The Pony Express Museum (Day 2)

T5 explaining the route to the kids....

Middle Child hopped on the first pony he could find and I in turn snapped a picture.....

Which in turn led to Baby Girl shouting with great urgency...."wait, I wasn't on my pony yet, take another picture"....as if I only had a 36 roll exposure of film....oh the drama in that little soul.

And the sweet smile that comes out of it....

Well you can't have a bunch of horses and not have some water for them.....

I love the word "mochila"....I may start using it in my everyday language I love it that much.  "Kid's, get your snack for school and put it in your mochila".  Or, a better example...."Middle Child, if I have to tell you one more time to get this Mochila out from the middle of the laundry room floor...."

The pockets of the mochilas were, obviously, where the riders kept the mail.  5 pounds or mail per pocket.

I couldn't pass up an opportunity to ride my own pony, saddled across my own mochila, and shout to have my picture made at the Pony Express museum as well.  Memories....soon after, I almost fell off this 3 foot horse.

Baby Girl would have been a great Laura Ingalls fill in on Little House on the Prairie, minus the shiny white boots.

Please take just a few seconds to read this: 

Seriously, some of the riders were 11 years old?  Well, let me just say, the Pony Express didn't stick around for very long, just over a year in service, for various reasons. 

 And as a mother I know why.  Stories tell of the riders having to go out in such harsh conditions....one rider spoke of riding his horse in the driving rain, and he only knew what direction he was traveling in by the side of his face the rain was smacking him on!!!

I'm not about to put this cute guy on a horse in Missouri and tell him to ride to California, being hindered by driving rain, or snow, or manuevering through a herd of buffalo or tribe of Indians without getting trampled or killed just so you can receive your current Southern Living magazine, or love letter from that boy you met at summer camp, or that silly DirectTV flyer in the mail. 

He's just too cute for that.

Random Moments on the road....(Day 2)

In Missouri,(and maybe in some other states I don't know about as well), they use a letting system for their county roads instead of numbers.  Strange to me. It was hard to get used to, traveling down the highway, with the alphabet posted along the road.

Our GPS was programmed to alert us if we came within a certain distance of any quirky, off the beaten path, sort of American roadside attraction.  After driving to the back side of this small pub in a little neighborhood in Missouri, on the loading dock out back we found this:

The Biggest Ball of String

The owners keep it out on the back porch area during winter and clean it up and set it back out front once spring arrives.

While driving through the heartland of America, we passed many farms, Baby Girl loved seeing these "oreo" cows as she calls them.  Later, but without the camera handy, we passed many true "oreo" cows, the ones with the black front and back and a middle white strip sandwiched in between.

Thrown in because he's still too cute.

Spring Break Road Trip--Day 1

Our First Day of the road trip was geared toward getting a good start on the road....we had a lot of miles to cover.  So, we left as soon as we exited the car line from picking up the kids from school.  And 4 hours later we arrived just in time for supper at our first scheduled stop....a local pizza joint in Jonesboro, Arkansas.... "The Upper Crust". 

A friend of mine from book club had suggested this stop and I was so glad!  My family loves a good pizza....and this was just the spot!  I found their website and emailed the owner asking for his suggestion for a great pizza choice (my guys all love just plain ol' pepperoni, where I like to branch out a little).  Chad, the owner, sent me some great choices and said go ahead, take a leap and try something new, if I didn't like it, they'd make me something else!  He also sent us a coupon for a free order of their cheesesticks.....you'll see those pictured below.

YUM-O.  Mini french breads stuffed with some ooey-gooey cheese.....

As I figured, the guys all wanted a pepperoni, Baby Girl ordered her a mini cheese, and I ordered a Grace Garden (full of mozzarella, artichoke hearts, bacon, spinach and tomatoes).....oh. my. lands.

Right up my alley....loved it.  And the mini was the perfect size.  And I savored every last bite, my friends, every last bite.

