Rebecca's Walk

Changing Times

2012-01-31T11:49:00.000-08:00

From birth until kindergarten, it seems like the lives of my children changed almost daily. Then things seemed to settle down a bit and we settled into the routine of life. Then they started graduating high school and things start to dramatically change again.

This fall/winter, I have been dealing with some dramatic changes in the lives of my kids and we're not anywhere near done! I'm attempting to the best of my ability to roll with the punches but oftentimes I find myself a bit sad and a bit lonesome for my little kids.

Amy moved back home into a newly constructed room .....for about 2 months. She moved in with a friend which left us with a newly constructed empty room. Her brother was very happy to move into that room and between school and work I hardly see him. He's planning to go away to college next fall. Josh still lives 3 hours away and this month (Feb), he has two grad school auditions....I was hoping for KU (only 35 minutes away) but alas, the auditions are in COLORADO and LOS ANGELES!!!! Emily just started the second half of her somphomore year and having been down this road 3 times now, I know how very, very fast these final years of high school fly by.

So here I am, staring an empty nest in the face. Today I have something in my house I've never had before.....an EMPTY ROOM!!!! Our house has always been full to 0verflowing - until now. The upside is, I have a nice guest room and a permanent place for scrapbooking. The downside is, I will soon have another empty room - The upside is, Cliff will soon have his man cave (sorry, I really do hate that term).

I'm trying to redefine my life to a certain degree. Somedays, frankly, I just don't know what to do with myself. Somedays I'm just very sad. Somedays I'm just very lonesome. And somedays, I really do enjoy this season of life. Its a new one....unchartered territory for this mom.

Josh asked me how I would handle him going out to LA. I told him if thats the door God opens for him I'm glad to see him go through it. One of the hardest things things this mom ever has had to do was let these kids go to spread their wings and live their lives. But that's exactly what they are...their lives. I've had my opportunites and made my mistakes and learned valuable life lessons. Now its their turn to find out who they are and who God wants them to be. So part of me is sad because I miss them terribly and yet I am filled with so much peace that God is looking out for 4 of the best parts of me.

Final Scenes of Christmas

2012-01-06T12:07:00.000-08:00

One final look at the holidays. I photographed some of my favorite items before I packed them away for another year. I missed posting this picture of myself & my daughters in the last post. They are beautiful girls inside and out!

My main tree

This little tree now houses all of our sports-themed ornaments.

The little angel on top once topped my grandma's tree.

I also have a collection of small trees. Found this one @ Goodwill and came across the mini bulbs @ Target & the mini snowmen @ a craft fair.

Another miniature tree...with some teeny-tiny ornaments

My "Jewel" tree - houses a collection of acrylic ornaments that Josh & Amy gave me one year for Christmas. Over the years I have added red and gold glittery bulbs. This tree was so beautiful this year.

One of the prizes in my Boyd's collection.

A gorgeous Santa found in an antique mall.

Found this pencil tree @ a local craft fair this past fall.

I LOVED the hand-crafted miniature ornaments on it.

A final picture of a pretty wreath hung in the large window in my dining room. Would have been beautiful with snow outside but it was not to be this year.

Some Family Pictures

2011-12-28T13:51:00.001-08:00

Some Christmas Day pictures of the family. This Christmas turned out to be a celebration of togetherness and I loved every minute of it!

The oldest

The Boys

Oldest and Youngest

All 4 of my children....all grown up!!

All 4 of my children with their proud (and thinner) parents!!

Where Does The Time Go?

2011-12-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

This was Thanksgiving, 1999 or 2000. It seems just like yesterday! My household is so different these days and I think more than any other year I am really missing having little kids around for the holidays.

Putting up our Christmas tree used to be a rather chaotic process but a good kind of chaos. This year I decorated pretty much alone. The kids each put on their ornaments but it was here and there when they were home...and Amy now has her own tree out in her new room.

It seemed that every time I had a baby, an older, wiser woman would tell me to savor and enjoy the days while my children were young. I believed them to a degree but when you're a sleep-deprived young mother, it sometimes seems that just that day will never end. Those women were right, however, and now I'm one of those older, hopefully wiser women who passes on the same advice!

2011-11-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

We are progressing well on our new room for Amy. The sheet rock is going up today. I have been to Home Depot more in the last 2 weeks than I have been in the last 2 years!! We are beginning to see the finish line!!

The weather is absolutely beautiful! I love this time of year...late fall. Takes me back to when I was a kid.

I have discovered though, that when you lose a large amount of weight, you also lose a large amount of insulation. I'm experiencing a problem I've never really had before. I'm chilly....alot. Its funny now because I have added several sweaters to my wardrobe!!

I posted to the other blog today too.

Fall Happenings

2011-10-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to apologize for all the spelling errors in my previous post. It seems I have been in some denial about aging and because of denial and fear, I chose not to get bifocals at my last Eye appointment. So, I can see distances great with my new glasses but in order to read, I have to take them off...to see things at a distance of 1-2 feet, I have to wear my old glasses. The last post I was at the library and had forgotten my old glasses....the computer monitor was too far to see without my glasses and too close to see with them....hence the errors!

Cliff & I have been busy cleaning out our attic, garage, and gardening shed. He has been working overtime re-building our little gardening shed that was once a chicken coop. The walls had seen better days. He's replaced one side and put on a new roof.
We are also in the process of a project that we have talked about for years. We have split our garage in half and are making one half a room for Amy. Everything is framed and rewired and ready for insulation and sheetrock. It's turning out so nice! We could never have even got the job started without a good friend from church who is teaching Cliff how to do all these home-improvement jobs. We are hoping to have Amy all move in by Thanksgiving.

I'm still on my weight loss. Hit the 55 pound mark this week. I decided to start a new blog dedicated to my weight loss journey. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it going but for now I have all these thoughts and just wanted and outlet for them. You can find it here

The Rest of the Story

2011-10-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

I have waited until now the post anything further about my weight-loss journey because I had to give a speech about it last weekend at our Women's retreat and I didn't want to give all the info our beforehand.

I have come to realize that the weight battle is 90% mental and 10% at the scale. Meaning, I have fought so much of it in my mind. Its totally the reason I have been overeating my entire adult life...and its a viscous cycle. You feel bad about yourself or your situations and to deal with it, you eat some fatty or sugary something to numb the pain and then you feel bad you ate it and back and forth and back and forth it goes. To go into specifics would be far too lengthy and complicated for any one blog post but lets just say that lies have been fed into my head by the author of lies and I have believed them...and society, friends and even well-meaning family members continually confirmed the lies. So much of it has been my perception because when you buy into lies, you view the world through the filter of lies so that it all looks like truth.

For me, the answer to exposing the dealing with the lies has come through God's Word, His healing grace and several books that have dealt with spiritual, emotional, and physical issues. I also found inspiration in a Television show called, Ruby, who once weighed over 700 pounds and has lost almost 400. I figured if she could do it without surgery or weird diets, I could do. I also connected with the struggles that she faces within her weight loss journey. I also have another friend who lost some weight and looked 10 years younger and I wanted to look younger too....and I wanted my life back!!!!!

I knew a diet was an important part. Once again, I had given up on all diets. I know myself and I know that I need an organized approach to eating...a good, healthy plan with some fairly quick results...I mean let's face it, at some point, you do need to see results on the scale.

While browsing through the "new book" section at the library, a title jumped out at me...."The 17 Day Diet." I wasn't looking for a diet book but the 17 day thing intrigued me. Once I read it, it made so much sense and I knew this was exactly what I was looking for. I felt it was something I could follow long-term because lets be honest here....once a dieter, always a dieter....I will ALWAYS have to pay attention to the food I am putting in my mouth. I decided the only way to know if this eating plan really worked the way it said it would was to follow it to the letter. I did and I'm thrilled to say it has worked out better than I could have imagined. I'm exercising (walking) almost every day and my life has gone from sedentary to active.

To date, I have lost 51 pounds and 22 inches without much of a struggle....and I have my life back and I feel better about myself than I have in years. I have received inspiration from people like Ruby and my friend, Robin and in turn I hope and think I'm inspiring others. At least 5 of my friends have started the 17-Day Diet and I wish them nothing but success!!

A Recovering Couch Potato

2011-09-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's me, a recovering Couch Potato....making a lifestyle switch from sedentary to healthy....from eating a diet rich in fat & sugar to a diet rich in lean proteins & vegetables.
It's been a long road to this point. Without knowing what I was doing, I took a road that led to what author Bob Greene calls a Holistic Approach to weight loss. An approach that doesn't just focus on diet and exercise but healing within the emotional, psychological, and spiritual.

Is it working? YES!! To date, I've lost 37 pounds. (a weight I haven't seen since 1999) Its work there's no other way to put it. I walk 5-6 days per week and do a core workout 2 days per week. BUT, I feel better than I have in YEARS both physically and mentally. No more back or knee pain. I feel as though I've turned back the hands of time a bit.

I've got a long way to go but I think I'm off to an incredible start.

Almost Back

2011-08-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

We are heading to Newton/Wichita this weekend for a much needed break. I can hardly wait!! We've never been able to spend time there with Josh when he hasn't been on some sort of a tight schedule.

