SO THIS WAS WHAT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT....PLZ GIVE HIM A RATING ON YOUTUBE SO HE CAN WIN!

MAKING THE WORLD A LITTLE MORE BEAUTIFUL...

One car at a time? Don't ask me what this project is all about - but they had fun doing it!

HOPE I LOOK AS GOOD IN MY 90'S!!!

We spent Memorial Day celebrating my Grandma Flora's 93rd birthday! Here she is (the white haired lady with glasses and red pants) with her sister, Goldie, who will be 97 next month! We spent time down at the farm where my Dad was born, just piddling around, fishing, shooting, getting rose rose rocks and cooking out! Fun times!

BEFORE & AFTER....

Okay, so now you know what a dirty pool looks like...and a clean one after Dad wears himself out acid-washing the pool! The things we do for our kids!

SO HERE IS YOUR OFFICIAL INVITATION: Come swim! We have a nice shallow end, steps, and a bench, perfect for little ones needing experience in the water! I don't even have to be home, just let yourself in the side gate. For some reason the thrill of having a pool is gone for our kids, so they don't use it a whole lot. We have a standing party every Wednesday afternoon for our kids' friends, but other than that, the schedule is wide open! Give us a call and come on over!!!

NOTHING SAYS WELCOME HOME LIKE EILEEN'S COOKIES...

Yes, my college girl is finally home after her first year of school + intercession six hours away from home! It wasn't as hard on me as I thought it might be...of course, I stay pretty busy keeping the boys in check. Having a sweet, level headed, smart, creative (okay, I'll stop!) Christian for a daughter doesn't hurt, either. I have really been blessed and am looking forward to having her home for a while.

She's planning on babysitting some for Tonya and sewing some cushions for me, so if you need any help with those kind of jobs, give me a call! She is hoping some of those applications she made back in April may come through with something for her as well.

MOST EMBARRASSING ROOM IN THE HOUSE....

So I've let you have a peek. My goal this summer is to get my scrapbooking room under control!!! Maybe if I acknowledge this mess, you all will keep me accountable. Let me give all you young mothers out there some hints. FIGURE OUT YOUR SYSTEM AND STICK TO IT! Make sure you write names and dates/grade on the back of anything you keep. Believe me, it all blurs together....and why doesn't the school year start in January??? The school year spanning 2 years is really confusing when you are trying to scrapbook years later!!!

CAN YOU FEEL MY PAIN?

COOKING DATE SUCCESS!

Yep, we hit the jackpot with this recipe! We started our cooking dates when our kids started spending more time with friends than they do with us on the weekends. We find a recipe that sounds good, go to the grocery store, buy the ingredients and spend time in the kitchen cooking together. Here's the recipe, tweaked a little, from the cookbook, Taste of Home, Slow cooker, casseroles, and soups:

WHITE CHILI W/ CHICKEN

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. vegetable oil

4 c. chicken broth

2 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained

2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

1 T. lime juice

1 t. ground cumin

1 c. brown rice, cooked

2 c. cooked, cubed chicken

In a large saucepan, cook the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the broth, beans, parsley, lime juice, and cumin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in cooked rice and chicken, heat for 10 more minutes. Serve with grated cheese. Delicious!

You could possibly put the rice in the recipe uncooked and let the soup cook it, we just had it leftover from another meal, so I used it that way. Makes the soup thicker!

BIG, UGLY DRIVEWAY = GREAT KID MAGNET...

The driveway is one of the few things I hate about our house. When we first considered this house, I thought it resembled a small parking lot. Seriously, we could fit 6-8 cars in it, easily, with the island and all. I found out the original owner had 3 boys - makes sense! But it has been one of those blessings in disguise through the years. We've moved our patio furniture up to the front for outside birthday parties, and had room for the tetherball, basketball goal, and ping pong table for youth events. Kids just show up for impromptu basketball games. I think I'll declare today DRIVEWAY APPRECIATION DAY. :)

MY BABIES ARE GROWING UP...

SO SOMETIMES DAD STILL MOWS...

when the kids have to pick up the toilet paper! Toilet papering and chalking are good, clean, fun, in my opinion. Just don't get caught....or you'll be helping clean it up!

FATHER'S DAY...

yes, I know it's not June yet, but today was a special day for my Father. I accepted an award for him at a university banquet, posthumously. He'll be gone 8 years this fall, from cancer. He was an excellent teacher and was inducted into the MASTER TEACHER HALL OF FAME. He gave 35 years of his life to teaching. He taught not only with textbooks, but with his life. He was an awesome example of Christianity. He was a great Dad to me and my sister, and a neat Poppa to my kids. 62 years just wasn't enough.

Make sure you show appreciation to the wonderful dads and grandpas in your life!

A HAIRCUT? WHAT'DYA MEAN, MOM?

My hair's great, Mom! By the way, my son is the one on the right. From Prom '09....