land hurricane

this is what the storm looked like on radar, they called it a hurricane like storm

lighting strikes

I took my weather radio into work with me and it went off several times, scaring the h*ll out of me because its so loud. Companies were letting their employees off early, schools were letting out early, and my boss said I could leave early. I work in a warehouse type building and the only safe place for a tornado is under the steps going upstairs to the storage area. So I raced home in time to watch the storm roll in.

tornado sirens

then comes Wednesday; all week the weather service told us this was going to be a big storm system with mostly likely tornadoes. With our Good Friday storms and what Joplin had on Sunday, everyone was watching the skies. I had my emergency kit ready to go to the basement. I was talking to an insurance agent about the weather and she dresses in bright yellow shirts in case the building gets hit, said that she would be easier to find if she wore something bright and that makes alot of sense.

Memorial day

memorial day 2011

my dad was a veteran of World War 2 and the Korean War. This photo is the ceremony when he recieved metal from the state of Missouri for his service

my grandpa was a veteran of World War 2, he died when I was 8 years old, so I never got to talke to him about his experience

birthday

Britt received this ring, my grandma gave it to my mom when she was 16, my mom gave it to me when I was 16, I gave it to my daughter when she was 16 (but she gave it back a few years later because she was afraid of losing it) so I gave it to my granddaughter when she was 16. Britt is such a good kid, she was worried that I didn't have a ring for Laney when she turned 16, I do have one for Laney it's just not as old as Brittany, I found it touching that she was concerned for her little cousin!

Britt's birthday party was last week, sweet 16! Happy Birthday Brittany!

2011 dance

"The dance of the Banat Mazin Ghawazee" a little more tribal (gypsy) and earthy than Raqs Sharqi. I liked this because of the music and that it was different.

Saturday night at the college

last Saturday night I went to a dance recital and watched the students from my previous dance class as usual they were great. This dance was called "The Art of Raqs Sharqi" Raqs Sharqi know in the west as belly dance, is the visual manifesatations of rhythms, phrasing and emontional content of Arabic music. I'm toying with the idea of starting classes again in the fall

last friday's sunset

Friday the weather bureau started warning us that the following week was going to be a severe weather week, this sunset was just the start as well as the last time for a week the weather was nice; the weekend was cold, wet and windy, in the 40's.

Sunday

Sunday, friends and I were to attend the "Jersey Boys" at the Fox, but early Sunday morning there was a fire inside and they cancelled the show. Bummer! I was looking forward to it. There is more about the Fox on my blog on April 2010.

sewing

my niece is expecting a baby in a few months, and since i'm always trolling the craft blogs i found this idea for burp cloths and bibs. i haven't sewn for a long time so i'm a little rusty, but i think they turned out ok. the amazing part is how expensive material is these days, lucky i got the fabric on sale. i remember when (oh oh my age is showing) sewing was inexpensive. my sewing machine is 43 years old and runs great. i brought it when my second son was in grade school and had to wear uniform pant. well he was tall and skinny with a waist size of 25 and i couldn't find any pants that would fit him in the waist that were long enough, so i purchased a size 4 pattern and made all of his school pants for a few years.

my new bistro set

one of my favorite guilty pleasures of the summer is to sit on my porch and read while drinking iced tea. i have a porch swing also, but saw this little set and decided i needed it. last weekend when the weather was in the 90's this was the place you would find me. this weekend it is in the 40's, gray, cold, rainy and windy. what happened to summer? I've also decided that my natural cushion could use a little help so cushions are on the list as well as some sort of accessory, anyone have any ideas?

2011 brit at gym

Britt does gymnastics at the same gym as laney. I haven't seen her tumble for a while, she is in the pink shirt. She would kill me if she knew i posted this

2011 declan mom day 4

Mother's day at nursery school

waiting for mom to give her flowers Yaaaa, mom is here, a quick hug

singing with all his might

with mom and mimaw r

grandma f and declan with a mouthful of oreos.

The school had a tea for moms and grandmoms along with entertainment.

The kids are so cute and wanted everything to be just right

future olympic star?

Laney's first night of gymnastics. She loves the trampoline, they have 2 at home was really good on the balance beam

ready to climb

out and about town

The other day I had lunch with friends and decided to stop at this old house that was about 1/2 a mile from my old high school. It is the Gittemeier home in Florissant, Missouri. It is an example of an 1860 farm house. Franz Gittemeier immigrated to the U.S. in 1850, married Gertrude Gerling in 1858. She might have been a mail order bride from Prussia. Franz went to California to work in the gold fields and earned enought gold dust to buy 50 acres of farmland. He and Gertrude had 10 children and eventually owned 500 acres of land. Legend has it that each of his children recieved a farm and $10,000.00 on his death.