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.