A new year a new me?

I've joined in on the Biggest Loser Contest at Valley Center Christian Church. It's looking like it's going to be a lot of fun with all the ribbing and teasing that started at our first weigh in. I told them I was going to win because I wore my concrete underwear! We'll see.

Buick CPR- Car Part Replacement update

The Skylark roared back to life at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday evening, now just needs a few tweeks on the carburetor, and should be good to go until the next planned overhaul of something in it! I see why guys like to tear apart an old car and put it back together, when the car started, it was like we had done CPR on a friend and they had come back to life! I'm sure the neighbors heard my screams and squeals, or the manly roars of excitement!!

What happened to my dining room?

My dining room table has become a workshop. Carburetor rebuild is taking place on my table, smells so manly in there! It's fun listening to the banter going on back and forth. It's fine with me that the kitchen has become a man zone, I haven't cooked in days!!

A new project in the house!

Ben is home this week and my house looks like a man cave! Randy took the week off too, so they could work together on Ben's "new" car, a 1972 two-toned Buick Skylark, Other than the clear coat that someone put on it peeling, it's a honey of a car, the interior is in really good shape, the exterior has a small dent on the front fender from being hit by a Volkswagen, I understand the VW was a totality, but the Buick is basically unscathed.Yea American Made! I got home from work yesterday to the tune of "Don't be mad..." They had the carburetor spread out on my kitchen table, my entire house smells of Gasoline and Grease! But, life is short, it's fun seeing them working together and looking like 2 of Santas elves working on a project! How could I be mad? Last night was also that night that several of Ben's graduating class decided to stop by, I had gone to bed and layed there and listened to the banter and laughter coming from the kitchen table. I love these kids! The house gets awfully quiet when Ben returns to school, but, it is so much fun watching how he's changing and preparing for his future life.

Rita Starnes Babbitt

Found out today that my Aunt Rita passed away on Dec. 30, and I just found out today! That is so sad! My Sister and I said that since our mom passed away, we don't have anyone to keep us up on family gossip! Didn't realize how much we relied on her to keep us in the loop, coming from 11 kids, she always had a lot of fodder! lol Well, I know my Aunt Rita is resting in Gods arms, she was one of those people that you could look at and see God.

Enjoying our Wichita Symphony

Spent the evening at the Wichita Symphony, Beethoven and the Clarinet Collaboration, I've not spent a lot of time getting to know the symphony, but really enjoyed it. I love to just get lost in the music and watch the symphony of the instruments, from the ebb and flow of the violin bows, to the Timpani player, who steps up just in time to pick up just the right mallet, and step in to pound on the drum, put the mallet back on the rack, stand up and return to his chair behind the orchestra, and then do it all over again the next time needs to step in a make his statement. Absolutely beautiful! While watching the movements as well as listening to the beautiful sounds, I felt so grateful to be blessed with my hearing and to not have ever heard the perfect mix of such beautiful sounds.

Beginning of 2nd Semester

I cannot believe that the 2nd semester of Bens college career has begun! He did an amazing job adjusting to going from living in his own room and not having to share hardly anything, to, sharing a roughly 10X12 room with 2 roommates, and having to adjust to the noises and hustle bustle of a dorm full of other boys. I miss the sound of guitars being tuned and played at my house, and having kids running in and out, like they have always been a part of the family! It gets very, very quiet at times.

Snowing in Kansas

It's January 9th, and it's finally snowing, supposed to get up to 3 inches, some areas are expecting up to 10! Can't wait to see what driving will be like in the morning!

Snow In San Diego County and L.A.?

I am laughing at the thought of snow in San Diego County and Los Angeles! Most of the population of Calif. wouldn't know a snow chain if it hit them in the head!! I can remember as a kid not having to go very far up the mountains to find snow, but downtown? That's amazing! I do miss going to the snow and playing in the morning and going and laying on the beach in the afternoon!

New Year starts now!

Getting geared up to get back to work, it's been nice having a week off with my family, and was able to spend a couple of nights in Oklahoma City just bumming around, now we're trying to ween ourselves off all the good junk food we've indulged in for the past month and getting ready to start eating a little more healthy. (I know, NO fun!) Ben's back at MCC getting his room put back together, I still don't know why they make them move it all out for Christmas break, but, now he can get it organized. (ok, my idea, not his! lol) Can't believe he's halfway through his freshman year, can't wait to see where life takes him.

New Years Eve and Day

Great time spent with the Williams on New Years Eve, we had purchased great deals on Groupon to Jimmies Diner, and decided to have dinner together there. We were the only table there for quite awhile, I guess others had wild, exotic, glamorous parties to attend! We started giving our waitress a hard time and pretty soon they were all involved, it was a really fun evening.Then ended up at our house playing Rummikube, Do NOT play it with Randy and Phillip!!! ; )

Windows and Doors open on December 30th

Who'd have ever thought we'd be enjoying such a beautiful day with the breeze blowing with the windows and doors open and hearing the neighbor kids playing outside in shirt sleeves and playing on the trampoline!! Don't cha just love it!!! You Betcha!!

Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage

One of my Moms favorite dishes to make was Black Eyed Peas and wilted Cabbage on New Years day, she always said that Peas were for Good Luck and Cabbage was for money...unfortunately, she never had much money, must not have eaten enough Cabbage! I've never eaten anyone elses wilted Cabbage, but I think hers had to be the best! She would cook Bacon and crumble it up and pour Bacon grease on the cabbage and sprinkle the bacon on it! Yum!

Making Peanut Butter Cookies

Made Peanut Butter cookies with some of Bens friends and realized it's funny how you do something the way a mom or grandma taught you and you don't even think about it. I was measuring the peanut butter by using a measuring cup with the same amount of water as I needed peanut butter, when you add the peanut butter to the water to 2 x's the amount, it's exactly the amount of peanut butter that you need and you don't have it gunked up on the sides of the cup. The kids were so surprised about seeing it, I thought everyone did it that way!

Jamaica 2008

Randy, Ben, and I just returned from spending 10 days in Montego Bay helping some missionary friends work on their new church. It was the first time that we went and didn't spend our time on top of the mountain. It was in the 90's the entire time we were there, with 100% humidity most of the time. We thought we would freeze when we came home to 50 degrees! Randy and Ben worked really hard preparing and painting concrete walls, it will be a beautiful place to worship when it is finished!

A year has gone by since my last post!!!

My goodness time flies!!! So much has happened since my last post! I lost my Mom on June 24th to lung cancer...I just don't understand why I still see kids smoking with all the deaths around them due to smoke related cancers!!! It is an ugly death! I miss her greatly...I remember thinking when I was young and had friends lose parents, that I hoped that I would be older when I lost mine, thinking it would be easier, but it's not! We think our moms will be there forever!!

Here is a new picture of Ben, He is really growing up! 

Ben in his Sunrise Buffaloes Uniform

Bens football pictures for 2007

The church gang that came to cheer the Sunrise Buffaloes on!!!