Green Acres Is the Place to Be

Some of my students were talking about fruit trees. I chimed in that I had several fruit trees. They asked me what kind I had so I started naming different trees in growing orchard. They asked me what else I had at my house so I told them about our 50 or so chickens and our 25 or so goats. They wanted to take a field trip to my house. I think they wanted out of doing their journal question. To the left is a picture of our goat field. Right now we are discing the field and planting a pasture. Pasture and fencing will definitely not only improve the value of our property but will give me piece of mind knowing that Garrett and Noah will be safer inside a fenced yard, albeit a really big fenced yard. To the right is a picture of our garden. We use raised beds to grow most of the vegetables and some fruit like tomatoes. Weeds are a big problem in our garden. The raised beds reduce the amount of water our garden needs and the weeds we have to pull. Besides, it will look nice when we have finished our garden. Our goal is to plant the rest of the fruit and nut trees, add landscape cover, gravel, and more raised beds, and build a green house. Although you cannot really make much money farming only a few acres, we decided to turn our liability into an asset by planting this garden to help reduce grocery costs and eat better quality food. I will defiantly learn to can and will share with any family member that wants fruits, nuts, and veggies! We are also raising chickens that lay eggs and chickens that will be dinner. When I talked about eating our chickens, Garrett reminds me that chickens are for laying eggs and not for eating. When he tells me this, I remember a time when John, Amanda, and I were sitting around our table at our house in Utah. We were happily eating stew until one of my parents let it slip that there was elk meet in the stew. Almost in unison, we all chimed, "Yuck, elk!" I guess what goes around comes around because I am trying to teach Garrett to eat right and like fruits and vegetables. If it isn't lasagna, pizza, or cheeseburgers, it is yucky!


For those who have not been to our house, we live on about 5 acres of land. Although I do not care for our house (we will remodel and or build another house on our acreage), I really like our location. We live on a dead end street and not so far from the nearest city and freeway. We have a blueberry patch across the street, an empty field on one side, great neighbors on the other side, a large empty field behind our house, and walnut and cheery orchards within walking distance. Sadly, we have no other cchildren on our street so Garrett will either play with his brother, cousins, or travel to friends home. To the left is a picture of Garrett climbing one of the walnut trees that has sadly almost been destroyed by the goats. Behind Garrett is our water machine that should be making us money instead of sitting in a goat field. It is never dull at the Lee Family home!

Garrett has many things we can do at our house. He can climb trees, ride tractors, chase animals, pick walnuts or other goodies from the garden, ride his bike, or run to his heart's content. To the right is a picture of Garrett riding his tractor. He really loves tractors especially combines. As you can guess, his favorite part of the movie Cars is when Frank wakes up! Garrett also likes to collect leaves and rocks as well as gather the chicken eggs. Although, I think he is a little afraid of the chickens! I am sure Noah will learn many trick from his older brother! Right now, more than anything Garrett wants to be a farmer with farm animals and lots of tractors. He even told me that when he grows up and has his farm, he will build me a house. I can live in it only after I pay him money for it. He must be listening to his daddy talk about business while mommy is teaching school!


The water machine is still in the goat field. We have someone from a welding lab coming to exam the welds. I hope that all of our "to do list" is completed soon so we can open for business! Sometimes it is hard to know what to do when you haven't gone through the process. Hindsight is always 20/20 they say, and boy is that saying correct. We will definitely do things differently now that we know the process. It is too bad we did not know the end from the beginning! We are going to have the newspaper come out and do a story. Everyone in our family is invited to come if they want to be part of the celebration! After all, we are the first Mr. Zippy's Express Ice and Water House in our state! Not bad for a young family! To right and below is a picture of our machine's location. It might not seem like the best location. This is the easiest place to put our machine because the factory rep for our area owns the lot. At least I am not paying a rental fee while the machine sits in our field. However, when choosing a location, one has to consider the demographic that will use the machine the most. In our case, we feel like the Hispanic population will use our machine the most. If you were to turn and look in the other direction, you would see a taqueria that has been open for many years and has quite the loyal customer base. We have eaten there a few times. They have really good food so I can see why many people enjoy eating there. Maybe they will buy ice and water from us while they wait for their dinner to cook! It seems like forever we have been waiting for this machine to come. I hope that it will do well like we expect. If this machine is profitable, then more machines will be easier to purchase, permit, and install. My students ask me every week how the machine is doing. They want me to bring them in some Mr. Zippy ice. I think they are just buttering me up!

On Saturday, we attended the opening game of our local minor league hockey team. We upgraded to the business section so my husband could give tickets away to clients and the cost of the tickets would be a tax deduction. We have a restaurant behind out seats. We ate a great dinner that was actually cheaper than eating at the concession stands! The game was not a disappointment for hockey fans. I saw at least 6 fights. We had to leave after the second quarter because Jordan had to go to work. Our team was behind by one point. I am guessing they lost the games. But miracles happen!

I hope you have enjoyed our family adventures this week. Please have a good week!

