Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake and Cinnamon Swirl Coffee

Today was the last day of school!!!! Summer vacation is here!!!! Wooo Hooo!!!!

In honor/celebration of this special day I have taken off tommorrow (Friday)....now what???? I have to come up with something really cool/memorable to do with the 3 munchkin amigos on this special day of all days...(hopefully their last day of school in Minnesota)

Cody feels good about his finals PRAISE GOD!!!! HALLELUIAH!!! He has a 3.5 grade point average but Algebra is sinking him (literally) the boy gets 100s then Fs...up and down up and down...so getting through this year has been pretty tough...he's been in advanced math classes since 6th grade and has struggled through it but never like this....he is such a smart kid and has not brought home homework but a very few times the entire time he has been in school....and he is now an 11th grader! (as of today) Lucky boy! I always had a ton of homework to do...but I always had something better to do too....he tends to be a lot more serious than I am and takes the straightline approach to nearly everything. He will be taking his final driving course in a couple of weeks to get his drivers license YAY! He'll also be the primary babysitter for us this summer since Jaiden's caregiver is taking the summer off...not all bad because she lives right behind us in case of dire emergency...like a poopy diaper...we are going to start working on potty training though so hopefully there'll not bee too many diapers to contend with.

I've applied for lots and lots of federal jobs in San Antonio...nervously anticipating some callbacks and what will happen then...once the ball starts really rolling...and rolls us right along to our new home...housing situation is looking more icky every day...great anxiety about that...we knew we were taking a gamble to buy a house when we weren't planning on staying but that was last year when the market was nothing like it is today...Its getting scary out there.

Jare bear went on a fieldtrip to the indoor waterpark today with his class...we had gone there two weeks ago and the kiddos LOVED it...definitely gotta go again...maybe tommorrow? Jaiden loved "floating on the boat" that is what she calls the see saw in the kiddy pool area...not sure where she gets that from...maybe it looks something like a boat to her? I have some photos...actually lots of photos and I've been slacking so I have them still on my camera and not sharing them...so bad of me...I will work on that. Its been rainy today...this is why I am finally able to blog again. I've been out digging and planting and enjoying every blessed moment of warmth and sunshine I can squeeze out of a day...and the sun doesn't set until after 9pm so that makes for a wonderfully long afternoon to get outside and just enjoy the bounty of nature :) My plants are surviving and starting to grow now...with the rains we should see LOTS of growth in the next week. I've got a butterfly garden started and can't wait to see it come alive. Right away as I was planting I had my first visitor...a teeny tiny bumble bee! It made me think of the "BEE Movie" which we bought Jared for his birthday so I had to go watch it with him...VERY CUTE MOVIE...I enjoyed it and loved the graphics...although it was a bit "mature" in some parts I thought for children. But I've always been a Seinfeld fan and for him that is to be expected.

What's with the title of this post? I have given my blog some deep thought and since it is so titled the way it is...with the things I love...with things that nourish my soul and feed my spirit...I've decided to start titling my posts with the "flavor" of my mood. That goes along with what I am talking about and thus ties in with the title a bit better. Please share your thoughts and I hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by to visit!

Angel Food and a Heavenly Mocha Caramel Latte

Yesterday was a beautiful day...sunshine and mid range 60s with no wind :) The flowers actually did not perish as I had thought...I got out and sprayed them down with the waterhose early before the sun hit the ice on them so they may actually make it after all.

Thanks for visiting me during this time...its been a rough winter and I am still going through a lot of emotional issues right now trying to sort out what needs to be done and praying that I make the right choices for my family.

The last day of school is upon us (tommorrow) and summer will be here...ok so maybe not summer but summer vacation anyway. Where will we be at the end of summer???? Right now is the best time to move....I need some guidance here Lord....I'm praying that those doors will open if they are meant to open and that I'll have the courage to take the right one or the peace to stay right where we are.

so many decisions....

Hot Espresso and Ice Cold Dark Chocolate Layered Cake

28 degrees this morning....thus sayeth the radio forecaster on the alarm that woke me at 5 am...Winter has won yet another round....the plants I enjoyed planting this past weekend lie like corpes strewn upon the battlefied...tiny soldiers lost in the battle against winter

I'm normally very optimistic...but this sucks and I can't think of a single good thing about it

Peach Cobbler...iced mocha

Lovin the Highs, Survivin the Lows

Its been a fabulous 5 days the past week I've been a diggin fool planting my gardens....I didn't realize the sun was so intense yesterday until I came in and saw that my neck and arms were the color of a cherry....I was loving every minute of being outside - today is cold and yuck - tonight we are in the midst of a freeze warning....80's to 20's in mere hours....great...just great

Is it winter, spring, winter, summer, winter??? I'm forgetting what season it is exactly....


