We're Home.... There's No Place Like Home


This is so very true. We got home from our very long vacation late on Saturday night and felt so relieved to pull up in the driveway and see the house still standing tall waiting for us to come home. As we drove up the driveway I noticed that our lawn had been mowed, my gardens had been watered, and our trash can had been put back where they belong. Justin did a great job taking care of the homefront for us while we were away.

Sunday was spent in a whirlwind trying to unpack, reorganize, and do some grocery shopping between church services and meetings. It was a long day. I was looking toward the rest of the week with a little fear..... My schedule is a crazy one this week. I spent the entire day Monday in the car taxing the kids around. Anabelle had swim lessons at 9, Meg to work at 11:30 (her car got a flat while we were away and Bob didn't have time on Sunday to fix it ) boys to deliver coutea, 12 lunch, 1:30 piano lessons, 3:00 deliver Public Opinion, 4:00 boys swim lessons and pick up Megan, 5:00 pick up Boys, 5:45 Meg back at work, 6:00 dinner, 7 pm Boy Scouts.
Whew,, I need a glass of wine!

Tuesday was much of the same craziness but minus the Cotuea delivery and piano lessons. I am so glad that Meg is life guarding at the water park...same place where swim lessons are taught. This past vacation really brought home to me some important life lessons that we tend to take for granted. There is a big world out there with so many people that have sacrificed and bled for the preservation of our country and for the freedoms that we so take for granted. Seeing all the different battlefields and walking where so many lost their lives during the Civil War really was a somber experience. The kids were so in awe of everything and shared their thoughts and reverence for all the men that fought on both sides of the war. So often we think that the war was fought over the issue of slavery. It wasn't.... so many of us put Mr Lincoln up there as a savior, he wasn't. Mankind has a way of rewriting history to make it more palitable and comforting. Before heading south we studied quite a lot on the Civil War era and battles/geography/political viewpoints/laws/arguements, etc. from both sides. Sadly, Mr. Lincoln was bound by the constraints of his time and was prevented from doing so much more than he did. In reading through the legal jargon of the Emancipation Proclimation, President Lincoln only gave freedom to slaves in states that were in open rebellion against the union. Slavery was previlent in states as far north as Maine and those slaves were not given their freedom until much later. Lincoln freed the slaves in the rebelling states as an economic way to cripple the states in hope of expediting a victory for the north... No workers = no production= no funding for the war... etc. Sadly, too is that most people think that the men of the south were fighting to keep their slaves.... they weren't... they were fighting in order to preserve the integrity of the state. All major ports and manufacturing was done in the south and the north wanted a piece of the revenues that were enjoyed in Dixie. Well, enough of my history lesson. I just came away from so many of the battle fields and cemataries thinking that so many of these fallen and lost soldiers were someone's son, husband, father, brother, loved one, and their lives were so cut short by greed and pride. How tragic is that?

The big thing that I noticed when driving up our driveway on Saturday night was this...our home seemed so lonely sitting there with no one running up the drive way or sitting out on the veranda and it too, must have been happy to have us home. Does this make sense???


Love you!
Mary

Posting From Nashville!!


Yes, you are reading correctly, I am in Nashville, on vacation with the rest of the DF. We are visiting Bob's sister's family. The kiddos are having a blast and are keeping so busy. We have been spoiled seeing all the Civil War sites, eating good southern food, and enjoying southern hospitality. There is nothing like it. My family, as you all know, knows no stranger and will feed any or everyone that comes over. It is the same here. Last night we had the most incredible bar b qued ribs that I have ever had. Robby actually ate 7 huge ribs. Cathy made corn bread pudding and "unbaked" potatoes. I got both recipes so those of you who come to visit will have a chance to try these. Definitely comfort food.

We stopped in Arnold, MO on the way here and visited with Uncle Mike and Aunt Dolores. It was really great seeing them and chatting for a while. We are going to try to stop on the way home as well and hopefully see Jeanie and kids...they were on vacation in Branson.

