Knitting in the Dark

Well, as you can see, I've been far too busy to get on here and do any searious updateing. Jozie had her Mpact (formerly Missionettes) sleepover last weekend at church and for some reason I volunteered to stay all night...After the girls finally fell asleep the adults sat up and just kind of watched to make sure they were all sleeping and there were no problems with anyone. I sat there in the dark knitting the fringe that I am adding to my mom's prayer shall I made this spring. I'm bringing it to her this week and I'm still not finished with it. The fringe has by far been more time consuming and more work than the shal itself!

I've got our bags packed excpet for a few little things that we are still using that I'm planning on taking. And of course my knitting. I've been kinda stressed because I've been afraid they won't let me take my needles on the plane with me. But they assure me I can so...I'm bring stitch holders just in case! LOL I don't want to risk losing a bunch of my work if they decide that I don't need my needles anymore!

So I will do my best to do a post or 2 while I am gone but I'm thinking I won't have time or the place to do it. We're going to be keeping busy! My dad even informed us that a huge shed that we have on the farm is falling in so we have to clean it out (oh, boy!) so that it can be taken down. It's full of junk and mud and yuck! We are not thrilled about the prospect! Oh, well, maybe we will find some of our toys from when we were kids that have been missing for some time....

I'll post more when we get home after the 20th! Have a great couple of weeks! :)

We're Set!

Well, almost...

Ok, let me back up, I'm getting ahead of myself. Some of you may or may not know that we are going on a quick trip to MI/MN/WI/IN...we will be gone for a little over 2 weeks. The only thing I'm not thrilled about is that we have to leave Bob behind. :( He could never get that kind of time off from school and work unless it was Christmas or maybe spring break. I wanted to get this trip done before the snow claims the UP so those dates are pretty much out of the question.

So the "we're set" is that Levi got the dates off - Oct 3rd throuth the 19th - and the "well, almost" is that we are still waiting for plane tickets from my dad. He flies for work so he has a lot of frequent flier miles to use up and since we've all been wanting to get together for sometime this seemed to be our only wan to do it. And A. Debbie and U. Lyle wanted to see me and the kids (and Bob too, but we've already went over the why not with him) so we are going to see them as well...but I'm getting ahead of myself again! LOL

Here's a map of our tentitive course:


View Larger Map

Chances are - if your town is on the map, plan on getting a call from us in the next couple of days! Amie and Jodie Z. included!

Here's our projected tentitive schedule...everything is moveable by a day or so...

Fly in to Chicago - Jodie F. if you aren't too busy and you want to meet me and the kids for lunch leave me a FB message or a comment here and we can work things out! - (Flint for Levi) and go to my mom's to get our rental car. We will probably stay at her house for a day or so and then travel to either Flint to travel with my dad and Levi from there to Houghton Lake where we will stay with my A. and U. for a couple of days. Tues. we were hoping to maybe swing by and see Jeremiah and Amie (I haven't called yet because we just made up all these possible plans last night and they aren't concrete on the exact time and day yet) for lunch or something then go on up to the UP - with a few stops in between (my brother is going to have a rude awakening about traveling with kids!). We plan on spending a few days at the farm with my dad (I'm pretty excited about staying there - I love going home!) and seeing U. Kimmy and A. Darlene and Grandma and Grandpa and anybody else who we hope to see there. Sometime over the weekend or the beginning of the following week we want to travel to Mpls. to see Josh and Bethany and maybe Jodie if she has the time. We will probably only stay one night but if our rental car permits we may stay 2 - the kids have expressed a desire to go to the Mall of Am. and I think they are old enough to remember an event such as that. So if we have the time we want to take them there and maybe ride a ride and see LegoLand there (Luke is a lego freak!). On our way back to my mom's, we want to stop in Stevens Point to see Jeremy R. for lunch or something. Finally back at my moms by Tues. or Wed. at the LATEST (this all depents on how long we have our rental car - my mom is renting one for us so graciously so we can see her as well), spend the rest of our time there and fly out on Sun. or so.

So it's a lot of people and places - and miles! - to pack into a few days. It seems like plenty of time when you refer to it as a little over 2 weeks but when you look at the fact that we are traveling through 5 states in that time...it doesn't seem like NEARLY enough time to see everyone! So, I will be packing and planning and not really looking forward to air travel with 2 kids over the next couple of weeks and probably won't be posting much on here!

For now, we are getting ready to go to Luke's last soccer game of the season so I better get moving. (He asked me the other day if he could have "the guys over" so they could play together before next spring...yah, I want 5 more boys with as much energy as Luke all about the same age here in our tiny apartment for ANY amount of time - I don't think so Tim!)

Have a great weekend! :)

Laughing with Luke

Last night after I got my flowers from Bob I decided I should go to the store to get him something...the only problem was what? Neither one of us need anything and he wouldn't care for flowers (besides, we already had one beautiful arrangement at home but even one more would make my living room to look like a funeral parlor)! So I made the mistake of asking the kids, "What should I get Daddy for our anniversary?" Luke - the first thing he said was, "That 10 lb. chocolate cemetary thingy at wal.fart in the Holloween isle!" Yah, I'm going to give my husband a 10 lb. chocolate tombstone for our anniversary! Next, he said we should get him a really nice, very good, tie....Well...when does a mechanic wear a tie and where would he wear one? So that one was ix-nayed. Another one he suggested was a candygram, since daddy likes candy!

I ended up getting him a nice card (it's hard to shop for an anniversy card with kids who like to point out all the funny or gross ones and they are opening all the noisy cards when you are trying to hear one!), a nice dinner (I got fried chicken because I didn't really want to cook on my anniversary!) and dessert, plus some chocolate covered cashews and candy corn. I feel back on the old reliable, food! I still feel bad so I may have to get him, oh, maybe a 4G jump drive that he's been wanting...or a new gun case or sling for one of his guns...we'll see. Now that I've had some time to think about it!

Today Jodie updated her blog with this cute picture of her mom's new puppies. They were so cute I called the kids to look at it and Luke says, "Did that black lab lay those?!" LOL I had to laugh!

The things that kid comes up with!

