That’s a Wrap!

And that’s a wrap!

My time home schooling is officially over.

We got the last child educated, graduated and celebrated!

Everything went really well – despite the spitting rain and frigid temperatures.

The food was plentiful, the house was bursting was family and friends, and the popcorn machine was a huge hit.

And now it’s officially over.

Windy Ridge Academy is closing it’s doors.

And we’re all on to new adventures!

So what does life look like for a home school mom emeritus?

First – a long nap.

Then I need to find everything we hid in a panic before the guests arrived.

And then – it’s grand baby time!

“To everything there is a season…”

From a Baby Bubble to Graduation Hustle

It was a bit of mental whiplash – I went from a delightful baby bubble full of sweet Indy snuggles to the realization that Nate’s graduation was approaching at warp speed!

I hit the ground running as soon as I got home.

Thankfully the invitations went out before Indy was born.

But I had hours of baking to do!

Nate’s favorite cookies.

Batch after batch of them.

And yeast rolls. Hundreds of yeast rolls!

Over 25 pounds of flour.

Four dozen eggs. White sugar. Brown sugar. Butter.

Sheet after sheet in the oven.

On the cooling racks. In the freezer.

What a huge job done!

This week I’m on to cleaning.

Window washing.

Flower planting.

Two of my sisters showed up yesterday as much needed reinforcements.

Now my kitchen is so clean that I’ve decide we can’t cook until after the Open House!

Just a few more days and my last born will be a graduate!

But first – I have a few floors to mop!

Graduation Day

It’s over.

We did it!

We got Angel Girl graduated!

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And honored.

And celebrated.

And photographed.

13226666_1230099237003020_9014204081859394922_n There was plenty of punch and rice krispsie treats.

And cousins.

And friends.

And there was Matt.

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Who flew in from Colorado just for his little sister’s graduation party.

He surprised her.

She cried.

It was a perfect moment in a wonderful weekend full of beautiful moments.

Moments that this Mama is tucking away like treasures.

These years are going so fast!

Parent of a Graduate

IMG_0019[1] Once again my husband and I are wearing the title “Parents of a Graduate”.

We are not alone. You can spot a “Parent of a Graduate” anywhere – if you know the signs.

We are the ones with the shopping carts full of large quantities of single items holding three page lists doing mental math in the baking aisle.

The fifteen boxes of rice krispies and cart full of marshmallows tipped off the checker at our local grocery store. She gave me a questioning look and I said just, “She wants rice krispie treats for graduation.”

She then gave me a look of pity that said simply, “Ah, a graduation. I feel your pain.”

We parents of graduates understand the stress and joy of a spring with a commencement and Open House. We don’t even even need words.

As we pushed our cart full of purple Hawaiian punch and even more marshmallows through Wal-Mart, we caught the attention of another couple with a cart full of large quantities of a single item and a three page list.

Again, the questioning look.

My quick answer, “Rice krispie treats for graduation.”

She responds, “Twins.”

I sympathize, “Twice the good bye – but only one party.”

Our eyes meet as we wish each other good luck and we leave them in the chip aisle doing mental math with glazed looks as we went in search of large bags of M & M’s and an industrial size bottle of barbecue sauce.

My graduation table is full now of plates and cups and napkins. Soon the smoked turkey will all be roasted and in crock pots, the buns will be made and the rice krispie treats ready to serve.

The house will be clean and the lawn will be mowed and there will be no more busy work to distract us from the reality that is coming.

That it’s our child in that cap and gown.

It’s our baby that’s graduating.

And then the tears will fall.

Yes, I’m a parent of a graduate.

Well Done!

d43dc99d-6cf8-4e49-a9d3-29f894ded7bb She did it!

Dagmar finished up the paramedic program and is a national exam away from being a full- fledged medic!

She graduated last weekend.

With high honors.

And a huge sigh of relief.

It’s been a tough road with long hours and lots of important information.

Twelve hour shifts followed by hours of classroom work.

Written tests.

Skills tests.

Lab work.

But she did it.

And she did it well.

At one point in the weekend as we shopped for her new apartment she laughingly said, “Look at me Mom, being the adult.”

I am looking, sweetie.

And I’m really proud of you!

Well done.

Graduation Times Three

Eighteen years ago my oldest sister had a baby girl.

A few months later my youngest sister had a baby girl.

Then a few months later I had Pedro.

Three cousins in 6 months.

They grew up together. Playing. Laughing. Pretending. Sharing toys and adventures.

Somebody joked that it would be a crazy spring when they all graduated!

It was.

Three different graduations.

Three different parties.

Three different towns.

Three different weekends.

Three close cousins who suddenly grew up.

Three unique and amazing kids who share so many zany memories.

Three very good reasons to celebrate!

Now go forth and conquer cousins!

We’re so proud of you!

Crash’s Bash

He did it.

Or rather – we did it.

We got Pedro graduated!Isn’t he handsome?!

The ceremony was meaningful – I didn’t trip or do anything to embarrass myself – and we had a nice group of family members to help us celebrate.

Somehow – after everything that went wrong in the weeks leading up to graduation- all the details fell into place perfectly!

We had a beautiful day for Pedro’s party. The house was cleaned, the flowers planted, and all the food was ready.

And plentiful.

Ten gallons of Chex Mix was more than enough! 🙂

We even had a new calf and baby kitties to show off. Such cuteness!