How are you doing?

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream cones...does that go with coffee?

Hi!
I owe my friend Dusty a great big THANK YOU! Sooooo without further adoooo....
THANK YOU DUSTY!!!!

Why??? Because she has inspired me to finally get out of my rut and work on Jaiden's page...I've been wanting to give it a special update for a really long time now and just could not visualize what I was feeling. It is now very much Jaiden...and a reflection of my love for this darling child that God has allowed to become my daughter. Please let me know what you think!

Thanks for visiting and may you have a wonderful day!
Many Blessings,
Kim

I LOVE the 80's :)

There are so many things to love about the 80's...but that is not what this post is all about. It actually reached 80 degrees yesterday! Woo Hoo!!!! I almost couldn't believe it - it FELT LIKE SUMMER :) It was GLORIOUS....gorgeous....splendid....awesome....inspirational (I actually left my office and picked up the office supplies that I have been procrastinating for months) also moved stuff from my desk to a corner cube because next week we are getting paint and new carpet at work....so it will be a demo zone for about a week or more...that will make life interesting I'm sure

We went to Menards again last night and purchased some more plant material - annuals, perrenials, tomato cages...bug spray...the WORKS...or at least as much as would fit into a small trunk of a small car. We will go back today after soccer to get mulch and stuff...

It's starting to look like SPRING!!! Ok, yeah in my mind it is way past time to be SUMMER but hey I take what I get...albeit not happily at times :) the trees are starting to bud out and some actually have leaves, the tulips have made quite a show...mine have no stem, just flower...its very interesting looking indeed! There is asparagus coming up in the garden - YUM! I usually break off the little fingers and munch on them as I am watering...I have lettuce sprouts coming up in the garden and the brocolli that I planted is still alive...its not really doing anything yet but its not dead so maybe it will come along. The strawberries are starting to get their first white blossoms...the hostas are peeping their fat fingers up through the earth...I am going to try to plant a butterfly garden this year...that is my project for the weekend...along with planting lots of pots of various stuff...some I have never seen before so it will be an experiment. I found this really cool plant "smelly coleus" it is supposed to keep dogs, rabbits and other varmits out of the garden...now I am wishing I had bought two because I can't decide if I want to put it in the garden to keep the bunnies at bay or by the mailbox to keep the varmit doggies from leaving their "treasures" in our yard...

And on more deeper rooted thoughts....I am back to the dream world of possibly facilitating a move to Texas this summer...but not Dallas...I REALLY have always wanted to return to San Antonio...I've applied for some jobs there....please pray that if this is God's will for our lives then He will open those doors for us...I am having a really tough time here and it has been rough on the entire family to deal with my constant mood swings...I know you are supposed to just make the best of what life gives you but sometimes you have to make the best of life...I really want to find that "happy place" here...I am trying...but I feel so alone here...I want to live my life, not just survive it...I am really torn as to what to do...part of me wants to try to make it work for another two years here and yet part of me says that two years from now is going to be too much...

Viruses, Vets and Vacations....

Hi Bloggy world!!! I've missed my blog friends this past week. How are you? Did you miss us? I am starting to get back into the realm of life again...its been a turmulous week indeed

Thurs night Jared had his third soccer game which he scored another goal!!! YAY! He is now 3 for 3!

I took off on Friday in order to get packed up and get things moving along...Jared'd 7th Birthday! I went to Hugo's (grocery store) after dropping the boys at school and picked up a fern (last year I started a tradition of buying a new plant for him on his birthday) and a birthday balloon...all through the store as I was gathering travel snacks Jaiden played with the balloon...punching it, letting it go to the end of its tether and drawing it back in again...up up up up, down, down, down down...she had about as much fun with it in the store as Jared has...and he has had a ball-ooney too. Isn't it amazing how something simple as air can entertain children for hours? One of their most favorite toys...bubbles...I purchased a 3 pack at the dollar store the other day (to take to the ballgame in case of boredom - they didn't make it out of my purse) they have had so much fun with just bubbles...

anyway, back to the trip....got home, got my plants watered, packed, ice cooler etc. Hubs comes home early (mid morning by now) so I put him in charge of dropping puppy at the kennel duty...a few minutes later he calls back...puppy is due a shot and cannot stay at kennel until shot is administered...oh great! Luckily our vet will take her at 1:30 that afternoon...our planned departure time of 2:00 is looking quite dismal by now...but what else can we do? I tried other vets in town but they could not take her until much later. So we get all packed up and at around 1 head to the vets office to wait for the vet to return....seems that the vet assistants cannot administer shots without the doctor being on the premises so even though there was no one there when we arrived we had to wait until 1:30 and the waiting room was full by then so Chloe sets in to barking (she is not a barker...whats up with that, NONE of the other dogs are barking by the way) so soon as the vet arrived the techs were able to administer the shot so we were out on the road at 2 just as we had hoped to be.

