We Survived Christmas!

We started our Christmas present opening at Thanksgiving (on my side) and we finished yesterday.

The kids went to see the reindeer on Christmas Eve with Gma & Gpa while T & I wrapped.  The presents were wrapped for less than 24 hrs and opened within 45 min once we started unwrapping.  We attended the Christmas Eve service at church.  There is something sweet about listening to Christmas songs on the eve of the big day. 

T's folks came over on Christmas Day and watched the kids open their presents.  We were really blessed this year.  We used some Christmas money to purchase a pool table/air hockey/ping pong game table for the basement.  T & I always wanted a pool table, and while it's not a full size one, we still get to play.  The kids are having fun learning to play pool (on something other than the Wii). 

Yesterday, we had T's side over for presents.  It was a lot of fun to visit with everyone.  The kids enjoyed playing with the Wii, the pool table, and hide-and-go-seek.  (Not sure how they pull the last one off in our basement, but somehow they always do and they have fun doing it.)

We ate way too much food, but it was all so good!  (Guess that means I'll have to break out that Wii Fit board I got for Christmas.  Darn it!)  Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Enjoy your day!

Merry Christmas!

AD's Last Day

AD started gymnastics this last summer and continued through until this week.  Mon was her last gymnastics practice for awhile.  AJ & T both start basketball in January and then move into volleyball and baseball.  I think AD missed playing soccer with her school friends, but she did a great job in gymnastics.  Sometimes it's nice to branch out a little bit and try new things.

Her bronze teacher, AD, & her silver teacher

Maybe she can start up again in May or June.  Right now she is looking forward to a break (she can actually stay home instead of racing off to TC after school on Mon) and t-ball.  I am looking forward to shopping during the day again instead of after gymnastic practice!

Enjoy your day!

Christmas Break

Well, we made it through the week of school before Christmas break.  It was chaos, but we have now moved into the relaxation of two weeks to rest.  (Ha ha ha!  If I was done Christmas shopping, it would be even more restful!)  The girls' concert went well and they enjoyed their weekend with Gma.  AT is feeling better (I think I liked cuddle boy better than ornery boy).  He was able to go out to pizza with T & I Fri night and enjoyed a Polar Express event at a friend's house.  I think he was still glad to see his sisters come home, though.

On a sad note, though, we had to tell the girls that we think one of our cats may be gone for good.  Our sweet Nike, a black cat, has not been seen for days.  He is our "house" cat, meaning when you open the door to go outside, he is right there wanting in the house and to be held.  His brother, Socks, is more independent and the one that wanders to hunt.  I am really fearing the worst because Nike would not stay gone this long if something hadn't happened.  If you have seen a black cat up in our neighborhood or wouldn't mind checking your sheds or garage to see if he got caught in there, we would appreciate it.  I think the girls are going to canvas the neighborhood and knock on doors.  Keep your fingers crossed.

So as to end this posting on a good note, if you are on my Christmas mailing list, I haven't forgotten you.  It has taken me a while to get my Christmas cards ready.  They will be going out this week and so if they miss you for Christmas, they are Happy New Year cards then! ;-)

Enjoy your day!

Ho Ho Ho!!

After a long week for a sick little boy (which we finally found out he had strep), he was very excited to get out of the house.  Tonight was the town's Winterfest Lighted Parade.  People amaze me at how creative they are at decorating, especially moving vehicles!  Afterwards, we went and stood in line to Santa and Mrs. Claus.  Their reindeer were a little sluggish and the workers announced it would be another 15 min (we had already been there for 15 min) before Santa and Mrs. Claus made it.  T looked at me like "do we stay?"  So I start asking the kids if we should come back another night.  AT starts crying and when I ask him what's wrong, he says "I want to see Santa."  After the week he's had, I couldn't say no.  Luckily, Rudolph must have gotten the sleigh moving because not more than 5 min later, Santa showed up.  AT was so excited to see him that he kept trying to run up and hop on his lap.  When it was finally his turn, there was no holding him back.

