Frazzled and Distracted

Pumpkin and a Book 2010

2010-10-08T10:33:00.006-05:00

This year's Pumpkin and a Book is in the books! And guess what?......

WE WON!!!!!

By "we", of course I mean Carlie's 3rd grade class!

This year the class chose the book "The Old Willis Place". If you've never read it, you should! It is a great read....even for adults! It's definitely not a book for little children.

The book is about an old estate that is said to be haunted by the ghost of Miss Lillian Willis who died in the parlor of the house. She left the estate to the county. The county hires caretaker after caretaker to live in a trailer on the property behind the house. The story starts with a new caretaker, Mr. Morrison and his 12 year old daughter, Lissa, moving onto the property.

The story is told from the perspective of a young girl named Diana who lives on the property with her brother Georgie. You learn that Diana and Georgie are orphans who live in a small shed in the woods.......but that's not all........

Of course I'm not going to spoil the story! You'll have to read it!!!

The class voted to do a pumpkin to look like "Georgie". We narrowed it down to doing Georgie from a scene where he comes running out of the woods wearing nothing but a loincloth, with red and yellow mud from the creek as war paint on his face and body. He had wild tangled dirty hair, with leaves, mud, and hawk feathers sticking out. We also created his bear, Alfie, out of two small pumpkins and foam sheets.

Here's a look.....

We used two pumpkins for each of the characters. For Georgie (the boy) we mixed a few colors to come up with his pale skin tone, and the war paint colors. The kids painted the war paint on him with their fingers. I cut the loincloth our of a suede fabric scrap I had already. For Alfie (the stuffed bear), we used two small pumpkins, and traced his arms and legs, and ears out of brown foam sheets. We used a toothpick dipped in white paint to make "stitching" around his "seams". Everything is held together with hot glue!

A view of Georgie's hair. Lawd, we spent most of ourtime on this wig! It was originally a girl's long curly white Halloween costume wig. I cut it off to look like a long haired boy. But we took this wig out on the playground and scrubbed it in 3 different types of dirt! We teased it with a comb to make tangles. Then we stuck hay, grass, sticks, and fallen leaves all in it! To top it off we added real chicken feathers to the top!!

His face was drawn by hand. Googly eyes. And to give him some dimension we used crinkled up newspaper molded in the shape of a nose and painted it.

We were all very proud of our creation! When the secretary announced the winners over the PA system, our class yelled so loud and so long, they could be heard outside! Then the teacher had to call another teacher to find out who else placed. The class had yelled through the entire 3rd grade announcement!

Pumpkin and a Book is always our favorite contest! We had a great time working on it!

Oh, and our school auctions these pumpkins off at our Fall Festival! The festival was last night. Carlie was determined to have it. So we bid on him. And WE WON!!!

So Georgie is coming home today to live with us! And Carlie says we are making his sister "Diana" over Fall Break.....which starts TODAY!!!!

WooHoo!!!!!!!! No school for 9 days!!!! I love it!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Little Girl Lost

2010-10-03T21:49:00.005-05:00

Today there was laughter in my house. Giggles and deep belly laughs. My silly girl had us all laughing.

I cooked a big lunch today. The whole time I was cooking dinner, Carlie was helping in the kitchen. She was laughing and making up jokes. She was dancing and being silly. And every once in awhile she would hug me and say "I love you, mama!"

Today was the best day.

You see, we haven't had many.....actually we haven't had ANY days like today. Not in the last 2 weeks, anyway.....

Carlie started 3rd grade this year. It didn't take long for her to start falling behind on her schoolwork. She wasn't finishing assignments on time. Her teacher began sending several worksheets home each day that Carlie didn't complete for classwork. Worksheets that added to our already frustrating homework workload!

When Carlie was a few years old, maybe 2 or 3, my sister in law (who has a Early Childhood degree) noticed how Carlie would "hyperfocus" on activities sometimes. Especially activities that involves creativity or imaginative play.

As Carlie got older she had trouble completing many tasks at once. If I said, take your dirty clothes down stairs, get the basket and your shoes, and bring them back up to your room. She may take the dirty clothes downstairs, but I'd find her playing or doing something else rather than completing the instructions I gave.

We've always had to call her name several times before we can jar her from whatever currently holds her attention.

We've known for years that Carlie has ADHD tendencies. I guess we hoped it would "get better" or maybe we were just in denial....

But as third grade started it became evident that we had to do something.

So.....we took her to our family doctor who then diagnosed her with ADHD. He put her on a prescription medication. Vyvanse 30mg daily. She takes it once in the morning and that's it. It time releases over 12 hours.

The improvement at school was noticeable immediately. She began staying in her seat and paying attention the very first day. She is doing a better job of completing her assignments on time, and she doesn't cry and fuss over her homework anymore either.

We were thrilled with the progress, and were prepared for the usual side effects. They too, were noticeable immediately.

She had NO appetite for the first few days. And I searched for ways to get her to eat, or to get calories in her body atleast. One night I was scrambling eggs and slicing a banana at MIDNIGHT! That's the other big symptom. She wasn't sleepy. The medication, being a stimulant, kept her up. But that night...she was hungry....and I was anxious for her to eat! She asked for eggs. So I scrambled two. I added a banana, sliced with toothpicks in them for "fun" eating. It worked....she ate every bite. The next day.....same ol' "I'm not hungry". :(

Like I said, at first those were our two BIG side effects. We kept hoping as she adjusted to medication that the side effects would ease. Those side effects have improved. She's not "normal", but much closer.

As the days turned into a couple of weeks, we began to notice our BIG side effect wasn't eating or sleeping. The big problem was how reserved Carlie had become. She doesn't laugh, or act silly. She doesn't run and jump into her daddy's arms every afternoon when he comes home. She doesn't stop to hug me every 20 minutes and say "I love you, mama!" Our once boisterous, spirited, loving little girl is now quiet and reserved.

It breaks my heart to pieces. My husband's too. Carlie's funny personality is one of our lifes' treasures. She is such a joy to be around. We miss her hugging us, and telling us silly jokes. We miss her asking probing questions that exhaust us. We miss her talking about random things that we never would've considered. We miss our precious little girl.

So we are at a crossroads. We are praying HARD for guidance. Do we take her off the meds and homeschool? It's a possibility. I'm a stay at home mom. Do we keep her in school on the meds and hope that her personality slowly comes back to us? Do we take her off the meds and keep her in public school with behavioral training. Or get her an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and keep her in public school. We see a psychologist in November and it's possible. Or go to private school for smaller classes? Or just try another medication?

*sigh*

We just want our girl back. It makes this even worse that we are the ones doing it! We're causing her to be hidden inside herself.....

Asking "Why?" when you already know the answer

2010-01-29T11:33:00.006-06:00

It's so unfair to ask God 'Why?' because in Romans 8:28 we are promised "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". So we know that the answer to the question "Why?" is just that. God is doing it for our own good.

Remember when your parents told you that? "It's for your own good." Usually when my parents said that to me, it was because they were doing something, or making me do something that I did not particularly like, or agree with or even understand.

I draw that parallel to make myself understand the sudden death of a friend. An attempt to make some sense out of what seems senseless. In Isaiah 55:9 God tells us that His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. So I never will understand his dying. Not this side of Heaven, anyway.

But my heart is broken. It's heavy and it hurts. Our friend leaves behind a wife and 5 children. Four girls and a boy. The youngest two, the boy and the girl are exactly my children's age. So his sudden death really hits home. I cannot imagine that kind of grief. I pray that I never have to know it. As a mother and wife, I can't imagine the desperation she feels as she longs for her husband who will never hold her again. Who will never again call her just to say "I love you". But she can't just grieve for him alone. She has to attempt to console 5 children, two of which are too young to understand. I can believe that she is greiving for her children as well. Knowing that their dad will never again coach their ball team or tuck them in at night. I can imagine that they continue to hope that this is all a bad dream, and any minute he will walk through the front door and hug them all. But he won't.

