Graduation Weekend...

Wow, I haven't blogged in awhile! School finished up on Thursday, and the kids and I headed out of town. My youngest brother graduated from highschool, so it was exciting to get to see him with his diploma. Of course, it made me feel very old. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday that he was in second grade!

We had a fun time hanging out with the family. The girls stayed with my parents ( as they do every summer). They will be there for another week and a half and are having a blast. Noah and I are being lazy and just enjoying not having a strict schedule. I have some pictures to share, but I also wanted to add a few thoughts on some of my favorite times during my visit home.

~ Watching the kids have fun on the carousel at the mall. They loved it and Noah was a big boy sitting on the horse all by himself. Silly me, I didn't have my camera!!!

~ Cutting up with my other brother and my sister before Nathan's graduation ceremony. We had so much fun filming a "preshow" on my dvd camcorder.

~ Getting a pedicure with my sister. It was so relaxing but of course it took me forever to find a color I liked!!!

~ Staying up late two nights in a row, watching Star Wars movies with my younger brother. Oh the memories it brings back. I used to have the biggest crush on Hans Solo!!!

~ Watching 'North and South' for almost 4 hours with my mom and sister. I bought this BBC movie for my mom for her birthday and didn't know anything about it. OH MY WORD....it is fabulous. In fact, it has jumped all the way to the top of my list of favorite movies. I think it even eclipses 'Pride and Prejudice'. I am going to order it today! I have to see it again. The actor in the lead is FABULOUS. If you like British movies like me, then you absolutely have to see this one. Christian Bale is now dropped to 2nd behind Richard Armitage as my favorite British leading man!!!!! :)

~ TCBY Yogurt ( it is the country's best frozen yogurt...need I say more)

And now for some pics. The ones taken outside before my brother's graduation, did not come out like I wanted them to. I had the ISO way too low for dusk! When will I learn? I did the best I could trying to edit them!



Nathan ( the graduate) and the kiddos:



Yes, this is what I get for trying to be in a photo!



Noah and Audrey (my niece):



My siblings:



All the grandchildren ( best picture I have taken of all 4...they were actually all smiling):

Fun at school......

Yesterday, I went up to the girls school and read to both of their classes and took pictures. It was alot of fun, and Noah enjoyed himself immensely! He is not shy at all! I don't think I have to worry about him having a lack of social skills, and the kids adored him! For the record, I don't remember having such pretty teachers when I was in elementary school! ;)
Madeline & Miss L:



Noah *hamming* it up:


Meredith & Miss P:


Yesterday, I went up to the girls school and read to both of their classes and took pictures. It was alot of fun, and Noah enjoyed himself immensely! He is not shy at all! I don't think I have to worry about him having a lack of social skills, and the kids adored him!

It's the Weekend.....YAY!!!

Another week is over and I personally am glad that this one is. Wednesday, I woke up and had lost my voice. Just ask my mother, but both of us tend to lose them at least once a year! It is quite strange. We don't feel badly or anything but just sound really bad! Anyway, I got the kids to school and proceeded to do my workout. I must have overdone the weights because after I got out of my shower, I couldn't move my neck to the right. Yes, I had no voice and couldn't move my neck....JUST GREAT!!! I still managed to get on with my day...including getting those tickets ( WOOHOO)! By the afternoon, all I could do was send my kids outside to play and lay on my couch with a heating pad. Then for some reason, two different neighbors decided that it was the day to send their unruly kids over to play. My door opened and closed about 20X, and I tried to explain to them that they needed to play quietly. An hour and a half later, a half broken trampoline net, a brand new bottle of bubbles almost gone, toys scattered everywhere, and I called it quits. I sent everyone home and made my children go straight to the tub. The bed was a welcome relief that night. Thankfully, that was the worst day. The rest of the week has been fine. Today I have to run the girls to a party and go to Walmart. We are having the inlaws over for dinner. It should be fun. I hope everyone has a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

What happened to common courtesy?

I told myself I wasn't going to post anything else about this selling our house stuff, but I can't resist. Why may I ask, would you call a home owner and set up an appt, get directions, etc, and then not even bother to show up? Worse still, after letting the said home owner clean up and spend precious time making their home look worthy, not even bother to give them a courtesy call that you aren't coming for whatever reason? This has happened not once but TWICE in the last two weeks! Do I have the word *SUCKER* on my forehead? DO I? I was thinking the other day, that this situation is almost to the point of being laughable! I know in the grand scheme of life, it is nothing, but right now in this present moment, it is oh so frustrating! Anyway, rant is over! ;)

In other news, I am planning to go with a friend of mine tomorrow to the ticket master because guess who is coming in concert???? Can you guess? I am giddy with excitement! Any ideas? Ok, well you may never guess so I will tell you. Martina Mcbride is coming to the coliseum in June!!! She is my absolute favorite! I actually can't believe she is coming back here because I went to her Christmas concert and she came out into the audience for some fan interaction, and oh my word the people she encountered. I was sure she would never set foot back here again. Truly, you would die laughing if I shared my story with you! It was hilarious! As soon as I saw that she was coming to town, I immediately hit the send button to one particular friend and typed "Are we going"? I can't go with Greg because he will not stand there and sing all the songs with me. Heck, I don't think he even knows any of her songs. I have to go to this type of concert with someone that will be as childishly happy as I, and will sing at the top of her lungs and not care! Soooooo....I will let you know what kind of seats we get tomorrow. I hope there are some good ones left! :) And for the record, I know that I am way too excited about this! I totally need a life!!! ;)

Tired Monday....