AD was excited to relay her request to Santa.  AJ wasn't sure she needed to go sit with Santa, but after some nudging, she seemed okay with it.  She ended up telling Mrs. Claus what she wanted, so let's hope that message gets to Santa. ;-)

AT, Santa, AD, AJ, Mrs. Claus
Christmas 2010

One more day of school (concerts and Christmas parties) and then it's time for a break!  Can't wait.

Enjoy your day!

My oh My, It's Been Awhile . . .

Yes, sadly it's been a long time since I had last written.  October found us finishing up with sick kids, (mainly AT), a lovely memorial service for T's Gma, and Halloween.  (Which is sadly the last pictures I have posted.)  November was a busy month and I could not believe how fast it flew by.  We had sick kids every other week throughout November, including when we were getting ready to go to my folks' for Thanksgiving.  My Gma flew out from MN and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving/Christmas time.  The kids were able to open presents at the same time.  (I just hope they remember they already opened a bunch!)  Had a great time visiting, playing in the snow, riding a snowmobile.  Glad to remember I haven't forgotten how to ride one and so did my Gma.

It was sad to go home but the roads were really yucky.  It took us twice as long to go over the mountain pass on the way home.  This is what we saw:

Bumper to bumper traffic on ice as far as the eye could see.  I love snow, I love winter, but I hate driving in it.  Especially when semi's are locking up next to you and you are just waiting for them to slide into your side. 

We made it home fine and then had AT's Preschool Thanksgiving party.  (We had some snow days that cancelled all chance of having it before Thanksgiving.)  Our PS teachers do a phenomenal job with the kids and they are so cute.

As you can see, AT is now wearing glasses.  We found out that he has the same eyes as AJ:  farsighted and possible lazy eye developing.  He has been a trooper wearing them and it takes some getting used to.  T was so funny when we were ordering them because the sales guy holds up a pair and says "These are the most durable" and T went "Sold!"  AT is so busy, but he has been really good with them.

December came in with snow and right now is snowless.  All our snow has melted in the last two days of 40-50 degree temps.  AJ won the spelling bee for her class and competed in the District one last Wed.  I wish I could have gotten a better picture of her, but she was facing the judges.

This week starts our Winterfest. The girls were able to go and decorate Gingerbread houses on Sat. (AT was sick again!)
 

Well, I know there has been so much more that has happened in the last month or so since I wrote, but obviously these were the highlights.  Christmas Concerts coming up this week and then T and I probably need to get our Christmas shopping done (oops!). 

Enjoy your day!

Happy Halloween!

Because it isn't like us to do anything too early, the kids spent the afternoon carving pumpkins in the sunshine.

Enjoying the sunshine

It's empty!

Ta da!

Just a couple of cheese-y kids and their silly grinning friends!

Halloween 2010

The kids were all excited to go out trick or treating.  It wasn't too cold and yeah! it didn't rain, so it was a wonderful night for getting candy.  As you can see, AT was a pirate (anybody who knows him, knows he is totally into pirates) and AD was Lola (Hannah Montana's best friend).  AJ wasn't really in the dressing up spirit so I told her she could go as a tweenager, which can be scarier than any monster out there ;-)

Happy Halloween!

Working on It

Well, I see the last time I posted, it was when we finished the side steps.  We (mainly me) are in the process of another project and that has kept me from writing.  Our downstairs shower went down so we had a contractor friend of ours come to fix it.  However, I decided since we were fixing the shower, we should probably update and check behind the walls for anything growing back there.  I was pleased to report the shower area was pretty much mold-free.  However, since we were doing the shower, I thought it would be a great idea to update more of the bathroom.  So out came the vanity which is where the mold was.  It wasn't terrible, but not something I wanted to see.  (Definitely glad to see it go.)  That then led to maybe we will do the floor, too.  As we were replacing the sheetrock with the greenboard (mold-proof kind) we discovered some other areas where the wall had cracked and mold had started to grow.  After a hysterical breakdown on my part, (because while all this was going on the bathroom had flooded due to our water softener sharing the same drain as the bathroom sink), there was more new sheetrock going up.  I have been put on hold for painting and laying down the new flooring because I have now added mudding and taping to a list of things I have done, but probably not done well.  We finally got the water softener problem solved so I don't feel quite so stressed to get it done, other than it is taking up all my free time!  I can't wait for it to be finished because I know it will feel good to get it done.  However, I am so hiring the contractor to do EVERYTHING (except the painting) when it is time to do the other bathrooms. Ugh . . .

