New Pics of my girl

This is a picture of her extended trio taken by the Forest Lake Times photographer. She is the one in the front. You can read the entire local story here. They took 5th at state as a team. They had hoped to do better, but I am pleased with her progress.

In other news, school is almost over and I am dragging along like the kids. Eli is having fun playing outfield in baseball and he seems to get a hit almost every time at bat. I just wish that the weather would cooperate. We wore our winter jackets yesterday to watch him play - the temp was 50 with a 10mph north wind. He won so I guess it was worth it!

Thanks for reading! Blessings

Friday Fave Five # 36

As always, I do not regularly post on Fave Fridays, so my list is not just for this week. I love reading the posts so here is my list. Thanks Susanne for hosting this.

1) Synchronized Swimming: I suppose I would not be such a fan if my daughter had not taken up the sport and excelled in it. I want to direct you to this post to see her duet from this year. I am just always amazed!

2) Planting flowers: I have never really been much of a gardener, but it has been such a joy planting my annuals and just digging in the dirt. The tomatos and peppers are in the garden and I finally made a path in my strawberry patch. I back hurt a little from leaning over, but it was all worth it.

3) New Candles: Yes, it is summer time and candles are usually a winter thing, but my friend had a candle party and I ordered the "mystery candle" box. It was kind of fun seeing what kind of scents came in the bargain box.

4) Good Health: My husband and I both teach and we are grateful that we are healthy. With this new flu virus going around, it seems like we are exposed to it all. The kids seem to be healthy as well. I can't wait to air the house out a little bit.

5) God's Provision: I know that this seems so general. I have really felt thankful for God giving me the talent to teach and work and raise my family. I know so many people are struggling financially and I am grateful to be working. It isn't what I have done, but God blessing me. I am praying that I may use the things He gave me to bless others.

I think that is all for now.

Blessings

Synchro 2009

I will let the video speak for itself. My daughter is totally amazing! I am so incredibly proud of her. Sections is in two weeks and then onto state. Go Charity!

Rotary Dial Phone

This was an interesting moment for me last week.

The payphone - I know, hard to come by as is - at our community pool is a rotary dial phone. My son was playing with it as I was waiting for his sister after a synchro meet last week. He asked me how it worked. I was astonished at the fact that he would not know how it worked - yet, when would my 9 year old have ever used one? I only had one as a kid and then had touch tone as a teen when I really used the phone. Remember those long curly cords that stretched for miles? You could never lose the phone - just follow the cord!

Anyway, I stopped and showed him how you put your finger into the hole with the number you want and then push it to the metal stop and let go. He heard the clicking on the phone as it spun back to it's original spot. The boy can send a text message but is baffled by a rotary phone. It was just one of those generation moments that I didn't think would happen until I was much older.

It was an aha moment that I needed to share with all of you!

Blessings

Time Flies

I cannot believe that it has been almost a month since I last posted. Work and family have just overtaken my life. This has been the first week that I have actually been home to make dinner all week. We have been eating in shifts and often fast food - that has not helped my diet. My husband is down 15 pounds and I am just stuck at 10. It just isn't fair - besides the monthly cycle caused unusual urges for chocolate! Not fair at all!

List of things I have been doing

1) Work: creating a new unit for my classes has caused me to have less time for blogging

2) Daughter: Need I say more. Carting her from her to there for synchro practice and an occasional party. Volunteering to coordinate concessions for the big section meet in May. I must not have enough to do. Ha!

3) Birthday: I had my 40th birthday on March 28. Did some celebrating. My husband took me to a "romantic" dinner - (read alone without the kids). It was a great italian place with fancy glasses with no straws. He even had a coupon - my husband is so amazing that way.

4) Chores: the normal stuff that keeps us women busy, shopping, laundry, etc.

5) Husband: Keeping him busy - he had spring break last week. I will hire out the best window washer and odd jobs doer ever! He raked the whole yard and set up the trampoline. Our ideas of vacation definitely differ.

6) Playing the Wii with my son. We have this roller coaster game that he really likes. It has been fun spending time with him.

7) Reading: I have been re-reading the Little House on the Prairie Books and decided that I am just too lazy to have been a pioneer woman. My family would have starved. Life was more simple - but busy all the time.

That is all that I can think of for now. Must go plan my summer vacation - we are down to 41 days - but who is counting!

Blessings

"Spring" break in Minnesota

Here are some pictures of our trip to Duluth this past weekend. We really had fun exploring the wonders of God in the winter/spring? This is Eli next to the ice shoved on the shore of Lake Superior.

This is Charity taking a picture for her "boyfriend". Notice the posing? I just couldn't help taking a picture of this moment.

Skiing in Duluth. I am not the best skier, but Eli loves it. It was a good workout for all of us. I hope that you all had a good week. I will try to post the waterpark pictures later. These are much more tropical.

Blessings

Fave Five #26

I am finally back again. Two days in a row - amazing! Join Suzanne at Living to tell the Story for this fun reflection on your week.

