90 - Out

Like a lamb! Goodbye March, you were wonderful (minus some medical issues). I am eagerly anticipating April.

89 - Layers

Like an onion. Hopefully I will get better soon, think I haven't been cooking lately?

88 - Down

and out. I slipped a disk sometime over the weekend and have been flat on my back for the past few days so I have had plenty of time to goof with photoshop. Here is the freaky result of too many meds and too much time on my hands.

87 - Last Gift

I didn't have a pic of my final birthday gift until a few days ago. Here is the reason we have had more pancakes lately...

86 - Date Night

Last night was date night with Mr. Incredible. We went downtown and watched a local band we really like. The venue was about the size of a small box, smokey and LOUD! BUT a good time was had by all.

85 - RWARRRR

Because the sun is out. Because I got to spend the day with the honey. Because I am in a goofy mood. Just Because.........

I present to you.....

Homey, the fierce kitchen protector

MWAAHAAHAA!!!

84 - Tony

I will be honest with you, my post has NOTHING to do with the picture I took today. Yes, I can be a bit random. But today is a very special day. On this day, 18 years ago, my nephew was born. I know I am SUPPOSED to say he is a good kid and all because I am his aunt, but really, he IS a great kid. I am so proud of the guy he has turned into. Tonight he celebrated at Incredible Pizza and he wanted his younger cousins there with him. He sooo didn't have to invite them, he had all his friends there, I mean what 18yo wants his little cousins at his party? Well they went and had a great time.  I, being the big loser aunt that I am, FORGOT MY CAMERA! Yes, me, of all people, do not have one.single.picture of this occasion! So you will just have to trust me when I say they had fun, his friends are hilarious, and I am sure the boys will be on a sugar high that will last until tomorrow sometime.

Here is a pic of the big guy from last year (the girl is his ADORABLE girlfriend)....

AND finally here is my pic from today, I promise I will stop with the funky tree pics, I can't help it, I'm addicted, step away from the tree branches Brenda, step away!

83 - Gift

For my birthday, my mom and dad gave me cold, hard cash with the understanding that I would NOT spend it on the boys, bills, or taking the family out to eat. This forced me to use the money on things I have wanted for awhile, but would not splurge on for myself. I had so much fun shopping for these things!

This wonderful item is a 12" Lodge cast iron skillet, I have drooled over one for YEARS, but was too cheap to drop the money to buy it. Tonight we had Chicken Stroghonof (sp?) and it was WONDERFUL!

This little beauty is a pasta maker. I really do like making my own pasta, but it is SUCH a pain to roll it out and then cut it by hand. I LOVE THIS THING, and yes, I WOULD marry it, but I already have Mr. Incredible, LOL. There few things more satisfying than sitting down and eating a bowl of pasta you made yourself.

82 - First Game

It's official, spring is here, I just went to the first baseball game of the season. Several observations as I attended my first high school game:

1 - They are LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGG. No more time limits, 7 innings no matter how long that takes, in this case 3.5 hours....THREE AND A HALF!!!!!

2 - With no names on the jerseys, I can't tell ANYONE apart, must make a cheat sheet

3 - Just because they are in HS, doesn't mean they can get away with showboating, fundamentals are STILL important. A lesson they ALL learned today.

4 - They listen to the coach. If he says "run" you run, if he says "stop" you stop, if he says "turn around three times and pat your belly", you do just that. :0)

5 - The bleachers are still hard

BTW - It was a Bulldog victory!!!!! WOOT WOOT!

81 - Handsome

He is quickly becoming part of the family and routine. He has found his favorite spots to sleep, watch the birds and when to beg for food. The dogs have gotten over the jealousy and now all three play together. Lucy-Fur and SJC (Smokey Joe Cool) actually wrestle all over the place. (great, more wrestling, I live in an episode of WWF) Hoping to catch it on video soon, it is HI.LAR.I.OUS!

80 - Hello Beautiful

79 - A River Runs Through It

Well, not really a river, more like a creek, but the point is....the water is running, making wonderful babbling noise in the evening when we sit on our patio. In other words....it is no longer frozen.

78 - They're BAAACCCKKK!!!

Really, no words are needed here :0)

77 - Mailbox

Have I mentioned I love my neighbors? Oh yeah, I have....well, one more of the many reasons I love them is that the Mrs. makes sure I know what season it is by keeping the flowers in her mailbox up-to-date. These are the ones that greeted me this week.

76 - Luck O' The Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

75 - Scattered

This is how my life feels at times...scattered. With all the hats I try to wear (mother, wife, daughter, friend, employee) I sometimes forget where I was, where I am going, and where I am headed. Thankfully that is usually when someone I love steps in, soothes my soul and lets me know it's going to be okay.

74 - Introducing

Smokey Joe Cool...The newest member of the mob.

73 - Treasure

What kind of treasure does our fort hold?

72 - Goodbye 30

You were good to me. I have to say that you were the best decade I have had in awhile.

The first one was pretty darn good. I got to experience it at a time when kids still got to be kids. You could roam the neighborhood and walk to school without fear. I have very few complaints for that decade.

 The next one, however, there is no amount of money that could make me go back and do it. It wasn’t a complete bust, there were bright moments, but over-all, teenage angst irritated me even when I was the one teenage angsting (TOTALLY made up word!) Now I have a teen, and two more coming up quickly, I feel for them. I really do believe that as hard as it was for me, it is now even harder for them. I wonder when this cycle will run itself out. Every generation has a little bit harder time until….what? How hard can it get? When do we cry “ENOUGH!”?

