Out With the Old, In With the New!

Three of the Johnsons went to spend New Year's Eve with the Sallees.  (Hailey is too busy for us now.) We started our evening at Olive Garden.  We got there early, so the wait wasn't too bad.

Carson was anxious for his breadsticks, fettucine, and a mint to finish it off.

The food was all very good, and we even had some to bring home.

Afterward, we went back to their house.  The boys played Lincoln Logs.

Leslie and I worked on our blogs.  She showed me some cool updates for uploading pics.

So, its's out with the old year, and in with the new.  We will all make our resolutions.  Some will stick.  Some will be forgotten by Sunday, but good friends will always be around!  Happy New Year!

So, you had a bad day!

I came home in a really good mood tonight, but the kids very quickly turned that around for me. They are tired, grumpy, hormonal, and ready for Christmas break! Everyone is struggling to meet goals by the end of the quarter that should have been met already in my opinion. Anyway, they kinda brought me down tonight. Then I started thinking about how I probably do the same thing to them when I'm grumpy. I guess we all need to be a little more patient and considerate of each other. So, I went and got Ruby Garden for everyone and tried to start the evening over. So far, so good!

Christmas Time is Here!

So, it has been a veeery long time since I posted anything. Partly because my computer was messed up and partly because I haven't felt like I had much to say. I'm excited about the Christmas season! Hailey and I have been practicing for the play at church, which should be very funny. I don't remember ever being in a play as an adult, so it has been a lot of fun. Especially with all the crazy people we have been working with! They keep us in stitches. I've also been planning a trip for our youth group during Christmas break. We are going to Xtreme in Branson. Casting Crowns, Brandon Heath, Newsong, Skillet! It should be a blast! I love doing it, and the kids are all pretty excited. Praying for good weather that week.

My kids actually already got their big presents, so I'm hoping we can just focus on family time and having fun together this season. We finally got the tree decorated yesterday, so I feel like the season is finally in full swing for me. You never know. I may even manage a few Christmas cards, but no promises!

The 2009 Johnson Family Tree

Loving Well

I co-hosted a ladies retreat this weekend for some ladies at our church. We did Beth Moore's series "Loving Well." It was amazing! I learned so much, and I have a lot of work to do to put it all into practice. I had never done one of her studies, and I was blown away. We had a really great time together and even got in a little shopping. We're already planning to go to a live Beth Moore conference in June. I haven't felt well for a few days, so I am really tired today. I took a nap after church, but still sleepy.

We have a really big week ahead of us. Hailey plays in Reeds Spring Mon., at home Tues., and in Mtn. Grove Thurs. She has an all day tournament next Sat., and we are going to Pittsburg, KS for a family reunion Sun. It's all fun. I just hope I start to feel a little better and everyone else stays healthy.

I still can't add pictures. Maybe James can get my computer looked at this week since I won't have time to get on it anyway.

Soooo Tired!

I'm very frustrated. I can't upload pics because Windows shuts down every time I choose a picture! Ugh!

We are so busy right now. Hailey's volleyball schedule, her birthday, and everything else that goes along with church and family life is about to kill us all. Not a single night at home in a couple of weeks. It is fun, but stressful.

Hailey had a great 13th birthday. Her outdoor movie party got moved inside since it never stopped raining Sat, but they had a great time anyway. We learned our lesson about cooking for a bunch of kids. Nobody ate! We had enough burgers and dogs for an army left over.

Poor Tyler is just dragging along to games with us and trying to keep the yard mowed when he has a couple of hours to spare. I think he'll be glad when the season is over.

Better get to bed so I can do it all again tomorrow, but not before I throw one more load of laundry in the dryer.

Please Mommy!

James and the kids took his grandma out for breakfast this morning. I stayed home to do a few things around the house. I thought they were gone quite a while, but they finally got home. Hailey yelled up the stairs for me to come down there for a minute. As I started down the stairs she said,"Don't be mad mom." I said, "You brought home a puppy, didn't you." So, here she is. She is so cute! A friend or ours was at the farmer's market with them, so James stopped to see him. The big softy fell in love and couldn't leave her! I hope she doesn't stress Wishbone out too much. Maybe she can teach the puppy to be a good girl like her.


Hailey and Tyler were so excited! We have been throwing out names all day, but nothing sticks.


Who could resist that face?

Craziness!

