mail

Dear Jake:
I know that last year was your year off, and sometimes it can be hard to get back into the groove. Unfortunately for us Panther fans, we are suffering for your vacation you are having trouble shaking off. Therefore I feel it necessary to give you a little advice:
1. perhaps you should stop licking your fingers quite so much and come up with some plays other than running the ball, the job of quarterback is to also throw the ball.
2. if at first you run the ball and you do not succeed, then perhaps trying the exact same play the next time is not such a great idea.
3. STEVE SMITH is your guy. If all else fails, fling the ball (that's code for throw) in his general direction, the man is a miracle worker, but if you don't give him the ball he can not work his miracles.
4. perhaps next time you win a game by the hair of your chiny chin chin, you should not celebrate so much, frankly you look ridiculous celebrating a win you did not deserve today.
In closing, these games are bad for my heart. I purposely have had to miss several games this year, because I knew you would just make me ill, and I was not in the mood. I am over yelling at you every Sunday and you not listening. It reminds me of my kids and to be honest 2 kids is all I really want. Please consider my advice, and perhaps your next game will not be such a nail bitter.

how cute is this?????

My 83 year old grandfather playing the Wii with the pickle and JB.

The Reason for the Season!

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:1-19

Christmas card 2008

I am much too lazy this year to send out Christmas cards. I did however manage to get a few pics on the way out the door to church this morning. Cute kids, huh?

hell in a hand basket

The world as we once knew it is over. As Christmas approaches the Paula Deen in me starts to surface, although only in theory until Friday at 11:30 am. Anyway, I digress, it was time to start the search for the Kraft cheese food with garlic. I went Saturday to Bilo, and they did not have it, leaving me to search the Internet for where to get this key ingredient in the Paula Deen cheese grits, which we must have in order to even begin to celebrate Christmas (not really). My research tells me that Kraft has discontinued this product. I just want you to know that this is not good, I know times are a changin' and all, but you can not take the cheese grits away from me. I am, starting now, boycotting all Kraft products, which will be hard considering my kid eats mac and cheese by the pound, and crumblers are the best cheese for salads. But, I mean it, Kraft you are dead to me.

breach of trust

I hate inflatables. Call me scrooge, call me snooty, call me stupid, call me whatever you want I hate them. Since their inception, I have made it clear, I DO NOT want one of these in my yard. Well, upon returning home from shopping Saturday, this creepy, armless, legless Santa was in my yard (well technically the porch).

I all I can say is that I consider this a breach of trust AND this thing is giving me nightmares!

mission accomplished

Today, Wendy, Cora and I went shopping. I have been incredibly busy at work lately and do not have much time for shopping this year. Wendy and I decided that today was the day, we were going to make a list (check it twice) and go for it. One day marathon shopping.
I am happy to report, mission accomplished...now for the wrapping.

did you know dogs could get car sick?

I didn't until today, I learn something new everyday!

Twilight

I began teaching 8th graders two weeks ago. 8th graders are a unique lot, they really aren't quite high schoolers, but they are totally too cool to be stuck in middle school. Another interesting thing about 8th graders is the difference in the maturity levels. Some of them are very mature, capable of intelligent conversation, while others are still just kids. Interesting folks these 8th graders.
Several of the 8th grade girls are very much interested in the Twilight series. As a mother of a middle school boy who hates to read, I was fairly clueless. Almost immediately, I started catching wind of this book a lot the girls were reading. Prior to my class, they had already had a rather intense discussion in another classroom, the teacher lead the discussion, and it was obvious some of the kids just flat out disagreed. As time went on, and so did the discussions, I decided to read the book for myself.
Last weekend I read Twilight. I can see why 13/14 year old girls think it is wonderful. It is indeed written well and in a very entertaining manner. It is definitely about vampires. I have always been sorta ignorant about the occult and witchcraft, and frankly lots of other things. Before taking a class at church about other religions, I took all of this very lightly, it was really something that I thought didn't really exist. Guess what it does. Are there vampires who are eternal creatures, no (eternal life is achieved through acceptance of Jesus Christ as God's only son, who died on a cross for MY/your sins) there are no eternal life vampires, are there folks practicing blood letting and the drinking of blood, yes, is this of God, NO!! (that was one long run-on sentence) Is this God honoring? No, if our bodies are God's temple, I am pretty sure letting others drink our blood is not what He has in mind.
My thoughts are this, and if you disagree, please explain. That poor girl got dumber with every turn of the page. She meets a guy who she is strongly attracted to, figures out over time that he is a vampire, and rather than running in the other direction, she runs faster to him. He admits he has been sneaking into her room and watching her sleep at night, rather than being completely WEIRDED out, she asks him to continue to do so. After she grows to understand that he will live forever, she begins to beg him to "kill" her so that she can live with him for eternity. HELLO, I only intend to live in eternity with Christ and fellow believers, certainly not with a bunch of vampires.
All of that said, I glad my kid is not wanting to read these books. Scary how much a book can influence a kid. We should all read the Bible with such fervor.