Got to Gramma K.s she had baked a cake for Jared and made him a special spagetti supper, which he was too excited to eat...finally got to the cake and presents and let the birthday boy play with his new toys - a transformer and the Bee Movie.

Saturday we got up and headed for the city, met up with Scott's brother and wife in the mall, had lunch, rode some rides with the kiddos then headed over to our hotel to prepare for game time. The boys went to the game while Jaiden and I went to a mall close by.

Sunday the kids took me out to breakfast at Perkins then we came back to the hotel and swam in the pool, warmed up in the sauna and then headed back to the mall of America and IKEA.

The game Sunday night was interesting, it was hard to pay attention because Jaiden was wired and couldn't seem to sit still in the itty bitty space of seating that your allotted...and in between getting up every time someone needed to pass by there was not a lot of attention paid to the game...but just being there was really cool. Cody was very disappointed that he wasn't able to get autographs on either night...and the Socks lost 3 of the 4 games.

Monday we headed home and somewhere in the night Scott caught a virus and woke up very ill. So I spent the night being a nurse...next night was my turn so by Wednesday I was exhausted...took off early from work because I was about to fall asleep at my desk. Thursday felt much much better....and now its finally FRIDAY! :) Yay!

Thanks from the HEART!

I have been so touched by your comments today! I really appreciate your input and compassion. I will dream tonight of soaking in a hot tub, by a crackling fire while enjoying a steamy mug of homeade cocoa...hey I feel better already! :)

when all that fails I'd love to teleport to see my FL Friends :) I will brave the mosquitoes, the alligators, the stuck to the car seat like velcro thighs, all the above just to sit on the beach and listen to the waves and the seagulls while I eat one of those yummy Italian frozen concoctions...aaaah summer!

Top 10 things to LOVE about winter...

Thanks for the inspiration! Thanks to my bloggie friends, my list is now growing!

In an effort to promote positive thinking and sway away from this negative vibe I've been giving off lately...I am going to try to come up with 10 things that are great advantages about being winter....I may need some help from ya'll with this...inputs are appreciated :)

1. No mosquitoes...at first I said no bugs...but I kinda like butterflies so had to reword a bit
2. Hoarfrost...is it really called this??? When the trees look like they have sprouted feathers?
3. oh oh here's a good one...CHOCOLATE doesn't melt :) I'd forgotten how fast it melts until I bought about 10lbs for my father (in November) and he asked me to take it to his house...it nearly melted into a puddle during the 10 min drive because I was not about to turn on the a/c when it was only 85 degrees out! :)
4. fireplaces...yes I've ALWAYS loved watching logs crackle and pop but do we have a fireplace? You would think that would be a prerequisit to building a home in the north...or anyplace further north than Missouri...but NOOOOO we don't have a fireplace
5. Homeade HOT COCOA when you come in from a good run on the snow covered hills...mmmm with lots of little marshmallows on top
6. Christmas is in winter...I wish it would last all year...the feeling of goodness and joy...sharing a smile with every stranger you meet

Ok to be totally Honest...I can't come up with much...am I becoming a negative person or am I already there??? I can think of a lot more negatives...

1. lower gas mileage...when its cold we get about 10 miles per gallon...CHA CHING!
2. corrosive damage to the underbelly of vehicles from the salt on the road
3. sick days go round and round
4. paleness
5. overweightness from lack of exercise
6. negative thinking is bad for your health...I am going to go get ready for work now

Sorry that I don't have anything fun to talk about this week....Hope you have a nice day! Thanks for visiting :)

Frustration....