I'll be back regularly posting after that. I've got lots to say (as usual). And also as usual, there are lots of ideas swirling around in my head.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!!

Summer 2011 and Stuff.....

2011-08-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a hot, quiet summer around here. Not too much going on other than trying to stay cool!! Just a quick update on everyone:

* Cliff is doing GREAT since his epidural injections....little to no back pain. He will have 1 more injection in 2 weeks and that should last him the better part of a year. He's been back to work since the beginning of May with no problems!
*Josh has made a life for himself in Newton. He's found a good job that will allow him the opportunity to travel for up-coming grad school auditions. He's got 5-6 schools lined up. It's going to take him a while to prepare for these auditions as he's going after a fellowship....which will basically cover the cost of all his schooling expenses. They are tough and competition is stiff. His auditions need to be flawless.
*Amy has registered at the local community college to continue her education. She will be taking classes in their culinary institute for baking & pastry.
*Jacob will also be attending the local community college. He's taking almost a full course load with a major in music. He's been working out all summer in the hopes of making the track team for shot put.
*Emily spent the bulk of this summer with her two cousins from GA and had a great time with them. She has been focusing on math homework that has to be completed before school so she can enter the honors math class.
*Me...well, I'm finding my way through my ever-changing household again....adjusting to kids leaving and growing. It's hard but good for everyone. This past weekend, Cliff & I had the opportunity to just get away for the night and meet up with some of our dearest friends. It was so good!!

I've been away from my blog for a while because, frankly, I have felt like I haven't had much to say. To be honest, I don't want my blog to be a daily "Christmas letter." So I'm going to step away for a few more weeks.....probably until after labor day. I have a few ideas but I'm not concrete on anything yet. Plus, we have alot going in the next few weeks. Getting ready for school and a Labor Day trip to spend some time with Josh.

So, thank you so much for your interest. I'll be back in a few weeks.
Have a Great finish to the summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Show & Tell Friday - Revisited

2011-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

**I thought I would re-post some favorite "Show & Tell" Friday posts for a while. They were lots of fun and its something I'm thinking about picking up again in the future. In the meantime, I'm enjoying these memories.

One of the things I always loved and admired at my grandparent's house was this shelf of my grandmother's that housed her teacup collection. There was just something about it that captured my attention and I just loved to stand there and look at it. One of the last times I was at their home, I went around and took pictures of some things that said "this is my grandparent's house" to me. Things that had been there for years. Things that I kind of always counted on seeing when I was there or things that evoked some very wonderful memories of my childhood times there. Of course, I took some pictures of this shelf.

About 1 1/2 years ago, I was browsing through Goodwill with my mom and guess what I found? A shelf just like my grandmother's. I snatched it up, not even caring about the price. That shelf was coming home with me. (I think it ended up being 4 or 5 dollars!) I hung it in my dining room on a large blank wall. It now houses two of my collections. One is a collection of little houses that Cliff collected for me one Christmas about 15 years ago. (has was so proud of himself!!) And a little collection of 1940-1950 looking children. On top, I have two "Gone With the Wind" figurines my mom gave me. Why? Because my grandmother had these same figurines on the top of hers. Yesterday while I was dusting it, I thought of my grandmother. These are the kinds of things I love having in my home. Things that evoke pleasant memories. Things that make us think those we love.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sweet Little Faces

2011-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Finally got to see my youngest neice, Emma who is a year old today! I love my neices and nephews and they all live so far away. This is my youngest nephew, Ben and his little sister, Emma. Priceless!!

The Red Spot

2011-07-04T15:45:00.001-07:00

There is an episode of "Seinfeld" where George buys a beautiful cashmere sweater as a gift for Elaine. The reason why George buys Elaine such an extravagant gift is because near the hem of the sweater there is a miniscule red dot. What makes this episode so funny is that everyone who sees the sweater can only see that teeny red dot.

I'm currently reading a book that deals with dealing with the current economic fallout. It doesn't matter who you are or what walk of life you are from, the economic news hits us all. And lets face it, the news in the headlines and on the nightly news is hardly ever good.

One of the exercises she suggests is to make a list of 5 things that helps you through the day. I've discovered that things that I find "good" or that bring me joy are things as simple as the cherry scented hand soap on my bathroom sink, the purchase of a new hairbrush, or getting into a freshly made bed made up with clean line-dried sheets.

There is a campaign currently running on a TV station I frequently watch. Its called, "See the Good in the World." They challenge people to photograph the things that are good in their worlds.

It's human nature to focus in the "red dot" (or the black dot on a white piece of paper). It's my human nature to zero in on the red dot and feel that there's just no good news....and that's a lie because there is so much GOOD. Its my perspective that has to be tweaked. And this simple little daily exercise helps....alot. And sometimes is the smallest things that make the biggest differences in our lives.

My Kid's Dad

2011-06-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

My husband, Cliff. He's been a great, fun father to our kids. I couldn't ask for more! He's been encouraging and these days he's every bit as proud as I am!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, CLIFF!!!!

Me & My Dad

2011-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have a pair of these pictures. I showed the one of my mom on my mother's day post. I think they are so cute. One held the baby and the other took the pictures. I'm currently working on a scrapbook page of them. This one of me and my dad is so special because I don't have many of just he and I.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD!!

I'm so thankful for you and love you so much!!

Heritage

2011-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Found these pictures of my Great-Grandfather. He was a farmer in South Dakota and also a preacher. I love these pictures because they capture his life on the farm but also that of a country preacher.

Coming Changes

2011-06-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me the other day that I am in the beginning stages of a new season of life. Actually, its been coming for a while but suddenly I find myself at the doorway of watching my "nest" empty out as each of my "fledglings" are spreading their wings and taking flight. I'm not quite at the empty nest stage yet. Emily has 3 years of high school left but its not alot of time and 3 years will go by before I know it.

Last week, I found myself alone more often than not and I'm finding myself wanding around my house not quite sure what to do. Don't get me wrong, there is always some sort of cleaning that needs to be done but who wants to spend all their free time mopping floors and scrubbing bathtubs?

I was married when I was 19 and became a mother at 20. For the past 25 1/2 years, my number one job has been my kids and I have loved almost every minute of it. However, they don't need me like they once did. Two are on their own, another one is on his way and Emily isn't far behind. I have encouraged my kids (and even my husband) to discover their interests and passions and pursue them and now I think its time to do that for myself. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. I'm excited about learning new things and I'm thinking perhaps the best "me" is the one that has yet to be discovered. My kids aren't the only ones with new wings!!

Meet & Greet

2011-06-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

A really good friend of mine entered a drawing at out local Walmart store for a $25 gift card & a meet & greet with NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon. He is not a NASCAR fan but entered primarily for the gift card. He won and called me right away, knowing I'm a Jeff Gordon fan to tell me he won. A few days later when I saw him at church, he told me he was giving me his passes to meet Jeff Gordon. I was excited and nervous all week! Cliff & I were each able to bring one item to have signed. I brought a car for a friend and a book that we own.

He came over to where we were all waiting and it was like I was watching something on TV. Cliff & I went over to him when it was our turn and suddenly I became star-struck!! I told him we were big fans....and just so he knew we weren't just part-time....I said, "We're big, big fans!" It was all Cliff could do not to get hysterical. They had a photographer on-site who took these pictures. This was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done!

Joshua's Graduation

2011-05-31T08:00:00.001-07:00

Joshua's graduation began on Sunday morning with a Baccalaurate in the campus church. It was a beautiful, moving service full of worship and encouragement for the graduates. As I suspected, Joshua sang. He chose to sing, "You Raise Me Up" which he also sang at his high school graduation. It was amazing to hear the refinement in his vocal ability over the past 5 years of training.

Graduation took place Sunday afternoon in the football stadium. As the bells began to toll, the graduates began to make their way to the stadium, taking one last walk around the campus as students. Once inside the stadium, the faculty formed two rows and the graduates formed a line in-between them and thats when "Pomp and Circumstance" began.

Receiving his Bachelor Degrees in both Music and Communication Arts from the Dean.

Congratulations from the President.

I take one of these pictures every time they are together.

My two Graduates. I am one proud mom!!!

My Parents.

My Grown-Up Family. It happened way too fast!!

Cliff's Mom.

Looking Forward........He will spend the next year preparing for Graduate School. He hopes to get a "Teacher's Apprentice" position. To do that, however, his audition has to be virtually flawless. He felt he needed this year to prepare.

Headshots

2011-05-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

When Josh presented his Senior Seminar a few months ago, all the musicians had headshots taken. I finally saw them this week and I AM IN LOVE with these pictures of my son!! He almost looks too professional to be my child.....almost!

Jacob's Graduation

2011-05-30T17:16:00.001-07:00

Graduation started in a way on the Sunday evening prior with the Baccalaurate Service. It was beautiful, full of Scripture, inspirational readings, a wonderful charge given by one of the faculty and a Senior Choir. Graduation was held on Thursday in the fully packed gym. Below is just a small sampling of graduation and family pictures.

Moving the tassel, signifying he is now an alumni!!

Cliff's mom came from Georgia!

Best friend & partner in crime, his cousin, Zack.

Our family, minus Josh.

