Monday is always wash day at our house
Come Rain Or Shine
Winter, Spring, Summer, or
Fall
This is how my mom did her fresh air laundry. 
When I moved away from home, I always wanted that backyard clothesline. Don’t get me wrong I am ever so grateful for that wonderful gas dryer!
Not what they used to be…but thank you DH for your ingenuity and your ability to make things happen!
I haven’t been out walking for way to long….after all it has been a long winter! (my excuse)
The calendar says it’s Spring…I checked and double checked………..
SPRING EQUINOX
March 20, 12:57 P.M. EDT
Well lookie here March 31, 2014…ELEVEN DAYS INTO SPRING
I’d say the temperature has some catching up to do!
CATCHING did someone say catching– of course baseball has already started!
The Magnolia believed the calendar….
I think those are tears she is weeping!
So although she was dressed for Spring, I think she still needs her Winter coat.
I can’t wait until I can really dress for Spring…that means Flip-Flops and painted toes!
SPOILER ALERT –
Andy Barber, Assistant DA in a small town in Massachusetts is the narrator of this story…he is also the father of Jacob. The story opens when a fourteen year old boy, Ben Rifkin, is found stabbed in a park. Andy takes over the case and for a week, it looks as if there at no leads. Then, abruptly, officers appear at his house, along with Assistant DA Neal Logidice, and Andy and his wife, Laurie's nightmare begins. Evidence has been found pointing to their son, Jacob, as the murderer.
The towns people, as well as the media, assume Jacob's guilt. He not only bought a knife, said he would kill Ben if he continued to harass and bully him, but told this to a friend… his finger print was found on Ben’s sweatshirt! Hard evidence for me to not believe he was involved!
And, interestingly, he published an original story on the Internet, which had the basic outlines of the murder though the names were changed.
The family fear an attempt to use a 'murder gene' as evidence( Andy' father has been in jail for fifty years for murder), they go to a renowned Harvard psychologist, who interviews both the family and Andy. She ends up more or less admitting that Jacob has the make up of a potential killer, a lack of empathy, a emotional intelligence of a seven year old. Neither of these prove he did the crime; they just suggest that he had the capacity and indifference to do it. Andy never believes this; Laurie begins to doubt. Andy visits Bloody Billy Barber in jail and the story takes a turn!
Towards the end, all looks lost when a suspect named Paltz, an admitted pedophile, hangs himself and confesses, in a note, his guilt for the crime. Jacob is released, all seems well but Andy knows better. His father has a friend, Father O'Reilly, a fixer of problems so to speak, who to save Jacob, has most likely arranged the suicide. Andy never tells his suspicions to the court or his wife.
The Barber’s lives try to go back to normal after the trail ends with Jacob's exoneration. They enjoy dinner together as a family….they make the decision to get away from it all.
Vacation in Jamaica:
The family goes on vacation to Waves Resort in Jamaica. On the bus ride Jacob sit by a girl, Hope. After arriving at the resort Jacob and Hope spend endless hours together. Jacob’s parents were glad to finally see him happy again. There words, “We finally have Hope!” A few days a phone call comes from Hope’s mom asking if she was with Jacob. Of course, she wasn’t! They ask Jacob about her and he just shrugs his shoulders telling them he hadn’t seen her. Hopes body was found several weeks later. Her decomposing body had been eaten by marine life, but they were able to say that her windpipe had been crushed before entering the water. Jacob was questioned by Jamaican police, but was never arrested for the crime because there was no real evidence.
Conclusion:
Mom takes Jacob to a meeting for his new school. They never arrive because she had other plans. She thought about this for a long time. Her son couldn’t live like this so she took her seatbelt off, Jacob wasn’t wearing his, told Jacob she loved him and then the car began to accelerate and started to veer off on to the shoulder. Jacob noticed what was happening, he tried to put on his seatbelt but it was too late. They hit the bridge abutment – a solid concrete wall which ended in a violent crash leading to Jacob’s death. Some how mom survives.
The novel ends with Andy at a Grand Jury hearing, defending his wife against accusations of murder, the murder of her son.
I thought the book was very readable and once again I wasn’t able to put this one down. I was hooked hoping for the best but expecting the worst, right from the start. I would not have been a good jury person…I was convinced from the beginning that Jacob was guilty!
**All images from Google Image Search
Kleenex Alert if you chose to read this novel….I was crying before I finished the first chapter!
I really loved this novel. I picked it up because I just seemed drawn to it.
This story is touching...and brings forth the idea that love and family come in all shapes and forms, and sometimes we need to look beyond our own losses and hardships to find true happiness and love. Mark down on his luck and ready to end his life remembers the words of his mother…
To quote Mark Smart's diary:
"My mother used to tell me that angels walk the earth disguised as people. Tonight I am a believer." He meets Macy!
