Living the Life of Riley

Father's Day Essay

2010-06-20T17:03:00.007-05:00

During the month of June our church held an essay contest entitled "I Love my Dad". It was open to grades kindergarten through 6th. Katie told Don she wasn't going to enter, but secretly wrote an essay. I received a message from our children's minister last week notifying me that Katie won in the 4th-6th grade division. She and I were so excited!!!! Don and Sarah were in San Antonio last week with our church on Mission Trip.

Katie and the two other winners were presented in the 2 worship services at church this morning. They each read their essay and then were given a gift to present to their dads. Katie did great!!! She was nervous about reading in front of so many people, but courage and prayer pulled her through. It was so sweet and such a blessing for Don. He received a $50 gift card to Lowe's and 2 tickets to the Texas Rangers baseball game (ground level behind homeplate). What a Father's Day to remember.

Soooooo............here's the winning essay in its original unedited form!

My dad is great, and I love him very much. He is careing, nice, playful, and joyful. He tries to help me out through problems. He goes out and does stuff I want to do even if he doesn't want to. He makes the best of my days. I love him because he loves God and he puts Him first, and I'm proud of him. He is there at almost every one of my events. He is truthful and never lies to me. He is thoughtful for me and everyone in our family. He has many talents and uses them for me. One is patience. He has lots of it. He always tries to keep his cool. I'm grateful for that and I love him for trying. He is also good at surprises. When he does do them he thinks of whats best for the family. I love him very much and I'm proud to call him my father.

What more can I say? Katie has such a tender heart and she made her daddy get teary eyed today. I'm very proud of both of them.

Family Photos

2010-06-02T08:46:00.006-05:00

I had mentioned in a previous post that I won a drawing for a free photo session along with a cd of the pictures and rights to them. What a blessing that was to our family. We haven't had a professional family photo in about 3 years. My girls have grown up so quickly and I am so happy to have their personalities captured by these pictures. There are too many good ones, so I will just put in the link to my Facebook page for those of you not on that website. And if anyone is interested in using Sassafras Photography, then please mention our names. You will receive a free 8x10 and we will receive a credit towards a future session.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064154&id=1467193434&l=b430e1960d

End of Year Pics......

2010-05-25T13:16:00.010-05:00

Here are a few pics of the whirlwind of May activities in the Riley house. Only a few more days of school left and then the fun of summer begins!!!! Katie's 5th grade graduation and end of the year party is this week, so that's why not too many of her right now. Also, Sarah had a guitar recital and voice recital that I forgot to take pictures of . I need a professional to follow her around and capture all that she does!

Katie and friends at Field Day.......last one for elementary school.

Sarah and her friend Erin at their spring choir concert. The 7th/8th grade Varsity Choir sang 80's music so that explains the accessories! Sarah was recognized for making All-Region Choir (3rd chair) and also received an award for outstanding leadership.

Sarah's 8th grade school spring picture......Katie didn't like hers so that's why you don't see one :)

8th grade awards ceremony......Sarah and friends.

Sarah and 6 other choir girls were selected to sing the National Anthem. It was amazing!!! No picture since I couldn't get close. But of course I ordered one that the professional took.....$10 for a 4x6! Oh well, you have to have a picture to mark such a special honor. Don got video and will try to get it posted.

Both girls are part of the Puppets for Christ team at church. This past weekend they did shows on Friday night for children with special needs, a show for church family on Saturday night and 2 shows during the children's services at church on Sunday morning. The shows are black-light which is why they are dressed in black.

Texas Bluebonnets

2010-04-11T13:18:00.014-05:00

The bluebonnets in Texas are in full bloom and plentiful thanks to our wet winter. Don spotted an area off the highway on his way to to work everyday and wanted to take the girls for pictures. We headed there on Saturday afternoon for a few shots. Katie is suffering really bad from allergies (another product of the wet winter), so she didn't get in as many pictures because she felt bad. It's been several years since we've gone picture taking in the bluebonnets, so here are a few of the family.

On a side note, I won a contest on Facebook for a free professional photography session. The photographer is a former member of our church and her family moved to Oklahoma a few years ago. Now they are back (her husband is a pastor) and she held a contest to promote her business. I was one of the 2 lucky winners.....really it's a blessing from God! We are hoping to have family pictures made in May. It's been about 3 years since we've had a professional family portrait....so really looking forward to that!

Easter 2010

2010-04-07T14:33:00.006-05:00

Easter was somewhat low key this year in regards to activities.....no spring party and egg hunt at the elementary school (only for k-3rd grade), and we did not go to any other egg hunts. The one on Easter Sunday at our church was for 4th grade and younger. Poor Katie, she is still in that in-between stage and wanted to go to an egg hunt, but none for her age......guess that's why they're called "tweeners"! We did dye eggs on Saturday and some candy and a few goodies were left for the girls on Sunday morning. My Mom came over to go to church with us and then we came back to our house for lunch. Don wanted roast, so I got up at 5 am to put it in the crockpot. Katie likes ham so we had that too along with cheesy potatoes, green beans, corn, rolls, and the best lemon bars ever! It didn't take too long after lunch for Don to head off to a nap, my Mom left to go back home and then it was nap time for me. Don and I take resting on the Sabbath very seriously. Katie was suffering with allergies, so in the end didn't even mind that she didn't go on an egg hunt because she was feeling bad.

Church service was great and we're so thankful for Pastor Craig and his wonderful messages every Sunday. It was a beautiful day to celebrate our risen Savior. Hope your Easter was enjoyed with friends, family, and the assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Family picture.....I won't post the one of Mom and girls because my Mom can never keep her eyes open. It's a running joke now that we're going to start taping her eyes open whenever we take pictures :)

Sarah 14 years old

Katie 11 years old

Sarah's first pair of real high heel shoes. She was so excited and practiced walking in them on Saturday. Don didn't quite care for seeing his "little girl" in heels....sorry dad, she's growing into a beautiful young lady.

Spring Time in Texas.....or is it????

2010-03-19T08:29:00.011-05:00

Yesterday our family enjoyed the beautiful spring weather by spending time walking around downtown Grapevine, shopping in all the cute stores, and then stopping to enjoy the botanical gardens. Wonderful 70 degree spring weather.....sunshine, flowers, eating lunch outside with the trees in bloom. But wait, the forecast calls for a coldfront to move in Friday night and possibly snow flurries on Saturday. What??? That means my much anticipated garage sale will be postponed until next weekend. Can I live with all the STUFF that we've pulled out of closets and lined the hallways and corners with. Oh well, at least that part is done and Don is going to help clean out the garage today while we still have 73 degree weather. Here are a few shots of our day in Grapevine.

Clean House

2010-03-16T07:35:00.010-05:00

Ok.. my house is not quite ready for the Clean House team to come visit, but I am planning a yard sale on Saturday. Do you ever watch Clean House on The Style Network? It amazes me how people live in such a mess!!! But based on the amount of stuff we've pulled from closets, I guess if you don't purge on a regular basis then you will end up on the episode "Messiest Home in the Country"!

Here are pictures of what the girls and I have been cleaning out so far (won't even show you the garage, but there is a washer/dryer and bikes out there). We're hoping to raise some money for summer church camps and Mission Trip. Things get expensive when you have teens/tweeners! Now if I could get Don to tackle his closet and the attic we would really be making progress.

This week is Spring Break and he's taking off on Thursday and Friday to have fun with the girls and help pull this sale together on Saturday. So if you're out and about on Saturday, come do some shopping....you'll be helping the girls go on their church trips this summer!

Sarah and Katie bagged sets of their Littlest Pet Shop critters.....they think about 75 of them!

Also included are several BIG playsets for the animals to enjoy!

Clothes, clothes, shoes, dress-up clothes, purses....everything a young girl needs.

Lots of "friends" are leaving their dark corner of the girls' closets. Many board games too.

Who doesn't need a monkey mug?? Where did this come from?

More stuff....Easy Bake Oven is back there! Purses, shoes, household stuff....

