AeroGarden

March 17th: Wow look at the growth!

Feb. 14th: This is my Valentine's Day present. It is an AeroGarden. It has a water pump and grows seeds into plants by a grow light on a timer. I will take a picture of it in the daylight so it will show up better.....Thanks Dad. I love it!

Day one.

Jax Baby Booties

Aunt Dana made Baby Jax Baby Booties for Valentine's Day to match his hat. The picture below is an 8.5 X 10 sheet of paper to show the proportion of the booties.

Valentine's Envelopes

I made these for the kids for Valentine's Day and stuffed them with a love note and candy.

Rellik the silly dog

"Um...Mom? I would like to eat by the firelight tonight."

My Job

Friday is still embedded. It was a long and very busy day, not as busy as the rest of the week, but a day that made an impact on why I am a Family Health Care and what I really do.

It was the end of the day and I would have rather been leaving for the day because I was exhausted but with just one more hour to go we were met by our last appointment for the day. They were irritated by the traffic and the cold. They had poor directions and ended up in the wrong end of town. They were late and had to fill out a pile of paperwork to make things worse. They too were tired.

I am a glorified receptionists, more like a paralegal without the degree to back it. Most days I wish I was in that room listening to the problems and able to give out the answers that could fix them, but I sit on the other side of the door making sure they have dotted all the i's and crossed the t's, I set their appointments and I answer their calls. I wish I could fix them or at least help them. I am not the lawyer and I am not the law student.

Well Friday, I may have been priceless and no degree from any school or any plaque on a wall could have made more of an impact. My review is coming up and I want to change my title from Legal Coordinator for the Medical-Legal Family Health Services Clinic to The Listener.
I sat at my desk making small talk to the Aunt, the ride of the client. Talking about weather and the fish tank in my office. These are my "topics" I start with to pass the time in the waiting room. But this person took weather and fish and turned it into her story. Everyone has a story. Hers was sad. She was able to tell me about the loss of her husband of 15 years to a heart attack. She talked about the two funerals days apart. The one of her husband and the one of her niece that found her husband dead. The little girl died of a heart condition at 6. She told me about this wonderful man that served for our country and died because the V.A. doctor was busy and made a mistake that resulted in his fatal heart attack in the room with this little girl screaming. This brilliant little girl that left us too soon undiagnosed with a fatal heart condition. I am sure she has told this story a million times and will tell it a million more, but she told it to me.

She told me her story for 45 minutes with out a tear, just this glaze across the room. She was still numb from the losses. I said few words to her. What could a person say to that story? I choked back tears. I could hardly hold them back, but she wanted to tell her story with out the garbage attached with hollow cliche's that people say, like "I understand" and " I am sorry for your loss".

They left with a smile and had heartfelt goodbyes. But when they left I collapsed in my chair. It was like watching the towers from 9-11 collapse again. I could not believe what I heard, her story was so sad. And the phone rang I answered and it was them. The aunt wanted to tell me that the weather was getting bad and to be careful on my way home... because the weather report from when she came in had change since she left. She came in upset and left with a smile, a genuine smile and almost a look of relief.

They see the clients and I see the family or the person that gave them the ride. I hear their stories. I hear the stories of the long lines and smell at the homeless shelter. The many busses they had to take to ride across town. The neighborhood that is filled with drug dealers. The missed child support checks and the loss of yet another low paying job.

This is the beginning of our clinic. I am not able to give out professional advise, but I am the Listener. They may be able to fix the obvious, but I listen to them tell their story. Everyone has a story and just needs someone to listen.

