Marjorie's Grandaughter

Cadre 22

2011-10-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

Cadre (n.): a group of people having some unifying relationship. This one word could not describe my cadre any more succinctly. We are an incredibly diverse group of people, yet the desire to become servant leaders has blessed us with a unified relationship. I am at a point in my life where I feel like I am living in parallel universes. I have my family and friends at home with whom I share every minute detail and the daily ins-and-outs of life. However, I also have this group of people who are my rock in this endeavor to become a servant leader. These universes seldom collide, yet they are both a very big part of who I am.

As I embark on the downhill stretch of this journey, I find it hard to believe that there will come a time when I don't arrive at the break of dawn, one Sunday a month, to share what is much more than a regiment to acquire an administrator's certificate. These people have helped me not only discover who I truly am, but have helped me to embrace and cherish that person. They offer a haven in which I can dream and believe I can really make it happen.

Many people give me a very odd look when I explain to them that I have no clue what God has in store for me after I have completed this degree, but that I just plan to be ready when He is. However, I truly do believe that while God does have plans for my future, His current plan was for me to be with this amazing group of people!

How old do you feel?

2011-08-07T22:20:00.000-05:00

Despite the many books I was assigned to read for the cadre this summer, I managed to carve out precious time for some amazing books. The book I am reading now is called, Eat, Pray, Love. I am sure you have heard about this movie with Julia Roberts. Despite my love for Julia, I refused to watch the movie. I never watch the movies of books I've read because as I read them they create a vision in my mind, and I hate having that vision ruined my someone else's. Anyway.....I found this book on sale at Borders and decided to read it. It is an absolutely fantastic book, and I hope to share many things from it in the future.

However, the book really has me thinking about this old medicine man in Bali. His name is Ketut Liyer and he is a 9th generation medicine man. The author spent a significant amount of time with this medicine man during her travels. In the book, Liz asks Ketut how old he is. He has no clue. During her visits to his home, she learns that his age-of-the-day depends greatly on how he feels. He will state that he "feels sixty-five" on a good day, but might "feel eighty-five" on a bad day. What a great way to look at life - not so much about how old you are, but how old you feel!

In my dad's family, they pride themselves with great longevity. My Great-Aunt Elva still lives alone at home at the age of 102. My dad and I plan to live to be 100+ without a doubt. And so this very idea may just be part of that secret to longevity....I'd also like to think a glass of wine a day may help, too! When I was telling Jarod about it, he told me he is 28. He always feels 28. Me? I think I'm 30. I never was 20-something. I was so happy to turn 30 because I just always felt that age anyway. So how old are you today?

Gob(lin)s of Frosting

2011-07-31T18:15:00.000-05:00

My niece, Sophie, loves to bake! Every time she comes over, she begs to bake and the last few times I have had to decline. So when she came yesterday, I was determined not to send her home until we did! We managed to get our poop in a group around 3pm this afternoon, and decided to make these cute alien cupcakes. Everyone mixed their own frosting and decorated their own cupcakes. It was a good way to spend a hot summer afternoon!

(Emily (Lydia's friend), Lydia, Ellie, Laurel, and Sophie)

Of course everyone had to sport their best "goblin faces"!

My Summer

2011-07-27T19:47:00.000-05:00

Once again another WHOLE summer has gone by and I have not blogged once! That's because this summer has been filled with graduate work. I spent the end of May and start of June completing my internship. It was by far the hardest thing I have ever done, because I was really pushed out of my comfort zone. Not only did I have to call complete strangers and ask to spend time with them, but then I actually had to do it! However, it was an amazing experience. I spent time at Lighthouse in Lincoln, which is a place for students in 6th-12th grades to hang out and get a meal. I also spent time working on item development for the Nebraska State test. There were several other little things along the way, too.

We spent a week in downtown Dallas with Jarod's speech students who made it to Nationals. I had the chance to spend the day with Doug, and I learned how to navigate my way around Dallas with only a few wrong turns.

The rest of June and part of July were spent driving 150 miles round trip most days to Grand Island for my cadre. I just love my group so much....it was worth it every single day! It is crazy to think that I have completed 30 credit hours in 13 months, and only have 6 left. May 20, 2012 will be the big day.....and I plan to do nothing but garden and sew with a glass of wine in hand next summer!

But after July 13th, my summer began.....and that's when the important stuff started to happen. Anyone from smalltown Nebraska knows that this is fair time. Laurel had decided to enter muffins, granola, and a babysitting kit, in addition to the sheep she would show for 4-H. The muffins earned a purple, the granola a blue, and the babysitting kit earned the Child Development Champion trophy along with a big rosette ribbon and a trip to the state fair. She also won Junior Showmanship again this year....2 for 2! Her market ewes placed 1st and 2nd in their weight classes, and the breeding ewe placed 3rd. It was a great year for her at the fair! In the picture below she is posing with her lamb, Taylor, whom she showed for showmanship. The boy in the picture is Riley from Waverly. He is 5 days younger than her and came down to help her work her lambs the day before the show. He stuck around for the big day and was great help!

We also convinced Lydia to do Pee-Wee Showmanship. It was a last minute decision, so she wasn't really in her sheep-showing attire (no jeans and big blingy belt). She did a great job though! She was the only one who set up her lamb. She earned a package of skittles and was really upset that there wasn't a declared winner (because you know it should've been her)! She won't be old enough for competition next year, but plans to do Pee-Wee again. Lydia also decorated and entered a photo box and made her own snack concoction for the fair. She is a Clover Kid - which is a step before 4-H.

Now that the fair is over we have been working in the yard and trying to finish up the renovation project that has also been occurring around here. But I will save those details for a later date! I have a hunch I will be back to blogging again....if for no other reason than that it will be more enticing than writing my big paper for grad school! :)

Save Face

2011-03-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

I am reading this really good book by Patti Digh called Life is a Verb. It is one of those books that you can read bit by bit....absorb what you've read.....apply to your life.....make a habit before pressing on to the next bit of good information.

The latest thing that I've read that I really want to focus on is saving face for others. One of the quotes in this book states, "Saving someone's face or dignity involves using maneuvers or holding one's reactions to give the other party a way to exit the situation with minimal discomfort or harm to their dignity. It involves creativity, compromise, patience, and sometimes looking the other way to allow time to get back to normal."

I can think of so many situations where this can apply, but none of them sticks out to me quite as much as this one.....This weekend I learned that an acquaintance of mine may be in an unfaithful marriage. My heart is just breaking for this young mom who is the victim of something completely unknown to her. It makes me wonder, "What if it was me, and nobody had the balls to tell me?!" I am left wondering how I can save face for this girl. She deserves to know what everyone in this too-small town is talking about. She deserves to know that her husband, whom she thinks is wonderful, is a fake.

My heart knows that the Lord has the power to take care of this situation....so I will pray. I will pray that His Will will be done.....I will pray that her face will be saved......I will pray that my tongue may become tied the next time I feel compelled to speak of this horrible situation to an unknowing party. And I may pray that her cheating husband's you-know-what might just mysteriously fall off!

Riley's Babies

2011-03-19T21:26:00.000-05:00

Last year Laurel showed three lambs: Riley and MJ (ewes) and Blue (weather). The great thing about ewes is that they DO NOT go to the market and we get to meet their own babies the next winter. These two twins are Riley's babies. We don't know if Laurel will show them this fall or not, but they are sooo sweet!

Reality

2011-03-13T09:31:00.002-05:00

The art teacher who comes to my classroom always talks to the kids about "fishing." Not the kind that involves hooks and slimy fish, but saying things so people will tell you how wonderful you are. Fishing for compliments. Before I write anymore, I want to make it very clear that this post is not about fishing, it's about acceptance and celebration.

That being said.....this week has week has given us a much needed break from the doldrums of school. The weather has been fantastic, and two extra days away have felt like a week! I had the opportunity to spend Thursday and part of Saturday doing something that I love very much.....shopping. However, as I shopped I found myself wishing that there weren't mirrors everywhere I turned. Why did I wear that frumpy sweatshirt? Why not the shoes that add an extra inch? Jeesh, all of those laps haven't really done much for the figure! I couldn't wait to get out of the mall!

I have slowly accepted the fact that my goal to lose 8 lbs has turned into 18 lbs. And really, what was wrong with those first 8 lbs. anyway? I've learned to celebrate each morning when the scale is the same as it was yesterday.

When I came home from Omaha last night, I had all of these great intentions....no more baking sweets, eating lots and lots of fresh foods, limited this and that...blah blah blah. But the truth is, I love to bake! It makes me think of my beautiful great-grandmothers and aunts who were as round as they were tall. They baked pies, breads, kolaches, and sat all day crocheting and quilting after their tummies were full. Their hearts were happy and content.

So then I got to thinking about what makes me content and happy.....tending to my flowerbeds, digging up more grass to plant more flowers, sewing goods that can be sold for money that will benefit others, baking new recipes and sitting down with a cup of coffee to enjoy the treat, conversations held with dear friends shared over those treats and coffee, laughing on the couch with a bottle of wine and a dear friend while shooing the children away because the conversation isn't "appwopwiate," hearing my parents walk in the door unannounced and the sharing the excitement of the children to know they are here......and wearing an apron that I hope my girls will one day fight over because of all the memories that were created while wearing that apron.

I could probably lose weight....weigh that magical number that my sister and I talk about, but that number is not going to make my heart happy. It's not that I'm opposed to exercise either. I love the quiet solitude of swimming laps. I love the refreshing feeling and the pounding of my heart without my body hurting. I love the feel of my body stretching a little further with each breath as I do yoga, and the absolute feeling of being alive when I'm done. But I do these things because they make me feel amazing. Neither of them has proven a great way to lose weight, but they have proven to be a great way to feel fantastic.

So as today moves forward, I have decided that I am going to celebrate all of the things I am doing: teaching school, attending grad school, parenting two beautiful girls, managing a household, sewing goods to raise money for the needy (we've donated over $1000 so far), gardening, baking, reading, crocheting, and enjoying a stolen evening away here and there to swim some laps in quiet solace. So I may not be a twig, but my heart is very content and happy!

2011-02-23T20:27:00.000-06:00

Good Bye Facebook, Hello World

2011-02-23T19:55:00.002-06:00

I have been thinking about getting rid of Facebook for a long time. When our Cadre started in the summer, they strongly cautioned us about our use of Facebook as educators. As the fall progressed, the warnings continued, as did various stories of teachers who'd suffered consequences for something published on Facebook.

While I was quite confident that I wasn't posting questionable things on Facebook (other than the occasional cuss word that slipped), I was becoming increasingly aware of the amount of time Facebook was sucking out of my life. I would walk in the door to barely greet my children, bee-lining it directly for the computer to see what I'd missed while I was away from home. My evenings were spent constantly checking to see who had updated their status, instead of enjoying the company of my family or doing other hobbies like crocheting, sewing, or baking.....not to mention the fact that I hadn't done much exercise in way too long.

So yesterday was it....the end of my addiction to Facebook. I let my out-of-state girlfriends know that they would need to call or email if they wanted to chat, and figured I would inform the rest of the people that really needed to know in person. It was kind of weird this evening, coming home, walking toward the computer, realizing that I really had no reason to go there.

I am looking forward to the change in lifestyle this will bring. I know that I won't miss spending hours at the computer, nor will I miss the rise in my blood pressure when I read something to which I want to offer an opposing perspective, but know better. I really do strive to live a simple life....this is for me a move back in that right direction....now for texting!

Broadway

2011-01-29T10:33:00.007-06:00

I love Broadway musicals. Not only is the talent amazing, the effects phenomenal and costumes astounding, but my absolute favorite part is the music. I feel very lucky to have been to so many Broadway productions; however, every time Jarod and I discuss our "favorites" the same few remain at the top of my list.