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2010-02-12T10:25:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Don and a record snowfall!

2010-02-11T16:00:00.013-06:00

Today is Don's 49th birthday....he's not real happy about being so close to 50. I told him this morning not many 49 year olds can say this....he still is about the same size as when we met 20 years ago, he still has hair and it's not gray, he has had no surgeries or does not take any medication, he can eat all the ice cream he wants and still has great cholesterol....so not fair. I can't say even one of those things at age 43 (well, I do have hair, but it's gray). So he has many reasons to feel blessed, including us girls who at times drive him crazy.

We woke up to a beautiful snowfall this morning. Don is such a good husband that he stayed home to fix my flat tire and be here when the repairman came to fix the heat pump. Maybe he just used those as excuses to stay home on his birthday. I had to go to work and the girls went to school. Just got an email that school is cancelled for Friday and President's Day holiday is on Monday.....yeah for long weekend! Don will be off work on Monday too.

Here are some pictures of the snow. At 3:00 this afternoon Don measured 7 inches in the front yard. It's now 4:00 and still snowing!!! The news says we've hit a record amount of snow for one day. We will postpone his birthday dinner at LaHacienda Ranch tonight and just stay in and keep warm. A Big Top Cupcake is in the oven.

Random Pics

2010-01-16T08:27:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures from the end of the year that I never posted......thought you might want to see my beautiful girls.

Katie with her "Big Top Cupcake" that she wanted for Christmas....this is the smaller version!

Sarah before her voice recital.

The "kids table" at Thanksgiving at my cousin's house.

Katie and I attending Pure In Heart conference.

Quick and Easy Project

2010-01-11T18:22:00.006-06:00

My Mom has had this frame for quite a while that her boss didn't want in his office. She's tried to give it to me several times and I've loved the frame but thought, it's too big to go anywhere or to put a photograph in. Well, this weekend Mom brought it to my house again, so I decided to try and do something with it. The thought came to mind of doing an initial since that seems to be the trend now. This crafty idea was confirmed in my mind when I saw someone else's blog where they were making family initials on pieces of wood (thanks Kim M.).

I had to run errands today, so I stopped in Michael's and grabbed 3 pieces of scrapbook paper for about $1.50. I played around on the computer and printed our family initial "R", then glued all the pieces together. I looked around the house for a place for my masterpiece and decided that my built in cabinet in the dining room needed a shot of color. So down came a muted colored rooster plate and my work of art took its place. Not too bad for a little time and money. Thanks Mom for not giving up on this beautiful frame.

White Christmas....in TEXAS?!?!

2009-12-29T08:07:00.009-06:00

It was an amazing Christmas Eve and Christmas day as Texas enjoyed snow!!! We got around 2-3 inches at our house and the kids (Don included) had a great time. We were supposed to go to my Mom's house on Christmas Eve and attend church with her, but the weather conditions were looking like they were going to get worse so she hurriedly packed and headed to our house at noon. Sarah and Katie had spent the night with her, so she had helpers to get presents and food packed and loaded up. We were so glad she went ahead and came over since it did turn into a mini-blizzard by the time we went to our 4:00 church service.

This year Santa didn't get left any cookies because we forgot! And he must have been tired when he got to our house because a sack of stocking goodies was just left on the couch instead of put in the stockings. I guess "Santa" is getting old and the girls have lost a lot of the Santa magic :(

Katie in the front yard on Christmas Eve.

Dixie trying to catch a snowball.

Leaving for Christmas Eve service.

Christmas morning!

Elf Yourself Portrait

2009-12-19T09:21:00.007-06:00

A little Christmas fun!!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/tFc3Hdngia5o03Bv

Sarah's Birthday

2009-12-02T16:40:00.005-06:00

Sarah turned 14 on November 27. We were in Arkansas visiting with family and were enjoying Black Friday shopping when I said "I need to get back and tell my baby Happy Birthday". Just a little distraction, but she didn't seem to mind. She had already had her party with friends a week earlier. She always has to plan that way since her birthday falls at Thanksgiving.

For her party she invited 4 friends for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (and let Don and I eat with them), went to a movie, and then home for a sleepover. We were very much in the minority at the movie theater that night since it was the premier of "New Moon", and we were going to see "A Christmas Carol". I would like to get on my soap box about Twilight, but will contain myself, and just say that the Holy Spirit has burdened my heart to teach my girls to guard their hearts and mind. Remember the children's song "O, be careful little eyes what you see.....", God brings that to mind often. Anyway, back to Sarah's party.......

The girls had so much fun at dinner, and we laughed so much with them. What a joy it was! They had fun strolling in the misty rain around Southlake Town Center and then going to the movie. They stayed up until 3 a.m. after just having fun being together. I feel so blessed that God has provided Sarah with friends who share her values and are not afraid to be their own person and not follow the crowd. For that I am thankful and pray that it will continue through her high school years.

Here are a few pictures of the party fun.

Dinner at Cheesecake Factory....so many choices.

Just being silly while waiting for our food.

Sarah picked chocolate mousse cheesecake and we also had cookie dough cheesecake.

Celebrating Sarah's 14th birthday. This is my cousin Darren whose birthday was on the following Monday, so we had a joint cake.

Isn't she beautiful?

Adventures of Katie

2009-11-09T10:48:00.008-06:00

Katie has been busy the last few weeks, and remaining healthy despite Sarah getting the flu, then me getting flu and pneumonia (or as she says "mynonia"). Her elementary school days are going by fast, so here are a few pictures of the latest events.

Katie brought home the NFL Punt, Pass, and Kick registration form in September and said she wanted to do this. She said she wanted to try everything at school since this was her last year at W.A. Porter. She ended up winning first place in the 10/11 year old girls division at her school. Below are pictures as she competed in the next level. She didn't advance, but was proud of her for trying something new!

Katie and friend from church who also advanced from her school.

50's day at school.

The 5th graders took a field trip to the new Cowboys Stadium to learn about mathematical concepts in a real world situation. Katie said she learned that the new stadium would hold 3 of the old Cowboys stadiums. Amazing place for sure!

Trip to nature park after touring the stadium.

Katie and best friend Hannah.

Katie taking pictures of her and friends on the bus.

Happy Birthday Katie!

2009-10-26T10:55:00.006-05:00

Today is Katie's 11th birthday. I started this blog last year with her birthday.....my how time flies. She is "letting" Don and I come eat lunch at school with her today. She wants Panda Express and was wanting to go to Chili's tonight in order to get free birthday dessert (and the chips and salsa). This is exactly what we had for lunch/dinner on my birthday! Not sure if we will go out tonight. Sarah's in bed with the flu. She starting running fever on Saturday and still had low fever this morning.

You've already seen the post of the guinea pigs which was the big birthday present. Two weeks ago if you would have told me I would be enjoying these little critters, I would have laughed at you! They are fun to watch and squeal when you bring in food. Katie is being very responsible taking care of them. She cleaned out the cage yesterday and commented "what a way to spend my Sunday night!"

Here are pictures from her party last weekend. We went to Main Event and the girls bowled, did laser tag, ate pizza and cake, and played some arcade games. They had a great time and Don and I didn't have to do a thing but show up and of course hand over the money!

Friends from church and school....they are a great group of girls!

Not sure how much money she spent to win at the giant claw game!

More pets for the Rileys!

2009-10-12T12:41:00.005-05:00

So Katie has been bugging us for months to get hamsters for her birthday. I was not really wanting anymore critters in our house, but Don gave in to her begging. Well, we began to do research and found that hamsters would not be a good fit for our family. So leave it to my sister to provide an alternative. My niece Chloe turned 7 on October 3 and had been begging for guinea pigs. Of course when Katie heard that Chloe got 2 guinea pigs it was all over for us. I tried and tried to put off this purchase until Katie's birthday on October 26, but somehow we ended up looking this past weekend. The challenge was to find a "female" pet store. Finally Saturday morning found the PetSmart in Euless carried female guinea pigs. There was no turning back once Katie got a look at them and of course, we came home with 2 (after reading and hearing that they do better in pairs).

