Chapters, Endings, Beginnings and Love

Okay.
I promised.
Graduation.
Fabulous.

The day ended up gorgeous.
For 2 weeks we had rain and wind.
This day was just beautiful sun.

Gorgeous aren't they?
From the moment I got up in the morning
It was not lost on me the significance of this day.
The fact that this would be the last time they
Would all enter this building as students of this school.

A little bonus.

I hate to have my picture taken.

I wish this was a little closer...

Gratefully He and I were having the same issues this day.

Greer and Gabe were Jr. Attendants.

Yeah it was a pretty rough day...

I don't know how to explain the amount of pride.

She's turned into so much.

This is the most beautiful photo.

All the promise of the future in that smile...

Then this happened.
It was signed.
Apparently that means I HAVE to let her move on.

Don't even ask.
I went with 2 boxes of Kleenex
And came home with 1/2 a box.
This is where 18 years of life flashed.

It was a pretty emotional day.
I cried. Jeff cried. My sister and my mom and my dad cried.
However, this was the worst. Rubi cried...

And then it was over.
Just like that.
18 years.
Graduated.

Seriously that is how it felt.

Like I went to bed and she was a baby.

Like I woke up THIS morning and she was graduating.

WTH happened?

This girl is phenomenal.

This girl is beautiful.

This girl is kind.

Somehow God allowed this girl to be mine.

I can't accurately convey my feelings.

I cry every time I make the attempt.

I can't quite get there when I write it.

I'm leaving you with family photos.

My sister Mickie and my Mom

Mom & Dad

Mickie and Chris

This is love.
There is no other way to say it.
The day was beautiful.
She was beautiful.

Through all of this I learned,
I've raised good kids.
They have a tremendous dad.
And they are completely and solidly loved.

On to next year.
X's 3...



Wordless Wednesday

Thanks to Maggie Fleming for the photos

Not Quite Ready and 4 Berry Crumble

I'm sure that you are waiting for a post about graduation.
I can't do it just yet.
Too many feelings still.
The day and the daughter were gorgeous
And that is as far as I can go right now...

Rubi graduated from Kindergarten
4 days later
Much less emotional
And far more hysterical. :)

This is Mrs. Sudbeck.
She was my teacher.
She taught all my kids.
She deserves a break. :)

Over the weekend I decided
My baking hiatus and exhaustion
From graduation readying needed
To be over.

I had berries in the fridge,
Rachael Ray's Mini Bubble and Browns,
And weather much too cool for
This time of year!

I love my Mini Bakers.
I wish I had Ray Ray's whole line
Of Bubble and Browns.
AWESOME!

This is your typical topping.
Adapted over MANY
Evenings of apple crisp.

1cup flour
1cup quick oats
1cup granulated sugar
1/2cup brown sugar
12 Tblsp COLD butter

Mix the first 4.
Add nutmeg or cinnamon
If you wish.
Then whisk together.
Cut in butter til crumbly.

4 Berry Crumble

Strawberries cored and halved.

Blueberries washed and drained.

Blackberries rinsed.

Raspberries rinsed.

Whisk together granulated sugar

And cornstarch and dump on berries.

Stir and set aside.

Line heavy duty sheet pan

with parchment.

Spray each mini baker

With cooking spray.

Fill each Mini Baker
With berries.
Mine were a little more than
1/2 full.

Add topping and bake

In a preheated 350 degree oven.

Bake for close to an hour or more.

Berries should bubble and top should

Look crispy.

My kids FIGHT over the "crumble".

Jeff ate 3 in an hour.

1 with Cool Whip and 2

without.

Next week graduation.

I promise.





4 More Days...

So here we are.
4 days of school left for Sofi.
As much as I wished it not to happen -
It is...

In the last few weeks
We've had 3 birthdays,
LOTS of activity,
Easter...

They celebrated their 17th (YIKES!) birthday

at Music contest

in the middle of a freak April blizzard.

Not to worry, I went with cupcakes.

The seniors have been on the count down.

Sofi was in charge of the #6.

She brought it home on Wednesday.

She's far more excited than I.

It's Fatty just because...

We spent Saturday with eggs.

Madame R happens to LOVE green.

A successful egg hunt.

And a mouth full of candy...