It seems like life has been so crazy since school started! It always takes me a little bit to settle in, but this year seems worse for some reason. Hailey has volleyball practice untl 5:30 every day, so our evening at home starts later than usual. I don't mind. I'm just not in the groove yet. That may not last much longer if she can't get her back healed. She has a strained muscle and is in pain all the time. I feel sooo bad for her. She is very frustrated about not being able to practice or anything else for that matter. Pray for her, please!

Tyler seems to love middle school. He's doing great, although he did end up in P. E. the other day when he should have been in keyboarding. He claims it was the teacher's fault, yet he was the only one that ended up there. Too funny! He didn't get a tardy because the 5th graders are still getting the hang of things.

Hopefully, life will return to normal soon and my posts will not be a month apart!

One Thing Always Leads to Another

It all started with a new shower curtain. That lead to new paint, new pictures, and new towel racks. That was all well and good, but then the faucets just didn't look right, so that actually became a significant expense. The installation of the faucets was going well until James needed a specific tool to remove the old tub drain. He claims he put it in one of the junk drawers in the kitchen. So, that's where he is now. In the middle of the kitchen floor cleaning out drawers while the bathroom sits about 1/3 complete with stuff all over the floor. Still no sign of the much needed wrench, but we definitely don't need to buy pencils for school this year. And we are set for staple removers, curly ribbon, and index cards of various colors. Oh yeah, we also have plenty of paper clips, tacks, nails, and markers. That's good to know. I'm sure this will all be worth it in the end... whenever that may be.

Paint and Paisleys

I finally did it! I have been putting off painting my bathroom and finishing Hailey's room for months. I hate when I do that because I always feel so good when I'm done. I worked on my bathroom for hours Friday night. I made it much harder than it needed to be. Thankfully, my husband helped put up all the new towel bars and hooks today. Now all I need is some new towels and a blind. Yay! I was dreading putting up the decals in Hailey's room because some of the outlines are very skinny and I didn't think they would go on very easily. I was pleasantly surprised. My sister in law, Julie, came down and helped us and we had it done in no time. I think it looks pretty cute with the quilt Hailey made and her other accesories.
Now I can enjoy my week of vacation with some sense of accomplishment!

Hailey actually helped. Wow!

My bathroom.

Carson's Big Overnight

Last weekend we had a fun overnight visit from our friend Carson. We had invited him a while back, but I wasn't sure if he would actually stay. So I asked him again when we met Leslie and him for lunch and he was excited to come home with Hailey and Tyler. We went back to his house and got his things and hit the road. We hadn't even been gone 10 min. when he started wondering how far away my house was. He kept asking why it was so far, but we finally made it. I hope he had as much fun as we did! Here are some of the things he did during his visit.


He played Wii 4x4 racing. His favorite thing to drive was the school bus. He tried really hard!
Carson wanted to pet Wishbone and Boo, but I think he was a little scared of them. He also did not like hearing Ty's dirtbike. He couldn't get the door shut tight enough not to hear it.

We made Mommy a birthday cake. Carson said, " I always dump." So he dumped the cherries.

" I always lick!"

"Mommy, I can't tell you anything!" I should note that he said that right after I told Leslie I would go get him out of the closet if she wanted to talk to him.

He did enjoy some chocolate milk.

On Saturday we had cake and ice cream before we went to the derby. Carson was being silly.

Oh, I almost forgot our game of musical beds. Carson went to sleep great with Hailey, but quickly rooted her out of bed. I found her curled up on the living room floor and told her to go get in my bed. I slept on the couch until James and Tyler got up to hunt then got in his bed.

All the while Carson is stretched out like a king in Hailey's bed until 7:22 when he woke up looking for Mommy and Daddy. Sounds crazy, but it happens around here pretty often.

Thanks Eric and Leslie for letting him come!

My friend Leslie challenged us to list 50 things about ourselves, so here it goes.

