Sand! Sun! Fun!

Here we come!

Happy belated 15th Anniversary to us!

Burial plans

Unfortunately Mother Nature isn't allowing for a proper burial of Hammy the hamster at this point in time.  Our funeral director (Ace) has told Carter it will be necessary to wait until the ground has thawed before a service can be held in Hammy's honor.

One down...

Hammy Carter Clayberg took his last breath peacefully this afternoon in a clean cage surrounded by his two nemesis Oreo and Scooter as well as his loving master, Carter and onlooker Austin.  Hammy was just shy of two years old and had a happy little life running on his hamster wheel and tumbling through the house in his big orange ball.  He enjoyed gnawing on wooden sticks, climbing up and down the sides of his cage, and toying with the cats as they batted at his cage.  He is survived by his brother, Bugsy Q.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

but this snow day at home is BEYOND delightful!

Now typically I'm not a fan of having to make up school days at the end of the year, but these busy boys of ours and their schedules have prevented me from getting everything done that I need to before Christmas.  So, I am relishing this blustery day snuggled up at home with my family, listening to Christmas carols and crossing things off my to do list!

I'm not sure Ace is relishing taking care of two neighbors' driveways plus ours though!

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #43~

HUGS

I'm not sure there's a parent in our world right now that would disagree that something as simple as a hug and/or kiss from a child is one of the sweetest things in the world.  For those parents whose hugs were cut short due to pure evil this past week, my eyes still fill easily with tears and my heart is beyond heavy and full of prayers.  I can not watch the news; I can only read it wishing the words on the page away.  My eyes and heart cannot take the images.  It hits way too close to home.  Right now, I can't get enough hugs and kisses from my boys.

There truly are not words to describe how I feel.  The unimaginable has happened, again.  As an educator, it's something that unfortunately is always somewhere on my mind.  Where are the escape routes?  Where's the best place in the room to protect and hide kids?  Can I lock the door fast enough? Is it safer to jump out a window from the second floor? What in the room can be used to defend us?  Can the tables quickly be turned over for a wall of protection? Will I be able to react quickly enough?  Will the teachers of my own children do enough to protect them?

Dear Lord...educators shouldn't have to worry about these things.  We should be worried about things like, are the students learning?  What do I need to reteach?  How can I extend this for those needing an extra challenge? Am I guiding them towards independent thinking? Am I equipping them with the best education to prepare them for their future?

Walking into school this morning will not be easy for many students and educators, myself included.  However, we must remember that we have a loving God who is with us every step of every day.  We may not be able to wrap our minds around the event that has happened, but we must rest assured in the words and plan of our God.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #42~

Surviving an unbelievably busy week...without melting down

Aaahhhh...you have no idea how happy I am to see today!  Last week was a crazy busy mess with mock trial practice, basketball practice, confirmation, state mock trial for two days, church Christmas program plus practice, and a basketball tournament.  On top of all of that I was supposed to bake 4 dozen cookies for church.  YIKES!  Thankfully my amazing hubby stepped up to the plate and took care of that cookie baking for me.  I simply couldn't get it all done and was doing the best I could to keep up with a wickedly busy and very long week.

So, bring on the calmness of only three or four things this week after work.  That's something I can handle.

It's the little things

Little things in life that make you smile #41~

Karma baby, karma!

For the past week or so, I've been sitting back and watching karma come back to bite the hubster in the butt :)  You have no idea how this makes me giggle!  His two children are JUST. LIKE. HIM.  ...and the best part is he's starting to realize it!

Papa's new toy

...or it is Grandma's? ...or the grandsons?

The four boys had a heyday on Thanksgiving testing out their driving skills with the new gator at the cabin.  I think Papa might have endured a little whiplash courtesy of the boys, but they sure did have fun riding around outside on such a beautiful day.

Everybody got to take a couple of turns driving.  This picture scares me though as it is only a few shorts months before Austin can get his permit.  Oh heavens!  That is going to be an experience...for Ace :)  I think I'm going to steer clear of that one for a bit.  My superior driving skills really shouldn't be shared!

