#100HappyDays2018: Day 65

 

#100HappyDays2018: Day 65

 A Happy Days photo mixed with a recent Throw Back Thursday post. Our current at-home family. Hercules, Mama K, PattyCakes and Slick at the races for Independence Day. Green flag racing, friends, glow sticks and fireworks. Not a bad way to spend an evening. It's one of our very favorite traditions. 

#100HappyDays: Day 46

 

Day 46 of #100HappyDays

I got to drive this beauty all day long. DT and I did not want to give it back. New cars have lots of fun buttons, great air conditioning and Bluetooth so my fave Pandora station just automatically came on and the GPS directions played over the stereo speakers, Woot! Thanks for the upgrade, Enterprise!

#100DaysOfSummer

#Charger

In other news, I should NOT be allowed to have a fast, powerful car. It went straight to my head and I felt very cool and I wanted to race EVERYONE! Perhaps my children's love of racing come at least partially from Mama. Oops

#ZoomZoom

— feeling happy at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

#100HappyDays: Day 33

Day 33 of #100HappyDays
Fireworks at the dirt track is a family tradition since we moved to NM years ago. As I sat surrounded by so many of our tribe, all with smiling faces upturned for the excitement of the fireworks, I peeked around at all these amazing people whom I call mine, either by blood or by choice, and my heart overflowed and leaked out of my eyes. Along with our 5, we added Nathan and Johnny, plus our annual companions, Jodi and her boys.
That moment was only captured by my mind's eye, not the camera lens. Let's just suffice it to say there was much laughter, much jostling, much giggling, more food and drinks than you can shake a stick at and well...there may have been a few shenanigans. Oops.
In the absence of photos, I offer this gem. A lovely reminder that while man created fireworks, God created the originals that light up the sky.
#100DaysOfSummer
#TheManCrew
#Creator — feeling happy at Southern New Mexico Speedway.

#100HappyDays: Day 30

Day 30 of #100HappyDays
Tickets to the dirt track for fireworks night at the races! 💥 It's one of our fave family events every year. 💥 We've only missed one time since we moved here nearly a decade ago. Everyone loves it. Race cars, fireworks, carnival food, glow sticks out the wazoo and every single year, Derek has fallen asleep near the end by either curling up in Dan's lap or on a blanket on the bleachers. 

#100DaysOfSummer
#TheManCrew — feeling patriotic at Southern New Mexico Speedway.

If you like this challenge, head over to www.100happydays.com to sign up. You can choose a start date, your favorite photo posting platform and even a custom hashtag if you want to be more original. Do it, you might just decide you love it. 

Stay-cation day 8: July 5, 2014

Stay-cation Day 8: Sweet, sweet Saturday! Worked at the gym, took the kiddos hither and yon, and then packed up for an evening of dirt track racing and fireworks at the Southern New Mexico Speedway. David spent his own money to take us to the track, since we all wanted to go so badly. Isn't he sweet?
As an aside, I've officially become a sentimental old sap. As the fireworks light up the sky and the music played in the background, I will admit to wiping away more than one patriotic inspired tear. *sigh* (Dan took most of the photos of fireworks with his phone. Once I get them from him, I will add some to this post)

— feeling even MORE Patriotic today

He falls alseep EVERY year. How does he do that?

Evidence of an evening well spent. ;)

This face. I love him!

*I'm on vacay from work for the next 2 weeks while BossMan and the rest of the B-Bunch travel for school reunions, to visit family and to take a break from the hectic schedule they normally enjoy. I'll be taking care of the house and critters in their absence and intend to remember how to relax a bit along the way. Join me :)

August Catch Up Post

August is always a fun, busy month at the MeYeR House. It begins and ends with a special day for us, so how could it not? Let's dive right in.

