A Busy Weekend Ahead....
This weekend is going to rush by me like a freight train going down hill without breaks! I just know it! Bob and boys are all going camping with the Boy Scouts. This evening and Sat evening are going to be devoted to the play. Tomorrow night is the last performance. woo hoo!! Saturday is also National Scrapbooking Day.... it's going to be an all weekend event. My swap site is hosting a cyber crop and is giving away tonds of stuff in contests. We were able to get about 25 major companies to donate scrapping supplies for the give aways. I am teaching two classes during the crop. For those of you who scrap, you may want to drop by.... the link is on the right of my blog page... just put my name, Mary/chappyere1 as your referral and your membership will be accepted.
Well, I have to run and get the kiddos finished with their school work so they can get out of here and go camping. Have a fabulous weekend. See ya on Monday.
Mary
Friday, May 05, 2006
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Wanting Chocolate
I admit it, I am an addict... I am addicted to chocolate. Not the regular milk chocolate that can be found in every store...nooooo... that would be too easy of an addiction to feed. I am addicted to super dark high octane chocolate. I search high and low through various stores and online sites to find that "perfect" level of cocoa listed. The higher the number...the better the chocolate. Have you noticed that the first ingredient on most candy bars is sugar, then corn starch, then fat, etc.. and cocoa is usually way down the list. I am in search of the piece of chocolate that has cocoa listed as the number one ingredient. Some chocolates contain 72% or higher..Endangered Species is a good brand.. A friend told me that she saw some chocolate that had 91% and I am in search of that one, although she says that she can't remember the brand. I think she's just teasing me.
The reason I am talking about wanting chocolate is because there are so many things in this world for which we can search high and low. So many of us are looking for that "perfect" blend. Why is this? Is it because there is something lacking in my life? Is it because, like a smoker, drinker, or drug addict, my body truly craves that addiction? It's funny how our bodies grow accustomed to certain things, only to develop insatiable appetites for things that are usually not so good for us. We are so intuned to those things that we are craving, yet we tend to ignore the things that our bodies, minds, and beings truly need. Why can't I develop an insatiable appetite for God's word? For Prayer? For Spiritial insight? Is it because I am afraid of what I may face? I think it is. I am truly afraid that I willl have to give up my chocolate addiction, my scrapbooking addiction, my blogging addiction...and so it goes on and on and on. So..I guess what I am getting at here is that I need to concentrate more on my mental/spiritual self instead of the physical desire for dark chocolate. I know this is such a random entry, but it is what is on my mind.
Blessings and Prayers for an incredible Day!
Mary
I admit it, I am an addict... I am addicted to chocolate. Not the regular milk chocolate that can be found in every store...nooooo... that would be too easy of an addiction to feed. I am addicted to super dark high octane chocolate. I search high and low through various stores and online sites to find that "perfect" level of cocoa listed. The higher the number...the better the chocolate. Have you noticed that the first ingredient on most candy bars is sugar, then corn starch, then fat, etc.. and cocoa is usually way down the list. I am in search of the piece of chocolate that has cocoa listed as the number one ingredient. Some chocolates contain 72% or higher..Endangered Species is a good brand.. A friend told me that she saw some chocolate that had 91% and I am in search of that one, although she says that she can't remember the brand. I think she's just teasing me.
The reason I am talking about wanting chocolate is because there are so many things in this world for which we can search high and low. So many of us are looking for that "perfect" blend. Why is this? Is it because there is something lacking in my life? Is it because, like a smoker, drinker, or drug addict, my body truly craves that addiction? It's funny how our bodies grow accustomed to certain things, only to develop insatiable appetites for things that are usually not so good for us. We are so intuned to those things that we are craving, yet we tend to ignore the things that our bodies, minds, and beings truly need. Why can't I develop an insatiable appetite for God's word? For Prayer? For Spiritial insight? Is it because I am afraid of what I may face? I think it is. I am truly afraid that I willl have to give up my chocolate addiction, my scrapbooking addiction, my blogging addiction...and so it goes on and on and on. So..I guess what I am getting at here is that I need to concentrate more on my mental/spiritual self instead of the physical desire for dark chocolate. I know this is such a random entry, but it is what is on my mind.
Blessings and Prayers for an incredible Day!
Mary
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
The Sparkle.....
So many times I take for granted the little things that make my kids' eyes light up. I used to catch every little thing and try to hide those things in the back of my mind, just to be able to pull out that thought and remember...to be transported back to that "ah haaaa" moment in their short lives.
I don't know if kids learn to hide those ah haaa moments as they age or if they just don't have them as frequently. Yesterday Robby touched my heart with a big ah haaa moment. Anabelle is young enough that she still has quite a few, and the others have them less and less frequently than before.
As you know, Bob's parents came to visit this past week and we had a great time. Grandma Chapman loves to sit and listen to the boys play the piano. Every time she comes up here, she sits with the boys as they each go through their music and she plays right along with them. This is something that she absolutely loves to do. I am glad that she has those "connecting" moments with the kids. Robby, almost 15, has been playing since he was 5 and is pretty good. He has, though, outgrown our upright grand and really needs a better piano in order to advance his playing. Marilyn has been telling us for about three years that we need to get a better piano. But, the problem is this....we don't have the money for a baby grand or a grand. It's not like buying a new pair of sneakers. These babies are really expensive.
This past week a friend (also the mother of a friend of Robby's) asked if I knew of anyone that was looking for a good baby grand. She had one that she needed to get rid of. I am thinking....ok. I know that this piano is sitting in the dinning room of an old farm house. How good of a piano can she have....(that's not nice of me). So.... over dinner I asked Robby if he had ever seen Austin's Mom's piano and he said, "yes, it's really nice". And I'm thinking, "He doesn't sound too impressed with the piano". But, we have to remember, he's a guy, so short and minimal is all the information I am going to get with that one question. Marilyn, picking up on his brief answer, asked more and he finally told her that he loved playing on it because the tone is incredible and the "play" is good...the feel of the keys...etc. ( I am not a piano player so I don't understand the lingo, but my DMIL does and they are speaking a foreign language at this point) Then she asked if Sandy would consider selling the piano and I told her that she asked if I knew anyone and I really couldn't think of anyone who could afford the instrument. To make this boring story shorter...
We went yesterday evening out to the farm.. Sandy, her two kids, Robby and myself. She showed us the piano...it's a jewel in the middle of nowhere... Robby's eyes lit up like he was seeing an old friend..lol. She told him to try it and he did. He started out a little hesitant, tense, and looked like he was holding his breath. Then as he settled in he relaxed and started breathing again and then he let his fingers fly. He "feels" life. He is the child who's eyes tell you every little thing that he is thinking..... I saw in his eyes hesitance, bewilderment, excitement, love, and then warmth all in a span of Mozart's, Sonatina. After he played another song he got up from the piano and tenderly lowered the lid and covered the piano with the piano shawl that was on it when we arrived. Then he walked outside. He didn't say much. I think I know what he was feeling. I had that same feeling when my parents bought me my prof. flute.
After dinner my DMIL called and asked if we saw the piano and I told her about it. Then she asked what Robby said. She told Bob and me that she really wants to do this for Robby. She wants to encourage him to grow more. She doesn't want him to lose that love he has, and she would like to buy it as a gift for him. I am so floored. I mean, you hear of grandparents buying sweaters and sending cards....but a flipping baby grand???? So, we told her that we would talk more with Robby and would let her know by Friday if that's ok. I feel odd accepting a gift that big. I mean, it's big.
Then I spoke with my mom and she reminded me that Robby's not the only one benefitting from this gift.. allowing my MIL to do this would be a gift to her, too, because she knows how important music is to Robby, and she would have the comfort in knowing that she did something major to encourage his love of the piano. I told Bob what my DM said and he is in agreement with her. So...this morning I got up, went downstairs and stood in the middle of my dining room....it's a big room, and found the perfect place for this piano.
My concluding thought is this....God is good. He knew that we could never afford to buy an instrument like this, and He is blessing our family in an incredible way. Marilyn gets to feel that love in giving a gift so important to Robby. Robby is receiving encouragement to take his playing to a higher level, and Bob and I, as parents get to listen to our son play, knowing that my DMIL believed so much in Rob's talent to do this huge thing for him. God is definitely Good...Yes, very Good.
Mary
So many times I take for granted the little things that make my kids' eyes light up. I used to catch every little thing and try to hide those things in the back of my mind, just to be able to pull out that thought and remember...to be transported back to that "ah haaaa" moment in their short lives.
I don't know if kids learn to hide those ah haaa moments as they age or if they just don't have them as frequently. Yesterday Robby touched my heart with a big ah haaa moment. Anabelle is young enough that she still has quite a few, and the others have them less and less frequently than before.
As you know, Bob's parents came to visit this past week and we had a great time. Grandma Chapman loves to sit and listen to the boys play the piano. Every time she comes up here, she sits with the boys as they each go through their music and she plays right along with them. This is something that she absolutely loves to do. I am glad that she has those "connecting" moments with the kids. Robby, almost 15, has been playing since he was 5 and is pretty good. He has, though, outgrown our upright grand and really needs a better piano in order to advance his playing. Marilyn has been telling us for about three years that we need to get a better piano. But, the problem is this....we don't have the money for a baby grand or a grand. It's not like buying a new pair of sneakers. These babies are really expensive.
