Kate's Korner

One week later

2012-02-12T22:01:00.000-06:00

It's amazing what a week can do! Gary is feeling SO much better. He was released from the hospital on Monday. We needed to be sure that his fragmin shots were taken care of by insurance. We only had to cover $100+ as opposed to $1800- very thankful for that! He left the hospital with his INR at 1.2. It didn't change the entire time he was in the hospital. He rested both Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday he went to work in the morning and had a Dr. appt. in the afternoon. His INR was up to 1.4. He decided to work 1/2 days both Thursday and Friday as well. I think that was a good idea. The rest was definitely needed. I could definitely see a turnaround for him by Thursday night. He really seemed back to his "old" self, and that was wonderful to see. Friday afternoon he had an appointment with our family dr. and felt like he got a lot of questions answered. His INR was up to 1.6. We are hoping that at his appointment tomorrow his level will be within the 2 to 3 desired range. When it gets there, he will have to overlap the fragmin shots for 5 days. He will be glad to be done with the shots.
Life is settling down here (I hope : ). Bradley's last JV basketball game is tomorrow night. He has been gone so much with JV and varsity basketball, I feel like I never see him : ( ... I'll be glad to have him around a little more.
Brennan started his basketball season a couple of weeks ago. He is playing Upward basketball with a friend through Valley Church in West Des Moines. He plays on Saturday afternoons. He really likes his team- they're a fun bunch of boys. For school, we have been learning about Ancient Egypt, and he's not really enjoying it like I am. I always loved teaching that unit in 6th grade. We are planning to visit the Science Center next week to see 'Lost Egypt' - it's a traveling display there through April. He also goes to the homeschool program at the Blank Park Zoo once a month, and enjoys that a lot. He still loves homeschooling, and says he has no desire to go back to school.
Well, it's 10:00 PM on Sunday night... and it's time to start looking at the week ahead- here's to a calmer week than last : )

Sick boy (again??) LONG POST

2012-02-05T19:49:00.001-06:00

I noticed my last post was titled 'sick boy' So I suppose I could reuse that title again.. but this time I'd be talking about a different boy.

As I write, Gary and I are here

watching the Superbowl on a 19 inch fuzzy TV. We were supposed to be entertaining our small group in our home, and were excited about having everyone over. But God had different plans.
Wednesday evening before bed, Gary noticed his left shoulder and rib area being a little uncomfortable. It continued to bother him all day at work and into the evening Thursday. By Thursday bedtime, it was getting more bothersome, but he was able to finally fall asleep. He woke up early Friday morning feeling miserable and made a Dr. appointment for 7 AM Friday morning. Our Dr. ran an EKG, chest X ray, checked his oxygen and checked him over well. He was experiencing pain when he would breathe, and due to the fact that nothing had shown up on any of the tests, she felt perhaps it was pleurisy (an infection of the lining of the lung) and prescribed him steroids and an antibiotic. He came home, took his meds, and settled in. At this point he was uncomfortable and it hurt to take deeper breaths, but the pain was manageable. Brennan and I were busy cleaning (getting ready for our Superbowl party) when at about 11 AM, I saw Gary writhing in pain on the couch moaning and groaning. The pain was getting very intense and he was struggling to find a comfortable position. I was quite alarmed by this time, and called back down to the Dr. office. We were told to head into the emergency room. So we quickly got in the van and headed to Mercy Hospital. It seemed like I hit every red light on the way. Poor Gary was in the passenger seat clutching his chest, groaning in pain doing childbirth breathing because it hurt so bad to even take a breath. Brennan sat in the back seat crying at the sight of seeing his dad in such pain, and this usually very anxiety-ridden mamma was praying out loud in the driver's seat, trying to comfort my hurting husband, comfort my scared-to-death son, and stay on the road to get us to the hospital in one piece. Thankfully we arrived with no problems. Gary got into a room and they proceeded to run tests as the afternoon progressed. Poor Brennan was too scared to come back into the ER room with us, and I hated to leave him in the waiting room (that's just as scary) so I called Gary's parents to come. I went back and forth between Gary and Brennan until Gary's parents arrived. The doctors ordered a cat scan because a blood test had come back positive for possible clotting, and the cat scan revealed that he did have "clots in the lower lobes of his lungs." The scans also showed some pneumonia on his left lung. It's all a bit of a mystery. As far as the pneumonia he was not running a fever or coughing or showing any symptoms of any kind. And we have no idea what brought about the clot. He doesn't smoke, he hasn't traveled recently, he's been running 3.5 miles every morning before work, and nothing in the family history that we know of. It is likely that it started as one clot somewhere and perhaps it moved into his lungs and broke into pieces. That may have been what caused the excruciating pain that brought us to the ER. Gary's parents stayed here for awhile, but then took Brennan home- he'd had quite a traumatic day. Gary got moved up to the 7th floor- the cardiac floor- around suppertime.
Gary's pain by this time was back to tolerable. They gave him Toradol in the ER and gave him a declotting shot as soon as they discovered the problem. I ran home in the evening, took a shower, gathered some things together, and came back for the night. Gary's parents stayed at the house with the boys. Bradley had a basketball game so he hadn't even gotten to see his dad yet.
He was given his first dose of Coumadin Friday evening before bed. Friday night was a little rough. He got Vicoden, but it didn't seem to take care of his pain. It was hard for him to get comfortable, so he didn't sleep very well. Saturday morning he took Toradol again, and that seemed to be what was helping with the pain the best. Bradley had a basketball game on Saturday morning in Carlisle that I was planning to go to, but it had started snowing that morning. I left the hospital around 8:45, stopped to get gas across the street, and had a change of heart. I just didn't feel right about leaving the hospital. Gary's parents were going to the basketball game, so they would just have to cheer loudly for me.
Saturday was a pretty good day. The pain meds were helping. His PT/INR level was 1.2 We were told that the level they were looking for was between 2 and 3. Doyle and Carolyn and the boys came in the afternoon for awhile. They were neeing to get home to be at their church in the morning, so we decided that Brennan would go home with them. We passed the rest of the day and evening at the hospital with our laptops, Nook, phones, and the TV. We took walks down the hall several times and realized Gary was the youngest, hottest thing on the cardiac floor! I imagine everyone else would be jealous as his meals have consisted of biscuits and gravy, cheeseburgers, french fries, chocolate brownie cake, and Mt. Dew! By the way, he has enjoyed the hospital food! I hate to say it, but he's probably eating better here than he would be at home!
Saturday night was a much better night of sleep. He was taking the Toradol every 6 hours and that seemed to be making a big difference. We only woke up at 3 when the hospital phone rang (no one there) and at 5 when they came in to take blood. Bradley got himself to church in the morning and then had a Superbowl party with youth group friends in the evening. I know Gary was really hoping to be able to be home to watch the game in the comfort of his living room, but due to the insurance company not being open on Sundays to cover his shots he will have to do for the next several days, we couldn't risk leaving and having trouble with the insurance. If he was discharged the hospital couldn't help us with those issues. So we decided to play it safe and stay another night. Medically he could have gone home, but facing paying $85 per shot for 14 days just isn't in the budget if insurance doesn't cover it. So that brings us to now... watching the Superbowl from room 790 of Mercy Hospital. After he is dismissed, he will have to do these shots for the next several days until the Coumadin takes over. Then he will have to be on Coumadin for at least the next 3 months until they can be sure the clot has been absorbed into the body. He will have to have his blood tested regularly to be sure his PT/INR levels are where they need to be. If he experiences another clot, he will have to be on Coumadin for life.
I wanted to get the story down now so I don't forget it... because I have come to realize even when I think I will remember something, I don't.
The staff here has been wonderful. As we walk down these halls, we feel grateful with the good health we have, even in light of these past couple of days. I just watched a family tearfully gather in a gentleman's room down the hall cherishing last moments together and saying goodbyes as he is being transferred to hospice care this evening. I am so thankful for those who patiently and lovingly work in the medical profession. It is definitely not a glamorous job, but one that is so important, and one I know I could never do.
We have both been overwhelmed by all of the prayers, thoughts, phone calls, and concern expressed towards us. We feel blessed. I feel blessed to have my husband still with me. This story could definitely have had a different ending. I truly experienced God's peace during the events of Friday. And anyone who knows my history knows that anxiety has gripped me much of my life to the point of not being able to function in times of trial. God was my rock. I praise Him for his faithfulness now and as this story continues...

Sick boy

2012-01-12T09:51:00.000-06:00

Brennan has been a little bit under the weather this week fighting a fever. Thankfully "the nurse" is taking good care of him. To put it mildly, she is obsessed with him. She only has eyes for her Brennan. They've always had a special relationship, but now that he is homeschooled, it's even worse. She used to follow me around during the day time, but that ship has sailed. Now it's all about Bren.

This is how things started- they were nicely sharing the pillow. After all, Brennan is the sick one, right?

After about 5 minutes, this is what I found. Who's the sick one again???

Well it's a darn good thing someone is taking care of the bills and paper work around here while I've been busy with other stuff : )

SIXTEEN

2012-01-07T00:28:00.000-06:00

16 years ago tonight I had no idea my world would be so different in 24 hour's time. I was 8 months, 5 days pregnant with our first child. We had tried to find out what we were having with an ultrasound, but Bradley would have none of that. He kept himself curled up and very quiet during that appointment. But deep inside, I knew I was having a girl. I could feel it. Alexis Dawn was the name we had chosen, and I was already calling "her" Alexis as I rocked and sang to "her" in our new rocker.

My pregnancy had been very smooth and I was measuring right on schedule. I carried VERY high the whole time, constantly shoving little legs out of my ribs. The next morning, Sunday, Jan. 7, we went to church as usual, but I noticed that sitting in church wasn't nearly as uncomfortable. With carrying so high, I had to sit crooked to breathe, but I could tell the baby had dropped because I could breathe while sitting normally. But I didn't suspicion anything was happening. We came home, had roast for dinner, and I laid down for my Sunday afternoon nap. Around 3:30 I got up, and my water broke. I couldn't believe it, as I was feeling fine and wasn't having any contractions or anything. We headed to the hospital, and 5 1/2 hours later, at 8:02 PM Bradley Scott Hydorn was born. I think it goes down in record when the nurse said, "it's a boy!" that was one of the biggest shocks of my life! I wasn't disappointed- just surprised. So much for Mamma's intuition.

6 pounds 4 ounces and perfectly healthy- My firstborn

Forgive me as I am feeling quite emotional tonight- I can't believe my baby is turning 16 tomorrow. I cannot express the joy this beautiful boy has brought me over the years. Time is going so fast, and although I know God has amazing plans for Bradley, sometimes I feel very selfish and don't want him to grow up so I can keep him here with me. I have spent the evening tonight going through his scrapbooks, remembering, reminiscing, smiling, and feeling such great pride as I see each photo and read each story that goes with them. I decided to take a stroll down memory lane and share a photo from each year. Here's my happy birthday card blog-style to my 16 year old. I love you Bradley Scott!

Age- 1 1/2 - From the time he could walk, we knew sports were going to be in his future. He loved ANYTHING involving a ball. He loved his little golf set, and always had to use the blue club.

Age 2 - Look Bradley, you used to want to do dishes!! Now that it's his chore at home, he doesn't like it so much!

Age 3- His first fish! He caught it at Lake Okoboji on our Fox family vacation.

Age 4 - Baseball was always in his blood. He was watching ESPN from the time he could turn the TV on. And he didn't just watch baseball, he studied it... and learned. We were big Braves fans and his room was decorated in Braves colors/border. He went to his first Major League baseball game during this summer (Braves/Cardinals), and was entranced.

Age 5- And now he gets to play for the first time and not just watch! Needless to say, he loved Tee ball!

Age 6- He learned to ride his bike without training wheels.

Age 7- He really started golfing for the first time during this summer, so we entered him in the local Drive, Chip, and Putt competition, and he placed in the top 5 for putting! He was so proud!

Age 8- The determination he has to work hard at his sports really came out during this year. He was moving up to Minor Leagues and wanted to pitch. Day after day after day, he would place home plate in front of the garage door and practice his pitching throwing a tennis ball against the garage. He got his chance to pitch during the first game of the season. We had the lead and just had to keep it. He came to the mound and struck out the side 1, 2, 3. I think that was a defining moment for him.

Age 9- He made his acting debut in his 4th grade Christmas program at Grandview as Malchus, a wise man. I don't think the acting bug stayed with him, however. : (

Age 10- It's time for braces- his first set of two rounds of braces (and thousands of dollars later). This also marks his last day of school at Grandview before beginning going to Carlisle in 5th grade.

Age 11- First trip to Colorado with another Fox vacation. He loved the mountains and hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. He also white water rafted for the first time, and we discovered his daring side coming out (he always was pretty cautious as a child)

Age 12- First airplane ride down to Florida for a Hydorn family vacation. First time in the ocean too! It was cold!

Age 13- Ran in his first 5 K at Old Settlers. He did awesome!

Age 14- Starting high school

Age 15- First mission trip with our church- to Denver, CO. It was life- changing and Dad and I pray that there will be more mission trips to come, and that you'll continue to serve the Lord throughout your life.

Bradley- I am so proud of you, and I love you with all my heart! I love the times we spend together late at night, even if you're just trying to stay up a little later. I love that we share our love of the King of Queens- a good quote can always cheer the other one up. I love watching you play sports- I love seeing how you've matured and grown in your faith this past year- I love your sense of humor- I just love YOU. Happy 16th!

Reeses Cheesecake Brownies

2012-01-02T16:19:00.000-06:00

Doesn't this look absolutely delicious?? It was : ) Pinterest has done it again... found this recipe there and added it to my holiday baking. Warning- IT IS EXTREMELY RICH... but we still managed to finish the entire pan with no problem. Enjoy!

Reeses Cheesecake Brownies

1 box chocolate fudge brownie mix (full size pan)

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

12 oz. Reeses pieces candy (I didn't use these, and it was still delicious!)

1 12 oz. bag milk chocolate chips

3 tablespoons whipping cream

12 large Reeses peanut butter cups, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread the batter in pan and set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with mixer until fluffy. Add condensed milk and peanut butter and beat until smooth. Stir in the Reeses Pieces. Spoon mixture over batter. Spread evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set and edges are goldren brown. Cool for 30 minutes and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a small microwaveable bowl, micro the chocolate chips and whipping cream for 1 minute or until the chips are melted. Stire until smooth. Spread over cheesecake layer. Sprinkle Reeses peanut butter cup pieces over the top. Store in refrigerator.

New year, new resolution!

2012-01-01T23:50:00.000-06:00

I am normally not one to make New Year's resolutions... basically because I can't think of one that I've ever kept. I prefer to call them goals anyway. For some reason, that makes me feel better, like I actually might be able to accomplish them... which brings me to ~~resolution~~ goal #1.

I AM GOING TO INVEST MORE TIME IN THIS BLOG, and keep writing on a weekly basis. I need to record those little stories/snippets of our life that I say I will remember... but don't. I was reminded of this as I was working on some scrapbooking a couple of days ago. I was scrapping pictures from 2010. And I was horrified at what I didn't remember from just 2 years ago. I do not want this pattern to continue. My kids are growing too fast and I want to cherish each day... the good and the bad. So whether anyone else reads this blog, it doesn't matter. If I sound like a bragging boasting mom, I apologize- I'm just trying to capture my honest feelings and emotions at the moment. If I seem like I'm complaining, ignore me and remember I have those days just like you.

I am tossing around other ~~resolutions~~ goals for this upcoming year, but nothing is solified yet. The blog was my first priority tonight. I am hoping to spice up the look of it a bit, but for now, I just gave it a fresh look. Pink is always good.

We just got back from Christmas with my family. Christmas with Gary's was last weekend. And I am feeling so blessed. Tomorrow is our last day of Christmas break before it gets busy again. But I will be back...very soon.

I am alive!

2011-08-27T18:56:00.000-05:00

Last post on my blog- April 10. PATHETIC! I think about posting but I get overwhelmed as to where to start. Catch up from the last post? That task seems daunting. So I will start with today... and go from there.

I have actually been accomplishing things today, and it feels fantastic! It is a beautiful day outside which is a big motivator. When the sun is shining, Kate has more energy- simple as that. And that energy needed to be used on the basement. Our house has a huge storage area. That is good. Since we moved in in October, all of the junk we have has been piled in that huge storage area- untouched. Until today. I tackled one room. Still a long way to go, but my holiday decorations are organized. I also did several loads of laundry and cleaned bathrooms.

I wanted to share a recipe I got off of Pinterest. For those of you who don't know what Pinterest is, it's a virtual bulletin board. You can create the boards you want and pin things you like to your boards. It can be a huge timewaster, of course, but I have found so many wonderful ideas on it along with lots of recipes- a few of which I've actually made. So I'll leave today with a recipe I tried tonight. We all gave it a thumbs up. But I think the only way to eat it is by piling lots of vanilla ice cream on top!

CROCKPOT CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

For the cake:

*2 cups brown sugar

*2 cups flour

*6 T unsweetened cocoa powder

*4 tsp baking powder

*1 tsp salt

*1 cup milk

*4 T butter, melted

*1 tsp vanilla

For the fudge topping:

*1 1/2 cups brown sugar

* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

*3 cups boiling water

For the cake- Mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Stir in milk, melted butter, and vanilla until combined. Spread the batter over the bottom of a large greased crockpot.

For the fudge topping- Mix together the brown sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle mixture over the cake batter. Pour the boiling water over the top. DO NOT STIR!!!!!! Cover and cook on high for 2-2 1/2 hours. Cake will be very hot! Turn off heat and remove lid. Let sit 20-30 min. before serving, so it's still warm but won't burn your mouth. Enjoy!

Goodness

2011-04-10T21:45:00.000-05:00

Wow! Sometimes I look on here and see how long it's been since I've posted that I feel like giving up : (
Where do I even start? It's been so long since I've posted, and it makes me sad...sad that I don't make time for it...don't feel like I have time... whatever the excuse may be. Life has been a roller coaster lately, and I want to get off. It feels like I just run from one thing to the next and there's no down time. My brain is on overload. I read someone's Facebook post the other day. It said, "I'm bored." This was an adult with children. Really? Bored??? I can't remember the last time I was bored.
I would love to attach a picture with this post but I currently have appr. 800 pics on my camera and most of those haven't even been downloaded on my computer yet.
So where do I start? I guess with the present. And we'll go from there.
* Bradley's first spring league game was today. The wind was ridiculous-even with that my boy came close to a home run over the fence! Gary is helping to coach the team. Spring league lasts 6 weeks and freshman baseball is the entire month of June.
*Gary is coaching Brennan's ball team as well. We are the Pirates (in honor of Uncle Dan). First game is April 26.
*I just booked our hotel in Arlington Virginia for our vacation to Washington DC this summer!!!!! We will head out on Friday July 8, arrive in Pittsburgh on Saturday to visit my brother- unfortunately the girls will be gone on a family reunion so we probably won't see them- go to a couple of Pirates/Cubs games, and head to DC on Monday morning. We will stay there for the week and drive home on Saturday and Sunday. I am so thankful to be able to do this trip. The boys are at great ages for remembering, and I hope they will enjoy all of the history involved! My family took a vacation there when I was about 9, and I still remember quite a bit from that trip.
*I hate subbing in kindergarten.
*I am exhausted. And another busy week begins. No promises, but I hope to be back sooner this next time. Lots of pictures need to be shared- lots of life needs to be documented before I forget it all... because after all, as my husband just recently told me, "I won't know when you get Alzheimers because it will be no different than what it is now." Thanks honey, sad but it's true.

