Friday, October 22, 2010

Funny how life goes and goes and then one day you notice how much has gone. This week Dennis and I noticed that it had been 30 years that we had been married. I wonder if it was those flowers that give it away, or perhaps all of our children coming home for dinner or maybe it was card that said how after 30 years he still loves me like it was just yesterday that we fell in love. Whatever it is that makes you notice the time, the time becomes less important as you go along. What is important is the way you feel every day. Do you feel better because you have this wonderful person to share your day with? Do you want to spend your evenings and free time with them ? Do you count the minutes in anticipation of their arrival? When the only time that matters is the time spent apart because you just want more time together, You know that you have something special. Time at our house this year was kind of a BIG deal. With Dennis doing a temporary night gig for a few months that has turned into half the year... Time together was a big deal. Then we noticed that both of us were just a tad closer to that half century mark than we would like to have to admit. Dennis hit it last January and I was edging closer than I ever wanted. Funny how so much of your life you can pack into what feels like such a small amount of time. Funny how such a short space of ticking minutes becomes years and decades and then you are the grey haired grandparents. Funny how that vow to love forever seems to be just getting started and someone much younger points out that you have been married longer than anyone they know. Funny how time flies when you are having fun.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Easy Life

My cousin Becky has inspired me this morning to achieve the easy life. She posted that as of 10:30 this morning she had already accomplished a laundry list of the days activities Such as laundry, windows bathrooms lunches packed Kiddies bathed dressed fed and ready for a new adventure. Beds made, floors vacuumed, and Kitchen cleaned up from breakfast. WHEW ! You see my cousin Like myself, is a stay at home MOM. We lead the easy life. For when you are a stay at home Mom this is your life, look at all the freedom you will have when you choose this EASY life.
You set your own hours. ( whenever you are needed )
You set your own menu ( What ever the kids will eat this week )
You set the dress code. ( What will wash the best with this activity. )
You set the schedule ( as long as you have everyone where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there.Dressed the way they are supposed to be dressed )
You set the pay scale ( as long as it is leftover from everything else )
YOU Cook, YOU clean, YOU administer the first aid, YOU are the referee.
YOU DETERMINE THE ATTITUDE (cause if Mama ain't happy ain't nobody Happy )
You are the captain of your ship What could be easier than That. :D

So to all you who are looking to ease your burdens and get out of that race of a life you lead
Just stay home and lead the easy life.

Enjoy :D

Thursday, July 22, 2010

BaseBall Anyone ?



When I was a kid I learned to play baseball in school. I Learned the rules or so I thought. I even learned to swing a bat. I lived in Seattle the home of the Professional Losing Mariners so.... when our little town decided to start up a woodbat league, and they called for host families for the young men who would be playing, I thought WHY NOT !

Let me introduce you to my
Boys of Summer !





This is Marshall and Danny and Karsten
with Dylan at one of our Baseball games.
Our team is the Walla Walla Sweets.
Danny # 14 plays mostly 3rd base but sometimes first. He lives with us and Dylan loves him. Marshall # 6 Plays all the infield and Dylan thinks he is Funny. Karsten #33 Plays 1st base. These guys are great to have in our homes and they have been great to get to know.





We had a bat night giveaway and Dylan got a little bat. but when we went to take pictures with the team he wanted Danny's bat so...
Danny traded him.
Dylan thought that was cool
But he did have to give Danny back his big bat and that was not cool.







This is Chris # 46
He is a Pitcher. He has a fast ball that is really fast. It is really hard to hit too.

Dylan thinks he is his big brother.
He follows him everywhere when they are both at the house at the same time. And Chris has been a great sport about talking to him and playing in the pool with him.

If you have seen our pool you know why that is a big deal.



We love to watch all the boys as they swing for the fence
Or guard the home turf.

And you can't have baseball in Walla Walla without a big Sweet Onion. oh yeah and Great Umpires.

The season started out a little chilly and Dennis Had to get me a jacket.


But as you can see Now we have beautiful sunshine and they work really hard to keep our field of dreams Green.
We love to sit and watch as they prep the field.
And This is where we sit for every Game. Great seats !!! PLAY BALL :D

Saturday, May 29, 2010

What is a Family anyway

This is me, I am a boy and I am All BOY ! I love Dirt and mud and dogs and cookies and everything that is loud and dirty. But I also love my bear and my blanket and a good cuddle when the day is over. I Love a bath and soft warm PJ's . I have a Mom and a Dad and that is our Family. Just us and we are very happy . So when My mom and Dad told me that We were going to have a baby brother soon, I wondered what that meant.



When I asked my Dad how we were getting a baby Brother he thought about it a while and said your mom is going to take care of that . But we are going to love him and he is going to be a lot of fun.



So one day After spending the night with Nana and Papa we go to this place and I see my Mom just laying around in Bed. Now my mom works very hard to keep My Dad and Me clean and Fed and entertained and happy so I thought she was just taking a nap before she fixed me lunch. But she said No, she was working on getting a baby Brother here.
It doesn't look like work to me but I am just 2



So Nana and I went to the bookstore and found a book about being a Big Brother and then one about Cars racing and crashing ( that one is for my Dad cause he can make the BEST crash sounds EVER) and took them home to Nana's and read them. and waited. OK WE made cookies and played with the dogs and took a nap and then the phone rang and My Dad said that we could come and see the new Baby Brother. Uncle Derek and Nana and I went to the big place and look what we found.



