Welcome Back Winter

  This is what the Weather Channal said when I woke up this morning!  I think I should just stay in bed with my heated mattress pad!  

Love to all,   Sara 

Bug Plays Piano at Church!

   Well, this mama's heart was swelling with pride!  A couple of Sundays ago, my little Bug played for church.  She was in charge of the prelude, postlude and two hymns.  She did so well!  I could feel my mom's presence with us in church that day!  She would of been grinning from ear to ear.  For many years, my mother was the organist in our church.  She always told my sister and I that one of her grandchildren was going to play the piano.  My sister's kids had absolutely no interest in it, so my mom really pushed for Bug to take lessons, especially once she showed an interest in it.  Now that Bug has played for church, it feels like things have come full circle.  It is just the way things are supposed to be.

 

Love to all,    Sara

Summer Musical 2013

Bug

  This summer Bug was involved in the Summer Musical at the LaMoure County Summer Musical Theater.  The perforce this year was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat.  It was amazing.  Bug's played one of the brothers.  I was so impressed with the show.  The talent in these local kids are truly amazing. 
  The LCMST is basically a auditorium in the LaMoure County Memorial Park.  It dates back to the 1870's, when pioneer and settlers found a secluded spot in a bend of the James River that was perfect for gathering and socializing.  The auditorium was built the next year as a spot for any type of gathering.  Many types of gathering were held at the building, from political events to church services.  As years past, interest in the building faded and it fell into disrepair.  It wasn't until a local music teacher took it upon himself to fix up the building so he could bring musical theater to the community.  It the process starting a new production organization, the "LaMoure County Summer Musical Theater." 
  The casts, the crew and the orchestra are all local people from LaMoure or neighboring towns.  The dedicate the majority of their summer to the rehearsal and performance of the musical.  I know, we were very luck because our neighbors are very involved with the productions, so we were able to set up car pooling.  On the summers when that wasn't possible, I was able to get a lot of reading done as the cast is rehearsing. 

 

  This year was particularly great.  All but 2 of the cast members were collage age or younger.  To be that young and that dedicated is wonderful.  Not to mention the talent.  Oh my the talent!  It just sends shivers down my spine.  I really like going to the first and the final production to see how they have improved over the run of the performances. 

 

Bug as an Egyptian!

 

 

I hope you can someday go to the LCSMT and see one of their wonderful productions!

 

Love to all,

 

Sara

Chaos!!

  Chaos!!!  My life is in chaos!  If you all have been wondering what I have been doing all summer, I have been trying to bring order to our lives once and for all.  This summer was busy spent in the garden raising a bummer crop of tomatoes! (I had about 5 bushels from only 12 plants.  For me, this is exceptional.)

Not to mention raising cucumber and zucchini and rhubarb and green peppers.  It seems like I was canning for months.  In all honesty, if you add all the time up I think I did can for 3 weeks.  I ended up with 28 pints of cherries, 102 quarts of pickles and 42 quarts and 28 pints of marinara sauce.  I think that should last us for the winter and next summer.  I use the marinara sauce for pizza sauce, in lasagna and on spaghetti etc. 
  Another thing I have been trying to do is go through all of our junk.  For two years, I have not been able to park in our garage.  We had to move furniture, etc into the garage when we had foster kids a few years back and the stuff never got put back where it belongs.  AND more junk got piled on top of it.  My family has a habit of not putting away there things.  So long it is not in their way, then it is fine where ever they drop it.  About 2 months ago, I just couldn't take it anymore.  I was embarrassing for people to come over, you have to walk through our garage to reach our front door.  My husband already has one stall of our two stall garage full of his stuff and now as I am going through the stuff in the other stall I am noticing more and more of my husband's stuff.  On a positive note, I have already taken two pick-up loads to Goodwill and I know I will have at least two more and I have made about $50.00 on miscellaneous items I have sold on an online rummage sale site.  Crazy, I know!!!!
  The next step in this mass decluttering is the downstairs family room and spare bedroom.  I need to do this so the stuff from the garage will fit where it belongs. 
  During all of this chaos, we moved Bug's bedroom from downstairs to upstairs.  Her doctor thought her sleeping downstairs may be part of the reason she is getting sick all the time.  So we had to repaint two rooms, move her bedroom stuff upstairs and the craft room and office stuff downstairs.  It has been non stop going through things!

  I am so ready for all of the junk to be gone!  I have give myself and my family a deadline of being able to park in the garage by Thanksgiving.  I think that is realistic.  Also, the rest of the house hopefully will be done by the end of February, including the tubes and tubes of pictures from my mom's house.  This is one of the hardest parts, finding time with my sister to go through the family pictures and then when we both want one having a copy made.  This is why I am giving myself a little more time!  

  Well, wish me luck!  I am going to need it! 

Love to all,   Sara

Turkey BBQ in Guelph

   This past Sunday was the annual Turkey BBQ in the small community of Guelph, ND.  This is an annual event that raises money to maintain the old school located in Guelph.   The building is used for many things now, but just not as a school.  I know that local 4-H clubs have meet there, family reunions have taken place in it's gym and even an occasional wedding reception.

                         The Guelph School Building

 

The Guelph School holds many fond memories for me!  Even though it stopped being a K-12 school in the mid-60's, I believe, the Oakes School System used it for many years for it's 5th and 6th grade classes.  I think those years were some of the best, EVER!  The kids were bussed out to the school because there just was not enough room in the Elementary School building in town.  So all of the kids and teachers were taken out there, 9 miles from town.  I thought it was so cool that a couple of my teachers had actually gone to college with my father, as he was getting his teaching degree.  We were so isolated from everyone; it made us feel special.  We have the best playground in the world, not because we had fancy equipment on it or lots of activities to keep us busy.  It was the best because we had SPACE.  We had the old football and baseball field to play on.  Some to the football games out there were unbelievable, not to mention the kickball games.  Occasionally, a ball would go off into the field of corn that was right next to the playground.  Then it was all hands on deck to go find it.  You didn't want to lose a ball.  Oh and did I mention the lunches.  OMG THE LUNCHES!  We had the greatest cooks!  The meals that would come out of that old kitchen, I can't even describe them.  It seemed like almost everyday, one of the cooks would bring in homemade cookies.  When you are feeding so few kids, it would be easier to do that.  It was also during times when things weren't so strict.  If you ask any of my old classmates what they remember best about going to Guelph School, it will probably be the food.  

 



 

  One other cool thing about the school is the gym is planked entirely from floor to ceiling in old wood.  I am not sure if it is pine or cedar or a hard wood but it is just beautiful.  Even the bleachers are made from this wood.  The time it took to do this I can't even imagine. 

 

Love to all,   Sara

Thank You Auntie!

  Today Bug and I got a big chore accomplished.  We could not of done it without the help of Bug's Aunt Marian!  Today, she shortened 6 pairs of jeans for Bug! 

When you still haven't reached 5 feet tall (that is Bug's goal, to be 5 feet tall), you need your pants hemmed.  It is just a fact of life.  Marian was able to get them done in just a few short hours and we were able to have a nice visit also.  It was all good!  I do believe Bug is almost ready for school now.  Just one more purchase of shorts for volleyball and then it should be all good!  Thank goodness!  And Thank you Aunt Marian! 

Love to all,   Sara 

Bug's First Day of 8th Grade

  Isn't she a beautiful young lady?  What happened to my little baby? 

Have a great year Bug!  Love you!

Love to all,  Sara