Overflowing

The waters started rising yesterday and by 3pm had crossed first avenue and flowed freely into all the low lying areas in town, the parks, and the campground. Access to the swimming pool was by foot only as no roads to the building were open.

It brought back a lot of memories for us. Ryan and I remember when this happened in 1993 on the last day of school. No matter how many times you have seen it, it is still an amazing sight.

First Avenue looking north
First Avenue looking south
the garden :(
the softball field
the campground
the baseball field
the outfield
the concession stand

these guys were plenty busy yesterday in the village

the practice field just south of the baseball diamond

The concession stand at the baseball field

earthworms

...overwhelming...

I told this young man I would tattle on him :)

Almost Two Year Old Wisdom

Nora came to me this hot, humid afternoon with a tiny white weed flower in her hand. She smiled sweetly and said, "Fwower for mommy." I took it from her and hugged her sweat soaked little body. Then she toddled off into the yard. All of a sudden she stopped and turned completely around. She was wagging her tiny index finger like a pro. She looked right at me and screamed in the most clear and perfect voice, "DON'T EAT IT!"

Housekeeping

Hello faithful Mommyville readers. This is my 1064th post! Can you believe it?

I appreciate you so much I wanted to make this blog more user friendly.

I spent a few hours this morning adding page tabs on the top of the blog. Click on each page to learn more...

I finally figured out how to archive by years so my posts are now organized a bit more. If you want to look up a certain event, for example SpudFest 2009. Just click on August 2009 to bring up all the post from that month. I hope this is helpful.

I wanted to organize my cancer posts into an easier spot but I haven't quite figured out how to label everything consistently. For the time being, if you want to read cancer posts you will either have to go back to June 2006 and scroll through them by date, click on the word cancer, chemo, health care etc. in the label cloud or if you remember a word or something from a post you are looking for like "village", you can search through ALL my posts by typing that key word into the bar at the top of Mommyville (on the blogger header by the orange square with the letter B in it.

For recipes it seems I have not been consistent in labeling them, but you can always click on the label recipe or recipe's or just use the search bar and type in a key work like zucchini.

Also at the end of each post I have included buttons to share any of my posts by email, blog, Twitter, Facebook or Google buzz. Also you can leave your reaction to each of my posts anonymously :) Fun!

Thanks for hanging out with me all these years. It has been a blast. Check out the deal page for my most recent found "can't pass it up" deals.

Monday Multitudes # 411-435

On or around every Monday I like to take some time to count my blessings. Some weeks are harder than others. My goal is to make it to 1000 blessings. At first this seemed daunting, now that I am passed 400 I am feeling like it is flying by. It has been wonderful thinking of the past week and all the amazing blessings that the Lord gifts me. It's a process that changes my attitude especially if I had a pretty tough week...once I start thinking back about all those blessings that add up so fast.

I started my Monday Multitudes on Monday November 23, 2009 (right before Thanksgiving). I hope to make 1000 by my one year anniversary date. I sure would love it if you joined me!

Thanking God for tiny blessings this week ;

little fingers sneaking butter from the dish

the same little fingers attached to hands that can open the garage freexer to get popsicles and conveniently forget to close the door

homemade meals from semi-defrosted foods

tornado sirens that give me the chance to snuggle in a very small queen bed with all four of my wonderful babies

swim parties and potlucks and chances to verbalize about SpudFest

SpudFest plans that make me feel so happy to be alive and that mark 4 years since I was told I had cancer

very tan kids from lots of pool time this summer

visits to the lake with just me and the kids and lots of people that speak Slovakian or something :)

a willing Pastor to help plan a community worship service for the SpudFest

a super mom who helps me plan the parade, actually there are a ton of super volunteers that are amazing

an awesome t-shirt design that we were so blessed to have made for us, I love my wonderful friends and their amazing talents

caillou and pbs

library cards and lots of amazing books on my want to read list

aunties who are battling the bully, praying for you Patty :)

afternoons with grandma at the farm

mosquitos that don't come out until the 8th inning (we won:))

appointments to fix a botched root canal this week, yikes

sisters who watch my littles when I don't want to drag them to the game

co-coworkers who lovingly trade with the hubby so he can play ball

macaroni and cheese breakfasts

towtruck drivers that rescue

mechanics who spend 4 days working on the truck

patience with the budget

an interesting candidate for representative

weekend so far

1 visit to the lake where :
one child got sick on the merry go round and one child got sick in the car on the ride home

2 visits to the pool so far :)

2.5 books read while children took long naps exhausted from the swimming

3 items brough to end of the year swim party for softball; brats, chinese cucumbers and zucchini double chocolate brownies

4 scared children in my bed after one very loud tonado siren roared last night

5 more items added to the meeting agenda for SpudFest

6 minutes to nap time when I will be doing

TONS of laundry ;) or reading the last half of my book...

