Winter Fun

Don’t be fooled by the cute smile as the bone chilling temperatures were below 0 and the smiles were really frozen in that place. No seriously the weather was a mite cold for skiing but the boys were dressed and bundled warm and ready to give it to try. The boys Scouts planned this trip and the kids had the option to ski or tube. This year our boys were skiing. They were so excited for this new experience. The first step was to get the ski boots and skis and head out for the beginner lessons. The lessons were great and they learned the basics of skiing and most importantly the stopping part. They began on the bunny slope and all did great on there many runs. They soon became bored with the small challenge and were ready to jump to the more difficult hills. I will admit I was surprised how well they all did. Only a few minor mishaps to begin with. Collin fell once trying to get on the escalator that brings them up the hill.
I was frozen to the bone after watching the lessons and trial runs. I headed inside to warm up while they all headed to bigger and more challenging slopes. I was not the smartest spectator as I didn’t wear snow pants! Big mistake! I really should have broke down and invested in a pair. As I was warming my frozen limbs, I was alerted that Colin had crashed on the slope. I hurried to his rescue! I found him upset, but not harmed, well maybe his pride. He had fell and was upset that no one would stop to help him up. I explained that it is almost impossible to stop and rescue at the speed those kids were coming down the hill. His skis needed tightened and his pants were avoiding the process. We found a larger pair and fixed him up, boosted his self esteem and pushed him back out to play. Jill was lucky enough to score a pair was ski pants in the lost and found bin.
So I appointed her to help Colin. She sure earned her wings that after noon. She not only took some great photos, but helped Collin up after a few spills, and out of the bushes that got in his way and literally pulled him up one hill after he crashed. She was his angel. She was also very tired and sore. Collin had a good taste and decided after 3 hours he was done. Kaleb, Brandon and Baylee were still flying up and down the slopes. They had come in the lodge once to warm up and then headed back out to endure more. Kaleb had one mishap on the ski lift that left him a little dazed. His ski came up and kicked him in the head. He held his balance but received a small wound to prove it. The boys skied until 8:30pm. Then we packed up and went to Happy Joes for Pizza. Skiing is a great experience and proved many great lessons.
You can over come the cold if the fun you’re having is more important.
You can survive many falls and get back up! Right Collin?
You can get kicked in the head and still keep your balance in the air. Kaleb?
Your nose still runs in 0 degree weather but freezes before it hits your lip.
The nose is the coldest part of your body.
Gloves are warm but “Hot hands” help a lot!
After 3 hours in the cold you stop feeling your legs. (My testimony)
Snow pants really do keep you warm.. (Jill)
Sudden stops Hurt!.. a lot!
At the age of 39 you can still walk back wards, up hill pulling 80 lbs. (Jill)

Anyway, the Ski trip was worth the time and energy. Everyone came home in one piece and had a great time. The laughs and memories are worth a million and more!

WBS (Write Back Soon)

Back in school we had pen pals as it was part of our English lessons. At the end of each letter I would write WBS (write back soon). Nothing feels better than getting a real letter in the mail. With techology everything is zipped through the internet and it within minutes you can have a reply. Email is great but nothing beats a letter in the mail to offset all those nasty bills or junk mail. I love to send cards! Especaily funny; laugh your guts out, bring tears to your eyes funny! laughing is good for the soul and lifts your spirits up. So if you have a minute send someone a card today to make them smile.

In my last post I forgot to list Stephen's Address:

PV2 Cromwell
A CO 2-10 IN
1st PLT
Fort Leonard Wood
MO 65473

SURVIVING

I have made it through three whole weeks with out Stephen and have suffered from stress, fear anxiety and worry. As the controlling paranoid parent that I am, I worry about his safety, health and if he is getting enough food and keeping warm. It’s the small stuff that keeps us up at night and worrying. Silly, I know; as he is a grown man now, but the mother in me can’t quite let go.
I finally got to talk to Stephen on the phone Sunday for the first time since his departure. His letters have been trickling in but hearing his voice was indescribable.
A mother knows the sound of her Childs voice and can tell if he is being real or covering. He sounded good! He talked quick as there is a strict time limit for the personal call and he had to squeeze a call to his girlfriend too.
He said he is warm enough, eating good and exercising like mad. He said he loves the mail, so keep it coming. He tries to make time to write but it is hard and he does it mostly when he should be sleeping. He asked me to mail him cough drops, knee high Nylons and stamps. (I never envisioned shopping for pantyhose for my son.) That was it. Time was up! I sent my hugs and kisses with tons of love before we hung up. He said to tell everyone thanks for the letters and keeping him in your thoughts & prayers. He was in good spirits!
So I left home to go shopping to Wal-Mart for the things he listed. As the mail takes 5 days to reach him, mostly because they take forever to sort it at the base and delivery it. I wanted this package to arrive this week. Stacy went with me and we had a hoot trying to find the perfect size of knee highs. It is hard when your son has a size 12 foot. Most knee highs are meant for smaller feet. The time he puts them on, they will be anklets. So we went with thigh highs. (No guarder belts needed) I am sure when he opens this package he will be laughing! I bought lip balm, lotion, germ x, hot hands and tons of nylons. I hope out of all of the choices one will fit.
He has been training hard and running a lot. They want these boys fit and in top shape! He still has no facial hair but he shaves every day. It’s a rule. In his letter he said he received his M16 riffle, his chest vest and where ever he goes his riffle goes with him. He was left 6 miles from camp and had 2 hours to find his way back. He had his 50lb pack and full uniform, along with his riffle. He made it! He also conquered the obstacle course and loved it. Lots of rope climbing and muscle work. He has experienced the gas chamber and said it was horrible as his throat, eyes and skin burned and he couldn’t breathe. He stayed calm and survived the ordeal. Some didn’t and threw up, freaked out and those soldiers will have to repeat the chamber again. He bought the video! Why, I don’t know. Maybe his medal to prove he made it through the torture, but I know I wont be able to watch it! At this time, he is safe and sound! He is surviving the training and I am surviving the separation. This world is full of survivors!

Now I am focusing on planning the trip to attend his Graduation on March 18th.
I am getting ready for another roller-coaster ride of emotions and stress . . . but on this ride there’s a wonderful light at the end of the tunnel. I get to see by solider graduate!
I will write more, when I get more info!

MAKE A WISH…And CELEBRATE LIFE!

Today is my birthday! Yippee! No worries here, as I am happy to be alive, breathing and part of the everyday chaos! Everyone always dreads their birthday and wants to skip over it. Not me! I enjoy the day that reminds people I am here, a part of their lives and loving every minute of it! It is a day that makes you feel important and that you accomplished one more year of living. These days that is a huge achievement.
Some one asked me today if I hated sharing my birthday with Jill, my twin sister. Absolutely Not! I answered them quite simple. First~ it is one person who will never forget me and second; I will always have someone to party with. No seriously, I can’t believe people are so narrow minded and would even consider being that selfish. Today I can have my cake, eat it too and share it with Jill. OH,, I guess I will be eating her cake as no one in my house bakes! Thanks for sharing Jill. We enjoyed our lunch at Applebee’s today. They have really good food and such a great selection we had to have the waitress come back until we decided. Everything sounded so good! After lunch and fun conversation, we had to go back to work and finish out the day. Not so bad. Our lovely team mates pitched in and gave us each an $80.00 gift card to Wal-Mart. Yes, they know we love to shop and we spend many lunch hours in Wal-Mart doing just that. This is another great reason to not want to skip over the special day! Gifts! The lovely expression of wishing some one a great day! Tonight I will have the gift of dinning with my family and sharing the time, laughs and food. (does it sound like my birthday revolves around food?) Of course it does!
This is the only day you can have your cake and eat it too and get away without feeling guilty! So to all my friends and family, thank you for the birthday wishes and wonderful thoughts today! I look forward to another year of loving, laughing and living.



The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. - Lucille ball

Time Management

New Year, New Month, New Week, New Day and New President! Looks like the time for changes. I can't control some things but I can control my attitude, my exercise and my eating. This month I'll turn 39 and quickly approaching the next decade of my life....Oh Boy!! The best is yet to come. That is why they always put dessert last on the menu, right! As my children get older and more independent I have more time and energy for myself and my interests. The choices I make with this time will shape (literally!) me. This is the time to take care of myself and try to focus on being healthy. This does not mean this is my New Years Resolution, as those "promises" fade and disappear before the months end. This "Healthy living" is something I want to incorporate with my daily routines and habits. This only proves that the older I get the more I notice how little time I have had to truly take care of myself. I have been so pre-occupied with the kids, housework, school work, my job and schedules, I literally lost track of taking care of me. I am sure many can relate to this. We promise ourselves we will stop at the YMCA after work to exercise for an hour. We get all pumped up, thinking this is the week I will start improving my health. Until the phone rings and it is the kids stating they need a ride somewhere, or the game got rescheduled for tonight or will you please take me to my friend’s house…. Sound familiar??? So as the wonderful loving mom’s we are; I say sure! I will be right home.
Darn, I guess I will stop at the YMCA tomorrow….
This is where my down fall is, I never put my appointments or schedules on the calendar. Super Mom can do it all for everyone else but forgets to make that time for herself! Not that I am blaming anyone for my lack of fitness! That defiantly is my responsibility, so with the New Changes of the year, I thought this would be a perfect time for making some changes in my personal life too. Scheduling time for ME is the first! Time for the exercise I have been pushing aside because if I continue at this rate, by my 40th birthday I will be no longer have a defined shape, unless we can count Round as my figure…. LOL
That saying " Live Life to the Fullest" does not mean your waste line. So let's make some time for ourselfes so we feel good. You know what they say; when mom is upset, no one is happy! Here's to a healthy New year!