This past week a friend (also the mother of a friend of Robby's) asked if I knew of anyone that was looking for a good baby grand. She had one that she needed to get rid of. I am thinking....ok. I know that this piano is sitting in the dinning room of an old farm house. How good of a piano can she have....(that's not nice of me). So.... over dinner I asked Robby if he had ever seen Austin's Mom's piano and he said, "yes, it's really nice". And I'm thinking, "He doesn't sound too impressed with the piano". But, we have to remember, he's a guy, so short and minimal is all the information I am going to get with that one question. Marilyn, picking up on his brief answer, asked more and he finally told her that he loved playing on it because the tone is incredible and the "play" is good...the feel of the keys...etc. ( I am not a piano player so I don't understand the lingo, but my DMIL does and they are speaking a foreign language at this point) Then she asked if Sandy would consider selling the piano and I told her that she asked if I knew anyone and I really couldn't think of anyone who could afford the instrument. To make this boring story shorter...
We went yesterday evening out to the farm.. Sandy, her two kids, Robby and myself. She showed us the piano...it's a jewel in the middle of nowhere... Robby's eyes lit up like he was seeing an old friend..lol. She told him to try it and he did. He started out a little hesitant, tense, and looked like he was holding his breath. Then as he settled in he relaxed and started breathing again and then he let his fingers fly. He "feels" life. He is the child who's eyes tell you every little thing that he is thinking..... I saw in his eyes hesitance, bewilderment, excitement, love, and then warmth all in a span of Mozart's, Sonatina. After he played another song he got up from the piano and tenderly lowered the lid and covered the piano with the piano shawl that was on it when we arrived. Then he walked outside. He didn't say much. I think I know what he was feeling. I had that same feeling when my parents bought me my prof. flute.
After dinner my DMIL called and asked if we saw the piano and I told her about it. Then she asked what Robby said. She told Bob and me that she really wants to do this for Robby. She wants to encourage him to grow more. She doesn't want him to lose that love he has, and she would like to buy it as a gift for him. I am so floored. I mean, you hear of grandparents buying sweaters and sending cards....but a flipping baby grand???? So, we told her that we would talk more with Robby and would let her know by Friday if that's ok. I feel odd accepting a gift that big. I mean, it's big.
Then I spoke with my mom and she reminded me that Robby's not the only one benefitting from this gift.. allowing my MIL to do this would be a gift to her, too, because she knows how important music is to Robby, and she would have the comfort in knowing that she did something major to encourage his love of the piano. I told Bob what my DM said and he is in agreement with her. So...this morning I got up, went downstairs and stood in the middle of my dining room....it's a big room, and found the perfect place for this piano.
My concluding thought is this....God is good. He knew that we could never afford to buy an instrument like this, and He is blessing our family in an incredible way. Marilyn gets to feel that love in giving a gift so important to Robby. Robby is receiving encouragement to take his playing to a higher level, and Bob and I, as parents get to listen to our son play, knowing that my DMIL believed so much in Rob's talent to do this huge thing for him. God is definitely Good...Yes, very Good.
Mary
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Speak up, Herman....
I just finished making a batch of ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) and had the best time playing with some extra supplies/paints/ink/ etc.etc. I am in a swap that is concentrating on "women" in print type of thing. When I emailed my catagory of choice to the hostess I told her that I was going to do mine to feature a "mom" on vintage tv. I threw out some possibilities: June Cleaver, Marian Cunningham, Harriet Nelson, etc. and she thought that was a great idea. So I got online and searched out photos and didn't find anything that sparked my creativity until I remembered Lillian Munster, Yvonne DeCarlo. She was great, A "real" mom. Someone who showed her disappointments, frustrations, and emotions being married to a big ole block head.. I chukled and thought...Now, THIS is a perfect "mom" with which to create my cards.
Making the cards, in turn, got me to thinking....if you took away the theme of "munster" you would have a pretty normal average home. There was Eddie, who faced the same problems that our kids face. There was the uncle, who everyone loved, there was the "odd" cousin, and then there was Herman. You all know that you can identify with Lillian.. We used to laugh at all the hairbrained things which Herman involved himself and his cohort, Uncle Charlie, because they depicted some strange situations. I truly think that we laughed, not so much because we couldn't believe the things that they did, but just maybe because all the family dynamics hit a little close to home....
I'm just glad that we don't have a "Spot" living in our basement....
Have a wonderful Glorious Day!
Mary
I just finished making a batch of ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) and had the best time playing with some extra supplies/paints/ink/ etc.etc. I am in a swap that is concentrating on "women" in print type of thing. When I emailed my catagory of choice to the hostess I told her that I was going to do mine to feature a "mom" on vintage tv. I threw out some possibilities: June Cleaver, Marian Cunningham, Harriet Nelson, etc. and she thought that was a great idea. So I got online and searched out photos and didn't find anything that sparked my creativity until I remembered Lillian Munster, Yvonne DeCarlo. She was great, A "real" mom. Someone who showed her disappointments, frustrations, and emotions being married to a big ole block head.. I chukled and thought...Now, THIS is a perfect "mom" with which to create my cards.
Making the cards, in turn, got me to thinking....if you took away the theme of "munster" you would have a pretty normal average home. There was Eddie, who faced the same problems that our kids face. There was the uncle, who everyone loved, there was the "odd" cousin, and then there was Herman. You all know that you can identify with Lillian.. We used to laugh at all the hairbrained things which Herman involved himself and his cohort, Uncle Charlie, because they depicted some strange situations. I truly think that we laughed, not so much because we couldn't believe the things that they did, but just maybe because all the family dynamics hit a little close to home....
I'm just glad that we don't have a "Spot" living in our basement....
Have a wonderful Glorious Day!
Mary
Monday, May 01, 2006
Break A Leg!
Just finished our first full week of performances and am glad that we only have two more performances to go.. Two more times I get to put makeup on a guy who thinks he's all that... He isn't. I don't know why people are rude to someone who is trying to make you look good. that's not a good/smart move. I mean, I could make this guy look like doo doo and he just continues to bark at people and annoy them.
Well, enough of that.. I had a great weekend.. Very busy, but great. Bob's parents came up for a visit and we spent Saturday and most of Sunday with them. Bob's dad had meetings down at the college with recipiants of their scholarships. It's something that they look forward to every year.
While I was putting makeup on the cast from "Last of the Red Hot Lovers", Bob entertained his parents and kept the kids' all pretty busy. Megan worked a bit on Sat and Sun and is looking forward to school being out and starting life guarding.
I switched scrapping sites and am going to be pretty busy with updates/swaps, etc. It's a lot of fun and I get to meet a lot of others who are into scrapping.
Last night, while I was getting ready for bed, Bob wanted to put away some wool sweaters in our cedar chest and he found my stash of baby pictures of the kids. He pulled them out so I didn't get to bed until about 2 am because I simply could not put the photos away without remembering so much about each and every child's photos. The good thing about going throught the photos is that I now have a bunch of sentimental photos for scrapping. I am going to keep busy with this project for a long time. I even found photos of David in his incubator with the netting over his head, which made him look like a pot roast..Shhhh.. don't tell him. All he knows is that he was the most beautiful baby in the world to me at that moment/phase of his life....and he was.... pot roast head and all.
Today is overcast and there is a light drizzle, which is good. My grass is green and the trees all have buds on them.. I guess winter is "officially" over! yeah! Now the fun time of the year begins.
Have to run...my coffee calls and we have to get going on school.
Love you!
Just finished our first full week of performances and am glad that we only have two more performances to go.. Two more times I get to put makeup on a guy who thinks he's all that... He isn't. I don't know why people are rude to someone who is trying to make you look good. that's not a good/smart move. I mean, I could make this guy look like doo doo and he just continues to bark at people and annoy them.
Well, enough of that.. I had a great weekend.. Very busy, but great. Bob's parents came up for a visit and we spent Saturday and most of Sunday with them. Bob's dad had meetings down at the college with recipiants of their scholarships. It's something that they look forward to every year.
While I was putting makeup on the cast from "Last of the Red Hot Lovers", Bob entertained his parents and kept the kids' all pretty busy. Megan worked a bit on Sat and Sun and is looking forward to school being out and starting life guarding.
I switched scrapping sites and am going to be pretty busy with updates/swaps, etc. It's a lot of fun and I get to meet a lot of others who are into scrapping.
Last night, while I was getting ready for bed, Bob wanted to put away some wool sweaters in our cedar chest and he found my stash of baby pictures of the kids. He pulled them out so I didn't get to bed until about 2 am because I simply could not put the photos away without remembering so much about each and every child's photos. The good thing about going throught the photos is that I now have a bunch of sentimental photos for scrapping. I am going to keep busy with this project for a long time. I even found photos of David in his incubator with the netting over his head, which made him look like a pot roast..Shhhh.. don't tell him. All he knows is that he was the most beautiful baby in the world to me at that moment/phase of his life....and he was.... pot roast head and all.
Today is overcast and there is a light drizzle, which is good. My grass is green and the trees all have buds on them.. I guess winter is "officially" over! yeah! Now the fun time of the year begins.
Have to run...my coffee calls and we have to get going on school.
Love you!
Friday, April 28, 2006
Apple Carts and Other lopsided Things
Got you attention didn't I? I know it's a little late in the day to be posting, but this is truly the first opportunity that I have had.
This is going to be a very short entry. Last night was opening night for "Last of the Red Hot Lovers", and it was alot of fun. The actresses were so "on" especially Katie. I do costuming and makeup for our local community theare and love it. I didn't get home till 11:30 and got up rather early this morning.