It's so hard to understand how this is for anyone's good. But I KNOW it is. It is just hard to see it through the pain. This man loved his GOD. He loved to worship. While most Baptist men quietly say AMEN throughout the sermon he shouted "Praise the Lord!" and "That's right!" along with his AMENs! He was a joy to know. People will come to know the Lord as their personal saviour because of this death. He impacted so many people. He taught Cam's Sunday school class. A few years ago he helped coach his baseball team too. He had a heart for children and teens. They will never forget him.

Neither will we. Britt and I talked to him at lenth just this past Sunday. He talked about how my kids were going to outgrow me soon and how Cam is just as thin as his son. How they keep getting taller, but no wider. We never thought that was the last we would hear his infectious laugh.

Our family, our church and our community are all devastated. It makes you take a long look at yourself. You become acutely aware of your own mortality. You hug your children and spouse, and tell them how much you love them before leaving the house. You read that second bedtime story. You stop what you are doing and answer the phone when your mom calls instead of waiting and calling her later.

And you always always always buckle your seatbelt! Everyone would much rather be at the hospital today instead of planning a funeral.

God bless,

Helping Haiti and Compassion

2010-01-17T15:46:00.013-06:00

My heart just breaks for the people of Haiti. The people who have lost everything. Their spouse, their children, parents, homes. Today our pastor spoke about a woman on Fox News who was lying in the street being comforted by other women. The woman had lost her husband, and all five of her children. The poor woman was going out of her mind with grief!

I think sometimes we don't feel the hurt that we probably should feel for our neighbor. Or atleast I know I don't feel their hurt the way I should. Maybe because they are so far away. Since we don't have to see it firsthand, we turn a blind eye. Perhaps it's because they speak a different language and look different from ourselves. Lately God has really been working on me about having compassion for my neighbor. God wants us to care for all his people. Not just the English speaking world. Not just the United States or North America. But the entire population of the world was created in my God's image. The world in its entirety belongs to Him. We, as Christians are called to serve all God's people. ALL. OF. THEM.
I added Compassion's buttons to my blog. One where you can donate to Haiti's disaster relief. The other is about sponsoring a child. If you've never heard of Compassion you need to check them out. They are the real deal. MckMama is going to Kenya with them soon. Kelly from Kelly's Korner just got back from El Salvador. Pioneer Woman's husband Marlboro Man has been on mission with them. So has Big Mama and Boo Mama and Angie from Bring the Rain. You can also check up on Compassion at CharityWatch.Org . That should be enough sources for everyone to be satisfied! It definitely was for us. Here is a snippet about Compassion's integrity, taken from Compassion.com.

Charity Navigator, an independent charity review group, has given Compassion its best rating eight years in a row. That places Compassion among the top 1 percent of the thousands of nonprofit charitable organizations it reviews. Compassion is also a good-standing member of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance.

See? The real deal.

Britt and I have decided to sponsor a child. We've prayed about it for some time. But like I said, God has really been working on me about feeling the suffering of all His children. For instance, almost every morning I wake up thinking about Luke 12:48 "....to whom much is given, much will be required...." And our pastor is doing a sermon series on being a Selfless Servant. So......Britt and I are trying harder to be the hands and feet of God. We are praying about a child to sponsor. By looking at the Compassion site of children who need sponsors it seems that older boys are the ones who need a sponsor the most. You can choose to see the ones who have been waiting the longest. I did. There are 22 boys who have been waiting for 6 months or more!!! How sad is that?! These sweet faces from all over the world have been waiting for SIX MONTHS for someone to choose to take care of them! I wish I could sponsor them ALL!! We are praying that God will show us which one of these boys he wants us to support.
I know the economy is bad. Heaven knows we know how bad it is! We are in foodservice! You know what the first thing people stop doing in a rough economy?? They stop eating out and start cooking! But to sponsor one of those precious boys is well worth my $38 a month! Think about that $38 dollars. What do we waste $38 on? Going to the movies. For a family of 4, $38 is about what it costs just for movie tickets!!!! $38 is how much we spend on 1 breakfast and 1 lunch at McDonalds. (yes, we eat at McDonalds too!) **actually we go to church with the family that owns our local McDs, and we love them!**
What I'm saying is, for most families, you can find a way to cut $38 out of your budget. And if you go look at some of the blogs I mentioned earlier who have gone on these Compassion blogger trips, you will see your $38 at work!! Children without sponsors have NO chance of making it in this world. No education. No food. No clothing. Nothing. With our sponsorship these sweet children, God's children, can go to school, eat 3 healthy meals a day, and have clothing and shelter and most importantly hear about JESUS!! Matthew 25:40 says "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Go look at the Compassion site. And click through the links of the bloggers I mentioned. Ask yourself if you would help them if they lived next door to you, if they spoke your same language, and looked the same as you. Pray that God will open your hearts to these sweet babies that need our help.
I can't wait to share with you the child that Britt and I are sponsoring!

That "Do something drastic" feeling?

2010-01-09T17:05:00.002-06:00

Do you ever get the feeling to "do something drastic"?

Like....a daring new haircut, or rearrange a room, or get a tattoo?

Ok......maybe not the last one.

About once a year I get the feeling to do something drastic. To make a change. Get out of a rut. However you want to put it. That's how I feel right now!!!

Perhaps it's the unheard of frigid temperatures that have gripped the deep South, keeping me indoors, and driving me crazy!

Maybe it's the 15lbs I've gained since last Christmas.

It could be because it's Saturday and I just feel like it.

Whatever the reason, I've got the itch! The only problem is, I don't know what I want to do!

Oh, the list is a mile long of things I NEED to do......clean house, do laundry, set up my monogram machine, paint my toenails......but I feel like I need to do something drastic. Something to greatly improve my mood. I've been known to sit down in my stylists chair (she's done my hair for 15 years) and when she says "What are we doing?" I say "I don't care, just make me feel better than I did when I came in!!" And she does! So maybe I'll just go get a haircut. But, Britt hates my hair short though. And really, I love the length it is now. It's perfect for both curly and straight. So I guess that's out.....unless I can't come up with anything else!

I really want to take the furniture out of our guest room and turn it into a sewing room. No one ever sleeps in that bed, or even goes in there for that matter!! It is actually the dogs room. Sad, I know. We even refer to it as "Bentley's room". He sleeps in a playpen in there. My goal is to set all my sewing machines up......regular one, surger, and monogram, and buy a project/hobby/cutting table. I really want to start sewing again. I sewed alot for the kids when they were little, but just kind of stopped. My goal is to start making curtains and bedding.....first for myself....then perhaps as a side job!

I want to redo Carlie's room too. She got a new bed, but she needs paint, and bedding (why I need to do sewing room first!).

Maybe my mood will improve. Or maybe this feeling to do something radical will pass. I hope so, because it looks like I'm going to have to get a tattoo, since I can't think of anything else!

It's snowing.......In Central Alabama!

2010-01-07T11:38:00.004-06:00

Which means several things.......

1. There is NO milk or bread in the grocery store
--Seriously. When our weathergod, James Spann calls for snow.....everyone goes out and buys milk and bread. No ones knows why we are buying milk and bread, but we do it. I'd bet you 10 to 1 that right now there isn't a loaf of bread or gallon of milk to be had at any local grocery store!

2. Kids are out of school
--As soon as we think snow is coming our way, schools get closed. Yesterday afternoon our school board decided to dismiss school at 10:40AM today due to snow. You see, we here in Central Alabama MAY see 1 inch of snow a year. If we are lucky. So we don't have the equipment necessary to clear the roads. So the school buses can't safely get kids home in inclement weather. So yes, we close schools if there is 1/2 an inch of snow or the possibility of ice on the roads.