NRA Sporting Day

Luke, Annabelle, and JozieBelle

A couple of weeks ago I took the kids to an NRA Sports day where the kids got to participate in all kinds of outdoor sports and learn a thing or 2 along the way. The first thing they did was ride a 4-wheeler. They both enjoyed it but they were really big machines and Luke had a hard time turning it! After that they moved on to archery. Jozie really enjoyed shooting the bow but I think she had a hard time pulling it back because of her recently broken arm - it's still pretty weak. After that they had a little talk from the Boy Scouts about outdoor safety while they are hunting or camping and also a demonstration about compasses. Then they came to the hard part for Jozie - there was a shotgun/skeet shoot. Luke loved it and shot 3 times (he didn't hit any of his pigeons though)! But Jozie was afraid of the gun. She got up there and after the guy showed her what to do she chickened out and walked away. I talked to her a little about it and she finally decided to go back up. She ended up shooting it and even liked it! After lunch they had a trapping demonstration. Luke really liked that - I think it was his favorite part - but was getting a little frustrated because he was one of the youngest and consequently one of the shortest so he was having a hard time seeing around the taller kids who were crowding around the demo. The last thing they did was shooting .22's. They both really enjoyed that and each of them came home with their spent casings. Overall it was a long day - 8am to 3pm - but the kids had a great time! Here are a few other highlights and some pictures:

• Jozie was afraid of the 4-wheelers as well. She has never driven one though Grandpa in MI used to give them rides on it whenever we would visit him. So she asked the instructor to ride with her. He got on the back - I think it was like a 450 or 500cc - and once he was on she gave it the juice - fast and quick! She ended up doing a wheelie and the guy nearly fell off the back! LOL There were some farm boys that were in her group that happened to be in line to ride the same 4-wheeler and they were in awe! They were older boys who drive 4-wheelers daily for various chores and entertainment so they though it was great that this girl did a wheelie! For the rest of the day she had 2 admirers! I couldn't believe it! My daughter impressed the boys without even trying! She was a tad embarrassed when she got back to the line but quickly became proud of her accomplishment when all the boys started talking to her and patting her on the back! Just remember your Bowling Ball song and everything will be fine, honey! Daddy said those boys were lucky that HE wasn't there!
• Jozie and her admirers (Orange Cap ? and Blue Cap Tyler)
  

• 
• Jozie on the 4-wheeler
  
• She asked me, "Mom, why do those boys keep following me around?" LOL

• When the kids were in the archery area they had to partner up. Jozie had no problem finding a partner because one of her HS friends were there. Luke, on the other hand, didn't know anyone and he is left handed. This usually doesn't matter, just find another boy and shoot at the targets, right? Wrong. Because he is left handed he had to have a partner that was left handed because they were using compound bows. By the time they saw the little one raising his hand for being a lefty the only other lefty left was a girl! He wasn't really happy about it but he wasn't going to let it show to the girl...he's a big man, you know! And she had to be at least 10 - if not older! He told Papa John that she was cute! She was a very nice polite girl and she even helped him out with his shooting a time or two. After that, the girl had an admirer that followed her around all day! LOL

Luke's Partner

Luke shot the bear right in the eye!

What Form!


Belle the archer!


Annabelle and JozieBelle

in love

for 8 wonderful years today! Though our road hasn't always been easy I have always known that I could depend on you. You have been my best friend and my partner. I look forward to the years ahead with anticipation. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

Thank you and happy anniversary!

Reason #101 I'm Glad We Moved To SD

The major flooding that is going on right now in Northern Indiana! Oof-duh! My friend posted pictures on her facebook of the bridges that I used regularly in Hobart and they are all underwater. There is flooding so bad in downtown that the bank and the Library next to the house we almost bought had water in them. Our house (that's what we called it whenever we went by it) is right next to the bank. We did put a bid in or 2 on the house but they took someone else's offer because they went higher than the asking price and they had cash. We were pretty upset at the time - being so tired of living in a basement - but I'm just grateful that we don't have that headache to deal with!

I just talked to my mom and she said that overnight the street in front of her house got a big sinkhole in it. People were driving across the neighbors yard to go around it and she thought that people had used their driveway too - since it connects to the street on the other side of the house. They don't have any water in their basement except for a couple of spots that got wet whenever we had a lot of rain but their sump pump is running constantly!

And all thanks to Hurricane Ike!

Luke in Soccer

One Happy Kid!

Luke has really been enjoying his soccer season. His team is undefeated and they tied once...the rest of the games the coach was telling the boys to hold back some to let the other team get some goals. LOL They don't really have practice except for a few minutes before the games. There are only 6 kids per team and only 4 are on the field for each team at a time. They don't have a goalie, they have a "sweeper" who isn't allowed to touch the ball but can stand guard of the net. There was one goal in the tied game they had the should have gone in but the sweeper on the other team used his hands to stop the ball. They should have just given Luke's team (Liverpool) the goal but I guess that's not the way they do things...Bob was able to attend Luke's game on Sat. because it was his weekend off. Luke was thrilled to have Daddy at his game for the first time. He played his first game ever and scored 2 goals for his team. He was so excited he asked me more than once if I was proud of him for making 2 goals. He is not a very aggressive player - which surprises me since he is so aggressive and competitive in almost everything else he does - esp. if he's competing against his sister...

So, we have a make up game tonight for one that was canceled because of lightning last week. I think he only has like 4 more games left. After next week the season is over. I'm sure he will miss it and I've really enjoyed watching him play!

The Team - Luke is #3

Time to line up!

Team "Practice"

I DID IT!

Here are the pictures from our DeSmet trip!

Picture Neglect. II

Ok, Bob and Luke went with Taylor (one of Bob's friends from school) to get some shooting practice in so I might be able to get another set of pictures up....lets see if I can get both the Little House and soccer on before they get home!

