Jan 31 - Day 31 of 365

 

Cherry Coke Zero... my drink of choice!

Jan 30 - Day 30 of 365

SNOW DAY!!!

Jan 29 - Day 29 of 365

 

My 2nd attempt at making cake balls... Truman helped me out! YUM!! We made calzones for dinner, ate cake balls for dessert and played Kid Cranium for a fun family night!

Jan 28 - Day 28 of 365

Franklin began learning how to play the recorder at school this week. Today, he performed his very first song for us. He is picking up recorder skills quickly.

Jan 27 - Day 27 of 365

We have a very small front living room. It hosts the computer desk, a couple of bookshelves and two overstuffed chairs. I like to refer to it as the library, since it's the perfect place to cozy up and read a book.

Some of you may not know, but we have always been rabbit ear people. Antenna. You know... the absence of cable, dish or satellite TV. I know. Some people these days *still* do not have modern TV. We have paid for cable about 3 months of our entire marriage (12 years). One or two apartments that we lived in offered free cable, so we did have it for a couple of years. Cable is just one of those monthly bills that we can do without. Sure, I miss TLC and HGTV and all of the awesome kid channels. However, most of the time, we really don't miss it. In this day & age, we've been able to watch quite a few shows for free on the internet or by checking TV series out from the library. We are typically a season behind, but we can watch our TV almost commercial free. But, I digress...

For Christmas, Tommie received new speakers for his computer with the intent to drastically improve the sound quality when we watch TV or movies on his computer. Tonight began the next season of LOST on "real" TV. We started watching LOST last summer on DVD and are hooked. We are one season behind, so we sat down this evening in our cozy library with our new surround sound speakers to watch the beginning of our new season on our (15 inch) "TV".

Jan 26 - Day 26 of 365

Max missed us while we were gone this weekend. He enjoyed spending the weekend with his pal, Walker. However, he's thrilled to be back home... getting spoiled by everyone in the family... including Ashton (the boy I babysit!). Who doesn't love a good tummy rub?

Where have I been?

*note: all new 365 posts have been backdated*

I have fallen a bit behind on my 365 posts. Last Tuesday evening, we received the news that Tommie's grandpa passed away. He had been battling bone cancer since late August of last year. He was placed in a nursing home two days before Thanksgiving because he was no longer able to care for himself at home, so we knew the time would be short. At Christmas when we visited him, we knew it would be the last time we would spend time with him. Even when we know that time is short and that death is imminent, it still takes us by surprise. You know the day is coming when you will get a phone call, but the call itself is still like a punch to the gut. No matter how prepared you are, it still hurts.

(Thanksgiving 2009)

Last weekend, I was scheduled to go to Dallas for a fun weekend visit. On Wednesday, I spent the whole day canceling those plans and making new plans to travel to Illinois for the funeral instead. We are grateful that we live close enough that attending the funeral was an option. We spent the next several days preparing to travel and working out the details. Our plan was to travel on Saturday morning (the funeral was Sunday) and return home on Monday. Somehow, we had a miscommunication with Tommie's parents and they thought we were coming on Friday. So, on Friday afternoon at 3:40, we made the decision to travel that night. Tommie came home from work right away and we packed up in a flurry and left town by 6 p.m. We arrived at his parents' house at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday. Saturday, we spent the day with Tommie's parents and his brother's family.

Sunday, we had brunch with Tommie's parents and headed out of town (1 hour drive) for the services. A visitation was held from 1-3, with a graveside service at 3. Grandpa Barker chose to be cremated, so the visitation was truly that - a chance to visit with long-lost friends and family that we'd never met. I "borrowed" my father-in-law's *beautiful* camera (Nikon D90) and took almost 200 photos that day. After the graveside service, we all had a meal together at the Senior Center (where we usually have our family gatherings).

I know that Grandpa Barker will always hold a special place in our hearts and that he will be greatly missed. He was the last surviving grandpa for both Tommie & I. Since I've been in the family for 13 years and lived much closer to Grandpa Barker than I ever did to my own grandfathers, he was truly like a grandpa to me too. I truly hope that my boys will remember spending time with him too.

  (Labor Day 2008) 

Tommie has always talked about going golfing with his grandpa. One of my favorite memories is when we had a family gathering at his house and we were playing spoons. I'm pretty sure something got broken that day, but Grandpa took it all in stride. He never said a whole lot at gatherings (probably couldn't get a word in edgewise), but I know he was so proud of his grandson.

(Christmas 2007)

We'll miss you, Grandpa!

Jan 25 - Day 25 of 365

On our way home from IL, we stopped at a Maid-Rite to eat lunch. I've eaten maid rite sandwiches, but never eaten at a Maid Rite diner. They had old fashioned booths and decor, along with oldies music playing.

Jan 24 - Day 24 of 365

Today was the funeral for Tommie's grandpa Barker. It seems that family photos only get taken at weddings and funerals. I couldn't just pick one photo for today, so I've included several family shots...

 

Grandma Barker (center) and her kids [L to R]:

Marla (2nd oldest), Karen (3rd oldest), Alan (youngest) and Linda (oldest - my mother-in-law)

 

[L to R] Jo & Rick (Tommie's brother & sis-in-law), Linda & Lyle (my in-laws), me & Tommie

Our family...

