You did it!

You were an unexpected blessing when you came into our lives. Your smile brightened our days and those baby blue eye were mesmerizing.

You were solving math at the age of 3 yrs. I thought it was just entertainment for you. Little did we know you had a gift for math.

Your love of music was evident very early on and when you demonstrated at the age of 2 yrs that you could move like "I Dream Of Jeannie", your dad raised his eyes with father-like concern.

Your first few years of school were difficult. You cried every single day for 3 years. I remember prying your little body from mine at the bus stop each and every morning. You still managed to maintain straight A's throughout but we were concerned you would never like school from a social standpoint.

You begged to take flute and we enrolled you in flute lessons and again you demonstrated quick learning and a natural ability.

Middle school is well......middle school. You still struggled adapting to school life but you were at the top of your class with straight A's throughout the years. We were busy running you to dance and music lessons.

Your math teacher called us to discuss your math talent. I must admit that at this point it began to sink in my wee non-math brain that you were gifted. We were informed you were doing math formulas in your head that had not been taught or introduced to you. Your father and I sat in front of the teacher completely dumb-founded. Where did this come from? (I know since I don't have the math brain, I must've passed it onto you.....lol)

High school arrived much too soon and you loved it! The days of crying were over and we secretly wondered if we would need to burn the school down to get you to leave.

Much to my denial, graduation day finally arrived. You have fulfilled our days and years with "your attitude" (lol), laughter, fun and a few tears when you were disappointed.

You have a mature perspective beyond your years about people with immature behavior. Throughout the years your teachers loved you and you maintained an impeccable scholastic record.

Your class chose Final Countdown as the theme song at graduation. The band director asked if you wanted to direct the band, an honor that is usually reserved for the drum major. The band members and the drum major told you to take the offer. You did.

( the picture is a bit fuzzy but it's difficult to focus when the photographer is fighting tears)

You graduated #1 in the class with full honors and we're so proud of you. You worked hard and you deserve it. I know you heard your sister and your friends cheering you on. I now understand why you say your friends are your family. They support you and they love your "attitude" lol.

You have a loving family along with many friends who respect and love you.

You have dreams and ambitions and while they may not always come easy, we know you will do your best to achieve them.

Honors College is waiting for your arrival:).

Congratulations! You did it! We love you, kiddo!

Your favorite quote: "Impossible is nothing"

Dancing Feet

Last evening was the DD's last dance recital. I enrolled her in tap dance at the age of 4 yrs to help with social skills. I danced tap/ballet from the age of 3 yrs until the leg injury and I miss it. So it was a delight to me that she fell in love with dance and had a natural ability.
She quickly moved up the ranks of tap and her first tap solo was at the age of 7 years. This kid can tap with the best of them. She dances on pointe but tap is her favorite. She has performed classical tap, soft shoe, stomp etc. Her teacher made several comments over the years that it didn't matter what step she threw out to her, she nailed it every time.

She was in 9 numbers last night and on one of the numbers she came through the audience to take the stage. On the last performance she presented me with a single red rose and a hug of thanks. I wasn't expecting the surprise and there were a few tears.
Both performances were impeccable and she did not make one mistake.


To my Daughter,

I had no expectations when I enrolled you in dance 14 yrs ago. Yet, you fell in love with it.
I have watched you grow from a little dancer to a phenomonal performer.

It has come to a close and you gave a perfect performance. Be Proud!
Thank you for giving so many wonderful memories to hold dear to my heart.

You're my Dancing Feet!
Love, Mom

Here we go again......

I know, you're all getting tired of post after post of this kid. Trust me, it will be over wa-a-y too soon. Well, at least for me.

The last band banquet was held at the local district fire hall. The food was delicious and it's nice to know the ticket proceeds help our volunteer firemen. Thank goodness. One never knows when they need to be called.........ahem.

This is the class of band seniors with the director on the right.




Miss Flute walked away with quite a few awards.
John Phillip Sousa Band Award
Louis Armstrong Band Award
Most Outstanding Band Senior
Most Dedicated Wind
The Directors Award (Chan, take notice on that one:)
The Most Helpful Band Member
She also won one of the 3 band scholarships.

She is very happy.





As Field Captain/Director, she was asked to give a speech. Here is a little excerpt:

".......I just want to say the last 4 yrs in band have helped to shape who I am today. The years in band have left me with memories that will last forever. You are not only my peers and my friends, you're also my family. Thank you."

