Rainy Monday

Flowers from Jeff and the kids.







Still doing the countdown for the start of summer. It's a rainy day and looks to be a long wet week. Jackson has his Beadle Middle School Show Choir audition tonight after school. He needs to sing "My Country 'Tis Of Thee".

Mr. Whiskers is going to spend some time with Grandma Gruber while we are in Alaska. We are going to miss our cutie pie cat!

Happy Mother's Day

A few more recent pictures of the deck.








We did a little more work on the deck today. It was just some trim around the posts that are attached to the house. Jackson added some topsoil to his garden area and planted some radishes. They should be ready to be eaten before we leave for Alaska.

Today is Mother's Day. I taught Sunday School this morning. The lesson was "we can tell people about Jesus wherever we are." based on Acts 16: 16-34. Paul and Silas were still praying and singing about Jesus - even though they were in prison. Later on, by their actions - the Jailer and his family were able to be saved because they now believe in God.

Where is the most unusual place you have talked about Jesus?

Jeff made me a delicious steak dinner. The kids cleaned (most of) the dishes up. Now we will end out night by folding laundry and watching "The Amazing Race".

There are only 16.5 days of school left. So much to do before then. I hope I can get it all done, stay calm, and maintain happiness.

Working on the deck

It was a cool day in Nebraska today. At least we didn't have any snow like they did in Wisconsin! We all helped Jeff work on the deck. We have the supports up and connected. The next step is to put on the roof.

Here are some pictures so far:

Piano Recital

Jenna had her piano recital tonight. She played "Camptown Races" and "When you Wish Upon A Star". She did an amazing job!



We celebrated with some ice cream sundae's at home.





It's turned very cold today. Our friends and family in WI might be getting some snow. Next week we will be in the low 60's. Some rain is also expected. I can't believe that we only have 16.5 days left of school....It will certainly go fast! Jackson had his sneak peak at Middle School today. He got to each lunch at Beadle, tour, and meet some teachers. I'm so proud of him - as he is going to audition for the MS show choir. They are only allowing future 6th grade boys to audition....along with current 6th and 7th grade boys and girls. Jackson's BFF, Alex, is also auditioning. Keeping my fingers crossed that it works out for both of them.

Because of the 'sneak peak' day - Joe only had 1/2 day of school. He claimed he was bored...but at least he had a quiet house to himself!

We have no big plans for the weekend. I signed the kids up for 'kidsbowlfree.com' and we have our free passes for 2 games of bowling each and every day of the summer. It might be a fun thing to do tomorrow - if it continues to be so cold and icky!

What a difference 3 years can make!

Three years ago I was sitting in an unknown lunchroom, listening to some unknown principals talking about this great unknown school. I met some nameless faces of some unknown staff - people who could possibly be Joe's teacher. My husband was my supporter thought this changing time.

Today I sat in this same room with principals I knew and recognized, happy to be back in the Multi-purpose room where Joe eats at each day, smiling at some teachers who have made not only an incredible impact on Joe - but on me as well. I was able to sit with my best friend and her husband as I offered my knowledge and support.

A few things have changed at Beadle Middle School during the past three years that Joe has attended. From what I see - they are good changes.

My tears of uneasiness, fear, and worry of three years ago were replace with a calm and certain feeling that Jackson will also not only grow - but thrive in such a caring, progressive, and academic place.

I'm happy to be able to continue my time as being a Beadle Bulldog Parent.....in fact I'm looking forward to being back in two years...... in the same lunch room - getting re-acquainted with familiar faces - when I return to get Jenna ready for Middle School!

Birthdays

Well, the birthdays have come and gone. Jenna is now 9 and Jackson is 11. My parents were here in April for Jackson's Millard Minnesinger Concert, Joe's track meet, and Jenna's birthday. We dyed Easter eggs and celebrated Easter with church service and a yummy ham meal. The week after Easter Jeff took off to spend Spring Break with us. We got a lot of things done around the house...but not the new deck as we had hoped. Jackson, Jenna, and I went to Kearney, NE with the Dukart family for the state "Destination Imagination" competition. We had a great time touring this new part of the state. The Arch Museum was a huge highlight. The school year is coming to a close....we are at 25 1/2 days of school left. So much to do before our summer vacation to Alaska!