We had a wonderful trip to DeSmet. The tours were great - I wasn't supposed to take pictures inside some of the buildings but I had my camera in my hand and I forgot a few times. Laura's prairie was beautiful. Words can't describe how neat it was to stand where she stood and look at the same sunset that she did and hear the same night noises as her. I was sad to leave. It gave me a longing inside for something simpler, for someplace to call my own. I have this little obsession of looking at old house plans and looking on realtor.com for my favorite property search...I'd love to live on a place like that! (Not the whole museum thing but my own home, barn, fields, and room for the kids to run and play - while they are still young enough to enjoy it!)

Here's the quote on the plaque...

"It was fun to explore the farm.
A careless glance made the land look
like all the rest of the huge prairie.
But with a watchful eye, it was surprising
how much variety and
how many things of interest
could be found on 160 acres."
~From "Pioneer Girl"
(The Unpublished work of
Laura Ingalls Wilder)

The rock quotes:
"Remember well and bear in mind, a constant friend is hard to find." Laura Ingalls Wilder
"The future is in our hands to make it what we will." Laura Ingalls Wilder
"The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes - it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies." Laura Ingalls Wilder

Ok...now I know why I HATE slide and bought PhotoShow...I just uploaded about 100 pictures and added captions - it took me the majority of 2 and a half hours (mostly upload time) and I lost it...I am so mad I could spit! I'm done. I'm frustrated. I'm going to bed!

On the upside the boys are home and Luke had a great time shooting with the boys! He shot the .22 but wouldn't shoot anything else. He brought me one of his targets that he hit...on the edge! I guess he couldn't see through the scope so he just pointed and shot.

So I guess if I have time I will try this again tomorrow...maybe this time I will just get my PhotoShow going...

The Radio In My Head

Here's a brand new song that I have been singing for the last couple of weeks. I can't seem to get it out of my head (what's new there?LOL) so maybe this will help...

It really captured my heart. How many people do we walk by everyday that are hurting and struggling to find their way? How many only want to hear that God love them and that He's always there for them? And how can I make that difference in peoples lives? I'm not really sure about the people I go by on the street but I know I can be my neighbor's friend. I can show her God's love through my life and by listening to her - even if I don't want my kids playing with her kids anymore...but that's another post! Anyway, I guess that's where I can start - and hopefully I can make a difference in her life.



Here are the lyrics:

Brandon Heath Lyrics - Give Me Your Eyes

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tile
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?

Chorus
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
There’s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
To ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work
He’s buying time
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?

Chorus
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah

I’ve been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone

Chorus
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah

Picture Neglect.

Yep, I have committed Picture Neglect. I have several events that we have taken pictures at over the last couple of months that I have neglected to post. (Probably because I'm not very happy with the pictures I take with this camera - I'm almost ready to go back to my big old camera!) I fear my blog has become pretty wordy - and they weren't very good words either!

So, without further ado, here are my pictures!

OK, my computer is acting goofy and I've got to get SOMETHING done today so I'm going to post this before I lose it!

I will post the big DeSmet trip and Soccer pics soon!

Shoes...Again...

Well, we got all of our shoes this week and we've decided on the purple mary jane's. They were big for her but they give her room to grow and most importantly she's worn them a few times now and no blisters! Yipee! So now all I have to do is figure out how to send the rest back. The 2 I ordered from 6pm were big enough for me to wear comfortably! I couldn't believe that my little girls feet were as big as mine so I made her put hers up to mine. Sure as shootin', they were almost the same! Her's were only slightly smaller! Can you believe it? I can't! So I guess the lady at the local shoe store wasn't that far off! "Sorry lady at the local shoe store!"

My baby girl is growing up and I guess I just refused to see it!

Tender Foot

Now that we are getting back into shoe season we've been having a hard time (again!) trying to get Jozie into shoes. Her feet are so sensitive and she gets blisters in EVERY pair of shoes she's got - right on her heels. I took her to the podiatrist yesterday and they couldn't tell me anything except to suggest some VERY expensive shoes. Which isn't a huge deal, I just hope that they pay off in the long run by allowing her to wear something other than sandals!

I went to Zappos.com and ordered her these:















and these:















He suggested the mary jane looking ones and he also suggested the backless ones so that the friction wasn't there on here heels. They were both about $60 a pair. I ordered from Zappos because they have free shipping BOTH ways so when I find out they don't fit I can send them back! She really should have wide sized shoes and these don't come in wide sizes but they are pretty chunky shoes so they might fit her. (I just got an email from them saying that they are upgrading their warehouse somehow so I qualified for special priority shipping because they are trying to shorten shipping time to our area. I guess it DOES to live in a rural area sometimes!)

Just in case they don't I ordered 2 pair of back-ups from 6pm.com. They don't have free shipping but the shoes are cheaper and both pair are wide sized so I'm REALLY hoping that they both work and I can just send the Keens back!

Here's what I ordered from them. They were less expensive coming to $60 for both pairs so if they both fit her I will probably keep them so she has SOME variaty to choose from!






















She was happy with the way they all looked...she is a girl, after all! What girl wouldn't like new shoes! :) So at least I don't have to worry about her saying they are ugly when they come in.

We went to a local shoe store yesterday that the Dr. mentioned because they carry NB shoes. They didn't have kids sizes but said they would order anything I want - as long as I pay for them first. I wanted to get an idea of how they would fit her so the lady put some really heavy socks on her and put her in a woman's size 7 and a half. She was amazed at how well they fit and thought she may even need a bigger size because Jozie said they were tight across her foot. She didn't have an 8 so she put an 8 and a half on her. To me they were way too long but she said that an 8 would be perfect...again she was amazed. I left the store rather disgruntled that they could employ someone who couldn't even size a kids foot! I wear a size 7 and a half and there is no way her foot is bigger than mine. It's about an inch shorter! Sometimes you wonder what people are thinking!

Pick Me Up...

The Princess Bride has ALWAYS been my favorite movie. When I was in high school Ally and I used to quote the movie back and forth to each other when we got bored in school - which was quite often! LOL Anyway, I found The Princess Bride Game is now available and I am so tempted to buy it just for nostalgia! My kids even love the movie but hate watching it with me because I STILL quote almost all of it! LOL

Here's a little funny from the movie that you will recognize if you have ever seen it...enjoy!


Tickle Me Vizzini from PrincessBrideGame on Vimeo.

