Well Pete and I are now empty nesters. I am still trying to come to grips with the fact that I have finished raising my children. I never thought that day would happen. Yes, I know that my children still need me...especially my checkbook since two of them are still in college. It was certainly an amazing ride...one that some days I certainly wanted off of as I am sure most parents can relate to, especially during those trying teenage years.
I look forward to my new season of life with my six grandchildren and their activities. My little dachshund fur babies keep me company during the lonely times which is helpful.
Tomorrow the entire family will be over for Labor Day and I will sit back and take in the glory that is my family :)
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Tommy's Senior Year
Tommy's 18th birthday.
Homecoming 2011 (Tommy is in the center with his saxophone)
Fall Play
Homecoming
Spring Play - Meet Me in St. Louis
Prom
Graduation
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tommy's Prom
Tommy's Jr. Prom. He attended with his good friend Chloe. Poor Chloe had just injured her knee during tennis the day before and under that beautiful dress she is sporting a "bionic" brace. She was in a good deal of pain, yet put on a brave and happy face. I will take a guess that the following day was spent resting with a lot of ice.
His party met at his friends Brennan's house. The have a long living room in which you can put 3 banquet tables end to end (I need to borrow it for Thanksgiving!). Brennan's mom, Kim, had set the tables with beautiful china and glasses. They had requested that we (meaning Pete) make Italian food. Pete made meatballs and stuffed shells, while other parents brought salad, bread and desserts. We had such a good time serving the kids and they were all so appreciative. They brought tears to my eyes when they all held hands and prayed before dinner. There are a lot of great teenagers out there!
Tommy, who wasn't that interested in going to prom had a great time. Another memory made :)
His party met at his friends Brennan's house. The have a long living room in which you can put 3 banquet tables end to end (I need to borrow it for Thanksgiving!). Brennan's mom, Kim, had set the tables with beautiful china and glasses. They had requested that we (meaning Pete) make Italian food. Pete made meatballs and stuffed shells, while other parents brought salad, bread and desserts. We had such a good time serving the kids and they were all so appreciative. They brought tears to my eyes when they all held hands and prayed before dinner. There are a lot of great teenagers out there!
Tommy, who wasn't that interested in going to prom had a great time. Another memory made :)Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Easter Eggs
What a great son I have! He humors his mom by assisting with the dying of the Easter eggs. I treasure every moment I have left before we are empty nesters. Just one more year....my baby will be a senior and 18 in September. Whew...time flies.
Rhododendron
The rhododendron is in full bloom! It only lasts for a week or so, but it is something we look forward to each year. It gives us hope that spring is really here and that summer is on the way. Our weather has been a bit of a roller coaster lately...so many of our spring blooming trees are looking a little shabby. Still we are much better off than the poor folks in the south and their over abundance of tornadoes :(
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Yellow finches
I love spring! I put up a new finch feeder a couple of weeks ago and have been patiently waiting for the arrival of yellow finches. I was able to attract them at my old house, so I was hoping to catch a glimpse of some here. Today they arrived.....first one...... 
then three.......
It looks as though there are 6 or 7 here. I was actually able to count eleven a little later.
There are wonderful things happening all over our yard right now. The naked lady lilies have put up lush leaves. My roses are showing signs of life and my one little daffodil plant is up, but yet to bloom. And apparently, I planted a tulip last year....I do not remember doing it, so I assume it was a grocery store plant that I stuck in ground after it had died out inside. I wonder what color it is? I hope to work in the yard all weekend and finish clearing up the rest of the leaves. We have 3 large Bur Oaks in our backyard and they lose their leaves all winter and into the spring so they do not get cleaned up in the fall. Last weekend I cleaned up the front yard and filled the back of Pete's truck once. I think Pete will be making several trips this weekend...weather permitting. Loving Spring!
then three.......
It looks as though there are 6 or 7 here. I was actually able to count eleven a little later.
