Gillespie Family Journey

Shania's ultra sound picture

2012-02-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

2012-02-18T13:33:00.003-08:00

Tough week with employees

2012-02-16T10:04:00.001-08:00

My parents have been gone a week and I have had nothing but trouble with the employees. They are running all over me and giving me alot of crap! I have decided to hire and give them what they deserve. LESS HOURS! When we are busy they walk and refuse to hurry and try. When we are slow they just sit around and do nothing. I have had it! I don't understand how my father is so hard on them and they don't buck up against him, but I am nice and they fight me all the way. Guess it is just like the story goes. Respect authority!

Here we Go AGAIN with the kids rooms!

2012-02-14T15:40:00.002-08:00

For the Twins Birthdays I said (I would) paint and remodel their rooms EXCEPT redo the carpet! So Now I am prepping to paint Derrick's walls Chief RED and Mikaela BLUE. I will post a before & after picture. Derrick is a boy and truly should never have white walls. Mikaela keeps her room really clean, but needs it to be more fun like her personality. She likes the zepra stripes and I think her new bed spread will be Zebra print with blue coloring. Should be FUN for spring/Summer- Their kids and I would rather change the room than piercing and tattoos! LOL

Mikaela Basketball Horse Heaven Hills

2012-02-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

Autumn THANK YOU FOR THE V-DAY GOODIES

2012-02-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much Autumn & Landon for your wonderful gifts & special visit! I have truly missed your smile, laughter, and joy that fills my heart. xxxoooo LOVE YOU SO MUCH

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

The kids went shopping. Derrick bought his girlfriend a very pretty necklace with a teddy bear. Mikaela bought many of her friends teddy bears and goodies. Brittany didn't buy for her friends, but received candy from a boy this year. Jeremy & I are going out to dinner tonight alone. NO KIDS! NO fighting! Quiet TIME;) This weekend were heading up to the cabin to go sledding.

10 Ways to Increase Your Home's Value

2012-02-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

10 Ways to Increase Your Home's Value

By FrontDoor.com | Published: 3/04/2008

Paint one wall a darker neutral to really make your room shine -- and increase its drama, style and value.

Home Improvements for $100 or Less
Tip 1: Spend an hour with a pro.
Invite a Realtor or interior designer over to check out your home. Many Realtors will do this as a courtesy, but you will probably have to pay a consultation fee to a designer. Check with several designers in your area -- a standard hourly fee is normally less than $100.
In an hour, a professional can give you lots of ideas for needed improvements. Even small suggestions, such as paint colors or furniture placement, can go a long way toward improving the look and feel of your home.
Tip 2: Find inspiration.
Want an even cheaper alternative to a professional consultation? Search for remodeling and decorating inspiration in design-oriented magazines, books, TV shows and Web sites. Simply tear out or print off the ideas you want to try and start your to-do list. Keep it simple: when remodeling on a tight budget, do-it-yourself type projects are best.
Tip 3: Inspect it!
Not every home improvement is cosmetic. Hidden problems like deteriorating roofs, termite infestation or outdated electrical systems can negatively impact your home's value. Hire an inspector to check out the areas of your home that you don't normally see. Small problems, like a hidden water leak, can become expensive headaches if you put off repairs. A little investment now can save you loads of cash later.
Tip 4: Paint, paint, paint.
One of the simplest, most cost-effective improvements of all is a fresh coat of paint. Newly painted rooms look clean and updated -- and that spells value. Neutral paint colors appeal to the greatest number of people, therefore making your home more desirable. On average, a gallon of paint costs around $25, leaving you plenty of money to buy rollers, tape, drop cloths and brushes. So, buy a few gallons and get busy!
Tip 5: Cut energy costs.
If you think your utility bill is a fixed amount, call your local utility company to find out. Many energy providers offer free energy audits of their customers' homes. They can show you how to maximize the energy efficiency of your home. A power- and water-saving home will conserve your money now, and is more valuable in the long run. Plus, you can use the money you save for more updates!

It is a good thing I guess that I love to change the color of the walls often;).