Switching it up

You can see from many of the previous posts that our fall consists of football: high school games on Friday nights, ISU games on Saturdays, and the boys playing on Sunday afternoons.  Now we've moved from the football field to the gym.  Yep, it's basketball season!

Last Saturday Carter played in a 3 on 3 Turkey Trot.  Let me tell you, he sure got in some great conditioning and worked off whatever turkey he ate!  His 5th grade team ended up playing their first 3 games against 6th graders and won 2 of the 3 which put them in a tie for second.  They were pretty proud of themselves for that showing!  

Because of the number of teams involved, the top team was able to select which 2nd place team they went against to finish off the tourney.  They choose the other 2nd place team, so Carter's team played one more game against 5th graders to finish off the tourney.  He sure was dragging by the time we left the facility.

There are many more tourneys in the upcoming weeks that will keep us quite busy.

It's the little things

Little things in life that make you smile #40~

Laundry that is completely done and all put away

Rarely does this amazing event occur at our house.  However, thanks to basketball getting finished at a decent time on Saturday and a fairly free Sunday afternoon with cooperative children and husband, mission accomplished!  Woo Hoo!

Happy Thanksgiving

What else we've been up to

Not only did we spend our weekends at the boys' football games and take in a Vikings game, but we've also spent a great deal of time at the home Iowa State football games.  Ace tells me scrapbooking is my "getaway" time and ISU football and tailgating is his!  Needless to say he takes advantage of every moment of ISU football.

Tailgating is a necessity according to Ace, no matter what the weather is.  Needless to say, I'm a dainty thing made of sugar that could melt in cold, wind or rain and don't always agree with him.  Our usual tailgating hangout is the Blue Bus, but we manage to move around and check in with quite a few friends in different places before game time.  Neighbor Q is quite the chef at the bus taking care of anyone and everyone who shows up.

Austin and Carter absolutely love tailgating.  They are a lot like their father and hate to miss out on any action that could be happening!  Usually they are playing football with someone or hanging out with their friends.  Every now and then it's a game of bags that has them occupied.

Yes, that's Carter, the rogue Panther fan at an ISU tailgate!  It must have been the day of the Iowa v UNI game.  Leave it to him to be okay standing out in a crowd!

We love having seats next to Nate and Kelly.  It's a great time to catch up with them as well as get time with Dan and Rachel.  This year our boys have started to ditch us to hang out on the hill with their friends and socialize.  I guess we are hitting those teenage years in which mom and dad just aren't cool to hang around with anymore. Thankfully I have many spies who know the boys belong to me, which as of now prevents them from doing anything they shouldn't be doing!  It also helps that they LOVE football and actually watch the game.

There's only one more home game to go.  My dad gets to use my ticket that day as it's on Black Friday. Mom and I have some shopping to do and I'm sure it'll be cold and I would be miserable!   Go State!

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #39~

Spending some one-on-one time with my mom

For the past couple of years Mom and I have been taking card making classes at Memory Bound Scrapbook store in Ankeny.  It's become "our thing" and I absolutely love it.  We have a ton of fun, laugh a lot and come away with a pretty cool set of handmade cards that we use all year long.  We had the opportunity to take a Christmas card making class Sunday afternoon and once again had a blast together.  I absolutely cherish the time I get to spend with my mom!

Here's a few of our creations from yesterday. (courtesy of the creative brains of Janet Petersma and Katie Belding)

Road Trip

After an extremely busy fall, we decided a little getaway was necessary before basketball season got into full swing.  Little did we know, it would interfere with basketball anyway.  Oh well!  I had no idea how desperately I needed to get away for a bit until we were pulling out of the driveway.  I could feel the stress being left behind and a weekend of no responsibilities, just fun, ahead of us!

Of course with a man driving, the van veered off to Cabela's as our first stop. Since Papa and Grandma Di joined us in our adventure, the boys were in hog heaven following Papa around the hunting area like two little puppy dogs!  We then headed to our hotel followed up by the Mall of America.  While the adults were up for a little shopping, the boys preferred to simply hang out at Nickelodeon Universe riding rides the entire time.  Thankfully the Rain Forest Cafe was enticing enough for a time out for them to eat!

Even though the adults were whippled out and ready to head back to the hotel, the boys couldn't get enough of riding the rides and we closed the place down.  What I wouldn't give to have a little dose of the energy the boys have.

