If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

Yes, we even did formal invitations for all of the "princesses." What a great morning!  Princess Margaret (Maggie) and Lady Jamie Jo hosted a Royal Wedding sleepover and party!  Last night five of Maggie's friends and their moms came over (some in formals) to spend the night.  This morning the moms woke up to finish cooking and setting up and to watch some of the royal procession.  Then we woke up the girls (and a couple of the brothers) in time to see Kate ride to the ceremony. The breakfast was beautiful and surprisingly tasty!  We had scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, strawberries and cream muffins, egg and bacon muffins and much much more. I had out my white wedding china with all of the little tea cups.  It was so cute.  We drank sparkling orange juice and hot tea. It was fun to hear the girls laughing and talking throughout the wedding.  They were so excited to be up and I am so glad that they will have a fun memory of where they were when W

This is my pile of laundry today...my pile minus the one load in the washer, the one load in the dryer and the two loads clean and waiting to be folded.... Between company this weekend, being out of town for two days on a get-away with Andy and a six year old throwing up and missing the bucket repeatedly, my pile is amazingly large! Also to do today is clean my house (for the same reasons listed above), go to the grocery store, cook for my Royal Wedding Party I am throwing tonight/tomorrow morning in the wee hours and to WORK! Oh my! I guess I better stop blogging and get working! Happy day!

Well, I am being featured today on one of my favorite blogs:  Durango Mom .  The author of the blog, Ivey, is one of my friends and I absolutely love reading her blog!  If you click on "Durango Mom" above, it will take you straight to the story featuring me.  Below are three of my favorite posts from Durango Mom (a couple are from her old website from before Durango Mom days, but the same lady).  I hope you take the time to enjoy them as much as I do! Thanks, Ivey, for being a friend who laughs WITH me! Back To School (my favorite one) Former Patton House For Sale Sharon and Karen

I braided Gabby's hair again. . .this time it took nearly 30 hours.  I started on Wednesday and put in about 7 hours and then about five hours a day since then.  Yikes.  However, it looks MUCH better this time and I am very proud of her new do! Also, we had a birthday party for Gabs the other day.  The Brawners were here and the McKinnis crew came over, too.  We had ice cream sundaes and Gabby opened our gifts.  It was a fun party!  I'm not a huge over the top birthday party mom, so it was nice and laid back and we loved it. Abby, Gabby, Maggie, Hays, Kate, Tiki, Dax, Jackson, MJ & Smith Today we braided all morning and then headed to watch Disney's "African Cats."  It was good.  Jordin Sparks sang in the movie and she did a super job!  Then we headed for a late lunch/early dinner (linner) at our favorite Durango Mexican spot.  Now we're at home thawing out (it has been sleeting/snowing/raining all day) before we brave the weather for church in

Gabby last month. Today Gabby is FOUR!  Happy Birthday, Gabs!  I definitely was not there when you came in to this world, but I love you like I was.  This year you have turned into a fun friend and little girl.  I have loved spending nearly every minute of every day with you!  You are hysterical!  I love the way you have become so loving.  You are dear and precious.  I think my favorite thing, though, is the way you love out loud!  When Daddy walks in the door you drop everything and run to him with all of the excitement there is!  You love your brothers and your sister with a smile that brightens a room.  And you love me in such a dear way.  Gabby, I love you so much!  You are a joy in my life and I am so very thankful for you!  I'm blessed that God gave you to me. . .we are all blessed!  Your Rwandan name says so much:  IRIBAGIZA, "we praise the Lord because you are a blessing." This is Gabby in Africa (meeting her first giraffe) November 2007. This is Gabby o

Our friends, the Brawners, came to visit this weekend and we have been having a blast!!! Today we were going to go hiking, but a winter storm advisory up in the mountains changed our plans to the local "egg scramble" and then donuts at Bakers Bridge. This weekend has been so much fun! We have laughed and laughed and I am so thankful that they drove out here to visit us! Molly Jane & Gabby The McKinnis Family J & Al Smith (aka "Stan") and Al Jackson & Jason

Untitled from Andrew Braner on Vimeo .

