it all happens so fast

Flying High!

2012-02-07T15:33:00.000-06:00

Never mind the holes in the socks.

Should I be concerned that it's a different day (diff shirt) but the SAME SOCKS?

Never been to the ER with this kiddo...can you believe it?

No wonder she needs an adjustment every week!

It's all fun and games until someone falls off the bed...or flies out the window.

Oh my, I really didn't know this was going on until I found my daughter's camera.

What a great chuckle I got today!

Dear Lord,

Please protect my children when I am not around them.

Thank you Jesus!

HaPPy BiRthDaY to You!

2012-02-04T15:38:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the teen years my beautiful daughter.

Birthdays have several fun aspects to them in our family. One of them is dinner out and the birthday girl (or boy) gets to pick the place. I was sure we were going to HuHot this year for Emma, at the last minute she switched to Red Robin, still a good choice. A highlight for Emma was ordering off the adult menu AND ordering a drink. Here she is with her "Freckled Lemonade".

the fam with the teenager

Our server was a great guy. Before embarrassing Emma with the Red Robin birthday song he asked her if she wanted the attention. HELLO!!! Middles school who loves attention was happy to put the balloons behind her ears just to get a free dessert.

We have been in our current house for 3 1/2 years and the girls are all starting to ask for bedroom makeovers. We don't need to repaint but we are changing Emma's new room into a Paris themed room.

Aw, money!!

Olivia knows the importance of giving. She found a book in the house and wrapped it up for her sister's birthday. Judy Moody is something Emma read about 4 years ago but she still thanked Liv and gave her a big hug. It made Liv's day. What a great big sister!

CUPCAKES TO FOLLOW THIS EVENING:
Gourmet GF cupcakes that are to die for...can't wait!

What Are You Reading?

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

Do you have a list? I do and it seems to be growing. What a funny idea for me to have a "Books I Want to Read List". Can I just say, that is totally out of character for me! Less than 10 years ago I could count on one hand the number of books I had read for enjoyment. Today, I am willing if only I could have a 25 hour day.

I really enjoy Francine Rivers as an author. She has a new book, maybe even 2 out, I'm on the waiting list at the library. My other favorite Christian author is Karen Kingsbury. The Redemption series is wonderful which leads into the First Born and Baxter series. The Shack has been on my list for about 2 years and as soon as I can get it from my mother-in-law I'll be diving into that story. My friend Vicki has my interests up about a book titled, "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore". Too bad they couldn't come up with a longer title. On top of those I have 3 Debbie Macomber books on my night stand.

Geesh, my high school English/reading teachers would be shocked to know that I read books. I'm pretty sure they knew I read the Cliff Notes and tried to get detailed info from all my friends before every quiz. You see, I just didn't have time to read in high school. My life was packed full. If it weren't for some fun/laid back classes, school itself would have messed with my social life. Phone calls, sports and boys really did occupy way too much time after school to focus on something as boring as sticking my nose in required reading. :)

Now that I have a nook color I have my nook books and my "physical, hold the paper & turn the page" books. I like the Nook but I seem to read faster and get less distracted when I read books printed on paper. I don't know why that is. One a positive note, it is hard to find time to read and when I do, often it is late at night. Often a few pages in I fall asleep. The Nook saves my spot every time. Love it!

I have 3 books to plug today. The first isn't surprising...THE NEW PHENOMENON by Chris Raabe. In the near future author Chris Raabe will be speaking at Peru State College. I don't see this as a venue that will sell lots of books but it's great exposure and I'm praying that the novel is incorporated into their reading choices for YA lit classes. Another note worthy comment is we have our own domain.
http://chrisraabe.net will take you directly to Chris' blog. This is just a starting place eventually we will do more with it. One more comment, it you have not gone to the facebook page for The NEW PHENOMENON and liked it, please do so now. CLICK HERE We will be doing a book give away in the next month. You must like the book and make a comment on the post to be entered in the raffle.

The second book that I plan to read soon is THREE BURNING BODIES by Brian Bogdanoff. He is a retired local police officer who wrote a non-fiction book about a case he helped solve. We met with Brian today for tips. His book is doing very well and has even been a number one seller on Amazon. His book is available in e-version as well as printed form.

Last but certainly not least I've gotta send out a shout for my Daily Bible in Chronological Order. We are reading it together as a family. There are many stories already (we're only in Exodus) that I have read or heard many times over the years but suddenly they make more sense when you know what happened 400 years before and after. The girls are asking great questions too. When I don't know the answer we look it up or I say, ask your Sunday school teacher. LOL!

This week I'm sending up some special healing prayers for Evan and his mom at Mayo Clinic, Dylan at UNMC, Klint at Lakeside Hospital and Dad.

Celebrating for Months

2012-01-23T23:30:00.003-06:00

Life gets crazy.

Sometimes it is necessary to plan to procrastinate.

Our sweet little pink princess was born in December.

For a mom with unrealistic, over board party plans

this is a problem. December is a busy month!

As you can see the Christmas tree in the background, we really did do a little family celebration in December. Emma spent her own money to buy Liv a pink frilly skirt from the dance store and Reagan made a cute pink visor but we hit the bulls eye with our gift...a PINK Nintendo DS!

I'm not sure about the outfit she's wearing...

I do spend quite a lot of time at the elementary school so it

is only natural for me to hang out with the birthday girl for a little while

on her big day. We went out for recess...burrr! We had lunch...Panda Express.

And most importantly, we had treats. She asked for cupcakes from the store.

(secretly I was sad, I like to MAKE treats but she wanted to be like everyone else)

6 weeks later......

Here we are at Bounce U
It's one of those fun places with inflatables for the kids to bounce in, on & through.

The plan was to invite 6 friends since she was turning 6.
Bounce U's smallest package was for 15 kiddos so we invited 12 (plus my 3 girls).
We had 9 friends show up, it was a perfect number. Now to get going on the thank yous.

Max is one of Liv's buddies. The poor guy was there without any other male backup.
Two boys didn't RSVP or make it and the other little boy got sick right as they were heading
to the party. He was so mad at his mom for keeping him home.

Chris and Melanie on the balance beam.
We were trying to switch places without falling off.
We fell every time. My friend Stacey enjoyed getting
some rather unattractive pictures of us...those won't be posted here.

This was Olivia's first party outside of our home. No, I didn't do this for the other two at this age but I've gotta say it was worth the money we spent to avoid the mess at our house. Next year we'll probably go back to something like pizza and cupcakes at our house and then I'll wish I spent the money on bowling.

I love birthdays (even my own).
I love celebrating the life God has give us.
It nearly killed me to take an entire year off of birthday parties last year (sept-feb)
So now I am back to making cakes and going over board and I LOVE IT!

Toro Magic

2012-01-19T13:37:00.000-06:00

What a crew!

Soccer crazies...they were every where. I am afraid the Raabes could be included in that group. Our 10 year old soccer team traveled down to Kansas City for the Winter Magic soccer tournament. Toro Fusion was formed just 3 weeks ago. I am very pleased to say that these little girls worked hard to become the tournament champions beating out teams who had played together for 5-6 years. Way to go!!

Reagan has decided to hang up her softball glove to go full speed with soccer. This was our first out of town soccer event. We did it big...Friday through Monday! The girls and the parents had a great time getting to know each other both at the games and in our down time. I am excited to continue the season and watch the girls grow into stronger, quicker athletes.

Staying in a hotel with a pool is a pretty exciting thing for a bunch of girls.

It was a little disappointing for them to find out that Coach Chad was concerned

their little bodies would be worn out before the weekend was over. His famous

saying for the weekend was, "you have 30 minutes to swim." I couldn't help

myself...doesn't it look like the girls are getting the "bad" news.

This was actually a pre-game pep talk.

The march into the walls, game #1.

There's my girl, full speed ahead zipping past all the defenders.

We started out the tournament with a loss to Agape Xtreme. The Fusion girls lead the whole game

(in spite of all the bad calls) and with 40 secs left in the game we were still up 5-4. Those big girls from

Pleasant View scored twice and sent us back to the hotel knowing we had our work cut out for us

in the remaining 2 games. Our goal was to make it into the winner's circle on Monday morning.

Nothing says bonding like making duct tape flowers.

#8 might be small but she is mighty.

Reagan knows how to bring her power to a penalty kick.

The Raabes had the best following thanks to our KC family.

Aunt Angie, Uncle John, Uncle Rodger and Aunt Laura we appreciate

you driving all over KC to support our Toro girls. Love you guys!

The Tebow

It's a craze right now but seeing my daughter do this gave me an opportunity to talk to her about the platform that she has right now. If you have followed Tim Tebow at all, which I had not until recently, you have heard of his faith in Jesus Christ. He recognizes that he is no better than the next person just because he can throw a football with a certain level of accuracy which enables him to make millions of dollars a year. Instead he uses his celeb placement as an opportunity to speak to the lost and for those who are without food and shelter. We all have an opportunity to do something for the greater good.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

2012-01-12T16:45:00.003-06:00

Chris was just starting to think the male:female ratio was getting a little better and then we added another female to our home. I'd like to introduce Bella our baby kitty.

Vincent and Bella

Oh she might look sweet but she's a little feisty thing! She has

become well acquainted with the water spray bottle.

She likes to bite and scratch and even though Vincent doesn't

have front claws he can hold his own. I've seen him smack her across

the face when he's taken all he wants. Makes me laugh.

The first few days were touch and go but now the two run around playing

all day long. Vincent might slim down a little with his new exercise program.

Red Oak, The Home of The New Phenomenon

2012-01-09T00:31:00.002-06:00

On January 3, 2012 the newly published young adult fiction author (and his smokin' hot wife) traveled to Red Oak, Iowa to share his novel with the home of the fighting tigers. Red Oak holds a special place in Chris' heart, after all it is the setting of the first book in the Phenomenon Trilogy. We were thrilled with the excitement that was generated by the five book talks in the schools. At the end of the school day we zipped to the public library to find a crowd already waiting to purchase THE NEW PHENOMENON by Chris Raabe.

In case you are not from a small town, let me explain something to you. The people of towns such as Red Oak, Ia support the school, the city and the interests of the community. If only we had known there were so many distractions already on the calendar that day we might have changed our date.

1. High school boys basketball game at home

2. High school girls basketball game away

3. High school wrestling

4. City Council Meeting

5. THE IOWA CAUCUS...how did we miss this one????

We still had great sales and met so many wonderful people. (funny side note: chris' old girlfriend stopped by but sent her son in to buy a book, she wouldn't come it.) We want to send out a shout to the Red Oak community and say THANK YOU! So many of you asked about book #2. It is still being edited and revised but we will let you know when it is available, we hear there's a possible October 2012 release.

We gave away a bunch of these shirts

If you didn't get one we left some at the library.

Chris speaking to the middle school students

He saw about 280 kids at the first stop of the day.

Chris gave some tips about the writing process.

1. have a plan

2. write on

3. revise revise revise revise

4. edit

5th Graders took in every word the author had to share with them and then eagerly peppered him with questions about the cover, the characters, making money and book #2.

Our last group of students for the day was a bit of a surprise. Chris thought he was going to be speaking to two small groups of 9th and 10th grade students which turned into several hundred 9-11th grade high school students.

It was fun to watch Chris give the same presentation to each group but change it just enough to capture the interest of the student. Some may say he pushed the envelope just a little at Red Oak High School but the kids loved it.

What use to be Red Oak Jr High is now Red Oak Middle School.

In general it is the same building with some minor changes. Thank goodness they got rid of the pink walls.

You may recognize the name of these streets from the book.

Here it is...the house where Christian grew up.

He really had his bedroom in the basement and really hit his head going down the stairs on numerous occasions.

Notice the wrap around drive way and there's even a boat parked back there.

This picture is one of my favorites from the day.

Red Oak is the home of the fighting tigers and you bet, the water tower is bright orange...there it is in the background. This picture should have been on the back of the book. :)

I also want to say "HEY" to our friends the Brownlees. It was fun to see your parents...hope you enjoy the book. We miss you!

Good are always the way of the Lord.