christmas wish

A certian someone at my house wants this desperately, wonder what Santa will say?

my heart be still

Saturday afternoon I woke up from my happy juice/cough medicine haze to see this sight out of my back door. Don't get me wrong I am happy to see work begin on the building again, but my heart did a dip when I saw both my boys up on top of that roof. In the end, no broken bones, no bruises.

Got there at 6:15am, on the road to Chik-fil-a for my free chicken biscuit
by 6:45 am.

Week in Review

Dyl met Senator Elizabeth Dole at the Republician Headquarters.



Maddie was a Princess for Halloween.


Dyl dressed up this year as Slash, joining him is Ryan, who is one groovy dude.



Dyl ran in the Pumpkin Fest 5k, he did great on a really hard course, finishing 5th in his age group.



The girls preformed at the Pumpkin Fest, they did well despite the small floor.
We have all had a great week, incredibly busy but tons of fun, if only we could fall back 2 hours, could we arrange that for next year?

God is good!

I have updated my blog button to the right of here, to reflect the miracle that happened last week for Mckmama. If you haven't already, you must click on the button and go to read her story. Go ahead and do it now...go on!

Vote.

This has been brewing in my head for sometime; I just needed a quiet moment to get my thoughts laid out right. I was going to give my opinion on various candidates, but have since changed my mind. Here is how I will always vote.

*I will ALWAYS vote life over death; never will I cast a ballot for a pro-choice candidate. Having given birth to two children, in addition to studying God’s word, it is inexplicably obvious to me that life begins at conception. I always think about the 3 times we were told that MH was dead and that I would need to have a D&C, only to have that heart continue to beat. She was alive inside me, a most perfect, treasured gift from God. She was alive because God gave her life, a life that he planned.
*I will always vote for character over empty promises. In today’s world everything is uncertain, the world today is so different from just 3 months ago. In times of trial, ones true character always comes out (you know, the who you are when you think no one is looking.) The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior (right Dr. Phil?)
*Morals over money.


So as you go to vote this week, think about how you vote, and why you choose a particular candidate, make informed decisions, it does matter, every vote counts!

Pray for Mckmama

Those of you who read this on a regular basis know of Mckmama. Her tag is on the right of this blog. Mckmama is having her baby tomorrow, if you remember, please be in prayer for her, baby Stellan and the doctors as they deliver this new life.

Funny how God unites total strangers as sisters in Christ...

Rollin' With the Homey's

How she rolls...

Workin' On the Chain Gang

Hello again. I have delayed posting due to lack of pictures. I wanted to post new pictures of the Lucy, but none of them ever do her justice. She is the cutest dog, especially when she wears her pink hoodie. I kid you not, she is ET made over, and we laughed until we cried in PetsMart. If she will cooperate I will try again later for a picture.
We have all been super busy, JB works all the time, the kids are busy with school and sports, while I work PT and try to keep the world spinning. I am sometimes so busy that I wonder where live is going. I am trying to stay focused on the kids and Jon. I feel sometimes I am losing touch with my friends, and that life is passing me by, which is not a very good feeling. I feel a little lost these days. Maybe it will be better when things slow down, whenever that is….
I am pondering an upcoming post regarding our looming presidential election. The Lord is definitely convicting me to express my convictions; I am just trying to get it straight in my head. All I will say is that I am spending a lot if time in prayer for our country these days.
Until then…

Where I Am

I am spending Thursday and Friday at what I would like to call "Paul's Sheraton," although it is my understanding that for some reason that won't happen. At any rate it was fun to sit and day dream that we were in the same place, along with 4,000 of my closest friends. The ACSI convention is there this week, today I took classes on Proactive Classroom Management, American: On the Road from Christanity to Islam, and Cheap Software for Your Classroom, plus one general session with the above mentioned 4,000 people. Over all it was a good day, however, leaving home at 6:30 was a little early. Tomorrow, I have three more classes and then home by early afternoon. Saturday is the first cheer competition, here is the link to it http://www.jamfest.com/Events/0809/MegaJAM/ThrillJAM.asp
Want to guess what time we have to be there? Try 8:15, why can't these things start later anyway,

Go Tilley's Stars!

