Happy Birthday Skip!

Happy, Happy BIRTHDAY to our friend Skip!!!

We love Skip!! Skip is our good friend and he celebrated his

68th birthday with us today by eating yummy Mexican food

and coming over for cake and gabbing.

We had sooo much fun!! We love these two people.

Happy.Birthday.Skip!

The Countdown and My Favorite Hearts.

Don't ask me why, but I LOVE conversation hearts!

Valentine's Day just may be my very favorite holiday!!!

After the last CHRISTmas present is opened, I begin

dreaming about Valentine's Day!!!

Just look at each one of those dreamy hearts!!

Counting down the days until I will have earned

my Master's of Science Degree in Early

Childhood Education . . .

48.

Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?

Luke and I l.o.v.e. animal crackers!!! The chocolate animal crackers

are best when you dip them into orange sherbert. You must eat

them with a buddy, in bed, in front of the television!!

We were heartbroken last night when we went to the cookie jar

with our orange sherbert in hand, tivo ready to go, and zero animal crackers.

Let's face it, the left over, broken arms, legs, and trunks just don't cut it.

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar???

Not me. You?

Photoshop.

Our resident PHOTOGRAPHER, Sam, has just started taking

a photography class. He already has a natural eye for the camera lens

and stands to learn much during the next three months in the photo lab.

He had to take pictures of many random objects. Here are some random

objects that I found around the house . . . $$$ . . .

M&Ms . . . always available in abundance . . .

. . . my feet!

Sam really does have some great photography skills. I

will display them one day soon.

Snap.snap.

Building, Building, Building.

Holy Cow! That's right! I am currently spending about TEN HOURS a

day BUILDING my portfolio as a component of my last

Master's of Science degree. Let me tell you, it is quite the experience.

A shout out to Sam for all of his technological help. We are far from

done and I am dreaming up a great reward for him when WE get

it all complete.

Time to build!!!

Oh, Snap.

Wouldn't this baby be awesome to carry my new SLR camera in??

Dreamin'.

Berry Good Lunch.

We started talking about BLUEBERRY PANCAKES last night before

we went to sleep. Everyone must have been dreaming about them,

because as soon as we woke up we could not wait to make some

blueberry pancakes.

Mondays are typically a very busy day around our home, so we

got busy with our chores, instrument practices, schoolwork and

actually made these yummy, yummy pancakes for lunch.

They are just as good cold later on for a snack!!

One.of.my.favorites.

Winter Dance.

Sam and his friend Kayla headed off to the winter dance at

the high school last night!! Kayla is such a great basketball and volleyball

player. Sam, of course, is our avid golfer. Sam and Kayla do have a lot in

common. We have had lots of fun going to Kayla's basketball games

at the high school lately. Luke has enjoyed getting tips from Kayla.

She and her family go to our church. They had a fun time with all

of their friends at the dance!!

Luke couldn't wait until they got home so that he could hear all of the details!!

He is counting the MINUTES until he can go to dances and on dates!!

Whew!

Fiesta!!

My canning partners and I got busy and canned SALSA!!

We made both RED and GREEN!! Luke and Mike had the hardest

jobs . . . chopping the onions and jalapenos!! Poor Luke's eyes!!

He is a trooper!!

Mike husked the tomatillos and guided Luke with the food processor.

We couldn't keep our chips and tortillas out of the salsa . . .

it was soooo goood!!!!

Yum! Yum!!

Springing Forward.

Getting excited for spring . . .

It is so fun shopping for a spring wardrobe!!!

After all of the clouds, rain, and snow the past several

days, I am thinking about the beach, swimming, swimsuits,

skirts, short sleeves, and flip flops!! Here are my first

new additions to the spring collection!!

Heeeeeeers Tim!

Our professional jazz guitar musician Tim is pictured on the

Liberty of the Seas cruise ship with some of his fellow band members.

This picture is taken backstage with some of the props from one of

the production shows in which they perform "EverAfter". This

particular show revolves around Alice in Wonderland.

How great would it be to be 23 years old, a professional musician, doing

exactly what you want to do, not paying rent, zero debt, and getting paid?!?

Pretty.amazing!

Crazy Latest Obsessions.

Tabasco, cannot be replaced.

Frank's Red Hot does have a real place in

my menu. I love to put it on homemade veggie pizzas,

"pretend" chicken wings, omelets, and just about anything

that needs a little extra kick.

