Summer Days

Well, our crazy summer schedule has begun, but before I begin to tell you guys about that, let me explain the meaning behind our blog name change.  As most of you know, my family and I are not from California.  We are east coasters.  My husband Keith, my daughter Kristy, and myself were born in the north (Pennsylvania and Ohio) and my youngest daughter, Abby, was born in the south (Georgia....and she is very proud of it) so hence the name 3 Yankees and 1 Rebel.  I don't know what I would do if I had a child here.....we would have to change the name of the blog again and coming up with a name that would include California in it would take come creative juices on my part.

Anyways, as I said at the beginning our busy summer has started.  Last week we had a busy filled week with Bible school.  It was fun (for the most part) to see how God worked in and through the lives of the people that were there.  This week my kiddos are at church camp.  Boy do I miss them.  I am usually excited about having peace and quiet in the house but now that they have been gone for a day I am itching to have some noise around here!  

In a week or so we will be going to Santa Barbara County Fair for the 4th year in a row.  Kristy is taking a rabbit and a turkey and Abby is taking a turkey.  It should be a blast!  It will be a long, stress filled week and when the first day hits we will all be asking if it is the last day yet.  The week after that we will be helping at Grace's VBS for the week and then Kristy goes off to Camp Wahoo.  I get to spend time with Abby while Kristy is at Camp Wahoo.  We will definitely be catching up on some schoolwork, but we will make sure that we have some play time too!!!

Our family has grown (as far as furry friends go) in the last few months.  We have 5 kittens (that we are trying to get rid of) and 10 baby bunnies!!!  They are all so cute.  They are all growing up fast though.  We are in the middle of trying to find homes for the kittens.  We are keeping one though!  As for the bunnies.....well......some will end up in the pot for stew and some will be kept for breeding and show.  We will see how it goes.

Anyways, here are some pictures of the kids at camp.  Will upload more pictures of our summer adventures as they happen!!!

Lopez Lake Hike

Hey everyone!!!

While my mom was visiting we tried to get out as much to see the beautiful nature that God has given us.  The one day we decided to go hiking at Lopez Lake.

Lopez Lake is located in Arroyo Grande, CA....just a little north of where my family and I live.  This beautiful place is also the location of where a lot of people from the area get their drinking water.  It is a beautiful place to spend the day, the weekend, or even a week.  It has plenty to do...camping, hiking, swimming (including Mustang Waterslides), or just sitting and enjoying God's beautiful creation around us.

We hiked on a flat path for about a mile till we hit "High Ridge" point.  We went partially up High Ridge, but not all the way.  Believe me, if the kids had their way we would have gone all the way to the top!  The pictures that we were able to get were remarkable.  We got to see some funny looking birds that look like they are water skiing in the lake.  They were quite entertaining.

Our hike at Lopez was really enjoyable.  My family and I plan on going camping there in the near future.  We know several families in the area that go camping and always have a great time!!!

Till next time :)

Round Up 2013

Hey everyone.  My family and I just got back from the annual Round Up (the Ames annual branding of the cattle) and we had a great time.  This is our 3rd year going to this and we wouldn't miss it for the world.

The Sunday before we went to Round Up, we had to take our trailer down due to the fact that my husband couldn't come down on the date that we were going.  My mom was with us and she enjoyed the trip down to see where we get to spend a weekend every year.  The round up is held on an avocado ranch in Goleta, California called Rancho Dos Pueblos.  Below are some of the pics that my mom took the day that we took her down there.

 So as you can see the ranch where we go for round up is beautiful.

Now for some of the fun pictures!!!  Below are the pics from the actual roundup.  Round Up is a combination of things.  It involves vaccinations, pregnancy checks, making big boy cows out of little boy cows (if you know what I mean), clipping the ears, tagging the ears, and of course branding them.  It takes a lot of work and a lot of dedication from the cowboys that are involved.  Enjoy the pics!

The wonderful thing about this round up is it is very family oriented. You will find people of all different ages there.  The kids have a blast.  There is a creek to play in, horseback rides, and just hanging around by the campfire with some of the other kids.  There is also a chance for the kids to rope and hold the baby calves while all the stuff is done to them.  It is a blast watching them.  

Kristy taking a rest after all the "working" (which is actually lots of playing!) that she did!

Kristy on "Red", which is a very kid friendly horse!

Kristy and Peyton play with "Boo Dog".

Abby just chilling out.

All in all we had a great time.  We can't wait for next year to come by as we get to go back and  experience the "cowboy life" for a few days.  This way of life is not seen a lot, but it is part of our very rich history of the USA.  Don't let it die out.  To whoever is reading this I encourage you to find a place where your kids can experience this way of life, even if it is for a day!

With that I will leave you with one more picture.  It just shows how "exhausting it can be for a little kids on the ranch :)

Enjoy!!!!!

Fun Times with Nana

Hey everyone, I know that it has been a long time since I wrote on this blog.  It has been crazy busy at the Sheldon home!!!!

For the past two weeks my family and I have had a great visit from my mom who lives in PA.  All of us really enjoy when she comes to visit.

While here on her trip my mom helped me do some school projects with the kids.  In our homeschooling we are currently using Mystery of History (Creation to Resurrection) for History and Apologia's Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day for Science.  I would encourage anyone who reads this blog who has hands on learners to consider both of these curriculum choices.  They are wonderful ways to learn....ways that I wish were available when I was homeschooled a LONG TIME AGO!!! :)

Below are some pics of the finished products from the past two weeks......ENJOY!!!!

As you can see we had a ton of fun doing these projects with my mom.  My mom is a very big encouragement in my life when it comes to homeschooling my children.  She helps me come up with some interesting ideas to keep our homeschooling life fun.  When she homeschooled me she always made it fun.  I really truly believe that the best way to learn (especially science and history) is through fun, hands on activities.

Well, I will close for now.  Will write again here in the next few days about some of the field trips that we took while my mom was here.

Till next time,

Tiffany

June 1- The Beginning of A New Adventure

Today, my family and I were able to start the process of moving into the Nipomo, CA area.  We are so excited that God has provided a house that suits our family's lifestyle.

When I look at the beautiful view of the mountains from our backyard, I am reminded about how awesome God is.  I love that I can go one way and see the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and then go the other way and see the marvelous views of the mountains.  Both have their own beauty and I am so thankful to be able to see them.

As you can see from the first picture, my family and I are going to have a pretty awesome view of the beautiful mountains from our back yard.  The majority of the year these mountains have a brown color to them because of the lack of rain.  Even though they are brown, they are still beautiful. For me, to be able to wake up to this view every morning is going to be a blessing to me.

The second picture is of my two girls, hanging like monkeys, from the bar that is at our house.  I have a feeling by the time we go to move from this house that that bar is going to be pretty worn out.  Kristy and Abby are so excited about being able to live here.  Keith and I are happy that they feel comfortable there.

We will be living on 3 acres which we will be sharing with our landlord who lives next door.  The house that we are renting is the home where our landlord grew up.  Hearing some of the stories that he has told us about growing up there has been pretty awesome!  Right next door to us is the family Christmas tree farm.  If you look behind Kristy and Abby you will see the lines of Christmas trees that are growing.  It is really awesome to see these trees grow and to know that someday that they will make a family very happy as they are being decorated for the Christmas season.

This is going to be a new adventure for us.  It is the first time that we will be living in the semi-country.  We are excited to start this new chapter and to see where God is going to lead our family from here.  I know that every time we step out our back door and see the mountains that we will be reminded what an AWESOME, MIGHTY, SPECTACULAR GOD WE SERVE!!!!