ABC Me!

I swiped this from my friend Kirsti's blog :)

A - Age: 29
B - Bed size: California King. Doesn't fit a family of 5, though usually it's only two of us there :P
C - Chore You Hate: DISHES! And mopping.
D – Dad’s Name: Dick
E - Essential Start Your Day Item: a nap. and my morning pills.
F - Favorite Actor: uh.... I dunno. The guy who plays Michael Westin in "Burn Notice" is fun to watch.
G - Gold or Silver: silver
H - Height: 5′8"
I - Instrument (s) you play: oboe, baritone, and a smattering of most other things :P (as in -- I know how to hold them without looking like an idiot and could most likely make a sound on it too)
J - Job Title: homemaker, boutique owner ;), chauffeur, nurse, chef, janitor, teacher... oh, and nursery leader :)
K - Kid(s): 3 girlies!
L - Likes: crafty thingies, computer stuff, photography, sleep, food, chocolate...
M - Mom’s Name: Janet
N - Nickname: Tilly Sue Nellie
O - Overnight Hospital Stay Other Than Birth: nope. Always managed to keep it out-patient.
P - Pet Peeve: hearing people eat. Icky!!!
Q - Quote that you like: "Just Another Day in Paradise" that's the only one I can think of right now cause it's on a plaque on my dining room wall
R - Righty or Lefty: righty
S - Siblings: 4 brothers, 3 sisters, 12 sister in laws, 9 brother in laws
T - Time You Wake Up: weekdays -- 7:30. weekends -- as late as possible (9:30 ish)
U - Useful tool: pen
V - Vegetable that you dislike: carrots cause I'm allergic to 'em.
W - Ways you run late: shoes. Always seems to be that the kid's shoes disappear about the same time they need to put them on to get somewhere. Moments before that time they're right under my feet no matter where I am.
X - X-rays You’ve Had: hands, mouth, wrists, and a gazillion of my abdomen at various depths.
Y - Yummy Foods You Make: stuffed shells, spaghetti, french bread, grilled steak, salmon... also, donuts, brownies, marshmallows, caramel corn.... I'm hungry!
Z - Zodiac: Scorpio

A caution and a warning...

Just so you know, I was getting caught up today on blogging -- specifically on blogging pictures I've taken. I was also playing around with blogging directly from Picasa (did you know you can do that?!) so they weren't as... concise as they could have been, lol. So, counting this post there are 10 new ones today :") I thought I'd better warn y'all cause you have to actually click the "older posts" button to see them all! Didn't want ya to miss the fun :P The first one is called "tidbit". It was mostly just a teaser that I was planning to do all the blogging. Then it actually happened >shock!<

No More Promises

 

I give up. If I say this is the last one for today then I'll realize something else that I was going to post!
Pictures of the three girls together and the three with me. Obviously :P

Okay, I lied earlier

 

Kate's two wheeling

 

Sabrina "tight rope walking" on a cement edger

 

Lizzie on a little bike.

 

Daddy's "home office:

I think this is actually my last post on this blog for today. I kinda got behind obviously! Since the weather has been good (hallelujiah!!!) we have been spending a lot of time outdoors. This evening Michael came home from work and we sat out on the driveway while the girls ran around and rode bikes. Kate is getting quite good on her two wheeler, though she desperately needs a larger one. Sabrina disappeared at one point. Just plain disappeared! I knocked the door at the neighbor's house and sure enough, Sabrina pressed her nose up against the window by the door. Grrrrr!

Leprechaun Tricks

 

 

 

 

On St. Patrick's Day a leprechaun visited our house. He left a note and a clue on the front door while we were gone to pick up Daddy from work. (Okay, actually I set the whole thing up while the girls were playing at the park next door before we left :P ) Kate read the clues and they figured out where to look for the next one, etc. Each clue was tied with a rainbow ribbon (follow the rainbow and all that). In the end they found their gold and jewels hidden in the dryer. It was a ring pop for each of them and Hershey's nuggets (gold wrapped, of course). They had a blast! I also made green donuts with green glaze and we took them to Daddy's work earlier in the day.

Post 20 million for today ;)

 

 

 

Okay, this is the last one, I promise (on this blog that is, LOL). Doesn't Sabrina look like such a little flapper chick? She was hilarious!

Gah!!!

 

 

 

 

Okay, 3rd time's the charm??? Apparently I can only upload four pictures at a time, even through picasa :( Bummer dude. Oh well. I'll probably keep posting through picasa cause it's so much faster to attach pictures this way. Even if it means that my photo-prolific posts are greater in number cause I can only put on 4 pics per ;)

Cuzzies

 

 

 

 

Random pictures from an evening of visiting. Kids had such a good time, though the little grumpus ended up running a fever. He's just so cute, though! My favorite is the picture of him by the car ("Daddy" was washing it).

