Beautiful Spring

 Some of my earlier planting

 The lilacs popped today!  I do love lilacs!

 Everything is just bursting! We've finally had some sunny days and higher temps.  The Iris are popping out of the ground at a great rate, Flowers just burst into bloom the last few days, today I saw blooms on my strawberrys --do you suppose I'll get more than 1/2 dozen of them this year?  This is my 3rd picking of Asparagus, I could eat it nearly every day!  Clematis are finally turning green & have buds and my transplanted raspberries are doing great!

 Our first batch of chickens are growing quickly!  They are ready to go outside, only we don't have the pen ready for them yet.  These are our fryers

 2nd batch of chickens (our layers) are doing great too.  We were happy it was warm enough that they could go straight to the chicken house without them being in the house.

Today Kara preformed in the Central District Music Festival.  She has been taking lessons for about 2 years, and this was the first time she has done something like this.  The students had to memorize their songs they played, they also had sight-reading & scales heard by the judge and then there was Theory Ear training exams.
We don't know what the results from those tests were, but she received a 1- rating on her playing!

P.S.  In case you're wondering--the cool clock on the wall was a Mothers day gift from one of my special daughters :)

 

Going back

Right now I'm so far behind on blogging the "country memories" that I don't even know quite where to start.  It's really tempting to just blog about last weekend, our time in Sidney with #1 Grandchild's birthday, but that's kind of silly when I want to add a few other things from before that.
The "Country Memories" got neglected while I got ready for and went to and posted the Finland trip memories.

When I went back to do some catch up posts I realized that I'd never even posted the pictures from Kara and Kaela's birthday party.
Their birthdays are in July, but the girls were staying in Sidney for 3 weeks including their birthdays, so we had their party later in August.

Hey, it's the party that counts, right?
And this was so much fun!


We got a new trampoline for the girls's birthday.  We've really missed having one for several years now.  This is our 3rd trampoline in 16 years.


The table's all set up in anticipation of party time!





 
 Caitlyn, Katie, Kara (11) Kaela (9) and Hannah




 That is an "11" and a "9"---NOT a 119!

 And they finished up the party by cooling off in the pool


 Good friends, good times!

Summertime and the living is fine

No new blog posts on here do not indicate a lack of things to post about, but rather either I'm too busy "living" them, or my head is simply too full of things, and I can't seem to get my thoughts organized enough to put down.

After the grandkids were here, Meshayla and Morgen got invited to go camping with Lynisha and Jim, and so we arranged for Kara and Kaela to go to their older sisters (Jeanne's) at the same time.  One week turned into two, and during that time I spent working on house and yard projects that needed done and I couldn't seem to get done in the middle of cooking, cleaning, and well, you know, just "every day life with a family".

I wish I could have gotten more done, but that's the story of my life.  I have to say I did enjoy some "down" time, and simply "him and her" time with my husband!  By the middle of the 2nd week tho I was missing the kids, and wondered what in the world I was thinking, as I realized that I was going to be gone all the next week, and they were going to have to stay another week.  That one kind of slipped up on me unexpected like.

Being "kid-less" for 3 weeks at a time was the first time that's happened since our first was born a year after we were married!  I will say that I am NOT ready for "empty-nest" around here yet, even if I do enjoy some breaks now & then!

Since it was going to be another week without kids, Leon and I went out to Sidney to spend the weekend with them and have a little bit of birthday celebration for Kara and Kaela who had turned 11 and 9 while they were away from home.

 When do you think I'll learn not to take pictures facing the light? I don't know either, but it sure irritates me that I don't think about it!!

 Banana cream pie and brownies for this birthday treat.

 This little missy enjoyed her banana cream pie, and her first birthday is just around the corner!  I think she was getting in some good practice for it!

Did I mention....

How much I love being able to see sunsets out here in the country?

Obviously my kids do too, because they will be out playing, come running to the house telling me to "come quick Mom"!

Tonight was one of those nights & Kaela came running to get me. I handed her the camera to take to Kara & off she went.

Great job with the photos Kara!

More Music

Kara and Kaela have been taking piano lessons just a little under a year now. This spring was their first time at public performances.
Their teacher, Jane entered them in a talent show in March and the girls worked hard learning their pieces & memorizing them. Both girls played two songs and although they didn't place, they did a wonderful job on their playing


Kaela~ along with her first public performance, she had to go first.


~Kara


I believe the judges were music students from the collage here.


The crew who tallied the scores & wrote out the certificates


Yesterday the girls had their first recital. When Jane told me who she was having the c0-recital with, I thought it was pretty ironical that it was with a teacher (Karen D.) that my sisters and I had taken lessons from when we were teens. Also a couple of my older girls had lessons with her too!
Yeah, I goofed, I missed a great photo op!


