HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I want to take this time to send a blessing to all my friends and family. We have been blessed with good times, good health and lots of love. I want to send that all to you also. I know I have been scarce the last couple of weeks but you all have been in my thoughts and prayers.

Peace to you all and my you all have a Blessed and Prosperous New Year.

Merry Christmas

I wanted to put a little piece of my family out there to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas. ENJOY!!! Click on the link to see what you've been waiting for.

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GETTING IN THE SPIRIT

I still don't have a pic of my tree, maybe tomorrow....

Just wanted to let you in on a little bit (the exciting part) of my week. Elijah had his band/choral concert Mon. evening and Naomi had a field trip to the fire station Tue. The rest of the week was work. Both were AWESOME. I really enjoyed the music Mon. night, everyone did such a great job. We got there a hour and fifteen minutes early to get a good seat. It was worth every minute of it (plus, I am sticking with my arrive early motto). Elijah had improved so much this year, I love to watch him perform. You can tell he is really putting forth the effort.

The fire station was great because the guys acted like they were really happy to have us. They took their time and showed us EVERYTHING! They opened every door, every compartment, answered every question with a smile, and patience. The kids acted great, not perfect, but who would expect a group that young to be perfect??!! Naomi even had to tell one of the firemen about when the stove caught fire. Just when you let these things go to the back of your mind, you have kids that won't let it die.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day. The sun was shining, temps were in the low 70's, I was happy!
They even let EVERY kid have a turn at spraying the hose! Of course I didn't get a pic of every kid, but I did have to get one of mine. She got wild with it, spraying in circles. He didn't know who he was giving it to, did he?
No field trip would be complete without food. The girls hamming it up for me.
Making cookies with our friends. Since we rarely get to have friends over Naomi was a little excited. And we all know what happens when kids get excited, some one usually ends up getting hurt. In this case it was Naomi. She ran into the broiler pan as I was taking it to the bar, ouch! She is OK, just in pain for a few days. One day she'll learn.
Before the finishing touches. We had a great time, it so nice to have friends to share them with!

You need to over look the poor video camera action. Shut your eyes and listen to the music, open them every once in a while to get a look at Elijah. It was a beautiful, wonderful night.

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IS ANY ONE LOOKING TO DO A GOOD DEED?

While looking through www.craigslist.org this morning I saw some really interesting things. We had been ask at school to help with some families recently so I thought I would brows and see what these sites had to offer, if anything.

What I did come up with was a request from a woman with ailing parents who wants to make their Christmas special. All she was asking for was Christmas cards. So I thought it might be a good idea to spread the word a little farther. So, any of you who might want to add one more to the list I'm sure they would be thrilled. It's the little things that make a difference.

Donald and Betty Coleman
704 Seattle Dr.
Lexington, Ky. 40503

FLASHBACK

I guess you can tell I'm not quite in the Christmas spirit, yet. My plan was to get the tree up last weekend. With the sudden change of plans, I will try for this weekend! Having the tree up always gets me excited. I love looking at all our special ornaments and seeing the lights. Until then, I thought I would catch up on the resent past. Halloween! These were taken at out Church/School, they have a night for Trunk or Treat. We were there only for a short time, but it was fun and nice to see so many of our friends. The rock star and her buddy.
Elijah's best friend Dad, cousin and brother. They were funny!
Rock star and youth minister, aka Fred Flinstone.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM !!

AHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh... le lu ya! its your birthday! Happy Birthday MOM! Hope you have a great one! Love,

Kathy

DISGUSTING!!!!

I am beginning to wonder what's going on. Am I not living life right?! We had termites this spring and now, I found LICE in Naomi's hair this weekend!!!!!!

THIS has to be the most frustrating and disgusting thing. We spent hours and hours on her. First I started off with a super hot flat iron, it seemed to work great on the adults but once I started looking she had a lot of nits too. I tried the iron on those too, but some of them were too close to her scalp. I really didn't want to use the pesticide on her but after hours of picking and burning I felt like we really didn't have a choice. In total, I think we spent 7 hours yesterday and 4 hours today picking nits. It's not that she had that many, it's just when you thought you had them all, you found one more!

I will say a positive thing about private school here, I DID have a class list with all of the phone numbers on it. I chose to call everyone yesterday to give them a heads up and ask them to check their child. Most everyone was really nice and understanding. Not the call I wanted to give, I just want to take care of it as quickly as possible.

So, if you are like me and have never seen one of these babies, click on the pic for a more disgusting look at what we dealt with this weekend, yuck! She has no idea what is really going on. She just wants to be her silly self and have fun. This was no fun for any of us.
She doesn't look like she's been picked on for hours.
SAY A PRAYER THAT WE GOT THEM ALL, AND NO ONE ELSE GETS THEM EITHER.
Sorry for the gross downer today, I knew you all would want me to share.

