Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Soaking Up the Sun

For as much complaining that I had done over the cold summer that we experienced, I must say it is weeks like this past one that I am glad to live in southern California. It has been positively glorious! The clouds made way for what The Weather Channel has been calling "bountiful sunshine" and "high" temperatures. Needless to say, I have spend much of the week outside working in the yard. Where did all of the weeds come from???? I did manage to go from this



                                                                         to this.



Boy, that was a job and my arms are showing the scars from a job well done. The rose gardens are done as well as the scattered bushes throughout the yard. All that is left to finish are the three climbing ones. They have wicked thorns!

My cuckoo clock had to go to the clock doctor this week and these are a few of the sights we saw along the way.


Anyone for a game of chess on a sunny day?


This would be my idea of plowing a field.


The sun trying to poke through the clouds over the Pacific.

We were blessed to have some of the grandchildren for the weekend while their parents were out of town so we had a busy weekend. I think we even wore THEM out because they were ASKING to go to bed at 8:00 on Saturday night. They were out cold as soon as their heads hit the pillows.


Grandpa was called into duty with the tractor for many rides and driving lessons. There is such satisfaction when ones legs are finally long enough to reach the gas pedal and ones weight is sufficient enough on the seat to keep the tractor from shutting down.


It's always a fun game to go through the orange trees and duck your head.

A little help reaching the pedals is always good.


That's a long leg stretch!!!!


There is nothing like an ice cream cone to cool us down after school either. Bet you can't guess what flavor was chosen.


Chocolate-peanut butter, of course!!!

There really hasn't been a lot of sewing going on, but I did manage to have a couple of the granddaughters over yesterday for some skirt sewing.  Their sisters were over last week and I did not get pictures, but I did yesterday.  Oh, for the days of being able to wear gathers around the midsection of the body again!!!!!  The girls did a fabulous job on sewing and fabric selection.



I spent some serious time this morning squeezing lemons.  The Meyer lemons are ripening quickly and it is always nice to have the juice frozen and ready to pull out for fresh lemonade.  The Meyer lemons and limes both ripen in the winter here when a tall glass of frosty lemonade isn't what you would normally desire, but we don't have a hot cocoa tree.  The Eureka lemons will ripen in the summer.


 I will try to spend a little more time sewing this week so I have something to share in my next post.  I hope everyone has a great week ahead.

34 comments:

  1. Lovely to read your post and admire your beautiful grandchildren. It is 5.35pm here, dark, and very cold. It's hard to imagine Californian sunshine on a winter's night. However, since it is too cold to be outside, it is a good opportunity to do some guilt free sewing. Had a good afternoon sewing in the kitchen which is the warmest room in the house. Enjoy your sunny days. Bx.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a lovely family....

    you did do alot of work, go rest now...or sew...

    ReplyDelete
  3. *sigh* I think I need to move to southern California!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks like you've been having a great time, especially with the grandchildren! :0)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am very envious of your weather this time of year!

    It is always such a good feeling to get the yard in order.

    ReplyDelete
  6. what a happy post! Thanks for sharing. Your grands look to be having a great time.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can imagine just how much fun it is to ride around on that tractor! And I suspect Grandpa has as great a time too!
    I always love the way your granddaughters are learning to sew with you - what a delight. And they are really good too! I cut out something for Missy today - I will post photos when finished. We are so alike in the need to have something to work on all the time, aren't we!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh my, that sunshine looks wonderful! Glad you're having an enjoyable winter.

    It has been quite dreary here the past few days, plus dampness and cold with a little new snow and some ice. Yuck.

    Love your pictures! The grandchildren are really growing. Love the clothes the girls are modeling.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We are actually seeing the sunshine for the first time in well over a week up here in the central valley. Thank you for sharing your beautiful yard and grandchildren.

    ReplyDelete
  10. ohhh, I'd love some lemonade...yum..their skirts looks great and i know they have a great teacher

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nice pictures...gardens and grandchildren. We are getting lots of snow now....but I do like the weather changes we get in New Brunswick....never bored....but; ohh thinking of you in the gardens.....hmmmmmmmmmm...lol

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a paradise for your grands you have there! Looks like such beautiful weather you're having. It snowed and "blowed" this afternoon, but it's done. Just cold now.

    Looking forward to a trip to cold Boston in 9 days! Hope we don't get snowed out or in!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm glad to know it's warm somewhere! And especially glad that it's in your neck of the woods. You sure did a good stroke of work with the roses. I can't imagine having that many. Your garden must be so beautiful when they're all blooming.
    Loved seeing your family photos, as usual. Looks like a fun time with family during Christmas. What a sweet bunch of grandchildren you have :)
    Those little girls are becoming good sewers.
    The lemons look so delicious. What a dream to have so many lemons growing on your very own trees...and limes too! Do you ever make marmalade? Or lemon butter? They are both favorites of mine. Actually, I love anything lemon or citrus.
    My little Clivias are coming along well but the Plumeria is 'sitting still'. I sure hope it will begin growing one of these days. It looks alive...but doesn't change.
    What kind of bird is that on your window screen? Maybe an Oriole? Funny how it did that. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
    I hope your beautiful weather stays for a while!