Equally obsessive, are the Junior Caramels. I am now

hooked on these babies after driving to THREE, yes three

stores which were out of the ever popular Junior Mints.

Mooooove over Junior Mints. You have been replaced.

Veggie omelets have been my main staple the past several weeks.

I cannot get enough of them. I grill the veggies and then add

egg beaters!! Totally yummy!!!

Family Volunteer Fun and Bonus.

We had so much fun today volunteering as a family in our community!

A total bonus . . . each of us received a free ticket to Disneyland.

We are so excited!!! We volunteered in a drug prevention program making

door ornaments, clay beads, signs, and participated in a drug free program!

In return, each participant received a free ticket to Disneyland.

Yo-ho, Yo-ho, it's a pirate's life for me!!!

On the Road AGAIN!

Seriously? Yep! We are on the road between Pahrump and Las Vegas!

We have driven almost 700 miles in five days!!! The drive has given us

time to catch up on our iPods, Michael Jackson tunes, and share some jokes and

laughter. But, really, I will be glad to have Grampa home and be in our little

home base for a while.

Praising the Lord as Grampa's procedure went well and he may be able to come

home today!!!!

Something New for Grampa.

Tomorrow Grampa will be the proud owner of an IVC filter.

The IVC filter will be inserted either into his groin or main

artery in his neck. This amazing little gizmo will keep the blood clots

in his legs from reaching his lungs or his brain, thus inducing a stroke.

We are so very thankful for the knowledge the God has given to doctors

and man in order to invent such marvelous devices. The procedure to insert this small

filter is done with local anesthetic and takes only an hour in the x-ray room.

We cannot wait for Grampa to have this procedure done so that he will be

out of any danger.

We are excited for this procedure and to see what else God does in

restoring Grampa's health.

P.T.L.

Game Time!

Whoo-hoo! It was Game #1 for the SHARKS!! Our #9 was

raring and reading to go!!! Luke LOVES basketball and is

an awesome forward. Aside from the coach, Luke is THE

tallest boy on the team.

Luke scored two points in the game today!!! He is an awesome

defender. It was a really fun game in the big gym at the high school!!!

Luke was on the move!!! He loves to play defense!!

Luke cannot wait to get back to the offensive side of the

court and score a basket!!!!

Ready to roll!!!!

Congrats. Luke!!

That Grampa!

Our Grampa is truly a trooper!

I got to spend my ENTIRE day here . . . at Summerlin Hospital in the

Emergency Room. Grampa has had some difficulties the past week

or so and the docs admitted him into the hospital due to the fact

that his kidneys are shutting down. BUT . . . praise to our Lord,

he is going to pull out of this thank you to wonderful advances in medicine.

He is receiving blood plasma, powerful medications, and constant monitoring

to insure that he will respond to and pull through this health scare.

God truly orchestrated the entire day. I prayed all the way to the

hospital that we would have wonderful doctors and nurses. God truly paved

the path and provided wonderfully patient and knowledgeable people

throughout the entire ordeal. Grampa detests being there, but I am so

grateful that he is where he can receive the very best care.

We cannot wait to get him back home where we can pamper him!!

Get.well.soon.Grampa!! We.love.you!!!!

Back in School.

It is back to the books for me!!! I am so excited!! This is my

last master's class. I will have my Master's of Science in Early

Childhood on March 19, 2010. So it is . . . cups on for the rest

of my family and hitting the books hard for me.

I am so thankful that my family is so understanding and

are at my beck and call during the times that I am in school.

Luke and I make excellent study partners during the day and

Sam and Zach will both be back in their own college classes in

ten days. I would not have been able to reach this goal if I did not have

THE BEST family in the entire universe.

Ten weeks and counting . . .

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails.

Yeah! I went to get my big pot to make a huge batch of

homemade spaghetti sauce and what do I see . . .

a football in my spaghetti pot.

It even gets better!! Right next to my desk . . . I find a

CUP!!!

Where are the pink ribbons, lipsticks, and bows???

I have to admit . . . I LOVE MY BOYS!!!!!

Habits.

We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, therefore, is not an act

but a habit.

Aristotle

I am Blessed.

Simply no doubt about it, I am one blessed lady!!!

Praise.the.Lord.