Nice title.  I know.  But seriously, if I have to tell Dax one more time, "Dax, STOP SUCKING YOUR SNOT!" I think I'll go crazy.  Silly, though, since I'll probably be telling that to him three more times before I finish this post. Last year allergies were pretty non-existent.  Maybe because we had over 100 inches of snow and it stayed on the ground until the end of May?  Maybe because our bodies were just so happy to be out of Missouri allergy season that they were saying "thank you" by not being affected by Colorado allergies?  I don't know.  But this year, they are yucky. Andy is out of town and Dax tends to sleep with me when that is the case, so I spent most of the night telling Dax to quit sucking his snot even from my deep R.E.M.  Maybe that is why it is so on my mind today.  Again. . .who knows? I'm ready for summer to be here.  Spring is pretty much nothing up here. . .especially in my neighborhood where green lawns and pretty flowers

So, I had to run to the grocery store to return some RedBox movies and I just couldn't leave empty handed.  Andy is in Houston for the week, so here is what we are having for dinner (plus some leftovers from the weekend).  We can't wait!!!

This weekend we have had our Camp Kivu leadership staff here and it has been so great!  (We miss Lesley and Luke who are still with our Gap Year in the Philippines. . .but we got to Skype with them on Friday.)  We have a great team and summer is going to be fun!  I've been feeding sixteen people three meals a day and I have loved it!  That is one thing I miss about my home in Missouri. . .I had people in my house all of the time. . .rarely was it just the Braners fora meal--sidenote. I cannot believe that in one week from tomorrow our guys' staff will start arriving.  Crazy how this year is almost over!  Anyway, I just wanted to share pics from the weekend.  Also, for those of you Kivu moms and campers, be sure and check out KivuToday at www.kivutoday.blogspot.com for updates on the ins and outs of Kivu as the summer gets near and then progresses!  See you all so soon! The team. The girls' leadership staff. The guys' team (minus Luke). Adam and Katlyn wh

HE FINISHED!  I am so proud of him!  Andy did a super job and finished his first 70.3 Iron Man race!  Wow!  After swimming 1.2 miles and then biking 58 miles, he ran a half marathon (13+ miles) to finish his race! Finishing his bike ride. Just starting the run. About to cross the finish line.

Andy made it out of the water onto his bike in great spirits! I am SO VERY VERY VERY PROUD of my hubby! He decided to do this race, he trained hard and he is doing it! I was nervous like crazy this morning. . .I think I almost threw up. Andy was so calm and so excited and I guess I just felt like someone needed to be nervous, so I took it upon myself to be (dumb). The morning started early--I don't think Andy slept past 2:00 (so maybe he was nervous) and I got up at 4:40 and we headed out. By 6:45 everyone had to be out of the transition area and they were moving towards the ocean. . .it was dark and VERY windy and chilly. At 7:40 Andy was off in the silver swim cap group of 35-39 year olds. I saw him come through the transition area after the swim and then I saw him come out of the bike area onto his 50-something mile bike. He looked fantastic and he was smiling! The biking will be his "easy" part and I think he was looking forward to it. I'm

Well, greetings from. . .Denver (when I wrote this post this morning. . .not now that I am actually posting it).  I know, I’m supposed to be in Texas by now, but yesterday was one interesting day of travel. . .or day of sitting in the Durango airport, I should say.  So, we made it all the way to Denver via jet in the same amount of time it would have taken for us to drive to Denver.  Hopefully we will make it to Houston and then on to Galveston much quicker this morning! So, today is going to be my first ever political blog.  Don’t worry, no big commentaries on my political opinion or anything. . .just something I’ve been thinking about: this government “almost” shut-down. For those of you who actually know me, I’m not the counting to three type of mom.  My kids know that they have a choice to obey me or not and they are getting the, “one. . .t-t-t-t-t-t-w-w-w-w-w-o-o-o-o-o. . .three” before they can decide if they want to make the right choice.  I, personally, just don’t see how t

