The Fire Pit

Here's another reason I love spring so much......"The Fire Pit". From now until late fall we have our family fire about twice a week. Some of our best talks are around this fire pit. Some people are blessed to have indoor fireplaces, for us it's outdoors.
It's a wonderful stress reliever too. When the kids or I have had a bad day Craig will make us a fire...... it just calms us.

A Walk In The Woods

I was feeling a little artistic this afternoon and went down to the woods at the end of our road and take some pictures. These woods are one of my favorite places each spring. I don't know the story of these woods but best I can tell it must have been the property of a nursery at some time. These woods are full of daffodils!!!! And they are planted in neat rows. It's the most beautiful thing to see.
Car loads of people stop along the road to run into the woods and pick them each year, including myself. This morning Jordan, Aly and I picked enough to make 10 bouquets to decorate the fellowship hall and the altar at church tomorrow.

BRAVO!!!!!

Caleb, Trent & Fernando

Last night was opening night. We couldn't have been more proud of the whole cast. I would have to say that this is my favorite role that Caleb has ever played. I have never seen the audience respond so favorably the way they did last night. It's so hard for me to resist the urge to stand up and yell "That's my son!!!"

Caleb & Gram

Caleb & KatieJordan & Lindsey from Emerald City scene

The Scarecrow receiving his brain

Life Was Dull

Once in a while Craig and I will have the conversation that many of us have from time to time...."What unnecessary luxuries can we cut back on?". And it always turns out the same way. None of us are willing to give up our unnecessary toys.

Lets take cell phones. None of us had cell phones growing up or even for most of our adult life. I would say cell phones have only been prevalent in the last 10 years. I'm not one to have long conversations on my cell phone; in fact we never even use up all our allotted minutes in a month. But on the other hand I will be half way to work and remember that I left my cell phone at home and go into a little panic that I don't have that security blanket. Ok, I can't live without my cell phone.

Then there is satellite television with all of those 200 channels. Growing up we had 4 channels; the 3 main networks and if you were lucky one other channel. When we have the conversation to cut back on the number of channels we have there is simply just no agreeing as to how we can cut back. We all have different likes and dislikes and each package offers more so we simply have to have the biggest package of channels. How else can it be?

And of course there is the computer. We have to have DSL; I couldn't possibly go back to dial up and the dinosaur age.

Life must have been dull for me growing up.

One summer my parents decided that 4 channels was too much tv for my brother and I so they decided to cut the end of the plugs off the tv's and that became the summer of no tv for us. We survived. Instead we swam in the pond, caught frogs and turtles, harassed the farm animals, played with Saskia's puppies, learned to drive in the orchards, rode our bikes for miles, hung out with Mike and Danny.........

Truth is I wouldn't trade all those memories for the best cell phones, satellite tv, or computers in the world.

Sneak Peek

At last nights play practice a few of the main characters were in costume. I snapped a few pictures. I love Caleb's costume. It will look even better when they are in make-up. Trent's costume is rented (the lion). It also is awesome. I went to the practice last night. Seems like they have a long way to go in a short time but every year they pull it off. I was also impressed with the set. The kids have done it all. Only 3 more days to "Showtime".

You are invited....

It's finally here. After months of rehearsals and much anticipation this weekend is showtime. Hartford high school presents their annual musical "The Wizard of Oz". Staring Caleb Mullauer as the Scarecrow and Jordan Mullauer as a poppy. If you are interested in coming here are the show times.

Friday March 23rd at 7:00 PM
Saturday March 24th at 7:00 PM
Sunday March 25th at 3:00 PM

Admission is $5

A Few Hours at the Lake

We are really trying to rush this spring thing along. We went to the cottage yesterday for a few hours.


There is still ice on the lake. Soon.......

Seadra & Zoe were so excited to go for a "ride", especially to the cottage.

Sunday drive on a Tuesday

I had to work at the Niles hospital today so I had about a 45 minutes drive to and from work. Here's what I felt like driving home with the windows down and the 70 degree sunshine. Heavenly!!

Sunday's 10 Signs of Spring

1. My daffodil's are about an inch tall.

2. Craig worked in the garage all day, with the doors open.

3. Jordan and Shane picked up yard sticks and then burned them in the fire pit (our first fire of the year).

4. I did the "dog poo patrol" in the back yard (broke my pooper scooper in the process).

5. Seadra and Zoe spent several hours outdoors instead of 5 minutes.

6. Caleb took the Jeep for a ride (not quite warm enough to take the top off yet).

7. I walked around the yard dreaming about my gardens.

8. Jordan did spring cleaning and organizing of her room which resulted in a car load of stuff being taken to Goodwill.

9. I took my car to the car wash anticipating that it might stay clean for more than a day.

10. We made our first trip of the year to the "Tasty Freeze" for ice cream.

Dad and The Bub

This is one of my most favorite things in the world..... watching Craig and Caleb do what they do in the garage. They truly are best friends. Now that snowmobiling season is over they are working on the dune buggy. I can't wait until we can take it to Silver Lake. What fun we are going to have this summer!!!!!!