Proud Owners

I made the last payment on the Suburban two weeks ago.

We now own all of our vehicles.

So you know it was bound to happen.

We were headed to Ryan's company picnic and stopped at the Lewis tent sale for a look see at the bargains.

Ryan thought the price of the dog food just wasn't low enough, he wanted to check out Kmart. We ran in and out and the truck turned over and over and over and over but would not start.

It was hot. We had a car full of kids. It was hot. We tried again and again and again to start the vehicle. Lots of people walked by. Why are so many people at Kmart in the middle of the afternoon? They are probably looking for cheap dog food.

A very nice gentleman with a very small cab asked if we needed a jump. Ryan told him that he was pretty sure it was the fuel pump. The man gave Ryan a ride to a tow shop a couple of blocks away.

A very large tow truck arrived to the cheers of my children. Until they realized that, unlike Caillou and Rosie, the would not be riding along. Much to their chagrin we made the 4 block trip on foot. Ten feet to be exact. A stroller does not fit in the suburban with the cooler. Our shoes will never be the same. The city is a very dirty place. My youngster's pink shoes were tar black after a couple of blocks. She walked right out of her shoes a couple of times so her feet matched, too.

I wished I had brought the camera for the tow truck picture and the pink shoes.

The kids said that Caillou was very lucky because he got to ride in the tow truck when his daddy's car broke down. I made a mental note that my kids watch too much t.v.

A very nice woman asked if we needed a ride in her car. We declined. It wasn't like it was 90 degrees or anything. It was only 88 degrees.

The mechanic assured us (never believe a mechanic) he could have the vehicle up and running in an hour or so. Emphasis on "or so".

We walked to Dairy Queen and got ice cream cones. The kids begged to go to Thunder Road. We said, "No, we don't have enough time." It was a lie.

I said, "I am not going to get the milk until the car was done just to be sure". Ryan said, "It has to be done, just get the milk."

I bought the milk at Sunshine foods. I walked across the street to the mechanic. The truck was not working yet. The parts store was closed now. He would have to finish it tomorrow.

Ryan called his brother. I called my brother. Ryan's brother brought us a very tiny 4-door sedan. We buddy buckled the babies in the middle of the backseat and piled everything in the trunk and on top of the kids. It is a good thing we did not buy dog food.

Ryan stopped at Lewis to buy the dog food. He squished it in the trunk.

We drove home. I nuked some hot dogs and made creamed green beans. The kids were starving. It was 8 p.m.

Morals of the story = when you need dog food just buy the stuff at the tent sale already; the city is dirty; there are very nice people in the city even though it is much bigger than the village; when you make the last payment on something it will not be the last time you spend money on it.

The truck is still not fixed.

The end.

District Tourney Matchups 2010, Humboldt

Fri July 23rd

6:00 pm - Game 1 ~ #9 Lennox vs #8 Colman

8:00 pm - Game 2 ~ #12 Canistota vs #5 Madison

Sat July 24th

2:00 pm - Game 3 ~ #11 Tea vs #6 Dells PBR

4:30 pm - Game 4 ~ #10 Harrisburg vs #7 Flandreau

7:00 pm - Game 5 ~ Winner of Game 1 vs #1 Canova

Sun July 25th

2:00 pm - Game 6 ~ Winner of Game 2 vs #4 Dells Mudcats

4:30 pm - Game 7 ~ Winner of Game 3 vs #3 Salem

7:00 pm - Game 8 ~ Winner of Game 4 vs #2 H-M-H Gamedogs

Tue July 27th

6:00 pm - Game 9 ~ Loser of Game 3 vs Loser of Game 5

8:00 pm - Game 10 ~ Loser of Game 4 vs Loser of Game 6

Wed July 28th

6:00 pm - Game 11 ~ Loser of Game 1 vs Loser of Game 7

8:00 pm - Game 12 ~ Loser of Game 2 vs Loser of Game 8

Thu July 29th

6:00 pm - Game 13 ~ Winner of Game 5 vs Winner of Game 6

8:00 pm - Game 14 ~ Winner of Game 7 vs Winner of Game 8

Fri July 30th

6:00 pm - Game 15 ~ Winner of Game 9 vs Winner of Game 10

8:00 pm - Game 16 ~ Winner of Game 11 vs Winner of Game 12

Sat July 31st

2:00 pm - Game 17 ~ Loser of Game 13 vs Loser of Game 14 ~ Third Place Game

4:30 pm - Game 18 ~ Winner of Game 13 vs Winner of Game 14 ~ Championship Game

Note:

The winners of games 5, 6, 7, 8, 15 & 16 advance to the Amateur State Tourney in Sioux Falls, SD that runs August 4-15th.

zucchini pizza bites

What kid doesn't like pizza? I may have posted these before.