3. Everything else closes too
--As soon as it actually starts snowing businesses shut down too. Again, we can't safely get to and from anywhere if there's snow on the roads. AND, most people here have never driven in the snow, so it's not a good idea to be out on the road.

4. Someone is talking about "The Blizzard of 1993"
--it never fails. As soon as we hear "snow" that is someone's cue to begin talking about "no power for 9 days, no water for 7 days, 2 feet of snow, 3+ feet in the snow drifts". I'm sure you can google it, but I have no desire to do so. But we did indeed have 2 feet of snow here in Alabama in March of 1993. I lived through it. I was in the process of having my birthday party on the Friday night it began snowing.

5. Someone is sarcastically saying "It must be global warming".
--See, James Spann (Central Alabama's weather jesus) says there's no such thing. So do Rick and Bubba. So most of us (myself included) do not believe in global warming. The fact that it's been colder longer for the last two weeks in Alabama than it has been in over 25 years just reinforces that point.

Honestly, I wish it would really snow. For my kids sake. Cam is 10 and has never really seen snow. We've had half an inch or so, but never even enough for a snowman. James Spann predicts 1 to 2 inches for us this time. Let's hope he's right, and I have snow pictures to post tomorrow!
As I typed this it began snowing really hard, and because it has been so blasted cold the last several days here the snow is actually sticking! Typically when we do get snow the ground is so warm that it melts on contact. You have to understand that our average temperature for this time of year is 54 degrees. It has been about 25 degrees all week!! So maybe, just maybe......

Christmas Pics Blog Hop

2009-12-29T22:05:00.008-06:00

We are a family filled with traditions! One of my favorite is our Christmas Eve eve tradition!

Every year on December 23 we go to my mother in law's house. We have dinner with my sister in law, her husband, and two girls, my mother in law, and my grandmother-in-law. Usually a couple of Britt's cousins and their kids and spouses show up too.
After we have dinner, we retire to the living room to exchange gifts. This year, after dinner, the kids all ran to the living room. Britt's mom went in there and said "Let's move to the den, we have more room in there." My two kids, and my nieces looked at her like she was crazy! M & M (my nieces) both said "No! We ALWAYS open gifts in here!" and Carlie added "And I always sit RIGHT HERE!!!" Apparently.....the living room is part of the tradition........

Here are a few pictures from that night.

Cam was so excited to open his Alabama Crimson Tide pylons from Big Mama!
He has wanted them for his backyard football games!

Carlie (already in her pjs) was thrilled with her "silky, fuzzy" North Face jacket from Nanny!
And she LOVES the bubble gum pink color!

Cam was equally excited about his gray North Face. He's always had a black one....like everyone else! He needed to be different!

They couldn't have been any more excited than they were when they opened these!
Cricketzzz Sleeping Bags!!!!!
When we were at Callaway Gardens this summer, Cam slept in my niece M's sleeping bag. It was so soft! He has asked for one since the Fourth of July!
Both kids have slept in those sleeping bags ON THEIR BEDS since Christmas!!

And LOOK! Carlie got a matching one for her American Girl dolls!!!! Too Cute!

After opening gifts, the eight of us spend the night at Nanny's house. The next morning, Christmas Eve, we get up and cook a big breakfast and eat together. Then we spend several hours playing games and just enjoying being a family!

This year each kid decorated a gingerbread house too.

Somewhere after lunchtime we all head home to get ready for Santa!

Usually my family comes to our house on Christmas Eve for dinner, and join us at our Christmas Eve church service. But this year my stepdad had to work on Christmas Eve, so they all came on Christmas Day.

Speaking of Christmas Day........here's what it looked like at our house this year!

Cam and Carlie woke up at 6AM to see what Santa brought them!

Carlie got the Barbie Glamour Camper she had been wanting forever!
She was so excited she was doing this seventies-ish dance, that totally cracked us up!

Cam has gotten into "professional" wrestling this year. (Which really stresses me out.) I had hoped we were more culturally evolved than this. Apparently not.
Regardless, he loves it. And asked for this ring for Christmas.

Carlie got this FurReal monkey that moves and makes noise and is totally creepy!
Again, loves it. And asked for it.

After all the Santa gifts were opened...(Yes, Santa wraps the gifts at our house. He knows our favorite part is tearing off the paper!)....it was time for a gift from mom and dad.
They opened the box to find a key.
After looking at each other for several seconds, and wondering why we gave them a house key, it dawned on Cam that perhaps it was a key to a vehicle!
They took off through the garage to find THIS...........

A golf cart!!!!

Or as I like to call it......"Golf Cart-osaurus"!!!!!
This thing is a monster!

This is what happens to a golf cart when you let your gun-toting, Skoal dipping husband have free reign in customizing it!!

This golf cart started out green with white seat and a white top, looking like it was about to go ride around 18 holes of golf! Britt had a lift kit put on, tires wider than the ones on my Acadia, wheels blacked out, body painted black, whatever than stuff is that looks like a toolbox on a truck put on the floor, fender flares, head and tail lights, a brush guard, a rear seat, a new front seat, and a new top! Now this baby is so tall it will not fit through the roll up door to our basement!! So Golfcartosaurus has to live in our garage!

But the kids absolutely LOVE it!!!!!! They have ridden all over our neighborhood AND in the woods behind our house! Both kids said this was "the best Christmas ever"!

But they say that every year!!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Be blessed,

Cam's 10th Birthday dinner

2009-12-28T00:19:00.006-06:00

Each year we let our kids choose what they want for dinner on their birthday. No matter what they choose, whether it's venison and mashed potatoes at home, sushi takeout, or dinner at our local Mexican restaurant, our whole family shows up! Britt's parents and mine join the four of us for a birthday dinner celebration!

This year Cam chose to have dinner at our local Mexican place!

Cam doesn't really care for traditional birthday cakes. Or cakes of any kind, really. He usually asks for a chocolate chip cookie "birthday cake".....this year it was in Alabama colors, of course!

Our Mexican restaurant is so funny. They sing a song in Spanish and usually they just dab whipped topping on your nose. This time.......they went a little crazy!!!!!

They smashed a small plate of whipped cream right in his face! He just sat there laughing! We all were!

I had left my real camera at home, but this was so funny I had to get out my cell phone and take a couple pictures!

He licked most of it off around his mouth, but it took 3 big napkins before I got it off his face! It was in his eyes and he blew his nose and whipped cream and chocolate came out!!!! Cam thought that was hilarious!

My boy had a great 10th birthday. He'll have a party in January (it's too hard to do it during the holidays!) But he got lots of birthday money from his grandparents. He informed me he is going to buy a PlayStation 3 with it!!!! Guess I'm going back to Walmart tomorrow.

Anything for my boy!

Happy 10th Birthday Cam!

10 years ago today......

2009-12-26T20:05:00.015-06:00

I became a mother!!!

At 2:55 PM on Monday, December 27, 1999. Cameron Austin was born via cesarean section. He weighed 7 lbs and 15 oz and was 21 inches long. He was the most beautiful baby boy his momma and daddy had ever laid eyes on! (his momma however......needed some highlights, some make up, and a tan!!)

Today my little boy turns 10.

TEN!

I still can't believe 10 years have gone by!

Today Carlie said "In 6 years Cam will be able to drive me around!"
To which Cam responded, "Maybe to school, but that is it!!"

It seems like only yesterday.....

Cam smashing his cake on his 1st birthday.

Cameron's 2nd birthday! He was still an only child back then....for another 4 months anyway!