This is the only "stop" we made for our first day of travel.  After eating, we drove as far as we could into the night, making it to Springfield, Missouri to bed down. But look for much more to come on the remaining days of Road Trip 2010.

I am going to tell you if you are ever in the Jonesboro area....or even if you are close (they are about an hour from the Memphis area) you must make a stop here. Thin, crispy crust....fresh ingredients....friendly folks.....free cheese sticks.....what more could you ask for????  We will return to The Upper Crust.....even if it's just a little road trip all it's own. :)

***Side note:  Our waitress was a cute little high-school/college aged girl, whom Baby Girl took an immediate liking to her friendliness as well as her smell.  Yes, that's right, everytime she came to the table, Baby Girl would say, "she smells good".  And there were many occasions for her to stop at our table....when our drink orders were taken, when our drinks were delivered, our appetizer was brought out, our pizzas were delivered, we needed refills, we needed more house sauce for dipping, our check, etc.etc.  After one longer stop to check on us, while standing nearby Baby Girl for a while, upon the waitress' departure Baby Girl smiled and stated for all of us to hear, "that was a nice pause."  Middle Child promptly asked her to please quit "sniffing the waitress". 

This can't be happening....but it is.

Elder Son becomes a teenager today. 

Go ahead and cry with me....I hate crying alone.

Seriously?  How in the world could this be possible? I mean in order for me to have a child old enough to be a teenager, a real full fledged teenager, that would mean that I would have to be old.  Real old. 

I thought I was still just in my mid-late twenties?  And if so, there's no way I could have a teenager unless I had given birth to him in like 3rd grade or something.  And I remember 3rd grade....Mrs. Handley's class, fourth door down the hall on the left, learning my times tables and beginning handwriting.....however, I do not remember having a baby. 

So will someone please tell me how I have a teenager?

More importantly, tell me how this.....

became this.....

in the blink of an eye. 

Elder Son, you are wonderful, gifted, tenderhearted, a leader, a helper, lovable, huggable, smart as a whip, giving, and oh. so. cool. these days.  Thanks for letting me be your mom. Even if having a teenager makes me old.  I love you. 

Breaking (Road Trip) news.....

Yep.  I've been scarce here on the old blog, but it was for a very good reason. 

We've been out seeing America.  Checking off states like crazy.  And I can't wait to show you everything.  We should be home before mid-week and I'll start tackling the hundreds of photos and the memories that go with each of them.....

I'll post each day, but I'm sure it will be divided up into seperate posts so be sure to look at them all....there's just so much to show and tell. :)

Where we've been......

What we've seen....

What we've tasted.....

The experiences we won't soon forget.....

House of Bowling Spring Break Road Trip 2010 has arrived....are you ready to see where all we've been???  Me too.

But you'll have to wait a bit longer, because before I can start telling you about our trip, a very important event occurs tomorrow and although your world might not stop for it....mine certainly does.

My little graffiti artist....

Certainly I have tried to teach the kids to take care of their things....their toys, their clothes, their rooms, their shoes, etc.etc.  They all took a turn in toddlerhood to scribble their own amateur art on our walls but this might be a first........

You can't really see it on the toe of her shoe very well, but you can see the heart she colored in with a black ballpoint pen....

It is hard to discipline this kind of graffiti art.

I love her Daddy too, even though I don't write it on the soles of my shoes.....but I just might start. :)

Kid Friendly Sushi....this ain't your mama's California Roll.

As if your mother, or my mother, or my children's mother ever made a California Roll. 

 Kid Friendly sushi rolls.  Sort of.  Just for kicks.  Just or fun.  We found them in an ad for Smucker's (I think) in Family Fun Magazine and decided to give it a try.  No rice, no raw tuna, no seaweed, no octopus, no wasabi.  These, my friend, are just good ol' peanut butter and jelly....

My helpers cut the crusts off the soft white Bunny Bread......

Rolled out the white bread.....

And you have to roll it really thin....really, really thin.

