47 of 52 weeks-Morgen's birthday

His present. He's been bmx riding for a couple years now, and has really been wanting a good bike. Since he's been working with his dad since the end of summer, he wanted to take his earnings and buy one and had been haunting the local bike store, looking over all the options. Earlier in the day Leon went and paid for it and took a happy birthday sign down and put it on the one he was wishing for. He wanted his cousins/friend to come over to spend the afternoon with him and go to the bmx track to ride so on the way out to the track with his old bike they detoured by the store and went to "show" the boys the bike options.
A new bike owner deserves a good helmet too, the one he's been wearing was not a heavy duty one, so now he's all fixed up to do some winning first thing next season!




I gave him the option..."Do you want mom to decorate the cake, or do you want to"? Answer...."If it's bmx, then I want to". That's a good solution, then they can't complain about mom's ideas!




Happy Birthday Morgen!! My last boy just turned a teenager!

Incredible!!

Someone else posted this. I found it totally awesome. It's long, but worth the watch. WOW!

(Video posted at bottom of the page)

Random Chaos

• Day 44 count down from 50
• I've lost 3 # (Maybe my scale is broke?)
• Yesterday I made a 4x batch of chocolate chip cookies to put in the freezer, and only ate no more than 1/4 tsp. cookie dough. WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT!! (yes, both)
• I made a 4x batch of my favorite granola to last me thru Dec also. (Yes, sorry Dalayna it's chock full of nuts. UMMMM!)
• Girls are coming this afternoon to help me finish up wedding announcements. Thank goodness for friends/sisters!!
• Glitch in the bridesmaid clothes. Not a good thing.
• Keeping my suitcase packed & ready for North Dakota
• Leon & Son went off out of town for another 2 days of work.
• Relyssa went to school again after being sick most of last week. Hopefully not any more missed days. They have a fit & send home letters after 3 absents, but don't want them there if they've had a fever in the last 24 hrs. Hmmm. She missed 3 1/2 days last week alone.
• Don't let husband go to the grocery store for me without his cell phone again. Frozen whole chicken is NOT a substitute for a bag of frozen boneless chicken breasts.
• Yes, 1 bag of whole wheat flour is different from 10 # of white flour.
• There is a difference between "Shredded, and Sliced."
• It's time to get to work.
  

46 of 52 weeks challenge-Generations

Once again this week I have a bunch of pictures I need to post. We had a very busy weekend! (and how can it be time for another weekend already?!!)
Jeanne and baby Lyrah made a surprise visit home last Thursday night and stayed thru Monday night this week. During that time I got lots of baby snuggles, even a "few" pictures, Morgen's 13th birthday party with a family supper on Sat. eve, Several generation pictures, A quick visit from our 2nd daughter Jana, along with 3 other co-workers (here for lunch on Monday).
I really have too many pictures for one post, so will refrain and try to post them a few at a time in the next several days.



Me, Jeanne with Lyrah, My mom- G'ma Cilla




Jeanne, Her great grandpa Art (My dad's dad), My step-mom Jane & Lyrah
(My dad passed away 9 years ago.)



A bit of a funny picture of baby here, but we're just glad to have some of them together!

Jeanne, Leon, His mom, G'ma J, & Lyrah

"Just" another Monday

Wow, have I said that before? (shhh!)
Mondays are nearly always good. This one ranked right up there with one of the best. Wonderful weather too, and that can make about any day good!
Jeanne & baby stayed over today since Jana was coming to town, and would be here to have lunch with us this noon. Not only did we have Jana & Bernita, but also Darla & Barbara!

Friday night we went out to Applebees for supper and I tried their "Orange chicken bowl" for the first time, and LOVED it! I have a (bad?) habit of trying new recipes when I have company, so I goggled a recipe for it to make for lunch today since I liked it so well!
I thought it turned out awesome & am going to put it with my favorites. All my kids liked it, yay!
(well, I think all the company liked it too!)

Relyssa was gone all weekend, but was sick, still sick today so was home from school, and will have to stay home tomorrow since she still had a slight fever this evening yet. She wanted chicken noodle soup tonight, so I made some from scratch. It turned out really good, but I put a bit too much cayenne in it....should cure any of the rest of the bug, that's for sure!

