no longer my little girl?!

annual tradition, the first day of school photo! we have taken lots of photos here, but this is the last child for now and we are just begining the last 4 years prior to going off on our own? !!

I promised not to cry and I didn't this morning.

you are the sweet girl I know inside - just in a grown up body. Love you lots Hh

more bathroom photos

The towel rack with pretty towels and flower accent

Another view of flowers and new faucet and the re-freshed mirror cabinet

The little details like white and blue trimmed out cabinet made this a lot more fun another little glimpse of the tile work J did. and the trim S did

lastly the doors ah the doors that began this project.

Freshman Parents-3rd team

the game day and practice schedule has been dictated to us, the fund raisers are a coming soon. we are a bit overwhelmed with competitive sports... I hope everyone who knows us will have their support wallets available :-) yikes.

I really feel very green. they need score keepers and photogs ( that may be something I can do )

there are all kinds of stressors for Hh but she is managing. we told her tonight a bath was in order - she has shin splints - and hurts. she will work though it in her own time, she wants ExJ's approval, but he has never given much in the way of support for any of the activities she has been involved with. I hope he can give more to this - but know he really won't so a little sad and hard on her.

Freshie

self portrait ala Hh - she's off to her first day 1/2 a day orientation and PAH bbq - as well as her first official Pamona Softball practice.

I am OMG - I can't believe it is the 1st day of HS for her.

tile- Emergency inducing

Hh picked up the flowers for decorating- the freshly painted blue grey walls

New shower doors these prompted the entire - re-model frenzy

The outstanding tile layed by J, just prior to cutting his thumb nearly of three tiles from the end of the job.

this is an amazingly beautiful layout with a ton of triangle cuts that J had to make mostly with a razor knife, that is what nearly sliced his thumb right off.

an emergency- and a floor

So my E.R Baby - strikes again. J nearly severed part of his thumb while at the house over the weekend cutting in Tiles for the upstairs bathroom. Why on a sunday? seems like this kid was destined to have emergencies. He was almost done and had about three cuts left to do when the razor utility knife cut right through the thumb but left it attached at the fingerprint pad. we were going to go and have dinner out but that got cutailed with and ER visit.

he got about 8 stiches and the doc used some super glue on his nail to hold it all together, we will see how it does in the next day or so, he has it wraped pretty well right now, but he will have to see it tomorrow . the ER recomended to go to a hand specialist too. so one step at a time right now. Life with boys always an adventure ( you seriously can't make this stuff up.

Keen on new sandals

I have been in search of a new pair of sandals for all of the summer, and really starting last year too, I have bought a few things but none that picked my fancy like these. My friend K8 already knows they are cool and comfy and great... I just really never had a chance to " find a great place to try them on, I also Have a wide foot and it is sometimes hard for me to get into a shoe ....



Well Hh and I were on a quest for softball gear and I said since we were at Dick's sporting good I was going to at least look at the sandals so I did find these and have been wearing them ever since. they are navy with a grey foot bed and oh so snug and nice to wear. they even have siping for extra traction in the lug soles. I LOVE them .

No Love

No Love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever.

Fancois Mauriac

Today is the last day for Lisa, the person we hired for Colorado Springs benefits office, unbelievable that it is a short time we became good friends, we shared lots and it was nice to have a chat buddy even though it was alot of work related items. She has had a rough year but was offered a really good paying job not too far from home and we can't compete with our no raises from the University. So good Luck and much Success my friend I will miss you.

Well life has been hectic and full of issues

I am very sorry for the lack of communication.

Life has kicked me in the butt ( literally) I had a boil on my big butt and it turned into a major issue, I have not been that ill in a very long time. It was infected and had to have a drain and antibiotics for a 10 day stint before I felt really any better :) S was a real trooper and cleaned and packed the wound with care for many days. I am on the mend and itchy so I believe I am healing.

Before that we went on a trip to Nebraska ( Hardy) for a Pedersen side family reunion. in the middle of the July heat wave, we took the new Kia and had fun got great gas mileage. It was a fast turn around, Hh during that week was at Camp Grandma's for the first time in a couple years. That required extra drive time up and back to Colorado springs. Her and Gramps went on high adventure, to the airforce academy, the Olympic training center, Cripple creek, Seven Falls and to the fine arts Museum.

Last week we had my Brother Gg here for the beginning of his vacation. he stayed with us and we had fun entertaining him and he entertained us. During that time we have had issues in the bathroom upstairs for a while but the shower doors were very old (20) and needed to be replaced so Sunday after he was on his way to the next destination we replaced the shower doors, but in doing that S lost a screw down the sink, he then went to get it out with a magnet on a stick and managed to poke a hole right through the P trap it was old ( 25) too! so off to the hardware store and a simple fix is now a mini re-model with new paint and new hardware and a new lick and stick tile floor, so a few more days before we have it ready again for company.

Gg and I had a great little side trip to Rocky mountain national park (RMNP) and Estes Park. it was a lovely day and we took lots of photos of him and me in the new soul. so I will post some up soon.

We had a fantastic Dinner on Saturday night at a restaurant in the Hotel Monaco called Panzano's the food was wonderful and fresh , the service attentive and pleasant. Yummy would go there again I told S he could take me back there. fantastic bread and we had calamari appetizer that was out of this world tender and tasty.