I'm in love...

2011-02-11T10:17:00.000-06:00

with this woman's website

This is Bakerella- she's amazing- I believe I've shared her blog before, but if you've never checked it out, you must.
Anyway, in my Valentine spirit, I was looking for more red and pink goodies I could make. And just in the nick of time, she posts this... Valentine's treat ideas Now which one to start with is the question?

Brennan's valentines this year

2011-02-06T18:53:00.000-06:00

I'm working on Brennan's valentines for next week. I saw this idea and thought it was absolutely adorable, and Brennan liked it too, so we gave it a try. Here's our take on it. His only stipulation was no cutesy sayings- just "Happy Valentine's Day from Brennan" so that's what we did. I love how they came out!

If you want to give them a try, just take a photo with their arm outstretched in a grip. Make sure the arm is off to the side a little so the sucker doesn't hide their face. Then add your text. I printed 4 per page- about 3x5 size. Then just use an exacto knife to cut a slit at the top of the fist and the bottom and slip the sucker in the slits!

This and That

2011-02-03T22:49:00.000-06:00

Ahh... February already- a little closer to spring! I say that after one of the biggest snowstorms in decades just blew through the Midwest. Thankfully for us here in Des Moines we didn't get it nearly as bad as many around us. We ended up with about 7 inches of snow and only missed 1 day of school for the kids. It's supposed to be in the 30's this weekend, so we're headed into a heat wave!

Illness won't seem to stay away from us! I got a call from school around noon today (the third one this year!) that Brennan was running a slight fever and wasn't feeling well. He ran a low grade fever all day, but felt OK the rest of the day. Tonight, however, I heard the coughing increase. I'm not sure if that's a sign of something or not. He was quite sick a month ago with a high fever for 3 days- he was tested for flu, mono, and strep but all came back negative. I had Bradley at the Dr. on Monday. He has been fighting a cold for a few weeks now, but over the weekend, the cough got really bad. Sure enough, Mom's suspicions were correct, and he was diagnosed with bronchitus. Azithromyacin was prescribed, however by Tuesday night he had developed a horrible red itchy rash. We stopped that and now he's on another antibiotic. He was perking up and feeling better, however today, was feeling kindof crummy again. Germs, germs, go away!!!!

After a whole lot of research, I bought one of these with my Christmas money...

and I absolutely love it! Now this was definitely a big purchase for me for a couple of reasons. 1) It was pretty expensive and 2) I love paper- I wasn't sure I would want to give up "real" books for the e version. That's kind of how I feel about scrapbooking. I am intrigued with digital scrapping but I like to fondle paper too much! So I wasn't sure if I would use this enough.
I chose a Nook over a Kindle for a couple of reasons.
I liked the Color aspect.
I like the fact that many libraries have books you can "check out"- I still haven't looked into this, but I know it's an option.
I can buy magazines and newspapers as well as books. I'm not really a newspaper gal, but I do like a good magazine!
I was told by the rep at Barnes and Noble that they will have an app store coming out later in the year for the Nook! Yeah!!

I love being able to read in bed at night without having to turn on my lamp.
I love being able to stick it in my purse and take it with me.
I love being able to access the internet when there is Wi Fi since I don't have a web enabled phone.
I have enjoyed being able to be reading several books at a time, and normally I DO NOT do that.
I love surfing the store and putting books on my wish list. It is very difficult sometimes to exercise self control, however when you simply have to just push the "buy" button without ever having to get out your checkbook (of course, your credit card is on file!)

I have made a goal to read 20 books this year. I should have no problem meeting this goal- in fact I probably do that in any given year, however I don't think I've ever kept track before. This year I hope to keep track. I just finished this one last night, and it was a great read- so here is book number 1-

I am definitely a biography/autobiography kind of girl. I am hoping, however, to expand my horizons a bit this year, so my 20 will include some different genres- hold me to it!
In summary, Mary Beth Chapman is the wife of Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman. I would have to say he has been my all time favorite Christian singer- what an amazing testimony that has stood for decades. I remember seeing him in concert in my first year of college, and have been enamored with him ever since. Anyway, the Chapmans have adopted 3 little girls from China, but in May of 2008, their 5 year old daughter Maria, was hit by a car...driven by their 17 year old son Will Franklin. Will Franklin did not see his sister run into the path of his SUV. The book is powerful and gripping as Mary Beth is so transparent about how their family has dealt with the tragedy, and continue to give God the glory during this storm in their lives. I spent a couple nights staying up too late reading, not wanting to put it down!

I'm slowly trying to start decorating around here. I had Gary hang some things up on the wall the other night. That definitely helps the place to look more cozy. Window treatments are definitely on the list! And paint... builders grade paint doesn't do the job for long, so I'm getting ready to paint (UGH!!) I HATE to paint. I'm starting with the tutoring room first, then planning to tackle the main bathroom. We'll see how long those two tasks take me!

I'm back to Snap working out again. I stopped completely in Nov. and Dec. and it took me a couple of weeks into January to get back on the bandwagon. It's hard to drag myself out on cold nights (and cold mornings don't happen!!!), but I'm trying. I'm trying to log 10 miles per week on the treadmill. I'm hoping to up that as the weeks go on, but that's enough of a stretch for now since 4 times per week is about the max I get down there.

Well I've blabbered enough for now. I need to get to bed since I've been up late reading the last few nights. Now if only I can leave my fully charged Nook off so I can get a good night's sleep...

It's almost Valentine's Day!

2011-02-01T12:11:00.000-06:00

I love Valentine's Day! It ranks up there as a favorite holiday along with the 4th of July. I love decorating for Valentine's Day and baking things for Valentine's Day- that's why I signed up for small group treats on the 13th of this month and I always try to sign up for bringing treats for Bren's Valentine's parties. I saw a cute idea on someone's blog to do a Valentine countdown using $ store materials. So here was my take on the project- using all items from the $ Tree or things I had on hand!
Brennan saw me working on it and was so excited! He kept asking me when it was going to be done, and when the hearts would be filled. I actually had to put a couple of pieces of tape on each of the hearts to keep him from opening them up early!

The stand, the round pizza pan, the hearts, and ribbon at the bottom are all from the $ Tree. I covered the pan with some scrapbooking paper I had. I used my scrapbooking stuff to put the numbers on each of the hearts, andd then used an acrylic sealer over them. I hot glued the bottom of the hearts to the pan, and then used some stickers, etc. to decorate.

The title is made out of some acrylic letters I had and they are also hot glued to the edge of the pan.

Each of these hearts open up. I filled them with candy, change, and dollar bills. As I said, I had to tape the sides of each one to keep him out of them before the day they are to be opened! It was so fun to get crafty again! It has been on hold for several months while I have been in moving chaos.

is this how you feel about New Year's resolutions?

2011-01-22T16:34:00.000-06:00

Delicious snack

2011-01-18T16:55:00.000-06:00

We are trying to eat a little healthier around here. Gary is in a weight loss competition at work, and is working diligently to take off pounds that accumulated during his CPA study months. I let my Snap Fitness membership at the end of last year as things got crazy with moving, Christmas, etc. but as of Sat. I've renewed it and back at working out.
Anyway, Gary brought this recipe home from one of his nutrition classes. It is really good!! It stays nice and moist and quick to put together- both of the kids like it so that's an added plus!

Six Layer Nutrition Bar

2 cups oats
1 cup honey
1 cup milled flaxseed
1 cup 100% healthy Whey Protein (chocolate)
1 cup Skippy Natural peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Spray a 9x13 pan with PAM. Combine oats, honey, flaxseed, protein powder, peanut butter, and chocolate chips together in a large bowl. Mix with spoon or mixer until all ingredients are mixed well. Press mixture into prepared pan. Bars will remain soft and slightly gooey.

the newest member of our family

2011-01-17T16:16:00.000-06:00

Although I'd love to tell you that we got another cat, that, unfortunately is not the case- and there will be no more Hydorn babies unless God chooses to play a little joke on us : ) , but I am very happy to welcome this one into the fam- an Oldsmobile 88 for Bradley!

For those of you who don't live in Iowa, our state allows 14 year olds to get school permits- yes, drive to school ALONE!! Now, that never seemed like a big deal to me... until MY BABY turned 14. And he certainly didn't seem old enough to drive, let alone drive ALONE somewhere. Thankfully, he turned 14 last January, and we were having an awful winter. There was no way this anxiety-ridden mother was going to let my baby drive for the first time on icy snowy roads. So he had to wait until spring break to get his permit. His dad is much more relaxed and at ease when Bradley's behind the wheel than I am. He encouraged him to drive whenever the opportunity allowed it (which is good- I just can't take credit for having the same attitude!).

Any of you parents know that being an on-call taxi service takes a lot of time. Between all of his sports practices, school activities, early morning agilities, student council meetings, etc, etc, etc, I was soon looking forward to him having his school permit. And I was feeling more comfortable with his driving abilities.

Having just built a house, extra money is not exactly rolling in at the moment. And we had a limit for what we wanted to spend... which was not a whole lot. I don't feel a brand new teenage driver needs an expensive car that could likely be dented up in the ~~Indianapolis Speedway~~ school parking lot.

He finished drivers ed at the beginning of Dec. and we got the school permit over Christmas break. It was nice for him to be able to drive the van to his 7 AM practices during Christmas break so that I didn't have to get up!!!

He turned 15 on January 7. And on January 8, we got lucky and found this guy. We have a trusted used car place that we bought our Buick at. Several of our friends have purchased from him, and trust him. We drove through the lot to see what he had. We spotted an older Buick and took it for a test drive. It was OK and would have been perfectly acceptable for his needs. After we brought that one back, the salesman pointed this one out to us. It was only $500 more, much cleaner, only 78,000 miles, and drove wonderfully. We were sold.

Bradley was thrilled and shocked when we drove up with it. Not a chick magnet by any means, but it's a nice solid, decent sized, well priced vehicle that hopefully will last into his college years!!!

My 2010 project

2011-01-11T19:51:00.000-06:00

If you were around a year ago, I shared a project I intended to complete during the year. See blog post here Well, today I finished the last month!! It is pretty simplified. I did the base of the album the first of the year, and then put pictures from each month in its own folder on my computer. I created the collages in Picassa when I had some free time, and there it is! But I love the results. The right side has a folder for each month and I stuck in movie stubs, programs, school projects, etc. that were applicable. This past year I did less scrapbooking than I have since I started this hobby 14 years ago. I'm happy I at least kept up with this project. 2011 I plan to make up for my lack of scrapbooking during the past year. I have been done in my room these past couple of days getting 2009 (yes, you heard that right) pictures in order. A couple of days ago, I uploaded 1600 2010 pictures to Shutterfly and ordered almost 400. I am determined to get caught up with the last 2 years of pictures during this next year. I'll update you on that goal next January!

And here it is- all 12 months...

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Another good banana recipe

2011-01-10T20:36:00.000-06:00

Bananas have always been my favorite fruit from the time I was little. But I am a finicky banana eater- as soon as any brown spots begin appearing, I don't like them anymore. That means I have a lot of bananas that don't get eaten in time... hence the need for a lot of good banana recipes.

I made a double batch of these things a few days ago... and they're gone. Granted everyone likes them especially Bradley and I. They are very filling- a dense muffin, but fairly healthy, unless you put in twice the amount of chocolate chips like I do : )

Banana Chip Oat Muffins

1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until crumbly. Beat in the bananas, egg, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.
Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or use cupcake liners. Fill 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

1 muffin equals 218 calories.

Having total fun with this site!

2011-01-10T20:10:00.000-06:00

I have been looking through all of the favorites on my computer- cleaning things up a bit, and came across this site in my "photography" folder- fun and easy! Easy Photo Collages! I've only made one so far- a collage of Bradley and Madi for his room, but there will be definitely more to come... especially if I have a snow day tomorrow!

kitties make everything better

2011-01-07T18:05:00.000-06:00

I got a call from school yesterday to come and pick Brennan up. He was running a fever and ached all over. When we got home, I got him all snuggled in on the couch. When I came back into the room, this is what I found...

We call her "the nurse." I don't know if it's just because she's a female, but she just really seems to care about how we're feeling. And she especially watches out for her Bren. She loves him, and he can snuggle, hold, manipulate, and squeeze her like none of the rest of us can... and she doesn't mind a bit. When he fell asleep later in the afternoon, she perched on the cushions right above him watching out for him. It was so precious.
I took him to the Dr. today. Still running a fever and not feeling any better. He was complaining of a sore throat this morning, so I thought maybe it was strep throat. That test came back negative and so did the mono and flu test. The Dr. did verify it was viral, but that's all we know. So while my dad and his wife and Gary all headed to Boone tonight to watch Bradley (who turned 15 today!!!) play basketball, Bren and I are chilling at home.

And these two have now found a new spot to take their naps. Maizy has been very interested in the laundry room for the past couple of weeks- wandering in there while I'm washing and drying, snooping in the open dryer door, and making a little nest in a dirty laundry basket. Usually she is the one to copy him, but I think he liked her idea as this was the extent of their afternoon...

And yes, they are lying on the CLEAN piles... If they weren't so darn cute...

a banana bread recipe you must try

2011-01-03T09:16:00.000-06:00

I believe this recipe came from the blog I just shared with you. I already had a great banana bread recipe which always got wonderful feedback when I took it somewhere, but the streusel topping got me on this one. And it is FABULOUS!! The bread consistency is better than my old one as well. If you give it a try, let me know what you think!

Streusel topped banana bread

Makes 3 mini loaves

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mashed bananas (3 small overripe)
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

streusel
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1) Grease 3 mini loaf pans.
2)Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
3) Beat bananas, eggs, sugar, and butter in large bowl until smooth. On low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture. Divide batter among prepared pans.
4) Streusel- Mix flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in small bowl. Cut in butter until small crumbs form. Sprinkle over batter. NOTE- I actually let the bread cook for about ten minutes and then put the streusal on so it would not brown too fast.
5) Bake in oven 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6) Cool bread for 10 minutes.

a cool blog to check out

2010-12-31T11:35:00.000-06:00

If you've followed me, you know I love to read blogs. This one is one of my very favorites. Work in Progress Even though it's technically a scrapbooking blog- they sell a monthly kit and show layouts- they also share so many other things as well- recipes, crafts, decorating ideas, etc. They have several individuals who post pretty much on a daily basis.
Check it out if you have a chance!

Happy new year!! Be safe!

Christmas break ROCKS!

2010-12-29T10:59:00.000-06:00

I am so loving these lazy days of Christmas break! With the schedule I keep during a normal week (tutoring 14 different kids, working for the church 15 hours, subbing a day or two, prepping and leading a Bible study, doing too many loads of laundry to count, running kids, fixing meals, etc. etc.- you get the picture) a few days at home with nothing scheduled on the agenda is wonderful.

I have been...

doing laundry because unfortunately that doesn't stop over Christmas break!
slowly cleaning up after the Christmas madness- still have one tree to take down and a huge mess in the storage area to clean up
getting my paper trail organized for my church job
cutting coupons and getting my coupon binder up to date
looking at recipes and hoping to get some sort of schedule going for a meal plan
creating our busy January calendar
deciding if it's worth it to pay $150 to sign up for some local exercise classes or if I will get my own butt in gear and use our treadmill-
trying to finish up my year in review album- that is my goal for today!!!
playing Boggle on the kids' new I Touches- I'm officially addicted
looking into a chronological Bible reading plan- I have wanted to do this for a few months- I found this one which has some notes along with it and this one that I printed out. I have never been successful with a yearly reading plan, but even if it takes me longer than that, I am good with it.
sleeping in.... my favorite thing!!

hanging my head in shame

2010-12-28T10:36:00.000-06:00

2 1/2 months- ridiculous- not that I haven't been a little busy in that time, but my poor blog has been shamefully ignored- don't know if anyone has noticed, other than my 14 year old (soon to be 15 year old) son. He has reminded me numerous times that I haven't blogged since October 14. Yes, I am painfully aware of that- so here's to the return- hopefully for good. I feel like I've been swimming in a very long lap pool, and I'm finally coming up for air.

We're moved!! Yeah! October 30 was moving day, and am loving my new home. I had a fabulous time decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas and look forward to getting some things up on the walls- I hate painting, but I'm getting antsy to paint my tutoring room- nothing bold like corn cob yellow or the bright orange I had in the last house, but maybe a gray tone?? I've never been a gray fan, but I've found some paint samples of a blueish/gray that I'm really digging- the problem is I loathe painting.

moving day- friends and family helped move all our ~~crap~~ treasures

1025 Bellflower

About 3 weeks after moving in, we hosted 20 family members for Thanksgiving weekend. I loved having everyone in my home. It was SO great to have room for everyone! We have a full basement and had room to set up 2 beds down there so all adults could have a bed to sleep in. The turkey came out edible (thanks to my sister and Reynolds turkey bags!) and we even made our family's recipe of sweet dressing! Hopefully I be able to host many more family functions here...

my crazy sister getting the bird ready

Fox family photo

Brad finished up the football season and now is playing basketball. Bren will start playing Upward basketball after Christmas.

Gary will start back in the study routine after the first of the year. He only passed one out of four CPA tests and needs to get that done before a certain time limit is up. He's also trying to work on projects around here- building shelves in the basement to put all our ~~crap~~ treasures/putting up shelving/counter in the laundry room/ cleaning the garage so we can put our cars in there for winter/ etc. etc. etc. The honey-do list hasn't gotten any shorter for him, that's for sure.

I led this Bible study with some ladies at our church this fall, and am now gearing up to do this one for the spring term. I had such a wonderful group of women this past term. I so looked forward to Tuesday mornings. These Coffee Cup Bible series are awesome too. I have done studies on Philippians before, but never to the depth of this one. It's not so deep you can't understand, but just gives great background/cultural information. I'm really looking forward to the Colossians study.