My most memorable Broadway experience was Cats. My Aunt Jean took me right before I headed to college. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. You can imagine my excitement when I was blessed with a freshman college roommate who loved Cats as much as I did. Our first week in the dorm found us called down for playing our cassette tape-version of Cats too loudly. To the this day we are still convinced that the RA didn't appreciate the arts as much as we did!

Lion King is by far my favorite Broadway musical for the "Wow-factor." That is all I can say.....

And yet, despite all of the wonderful musicals out there, its short run on Broadway and limited tours, my all-time favorite musical is In the Heights. I first saw In the Heights on the Tony Awards many years ago. I was immediately hooked! I know that the fact that it is about a Spanish neighborhood in New York is what initially intrigued me. My love for the language and culture had me hook line and sinker. In 2009, Jarod coordinated a whole trip for us to go Appleton, WI to see the show for my birthday in December. We flew from Omaha to Milwaukee on Saturday morning, drove up to Appleton, saw the show, drove back to Milwaukee and flew home the next morning. It was absolutely unforgettable. If I ever need a little boost I just turn on this soundtrack full volume and dance my way out of my funk. I am sad that I will not have the opportunity to take my friends and family to see the awesomeness of this show!

Mary, Did You Know?

2010-12-24T11:32:00.003-06:00

Perhaps it is my Catholic upbringing, but every year at this time I am drawn to the Blessed Virgin Mary. As a woman I think about how very amazing she must have been, to have been chosen by God, at the age of fourteen, to bear His son.

As a mother, I am drawn to this picture. We always hear of the amazing works of our Dear Lord, Jesus Christ; however, I often wonder what he was like as a child. Did he play games with other children? Did he ever disobey his parents? This picture reminds me that he, like my children, wore clothes that needed to be laundered and hung out to dry. And Mary, despite being chosen to be the mother of Christ, was still called to fulfill the mundane tasks of motherhood.

My absolute favorite Christmas song is "Mary, Did You Know?" by Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd. The lyrics remind me of the amazing journey and sacrifice asked of Mary. What a faithful servant she was.

Yet Another Generation of Friends

2010-12-23T10:08:00.003-06:00

My absolute favorite part of Christmas is the continued tradition of lifelong friends stopping by to visit over the holidays.

It typically begins with the arrival of Jason from New York days before the actual holidays. I selfishly steal him all to myself so that we can sit on the couch and chat over wine. My children are put to bed (or shipped off to Nolan's Christmas program with Grandma and Grandpa), and my husband knows his presence is an intrusion. We chat until I am almost asleep on the couch and Jason, after many attempts, finally leaves in the wee hours of the night. No matter how long he is here, it is never long enough, hence we make additional plans (but they are never quite the same as those times spent just the two of us).

In years past, I have always worked very hard to coordinate all of my high school friends' schedules and plan a get together with as many people attending as possible. However, this year, I didn't feel the desire to plan such an event, nor the guilt for not doing so. This year the visits have been dispersed over many days, providing more intimate conversations and for me, many days worth of laughter, memories, and love.

Last night, a very impromptu gathering came about with the Dubs family. I sat there in my living room, giddy at the fact that after 35 years of friendship, our families would still love to gather, drinking, eating popcorn, and watching yet another generation of children become lifelong friends.

Tonight, our dear friends the Robinsons are coming to dinner for the 2nd year in a row to exchange gifts and share good food, creating new memories, and definitely sharing lots of laughter and love.

Tomorrow morning, Diane and Ava will come (hopefully in their pjs) for coffee and scones, and Sunday Jarod will cook curry for Jason, Doug, and I.

I am sure there are many people who do not understand how I could choose to live 4 blocks from my parents, teaching in the school I attended; however, if I didn't I would never have the opportunity to have each of my dear friends come to my home, sit on my couch, share wine in my kitchen, and bless my abode with yet another year of blessings and friendship!

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

2010-12-17T12:23:00.002-06:00

This is a picture of my Grandpa Ayers. I think he looks like a movie star!

Tis the Season

2010-12-16T20:45:00.003-06:00

It has been almost a year and a half now that my friend, Lori, and I have been "business partners." It really is interesting to think of ourselves in that manner, because while she may be more so than I, we really aren't business people. We are primarily in the business of wearing aprons and drinking wine while we create things our grandmothers would have created.

All that said, I think we are really, truly in the business of serving the Lord. We just do it in the the form of stitching, canning, and crafting. Last year at this time, we were blessed with an abundance of sales of our goods and we really wanted to do something special with the money we'd earned. Our good intentions quickly turned into an impasse about where to donate our money, and we just dropped the topic. In hindsight, we now know that it was the work of the Lord that led to that impasse, as we were both led to read a book called The Christmas Jars and found our money being rolled up in the middle of a change jar to be shared with a family truly in need.

Over the course of the past year, we have been blessed with many opportunities to provide in ways that we've felt God has called us to. We've been able to donate to victims of the earthquake in Haiti, provide weekend nutrition for a family for a year, donate to a local scholarship, help pay medical bills, and provide Christmas for a family in need. We've also learned that waiting for the Lord is imperative. There have been times when one or the other of us has had a "donation idea;" however, God has always provided the other with the discernment needed to make the right decision.

I feel very blessed to not only have a friend who loves to be "old' as much as I do, but who truly has a desire to serve the Lord. A friend who is willing to roll up her shirt-sleeves and make things happen, even if her fingers bleed in the process. So as we frantically try to fill all of the orders that this holiday brings, our waning spirits are renewed with the thought of smiling faces on Christmas and the understanding that God has plans for us far greater than we can ever imagine!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-11-24T20:05:00.002-06:00

I love that song! I especially love the version sung by the Carpenters. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. I love everything about it. I love the warm spicy scent of cinnamon, baked pastries, and crisp air.

From the time I was a little girl until I was in college, we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Thoendels. I believe the tradition got started because my dad and Vic were always both on call. The tradition transcended a divorce/remarriage, and continued until the older kids started to get married and there simply wasn't room for everyone anymore.

The day was always so much fun. We played so hard all day. We always ate dinner without the couple of kids who were off playing in the neighborhood and couldn't be found. We filled the living room with smoke from our singed hair. We spent the evening making haunted houses in the basement, fully taking advantage of the fact that our parents were too engrossed in conversation to have a clue what we were concocting.

I remember the first year that we didn't go to the Thoendels for Thanksgiving. I remember feeling so rejected! With ten kids, plus significant others, it had just gotten to be too much, so the parents decided it was time to do our own Thanksgivings. It was horrible. They had ten kids (plus), we had two.

Over the years, we have bounced through the Thanksgiving gamut. We hosted my in-laws, had my grandpa and his sister several times, took a full-fledged meal up to the nursing home for my grandpas more than once, and the past few years we've gone to my grandma's. It finally feels like we have a tradition. Something that we can count on and look forward to.

This year I convinced my grandma to let me bring the pies. This is a big deal for two reasons. The first is that it isn't Thanksgiving if I don't make pies. If she doesn't let me bring pies, I will still make them and eat them by myself! The second reason is that she makes her pies in July and freezes them till Thanksgiving and Christmas. Nobody likes Freezer Pie. I think she was relieved to be able to save her pecan pie till Christmas, and I think I am just going to encourage her to let me bring the Christmas pies and save her's till Easter!

I am very thankful that my family has rekindled relationships, and that we can gather with joyful hearts. I am thankful that at the age of nearly 35 we can still gather at my grandma's house, and will for many years to come. I'm thankful that my family loves to sit around the table and visit, telling the same stories over and over. This year we will have much to discuss with my cousin's impending graduation from high school.

God has given us much to be thankful for!

Breast Cancer

2010-11-17T21:14:00.003-06:00

As many of you may know, my grandmother died 16 years ago to breast cancer. Ever since her death, I have been deathly afraid of sharing her fate. I've had a few friends who have also had breast cancer, and have thoroughly admired their tenacity to take on this disease with a fervency.

Today I found out that my dear friend, Cathy Howard, is going to be having an elective double mastectomy as a preventive measure. While she doesn't have cancer, her genetic makeup lends itself to the fact that it is just a matter of time. I admire her proactive approach, and feel confident that I would do the same given her situation.

My heart prays for these four sisters who are undergoing four mastectomies. I know that the Lord will protect them and keep them in His loving care. And still my heart aches and yearns for my grandma who didn't have the luxury of what we now know about cancer.

Each Day in Stride

2010-09-26T20:59:00.005-05:00

Today it was my turn to bring treats to our cadre seminar. When I signed up in June I knew without a doubt that I would bring my all time favorite treat, kolaches. What more could a group ask for on a Sunday morning? However, it was very interesting the conversation that these delectable treats would spark.

One of the guys from my class lives not too far from Wilbur, the supposed Czech capital of Nebraska. (Apparently they've never been to the Bohemian Alps!) He was commenting on the fact that life in Wilbur (10 miles away from his home) is just completely different from where his family lives. "There's something about that culture," he said. "They work hard, but they don't get too worked up about much of anything. They just seem to take each day in stride."

That got me thinking about the people that inhabit my community. When I look at the members of my community, I think that Casey's statement is a fair assessment. These people know about working hard, one day at a time, and making the best of what they've got. I think of the little old Czech lady who lives next door to my friend. She can barely walk, but she is out there in her floral-print polyester pants in the 100 degree heat picking produce in her garden. One day she asked Lori if she is Czech. When Lori told her that she wasn't, Mary told her she just assumed she was a good Czech girl because she wore an apron all of the time!

To us, when we donn our aprons, we are ready for some serious work. Which is why an apron is so important when baking kolaches....it is serious work! I am beginning to think that maybe kolaches are a Czech pastry because it takes that laid-back, hard-working personality to persevere through the art of perfecting them!

In the Middle

2010-09-15T18:52:00.002-05:00

As a child, my Aunt Jean was my absolute favorite person in the world. She spoiled us, she did all of those fun things our mom wouldn't let us do.....eat ice cream at Swenson's for breakfast, 10pm movies, play the music real loud, take us shopping for fun stuff....all that stuff aunts are supposed to do.

When I was a sophomore in high school, my aunt got pregnant with my cousin Molly. I was furious. She didn't need kids....she had us! and how were we going to do all of those fun things that we did with a baby in the way. Not surprisingly, Molly came along and stole everyone's hearts, along with mine. I spent many a weekend driving up to Blair to hang out with Molly and Jean.

As we got older, I always kind of felt stuck in the middle between Jean and Molly. Jean was 14 years older than me, Molly was 16 years younger. I have never really felt like a cousin or an aunt. When I lived with them while student teaching I never knew whether I should be fun or stern.

Time seemed to slip away from us....new husbands and babies took precedence over fostering relationships. But I will forever believe that it was the wisdom and vibrant personality of Molly that brought us all back to where we belong. As I look back over the past 8 years or so, I long for the times lost....but gatherings at Grandma's for Sunday dinner remind me that it is never to late to move forward.

It is absolutely unfathomable to me that Molly might be a senior, let alone looking for a school in Chicago. To me she is still this little girl who wears the brightest, most mismatched outfit in her closet, who loves the Sound of Music, and has soft strawberry blonde curls. And as for Jean....she is still, and always be, my favorite!

Not-So-Sick Day

2010-09-13T20:52:00.002-05:00

This morning, Laurel told me that she didn't feel well (after we'd arrived at school). Of course, I put her off, told her to eat some breakfast, and she'd be fine. Not so much! By 9am, she'd lost her breakfast and by 9:30am we were on our way home.

Fortunately for Laurel it was very short-lived. She never really acted sick the rest of the day. It was fortunate for me, too. I tackled the last of my assignments for the 26th, read the 6 chapters for my book review on Sunday, made a cake to be frozen and frosted on Wednesday evening, made cupcakes to be frosted on Thursday evening, dusted and vaccuumed my upstairs, and even put away laundry. Oh, and the nap....don't forget the nap!

Where did it go?