We have toured a few civily war sites, cemetaries, and the Hermitage. We are planning to get to Historic Franklin for some shopping...girls only. The guys are heading downtown to see some more historic stuff. Bob took Meg, Stephanie, and Robby to a "show". they watched a few bands and then left. IT's too hot to do the zoo thing. We head to Atlant on Monday and will take in the Cyclorama...An incredible site to see and experience.

Well, I have to run. I just wanted to touch base from the road to tell you all that we are doing great, are all enjoying our time, and love you all so very much!

Mary

"Please come to Boston for the spring time"



I did it!!!! Registered last night for CKU Boston!! I am so glad that's over! I was stressing out like you wouldn't believe. All the weird things happen to me.... Registration opened at 8 pm eastern, soooo at 5:15 my time I get online and make sure I am logged into the CK site and it's good. I make dinner and check again to watch the count down clock at 6:15 and I have no internet connection.....WHAT!!!!! I try for five minutes, yell at the kids, and the DH about someone messing with my laptop that they know no one is to touch, and realize that the internet is out for all our computers....5 in the house but that's another story..... called the provider and guess what.... for the first time since we have had internet, service is out for all of eastern South Dakota and a majority of Minn. for Prairie Wave, our provider. I call my friend's house....she's at work....her DH is home... I ask..."who is your internet provider.... it's midcontinent......"Don't go anywhere, I'm on my way over"....he probably thinks I've lost it....I get there in record time and at 6:35 our time I log in and am fine.... I explain the urgency of me needing his computer, which, BTW is a lot faster than mine for some odd reason.... Think I may switch to midcontinent...hmmm.... I refresh the screen a few times and am able to register at 6:58 my time and am finished in 2.5 minutes flat!!! I have never typed my Visa number in faster in my life...lol.... My Friend's DH is standing there with his mouth hanging open and I say.... "You think I'm fast...you should see Carla when she has your credit card in hand"....lol..... he didn't think I was funny.... I printed out my class schedule and thanked him again...and left him standing there shaking his head....It's a good thing they are great friends....he would really think home school families are nuts...

Ran back home to see if Inet is up so I can check my email confirmation and it's still out...by this time a glass of wine is sounding really good....

The bottom line is this.... I"MMMMM GOOOOINNNGG to BOSTON!!!!!

Memorial Day....

Yesterday as I sat in church our visiting pastor preached about Memorial Day. It was a good sermon. It got me to think about the significance of this day. Why do we remember and pay homage to our fallen soldiers only once a year? Shouldn't we be remembering them all the time? I think we if just do this once a year some of the memories fade. I had a busy weekend that really started last Thrusday with a Co-op meeting. Friday I scrapped all afternoon and evening with Shelly. I was pretty productive. I am try9ing so hard to have all of the Kids' photos scrapped within this year.

Saturday was spent doing things around the house, going to a graduaction party, and enjoying the warm weather. Sunday was church, a long nap, and then time with the kids in our yard. We went out to lunch yesterday afternoon and had a nice relaxing day. On the way home from lunch we drove by the "new" out door water park. Megan will be life guarding there this summer. She is really looking forward to it.

Last night I had a nice long chat with my mom about God's providnece. He always provides. It's reassuring. Robby played piano for mom over the phone and Anabelle played the violin for her. Just some fun relaxing days for us. The temperature gage on the west side of the house read 105... I took a photo for proof....

We also put in our garden....almost all herloom tomatoes.... love tomatoes. Well, that's all that's going on around here. We are going to get ready to have a yard sale this coming weekend.

Love you all!
Mary

One more day...............

The kids will be out of school tomorrow. I , however, plan on continueing here at home with all our home schooling until every last little page in every book is completed. I think that sounds reallyl mean. but.....I think it's important for them to complete something worth starting.

I have a little confession to make. I am an American Idol Junkie. I love that show. I didn't miss a single episode and am so glad that I watched it from beginning til end. Taylor deserved to win, in my humble opinion. I am glad that someone "Not" typical won. He is very unique and different, yet so addictive to watch and to listen.