THE CHALLENGES I FACE

This is it. Trying to get dinner ready after running around like a made woman, before a late night meeting. Elijah comes out with this look. It's the whole package, from the hat to the shoes. He suggests that I put this on our Christmas card. I told him I had my doubts but I could at least put it on the Internet. Oh, and I offered to make cards for his friends. Notice Naomi in the background. What do you think she is thinking?! And Levi, never to be out done comes with his look. He doesn't have ALL the accessories, but he does have the moves. He thought he wanted to wear boxers until I put them for him to wear "for real" then he says they need to be tighter. Live and learn, live and learn.
With dinner almost ready (I don't know how), Naomi comes with HER look. Thankfully she had a different idea with the same moves. How can three kids be so different but so much the same?
We had a nice dinner with a little pre-dinner entertainment, and I made it to my meeting on time! Oh, what a life I lead.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S FRIDAY

WOW!!! This week has flown by. I truly thought I would have a moment to blog, but with work and lots of running around with things to do, this is the first moment I have had. And I really should be doing the dishes, but they can wait. The kids are playing quietly and Joe is at an appointment, so this is it.

I want to start by saying Mom got to share most of the good pics from thanksgiving. Which is fine. I just want to add a story to a couple of them. The story is about the Shrek hat and the tiara. Molly ask my Dad to get up early Thurs. morning to stand in line for a w ii. Since apparently I feel the need to be tortured I volunteered to go with him. We set our alarms for 5:15 in hopes of getting there at 5:30. The only catch was my cell phone was not set to auto update, so I was a hour early. I didn't notice until I had already woke Dad up, sorry! At least we got an early start!! Not quite early enough. We were #18 and #19 in line and only 8 in the store. Of course not all of those in front of us wanted the w ii, and we didn't know for sure how many they had so we stayed our course. That's were the accessories come in. Around 5 one of the store employees comes out asking if any one wants a hat. It is freezing outside so most of us say yes, then she shows us what it is. How could we resist??!! One lady used hers as a face shield, I'm telling you, it was COLD. Then the same lady comes out with the tiara. Those were not as popular but we all know with my princess, you can never have too many tiaras! And, there were plenty to share with the nieces. So we ended up empty handed on the w ii, but we got to have some fun.

Friday we didn't start out as early but we got all the deals we wanted, and then some. The only way to do that day is as a team! It makes it fun (if you can believe the madness is fun) and a lot more productive. Larry was a big help as usual, and McKenzie entertained us by throwing up in the middle of the mall (in a trash can, of course). McKenzie is pregnant, and anyone that has ever been that way can appreciate the sudden wave of nausea and a trash can.

We got to spend lots of time with the family, which was wonderful. I wish all our visits could be that long and relaxing. It seemed like we got a lot done but never in a rush.

This week has been busy, I worked my 3 days at the salon and the other days I went to Alice in Wonderland with Naomi's class and did the necessities around here. The play was entertaining and I was glad I got to go!

BACK HOME

We made it back home after a wonderful visit with my family. My sister, brother-in-law, took advantage of the BIG sales on Fri. It was wild, as every year has proven to be!! I have pictures to post and stories to tell, just not yet. Time for bed...it's calling me. I have a busy week ahead but will certainly have time to blog later.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope everyone has a blessed day. I hope you get to spend time with friends and family, stay warm, enjoy the day being thankful for all the blessings that we have.

Peace and love,
Kathy

HAPPY BIRTDAY KATHERINE

Happy birthday Katherine!! She is the oldest of the three wild ones. (They're really not that wild) It just sounded cool. Any way, back to Kat. She is so cute and sweet. Being only a 14 months older than Emily she has been a really good sport. She has grown up fast and is a joy to be around. We love her to pieces!!!

SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS, besides my family

I took this pics a while back, going around my house. When I look around and see all the beauty that we have created it brings a smile to my face. I know that some people would see it as clutter (and I do sometimes when I have to dust) but the happiness outweighs that. And, I have a wonderful way of overlooking the dust to see the beauty!! Joe made this from a gourd that his mom grew. He also made the bookshelf. We used a wood burning kit and put the design in the side. It never quite got finished once we figured out the paint wouldn't dry (I'm sure it's dry now, several years later) but that's another project.
This is actually two of my creations. Inspired after a trip to Cherokee, NC. The top is a turtle rattle with crystals inside. It has silver and turquoise beading with the softest leather handle. The other is a medicine wheel. I am not completely done with it but wanted to take a break to see how I liked it so far.
This is one piece that gets a lot of attention. When I moved in I wanted something unique to go in the space between the living room and the dining room. Dad had been doing stained glass so it only seemed obvious to have that. I didn't want a particular design, so I ask him to come up with something on his own. I think he did good, really good. The other side is a rectangular piece that fits at the top. The pic I have doesn't let the light in like this one. You may see it in the future, you never know.
This a cabinet that my parents got when I was young. If my memory serves me correct, it was an antique when we got it, and they bought it over 30 years ago. So the cabinet itself is cool. You add all the other things, and it is awesome to me. The paintings Mom did, some of her earlier work. I had them on the wall for years and in a fit of rearranging thought they needed to be here. Joe did the drawings in the middle of the second shelf, and the Indians are postcards that were too cool to send. Joe and I have always liked things of past so the eyeglass collection from our family fits right in. We found the camera when my dad's mom passed away. The arrowheads and rocks we have found over the years. I love it all. It brings back memories of my loved ones and places I have been. Time that was well spent.

