Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at my parents house. We missed my nephew this year, he had agreed to play in the band at church....with all the snow and ice they hadn't practiced so he had some very sore fingers by the time we chatted with him later that night. We did add Will, Sams boyfriend from Ashland. It was really a great Christmas!!

You can't beat a good old snowball fight!!

The girls were caught in the crossfire...the boys however didn't feel very sorry for them.

Help!!!

It all ends well!!

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with Ken's side of the family. He has eight brothers and sisters so usually it is a pretty big gathering. This year however due to the weather his bother Jimmy couldn't get out of Portland, so we missed his family. His sister Janelle was just here for a visit last month, they live in Kansas. Ken's Mom and Dad are flying out this week to visit his Sister Beth and her family in Ohio for a week. So we were a few short but we still managed to have a great time. We really loved the snow that fell while we were there and were disappointed that when we got home we had none!! Apparently we live in the banana belt! When Ken and I were first married we all would fit and have the whole family around a beautifully decorated table at his parents home for holidays. Now we have grown in numbers so much that they have converted the double garage into the new gathering place. It's nice. Carpet, heat lots more space and a huge tree this year! The picture Amanda took of the front of the house looks just like a post card. Their house is really a piece of art in itself. And, I love the SNOW!!!

CHRISTMAS IN GOOD OL' SUBLIMITY!!



HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM OUR CRAZY HOUSE TO YOURS !!!

Turkey days

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed the day with My Mom and Dad, my Grandpa, my brother his wife and three children, and our newest addition Will, who his Sam's boyfriend from college. We ate a little late this year because Sam and Will stayed with his family in Canyonville and prepared breakfast for them before traveling up here. So everyone arrived about three we had the best food ever all the traditionals plus a few extra...YUMMY! After dinner was over we all headed up to the park for aou annual football game. It's always the most hilarious thing to see my Mom and Dad playing football and just being goofy with everyone. There is alot of cheating of course. Someone stuffing the football in their shirt and running or the other team sneaking in the littlest one into the opposing huddle. As I said we started a little late this year so along with the slipping and sliding it was getting dark which only added to the fun.

After the game we all came back here and played a board game called "imagine if" lots more laughs and then ended with a wii beach volleyball and tennis tournament. It was a great day I hated for it to end. But everyone was gone by about 10:00 and my family settled in for one more game...a little rummy that lasted till about 1:00am!!

Great times!

Will and Sam headed back down to Ashland today and the rest of us were just pretty lazy. I think tomorrow will be well spent taking down fall decorations and getting set for Christmas! Then before we know it the family will be back together again for more wonderful memories and celebration. I Can't wait!!!

I love FALL!!! I don't really care for the rain. But I love it when the sun is shinning and the colors of the leaves when the sun bounces off them! The smells of leaves burning and cut grass in the chilly air! My house. I have most of my fall decorations out and other than Christmas it's when I like my house the most. I'm a candle freak! So it always smells like some wonderful spicy apple or cinnamon when you walk in. I guess it just fells warm and cozy this time of year. For some reason I always find more and more cute decorating things at this time too so it's probably way over done but oh well I love it! To help get me in that fall spirit, we took 92 children and adults to the pumpkin patch for our fall field trip this last week. It was amazing! The kids all had a great time and the adults too. We go every year to one called Bauman's. It's up by Gervis. These people just put so much time into this place it's spectacular. It's family run with other help of course and just the best place on earth during the fall. They have hay rides, a petting zoo, all kinds of forts and hay mazes, zip lines, and the best homemade apple cider and donuts in the world! The green houses are beautiful...you can't believe the size of some of these flowering pots and plants they have. They have a little store that has fresh produce and all kinds of goodies like pancake mixes with homemade syrup, fresh kettle corn, nuts, candies and lots of decorating things for your home....way tempting! This is a great place for that Sunday drive, in fact I'm sure I'll make it out there one more time this fall. Maybe I'll see you there!!

One little Smiley...

This last weekend was a busy one. Weddings, anniversaries, football games, family gatherings, all of those things we try to cram in before school starts. In the middle of all that my oldest daughter Sam traveled to L.A. for a tourney with her volleyball team. This years team is a little different. She is having to really fight for her spot as a starting outside hitter. She is only 5"8 but has a great jump. There is some pretty tough "tall" new talent. So I have been trying my best to keep her positive and motivate her to always do her best. Even if she thinks it's going unnoticed.

I love little quotes and motivational sayings. All over my house, always within reach, you will find small books filled with stories or quotes to help in any situation. It's up lifting to me. I am one of those people that has a hard time getting into books, it has to get my attention in the first few pages or forget it. But, short stories and these motivation books I love.

My most favorite quote I actually heard in a movie. Found it on the Internet. Typed it up and put a copy in each one of children's room by the door so it would be visible every day. I have applied this quote to so many things in my life and my kids lives and really believe it has made a big difference in the way I "coach" my kids in life.