2010-09-11T21:18:00.005-05:00

The other night I was looking for something to do (in my free time), and decided I would check out my blog. It had been a long time since I'd been there, so I thought it might be interesting to see what was still there. I about died when I saw that I had not posted in over a year! SERIOUSLY!!!! The picture before my eyes was last year's school photo. It broke my heart to see that I had not taken the time to post about my life for an entire year.

Little did I know that someone had been praying that I would return to this little corner of cyberspace I'd etched out for myself! She knew that I needed this blog to sort out this crazy hectic life I call my own!

So maybe I can attempt to recap what happened in one year and then quit feeling guilty about not posting:

Lydia enjoyed kindergarten and kept us entertained as always. She have to have her arm set by the orthopedist after breaking it right in the middle of her ulna. That slowed her down for about 30 seconds and she had it off in time for swimming. She spent her summer being best friends with Otto, the old Australian Shepherd at the farm where Laurel's sheep were. She also loved playing with the kittens and splashing around in the puddles in her galoshes.
Laurel continued taking piano lessons throughout the course of the school year. Practicing still isn't so much fun, but I think deep down she enjoys it. She spent the winter and spring working with her sheep in preparation for her first year at the county fair. She spent most days in June and July walking them, showing them, and also playing with the kittens. By the time the fair rolled around, she was very sick of it; however, winning Junior Champion Showman lit a fire under her feet! She's really like to show sheep and goats next year. Jarod says, "We'll see!"
Jarod spent the school year as he always does, doing Speech and One Act. The One Act didn't fare so well, but they won another State Speech Title, so that was the highlight of his year! He thoroughly enjoyed getting back into his sheep element this summer. He was a state sheep showman, so he is very excited to be able to have this to share with the girls.
As for me.....this year probably brought more changes for me than anyone else. Not only did Lori and I continue our sewing for Hippy Chicks, but I also made a huge leap of faith in listening to God's call to head to grad school. I joined a cadre "group" of 19 amazing people in June for a 2 year adventure that has already proven to be life changing. The program is through Doane and focuses on Educational Leadership. In the end I will have my certificate to be a principal; however, I truly have no clue what God has in store for me. He put it on my heart to join this program, so all I can do is my best so that I may serve Him in whatever capacity He desires in the future. It is quite overwhelming at times....trying to balance home, school, grad school, night class, Hippy Chicks....but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13.

That's about it in a nutshell. So now I can move on from here.....

The First Day of School

2009-08-12T20:26:00.004-05:00

Today was the first day of school. I remember when we were attending the county fair on these days of August, but I guess we slowly move closer to year-round school day by day. Today was a special first day of school, because it was Lydi's first day of kindergarten. She had a great time and was more than fired up when she came home. I knew that she would do fine, and she didn't disappoint us. She is such a go-getter once she breaks out of her shell.

It was also a special day because this year Laurel and I are both in third grade. She is, of course, in Judy's room instead of mine, but it is fun to see her when we line up and so forth. It will be really neat to see how she performs from a professional perspective. I am sure she will step up to all of the challenges put before her.

I am already exhausted after just the first day of kids. You forget how much energy it takes to keep them on task. I have to remember that they are essentially 2nd graders more than 3rd at this point. The kids are very sweet, with great dispositions, and it will be very easy to love all of them. I am really excited to have been asked to sit on a committee at school that I have been interested in for several years. I am sure many people would think that I am out of my mind to say that; however, it is a core committee and I like to be at the core of things. I like to know what is going on first hand, not through the grapevine. I am also hoping that maybe if I sit on this core committee, I won't have to put in my time on any others. Maybe this was their way of corralling me! LOL

I already miss the lackadaisical feel of summer, but I know that I am a much better mom and get much more done when I am teaching. It is amazing what one can get accomplished when you have a small window of opportunity to do so. As for the rest of this long day, the girls are in bed, and I am anxiously awaiting Jarod's return so I can ride my bike down to Lori's for a nice glass of Nebraska City wine on the front porch. If he doesn't hurry up, my 9:30pm bedtime is going to come before I get any of that wine!

Summer Gone By

2009-08-09T21:49:00.002-05:00

Holy cow! I cannot believe that the summer is over. And what a summer it has been! I can honestly say that it has been an absolutely wonderful summer. Each and every day was filled to the brim. I think that if I had to give this summer a "label," I would call it "friends".

From junior high friends, to high school friends, to college and beyond, we were so blessed to spend time with the wonderful friends that God has given us. I am so glad that the girls and I trekked to Iowa and Illinois to see the Mavins and the Gudemans. We had so much fun, and I am so thankful that so many years can go by and it still seems like we saw each other yesterday. We were also blessed with a trip with Diane to visit Julie Schowalter and her family. We have learned so many things from her over the last 20 years, it is always inspiring to have our spiritual cup refilled with her wisdom.

This summer has brought me an exceptional blessing in the form of a crafting partner. I always say that I am the youngest old person you will ever meet, and it really isn't meant to be a joke. It is true. I am old in spirit, and I feel so blessed to finally have someone my age who understands that. God had a plan when He called us to enroll Lydia at Redeemer for preschool. Not only did she grow in His love, but He intended for me to meet Lori while waiting for the kids. I am so thankful to have a friend who lives 4 blocks away who will share honey for granola, who doesn't ring the doorbell before coming inside, who will treat my children as one of her own (including freaking out when they come in covered in mud), and who is willing to spend countless hours sewing and hashing over the world. We joke that we were born in the wrong generation. We love to sit on our porches and drink wine while dreaming up crazy things to do with the treasures she found at an auction. I am sure many people might think we are a little nuts, but it is just so nice to have someone to be nuts with.

I was really dreading the start of the school year, as it would mean the end of clockless afternoons and evenings, and an end to all of the fun we've had. However, Lori decided to start the school year with us as our school nurse. I am so looking forward to working with her in our professional capacities, and hope she'll be in the building when I need to escape to our creative world for sanity purposes!

Time

2009-07-14T12:19:00.003-05:00

Where the heck does time go? I had a whole list of things I wanted to do this summer, and it seems the days are just slipping away! Maybe if I attempt to reflect on all of the things we've accomplished, I might feel like it has been a full summer and I won't be so sad that school is starting in less than a month.

Things accomplished:
* vacation with hubby
* vacation to visit friends
* lots of landscaping and lush flowers
* in particular, a circle garden for my roses
* a new swingset for the girls
* backyard crafting for the girls and others
* a new business,
* lots of time spent drinking wine while accomplishing any task at hand
* many afternoon snoozes on the couch with Princess
* many, many assembled burp cloths
* dried flowers for cards
* hours spent researching more crafting ideas
* a trip to Royal Gorge for a family reunion
* a trip to the Rose Theater, leading to a season membership
* a few stops at Ivana Cone
* not donning my bathing suit at the pool
* two days spent on Language Arts curriculum
* had some moles removed

Things yet to be accomplished:
* creating pressed flower notecards
* figuring out a way to make my hotpads without using binding
* visit Lauritzen Gardens
* get a pedicure
* visit my favorite fabric shops, Cosmic Cow and Material Girls
* maybe a few more naps
* still avoid donning my suit at the swimming pool

Nope! I still am not ready for school to start!

Ockander Adventure, Part 2

2009-06-23T20:41:00.003-05:00

It's been a few days since we've returned from our travels. It seems to be that I am pretty good about blogging about the first portion of our travels, but seem to need a few days to recuperate before blogging about the rest!

On Wednesday of last week the girls and I trekked from Grinnell, IA to Goodfield, IL (southeast of Peoria about 30 miles). We were headed to see my friend Kristi and her family. Kristi is another of my college friends who lives too dang far away! So far that it had been nine years since I'd seen her. That was on my wedding day, when she and Dan drove in for the wedding and had to head back yet that night. (June is not a good time for a crop chemical salesman to be traveling for a wedding!) We met at Rainbow World in Wayne, America...a daycare center where we relied on each other for sanity! She was already married, but since Dan traveled a lot for his job, we had lots of time to just hang out. They were even sweet enough to let me camp out in their basement for a summer. They say hindsight is 20/20....I think that we both agree that maybe living together didn't work out as well as we'd hoped; however, the most important thing is that we've come full circle and when she opened her door Wednesday afternoon to greet us, my heart just melted with her big smile and open arms!

We had a blast at their house! The minute we got there the kids were into their swimming suits and on the inflatable water slide. We hit another t-ball game that night, and didn't get home with pizza until 9:30pm. I forgot to mention that Kristi has 3 boys.... so it was a 180 degree turnaround in the play world for the girls. We finally got the kids to bed and it was 1am before I got there myself.

The next day we headed into Peoria to visit the zoo. They have a brand new African exhibit that was really neat. The kids then played at the park while we soaked up the sun. We tried to wear them out for Dan, who was in charge of babysitting that evening. Dan cooked us supper, Kristi and I bathed the kids, and then headed out for an evening of our own. We talked about a movie, but then decided that if we just shopped we would be able to visit more. So we closed down Old Navy at 9pm, Kohls at 10pm, and then headed for a beer since there was nowhere else to go! Such a hardship, I know! At nearly midnight we decided we should stock up at Walmart for the next day.....I always wondered when they stocked those shelves....now I know! We made it home just in time for some chatting on Facebook, and another late bedtime.

Friday we decided to head in the other direction and see a movie in Bloomington. We ate dinner at the family's favorite Italian restaurant, Avantis. It was very good, and perfect for the kids. We then saw the movie Up. What a wonderful movie! and what a fun day, until the girls and I packed our bags to head home.

We had decided that we would trek into Iowa yet that late afternoon with the hopes of arriving in Iowa in time to hit the outlet mall at Williamsburg. Our trek was a little delayed by two severe thunderstorms, one waited out in a rest stop, and the other at Subway. Two hours behind schedule, we finally arrived at our destination! However, there were no rooms available! So we did a little shopping and trekked down the road. After our friendly, and free, travel agent/occupational therapist/mom's salvation (a.k.a. Diane) found us a room, we finally checked into a motel and crashed at 10:30pm.

We finished our travels home on Saturday. I think the Ockanders are traveled out! Even though it took us several days to recuperate, it was such a wonderful week! I am so thankful that despite our differences or mishaps, we can still be such dear friends. There is just something very special about the girls I met at Wayne State! They are all so very different from each other, and yet they are all so very special in so many ways! I love them all dearly, and I am so very thankful that years, or almost a decade, can go by and it is just like we saw each other yesterday! Now, I only have one request, dear friends.....that we could all meet in the middle.....because it is even more fun when we're all together!

Girls' Vacation

2009-06-16T18:47:00.003-05:00

While Jarod is at National Speech contest with Michaela in Birmingham, Alabama, the girls and I decided to take a little vacation of our own. We left home on Sunday morning (late morning) and made it to Omaha before having to stop! We had a gourmet meal at McDonalds and decided it was time to chuck our old dvd player that would play only play one movie ~ Hello Kitty! We purchased a new dvd player at Walmart, grabbed some guilt-free snacks and headed on our merry way. Our next stop was about 100 miles later. That was all the further I could make it after my refill of Coke at McD. We did manage to make it to Grinnell, IA without any other stops.

We have been staying with the Mavin's since Sunday. Laurel and Lexi are only 9 days apart, and their habits and mannerisms are spookily similar. Brea is 3, and has the best vocabulary of any 3 year old I've known. Needless to say, the girls have played, played, played. Sunday we just got everyone acquainted and walked to the local ice cream shop at the end of the block. Yum! 4 kids, 3 dogs, and 3 adults took some acquainting. Yesterday I attended Jenn's gentle yoga class, and was the youngest student by about 25 years or so! The girls were entertained by the daycare at the studio. Then while Jenn taught another class, the girls and I got coffee and treats at the coffee shop and played at the park. Yesterday afternoon brought lots of relaxation, an early evening t-ball game, and some homemade granola in the evening.

