It's official!

21

It's official! 

This son of mine is now older then I am. 

Happy Birthday Honey! 

Love, Mom 

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52 Weeks of Happiness | Tuesday Around the World |  Project 52 

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 

Floating New Year

New Years Eve Stevie Wonder and the gang set off floating lanterns instead of fireworks.

Floating lanterns seem fitting for us this year. 

We have so many changes coming up. Friday Matthew and I leave for Kansas. He will be going to college at Benedictine this year. Remember, I told you he wants to study philosophy? Benedictine is a 1000 miles from our home. 

I'm not at all worried about getting him there. I'm really looking forward to the drive. The thing that worries me the most is leaving the school without my little boy.  I keep on thinking: how do I just leave him there. . . 1000 miles from our home? 

 I keep telling myself - How can he set the world on fire if his mom won't let him? I can't just keep him home forever. That wouldn't be good for anyone.  So we will be off - I may cry all the way home but, that's okay to me -                      He's ready to fly.

Oh! Yeah! Happy New Year Y'all!

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  Black and White Wednesday with like Christmas every day::

???Philosophy???

Matthew is in Kansas this week. He is there to check out Benedictine College and the Philosophy department. I know, I can see your eyes rolling in the back of your head saying. . . PHILOSOPHY???  

Yes, Philosophy. 

He tells me: he wants a bachelors degree in philosophy, a masters in economics and then he will go for his doctorate.  When I ask him why he couldn't turn this around and get the bachelors in economics  - He tells me:  you canNOT be a good economist without a solid understanding of philosophy first.  That is essential, he says.  He tell me: philosophy and economics go hand and hand and a solid understanding of philosophy will help him achieve his goals as an economist and as a professor. He tells me: the very reason we in such an economic mess is the leading economist in this country do not have a solid foundation in philosophy.     He tells me: he wants to change the world and make it a better place.

and I listen . . .and I tell him to follow your passion. Dream big baby, I say . . . change the world - make it a better place. We not only need you . . . we are waiting.

*** Secretly, I want to tell him to stay home in South Carolina. Go to a local college. I could meet him for lunch - dinner - whatever he wanted. . .  and to just let the world figure it out on it's own. But, with dreams like this - How could I say any of those things?  I must tell him . . . Fly Baby, Fly.  .  .  

~ Until Next Time ~

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Our World Tuesday 

their Grandfather

I know there is a lot wrong with this picture, but, it IS my favorite photo of the week.  This simple snap shot is a photo of great love and admiration for a man they call Grandpa.  It was taken right after a memorial Mass marking the third anniversary of their grandfather's death.

I think the greatest legacy their grandfather left behind is the time he gave to people. He would just sit and listen. Even though we often joke and say "he couldn't hear what you were saying"; he sat there and freely gave his time and love when he had so many other things to do.

So last Sunday - September 30 - three years to the day he died, the grandchildren show their love and admiration once again, by giving there time back to the man who knew time is only temporary but love lasts forever.

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Fabulous Photo Friday :: Favorite Photo Friday :: Photo Friday :: Weekly photo show and tell

An Early Flight

I know this picture is terrible. It's just not good at all: the lighting, that I couldn't get right, the angle, even Stephen's hair is a mess. But, it is my favorite photo of the week. 

 ~ My little boys ~ 

Looking at them makes me happy I held them as much as I did. I believe in waking a sleeping baby just to hold them. After all, they grow up so fast and what's a few hours of lost sleep when the years just fly bye. 

 Anyway ~ Matthew, Stephen, Liz and I jumped in the car early Tuesday morning,  at 3:45 a.m., to beat it down to Atlanta so these guys could meet an 8 o'clock plane. 

We had to be at the airport by 7. 

Long story short ~ They went to Michigan to an Acton Institute conference for a week long study of religion, liberty and economics. 

It all makes me wonder. . . Who are these kids. . . and how in the world did they  become so fantastic get so boring!!!  

NOT!!!

Until Next time. . . 

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 Our World Tuesday  ::My 3 Boybarians 

ALL Y'all

Hey, Y'all ~ even ALL Y'all ~ 

That's what we say in the South when we want everyone to know the news and we don't want to leave anyone out: 

He did it again. 

He's on the Dean's list again this semester.  I'm just so proud of him I had to tell all y'all the good news.   

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  :: 

Way older!

 Did you know that next week my oldest son will be way older then I am?

Way Older then I am! 

WOW! How did that happen?  It's hard to believe time has gone by so fast. . . 

He tells me he wants to earn a Doctorate in philosophy  from a Catholic College.       In a couple of weeks he will have four wisdom teeth removed. All this makes me wonder if one can major in phylosphy without wisdom. . .  teeth.

BYE!!!


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THIS OR THAT THURSDAY ::   Embrace the Camera with the Anderson Crew ::  Favorite Photo Friday

My favorite part of the Day

When he first asked me if I wanted to travel to Rock Hill, S.C. last week ( a two hour car ride away)  to hear his girlfriend, Micaela, sing in a state wide choral group . . . and " Oh by the way Mom" . . ."even though her parents would be there", the fair maiden "Micaela would be traveling back home with us"  . . . "would you mind,  would you please go?   He didn't want to travel all that way by himself.            My first thought was "Ugggg!"  But, I didn't say that. Instead I said, "of course I'll go with you."   Honestly, I dreaded it all week and had secretly hoped something would come up so we couldn't go.  There were so many things I wanted to accomplish over the weekend. . . and this would take all day. 