On Saturday, we took a suggestion from a friend of Aaron's to head to an amazing outlet mall in Albertville and experience eating eat at Space Aliens.  The outlet is unbelievable, probably close to 4 times the size of the Williamsburg Outlet.  Needless to say, we helped out the economy as everyone walked away with a few new things to make us happy!  

Sunday brought the Vikings game.  We love being able to take advantage of our UNI Alumni opportunity for cheap tickets once a year.  Even though we aren't die hard Vikings fans, it sure is fun to take in an NFL game.  Carter loved being able to wear his UNI overalls - thanks Grandma Ween!  He LOVES them and has only had one other opportunity to wear them so far.  

Oh what a blessing it was to get away from work and the normal everyday responsibilities of running a household!  I definitely felt rejuvenated coming back to work on Monday.

I'm back

According to my hubby, it's been awhile since I've blogged.  Somehow, life simply got extremely busy and in the way.  I could barely manage to get myself to work, kids to all the bazillion places they need to be and a meal on the table for awhile.  Thanks to a Friday off, I'm getting caught up around the house a bit and taking time to catch you up on what we've been up to, albeit in installments.

Football season came to an end for Austin and Carter.  I absolutely LOVE watching them play, but the 3-4 night a week practices criss-crossing town for nearly 3 months sent me over the edge towards the end of the season.  It's true what many moms with older kids have told me...I am now simply a taxi service for my kids for the next several years! Here's a few photo highlights of the boys' season...

Austin - #65

Carter - #56

Even though the scoreboard may not have reflected what the boys had hoped for this season, it was still a great season in which they learned a lot about teamwork, dedication and determination.  Aaron and I are so proud of them! 

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #38~

Taking a few things off your plate by saying no

I will be the first to admit that I'm terrible at saying no.  However, my sanity has required me to give it a whirl in the past couple of weeks.  I don't enjoy missing out on the things I've said no to, but the peace it brings me with just a little bit of time at home to get some necessary things done has been worth it.

Thanks to the arrival of a lovely cold on Friday that had both Austin and I feeling quite yucky, we both said no the last Ames High football game and the Iowa State game due to the not so lovely damp weather.  However, by staying home, (and living in my jammies Friday night and all Saturday) I was able to get all of our laundry done as well as everyone's bedding.  That in and of itself is a sheer miracle these days! I can't tell you the last time the laundry has all been done to start the week, and I haven't been left scrambling during the week to get it all done in the middle of playing taxi driver for the boys.

So, even though I'm still feeling pretty yucky and the house is still a mess, at least we have clean clothes to wear :)

A special shout out to my mom today!  It's her birthday!

Happy Birthday Mom!  I love you!

Happy Birthday Di

Oh college roomie of mine...

You are the first of us to reach your prime!  Thank you for being the first to pave the way :)  I have no doubt that you will do it with grace, beauty and a ton of spunk.  I'm sure you'll be singing and dancing the day away like only you can.  I'll never forget the daily countdown reminders in college letting us know how many more days until your birthday.  Your birthday is a day you LOVE and you deserve nothing but the best on your special day.  I can't wait for all of us to celebrate together in a few short months!

Happy Birthday Di ~ Live it up!

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #36 and #37~
(My hubby informed me I missed last week so I'll give you a double dose this week!)

#36 Seeing my niece and 2 out of 3 nephews all in one week

It's a rarity, especially during the school year, that I would get to see my niece and nephews on both sides of the fam.  However, a surprise visit from the toothless wonder (Braden) so his mom could give Austin a haircut made my day last Tuesday.  On Saturday I got to bond with Dan the Man and Rach at the ISU game!  LOVE IT!

Now, if Mr. Drake would just find his way to come and see me, life would be really great!

#37 A great big group of friends competing against each other and still remaining friends and thinking of themselves as winners at the end, no matter what the scoreboard says

Austin has been playing Bears football since 3rd grade.  When he started in 3rd grade, there were enough kids from Ames to have 3 full teams.  Gradually, it has whittled itself into 2 teams remaining at the 7th grade level.  Today was the first time in all those years that they have played an actual game head to head.  There have been several unofficial scrimmages, but the West Des Moines League has never pitted them against one another during the regular season until today. 