1. I wish I had gone to college.
2. I am still employed at the same place I started when I was 16. (Pathetic--I know.)
3. Blue is my favorite color.
4. I wish I was a good decorator.
5. I have to have a nap on Sunday.
6. I like the way I feel after I work out, but I still have to make myself do it.
7. I hate the feeling of having my nails filed.
8. I do not like to shop by myself.
9. My hair drives me crazy.
10. I love teaching kids at church. All ages.
11. I would have a housekeeper every week if I could.
12. I buy shoes-- a lot of shoes.
13. I get irritated when people talk during my favorite shows.
14. I don't like to get my hair wet.
15. I love to go to concerts with Hailey.
16. I can't stand the way my chins look in pictures.
17. My family lived in the same house my whole childhood.
18. There are childhood friends I wish I could talk to just one more time.
19. I hate seeing my grandparents get older.
20. I love that my kids still want to curl up on the couch with me.
21. I love to watch my family having fun.
22. I love to sit on the front porch on cool evenings.
23. I sneak cookies or ice cream in the middle of the night.
24. I took piano lessons for years, but can't play anything now.
25. Most flowers make me sneeze.
26. My memory is not always great.
27. I love Italian food.
28. I was baptized in a creek.
29. I do not eat veggies.
30. Blueberry anything is my favorite.
31. Sweet tea is my favorite drink.
32. I had Lasik surgery, but I still wear glasses.
33. I love Monday night Bunco.
34. I'm planning a ladies retreat.
35. I can't sleep if I'm not covered up.
36. I didn't pierce my ears until I was 18.
37. I love to tan even though I know it's bad for me.
38. I procrastinate.
39. I think I'm pretty easy going, but others may say otherwise.
40. People who don't do their job really annoy me.
41. Thin crust canadian bacon is the best pizza.
42. I am on my laptop way too much.
43. I wish I had or made more time to read.
44. I have a hard time getting rid of things, but I'm getting better.
45. I have a bum left shoulder that hurts almost every day.
46. I have been hurt by people I thought were my friends.
47. I only go camping because the kids love it.
48. Winter depresses me, but I love to play in the snow.
49. I love to sleep in.
50. I want to go on The Music Boat cruise with Third Day!

Fun at VBS!!

We have been having a blast at Bible School this week. We have had a ton of kids! The music is awesome, and the kids are so excited. I get to take all the pictures for the slide sow at the end of the day. It is the best possible VBS job. I totally love it. I have had a few mix ups. Last night I left my SD card in the computer and took a bunch of pictures on my internal memory accidentally. Which led me to these....

Carson at the beach house in Destin.

Tyler and Hailey.. I think. I barely recognize her!

Wow! Time goes by so quickly! These pictures sure do make you realize how fast they grow and that we need to enjoy every moment we have with our families.

This week really has me reflecting. I remember when the kids were too young for VBS, but got to come hang out because I was helping. Now Hailey is a helper herself. Doesn't seem possible. I'm thankful that she still loves it and wants to be there in any way she can.

So Tired!

I have been so tired this week! I am very sleepy in the evening, but when I go to bed I wake up several times during the night. I'm really starting to feel the effects! I can't figure out what the problem is, but hopefully it is temporary. Maybe it's because I haven't been working out at all. Maybe it's the full moon and my inadequate blinds. Maybe I'm turning into an old lady with night sweats. I'm losing it a little! Ha!

In the mean time we are having a busy and fun summer. We had a great weekend with friends. Thank you Sallees and company! We are planning a day in Branson tomorrow. Hopefully I can stay awake for it.

The Heart of the Ozarks nursing home in Ava puts on an amazing 4th of July celebration for the community every year. The last few years I have helped at the CMN booth sponsored by Wal-mart. This year we decided to do face painting and hair spray of different colors. We made about $150. Not bad for a few hours. We all had a great time. Brandon, my 13 year old cousin, always likes to come help with the booth. He has been helped out a lot by CMN, so it's cool to see him come work at the booth. He painted faces all evening, but at the end of the evening he decided to have some fun. The local trout farm had a big pond set up for kids to fish, but at the end of the night a bunch of kids got in the pond and tried to catch the trout by hand. Talk about some good ol' Douglas County entertainment. Needless to say, Brandon could not resist the temptation. He pulled off his shoes, handed me his phone and hearing aid, and jumped in. He didn't even see the fireworks, but he didn't care. He chased those fish around until I made him get out to go home. I just wish I had taken my camera! I didn't take it in because I knew we would be too busy in the booth to take any pictures. Anyway, overall it was a really fun night.

There was one thing that really bothered me, though. There were several people around me who just kept eating, talking, and whatever else during the National Anthem. To me, that is one of the most disrespectful things a person living in this country can do. I am a patriot. I am married to a veteran, and my grandpa is a WWII veteran. I cannot ignore their sacrifice, and I will teach my children the same. We are blessed to live in the United States, and I hope we can all take a moment to remember that as we celebrate with barbeque, fireworks, and fun with family and friends.