Well, I really don't have much to write about at this very moment, but I know that my mom loves to read my blogs every day so I have to write.....even if it's just something random. BTW.... Speaking of random.... Mom, you are going to love this..

Many of you know that Megan and her friend Stephanie were quite famous/infamous in our town four years ago when they decided to form their own crazy parade and ended up on the front page of the newspaper. For those of you who don't know.... the girls dressed in layers of pjs, robes, and tighty whities (on the outside of their clothes) put Neiman Marcus and Sak's large Bags over their heads (they had eye holes and even drew faces on them) A newspaper man spotted them parading around our block and took some funny shots of them. These girls have no humility. Well......... jump to last Friday..

Last Friday was the last dance up at the high school. Meg and Steph tend to look at things realistically and find the dance scene to be very fake and the average person up at the high school is really snotty. We live in a have/have not community....there is no middle class to speak of..... The kids from the upper families are very snotty and rude to average kids and are downright disgustingly rude to the less economically blessed kids. Meg and Steph are exceptions. They love, I mean LOVE, all the nice kids and just ignore the snots. This past Friday they dressed up in funny clothes, donned Mardis Gras Masks, (Huge two foot feather masks) and threw on some Depends over their clothes and went to the dance. They are really random. They danced with several people and were able to maintain their secret identities. . They were just having a good time.

The "talk" on Monday was "who were those girls?" Several discussions and debates were had about the secret identities of these girls. Robby even reported that kids in his classes were making guesses. Only a few people know their actual identity and a few actually guessed it was Steph and Meg. The bottom line is this....these girls are so secure in themselves to have some crazy random fun....not at the expense of someone else. I think maybe it's alesson to me and others that it's not about who you are financially, it's about having fun at the last high school dance of the year.

That's all folks.
Love you!
Mary

PS.. When Bob found out he chuckled and then told Megan that he was embarassed. I reminded him that he was the first to buy extra copies of the newspaper when the same antics got them on the front page. He even posted a copy of it on our church bulletin board with a note that read...."Guess Who".

I, on the other hand gave her a high five and told her that her doing this one thing is a confirmation that she is her own person. She is strong and confident in who she is. For that, I am thankful..

Monday, Monday.....
Is this Laundry Day? Everyday is. What an incredible weekend we just finished. Anabelle had her friend birthday party. We had a house full of excited kids all about her age. It's been a long time since we had ten 6-9 year olds running through the house. I am so glad that a two hour party means that you get to send them all home except one. Belle wanted a "princess/robin hood" party but forot to tell mommy and daddy, so three kids plus Anabelle, were dressed up in costumes. Carole Holdahl's three kids had amazing costumes on. Her son, CUllen helped make them and is he ever talented! Lots of fun.
Megan had lifeguard training all weekend. Friday 4-10pm, Sat: 8 am-9pm, and Sunday 9 am-4pm. She was exhausted by Sunday. But,,,,,she made it through and will be guarding at the new outdoor water park. She is really excited.
We finsihed a lot of yard work and started gathering things for a yard sale. I have challenged the kids and myself to see if we can see enough "junk" at this yard sale to help with the cost of gas for our vacation... wouldn't that be a hoot! I don't know why I challenge myself this way. My Aunt Rose is very much like this, as is my mom, and I was speaking with Aunt Ro last week and we were laughing at the "game" we play....it's the "Hunt for the bargain,be a frugal as you can game" I love playing this game. I love a good bargain. I love seeing Bob amazed at me being able to feed our family homecooked meals every day and still havea stocked pantry and full freezer at the end of the month. It is truly a challenge. I love to plan meals and scour adds. It's not like we "Have" to. I think the days of beans and rice are still fresh in my mind and there are some days when I miss the simplicity of knowing that there wasn't a cushion in the check book....I still cannot believe that I used to feed our family of five at that time, on 189.00 a month, and we never did without milk, and the basics. Yeah there were a lot of beans and rice days, but we sure argued a lot less. We used to say, "Beans and Rice, and Jesus Christ" that's all we need. And it's true, still to this day, when I really look at the things that occupy my time I still believe with my entire being that those are really the things that we cannot live without.
So...while the yard is looking pretty good, the house is clean and all my laundry is caught up... I think I'll take a bunch of pictures for proof that yes, given the right motivation, we can accomplish much. I think I'll go have a cup of coffee and just sit in the parlor... Oh yeah, The piano man is coming to tune the pianos tomorrow. Robby, Andrew, and Nathaniel will be glad. I'll post some photos later.

