Mom, You Rock!

My kids love to make me pictures using Paint. I love them too!

Egypt Sounds Good Today

So I find myself wanting to go back to Egypt. But I don't feel like an Israelite. I feel like a woman who had roots and never recognized it til now. I feel like a woman who had 2 hard months a year, not 5. I feel like a woman who wants to smell her roses and put her hands in the dirt...in April. I feel like a woman who had friends who called and spent time together. I feel like a woman who goes to Home Depot with her man to get fertilizer in January and pool supplies in March. I feel like a woman who could swing on her amazing swing that her sweet man gave her.. for months. I feel like a woman who bought flip flips and wore them. I feel like a woman who went to Trader Joe's. I feel like a woman who went to jazz concerts and listened to smooth jazz on the radio. I feel like a woman who could drive 3 hours to see her sister and 8 to see T's family.

We left why?

5th Graders Run a Towne

Angelina was ready to take on the city. they use debit cards, checks, and cash to purchase items.

Angelina is the manager of the Tv station.

The 5th graders of MA went to Ameritowne today. For weeks they have been learning about fiscal responsibility, budgets, supply and demand, checks, deposit slips...you name it. They applied for jobs, were interviewed, trained, and today was THE big day to put it all into action! What an amazing place to learn about being a citizen of the USA. This place is built on top of a bank in Denver and sponsored by businesses big and small. So fun! Glad I was a part of this experience.

I'm So Pickin' Tired of This

I am tryin' so pickin' hard to not be a whiner baby but I tell you what... When we moved here I was enthralled with the weather and HOPED, really hoped, I would always love it. We have been here 2 1/2 years and I am about to lose.my.mind from being in the house FREEZING my katooshy off. Good thing my house is big. Good grief. It is currently 43 degrees and it snowed again last night. Just a little but any is too much on April 26th. I want to walk out and see flowers, especially roses. I want to put cotton sheets on instead of flannels, I want to open the windows instead of checking the heater, I want to drink sweet tea instead of hot coffee all day. I want to put away theses wool socks already. I want to sit on my swing on the back porch instead of looking at it through the window. Can it please get warm? Enough Already.

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Snow Cream!

Oh goodness me! My Momma would make me snow cream when I was young and sure enough this was a P.E.R.F.E.C.T. snow to have some! The little bits were all dressed up with no place to go since our grandiose plans got cancelled, thank you very much Mr. Weatherman, so snow cream was a GRAND idea! Take some fresh snow, add sweetened condensed milk, some vanilla, and some regular milk, stir and you got snow cream. It was as good as any homemade ice cream.

Delic!

Snowy Sort of Day

These two sweet girls had a fun day planned in Denver at the American Girl store. Snow stopped that real fast. Good thing too, they closed the highway home! Instead, they built a fort!

T is leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow weather or not so we ventured out to get some last minute things. We stopped by Rob and Joanna's for books.

Our little town makes the news every time. The highway was a mess, roads slushy wet with over a foot of snow. But Hong Kong beckons! had to get a power converter.

A lot of people lost trees or large branches from the heavy wet white stuff. We fared fine. One small tree broke, but I think that's it.

Boo was gonna make sure this one didn't become a casualty today.

So.. there you have it. The spring storm that caught us all off guard. The weather man said "light dusting". Ha!

Good Morning Complaints

The dog who woke me up in the wee hours. I quitely told my husband... "You can have a glass of milk now."

It's 6:32am. I have been awake since O' Dark Early tossing and dreaming. Dreaming of pain actually. Why you ask? Cause I was in pain there in my bed and my subconscious had had enough so it decided it was time to alert me to it. I told myself to take something before bed but did I? NOOOOO. Now I have only myself to thank for the long day ahead of me. And my mattress.