Sisters!!

My Parents.

Looking forward............

Jacob's Week of Finals

2011-05-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

One last High School choir concert. He sang his solo that he took to State Competition and recieved a "1" rating which is the best score he could get! He sang his heart out at this concert.

This is a glimpse of why I love living in our small town. Our Baseball, Softball, and Track teams all qualified for State-Level competition this year. The morning the teams left, these signs were all along the main road to wish them luck and support. Each team, coach, and athlete had a sign.

These three young men were the back-bone of the throwers. Jacob and the guy in front to his left placed in the top three in shot-put in every even this year. Usually one or the other of them would win. Jacob, however was the only one who qualified for state with a throw of 50 ft. 3/4 inches....his personal best.

Jacob did great at State. He beat his personal best with a throw of 54 inches! He ended up placing 5th!!

More than anything else this year, I am most proud of Jacob because at the beginning of the year he set some large goals for himself. He aspired to qualify for the State level in everything he competed in....and He did it! He went to state for Power-Lifting, Solos, Forensics, and Track. He worked so hard and finished well!!

Me & My Mom

2011-05-04T13:18:00.001-07:00

Since Christmas, I have been going through my mom's pictures. I've been scanning and attempting to digitally preserve these precious memories.

I have been thrilled to come across a couple pictures of myself, newly born with my young, beautiful mother. I cannot express how much I cherish these pictures.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

I am thankful for you every day!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Been A Long Time

2011-04-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at the VA medical center for what should be Cliff's last doctor's appointment. This whole roller-coaster ride began almost 2 months ago, right down the hall when we came to the emergency room for the shooting pain down his leg.

The MRI showed he had not one but THREE bulging discs. He could potentially have had them for years and didn't know it until the one hit the nerve endings. He recieved the lumbar epidural on Tuesday and today he's back to his old self....probably a bit better than his old self because he has no back pain. His visit to the dr. today will hopefully clear him to go back to work on Monday.

It's been 2 months full of up and down emotions. Obviously without him working the past two months, our income has definately been affected and to be honest, that has been the most discouraging part of this whole thing. God has brought us through to this point. We still have a couple weeks to get through and I'd been lying if I said I wasn't concerned. But we'll make it. We always do.

I am struck with the realization, however, that for many people, especially those battling chronic or terminal illnesses, this is a way of life. I have had the luxury of knowing that this is only temporary. That alone brings peace of mind. I have such a respect for those people and the people who care for them. I have some dear friends who are battling cancer. For them its not been a matter of a couple months but a couple of YEARS. They have no guarantees and no end in sight. Just when they think things are turning around, they seem to develop another set-back. My heart and my prayers go out to them. And I realize, in spite of my problems, just how very, very blessed I am.

FUN PROM PICS

2011-04-15T08:46:00.001-07:00

I wasn't "permitted" to take pictures of my boy the night of prom. I wasn't invited to "tag" along to pick up the girl and take pictures. It's ok, Jacob, I really do understand. However, I did manage to snag these off of Facebook. She's not a girlfriend (just in case you're interested) just a really, really good friend and ironically the granddaughter of my neighbor.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY

2011-04-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

23 years ago this morning, I was in a hospital delivery room, having a c-sectiont o deliver my second child. I'll never forget her dad yelling, "It's a girl!!" We named her Amy Elizabeth for no other reason than we loved the name...now I can't imagine her being anything else than an Amy.

Amy was so cute & petite with dark hair & a little turned up nose. And she was such a good baby. And she's pretty much the same today....good natured, easy going, happy, content, and a little bit of a mess....and I wouldn't have her any other way!

She's a good girl and an incredibly hard worker. She's a gifted singer and I am blessed to hear her sing almost every Sunday.

I know her adult life hasn't quite turned out as she thought it would when she graduated high school a couple years ago. But God has been so good to her and she's rolled with the punches. She's so HAPPY!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMY GIRL. YOUR MOM LOVES YOU MORE THAN WORDS COULD EVER EXPRESS!!

When You're Smiling.......

2011-04-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

When you're smiling,

The whole world smiles with you!!

Emily's Artwork

2011-04-12T07:16:00.001-07:00

Track Meet

2011-04-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

Updates

2011-04-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Cliff is still on medical leave. Monday marked one month that he's been out of work. He's been walking with a cane for most of this month. Last week he FINALLY began his daily physical therapy treatments and we felt like we were finally on the right road to his recovery. He was scheduled for an MRI on Friday and either an epidural or pain relief injections tomorrow. Unfortunately they could not do the MRI. He's a big guy and the fit in the machine was a little too tight. We now have to go to Topeka for the MRI and they don't have any openings until April 19 which pushes every back a couple weeks. We were both a bit discouraged over the weekend to say the least. However, yesterday was the first time he actually felt a bit of relief from the pain after his physical therapy which tells everyone involved we are on the right track. So, it looks like it's going to be at least another month and I'm trying very, very hard to be positive and find the positive in all of this. I know there's a reason but right now its a bit hard to see the forrest for the trees!

Yesterday we went on Jacob's fourth college visit. It's such an overwhelming process for an 18 year-old. He's still not sure where to go or what to do. I know God will give him some direction in the coming weeks.

Joshua has decided to take a much needed break from school after graduation before he enters graduate school. He's hoping to do some sort of missions work.

Amy is doing well at her job. She had moved up the ranks in seniority and with that comes certain perks like great hours. This shift in hours will allow her to take a part-time summer job that she was offerred out of the blue from a boss she worked for a year ago. Hopefully she'll be able to save enough to get herself a new car.

Emily is working hard to finish her freshman year with straight-A's. She's ready for summer vacation.

I'm trying to hold everything together and I have to be honest....I'm T.I.R.E.D but I'm tired an a way sleep doesn't help. If you think of it, please pray for Cliff and for us. We are available to whatever God has for us. No one said this life would be easy....it isn't and God also said He wouldn't give us more than we could bear although I told Cliff this morning that I might be near the boundary line.

Eighty-Nine Cents

2011-03-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

** Just in case you want to go :-) From the college website:... Click HERE to read more!

It's Not Really About the Bacon

2011-03-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Cliff woke up feeling achy and had been vomiting most of the night. We thought he had a case of the flu. That was Monday. By Wednesday of that week, he had pain up his leg into his lower back that seemed to be getting progressively worse. We ended up going to the emergency room at the VA hospital. He had an x-ray & ultra-sound to check for blood clots. Thank God that wasn't the problem. I truly wondered if we were going to leave that hospital with life-changing news. We got sent home with an appointment with a physical therapist. One issue is that his hip was out of joint and that got put back in and then they think he has a bulging disc wrapped around a nerve. It's been a LONG two weeks so far and we just haven't seemed to make any progress. Things seem to have gone from bad to worse and some days it just seems like nothing is working out.

So this morning, we had to go for another Dr. appt. so they could give him a shot in his back to get the pain under control. Until he has that they don't want to progress with the physical therapy. Of course, they wouldn't give him the shot because they want him to have an MRI. They can't get him in for one of those until April 1st. Which means he will be out of work at least another two weeks!

On our way home this morning, I needed to comfort of pancakes. I ordered pancakes and bacon. The bacon was rubbery and I sent it back. The waitress brought me some new slices that were worse than the first ones I sent back. And I have to admit, I tried hard to stop the tears over that stupid bacon. But it wasn't really the bacon. That gross bacon was the tip of the iceburg. It was the last straw and I just couldn't take one more thing going wrong!!

In Honor of St. Patty's Day - The Green Dog Mystery

2011-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Came home from church two weeks ago and found a little dog with GREEN SPOTS mixed in with his brown and black ones! Hmmmmmmmmm..........

Found a little GREEN PUDDLE on the floor of my kitchen!! Hmmmmmmm.............

Found this on the floor in the livingroom. Someone was naughty while we were at church. Who could it be?? Hmmmmmm.......

There's no denying who it was! He couldn't blame the other dogs....he was caught red (er....GREEN) handed!! Oh Lou, we do love you!!!

Recent Productions

2011-03-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Looks like the boy played "Elvis" in a recent production. After playing "Prince Charming" and "Elvis" he's beginning to feel like he's being typecast!! I find this quite humerous!!

Poster for his Senior Project (thesis)....Should be good....wish I could go!!

Jacob and His Amazing, Incredible Week

2011-03-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

My post title is actually a take off from the book, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." But in Jacob's case it was the opposite. He had the week of his life (so far.)

It actually started right before his trip to Wichita. He FINALLY got a job offer. And to his surprise and delight, it was for a store he really likes and I'm sure will be be making purchases from in the future, The Gap!

The last Saturday of Feb. he has priviledged to take part in the Kansas All-State Honor Choir. Making this choir is not an easy task. Out of the thousands of 10th-12th grade students, only 150 are selected to this choir. He had to go through quite an audition process and this year it paid off. Jacob said he sang like he never sang before in this choir. We all drove over on Saturday to enjoy the amazing concert. They were that good. Josh met us there and it Cliff and I had a rare treat....dinner with all 4 of our kids!!

