And the winner is........

not us... but we had a good time!  :)    I think he came in 14th out of almost 45  boys so that's not too bad.  It's our first  year - I think we will do better next time - you should have seen some of the cars and you can tell that "some parents" really did a lot. 

He's home this afternoon running a fever of 99.9 and  napping at the moment not feeling well.  

Rachel ran around with some girlfriends while the boys did their race. 

Honey & Grandad made it and PawPaw was sitting at the table near the end of the track - people  kept thinking he was an official.    :)  I think he enjoyed that.   

Have a good weekend.  

Update ........

It's been a bit busy here and crazy temperatures.

This morning it was 32 when I dropped children off at school and when I picked them up after school it was 84 degrees!  So needless to say - everyone has the sniffles or cough.

We had my nephew; Asher visit for four days.....  What a character!

Patrick has been working on his Pinewood Derby Car for the Cub Scouts Derby Race which is this weekend.  :)   It's been fun to watch him work on it; sand, paint - use a drimmel tool and hammer.  

He's also been doing a beautiful job with guitar practicing and his dad has been playing with him every now and then - Patrick loves that ...(so does momma) 

Career Day 09.....  Rachel wants to be an artist and Patrick still wants to be a GI Joe - actually his Uncle D.  introduced him to the idea of West point and that's been a couple of years now and while he's only 9 - who knows.... I told him to keep his grades up and we'll see.  

I've been a bit busy too!  Last Thursday we had the stamping ladies meet here and I had breakfast and lunch for everyone. 

Then Sunday our new church has begun with a Sunday night Bible study - and hope to start worship services before the Fall. 

Tuesday I had the book club meet at my house and there were six women who showed up to discuss Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet .  Talk about fun - we've all voted we are glad we don't live in the 12th Century.  We talked for almost 2 hours about this book!  There are so many characters, the good vs evil is in the smallest of  places to the largest ending with Thomas Beckett's assassination  - so the fiction mixed with truth beckons us to look closer.  Such beauty (12th Century cathedrals)  came from  the the rough hands of a man who drew his renderings on reeds tied together with straw and  drawn with chalk or charcoal. The only real tool he had and most important was his angle thingy to make sure the blocks they cut from quarries were straight so the cathedrals could stand all these thousands of years. :) 

Then today our normal stamping home fell through again so I had the stamping ladies over again  today and  fixed a yummy potato soup with all the toppings of a baked potato  - it was wonderful.  :)  AND I was able to scrap book two pages.  :) 

Poor Lucy...

Lucy had to visit the vet and has two very bad middle ear infections. 

She has to have antibiotics twice a day for a week and in the meantime every time she scratches her ears she cries.  :( 

Not yet.....

OK  ~ Christmas ornaments ... not up yet....  :)   

It's been the weirdest weather here in North Texas.   Seriously.

Saturday it was  82 degrees,  Sunday 65 - Monday it hovered around 29/30 all day with freezing rain and today was up to 60 again.  The plants have no idea what to do - first they bloom, then Monday everything was covered with a thick layer of ice - all the bushes & young trees were bent in half in our yard.  The wax myrtles - when I touched them snapped off in my fingers! Today - it's sunny and 60 and they are all standing up straight and tall!  :)  

They say "Texas Weather, if you don't like it wait a minute ...  " 

I know it's time....

I know it's time to put away all the Christmas lights and doo-dads but I always procrastinate putting away Christmas.  I love the shiny lights and colorful baubles, doo dads and soft glowing  lights of the villages.

But to be honest - I think last year I had everything put away sometime AFTER Valentines Day and that is way too long.  May as well leave it up till next Christmas!  :)  ha

So  - this year I'll make a huge effort to put away all the Christmas doo-dads and collections this week.  Before the children go to school on Monday. 

My collections are growing - I started collecting Santa's about 11 years ago - the year before getting married and added some very cool ones this  year.  I typically go for just one a year but every now and then a friend or sweet Mother in Law  adds to my collection!  One of my friends brought me one back from Russia - it's beautiful.  This one is from my MIL - the title of it is SMORES... Santa's camping and is making some yummy smores..  :)  Isn't it cute?  

I also get the children a new ornament each year - so when they do  go off on their own one day - they will have a nice collection of their own special ornaments.  My mother in law does the same with them too - so that's at least 2 a year for each of them! :) 

Patrick has taken to collecting nutcrackers - so Grammy gets him a new one each year!  One year for Christmas she showed up with a 4' Nutcracker!  He loved it.  

Rachel I believe wants to collect angels to have out at Christmas.

 

The collection I've had the longest is the Dickens's Village - Dad started that one for me in the mid  80's and I'm up to 7 buildings and about 10 people, trees and a street bench.  It's from Department 56 and most of the pieces  are retired - but they have new pieces every  year so it's fun to add to the collection. ....   But - next year I might have to come up with a new place or way to display them - or maybe spread them throughout a room, instead of all together. 

 

I went shopping yesterday and purchased a new pair of shoes!  Very comfortable and felt good on my ankle.  AND you cannot beat 70% off at DSW Shoes!  

Let's see what else is going on - ?   Children are having a play date right now,  Peter is out at a meeting with a contract.  Paw Paw is wondering around the house - it's just too chilly to walk outside today.   

I hope you have a Happy and Blessed New Year!