This time I sliced the zuc length wise and made longer pizzas.

I also roasted mine with a bit of olive oil and seasoning salt (for flavor) before I put the sauce and toppings on them. Then I broiled at 500 for 5 minutes. MMMMMMMM

The kids gobbled them up. I was glad they got their veggies:)

2010 Cornbelt League Standings ~ Final and District Tourney Bracket

#1 Canova Gang 18-3

#2 H-M-H Gamedogs 16-6

#3 Salem Cubs 16-6

#4 Dell Rapids Mudcats 16-6

#5 Madison Broncos 16-6

#6 Dell Rapids PBR 12-10

#7 Flandreau Cardinals 11-11

#8 Colman A’s 7-15

#9 Lennox 7-15

#10 Harrisburg 7-15

#11 Tea Toros 5-17

#12 Canistota Rebels 0-22

Note:

First tie-breaker: Head-to-head record among the tied teams.

Second tie-breaker: Season records are compared by starting at the top of the standings and working down until one team has a better season record than another team.


Tie-breaker results of 16-6 teams:

HMH Gamedogs: 4-2 ~ #2 Seed

Salem Cubs: 3-3

Dells Mudcats: 3-3

Madison Broncos: 2-4 ~ #5 Seed



Salem: 1-1 vs. Canova; 1-1 vs. HMH Gamedogs ~ #3 Seed

Dells Mudcats: 1-1 vs. Canova; 0-2 vs. HMH Gamedogs ~ #4 Seed



Tie-breaker results of 7-15 teams:

Colman A’s: 3-1 ~ #8 Seed

Lennox: 2-2 ~ #9 Seed

Harrisburg: 1-3 ~ #10 Seed

CBL District Tourney Bracket

smiling atchya

Monday Multitudes #433-463

fresh goods from the garden

nail biting ball games

cool weather relief

cheesecake fresh from my oven

aunties who will be battling the bully, love you Pattie :)

mom's who always know what to do, no matter what

sermons that make you think and think all week long

homemade ice cream and pecan pie from church socials

life, well lived, and moving on to the mansion

camping at Grandma and Grandpa's

a great adventure when we pack a bag and just go

garage sales and thrift stores in the middle of no where

friends who can come for dinner at the last minute, nice to see you all again:)

sippee cups lost and found

fresh herbs to share

family swim time, again

popsicles dripping down tiny faces and arms and dresses

spray and wash

sunshine but not too much

bows for little heads

a parade in the works

volunteers who help all the time

patience when I need it the most

the reserve to not buy another pair of glasses

blogs of my dear friends

a week of vacation for daddy

sleeping in until 9

cars that are paid off

fresh flowers on the table

cucumbers recipes

quick healing for baseball injuries

Thank you Lord for everything.

You can get a FREE pair of prescription eyeglasses from Eyebuydirect! Eyebuydirect is having a Buy one Get one Free sale and the prices of eyeglasses start at only $7.95 for a complete pair of prescription eyeglasses.There are hundreds of styles to choose from. Or use code ABHXSHVSAC for %15 off.

Hurry this sale is only July 12-25!

Recap - week 2

I cheated.

I bought apple juice for the girls it was $1.97. Then I bought cilantro (66 cents) and avocados ($3). They were yummy. I am not perfect at this no grocery thing. But I try.

Sunday we had grilled pork chops at coach's house I brought veggies from the garden for the grill doused in olive oil and fresh basil and sage and a fruit salad made from my blueberries, pears, peaches and some leftover star marshmallows from the 4th. I have no idea what we had for lunch that day.

Monday - roast beef, potatoes, green beans, choice fresh fruit for lunch. The kids had dentist appointments we ate soft foods, whatever they could handle) and drinks for supper.

Tuesday - Big breakfast, eggs, bacon, hash browns, tuna for lunch, leftover roast beef sandwiches with gravy and potatoes for supper, apples and oranges.