The Quote.... Coach Carter



Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world, there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won't feel insecure around you. We were all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same thing, as we are liberated from our own fear , our presence automatically liberates others.



All my kids are very different from each other of course. They each seem to have something that they are passionate about. Sam's is volleyball it's where her emotion, dedication and determination shows the most.
So I know that this last weekend when I sent her that quote in a text that it would most definitely effect her attitude towards her playing situation. She sent me one text back it was just a smiley face :) and I knew she understood what she had to do. Play her best, not worry about the out come or be afraid to play her game at the level she can. It paid off. She played every game but one and then they only pulled her in the last game because they knew that she had given everything she had and it was appreciated. So it may not have been the winning est tournament for them but for her it ended up successful.
Sam and I talk and text alot. Especially when she is traveling with her team...I hope or I like to think that it's because she knows I will always have some words of wisdom or one of those little quotes to motivate and inspire her. Little does she know that watching and seeing how much she has accomplished and who she has become is MY biggest motivation of all! :)

Progress...

So...you thought I was joking about the black hole huh? Yes, it really has taken me this long to make progress in that room. Ridiculous! I know. But I would get so bogged down with one area that it would take me forever to move on. All my family pictures are stored in that room so just getting them all in one spot and then of course looking at ones that I hadn't seen in forever took some time. But I'm down to the putting things back in and together now I'm just not very good at decorating I admit it. It amazes me how people can put the oddest things together and it looks wonderful....not me. But I'm gonna keep looking at all of your beautiful rooms and collections and figure something out. Meanwhile here are some pics of the progress day one and then now. Like I said not finished still some wall pictures to come down maybe some selves to go up but I'm working on it. Oh, and some pics of the dolls my aunt Billie made and one of her vases. I have more to display just gotta figure it out!! The doll standing is my daughter Amanda and the one sitting is Samantha.

The black hole!!

So I have been inspired by all this blogging. Looking at all the fun creative things people do and their decorating ideas I have decided to enter the black hole! We have a room in our house that is basically a spare room, but over time it has become the room that when you don't know where to put something....you toss it in. I call it the black hole because there is so much stuff in there now if someone were to go in they may never come out lost forever!! Actually under the layers are some of my most precious things.
My grandmother was a huge antique collector. I used to spend summers with her when I was young. We had the most exciting adventures driving around looking for treasures and things to add to her collections. I have a few things that she gave me before she passed away and they always bring back such great memories.
The other things that I want to uncover are some china paintings that my aunt Billie gave me. She was a wonderfully talented painter. She did all kinds of tea sets, vases, plates and I think her favorite...dolls. I even have ones that she did of my girls that are so life like it's amazing. Her and her husband owned Paddington's pizza!(Now run by their children) You can see some of her work in the south pizza parlor they are in nice big display case. If you know Paddington's you know it's the best pizza around! I am a little bias though. Now you have a little background on why those dolls are in there. Aunt Billie passed away November, 1998 of ovarian cancer. Her husband George was killed in a car crash a 4 years later almost to the day of what would have been her birthday. He was on his way to spend time at their favorite place, their beach house. My grandmother her mother, passed two years after aunt Billie on mothers day of ovarian cancer. Strange how things work. Hard to believe that it has been that long since I have seen all those wonderful people. But I am thankful for wonderful memories and these treasures that I am about to rediscover! I am sure it will bring them close to my heart again.
I will get some pictures up once the black hole has been cleaned up a bit. I may need some decorating and display advise!

Summer smells...

Yesterday was one of those wonderful summer days...it started actually the night before. We had that little rain storm just as it was getting dark outside and of course all my windows are open because I don't care for a stuffy house. I went to bed smelling that smell of rain soaking into the ground after it's been hot for a long time. I love that smell, and some one must have mowed their lawn late that day cause you could still smell that fresh cut grass smell as well. So I slept so good that night. Funny how smells can put you in a good mood or suddenly transport you to a specific moment in your past.
Amanda and I were meeting the rest of my family up at the lake for the day. Sam and Harley spent the night up there with everyone so they were already there. As we drove up the clouds looked pretty threatening but as we came around the last corner everything just kinda broke and there was SUN! We drove through the campground and again more of my favorite summer smells. Campfires of course and from there I think we could tell what everyone was cookin up for breakfast...pancakes, bacon, and we saw all the little ones still in their pj's it was sooo cute. So the kids all had a great day surfing, wake boarding, tubing and just playing in the water. The girls were so cute they of course had their towels layed out in a row and they just giggled and laughed and soaked up the sun all day. It was a great time. I'm sure that everyone will agree that camping and boating have always been the best family times. It's nice to get out on the boat with just us and cruise around the lake or watch the kids trying to out do each other with funny tricks on the surfboard. Just floating out in the middle...the boat rocking back and forth, the music playing , Ken just about asleep and someone yells "last one in's a rotten egg!!!" well you know what happens next...it's mad bail out of the boat. Ken of course always the last one usually started up the boat and jokingly putted away while we were all out in the water. (I love the boat smells too...even the exhuast. I know, a little strange.) It was always the same but we all laughted and joked about it the rest of the day. Great times !
Harley and I drove home together because he had football. The girls stayed a little longer to get all they could out of the day. Harley slept most of the way home. It was a nice quiet drive after a busy but relaxing day. When the girls got home the day ended with unpacking and the oooze and aaaw's of "maybe I got a little burnt today" the linguring smell of wet lake towels, well tanned skin and tropical oil. A perfect ending to a summer day!