They've all been working hard and looking forward to this day.  It was quite a defensive battle with the Black Bears coming out on top of the White Bears today.  However, it sure was great to see these guys shaking hands and posing for a final picture as separate teams.  Next year, they all become one team.  They are a terrific bunch of boys and demonstrated great sportsmanship on the field.

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #35~

Celebrating life and health with great friends

On Saturday I was blessed to have celebrated the end of a year's worth of cancer treatments with my dear friend Arlyce.  This wonderful woman has always been such a blessing to others and continued to be throughout this past year even though she was suffering greatly.  She is an excellent example of God's goodness here on earth.  We should all be so lucky to have friends who are as amazing as she is!

Now...if I had only taken a camera to capture this beautiful woman's smile for you!  She radiated happiness and it truly was a night of thanksgiving!

Go Panthers!

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #34~

A Cyclone victory over the Hawkeyes

After spending a fun afternoon with many friends watching the game, the minute we pulled in our driveway the boys thought a neighborhood victory lap was in order.  This was what the the Hawkeye fans in the cul de sac were able to enjoy...

Ironically enough it was even the Hawkeye fan who took the pictures of the boys for me as my mother-in-law is enjoying my camera in Yellowstone right now!

Now, if only we can put the purple flag on next weekend after our might Panthers take down those pesky Hawks :)  Just wait friends, just wait!

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #33

Holidays that make for a three day weekend~

Loving me some Labor Day!

Are you ready for some football?

These guys sure are!  We are on our second week of practice and it won't be long before it's game time.    The boys are excited and looking forward to the start of a great season.

I made them humor me and smile for these pictures even though they tried to tell me tough football players don't really smile.  So, this mama now has an "I am a tough football player" picture and "I am going to make my mother happy" picture.  

Seventh grade is the last year for Bears football, so this is it for Austin.  Next year it's school ball for him.

Go Bears!

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #32~

Naps

In looking at our calendar in the upcoming months, this weekend was the last little bit of freedom for awhile.  So, I made sure to work hard getting the house cleaned and laundry done on Saturday so I could enjoy a nice Sunday afternoon nap.  Ahhh...it sure was a nice little treat!

The first day of school

I think I'm having a harder time with this year's first day of school then when either of the boys headed off to kindergarten.  I'm not sure if it's because it's our last year of elementary (Carter),

or if it's the fact that I have a 7th grader (Austin),

or the fact that my mother pointed out a few weeks ago that the next time I painted the living room would probably be for graduation and the stark realization that my boys are growing WAY TOO QUICKLY hit me like a ton of bricks.  This mama's heart needs time to S.......L.......O.......W down!

Homemade Happiness

It's been since LAST summer when we Ace repainted the kitchen.  I had a few ideas of what I wanted to do to decorate, but football, basketball, baseball and many other things life got in my way.  That's okay though, just so long as you didn't think terribly of me because I've had bare kitchen walls for a long time :)

After seeing these two ideas of using your grandmother's handwritten recipes on Pinterest I knew it was something I would love to recreate in my own kitchen. I know I told you about my love of what a person's handwritten word means to me here. My dream was to be able to gather at least one recipe from each of our grandmothers. My mother-in-law was terrific about getting me her mother's German pancake recipe.  My mom dug through her own mother's recipes and found a banana split recipe that she remembered growing up.  I was so excited when the boys and I were visiting my Uncle Joel and his family in Sioux Falls, SD and I stumbled across my grandma's orange slice cookie recipe that I remember so well from growing up.  My uncle was such a sweetie to part with it.  I promised it would be well cherished and protected :)

I set out to find some frames, scrapbook paper and ribbon that would tie it all together in the kitchen.  Of course after becoming one with my Cricut and vinyl after creating my gallery wall, I figured I might as well add the saying homemade happiness through the generations to complete the look.

