What's on my Happy List Today?

Last Day of School- This day always comes with mixed emotions for me. We are all excited for the break from the school routine, the possibility of sleeping in and the lazy summer days that await us. On the other hand, I wonder where the time has gone and how the school year could possibly go by so quickly. For some reason on this day, it hits me extra hard how fast the kids are growing up. In many ways I want things to stay the same but knowing they can't, nor should they, I get a little sentimental and feel like shedding a tear or two. Here are the girls on the first day of school last August (above) and 9 months later on the last day of school. (below)

The girls received some great awards today in the school assembly..two were awarded a certificate in recognition of scoring in the top ten percent nationally in the Iowa testing..one high academic award...one outstanding citizenship award and one for story writing. Way to go girls! To celebrate we went to Mimi's Cafe for lunch. Grandma C. and daddy joined us in the fun. We've been collecting several of these Mimi Cafe certificates throughout the school year which are valid for a complimentary kid's meal. So all the kids ate free. Pretty good deal I'd say.

I love going to Mimi's! Gee, I wonder why? I love the French decor as you can imagine and wanted to take this menu and Paris sign off the wall and take it home with me.

We took the girls to B & N after we ate to use their $10 gift cards that Kyleigh and Emma received with their school awards. Back to back visits to Barnes and Noble was great, as I was just there yesterday, but going with Brie is another experience altogether. She was the nosiest customer of the day I'm sure and when she announced she wanted to take her dress and shoes off.... we bailed! This child would run around in her diaper all day long without a care in the world. I'll leave that though for another blog on learning to pick your battles. Here is little Brie Olivia at the restaurant and at B & N.

Visiting Teaching- I have the best Visiting Teachers! They are so faithful at coming to visit or making contact with me each month. (It helps that one of them is a very good friend of mine.) Last week she brought her favorite General Conference talk to share with me which was by Elder David A. Bednar...Ye Must Be Born Again...He talked about the process of personal spiritual rebirth and likened it to the process that a pickle goes through to become a cucumber...calling it the pickle parable. My visiting teacher brought me a jar of pickles to go along with the message. How cute was that? I'm a sucker for these creative visual teaching aides and wanted to do the same message for my visiting teachers this month. She willingly agreed that I could copy her idea. I dressed up these jars of pickles and gave them to the three ladies that I visit, along with the copied off conference report that they can read at their leisure. I really try to be a faithful visiting teacher and I could honestly say that if I would have been taking pictures of all the things that I've given my Visiting Teachers over the years I could have my own Visiting Teaching Gallery. Maybe I'll start one now.

Graduation Gifts- I am the proud aunt to TWENTY nieces and nephews, several niece and nephew-in-laws and a great aunt to two with two more on the way. It makes me sound old putting it out there like that but I'm really only 34 so some of these kids were more like brothers and sisters to me. Anyway, I have two nieces and one nephew graduating from high school so tis is the season for buying graduation gifts...I sent this ivory/clear bead jewelry set to my niece in Ohio. It looks like just something that she would wear. I love it and wouldn't mind one for myself actually. Don't even ask though how I got a picture of this when I didn't take one before I sent it to her. (You'll think I'm a nut ball knowing the effort I went through to get this and no, she didn't send the pic to me!)


The other niece is graduating next week. I have something up my sleeve to put together for her but will have to post later on that.

And now to my nephew who graduated tonight. I had a little more trouble deciding what to do for him. What do you get a 18 yr. old boy?!?!? I know he loves nachos so I did a little Mexican theme gift....all the things necessary to make his own yummy nachos as well as giving him a Cafe Rio gift certificate so that he can take his girlfriend out to dinner. I added fresh peppers tied with twine for an added touch.

and finally....the quote of the day....I want to get into your brain....said to me today by one of my girlfriends.