Snowstorm

Rain and sleet were falling as we came out of church this morning. Haven't seen that in awhile. It has been unusually warm for Iowa this winter. But the rain and sleet soon added snow and by late afternoon we have a couple of inches. We had plans to go out of town for New Year's Eve but the weather continued to get worse. Winds of up to 35 mph were causing blowing and drifting snow so we had to cancel our plans. :0( We enjoyed a quiet evening at home.

Closing 2006!

I had to go in to work today to close the books for 2006 and set up for 2007. With no kids there and my boss away on a Christmas vacation, it was quiet in an almost erie sense. So I turned on some tunes and set to work. I accomplished a lot and it felt great to get stuff done.

North Grand in Ames

My husband and I went to Ames today. We shopped, we visited Sam's Club, ate at a new restaurant, Okoboji Grill, and took in the movie, "Facing the Giants." The movie was a terrific christian film with an important message. There may be giants that we are all facing but God is head of the "overcomers" club and will help you face those giants head on! I cried and rejoiced with the film's family. It was great!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! and Happy Birthday Jesus! My husband's family came to our home to celebrate Christmas today! Instead of the traditional turkey or ham we all brought a hot dish, a salad, pop of choice and Christmas goodies. What a variety! We celebrated with family pictures, games, food and the wonderful fellowship of family. Thank you Jesus for family!

Christmas Break begins!

School released at 11:30 a.m. today for Christmas and New Year's holiday break. Yippee! Working at the school - it's my break too! I'm as excited as the kids are! Although they are looking forward to Christmas presents, video games, outdoor fun, etc... I am looking forward to some time to get some projects done. Scrapbooking being one of them!

My Son - the Mayor!

My son, Caleb, starred as the Mayor in the school's Christmas music program titled, "Miracle on Main Street." He was the politically correct mayor who wouldn't allow a children's live nativity on the town square. But through a series of events, his daughter changed his mind and he was touched by the kids' presentation. It was put together very well and had a great message. The kids all did a super job!

Christmas Party

The staff, teachers and school board met tonight at the home of one of our school board members for a Christmas gathering. We all brought food and enjoyed the fellowship of our co-workers and spouses. We exchanged some recipes and also got a tour of the beautiful big home we had gathered in. The punch, made of several different juices and even Mountain Dew, was one of my favorites. Slushy, just the right amount of sweetness and a great taste!

Flickr.com

My boss recently shared with me about flickr.com where you can upload photos and share the link with your family and friends. I tried it and it works great. You can load lots of pictures on there and not bog down an e-mail with trying to send them out over the great wide web. You can also purchase prints off of the site and others can too. But the best thing - the upload is FREE!

Movie - "The Nativity Story"

A must see film! This movie follows the life of Mary and Joseph from the time they met until the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. It shows the angel's visit to Mary, Joseph asking for Mary as his wife, the divine dream of Joseph's, Mary's visit to Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist, the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the journey of the Magi, the Star of Bethlehem, and the vengeful rage of King Herod. This film was AWESOME! I can't wait to own it!

Free Movies!

A small community about 20 miles north of our home town, is offering a free movie every Saturday until Christmas. We took the kids and went to the first free movie today - "Ice Age 2." A cute adventurous animated film loved by all. I suppose they make money on this deal because everyone was buying up popcorn and snacks galore and the theater was close to packed out! A great family outing at little expense. Sure wish there were more of these kinds of things out there for families to do.

Is this real?

I found this awesome instrumental musical video on YouTube! Check it out - it's awesome! And yes it's REAL!

Happy Thanksgiving! & Birthday!

My family came to our home for the first time this Thanksgiving! I prepared the turkey with one of those Reynold's cooking bags. It was tender and juicy and just right! The potatoes and gravy were perfect and the whole meal experience was superb! We also celebrated my husband's birthday today complete with a 51 flaming candle salute on top of a cherry torte. He was surprised! Our family ate until full, played games, ate some more, watched the movie "RV" with Robin Williams, ate some more, visited, ate some more and eventually went home very full and happy. It was a great "TURKEY" day!!!