Jan 23 - Day 23 of 365

We spent all of Saturday at Tommie's parents' house. They have always had cats, but usually we don't see the cats, because they spend the whole time hiding from us. In August, they got a new kitten named Dusty. Dusty is the friendliest, sweetest cat. The boys had so much fun playing with her - her favorite toys are tiny stuffed mice and a string.

Jan 22 - Day 22 of 365

This number. This glorious number is the *time* that I woke up this morning. I set my alarm clock for 3:37 AM. On purpose. Wow. I started my first early morning shift at the front desk at the Y Tuesday morning. (I'll be working it two days per week.) I worked it this morning just for training purposes (3 days this week). My shift is from 4:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. What is wonderful about that is that Tommie can get the boys onto the bus and no childcare is required. What is also wonderful is that I'm done working for the day by the time some people get out of bed and I've still got the rest of the day to get things done (like babysit... and nap). What is not wonderful about this shift is this:

Jan 21 - Day 21 of 365

Thursday, Truman's Cub Scout den (of which I am the leader) took a tour of a local TV station. It was very interesting to go behind the scenes. We were featured on the weather segment and the meteorologist even "interviewed" us on the air! The boys were very interested and well-behaved.

Jan 20 - Day 20 of 365

Sadly, I have no photo from Wednesday. The whole day was spent canceling and rescheduling travel plans (see this post).

Jan 19 - Day 19 of 365

This evening, our Cub Scout Pack held the annual Cake Bake. The boys bake & decorate cakes, which are then auctioned off to raise money for the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center. This year, we raised over $2,800!

Jan 18 - Day 18 of 365

On Mondays, I teach swim lessons at our local YMCA. At the end of last summer, they closed down the pool for cleaning and maintenance and when we returned, this gorgeous mural had been painted on the wall.

The text by the whale tail reads:
Psalm 24:1-2
The Earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,
the world and all who live in it;
for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

Jan 17 - Day 17 of 365

Sunday afternoon NFL Playoff football... 'nuff said!

Jan 16 - Day 16 of 365

All three boys participated in a Drama Camp today, put on by a local high school's theater club. The high school students worked with the kids on theater games, costumes, makeup, choreography and they had a short (*very* short) performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller at the end of the day. They all three had a blast!

Jan 15 - Day 15 of 365

The boys got out Tommie & I's old high school yearbooks. They had a great time trying to find our photos and commenting on all of the bad hairdos! ha, ha It was a fun walk down memory lane.

Jan 14 - Day 14 of 365

Truman was home sick today with the stomach flu. Unfortunately, he'll be home again tomorrow... :( Poor little guy.

Jan 13 - Day 13 of 365

I've been attending BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) for one whole year now. We meet every Wednesday morning during the school year for in-depth Bible study. This year we are studying the book of John. I love BSF!

Jan 12 - Day 12 of 365

Max had his two year well check (his birthday is in early February) at the vet's office today. He is almost 36 pounds now and in perfect health. The vet was wonderful to allow me to take a picture of him with Max. :)

Jan 11 - Day 11 of 365

Max invited his friend, Walker, over for a playdate! Walker is a Puggle (part Pug, part Beagle), so they really enjoy playing together. They chased each other around the house, hunted birds together and had a wonderful time. Max is lonely without Lucky around and Walker is mad that his "mommy" had a baby... so they need each others' company right now! We'll get together again soon...

Jan 10 - Day 10 of 365

The little guy I babysit (red/white shirt) had his 6th birthday party at the roller skating rink. Harrison & I attended. It was a blast from the past!

Jan 9 - Day 9 of 365

We served dinner at a homeless shelter downtown this evening. Harrison's Cub Scout den planned the event and the whole family participated. We purchased & cooked spaghetti and garlic bread and served desserts that were donated by local grocery stores. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to serve our community during a VERY cold week.

Jan 8 - Day 8 of 365

Harrison helped make meatloaf for dinner. Comfort food for another snow day!

Jan 7 - Day 7 of 365

SNOW DAY!!
It snowed a few inches today (not sure of the total accumulation) and the kids had the day off of school. This was the first snowfall of the '09-'10 winter here in southern Indiana. The world looked so pretty...

Jan 6 - Day 6 of 365

As a family, we are attending a new class entitled "Strengthening Families" at a local school. We eat dinner together, then the parents and children have separate classes and then we come back together for family time at the end. I think the class will be very informative and beneficial to our family! The class began this evening and runs for 10 weeks. Harrison's name was drawn for this evening's door prize - a game called "Hyper Jump".

Jan 5 - Day 5 of 365

I received a phone call from the Assistant Principal today... He said that Franklin had been honored with a "Caught Being Good" award from his 4th grade teacher. He gets his photo on the bulletin board at school and received a special treat, along with a phone call home. Way to go, Franklin!! This is what his teacher had to say...

Jan 4 - Day 4 of 365

Max loves his new bed (a Christmas present)...

Jan. 3 - Day 3 of 365

Writing the Christmas Thank You notes!

Jan 2 - Day 2 of 365

Harrison's 1st day of ice hockey...