Tuesday, May 8, 2012

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. 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

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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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom from an Alpaca. . .and Voltaire 




"One always speaks badly when one has nothing to say" ~ Voltaire

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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  :: 

Monday, April 23, 2012

A Question???

Here's a question for ya ~  


Have you ever seen anyone happier then this . . .


 carrying a chicken? 

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 FAVOURITE PHOTO MONDAY photo challenge:

 blueberry craft and hobby time


 ::
 Our World Tuesday ::   ::My 3 Boybarians ::      ::  Communal Global :: 

Friday, April 20, 2012

Just Because

 For some reason when I look at this photo it reminds me of  The Great Gatsby.


Maybe it's her haircut, her short skirt or maybe the exotic animal that give me the Gatsby feel. I don't know. I just look at this picture and think F. Scott Fitzgerld. MMMM maybe it's time for another break from all this schooling we are doing. 

Happy Weekend Y'all!!! 

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Playing along with NiHoaY'all and the Sunday photo challenge: I took this shot with my camera set on natural with Fuji S1000.  I only cropped this photo and didn't change anything else about the lighting.  


Ni Hao Yall

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Also linking up with ~ Happily Mother After :: Favorite Photo Friday ~ The Paper Mama photo challenge 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Me and my Little Boy. . .Embracing the Camera

I took these picture months ago. MONTHS AGO!!! way back in February right before Stephen went on one of the many retreats he has gone on. The kid loves retreats!   We had so much fun taking these pictures because I kept cutting off his head. We just couldn't get right. 

That's what he gets for being so tall. . .right???


Anyway, I have been following this blog  anderson crew  mamma of 6 small children. Her Thursday meme idea is to embrace the camera: to get in the photos with your kids, husband, mom, friends, whoever. Like a lot of us, this is hard for me to do. I like to be the one on the other end clicking away, making everyone else uncomfortable. 

 Stephen is the most easy going kid you would ever want to meet and I knew he wouldn't mind playing along. Without any make up I grabbed Stephen before we left for our early morning road trip to the camp and we started taking pictures.  Then, I held on to those pictures for months because I thought: "what was I thinking???" " I don't have on any make up and who in there right mind would post pictures of themselves looking like that? Plus, my nose looks huge!" HuGe!!!  and then Stephen was looking at my blog on day and asked why I didn't post those photos.  He said. . .

Put them up mom. You look great and it was fun. 


So here they are: The picture I took of me and my little boy. . .Stevie Wonder. . .embracing the camera. 

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

She HAD a loose tooth

I know! I've been very sporadic with the blog lately. Very sporadic!  It's that time of year when the kids have research papers due. Everyone needs a computer sooner then later and that means I must wait.  But, I'm not here to tell y'all how busy we have been. I'm here to tell you more big news from my youngest:


 She had her first loose tooth today. 


Yeah! You read that right! I said she had her first loose tooth today. 


She showed me with great excitement how her "little baby tooth on the bottom of her mouth was a little bit wiggly"  and then she said she would be right back. When I went to look for her, I found she had pulled the darn thing right out of her mouth. ugggg!  I laughed and cringed at the same time. . . and thought Wow! This girl is tough!  WAY!!! Tougher then she should be! 

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Liz's very BIG news!

 Liz has big news she wants to share with you. 

!!BIG NEWS!!! 

Are you ready??? 


Drum roll Please!! 

She can tie her own shoes. . .


without help. 


AND
She wants all my bloggy friends to know.  

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Last Day. . .

Today is the last day of debate club for the year 2012. 


The debate forum this year has been: "Should the United States Government change it's policies toward the criminal justice system?" The answer is yes! but "the how" this change is to take place is left up to each team.  My job as a debate club parent is to listen to two teams argue their cases ((one team for change and the other team against that change))  I then decide who was the best team and which team had the best case.  I am also required to give helpful suggestions of how each team should and could improve their cases.  I then decide a winner and tell them how and why they won and lost. 


Do you know how very hard this is to do when you realize ~ the kids you are judging and are suppose to be helping, are way smarter then you? Let me tell you. . . it's hard.  It's really hard. 

So what do I do???


