Happy Birthday to Brandy!

Ok, some of you might think this is a bit extreme. In fact, I'm sure most of you will. I know my husband thought so. But you have to understand. I have known my dog longer than my kids OR my husband. Not that I love her more. I certainly do not! But, she IS special to me. And she is getting pretty old (14). So, when I told my boys how old she'd be and that her birthday was coming up this next week, they wanted to have a party for her. So, we baked cupcakes and decorated them, bought party hats and got her a couple of bones and had a party last night after getting back from church. We even had a candle on the cupcake. As you can see in the picture, she is just about to grab the cupcake right out of my hand. Plus, it was cold so we didn't want to stay out in the garage for very long. She was so cute and such a good sport. The party amounted to about 5 minutes and Brandy didn't care about anything but the cupcake but it was worth it to the kids and to me. As for Greg, I don't think so....lol.

What a good time at the Retreat!

Today, Michael had his 1st communion retreat at the church. Greg and I went with him and left Vince with a babysitter. It was Michael's special day and he had a great time. All of his classmates were there with their parents. They made unlevened bread, watched a video & took a tour of the church and learned some very important meanings behind the traditions of the church. They also made a banner that each child will put on the pew the day of his/her 1st communion. It was a fun afternoon. Michael is ready for his 1st communion. He constantly wants to pretend that Greg or I am Father Bob and we give him communion.

Good 'ol classics....

I love reading some of the old traditional classic stories and books from my childhood. And I want so much to introduce that same interest to my children. I think some of those stories are really important in learning and understanding what it's like to be a kid.

The other night, one of the boys got down a book I had bought a while back hoping that it would be a book my boys would enjoy and maybe read over and over again when they got older. That book was ...The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I told the boys I would read a chapter to them because it was a very good book. Michael said he thought it was a boring book and wasn't really interested in me reading it. So, I read the back cover and then the little blurp about the Author, Mark Twain. Then I started reading through all the chapter titles. At that point the boys started getting a little more interested. I read the first chapter to them which was the "Whitewashing" chapter (for those of you familiar with Tom Sawyer) and by the end of the chapter they were asking questions and telling stories themselves. We didn't get a chance to read Chap. 2 tonight but we will tomorrow. Thanks to you, Mark Twain, for giving us great adventures to live through in your wonderful stories!

Anyone for Stone Soup??

Michael's class put on a play today. It was so cute. All the parents showed up and about 1/2 of the other classes. They held it in their classroom and did such a good job.

For those of you that have never heard the story Stone Soup, it is about a beggar that goes to town and wants some food. He doesn't have any luck so he gets a pot and stands out in the middle of town and puts water in the pot and a stone. He goes on about how good that stone soup is going to be. As more curious byser-byers come to see what is going on, he says that the soup would probably taste better if he just had a carrot... and then goes on to say that it would probably be really good with an onion... then potatoes.....meat...cheese...etc..... until he has all the makings for a real tasty pot of soup. In the end, they all try the soup and decide it's the best stone soup ever.

The videos are a little long but I thought they were so cute. Michael is in the 2nd one right at the end grating cheese into the stone soup.

What is that smell....?

I can't send any pictures with this one because it just involves your nose. It's one of those situations that I'll try to explain but you really just had to be there.

Greg had been in the house but had left to go outside and do some work. He had just gotten off work and hadn't cleaned up or anything. After dinner, about 20 minutes later, Michael was out in the hall and I walked past where he had just been.... I looked back and thought I smelled Greg....meaning his cologne. I thought to myself...Greg hasn't been back in the house and I know he didn't smell like that right when he came home from work.

I went into the boys room where Michael was and said, "Michael, did you put on some of daddy's cologne?" He looked at me kind of sheepishly and said, "yes". He was so cute and he smelled like he had just poured the cologne on himself. I can't describe it but it was just so cute that he was trying to be like his daddy.

He's finally doing it!!

I walked past the boys room tonight (remember they're grounded) and they were both sitting quietly and Michael was reading to Vince. I about started crying. I have tried to get him to do this for so long now. He has struggled with reading from the get go. And he's been making such tremendous improvements but I have never saw him sit down and read on his own without being told or it being homework. I was so proud of him.

Is this a healthy snack or what!

The boys were out of school again today for spring break and this is the snack I made for them after they got up from their naps. AND they TOLD me what they wanted for a snack. I didn't pick this out for them. I am so thankful they like the "good" foods. They will eat most vegetables and pretty much ALL fruits. Vince is a little picky but Michael will eat most things put in front of him. He'll eat things that some adults won't eat. Ha! It makes cooking so much easier.

And the busy schedule begins.....

Well, it's time for soccer again. Michael decided he wanted to play this year. We got both enrolled at the last minute. SO, we've got practice twice a week and 2 soccer games each Saturday. Last week, Greg and I had to divide and conquer since their games were at the same time and on different fields. And the fields are a ways from each other. Nothing's easy, right. ha! But it's fun and both boys won their first game. I have a feeling this is just the beginning.....

Irish Toast

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! I hope everyone is enjoying themselves in whatever way they want to celebrate St. Patty's Day. We're laying pretty low (kids tend to do that to you...ha) but I wanted to propose a toast to everyone:

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and rains fall soft upon your fielos,
and until we meet again, may God hold
you in the hollow of his hand.

