Chilly Start, Warm finish!

BRRrrrrrr!

This was after the sun came up so it had already started to warm up.

The day warmed up for a nice afternoon.

G dug himself a place to take a nap in the sun or

to "be buried in when the time comes"

His words not mine!

Look and smell of spring

My lilac bush sits outside my bathroom window. I have often wished that it sat out where visitors could enjoy it as much as I do, but then I wouldn't see it every morning. I love to look out and see the blossoms. When it the window is open the smell of the lilacs floats in and smells wonderful.

W's personal best 3x over

Last Friday W tripled jump his personal best 3 times. He was thrilled when he broke his best jump the first time but then was beyond thrilled as he continued to go further than he'd dreamed of jumping. I got video of his jumps but really wished I'd gotten video of his reaction as they read off his lengths! He was jumping and hollering, he kept going back to ask the record keeper what the length was! He was fun!

I'll have the numbers for you when he gets home! and maybe even the video of the longest jump!

**His longest jump was 41feet 2.25inches. He says you don't need to see another video!**

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

On the morning that W was born I checked him over as any new mother would do. When I got to his foot I measured it with my finger. His tiny little foot from the tip of his big toe to the his heel was the length of my middle finger. That was 17 years ago this morning and my my how things have changed!

Happy Birthday W!

Grandma Smith

Dorothy Pearl McCoy Smith

March 3, 1910 to April 24, 2008

Hump day updates

Yea! updates actually on Hump day ~ score one for me!

Oh wait nothing much is happening maybe that's why I can do updates today!

Last Friday's track meet was good ~ W placed 2nd in the triple jump and jumped the long jump to reach 2 foot further than ever. Seems he changed the foot he jumps off of and got great results. He's excited for this week's track meet. It's closer so I'll be able to make it, at least for the triple jump. Field events start at 3:30 and G gets out of school at 3:15 so I miss the long jump.

I finally got our propane bottles filled so let the BBQ-ing begin. Well, it already did begin with KC Strip Steak on Sunday evening and dogs and burgers on Monday! Boy were they good and long over due!

Monday evening G and I worked in the yard, pruning the trees, cleaning up the dead stuff, fertilizing, and putting down some grass seed in the bare spots. All of this in anticipation of the thunderstorm that was suppose to arrive in the night! Well, that thunderstorm did come, waking us up with lighting, thunder and hail but no rain! I've got another chance for rain tonight ~ keeping my fingers crossed.

Last night G and I went to the city for his cub scout shirt. I had been putting that trip off until I had more to do in the city. With the cost of gas ($3.45 per gallon) I wanted to combined trips. We also stopped at the Library and Costco before coming home.

Tonight G and his fellow cub scouts are going to the local community center to watch the dress rehearsal of a play. There are lots of our friends in this play so that should be fun!

See not much going on here but you know that's a good thing!

My current favorite movies

I don't get around to watching movies when they're current but I do manage to get some in before they leave the REDBOX. Side note WHAT IS A REDBOX? ~ you rent for 1day for $1 Greatest thing ever.... OK not ever but it's darn good!

I loved DAN IN REAL LIFE. I'm a huge Steve Carell fan, and this didn't disappoint, but it did surprise. It's isn't the silly, funny Steve Carell. It's about a middle aged widowed man managing his 3 girls and then his extended family. After years of being along he falls for a stranger in a book store only to find out that it's the girl his brother is bring home to meet the family.



BECOMING JANE is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites! I love Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen. (I just love Anne Hathaway) This movie is the story of Jane Austen's real life love affair. I laugh, I love, I cheer, and I cry in this movie. Loving it all the way!

Earth day 2008

Hmmm Earth Day?

What am I doing to help the earth?

I have my re-usable grocery bags ~need to remember them more
I use energy saving light bulbs
I don't have to (and don't) turn my lights on during the day
I don't leave things plugged in
I recycle my newspapers and magazines ~Need to recycle more
I 'freecycle' things ~ yeah freecycle
I'm looking for a way to eliminated bottle water in my life
I'm looking for a way not to drive SOOOO much!

What are you doing?

Happy Earth Day!

First Mow of the Season!

Yeah, this morning was the first mow of the year! It should have been last week but our mower provided a home to mice this winter so they had to be removed and their home turned back into a mower!

Last week while G and I were running errands in town. We went by someone mowing and G asked if we could go home and mow, cuz it smells so good! He'll enjoy coming home this afternoon.

All My Chicks in the Nest

There is a Simple Joy of having all my chicks in the nest. With the oldest chick staying out all night last night this mother hen didn't sleep well. It was such a quiet joy to have that chick arrive home safe and sound. Yesterday was a nappy day for a couple of us. The youngest chick didn't want any thing to do with a nappy day!

