What an absent blogger I have been!  Guess we've been busy living life!

 

Our past few months have been full:

 

We had an 8th grade graduation.

 

 

We watched a lot of baseball!

 

 

 

4-H and the County Fair

 

 

Back to school....3 in highschool!

 

 

Homecoming Dance

 

 

 

 

Our family help plan a fundraiser for a family that has a boy with leukemia...complete with raffle and bbq food.  Was a huge success!

 

 

 

Played some volleyball....poor girl...mom was her coach!

 

 

 

And some basketball.....dad was the coach here :)

 



 

 

 

And then it wouldn't stop snowing!!

 

Life has treated us well.  Have been making time for life's blessings! 

Soon, we will be having two Confirmations, one First Communion, and one High School Graduation.  The blessings keep coming.

 

Many Blessings to You!

 

 

 

 

Um...Wow! Summer Time!

Wow!  Apparently I've been making time for summer and not blogging!  Wow!  May Day was my last blog?  Hmmmm......well, let me fill you in :)

We had a piano recital.  Aren't they cute?

I made my first machine quilted quilt.  Lots of color!  My oldest daughter helped pick out the fabric because it is a gift for a friend of hers headed to college. The friend loves it!!!  (whew!)

I'm working on my next one.....I chose the fabric for this one:)  It's going to be a bit more organized!

My kids are in 4-H. This week is fair week.  If you are involved in 4-H, you know what that means!

I'll post fair pics and recipes soon. 

We've also played baseball, sent the girls to a variety of camps/conferences, painted a bedroom, and done some swimming :)

What are you making time for this summer?

Making Time.......for May Day!

Happy May Day!

Time has really stood still for our family after the lose of my nephew.  1 month now.  Seems strange.

Yesterday was the first day in over a month that I felt like doing something without forcing myself to do so.

Every year at Christmas we make goodie bags for the neighbors.  Christmas was tough this year as my nephew was ill and undergoing a bone marrow transplant.  Just wasn't in the celebrating/baking mood.  Figured I would do it for Easter.  4 days before Easter, we buried my nephew.  Needless to say, I really wasn't up to making treats.

Soooo......yesterday I baked!  I made 2 big batches monster cookies (part for my daughters birthday treats today!  Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!), 72 pumpkin bread muffins, and lots cake balls.  I bought petunias and planted them in cups.  I had already purchased clearance Easter baskets and "grass".  I built, my kids delivered.  (Which I am sure was great fun....17 year old driving the truck and the others in the pickup bed with the 11 baskets)

Here's a pic of the end result.

I'm glad I made time for May Day.  I pretend it was for others, but truely, I think it was therapy for me.

Making Time for Miracles

I have been away for a while.

Almost 3 weeks. 

I spent those weeks by my 18 year old nephew's bedside.

Holding his hand. 

Brushing back his hair. 

Calming him down.

Walking with his mom.

Shedding many tears.

I was with him as he died. 

I helped plan his funeral.

I was his Godmother.

My nephew fought leukemia.  He beat it.

He didn't beat the fungus that attacked his lungs.

Stupid cancer.  Stupid fungus.

I think of the things he missed out on.

Reaching the legal drinking age.

College.  He had two weeks this past fall.

Marriage.

Kids.

Grandkids.

Life adventures.

Then I think of our miracle.

He's in heaven.

He's looking out for me and mine.

I have a Godson that is a Saint.

With the suffering he endured in his 16 months of hell on earth, I have no doubt where he is.

He is dancing and singing before the Lord with the angels.

Yes, I will continue to cry for my loss.

Some days more than others.

But my loss is his gain.

Now I will take time for miracles of my own.

My kids.

My friends.

My faith.

Making Time.....for some Farm Fun

So, I have been wanting to post this for a week, but had some computer issues :)  Thanks to a friend and her hubby, I'm back :)

Last Sunday I took my girls on a trip to the farm.  My dad and my two brothers still farm together. Their cows have been calving.  One of my favorite farm seasons......truthfully, I love all the farm seasons!  (And I am sure I will share them all with you)

Aren't they cute!!  Bucket calves that will soon be moved to my older brother's backyard for his two kids to bottle fed.

The girls forgot coats and had to raid Grandpa's closet :)

These calves love to chew on things!  Especially fingers ;)

Headed out to the pasture to check out more calves. 

What a fun day we had on the farm.....sharing my heritage with my girls :)  Remember to make the time to share your childhood fun with others!



Making Time.....for a Lenten Journey



Each year we experience different Lenten Journeys.

Sometimes we chose for ourselves.

Sometimes God chooses for us. 

Over the years, through our journeys and God's journeys, we have developed some Lenten traditions.  We pray the family rosary nightly praying for different family members and friends as our main intention.  We post our spoken Lenten sacrifices on our dining room buffet and mirror as reminders.  (Some Lenten sacrifices are meant to be kept secret)  We attend Stations of the Cross weekly.  In addition to individual sacrifices, we chose family sacrifices as well.

Last year, my friend Cheree at The Morning Latte gave me some grape vine from her garden.  I used it, along with some toothpicks to create a crown of thorns.  The idea is to remove a thorn every time you make a secret sacrifice.  Truthfully, we aren't good at remembering to remove the thorns.  (We DO sacrifice!)  This year, it is more of a display item to remind us of Lent.

We also display a set of footprints that came from one of the kids school classrooms.  These footprints remind us of 3 important parts of Lent:  Pray, Help Others, and Give Something Up.

(Note the roll of tape?  LOL!  Not normally part of the display, but definitely necessary for the mirror postings!)

I do appriciate my Lenton Journeys.  (I was going to say "enjoy" but I'm not sure that is the right word.  I mean, really, who enjoys fasting?)  Each one has been diffent.  Yet, each one has ended with a beautiful Easter Sunday.

How are you making time for your Lenton Journey?

Making Time.....for Fat Tuesday

Ahhh.....Fat Tuesday!  The Feast before the Fast!  Enjoying God's bounty before the season of Lent.  The kids all took Mardi Gras beads to school to share with friends.  We usually do a big family feast.  However, this year, we seem to be headed different directions....one to work, one to volleyball, two others to another event.  (I hope this isn't a sign of Lent!)

I just had lunch with some friends.  And, it being Fat Tuesday, the talk soon turned to "What are you doing with your family for Lent?"  We pondered this over chips and salsa...and fajitas.  Ideas were discussed.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.  I will share with you then some of what we do as a family.  How I decorate.  How each of the kids prepares for Easter.  I'm am sure some of it will seem frivolous :)  However, it will come from the heart.  I will share our Lenton journey with you.

In the mean time....Make Time to celebrate God's bounty on Fat Tuesday :)