Love you!
Mary

Another Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood!

Yesterday was probably the most beautiful day we have had this calendar year so far. The temperatures were in the 70s.. we had a light five minute rainfall around noon, and then.... not a cloud in the sky for the remainder of the day. We enjoyed a great dinner out on the veranda...Bob and Robby grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, and ribs, just to make sure everyone had what they like.

I had a meeting yesterday afternoon with the other home school moms in our region for summer planning. I am so gosh darn proud of myself...I didn't volunteer for a single thing! Can you believe that? So often I volunteer for every little thing that needs to be done, then I find myself with absolutely no time to enjoy my family. The truly unfortunate thing is this....Bob is the same way I am. He volunteers also, so with both of us volunteering for things, we are way too busy to keep up with the other things....like a garden, or painting the house..etc. Don't get me wrong, it's good to volunteer for things, just not everything that comes our way. I am learning to say "No" I no longer feel that I have to give excuses for turning down the plea for someone to teach crafts to 20 kids, or run the entire field day for our group. That was a nightmare!

This summer, we are concentrating on our little unit here at Liberty Hall. No outside distractions, just really focusing on home. Bob did something yesterday that really amazed me. He put in for vacation time. The man loses time eavery year because he doesn't take time off. So, this year he is taking two weeks in June, one week in August, and a week at Christmas. He'll still lose some hours, but not as much as he usually does.

We are all getting excited about going back east in a few weeks. We want the kids to see where Bob grew up. We want them to expreience the Smithsonians, and the Battle Fields of Virginia. We want them to walk VMI and see all the historical areas that have shaped our country. With Megan approaching her senior year, we really won't have this opportunity to have the five kids all together.. The only thing that would make this trip absolutely perfect would be to have David here with us. I miss him, we all miss him, but, his life is his and he is busy with work and being independent.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!
PS.. it's another sunny day!

Mary

Better Late than Never....

I really hate that phrase. I am not a late person. I pride myself on my punctuality. I live the Dean Immel montra....To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is inexcusable..... Mr Immel was my high school band/orchestra director. He ran a tight ship and we had an incredible music program at my high school.. Mt. Miguel... He was a perfectionist and I admired him for that...heck we marched in the Rose Bowl all three years that I was in high school...His brother, Jerald, was/is a composer who writes music for the movie industry and he wrote all of our material... incredible music. Sooo much fun. I am digressing.. This, too has become a trait of which I am not particularly fond.

We all have pet peeves and things that really "bug" us. I hate ending my sentences with dangling participals and prepasitional phrases..... My DH, Bob, hates that I sometimes ask him, "where is blah blah blah AT? it's the AT that drives him crazy... I hate that he uses the word/slang "got". ie... I just Got this. I hate that word. I also cringe when I hear little kids say, "I wanna go with..." With What? With Whom???

Another peeve is this... the uses of "I" and "Me". I had an interesting conversation with an English teacher the other day. We were having dinner and a gentleman, whom is prominent in our community, said "Going to Peir is a good idea if we can get volunteers to hand out fliers for Bill and I". I thought...man, no wonder our kids have problems with the English language. When he said that, he stopped himself and looked at me and asked if that was proper grammar that he used and I said.... wellll.. no, it should have been Bill and ME. The English teacher argued with me and insisted that Bill and I was correct. It drove me bonkers because I was taught in college that you simply take the other person out of the sentence and see if it makes sense. You wouldn't say...".....get volunteers to hand out fliers for I". Then the teacher said, well, technically, it's the indirect object that receives the modification.. blah blah blah blah blah... She argued. I could not believe it...Then I thought "another reason our kids in the public system are so ill-prepared for ACTs and SATs, and all the other measures of intelligence that are out there."