And Lucy Was Her Name-o

Her name is Lucy. Turns out is is a very good girl. She sleeps so much that I made JB check with her dr. as to whether or not it was ok to sleep 22 of 24 hours each day. We still have not heard her bark (which is good) and rarely does she whine. The kids love her, sometimes too much. She has been a pleasant addition to the fam with JB taking the blunt of the newborn baby bathroom trips in the middle of the night, as it should be seeing as how I did it the last two times.

The new six weeks starts at school tomorrow. A brand new group of 7th graders to try and break in, hopefully I have learned from my mistakes and can do even better this time. I covet your prayers during this time, I am as nervous today as I was the day before school started.

One last tidbit, JB and I had front row tix to the panthers game today! DP got up puking his brain out, so now we are at home watching the game, on a positive note, this week we are at least watching in high-def!!!

Who's That Girl?

Somehow this little (2lbs) dog, has come to live at my house. She desperately needs a name, any ideas?

How Was it Stella Got Her Groove Back?

Like Stella, I have lost my groove. I can not seem to get all the things I need to do done, I can cook dinner, but I can't get to the laundry. I can do the laundry, but forget to go over MH's bible verse with her. Last year by the end of the year, I had it together, this year I can't seem to find the groove. I keep saying it will come, but honestly, almost 4 weeks later, I'm not any closer.

Also, I have a new blog addiction, check out McMama at www.mycharmingkids.net
She has an amazing story of faith and total dependence on God, she is an inspiration to me every single day. I must check her blog 10 times a day to see what she is up to and for medical updates on her unborn son. Take the time to check out McMama, she will astound you with her perspective and shame you for taking the time to worry about all the silly things that I seem to worry over all the time.

Later.

2-0

Not because they played well the first half, but the Panthers won today! Jake can not seem to get that running the ball is just not the best idea, but in the end it worked out ok. Go Panthers!

RIGHT ON TOP OF THIS BLOG THING

KAREN IS A BLOGGING DYNAMO. SINCE SHE HAS NOT "BLOGGED" SINCE 8/24/08 I THOUGHT I SHOULD GIVE MY TWO CENTS......WELL THAT WAS FUN.

Anyone know where the 2016 Olympics are?

Dyl Pickle had his first cross-country meet Friday. As they took off on their journey, the coach says to me "Dyl will be our 4th place finisher today." I'm thinking, cool, it's his first race and he has only had 1 1/2 weeks of practice. So later, I look up to see P (a freshman) our very best runner coming to the finish, I then look past P to see Dyl right behind him. He finished second on our team, he even beat a senior! We were proud as punch. The new thing around here is that it will be our luck that when he goes to the Olympics, it'll be some place we don't really care to visit.

I'm ALIVE!

The first day of school is in the books! I think the fact that I survived the first day of teaching middle school is a good start. It was definitely different from the elementary, but good just the same. They were fun to be with and excited about the project we are going to be working on, so I guess for MS students to show enthusiasm is a good start.
My elementary kids were great, lots of hugs all around. I love how affectionate they are and how excited they were to be back at school. I even had one kid complain when it was time to leave!
As for the kids, I visited with Mad at lunch time and she was having a great day. Her favorite things in this order were: organizing her notebook and doing a "fun" math sheet. I'm sure she will be over the moon by 3. As for Dyl, I caught a glimpse of him during lunch, he was playing football on the soccer field. He was playing with a bunch of boys, I guess that is a good sign as well. My baby is in MIDDLE SCHOOL!!! I'm doing my best to handle that well.

It's Either That or an Ulcer

Ever since the thunder at 4:11 am this morning, my mind has been moving very quickly. The pit in my stomach tells me today is the day I return to work. Now, don't go getting me wrong, I LOVE my job, I am blessed beyond measure to have my job and get a paycheck for it. I am grateful to have the exact same schedule as my kids and be in the same building all day long with them, but (isn't there always a but) why does summer have to be over already? After an emotional day of crying yesturday ( what if I don't do a good job, what if the new thing is not good, what if the sky falls, etc) I feel ready. Sort of. Of course today it is raining (what a great day for a nap) and I will be working, I'm sure I have had one nap all summer and it was at the beach. Note to self: next summer nap more, time flys when you're having fun.

