Extraordinary Woman

To an Extraordinary mother, person, wife and a friend.
Today we celebrate her birthday
Which is number fifty-nine.

Hard to believe the years fly by,
This life we dig and delve.
She is so extraordinary...

She is a fabulous wife (right Ralph?)
and raised two great kids.
She even opened her heart an added a few more.
She manages so much more,
She's incredible, no doubt.

She keeps us all together.
Remarkable, in retrospect,
Our thanks? We've said a few.

Now that the kids are grown
with kids all of our own,
We really appreciate with clarity
All the wonders mom has sown.

Some how we all get along,
In fact, we do just fine.

It seems as if the whole thing
Came down to faith in the Lord.

Since "I" have known her
she has always believed !

She is always right here, supporting each if us,
In every way she can.

Her time, her heart, her courage.
Inspiration? She's a thrill.

She taught us how to cook some and knit too,
And function - always strong.
She counseled on the good life,
and taught us right from wrong.

She all about so many things,
Like unconditional love.

On your birthday, mom,
Our love we do avow.
You're just the best in every way,
Forever, then and now.



Love,
Your Family

SNOW DAY! SNOW DAY!

Back to work and school today but yesterday....


It was about 1:00 befor all the kids hit the slopes.
It was time to take our Midwest farm town home and transform it, to look like a very over populated ski resort, like they have back home. The difference is, at this place it is all FREE.
To be quite honest I think it was allot more fun too.

Come on in and enjoy the fun with us.
This snap shot was taken whiles the transformation was under way.



This next shot was one of the tourist trying to pack the snow down. So the jump would go faster and longer.













Needless to say this did not work out so much.
We see this quite often around these parts.
These tourists come on in and think they know it all...
We just say another one bits the snow !




One of the snow boarding hill were finally complete.
The same tourists that tyred out the sledding hill
stepped right up to test this one out.
With a little assistance from one of our very own instructors.



He was off in now time !



















With blistering temperatures,
we always have a cold smile on!






To finish off our day on the slopes,
We all huddle in the shelagh for a
nice warm cup of Hot Coco.



All in all our made up Ski Resort was a blast !
Your more then welcome to come on out and play with us.


GOOD TIMES! GOOD TIMES !

FIRST SNOW DAY OF 2010

IN NORMAL TODAY - Snow continues to fall as hundreds of school children and parents settle in for a the first SNOW DAY OF 2010.

This is of our back yard this morning at about 5:00 AM



We will be off to test out our new snow board, hockey stick and maybe we can make a few snow angles and build a snowman.

We will see if it warms up enough to go and play.

I HOPE SO !

LET IT SNOW !
LET IT SNOW !
LET IT SNOW !

Good bye to 09

Relishing in the peace and quiet in front of the fire, smelling cinnamon rolls in the oven and fresh brewed coffee... so grateful for my life, God, my fabulous husband-my soulmate-best friend, my 2 beautiful children, my parents, Ralph, Char, My brother, Tiffany & Jason all my family and friends. Thank you for the journey of 2009. GOOD TIMES ! GOOD TIMES !

I look forward to sharing a blessed 2010 with each of you !

Have a very HAPPY & SAFE NEW YEARS !

Christmas far from"Normal"

Christmas was far from Normal this year.

For a month, we had tossed back and forth what we were going to do for the Christmas holiday. We just had a hard time making any sort of decisions for what ever reason.

This year was going to be be very different on so many levels... Our 16 year old and our 9 year old were going back to Denver for the holiday, one set of parents were going to be on a cruse ship on the open sea half way across the world, the other set of parents are over 1000 miles away.

We tossed a few ideas around... Let's go to Florida to see our 85 year old grandmother. Washington DC is to be quite spectacular this time of year...

With our kids safely in Colorado and our parents safely half way across the world.

The question still remains unanswered WHAT THAT HECK ARE WE GOING TO DO?