(PS...I will eventually take the time to get those pictures up...I've been so busy with school starting and camping all last weekend and now with soccer almost 3x's a week and teaching Wed. night @ church and HS PE once a week, and co-leading Keepers of the Faith for our HS group...I'm tired. When I have a moment to myself I like to read or knit and my blog gets forgotten for a day or so...)

OK...

I think next year when I am ready to order school curriculum I 'm just going to send my credit card and my list on over to Jamie! She seems to have a lot better luck with ebay than I do! Every time I would get close to winning an auction for the teacher book and DVD for Math U See ebay would remove the auction! I don't really understand why exactly but it's pretty frustrating! I did finally get it from HomeschoolClassifieds.com - all of it except for one Student Pack for $40 plus shipping. It's not exactly a GREAT deal but at least it's somewhat cheaper than new from the publisher. I will still have to get one Student Pack from the publisher for $20 plus shipping though.

So you see, I need Jamie's help! LOL

Library Woes...

Well, after being a week "overdue" the state catalog system is back up - but not working so well! I've had SUCH a hard time with getting my books back in order...before I took my books back today I think I had like $100 worth of fines! LOL Well, maybe not that much but probably close to $20...they were all credited because of the new system screwing things up but it's a little frustrating to say the least! I can't imagine what it's like for the libraries in the state with school started and things still aren't running right!

*About those promised pictures...my PhotoShow is screwed up because Bob had to reload the computer last week and now I need to find my key for it...I'm sure it's gone into oblivion and I will just be done using it. I'm going to hold out on the pictures until I can see if Bob knows where we put the darn thing. I hate using Slide or those other ones online because it takes so dag gum long to upload your pictures!*

Shopping for School Supplies

Today I have been collecting everything I need for the school year - it hasn't been easy or cheap! Aparently I'm not the only e-bayer that waits until the last minute for curriculum because a lot of what a want isn't available so I have been forced to buy them new...Grrr...I should learn from this and get my stuff together earlier next year but I'm sure I will be saying the same thing come this time next year! LOL

Here's what's on the "menu" for 4th grade:

Math: Math U See Delta
Science: A Beka Science Understanding God's World
History/Geography: 50 States Under God w/SD as individual State and A Beka My State Notebook
Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting Book D
English: Easy Grammar Grade 4
Spelling: Wordly Wise 3000 Grade 4

Other than A Reason for Handwriting these will all be new to us...I used A Beka with Jozie for K4 and K5 but I'm sure it's a bit more advanced than when we used it then! LOL

I am looking forward to our year actually starting with our new curriculum. We "started" unoffically last week with some multiplication and addition/subtraction memorization drills and we have been working through M is for Mount Rushmore that I mentioned in a previous post plus I'm having the kids read to me for a few minutes. Not half as much work that we will be doing once everything gets here so I'm sure they will be disappointed that their day is going to be much longer this year than it has in the past!

Jozie was pretty excite to go outside to play with her friends after she was done with her school work and her chores today because we were gone all weekend - only to be disappointed that they were all gone to school! LOL

We had a wonderful time this weekend with very little fighting between the kids. I will post more with pictures later this week...I was so tired when we got home yesterday and busy getting school stuff together today that I haven't even loaded my pictures onto the computer yet!

A Fun Filled Weekend Ahead!

Well, my kids are driving me nuts and I have decided to bring them on a mini-vacation! Doesn't that make perfect sense?! (Not really but we do a lot of things for our kids that don't make sense?!) I've been wanting to go to De Smet, SD to visit the Ingalls Homestead since we've moved here but haven't taken the time. So since we are studying SD history right now I've decided to take the weekend and go for a drive and a night. It will be busy! I'm hoping to get a covered wagon for the night at the Homestead or at least a Bunkhouse - doesn't that sound fun?! I couldn't tell if they allow campfires but that would be even more cool to sleep in a covered wagon for the night under the stars and tell stories around the campfire! The only downside is that Bob won't be able to go. :( He has to work all weekend. I would wait but his dad is coming next weekend for camping with us here and Luke also starts soccer next week so that won't leave us any free Saturdays until it's over. Plus I plan on going to Prairie Village on Sun. morning. It's the Jamboree this weekend so there promises to be a lot of knee slapping fun for all there!

Most of this stuff closes down after Labor Day as well and we don't want to miss it since we are so close! I figure an hour and a half drive isn't that bad. I found a place I really want to stay - Prairie Retreat - but it's too far out of the way for my plans. If nothing else I'd love to go just to support the ministry! How wonderful would it be to spend a couple of days on a farm?! If we had 2 or 3 nights I would seriously consider it!

So, enough with my plans! I've gotta go get some laundry done if I plan on taking clean clothes with us and I want to get some of our curriculum ordered today!

My New "Look"

I decided to change things up a bit and go with a back to school kind of template. I finally figured out how to fix things but had to redo all of my lists! I feel like I'm missing a couple of people! I don't have most of the links bookmarked of my blogs I read, I usually just start at my blog and go down my list. So with my limited memory banks lately I feel like I've forgotten someone! Oh well, I'm sure I will remember eventually...so if you are one of them let me know and I will add you back onto my list! :)

Belle's Arm Update

We went to the Dr. this morning and he said it's solid. It looks great and she is no longer under any restrictions. She was THRILLED to hear that she get's to ride her bike and scooter again!

Strong Family History

I had my first mammogram about a month ago after finding out that my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall. It's not just her but my grandma on that side and an aunt on the other side of the family. My grandma was quite worried about me so because of my "strong family history" my dr. said she would give me a referral to have one done.

I must say it's not a process that I care to repeat - it was VERY uncomfortable - even with it being "digital" there was still a lot of pressure and whatnot. The tech. said that I shouldn't be surprised if I have to get some more views done because my tissue is still quite dense (you could have fooled me!) because I'm so young. She was right. I got a letter in the mail about 2 weeks later saying that I had "abnormal results" and I had to go in for further testing. Great.

The second time was worse than the first because they had to concentrate on one spot. Twisting and squeezing and pinching. It wasn't fun!