1) Ash Wednesday Service at Church. It is a wonderful way to reflect and have communion together. I also just feed off of the wonderful worship music. My soul is fed and ready to celebrate the resurrection of our king.

2) Snow. It is a hassle to drive in, but I love the way my yard looks after a good snowfall.

3) Music capable phone. We just got new cellphones (along with another 2 year contract!) and I picked one that is music capable. I have an old i-pod that no longer holds a charge, but I can do about the same thing with my phone now. It is such a nice thing when I am grading papers at school.

4) Snowblowers. My husband got up early and dug us out of the plow stuff so that we could go to work this morning. I am so blessed to have him take care of me - and the snowblower helps!

5) Baking cookies. Our oven has been out of commission for about a month - not a great thing in the winter months. I have been using the crockpot a lot and the stovetop burners still worked. We got it fixed last week and the first thing we made was cookies. Nothing like a chewy warm chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk to make life perfect.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the weekend.

Blessings

Obsessive

Okay, when I first started blogging, I was totally obsessive about it. I would check my blog 3 or 4 times a day. Now, I am lucky if I check it once a week and make an entry. I wonder about that character flaw. Why do I latch onto something and obsess about it, then eventually I get bored and move on to something new? Strange - very strange.

I still follow a couple peoples blogs, but it did not have the connection power that I thought that it would. Maybe because I haven't kept mine up or but in the effort to connect with others. I guess that it is mostly an electronic journal for me. Does it really matter if anyone else reads it? It use to. I want it available for those that are involved in my life.

I have been obsessing with FaceBook lately. The novelty of that is also wearing off. I also can't get access to it at work - so less time to be obsessive. I am too busy at home to check it often - besides, dial-up kills me! Someday - maybe high speed... Facebook is a different medium and is easier to connect with past friends. The blog does not have that search engine capability - but is used for a more personal purpose.

So, what have I been doing? Here is a list

1) Volunteering at the coffee shop at church. Nothing like making mochas.

2) My job. I am grateful that I still have one. Cuts are happening everywhere in education and I am thankful for employment.

3) Working out at the YMCA. Haven't lost weight lately, but haven't gained either. Maybe this is my optimum weight.

4) Fulfilling my volunteer duties for the swimming booster club.

5) Watching NASCAR races. It has started once again. My Sunday afternoon alone time. It looks great on the new tv.

6) Housework/Bills/Grocery shopping/cooking/etc. All the "have tos" that moms do to keep the house in one piece.

7) Synchro starts Monday - that will be something new to add to the list.

8) Figuring how to text faster. That seems to be the only way that my daughter communicates.

9) Watching taped shows like Chuck, House and Knight Rider.

10) Watching High School Musical - all three. The songs are stuck in my head forever now.

That is all I can think of for now.

Blessings

Fave Five #23

It has been a busy week. Here are some of my favorite things this week.

1) New Haircut: I got a new haircut last weekend. I am trying to update my look. Here is what it looks like now. What do you guys think?

2) Great church service last weekend. I so enjoy going to church. He talked about eternity and why God "sends people to hell". Ultimately, it is our choice isn't it? If we don't want anything to do with God an earth, why would we want to spend eternity with Him? Deep questions. He also told the story about dying early and how 1000 years is like a day in heaven - so ultimately our loved ones in heaven don't have a long time to wait for us - "see you in an hour" is our most recent phrase.

3) Talking with my son. My daughter has been busy in the evenings this week and it has given my 9 year old son a chance to talk. The girl can be so overwhelming that he won't compete for attention. It is amazing the kind of thoughts he has. Still waters run deep. He is a thinker.

4) SuperBowl Commercials. I am not a huge fan of commercials in general, but I love the ones that make me laugh. Here is a link to my favorite one. The angry eyes on Mrs. Potato head just crack me up.

5) Bread: Yes, very general, but this is one of the items that I miss. I have had to limit as I count points and lose 8 more pounds. I am down 7. Yippee!

Those are mine! Time to go see what you all liked this week.

Blessings

Facebook

Okay, I have truly been rebelling against this whole network tool. It is for the "younger" generation, like my daughter and her friends.

Well, I am here to say that I am wrong. I signed up and have connected with some past high school friends that I lost track of but actually liked. I am a little particular on who I invite as friends or let see my facebook. It is a badge of honor to have tons of friends, but what is the point if you don't talk to most of them - or never did when you where in high school together in the first place?

I am enjoying the whole adventure. It is much different than blogging and much easier to find people that you might know. I am trying to not be too obsessive about it - it is such my personality to check it all the time. Luckily, we can not access it at school - I can only imagine what I would not get done.

My daughter has denied me as a friend - what does that tell you? She just does not want me snooping in her business. I will allow her the privacy for now and just enjoy discovering my friends from the past. Who needs those teenagers anyway?

Enjoy the week - I will be over at Facebook now.