This morning Jenn and the girls introduced us to Tiny Circus. I wanted to see what this was all about. It is a group of very artsy people who are interested in traveling by modified Airstream campers to do Artists in Residency. Their "medium" is animation. So they have people rebuilding Airstreams to meet their specific needs. They also have people working on animations. It is called Tiny Circus because they would travel in their "Mini-Airstreams" as a circus would. Very interesting! How I long to be that carefree! The girls were able to create some monsters on paper and then were aided in creating an animation of their monsters! They were very, very pumped to see their monsters turned into a 5 second cartoon!

This afternoon we hired a babysitter for the girls while we shopped around downtown Grinnell. We started at Basil Thai restaurant for some basil spring rolls and pad thai. We then headed directly to the quilt shop where I could not resist a beautiful yard of Amy Butler fabric, and also got some "boy" batiks for burp cloths. That was to be the extent of my purchases. That lasted until we got to this little craft consignment shop where I fell in love with a little black desk and chair for the fine price of $30. So once again I will be hauling home a piece of furniture in the back of my van! But it will look great in my kitchen!

The girls are finishing up our stay here with the making of a popsicle stick puppet show. I am trying to finish the pillowcases that were supposed to have arrived completed, but didn't. One more to go. It has been a wonderful time reconnecting and I think it is safe to say the girls are occupied enough they aren't asking for their Dad - yet! We head off to the Gudeman's in Goodfield, IL tomorrow! Can't wait to see more friends!

Day 4 in San Francisco

2009-06-02T21:20:00.003-05:00

The final day in San Francisco started with an excellent breakfast at a 50's diner, Lori's. It appears to be a chain and is very good! We then rode the bus down to the AT&T Stadium for the Giants/Cardinals baseball game. I am sure many of you are thinking that I was probably not too excited about this little venture; however, to be honest, I really do like Major League Baseball. The food is usually very good, the stadiums cool, the people watching excellent, and I even do understand the game (somewhat)! In fact, this was my 4th MLB stadium I've been to in California alone. I've been to the Dodgers, the old Anaheim Angels and the old San Diego Padres. I'm not sure why they needed to build new ones, but it is my understanding that my "stadium visits" are a little outdated!

So...all that being said....we arrived at the game 2 hours early. We were actually in line 15 minutes, waiting for them to open the doors to the stadium, because they were giving free hats to the first 20,000 people in the stadium! I guarantee we may have been in the first 200 in the stadium! If you know Jarod at all, he will NEVER pass up on anything free! The weather was about 59 degrees, but the windchill was at least 45! We froze! We were in the very top row of the entire stadium! After being there for 4+ hours, we decided we were frozen enough and left at the 7th inning stretch! The Cardinals lost anyway, so we didn't feel like we missed anything too major!

As you can see the stadium itself was really cool! I loved that the outfield was next to the bay! Yachts and kayaks would fill the bay in hopes of catching homeruns! It was a very beautiful scene!

After the game we went to the ferry building to check out the open markets. The funniest was called "Salty Pig Parts". We did get some excellent coffees...even bettter than Starbucks. However, the fun didn't last much longer. We headed back to the hotel to look up the address of the restaurant we wanted to visit in Chinatown, check in online with the airline, and then it hit...the bug I acquired from somewhere in San Francisco. It was not a fun evening! Come the next morning I felt a little better, but not the best. I did manage to make it home without any major incidences, and I was very thankful that Jarod kept my attention away from the newsbreaking stories about the missing flight from South America. I would have definitely NOT been boarding any planes if I'd known about that!

We were excited to see the girls, and the feelings were mutual! It felt so good to come home to our nice big house, with its nice green yard! I couldn't wait to get out there to prune and weed! I think the cats even missed us! All in all it was an awesome trip! We definitely got a mental break, but a physical workout!

Day 3 in San Francisco

2009-05-31T19:21:00.004-05:00

A little side note: I got behind on the blogging due to being too tuckered out on Saturday, and having a little travel bug on Sunday. I will continue to blog about our travels, just a few days late!

Yesterday we woke up bright and early to meet our tour guide for a trip into Napa Valley. We had a very knowledgeable tour guide who had a "Carol Weber" laugh! She taught us a lot about wine making and trivia about the area. The first tour we went on, V. Sittui was by far the best. We were allowed to choose the wines we wanted to taste and we purchased some excellent artichoke cream cheese spread to eat with crackers and proscuitto. We had a nice picnic lunch with a couple from South San Francisco. The next vineyard made sparkling wines. It was very modern, quite yuppie-ish. The sparkling wine we tasted was good; however, not very sweet. We purchased a rose sparkling wine that we actually didn't taste. I hope we aren't disappointed. We then proceeded to two other wineries, Andretti and Black Stallion. It quickly became apparent to us that these wineries specialize in wines that are much drier than what we usually drink. Jarod enjoyed some of the reds, and we did have a chance to try some quite expensive Moscato.

After our visits to the wineries we then rode the ferry from Vallejo back to San Francisco. It was a wonderful day for many reasons. We met many wonderful people from many parts of the U.S. We got out of the city and had the chance to see the land, and hence the lifestyles of the area. It was about 20 degrees warmer than San Francisco and the sun was heavenly. Of course, the wine was also a huge plus! The tour was absolutely worth every penny, and I think we would both be willing to take another!

Upon our return we took the recommendation of our tour guide and had seafood once again. It was a very nice restaurant, and Jarod had some amazing scallops and I had shrimp scampi. My thoughts on the seafood restaurants are that they are way overpriced for what you get. I realize that it is a specialty; however, prime rib is a specialty around here and we don't charge "an arm and a leg" for it! Just my thoughts! I'd still take a rib eye or a prime rib over scallops anyday!

Day Two in San Francisco

2009-05-29T21:11:00.006-05:00

I so badly wanted to sleep in till 10am this morning, but that would have been noon CST, so I should've known better. By 7am I was wide awake and starving. After getting ready at a leisurely rate, we decided to embark on the F-line (an historic bus line) down to the Fisherman's Wharf. It took us through a part of San Francisco we'd never been to and it also gave us an idea of where we need to meet our tour tomorrow. We discovered that we really didn't explore Pier 39 yesterday, and so upon arriving at the wharf we made our way to visit the sea lions.

Around noon we headed over to Sausalito, a little island accessible by ferry or the Golden Gate Bridge. Since we were a little wimpy we decided not to bike across the bridge and opted for the ferry. The reason I wanted to visit Sausalito is because there was a segment on CBS Sunday Morning about all of the houseboats on the island. We were determined to walk until we found some houseboats. We came across a small "colony" of them about 2 miles down the stretch. I am certain that there are many more; however, after walking through on the boardwalk, we quickly got a feel for the eclectic sense associated with this lifestyle. It was unbelievable that people call such a place home. It truly was a culture shock in a very short distance!

Despite the culture shock of the houseboats, Jarod and I both really liked the quaint feel of the island. It reminded both of us of Key West, with its laid back feel. We did venture up one very steep hill to explore a neighborhood away from the tourist attractions. We discovered homes that are built several stories high in a community that is built on a steep island. We found tons of Jupiter's Beard, which I unsuccessfully wintered in my front yard. We stopped to smell many, many beautiful roses and discovered a lemon tree full of huge lemons! I guess you can take the girl out of the small town, but not the small town out of the girl!

The ferry ride took us by Alcatraz. We opted not to visit the prison. Jarod had been there as a kid, and I was just too creeped out by the whole of it. Maybe I have read too many Jodi Picoult books involving prisons and the horrible things that occur in them. Anyway, it is still quite amazing from the bay.

Upon our return to the city, we thought we would take one last trip on a cable car, since we don't intend to go back the the Fisherman's Wharf again. The line was terribly long. We walked a few blocks thinking we could just hop on at an intersection, but the cars were so full they weren't even stopping. So we trekked back down and rode the historic bus back to Union Square. We had scoped out a Thai restaurant on our way down to the bus this morning, and were more than ecstatic this evening when we knew what we were ordering, the food was absolutely to die for, and super cheap (even for Nebraska standards). As we were eating we got to experience our only "rally for a cause" since we've been here. I am not really sure what the cause was; however, the guy in the pink tutu led to the obvious. The rally started with a few motorcycles escorting some bikers, one of which was decked out with huge stereo speakers. This was the start of a bicycle entourage that consisted of probably over 500 bicyclers. They literally stopped all traffic. They were hooting and hollering, as were many of the pedestrians on the sidewalk. It was really amazing to witness. Of course many people did not appreciate the stopped traffic and were honking horns, but Jarod and I thought it was great!

Tomorrow we are headed on our wine tour. We know where we need to go to meet the tour, I just hope our time approximations are somewhat accurate!

Day One in San Francisco

2009-05-28T22:25:00.004-05:00

Our day started at 6:30am when we left the Ockanders for the airport. We had two really smooth flights, thank goodness for that! Once we arrived at the airport we managed to get our checked bag and found our way to the BART (subway). We made it to Union Square, and then all heck broke loose! We didn't know where we were supposed to go, there were no square blocks in sight, and some weirdo wanted too badly to give us directions (and I doubt it was just out of the kindness of his heart)! We finally figured out where we were, and only ended up making a huge 2-3 block circle to get back on track. Next came the trek to our hotel - uphill - at at least a 45 degree angle - suitcases in tow! We did arrive in once piece at our hotel and it is very quaint!

After dumping our bags in our room we decided we would trek out to Nobb Hill and see where the day took us. Jarod thought we should go to Sausalito today. After looking at the map, we decided that we could get on the cable car at this one particular intersection. Silly us! You can get on the cable car at pretty much any intersection. Our own personal walking tour took us through some very pretty neighborhoods; however, we are totally amazed that nobody has a patch of grass! A few plants, but that is it! We finally stopped at this little corner cafe and had the best sandwiches. Instead of waiting for the next cable car we decided to keep on walking down to the Fisherman's Wharf. Now, the 2-3 mile trek wouldn't be that big of a deal in DC; however, there is nothing flat about San Fran....and it is not just a hill or two....it is like a walking roller coaster! We were very excited to see the water at the wharf!

After asking some questions and doing some exploring, we definitely now know where the heck we are. We did visit Ghirardelli Square, saw a Degall exhibit, and ate seafood at a back alley restaurant suggested by some guy who tried to get us to visit his timeshare talk. We didn't fall for that! We just did a lot of walking and figured out where the heck we need to go to get on the ferry to tomorrow. We also figured out that we were totally crazy for walking all of that way; however, we both agree it probably was the best thing we could've done to truly get oriented with the area! We rode the cable car back to our hotel and visited with the nicest people from Georgia. They actually are leaving tomorrow and had passes to ride the cable cars and other public transportation through June 1st. They were kind enough to share their passes with us and saved us $36! We are very excited to head out tomorrow, knowing how we might get to our destination and back!

The Rocky Mountains from our airplane! Very cool!

The hills we walked up to get to our hotel and Nobb Hill.

Lombard Street

Diane warned us about this man who hides behind these branches and scares unsuspecting people. We appreciated her warnings, and watched from the other side of the street!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

2009-05-27T15:44:00.002-05:00

Maybe if I sing that song tomorrow when I am on the runway, I won't be so panicky about flying! Truth be known, I really do hate to fly; however, I am hoping that it will be worth it. I am semi-packed. I am so amazingly calm about the whole ordeal - I wonder if I am sick!

The girls and I are headed with my mom to Walmart for some final items and for dinner while the guys golf men's league. Then we will head to Gretna late tonight so we are that much closer to the airport = that much more sleep on our big day! The girls will be staying with my parents for the majority of the weekend, ending up at the Ockanders so they are in Omaha when we fly in Monday morning.

Watch for daily posts and pictures about our adventures in San Francisco!