Katie has them in her room, has posted a list of rules, and is keeping up with changing the water and food. Let's hope the responsibility continues. Looks like guinea pigs have a life span of 5-8 years. So when Don and I are finally empty nesters in 7.5 years, we may have two senior citizen guinea pigs and two older dogs......something to look forward to!!!!

Katie and Ginger

This one is named Coco and is a little more spastic, but still sweet.

This is Ginger.....very calm and sweet.

Sarah and Ginger

Homecoming Parade

2009-09-30T20:44:00.004-05:00

On Monday night (9/28/09) Birdville High School had their homecoming parade. Some of the feeder elementary schools participated by building floats for the parade. Our school (W.A. Porter) created a float and then had a drawing for 5th graders to walk with the float in the parade. Katie was so excited that her name was drawn, as well as, 3 of her very good friends. It has been MANY years since I've gone to a homecoming parade, and I really enjoyed it. Although, as many of the high schoolers went by in the parade, I kept thinking about Sarah being at BHS next year. Yikes! But it was also fun thinking about being involved in all the school spirit and those Friday night football games. Anyway, here are a few pictures of Katie and friends from the parade.

"Birdville Kingdom" = W.A. Porter Elementary, Smithfield Middle, Birdville High

First Day of School - August 24,2009

2009-08-25T15:51:00.005-05:00

Well it's official, the summer is over and here we go 8th grade and 5th grade. How can this be my last year with a child in elementary school? I was fighting back tears as I walked Katie in and took a picture with her teacher. Of course, she walked WAY ahead of me as if she didn't want to be embarrassed, surely I was imagining that. Don took Sarah on the first day, and he said she made sure he dropped her off without letting him get out of the truck. They both had a good first day. Katie says she's not going to have enough time to talk with friends, duh! Sarah has a tough schedule this year with Spanish and Algebra I counting towards high school credit. I know we didn't do that when I was in middle school. I enjoyed my first day without them (I kept busy because I felt like crying). Got a lot of little things done and even squeezed in a pedicure! Enjoy the pictures of my "babies". Next year I won't be allowed to take pictures at the middle school with Katie. Maybe Sarah will let me follow her into high school;what are the odds on that?

So happy, will it last???

Katie and her homeroom teacher, Mrs. James. Sarah had her in 5th grade too. Katie said she kept calling her Sarah all day. This happens every year, and I feel for her. But, hey, half the time I call her Sarah!

Cowboys Training Camp

2009-08-21T09:18:00.003-05:00

We took a side trip from the ranch into San Antonio and went to the Cowboys Training camp. We also have some long-time friends that moved there 2 years ago. We went to visit them and their 2 cute boys. Thanks Scott and Tammy for the great dinner and letting us put our dogs in your backyard so we could enjoy a long visit.

End of Summer Get-Away

2009-08-21T08:24:00.011-05:00

We have been blessed for the last several years to get away at what we call "the Ranch". Some of you have heard us talk about this, but I'll clarify for those who wonder what the heck we're talking about. My Mom works for two very generous men who treat her like family, and we're blessed to reap some of their generosity. One of them owns a 450 acre ranch in Kerrville that has been in his family for years. It's called the Hungry G. He lives in the Dallas area and he opens it up for family and friends to go and have fun.

There is a retired couple who have a house on the property and they take care of the houses and land. We get to stay in the "main house", a limestone house that has a "bunk room" with 6 twin beds, a master bedroom, kitchen, screened in front porch with a hammock that is perfect for naps, a pool, etc. The house has everything you could possibly need, except...... no air conditioning, no t.v., no computers and the only phone is the old rotary kind. But this lack of modern technology has never phased our family. It is nice to just get away from everything in our busy world and enjoy God's beautiful creation out in the hill country. It was a little warmer than usual this trip, but amazingly it does cool down at night. Very peaceful sleeping with the windows open and the ceiling fans on high! You hear all kinds of sounds and the sky at night is breathtaking! Here are a few pictures of the fun we had. Thank you Mr. Gruy for blessing our family!

Can you see the cow behind the fence? Boy, can they make some noise. Interrupted my relaxing float in the pool one day!

Down at the creek. We've found many fossils on our nature walks. There's a drought in south Texas, so the water was not as deep or flowing like in the past.

The best way to stay cool!

Yes, we take the dogs. They have fun being country dogs. It took the girls 2 days to coax Dixie into the pool. She prefers swimming in the creek.

Don secretly wants to be a photographer and had fun taking pictures of the girls. Here are a couple of his shots.

Sarah got to drive for the first time! What a perfect place......dirt road with no cars in sight for miles!

Go Rangers!

2009-08-01T09:22:00.005-05:00

Just a few pictures from the Rangers game last Thursday night. It was hat night! I took these with my cell phone so I'm still trying to get the hang of how my new phone works.

Photos from Don on Mission Trip

2009-07-22T17:10:00.005-05:00

Ok, I said I would post next week, but the pictures have been tugging at my heart this week. Don said it has been an eye opener for the "little white girls in his group". He also let me know that he was able to lead a 14 year old boy to Christ on Tuesday. Sarah's group worked at a food bank yesterday. She was sorting food and was overwhelmed at the bugs in the pantry. Not quite like home is it??

Makes me again realize how blessed my family is and how we take our simple everyday life for granted. Continue to pray for all of the teams to have energy and joy as they serve God for the rest of the week.

Happy Birthday to Me......(yesterday)!

2009-07-21T12:53:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was my 43rd birthday. Wow, how can that be? My Mom was remembering the 40th anniversary of the moon landing on July 20, 1969. She says I was sitting in a rocking chair watching with her on t.v. The same chair is still in her house and both of my babies have rocked in it.

I somewhat had a 3 day celebration. Don and Sarah left for Mission Trip on Sunday morning, so they weren't here with me on Monday for the official day. Friday night, Don and I enjoyed a brief date out. Saturday I did laundry and packing while he and Sarah attended a last training day. That night my Mom and her friend (and mine) Mary Ann came over for dinner. We went to Pei Wei. We had some cheesecake and presents when we got home, and then more packing. Sunday morning I took Sarah and Don to church at 6:30 a.m., then came back home to get ready for church. The Merge students that I help lead on Sunday mornings honored me and 2 other July birthdays with a song! When I got up Monday, Katie gave me the sweetest letter and then led me on a scavenger hunt for another present. We had lunch at Panda Express, took a nap, went to Hobby Lobby, WalMart, and then dinner at Chili's! I enjoyed my day with Katie.

Don got me a new cell phone which I had told him I didn't need, but now love it! It has a full keyboard for easier texting (important with a teenage daughter) and also internet access for my emails. The girls gave me a picture frame, a notepad and pen with my initial "K" on it.

All in all it was a good weekend. I missed Don and Sarah on Monday, but they are doing far greater work in an area that needs them more than I do. I've posted some pictures on Facebook that Don has sent by his phone. Take a look or wait for next week when they get back and I'll update here about their trip.

Yummy cheesecake. The best part was a big cake was not left behind for me to be tempted by all week!!!

It only took Don 3 times to figure out how the camera timer works...worth the wait!

Katie and I at Chili's. This was taken with my new phone.

Katie was so excited when we got free birthday dessert. She says we're going back there for her birthday! See knows a deal when she tastes it!

Hanging out at the lake

2009-07-17T08:17:00.007-05:00

We like to go out to Lake Grapevine even though we don't have a boat or any or those fun water toys. The girls just like to get wet and the dogs love to swim too. We have had many fun times on Sunday afternoons just being together as a family. Here are a few pics of our visit to the lake last week.

The car ride to the lake is long!!!! Dixie knows where we're going and she makes the most pitiful whining, barking noises as if trying to tell Don to hurry up. Ranger is just oblivious and lays down in the back. The ride back home is quieter since she's tired!

Katie and Dixie.

Katie, Sarah, and Ranger having fun.

