacia felt better today but we told her she had to fever free for 24 hours before she could go out.  Arielle stayed home with her and the rest of us went to see a 7 p.m. showing of The Dropbox.

Stacia came down this morning with a tooth that needed pulling. I've had nine children - I just don't pull teeth. Michael does.....HOWEVER.....ZANDER has become the official puller of teeth in our family. We're starting to wonder if he'll have a career in dentistry. Stranger things have happened.

Both are happy with this arrangement - and I figure $3 for 3 tooth extractions is a STEAL of a DEAL!

  

FRIDAY

School......

 

National Prayer Luncheon  at 11:30.

 

Quick trip to the commissary and getting goodies ready for Bunco.

 

Friday night was the first Beale PWOC/Chapel Bunco night. We had a blast. Everyone was welcome....women, men, singles, youth, spouses.....We called it a Mustache Bunco Bash.

 

Stacia was thrilled to be allowed out of the house

Arielle babysat for a couple of families last night. We had 18 attending - that's a great start. There is talk of making a chapel bunco night a monthly event...not necessarily sponsored by PWOC. I always think back to Wayne and Cherri and the wonderful monthly bunco nights they hosted in their home for couples from First Church in Portland. We've seen this usually grows as more become aware of the easy fun.....great way to get to know a lot of folks quickly.  AND you don't have to answer those "ice breaker" questions which can be uncomfortable for the majority of us. LOL

 

SATURDAY

We're back at Saturday!  Arielle was up coughing all night. I woke up at 0400 and couldn't get back to sleep. We were both downstairs early. Around 7:45 Stacia came staggering in with an offended look on her face. She woke up and thought we'd gone out to breakfast without her. I assured her THAT will not happen. She was the original partner in the early Saturday adventures - we can't leave her.  We decided to eat breakfast here and sit enjoy the backyard onsen instead of going out. We're all tired.

 

Next week looks really busy too. The following week is busy but a bit less. I think the week of  22 March will be back to normal....maybe. 

 

We guessed, given the low manning at this assignment,  we'd be running up until retirement.....and we're going to love those months in the trailer. LOL

 

Note: Stacia doesn't wear her green shirt ALL the time - she does put it on every time I pull it out of the dryer.

Gluten-Free Vegan (Sugarless) Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Stephanie brought these to our board hang out night and I kept thinking about them all week. She told me she found the recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod - blog. I searched. Then I had to make vegan/sugarless chocolate chips. My bananas weren't ripe; so I ripened them. FINALLY I was ready to  BAKE cookies!   I chose not to use any sweetener other than the bananas. I think they are fine. I haven't had sugar for months. I suspect the SAPs (Standard American Palates) around here will want it with some sort of sugar - Agave or honey..... The bitter chocolate and less sugar certainly make it less likely to binge on these and yet still provide a nice taste treat.

INGREDIENTS:
3 large, very ripe bananas, peeled
1/2 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil, slightly warmed, but not melted
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups gluten-free oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat Baking Mat and set aside...or spray it.

2. In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Stir in the peanut butter, coconut oil, agave, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

3. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are set. Let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

Note: If you don't need the cookies to be vegan, you can use honey instead of agave nectar and regular chocolate chips. I love these cookies eaten right out of the freezer.

Homemade Chocolate Bars (Chocolate Chips) Vegan

I found this recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie. HER photos are beautiful. She says these taste like a Dove bar. I don't know. It did make a dark chocolate/bitter bar....and I could have used the agave to sweeten it up - but I've sworn off sugars.  I'm not sure if the stevia I used gave it a bitter taste or if it's just that it doesn't have sugars.

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp unrefined coconut oil, melted
• NuNaturals vanilla stevia drops to taste (If you'd prefer to use a liquid sweetener, such as agave or pure maple syrup, use this ratio instead: 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 3 tbsp of your liquid sweetener.)
• optional extracts, cocoa nibs, or other add-ins
• optional 1 extra tbsp oil or water, if it needs to be thinner

Instructions

Combine coconut oil with the liquid sweetener or stevia drops. (For the stevia version, I recommend NuNaturals because I find other brands to have an aftertaste.)
 

Stir, then add the cacao powder. Stir stir stir! Stir until it gets thick. 

Pour into any flat container (or candy molds or smush between layers of wax paper or in ziploc bags).

 

 Freeze until solid, and store in the freezer.

 

Once hardened, you can also opt to melt the bars again for chocolate sauce.

 

 Or chop them up for healthy 100% sugar-free chocolate chips! If you use the stevia option, these bars are sugar-free.

LOTTA LEMONADE

The kids really want to go to Japan with us in July. We are retiring in August. This is a rather bad time to spend such a chunk of  money from our savings.

July is NOT the best time to try to fly Space A.

We have resigned ourselves to the fact  they will not be coming with us to Japan in July.

Arielle will be out of our home by that time. We will be leaving for a couple of weeks shortly after she moves out.  This is not setting well with my mama heart as I know this is going to be a hard time for Stacia.

We actually feel like it is important for the kids to be a part of this - but they don't HAVE to be on the vision trip. We weren't as missionary kids.  I AM praying there is a way to get us all over there. LOL Oh well, these are OUR thoughts.

Stacia informed us today she thinks the kids NEED to go with us.  She told me five days was LONG ENOUGH to be apart from us, and she doesn't want to do two weeks. I explained the realities of retirement and savings et al. She told me she was starting a lemonade stand right away. ::snort:: That's a whole LOTTA LEMONADE to sell.  I am looking around to see if I could possibly sell enough to earn their air fare. LOL

Educational Theory

Yes, I asked.

It seems her theory is the brain cells all go to the top of your brain when you read like this.

It is easier to learn if all your brain cells are at the top of your head.

Math is a bit harder to do this way.

Fellowship Sunday!

They look pretty good!

Once a month Beale Protestant families prepare a mountain of food and converge on the Far West family for Fellowship Sunday. Maria does a great job of  organizing us. I did my part with a big vegetable salad, brownies, chili san carne, and vegan black bean brownies.

We went to Sunday School.

We helped set up for the potluck.



Ch. Tim T looks so wise after returning from Chaplain School

We all love Mara - She's content with Ch. Brenner



Maria (2nd from L) and Cynthia (R) faithfully work behind the scenes each month
Holly, center R is Ch. Tim's wife

 

The potluck was followed with a Protestant Advisory Council (PAC) meeting.

We did a bit of clean up after that and headed home for a quick breather before....

We headed out in the evening to cheer on Matt as he was ordained as a minister of the gospel. This is a big step in Matt's  dream to become an Air Force chaplain. I'm amazed at his determination to finish a bachelors, and an MDIV while working overtime as an ACTIVE DUTY member of the Air Force.  We all know this has required sacrifice from the entire family. Well done!  We are praying God makes the way forward clear for this family. I would love to see them in the chapel corps.

Joy, Matt, Rachel (Eliana due in July), Zack
Nathan, Seth

As a side note it was a fun run up to Lodi.  We were very impressed with Noah's Park at The Home Church.