Greetings from Ocean Isle Beach

Enjoying the beach this weekend. Big Daddy had to play in a golf tournament, so the kids and I are soaking up the sun, and boy did I soak up the sun today, I'm pretty sure I met my vitamin d quota for today. Me and Mad were on the beach from 9:30-6:30 today, she is worn out, and already laying in the bed, I suspect she will be out soon. The beach is great, not too hot, not too windy. Lots of buggy boarding, digging in the sand and flying kites.
On to an important new discovery in my life, Coke Zero. I have tried for YEARS to find a diet soda that I liked, with no luck, last week I tried Coke Zero, and it rocks! I bet I'll be skinny soon.

I Can See Clearly Now...

Pickle, is the proud owner of 12 days of contact lenses. He did well taking them out and putting them in at the docs office, who knows what sort of trouble will come our way in the morning when we are trying to get them in.
We ran some errands including saving tax on $6.98 in school supplies during our tax free weekend. We also went to Wal-Mart and there was a man in a Spiderman suit handing out candy to kids. I laughed so hard, which got the kids giggling, and I'm pretty sure he knew we were making fun of him, especially when I took his pic and text messaged it to Alabama. If I knew how to get it off my phone I would post it on this blog because it is PRICELESS!!!! No big plans this weekend except a birthday party for a one year old, at a mansion in the ville. I actually said to this one year old's dad, if you're doing this for her 1st birthday, what do you do for 2?
Peace Out.

Teeth Clean!

Not only clean but cavity free. Only one slight problem, the dentist said do not pass go, do not collect $100, go straight to the local orthodontist. We'll do that in 10 days. That ain't going to be cheap.
Not really getting any work done at school, but had a great time at the pool today.

No Tetanus Here

Middle School Shots-DONE!
He handled it well, but after he had some sort of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder.) By the time he got to the school, (about three miles) he was a white as a ghost. His lips were completely white and his hands were shaking. It took him about 15 min. and then he was over it. Lets hope the dentist goes as well (first time without valium and laughing gas!)

Good News

Well, I ran into the good Doc at church, he delivered good news. All my Dad's test were all good, he may add a new medication, but there were not acute problems. Praise the Lord!!!! We are all relieved to hear the good news. I assure you I will sleep 100x's better now.
An exciting week ahead with dentist appointments, middle school shots and new contacts for the 11 year old in our house. I'll update on that one for sure! Back to work this week also, rumor has it I may have a house guest soon, want to be able to play a lot that weekend and not worry about work, but just for the record I go back to work in almost 2 weeks!

Still Nothing

Well, there is just nothing new to report. I just happened to notice on Sandy's blog that I had not updated in 2 weeks and felt I should just put something out there. I hate it when other people don't update their blogs.
We have been BUSY!!!! This next week is the first week since school got out that we do not have somewhere to be every day. This week it was swimming lessons, last week it was cheer camp but I think we are slowing down now. I have started working again. Most of you already know that I will be teaching middle school as well as elementary next year. This certainly presents a challenge, I am excited to still be with Pickle, but anxious about this new adventure. I did however get to buy my 1st ever laptop. It will be essential as I begin teaching in the middle school as I will be using a smart board as part of my lessons. A laptop will allow me to do more planning from home. I love it, but I am too lazy to take a picture of it for this blog. Pray for me as I take on this new challenge. I am anxious about dealing with middle school kids, but I believe that God will show me His love for these children.
Also, please be in prayer for my dad as well, if you remember from my previous post he passed out at the parade. Since then he has had a headache everyday, and struggled with dizziness and nausea. As you guys who know him can attest, he does not stop for anything. We spent yesterday afternoon in the emergency room as his symptoms had progressed to the point that he was afraid something was really wrong. The good news is that they ran tons of test (CAT scan, EKG, CBC, etc.) and there was nothing on any of the test. The bad news is he is still feeling bad and has no idea why, he just keeps saying "I know there is something wrong with me." It's hard to see the person who has always made things right for me not feeling well and afraid of what is wrong with him. I'm hoping it is something like medications that need to be adjusted and not something serious. I'll be glad when the good Doc (you know who you are) comes home and looks him over.
So, that's it, nothing new, mostly a lot of anxiety. But the Lord is good and faithful. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This is going to become my mantra, not a bad way to live life for sure!