There was a steady stream of people in and out the house.

Family, friends, neighbors.

Young and old.

People who meant so much to us, each one giving up a Sunday afternoon to celebrate our son.

Jan and I felt blessed.

And humbled.

And very tired.

But so thankful. We have much to celebrate!

Way to go Crash! We love you!

Graduation Panic

Graduation is two days away.

Two. Days.

I’m not in a panic. Much.

Let’s just say that things have not gone exactly as planned.

There was the whole birthday trip and unexpected overnight for the kids while I was home baking a ka-jillian cookies.

Then I pulled a muscle in my shoulder whacking out dandelions and moving cement blocks.

But I still finished baking the ba-jillian buns and smoking the turkeys.

Then Sunday night we had a torrential downpour which created in a river through the basement – the basement that was cleaned and organized and ready for the Open House.

Now – it is not.

Meanwhile my allergies are the worst I’ve had in years with one eye swollen shut every morning.

On Monday we drove to Des Moines for my niece’s graduation party – and the brakes froze up on the mini van.

I am not kidding.

Now we have a wet basement, a mom with both a hurt shoulder and horrific allergies, a vehicle broken down 120 miles from home, and graduation Open House a few days away.

And did I mention that Angel Girl starts Driver’s Ed this week? We get to make two trips to town. Every. Day.

With a broken van.

I might be a little stressed. Just a little.

The other night I dreamed that as I walked on the stage at graduation my pretty new dress turned into my mom’s prom dress from the 1950’s – complete with a tulle skirt, pearls and pumps. The entire crowd gasped with horror when they saw it and my children were mortified.

Obviously I haven’t eaten enough chocolate before bed.

But all is not lost.

Monday night we turned the AC on – which helped dry out the basement and got my allergies in check.

Tuesday Jan and I took the Suburban and rescued the broken van.

Wednesday amazing friends showed up to help- literally digging me out of the hole. Bless them. Bless them. Bless them.

Chex Mix is made.

Windows are washed.

Flower gardens are planted.

Curtains are washed, ironed, and hung.

My shoulder is not quite as painful.

And I’m finally marking things off my list!

We have another big work day tomorrow – but we’re gaining on it.

And at some point in the next few days I need to process the fact that my son has reached a milestone and change is coming.

Or maybe not.

What a Week!

It was quite a week here.

We’re in full-on graduation mode now.

Monday the girls and I went shopping. We found a new dress for me, bought the paper goods for the party and enough Hawaiian punch to sink a small ship.

Tuesday I bought all the butter on the shelf at the store and started baking.

Wednesday all of the kids took off on a one day road trip in Dagmar’s new truck to surprise my niece on her birthday.

I stayed home and baked more cookies, plus I started roasting the first of many mock smoked turkeys.

But as the kids were ready to head home – Dagmar’s wonder truck wouldn’t start, leaving them stranded at my sister’s house.

As the phone calls and texts were flying back and forth between our stranded children and their parents, my amazing husband tried to diagnose the problem from listening to the vehicle over the phone.

And he was right.

We decided it was best if they spent the night there and we’d figure out something in the morning before Pedro and Dagmar had to be back here for work.

Thus their quick one day jaunt became into an impromptu sleep-over.

They didn’t seem to mind and their party continued.

But in the confusion of the evening – we kind of forgot the poor plants that had been outside hardening off.

You know – those tomatoes and peppers that I had started months ago as wee little seeds and had been nurturing ever since.

Yep. Those plants.

We had a frost during the night.

Ouch.

Meanwhile – my sister was feeding a house full of unexpected guests who didn’t even bring their toothbrushes while finding a mechanic who could could replace a starter cheap and fast.

Then she figured out how to use their family van to tow the wonder truck into town to the super hero mechanic.

And me? I baked more cookies and roasted another turkey – this time with my shoes on and my purse ready in case a rescue party should be needed.

But it was not. The mechanic preformed a miracle. The kids made it home and Pedro to work with 2 minutes to spare.

Ahh.

Friday I baked my first batch of yeast rolls and roasted another turkey.

And today we fought the crowds at the Amish green house to replace our frozen peppers and tomatoes. Obviously we weren’t the only ones to miss the memo on the frost.

Yep. It’s been quite a week.

What a Weekend!

What a weekend!

There were special friends who traveled 418 miles to help in the celebrating.

There were cousins, aunts, uncles, grandpas, grandmas, lots and lots of friends, and even a pirate.

We love you Dorothy!

And there was Seth.

The crazy one who kept us laughing all weekend.

And there was food. Lots of food.

In addition to the purple punch, all the sandwiches and massive amounts of cookies – we also had a coffee bar in honor of Dagmar’s current coffee obsession.

And there were 7 gallons of puppy chow – served in a pirate basket with a silver scoop.

Which produced many puppy chow smiles.

There was an incredible video about Dagmar produced by my talented sister and niece.

It made me cry.

And there was carpet ball, kite flying, a new kitty, cute babies and a random dog who showed up for the fun and trotted back down the road at the end of the party.

There were long conversations, lots of laughter, a balloon bouquet, and pretty flowers.

And photos, and hugs, and just plain silliness.

There was even an epic – very intense game of Ultimate Frisbee.

But most of all – there were memories, both old and new.

Many, many special memories of the little girl she used to be and the amazing young women she now is.

It was worth all the effort – every minute.