Spring flowers, I love the lilacs

We had a massive rain and wind storm last night, so many of the blooms are gone. I love when theses bushes bloom, when we trim them back it takes two years for them to burst out in color again. Next year we will miss them.

Of course the spring brings dandelions and we have plenty of those. I spread a weed killer and lawn food last weekend. The air is full of wind this month.

Spend out.

I spend out this last month and bought a LL Bean Boat and Tote, I choose the colors and love it. It is pink and red and so cute and huge. I take it to church and to work. I love it and it is just for me.

I took this from Gretchens web page.

Spend out encompasses several resolutions.

I have a miserly nature; by spending out, I mean to stop hoarding, to trust in abundance. I find myself saving things, even when it makes no sense. Not long ago, my last pair of jeans started falling to pieces. I made myself go shopping, bought two pairs -- and yet, I've still only worn one of the pairs. Why am I saving the others? Not wearing clothes is just as wasteful as throwing good clothes away.

I also need to spend out by letting things go. I re-use razor blades too many times, I keep my toothbrushes for too long. Lisa again, I do this too often. I also save things for later and then never use them. Stationary, pretty candles, jewelry(silly to have these things if I don't use them.)

Spend out applies to creativity as well as to possessions. I find myself thinking, “I should save that story…” or “I don’t want to use all my best examples now…” But pouring out ideas is better for creativity than doling them out by the teaspoon.

The most important meaning of “Spend out,” however, is that I shouldn’t be a score-keeper, I shouldn’t stint on love and generosity. As St. Thérèse of Lisieux wrote, “When one love, one does not calculate.”

This is Lisa again and I think that I need to stop saying that I made dinner last night, its your turn. I do everything around here. Instead trust in love and do not calculate that everyone else owes you.

Zeke and Cenny playing a song from their recital

Yeah and that is memorized

Cenny memorized her piece this much so far.

Math Master of Minnesota fifth grade competition

The winning metal for 2nd place
The team again
Six kids but only 5 compete, they have an alternate, just in case.
Zeke is in the 5th grade Math Masters team at Banfield. 4/30 was the competition and I got the pleasure of checking papers from the competition(other teams and other kids of course). Zeke's team did a great job and at the end they came in 2nd out of 26 teams from around southern Minnesota. Way to go Zeke, YEAH!!!!! Go Math. Mr. Meeker was their coach.

Things that only a kid could say

JT wanted to know why they used Pokeballs to catch fish. They do look like pokeballs.

"Mom did you know school is over six hours." JT Asks "Yea, ..." Me suspicious like usual with JT. "Yeah, what a waste of my time." He is only in 2nd grade.

Ezekiel telling me that they have milk points on orange juice. "Mom can you drink orange juice if it has milk points the moola ones." He pronounced molla points. Me, "Yes, it is only for school points, no milk in the OJ."

I was doing a plow stretch and Qatar got down next to me and my shirt slipped a bit and he saw my stomach roll(it was a plow for heaven sakes my feet and legs behind my head, my gut all scrunched up.) "Wow your fat." Thanks Qatar. Later that day JT decided I needed to shave my arms, "Mom your arm hair is dark and you need to shave it like your legs." Wow I feel pretty today. And today Qatar yells at me about losing his field-trip permission form. "You took it." no way would I have taken it, I told him to put it somewhere until I found a check book for the fee. I'm responsible for enough already I don't need random slips of paper to be responsible for also.

Zeke taking my ears off after school, "Have you read my life story?" Me, "No I figured you talk enough about you, I'm seeing the movie live."

Enjoy the process

This one has always been hard for me to do. The goal is the goal and the things that happen in between always seemed less important. But since death is the end and as we live our lives we get closer, I guess I need to enjoy the process involved in everything I do. Driving to our vacation destination was the goal, but David always stopped us to see some item advertised on the side of the road. Some of those stops have been better then the whole vacation.

Getting there is half the fun and I need to remember that when I have a goal I want to accomplish. Planting tomatoes for fresh tomatoes in August is the goal, but planting them, watering them, and watching them grow should be almost as enjoyable(along with the thoughts of how good they will taste.) So here is to enjoying the process and finding happiness in everything we do, even the mundane items of life.

I enjoyed subbing in a main stream HS class, I figured out I have only done special ed at the HS before this. I enjoyed the day, but was thankful it was over when it was.

Cenneidigh and the Topsy Turvy experiment

Cenneidigh is going to grow a tomato in a Topsy Turvy and one in the ground with a cage. She is going to see which produces the most tomatoes. She has been very excited about this and finally we got the plants for her to plant and a huge bag of potting soil which she used all of.

We are going to make this a science project if we can keep up with the data. I think having the experiment done by September will be a vast improvement to the usual way of doing it the week of the science fair. Wow maybe we can beat procrastination this year.

We both also planted the fountain and Zeke bought two strawberry plants with his own money. We planted them around the fountain. We removed a few rocks to make room.

We are going to move the Topsy Turvy to the same spot as the other plant, we need Gunnar to do it and he was gone for the day. I have lots of lily's if anyone once to dig some up they can have them. I should dig up half of what I have so far, it will be too many otherwise.