Kids Kamp : June 30-July 3, 2009

2009-07-13T08:12:00.012-05:00

I think I have finally recovered enough from Kids Kamp to post some pictures. Heat, hard twin bed, Katie sleeping in the bed with me the last night, long days, little sleep, GREAT girls, wonderful worship, fun games, LOTS of laughs, 2 kids praying to receive Christ as their Savior, priceless memories.........

This was my second year to go to our church's camp, and I so enjoyed the girls and was truly blessed to hang out with them.

Katie and the girls I shared a cabin with. There were 2 other adult women in there with me. Only 2 showers!!! I don't think I ever got my feet completely clean. I forgot my tennis shoes, so I did a lot of walking in my sandals.

The only time Katie let me take a picture with her. I tried not to embarrass her, but drove her to tears one day. I think she was just tired.....sorry Katie for speaking before thinking!

Katie on the rock climbing wall.

Katie was first in line for the "Screamer". They were pulled up to the top and then let go of the rope and went swinging! Scared me, but my little adventurer loved it!

Shaving cream fight! Great fun since they had to get out of the pond when a snake was spotted!

Nerd Party on the last night. So funny to see how all the kids dressed up.

Katie as a nerd! She would walk up to people, snort, and say "I like dinosaurs, do you?". Where does she get this from?

Do you recognize this nerdy church staff member?

More nerdy adults.....thanks "Miss Lisa" for all you do for the kids!!!!! By the way, I just went as myself.

This "nerd" is in charge of Missions at church!

Doggie Fun by Katie

2009-07-05T19:34:00.007-05:00

Katie was bored one day and decided to follow the dogs around taking pictures. I won't bore you with the MANY that she took. But here are a couple of cute ones and a rather scary one - you be the judge on that!

Ranger taking a nap.......zzzzzzzzz

Dixie and Ranger playing tug!

Dixie in her cool shades.

Ranger being humiliated by Katie once again.

Sweet Dixie. I think with that face she deserves a treat :)

This one creeps me out! Katie snapped the picture as Ranger was jumping on her. Now Katie thinks it's funny to scare me with it. I walked in the bathroom today and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a large printout of this on the mirror.....ha, ha! So what do you think? Funny or Creepy?

Happy Father's Day !

2009-06-21T14:46:00.013-05:00

Happy Father's Day to Don.....what a great dad you are! I'm so thankful to you and all that you do in raising our girls. Love you!!!!

Port Aransas, TX in September 1999. Sarah was about to turn 4 and Katie was 11 months.

Burger's Lake - June 2009. Sarah 13 and Katie 10. My how they've changed!

Don was off last week and we enjoyed a "staycation" or in others words, fun on a budget! We (at least the girls and I) enjoyed going shopping at the new Sam Moon's in Ft. Worth on Monday. We went to the movies on Wednesday. Don and I saw "Star Trek" and the girls saw "Night at the Museum 2". Tuesday we spent the day at Burger's Lake in Forth Worth. Thursday we headed to Galveston. Don had travel points for a free night at a hotel. So we stopped in Houston to go to the aquarium and then headed onto Galveston and a few hours on the beach. We got back up early and headed out in the sun again on Friday. The girls and I managed to get various sunburn spots. The only damage to Don was when he tripped on the ice cooler and went rolling in the sand. We all had a good laugh! We've always enjoyed beach vacations as a family and have been all around the Gulf and into Florida - starting back when Sarah was about 10 months old. Lots of fun memories have been made, and I'm sure many more will be in the future.

Ferry ride in Galveston

Katie at the beach in Galveston.

It's Summertime !!

2009-06-02T10:55:00.014-05:00

Well, school's out and I wish I could say the busyness is over. But June and July are always the months that we have many activities scheduled. We started off the summer Friday night with Sarah at a sleepover and Katie at a birthday party. Don and I enjoyed a few minutes together, but not near enough. Saturday morning Katie had a makeup softball game and then that afternoon we went with a church group to the Rangers game and pre-game concert. It was fun even though the kids complained of the heat. We've already been to NRH2O twice and Katie has been asking to go again today. I need to go buy groceries because "there's NOTHING to eat in this house". Anyone want to contribute to the summer grocery fund???

Don called this morning to let us know that Katie was selected to play in the All-Star game on Saturday. Way to go Katie! So much for thinking that we had nothing to do this weekend. But it is an honor for Katie.

Next week Sarah and I will be working at Vacation Bible School at church. This will be Katie's last time to participate in the children's group. On July 26, she will promote to the 5th/6th grade student group called "Merge". How can she be headed to 5th grade? How can Sarah be an 8th grader? Wasn't I just crying about her starting middle school? June will also bring Kids Kamp...I plan to go back as a counselor with Katie. Don and Sarah will be going on the Mission Trip in July.

Whew......I get tired thinking of it all. But I know there will be lazy days in between all of the activities (like now I'm still in my pajamas). Hope you have a fun summer with your family! See you at the waterpark!

4th grade end of year party

Katie, Mrs. Latham, and her best friend Hannah at end of year party.

View of the new Dallas Cowboys stadium from the top of the Rangers stadium.

Don and the girls at the top of Rangers stadium.

Casting Crown concert before the Rangers game.

Hanging out with the Montgomery family at the concert and game.

Sitting at the top of the stadium. Go Rangers!

A week of grief

2009-05-26T08:31:00.007-05:00

What a week the Riley family has had. Last Wednesday morning I got a call from Don saying our friend Tony Johann had died. He had been undergoing cancer treatment, but no one was expecting him to die. He was 48 years old and shared the same birthday as Don - that was surreal to read in the obituary February 11, 1961. Then on Thursday night my Mom called to tell me that my cousin's 40 year old husband died. Maybe a heart attack, but don't know yet. I'm still in shock that two young fathers are gone. I've never had to try and schedule our time for two funerals in a matter of 24 hours. Right now I can't even express in words the grief our family feels. Please pray for both families. My cousin is Lori and her children are Hayden (1o) and Lauren (6). My other cousin Melany just posted on her blog and her words so capture my thoughts (click on her blog under "blogs I read"). Give your husband a hug today. Hold on to your children. Make sure you know your eternal destination. Life is way too short.

Here are the latest pictures of Sarah and Katie. Aren't they growing up so fast? For my friends who have small kids - cherish the days with them because they do grow up in the blink of an eye. I realize I only have a few short years left for them to be under my roof. I pray I will make the most of that time to guide them to become godly women.

Something's wrong with this picture!

2009-05-06T19:15:00.005-05:00

So here's a peek at what our Wii family looks like....do you see the resemblance? Well, I'm here to tell you that I'm in need of encouragement. I've been faithfully tracking my weight on the Wii Fit since January. I've been doing Weight Watchers for the same amount of time as well. I've been working out (on the Wii Fit and the gym) and have lost 15 pounds and almost 2 sizes. Yet this Wii "game" still calls me overweight, and I'm the chubby one of the Mii family!!!! How's a girl supposed to stay motivated? I'm very excited over my progress and the pounds and inches that have been lost. I'm still struggling to lose those last 5 pounds to reach my personal goal and doctors' advice (not to mention the Wii will finally tell me "normal weight"). Please cheer me on! Pray for me to finally stick to a healthier lifestyle. I don't think I have the option of returning to my old ways since I'm firmly stuck in the over 40 category, and according to my doctors, this is just part of the aging process - which is how I put on 20 pounds in the blink of an eye. Why do I see so many skinny 40 somethings at church? Do they have better genetics than I do? I'm looking forward to my new resurrection body, but until then, I'm praying to stay healthier and happier with this old body!

Dixie and Ranger (again)

2009-04-15T16:31:00.003-05:00

Dixie trying to get the last piece of dog food out of the bag.

This is Ranger every time we leave the house. So pitiful as we back out of the driveway!

I had to post these pics for my friend Stephanie who likes to post her dogs' pics. They do make you laugh. Researchers say that dog owners live longer, but have they been to my house?

