Snow Day

Last Wednesday I finally got around to yanking all the summer flowers out of the front flower bed and getting my pansies in the ground.  The weather report was sounding ominous, so I figured I would take a shot at getting them planted before it all turned bad, and I even bought a little frost blanket to cover them with in hopes of a fighting chance at survival.  Pansies were my Grandma Honey's favorite flower.  She always said they had "sweet little faces", so I thought of her as I planted these.

Well.

The weather man was right on the money.  It was exactly 79 degrees while I planted on Wednesday, and by Thursday night we had several inches of snow and freezing rain.  It dropped 50 degrees in two days!  My little outdoor bear went from this....

to this.....

Ha!!!

Schools were closed Friday, and the kids spent several hours outside "sledding" down the neighbor's yard.  It was a fun little break that ended up lasting into Saturday....then Sunday....then today.  Many churches cancelled services yesterday, and schools were out again today.  Since there was no kindergarten for Emma I told her we would homeschool like the big kids!

We read Katy and the Big Snow and did several activities related to the book.  We learned about snowflakes and community workers and measuring by feet.  We practiced counting by 5's, since Katy had 55 horsepower.

Then we made BIG snow!!  I could seriously hang these all over my house.  Isn't this gorgeous?? We found a tutorial on Pinterest and they are surprisingly simple to make.  Emma did almost the entire thing by herself.

Unfortunately, I was short a stick of butter, so we didn't get our snowball cookies made.  As usual, I had more things planned than I had time to execute them, so we will have to enjoy a few more snow related activities after school this week.

Late in the afternoon the doorbell rang and it was the delivery man with a special box.  Oma Joan lives near a a candy outlet, and she sent the kids TONS of special holiday candy.  I had to laugh, because after being snowed in for FIVE DAYS straight, having a huge box of chocolate land on my doorstep was like a little miracle!  I think I yelled as loud as the kids did!  :-)  Of course we're out of nearly everything, but WHO CARES because now we've got plenty of chocolates!  

Tomorrow is a VERY BIG DAY around here.  Today was Emma's very last day of being five.  Five was a great year, and I'm sad to see it go.  I can hardly believe how quickly time is flying with her.  But I'm also excited to wake up tomorrow and see what treasures God has in store for SIX.  

The Buzzard is heading to the donut shop early in the morning to pick up sprinkle donuts, which I will deliver to kindergarten with a case of RAIN water.  :-)

Then I need to come home and get crackin'!  I have a cake to bake, a present to wrap, and a banner to hang.  It's going to be a GREAT day.  Here's my still-five-almost-six year old enjoying the snow!!!!

A Week In Review

So.

I started this post last Sunday as a weekend wrap up.  Then Emma got sick...(more on that in a bit)...and  life sped by in a haze of antibiotic doses and itch creams. Rewind.....

Last weekend we hosted supper club.  We've been part of this group for many years now, and it is always a highlight of our month.  It was my turn to host, and since we officially welcomed the first day of autumn last weekend (in name, anyway!) I decided to do something warm and hearty.

I boldly boasted (jokingly!) to our group that the Old Buzzard and I have won TWO blue ribbons at chili cook offs in the past.  I then proceeded to prepare the absolute WORST batch of chili you could imagine.  I am not in any way suffering from a false sense of modesty when I tell you it was bad, bad, bad.  My guests were exceedingly diplomatic as they choked it down. Ha!

I was, however, able to pull of a cute centerpiece idea that I found on Pinterest.  I find it odd, looking back on these pictures, that it was less than a week ago when the biggest thing on my agenda was how to make mason jars look cute.  Emma's little sickness really cured me of all that free time.  ;-)

After dinner we played this really fun food trivia game.  What I really liked about it was that you don't have to be a "cook" to have fun playing.  There is a wide variety of categories, so everyone could participate in answering the questions.  It was a great time.

The biggest highlight was the PaParella's.  I went to a graduation open house the morning of supper club where this gourmet popcorn was served.  Now, I'm not normally a huge fan of flavored popcorn, but this stuff was DIVINE.  I especially loved the half caramel corn/ half kettle corn combo.  Delish!  So, Mom and I drove up to find this little place and get four different flavors of popcorn for supper club.  We put it out in big baskets and everyone munched away during the board game.  It was like a little reward for making it through my wretched supper!  

I need another special occasion fairly soon so I can have another excuse to return to PaParella's.  The chocolate peanut butter flavor was the favorite of the evening.  To.  Die.  For.  A fun and novel finish to our night.

Sunday evening Hayden played in a dodge ball tournament.  They had a color gauntlet there, and the kids had a BLAST getting doused in colors.

This is just about the nicest group of kids I could ever dream about for my son.

He is an active part of a youth group at a HUGE church right by our house. Even though our family does not have membership there,  Hayden adores the youth group and is always up to something fun with them.  Like dodgeball! 