It's embarrassing that I have to admit again my lack of trust...ok probably faith. I told God what we needed and then I doubted we could do it. He exceeded it because it was Him and not me doing the work. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? He always has our best at heart. Thank you for loving me and coming to my rescue time and time again!

Great are you Lord!!!

Christmas Post

2011-12-31T23:46:00.003-06:00

This year was a little different since Christmas landed on a Sunday.

I have this hard and fast rule that my kids wake up in their own home on Christmas morning. There's just something about ~~walking~~ running downstairs early in the morning to see what is under the tree. Here's a little hint: I would probably change that once in a while if we were on a cruise or something wonderful like that. The big deal about a sunday morning christmas is my volunteer job at church. Since I had to be at church early, we opened all out gifts on Christmas Eve instead of just our jammies.

Just Dance 3

Can you tell the middle schooler is more than a little excited about a new game for the Wii?

Gloves for hunting...it's the little things that make us happy.

The girls were very pleased with their christmas gifts

Family photo

can you tell I raced to get in the picture?

Right after church we loaded the (new) van for Smith Center.

We spent 2 days with mom and dad. Now that they own the house next door as well, our family has a lot more room to spread out. If I could just get my mom to use paper plates instead of the good dishes and silver the trip would be nearly perfect.

Aw, a snapshot with my Daddy!

The middle schooler with Oma

Before diving into the puzzle (that turned out to be very difficult) Emma worked her

creative magic on everyone's fingernails.

Just imagine Chris there in the back row.

After the many many trips to Smith Center over the years, 7th grader finally

got her picture taken by the marker. The claim to fame in my small town growing up

was our amazing football team and living in the center of the 48 states.

More Christmas pictures to follow as I get them from my mother-in-law.

Exceptional Showings by Father and Daughter

2011-12-25T00:49:00.004-06:00

Here she is...my sweet little Kindergartner, ready to perform in front of a

sold out gym. Every mom, dad and grandparent armed with a camera, video recorder and tripod.

I grew up in a school with a place large enough for parents to watch their little darlings perform. Anymore, school districts can not afford such luxuries so we cram into cafegymatoriums in hopes we snag good seats before all the other crazy parents arrive. Turns out we were in the second row but still had a hard time seeing little Liv because of her placement on the risers. As you can see, that didn't stop this mama with a super duper zoom-in lense. I will prevail!!!

Monday both Olivia and Reagan performed with their classes but we attended on the Tuesday show. Too bad I didn't sneak in while Reagan was singing on Monday because she went home sick and didn't make it back to school. So it's not that I like to just take pictures of Liv, I didn't have a chance to see Reagan sing with her classmates. Never fear, she did recover just in time to make gingerbread houses on Wednesday.

Again, because my sis-in-law lives near by we were able to do lunch on Tuesday before the concert. Holly, we are so happy to have you and Stephen in the metro.

*********************************************************

A snapshot of Chris and the publisher, Cindy at Brewsky's Bar and Grille for the second book signing of

THE NEW PHENOM3NON.

Again, a fun night visiting and getting books into the hands of young readers. I want to give a shout out to a few friends who have been so great to support us everywhere we go.

Good to see the Vints, Christensens and Gerdes Families!

We also ran into some old college friends, thanks Pattersons!

Time and time again, I step back and look at the blessings in my life. If I didn't ever have trials, I don't think I would recognize the beauty. I don't want to ask God to take away the trouble just help me through it. The sun shines so much brighter after a week of cloudy days. My body feels so healthy and alive after battling off the flu. And I feel the Father's loving arms around me after I have tried to make it on my own.

Thank you God for loving mankind so much that you sent your son to Earth for our benefit, not yours.

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son,

that we would not perish but have life everlasting.

John 3:16

NOTE:
Purchase books at Chris' website http://chrisraabe.wordpress.com/about/ click the "buy" button at the top.
Please submit book reviews to http://www.amazon.com/ and http://www.goodreads.com/ We love 5 stars (wink wink) but do leave your honest opinion.

Love me some RAK

2011-12-17T00:17:00.000-06:00

In case you are not familiar with the term RAK, it stands for Random Acts of Kindness. It is by far one of those things that gives me a buzz. I can't say too much but it has been a joy to spread some RAK around.

Just try it out for yourself. Start on an easy one, when you are in the drive through pay for the person behind you. They won't ever know who you are but it will bless their socks off, even if it's only a $3 cup of joe. Other ideas: shovel a neighbors driveway, send a gift card in the mail, make dinner for someone just because, send a kind note, the possibilities really are endless. Lately I have been hearing on the KLOVE radio station report of individuals going into KMart and paying off strangers' lay-away. How cool is that? Trust me, you can not out give God. He is so much bigger than your little checkbook. He will bless you back.

You can do this without spending a penny. Look each person you meet on the street, in the eye and warmly greet them. It is a gesture that has been forgotten.

Blessings to you as you go out of your way today and tomorrow to make someone else feel loved.

A Not So Christmas Concert

2011-12-15T09:55:00.001-06:00

It's not a Christmas concert any more, in fact, it's not even a Holiday Concert, it's just a

winter concert.

In years past there were Christian songs like "Away in a Manger" those were dropped for "Frosty the Snowman". Now it's just a bunch of songs that have nothing to do with any season at all.

Last night was Emma's middle school Winter Choir Concert and 30 minutes after that the stage was reset for her Winter Orchestra Concert. Both were wonderful but 3 hours on hard folding chairs is a little tough on my backside. Just as I was about to make a comment to my hubby about no Christmas music all 3 grades came out to sing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" Hallelujah!!

Emma made the swing choir this year.

I would love to tell you about the dress debacle but I don't want to get negative.

Emma and choir friends

Yes those are leggings under her dress.

Have you ever tried playing a cello in a short dress...it wouldn't be a pretty site!

Em and her cello buddy Andi.

Silly girls!

Emma was so excited to have Aunt Holly at the concert

We'll see a lot more of Holly now that she and Stephen have moved to the metro area

Aunt Holly teaching Emma how to OPEN her mouth when singing.

There they are.

Emma and Dax are first and second chair.

I have very few pictures of Emma playing that don't include our buddy Dax.

May the music and festivities of this Christmas season bring you closer to the love of our Savior.

White Chili

2011-12-08T19:17:00.001-06:00

I have to tell you about our amazing dinner tonight. A few months ago the girls' school had a chili tasting event. That night I tasted some fantastic White Chili and have been wanting to get the recipe since then but have not done it. Finally tonight I went to AllRecipes.com and found this one. As with all things I tweeked it just a little but this has become a family favorite after just one meal. Click HERE for an easy, yummy dinner.

Here are a few of my alterations:
1. I used part of a whole cooked chicken, not just the breasts
2. I did not use the cayenne pepper because our family is whimpy
3. I used 3 cans of beans because that is all I had and did not have time to soak dried beans.
4. I added about half a brick of cream cheese before adding the beans
5. I had some parmesean and mozz cheese instead of Monterey Jack.
6. I also smashed some of the beans so the soup would be thicker.

Next time I will try it without the cream cheese. No need to add the dairy or calories.

Happy Eating~

Books to Sign

2011-12-08T13:32:00.001-06:00

Last night we got a shipment of books so today the author is hard at work signing. I'm trying to crack the whip but the poor guy has been sick for 2 days. Luckily it is possible to sign books in sweats, on the couch while the television is on.

Truly, this is another very exciting time. I remember when...
*the book was finished, July 2nd, 2009.
*we found out that Write Life was going to publish Chris' novel,October 2009.
*Chris had a couple students read the book and they loved it.
*we didn't think the book would ever be released.
*we saw the proof copy...a REAL book in our hands.
*we witnessed the masses file in at the book launch party. We couldn't believe so many people were there to support this effort. And then we sold out in 50 minutes.
And now this, six boxes of books arrive and we have the privilege of sorting, signing and mailing off books.

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged, supported and prayed for us.

It's Beginning To Look Like...

2011-12-03T14:08:00.001-06:00

CHRISTMAS

I love this time of year...the decorations are just one of my favorite things.

Below you will find many photos of our preparation for the season of Christ's birth.

We had some problems with the star!

Guess it's time to buy a new one.

BREAKING OUT THE ORNAMENTS

MY SWEET GIRL

(I have 3 of them)

ANNUAL PEPPERNUT MAKING

This year I had the girls get out all the ingredients, measure everything and start mixing all on their own. This recipe calls for 14 cups of flour so towards the end requires mom's help but until then, they did a great job. This is a bitter sweet event for Emma. Eating this time of year is a constant reminder for her that she can't eat many of her favorites. Never fear Emma...I'm working on some very special recipes just for you. Hang in there!

SKINNY TREE

This is my tree and now that I look at the picture, it really isn't all that flattering. To see it in person, it is beautiful. Growing up we always had a "beautiful" tree and as a child, I did not appreciate the beauty. All I wanted was a fun tree like the Grothous (neighbors) tree. Remembering that, I have my pretty tree in the front room and the fun tree in the family room. I love them both.

FAMILY TREE

The girls have so many ornaments, they love digging through the box each year to rediscover interests from past seasons. Next year I plan to add a vintage tree. I need to remove some of my snowmen and stars to make more room.

VIEW FROM MY FRONT DOOR TODAY

This wreath was made for me by my dad several years ago.

TWO CHRISTMAS FAVORITES

I should have a picture of peppermint ice cream too but haven't bought any yet.

CHRISTMAS GOOSE???

Chris went hunting this morning. Now my freezer has a bunch of goose in it. His plan to make goose jerky. I'll taste it but sounds like a man food more than a Melanie food.

FYI: he didn't shoot all of these, that would be over his limit but he did clean them all.

JUST IN CASE...

I don't get christmas card mailed out, or even made.

Giving Life

2011-11-29T23:33:00.001-06:00

This is one of my favorite things to do...Donate Blood!

It's either something you CAN do or CAN NOT do.

My friend Liz would like to but can not because of the places she lived in her youth.

My friend Amy can't even look at this picture without getting woozy, so actually donating might send her over the edge.

The first time I gave was in college and it gave me a great feeling of helping out those in need. With every whole red blood donation you save 3 lives. That's amazing. I make my appointment for 1pm on Monday, every 8 weeks. That means I could be saving 18 lives a year. Woo Hoo!! This post isn't to pat me on the back, it's to show how easy it is to do something HUGE for a total stranger. Talk about RAK (random acts of kindness) In less than an hour (40 minutes usually) I am in and out of there...the paperwork takes the longest. Actual giving time this week was 5 minutes and 14 seconds.

If you are able I challenge you to add this to your routine. I don't wait around for the Red Cross to call, I just sign up and then plan around my appointment. In Nebraska I call...

#800-448-3543.

To learn more about blood donation opportunities, visit www.redcrossblood.org/ or call

1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733 2767).

BTW, yep that's my nook in the bottom of the picture...love that thing.

I'm a Slacker!

2011-11-29T15:31:00.001-06:00

I know, I haven't done my best in the world of blogging lately but I just don't have time. It will get better...one day. :) I have been doing book orders, digging out the Christmas decorations, loving on my kiddos, getting rid of more Aunt Delma stuff and realizing my baby has a birthday coming up and I haven't planned a party. YIKES!!

Today I'm sharing a quick book update. All is going well. Praise God! Funny how we can plan, scheme and think we have it all under control and then God steps in to take care of everything that we couldn't.

THE NEW PHENOMENON got another GREAT review today.

http://thebookscapereport.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-new-phenomenon.html

I'm telling you (all of you) this is a must read. If you haven't bought the book yet, go to our publisher's website and purchase it at a reduced price while it lasts.

http://www.writelife.com/NewPhenomenon/purchase.asp

Our calendar is starting to get filled up with speaking engagements and book signings.
*December 20th we have a signing in Omaha.
*January 3rd we hope to be in Red Oak IA, where the book takes place.
*January 4th we'll be back in Omaha at a school.
*January 7th a signing at The Book Worm in Omaha.
Exciting stuff going on.