Does anyone out there struggle with fatigue? I am not talking the kind of tired that you get just because you are a mommy. I mean the kind where you have a hard time waking up and you just feel "heavy" all day long. Whatever the cause, I seem to have it daily. Last Friday, I literally felt drugged. It was so weird. I am wondering if I am just not drinking enough water and then since I am working out 3x a week, maybe I am just draining myself of energy. Anyway, if any of you kind friends have suggestions, I am totally open!!! Thanks! ;)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I meant to take pics and then did not! My girls gave me these cute little picture holders they made at school along with sweet notes that they had written. They both told me that I am a great cooker! I don't know how they can say that when I hardly cook these days! Greg gave me a beautiful necklace and some earrings. He is so good at picking out pretty jewelry and of course you can't go wrong with giving me that! I love it! I may need to find an extra drawer for all of it though because the two I have now ( plus my jewelry box) are about to overflow!!!!! What a problem, huh? Anyway, I had a very nice day and didn't do much but relax during the afternoon and of course, call my sweet mom. We somehow got the kids to bed by 8 and then Greg and I watched 'The Prestige'. I am a huge huge ( did I say huge) fan of Christian Bale but this was a weird one. My brother warned me that it was hard to figure out and he was right. I had to get online today and find a site that answered my questions! I am strange that way, but I just couldn't let it go until I "understood" it.

We are now down to NINE more days of school ( actually 8 after today). I can't believe I will have 4th graders. Next Thursday will be their final day. The year has absolutely flown by. I *think* I have enough activities & down time scheduled for the summer but we shall see. Expect some "I am going to pull my hair out" posts from me come June! ;) It is just a matter of time! Maybe being able to sleep later then 5:45 will help with the fatique though! Do you think? ;)

I have Two things to say......

I voted for Blake 10X last night and he is in the final 3. The Bee-Gee's were definitely not his thing! All I have to say is that come next Tuesday, he better have his act together! He doesn't have to beat box every song! ( for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about....AMERICAN IDOL);)

Also, who knew that Apolo Anton Ohno could dance? The boy is an Olympic short track speed skater, but he has some true dancing skill. I didn't think anyone could replace Drew Lachey in my book, but Apolo is getting close! I enjoyed his tango to "Jesse's girl". That judge, Len is an old fuddy duddy! LOL If they want a "PROPER DANCE", then don't make them dance to music from the 80's. HELLO!!!!!!!! ( Dancing with the Stars)

I could go on about other reality shows that I watch, but I will stop here. I think I have said enough for one evening! ;) My mom is most certainly rolling her eyes at me! :)

My Scrapbooking Weekend....

My first thought on scrapbooking is that it is a terrific hobby. You are actually doing something that you and your children will be able to look through years from now! I love that I am preserving (and organizing) memories! I have been scrapbooking for almost TEN years. WOW! My scrapbooks have gotten progressively better as the years have gone by! I have also simplified my approach although I still manage to get sucked in by all those cute stickers and papers at Hobby Lobby & Micheals! I have also been blessed to be able to attend various crops and weekend events. All that being said, I jumped at the chance to go away this past weekend. First of all, the location was beautiful. We went to a little campsite about an hour from here. There were cabins surrounding a beautiful lake. If I had taken a break ( like I kept telling myself to), then I would have sat on one of the rockers out on the porch and just taken in all of the beauty. NO, I was there to get something accomplished. Unfortunately, some of the other ladies were there just for social hour. One table in particular would just burst out in loud, almost screaming giggles at any given time. If you don't believe me, you can ask my friend Bridgett. We would give each other "the look". I mean really, do you have to be that loud!!! I desperately wished I had remembered to bring my Ipod, but in my hurry to get out of town, I left it on my dresser! I tried ( unsuccessfully) to drown out the cackles and just concentrate on my pictures. I gave up around 11pm Friday night. I am such the night owl!!!!!!!!!! I walked over to our cabin and got ready for bed. Did I mention that it was a bunk bed? I left a light on in the bathroom and tried to go to sleep. About 20 mins later a few of the "loud ladies" came into the room, whispering and giggling. I finally turned over and said they could flip the lights on. They told me that they just "couldn't see"! I said "it's ok" thinking that they would turn them on, find what they needed, and turn them back out. TWENTY MINS later and they were still on. I don't know what they were doing ( I am blind without my contacts), but it involved more laughter and alot of clomping around and doors opening and closing! Finally, FINALLY there was lights out and I did manage to sleep until morning. Saturday, I was able to focus and I got .....drumroll..................36 pages done. I won the very prestigious award of most pages done. HA HA! I think the laughing table got about 10 pages done......collectively!!!! I was there to scrapbook. I like to talk and laugh as much as the next one, but I had a goal for myself and I was determined to get things done. I actually didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted but that is ok. It was a great break and "laughing ladies" aside, a very fun weekend. I have to say that my friend Bridgett gets the award for being the absolute easiest most laid back person I have ever gone anywhere with. She traded desserts with me, slept on the top bunk, and put up with me ragging her for all of her many scrapbooking accessories. Yes, this is the girl who I had to coax into starting this hobby. Now she has more supplies then I do including what I affectionately call her "dental kit" , a sewing kit, and a very expensive machine that prints out whatever you want it to. She is addicted! I came home to a clean house and didn't see my kids until after church on Sunday. I feel much better and ready for the next 3 weeks! Of course, by tomorrow I may be feeling insane again, so don't hold me to that last statement! ;)