Fave Five #21

I so enjoy these when I get the time. I am just listing some highlights and favorites. Please join Suzanne and others for this fun activity.

1) Cut the Cheese: This was the topic of my 9 year old sons mid-week church group. Apparently, my son was not quite sure what it meant when the leader (yes, the leader) said that he did this. It is a group of 9 year old boys. You can imagine as well as I can the laughter that followed. I can't say that this is what I want him learning at church - but what do you do? They are bonding and somehow learning scripture at the same time - nothing wrong with that.

2) Non-scientific theory: I am conducting a non-scientific study - I guess that you could call it profiling - of my students. It seems that there is a correlation between a boys GPA and the height of his pants. I have found that many of my "low pant" students are under acheivers. Why is that? Is is a pre-requisite? Don't know, just an observation.

3) Unexpected school days off: We had last Thursday and Friday off from school for "COLD" not snow. The actual temperature in the morning was -23 degrees farenheit. This is very cold, but I was not expecting the phone call the canceled school for two days. We stayed warm by the fire and watched the Back to the Future Trilogy in one day. This week has been crazy at work because it was the last days of the semester, but it was worth it!

4) Weight Watcher Points: This is more a love/hate deal. We are making some food changes in our house. I don't know that I eat any less, but I am learning to eat differently. The things that I love have tons of points, so now I just save up for them (bread for example - one slice is two points - and I should only have about 20 points a day!) I am trying to be more healthy, not necessarily lose weight. I am down 5 lbs for now with 10 more to go.

5) Healed foot for Eli: Eli pulled the muscle in the arch of his foot last week after skiing. He took two days off school by Dr. order to rest it and let the strain heal. That means that he was in school 1 day last week! He is on the mend and he is walking almost normal now. We are going to hold off another week on skiing. Praise God for this.

I think that is all from my corner of the world. We are buckling down for another cold spell, I hope that I have some good books and movies in the house.

Blessings

Random stuff

Okay, I moaned and whined about the washer...It turns out that we were unresponsible and purchased the 42 inch widescreen tv on sale anyway. The price was amazing and we just know the price would go up with the superbowl and the digital conversion around the corner. We got the last one at our local Wal-mart. Of coursee the kids have been playing video games on it a lot! I finally had to claim tv time for myself. The picture is so big and the movies are amazing. NBC replayed the opening ceremonies for the olympics - the colors were amazing! Who knew? It was almost like going form black and white tv to color (yes, I remember that!)

We have also jumped on the Weight Watchers point bandwagon. My husband and I only want (don't really need) to lose 10-15 lbs. I think that we mostly want to start eating better. This is a way that will help us see how much we eat. I need to be careful, because I can get so obsessive about eating. I want to eat healthy - more vegetables (zero points) and healthy snacks. I like to snack when I am grading papers - a habit I need to break. I am happy with my weight - mostly, just want to stay healthy.

We went skiing yesterday and Eli felt pain in his foot after he went from his ski boots to his shoes. No idea what he did - no specific injury. We thought by heating and taking ibuprofen would help - it was still painful this am. Roger is taking him to the Dr. this pm. I am praying for good news.

That is all from here.

Cyndee

You might live in Minnesota if...

Just something fun for Friday

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by,
You might live in Minnesota

If you're proud that your state makes the national news 96 nights each year because International Falls is the coldest spot in the nation,
You might live in Minnesota

If you have ever refused to buy something because it's 'too spendy',
You might live in Minnesota

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March,
You might live in Minnesota

If someone in a store offers you assistance -- and they don't work there,
You might live in Minnesota

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time,
You might live in Minnesota

If your town has an equal number of bars and churches,
You might live in Minnesota

If you know how to say, Wayzata, Mahtomedi, Cloquet, Edina and Shakopee,
You might live in Minnesota

If you think that ketchup is a little too spicy,
You might live in Minnesota

If vacation means going 'up north' for the weekend,
You might live in Minnesota

You measure distance in hours,
You might live in Minnesota

You know several people who have hit deer more than once,
You might live in Minnesota

You often switch from 'Heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again,
You might live in Minnesota

You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching,
You might live in Minnesota

You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events,
You might live in Minnesota

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked,
You might live in Minnesota

You think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and venison,
You might live in Minnesota

You carry jumper cables in your car, and your girlfriend knows how to use them,
You might live in Minnesota

There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time,
You might live in Minnesota

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit,
You might live in Minnesota

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow,
You might live in Minnesota

You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and of course, road construction,
You might live in Minnesota

You can identify a southern or eastern accent,
You might live in Minnesota

Your idea of creative landscaping is a plastic deer next to your blue spruce,
You might live in Minnesota

If 'Down South' to you means Iowa ,
You might live in Minnesota

You know 'a brat' is something you eat,
You might live in Minnesota

You find -10 degrees 'a little chilly',
You might live in Minnesota

You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all yourMinnesota friends,
You DO live in Minnesota