Sometimes You Need a Good Laugh!

   After dealing with some rather stressful things lately, my husband and I just needed a good laugh last night. :)  Luckily we had just bought the dvd "Meet the Fockers" yesterday at a yard sale.  We already had "Meet the Parents" so last night we popped them in the dvd player and escaped into the craziness of the Burns and Focker families along with a few of their colorful friends thrown in for good measure.  I love curling up with my husband and laughing until it is hard to breath and our stomachs hurt.  We were up until midnight and at the end of the second movie my husband turns to me and says "We need to get the third one too!".  So now I am on the lookout for a good deal on "The Little Fockers" so that we can do a whole "Focker" marathon this Fall.  Sometimes, especially when dealing with lots of stress, you just need a good laugh!

The Quiet of the Morning

   This time of year you will find me on my back porch in the quiet of the morning.  I take my coffee, my bible and a book with me and enjoy the coolness of the morning air and have some time with God, some coffee to kick start me and read a little before I start my busy day.

 

Gemma, our very old, loving and at times cross eyed outside cat, joins me.  It is our special time together, just her and I.  The inside cats sit just on the other side of the screen door that divides us from them not at all happy at having to share me with Gemma. ;)  Since the indoor cats do not "play well with others", they are not allowed to come outside into Gemma's domain.


    I am not one of those people that wakes up bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to tackle the day ahead.  I need to my quiet time and for my morning coffee to do it's magic.  It is a rare occasion when I have to get up quickly and hit the floor running.  During the school year I will set my alarm to get me up at 5:30 a.m. so that I can have an hour to sit before I have to start getting myself ready to go.  During the Summer, I can take my time unless I have something that I need to be somewhere for in the morning.  I tend to stay up later at night now that Summer is upon us once more so I enjoy sleeping in and taking things a bit slower.   




   Well it looks like the world is waking up and starting it's day around me.  I can hear lawnmowers going, kids out playing and see people on tractors on the road on the hill behind our house.  Time to go and get myself ready for the day also. :)  Be blessed!


   

A Walk Through the Yard on this First Day of Summer

Assorted Columbine plants with some weeds and a few errant raspberry plants (that will be ripped out soon so they don't take over the flowers).

Lupine and more Columbine.

Quilt drying on the line under the shade of the Cherry tree.

Bleeding Hearts giving their last of the season performance.

Strawberry and Rhubarb patch.

Tender Bok Choi.

Assorted Organic Lettuces along with some grass that I need to pull.

Green Cherry tomatoes on the vine.

Blue Clematis climbing the trellis.

Dark Pink Clematis.

Both types of Clematis mixing together.

Last of the early purple Irises.

Some happy Shasta Daisies that seem to seed themselves all over the yard.

Prolific Mint!

Potted Geraniums.

Lemon Thyme and lots of it.  This is just one corner of the plant.

These are just a few of the many things in my garden right now.  I also have kale, raspberries, blueberries, 3 kinds of squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, spinach, beans, peppers, sunflowers and other flowers growing.  When some of them are bigger I'll give you another tour!

Cute Cousins!

Cousins Bradley and my great niece Hailey :)  Are these two not adorable?  Hailey is my niece Shannon's daughter and of course Bradley is my son Chris' little boy.  It just amazes me to see this next generation of our family together.  I remember Hailey's mommy as a little girl, then seeing her marry the man of her dreams and now seeing her and her hubby Travis as great parents. There is a 7 year age difference between these 2 cousins but I'm sure they will remain great buddies!  I just love my family!

                                                                                                                        

Bradley at Three Months Old!

Life is not Perfect.

   When I was a little girl I used to dream of how it would be when I got married to my prince charming.  I believed with all my heart that I would live that fairy tale life; you know the one, cute little house, white picket fence, 2.3 kids, dog, cat and everyone would get along and life would be perfect. ;)  Well I married my prince charming who far exceeded all my expectations, had 3 sons who showed us that parenting was not for cowards ;) and grew up to be awesome young men, have had several dogs and many cats over the years and I live in a cute little house that is always in the middle of some kind of renovation project because my wonderful husband just wants to make it more cozy and bless me.  I love that man! :D    I don't however have the white picket fence, life is not perfect and I have learned that people in families don't always get along.
   My husband and I raised our children to always be there for one another and tried to model that behavior for them, no matter how difficult it might be.  We stressed to them that one day we would not be around and all they would have left in life is each other and their own wife and children.  We tried to instill in them that family is forever.  I have faith that they will be because unfortunately they have seen the hurt and destruction that comes from family that turns their backs on each other.  They and we do not want that for them.   
   

Cat Thoughts

Back away slowly and no one will get hurt!

Two and a Half Days of School Left and Busy, Busy, Busy!

We are entering the home stretch....school will be out in 2 1/2 days!  Taking over for someone at the end of the school year is not an easy thing to do but I am blessed that I work in a great school district and have lots of support from the staff and the students.  :)  This week has been a very busy one and I am dead tired but hanging in there.  Tonight my hubby and I hot tubbed and tomorrow we are going to a wedding and then staying the night in a hotel so we don't have to drive home.  One of my sons is going to stay here at the house with the cats that night. :)  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be spent finishing up things at school, special events, picnics, assemblies and then getting the room cleaned up and shut down for the Summer.  My niece and her family arrive the next day for a visit so there is lots to be done at home as well.  Praying I can get it all done because a week after my niece leaves we head down to Boise for my son Josh and his wife's big wedding (they got married at the courthouse in March so she could go back to Germany with him and are now having a big wedding).  They will return back up here with us and a few days later we will have a reception and BBQ for them here.  My parents and one of my brothers and his family are all coming for that.  I can't wait to see everyone!  I'm sure when everyone leaves that I will collapse for a few days before we go to another wedding that following weekend. ;)

Busy Being a Second Grade Teacher

Our school district hired 2 lovely young women this year to teach in our elementary and high school.  Both these young women found out they were expecting babies near the end of the school year soon after they had been hired.  Yesterday was the last day for our second grade teacher who I took over for so she could be home with her newly born (TODAY) baby for the remainder of the school year.  Today was the last day for the high school teacher.  She will be having her baby on Monday (if not sooner) and there is another lovely young woman who is taking her class for the rest of the year.

Being that it is near the end of the year with just one and a half weeks left, the kids are at the end of their ropes and just want out.  The teachers are also right there with the kids and are looking forward to a nice break this Summer.  Basically, we have 1 week left to make sure we get everything covered that needs to be covered for this year.  I know these kids well as I have spent lots of time with them over the past few years and I really do love them.  I am praying that we can all hang in there for just a little while longer and try to concentrate. ;)