Bob and I are taking the kids over to the track to help with Special Olympics for the afternoon and call is 6:30 for tonight's performance. Tomorrow will be equally as hectic.
Megan took me to brunch today for my birthday and gave me the Jack Johnson Curious George CD ...I LOVE IT. I am listening to it right now and love the simplicity and realness.
Well, I will post more tomorrow.....
Love you all!
Mary
Got you attention didn't I? I know it's a little late in the day to be posting, but this is truly the first opportunity that I have had.
This is going to be a very short entry. Last night was opening night for "Last of the Red Hot Lovers", and it was alot of fun. The actresses were so "on" especially Katie. I do costuming and makeup for our local community theare and love it. I didn't get home till 11:30 and got up rather early this morning.
Bob and I are taking the kids over to the track to help with Special Olympics for the afternoon and call is 6:30 for tonight's performance. Tomorrow will be equally as hectic.
Megan took me to brunch today for my birthday and gave me the Jack Johnson Curious George CD ...I LOVE IT. I am listening to it right now and love the simplicity and realness.
Well, I will post more tomorrow.....
Love you all!
Mary
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Hiding the Blemish
Ok, I know that you all know that I had my 44th Bday this past Sunday. I had been feeling a bit old yesterday and had a nice converstaion with my cousin, Frank, about age. One topic led to another and as always, Nana came up. After we visited for a while we both came to the conclussion that Nana really was/is timeless. She never stopped being young. She loved her gardens, her tv shows, her dolls, her antiques, and all her teddy bears. She, although 87, was still very much a young person when she left us.
I know that if my Nana were here and she heard me whine about being 44, she would tell me, "well, you only look old if you aren't wearing lipstick" or something along that line. I made an appointment to have my makeup done. This is something I have never treated myself to and thought that it was a good time. After I was all "made up" I ran home, put on some decent clothes and straightened up the house....Bob's parents were due to arrive from Denver. I amglad that I had my makeup done because my MIL is very much a "you don't go out in public without some colour on your face" type of person.
Each time I passed a mirror I really wasn't comfortable with what I saw starring back and I couldn't pin point what was wrong, then....I thought, wow, I look like my mom, but something is missing. Upon examining the colors and tones that I had on I discovered that the makeup gal had covered my small red dot on the side of my nose. I didn't like that it was gone. This is something that keeps me tied to my mom in a way. She, too, has the red dot on the side of her nose. Neither of us was born with the dot. It just appeared during a pregnancy and never went away. I, for some reason, was feeling "off" because I didn't recognize myself without something so small and insignificant as a red dot. I remember the makeup gal calling it a blemish. (Isn't that something that is bad, something we DON"T want?) Well, to me, it isn't a blemish; it's a part of me that ties me to my mom and in turn to my forever youthful, Nana.
I love the make up, but think I will skip covering up my dot!
I know....silly girl!
Blessings!
Mary
Ok, I know that you all know that I had my 44th Bday this past Sunday. I had been feeling a bit old yesterday and had a nice converstaion with my cousin, Frank, about age. One topic led to another and as always, Nana came up. After we visited for a while we both came to the conclussion that Nana really was/is timeless. She never stopped being young. She loved her gardens, her tv shows, her dolls, her antiques, and all her teddy bears. She, although 87, was still very much a young person when she left us.
I know that if my Nana were here and she heard me whine about being 44, she would tell me, "well, you only look old if you aren't wearing lipstick" or something along that line. I made an appointment to have my makeup done. This is something I have never treated myself to and thought that it was a good time. After I was all "made up" I ran home, put on some decent clothes and straightened up the house....Bob's parents were due to arrive from Denver. I amglad that I had my makeup done because my MIL is very much a "you don't go out in public without some colour on your face" type of person.
Each time I passed a mirror I really wasn't comfortable with what I saw starring back and I couldn't pin point what was wrong, then....I thought, wow, I look like my mom, but something is missing. Upon examining the colors and tones that I had on I discovered that the makeup gal had covered my small red dot on the side of my nose. I didn't like that it was gone. This is something that keeps me tied to my mom in a way. She, too, has the red dot on the side of her nose. Neither of us was born with the dot. It just appeared during a pregnancy and never went away. I, for some reason, was feeling "off" because I didn't recognize myself without something so small and insignificant as a red dot. I remember the makeup gal calling it a blemish. (Isn't that something that is bad, something we DON"T want?) Well, to me, it isn't a blemish; it's a part of me that ties me to my mom and in turn to my forever youthful, Nana.
I love the make up, but think I will skip covering up my dot!
I know....silly girl!
Blessings!
Mary
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The Quest for Knowledge
Megan is in the college hunt mode right now and has been pouring over catalogues and mailings from colleges all over the country and even some from Canada. As she sees the different courses and requirements from each college she is having a really hard time narrowing down her search. She still has a year left of high school, but, this is Meg. She is always, always, always prepared and informed about any big decision she makes. This is good. I am glad that she is searching out information.
If any of you know of a good private (preferrably Christian) Art College, please let us know. It's like finding a needle in a hay stack. She is actually leaning toward a school in Savannah, SCAD... they are pretty well known, but she thinks it's so far from home. She would like to be within driving distance to come home for short breaks..ie. Thanksgiving. She also is struggling with what she wants to do with specific majors. There are some interesting majors available from some of the colleges that she has looked at, including, "paper, book, & Print". I thought that would be a great major...she could make all my scrapping papers for me....lol. I don't think she wants to do that.
So...for the next few months we will be looking at schools and will be trying to help Meg narrow down her interests. I know that she will probably change her mind several times and will end up where she is supposed to be, but....
I have to ask myself, as she is going through this process, "Am I ready to let her go?" and the answer is, "NO". I don't want to let her go. I want her to stay home a bit longer... I also have to ask myself in helping Meg with her "Quest for Knowledge" am I helping her gain knowledge or is she helping me? Maybe there's a bit of both there.
Blessings!
Mary
Megan is in the college hunt mode right now and has been pouring over catalogues and mailings from colleges all over the country and even some from Canada. As she sees the different courses and requirements from each college she is having a really hard time narrowing down her search. She still has a year left of high school, but, this is Meg. She is always, always, always prepared and informed about any big decision she makes. This is good. I am glad that she is searching out information.
If any of you know of a good private (preferrably Christian) Art College, please let us know. It's like finding a needle in a hay stack. She is actually leaning toward a school in Savannah, SCAD... they are pretty well known, but she thinks it's so far from home. She would like to be within driving distance to come home for short breaks..ie. Thanksgiving. She also is struggling with what she wants to do with specific majors. There are some interesting majors available from some of the colleges that she has looked at, including, "paper, book, & Print". I thought that would be a great major...she could make all my scrapping papers for me....lol. I don't think she wants to do that.
So...for the next few months we will be looking at schools and will be trying to help Meg narrow down her interests. I know that she will probably change her mind several times and will end up where she is supposed to be, but....
I have to ask myself, as she is going through this process, "Am I ready to let her go?" and the answer is, "NO". I don't want to let her go. I want her to stay home a bit longer... I also have to ask myself in helping Meg with her "Quest for Knowledge" am I helping her gain knowledge or is she helping me? Maybe there's a bit of both there.
Blessings!
Mary
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Someone, Pinch Me
I think of all the fun things that happened this weekend. I think about Meg's perfect experience with prom and all the good things that I wrote about yesterday and I come to the realization that I only wrote about two days and completely left out Sunday.
As many of you know, I had a birthday on Sunday. I know that you are wondering just how old I am.... here's the skinny.. I turned 44 and am quite comfortable with this age. I don't feel 44... Heck, there are some days when I feel 6...especially when I am playing Barbies and make-believe with Anabelle. She has a way of pulling me into her 6 year old world where everything is colourful, perfect, and fun. For a birthday gift, Bob gave me a ticket to the circus. He knows how I love to go with the kids and just experience a few hours of hokie fun. The Shriner Circus came to town and Anabelle and I had a blast. So on my 44th I sat in the stands and watched the various acts and really enjoyed myself. I love letting Belle experience all the sites, smells, and flavours of the circus. She rode an elephant, ate cotton candy, popcorn, and a snowcone, and bought a light-up star lazer thing and I had a blast watching her eyes sparkle as she truly enjoyed her day. When we came home, Bob had made my cake. Can you believe that...He made a cake! The man can grill like there's no tomorrow...but bake... Nope..
The kids and Bob have been asking me for a long time what I would like for my Bday and the only things that I could come up with were: a ticket to the circus, Chronicles of Narnia-DVD, airfair for Boston-CKU, and adhesive.... Those of you who scrap know the importance of the adhesive. So.. spending the day with Belle at the circus was a nice suprise. The boys spent their entire day there helping sell popcorn during all three shows for the Boy Scouts. Meg went with Brian and she, too, rode the elephant. I will be getting my ticket to Boston on Friday and the boys couldn't decide which adhesive to buy so they gave me $30.00 to buy it myself. That will buy a few types.
I really am proud that Bob made the cake on his own. He also grilled beef/veggie, kabobs and made rice and a nice salad. After we finished dinner and had the cake we sat down and watched Chronicles...(they even remembered that). Late on Sunday night Bob asked me if I knew where the regular cooking oil was and I showed him the tall wine bottle that I have converted into my oil bottle and he laughed. He couldn't find the oil so he used my imported olive oil... to tell you the truth, we couldn't tell.. It was pretty good.