As I sit here and blog in bare feet...I was just out walking the yard...examining my dilapidated new plantings which yesterday brought me such joy....Menards garden center must have seen me coming because they had all the carts of pretty flowers on display...so I just had to bring home a few...I planted marigolds around the strawberries...because I've heard that the smell will repel rabbits...and something has been chewing my tulips off to nubs....I planted impatiens in a shady corner...because it looked so dark and dreary...and they were just adorable...candy cane stripes of red and white, purple and white...sigh...they are gone...poof! I checked on them this morning before work...the temps were in the 20s...they looked pretty frosty...but still standing erect...I poured cool water over the brocoli that I planted in the garden...then I was going to water down the other plants but the water hose was frozen solid...so I left them...hoping the sun would not damage them...it turned out to be a gorgeous day...this afternoon feels almost summertimish...enough so that I could walk the lawn in bare feet anyway...the wind is still a bit chilly...but its too darn cold to plant flowers...that is my joy...my passion...planting flowers...outside...my house is already starting to look a bit like a jungle...there is not enough space to put anything else...I need to plant outside...but the weather has been nothing less than a tease and a torture...good day bad day good day bad day on and on and on and on and on and on....you get the drift....its getting old...its gotten old...its been past old and back again lots and lots of times...I know I should not complain about something so trivial as the weather...the weather is taking lives in much warmer places than this...I am very grateful that my family is healthy and very much alive...the kids still love to go outside and enjoy the sunshine...Jaiden loves the "jumpaline" Jared is loving soccer...he made another goal in game 2 on Saturday!!! YAY JARED! He almost made several but they bounced off the pole...he is doing really good and we are sooo proud of him. Its good to see him starting to settle in here and interacting with the other boys. We are hoping he will eventually make a friend and stop staying in his room so much....maybe get outside and be a boy. Its been too cold to ride 4wheelers much so we are looking for optional entertainment that allows outside time too...not coming up with much quite yet...Jared and Jaiden had such a good time out "helping" plant the new flowers yesterday...they took turns spraying the flowers with the water hose "gun" It was actually warm enough that they entertained the thought of wetting themselves...which plan I quickly thwarted much to their dismay...Jaiden has a tummy ache today...when I picked her up she just came to me and let me hold her (something very unusual) she is normally in my lap for maybe 10 seconds tops and then is wigglin and scootin out of my arms and onward to her next adventurer...today she has been wanting to cuddle...after dropping Cody at work we came in and I told hubs "I don't think Jaiden is feeling very well" We put her up on the counter while I got her a spoonful of pepto...it went down ok...she seemed to not mind...but it and whatever she had for lunch came right back a minute later...so she spent the next part of the afternoon soaking in the tub. She seems to be feeling much more like herself again so hopefully whatever it was has passed...she's still cuddly and I don't mind that a bit :) Its nice to feel needed every once in a while...sometimes it seems like she is growing up in fast forward...she is so independent and I hear a lot of "I do it" lots and lots of "NO!" and "MINE!" ...gotta love those twos :)

...Oh and another thing happened today at work while I was preparing my travel orders for a training workshop I am attending in June...(to Kansas City)the travel agent said "Grand Forks? You know I didn't even know where in the world Grand Forks was until ya'll got all that snow the other day" ...Great! We are now world reknown because of our snow in April...THAT makes me feel so much better

Hope this finds everyone well...thanks for listening to my rambles...I know this too shall pass...just having a "moment" and needed to vent...

Ya'll have a wonderful week!!!!

Jared's First Soccer Game

Some things will never change...tonight Jared had his first soccer game...the one scheduled for Saturday was snowed out...so we bundled up and head to the field...Jared has been dreaming of this moment his entire lifetime...well of course the coach sets him out for the most of the beginning of the game...guess someone has to sit out but it sure seems like he was taken out a lot more than the other kids...but that is not the rotten part...Jared finally got a chance to play...YAY!!!...he played hard and never left the ball...he was all over it...as close as he could get anyway...there were some really big kids on the other team...the kid he had to play defense on was a whole head taller than him...anyway Jared convinced the coach to let him kick...I GOT IT ALL ON VIDEO!!!! the kick only went about a breath away from him...but he kicked it again...and he chased it all the way...through the mob of crows (that is the red team) and when he got his chance...HE KICKED IT IN!!!! He SCORED the teams second goal!!!! I am sooooo PROUD of him! He rocked it and played his little heart out....I am sitting on the opposite side with Jaiden and Cody...Dad is sitting on the home team side so he is standing by the teamates that remark "I can't believe JARED made that!" ooooh man if I had been on that side of the field and heard them say that about my bear...I would have given them little men a good piece of my mind....Grrrr...It still makes me mad to think about it....and all the more reason to be proud that he played his very best and can say HE made a goal when they try to bully him into thinking that he isn't a good enough player....Grrrr! Why are kids so cruel???

I have posted the video to his blog...it didn't come out so great but he is the tiny white dot kinda sorta in the middle