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T09:44:00.005-05:00

We spent Easter Sunday with my Mom and attended her church at Prestonwood Baptist. We then ate a wonderful buffet that was there at the church. We won't talk about how many desserts Katie ate.....just thankful that she has Don's metabolism. After we got home, I took the girls to see the Hannah Montana movie while Don stayed behind to watch the Master's golf tournament.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-10T07:40:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter and may you know the joy and freedom found in Jesus' sacrifice and His resurrection!

No eggs hunts this year :( Katie is now in 4th grade and she said they think you're now too old. She said they had to give up playground time while the 3rd graders had their egg hunt at school....bummer! Sarah tried to comfort her with her 13 year old wisdom by telling her that once you hit 4th grade you start getting too old for many things. So true and so sad. We're going to enjoy our day off today. The girls are still asleep, I'm enjoying my coffee and need to go to workout before I do my Friday weigh-in for Weight Watchers. Don's coming home at noon and the girls are having friends over for a sleepover tonight, so I better enjoy the quiet now.

We're going to our church service tonight at 7:00 and then will go to church with my Mom on Sunday. Again, Happy Easter and many blessings to my friends and family.

Katie's pitching debut....go Barracudas!

2009-04-04T16:17:00.003-05:00

Softball season started today and Katie made her pitching debut. She was quite nervous, but she did really well. She was bummed (as were the coaches) that the umpire didn't know you could call strikes in this league. It was about the 4th inning before he realized it and stepped behind the plate!!! Katie got the first hit for the team and scored the first run....yeah Katie! Unfortunately they lost the game 7-3 (I think). She didn't pitch the second game of the day, but played left field and then 3rd base. She got a few more hits and scored some runs. Again they lost, but this time 8-7....not too bad. These two games don't count for the season record, so hopefully everyone got rid of the nerves and will be ready to go for the next game on Thursday night. I'm so proud of Katie for pitching. She did not pitch at all last season and it took a lot of courage to try something new. Way to go!!

Happy Day - the braces are off !

2009-03-25T12:47:00.003-05:00

Today was a big day for Sarah. The braces came off after 3 years - which included an expander, full braces, headgear, and rubber bands! Don asked her if she would like to go to her favorite restaurant tonight to celebrate. She said she just wants to bite into an apple without having it cut up into pieces. I guess I can handle that, but we'll see if she changes her mind tonight.
Congratulations Sarah, you have a beautiful smile. I remember 3 years ago when you wouldn't smile :(

Enjoy your apple tonight!

Heading to the orthodontist for 9 am appointment.

The sign when we walked in the front door. They are a wonderful office! It's Dr. David McReynolds is case you need braces.

Let's get them off!

Leaving the office with balloons, t-shirt, and a cup full of goodies. Beautiful!

The Laundry Room

2009-03-10T18:42:00.008-05:00

This is not a very exciting post, but to tell you the truth, I'm tired of seeing the post of Sam.

Whenever I pulled up my blog to check on my friends and their posts, I kept seeing the poor dog's face and needed to move on. So here are pictures from my latest project.

Last week I was checking out my friend Suzie's post and she was about to reorganize/decorate her laundry room. She just had to go and post pics from HGTV - my downfall. Don says that channel creates way too much work for him!! Anyway, I have been wanting to declutter for a while, but lacked the motivation - so thanks Suzie for inspiring me.

I love Hobby Lobby!!! I got the wall hangings there (50% off, of course). The bench was marked down by $100 because of some scratches, but I can fix that easily. So I took my Mom in with me on Saturday and the furniture was 30% off, but she got them to come down t0 40% off the already reduced price. So it was a huge savings!!! Thanks Mom! I still am looking for a rug to put in front of the washer/dryer. I'll eventually find a bargain.

The most fun room in the house! The girls have their computer in the corner too. I think I need a new laundry basket???

I had this already and am going to paint it black.

The hook (also from Hobby Lobby) for the "dog corner". Now they have a place for their leashes.

What I now see when I go out the door to the garage. Much better than a blank wall.

The BIG bargain of the day! The baskets were black and I painted them red. Sarah and Katie now each have a basket for their many shoes that just ended up all over the floor. I filled the middle one with the many hats, scarves, and gloves that were also just laying around in there.

Bye to Sam

2009-02-23T20:19:00.007-06:00

18 month old Sarah feeding Sam

Grace and Sam - fall of 1994 (our house in Euless)

Friday was a hard day for the Riley family. It was finally time to say goodbye to Sam after 14 years. She had pretty much quit eating last week and the decision we had been putting off had to be made. Sam came into our family in the fall of 1994 when Don brought her home from the animal shelter (without me knowing). Does this have a familiar ring? Anyway, we had been talking about getting a friend for our black lab Grace since we were trying to get pregnant and didn't want Grace to be lonely. Sarah was born in November 1995 and the two black dogs were always around. Grace died in May of 2006 and now Sam is gone. I'm thankful for the wonderful years we had with her, and she was one of our first "children". Here are a couple of old photos. Our family will appreciate the memories as Grace and Sam were the first generation of Riley dogs. I hope the next generation (Dixie and Ranger) have as many years with us.

Videos from TMEA performance

2009-02-20T10:26:00.006-06:00

Someone did not follow the posted rules and recorded some of choir performances at the TMEA convention. But I won't be too mad, since now I can share with family and friends! The challenge is to find Sarah......(look under the director's right arm). I promise this will be the last time for choir posts, but thanks for indulging a proud Mom!

This one is "Fix You" by Cold Play
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4B2mlN_I0c&feature=related

This one is "Gloria" , "Remember Me", and "Singabahambayo"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-3sRjipLLw&feature=related

This one is "Oh Lord how excellent is thy Name"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1lqW2wQigw&feature=related

From the rehearsal "Kikkehihi"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpdgHSQTXEI&feature=related

Choir performance at TMEA convention

2009-02-17T18:09:00.012-06:00

Wednesday night rehearsal

At the hotel

Wednesday night dinner at La Margarita

Waiting to get changed and perform

With Mrs. Crawford, choir director

Right after performance.

On the Riverwalk after lunch at Hard Rock Cafe.

Here are a few photos from our trip to San Antonio last week with Sarah's choir. To sum up their performance I will share this story. They were assigned to perform in this large ballroom and at least 1,000 people were at this particular performance. A woman not affiliated with our school was sitting next to Don and I. When the choir finished, she said "that was amazing!". We heard so many beautiful comments about this choir. Their director had them singing some college level music and you could tell how complicated it was, but their harmony was perfect. I think the girls learned a valuable lesson.....you can do anything you put your mind to and can achieve greatness through hardwork and dedication. I hope they take this lesson and apply it to other areas in their young lives. Mrs. Crawford does an incredible job of challenging these girls, helping them achieve their full potential, and then celebrating their success. Great job Sarah (and to the other 64 girls)!!

Today is February 11 - Happy Birthday to Don!!

2009-02-08T17:53:00.012-06:00

Don 2009 - 48 years old

Don 1979 - 18 years old (love the hair!)

Happy Birthday to Don!! Or as the girls say...."you're old Daddy". When we first met, he did have blonde hair, but just not the long locks (he was in the Air Force). He says it took lots of hairspray to maintain that look back in the 70's. Everyone always wonders where our girls get their blonde hair, now you know!!!

We will be celebrating his birthday in San Antonio. We're leaving this morning to go with Sarah's choir for their TMEA performance. Looks like Mexican food is a must for tonight!!

I will set aside my sarcastic sense of humor for a minute to let Don know how much I appreciate him. He ALWAYS puts our family first and is 100% involved and engaged with our family. I tell the girls they are so lucky to have a daddy like Don. I didn't have that experience growing up and I know he is shaping our girls to become wonderful women. Thank you Don for adding fun to our family. If it were up to me, we would be totally practical and never leave home. After 18 years of marriage I think I'm starting to learn to go with the flow (Don is saying "oh, really"). But thanks for loving me when I don't. I'm so grateful that he is slow to anger and puts up with my tirades over the "ant hills" as he calls them. And just because he loves me, he cleaned out his closet!!! Probably got tired of hearing me complain, and even though the mess didn't bother him, he spent the time to make me happy. Don is a wonderful man, friend, husband, and father. I pray for my girls to marry someone like their daddy. We've grown up together over the last 18 years, and I can't imagine life without him.