P.S. the new font size is dedicated to my blind sister..

Yum Yum

I wish I had the gift of creativity in the kitchen! Not sure where I got this recipe, but I am totally content following someone else's recipe. And boy this is good!Warning: These are finger-licking good so don't try to eat while you're scrap-booking or journaling. Always, always wash your hands before handling your pictures. AS there is nothing worse than a chocolate finger prints on the photos to plan to scrapbook. (like I would know)LOL



Chex Muddy Buddies1 tsp. vanilla1 1/2 c. powdered sugar1/2 c. peanut butter1 c. semisweet chocolate chips1/4 c. butter*9 c. Chex cereal (any variety)Measure cereal into large bowl; set aside. Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in 1-quart microwavable bowl, uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into large plastic food-storage bag; add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

SNOW DAY

Today the winds are blowing, snow is falling and the magic of the winter storm has beautified the trees and our surroundings leaving piles of snow everywhere. With anticipation of 4-6 more inches yet to fall. Yep, this is the perfect time for a snow day! The kids are happy to be able to sleep in, enjoy the day as they choose with no teachers or home work. Unfortunately many of us have to attempt the drive to work as the faithful employees that we are! Here we are risking our our life and limbs for the jobs we so desperatly need. I give my promise to stay at work as long as the roads are clear enough to travel back home. Life isnt always so kind when Mr. Winter wants to show his power and work demands our presence. I know I was praying for a snow day! As I get older my body can not tolerate the chill that the winter wind brings. I dress in layers and still am chilled to the bone!

I remember when I was much younger bundling up in a snow suit and spending hours outside building snowmen, tunnels in the huge piles of snow dad would pileup for us and building forts. We would stay outside until we couldnt feel our fingers and never think twice about how cold it was. The worst part was submerging ourselves in the warm bath water mom demaded we take. The coldness in my limbs would hit the warm water and shot streaks of pain into me. Now when my kids are outside playing, I am inside making hot chocolate watching the clock to know when to make them come in and warm up. Then send them back out again to play. Today might not be one of those days as the tempatures are to reach below 0 with wind chills of -10 and winds of 20 miles an hour. Wow, Just thinking of the cold makes me want to cuddle up in my blanket, sip a warm cup of hot choclate and put in a good movie to waste the day away watching.

So wahtever this days brings you, may you be inside keeping warm.

Welcome 2009

Hello and welcome to 2009
I hope you had some of that sit-down peace and appreciation in the past few days, and I hope New Year's Day has brought you a bright beginning to a year full of God's love in ways you never expected. I know it's traditional to make resolutions at this time of year, but I gave up doing New Year's resolutions. I'm old enough to know they are futile for me. But what might pass for a resolution is an old activity I'm re-starting. Journaling! Now that Stephen has left for the Service and the house has an empty spot. I thought to journal something every night about the day’s activities, a blessing, a funny thought or statement the kids made for that day or just a prayer. In years to come, I can sit back and read an insert and smile while I reflect on the memories.
The boys are growing so fast and changing before my eyes. Stephen left on January 4th for basic training. He was intended to go to South Carolina but plans changed and he is at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. This is a blessing as the location is much closer for us to be able to attend his graduation in April. We await his fist letter with details and his address so we can send encouraging notes and cards to uplift him during these next months. Please lift him up in prayer and keep him in your thoughts.
Kaleb and Collin are doing well but miss their brother very much. Winter has been so brutally cold they are confined to indoors tend to get bored and on each others nerves. Go figure, brothers arguing! The Christmas presents are being well used; as Kaleb listens to his IPOD and Collin focused playing Star Wars on his PSP, the house is quiet and peaceful. Thank goodness for technology!
As the cold winds blow and bring the chill to our door, May you and yours be huddled together keeping each other warm with love and good wishes for the New Year!