Clean Clothes

Apparently, I'm not the only one who likes them!

Are you up for it?

So, I've been horseback riding today, but that's about it. Sad to say, I've had a horrible allergy day and have had to spend what's left of the day inside. Now I remember why winter is wonderful! It's my own fault actually. I got out of the habit of taking Claritin daily. Needless to say, I'm working on getting it built back up in my system.

(Biscuit, Mom and Dad's barn cat, stowed away with us. When we got to Bar K we found her in the trailer!)

On to bigger and better things... I checked out Beth Moore's blog today for the first time in a while. I was excited about what I saw. She is getting ready to host a summer Bible study on her blog. Did any of you do this last year? It sounds VERY doable, even amidst the craziness of summer. The book we're going to study is "Me, Myself and Lies" by Jennifer Rothschild. "The basic premise of the study is to learn how to guard what we’re saying to ourselves and what we’re stuffing destructively into our minds." Sounds like something I need! What about you?

Beth's post explains how this online, blogging Bible study will work. Basically, we're going to be working through the workbook 2 weeks on our own. Then, we'll meet together, watch a 15 minute video of Beth sharing her thoughts, and then discuss what we've discovered during the 2 weeks. When we're done, we'll post a comment about our time together.

I know summer pulls everyone in a million different directions, but I've grown so much during the Esther Bible study and have even noticed a difference in myself during these past few weeks that I've taken "off". Accountability is good for me!

There's no pressure here because I'm going to do the study no matter what. I just thought I'd see how many of you might be interested, too.

Any takers?

Summer Fun!

Yesterday I went to Leslie's to write curriculum for school. (Yuck, I know!) While it was a productive day, we still have a lot more to do! Here's a picture of Carson and Chloe watching "Cars". (Too cute!)

Later that evening I went to Carson and Abby's t-ball game. It was very entertaining!
Today, I met my sisters for lunch. We went to the Nixa park, where Leslie joined us! Little did we know that several other people had the same idea. It was very crowded, but it was a perfect summer day!

Back in Business!

I'm baaaaack, and so grateful to my computer-genius, brother-in-law! Thanks to him, I have a brand new, fully rebuilt computer. He's amazing and I'm so thankful he had mercy on me and took time to look at it. I was bit lost without my trusty laptop!

Let's see...it's been so long since I've posted. Where do I start? Guess I'll give you the run-down on what I've been up to.

1. I went to Abby and Ethan's end-of-the-year preschool program. Abby loved that she had a captive audience, and Ethan just wanted to make it through without being noticed! (ha!)

2. I lost a tree in the backyard during the storms that blew in that Friday in May.

3. The last week of school I helped Mom keep Tina's kids. I showed up after work and helped with ballgames and then stayed over night. Mom came back over in the morning to get them all to school. Tina and Chris were San Fransisco. While they were away, Ethan got hit in the head with a bat. Here's a picture of the huge bump he got from it. Doesn't he look pitiful?4. School ended!!!! (I got these beautiful flowers from a student.) On the last day Kelly, Leslie, Carson, and I all went to lunch at Mr. Yen's to celebrate! I had heard Leslie rave about it for so long, I had to give it a try. The general chicken did not disappoint. It was delicious!5. Garrett has been dying to try out Mr. Yen's, too. So, once Tina and Chris got home, we all went there together.
6. I went to Jacob and Ethan's first baseball game! They won 10 to 0!

6. Sunday evening I went to see Night at the Museum 2. (This is not the best picture because I felt like a goober taking the picture, and therefore did not give my "subjects" any notice.) After the movie I went to Tina's to pick-up my laptop, and we all played Big Brain Academy on the Wii.

7. On Memorial Day, Mom and Dad surprised me with a brand new, self-propelled mower! Talk about cutting the work in half! It's so nice! We all finished the day at Tonya and Matt's with a cut-throat tournament of Mario Cart.

8. Yesterday, I mowed the yard, Mom helped me trim bushes, and Chloe went to the groomer.

BEFORE

AFTER: I like my landscaping sparse so that I know there is nothing slimy, creepy, or crawly hiding among the bushes. I'll post another picture later when I get all my flowers planted. That is if it ever stops raining!!
And, of course, here's Princess Chloe.

9. I guess that brings us to today. I got my hair cut this morning, did some shopping with Mom, and went to Farkleberry's for training. (I'm filling in for 3 days while Fran goes to Spain!)

