Birthday Lunch

Every Tuesday there is a playgroup up at our church. Today just happened to be my birthday, so some of my friends organized a lunch and it was so yummy.

Doesn't it look yummy! It really was...Thank you everyone for making me feel so special.
I guess JoDell sent out some emails, made some phone calls and it was amazing what they pulled off in such a short time!
Left to Right: Back row: Judy, Shantel, Serena, Anna, JoDell, Debbie Lou, Emily, Myself and Barb with some little ones dispersed among us!
Of course it is always great to have a showing of the male kind.... Larry Kastel brought his grandson up to play! What a great Grandpa! WE didn't want him to feel left out so he was asked to say the prayer.

It's funny how we get chairs out but most of us sit on the stage or the floor, even those pregnant mammas. I tell ya...they are troopers!
And....to top it off Emily, who we have met through Barb brought cupcakes and we had brownies too! We have decided to do this for the upcoming Birthdays too! It was really fun! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all of you that came, and to all of you that brought yummy food!

An Early Birthday.

Karsyn and I got to enjoy the mall and got some smokin' deals on Friday! I just love meeting up with Amanda, her mom and girls. We don't get to see one another often but when we do, it's as if time hasn't passed. I miss her and wish we lived closer to one another.

We also had an early Birthday celebration when we went to Glencoe to see my cousin Sam and her husband Glen's new kitchen, bathroom and living room remodel. It's absolutely Beautiful! I wish she would blog it! ;-)

We are having a family reunion over the 4th of July, but Benjy says we don't need one, now that we had a mini one! He was kidding of course....It was fun for a fraction of us to be able to get together. Do you see my awesome Chocolate cake on the table? Thanks Mom!

Auntie Karen, Uncle Doug, Aunt Judy, Uncle Roger, Grandma, Sam, Glenn, Belle, Gabe and my parents met Benjy, myself and the girls!

My Grandma and the girls.

I don't like this picture of myself, my hair was pulled back and I looked lopsided, oh well. It's my Birthday...what the heck! My batteries died on my camera so I didn't get the greatest pictures!

My Aunt Judy and Uncle Roger just got back from Wintering in Texas. It was nice to have them back although I am sure they are not too happy about getting back in time for a snow storm.

My mom and dad got me my much needed scanner, copier/printer. I guess they are tired of me taking pictures of my pictures in order to get them on my blog! I have wanted one for years and just couldn't get myself to buy one! Now I have one so who knows what old pictures will be popping up! In two hours I will be 34 years old! I am not sure how I feel about that, but so far I am having a great birthday!

The Cherry on Top.

Karsyn and I are off to the Mall of America today! We are meeting my friend Amanda, her two girls and her mom there. She is town for the High School Basketball Tournament. It is always such a treat for me to get a mall and a friend in.... all in one day and come home to Family Fun Night! Does it get any better than this?
Last night I went to a food party with the ladies from the Daycare at the gym. It was so fun to see them outside of their element of always watching my children while I get in a workout! It was really fun and the house was amazing. Such cute ideas. I am not sure Benjy liked me coming home with all these new ideas! ;-)
I then got the opportunity to help out a friend in need last night and spend some time with her darling little babies. Well to me anyone younger than my girls are babies! ;-)
During the day, yesterday, I worked at Champlin High School and only taught two classes with 3 students in each class. I got two prep periods and finished another awesome book! A quick read called, Premonition.
It became very apparent to me after this awesome week that as much as I loved our recent vacation to Disney..to be able to love the life I am living day by day is even more valuable to me. I think I am learning to make a decision everyday to experience the Joy in the Journey....To me our Vacations are just the cherry on top!
Of course I have good days and bad days, I am just glad that the good outweigh the bad and when they don't I am glad that I can make the changes to make sure they do!

A Call for Volunteers.

Last night Benjy recieved a call to meet with our Bishop in order to coordinate efforts to find volunteers that could leave at 5am this morning and return tonight at 10pm. The people of Grand Forks are pleading for volunteers to come help with the sand bagging efforts. They are hoping the colder weather over the next few days will slow the melting snow and delay the flooding.

This is a picture from the Grand Forks area and the flooding they had in 1997.

My heart just goes out to them. I am regretting not finding a place for Karsyn to go to today and that I didn't just jump in that vehicle and go! I guess I came up with excuses why I couldn't go, who would get Kaydree off the bus, who would watch Karsyn? We have a Primary Activity tonight. Yet, these people are trying to save their homes again! We had flooding in Marshall in 1993. I remember we got a call in the middle of the night and someone told my mom, "the water is coming. It has filled our basement, it's running in our basement windows." Those people just lived a block from us. It was such a scary and helpless feeling. We were lucky, our house kind of sat up a little higher, but the river ran right through our backyard. My brothers took a motor boat right down the street and yet we didn't have anything compared to what these people and the people in Iowa went through last year! My prayers go out to these people, I am feeling regret that my abble body isn't shoveling or tossing sand today. :-(

In The Early Morning Hours:

This morning I woke up feeling so refreshed and full of energy, so I went for my first run of the season, outside! It was so beautiful. It is somewhat foggy and overcast but to be outside and listening to the birds and feeling the wind on my face just felt so refreshing! I am so grateful for the turning of the seasons. I just love this time of the year! I love change and you can definitely feel change in the air. I did hear we might get a little snow in the next couple of days, but it won't stick around! In the early morning hours I feel like I get so much accomplished, it is so quiet and peaceful! Yay....Spring!

Double Coupons at...

Just in case you missed it, double coupons at K-mart this week. You can do up to 75 coupons up to a $2.00 value. Meaning you end up getting $4.oo off those 2 dollar ones. If you have those 2 dollar ones, by the time you double them...you can usually get free mouthwash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, cleaning supplies and very cheap razors, lotions and band aides. You don't even have to spend a certain amount. Well worth your adventure! Happy Shopping!

Some of My Favorite Products.

About two years ago my friend Andrea introduced me to Fiber One bars. They are so handy to throw in your purse for a snack or for Kaydree to bring to school. I am always struggling to find enough fiber in our diet. I have a husband and two daughters who refuse to eat any whole grain products. It makes me soooooo sad. I love wheat/whole grain products. I have finally found products that they will eat and enjoy. On Saturday I made Fiber One Banana Nut muffins. Benjy actually ate the tops off of two of them. He prefers the tops only. I guess I need to invest in one of those fancy muffin top pans. He tells me he almost threw up on the first bite because I forgot to tell him they had nuts in them, so he thought he was crunching on one of my fingernails or something! I know....gross, but once he realized they were nuts he actually really liked them!

Here is a little disclaimer: when you first start eating a lot of fiber it may give you a little gas. A little flatulence is a small price to pay for the benefits of fiber! Once my body got use to it, I didn't even notice it. Benjy is still a little sensitive....;-) however at least he is getting his much needed daily fiber in!