In the mean time....I am soooooo glad that we homeschool. I mean, I wouldn't want my children stressing out the already stressed OCD sufferers whom have to face every day with the knowledge that grammar is subject to the whims of trend. so.... this is really going to hurt.... I have to run before my kids decide they are going with...... urghghghghghg....

Love you!
Mary

She's Here....

The baby .has arrived. Yesterday at 5:30 I met the piano mover at Sandy's down in Clear Lake to move the piano, a gift from Bob's parents, out of their farm house. I was completely amazed at how simple it was for Steve, the piano man, to dismantle this baby. I thought that he would need a bunch of contraptions. He used a big carpect board with straps, a wide based dolly, and a ssw horse. No, he didn't cut her up! The saw horse was used to hold her up with he took off the first leg.. Then he rolled her on her side. I don't remember the rest, but he was telling us what to do. We had to push her out of Sandy's house, through her living room, kitchen, laundry, and closed in porch, across her long veranda and then use pipes like the Egyptians did when building the pyramids, to get her in the back of his truck. As he was saying "push, push, push," I started cracking up. I told him that he sounded like my OB during delivery. He really did! Then I thought, man this one isn't hurting at all.lol

We drove home and he backed his truck right up to the steps of the veranda (I threw that word in for my mom, who refuses to call our wrap around a porch..) and planked across. It was much easier getting her in and standing on three legs than it was getting her down and out. Robby directed us all as to where he wanted it put. It is now in the NW corner of our music room/parlor and looks beautiful. After all was set up and Steve left, Robby sat and played for a while.. It's really out of tune because of the move and Steve will come back in two weeks to tune both pianos for us. Snuggles, our cat, even got into the scene and had to check things out. When Robby was finished playing she hopped up on the bench and started playing the piano herself. Meg recorded her a bit then we scolded her. We are going to have to keep the lid down or she'll get in it.

So... the journey of the piano is over, at least for now. We are so very thankful for this gift and know that the boys', and later Anabelle, will get a lot of use out of it. I have to run....coffee is calling.

Love you,
Mary

Sucessful Hunt...

It has been a few days since I last wrote because my weekend was a crazy blurr. So much happened. Bob took the boys camping. Meg, Anabelle, and I had fun being at thome with one another. The play is officially over...thank goodness. I obviously survived taking care of the pets, doing the boys' paper route, mowing the yard, and participating in a Cyber Crop at the website I help hostess, Swap4fun. I have been trying to get things organized for piano delivery on Thursday.

The kids are getting excited about the piano and I have decided to put it in the parlor instead of the dinning room. We are moving the upright to the dinning room... it's a large room, more like two bigger rooms put together, but, I don't want the baby around food and foot traffic.

With Mom's day this weekend I am looking forward to Bob grilling on the porch. I hate fighting crowds, it's not relaxing and I worry about the kids....whether or not they are eating, if they need more drink, cutting Anabelle's food, etc. It's a lot of work taking five kids out for a meal. Not to mention expensive. Bob doesn't understand this. I just like him cooking every once in a while.

Back to the title of this entry..... Yeah... the hunt for dark chocolate paid off. This evening Bob and I went to Wal Mart of all places, and found 72% dark chocolate.. Gheridelli makes it and it's so yummy. Only a pinch will satisfy that chocolate fix. lol. So, if you are a dark chocolate person I would make a beeline over there. If you are a milk chocolate person you may consider switching.....Milk Chocolate isn't "real" chocolate... Just look at the title.... Milk then chocolate.. the first ingredient in this 72%er is actually "chocolate". I could go on but hey, that's a whole lot of blogging to do.

Well, I know that I have bored the socks off of you, so I will go and round the kiddos up to start our school day.
Have a fabulous day!

Love you!
Mary

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

A few photos of Meg from Saturday.