The bible tells us that He (God) can do immeasurably more than we could ever hope or dream of. So true! Don't forget to give God praise for the amazing blessings you see every day.

The New Phenomenon Has Been Launched!

2011-11-22T22:34:00.001-06:00

THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!

It's our new record (ok we have nothing to compare it to) we sold out of books in 50 minutes. I do recall a convo about the number of books we would need for the book signing. The publisher ordered 100 books. We said we'd need more.

The final count was 127. We probably would have sold more if we would have had them there. Still an amazing night.

God is Good!

Kelly was our first purchaser tonight.

Kelly and I go way back to when we played volleyball

together in college.

Look at this cake!

Hy-Vee Bakery at 144th and Stony Brook in Omaha.

Tonya rocks!!!

We had so many friends come through tonight, it really isn't fair to put just one picture on here but it's the only one I got on Emma's little camera. I will load more pictures in a few days.

The Foleys are dear friends from Grand Island.

Some of our other travelers were...

Kelly from Lincoln

April from Table Rock

Tami from Grand Island

Julie from Des Moines, IA

Mom and Dad from Smith Center, KS

I guess the people who drove over from Bellevue probably feel like they need a shout out too. (Bellevue is part of the Omaha metro but a bit of a drive.)

Thank you Abby Snyder for taking pictures tonight,

can't wait to see them.

Thank you Susan for your cake cutting expertise.

Chris you rocked the book signing. Love you babe!

The First Review

2011-11-22T14:01:00.001-06:00

Here we are! Today is the day! Chris' book has been available since early November but today is our launch party for the book. I am so excited!!!

All the feedback we have heard on THE NEW PHENOM3NON has been positive. We've had friends, colleagues, family, students, editors, etc. read the book and everyone liked it but they all had some kind of connection with us. Today a review came out from a 20 year old gal who does not know us, we don't know her...there is no connection. She liked the book! That stamp of approval confirms what we already thought but couldn't be sure if we were just biased. I have included her review below.

Nancy's Review from TumblingBooks.blogspot.com
This book was surprisingly good! I completely thought that it was about aliens, which I am not too fond of (they scare me a little), but it wasn't. The concept of "phenomenon children" was very cool, they had special talents that no one else could do and the government was after them to kidnap them and use them for experiments. At the beginning of the book I wasn't sure what was going on and so I was a little confused. It didn't take long for me to fully understand, as everything was explained very well as the story progressed. The book reminded me a little of Twilight (in a good way!) and I Am Number Four. The phenomenon children were amazing, their talents were very unique and the plot of the story was very exciting! I really grew to like Christian as a character. At the beginning of the book I saw him as the jock-type of person, but he wasn't like that at all. He was actually very down to earth and smart! He was completely different from how I thought he would be and it made me enjoy the book so much more. I'm thinking that there's a sequel to it and I really want to read it if there ever is one.

It's important to remember (I'm talking to myself) that there may be negative reviews as well. It happens to the best artists, directors, authors and people in general. So taking what one person has to say about your work/creation and focusing on it too much is dangerous. But for today, I am happy to share these great words.

"This book is surprisingly good!...I really want to read (the sequel) if there ever is one."

That is all for now. Wishing you and yours a relaxing Thanksgiving. Remembering to give thanks to our Lord and Savior. He is Good, All the Time!

Thankful for... (part2)

2011-11-17T20:22:00.001-06:00

NOVEMBER 8

Oh wouldn't the FlyLady be proud of me? All except for the fact that I actually had all this extra stuff in my house. I am so thankful to have a place like the Open Door Mission to donate good used items for people who are in need. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

NOVEMBER 9

Emma played volleyball for the first time this fall. She did a great job

and even played in the championship game. I was a proud ex-volleyball

playing mama! All three of my girls give me great reasons to have a camera. I

enjoy capturing moments of their ever changing lives.

NOVEMBER 10

Creativity is important to God...my family is proof of that.

I love my brothers and pray for them daily.

NOVEMBER 11

I have an amazing husband who can do it all...well not fix the car. :)

I know God has special plans for you, he saved you as a baby so that you could

accomplish great things for his kingdom. Already you have done so much,
all by God's grace. This month marks another great accomplishment...
The New Phenomenon!

To God all the glory! Christopher, I love you.

NOVEMBER 12

Fifteen months ago Chelsea and Allen (and sweet Naomi) came into our lives along

with several other amazing couples. It started as a weekly bible study in our home. It

has turned into a weekly gathering of people who love and support each other.

Friends are a blessing!

NOVEMBER 13

If I could keep my girls in a bubble of protection forever, I would do it.

Looking in those big blue eyes and seeing nothing but innocence

is about the sweetest thing I can think of.

NOVEMBER 14

Spending Thanksgiving 2010 with Aunt Delma was special but I had no idea

it would be our last one. I am so grateful for the time we had together.

Thankful for...

2011-11-07T14:29:00.002-06:00

I started keeping a gratitude journal about a year ago.

There are days that I am down in the dumps and feel like nothing

is going right. All it takes to change my attitude is to look through

that journal. How embarrassing it is to think that for one minute

I can feel anything but gratitude for the many many blessings in my life.

November is here and what better time than this to highlight some of those

blessings I journal about. Keep in mind, these are in no particular order.

NOVEMBER 1

I was very excited when Chris asked me to help him pull vocabulary words from his manuscript for the teacher resource section on his website. Most of my involvement with his novel has been holding down the fort so he could write or doing research. This was a fun activity for me.

NOVEMBER 2

I know there have been years in the past that snow came in October, so November 2nd isn't that bad but I was very grateful to see the snow go away as quickly as it came. So I was thankful for the beautiful scene and the warmer temps on the 3rd.

NOVEMBER 3

Emma loves music whether she is singing, dancing, playing her cello or just listening to the radio.

NOVEMBER 4

Not only did God give me a wonderful husband but He also gave me a man who loves his children and is willing to support them in whatever they do. He even took a day off of work to spend at their elementary school (totally out of his comfort zone).

NOVEMBER 5

When I first told Olivia I had signed her up for basketball camp (one hour on 5 Saturday mornings) she firmly told me she was NOT going to go. I talked her into going just once and then she loved it!

NOVEMBER 6

All three of our children are healthy and active. What a blessing it is to watch them grow.
The girls eat well, exercise through play and have a healthy spiritual life. Thank you God!

NOVEMBER 7

Today is the first day of Chris' birthday week which makes me remember all the nice things he did for my birthday last month. (Again, he's a great guy!) So today my mouth waters as I look at this picture...I am thankful for yummy carrot cake. I wish I had some hidden in the frig. I guess I'll have to settle for a carrot instead.

It's easy to dwell on what isn't going right.

Sometimes I'm a Debbie Downer...I just hate that!

Today I chose to remember the blessings and give thanks for all I have.

"The New Phenomenon" Release

2011-11-04T23:27:00.001-05:00

You're invited to celebrate the launch of Chris Raabe's new young adult novel, The New Phenomenon! Enjoy delicious food and of course, support Chris and buy a book (or three).
Chris will be signing the books that night, so remember all the young adults in your life that might like a book signed by the author this Holiday Season. (Babysitters, paper carriers, nieces and nephews will love this book.)

Roja Mexican Grill

171st & Center Rd, Omaha, NE

Come and go, any time between 6 PM and 9 PM.

Please bring a check or cash for book purchases. Sorry, no credit/debit cards.

Books will be on sale for $16 each (NE sales tax is included in the price).

Can't make it to this party? You can purchase it here:

http://www.writelife.com/NewPhenomenon/purchase.asp

*****

About the Book:

The New Phenomenon

Young Adult Fiction, 368 Pages

Every teenager wants to fit in, and Christian Pearson is no different. He is a phenomenon on the athletic field and in the classroom, but a terrifying accident on a fishing trip with his grandfather changes Christian's life forever. As he enters his freshman year of high school, Christian hides a secret that he plans to take to his grave. When the Pearson family moved from the city to the sleepy town of Red Oak, Iowa, before his freshman year of high school, Christian hoped for a smooth transition to small town life.

Being the new kid in school has been a blessing and a curse. Most of the boys in Christian's class view him as a threat, so Christian struggles to fit it, but as an outcast, his secret is safe. When three freshmen, all from the same family, start school a week late, Christian senses something different about these new students. He reaches out to "The Three" seeking some semblance of friendship in his new hometown. When "The Three" confront Christian about the secret he hides, Christian is faced with a huge problem. Will this secret cost Christian his friends, his family, his freedom, and even his life?

Halloween Havoc

2011-11-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

For as much as I love to watch my kids' activities

I have to admit I was pleased to be attending Reagan's final

soccer tournament of the 2011 fall season.

Reagan and teammate Cat went out for the coin toss

Is it just me or does the ref look to be about 12 years old?

I thought the next 4 pictures were pretty neat.

1. She stops the ball

2. She pulls back the ball

3. She Turns

4. She heads for the goal

So proud of the Comets this fall season.

White Out

2011-11-02T13:45:00.001-05:00

WELCOME WINTER!

Yesterday the temps hit 70 degrees.

Now look at today's weather!!!

My kids will be very happy when they get out of school.

Momma is not so happy.

The Book Is Here

2011-10-29T11:36:00.003-05:00

Excited!

Well that's a word but not one that sufficiently describes our emotions today.

Over 2 years ago, Chris began this literary journey.

In May of 2009 an author visited Chris' middle school. While he was a successful writer he was a terrible speaker. Apparently, he was pretty proud of himself and wanted everyone to know it. I remember Chris coming home and telling me about the visit. Chris said, "If I ever write a book I will care about my audience and be more willing to answer their questions." Within the week, Chris started writing

THE NEW PHENOM3NON.

Six weeks later the novel was done. It was at that point we realized the writing of the book was the easy part. How on earth would we ever get it published?

We thank WriteLife Publishing for taking a chance on a "nobody author".

So far it's been a journey of many unknowns. We anxiously step into the next set of unknown twists and turns. All the while we ask God for His guidance and wisdom.

SAVE THE DATE:

Looks like our book launch party is set for November 22, 2011

We will have books for sale and autographs for free. :)

You can pre-order books at http://www.writelife.com/ as soon as Chris approves the proof copy.

Ten to fifteen days after that, the book will be available on a variety of sites. The best place to order is through the WriteLife website listed above. Please remember to write a review of THE NEW PHENOM3NON.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Monsterous Music

2011-10-27T07:06:00.004-05:00

This monsterous event was simply ~~freightful~~ delightful.

WHAT IT TAKES: Practice Practice Practice

RESULTS: Hauntingly Beautiful Music

Getting Emma to practice is like pulling teeth but the results are impressive to
say the least. It's exciting to watch Emma grow in her musical ability and her desire
to learn. This year Emma is taking part in an honors orchestra OAYO that meets every
Saturdaymorning. I wasn't sure if she would like giving up her mornings (when
she could be sleeping) but not once has she complained, in fact she looks forward to
playing with talented youth from all across the city. She's even learning a little more
about what productive practicing looks and feels like. YAY!
Turns out, mom isn't so dumb. My idea of practicing actually works.
Gotta love it when they find out you know at least one thing. Ha

This collabrative event was sponsored by a local high school which meant each

middle school orchesta student had a high school partner to shadow and learn

from all day. You can't see many of the costumes from the pictures I have included,

the high schoolers were verycreative with their costumes while most of the 7th/8th

graders skipped dressing up all together.

A good word for today...

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbors and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven....If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Matthew 5:43-48

Forty Minus One

2011-10-23T23:35:00.001-05:00

This is what THIRTYNINE looks like.

Tomorrow I start my 40th year of life. I'm not at all hung up on my age...it's just a number.

I remember as a young 20 something year old hearing a friend's sister say she was 28 and thinking, "geesh, that is so old". What would that "young Melanie" say about me now?

If you know me, you know I LOVE celebrating birthdays.

From time to time I might set my expectations so high that

it is nearly impossible for Chris to meet them. This year we

both did a better job. Today was a great day!

Chris came through with a very tasty cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes

Carrot cake is always my cake of choice to celebrate my new year of life.

