Valea's Thoughts

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

2011-11-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Stationery Card

2011-09-17T22:10:00.001-07:00

Big Oh Boy Birth Announcement

Personalized cards for babies, Valentines, Easter and Mother's Day.

View the entire collection of cards.

A Card I Made of my Granddaughter

2011-08-26T08:24:00.001-07:00

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

HCG Weight Loss

2011-08-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, when my daughter in law was pregnant with her first child, her midwife mentioned a diet program she was doing and lost a lot of weight. The program hcg weight loss diet is based on hormone balancing, stress reduction and positive lifestyle changes. Recently on facebook I have seen several other friends of mine on the same diet. I have seriously given this diet some thought. It is suppose to help regulate your metabolism and balance your body's hormones (that in itself would be worth it). Plus my husband would be thrilled not to have some moody crazy lady living with him. We'll let you all know how it works out.

Getting Over It

2011-08-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

The article written by Alonso Kramer:

What is it about parenthood that makes you all of a sudden become the most paranoid person in the entire world? It’s something that comes the second you have kids, and I’m pretty sure that it never ends. All of a sudden when I had my daughter, Jade, I saw everything as a possible threat to her safety. Stairs- death trap unless gated. Car- major death trap unless child is strapped in to a car seat that would bounce safely if dropped from a five story building. All cupboards had to be locked up with those little plastic thingies that make it impossible to get to a pot or pan. House had to be secured so that the second they step out of the house I know that she’s out of a door (I found that solution at www.SecurityChoice.Com/). All cleaning supplies have the possibility of being ingested. All outlets have the potential of being touched. Yes- I’m fairly certain that this state of paranoia will not end until… well.. never. Great.

Inventory Control Software

2011-08-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

Recently my daughter and I took on the unpleasant task of cleaning and rearranging the food storage room. Living on a small farm we tend to do a lot of canning. Keeping the foods organized and the oldest food toward the front of the shelf is important. I have seriously considered getting inventory control software. It would make the process so much easier!

Instead, we removed everything from the shelves, cleaned the shelves and returned the food in an organized manner. You can not imagine how unorganized it gets throughout the year. Since it is time for me to start canning again, I figured I would start with a clean storage room. I don't expect to have as many pears to deal with this year, but you never know and I'll need all the space I can get.

California Personal Injury Attorney

2011-08-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

I read in the news today about a homeless man that was beaten to death by the police. As the daughter and wife of former police officers I tend to think that there must be more to the story then what is initially reported. Possibly the man resisted arrest or that he became violent and the officers had to subdue him. After watching videos of witnesses reporting to a bus driver about the beating I have to wonder if this is truly a case of police brutality? The father of the homeless man is probably going to hire a California personal injury attorney to sue the Fullerton, CA police department, with just cause.

What most people do not know is that police officers receive extensive training to teach them how to handle all types of situations. Adrenaline gets pumping when an officer is in a chase, physical confrontation or a possibly life threatening situation. Training these officers how to handle them selves in these situations is what they learn at the police academy.

The death of this homeless man I mentioned above is a situation that obviously got out of hand. The witnesses reported that at least 6 police officers where beating this man as he begged for his life and called out for his father, a former sheriffs deputy. One of these officers should have seen this situation was out of control and done his civic and moral duty by putting a stop to the allegedly aggressive behavior of the other officers. Yet, not one of them allegedly did.

Police officers put their lives at risk daily and deserve our respect for upholding the law. If they were are at risk of harm coming to themselves, they do what they need to do to subdue a possible perpetrator. The officer is to call for back up to help subdue the perpetrator. I can not possibly imagine that one homeless man put six officers lives at risk without an alleged weapon.

While these officers are on paid administrative leave the father of this homeless man is mourning the loss of his son and paying for the funeral of a loved one. While the father intends to sue, will that ever compensate for the loss of a child? If the investigation shows that these officers indeed used excessive brutal force that lead to the death of a man, will they be charged with murder? If six young men where to beat a homeless man to death because the suspected him of breaking into vehicles, the courts would find them guilty of murder. This situation has many victims; the homeless man and his family, the families of the officers and the community that lost their trust in their police officials. I pray these people can move forward with their lives and gain some wisdom from this situation.

Make Mine Freedom

2011-08-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Since the recent Debit Bill passed, I felt this little cartoon from 1948 was appropriate to share.

John Jacob Astor - The First Multi Millionaire

2011-07-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

My sister in law mentioned this person on Facebook, so I googled him and found some very interesting information. I agree with what my sis in law said, it gives you hope that things will improve in the future. He is the 4th richest man in American history. A son of Dairy salesman in Germany. He emigrated to London when he was 16 years old. After the American Revolutionary War, he came to America and built a fur trade empire. In the early 19th century he diversified into New York Real Estate.