I had a pic of the leaf Mom had painted, but it somehow got deleted. What! I STILL don't have this thing figured out!!! When I saw it, I had to have it. As you can tell, I am really into the nature theme. Leaves and butterflies. I love it all, as anyone who has seen my house will tell you. She doesn't JUST love leaves and butterflies, she loves velvet and silk, rich textures and color. But you get my point. I love things with feeling. I am a lover of art.

It's COLD out!!!

Taking the kids to school this morning it was a whopping 29 degrees!!! And I am NOT a fan of cold weather. The saving grace here is that the sun is shinning!

THE DOORS ARE OPENING

I just wanted to show you how seriously my boy was taking this. He is standing up straight, paying attention, and looking sharp. He makes me proud.
It's hard to tell just how big this was, but it was BIG. This is for the All State Choir, something like the championship game for sports. He is in the second to last full bottom row, far left. The ask us not to record but that we would get a professional copy when they were completed. I can't wait to see it! It was BEAUTIFUL!!!

I just wanted to let you in on some recent fun we have been having. Watching Elijah spread his wings. Thanks to his good friend William, he entered choir a few years ago. Never confident enough to REALLY sing, we spent a few years watching him barely move his mouth. His teacher was always complimentary of him, we just never saw it. So, when it came time to en role in school, he said he wanted to sing in the choir. I was sceptical, but never let on because I am a believer that you can do any thing you put your mind to. And has he ever!

When I went in for the teacher conference, his teacher told me that Elijah was such an asset that if it was possible, HE would pay Elijah's tuition just to teach him. WOW!!!

At his latest concert, the one that kids from all over the state try out to be in, his former teacher came up to me and commented on how Elijah had really grown as a performer. She also said that his current teacher had been bragging on him!

The last bit of news came yesterday when after his private lesson the girl told him, if he continues to sing as well as he does, he will get a free ride to just about any college he wants to go to! I don't know if that is true, but I love the encouragement. It's one thing when mom says how good you are doing. It's totally different when the respected teachers tell him. I hope and pray he is listening and takes it to heart. This is the concert that they gave at school a few weeks ago. He is in the center, next to the girl.

This is extreamly short but the best I could get. I am hoping to get a real video camera soon.

THANK YOU PJ

I have posted before how wonderful it is to have good friends but we have a situation worth mentioning again. My dear friend PJ, (Georgia's mom) stopped by Fri night on a whim. She has never done that before but was out for the evening and thought enough about us that she thought she would stop by. It has been a long time since I have had a friend do that. It seem everyone is sooo busy that everything needs to be scheduled. I try not to live my life like that. I do what I have to, and granted as you know, times can be busy but for the most part we just like to hang. So, with my SIL on the way, dinner finished, we were just chillin. This is where I think things are just meant to be. In stop PJ and Greg, Mary Grace arrives and I introduce them. Before they leave PJ says, "Stop by the store, we are having a $5 sale that could end at any moment." I said thanks and they left and kinda forgot about it.

Now, I am not a big shopper but I love a good bargain. We had invited Georgia over to play the next day so when she showed up I thought to myself we need to check out that sale. Mary Grace has decided to take a job as a substitute teacher and is in desperate need of new clothes. The catch is like the rest of us short on cash. She had already decided she wanted a new hairstyle so some clothes would be nice. We thought if we could find an outfit or two we would be doing good. What an understatement! We left the store with $2322.46 worth of clothes!!!! PJ was the best!!!!!! We got in there and started looking around but quickly decided to ask for her help since she knew her merchandise. We left there with 5 skirts, 4 pairs of pants, 13 shirts, 1 vest and 1 jacket. Oh, and 4 pairs of shoes. They cost a little more than $5 but not much, and they were good quality versatile shoes. So we took our load, hugged PJ and left. I said I felt like one of those people that get a rush out of shopping! And Mary was on cloud 9!!!!!!!!!

All that was left was the new do. Get ready for the before and after because here she is.....