In other news, AD has been keeping busy with gymnastics.  I wish I had some great pictures to show, but they don't allow flash at practices and I am not quite confident my flash is actually off (sad, huh?).  She was a little disappointed because she really wanted to try out for the next level which leads to competition, but we asked her to wait a little longer.  She hasn't been doing it that long and she does pretty well, but focusing for 3 hrs two nights a week sounded a little tough.  She is doing a fundraiser right now, so she may be calling a few of you to ask about sponsoring her.  School is going well and it is so much fun to hear her read aloud (she is as I'm typing this) from chapter books.  I can remember the last few years her pretending to read chapter books because she wanted to be like AJ and mom. 

AT has had an interesting month.  Last week he hit the back of his head so hard it bruised, got in trouble at preschool, and then ran into the tailgate of T's truck with his mouth.  To say it was a tough week might be an understatement.  His preschool class went to the Pumpkin Patch.  It rained almost all the way there, stopped before we got there, stayed dry through the whole patch, and then started raining as soon as we left.  I'd say we were very lucky. 

AT & me at the Pumpkin Patch
Preschool 2010

AJ has been keeping busy with school and youth group.  This year she is old enough to join the junior youth group.  She really seems to be enjoying it.  Several of her friends are in there and there are some older kids, too.  I think this will a huge benefit when she goes to junior high next year. 

T and I, aside from the bathroom project, have had the normal stuff going on.  The weeks just seem to fly by and I can't believe it is almost November already.  I literally feel like October just started so how it can already be over just doesn't seem possible.  If the years are going to go by this fast, then I am worried.  The kids will be grown up in no time when it seems like they were just babies.  Okay, I'm getting all ewwwwww. 

Well that's about all I can think of for now.  I better go get something else done, because you know there's always something on the list to do.   ;-)

Enjoy your day!

Another All in a Day

Instead of quilting, this time it was the yard.  Here are the before and after from each angle.

                                                                Facing the backyard:

Facing the front yard:

Facing the side of the house:

 We had been meaning (or maybe I mean I had been meaning) to do this all the way around the house this year.  However, my back had other plans.  I didn't get it done, but the bottom of these steps had been worn away by feet walking through the gate and dogs digging in the dirt to get cooler.  T and I decided it was time to take action.  We already had the bricks, pavers, and underlying black weed control stuff.  T bought some rocks yesterday and for less than $20, we are done.  It took us a good 3 or 4 hours to dig it up, level it, and align the pavers, but it was well worth it.  The rest of this around the house won't be so bad because no one will be walking on it so we don't have to worry about leveling it.  I'm so excited to finish the rest next year!

Busy, Busy

Our town celebrated 100 years this past weekend at our annual Fall Festival.  We went to the Livestock show Thurs night and visited with friends.  Fri night was the football game and we enjoyed some time at that, too.  Sat morning was the parade and AT was able to ride in the kiddie parade this year with his daycare.  He was so excited.

After the kiddie parade, was the regular parade which was really long. It is neat to see how many floats and entrants there are every year.  The organizers did a great job and the weather was very cooperative.  We also went down to the art show, where this year I actually entered something!  I entered the three purses I displayed in earlier posts.  They didn't win anything, but I didn't really expect them to.  It was just a great feeling to say I had entered something, finally.

After the busy weekend, we headed into a busy week.  Gymnastics, Beta (yeah, so good to see everyone again after a summer off), and then work.  AT started Preschool today.  Just like the girls, he was able to get his pic taken in front of the frig.

We have the most amazing Preschool teachers and we feel so blessed to have them in our town.  (Especially me because there is not enough money in the world that could get me to teach that age for 5 hrs every day two days a week!  Give me junior high kids any day!)  He was so excited to go and see all his friends. I had to work today so Gpa took him down there:

And I met them down there for a few quick minutes to see his cubby:

And watch as he went and played with his friends and paid no attention to me even being there.  While I was fine and never choked up at Preschool, I have to say before I went down there I did.  I was telling my school kids I had to sneak away for a few minutes and someone else would be covering because my baby was going to his first day of Preschool and I started tearing up!  They all went "Awwww."  I just told them I was getting emotional because if AT is ready for school that means I have to go to work full-time now. ;-)  He came home with some drawings and all excited about what he got to do today.  Next week starts twice a week and I think he's ready. 