That little speech caused a certain mom to wipe a tear. And so we're on to the next very last event, her dance recital.

What a Wonderful Music World

This is a lengthy post as the computer chair is my best friend right now. There are some things in my life that need to end and there are some thing in life I wish would never end.

One thing that needs to end is medical garbage. I have a severe nerve injury from a serious fall years ago. I went to wally world yesterday with intentions on going to my local knitting group luncheon. I bent over at wally world to check the price of an item. POP! Uh-oh! My back went out. I gently tried to straighten up and that was not a good thing. I managed to get back to the car. The pain is horrible. I called my specialist in the city. Now keep in mind I really like this doc but when he asked (among many other questions) "where's the family support system that we spoke about in the last visit?" (eyeroll here) I wanted to ask if he was living in a disillusioned world. Seriously, he did talk with the hubby and me concerning a complete family unit support. I lived in that disillusionment for approximately one day until I finally came to realization, "it ain't happenin'". At least not outside this little adobe. I have an appointment next week to see where this little medical scenerio will lead.



Tonite is the band banquet and I'm going if I go on a guerney. LOL The tickets are purchased, the scrapbook is finished and it's the very last banquet ever for me. This is one of those things I wish would never end. I enjoyed attending all of my kids' performances but this is it. I'm not much of a sports fan so I was fortunate that all of my kids were into music in one form or another.
Here's the DD playing her 10 minute (yes, 10 minutes) solo. On a serious note, no one wants to hear a kid play a solo for 10 minutes except the parents:). The piece was Concertino By Chanimade in a Level 6 (the most difficult level available). She nailed it! Her tone was awesome, her fingers literally flew over the keys. Chan & Jessi, you both need to know that the band director applauded her and gave her a compliment on stage. Upon hearing of her performance we received a phone call from Alderson-Broaddus College offering several flute scholarships. They have heard her previously when she played in their Honor Band performance and the director has called several times.

The kids formed a steel drum unit and Miss Flute DD was on lead pan. I enjoy listening to the steel drums and they have made such an impression with audience members from the previous performances they now have gigs for the summer.

I'm going to make a special effort to attend local school performances in the future. What else do I have to do? Driving distances will be reserved to visit the DD at college and medical garbage so attending anything fun is out of the question.

How many times have I told this dog, "not on the furniture, Mr. Bettis." And yet, this is where I found him this morning. Keep in mind, this is one thing that I have no disillusionment on ever being corrected therefore I have placed an old beach towel on the loveseat. Notice he is not making a move to get down.

I will be on the DD's laptop computer today while resting the back so I will try to catch up on emails and blogs.

It's Scrappy

The DD decided to make the band director a scrapbook of the last 4 years (yes, Chan, I know what you're thinking:).
She wants to present it to him at the banquet on Thursday. My kitchen table houses all of the equipment needed. Miss Aurora decided to pose right smack in the middle. Silly cat.
I won't be able to find her in a little while, she needs her face washed so she'll hide.





Imagine 268+ pictures to be scrapped in 3 days! It's a marathon here.
We're short a few pictures for the freshman year so I'm off to walley world this morning to get a few more. It would help if I was an organized person and kept the index cards with the picture cds. But, I'm not the organzier. DH and DD are the organizers. I am so much better at finding things in my own little system. Wait! Did I just say that while trying to think where I put the index cards?




Her flute recital was last evening. Here she is sight-reading a duet with her teacher. Her teacher is an awesome young woman and is very talented with a Music Major Degree. She is also a Christian Missionary. She is so kind and when I told her (she graduated with my youngest son) that my son was looking for an art teaching job, she suggested a few schools that she knew needed good art teachers. She is very thoughtful and compassionate and she has been a wonderful mentor for DD.

Tonite is the band concert.

sssshhhhh...........I see yellow sunshine rays in the sky. I hope so, it's 34 degrees this morning and there's an ice film laying on the pool cover!

What's the date?

It's 1:45 am and I'm still awake. It's not a good night. I'm freezing. The furnace is running and again I ask, what's the date? May 20th! We're in a freeze warning tonite.

There is so much to do and so very little time left. This week is busy. The very last dance recital, concert, flute recital, last day of school, band banquet etc. There are very few free moments in the day/evening so I will utilize the nights to the best of my ability. I'm not feeling well anyway so what does it really matter. I'm awake so I may as well take advantage of the time. Plus I'm still in that funk.