Summer

2009-05-24T21:48:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe that summer vacation is already many days in the works! It is so liberating to look at the clock and see 10pm and not stress out because your kids are still moving at full force! Summer usually comes with a list of tasks to be accomplished! However, this summer the thing that I hope to accomplish more than anything is to relax and enjoy each and every day!

On Thursday we leave for our trip to San Francisco. I am hoping to tote along a laptop so I can share all of our adventures. I am so excited to escape reality for a few days, sleep in, eat good food not cooked at home, and engage in lots of uninterrupted conversations! Upon our return we will quickly prepare for Youth Theater, and then on to other fun travels!

This weekend was an absolutely perfect start to my summer vacation! On Friday, I convinced Jarod that I need to move 11 of my roses out of their current home to a place uninvaded by other plants. So we traveled to Menards to get 120 half-moon pavers, and I got the garden of my dreams - a circle garden. When I was growing up these old ladies (sisters) lived on our block and I absolutely loved their circle gardens! I have always wanted one of my own...and now I have it!

So Saturday brought a 5am awakening to head to Brownville to the flea market. Lori and I had a blast checking out all of the "treasures" that everyone toted to the market. We got a few fun things, my favorite being vintage flour sacks that will become pillows for my porch swing. We had wine at the winery at 10am (a huge sacrifice to not have to use a port-a-pot!), and spent the rest of the day in Lincoln buying goods for our future summer endeavors. We even took a little break at Diane's for some decadent dessert!

Tonight was spent in great company with April and Diane reminsicing about the "good old days"! What a blessing to be able to share so many memories with such wonderful people. It does make me a little sad though that April lives in Redding, CA. Here she is expecting a baby, and won't make it home again for us to throw her a shower or visit her in the hospital to share in her blessing! Why can't we all just live at home like me!?

The Grand Savings

2009-05-20T13:46:00.001-05:00

$48.00! That is how much I saved at Walmart last night using coupons! Start clipping girls!

Savings Update

2009-05-18T20:45:00.001-05:00

$52.10 ~ The amount in coupons I have clipped! We'll see how it goes!

Coupons

2009-05-17T21:36:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe it has been 15 days since I last posted. We have been very busy working in the yard getting things situated and on their way to full bloom. In the meantime I have started walking with Lori in the evenings. Some evenings....when it works out! She has inspired me to get my rear in gear and start clipping coupons and stocking up when things are on sale. So that is my project for the week. I cleaned off two partial shelves in my storeroom and covered them with contact paper. This will be the "pantry". I am currently printing 11 pages from coupon.com. Thursday will be the big shopping day! If I use all of the coupons I can save a lot of money! Over $40! I will have to let you know how it goes! and if I save all of that money, I won't feel guilty with treating myself to Starbucks for all of my hard work! ;)

Peaceful Morning

2009-05-02T08:02:00.002-05:00

I think it would be nice to live in the country on a morning like this. The sun is shining, the sky true blue, and my flowers need watering. I've had a yummy pecan roll from HyVee, a strong cup of Starbucks Breakfast Blend, and now I am ready to go out and start watering. The problem....I want to just do it in my robe. If I lived in the country, nobody would see me out watering my flowers with my coffee in my fuzzy lavendar robe. I think I provide the neighbors with unintended entertainment on a regular basis (i.e. trying to relocate plants that are way too big). I don't need to add robe-gardening to their list of entertaining antics.

Eyebrows

2009-04-30T21:16:00.001-05:00

So I took the girls in for a haircut today. Lydia has decided she wants her bangs to grow out, and promises to pull them back when they get too long. We'll see! Since we were there, and Rachelle had a few extra minutes, I decided to get my eyebrows waxed before next week's appt. in an attempt to save some pain. Fewer hairs is supposed to equal fewer pains ~ not sure about that! Anyway, with my little audience at hand, Rachelle pointed out that the freshly waxed eyebrow looked sooo much better than the hairy one. When asked what she thought, Laurel pointed out that she thought the unwaxed eyebrow looked better because it wasn't all red like the waxed one! The perspective of a 7 year old!

What to Do?

2009-04-27T20:04:00.003-05:00

I am not really sure what I should be doing right now! It seems like there are lots of things I should be doing, but I am not sure what they are. This typicallly happens this time of year. We have 3 full weeks of school left.... teaching/assessing needs to be finished....scores need to be recorded.... parent signatures need to be collected.... report cards need to be completed.... ordering needs to be done.... copies need to be sent to the Educational Service Unit to be prepped for next year (.5 cents/page = dirt cheap).... meetings need to be attended.... banquets are too many.... but here I sit, blogging about all of these things, doing none of them because none of them can really be done at this moment.

So I should probably get off my keister and think about doing some sort of exercise. I am NEVER going to make it through Jenn's yoga class if I don't get movin'! But instead, I will probably saunter to the dryer, stopping at the tea kettle on the way to turn on the water, switch the laundry, brew a cup of jasmine tea, and read a book instead. I may do a sit-up or two. Maybe a few downdogs, and a pigeon if I feel fiesty. We wouldn't get too crazy, though!

Interstate Travels

2009-04-25T11:02:00.002-05:00

I have an obsession with license plates....not the kind of obsession like my mother who has some fancy math problem she does with every license plate....I love to ponder where everyone is from. I especially love travelers from out-of-state. I always wonder where they are headed....to visit family or friends....are they headed in the direction of home or away....have they been gone on business or pleasure....are they excited to be traveling or weary?

Last night we came across this little Subaru that was pulling a very little trailor. It had a young (dark and handsome, if I might add) guy in it. It was packed full of stuff, and was traveling from New Jersey. I couldn't help but wonder where he was headed and why. Was he moving to live with a girlfriend? Maybe a new job. Maybe hopes of a better life due to tough times had. Would he travel all night or stop in some little Nebraska town? So many things to think about!

Straight and Narrow

2009-04-20T21:05:00.002-05:00

That is Laurel. She is going to keep me, her sister, her dad, and anyone else on the straight and narrow. She will hopefully not be the playground police, but probably already is! Tonight it was my turn to be put back on the path of righteousness. We were driving home from getting her glasses adjusted in Columbus. I was listening to Froggy 98 (the local country station) and the song, "She Thinks my Tractor's Sexy" was playing. Laurel advised me to find something new to listen to because this song had some naughty words in it! Needless to say, I quickly switched it the KGBI (the local Christian station). Sometimes God works in mysterious ways, and other times they are very blatant!

Anxious

2009-04-19T16:24:00.002-05:00

I am so anxious for the real gardening to begin. Our little town received a grant to replace old, dead trees with mature ones. So, they are currently in the process of cutting down and replanting a ton of trees. I am assuming that this is the source of the huge mulch pile out at the brush pile north of town. Regardless of where the mulch has come from, it has been many years since we've had the opportunity to haul home free mulch by the truckload. I should say, Jarod's had the opportunity. I, of course, am always at home waiting to offer my ten-cents-worth about where it should go, and I am also in charge of laying down the newspapers to cover up the grass underneath. It has been wonderful because we expanded the area between our two trees out front, and it would have cost us a fortune to fill that all in with purchased mulch. I appreciate Jarod's willingness to embark on the inexpensive, yet cumbersome, task. It wreaks havoc on his allergies, and isn't too great for his back, but when the price is right, you do what you got to do!

However, it is not that much fun to just spread around mulch. Planting flowers is much more fun. I saw this lady at Walmart with these two really beautiful ferns in hanging baskets. They had obviously arrived before the helpers in the garden center drowned them with their "per shift watering." Which leads me to think that I should risk the cold and get mine before the helpers drown mine, too!

Creative Clovers

2009-04-16T21:25:00.003-05:00

We finally have our 4-H group in full swing! We have four families involved, 8 actual members, and a few younger brothers and sisters who are along for the fun! At our first meeting we did a craft for St. Patrick's Day and got organized. This meeting we had a full agenda, a cooking lesson (stuffed celery) and practiced our measuring skills! Lots of fun!

Meals on Wheels

2009-04-16T17:13:00.004-05:00

One day last summer Macy (Laurel's friend) received a mid-morning phone call at our house that her aunt would be picking her up to help deliver Meals on Wheels. The girls decided they would go along for the adventure. That one day turned into twice-a-week, and then days off of school, and who knows how often they'll rope Mary Ann into taking them this summer. It may be more days than not! Today at noon they had a Volunteer Recognition Dinner. Laurel attended with the other kids. She was the first person to have her name called. It is my understanding that she just flew out of her chair, wildly waving her hand for her certificate. She loves visiting the "old people," and has nicknames for all of them. Both girls point out the homes they deliver to as we drive through town. It has provided many life lessons along the way...including what happens when you find someone deceased. Laurel has such a grasp on life....a deep understanding that I think many adults don't have. I attribute much of it to her faith. Neither girl batted an eye when I told them that one old gentleman who had died no longer needed them to bring him meals, God was going to make him dinner from now on!

Thanks, Merrill!

2009-04-15T19:35:00.002-05:00

Merrill came to babysit this afternoon while Julie went to Kelly Veskrna's funeral. It worked out great because Laurel was out of school at 1:30pm and needed a place, too. I really appreciate her willingness and ability to come over and stay with the girls during the school day! Thank goodness for home schooling!

So while Merrill was here, I asked her to help me find a new template for my blog! She was great help and saved me a ton of frustration! Thanks Merrill for B & B! (babysitting and blogging)

Crystal Clear

2009-04-14T21:29:00.002-05:00

Clean...crisp...clear as water...sweet...hmmmm.....2Brothers from James Arthur Vineyards. We had this wine the other night when my parents were here for dinner. It was very good and I enjoyed it at the time; however, I didn't really pay much attention to how clear it was...probably because I was too worried about Lydia eating all the fish that was cooked for my parents on Good Friday. (Note to selves - more fish, less chicken!) But tonight when we opened another bottle it was the first thing that I noticed. It looked like water in a fancy glass.

I really like wine. I like the sweetness of it. I like how it makes me feel all warm and toasty. I like that it quiets my mind. But more than all of those things, I like to see how the taste changes with different foods that you eat. Just this simple glass has a completely different twist when accompanied with a nice, warm brownie. It would be interesting to see how it might change with some cheese or something like naan or bread. And yet it is so good just by itself! Intriguing how something so simple can be so complex!

Looking Forward

2009-04-13T21:31:00.002-05:00

I feel a little bad about posting such a crabby post on such a special day yesterday! But I guess I can't be accused of giving jaded perspectives!

So today I shall blog about some very exciting things I am looking forward to! The first of course is our little trip to San Francisco! I think this is going to be the perfect start to a very fun summer! For the past two summers I have contemplated hosting a "backyard crafts session" in my backyard. I think it would be fun for the girls, and I think my little third graders would be interested too! However, everytime I bring it up, Jarod just thinks I've gone off my rocker and shrugs his shoulders and says, "whatever". BUT...this year is different....I've found someone as crazy as I am who thinks it is a great idea! So in addition to 4-H, Lori Robinson and I are going to try out this little Backyard Art "project". It is going to consist of a weekly, hour-long crafting session. You can sign up for only one session or all of them, and we are limiting it to ten kids (not counting our own) per session. I think it will be a lot of fun, and hopefully not too much work! That will run for 6 sessions.

Another thing that I have wanted to do for the past few summers, but haven't, is visit my college girlfriends. So this year when Jarod packs up and heads south to Alabama for Nationals, the girls and I are heading due east. We will visit our friends, the Mavins, in Grinnell, IA for a few days, and then we will continue on our way another 4 hours to Goodfield, IL, to see the Gudemans. I cannot wait for the whole adventure! Lots of kids our age...lots of fun times to be had...lots of wine and hefeweizen to be consumed! Dad may just beat us home! That little adventure will take place mid-June.

As for the rest of the summer....who knows what we may do! I do know we won't be going to any t-ball games...."It's just not my thing!" ~Laurel. We will be having 4-h a few times a month, preparing our projects for the fair. We will be taking private swimming lessons for the first time. Hmmmm....the possiblities are endless!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T21:19:00.003-05:00

Hoping everyone had a very blessed Easter Sunday! We spent the day at the Ockanders in Gretna. It was a nice day; I will give it three stars and a wish!

