Knock Knock...Who's there?

I'm going to have serious blogging withdrawal! I'm heading out of town for 4 days to help Leon with an installation job at a motel in KS. The motel we stay at might have internet, but I don't have a laptop, so I'll have to do without. Just think how much more work & sleep I'll get! We're taking Morgen along to help us, Kara & Meshayla are at convention preps with their sister Jana, & Lynisha, Kyrie & Trey came to stay with Relyssa & Kaela while we're gone.

Anyway, while I'm gone I'm going to borrow an idea from a couple other of my favorite bloggers, and beg for a comment letting me know you read my blog. Who you are, where you're from, why you stop by, you can tell me you like it, or you don't, or whatever you want. It will appease my curiosity and make my day...and my week!! Have a great one everyone, I'm going to miss checking in on you!!

Next up, before we head off to convention I'm going to try to post the story behind these pictures.

Happy Anniversary!!

Happy 8th Anniversary!
To our kids--
Lynisha and Jim

Beautiful memories!!

Happy Birthday Tim!

Today is my nephew Timothy's birthday!
Happy 10 Years old Tim, With love, from your Nebraska Aunties, Uncles & Cousins!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALAYNA!

Dalayna's 22 today! She and Wade (& Jessi!) are going to be in Nebraska for a wedding this weekend, and although Wade is busy with "Wedding party duties" Dalayna's free for the day, so I'm heading to Omaha to meet her & enjoy spending the day with her & sweet baby Jessi!.

Friday

It's Friday,
Memorial day weekend
The kids are out of school
The first day of "summer" vacation
It's raining, pouring, WET
My flower beds are weeded
My garden is NOT in,
The grass is green, green, green!
The trees are green
The sky is green....Well, not today, it's GRAY! But last night it was rather green. Storms all over.
We were actually just on the edge of a severe storm system moving thru, and got lots of lightening & some hard rain, some wind, but nothing serious like some places!
Jim and Lynisha came from Sidney last night, after being in Denver and coming home through the horrendous weather out there that did result in some tornadoes around the area.
It took them 2 hrs longer to get here than normal, lots of hard rain & wind, so they were pretty wiped out by the time they got here.
This morning Jim and Ryan are out van shopping for us, and there is a van that Leon found while he was in Hastings that they're going to check out too.
I'll be glad to have a vehicle again that fits us all instead of having to juggle rides!
Here's a current picture of us that my friend Sharon took last week when she was here for the weekend.Have a great weekend everyone!!
Next post.....Another birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA DIANE!

May 19, 1981--The years pass so quickly! I was going to add come commentary here about remembering some things, and forgetting some things, but decided to skip that line of thought, as I know good and well that my children who read this would definitely comment on it, and probably not too complimentary to me....SO! Back to Laura's birthday! (Whew my 3 days have passed that I had a 24, 25 & 26 yr. old!)
Laura is #3 in our family. In many families, that would make her the youngest, or at least among the younger ones. In ours it makes her one of the "older" girls! When I was working on getting pictures together to post here, I was definitely having a problem scaling back. I wanted to use most all of them! I found so many of my favorites, and they brought back so many wonderful memories. I wish I had them all scrapbooked, but still working on that one.
Happy Birthday Laura, from each one of us! We're thinking about you, hoping you have a wonderful day and enjoy the memories in pictures! Love and hugs from all

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEREK!!

24 Years ago, May 14, 1984 After 4 girls, A baby boy came into our lives...
Happy Birthday Derek, We love you! (and here too)

NOT the way to start your day....