Nothing New

I really haven't had anything to update on, but the mundane, but I will give a brief overview of the last few weeks.
Last week was busy with a capitol B. It was VBS as well as the Iredell County Independence Celebration Parade. VBS was a lot of fun, but Dill Pickle only got to go 2 days due to a nasty stomach bug (which I thought might be appendicitis.) He recovered in time to go on Thursday. MH had cheer camp last week as well so she got to do both all week except Friday. She was tired but had a lot of fun. The new routine looks great, and I see many more great finishes for them.

Saturday was the parade and it was great. It was so hot, yet it really was not temperature heat but more humidity heat. I should explain that my dad organizes this parade every year, and it is a ton of work. This years featured guest were the Vietnam veterans. We had a very moving ceremony, and then diginitarys such as Elizabeth Dole (NC senator) and Virginia Foxx (US congresswoman) spoke to those gathered around. These folks rode in the parade as well. Did I mention it was hot? My dad (aka Stuborn Old Man) refused to drink enough water and promptly passed out as the last float pulled on to the parade route. He is fine, but scared all of us! Here is a link to the article in the local paper about the parade http://www.statesville.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SRL/MGArticle/SRL_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173355786561

Oh, and my toe. Friday night on our way to the parade dinner, I was coming out the back door and turned too quickly at the bottom of the stairs and hit my big toe on the brick. My toenail has been pulled back about 90%. Can I tell you how bad this hurts? The good news/bad news is that it doesn't hurt that bad anymore but it is turning black and my friendly family dr says that it is going to fall off. I was going to put a picture on here of it, Sandy even said I should, but to save you the gross out factor I won't.
See, nothing good to share.

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers day to my wonderful husband. You are the most wonderful father to our children, they are blessed to call you dad. In honor of your 11th fathers day I am doing the top 11 reasons you are the best dad EVER!

1. You were the only dad at the beach last week surfing/trying to surf.
2. You always put MH to bed when she asks, no matter how long or hard your day.
3. You can fix anything!
4. You are the best at getting out splinters with your pocket knife.
5. You're strong enough to throw them around in the pool.
6. You always buy the best junk food, when mom sends you to the store.
7. You always put the family first.
8. You never yell or get mad, you are the calm in the storm.
9. You kill the bugs that some how make their way into our house occasionally.
10. You know how to download music off of i-tunes.
11. You make the best pancakes EVER!!!!!!!

Thank you for being the best husband and father we could ever ask for!

Surf's Up

Here is video of DP surfin'. Although the beach/ocean here has not been conducive to as much surfing as Ocean Isle, he has still enjoyed catching a few waves. He's not half bad, I wish we were closer so that he could do it more often. I thought a certain surfin' g-ma in Florida might enjoy this...A LOT!

Cor-ooooh-la Wild Horses

This evening we went to Corolla to see the 4WD beaches. JB loved the adventure of the 4WD beach trying to make our Tahoe go "where no man has gone before." Cora, MH, Mia and I enjoyed seeing the wild horses, they were definitely not afraid of humans and MH could not understand why we could not pet them. They were beautiful, it was so cool to see them minding their own business, while we crazies drove up and down the beach.

What you can't see here is the haze we are enjoying. There is a wild fire west of here, sending tons of smoke and ash our way. The weather is HOT! It is supposed to cool off tomorrow, hopefully it will and we can enjoy some of the sights we've been putting off like Jockey's Ridge. The kids are still loving the pool, and we are all enjoying some place to cool off in this terrible heat. Last night we went to see " The Lost Colony" the longest running outdoor drama in the US, it is entering it's 71 season. The play was great, the kids liked seeing the costumes and we did the backstage tour before hand. We also tried a resturant last night that had been recommended by friends (you know who you are Teresa and Donna) that completely grossed us out. That was 85 dollars down the toilet. Tonight we had better success with a resturant suggested by a local, it was good and I would eat there again sometime.

I will try to post some more pictures when I can, I have a slow connection here and it takes a while (if ever.)

I See the Ocaen!!

We made it here, the weather is HOT, HOT, HOT! The beach is wonderful, the ocean (yes, I do know how to spell it, I did that on purpose, ask Leo) is cold! The pool in our backyard is perfect. We are all so happy. MH and Mia were in the pool at 7:30 this morning, and I expect them to be there at 7:30 tonight as well. The boys love all of it, especially the pyramid bunk bed in their room. Our house is huge, much more spacious for two families. I will post pics later when we get them off the camera. Once again, I wish I was sharing the beach with someone who is eating cheese sticks served on french fries. But I am happy just the same, but thinking of you.