She said I should know in a few days but when a week went by without any phone call I started to get a little nervous. I ended up calling for my results and they said that everything came out normal and that I should just go back in another year.

So I guess I now get to make this an annual thing and I'm not even 32 yet!

How Does That Figure?

Ugh. The whole state of SD is upgrading the library catalog. The process started on the 11th and was supposed to be finished today. I went to our library website only to find out that the company has "encountered some problems" and they don't know when they are going to have it up and running! How frustrating is that? You can check out books but they aren't checking them back in so when you bring a book back it sits on a cart in the back waiting for the catalog update to be finished so they can check it back in. Which means that by the time this is all over there aren't going to be a whole lot of books left to check out! Our library isn't the greatest either so a lot of the books I check out are interlibrary loans and I can't get those without a catalog.

What a pain in the butt! You'd think they would do like one library first to see how it goes and then maybe do the whole rest of the state...but they didn't ask for my advice so I'd best just wait like the rest of the state. You'd think with most of the colleges starting this week they would have it done. I wonder if they will go back to the old reliable card catalog?!

Grrr...

I was trying to change my template so I saved the old one like it said to but it didn't save everything so I lost all of the stuff on the side...I'm going to have to go and hunt for what I've lost...it irritates me! Not only that but when I changed it to the new one it kept my old header on there and only made the background white...it looked kinda silly so I tried to reload my old one and all of the other stuff was gone. This is why I don't do a lot of changing on my own! I'm HTML retarded and I only know enough to screw things up!

Busy Week!

We've been keeping busy with several things over the past couple of weeks...

The kids reading program at the library ended with a prize day. They were pretty excited to get the prizes - Luke had the top reading time for their class - but were disappointed in the prizes. It seemed like they tried to keep everything equal for everyone - no matter how much effort the kid did or didn't put into it. I think each kid was supposed to end up with 3 prizes and since Luke had the top time, he got to pick first. The only problem was that he didn't get to pick what he really wanted for some reason. And a kid who had quite a few less "bug bucks" than he did got 7 prizes. Jozie didn't read much so she didn't have many "bug bucks" to buy with to begin with but then didn't even get to choose the prize she wanted either - they just gave her a goofy little craft thingy and some advertisements for a new PB*S show called "S*id the Sc*ience K*id" for pre-schoolers...she's 9. So when we got home I dug into the Christmas stash and gave them each a prize of my own to show them I was proud of the job they did. I don't mean to complain, they had a great time and it was a wonderful program but if you are going to get the kids all excited about all the prizes they are going to get at least follow through in the end and be fair about it!

We had a picnic afternoon a couple of Sunday's ago I forgot to mention! It was with our new homeschool group! I'm so excited! The plan is to have PE once a week for the kids - lead by parent volunteers - along with some other group outings and support. It was so nice to sit and visit with a group of other like-minded adults for an afternoon and not have to explain why we do what we do to everyone who asks. I get the feeling that HSing isn't the "thing" to do here in SD. It's rather disappointed to get the "Oh, that's great." reaction when people ask where our kids go to school. Since there are several elementary schools here in town I suppose it's the last place people expect to hear where they "go" to school. I think it kind of catches them off guard and they really don't know what to say.

So if you were a HS parent and were thinking about teaching PE for a month but were REALLY not an athletic person, what would you do? Not that I'm talking about me or anything...

I knitted a new beanie for Luke for this winter - he loves it and wore it for like 2 days all day - even to bed - before he realized it was too hot to wear it still! LOL It's green with a white VW symbol on the side of it. I only used cheap acrylic yarn because I've never knitted with 2 colors before and I wanted to make sure I could do it before I buy the 'spensive stuff and screw it up! I want to make one for Levi for Christmas because he drives a VW and it's also the initials for his last name. :)

Speaking of Luke - he had almost a whole week of Birthday events last week. We started with his actual birthday celebration on Monday which was supposed to include a trip to the local pool - which has a few watersides, a lazy river, and some other water features - but the weather didn't agree so we ended up going on Tuesday instead. The kids had a blast and wanted to know if we could go back ...probably not for $12 for 3 hours!

Wed. was the free day at the local zoo so we spent almost the whole day there - literally! We got there about 9:30 am and were about to go at 11 but saw our neighbors. Luke insisted that he wasn't ready to go home yet and wanted to stay and play with Joey so we stayed with them until about 3. We went home and ate "lupper" around 4. The kids were going to VBS at the Baptist church with the neighbor kids but Luke was having some issues with one of the older girls there (he punched her in the stomach the night before because she was picking on him and pestering him. He tried to tell the teacher but they did nothing about it so he decided to take things into his own hands...) so we decided it was best for him to just not go. I asked what he wanted to do and he said to go back to the zoo. We were there for another hour and a half just looking at the animals and paying more attention to the fact sheets and such that Luke didn't look at much while he was with Joey. He was pretty impressed with himself every time he read one of the signs! LOL

Thurs. was the only day we didn't do anything "special" because Fri. we went to see the new Star Wars movie. My mom sent money for Luke's b-day for us to go (thanks mom!). Bob had the day off from work but didn't want to see it (he went to work to change the oil in his new scooter) so he sent money for us to get popcorn and soda. We got a large and had it refilled - did we ever eat popcorn! LOL The kids liked the movie but I found the battle scenes a little long and since there was so much movement it was making me a little sick - esp. after all that popcorn!

Since Bob had Sat. off he took us around to some rummage sales. I didn't really find what I was looking for but got some US Geo. stuff for school and a couple of clothing items for the kids. I also found some Scooby Doo books and a puzzle for our nephew - Dakota. He's 3 and LOVES Scooby but I need a few points with him so I told Bob I wasn't sending it to him via grandpa when they come up to camp in a couple of weeks - Dakota won't be getting it until Aunt Risa can bring them to him on her own so he knows they are from me - not grandpa! LOL

In between our busy-ness we've been watching some of the Olympics as they unfold on TV. Rooting for the USA and booing when a certain country who I won't name seems to get away with way too much in gymnastics!