Star #1: The church services in Gretna are always contemporary at 10:45am, and it is so fun to have a band and sing upbeat songs. I always feel the presence of the Holy Spirit when we visit Good Shepherd. Pastor Woerhling is such an amazing pastor...so in tune with the Lord and his people!

Star #2: How can you go wrong with ham, hashbrown casserole, green bean casserole, rolls, jello salad, lemon meringue and peach pies. Needless to say, I am still stuffed, but it was soooo good!

Star #3: The kids had so much fun playing together. Now that Eli and Korben are 2 and 3, the kids can go downstairs and play with the toys, and the adults can visit (or watch golf~ick!). This was the first time that we've really seen that independence and I think they had a great time!

Wish: I know better than to go empty-handed. I typically head into Omaha after we eat for something to do; however, with it being Easter, I didn't do that. I CANNOT just sit....and watch golf....and have minimal conversation. In my family, we visit...about everything and everyone. Jarod's family is just different in that way. So, I usually busy myself with a list of goods that I need, or a book from home, or any handstitching that I might need to do. Today....nothing. I did chat with Kristi on Facebook for awhile! That was a huge treat ~ and I think we came up with a plan for the girls and I to extend our visit to Iowa into Illinois to see the Gudemans, too! So that was great! I did outlast all of the children in coloring, too! They came and left in shifts! Lesson learned...NEVER go empty-handed to the Ockanders. A lesson I learned a long time ago, just something I needed reminding of!

I am looking forward to the fact that we still have another day! I cannot believe that we are a month and a week away from the last day of school! We have so many fun things planned for this summer...but we'll save that for tomorrow!

Waste Not

2009-04-08T20:30:00.003-05:00

I received this email from a dear friend. It is so true that I thought I would post it here!

I grew up with practical parents who had been frightened by the Great Depression.. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a Name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. It was the time for fixing things; a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that repairing, eating, reusing, I wanted just once to be wasteful Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer 's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... While we have it.... it's best we love it... And care for it..... And fix it when it's broken...... And heal it when it's sick.

This is true..... For marriage.... And old cars.... And children with bad report cards...... And dogs and cats with bad hips.... And aging parents..... And grandparents....And friends ....We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special..... And so, keep them close!

Facebook Quiz

2009-04-07T20:38:00.002-05:00

I like Facebook! I really like Facebook! I love knowing what my girlfriends are doing from afar! I care when one of them has a sick kid, or gets something exciting like new knitting needles in the mail! I am also not going to deny that I have taken my share of those cheesy Facebook quizzes, even if half of them are grammatically incorrect. However, today was the topper: "Where will you go when you die?" Seriously...I am not kidding! Just the thought that one would even feel compelled to take that quiz to see what the answer is makes me freak out! My answer is, "If you need a Facebook quiz to tell you where you are going when you die, we have some SERIOUS chatting to do!" And the audacity of the creator of the quiz! Ok, I am going to close now, before I really explode. But I will close on this thought ~ I know where I am going when I die, because Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and is my Savior! I will live my life to be a living example of His love, and pray that my family will do the same!

Spring in the Midst of the Storm

2009-04-05T11:12:00.002-05:00

Fun with Fur-iends on a Fur-iday

2009-04-05T11:06:00.003-05:00

In the process of cleaning out her mom's house, Diane found these fur coats to be donated to the One Act Dept. Diane, Jason and Laurel had a blast hosting our own Fashion Runway!

Sleepover

2009-04-04T20:53:00.002-05:00

Due to the fact that all of my girlfriends live too far away and traveling with little ones is not much fun, I seldom get to have them come for a sleepover. Diane doesn't need to sleep over because her parents live a block away. So last night and today was a special treat. After our dinner last night, Tricia stayed over and planned to just hang out today. Jarod was in St. Louis, Lydia and Laurel were at my parents', and it was so much fun to just talk about whatever we wanted with minimal interruptions while we made ebelskievers for breakfast. When the weatherman announced that the day would look pretty decent (minus the 40 mph wind), we decided to take the girls to Lincoln shopping. I needed to buy fabric for a sewing project I want to tackle during the snowstorm. We bribed the girls with a ride in Tricia's cool car with a built-in DVD player and a trip to Ivana Cone. They were very good and we had a fun time! I think I should have another slumber party sometime soon! Anyone want to visit!?

Proud of Myself

2009-04-03T15:53:00.002-05:00

I am pretty darned proud of myself! Tonight I am having 5 women over to have dinner. My friend, Tricia, is cooking Thai and Indian food. Mostly different curries. This has been a food adventure for the Ockanders lately, and I am excited to try to some new things. However, that is not why I am proud....I am hosting dinner in 3 hours and I did not spend the day cleaning, scrubbing, stewing, fretting, folding, freaking...the usual! After kindergarten round-up Lydia and I ventured to the library to check out books and visit with Gina. Then we checked out the little new antique shop (Boo hoo my vase was sold in the relocation process!), and then after doing our business at school we hung around to visit with a few people. We stopped off at the flower shop and had the special treat of picking our stems out of the cooler in the back, and sealed the deal with a nap on the couch! I shoved the laundry that is clean in the closet. I kind of washed the kitchen floor, and I will probably vaccuum. I am hoping that Tricia doesn't want to shower tomorrow so I don't have to clean it, and if my guests are lucky I might change clothes before they get here! Bring on the wine so nobody notices the cobwebs, just the gerbera daisies in the middle of the table instead!

Full Day

2009-03-31T20:07:00.003-05:00

Today has been a very full day! I accomplished a lot of things at school...feel like I "knocked off" several items from my ever-present list. I decided to bake cookies after school, something I haven't done for a long time. I tackled a few loads of laundry and even put them away. I managed to hem my new pants, and those for Lisa that have been sitting here for over a week. And of course there are those daily things like dinner, baths, cleaning up the kitchen. And now...I am tired. To be honest, I am stalling by writing this blog. I couldn't really justify crawling into bed at 8pm to read "Handle with Care" by Jodi Picoult....but now it is 8:18pm according to my computer and by the time I go through my little bedtime brushing your teeth/washing your face ritual it will be 8:30pm, and I have no qualms with going to bed at 8:30pm. So, Good Night! Sleep Tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite! and if they do, hit 'em with a shoe until they're black and blue! (Rhyme compliments of Jarod's sister, Remi.)

Hello, Babies!

2009-03-29T18:08:00.001-05:00

I love spring! I love all of the babies it brings. Baby chicks, ducks, lambs...you know what I'm talking about. Here is a new sign for my garden that I bought from Kelsie, my personal Uppercase Living Consultant.

Here are a few pictures of MY babies:

Seedum

Bee Balm

Daisy

(I know, I'm a little crazy, but I love watching them grow!!!)

My Alices

2009-03-26T20:33:00.003-05:00

I think that one of the greatest blessings in my life came in the form of two beautiful women named Alice. Two very different women, but women created in God's image, with a passion to raise families that serve Him. I feel so blessed that these women came into my life at a time when I was really searching for who I was going to be. While my own mother was a perfect example of who I wanted to be, it wasn't really "cool" to want to be your mom when you are 13. So I looked up to these women for guidance, encouragement, and friendship. Many, many hours have been spent in discussion or contemplation with these ladies. (Twenty years worth!) I seek their wisdom because I see that they are a living example of what God wants me to be! I look at their children in awe, wondering how they have managed to raise them with such an understanding of their faith. I pray that when I grow up I can be like the Alices. And I pray that when my girls grow up, they will glow with a knowing of who they are and who the Lord wants them to be, just like the Alices' girls do!

Husband

2009-03-25T21:28:00.003-05:00

I distinctly recall a ride home from Columbus with my friend Mistyn. We were having the typical conversation about our husbands. I remember telling her that if something ever happened to Jarod I didn't think I would ever get married again. I didn't need a husband to take care of me. I already managed the household with the exception of the mowing and the trash (both of which I could do). It was a "been there done that" mentality.

This winter I learned something about myself. I don't need "a" husband. I need my husband. This winter I realized that the trials and tribulations of the past 2 years regarding friendships was all a part of God's plan to help me realize that it truly is important for my husband to be my closest friend. That we are in this together! I think I had begun to realize that over the course of the past year; however, it wasn't until this winter that I truly realized how much I need his daily interaction, the commraderie we call marriage. And so this first week of having him home in the evenings has been pure bliss! Things are just back to normal...he cooks supper and I clean up the mess. He rough-houses and teases the girls and I send them to bed. Once the children are in bed, he retreats downstairs and I stay on the main floor. It's who we are, it's what we do....and it's what God intended for us.

Life Restored

2009-03-21T07:44:00.003-05:00

Well, it is here....the moment I have been waiting for since January 1st. The end of speech season! I am so happy for Jarod that he won the state title, that he avenged the fact that he didn't get one for one act, and that he is the first team in 14 years to beat Raymond Central. However, I am even happier that our home life will now be restored. I would say "back to normal," but I am sure many of you might agree that nothing is really ever that "normal" around here. What is normal anyway?!

So today I am going to celebrate first with a huge brownie and a cup of coffee (or 3) for breakfast, and then you can find me covered in dirt and filth cleaning up the remnants of fall from my flowerbeds! It donned on me the other night, when we tackled the first tenth of this project, that I now have an ipod that I could listen to in the yard. This is an addition since last gardening season. But I don't know if I can do it.....listen to my ipod in the yard.....then I might miss Barb singing or playing the trombone, my kids arguing in the sandbox (or playing nicely), cars driving by with a wave, the morning dove with her incessant "whoo whoo". Maybe after I have been out there for 4 or 5 hours the quaintness of it all will wear off and I may have to jam to a little "Chicken Fried" among my rose bushes. Poor neighbors!

Sheets

2009-03-18T20:29:00.002-05:00

I love sheets! Yes, sheets....the kind you sleep in! I love pretty sheets with tatting or embroidery done by my ancestors! I love nice, crisp white sheets to make me feel nice and cool in the summer! I love soft, fuzzy, warm flannel sheets in fun colors to snuggle under in the winter! My favorite sheets of all are the ones that come right out of the dryer, toasty warm, begging to be snuggled with in the middle of an unmade bed. I love burying myself under the pile, enveloped with warmth and freshness, pure heaven!

However, when the warmth wears off, then the sheet-freak comes out! The sheet-freak is this person who has to have her bed made perfectly. All layers pulled taut, each layer ending a little bit shorter than the layer under it. The layers must be pulled tight every night before they can be crawled under. There was a time in my life (about 20 years worth) when my bed had to be made EVERY day! However, right before my wedding this picture appeared.....a picture of my bedroom in Grand Island....a bedroom in total disarray....and a bed unmade! I think Diane took that picture because she was proud of me! She used to laugh at me every night when she would point out that my bed was perfectly smooth with the exception of my body lying under it.

Some things have changed since then....I still love fresh clean sheets! I still love to snuggle with them right out of the dryer! I still love different sheets for different seasons! I still pull the sheets tight every night before I crawl under them! BUT.....I never make my bed....at least not in the morning before going to work! Just at night before I get back in it!

Confession: I knew that Jarod was going to be gone for two nights, so I waited until today to wash the sheets so I could selfishly enjoy their cleanness all to myself!

Goodnight Princesses!

2009-03-16T20:50:00.002-05:00

Princess decided that Lydia looked a little too snuggly to resist!

Dirt Under My Nails

2009-03-16T20:30:00.003-05:00

I NEED dirt under my nails! It is absolutely imperative for my mental well-being! This is actually going to be the first time in my entire life that I am going to have nails long enough to dig dirt out of, but somehow all of these years past, there still managed to be dirt under them!

