Happy Independence Day Everyone!

Wishing everyone a very safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. Spend time with family, enjoy some wondeful food, but most of all, please remember the men and women who paid the ultimate price for our independence.

Yard Sale Season!!!

Yard sale season is in full swing in Pennsylvania! This past weekend, we toured two separate community yard sale sights and came home with loads of treasures! Here's two of my favorites:

The first is an antique mini ironing board on an iron base. It is fabulous! The second is a 50" round marble table with an oak base. I seriously can't stop looking at it! I highly recommend yard sale-ing to everyone. You just never know what you'll find!

Happy Birthday Noel!

Today is Noel's birthday, but we held the annual bash yesterday. He shares his birthday with his mother, who turns 83 this year. All of his siblings were here, traveling from South Carolina, Erie and western PA. Noel had a great weekend filled with making new memories with his family. His mom got to see both of her great-grandchildren together for the first time and even the weather cooperated with the exception of a brief storm that traveled through. Here's a few pictures from the gathering:

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Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband, with wishes of many, many more. I love you.

Prom Night

Tonight, Kelsey attended her junior-year prom. She looked fabulous in royal blue while her boyfriend Allen made a very handsome escort. She fully coordinated everything this year and

did a wonderful job! I hope it's a very memorable experience for her.

Our Mother's Day Tradition

A little late to post, but better late than never! Mom came to our house to participate in our Mother's Day tradition, which is ice cream sundaes for dinner. No waiting until you eat your dinner to have dessert...dessert IS dinner! Here's some of our pics:

They were soooo good! We added hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream...the works! Hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day as much as we did!

She Did It...First Try!

Kelsey got her driver's license yesterday, first time testing. She is on cloud nine. I am a mess. I had a mommy-meltdown over lunch as I mentally reviewed her growing up. I remembered everything from the first time she sat up on her own, the first time she walked up the street to visit her friend, right up to that very day...the first time she drove away from me. I am so very proud of her yet so very scared for her at the same time. I know deep in my heart of hearts that she'll be ok, I'll just have to muddle through the sleepless nights and the constant status-check phone calls to convince myself on a daily basis. How does 17 years go so stinking fast?

Double Whammy Sick Day

I already had a doctor's appointment scheduled for this afternoon, so scheduled to be off of work from lunch on...

Last night, both Kelsey and Alex were complaining about not feeling well, sore throats, congestion, you know the drill. Kelsey had herself convinced she has the swine flu, so we had to look up the symptoms online to convince her that she was not struck with the dreaded disease. (She's still not convinced).

Both girls had to be in school today for PSSA testing, so filled with cold and cough medicine...out the door they go. Wasn't long before the first text message is received "Mom can you pleeeeaaasseee pick me up after PSSA's". Needless to say...off to the school I go and both girls were home and back in bed by 10:00 this morning.

They were given strict instructions to keep their boogied-up tissues to themselves and to cough only in their own sleeves. I soooo don't want it!

First Mowing Day of the Season...

Today we officially cut all of the grass at the farm for the first time of the season. This is a picture of the "front yard". It takes one person 5 to 6 hours to cut all of the grass. What a chore! Plus, it was 90 degrees today. Summer showed up full force out of nowhere for a bit!

Then Noel put up two birdhouses right outside of my computer room so I can birdwatch while I work. It is National Bird Day today...so do something nice for our feathered friends!

Sadie gaurded the area for intruders.

Busy Week!

Work was crazy, our schedules were hectic and we were very glad for the weekend to get here! Friday night consisted of Kelsey's final prom dress fitting and then off to a charity basketball tournament. Allan played in the tournament, so we were there to cheer him on. Unfortunately, his team lost their first game, but we're hoping they win today. Now, how in the world did they lose with form like this?

That's ok, we'll get 'em next time!

Kutztown

Well, like I said...off to Kutztown University today to check it out! It's my Alma Mater, so it was a day full of memories for me. Allen went with us and we enjoyed a lovely day walking around campus and poking our heads into the Student Union, etc. Lunch on the way home was yummy too!

Birthday Girl!

So Kelsey turned seventeen yesterday. How in the world did that happen? In one year, she will be an adult. I truly can't believe it. I am very proud of her and the fine young lady she has become. We are starting our college tours on Friday. Wow. Before I know it, she'll be out on her own. I miss her already.

The Wiz!!

Tonight was opening night for Shamokin Area High School's "The Wiz". Alex played several parts, including a munchkin. All of the kids did such a great job and put on a terrific show! Here's a few pictures:

It really was so much fun!