Bob starts school tomorrow so I plan on getting up with the kids when he leaves to start our day off with school as well. I have been reminding them since last week that we are going to start when Daddy does - even though we won't have our curriculum until the end of the month or early Sept. I have plenty of things they can work on until then! I'm going to have to make a "Do Not Disturb - school in progress" sign for the front door since all of the neighbor kids don't start school until the 25th. Hopefully if I can keep them away until after lunch so I won't have too many problems getting the kids to focus.

Oh! I almost forgot! I signed Luke up for soccer this fall. It starts the first week in Sept. and then there's another season next spring. This is our first experience with organized sports - except for Aikido. Hopefully he will grasp the concept of a "team" and "sportsmanship"...2 things that he definitely lacks! LOL It is 3 times a week but it only lasts for a few weeks so hopefully we won't get too burned out on it. He's pretty excited about it - we found him shin guards at a garage sale and he had time on yesterday kicking around his basketball (he doesn't have a soccer ball!LOL) and he said that they work great - he can't even feel the ball on his shins! We were looking for shoes while garage saleing but didn't find any in his size. I think I'm just going to have to break down and buy some. I hate the thought though because they are bound to be too small by next spring!

Jozie goes back on Wed. for her final (hopefully) x-rays on her arm. She's been doing great though except for a little muscle pain due to, I'm sure, over working it. She's excited to get it cleared up so she can ride her bike again! I asked her about joining soccer and though I would hae loved to sign her up as well she said she doesn't want to so I didn't. I suppose it's probably for the better anyway with her broken arm being so recent. She said she wants to take piano lessons instead so that we will probably do. I'm going to start both of them with it this year so by the time they are ready to start playing an instrument they won't have to work so hard at the music reading part.

Well, I'd better go get supper started. The kids are starving (what's new?)!!

Eight!

My boy turns 8 today! Little did I know what I was asking for when I prayed for a boy before he was born! LOL

He's been fun and he's been a handful but most of all he has been a blessing to our family. He's the most strong-willed kid I know - now my prayer is that we can mold that will to that of his Savior so someday he can be a great influence for God. No matter what he does or where life takes him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBA!

"Hey Luke!

How come you aren't catchin' anything?"
"I don't know! Why don't you ask the FISH!"

This was the conversation I overhead this evening when the kids were fishing with Bob. LOL

We've really been trying to get in some fishing this summer because we all enjoy it and there are plenty of lakes around to try out. Today it was pretty windy but we decided to try it anyway because Bob had the day off (his first day off in about 2 weeks!) and it was nice out. I don't have a license but I give the kids a hand here and there when Bob can't and I take pictures or read.

They didn't have much luck with catching anything that was really edible - except for a decent sized Perch and a few Bullheads. Jozie caught the most and the biggest fish - including a great big Snapping Turtle! LOL Between her and Bob the caught the same turtle 3 times and then got a little Painted Turtle as well. Bob also got a big old Carp on but lost his bait and hook since they weren't exactly fishing for the big ones from the shore. The Snapper took 3 hooks and sinkers too so we figured it was about time to call it a night.

The Shadow of the Turtle

Not So Happy Snappy!

We saw a little bit of wildlife as well in the from of Canada Geese, a beaver, and some beautiful American White Pelicans. The Pelicans are really quite numerous around here and are huge birds.

Beaver From Afar

Some Past Due Pictures

It's Cast-Off Day!

Yippee! It's off! It's gone!

But we still need to keep activities limited for at least the next 3 weeks when she goes in for more x-rays. The only thing she can do now that she couldn't before is swimming. She is in no pain except for the stiff muscles and peeling dead skin (yuck).

It's A Boy!

He came into our lives yesterday at 3:41pm weighing 308 lbs. and he is 71.3 inches long. His name is New Natty Shanghai Shenke. We love him to bits and can't wait to see how much gas he will save us!

Click here for pictures!

I'm Still Here...

It's been a while since I have posted anything new. We've been staying busy and I haven't had much time to use the computer. I'd post some pictures but Bob has my camera tonight - something about a big jet coming into work tonight...

Jozie is pretty excited to get her cast off next week. She is counting the days! LOL I am counting the days as well - I'm tired of bathing her and putting her clothes on for her! :)

Luke got his bike replaced by Grandpa Byron. :) It was a camping bike that they got for $3 at a garage sale we went to back in May. They had several girl bikes but this was the first boy bike. It is exactly like Luke's old bike except with a couple of the pads still on it. He's really glad to not have to ride his sisters pink bike anymore! :) Thanks Grandpa! :)

Bob has been working a lot of extra hours lately. Which is good but on the down side it means that our rent will go up next month - we live in income based housing...grrr...I know I shouldn't complain but we don't know how much that increase will be. Isn't there some kind of law that says you are supposed to have a 30 day notice?

Me, I've been knitting a lot lately again. I know someone who is having a baby soon so I've been trying out several new projects for the occasion! ;) It's hard to type and knit at the same time! :)

I'm starting a unit study on South Dakota next week with the kids using this book. Hopefully they won't complain too much - I'm going to try and ease them into school this year and it incorporates almost everything except for math so I will just have them practice their times tables along with it. I have the unit studies for both MI and IN as well so if this one goes well we will be using both of those next. They are pretty simple books but the Unit Studies sort of use them as stepping stones for more information.

I will try and remember to post pictures when Bob gives me my camera back! Until then you will just have to make due with my words! :)

What Next?

So I'm finally settled down enough to blog about Luke's missing bike. It wasn't worth anything except to the boy who owned it. And now it's gone. His and the neighbor boy's were taken on the same night and we reported them missing at the same time. They said to wait a week and call officer so-and-so - the animal control officer - to see if they found. But the officer wasn't to confident that they would ever find it.

