Gift of Parenting

BreAnne asked Michael about us presenting a workshop on parenting at her church months ago. I have done a workshop on mothering. Michael has counseled numerous parents. We had never compiled our thoughts into one spot and we had never presented a workshop together.  This was a fun challenge! We found we had time to consider it after Michael retired from the chaplaincy. ::grin:: We  planned, prayed, thought, wrote, prepared...tonight was the first night of a two day parenting workshop called, "The Gift of Parenting."  We're presenting the workshop at Calvary Open Bible Church in Springfield, OR. 

Of course, seeing Bella, held here by Donna, is a highlight of any trip to Oregon. 

Bella is 6 months old!

In the workshop we share tips and pointers we've learned through our study of the Word and our 31 1/2 years of parenting. We discuss both our stunning success and our breathtaking fails - all covered by the amazing grace of God.We focus on changing our perspective and gaining God's vision for parenting in general  and specifically for each of our children. The weekend was divided into 5 sessions - with time for breaks, activities and questions interspersed throughout. The sessions are The Gift of Children, The Gift of Mentoring, The Gift of Gratitude, The Gift of Why and The Gift of Legacy.

It was positive for Michael and I to reflect on where God has brought us and it seemed valuable to those who attended to have the time to stop and reflect as well. There were several comments about how valuable the weekend was to various couples. Our favorite moments came as we watched parents catch a vision for what God may be doing with a more difficult child as they re-framed their situation and searched for God's vision for that child.

Several said they felt this was the start of a new ministry outlet for us. We shall see what God does with this small beginning. We are open to travel (obviously) and sharing.

Sea Cruise Auto Show

We were in town last night and noticed quite a few classical cars. It took a quick look online (love my smart phone) to find out this was the weekend of the 25th annual  Sea Cruise Auto Show. Mom had mentioned it weeks back. We called to see if she'd like to go on an outing today. It turns out she has never made it and always thought it would be fun. 

I drove Michael over to the house so he could drive Mom to town. I picked the kids up and we headed in as well.  The park was FULL of cars!  The sun was shining. The vendors had fry bread - though they  called it something else at the Job's Daughter's trailer. LOL  We sauntered down and bought a couple to share. 

Michael and Mom arrived just as we were paying. We met up and shared our treat! Then it was off to explore the rows and rows of classic cars!

Nolan, Alex, Michael, Stacia, Mom 

 This 1941 Ford Coupe caught my fancy! 

Live music....

The photo below isn't great but it reminds me of a fun day AND it's the last time I wore my favorite sweat shirt. I had it in my bag on the way back from the showers, it fell out, and someone picked it up. I hope they needed it.

Slug Bug - for real! 

An electric car from the 1800's. 

We were looking for cars like Grandma Anne's (Mom G's mom) old car. We found much more than that.  We ended the day with a dinner in town, before we rounded up the cars and headed back to the Redwoods.

#WYFF (Where's Your Feet Friday) is a hashtag sponsored by Fulltime Families. For more entries click tab above.

Instant Pot Spanish Rice (Vegan)

My Instant Pot is a life-saver in my tiny, RV kitchen!  This is yummy. Tweak the spices to your liking.

2 C brown rice

15 oz can of beans, or 1 bag freezer beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 carrot, sliced

1 hote pepper, sliced

1/2 C roasted peppers or fresh red/green peppers

1/2 C  green olives (I used black)

2 tsp no- beef bouillon 

3 tsp chili powder

2 tspt garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1.5 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

3.25 C water

Put all ingredients in your Instant Pot, give it a good stir, seal the lid, set the pressure valve to seal. Click manual and set for 23 minutes. 

Click here for the original recipe. I'll be checking for more on her blog. For more yummy eats click the link above.  

Conquering "the" Tree

In the background you see two sections of what used to be a big, thick, evil Cork Elm tree. This thing put out sucker roots all over the yard...they grow fast and tall, their roots slide along the ground putting up new trees every 6 - 12 inches. Mom has wanted this down for quite a bit of time. She planned to have the "yard man" come take it down. there was concern it would land where it shouldn't. We've been taking a section at a time down. Today, Josiah joined the party. 

