Twenty five.

How can it be?

March 31, 2007

This is so Emma.

And so is this.

Beloved Emma.

As loving as she is lovable.

Twenty five years of true love and pure joy.

God bless you sweet girl.

Mom

p.s. thanks for the laughs

On the street where you live...EPIC systems.

Just down the road from our house is a big privately owned company called Epic.  If you go to the doctors office or the hospital you most likely have see an Epic product.  They make the software that many, many hospitals have that compiles your information,  I think.  haha.

It is owned by a woman....which is cool.
It is wildly successful.
She has kept big builders working thru the recession.
The latest phases has been these beautiful farm buildings and farm houses.
And the next phase is going to be Harry Potter inspired. Hogwarts.  Yup.

If we thought this complex was remarkable and Olympic village like before...
I know the Harry Potter buildings will be out of this world!!!






John Deere as art.





Interview with Judy. Epic owner.

It's an amazing place....
If you come and visit...we will take you over there.

Encourage one another,
Donna

Channeling MTM

Don't you?
I really do.

Encourage one another,
Donna

TBT. Gin Gin

Gosh. They are little for so short a time.  It's hard to remember her like this.
Ginny.

She is a nice girl.
She was rather good with the boys (Asher and Malachi).
They each had their times of being wary of her...but that is good and to be expected. She is big and can be in your face.

Emma and I can not get over this picture.

Funniest.

Could not be closer.

Oh Gin.

Encourage one another,

Donna

still here

still here

been scared and battered.
My hopes the wind done scattered.
Snow has friz me,
Sun has baked me,

Looks like between 'em they done
Tried to make me

Stop laughin', stop lovin', stop livin'--
But I don't care!
I'm still here! 

~langston hughes

I'm still here to love and remember and treasure and sing and feel and praise and dance.

Still here to be THANKFUL and to throw my head back and laugh.

Encourage one another,

Donna

Thinking of Susie a lot lately.

Every day I think of Sue.  
Especially these two months...the months we knew she had a brain tumor will always be the months of loving Sue the best we could.  Trips back and forth to Missouri.  Daily chats with Cindy and Keith and even Sue.
Sweet memories of our time together.  Funny things.  Darling things. 

Kisses. Giggles. Eating. Tears. Love.

Broken Hearts.




Our gorgeous, brilliant, generous, loving, fabulous sister.


I miss you.
I remember you.

Love you.
Mean it.

Donna Elsie

Print those pictures!

I tried a new app last week.  It is called Print Studio.  The app is free.  From inside the app you can chose your pictures to make prints, books, or even cards.  Then you pay for them with a credit card...and they send them to you.  It could not be easier.
And the best part...even better than the ease of use...is the quality of the paper is fantastic!!!  Just the best!  I am so happy to have learned of this print co.  Thanks Susan Keller!
So you know....it took one week to get my pictures.


******





What a wonderful thing to be in the GOLD bracket at yesterday's volleyball tournament!  First time in GOLD!!  We came in second place overall.
We played locally too and that was so nice!

Only one more tournament and then club volleyball will be over for this year.
I think volleyball is my favorite sport to watch, I really do love it!


Wishing you are great week to come.

Off to the Luke House to serve meat loaf and mashed potatoes!

Bon Appetit!
Donna

Shoes

Auntie Janice and cousins Nick and Spencer sent Katie a darling pair of Vans on Thursday! As you can see she was totally surprised and thrilled!!!

(Janice noticed that Katie pinned this exact pair on Pinterest and she was so excited to find a pair for Katie.)

Thank you for the perfect gift of shoes.


What are your favorite pair of shoes to wear?

I have been wearing clogs for as long as I can remember...
woolen, wooden, and even birken....

In the summer I wear flip flops.  Everyday.

What about you?

Happy Spring.

(Not my picture)

You know.


When you are from Wisconsin....you get to wear this outfit nine months out of the year.


Happy Spring Friends!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Little Boys.

Emma came home to see the Omaha Bouchers.



Baby love.
Oh baby love.



Melinda and I took the boys upstairs to find some light and get a few pictures.



They behave like normal children.  Full of life and glee.



I snapped and sweated and chirped and sang.



They wiggled and squirmed and screamed.





And then...a moment of tenderness and light.







Oh! They are so dear.  They are really nice to be around.  Matthew and Melinda are doing a wonderful job parenting the boys.  It's a pleasure to see.