So I don't think this qualified as "A perfect day"....
Sorry to leave you all hanging there. And now, "The Rest of The Story"!!
On the way home from taking the girls to school this morning, who incidentally missed their normal ride...
Leon was hit in an intersection, (On the passenger side) the van spun clear around, and the older lady's car continued across the street, jumped the curb, hit a tree, bounced back & got hung up on the curb. (her vehicle got the worst of it.)
Leon thinks she must have accidentally stepped on the gas instead of the breaks, as she was far enough back when he started thru the intersection. (I swear I'm going to quit driving when I'm 70!!!) This was only 5 blocks from our house, and you can imagine I was quite taken aback when a tow trailer pulls up at our house, van loaded on the bed, & Leon gets out of the passenger seat. By the way, never procrastinate....He had quarters in his pocket and was going to the car wash, but missed the corner, and instead of going back around the block & doing it right then he decided to wait till this afternoon.
Looks like they will total the van, damaged the back Axel & all that stuff that this girl doesn't know anything about. SO...ummm you know those cool "Stimulus" checks that are being sent out about now? we just got ours yesterday. Wouldn't you know. Guess there's not much question on how ours will be spent! By the way, this picture shows the drivers side wheel, You could see where the wheel ground into the cement on the street, and the gouge along the edge of the wheel. from spinning around in the street on it after the tire folded over. The police wouldn't state on their report any fault...they let the insurance people figure that one out, so we'll see. (and luckily although the older lady was shook up a bit, no one was "hurt")

Monday May 12, 2008

Happy Anniversary to our dear friends Dan & Cyndie!!
(our adopted- by the heart- sister!)

Happy Birthday to my sister!! Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Gay,
Happy birthday to you!
May 12, 1962. Gay 1 yr. b-day & Me

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Happy Mothers Day to all my Blogging friends Family & readers!

Happy birthday today (May 11) to my niece Emily!

Photos from our day this year ended up clear at the end of this post. Sorry!

May 2007
Jeanne, my oldest, The one I started my journey of motherhood with. I love you!


The young mother set her foot on the path of life. 'Is
this the long way?' she asked.   And the guide said:  'Yes, and the way is
hard.
And you will be old before you reach the end of it.. But
the end  will be better than the beginning.'

But the young mother was happy, and she would not
believe that  anything could be better than these years. So she
played with her children, and gathered flowers for
them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and
the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried,
'Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.'

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was
dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother
drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said,
'Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come.'

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and
the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary.
But at all times she said to the children,' A little  patience and we are
there.'
So the children climbed, and when they reached the top
they said, 'Mother, we would not have done it without you.'

And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up
at the stars and said, 'This is a better day than the last, for my
children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave
them courage.
Today, I 've given them strength.'

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened
the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped
and stumbled, and the mother said: 'Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.
' And the children looked and saw above the clouds
an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the
darkness.'   And that night the Mother said,
'This is the best day of all, for
I have shown my children God.'

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and
the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent.
But her children were tall and strong, and walked with
courage.  And when the way was rough, they lifted her,
for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill,
and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And
mother said, 'I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end
is better than the beginning, for my children can
walk alone, and their children after them.'

And the children said, 'You will always walk with us,
Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.'
And they stood  and  watched her as she went on alone, and the gates
closed after her.  And they said: 'We cannot see her
but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory.  She
is a living presence.......'

Your Mother is always with you.... She's the whisper
of the leaves as you walk do wn the street; she's the smell of bleach
in your freshly laundered socks; she's the cool hand
on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother lives
inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop.
She's the place you came from, your first home; and
she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love
and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can
separate you.

Not time, not space... not even death!

another favorite of mine is HERE
and HERE'S another.
Thanks Susan & Lani!


MAY WE NEVER TAKE OUR MOTHERS FOR GRANTED...
Photo- 1987. My Mother, Grandmother, Me, and my Mother-law. 3 very special people in my life. 

