You Don't See That Every Day

Oh what a night ... So the Boy had another basketball game last night. They played hard, but ultimately lost the match. It was a little frustrating; well a lot actually. A tough team, a large team - in numbers and size. I was even frustrated and I was trying hard to sit without clenching my hands and jaw. Thankfully the refs were fair and good. I sure didn't know how to talk to the Boy about it afterwards. He had given up in his mind before the game had even begun. There's no way to teach not to do that. After the game I went to a State of the School meeting at my son's school. It was actually fairly interesting. They updated us on costs, security, and other items that affect the school and students. New this year was a special prayer time and I think it was the best part! One person in particular had a very moving prayer; But another parent said something in her prayer that really struck me. She prayed that the children in the school would be a blessing to others . And

My kid got a joke book for Christmas. Here's one I just had to share, it struck me as funny. Not sure if it really is funny, or if it is funny-because-it-is-11 o'clock-at-night-and-I'm-tired funny. Have you heard about the recent survey? It shows that 6 out of 7 dwarfs aren't Happy.

A few things have been going on around here. Namely basketball. Which I love. The boy had another great game on Thursday night. All of the pictures I got were blurry, because the boy is just always in motion. Yeah, that's it. Not because I have lame camera. Right. We also had a birthday celebration Friday night. My sister's birthday was in the middle of the week, and well, because it is basketball season, we couldn't exactly celebrate it on her actual birthday. But cake is cake on any day! Here's the good cake. The second one I made. The first one ... well it sounded good in the recipe, but it flopped when I made it. It stuck to the pan, and didn't look like it had mixed up right. Although when the people clamored for a taste anyway, they said it tasted good. It just looked terrible. The younger girl had a game this morning, and she is improving every week. The new skill I saw this week was keeping her hands up and ready. She is good at this on d

In my little corner of the world, many things catch my eye throughout the day. My little girl's curls. I just love them. My dog who sleeps curled up with a hose  My son showing off his muscles  by carrying around his sisters  And finally - an advance in the remodeling department! ( disclaimer: there have been many advances of which I have not blogged about, mainly because they were the type that don't photograph well, like texture. You can't really see it in a photo.) Step 956 of 1 million: paint in the girls' room The two girls who will occupy this room first picked out the colors, and prepped the area, then we got down to work. I let them do most of the painting, with a little help to reach the high places. Tomorrow will be the second coat, and then we'll paint the other walls white. And that leads us up to the finishing steps - flooring! Curtains! Trim! Move in! (not all in that order)  

I'm back to running again. Although when it is 30 degrees out, it isn't so easy to get motivated to step outside for anything! I started just running 1 mile a day for the first week, and I have finally made it up to 2 miles, without feeling terrible. After the first couple of runs, my arms were so sore .. and it took me awhile to figure out why (along with my sweet husband's suggestion that it came from running/using my arms). But they are back to 'normal' now, thankfully. I have 12 weeks to get in shape for that half-marathon. So I looked at my training for last year, and by this time in January of 2012, I was already up to 4 milers. So it looks like I have some ground to cover quickly. But I am confident that I can do, if I can make sure to stick to a schedule. Even in the ice-cold winter weather. In other exciting news, we bought paint today! Not just any old paint, but lavender and mint green paint for the girl's room upstairs! I have some excited kids t

Basketball has started. I've had a few bad-mom moments because of it. Most of them involve forgetting the camera for the game. oops. At least we're just at the beginning of the season, and there are plenty more games to watch. We've got the Boy playing in the evenings on different days of the week. And two of our girls play on Saturdays. And then there are practices (along with Swimmer Girl's practices). So the Boy's first game was a loss according to the scoreboard. But we were so proud of how well he did. The boy can jump! His rebounding and defensive skills have grown in leaps and bounds (pun intended :)) He has become a much better player than last year. Granted, it's a different team - and coach - than he had last year. But he has grown too, and filled out in the muscles a bit. Yes, it continues to surprise me to see a young man in my house instead of a boy. The girl's games have been fun to watch also. My girls seem to have my non-aggressive way of p

 I'm so behind the times. A show will be all the rage for most people in America, and I won't see it for ... months; mostly because I rarely watch new TV shows. But then my sister gave me one to watch. I took it with me to Vegas, but due to the size and age of the TV in our room, I was unable to watch any DVD I brought. So we sat down to it this week, and we're hooked on it! We even sent the older kids to bed "early" so we could watch it without staying up too late. What has our attention? Well, I loved Foyle's War, from Masterpiece Theater, and various Jane Austen's. And now we have another one. You might be saying "Downtown Abbey!" but I haven't watched it. (Gasp! I know!) I have it waiting for me on the TV stand though. No, this one is Sherlock . Pure genius! I enjoy the logic he uses to deduce who did what. I love that there is no gore, no major violence, no nudity, no sex, and sprinkles of humor throughout the dialogue. It is almost l

It has been a long time coming, but G and I were finally able to run away from home without the children. I think our last trip for more than one night would have been in 2009. Maybe. He was traveling a lot back then, and I don't remember going with him. So when he said he had a trade show to attend in Las Vegas, we made plans for me to go with him. And we are both so glad that we did! The immensity - and the excess - of it all was nearly overwhelming. The trade show was held in Caesar's Palace, which was pretty glam; unfortunately we did not stay there. Our hotel was a dump, as you can see in the photo. Note to self, pay attention to the online reviews. A hotel that duct tapes its carpet... better make plans for elsewhere.   But we made the best of it, and enjoyed our time together. I had time to sleep in and read and relax. It was lovely. Not until Friday did I really miss my kids.  I was able to help G in his booth, and meet some of his colleagues. That w

We're home from Las Vegas. Our first trip there, and possibly, only trip there. So much to process and go over in photos. But never fear, I'll be posting all about it. Once I get my brain back.

Has it really been a week? It has flown by for me! Anticipating an upcoming event often does that, because there is so much to do to prepare! Getting 7 people and 2 dogs ready to travel requires a bit of planning. And a lot of lists. And I love lists. Here's what has been happening - - a second Christmas with my in-laws. They came here with presents and dessert! They are awesome! If you want to bring us ice cream, we will welcome you with open arms. - I sat up watching too much TV with my kids, sleeping in until late the next morning(s). Yeah, the first day back to school yesterday was like a slap in the face. - getting the Boy back to school. And then getting my girls over to their aunt's home. That kept me well occupied and 'listed'. - We've had a number of friends and acquaintances in the hospital over the past 2 weeks. My prayer life has been challenged by it all. - I had an allergic reaction to something I ate over the weekend; I won't go into detail

I'm sneezing. I've taken a couple of naps. It's not even 9 and I am almost ready for my bed. My sweet little minions have taken my words to heart and shared with me. However, sharing a yucky cold isn't quite what I had in mind when I taught them that lesson. My husband has not gotten to that part yet. I'm hoping for his sake he doesn't. He has been working upstairs these past few days; the girls' room is almost ready! Yes! He and the kids painted the primer layer today. Next comes texture, and then we get to paint, and put in the flooring, and move the girls in! We are doing the happy dance! This vacation has truly been a good relaxing time. We haven't been rushed do anything. We've had the cold run through the family, so there has been a lot of TV time, and relaxing. Last night we played games as a family to ring in the New Year (except the 2 year old who was in bed early). I'll have to say I've enjoyed this time with the kids and husband