Wednesday - ham and cheese sandwiches and apples, chicken fajitas, pico de gallo and guacamole for supper no fruit, I forgot, but we ate smore's :)

Thursday - eggs for breakfast, little Caesar's at Sertoma park for lunch, supper was at Scotland as we visited Grandma and Grandpa they grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for us

Friday - we didn't get home till late afternoon, we ate leftover chicken from the fajitas on corn tortillas in the oven with pico de gallo and cheese = I called them tostadas, Maleah called them pizza's then I checked my blogs and pioneer woman made a variation of it, too. You know what they say, great minds...

Every Thing's a $1 (or less) sale from Bands n Bows

75 cents a piece or two for $1.00
$1.00
$1.00

Buy something from the Bands and Bows Every Thing's a Dollar or Less sale (or any of the regular priced merchandise) and receive a SURPRISE coupon (amount varies; 10%, 15%, 20%, free set of clips or B1G1 1/2 off) to use at the SpudFest sale (8.21.2010).

Call, email, or leave a comment for more information.

First customers get the best selection, when it's gone, it's gone...

8.21.2010

Parade Entrants needed!

For the 4th annual SPUD FEST in Montrose

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21st, 2010

*We would love for you to write up a short bio about your entry (who is riding, what is your business, perhaps a little history) when you register. That way, the MC can talk about you a bit when you are on Main St.

SpudFest 2010 is guaranteed to be SPUDTASTIC or your potatoes are FREE

2010 Cornbelt League Standings ~ 7-12-10

Canova Gang 18-2

Dell Rapids Mudcats 15-5

Salem Cubs 14-5

H-M-H Gamedogs 14-6

Madison Broncos 13-6

Flandreau Cardinals 11-9

Dell Rapids PBR 9-9

Lennox 7-13

Harrisburg 5-13

Colman A’s 5-14

Tea Toros 4-15

Canistota Rebels 0-18

Monday Multitudes #422-432

This one is short and sweet but to God all the honor and the glory!!!!!!!! AMEN!

I have been blessed by;

sunshine for the garden and a little rain, too

healthy kids

a camper sold for the asking price

baseball games to watch the love of my life

good food from the deep freeze, we are eating high on the hog...literally

an awesome Sunday sermon, again

time with family

flowers from my mom's garden

fun recipes from friends to try

ice cream treats on a hot night

Numbers 6:24-26
"The LORD bless you and keep you;the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

from the grandstand

hit by the ball







This morning, after church, Pastor asked me what it was like to be a ball players wife.

I sighed, loudly, and then I thought for a minute. "It's all I know."

And you know what? It isn't all that bad. I love this man, and I love watching him play this game.

love thy neighbor

The other day the family and I were on the interstate and drove by a van with a shredded tire. The driver was on his phone and for a split second I looked at my husband and then we both dismissed it. I don't think I gave it another thought, until the sermon this morning.

The text for Pastor's sermon today came from Leviticus 19:18; Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

The whole idea of commanding love is a little hard to swallow. Pastor used the example of children arguing and the mother putting her hand on her hip and pointing her index finger and saying, "LOVE ONE ANOTHER". We cannot make another person have deep rooted feelings of love for another person. This is not the love that the Lord was commanding us to have for each other.

In Luke 10:25-37, the parable of the good Samaritan we learn of not one but two ministers who walk right past a man in need. Sound familiar? Were they in a hurry? Was it not convenient? Did they forget God's command?

What would happen if it was my family stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire? Would I want someone to help me?

But the Parable of the Good Samaritan says more than "It's good to help people in need." The parable is also about excuses. About self-justification. About letting oneself off the hook.

Are we like the lawyer who was listening to Jesus and who questioned, "who is our nieghbor?" How did Jesus answer him? 'What is written in the Law?' Jesus replies 'How do you read it?' " (Luke 10:26) In other words, you know the law, how do you explain it?

And the man answered... Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

The lawyer began by asking for a definition of "neighbor" in order to justify limiting his love to his fellow Jews only. Jesus doesn't define "neighbor" in so many words, but his story makes it clear that our neighbor is whoever has a need. It doesn't matter who they are. Jesus' command to love our neighbor as ourselves knows no self-satisfying limits.

"Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.' " (10:37b)
Jesus isn't content just to define what "neighbor" means. He commands us to do as the Samaritan does, to show mercy to our fellow man who is in need.

Are Christians to be "do-gooders"? Yes, I suppose. But our motivation for doing good must be love for others, an interest in meeting their basic needs, a heart of mercy that is moved by compassion.

What are we -- as disciples of Jesus -- supposed to learn from this story? For me the answer is to examine my own heart. What motivates me? How much have selfishness and a dogged adherence to my own agenda leached away the mercy that Jesus holds dear and wants to flourish in my heart through his Holy Spirit? I may be efficient, but am I merciful. When "push comes to shove" do I put myself first, or do I put the needs of others first?