Some of my Favorite "Mothers day" pictures
This one was taken the day before our first son was born. May 1984


Jana Beth,4; Jeanne Rae,6 Lynisha Ruth 21 mo & Laura Diane 3





May 2004, Kaela and Kara


2004, Meshayla, Relyssa, Morgen, Me, Kaela & Kara



2005 My 3 boys...
and the 5 youngest at home.



My First Mothers day with a grandbaby! May, 2005



Sharing Mothers day with our family (Mothers, Sisters, niece  and close friends!
2006


May 2007 My 5 youngest


May 11, 2008  Relyssa 16, Meshayla 13, Kaela 6 1/2, Kara 8 1/2, Morgen 11 1/2
Our day today at my sisters. Yummy food, wonderful family & friends and a great time
with lots of laughter.  Thank you Gay and Patrick!!

Shopping is only fun if:....

*You are really in the mood
*Your shopping companions are happy
*You actually have some $$ to spend
*You can find what you want
*You can find what you like
*You and your companions can agree on what to buy
Well, MY opinion anyway...

Maybe there's more sometimes, but today everyone of these qualifications were actually met, and believe me, that is a rare occasion here. Actually the truth is, we do very little shopping. It almost never happens "just for fun", and although we had some necessary shopping to do today, it was combined with some "just for fun".
Of course there had to be a little pout somewhere in there... littlest missy really thought that the shopping trip was all for her benefit. She needs new shoes. We looked for some, but didn't end up finding any, so although she did get a couple new items of clothing, in her opinion, the day really wasn't a success without the shoes!
Mom came over this morning when we were getting ready to go, so we invited her to go along.
She was a pretty good sport...I have to admit, the dynamics's of 4 girls and one boy for shopping companions & having to wait for your lunch while the two teen's tried on & looked at "just one more thing" is a little trying. (no problem putting up with me...I'm easy...! LOL)
Lunch at Perkins, Ice cream cones before heading out of town to go home, and as soon as we got home we loaded up the guys who came home earlier & went to some friends for supper & a fun evening with other friends. Thanks Jim & Shelley, and HAPPY Anniversary Duane & Gina!! Fun to be with you tonight!
When we got home the kids got to finally unload their stash & oggle over everything.
I did a little shopping for me...2 new T shirts, 2 shirts & pants for Leon, a baby gift, a birthday gift (she doesn't read my blog anyway!) a new cookbook (that I DIDN'T need!) and some really fun cute beads to make a belt out of! TOTALLY unnecessary.
The end to another perfect but really not ordinary day!

Yesterday...A pretty normal-"Perfect" day!

So, in regard to my post yesterday, Here's what our day was like. Pretty "hum-drum", not much excitement, nothing glorious. However when I was having previous post conversation with my sister yesterday morning after my "AAHHH moment" she reminded me of a saying she has stenciled on her bathroom/laundry room wall.
"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure that you are."
Got 5 kids up, made one change her outfit, signed last minute permission slip and initialed 1st. graders folder, and out the door to their rides to school
cleaned up breakfast mess
Did dishes, swept floor, put a load of laundry in
Made bed
had a bit of computer time
picked up hot spots in living room
went downstairs to find dirty laundry, put one load in basement laundry (yes we have 2)
stripped 3 beds, remade one
put clothes in dryer upstairs
went out and worked on weeding raspberry's for 1/2 hr. BEAUTIFUL day!
downstairs laundry in the dryer, & another load in
Upstairs laundry in out of the dryer, wet clothes in, and another wash load going.(you don't want to see a picture of all my laundry...dirty OR clean!!)
Back outside to rake up all the weeds, debris, & water flowerbeds
Leon headed to Hastings for window treatment job
took care of mail
wrote some e-mails, had some computer time (ie blogging!)
Did I eat lunch? Don't remember, that was yesterday. Food isn't a priority unless it's sitting in front of me!
Changed clothes
grabbed snacks for kids
went to grade school to pick up younger 3, then back to town to pick up
Meshayla at middle school.
Headed out of town with no time to spare...45 miles to Hastings for Relyssa's last track meet of the season, 35 minutes till scheduled to start.
Arrived 15 minutes after scheduled track meet starting time and waited 20 more minutes for it to start!
Leon arrived 10 minutes after we did.
Enjoyed the track meet, weather was beautiful, although rain predicted.
Relyssa came in 1st place on 100 M. hurdles
She came in 3rd place on 300 M. hurdles. Her best placing on those, although she said not her best time.
Kids had a great time running around on the grass, & Morgen took his roller blades.
Left the track meet and went celebrate by eating Chinese, Relyssa's favorite.
Left town just as the storm clouds were really building up and coming in fast.
The storm hit about the time we got on the interstate, and since we were heading into it, we traveled in it all the way home. UGG not my favorite part of the day! I hate lightening and there was alot of it. Also had to slow way down, as the rain was coming down pretty hard.
Home at last
Grab clean sheets from dryer & re-make little girls bed
Didn't even have to hound the kids to go to bed, they were all tired!
Checked my e-mails & read
My nightly bubble bath ritual...Personal pampering :*)
Wow, actually got in bed by 10:30. That's early around here for me!