Monday morning Emma came downstairs with a rash on her legs.  I got her a doctor's appointment for 11:00, and by the time we got there she had an angry, inflamed, TERRIBLY itchy rash covering the majority of her body.  It spread like wildfire.  It turned out to be a strep rash called Scarlett Fever.

And it was misery.  She really had a rough go of it, and we had a horrible time trying to find her some relief.  I was so incredibly thankful to have my Mom here this week.  I never could have made it without an extra set of hands (and a LOT of emotional support!) during the day.  Jeff came home every night and gave her oatmeal baths.  It was the only time she was comfortable.  She had a high fever and itches, itches, itches.  Sooooo pathetic.  :-(

By last night I was ready for a little cheer.  We made cheeseburgers for dinner and I decided to do something cute and silly for the kids.

Anything to put us more in the  mood for fall as we continue to melt in Texas temperatures.  Ha!

I also made a big batch of peanut butter cookies.  I had to make SOMETHING with peanut butter because we had THREE open jars of peanut butter going in the pantry at once.  How is that???

I was just so ready for something to do that I baked up a double batch, even though no one around here is particularly eating many sweets these days.  It was baking therapy.  :-)

I even made a few of them extra kid friendly.

I packed most of them up and sent them with Hayden to his co-op class today.  I find that teenagers are always pretty appreciative of baking sprees!

It's definitely been a loooooong week, but I'm super happy to report that as of tonight, we are officially on an upswing.  Emma's fever is down, her appetite is up, and she is happy and active.  The rash is still present, but it has calmed down a lot, and she is able to find some relief from the itching.  PRAISES.

My Mom closed on her new house this morning, so she is officially no longer homeless!  Hooray!  Movers arrive at the new house first thing tomorrow morning, and I am so incredibly excited.  I absolutely LOVE her new house, and it will be so fun to see her get all settled.

Maybe we need some PaParella's Popcorn to celebrate!  :-)

Back In the Saddle

WHEW.

Summer, in a nutshell....

I took a three week road trip with my kids.  It was a memory maker.

We went up to Nana and Papa's farm to gush over this spectacle...

Can you imagine having this view out your window week after week?  Nana and Papa are lucky eggs. This was God's special gift to a Kansas Nana.  :-)

We celebrated Hayden's 14th birthday.  Fourteen!!!

This has been a tremendously fun year of growth for Hayden.  Not only does he tower in height, but his strong character, keen initiative, and outrageous sense of FUN continue to grow by leaps and bounds.  What a lucky Mom I am.  Truly.

We ate cake, laughed about his new Duck Dynasty bobble head, and bought him a BIRD.

Max has had an equally fabulous year, and this dog of his is beyond words.

LOVE that doodle dog.  LOVE her!!!

Max spent lots of time at a horse therapy barn this summer where he has been volunteering with special needs kids.  It is a super fit for him, and while I wish the barn was a little closer to our house, he has certainly found a niche that suits him.

So enjoyed my time with Hannah home this summer.  These college years are precious....so much personal growth, and an exciting time for setting goals and blazing trails.

Hannah spent the first month of summer exploring Europe on a humanities tour with her school.  It was everything she dreamed it would be; and for my art loving, history reading, culture minded girl, it was an intensely personal and rewarding experience.  She came home different somehow........growing up, coming into her own, so confident in who she is and what she loves about life.  You know what?

I really, really like her!!!!  :-)

Here's the other thing about her increasingly adult life that I just love.....she has the most fabulously fun friends, and they are nice enough to let me bud in on their sweet lives.  I love her friends like my own...they are an extension of our family.

One day, we went to a big cat sanctuary where Melanie worked HARD all summer.  It was so fulfilling  to see Melanie in her element....she loves animals passionately and is pursuing a career in some form of wildlife biology.  She acquired such interesting knowledge about these big cats and we were enthralled listening to her share.  I'm so proud of her!!! 

The cat sanctuary where she worked was ravished by a deadly (to cats) disease this summer, and while I don't want to go on about that here, there were parts of the tour that were HIGHLY emotional for me. People who dedicate themselves selflessly to help animals (and other people, for that matter) inspire me greatly.  I am constantly amazed at the strength and beauty of the human spirit, and the capacity for compassion and ministry.

There is so much GOOD in this world.  So important to be reminded.

I'm crazy for this girl too.  Hannah went to pick Morgan up at the church camp where she served for the third year running.  Morgan started at a brand new school this fall, and I could not be any more excited for her.  What a beauty this one is....she will take it by storm!!!

The Tuesday after Labor Day we started KINDERGARTEN.  My very last first day of kindergarten.  The night before we had to get our little "all about me" poster ready to go.  True to form, I knew about that project all summer and waited until the night before school to even start on it.  Some things never change.  Why oh why do I give my kids so many lectures about procrastination???  

We got up early and packed our lunch box, including a special first day note from Sissy.  (She made a whole stack of them for me before she left for school, so I have enough to put in her lunch box everyday from now until Christmas.  It is a fun little tradition we have.)