~Kaela


~Kara


~My nephew Nathan


As I was zooming in on the kids playing, I noticed the reflection of their hands.
I thought it was pretty cool. A while back someone else did this for one of the photos on our photo challenge blog.



And this last picture? Well no piano or violin music here, But I think maybe this qualifies for melody for the soul.


Our oldest son, and the flowers he brought me for mothers day.

Keeping things real

Before we go any further on this house tour I'd like to assure you all that things are really quite "normal" at this house. If you read THIS (my dear nieces) blog, then you will understand my desire to clarify a few things. (grin!) She was too young to remember several of our moves that resulted in much the same state as hers, and I am still not too old to remember the complete chaos that I lived with and in for way too long. Moving is a chore. At least with a family. Our moves before children were relatively fast and simple. In fact our first move after we were married; from Wyo back to NE was accomplished in one trip in the back of a pickup. That was 33 years ago this summer. I don't WANT to remember how many trailer, van, pickup & car loads (and TIME) this move took us, and it was only 17 miles.

So--without any more adieu I present just a tiny glimpse of REAL life--


The porch BEFORE. Unfortunately this was only one of the many times it was piled in, then put "away" before the next batch came in.


My downstairs bath/laundry room, and yes, it still looks this way. It was a little worse yesterday before I pulled a few things out for another organization project.


In the mean time, life must go on. Meals must appear, kids seem to think they still have to eat. I have cleaning jobs. I have school runs. I have chores to assign kids. Kids have piano lessons and strings concerts.

Kara's spring orchestra concert--This is the 5th graders (all K. public schools)





Sorry, no video's. I've misplaced my camera card, and the one I'm using is a 32 M. I get about 5 pictures at a time :P


Anyway, the days rush past. One melts into another, and it seems like it's taking a long time to get everything together but I stop and realize it's "only" the 5th of May, and we've really only had everything moved for 2 weeks.

I am encouraged when I hear "Wow mom, it looks like things are really coming together". Thank you son, I appreciate that!




And here's a picture I found on my camera when I was downloading this morning. A reminder to stop and enjoy the "simple things" The beauty in the middle of our hectic chaos.
Thank you for whoever grabbed my camera & captured the moment.

52 weeks--I Did It!!

52 WEEKS OF PHOTOS WITH ME IN THEM--I DID IT!
Now I probably have more pictures of me taken in this last year than in who knows how many years before that! I know that some weeks I didn't have a new one and posted an "oldie" but then some weeks I had more than one photo with me in it also!
I have to admit that along with becoming more conscious of trying to be in photos with my kids, it's also had the effect of making me quite conscious (and irritated at myself) when I miss an opportunity. That's what really gets me....!
One week from today is our daughters wedding, and I will have more photos with me in it. Since there is one more Thursday in the month, and considering the occasion I will have a bonus "52 weeks" post. I also plan to do something fun for a "grand finale" of my 2009 - 52 weeks posts, so watch for that in January (I hope!)

Here's a few more from our last day up in ND. I really meant to post these with the first ones, but ran out of time so I thought I'd post them later and then forgot :(


Kyrie & Jessi in their matching dresses that I had Great G'ma Cilla make for them


Grammie with 4 of my grand-sweeties, Kyrie, (5) Barrett, (5 days) Jessi (3 in Jan) & Trey (3 in Feb)


The group of us after Sunday a.m. meeting before we left for home.
Front, Kyrie, Trey & Jessi
Back, Meshayla, Lynisha, Me, Dalyana with Barrett, and Wade.
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Last week (Friday eve) our friends Dan and Cyndie hosted a couples shower for Relyssa and Mark. We had a potluck supper and a wonderful evening. Here's some pictures from it.


Mark & Relyssa, with his parents on the left, and us on the right.


Opening gifts


A quilt from Marks grandparents


Relyssa & Mark


Our lovely hosts, (and my "Sistah")--Cyndie & Dan


One more picture of girl-friends. Relyssa won't be here for Lorene's birthday this year (If you remember THIS post...)
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On Monday night this week, Kara's class had their D.A.R.E. Presentation & Graduation.
Her essay was one of two picked to be read.


The class preformed a song for us. (This is the 4th and 5th grade classes in her school)


Kara receiving her certificate from the deputy who taught the class.




Mom and Kara at home afterward.

Oh my, I can hardly believe she's a 5th grader and not only that, but 1/2 way on her way to being a 6th grader already!


That's all for this week folks! Have a wonderful Christmas & New Years holiday!