They cut - Stacia and I usually drag brush to the burn pile or wood to the upper garage. These two split and stacked wood. 

Maiden of the Brush 

Campfire hospitality - some of the best there is. 

Crissey Field ~ Brookings Harbor #WYFF

It was a bit overcast but we set our sights for Brookings Harbor and the ocean today. We discovered Crissey Field State Park. This is a great beach and visitor center. We collected info on future hikes and trails - in the OR redwoods.  I may eventually make a video - but for now - the photos! 

This spot felt sacred to me. It's on the way down to the beach. When one steps inside it's like being in an outdoor cathedral. 

TONS of driftwood on this beach.  Stacia and I had fun exploring the different sizes and shapes. 

Several structures too.....

Stacia, Alex, Nolan, Michael and Josiah 

Another tiny home....

We left Crissey Field and traveled in to Brookings proper. There is a small, hole-in-the-wall Chinese place we like to frequent. I can't even remember it's name, but we stopped for lunch.

Our next stop was the Whale's Tail. Mom G had mentioned wanting peppermint taffy a bit ago. I was surprised not to find a taffy store in Crescent City....but we found the real deal in Brookings.  We headed to the city campground/harbor. Fishermen.....

It's become a tradition to sit on the jetty and enjoy a treat of some sort. Yes, I did pick up some fudge for the event. LOL 

#WYFF (Where's Your Feet Friday) is a hashtag sponsored by Fulltime Families. Click the tab below the blog header to read more of our entries.

Town Day with Cy

Mom G has a doctor's appointment today. When we all go places we need two vehicles. She simply can't vault into our van.  We decided I would go in early with the kids and we'd explore the town a bit.   Michael would go across the river and bring Mom G to town. I would meet them at the doctor's and the kids would continue to play on the beach until the appointment was over. Then we could all enjoy dinner together in town before coming back to the woods. 

Our first stop was Beachfront Park. It was a bit foggy, but the walk was a good one. 

Nolan, Stacia, Josiah, Alex

We walked on over to the fishing pier. We've wanted to do this and never quite make it. There are a couple of picnic tables out at the end of it...we queried the fisherman and Stacia made plans for future trips. We were also told there are Halibut to be gotten off the south jetty.

I realized I had forgotten to print and bring Mom's blood pressure readings. I called Michael and they were just leaving the house. They swung by the Caboose. It turns out one of the boys had borrowed Michael's keys and he had no trailer keys. I had left a window open (bad Mom) and Michael was able to climb inside.  

Battery Point Lighthouse in the fog

I dropped the kids and Josiah off at Pebble Beach and told them I'd be back in an hour. Unfortunately, things didn't work quite as smoothly as planned. We arrived about 20 min early for our appointment. There had been some mix up with the timing of the appointment. They called to reschedule, Mom asked for the same time, they had us down for an hour later than the original appointment. Michael and I had no note of any of this. ::snort:: We were an hour and 20 min early.  The doctor, however, was running over an HOUR behind schedule....so we waited over 2 hours....The kids got lots of beach time in and were concerned something had happened. 

Stacia - Queen of the Mountain

Mom had recommended Fisherman's Restaurant on our drive past one day. We stopped in for dinner.

Alex and Stacia

Josiah and Mom G

We enjoyed catching up with each other over dinner.  

River Time with Cy

We are having an AMAZING September. I've been told it's an Indian Summer. I'll take it over the typical rain - any time!  We took advantage of the sun to swim. This is probably our last chance to play on the river this season and Josiah is here! 

Poor Yuuki

I love this photo of Alex giving Stacia some fishing pointers.

We took the row boat and our kayak down. 

I was enjoying the beach on the other side when the kids mentioned a snake was enjoying the sun with me and slithered in - I let him have the river.  Stacia loves fishing - just loves it.

Alex likes rocks - and building! 

Beautiful!

Catching up.....