I know I shared but here it is again.... My left shoulder did some weird thing when we moved to Colorado and during therapy, yes you heard me, DURING therapy, I fell down the stairs, mind you it was only THREE stairs, but those three stairs did enough damage to ruin many nights sleep and cause me not to turn my neck to the left for more than five minutes and cause my right arm to cry out Help me! Help Me! and my hands to fall alseep many times a day. Yes, please stand to the right of me if we are talking, thank you very much. Why isn't it fixed??? Why am I not all better?? Well, our insurance sucks now. Sorry to be blunt but that is the only word for the expense it cost us monthly and still we have 40.00 co-pays for anyone who could even think of helping me. So I went to the Chiro a few times. Ch ching... I could go to physical therapy 3 times a week.. ch ching. Instead... I am hoping for a miracle. I may need to drag by booty in and ask for an MRI. I just don't have a family doctor.. only specialist! I don't think my GYN would want to discuss a shoulder and neck issue. Oh yes speaking of my amazing GYN.. I love the 40's. Oh sweet Jesus, the fun it brings! I know sarcasm all a round. Another fine reason I don't sleep...from mid-cycle to the visit of Mother Nature, I sleep less and less and ache more and more. Now isn't that a pleasant thought? Why is it that we women must keep up a monthly ritual when we are done having kids? Why I ask, why?

So here I am drinking coffee, and let me tell you a LOT of coffee will pass over these lips today. I am dreaming of the spa we need to help me out but instead will stand in the shower until all the hot water is gone. It looks like Frodo is about to step out of my backyard with the morning moisture. Where is the sun these days? My dog barked AGAIN at the milk delivery guy. Umm... He delivers in middle of the night. ( Highlight: We have milk! Ran out last night.) And my husband leaves for Hong Kong Saturday morning. I really needed to sleep well so I could be NICE to him. He deserves NICE.

There you go. The cheery optimist that I am is complaining. I know, I have much, oh so much, to be thankful for but this morning... I am in pain and quite frustrated. Better to get it on paper or screen in this case then bark at my family.

"Gray skies are gonna clear up.. Put on a happy face."

A New Day... A New Do

Tired of the old and brought out the new. Easy, quick, healthy.

ps... don't check out my wrinkly eyes!!!

Play House Turned Office

You know... sometimes you just have to get creative with your work space. Being INSIDE for months and wanting to be OUTSIDE makes one go bonkers! So now that I can actually go outside, I still have inside stuff to do, like homework. Sooooooo....... I'm taking over the playhouse. Internet works, table and chair fine, breeze and sun, got that too. Oh yes, and a glass of Coke. Time to work.

Fruit of the Spirit

This month we are studying the fruit of the Spirit. So.... to make it real to the girls in our Base Camp, we did a poster collage. So much fun looking through pictures to see what is and what isn't fruit! Lots of laughing, giggling and silliness all around.

Do you know them all? Galations 5:22

The Class of One

Graduation day is around the corner....for reals. I feel like I was just here. Oh that's right, I was! Becca asked and asked for a senior sweatshirt. I looked and looked! Yeah Me... We have someone in our church in the business of shirt making and after a few phone calls and emails, we came up with a final design. He did a mighty fine job on her senior sweatshirt don't ya think?!

Mud. Water. Kids.

Playing outside has got to be Angelina's favorite thing to do. She has waited and waited to run a muck outside. well, Springtime has come to our neck of the woods and the fresh air was a callin' her name. Today she couldn't wait to get home, change clothes, and go next door to the boys and play in the dirt. Yes, dirt. My girl can get gussied up and she can get down and dirty. They made this elaborate water way with names like the Grand Canyon and Brad "Pit". Ha! Good thing I didn't mention anything about water being a commodity and all. What's a little water any how, right?

We Ain't in Colorado No More

Now where do we go???

Can I live here???

Nope. We went to the big state of Missouri for college stuff for Becca. Through beautiful Kansas and into Fulton we went. Wow. What a trip. We saw the campus, met new faces, she signed up for classes, ate too much junk, and could not, I repeat, we could not find a home church for her to attend. We heard from someone that Campus Crusade for Christ is in on campus. Gotta do me some research. Oh dear me. Town is sketchy but the campus is great. Becca said she'll stay on campus. HA! Horses are amazing. 157 on campus! Time to pray and figure this one out.

But Sunday's a Comin'

Easter Sunday... joy, fellowship, food, family, friends, egg hunt, food, games, coffee, Jesus, did I mention food?

Easter Egg Hunt....Windy Style

We headed out to the Ponderosa for an all church-community outreach Easter egg hunt. Lots of good... TONS of families and kids, bbq, face painting, and eggs! But... if you notice the clothing and the big roaring fire, you get the real picture. COLD! We loved it but I just can't take WIND and COLD at the same time.