Gg, Hh and I went to the Ellie Calkins Opera House at the Denver preforming arts complex - a outstanding venue, to see Natalie Merchant on aug 3rd, a fantastic show, musically I can't think of many better a performance I have witnessed in a long time. her newest album " leave your sleep" She was Fabulous and musicians she had playing with her were great too. she danced and sang her way through her newest album, go check it out online, poems set to music. So good.

happy 4th of July -

Hh is going to a lacrosse game at invesco field with friends and neighbors- there should be great fireworks and fun times. SSD2 wanted to Go home and that is where S will take him this evening too.

we had a nice time yesterday with our Friend Dan and J came by and stayed for dinner and some fun after and before. I am so proud of him, he finally got his driver's licence and is driving his own vehicle. he is a grown up guy these days, It is nice he can set aside some of the things and make a little time for me.

The weather was fairly mild today and we just had a bit of a rain shower- nice for the firemen and police not to worry too much about the fireworks. Maybe we will try to go somewhere for a " view " of some of the 40 to fifty displays happening around the City and Suburbs of Denver.

Look Back, Day 2 (Freeze Time)

Look Back, Day 2 (Freeze Time)

Great video here from one of my favorite scrappers ( simple) - Stacy Jullian

What a great project, it reminds me of the album I creted for my Woodbadge, and one I created for Steven And I on our 5th year aniversary

AWESOME

there is a site called 1000 awesome things

and it is cute and funny and right on the money. Enjoy some awesome things in your life.

today is :

#473 When that social event you didn’t want to go to gets cancelled

a week or so ago

#482 When your shoes are tight enough to stay on your foot but loose enough to slide on and off without untying them
Congratulations on reaching Total Shoe Actualization.
AWESOME!

Mom Van nets Good all around!

Well we donated the Van to a great Program in Denver, this is the 3rd car we donated! to Step 13 real change , not spare change. that is their motto, and what a blessing all around, When we got the new vehicle we asked about a trade and the dealer was only going to give us 100$ so we said well we will give it away then and we know just who will get it. it was running and not in terible shape so they were able to sell it right away and we got 8x's what we would have from the trade. ( we can write it off on taxes!!)

great way to make a difference.

Picture above is from a year ago when we had some terrible hail storms in our area. - fair well Mom van.

Conecting

I didn't want to leave you all with my open mouth for too long. so I have to put up at least a nice image.

Hh is " babysitting" tonight, She had a blast at waterworld yesterday and did pretty well not getting herself too burned up. one of the hotest days we have had in a long time.

A porch is the only real reward you need after a long summer's day .

off to the Dentist

way in the back on the left side of the photo is my temp fillng had a root canal done 2 weeks agao and now going to get a better hard surface repair

I found a nice dentist and he is gentle I like that he does the minimal thing and doesn't try to sell me on things i don't need done. he has a great office /hyginist too

Family Together

S and SSD1 and SSD2 - 2 is in front with S - what a great group shot

Me and hh and J- we are a good group too- love all these kids and my wonderful husband.

Here we all are ! amazing ! Outstanding! Fantastic!

Traditional but oh so lovely - I am so happy we are all together. I have to say thank you so much to S's mom for this GIFT. She is getting hers too, they should be arriving tomorrow. but she mandated the boys and us to just DO this and it came out great.

life is good - the best surprise

LIFE IS GOOD from HH for my back window

Love my spoiler and stripe

Love my running shoes and side markers! love my color - IGNITION

Love me my boy J - checking it out before we were off for the birthday purchases. he got shoes and a sweet new snowboarding jacket for his 19th birthday.... I let him drive this little sweet car too.

Life is truly good

graduation day -

What a wonderfully sunny day we all suffered and had to borrow sun screen !! red rocks was fantastic, all the rain we had made the vegetation green, the rocks red and the sky blue!

SSD2 was well rehearsed and able to go all the way down to the stage get across with a bit of help and guidance and get his diploma - fantastic. Gram Olie and PJ were there for support as was Hh and I even though it was the last day of open enrollment ( i had to go to work and stay till 5 pm) but it was so worth it. we are very proud of our wonderful son.

Needing to get back to regular updates

Life has handed me a long list of to do's and at the end of the day I want to not do anymore.

But I have had a few great things that I haven't even covered here at all . 1st of all SSD2 has graduated!! unbelievable in some ways the best thing ever in others. He was wonderfully composed and did well through a long ceremony at Red Rocks amphitheater. He did not get the actual paper diploma, as he will be continuing to receive services from Jefferson county transitional services - this program geared to help him transition to bus riding and making his way to his Job ( he is employed one day a week!) I don't know if we ever dared to dream this type of good stuff would happen.

While we celebrated with SSD2, S' mom joined us with her friend PJ- for all the good stuff, she sprang for the best gift ever - a family photo- all of us and some of us and groups of us had pictures taken. We love them and will post up a few here as well as send hard copies to all the folks who will enjoy having the paper version as well as the digital version.

J has finally Made it too ! I am so proud he persevered and got his actual diploma and now has his Driver's licence too! it was a joy to have all the boys together in our photo and he is so handsome and sweet he agreed to do it for me. I love that kid - he turned 19 on may 30th too. unreal where the time has gone I will never know.

Hh is getting ready for high school - yikes hard to believe that we will be doing all kinds of things with her ( she was accepted to the PAH- program ) a performing arts and humanities studies inside her high school program. She has expresses a desire to go out for Softball, and we are spending some time and money outfitting the girl for the summer and beyond.

The Power to Surprise - Kia Soul

The Mom van is on the way out!! - I know I know unbelievable....

Instead we have a new best car- the Wheeeeeeeeee - cause it is that fun to drive and be seen around in. It has little details and big details like a moon/sun roof and the cool aluminum gas cap

I will post more picture this weekend when I get up stairs with the camera