Beauty by Divine design

Can you see something beautiful in those woods....faintly showing through?

I could read Charlotte's Web over and over, and watch the movie the same.  I am amazed at "SOME PIG".  And while I haven't actually found a spider that leaves me secret messages spelled out in her webs, I do find that they are some of the most simple, yet complex, natural beauties to be viewed.

They are really as thin as a strand of hair.....woven with tender loving care all night long.... 

                                     

I kept trying to get closer, zoom a little farther in, walk a few more steps toward the web, inching my way right up to the web....

EEEKKK....too close!

Seriously, those beaded drops of early morning dew, left from a heavy fog, are like strands of little pearls.

I have always been amazed by the little things....and am thankful the Creator gives these small insights, sweet reminders daily, of the beauty that is all around....if we'll only stop to look.  He's there in every little detail.

A fast runner I am not, but a finisher, I am.

So a couple of weekends ago I ran in my first ever real live 5K race....and achieved my first goal....SURVIVAL!!!   And I even achieved my second goal....don't come in last!!! 

I am not a runner, nor do I ever anticipate that being a title used with my name.  However, I did want to try this out and when my sister-in-law and a good friend said they had signed up for a local 5K, I jumped at the chance to join them.  Really, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.

And do you know what I found out along the way....I enjoyed it!

Here we are after the race with local TV news anchor, Brenda Ladun.  It's actually her race....she's the namesake of the event, the Brenda Ladun Conquer Cancer 5K.  She is a survivor...and beautiful woman inside and out.

I have waited to post this because I kept thinking eventually they would have the race results posted online and I could get an official time.  For some reason, their clock went out shortly after the race began.  When crossing the finish line, they did take the bottom portion of our bibs for record, but I've yet to find the race results.  However, thank goodness I used one of my phone apps as a tracker that day.  I started it as soon as the gun went off and we began running and stopped it as soon as I crossed the finish line.....and even though it isn't an official time, it's official enough for me.  I completed my first ever 5K in 32:47. 

And for all the real runners out there, I realize that isn't a particularly fast time....but for me it was a personal record!  I had never completed that distance that fast in all of my days training, so I was really excited!!! 

It really is true, you have no idea what you and your body are capable of until you try. And I am ever so glad I tried. In fact, I plan on trying again sometime in the near future!  

Ever had those days where....

.....you would really like to be a fly on the wall?  I have. :)

I took these pics last year during a highschool baseball game while sitting in the dugout.  Was reminded of them today and searched to find them. 

Top O' the morning to you, Elder Son!

Elder Son is 15 now. It's very sad and if you want to cry with me that's perfectly understandable.

He invited a few friends over for dinner and of course we had his requested birthday cake---which isn't a cake at all, but rather a pie, his favorite pie--Banana Split Pie.

Middle Child was happy to serve our pyro needs for the night.

More than happy, actually.  

I don't really care if you're 15 or not, I'm the mama and I NEED a picture of you blowing out the candles. Yes, it's a need. Like air and water.

I have a 15 year old.  The only bright side I can think of is he can now chaffeur me around, oh wait, maybe that's not a bright side afterall.

Somebody mail me some nerve pills. I know y'all have some, share with your friend. Or at least a glass of wine.

Happy Birthday, my sweet, tenderhearted, good looking firstborn son. I love you!

Golden Eagle Chewies

They are delicious, but don't take my word for it, I think you should try them for yourself! 

Here's the recipe, or you can find the recipe, my changes or variations and a few photos over on the House of Bowling kitchen blog.

Or you can just click right here. :)

Flowing Gold....

I've got a yummy recipe to share (actually I have tons of them that involve using Golden Eagle)....and plan on doing so just as soon as I can get it loaded.  

More painting fun...

Baby Girl and I painted together with a group of friends last month. Here's our project:

Update to "I'm sexy and I know it" in a pin stipe vest.

First, I have to thank some of my friends who actually had the gumption to get their cameras out during this event and then shared their photos with me!!!  Otherwise, none of this would have been documented properly! :) Because this slacker mom was so enthralled in nerves, I never took out my camera.....crazy!!!  I didn't even manage to get one photo of the shindig as it unfolded before us. 

