Drumroll Please....

We have a winner! Yep, even though the final 4 games haven't even started our family's NCAA bracket tournament is over. ALL of our teams are out. And whose strategy won out?

Well, not Emma's. She got less points total than one round is worth.

Not Nate. His bracket did pretty well until Louisville got out. He came in a solid 3rd.

That leaves Dave's and my brackets. Here's where it gets a little tricky. Dave thinks I won, but I didn't really. Our family brackets were handwritten. When Michigan won their last game I crossed out my pick and wrote in Michigan just like I had done with other teams, but when Dave tallyed up the score he counted Michigan in my total. The truth is he beat me by one point. I guess there is something to say for actually knowing what you are talking about. Knowledge wins!

Congratulations, Dave!

Driving the Mantis

I took my Mantis for a drive today. My little tiller seemed to miss the soil almost as much as I did. The garden in our backyard is now ready for its first two crops - peas and lettuce. My arms ache, but it is a good kind of ache. This is the kind of ache that means I am working hard and doing something I love to do. I'm looking down at the dirt in my fingernails. It means Spring is here. Time to be outside.

Strategy

Last night Dave, Emma, Nathan and I made our NCAA Basketball tournament picks. March Madness is a must-participate event at our house.

Dave's Strategy: Knowledge - Dave actually knows what he is talking about. His choices are based on gathering information. He knows the names of a lot of the teams' players and is even aware of how most of the teams performed during the season (besides the seeding order).

Tanya's Strategy: Stick with the experts, they know best - I chose a great expert this year. At least he sounded smart on the radio. I chose David Locke as my expert. Let's hope his number crunching analysis will serve me well since my elite eight is crammed full of teams he says have no "fatal flaws."

Emma's Strategy: It's all about the names - Emma picks her winners based entirely on which names sound the best. Thus, Butler tanked in the first round because no team that has "but" in the name can be good. Siena, a very pretty name, went quite far and the final game will be between BYU and Temple. Hmmm, interesting picks:). (Note: Butler did tank in the first round, but so did BYU.)

Nathan's Strategy: The second choice is always best - Nathan picks his winners based on the order that the options are read to him. The 2nd choice will always be the winner...of course. Fortunately, I clued into his strategy and read his choices from the bottom to the top for the most part. The only time Nathan chose the 1st option was BYU's second game. Nathan chose BYU even though I read it first. Odd break from his strategey.

It remains to be seen whose strategy will win out:) The winner gets the treat of his/her choice.

Seeing Green

I like green. It is a refreshing color that evokes memories of spring, summer and of course, St. Patrick's Day. My kids (& I) needed to enjoy a day of relaxation and togetherness, so we decided to celebrate "green" to it's fullest this year. We made green shamrock shaped pancakes for breakfast and then headed to story time for what I hoped would be stories about leprechauns, rainbows and gold. Story time did not disappoint. Emma and Nathan loved the stories and enjoyed fishing for shamrocks and gold (rocks) when story time was over. The added bonus was seeing all the kids and their moms dressed in green. Very cute and festive!

We decorated the house with 4-leaf clovers made out of balloons and made leprechaun puppets. All day Emma kept asking when the leprechaun was going to arrive. Finally, he arrived around 2:00, leaving "dust" from the doorway to the table. The "dust" lead to a large bowl of "dust." Add some milk and it makes a delicious treat (a.k.a. pistachio pudding). Emma asked if we can tell the leprechaun to leave the little brown specks out of the "dust next year."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Overrated

Cups are overrated. Who needs 'em?

Pay it Forward

A few days ago I decided to play along with this "Pay it Forward" chain on my friend's blog. She is so prompt that I got my cute gift in the mail today. It was fun to open the mailbox and find a package addressed to me. It made my day.My very own made-with-love journal/notebook! Isn't it cute? I love it and it is perfect for me since I love to write in my journal and have written in it at least 3 or 4 times a week for over two years. I needed a new one.

So this is how it works if you want to play along and get a warm fuzzy from me (please note that I most definitely will not be as prompt as my friend)..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this will receive a hand made gift from me sometime during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Winners must post this challenge on their own blog, meaning that you will pay it forward, creating a handmade gift (anything) for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway! Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift. When you receive your gift, blog about it! If you are not one of the first three to comment on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! It's all about paying it forward.