For me, Jesus' command, "Go and do likewise," means that I must value acts of mercy over personal productivity. What does it mean for you?

cooling down

Recap - no groceries first week

Monday - deer cheese brats (these were way deep in the freezer) and potato salad for lunch, frozen pizza and apple slices for supper

Tuesday - tator tot hotdish and peaches, whole chicken in the crockpot and country green beans for supper with kiwi fruit on the side

Wednesday - used leftover chicken for Mornay in the crockpot served with whole wheat pasta and orange slices for lunch, grilled hot dogs and chips with salsa and cheese for supper ooops no fruit

Thursday - lunchmeat sandwiches and tortilla chips with grapes and blueberries, supper was chili cheese rice from the crockpot(not much ground beef left, this will get quite interesting) and no fruit again, we were beat and I forgot.

Friday - leftover Mornay chicken with crusty bread (last baguette from Schwans') for lunch, supper is going to be pork chops on the grill, fresh green beans from the garden and 'nuked baked taters, hopefully I will remember to serve some fruit, too we are getting low.

Snacks this week have been homemade granola bars, fruit, yogurt, sunflower seeds and string cheese...and Popsicle, of course:) I did get the kids treats Wednesday at the ballgame, they had lolly's (10 cents) and freezies (10 cents) and ice cream malt cups ($1).

Lunchmeat and fruit are almost gone. The babies already miss their juice...

2010 Cornbelt League Standings ~ 7-9-10



Canova Gang 17-2

Dell Rapids Mudcats 14-5

H-M-H Gamedogs 14-5

Salem Cubs 13-5

Madison Broncos 12-6

Flandreau Cardinals 11-8

Dell Rapids PBR 8-9

Lennox 7-12

Colman A’s 5-13

Harrisburg 5-13

Tea Toros 4-14

Canistota Rebels 0-18

overdid

You know what July means to me?...strapped, spent, broke, overdrawn.

No matter how hard I try June ALWAYS kicks my butt when it comes to budgeting. Can't ever seem to make it last. Summer is expensive in this family.

So I have resolved that July will be NO GROCERY MONTH. I can only buy milk, eggs and bread and must live off my (frozen but plentiful) stockpile. I have done well this week, but I am already tired of defrosting. Last night was difficult because the kids were starving and I only had frozen, all beef, hot dogs that they wanted GRILLED. I cheated and nuked them first. Do you know how well really hungry kids eat? Well, I tell ya. I have never seen cleaner plates. Even with the 10 cent candies (I caved) and bought the babies at the ballgame.

No ordering out, stopping for supper when we are famished on the way home from a game or getting pizza. July will be home grilled meals and crock-pot suppers because it's too hot to turn on the oven. According to my freezer we will be eating a lot of pork :)

The only thing I think we will miss is the fruit and extra beverages, but the apple tree is coming along nicely and, although Nora may disagree, it will only be a few weeks until they are ripe enough to eat. That girl eats anything :)

Wish me luck will ya?

And any ham or sausage or pork roast recipes are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

2010 Cornbelt League Standings ~ 7-6-10

Canova Gang 16-2

H-M-H Gamedogs 13-4

Salem Cubs 12-5

Dell Rapids Mudcats 11-5

Madison Broncos 11-5

Flandreau Cardinals 10-7

Dell Rapids PBR 7-8

Lennox 7-9

Harrisburg 4-12

Tea Toros 4-12

Colman A’s 3-13

Canistota Rebels 0-16

Monday Multitudes #411-421

I am feeling more blessed than;

the number of the peas in all the pods, more than the green beans and jalapenos freshly picked in gardens everywhere all over USA;


the petals of blooming flowers in Grandma's garden;

more than the smiling faces of grandkids surprised with new toys (from Grandpa Geno);
more than the amazing number of boys everywhere who attempted to light fireworks yesterday;
more than the many lovely sisters and hubbies that attended picnics this holiday weekend; more than the droves of beautiful girls posing for pictures;

more than the number of mosquito bites on my beautiful babies and finally

more than time we (will :)) spend in Grandpa and Grandma's new camper!

That is oodles more than One Thousand Gifts, don't you agree?

Are you ridiculously blessed today?

Read more about One Thousand Gifts here.

Monday, Monday...

“In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.” (Isaiah 12:4)

The holiday weekend begins...

Happy Independence Day America!

The Gamedogs celebrated a win last night thanks to a great pitching effort by number 5 :)

The van is sporting a great souvenir of the game in the form of a hood dent and

Nora learned to whistle like grandma!