Pictures to follow..

Leavin' on a Jetplane..

No, not really, but we are heading to the Outer Banks today (really tomorrow.) We are all so excited , except JB who has just lived through probably the worst week ever at work. He needs the vacation terribly, and I hope we can all get some rest and relaxation. I will blog from Southern Shores but unless we can hack into a neighbors wireless, I will not be able to post any pictures. Off I go to a happy place, nothing like a week of sleeping, reading, laying on the beach, eating and exploring a totally new place (none of us have been there before!)

Until later......

School's Out

I have lots to share, but this is a summary. I have just lived through my first "last week of school" as a teacher (barely.) The kids are great, and I found my phone. I put it in the outgoing mail at the post office. Obviously my mind has been in a 1000 places lately.

More later.

Help!

I have lost this phone. If you find it please let me know. Last known place spotted: the tennis courts! Reward offered!

Your Next American Idol

Sunday night at church, M's solo, turned duet was so cute! We were so proud of her, how could we not share with the world!

Sights From the NASCAR All-Star Race

Maybe, I didn't see it like the other folks there, but these are definitely some of the things that come to my mind quickest. Missing from this montage is a picture of "double bird guy" who shot the double bird every time one driver drove by (I never figured out which one!) Also, missing is the shot of the guy in the truck beside us who, when leaving the track, opened the door, puked and then closed the door and drove on...

Don't Ask

Don't ask, but this is where I'm going tonight.... more to come later!

How Cute is This?

Here is MH's cheer pic from this year. I think it is so good, I wish I had bought more. Anyway, wanted to share with those in far away lands, especially those who I meant to put these in their mothers day cards! (Please try and ignore the bruises on her legs, somebody must beat her!)

Happy Mothers Day to Me!

Friday was the most relaxing day of my life EVER!!! I went herehttp://www.rockbarn.com/RockBarnSpa.htm for a ladies spa day while the men played golf. It was by far the closest thing to living like a rock star I will ever get to live. It was amazing, words can not describe how luxurious it was, and what an wonderful time I had with my friends. The girls and I giggled a lot and enjoyed the time out from the daily grind of our lives. All I can say is it is the best gift I ever bought myself!

Safe and Sound

Well, JB made it to his destination safely. He is so excited even though they are not able to fish today due to high winds. Hopefully the wind will die down tomorrow and Saturday. It would be a shame to travel all that way and not be able to fish!
I heard from the camp director where Pickle is, all is well with them and they are having a great time. The princess misses his terribly, but I am sure that will change 10min after he gets home. Until then, it is quiet around here, and cleaner, now I know who the messy ones are!

Therapy Session Part 1

I need one on my blog therapy sessions. I have heard it said that having children is like allowing your heart to wonder outside of your body. That point has been made evident to me this week. There it is my sweet, precious boys 11th birthday, and I can feel him pulling away. I can feel him becoming a tween, which leads to being a teenager, which leads to being an adult. My heart is moving slowly away from me, and I know it is natural but none the less painful. So guess what other monumental occasion is is week? He is leaving in the morning for a class trip to camp and will be gone 3 days. My heart is going away, and I'm NOT invited. I know that all this is part of the natural growing up process, and I want him to do all the normal things that kids are supposed to do, but I guess I was just not ready to deal with it! So in the morning I will suck it up and try to not cry in front of him (or his friends,) and know that he will probably have the best time ever, and that is EXACTLY what I want him to do!!!!!

(Stay tuned for part 2, JB is leaving Thursday for a trip.....)

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

11 years ago today, my life changed forever. I will never forget the day he was born, we were even joking around last night because we remember what we had for lunch on the day he was born (but not what we had today.) This wonderful child changed everything, he taught us how to truly love, he taught us about the things that are truly important in this world. I am proud of this young man, but remain in disbelief that I am old enough to be the mother of an 11 year old child who will be attending middle school next year. Happy Birthday, to my son, I am proud of who you are and the person you are becoming!

Friend or Foe

Meet Brian, he was hanging around on the neighbors fence (literally) in the back corner of our lot, where JB is building the shed. Although, a black snake, the men working back there who noticed him , did not seem to believe that he was the friendly sort. Apparently, he was ready to strike at any moment, leaving the two men working, with one watching the snake and one working. I only named him to try and convenience myself that he is not so bad.