Random Things About Me

Random Things About Me!
I posted this on Facebook (the great time waster) and people are still sending me comments. So I thought I would post it here also.
1. I could eat chips and salsa for a meal more than once a day.
2. I love the outdoors
3. I want to be a camp ranger when I retire
4. I grew up in a school bus my dad made into a mobile home and traveled the west coast & western stated till I was 7 years old.
5. My parents were gypsy's or Hippies- what every you would like to call them.
6. I was incredibly shy during my school days but look out now. You can't get me to shut up.
7. I wear contacts and I am literally blind with out them.
8. I fall asleep in long car rides
9. I love to help my family even though I complain.
10. I was a florist for 4 years in High school
11. I'm not afraid to tackle any job, you don't know if you can do it until you try.
12. I graduated from Highschool early-over acheiver!
13. I have been with my husband for 16 years-15 year ann. is TODAY.
14. I have my tonsils
15. I have had cancer and is in remission.
16. I have arthritis.
17. I don't have one favorite color- I love them all.
18. I met my hubby in a pool hall.
19. I have 3 tattoos
20. I was a lifeguard and managed a pool when I was 14 till I was 17-Best JOB as a TEEN!
21. I am still friends with my middle school best friend-Jenn
22. I love the sun
23. I wish I lived in Santa Barbara,California
24. If I see someone I know crying, I will tear up also. Sometimes, that's really embarrassing. Others will look at me like I am a fool and wonder what I am crying for.
25. I wish I was not stubborn and could get past being mad at family to go back to not being so
26. I have hundreds of skeins of yarn hidden in my home
27. Titanic and Armegeddon are my favorite movies
28. I was 106 pounds when I found out i was pregnent.
29. I have decided to go natural , Grey is okay
30. Facebook is a great time waster for me
31. I proud to be a part of the Roberts Family
32. I like all types of music
33. I don't have a favorite actor
34. I am a girl scout leader
35. I love to be barefoot
36. But I hate cold feet
37. I have spit milk out of my nose from laughing
38. I hit a girl in the head with a racket in 5th grade, gave her 3 stitches and she became my best friend from that for a few years.
39. I used to leave in the morning and come home at dusk in the summers as a kid.
40. I remember my address from childhood :6611 Overton
41. I can drive a stick shift
42. I am afraid of heights
43. I believe in ghosts and aliens
44. I have never smoked
45. My first car was a Plymoth Sapparo- they made like 2000 of them and they were junk.
46. I still care about the person that was my first Kiss. But do not regret breaking up with him.
47. My husband drives me nuts, but I like it.
48. My daughter is just like her dad, but I love it.
49. I want to take a trip to the beach to release my mom and my aunts ashes-I promised I would.
50. I say all the corney sayings my mom said and they finally make sense.

Welcome Baby Jax 2-9-09

Welcome Baby Jax!

On February 9, 2009 you were born at 5:30 am. At 6 lbs, 13 oz, and 19 inches...so tiny.

This morning I saw a rainbow over I-35 on my way to work.

The day began with a new Robert's, a Rainbow and the day set with a Full Moon.

Grandpa Bill is so proud of Jax. He thinks Jax looks just like Mason, his brother. And he does.

Even that tiny cry sounded like Mason.

Monica, looked wonderful. She was glowing. And Proud Pappa, Bill looked slightly stressed, proud and very tired, already.

(Bill was so anxious last night, anticipating that last night was the night.)

I don't take pictures hardly ever, but this was a great exception.

I am a very proud aunt.

I love all of my boys! Dad, Pete, Jarod, Mason, my pups and now Jax.

Oh, did I tell you that I made that orange cap.

Monica asked me to make an orange one to match his outfit to come home in.

I picked out this reall adorable monkey outfit that will match his hat later on.

The preemie sizes even looked big. I am sure he will fit in it soon.

This picture lights my heart.

My hubby and Jax.

There are the Boys and Miss Chelsie

Jarod and Miss Chelsie with Baby Jax.

Goals for 2009

This years goals:

Take Spanish Classes
Work out at least 3 times a week
Drink lots of water
Work to be taken off blood pressure meds
Learn to work more like a Paralegal & Social Worker
Go camping this summer
Send Chelsie to Winding River for camp
Find a nice house to rent or buy
Get rid of some of my clutter
Take a trip with my hubby even if it is just to Branson
Spend a couple of weekends at the lake house
Spend the summer photographing nature
Read all of the Twilight books
Get a Great Tan
Go on at least one hike
Have the most beautiful Sunflower garden this summer
Take one of the garden art classes Mirim told me about
Tame my hummingbirds so I can sit next to them
Buy a hammock
Garage sale till I pass out at least one weekend
Have my pumpkin patch again this year
Have a photograph published
Go to the Oprah
Go bowling
Buy the Tye Dyed Converse shoes at Oak Park Mall
Buy a SlapChop :)

Yarni Gras Blog

http://yarnigras.blogspot.com/search/label/crafty%20stuff

I found this blog and wanted to share. I need to poke around in there a bit to see what all else she has...

Invisible Mother

Invisible Mother Story...... It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask me a question. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone! One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England .. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does. We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.

This is the story behind the quote in my signature line of all of my emails-Dana Roberts

Troop 1407 Cookie Booth Sales 2009

98 Boxes Sold in 3 hours at Bass Pro Shop in Olathe, KS

Pete's Wreck

Pete's poor little red truck would not start in the freezing COLD, so dad let him take is FORD F150 to work. On his way home at 3:25pm, driving down Martha Truman Road, Pete and the oncoming car started sliding on packed snow. They collided.

After they collided, (the car above) another car could not slow and t-boned the FORD, Thankfully he hit the rear tire and "bumped" off the FORD with minor damages. The FORD has a paint mark and the Tano Cover seems to be tweeked, hopefully that will be fixable.