The only thing that kept me from dropping out were these thoughts:  "my 19 year old son had asked me to travel 2 hours with him - we would be alone: No phones, No other kids, No interruptions . . . just the two of us. . . for two hours.  That doesn't happen very often around here. And then there was this reality: He is 19.  These times are not going to come around very often. He will be traveling off to college soon to full fill his dreams and these days will just be  memories for both of us. 

So, off we went to hear the State wide choral group and even though the kids were unbelievably fantastic and Micaela is a doll ~ my favorite part of the day was the car ride and the two hours up to Rock Hill alone with my oldest son.

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 :: Our World Tuesday ::   ::My 3 Boybarians ::      ::  Communal Global ::    Scattered Horizons Photoblog/Tone on Tuesday :: Tuesday Tips & Picks ::  live and love . . .out loud::  Wordless Wednesday but with Words:: Project Alicia::   Black and White Wednesday with like Christmas every day::

Would this be Bragging?

Would it be bragging if I told you, my bloggy buds, "my bearded baby" made the Dean's List in his first term of college ? 

You know, for this home-school mom, who doesn't get out much, or have friends that she talks face to face very often. . . other you then you guys of course. . .    This is big and I just wanted to tell you.                     And then, on the other hand ~  If this is bragging, and I should just keep this kind of thing to myself . . .well . . . forget I mentioned it. 

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Deb Duty Photography/This and That Thursday
Our World Tuesday

My Bearded Baby

Look Y'all. . . My baby has a beard. 

He's my bearded baby.

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My 3 Boybarians

Communal Global

Weekly Kodochrome

the Economist in my house

Okay, It's time you knew. I have kept this secret long enough.  I have to come clean on this one.  You are my friends right? You won't judge me to harshly.  

Will you???

I mean you put up with my bad spelling, my poor grammar and my rambling thoughts. So I thought I should just tell you.  

I have this son that's, well. . . a little strange.  

He likes. . . lectures A LOT! He likes economics as much as he likes lectures. Strangely enough, he likes lectures and economics together. . . at the same time. 

Okay, yeah, there is more. 

He like lectures and economics enough to  win a scholarship to study economics in a lecture setting for. . . 12 hour days. . . for a week. 

I know! 


A  whole week. 7 days . . . 12 hours a day.

I have tried with this kid, I really have. But, he thrives on lectures and economics. . .at the same time.  He tells me, "because I have home schooled him he knows how to think. . .for himself." 

 "Wait a minute!" "I did that?" Huuu???

So here we are, I have an economist in the house. Not just any economist, we have an Austrian Economist.  Most particularly, I am talking a Ludwig von Mises Institute school of economics economist. AND that's a mouth full! 


I am telling you, Matthew studies and studies and studies this thing. He reads books that are bigger then. . .I don't know. . .a dictionary about this stuff.  He really finds it all very interesting. 



He fills me up with the things he has learned. I listen and think. . .could he be right? Does he really know what he's talking about? and then I hear the things he says on the news about: the way things are going in this great country of ours and what needs to be done and why our government won't do them.  

It's quite overwhelming. 

And I think. . . well, maybe an Economist in the house is not so bad. There are days I get to call him "my son sunshine" because of the gloominess of his tone. "My Son Sunshine" tells me all about why the FED is bad and what really needs to be done in our government. . .to make things work again for all of us and why our government won't do them. 

And, sometimes I just have to say to him. . .

"STOP!" 

"I can't take it anymore!" I know! Doom and Gloom. The FED is bad. . . Our government is corrupt, Congress violates the Constitution with nearly every new bill they enact.   We all get it! " 

" Ron Paul rules! "

and then I'll lovingly say: 

"Matthew tell me this?  

Why did you have to learn so much about the constitution?" 

"Why didn't you just pretend to read it like the other kids do?" 

So,  my oldest son, Matthew, the son I home schooled for nine years, won a scholarship to the  Ludwig von Mises Institute at Auburn University with an essay that he wrote. The scholarship paid for everything from his food, to his room and board,  to the lecture classes that was all about economics. All Matthew had to do was get to Atlanta Georgia the very same weekend Mark got out of the hospital. 

His bag were packed and Matthew and I  drove the 176 miles to the Atlanta Airport. 

We talked about how very nerves he was about going to a place where he didn't know a soul. We talked about how proud his father and I are of him for doing this all on his own.  We talked about how excited he was to meet his idols and learn more about this subject that he loved. . . and maybe, just maybe Ron Paul would be there. 

Matthew went to Auburn and the school of economics with the hopes and dreams that only a 19 year old could. He learned, and he studied , and he studied and he learned. He called  me three times a day to share the things he had learned and to tell me how excited he was to be there. He told me who he had met and how brilliant the "average" person was  at the institute that week. Matthew talked about what was said and what he already knew to be true. He talked about his hopes for the future. . .if only the government of today would listen.  .  . and stop thinking about. . .well, themselves and who's pockets they are in. 