We were planning on waiting until we moved to get the kids new bikes - neither one of them were new when we got them - because we don't have a place to put them besides the bike rack so they sit out in the rain and snow. That way we wouldn't have to move bikes when the time comes next spring or summer. So next week we will probably hit the pawn shops and rummage sales to see what we can find. I found this really cool bike at W@lM@rt.com last night that has a speedometer and an odometer but it was like $80 and it was out of stock. I just can't see spending money on a bike that's only going to sit out in the rain and rust though. But I'm sure he would have fun with a bike like that! LOL I probably wouldn't be able to keep him off it! :)

The Radio in my Head

This song has been going through my head lately - I even made my own ring*tone for my phone with it - probably doesn't help with it going through my head. But it is a great song. "It moves me, Bob!" It's where I am with everything that's been going on in our life here in SD - from no HSing support to a lacking church family, from broken bones to stolen bikes (Luke's bike was stolen from our front yard last night!) - I will not be moved from Christ's hand, from His love. I will stand strong in him through my relationship with him and know that whatever happens to us, "I will not be moved".



NATALIE GRANT LYRICS

"Will Not Be Moved"

I have been the wayward child
I have acted out
I have questioned Sovereignty
And had my share of doubt
And though sometimes my prayers feel like
They're bouncing off the sky
The hand I hold won't let me go
And is the reason why...

[Chorus:]
I will stumble
I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes
I will face heartache
But I will not be moved
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
I will not be moved

Bitterness has plagued my heart
Many times before
My life has been like broken glass
And I have kept the score
Of all my shattered dreams and though it seemed
That I was far too gone
My brokenness helped me to see
It's grace I'm standing on

[Chorus]

And the chaos in my life
Has been a badge I've worn
Though I have been torn
I will not be moved

[Chorus]

Jozie Update and More

I took Jozie to the Orthopedist on Wed. and they had to re-x-ray her arm before they put a cast on it. The Dr. was worried that since her fracture was all the way through the end of her elbow that she might have to have surgery and put pins in to keep it from moving around. The x-rays came back better than the first ones and they put her in a pretty pink cast from hand to armpit. We were really revealed that she's doing good. I was really proud of her. She did great and even let them move her arm around and straighten it out for the x-ray. She isn't in as much pain this week as she was last week at all. We have to go back to the Orthopedist this coming Wednesday to get more x-rays to make sure things are coming along as they should.


Luke is doing better this week with dealing with the attention Jozie is getting. It finally came to a head and after a big blow up and me telling him that if he didn't shape up he was going to be confined to his room until he could - he changed his tune. I could tell he was really working hard yesterday and the day before to please me and do what he was asked to do when he was asked to do it. Today we are pretty much back to normal - which means things aren't prefect but I don't find myself having to yell at him and beg him to do every little thing. Of course I'm not catering so much to Jozie as I was earlier in the week either...she tries to use her broken arm as an excuse for this and that so I've been telling her that it's her arm that's broken - not her legs!

We went to the beach again last week in the evening to see the sunset and we plan on going again tonight. It's so pretty there and relaxing and the kids love playing in the water and sand. We got a Seal-Tight Cast and Bandage Protector for Jozie's arm. It's a vynal like sleve with a really tight rubber-band like top. It's pretty uncomfortable and she doesn't like putting it on but she doesn't complain much once she gets to playing in the water with her friends! LOL


We also had a nest of Robins hatch out recently in a tree near the house. It was fun watching them grow and just this weekend they have come out of the nest! So cute...here's so pictures of them...



They are the lucky ones - we have seen several around here that didn't make it, probably due to the wind and rain storms that we had earlier in the spring.

Lukeisms

Luke's been having a tough couple of days. Last night and most of today I've been after Jozie and attending her - making sure she's comfortable, taking it easy, letting her have friends over to see her (I usually don't let kids come in to play since we live so close together I don't want them to take for granted that they can come over anytime they want), etc. So needless to say, I'm sure he's been feeling a bit neglected. We played a game together this afternoon while Jozie was using the computer and taking a walk with Jordan and I took him on a walk to the mail box while Jozie was watching TV with Ayianna. He's been so cranky and crabby and doesn't want to listen!

Anyway, he said some things today that I just had to share.

Jozie slept on the couch last night because she found it comfortable and supportive for her arm so I slept down here on the floor next to her so if she needed something I wouldn't have to run up and down the stairs. When Luke woke up this morning and found me sleeping on the floor he said, "Mom, you should have let me sleep down here on the floor so you could have slept in your bed. I could have taken care of my little angel!" LOL They were the first words out of his mouth this morning and unfortuantely things only went down hill from there!

I just got done telling him to go up and get ready for bed - he hates brushing his teeth. He told me that he brushed his teeth for 8 minutes the other day so he was good for 4 days! He didn't want to brush them tonight so he said he would just brush them longer tomorrow. I think he is taking his tooth brushing timer a bit literal! LOL

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all of my dad's and my wonderful husband - I couldn't be the mom I am without all of you! :)

Bob has to work today so here are some words of endearment from Belle and Little Bob...

		I will marry Bob.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in SD in our fabulous House.
		We will have 7 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Brown VW Vanagon.
		I will spend my days as a Zoologist, and live happily ever after.

She's Back!

But a little worse for wear!

She broke her elbow! Luke and I went to see her yesterday because there was a parade and free swimming at the public pool. She was with Brittany and Brittany's mom and during one of the pool breaks they were playing on the playground where she tripped on one of those hanging bridges on the playground and landed right on her elbow. She said he heard it crack. Great. Brittany's mom took us to the ER where we had x-rays done. I will scan them in later so you can see them. But she has a fracture in her elbow. She has a partial cast right now - more of a splint because of the swelling. Since we weren't home, we have to go see her Dr. this week for more x-rays and follow-up to see what they are going to do.

As far as how bad it is I was just too busy trying to keep her mind off it because she was scared to death and in a ton of pain and I was pretty freaked out as well - so I'm not sure how bad it is. She still hurts quite a bit but has her friend over playing Monster's Inc. Life so she's being really brave. She's on Tylenol with Codeine and ibuprofen for the pain and swelling.

She was really disappointed because she had to come home, cutting her visit with Brittany at Grandpa and Grandma's camper short by almost 3 days! She wasn't ready to come home and wanted to stay even though her elbow is broken! That's my girl - the social butterfly! :)

I'm glad I didn't spend the $175 for the membership at our local water park!

Jozie and Jordan

My Baby is Gone!