President Gerald Ford

Hey, I was messing around on the net looking at some Boston Terrier sites and I found these pictures of President Gerald Ford as a child with his Bostons (1916). How cool is that? President Ford loved Bostons!! I wonder what their names were? They look like awesome dogs. Maybe Seadra is a descendant of President Ford's Boston's. I do see a resemblance. I think she is the great, great, great, great, great, granddaughter of the one above.

Is it morning yet?

It's 3 AM and for no particular reason I couldn't sleep. For the last 2 hours I've been tossing and turning. I decided to give up fighting it and I came downstairs. I let Seadra out of her crate on my way down. She is now beside me, content with her nookie in her mouth. Nothing is on TV. I found some lame show on animal planet about new breeds of dogs. I'm paying no attention to it. I've checked my email, now what? I think I'll read for awhile. That usually puts me to sleep.

Signs of Spring

Track and baseball have started for Caleb and Jordan. And the weather report is saying 65 degrees next week. Yahoo!!!

Seadra & The Nookie

Nookies are a big thing in our house. They usually are on my grocery list. Seadra goes through one every few weeks and they seem to be everywhere in our house. Poor thing, after all these years I haven't quite figured out her attraction to them. Best I can tell they are like her security blanket. I have seen her go into a panic if she cannot find one, jumping on and off the bed and running up and down the stairs over and over until she can find one. She will spend hours and hours everyday sucking on her nookies. She paws on them as if she is a nursing puppy. We noticed this right away when we first brought her home when she was 6 weeks old. I thought it was a puppy thing that she would outgrow, but she is going on 8 and she is not about to give up the habit.


We have learned to love her even with her nookie obsession; bug eyes and all.

If I can stop one heart from breaking...

I can't believe I found this picture on the net. This is an exact picture and poem by Emily Dickinson that my Mother took out of a magazine and framed for me when I was a small child. She put it on the wall beside my bed. Every night I read this poem and pondered it's meaning. At the time I don't think my Mother had a clue the impact this poem would make on my life. Although it is not the exact one that I had as a child I still have this poem framed beside my bed. I wish I still had the original one.

Satisfy us in the morning...

It's early Sunday morning. Communion bread is in the oven. I am the only one that is up (except for Seadra & Zoe).

I love this time of day.

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all of our days." psalm 90:14 (NIV)

"Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we'll skip and dance all day long." psalm 90:14 (The Message)

Jordan's Poem

Jordan wrote this poem for a class assignment. I was quite impressed so I wanted to post it.

I am complex and confusing like a Rubik's cube. So difficult to understand, only a few people can figure me out.

I am judged like the cover of a book. People see me as a "teacher's pet" or "goody two shoes" without even caring to take the time to know me.

I am insecure like a servant to his master. Always unsure of myself. "Am I good enough?"

I am optimistic and hopeful like a farmer planting his crop, hoping that what I've done today will benefit my future.

I am forgiving like a mom. I don't like having enemies and I can't hold a grudge.

Wild Hogs

Caleb and I went to see this movie tonight. I recommend it. You will laugh from the beginning to the end.........

March....In Like a Lion

I woke up at 4:00 this morning. In my still half conscious state I heard water running. I looked at the clock and said to myself "Who is in the shower at 4:00 in the morning?". Upon waking up a little more I realized that it was pouring rain outside. I got up and looked out the window but the window was all iced up. Then I noticed the constant lightening in the sky. Normally I would have loved it. One of my favorite things to do is lay in bed and watch and listen to a rain storm. But I couldn't get out of my head that soon I would be out driving to work and I was afraid it would be an awful drive with the ice and all. Luckily the roads were not bad once I was on my way to work. But I did drive through some heavy rain and even hail. Strange for March 1st.

I worked until 12:30 and then I did something some people would never do. I went to see a movie all by myself. There once was a time I would have never dreamed of seeing a movie by myself either. I used to even feel embarrassed for others when I saw someone at a movie alone. This is only the 3rd time I have done this. Sometimes there is a movie that I know Craig and the kids would not enjoy seeing so I go alone. This time it was "Amazing Grace". Pastor Ron showed a clip of this movie during church a few weeks ago. It was not what I was expecting. I was mistaken. I thought it was about John Newton, the slave ship captain in the 1700's that wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace". Although, he was a character in the movie it was about William Wilberforce and his life commitment to end the slave trade in England. I guess it was a good movie but it was very hard for me to follow. They talked like the King James Version of the bible and I had to struggle to understand. It did have a wonderful and inspirational ending. I'm glad I didn't drag the kids and Craig to see it. It was not their type of movie.

Craig left this morning with 3 others guys in the snowmobile club. They are going to a groomer workshop in the U.P. and while they are there they are taking advantage of being in snowmobile heaven and doing a few days of snowmobiling too. They will be home Sunday night. The kids and I will do what we always do when Craig is gone.....eat out.