    ReplyDelete
  14. FAbulous post!! Loved the pictures, beautiful kids!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What fun times!Our grands loved the golf cart.;-)Yes those skirts are so cute on those tiny pretty gals!Now my DH would want lemon pie with some of those. We had a nice day yesterday but today back to the cold and rain over night. My cuckoo needs to go to doc as well, just stopped.
    Hope you stitched some.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I loved seeing your photos of green and not white. It is so cold and we got 10" of new snow on Wednesday.
    It looks like the grands and having so much fun.
    The girls sure did do a great job on their skirts.
    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh you sound so much like us with our Grands! So fun! It is cloudy and cold here. The high is suppose to be in the low 30's tomorrow. BBRRR!!! Enjoy your sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh my goodness Needledmom!! Your photos of the outdoors are quite different from mine. Sunshine? I don't think so. Love seeing it at your place though.

    I did a photo shoot of my afternoon walk today. It was damp and gray and cold. No snow of course. I had to do the photos in Sepia to warm them up..which looks great in the country.

    I LOVE the girls and their skirts!! I love teaching girls to sew and am so impressed! And your grandkids look like they are having such a good time. :o) Enjoy the sunshine!

    xo
    Donna @ Comin' Home

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have a big smile on my face as I enjoy the photos of cuties and scenery. I love that they were so exhausted that they were asking to go to bed! NIce job in reveling in the fun with them. Such wonderful memories being made!

    ReplyDelete
  20. great pictures and love the sunshine and greenery..

    ReplyDelete
  21. Pppffftttt on your sunny and hot days! LOL I sure could use some of that just about now. Right now it's 0F and supposed to go down to -10F overnight. We're really in the grip of a frigid spell and hopefully it won't last much longer. Snow can't melt when it's this cold, right?? lol

    What? You don't have hot cocoa trees?? Why not???? hehe How wonderful it must be to be able to have your own lemons but I can imagine the work involved in having to squeeze all the juice from them.

    You really did a great job on clearing out your weeds. I clear all mine out in October before the snow comes.

    The grands look like they're having so much fun with grandpa and riding the tractor. Some have a few more inches to grow before they can reach the pedals:-)

    The girls did a really terrific job making their skirts, talent obviously runs in the family!! Looking forward to seeing what projects you'll be working on next:-)

    Sending big hugs! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am so impressed at all your do! You must have tons of energy.....or I have none!

    You did a massive amount of yard work and your yard is beautiful. Do you have a tennis court?

    I think it's wonderful that you're teaching your granddaughters to sew! I had an aunt that always made dresses for us girls, but we never learned to sew.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow! You have been busy!!! Everything looks great! And the girls skirts are so pretty. I went from raking yesterday to snow pellets today with 21 degree temps. Enjoy your sun and warmth!

    ReplyDelete
  24. You are so lucky to have such weather. It seems that you have been quite busy and it is always better to spend time with family than to sew. The sewing will always be there. The picture of the lemons makes me so jealous.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Looks like a great time was had by all. The lemons look fabulous. Nothing like fresh lemons. I love when my sister brings them when she visits.

    ReplyDelete
  26. It sounds like you have been having a wonderful time......what a happy post :) I have been updating my blog and enjoy your posts so much, that I added you to my blog reading list :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Glad you are having that wonderful warm weather that you like! What a job trimming all of those roses! Yikes! I only have a few of the little 'old-fashoned' ones and I let Bobby trim those for me, want me to send him out to CA?!

    You and E are such wonderful grandparents! You do so much with all of your g-kids and they look so happy. Rides on the tractor are fun and E looks like he is having as much fun as the kiddoes!

    The lemons look yummy, you are so blessed to have all of that fresh fruit. A lemon mereinge (I've drawn a blank and can't spell it! Duh!) pie would taste so good right now! I can't wait for some Key Lime Pie at OR in two weeks! If I have nothing else I want a piece of that.

    Oh my, gathers around the waist sounds scary for me! To think when I was in grade school I would put rocks in my pockets so that I would weigh more when the school nurse came to weigh us! I am not kidding!

    I LOVE, LUV, LOVE the picture of the man plowing the field!!!!! That is just beautiful. I almost bought R a draft horse for his birthday in August but the one I wanted was already sold. Probably just as well, Kipper would have tried to rule the roost but he would only have come to a draft horses knee!

    More snow coming this week. Hope we can get out of here for OR. It was actually a little chilly in our church this morning as it's so cold outside and our church is very old. I still managed to have one hot flash during the sermon! HA!

    See you soon, I can't wait! xoxoxox

    ReplyDelete
  28. What lovely family pictures! I loved that chess set, as I am a chess player.
    Micki

    ReplyDelete
  29. I just love haveing grandkids around and it looks like you were haveing fun with yours. Grandkids trump sewing anyday.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Tim loves to give tractor rides to our grandchildren. I'm impressed..it's always the grandkids who wear ME out. :o) I'll be babysitting tomorrow..one two year old and one baby. It will be fun for sure. Thanks for praying. :o)

    xo
    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  31. Can you pipe in some of that sunshine over here in North Louisiana. It is always nice to have family around. Wish my grand kids lived closer.

    ReplyDelete
  32. love the family pics! so green there so jealous:) glad to see your all having a great time! look at those lemons!!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Lovely pictures. And great job sewing, girls.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Love the sights you saw on the way and the home ones.
    I can see why you prune roses early, you have the weather to go with it.
    I won't get jealous as we will be cool when yu are too hot in the summer!

    ReplyDelete