So, the short sumary is this... I had a fabulous weekend! I titled this thread; "Someone Pinch Me".. but now I have rethought that title and really don't want anyone to pinch me at all. I am loving my life, loving all the hustle and bustle that having five kids at home brings, loving where I am right now. 44 is pretty good. Soooo,...Don't you Dare Pinch Me~
Love you all!
Mary
I think of all the fun things that happened this weekend. I think about Meg's perfect experience with prom and all the good things that I wrote about yesterday and I come to the realization that I only wrote about two days and completely left out Sunday.
As many of you know, I had a birthday on Sunday. I know that you are wondering just how old I am.... here's the skinny.. I turned 44 and am quite comfortable with this age. I don't feel 44... Heck, there are some days when I feel 6...especially when I am playing Barbies and make-believe with Anabelle. She has a way of pulling me into her 6 year old world where everything is colourful, perfect, and fun. For a birthday gift, Bob gave me a ticket to the circus. He knows how I love to go with the kids and just experience a few hours of hokie fun. The Shriner Circus came to town and Anabelle and I had a blast. So on my 44th I sat in the stands and watched the various acts and really enjoyed myself. I love letting Belle experience all the sites, smells, and flavours of the circus. She rode an elephant, ate cotton candy, popcorn, and a snowcone, and bought a light-up star lazer thing and I had a blast watching her eyes sparkle as she truly enjoyed her day. When we came home, Bob had made my cake. Can you believe that...He made a cake! The man can grill like there's no tomorrow...but bake... Nope..
The kids and Bob have been asking me for a long time what I would like for my Bday and the only things that I could come up with were: a ticket to the circus, Chronicles of Narnia-DVD, airfair for Boston-CKU, and adhesive.... Those of you who scrap know the importance of the adhesive. So.. spending the day with Belle at the circus was a nice suprise. The boys spent their entire day there helping sell popcorn during all three shows for the Boy Scouts. Meg went with Brian and she, too, rode the elephant. I will be getting my ticket to Boston on Friday and the boys couldn't decide which adhesive to buy so they gave me $30.00 to buy it myself. That will buy a few types.
I really am proud that Bob made the cake on his own. He also grilled beef/veggie, kabobs and made rice and a nice salad. After we finished dinner and had the cake we sat down and watched Chronicles...(they even remembered that). Late on Sunday night Bob asked me if I knew where the regular cooking oil was and I showed him the tall wine bottle that I have converted into my oil bottle and he laughed. He couldn't find the oil so he used my imported olive oil... to tell you the truth, we couldn't tell.. It was pretty good.
So, the short sumary is this... I had a fabulous weekend! I titled this thread; "Someone Pinch Me".. but now I have rethought that title and really don't want anyone to pinch me at all. I am loving my life, loving all the hustle and bustle that having five kids at home brings, loving where I am right now. 44 is pretty good. Soooo,...Don't you Dare Pinch Me~
Love you all!
Mary
Monday, April 24, 2006
The Glass Slipper Fit
This past weekend seems to have flown by me like a blur. It was probably the fastest three days that I have ever experienced, so fast, that it really seems like a short little dream. I didn't know that I could pack as many activities into one weekend.
I'll start sequencially with Friday afternoon. Bob took Anabelle and the boys all shopping when he got home from work and I packed a bunch of scrapping supplies in my totoe to crop all night down at my LSS (Scrapbook Creations). The regular scrappers wanted to get together before hand to have a bite to eat and a drink to celebrate my birthday, so we went to Mr. Ts and had a fun time. I ended up scrapping til 3:15 am and only finished one layout completely. The other two that I worked on still need help..lol
Saturday was devoted almost entirely to helpiung Megan get ready for prom. She is so organized and had her day planned out pretty efficiently. By the time 4:15 rolled around, Megan had transformed herself into a fairy princess...actually looked like a cross between Audrey Hepburn (style wise) and herself, beauty wise. I will have to post some photos of her in the gallery a little bit later. Brian brought her the most beautiful white roses which complemented her dress nicely. The theme of this year's prom was "Hollywood".
As most of you know, Watertown is pretty small, and has a very limitted number of resturants in which to have a decent meal. Mary Konvalin, Kathleen Deutsch, and I prepared a formal dinner for ten out at Fred and Kathleen's. Not only did they have a great meal, but they didn't have to spend a fortune on food that they wouldn't like. I played chauffer and drove the five couples to the prom in out big van... they loved it! I am happy that the group of kids that Meg hangs out with isn't wasteful and doesn't try to showoff their famiily's economic standing in our community. They are a humble bunch of kids. I was glad as a mother to know that Megan was actually pretty frugal in her dress choices, doing her own hair, and using some of my jewelry so she didn't have to spend any more than what was necessary.
I wrote a while ago, I believe my first entry, about seeing Megan grow up and the emotions I felt while she tried on prom dresses. This weekend represented the end of that little chapter in the "Book of Meg". I know that there will be a lot more to write about but this little part of her life represented one of those "big" moments. The moment she put on that glass slipper and was transformed into that princess in a world where all is good, fair, happy, and just; a world where, unlike Cinderella, the fun of the ball didn't have to end at mid-night.
Have a beautiful, fun, happy day and put on that glass slipper....it fits anyone who tries...
And They Blinked
Once upon a time there was a little baby girl who was loved more than any other baby in the world. She brought lots of love and happiness into her mommy and daddy's hearts. They held her, fed her, bathed her, dressed her, hugged and kissed her, and they loved her more than they ever thought possible.
Then the mommy and daddy blinked and their little baby was now a big girl with big girl toys and big girl friends. She was a big sister and she played with her brothers and sister and was a wonderful joy. She taught them a lot of things and they all loved her very much, then...
The mommy and daddy blinked and their little girl was almost as tall as the mommy; tall enough to look into her mommy's eyes and see a sadness and fear in them, but this little girl did not notice this because she was so busy with her friends and her own life...
And then the mommy and daddy blinked and the little girl was now a young lady with ambition, dreams, and plans of her own. She was old enough to drive and get a job and she was even busier than ever. She was so busy that she didn't see the tears in her daddy's eye when she went to her first dance...
And the mommy and daddy blinked once again and the little girl was a little taller and older. She grew and learned even more than before. The little girl became more and more independent and began looking at colleges and made plans for her future...
And the mommy and daddy blinked. One afternoon the mommy and little girl went shopping for a dress. As the little girl tried on a beautiful princess dress, she looked at her mommy and saw tears in her mommy's eyes and was embarrassed. What the little girl did not know was that the mommy did not see the young lady in a beautiful dress. What she saw was a little baby girl who was held, and fed, and bathed, and dressed, and hugged, and kissed, and was loved more than they ever thought possible, and the mommy was sad, and she wished she and the daddy hadn't blinked at all.
This past weekend seems to have flown by me like a blur. It was probably the fastest three days that I have ever experienced, so fast, that it really seems like a short little dream. I didn't know that I could pack as many activities into one weekend.
I'll start sequencially with Friday afternoon. Bob took Anabelle and the boys all shopping when he got home from work and I packed a bunch of scrapping supplies in my totoe to crop all night down at my LSS (Scrapbook Creations). The regular scrappers wanted to get together before hand to have a bite to eat and a drink to celebrate my birthday, so we went to Mr. Ts and had a fun time. I ended up scrapping til 3:15 am and only finished one layout completely. The other two that I worked on still need help..lol
Saturday was devoted almost entirely to helpiung Megan get ready for prom. She is so organized and had her day planned out pretty efficiently. By the time 4:15 rolled around, Megan had transformed herself into a fairy princess...actually looked like a cross between Audrey Hepburn (style wise) and herself, beauty wise. I will have to post some photos of her in the gallery a little bit later. Brian brought her the most beautiful white roses which complemented her dress nicely. The theme of this year's prom was "Hollywood".
As most of you know, Watertown is pretty small, and has a very limitted number of resturants in which to have a decent meal. Mary Konvalin, Kathleen Deutsch, and I prepared a formal dinner for ten out at Fred and Kathleen's. Not only did they have a great meal, but they didn't have to spend a fortune on food that they wouldn't like. I played chauffer and drove the five couples to the prom in out big van... they loved it! I am happy that the group of kids that Meg hangs out with isn't wasteful and doesn't try to showoff their famiily's economic standing in our community. They are a humble bunch of kids. I was glad as a mother to know that Megan was actually pretty frugal in her dress choices, doing her own hair, and using some of my jewelry so she didn't have to spend any more than what was necessary.
I wrote a while ago, I believe my first entry, about seeing Megan grow up and the emotions I felt while she tried on prom dresses. This weekend represented the end of that little chapter in the "Book of Meg". I know that there will be a lot more to write about but this little part of her life represented one of those "big" moments. The moment she put on that glass slipper and was transformed into that princess in a world where all is good, fair, happy, and just; a world where, unlike Cinderella, the fun of the ball didn't have to end at mid-night.
Have a beautiful, fun, happy day and put on that glass slipper....it fits anyone who tries...
And They Blinked
Once upon a time there was a little baby girl who was loved more than any other baby in the world. She brought lots of love and happiness into her mommy and daddy's hearts. They held her, fed her, bathed her, dressed her, hugged and kissed her, and they loved her more than they ever thought possible.