Only Time Will Tell

Our new water machines has arrived. Unfortunately, the City has not been upfront with all of the permits so we are in the process of having our engineer make corrections to the blue prints. In the meantime, Mr. Zippys is spending quality time in the field making friends with the goats, chickens, turkeys, and whomever else lives in the shadows of the pasture. Here are pictures of Jordan and his friends, Vic and Vince, unloading the machine. Although it is comical that the machine is in the field, it is frustrating all the same because it seems as if the red tape is never ending. If people could only do their job, then all of this could have been avoided because we would have had all the proper permits and corrections made long before the machine arrived in California. We will immediately be securing a lease and pulling permits for the next machine before we even order it!

Jordan had shirts made up for our water vending business. Both Garrett and Noah have Mr. Zippys attire. Our next family picture will be in our new shirts! Hopefully, we can take a picture in front of our machine! To the left you can see Garrett in his Mr. Zippy shirt. The boys have white shirts with the logo embroidered on the shirt. The adult version has racing strips on the collar and sleeves. In the background, you can catch a glimpse of our garden (and some of the field). We have been working hard on using our land to help us become more self-sufficient and to allow our family to eat less processed foods. We are going to add several trees next spring including oranges, nectarines, peaches, apples, pistachios, macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans, and grapefruits. We are also going to add some vines including grapes and kiwis. We are going to add more raised beds and cover more weeds with landscaping cloth and gravel. We are also going to build a greenhouse. I am surely going to have learn how to can fruits and vegetables!

Speaking of trees, walnuts are now ripening. Every year we have lived here, the squirrels have gotten the walnuts before we could harvest them. This year I have help. Julius, Sean, Garrett, and I pick some every day. Even if they are a little under ripened. If you leave the nuts in the sun, they ripen just fine. We have gathered several pounds already! Now my TA will spend the next few weeks cracking them all. This past Saturday, Sean, Garrett, Noah (in his new EllaRoo sling) and I were gathering nuts. Because we have one tree that is really tall, we had to knock them down with sticks. Since we do not grow walnuts for a living, we do not have all of the fancy harvesting equipment. Garrett was more worried about the goats eating his leaves (for his leaf collection) than gathering the nuts. Nevertheless, we had fun!

Wow! Where Did the Summer Go?

It has been a while since we have posted to our blog. It seemed like just yesterday that school ended and summer was in full swing. Sadly, summer has ended, and I am now back at work. I cannot complain too much because I have my own classroom (even on my prep period), a great schedule, and good students (so far). This school year has started really well!

When I last wrote, our family was embarking on a family vacation. We left our house at 9:30 a.m. We arrived at our destination (Idaho Falls, Idaho) at 2:00 a.m. Our children did great! We stopped in Reno, NV; Winnemuca, NV; and Wells, NV. When we arrived at our hotel, they had given away our room and did not have an vacancies. They had to find and pay for our accommodations. We stayed at a better hotel with a view of the Idaho Falls Temple. I mostly sat in the back with the boys. This way I could breast pump and bottle feed Noah. I did drive the last leg of the way. Thank goodness for audio book tapes. To the left is a picture of Garrett and Noah in our hotel room. Jordan had an early meeting, but the boys and I slept in, had breakfast, swam, and packed our things. When Jordan returned from his meeting, we went to visit his sister, Shawna. Shawna and her family live in a small town located near Rexburg. We spent the afternoon checking on our campus apartments and walking around BYU. After our lunch at Hogy Yogi, we headed off to Shawna's house.

The following day, we spent time talking with Shawna's family and Jordan's father, Maurice, who lives with Shawna's family. We also went to a session at the Rexburg Temple. In the late afternoon, we traveled to Bear Lake to spend time with Jonda and Candy (Jordan's sisters) and Denver and Lafe (Jordan's brothers). Bear Lake is really beautiful. It is as blue green as the ocean. However, it is windy most days so Bear Lake is not good for water skiing. However, it is great for jet skiing, inter-tubing, and fishing. Farmers near Bear Lake grow very yummy raspberries. I was a little sad that we were not able to try the famous raspberry milkshakes. Maybe next year.

We spent Saturday on Lafe's boat. Garrett and Zane, his cousin, were afraid to try out the inter-tube. Jordan and Lafe made the boys take a turn. We told them everything would be okay and how much fun they would have. However, we did not go fast enough and the tube flipped. No one was injured, but it might be awhile for Garrett tries the inter-tube again.

The next morning we drove to Boise to visit my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and Jordan's brother. We made good time and were able to eat dinner with my grandparents. My grandmother is 96 and in pretty good shape (considering her age). I wanted her to see her great-grandson, Noah. I am just sad my children will not know their great-grandparents as well as I do. It is up to me to make sure they know about the great qualities each one of them has. I am lucky that I know my grandparents as well as I do.

I will have to post our activities for the rest of the summer at a later date. It is late, and I must finish chores before going to bed. Next week will be the first full school week!

