Ramdomness

This is Lindsey. Look how cute she is! I want to say this is 2007. She is shelling peas by hand over on Mamaw's porch. This was before they started using the electric pea-sheller, that Lindsey got her hair snagged and pulled last summer. Lindsey is 3 1/2 here. So dang cute, even if she does have a large hairband elastic around her forehead.

One of Elder Miller's recent pictures he sent me.
I put this one on his Facebook. (And since I posted this, I forgot that I wasn't suppose to post this picture, but another one... oh, well!)

Blackberry season soon!! May-June-July!!
Submit your orders soon!!

I have also been struggling again with a few things. Is that normal? I often feel like a failure if I can't be perfect in everything! I know that is so stupid, but that's how I feel. I want to be perfect, have perfect children/family, want everyone to like me and my children, want the best schools, best friends, best life. I know not all of this will happen, not any of it. But I know I can try to be the best I can be, and do what is best for my family. As of now, I am ready to leave Ashdown and never, ever come back. I am also about ready to switch my kids to a new school district.
Hopefully I can by 2011-2012 school year.

And this is why I can't lose weight.

On February 12th, Shawn turned 45. I know, so old!! He had to work. I made dinner for us. Made him up a plate so he could eat when he got home. I also made him a coconut meringue pie. His favorite. It was really good.

On Sunday night, the kids and I made these sugar cookies. I had a few more batches that I also made up but not in the picture. These were for Lauren's & Kayley's lucky friends at school, and some for Krissy's & Lindsey's teachers, and a friend of each. We only had 2 cookies left with the frosting on it.
They were also good.

Being Valentines Day yesterday, and Shawn working again, I decided to make a special dinner for him when he got home. We both like the Outback Steakhouse's Alice Springs Chicken, and this is what I made. I marinated the chicken in a roasted garlic & herb seasoning, and then lightly pan-fried it. Added a really good honey mustard sauce, bacon, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. Also had a baked potato and salad. No dessert.
It was way good!

Knock on wood!

The mileage of our 2002 Chevy Suburban on February 12th.
We got it in February 2005 with 47,000+ miles.

The ties are staying!

The final 6 months are upon us all!! Can you believe my cute elder has been gone for 18 months now? He has!! Really!! And for the past year he has been in the Idaho Falls area, and transfers are in one week. He told me in an email yesterday that he hopes he stays because he has so much stuff that he would probably be sending some stuff home instead of taking it all to
his final and last place...

But the ties are staying!

His projected time home is August 10th.

"Go away Mom!"

Joey had his first Valentines Party at his pre-school yesterday. Because it's a private one, they can have all sorts of junk and homemade stuff unlike the public schools can. I made heart sugar cookies for it. I arrived a little bit before 10am to help set up, but I was late. I think every other parent was already there, and everything was done. Their plates were loaded!! Of course every child went after the mini-cupcake, Doritos, cookies, and Sprite. I went over where Joey was and knelt down beside him, like other parents were doing with their kids, and he leans over and says, "go away Mom" like he was embarrassed that I was next to him. Hmph!! So I went over to where some other parents were standing, and I asked him to smile, and he gave me his cheesy grin.

He was excited about his Valentine loot when he got home from school!! Couldn't wait to show the kids when they
got home from school.

This year was the first year ever that I bought Valentine cards with candy attached- Dum Dum suckers and Fun Dip. Only 3 kids left with parties. I do have boxes and boxes of cards from over the years that I have bought at 10 cents a box after Valentines Day. But I wanted to be a cool mom this year, and I was told to "go away!" LOL!!

Funny story: I probaby will hang on to these boxes of cards that I have for future grandkids. Some are of Sponge Bob and other Nick cartoons, some are geez.... I don't know. Just some of the current stuff, oh, like Hannah Montana & Harry Potter, etc... SO-- many years ago when I had Josh starting school, my youngest brother was about 11, and so he was done with Valentines Parties. Mom asked me if I wanted the rest of the boxes of her cards, and I was like sure. I got them, and man, SOME WERE OLD!! Like when I handed out cards in 2nd grade!! I saved them all, but continued to buy some for Josh until he was done with Valentines Parties. He was so spoiled. But then Lauren started school, and then Kayley, and so forth, and we would just take out that box of old cards and use them. We had quite a bit! I think it was my sister Holly who was at my house (while attending Texas A&M) one year, and we were laughing because we were like "some of the parents of these kids are my age (30+) and they are going to laugh because these were the same ones they got when they were kids! I dunno... it was funny at the time. Now I think I was pretty cheap. LOL!!