Kindergarten

I registered my Kimmie for Kindergarten last week. They have 2 classes and after talking to quite a few parents and teachers who have had interactions with both teachers I decided it best to try and request one of the teachers and not the other one. Reports of things that have gone on in the one class room with how the teacher talks to the kids and handles behaviors in her class are really not where I want Kimmie to be. It seems there is a lot of yelling and screaming from the teacher to the kids. Well I found out yesterday that even after my request she was placed in that class. Now I'm having really mixed feelings about the whole thing. Do I call the school and be one of those demanding moms and throw a fit (if needed) and have her moved to the other class? Or do I sit back and see what happens? Do I wait and see how Kimmie responds to this teacher? Do I just wait and see if maybe there is an opportunity to share with this teacher how we hold the preciousness of others to heart and how we speak to each other? And how we don't allow Kimmie to speak to others? And how by her speaking to her class in that manner she's diminishing how valuable God sees each and every one of those children? I can't imagine it would go over very well to have Kimmie stand up in class and inform her teacher that saying something like "Shut Up" are stinky words and we don't speak to people that way. And maybe having a harsher teacher will be good for Kimmie. She does seem to do better when there are stronger boundaries (give this kid an inch and she'll run over you to get the whole mile).

This is definitely going to be something to pray about a lot. What do you think? What would you do?

Memorial Day Weekend and Kindergarten

Tuesday we registered Kimmie for Kindergarten. She's so excited about going to the new school. All she's been talking about is going to her "high school" and riding the bus. I really hope the actually school year meets her excitement and expectations and more.

We had a wonderful weekend here. 3 wonderful days of warmth and sunshine. It was a great kick off to summer for us. We had some nice relaxation and still got a lot accomplished.

I worked my rear end off and got the garden completely planted. Now I just have weeding and watering and eventually harvesting to do. We planted lettuce, spinach, turnips, carrots, peas, beans, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and corn. I think that's everything. I did end up with a bit of sunburn on my lower back from being bent over but it'll be OK.

Kimmie and I were able to get in a couple of good bike rides too. She's doing so good and is such a trooper. Saturday we road 6 miles to my sister's house and back. Then today we did 8 miles. We road to Grandma's, went to lunch and then back home again. On our bike ride today we got to see a couple of quail and a snake on the trail. The snake kind of startled me a little bit but we stopped to check him out. Kimmie wanted to stomp on him because as she put it "he was like Satan". I think she has taken the story of Adam and Eve very much to heart. But of course I wouldn't let her and we nudge him on his way across the trail and back in to the protection of the bushes.

It's a short week for us here. We only have 3 more days of school/work. Then Friday we have her bike-a-thon and school picnic. Then summer will officially be here.

Relay Idol

I know that some are saddened that American Idol is over. I can't say that I'm really one of them. I only really watched it this year during the auditions. I really didn't follow the rest of the competition. However, for those who live in the Silver Valley we have the excitement of extending our Idol "fixes". I guess we'll put it that way.





I'm planning a fundraising event for my Relay team, Relay Idol. I'm really excited about it. It's always so wonderfully amazing to see how our community comes together to support a good cause. I have a wonderful friend who has a karaoke/Dj business. He does the best job and really is quite spendy for his services. But he has been so generous and offered to donate his services for the evening.





We will have 15 singers, who will each sing their choice of song. After all the contestants have finished singing then the voting will begin. Each singer will have a sack to collect their votes (1 vote for each dollar collected). The singer with the most votes (money) will win the competition.

This evening should be tons of fun. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to see how it goes. So if you think you are going to go through withdrawls due to missing American Idol come see the show. And help us support Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society.

Needing to Decompress

I've been looking at my schedule for the next couple of weeks and feeling so overwhelmingly busy. Thankfully school will be out next week so that will make our morning rush a little less rushed. But there is still so much to be done.

• Relay for Life meetings
• a Bike-a-thon with Kimmie's school
• a Fundraising event for Relay that I'm putting together
• a birthday party for my Grandmother
• finish planting the garden (must get that done this weekend)
• on top of many other standing weekly appointments and meetings

Today when I met with my Pastor to put together our Sunday Worship Song Set I was really feeling the need to slow down, decompress and just try to put myself in a better position to really be able to focus on what's most important. HIM.

Happy Birthday Daddy

Friday was my dear husband's 40th birthday. So of course our little girl had to make Daddy a birthday cake. She was so very proud of herself and couldn't wait to show him her tasty surprise.

Gathering everything in a mixing bowl

















Stir, Stir, Stir

















A Perfectionist at work


















And of course you have to lick the batter.

















Topped with sprinkles and a #4 candle.


















And then you have to sing Happy Birthday to Daddy.

















Now it's official. Daddy is part of the "4 Club". Along with Kimmie (4), Momma (34), Grandma (54) and Grandma Whipps (84). Soon we'll be starting the "5 Club" but Daddy won't be able to join that one.

Happy Birthday Honey hope you had a wonderful day.

Bronchitis Again

Kimmie has been coughing up a storm for the 2nd time is less then 6 weeks. So this afternoon I took her back to the doctor just to find out that she again has bronchitis. This is so frustrating. My poor little girl has this awful hacking cough. Her voice is about gone. And now we are back again on a round of antibiotic. Our doc seems to think that this is just where the cold that is going around at any given time is settling in with her. Some people it's in there head, my sweet girl gets bronchitis.