Then the mommy and daddy blinked and their little baby was now a big girl with big girl toys and big girl friends. She was a big sister and she played with her brothers and sister and was a wonderful joy. She taught them a lot of things and they all loved her very much, then...
The mommy and daddy blinked and their little girl was almost as tall as the mommy; tall enough to look into her mommy's eyes and see a sadness and fear in them, but this little girl did not notice this because she was so busy with her friends and her own life...
And then the mommy and daddy blinked and the little girl was now a young lady with ambition, dreams, and plans of her own. She was old enough to drive and get a job and she was even busier than ever. She was so busy that she didn't see the tears in her daddy's eye when she went to her first dance...
And the mommy and daddy blinked once again and the little girl was a little taller and older. She grew and learned even more than before. The little girl became more and more independent and began looking at colleges and made plans for her future...
And the mommy and daddy blinked. One afternoon the mommy and little girl went shopping for a dress. As the little girl tried on a beautiful princess dress, she looked at her mommy and saw tears in her mommy's eyes and was embarrassed. What the little girl did not know was that the mommy did not see the young lady in a beautiful dress. What she saw was a little baby girl who was held, and fed, and bathed, and dressed, and hugged, and kissed, and was loved more than they ever thought possible, and the mommy was sad, and she wished she and the daddy hadn't blinked at all.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Fluffy Cats & Mean Dogs
what does this have to do with the price of tea in China....absolutely NOTHING!
I am sure you are wondering where my little pea brain will take you today and I have to admit that at times, I have no idea where.
Does this not happen to everyone at some point in their lives?
Yesterday was not the best day for us academically. The kids have Spring Fever and want to be outside instead of doing their work like the perfect little students that I so wish to have. But, this is reality.
When I was growing up...oh no, here we go again... My mom would tell us to stop fighting like Cats and Dogs.. I secretly knew I was a cat and my oldest brother...Dave, was the dog..nanner nanner.. I know you are but what am I? and it goes on and on and on. Well, I have to say, my kids are just as normail as the next. They fight, they yell, the scream, and yes, sometimes they even smack one another. But, they are still brothers and sisters who would stick up for each other even against the biggest bully. So,, to make this long winded story a bit shorter, Megan surprised me once again by sitting the boys down to give them a really annoying lecture..lol. And guess what? It worked...for about 30 minutes and then they were at it again. We cut school short and we waited for the principal to get home to deal with their constant picking... Bob is much better at lecturing the boys than I am. He has a way of making them feel that in order for them to be true men of character, they need to consider the feelings of others and need to honor their parents so that means that they have to do every little assignment that I give them. It really did not help that I had a migraine all day, but that is a whole other story.
The boys ended up doing all their work and appologized for being stinkers to one another and then to me. I was glad that they did this. Then.... they all had to go to their rooms for time outs. Funny how this works on older kids. Bob does not realize that they LOVE time out..lol. As I was there with a cold cloth over my head I could hear them discussing their behavior. They were really sorry..I guess having the principal talk with them was a good thing after all.
I posted some new photos under my gallery...some of Rob & Meg backstage during Annie. And..some new layouts.
Have a blessed day!
Mary
what does this have to do with the price of tea in China....absolutely NOTHING!
I am sure you are wondering where my little pea brain will take you today and I have to admit that at times, I have no idea where.
Does this not happen to everyone at some point in their lives?
Yesterday was not the best day for us academically. The kids have Spring Fever and want to be outside instead of doing their work like the perfect little students that I so wish to have. But, this is reality.
When I was growing up...oh no, here we go again... My mom would tell us to stop fighting like Cats and Dogs.. I secretly knew I was a cat and my oldest brother...Dave, was the dog..nanner nanner.. I know you are but what am I? and it goes on and on and on. Well, I have to say, my kids are just as normail as the next. They fight, they yell, the scream, and yes, sometimes they even smack one another. But, they are still brothers and sisters who would stick up for each other even against the biggest bully. So,, to make this long winded story a bit shorter, Megan surprised me once again by sitting the boys down to give them a really annoying lecture..lol. And guess what? It worked...for about 30 minutes and then they were at it again. We cut school short and we waited for the principal to get home to deal with their constant picking... Bob is much better at lecturing the boys than I am. He has a way of making them feel that in order for them to be true men of character, they need to consider the feelings of others and need to honor their parents so that means that they have to do every little assignment that I give them. It really did not help that I had a migraine all day, but that is a whole other story.
The boys ended up doing all their work and appologized for being stinkers to one another and then to me. I was glad that they did this. Then.... they all had to go to their rooms for time outs. Funny how this works on older kids. Bob does not realize that they LOVE time out..lol. As I was there with a cold cloth over my head I could hear them discussing their behavior. They were really sorry..I guess having the principal talk with them was a good thing after all.
I posted some new photos under my gallery...some of Rob & Meg backstage during Annie. And..some new layouts.
Have a blessed day!
Mary
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Sleepless Nights
I awoke this morning at 2:12 am and could not get back to sleep. I hate that! Some days I have a million and one things jumbling aound in my head and it gets overcrowded and I just can't shut down for the night. I am obsesive. I think about things over and over and over...I really want to work on that problem this year. I stated out the new year with a list of "intentions". The heck with resolutions! I never keep them so I never make them anymore. My main intention is to experience more of the "now".... not to let special everyday moments pass me by. I want to see so much of the kids' discoveries. As I was thinking about my intentions at 2 am I thought that it must be God wanting me to pray about something, so... I did, and at 2:17 I still could not fall asleep..so I got out my pad and a pen and just started to write whatever popped into my pea brain. I write a lot and then misplace the journals and then I buy new journals only to misplace those...I guess having a blog really is a good thing...think of all the trees I am saving. As I was writing I was also thinking about scrapbook layouts. I am going to concentrate on scrapping items and photos of things that touch my heart. The first thing/person that came to mind was Nana Sara. She is never very far from the front of my mind. In fact, I feel her pressence every single day. It's in the flowers that bloom while there is still snow on the ground. It's in the fresh smell of line dried linens. It's in the flowers that border my stationary. Her essece surrounds me at times and reminds me that it's all good with the world. So, at 2:21 this morning I wrote this:
"One More... One more talk~one more visit~one last piece of lemon mereigne pie from Grove Bakery~ What I would give for one more last moment~ I miss our visits, when you passed I lost my bestest friend, my cheerleader, my shrink, my shopping partner. The world lost so much when you left and it will never be the same again. I have tried over the past three years to be a good wife, mother, daughter, and sister, but I stuggle through each day. Your words of wisdom are never far from my mind. As I write this I feel such a heaviness~ I can scarcely see the lines on this page because of tears. Oh Nana, I miss you so much. I pray for strength, wisdom, patience, and compassion, but these intangibles seem to be just out of my reach. I wish I could sit next to you while you watch your favorite TV shows. I wish I could read the gossip rags with you as we have a glass of pepsi. I wish I could eat a piece of chicken from KFC. I know that this sounds funny, but I haven't been able to do any of these things since you left. I am afraid of making new memories because they may push the memories I have of you away. It just doesn't seem right. I wish I could go back and do all the things we did together. I just want One More"
So now you all know I've officially lost it.. I guess I have to go find whatever it is and get the kids going on their school work.
Love and Blessings!
Mary
I awoke this morning at 2:12 am and could not get back to sleep. I hate that! Some days I have a million and one things jumbling aound in my head and it gets overcrowded and I just can't shut down for the night. I am obsesive. I think about things over and over and over...I really want to work on that problem this year. I stated out the new year with a list of "intentions". The heck with resolutions! I never keep them so I never make them anymore. My main intention is to experience more of the "now".... not to let special everyday moments pass me by. I want to see so much of the kids' discoveries. As I was thinking about my intentions at 2 am I thought that it must be God wanting me to pray about something, so... I did, and at 2:17 I still could not fall asleep..so I got out my pad and a pen and just started to write whatever popped into my pea brain. I write a lot and then misplace the journals and then I buy new journals only to misplace those...I guess having a blog really is a good thing...think of all the trees I am saving. As I was writing I was also thinking about scrapbook layouts. I am going to concentrate on scrapping items and photos of things that touch my heart. The first thing/person that came to mind was Nana Sara. She is never very far from the front of my mind. In fact, I feel her pressence every single day. It's in the flowers that bloom while there is still snow on the ground. It's in the fresh smell of line dried linens. It's in the flowers that border my stationary. Her essece surrounds me at times and reminds me that it's all good with the world. So, at 2:21 this morning I wrote this:
"One More... One more talk~one more visit~one last piece of lemon mereigne pie from Grove Bakery~ What I would give for one more last moment~ I miss our visits, when you passed I lost my bestest friend, my cheerleader, my shrink, my shopping partner. The world lost so much when you left and it will never be the same again. I have tried over the past three years to be a good wife, mother, daughter, and sister, but I stuggle through each day. Your words of wisdom are never far from my mind. As I write this I feel such a heaviness~ I can scarcely see the lines on this page because of tears. Oh Nana, I miss you so much. I pray for strength, wisdom, patience, and compassion, but these intangibles seem to be just out of my reach. I wish I could sit next to you while you watch your favorite TV shows. I wish I could read the gossip rags with you as we have a glass of pepsi. I wish I could eat a piece of chicken from KFC. I know that this sounds funny, but I haven't been able to do any of these things since you left. I am afraid of making new memories because they may push the memories I have of you away. It just doesn't seem right. I wish I could go back and do all the things we did together. I just want One More"
So now you all know I've officially lost it.. I guess I have to go find whatever it is and get the kids going on their school work.
