National Lutheran Schools Week

  This week is National Lutheran Schools Week. The school where Alair goes has special activities all week. Today the kids baked chocolate chip cookies and invited former students and teachers to come and talk about the days they attended there. The school is close to 100 year old. It was very interesting to hear the older people talk. Some even brought pictures and report cards. You could hear the pride in their voices as they told stories of the strict teachers and how the students actually became one big family as the older students helped the younger ones and they all played at recess together. I am so glad that Alair gets to experience this too. The sad thing is, there are only 10 students attending out there in grades kindergarten thru fifth. I so wish the school would go until 8th grade. This June, two students will be leaving. If more families don't register, I'm afraid it can't stay open. After next year, Alair will be finished and we have to find another school. Also, the parents are finished as volunteers. It's hard to find volunteers these days. I have talked until I am blue in the face about the benefits of a parochial education and it really does no good. The parents that send their kids to the public school complain about many things wrong with their school system, but they don't want to try the alternative. We pray and pray.  We can't give up on the kids.

House of Living Stones

I have been kind of ADHD for quite a while. I can't seem to stay at one thing for very long. Especially reading. And I love to read. My mind goes from one thing to another. I preordered House of Living Stones by Katie Schuermann.  I started reading it in November.  I'm almost finished with it. 2 chapters left. It os a very light story about an LCMS congregation in a small town. Very light reading. I can't believe how long it took me. I was happily surprised when about a week before the book arrived, I got a hand written card from the author thanking me for my purchase and hoping I like the book. I do.
 More on the wandering mind.....I start in the kitchen doing dishes, then unload the dryer. I carry the unfolded laundry into the living room and drop it in the basket. I see some of my 33 year old daughter's things sitting on a table that she left here. I take it in the kitchen and do some more dishes. I then check face book and go into the bathroom and clean out the sink. I will iron 2 shirts and then decide I better start in my latest sewing project. Load the washer and dryer, oh yeah...finally finish dishes. Phone rings and talk to whomever....where was I? Right...vacuuming the living room. This is by 10:00 am. I am not kidding. Probably why I can't spend much time reading.

Swimming

The pool is warm...82 degrees. The building is not...60 degrees. So far I went out yesterday and today. I actually feel better mentally. I really enjoy swimming. It clears my head and I get to plan out my day. I am working up to an hour again. It shouldn't take too long. Today was 45 minutes. I hope I can keep with it. Not because I quit swimming, but because of the cost to keep it heated.

Age

I really must be getting old. When the older kids were in school, it really wasn't a big deal in the winter to go to activities in the evening. We were always at basketball, gymnastics, dance line, play practice and band and choir concerts. I just hate going out now.  I know that's why we won't have an exchange student for a few years. I always encourage them to be active in school here so they meet lots of kids. That means going out late at night to get them from away games and competitions. As we have a 9 year old, we only go to home games. It gets too late. Today it was 5 degrees when I came home from doing lunch duty at Alair's school. Tomorrow it will be -40 wind chill. School will probably be late. I have Bible study at 9:30 in the morning. Probably not going.

New Years Eve

Well, I'm sitting here in my chair watching The Little Mermaid with Alair. We just got done eating popcorn. Kim is in his office working on his new computer. He was in here watching the first movie...Despicable Me2.

I think about the past, present and future. How I have raised the kids..who they are. Should I have done things differently? Probably at least some. I think back to my parents...things they did right and wrong. I know they did the best they could..and it was mostly good. I am very thankful for my upbringing. I even think back to my grandma...I only knew one. We live in their home. She was a character. She and my grandpa would fight in German so we wouldn't know what they were saying. I wonder what our kids will think of how we raised them and what kind of influence I will have on the grandkids. We had Sunday Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's almost every Sunday. As our kids were growing, we had Sunday Dinner at either my parents or Kim's most Sundays until the car accident. Then it became easier for us to have Sunday Dinners and holidays. Now we have Sunday Dinners here most Sundays for whoever can be here.

I think about the health issues I have and how they will effect things. I can't walk very fast. I can't go up and down stairs very well. I need to lose weight and exercise. It is very expensive to heat the pool, but we did some financial things so hopefully er can keep it warm. I really like swimming. I also need to watch my diet closer so the diabetes doesn't get worse fast. I want to be around to see the grandkids  grow up. It's not easy raising another child. A nine year old girl. Sometimes I wonder if we did the right thing. Was it fair to her to have older parents? And sibling so much older than she? But I can't imagine our lives without her. But will I see her wedding? And her children?  I hope so.

This is the night to reflect on things. I'm not much for resolutions. I will just keep trying to do better at things and not try to be perfect. It is all in God's hands. He has blessed me so much with the family I have. I will also be thankful for all I have. I will trust that He knows what's best. I will try.

December 2014

Wow!!! Time really does fly. I can't believe how fast this year has gone.  With Kim's rotator cuff surgery in February; my new knee in April; going to the Black Hills in June and Nattapon going home the end of June.

It seems the older I get, the faster time goes. I really wish it would slow down some.  I had lots of projects for Christmas and now I need to start on the projects I put on hold in the fall.

I want to start blogging more and now that I finally have a new computer, maybe I will be more inclined. Hopefully pictures will go better also.

March 8,2014

Kim had his surgery on his rotator cuff last Friday.It went fine and he is trying to do all kinds of things. The dr. said driving was up to him....when he felt up to it. Emily went with him to Sanborn on Thursday and I watched the girls. After driving us home from the hospital in whiteout conditions, I'm not taking any chances.
  Today, Kratzers came over to go sledding and stayed for supper. It got to 40 and this was really the first and last time they could all go sledding. This has been such a cold winter. The huge piles of snow will be gone this week. I really am getting spring fever.
  I called Lakes Gas and asked what the price of lp is. 2.39....yay! I'm hoping to get the pool filled this month.I like the bike, but the pool is best.