The Boy is Home for Spring Break. . .

It is so hard to believe that I have one finishing his first year of college thirteen hours away and one finishing his sophomore year of high school.  I am too young for this.  Look at this sweet face below, I just loved those chunky cheeks and that big ole smile.  Sprat was a very happy little boy and seems to be a very happy young man.  I was so happy to see him when he got off that plane, you would not have believed he had only been gone a few short weeks.  It seems like a year since I last saw him, all those gushy mom feelings came flooding over me. 

Is this not the sweetest face ever???

I got a few hours with him last night and then he was off making his rounds to see his buddies that were also home on break.  He even took Big T with him to make the rounds.  I got to hear all about Boston and his possible new school.  Lots of things pending right now so I do not want to share anything until we are 100% sure but things are looking great for this guy.  We are very excited for him, lots of changes and great new opportunities opening up for him.  It is very true that when God closes one door or college in this case, he opens another better door and guides you through.  This has been a wonderful teaching moment and learning experience for us all.   It would be very easy to be bitter and ugly about all of this and it has had Sprat down a little bit but I keep pointing out that God took him there for a reason and we need to embrace this as what it is, a wonderful opportunity for him to continue his education. 

Stay tuned as we figure all of this out and sort through the mire that is College transfer. . . 

Take Care of You. . . updates . . .

Had my dreaded physical this morning.  I absolutely hate going to the doctor, I cannot explain why.  Maybe I am afraid of what they may find.  I take my kids for their appointments and keep them on their schedule for shots and such.  I just find it hard to schedule my own visits.  I guess this needs to be on my list with my resolution of self care.  I really should be getting my own visits done.  I know I am not alone even my PA said as such.   I did worm my way out of the old colonoscopy though, she is going to let me do the cologuard test that you do at home.  I will let ya know how that goes.  I have heard so many horror stories about people having their bowel perforated from the colonoscopy, I am so glad I have this option of the cologuard.   I also have some other tests to do as part of my yearly physical, I will have a mammogram and blood work, neither of these I mind. 
Here is my public service announcement:  Get your physical, do the tests, and take care of your self.  You cannot take care of everyone else if you are not around and healthy. 
Good news Sprat is coming home today, just in time to catch a few of Big T's lacrosse games.  He will be home for Spring break.  Cannot wait to see his big goofy grin.

Lax Season is Upon Us. . . .

So sad that Sprat will not have a Spring lacrosse season this year but, Big T's lacrosse season is in full swing with three games this week.  The first one was a bad loss, the other team was very good and had been playing together for several years.  Big T's team has not been playing together more than a few weeks.  The second game also a loss but they fought hard, they stayed close through half time and unfortunately lost in the second half.  Big T was so excited when he came home, I had to work that night so I did not get to see the game.  He was bursting with excitement when he came through the door that night.  I love seeing him that excited and beaming with confidence.  I have not seen him this way since last lax season.  Looking forward to watching him play this year.
Sprat is getting ready to come home for Spring break, I cannot wait to see him.  He said they got a lot of snow this past week.  For a kid that did not want to go to school where it snowed a lot and was very cold he sure has enjoyed his time in Boston and is looking forward to and hoping to go back in the Spring.  He cannot wait to watch his little brother play lacrosse while he is home on break. 
Big T is getting ready to go to his first Prom.  We have the tux and his date has her dress now we have to get flowers and the hubbs and I will be chauffeur since Big T has no drivers license. 
Stay tuned for lots of Prom and Lax pictures. . .

Playing in the Dirt. . . You Never Really Grow out of it. . .

I think my mom gave me that love of gardening, even though when I was little I hated working in the garden.  I did love the fruits of her labor:  sweet peas, corn, and radishes.  Mom grew other things in her garden but those were my favorites.  Mom also had a fig tree and I have one now too, mine is just getting big enough to supply us with lots of figs.  We had our biggest crop of figs last year and the hubbs and I ate every one of them, they were so good.
I am thankful my sweet hubby also has a love for gardening, he got his passion from his dad, funny how that works.  I think my hubby  said it best when he explained why he likes to garden, he says it is pure and the work you do you can see in your fruits of your labor.  It is being able to see what you have accomplished, he does not believe he is a master gardener but he dose have a knack for growing things.
I enjoy working in the garden with my hubby and planting and watching what grows.  It is a feeling of accomplishment to be able to supply yourself and your family with fresh produce from the garden. I am looking forward to my herbs this year.  Like I said before, we already have a huge plant of oregano and I dry it regularly to keep my supply, we also have a bumper crop of Mountain Mint and Lime Mint.  The bees love our mint, in the Summer when the mint is in full bloom they bees are everywhere.  We do have some bee keepers not too far from our house, I hope we are feeding their bees.

This is a picture of our Mountain Mint with one of our little bee friends. 

Spring is Right Around the Corner. . .

