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As we continue to move into our new home, I am creating checklists to help with organization.  My first checklist is for the guest bedroom and bathroom.  I really want our place to be one of retreat and comfort for our guests.  Please look the lsit over and if there are any additional ideas, let me know!

Guest Bedroom
Furniture: Bed, Nightstands, Lamps, Dresser
Decorative art on walls
2 Sets of Bedding
Pillows
Alarm Clock
Extra Blanket and Pillow
Hangers
Wastebasket
Reading Light
Magazine/Reading Material
House Key with Important Phone Numbers
Water Bottles
Drinking Glasses
Fresh Flowers
Snacks (fruit, chocolate, cookies)

Bathroom
Towels
Washcloths
Toilet Paper
Tissues
Hand Soap
Body Wash
Hair Dryer
Nightlight
Shampoo and Conditioner
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Feminine Products
Razors
Shaving Cream
Cotton Balls
Emery Board/Manicure Kit
Hand Cream
Tylenol/Aspirin
Tums or Similar
Pepto Bismol
Cough Lozenges

The boys and I ran the Miner’s Ravine Fun Run this morning!  The boys did the 3/4 mile run and I did the 5k.  ‘A’ placed 6th!  ‘R’ stopped for water :), so I have no idea what he placed.  He was about the middle of the pack.  My friend, Carrie, was there with her mom and son ‘H’.  ‘H’ placed second in the kids run, and then ran the 5k with his Grandma!  Carrie ran the 10k, (she is going to be running the CIM relay with me in December.)

Posing under the rose sculpture…

At the start/finish line…

And they’re off!

‘A’ finishing.  For some reason the picture for ‘R’ did not turn out…

…Well, it took 6 and a half years, and a few tears from having to watch his brother lose 8 teeth (and rack up the tooth fairy cash), to lose his first tooth!  It’s a happy household…(is it OK for me to say he looks a little like ‘Howdy Doody’ here?)

A friend of ours came from Washington state this weekend to teach at a Worship Leaders conference that was at our church.  He brought one of his boys with him.  While David served as Tim’s assistant, I spent the time with the boys.  They were like three peas in a pod!

We spent the first evening at Johns Pizza.  The place was quiet and we were able to eat and play without any lines!






We spent plenty of time at the pool, and the boys (of course) played with Legos.  We also went and saw the movie ‘Despicable Me’ in 3D.  It was ‘J’s 8th birthday, and we spread the fun through the whole weekend.  We ended it with breakfast at Mels Diner, and a trip to ToysRUs!

Serving on the Docks

Grandma Margaret was able to join us in serving those who live along the Sacramento river.  Since the shelter burned down in July, we have been doing BBQs at the Broderick docks.


One of the men we served, went to the store and bought a Nerf football to play with the kids.  It was sweet to witness such simple joy.

Our New Home!

Yay, we are homeowners again!  WOO HOO!! 
David and I had spent a whole day looking at houses with the best agent ever (Pat).  After looking at eight houses (this is on top of the houses I had seen on my own with Pat over the past year), we found one we wanted to make an offer on.  This was on a Wednesday.  The next day, just before we were to make the offer, our agent said that a house came on the MLS she thought we should look at.  It is a foreclosure in Rocklin, located on a golf course!  We don’t golf (yet), but the view is lovely.  I went through it with Pat and knew if was something I needed to show David.  David saw it later that evening, and after a bit of discussion about the two top houses, this one was the one we wanted to bid on.
It was priced low, and on the lower end of our price range, so we made an offer a little higher.  We learned that there were five other bids on the table, but we won!  We had to agree to a 30 day close, with inspections and financing secured within 17 days.  I guess this is pretty extreme, but we were able to meet their demands.  There is an issue with the roof, but nothing that broke the deal, and we have a bunch of little “honey-do” items to knock out.  since it is a foreclosure, we had to take “as-is”.  But, the “as-is” is not too bad.
Sooo, without further ado, I present to you the home we plan on living in until the kids are grown (and probably then some)…


There is a little courtyard entry.  Part is uncovered, and part covered.  I want  some seating and a fountain…


The view upon entry…this is our main room, facing the backyard/golf course…

View from Living to Entry…see the hallway immediately to the left upon entry?