Love and Blessings!
Mary
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Cold Feet
Not so much to write about today. Life is still as busy as ever. I don't know why we as moms think we have to keep going and going and going... Someone needs to shoot that engergizer bunny! I stayed up a little late last night tidying up the library and putting away my scrap supplies. I have been pretty successful at getting my desk cleared by the end of the evening so when I get up in the morning to start school, I have a cleared desk on which to work. The kids are all still sleeping except for Meg and Robby. They, too, woke late and were tardy to their first classes. Bob was the only early bird. He got up at 5:00 and had breakfast with the men from church. I figure our getting up late is all his fault.. He usually gets the kids going by 6:30 and lets me sleep just a bit longer. Because he wasn't here to wake the kids up....we all kept sleeping. I am going to grasp at a straw here.... it's also his fault that I have cold feet....why??? because his body heat was gone from our bed, which in turn caused my feet to get cold...which in turn caused me to stay in bed a little longer... I know, it's a stretch...but hey, it's my brain that thinks illogically and that's ok.
It seems that lately I have been thinking a lot about growing up and my childhood. As I look at the kids and see them accomplish new things and go through different stages, it brings back a lot of memories from childhood. I am not going to get sentimental here. But...what I have learned in watching them isn't that I need to provide them with more opportunities to do what they like...it's that I really need to make every moment count. They are making their memories right now. They are storing them away in the recesses of their minds so that one day, they too, can remember the price of gas, or the taste of that big stick popsicle that will forever transport them back to their childhoods. Well, that's all folks....go and make some wonderful memories.
Mary
Not so much to write about today. Life is still as busy as ever. I don't know why we as moms think we have to keep going and going and going... Someone needs to shoot that engergizer bunny! I stayed up a little late last night tidying up the library and putting away my scrap supplies. I have been pretty successful at getting my desk cleared by the end of the evening so when I get up in the morning to start school, I have a cleared desk on which to work. The kids are all still sleeping except for Meg and Robby. They, too, woke late and were tardy to their first classes. Bob was the only early bird. He got up at 5:00 and had breakfast with the men from church. I figure our getting up late is all his fault.. He usually gets the kids going by 6:30 and lets me sleep just a bit longer. Because he wasn't here to wake the kids up....we all kept sleeping. I am going to grasp at a straw here.... it's also his fault that I have cold feet....why??? because his body heat was gone from our bed, which in turn caused my feet to get cold...which in turn caused me to stay in bed a little longer... I know, it's a stretch...but hey, it's my brain that thinks illogically and that's ok.
It seems that lately I have been thinking a lot about growing up and my childhood. As I look at the kids and see them accomplish new things and go through different stages, it brings back a lot of memories from childhood. I am not going to get sentimental here. But...what I have learned in watching them isn't that I need to provide them with more opportunities to do what they like...it's that I really need to make every moment count. They are making their memories right now. They are storing them away in the recesses of their minds so that one day, they too, can remember the price of gas, or the taste of that big stick popsicle that will forever transport them back to their childhoods. Well, that's all folks....go and make some wonderful memories.
Mary
Monday, April 17, 2006
Stinky Eggs
Yesterday was Easter Sunday and it was truly a glorious day here in our little corner of South Dakota.
Church services on Easter Sunday seem to be just a little more festive and the message is always filled with hope and praise that we serve a Risen Saviour. Our tradition at church is for all the members to bring a breakfast dish to pass and we meet at the church at 8 am for breakfast. Two gals made the best potatoes I have EVER had. I don't usually like potatoes, but these had cheese and sour cream in them and they were great. Soo...when we got home from church I quickly found a recipe for cheesy potatoes and made a batch to have with our Easter dinner. I played my flute during services and it was fun. Sorry Mom, I didn't play Via Del Rosa, I actually didn't think about that until we got home.
Isn't it amazing how God can teach us new things or give us insight into different areas that we have previously studied? Yesterday in Sunday School we were studying about the empty sepulchre and Connie Hanson told me something that I hadn't really heard before...apparently it's Jewish tradition to fold one's napkin after a meal to indicate that they are finished/done. When Peter ran to the tomb and found Jesus' linens, the linen that had covered his face was not thrown down or pushed aside, it was folded neatly, as if telling us that "he was finished" and that "it was done". I find that pretty interesting.
Temperatures were in the 70s which enabled us to have an egg hunt in the yard. Robby, Megan, and Andrew insisted on hiding the eggs so Anabelle and Nathaniel could find them. They had fun.. this brings me to a funny thing that happened, which in turn, brought back a funny Easter memory from my childhood and a few others. Meg had hidden an egg in a small pipe that came out of the side of the house. When Nathaniel went to get it, the egg simply rolled down the pipe under the kitchen area and they couldn't get to the egg. Bob tried to get it with a long stick, but, he too did not have any luck. I just know that some day we will all smell something awful from beneath the kitchen floor and know that it's a spoiled egg. This brought back a fun memory of mine. One year my brother, David...he's the oldest, found an odd colored blue egg and opened it and it reeked! It was the worse smelling thing I have ever the misfortune of smelling. When he showed it to my mom, she realized that the egg wasn't one that had been hidden that morning, it was one that we missed the year before. So, for a full year that egg "matured" into the stink bomb that it became.
When I spoke with Mom yesterday I told her about the egg going down the pipe and she said..."do you remember..." I guess I am not the only one who could not forget that Easter morning. I wonder if Dave has ever told his girls this story.
Easter Sunday also marks the beginning of the end of the school year. I am hoping to be finished by Anabelle's birthday in May. If we aren't done, then we will just keep going til we are finished. As I was thinking about the end of the school year I thought about what it was like for me when I was younger. It's amazing what one can remember when looking back through the years.
I remember so clearly-as if it was just yesterday-walking with my little brother on hot summer afternoons to Miller's Dairy to buy milk. The dairy was on the opposite side of our block. We lived on the SW corner and the dairy was on both the NE and SE half of our block, so the dairy was actually pretty close to our house. Mom would give us $1.75 and we had enough to buy a gallon of milk for 1.47 and two big stick popsicles for each of us for .06 each popsicle. Tax was included. First we would buy one big stick and go watch the dairy men milk cows while we sat on the edge of a big cement wall that overlooked the milking room. We were amazed at the octopus-like contraption that sucked the milk out of the cows. I can remember watching the milk as it made it's way through the clear hoses to the big glass ball before it went into the tank in an adjoining room. After we finished our first popsicle we would go and get the milk and buy another popsicle to enjoy ont eh walk home and still have three cents left over!
I remember Mom taking us to Thrifty Drug on a hot summer night to get a double dip ice cream cone. A single was .05 and an Double was .10... only pigs bought tripples. That same nickle cone would cost 1.50 today. My favorite was the mintNchip or the pineapple sherbet. My allowance was .50 a week and I thought I was the richest girl on the block. Prices sure have changed...A pencil out of a dial machine by the principal's office was a nickle, and a pack of school paper was .25. I remember clothes shopping for the new school year. Mom would allocate 50.00 per child and I would always come home with three new dresses, two pants, three blouses, saddle oxfords, 7 pairs of socks and undies (comesettas included), and a sweater. Living in San Diego meant that we really didn't need heavy coats and I don't remember buying any at the beginning of the school year. I have to say, all these memories were triggered by one small, seemingly insignificant event.....the downward slide of an Easter egg that will more than likely remain in the pipe that leads to nowhere land. Maybe that's where my brain is at any rate so I think the connection is apropriate.
Blessings! Mary
Yesterday was Easter Sunday and it was truly a glorious day here in our little corner of South Dakota.
Church services on Easter Sunday seem to be just a little more festive and the message is always filled with hope and praise that we serve a Risen Saviour. Our tradition at church is for all the members to bring a breakfast dish to pass and we meet at the church at 8 am for breakfast. Two gals made the best potatoes I have EVER had. I don't usually like potatoes, but these had cheese and sour cream in them and they were great. Soo...when we got home from church I quickly found a recipe for cheesy potatoes and made a batch to have with our Easter dinner. I played my flute during services and it was fun. Sorry Mom, I didn't play Via Del Rosa, I actually didn't think about that until we got home.
Isn't it amazing how God can teach us new things or give us insight into different areas that we have previously studied? Yesterday in Sunday School we were studying about the empty sepulchre and Connie Hanson told me something that I hadn't really heard before...apparently it's Jewish tradition to fold one's napkin after a meal to indicate that they are finished/done. When Peter ran to the tomb and found Jesus' linens, the linen that had covered his face was not thrown down or pushed aside, it was folded neatly, as if telling us that "he was finished" and that "it was done". I find that pretty interesting.
Temperatures were in the 70s which enabled us to have an egg hunt in the yard. Robby, Megan, and Andrew insisted on hiding the eggs so Anabelle and Nathaniel could find them. They had fun.. this brings me to a funny thing that happened, which in turn, brought back a funny Easter memory from my childhood and a few others. Meg had hidden an egg in a small pipe that came out of the side of the house. When Nathaniel went to get it, the egg simply rolled down the pipe under the kitchen area and they couldn't get to the egg. Bob tried to get it with a long stick, but, he too did not have any luck. I just know that some day we will all smell something awful from beneath the kitchen floor and know that it's a spoiled egg. This brought back a fun memory of mine. One year my brother, David...he's the oldest, found an odd colored blue egg and opened it and it reeked! It was the worse smelling thing I have ever the misfortune of smelling. When he showed it to my mom, she realized that the egg wasn't one that had been hidden that morning, it was one that we missed the year before. So, for a full year that egg "matured" into the stink bomb that it became.
