It’s Our Birthday! . . .

So I thought I’d post a picture!

Well, I did wake up to a birthday bloom, so I guess I’ll post another!

And, well, I was thrilled to find an extra half hour this

morning to finally throw my garlic and potatoes in the ground for their winter nap. So, here’s one more. 

Blogging here at 10:47pm, on a phone, it’s not easy. Life’s been clicking right along, I love my teaching schedule this year and wonderful students of all ages, in-person and online. L’s a 15 yr old sophomore now who is a scholar athlete in volleyball. The team just finished their season last week making it to Regional semi finals with no 6ft D1 recruits at the net, that’s saying something! 😅🏐🏐 

About all for now I suppose. This little ol’ space here.

♥️

Ben would have been 23 today . . .

Boy oh boy, I’m losing words. 

(ok, it turns out...I'm not)

This seems like a life a lifetime ago. 

Well now, I guess it was. 

Found this pic recently while on my continual quest to get rid of stuff in the basement. 

Not pictures though naturally!

Oh, our Ben. People just really loved him. We loved him. He was a magnetic, fun and funny personality. His face lit up when he smiled, he loved his friends. 

A writing about Ben from the first year we couldn't celebrate his birthday with him.

He sought the Lord his last weekend on earth while struggling in life, he called me one day the week before he died and asked if he could still get into the teen Tool Time weekend at Concordia. I told him I'd make some calls and see, they said yes, I let him know. My colleagues at Concordia and I prayed in the Music Dept hallway on that Friday afternoon that he'd attend, he kept going back and forth on it, I didn't call him...but he showed up! That's the biggest part of his story for me. He spent his last weekend in The Word, in prayer, in Communion, in song, with faithful friends, pastors and leaders. His life for the year before that was not there. Praise God!

The story of Ben from Memorial Weekend 2015 to November 2016 is a long, hard one that breaks this mom's heart. But the weekend before that horrible election day, he unexpectedly headed to church.

If you care to, look back in the blog to previous May 3rds and you’ll find blog posts from many, many of Ben’s birthdays both before 2016 and after. 

Summer 2016, the road to the cottage where Ben said "was his favorite place on earth."

Summer 2015

Our House Spring 2024

Ben’s house 2001-2003 and 2015-2106 

(the kids and I got to move back to “our” house in 2015)

We miss Ben!

Where’s William? . . .

Welp, he made it to California alright!

Lara sent this after his first time surfing.

She’s being the best big sister ever helping him get settled.

He went to Jersey Mikes (where he worked when he lived at home) to interview, wearing his old uniform. (-;

He got the job and is working there full time for a while.

He sure is missed though!

I initially came here to post about these though. And then thought, well, a William update should rank higher! (-:

So, I’ve been sicker than sick since Easter Day and this evening (Wednesday) finally felt well enough to do something. First thing that comes to mind, naturally (ha!) is to clean these things that I got from the Asian market last week, they look like really mini bok choy. I don’t know the name of them though, don’t know what to do with them and didn’t want them to go bad. So I picked off the wilting leaves, not too many, cleaned them up, put them out to dry and am going to figure out what to do. I kinda want to roast them, though I’m quite sure that’s not their intended use. 

And with that, Hello April!

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed.

Alleluia!

Hey, Sharyn! . . .

I washed all the snow gear!

😉 

Gone are the days when "washing all the snow gear" was really a timing game with our state's weather and all the little kid gear that goes with winter, but still fun to give a shout out to an old friend...ehm...well...not "old" as in "old"...haha...😂...let's rephrase that...to a long-time friend. 😊 

Alli basking in the sun and me considering some gardening cleanup on this sunny, though admittedly chillier than the other out of the ordinary temps this week, has gotten me into the "put the winter duds away" spirit. Especially the ones that all wreak of bacon 'cause they went to our annual President's Weekend trip with us and, well, there was a lot of bacon cooking going on!  Been doing that trip 14 years in a row now, most of them with dear friends/families from church. Such a special time. The olders ("kids" that is...who are now young adults themselves) in the group have now moved on to skiing rather than sledding down the #1 sledding hill in the state, and honestly, there's been very little snow on the ol' hill the last couple of years, this year included. Some of us though did hike the "hill" and it's surrounding hills trying to reach the Great waters edge. Unfortunately, we got too late of a start and didn't make it (No, it was not because we couldn't make it, haha!). It was pizza night after all, orders needed to be placed and wings needed to get started cooking. Geesh! (-:

Hey, since I'm here, let's have a real deal post . . . 

