FOR BOBBI~

Made your chicken tomato alfredo recipe and I have to tell you, my husband thought it was best italian meal he's ever had!!!!! It was such a hit and so incredibly easy. I followed your suggestions to a tee...even down to the baguette bread to slop up the sauce. So THANK YOU! This was delicious and it's going in my make again and again pile. I recommend Bobbi's great recipe to everyone! Yum-o!

It was FABULOUS Saturday at our house! My only brother from Chicago decided to come for a visit with 2 of their 3 kids and we had a blast! Since they live so far away, we don't get together more than once a year but when we do, it's like no time has passed between us. First photo is me and brother, Brian, 2nd photo is the cousins (minus Brian's 14 yr. old who had to stay home with mom for football practices), 3rd photo is Brian and I with our dad and 4th photo is the kids playing. Which is what they did all day. Literally. I just cherished that day, being with them was so awesome. I think the all the kids thought the exact same thing. Already looking forward to the next time!

I know it's not the nicest phrase in the world but after school started for my 1st grader, 3rd grader and 6th grader, all I can say is...holy crap!

It's middle school for the oldest and needless to say, it's quite the experience, dropping him off with a million other kids whom I have no idea who they are, watching him go off to make choices that I no longer have control over. He's in the first photo opening his time capsule they made last January. The rule was to open it the day before middle school. He read the letters from his friends, his teachers, me. There were some photos and some neat things to remember elementary school. Yes, I cried. I figured I may as well let it out then in the privacy of our backyard instead of at the school yard! I can't tell you how much i want to stand out front of the school like I used to, watching him go in, just to make sure he's in safe. umm, can't do that anymore. I have let him go, off to the world of Middle School. Kind of gives me that funny feeling in the pit of my stomach if I think about it too much. They're all doing great though and although a little sleepier at night, things are going well. Scheww.

Schweeew...August has been such a hectic month but it's been so much fun! My dancing girls are preparing for their annual Riverboat Days performance and that means lots of dress rehearsals. But it's all worth it when they put on the big show this weekend. We always look forward to Riverboat Days. It's a huge, huge event. Thousands and thousands of people flock to the river for food booths, crafts booths, bands, non-stop entertainment, a 2 hour parade, the dance recital and my favorite 5K.

So we're gearing up for the final hurrah before school starts. My girls have their routines down pat now and are ready for the audience. Kind of hard to believe it's here but there's no turning back now. We're set!

I love love love finding hidden treasures that look ugly but can make a beautiful picture. Take for instance this big slab of cement just sitting by the river. It's not attractive when you just glance at it...but I see it as something totally different and unique. These girls LOVED it. Very rustic. There's even some splattered paint or something on it. Or the piece of wood just nailed up to an abandoned building downtown. I love taking these "props" and making them pretty. The more unusual, the better. And so far, I've gotten rave reviews about these hidden blocks of cement. Now I just need to find some really cool graffiti...

I've been running almost everyday now. 2 races coming up which I'm looking forward to. I love to run. A lot of little problems get solved when I'm on my routes. It's my time to zone out and just go into my own little world and really enjoy the sights.

Have you ever had one of those days? Last week I had a couple of those days. My youngest had another one of her fainting spells one day which always throw me off. I know she's fine but it's so hard to watch. She lost a tooth, it bled, and down she went. We have decided we may have to pull her loose teeth out in her sleep or something!

It just seemed like a few things snowballed from there. Both my parents and step mom are having some health issues and it made me sad. To know they are getting older and realizing how my dad who normally is the most active person I know, is slowing down. I just hope and pray the doctors will be able to help.

School starts here in 16 days. My girls are excited to see their friends again and so is my son. The difference this year is that my son starts middle school. It's a whole new experience. All four elementary schools combine along with 7th and 8th graders, making for one big school. I worry about it at times, all the "stuff" he'll be exposed to. For so long, we can shelter them from a lot of things. Keep them in bubble in a way. But now, I realized he will have to fend for himself with some things. It's coming and there's nothing I can do but watch, trust him and hope that our parenting up to this point will keep him on the right path.

So here I am blogging about my worries to my blogfriends. I think you all know me better than my friends here at home! Sometimes I think about that. Out of the many friends I have here, there are very few that really, really know me. There are few that really know my beliefs, my worries, my happinesses and still love me anyway. That's why I love this blogging thing...I can reveal a lot in words and know that you'll read, understand and still keep coming back.

I was running Saturday, sweating like crazy in the heat, and remembered, worry is not a good word. Everything in life is really out of my control. I have to put it back into the hands of the one person who has control. God. Right then, the "sun" came back out and I was comforted. Amazing how that happens. No more clouds here, it's all sunshine this week.

I'm having a cloudy day...not partly cloudy, not mostly cloudy, but just down right cloudy. And the sun is shining brightly in the sky. The fears and worries are rearing their ugly heads. Maybe a run will help so I can figure this cloudy thing out. Until then, I hope the clouds give way to rays of sun very soon.