Joe has registered for High School, Jackson is starting his Middle School orientation, Jenna will be joining me at Abbott Elementary!

Snow Days

Today is Thursday, January 7. We are on day two of snow days. We were suppose to be back at school on Wednesday - but the snow is flying, the winds are blowing, and the wind chill is dropping. We have already used up the four built in days for our snow days. I have no idea what the plan will be now for making up today and (most likely) tomorrow.

The kids are doing well. They are actually getting along well. It's so nice to have older kids who can get up and make their own breakfasts......they are loving the new monopoly game (electronic banking with credit cards), their DS's, and computers.

Jeff and I have a healthy eating habit started. Today I went to the store for more fruits and veggies. It's nice to see the kids excited for snap peas and yogurt. I purchased some apple cinnamon granola today. A sweet treat for me!

Ma and Pa Primmer will be here this weekend. Shadow will be joining them and spending the week. We can't wait for 'our dog' to get here. Ma and Pa will be heading to Arizona for a week of vacation with Aunt Jo and Uncle Tom.

Truly we've been a bit lazy....but it's been nice!

signs of love

I've been married for over 17 years and have known Jeff for over 20. It's rare that he brings flowers, asks me out on a 'date', opens the car door for me....etc. However, today he showed me a sign of his love in the simplest way.

My van has been acting weird the past 3 days. Every time I start it up the radio is on an AM station and the clock starts at noon. I first thought Jeff was driving the van and switched the station on his 'talk radio'....no big deal (didn't even realize the clock thing until today......). This morning was a bit different. I go to start up the van and it doesn't want to turn over very nicely....weird, since the van has been in the garage and not exposed too much to the cold. The radio was on the AM station...weird, since Jeff didn't drive my van yesterday or this morning. The clock was at noon (just realized)....AND the words "LOW BATTERY" are on the radio display.

So I start on my way to my dr. appointment and call Jeff....just to let him know the weirdness of it all. I can tell he's in his truck when he answers. I ask him where he's at.....and find out he's returning to Omaha from a quick meeting in Lincoln. I tell him about the van and he offers to come home to be available to pick me up, if my battery dies. I think about his offer. Now, I don't like putting him out - or have him go out of his way - so normally I'd say "No, don't worry about it." Today was different. Something (God?) made my say "Yes, I'd like you to head over this way". Again it's so unlike him to offer and so unlike me to accept.

I, then, suggest that he drops his truck off at the clinic and pick the van up and buy me a new battery.....which he does. By the time I'm out of my appointment my new battery has been installed, paid for, and hubby is putting 'heet' in my gas tank. We meet up at our local Walmart and exchange vehicles.

Signs of love.....
I love this man!!!

Resolutions

So, what are your resolutions for the new year?

Every year I claim I will lose weight and not bite my nails. Today in church Pastor Mike made me reflect on what are and ARE NOT the temptations that get me off track.

1. Time - NOPE we all have the same 24 hours in a day.
2. Facilities / equipment - NOPE we have a Y membership.
3. Kids - Nope they are old enough to be home for an hour solo.

So what is it? How can I adjust to continue on my goal?
1. Sometimes I'm tried........so how can I fix that? 1. Get up earlier 2. Go to bed earlier
2. Chocolate is yummy..........have a small 'snack' size / 100 calorie treat
3. Sometimes I just don't WANT to.......find a way to be motivated to go

What motivates you? I could use some words of wisdom! Going to the Y isn't a habit for me yet...I'd like it to be.

Happy New Year 2010

I had a long chat with my BFF Starla. She told/suggested me that I should blog more often...so perhaps that's a goal...we'll see how well I do. Ha!