Well enough for now- I could go on and on, but I must get on to other things for now. I haven't scrapbooked in ages, but I am working on finishing my year in review monthly calendar. I think I posted it last January. Even though I haven't scrapped a thing for months, I did print out my monthly collages last night, and everything is updated except for Dec. Hopefully next time I blog (before 2 1/2 months) I will show you!!!

Hope you all had a merry Christmas!

silly kitties

2010-10-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

Any of you who have kids are probably familiar with silly bands- those colorful rubber bands that kids wear around their wrists that hold their shape- When I first saw these, I thought "what's the big deal about this?" I was less than impressed. And for quite some time, no one else in our house was impressed either. Then Brennan got on the bandwagon. He insisted we go down to Caseys immediately after school and he spent his own money to buy a very expensive small package of silly bands... because he had to have them RIGHT THEN. He began wearing them around both wrists, halfway up the arm, and traded at school. He even traded for a few silly necklaces. I think I would gag having that tight band around my neck, but it didn't seem to bother him. Fast forward a few weeks, several more (less expensive - thank you Walmart) packages have been purchased, and we now have an abundance of silly bands. But... there is a silly band thief in our midst.

That's a racecar silly band-

Brennan was sitting on the couch watching TV when Oreo sauntered in, stuffed his head under the couch, emerged with a silly band in his mouth, and proceeded to walk out of the room as though he were on some sort of mission. Upon investigating, Brennan discovered an entire stash of his precious silly bands safely hidden under the couch! Apparently the cats have been stockpiling!

I found this sight especially amusing today. As I walked by their food dish this morning (and those of you who have followed my blog, know they like to place items in their dishes) I saw one of the confiscated items. Now I'm used to seeing a variety of their toys by their food bowls, but WHAT I saw there I found quite comical.

Look closely, can you tell what shape this band is??? Yes, out of the plethora of bands they had to choose from, they found the one and only cat one Brennan has and perhaps adopted it as their very own! Silly kitties!

"Sometimes...

2010-10-14T22:16:00.000-05:00

you've just got to stop and smell the flowers"

mocha frappe to die for

2010-09-27T15:19:00.000-05:00

I sat down to blog a different story, but for some reason I cannot upload any pictures at the moment. And I definitely need those pictures to tell the story... so what to blog about that doesn't require a picture? How about the AMAZING mocha frappe recipe I came across this morning that I am now absolutely in love with?

I have gradually come to enjoy coffee- I am still not able to drink it totally black. In fact, I am far from that. But I do like it loaded with sugar and combined with chocolate!!! I am a big fan of McDonalds mocha frappes. Not a big fan of the calorie count! How can I get my chocolate fix without buying bigger pants???

I have been making smoothies and frappes at home for awhile now. In fact I just bought a nice blendeer with a great ice crusher. Yes, this is serious business for me. I test them out on my children, and I, of course, have my share as well. We even have special frappe cups to drink them in (because the look and feel of the cup in your hands is important too!). Brennan has a milk allergy so his are made with soy milk. I have tried different recipes, but still hadn't captured the texture and the right consistency...until this morning.

I came across this recipe. Oh my, it is divine!! And light!!!! One serving only has 130 calories (however mine probably has more as I was liberal with my syrup!!) Will my pants continue to fit as I feast on these bad boys each day? And oh the possibilities to change things up a bit! Peppermint syrup with Andes mints on the whipped cream? White chocolate syrup? French vanilla coffee? Pumpkin spice? I'n in love. Give it a try and let me know what ya think!

Mocha Frappe

1 cup of cooled coffee
2 T sugar
1 T milk (I used 1%)
Combine these ingredients and fill in an ice cube tray. Freeze.

Place frozen coffee cubes in blender along with a little over a cup of milk, 2 T chocolate syrup (I added more and it was yummy!) and blend! Top with whipped cream if you'd like.

Survival of the Fittest

2010-09-22T15:31:00.000-05:00

No, we are not believers in evolution and how this phrase is often used in science terms. I have deemed the boys' sleeping situation this way.

The boys have always had their own rooms and beds. They have never had to share...until now. While we are in the rental they are sharing Brad's full sized bed. And neither one is thrilled. Both have complained that the other one kicks and hogs the bed and covers. In the first few days, when I would go to wake them up in the morning, one of them was lavishing in all the covers and the other was huddled up with no covers to be had trying to stay warm with their own body heat alone. This is where 'survival of the fittest' comes in. They soon learned that in order to win the cover war, whoever could roll themselves up in the covers first stays warm! The other brother is outta luck! Since Brennan goes to bed first, he realized that in order to be warm, he'd nestle himself all in because even when he tries to un-burrito Bradley, he's too heavy for him to budge. And even if Brennan was already tootsie rolled up in the depths of the fleece, Bradley would simply pry him out of the covers and steal them after Bren was fast asleep. So as far as who is the fittest? I think Bradley has won that contest this time.
Problem solved- both boys have their own blankets- not to be shared with the other. So far it's working pretty well- at least I thought it was. I came in the other night before I went to bed and saw them like this.

Perhaps Brennan was beating up on him for revenge? Maybe that's what he dreams about??

So I giggled only imagining what might have gone on in the minutes before I took this shot.

Fast forward a couple of nights... the bed wars continue. Only this time there is a new culprit

As if the two boys having nightly wars isn't enough, now the overweight cat is hogging their bed! Yes, Brennan is literally lying on the bottom half of his side of the bed, while Maizy sprawls out to her heart's content. Now all we need is Oreo to cram in here and the picture will be complete.

it's getting closer!

2010-09-19T23:57:00.000-05:00

We are getting so excited! Our house is about a month from being completed! We just got word on Friday that our close date is October 18!! It's finally starting to feel like a reality. I've been thankful for the rental we have... it's not an apartment, I've got laundry right here in the house, we've got a nice big living room to relax in, I've got a tutoring room, Bren can walk home from school, we've got a 3 car garage to store all of our stuff. We feel so thankful to be able to rent here.

However...
*I can't wait to have a laundry ROOM with a counter to be able to spread out and fold the clothes
*I am so looking forward to having a master bathroom- first time ever (and I have MY OWN SINK!)
*I am ready for the X Box to be in the basement family room so don't have to have to listen to Modern Warfare all the time
*I am excited to prepare dinner looking at my granite countertops and cherry cabinets
*I can't wait to sleep in the new bedding I just bought today at Bed Bath and Beyond
*I'm looking forward to sitting on my front porch in the evening

I just plain CAN'T WAIT-
*I just plain can't wait...

where does time go?

2010-08-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

I'm still alive
been incredibly busy this summer
can't believe I'm the mom of a high schooler
the house is starting to make real progress (FINALLY!)
getting excited thinking about moving into our new home
been a bad bad blogger
hoping to remedy this
thanks for those of you who are still hanging with me!

A little kitty love...

2010-07-13T00:38:00.000-05:00

"Want a kiss Mommy?" ......... "PSYCHE!"

Enjoying the beauty and loveliness of our neighbor's yard before we moved. On that note, we let him out tonight while we were on the deck and then got busy and forgot he was out for a bit. When Brennan went out to look for him, he was 3 or 4 houses down the road. I'm convinced he was heading back to the old stompin' grounds!

One of his favorite napping places in the old house- right where no one can reach him!!!

"Playing" a board game with me and the boys... - no, let me rephrase that. Attempting to stuff his entire body in the game box- and every time we needed to reach into the box to pull out a number tile, we'd get nipped at because we had the nerve to bother him during his evening nap.

"My life is simply exhausting!"

helping Mommy unpack at the rental!

Daddy loves his boy!!!!

hello....

2010-07-09T09:42:00.000-05:00

I am finally digging out from the sea of boxes that surround me. Oh, they are still there- but the important ones have all been gone through, I believe. Still missing... 1)Kate's phone charger 2)Kate's wedding ring

Yeah... not good. The wedding ring has me VERY concerned as you can imagine. Now I am about to celebrate 17 years with my husband in a couple of weeks, and during that whole time I have NEVER misplaced my ring. I do not lay stuff down willy nilly (never written that! Is that how you spell it?). My wedding ring gets taken off when I do dishes and at night. And it gets put in the same place every time. All of my jewely stuff has been unpacked, but I haven't found it in any of that yet. Ugh.

The rental is OK. I'm adjusting quite nicely. It has a large family room. It used to be the single car garage before they added on a nice 3 car garage that now houses all of our stuff still packed in boxes. The family room came equipped with a projector screen so we now have a 90 inch TV to watch. I am not smitten with TV things, but I admit, it's amazing. The boys, of course, are in heaven.
There is a nice big pantry which I love. I can actually see all of my food items!!
Oreo hates being cooped up in the house. He makes a beeline for a door if he hears any activity near it. He is allowed to have "supervised" play time only outside now as I'm afraid he will head back to the old house! He usually cuts his own play time short as he soon ventures into the neighbor's yard and has to be drug back home. All of our other neighbors were so good about him roaming around their yards, but I don't know how these people will react. I don't want to upset them.

The house progress has been SLOW. After nearly a month (they dug June 17) we have basement foundation and not even a floor yet. After sending two e-mails, apparently someone dropped the ball on our project we discovered. Yesterday there was a "come to Jesus" meeting with all involved on our project so hopefully we will start to see some real progress.

In other news, Bradley heads to church camp this Sunday, Brennan is in the midst of swimming lessons, I am back to my tutoring routine, Gary just took his 3rd CPA test on Tuesday and the fourth is on July 20, the boys and I spent a great weekend up at my sister's for 4th of July, and I'm attempting to cook actual meals these days. I have had such a craving for fresh vegetables and grilling so that is where my thoughts are... of course a chocolate smores cake recipe is hopefully going to be tested out this weekend as well.

I need to upload photos - hopefully I'll do that soon and have some to share!

Thanks for hanging with me during this wild time!

moving

2010-06-24T07:56:00.000-05:00

Moving into our rental today and tomorrow- This is all I see

It has begun...

2010-06-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

Here sits the future site of the Hydorn home. And today, June 17, 2010, over five weeks after we had our plans and specs meeting, this spot has a nice large hole in the ground with a lot of dirt surrounding it... And it's the most beautiful dirt pile I've ever seen.

Let the building begin... and let the rain stop...

Wow!

2010-06-14T11:36:00.000-05:00

Life has been spinning out of control recently, hence the long absence from my blogging. I think about blogging almost daily, but that's as far as it gets it seems. So here's what's been happening.

He...

*has been trying to study every spare minute he has- 2 CPA tests are coming up in July

*has been making phone calls about utilities, satellite TV, address changes etc. as we will be moving into our temporary housing in less than two weeks

*has been having a stressful time at work dealing with supervisory issues

*has made it to all of the kids' events despite his busy schedule

*takes care of a lot of laundry while he's downstairs studying (thanks honey!!)

He...

*is doing basketball camp this week at the school

*asks to go to the pool every day

*is obsessed with playing catch right now. He can't get enough. And he's gotten really good at catching pop flies! He can catch em as high as Dad can throw them!

*is enjoying reading Dewey the Library Cat with mom at night before bed. I got the kid's version of this book. We're loving it!

*lives in flip flops most of the year- he ran races at school and had a record of 36-0- all in flip flops! Can't wait to see what he can do in actual running shoes!

*just completed his second year of piano lessons

*turned 10 on May 27. We haven't been able to even have a party due to our crazy schedule, but he enjoyed cookie cake (his favorite) and an afternoon of golfing with Dad, Brad, and buddy Kyle

*will probably have the hardest time of all of us moving out of our house

*loves to play X Box and his Nintendo DSI XL.

*has been wanting to go to garage sales with me

*calls Bradley "Master" (and everytime that happens, I look at Bradley, and Bradley's response is, "I didn't make him do that, I swear!")

He...

*is crazy busy with weightlifting, football practice, basketball practice, and Jr. high baseball all at the same time. There are times he does all of this on the same day. Welcome to the world of high school

*has gone to three hitting lessons at Sportsplex West. He was having trouble with his timing, so we bit the bullet and got a series of lessons. It was well worth it. He has been doing a much better job making contact, and we've seen great improvements at the plate. His confidence is up as well!

*plays Call of Duty to relax (seems like an oxymoron to me!)

*eats less than Brennan (or at least it seems like it!)

*is now driving whenever he possibly can. I admit, Dad is much more willing to let him get behind the wheel than Mom

*has had the same girlfriend for 7 months now, and they've never had a fight. For teenagers, I'd say that's pretty amazing!

*is almost 6 feet tall and still growing

I...

*have been crazy busy with tutoring. The last 6 weeks of school or so I was tutoring until 8 or 9 PM every night

*tutored my first student with ACT preparation. She took the test on Sat. (for the second time) so hopefully she will see some increase in her score!!

*have been putting in lots of hours on our summer curriculum for kid's church. We are doing Answers in Genesis curriculum, and I have been organzing the lessons and getting the materials all ready. I have enjoyed it, and am praying the kids are learning God's truths.

*am trying to get back into the exercise habit. April and May my Snap time was pretty much non existent. By the time I was done tutoring, I was wiped out. I have a 20 year reunion in September, and I certainly don't want to go looking the way I do now.

*downloaded a beginner's running plan from this website last night. I don't know who I think I'm kidding. I hate running. But I do walk/jog on the treadmill - that is my exercise of choice. I have a desire to do a 5 K, but I lack the confidence to think I can do it.

*have oodles of new recipes I'm dying to try, but can't seem to find the time to make them

*spend lots of time in the van these days toting kids here and there

*have an entire house to pack up in less than two weeks- progress so far- 3 boxes packed. Ugh

*Am very impatiently waiting for the builders to begin digging our house. It should've been started weeks ago. Now we're getting loads of rain every other day, so it's too wet to begin. At this rate, we'll be lucky to be in the house before Thanksgiving.

*Am getting more hormonal with each passing day. I don't like it... and trust me, neither does the family!

*need to go get dressed so the taxi can fetch a kid

our family...according to Brennan

2010-06-01T08:29:00.000-05:00

This paper came home in Brennan's bag this morning. I found it fascinating to see what our life is like according to a 10 year old.

My new found love...

2010-05-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

These are phenomenal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you tried them?????????

"David's favorite shortcake"

2010-05-21T21:41:00.000-05:00

This is the title of my recipe card- "David's favorite shortcake" written in my mom's handwriting. This is the only shortcake my mom ever made while I was growing up and the only one I ever make to this day! My brother Dave loves it especially, hence the name on the card! Since it is strawberry season, I'm sure most of you are buying as many cheap strawberries as I am these days! I made this shortcake last weekend for an appreciation event I was in charge of and thought I'd share it with you. It's super easy, doesn't require many ingredients, and has a wonderful consistency. Hope you enjoy!

3/4 cup softened stick margarine

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

Mix together with fork into crumb mixture. Set aside 1 cup of this.

To remaining crumb mixture, add 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix well. Pour into a 9x13 pan sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour or until it springs back in the center.

Happy belated Mother's Day!!!!

2010-05-17T00:11:00.000-05:00

I am so thankful that I get to be a mom to these special boys! I feel very blessed!

Mother's Day was very hectic (not to mention the rest of the week!). I got to sleep in and go to late church. We have an 8:30 and 10:30 service and normally my morning-person husband makes us get up and go to early church. And now that I work at church I often have to be at church for the first service anyway. We did not have children's church last Sunday so I got to enjoy sitting in the service (after a great night of sleep!!!). We went straight from church out to lunch. I chose Fazoli's. We didn't have a lot of time, and I hadn't been to Fazoli's for a long time. They have all sorts of new pastas on their menu now! It was good! Then we headed straight to the ball park for a double header for Bradley. As soon as that was done, a quick trip to Wal Mart was in order and had to hurry home to tutor from 8-9. Relaxing it wasn't, but they usually aren't. I have spent Mother's Day at the ballpark the last several years. But that's OK. I love spending time watching my boys play ball...

I had to share the card my husband gave me. He is not a scrapbooker, but he can be creative when he wants to be! I do not get bouquets of real flowers anymore. Oreo has a major obsession with flowers and babies breath. If I have a vase of flowers, he simply will not leave it alone. He has knocked over more vases than I can count and spilled water everywhere. So if I get flowers, they have to stay locked in a room when unsupervised. Anyway, the card read something to the effect of, "here are some flowers Oreo won't destroy." He hand cut the flower part out of some scrapbooking scraps I had (velvet paper) and rolled money tightly to make the stems. I thought it was so cute!!

Anyway, I thought I'd leave you with a poem that was in our church bulletin several years ago on Mother's Day. In fact, it was 9 years ago as it was the Mother's Day we had Brennan dedicated at church. It brought tears to my eyes then and still does. It makes me so grateful that God has allowed me to be Bradley and Brennan's angel on earth. What a privilege and the greatest job I could ask for!

Once upon a time, there was a child ready to be born. So one day, he asked God, "They tell me you are going to send me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

"Among the many angels, I chose one just for you. She will be waiting for you and take care of you."

"But tell me, here in heaven I don't do anything but sing and smile. That is enough for me to be happy. What will I do there?"

"Don't worry. Your angel will sing for you. And she'll smile for you every day too. And you will feel your angel's love and be happy."

"And how am I going to understand when people talk to me if I don't understand the language men speak?"

"Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear. And with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

"Your angel will fold your hands together and teach you how to pray."

"I've heard on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?"

"Your angel will protect you...even if it means risking her life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

"Your angel will talk to you about me and will teach you the way to be able to come back to me again."

At that moment there was much peace in heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard, and the child, in a hurry, asked in a soft voice, "Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

"Her name is of no importance to you. You will simply call her, 'Mommy.'"

Busy and Out of Control

2010-05-10T12:34:00.000-05:00

This will be a quick post to let you know that I'm still alive! I have lots to tell you, but little spare time these days! Last week was a whirlwind and this week seems to be out of control as well. I'm hoping things will slow down soon?????

Here's just a little recap of our latest events...