Today, against my dad's better judgement, I cleaned up a portion of the leaves from my yard. We started with the daylilies out front. They are starting to peek through, these tiny little green tips! I just wanted to get down on the ground and kiss them...they are so cute...and soooo welcome!!! Then I moved over to clear out some other lilies and the bee balm! I didn't want to kiss the bee balm, because if you've ever smelled it, you know why! But I was super excited to see that there was new growth there, too. My azaleas have tiny buds, my hydrangeas do too! I cleared out the leaves from the daisies and can't wait to fill in that space with coneflowers and black eyed susans and let them go wild!

My hands are all scratched and dry...my sweats and t-shirt are dirty and I am pretty sure I have dirt in many other places, too....but I feel sooo alive! My heart was pumping, my arms were aching, my legs were squawking as I carried basket after basket to fill the pickup to the brim. And tonight, as I am ready to crawl into bed to read my new book, my mind is finally quiet. All I can think about is what treasures we will uncover tomorrow! That, and maybe what new things we can add to make our yard even better....I think this is the year for some climbers...definitely an arch with climbing roses leading from the front to the back....and perhaps some trumpet vine on the side of the barn! I wonder if my Jupiter's Beard survived the winter!? Hmmm....

Ta Da!!

2009-03-13T20:48:00.003-05:00

Here it is! Finally! My very own Birdie Sling (pattern by Amy Butler)! I absolutely love it! I had borrowed the pattern from Barb Knox 3 months ago, but Jenn's fun pictures inspired me to get my rear in gear and make my own. The birdie fabric is not in honor of the title of the bag....I just absolutely adore the fabric. It is from the Moda Urban Chiks Blossom collection. I had already made a pair of pj pants using this fabric; however, there aren't too many people who get a glimpse of those! So, I thought it would be fun to have a bag made of it for spring!

Frosty

2009-03-12T15:42:00.003-05:00

Feeling deprived of Nebraska winters, Remi decided she and the girls should spend some quality time outside practicing their rollerskating technique. I volunteered to take the pictures! Brrrr!

Giddy

2009-03-10T22:00:00.002-05:00

OK....I am beyond giddy at this point! Jarod and I finally sat down and talked about my little plan to escape to wine country this late spring! (Thanks to Mr. Phillips for cancelling all practices this evening!) A little birdie named Remkea had clued me in to airfare prices supposedly being lower early this week, and she was right! Our trip became more affordable as the days went on, and so we decided to bite the bullet and book the trip! We are flying out May 28th for a long weekend ~ the longest part is going to be waiting for it to arrive! (P.S. I did learn from Amanda and CJ, though, and did pay the extra $100 insurance just in case something weird comes up ~ like the flu!) Now I am going to try to go to bed! Yeah right! Yipee!!!!

Wishin' and Hopin' and Thinkin' and Prayin'

2009-03-09T20:23:00.004-05:00

I am always doing these four things! I really truly wish my mind would just shut up once and awhile! However, this past month I have really been wishin' and hopin' and prayin' that Jarod and I would be able to sneak away on a little vacation this summer. With the celebration of being credit card debt-free, our eyes have been opened to the possibility of having extra money to set aside for something we really wanted to do! Ok, something I really wanted to do. Jarod just keeps saying "sure" because he is so wrapped up into speech right now he truly doesn't process anything that isn't labeled with an acronym like OID or PIA (oh, that's mine, sorry!).

Anyway, I have been doing some "research" (as limited as it may be), and think I have the perfect little retreat planned to San Francisco at the end of May. I am so pumped! We are hopefully going to be staying at a boutique hotel that will be quaint and unpretentious. And it has a "literary theme". How obnoxiously appropriate! A trip through the Napa Valley ending with a cruise through the bay sounds pretty heavenly about now. Who knows about the rest! All I care about is uninterrupted conversation and relaxation with my hubby! The only thing that would top it all off is if we could convince Matt and Diane to join us on this little adventure! and if we agree to leave our swimsuits at home!

The Irony of it All

2009-03-07T09:00:00.003-06:00

March, 1999.... Grand Island Central Catholic speech team competed at the State Speech Meet in Kearney. That same day good ol' DCHS performed on the opposite hours of GICC. So while my students were waiting for their next round, I snuck in to watch a few kids that I babysat compete for a medal. Upon waiting for a round to start, Audrey Mathiesen introduced me to her assistant. We got to visiting, comparing stories about teaching junior high reading/English, and then it was time to get back to business.

A month later Diane intercepted a phone call at our apartment...a guy looking for me! Since this was pre-caller id, when I returned home that night we had to call *69 to get the number of the caller. It was a David City number. So, at 11pm, Diane and I sat in her bed, snuggled under the covers, combing the David City phone book looking for this number. No listing. The operator was willing to give me a number for a name, but not a name for a number. So our only solution was to call this mystery number, and pretend that it was a mistake. And, being the dear friend that she is, Diane got to carry out this very junior high plan.

"Hello."
"Uh, is Mary there?" (Why did she use my mother's name!?)
"No, there's no Mary here."
"Oh, well, who is this?"
"Jarod Ockander. Who is this?"
"Diane Hilger, Scott's sister, and boy do I have a story to tell you!"

And as they say....the rest is history! Jarod and I talked for 2 hours on the phone while we watched the coverage on CNN about Columbine, both shocked beyond belief that something that horrible could happen. We went on a date 2 weeks later....we both knew on the first date that we would be married....we dated for 5 months before getting engaged.....and were married the following June.

Ten years later I am here at home, caring for our children, and he is still off doing speech. It is his passion, his love, it drives him and haunts him at the same time. The ironic thing is that the activity that brought us together is now the very thing that keeps us apart for 3 months of every year. My dad always reminds me that I knew what I was getting into when I married him. He is right.... and Jarod is amazing at what he does. I am just not that amazing at being a coach's wife. I am very proud of all he's accomplished....but would be just as proud if he hadn't accomplished any of it! I am counting down the days till speech is over (13 to be exact), because any minute spent with us means 100 times more to me than any banner hanging in the gym! So knock their socks off, dear, but we'll be more excited to have you home for an evening than any piece of hardware you could bring through our door!

Flowers

2009-03-05T21:18:00.004-06:00

Oh, how I long for spring! Today's warm weather made me all the more anxious! I cannot wait for the days when I count the minutes till 4pm arrives, longing to get home and start diggin' in the dirt! I must make a confession though....in mid-January I took my scissors to the High Country Gardens catalog, clipping my future purchases, and keeping them in a safe place on the refrigerator. I had them all layed out on the counter, making sure I didn't have too many of one color or type. Jarod just shook his head, knowing that it was definitely a lost cause. Everyday I think that maybe I could place my order, because this company allows you to select a week when you want your plants delivered. However, if you know me at all, you know that I have zero delayed gratification.....so if I place an order in early March, it is going to drive me bonkers to wait two months to have my plants delivered! So I will wait....and while I have come to despise the snow....it sure makes waiting for flowers a lot easier!

Perspective

2009-03-02T18:55:00.005-06:00

As I was visiting with Diane and Mary Lou-hoo at the funeral dinner today, we were discussing that life gets so busy that we need something like a funeral to slow us down and put things back into perspective. They were so right! The past few weeks have been such a whirlwind at home and school, that I feel like I just want to curl up into a ball and pull my flannel sheets up over my head! If you looked at my calendar, you would notice that the past two weeks really haven't been bogged down with any more appointments than any other week. However, the manner in which I have chosen to tackle my daily tasks has obviously had a little bit to be desired. So this week (what's left of it) I am going to try to have a better perspective on everything! Maybe a little more quality time spent with my girls would alleviate the tiffs that arise when left to entertain themselves. I found that I managed to get 2 loads of laundry put away and 30 minutes of yoga squeezed in between 8-9pm. From my perspective, that's an accomplishment! The time before that was spent looking through book orders, reading books, and trying to stay out of the way at District Speech (that didn't work so well). So as I go to bed, I feel like my girls were happier and I am, too. And maybe it is all just a matter of perspective!

I Can Only Imagine - Mercy Me

2009-02-28T09:39:00.001-06:00

Here's to you Grandpa!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FS5GYvg6uU

Small Town America

2009-02-28T09:10:00.002-06:00

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love living in a small town! I woke up this morning to quite a bit of snow in my yard. Jarod was off to speech, so the scooping had two options: me or wait. So as I drank my coffee, in my nice flannel pj's, communicating with my cousin on Facebook, I hear Barb McClintic's scooping getting louder and louder. I look out my window, and here she is scooping my sidewalk. I stuck my pony-tail-on-top head out the door and told her she didn't have to do that, but she is about as stubborn as I am! So I guiltily closed the door, returned to my coffee and Facebook, only to hear a snowblower coming down the same sidewalk. It was Becky Hopwood coming to finish off the rest of MY sidewalk for Barb. What a huge blessing those two women are!

So, I pulled on some jeans and a sweatshirt over my flannel jammies and headed out to tackle the rest! I think this snow was the greatest blessing God could have given me today! I got out in the brisk cold, worked up a sweat, got my heart pumping, inhaled some quality, non-filtered oxygen, enjoyed the twinkling snow, and was blessed with a little help from Lydia. I cannot tell you how much that snow did, not only for my body, but my heart! I feel like a new woman! A frosty one, but ready to tackle what the Lord has in store for me today!

Grandpa

2009-02-27T07:06:00.004-06:00

Growing up, my Grandpa Ayers seemed like a giant. He stood 6'4" and I don't know how much he weighed, but he was solid. He had the hairiest arms and chest, and the hands of a gorilla. He was always doing something. When I was little he owned an appliance store in Schuyler, but then became the Supt. of Utilities. But that was just his day job. At night he would tend to his cows or some rye grass he might have planted. He would go for coffee at least twice a day, and we always knew if he wasn't at the office, we could find him at Western. We also knew that he would always be gone on Thursday nights, because he would be looking for "treasures" at the auction in Fremont.

He absolutely adored us kids, and we knew it! He would give us ice cream for breakfast, let us dodge cow pies in his pasture with the golf cart, taught me how to drive at the age of 12 so he could pick up fence, and would even let us sit in his giant-size recliner (for awhile). He teased us endlessly about boys we liked (when we were too young to like boys), and was never to welcoming to the boys we brought home (when we were old enough). He absolutley adored my friend Diane, with the red-hair! I think it was because she would give him as much shit back as he gave her! and his favorite joke was, "Want a Hurtz Donut? (Punch in the arm) Hurts, don't it!"

As life has its way with all of us, my Grandpa gradually slowed down. He refused most medical attention, and if he would agree to some sort of procedure, he would never comply with the rehab. For example, when he had back surgery many years ago, he was on the tractor two days after returning home. No doctor would touch his knees because they knew he would never do the exercises needed to break in the new ones. Life took its many twists and turns over the past 10 years, and my grandpa ended up moving to david place, much to his chagrin.

I have really enjoyed working at david place the past few months, because it has given me an opportunity to visit with my grandpa in a more "casual" manner. He would come to me, ask what I was doing, and then go on his merry way. That was just him. To go and sit in his room for a visit deemed long enough in duration would've been way too long for him. He was busy, he had things to do. But over the past two months, I noticed that he wouldn't even see me in the window anymore. He would just scoot on by without stopping to say hi. This larger-than-life man had slowly become a prisoner in his own body. He wanted to roam, to go, to be busy.....none of which he could do. And so, this morning of his passing, I am happy for him that he is now free. Maybe God will find something for him to fix, just to amuse him!

What is God thinking?