Yesterday on our walk she got a flat tire on her bike. She was so upset about it because she's worried that it won't be fixed and she won't be able to ride in her bike-a-thon. Larry promised that he would fix it tonight when he got home. Unfortunately he got the tire apart and found that she needs a whole new tire. From her riding and skidding on the breaks she has worn a hole in the tire itself. So tomorrow I will be on the hunt for a new white tire with pink walls. Hopefully I'll be able to find it so she doesn't have to have 1 white and 1 black tire on her bike.

Happy Mother's Day

It was a beautiful day. We got up early and had a great service at church. Then came home and enjoyed some sunshine. Kimmie played outside and I worked a little on the garden. Getting rows lined out and ready for planting.

Then we went and picked up my mom and brought her to our house for dinner. Onion Pork Chops with Mashed potatoes. YUMMY!!!

My excitement of the day came during pre-service prayer time at church. I was really kind of getting in a zone of worship when I suddenly heard my sweet girl crying. I looked down to see her running up on the stage to me with blood on her nose. She was supposed to be back in the back room with another little boy playing. When I got her calmed down and cleaned up and asked what happened. She informed me that she had snuck outside to play on the front steps and fell on the stairs.



She's got quite a bruise that runs up her forhead. Hopefully she doesn't have a black eye tomorrow. I'd really hate to have to tell people that she got a black eye at church. That doesn't sound to good really.

A Nice Day Bike Ride

On the 29th my Kimmie has a bike-a-thon for her school. It's a fundraiser to help with tuition costs and other expenses that the school has. Some of the kids will be riding 13 miles but the younger kids will be riding almost 7 miles.

Today we finally had a break from the rain so I thought it was a good day for us to have a practice ride. We had Larry take us and our bikes to my mom's house and we rode home. Kimmie did great. She peddled her little legs on her little Princess bike. And we had a great time. We only road 4 miles today but it was still a great ride.



We have a wonderful trail to ride one here. The railroad stopped running through our valley years ago. So the powers that be decided to pull out the tracks and pave the railroad over. It runs 70+ miles through our beautiful valley. It's so nice to be able to ride/walk/run on a nice paved path. With no traffic to worry about.

This week has got to end

So after this week has already drug me through the dirt. Today didn't start out any better. I got Kimmie to school and realized that I had forgotten my change of clothes for work. So back home I had to go. I missed my workout. Got back to town and ran to Walmart to pick up some pots to put the flowers we got my mom and Grandma for Mother's Day in. Then had to stop at the printers. I had signs to get printed and laminated for Relay for Life, copies of Relay info for another team captain to make and invitations for my Grandma's birthday party in need of printing. I got out of my car and promptly hit the lock button and closed the door. The instant the door shut I knew what I had done. My keys were in the car.

I got my printing done and then walked down town to work. Of course the only extra key for my car was in Larry's pocket and he was a mile underground at work. I called and left a message for him to call me. And figured last resort I would break a window out before I was about to pay $75 for a locksmith to come up and get my car open. Thanks to a 0 deductible and State Farm it would surely be cheaper to break the window and have it fixed at work then to pay the lock smith.

But I do work with some really AWESOME guys though. After they were done with their lunch break. They went up to my car and went to work with the slimjims. They got my car unlocked and brought it back to the office to me.

And my sweet husband didn't call me. Instead he just drove to town thinking that I still needed his help. And he didn't even give me the hard time that I was expecting from after the way the rest of my week has gone.

If I was a drinker I could easily have stopped at the bar tonight on my way home and stayed there. But alas that's not me anymore. So instead I picked up my girl from the sitter and came home. Made her chocolate chip pancakes for dinner. Potted those flowers for my little girl to take to my mom and Grandma. And thinking that there must be something I'm supposed to be learning from a week like this. Is it more acknowledment of how blessed I am? Is it having more patients with others and myself? I know I'm so very blessed. And I know I really need to work on my patients. So I just have to say.....enough already. I really don't think I can do many more days like this week has been.

Discouragement/Encouragement

Yesterday was a bit discouraging for me. It was my day off and I had more phone calls from work, asking questions about project we have in the works and some nit picking about little things.

Then I got a phone call from a man who is doing his own thing for Relay for Life and I swear he is going to make me crazy before Relay get here. He leaves these messages and talks to me like I'm stupid and that just makes me angry. Then I quite honestly don't want anything to do with him at all.

With all that going on my head really wasn't where it should be and I left my purse at Walmart. I didn't even realize that I had left it until a few hours later and then I had a panic attack (of course). I was frantically racking my brain trying to remember where I had it last. I called Walmart and thankfully they had it. When I went to get it I was so happy to find that everything was still in it.

I'm finding that when I have days like that if I just sit back with my IPod in the quiet by my self. Listening to songs of praise it so puts my head back where it needs to be and brings me back to center. I'm so greatful to have such a loving, encouraging God who can wrap me in his grace and mercy not just on days like yesterday. But everyday.

Gardening

So the last few weekends we have been preparing our little garden areas. Two flower beds have been dug up and planted.

The first bed I dug out. You can see the wheel barrow full of grass and weeds that I pulled out.


Flower bed number 2 before I started on it.




And now finally the finished beds. Planted with pansies and petunias and then covered with back. The big bed by the house is also full of bulbs that will fill in the space nicely when they come up.






Then this morning my AWESOME boss brought his tractor to my house and tilled my garden for me. Six passes with the tractor and about 30 minutes and it was done. It would have taken me all day with a tiller that I would have had to push. Now we just need to go pick up seeds for what we want to plant and put up stakes for the climbing plants. It's my first garden and we're very excited about it.