Bradley finished up his track season last week- we've been going to about 2 track meets per week for the last 4 or 5 weeks. He has been running in the sprint medley, 4x8, 4x2, 4x1, and doing high jump (all of these not on the same nights of course). Their 4x8 team won at several meets, one of their teams (forgot which event) set a school record, and his personal highlight was jumping 5'2" at conference to place 2nd overall and set his personal best record! He was quite excited. Now he gets one day of rest before Jr. High baseball practice starts tomorrow. He's also in the middle of spring league baseball and Jr. League baseball so we're running to ballgames about 3 or 4 times per week.
Brennan is playing baseball as well. He's had several games rained out lately, and this week is looking pretty wet again. It's pouring as I write this. Brennan is working on finishing his AWANA book for the year, and getting ready for a piano recital in a month. He has been spending a lot of time with his best friend and got to stay the night with him the other night.
Gary went to the Dr. with a case of what looked like a spreading rash and found out he had poison ivy! Not quite sure where that came from! So he's on prednisone and has a creme for relief. He also took his 2nd CPA test last Thursday. We won't find out if he passed or not for another 4 or 5 weeks. He feels better about this one than the last one though (we did find out he didn't pass his first one so that will have to be retaken). So in between all this other running, he is still trying to get his studying accomplished.
We have a "sale pending" sign on our house and are anxiously waiting for the "SOLD" sign to go up! Just waiting for the appraisal. We spent last week at meetings and choosing things for our new house- we are definitely building! Our plans and specs meeting is tomorrow and then they will start digging! We are very excited, and although we know this process may have valleys, we are confident in our decision. Our house will probably be done in early September so the big challenge now is finding temporary housing for a couple of months over the summer. Ugh. Still working on that.
Tutoring for me has been crazy busy- trying to schedule around baseball games and track meets has left me working until 9 PM on all of the free nights I have. Plus I have a couple of extra kids helping them make it through the end of the year so time is even more scarce. I've also been subbing a lot more recently as teachers take their personal days, etc. this time of year.
I'm on a curriculum deadline for my children's ministry job. We are doing Answers in Genesis curriculum this summer and I am getting it all put together and worked through. It has been a bigger job than I anticipated so I am not nearly as far with it as I had hoped to be by this point.
This house is a wreck!! After having to keep it clean for almost 8 months while it was on the market, I've let it go to the dogs- never being home and being busy hasn't helped matters either.
So, this is why I haven't blogged for awhile. Hoping I'll get back soon when life settles down a bit!

A blog you must know about

2010-05-03T13:17:00.000-05:00

I imagine many of you who read my blatherings are moms just like me... and moms have to cook, like it or not. I do enjoy cooking and baking, I'm a recipe collector (or should I say my recipes collect dust??) and I get excited when I see a new recipe. Well I've been following this blog for quite some time, and today's pudding cup post sent me over the edge! That looks absolutely phenomenal! And to be able to eat the bowl too???? I've died and gone to chocolate heaven! I love her visual recipes as she takes pictures and posts the recipe often with the step by step- now that speaks to my learning language!!!! Anyway, if you like to bake, or even if you don't!, check this one out!!!

Life is beyond hectic right now for us. Lots of good things going on, but it just seems every aspect of life right now has revved up. Hopefully I'll get to fill ya all in soon!! Thanks for hanging with me!

Can you say OCD?

2010-04-26T08:49:00.000-05:00

Yes, these are guns... a few of them are realistic looking guns (gasp!!)... and they belong to my 9 year old son. I come from a family of hunters. I grew up going to the Rifle Range. I grew up with an entire gun case in our basement filled with rifles and guns of all sorts. And we were taught the rules of safety. I never ever saw a gun left out accidentally. I never picked one up and handled one without the supervision of my father. They were never loaded at home. I was taught the proper respect for guns. I was also taught that guns don't kill people...people kill people. And I believe that today. And guess what? I married a hunter! Thankfully he demonstrates the same safety and responsibility that I grew up with. And we will pass that along to our children. My oldest son has been hunting with his dad for the past several years, and the little one is ready to go when Dad gives the go ahead! That being said, Brennan has been into cap guns lately. The two on the left end were cheap cap guns that don't work very well. Lesson learned is...don't buy cheap cap guns. So I went to Bass Pro and bought the one on the bottom. Now THAT is a cap gun!!! Leave it to Bass Pro to carry the good stuff!! Cap guns are hard to come by these days!

Anyway, this picture truly says "Brennan." I had to smile when I saw it. I came home from dropping the boys at school the other day, and saw his guns neatly arranged on the floor- ready for play after school.

in answer to a question...

2010-04-23T08:23:00.000-05:00

That kool-aid playdough recipe here does not stain hands. Even when I made it and kneaded it, it did not stain my hands, and it does not stain hands when played with! It's good stuff!

...

2010-04-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

Isn't this exactly what you want in your Easter basket????

update your blogger editor

2010-04-18T12:04:00.000-05:00

I love blogger and I think it is pretty easy to manage for the most part. I am definitely not a computer wizard by any means, but I am learning all the time. I love my blog, and I really enjoy being able to go back and read all of the posts I have written. It has been a great journal. That being said, I don't really want to have to pay for another host site that may offer more options. A couple of the things I have been frustrated with in blogger is that I can't always post my pictures as large as I want and that when I upload, they always load on at the beginning of the post and I have to drag them down around my text (if I don't upload one at a time : ) Anyway, I came across this post in my google reader helping me update the blogger editor which makes the uploading of pictures so much easier while you have also have the ability to make your pictures larger! I experimented with it in my last post (Easter), and it is awesome! What a great addition! Maybe some of you have already done this on your blogs, but if not, do check it out!

Easter 2010

2010-04-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

This post is a little tardy, but that's how I seem to be operating lately- a day late and a $ short- it's been hard to keep up with everything around here. The schedule has gotten out of control with baseball and track going on at the same time-

As we are now in month 7 of trying to get our home sold, the Easter baskets, along with everything else I seem to want these days, were tucked away up in our garage to try to declutter the house for showings. And trying to retrieve anything from up in our garage is pretty much a lost cause as it is cram packed. So Easter baskets this year were $1 reusable Iowa and Iowa State bags! I don't think the boys minded. They are not huge candy fans, so I have scaled back on the candy and started filling the baskets with necessity items and things I know they will use/need. This year found a few Reeses peanut butter eggs (because those NEVER go to waste!!), Microsoft points to be able to download some things for their XBox, a Cubs shorts outfit for Bren and Iowa State shorts for Brad, a cap gun for Bren and a new pair of sunglasses for Brad.

Every year my side of the family heads back to Dad's on the Saturday before Easter. We started the annual Easter egg hunt for the kids several years ago, and even though they are all getting older, we again stuffed eggs (and our faces) full of candy. Finding spots to hide them all at Dad's house gets to be a challenge though!

The hunters minus one who was taking care of business- he showed up later and found one egg!

Bradley wasn't planning on hunting at first, but when we told him we hid a golden egg with $5 in it and a silver egg with $2.50 it it, he decided he'd give it a whirl ; ) Who needs the bag when you've got big hands???

Oops- we got a little carried away with our hiding places! Perhaps the exhaust pipe isn't such a good place to hide an egg- it kinda rolled right up there!

And the jackpot eggs! We've discoved that as the kids get older, small pieces of candy just don't do the trick anymore- but money talks!

And, as we often do when we are back in Durant, my sister, brother, and I walked down to the cemetary where mom is buried. Dad always does such a great job of keeping her stone looking so nice. I miss her- it will be 5 years this June that she has been gone. But I know she is enjoying her home in Heaven and I am SO thankful that I know I will see her again soon!

Koolaid playdough

2010-04-14T08:22:00.001-05:00

This is my absolute favorite playdough recipe- in fact, it is now my only playdough recipe!

With my job at church as a children's ministry assistant, I had planned several games and activities for Easter Sunday. One of the those was a playdough table. I made lots of spring colors, bought a $1 package of Easter cookie cutters, and the kids loved it. It was a hit!

This recipe is easy and quick to make, inexpensive, and I love that the packages of Koolaid give it great colors and makes it smell yummy too! I used lime for the green, grape for the purple, berry blue tropical punch for the blue, black cherry for the red, and obviously orange for the orange. It keeps for a long time in Ziploc bags so you can get lots of use out of it.

Koolaid playdough

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

2 packets of koolaid (choose to determine the color you want)

2 Tbsp oil

2 cups boiling water

Combine in a large bowl. Stir with a spoon, and then let cool for a few minutes. Place on countertop and knead with hands until clumps are gone and consistency is to your liking. Feel free to add more flour as you knead if it is too sticky. Have fun- dive in and make some creations with your kids!

bacon bread

2010-04-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

BACON BREAD

This is absolutely one of the best bread recipes ever. I got it from Quick Cooking magazine several years ago and no matter where I take it (and I often take it to small group, family gatherings, and anywhere I have to take a dish!) someone always asks for the recipe. It's easy and doesn't require many ingredients- my kind of cooking!!

INGREDIENTS:

12 bacon strips, diced (or more if you prefer)

1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, divided (I usually use a little more)

1 cup of shredded mozarella cheese (or more if you prefer)

1 envelope ranch party dry dip

Cook bacon. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cut into 1 inch pieces and place in large bowl. Add the bacon, cheese, dressing mix and remaining oil. Toss to coat.

Arrange pieces in an oval on a greased baking sheet, layering as needed. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled. (I usually just place it on a back burner as the oven is preheating).

Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Then cover with foil and bake 5-10 minutes more or until golden brown.

this and that

2010-04-06T22:59:00.000-05:00

I finally downloaded some pictures tonight! Now I can share a bit of what we've been up to these last few weeks.

These pictures are from the state spelling bee Bren was in at the end of March. It was located in Sioux City- why a state spelling bee would be located on the northwestern edge of the state is beyond me, but whatever. It was a rather stressful drive to get there. We had gone to Gary's mom's retirement party in Chariton and then jumped into the car at 8 PM and drove in a snowstorm the whole way there. That would have been bad enough, but we had to take a vehicle from Gary's work to the Omaha area so I had to drive our car separately while he drove the work car. I was in tears at one point trying to drive through the snow and wind in the wee hours of the night. We finally arrived at our hotel at 1:30 AM exhausted! The spelling bee began at 9 the next morning. We checked Bren in and the poor thing was a nervous wreck! They gave the kids a practice round and then they had to take a computer test. This weeded the 102 competitors down to 60-70 who would be able to come back after lunch for the rest of the spelling bee. Brennan did not make it past the computer round. He was devastated. We were SO PROUD of him for making it that far! It was tough competition as this state bee put 1st-8th graders all up against each other (which I didn't quite get). There were only a handful of younger ones out of the 102 as most of them were middle schoolers and junior highers. Overall I think it was a good experience, and I hope he will look back at it as a good opportunity. Right now he's still reeling in the devastation of not making it past the first round. We're still not allowed to talk about it around here!

Yes, you are seeing correctly. That is my 14 year old son behind the wheel ready to take his first driving lesson with his father. Even though he turned 14 in January, he took his permit test over spring break. With the horrible snowy, icy winter we've had, I would never have let him drive! But unfortunately (in this case ONLY) the snow melted, and it's time to let my boy grow up. He passsed his test easily the first time, and his first time behind the wheel was in our VERY LARGE EMPTY church parking lot. I was a tad (OK a little more than a tad) nervous as he had Bren's and my life in his hands, but all was well. He only drove into the grass once in our first little adventure! I thought he had a bit of a lead foot as well. I was reflecting back on my first time behind the wheel and I specifically remember thinking, "How does anyone drive 55 mph? That is SO fast!" Needless to say, I don't think that thought was going through his mind! He has been doing very well. I have lightened up and given him several chances to drive, and his father is always willing to hand him the keys. My anxiety level goes down the more experience he gains. But then I start thinking about him driving at night, driving in a downpour, driving in heavy city traffic, driving in the kind of snow I drove in to the spelling bee, driving in unfamiliar areas, and I start hyperventilating... I have determined that it definitely doesn't get easier as they get older. I just need to up my medication : ))

This is career night for ELP class. ELP (extended learning) used to be TAG (talented and gifted) back in my day. Anyway, Bradley had a big project choosing a career of interest, interviewing someone in that career, researching a college that specializes in that major, researching the job responsibilities, pay, and demand and then put the information together on a display board. They were to dress in their career attire (hence the football shirt and shorts) and the parents got to come to school one evening to view the finished projects. He did a career inventory and teaching was one of the careers that came out on top for him. Law was another one, and those are both things he is interested in (although I think the coaching is more of an interest right now than the teaching). He really likes his PE teacher, who will also happen to be his high school basketball coach, so he has a good role model to look to for that. He researched UNI as that is a great teaching school (I know first-hand!). His presentation board may have had a smidge of help from his scrapbooking mother, (hee hee : )but overall I think he did a good job. I must say there were a few rough nights around the Hydorn household trying to get him to complete this task, but I think it was well worth it.

Alrighty enough for now- I have lots I'm hoping to share with you in the next week or so- Easter, a recipe, and I've been documenting a "day in the life of Oreo" for your viewing pleasure. I'm sure you're all waiting with baited breath now for that installment... How exciting can a day in the life of a cat really be anyway?

We finally hit 70!!

2010-03-30T22:45:00.001-05:00

Spring has been long awaited around here. It's been a bitter winter and today was a banner day! Nothing but sunshine and about 73 degrees. The day was busy with Bible study, running errands preparing for Easter Sunday in our children's ministry, tutoring 3 students, and the minute I was done, Brennan was begging to ride bikes to the playground. I love that at almost 10, he still loves to spend time swinging, sliding, and hanging on the monkey bars. After a LLLOOONNNNNGGGG winter of endless hours of video games, I am grateful to get him out on his bike getting some exercise. I love our times at the playground. It seems we have some of our greatest conversations there.
Tonight I learned the following from our evening together...

*he feels that girls in his class always want their own way. He preceded to offer several examples of when playing math games, they will say, "We're doing subtraction or nothing..." "We're doing addition or nothing..." He was disgusted at the fact that they act like they're giving you a choice when they're really not. He asked me if all girls want their own way. What am I to say to that? I told him I like to get my own way. And he told me, "Yes, but you're not a girl, you're a woman."

*he loved Nana's garlic bread. "She was a smart woman," he told me. However I'm still unsure of how her brains and garlic bread talents go together...

*it is very unfair that, at recess, you only get one push on the tire swing, but the pusher has to push 3 times before being done. Who makes up these dumb rules?

*I now know how to "rocket" on the tire swing.

*I cannot "rocket" for long on the tire swing as I am too old for that and the nausea set in. I used to be able to spin, ride any ride in any amusement park, and merry go round on a full stomach and not be phased. Now I can't even last 5 minutes on a tire swing on an empty stomach.

*God has given me a very special little boy... but I think I already knew that.

Spring break-oh how I love thee...

2010-03-18T00:08:00.000-05:00

I am so enjoying my spring break. And of course, it is going too fast.
Saturday I scrapped for 11 hours. It was lovely. Some wonder how anyone could do that for 11 hours straight, but I could go much longer if I could...It was lovely.

Sunday we went to church, out to lunch at McDonalds, and then I got a glorious nap in. It was lovely. I made an egg bake for supper, which I've been hungry for. It was so nice to sit down together at our table as a family and eat together. We don't get to do that much during the weeks because I am usually tutoring during the dinner hour. Brennan and I rented the movie G-Force and watched that before bed--definitely not as good of a movie as I had hoped. Thankfully we waited for the $1 Redbox instead of paying movie theater prices!

Monday I slept in til 9. It was lovely. Then I took the boys out shopping to try to get everything bought for baseball season, and I think we got it accomplished. Then we picked up Gary at work and went to Boston's for lunch. We'd never been there before, and loved the chicken parmesan pizza we ordered. Brennan raved that his spaghetti and meatballs was the best thing he'd ever tasted!

Tuesday Bradley went to Token's with some friends and I had another nap. It was lovely. Then Bren and I played a couple of board games (he beat me in Goolf and I beat him in Yahtzee), I cleaned the house a little, and made chicken wraps, corn casserole, and a cherry trifle for supper. Bradley ended up spending the night at a friend's house.

Today (Wednesday) I scrapbooked all day at Memory Bound. It was lovely!! I had a mango smoothie for supper and got beat by Brennan in Battleship. Now I am enjoying the peace and quiet of the house at 12:20 AM knowing that I should be going to bed, but relishing staying up late.

The rest of the week is going to be busy. Tomorrow Bradley has an ortho appointment and he is ready to take his driver's permit test. AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Notice I said HE is ready to take it because I'm certainly not ready for him to take it. This is when I think how nice it would be to have him back in diapers again! Then we're going somewhere to golf. It's supposed to be 63 degrees tomorrow! It will be lovely!! And after the winter we've had, we are going to enjoy every minute of our day tomorrow. Friday we are going to a retirement party for Gary's mom. She only has 7 more days of work left, and we are rejoicing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Straight from the party we get to drive 4 hours to Sioux City, Iowa so Brennan can compete in the State spelling bee on Saturday!
Spring break...oh how I love thee...

January monthly calendar

2010-03-14T19:43:00.000-05:00

I showed you the monthy calendar I started here http://katehydorn.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html (can't remember how to rename the link offhand). Well January is completed and in the album. I'm hoping to finish up February while I'm on spring break this week. I put together the collage of pics from the month in Picassa and wrote captions right on them. On the other side the envelope contains papers, clippings, etc. from the month. I included a grocery list I had made and Brennan added his wants to it. I got a chuckle at some of the things he added and how he spelled them. I'm hoping to add things like this in the coming months.

Scripture challenge #2

2010-03-10T20:24:00.000-06:00

I've had my second Scripture challenge done for awhile, but hadn't taken a picture of it. The word was temptations. I used the verse from 1 Corinthians 10:31. It was the first thing that came to my mind when I read the challenge. I took it from the New Living Translation Bible. I chose a black and white theme and tore my paper at the top symbolizing the torn feeling we have when temptations come our way.

I'm hoping to get caught up on the challenges this weekend. I am about 3 behind by now. I am going to enjoy 11 hours of uninterrupted scrapbooking bliss on Saturday- right here in town at the school! I'm so looking forward to it. I have hardly done any scrapping at all and since I am going nowhere for spring break, this will have to be my vacation!

Bradley will be having minor surgery on Friday. He had tubes put in his ears when he was 4 (and he's now 14). One of them is still in place and has to be removed. It has had scar tissue built up around it so it will have to be surgically removed. They may also have to do some reconstruction as well.

THE SNOW IS MELTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can see about 75% of my yard now! Today it got up to 50 degrees and Bradley was dressed in shorts for school. Now some of you might think that's nuts, but to us Iowans 50 felt like a heat wave!

Brennan's spelling be is a little over a week away. We'll be heading to Sioux City on the 20th for that. I am praying he'll do well and nerves won't get to him.

I'm subbing in technology tomorrow. That's a joke since I don't know squat about the computer systems at the school. I'm merely present for crowd control only.

Been busy looking through and choosing curriculums for our church's summer programs and VBS. I'm so thankful for my church job and the ability to be able to do so much of my work from the comforts of my own home and computer.

We are officially done with basketball. Bradley had his last tournament last weekend. We are now kicking off baseball. Without question it is the most expensive sport in the Hydorn household. So far I've written 2 hefty checks to Sports Authority with the shopping not completely done yet.