Oh the twenty’s, where do I start? I can say that the darkest times of my life happened here. Times I am not proud of, times I would just assume forget. BUT, it also held some of the most amazing events of my life, events that just can’t be topped. The birth of my three sons, meeting and marrying Mr. Incredible, all high points that remain forever etched in my memory. These are the moments that made the darkness worth it.

I hated turning thirty. And when I say hate, I mean H.A.T.E! I really thought that by thirty you were supposed to have life figured out and were supposed to feel like a “grown-up”, and I just wasn’t there yet. I for sure didn’t have ANYTHING figured out and I still had moments when I wondered who was in charge around here. But as I settled in, I found thirty to be an amazing time. I started to get comfortable in my skin, recognize that it was okay that I didn’t have all the answers, and know for sure that I was definitely NOT in charge around here! It was like I took a deep breath and a weight was lifted off my shoulders. There were still hard times, but for the first time in my life, I learned that it was okay that I didn’t have the answers. And the best part was when I learned to give myself a break, I also learned to give everyone around me a break. Yes, thirty was good to me, thank you for being kind and gentle. I will remember you fondly.

71 - Tough Guy

Spring Break is here and we are going to celebrate by.......

missing a class party due to fever :0(

I am #3's room mom, so when I went up to school for the party (a board game bash complete with pizza and soda) I was greeted by this tough guy who "just doesn't feel right". He tends to be a bit on the dramatic side, so I sent him to the nurse to get it out of his system and she came back with the news he would not be allowed back to the classroom due to his 100.5 temp. Thankfully, there were plenty of parents to take over and we are now home baking cookies.

70 - Fort

I have no fears of invasion. If anyone tries, we can all go hide out in the kids fort they built behind the house. Oh to be young again :0)

69 - How It Should Be

I really wanted a picture today that showed my overwhelming joy that we are having our first sunny and 70 degree day today. I know the cold weather is not gone, but this, THIS is just plain good for my soul. I didn't want to bore you with another budding plant pic, so you get this...

#2 sitting outside doing his homework...outside, did you catch that...OUT.SIDE!!!!!
(you also get to see Lucy-Fur watching him from the window. She's all, "hey, whatcha doin, how come I can't be out there"

68 - Tired Yet?

Are you getting tired of my little green shoots yet? I promise I will quit soon, but I just can't help but be excited by them!

67 - Good Morning

This has been the longest, dreariest winter I can remember. It started in October with rain that didn’t let up until late December when it decided to change to snow. I am pretty sure God knew what he was doing when he made February only 28 days, he knew we just couldn’t take any more than that. I am sorry all those that have birthdays/anniversaries during this month, I know those are happy occasions, but you do realize that you are special people because those are the only things that make the entire month worth it to the rest of the world. We usually get one big snow fall in the middle of February. It is Winter’s last grasp at my heart threatening to pull me down with it, but I know that March is on the way. March is like Spring’s alarm clock going off. In March, Spring rolls out of bed, grabs her cup of coffee, gets a little stretch and is fully prepared when April comes to do full on battle to anything that dares get in her way. In March, Spring turns on her light so she can start getting dressed. It hasn’t quite warmed up yet, but she kicks up the heat so the world can begin to thaw out. I don’t know when it happened, but I realize that Spring is my favorite season. When I was in school, it was obviously Summer. But Spring, ahhh Spring, you bring me hope, love, and peace.

66 - WOOHOO!

Meet one of the newest members of the Bulldog freshman baseball team! There is a post coming soon about this, but I need some time to myself to write it. So for now you get a pic, not a great pic, but a pic none-the-less!

65 - Old Friend

This is not a new pic, I did have my camera out today, and I might post some more later, but for now I want to post of my precious kitty Dutchess. Pioneer Woman is having a Cat Photo contest and this is one of the ones I entered.

miss her :0(

64 - Weird

Am I the only one, or does anyone else think it is weird that all these leaves stayed on the tree this winter?

63 - Wheat

or weed, does it matter? Whatever it is, it is a left-over from the summer!

62 - What A Croc

One of the beautiful things about being married for some time is that you have someone around that "gets" you and chooses to love you anyway. I must admit that I am not usually the most pleasant person to be around this time of year. I moan and gripe about the weather, the kids, the house, ANYTHING I can possible think of to moan and gripe about. Mr. Incredible gets this about me and still hangs with me year after year. So the other night I had a revelation about my feet. Since I quit working at the school, I have not only taken to wearing jeans and hoodies EVERY day; I have also taken to wearing crocs or flip-flops EVERY day. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE shoes, cute shoes, fancy shoes, shoes make me happy, BUT to wear said shoes you also have to wear grown-up clothes. See previous sentence....this just doesn't happen often. Every once in a while, I will feel froggy and put on big girl clothes and wear happy shoes, like last Saturday when we went to Trivia Night. That night, however, my feet, my toes in particular, were sore. WHAT? My shoe size has not changed, I didn't wear some crazy high heel, but alas, my feet hurt from my toes being all squished up in them anyway. I had a laugh and told the honey about it and didn't think about it again...UNTIL....Last night he came home and told me we were going to the store. I thought "going to the store" was code for "lets ditch the boys and go get ice cream" so I happily went along. Turns out we really went to the store and he got me these....

He told me he knew I was down about winter and thought I could use some new "Spring" shoes to lift my spirits. You know what? It worked, there is nothing like a good pair of ugly, comfortable shoes :0)

61 - Precious

As valuble to me as gold - the sun made an showing today and gave me hope.

60 - Goodbye February

I shall not miss you. I need sun, I need green, I need spring. March don't let me down.