The following Satuday Jacob participated in the State Powerlifting Championships for 4-A schools. He worked extremely hard in the weeks leading up to this event, losing 10 pounds which put him in a lighter weight bracket. He lifted a total of 975 pounds!! He received 2nd place in "cling" (shown in the pictures below), lifting 275 pounds! He received 1st place in bench, lifting 290 pounds and Cliff said he didn't even break a sweat on that one! That total combined weight named him the State Champ in his division!

Each of these three events in Jacob's life had a common thread. He had to work and be diligent in all three areas. In Powerlifting, they are made aware that as freshmen they had to work up to their senior year. Most kids go to meets and never medal. It's all about personal goals and doing your best personally and scoring points for the team. Jacob worked hard at this for the past 4 years and I'm thrilled he saw results. It was the same with the Honor Choir. It is HARD to make this choir. He determined last year to do the work it took to make the choir. The same thing with his job. He's been filling out job applications for at least 1 1/2 years. He's been discouraged but hasn't quit. I'm hoping he's picked up on all the life lessons that have come his way in just a week! Persistance.....Diligence.....Character.......Integrity........Not-Quitting even though it seems like you're getting no where. You can't pay for those kinds of lessons and you can't learn them from a book.

30 Day Challenge - Day 31

2011-03-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

30 Day Challenge: Day 31:

I find it so hard to believe an entire month has gone by!

I have to tell you, I enjoyed these past 30 days and I hope you found it an interesting, if not entertaining peek into my life (and my head.)

I discovered some new things about myself and some things I already knew. I think, however, I have a greater sense of appreciation for just how "wealthy" I am. I am so blessed and I try not to take for granted the gift of God that is my husband, my greatest accomplishments, who are my children, my heritage, which is my family tree, and my greatest love, which is my God. And I'm ever thankful that God's love isn't based on my love for Him but rather His for me.

30 Day Challenge - Day 30

2011-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 30: A Picture of Someone You Miss:

(Top)

Grandma & Grandpa Benzing

(Bottom)

Grandma & Grandpa Adrian

Without a doubt, some of the people I miss the most are my grandparents. These two pictures capture how I remember them. Young, vibrant, full of life, and full of love for their grandkids. I was a bit closer to my grandmothers....in fact, I had such a special connection to each of them.
At my Grandpa Benzing's funeral, it hit me hard that my life with grandparents was over and that made me so sad. Today I cherish their memories and their photographs. 4 special people who lived and loved and who have passed on but have left behind incredible legacies.

30 Day Challenge - Day 29

2011-03-01T11:08:00.001-08:00

Day 30: A Picture That Can Always Make You Smile:

As soon as I read the topic for today's picture, I knew which one I would use. I did NOT change these to sepia because you have to have the color to get the full impact. I specifically scanned these for this blog post. They are among my favorites and yes, they really do make me smile every time I look at them.

In the red is my nephew, Zachary and in the blue is my son, Jacob. They are the same age, born on the same day. They were at my house and they found Josh or Amy's stamp pads. They must have been fruit scented. Fortunately my sister had her camera.

30 Day Challenge - Day 28

2011-02-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 28: A Picture of Something You Are Afraid Of:

I am very, very, very, very afraid of heights!! I've had this fear as long as I can remember.
It's horrible, it's irrational and has led to more than one panic attack!!
This is a picture of me, my brother, sister, and our cousins on top of one of the World Trade Center towers in 1976....you can see the corner of the second tower in the left side of the picture. You can also get a sense of how high up we are! My sister is the one casually leaning on the railing....I'm the one in front of her....I'm smiling but I know I was ready to go back in and DOWN!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 27

2011-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 27: A Picture of You and a Family Member:

This is me & my dad. I think I was approximately 3-4 weeks old. I LOVE this picture. I chose my dad for this post because... 1) I think I may have a total of 2 or 3 pictures of just me & my dad. And 2) My dad is my hero. He really is. He's not perfect but he's such a good man and he's been such a good dad to me. He's given me such an incredible earthly picture of what my Heavenly Father's love is all about.

30 Day Challenge - Day 26

2011-02-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 26: A Picture of Something That Means Alot To You:

HOME!

Today it is rainy, icy, snowy and I can't wait to go home and settle in for the evening. No matter how hectic the day, at the end of it I love to go home to my little house. I've tried to make my house peaceful and relaxing. Yep, there's quite a bit of work that needs to be done to it...after all, it is 101 years old, but its a cute little house, full of history and personality and it's right where I want to be!

30 Day Challenge - Day 25

2011-02-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 25: A Picture of Your Day:

I confess, I am not writing this post on the 25th....today is the 23rd so I am giving you a picture of my day today. The above picture captures what I feel like today. I've got alot going on all at the same time today and to be honest, I feel a little overwhelmed. It doesn't help anything that I've been a bit under the weather with some sinus/allergy junk and today I've got a headache that won't quit. I took Excederine for the headache...didn't help the headache, just gave me the jitters!

Anyhow, I'm working on my blog, doing some research for work, got laundry going and in about an hour I've got to go pick up my girl from school & take her home. 20 minutes later, I go back & get my boy from school and take him to a job interview. In the meantime I've got to find time yet to do some dishes and make dinner and get to church on time.

HOWEVER, I'm NOT complaining....having two kids grown and gone already, I treasure this short but alone time with each kid. They fill me in on their day. My son is so excited about this job interview and I want him to know he can ALWAYS count on me....especially if it involves something thats so important to him! These days are fast & fleeting where my kids are concerned. Boy will graduate in 2 1/2 short months. I'm not quite ready....what parent ever is?

And dinner? Let's just say cooking dinner is alot different these days that it was when I had 4 kids at home. Its just a whole lot less hectic. AND it makes my husband's day when he walks into the house after work and smells dinner. He looks forward to that all day. I know, its such a small thing and it makes such a big difference to him. He's been working long, long hours these days. Its seems to be the least that I can do and I actually do enjoy it (most nights).

30 Day Challenge - Day 24

2011-02-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 24: A Picture of Something You Wish You Could Change:

I have no picture for this one and its a little hard to talk about. The thing that instantly came to my mind that I wish I could change is child abuse. The thought of children, cowering in fear from the people who are supposed to protect them is more than my mind can handle. I have little-to-no grace for parents who put their children in dangerous situations or treat them like trash.

30 Day Challenge - Day 23

2011-02-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 23: A Picture of Your Favorite Book:

This one was H.A.R.D. because I LOVE to read! I decided to choose for my favorite book one that I have turned to year after year since a dear friend gave me a copy back in 1994. I do LOVE this book and I think next to God's Word it has done more my Christian walk than any other book I've read.
While I'm on the subject of reading, let me just say this. I know the latest trend is electronic readers and books. I know from a practical standpoint, they make so much sense. But for me, there is nothing that will ever take the place of the tactile feeling of reading an actual book. I've tried reading e-books but they just don't work for me. I want an actual paper book.

30 Day Challenge - Day 22

2011-02-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 22: A Picture of Something You Wish You Were Better At:

I wish I were better at gardening & yard work. I think the better way to phrase it would be to say that I wish I actually enjoyed it. I like the idea of gardening and beautiful plant beds but the idea of kneeling over little plants in 90% humidity is not my idea of a wonderful afternoon. I also do not posess a green thumb. I don't even have one houseplant because they do not survive in my house.

30 Day Challenge - Day 21

2011-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 21: A Picture of Something You'd Like to Forget:

I would like to forget all the times I've hurt people...especially people I love. Whether by careless words or actions, whether intentional or not. I try to be careful. I try to choose my words carefully. I try but am not always successful. I've seen the looks on faces and I've know I stepped past a boundary line. I've apologized but sometimes those hurt looks stay with you for a while.

30 Day Challenge - Day 20

2011-02-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 20: A Picture of Someplace You'd Like to Travel:

OK, I have to count out overseas travel because I will NOT fly. I have a horrible fear and airplanes are OUT. Hence, the RV trip I talked about a few days ago.
One place I've been wanting to visit for years is Mt. Rushmore. Not sure why. I've just always wanted to go there and take it all in.

30 Day Challenge - Day 19

2011-02-19T11:41:00.001-08:00

Day 19: A Picture and A Letter:

This is a grouping of special cards & letter I have kept close for years.
They are so valuable to me.

A couple of them are from my Grandma Adrian....a letter she wrote me when she found out I was pregnant with her first great-grandchild and the last birthday card I received from her, two weeks before she passed away.
A Christmas card from my Grandma Benzing.
A Card & letter from Lillian Huffines - an older lady who was in our church in Baltimore. When Amy was born, my mom would take her into the sanctuary so the older ladies could see her. Ms. Lillian fell in love with her and when we moved to FL just a few short months later, Ms. Lillian always sent a card with a few dollars for Christmas & Amy's birthday...for 20 years! Cards came until one year, Amy's birthday passed with no card and we got word that Ms. Lillian has passed on.
A letter I received from my Aunt Kathy on the morning of my wedding. What made this so special is that her husband, my Uncle Gene had passed away just a few months prior. She wrote me some encouraging words and some things she learned from her marriage. I saved it all these years because I felt she had such a good perspective on cherishing your spouse.
A Christmas card from a dear friend, Margaret O'dell. Margaret was the lady who introduced Cliff & I. Cliff knew her when he was a little boy in Georgia. Margaret had moved to NY and was in our church and when Cliff was stationed in NY during his years in the Navy, he looked up Margaret and she introduced us and the rest is history. We didn't know it at the time but this would be the last card & letter we received from her. We did not know how sick she was with cancer.