~Derek's birthday is the 1st, so we begin the month with a holiday. I was off that week from work, so we made a day of it. Dan even took the day off (a much needed break after more than a month of 60 hour weeks) to join us at the Wet-N-Wild Water Park in El Paso, TX. Such fun we had! Up and down, around and around we go! Wave pools, water slides, kiddie pools, tube slides and MORE! Fun fun fun!
~DT enjoyed a 2nd chance to enjoy birthday fun on his game night party. Cake, presents and more friends.

~I think we went to the 'card shop' 78,213 times this summer. We were hosting another Magic Tourney this month and the big boys wanted to be READY. We frequented the card shop, traded cards, organized cards over and over into the BEST decks possible, bought cards at Wal-Mart, Target, and on eBay. Goodness, what a LOT of time we spent fussing with Magic cards!

~Hayley (our niece) came to stay for a week with us. She arrived the night of the second Magic tournament and got to meet most of the boys' friends right away. I think by the end of the week, she was sick of Magic and tired of boys. HA! Poor thing, she might not want to come back next year. However, after a few nights of shopping with Uncle Dan, she found a car that met all the needs, including price and so getting a car while she was here MIGHT make up for the Magic mayhem. Dan will be driving it to MN for her sometime in the next month or so.
~I think we went to the dirt track one more time this month, but don't quote me on that.
~School went largely out the window with the arrival of guests, guests and more guests. D wasn't working at the gym this month, so we went back to getting some done before work each day, and some reading. P was happy to abandon all pretenses of doing "REAL" school and just read-read-swim-read-read-swim-read-read all day long. DT was probably doing the most school with 4 days of summer literacy/math camp each week, plus his reading for the summer reading challenge.

~We went with all the Benson kids, my kids, Jodi and her kids AND Jayson to White Sands before Jay left. Good times were had by all. (Have I mentioned that their fancy schmancy car has air-conditioned seats? Best.Invention.EVER)
~Patrick left on the 13th, travelling with Jayson to IL to visit the grandparents for a few weeks. He enjoyed a full week with the local Smith cousins before they had to head back to school, spent a fun day at the Volo car museum with 'Shua and Lauren (and got to help them move into their new house), saw the air show in Chicago with Uncle John while on a huge speed boat, and other such exciting activities. I'm not sure he is going to want to return home. I may just have to pack the rest of his belongings and his school books and ship them all to IL. *winks*
~I got to turn a FB friend into a REAL LIFE friend this month as a friend (Kimberly Terrill) was moving from Cali to Ohio and made the detour to swing by with her husband and her youngest son. It was a great visit (plus she didn't turn out to be an ax-murderer which is always a bonus. LOL) Actually, it was one of the best visits ever. They walked in and instantly felt like family. They even unloaded the dishwasher and refilled it before they left the next morning while I was at work. Good times!
~Once I was finished with my summer job, and Dan was finished with the crazy 60 hours a week, things started to settle back down to the regular level of chaos we enjoy around here. I started cooking and baking again, the house got actually CLEAN for the first time all summer, we got caught up on some sleep, some lingering home/car maintenance projects and even had the time AND energy to paint David's purple room so it was a more acceptable near white. Life was back to 'normal' or at least whatever passes for normal around here.

~I got to spend a full day with sweet little Ollie while Ryan and Kelsi were moving. I had a ball! I wore him, D wore him, DT played with him, he tried to crawl after the cat and dog, and we chewed on EVERYTHING. Good reminder of how much I love babies, and how much fun they are, AND how much work they are. Phew. Also a good reminder of why I'm grateful I don't have an infant or toddler anymore :) Took some really great pics of him which worked out well as his 6 month pics as he turned 6 months the next day.

~The end of the month is another holiday for us. Happy 16th anniversary to Dan. Happy "You're Stuck with Me Forever" day. LOL! We took D and DT to Auntie Karen's house and enjoyed an evening all alone. Got to step out and see a movie together, and just enjoy some child-free hours. And that's always a good way to end a month. And an especially great way to end a crazy, hectic summer.