We had an awesome Christmas Vacation. We got to visit both sets of Grandparents and family. There was a huge storm expected in Omaha on Wednesday, Dec. 23....so we changed our original plans to take the van, with the cat, and leave on Wed....and (instead) took the truck (4X4) - left the cat at home with my friend / neighbor checking in on Mr. Whiskers - and left Tuesday the 22nd right after school.

We had no travel / weather problems at all!

We spent a week in Wisconsin and had a blast. However, we did need to head home. We knew there was a lot of snow....so I called my friend / co-worker's husband (who has a snow plow business) and hired him to take care of our driveway. We are so glad we did. The drifts were about 4 feet high. I'll try to get some pics up later.....

Jeff and I are on an "improve yourself" kick. We are pushing the fruit and veggies, reading the bible/devotional book, and - YES - exercising! I actually went to the Y after a long absence. The kids LOVED swimming in the pool. I got a good 40 min walk on the treadmill. I want to build up my endurance and then move on to weights.

Jackson and I had some fun time together on New Years Eve. We got the materials ready for a small NYE party. Jackson picked out some good snacks. Strawberries, raspberries, cheese, jalapano poppers. We had the Dukart boys over for a play date - and Jenna was at their house playing with Anna....so when it came time for the kid switch we invited Julie and Darrin over for some 'snacks' and drinks. We had a great visit and the kids loved it too. Could be a new tradition!

Today Jeff decided to insulate the garage and sheet rock it. I have no idea where he gets his energy from sometime. However, both boys were on board with that big project...so Jenna and I took on one of our own. We cleaned (vacuumed / dusted) the living room and rearranged things a bit. As I was finishing up, Jenna started taking down the decorations from the Christmas tree. That will be our project for tomorrow...the 'fireplace' room.

As I said earlier, I had a great chat with my BFF Starla. I miss her.....she is great at pumping me up to be my very best. Wether it's getting healthier or de-cluttering my house...she is a positive force! I'm thankful for that!

OH OH OH OH....one last thing.....We have made plans to go to Alaska this summer! We'll be going with my parents. We have our tickets and the RV...now just to make the plans! The kids, Ma & Pa, and I will be there 3 weeks....Jeff can only take one week off. We all leave June 17. I'm so excited!

Have a wonderful 2010!

Happy Halloween

Bible Study

I've been attending and actively participating in my first ever bible study. We are reading the book "The Bad Girls of the Bible". I have no idea why I haven't joined in a bible study before....it's making great changes in my life and the life of my family. Recently the subject of being content has been discussed at church. What would you grab from your home if you only had 10 minutes? I was having a hard time of thinking of what would be impossible to replace. We all agreed we'd grab our cat, Mr. Whiskers...and of course the kids would have their 10 minutes to grab things. They were so smart and said clothes, underwear, their pillow and special blanket. Jeff said clothes, wallet.....I looked around and all I wanted was my family.

This has been eye opening - as I tend to be a bit of a pack rat. I've been under the thought that "I just might need it for school"...but things stay in boxes and clutter our lives and our home. I've cleaned out two junk drawers and have one drawer for our misc. things. Jeff now has a drawer for just his stuff - so it stays off our counter top.

I have a plan to really go over the boxes in the basement and clean it out. I would be so embarrassed if I died tomorrow and someone had to deal with that terrible mess.

The other change has been to do our daily devotionals at supper. Jenna loves finding the verse from her new bible and reading it for us before I read the story that goes along with it. It has lead to some great family discussions - and a little bit of sibling happiness.

The best part is Jeff is supporting this change. I've had some rather long and hard days at school and he now takes time to email me at work to see how I'm doing - feeling. He is such an amazing person. I truly believe God brought us together 20 years ago at the UWRF Student Center. I love him more deeply each day.

So, what would you grab if you had 10 minutes before a tornado destroyed your home????? What do you thank God for???? Can you see the blessings he has brought you?