Legacies

We are still working on a location for our Mr. Zippy's water vending machine business. We think we are going to place the machine near a bike shop and an Italian restaurant. OSH is located across the street. This location is one of the busiest areas in our town. Jordan is so very excited. We are hoping that the lease goes through and is signed, sealed, and delivered.

This week we had many activities planned for the boys. We were going to the free movies (at a local movie theater), swimming at the local high school pool, and playing at the local aquatic center. Unfortunately, Garrett came down ill. He is still recovering. Hopefully, he will be well for Daddy's company party is Tuesday. Jordan's work puts on quite a party with plenty of free food, drinks, and carnival rides.

Even though Garrett came down ill, we did visit a friend from church. Laura has a pool and a son, Grayson, who always wished he could be an older brother. Grayson loves to play with Garrett because it makes him feel like "the older brother." Garrett had a great time swimming and playing all afternoon. Tara, Laura's daughter, was successful in teaching Garrett to swim around the pool in his life jacket. But, no one could talk Garrett into jumping from the diving board. We even dangled candy as an enticement. I was really surprised Garrett would not jump because Tara offered him a lot of candy. He jumped from the diving board at swimming lessons for a mere sucker. Maybe next time.

We are also leaving for vacation next week. We will be going to Rexburg, Idaho; Bear Lake, Utah; and Boise, Idaho. I know I must be crazy to make such a trip with a 4 year-old and a 5 month-old. I am sure this trip will be an adventure we can laugh at in years to come. We do have a portable DVD player (with plenty of movies), books, coloring books, and a portable V Smile game system (with plenty of games). As long as I have some audio book tapes, we will be there in no time. Stay tuned for next week's posting to see if I am still sane. Speaking of sane, how did our parents take us anywhere on vacation without all of the great electronic gadgets we have today?

Noah really loves baby food. He likes apple sauce best, but he also like sweet potatoes mixed with rice cereal. Our neighbor, Dan, brought us peaches. Noah did not really like them too well. They were either too sweet, or he did not like the consistency.

Noah now has a favorite toy. It is a little red apple with a worm inside. You can see in the picture to the right. Noah has not really shown any particular favoritism to any one item until this week. Garrett had his blankie already picked out within a month of life. Noah doesn't like pacifiers, doesn't have a favorite blanket, and until this week didn't have a favorite toy.

Noah is really an easy going baby. He is also cutting teeth so he is a little cranky, however, he loves to laugh and be a part

of the family. He is a welcome addition, and Garrett cannot wait until Noah is old enough to play with him!

I have been thinking a lot about family this week since we are leaving on a family vacation to visit Jordan's family. I feel very lucky to have known my grandparents as an adult. I know very few people my age that still have all of their grandparents still alive. I had mine around until is was 36 years-old. Many of students do not even have one grandparent still alive.

My grandparents have taught me many great lessons. I remember my Grandmother Gretta taught me my letters by drawing them on my back while we were taking a bus ride to visit my Aunt Carolyn. My Grandmother Virginia has taught me how to be a good cook. My Grandfather Glenn (who is no longer with us), taught me how to work hard and to appreciate your family. My Grandfather George taught me the value of education and lof ove (he cares for my Grandmother Gretta). Above is a picture of Grandmother Virginia with Noah. She was able to visit us in April for my brother's (Jimmy) wedding. I appreciate the sacrifice she made to visit with my family.

So long for now. Keep us in your prayers (for a safe vacation) and wish me luck!

And So Our Days of Our Lives

Although I have been more flexible regarding my list, I still have deadlines nipping at my heals. We are furiously working on loan applications, plot maps, and permits. Our new water vending machine will be here next month. To the left, is a picture of our new machine. Our goal is to pay this one off as soon as possible and buy as many as we can. I can see the top of the mountain leading to the valley of "out of the rat race." If I make it, I will be free at last!


Garrett finished his swimming lessons this week. The motto of this session has been bravery. My son has learned that bravery means doing something even if it is "scary." Many of the skills Garrett has learned this session has been scary to him. To his credit, he learned to do them anyway. He blew bubbles, put his entire head underwater, floated on his back, jumped into the deep end of the "kiddie pool," kicked his feet, and floated on his back and kicked his feet when rolled onto to his stomach. At the end of the week, he even jumped off of the diving board into the really deep water (his teacher caught him). To the right is evidence of his brave accomplishment.



Noah has learned to do many things this week including eating baby food. He really likes fruit especially apples. Our neighbor, Dan, brought over some apricots. Noah liked them as well. We have quite a garden. Even though many of our trees are newly planted, our peach and nectarine trees are burdened with fruit. Hopefully, Noah will like peaches and nectarines as well. Since I have been home this summer, he is really become a "momma's boy." He loves to be held, sung to, and rocked. But sometimes he cannot make up his mind if he wants to nurse or drink a bottle.

I must go as it is late, and I still need to finish dishes. I really like creating blogs. However, I wish I could put everything into a table format. It would make inserting pictures so much easier. If anyone has any suggestions, please leave a comment. Even if you just read our blog, please leave a comment. It is nice to know that someone else reads my blog besides me!