Journey on

Even before Glee made it popular to her generation, MK and her friends have loved to sing "Don't Stop Believing." While shopping today, I found this sign and sent a picture of it to MK. She got a kick out of it.

Another look.

T. Willy's shiner is getting darker. Poor kid looks like he's been through a tough time.

He had a playdate tonight that looked like it was going to turn into a sleepover. I was in bed and rolled over to look at my phone, and his friend's mom texted that he was crying and wanted to come home. He's never slept away from home with anyone except family, so I was prepared for this. Now he's home and back in bed, so I think I'll do the same. Good night.

Tied up in knots

T. Willy went to the neighbors' for a little while tonight. They played Twister, and he had a lot of fun. He came home and demonstrated how he could tie himself in knots. My neighbor sent a picture, so here it is.

Why buy?

T. Willy has a new shirt. We bought it the other night mostly because it says, "Delaware Panthers." I don't know who the Delaware Panthers are, but it reminded me of home, so I jumped at it.

If you look closely, you may see that T. has a black eye. He is now the third in our family of four to sport a shiner on this blog. T. gave me one early in my blogging days when he threw a ball at me. MK had one when she tried a flag spin, and it went wrong. Then we picked him up early from school on Tuesday, and his face was scratched. He slipped on the playground, and now his black eye is a remnant of that. It is still getting worse, so I'm curious how bad it will get before it gets better. It doesn't show up too well in the photo, but you can definitely see it in person.

Guess what our grocery store sells!!!

I didn't actually buy...it's just good to know they're close.

I feel like a teenager.

Tonight I strolled down memory lane with a couple I've known for 30 years or so. Doc was the principal at my school, his wife worked at the school, and his daughter was one of my best friends and in my class. I went to a small Christian school where tight bonds were made and still exist. They were nearby this week, and we were able to meet for dinner tonight. It was a great time for me to catch up and share warm memories. The Big Man and the kids joined us, and it was a great night.

Because I have no other pictures...

Here is a picture of me. No real reason...just to document what I look like in January 2011.

The view from where I sit

I'm cheering for the Big Man's favorite team, the Steelers, and enjoying a fire in the fireplace...life is good. Go, Steelers!

Making room

My friend, Noelle, introduced me to a new blog - www.younghouselove.com - and I cannot get enough of it. Oh to be blessed with the ideas of this young couple! They've inspired me to do some things around our house. So today I gave the master bedroom a deep cleaning and changed it around a bit. I considered painting, but I still really like the color in our room, so the only new thing is the comforter. Here is a picture. It's lacking a picture above the bed, but I will wait until I find just the right thing. The next projects are T. Willy's room and the kids' bathroom.

Impromptu game night!

We were sitting around tonight having a quiet evening when our neighbor invited us over for a game night. We had such a fun time! Another neighbor showed up with her kids, so we had a full house with lots of noise and laughter! Here are pictures!

Play ball!

We all went to the final girls' home basketball game tonight. We had a great time. MK sat near us with some friends, and T. Willy and the Big Man and I watched and cheered along with them. We won, so that made it even better.

My new favorite magazine

Now I just have to get the Big Man some boots and a hat. Sigh. Anyone have a ranch that we can borrow?

What we're hoping at our house.

Since the Eagles are out, I'm rooting for the Steelers to take it all. The Big Man sent this to me today. Sorry to any Jets fans out there.

Jumping fun!!

Today T. Willy went to a birthday party at a new place in town. It's called "Jumpin' Jax," and it's an indoor bounce house playground. T. and friends had a fantastic time. Here are some pictures.

Party time

MK has been gone all weekend. She's with some good friends, but I'm ready to see her! We'll pick her up tomorrow, and I can't wait, but I know she's in good hands. Here is a picture she sent of their trip to the bowling alley.

To us...everything is a photo op.

Even a trip to Walmart. Here is our adventure tonight.

Two random pictures

One is of MK and me taken tonight. MK was snuggling with me and asked T. Willy to take the picture. Then I'm adding a picture of T. Willy when we went camping last fall. He just looked so sweet sleeping that I wanted to post the memory.

