Happy New Year

This is the first time in years that I haven't been a little melancholy about the ending of the year. 2009 was not kind to our family. It seemed that death and dying took it's toll right up until Christmas. I think's it's appropo that the last blog I made was about my mom, only to lose her 2 months later.

That being said, I'm looking forward to a New Year. Hopefully much better than the last.

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Passing On Traditions

My little guy adding the finishing touches to a batch of cinnamon rolls. He informs me that Oma teaches him how to make a new food everytime he stays all night. I hope she's teaching him a lot since she cooks so much better than I do.

See.............we don't always eat at the ballpark.

Feeding the Family

Monday's are notoriously bad at my house. Payroll Monday when the time clock has been down more than it's been up is just icing on the cake. Needless to say I don't feel like cooking on Monday night. Unfortunately, Monday is my husband's day off and he likes to eat. For some reason, my children think that one of the constitutional ammendments is the right to eat. Since we don't see each other much, and I spend a lot of time in meetings, my husband and I text each other .... alot.

Today's "What's for dinner?" text came while my assistant and I were taking a break..(actually we were sitting in my car beating our heads against the dashboard and counting the minutes until Monday was over). I grumbled something about a man who had lived on his own at some point in the past surely being able to throw "something" together so he and the children don't starve. When Melissa said, "We're eating at the concession stand at the ballpark." I live less than 2 blocks from said ballpark, but neither of my children play ball. This caused me to perk up. "And how often are there ball games this summer?" Said assistant is also a summer ball board member. You can only imagine my near giddiness when she replied, "Every night but Wednesday for the next 3 months."

Text Conversation:

Husband: What's for dinner?
Me: Eating at the concession stand at the ball park.
Husband: What????????????????????
Me: 4 real dude, every night but Wednesday for the next 3 months.

Dinner was excellent. 4 hamburgers, 3 hotdogs, 1 order of Nachos, a baked pretzel and snow cones all for < $15.00. Plus I got in a little walk with my family and the dog, and I'm doing my civic duty by supporting the local baseball teams. I was putting the condiments on my hotdog when Melissa tapped me on the shoulder.....she didn't think I was actually serious about "Ballpark Supper"thing. Serious HA, this is the best idea I've ever had.

Pics from the Ozark National Forest

Ozark National Forest

Pics of our trip to the Ozark National Forest to do some geocaching. It threatened to rain all day, but never did.

We had lunch on the side of the road and gathered wild onions for a traditional Cherokee meal of wild onions with eggs, hominy, fry bread and grape dumplings.

Have a Little Respect.......

My daughter sang tonite with her HS choir. I have some very good pictures of her with the choir. She is LIVID. Apparently the HS choir was talking during the JHS choir's performance and she is sure that this is so disrespectful, it's right up there with unforgivable sins. I was puffing up like a proud mama.....had one brief moment of thinking I had raised her right......when she jammed the earbuds of her I-Pod in her ears and turned it on full blast while I was still in the middle of a sentence. At least she is respectful of other people's feelings............apparently her family does not fall into her definition of "people".