Before anyone jumps to the conclusion that I think we should focus on being wealthy multi millionaires, please let me explain my thought process. Many people believe we are living in the end times. I am not saying we are or are not. I am only trying to point out that in our history in the United States and also world wide. People have lived through harsher financial times, more devastating natural disasters and more diabolical social conditions. Our Heavenly father has stepped in and cleaned house in those times of past and will step in again when civilization needs to be cleaned up. For those of you who are wise, you will look to the future for a time to improve upon yourself. Look at the glass half full, instead of half empty. Below is from another web site....it appears to be a journal from John Jacob Astor.

Day 11, September 11, 1837

All the newspapers are reporting about the recent crisis we are having in our economy. The property values are unheard of, so low that now is the perfect time to invest! They are calling this period the Crisis of 1837. It is such a horrid time that people are being forced to foreclose on their properties. I already own some properties west of 5^th Avenue in the 30s, so I’ll start my empire with those properties, including my hotel. Ahh, my hotel, the prized possession of my collection. The Waldorf-Astoria, located on 49th and Park Avenue, is the best place you could stay! Everybody raves about it and how it gives New York a whole new sense of luxury. Now that’s a reputation you want for your hotel! We’ve had some pretty famous people stay there like Charles Dickens and Daniel Webster. Anyway, I have a good amount of money prepared to invest in the properties, and since the prices are extremely low, I will have a great return on my investments; I can’t wait!

Genetics or Fate

2011-07-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered at what point in a persons life do they develop their personality? Is it who they are when they are born or do social stimulation (family) create their personality? Maybe it's a combination of both. While enjoying my granddaughter, I have noticed many personality traits of different family members. When my son (her father) was a toddler, he was a squealer. He would shriek when he would get frustrated, my granddaughter has this same temperance. She has an orneriness about her, which I do believe come from both sides of her parents.

Then there was today, she preceded to torment my daughters (her aunt) cat. When my daughter was a toddler we had a cat named Puff. My daughter loved this cat so much, she dragged the cat around with her everywhere. Mind you, the cat was usually not a willing participant in the dragging ritual. There was also play time with the cat, she would insist the cat fit into the doll house. This required the big cat being stuffed into the small doll house. I will say that the cat usually escaped this play time intact. Now this was many years ago (approximately 19 yrs) and now she is witnessing her niece behaving the same way towards her cat. So I wonder is it genetics, fate or YHWH's humor that my daughter gets to witness the behavior she once displayed in her niece.

Pure Joy

2011-07-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

Like most grandparents, I believe our grandchild is amazing. Although I am looking at her through different eyes. Not the same eyes that saw my children, but through wiser eyes. Eyes that have learned through the years to appreciate the small things in life. Eyes that now know that pure joy is when you stop and smell the roses, hear your favorite song or see a friend you haven't seen in a long time. When you stop to enjoy every minute of your life, like an innocent child.

As a parent I missed so many of these minutes. I was too busy worrying about getting the laundry and dishes clean. Working 40 - 60 hours a week, coming home to fix an unhealthy dinner and ge the kids to bed so that I could have time to relax before heading to bed myself. Somewhere in all the chaos I raised three kids. When the kids were 5, 6 and 7 I became a stay at home mom and was able to enjoy them more, but I am not sure I truly took the time to enjoy their youth as I am sure I will with my grandchildren.

If I could only impart one parental advice to my kids when they become parents, it would be to enjoy it. It goes by too fast and you miss so much. So with that said, I want to share a little video of my grandchild enjoying her favorite "elmo" video. I hope you remember one thing that can bring you the joy Kadence has when she hears her favorite song.

My Kindred Spirit Sister

2011-07-11T04:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my daughter and I took a 3 1/2 hour road trip to visit my best friend, sister in the faith, kindred spirit Cindy. It's been a year and a half since we have seen each other. While I am writing this it strikes me as sad how we can live so close, but see so little of one another. I can only blame it on that little saying "life happens".

Cindy is unable to drive to see us because of a degenerating eye disease that prevents her from driving in unfamiliar areas. My self, well as you all know we have been babysitting cattle and dogs for the last 1 1/2 years. It keeps us close to home because someone has to check on the herd daily. This weekend is proof that even with life's hectic schedules, you can make time for the little pleasures. It's a matter of "stopping to smell the roses". I'm guilty of rushing through life and not enjoying a few pleasures for myself, but after seeing the joy in my best friends face at our time together, I think I will be making more of an effort to visit.

The late night talks about our deepest thoughts, the laughter that leaves your cheeks hurting and being able to sit without talking, knowing what the other is thinking is priceless. Having my daughter there with us was an extra bonus. Cindy is like an aunt to her and a special friend to my daughter. The admiration they have for one another brings joy to my heart.