I was going to take Jeanne to North Platte tonight to meet Lynisha & she would take Jeanne back to Sidney, but we changed our plans since my mom wanted to go visit the girls in Sidney anyway. I was happy to stay home and it made it possible for me to have a couple good hours with oldest son.
Mom and Jeanne stopped to visit my grandpa and my step mom on their way, so they got some more generation pictures. Tomorrow I'm going to post those pictures and ones of this last weekend.
Tonight my sink is shiny, the kids are all in bed, I've enjoyed some play time on the computer, Leon & Morgen left this evening to go out of town for a couple days on a job, and I hear a book & bubble bath calling before bed yet!

45 Weeks- of photo challange

Well, I really blew it this week. I can't believe I had SO MANY photo opps, and didn't manage to get in them. You'd think after all this time that it would be 2nd nature, and I wouldn't even have to think.
I had the perfect opportunity. We went to visit our kids/grandkids, over the weekend, and it was Kyrie's 5th birthday and Halloween too. What more could you ask for?

(PLEASE excuse this long post....if I don't post these pictures now, they won't get done!)


I got pictures of Kyrie being thrilled with her new calender from Auntie Gay


I got pictures of Kyrie opening her tea set I got her, & Trey being just as thrilled over it! (But with me? NO!)


I got pictures of Dad & Papa bringing in THE gift

I got pictures of Mommy taking pictures of Kyrie (& Trey) when they first saw it!


I got pictures of Kyrie in her new dress from me, that Gramma Cilla made, but did I get one of us together? NO! I got pictures of mommy & Kyrie with the birthday cake.

I got some pictures of the kids making jack-o-lanterns


Pictures of sweet baby Lyrah


Pictures of the whole crew before they went trick-or-treating. (But with Mom? NO!)

Pictures of Kyrie & Trey and the cool costumes that mommy made them, a picture of baby Lyrah in her pumpkin outfit (with HER mommy....)

Pictures of Papa & the kids playing a game--(along with the other Grammie)

More pictures of baby Lyrah with mommy & pictures of Trey "writing the numbers" as Papa counted.
Woops!! A whole weekend and no pictures of THIS MOM!


Nathan came over Tuesday...He likes hanging out with his cousins & they asked to bake cookies.
Nathan likes to take pictures also. Meshayla does not like to be IN pictures!!


She avoids the camera if at all possible (unless she's on the taking end of it)

Ah HA! Caught you!!



YUMM! Cookie dough! It's the best part of making cookies!
Can you believe I missed all those photo opps, and all I got this week was a silly picture of me eating cookie dough?? Thanks Nathan! (I guess!)

Thoughts, goals & frustrations

Another Monday!
They always make me stop and look at my week ahead. I usually have way too many things I want to accomplish in the week, and the week is never long enough. Unfortunately for me, there's no way to stretch time, there is only a certain amount allotted to each week and I am required to fit into it. I'm sure that one of the reasons I like Mondays is because it always looks like I have a L-O N-G week ahead to try and fit everything into. As the week goes by I start to panic more because I don't accomplish as much as I want to fit in, and there's also the realization that logically it really ISN'T going to all get done either.
Therefore I come to the conclusion that I set my exceptions too high. On the other hand if I didn't set them that high, would I really get as much done as I do?

Hmm, please excuse me for saying this all again. I'm sure I must repeat myself frequently, after all, it's my life!

November:
*Not in particular order*

• Finish re-doing blog
• Weekly blogging my "52 weeks challenge"
• laundry & unpacking from our weekend trip
• Finish baby bedding that didn't get done last week
• Wedding invitations made & mailed
• A birthday party for Morgen
• Cheesecakes made for wedding
• Wedding/Reception decorations bought
• Thanksgiving at our house to prepare for
• Trip to ND right after Thanksgiving to prepare for & take.

Obviously this does not include the daily repeat chores of
meals, cleaning, laundry, schooling, and trying to keep my head firmly in place.
Can I state that I'm going to have some seriously new goals for this coming year?

Have a happy Monday everyone!