It all started our first year in GI, a dear lady from our church supplied us with the most fabulous carrot cake. Since that year, it's been a must...GOTTA HAVE CARROT CAKE!

A month ago, I sent Chris, Em and Reags a text with a very specific birthday request.

I wanted a silicone cover for my Nook Color (which by the way, I love my nook).

There were other covers that I liked but they are ridiculously price. My dear

hubby went above and beyond to get me the newest, coolest cover. Now my Nook

can stand on it's own. Thanks Christopher!

THE MAJORITY OF MY DAY

...was spent at the softball fields in Lincoln.

Reagan's fall softball season came to an end today.

She had a great catch today as well as a great collision.

Reagan is a pretty versatile player but spends most of her time in the outfield because she is so quick. As the coaches daughter, she is the first one pulled out when parents complain about playing time. It's a hard spot to be in but she takes it so well.

The Boo Bash is a fun tourney that allows the girls to dress up as a team

ANGRY BIRDS

A little pep talk from Coach Gerdes before going to the plate

DISCLAIMER:
Chris and I have always said (and plan to stick to) that church comes before sports. Friday and Saturday was pool play then today was the tournament, working towards a championship game. God worked out the details for us...Thank you God! Our first game was at over by 9am which left us enough time to drive back to Omaha, go to church and still get back to the fields by 1pm for a 2:00 game. Nice! The girls didn't make it to the championship game but they played well and had a great time.
Kuddos to Pastor Mark...GREAT message today, what a blessing. I think this week was #7 of the Future Shock series. If you are interested in a great series on the end times CLICK HERE.

Owl Cupcakes to Celebrate

2011-10-20T10:01:00.002-05:00

Good Morning Blog World! It's Thursday and I couldn't be happier. Today is a down day for me...I'm still in my jammie pants and sweatshirt at 9am. LOVE IT!! The girls are at school, the house is quiet, my bible study is done, laundry is going, the dishwasher is going and I have some whacked out hair. You know, the "bedhead" that doesn't come in a bottle! My coffee (even though I don't like the flavor of the beans I bought this time) is warm and soothing and now I am ready to blog.

There's a blog that I frequent, The Idea Room. I don't know how that girl does it, she creates, finds and knows the coolest stuff. Today when I stopped by I found a link to another blog with these super cute cupcakes and I had to share. I know it would be better if I had actually made them, taken a picture and then posted my creation but to be honest, I'm not sure if I'll get all that done. I'll let you know if I do. Heather at Raising Memories also has some super cute ideas.

Just in case you are unaware...this is my pre-birthday week. Some of you may not know about "pre-birthday weeks" they are big around here. For my actual birthday I like carrot cake but I'm thinking these cute little owls might hit the spot for a little early celebration.

Even Chris would not describe himself as a gift giver. I mean if I tell him what I want, where to get it and when to give it to me he'll do it but it's not something he ever thinks of on his own. On Monday I told him it was my "pre-birthday week" and I would really like some gifts. (it's my love language) He has come through like a champion. Keep in mind, I did not tell him what to purchase.

YELLOW MUM

I love mums and it really added something nice to my outside arrangement.

WATER BOTTLE

I enjoy water bottles. It's the only way I can get myself to drink enough fluids

NEW CAMERA LENSE

It's a stretch to say Chris got this for me but he did approve the purchase

and in fact said something like, "Would you quit talking about it and just go buy it?"

I'll take that as a gift. :)

This weekend Reagan has a softball tournament which will give me lots

of opportunities to try out my new toy.

BREAKING NEWS:

The external proof (book cover) arrived in Chris' email inbox on Tuesday. He had just a few changes to make. We are about to have a book ready for each of you to purchase. I can't give you any links as of yet but trust me, we will supply the information to you as soon as we know it ourselves. Plan on giving THE NEW PHENOM3NON by Chris Raabe for Christmas gifts.

We have planned the day of the book release party but not that actual date...keep your Tuesday evenings open. As soon as we know, you will know. You all are invited. It'll be a great opportunity to get a first edition signed copy of what I'm sure will soon be a New York Times Best Seller! Hmm, wonder if we can get Oprah to "like" the book.

Happy Thursday to each and every one of you. May you look for and recognize the blessings God has instore for your life.

We Are Excited to Share...

2011-10-06T09:53:00.001-05:00

What I was starting to think would never happen is getting closer. This week we heard from Chris' publisher, WriteLife. There's is good news. We currently have the digital version of THE NEW PHENOM3NON which Chris needs to do the the final proof edit on 368 pages of text. Don't you know he's a little busy this week with teaching, parent-teacher conferences, district softball and oh yeah he has a family too. We are super excited so it will get done, just not this week. I wish I could do it for him but he's the writer, I'm just a reader.

As soon as Chris approves the interior layout the book will go to the production queue. The next step is finishing the cover of the book. Above you can see the artwork created by Bruce McCorkindale they will soon be adding text and whatever else goes on the cover of the book.

Chris has a copyright and ISBN. It's really happening. This month, two years ago we sent the digital manuscript into the publisher praying that God would do something with this work to glorify Him. It has certainly been in His hands the entire way. I have been frustrated and impatient but my husband who usually sees the big picture better than I, kept reminding me that God has a plan. Looking back over the last year we had too much on our plate to be also marketing a novel.

Thank you God for knowing what we need even when we are asking for something different!

Last night Chris and I again began to dream and brainstorm about the future of THE NEW PHENOM3NON. We need help with marketing, again praying that God moves. We had a great location for our book release party...they closed. :( So what is plan B?

Last night I finished reading THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett. Just a little plug for her...it is a GREAT book! I'm sure you have heard of it, there is also a movie out based on the book. When I finished the novel there was information in the back about the author. This is her first book. Wow, way to hit it big the first time Kathryn! I decided to research Kathryn a little bit and got sidetracked. Apparently her brother's maid was the inspiration for a character in the book and sued Stockett because it was "embarrassing and degrading." I'm not a black female maid so I can't speak as one but I can speak as a woman in general. The way the white women in this book treated their help, even when they were nice, was not good. If anyone is embarrassed it should be all people who see themselves as better than another because of the color of their skin, among other things.

Ok, I'm done talking about that.

Back to Chris' novel. We really don't know how long these last few steps will take but we now know it will happen. Go to Chris' web page or his facebook page The New Phenomenon to keep updated. As we know, you will too.

Chris, I am so proud of you. I love you!

Pooley's Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-04T15:09:00.002-05:00

Four Classes (about 80 kiddos) of Kindergarteners at a pumpkin patch...that's a lot of little ones running, screaming and having the time of their life. Thank the Good Lord our school has parents who like to volunteer. My group was 2 moms and four little girls. I can handle that. :)

The girls all really liked holding the chicks, bunnies and kittens.

I couldn't help but wonder how these tiny creatures lived through all the well meaning but tourturous handling.

Olivia found the perfect pumpkin to bring home.

Mom and Liv

What a blessing it is, that I have the freedom to enjoy time with my daughters both in and out of school. I am also thanking God for the quiet 20 minutes I have had to myself. Now it's time to go watch Emma play volleyball, run to the chiropractor, Reagan has soccer tonight and we host couple's bible study. Hope I have some time to vacuum before everyone comes over. If not, I guess they will still love me just the same and maybe be relieved to know our house is messy too.

Take a moment today to thank God for the simple blessings He so generously gives you. Even the roughest day has at least one pleasant spot...thank Him!

Difference In A Decade

2011-09-27T12:58:00.003-05:00

I remember this day 10 years ago. Chris and I lived in Peoria AZ with our 2 year old and I was about to pop with baby number two. It was over 100 degrees and I had an ambitious to-do list that day. Not only did I get everything done but I took a trip to the hospital and delievered our second daughter.

Around 5:00pm I had just sat down with Chris on the couch for our daily mommy and daddy time while Emma played quietly on the floor. (Those are the things you do when you have only one child) My hair looked great, we had food in the kitchen, the house was clean and I needed a nap. Emma saw a dead cricket on the floor which she insisted I pick up. Right as I bent over, my water broke. With great surprise I announced, "Either my water broke or I just peed my pants!" Being that Emma was 2 yrs old all she understood was mommy probably peed her pants. She comforted me and told me, "It's ok if you potty your pants."

It's fun to recount the events of that day and think about the changes our family has seen in ten short years.

From day one, Reagan has been her own person. As a baby, she cried and cried and cried. It was Reagan who helped us find the blessing of chiropractic care, due to her colic. However, I am pleased to announce she has grown out that chronic fussiness and we find her to be a delightful child. Reagan is a silent leader and very well liked by her peers as well as adults who know her. She is also a determined child. There is nothing that will stand in the way of this girl...unless it requires wearing a dress. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that God picked us to be Reagan's parents. She brings humor, love and new ideas to our family. I love this girl! Happy Birthday sweet Reagan. Your family loves you more than you could ever know.

Birthday morning at the Raabe house is all about eating whatever you want for breakfast, even if it is a school day. Usually they pick a donut. This morning Reagan wanted to go out for breakfast, don't you know to a donut shop. Tonight we are having spaghetti. What a kid, she makes it easy on me.

Another tradition at our house is late night decorating so the birthday girl will awake to a room full of balloons and streamers. I'm pretty sure they all expect it by now but love it just as much as they did the first time it happened.

H        B        R
A         I          E
P         R         A
P         T         G
Y        H         A
           D         N
           A
           Y

Birthday Week

2011-09-25T22:31:00.000-05:00

Again, I will say this is a big year for me. My baby started kindergarten. My middle daughter enters the double digit years. My oldest becomes a teenager. While I talk about how hard it is on a mama to see her children grow up and hit all these milestones at once it is also exciting and a real blessing.

I made these invites...they turned out so cute.

This week is birthday week for Reagan. Chris has teased me for years that I tend to go a little over board on birthdays. I have NO idea what he is talking about. (ok, maybe I do.) Need I remind him that last year we did not do birthday parties for any of our children...that should even it out for the next several years.

Saturday we had 10 sweet little friends over to celebrate Reagan's 10th birthday. Right now she really does have a neat group of girlfriends. Our afternoon party was spent out at Platte River State Park on the paddle boats, eating ice cream and then running all over the place. The girls had a blast while Chris and I sat back and relaxed.

What a crew!

Green and blue cupcakes topped with fantastic whipped frosting.

In case you are wondering, yes those are long candles.

Stay tuned for more birthday celebration.

Terrific Tuesday

2011-09-20T13:08:00.000-05:00

I've got all kinds of things on my plate so this is going to be a quick post...probably won't proof read it which will drive my friend and avid reader of my blog crazy...sorry Vicki. :)

Tuesday morning I go to women's bible study at our church. We are studying Jonah which I started last year before Aunt Delma died but didn't ever finish it because I got too bogged down. I love to restudy a lesson, funny how I am dealing with some of the same stuff and what a blessing it is to see how God has healed or allowed me to let go of other things.

Tuesday evening Chris and I host our couples bible study in our home. Side note: I just love this group of people. I have been really struggling for the last year looking for solid friendships. There are some great girls in my life and maybe I am just afraid to trust. Getting burned really bad by a close friend leaves scars. Anyway, it's time for me to invest in these girls. Can't wait to see them all tonight...oh their hubbys too. ha After all that friend talk I almost forgot the main point I was going to make...I need to clean up my house a little.

I have another Norwex party in Grand Island tomorrow so I'm busy getting everything ready for that. Some times the day before the party I feel a little stressed but once I'm there I love every minute of it. Thank you Tonya Ratliff for helping me find Norwex!!

Since I'll be out of town tomorrow I moved our Chiro appointment to today so I'm going to whisk the kids out of school 10 minute early.

I have enough to do but this is something fun that I have been wanting to attempt...

I know you can't tell what this is going to be...let's call it a sneak peak.

ALSO WORKING ON REAGAN'S BDAY INVITES

The party was going to be on the 30th and then the place we are going is closing after this weekend, guess that means it's this weekend or nothing. YIKES!!!
See, I have lots to do. Hope to show you the finished products tomorrow or soon after.