I just have recipes from two more grandma's to track down.  Aaron's mission is to talk to his aunt's on the Clayberg side and see what he can do.  I know his Grandma Pat wasn't much for recipes.  She simply dumped ingredients until it "looked right".  I can hardly complain because that's how I cook - not bake, but cook.  The boys and I visited my Grandma Janet the other day and she was going to see what she could dig up for me and even thought she might be able to track down a recipe or two from my great-grandmothers.  I can't even begin to tell you how cool I think that would be!  Thank goodness I left myself some room on the wall to add more in as I track down those precious handwritten memories.

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #31~

Brand stinkin' new school supplies

There is something that I absolutely LOVE about brand new school supplies.  I could stand for hours in Target, Wal-mart, and Staples browsing through the school supply section. Fresh markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, pens, pencils, and planners all signal a fresh start.  It's a chance to start anew.  New students, new lesson plans, and a fresh perspective is something that I thrive on every August.  I am one of the lucky ones that constantly gets a "redo" with my work.  Each and every year, I get to try it all over again with a new group of kids and new ideas.

Now I'd hate for you to think that I won't miss the summer because that's just plain wrong.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my summer time!  I might even get a little cranky before it's time to go back to the working world, but it's not my job I don't love.  It's the loss of complete freedom and lazy days and really being able to do whatever the mood strikes. What makes me a little cranky is the return of structure and a hectic pace.  Now don't get me wrong, structure isn't a bad thing.  I thrive on it in my classroom and actually get far more accomplished when I'm a working woman with little time to spare.  But, once the school year starts, break neck speed is required to keep up.  Thinking about that is what makes me a bit cranky.

So, it's probably a good thing that as I return to work again this morning (I really started last Wednesday) I can look into my bag at my new purple polka dotted planner and fun new pens to make me happy.  It really is the little things in life that make me smile!

Teed Off

The boys have never been golfing before.  Can you believe that?  I take that back.  Austin has once at a friend's birthday party.  If you know me well, that should strike you as a little strange.  However, eons later I still can't get my high school golf coach's voice out of my head.  Girls, I don't want to hear of you swinging a softball bat and ruining your golf swing!  You can field the ball and throw the ball, but there will be NO batting practice until the golf season is complete.  Yes, I know.  My conscience seems to have a mind of it's own as that was almost 25 years ago that voice started in my head!

Since my boys are both baseball players, I've always figured the golf swing and baseball swing needed their separate place in the summer thanks to my coach, Jean Mowry :)  Well...they have been begging to go all summer and I vowed to wait until Carter finished his All Star baseball season.  Then the weather had to go and be a million degrees for the rest of July. It was almost too melty hot for the pool some days let alone several hours on a golf course! Just the other day the boys asked again when I was going to take them golfing.

Baseball done.  Check.  Beastly hot weather gone.  Check.  Only a couple more days before I had to go back to work.  Check.  I guess it was time!

I decided if we were going to do it, we were going all out and letting them play a full nine holes.  I knew the courses in Ames were usually pretty busy, so I thought we'd make a day of it and head over to Hubbard on the course that my parents used to let my brothers play holes 2, 7 and 9, the three shortest holes, when we went with them.  I figured it would take us awhile and was hoping the course wasn't too busy so we wouldn't hold too many people up.  Thankfully I was right. We practically had the course to ourselves.

What an unbelievably fun day it was!  The boys were in hog heaven and really couldn't get enough of it. Surprisingly, they weren't nearly as horrendous as I thought they might be.  They even humored me and listened when I told them about golf etiquette and gave them some tips on their swings.  I hate to admit it, but each of them ended up out driving me a couple of times throughout the day.

I figured after the three and a half hours it took us to play the first nine holes, they would be done.  Oh no!  They were rip roaring ready to go for another nine.  I think they were a little motivated to try and beat me, even though they didn't come close the first round :)

We headed out for another nine, and I really think they could've golfed the entire rest of the day.  They had so much fun. There are a couple of holes that are lined by fields along the right.  Needless to say, Austin spent some time searching the beans and corn looking for a few of his errant drives.  I just had to giggle because I can remember searching for lost balls in those fields growing up.  He was lucky and actually found his ball nearly every time.

The smiles on their faces at the end of the day said it all.  They had a blast! I'm so thankful that I got to experience this with both of my boys.  I'm sure we will be spending many more hours on the golf course in the coming summers.