Catching UP

I am totally off my blogging grove. I haven't posted, visited my blogging friends or up loaded photos in weeks.

 It just seems wrong to me. 

I didn't show you the wonderful Easter Eggs Liz colored with her girl friends. 

I didn't tell you about Leah ((the little girl next door )) buying Liz a best friend necklace and being so excited to give it to her.  

I didn't tell you, this child is four years old and just as sweet as she can be. 

I know I have told you she cannot talk but, speaks volumes. And, Leah will be sure to steal your heart. 

I didn't show you the fun Liz and Madelyn had a few days later.  

Madelyn is Leah's big sister. She is a sweety too. 

Sometimes, even the best of sisters have to play with their bestie on different days and color eggs. 

That's just the way it is. 

There is so much more to tell you. . . but first. . . I have to clean the kitchen. 

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Sunday Snapshot :: Ready to Walt's it's Party Time ::  Sunday in my City 

hard saying goodbye

Spring Break came to an end yesterday.  

We had to take Matthew back to the airport to catch his flight to Kansas City and then a ride on to the college. 

It was hard to say good bye. 

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Project 52 :: Tuesday Around the World :: Our world Tuesday :: Tones on Tuesday 

all the Excitment

 I don't know if you call tell - but someone is very excited about her new look.

 and. . . It's not all about the beautiful cape the best Nana Ever found.

 Can you see?              Can you see what all the excitement is about???

Until Next Time . . .

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Fabulous Photo Friday :: Favorite Photo Friday :: 

~ Perfect Memories ~

My fondest, earliest memories are of the water. . . in the water. . . under the water.

 

 

SWIMMING!!!

 

with my eyes wide open . . . feeling the water move me

 

 while I glided through - weightless pretending to be a Mermaid.

 

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Unknown Mami 

Ni Hao Y'all

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These photos were taken with a disposable water proof  Fuji camera ~ the day was partly cloudy to mostly sunny and perfect! ~ the first photo:  I added black and white -  I  then added a little of the  color back to the photo - the second and last photos are completely unedited

 

Just so you know

 

We have a first grader in the house.

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 Our World Tuesday::

 

6 now

She turned six yesterday

and now she calls me mother. 

She tells me: "That's what big girls should call their mothers when they love them very much." 

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Unknown Mami

 Ni Hao Y'all

About this photo:  It was taken only with the light of the candle. I brighten it just a little bit and tried to get rid of the granny look but couldn't., Even though it's not what I would have wished for I like the photo anyway because of the joy on her face. 

bring your sense of humor

It has been decided by the board . . .that would be me. . .if you step into my life  you need to bring your sense of humor. .  .

For this is my life in a nut shell. . . 

 and I often wonder why  the number one blogging rule is if you have something interesting to blog about you just don't have time to blog it?

Last week the week started off with a bang: It is now official my baby boy, Matthew, is 20! 

20  y'all!  20!!!

Now that I have said it out loud and everyone knows I have a 20 year old son, I really don't think I'll ever say it again.

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The very next day, I allowed, Stevie Mike, my new driver to drive himself and his sister to their science class.  Not 15 minutes later the phone rang. When I saw it was Stephen calling I distinctly  knew something was wrong.

This new driver of mine had driven over roofing nails. That would be 18 roofing nails to be exact. Two tires later I thought all was right with the world   . . . and then . . . a few days later someone hit my parked car.

 Don't ask who it was because I will NEVER tell.

 I promised the best Nana I wouldn't say a word about who did it and I won't. You guys know me. . . when I say I'll keep a promise - I keep it! and that is that!

Speaking of the best Nana . . . she and I took Roy Orbison and her BFF strawberry picking and nothing seemed to happen that day. We just had a good time.                            

At least that is how I remember it.  

It just so happened that last week someone actually (( other then the best Nana ))  found my blog interesting enough to recommend it as a blog to see. I was so thrilled about all this but I didn't have the time to post about all that excitement and then I completely forgot about it  . . .and it appeared as if I didn't care at all,   but I did and do. . . very much.

The weekended was wonderfully quite with the three older ones gone spending time at my sister in law's house.

 Mark and I were able to recharge.

That was a good thing because Monday was coming and around here you never know what an ordinary Monday might bring to the life of a homeschooling mother.

I knew Monday morning I had to be at the oral surgeons by 8 with son number one to have four teeth removed. I was told everything should go smooth and thought okay good. I could use nice smooth Monday.  When we were leaving  the nurse just happened to mention how I should switch the ice pack every 20 minutes keeping both sides of his face iced for a full 12 hours and just replace the gauze every hour on the hour with a fresh  pad until 6 tonight.   . . .Okay! there goes my easy quite day this one told me I was going to have.