17 Years Ago Today....

I decided that this was the man of my dreams! The funny thing is that I have been sure of this everyday since. He is the most kind, wonderful, loving man I could ever ask for, he loves me unconditionally, and loves me even when I am pretty unlovable. So the smartest thing I have ever done, is look at this man at the CV apartments and think, I should date him!

My Week in 3 Words

Stanford Achievement Test.

Rain, rain and more rain!

We have been in a horrible drought. We are several inches short for this year and 17 short last year. It is hard to believe that we can still have a drought after all the rain we have had this week. It rained every day this week, and last night it rained so hard it was like a sheet of water running down our driveway. Last weekend we put out grass seed and fertilizer, I'm sure with the luck we have growing grass, all the grass seed has washed away by now!

Happy Birthday JB!

Happy Birthday to my true love! I am so thankful to be able to share your special day with you. You have been a blessing to me and I am thankful to God for the privledge to call you husband. Hope your day is great!

He Is Risen Indeed!

On this most important day, please don't be confused my Easter bunnies and eggs, always remember that is our Savior that rose from the dead that brings us this day. With out the death, burial and resurection of Christ we have nothing.

Weekend Project, week 1

My ultra smart husband spent yesturday afternoon and today putting wainscoat in the kitchen. It looks great! We hope to put it in the bathroom next weekend. Aren't you proud of him?

Thursday 13: Thirteen Signs of Spring!

Thirteen Signs of Spring!

1. Science Fair, Pickle's project was due this week, always a sure sign that it is spring.
2. cuter clothes in the stores- looked yesturday and saw some CUTE stuff!
3. MH's birthday, can you believe my BABY is going to be seven?????
4. too cool for summer clothes, too warm for winter clothes.
5. buds on the trees
6. the man next door has worked in his yard to 3 straight days and I still can't tell that he has done anything! I feel bad for the poor guy!
7. JB's birthday, can you believe I'm old enough to be married to a 36 year old man?
8. considering dragging out the capri's, but I'm afraid my friend Beth will make fun of me.
9. Easter and Spring Break are next week!
10. all the kids want to do is fly home from school, change their clothes and head outside.
11. Almost time for the Duke Angels Among Us walk, I can not believe that this will be the15th year, and I've been to all but one.
12. Made reservations for vacation this year, I am so excited to head to the Outer Banks with the Youngs, none of us have ever been and we are looking forward to going to a new place.
13. Reese's peanut butter eggs are at Wal-Mart!

Finally Pictures From Last Weekend!

I finally got pictures loaded from last weekend. Lots are for San and Mr. D. The weekend was awesome. I am still proud of our girls, I never thought I would get so into this cheer thing, but I love it and JB is the ultimate Cheer Dad! Enjoy the pictures!

National Champions We Are!

Long post later, but just so you know, for now, MH's cheer squad won their competition this weekend and it was incredible!!!

Still Not Me

To put it simply, I just don't feel good. I am still not myself, my head spins all the time and I have almost passed out a dozen times in front of my students. I am "pressing on" just the same, but until I feel better, Holman out.

What's Wrong With Me...

Apparently this is where my problem is or was or will be??? Passing out in front of my kids would not be cool. Pray this goes away soon!

Bringin' the Fun

We had the best weekend. JB and I left around lunch time on Thursday and were in Gatlinburg by 1:30. We looked around for a hotel for the cheer competition and then headed to Pigeon Forge to check into the cabin. We checked in and went what seemed like 15 miles, mostly up hill on a dirt road. Upon check in at "Elegant Hideway" we realize the the 3rd loft bedroom has no door even on the bathroom (literally it only had a mini-blind hanging- see it here )http://www.yourcabin.com/196ElegantHideaway.aspx ) So we call the rental place and explain the this will not work for 3 couples on a get-away weekend from their kids. So they then direct us to here http://www.yourcabin.com/Gatlinburgcabin668.aspx . Which was ok, except it wasn't king beds and two of the rooms had to share a bathroom. Again we were couples away for the weekend with out kids, we did not want to share bathrooms, also, the hot tub was gross and there were 10 million dead lady bugs on the ledge around the living room. So that lead us to here http://www.yourcabin.com/771MountainLaurelLodge.aspx . Which was perfect to say the least. It was wonderfully decorated, huge and just what we had in mind. We had so much fun and it was great to have the Bentley's along this time although we missed the Bass' very much and wish they could have come. We ate at the Chop House (2 times we love it so much,) sleep a lot, used the hot tub, shopped and played games. We also found this pictue of this guy running for sherrif very funny. It was the way he was holding his hands in the picture, it made him look like something was BAD wrong with him, so we stopped Saturday night and had our picture made with him, holding our hands the way he is in the picture.