30 Day Challenge: Day 18

2011-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 18: A Picture of Your Biggest Insecurity:

Whew....this one is HARD!!!! No, my biggest insecurity is NOT my son, Josh. My biggest insecurity is myself! I have battled insecurity issues for years and years. Fears of not being good enough, thin enough, pretty enough. Fears of being stupid or not fitting in. I know most of that is normal for most teenagers but I still battle alot of that today. I have had to learn how to deal with it. It's a matter of taking them daily....sometimes several times a day to God. It's a matter of renewing my mind in His Word which tells me exactly who I am in Him.

No, it isn't always easy. Somedays I let the entire day go by without renewing my mind and I know it. Somedays I just don't want to put out the effort or do the work because, frankly, it is work. The results, however, are worth it!

30 Day Challenge - Day 17

2011-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 17: A Picture of Something that has Impacted Your Life Recently:

January 29, 2010, I didn't know what was going to happen to us. This was the day Cliff lost the job he had held for 3 years and, given the state of the economy, I just wasn't sure how things were going to turn out. I knew that God would take care of us and provide, which He did, but, as with most people, I appreciate the security that comes with having a job.

A good friend of ours at church is in management at Conway freight and it just seemed from the moment this friend called Cliff through getting haz-mat added to his license, through the interviews, everything just feel into place.

God definately shut a door in our lives but opened a much, much better one!!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 16

2011-02-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 16: A Picture of Someone Who Inspires You:

Seriously, this one was kind of hard because there are so many people who inspire me. In the last several years, however, one of the most inspiring things I've done is read about the 20 years of life contained in my grandmother's journals. The challenges of being a new wife and mother, how she supported my grandpa when he sold the farm and went to college to become a minister. How she handled the ministry as a pastor's wife and mom. How she loved her children and grandchildren. How she loved Jesus and how she bravely dealt with her cancer and faced death. It was quite something to read her words in her own hand and its an experience I treasure.

30 Day Challenge - Day 15

2011-02-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 15: A Picture of Something You Want to Do Before You Die:

Ok, I don't know if this is like my "bucket list" but it is two things I would like to do that I haven't done yet....and if you're looking for something very deep and profound here....sorry!!

I would LOVE to take an RV trip and see the good old USA....mostly west of Kansas City and south of us.

I would also like to have grandchildren. Please don't think I'm rushing my adult kids in any way....its just something I'm looking forward to.

30 Day Challenge - Day 14

2011-02-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 14: A Picture of Someone You Could Never Imagine Your Life Without:

These two picture are representative of my family. I cannot nor do I want to imagine living my life without any one of them. Cliff or any of my kids, my mom or day, or my brother, sister or any of their families. But it doesn't stop there. That feeling continues to my extended family all over this country. We are spread far but on the other hand we are close.

Yes, this particular day was hard to do and not nice to think about but on the other hand, it forces me to once again stop, be thankful, and appreciate all the people in my life.

30 Day Challenge - Day 13

2011-02-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 13: A Picture of Your Favorite Band or Artist:

Right now, I am loving the music of Chris Tomlin.

There is something about his worship songs that I connect with. They are fairly straight forward and have depth yet are simple so they are fairly easy to sing along with...which I do! And, if you attend our church, so do you as we use quite a few of them on Sunday mornings!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 12

2011-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 12: A Picture of Something You Love:

I love, love, love my church. I love working there. I love my job. I love the people I work with. I love going in on Sunday morning and working with our Worship Arts Teams. They are the best and we have a good time as we prepare to give our best through the ministry of worship. I love my pastor (who also happens to be my dad). I love that he is on Sunday what he is through the week. He is man who loves God and desires to give Him his best. I love our community....friends who I have the privilege of seeing week after week. I look forward to seeing them like I look forward to family gatherings. I've been at Liberty for 14 years now and I look forward to many, many more years to come.

Beautiful Pictures = A Beautiful Layout

2011-02-11T12:03:00.001-08:00

On May 9, 2009, our family gather in Ohio for the memorial service of my Grandpa Benzing. He was a good man, a devout man of God who also served his country during World War II. I had never attended a military graveside service until this one. My sister, Elizabeth, and my cousin-in-law, Laura took some stunning pictures which they both posted online. I copied all of them to my computer, knowing I wanted to preserve them in one of my scrapbooks. I wasn't sure what to do until I was looking through a magazine and came across this quote: "The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example." It was the inspiration I needed. I changed the photos to black & white in photoshop and left the colors of the flag as well as my Uncle Ron's uniform as he saluted the casket. I used an 8x10 for my main photo and 4x6 for the others. I kept the layout very simple because I wanted the dramatic photos to speak for themselves.

30 Day Challenge - Day 11

2011-02-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 11: A Picture of Something You Hate:

This map show the distance between myself, my brother and my sister. He lives in Tampa, FL and she lives in Macon, GA. Sometimes its hard. I miss them. I miss their families. I hate that times passes so fast and I have little nieces and nephews with whom I have little-to-no relationship with. It's the way it is and we live with it but it doesn't mean I have to like it!

30 Day Challenge - Day 10

2011-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 10: A Picture of the Person You Do the Craziest Things With:

This one was seriously a no-brainer. My mom and I have spent alot of time together over the past 14 years we've been here in KS. We've shared alot of crazy "incidents"....from making wrong turns to losing kids! One of our craziest times was when we were ready to leave work and I could NOT find my keys. We looked for over an hour and at this point my mom was praying a very desperate prayer for God to help us locate those keys. As it turns out, they were on a table in front of us the entire time....one of us had covered them with our coat. Yep...Good times!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 9

2011-02-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 9: A Picture of the Person Who Has Gotten You Through the Most.

Hands down, this is my husband, Cliff. He's seen me at my best and he's seen me at my worst. We've been through alot together and we've been together 27 years!

30 Day Challenge - Day 8

2011-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 8: A Picture That Makes You Laugh:

This one was HARD!! I LOVE this picture. My daughter, Emily, and her cousin Anna. We were at Stone Mountain, GA. Really....how far were they going to see?? Funny!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 7

2011-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 7: A picture of your most treasured item:

Well, this one's easy...by far, my most treasured items are my four kids. I love my pictures and scrapbooks and I have a few things of my grandmother's but nothing comes even close to the treasure of my children!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 26

2011-02-06T09:00:00.001-08:00

Day 26: A Picture of Something That Means Alot

To You:

Ok, this one was tough because really, how can you pick just one? I'm just going to pick a special moment from a few months ago that I've already blogged about but it was one of the things that meant alot to me.

When your kids are small, you pour and pour into them...and when their babies and toddlers, you get back giggles, wet kisses, soft little sighes and the coveted utterance of mama and dada. Then you reach the stage where they pick you dandelions and write sweet little papers at school about why their mom or dad is the best mom or dad in the world. And then they reach their upper teen years and beyond and those sweet little moments are almost non-existent on a daily level...in fact, some days you feel like "public enemy #1" while you are just trying to help guide them into adulthood.

My kids have not ever been mean but we have had our moments...I had them with my parents too. And you enter this stage where you just wonder how your relationship is going to turn out. Will they still include me? Do they still need me? Do I matter to them? You know you do but there are days when you just don't feel like it...but you stay there in the background of their lives, cheering them up, supporting them in ways they cant see, know, or even understand....taking them before the throne of God in your prayers.

And all of the sudden, out of no-where, they give back.

That's what my son, Josh did for me at his recital when he sang this song for me. So today, instead of a picture, you get a video. I don't know why they take so long to upload...if you haven't seen it, wait for it because its worth it.

30 Day Challenge - Day 6

2011-02-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 6: A picture of a person you'd like to trade places with for a day:

I have no picture for this one because, frankly, I like my life...even with all its ups and downs its good and its mine. Yes, I'd like a new car or a dishwasher but that doesn't mean I'm not content...I am. I love where I'm at and I like where I'm heading. So, I don't want to trade.

30 Day Challenge - Day 5

2011-02-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 5: A picture of your favorite memory:

I have so many good memories! I decided to choose my most favorite childhood memories...spending time with my grandparents. This is the scene I would see after we drove all night to get to my Ohio grandparents. When I'd see this motel sign, I'd get so excited because I knew my grandparents were right around the corner.

My grandmother's are my pearls...they were so special and they made me feel so special. I miss them.

30 Day Challenge - Day 4

2011-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 4: Your Night:

This one was a little difficult. I chose a picture of a full moon I took out on my front porch last year. Most of my evenings/nights consist of cooking & eating dinner, watching a TV show, reading or scrapbooking, and trying to make myself go to bed at a decent hour (which is difficult to do when you're a serious night owl!) I LOVE the nightime....if I didn't have to get up I would have myself programmed to stay up all night....I feel my most creative at night!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 3

2011-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 4: A picture of the cast of your favorite TV show:

Well, I wasn't sure what show to go with here....CSI, NCIS, Blue Bloods, Human Target, Everybody Loves Raymond, Seinfeld...in the end, however, I decided to go with my all-time favorite and a timeless classic:

I LOVE LUCY

30 Day Challenge - Day 2

2011-02-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Day 2: A picture of you & the person you've been closest with the longest:

I could have gone with Cliff here but obviously I've known my parents my ENTIRE life and I'm still very close to them...as well as my brother and sister.