You may or may not remember hearing about from us or reading this post earlier this month concerning Elder Son and Middle Child participating in their school Campus King and Queen.  That particular post comes complete with interview dialogue, that will go down in our family as total keepers to talk about from here until the end of time.

Well, as it turns out, Middle Child was right to be his true self in the interview room--where his personality apparently was even higher than his GPA.  You will remember that I said he was very disappointed when he realized, as a 7th grader, he was not actually eligible to win Campus King...you must be in grades 10-12 to earn the title.  So, his next goal was focused intently on beating out his brother. 

And he did exactly that. By one spot. A fellow classmate of Elder Son won 3rd alternate.  Elder Son was happy to be announced a winner as 2nd alternate and I was a beaming proud mama!  But the excitement was short lived, when I realized there was only one place left that Middle Child could take, I'm not gonna lie....I was a bit sad for him.  I turned to my friends and said, "you know there are still several guys in the race, a couple of them seniors even, bless his heart, he is going to be so upset."  And then they announced Middle Child as 1st alternate!  I could have jumped out of my skin!!

• One of Middle Child's good friend, who is a senior, won Campus King....but I'm not so sure he wasn't as equally proud of the fact that Middle Child won 1st!!

• Amidst the excitement, and forgetting he was on stage in the spotlight for all to see, Middle Child "blew it up" on stage when his friend walked out:

• And of course, they had a picture made together where Middle Child was allowed to hold "the wand"....:)

• Elder Son and Middle Child are more like brothers to these girls, they are some of their best friends.

• This lovely lady placed won 1st alternate in Campus Queen and thus was coupled with Middle Child on stage and in the back for the photographer.....the yearbook photo of the two of them will look similar to Mutt and Jeff.

• This is the moment they announced he had won 1st alternate and he walked on stage to receive his plaque.....can you see just how shocked, excited and proud he was?  Priceless.

                                                 

I was so proud of both of our boys....and they were proud to have won, too. 

While I can't say Elder Son was exceedingly happy he was beaten out by his little brother, I can report that back home after the event, no one lost a limb or received a black eye.  And they weren't even miffed at their mom for forcing them to enter. Go figure. 

Maybe mamas really do know what they're talking about afterall. 

Wonderful.

This month is very special for our family....as we have two children who were born during March.  When deciding about our verse to memorize for H3 this month, I thought about how excited I am when their birthdays arrive, the stories of their birth and cute little memories of each stages they've experienced, the years we've been blessed to have each of them in our lives....aw, sweet, sweet blessings. The verse that popped out was one many people choose on birth announcements, or display on photo frames or wall art in a child's room.  You will easily recognize it and may already have it memorized.

"I will give thanks to You,

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

 Wonderful are Your works,

 And my soul knows it very well."

~Psalm 139:14

Oh, my sould knows it very well.  I take one look into the chubby, silky face of a newborn and I know the Lord's works are wonderful. How could your soul not know it well?  I remember times when all of my wonderfully made babies were in my arms for the first time....my heart, my very soul ached, I was that happy. It seizes you.  It completely seizes your heart, your mind, your very soul. 

But it isn't just then, in that very moment. Nay, I'd say it happens, over and over again, with each breath they take, each milestone they conquer, each birthday that comes, each tear that is shed and giggle that is shared......my soul knows the Lord is capable of quite wonderful works, indeed, my soul knows it well.

Birthday Bacon Biscuit

For his 13th birthday, his Pappy and Nana are taking him on a ski trip---thus the new ski hat and goggle adorned head this morning! I can hardly believe he's a teenager!!!

The day the super human growth spurt did not arrive

This entry is placed in blog archives because while I think I will remember it forever, I realize from conversations with my parents that sometimes as you age, your mind plays little tricks on you.  :)

For the past few days, Middle Child has complained of abdominal pain.  He's not normally a complainer, fortunately none of our kids are, but with stomach pains it's often hard to tell what's what. Kind of like when people talk about having headaches....you can tell they are in pain, even though you can't "see" their headache. 