As I reflect on our friendship, I know our Heavenly Father had His hand in it. He created a friend for me that would love me despite my faults, that is able listen to my heart and not be afraid to tell me when I am wrong, who reminds me how much she loves me and shares my love for my family. I would pray that everyone could find their special kindred spirit to walk through life with. It's like the cherry on top of life's sundae.

My Inspiration

2011-07-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

After viewing my daughters new background on her blog, I decided to change mine since it has been the same for a long time. After viewing hundreds of background choices, I've decided I am pretty boring. I searched "farm" and found my new background. With all this exciting new change, I needed to write a blog and update everyone on our lives.

Summer is always a busy time for me. Lots of gardens to weed and veggies to pick. Yesterday while weeding, I came to the conclusion weeding is like laundry.. it never is truly done. Our broccoli is doing well, I have harvested enough to put some in the freezer for the winter. I started getting green, jalapeno and cayenne peppers off the plants in the pots on the deck. I have harvested lettuce several times this summer also. I didn't get as many mulberries as I would have liked, but they are juiced and waiting to be made into jelly when I get a nice cool day (don't want to heat up the kitchen with this really HOT weather).

My side kick, Lauren, has been a tremendous help to me this summer. I'm not so sure I would have been able to keep up with everything. We have been cleaning, weeding, organizing and getting things ready to put our house on the market. I think next week will be our big garage sale (if weather permits).

On top of everything else, we have been babysitting cattle. This time of year the cattle are prone to getting pink eye from the tall grass irritating their eyes. So far we haven't had to call the vet, but we are having to check them more than normal. Spending time with the cows isn't such a bad thing. We are starting to get to know them and see more of each of their personalities. I'm seriously thinking we need to become vegans.

I've enjoyed this little break too much and need to get back to work. I'll try to remember to post more often. Thanks for reading.

Charleston Homes

2011-06-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I will have spare time on my hands. What I do with that time can vary. Last night, I wanted mindless activity, so I was Googling things on the internet. I'm sure most of you have done this yourself. One thing leads to another and after a few hours you are looking at a page on the internet, thinking to yourself, how did I end up here?

That is exactly what happened to me last night, when I ended up on Charleston Homes magazine's web site. Not that I wasn't enjoying it, in fact, I really liked looking at the articles. There is something about southern living that has always intrigued me. The beautiful old homes with the well manicured gardens and the romantic views. It was a nice little mind escape that I needed. I went to bed dreaming of all the fun things I could do with my own gardens.

When I awoke this morning I remembered that the lawn needed to be mowed, the strawberry bed had more weeds to be pulled, the flower beds need thinning and the lettuce bed has to be hoed. All I can say is, the dream was fun while it lasted.

Kits Condo

2011-06-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

Our family recently made a decision to put our home on the market to sell. While this is not a big deal, the preparing for a sale of a home is time consuming. The real estate market is not doing well right now certain homes are easier to sell than others. After doing some research I discovered if we had a kits condo, we would be in luck. Since we don't, I need to work on making our little farm appear more attractive. This past week my daughter and I have been working side by side on the flower beds, the herb beds, the asparagus bed, the strawberry bed and our large garden to keep them weeded. We've dusted, de-cluttered, scrubs and polished every inch of the house. On top of all this I've mowed 4.5 hours in one day and managed to check on the neighbors cattle daily. Today, my daughter and I are taking the day off. We're going to saddle up a couple of horses and go for a nice relaxing ride. All the weeds, lawn, dust and clutter can wait one more day. With the beautiful weather we are having, we can't let it go to waste. We will welcome the future buyers another day.

Rhinoplasty Surgery

2011-05-09T07:17:00.001-07:00

I recent learned that my sibling was told she needed rhinoplasty surgery. She has suffered for years with breathing issues and they informed her that the only way to cure the situation was to proceed with surgery. She has put this surgery off for many reasons, one of which is the healing time required. As a working mother with two active children, she hasn't found the time to set aside for scheduling surgery and the down time for healing. I personally think that the thought of having her nose packed and the pain involved are the true reason she hasn't scheduled the surgery. I can't imagine going through it myself, so I am being supportive of any decision she makes.

Log Cabins

2011-05-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

One of the favorite places our family likes to visit is the Rocky Mountains. Our family dream would be to own a rustic log cabin in the mountains and enjoy the splendor of nature. We've enjoy the Rockies in Colorado, but some day would love to travel to Canada's Rocky Mountains. My husband dreamed of starting a company building log cabins, living the life of a settler. Having natures playground at your backdoor is a dream come true. We could climb rock walls, fish, hike, canoe and go horse back riding all while taking in the beautiful scenic mountains. Everyone should have a dream, it makes life worth living.

Taking Care of Grandma

2011-03-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

I spent last week at my mother in laws home. Her husband, my step father in law, passed away. She also cares for her stepmother, who is 94 years old and is unable to walk. I went to her house to stay so that I could help her care of her stepmother in this time of need. The two ladies who care for grandma work the night shift, so I was responsible for grandma during the day. I truly have an appreciation for these nurses. They go through the nursing uniforms while working with the elderly. The messes they have to clean up and deal with are truly out of my league.