Spread some peanut butter, and then your jelly.....sadly, we were out of grape for our sushi rolls and had to use apple jelly instead.  Here's a hint....apple jelly is about the color of the peanut butter....thus there will be no pretty swirly designs in your sushi roll.

.....then you roll them up and cut them into bite size rolls.....yum.  

Now, you ask, what in the world is that red stuff on the sushi rolls?  Well, that's a clever food tip from Middle Child....he decided since we didn't have a lot of color due to our lack of grape jelly, and because real sushi rolls will sometimes have a "seaweed wrap", he ran to the pantry and grabbed some strawberry fruit roll ups!! 

Ugh.

Rain Rain Go Away.
Come Again Another Day.

For instance, when I don't have a million errands to run.

Thanks,
The Old Lady who lived in the shoe. Or out of her car. Or whatever.

A lost moment from February....

I don't know what has happened to me, but my brain is super behind on posting events.  In fact, it has just left out all sorts of activities from the month of February that happened around here at House of Bowling.   Like this one, during Valentine's weekend....the Great Grandparents came for a visit and we couldn't have been more thrilled! 

I know I say this every time I write a post about them, but I can't help myself,.....I think it's absolutely wonderful for my children to be able to have so many experiences and spend a good bit of time with this generation, their GREAT grandparents.  So much fun, so many memories, such love to share. 

Anyway, hopefully I'll get my act together and get things posted soon. I even have another great grandparent funny post to publish soon. A school musical program that was outstanding.  A couple of cooking camps.  I can't even remember what all I've missed..... if you happen to know, please remind me. :)

One day, I think life may slow down.  But I'm guessing it will always be tomorrow. Therefore it will never come. :)

Camp McDowell Field Trip

A few posts back I had a post titled "The Difference between boys and girls" and referred to how muddy my Elder Son was from riding the 4 wheeler, just an hour before he was due to be dressed in his sport coat and be on stage at the high school.  The difference was that girls his age would have been primping with make-up and hot rollers and manicures and earring choices and sequin dresses all day long, planning things weeks ahead of time for that moment. 

Well, I have found another difference in boys and girls, after I spent last week camping with Baby Girl for the first time at Camp McDowell.  Granted, I still had an enormously super fantastic time with her, but it was a different experience, and I thought by my 4th time at Camp McDowell I would have experienced it all. Not so.  For instance, upon a hike to a waterfall, the teacher showed Baby Girl a shiny rock.  Described some attributes of it and then carried on along the trail.  I had to miss this 1 hour hike and so upon return to camp I asked Baby Girl how it went..... All she could talk about was the rock she saw.  The "shiny, sparkly rock that looked almost like it had silver shiny sparkly sequins on it, you know, mama, like it was going to be in a beauty pageant.  That's exactly what it looked like, like it was in a pageant."

Yes. She described a rock as being a contestant in Miss America. My boys would have wandered off the path by that point and had their hands in some slime dripping off the nearest stone. 

At Camp, the kids have a 3 hour morning class after breakfast, followed by a 3 hour afternoon class after lunch. Then a canteen break and recreational time with a side of a shorter 1 hour free choice, hiking with the a guide, kickball, 4 corners, basketball, etc. with chapperones, walks along the creek/beach area, learning shelter making skills in the forest, or arts and crafts.  Then after dinner, another 2 hour group class before snack and bedtime, which is usually a night hike.  Those are my favorite by the way.

At any rate, during the afternoon canteen and rec time my boys have always needed to run out even more energy so they are eager to choose something that allows that fact to be carried through.  This was my 4th year to attend camp with a child of mine and I had never, I repeat, never, been to the arts and crafts hut for free time.

Alas, another difference of being here with Baby Girl. She was completely happy to be surrounded by mounds of glitter and glue and bags, boxes and bowls of beads.  And after our stint at the craft hut, her tree name badge was the shiniest, sparkliest, beadiest thing I'd ever seen this side of a beauty pageant.