This is My Baby Brother.
He can't do anything yet that is fun but everyone seems to really like him.
I think he doesn't know I am his Big Brother yet but I keep telling him that he is the baby so I think he will get it soon.
So, this is my Dad and my Baby Brother,
And I guess my family is just everyone that loves me and That I love


Thursday, April 29, 2010

Smile this is for Posterity


Sometimes all my children are home at the same time. It is at these special times in my life that I love to gather my precious children around me and take a picture as proof that we really do all belong to each other. I think of how when I am old and lonely I will be able to look back on all these wonderful pictures and think of all the good times we have had together. Like these good times.

Smile because this is for Posterity :D

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Spring Break?

I came down to visit my folks in sunny California and this morning this is what we saw.





It was not too bad for a while then this was the order of the day !




I guess this is why they call it spring Break !
Because we were taking a BREAK FROM SPRING



Enjoy your Break from spring as well.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Where the Boys Are

When I was much younger than I am now...
There was this song on the radio that I thought was kind of a funny thing.
The young lady is crooning about where the boys are someone waits for her.



I have always wondered where those boys were and why were they waiting for her to come to them instead of going to her ? Such are the mysteries that you rarely ever solve until now.
The boys are at Papa's house having all kinds of great boy fun.


They wait for her because she is missing all the fun. They are getting dirty playing in the garden... they are cleaning up after Nana fixes anything in the kitchen.

They are waiting with great anticipation as the party is starting...


But mostly they are just being Boys and that is the best place to be of all.

Ladies and Gents The BOYS ARE HERE AND LOVING IT. :d





And we are Loving having them here

:D

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

What is Love ?

I knew a man who spoke of love with the
fondness of familiarity in his eyes
The sparkle that told you,
He really had known such a thing.
It make a coy smile spread across his weathered face
like sunshine spreading across the
morning grass and expunging all traces of the nights storm.

He spoke of the softness of love
and how in moments of grief too great for a mortal heart
to hold out against, love, like a comforter on a winter's evening,
would chase away all traces of sorrow.
Leaving you content to find them replaced
with warm thoughts of friends and family.
Faces now gone, but never forgotten.

He spoke of the compassion of love.
Tender feelings so intense that nothing but the best for others
motivates you to do good.
Feelings of empathy so complete
that you experience their joy and sadness.

He spoke of the sorrow of love.
How your heart breaks when
those whom you love turn away from you.
When nothing you say or do will bring them back
because of the hardness of your words
and of their hearts.
When prayer and time and Love are your only Hope.

He spoke of the strength of love,
and how it holds you up when you feel certain that you can not endure.
Strength that flows through you like electricity,
energizing the very fibers of your being,
giving you what you never knew you had, to face life's trials

He spoke of the Joy of love,
that fills you with an anticipation that is so real,
you feel the energy of their presence long before they become visible.
That just having them near makes you feel completely content.

He spoke if his love for me
and I could not wonder at his words.
A captive of his strength and forever the beneficiary of his joy,
I had learned of the capability compassion had to change a hardened heart.
I know that his joy and mine were intertwined.
The ring of gold and cherished promise spoken years ago
had long since made me his for eternity.


Monday, January 18, 2010

And the Beat Goes ON...

Several years ago in a city far far away.
In another life almost, Benny was a drummer in a Band.
He loved it. He is a very good drummer in fact.
But sadly drums and babies do not mix and he gave it up when we got married because he knew that someday children would come into our lives.
Moving ahead several decades,
I was down at the music store and Jim says hey wanna see my latest cool find. We descended into the bowels of the music store and there they were. A great set of drums! returned by a Mother who I guess didn't realize that they were loud. "AND BOY ARE THEY LOUD" she said when bringing then back. So I counted my pennies and found a nickel or two and brought the drums home to my favorite drummer. He has patiently played them in the garage and in the corner, even outside on the patio
( neighbors were not happy about that at all )
or disassembled them and put them away for several years while other things were more important.

BUT NO MORE !! The are happily residing in his MAN CAVE !
Serving out their purpose in life getting beat to near death.
But Look at that face !
And the beat goes on....

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Gray Days




The day started out cold and gray and dreary.
The kind of day where you need socks and a sweater and something hot to drink.
Where you wish there was snow falling down
for at least that would leave you with a sense of wonder and beauty.
No, it was just gray and dull and dreary.
A suggestion, spoken in longing on another gray day is recalled and you smile to yourself.
Yes that is the answer.
That would be just the thing to lift the dull and bring in the color and the joy
and fill everything with warmth.
SO off I go to grind the wheat and mix the yeast with all things good and warm.
Sugar and spice and everything oh so nice and only just a pinch... not too much.
Then comes the waiting and the waiting and then the rolling and spreading and the waiting and the baking and then ... OH SO GOOD!
How can there be anything better than hot Cinnamon rolls on such a day as this.


Eat well.