My little cowboy on his 6th birthday.
We had his party at Nanny's barn.
Cam's 1st horse, Ruby, lived there. He had just learned to ride and begged to have a party there so everyone could see him ride. He didn't even care that we made him stay in the round pen!

Carlie & Cam on his 8th birthday

You make Daddy & me so proud! We thank God for making us your parents. You truly are a blessing. We are enjoying watching you grow into the young man that God wants you to be. I will always cherish those days that you and I spent at home playing Bob the Builder, and watching Blues Clues. I'll always miss the way your said "Rubberband" and "I want to do it again.". But I look forward to the coming years and the things God has planned for you. I'll always be here for you, through thick and thin. And no matter how old you get, you'll always be my baby. The first baby I ever loved. On the day you were born I didn't think I could ever love anyone more. Ten years later, I realize I was wrong. I love you 10x more than I did on that cold December day in 1999.

Happy 10th Birthday, Cam!

I love you forever, Peanut!

Love,
Momma

Christmas through the years......

2009-12-16T22:15:00.031-06:00

Just thought I'd share some snapshots of Christmas over the last few years. It makes me a little sad to see how much my babies have grown!

2004

Matching GAP sweaters, cutting our Christmas tree!
They would NEVER wear matching clothes now!

This is Cam and Carlie with my nieces, baking and decorating Christmas cookies at Nanny's house.

The kids and Britt mixing up our annual Birthday cake for Jesus.
Look at those little faces!

2005

My cuties by the tree!

Little did I know that this was the last Christmas of Carlie's curls!!

Carlie was excited to get "Big Sister Dora" that year!

Cam got his first 4 wheeler that year!

He still loves it!

2006

My 4 year old princess with short hair, me with brown hair, and my 6 year old little man!

Carlie cut her hair off up to her ears in March, with "safety" scissors while I was at work and she was with my dad! It had grown out ALOT by the time we took this picture!

Cam and Carlie with my nieces.....they've grown so much in just 2 years

Hugging the tree we chose!

2007

Every year we bake Jesus a birthday cake on Christmas Eve

Carlie started collecting American girls that year. This was Emily, Molly's best friend. Santa brought her Molly!

Cam got a new set of golf clubs for Christmas!

And a Brett Favre, Green Bay jersey!

Our house, with our Christmas Eve luminaries.

Each year on Christmas Eve each house in our neighborhood sets out luminaries. People come from all over the town to ride through and see the lights. It's so beautiful!

2008

This picture of Carlie makes me smile! She wanted a violin more than anything! That face says it all!

Cam wanted full football gear for Christmas!

Santa brought him pants, a helmet and a jersey with his name and number on it!

Another American girl.....Nellie!

2008 was also the year Britt surprised me with the best Christmas gift!!

I opened this box last. In it was a beach towel, a sun hat, a swimsuit, sunscreen, and our passports!

I was so excited! Britt told me he had booked us a trip to Excellence all inclusive resort in Playa Mujeres, Mexico! I cried I was so surprised! He had never surprised me and in 10 years he had NEVER booked a trip without my help!!

2009

I can't wait to take all the Christmas pictures this year! So far we only have our Christmas card. Here it is......

I designed this one myself with my Creative Memories StoryBook Creator. This was one of our favorite pictures from New York. Ice Skating on Rockefeller Center.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

A few more pics from NYC

2009-12-14T16:32:00.002-06:00

Here are a few more pictures from our Thanksgiving trip to NYC. I took over 600 pictures, so editing them was such a daunting task! I put it off as long as possible! I've finally finished, and will gradually add more to the blog. Here are just a few that I had stored on my thumb drive.

The kids walking down Broadway.
Notice: Carlie is holding MY Diet Coke, not drinking one herself.

My girl and I sitting on the fountain across from Radio City Music Hall.

My handsome guy and I going to see the Christmas Spectacular!

We ice skated at Rockefeller Center. I love this picture of Britt and the kids!

The kids had the BEST time skating! It was their first time to ever ice skate. They both took to it easily. After a couple of shaky laps around the rink they were both off and skating like pros!

I love this picture of the four of us. It actually turned out good. I just wish there wasn't scaffolding in the background, around the iconic gold statue. But they were putting up the enormous tree at Rockefeller Plaza while we were there. The scaffolding was there to support it.

We had a wonderful time that night! Carlie begged to ice skate every day after that! She said it was "the most fun thing ever!". My poor ice skating deprived Southern children!

Hunting like Bill Jordan, without the camo, or game, or outdoors....

2009-12-13T13:19:00.006-06:00

I've been meaning to blog. But with Christmas on the horizon I've just been too busy hunting down Zhu Zhu pets to write about anything!
My children have a knack for telling me what they want for Christmas on Dec. 1st, then changing their mind, always adding the "hard to find" gifts sometime around Dec. 12th. Lovely.
Carlie turned her nose up at the ever elusive Mr. Squiggles, and Num Nums back in October when a dear friend told me about the "Furby of 2009". Like a fool, I took Carlie at her word that she was not interested in a fake hamster with wheels for feet. I can be an idiot of the highest order sometimes.
Then round about last week Miss Carlie informed me that she just HAD to talk to Santa because she HAD to get a Zhu Zhu pet for Christmas! I began my hunt for the elusive wheeled rodent. I was so excited when I heard they may be poisonous, because then I was off the hook. No such luck. But fortunately, I was smart enough to buy one while there was rumors of toxic rodentia! I got Mr. Squiggles at a bargain basement price of $35. Yes, I'm well aware that price is 7x the retail price for wheeled rodents. But considering the day before the price had been around 15x the retail price, I considered the hunt a success!
That wasn't the only "impossible to find" toy Miss Priss wanted this year. She had been asking for Barbie's Glamour Camper. When we were in New York City she saw the 1,000 of them stacked inside the lifesize Barbie house inside Toys R' Us in Times Square. I told her no, and made up something about packing it and getting it home. Really I just didn't want to mess with it. One week later I realize again, just how big an idiot I really can be.
I started hunting for Barbie's overpriced motorhome only to find it has been sold out of every single store both online and bricks and mortar! I checked it out on Amazon and eBay. Anywhere from $120 to $200 for the retailed $70 camper. Unfortunately there were no rumors of toxic Barbie vehicles! I had to pull out the big guns. Just like I'm sure Bill Jordan would do when searching for rare game, I sent out emails, Facebook updates, Twitters, etc. about my need for a Barbie camper at retail price! I went as far as to offer all 200 of our employees a $25 "Finders Fee" if someone could come up with the camper! A real hunter knows no boundaries people. No boundaries.
Within 48 hours I had my very own pink Glamour Camper! Much nicer than the 1970 hooptie that Barbie used to have to camp in. Ken must have gotten a much better job in the last 40 years. Anyway. Score one more for the rare 'game' hunter!
Cam is a different story. He asked for nothing except a wresting video game for PSP and PlayStation. I found both with no problem. The problem with him is I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO GET HIM! He gives no clues. Nothing. There is like one measly little "boy toy aisle" at Walmart, compared to the five girl aisles. But he doesn't even play with toys. He has lots of video games already, and doesn't play with them much. He plays football in the yard, or shoots critters that enter our yard at their own risk. He has footballs, he has guns. He has a bike and a scooter. What do you get 10 year old boys? Poor guy. He's going to have very little on Christmas morning compared to his sister if I don't get it in gear! But how do you hunt down something when you don't know what you're hunting?
I bet Bill Jordan would know.

Central Park

2009-12-02T23:28:00.008-06:00

I managed to edit a few of the 600+ photos from New York City, between hanging the Christmas decorations and unpacking and washing!
I grabbed just a few of us from Central Park to share. I plan to add more throughout the week.