Sorry for this next pic, but I only had my phone with me at the time...because I thought I wouldn't need my camera for this class. Sadly, a decision I would come to regret.  The kids were learning about Native Americans and their homes, trades, lifestyles, etc.  At the end of this session, as you've seen before in pics of years past at camp, they can have their faces painted with a berry (comes from poke salad) mixture that creates this beautiful purple hue.  Baby Girl was first in line, of course.  And the teacher painted a rabbit on her right cheek to represent being "wise and graceful".....after which, Baby Girl tripped about a dozen times on the rocks and tree roots...so much for having the sign of the rabbit.   However, she redeemed herself when she was chosen, or eagerly volunteered, or maybe she even begged to do it, I have no idea, all I know is I looked over from my tree I'd perched up against and saw this:

Baby Girl was painting the teacher's face with the berry mixture.  And I must say, she did a great job.

One of our afternoon classes was titled "Creepy Crawlies"....and it required a little trip out to the Pond.  In rubber boots that would resemble waders on Baby Girl.  But, even waders didn't keep her dry.  She tromped out into the pond, secure in the fact that her boots were almost thigh high, and proceeded to scroop up the detritis (where the creepy crawlies live) into her bowl.  A few times through, she ventured even further and because of the size of her adult large rubber boots mixed with a stump on the floor of the pond, she stumbled around and wound up getting wet from her toes to her bottom.   The sun may have been shining, but the temperature was still around 45 and the water was even colder.  Her feet were freezing, but she laughed the hardest when she was sitting on the bank ringing out her two pairs of socks....and yes, shortly thereafter we changed her into warm, dry clothes.

Never fear!  If you are ever stranded in the wilderness without a cabin or Marriott to sleep in, you need to pray hard that Baby Girl is on the trip with you.  Why?  Because she can build a survival shelter with the best of them.  Just look at her go:

With one of her favorite teachers, Jessica.

And with her favorite dinner visitor....Daddy.

Yes, we survived.  It was the coldest trip to camp I have ever taken. But I wouldn't have missed this time with Baby Girl for all the heat from home. We had a grand time.  She was very tired, falling asleep on the way home before we were 5 minutes from the cabins.  I was tired too....but I'll keep going every year they want me to....because I love getting to experience these moments with them. And as my kids will tell you, my favorite part of Camp McDowell.... I love the fact that I am served 3 hot meals a day, a candy bar and coke around 4 pm and pretzels and apple slices snack before bedtime.  I don't have to cook one dish, I don't have to slice one apple, I don't have to wash one fork.  And that, for me, is what makes it even more of a wonderful experience.  

Maybe I should ask T5 if he'll just hire us a cook and maid here at the ol' homestead. :)

The Birthday Muffin.

Middle Child adores blueberry muffins.

Sorry this is just randomly thrown in....but in the course of events last week, I just forgot to post it. 

I've just been hanging out this week.....

with Baby Girl.

At Camp this week. 

In an outdoor classroom, where the trees were our walls and the sky was our ceiling. 

And let me tell you, a classroom like that the last few mornings and nights has been quite chilly to say the least.  I've never had on more layers of clothing in my entire life. But we had fun. More pictures to come later. When I've rested from being holed up each night with 8 little girls in a one room cabin and my frost bitten toes have managed to thaw from the night hikes. :)  

Hiding His words in our Hearts--March 2010

 Wow....it's been a whole month already.  Time is flying by, yet again, this year is proving to be no different than any of the others.  Once you get old, the clock seems to be traveling at warp speed and it laps me, constantly.  I pray you had a wonderful month of love, and that you can all readily recite your verse from February....it was easy, peasy, but so worth remembering. So worth hiding in your heart.

I hope you will find the same to be true for this month as well.  Yesterday was my middle son's birthday.  It snowed in the morning hours. We drove in to school and it was like a mini-southern style, rainy blizzard.  The rain would hit the windshield and as I would swipe the wipers across we could see the snowflakes that were coming at us at record speed.  Of course they didn't stick, mixed with the rain, once they hit the car it was more of an icy slush splatter.   But anyway, my point is, it snowed yesterday.  In the deep south.  It was March 2nd. I don't think it's ever snowed on my boys' birthday.  Why?  Because usually we are heading into spring.....maybe slowly, but it is March and we don't live above the Mason-Dixon line so why does it still feel like the dead of winter around here? 

