I don't know if I mentioned it....

BUT....I'm so DANG tired of being COLD!!!!! Friday--gorgeous!! 81 degress. Just a beautiful day. Today? Rain and sleet. And cold! It's 44 degrees outside right now. How can there be that big of a difference in just 2 days???

We have had a fun day, though. We played a MEAN game of Monopoly. Dad is ferocious! I don't really like that game. It just takes too long and someone always ends up getting mad. Today was Ethan's turn. He is very competitive. Does not like to lose. Threw his gamepiece across the room and had to spend some quality time on the back porch cooling off. Poor guy. I was the first one out. I always am. But I don't see that as a bad thing really.

Alright, I am going to meander over to the laundry room and see if there is anything in there I should be doing. Hopefully not.

Hangman

Are ya'll still playing my hangman game at the bottom of the blog?? I love that little guy. He makes me giggle.

Happy Birthday Emily

WHAT a day!! She had her nails done. The gal that did her manicure and pedicure was so sweet. She drew butterflies on Emily's big toes and on her thumbs. Emily is so proud!! Then we had her ears done. She picked out her birthstone. What a brave girl! She did not shed a single tear. Her face got really red and her eyes watered. And she made some very good faces!! Then we had a girls lunch. We had Chinese. After that, we came home and had, actually, a rather mild party for a bunch of giggly girls. Lots of High School Musical and Hannah Montana stuff. It was a GREAT day!

Emily, I love you so much! You add so much to our family! What would we do without you?? You are smart, beautiful, gracious, loving, gentle. There is nothing about you that I don't love. Even your pouty face when you are not getting your way is just very cute! I just don't want you to know that until you are over that stage. I love the way you booboo when you are tired. I love that you love to read and sing. I love to hear you singing while you are in the shower. And most of all I love that you love me! I know you love me with all your heart and it makes me feel very special. How very blessed we are to get to have you!

The Berkley Plantation

38 men and boys were sent to the Americas even before the Pilgrims came. They were sent from the Berkley Castle in England. The plantation that they settled here was destroyed by Indians twice and most of the settlers killed. So, the plantation was left in ruins and forgotten until the 1700s when the famous Harrison family bought it. Benjamen Harrison the 4th signed the Declaration of Independence, his son William H. Harrison became the 9th President. The famous president that served for only a month and a day before succombing to pneumonia. And a later descendent, Benjamen Harrison, also served as President. Lots of history took place in this house. The tune, Taps, was composed on the plantation grounds in 1862. It is the place of the First Thanksgiving. President Bush gave a Thanksgiving Day Address from here last November. Ethan's class went here for a fieldtrip today.

Construction was started in 1721 and finished in 1726. And I complained about how long it took to finish our house! Geez!!!!


Ethan and his buddies.


Ethan and me at the edge of the James River where the very first Thanksgiving Day celebration was held.


Ethan picking flowers for his mommy. That boy is so sweet! He is going to be the BEST husband.

It was a great fieldtrip aside from the FREEZING cold!!! I am so TIRED of being cold. How can it be so sunny and so cold at the same time??? It's the wind that is keeping us cold. I am so ready for some HEAT! Then you can listen to me complain because it's too hot. NeVeR happy!

Hijacked

I’m hijacking Kathy’s blog while she is at work.



THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

The preceding is the introduction to a series of papers entitled “The Crisis” by Thomas Paine. It is one of my favorites and I need to read it more often. He wrote it during the revolutionary war and General Washington found it so inspiring he had it read to the soldiers at Valley Forge prior to the attack on Trenton . Those poor fellows needed some inspiration. I digress, a history lesson is not my intent today. I was reminded of this quote recently as one of my buddies was deployed to Iraq again. He and a couple of more friends were sent back and I get to stay home. Yes there is some guilt on my part but mostly I’m proud of my association with Dave and guys like him. I absolutely don’t feel guilty enough to volunteer to go. Nobody volunteers to go back a second time – there are still those who need to go for their first. We only go when told but we go willingly and we go dutifully. I would like to thank the families of the deployed soldiers too. These are the true heroes. The demands of raising kids, home repairs, errands and life ups and downs continue at home only there is only one parent left to tend to it all. Regardless of how you feel about the war just remember we have brave men and women, away from home and family, standing ready to serve the citizens of our country - and they do deserve our thanks. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. Good Luck Dave and God Speed!