Sound advice

A friend forwarded me a slide show yesterday that had some really good advice. And it came at a really good time for me. I know there are a lot of you (or possible just some) out there that are either going through or getting ready to go through....Menapause. Yes, the dreaded "M" word. Well, my doctor has informed me that I'm in the peri-menapausal stage. Well, I don't want to ellaborate too much because I think most of you get what that is.... but, basically, I've turned into this cyclical "psycho-crazed-emotionally-insane" woman. My husband half the time doesn't know who I am or what I have done with the calm, kind and easy-going girl that he married. HA!! (Wouldn't HE like to know!!....ha...just kidding).

So, anyway, I'm doing what I can with medication, exercising, DRUGS and alcohol (ha...just kidding.... well, actually, not really....) to head off some of my emotional outbursts. And when I got my friends email, it made me feel a little better. So, I'm going to print it out and tape it up on my dresser mirror in my bedroom where I'll see it everyday and be reminded to just stay calm and everything will be OK. Aaaaahhhhhh......... Here it is:

Live Simply. Love Generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. And leave the rest to God.

Beautiful morning

This is the view I saw this morning. Ok.....maybe not....since we don't have an ocean in our back yard. BUT, if you could just close your eyes and picture this in your head. I was going through the kitchen this morning heading outside to take care of all the animals. It was still dark. And those of you who know where we live, know that we have a great big pond on the west side of our property. As I looked out the kitchen window that overlooks the pond, I saw the most beautiful full moon and it's reflection on our pond. It was breathtaking. It was just about to go down behind the trees. Of course, I went out to take a picture but the picture wouldn't take so this is the best I could find. Trust me, it was beautiful.....something you see in a movie or professional picture.

The best feeling in the world

I did some reflecting tonight. Sometimes the boys want me to lay down with them when they go to sleep. It's comforting to them and, to tell you the truth, they go down a lot easier when I do lay down with them for a few minutes. I guess they don't feel the need to talk and chatter so much if I'm laying there with them. Who knows. Anyway, as I lay there tonight (1st with Michael and then with Vince) I couldn't help but think about how much I love them and how special they are to me. I never thought I would love anyone SO MUCH and SO UNCONDITIONALLY.

As I lay there with Michael, I thought about how tough he was and how he struggled so much the first 2 months of his prescious little life. I thought about how I prayed day and night for him to get stronger and how he fought with every ounce of his being to breath and get better. I thought about how he is now. He's still that tough guy and a strong little fighter.

As I lay next to Vince I thought about how sweet he is and how I can have the nicest conversations with him even though he's only 6 years old. I thought about how onery he is but how thoughtful and kind he can be at the same time.

I layed there with both of them and couldn't peel the smile off my face. I could have stayed there the rest of the night because I was so peaceful and happy. I love my boys so much. All of them. Even you, Greg. ha!

More additions...

Well, we just keep growing and growing... We've got a little calf now. Well, I shouldn't say little. She weights about 600 lbs. And, we got our little chicks this week. We're going to be getting some more later (our hens). The chicks we have now are all roosters and will be used for "meat". Our laying hens will be coming later. And we are still getting a pregnant momma hefer in a few weeks. Which I hear is so tame that if you don't pet her, she nudges you with you nose...how cute!

Last night, I was up helping Greg a little bit while he was welding up a fence for one of our corrals. One of our cats had mouzied (sp) over to me and I picked her up. Greg looked at me and said, "You really like all your different animals around, don't you." And the answer to that would be a definite "Yes!" The more critters I have the better. We're actually going to be getting rid of 2 of ours. A friend is coming up this weekend to take our horses. We'll get more.... BELIEVE ME! But right now, with spring coming and the fence still not finished in the pasture, we just don't have the set up for them. They're not getting the exercise they need either. Our neighbor in back of us has been so kind as to keep them during the winter but we can't ask him to continue to do that all through the spring, as well.

Michael has informed us that he wants a rabbit for his birthday. And Vince wants a hamster. I guess Greg will be busy making cages for the next couple of months. heehee. The work is never done....

I'm still a city girl at heart but I'm turning more and more into a farm girl. Can you believe that, mom & dad!!?....ha

Is Spring right around the corner....??

Spring is almost here. I can feel it! It was so nice yesterday after I picked the kids up from school that they had their dinner out on the front porch. Of course, Brandy was snooping around hoping she would score some crumbs (ha). I am so ready for Spring!

Home and Garden Show...anyone wanna buy a rock?

We had a booth at the Home and Garden Show at the Hearnes Center in Columbia this past weekend. It was good exposure and we actually had some custom orders. We're keeping our fingers crossed. Check out our website if you haven't already http://www.rockyourworld.us/

Geese galor!!!

This has been a conflict between Greg and I ever since we moved into this house. Mind you, not a big conflict, just enough of one to irritate Greg. (ha) The couple that lives behind us has a pond like ours but they also have 100s of 1000s of wild geese that inhabit it almost year round. Sometimes, a few flock down to our pond but Greg usually tries to scare them off somehow, either by shotgun (which is illigal inside city limits....shame, shame Greg!) or by running at them flapping his arms. Now there's an image. ha! Anyway, our swan that had been hanging down at our pond had disappeared for a few days so the boys and I walked back up to Count's to see if he was up there. He was, along with some of his other buddies. We enjoyed feeding them and watching the geese. Hopefully, we'll have a couple of families that pick our pond for raising their babies, as they have in years past. If we do, I'll be sure and post some pictures.