Smoky Haze

Here is a picture of the beautiful California sunset we had tonight. Although we seem to be safe from the threat of the fires, we still experience some of the effects of them. The air quality is supposed to be so bad tomorrow that Hero's school classes have been canceled. Now, I have to find something for three very active children to do inside all day.

Little Climber

Ransom has mastered the art of climbing onto Jericho's train table. To scare his mommy even more, he likes to crouch down and pop up as if he is about to jump over the edge. Thankfully, it seems as if he is able to get on and off just fine by himself. (Should I be thankful for this?!)

Coast Pictures

Oceanside at sunset.

Yes, we know we are cute.

Ransom loves cousin James.

Justin, Meredith, Hero, and Jericho climb the big rock.

Wedding Photos

This past weekend we drove up to the Oregon Coast to attend my sister-in-law Julie's wedding. It was a long, tiring drive but worth it. The day was beautiful with perfect weather. This is truly amazing for Oregon in October.

The happy couple.

The Flower Kids.

Throwing the petals.
Jericho put a lot of effort into tossing those petals just right.

Pumpkin Pirate

Michael's was having a craft day for kids, so Grandma took Jericho to decorate a craft pumpkin. Yes, he did choose pink; all on his own. He calls this his "Pumpkin Pirate"...with two eyes.

October Giveaway

Click on the link at left to be entered in the October Giveaway at Challies.com.

Honey

Jericho is eating toast with honey. Most of the honey has dribbled on to the plate. He proceeds to stick his tongue out and lick it up.
Hero: "Don't lick your plate!"
Jericho: "I'm not licking my plate, I am licking the honey!"

The Electric Bill

(Disclaimer: My father's works for Edison and I am thankful for electricity. Especially in the summer.)

Last month we had the highest electric bill we have ever had. (Except for that $3000.00 one but that was an error of course.) Since our meter has been read wrong in the past, I had my husband check it. I compared this with the number on our bill, and perceiving a discrepancy, I called up customer service. The woman that I spoke with on the phone said the the reading was accurate. We'd had "record breaking heat over labor day" and this must be the cause. This was rather fishy to me considering that we were gone for about four days during this billing cycle. Also, last year when we had "record breaking" temperatures all summer long, (I was pregnant, so that ac was blasting constantly) our Edison bill was never over a hundred dollars. The customer service rep proceeded to inform me that I would be receiving some information on how to conserve energy and that I should set my thermostat at the temperature that it was already set at.

Throughout this past month, I have received various energy conservation pamphelets and a note from Edison once again affirming the high labor day temperatures. I read over each one carefully. I realized that aside from replacing all my windows, installing solar panels on my roof, and getting all new appliances, I was doing the best I could. So, why the high bill?

This month our bill was only $8.72. Our lowest ever. If you add the two bills together and divide them by two, this amount is what we average for a normal month. Hmm...

Daredevil II

After trying to post this video numerous times, I have given up. Please click on the del.icio.us link in the sidebar to view.