I am stepping down from the soapbox. I’m not sure I had a purpose to my rant but I’m not going to edit it. It feels good to write down my gratitude. Maybe I am picking up this blog thing.

John

I have so much to say

I took this picture for Ethan. We have always told him how hard he is to sleep with. He has never believed us. NOW, I have proof! And this night was particularly tough. He kept sitting straight up in bed like he was awakened by some horrible noise. Asleep the whole time! BUT, he giggles in his sleep which truly offsets getting kicked and punched all night long. It is the most angelic little laugh. I love to hear it. And, sadly, he can never remember what he was laughin' at.


Real men....

doin' what real men do. Ride around on tractors! This is John's new tractor. He was giving the boys driving lessons. I have even driven it myself. It's not really that hard. This is coming, however, from a woman who wrecked two vehicles in a month without even leaving the garage. And.......that brings us to......

this beauty. This is my rental car until my car is repaired. WHICH will NOT be ready until March 26. The ONLY upside of driving that ugly thing is you CANNOT lose it in a parking lot. It just SCREAMS at you "Hey, over here! See me? Over here!!". Did I mention how much damage was done to my car?? $1500!! Can you believe it? For running over the mower!? It's just a push mower! I was totally shocked.

Alright, I think that's it for us. We are getting ready for Emily's birthday party. It will be on Saturday at 4pm if any of you are interested in hangin' around with 10 eight year old girls. It is going to be a BIG day, though. I am looking forward to it. We are getting our nails done in the morning, Emily is getting her ears pierced, and we are doing lunch. Then we are coming home to 10 giggly, loud, screaming girls and fill them full of cake, ice cream, chips, and soda. That should calm them. The boys are already trying to get out of it. No dice, though!

If you look in the dictionary under the word CLUTZ

.....you will find this picture. Minus Emily and the paint on my nose, of course. I couldn't find a picture of just me.


I cannot seem to end the streak of bad luck that I am having.

#1. Burned my neck with a curling iron a couple of weeks ago. So bad that it is going to leave a scar. AND everyone thinks it's a hickey. NICE!!!!

#2. John's cell phone battery was not holding a charge. Ordered a new one. I got it out of the mailbox. Wasn't quite ready to go inside the house, so I threw it into my car. Right into a box that was going to Goodwill. You guessed it.....John's cell phone battery went to Goodwill.

#3. Dropped my cell phone into the bathtub. BUT, I got a little reprieve here. It didn't work for a couple of days, but after it dried out it's working again.

#4. Drove John's truck into the side of the garage door. Already posted if you want to see a picture.

#5. John drove my car last night and left it in first gear. Wasn't expecting that, I always leave it in neutral. Started the car this morning and let my foot off the clutch. Lurched forward and took out the lawn mower and the weed eater. They made a great buffer between the car and the wall of the house. I didn't think the damage to the car was that bad. I took it to a body shop after work just to have it checked out. Well, there is the cosmetic damage that I knew about, but also, the radiator is just barely hangin' on. I'll post the pictures in a couple of days. I'm having trouble with my internet, it's loading too S L O W.

Sooooo, when will this streak of bad luck end. Ya'll sit perched on the edges of your seats. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

WHO did that?

DANG it! It was me! And just guess what I did it with. John's brand new truck! I AM still alive to tell the story, though. I am thankful John doesn't really have a temper. Stern lecture about being more careful with our new house and his new truck, but he didn't throw anything. He's got that "I'm so disappointed" look down to an art. It's no wonder the kids listen to him better than me. There really was hardly any damage to his truck, thank goodness. Part of the door molding was damaged. He was very sweet to me (after the lecture). He put on his clown hat and made me laugh. I was feeling very LOW. Poor John! I run his truck into the house and he has to make me feel better instead of the other way around. It's good to be loved! I didn't get any of that from John and Ethan, though. They made fun of me all night. Emily petted me all evening trying to make me feel better.