The Trifecta, Black and White

 

 

 

Just more pictures :)

The Trifecta in Color

 

 

 

I'm using Picasa to do this with collages cause I'm lazy today :P I don't want to wait to upload all these pictures individually! Such cuties :)

Tidbit

 

Several posts coming! I keep getting kicked off my computer by my darling kiddies, though :P

Funeral Video and Pictures

I made this video from some of the pictures I took at the funeral last week. The second song: Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life was Grandma and Grandpa's song which they sang together often. Many of the pictures are kinda fuzzy because my camera has been having issues and doesn't take good indoor pictures even on a good day. I do have all these pictures and nearly 100 more decent ones all in color if anyone wants some. In fact, I just remembered -- I uploaded all the decent pictures on photobucket too...
www.photobucket.com/spendlove
Spendlove Funeral
This photobucket is a group album so others can add pictures to it also. That way pics can be shared. So if you got other pics, add them there!

If it asks for a password it is "Marjorie1922"
**edited about 20 times cause I have photobucket issues today :P

I yelled at a gangster in line at the bank because that's how I roll :)

Me – the tough one:

I yelled at a gangster in line at the bank because that's how I roll.

Michael – who must be talking to Kate cause she at least has a loft bed:

I did the macarena with a homeless guy under your bed because I'm cool like that.

Kate – who is gonna have dirty clothes if she touches the outside of that car! -- and must have learned the macarena from Daddy while entertaining the homeless.

I did the macarena with your mom on your car because I'm NOT crazy.

Lizzie – who has the instinct of a bloodhound (She is particularly sensitive to smell!)

I smelled a smurf under your bed because I can.

Sabrina – all too true:

I sang to a stuffed animal riding a motorcycle because I'm cute and I do what I want. (Slight edit cause she's 3 and I'm her mom)

Pick the month you were born:
January-------I kicked
February------I loved
March--------I karate chopped
April----------I licked
May----------I jumped on
June----------I smelled
July-----------I did the Macarena With
August--------I had lunch with
September----I danced with
October-------I sang to
November-----I yelled at
December-----I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1-------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a snowman
6-------a gangster
7-------my mobile phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends' boyfriend
10-------my neighbour
11-------my science teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a fireman
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18-------a spoon
19------ - a smurf
20-------a baseball bat
21-------a ninja
22-------Chuck Norris
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a football player
26-------my sister
27-------my brother
28-------an iPod
29-------a surfer
30-------a homeless guy
31-------a llama

What is the last number of the year you were born:
1--------- In my car
2 --------- On your car
3 ----------- In a hole
4 ----------- Under your bed
5 ----------- Riding a Motorcycle
6 --------- sliding down a hill
7 --------- in an elevator
8---------- at the dinner table
9 -------- In line at the bank
0 -------- in your bathroom

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White---------because I'm cool like that
Black---------because that's how I roll.
Pink-----------because I'm NOT crazy.
Red-----------because the voices told me to.
Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want
Green---------because I think I need some serious help.
Purple---------because I'm AWESOME!
Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.
Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars
Orange--------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.
Brown---------because I can.
Other----------because I'm a Ninja!
None----------because I can't control myself!

To Have what we Want

I know that the Lord knows better than me what I really want. Sometimes it is really hard to trust Him so completely though.

Over a week ago Grandma Spendlove was dying. She wanted so desperately to die that she gave up food and water to hasten her passing. She had a blessing and prayed also that she would go quickly. It was just over a week since that time that she finally passed away. Mommalee was able to be with her when she passed away and got to spend the final hours of her mother's mortal life with her.

She wanted so badly to go! Why did she have to wait? Here's the very true, but often bitter answer: I don't know. I doubt anyone knows for certain. We may never know. Perhaps there was some final words of comfort, some situation in someone else's life, some resolution in herself... any thing really that happened during those days to fulfill her mission or to help someone else.

All I can say is that I'm sure now that she has finally made it to her dear husband's side that she can be grateful for anything she had to go through to get back there. In my young age I hope desperately to not be left alone in this life, but I know that if I do I will be grateful to make it back to Michael's side, no matter how long or how difficult it is to get there.
I guess what I'm really thinking through here is the fact that we know what we want, but at the same time we really don't. I think of what I wanted 10, 5, even 2 years ago. If I had what I wanted then, could I have what I have now that is so much more than I would have even known to hope for? I am not saying that hopes and dreams are wrong or pointless or anything like that, I'm just saying that as long as we do what is right and we ask for those things that we want and accept with gratitude all that we are given we will discover that what we wanted is a stepped on jelly bean and what we can have, with patience, is a lavish three tiered chocolate cake. With no calories, of course :P

Just because the answer is to wait a while or even if the answer is no keep the faith! Watch for what is coming around the corner! In the end I'm sure you wouldn't trade a few moments (in the eternal perspective -- possibly years or even a lifetime in mortal perspective) of suffering to get what we thought we wanted.

Did that make any sense? I started with an idea and wandered around until it made sense to me, but that doesn't' mean I got my point across, lol. Good luck figuring it out I guess!
Love to Grandpa and Grandma Spendlove and all those who have passed before us who have paved the way for us now.