Drop off was dreadful.  :-(

We had some MAJOR sadness on the first day, and it wasn't just me.

Tears, tears, OCEANS of tears.  I didn't even take pictures that first morning because there was no break in the crying that started right out of bed.  :-(

Luckily, by the time pick up rolled around, she was doing better.

I wish I could gush about how much we're loving kindergarten, but honestly, we may not be quite there yet.  We only had tears that very first morning, but she was a little quiet and apprehensive the first several days.  It is just SO VERY out of character for her.  We seem to be more into a groove by now.  We're on week three now, and she gets pretty excited about going in the mornings.  I think overall she likes it, but we're still getting fully adjusted to a new school and new setting.  She was at the same preschool for three years.  We loved it so much.  She is now at a little church for kindergarten, and while we may be a tad bit sluggish getting off the starting line, I really do think it will be a great year.

Probably the biggest news of the summer is that my Mom bought a new house!!!

WOO HA for Oma!!!

We are sooooooo excited about this new development.  She moved out of her old house last week and is here with us until she closes on her new house.  The new place is super cute and is within bike riding distance from our house.  My boys are over the moon for that part.  It has been super sweet having her here....Emma can hardly believe the good fortune of being spoiled all the time.  I rather know how she feels.....daily help with laundry, carpools, and cooking isn't an all bad proposition!  :-)  I'll be more than a little sad to see her go!  However, we are thrilled about the excitement that lies ahead and are gearing up for a very busy and happy time as we get her moved, unpacked, and settled.

So, I flunked summer blogging, but here I am, back in the saddle and full steam ahead.

Lots going on, and still grateful for this little space to report our happenings.

End of the Year Picnic

Last week was full of many fun activities all gearing up for the end of preschool.

First, we had a picnic at the park, and all the kids got to feed bread to the ducks in the pond.

Except there were no ducks!  That didn't stop them from having a blast throwing wads of bread into the water.  It's so funny sometimes to see which activities appeal to five year olds.  :-)

The kids in Emma's class have been together for two years now.  The bonds of friendship are strong; there is great chemistry between these ten squirts.  I'm really going to miss this class!!!

Mostly I will miss this woman.  Ms Jerry has been directing preschool for 27 years.  She is a preschool mastermind.  Her creativity and extensive knowledge have been a DAILY blessing and encouragement to me, and I will miss being constantly amazed and entertained by her clever leadership and extraordinary teaching skills.  She truly, truly has a heart for kids.

At the end of park day each child was given a balloon.

Then we sang a little song about going off to kindergarten that ends with, "Let's GO!"

At those words, all the children released their balloons to Jesus.

.....and all the Mommies cried BUCKETS of tears.

It was incredibly sweet and sentimental, and a great send-off to kindergarten!

Emma's teacher, Mrs. Alice Ann, was a perfect match for her.  Oh, how I loved her ability to lovingly yet firmly direct Miss Highly Spirited Emma!  :-)

And now........

Holy Jelly Beans!  WE'RE OFF TO KINDERGARTEN!!!!!!

I couldn't bear to go straight home after the park because I didn't have anything on my afternoon agenda but crying, so I drug the kids through TWO different Home Depots looking for flowers to plant in the yard.  I wanted to come home and completely surprise my Buzzard by having the back flower beds weeded, tilled, planted, and mulched by the time he got home from work.

I surprised him alright!!

That sprinkler line that I busted right through with my shovel was definitely NOT what he was expecting when he got home that night.  :-)

What can I say?  Graduation did me in.

Birthday Blog Bash Day Three

Yesterday I was riddled with technical difficulties.  Don't think it went unnoticed.  My phone was buzzing bright and early with a text that I am officially behind schedule on my blog.  Of course my scoldings came through loud and clear.  No technical difficulties there.  :-)  My issues are in the uploading process.  My new photos show up in iphoto, but I can't get them to show up in blogger.  I need things to be in two places at one time, you see.  I need my mac to instinctively understand what I'm trying to accomplish, and I need it to respond toot suite as I try to perform six functions at once.  I need this from my children too.  But, I have two boys who got behind on their homework yesterday and a computer that's hiding photos from me.  

Proof positive that there is no such thing as a perfect week.  Even when it's a birthday week.  :-)

Day Three....A Date With ME!

I went to the mall yesterday and was thinking of Hannah, wishing she was by my side.  If she would have been, we surely would have visited her favorite store.......

Ha ha....okay, maybe not.  But I would have dragged her in and forced her to comment on every single adorable pillow cover and vase filler.  Twice.

THEN we would have gone here....

and here.....

and oh, how I wish I had a picture of ANTHROPOLOGIE to put here.....

....but alas.  It has already been well established that this is a less than perfect system.  :-)

Okay, so tomorrow she gets TWO surprises to make up for her lost day.

Here's a hint.  April showers bring.........

Love you, Hannah!  Hope you're having a great week.