This was my favorite of Carlie. I know I'm biased, but isn't she a cutie!?

She was totally in her element climbing on the rocks in Central Park! After being a fishes out of water for5 days, Cam and Carlie took to Central Park with renewed energy! They took off in a full sprint across the park, chasing each other up and down the rocks!

I continue to be awed by the contrast of the high rise buildings to the rocks, and grass, and pond, and trees of the park.

Naturally, we had to take a carriage ride through the Park. We had walked ALL day. I really enjoyed sitting and riding for awhile! The last time I was in NYC, we rode in the carriage at night. I like daytime much better! I took tons of pictures! Central Park is so incredibly beautiful!

I bothered a young guy and his girlfriend, who clearly wanted to be alone, at the top of this rock. But I needed a picture taken. The view was gorgeous from up there! This photo has Christmas card potential...which totally wasn't my goal.....what with the matching shirts and all.....totally coincidental. I also have a bridge for sale if you're interested.....

I decided to throw these into this post too. Before going over to Central Park, we went to "Top of the Rock". It amazes me that Rockefeller Center was built during the Depression! The views from up there are unbelievable! Again, tons of pictures. Most still need editing, but I'll put some up soon.

I love this picture of Britt and the kids. They look so happy!

Notice the t-shirt Britt is sporting? We were SO hot in NYC! Most of those building....including our hotel.....quit supplying air conditioning to the buildings once it gets below 50 degrees outside. It was around 50, up to 58 degrees, while we were there. Not nearly cold enough out to not have air conditioning in a public place, full of people! We southerners love our A/C!
My house stays between 69 and 72 degrees YEAR ROUND! Imagine our dismay when we called the front desk of the Crowne Plaza and they told us to open a window! Ever building we went into was scorching hot or miserably hot. This coming from a girl who spends most of her life in fleece pants and a hoodie sweatshirt! It's the 21st century NYC, turn off a few lights if you want to lower costs. But please, don't stop supplying air conditioning!

We're home and we're decorating.......

2009-11-29T11:27:00.005-06:00

We made it home safely from NYC! We had a fabulous time! But we were ever so ready to get back home. Back to the "y'alls" and the smiling strangers, and the "Hey" not "Hi"!
We got home around 8 PM on Friday night. Saturday we went to my mom's (she remarried while I was in NYC!). We went to visit because it was Oz's birthday. Her husband's real name isn't "Oz", but that is what my kids call him. It's a Wizard of Oz thing that Carlie came up with.....I know....imagine that!
Speaking of Carlie....
We put up our Christmas tree yesterday. Carlie gets more than a little excited about Christmas ornaments. She comes by it naturally. I LOVE them. Which is all the more reason why I cringe when she begins opening the boxes of them.
I wasn't even finished putting up the tree in the living room. We weren't even ready for ornaments. But there she was....fishing through the boxes and tissue paper. I asked her to please, please, please leave them alone until we were ready. Once we were ready I would unwrap them all for her and Cam and let them hang them on the tree.....just like every year. So, begrudgingly, she backed away.
For about three and a half minutes.
I was on the step stool finishing up the top of the tree. And I could hear her digging through the box. She was in the box of "Trip/Sentimental" ornaments.
**sidebar**We usually put up two trees. One is full of ornaments that we get when we go on a trip. Ever since Britt and I took our first vacation together, to the beach in 1998, we have bought atleast one Christmas ornament. After 12 years, we have enough to fill a tree. But on this tree we also put "Baby's first Christmas 2000" and ornaments the kids made. The other tree is a total Disney tree.......I know......I'm still looking for a support group.
So the box that Carlie was digging in was full of things I would rather not be broken. Mostly irreplaceable ones. I heard her say "Hey! Here's the one Nanny painted of our house!!" followed by "The hook is not..................." *crash*
I knew which one it was before I even looked down at the shattered pieces on the hardwood floor. I looked at Carlie, whose face was a mixture of fear and sadness. I started crying and said "Go get the broom." I didn't yell. But I was screaming on the inside! I told her I knew it was an accident, but had she obeyed the ornament wouldn't be broken. She was as upset as I was. Almost.
We finally got to the ornament hanging part. Cam picked up one of 3 snowmen that read "Christmas 2001 Britt, Courtney, and Cameron". Carlie looked at it and said "I shoulda been on that one!" Cam replied "You weren't even thought of." to which Carlie insisted "Yes I was! God thought of me! He already knew that I was a pistol little girl who loves adventure!"
I laughed so hard I cried!!! That may be the truest statement ever spoken about Carlie! The girl knows who she is!!
After we finished the tree in the den, the kids wanted to put their trees up in their bedrooms. They went to Cam's room with his tree and a box of ornaments that I had approved for them to share. They got his tree put together without incident.
Then they moved to Carlie's room. She strung her hot pink lights first. Then started adding ornaments. One of which was a homeade little number she had made at Nanny's last year. It was a clear bulb that she squirted paint into and shook. The idea is to make it look tye dyed. But she only used hot pink. Apparently, she used A LOT of hot pink. So much, that it did not dry in 365 days. She hung it on her tree, but not very well. It fell off, hit her vanity that the tree was setting on, and shattered, splattering hot pink paint all over the cream colored carpet in her bedroom!! Being a good big brother, Cam was going to help her clean it up "so she didn't have to tell mom". After rubbing it a couple of times Cameron realized that it was smearing! So he yelled for me, and I yelled for an hour. Fortunately, it was acrylic craft paint. So after pouring about a gallon of water into the carpet I got it all up.
Isn't Christmas decorating fun?

PS- I'm editing NYC pics today. All 640 of them! I hope to have some on the blog soon!

The countdown is on.....

2009-11-18T22:18:00.000-06:00

We are headed to the Big Apple for Thanksgiving!!

This Sunday we are headed to NYC. Lord willing, we will actually get there this time!

This will be Britt, Cam and Carlie's first trip to New York. The kids have never been to a city bigger than Atlanta. They are going to be so amazed at the landscape of Manhattan!! Britt has been to Chicago, and Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. But he's never been to NYC. I went in January about 5 years ago on a girls' trip with my mother in law and Britt's cousins and aunts. It was cold, but we had a fantastic time!

I am so excited about taking them through the city. I can't wait to show them Central Park, and Top of the Rock, and Times Square, and the Statue of Liberty! Since we are now going in the fall instead of summer we get to ice skate either in Rockefeller Center or in Central Park! But it's going to be much cooler!!

I'm honestly a little nervous about the weather. I mean, we live in the Deeeeeep South! In a previous life, I worked for Wachovia. I spent one week a month working in Stewartstown, PA. From November until February I thought I was going to die from hypothermia every day walking from my car into the office!! But I had on a suit and heels. I can dress myself to be much more comfortable walking the streets on New York City! I worry the most about the kids. They've traveled a good bit in their 9 and 7 years, but never to the northeastern US in the wintertime! I think they'll be fine walking around, but I'm worried about the standing and waiting for the Parade to begin.

After our last scheduled trip to NYC didn't happen (thanks to some car theives in Atlanta) it took us some time to decide if, and when, we were going to try again. Obviously, we decided to go. We looked at our schedules and realized we had a couple of options. Since I was a little girl I have always wanted to see the Macy's parade! So I was thrilled when I realized we were going to have the opportunity to be there for it!

We did our homework, and selected a hotel on the parade route. Just in case our poor little southern children got too cold waiting to see the SpongeBob float! It's no surpirse, given our recent "luck", that for the first time in 83 years the parade route has changed!!! It now bypasses Times Square completely! So we are going to bundle up and hunker down with the rest of Manhattan at Central Park West to watch the parade!