Enjoy your day!

On a Roll

Okay, so today I didn't get called to work, but AT was headed to daycare and the girls were off to school.  So I spent the morning finishing my assignment, doing laundry, and getting prepped for supper.  I spent my afternoon making this:

No lie, this took me less than three hours (and that's with seam ripping at least once).  From cutting to finishing that's all the time I have invested in this project.  For those of you who know me, I am not a fancy person.  Simple is the best for me (especially when it comes to sewing).  This pattern was even easier than the previous ones I had made.  I like the fact it has pockets, too.  (By the way the straps are light green, but the picture makes them look a little yellow-ish.)  I just liked the idea of being able to start something and finish it.  I have had this fabric for probably over 8 years (don't ask to see my stash because it's so much bigger than a stash).  I really thought it would be adorable on a quilt, but if making bags uses up my stash faster, than so be it.  Don't ask me what I am going to do with these bags I keep making, but I'm sure there will be some birthdays, fundraiser auctions, etc. that they could go to and find a nice home.  Just remember I am no expert!  There are mistakes because nothing I make is perfect.  (There, now that I've gotten my disclaimer out of the way, I feel better.)  What a totally great day!

Enjoy YOUR day!

Enjoying a Day on the River

Sunday afternoon we decided to take the boat out for a trip up the river.  We hadn't been to the river in over a year because last year they took the dock out to repair it.  (Last year we only got the boat out twice, too.  So this year we have broken last year's record; it's been out three times.  Woo hoo!)  Anyway, the weather was not the greatest and while the girls did ride on the tube, they weren't in the mood for jumping in the water. 

AJ & AD

AT manning the flag in case the girls fall off

T, our fearless driver

So we decided to go upriver to a little park for supper.  When T and I were going back and forth to college from his folks' house, we would always drive over this bridge (the one in the front; the one in the back is a railroad bridge).  We hated this bridge because it is really narrow and you dreaded meeting anyone on it.

The park has really nice picnic tables under shelter (which is where we moved to right after I took this picture.)  Good thing we did, too, because those gray skies you see in the bridge picture turned into a 10 min downpour.  Another good thing was that we had the top on the boat!  On our way to and from the park, we saw around 15 deer (some whitetail my husband was quick to point out) and this:

Pretty cool, huh?  There were a few people standing on this side of the boat and waved to us.  On the way back, we were dodging floating logs, the sun, and the wind (it felt like a game of Frogger!).  AD enjoyed herself:

I got a kick out of her hair standing straight up and her looking like she was asleep.  Kind of reminds you of when your dog hangs their head out the window.  The fresh air must have got to AT because he didn't stay awake very long.  This picture looks like one of those I-spy games:

Can you find the sleeping 4 yr old in amongst all the boating gear?

It was a very relaxing weekend and I can't believe it went by so fast.

Enjoy your day!

All In a Day

Back in February, Mom and I made this purse at our Retreat.  It is reversible.  It was a panel of fabric from a kit I had found. 

So I kept the template from that first purse and yesterday was inspired to make this:

The piecing added a little more difficulty to the project than the original pattern, but I erred on the side of too much rather than too little.  I like the all black side so it can be plain when reversed or it won't get dirty if it's used as the inside.  I am nowhere close to making more elaborate ones than this, but it was nice to start a project and be able to finish it in one day.  I started it around 3 yesterday and had it done before 9 (and we had dinner stops in there!).   

Enjoy your day!

Kitten Update

No, I'm not the cat lady, but I hadn't posted any pictures of our four-legged additions so now that they aren't the cute little kittens they once were, here they are:

                                                     Socks                                      Nike

So if you see them wandering the neighborhood (or visiting the movie theater like Jake did) you know where to send them home to ;-)

Enjoy your day!