2009-02-25T17:53:00.006-06:00

I don't think God is going to be very pleased with me, 67 + years from now, when I arrive at His pearly gates and demand to know his rationale behind giving out children to parents. I think this subject is so dear to my heart for two different reasons. My first reason is professional. Each day when I see so many of those ragamuffins pour down our hallway, my heart just breaks. So many of our children come from parents who couldn't care less about their basic needs. Many of them receive two warm meals at school, and eat junk until they return the next morning. Their once white t-shirts slowly gray as the year goes by, a prophetic symbol of their lives. I often find myself at odds with what my heart feels and what my head thinks. My head says that these third graders need to learn to meet their needs if their parents aren't going to. Things like brushing their teeth, taking a shower, packing their mittens and boots. But my heart says that as a third grader most of them are merely 8 or 9 years old. They are just little kids. They are supposed to be chasing each other on the playground playing Star Wars or acting like horses. And yet God saw these hoodlums (parents) fit to take care of His children.

The second reason this is so dear is personal. For some reason God has chosen many of my dear friends to struggle with the woes of infertility. People who love Him and serve Him. People who are educated, hard-working, deep-rooted. People who not only have the monetary capacity, but the mental capacity, to truly raise children in His word. I don't get it - I just don't get it. Why does God continue time and again to bless so many people with children when they don't take care of the ones they have?

This is one area where I really struggle to understand what God has planned. While it is really hard to sit back and watch my girlfriends melt into tears with each menstrual cycle that shouldn't have come....it is even harder to stand on the street corner each night and watch my "kids" leave with parents who seldom seem happy to see them. I am sure that God will have a very good response when I ask Him my question, as He knows my heart and will have had many years to prepare a solid explanation. In the meantime, I will pray for my girlfriends who dearly want children, and for the parents who have children they don't really want.

(And if you added up the years, I have every intention of living to be over 100 years old!)

PMS

2009-02-24T17:58:00.002-06:00

For me PMS usually has a different definition than many women. Yes, I get bitchy, my boobs hurt, and I gain 5 lbs of water weight. But instead of PreMenstrual Syndrome, for me it stands for Psychotic Manifestation of Symptoms. Every little ache turns into something major in my mind the week or 10 days before my period. While I know it is absolutely and totally irrational thinking, I constantly am at battle with my mind to calm down and just relax. I will even look things up on the internet, WebMD. It is totally psycho! This month seems to have been worse. I don't know why ~ I'd like to blame it on the fact that I need Jarod home to engage in conversation to keep my mind occupied.

I guess the up-side to all of this is that it is usually better within a day or so of getting my period, and that I can rationalize again for another 4 weeks (thanks to a 5 week cycle). I guess I should also be thankful for the fact that I can recognize the psychosis in all of it and not pay $25 to have my doctor reassure me, ever-so-patiently, that I am fine and it is just my horomones! Sometimes I just hate being a woman! and please, please let my period come so I can be sane again!

LOVE

2009-02-22T20:59:00.001-06:00

I think this song says it all perfectly!

Love by Sugarland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_nwUWqsecw

New Favorites

2009-02-22T12:45:00.000-06:00

Here are a few of my new favorite acquisitions. While they may be simple, I love them all!

Since Kelsie is now selling Uppercase Living, I had to splurge on a few new things!

The top item is in Lydia's room. I think it truly captures her personality.

The picture below captures mine. It says "I am a Material Girl. (Want to see my Fabric?)".

These two pictures show fabric I received from my friend Barb Hart. Her father's sister worked in a silkscreen factory back in the day, and so Barb shared these pieces of fabric with me! I made pillows out of them!

They are really beautiful and totally match my house!

Below is the vintage 50's tablecloth I ordered off of ebay.

It will soon become the new roman shade in my kitchen!

Cannot wait to post those pictures!

A Day Away

2009-02-22T07:57:00.000-06:00

Although I love my children dearly, a day away can be so rejuvenating! Yesterday was rejuvenation at its best. The day started with our bible study at 7:20am. Then my mom graciously took the girls home with her, which left me 90 minutes to prepare for the rest of the day. I did miniscule hodge-podge of exercise (20 min.) and then got ready. Nobody needed anything, I listened to the radio nice and loud, and drank way too much coffee.

Tricia and I hit the ground running at 10:30 am. We managed to hit the quilt shop and Panera before our 2pm tickets to see Grease at the Orpheum. Since we were each only fiscally responsible for one ticket, we decided to splurge and sit in the loge! Our seats were perfect and the show was soooo much fun! A perfect Saturday afternoon activity. We left downtown Omaha, and I brushed up on my "backroad" detours back to Nebraska Furniture Mart. Tricia was a very trusting passenger, and my memory served us very well!

I am sure that many people would not be surprised if I said that I went to the Mart and bought some new furniture, much to Jarod's suprise. However, I am trying to kick that little independent habit of mine......so we had discussed and concurred on purchasing a new camera. Our old one was a piece of junk from the day we got it. It is currently held together with postal tape, and I haven't posted any new pics forever, because the USB cord is missing. So, Tricia was a trooper and allowed me to take numerous pix of her as I tried out a few cameras. We came away with nothing fancy, but much better than our current one!

We made a few splurges at Oakview and found some great bargains. We finished off this great day with a stop at the Indian restaurant in west Omaha. We ate till we were stuffed, our tummies nice and warm from the wine and curry, and headed for mochas at Starbucks. The girl pointed out that we were the Yin-and-Yang of mochas. She had white chocolate, and I had regular. We agreed that we are probably the Yin-and-Yang of much more than just mochas!

So after a day of laughing, collaborating, and even a few tears in our hearts, we were ready to head home to be better moms than we were 11 hours earlier! Rejuvenated by the adult conversation and lack of interruptions! So now I close to go get waffels for Laurel and Lydia, and it isn't quite as imposing as it would've been a few hours ago!

Marjorie Mae

2009-02-20T21:38:00.000-06:00

I love this picture of my Grandma. She just looks so demure holding my dad. I often wonder what she is looking at....most likely family members in the room, as you can see the stairs in the background and she was not sitting by the window. I imagine this to be a family gathering on a Sunday afternoon at the house my grandpa grew up in, across the street from where he built his own house. and my dad....such a chubby baby for such a tiny lady!

Creatures of Habit

2009-02-20T21:28:00.000-06:00

I am a scheduled person. I like to know what I am going to do, and what time I am going to do it. An unplanned day is the antithesis to relaxing for this girl! So it comes as no surprise that Laurel, Lydi, and I have created our own little routines during the months that Jarod is gone. We have the same routine every evening, and it comes to the point where a wrench in that routine creates a nightmare! (Our mornings are pretty darned predictable too!)

Our Friday evenings have come to consist of a trip to Columbus for Chinese food at HyVee, a few needed groceries, and of course a grande mocha from Starbucks (with whip)! There is always a little flexibility in this ritual.... a stop at Walmart, Dollar Tree, Famous Footwear, Maurices, Katie's...you never know. But I like knowing each Friday when I wake up that this little treat is waiting at the end of what is usually a very tiring day! I suppose when March comes, we might let Jarod join us.....maybe!

Tried and True

2009-02-19T19:16:00.000-06:00

I like things that are tried and true. Like perfume....I seldom try anything new because I hate to spend that much money for something I might not like. Or pants, I always buy the same fit, from the same store, in hopefully the same size, and I am sure I will like what I get.

I've decided I like my friends tried and true, too! I am soooo thankful every day that I have had some of my friends for my whole life, others since grade school, and a few since college. That's not to say that I haven't made any new friends since I've left WSC. However, as many of you may know, friends seem to come and go. You spend time together, you put your hearts out there to be taken or left, and in a few rare instances you find a true gem! Yes, I do believe that some people come into your lives for various reasons and for various periods of time, but I am so thankful that God has chosen so many special, special people to be in my life for the duration!

This comes up because this afternoon I found myself in the kitchen of an acquaintance who invited me to a Pampered Chef party. I decided quite quickly that I wasn't really interested in sacrificing my evening to pretend to be comfortable with a bunch of women. So I took the easy road and declined the invite, but got a couple of good purchases through a nice visit in this girl's kitchen. The little girls played with her daughter....we had a great visit about our old houses and their quirks, our favorite P.C. products, recipes, etc. Your typical female conversation held in kitchen. But I found myself wondering if this was the start of a friendship. We share some things in common, but are they the important things! and do I really want to put my heart out there on the line? A college friend once told me he would rather have a few good friends than a lot of acquaintances. At that point in my life, I disagreed; however, I wish he knew that I now couldn't agree more! So this goes out to all of you who are tried and true!

Time Well Spent

2009-02-18T17:06:00.000-06:00

Today we got out of school at 1:30pm for a staff inservice. It was definitely time well spent. We were given the low down on things like school accreditation and state wide testing. Things that I find totally interesting. and then I head back to my classroom, think about the looming subjective comments that I loathe entering on my report cards, lessons that should be prepared, and wonder, "Is this really time well spent?" Is this what I am supposed to be doing? Shouldn't I want to prepare for tomorrow? Shouldn't I want to spend time concocting fancy lessons and clipping articles from the newspaper that pertains to what we're studying? and is that really time well spent?

My girls spent the afternoon with my mom since we didn't have school. They headed off for a quick trip to Lincoln for some fabric shopping. Definitely time well spent! I, on the other hand, come home, eat a few cookies, check Facebook, and blog.....time well spent? I have the whole house to myself....I could do yoga with no interruptions, I could sew with out anyone begging to help, I could put away the 5 loads of laundry laying on the floor in the upstairs hallway. All time well spent. So why is it that I can obviously give a list of what I deem useful ways to spend time, but can't make them happen?! Maybe because while I think I love quiet, I truly can only function in utter chaos!

Marjorie's Grandaughter

2009-02-17T19:51:00.000-06:00

The inspiration for the title of this blog came from the song Rosemary's Grandaughter, by Sara Evans. How ironic the artist is named Sara, I had no clue! Anyway, from the very first time I heard this song, I felt so liberated. There is no denying that I am not your typical 33 year old girl. I'm not trendy, nor am I worried about fulfilling some expected social roles (stay-at-home mom, soccer mom, trendy/fit mom).... I am just me. I love old stuff and most of my friends in this town could be my mother ~ if age really counted. (Good thing it doesn't!) When I heard this song, I just wanted to cry because I truly am my grandmother's grandaughter, and this song reminded me that I shouldn't be anything else!

If you're not familiar with the lyrics, here they are:

i am rosemary's grandaughter, spinning image of my father, and when the day is done my momma's still my biggest fan. sometimes I am foolish and I am clumsy, but I have friends that love me, and they know just where i stand. it is all apart of me and that is who i am.

So let me tell you a little big about Marjorie. My grandma Steinberger was a mere 4'11" and was always on a diet, though she wore a skinny size 10. Her hobbies were housekeeping and shopping. On any given Saturday or Sunday, you could find my grandpa sitting in the middle of Westroads tending her bags while he worked a crossword puzzle. She was very prim and proper. She owned closets full of clothes and wore stiletto heels. She organized her closets by types of clothing, and then by color. She did not own a pair of jeans, and while we often saw her in her pj's at night, we never saw her bed unmade. She rose with the sun to clean her floors and prepare for the day. She was stern and made us behave; however, we never really figured that out until we were older. She would make us dance with her in the living room to Lawrence Welk, because Grandpa wouldn't. This was before we would head off to Sat. evening mass and then out to dinner for prime rib. She taught us how to behave in a restaurant, and rewarded us with her pride when we complied. She played canasta with a group of ladies, and would come over every Wed. night to sit with us in case my dad would get called in to the hospital while my mom taught Lamaze. She taught us that you only talk during the commercials when Dallas, Dynasty, and Falcon Crest are on. She also let us hang up our Grandpa's socks from a nylon clothes line in the living room, and we never visited without making instant pudding (which was not eaten a minute before the 5 minutes were up). My grandma was a fighter, spunky, small but mighty. She has been gone for almost 15 years due to breast cancer. It breaks my heart that she is not here to see my babies, because she would have loved them so much! In July of 1994, an old woman sat with my grandpa and I at the funeral dinner and said to me, " You will be the next Marjorie." There is nothing I would rather be!