All-weekend fires. 💕

L and M making some more of my lego flowers.

I just could not pass up that purchase when I made a solo (well, solo human...Alli came with me) trip to the UP the day after Christmas this  year and saw them in my favorite little flower shop.

My attempt at an artistic photo while on said hike, ha!

The house we stay in sits atop a hill and we were treated to thee most gorgeous sunsets. Notice, no ice on the lake!! We typically see ice shantys, trucks and people out on that lake each year.

W finished the rest for me. (-:

W on his way to work! Haha, Slept all the way home as we left in a flurry to get him to work at the sub shop. Lot's of fast a furious activity going on for him lately that I'm trying to keep up with. He decided he really wanted to graduate early and figured out how to do it and graduated faster than even he expected (like last week!... last two classes were online classes and set your own pace) and has decided he needs to go live at L's place in CA, and work, while figuring out what his next steps are. He tosses around lots of ideas, from nursing to the military, so...we'll see...

And with that, I shall sign off!

Today’s new bloom! . . .

 

My. Valentine. Flowers. !!! . . .

Oh, Hello!

So funny to me how nostalgic and great actually to be in this little space typing away mindlessly (already, haha) about to blather on about this, that and the other. The ol' blog is still here. And, what is it that brought me back? Valentine Flowers? Really? Awww, how special...now who else has received Valentine flowers today or sometime and yippee, yahoo right?

BUT...Oh, my friends...how amazing and beautiful and fun and glorious and my favorite are MY Valentine flowers...oh my gosh, I didn't even think of this before (because, of course, how these became MY Valentine flowers isn't as direct as the now famous song line)...but...in a very round about way...I could, and did, buy myself flowers. But in a very Me kinda way, not as regular as the song's way..."I can buy myself flowers," that has just won it's singer a Grammy. Hey...I won a Grammy before...And, I bought myself flowers (again, in a roundabout way! Haha...oh my goodness, there can not be one reader that is finding this entertaining or possible to follow along with I'm sure).  Anywhoo...for real, I was part of a performance & recording that won Best Choral Recording in I think 2009 or about there. Ok, on with the show...THE FLOWERS ALREADY! 

My Valentine Flowers!

Wait, what???

Amaryllis...

the Christmas flower???

Yep,

Amaryllis

The Christmas Flower!

My Valentine Flower!

They began to bloom yesterday, just in time for Valentine's Day today!

This picture does absolutely nothing for the glory of those beautiful flowers that set the dining area to "dazzle" mode, especially when the sun has occasionally been lighting the place up. And, by the time all the blooming is finished, I could have well over 13 flowers. I am stunned!

This picture though DOES show that I have fully gotten back on the "bring as many plants as possible in for the winter" habit. The fresh herbs have been a delight this winter and I'll look forward to instantly having my annuals back in their pots come warmer weather. (side note...last week's warmer weather, up to an unheard of 60 degrees...nearly snared me like a siren's call into considering that it was possibly the right time to transplant my hostas, hahaha! I didn't do it, but came close).

So, how'd this all come to be anyway, that I have Christmas flowers for Valentine's Day (which, let's not overlook that it's Ash Wednesday today as well, so there is that too)? Well, lemme tell ya...you see, after Christmas 2022 (yes, 2022, that's not a misprint), I saved my three Amaryllis bulbs in a box in the basement after googling, how to grow amaryllis for next Christmas...or some such query. Then, when the ground was suitable, I planted them outside in the summer of 2023, as instructed. Then, in probably too late in September-ish, I brought them into a box in the garage for a little down time before planting them in some pots and bringing them in the house in late October-ish...2023. I was super excited to see them shoot up and bloom for Christmas...but nothing...New Year's flowers? Nope. MLK Day flowers, zilch! Groundhog's Day? nothing...and then, the excitement grew and the countdown began as I saw the buds filling up with petals but staying closed. Would they bloom for...Valentine's Day???

Why, YES THEY WOULD!

Just about on the dot.

My original three are tall and gorgeous and they've even sprouted out five more little amaryllis baby shoots. I'm going to have a literal amaryllis farm around here. Since I seriously can't intentionally kill a plant, I simply plan to start growing my Christmas presents now...or maybe, as the case may be...start handing out Christmas/Valentine Flowers to my friends and family!

💖💖💖💖