New Neighbors!

I'm excited...new neighbors are moving into the Bar Red House in the cul-de-sac (we're on the corner so it's kind of behind our house). The story on the house is this...it was a custom house that was built for a military couple who still had a home to sell at another assignment...they were unable to sell their home in the other state and their time had run out on the contract on this home. So this house has been sitting there...finished waiting for someone to buy it. So it finally sold and the folks started moving into it yesterday. Having that house on the market for so long and it's being the 2nd highest priced house in this neighborhood is kind of risky but it finally sold. I hope to meet the new neighbors this weekend, bring them over a small welcome gift from the HOA and a welcome to the neighborhood greeting card from myself. I love the thought of new neighbors...they have such great potential to turn into new friends!

The kids are off from school today so I'm dragging them into to work with me...at the Thrift Shop. Andrew needs to complete 100 community service hours for confirmation and we've got him well on his way. Today he'll get in 5 hours at the Thrift Shop (if he can last that long) and then tomorrow the JROTC has him working just as long or longer distributing coats from their recent coat drive. Hannah actually wants to come and work...she loves the Thrift Shop and finds it interesting to be there. Both of my children are good kids, I'm blessed and I owe it all to the Lord. I can't have any more children- for the risk of dieing while pregnant, that was told to me right after I gave birth to Hannah. I wanted to have more but the Lord had other plans for me. I always joke around and say "2 kids...my mental and financial limit". Being the mother of two exceptionally bright children can be pretty taxing some days. I'll admit it, I'm not gifted in mathematics, no way shape or form that all goes to my husband. And I'm so proud that our children are right there with him...but they also have interests in my stuff...Science, forensics, archeology and of course...paper crafting and cooking :-) Hannah wants to try her hand at making decadent desserts Andrew wants to learn to make comfort foods such as homemade macaroni & cheese (recipe courtesy of Alton Brown) we've made it before and it was out of this world YUMMY, cheesy potatoes (recipe courtesy of René P) always a family favorite and the Jambalaya-recipe he saw Emeril make on his TV show. Andrew and I made it before and he thought that he was in heaven when eating it!

So today is quality time with my children, showing them what I do while they are in school and how we (through volunteering) are helping to make our community stronger. This is time well spent- what else would they be doing but playing games on their computers all day. This gets them out the door and into real life.