This kind of funny picture was taken in 1970 (as if you couldn't guess) and I'm the little girl in the front with the long hair.

I'm glad to live so close to my parents. Don't quite know what I'd do without them...I'm 45 and a mom of 4 yet I still need my mom and dad. Wish I lived closer to my siblings but it just isn't to be at this time in our lives.

30 Day Challenge - Day 1

2011-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

I've seen this 30-Day Challenge going around on Facebook.

I thought it would be some fun blog prompts!

So here we go....

Day One: A Photo of Yourself with Five Facts:

1. I'm overall pretty content and happy with most parts of my life.

2. Most evenings I'm glad to be home and watch a good TV show.

3. I'm trying to not take things or people for granted...especially my family.

4. My faith and my family are the most important things in my life.

5. It's been hard but I've learned to laugh at myself and not take so much too seriously.

More Snow!

2011-01-31T11:06:00.000-08:00

These are some of Emily's pictures from our last snow. Evidentaly we are in for another big one today! The last dog with the coat is Amy's...he lives with us now and he has such a short coat he needs a coat or he shivers!!

Blessings

2011-01-31T08:40:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, I was given a small photo album for Christmas. It has room for lots of journaling and holds one picture per page. Right away I knew what I wanted to do with this album. Blessings. It's based on the song from White Christmas, "Counting My Blessings." At first I was going to make a 4x6 scrapbook layout for each picture but have since decided to make 4x6 digital layouts. This has been a work in progress. The first thing I had to do was determine what my blessings are...I know that sounds kind of silly but I had to figure out how & what I was going to feature. Categories like My Family have to be broken down into my parents, my siblings, my grandparents, my husband, and my kids. After that, I divided the book with post-its on how I want it to lay out and now I'm working on digital layouts. One here and one there...whenever I feel inspired to work on one. Its gonna take a while. These are a few that I've completed:

One of My Best Friends

2011-01-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

A nice picture of a really good Cat!! Pebbles is her name.

My Boys

2011-01-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Both of my sons celebrate birthdays the week between Christmas & New Years. Jacob on December 28 & Joshua on December 31.

Both boys have turned into some incredible young men and both of these young men will graduate this May. Jacob will graduate from high school and Joshua will graduate with a double major. To say that we are so proud of these young men is to put it mildly. We are blessed!!!!!!!

Jacob turned 18.

Joshua turned 25.

Goals?

2011-01-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know anything about me, know that I love to be organized. I'm not saying that every area of my life or my house is actually organized but I'm always looking to achieve a certain amount of organization...I function best there.

So, knowing my nerdy, organizational ways, I was THRILLED to come across a free, downloadable "Goals & Priorities" diary/planner (did I also mention I LOVE paperwork & office supplies?) on Facebook here. (There is a tab for the free diary and the promotion ends Jan. 10)

So, the other night I sat & wrote out 20 goals for myself and our home this year. Most of them I'd already been thinking about. Some of them are simple and some are quite a large undertaking. I love, though, how the diary takes these yearly goals and breaks them down into months, weeks, and then days.

REALITY CHECK: It's week #1. To be honest, I probably won't achieve all the goals on my list....in fact I would be very surprised if I did. Frankly, I may not keep up the diary/planner for the entire year. I may but then again I may forget about it or loose interest. There's only so much we have control over. I found that out a long time ago. God has a way of taking me through turns in roads I never knew existed. But the things that I can control...like taking better care of myself and trying to celebrate moments in my kid's lives I want to do my best at them.

My dad always used to have a saying about goals that I think my grandpa passed on to him:

"Goals are like stars...we may not always reach them but they keep us looking up."

So for today, I'm finally feeling better from that crazy stomach bug, I'm already facing the first "hurdle" of the new year, and I've got a plan for the things I can control because time slips away far too easily as it is. As for the things I can't? well, I gave up control of that to ONE who is far greater than I, and frankly, He's far better at controlling my life than I am!

2010 - Reflection

2011-01-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

When we celebrated the New Year last January, I was full of goals, hopes and optimism for the New Year as I usually am at this time of year.

It didn't take long before we faced some uncertainty in our home. Cliff found out on January 29 that he lost his job. Being unemployed on the heels of several layoffs made our days extremely uncertain through the early winter months of 2010. One thing that continued with certainty, though, was God's continued provision and care. Through several different means, God provided for our needs again and again And as Spring approached, so did a new job opportunity. The loss of the job was a blessing in disguise as Cliff's current job is far, far better...in every way. Amy began work in the billing dept. a few months later. It was a blessing for her too as she was now able to afford to move into her own place.

It was our pleasure to be surrounded by all our kids this summer as Josh chose to spend his summer break with us. We were so glad to have him home for an extended period of time and thankful for all the hard work he put into the yard and painting the house. Emily was his constant side-kick and assistant. There is still a bit of trim work that has to be done but that can wait until Spring.

Fall saw three of the kids return to school. Emily started High School as a freshman. Jacob is a senior and Josh is a 5-year college senior. We also had the pleasure of watching the two boys perform in musicals in their respective schools. Cliff & I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary this past November.

December brought Josh's senior recital. The memories still take my breath away. It was quite the surreal experience. Christmas was good. It's always good to have all my kids together.

And, here I sit, looking forward to a new year...with all new goals, hopes, and optimism. And I know that whatever this new year holds, I know Who holds it and I know Who holds me!

Christmas Memories

2010-12-31T19:09:00.000-08:00

A tray of some of our Christmas treats. Red Velvet mini cupcakes, the famous Sugar Cookies, and Peppermint Meltaways.

I put up 4 trees this year...starting with a miniature tree and growing in size up to the largest one shown here. It is full of ornaments and looked so pretty. I love my Christmas ornaments. They are so personal and bring back special memories. It had grown, though and I now spread it out between 3 trees.

I added this guy to the collection this year. As has become my tradition, I purchase two ornaments for each of my kids each year. As I was looking through the ornaments at Target, I saw this Mr. Potato Head. I LOVED him. He looked so happy I knew as soon as I saw him he was coming home with me!

A friend of mine had family that worked at Hallmark and several years ago, Hallmark had a line of I Love Lucy ornaments. I must have 6 or 7. When Hallmark quit the line, Amy found one made by American Greetings. I hadn't seen another one since...until this year. Once again, I was looking through the ornaments at Kohls and came across this Lucy with her little chicks. I couldn't resist and she came home to hang on the tree too!

Holiday Greetings

2010-12-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

This Year's Cookie

2010-12-21T14:18:00.001-08:00

The past several years, I've decided to try new cookie recipes at Christmas. Last year I tried a recipe for some very cute "Butter Cookie Snowmen." At least they looked cute in the picture. My attempt at these cookies ended up looking more like ugly white looking rocks. They never made it to the table! I did, however try another recipe for "Cookie Dough Truffles" which were delicious.

This year, the recipe I decided to try was "Peppermint Meltaways." Delicious! A nice, light cookie confection that is a little minty yet sweet. They really do just melt in your mouth. Yep, we have a winner!

It's The Funniest Thing

2010-12-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

I purchased this Christmas count-down calendar when Amy was a baby - 23 years ago. It was an Avon special purchase. It has hung in our home every year since then.

When the kids were young, we had to take turns with who got to advance the little mouse each night.

These days there are only two left at home. And even though they are almost 18 and 15, the little mouse still gets moved every day!

A Song For His Mother

2010-12-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

About 6 years ago, I came across a CD by a group called, "IL Divo." It is a group of 4-5 Italian young men with classical voices. The 2nd song or so on the CD was a song called, "Nella Fantasia." I LOVE this song. It is so lyrical and the melody is so beautiful. I also love the classical male tenor voice singing it and I knew this was a song I wanted to hear Josh sing. I know I told him at the time and several times more over the years but knowing that this is his last year in this school and not knowing where he'll end up next, I'd all but given up hope of ever hearing him sing this song...until Friday night when I looked at the program....and to my surprise saw that it was the final song.

Now I need to stop here and say that I'm glad he waited all these years to sing it. It would have been good before but he has fine-tuned his voice. He's learned breath and control and Friday night he sang as good as I've ever heard him sing.

He asked two of his friends to sing along with him as well as his friend, Jordan who accompanied him the entire evening. Jordan is only 19 and I was so impressed with his piano skills. He had some tough pieces to play. Also playing were a friend on the cello and clarinet.

I'm so glad I recorded this one. I've listened to it several times already. You'll see him turn directly to the camera and smile right before he sings. The smile said, "This one's for you, mom." Once again, I'm getting teary thinking about it. I smiled back at him and mine said, "I know!! and I love you!"