Husband Of The Year Awarded to James!

My husband planned the best weekend to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary! He booked us a suite at Nostalgic Place Bed and Breakfast in Arcadia, MO, but that is only the beginning. He had every detail worked out with Margot who is one of the owners. When I arrived in the suite I had a dozen red roses, a dozen chocolate covered strawberries, and freshly brewed tea with Splenda waiting for me. I was so impressed. The suite was beautiful and comfortable. We enjoyed just relaxing there. James scheduled a massage for me before breakfast on Sat. At first I thought that was kind of early, but it was great! She came to our room, so I didn't have to get up and go anywhere. I just threw on a robe! Very nice. Then it was upstairs for Tom's French Toast with fruit. Delicious. All the food there was great! Omelettes made to order, poached apples, pancakes....Yum! Needles to say, we took a little break from our diet this weekend. We have a little adventure Saturday which you can read about below and concluded the day with a carriage ride through historical Arcardi and Ironton. We learned a lot about the history of the area. I really enjoyed it.

We decided this was one of the best weekend getaways we have ever had. Thank you to James for doing such a good job of planning and making it so special for me. I love you and I'm looking forward to many more years of suprises and adventures with you!

Nostalgic Place --One buliding of a Methodist school for girls that has been renovated.

We spent some time at Elephant Rocks State Park before we checked in.


The sitting area of our suite and my beautiful roses!



The big, beautiful bed and tub.

On Saturday we went to Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. We decided to do a hike to Mina Sauk Falls, the state's highest wet weather waterfall. This was one of the views along the way.

We hiked about and hour before we finally reached the falls. It was very pretty. Everyone said it is even better when there has been more rain.

We hung out there for a while and enjoyed the scenery. It was very hot! There wasn't any shade there.

James really wanted to get in some water to cool off. After we finished at the waterfall we had an hour hike back out a different way. By the time we got back it was about 1 in the afternoon, and we were drenched with sweat! We were ready for a little down time.

When we got back to our suite we decided to enjoy our picnic they had prepared inside. It was a very nice feast for two hungry hikers. Tom ( one of the owners) brewed me some blueberry tea that was amazing and thirst quenching! They are so thoughtful!

Here we are in front of our suite entrance. The yard is as beautiful as the inside.

Still Waters Vacation

We had such a great time at Still Waters on Table Rock Lake! We invited my parents to spend the week with us, and we had aunts and cousins come by throughout the week. The weather was perfect...excluding the tornado siren on Tuesday. There is so much to do there. We did a little boating, paddle boating, kayaking, and sliding which led to sleeping in almost every morning. Very nice. James grilled for us every night and it was delicious. This was probably the most relaxing vacation we have ever taken. We're thinking it will be an annual trip, and we're hoping more friends and family will join us next year. Sallees- that means you.

Brenna and Tracy joined us the first day.

She had a ball and was sad to leave. Rachel finally got a paddle boat

ride courtesy of her favorite aunt.

Chillin' out after "Zooming the Flume."

Do these cousins know how to

relax or what?

This was absolutley Hailey's favorite

activity. She rode until she couldn't

hold on any longer!

By the end of the week we

were content to sit on the

dock and enjoy the beautiful sunset.

Good Times and Tornado Sirens

We are having a great time at Still Waters Resort! I probably won't do pics because everything is already running really slow.

We have done so many fun things. James and the kids tried out kayaks for the first time yesterday. That was pretty cool. They say they'll have to show me the trick today. I enjoyed hanging out at the pool in the afternoon with my sister and my niece. Brenna was a little sad that they had to go home yesterday. She was having so much fun with Hailey and Tyler and making new friends at the pool.

We finally settled in for some much needed rest. We had been in bed for about an hour when the storm sirens sounded. Very unnerving to say the least. We all got up, got dressed, and got ready to go to shelter if we needed to. It was crazy! People were loading their kids up and going somewhere. Not sure where. People were in the trash room, under the stairs, pretty much everywhere. The storms ended up being mostly south of us. So we finally got back to bed.

No harm done except Tyler didn't make the early morning fishing excursion. James and Dada report no big loss there, though.