I must confess that little bit of warm weather we had has given me a little bit of Spring fever.  My very sweet hubby is going to fix me an herb bed right off of our back patio.  I am so excited because it is really going to happen this time.  He has promised this to me for a year but a few weeks ago when we had a dry day he sort of dug out my spot.  It is really going to happen, I cannot wait.  I will have Lavender, Rosemary, and Sage to start.  It will be big enough to add more if I so desire.  I have always loved fresh herbs and we already have a big plant of oregano and lots of mint around the patio.  I do believe I have Spring fever.
I have bought me some seeds to start in the house of a few things that I may just keep in the kitchen. There is nothing like preparing a meal using your very own herbs and spices.   The hubbs has cleaned the garden out so he will be getting it ready for early planting. There is nothing like fresh veggies from your very own garden.

This is the beginning of the new herb bed. I will post pictures of the progress.  The hubbs was not very happy with me this morning when I told him I was taking this picture, he said it was just mud. I told him this was a work in progress and I was showing the beginnings and when it is full of wonderful herbs we can look back and see how we started.  He was not amused. 

Mama Having a Proud Moment. . . .

Out of the blue I get a text from Sprat; "I had to argue against Jesus today in class."   I was like What???, He responded it was a debate on who was more influential to Christianity Jesus or Constantine.  So I had to ask, why he was arguing for Constantine.  He said, that was what he was given.  I asked how he did and he said he lost, and badly.  I asked if that was bad for his grade, he said no.  He also said; "I can't win when I'm fighting Jesus."  Well, my heart just filled with:  joy, pride, love, and tears.  All I could think was WOW!  Maybe I didn't mess my kids up as bad as  I thought, maybe just maybe I did do something right. 
You guys all know Sprat's school is closing and he is looking into another college in Massachusetts near Boston.  He went for his tour a week or so ago and he went by himself on a tour with these high school seniors and their moms.  I felt a little sad for him but at the same time was so very proud of him for taking that step in his college career.  He has really jumped in to find his school and connect with the people he needs to connect with to make this all happen.  He met with the head of the healthcare management program at this new school and he liked him and liked what he had to say about the program.  I think he is going to be Boston bound again this Fall with a new school and a new lacrosse team.  The lacrosse coach invited him to watch practice while he was there on tour also.  Sprat also pointed out one very important statistic, this college is 7 girls to 1 boy. 
Stay tuned we will be announcing officially soon, so very excited for him. 

Vehicles Fixed and Back Home. . . and More. .. .

Finally got our truck back that I wrecked hitting the deer on my birthday and got my beautiful earrings back after having the posts changed, and I had a few days off to recoup from a busy work week.  I love my earrings they are so pretty but I think my hubby cheated.  He gave them to me for my Birthday and then gave them to me fixed on Valentine's Day.  I think he might have pulled a fast one on me.  LOL!!  Nahh we do not go in for BIG expensive things for V day any more.  I think we have gown out of that and I am quite fine with that too.  The truck looks great, what I could see of it in the dark, our insurance paid for it since the deer was low on cash.  It ended up costing a lot more than anyone had anticipated, I tell you what when I wreck a vehicle it is done.   I was relieved that I did not get points on my insurance though, two wrecks in three months eeeeek!!!  I think my next vehicle should be a TANK, I was just about side swiped again on the way home from work last night. Speaking of getting a new car; Sprat is excited because Big T will be getting his license soon, we hope anyway, and he will be getting my car and Big T will get his car.  Now these will not be theirs to keep but to use while they are under our roof or at least till they are out of college.  It is what my folks did for me and I feel I should be able to do the same for my kids.  This way you know that they are in reliable and safe vehicles, I would shudder to think what they would drive if they had to pay for or pick it out.  I remember my first car was passed from my mom to my sister and then to me kinda like how the boys will be in a few short months.  I am not real happy about Sprat getting my car, my car is nice and I really like it but I guess this way I can get a new something maybe that Tank I was talking about earlier.
I have been looking at cars for a while trying to decide what I would want if I had MY choice.  I have never really had a choice.  When we bought the blackberry Sprats first care and the car Big T will inherit strictly on safety and gas mileage and we needed something quick, we bought it when gas was upwards of $4 per gal.  We parked our Expedition at that time and it was strictly for hauling stuff.  Sprat and I shared the blackberry until I got my job and need a car of my own, LOL!!  Again, I need something that was reliable and good on gas and we needed it fairly quickly so I did not get the car that I wanted, I got what was there.  I did get my color though, I got a reddish car.  I have since fallen in love with my car, it drives great and gets great gas mileage.  It has some perks that I did not get on the blackberry but purely by happenstance.  MY car this time will truly be MY car, nobody else will get this one so, I am going to pick out what I want.  I am not buying rushed or whatever they have on the lot which is what happened the last two times.  Do not get the wrong impression here, whatever I buy will be a good deal and it will just be and new to me.  I am way over the buying the brand new car thing.   I am really and truly going to get something for ME.  LOL!! 
Stay tuned, I have not started test driving yet, I have just been window/internet shopping so far.