Jeff had a birthday

Today is Jeff's 45th Birthday! We celebrated by going to church and celebrating Jenna receiving her 3rd grade bible. We watched the Viking win! Jeff got a purple #4 jersey from us for his big day.

We had steak for supper, enjoyed some cake, and ended the night with some TV.

Lordy Lordy I'm finally 40!

Well - it's official. I have entered a new decade! Friday I turned 40. The day started great with lots of love, hugs, and kisses from my family. My parents were visiting from WI - so I'm so glad I got to spend this week with them.

I ventured to school where I noticed the flags were at 1/2 staff. Of course I knew it was because of 9/11 - but I did chuckle to myself as I thought...."I'm mourning the end of my 30's".

Entering my classroom - I notice A LOT of black hanging down. My wonderful co-workers decorated my classroom. Lots of black streamers....balloons that say '40' on them....and a black curtain that you need to walk through to get into my door.

My co-workers slowly started to come to my room to wish me well....when I noticed EVERYONE WAS WEARING BLACK!!!!! How sneaky is that?!?!?!?! My teaching partner (Melody) was wearing navy - with a red and white star...(cause she knew I wanted everyone to be in red, white, and blue for Patriot Day.) However, everyone else was in black to help support me in getting over the hill.

Now my students started to enter. The first student handed me a photograph with cookies writing out the number 40 - and then gave me a bag of the cookies used in the picture. I was handed 40 pencils, a "happy 40th birthday sign", 40 gel pens, 20 Hershey Hugs and 20 Hershey kisses to equal 40 hugs and kisses, 40 pieces of popcorn (about 4 times), 40 sunflower seeds, 40 sticks of Juicy Fruit Gum (3 times), and lots and lots of hugs and hand drawn pictures.

We had a wonderful day with a spelling pre-test, an hour of 'specials', a movie, then off to our fieldtrip to the Durham. We came back in time to enjoy some cupcakes my mom made - and time to clean up the classroom for the end of the day.

It was a great day at school followed by a wonderful evening at home. Mom had made a big pot of chili....with garden fresh tomatoes. Jeff and I ran some errands to get ready for the big party the following day.

I'm so blessed to have such an amazing family and wonderful co-workers. They made me feel very special and really helped me to start my 40's with a smile on my face!

September 2, 2009

The school year has started up and I'm LOVING my 3rd grade class. It took about 1 1/2 weeks to get them to know and follow the procedures...'train' them as I like to say...but so far so good.

Joe is busy with foot ball. Jackson has started in band - playing the trombone. Jenna is - loving every second of learning! She works hard and plays hard!

Jeff is still working strong on his MBA. I do believe the light is on at the end of the tunnel for him.....December he will be done and we plan on a BIG celebration to reward him for all of his hard work. It will be great for him to not have any homework.

Ma an Pa Primmer will be coming out to Omaha next week to see Joe in a football game, enjoy school lunch with Jenna, and do some things around the house. We will also be having the 3rd "JACK" party - come dressed as your favorite "Jack". I'm so excited for my sorority sisters to come down to celebrate the Jack Party with me. They were there for the first one in 1991 - in college (at the Green House with the WOP Washer!)...another "Jack Party" occurred in 1999 when I turned 30...so this "Jack Party" is to help usher in the 4th decade of my life! YIKES! I can't believe I will be 40 in a little over a week. I sure don't feel 40.

Jeff and I celebrated our 17th Wedding Anniversary with a wonderful dinner out. Friends of our took Jack and Jenna for a few hours and Joe chose to stay home - solo.

God sure has been good to us!

Pierce County Fair

We had a wonderful time at the Pierce County Fair a few weeks ago. Cousin fun was had by all! Here are some pictures of the kids.












After the fair sis - in - law, Beth and I took niece Abby to IKEA. I need a few things for the school year....it was a great trip and everyone was asleep (worn out by the fair) by the time we got home.