July Catch Up Post

 

Hello again friends! July was another busy month at the MeYeR Man Crew House, although it might have been just a touch less busy than June.
~We kicked off the month of July by celebrating Independence day, and NOT hosting a gathering this year. We always do it, and we always enjoy it, but this year we were just too tired to do anything, and so we enjoyed a lazy day at home, just us MeYeRs. In fact, David attended a friend's birthday party and was gone for most of the day. It was nice to enjoy a day of rest for a holiday.
~Work work work. Dan and I both worked our tails off in July. I continued to work with the Benson's, who are truly kind and generous bosses (plus the kids are great) and Dan started working 60 hours a week. So honestly, most of July passed in a haze of exhaustion, picking up and dropping off of kids, and umm, more exhaustion. ;)
~At the end of July, our nephew Jayson came to visit, bringing along his own version of mayhem. Life is never dull around that boy! He loves to do parkour, talk all the time and stir up activity when there is none. He is considering a move here, so it was a nice little trial run.
~We hosted our first ever 'gaming' tournament as the boys have discovered "Magic the Gathering" a game that the Bean boys first introduced us to 10 years ago. Many trips were made to the card shop in anticipation of the grand event, and much organizing of cards, and MANY practice games were played. At the end of the day, everyone had fun and a few people ended up with prizes. It was FUN!
~School really lacked this month as David spent most of his days at the gym from sun up to sun down, sometimes 11 hours a day. However, I can count that as a summer internship in his intended field of work so it's all good. Patrick was reading and socializing. Since he generally eschews both, I was content to let him do those without complaint. *winks* Most weeks, DT's 2 mornings at literacy camp was all he got aside from reading with Mama. To combat this, we added math camp as well 2 mornings a week. He enjoyed that camp as well.
~The boys continued to read day after day, in hopes of earning the BINGO BLACKOUT prize of a ticket to the Wet-N-Wild water park in El Paso, TX. Everyone is looking forward to it.
~We went to the races a few more times. It's nice to able to go as a family again since I'm no longer working evenings at Kohl's. The boys always have SO much fun!
I think that's about it for July. If there is something else, I am too tired to remember it. HA ;)

June Catch Up Post

 