Turkey

My family is coming to my house this Thanksgiving and I have never fixed a turkey. HELP! We have always traveled for Thanksgiving and went to our parents home. Mom always fixed the turkey and dressing and gravy but now it's my turn. I guess instead of taking the "bull by the horns" I'll be taking the "bird by the wings" and tying on the apron strings and getting to work. Wish me luck!

First Measurable Snow!

My son, Caleb, won the snow contest at school by guessing the date of the first measurable snowfall. He won an Iowa Hawkeye hat, nice gloves and a gift certificate to Wendy's. Good guessing Caleb!

Our 24th Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated our 24th anniversary this year! We went out to eat, took in a movie and just enjoyed each other's company. Cards and a box of chocolate covered cherries completed the evening. No gifts we had decided. We are trying to save up for something special next year on our 25th! Maybe a cruise or a trip to somewhere special. After all - it's quite a landmark to reach 25 years of wedded bliss in this day and age. I love you dear!

Face Painting

This was it! "NO FEAR ZONE" held it's annual event at the Opera House. I face painted for the first time in my life and had a great time with the kids. I had made some simple templates out of vinyl sheets like a star, heart, moon, etc... and some more complicated like a rainbow, flower, or animal. The girls loved the glitter you could add to their selection and the boys loved things like footballs, robots, and cars. But the number one design for both the boys and girls was the Iowa Hawkeye emblem. Go hawks!!!

No Fear Zone

I am preparing for "No Fear Zone." An alternative Hallelujah (Halloween) party for Kindergarten through 6th grade kids. My church does this each year for the kids. There is games, prizes (many that are donated - and they're great prizes!), food, candy, skits, and more! I will be face painting for the first time in my life and I'm nervous about it. What do kids like painted on their face? Only time will tell. The excitement is building and it is one of the most talked about events coming up. Let's go and have some fun!!!

Good Buddy Day!

Today is "10-4 Good Buddy" Day! Remember the CB radio's that truckers use. When traveling with my family on trips we would listen to the CB radio and the conversations back and forth between truckers and travelers. You'd pick up lots of quick little sayings. But the favorite was "10-4 Good Buddy!" So on October the 4th (10-4) - remember your buddy and wish them a "good buddy" day!

First Love!

My son, Tyler, has his first girlfriend and is experiencing for the first time - LOVE! Oh how I remember my first love. I never understood "Love is Blind" but I sure do now! Because when you are in an infatuation type of love, there is so much you don't see that others do. He's handling it very well and responsibly. Erica is a sweetie!

My Daughter is making me Older!!!

My oldest child and only daughter turns 20 today! Each time she gets older I feel older. I can't hardly believe that I held her in my arms 20 YEARS AGO! She is such a blessing and has added so much to our lives! Happy Birthday Katie Jo!

FFH in Concert!

FFH came to my town and gave a free concert! A young girl had raised enough money in our community (I think about $10,000) to bring them in and give everyone a chance to attend. Awesome!!! It was great! I knew most of their songs and got several pictures. They have a great ministry. The sad part was that this was their last concert as they are taking a indefinite leave. Hopefully they will return one day. Their music is great!

9-1-1

As I wrote this date several times today, I couldn't help but remember the tragedy of the New York twin towers falling prey to terrorists attack. So many lives were affected that day. Whether directly or indirectly. May we never forget those that sacrificed their lives in an attempt to save others. May we never forget how we united together in prayer and reached out to those we love. May we especially never forget how God took something so horrible and turned it into something useful and wonderful to reach those he loves. God never desires for us to have pain and suffering but wants us to have life abundantly in Him.

Labor Day Fun!

Friends are awesome! Good food, fun games and great fellowship! It is always a family favorite to have company. We played the game "Mad Gab" where you have similar sounding words that make up a familiar phrase. For instance - "william air ream he" means "Will you marry me?" We also grilled hamburgers and had a hashbrown potato casserole. Mmmmm! Thank the Lord for good friends!

First Day of School

WOW! What a chaotic zoo! The school office was a buzz with parents, students, teachers and questions galore! But it was great to have everyone back. The summer is awesome at the beginning when all is quiet but I really missed everyone by the summer's end. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done but I think that is just a part of life. Many of the students grew and changed over the summer months. Mostly with tans and new hair styles. Some noticeably matured. The teachers were excited about a new year too. Welcome back!