First Day of School

Last week we had our first day of school. I'm just a little slow at getting the picture put up here.

Joe is 13 and in 8th grade. Jackson is 10 and in 5th grade. Jenna is 8 and in 3rd grade.

RIP Rusty

Sad news...on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 Rusty had to be put to sleep. He was diagnosed with Leukemia about 1 1/2 weeks earlier. He just didn't get better on the meds that were prescribed. Of course, we miss him terribly. Jackson is just heart broken. He was such a good dog. We were able to baby sit him many times over the past 10 years....once for 3 1/2 weeks when my parents went to Alaska.

Here are some pictures of good old Rusty boy.

A wonderful visit with Jeff and Dianne

This past weekend we had the pleasure to have Jeff and Dianne Albarado visit us from Ellsworth, WI. Jeff and Jeff have been friends since Jr. High. Each was in eachother's weddings. Jeff is the Godfather to their son, Josh. This week they are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. The started out their celebration by coming to Omaha. We had such a great time hanging out and visiting. Saturday we toured Omaha. We did the ConAgra company store, Bass Pro Shop, Jeff's lab at ConAgra, and my school. Dianne and I did a little shopping...then we headed to the Old Market area. While in the Old Market area we started our 'double date' with some beer tasting at "UpStream Brewery".



12 different beers. Some good...some not so good.



They seemed to enjoy it. After the taste testing we ordered a wonderful meal. We ate so much we decided to go walk to the pedestrian bridge. Jeff claimed it was just 5 blocks....that became a running joke.....since it was far more than 5 blocks.







On Sunday we went to Mahoney State Park. We walked (about 5 blocks) to the top of the observation tower. Very cool view of the Platte River from there. We also enjoyed a picnic lunch. Jackson and Jenna enjoyed the paddle boats while we sat on the deck and enjoyed watching them.







We loved the visit and can't wait to see them again!

Back at it

I really would have liked to have pictures of the basement up by now...but the kids have made some amazing forts - and it doesn't look too clean down there...perhaps at the end of the week.

I've taken Joe and Jackson's computers because of fighting and poor behavior choices. It's going on 5 days now....it's amazing how much more creative the kids get when not stuck to a computer screen. When asked when they will get the computers back I reply...."when I think you can be nice and loving."

Today I was so very productive. Joe and I watch our neighbor girl (Drew) and today she arrived just after 7 AM. We are also taking care of the neighbor's dog this week while they are on vacation. I got up early and greeted Drew and together we went and took care of Trooper, the dog. By the time we got back - the kids were all up. I then headed out the door to get to the grocery store. Today is my friend's (who is also Drew's mom) birthday. We made a cake for her to help her celebrate. Jenna and Drew then did a few arts and craft projects. I cooked a lasagna for supper.....whew! I feel so productive. I also have plans to tackle the linen closet.

We had a great 4th of July weekend. It wasn't the warmest.....but today is making up for it. Friday we went to our friend's lake house. The kids went tubing and swimming. Jackson also went fishing. We had a fun time. We also celebrated a 1st birthday with our neighbor's the Speikers. Their little girl, Savanna, turned 1 on Friday.

Saturday was lots of fun with the neighborhood war zone....I mean fireworks. We grilled out burgers and brats. I made some potato salad and brownies. We were just missing the sweet corn.

Sunday we played at the state park. We went swimming and the kids had a blast jumping off diving board.

In the evening I joined my friends / neighbors for a birthday celebration at "The Melting Pot". It's a great fondu joint. We just enjoyed a cheese and dessert meal....but it was all good. Great conversation all evening long.

Jeff leaves for New Jersey tomorrow for a few days.....I'm taking the kids to see the Jonas Brothers in concert tomorrow. I just told Jenna about it and she is now watching the Jonas Brothers Concert/Movie on DVD. She's going to have a blast. I hope the boys like it.....Jeff won't be home - so they must come with me. More on our big night out later this week.