Recital Thoughts & Memories

2010-12-06T15:01:00.000-08:00

From the moment I saw the poster's Joshua had printed for his recital, I knew it was going to be something special. Josh has always had an eye for detail and his recital was no exception. Was I was not prepared for, however, was how overwhelmed I would feel by the end of the night. I've been trying to process my thoughts, feelings, and emotions since Friday evening and even now its hard to put into words how the night turned out.

Everything came together beautifully for his reception. I'm amazed at how on a very small budget, we put out a reception that had people asking who catered it. In another post I'll share some of the money-saving things we did. The school provided a beautiful room called, The Meeting Place, and it looked beautiful. The support and encouragement began almost immediately. Josh works as an assistant to the athletic director. He asked if he could borrow the coffee urns they have & she gave him the key to the concession stand and told him to help himself to whatever he needed. Not having to purchase coffee and cups, sugar and creamer saved us lots of money. Several professors stopped by and wished him luck and offered any assistance if needed. It was at this point I was beginning to appreciate the fact that he is in a small school.

The recital was held upstairs in the chapel. The normal attendance for a recital is 50-75 people. We figured he'd have about 100. The people began coming and coming and coming. They had to bring in more chairs downstairs and upstairs in the balcony. In fact, it was standing room only. The president of the college was there as were all the heads of the music department. Josh had no idea of the response until he came into the room. He was blown away by the crowd of almost 300 and when he looked up in the balcony, he saw his high school music teacher had come to surprise him. He was overwhelmed and had to quickly compose himself to begin his first song.

It is an odd and overwhelming feeling to be in a venue like that where all these people gather for your kid and to hear his name talked about in very positive ways. Word got around that we were his parents and they had such kind and encouraging comments about him. One lady gave us a note and had clipped out articles about Josh that had appeared in the local paper. I was brought to tears by their support and encouragement. Cliff sat by a man who was the former head of the music dept at the college. He told Cliff that this was the best recital they've hosted in years and that Josh has brought something back to the music dept. Even as I write this I'm overwhelmed by those sorts of comments.

Sometimes the gift is bigger than the kid...and part of the journey is learning to embrace not only the gift but the Giver of that gift. At one point, Josh fought his gift and he fought the Giver. He thought he would give up music all together and go in a different direction. I knew he couldn't. I've known there is a song in him that always has to come out. It was a difficult time being his mom while he was fighting. He almost lost everything. I'm continually thankful that God, in his grace, has always kept people in his life who have been on his side and fought for him. One of those was his high school music teacher. Another is his current vocal coach...who kept after him even after he totally blew off his first college level vocal competition. At his recital, it was as if he'd come full circle. Musically you can tell he embraced his gift....he works hard at it now....continually honing his voice and it shows. And I know he's made peace with the Giver of his gift. He's at peace. And I'm so very thankful and feeling very, very blessed!

This past Sunday some of the children in our church sang and played their violins and I have a whole new appreciation for the women who work with those kids. That's where my son got his start. His Aunt Elizabeth was his first little choir director. He was given opportunities to sing at a very young age. And what better place than in God's house? God is definately very, very GOOD!!

**Unfortunately, I'm not having success uploading video today. I'll try again tomorrow!

Recital Preparations

2010-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

It is customary for the family to provide a reception following the Senior Recital. This came as no surprise to me as Josh and I discussed it last summer.

Most people go with cookies. My son, however, has chosen 3 of his top favorite treats...Red Velvet Cupcakes, Peanut Butter Balls, and Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies. Now, we are expecting no less than 100 people, so since Grandma is the master of the cream cheese spritz cookies she has volunteered to press out dozens and dozens. Emily and I will be working on rolling and dipping dozens and dozens of peanut butter balls, I will be baking the red cupcakes in miniature sizes so those will probably be the easiest to make in bulk and the frosting will be done there. Amy is trying her hand at a new recipe for cake pops.

Tomorrow I have to go shopping for everything and Thursday is the big baking, rolling, dipping day!!

Jacob & Emily have both been chosen to participate in District Honor Choirs on Saturday so we won't even be able to stay for the reception.

I'll try to post again on Monday pictures and hopefully a video or two.

CAN'T WAIT!

2010-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Oh boy am I one proud mom again!!!!!

You can read all the details by clicking HERE.

Losing A Generation

2010-11-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

I wrote a few weeks ago about a dear lady in our church who is in a nursing home...Mrs. R. Two weeks ago, her husband, Mr. R. passed away. His funeral was probably one of the saddest ones I've ever been to. I felt so sorry for Mrs. R. because I don't know if she even knew of his passing or could even comprehend it at this point. I felt so sorry for both of them because I don't even know the last time they had seen eachother. They lost the presence of one another and with that, they seemed to have lost their strength. I don't even know that they got to say goodbye to one another.

With Mr. R's passing, comes the stark reminder that an entire generation is passing away and frankly that just makes me sad. Its a generation of women named, Olive, Pearl, and Midge. Men named, Percival, Eugene, and Albert. Quickly passing are first-hand memories of WWII and rationing; full-service gas stations and the art of letter writing.

I find such comfort in older people. Gray-haired ladies who have mastered the art of cooking recipes that have been handed down for generations and men who still wear hats. People who entertain us not with the latest movie but with stories and tales of the good old days.

These are our treasures. Those who remain still have so much to offer. Remember them this holiday season.

26 Years and Counting

2010-11-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

26 years ago, we said our vows and life began. It's been an interesting ride! God has been so good to us. He has kept us in situations where we have continually been surrounded by good friends and family who in one way or another have helped us, encouraged us, given our cars jumps, babysat, listened to us cry, pushed us to try again or to keep going.

I'm guessing I know most of you who read this blog and I just want to tell you how thankful I am for you. You are so special to Cliff & I.

After 26 years, sometimes the romance fades a bit. It's not all Cupid, flowers, and candle-lit

dinners. But thats a good thing...because in its place is a love that runs so much deeper. Something that doesn't needs words most of the time. We just know we are there for eachother. I know that he will make his coffee and pack his lunch every night, get in his truck and drive 40 minutes to drive all night to support our family. I know that he'll support our kids and be there for them anyway he can. I know he'd also do anything for my mom and dad or any member of my family.

He knows that every morning I'll get up and make sure his two kids who still live at home will be taken to school. He knows that there will be food in the fridge & coffee to put in his coffee pot. There will be clean clothes in his closet and things at home will be taken care of. He knows that his children will be well cared for and I'd do anything for his mom or any member of his family.

Comfort, Security, Trust and Love. That's what we have...and its good.

Seussical Video Two

2010-11-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

Seussical Video 1

2010-11-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry this is not a complete video. Didn't have time to sort through them good before posting.

Seussical The Musical

2010-11-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, our family was on a vacation in GA. Right before we left for home, I came into some extra money. On a stop in Nashville in an outlet mall, I let the kids pick out two CDs for the ride home. The oldest ones, Josh & Amy, actually did the picking and we drove home, listening to the soundtracks of Grease and Seussical the Musical. Little did we know that just a few years later, Amy would be in a high school production of Grease. And we definately did not know that Jacob would be in the production of Seussical.

If you've never seen Seussical, its Dr. Seuss put to music with the main story line being, Horton Hears a Who. The music is fun and entertaining and very kid-friendly. Jacob was Horton the Elephant in this production and having never seen him in any venue like this before, we were not sure how he would handle the pressure and nerves. He did GREAT!!!!!

I wish I could put the entire musical on here but the best I can do is give you a sampling of a high school production of Seussical, where the kids had so much fun presenting it and we, the audience had fun watching.

Random Childhood Memories

2010-11-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

It must be the all-too-quickly approaching holiday season that has me waxing nostalgic. Over the past couple days, I've been remembering some various memories from my childhood. There's no rhyme or reason to them:

Instead of waiting to take us shoe shopping after school or on a Saturday, my mom would trace an outline of our foot on a piece of paper and take that to the store with her to buy our shoes. (Usually those white canvas tennis shoes)....maybe she didn't want the hassle of us kids in the store with her!
Back in the day before everything was packaged in plastic, most liquids came in glass bottles. For some reason I didn't have a thermos so my mom put my kool-aid for my lunch in a small glass bottle. Of course I dropped my lunch that day and there was glass everywhere!
Speaking of glass, my mom had a glass tea/coffee pot. One morning as I was getting ready to leave for school, I swung it around and hit the counter with it, spilling the boiling water all over my feet. I had to put my socks & white canvas tennis shoes on my burnt feet!! Somehow I managed to get to the wooden telephone booth at school and call my mom to come and get me because my feet were on fire!! She did!!
I used to have the classic red rubber golashes and the plaid lunchbox!
When I was a little girl of 5, we lived in a house in a small country town upstate, NY. The house had a big willow tree over the driveway that we spent hours playing under. When it rained, large puddles would form in the driveway (they seemed the size of a pond to my 5-year old imagination) and I was so disappointed to discover you cannot use a tobaggan to set sail in a pond-like puddle.

Operation Christmas Child

2010-10-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

For the past 12 years, it has been my privilege to be involved with Operation Christmas Child. Anyone can get involved in helping send Christ's love, packed in a shoebox, to children around the world.

Operation Christmas Child is able to enter into countries that have been affected by war, disease, famine, poverty and the like and give just a little bit of Christmas cheer in the name of Christ to children and their families.