June, glorious June. Let's see here, what did we do in June? Seems like a really long time ago already.
Oh yes, I remember now! In June, we enjoyed all sorts of fun activities.  
~We enjoyed the transit of Venus with eclipse glasses sent from a friend, making Transit of Venus cookies, and sharing the knowledge with friends.
~We started our summer reading programs. We are taking part in 3 this year. One at the library, one with Barnes and Noble, and one super cute BINGO style printable I found over at www.howdoesshe.com The boys are reading everything they can get their hands on. Thank goodness for our well stocked home library (thank you, homeschooling) and our weekly trips to the local library.
~I continued my 50+ hours a week with the Benson family (Isaiah "Z" 15, Grace "G" 11 and Anna "A" 2) and we took little trips hither and yon to parks, card shops, ice cream parlors and the library, but took our biggest trip in late June with a full day spent at the El Paso Zoo.
~We continued school all summer, squeezing it in when we could. P switched to a summer bridge type of activity book instead of dragging along scads of curriculum. D worked independently and generally had most of his school work finished before we headed to work each day. DT brought along lots of little activities, enjoyed being read to by everyone, and had his camp twice a week that counted as school those days.
~Derek started summer camp with Jodi. He ended up being the only student at that particular camp and while we were disappointed about not making new friends, the one on one tutoring was good for him.
~Patrick is at that age where he's too old for summer camps and too young for a job, so he spent most of his summer reading and swimming in the Benson's pool.
~David alternated between being a 'bouncer' for Jodi's tutoring company (in case she ended up with a grumpy pre-teen who didn't want to cooperate) and being an assistant coach at the Gym Magic summer day camps.
~Dan continued to work back at him beloved Wooten company with his good buddy Mike Eorio, who is always so kind to him.
~We ended several family outings including nights at the dirt track races watching the cars go zoom zoom and fireworks, and our first trim to White Sands for a Full Moon Night. However, it was cloudy and rainy that evening, so while we were thankful that the rain stopped, we didn't get to see the full moon. :)
My housewife end of life suffered greatly over the summer. I was overtired, 'touched out' and grouchy a good portion of the summer. I bought convenience items like bread, (gasp) laundry detergent, and prepared fresh veggies. Egads. LOL! I did however, enjoy all the hard work I put into filling the freezer in May (along with www.moneysavingmom.com) as I pulled casseroles, fruit and nut breads, and meal starters out of the freezer to fill our hungry bellies day after day. Dan was a great help by popping dinners into the oven, rescuing things from the crock pot, doing much of the running to and from gym with David, and offering to hang on to the kids so I could have a short break at the local coffee shop, take a quick nap, or squeeze in a workout. I sure do love that man!
I think that's about all the big news for June. :)
PS. The photos aren't wanting to work. I'll have to work on that later.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY July 6, 2009...
Outside my window...the sun is shining down on the world through some light fluffy clouds, the temp hovers around 85 and a gentle breeze blows after last night's thundershowers
I am thinking...that Monday is one of my favorite days, that bread in the oven is one of my favorite smells and that I'm glad to be home raising my boys and taking care of my home while hubby is away working to support us.
I am thankful for...freedom, family, friends and fresh baked bread...I just love alliteration, I can't help myself...LOL
From the learning rooms...nothing official this week. The boys are home are reading everyday, we are finishing up our "Musical Appreciation' Study of the old classic musicals, and enjoying nature, but nothing official
From the kitchen…Bread is baking now...yum~O
~For the rest of the week...let's see

• Spaghetti with Ground turkey and veggie sauce with fresh french bread


• Chicken tacos with salad


• Breakfast for dinner, eggs, bacon, pancakes with juice and fruit


• Pork chops, Rice and peas


• Soup and grilled cheese


• Pizza


• Birthday party food for T's birthday on Saturday ; )

I am wearing…Capris and a graphic tee, tennies are on to save my back...gotta work tonight
I am creating…empty cabinets, cleared of shelves, and a happy Good Will store as I continue to purge, purge purge our TOO MANY boxes of schtuff in the back room
I am going...no where all week except work until the weekend, then the usual: grocery shopping, errand running, farmer's market, church, race track
I am reading...other simple woman's day book entries, kiddie books and my tired and true recipes
I am hoping...that Dan and 'Shua have a great week at work and stay safe. That my boys have happy memories of growing up at home. And that they all grow up to serve the Lord.
I am hearing...the washer doing my hard work for me, the TV playing a movie for the boys until lunch, the ceiling fans keeping the house cool, and the boys murmuring to one another.
Around the house...there are floors to sweep, lunch to make, shelves to clear, boys to chase, and bathroom to clean.
One of my favorite things...Fourth of July....just makes a person so glad to be free!
A few plans for the rest of the week…Rest and relaxation, purging our belongings (less is MORE) reading, praying, catching up with friends.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...A snappie of us at the racetrack on Saturday. We enjoyed the sunshine, the laughter and camaraderie of family, overpriced snack foods and drinks, cars driving FAST, fireworks and music that made our hearts soar!

