Breaking Ground.

Today was a BIG day for my church. After years of meeting in trailers we are finally building a beautiful new building. Tim Lundy and others from Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock attended our ground breaking ceremony. If everything goes well we will all be under one roof in 275 days. This will be added to my prayer list. I really think FBC Benton will explode at that point. People just aren't willing to take the time and see what is in our little trailer park. We prayed and sang songs at the future site of the worship stage. It was a wonderful feeling. The excitement was tangible. The praise goes to God alone on this. Only he could have held this church together and made it possible. I included a before picture here. Each building is a classroom or office. I will post updates every month or so. I really am thrilled to see this long talked about dream become a reality.

Terrific Tiramisu.

What a beautiful picture that is. We enjoyed an early birthday lunch today. My birthday is Tuesday. I will be at work, Mike will be out of town. It will be the usual crazy weekday. The restaurant of choice is Macaroni Grill. The Tiramisu was perfection. It probably is a good thing Benton has so few restaurants. It's hard enough keeping the weight down with out them. I enjoyed every bite. The family then indulged me with a quick trip to Scrapbook Corner. Thank you family for a wonderful time.

Daddy's Home.

Mike came home Thursday afternoon. I was waiting with the camera like the paparazzi. This is the one picture he is not scowling at me. One day I will have to videotape the dogs reaction to his homecomings. They are both really bonded with him. Especially Dean. He almost passes out with excitement when Mike walks through that door. They leap, cry, bark, and prance about. The tails wag so fast they are a blur. It is quite the show. I am just a poor substitute when he is gone. Mike wants to know why we don't greet him at the door the exact same way.

Cute Layout.

I have actually been scrapbooking. Finally. The room is organized and current pictures are printed. This page is so cute. For Sarah's 9th birthday I took the girls to Krispy Kreme. They loved it. We watched the whole doughnut process and wore the cute hats. Who needs birthday cake when you have fresh hot doughnuts?

Sarah had exciting news this week. She won a poster contest at school. The competition was to make a fire escape plan for your family. She had to draw the house and label a way out of each bedroom. Her reward is breakfast with the firemen and a ride to school on the firetruck. It is a big deal. The whole 3rd grade will be outside waiting and cheering. Very cool. What a great photo opportunity that will be. Sarah can't wait. The really amazing thing is Josh won the same contest last year. I'm not sure how lightning struck twice. We are not going to question it.

Afternoon Drive.

Here are just two common sights of our afternoon commute. During the school year we cover lots of ground around town. The library, bank, and Hastings are regulars also.I spend way too much time waiting in front of Caldwell. It does give me time to read, I should not complain. I could not resist the trees in front of Caldwell. The spring blooms are so short lived. Our crazy weather does not help. One day is 80 and the next is 30. I for one am ready for the 80's to continue. Sarah thinks we should be able to stop at Sonic every single day. I actually wish we could too. If calories did not count maybe we could. Oreo Blizzards are at the top of both our lists of favorites.

Papa Hulsey.

Last Wednesday Papa Hulsey celebrated his 92nd birthday. Unfortunately we were all sick and unable to enjoy the cake and festivities. We were sad to miss the very special occasion. Today the kids and I went over to say hello. We had to take a picture of course. The beautiful flowers are all from Mama's backyard. There is a lot of spring color around town. It was wonderful to see them both. We are blessed to call them both family.

We are about recovered from our bout with the flu. The time change did not help at all. One hour shouldn't make that much difference but it did. A good nights sleep really helps recuperation. Mike is off to Houston and we start our busy week. The kids are both scheduled for standardized testing before spring break. You can feel the pressure as they prepare for them.

I am so excited the new season of Dancing with the Stars begins tonight. Can't wait to see the fabulous costumes and who comes out of the gates strong. They make it look so easy.

Quick Project.

We are feeling a little better around here. Everyone worked to remove the germs today. The house looks and smells so clean it's wonderful. What a beautiful spring day! The whole family including dogs went for a walk today. Otherwise we have stayed home trying to recuperate. Sarah is bored to death begging to have a friend over. That is my one complaint about this house. There are no neighbors for the kids to play with on a daily basis.

I worked on a fun little project for Sarah. This birthday album is for her to journal in and have. The album is made out of the cheap plastic albums you see beside the register wherever you get your pictures processed. Toss out the generic cover picture. You can then alter this little album in every way imaginable. We made one last year for her Wings field trip. A very cool way to scrap lots of photos. I am thinking of making a prayer journal out of one. My Bible study group exchanges cards weekly. This would be perfect to slip those cards in. I would also include pictures family. Small and easy to carry in the purse or in the class notebook.

I had to include a picture of Sarah's art. This was a school project. She had to make an ice cream monster. I was pretty impressed with Chocolate Mint Man. He was scary and yummy at the same time.