We have reservations for lunch at American Girl. Our kids can't wait to ride the ferris wheel in Toys 'R' Us. Cam wants to go to Nintendo World. I want to eat dinner at The View on top of the Marriott Marquee. We are going to see a show....we just aren't sure which one yet! Oh, and did I mention that Bon Jovi is performing on the TODAY show Wednesday morning?! I don't know who is more excited, me or Britt! Probably me!!! It should be a fun filled week!

I've got to get started packing. That's the part I dread. And packing winter clothes is never fun. They are so bulky and take up so much room. Our suitcases will be heavy with boots, and coats. I usually prefer to go someplace tropical when it's winter in the US. There's nothing quite like packing swimsuits and sundresses in the middle of winter, then going somewhere to lay on the beach for a week! But this year we are going to brave NYC, in not quite the middle of winter...more like late autumn. But it'll be cold nonetheless. And I am just not a cold weather girl! Britt has been wanting to go to Colorado on a ski trip forever. This year his extended family is all going to Steamboat right after Christmas. That's the one trip I just can't give in to. Not yet, Carlie is still too small (by my standards). Skiing is alot of work! I want to wait and go when Cam and Carlie can dress themselves in all their ski gear! I'd love to go watch the snow fall in Colorado, as long as I don't have to touch it or stand out in it long periods of time! God didn't build me for cold weather! That's why I'm stressed about NY. I don't like being cold. Hopefully with all the walking and moving around we will stay pretty warm. The 3 hours waiting for the parade will probably be the worst, but I'll have on about 6 layers of clothing!!!

I keep checking the weather for NYC. It is going to be about 59 on Sunday when we arrive, and the temperature drops all week. The "Real Feel" for Thanksgiving morning is around 35 degrees. But I guess it could be much worse!!

My parents are coming to stay at our house and take care of our "baby", Bentley. There was no way I was going to put him in a kennel for a week! He will be just as spoiled, if not more, with his Gramma keeping him! I won't worry about him a bit with her here! And my mom always picks up around my house when she's here! Which is awesome, because I tend to make a mess the day we leave. I tell myself time and time again that I'm going to clean up before leaving, but I'm always running late. Between packing for four people and taking care of day-to-day tasks, and making sure we've taken care of everything for the Sonic, and school, and home I am always exhausted. By the time I get packed and the car loaded I don't care that there are Barbies all over the playroom floor! So yay for moms! I may come home to a clean house!

So we're getting ready. I've been laying out clothes to pack. And making lists of things to pack or carry on. I can't wait. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to share when we get back! I'm hoping to take our Christmas card photo somewhere around NYC too! Let's just hope we don't freeze to death!

Oh, and we are planning to eat BEFORE we get to Atlanta this time!!!

Not as young as I used to be....

2009-11-17T08:12:00.005-06:00

Remember when we were kids? When 30 was old? I remember thinking my mom had one foot in the grave and the other one slipping when she was about 35. My how my perception has changed!!

But today I realized, my kids think I'm ancient!

This morning Cam was in rare form. He has spent the last 4 days deer hunting in South Arkansas with my husband, and my father-in-law. Britt and Cam got home around 4:00PM yesterday. Cam was none too happy that he had to go back to school today.

Cam asked me to turn the radio down as we drove to school. It wasn't loud to start with. But, trying to keep the peace, I obliged. He said "I can still hear it. Please turn it down some more!" I told him that it was barely audible, not nearly loud enough to annoy him. He kept whining and I said "Cam get over it. The radio can't be bothering you. I can barely hear it". Of course he replied "Well I can hear it!" Carlie, having had enough of this exchange between Cam and myself, came to my defense, "Cam don't be so mean to mama! When you're her age, you won't be able to hear good either!"

Thanks for being on my side, Carlie-bug. I think.

A fabulous wedding.....

2009-11-09T17:33:00.021-06:00

My cousin got married on Saturday the 7th. It was a beautiful outdoor autumn wedding.

I love this picture.
I love that little ring bearer staring up at the bride and groom.
And I love that weathered brick wall.
Gorgeous.

This is L and her mom before the wedding.
Her mom is my aunt.
My dad's sister.

She was such a beautiful bride.

Her daddy cried when he gave her away.

She started crying about 7 hours earlier, during breakfast!

...and continued throughout the entire ceremony!

My little princess was in the wedding party.

So was I.

So were 14 more of her closest friends and family.

This isn't all the bridesmaids. Carlie took this picture, she cut off two of them on the end!

It was Carlie's first time to be a flower girl!

She did such a good job!

The other flower girl got sick the night before. So another cousin helped out at the last minute. Sometimes its good to have such a large family!

Carlie was mad because she slept in sponge rollers and wore them until 2PM the next day.

I took this at another one of the bridesmaids house before the wedding. 8 of the bridesmaids and the bride and the flower girl got dressed at the same location...with only two bathrooms! Carlie loved this dog, Ellie. She carried her around all afternoon! But aren't they both so adorable!?

But these curls were so worth 17 hours in sponge rollers!!

Cam was supposed to be an usher in the wedding. He also had a playoff game scheduled at 1:30 that afternoon, in a town 40 minutes away. Unfortunately, his game started 40 minutes late and he and Britt missed the entire ceremony! They came for the reception, but we didn't take any pictures. So we had to take a few pictures when we got home! It's not everyday that Cam wears a suit!!

Isn't he handsome?

And almost as tall as I am!

I'm even wearing 2 1/2 inch heels!!

It's certainly not everyday you see Britt in a tie either!

The whole wedding was wonderful! November in Alabama is still pretty warm. Definitely comfortable enough for an outdoor wedding! It was about 74 degrees and sunny last Saturday. Much better than say, a June wedding. In June it's 90 degrees before 8 AM and 100% humidity! November is absolutely perfect! And the autumn floral arrangements were beautiful! And the fall colored bridesmaid dresses were fabulous! I'll have to remember all this when it comes time to plan Carlie's wedding.

But I'm not even going to entertain that notion yet!

Miley Cyrus Concert

2009-11-06T10:22:00.005-06:00

This post is also known as "Our LAST Miley Cyrus Concert" or "What the heck happened to Miley Cyrus".......

A couple weeks ago Britt and I took Carlie and her friend to the Miley concert in Birmingham. I had bought tickets back in June. Carlie had been looking forward to the show for months! We had planned on taking Cam, but he bailed on the last day. Britt was a trooper and suffered through for his little princess.

This is Carlie and Lindsey before the show started

I was excited, because we had GREAT seats! By the looks of TicketMaster's diagram, we were right at the stage.

Little did I know that I would be wishing we were on the back row and the back of the arena before it was all said and done!

Then the week of the concert arrived. About two days before the show I saw the video to Miley's "Party in the USA" on Disney Channel. Now, my kids have been listening to that song for a month. It's pretty cute. Talking about her transition to Hollywood, how nervous she was. It's all in all a wholesome song about a girl from Nashville making it big. THEN I saw the video! OH MY GOODNESS! Can someone explain to me the connection between small town girl going to LA and trampy looking girls, scantily clothed, dancing in the bed of a pickup truck? I fail to see the connection.

I guess seeing that should have been my warning. But because we had been so excited about it...not to mention the $400 I dropped on tickets. (Britt was appalled saying "I didn't pay that much to see The Rolling Stones!")

Oh, did I mention this concert was "ticketless"?? Because of the outrageous markups on her last tour, Miley's company did a ticketless ticket. You have to bring the credit card you purchased the ticket with, and all members of your party must enter together. All to prevent ticket scalping. I was afraid it would be a nightmare to get in. But it went surprisingly smoothly. I imagine we will be seeing much more of this in the future. Regardless, I couldn't have sold my tickets if I wanted to.