Gary goes to work, studies, eats, studies, sleeps, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Still waiting to get this house sold and we officially decided to build. We signed the paperwork last week and are ready to go when someone decides to make 847 Main Street their house. I know my focus has changed when instead of spending my extra 30 minutes browsing in a clothing store, I went into Lowe's instead and drooled over vessel sinks, hardwood floors, and tile. Oh my.

Spring break is two days away. HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diary of a Snow Shoveler

2010-03-03T08:27:00.001-06:00

Although this little ditty was not written by me, it does capture a bit of my own attitude and feelings about the winter we've been having.

This story is one of my all time favorites : )

December 8: 6 PM

It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So romantic- we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9:

We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole wide world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon after the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed the driveway, I got to shovel again. What a perfect life.

December 12:

The sun has melted all of our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry. We'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man. I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14:

Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night! The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back into shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15:

20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16:

Ice storm this morning. Fell on my butt on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt SO BAD! The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17:

Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should have bought a wood stove, but I won't admit that to her. I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20:

Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white crap fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt til August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out and shovel, and then I had to pee. By the time I got undressed, peed, and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think he's lying.

December 23:

Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0 degrees! The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What? Is she nuts? Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did, but I think she's lying.

December 24:

6 inches. Snow packed so hard by the snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the idiot who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at 100 mph and throws snow all over where I just shoveled! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the snowplow.

December 25:

Merry Christmas! 20 more inches of the !&@@#** slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. I hate snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation, and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm gonna kill her.

December 26:

Still snowed in. Why on earth did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27:

Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze.

December 28:

Warmed up to above -50. Still snowed in. SHE'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!

December 29:

10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard? How dumb does he think I am?

December 30:

Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is sueing me for a million dollars. The wife went home to her mother. 9 inches predicted.

December 31:

Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8:

I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

kitty love

2010-03-01T23:37:00.000-06:00

Just thought I'd share some photos of my babies tonight- and by babies, of course I mean my fur babies. My children would take offense to being called babies. Maizy "helping" Bren play X-box. If any of the rest of us tried to snuggle her like this, we would get scratched. With the rest of us, she'll snuggle only on her timetable and terms, but with Bren, it's different.

My own personal dishwasher- we're trying to be energy efficient and go green in 2010!

Gary took this one when I was tutoring. Maizy loves to come in with the tutoring students. She does NOT like to be closed out of a room. If she is, I will see her little paw come under the door. We can hear the slight scratching and the tutoring kids just automatically get up and let her in!

I may have shared this one once before- sorry if you've seen it already. I was too lazy to look back and check older posts! Oreo is less than amused at one of Brennan's many new games.

Off to bed- it's almost midnight.

prayer

2010-02-22T21:38:00.000-06:00

We pray with our kids before bed. But usually Dad or I am doing the praying. When I ask Brennan to pray, he will usually tell me, "I don't know what to pray for." Even though I tell him the same things each time, or I ask him what Daddy and I have been praying about, he still has difficulty.

I heard about the 5 finger method several years ago, but found it again today as I was prepping for Bible study tomorrow. I haven't used it yet with Bren but am excited to give it a try. Hopefully this will help him pray without promptings from me. Let me know if any of you give this a try at your house or already implement this method.

The THUMB is nearest you. So begin praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember.

The next finger is you POINTING FINGER. Pray for those who teach, instruct, or heal. This could include your pastor, church leaders, teachers, and doctors. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.

The next finger is your TALLEST FINGER. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

The fourth finger is our RING FINGER. Surprisingly to many, it is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. The need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

And lastly comes our LITTLE FINGER- the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs should be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

I hate winter

2010-02-20T19:08:00.000-06:00

Our mailbox is almost buried-I took this picture on Thursday. On Friday we got another 4 inches, and tomorrow we are to get another 4+ inches again. We are 2 inches away from having the 3rd snowiest winter IN HISTORY! It just keeps coming and doesn't ever melt! And I am sooooooooooooooooooooooo sick of it all...

Friday morning

2010-02-12T08:25:00.000-06:00

Alright- I must get busy in a little bit here, but I'm just basking in the quiet of the morning. I love that time right after I get back from dropping the boys off at school. I usually get my breakfast (always a cappuccino with coconut creme creamer and usually a granola bar or banana) and sit down at the computer to check messages, FB, etc. In order to not waste my whole morning, I often look at the computer clock as soon as I sit down and give myself a time limit- usually 15 or 20 minutes. And although I lack in self control in many areas of my life, this method is actually effective! Today, since I didn't get called to sub- again- I have MANY things that need to be accomplished, and it's one of those days where I'm not even sure where to begin. I need to give the house a thorough cleaning. I mean tubs scrubbed, etc. I have piles of laundry to attend to. I have Grace work that should be accomplished. I want to finish uploading the rest of 2009 pics to Shutterfly and then back them up on CDs before erasing my memory card, I am doing an appreciation for our children's workers on Sunday AM and I have several things to accomplish for that, I need to study and prepare for ladies' Bible study on Tues, I am taking treats to small group Sunday eve. so I could prepare a few things today for that, and I have some errands I need to run. (Chas and Debbi- your scrapbooks will be mailed out today, so expect them in a couple of days : ) And as I do every weekend, I dream of just being able to sit down in my scrappin' room and create. It's been even harder to do that lately because my scrappin' desk is now Gary's CPA study center, so if he's not at work, he's at that desk! And there's really not room for the both of us down there!

My back has really been bothering me lately. Since Christmas my low back has been achy. Two weeks ago, it was really hurting, and when I got up from the couch to answer the door, I almost passed out from pain. I have been going to the chiro for the last two weeks, and I can see improvement, but it's still not 100%. Mornings are the worst. I didn't work out for a week, and I HATE that. I was really into a good routine there, and I don't want this back thing to mess that all up. I was feeling good last night, so I went and had a good workout. I am not to do any incline on the treadmill (which is my cardio of choice- I hate the elliptical for some reason) so it takes SO much longer to burn calories on no incline. I didn't realize how much that could make a difference. Hopefully I will continue to feel good enough to keep up my exercising. I lost 3 pounds last month and lost a couple of inches around my waist, so I was very happy with that! Every day is a battle to make right choices, but I will get up each morning ready to fight it!

Last night Bradley and I went to a meeting at school to prepare for high school. AHHH!!!!! I don't think I'm ready for this! We were given LOADs of information concerning classes and schedules and then expected to write out his 4 year plan of what classes he would take! Now, I agree with planning. I love planning and organizing, but these are huge decisions, and some just can't be made right now! He doesn't even know what he wants to do with the rest of his life! And I would bet many 14 year olds are the same way. So trying to understand credit hours, requirements, prerequisites, AP classes, college credit, college entrance requirements, etc. was a bit overwhelming. Thankfully the freshman year has less electives to choose from and more required classes, so at least we have that one figured out. I think I'm going to need to sit one on one with a guidance counselor to ask more specific questions concerning Bradley's needs. Being an ELP student, we want to have him take more challenging classes and track for college credits during his high school years, etc. but I also don't want to overwhelm him and bury him either. Wisdom! I need wisdom! And I know this plan can be changed, and will be changed many times before we're done, so I know it's not set in stone. What I know is that I have a lot to learn about the whole process!

I had Brennan's conference this week, and he is also doing well. His teacher was very pleased with where he is at and his progress in these last few months. I am so grateful for each of the boys and the talents, qualities, and abilities God has given each of them. They are SO different from one another that I sometimes marvel at how they could have come from the same two people! But I love that- we are each "fearfully and wonderfully made!"

Bradley is playing in basketball tournaments this next month. He had his first one last weekend, and the boys won it! They went 3-0 on the day! They were so excited because this is the first tournament they have won (and he plays tournament ball every year!). Tomorrow we head out again to tourney #2 and hopefully we'll have good results as well. While Brad and I are there, Dad and Brennan will be taking Bren's Hawkeye car (pictures to come later) and racing in the AWANA Grand Prix at our church.

Well I'll quit rambling- must get to my to-do list. I'll sign off with some tournament pics from last week!

I love this pic! I love the pure excitement on Bradley's face just touching

that tropy!

playing "dollie"

2010-02-07T19:46:00.000-06:00

Oreo has always had an affinity for dolls. Of course, being in a house full of boys we did not realize this until several years ago when my niece Anna came to stay for the week. She had packed her barbies and he found them in her suitcase and had a hey day with that gorgeous Barbie hair. It's something about the hair that he loves. Mind you, Anna was maybe 5 or 6 at the time, and when she spotted Oreo violently biting and ripping at the hair and tossing the barbie to and fro, she was horrified. We had to pack the barbies back in her suitcase and zip it completely closed because he was on a mission to find them and "play." When he even got wind of a hair sticking out of the suitcase he'd pull on that until he ripped it right off the doll. So, being the good fur mommy I am, I promptly bought him his own barbie doll at a garage sale, looking for the longest haired one I could find.
Well, the newness of the barbie soon wore off and it sat untouched (thankfully I only spent 25 cents on it!).
Well this doll appeared at our house some time ago. I think it might even be an American Girl doll??? I have asked several people and it has not been claimed, so I stuck it in the back of the closet with the toys and games.

So one evening we were sitting at the dining room table eating dinner, when Brennan exclaimed, "Look what Oreo has!" The closet door must have been unlatched. He had gotten in that closet, found this doll in the back, and was dragging it down the hallway by the hair! (and this is not a light doll!). As we laughed hysterically, he had a little love session with his newest find! I think that head of hair ranked right up there with a freshly opened bag of catnip! He was in heaven!

Great odds means you're a sure winner!

2010-02-06T21:50:00.000-06:00

Alrighty! Debbie (don't know if I spelled that right??) and Just us Three- since you are my only commenters (besides Mari, but Mari doesn't scrapbook!) you both win! I happen to have two of the primary scrapbooks and I will send those out to you this week if you want to e-mail me your snail mail address- gkbbhydorn@msn.com

Thanks for playing along. I plan to have some other giveways in the future- not all scrapbook related for those of you who aren't scrappers- and your chances are looking pretty good at winning!

It's been a fun day today. Bradley had a tournament in Ogden and the boys played hard, won all three games, and won 1st place! The first two games were nail biters and came down to the last minute! They were thrilled with their medals and trophy. Gary had to stay home and study all day, however we got a call last night that we would have to show the house around 12:30 and since Bradley and I were out the door by 6:45 AM, Gary spent most of the morning cleaning. His first CPA test is Feb. 19, so those of you who are praying for him, keep that date on your calendar if you could. He is stressed because he hasn't gotten as much study time in as he needs.
Tomorrow I am doing a training at church for some children's ministry workers so preparation for that has kept me busy this week. It will be nice when tomorrow afternoon is here. I'm going to put together a nice spread of fattening foods and we're gonna chill as a family and watch the Colts win the Superbowl!!!! Bradley is a huge Colts fan and has been for years, and I like 'em too. Dallas Clark is a good ol' Iowa boy! GO COLTS!!

a little Valentine idea for your husband

2010-02-05T11:54:00.000-06:00

I came across this yesterday and thought it was so cute! I am planning on doing this for Gary (so Gary, if you read this before Valentine's Day, don't open the link!!!!) and thought some of you might want to download it too!

http://jeannewinters.blogspot.com/2010/02/udaman-valentine-chocolate-wrapper.html

Today and tomorrow left for the giveaway- leave a comment on my last post if you want to be in the drawing!

Happy Friday!

It's time for my first giveaway!

2010-02-04T10:12:00.000-06:00

As you probably know (if you've read much of my blog) I love surfing and reading other blogs in my free time. It has been fun to see various friends and family begin blogging in the last few years. I have more scrapbooking blogs bookmarked and in Google Reader than I can count, and for my job at church as a children's ministry assistant, I have several ministry related blogs that I regularly visit. I lurk a lot, but don't often leave a comment. I need to get better about that. I love the ability to be able to share ideas, photos, and life with friends and complete strangers of like mind.

Anyway, I have noticed that my blog traffic has been way up these last few weeks, and people from all over the world are checking in. When I see these places on the Live Feed- places I've never heard of- I am so curious to know who you all are and what brings you here!

When I was out shopping a few weeks ago, I found these cute Martha Stewart scrapbooks at a great price. I love these little scrapbooks. They have a 3 ring binder and cute little pages with tabs. I have used the Gumdrop one to make scrapbooks for family after our Florida vacation last summer, and I loved how they turned out.

So, I would like to give one of these scrapbooks away and hopefully get to know some of you who are out there. Leave me a comment telling me a little bit about yourself and which scrapbook you would like if you are chosen. The cotton candy one is shades of pink and purple and the gumdrop one is primary colors. If you've never left a comment before, it's very simple. Write your comment and sign your name. When it asks you to select your profile, if you do not have a Google account, just select Anonymous and sign your name. Easy!

I will randomly draw from the comments on Saturday night. Thanks for taking the time to read about my little world!

Here is a look at the scrapbooks-

The cotton candy with pink and purple hues.

The gumdrop with primary colors.

Dear Kids...

2010-02-01T12:47:00.000-06:00

As I was preparing for our Ladies' Bible study tomorrow, I came across this humorous letter. It fits right in with our chapter 2 of My Heart's at Home book discussing our home being a rest area. And that rest and relaxation includes busy moms!

I'm sure this is what we envision our bubble baths to be all about... candles, lots of bubbles, aromatherapy, maybe some quiet music, low lights...

but do you ever feel like they end up like this?

Dear Kids,
Don’t be alarmed, the world isn’t coming to an end. I am simply taking a bath. It will take about 30 minutes and will involve soap and water. Yes, I know how to swim. Even if I didn’t, forcing myself to drown in a half-inch of lukewarm water is more work than I’ve got energy for (which reminds me, I’m all for science projects, but the next time you want to see if Play-Doh floats, use cold water.)
Don’t panic if I’m not out right on time. I’ve heard that people don’t dissolve in water and I’d like to test the theory. While I’m in the tub, I’d like you to remember a few things. The large slab of wood between us is called a door. Do not bang to hear my voice. I promise that even though you can’t see me, I am on the other side. I’m not digging an escape tunnel and running for the border, no matter what I said awhile ago. I didn’t mean it. Honest.
There will be plenty of time later to tell me about your day. Later means at a time when I am no longer naked, wet, and contemplating bubble gum in the blow dryer. I know that you have important things to tell me. Please let one of them be that you have invented a new way to blow bubbles, not a new way to add gum to your hair.
Believe it or not, shouting “TELEPHONE” through the closed bathroom door will not make the phone stop ringing. Answer it and take a message.
Water makes me wet, not deaf. I can still tell the difference between the sound of “nothing” and the sound of a child playing the piano with a basketball. I can also hear you tattling at the top of your lungs. I am choosing not to answer you.
Don’t call your dad at work and tell him I am unconscious in the bathroom. He didn’t appreciate it last time. He won’t appreciate it this time. Trust me.
No matter how much I would like it, water does not make me forgetful. I remember who you are and why you are grounded. No, you can’t go to Shelby’s house to play. No, you can’t go to Shelby’s house to use the bathroom.
If someone is in our other bathroom, you will just have to think dry thoughts and wait. Unless you have four paws and a tail, do not think of going outside to “water” the lawn. I know the dog does it. The neighbors don’t feel the need to call me when the dog does it.
Do not set the house on fire. Call me if there is an emergency.
Emergencies are:
1. Dad has fallen off the roof.
2. Your brother and/or sister is bleeding.
3. There is a red fire truck in front of the house.
Emergencies are not:
1. Dad has fallen asleep.
2. Someone on TV is bleeding.
3. There’s a red pickup truck in front of our house.
One other thing: Being forced to use the last roll of toilet paper for a towel does not make me happy. It makes me sticky with little white polka dots. In the future, when anything in the bathroom overflows, use a mop to clean up the water instead of every towel in the house. For my sanity’s sake, let’s pretend it was the tub, OK?
No, I don’t want to hear the real story.
Ever.
Especially not while I’m standing in the pool of water you missed.
(P.S. All Play-Doh experiments are canceled.)
Be good. Entertain yourselves. Yes, you can do both at the same time. Try coloring, playing a game, or paying that stack of bills on the coffee table.
I’ll be out soon. Maybe.
Love, Mom

my 2010 project

2010-01-26T13:29:00.000-06:00

I am finding that my scrapbooking time seems to get less and less as time goes on. I do have a lot on my plate this year, and even when I say, "I'm going to go down and scrapbook tonight after the kids go to bed," that often doesn't happen because I don't have enough energy by then. I created a yearly scrapbook back in 2006 that I absolutely love and thought maybe I could tackle something similar this year. For that one, I had printed out a calendar page of each month and wrote on some of those dates things we had done. On the opposite page, I placed 4 or 5 pictures of highlights from that month. It was easy to keep up with as I had already decorated each page with a monthly theme at the beginning of the year so all I had to do was print out the pictures each month and update the calendar. It is so fun to look back at the year's progress all in one place as I now don't necessarily scrapbook chronologically and I have my scrapbooks set up more topically than chronologically. So when I saw this adorable notebook (I'm a sucker for cute office supplies) I thought it'd make a great 2010 photo calendar. It just took a little time one evening to decorate it (I kept it pretty simple) and now it's just waiting to be filled!

the front

I used a DCWV stack to do all of the pages. I wanted them

to coordinate, but I wanted to stay away from a monthy theme

this time. The left side has a pocket so it will be easy to store programs,

ticket stubs, flyers, etc. in each month.

Here's a couple inside shots of some of the pages.

These monthy tabs are by Jillibean Soup. I thought they were so cute and

had them bought before I had decided to put this together. They went

perfectly with the paper I chose.

I am hoping to get my Scripture challenge #2 done this weekend. Things have been hectic around here lately (as usual) so the days go too fast. We had over 4 inches of snow and blizzard conditions yesterday so the kids were home from school- yet again. We had an ice storm last week and had a day off last Wed. as well. We are now going to school until June 11 or something crazy like that. And I doubt winter is finished rearing its ugly head around here yet. So those of you in warm sunny places (we did see the sun briefly this morning, but otherwise I think it's been almost 2 weeks since we've seen it) BE THANKFUL! My seasonal affective disorder is about at its peak!

Been a busy week

2010-01-17T23:17:00.000-06:00

Ahhh... 11:17 PM on a Sunday night and I should be enjoying the peace and quiet of my home. But no, my kids are still up because, once again, there is no school tomorrow. It seems to be a regular thing now. If it weren't 30 degrees with piles of snow on the ground, I'd think we were on summer break! Thankfully this the the last day off (I think) before spring break. I love my kids, and I love having them home, but we need more readin, ritin, and rithmatic and less X Box and Call of Duty!