Christmas Eve morning the conversation went something like this.

ME: Good Morning! Merry Christmas Eve.
My 29 year old: So what are we going to do today?
ME: I have no idea, what do you want to do?
My 29 year old: Well, I guess any out of state travel is out.
ME: Why it is just raining, we have no snow.
My 29 year old: Yeah well there is a blizzard every were else around us.
ME: Well let's go to church tonight.
MY 29 year old: OK... What time is the service?
Me: Well we have a choice 5,6,7 or 10:00.
My 29 year old: OK lets go to the 5:00 and the 7:00 and then go have dinner.
ME: Just looking at him, wounding if he realized it was Christmas EVE.
My29year old: Tomorrow we will go to Chicago to spend the day with Tiffany(DOR)and Jason(Silor). and then come home.
Me: OK, sounds like a plan(YEAH WE HAVE A PLAN)!


We left to go to the 5:00 church service. Great service, with a great celebration for the birth of Jesus and lot of Christmas carols we sang with packed house. It was beginning to feel like Christmas !

We made a quick stop and then my 29 year old really did wanted to go to another service. So we went, it was a candle light service it was very nice. We lit our candles while singing Silent Night. Then I felt a fuzzing next to me... It kind of sounded like OH, AHH SHHII..... I looked over and started laughing hysterically! My 29 year old had HOT dripping wax all over his hand and could not do anything about it other then sit there and look at it.

We got out of there quite quickly. While still laughing running to out vehicle in the rain. I got in and asked him it we are going to make it to the next service. My 29 year old looked at me and said NO, we are going out to dinner.

Again just looking at him, saying you do realize it is Christmas Eve ? He said yep everything will be open ! I gave him the good ol'emm~hmmm.

Well needless to say, NOTHING WAS OPEN....
Then we pulled into a lot with two cars and the sign said ....



I felt like I was living in the movie "The Christmas Story"
I could do nothing but laugh, I guess that we are making this night as far from normal as we can get. LET'S GO !

All in all we had a great time! Just the two of us, as far from what is Normal to us both. We had each other to bring in good cheer and I would not have changed a thing!

If I had to spend Christmas with one person, God new who that one was to be.
Thanks for the the wonderful Christmas Eve memories Nathan !


Merry Christmas Eve !

Christmas Magic

So do you BELIEVE ?
I'm 33 and the magic of Christmas is absolutely wonderful !

Over the years we tend to have so many different Christmas tradition...
We try to keep them going each year and some get lost in the hassle and bassel.

We stared this new charming tradition this year. For most families they started it when there children were very small. Like most children and adults through the ages, they wanted to know how Santa really knew who was naughty or who was nice.

When you have a child the doctors do not give you an instruction manual so you just have to go with it. That is what we have done here.

STICK WITH ME AND JUST KEEP READING.

So to help us with that answer few hundred year old question we officially adopted a pixie elf. We gave him a name(Max). Each year he will arrive around the holidays, usually at Thanksgiving like he did this year. His sole responsibility is to watch over the kids and Nathan too. Max will report there behavior to Santa each night. Each morning after we awake, we all discovered the elf had returned from the North Pole and was now resting in a new and different place.Max has been in our bathroom, on book shelf's, in the fire place, the Christmas tree and many more places. So far we have found him each time.

Each day we all have raced each other out of bed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position


There are a few rules to better preserve his mystique the kids are not allowed to touch him but talking to him well this a different matter all together. Nathan and the kids have shared many secrets with the elf (Max) my guess would both good and bad... but that is why they call them secrets, and while he was under strict orders not to talk to them, the elf (Max)was under no such orders where I'm concerned (Nathan does not like this rule).

Unwittingly, this tradition provided an added benefit: it has helped the kids and Nathan to better control themselves. All it took was a gentle reminder that the "elf (Max)is watching," for errant behavior to be modified.

This new tradition has lead to so many fun treasured Christmas memories for our entire family.

