Show and Tell Friday~

Thanks to Cindy for Hosting Show and Tell over at her very lovely blog called My Romantic Home. She has a beautiful antique bird cage today that she is show and telling that I know my Love Bird would definitely appreciate!! I will have to find out where she finds her treasures hehehe!

Well we have all sorts of things we want to show and tell. We recently found the library here in San Diego near where we are staying. And they have a wonderful used book room. I have a very good sized library that has a wonderful collection of books that I have pretty much gathered from thrift stores and used library sales from all over the country. Little keepsakes from each of our moves.
This week we found some wonderful book deals. All the books ranged from .10cents to 1.00.

Some great field guides to help us identify all those new discoveries when we go hiking.


The Little House on the Prairie series.


Some zoo news.


A small desk encyclopedia set.


Anna was so excited to get her hands on this Horse Book. Anna loves horses and will read any book that has a horse in it!

We would also like to share some wonderful squirrels the children made. We hung these up and they make the apartment feel nice and homey.





Growing up I had dual citizenship. My Father is American and My mother is Canadian and I spent the majority of my childhood growing up in Niagara Falls, Ontario. That is also where alot of my family lives still.
So we had to show you the wonderful benefits to having a Canadian living in your house. You get pumpkin pie early!!!! Canadians celebrate thanksgiving several weeks before the Americans do.







At last but not least for our show and tell I would like to share with you something that I made. Do to the recent relocation with my husbands job and being here in our temporary apartment as we are waiting to find out if we will be getting the home we made an offer on, we have had some extra time on our hands. And it has been so hard waiting to hear news about the house. So I decided to do some knitting. Now I like to use a knitting loom to knit since I am just a terrible knitter with the regular needles. I always seem to lose count and have my projects turn out in strange geometric shapes hehe. That is until I found the loom. What a wonderful thing for those of use that are challenged with knitting and crocheting otherwise. I used the Longest Blue Loom and did what is called I believe a double knit. And I made a beautiful purple shawl. Great for sitting on the coach watching my favorite westerns or reading a good book.

This is the loom I used. You can get these looms at Walmart or Michael's for around 20$ for 5 looms.





From our Family to Yours we leave you with this Irish Blessing and Bible Verse....
May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
2 Timothy 1:6-9 NIV

Life is Short Eat Cookies!

I love cookies I am a true cookie monster and I have passed that on to my children. The only thing that gets in the way of me and cookies is gluten. So I was happy to find a recipe that is so good you would not know the gluten was missing and our whole family enjoys these. The only problem is sharing these cookies with someone who is not allergic to gluten. Although you could always tell them that they are terrible tasting hehehe! You will find the Recipe below.









The Joyous dance of the Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Fairy!!


Pamela's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
1 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Yield: approximately 20 cookies

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla and beat together. Add Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix and chocolate chips (and nuts) mix thoroughly. Place tablespoon sized scoops of dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten. Bake in preheated 350° oven for approximately 15 minutes. Let cookies cool slightly and use a spatula to remove from cookie sheet.

Variation: Try white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips. Try pecans or macadamia nuts.

Fast & Easy: Use a small ice cream scooper or a tablespoon to form dough balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet, flatten and put in a freezer. When frozen, remove from the cookie sheet and store in a freezer bag. For hot, fresh cookies, remove from freezer, place dough on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 15 minutes

Pan Cookies: Bake dough in a greased pan (9x12) for 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into bars after cooling.

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.
1 John 4:13-15

The Path that Leads to Home ......

We are keeping busy in our Temporary home as we await to see where the Lord will be leading us to call a more permanent home. But they say home is where your heart is, so for now we call this home and what a blessing it is to be a homemaker, Anna and I enjoy being busy in our home serving our family.
Some snapshots from a day around our home and a poem for you to enjoy.

The Path That Leads to Home.
By Edgar Albert Guest



The little path that leads to home,
That is the road for me,
I know no finer path to roam,
With finer sights to see.
With thoroughfares the world is lined
That lead to wonders new,
But he who treads them leaves behind
The tender things and true.