Am I the only one who is FAR MORE THAN READY for spring to SPRING?  I think not.  But you can let me know in the comments section if you're also ready for the sun to stay out more than 12.5 minutes per day.  As usual, I had in my head what I thought this month's verse would be weeks ahead, and then I was shown a verse yesterday that summed up these feelings of impatience I've been having, and I realized that was what the Lord wanted me to share with all of you. 

Our verse for March 2010:

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." ~~Ecclesiastes 3:1

Isn't that true on so many levels?  We hear it often, but do you really stop to think about it?  It applies to alot more than the 4 temperate climates we experience during the course of a year. Sure, here I am being so impatient that the nice spring weather hasn't began as I felt it should.....seriously?  Do I really think the Lord has forgotten that spring comes after winter and does he realize that it's March and we are waiting, although not so patiently, for Him to send the sun kissed afternoons back into our land, instead of playing one more round of scrabble with the apostles?  

Take the time to read on in Ecclesiastes when you look up this verse in your bible.....verses 1-8 sum up our lives in just a few short words.  All of our life experiences, the good, the bad and the ugly, fit neatly in those 8 verses.  Nothing, my friends, is by accident, or coincidence.  The Lord still reigns each and every day.  Yes, we are earthly beings who are here making choices every step of the way, but He still has his eye and hand on every move.  Yes, there is a time for and there is a reason behind "every activity":

• The miscarriage you experienced.
• That neighbor that moved in beside you that doesn't know the Lord.
• The problem at work that seems to be taking you under, will actually make you stronger, through the Lord's purposes, in the end.
• The wall you built around you because of the hurts you've experienced in the past.
• The rewarding feeling when the wall you built around you is torn down when you allow others to embrace you again, when you allow trust back in your life, even a little smidge at a time.
• The moments that aren't really worth fighting over.  The silly arguments that begin small and turn into something much larger, and are so mind boggling in the end that they even were the cause of a dispute.  Yes, it's true, there is a time to speak and a time to just shut up. Although we aren't supposed to say shut up in our house, so don't tell my kids I wrote that!! :)
• The letting go of a child who's growing up. (Swallow hard, I've got a teenager coming this month.)
• The sadness that follows a relationship that's been broken, somehow, in some way, with a spouse, a friend, a sister or brother, a daughter or son, a church member, a co-worker, etc.
• The gladness that follows when that relationship is allowed to heal and be mended again. It may take hours, days, months, years....but a true heart mending can come about, even if only on your end, as long as you seek the Lord's will and timing.

All of these times and so many more I haven't mentioned.  They are all a part of the "there's a right time for everything" in God's plan.  We just need to take those moments daily, by spending time studying His words, to check ourselves that we are following His plan. The plan that will be created, approved, and implemented in His time. Yes, it's hard. Yes, I am often impatient with these moments, these feelings, this plan for my life, for my husband's life, for my children, for our church, for our schools, for our government,  and yes, even for the correct SEASON to arrive, because I am sick of the cold.   But that's just it, God has us in these seasons for a purpose.  And it's not to get mad at the climate. I'm speaking of the seasons of our heart. Don't let your heart stay cold with an icy slush coating it.  Open it to the words of wisdom, courage, forgiveness, love, patience, grace, guidance, praise, worship, joy, peace, humility, that can be found in these verses we study each month.  These verses that can empower us through the One who has the real power.

I know you don't like the problems that keep surfacing in the workplace.  I know you might scream if your child tests your patience just one more time. I know you want your friends to understand what's going on, but can't seem to bring yourself to be cracked open to share with them because, oh my, they might see that the hurts are really deep, and you aren't as strong as you seem.  I know you wish your babies would stay babies forever, because the thought of them trekking off to college, or a job, or just leaving your wing are more than you can bear. I know you dislike the decisions being made by those "in charge", because quite simply, they are wrong. 