Spring Cleaning For Sadie

Today was the day that Sadie had the winter grime washed off of her body. Trust me, she was not pleased and will probably snub me for quite awhile. But she smells so good and is so soft right now! Well worth the aggravation.

A Win This Week

I won this prize pack from a blog site and am really excited about it! I love useful wins so much! I was notified of the win about a week ago and it arrived today. Very nice! Keep 'em coming!

Whew!!!

Well, the stress is over. What is more than likely Kelsey's last tryout for cheerleading is over and she has made the varsity squad for her upcoming senior year. She is very excited and relieved all at once. We are very proud of her and look forward to another year of Shamokin Area High School football!

Old Forge Brewing Company

Tonight we spent the evening with one of Noel's long-time friends Rob, and his wife Sonya. They recently moved to a nearby town after Rob retired from the military. We had dinner at a new restaurant, the Old Forge Brewing Company. It is a micro-brewery and pub-style restaurant. It was absolutely delicious! Probably the best food I've had in a long time. Here's some pictures from our outing:

We then went to Rob and Sonya's for a visit and tour of their lovely new home. It was a great evening all around and Noel and I are looking forward to doing it again.

PTAP

Tonight, Noel and I presented at our PTAP program. PTAP stands for Parental Truancy Awareness Program. It's a program to help deter truancy and helps parents understand why kids are truanct and what can be done to prevent future truancy issues. The programs are held several times throughout the year at each school district within the county. I usually volunteer for at least two of the schools, but I especially like it when Noel gets a chance to join us. Tonight's meeting was pretty successful and when that happens, it makes me look forward to the next one. Remember...be cool...stay in school. :)

The Pop Concert

This year, the band, orchestra and chorus performed together for one concert. It was a great show! Kelsey played in the band while Alex sang. Excellent performance, and I'd say that even if my kids weren't in it!

And So Our Weekend Winds Down...

Well, here we are, Sunday night. We dropped off the boy that stayed with us for the weekend and I'm getting ready to pick Kelsey up from work. We will all be gathered at home for the night and will get a few more hours of relaxation in before the week hits us.

Last night, it was obvious that Sadie (our wonder-dog) is not used to being around young children anymore. She zonked out on the couch with Noel watching some bad movie marathon. Just look at her!!!

Today, after we took Kelsey to work, we headed to the playground (thought I was past the playground years!). Alex and her friend Jordan found themselves having fun as they were trying to amuse our little buddy.

So, here we are...ready for another week and whatever adventures it may hold.

He's Back!!!!

The 10 year old boy that we foster every now and then for weekends returned to our home on Friday. He is seriously a ball of energy! Doesn't sit still for a minute. Anyway, today he enjoyed helping Noel chip some branches that were cut from the trees in our yard:

Of course, 20 minutes later, he was looking for something else to do, but still....

I Raised Two Geniuses!!

Good news on the school front today. Kelsey reported in with a 99 on her psychology test in her dual enrollment psych class. Alex then came home with a whopping 100 on her trigonometry test. They must get their brains from....hmmmm...well anyway, they sure are smart kids!

Don't Freak...I Learned How To Make Meth Today

I was at an awesome training for the last two days. I learned three different ways meth is made, what to look for on a search, side effects, etc. We even got to go through trash to see if there was any evidence:

One of the best trainings I've been to in a long time. Good stuff.

Holy Spring Fever!!!

I don't know what happened to me over the weekend, but I have transformed into a lady with an organizing mission. I reorganized just about every closet or cupboard in the house! I'm a maniac! I dug into the surplus closet, the canning closet, both linen closets, all the food-catching cupboards in the kitchen and even the cupboard under the kitchen sink! Someone help me!

Look...I even organized the

canning spices...sheesh!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope you all had a loved-filled day! Noel and I really don't celebrate Valentine's Day much anymore. We're pretty romantic throughout the year without dropping huge amounts of money on each other to prove it. (The kids tell us we're gross (ha ha). We used to do it all up, but with age comes wisdom! We celebrated by shopping together for a new kitchen faucet...got one we love too!

Kelsey, on the other hand, is having her first real Valentine's Day with her boyfriend Allen. (They just missed it last year) She is making him a dinner that includes his favorite foods (steak and ribs) and has set the table to perfection. He already surprised her with flowers before their official date time. One thing she did that is so adorable is she filled a jar with little pieces of red and white paper, each one holding a trait about Allen that she loves. She decorated the jar with the words "why I love you" and added a red and white ribbon. So cute. Here's the jar:

Ahhhh....young love.