I love you Don and Happy Birthday!!! Can I be sarcastic now and crack some old-man jokes???

Dull Week

2009-02-04T12:19:00.007-06:00

Here's a quick snapshot of what's been happening in the Riley house......

Friday - Kim notices swelling under arm; Katie spends the night with a friend

Saturday - swelling of lymph nodes make armpit look like horror movie; Sarah has choir rehearsal for upcoming TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) - see previous post on 1/16/09.

Sunday - Katie is extremely cranky getting ready for church; Kim's armpit hurts! Katie comes home with fever. We all watch Superbowl with Katie sick and Kim with low grade fever. Woo Hoo!!! I bet no one else had such a great Superbowl Party!

Monday - Katie wakes up at 4:30 with 102 fever and throwing up; Kim notices red streaks running up arm. Don goes to work, Kim calls doctor, Katie goes to doctor, Don comes home, Kim goes to doctor!!!! Katie is negative for flu/strep. Kim has infection from shaving cut (we think) and is on antibiotics and told to make sure and have annual mammogram (it was already scheduled for later this month).

Tuesday - Katie wakes up at 5:30 with 101 fever and throwing up. Don goes to work, Kim can't go to work. Don comes home at 11:00. Kim goes to take Sarah her wallet at school for the book fair (at least she asked for her own money) and then goes to work. Kim comes home at 2:00 so Don can go to appointment with oral surgeon. It's now 4:30 and Sarah cries over algebra homework, Don says "I'm going running!" Sarah has to get dressed to be at school at 5:30 for dress rehearsal concert (full makeup, hair, dress, hose, puffy eyes from crying).
Kim runs to WalMart for groceries/medicine and gets back in time for Don to go to 7:00 concert with Sarah's choir. Kim and Katie watch American Idol, Don and Sarah get home about 7:45.

Wednesday - Katie wakes up at 1:30 with 102 fever, Don gives her medicine and water. Katie wakes up at 6:30 with 101.9 fever , throwing up and is becoming a difficult patient. Sarah makes it to school on time. Don goes to work and Kim stays home and misses first day of new Bible study. It's now 12:30 and Katie had 102.5 fever an hour ago. I talked with nurse and she told me to keep doing what I'm doing and call back tomorrow if her cough gets worse and we may do a chest x-ray.

So far no one else is sick. I'm doing better; the redness is gone and swelling down. Don has an appointment in another week to get his implant from a tooth that was extracted last year. Sarah is excited about the trip to San Antonio next Wednesday for TMEA. Don and I are going with her as long as everyone can get well and stay well.

I sure wish the week would get a little more exciting!!!

p.s. there has been a bright spot in my life. Last week I got an anonymous note in the mail from someone in church who wants to be my "secret encourager". She wrote some very uplifting words and says she prays for me. She left me flowers in the student area where I teach on Sunday mornings, and I just received another note in the mail. She calls herself "Sophie" and will later reveal her identity. So "Sophie" if you happen to be a reader of my blog......thank you!!!! You have brought great joy to my heart over the last week.

More dog pictures

2009-01-23T18:43:00.005-06:00

Sam: "Does anyone know of a retirement home for old dogs?"

Sam: "Why did my family bring home 2 crazy dogs?"

Dixie: "I'm tired after going on a run with Don, but give me a tennis ball and I'll play!"

Ranger: "Why do Sarah and Katie keep humiliating me? I've got to quit being so nice!"

I had to post this funny picture of Ranger and then thought I would add the other 2 dogs as well. Don and I are struggling to make a decision about Sam, our 15 year old lab mix. She is not doing well health wise, and we took her to the Vet today to talk about options. She is just not the same dog she used to be and part of it is old age and having 2 young dogs around who constantly harass her. Sometimes we feel for her safety because Dixie and Ranger can be so rough with her. Anyway, without going into all the pros and cons, please keep our family in your prayers as we try to decide what is best for Sam and for our family. And to all of you dog lovers out there, don't read or go see "Marley and Me" without plenty of Kleenex!

Volunteer Mom

2009-01-16T12:13:00.010-06:00

Being silly....they wanted me to catch them jumping, but I couldn't quite get the timing right!

Here's my piece of advice for today....when your 13 year old daughter asks you to drive some of the choir girls to get their pictures made, DO IT!!!

The Smithfield Middle School girls Varsity choir needed to have pictures made for their upcoming February performance in San Antonio for the TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association). This is an invitation only performance for choirs across the state of Texas. The choir director says it's like the football team going to the state championship.

So, they needed to have pictures taken to create a program they will take to the performance and couldn't secure school buses to drive the girls. On Monday, Sarah calls and asks me if I can drive some girls on Wednesday. How could I turn down her request? We met after school and I watched in amazement as 65 girls poured into the choir room to change into their formal dresses. The clothes were flying, hair being styled, makeup being applied, giggling, talking, just imagine. I just took it all in.

I drove Sarah and 2 of her good friends to the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens for their pictures. We were there from about 4:30-5:30 as they took small group pictures and the large group shot. Then the photographer handed her expensive cameras to these 7th/8th grade girls for them to take candid shots of each other. She's braver than I would be. I got some nice shots of the girls and am glad I got to see this wonderful group of girls and their bubbly personalities. The ride home was long because of rush hour traffic and one highway accident. But it was great being a "fly on the wall" as the 3 girls giggled and talked non-stop in the back seat. I won't share any info since I don't want to embarrass Sarah. But oh what you can find out just by driving 13 year olds around. I'm very proud of Sarah and the girls she calls friends. So if you are ever wondering whether or not to chaperone your teenage kids, go for it, you just might have fun and learn more about your child.

Dogs rule!

2009-01-08T19:07:00.008-06:00

I just had to post these cute pictures and ask the question.....who's really "living the life of Riley" in our house? Dixie and Ranger or us mere humans?

Riley Reunion Pictures

2009-01-05T19:54:00.001-06:00

Riley Reunion

2009-01-05T14:23:00.011-06:00

We had so much fun during our week in Gulf Shores. The beach house was incredible, the weather beautiful, and so many laughs with family we hadn't seen in 3 years. We spent time on the beach and I think my two girls were the only ones to come back completely wet. Too cold for me to even put my toes in. We enjoyed a private group dolphin cruise and saw several dolphins up close and personal. After the cruise all 34 of us went to eat at Lambert's - "home of the throwed roll". What a fun place to eat and way, way too much food. Several family members visited the USS Alabama and Fort Morgan. There were lots of games and cards played and many laughs to go along with the fun.

New Year's Eve brought about an impromptu talent show with many participants. Don's cousin John should be voted "the most talented" (or at least the one brave enough to let us laugh at him through so many of his performances). The "east coast time zoners" could not figure out how to celebrate New Year's when the ball in Times' Square actually dropped at 11 p.m. central time. I think Don and I helped them understand.

New Year's Day was spent watching football games, walks on the beach, family pictures, book reading, game playing, and overall just relaxing. It was such a peaceful place to bring in the New Year. Can't wait to do it again in 3 years........where will we go?????

Oh, by the way, I need to tell about our "red-neck traveling". Don just had to take the new truck to show it off to his family. Since it was raining on the day we left, he packed our luggage in black garbage bags. What a sight.....driving down the highway in the rain, with bags flapping in the wind. To add to the shame, we stopped at a hotel on the way down and the bell boy had to carry the garbage bags on the cart up to our room. What a memory!

Wii wish you a Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T18:25:00.006-06:00

It was a Wii Christmas at our house this year.....the game system, games, remotes, nunchucks, and how much stuff do you need to go with this?? Still trying to figure this all out and wondering why was everyone laughing when I tried the bowling? My Mom got me the Wii Fit to help out with my fitness goals, but I need to get over the game's warning...."your age, weight, and BMI will appear on the screen for others to see"....do I really want Don to know how much I weigh?