So....we headed to Birmingham. Now, we had seen Miley on her first tour, two years ago. We went to Memphis to see her in her "Best of Both Worlds Tour". She did half the show as Hannah, and half as Miley. It was a really cute concert. Well choreographed, very entertaining. It almost made up for her lack of talent. She managed to keep both me and my husband and my then 7 year old son interested. Carlie.....was thrilled from start to finish.

We got to the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center (we locals call it the BJCC). But we were purposely late. See, Miley's brother's band MetroStation was opening for her. I didn't know but one song they sing. That "Shake it" song, and I knew that would be last. So when we got there Metro had already started their set. We went down to find out seats. Sure enough. Right at the corner of the stage. They were the best seats I've ever had at a concert. I hate that we wasted that good fortune on this concert however!

Metro Station weren't quite as far into their set as I had hoped, but I decided to grin and bear it. Britt however, volunteered to go get us snacks and t-shirts! ha! Then MS started their next song, there was a long drawn out dedication then the song started with the lyrics "I like to get high and play" and of course Miley's brother Trace had to pretend he was holding a joint to his lip when he said "get high". I told the girls I needed to go to the restroom, and quickly ushered them out of the arena!

And as a parent of a 7 year old girl I just couldn't, in good conscience, sit in there allowing her to hear that. We took just short of forever in the restroom then slowly meandered back to our seats. Much to my chagrin MetroStation was STILL on the stage. They were doing their last song when we sat back down. I was relieved that the horror was over, or so I thought. Then, Trace pulled his shirt off revealing his millions of tattoos.....

Now my girls may not have heard the "get high" song, but they definitely SAW this! I could hear mothers sitting around me commenting about him and this band. Needless to say, I wasn't the only one shocked and appalled! After MetroStation finished people all around us were talking about "Why in the world did they let THEM open for her!" I couldn't agree more! Right now, Miley's target market is 6-12 year old girls! MetroStation's target couldn't be further from that demographic!!! It was absolutely disgusting.

The only thing I can figure out is that Miley and her dancers' trashy clothing and suggestive dancing doesn't seem quite as revolting after you've subjected yourself to a nearly naked, tattoo covered, strung out looking, guy who is singing about smoking pot!!

Then Miley came out after several minutes of shrill screams and girls chanting her name...

Here's Carlie either screaming for Miley or showing me what I looked like on the inside while MetroStation performed.

Miley's entrance was full of drama. The screen let us know that we were supposedly on the moon. Then Miley appeared frozen in a chunk of ice. But we all know that isn't real, because she would've died of hypothermia within seconds considering she was nearly naked.

Oh wait...she did have on a shawl.

The show was highly entertaining. Miley rarely, if ever, had more than a tanktop and panties. I didn't want Carlie thinking it was ok, or that teenagers should dress like that so I told Carlie it was like her ballet leotard. "Miley had to wear outfits like that so she could dance. Miley wouldn't never have on anything that short if she was going somewhere, because it's not ok to dress like that." I hope she bought it.

Miley at the front of the stage. The first of many times she would squat toward the audience. Atleast this time she kept her legs together......I think this was the only time.

The back up dancers looked like absolute trash the whole time. I wish I could say that nicer, but I just can't. It's one thing to wear leotard-esque clothing so you can dance and move, but when did it become necessary to wear torn fishnets or lingerie at a concert targeting children?

Each of The Wiggles may as well start wearing nothing but a red, purple, yellow, or blue thong!

Miley's shorter version of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" dress.
See the back up dancers' costumes?

This was the one costume that left something to the imagination. I was thrilled when afterward Carlie said this was her favorite!

As bad as the costumes were, they were not the worst part. The suggestive dancing done by Miley and her dancers was shocking! If Miley squatted like a pole dancer once, she did it two dozen times. It was revolting. She is a 16 year old child!! The back up dancers were as bad if not worse! At one point, Miley sang a slow song I didn't know. A boy and girl dancer did a somewhat ballet number behind Miley. During that song a friend of mine, who was also at the concert with her 9 year old, text me and said "HIDE THEIR EYES!" The dancing was overtly sexual. And just completely unnecessary.

This was taken as Miley was about to sing a cover of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock n' Roll".

She sat on a Harley and was lifted up and circled the audience.

The low point came during the song G.N.O (Girls Night Out). Miley and the girl dancers had on construction worker gear. They were each carrying saw horses. When they got to the front stage they danced around the saw horses, leaning over them and each doing the equivalent of a lap dance. It was more than disturbing. Then when you thought it couldn't get any sleazier, they went back to the main stage and ropes dropped from the ceiling. Each girl and Miley proceeded to do a full out pole dance, grinding up and down the ropes. There is no picture for that. I was too far into shock to take a picture.

I was so glad when the show finally ended. Apparently many other parents were too. The general consensus of chatter as we left the arena was disappointment and disgust. People were talking about her dancing and wardrobe as we were walking out of the arena, and as we walked to the parking deck, and in the elevator, and in the parking garage. Everywhere we went someone had something negative to say about her.

Then day after the concert I talked to several of my friends who took their daughters. Each and every one of them regretted taking their children to see it. I joked and said "I don't remember Debbie Gibson or Tiffany being this trampy!" But it's true.

It's really sad that Miley has gone this route, and so quickly. We saw her in concert in November 2007 in Memphis. She had just turned 15. Her concert was excellent. And full of screaming, adoring young girls, who looked to her as a role model. Now she dresses like a streetwalker and performs like an exotic dancer. I would be willing to bet that more than half of the people who were at this concert won't go to another one. My guess is that Miley is trying to get away from the tween idol persona. I'm sure she wants to be seen as "a serious artist", but why bite the hand that feeds you?

So be warned if you have tickets to her show in your city. This ain't no episode of Hannah Montana you are going to see. She puts on a show that you would expect to see from "P!nk" or maybe Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera. Artists you would expect to have more mature audiences. Artists I doubt people would drag their kindergartners to see.

The bottom line is this....had this concert been a movie, you would have to be atleast 17 years old to see it. Unfortunately, the arena was packed with girls under the age of 12. And one of them was mine.

Backyard Grudge Match

2009-10-29T13:37:00.009-05:00

Down.....Set.....Hut!

Looks like our QB is in trouble!

And Bentley gets the sack!!

But it looks like Bentley may get an excessive celebration penalty....
just look at that taunting face!!

That sweet, adorable, taunting face!

Batteries.....and Credit Card machines too......

2009-10-21T05:07:00.008-05:00

I'll start off by saying that it's 5 AM. And I've been up for an hour. After sleeping for only 4. I've been out of the hospital for over a week following a very unexpected kidney stone removal. But I just can't seem to "get right".......you'd have to see the movie "Life" to understand the "can't get right". Britt and I still say it to each other all the time. By the way, the language in that movie, is abhorrent. Just fair warning....

I have a feeling this post, may actually turn "rant-ish".....because, well....just because.

Two days ago, Carlie had flushed cheeks and told me she was cold. Like any mother, I reach for the thermometer. Pressed the button. It beeped. It illuminated. And it died. *sigh* Thankfully, my neighbor Kristin, had one I could borrow. So I made a mental note to pick up one of those disc-like batteries. Or in all reality, a new thermometer.......I mean, have you ever shopped for a specific disc like battery?

Yesterday, I decided that I was going to step on the scale in our bathroom. Mind you, it has been quite a while since I last did that. It took some time to recover from the shock of my last weigh in. So, bravely, I tapped the corner of the digital scale with my toes. It illuminated. It flashed the word "Lo". It died. *sigh* (perhaps of relief.) Determined to ruin my day, one way or another, I flipped the scale over to look for the battery compartment. Found it. Opened it. What???? Another little disc battery? You have GOT to be kidding me!