Little did I know how true THAT would turn out to be. 

As soon as I got Matthew home Stevie Wonder tells me how much his knee hurts and he thinks he needs to go to the doctor. I take a look at his knee and see that it is hot and swollen. I tell him we can't go yet but, we will go as soon as we can.  We have to wait until I get his brother settled and I know he will be okay. 

As Stephen and I are reviewing our his school work ~ Liz said she wanted to play on the front porch. She came back in in a rush saying . . ."I can't play out there! There are four snakes in the yard!".

 FOUR SNAKES!!!!!!!!!! IN THE YARD!!!!

 Stephen springs into action and runs out the door. Matthew is groggy still on the couch and says "what??? who??? oh okay. . . " and goes back to sleep. I on the other hand . . . I panic!!! Okay! that's not really the truth  . . .

I TOTALLY PANIC!!!!!!!!!!! like in. . . I FREAK OUT!!!!!!

Stevie Wonder turns himself into Indiana Jones (( minus being afraid of snakes )) and battles the snakes in our yard. He captures them and wrestles them into a bucket and completely saves the day. . . NO! He TOTALLY! saved the day! 

My mighty Matt. . .still groggy on the couch. . .wondering why is mother his mother is screaming at the far in of the house but not with it enough to find out goes back to sleep.

My oldest daughter Kathryn causally walks out to see what was going on and then goes back upstairs to finish her math test.    As all this is going ~ the best Nana, my sister Margaret ((sometimes I call her Lucy)), her boys, Brian and Alex, swing by the house to see the patient who just has his teeth removed. Little did they know what they would be walking into.

The boys are thrilled and want to find out how they can move into our little house in the woods that seem to attract so much excitement.

Their mother . . .my sister Lucy. . . TOTALLY PANICS !!!! NO! SHE TOTALLY FREAKS OUT!!!!!!  She throws her soothing gift of ice cream at my oldest son and jumps on the couch screaming. 

In the end. .  .

My savior Indie takes his two cousins, his sister Kathryn and  three snakes to another home releasing them into the wild. When he get back to our home he says . . . "Mother, I really need to go to the doctor now. My knee is killing me."

 and I wonder. . .how can I get my savoir to the doctor today if I can never leave the house again. I mean after all . . .Lizzy said she saw four snakes. 

Until Next time. . .

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Tone on Tuesday  :: Our World Tuesday  ::My 3 Boybarians :: Black and White Wednesday with Me as a Mother ::  Black and White Wednesday with like Christmas every day::  live and love . . .out loud::Wordless Wednesday but with Words  :: 

a blooming artist

I don't know what it is about this girl. She won't talk to anyone she doesn't know or anyone she feels the slightest bit uncomfortable with.  If you didn't know better you may just think she is the quietest child to ever walk this earth.  

She's not though. . . . She takes it all in. . . absorbing what is going on around her . . . and then when she feels safe . . . watch out!  She's a fire cracker! Full of life and all things wonderful that comes with being a five year old. 

The one thing she never misses out when we are in public is the opportunity to have her face painted.  She will look the artist right in the eye and tell him or her what it is she would like on face.  She is not one to pick the princes, flowers or fluff. . . pizzazz, color, the brighter the better is what will make this little heart flutter.   The best nana ever says: "This kid needs a lot of help with her style." As her mother I can say:  this maybe true but. . . I think she just might be a blooming artist. 

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 live and love . . .out loud: Wordless Wednesday but with Words: Project Alicia:  

her new Card

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”                               - Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"

Wednesday is usually set aside for the older kids and I to be at debate club all afternoon. I know I have told you in this club parents work as hard as the students to learn this years reform and to help all the students achieve. Most of the time, my Liz spends the afternoon with the best Nana ever.  But, last Wednesday was different. Much to my delight, I didn't have to be at club all afternoon to fulfill my debate'ish parental duties. I got to spend time alone with my youngest.  When we reached our destination in Easley, this little girl and I dropped "our big kids" off at club and then took off quick to the library before anyone noticed. 

It was a perfect day to spend together: reading, snuggling and deciding which books we would select to be ours for the week.      And. . . in this perfect afternoon we shared, there was a milestone reach ~ were Mary Elizabeth earned her very own library card. 

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Fresh Mommy Blog

Simple as that

Unknown Mami

 Ni Hao Y'all


ABC Wednesday

her new Glasses

In the Studio of our Lives today. . . this one tells me she wears glasses now. 

You see, "the best Nana ever" took her to see Beauty and the Best in 3-D Wednesday while we were at our home school debate club.                      

I am told "IT was the best day ever!" 

AND  

She is "never taking the glasses off again" because they "remind her of  the Best Nana Ever and she misses the best Nana so much when they are not together."