As we get closer and closer

to the last page of this chapter for Sofi,

My sister and I are constantly reminded

Of the ones in our lives that have helped

create who we are.

We'd be lying if we said that Sofi

didn't define a MAJOR part of us

18 1/2 years ago.

So I'm leaving you with pictures of those people

that are our definitions...

Mickie, Greer, Lu, Aspen, Joyce

Sofi, Rubi, Sadi

Sofi and Sadi

V.E., Sofi, Jeff

There will be few people more important

to Sofi than my Mom.

She doesn't pose often.

There's not much she won't do for Sofi.

It's all led her to here.

Amazing...

I'm leaving you with the link to Sofi's graduation video.

I can't make it to the end.

I was a puddle on the floor Sunday

watching her years go by.

I couldn't be more proud.

I can't wait to see what her

next chapter brings...

Sofi through the years...

http://youtu.be/398_hiBtjU8

What A Wonderful World...

I see trees of green, red roses too.

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white.

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do

They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies crying,

I watch them grow

They'll learn much more

Then I'll ever know

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

written by George David Weiss, George Douglas AKA Bob Thiele

Lyrics copyright by Windswept Holdings LLC, Carlin America Inc, Larry Spier Music LLC

OBO Abilene Music LLC.





What's Your Top 5?

Believe it or not I am not going to talk about my kids this time. It's too difficult right now. Everyone's fine, it's just the Biggest Baby is graduating and I'm struggling to deal with it.

I thought today I would tell you about my top 5 movies. You know those movies that it doesn't matter what point it is when you turn it on you watch it anyway? Those movies...

5. The Hangover - This was probably the first REAL date that Jeff and I had had in MONTHS and we saw this simply because there was nothing else to see. I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time. My older kids have seen this and quote it any chance they get. Jeff laughs so hard he suffers coughing fits. It's just plain, old, silly, fun. You can never have too much of that. We're waiting patiently for the sequel.

4. The People Vs. Larry Flynt - Weird you think? Yes - but I'm a junkie for anything historical and like it or not this definately fits the bill. Larry Flynt paved the way for MANY people to use Freedom of Speech for various reasons - good or bad. I am also mesmerized by Courtney Love in this film. I wish she could get herself together. I think she has the talent to do this again. Althea's death and their life together was a true Shakespearean tragedy.

3. New Jack City - I watch this EVERY time it's on. I found out a few years ago that this movie gets it's basis in a few true life, inner city happenings. I think anyone who's lives are affected by drugs - directly or indirectly - should watch this. It's a tragic story about how drugs take hold of even those that "know better". For those of us affected I think there is always the desire to know the history, where it came from and why it stays? Why are some lives destroyed and others survive? Wesley Snipes and Ice T? Fabulous. Chris Rock? Genious.

2. Boogie Nights - I'm a fan of the underdog. And Mark Wahlberg. Dirk Diggler? He earned the Oscar nomination. I can't really explain my fascination with this movie. All I know is that for DAYS I'm singing Roller Girl's theme song and that I even downloaded it onto my Ipod. If ever there was an underdog it was Dirk Diggler.

1. The Color Purple - I. Love. This. Movie. Here's another underdog. Here's some incredible acting. Whoopie Goldberg NOT winning the Oscar this year? That doesn't make sense. I loved Oprah before she was Oprah. Danny Glover played lost and sad amazingly. Margaret Avery as Shug? Tina Turner wouldn't have made sense. The rich history that African Americans have is incredible. I am moved by it. I finally read the book last summer and I thank Alice Walker for giving us Celie.

There are so many movies that I love but for me, these are my classics. What are yours?

The weather is getting nice here and my tulips are about a week from blooming. I'm not a green thumb so this excites me to no end. For those wondering about the kitchen addition we stopped for awhile to get through Christmas and birthdays and prom and graduation, hopefully we'll get back at it soon. Thanks for asking. I've still won NOTHING from the Pioneer Woman and my hopes of spending time on my Bestie Rae Ray's show seems to have ended. So I continue to bake for myself with my little hand mixers. I'm grateful for my friends Debbie and Maggie who are willing to deal with my neurosis and cart me around and listen to me whine about this graduation. Friends like them are few and far between and I'm so appreciative of everything they do for my and my kids.

Happy spring everyone!