I put my thinking cap on and I fake it.  I pretend I know exactly what these teams are talking about and when we are done listening to the cases - I tell the teams how I think they could be improved . . . the kids thank me and tell me how helpful I have been to them. . . and I think. . . Yay!!! I fooled them again. 

As I said before, today is the last day of debate club for the year of 2012 . . . Today, again,  I will be judging and faking it the whole time - and when we are done - the teams will thank me and tell me how very helpful I have been.  They will tell me how they really like it when I judge their cases because I give them helpful advice. They will tell me I seem to really listen and am always fair.  .  . and I will think MMMMM  maybe these kids aren't so bright. . . I mean after all,  I fooled them again this year. 



Until Next time. . .  

Lisa

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Sunday, March 25, 2012

A birthday, a few pictures and a creamy cake

Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me. Audrey Hepburn  

It's Kathryn's birthday week. 


She is 15. 

!!15!!  


I'm not sure who has been more excited this week. . . the birthday girl or her little sister. 


So, when looking at the pictures of our birthday celebration . . . know this: I couldn't decide which picture I liked the best, the picture in the middle is unedited and most importantly. . .whatever you do. . . DON'T look at the cake. Just know: the cake was creamy, it was home made, I never use a box, and most importantly it was chocolate. 


Until Next time. . .  

Lisa

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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

My little boy

The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it.  ~Dudley Moore



Can you guess who got his drivers licence today???  That's right , my little boy.  .  .  
Stevie Mike.


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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

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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Friday, March 16, 2012

An Irish Blessing or two


May those who love us, love us; and those who don't love us, may God turn their hearts; and if He doesn't turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping.” 
Irish Blessing ~ 


I have know idea who this woman or baby are. This mom was nice enough to let me take her little leprechaun's  picture last weekend at an Irish festive we went to. We had a great time. 

May God grant you many years to live, For sure he must be knowing, the earth has angels all too few. And heaven is overflowing. ~  Irish Blessing 


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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

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. 


Monday, March 12, 2012

a Dad, a Son and a shared birthday

Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.  ~ Author Unknown

Birthday 2012 by LisaAlida5477

This quote says it all to us when we are talking about this pair.  

Little did  my brother in law  know that first dinner date with my sister would lead to so many birthdays shared with this son he was lucky enough to inherit.  
  
Happy Birthday Guys!!! 
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Georgie Porgie

 Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry; When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away. ~ Mother Goose




 This is George. He is my brother George's oldest son. George is one of those people that will leave a soft place in your heart if you give him a chance. He is quite, doesn't give his opinion unless he is asked and is reserved. If you look at him the first thing you would say is:  "He needs a hair cut."   We have heard this over and over again about George.  Just recently we all learned ~ George grows his hair long for a reason. He donates his thick, beautiful hair to Locks of Love. . . and he never says a word about it.      To me it's powerful that he just takes the looks and comments: and never says a word about how he shares and cares for other in the best way he can.    So here he is ~ taking it all in. . . and most importantly ~  Giving. 



Sunday, February 19, 2012

Celebrations & Memories

 Friday, February 17,  we celebrated our Father's life with a Mass in his memory


Even though he is no longer with us there was much to celebrate on that fine day that was his birthday. You see, everywhere we go there is a little piece of the Wonderful Willy we use to know.                                                     AND that touches us more then we could ever say.  


I took this picture last summer. It's the cross on top of Boston College High School that he and several other boys had a hand in making many, many years ago. Rumor has it, his name, along with the others,  is engraved on the back of this beautiful cross that reaches towards Heaven.  It seems appropriated to me to share this with you today as we celebrate the memory and life of a father and man  we all so dearly love. 


Until Next time. . .  

Lisa


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Friday, February 10, 2012

I won!

I'm doing back flips! 




!!!YAY!!! I'm so excited! 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

For May

Because it is cold. . .  in Germany

To May by LisaAlida5477

and my friend May has made ornaments out of icicles ~ Liz and I  thought we should send a little Carolina sunshine her way.           

Until Next time. . .  

Lisa

Monday, February 6, 2012

Sweet Carolina weather

Here in the Carolinas the weather has been great! 

Liz by Alida5477

The daffodils are in full bloom.   


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