Back last fall when I had an ovarian cyst to rupture, I complained about my back hurting prior to the event, which at the time I had no idea was a symptom.  Anyway, a couple of weeks later, Middle Child said his back was hurting and asked did I think he might have a cyst too.  :)  I told him no, I didn't think it was a cyst, and it certainly couldn't be what I had, as "you have no ovaries, son".   So, since Saturday, we've been going through all sorts of scenarios with him as to the cause behind this abdominal pain.  He has had no vomitting, no sudden rushes to the bathroom (although he has been regular), no nausea, has not lost his appetite, has been eating every day like usual, even spicy foods, drinking milk, no food seemed to help or hurt for that matter.  He described it as a cramping pain, like his stomach was twisted in knots.  The only way he could make it feel some better was to lay on his stomach with his arms underneath him applying pressure to his abdomen.  And even then, it still hurt. 

The true test of knowing he was not kidding about the pain came early this week.  On Monday he called before 9:30 a.m. needing to be checked out of school (I was unable to get him at the time, so he stuck it on out for the rest of the day) and then on Tuesday, he missed school completely.  This may not seem like much to the average person but those who know Middle Child will appreciate it.  You see, since beginning High School (our high school starts with 7th grade remember), Middle Child has loved every minute of his educational career.  He never wants to miss.  A far cry from his elementary days, where for years he tried to catch every cold, stomach bug, rotovirus, or pink eye that came his way to get a chance to stay home....he even went so far as to lay in the bed with his brother when he had the flu a couple of years ago begging him to breathe in his face, trying to get it.  And when Baby Girl had mono and was quarrantined at home for weeks, Middle Child was happy to be the delivery boy for her snacks and drinks.  Why?  Because he would drink after her hoping to catch it to give himself a month off from school!! 

Now, back to present day and the abdominal pain.  Jokingly, one night I suggested maybe he was having menstrual cramps.  Thinking he would know what I was referring to, and with his witty humor, I thought he would get a good laugh.  Instead he said, "maybe I do, what's menstrual cramps?".  Oy! So, after giving a brief explanation, we moved on to other suggestions for the pain.  Middle Child is still the shortest guy in his grade, although he is growing, he is still smallish. However his big heart and personality take over so no one notices as much.  But anyway, his father suggested maybe these were "growing pains"....stating that he might just be about to have a huge growth spurt and his abdomen was just stretching to get ready!!!!  We all giggled and thought no more about it. 

Which brings me to today.  Yesterday afternoon and evening, Middle Child and I spent almost three hours in the doctor's office trying to get to the bottom of this pain.  They were concerned as he had swollen lymph nodes in his neck even though he had no other symptoms at all except the abdominal pain.  They chose to do labwork, urine samples and a belly x-ray to check for things like Mono, Strep, H Pylori, Hernia, etc.etc.  I wish you all could have been in the small room with me when they came to take his blood, it was the ultimate viewing of complete shock if I've ever seen it.  He had no idea it was coming and when the sweet lab girl strolled in holding a needle and 3 vials for his blood, he was speechless.  I held his hand and he buried his face in my chest while she administered the needle and all was fine through the first two vials....then he loudly stated with some mild panic in his voice...."You're cutting off my CIRCULATION....I can't feel my arm, I tell you that thing is cutting off my CIRCULATION!".....never a dull moment while he's around. I explained the rubber tie at his upper arm was there to make the blood flow faster into the vials, if we untied it, the process would take longer and therefore the needle would have to stay in his arm longer.  The sweet lab girl did oblige him and loosened it a bit.....for fear we were cutting off his CIRCULATION.....for crying out loud, abdominal pain was enough, he didn't want to lose an arm!

I am happy to report that his arm survived and all of the urine and blood tests came back clear.  He had none of those infections they tested for and all they could see on the x-ray was some stool and gas in his stomach.  They suggested we monitor him for the next few days, if any fever, vomitting, nausea or anything else arises we are to take him back down where they will administer a Cat Scan for a more comprehensive look at his abdomen.  But for now, we are to increase his fiber intake and see if that helps.