A Thankful Heart....

'In everything, by prayer and petition, and with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made to known to God'
Philippians 4:6
And in my New Living Translation it says....' Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for ALL that he has done.

Yesterday, my post was not exactly a positive one. I was struggling ( still am), but it was an honest expression of my feelings. I was reminded today though, that the selling of my house is just one tiny area in my life that has not been answered yet. For some reason, it looms so large and invades so much of my time and thoughts, yet there are so many other blessings that I have to be thankful for. One particular area, that I will not go into detail, has opened my eyes this morning to see how incredibly blessed we are. I literally sat here this morning saying to the Lord that I do not deserve his goodness, as I am complaining about such minor circumstances. Do I still want my house to sell? Yes, of course I do, but I am testifying today on my blog that I am very grateful for so many other things that have happened. God is faithful and he does have my life in his hands. I am humbled this morning!

*** On a fun note ( and yet another thing I am praising God for), I get to go away this afternoon for a little weekend of scrapbooking. To say that I am excited, would be an understatement. I get TWO kid free nights because even when I return tomorrow evening, my sweet MIL is keeping my children until Sunday! So, I have big goals for myself and I am hopeful. I am so behind on my scrapbooks, but these sort of weekends always motivate me and help me to get caught up. Now you know what I will be doing with my time for the next few days. I am looking forward to having a weekend with no one but myself to take care of. I hope that everyone else has a great one as well!

Thursday ( quick post)

Thank you guys for praying. I desperately wish I could get on here and type out an "It finally happened" post, but unfortunately, I can't. My realtor called me this morning and said that while it still *could* happen technically, my house would take the most alterations so it is not looking like this is the buyer. I thought that I had prepared myself to handle this kind of response but evidently I had not. Tears come way to easily at this point! To say that I am tired of this whole ordeal is an understatement. I worked extremely hard Tues & Wed to have my house looking good. The other realtor did comment on how well my house shows which did make me feel better, but really, they probably say that to everyone!!! I think I am just emotionally exhausted. It is incredibly overwhelming to think about this most of your day and wonder when/if this is ever going to happen. I am tired of spending hours on my home and then nothing coming of it! I am tired of wondering when the phone rings, if it is finally some good news. I have given up looking at other homes because it is just too hard. I have received so much wonderful advice to pray, trust, believe, etc. I have been doing all of that and while I am not giving up, in all honesty, some days I want to. So thank you so much for praying. I really do appreciate it. I DO know that God IS in control and his timing is perfect. Mentally, I KNOW that,but emotionally I am spent! I just needed to vent and this is my blog so that is what I did. Thanks for reading!

Two Prayer Requests.....

I can't believe it is May already! My girls will finish school in FOUR very short weeks. I am ready for a later start to my day though. Today I have two prayer requests that I thought I would tell my friends/family about:

1. Please pray for my friend Donna. She is my neighbor that has breast cancer. The surgery went well and the cancer is stage one which is an answer to prayer. She is currently going through chemo and it is rough, as you can imagine. I am trying to reach out to her and I just know that she needs all prayers she can get. She should be finished up with the chemo in August.

2. I have someone coming to look at my house for the second time today. I am on his "list of 3" homes. This is the handicapped gentleman and so he has very specific requirements. I don't know that my home will work that way, but we will see. Greg and I have been praying that our home will be a blessing to someone, so it would be kind of neat if this were the person. We also have an open house this weekend, so hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Thanks for praying! I am lifting up all of my friends/family as well and if you have a specific request, please don't hesitate to share it!

Oh My Goodness.....

Three little words.......Hershey Bar Pie!!! I have decided that it ranks second only to my all time favorite dessert...tiramisu! It is that GOOD! Oh my goodness! We had friends over Sunday night and she brought the dessert and then left me all the leftovers!!! That is NOT a good thing....because here I sit eating a piece for breakfast! OH THE DELICIOUSNESS!!! It is soooo good. I also got a coffee from Seattle Drip so I might just be bouncing off the walls in minute! If you want to know how crazy I think, I figured that since I am eating this in the morning, then I have all day to burn it off!!!! I can justify anything sweet into my diet! The funny thing is that I never really *loved* chocolate the way that I do now. Ever since I had Noah, it is something that I crave....go figure! Did I make anyone hungry? ;) PS...I will get the recipe and post it!