Posion Ivy (or Poison Oak)

A couple weeks back I got my first case of poison ivy. (I think it came from a lawn mower we sold at the American Caner Society's Relay for Life Garage Sale.) Boy did it itch! It got worse before it got better, but thanks to Heather, I was able to use a steroid cream that took care of it in just a few days.




[And with that post folks, I'm caught up with my blog. YAY!]

Kammie's quilt is done FINALLY!

This is out of order, but I need to post this photo. After 4 months of busy life, I finally finished quilting Kammie's quilt and got it bound on on her bed by the time she got back from Space Camp. She was appropriately pleased!

Mother's Day

My children served me breakfast in bed for the first time ever. We had yummy cherry and apple turnovers. Then I came out to find them all gathered around the fireplace area where they had left gifts and cards.


I truly am blessed to have six children call me Mother. I don't know why I was blessed with this gift. I know I am not the best mom out there. But I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow from it. And I love these precious children I've been given.

I went shopping on Friday with Kate and found these on sale. I normally don't wear shoes this tall, but they were fun for only $16. And James is tall enough that I can pull it off. Thanks to Kate for letting me wear her pink Easter blouse to go with them.



And I have the best mother in the world. She has been passing kidney stones this past weekend and missing her trip back East. I am and will be forever grateful for all that she has done for me. I'm blessed to have her be just a phone call away when I am in need. She is wise and talented in so many ways. I put her through a ton growing up, but I am pleased to say that we are great friends besides being mother and daughter. I love you!

Other Flowers

I don't know what kind of flowers these are. A neighbor shared them with us last year from her yard. They are blooming and sure are pretty.

Sleepy Girl

Sidnie had a long day full of playing and such. At dinner time she came to eat, but put her head down and fell asleep instead. (She's had strep throat twice in the last few weeks. I guess we didn't fully get rid of it the first time.)

Long Course Swim Meet

Kammie had her first long course (Olympic size pool) swimming meet this past weekend held at UALR [University of Arkansas at Little Rock]. That pool was indeed long. 50 meters instead of 25. Kam was entered in 5 events Saturday afternoon.

Her first event was the 100 Breaststroke. This is not her best stroke (yet), but she did just fine.

Here is the splash on her dive in.
In the water...
Results board - She was in lane 8.She finished 7th in her heat with a time of 2:06.58.

50 Freestyle came next...
I had a great view and good timing on her dive, except for the fact that the divers for the next heat walked out just as I was snapping the picture. Urg!
First one done in her heat...
Results board - She was in lane 5.She finished 1st in her heat with a time of 36.81.


100 Backstroke was next...
Getting ready...
On her mark...
She's the one with a yellow cap and turquoise goggles...
Results board - She was in lane 6.She finished 2nd in her heat with a time of 1:45.89.


50 Butterfly...
On deck waiting for her turn...
On the blocks...
In the water...
Results Board - She was in lane 2.She finished 2nd in her heat with a time of 45.95.

200 Freestyle...
Her dive in...
Results Board - She was in lane 4.She was 4th in her heat with a time of 3:19.36.
This was her first really long event and we weren't sure how to pace it. We didn't want her to go out to fast/strong and get worn out by the end, so she kind of took it easy. Her coach said she could have swum faster, and we'll get the hang of it.

RESULTS
100 Breaststroke 2:06.58 17th of 35 swimmers.
50 Freestyle 36.81 6th of 52 swimmers. She earned 3 points for the team.
100 Backstroke 1:45.89 12th of 33 swimmers.
50 Butterfly 45.95 7th of 37 swimmers. She earned 2 points for the team.
200 Freestyle 3:19.36 Don't have the final results yet.

Kammie has not scored points for the Racers yet, so she did AWESOME! Go Kammie!

Hydrangeas

We have hydrangeas on the side of our house. I don't go over on that side very often, and I haven't been over there for a couple of weeks. So, I was surprised when a neighbor walked by this week and told me how beautiful our hydrangeas are. I have seen other's blooms recently, that are not nearly as big as our plants, and thought how pretty they were. This neighbor's comment caused me to walk to that side of the house. Boy was I in for a surprise. They are in full Bloom!





Beautiful!

The climbing kid

Spencer is our regular Spiderman and loves to climb. Here he is climbing the lamp post outside near our house.

Thrilled of his accomplishment.

Farther back to give you some perspective of his climb...


A video of his climb.

Kate Awards Ceremony

Kate received an award at the High school awards ceremony on Tuesday the 8th. She received an academic excellence award in English II, which is given to one student in each subject.




Go KATE!

Tortuga

On May 4th, Jordan had a job shaddowing day and was able to go out to the 4H center to see what they do there. She was also able to participate in the rock climbing and canoeing. On the way there we saw a turtle on the side of the road. On the way back, it was still there, so we "rescued" him. Tortuga, a box turtle, is now living in our garden and likes to hid under the potatoes. He likes to eat potato bugs and has munched on some lettuce too.



On his back so you can see what his underside looks like.

Garden and Apple Trees

That same weekend, I also planted bell peppers in our garden. Here is the progress the garden has made so far.



We planted some apple trees a few years back. They have progressed differently. One is a lot bigger than the other. (And the peach tree planted at the same time died that same summer.) In the past few years the trees have had some "fire blite" and we've had to prune the dead leaves off. It's happening again this year, so here are some shots before we have no tree left.

The bigger one...
The little one...

Mulching

Last weekend we were able to get to some much needed yard work. We bought mulch to put in the flowerbeds and flowers to plant. Our earth is amazing and it's fun to help it look beautiful.

Front flowerbed before...

After...
With Vincas and Sweet Potato Vine.


One off the front walkway before...
After...

Another flowerbed out front...

Space Camp

The 5th graders were able to go to Huntsville, AL for Space Camp. We had to get up at 4 am on April 27th to get Kam to the school, but she was very excited to go. Her friend Ana Grace was even more excited, if that is possible. It took about 6 hours to get to Alabama and then their day was packed with many fun activities. Rides, launching rockets, command control in a simulated launch, etc. They returned on Sunday the 29th. They were exhausted at that point.

Ready...

On the bus...



The bus returning...

Kam getting off...


[The cost for this weekend was $400 dollars, which is very expensive, but we were able to do some fundraising for it and the Olson G-parents helped throw in $100.]