Mason's best friend is an adorable redhead named Cameron. He has been in Mason's class at school for the last 3 years. Next year will be the first year they are not in the same class. That may be good for the teacher! They have so much fun together and I love to have Cameron over and watch the 3 boys play. Cameron and Mason are so good to Andrew and let him in on all the fun. The last time Cameron spent the night they had a boxing match, too funny. Here are some pics to tickle your funny bone.



LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!



ANDREW GETS IN ON THE ACTION...THAT MAY BE AN ILLEGAL MOVE! SORRY SO BLURRY, THEY WERE TOO FAST FOR MY CAMERA

THIS OLD HOUSE

Here are some "before" pictures of our new house. I'll keep you all updated on the changes as they happen. I hope you enjoy seeing the changes as much as we do. Hold your mouse over a picture to see our captions!

The Ideal Home

I love this quote because it NAILS how I think a home should feel. Isn't it a strange coincidence that the quote is from the same year our "new old" house was built?

Charles Keeler, a Berkeley-based poet, playwright, and Arts and Crafts movement advocate, believed an ideal home

"is one in which the family may be most completely sheltered to develop in love, graciousness, and individuality, and which is at the same time most accessible to friends toward whom hospitality is as unconscious and spontaneous as it is abundant."
—The Simple Home (1906)

HOME SWEET HOME!

So, how do you like our beautiful new home! We love it!! OK, I'll admit it is a little rough around the edges, the sides, in the middle...AL RIGHT, all over...but we see the potential for this diamond in the rough. It is a Craftsman style farmhouse built in 1906. Andrew calls this house "the yucky house". He means that in the nicest way. He says we are going to "clean this yucky house". Mark and I love taking something old and tattered and bringing it back to it's former beauty. We will keep posting the changes as we go along to let you share in our experience restoring a beautiful old craftsman home.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

THIS MORNING I WOKE UP TO THE SOUND OF MY PERCOLATING COFFEE MAKER...THAT SWEET MARK HAD SET THE COFFEE MAKER FOR ME TO HAVE GOOD SMELLING HOT COFFEE WHEN I WOKE UP. I MADE MY WAY TO THE KITCHEN TO POUR THAT FIRST CUP TO HEAR THE FOOTSTEPS OF SWEET LITTLE ANDREW RARING TO GO. FOR A BRIEF MOMENT I THOUGHT "I DESERVE A LITTLE TIME TO MYSELF THIS MORNING". BUT NO SOONER DID I THINK THAT SELFISH THOUGHT WHEN I REMEMBERED THOSE MOM'S THAT LONG TO HOLD THEIR CHILDREN. I PRAY THAT THE LORD WILL FILL THEIR ARMS WITH EXACTLY WHAT HE KNOWS THEY NEED...I LOVE YOU, TERESA.
SO THIS MOTHER'S DAY, I SPENT IT BEING A MOM, WHAT ELSE.

Adventures in Early Morning Walking

Our dear friends and neighbors, Kim and Paul are also my walking buddies. We get up and start our walk at 5:15am several mornings every week. Since it is still dark when we walk, Kim's hubby is a good sport to go along with us. Well this morning we were glad he did not only for the protection we thought we needed for a split second, but for the great laugh we all had together.

We were walking along our usual route when we turned the corner onto the street that runs by the railroad track in our small town. All of the sudden we heard what sounded like a PACK of dogs barking. When we looked in the direction the barking was coming from, we saw and heard the trees rustling. It sounded like something HUGE coming through the trees. The dogs were going CRAZY. I just knew we were about to have a Big Foot sighting. Kim grabbed my hand like I was going to do her some good! Kim lets go of my hand and is walking faster than I have ever seen her (that is really saying something since she is a fast walker anyway)and leaves Paul and I behind to be eaten by the Yeti. In a situation like that you don't have to be the fastest person, just faster than the slowest person. I don't know how that would have turned out between Paul and I but I do know Kim was not waiting around to see who the casualty would have been!

Paul and I start to laugh when we see the tree stop shaking and realize we are not facing certain death and hear the dogs barks turn into howls. These dogs sounded like a sick pack of hyenas. One of the dogs sounded like a howler monkey at the zoo. You know, the one that gets a big bubble neck and starts yelling so loud it can be heard for miles. It was hideous sounding but hysterical! I was nearly wetting my pants. I was waiting to hear the gunshot from the angry neighbor at 5:30am. All the while, Kim was at least 20 paces ahead of us and not looking back.

It does not take much to amuse me, obviously...thank goodness. It might get expensive to pay for real entertainment!

This is one of my favorite songs. I was thinking of it this past week after the loss of my nephew Spenser. Not only are we physically fragile, we are emotionally fragile in times like this.