Be a blessing to someone today. It's really as simple as a smile and a hello to a stranger.

Watch D.O.G.S.

2011-09-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

One proud daddy with his elementary girls.

Every morning Chris goes to school with our oldest. He sees her in the hallways, sometimes embarrassing her but always enjoying the fact they are in the same building. Once a year Chris takes a day off from teaching 7th graders to go hang out with a bunch of kiddos ranging from 5-11 years of age. (It reminds him why he teaches 7th graders.) The girls love seeing him in class, at lunch and "high fiving" kids in the hallways.
Our school, along with many others across the nation have adopted a program called Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students). Go HERE to read more about the program. If your school does not currently have Watch DOGS I encourage you to bring it to their attention. So often you see moms running around the building with their students but seldom dads. Last year this program came to our school right after a neighborhood high school had a student go on a shooting rampage in the office and hallways later to end his own life. The parents at our school are so great, we have every day covered with at least one dad and sometimes two. Children NEED to see their parents take an active role in their lives, this is another important way to meet that need.

Now to piggy back off of that...today was my first day volunteering in Olivia's classroom. What a joy! I love seeing her interact in a completely different environment. Soon I'll be in alternating between her class and Reagan's class. Kindergarten might be one of the hardest classes to teach. The kids come in at such different levels.
*Some kids have learned how to sit and work at a desk and what it means to share...some have not.
*Some kids have been read to and encouraged to discover and learn...some have not.
*Some kids have are 5 and some are 4...that's a HUGE difference at this age.
*Some kids still cry when they come to school...some don't care if mom or dad ever come back.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Truly, teachers take children of all backgrounds, races, behaviors, disabilities and intellectual levels and teach them. HOW DO THEY DO IT? I thank God that He has gifted these very special people to come along side my children and share knowledge that will shape them for years to come. There are few professions that pour so much time into other people; teachers are under appreciated and certainly under paid.

Let me challenge you

If you know a teacher, do something special for them. They aren't use to big fanfare or fancy things but they do like to know someone notices their hard work. For instance, my husband is thrilled when he gets a note of encourgagement, especially when it's connected to a Diet Coke or Reese Peanut Buttercup. See, he doesn't need much. (I love it when his encouragement comes in the form of a Starbucks card...then I get it.) Don't over think this, just let a teacher know you appreicate them.

Mean Money???

2011-09-08T12:36:00.002-05:00

To quote Oprah, not because I hang on her every word but because I like this and can see some truth in it.

Money isn't good or bad. Money doesn't change you...it makes you more of who you already are.

Can I hear an "amen" to that?

Right off the top of my head I can't think of an exception to that rule but I could list several names (I won't) that prove the above statement.

I don't need pity or even a pat on the back but I do want to say...

S T O P B E I N G M E A N ! !

Sure, if the quote above is true, I guess they can't help it. They were mean all along.

I just needed to vent.

Food Glorious Food

2011-09-02T19:01:00.003-05:00

Oh My Gosh, I just found this post in my drafts but didn't ever publish it.

It's time!!

Below I have compiled pictures of several restaurants we enjoyed while on vacation in Florida in July.

The first 3 are all Darden Establishments, my friend Danielle works for Darden so don't you know we needed to try them out.

Even in this time of economic down turn the restaurant business sure seems to be booming. I don't think Danielle will be out of work any time soon.

Bahama Breeze has a great casual dining atmosphere and the food was very good.

This was our date night with Courtney and Danielle. After dinner we went to the Bargain Bin. We laughed so hard I wondered if we might get kicked out.

For an appetizer, 2 entrees and 2 drinks we spent about $60. Normally we don't get an appetizer or drinks but we were on vacation. :)

I'm excited to see one of these being built next to our mall in town. It's a yummy one!

They are much like Outback Steakhouse but better.

Twelve of us had lunch together after church. We had a crabby server and then suddenly she was as sweet at peach pie. Can't help but wonder if she was tipped off that a "big wig" was sitting at our table.

I enjoyed the salmon. Really some of the best I have ever eaten. To be honest, I have no idea what anyone else ate or how much the meal was. I highly recommend this Steakhouse!!

How do I say this other than PERFECT

Danielle and I had our girls night out at Season's 52. She had been taunting me with information about this place for a year. I must say it lived up to my expectations. On a funny note, we saw a lady who was a little too friendly with her plastic surgeon. I don't want to be mean but she looked like a freak.

It was a night of firsts for me...

1st Martini...strawberry basil and I liked it very much

1st (real) sushi...raw tuna and I loved it.

1st Canole...not my favorite dessert of the 3 we tried.

My dinner and flatbread was out of this world.

Just a word of warning, it is on the pricey side but worth saving up for.

Friends in KC, you can find one near the Plaza I think. Look it up. :)

This was the spot we hit after our 3rd day at Disney.

T W I S T E D B U R G E R

The hamburgers were AWESOME, service also was stellar.

Our family of five ate for less than $25...5 drinks and 5 meals.

Always a favorite of mine but haven't eaten at one since we lived in Phoenix.

Their gluten free noodles showed Emma that you can live GF and not hate every minute of it.

Lunch for about $30-35.

Pei Wei people...please bring one to Omaha!!!!

Breakfast in Cinderella's Castle was by far our most expensive meal and not the best of them but we all enjoyed it. Olivia will remember meeting her favorite princess (Sleeping Beauty) for years to come.

We ate breakfast at 10:20am and yes we did advise our daughters to "eat up". It worked out well, we didn't stop to eat again until 4:30pm. Maybe we did get our money's worth...nah. Did I mention it was $200?

Again, one of our favorites that Omaha does not have. No, it's not healthy but oh so yummy.

We ate on the road only a few times, this was on day 2 heading to Florida.

#######

Chicken and waffle fries for 5 please.

#######

The grease did give me a tummy ache afterwards. Chris said that's why he refuses to stop eating fries so his body won't reject it later. ha ha

Then Chris' all time favorite place....STEAK N SHAKE.

Again, I had a tummy ache after consuming such greasy processed food. As much as I wanted to avoid eating at S-N-S I have to admit, the service there wemt way beyond my expectations and my hamburger and salad was pretty good.

A cost effective meal and the girls got a free shake since we had to wait. I am a sucker for service.

The Great Outdoors

2011-09-02T16:59:00.000-05:00

YESTERDAY'S HARVEST

On September 1st this is what I brought in from the garden. Since our garden has been a little sad this year you could say I was doing a happy dance as I was filling my arms. This one lone cucumber is the last one. We'll eat it for lunch tomorrow.

It's amazing that even though we did not take good care of our garden (gone 2 weeks in July and then we got lazy) we still are reaping a beautiful harvest. I wonder if God looks at our lives and sees the lack of effort we put into doing things right but decides to bless us anyway. He loves us. He wants to see us grow, bloom and produce pleasing fruit.

After being so proud of my harvest, I decided to walk around the yard and share with my blog world what our outside world looks like.

This pear tomato plant is obviously not done producing and the funny thing is that we didn't even plant it. It grew volunteerly from last years left overs. Thank you God for that little surprise. (Olivia's favorite produce)

The tomato plant seems to love us or maybe just our garden...usually. This year our plants didn't produce like they have in the past. As you can see it's pretty ugly out there. Lots of rotting and dead plants this year.

Pretty sorry looking, huh?

Far back middle - zucchinni

Far back right - bell peppers

Far left - cucumbers

Front left corner - basil

Everywhere else is some kind of tomato

I pulled the lettuce

The strawberries are hidding behind the basil

If Satan took on a physical form, this is what he would look like.

B I N D W E E D!!!

Oh how I loath your existance. You come to seek and destroy...see just like Satan.

(here that evil plant is growing up my neighbor's beautiful hostas.)

Tis the season for spiders and their webs all over outside.

I caught this little guy in his tunnel web.

This is why I hate those cute little bunnies.

Every year they eat this hosta.

Can you see the butterfly with it's wings closed?

Now starting to open..

And here she is, wings spread while enjoying my Butterfly Bush

(since there's no tail to lift, I don't know if it's a "she" or not)

Trash or Treasure

2011-08-25T23:48:00.001-05:00

Haven't we all heard the saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure"?

I have as mixture of both in my home...storage unit, garage, basement and family room. Some of it was treasured by my Aunt Delma and some of it I doubt she knew she still possessed. I have found receipts from 1937, letters from grandpa to his mother saying, "oh by the way, Lola and I got married", as well as ugly christmas ornaments and every "interesting" article from 1985 to present.

So far the girls still really enjoy shreadding. I question how long before the motor on the shreadder is burned out. There's a rule in the house right now...if you are watching tv, you are feeding the shreading!

This is my garage...a mess of treasure.

It hasn't been a big deal until last week when Omaha had softball sized hail at the airport. We were trying to decide which vehicle we could do without. Praise God! No hail in Millard. However, winter will be here before we know it...gotta clear out all this treasure before snow falls.

I do want to share as much of these treasures with all those who loved Aunt Delma but there will come a time when it's all going to be donated to the Lydia House.

Calling all family members...come get your treasures.

This Little Light of Mine

2011-08-19T18:08:00.000-05:00

I am excited to share with you my latest home improvement. For months (ACTUALLY YEARS) I have been looking for a new light fixture for our dining room. It's not that I couldn't find something that I liked...there were so many. It has been a two-fold problem. First let me explain something about myself, when you look up "indecisive" in the dictionary my picture is there, or maybe it's my name, well just a description of me would work too. (I COULDN"T DECIDE WHAT TO WRITE) HA HA So deciding which one I liked best was an overwhelming task. And secondly, I'm all about getting something for a good deal. Even the cheap ones are well over $150 and it's never the "cheap" ones that I like.

Then God shone is glorious light on me and my girlfriend, Kimberly as we hit the homebuilder stores. Right there in the first isle of lighting at the GI Home Depot was a gift just for me. Originally priced $199, marked down to $79 but that wasn't good enough, I got another $20 off...that's what I call a smokin' deal!

B E F O R E

The table and chairs are already moved to the side so my handy man, Jerry would have room to work. Apparently I didn't tell him about the vaulted ceiling before hand. Then he found water stains and rusted metal stuff in the ceiling. I am surprised?
NO!!
It's just one more thing to fix in this house.
And here is the finished product.....

A F T E R

hmm, not a very good picture.

Meet Me There

2011-08-18T08:49:00.000-05:00

I have been struggling with the idea of going to women's bible study at my church this fall because I really want a friend to attend with me. At first I used the excuse that they weren't offereing a Beth Moore study, that's only a small part of it. We attend a large church and there are many friendly faces but I am aching for a friend. I know that if I put myself out "there" I just might find that friend and if I don't go I doubt I will meet her. ha So with all that said, this morning I recieved this little devotion from my in-laws church. Talk about perfect timing. I know God cares about the smallest concerns that we carry. Thank you God for sending me a much needed message through someone that didn't know I needed to hear from you!

"Christ gives me the strength to face anything."
Philippians 4:13

Most women dread going out alone - to restaurants, shopping, social events - even church. Sometimes we are the loneliest when we're in a crowd. It's intimidating to face a roomful of strangers. But it's well worth it to bite the bullet and just go to that church brunch or spiritual retreat or Bible Study. I would have missed some awesome blessings if I hadn't gone (alone) to many spiritual events. I found I did know somebody after all. Jesus met me there.
"Lord, help me to go where you want me to go. Give me the strength to do it alone or even with another friend. Help me build christian friendships and grow in you. If I am the go getter, help me to look for that women that might just need me to invite her to come with me. And than go pick her up. Being lonely is a lonely feeling, help me to not feel lonely or to help someone that is feeling lonely. In Your Name, Amen."

Going Green

2011-08-16T21:37:00.001-05:00

The picture above was taken in the fall of 2010

The picture below was taken today August 2011

I know the lighting in the 2 pictures of the house is very different but I hope you can tell we have done a little work to the house. Brady Borner with Portage Construction Inc painted the house this weekend and did the finishing touches today. The house was a brownish color and now it is a greenish color...Desserted Island by Behr to be exact.