 

When Matthew came home, he was not only a week older and wiser,  he was "intoxicated" from the all the knowledge that was swimming around in his head. He was tired from the long week of lectures and note taking. He was full from his week of listening to arguments and debates from the people he had only read about and admired from afar.   For weeks now, Matthew has been filling us up with von Mises  ideas for the world and the things he wants to become. He told me how he wants to fight for what is right. . .and how he can't wait to go back to "the Institute" next year and learn and study and listen for a week  and those 12 hour days   of more studying, learning and growing. AND just maybe just maybe Ron Paul will be there. 

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"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." 


Benjamin Franklin 

Playing along with: 

Unknown Mami

 Ni Hao Yall

Fresh Mommy 
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My 3 Boybarians

Communal Global

If I posted in May

I can't believe it's almost the middle of June July 4rd ~ Independence day and I'm just now getting around to finishing this post I wanted to put up from May.  There was so much I wanted to tell you about. Sure you know about the big party and the blast from the past, but, really there was so much more. 

For weeks I had planned this post in my mind but I never really took the time to get to it done.

              Now I wonder. . .  Is it to late? 

I mean it's July for crying out loud. It's Independence day. I should be putting up pictures of fireworks. I would if I had one decent shot from the night. But, I don't. So now here I am thinking, should I go backwards and just post what I had planned or what?  I am behind on this thing. I do enjoy posting very much. 

AND I think. . .

If I posted in May one of the things I most definitely would have put on would be this picture. It's of Matthew going to the prom with good friends. I also would have told you how bad I  felt about missing the whole getting ready for prom,  dress up and posing for picture thing.  

I would have told you I missed the before prom "thing" because I was in N.C. at David's confirmation.  I am sure I would have reminded everyone that David is Mark's sister's son. I'm just like that. . . I really don't like to leave people hanging and keep them wondering ab... 

Then I would have said Mark was David's Confirmation sponsor and the serves was quite lovely. I really was happy we were there. 

I would have told you not to worry to much about me missing the festivities for Matthew because I didn't  actually miss seeing him in his Tux.   When I asked Matthew to put the tux on for me the day before he quickly obliged.  He's a good son and ~ we all know ~ he loves his momma.  

I would have told you how I happily adjusted the vest and took pictures of my very handsome son that day. 

I remember thinking ~  I really wish I could be a the meeting place with all the other moms for the picture fun. You know to make sure everything went off okay and just to make sure my little boy would be alright with those people and that girl.   

 Who is very lovely by the way. I really do like her very much.  

 ~  This is "my baby" we are talking about.  My Little boy. . . He's only 6ft. 2 inches in height and you know something could happen to him. 

~  and then the it occurred to me ~ 

 

 If Mark and I couldn't be there on this very important night. . . then who would be the next best person to send.  

Who did I know with experience in this kind of thing? This person had to be someone that could go undercover and check things out without being to pushy or maybe  this person could be just pushy enough but could get away with it.    You know the type.  But, who???

The Best Nana Ever! That's who. . .

She did a superb job! and all went well with the night.  The kids had a great time. 

One thing I know I would have liked to post in May would have been this picture. It’s a picture of Brian and Father Theo at Brian’s First Communion. I would have mentioned how happy and excited Brian was to finally receive the Body of Christ.

I also would have mentioned all this took place the same day as the big party. I would have mentioned how the whole day was a world wind of changing clothes, getting ready and celebrations for us all. I would have mentioned this very important fact about Brian on this post. . .if I posted in May. But, you know what? I totally forgot.

I totally forgot to even post this picture.

I even forgot my camera that morning and last night after I hit post on this post, I went to bed. Then it hit me, I remembered I completely forgot about Brian’s First Communion.

As the family reporter it’s my duty to remember these things.  Don’t you think?

I even forgot my three older kids served for this very important Mass. I would like to think I would have told you all about IF I remembered my camera that morning. I was lucky my sister had remembered hers. I mean after all. This is her kid. We were lucky one of us was thinking that morning. 

The next thing I would have told you about. . .If I posted in May ...was about Kathryn running with the Girls on the Run group. I would have told you how awesome the whole Girls on the Run  organization is and how happy I was we got involved with this club. Kathryn and her new friends trained for months together. The finial test was "the Swamp Rabbit 5k". The girls, their moms and everyone else in the state ran this thing.  It was so wonderful. We had a great time.  I tell you there will be more of these for her.  

My last post for May probably would have mentioned the Peterson family moved; we said goodbye to our Stephanie,  baby Aubrey and Steph's husband Brian.  If I posted this picture I think I would have wanted to say something like ~ WOW! They're a good looking family. 

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And just because It's not May, it's is July 4,  Independence Day. . . and most importantly to him,  it's this guys birthday I have to say. . . 

Happy Birthday Brian!!!!!! 

The Hoverath  July 4th Baby.

http://my3boybarians.com/