Heck no, I am not doing the half Iron Man in Texas.  Let's just get that cleared up from the start.  But my wonderful husband is!  I am so proud of him and I cannot wait for this weekend! Andy and I are headed to Galvaston tonight and we will get to spend the weekend together with no children and I cannot wait!  (BeBe is flying in today to keep the brood.)  I'm excited to just be with my hubby.  Weekends away are so rare and I cherish them so much!  We have TONS to talk about and we need to laugh a lot!  And then he has the whole race to do and I cannot wait to cheer him on! So, if you think about it, pray for the Braners.  Pray that BeBe does okay with the five children (she once told me that her limit is two--oops), pray that Andy and I have good quality time and that the decisions we need to make this weekend about our future are clear and pray for Andy on Sunday as he busts it in this race of a lifetime.  (And, to that reader who doesn't like it when I ask for pray

Let me just start off this post by thanking my wonderful and thoughtful husband, Andy, for giving me a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas about 12 years ago.  Next let me say that Jennafer, my beautiful and dear sister, I hope that the person you bought my Kitchen Aid mixer for at my pre-moving garage sale is really loving it.  Yes, you got it.  I sold my mixer in my garage sale because not one time in 12 years had I ever used it.  Insert boo hoo crying right here! So, I saw this recipe in November on this wonderful cooking blog " Taste and See " and I have been wanting to make it ever since and I decided that today was the day.  Why?  I have no idea. What you will need to do:   READ THE DIRECTIONS THOROUGHLY!!!!  For example, it calls for the unsalted butter, the 3 eggs and the sour cream to be at room temperature when you use them.  Oops.  You will also need a sifter.  That (and a Kitchen Aid mixer) should be a staple in a kitchen, but clearly I am a staple dummy and I

Today Maggie was supposed to bring a healthy snack (with the recipe) to her "Becoming Girls" group. They are learning about being healthy all month long and this was the cooking kick off. Well, I can't say that I have ever made a healthy snack for my kids. . .ever. They can grab a pear or an apple or some grapes, but I'm not the June Cleaver healthy snack out of the oven or cucumbers and carrots designed into a landscape kind of mom. Who am I kidding. . .I think I've only seen June Cleaver bake chocolate chip cookies for snacks. . .maybe I am more like her than I think! Well, in Durango, only healthy flies and I am out of the cooking healthy loop. Oh well. So, here was as close to healthy as I could come up with out of things I have made for my children to snack on. . .and the "healthy" ends at the apples. Enjoy! Cinnamon Apples and Chips 4 apples peeled and diced 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nu

Dax is now majorly into board games. . .we play Sorry and Risk and Yatzee almost every day.  Yesterday we started Risk and it was intense.  It started lasting too long, so Dax quit and Hays and I continued to battle one country at a time.  It was serious world domination (and the person pictured below did NOT win the game).

Yesterday Maggie and Gabby and I headed to Albuquerque to go shopping.  We left Durango early in the morning with our dear friends, the Willis girls (Gretchen and her daughters, Kenna and Kayla).  After three and a half easy hours in the car we were there and the shopping began.  It is so much fun for girls to shop with their girlfriends.  I love the going back and forth from dressing room to dressing room to get another girls' opinion.  It was great.  We'd load our arms up with anything that caught our eyes and then have a "yes," a "maybe," and a "no" pile in the dressing room.  I loved it! We also got to have lunch with an old friend from college, Jen, and her gorgeous children.  I love reunions and it was so nice to see her.  She is beautiful and sweet and so wonderful and her kids are polite and have the most amazing eyes!  Thanks, Jen, for meeting us for lunch! So, after a day of shopping and pedicures for the girls, we called it a day an