A Night of Murder Among the Matey's

It all happened at the Salty Sea Dog - an inn owned by Roger Dagger.

One-eyed Wanda (Anna) gunner and Sealeg Sam (Paula)

It is dangerous being around pirates - even for the good guys...

Captain Redbeard and his first-mate Merciless Morgan

The Governor and his wife along with their two daughters.

Mercilously Murdered was Morgan - the Captain and Gunner check out the scene...

The whole cast of the Party....awesome costumes and loads of fun!

Tessa did NOT have a good night...she was scared of everyone in their costumes but eventually sleep overtook her....

This was a great Murder Mystery! I loved the fact that it left a lot more to your imagination to get into the party and there was a lot more that you yourself had to find out - not just told in the booklet. Next murder mystery 1920's on New Years Eve....Gangsters and Flappers - if we decide we don't want one before than....

St. Cloud Kidney Walk

September 18 will be the Third Annual St. Cloud Kidney Walk...My family and I have taken part of the last two walks and we are planning to be there this year too. Here are pictures from the first walk we did (because I can't find pictures from last year).

Our team is called "Lauer Power" because we walk for Our Husband, Dad, and Grandpa - as you can see by the backs of our t-shirts in the picture above. He had a kidney transplant about five years ago and without that he probably wouldn't be here today. His kidney was donated by a teacher from Duluth. We didn't know who she was but we are FOREVER greatful. Below is the team from the first walk the second year we had more walkers this year remains to be seen...

Did you know????

1. 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and most don't know it.
2. Once kidneys fail, you need dialysis or a transplant to survive.
3. 367,000 people depend on dialysis.
4. 84,000 people are on the waiting list for a life-saving kidney transplant.
5. 1 person dies every two hours while waiting for a kidney transplant.

This walk will raise money for kidney research, patient advocacy, public education and free kidney screenings, because early detection and proper treatment can slow the progress of kidney disease.

As I said earlier, we walk for my Dad but since this disease is hereditary we are also walking for our children. Dan's old boss also has kidney disease and right before Christmas last year received a transplant. These are two lucky ones....please help in fighting this disease...and help me raise money for a good cause....even if you can only donate $5.oo every little bit helps! Click on this link to donate - St. Cloud Kidney Walk or talk to me.

Thank you so much!!! I appreciate your help!

The Girls 2nd Birthday Party

Getting ready for the party...Mom had a dress all picked out but because she knows exactly what she wants she chose this dress...."Princess Dress"Here are the Birthday girls....
Playing with her presents....
Yummy - "My Chocolate cake!"
D and her present cake....
It was a great day for a party....little on the warm side but there was a nice breeze and the rain held off until it was all over. Happy Birthday girls!

Happy Birthday K!

Here she is - after waiting until Dan could make it home from Canada - our perfect little princess. She was my biggest baby and Mommy was so happy that she was able to stay with her the whole time we were in the hospital.

The boys fell in love with her the moment that they saw her...they aren't so enamored with her today but they still love her. I can't believe this was only two years ago...she isn't the same quiet little girl she once was.

Now she is out running through life with and talking her way out of anything. She loves wearing dresses but has to follow the boys where ever they go and do whatever they do. I call her my Mud Princess. She loves playing in mud but has to have that dress on. :)

She definitely keeps me hopping and keeps a smile on my face! Happy 2nd Birthday K!!!

PS Thank you to Lisa for staying with me while waiting for Dan - you made the time go much faster - who cares if they got mad at us for not staying quiet!!!

Como Zoo Trip

Took two of my nieces with me to Como Zoo with some friends of mine...the kids had a blast. We had a nice picnic lunch and then walked around to see the animals. It was a little on the warm side but not too bad. Most of the animals were on the lethargic side and not very active.

T was in the stroller sleeping when this pic was taken that is why she was not in there.

K says she loves the giraffes, I think they are her favorites...but the orangutan mother came right down to the glass in front of her and she thought that was cool too. The boys both loved said they loved the polar bear but they both just kinda laid around...wish they had been swimming...then they really would have thought they were cool. It was a great trip - looking forward to going again...maybe this time in September or October.

Cousin Campout 2010

Last weekend was the cousin campout...all the cousins get together for an overnight campout at Grandma and Grandpa's house. My sisters, Joyce and Kay, started it and now it has moved to Grandma's house.

All lined up for the Scavenger Hunt...

The weather was a little ominous but the

storms blew over.

They built bird houses...as well as doing other crafts.

And in the end we got a picture of everyone

with Grandma and Grandpa...

And, while Grandpa is glad to get back to his peace and quiet...all the kiddos are anxiously awaiting next year already!

Perspective

One day , the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip , the father asked his son , "How was the trip?"

"It was great , Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah , " said the son.

"So , tell me , what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:

"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us , but they serve others.

We buy our food , but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us , they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added , "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have , especially your family and friends!

New Blog I found...

If you want to see how the other half lives check out this website Catalog Living. It is hilarious...I added it to my sidebar so I can find it when I want a good laugh. The blogger takes photos from Catalogs and pretty much just makes fun of them. Check it out and you will see for yourself. If you don't find it as amusing as me - sorry to have wasted five minutes of your time!

It has been a crazy weekend...

This weekend was crazy busy...once again. On Friday night, Dan left to go up to his parents - they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on Saturday. And, I was cooking for Lisa's son's grooms dinner and then the wedding was the next day. Lots of fun stuff just too bad it was on the same weekend - couldn't celebrate any of it with my husband. Thankfully, my sister helped with the kids so that we didn't have to worry about them and could enjoy the celebrations. Then on Sunday, we packed up the kiddos and headed to Aitkin for Dan's nephew's Graduation party...