This is short for now....got to go pack for our trip tomorrow. We're going to a Riley family reunion with all of Don's immediate and extended family. A total of 35 people, ages 5-72 in a 12 bedroom beach house in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We did this 3 years ago and had a blast.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and we wish you a Happy New Year!

Gingerbread House

2008-12-23T08:21:00.003-06:00

Monday was the first day out of school for the girls and it didn't take long to hear "I'm bored"! Sarah was content to watch t.v. and stay on the computer for a while, but Katie needs to be entertained (just like her daddy). Katie had wanted to make a gingerbread house this year, so we had bought a kit on Sunday afternoon. So after I had finished working around the house, Katie had cleaned windows, and they both dusted, we decided to tackle the gingerbread house. I think it turned out pretty good. Now the challenge is keeping the dogs away. Dixie keeps sniffing around the counter. I think we have it pushed back far enough, but she can be quite persistent. Here are a few pictures of the girls' creation.

Beautiful Feet

2008-12-20T08:24:00.007-06:00

For the past 7 or more years our family has been part of the Christmas ministry at the Beautiful Feet Mission in Ft. Worth. Many years ago our church would have the various Sunday School classes adopt families and buy gifts and then deliver to the families in the inner-city of Ft. Worth. Because our church now has Mission Colleyville (outreach to local families), this project has stayed alive in our church because of our friend Greg Montgomery. Anyway, we have been buying gifts and taking part in this ministry and it is such a blessing and an eye-opener. When we first started, the girls were very young and I didn't think it safe to take them. But they have been going for at least the last 5 years and even this year, asked without prompting, when are we doing Beautiful Feet.

I wanted to share about one family we delivered to last night. It was a 74 year old great-grandmother and lots of people living in her house. We took gifts that different people had bought for the 6 kids ranging in age from 2 up to 12. We are driving around in this dark, run-down neighborhood trying to find the house number. You know you are out of your comfort zone when you see a house with a giant black Santa face on the front door. There are groups of black men/boys hanging around in front yards and Katie says "I hope we don't get beat up". We try to reassure the girls that God will protect us while we are doing work for Him. Don and I weren't so much fearful but just uncomfortable. It is a whole other world that we don't even think about existing.

So when we find the house, the grandmother and a little girl are on the front porch waiting for us. The little girl runs out to the truck so excited. The four of us unload 8 large garbage bags full of presents and a box of food. The girl tells me her name is "Sweet Pea" and she is 10 years old and in 4th grade (the same as Katie). How surreal to see Katie standing next to this girl in this run-down house! What 2 different lives they live but both loved equally by God. Then one by one kids just start coming out of the back bedroom. The grandmother has a switch (yes, a small tree branch) in her hands and tells them to get away, the presents are for Christmas! Don then tells her that he wants to make sure she knows about the true Christmas gift of Jesus. She says, "oh yes, honey, that's how I've survived for 74 years". I asked "Sweet Pea" if she knew Jesus and she shakes her head yes and smiles so big.

As we left, the girl runs out in the yard as her cousins (2 big black guys) are walking up to the dark house. She starts yelling "we got a turkey!". How many of our kids would be more excited over a turkey than bags of presents?

We had some really good discussions in the car as we drove to the next family. This always helps our family keep focused on how blessed we are. If you are ever looking for a ministry to be a part of check out the Beautiful Feet website. Also if you are wondering why the name of "Beautiful Feet", it comes from Isaiah 52:7 (and quoted in Romans 10:15) "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

May your family know the true spirit of Christmas and realize how blessed you are!

Favorite Christmas Ornaments (a "tag" from Cristi)

2008-12-16T08:48:00.018-06:00

My friend Cristi G. has posted on her blog some of her favorite Christmas ornaments and has "tagged" her friends to do the same. This is a new "blog term" for me, but I'll take the challenge and show off some of my favorites.

Each year my Mom (Nana) gives Sarah and Katie an ornament. I have them all labeled with the year and supposedly when they leave home, they will take them for their first Christmas tree. The only problem is that over the years they have become some of my favorites and make me sentimental. I don't know if I'll be able to give them up one day. We also have a family tradition of picking up an ornament when we are on vacation. So we have several Mickey Mouse ones, beach themed ones, ones from Don's parents and ones with the girls' names from our travels. It's hard to pick favorites because our tree is a mix of special memories and ornaments that represent different times in our family's life over the past 18 years. I do have to say that we went through a Barbie phase for a few years and I finally had to say "take them off the family tree and put them on the tree in your bedroom."

But here are a few of the ones that make me smile.......

Don's favorite! His cousin gave us a box of miscellaneous ornaments as a wedding gift since we were married on December 1. It was a fun wedding gift.

This was our first "baby". Our black lab puppy (Grace) we got the spring after we were married. We had her 5 years before having Sarah. After 15 years, she died in Spring of 2006. All 3 of our current dogs now have their own ornaments on the tree.

To Sarah from Nana (1995 Santa, 1996 Mickey/Minnie). When Sarah was 1 year old she loved Mickey. The Santa ornament was when she was 1 month old.

To Katie from Nana 1999. This was when Katie was 1 year old. I love it because the chubby little cheeks remind me of Katie when she was a baby.

To Sarah from Nana (2006). I just love this sweet angel. Katie has one similar. I have a lot of different angels on my tree.

One of my favorite snowmen. He belongs to a set of three I got one year after Christmas at the Hallmark store. I tend to pick up Santas, snowmen, and angels.

I have several nativity and cross ornaments. I like this one because it reminds me of why we celebrate Christmas!

These are not ornaments, but favorites. The Santa countdown has pockets and 24 felt ornaments that the girls put in each day. They alternate years for who gets to put Santa in on the 24th. This is the first Christmas that the truth about Santa is known to both of them. The other is a musical snowglobe that Don's Mom gave me early in our marriage. It plays "Silent Night" and the Christmas story scenes rotate around the base.

Sarah's Vocal Performances

2008-12-15T12:40:00.010-06:00

Last week was a busy week (besides the excitement of the truck). Monday night Sarah had a voice recital. She and her best friend Jamie take voice lessons together at school. Then on Tuesday night, Sarah's middle school choir had their winter concert. Sarah is part of the 7th/8th grade Varsity Choir. She tried out at the end of 6th grade and to my surprise made the choir. Not surprising because of her singing voice, but she didn't tell me she was trying out. The choir is incredible. About 70 girls singing in perfect harmony. Not your typical elementary school program, but the kind of singing that gives you chills and a very small glimpse of what a heavenly choir must sound like. So here are some pictures of Sarah's performance. Sarah, I'm very proud of you. You have a lot of courage to stand up there and sing by yourself!

Real Texan or Mid-life Crisis....you decide

2008-12-12T09:08:00.011-06:00

I don't even know where to begin with Don's latest purchase. But I'll start with a little background so you can fully appreciate the entire story. About 8 months ago, Don's Honda Accord was on it's last legs and he began the search for a used car. He ended up finding a Mazda 3 for sale by owner and took a few weeks to work out the deal. So one day I pull up in the driveway to see him unloading the junk from his trunk while two men were standing there waiting. He had sold the Honda without getting the Mazda. So, he tells me "it was a good deal and I had to take it today." So he thinks he'll get the Mazda in a couple of days. Well, it took almost a month because of title problems, and we were a one car family. He was excited because it was a stick shift and he thought it was cool and made him feel young. Now to bring you up to the present........

Last week he starts looking at truck ads and saying "they're practically giving away trucks, I've always wanted a truck!". I give my wise wifely advice and tell him "to proceed with caution", "this is not practical", "can we afford this", yada... yada ....yada. I begin to see the twinkle in his eyes and know there is no stopping him. The girls start teasing him that he's going through a mid-life crisis. So I tell him, if you can make a deal with no change in our car payment you can do it (thinking, no way can this happen).