One of the nurses had custom made scrubs, with pockets for all sorts of things. She had Kleenexes, medical equipment, medicine and other various objects in her pockets. It was very impressive. She informed me that the nursing scrub uniforms were important, as they do not have time to run around and find things when working with an adult that needs constant care. It made sense to me and as I mentioned before I have a new respect for the work they do. My grandma is in good hands with these ladies.

Basement Water Damage

2011-03-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently had their basement flood and I truly felt their pain. We have yet to finish our basement, but in the 4 years that we have lived here I can not count on both hands how many times our basement has flooded. Thus the reason we haven’t finished the basement. The water damage basement austin is nothing to mess with, it is important to take care of it quickly.

When your basement floods the first thing you have to remove the water damage floor austin. The shop wet/dry vacuum is our first line of defense. Removing all the excess water and sweeping the remains down the drain will take time. If you have carpet in the basement, you will then need to deep carpet cleaning austin the carpets. Removing any debris and dirt left over from the flooding. Preventing mold from developing is the final step. We treat the walls and floor with a combination of vinegar, tea tree oil and water. Equal parts of these three items in a spray bottle will help fight any mold from developing. Both vinegar and tea tree are an anti fungal and will destroy mold. Treat the area daily for several weeks and then watch to make sure no mold develops. I hope that your basement does not flood, but if it does take these important steps to help clean up and prevent permanent damage.

Junk Bins

2011-03-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

Recently my son decided to clean up the junk and material around his garage. After a few hours, he finished and I was amazed it still looked the same. I asked him, “did you clean anything up?” He made excuses, but what it came down to was there wasn’t a trashcan big enough to throw everything away. I handed him the phone book and told him to call our local trash company and order a junk bin.

The trash company will leave you the junk bins and you pay a monthly fee. Once you have filled the junk bin they return to pick it up. It’s very convenient for the busy homeowner that is trying to complete a clean up task. Hopefully, the junk bin will arrive soon and he can get to the clean up while he still has time on his hands.

Engagement Rings Winnipeg

2011-03-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine wrote to let me know her daughter just got engaged. They live in Winnipeg, Canada. She wanted me to see the ring her daughter received, so she told me to Google engagement rings Winnipeg. When I did, I found several jewelers. After finally finding the exact jeweler, I was able to locate the ring and found it was beautiful. I remember receiving my engagement ring and I was so happy to show everyone. With the Internet, we have made this possible to show even our long distance friends and relatives. Sharing the joy and happiness from coast to coast and from one country to another. You have to admit, keeping in touch with friends and family’s life through the Internet is wonderful.

Mayline

2011-03-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my husband completed his contractor’s license test. This will give him more freedom to sell jobs without the middleman. As sub-contractors you rely on others to supply the jobs and take a cut of the pay when you build it. Becoming a contractor, he will be required to have business meeting and have a more professional work space. I found a site online that provides office furniture called Mayline. I was extremely impressed with their style of furniture. It gives a functional professional look and still comfortable. I even found a few new desks I wouldn't mind having, being that I am the official gopher girl. Although, I like to refer to myself as an administrative assistant, Okay, I'm a gopher girl no sugar coating it.

Home Bars

2011-03-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

While looking at the home bars for outdoor entertainment, I discovered the perfect bar for our downstairs recreation room. For the winter months and the rainy days when we have guest over, the home bar in the recreation room would come in handy. No more running upstairs for a drink, with the home bar in the basement everything would be so convenient. Personally, I think my husband would agree this is a more practical home bar then the outside home bar that we could only use in the spring, summer and fall months. This is defiantly going on my wish list.

Home Bar

2011-03-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

I've decided since I am going to approach my husband with the need for a new grill and new patio furniture, I should convince him of the whole outdoor home bar concept. Living in the country, we spend a lot of time outside. We enjoy our patios and the peace and quiet the country living has to offer. Occasionally we will even have a big fire in the fire pit in the back yard. The home bar would be a perfect addition to our outdoor living space. With guests coming in April and the weather being warm enough to enjoy the outdoors, this makes perfect sense. I hope he sees it the same way.

Sleigh Beds

2011-03-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

Again with my daughter looking over my shoulder, she discovered her favorite sleigh bed. The nice thing about being young, she can change her mind a lot and develop her own styles. The bookcase headboard would be the practical side of her. With so many different sleigh beds to look at, she finally decided on an elegant style. The rich padded headboard and the beautiful wood grain on the frame of the bed, gives this sleigh bed a Middle Eastern look. My daughter loves the look of the Middle Eastern colors and styles. It wasn't surprising to me when she chose this bed.