"A Wink and a Smile"

Mom at age 19 (isn't that a cool pic ... she looks like Grace Kelly to me) Mom in her early 20's ME ... age 38  WOW! I do think that I have some of my Dad ... especially in the eyes, but since my jaw surgery, I NOW see a stronger resemblance to my Mom and her really prominent chin (especially when I don't smile because of these DARN braces) .

It's been 2 years since your passing, but I still think of you quite often. I remember  ... You were quiet You liked to people watch You always called me your thinker and asked what was on my mind You took me and my siblings to the beach when mom couldn't You bought me sneakers one time that mom NEVER would have allowed You let me eat cherry ices at the beach ... even though mom would probably curse you for the stains You never yelled at me ... that wasn't your style You took the blame for always getting lost when it was really mom who wandered (I know this now) You were so nervous walking me down the aisle You trusted my decisions You called me super ... you thought I was smart You suffered a lot, but put on a brave face You liked a lot of the same things that I do ... photography, beaches, creative stuff You passed on a lot of your traits to me and for all that ... I THANK YOU DAD and I still miss you! 2/26/38-5/21/07

H/T to Greg and Jennifer from The Catholics Next Door !

With so much rain in our recent days, it was so, SO nice to have a beautiful weather day.  There were NO clouds, lots of sun, and very little humidity.  I took my almost 4 year old girl to "the Big Dam (down) Bridge" and let her ride her bike. She rode well Maybe I should have put on my REAL running sneakers She noted the man with no shirt ... it actually shocked and embarrassed her. AMAZING scenery ... I needed a nice weather day She loved seeing another girl with a PURPLE Princess bike just like hers. I loved getting away from it all The laundry is pile high, but I don't care SUMMER is just about here FAMILY, FUN, GOD, and love of life is really more important

In the 2008-09 school year, SpellingCity.com became the most popular spelling website in history. Tens of thousands of students regularly use SpellingCity and over 100,000 parents and teachers have saved lists. SpellingCity recently received more recognition as a finalist for a prestigious Golden Lamp award from the Association of Educational Publishers. The winner will be announced in June. Please forward this to any colleagues that would want to know about SpellingCity.com. Thanks. I first heard about this program from The Pioneer Woman  site.  It was actually posted in her homeschooling section from another contributor.  You can check it out here . Anyway I know that the school year is coming to a close, but I did want to mention how this little site has changed my Thursday nights for the better.  I'm sure I am not the only parent who hates quizzing their child on their spelling words.  It can be very frustrating if you have a child who just struggles with spelling.  My #3 da...