The PT Cruiser came to rest here. As you can see, Pete kept sliding down the ravine, but Pete was able to drive out and park on the road.

My heart sank when I saw how far he went down the hill. (Personally, I would have crapped my pants! He did not smell like he did.)

This is the damage that was done to her car. She had it towed off. She said she was on her way to WaysideWaifs to pick up her dog. I offered a ride to her, but her husband was going to pick her up from the tow lot and they would go get her dog.

This was the point of impact. You can see the tire marks where he tried to swerve out of the way to stop.

OUCH. All fixable and everyone was safe and un-injured.

While they waited for the Officer to make a report, two other cars rear-ended & Pete was t-boned. I was on the phone with him and heard him shriek at one point when another car almost hit another car. Missouri really has a problem.

I drove out to take Pete his wallet, because of course he left it at home today...at State Line coming from Kansas into Missouri, the roads went from dry as a bone to "OH MY GOD". They literally stop plowing at the state line and Missouri is just Horrible. Where do they put their tax dollars because it is not in the roads!

So, this is the same road that Pete totaled his red pickup this past Spring, on his way into work one morning, when he hit a deer. He was able to buy parts and fix the Red truck maybe he can be so lucky with the FORD.

Moral of the story...This Road is costing us a fortune.

Winter Snow January 16, 2009

Konversations in the Kold by Dana
SHOW ME SNOW

Closed Due to Weather by Dana

Shades of White and Grey

Kansas Konversations by Dana

Robert's Free Time

Pete carving the Lake House sign...

Dad's Puzzles...

Chelsie and the dogs vegging...

Boy we are exciting.

Recycled Lunch Bags

The same oilcloth that covers your kitchen table can transport your children's lunches -- or your own -- in leak-free style. These reusable bags will cut back on waste since they can simply be washed with a damp sponge (oilcloth is not washing-machine safe). Use a single pattern for the whole bag, or cut out complementary patterns or solid colors for side panels. You can attach small Velcro tabs to hold the bags closed, or clip the tops with colorful wooden clothespins.

Lunch Bag How-To:
Cut main piece 29 1/2 by 8 inches and two side panels, each 12 1/4 by 5 inches.
1. Fold long panel, inside out, into U shape with 5-inch bottom.
2. Make 1/4-inch cut at bottom corners of side and middle pieces so bag folds smoothly. Sew-in side panels, leaving 1/4-inch seam allowance.
3. Turn right side out and top-stitch all around, 1/8 inch from edge.
Oilcloth Crafts
First Published: July 2001-MarthaStuart.com

Girl Scout New Years Slumber Party 2009

Troop 1407's New Year's Eve Slumber Party 2009!

GREAT food!

Tamara's GREAT HOUSE for us to crash at!

The Count down begins...

4....3....2....1 "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Cheers!

The midnight Texts & calls to say Happy New Year!

8:30 am-Rise and Shine! (I am sorry you were up till 3am, but you have to go home now! hee hee hee)

Chelsie managed to not need a nap..... We hit the mall to shop for a bit, spent her Gift card at Wal-Mart and then she sat down for the first time all day at 5pm.... Good Night Chelsie!

Oh, and for the record...I did not take a nap at all and I am posting these pictures on Jan. 1, 2009 at 10:01 pm. I am The SLEEPOVER MASTER!

THANK YOU Tamara for letting us party at your house. Thanks parents for letting me spend the New Year with your girls! I love each one of them and had a blast. And Thanks to Stacy, Boomer and Tamara for Ringing in the new year with us!

PARTY ON!

Chelsie's New Hair Cut

CHELSIE GONE WILD!

This hair style was actually my idea.

It is kinda punk, but looks so cute on her.

I will take a picture whe she stiles it chunky and messy!

It is CUTE!

Boy, I am a GREAT MOM!

Rascal

Dad has this dog so-spoiled! I think I might like to be reincarnated as a dog our house cat living in the Robert's Family.

"18 inch Tri Loom First Project

Home alone while everyone is at the lake house and at friends for the 3 day weekend after Christmas...I had fun messing around with Chelsie's 18" Tri Lap Loom. This is Vanna's Choice yarn. I am working on a purse made from Tri's...i will post more as I go. Poor hands can only weave for so long before I ach.
Isn't this just YUMMY!

One down more to go!

Two Pea's in a Pod

Gus visits for Winter Break

Gus is a hedgehog from Chelsie's 7th hour Science class and he came to visit our house over Winter Break. Isn't he CUTE!

Grandpa Susan is a LOVER of all animals

Pete too.