Thispost was started by the marlevous Miss Peggy, who is on vacation for the summer, so if you want to read more day books check out Grandma Wren's site. Thanks! ~K~

Catching up with us MeYeR's

Greetings from HOT and sunny NM! It's been another busy week around our home as the men are still travelling for work, me working nights, Jodi searching for work and many boys still here to play with the wrangle and raise...hee hee! Pat is still in IL with my parents and is having a marvelous time. He's been on a play date with most of his cousins, spent a day with Dan's Dad and step mom, been to the movies more times than I can count already and stayed up ridiculously late. He may never want to come home...ha ha ha! Dan and 'Shua spent a week in Hurley working away for Wooten Construction and after putting in their forty for the man, came home to relax and recoup for the weekend...and a lovely holiday weekend it is! Last night was game night and Jodi invited new people, who were very nice. Jodi and I were quite productive this week, filling up the car TWICE with donations to Good Will. We found fabric that I had forgotten I had and turned it into 3 new tablecloths, mending some clothes and generally having a wonderful crafty time. I baked french bread for the first time and turned it into garlic bread to go with Spaghetti and Jodi said it was the bet garlic bread she'd ever had, which I consider high praise : ) so I snapped a picture of it since I'm a nerd. I unpacked the dreaded last 7 boxes that had been sitting in front of my bedroom for 3 months and was annoyed to realize that MOST of it didn't even belong in my room...LOL! It was all mislabelled boxes...serves me right for putting it off so long. Oh well, lesson learned. We hung pictures and decorations, moved Pat's turtle and a set of lizards out of the back room since it has no A/C..they were getting really hot and I kept forgetting to water them...so they are now happily in the house. As for today, INDEPENDENCE Day, remember to thank someone for your freedoms. The boys are anxiously awaiting time to leave for the racetrack as they will be having the races as usual, but also host the biggest display of fireworks in our county...yeah! We are quite excited...so right after our yummy cookout, we will head to the track to get good seats. We are having homemade burgers on our new (to us) grill with Jack Daniels smoker chips, veggie pasta salad, sliced peaches, chips, veggies and OREO pie...yum~O! We are all wearing our dorky coordinated T-shirts which 'Shua let me know he thought was the dorkiest thing EVER, but since he loves me, he wore it anyway...such a good boy he is! So when we hit the track, we will be able to find one another...all the little boys match, and the men match...and me, since I'm the only girl, I get to wear something different..yeah me! LOL! Anyhow...I'm starting to ramble and it's time to get to making burgers...so a few snapshots and I'm outtie! Have a great holiday, stay safe and don't forget to appreciate your freedoms!
Blessings and Fireworks,

Kristy

My Baby is Growing Up...*sigh*

*sigh*...Derek is growing up way to fast for me...He just took his first motorcycle ride with Dan. Don't freak out....just around the block, barely moving...but it about broke my heart. He was a bit nervous, especially about the noise, but insisted on a ride and sat proudly in front of Dan...holding his ears the whole time...hee hee. He about had a fit when Dan said it was Pat's turn...he wanted to keep going.He also started sleeping in his big bed this week...which is always a fun challenge keeping them in it...LOL! Ah, such is the bitter-sweet nature of motherhood.

Onward and upward! We have been busy this week...paying off soem debt and repairing vehicles. Yes, our stimulus check has arrived...it had paid off the van, put a new radiator in it, helped repair the motorcycle, taken us to the movies, bought groceries, a desk chair and a few frivolous items and paid back some friends that we owed. Oh, it aslo bought a few new resources for homeschool via e-bay....100 new reading books and 2 of the fantastic Usborne Internet Linked books...the boys are really enjoying those!

David and Pat are finally closing in on the end of school and are quite happy about that! They are enjoying picnics in the park each week, studying as little possible, making crafts and enjoying the hundred plus weather we are having for the past 3 weeks. They found a baby bird in the park today and were able to pet it...boy were they thrilled!

Dan has decided that he really likes the racetrack here in Cruces and we are starting to make a habit of going each week...the kids like it also. So, I suppose all in all, life is good here in NM. WE are anxiously awaiting the arrival of company in July, Dolli's baby coming next week and the birth of Titus and subsequent arrival of the Starnes entourage. Life is full, GOd is good and I am content...see below. Lost boys, Mama K loves you! Future daughter in love...same for you!

Blessings to all,

Kristy and the Man Crew