Yes the book is predictable…except for the part about Mark’s father…..not going to give that away! Yet each character adds so much to the novel, even the wicked Hummels. There are so many touching moments that a box of Kleenex if definitely needed. Mark’s journal notes are the snippets of wisdom from a down to earth guy, and are so profound that I wanted to write all of them down on post it notes to ponder them throughout each day.
“Love is like a rose: we fixate on the blossom, but it's the thorny stem that keeps it alive and aloft...
The things of greatest value are the things we fight for. And in the end, if we do it right, we value the stem far more than the blossom.”
Be prepared to cry and grieve…after reading I decided that it's not always about happy endings as much as it is about picking up the pieces after despair, disappointments and losses and learning how to move on in spite of it all. Loved it!
Today was our first tumbling class…….Kiddo (what he now wants Grandma to call him) was excited and of course nervous! We have talked about participating in this class for 2 weeks and here we go………….
Stretch ……….we are not only stretching we are learning social skills and how to be part of a group!
We are learning that we can achieve goals
That we will gain Confidence….
And we are building our self-esteem….always knowing that we are not perfect! (YET!)
We will be proud of what we can do…………
Always giving it our all…………
The day will come when we can look back and say….”That was Easy!”
“If parents, teachers,
coaches and others
communicate approval,
liking and respect, a
child develops
positive feelings of
self-confidence and
self-worth.”
The Sporting Life 360
..March.
Month three.
Lion/Lamb, Windy, Rainy, or Snowy
Slowly yet gradually
Giving way to sun filled mornings!
Beginning Anew
A time to count our many blessings!
*** Warning Inclement Picture Overload***
We started the night with some great activities -
Epsom Salt Painting -
For the activity we first did snow painting so we could see them all dry after the movie. This Epsom salt paint fit the bill! It's so easy to make - just stir 2 parts of Epsom salt and 1 part very hot water together (1/2 cup Epsom salt 1/4 cup water). Then paint with the solution on black paper and wait for it to dry (this is when the magic happens!) The solution actually crystallizes and looks just like ice crystals! Of course it was hard to pull Kendry away from painting as he loved painting and watching what happened as the water dried and I loved that it was pretty mess-free.
We played several games of Frozentration - (Our Name for this memory game).
Memory has been a favorite in our family for years. Probably because it is easy to play. Kendry is totally in love with this game. Although the game is designed so two players play against each other, for Frozentration we just let Kendry match up the pairs. It was great to see the huge smile on his face when he made a match. T
The game is also known as Concentration, Pelmanism, Shinkei-suijaku, Pexeso and Pairs…..that’s why we have made up our own name “FROZENTRATION”! The set has 12 different characters for a total of 24 cards. We kept the game really simple for K starting out with 3 sets and increasing up to 6. We played it for almost a full hour! I’m sure it will be something he asks to play over and over again! Thanks grandma for making the cute cards from this web site http://www.disney.co.uk/frozen/downloads/frozen-activity-memory-cards.pdf
Olaf was our next activity…This was the best design Kendry put together. There were some pretty cute upside down, broken apart, and even a melted one with every piece stacked on top of each other. Another keeper!
http://www.disney.co.uk/frozen/downloads/frozen-activity-build-olaf.pdf
Finally we finished our activities with Borax Crystals. This project had to be started the night before our party so the crystals had time to form. We think they turned out beautiful!
What is a party at our house without food ~ Not a party at all! On to the food table ~~~~~
Sandwiches - 
Sven’s Carrot Muffins – recipe to follow in another post!
Frozen Ice Blocks
I Like Warm Hugs!
Melted Snow – Drinking Water
The Spread -
Olaf Pizza ----Because that is how Little Man Rolls
On to the Movie -----
We absolutely love Frozen….but we are now ready to be Frozen No Longer!
Earth Day & Easter are Calling!
We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day early ~ because everyone will be working, going to school, or doing the routine that won’t allow us to all get together!
The Spread ----
Salad ~ Pistachio Spinach With Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients:
Pistachio Spinach Salad
3 cups baby spinach
1/2 c fresh blueberries
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/4 c pistachios
Crumbled Wild Blueberry Vanilla Goat Cheese
Creamy Balsamic Dressing
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c mayonnaise
3 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1. Layer toppings over bed of spinach
2. Combine all ingredients for the dressing and mix until smooth. Pour over individual salad servings.
Four Leaf Clover Bread
Corn Beef
Over The Rainbow Fruit Tray
The Boys Wondering When They Can Eat the Marshmallows and Rolos
What a fun day ~ Thanks Jason, Halie & Brevin for joining us!