Impatience...a great deceiver.  Can you imagine if God practiced such impatience?  He would have long given up on us.  Even if our friends and family can't go through another dry season with us, they can't take another step in the cold darkness we create, you know who can? God's patience with us is unfathomable. 

Remember:
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." ~Ecclesiastes 3:1

(look, grey mare, another short verse! :)  See, I'm looking out for you!)

On this day, back in 1999, a star was born.

and he shines a little brighter every single year!

Happy Birthday, Middle Child!

The 5K race

We were in T5's hometown last weekend for his father's retirement festivities.  His Dad has worked at an Air Force Base in Tennessee for over 35 years.  And for the last couple of decades, he and a few co-workers have always went for a run during their lunch.   Well, let me back up, A LOT of folks on the Air Force Base run....in the morning, at lunch, mid afternoon, etc.etc.etc.  So, in honor of Pappy's retirement, they decided to host a 5K race the morning before the ceremony. 

It was properly titled the "RUST AWAY RUN".  And our shirts for the occasion had a picture of Pappy standing in front of his old car he drove for over 30 years, and the saying "Old Bowlings never die, they just rust away".   The course was set up around the military base, with the start line and finish line set up at the front of the building which houses Pappy's office.  They had a shorter "walking course" set out for those not wanting to run, and then the main course for the 5K, with 100 people entering the race.

As I wrote in the post below this, I did in fact survive to finish the race, even though I'm not a runner....I'm not even a jogger.....I'm not even a speed walker. But I wanted to do this race.  So I tried my hardest to keep up with the pack, who quickly left me behind.  Did I mention yet there was one Colonel (who runs marathons) that finished the race in 20 minutes.  And they said that wasn't even his fastest time.  Folks, that's averaging less than 7 minutes a mile.  I knew I was out of my league, but trudged forward anyway. 

The kids all wanted to run the 5K as well, so they geared up in their toboggans and sweatshirts and lined up with the rest of us.  It was my job, since I was clearly in the back of the pack, to make sure the kids didn't get off course or get lost on the base.  I'd have to look over my shoulder at every turn checking to see if I saw little heads somewhere down the road, and a few times, I'd even walk backwards trying to keep moving, but wait to see if they made a corner turn.  With that being said, had I not been in charge of the kids (my two younger ones as well as their two cousins), I might could have finished the race just seconds behind that Colonel who ran in half my time. But, as a mother, you all understand where my priorities lie....always watching out for the kids. Sacrificing myself, and my Summer Olympic Track and Field dreams. :) HA!

However, as slow as I am and as uneventful as my time was in finishing the race, I have a great story to report of my dear husband and Elder Son. Since January, every weekend we were home, I would trek outside and announce, "hey, I'm gonna take a little (meaning 5 minute) run, want to join me?", and T5 would always reply, "no thanks, I'm gonna work in my shop."  I'd think (often outloud) okay, but you're gonna wish you had at least walked a mile before that 5K race begins in a few weeks.  So, he trained a total of 0 (that would be zero) minutes.  In fact, it had been weeks since a pair of tennis shoes had even touched his feet until the morning of the race.  I seriously thought he wouldn't be able to run the whole event, although I knew he'd finish, I knew he'd beat me, but I thought for certain he couldn't run the entire time.  Elder Son, is only 12, and he started out pacing himself with the big pack that morning, alongside his Dad. 

And they finished the race, side by side, running the entire way.  In less than 30 minutes.  I'm not sure of their exact time, although I think it was 29 minutes 53 seconds. They were proud. I was proud. I couldn't believe it.  It's wonderful that T5 completed it, without training, in under 30 minutes, but my boy, my firstborn, my baby.....he ran the whole race in under 30 minutes as well!  And he was wearing his father's football sweatshirt from the late 80's.

I can't tell you how excited I was for them, both of them. 

Fast runners, good looking guys, and they both belong to me.