When it comes to formal portraits at this age, singletons are best for those perfect poses.
More than one child in the picture and I have to change my idea of perfection.   In fact, it has to become about capturing the moment.  I have never met a 2 1/2 year old and a 10 month old who will sit pretty for a portrait.   And in order not to drive myself crazy I have to relax about it.  In acceptance lieth peace.

They are such dear little guys.


Thank you Matthew and Melinda for making the trip and visiting us!

We love you all so much!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Baking with Grandpa

Matthew and Melinda were not able to come home for Christmas...and so they missed the iced cut outs my husband makes.  These are the only thing he still makes from his days as owner of Boucher's Bakery.  Yes.  We once had a bakery in Marinette.

I know I have told this before but here it is again.

I mix.

Patrick does the rest.

I never worked at the bakery.  Well...once or twice in 17 years.  I was home with the children.
But every day we had cut outs.  Fresh white bread, brownies and cut outs.

The boys worked for their dad when they were old enough to do something. I remember Matthew running the bun slicer.  Oh dear Lord.  It was a big machine.
And Patrick delivered baked goods in Michigan a week after he got his drivers license.
Hit. the. ground. running.

So I thought it would be really nice to bake cookies when they kids were here.  Besides...everyone wants to eat them and it would be a fun activity.

Here we go!















A little cheer :o)



Asher holding the cutter.
The cut outs were adorable shapes and quite large.  I saved some when we sold off the bakery equipment and handed them out the the Boucher children.  But Patrick likes this little cutter I found for him at a rummage sale.













Making cookies and memories.



The remains of the day.





Asher had so much fun and he LOVED the cookies!!!

We all loved the cookies :o)


Encourage one another,
Donna

We had special visitors.

Asher (3) and Malachi (10 mo)



Melinda and Malachi




Asher


That's where I have been.  In grandbabyland.
Sorry to leave you in the lurch.

We had such a great time.

Very fun pictures coming tomorrow...at the regular time.

I thought of you often...but I knew you would understand!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Love wins. Fault in out Stars.

"You say you're not special
because the world doesn't know about you,
but that's an insult to me.
I know about you.

~John Green
The Fault in our Stars.



I'm almost done with this heart-breaking, thoughtful book.
It happens to be all the rage for the teens.
Katie read it first and I wanted to read it so we could talk about it.
I know I should do it the other way around but...I don't.

It is a good book that can be hard to read.
There are many important themes in this book and lots of poignant quotes to save and ponder.

I enjoyed the writing and the characters and the words.

"The world is not a wish-granting factory."

Not for anyone....which is strangely comforting to me.


All we can do, really, is love one another...really really well.


With love,
Donna

Are you watchig American Idol?

Watch Malaya sing I'm Changing here.

Malaya is sixteen.  Can you believe her confidence and stage presence?
She is a real goofy girl and acts all of her sixteen years most of the time...
but gosh...this was outstanding.

Another girl sang the song from Frozen and I couldn't understand the words.  I wished Malaya would have sung it.  Cause I know she could do it justice!

There is a rocker named Caleb Johnson who reminds me very much of Meatloaf.
This guy can sing!  He is only 22.  Wild.




Caleb on YouTube


He has not sung a song that I LOVE yet.  I'd like to hear something I'm more familiar with...
Maybe something like "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns and Roses or "One" by U2.

But as far as I'm concerned he is the front runner.

Do you have any favorites?

Again, I have only one favorite on The Voice.  That great couple Dawn and Hawkes.

And Dancing with the stars starts next week.

Singing and a dancing, great books to read and the temps climbing out of the 30's....

Life is good.

Encourage one another,
Donna

p.s.  Thank you very much for sharing your most life changing books  in the comments yesterday!!
A big thank you to all!

Book Love

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” 
~John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Do you love a book like that?
What is it?

Guy C. Wiggins/Impressionist

~Guy C. Wiggins

New Yorker 

1883-1962

I love impressionists.

I spotted this on Pinterest this morning and out of all the things I read,

 this is the one that jumped out at me.

Maybe it's for you.

Encourage one another,

Donna

dreaming dirt

Under the pavement the dirt is dreaming of grass.
~Wendell Berry






Under the snow the grass is dreaming of the sun.
~Donna Elsie











We are off to a good start, sleepy but good.

Encourage one another,
Donna