Brittany in todays Tri-City Hearld

2012-02-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

Brittany is the paper for Vet Class

Tri-Tech teens help horse rescue nonprofit with barn, animal grooming

By Loretto J. Hulse, Tri-City Herald

Mix horses with big-hearted teenagers, and in a few hours, there is a barn that's one step closer to being finished.
The barn is at Spot-O-Faith Farm, Linda Christiano's nonprofit horse rescue operation in Pasco.
About 20 Tri-Tech Skills Center students, enrolled in the Kennewick school's pre-veterinary technician, construction trade or welding classes, met Wednesday afternoon at the farm.
Guys in Carhartts and tool belts bolted toward the barn, while gals in baseball caps and jeans headed for the corrals.
Two hours later, horses were groomed and the sheets of plywood covered interior walls on the west side of the barn.
"We ran out of wood or we would have done more," said Tony Milenski, who teaches construction trades classes at Tri-Tech.
The barn is an old-fashioned, board and batten style with a gambrel roof. It was designed by Sam Cumming, Christiano's father and a Walla Walla farmer, who began building it about 15 years ago. He is now 92 years old and hoping to see the barn finished.
"It's built almost entirely of recycled wood," she said. "He tore down an old cannery in Walla Walla. That's where some of those big beams came from. You can't buy them like that anymore."
Many of the wide planks that make up the sides of the barn came from the cannery too. They are nailed vertically, with gaps between each board.
"That's where the bats --these long, skinny boards -- go to make a solid wall," Christiano said. "I don't have enough wood yet to do the bats, that's partly why I needed the plywood put up inside, to stop the wind from whistling through the walls."
The plywood also helps reinforce the walls, which are lined with stalls, to prevent the horses from kicking through.
Students learned of the construction project through Suzanne Lefevre, who teaches pre-veterinary technician classes at Tri-Tech and is a friend of Christiano. Lefevre told her students about Spot-O-Faith, and several volunteered to work at the horse farm.
They soon discovered the barn needed a carpenter's touch, so they appealed to Milenski's construction trades class.
"We heard about it on Monday, and we all decided to join the project," Victor Mendoza said. "We're already helping to build two houses and now a barn. It's a lot different from a house. This is great experience."
Jake Morby, another construction trades student, said, "I like helping people and horses. I was happy to come out."
Milenski said, "It's projects like this that help my students understand how you feel good when you do something for somebody without expecting anything in return. Once they experience that feeling, they'll be a helper for the rest of their lives."
Christiano and her husband, Brett, have been running Spot-O-Faith Farm for about a year. So far, they have found homes for 10 horses and have two they're trying to place. They recently learned of four more horses that may need homes.
"But we only have so much room," she said. "Completing the barn will give us space for a few more, especially those needing extra care, out of the weather."
Spot-O-Faith welcomes donations of hay and grain. At this point, they need plywood and boards too.
"And volunteers are always welcome," Christiano said.

Mikki at her Basket ball game

2012-02-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

Horse Heaven Vs Park Middle School

WOW Mikki is a awesome Basketball player! So proud of all our kids with their athletic ability. They get it all from their father. Jeremy is so involved in the teaching of the kids with sports. They enjoy playing games and learning through watching sports on TV too.I only wished I could get better pictures in the gyms! So tough for me to get good pictures with the lighting;( makes me sad! I should pay a professional to take pictures of the twins playing their sports when they are indoors.

A look back

2012-02-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

Derrick wrestling match-

2012-02-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

The white team is the other team from Garrison- The Purple Team is our boys/girls from Horse Heaven Hills My camera wont take pictures in the florescent lighting in the gym so I don't have many good pictures;( This was the first and probably only match for us to attend since they are usually during work hours. It was very hard for me to watch the kids get beat up so bad, it is a very physical sport and they get very tired / hurt. I haven't seen a wrestling match since I was in middle school. Funny as it is one of the boys that was very popular and wrestled now his son is wrestling with Derrick. I enjoy watching Derrick play football and Basketball. Mikki I enjoy watching her play Basketball & Volleyball, I was very disappointed in her dance this year. Not that she was bad, but the fact that their were to many girls and she was in the back. I miss Brittany playing softball A LOT. Brittany was then and still a very athletic, talented girl and its sad she doesn't shine on the field anymore. She honesty was so good and capable of getting a scholarship for College. I always imagined her sticking to it and when she made the decision to stop it broke our hearts. I know you can't force your kids to do something they don't want to do. Maybe when she gets to College she will want to play or be on a Co ED team that would be a lot of fun and she might enjoy it a lot more. Time will tell I get I pray every day for my children. I want them to get a education, be faithful with themselves and GOD.

Mikaela Crazy hair day today;)

2012-02-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

The chief Boys eatting ICE Cream after Super Bowl WIN

2012-02-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl SUNDAY 2/5/12 21 -17 Giants WIN

2012-02-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

Giants VS Patriots- 5 years ago we were at Rodney and Robyn's for a family Super Bowl Party. One of the greatest pictures I took of Papaw was him when he was so happy from the Giant's winning! Today Jeremy uploaded the picture to the computer and the whole game he talked to Papaw as Derrick & him watched the Giant's beat the Patriots. My dad bet $200 in a foot ball pool. He won 250 the first quarter, 250 second quarter, 1000 for the fourth quarter final- Total of 1500 WOW! He called to tell Jeremy he will share the money with him. Fun day for the boys as their team WON the 46th SUPER BOWL

Derrick texting Marissa- his girl of 8 months;)

Mikaela Basketball 2012 Horse Heaven Hills

2012-02-05T19:51:00.000-08:00

pictures are blury because they are from Jeremy's iphone