Game Time!

I have a new "blog toy" on my blog. But. . . it is hidden somewhere on my home page. You have to search to find it! Let me know when you do!

I just wanted to share my front garden with you all. I was extremely surprised to see a white iris growing (not only one but several). I really can't remember ever seeing one of those in my garden before. I don't think I planted it and I know the neighbor across the street has some white ones but I don't think they can spread so far like some other flowers can. So, what I am trying to say is that I do not know where they came from but am certainly glad they came to my garden!

The other iris is just so pretty with its dual tones. I feel so proud of my garden - this is the time of year that it shines. It is a bulb garden, so the rest of the year it is just green without much color. I always try to grow annuals but never have much luck. Maybe it is because I start too late. I am so proud of it but I can't really take much credit for it since most of the bulbs were here before we moved in.

I hope you enjoy the blooms!

Runners, Cartoons and Chicks

I am so proud of my hubby! He completed his first marathon on Saturday and was still halfway alive afterwards. Check out his blog to hear all the details.

You just have to check out Laughter Thought's latest post. It is such a crack up and I was thinking that it is so true! Click here to find out what I am talking about.

A few of us girls got together last night and played a little "Chick" Poker. Not a single one of us really knew what we were doing. We had a good time and of course there was prizes at the end. I won the grand prize which was a very pink water bottle sporting a shiny pink caribeaner. Which was a nice consolation since I was the first one to lose all of my chips (which by the way were white, pink and red). It wasn't uncommon to hear words or phrases such as . . . I'm reverse bluffing, No, you have nothing - you need 5 in a row to make a straight, Diva, I'll let you chicks just fight it out, You are such a Shane, YOU NEED 5 in a row to make a straight! Well, anyway, it was a good time and we have plans to do it again in the very near future.

Colorful Concrete

Have I said lately how much I love this time of year? There is something about the warmth and getting to be outside in the sun. You can come by our house almost any time in the warm months and our sidewalk and driveway will be the most colorful on the block. We (yes! including me) love to decorate our concrete with chalk. It is something my sister and I just never did much and so now I make sure we always have chalk on hand - I'm not the only one who makes sure we have enough chalk. It is not unusual for neighbors to bring over brand new chalk for us.
I know this is a "sign of the times" and will be extinct before I am ready for it. For now, I will cherish my chalked up driveway and the times!

In Honor of my Dad

I took this picture in our backyard of the red tulips blooming with grape hyacinths. Then in honor of my father, I played around in photoshop and came up with this. My dad is quite the hotographer. He has such an eye for composition and color. You should check out his blog with some of his latest photographs.

I love the spingtime and all the pretty flowers. The colors of the flowers after the brown winter are just so uplifting. There is just something renewing about this season.

Anyone Need a Fork?

I love pranks. I confess, as a younger person I played my share of pranks including toilet papering trees. Our neighbors have high school kids and it is common to wake up and see there tree covered in toilet paper. When this happens, my mind races forward about 5 years to our trees!

Anyway, we woke up this morning and found a new prank! Lo and behold their entire yard was "Forked"!! Why did we never know about this. I think forking someone's yard would be a complete hoot. I am going to have to add this to my list of things to do before I die.

All I can say is watch out - if you live in our town.

I can't find the Fly Lady anywhere!

It seems like once things start to slow down or the end is in sight - something big comes along to keep things - well - somewhat crazy. So, the new BIG thing I am talking about is the PTO. I have belonged to the PTO for quite some time and have managed to always have some menial job on the board, like newsletter editor, popcorn person, yearbook helper or - well you get the picture. As of yesterday, I am now the PTO President for the coming school year. I do have some ideas and things are already in gear for the coming year.

When I told Sixbits the news - the first thing he said (yes, even before congratulations) was "What are you gonna give up, besides dishes and laundry?" What a crack-up, huh?!

Here is the deal, in order to keep sanity and empty laundry hampers, I am gonna have to be super organized. Which is where Fly Lady comes in. You have to check her out. She has such amazing advice and practical steps for not only organizing your house but your life as well. I know I can find her on the web and that isn't the problem. She is lost somewhere in my house and I can't seem to find her anywhere. If anyone knows the whereabouts of the Fly Lady please let me know. I NEED HER!

The Beauty of the Desert Skies

Here is just one of the many reasons why we live in the desert! The sunsets are just gorgeous. I know this picture doesn't really do it justice. This is the view out of the back of the house and the kitchen window where we eat all our meals. Every night (well maybe not EVERY night) we stop for about 2-3 minutes and stand in awe of the beauty of the skies. It is an awesome reminder of how majestic our God is. I know that some out there will argue about the beach sunsets and I have to say - as one who has witnessed both kinds - nothing beats the desert sunsets or clear blue skies. There is something so unreal about both.

Thanks God, for little pleasures in our days! May we not be too busy to miss or pass these by.

Picture taken by oldest daughter A.

Haircuts and Zoo Monkeys

We love Mich! She is our hair stylist. Everyone got hair cuts last night. They all look like those cute little kids we call OURS once more. They got their summer "dos". Of course, Boo will still have to get another or 2 before Summer actually gets here. That is the deal with little boy haircuts. They never last as long as little girl haircuts.

My sister-in-law is so stinkin creative. In order to understand the part in the title that is talking about zoo monkeys you are gonna have to check out her blog, here. I am really enjoying reading hers. I know you will, too.

The Life of a Cat

I have always wished that I were a cat. Sleeping so much of the day. Then, this week in my bible study (proverbs) we are studying passages about laziness. There are verses like . . .

" How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. " Proverbs 6:9-11

"The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway." Proverbs 15:19

"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!" Proverbs 19:24

"A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing."
Proverbs 20:4

Let me be the first to say "OUCH!!" I am so gonna work on how much I love my sleep. I know that rest is biblical - but I am fairly certain I take my sleep past the biblical point. So, from this moment on - here is my vow - I am going to go about my domestic duties and set my priorities and not stray. This, I vow before my whole blogging community (of which, I am sure of, consists of a small handful of readers) .

I'm in the Big League Now, Baby!

So here is the little slugger getting ready for his first big game Cardinals vs the Mets. I only say that the Mets won because they had more kids than we did. In TBall, each child gets to bat once and run to first base (there is no such thing as a double or hoome-run!) - I guess this is called "batting around". Then, they get their gloves and hats and run to take the field and the other team gets to "bat around". This happens for either 3 innings or 1 hour. We only got to play 2 innings. He really likes it which is good since there are 2 games a week.