Oh, north and south and east and west
The crowded roadways go,
And sweating brow and weary breast
Are all they seem to know.
And mad for pleasure some are bent,
And some are seeking fame,
And some are sick with discontent,
And some are bruised and lame.



Across the world the gleaming steel
Holds out its lure for men,
But no one finds his comfort real
Till he comes home again.
And charted lanes now line the sea
For weary hearts to roam,
But, Oh, the finest path to me
Is that which leads to home.



'Tis there I come to laughing eyes
And find a welcome true;
'Tis there all care behind me lies
And joy is ever new.
And, Oh, when every day is done
Upon that little street,
A pair of rosy youngsters run
To me with flying feet.



The world with myriad paths is lined
But one alone for me,
One little road where I may find
The charms I want to see.
Though thoroughfares majestic call
The multitude to roam,
I would not leave, to know them all,
The path that leads to home.

The verse that we feel encouraged by today~
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Matthew 19:26

Torrey Pine Nature Reserve

We went and visited the beautiful Torrey Pine Nature Preserve. Where we spent some time with the Torrey Pine Trees, a very rare specimen of pine. Makes you feel very special to see them.

The Torrey Pine is the rarest native pine tree in the Americas growing naturally only in the Torrey Pines Reserve and on the Island of Santa Rosa. The Native Americans used to harvest the pine nuts for eating, the pine pitch was used to repair cracks in pottery, and the pine needles were sometimes used for basket making.


The Mighty One, God, the Lord
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to the place
where it sets Psalm50:1


From Zion, perfect in beauty
God shines forth Psalm50:2


Create in me a pure heart, O God
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm51:10



O Lord open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise. Psalm51:15


But I am like the olive tree flourishing in the house of God
I trust in God's unfailing love
forever and ever. Psalm52:8


I will praise you forever for what you have done
in your name I will hope,
for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints. Psalm52:9


Surely God is my help
the Lord is the one who sustains me. Psalm54:4


Be exalted, O God above the heavens
let your glory be over all the earth. Psalm57:5


My soul finds rest in God alone
my salvation comes from him
He alone is my rock and my salvation
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm62:1-2

Faith is being sure! The temporary side of life......

Well we are getting adjusted to the Pacific and wading it out in our temporary residence. There is much to learn from the temporary seasons in our life, and it is a good reminder that everything in this life is temporary and for but a moment. Our happiness never hinges on what are current experiences or trials are but it hangs on where our faith is seated.



“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”
- 1 Peter 1:3-9

So even though we may be experiencing much unknown in our families direction right now we believe in Him, and it causes us to be able to rejoice here and now not allowing ourselves to be caught up in what we see but rather to hold out for what God has planned.



We had thought that the whole offer with the house we put a bid on had fallen through but apparently it is not over yet. So we are still praying that God will be able to work through all the details and bring us home. So we are sifting through today and waiting to see what happens. Sometimes though, it is hard to wait.



When packing for this trip I keep saying to myself what in the world was I thinking hehehe! I did not pack any play things for Anna and the boys who are close in age(15months apart) can usually find things together to get themselves into. Anna still enjoys playing with her dolls and such. Well thank goodness for the dollar store I was able to pick up a doll and some puzzles and such for her to be able to play with. Hopefully not to much longer for us in the temporary apartment and we will be able to move in somewhere and get settled again. Anna is missing her dolls and doll house.

Some guessing fun!! Can you spot the hummingbird in this picture see below for the answer.



We have been seeing lots of hummingbirds. They are so beautiful and we have been enjoying chasing them around. I am not sure if they are local or if they are currently migrating to the gulf. I am leaning towards that they are migrating because San Diego can still get some very cool winter temperatures and I think they would need yet a warmer climate. Never the less we have been very happy sighting them around the complex.




Here is the hummingbird in the circle! Did you spot him?

We hope that no matter where life finds you or what season you may be experiencing you find yourself with much joy because of your hope in HIM!~ Love The Watts Family
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews11:1

Day 7 and lots of things going on!

Here is our Day 7 of the Feelin Feminine challenge. Can you tell we are cold and our teeth are chattering hehehe!
San Diego is having a cold snap but it will be warming up into the 70's again in a few days. Right now we are enjoying the cooler temps.
The clear sign that we are from Florida.......we never have shoes on lol! but we were happy to see that out here in California no one wears shoes either hehe!