This Morning we had a bit of hard time trying to locate him. We thought that someone was bad and he did not come back from the North Pole. Well that is what I blamed it on. Needless to say that caused a emotional break down from both our 9 year old and the 29 year old. (What was I thinking when I hid this dam elf (Max)... I thought someone would find him... Sooner then later. I had to think quick.)

Then right before it was time to eat breakfast ... I asked for our 9 year old to get the milk out for the oatmeal.


There he is my 9 year old said.
He in the refrigerator Mom !




(I found myself thanking Santa...Made it threw that one.)

All you have to do is BELIEVE !

3 or 33 or 103 keep the magic alive !

Turkey Day Quiz

How much do you know about the turkey?


When was the first Thanksgiving celebration?
1492
1567
1621
1777


Where was the turkey first domesticated?
Canada
Mexico and Central America
New Zealand
India


What is a female turkey called?
a rooster
a cuckoo
a chick
a hen


What is a male turkey called?
a larry
a clark
a harry
a tom


What great American statesman lobbied to make the turkey the national symbol?
Benjamin Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
Andrew Jackson


What sound does a female turkey make?
gobble
cluck
chirp
peep


What sound does a male turkey make?
gobble
click
chirp
peep


About how many feathers does a mature turkey have?
1,500
2,000
3,500
5,000


Which state produces the most turkeys annually?
Kansas
Ohio
Arkansas
Minnesota


How fast can wild turkeys run?
5 mph
15 mph
25 mph
45 mph


How does Arkansas rank among the other states in turkey production?
first
third
eighth
fourteenth


What Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the colonists?
the Wampanoag tribe
the Sioux tribe
the Choctaw tribe
the Arapaho tribe


Can wild turkeys fly? If so, how fast?
No.
Yes, up to 25 mph
Yes, up to 40 mph
Yes, up to 55 mph


Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Thanksgiving?
49%
67%
82%
90%


Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Christmas?
34%
50%
67%
89%


What is the name of the skin that hangs from a turkey's neck?
snark
wattle
garble
swag


Which U.S. president specified that Thanksgiving would fall on the last Thursday of November?
Martin Van Buren
Andrew Jackson
William H. Taft
Abraham Lincoln


Which president attempted to move the Thanksgiving holiday to the fourth Thursday in November to create a longer Christmas shopping season?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Harry S. Truman
Gerald R. Ford


Which country consumes the most turkey per year per capita?
The United States
Israel
Spain
The United Kingdom


What is the best way to defrost a turkey?
with a hair dryer
in the refrigerator
in cold water
in the microwave oven




Here are the results of the trivia quiz: When was the first Thanksgiving celebration?

When was the first Thanksgiving celebration?
1621

Where was the turkey first domesticated?
Mexico and Central America

What is a female turkey called?
A hen

What is a male turkey called?
A tom

What great American statesman lobbied to make the turkey the national symbol?
Benjamin Franklin


What sound does a female turkey make?
Cluck

What sound does a male turkey make?
Gobble

About how many feathers does a mature turkey have?
3,500

Which state produces the most turkeys annually?
Minnesota

How fast can wild turkeys run?
25 mph

How does Arkansas rank among the other states in turkey production?
Third

What Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the colonists?
The Wampanoag tribe


Can wild turkeys fly? If so, how fast?
Yes, up to 55 mph

Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Thanksgiving?
90%

Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Christmas?
50%

What is the name of the skin that hangs from a turkey's neck?
Wattle

Which U.S. president specified that Thanksgiving would fall on the last Thursday of November?
Abraham Lincoln

Which president attempted to move the Thanksgiving holiday to the fourth Thursday in November to create a longer Christmas shopping season?
Franklin D. Roosevelt


Which country consumes the most turkey per year per capita?
Israel

What is the best way to defrost a turkey?
In the refrigerator

Have a safe and woundful thanksgiving !
Gobble, gobble