The GRAND events of Prom

Tonight is Prom or should I say Today is Prom. This seems to be an event with a lot of wonderful traditions in this little town.

It all starts with almost all the kids attending prom going to the town square at 2pm for pictures. This is a big event. The parents, grandma and grandpa's, cousins, friends, the newspaper photographer and anyone else that wants to come, show up! It was fun and I got a lot of great pictures of W and his friends. They were then off to the city for supper. After supper they get in their 'ride' and head for "Walk in". "Walk in" is a GRAND EVENT! I didn't know just how grand until tonight. For years people would ask me if I'd been to walk in and I say "no, I don't have a child old enough for Prom." They'd always reply "oh, you don't need someone going to prom to go. The whole town goes!" I always thought that was an exaggeration ! I found out tonight it wasn't. There are bleachers set up in front of the high school, people bring lawn chairs,the crowd is 3 and 4 rows deep on both sides of the sidewalk and the street. All waiting for the kids to arrive, driving up in front of the high school in all sorts of 'things' (a shopping cart, a couch, an RV, girls in pickup trucks pulling their dates in a horse trailer, and of course all sorts of fancy cars!). W drove an El Camino. They are announced (that was my job ~ getting their names written down for the MC to announce) and they walk a red carpet while the camera's flash and the crowd cheers and screams their names! What a great experience for them!

~then comes prom & "after prom"~

(After Prom is a huge all night lock in party put on by the parent's to keep them safe.)

Well this is where my story ends as I came home and W's story begins as he stayed and enjoyed the rest of the night.

*Unfortunately we may never hear that story!*

Day in the Temple

Winter Quarter's Temple

Today I drove with a couple of friends to Winter Quarter's Temple.

It was such a wonderfully feeling to be in the Temple especially with good friends.

Prom by the numbers

10~age I think he ought to still be!
9~times Mom will wonder how things are going.
8~ pairs of 'shades' for W
7~time prom starts
6~going out for dinner before prom
5~hours of After prom party
4~pieces of Tuxedo
3~days to go
2 ~shiny shoes
1 ~ one handsome son

Just How Can This Be?

Yesterday I was running my errands. Everything seemed to be fine in "our little town" until I drove by the courthouse. There was a HUGE Christmas tree sitting up in front of the building. The red and silver balls were clinging to the branches as the wind blew.

There have been several Christmas decorations popping up around the courthouse and the square while spring is trying to move in!

Just How Can This Be?

OK, OK I'll let you in on the secret in "our little town". They're shooting a movie. Along with the Christmas decorations there are RV's parked in every parking lot around town. Don't get all excited no one famous and I don't even recognize the director's name, but the Christmas decorations definitely catch your eye. I wonder what visitors driving through think?

Price of Things today

Gas ~ $3.25 per gallon

Bananas ~ .69 per pound

2% Milk ~ 3.79 per gallon

Bread ~ 2.69 a loaf

Avocado ~ 1.69

Keebler Grasshopper cookies $3.09 per package

New Look

I finally had the time to create a new look for my blog!

I hope you like it!

Weekend recap

I must say that I wanted to post yesterday but W downloaded a movie for his ipod and it took 11 hours! I told him repeatedly that he messed up my blogging!

Saturday was a chilly, windy day! felt like winter. G had a birthday party to go to. When I delivered him to the party, the kids were out chasing geese, and there was a small pen of lambs baa-ing away. When I went back to pick him up I had to wait for the Ginny's to move out of the drive way, the same lambs were still baa-ing away. G had a great time ~ they jumped off hay bales. This is G's favorite thing to do here in the fall and he thought it was GREAT that this boy had hay bales all year round.

W spent the day in Madrigal competition again ~ this time the district finals. He was disappointed earlier in the week when he discovered that they couldn't sing "Tombur" in District (and then State) because they'd sung it last year. They all truly love singing that song and it shows. FYI ~ in competition groups are given a 1, 2, 3 etc. depending on what place the judges think you earned so there could be several "1s" or first place. Only the groups earning "1" move on to the State competition. The Madrigal group earned a 2 but Madrigal men earned a 1 and will move on to State at the end of the month.

I hurried home from TAXIing G to get supper. We were having the Missionaries over (I'd forgotten!) for supper. I served Roasted herbed Chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli, green salad, bread and dessert was Berries over angel food cake topped with whipped cream.

Recipe for

Roasted Herbed chicken

2 ~ 3 to 4 pound whole chicken *

1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme

1 Tablespoon fresh Rosemary

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 cup low sodium Chicken broth

1/2 cup onion slices

Preheat oven to 450

Place onion slices in bottom of shallow baking dish pour broth over onions, Coat chicken all over with herbs, salt and pepper and place in baking dish.