Jozie left with Grandpa and Grandma just a few hours ago and already it's much quieter around here! Luke is outside reading to Ayianna as I type - she's the only other kid in the neighborhood who isn't gone on vacation somewhere - she was at her Grandmas last weekend and earlier this week. I think Luke and I might make a trip to the zoo tomorrow - maybe drag Daddy along, we'll see. Depends on how bored he gets! LOL Bob and I were laughing about how Luke will probably cry about missing his sister tonight when it's time for him to go to bed, and then he will probably sleep until 9 tomorrow morning without her here to wake him up. :)

I'm pretty proud of myself, I didn't cry when she left - I haven't cried yet! :)

The Radio in My Head

Today's featured song is a beautiful march, by Bruce Broughton. It's the Theme Song to the TV Show, Jag. Bob has been watching it a lot lately - he's got 10 seasons of it and is currently on season 5. I hear the song about 10 times a day - opening song, throughout the show, and the closing credits. I hum it in the grocery store, I whistle it as I read and even hear it as I use the bathroom (I know, TMI!) but you get my point...

Oh the joys of having a radio in my head!

Click here if you dare risk having it play in your head!

Luke Update - And More

Luke is back to his old self again! It didn't take long. That evening (after I had given him the Tylen0l and Ibupr0fen) when we went to W@lMart to get more Tylen0l he acted like a prefect monkey for the pharmacist as I asked him how much of and what I can give my poor kid for his extremely painful dental work he just had done that morning. The guy chuckled and said I shouldn't need to worry about giving him much extra anyway after we talked about age and weight and what not...that's my boy!

This week I am under a lot of stress...I am preparing my daughter to spend her first week away from me since I can remember. :( She is going to be camping with her grandma and grandpa - not far from some of her "cousins". Jozie couldn't be more excited! I couldn't be more freaked out! Though it's not far from here - about an hours drive - I don't know how I'm going to handle not seeing my baby girl everyday for a week! She isn't leaving until Thursday - I think - but I have almost everything packed that she might need - from band aids to sunscreen to - I know, I'm a freak - poison ivy wash. And of course about 7 days worth of clothes. I am a wimp. At least I will have my boy home to bother the living daylights out of me for the time his sister is gone! His friends next door are gone for the week to see their dad and won't be back until sometime next week. He is going to be bored to death! And to think he doesn't want to play with his sister while he has her - hopefully this will give him a reality check on how much his sister does for him and with him while she is around! :)

Dental Bliss...

Both kids had dentist appointments last week where we found out that the crown that Luke had done last winter is infected! That's not supposed to happen...I wasn't too happy. Well, Luke spent 2 hours in the dentist office this morning - they decided to replace the crown to try and save the tooth rather than pull it and put in a spacer. When he came out he was shaking like a leaf with a rather green tint to his normally tan complexion...the nurse said he got sick while he was in there. My poor baby! And they didn't even tell me until it was all over! She said that they needed to see him again in a couple of months to "check things out" - she didn't seem overly confident that it was going to work out. It took them longer than they thought it would. Luke was pretty upset. He told me that there was something in his mouth and they didn't understand him when he was trying to tell them he was going to throw up so it happened while he was laying there practically upside down and he got it all over his face - which was crusty by the time he cam out - and on his shirt. Did I already say, "My poor baby!"? He said he wanted me to come in there too and they didn't understand that either. Probably ignored his request is more like it!
Oh, well. He is still alive - and in VERY much pain. I plan on taking him to Wal M@rt after I drop Jozie and Ayianna off at VBS to get some Tylenol - apparently you can use it and Ibuprofen together. And hopefully he is feeling better by tomorrow!

Ready, Set, Go...

The kids have started VBS at the local Four Square Church this week. The theme is a car racing theme and they have really been enjoying it. They have both been bringing their friends and even invited some of their friends from church - Luke says he wishes he could bring Paul! LOL

Here's one of the songs that they sing, just to give you an idea of what they are learning about:



It's so cute to see the kids do that motions to the song, learning that Jesus is the truely their "Friend Like That". Even the kids we brought from the neighborhood! If only Paul could go... :)

The Radio in My Head

I love music. The problem is that I don't listen to it on a daily basis. I will sometimes listen to music on the computer or the MP3 player on my phone but since we don't have an actual radio or stereo in the house the only time I really listen to the radio is when we are in the car.

So instead I have this radio in my head. It's usually nice except that I am either humming or quietly singing wherever I go - which gives me this slightly crazy appeal! The problem with the Radio in My Head is that it usually gets stuck on one song for a while. Never quit finishing, it just loops through the verses and the chorus as it wills...sometimes for days! So I am starting a new label (can someone tell my WHY labels don't show up on my posts? I use them almost every time I post something!) called The Radio in My Head. Every once in a while you will see random songs tagged as such and hopefully this will bring closure to the days on end of the same song rolling around in that vast empty space between my ears! :)

Memorial Day Weekend

We went to the beach again last Sunday afternoon. It was plenty warm but very windy. The kids enjoyed playing in the big waves and collecting rocks with their friends along the beach. We were going to grill out at the park but due to the wind we went home and my neighbor - Jen - 's boyfriend - Davy - brought his grill over and we just grilled at home. Did I ever mention how nice it is to have such great neighbor's that are also friends? I've never experienced that before - but I haven't lived in an apartment much either. :)

We didn't do much on Monday. Bob had to work and Jen and Davy went to pick up a camper so the kids and I took a drive to a little town of about 650 people not far away to get some freecycle stuff. What fun! Then we came home and didn't do much after that until we went to get Bob from work at 8pm. Oh, the old lady "on the end" was yelling at the kids for making too much noise with their marshmallow guns (?! do marshmallow guns made from PVC make noise as you blow with your mouth through them to make the marshmallow go "poof" out the end?!?) because she was trying to take a nap. So I took Jozie's gun and together Luke and I had a marshmallow war in the front yard! About 5 minutes into it the old lady "next to Miss Jennifer" we over to see the the old lady "on the end". Hmm. I've never napped with a friend before! Must be an old lady past time! Anyway - we had fun and I REALLY wanted that old lady to come out and yell at me for playing with the marshmallow gun!

Here's some pictures of the kids in the water...