What is going on?

UP to my elbows in chocolate decorations and plans for our church ladies banquet...that is NEXT Saturday...all the plans, supplies, and little details need to be gathered into one place and completed! I will have pictures to share for sure. "Visions of...chocolate kisses dancing around and around in my head..." and it doesn't matter where I am or what I am doing! I have even found interesting facts about chocolate being good for you!!! Did you know...it is not proven that chocolate causes acne!!! And another fact that I am having trouble wrapping my brain around...the average person consumes 12 pounds of chocolate per year! That just sounds outrageous...or does it?!
Since chocolate doesn't have as much caffine as coffee or tea...I am enjoying caffine in various forms. Today...sweet tea...and it is helping to boost the energy level...not sure if it is the sugar or caffine!

The April Showers Have Begun...on a Monday!

Back to the routine of school days...there is great comfort in that! We will dodge the raindrops as we go back and forth and back and forth...the week will be a little difficult I am sure...back to school adjustment, SAT testing, homework, special meetings at church through Wednesday night, and thunderstorms that disturb peaceful slumbers...it is a good day for a nap!

A week well spended, ummm, spent...

It is Friday of spring break week...and it is time to get back to the school schedule...if only for two more months! That will give me time to plan how exactly to spend all the summer days...there are lots of them, if I remember correctly!
For now, we shall concentrate on all the busy days of school and all the fun things that are left to learn! We had fun outings, too much Mommy time (do they still make Calgon?), lots of treats, Grammy time, lots of good books and videos (our new favorite...Avonlea episodes from the library!), Daddy time, outside mud fun, craft time, extra sleep, and lots of Easter candy!
...all I know is...I'm done!

What do you see? vs. What I see!

Little girls' kitchen play spoons vs. Small shovels for the bucket of ice cream in the basement freezer...happened upon by Mommy
New library "credit cards that are very important" vs. Quiet time for Mommy
Little Easter angels vs. Sugar enriched little dressed up bundles of energy
Two cool dudes vs. Easter bunny's bodyguards..."cause the Easter bunny comes to Papa and Grandma's house with lots of eggs!"
Jelly beans vs. Leftover sugar for Mommy to use to boost her energy level...when the caffine levels off for the day.

For all my mom friends...you just have to see this!!!!

Go to my side bar and find Kim's name...go there...and scroll down to the post that says...For all the moms...
Trust me...it will make you laugh...and who isn't in need of a good laugh at 10:00 am? Thanks for posting that Kim!!! Loved it...because there are other Moms who say the same things over and over...it is not just me!

UPDATE: GO TO YOUTUBE AND TYPE IN THE LADY'S NAME (ANITA RENFROE) AND YOU CAN WATCH IT THERE!

Friday Night Supper With Grammy and Grampy

We had a yummy supper! Dad made some venison that was out of this world! And Grammy made homemade chicken strips! MMMMM
We were entertained by the kids...as always! And attempted to answer all the big questions of life...it is going to take a few more meals!!!
The girls remind me of when I was little...the old photo albums can entertain for hours...such a nice quiet, calming activity!
And then Mom entertained us with her camera antics...I love the placement of her glasses...the "cheat sheet" helps learn what all the buttons are for! Ya know, these new-fangled contraptions don't always make sense...ya hafta memorize what each icon stands for...and ya don't hafta look through the little hole now either...right, Dad!? Oh...how we can laugh...and love those family times!

We're so thankful that Jesus Christ has risen! "Oh what a Savior, Oh what a Friend!"

How do you celebrate the second day of Spring?

Ultimate first...With a box of the kid's favorite DDonuts for breakfast...since we had to be out to drop Chevy off for his grooming appointment!
1. With a huge cup of coffee...Ted makes the best...I just had to warm it up after our errand. (Proud to say...I didn't buy anything for myself at DD! It was all about the kids today!)
2. With boots, hats, gloves, and winter coats.
3. With tears of sadness for the little birds...who, by the way, are not singing this morning!
4. With bated breath...6-12 inches, really?!
5. With a phone call to a sister.
6. With a variety of activities and movies for the kids.
7. With cups of hot chocolate and marshmellows.
8. With piles of wet snow clothes!
9. With relief of no school runs today!
10. With a big thankful heart...this snow won't last long!
How are you celebrating yours?

How do you celebrate the first day of spring?

1. With a pile of bags of things to donate to the Salvation Army! Spring cleaning is hard to do when there are piles of clothes and toys that keep getting in the way...enter...a mom with a trash bag and an attitude! There are many more things to go through, but we had a good start!

2. With lots of plastic eggs all filled with chocolate treats! Can you say sugar rush?

3. With a last running of school drop-off and pick-ups for the week! Spring break begins!

4. With a pan of yummy cookie treats for classmates...made by Grandma! Thank you!

5. With a delicious plan for supper!

6. With some playtime...outside in the fresh air!

7. With pleas to our Heavenly Father to change the weather track! 4-8 inches of snow has been forecasted for tonight into tomorrow! It is almost 50 degrees out now!

8. With bouquets of flowers and Easter lilies. Real or fake...they brighten up the room!

Our fearless barf-bucket-helmeted soldier...

not on watch...but asleep! (Maybe he was protecting himself from nightmares of attacking Mickey and Minnie Mouse....s!) Ted found him last night and I just had to take a picture! This is how good our camera is...it was dark in his room with just a little night-light glow...select "night scene with portrait" and this is what I got! After chuckling over his antics, we removed the bucket...for safety purposes...and went to bed feeling quite safe that our little soldier was slumbering so peacefully...and hopefully wouldn't have to use his helmet in the middle of the night!

How do you spell disappointment?

L-O-C-K-E-D G-A-T-E at the lakehouse!

It was such a beautiful day yesterday...so after church we loaded into the van to take a drive and have lunch. The idea was to eat and go check out the lakehouse and walk by the lake...whose idea was that anyway?! We enjoyed being together and getting a running commentary from Teddy about everything that was outside his window! We ate lunch at one of the favorites...Culvers! We drove up to the lakehouse campground...only to find the gate locked...yeah, it was my idea...and the disappointment to the little travellers was more than they could bear...they all cried! (Being tired and in the process of getting sick/recovering from probably played a part!)

Yes...we have been counting the days till it is time to go to the lake and we were looking forward to a little glimpse of things to come...but before we do that again...we'll call first.

Things that make a mother's heart stop...

1. Screaming little boy in the basement after you hear a thud...looking down the stairs to see him holding his arm...sitting down on the stairs to calm myself while feeling the arm for funny bends...head and heart rush complete...off for some Excedrin...oh, he is fine...

2. Hearing a child say, "my fingers are turning blue."...gasp...why? asks a concerned sister... "from the chalk"...sigh of relief in the form of a balloon being let out...another head rush...is it too soon for more Excedrin?

I am sure I can think (which I choose not to do today) of many more (and will experience more) of these moments...but, hopefully, not today...I really think my head will explode from lack of oxygen due to gasping for long intervals internally so as not to startle other children in my care. Some days I guess I am more sensitive to irregular noises and funny sounding screams...today seems to be one of them...and they usually line up with days that I am not feeling so great...I am so looking forward to more cold medicine tonight...for now, I need to be in full control of whatever senses and nerves that remain intact...and they are not many!