Morning Musings on "The Perfect Day"

So this morning when I read Lani's post It really made me stop and think about what I would consider a perfect day! We could consider alot of different things making up a perfect day, the weather, our children, our spouses, our jobs, our friends, what we eat, & just in general how we spent our time. I realized in thinking about this, that it really boils down to our attitude!!
I have to admit this morning as I was cleaning up some messes that got left last night (not by me) that my attitude was a little less than cheerful. In fact I'm sure if you were near-by you could have heard me muttering under my breath about how my little darlings DID NOT LISTEN (again!)
And, here I was, wasting my day picking up and cleaning up after them when they were plenty old enough to do it themselves.
And, it was taking away MY time when I needed to be doing something else (what?)!!
So what is my idea of the "Perfect day"?
I remembered that when I was young, my answer to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up"? was always
1. A MOMMY
Wow, I did it! In other words, I'm doing each day, EXACTLY what I always wanted to do! Now granted, I didn't realize at the time what ALL that was going to entail, but that's life. (be careful what you wish for...hee hee!!)
We all have options. Basically when it comes right down to it, we are, or can do exactly what we want to do. What is most important to us?
We can go to work, stay home, change jobs, go to school, have a family, clean our house, play with our kids, cook meals, read a book, socialize with our friends, design/decorate/create our houses or yards, travel....Oh yes, and BLOG! And the truth of it is, if there's something on our list we'd like to do but can't, then it's usually because there's something else on the list that we are spending more time or more money at.
So today, I wanted to go out and work in my flower beds first thing, however I had to clean up first. Oh wait a minute here. It all boils down to a value thing. No one is MAKING me sweep the floors, wipe the counters & finish up the dishes, put in another load of laundry or swish & wipe the bathroom before I go out, It's my choice. I chose to be a mommy (and all that comes with it) and I chose to stay stay at home. I chose to (try) and keep my house clean. SO why am I complaining? obviously it's an attitude thing, & maybe just a bit of a bad habit too.
You can check back later, and I'll post my "perfect day"!!
Thanks again Lani!

A Special Weekend

As with most of us, my family is very dear & special to me. I love, laugh & live with them. I also weep with them. For some reason when our children are little, it's easy for us just to think that of course they will grow up and "do the right" thing. (Whatever we happen to think the "right" thing is...) As they do grow up, we realize many time to our sorrow, that what we expect of them, hope for them or want them to do, isn't necessarily what they will do. Generally when something "good" or "bad" happens within the invisible but tightly woven bonds of a family, we feel a little deeper. Not that we don't appreciate it in anyone we love or any other family we know or hear of.
So this weekend my heart was made glad by two of my nephews "making their choice known".
Two boys, just a little over a month difference in age, 1200 miles apart, one at convention Sat. night, and one in Gospel meeting on Sun. afternoon.
I am touched, awed and rejoice once again at the evidence of God's work in young lives.