WELL.....I pick the girls up from school on Wednesday and we head to the mall for Katie's eye exam and then we did some shopping. When we got home we saw to our surprise a red truck in the driveway. The girls start yelling "Daddy's having a mid-life crisis!!!". I just shake my head and think "he really needs another man around so he'll quit doing these crazy things!" He just keeps saying "I'm a real Texan now!" But I don't chastise him because he looks like a little boy on Christmas morning. I guess sometimes I just need to let him have his "manly impulse moments" as long as they don't put us in total financial jeopardy. For all of you men out there, it is a Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab.

My only negative comment was that his last surprise he brought home ended up costing us $2,000 in vet bills. That's a whole other story involving the white lab dog he brought home from the animal shelter (see our Christmas card). Yes, he brought home a dog without anyone knowing. You gotta love him!

Christmas in the Riley house

2008-12-07T16:21:00.005-06:00

Sarah has informed me that I need to add something "Christmasy" to my blog. I sure didn't know when I started this I would be getting pressure from my own daughter. But I'll try and add a little of how we have started the Christmas season.

Last weekend we put up our tree and Don did the lights on the house. The girls think we have a gingerbread house ( I think it looks that way too). Maybe I'll try a night photo and see what happens. Also we are starting a new tradition with "the Pickle Ornament". Apparently you hide this beautiful pickle shaped ornament on your tree on Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning whoever finds it first gets to open the first present. Thanks to Nana for getting this for the girls, it sounds like fun!

We went to the Grapevine Botanical Gardens today and tried to get Christmas card photos. I've included some "out takes" for your laughing pleasure. We took two of our three (yes, 3) dogs, but ended up having to put Dixie (our yellow lab) in the car because she was too crazy. Ranger (our white lab mix) did ok for a few shots. The girls were absolutely nuts. I just kept thinking....."they don't act like this when Kim Lewandowski takes their pictures". Don was way into being a photographer and if the girls had been real clients I would have charged their mother an extra fee!! Anyway, maybe we got a few good ones. When we were done, Don and I were in much need of a Sonic drink (diet Coke for him and diet Dr. Pepper with vanilla for me).

We got a new camera as an early Christmas gift to ourselves, so Don was still working out the kinks. So, for now I've just sent a few prints to one hour processing to see how they look. Don is watching the Cowboys, and the girls are doing something together and I don't hear any fighting (Merry Christmas to me!).

For Better or Worse.......18 years and counting

2008-12-01T13:12:00.003-06:00

Today Don and I have been married 18 years. If you've read my last 2 posts you're probably wondering how many more celebrations can that family have. Well, in a 5 week period we have 2 kids birthdays, Thanksgiving and wedding anniversary......which one do you think gets the least attention?? Don and I did manage to go out for dinner last night. And to our surprise when we got home, both girls had taken a shower without being told. I told you I was thankful for having a built-in babysitter. They also entertained us with a Christmas musical skit since we put up the tree yesterday. What more could I want.....dinner and theater in one night.

Happy Anniversary Don!!! We have had many ups and downs over the years, but God's grace has kept us together through the hard times. I know we'll have many more years of adventure ahead. We may not be as young as we were in this photo, but we have much more wisdom and a deeper love than on December 1, 1990.

Happy Birthday Sarah (and Happy Thanksgiving) !!

2008-11-26T18:16:00.008-06:00

This Thanksgiving we are also celebrating Sarah's 13th birthday. It's hard to believe we are parents of a teenager. How did that happen so fast? Since her birthday is on Thanksgiving day this year, she had a party with her friends a few weeks ago. She invited 3 friends over for a night at the movies and a sleepover. We went to see Madagascar 2 (at 8:30, thank goodness, not too late). Before leaving they ate cake, opened presents, and just hung out in Sarah's room for a while. They actually all were asleep by midnight. Not quite the party animals like Katie and her friends.

My Mom took Sarah last Saturday for a beauty day out. She had her hair cut and styled and then had a lesson in makeup application. I can't believe she's interested in makeup. But for now I'm sure it will only be for special occasions. Sarah has it down to exactly the last possible minute she can sleep and still make it to school on time. So I don't see hair and makeup happening on school mornings yet. I went with my mom and Sarah and we enjoyed our day together. My mom wanted to take Sarah for a nice lunch, but she just wanted to go to Chick-Fil-A (still the little girl in her). Then we tried to go shopping, but she saw nothing she liked, and just shrugged her shoulders. She did find some new earrings that look quite cute on her. It feels like we've been celebrating her birthday for weeks now, so I'm looking forward to the "real" day on Thursday and then moving on into the Christmas season.

I thought I would add some thoughts to our life with a new teenager. For those of you who have gone before me, hope this makes you smile. I did try to keep it positive since we are celebrating Thanksgiving.....so Sarah, there's no mention of the eye rolling and door slamming :)

TOP TEN REASONS TO BE THANKFUL FOR HAVING A
TEENAGER IN THE HOUSE

10) having a “babysitter” for my 10 year old
9) being able to have “mature” conversations (even if they make me blush)
8) sharing shoes since she is now my size (wish we could share jeans)
7) the moments when she comes out of her room to participate in family game/movie night
6) she still likes to hang out at our house with her friends
5) we share more of the same tastes in movies (no longer just Disney animation)
4) she likes my radio station (94.9 KLTY, Christian music)
3) she doesn’t need as much help with homework and school projects
2) having someone else in the house who can understand PMS (yes Don, it’s real)
1) she still gives me hugs at bedtime and says “I love you too”

Katie's birthday weekend

2008-11-20T16:56:00.004-06:00

This entry is a little late, but since I just started this blog I have an excuse. But I did want to write about Katie's 10th birthday that was on October 26. Boy, was it a busy weekend. She had a party on Friday night the 24th. Three of her friends came over at 4:30. We then went to the school's fall carnival after eating pizza. We got home around 7 and opened presents and had cake and ice cream (notice the movie party theme). Then we left home around 9:00 to attend the 10:00 opening night movie of "High School Musical 3". Since Katie was turning 10, she wanted to go to a 10:00 movie. I was the lucky one to go and shut the theater down at 12:30 am. They finally went to sleep at 4 am and then were up at 7 am on Saturday morning. It wouldn't have been so bad, but we had to be at church at 3:00 Saturday to work our annual mission outreach project. We stayed there until 8 pm. Sunday morning was Katie's birthday and she was baptized in the worship service. So we were really celebrating 2 birthdays!!! Then that afternoon we worked at the church's trunk-or-treat from 3-6 pm while Sarah performed in the black light puppet show. Could we have possibly done anything else during the weekend?? It was busy, and we were so tired, but a wonderful celebration for Katie. I just can't believe my baby is 10!

Why the title of my blog?????

2008-11-19T09:51:00.002-06:00

As I was setting up this blog site, I had trouble thinking of a name. I wanted something to play off our family name. I've always heard the phrase "living the life of Riley", but wasn't sure of the full meaning. So, of course you can find anything on the web, so I did a little research, and here's what I found. There was a radio comedy series in the 1940's and then a TV show in the 50's called "The Life of Riley". But the phrase "living the life of Riley" means you have an ideal life of prosperity and contentment. So, I had to wonder, does this really apply to the crazy life of my family. The answer is "yes", but only because of our dependence on Jesus Christ. Because of what He has done for me and my family, we truly are prosperous and do have internal contentment when the world around us seems so out of control. I have been thinking about this as Thanksgiving approaches, because so many families are struggling. We may have a tight budget, but God always provides for our needs and we really don't have it so bad. So, this season, I'm thankful that because of Christ, our family is truly "living the life of Riley".

P.S. here are a few pictures from our October vacation to San Francisco.

Let's try blogging

2008-11-18T19:42:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been looking at other people's blog and find it really fun. So, I guess I will give it a try. Hopefully it will be a way to let our out of town families keep up with our crazy life. I'll try and post often, but don't know how this will go.