This post will just be a rambling. The DD had graduation pics taken and this one is my absolute favorite. She has the most beautiful blue eyes and I really wish you could see them in the picture. (yeah, I know, I sound just like a mom...lol)










Here she is goofing off for the camera:).

I will quietly admit that I'm so proud of this kid, I could bust a button.
Yes, she is the baby. She has been raised as an only child. Not by her choice, that's just how she was placed in the lineage. Last.
However, this kid has done everything in her little power to make sure that she has not been last in anything she has set out to do.
In the next two weeks there will be a few posts about this kid so please bear with me while I share her life so far.



On another note:
My knitting mojo found it's way back but I've given up knitting for anyone in particular right now. I'm just not into knitting for family members. That knitting mojo disappeared for a long time, I'm afraid. I was knitting a sweater for the DD but it makes me sad so I put it down. I NEED to stay as far away from sad as I can right now.
I do have a few friends who would appreciate a handknitted item:) so I may cast on for a few new projects.
I have decided to make myself a sweater. Now to decide which sweater and what yarn to use........Plenty of choices, that's for sure.
In the above picture there are a few crocheted preemie hats for Nichole. They're for Little Emma's friends in the NICU. I have a plan to make more.

I could really use that vacation that was cancelled. I won't fret too much as the DH had his vacation taken away because his boss's 6 yr old must have surgery that week. It was supposed to be a simple procedure but it has become much more serious. So we will prioritize and not complain.
It's probably just as well considering he will need to take a lot of days to get me to and from the city dr appts(:-. So much for a break from it all.

The Knitting Cottage

I've been in a funk since last Thursday's depressing dr's appointment. I'll spare the details. It's just one BIG MESS!

It's cold here today and you'll never guess what else.........oh come on now, take a wild guess.....it's showering.....again! I think the sun is on strike.

Add in the "baby" who will be moving on (as she should) and a son who has apparently misplaced my phone number and it's just downright depressing. That's my life for you. I so wish all of my knitting friends (meaning each and every one of you) lived within a reasonable driving distance so we could get together.

Anyway, Laura and Chan are bugging for shopping details so I will share my goodies with you.

After the dr appt husband decided I need an outing. So we went to a favorite little yarn shop of mine. It's located on a farm and is owned by a very sweet Amish lady. It's a bit small but she stays up on the latest yarn and her prices are reasonable.
I bought this Encore tweed for another Central Park Hoodie. It really doesn't show the true color here, it's really a nice red/burgandy. I made all of the girls a CPH last year for Christmas and I'm ready to make another one.

I also purchased this for a sweater and hat. I loved the name of the yarn "Cotton Kisses." It comes with the pattern on the label and little buttons inside the ball of yarn which has enough yardage to make a sweater. I've been looking for a nice pink cotton yarn and this filled the bill. Very reasonably priced @ $14.50 for the yarn, pattern and buttons.

The little ball of fluff on the right dropped right in my basket:). It is so soft, I love it.

We certainly didn't leave without 2 dozen fresh brown eggs from the farm.

Lo and behold they also had these windows sitting on the porch of the shop. They were on sale for $2.50 each. I took one look and knew I needed a few of them. Husband and I love old things and I enjoy creating projects from the finds. The Amish farmer wanted to know if I wanted the paint removed and of course my answer was no, thank you, it adds character.

Here's the plan: Print black and white pictures of my kids and favorite animals from over the years and put them behind the panes of glass. Hang the frame on the wall.
As you can see, Miss Gypsy was checking it out. Mr. Bettis didn't have time for that, he was busy racing in the mud(:-.

Green Acres

This one is picture-less. And you thought you were going to see something green:).
We traveled 2 1/2 hours to the city for another dr appointment. Oh yippee!! (I say that with tongue in cheek)
I DO NOT like the city. May I repeat, I. DO. NOT. like. the. city. Please don't take offense to my dislike of the city. I have relatives and friends who live in the city and they LOVE it. It's just not me. Quite frankly you couldn't pay me enough to live there. Country living is my way of life. Give me those Green Acres, it's the place I want to be. (you'll never get that song out of your head now, will you?)