There are wonderful things happening all over our yard right now. The naked lady lilies have put up lush leaves. My roses are showing signs of life and my one little daffodil plant is up, but yet to bloom. And apparently, I planted a tulip last year....I do not remember doing it, so I assume it was a grocery store plant that I stuck in ground after it had died out inside. I wonder what color it is? I hope to work in the yard all weekend and finish clearing up the rest of the leaves. We have 3 large Bur Oaks in our backyard and they lose their leaves all winter and into the spring so they do not get cleaned up in the fall. Last weekend I cleaned up the front yard and filled the back of Pete's truck once. I think Pete will be making several trips this weekend...weather permitting. Loving Spring! Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Christmas Eve preparations
Cooking day....as we so affectionately call it, is my favorite day of the year. All of my kids are home cooking together. They tease each other as siblings do and for me, it's heaven.
The matriarch of our family Marion (mom, grandma, nona, mamasita) enjoys herself watching Pete and the grandkids prepare for Christmas Eve. For many years while living in Wayne, Nebraska food preparation was her sole responsibility. Pete also started out making all of the food on his own, but now he has many helpers.
Here is Pete working with the pasta machine. Nicole is waiting patiently for him to get out of her because that is her job!
Nick cooking away. Of course, he looks much better showing off his sleeveless pecs :)
This was a very lively conversation between Pete and Tommy. I think it may have been about the cookie press and I am quite certain that they "both were right". And again, Nicole just waiting for them to get out of her way.
And here we have some fashion posing with the dishes. Doesn't every family do this? I think it is a little scary how much Nick looks like Adam (well, smaller) in this pic. Someone at the party thought Ashley looked like Taylor Swift (her daughter Elizabeth's favorite singer). What do you think?
The matriarch of our family Marion (mom, grandma, nona, mamasita) enjoys herself watching Pete and the grandkids prepare for Christmas Eve. For many years while living in Wayne, Nebraska food preparation was her sole responsibility. Pete also started out making all of the food on his own, but now he has many helpers.
Here is Pete working with the pasta machine. Nicole is waiting patiently for him to get out of her because that is her job!
Nick cooking away. Of course, he looks much better showing off his sleeveless pecs :)
This was a very lively conversation between Pete and Tommy. I think it may have been about the cookie press and I am quite certain that they "both were right". And again, Nicole just waiting for them to get out of her way.
And here we have some fashion posing with the dishes. Doesn't every family do this? I think it is a little scary how much Nick looks like Adam (well, smaller) in this pic. Someone at the party thought Ashley looked like Taylor Swift (her daughter Elizabeth's favorite singer). What do you think?
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Tommy's Homecoming 2010
The Group. They met at Tommy's friend Brennan's house. It was a surprise for Brennan's mom who found out that she was having 18 kids at her house for dinner at 11:00 that morning. Boys. It was potluck...so thankfully there was food being provided. Although, several of the boys did not bring anything. Again, I say ....boys. Regardless of the odd selection of food, they all had a good time.
Tommy and his friend Chloe. They have been good friends for a long time and they had a blast.
Weren't they cute!
My handsome son.
Tommy and his friend Chloe. They have been good friends for a long time and they had a blast.Weren't they cute!
My handsome son.
The Sound of Music
Tommy was in the Fremont High School's production of The Sound of Music this weekend. He played Fredrick the oldest son. Fredrick is a 14 year old boy just coming into manhood so Tommy with his very low voice had to sing a little high and squeaking. That along with the shorts and knee highs provided some nice comic relief :)
Here the children have just met Maria and she is teaching them to sing. Do...a dear, etc.
The children and Maria in their jammies singing another number.
The children in their play clothes made from curtains. Maria the lead is on the left and the Captain is behind the youngest child Gretel.
The Children performing at the Austrian festival just before they escaped over the mountain.
The full cast.
The play was fantastic! I am really proud of Tommy and the new adventures that he is bringing to our lives!
Here the children have just met Maria and she is teaching them to sing. Do...a dear, etc.
The children and Maria in their jammies singing another number.
The children in their play clothes made from curtains. Maria the lead is on the left and the Captain is behind the youngest child Gretel.
The Children performing at the Austrian festival just before they escaped over the mountain.
The full cast.