It was a good time, and I am am already looking forward to next year!

First Bulletin Board EVER!

Here it is folks, my first ever bulletin board ever as a teacher! I was proud of it, and to think it only took me 5 hours to complete!

Mom Knows Best

Turns out my mom was right all along. As you know, going back to work has been a challenge. The pile of laundry has been to the moon and back. So over the weekend, I got it all washed up and put away. Since then, I have washed one load a day, and you know what, there is hardly any dirty laundry laying around. All these years my mom has been telling me this (not that she personally does laundry) and guess what she was right. There you have it mom, you were RIGHT again.

Guitar Zero

The Pickle got Guitar Hero for his reward, for making Principal's Honor Roll. Then he promptly upon returning home with it, pushed his sister to the ground and got grounded from it until the next day. Today he has played most of the day, if I hear "Slow Ride" or "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" again, I may scream. To be a good sport, I gave it a try, lets just say there is no Guitar Hero in me. My most favorite people in Alabama tell me it will get better, I'm not counting on it.

He Did it AGAIN!!!!!!!

For the first time EVER Pickle has made the Principal's honor roll! To be on the Principal's honor roll you must have a 94+ average. I am so proud of him, way to go Pickle! Check out the link below for proof...

http://www.statesvillechristian.org/external/uploads/ES%20Q2%20Honor%20roll.pdf

SNOW!!!!!!!!!

We actually had snow! Not a ton of it, but snow just the same. We woke up at 5am to a white ground and cancelled school! The kids went out around 9:15 or so (after a trip to Wal-mart to buy mittens.) Mad played for about an hour, then her hands got wet and she had a total melt down. Pickle played out there for at least 2 hours and by the time he came in it was pouring down rain. In his picture above he could not even see out his glasses because he was so wet, the rain was dripping off his nose when he came in.

We love snow days and are hoping for a delay at least tomorrow!

Battle for Biltmore

Well we are home from our busy, busy weekend. It was fun to get away, but there was no sitting still the entire time we were gone. The girls preformed well. I think they had a good time and we are proud of the mini level 1's 4th place finish! So here is a picture of the end stunt. I am pretty sure this is from Sunday, but I can't be sure as I did not take the picture. Mad is knealing in the front on the right.

My first video!

My most special of friends wanted to see Mad playing the Wii, it looks like good exercise! I know the picture is dark, but I think it is still ok. She seemed to think the closer she got to the sensor the better her chances of beating her dad.

Thursday 13: Thirteen things I would have done this week if I wasn't working!

As you know, I have returned to the workforce (part-time) for the first time in 7 years! I am very happy in my new job, but I can't help reflect as to how this week is so different that all the rest.

1. mopped the kitchen- my kitchen floors are gross, if I wasn't working I would have had the energy to mop them by now-I think!
2. attended a planning meeting as school-sometimes it is good to have a job.
3. shopped- I have spent $0 this week. I am confident this is due to the fact that my days are fairly busy.
4. slept-being at school at 7:30 is requiring me to get up around 5ish... it takes me a while to get going in the mornings.
5. Starbucks- I would have to leave home 20 minutes early just to get a cup of coffee.
6. laundry-it is starting to pile up!
7. helped Madelyn study for the spelling bee- we studied very little because of time restrictions this week, she is still an alternate and that's something to be proud of.
8. spent more time on the Internet- I have quite the blog addition, I have had to leave a lot of that behind
9. spent time with my mom- she was off work this week but we did not get together
10. gone to the Y- gotta find time for this somewhere
11. looked for hotel for next cheer competition- it's coming soon
12. watched Soaps- it is a good thing they are easy to catch up on
13. I would have missed out on the opportunity to teach 175 students, and receive all the hugs and laughs they bring to my day- I love my students!

Happy Birthday MiaMariaMalia!

Happy Birthday my friend! You are special to me in so many ways. I am thankful to God everyday for the joy and friendship you have brought to my life! Hope your day was great and that your Vera Bradley lunch bag is the coolest in 5th grade!