Number Two is 20!

This fall was a little busy but we always make time for dinner, even if it’s a little late.    

Happy 20th Birthday Reagan! 

And just for fun we had Emma and Joe practice cutting cake. They did just fine, I think they can get married. 

The tradition (balloons on the floor) continues!!

Coach Walker and his Husker soccer team were on the east coast over the weekend of Regs’ 20th birthday so I made a quick little trip to Lincoln to decorate her house. 

Thankful 2020

It’s easy to dwell on what I don’t appreciate about 2020 until I sit down with my gratitude journal and begin writing. Here are the facts: I have more to be thankful for this year than to grumble about. 

What are you thankful for? 

Made my 1st solo turkey

So does that make me a full-fledged adult?

Just a little welcome sign with a crazy looking turkey

Last minute table decor

Auntie Angie with her favorite nieces 

So glad to have mom with us this year

So thankful for this crew today

We had a fun day!

I love these people

And so thankful that my sweet husband and Joe started the exterior Christmas illumination. I love white Christmas lights while Chris hates putting them up. So this is a demonstration of love! Thank you for loving me well babe. 

* * *

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100:4-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Two Down, One To Go!

 

It's official, our baby girl is done with middle school and hitting the halls of our local high school. I snapped this picture right after a brief orientation, yes we had masks on inside the school. By the time we took another 150 steps, I slid into the driver's seat of my Prius and looked at Liv. My expression must have been one of those weird mom looks, she asked, "what's wrong with you, mom?" Anyone who has sent a child to high school knows those four years fly by. All I could see was this young teen heading off to college when in reality she was ready to start her first day of high school. Oh Liv, I am excited for you to experience show choir, meeting new friends, German, high school dances, sports and activities.

Schools across the nation are investigating all kinds of bizarre schedules in the name of keeping kids, staff and faculty safe. Some schools have sports, some don't. Dances, show choir and all things fun have been cancelled or postponed. It's going to be an interesting year.

Online . Hybrid . Traditional

Strangely enough there are actually some school districts sending students and teachers back to school full time. Full time with masks, social distancing and constantly bathing in hand sanitizer. So crazy!

ANYWAY here is Liv's schedule...

Week 1: one day, 25% of students go each day

Week 2: two days at school and 3 days online

Week 3: two days online and 3 days at school

Week 4: it's a surprise, hoping for 100% in school.

I am thankful we do not have several young children going to school, this would be a nightmare. So for now, I'm praying for the best situation...kids learning and health for everyone.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

Birthday Love

Birthdays are the best, especially my own!

It wasn't a birthday month but it was still pretty good.

Chris left me notes through out the house

The girls filled my tiny car with balloons

My bosses and coworkers made my day special

Sushi for lunch at work

The Royals . The Adults . The Huskers

What a weekend of celebrations!

The fun began Thursday evening with Reagan representing her senior class on the homecoming royalty court. She was super excited to get a free ticket to the dance. I guess it's the small things. 

Friday was Reagan's 18th birthday. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of my girl over the years. Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! You are an adult in some states but not yet in Nebraska! :)

18 YEARS OLD!!

Friday night after realizing her driver's license was expiring we headed to Lincoln for Reagan's Official Visit to the University of Nebraska. Wow! This is really happening!

Team dinner and a night at the Basketball Red-White scrimmage followed by a Rick Ross concert. Who is that you ask? I asked too and when the extremely loud nasty "music" began most of the adults in the building flooded the exits. 

The recruits have known each other for a couple years, playing together twice a year at camps and keeping in contact via social media. But the parents all met this weekend. Chris and I are looking forward to doing soccer life with these people over the next 4-5 years.

2020 Recruiting Class

Saturday was filled with tours, meetings, uniform sizing, team meals and lots of fun.

Saturday evening's itinerary included an all sport UNL recruit/parent dinner and then the Husker Football game vs Ohio State. Instead of the game Reagan squeezed in homecoming dinner, pictures and the dance back in Omaha.

pinning on a flower isn't so easy

Colton & Reagan

Colton and Reagan have known each other for years, growing up in our church youth group. Two kids in different high schools playing sports at a very high level keeps them busy. I love the friendship they have and the understanding of commitments to school, sports and friends. They had a funny disagreement about flower color...blue for Creighton Baseball or red for Husker Soccer.

MW Soccer Besties
They sure do clean up well!

The Gang

Sunday morning we were up bright and early, back to Lincoln for breakfast with the team, pre-game workout and meeting.

