Done

Broken family.......Don't know how some people do it. What is the saying about glass houses? Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Man that sums up this town and its B.S.!!! Loosing faith in human kindness.... : (

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at my parents house. We missed my nephew this year, he had agreed to play in the band at church....with all the snow and ice they hadn't practiced so he had some very sore fingers by the time we chatted with him later that night. We did add Will, Sams boyfriend from Ashland. It was really a great Christmas!!

You can't beat a good old snowball fight!!

The girls were caught in the crossfire...the boys however didn't feel very sorry for them.

Help!!!

It all ends well!!

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with Ken's side of the family. He has eight brothers and sisters so usually it is a pretty big gathering. This year however due to the weather his bother Jimmy couldn't get out of Portland, so we missed his family. His sister Janelle was just here for a visit last month, they live in Kansas. Ken's Mom and Dad are flying out this week to visit his Sister Beth and her family in Ohio for a week. So we were a few short but we still managed to have a great time. We really loved the snow that fell while we were there and were disappointed that when we got home we had none!! Apparently we live in the banana belt! When Ken and I were first married we all would fit and have the whole family around a beautifully decorated table at his parents home for holidays. Now we have grown in numbers so much that they have converted the double garage into the new gathering place. It's nice. Carpet, heat lots more space and a huge tree this year! The picture Amanda took of the front of the house looks just like a post card. Their house is really a piece of art in itself. And, I love the SNOW!!!

CHRISTMAS IN GOOD OL' SUBLIMITY!!



HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM OUR CRAZY HOUSE TO YOURS !!!

Turkey days

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed the day with My Mom and Dad, my Grandpa, my brother his wife and three children, and our newest addition Will, who his Sam's boyfriend from college. We ate a little late this year because Sam and Will stayed with his family in Canyonville and prepared breakfast for them before traveling up here. So everyone arrived about three we had the best food ever all the traditionals plus a few extra...YUMMY! After dinner was over we all headed up to the park for aou annual football game. It's always the most hilarious thing to see my Mom and Dad playing football and just being goofy with everyone. There is alot of cheating of course. Someone stuffing the football in their shirt and running or the other team sneaking in the littlest one into the opposing huddle. As I said we started a little late this year so along with the slipping and sliding it was getting dark which only added to the fun.

After the game we all came back here and played a board game called "imagine if" lots more laughs and then ended with a wii beach volleyball and tennis tournament. It was a great day I hated for it to end. But everyone was gone by about 10:00 and my family settled in for one more game...a little rummy that lasted till about 1:00am!!

Great times!

Will and Sam headed back down to Ashland today and the rest of us were just pretty lazy. I think tomorrow will be well spent taking down fall decorations and getting set for Christmas! Then before we know it the family will be back together again for more wonderful memories and celebration. I Can't wait!!!

I love FALL!!! I don't really care for the rain. But I love it when the sun is shinning and the colors of the leaves when the sun bounces off them! The smells of leaves burning and cut grass in the chilly air! My house. I have most of my fall decorations out and other than Christmas it's when I like my house the most. I'm a candle freak! So it always smells like some wonderful spicy apple or cinnamon when you walk in. I guess it just fells warm and cozy this time of year. For some reason I always find more and more cute decorating things at this time too so it's probably way over done but oh well I love it! To help get me in that fall spirit, we took 92 children and adults to the pumpkin patch for our fall field trip this last week. It was amazing! The kids all had a great time and the adults too. We go every year to one called Bauman's. It's up by Gervis. These people just put so much time into this place it's spectacular. It's family run with other help of course and just the best place on earth during the fall. They have hay rides, a petting zoo, all kinds of forts and hay mazes, zip lines, and the best homemade apple cider and donuts in the world! The green houses are beautiful...you can't believe the size of some of these flowering pots and plants they have. They have a little store that has fresh produce and all kinds of goodies like pancake mixes with homemade syrup, fresh kettle corn, nuts, candies and lots of decorating things for your home....way tempting! This is a great place for that Sunday drive, in fact I'm sure I'll make it out there one more time this fall. Maybe I'll see you there!!

One little Smiley...

This last weekend was a busy one. Weddings, anniversaries, football games, family gatherings, all of those things we try to cram in before school starts. In the middle of all that my oldest daughter Sam traveled to L.A. for a tourney with her volleyball team. This years team is a little different. She is having to really fight for her spot as a starting outside hitter. She is only 5"8 but has a great jump. There is some pretty tough "tall" new talent. So I have been trying my best to keep her positive and motivate her to always do her best. Even if she thinks it's going unnoticed.

I love little quotes and motivational sayings. All over my house, always within reach, you will find small books filled with stories or quotes to help in any situation. It's up lifting to me. I am one of those people that has a hard time getting into books, it has to get my attention in the first few pages or forget it. But, short stories and these motivation books I love.

My most favorite quote I actually heard in a movie. Found it on the Internet. Typed it up and put a copy in each one of children's room by the door so it would be visible every day. I have applied this quote to so many things in my life and my kids lives and really believe it has made a big difference in the way I "coach" my kids in life.

The Quote.... Coach Carter



Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world, there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won't feel insecure around you. We were all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same thing, as we are liberated from our own fear , our presence automatically liberates others.



All my kids are very different from each other of course. They each seem to have something that they are passionate about. Sam's is volleyball it's where her emotion, dedication and determination shows the most.
So I know that this last weekend when I sent her that quote in a text that it would most definitely effect her attitude towards her playing situation. She sent me one text back it was just a smiley face :) and I knew she understood what she had to do. Play her best, not worry about the out come or be afraid to play her game at the level she can. It paid off. She played every game but one and then they only pulled her in the last game because they knew that she had given everything she had and it was appreciated. So it may not have been the winning est tournament for them but for her it ended up successful.
Sam and I talk and text alot. Especially when she is traveling with her team...I hope or I like to think that it's because she knows I will always have some words of wisdom or one of those little quotes to motivate and inspire her. Little does she know that watching and seeing how much she has accomplished and who she has become is MY biggest motivation of all! :)