One of those Days...

Today was for sure one of those days when every little thing just didn't settle right. I hope I'm not the only one that has those. I'm sure I'm not....maybe they just happen in different ways. The one thing in my life that I am most proud of is of course my kids. Just like a lot of other people.
I knew that I wanted to be a mom ever since I could remember. In high school, I had pictures of babies up my locker while other girls had pics of Scott Biao, leif Garrett, Micheal Jackson(who knew then?)and whoever their favorite band happen to be at that time.
I have three wonderful children. Samantha is my oldest. A sophomore attending Southern Oregon University. She is studying business and communications. And is a starting outside hitter for the volleyball team. Amanda is next. A senior this year in high school. She is captain of the dance team and trying to decide what she wants to do next year. Maybe join Sam at Southern or OSU to study photography. Harley is my youngest. He'll be a sophomore in high school . His biggest concern right now is his own reflection in the mirror and what his next meal will be. ha ha!
I hope that when my kids start raising their own children they will remember how hard I worked at being mom. I will always admit that I was hard on my kids growing up. I mean they were taught the same things I was. Respect, morals, hard work that kinda stuff and they were held responsible for their mistakes. I fact I remember a friend saying to me once that I was quite the disciplinarian. But I held fast because I knew that was teaching them what needed to be taught. As much as I was tough I was always that loving. The title of my home page " Little things long remembered" is actually from a book someone gave me a long time ago about making your children feel special every day, like putting that weed they picked for you in a glass of water or putting notes in their lunches for that field trip. I love that kind of thing, even if they are too old now for some things I think they still get a kick out of it. We always have lots of hugs and I love yous to go around.
My kids are far from perfect...I am far from perfect. But like I said when mistakes are made I make sure that things are made right. It's not always easy to say sorry or ask for forgivness but it is a lesson learned and something you usually don't forget about.
So my whole "One of those days" things comes down to this. My children, my family, are my life. It's why I was put here and why I work so hard at it. So when someone questions how I raise my kids I get really defensive about it. I put everything I have into them. I don't take it lightly. (Know one should take it lightly!) It's probably the one single thing in this world that you could possibly offend me about. To think that someone would think I would let any of my kids get away with a screw up and not pay the price...it infuriates me. There's no reason for it. I always tell them... you do the crime you pay the time and usually in this house they do over time. No getting off for good behavior. Ugh!!! it just shoots down everything I work for and makes me question myself as a parent and I really dislike that. It probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense to anyone unless you know the whole story but it doesn't need to be re-hashed. I'm using this as my venting tool today. Sorry, but it does feel good to let it all out!
So I'm going to try and move past all this now and am reassuring myself that as long as I do my job as a parent, teach them, listen to them and most important love them that they will always be the great kids they are. They will make mistakes along the way, so will I but, we will all learn from them and move on to be better people.

Firsts and lasts...

So I decided today that as my three children grow-up and start becoming more independent that I need to take up some hobbies. This just might be it. This is kind of like meeting a new friend except you get to do as much talking as you like. ha ha! So as my title says this is my first. I'm gonna start slow and just see how addicting it really is. As for my last...I attended my middle daughter's last dance camp of her high school career. Her name is Amanda, she is 17, a senior and captian of the Stayton highlights dance team. 6 time state champs I should add with great pride!
As I sat in the audience today I tried my best to hold back the old flood gates but a few tears managed to slide down my cheeks despite my effort. It just took me back so many years and how all of my kids are growing up so fast. I don't really like my children growning up. I wish I had more control of time and could slow it down just a bit. I have loved every stage of my children growing up until now. I just think they should still need me, and miss that feeling of being the only one that could fix the world for them. Maybe thats a little selfish and if it is I guess I can live with it cause I just plain miss them.
Last night we were actually all home at one time, no ball games, no work, not even a friend over. My oldest daughter put in a movie...don't laugh it was the chipmunks! I just sat and watched my kids laughing, singing, dancing and of course reciting the movie word for word. It was the best. One of those moments you wish you could catch in a jar, screw the lid on real tight, and save forever. I'm just in love with my family. I know they have to grow up and move on with their lives but I just haven't had enough of those silly little moments yet.