Recruits on Hibbner Soccer Field

And our final celebration was on Monday night. Family steak dinner at Texas Roadhouse means the birthday girl gets to sit on the horse saddle and yell "Yee Haw"

Texas Roadhouse Celebration

Reagan's birthday gift is coming later this month...pictures to come!

I Have a Sign For That!

Pinterest can be my worst nightmare but also a very useful tool. So often friends will ask me to make a sign but they don't have a clue what it should look like. Let me start by saying, I think that is very odd. Typically, when wanting to hang something on my wall I can see something in my mind or I found it in a store or online. In either case, I know what I want. Anyway, it's easy to direct friends to Pinterest, it it's there I can probably make it. I took my own advice this fall and started making signs for a craft fair. (Let's not talk about the craft fair, it was an epic failure) Once I found a few ideas, it got my creative juices flowing and then it was hard to stop. 

Below are a few of my favorite recent creations. 

6"x9"

I sold 6 of these signs. 10"x48"

Now I need to find a new design for my own front porch.

I thought about doing the "and" in red, probably should have.

9"x9"

I love this one! It's a cabinet door off an old Hoosier cabinet.

Chris' dad is now on the hunt for more of these door at farm auctions.

12"x12"

I made Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, UNO and Chicago Bears boards like these.

6"x9"

A Joanna Gaines recreation. You can find others on Etsy for $119, I would never charge that! This was fun to make but much more time consuming than I anticipated. I can't wait to give it to my friend Amber this week. 

12"x40"

I guess it's time to start thinking about spring and graduation signs. I also decided to redo all the table center pieces for Millard West Girls Soccer Banquet. The existing decorations were good in their day but people they can only be reused so many times. I assume they are 4-5 years old. Holy Moly!! You can expect blog or instagram posts in April or May.

December and the official start of winter is right around the corner. Break out the coats, mittens and scarves, the midwest was hit with blizzards last night. It's time to turn up the furnace a couple degrees and make sure the pantry is stocked with hot cocoa. Christmas decorations are going up everywhere...it's the best time of the year. 

Back to School 2018-2019

A parent's prayer on the first day of school.

Gracious Lord,

In a season of life when parenting decisions seem to loom larger than life itself, I humbly ask for your guidance. While the shoes still smell new and the pencils point crisply, our hearts sense a need for a stronger connection with your love and a deeper reliance on your grace. Would You help me to remember that You know every thought I have as a parent? Would You remind me that the feeling of having my heart walk around outside my body is one You are ever so familiar with? And would You provide the wisdom from above as I walk this new ground for a new school year. I praise Your name for faithfully doing so.

In Jesus' Holy Name,

Amen

Praying for my children is a privilege and honor I do not take lightly. I have seen the miraculous works of our God through prayer. Sometimes the works are more in me than what I am even praying about. Oh He is good!

Emma went back to college last Friday to prepare for rush. She is a Gamma Phi Beta living in the sorority house and excited to experience recruitment from the other side this year. Her major is still Social Work and if all goes well with her Criminal Justice class this year she will add a minor in Criminal Justice. Classes don't start until next Monday for Em. 

Olivia started school yesterday, no longer is she the baby of the building. Watch out for my much older, so mature 7th grader. :) Liv was ready for school to start. She loves the social aspect and if she was honest she likes going to classes too. Show choir rehearsals begin tomorrow, twice a week before or after school. The first day of band is Thursday. And Sing Omaha starts next week. It feels like a lot to me but she drinks it up. 

Reagan has hit that crazy junior year. If I remember correctly, everything you do this year is about setting the tone for college and scholarships. She took the ACT for the first time in July. Hopefully in round two she will check the calculator for batteries BEFORE the test starts. She's driving again, playing soccer again and extremely busy with social engagements. This is year three on the Student-Superintendent board. She has seen some changes for this school year that the students suggested to Dr Sutfin at their monthly meetings. That's pretty cool. 

Chris has already put in a full week without students. In his 20th year (ok, I actually can't remember how long it has been) of teaching he is trying something new... 8th grade social studies. Our girls are a little freaked out by it. They think of their dad as an ENGLISH teacher not a HISTORY teacher. Chris is back for year two at DC West High School in Valley, Nebraska as the head varsity softball coach. Last year his team made huge improvements and we all look forward to what the girls and his coaching staff will accomplish this season.

There's not much to tell about me. I'm still mom. I still want to craft more than I do. I cook, clean, run a taxi service, drink coffee and pray for my family. I still work for Elite Girls Academy Soccer club, now called Elite Soccer as we have started a boys division as well. Today I started cleaning a rental house. From now until December looks like I have an extra job 3-4 hours a week. That works for me.

My inspiration for today is simple...

BE KIND