Fair Week Continues....

We decided to go out to the fair last night to take the girls and do rides. Matthew didn't go with us because he doesn't enjoy the fair at all. There are way too many noises (with the races and rodeo going on) and the rides just freak him out. He also gets sick in the heat so we decided to leave him at White Grandma's (Jeff's parents). So we took the girls, bought our wrist bands, rode three rides and a storm blew in. As we were leaving, we were headed toward our van when all of a sudden, this very loud burst of what sounded like firecrackers went off just above our heads. It was so loud and bright it almost landed me on the ground. I was holding Bethanie's hand and Jeff was holding Madison's hand and we all looked up to see what was happening. We realized in a quick instant, that while our bodies reacted to what happened before our brains did, that it was lightning that struck right above our heads. It hit the building we were next to and split the air and sparked on the building. It left a black mark on the ceiling of the building, then it bounced from there to a make-shift stage just beside the building. Two people were hurt in this incident. It could easily have been us. Poor Bethanie was stuck with me. She went into a panic attack. I wanted to but I had to control myself for her sake. I shoved her into the building that was hit and just held on to her. I don't know if it was more for my sake or hers. It was terrifying. Jeff and Madison were somewhere behind us. I don't even remember seeing them come into the building. Later, he said he wanted to just keep heading on toward the van (which was parked quite a ways a way). I don't remember ever being so scared before.

So tonight we decided that lightening probably wont strike twice in one place, so off to the fair we went. We took Matthew this time and as usual he hated it. But it is a good teaching time for him to learn that sometimes he has to do things that he doesn't like, to make his loved ones happy. We wonder how confusing the fair must be for him. He sees the rides, he hears people scream in fear and surprise (which makes him think 0f fear) but at the same time, those are the people laughing. How confusing it must be for him. Along with all the sensory issues going on for him at the same time. But he made effort and we all ended up having a great time.

Bethanie can hardly wait to see how much $ she won at the fair. She already has it spent (in her mind). LOL!

2010-2011 Fair Entries...

This collage is of Bethanie's pictures from this past school year. Some of the things she did at home. But she entered all 8 things this year. From left to right, here is how she scored:
Ranks: Purple=1st place; Blue=2nd place; Red=3rd place; White=4th place

Mona Lisa- blue ribbon
Owl- purple ribbon & BEST OF FAIR RIBBON!!!!
December Book-blue ribbon
Black Dog- purple ribbon
Statue of Liberty (my personal favorite)-purple ribbon
Fishing for Grandpa- purple ribbon
Blond Self Portrait- blue ribbon
Wolf painted on fabric-purple ribbon

So 5 1st places and 4 second place ribbons and one BEST OF FAIR RIBBON!!!



Now, Matthew also had one fair entry. I wasn't able to get a picture of it because it has been stored at grandma's house for safe keeping. It is a Lego semi rig that has hydraulics and is really awesome! He won a blue ribbon so he won 2nd place!

WAHOO! I love seeing the kids excited about their accomplishments! There are a lot of really fantastic things out there to see that are entered! Great work kids!!!

My sweet mom, Terry...

Today we celebrated my mom's 61st birthday at her home! What fun it is to spend such special days with one another. Mom has had a very tough year and a half, and seeing her smile and enjoy her party just melted my heart! I love her so much! I feel so loved by my Heavenly Father, simply because he gave such a wonderful and strong woman to love me. Her body spends most of its time torturing her, but her spirit within is so vibrant, loving and kind. I love you mom! I hope you had a great birthday party!

KiTcHeN GaDgEtS...

I think it is fairly safe to say that everyone who knows me, knows how much I love GADGETS. I am a Tupperware fan. I also like Pampered Chef stuff, but I LOVE Tupperware. So, out came this neat empanada maker thing-a-ma-jig. :) Today, I made 24 mini pies. Some were cherry and some were apple. It was the easiest thing ever to make. I have an awesome Canola Oil pie crust recipe that I use and it was so quick. My girlies love to come in and help me when I bake. This gadget is especially neat because not only does it crimp them, but it also cuts them in a perfect circle to make the pie. They also will go in the freezer quite nicely. I cant wait to try some pudding pies and some meat or breakfast pies!!!!

RaNdOmNeSs....

I am really trying to do better with blogging. It just seems like I don't get the chance to do it as often as I really want to. On the same hand, things here are fairly bland. Nothing new ever really happens. Mostly, the kids and I go to the pool almost daily. We are looking forward to the holiday weekend coming up.




A month or so ago, our refrigerator went out. We were spoiling milk like crazy before we realized what was going on. The food was just cold enough for us to not realize the fridge was bad. So I bought some thermometers for the fridge and freezer. As we learned, it was holding at just 41 degrees. We are lucky no one ended up sick with food poisoning. Who knows how long it was bad. So we found the coolest store in Clay Center Kansas. It is a scratch and dent store for appliances. Our fridge has one teeny flaw on it that isn't terribly noticeable, and it meant the difference of the price. We got the brand new fridge for half the price, with full warranty. What a DEAL!!! Its the one in the middle. :)

Kitty Carlisle, our sweet cat, is just two years old. He has not been feeling well for over a month. He just had his third round of medication to try to get him over this crazy illness. He seems more perky tonight. I planted catnip for him and have been giving him socks with it in it. He LOVES it a ton. It stinks. LOL!

Lady Bug is our sweet dog. We have had her for about 9 years. She got a nice grooming last week. She has been a good girl inside the house. She comes in several times a day. The girls love having her in. Matthew is doing just "OK" with it. Its my way of slowly getting him used to having a dog in the house. We are still working on getting a service dog for him.

It is hard to believe that I have been out of high school for 20 years now! I just cant believe that 20 years has passed us by! We have been in Kansas for 25 years on the first of June. Can you spot me in this picture? This was my ENTIRE senior class. :) One died during our senior year and he isn't pictured here.

I have been doing a lot of reading with my Kindle. I sure enjoy having it with me just in case I get an opportunity to read. I don't get a lot of time but when I can, I do enjoy it. Currently I am reading Anna Karenina.

Tomorrow, I take Matthew to get his eyes examined and to order him new glasses. It is my hope that he doesn't snap them in front of me again (or behind me). :P

Oh, and:

Autism: Meet Puberty. Just sayin.

OnE MoRe tHiNg...

I figure I had better get all my catching up done because who knows when I will get the chance to do it again!

I wanted to mention that my sweetie gave me a Kindle for my birthday last month. That's not what I wanted to mention, but I wanted to tell you a couple of really great books I read that touched me and wanted to recommend them!

The first one is a classic called Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
The other one I just finished last night was, "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom.

Both of these books were fantastic and I really recommend them. I am getting ready to start Anna Karenina.