The play was fantastic! I am really proud of Tommy and the new adventures that he is bringing to our lives!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
My Fall Vacation
My school is now on the continuous learning calender, so the for the past three weeks I have been on our Fall vacation. My goal was to paint Nick's room and the "penthouse" bedroom. As you know, in an old house it is not as simple as just painting walls. Painting leads to looking at the woodwork, the windows and look at that carpet!
I started with Nick's room which we painted the lovely shade of red when we moved in. Then we had the wall patched and never did painted over the white patch. The carpet was in terrible shape....but yes, we let Nick live in it. It never seemed so bad while there were posters on the wall and clothes all over the floor.
After two coats of primer to cover the red and then two coats of "First Frost" we now have a nice peaceful room. Nick is rarely here and likes the new look. The room still is Nick's with his books, trophies and Lego drawer :) It is now so much more guest friendly. Andy and Kelly won't have to worry about what Michael may be scrounging out of the carpet any longer!
Every thing has a fresh new coat of paint including those paned windows which my husband graciously scraped for me after I had finished painting.
The "penthouse" bedroom, aka....Nicole and trolls abode has also received a makeover. We moved Nicole in before we were able to paint the room. As you can see it was the former bedroom of a free spirited artistic teen. By the way, Never let your kids use sticky tack to hang things on the wall. In this case it was on the ceiling.....thousands of little pieces of sticky tack. After you scrape it off with a scraper or in this case my fingernail worked best you get to mess with your nervous system by inhaling tons of Goo gone to get rid of the residue.
Again, after many coats of primer and a lovely new shade of pick....the carpet is fuchsia ..what choice did I have besides boring beige, it has become another comfy guest room.
I am thrilled with the results. I am looking forward to going back to work so I can get a little rest!
I started with Nick's room which we painted the lovely shade of red when we moved in. Then we had the wall patched and never did painted over the white patch. The carpet was in terrible shape....but yes, we let Nick live in it. It never seemed so bad while there were posters on the wall and clothes all over the floor.
After two coats of primer to cover the red and then two coats of "First Frost" we now have a nice peaceful room. Nick is rarely here and likes the new look. The room still is Nick's with his books, trophies and Lego drawer :) It is now so much more guest friendly. Andy and Kelly won't have to worry about what Michael may be scrounging out of the carpet any longer!
Every thing has a fresh new coat of paint including those paned windows which my husband graciously scraped for me after I had finished painting.
The "penthouse" bedroom, aka....Nicole and trolls abode has also received a makeover. We moved Nicole in before we were able to paint the room. As you can see it was the former bedroom of a free spirited artistic teen. By the way, Never let your kids use sticky tack to hang things on the wall. In this case it was on the ceiling.....thousands of little pieces of sticky tack. After you scrape it off with a scraper or in this case my fingernail worked best you get to mess with your nervous system by inhaling tons of Goo gone to get rid of the residue.
Again, after many coats of primer and a lovely new shade of pick....the carpet is fuchsia ..what choice did I have besides boring beige, it has become another comfy guest room.
I am thrilled with the results. I am looking forward to going back to work so I can get a little rest!
Monday, September 20, 2010
My Men of September
Tommy turned 17 on September 12th. Here he is with his traditional Mickey Mouse pancake. He had to go into work early on his birthday...so this was kind of a forced pancake cake feed. :) He was a good sport about it.
Tommy and Nick clowning around while Tomm was opening his presents.
Pete turned 50 today! We had a party for him on Sunday. We had a lot of fun with friends and family.
Pete checking out the salads. He made Italian Beef for his birthday and also an anti pasto salad. (spelling?) I made the desserts. And...yes, he wanted to cook for his party.
Lots of friends and family. We had a lot of fun.
Tommy and Nick clowning around while Tomm was opening his presents.
Pete turned 50 today! We had a party for him on Sunday. We had a lot of fun with friends and family.
Pete checking out the salads. He made Italian Beef for his birthday and also an anti pasto salad. (spelling?) I made the desserts. And...yes, he wanted to cook for his party.
Lots of friends and family. We had a lot of fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)