Place chicken in over and immediately turn oven temp down to 325.

Roast 20 minutes per pound or until internal temp of chicken reaches 180-185.

Based Chicken with broth every 30 minutes.

Let chicken stand for 10 minutes before carving.

*original recipe calls for 1 7-8 pound Roasting Chicken, I can't find a chicken that big so I just use 2 but as you can tell this could easily be adjusted for 1 chicken.*

I really like this recipe, the chicken has a great taste and it easy to do!

Our Sunday was quiet, the sun was shining and the temp began to warm up. We went to church. G had his new, very shiny Scriptures. He read them all through Church, beginning at the front with Genesis.

Way to go G!

Along with G's new 'DS' I got a Brain Age challenge game. I took my brain age challenge on Friday scored at 74 (!) meaning that my brain age was 74! I was able to improve my brain age to a 54 yesterday, I got W to take the challenge and he scored a 57 (!) Yeah (?), I beat him by 3 years, then hubby came in and got a 42!

"Just how can this be!"

We then got the stacking cups out! I got the quickest time! Yeah for MOM! I wasn't very humble about my winning times and quickly found myself playing alone!

"What kind of mother am I?"

I'm sure there will be re-challenges and brain age testing again. They can't let their mother win!

Our Friday!

Today the boys were out of school.

The weather was wintry, windy and COLD!

but G and I didn't care. We had tickets to the Coterie children's theatre's production of "Sideways Stories from the Wayside School". It was fabulous! as is everything there What a joy to sit next to G while he laughed so loud! G talked about for hours. Then we went to Fritz's for lunch. At Fritz's you order your food via phone and a train traveling along the ceiling drops your food at your table. It's always fun to see whose food is on the train.

We finished up the day be getting G's Nintendo DS. He has saved his $ for a while and finally bought the much coveted toy.

The Weather was wintry, windy and COLD!

G and I may not have cared BUT W did ~ he had an outside track meet! They traveled a couple of hours for a freezing evening in the wind! He had to jump into the wind thus didn't do too well.

~ Uncle Sam wants me......

Sorry that my post have been hit and miss but Uncle Sam (and hubby) wanted me to work on my taxes! They aren't submitted quite yet but I'm getting more comfortable with the results so they'll be done and submitted before APRIL 15

Amazing! Just how can this be?

The Chicago travelers traveled by plane on American Airways! We made it home just 12 hours before the cancellation of MANY flights Monday morning due to electrical issues. I believe by Tuesday cancellations reached 800 flights leaving huge delays everywhere including Chicago! That makes getting home PRICELESS!

Just how can this be?

CHICAGO!

I guess I have to start with the WHOLE reason we were in Chicago! W's Madrigal group.

**you might enjoy this better if you turn off the music**

to do this ~ go to the bottom of this page and hit the volume button at the upper right corner.

This is my favorite of the boys.

They did quite well, and W is very pleased. It's fun to watch him watch the videos. He hears each song as I hear them. When he's singing he only hears himself and those right around him.

The groupies for this trip, G, Gr'ma, and myself got to do lots of fun stuff in Chicago~ ate Chicago style pizza at Gino's, visited the Kumodo Dragon, dolphins, sharks, along with all sorts of other scaly things at the Shedd Aquarium, went to the top of the Sear's tower (found W there!). We ended that evening looking at Saturn and 2 of it's moons at the Alder Planetarium (along with a great 3D show), we also got to see the Chicago skyline at night it was beautiful!

We ended our trip with an evening at Medieval Times, G LOVED this! There were knights battling with REAL swords (the sparks flew), a King, Horses, everything little boys love ~ well there wasn't any silverware and eating chicken without a fork was one thing that G didn't like!

He's a cub!

Tonight was the long awaited first night of G in Cub Scouts. G was a bit nervous and held my hand as walked down the hall at church, but then marched right in the room and joined the fun! They took a "hazard walk", where they walked around the church finding hazards. Then they chatted about healthy eating. Ending with making a fruit salad! He Loved it!

Happy Birthday G

Things are in high speed around here, mostly for me.

Today is G's birthday!

Knowing all the things that needed to get done in these couple of days we started Birthday celebrations a couple of days ago. Last night we went out for Birthday supper, G picked Applebees. He thought of other places but weren't sure that they'd sing to him at the others and he KNEW they would sing to him at Applebees. It was sweet how that is exactly what he wanted but his cheeks were still bright red as they were singing to him. Grandpa and Mimi met us to help celebrate!

Today we'll end the official Birthday festivities with taking Chocolate Chip cookies (his favorites) to G's class.

Tomorrow we head off to the Windy city.......