When I spoke with Mom yesterday I told her about the egg going down the pipe and she said..."do you remember..." I guess I am not the only one who could not forget that Easter morning. I wonder if Dave has ever told his girls this story.
Easter Sunday also marks the beginning of the end of the school year. I am hoping to be finished by Anabelle's birthday in May. If we aren't done, then we will just keep going til we are finished. As I was thinking about the end of the school year I thought about what it was like for me when I was younger. It's amazing what one can remember when looking back through the years.
I remember so clearly-as if it was just yesterday-walking with my little brother on hot summer afternoons to Miller's Dairy to buy milk. The dairy was on the opposite side of our block. We lived on the SW corner and the dairy was on both the NE and SE half of our block, so the dairy was actually pretty close to our house. Mom would give us $1.75 and we had enough to buy a gallon of milk for 1.47 and two big stick popsicles for each of us for .06 each popsicle. Tax was included. First we would buy one big stick and go watch the dairy men milk cows while we sat on the edge of a big cement wall that overlooked the milking room. We were amazed at the octopus-like contraption that sucked the milk out of the cows. I can remember watching the milk as it made it's way through the clear hoses to the big glass ball before it went into the tank in an adjoining room. After we finished our first popsicle we would go and get the milk and buy another popsicle to enjoy ont eh walk home and still have three cents left over!
I remember Mom taking us to Thrifty Drug on a hot summer night to get a double dip ice cream cone. A single was .05 and an Double was .10... only pigs bought tripples. That same nickle cone would cost 1.50 today. My favorite was the mintNchip or the pineapple sherbet. My allowance was .50 a week and I thought I was the richest girl on the block. Prices sure have changed...A pencil out of a dial machine by the principal's office was a nickle, and a pack of school paper was .25. I remember clothes shopping for the new school year. Mom would allocate 50.00 per child and I would always come home with three new dresses, two pants, three blouses, saddle oxfords, 7 pairs of socks and undies (comesettas included), and a sweater. Living in San Diego meant that we really didn't need heavy coats and I don't remember buying any at the beginning of the school year. I have to say, all these memories were triggered by one small, seemingly insignificant event.....the downward slide of an Easter egg that will more than likely remain in the pipe that leads to nowhere land. Maybe that's where my brain is at any rate so I think the connection is apropriate.
Blessings! Mary
Friday, April 14, 2006
In the Garden
Last night was our Maundy Thursday services at church and I have to say that it was probably the most quiet, sobering, and meaningful service that I have been to in a long time. As I sat and watched my kids and their reactions to seeing our pastor washing feet, I thought....this is a good thing for them to see. They need to see how to humble oneself. This witnessing of humilty couldn't have come on a better day.
The kids were so mean to each other yesterday and Megan was so upset that she was actually left speechless. I don't know if it's spring fever or what, but their attitudes really sucked today.
After going to our co-op pickup Bob and I had lunch together. This is something that only happens once every eight weeks or so and we were really looking forward to being together in the middle of the day without any distractions...you know...just being. Before I sat down I called the house to remind the boys that they needed to finish straightening up their rooms and should not get on their computers. (We don't let them get online when we are not home with them). Meg told me that Robby was refusing to come to the phone and wouldn't get off his computer. Doesn't sound like a big deal...and in and of itself, it really isn't,.. it's what he did afterward that wasn't so nice...He actually got in her face and yelled at her. This is NOT Robby. Just as each child has his/her own personality, each of my children have very distinct characteristics. Meg is the determined go getter. Robby is Mr Compassion. Andrew is a "Let it Be" carefree soul, Nathaniel is the politician, and Anabelle is cuddles and love, very emotional. So, when Robby was yelling in her face she said she could see steam coming out of his ears and he scared her. Robby, although he is three years younger is about eight inches taller than Megan. So, she was all upset that he demonstrated anger and she is fearful that he's going to be mean to his future wife if something isn't done. Bob had along talk with him about repect and humility...then we went to church. God really knows what we need to hear and I am thankful for His message that really put everything into perspective. After church was over the congregation met in the front of the church and held hands and prayed. It wasn't a garden like the one Jesus prayed in, but it is the closest thing to a garden that can be found in South Dakota this time of year. On the drive home, they were all pretty quiet, but actually said some nice things to each other and by the night's end, they were back to being themselves.
On another note, the honor roll came out at school and both Meg and Robby are on the A list...Both said it's really not all that impressive, but I am a mom, so I get to be pleased and proud.
Last night was our Maundy Thursday services at church and I have to say that it was probably the most quiet, sobering, and meaningful service that I have been to in a long time. As I sat and watched my kids and their reactions to seeing our pastor washing feet, I thought....this is a good thing for them to see. They need to see how to humble oneself. This witnessing of humilty couldn't have come on a better day.
The kids were so mean to each other yesterday and Megan was so upset that she was actually left speechless. I don't know if it's spring fever or what, but their attitudes really sucked today.
After going to our co-op pickup Bob and I had lunch together. This is something that only happens once every eight weeks or so and we were really looking forward to being together in the middle of the day without any distractions...you know...just being. Before I sat down I called the house to remind the boys that they needed to finish straightening up their rooms and should not get on their computers. (We don't let them get online when we are not home with them). Meg told me that Robby was refusing to come to the phone and wouldn't get off his computer. Doesn't sound like a big deal...and in and of itself, it really isn't,.. it's what he did afterward that wasn't so nice...He actually got in her face and yelled at her. This is NOT Robby. Just as each child has his/her own personality, each of my children have very distinct characteristics. Meg is the determined go getter. Robby is Mr Compassion. Andrew is a "Let it Be" carefree soul, Nathaniel is the politician, and Anabelle is cuddles and love, very emotional. So, when Robby was yelling in her face she said she could see steam coming out of his ears and he scared her. Robby, although he is three years younger is about eight inches taller than Megan. So, she was all upset that he demonstrated anger and she is fearful that he's going to be mean to his future wife if something isn't done. Bob had along talk with him about repect and humility...then we went to church. God really knows what we need to hear and I am thankful for His message that really put everything into perspective. After church was over the congregation met in the front of the church and held hands and prayed. It wasn't a garden like the one Jesus prayed in, but it is the closest thing to a garden that can be found in South Dakota this time of year. On the drive home, they were all pretty quiet, but actually said some nice things to each other and by the night's end, they were back to being themselves.
On another note, the honor roll came out at school and both Meg and Robby are on the A list...Both said it's really not all that impressive, but I am a mom, so I get to be pleased and proud.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Swimming in the Deep End
Do you ever feel that no matter what you do that you are going to sink? I hate that claustraphobic feeling of things closing in on me. As school is coming to an end within the next month I look around my classroom/library and see that we still have a ton of work to complete. There are still so many more things that I want the kids to learn before the end of the year. Robby and Megan are just finishing up Algebra1 & 2 and need to get on to the next level. Andrew is stil tackling his pre-algebra and Nathaniel...is almost done! woo hoo. That's math..Anabelle finished her math curriculum about a month ago. We are really concentrating on continued growth in reading for her. There are so many uncertainties in this world and I am seeing first hand that getting the kids to finish all their work is one of those uncertainties...I want them to complete every last problem, but reality says,"Hey, when you were teaching in the public system the kids NEVER finished all their subjects." How many of you got all the way through your math book? Soooo.... I don't want to be the kind of mom that settles for part done, part taught, part prepared. I want the kids to be completely done, well taught, and best prepared. So...when I feel like I have the weight of five kids and 8 subjects sitting on the middle of my chest and feeling like an elephant is crushing me....I will remember that it's ok to tread water for a bit in order to catch my breath. Who says that school has to only be 179 days out of the year? Why not use each day as an opportunity to teach our kids; not just in the sense of text book knowledge...but real life knowledge. I want them to take out that magnifier and look at the crawling little buggies of the world. I want them to be able to watch the robbins nesting in the nests that they have built at the top of our porch pillars. I want them to do fun kitchen experiments....but clean up after themselves.
Treading water is something that I have not mastered in my life...I need to do it a little more frequently. The world will not come to an end if I step back from all the things that I do in order to catch my breath.
Speaking of water and treading it....Megan had her preliminary Life Guard Test yesterday. They had her swim an 800? (whatever that is). well, in the middle of it, she couldn't catch her breath and she stopped for a minute or so and then kept going til she finished. Then they had her retrieve a big cement block from the deep end of the pool without touching the sides of the pool at all. After the test was over the instructor called off three names and Megan was one of them. Out of a bunch of girls, she thought "Great, I didn't make it" because there were so many girls there. Then the instructor said, "Ok , Girls we want you and come by the pool to fill out your application we have jobs for you." She could not believe her ears. After she came home she told me that she was afraid that she may have just dreamed that he said that they wanted her and that in actuality, they didn't want her. Too funny. This is an incredible blessing...as many of you know, Meg has asthma, but has never let that slow her down. She finished her task at hand and had even forgot to take her inhaler with her. She tells me that she knows it was God because she prayed the whole time that she was swimming. The instructor offered to pay for her certification if she would agree to guard at the outdoor pool this summer. She is so excited. I asked her if she is going to quit her job checking at HyVee and she tells me that she wants to do both jobs.. I think it's too much, so I guess I'll take the whimps way out and have Bob tell her that she can only guard...lol. He should love that! Meg is my determined child, so he's in for a good discussion.