Last week was finals for the high schoolers here so I tutored every night until about 9. I had several homeschool visits in the morning, and began leading a ladies' Bible study on Tuesday morning. We're doing the book My Heart's at Home by Jill Savage. I know that God is definitely using it to teach me (in fact, I was just reading in it this evening about using patience with my kids as I'm presently trying to break up their fight they're having over a cat's toy while trying to form a coherant thought here!!!- sorry if this makes no sense!)

The working out has been going well. This week was not good- only worked out twice, but every other week we've made it 3 or 4 times per week. Unfortunately I opened two packages of peanut butter M&Ms that had been in the pantry and that obviously was more than I could handle apparently. I stopped trying to count all of the calories after one point. Thankfully they're almost gone, but I'm afraid what might replace it as my nemesis this week. I MUST BE STRONG!

Gary has been full force in the CPA studying. Every night he comes home from work and heads down to the cat pan suite (ie- my scrapbooking desk) and sets up shop for the rest of the evening. And then class all day on Saturday. I have been training the boys to stop asking, "Where's Dad?" - the answer is "either downstairs studying," or if it's Saturday, "in class."
We're all slowly getting used to the new normal around here. Gary was pretty tired after this week. I can't imagine how weeks on end of this is going to be.

Alright enough for now- I'm going to try to wrangle the boys to bed.

Scripture challenge #1

2010-01-09T20:05:00.000-06:00

HOPE

Here is my first scripture challenge. The word given was "Hope." I used my new New Living Translation Bible I recently got and just searched the Word for all of the verses containing "Hope." I had several favorites, but this one was the one I chose to do my page on. I loved how it reminds me that God will always keep His promises. After doing my Scripture search, I discovered that the Bible basically tells us to have HOPE in our Saviour and HOPE in God's Word- that was reiterated over and over in several verses I read.

I am putting all of my Scripture challenges in an 8x8 KI album I've had for awhile. I bought this little scalloped clipboard on clearance and I will display each one in my scrapping area on this clipboard until I complete the next one. Since the new word comes out every other week instead of every week I am really hoping to keep up. It doesn't take long to put together an 8x8 page, and one of my goals this year is to try to scrap some every weekend. During the weeks it's very difficult to get anything done with all of my other responsibilities.

I'm very tired tonight. I think I might even be in bed before 10 tonight! That hasn't happened for a LONG time! After only being back in school for 3 days after a 2 week break for Christmas, the boys had Thursday and Friday off for snow, blowing, and cold temperatures. So it'll be a 4 day weekend for them. Ugh! Too much TV, laying around, and X Box!

Gary and I have been doing a lot of researching and investigating about houses. We are leaning towards building right now, so we're asking questions, looking at model homes, asking about upgrades, looking at floorplans, and PRAYING for wisdom to do the right thing!

And on a happy note, I have been very faithful in working out these past couple of weeks. I finally bit the bullet and joined Snap Fitness here in town and I LOVE IT! I love the convenience of the 24 hour availability, the fact that it's right here in town, the 4 large TV's right above the treadmills to make my time on there go faster, and the weight machines for strength training. I got a joint membership for Bradley and I. He is wanting to lift more and get ready for track, so he is helping me. I enjoy us being able to go together. I have been increasing my time, elevation, and calorie burn on the treadmill each time. I have really reached a point with my weight that is at complete unhappiness. I have tried to work out at home, and the reality for me is that it just doesn't happen. Knowing I have PAID MONEY for the next 4 months helps with the accountability. I had been doing pretty well with my eating this week until I made a hot fudge chocolate cake for Bradley's birthday and discovered it has 440 calories per piece!!!!!! But... on the positive side of that, working out on good treadmills where you program in your weight, etc. has truly opened my eyes to see how long it takes to burn that 440 calories!! I think that has been the biggest revelation for me. I have no intention of cutting out sweets. That is simply not realistic. But I do think it has helped me rethink whether my 60 calorie chocolate pudding cup (or even 2!) or that birthday cake is the best choice for me!

And Gary officially started his CPA review class today so for the next 5 months every Saturday from 8-5 he will be in class, and every evening after work he will be studying for his tests. I know this will be a good thing in the long run, but dreading it now. When he can't go to the library, he will hole up in my scrap area with headphones on to block out all of our ruckus. Tonight at 5:30 he headed down to start working, I served him his supper down there, he came up for about a 10 minute break a bit ago to help me with something, and is still down there now- 3 hours later. If you are a friend or family member reading this, please pray for him- for strength, physical and mental stamina, and the ability to remember all he studies so he can pass his tests! Thanks!!!

Happy birthday to Bradley

2010-01-07T20:21:00.000-06:00

14 years ago to this minute I had been a mom for exactly 1/2 hour. Bradley Scott Hydorn was born on Sunday, January 7 at 8:02 PM. He weighed 6 pounds 4 1/2 ounces and was 20 inches long. That morning when I woke up I had no idea I would become a mother before the night was over. I carried Bradley high throughout the whole pregnancy. I was always pushing a hand or foot out of my ribcage. We didn't know whether it'd be a boy or a girl, but I was completely convinced he was a girl- and we had the name Alexis Dawn picked out. I sang to HER, rocked in HER rocker in HER room, and planned for my little girl. Thankfully I did not go so far as to buy pink clothes because I would have been returning them!

I noticed that morning in church that I could breathe a little easier, but I really didn't think much about it. I was over 3 weeks away from my due date so I wasn't planning on anything to happen yet. After church we came home to our apartment, had leftover pot roast for lunch, and I even got an afternoon nap in! After my nap, I went to the bathroom, and my water broke on the toilet!!!! It took me a bit to realize that my water had actually broken! I wasn't having any contractions at that time. That was about 2:30 in the afternoon. We called the Dr., headed into the hospital, and they started me on Potocin. Then the pain kicked in - hard and fast! I dilated quickly, and pushed for only 5 minutes or so. He was beginning to get in distress so they had to suction him out. His cone head only lasted a day or so! But he was beautiful! And once I had him in my arms, all thoughts of a baby girl were gone.

This photo was taken by my mom as soon as we got home from the hospital. My mom and dad were at our apartment with supper all made. Does he look a little orange to you?? He developed jaundice and had to wear the light band for 8 days. That was a long stressful 8 days! For the most part he was a good baby. I thought he was a little fussy, but after having Brennan, I realized Bradley was an angel!!!

He LOVED to be read to when he was little. He was always dragging books to Dad and I and he'd sit for a long time flipping through his favorites. And even when he was little, he showed a liking for sports- golf clubs, bats and balls of all kinds.

This was taken when he was 3. His little smile just melted our hearts! This is one of Gary's favorite pictures of Bradley- I think he still even carries it in his billfold to this day!

He was a great big brother and helper for mom. This picture was taken right during Brennan's colicky phase, so I'm surprised that he's not screaming in this shot. That's what he did during all his waking hours! Bradley tried so hard to make him happy during those rough days- shaking toys in his face and singing to him.

He loved sports from when he was little. He was SO excited when we went to our first major league game when he was 3 or so??? He used to watch Sportscenter in the mornings instead of cartoons. We could tell from when he was very young that baseball would be his game.

I'm not sure exactly which birthday this was. When he sees pictures in this stage, he cringes at his hair. He hates how it was parted and slicked back! But of course, I thought it was adorable.

Looking older and more mature!

After a football tournament game in Carlisle. He didn't want to play football for several years, but now this sport ranks as one of his favorites!

This is one of my favorite pictures of him.

In the last few years, he has become obsessed with golf. I got him a membership at Countryside Golf Course this last summer, and we would go every chance he could.

Bradley has had a good day- it started at 6 AM when school was cancelled due to blizzard like conditions. He played his new X-Box that he got for Christmas pretty much all day. His friends Trevor and Payton came over for awhile in the afternoon. Tonight we had tacos for supper, he opened his new Call of Duty game, and right now is talking to his friend on X Box Live. We're going to have cake in just a few minutes. He's anxious to get his permit. I, on the other hand, am not so anxious!

I'm so thankful for you Bradley- I'm proud of you and love you bunches! (I know he'll see this post because he is a faithful blog reader of mine!!!)

Another Christmas is over

2009-12-27T21:11:00.000-06:00

Oh goodness, another one down. And I'm kinda glad to tell the truth. I felt like I was running in a hundred different directions for the last several weeks with too much to do and never enough energy to get it done. But it all did get done, though I always am left feeling like I just got sucked into the materialism of Christmas and never really take enough time to appreciate the holiday. I always feel a little relief when the tree is taken down, the house is cleaned up again, and it's back to work as usual. Is that super strange???? I barely took any pictures this year. I just wasn't in the mood, and that is so out of the ordinary for me. My emotions have been all over lately, and I'm hoping to bounce back soon. One of the ways I'm hoping to do this is participating in a Scripture challenge during this upcoming year!

As you know I'm a blog hopper. One of the blogs that I have enjoyed is Patter Cross's (love the name!). She's a Christian mom of identical triplets. She has hosted a Scripture challenge during past years. I have followed and enjoyed what others have come up with, but have never actually participated myself. Here's the jist of it:

1)She posts a word a week (like peace, love, or something Biblical in nature). This year she's posting a word every other week so people can keep up easier.

2)Then she encourages you to search the Scriptures during those couple of weeks finding passages with the given word. Then you are to create a small page or card with the Scripture that speaks to your heart.

3) Finally she has a forum to post results so we all can draw encouragement from one another.

I am looking forward to this challenge. I am fearful that I won't be able to keep up as life gets so busy and hectic. But I am planning to create a small page of some sort- either to keep in an album or perhaps a rolodex form. I'm still deciding on that part, so hopefully the small size will keep this manageable. Anyone else want to join in? Let me know if you plan to participate! Here's the link to Patter's blog.

http://triplethescraps.blogspot.com/2009/12/announcing-scripture-challenge-2-for.html

my favorite holiday recipe right now

2009-12-14T13:07:00.000-06:00

I would have to say that my favorite thing to bake is probably breads and muffins. I found this recipe in Quick Cooking several years ago, and it is SO moist. It has a very mild fruity flavor. I have baked about 14 mini loaves of this bread so far this Christmas season and am giving them to neighbors and tutoring families. Enjoy!

Plum Quick Bread

3 eggs
2 jars (6 oz. each) plum or plum with apples baby food
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, baby food, oil, and buttermilk. Combine dry ingredients; add to the egg mixture and beat just until moistened. Transfer to two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool before removing from pans.

how we spent our snow day

2009-12-09T23:56:00.000-06:00

(I just noticed that part of this collage got cut off due to the layout I have on my site- you can see the entire collage if you click on it- just as long as you'll excuse my no-makeup- no- haircurling- dressed -like- a -bag lady look)

Living in Iowa all of our lives, we are used to snow. But this storm was the worst one we've had in decades. They had begun forecasting it last week already, and the weathermen got it right! Monday night it began snowing lightly with a couple of inches on the ground by Tuesday morning. The boys went to school, but school dismissed at 1 PM as the snow was intensifying. By the evening commute, it was snowing pretty heavily and continued to do so throughout the night. School was called off for today by suppertime on Tuesday. The boys and I stayed up late watching TV. Gary went out to snowblow a couple of times in the evening so it wouldn't get so piled up. At first, we were forecast to get 6-10 inches, then it was up to 10-12 inches, and finally they were up to above 12. I didn't want to hear anymore! Wednesday morning we woke up to several inches, but the worst part was the winds that had begun to blow overnight. Gusts up to 50 mph made it impossible to clean off roads. Travel conditions were horrible. I knew that was the case when Gary didn't even try to get in to work today. That has never happened in the 17 years we've been together!! He has always set out to work, no matter what the conditions were! So we were in for a day at home- all four of us! I took some pictures throughout the day documenting our activities. I did a lot of baking, Bradley did a lot of texting and laptop playing, Brennan did a lot of computer and video games, Gary did a lot of snowblowing and resting (he had a headache for a good part of the day), and the kitties looked for warm laps and spots to sleep in! This evening the boys both beat me in Scrabble and we're staying up late as they don't have school again tomorrow! We found that out by 4 PM today, which has never happened before! The news said tonight we ended up with somewhere around 15 inches of snow! Now the winds have finally died down, but the temps have plummeted and the wind chills will be dangerous for the next day or so. So the boys and I get one more goof off day at home!

love....

2009-11-30T11:02:00.000-06:00

Anyone who knows me knows I love a good list...a good day of organizing...making a big checkmark when something gets accomplished...getting goosebumps when I see the new calendars and organizers for the upcoming year on the store shelves. Ahhh.... Anyway as I was blog surfing I came across this website and it gave me chills! I have already printed out some of the planning pages to make my own Christmas planner (I do one every year but this is so easy! Just print and go!). This site has some other fabulous ideas as well. If you'd like to print out the Christmas planner pages go to the tab that says "printable forms" and print what you'll use. As I was printing, I got my ipod going with the 100 Christmas songs Bradley put on it yesterday for me. And to top it off, it's going to be 50 degrees and sunny today and tomorrow. Now THAT's how I like to plan for Christmas!

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/

basketball season has arrived

2009-11-29T23:04:00.000-06:00

I have a love/hate relationship with basketball. I LOVE watching my boys play! I hate trying to get a good picture in those darn gyms! The lighting is always horrible and even though I have an SLR camera, I do not have good enough lenses to capture decent shots. And my action mode wasn't working well AT all the other day so most of them are blurry. Grrr.... All of these were taken on automatic with no flash. I was able to lighten them up in Picassa and then found I really liked the focal point color effect with the rest of the shot being in black and white. It's a great way to draw attention to my ball player! : )

Bren man starts his first basketball practice tomorrow night. We bought his baketball shoes today so he's ready to go. We are so excited with his coach this year- we know he's going to be good for Brennan.
Thanksgiving was great. We enjoyed Gary's family last weekend, his parents came here for Thanksgiving Day, and then we went to my dad's on Saturday. All but Dave and Tracy were able to make it back.
Now it's back to business tomorrow. This will be a busy few weeks until Christmas. Lots to do!

this is what we see when...

2009-11-18T19:18:00.000-06:00

they're trying to make a point.

HELLLLLOOOOOO!!!!! WE'RE STARVING HERE! THERE'S NOT EVEN A CRUMB IN OUR BOWL!!!!

We all need to make a statement.

to all scrapbookers...you'll appreciate this

2009-11-12T10:21:00.001-06:00

I just came across this blog and found it hilarious! Read the first post and the 11/11 post especially- this is written by a boyfriend of a serious crafter/scrapbooker- I'll have to share with my husband- maybe some of your men can relate too.

http://thescrapbookguy.typepad.com/the-scrapbook-guys-blog/

Race for the Cure

2009-11-07T16:37:00.000-06:00

She is the reason we got involved in Race for the Cure several years ago. She is a survivor- 10 years- and we are so thankful. Gary took this next picture as we began, and it always amazes me how many people turn out for this walk each year, and the numbers continue to go up. I am so encouraged as I walk just seeing the support of teams walking for certain individuals, fighters who are sometimes wheeled through the course, obviously in the middle of their own personal battle, reading the tags of the numerous loved ones who have lost their fight to this horrid disease, while at the same time seeing those in pink shirts (the survivors) who walk in victory. No matter how cold it might be or how cruddy of a week I may have had, this couple of hours uniting with thousands of others with the same goal is so rewarding. It makes my own troubles seem minimal.

Our family began walking about 5 years ago, I think??? (I have a horrible memory)

Gary's parents now join us each year

It's something we look forward to each year. And as I look through these pictures, I am reminded of yet another person I love. My sister, Lori, just got results back from a lump that was found in her breast. There was a minimal area that was cancerous, and now they are checking lymph nodes. The Dr. is encouraged because the margins were clear, and they got it all out when they took the lump. She will probably have to have radiation, but thankfully not chemotherapy or a mastectomy. We are definitely thankful for the encouraging prognosis! I am always amazed at the advancement of technology and know that the money we give to be a part of this race is going in the right direction- hopefully a cure is around the corner.

Love you Carolyn!

Love you Lori!

pumpkin shake

2009-11-03T23:13:00.000-06:00

So here's one more pumpkin recipe if anyone's in the mood still. My dear friend Dawn sent this one to me a few weeks ago, and I have been loving one of these babies every day. They are pretty low cal so that's even better!

Pumpkin Shake

3 T or so of canned pumpkin
cinnamon sugar to taste
milk
lots of ice cubes
about a 1/2 cup of low fat ice cream

I don't have exact amounts on the cinnamon sugar, milk, or ice cubes. I use my Magic bullet and just add until it's close to full. Then blend and top with a scoop of whipped topping.

I use 1% milk, low cal whipped cream, and low fat ice cream, and that keeps this treat between 100-150 calories. It's really yummy and pretty filling! Being the night owl that I am, I usually find myself hungry around 9 PM. If I would go to bed shortly after that, I'd try not to eat, but since I'm usually up for another 3 hours or so, I need something to eat. This has been a great late night snack. No one else in my family (except Oreo, who I discovered loves canned pumpkin) will have anything to do with my latest obsession. So I enjoy it all to my lonesome!

Lots of other stuff going on lately, but too busy to blog about it. I've got a few pictures I want to share, but haven't downloaded them on my laptop yet. I'm pathetic.

Let's see...

Football is officially over for both the boys. I signed Brennan up for basketball last Saturday and Bradley starts his first basketball practice on Friday morning at 6:30 AM! I am so thankful my husband will be the one doing the morning practice run since he usually leaves for work at 6:30. Bradley will have several of those.

Tomorrow I am going to Clear Lake to retrieve a portion of a beef that we bought. My sister gets 1/2 of a cow every year, and we are sharing some of that. I'm looking forward to some steak dinners!!

We had an open house last Sunday afternoon and had a couple of people looking. We haven't received any offers, but we are patient and know the Lord's timing is perfect. We seem to be leaning towards building now (I still think Gary and I will end up divorced if we try this!) but we are definitely realizing what we want in our next house and aren't finding it in Carlisle already built. Sunday we went to a few open houses and got some ideas.

I did a traning last week for some student helpers for the children's ministry, and this Sunday we are having an appreciation/training time for our teachers. I am putting together the food and training agenda so that is keeping me extra busy this week. I still have a lot to put together for that in the next few days.

I got a book from the library by Deanna Farve about her breast cancer journey and I've been anxious to read it, but still haven't even started it. I've already renewed it once, and I've only got one renewal to go. I love autobiographies/biographies, and it seems like it's been awhile since I've read something for pleasure.