I can hardly watch the videos of kids, so happy to receive a little box with soap, toothpaste & toothbrush, and a few small toys. We, who have so much can certainly give...it takes so little!

This year, I have determined to do more than I have ever done before. My daughter, Emily, is using her birthday money to fill a shoebox.

If you are in the KC area and want to fill a shoebox or need more info, leave me a comment. If you want more info, click on the picture above and it will take you to the website.

For me, its just another way to minister to those who can so easily be forgotten.

Comfort One Another (Especially those who can easily be forgotten)

2010-10-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a child, I've always seemed to have a hard time adjusting to things that mark the passing of time. As I've gotten older, I seem, for the most part, to have an easier time dealing with it.

Yesterday, however, was a tough one. For the past almost 14 years we've been here in KS, there has been a sweet, sweet older couple in our church. This past year, they lost both a son and son-in-law to cancer. Just a few weeks after the death of their son-in-law, this older lady had a major stroke. Because her left side is paralyzed, she's had to be placed in a nursing home.

I went to see her yesterday. Next to saying goodbye to my grandpa in the hospital, this was one of the hardest visits I've ever made. I found her laying in her bed sobbing. All I could think to do was hold her, stroke her hair, wipe her tears and tell her that we love her. Thankfully she fell asleep and I left....and went to the car and cried. This is not the woman I knew. In just a short, short period of time, this self-sufficient, proud woman lies in a bed sobbing tears of hopelessness.

I said all that to say this. As hard as it is, we can't forget these people. In fact, she needs our love and caring more than she ever did. Ever since yesterday, I've been asking God to comfort her in that part of her soul that feels hopeless...to reach down and wrap her in His arms and give her peace. I'm going back at the end of the week and I'm bringing things to comfort her soul. Music CDs and God's Word and prayers.

One day that will be my parents. One day that will be me.

A Drive By The Lake

2010-10-22T10:10:00.001-07:00

We went to the lake to get pictures like this...

and this.
But when a boy ignores a sign like this...

and thinks he can walk down a ramp like this...

You get a picture like this!!

I Had A Feeling

2010-10-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Call it mother's intuition, call it what you will, but when Amy brought this dog home several months ago I had a feeling he'd end up at my house. Right after she bought him, her hours changed at work and during the week, she works long, late hours. This little guy, Lou, was home alone....alot. And he hasn't done well at home all by himself for long periods of time. In fact, he's been quite naughty.

Amy knew she was going to have to find him a good home and I wished her good luck. Yeah...the joke was on me because my son, Jacob, wouldn't hear of that dog going to another home...especially since Lou had been beaten so badly in his previous home. So, arrangements were made and as much as I don't want or need a 3rd dog, Lou was on his way. As part of the arrangement, Amy had to take one of my cats. Missy, who has been with me for 7 or 8 years. She's a sweet little cat but I've often thought that she'd do great in a home where she was the only animal.

The day of the great exchange, I think both Amy and Lou were a little traumatized (he had been exceptionally bad his last day at home with her.)

She took the cat and I got the dog. And I'm proud to say, he's doing great. He sweet and loving and needed attention and needs a yard where he can run (and potty).

Jazz Men

2010-10-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

Part of the Fall Festival festivities sponsored by Bethel College, is a Jazz Fest on the green. Under a large tent, the two college jazz band along with a local high-school jazz band performed all afternoon.

I brought along my camera but only snapped about 4 pictures. This was one of them. My nephew, Zack, my son, Josh, and my dad...enjoying the cool sounds of big bands and jazz.

Into The Woods

2010-10-11T12:46:00.001-07:00

This year's musical: "Into The Woods." It's a bunch of fairy tales. Josh played the Wolf to Red Riding Hood and Prince Charming to Cinderella. It was GREAT!!!!! In my opinion, he played the sinster wolf part just a little too well :-)

2010-10-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

I had a couple books by Stormie Omartian, one of which was,

"The Power of a Praying Parent."

It was a great resource while my kids were young. However, in the last couple years, I really wished there was something out there for parents of adult kids. Because frankly, there are days when I just have no idea what to do or what my role is, when I should say something, when I should be quiet, etc.

Then I found this book and its been incredible! In fact, I offered a book club/small group for mom's of adult kids at our church and the response has been overwhelming. (Apparantly I wasn't the only one who didn't have a clue)!

The author offers sound, scriptural, godly, and practical advice for parents. I've learned alot about my kids and I've learned alot about myself and most important, I'm learning how to more effectively pray for them. Frankly there were some areas where I needed an attitude adjustment.

We are in the process of having another one turn 18. He's already wanting more and more independent. I know the process by now. I don't always like it but I know it and I know how the process ends....another one leaving. This time around, I feel a bit wiser and to his benefit, the first two broke me in. :-)

Uncle Bill

2010-10-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up, some of the most special people in my life were my aunts and uncles. Unfortunately for most of my life, I have lived a pretty good distance away from them. My Uncle Bill and Aunt Sue were probably at the top of the fun charts when I was a kid. They just always had a knack for interacting well with kids.

Much to our sadness, Aunt Sue passed away early in 2009. Her passing leaves an absence in our family that cannot be filled. Even from this distance, I miss her.

It was so very good, to see and spend some time with my Uncle Bill this past weekend. I think, perhaps, one of the coolest things was that my kids got to know him. He's still fun and he still interacts so well with kids. He played games with them and took them to dinner. And they got to see how much alike he and their grandma are!

I admire my Uncle so much. I admire the man of God he is. He's humble, he's quiet, he's godly, and his character and faithfulness through his life speak volumes to me and his great-neices and nephews.

An afternoon at the Racetrack

2010-10-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

So NASCAR came to town last weekend. The track is so close that if you are a fan, it's almost impossible not to feel the excitement. We had talked about going on Friday (Qualifying Day) and at first, both of my kids and my nephew Zack were going to go. Because of school commitments, neither one of the kids ended up going and it turned out to be just Zack and I.

First off, I didn't know Zack was such a fan. We had such a good time and the weather was about as perfect as it could get.

This is the SPEED stage (if you are a racing fan, you know this channel). They were just starting audience warm-ups for the show and we really, really wanted to stay and be on TV and see Jimmie Johnson. We stayed as long as we could before we had to leave to honor a dinner engagement!

This is our favorite driver, Jeff Gordon. This is an actual hood from a car he drove at Talledega. Zack is telling me in this picture he can feel the power!!

Creative Kitchen

2010-09-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the idea that I seem to make the same stuff over and over for dinner, I ventured forth this past week and tried two new recipes.

I've always wanted to try my hand at making risotto (a creamy Italian rice dish). I found the arborio rice on sale in the grocery this week and that was all the motivation I need to move beyond thought and into action. I felt like a gourmet as I looked into my basket and saw arborio rice, olive oil, onion, and chicken broth. Now, I must admit, this sat on my counter for about a week until I had the time (and nerve) to give it a try. I followed the basic directions for risotto on the side of the rice container but then took creative license as I added parmesan cheese and chopped broccoli. The end result was FULL of FLAVOR and quite good and resulted in a recipe that I plan to make again.

My other culinary adventure was inspired by three small steaks I had in the fridge, the fact that our grill is out of propane, and our local grocery's meat counter. I knew I somehow wanted to make some sort of a "stuffed" steak out of the steaks I had. Emily and I checked out the meat counter and read what they put into their grillers and we chose and Italian griller. Once again, I felt just like Rachel Ray or Julia Child as I selected fresh Italian sausage, fresh mozzerella cheese, and bacon from the meat counter. I took the steaks and butterflied and pounded them thin. I made a stuffing mix of Italian sausage,Italian breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes, parm cheese, and an egg. I spread this inside the steaks, added two thick slices of mozzerella cheese, folded it over and wrapped two slices of thick bacon around it. Seared it on olive oil and finished it in the oven for 20 minutes. They were INCREDIBLE! Full of flavor and I was amazed how for not alot of money, those three little steaks turned into something very substantial.

I did learn a few lessons from all of this. Fresh mozzerella is so much better and flavorful than the pre-grated bags. The same thing was true with the bacon and the sausage. I've always shopped very, very frugally and I'm reaching a point where I still have to be cost-conscious but at the same time, I was good flavor in my meals. By using small amounts I can still stretch the dollars without giving up the flavor.

What a conincidence, my counsin, Gretchen did a post on a vegetarian version of risotto today too!!

Picture Week Continues

2010-09-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

COUSINS

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture!! From left to right, its me, my sister, Elizabeth, our cousin, Bruce, and his brother, Troy. It had to have been taken around 1969 or 1970 as I look to be 4 or 5 years old.

Taken in Great Bend, KS at my grandparent's home. We are in my Aunt Roxie's wagon (she is 10 years older than I) and she would pull all of us...for HOURS in that thing. I remember loving it!!

The picture is actually a slide my sister had scanned and the quality of it after all these years is incredible. Of course, I took some creative license and changed it to sepia.

Just For Fun

2010-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Found this one in my picture files.

- Three Little Kittens

They ALWAYS know when its dinnertime!! They are alot like children. Yes, I have to put THREE bowls on the floor!!