Well, the kids are all up and having their breakfasts so I have to run. Have a great day and remember, it's ok to tread water for a little bit....life isn't an 800.
Do you ever feel that no matter what you do that you are going to sink? I hate that claustraphobic feeling of things closing in on me. As school is coming to an end within the next month I look around my classroom/library and see that we still have a ton of work to complete. There are still so many more things that I want the kids to learn before the end of the year. Robby and Megan are just finishing up Algebra1 & 2 and need to get on to the next level. Andrew is stil tackling his pre-algebra and Nathaniel...is almost done! woo hoo. That's math..Anabelle finished her math curriculum about a month ago. We are really concentrating on continued growth in reading for her. There are so many uncertainties in this world and I am seeing first hand that getting the kids to finish all their work is one of those uncertainties...I want them to complete every last problem, but reality says,"Hey, when you were teaching in the public system the kids NEVER finished all their subjects." How many of you got all the way through your math book? Soooo.... I don't want to be the kind of mom that settles for part done, part taught, part prepared. I want the kids to be completely done, well taught, and best prepared. So...when I feel like I have the weight of five kids and 8 subjects sitting on the middle of my chest and feeling like an elephant is crushing me....I will remember that it's ok to tread water for a bit in order to catch my breath. Who says that school has to only be 179 days out of the year? Why not use each day as an opportunity to teach our kids; not just in the sense of text book knowledge...but real life knowledge. I want them to take out that magnifier and look at the crawling little buggies of the world. I want them to be able to watch the robbins nesting in the nests that they have built at the top of our porch pillars. I want them to do fun kitchen experiments....but clean up after themselves.
Treading water is something that I have not mastered in my life...I need to do it a little more frequently. The world will not come to an end if I step back from all the things that I do in order to catch my breath.
Speaking of water and treading it....Megan had her preliminary Life Guard Test yesterday. They had her swim an 800? (whatever that is). well, in the middle of it, she couldn't catch her breath and she stopped for a minute or so and then kept going til she finished. Then they had her retrieve a big cement block from the deep end of the pool without touching the sides of the pool at all. After the test was over the instructor called off three names and Megan was one of them. Out of a bunch of girls, she thought "Great, I didn't make it" because there were so many girls there. Then the instructor said, "Ok , Girls we want you and come by the pool to fill out your application we have jobs for you." She could not believe her ears. After she came home she told me that she was afraid that she may have just dreamed that he said that they wanted her and that in actuality, they didn't want her. Too funny. This is an incredible blessing...as many of you know, Meg has asthma, but has never let that slow her down. She finished her task at hand and had even forgot to take her inhaler with her. She tells me that she knows it was God because she prayed the whole time that she was swimming. The instructor offered to pay for her certification if she would agree to guard at the outdoor pool this summer. She is so excited. I asked her if she is going to quit her job checking at HyVee and she tells me that she wants to do both jobs.. I think it's too much, so I guess I'll take the whimps way out and have Bob tell her that she can only guard...lol. He should love that! Meg is my determined child, so he's in for a good discussion.
Well, the kids are all up and having their breakfasts so I have to run. Have a great day and remember, it's ok to tread water for a little bit....life isn't an 800.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Rise and Shine!
Even though almost amonth has passed since the first day of spring South Dakota remains cool. I don't think we ever left Fall....winter was pretty mild in these parts. For that I am glad. The kids have been riding thier bicycles up and down our driveway. Thank goodness it's 200 feet long! Keeps em going and keeps them off the street. Anabelle is so cute and daring now that she can ride by herself. She zips around like a bee in search of pollen. Too funny!
Robby and Megan are heading out the door to start their day. I usually don't have to get them up and prod them to get to school. They are usually really good about being on time. I think they've heard my montra a few times. Well, I thought Meg was still in the shower this morning and that Robby had overslept so I stood at the kitchen stairs and shouted up to his room that he was going to be late. I got no response and I thought, wow, he's really tired...so I started singing the "good morning to you, boop boop,"song in an extremely annoying voice and STILL no answer. I thought, wow, he's good....I'm gonna have to bring out the big guns. I then proceded to sing "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory" while keeping beat on the wall, again in a voice that sounded more like a cat in heat....and then, a voice coming from behind me says, "Mom, what are you doing?" It was Robby, he wasn't even in his room to begin with....it was he who was in the shower and not Meg. She had gotten up earlier than normal and already got her daily routine done. I jumped and started laughing and thought, "Boy am I glad no one else witnessed my stellar performance."
The other kids are still dragging their feet and aren't moving very quickly. Even though the sun is out and it looks like spring, they are still tired. Bob went and signed the kids up for summer activities through Park & Rec. Anabelle is doing softball, pee wee, the boys are all taking swim and archery, and Meg is taking her life guard class and hopes to be guarding this summer at the new outdoor pool. All these activities, combined with music lessons, work for Meg, vacation, performance camp, and church stuff, will keep us all pretty busy this summer.
Not to mention all the various house projects that need to be completed. Well, the kids are all in the library and I need to get them started on their work.
Have a great day, and remember, "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory, Glory"
Love ya!
Even though almost amonth has passed since the first day of spring South Dakota remains cool. I don't think we ever left Fall....winter was pretty mild in these parts. For that I am glad. The kids have been riding thier bicycles up and down our driveway. Thank goodness it's 200 feet long! Keeps em going and keeps them off the street. Anabelle is so cute and daring now that she can ride by herself. She zips around like a bee in search of pollen. Too funny!
Robby and Megan are heading out the door to start their day. I usually don't have to get them up and prod them to get to school. They are usually really good about being on time. I think they've heard my montra a few times. Well, I thought Meg was still in the shower this morning and that Robby had overslept so I stood at the kitchen stairs and shouted up to his room that he was going to be late. I got no response and I thought, wow, he's really tired...so I started singing the "good morning to you, boop boop,"song in an extremely annoying voice and STILL no answer. I thought, wow, he's good....I'm gonna have to bring out the big guns. I then proceded to sing "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory" while keeping beat on the wall, again in a voice that sounded more like a cat in heat....and then, a voice coming from behind me says, "Mom, what are you doing?" It was Robby, he wasn't even in his room to begin with....it was he who was in the shower and not Meg. She had gotten up earlier than normal and already got her daily routine done. I jumped and started laughing and thought, "Boy am I glad no one else witnessed my stellar performance."
The other kids are still dragging their feet and aren't moving very quickly. Even though the sun is out and it looks like spring, they are still tired. Bob went and signed the kids up for summer activities through Park & Rec. Anabelle is doing softball, pee wee, the boys are all taking swim and archery, and Meg is taking her life guard class and hopes to be guarding this summer at the new outdoor pool. All these activities, combined with music lessons, work for Meg, vacation, performance camp, and church stuff, will keep us all pretty busy this summer.
Not to mention all the various house projects that need to be completed. Well, the kids are all in the library and I need to get them started on their work.
Have a great day, and remember, "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory, Glory"
Love ya!
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Better Late Than Never
I tried to blog this morning, but the system was jammed up, so it is now afternoon and the kiddos are finished with their school work. I guess I an take a few minutes to jot down some thoughts. I am so very fortunate to have the family that I have. The kids are all relatively good, but more important than perfect behavior is this...we are all healthy and doing well. So often we take our health for granted. We forget that there are kids in this world that can't walk, see, talk, or even raise their heads to acknowledge stimuli in their environments. Although each of my kids have the ability to drive me crazy, they are still physically healthy. I don't ever want to take that for granted. A friend from my web site on MSN asked for prayer last night. A classmate of her son was in a terrible accident and one of their siblings was killed. It is very sobering to hear of a child's death. It makes me want to hug my kids one more time before they head out that door. I don't want to let a moment of their lives go by without them knowing how much they are loved. I am also reminded that prayers are heard and God does listen. Although one child lost his life, it couldhave been a lot worse, three other people from this same family were also in the accident. Please take a moment of your day and say alittle prayer for this family. I have to start getting dinner ready. Sooooo....remember we are BLESSED!
Love you!
Mary
I tried to blog this morning, but the system was jammed up, so it is now afternoon and the kiddos are finished with their school work. I guess I an take a few minutes to jot down some thoughts. I am so very fortunate to have the family that I have. The kids are all relatively good, but more important than perfect behavior is this...we are all healthy and doing well. So often we take our health for granted. We forget that there are kids in this world that can't walk, see, talk, or even raise their heads to acknowledge stimuli in their environments. Although each of my kids have the ability to drive me crazy, they are still physically healthy. I don't ever want to take that for granted. A friend from my web site on MSN asked for prayer last night. A classmate of her son was in a terrible accident and one of their siblings was killed. It is very sobering to hear of a child's death. It makes me want to hug my kids one more time before they head out that door. I don't want to let a moment of their lives go by without them knowing how much they are loved. I am also reminded that prayers are heard and God does listen. Although one child lost his life, it couldhave been a lot worse, three other people from this same family were also in the accident. Please take a moment of your day and say alittle prayer for this family. I have to start getting dinner ready. Sooooo....remember we are BLESSED!
Love you!
Mary
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