Looking forward to some fun in the sun today!

Camp Barnabas Bound!

A group of my friends from church got to go to Camp Barnabas yesterday to do the Party People program. It was amazing! We have a group of our youth there this week as counselors, kitchen help, cabin moms, and barnstormers who get to clean a lot of toilets. We were given a tour of the camp by the girl that Camp Barnabas was actually created for. The whole experience is a little overwhelming. Seeing our kids give so much of themselves to give these campers the best week possible is such a blessing to me. They are with their camper 23 hours a day for 7 days. A very big responsibility. It really makes me think about how the camper's families live every day. It makes me feel very blessed to have the happy, healthy family that I have. It also inspires me to want to do more for those who are less fortunate. I'm looking forward to more opportunities to serve at Camp Barnabas in the future.

I've posted a couple of picture of our kids with their campers, and I think they really show the spirit of camp.

Our party people group at Inspiration Point.

Beautiful!

Cabin moms Becky and Angela.

Richelle with her very talented camper after

her dinner performance.


Emilee and her camper at dinner.

I Hate Pollen!

I sat out on my front porch last night enjoying the furniture my family got me for Mother's Day. I hadn't had much of a chance to do that yet between the weather and our schedule. It was very nice! I really appreciate James and the kids doing that for me.

Then I was snapped back to reality by the whole pollen thing. My right eye is puffy, red, and itchy. Just in time for my husband's class reunion. It's crazy that you look forward to something and plan and then one little thing can make it not so great for you. Seems to be the story of my life.

The kids are stuffed up and feel kinda yucky, too. We have got to get this under control before our trip to the lake next week. We are really looking forward to chillin' by the pool, paddle boating, and just hanging out!

Hailey's New Toy

Hailey has finally been allowed to have a cell phone after two long years of begging and pleading! I finally saw the need, which is purely selfish on my part. I want to be able to reach her anywhere, anytime. The fact that she is totally thrilled is a great bonus. Now we will see if she can keep up her end of the bargain by doing her chores.

This is a view I'm sure I'll see a lot now!

Memories Recovered

Thanks to a program I found online I got my pictures back, so I thought I'd post a few for practice.

The race is on!

The kids all promised not to shoot each other.

That lasted about 5 seconds and someone they didn't

know shot them. From then on it was a free for all!

Waiting for Aunt Julie at Silver Dollar City.

Ten Things I Love

My friend Leslie challenged us to list 10 things we love beginning with the first letter of our last name. So here are mine.

1. Jesus
2. James
3. Janie (my mom)
4. Junk food
5. June vacations
6. June 22 (my wedding anniversary)
7. Jack Daniels chicken at TGIF
8. Jammin' to my tunes
9. Jewelry
10. Just hangin' out

No surprises here for those who know me!

Mini Vacation

We officially kicked off summer with a trip to Branson with my sister-in-law Julie and her kids Chase and Rachel. Sadly, our pictures were accidentally deleted, but I'll give you the run down anyway.

We left from our friends the Sallees bright and early Friday morning and headed to Silver Dollar City. What a great day! The weather was perfect, and we all got to do the things we wanted to do. The kids spread their wings a little running around with Chase and his friends without me. A little scary for this mom! Hailey will be getting a phone this week thanks to that experience. They had a lot of fun, and I got to wander around and enjoy the shops and yes....bluegrass and barbeque.

That evening we went to The Landing for a little shopping and a fun dinner at Garfield's. The Cardinal's game was on, so we asked for a booth where we could see. We are all big fans. Chase doesn't like to miss a game, so it was perfect and all the food was delicious. We went back to the hotel and let the kids swim.

Saturday we were off to Tanger first thing. Who knew $1 flip flops could cause such a scene! The best part of the day was our stop at The Track for a little racing action. Not that we are competitive at all. We all had such a good time. Summer has officially started!

T-ball With Carson

Carson was excited about his after the game snack.

Here we are enjoying the game.

Leslie made me do this!

Leslie's making me do this right now, and I really have nothing to say.  

We came up to watch Carson play t-ball tonight.  It was very entertaining.  Carson was very interested in playing in the dirt.  After Leslie told him to stop playing in the dirt he laid down and made a dirt angel.  Very cute!

After the game we all rewarded ourselves with frozen custard.  Oh, the guilt.  When I get done with this I have to go walk around the block a few hundred times.