Green is a tricky color, kind of like yellow.

However, after several years of debating, we feel confidant that we got the right shade.

The house looks so much better even if you can't really tell in the picture. Stop by for coffee, we can sit outside and gaze at the green house while we enjoy each other's company.

I put in the door bell and light without any help.

In case you are wondering, yes I am very pleased with myself.

Signs of Fall

2011-08-15T22:53:00.000-05:00

The calendar may not say it is fall yet but as far as I am concerned

I T I S F A L L

when the kids go back to school.

Look at these smiles, they were all excited about school

year 2011-2012...just a photo shoot away. :)

My beautiful babies!

Gotta show off the new backpacks!

Yes, Olivia is sporting a "Bieber" pack.

Chris always makes a point to see the girls off

to school on the first day.

I dreaded this day for months...

Sending my baby off to full day kindergarten.

Now that I made it through the day I can say it

was a little silly to worry about it for so long.

Liv loves her teacher and going to "big kid school" rocks!

Reagan was actually the child who was stressed about day #1, but lovin' it now.

Emma is on her dad's team this year, although won't have him as a teacher.

My daughters are growing and blooming into fine young ladies

Girls, I love you!

-Mommy

Hotels...Peaches...Arch

2011-07-29T11:15:00.001-05:00

(Note: I added a few extra pictures)

What do these three things have in common? Not much other than

the drive home from fourteen wonderfully packed vacation days.

Sunday morning we got an early start from Ponce Inlet, FL.

Day one of traveling went well. Before we made it to Chattanooga TN
we stopped at a peach and pecan orchard in Georgia.
My hopes were that the girls would get to pick some peaches.
We took the tour which consisted of us riding around looking at trees
listening to a canned speech about the working operation. No picking!
Well we did let them pick which box of peaches we should purchase.

The peaches are so juicy and sweet as can be.
We also bought peach cider and wine.

Over all no problems until we pulled up to our hotel. Eww! I
thought a Ramada would be better. It took 3 rooms
before we found an acceptable place to stay.

Monday morning I was so happy to get on the road, I hardly

noticed I hadn't gotten my daily caffeine.

On day #2 we drove from Chattanooga TN to St Louis MO
(where our hotel was MUCH nicer and cheaper)
Our goal was to "do" the Arch. When you think about
it, isn't $36 (for all 5 of us) a little much to ride up an elevator, look out
some windows and ride back down again? We still did it and I'm glad
we did. I love this picture of the arch casting a shadow on the river below.
See the dots...those are people.

Mom and girls in the arch...Chris was nervous but still made the trip.

I don't have pictures on the road Tuesday.

We all were feeling the stress of being in a vehicle for

three days, we were ready to be home.

I did have a "first" however. Never in my life have I been

able to read in the car but I read an entire book on day #3.

Gotta have your name sign picture.

I'm a Scrap Chick

2011-07-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

I use to be an active member of an online scrapbooking cult...um I mean club...um group. No one ever visits that site anymore. Many of the cult members, I mean groupies...um active members could be found at other scrappy sites as well but I was never a multi-site scrapper. It's all about being loyal. (I'm kidding.) Finally after many months I have decided I need that community again. I'm kicking it off by joining an online crop this weekend. Not only do I have 500 pictures from our Florida vacation but I have at least two years worth of pictures to catch up on. If you are at all interested in scrapping please come join us at this site. Scrap Chicks

I hope to have some new layouts to post to my scrapbook page on this blog by Monday morning. We'll see.

Beach Play

2011-07-28T03:09:00.000-05:00

(This post should have come before the ice cream post)

we got up early for the sunrise

God's handiwork is spectacular

Reagan had fun with the boogie board

the pool right by the ocean

I found that funny.

Ho Daddy O's

2011-07-28T02:52:00.000-05:00

I guess you would call this our last hurrah. After a

long day at the beach we cooled off with some ice cream

then went back to the condo to pack up for the long drive back to Nebraska

Free ice cream for your dog but when you snap a picture the

owner slaps his sign down there. Kind of funny.a

I LOVE THIS PLACE
The owner has created an environment that families want to

come and hang out. He provides free ice cream for your dog,

free bug spray and hoola hoops for the kids to play with.

Oh, and his ice cream is yummy!

Big brother's design...Little brother loved it.

Atlantic Ocean

2011-07-26T23:28:00.000-05:00

You can't go to Florida and not spend some time at the ocean, especially since you can drive75 minutes east or west and see a different body of water. We went east and spent time close to Daytona. Our friends have a condo just a block off the beach, it's a beautiful home.

I guess back when the Daytona 500 started it was on both paved and unpaved roads.
The restaurant we ate at on our first night was at the old North Turn of the race
and so that's what the establishment was named. Great sea food. Olivia loved the
alligator bites but she kept calling it "chicken".

The girls ready to hit the beach

The girls couldn't believe how white and soft the sand was.

Raabe Girls with the Kirgan Boys

Livie loves the boys!

Look how those storm clouds have moved in.

At this point we weren't sure if we would be able to eat

our entire meal outside or if we would be running for cover.

Happy Birthday Dani!

In the Beach Club house

Curt and Chris in the Florida ping pong championship game. :)

Gotta do the "jumping" pic

I have so many beach pictures, it really was a struggle to pick out just a few.

I have more daytime pictures to post tomorrow.

Hollywood Studios

2011-07-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

Day #3 at the Disney World parks. To be totally honest, 3 days was

enough. Maybe it was the crazy humid heat of day three that zapped us

but we were there only from 9am - 1pm. It felt great to go "home"

and jump in the pool. Next time we should visit Florida in December...good to

know the invitation has already been extended.

It's just the beginning of the sixty minute wait

to do the Toy Story ride. We all decided it was worth it.

Still Waiting

Daddy and Reagan

Mommy and Olivia

LOVED this game/ride! Wish we would have gotten the

fast pass and waited in line. It was worth the wait to go twice.

Competitve? Who me? Not at all but...

I did want to share the final score. (Mine was the best of them family.)

Character Visits

Who doesn't love McQueen and Mater?

Phineas and Ferb

Too bad Perry isn't in the picture because all 3 days we

looked for a Perry pin. Never found it.

The Fam

The Little Mermaid

Our girls understood that we were not going to eat at the parks, it's just too expensive.

Most of our meals were sandwichs we took into the park or food made

at the Kirgan's house. But by Thursday, we were ready to eat out. We found

a fun local burger shop called The Twisted Burger. Great food!! Look it up if you are

in town. It's only about 10-12 minutes from the parks. Anyway, they had "creepy" (Liv's word)

artwork on the walls. This one bugged Olivia the most so I took her picture with it.

I want to take a brief moment to thank Robbie and Charlie!

These two men took time out of their schedules to bless our family. Not once but

three different days. I don't know what kind of faith either of them have but

I can tell you that they both have a servant's heart. Thank you!

Animal Kingdom

2011-07-21T23:44:00.000-05:00

My hubby and Me

We certainly had a wonderful day at Magic Kingdom...thanks Robbie!

Here we are ready to start our day at Animal Kingdom, a little tired

and worn out. Our plan at this point was to do a few things, maybe hit

another park and go home early.

King Louie

But which one is the real monkey?

The one thing Reagan was disappointed by at Magic Kingdom

was the difficulty we had meeting up with characters. You'll see

in pictures below, we made up for that deficit on day 2.

Playing the drums

As soon as we walked through the turn stiles, we made a mad

dash to the Safari Ride for a fast pass. Great advice.

We saw so many African animals.

John Smith's girl...Pocahontas

Daffy Duck was the silliest character we met.

He hugged, teased and goofed around with each of the girls

Minnie Mouse in her camping gear.

We didn't ever get to meet up with Mickey.

Our first Goofy sighting of the day

"Oh Bother...."

Chris and Eeyore

The wonderful thing about being a tigger....

Emma's favorite character.

By far, the best thing we did on day #2 was THE LION KING show.

Holy buckets, I could have watched it over and over again.

Magic Kingdom

2011-07-20T22:48:00.000-05:00

(Warning: this post contains LOTS of pictures)

PRE-DISNEY SWIMMING!

Reagan is all about the splash!

Olivia is ready with a pose

Emma just needs some time to relax

Real sibling love

First thing in the morning...THE CASTLE!

Dumbo is one of those iconic Disney rides.
What a perfect day in Orlando Florida! I was a little worried about spending
all day outside on the hot pavement in Florida IN JULY! God took care of
us. It was hotter and more humid in Nebraska than it was at Disney World in Florida. YAY!
Breakfast was at 10:20am which gave us about an hour to pack in as much as
possible before the royal dining.

Breakfast in Cinderella's castle was very magical, especially for Olivia.

Snow White

"Sleeping Bluety" is Olivia's favorite princess so I told her she should tell her that.

Olivia was so nervous so when she saw the pink princess she said,

"I'm your favorite!" Poor Livie was so embarrassed.

Liv was surprised that Ariel had legs. I had to remind her that

in the end of the movie she got her legs before she married Prince Eric.

It all made sense.

Belle...really, they couldn't have put her in the

yellow ball gown? Princesses don't wear work clothes. :)

After breakfast in the castle we were on a mission to take in as many

rides and shows as possible. With the exception of one ride,

we had excellent timing. Relatively short lines.

Waiting for Pirates of the Caribbean

Chris and I really enjoyed the Hall of Presidents, the girls weren't all that impressed.

Everyone loved the Peter Pan ride and our favorite show of the day was

MICKEY's PHILHAR MAGIC...awesome!!

Reagan and I stood in line for 60+ minutes to ride SPACE MOUNTAIN...totally worth it!

The hardest 3 hours of the day was from 6-9pm. We had done basically everything we

wanted to do and had to wait for the parade and fireworks. Unfortunately, there were 5-6 HUGE

groups of teenagers from Brazil, so many that they lined both side of main street...we had no

place to sit. Luckily we found a sweet little elderly couple to sit by. What started out as

a sweet little lady ended up being an angry old woman who was willing to run over anyone

with her motorized wheelchair if they stood in front of her. YIKES!

Waiting for the electric parade along with hundreds of our closest Brazilian teenage friends

These girls were awesome all day long.

Here they are at 9pm after going strong for 13 hours!

Chris and I are so pleased to be making these memories with our daughters.

When our dear friends, the Kirgans, moved to Florida last summer they

invited us down to stay with them and hit the parks. This vacation has been

so much more than Disney. We have had great family time, friend time and Disney time.

This is more than I could have dreamed of.

I thank God for the opportunities and blessings He lavishes on our family.

More vacation pictures to come....

Lake Tour

2011-07-16T22:44:00.002-05:00

The Kirgans and The Raabes

Our first full day in Orlando was perfect! After waking early for several mornings in a row we slept in this morning and then hit the lake for a tour. There's a series of lakes connected by channels in the city of Windemere. We certainly saw some amazing homes. To be honest I found myself going back and forth between being in a state of awe and disgust. Do you have any idea what kind of change for the good these people could do with the millions of dollars spent on their homes? There are only a few lots available...the land alone goes for at least a million dollars. Crazy! David Segal's house on the lake is 90,000 square feet. No, I did not type too many zeros. Think in terms of larger than the white house...that's what I am told. That is disgusting!! We went by homes of Shaq, Tiger Woods, the guy who owns Papa John's, J.Lo's old house and so many more.

Me and My Girls

Dani, her youngest, my Liv and her oldest son

Shaq's (the basketball player) house. It litterally takes up the whole veiw, in fact you can't see it all.

This yellow house was the first mansion built on the lake in the 70's by the President of Disney.
It has been sold twice since then, one guy had a heart attack and another lost his house.
See it just doesn't pay to own a mansion!

I couldn't even capture the whole house but I love the trees with all the hanging moss.

Dani, Courtney and Chris

Livie and Mommy

I was warned that the Florida sun should not be underestimated.

We applied sun screen twice but after a boat ride and then swimming

out back, some of us got a little too much sun. Not so smart

on the first day.