THANK YOU PJ, YOUR THE BEST!!!!
Does she LOOK happy???!!!!!
Possible outfit combinations.
Before
After, hubba hubba.

BIRTHDAYS ALL AROUND!

Happy Birthday Joe! I don't have words enough to describe how wonderful this man is. He has brought so much joy to my life. He supports me in every way and is more than willing to listen and act on my suggestions. (Not that I boss him around, or try to think for him). Just that he respects me and my ideas and is willing to hear me out. What's not to love about that?!

He loves God, our kids, family, art, and sooo much more! He's smart, handsome and strong. I feel so blessed to have him in my life and am thankful for the day he was born.

It's his day today, and he has chosen to feed the needy and then go use his skill to re landscape the parish priests' yard. That's what I'm talking about. He is just that wonderful! Nuff said!!!

Birthday boy, Christopher!!!!
This was made a year ago and he has grown oodles since then. He is a great kid! Shy at first but warms up quick and is a joy to be around. I have seen him walk with a strut, feeling good and seen him so mad that he turns his back and won't speak. Both of which make me laugh. He is a joy to be around and we are happy to be celebrating his BIG day with him!

THE COUSINS ARE COMING!!!!

I'M HERE TO PLEASE

Elijah was sick yesterday with a sore throat so I thought Chicken and Dumplings might speed up the healing process. I called Joe to ask him what he might want for dinner knowing that I already had it planned but wanting to hear what he was in the mood for. His response was, "candlelight, a little wine, something good." So I had my plan. When the kids saw the candles and wine glasses they went wild! We had a great dinner with lots of ambiance, so you know we HAD to take a picture! Not shown here, but we had delicious cheesecake for desert. YUM.

TIP FOR THE DAY

With the gas prices going up, I thought I would tell you about a web-site that I found. I have heard about these in the past but now need to take a serious look before I fill up. At http://www.automotive.com/ they have the states listed. Once you click on your state you can look up the county. There was not much difference between stations where I live but O'boro had a $.20 difference. Worth checking out I thought!

MISSING YOU, and you, and you, and you too!

These are some pics from some recent good times. I had tried to post the ones from Atlanta a while back but there was always an error that came up. They are too cute to pass up so I thought I would try one last time! And, of course, it went very well with my title. I DO miss each and everyone of you! I love the good times that we get to spend together. They all seem WAY to short and never often enough. Here's to the good times, may there be many more get togethers in our future!! Meme reading the book that Gayle sent for Naomi. Thank you Gayle, she loves it and was able to bring it to school to share with her class. Thank you Meme for taking the time to read to my girl, she loves it (even though she was faking sleep).
Now you know it's true. My kids flip when the grandparents come to visit! We can hardly contain Pop (he looks like the ring leader). Having a birthday doesn't mean he can't do all the tricks he used to. Way to stay fit, Pop!

This is in the rain forest in Atlanta. Because of the water shortage some things were dried up but the garden was sooo beautiful. Always the one to be ready for camera. Levi pretends to take a plunge. (Looking back at the pics Joe says, "WHAT is HE doing??!!"
Our little family. I love this girl to pieces! Her honey is great too, a good sport to put up with my wild ones!
OK, maybe too much of a good sport. Here Steven is, encouraging the wildness.
Proud of the results, we can go in.
Unable to ruin his reputation, Elijah will not bring himself to act like a monkey. Never the less, he is unable to resist the bars! Show off!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

This is just a little bit of our night. As usual, we are in a rush to get out the door. Elijah is going trick or treating for can goods with the church group and Levi and Naomi are off to meet Georgia and her parents. Our groups pretty scary, huh?! We haven't ask Georgia what she was going to be, so it is a surprise when we pull up and see the glamor witch.
Little did we know the family was going to get in on it! Joe and I have dressed up in the past but with little time and the thought of being cold, I passed (with no regrets).
A scary bunch! Had to get a picture with their pumpkins.
The guys couldn't stand it. They wanted a piece of the action and couldn't wait to get it!!!
I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A SAFE AND CANDY FILLED NIGHT. PEACE AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!

SOMETHING YOU DON'T SEE EVERYDAY

These pics are from our trip to Atlanta. They are all taken in the rain forest area. It was soooo cool! Just what I thought a rain forest would look like minus the animals. They had some frogs in a terrarium before we went in and some turtles in this area but the really cool part was the flowers. We walked around saying, "look at this, wow, look at this..." you get the picture. Joe was in charge of the camera so I was saying on top of "look at this, take a picture of this and this". So many beautiful things, we couldn't capture it all! Anybody need an organ?
This one caught my eye.
I love orchids!
Fascinating!!!
Just had to. It was in the terrarium just hanging around. I thought it was fake until I saw it breathing! So cool.