Here are some pics of the weekend....

Mr. and Mrs. Pederson

The beautiful cake Lisa made...

Sam made it through the wedding but once

he had to slow down...good night.

Pauline with Tessa

The Pederson kiddos enjoying themselves...

The grandkids on the John side.

The John kids...Steve, Carol, Karen, Bob and Dan

We are still in recovery mode....

Murder Mystery - Honky Tonk Homicide

A nasty murder investigation sure can disrupt Karaoke Night, especially when everyone in town is a suspect! It's last call for Bubba Angus, owner of Bubba's Bar. Late tonight, he was found dead in his office - shot and killed with a .22 caliber pistol. Bubba was the town snake, but who did he bite with enough venom to trigger his murder? Sissy Wesson - town Sheriff? Carney Folk - carnival worker who was just passing through town? Rowdy Lawless - bad boy with short temper and love of his bike? Dusty Diamond - Host of Karaoke Night at Bubba's with big dreams of Country Western Stardom? Rev. Jim Bob Eternity - town's beloved TV evangelist? Mary Kay Eternity - preacher's wife, struggling for her own identity? Twyla Fleetwood - Cactus Court Trailer Park owner and designer of her own nuclear holocaust bunker? OR Crystalline Daniels - the young, beautiful and promiscuous barmaid? All had motive and opportunity - only time will tell!!!

Here are all the suspects:

Here are the Bad Boys of Cactus, Texas:

Rowdy, Reverend Jim Bob, Carney, and Dusty

Here are the Bold and Beautiful Women of Cactus:

Sheriff Sissy, Twyla, Mary Kay and Crystalline

with me (the hostess) in front

It was a night of suspense, laughter and fun with friends! And, we are not telling who the murderer is - in case you too would like to find out "Who shot Bubba Angus?"

Friday Funnies

So the other night we are watching a show on Animal Planet - I think it was "Blue Earth," but not sure. The narrator is talking about Australian Squid and what makes them different from other squid. He says something like, "These squid only grow up to about a foot long." D turned to Dan and said, "Just like a Five-Dollar Footlong!" I guess that gives him something to compare it to since he's eaten a full footlong several times now.

Yesterday, K was being so sweet with T. T was laying on the floor and K came and sat by her with a Dora picture book and was "reading" it to her. Then she got her a pillow and blanket and kept saying, "Nap Time....Nap Time." Of course, she was covering her completely up with the blanket - face and all. She was very careful with her...the funniest part was T had just gotten up from her morning nap, but she thought she should take another one....

Jannessa's Bridal Shower

May 16, 2010 - Anna and I had the honor to throw a bridal shower for a BFF's future daughter-in-law. We had lots of fun planning the shower, making decorations, shopping for everything, preparing food and throwing the shower.

Here are the decorations - we had fun one

afternoon working together. Lisa was only

allowed to help with these and the cake...

she is the Mother of the Groom after all!

The beautiful cake Lisa made - YUMMY!

The food....

And one of the games, you try to pick a winner!

The beautiful models in their beautiful dresses -

only 10 minutes to create.

Now, for the last minute wedding details and preparing for the groom's dinner!

Mitchell and Christina's Wedding

May 15th, 2010 - It was a "great day for a......white wedding." The weather was perfect and the wedding at Historic Fort Snelling. So beautiful! We were so honored to be a part of the day. We pray the rest of you marriage will be just as beautiful!

The Happy Couple!

Carol and the boys!

Little T's Lastest Accomplishments

My little girl is getting so big - I can't believe how much she has changed and how big she is getting. She looks so much like D when he was little but has C's coloring I see him in her as well. Last Saturday she turned FOUR months old - where does time go??? I went to get her from her nap and she had rolled over - I went to pick her up and she saw me coming and gave me the biggest grin. What a Dolly!!!

I started feeding her cereal on Monday, as you can see she wasn't quite sure if she liked it or not. She kind of has the look, like, what is this stuff you are putting in my mouth?

But the more that she had the more that she got used to it...she cleaned everything up that I had in the bowl....
And by the end she even seemed to be enjoying the cereal.
Today, she ate her cereal right up without any hesitation! That's my girl!!!!

Mothers Day 2010

For Mother's Day this year we went to the Kelley Farm in Anoka. They were having a special where mother's got in free and were also highlighting "Animal Babies." While the kids had a great time running around and seeing the animals, I was disappointed that there weren't more "babies" to be seen. They had a total of 5 lambs and 1 calf. Plus, I was thinking since they were highlighting this as a big weekend they would have more activities, or at least staff that would be available to talk about what a day would be like. Maybe I was thinking it would at the very least have a little structure to it. I was disappointed. Here are pics of the kiddos having fun though:

Big cow - she loved it!

Horsey...

A lamb - they thought it was fun that this lamb

kept escaping from its pen to "play" with them.

A two day old calf....

Pumping water at the well...they could have

stayed here a long time....

And we ended with a trolley ride along the

Mississippi River with Tom and Jerry.

Here they are....

Here are the pictures of Dan's shark...thanks for the copies Bob!

First shark...

Second Shark...

If you know me and how much I love fish, you will know how excited I am to have them in my freezer. For those of you who don't know me....I am allergic to certain types of fish/seafood and therefore stay away from all of it!

I am glad that he had the chance to do that though and had fun hanging out with his family!