Yesterday we drove through so super heavy rain. I was shocked that it was in the 70s

and pouring down rain when we drove into Orlando. Today is was hot and sunny

until 7:00pm when we got another down pour. Basically that's the forcast for every

day this week. Maybe that means we might be leaving Disney BEFORE the fireworks.

On The Road Again

2011-07-15T07:26:00.000-05:00

Morning #2 and Chris is loading the car again, we are gearing up for another long trip. We'll be in the car for 8-9 hours today and then finally ready to rest and relax for a week with our friends the Kirgans.

Wednesday afternoon we left our home for the extended trip KC. (Extended because the flooding of the Missouri river kept us from traveling down the interstate.) Four hours to KC and not one fight. The girls didn't even use the DVD players. So proud.

Thursday morning came way to early. We left Angie and John's house at 6am for an eleven hour haul into Tennessee. I'm one of those people who wants to get in the car and not stop for 3 hours. Chris is a little more flexible...ok a lot more flexible. Including our many stops we still made it to Chattanooga in 13 hours.

Had to get a shot of the St Louis Arch. I didn't ever get a closer shot.

A quick pit stop in Illinois to see Super Man's hometown...Metropolis

Cute little rest stop in Tennessee

Lastly, ready for the pool.

Now Chris is "yelling" at me...gotta get back on the road.

2011-07-08T22:43:00.000-05:00

Once again, we attended the world famous Foley Fourth of July celebration. So it might not be "world" famous but it certainly is getting the attention of the folks in Grand Island. We first attended the firework party and BBQ back in 2004 with only a few families in attendance. Most of us had one or two children. Now not only have the families grown in size but the number of people invited have grown...some who came weren't even invited. :) This year the celebration included somewhere around 70 people. Geesh!!!

I know I already posted some pics of my cupcakes but this is the finished product. The frosting was the best I have ever tasted. I would like to keep the recipe a secret but it's not mine to hoard...found it on http://www.familyfun.com/

Rod and Chris' arsenal

Let me add that Chris has already bought part of the finale for NEXT year.

Look at these beautiful faces...I love 'em all!

The dads say they put on this huge party for the kids.

That's partially true...the dads are just big kids!

Yes, I snapped this picture just as Olivia TOUCHED the burning punk!

The two girliest girls at the party had PINK CHIC smoke bombs

The whole neighborhood was full of pink smoke!

Chris spent the whole evening handing out fireworks to everyone else's kids.

Hopefully next year he will get to help his girls "play with explosives"

What a face!

Now the big boys get to play. I shutter to think the amount of money they blew up

Rod was so proud of his finale that it found it's way onto youtube. Click this... 2011 Foley Fireworks to see the best amateur firework display of 2011.

It's easy to forget the real beauty of this holiday. There have been (and still are) men and women serving, fighting and dying to protect my freedoms. Most of those freedoms I take for granted everyday...flying my flag, openly worshiping my God, wearing shorts, cutting my hair, voting, educating my daughters and the list goes on. I am grateful that I can chose but it has come at a great cost. Thank you to every soldier and soldier's loved one.

NOTE: Emma's camera has the firework pictures, I will add them later.

Planning...It's a Love/Hate Relationship

2011-07-01T01:01:00.000-05:00

Summer is a funny creature in the Raabe house.

Chris and I are both "unemployed" for two months

but that opens us up to be the people who can help

in any situation because we "don't have anything

better to do." :)

Don't get me wrong, I love being available to

watch a friend's child last minute or pick them up

for a game or camp but as you can guess, it can be

difficult to draw a line. Some people call it having

B O U N D A R I E S!

Most mornings Chris is helping out with a softball or

writing camp. That's my opportunity to sit with my

coffee and bible/book for reflection and prayer.

I love waking slowly. About 9:30 I realize I've

gotta get in gear or the day will pass me by.

The afternoons are filled with errands, chores, family

time and sometimes a nap (not for me).

Evening is a whole other beast! Kids have games

and practices; neighborhood friends are over; BBQs.

I don't mean just one of those things is going on,

occasionally all of them are going on the same day. :)

(Oh did I mention all night security too?)

For some people this would mean planning, being prepared

and always ready for the next event. NOT ME! I do have

a calendar with every event listed but I don't want to

P L A N

anything else. If I am going to do something extra it's

going to be "last minute." It does sound better to call it

S P O N T A N E O U S.

So even tho I want to know what's going on, I don't

want to schedule a play date for crying out loud.

Tonight I did plan ahead just a little. We were again invited

to spend Independence Day with some dear friends. The men

blow up everything they can find while the women sit back

and pray. I like to do food with a certain level of excitement

for holidays. I found this idea on http://Familyfun.com

All the cupcakes were going to be red, white and blue until

little Olivia put in her 2 cents worth. We also have rainbow

cupcakes. And wouldn't you know...I had to take a picture.

Frosting will come later, I'm just so happy to be mostly

done with one of the foods I will be taking to the

F a b u l o u s F o l e y F o u r t h !

disclaimer: I did not take time to buy healthy food dyes.

These are Wilton. They do a great job and won't kill

anyone but certainly, not the best thing for growing kids.

Happy July 4th!

Please remember our military men and women. Pray for

their safety, their families left behind and that God will

continue to do a work in their lives.

Business Time

2011-06-24T20:38:00.000-05:00

A summer day with nothing to do...why not try to make a buck? Too bad we don't live on a street with a little more traffic, they worked hard for paying clients. They even offered me a glass of cool sweetness, only if I was willing to pay 50 cents. Geesh, they drive a hard bargin. I opted for the organic limeade.

Doing the Prep Work

Ready for Business!

We aRe FAmiLy

2011-06-23T01:36:00.001-05:00

Summer is a special time for Warren's family. Back in the day Warren (Chris' grandpa) and his brothers were either working in the field or playing ball on the field. Either way, it was a time to work hard and play even harder. In honor of Grandma and Grandpa the modern day Raabes (Ray.be) come together for a weekend of fun and games.
-This year was a little different, no bocce tourney, no pizza, no group photo as well as missing a couple people. We did have an addition to our crazy group...Steven. What a great guy, I hope the family didn't scare him off.
-Our annual reunion includes 3 days at the cabins, gift exchange, campfires and smores, swimming, fishing, lots of teasing and this year we added an Easter egg hunt. Pictures below.

Ready for the hunt!

Emma enjoyed time spent with Levi

Olivia's quote: "We can do whatever we want and not ask our moms."
These three played so well all weekend while their brothers hunted for frogs.

My Blondies!!

cooling off with ice cream on a hot day

While The Cat's Away

2011-06-22T15:04:00.001-05:00

'Tis the season for Father-Son bonding on a lake. Each year Dean and Chris go away for a few days, we assume they are fishing even tho some years there isn't much to show for the time away. I'm pretty sure they fish but I really don't want to know the details of their eating, sleeping or general hygene. Eww! All I know is they come home with all kinds of lies about the fish they caught and who was the better fisherman. It makes me laugh. Unfortunately, brother-in-law John is not in the picture. Don't think for one minute that because he is not "blood" that he can't hang with Chris and Dean in the fishing or the lying.

SOOO, the girls and I decided while daddy is gone we could do some fun stuff. We've had softball games, soccer practice, movies, library time, sleepovers, Krispy Kreme, painting pottery (didn't know how expensive that was going to be. yikes!!) and tonight we will do some bonding with Nana...dinner and shopping. I'm not sure that we'll be ready for the "cat" to return.

Note to self: this would make for a fun girls night out.

The Graduate

2011-06-18T01:44:00.000-05:00

Officially I can't attend MOPS any more. Not that I did anyway. :) But now I CAN'T!! Sniff Sniff!!

My baby graduated from preschool this May; she's a kindergartner. I don't know how that can be possible. It's exciting to see my girls grow and become interesting educated young ladies, it just blows my mind how quickly we have gone though the baby and toddler stages. I remember bringing home each of the girls from the hospital like it was yesterday.

Olivia and Max were peer models in a fantastic preschool this past school year.

The kids are performing one of several songs during graduation.

Olivia with Ms Sarah

Getting the diploma

Olivia, I know you really enjoyed your teachers Ms Sarah, Ms Pam and Ms Jenny as well as all the kids in your afternoon preschool class but you are going to love kindergarten even more. Your big heart and bubbly attitude makes you a joy to be around. Keep that sweet spirit. Mommy and Daddy love you dearly!

Salt of the Earth

2011-06-17T23:20:00.000-05:00

One of the many things Aunt Delma loved was Hutchinson and all the small city has to offer. Our phone calls would include stories about the most recent musician, nationally acclaimed surgeon or author who had just visited Hutch; or maybe something about the Kansas State Fair or Hutch JuCo. However, taking a journey down to Hutch would always include taking in one of the many attractions in the city. The last time we visited before she moved to Nebraska we planned to tour one of the salt mines underneath Hutch. As bad luck would have it, I got food poisoning from Village Inn and had to head home. (SIDE NOTE: not a pleasant trip home!)

We couldn't think of a better way to honor Aunt Delma than to take a tour in Hutch. The day after the funeral the family took the trip 650 feet below ground to investigate what we had missed. I have no doubt that Aunt Delma would have been so pleased! The salt deposit under Hutch is 400 feet thick and stretches 150 miles by 200 miles. It impressively holds 30 trillion tons of salt.

Aunt Ruth, Marianne, Emma, Chris, Reagan, Rodger, Olivia, Eric Regina

A huge slab of pure clear salt which weighs 6,000 pounds. It's not often that miners find salt blocks like this without sediment or other impurities.

The crew ready for a tram ride into the rough areas of the mine.

Picking out souvenir salt

This shows one of the "hallways" blocked off with empty dynamite boxes.

There are LARGE areas of the salt mine rented out by the government and other organizations to preserve documents, historical artifacts as well as much of Hollywood's treasures. Here you see an outfits from the movies "Talladega Nights" (Chris loved this movie), "The Terminator" and "Bat Man". It is impossible to get to the high security areas.

What a very informative and interesting afternoon.

Gardening

2011-06-07T10:58:00.001-05:00

This morning we went outside to plant a few flowers that I forgot we had purchased. I walked around the corner to see these beautiful flowers. Last week they were pretty but today they are gorgeous. What a little gift from God today.

Below you will see some of our plants in the garden. Chris is really good about planning, planting and harvesting wonderful food for our family. We are all looking forward to fresh tomatoes more than anything else. Looks like the lettuce and baby spinach is ready to be picked.

We are co-oping with some friends this year. Just to give them a hard time...not sure when the co-op part comes in...maybe they are going to harvest. ha ha To be honest we haven't asked for any help yet.

ONION

CUCUMBER

SPINACH . LETTUCE

STRAWBERRY . BASIL . TOMATO . BELL PEPPER

MINT . ZUCCHINI

NOTE: garden fresh produce should be washed before eating...today my husband tried to "make" me eat a bug. :)

Soccer Party

2011-05-31T23:24:00.001-05:00

FUN NIGHT with the Comets!!
As each sport season ends we meet at a resturant and try to contain all our children, listen to the coach say nice things about each player, pay too much for food and then leave without making real connections with other families. Tonight Chris and I hosted a night of smores with the families of Reagan's soccer team. Almost everyone made it...11 girls and their families. Whew, we had a big crowd. Here's the real sign of success...no girl fights! Oh and a night of Chocolate!

As the night ended we still had some chocolate left over so you can bet the fire pit will be lit again soon. Please stop by for a roasted marshmallow and some chocolatey goodness.

Saying Good-bye

2011-05-18T16:53:00.001-05:00

I have mulled over this post for several days, not knowing exactly what to write. From day to day I have different comments, some of them are beautiful thoughts while others are not. It is true, events that evoke great emotion can bring out the best in people but blink your eyes and another side can rear it's ugly head as well.

Aunt Delma passed away on Friday the 6th of May.

I still don't know what to say. Already, I miss her dearly!

Below are some pictures taken shortly after the funeral.

The Family

Emma is excited to be taller than Oma, however this picture is a little deceiving as Emma is one step up.