With that, I think you're all up to speed! It feels good to be back!

Pig Pen

Garrett had a practice game on Thursday. Grammy and I took him since Mommy and Daddy were busy with each of the other boys and their games. With all the rain, they had to literally play in the mud. Here's the evidence:

Actually, considering all the mud he played in and the fact that it's Garrett...he looks pretty good!

Family Dinner

I'm sitting at Tina's tonight, blogging, of course since my laptop is still out of commission. I'm blogging and eavesdropping on their family dinner. It's the sweetest thing ever! Tina, I'm so glad you have passed on to your family what we grew up with all our life...family dinner around one table. I have no doubt some of your sweetest memories will come from conversations shared around the dinner table.

Tonight's conversation around the Sutherland table has included: doubling dipping, high/lows, vacation, cheese, school, homework, and blood blisters.

Tina: Ethan told me today he hates his life.
Ethan: I said I was sorry!
Garrett: Sometimes sorry just doesn't cut it.

Now, I'm going to hop on my bike and head back home! Thanks, Tina, for letting me "invade your space"!

SHOW US WHERE YOU LIVE FRIDAY - Guest Bedroom

I was excited when I heard that today we were sharing our guest bedroom. This is one room of my house that I've been happy with since I painted it when I moved in. I love the colors and was so happy when I found the bedspread that matched perfectly. My Grana is the only one who uses the guest room, but one day that will hopefully change!

This is the view from the hallway. I love the cut-out above the window. This is my bookshelf. I love to read, and just fell in love with this when I saw it because I thought it was unique.

This is a makeshift night stand. It's actually a footstool, but sits too tall to use it as one. I found this bed at J.C. Penney's for VERY cheap. Needless to say, I was thrilled!

Food for thought

Have you ever noticed anything out of the ordinary when eating green beans? My family thinks I'm crazy (all except Tonya), but all my life I've noticed that green beans squeak against your teeth when you're eating them. Even if you've never noticed it before, I bet you will next time!

New Shoes

I don't know about you, but I don't like the fact that tennis shoes really only last a year, no matter how good of shoes they are. My tennis shoes still look great, but are worn out. Thankfully, my mom bought a pair of shoes that were too big for her. She passed them on to me! I love them! The colors are great and they feel wonderful!

After posting these pictures, I realized they really don't show what color the shoes are. In case you're wondering, they are brown and light blue!

Mother's Day 2009

Moms wear so many different hats - nurturer, nurse, teacher, counselor, confidant, cheerleader, advisor, and friend. I'm so thankful for my mother who has been all of these things to me and so much more! My mom is always doing things, adding to her lists of things to do, all so that she can make my life easier. I aspire to be like her! Mom, I love you and am so thankful for you!

Our Mother's Day tradition is to have lunch at my Mom and Dad's after church. Everyone who has a mother helps out. My Dad always grills burgers and everyone brings a side.

Even Dad takes some time to help out on this special day!

Today we were missing Tina and her family, as they were in Branson at Chase's ball tournament. Luckily, they made it to the Championship game and were all able to caravan down there to watch. Here's Chase's cheering section:

Uncle Matt, Aunt Tonie, Grammy, Auntie Ann, Pop, Poppy Gene, Granny Great, Bob, and Aunt Meme. Chase, you sure do have a lot of people who love you!

Chase's team did a fabulous job! They came from behind in the tournament to take 2nd place!
We all came back to Mom and Dad's and ate leftovers. (They just love getting their pictures taken. Can't you tell?)
Garrett was tired from all the baseball games Chase had. A little sunburned, too!
Jacob asked all day when the "boys" would be there. They're buddies!

Abby is our animal lover. This picture was taken in the 1 moment she wasn't chasing after Chloe!

Looks like Abby found out what makes Chloe tick...belly rubs!!
We all went in to put together a pot of flowers for mom. Here it is:

What a great day! Family is such a gift from God!

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Living Room

I'm joining Kelly from Kelly's Corner in showing everyone where I live. I missed last week's showing of our kitchens (maybe I'll catch up on that one later), but here's my living room! For those of you who followed along through my mini living room make-over, you've seen this before. Sorry I don't have new pictures or a new room arrangement!

This is the view from the front door.

This the view from the left of the entryway.

This is the view from the kitchen.

I absolutely love looking at houses! Hopefully you'll post pictures of your home, too!