Confession time

Not really a secret, but it surprises most people. I really do not like cookies. I especially do not like homemade cookies. Honestly, the idea of eating homemade chocolate chip cookies is to me the equivalent of eating sawdust. I will eat store bought cookies, but I'd prefer many other things. However, cookies that I do like are the original McDonaldland cookies. I thought they didn't make them anymore...but they do!!!!

That didn't last long.

I forgot to blog yesterday. It's only January 12th. Oh dear. I did remember at some point, but I was almost asleep and cozy in my bed. So, there really isn't much to discuss today; I'll just post a picture of MK and the blanket that her friend gave her for Christmas. It's been really cold here; I'm glad she has it.

Watching football

We sat around and watched the National Championship Game. However, we all have to be up early tomorrow, so we will probably be asleep before it ends. Here is a picture of MK and T. Willy while we watched.

I was able to talk to my brother tonight. It's his 46th birthday, so, Aaron, if you're reading, I hope you had a great day!!!

P.S.

MK sent me a picture of a chicken nugget she had at Wendy's. She liked it because it was shaped like Mickey Mouse.

Quiet.

After our busy day yesterday, we had a quiet one today. Since we had some late days last week, I decided to make up for my lack of cooking by cooking a lot today. I made breakfast and lunch and bread and a cake. That's kind of a lot for me in a day. I'm pretty sure I used every appliance in my kitchen except for the juicer. This week should be quiet, and I'm looking forward to it.

Today's picture is of MK and her friend, "Bana," at the festival yesterday.

Since I can't stop time....

I'll just try to capture a moment of it. T. Willy went to a birthday party today. His friend turned seven, and I realized that it won't be long until he turns seven too. Seven sounds so big to me. So here is a picture of him so that I can remember how fun he is at six.

Thespians

MK and I had day one of our District Thespian Festival today. We watched one act plays and really enjoyed it. Our school watched today, but they will participate in solo and duet acting and musicals tomorrow. MK will be in two things, and we'll run around watching the others most of the day. It will be a long day, but it should be a lot of fun.

T. Willy lost a tooth today, so that is the picture for tonight.

Project finished

When the rodent made its appearance Tuesday night, I was in the middle of helping T. Willy make a Lego toy. Since the excitement has died down, we finished the project tonight. So here is T. Willy and his dump truck.

On the Town

MK and I are out for a night at the theatre. "Legally Blonde the Musical" is playing at our local college, and we're here to see it. The Big Man bought our tickets then sent us while he and T. Willy stay home and play. We're looking forward to a fun show.

Ah, sweet relief.

The mouse has been apprehended and....disposed of. My heroes MK and the Big Man took care of it. It involved flashlights, a glue trap and T. Willy's Red Ryder bb gun. The picture is of MK before getting rid of the evidence.

Back to work

I went back today and had a good and quiet day. I finalized grades for the semester, and I made lesson plans. It went pretty well. Due to cutbacks, I'm the only teacher on my hall, so it's going to be pretty quiet this semester, but I do enjoy quiet.

There was a casualty of the Christmas break. I'm guessing a combination of cold and me forgetting to water it. Poor plant.

Back to normal

I go back to work tomorrow. It's a teacher workday, so the kids won't be there, and my kids get to stay home with the Big Man. I haven't been feeling well the last couple of days, but I'm feeling better now and ready to get back into our routines.

The mouse has not been caught.

The kids are having a ball in the living room right now. MK sent me a picture. So here it is.

Day 1

In 2009, I resolved to blog every day that year. With the exception of a couple of hours in December, I did. I half-heartedly resolved it in 2010. I posted 368 times, I think, but I did miss some days, even ones that were not cruise related.

So it's a new year. Here are my new resolutions:

1. Organization. Who doesn't say that? But I mean it. I was born without the organizing gene; it just doesn't come naturally to me, but I am resolved to change that.

2. Try one new recipe a week. I've gotten a bit lax in the cooking department. I usually say that I don't like cooking. That isn't 100% true. I don't mind cooking if I think it's going to be good and everyone will eat it. It's just rare that the planets align that way. So, I am going to try to find recipes to add to our menu.

3. I will again try to blog and post a picture every day. It's so much easier to do since I can post from my phone.

So, tonight's picture is of MK on the last night of the play. My dad sent the pictures today, and I thought she looked especially pretty in this one.