Middle Child was happy he wouldn't be getting any shots.  Happy he was fine and nothing major was wrong.  If you've ever been around him for an ample amount of time, you know he can be just the funniest thing and has the quickest wit of anyone in any situation.  In the car heading to the pharmacy to pick up some fiber gummies, he said, "hey mom, what's it called when something is you know, not human?"  After failing to help him figure out what he was trying to convey on the first couple of tries, I finally came up with the word he was looking for "superhuman?". 

Smiling brightly with his mouth and eyes he replied:  "Yes, superhuman.  I was thinking that whole time in the doctor's office, all those blood tests and my urine sample and that x-ray....out of all of that I was just sure they were about to come in and tell us that this was a case of "superhuman growth" and I would probably be 6'1" by Friday.  And then all they did was come in and tell us it was a big ol' gas bubble......talk about a complete let down."

One day he may in fact grow to be 6'1", although it doesn't look like it will happen by Friday.

Rock N' Roll Forever (or just for a 5th grade show)

Baby Girl had her PTO program earlier this month....Rock and Roll Forever....which included their class singing some "oldies" but definitely "goodies".  It was such a cute program, and you could really tell the kids enjoyed performing it, they sang their hearts out with songs by Little Richard, Elvis, The Beach Boys and more!

Tutti Frutti...."got a girl named Sue, she knows just what to do":

and of course, "got a girl named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy":

Baby Girl had a "fainting spell" when the KING took the stage:

And she loves snuggling up to her teachers for hugs and photos! She has two very wonderful and beautiful, inside and out, ladies this year.

 While I know it may have seemed a bit confusing, that last pic was not one of the beautiful teachers.....that was PawPaw joining the after party! 

Bop bopa-a-lu-a whop bam boo! 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....

Baby Girl decided this year she wanted to participate in the beauty pageant at her local school.  The last time she was a contestant was 5 years ago when she was in Kindergarten.  Anyway, the competition was stiff, 18 girls, 18 beautiful dresses, 18 smiling faces......

But none, like Baby Girl.  Or maybe I'm just biased. Or maybe I'm not. :) Maybe she is in fact one of the prettiest little girls in the world, or at the very least, in my world! 

She didn't win, but she was chosen into the top 10.  And there were no tears afterwards, so that's always a good thing. :)  However, had those judges been wearing black and white referee uniforms, I shutter to think what her grandmother might have yelled across the way as they departed by cover of darkness. :)

Necessity is the mother of invention, they say....so when the straps around the neck of Baby Girl's dress didn't fit just right, we borrowed a pin from her grandmother to fix her right up!

Yes, indeed, beauty is in the eye of the beholder....

but I don't need a panel of judges to tell me anything....

.... my eye sees beauty, inside and out.

Sweet 16 -- these girls are AWESOME!!

Some of my very favorite girls belong to this team.  They made history for our school last year by making it to the Elite 8....and lost a couple of key starters from last season, so I was unsure how this year would go....but make no doubt, they were on a mission....and they have arrived.  This team came out blazing their way to titles (Area Champions) and fought their way on the court to get the chance to play in the Sweet 16 tomorrow. And we couldn't be any prouder of this group of girls and their coach. 

I get so tickled when I see all that is in this next little pic....

• the coach still standing firm waiting for the last 1.2 seconds to tick from the clock to confirm victory
• his wife, the "keeper of the book", sitting at the score table with the biggest smile across her face looking out to him
• the fans, some already starting to rise, all the others soon to follow, offering this team a standing ovation for their big win
• and of course the excitement of baby girl, knowing these older girls she looks up to are going to play in the Sweet 16

Sweet girls with their little piece of the net!

   A) Friends 

        B) Teammates

 C) Sisters

               D) all of the above. 

          Makes me smile every time.

I certainly hope to have some great pics to share with you after their next phase of play....I'm just happy to get to follow them wherever they go!