I'm already thinking about Christmas and find myself ready to start shopping and planning. The Black Friday ads are showing up in my inbox daily now! (yes, I am one of those crazy shoppers, and my husband even joins me in the fun!!!). I need to put some Christmas music on my ipod, and am looking for crafty ideas to make for some gifts.

I've been faithfully watching the World Series each night hoping and praying the stupid Yankees don't win it all. I am not particularly a Phillies fan, but I hate the Yankees, so I'll cheer for anyone who plays them.

I'm doing a Tuesday morning ladies' bible study at my church that I am absolutely enjoying. We're studying the book Crazy Love. It is a phenomenal book about being totally in love with our Savior. The author has a vey captivating way of delivering a poignant message. I also just love the fellowship. These Bible studies have been a way to interact with and get to know some of the older ladies in our church, and I thoroughly love listening to their insights and learning from their wisdom and experience.

Well enough blabbering for now. I was wide awake when I began writing, but I think I'm definitely tired enough to go to bed now.

If you try a pumpkin shake, let me know what you think of it.

Halloween party

2009-10-29T15:06:00.001-05:00

Brennan's classroom party was today, and he wanted me to make cookie cake for the treat. First of all, I'm finding out that several schools won't even allow homemade goodies, so I'm glad we can still do that! For some reason, he is obsessed with cookie cake, and that's what he wants for every treat now! That's fine because it's easy. I found these cute pans last week and decided to do the pumpkin thing. One cake wouldn't have been enough so I did two (please excuse the leaf in the bottom of the picture. The boys insisted I take a picture of it before we headed out the door so I have the pan sitting on the floor of the entry way. You can also see the toothpicks in the cookie (6 in each one). They keep the saran from smearing the frosting. Brennan was so excited about bringing these today, and that made me feel good. That's exactly why I do it. I remember back about 10 years ago when I was teaching. We were getting ready for a class holiday party, and one student made a remark that made me literally get tears in my eyes. I have never forgotten it since. When we were deciding who wanted to bring food for the party, he said very sullenly, "My mom won't want to bake any treats. She's too busy." Now I am not judging anyone, and I know baking isn't for everyone, but his sad little face still haunts me. That experience reminded me that I never want my kids to feel like I am too busy for them. So, even when it is a chaotic day, I will be up decorating the treats til 2 AM if I have to be (because I'm not a morning person and won't get up at 5 AM to do it!)

happy birthday to my big brother Dave...

2009-10-26T14:56:00.000-05:00

* who has an amazing ear for the piano and can pick songs up by just hearing them
* who makes me laugh at his jokes
* who has many clever sound effects (my favorite is the dinosaur roar)
* who is a night owl just like myself
* who is extremely intellectual and very mathematically inclined
* who has a tendency to be a bit of a pessimist : (
* who often calls me Katie Sue
* who I don't get to see often enough

Hope your day is special! I know Tracy will be making her famous chocolate cake as she does for everyone's birthdays in their family!

Monday

2009-10-19T21:51:00.000-05:00

Back from a great weekend
* 48 hours with my best friend who I only see a couple of times a year
*great food- Steak and Shake (tried the carmel apple malt- it was AWESOME!) and Dynasty China buffet (our husbands aren't fond of Chinese so it's a must during our weekends
* a superb nap after said Steak and Shake meal
*scrapbooking
*numerous episodes of King of Queens watched on the laptop and much laughing/line quoting (it's our favorite show)
*2 great nights of sleep
*awesome memories

I came home to an empty dirty laundry bin, clean bathrooms, and vacuumed carpets. My husband took care of everything, and I so appreciate the time away. I think my guys missed me, however Bradley did say he liked Dad's meals better (hot dogs, pizza) because mine usually involve something healthy : )

Busy week ahead- Bradley had a football game tonight almost an hour away, and then I had to race back to tutor. Although we got killed, Bradley scored a touchdown and the extra point. He had a good game, and I got some pictures that hopefully will get posted soon. Tomorrow he goes to the ear/nose/throat dr. He still has a tube in his ear (placed when he was 4 years old) and now it has scar tissue growing over it so it needs to be removed. Bradley has another game on Thursday (his last one), Race for the Cure on Saturday, and an open house Sunday afternoon. In between all of that, lots of tutoring is going on. I started coming down with a cold on Saturday, and raced out quickly to get some zinc. I've been pumping that for the last two days and hoping it will ward it off. Feeling a little droopy today, but I'm going to try to get to bed at a good time each night. I am pumping vitamins down all of us to try to avoid this nasty flu bug that's going around. So many people are sick right now. Brennan told me that about 7 kids were out in his class today.

I have one more pumpkin recipe I'd like to share, but I want to make it first! If it's good, I'll post.

pumpkin pancakes

2009-10-14T23:08:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, pumpkin, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter.
Pour batter by 1/4 cupsful onto a hot greased griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown.

This recipe came from Quick Cooking magazine a couple of years ago. The first time I tried it, I wondered how the boys would respond (they're not exactly willing guinea pigs for new recipes), but both boys loved them! We had them several times that first winter I discovered the recipe. I've yet to make them this fall yet, but it's coming soon. This recipe comes with a hot cider syrup. I have not tried that as we are not cider fans (maple syrup works great for us!), but I'll post that as well in case anyone wants to give that a try.

Hot Cider Syrup

3/4 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

In a saucepan, combine the syrup ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until slightly thickened. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Dessert

2009-10-13T19:53:00.000-05:00

Today's recipe is one I enjoyed all throughout my childhood. I'm not sure where it came from, but my mom made it every fall as I was growing up, and I loved it. I think it's definitely best with lots of whipped creme- but I think a lot of desserts taste best with lots of whipped creme!

Pumpkin Dessert

Take one yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup). Add one egg and one stick of melted margarine. Pat into 9x13 pan.

Mix together:
one large can of pumpkin pie mix
2/3 cup of evaporated milk
2 eggs

Pour over first layer.

Sprinkle on top:
1 cup dry mix, 1/2 stick margarine, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve with whipped creme. Enjoy!

pumpkin week

2009-10-12T10:04:00.000-05:00

Although I do not enjoy the coming of fall (because I hate winter with a passion) I do like a few of the elements of fall. One of those is pumpkins! I love to decorate with them, and I love to make pumpkin recipes. So I have decided that this week is going to be pumpkin week on my blog. Each day (hopefully!!) I will feature a favorite pumpkin recipe. Today's is our family's top pick. I believe I got this pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe from my sister. These are easy to make, very moist, and everywhere I take them, someone wants the recipe. They make a big batch, but when I make them at home, they are gone within a couple of days. If you try them, let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Muffins

4 eggs

2 C sugar

1 1/2 C oil

15 oz. can pumpkin

3 C flour

2 tsp. soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

2 C chocolate chips

Mix ingredients in the order given. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 16-20 minutes.

As I was googling my pumpkin picture I found some others that I thought I'd share. Love this one!
Big Mac Pumpkin

USA Pumpkin

and Puking Pumpkin

experimenting

2009-10-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

I have Picassa on my new laptop and I love that I can upload straight from it to Blogger. I decided to try out the collage option to see how it'd work. I think I'm gonna love it! I've wondered how people get these neat collages on their blogs. I probably should have done a little more editing with the pictures, but this is my first attempt. I'm sure you'll see more of these to come.

my fur babies

2009-10-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

I'm procrastinating right now. I should be working on church stuff, but my eyes are tired, and I don't feel like it. I don't have any tutoring students on Friday, so after I finish with my last one on Thursday night, I feel like the weekend has arrived. Most of the time I sub on Friday, but tomorrow my sister is coming down from St. Ansgar and I get to spend the day with her. I can't wait! I don't get to see her nearly enough!
Love, love, love my kitties! I would easily have several more if my husband would allow it. I talk to them as much as I talk to my children. I call them my kids, and I pick them up and pet them whenever I pass by them. They don't always appreciate it, especially Oreo. Last weekend, Brennan and I went to a cat show at the Fairgrounds, and we loved seeing all of the different breeds and getting to pet several of them. I discovered that I need a Somali cat. I read a brochure about them, and they are loving, affectionate, and want to be in their human's business. They adore attention, and don't like to be left alone. That is exactly the kind of cat for me! Although Maizy does follow me around quite a bit, she's moody and has her moments. Oreo's motto is "how can you help me today?" He's pretty much about himself. But I love em anyway!
Boxes- we love boxes! None are too small- in fact, the tighter the quarters, the better!

I don't think Oreo was enjoying this bonding time with Brennan in the laundry basket!

Although Oreo pretty much tolerates the rest of us, he does love his Bradley- and a nice soft white fuzzy blanket!

We often call Maizy "the supervisor" as she must inspect things and know what's going on with the family at all times!

Nothing like a hard-as-a-rock-uncomfortable stereo to lull one to sleep! Nighty night!

the Hydorn family

2009-10-01T23:26:00.000-05:00

Two posts in 24 hours!! This has to be some sort of miracle! I'd really like to say it will continue, but I don't want to lie. However having a laptop is so awesome! I'm not used to being able to sit on the couch reclining with my favorite fuzzy white blanket while watching TV and catching up on my blogs and websites. Who knows? Maybe my posts will become more frequent.
This is a Hydorn family picture taken back in August. We were in Corydon for the annual Old Settlers celebration. I believe we had just gotten home from church. As I look at this picture, I'm realizing how much Brennan is growing! GAnd here is Gary with his mom and brother

Well I best be heading to bed. It's been a busy week so far. I've had lots of tutoring, subbed one day, and had two homeschool visits this week. Tomorrow I am taking Bradley to the Dr. in the AM. He's been coughing all week, and I'm wanting to get that checked out. Several in his class have been sick. Last year he battled sinus infections all winter, and I don't want a repeat of that! Then I'm running errands all day and going to the Christian bookstore to look at curriculum. I'm looking forward to a fairly free weekend! Brennan does have an 8:00 game on Saturday, but other than that, no plans!!! I love it! I want to get some pumpkins and hay bales for the front porch, and I saw in the paper that there is a cat show at the fairgrounds this weekend. My parents took me to one when I was little and it fascinated me. I thought Brennan might enjoy it since he's my fellow cat lover. I'd love to get a little bit of scrapbooking done too. Haven't done anything in forever. I lose my ambition in the evenings when I say I'm going to go down and do a page. I want to scrap our Ft. Lauterdale and Pittsburgh pics.

Alrighty, I'm off like a dirty shirt!

Toodles!

birthday goodies

2009-09-30T22:21:00.000-05:00

Last Monday was my birthday. Since Monday I was busy with church work all day and then four hours of tutoring until 8 PM we celebrated on Sunday. After church, I chose to eat lunch at Okoboji Grill. We then headed to Best Buy where I picked out my very first laptop! I have been wanting one for awhile. Often times I use the computer with my tutoring students when I'm helping them research something. I have found several websites that would be good for practicing skills, but with my computer in the other room, it's not convenient. With four of us on one desktop, it was getting difficult to wait in line to get on it sometimes. With my church work now (and most of it being done from my own computer) I was needing access to it more often. I want to be able to take it when I sub, so if I have extra time (like I did on Monday!!) I can get church stuff done at the same time! Also, one of the students that I have worked with for 7 years now travels a lot and this way, I can connect with her. Anyway, before she left for her latest trip, her family surprised me with a $500 gift card to Best Buy to go towards a laptop! I was overwhelmed!!! I am thoroughly enjoying the laptop so far, but have lots to learn. Anyway, after I was done tutoring on Monday, the boys gave me their cards. Brennan's was very creative of course. He had gotten these big $100 bills from somewhere and my card came with $1000 to spend. I am planning to spend my 'money' eating lunch at school with him and perhaps some backrubs! But my favorite part of this card was the last line where I can spend "$1000 for dad to do all the work!" Of course, he hadn't informed dad that he would be part of the scenario! Depending on what "work" that entails, I may have to spend my money on that one!

This note was from Bradley. Bradley prefers to do his cards on the computer- he's put together neat text effects, power points, and incorporated pictures. He's usually a boy of few words so I was surprised at the depth of this note!! A couple of things made me giggle. First of all, his signed "Bradley Hydorn" as though I wouldn't know which Bradley it was from. This is totally like my brother Dan- he used to sign every card, even to our mom, from 'Dan Fox.' I also got a kick out of the fact that I "care so much about his sports even though I don't understand them half the time." Bradley, it only seems that way because we are presently in football season, the sport that I am definitely the most ignorant about. I ask many questions and have just as many that I choose not to ask as not to sound like a complete idiot. In my defense, he plays football, basketball, baseball, golf, and runs track, and only football and golf trip me up. I'm pretty knowledgeable about the others, so 3 out of 5 is better than half!

And this one if from my hubby. His nickname is Pudge- I began calling him that when we were dating (not exactly sure why) and he calls me Pookie. Anyway, he made up the poem himself. I was impressed! Since he knew I wanted to get some accessories to go with my laptop, he just gave me cash. Never a bad choice for this chick!

Gary made my birthday cake i.e- took us down to the local ice cream place for malts and cookies to round out the evening. I am thankful for my boys and so blessed for each year that I get to be a part of their lives!

FINALLY SOME PICTURES!

2009-09-21T13:12:00.000-05:00

Don't know if I mentioned it, but our computer was out of commission for a few weeks. It had been giving us all sorts of trouble, so our good friend took it home with him, cleaned everything off of it, and restored it to its original state. We had backed everything up on an external hard drive, but it takes awhile to load the stuff back on. We had a loaner computer from him for a few weeks so I didn't have any of my things loaded onto that. Anyway, this last week I have been slowly getting things back to normal. So finally I will get some of my photos on here!
First up, first day of school pictures. I always take them outside in our front yard in front of this tree (at least I have been for the last few years anyway), which is fine until someone walks or drives by and Bradley gets embarrassed. I remind them that I could follow them TO THEIR buildings with my camera like the paparazzi (which I am not above doing, mind you), but if they'd rather me not do that, they best cooperate for two minutes in the front yard and give me a charming smile. Of course, that's usually too good to be true. Brennan was in a snit this particular morning. It happens quite frequently in the mornings, so I honestly can't remember what triggered this mood. In this first picture you can tell he's really having to work at looking pleasant.

Bradley- 8th grade

Brennan- 3rd grade

I'm feeling very lazy today. It rained this morning and was dreary, and that is never good for my ambition level. It is a pretty busy week this week, so I really can't afford to waste any time. I also turn 38 today. That number seems a bit frightening and is drawing dangerouly close to 40. But I have so much to be thankful for, and I will choose to focus on the many blessings I have in my life right now!!! God is good!

another post with no pictures : (

2009-09-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

I feel incomplete when I don't include a picture with my posts, however if I wait for that to get done, I won't be posting in awhile!!! So (cross my fingers) next post will have some pictures!

As I mentioned last time, it's been more than busy around here.

The boys started school (first day pictures would be inserted here). Both seem to be adjusting well which I'm always grateful for. We've been trying to do more reading with Brennan. He really doesn't desire to do that on his own, and he is very picky about his books. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has been read so many times by him, it's memorized. I have been trying to find books that will pique his interest, however that has been a challenge. I did find a couple of books by Dan Gutman that seem to be working. Coach Hyatt is a Riot is the one we're reading now. He seems to like the books with farting, burping, and typical boy behavior. I keep trying to steer him towards classics, but that seems to be a no-go. Go figure.

The house has been on the market for about a week and a half. We have a showing scheduled for Friday. I've enjoyed the clutter-free atmosphere, and keeping it clean has been a good thing. The laundry has been kept up with which is a miracle for me! Amazingly, I have not been stressed at all about it selling. Gary and I have beeen praying all along for wisdom and God's timing, and I can feel His perfect peace. It will all happen in His timing and plan.

Brennan played in his first tackle football game on Saturday (game pictures would be inserted here). I think he was a little nervous, but he didn't admit to it. He did well! We were very proud of him! He did not play flag football, so this is his first experience. He played guard and stuck with his man pretty well. He is not aggressive, so this is something he has to work on concerning his sports. Dad has been going to practice with him and helping out. I think he really enjoys doing that with Daddy. His team, the Panthers, lost, but they did well for the first game of the season.

We got back from Pittsburgh last Wed. (insert Pennsylvania pictures here). Dan and Beth showed us a FANTASTIC time. We took in 3 ballgames, got to sit in the GM's suite to watch two of those games, and just had a great time with their family. The boys loved being at the ballfield (I did too!!!), and we will look forward to going back to see more sights and stay longer next time!

I am tired and need to get to bed. I haven't gone to bed before midnight any night this week and it's catching up with me. But I'll leave you with some parting words from the argument I was having with my 13 year old tonight while trying to convince him to bring home his football gear (that he's been sweating, running, and practicing in for the last week) to be washed.

"Mom" (while rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disgust at my suggestion of laundering his practice uniform)
"It's practice. No one cares how you smell--"

So there you have it. Toodles!

lots going on

2009-09-03T08:07:00.000-05:00

I'm a bad blogger.
It's been very busy around here.
Getting back into the routine of school.
Football has started for both kids.
I'm back to the fall tutoring schedule.
I've been doing several first-of-the-year home school visits.
I started a new part-time job at my church as a Children's ministry assistant. (I love it! More on that in a later post).
We're leaving tomorrow for a 6 day trip to Pittsburgh to visit my brother's family.
House projects being done at break-neck speed.
I have cleaned every nook and cranny of this house because...

WE PUT OUR HOUSE UP FOR SALE LAST NIGHT.

It's time to find bigger quarters for this family.
We aren't moving out of Carlisle.
We like it here.
We just need more room.
Praying for God's direction and timing during this whole process.

That's why I've been a bad blogger...

Twas the night before school...

2009-08-25T20:15:00.000-05:00

Twas the night before school
When all through the town
The parents were cheering.
It was a riotous sound.
By eight, the kids were washed
And tucked into bed
When memories of homework
Filled them with dread.
New pencils, new folders,
New notebooks, too.
New teachers, new friends-
Their anxiety grew.
The parents just giggled
When they learned of this fright
And shouted, "Be quiet!"
"Go to Bed!!! IT'S A SCHOOL NIGHT!"

Tomorrow I will be sending my little cherubs back to school. And this mom thinks it's time.

Florida part 2

2009-08-17T15:39:00.000-05:00

Well only a week later, and I'm finally getting to part 2. Ugh. Every week I think things are going to get less hectic, but every week I'm wrong!

When we were in Hawaii, I got a smoothie every chance I could. I think that's where I "discovered" them. Since then, I've had many smoothies. I believe I definitely prefer the banana/pineapple versions. Those are my favorite flavors! The beachside grill offered smoothies, so of course, I sampled several flavors! This one is banana/blueberry/orange, I think. It was good, but my favorite was the mango pineapple. Yum....

