Some wonderful news & Week 12/52 week challenge

I got the best news last Thursday the 25th. I got a phone call about 1:20 in the afternoon. It was Mrs. Hawkins, the principal at the school. She told me she had Matthew in her office - which made my heart beat a little faster, wondering what in the world had happened. She went on to explain that they have started something new at school called the Star Student of the day and that Matthew had been picked for that day. She told me that Matthew's teacher had written a really nice note about Matthew and wanted to share it with me.

It said: Matthew Stroup tolerates all of his peers even those who other students can't get along with. He is very responsible and respectful... I know I can count on Matthew to do the right thing in academic and social situations. He leads instead of follows and takes himself out of situations when he doesn't feel they are right to be in. When other students are confused, Matthew is willing to help them and does it in a humble way. It is obvious that his parents are very involved with Matthew and taught him morals. Matthew is the type of kid you would be proud to have as a child - when I have children someday I like to think they will be like Matthew -HAHA- if I'm that lucky.

Now I've got to tell you - this brought tears to my eyes. I am always afraid that with everything we have going on with Shane that Matthew may feel like he gets overlooked. It is just so nice to see that other's recognize what an amazing boy he is. I am so proud of him!

A sweet surprise

I got the sweetest surprise on March 18. The kids were out of school for their one day of spring break and I got a phone call from Jenny. She told me that Katie had a present for me and wanted to bring it over. I thought that it was just so sweet of Katie to think of me. She brought over the cutest little chick that I have ever seen. Jenny said that they had gotten a Momma and baby chick and when they were in the checkout line Katie asked if she could get one for me. I think that Katie Beth is the best niece I could ever have!

Yard sale time at the Civic Center

This time of year is always busy because we're getting ready for the yard sale. Lebanon has a community wide yard sale at the Civic Center the third Saturday in March. We have been going to it for at least the last 5 years - maybe longer. This has become a yearly tradition for us. And every year I say that I don't know if I will do the next year because it is a pain getting everything around for it. But it's a great way to get rid of stuff we don't need anymore and to make a little money in the process. We try to move all our stuff in on Friday night so that leaves Saturday morning to set up and prepare. Scott goes by and picks up breakfast at McDonald's while Abby and I take the boys to spend the day with Grandpa. This year Matthew decided he wanted to stay at the yard sale and see what it was like.He was a great help - getting bags ready when people came by and bought things. He also enjoyed doing a little shopping of his own. He found some Sim's games for the computer that he and Abby didn't already have and couldn't wait to tell Abby about them. They ended up buying 6 of them for $1 a piece. They have definitely gotten their moneys worth! Abby also got a great deal on a mirror she had been wanting. It was at the booth directly across from us and she looked at it all day wanting it. Scott had asked the people the night before how much it was. We thought they said $15. The next morning when Abby and I looked at it the tag said $50! Abby said, "Well maybe if they knocked $40 off the price I would get it. Around noon the man came over and told her that they were dropping the price of the mirror to $10 if she was interested. She jumped at the chance and was very excited to get her mirror. We have a lot of people tell us they look for us first because they know we'll have the stuff they want/need and for a good price. It's a lot of fun seeing how many people come through that place. I'm glad it's over for this year and I'm going to try to be better about getting things around during the year so it's not so much work! We'll see how that works out.

It's a busy time of year!

So much has been going on - I cannot believe how fast time is flying! Next week is Easter. Easter! Boy, do I need to set aside at least one day a week and stay caught up on here! I have a lot of things to catch up on, so I will start from my last post and try to give a quick update. First of all, the boys made sure to wear their green for St. Patrick's day. Yes, Matthew's shirt does have green on it. I was really surprised when they both didn't pitch a fit when I wanted to take their pictures! And they both look so cute! Abby assured me that she remembered to wear her green, too. She was even a little surprised at how many other college kids wore green that day. I wish I could have gotten a picture of her, too.

Week 5/52 week challenge

Okay, so I got a little out of order, but at least I'm getting them done! This is my layout for week 5 of my 52 week challenge. I knew this was the picture I was going to use, but had trouble coming up with a title for it. I settled on You are so silly, well, because Shane is a silly boy! On this night he came in while I was washing dishes, scooped up some bubbles and managed to get them on his face and not in his eyes. I still haven't figured that one out! He does love bubbles of any kind! I used Basic Grey's Sugar Rush line (I absolutely love this line!) and old, old, old, Making Memories button, some ric rac and the border punch and foam letters are from EK Success. I used a sketch from Page Maps which is the sketch Kelly at Scrapfit had posted for the sketch challenge for this week. I like how this one turned out and I really wish I had some more of those papers!