It rained. Well of course, it rained. We have only seen the big yellow ball in the sky for 4 days out of 2 weeks. It has peeped out a few times between rain showers but that's been rare.

Traffic was a nightmare and rain seems to make some city drivers drive as though they're in the Indy 500 or as if they're on a Sunday sight seeing tour.

Parking is absolutely unheard of. Now I must ask, with all those buildings where in the world do they expect people to park their car?

There's too much concrete. Honestly, whose bright idea was it to put houses so close together that if there was a fire, it could be devastating to the occupants? I admit Fire is something that seems to spark my concern these days. )( a bit of a pun) Of course if a few buildings were "re-located" then there would be plenty of parking space. ( I knew the lightbulb would flicker.........lol)

I made headway on a knitting project so the trip wasn't completely in vain and the hubby took me to a yarn store after the appointment. That made my day a little bit brighter

Tomorrow is a graduation picnic/party for my niece who's graduating from college. A Big family/friend get-together. Keeping my dpns crossed for sunny weather. I hear it's supposed to rain (again) but we'll still have fun.
So what's on your weekend agenda?

Fire & Water

10:39 pm - We retired early due to the previous long night of after-prom chaperone duty.

11:40 p.m. - I awoke to a LOUD pop. I nudged the husband and asked him if he heard the noise. Next thing I knew, The smoke alarm was going off and I could smell something burning.
DD came out of her room asking what was going on and she could smell something burning.

Husband ran downstairs to see if he could find the source. DD and I went to the kitchen/living room area and the living room was filling up with smoke fast. I yelled for the husband.
DD herded Mr. Bettis & Co. outside and I dialed 911. Of course, we were ordered to leave the house.
Our local volunteer fire dept arrived within minutes (they live 1/4 mile from our house). They had just returned from another house fire so they were at the station when our call came in. They and hubby checked the source with a heat sensor and then checked out the electric box.

This was the source of the fire.


The lamp on the stand was plugged into an electric cord. There was a small glass of water on the stand and we figure one of the cats knocked over the glass and the water seeped into the cord plug. Take note that Electric and Water do not mix.

We appreciate our fire company, they dedicate their lives to volunteer their time to protect citizens. So the next time you see a fireman/firewoman give them a big thank you.

On a lighter note: Chan, please tell Sissy that Mr. Bettis thought the men and woman dressed in fire company gear were the greatest company he's ever greeted. He wagged his tail and licked their hands.
Daughter made a joke that she was a little disappointed because there weren't any young good-looking firemen...........LOL

It's Prom

It's Prom Night. The is the last prom/dance. A little sad but I hope she has fun.

Here she is with attitude.....LOL

There are more pics of her with her prom date and other friends. They will be posted later.

We just received a phone call. Apparently there are parent chaperones scheduled for after-prom and they have come down with a virus so we are ready to fill-in for the night. It's going to be a lo-o-o-ong night! But at least the kids will be safe and have a lot of fun.

Off to fill the coffee mug for the DH who is now a designated chaperone and I'm off to bed.............

Rain

This was the weather last Friday going to the wedding. It continued throughout the weekend and unfortunately we are now on Day 7 with rain.

Mr. Bettis has just informed me that Mr. Opossum has returned. The squirrel taunts Mr. B in the fenced back yard and the rabbits have returned (yes, with an "s". Apparently they've spent too much time in the rabbit hole:). Birds have now found an entrance in the roof soffit.
I'm still working on the plans for that ark.


p.s. Thank you to all my friends for your supportive comments/emails on my previous post. It is greatly appreciated. You all are wonderful:)

Wedding I

On his way with his brother (the best man) to get hitched.

The groom is on the left carrying the tuxedo. At this point it was not raining. The ceremony was to be outside.











Inside the 1744 Tavern. I was impressed how they arranged the bar around the dated fireplace.












On the right is the gazebo. This is where the ceremony was to be. It started raining 45 minutes prior to the wedding. The bride and her mother made the call to move it inside.










The Groom and his best man on the right and a good friend on the left.

The bride.

Wedding II

The Bride and her father as he gives her away.


Thanks to all for your prayers. The Bride's father had a good day and told my husband several times that he was very happy.












You are now husband and wife.




As you can see it cleared of rain immediately following the ceremony.












At one point while cutting the cake, Son yelled, "where's my mother?" Apparently he was having trouble. LOL



















Happily Ever After!