I'm learning to make a pretty decent low calorie smoothie here at home too! I had a great blender for about 2 weeks until it broke, so now I'm back to my Magic Bullet until I can get a new one. The Magic Bullet just doesn't crush ice like a good blender, but it'll do in a pinch. I've got Bradley onto smoothies now too. His favorite is chocolate banana.

These pictures are definitely not great of me. I almost didn't post them out of embarrassment, but I guess it's as good as it gets.

I so enjoy reading. I just don't get to do it enough. I love a good auto/biography. I bought Valerie Bertinelli's book and Melissa Gilbert's book for the trip and here I am reading Valerie Bertinelli's. I was interested in her weight loss as her weight journey seems to resemble mine (except she seemed to obsess about it since she was young- I've only begun to obsess about mine over the last few years!). Reading on my beach chair was one of my favorite parts of the day.

I captured this picture at about 6:30 in the morning. Quite strange for me to be up at that time, especially on a relaxing vacation. But I really wanted a sunrise/sunset picture. And a sunrise over the ocean was the only option!! I didn't set my alarm, but I think I mentally prepared myself to try to wake up early. The shades were so dark in the room there was no way of any light waking me up. I think God woke me up on this morning and I enjoyed a beautiful 1/2 hour out on our balcony capturing some shots with my camera. Then at 7 AM I went back to bed for a few hours!

I just love the palm trees in this one.

Once again, not thrilled with how I look in the photo, but we wanted to capture a balcony shot with the two of us just like we had in Hawaii.

It was a great trip- I still think about it every day.

Florida part 1

2009-08-10T23:34:00.001-05:00

Once again, it's almost midnight as I begin writing this. Maybe one of these days, I'll update during daylight hours!

Just a few pics to share tonight. This is our hotel "Sun Tower on the Beach." It's an older hotel, but very clean. Our room was nice sized, and you can't beat the beach location! We were on the 3rd floor (4th row down from the top) second room from the left- there's a salmon colored towel hanging on the balcony.

This was taken from our balcony.

Ahh... relaxation!

Of course, Gary had to test it out as well.

The hotel pool- we enjoyed this on our last day. Since we had to check out of our room by noon, but didn't head to the airport until 2:30 or so, we didn't want to be all sandy. So I just laid on the floaty in the pool catching my last Florida rays until I had to say goodbye : (

More pics coming later.

Back home...

2009-08-06T00:11:00.000-05:00

but wishin' I wasn't. I had a FABULOUS time in Florida. Now it's back to the rat race. If it weren't 12:15 AM with a busy day ahead tomorrow, I'd tell you all about it. But I'll just leave this post with my favorite picture from the trip for tonight (or this morning I guess!) and when things slow down, I'll post more.
Thanks for those of you who've been hanging in there with me. I've been pretty terrible about posting lately. Sometimes I wonder who really reads this- post a comment if you do so I know who's out there! If you're not sure what to use, when it asks for your ID, you can just post as "Anonymous" and then sign your name.

one week from today...

2009-07-24T00:14:00.000-05:00

I will be arriving in Florida- just me, my husband, and I! I am so excited! As I was arranging for my boys to spend some time at my dad and Dorothy's house this summer, I thought, "maybe they could go over our anniversary weekend, and then Gary and I could do something fun." My idea of something fun consisted on a night in a hotel somewhere not too far away. I even thought about a spa-type resort. As we discussed the possibilities, he brought up Allegiant Air and the cheap flights they offer. $69 one way could take us to Las Vegas, California, or Florida! This was better than I'd even considered! We thought about Las Vegas briefly. I don't have an interest in the gambling, but I would like to see all of the hotels and the fountains, the strip, etc. But as we mulled that, it sounded like a very active trip- not exactly what we were thinking. So I began investigating Florida. I spent many hours checking flight prices, times, and schedules. Although we didn't book an Allegient Air flight due to the days/time availability, we did get a good deal on a Delta flight at just the perfect times to maximize our long weekend. Gary could only take 2 days off so I had to work within those boundaries. I will meet my dad and Dorothy in Williamsburg on Thursday morning to exchange the kids, and then Gary and I fly out from Des Moines at 4:20 PM. Our flight arrives in Ft. Lauterdale at 11 something. So that gives us all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to relax. We still have most of Monday as well as we don't fly out until 5 ish. We got our tickets for about $200 a piece round trip which is still a great deal! Ft. Lauterdale was the cheapest of any location, so that's why we're headed there. Last summer we did the Gulf side, so now we'll experience the ocean side! Then I began the hotel search which was quite exhausting. We are not planning on having a rental car so I wanted something close to restaurants, etc. as well as being right on the beach. We really wanted that. I also didn't want some skanky place, since this is a party location. I read lots and lots and LOTS of reviews and came across a motel with nothing but positive comments. We have an oceanfront view and are literally steps from the hotel's private beach. Ahh.... We have absolutely NO plans... and that's why I'm so excited. Get up when I want, lay on the beach for as long as I want, listen to my ipod and read my books, play in the ocean, shower up and walk to dinner. The restaurants are about a mile away, but the walk will be good for us after laying around all day. I'm looking forward to watching the sun set (I won't be up early enough to see it rise!), and listening to the ocean waves. I think about the beauty of that sound since we were in Hawaii. I loved falling asleep to that. I love the sunshine. I love the warmth. I love the palm trees. Now I just wish I loved the way I looked in a swimming suit. Ugh- I've been on the hunt for one for days with no luck. It's depressing. Obviously there's no question what's on my mind these days!!
I'm uploading pictures to Shutterfly as I write. I'm trying to get all of my photos backed up on-line before I delete them from my camera stick. I have over 1000 on there now, and I need to clean it off. I also downloaded a few new songs off of I tunes and am trying to organize my playlists. For some reason all of the CD's we burned to I tunes are gone- poof- disappeared. That's going to be a big job to redo all of that, and I believe I'll leave that task to Bradley.

Let's see- what else is happening? I finally got all of my classes taken to renew my teaching license. I had one the last two Monday and Tuesdays. It takes up the whole day, so I'm glad they're done. I usually come away with some good ideas, so that's always nice. This last one was on building fluency in readers, and it gave me a lot to think about and try. I have a few students who come to mind as I think about the things I learned.

The boys did a week of summer rec golfing. Bradley has done it before but this was the first year Brennan was old enough. Brennan won a putting contest one day so he was happy.

Bradley has been doing quite a bit of golfing. I've taken him out to Countryside a few times, and he goes with Dad to Grandview every Thursday eve. It's become a great bonding time for the boys. I take Brad and Bren to the golf course to meet dad. Gary and Brad golf and Brennan caddies for Dad. If he does a good job he gets paid $1 per hole. This is a great way for him to earn some money of his own. And if he doesn't keep up, etc. he gets a little pay docked! We do this for Bradley when he mows the lawn. He is paid $7 for mowing, $2 if he uses the weedwacker, and $1 for sweeping the grass off of the sidewalks. Any complaining/bad attitude gets money docked as well. So far this system has been pretty effective. Now, to find them jobs where We aren't the ones who are paying them! Anyway, after the boys golf they stop at McDonalds for supper. I think they all enjoy their Thursday evenings.

Bradley and I took a ten mile bike ride the other night on our bike trail. It was such a beautiful night, but my thighs paid for it the next day! They were burning! I wish I would get out on my bike more often. I really enjoy the riding- much better than jogging. Yeah, I've pretty much given that up. I am not a jogger. My body doesn't like it, and neither do I! Consistent exercise is still a struggle- unfortunately I haven't found a system that works (or a willing self-controlled body that works?)

Brennan's lastest addiction is the video game Need for Speed. Actually I should say the boys' latest addiction. They spend way too much time in front of that TV. That's one reason I'm always ready for school to start up again.

Brennan had his first friend spend the night last night. Preston has been in his class the last two years. They've also been enjoying playing together at the pool.

Bradley had an awesome time at camp. He was a little bummed the first few days after being back home. I'm so thankful he made some new friends and had a wonderful time, but I'm glad to have him home.

Bren finished swimming lessons. He was learning the sidestroke and the breaststroke by the end of his two weeks. It's amazing how much progress they make in just a couple of weeks.

Well enough rambling for now. It's almost 1 AM and I'm tired. Hopefully the pics are almost uploaded so I can go to bed! Night night!

GREAT QUOTE

2009-07-15T09:57:00.000-05:00

I just came across this great quote- it seems perfect for me and my house lately (or most of the time???)

"Keep several get well cards on the mantle at all times.
That way if unexpected guests drop by, they'll think
you've been ill and unable to clean your house."

sumo wrestler perhaps??

2009-07-15T09:45:00.000-05:00

If you can't tell, this is a WWE wrestling ring that Brennan got for his birthday. Maizy decided it would make a perfect, albeit cozy place for her to nap. So we had fun placing wrestling dudes in the ring with her...she was not amused.

blog hopping this evening

2009-07-08T21:36:00.000-05:00

Keeping up with all of the pictures I take is a big task. Right now I have over 1000 pictures on my camera. I refuse to delete them until they have been downloaded on my computer AND backed up on a online site. Well that is what is going on right now. I am downloading over 800 pictures to Snapfish as we speak, and while I patiently wait for that task to complete, I have been visiting some blogs, one of my favorite activities. I have Google Reader, which is totally awesome. Anyone who has many sites bookmarked should look into Google Reader. I have my favorites that I read regularly, but there are several that I look at only once in awhile. Well tonight is that night. As I came across one, she had a prompt that I thought was neat, so here goes...

Outside my window: I have all of the blinds closed since it's almost 10 PM

I am thinking: a lot about Sunday school curriculum. I had a conversation with someone this morning that sparked some thoughts about what we're teaching, what we should be teaching, etc. I am also thinking about Bradley while he's at camp. I am constantly looking at their camp schedule wondering what he's doing.

I am thankful for: the fact that Gary and I both have jobs. Whenever I think of the deteriorating economy and so many without work, I am just grateful for our jobs.

From the kitchen: I smell nothing yummy since I don't bake nearly as much as I'd like to. I read my cooking magazine and slobber all over wonderful recipes that I rarely get around to trying.

I am wearing: a white tank top and navy blue shorts

I am creating: let's see... nothing at the moment. Not because I am at a lack for pictures or ideas, but more about the lack of time and energy. Almost every day I plan to scrapbook that evening, but when evening actually rolls around, I'm too tired.

I am going: to Florida 3 weeks from tomorrow!! I can't wait!

I am reading: the 4th Twilight book. I am about 1/2 way through.

I am hearing: Brennan and my niece Abby laughing while watching Garfield, the Movie. I must admit, it's quite funny!

Around the house: things are messy. Bathrooms need to be cleaned, laundry folded, dishes washed- the usual.

One of my favorite things: sunshine in the summer!!

A few plans for the rest of the week: several hours of tutoring, a trip to Build a Bear for my niece, making brownies and cleaning up for the arrival of my family on Sat., driving to Hidden Acres to pick up Bradley

A picture to share:

taken 4th of July weekend

Well I'm off to see how many of my 800 photos are uploaded by now.

missing him...

2009-07-06T23:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we dropped Bradley off at Hidden Acres Christian camp for the week. He is there with his friend Trevor. I know he's probably having an awesome time and not really missing us at all. But I miss him. I think of him and wonder what games he's playing...what they're learning at chapel...if he's brushed his teeth at all...if it's hot in his cabin...if he's getting any bug bites and hoping he won't swell up...if he's spied any cute girls...if he's making new friends...if the weather has been cooperative...how many outfits are ruined by now...if he's not wanting Friday to come as much as I'm ready for it to come so I can pick him up and bring him home.

Don't get me wrong. I'm so glad that he can have this opportunity. I truly believe magical things happen at camp. Gary and I can both attest that some of our happiest memories were made at camp. But it was much better when I was on the other end having the fun instead of just missing the one who's gone. And I'm thankful he's not one to get homesick. That would make this even harder. I just can't wait to hear about it all on Friday.

In other news I had a GREAT 4th of July weekend. Pictures will be coming soon, hopefully. I feel like I've been so lax about posting. I plan on doing it every night, and by the time I get Brennan tucked in, my energy is pretty zapped. We brought cousin Abby home with us for Brennan to have a playmate while Bradley is gone. They are watching "Hotel for Dogs" as we speak. We went to the pool today and to the video store tonight to pick out some movies. A bigger pool and the zoo are on the agenda for the week as well.

Our version of Wipeout...

2009-06-25T00:44:00.001-05:00

Our next door neighbors have a swimming pool. We don't go over often, however Brennan had been begging to go over. So one really hot day last week, the boys had gone over in the afternoon and then after I finished tutoring, Bren, Dad, and I went for an evening swim. This is how it turned out. I stayed safely behind the camera while they did daredevil tricks involving a diving board and a large ball. To get the full effect, you'll have to click on the pictures to see them in their original size. Some of the facial expressions are great.
The goal was to land on the ball like this... It didn't happen very often.

Many times it ended up like this...

They had fantastic fun. Sometimes I feel like I'm raising 3 boys instead of just two...

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T22:59:00.001-05:00

to my dad! I love this picture of us. It was just taken early last week when he and Dorothy came for a few days. We were at a ballgame of course.

Unfortunately I live a couple of hours away from him so I don't get to see him all that often. With our busy schedules we don't get over as much as I'd like to. I did call him and get to talk to him this evening, and I'm so thankful for that.

I think I'll just jot down some random things about my dad in honor of him this evening...

*My dad is very handy. He's always been able to fix things and I have many memories of him tinkering in the garage in his workshop area. They say you often marry a man like your own father, and in many ways, I did. My husband is also very handy.

*Dad loves to be outdoors. We had a cabin along the Cedar River growing up, and most of my childhood we owned a fishing boat and a Bayliner. We would often go out boating and fishing. I learned to love to fish from our many fishing vacations to Wisconsin and other places. Dad always takes a yearly snowmobile trip every winter and also likes to hunt. Just several other ways that my husband is like my father.

*My dad worked at the same job his entire grown-up life until he retired- Liberty Trust and Savings Bank. He would often walk to work when it was nice, and he'd come home at 11:30 for lunch. Mom would have his sandwich fixed and sit down at the dining room table with him for the next 45 minutes. He always sat in the same place at that dining room table for meals for all of the years I was growing up too!

*My dad loves a good joke. He doesn't just laugh, he cackles! His laugh makes me laugh! Funniest Home videos, Wipeout, and Home Alone can get him going!

*He always liked the windows clean. He loved to Windex them (our windows at home were spotless!) and he absolutely hated it when we would draw in the dew on the car windows and streak them all up! Of course, I'd do it anyway.

*When I'd go to kiss him when I was little, he always puffed out his cheek for his kiss.

*I got him the Gun Digest magazine every year for Christmas and no matter how cleverly I disguised the package, he could always figure out which gift it was! Made me so mad!

*He's not a big talker. If he talks on the phone too long, his "ears hurt." : ) He's a man of few words and always has been.

*He would take the whole family on great vacations every summer. We would often go for two weeks at a time. We drove of course, and part of the fun was getting up at 4 AM to hit the road early. We went all over the US on those trips and made awesome memories. Hauling 5, 4, or 3 kids (depending on who was still living at home) on a road trip for that length of time must have been physically and mentally draining (now that I'm a parent, I can see that!). Our vacations were never lay-on-the-beach-and-do-nothing sort of trips. No, we had an agenda for each day, and we packed in as much fun and activity as humanly possible during our time! Over the course of my growing up years, I saw numerous president homes, national landmarks, national parks, rode many a roller coaster, went to countless museums, watched dozens of Major League ballgames, and visited close to 40 states. Wow! I have realized in my adult life how very lucky I am!

I could go on and on with lots of memories, but I'll sum it up by saying he gave me a great childhood. He and my mom provided a safe, loving, fun home to grow up in. I am thankful for how hard he worked to provide for our family.

Dad I don't think you read my blog, but I love you! Happy Father's Day!!

blessed Saturdays...

2009-06-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

I love a Saturday without plans. We rarely get one. Usually our summer weekends are filled with baseball games, however this year Bradley's tournament team played in a spring league so we're not doing tournaments every weekend.

Ahh.... summer- I'm really enjoying so far...

*took Bradley golfing yesterday- I got him a pass at a golf course just 10 miles from our house so Bren and I went out and walked with him before the rain began

*been tutoring, but my schedule isn't too packed- I have several students around dinner time and early evening so it frees my days up, so I can go to...

*Bradley's Jr. High baseball games- they play during the day time. So far they are 2-2. I'm so glad I have a job that is flexible that allows me to be able to go! Poor Gary hasn't seen any of his Jr. High games yet, and might not be able to since most of them are at 10 AM.

*Bren is almost done with ball. Gary and his Pirates team finished 2nd in the Rookie League, so they're pretty happy about that. This coming week is the year-end tournament, and then he'll be done with ball.

*Bradley got into church camp at Hidden Acres! He and his friend were on a waiting list, but they got in, so he'll be gone from July 5-10 there.

*Brennan is signed up for swimming lessons in July and is planning on going to basketball camp here in Carlisle at the end of June. He has been showing a lot more interest in playing catch and baseball. He and Bradley have been out in the yard doing that almost every day. Yeah!

*My dad and Dorothy came to visit for a couple of days earlier this week. They got to see both of the boys play ball. It was great to have them here.

*I've been doing a bit of scrapbooking!!! YEAH FOR BEING ABLE TO STAY UP LATE!!! That's when I do my best scrapping! Last night I did a mini album from our camping trip last summer. I've done a couple other layouts and I'm planning to share those soon! I've also got lots of pictures to download, edit, and share. That task is on the to-do list.

*Gary is busy working on the deck. Last summer when he resided the house, he found some issues with the deck. So he replaced all of the flooring, now is working on the steps, and has to replace some of the lattice work. Hopefully he'll be done with that soon, however there's always another project waiting in the wings!

*It's been very rainy, cloudy, and cool lately- almost depressing. I can't handle clouds for too many days in a row. It definitely affects my mood. I NEED SOME SUNSHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!

*I've just been enjoying time with the boys lately. We've been doing more reading, chatting, and just hanging together. I pulled the mattress off of the pull-out sleeeper, and we put that on the living room floor. We will all pile on that and snuggle and watch tv together. It's nice to feel like we have some down time to just relax. It seems the school year does not allow for much of that.

*The boys want to go to Sleepy Hollow today to golf, but it rained all night last night, so it's awfully wet. I need to do a little more laundry and take a walk down to the post office to mail some things for Gary.

I always hate posting with no pictures, but it'll have to do today! Maybe later I'll get them uploaded.
Toodles!