The view down that hallway, leading to the guest “quarters”…

The guest bathroom…

The hallway is a zig-zag.  This is the view from the guest bathroom toward the bedroom…

The guest bedroom.  The view is the front yard…

The living room view from the dining area…check our the slick entertainment center.  This was left behind!  It was supposed to be ours, but someone just stole the stereo equipment.  We are going to file a police report, but apparently this is relatively common in foreclosures.   The house is also wired throughout for music, has a central vacuum, and a whole house fan!

The “walkway” from dining area to the master bedroom.  Living is to the left..

Entering the master bedroom…

Master bedroom built ins that are opposite the wall that has the two windows…

The view from the bathroom.  This shows the bedroom and its sitting area.  The sitting area has a door that goes out to the back patio…

The master bathroom.  Jetted tub and enclosed toilet across from sinks.  Shower between the sinks.  Closet at the end of bathroom…




If you are facing the house, this is the gate to the right of the 3+ car garage.  The ‘+’ represents the golf court you can store in the garage.  See the side garage door that opens out to a “driveway”, which leads the golf cart right onto the course…

The view from the living area to the dining/kitchen…



View from kitchen sink to dining area…

The view from the door off the living area.  You can see our pool, and BBQ, fridge.  The master sitting area door is to the left.  The pool has a waterfall that is not on yet…

The view from the pool toward the spa, and the gate that leads to the walkway to the golf course…

Views of the golf course…someone else mows!!

By the fridge in the kitchen there is a small hallway.  On the left of the hallway is the door that leads to the side walkway.  To the right is the stairs leading upstairs.  Straight is the utility room, then the garage…
The utility room has a bunch of built ins, including an ironing board and a big desk for command central!


The garage.  It’s a tandem three care, plus room for a golf cart.  At the end, you can see a cutout of the sheetrock.  This is an opening under the stairs that they did nothing with.  We are considering making it a wine cellar…

Heading upstairs…

Ath the top of the stairs, on the wall straight ahead, is a closet, and another builtin…

At the top of the stairs, looking down..you can see the upstairs bathroom on both sides of the stairwell…

Heading up the stairs, you see this bonus room to the left.  There is also another bonus room at the end of this room.  The bonus room will serve as the playroom for the kids, and the additional bonus room will be the homeschool room!

The homeschool room…

The view from the homeschool room…

The upstairs bathroom is an odd shape.  It’s divided into two rooms.  One room is the sink and toilet.  The other room is another sink and the bath/shower…


The boys bedroom has a door from the hallway, and a door to/from the bathroom…

David’s office.  Next door to the boy’s bedroom…

The view from David’s office…

The view from the boy’s room…

Well, that’s it!  I invite all family and friends to join us anytime!!

Risotto Night

My friend Tina and I attended the risotto technique class at Williams-Sonoma.  I was inspired to have a risotto night, with the boys helping.  ‘A’ and I made the Chicken with Carmelized Onion Risotto for dinner…delicious and addicting!!

Chopping onions…

Tending the chicken…

And we’re stirring….

Final product.  This recipe made enough for two full meals for our family…

‘R’ and I made the  Risotto with Figs and Almonds for dessert…it’s what’s for dessert….and breakfast…:)

My precious posing…

Peeling the apple…

Dicing the apple…

Toasting the almonds…

Quartering the figs…(with a little lesson on fractions thrown in…)

Sauteing the apple…

Happy chef…

..and we’re stirring…

YUMMY!

It was a fun night, although I think I’d reconsider tackling two risottos in one night!!

I own some lovely wood utensils.  I have been a bit neglectful in their care, running them through the dishwasher…not good.  I stipped them of all moisture. 

A few weeks ago, I attended a knife skills class at Williams-Sonoma.  (They offer weekly free techniques classes.)  They introduced a few products for the maintenance of cutting boards.  I decided to buy some for my utensils.

I wish I took “before” shots.  I placed the cream on the utensils and let them sit overnight, before wiping them.  They are almost back to their original health!

They just couldn’t wait to try them on…

One of the burdens of living where I live is that one of the most gorgeous places on earth is only an hour from my house.  It is my Washington – born duty to make sure that all of our guests get the opportunity to visit this special land…

First stop was Peju.  We just walked and enjoyed the grounds.  They have such a beautiful property.






After Peju, we drove up to Beringer and ate our picnic lunch there.  (Tip:  Bring your lunch from home, unless you want to stand in long lines; or, buy the items earlier in the day…).  Beringer had a cajun blues band playing.  It was great to see couples dancing.  There was also a man who had a parrot on his shoulder who bobbed his head up and down to the music.  It was pretty cute.

We finished our day at the lovely Domaine Carneros





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