We found out yesterday the house we put an offer on will not qualify for the Fannie Mae since it is a manufactured home. We were bummed about this since the land that came with the home was 8 acres of pure beauty. We are trying to stay upbeat and patient as we sift through this to see what God has planned for us. So we got back on the internet last night and started looking at houses for sale again. If we do not find something in the next 3 weeks we will be looking for an apartment to go into again since we only have 2 months in the Temporary apartment that Adrian's work is putting us up in.



We have been keeping busy with school......In our tiny school room we are constantly bumping elbows hehehe and it feels much like a game of twister. Yesterday I had made changes to the children's school work again. In the past we have always done weaver but we wanted to try something different with the boys this year. And unfortunately it failed miserably and of course I loaned out my weavers to two friends in Florida and have not gotten them back yet so I had to decide what we would do without going out and buying all new curriculum for the boys, since I have no access to my books because of the move.


We decided to do Trail Guide To Bible Geography, a notebook study of the desert, and a study also on Oceanography. Then of course the boys have the other things like math,spelling, and creative writing.



I was very happy with how school went yesterday and felt much relief to be back and schooling in a way that is more familiar to me and with us working together not with the kids all independent. I am rather fond of that one room school house approach.


It was a little difficult doing the geography without a bible atlas but we made it through it thanks to the internet and the maps in our bibles.

Another praise is I passed the written test for my CA license, which I am so thankful for. I am terrible at taking tests I get very nervous. And I watched in horror as everyone who went before me failed! But I studied and prayed and I leaned completely on the Lord for this and Yippppee! I passed! Adrian passed also but he's a real smarty pants so I had no doubts about that.
"And Jesus said unto them ... , "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to younder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you."
Romans 1:17

I am so thankful that as we go through this move we are not alone and that we can hand all our worries and our decisions over to the Lord pray about them and have peace over the whole situation, which is truly amazing since we really have no idea where exactly we will end up. We do know though we are in the Lords hands and that is a good place to be.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

Feminine Challenge Day 6

Well it appears I am finally getting used to the time difference out here on the Pacific coast. Now if only I could get used to the climate. I am so used to the extreme heat and humidity of Miami that I have no idea how to get dressed. It looks like I will be packing away some of those more lighter clothes and will have to get used to dressing more in layers. I am thinking some longer skirts will be nice as well since I have been cold in the skirts and clothing that I normally wear in Miami. I am thinking I should have looked into the climate more when packing for our trip. I did not even pack one sweater for Anna, and I went out the other day and bought some socks since I don't even own any hehehe!

Anna today is wearing a dress that I made her with some brown leggings under to keep warm, and I am wearing a sweater and t-shirt from Lands End thanks to the clearance rack at sears! I got them for 70% off which was an absolute steal. The skirt is one of the circle skirts I made out of denim back in Florida. I know I am talking about all this being cold and your probably wondering what being cold is after living in Miami well the temps this week will be in the 50's at night and the 60's during the day. That probably is not cold to most people right? But I'm freezing lol!!

"How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you."
2 Samuel 7:22

Day 5 Feminine Challenge & Cabrillo National Monument

We spent the day at Cabrillo National Monument exploring a new part of the San Diego coast well new to us anyways. This week the children will begin a study on Oceanography so we thought it would be a great idea to play around in some tide pools. The children were also able to complete the assignments and become junior park rangers.
Here are some snapshots from our day!

Day 5 in skirts. Anna has on a pair of Tessa's bloomers which I made her they are a pretty split skirt, and I am wearing a circle skirt that I made also. One tip to share do not wear a circle skirt on a windy day unless you have some bungee cords handy to tie it down lol! I am surprised the wind did not lift me and fly me off like a kite hehehe! Click here to join in and try out the 7days in Feminine clothing challenge with feelin feminine and hosted by the lovely Miss Antoinette.


Working on the Junior Park Ranger Badge.


View of San Diego.


Learning Some History.....




Junior Park Ranger Anna!!!!!




Beautiful Dress!


Imagine this front yard!

Exploring the tide pools at low tide.








Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33