I Can Be Found

2011-05-18T16:28:00.000-05:00

You can now find me on the Norwex site

1 .Go to: Norwex.com

2. Click on: United States

3. Find my consultant: Melanie Raabe

OR

Maybe you can just go to this link

http://melanieraabe.norwex.biz/

Let me know if that works.

I would love to tell you more about these fantastic products. My hostesses have earn an average of $325 in FREE product. Every party, my hostesses earm more than I do. I love helping my friends improve the quality of life in their home by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning.

Girls On The Run

2011-05-10T23:06:00.001-05:00

Her coaches call her "Smilie" Even in a tu tu, this girl is smiling!

I'm not sure how many schools participated in the Zorinsky 5K
This is the group from Reagan's school

Two pictures of Reagan SMILING while she is RUNNING. The bottom picture is the end of the race.

Reagan ran her first 5K in 28 minutes.

Because of her competitive nature, Reagan started out a little too fast and had to walk at little bit but finished strong. The first girl crossed the finish line in 22 minutes. Reagan wasn't too far behind and was pleased that she as the first girl from her school.

Reagan, we are so proud of your accomplishments!

Side note: A couple of weeks ago we had games rescheduled and to be honest, I was alittle irritated because it's hard to change our busy calendar. As it turned out, what a blessing it was that Emma's Thursday game was moved and we had someone able to fill in for Chris both coaching and umpiring. This 5K was a great distraction for our family on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and a happy time in the midst of sadness. Thank you God for going before us and planning out every detail of our week so that we could tend to Aunt Delma in her time of need and still love on each other.

Wedding In 3 Days

2011-05-08T22:58:00.000-05:00

When Chris and I got married it took eight months to plan the ceremony. It was a big deal, a celebration of our new life together. What a joyous time and even tho most of it was planned by me without help from family members I had time to think things out.

This week I am planning a funeral. Actually that's not an accurate statement, I planned a funeral in the last 18 hours. There's so much of what I have done that resembles planning a wedding but you do it under high levels of emotion, fear of making the wrong choice and it a SHORT amount of time.
MORTUARY:
This person is much like a wedding planner.
INVITATIONS:
Well, you don't really send those out for a funeral but there is that issue of letting friends and family know about the event however the friends might not be people you know.
CHURCH & PASTOR:
Fortunately Aunt Delma was a long time member of a christian church and I had been in contact with the pastor several times over the last 6 months. She even called me the day before Aunt Delma passed. Thank goodness we didn't have to wait 3 months for a church.
SOLOIST & PIANIST:
Music is an important part of a wedding and a funeral. Who do you ask? What should they sing? Hurry up and decide the programs have to be sent to print 3 days before the event. No, there won't be a DJ.
DRESS:
When you get married the dress is a main item and when you are buried the dress is less important but you do have to decide if you buy a new one or try to make something from the closet that is 4 sizes too big work.
FOOD:
No cake and punch but you do have large groups of people around and what are they going to eat?
CASKET:
I don't know how that plays into a wedding but it's a MAJOR decision with a BIG price tag and once again, hurry and decide it's gotta get ordered.
PICKING A DATE:
Family flying in. Long drives. You can't set the time and date until you know which relatives are coming and when they can arrive.
REGISTRATION BOOK:
Really? $200 and What will I do with it afterwards?
FAMILY CAR:
It's much like the "get-away" car for the bride and groom but seldom does it have beverages aboard
HOTELS:
Good news here, you can get a berevment rate.
FLOWERS:
Over priced...people please send memorials.
The list goes on...
Just like a wedding most things tied to a funeral cost more than they should. It's an emotional decision.

I'm not trying to make too light of the situation I am in. I am thrilled to be the one who puts on the celebration of Delma's life. I have found myself crying when it doesn't make sense to, laughing and cracking jokes that might be considered inappropriate and calm in stressful moments.

Last week was a time of grieving.
This weekend has been filled with planning.
Next week I will be grieving and celebrating.
The following week I will be packing again.
After all that is done, I don't know what I will do.

Defining Moments

2011-05-06T01:19:00.000-05:00

What are you made of? What do you stand for? Does adversity build your strength or show your weakness? Some days it is hard to answer these questions but when you face a defining moment, suddenly you do answer these questions whether you plan to or not.

Through a long process of moving my dear loving aunt to Omaha I have seen many defining moments for myself as well as several other family members. My husband is simply amazing, truly a man who lives for Jesus and let Christ's love pour out at the most difficult of times. Thank you Chris for being more than I ever dreamed of.

To be completely honest, my mind is not clear enough right now to share the story of the last 30 hours but I can tell you it has had incredible lows, moments of peace and much uncertainty. My first action was to ask God for strength and wisdom, He never fails me. My second action was to drive through Starbucks, that's where I cried the first time. How odd, thinking "I'm a pillar of strength" but then the voice of a friend and the smell of my magic potion (chai latte or caramel latte, both because they are pretty cheap) give me the permission to release all that worrisome junk I have hidden inside. Then time, quiet time, time to listen to God instead of just barking for answers. Aw, that is a defining moment for me. I remember the context of the verse God gives me, Mordecai is talking to Esther but can't remember the verse exactly. I know God has brought me to this position for such a time as this.

Now more than 12 hours later I sit in a hospital room with a lady whom I have loved dearly all my life, watching her die. The pain I feel is tremendous. I am selfishly begging her to live and yet pleading that she will let go of this life for one that is waiting for her in Heaven. There will be no pain, no JIA, no liquid diet, no confusion, no anxiety...rather a loving Father with His arms held out welcoming His daughter home for all of eternity. I want to know what comes next and when will it happen.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

I have seen tonight that there are tough times ahead. Making final plans and some other things that I guess I can't or shouldn't mention here. There will be more defining moments. What I do may be the example that brings someone closer to Christ or gives them the excuse to walk further away from Christ. Who I am and what I'm made of will show in those moments of adversity. Pray for me that all I do and say is a witness for my Lord and Saviour.

Beth Moore's Scripture Challenge

2011-05-02T21:05:00.001-05:00

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

Here I am in week #9 of Beth Moore's scripture memory challenge.

I am learning scripture but not as much as I would like. I need to

be more diligent with my study habits.

Our pastor is challenging our church body to read a chapter in Proverbs a day.

May has 31 days and Proverbs has 31 chapters. So there really isn't a good

excuse for not knowing what chapter they should be reading. My two

verses in May will probably both come from this month's reading.

I can't let today pass without at least mentioning the latest world news.

To be totally honest, I don't know how to feel about the death of Bin Laden.

It a relief to know he is gone but that doesn't change the status of

what he built. I don't see his cause skipping a beat. We have all been

affected by 9-11, certainly some much more than others. The pain of

loosing a loved one probably never goes away but I know resentment does

not heal anything either. So does Bin Laden's death release the resentment?

He (terrorist in general) has changed us forever.

I'm not sure if I should delete that, I don't really know what to say or

how I feel. I read a cute little saying on a friend's blog, all the

sudden I can see how true it is.

"Blogging is cheaper than a therapist!"

Ha! That makes me laugh but I guess getting those unorganized

feelings out is proof of that statement. If you have strong opinions

about what I said feel free to comment but if you leave something ugly

I won't post your comment. Aw, the power! :)

UPDATE: saw this on a friend's facebook status today...I like this.

Whoever said it, doesn't matter:
"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

Diamondbacks Face the Tigers

2011-05-01T18:24:00.000-05:00

Today was Emma's second softball game of the season. Yesterday they beat the Yellowjackets (Emma's team from 2 yrs ago) and today they tied the Diamondbacks (Emma's team from last year). As we got in the car, Reagan made a comment about the score, 17-17 and Olivia said, "a tie means both teams lost." I don't know where my little 5 year old got that but it made me laugh. Personally I hate a tie but it's certainly better than a loss.

Pitchers from both teams struggled a bit, there were lots of walks but it's to be expected this early in the season. They all will improve as the weeks fly by. Emma got on base 3 times and scored all 3 times. She was disappointed that she didn't get a hit but when you are walked and then hit by a pitch, it's pretty hard to put the ball in play. I was very proud of her on offensive and defense.

Dancin' Queen

2011-04-27T21:25:00.000-05:00

Today Livie's dance class got their costumes. She has been dying to try them on ever since she saw her big sister's recital costumes on Monday night. The "Ooos" and "Ahhhs" in the room were just precious, mostly from the mommies. Just a few more weeks until the big day and this year I'm not a stage mom...YAY!

She's ready to perform

One quick twirl before the music starts.

Love the sound of those taps.

This has to be one of my favorite costume years. All 3 of Emma's happen to be blue and beautiful and Liv couldn't be happier with her fluffy tutus and lots of pink. On our way home from dance today Liv said, "it sure is too bad I don't have a tiara to wear with my costume!" She might be missing the hardware but she is certainly our little princess.

There's A Contract...

2011-04-26T10:53:00.001-05:00

So many times I have wished I was bi-lingual. Not that wishing it will make it happen, instead it's one of those things I need to put my mind to and get it done. However, I do have a 1001 list (see the tabs at the top of this blog page) that is not yet completed. So if I do decide to learn another language which one would I learn? My oldest daughter is bi-lingual. Emma's birth language is English but now that she is a 6th grader she also speaks valley-girl. I started reading the contract from the publisher for Chris' book "THE NEW PHENOM3NON", apparently it's in a different language because I'm having a difficult time understanding the context of the words I am reading. What language is that? Technical-Smartie Pants?

I know this whole published book thing is getting closer to completion because the contract link was sent to us. The new release "date" is sometime in June. Finally, I am ok with that. I have been so impatient during this whole process thinking I knew the perfect timing when all along God had something else, something greater planned. He wants what is best for us and his kingdom. I love that verse in Jeremiah that says,

"For I know the plans I have for you,"

declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

I am know that verse well and yet I try to control everything anyway. So silly.

Today Chris did another book talk in a school. Each time he learns something new and is constantly working on the do(s) and don't(s), of coarse it all depends on the audience. My guess is, it will be much easier when he book has been read. All in due time.

If you are interested in updates on the book you can visit his website here. We will post the release date as well as signing dates and locations when those are firmed up. Feel free to subscribe, you'll be so glad you did. You can also "like" Chris' book facebook page here. Chris' newest thing is twitter, before I give you his contact info I'll let him figure the whole thing out first.

May your day be filled with blessings.

Easter Week

2011-04-25T11:48:00.002-05:00

Easter week . Holy week . Chocolate Bunnies . Spring break

The week that Christ was tortured, hung on a cross, buried and resurrected means different things to different people. Our family enjoys the fun part of easter. Below you will see our peep wreath, eggs that we colored with traditional dye and also silk dyed. And when I get the pictures from Nana you'll also see the easter egg hunt. What you won't see is pictures of us in church celebrating Christ's death and resurrection but that side of easter is what means the most to us.

My verse for Beth Moore's scripture challenge is all about the Easter good news:

For God so loved the world

that He gave His one and only son

that who ever believes in Him

shall not perish but have eterntal life.

John 3:16

Emma's final 6th grade orchestra concert was this week. I was so disappointed when I realized that my camera battery was very low. However to my great surprise I was able to take several pictures and video 2 songs including Emma's duet. YAY! The camera shut off and I was pleased. Oh no, they weren't done...

Emma was then given "The Outstanding Musician" award...

AND I DIDN'T HAVE A CAMERA! dang!!

I had to capture Reagan, Olivia and friend on their DS waiting for the concert to start. No, I didn't let them play video games during the orchestra concert. :)

The only good use for peeps...turn them into art.

The girls and I had lots of fun making this colorful wreath for our front door.

Silk Dyed Easter Eggs

I found this link at Our Best Bites If you are not familiar with that site, they have some very creative and fun holiday activities. I can't wait to make the multicolored cup cakes but I will be using natural dyes instead of artificial dyes. I care too much about my families health to load them up with all that junk.

By the way, no we did not eat these eggs.

My girls are creative egg decorators.

Mom and My Beautiful girls.

Visiting Aunt Delma before going to church on Saturday night.

Easter Baskets