OK people, let me make a proposition. Why can't everything run on AA batteries?? Hmmm? Why not? Can we not just streamline the whole battery using world? Yeah, yeah, flash lights and radios would probably need like 24 AAs......but heck, competition would be increased in the battery producing world......surely the price would go down.

But still.......think about how much easier life would be......

.....at Christmastime, you'd just buy a zillion AAs....never having to scan the boxes of every electronic, or toy, to see what kind of battery it needed. You'd just know. And you'd have them. And everyone is happy on Christmas morning, because they don't have to wait until the next day for their toy train to work.

......those times when your child comes down the stairs with a toy he found at the bottom of the toy box, saying "Mom, this doesn't work.". You'd be able to say "Hand it here, let me put some batteries in it." Knowing you had the right size! You'd never again have to unscrew the back of that barking, flipping dog, only to say "I'm sorry baby, this uses C batteries, and I don't have any." (C batteries are the ones that really get me. Items that require those are like the 'Iberian Lynx' of battery using devices.....rare, but still out there).

See? AA batteries=perfect harmony.

I think we can get this "AA battery only" movement started. As soon as someone....who has more than a degree in Marketing......with a career as a SAHM.......figures out that those big batteries are too much of a detriment to our planet. Washington DC will abolish our great grandmothers if someone can convince Congress that Granny is too harmful to the environment!!!

And while I am streamlining technology, making everyone's life easier, and pretty much just solving the world's problems here......I think there should be ONE. UNIVERSAL. credit card machine! How many times have each of us swiped our card the wrong way? Pressed 'no' thinking it was asking if you want cash back, when it really asked 'Is the amount correct?'. To top that.....Now some of them even read "Did your cashier greet you today?" Seriously???? I am all for market research. All for customer feedback. ***See Marketing degree statement above*** But do we really need it on those machines? Don't that already ask enough questions?

Think about these things? I am a product of Generation X. I had never read a manual on any electronic device until I got a BlackBerry (that's a whole 'nother rant). But some of these things drive me crazy!!! Can you imagine dear old Granny figuring those machines out?

Life is complicated enough. Streamlining those things makes sense doesn't it?

Yes.

Perfect sense.

Atleast it does to me.

At 5 AM.

Pumpkin and a Book Contest/Fundraiser

2009-10-20T05:53:00.001-05:00

Every October the kids school has a Fall Festival. It's a big deal in our rural community. The whole community comes out to the school for dinner and carnival games. And each year there is a silent auction for the "Book Pumpkins".

Pumpkin and a Book is a fundraiser for our school. Each classroom decorates a pumpkin like a book character, or to go along with the theme of a book. I helped in Carlie's 2nd grade class this year. We did "Pinkalicious".

Pinkalicious is a story about a little girl who eats too many pink cupcakes, then wakes up completely pink the next morning! Every part of her is pink! And she LOVES it, because pink is her favorite color! She puts on her favorite pink fairy dress, and a crown when her mom takes her to the doctor. The doctor tells the little girl that she must eat all green foods to return to her normal color. But she doesn't want to be normal. She loooooves being pink! After they get home from the doctor she cannot resist and eats yet another pink cupcake. When she wakes the next day she is RED!! But she does not like red! So she spends the day eating every green food she can get her hands on and turns back her normal color. But at the end of the book her little brother comes in and he has turned himself PINK too!!

It's a very cute story! There is also "Purplicious" and "Goldilicious". Both are super cute stories!

We decorated our pumpkin to look like when she turned totally pink! Complete with cupcake!

The kids had great fun painting! I really enjoyed helping too!

Before the pumpkins are auctioned off at the Festival, they hold a contest in each grade to see who has the best pumpkin. We didn't win. Another teacher, who had an "I Spy" pumpkin won. It was a neat idea. She had an "I Spy" poem on the pumpkin and then the pumpkin was covered in a zillion little things and you had to look for the items in the poem!

The kids and I look forward to doing our "book pumpkins" every October!!

So that's why it's called downward facing dog....

2009-10-19T05:23:00.001-05:00

Since we haven't had any pictures of the cutest puppy ever on here in atleast two weeks, I figured it was time.....

So here is my 6 month old Chinese Crested Powder Puff, Bentley.

......and his Dora the Explorer cup.

He dropped the cup, then had great fun pawing at it and chasing it all over the den and foyer.

......I had equally great fun taking pictures with my new Nikon D5000. It is my holy grail of digital SLRs! Since my D50 was stolen along with my car in July, I figured I'd make the most of the replacement!

He finally got the cup picked up correctly again.

......He was sure to pose for me after getting it right. Little love. Ain't he the cutest puppy dog?

Then he lost the cup again, and chased it around the house.

......and when he went to get it. I had an epiphany! Look at that perfect yoga pose!

So that is why they call it "Downward Facing Dog"!

2009-10-15T20:11:00.009-05:00

Cam escorted his little "girlfriend" in their PeeWee Homecoming during halftime of his game a couple weeks ago.

It was the first time Cam had ever been asked to escort someone. He was a little bit nervous. But a lot excited....because it was her! He won't be 10 until December, yet the boy is starry eyed over this full of personality, curly haired, athletic, adorable, spitfire on his arm!! We'll have our hands full in a few years with this boy!

This is Cam's first "girlfriend". They have liked each other since last school year. And this year they got in the same class! I was a little worried about that. Cam tends to have his head in the clouds when she is around!!

But so far, so good!

And how cute are they??
I know. Very!

She got 1st Alternate. They were all excited!

This little girl is soooo full of personality! Can't you tell? She cracks us up!! It's always been funny to me that Cam likes her. She is so very much like his little sister! ha!

She is holding the half dozen orange roses Cam gave her for homecoming. Some of the customs at their school are a little bit crazy. Girls are expected to give their escorts a candy bag, or similar. Escorts give the girls flowers, not corsages. And sometimes a small gift. We gave her the roses and an orange picture frame we found at Target that I painted cub paws and wrote "Homecoming 2009" on. We put a picture of her and Cam in the frame. It was very cute! And very inexpensive!!

She gave him the customary "candy bag". Not some rinky dink goodie bag from a birthday party...but a GINORMOUS gift bag full of Snickers, Kit Kats, Milky Ways, Twix, and a few other things. He LOVED it!! And he'll be eating candy out of it until Christmas!

It was a really fun experience for him. And made for lots of cute pictures!! Unfortunately, his team lost their first game of the season. For some of the boys it was their first loss EVER! They've been playing for 3 and 4 years and have NEVER lost! This group has won the State Championship every year starting when they were 6 and 7 years old!
But I guess too many of them had their heads in the clouds on Homecoming Night!
Hopefully they'll be back on track and can beat that team in the playoffs in November!
Go Cubs!

Explanations or excuses, really!

2009-10-12T07:24:00.003-05:00

I am so very behind on blogging. I had great intentions last week, and I have sooooo much to blog about, but I went into the hospital on Thursday with kidney stones! I had surgery Friday morning and was released that night. I'm still recovering. Hopefully it'll all be over soon!

We have had so much going on. Cam escorting his little "girlfriend" in homecoming last Saturday, I finally got my new car (!), I bought a new camera (Nikon D5000), my friend Nancy turned 40 and we managed to pull off the surprise dinner party! Hopefully I'll be able to elaborate on each of those things soon!

Viva Las Vegas

2009-10-05T19:14:00.011-05:00

So.....Vegas.

Wow. That seems like forever ago.

But it has only been a week (or so) since I got home.

Here's a recap in pictures of this year's trip to Vegas and the Sonic Convention.

But for starters, I have no pictures of I-20 and I-285 in Atlanta being closed because they were under water after days and days of rain. The last thing on my mind was photo documentation of the most stressful trip to Atlanta in my entire life!!! You folks who don't live in or near Atlanta do not know, but interstates 20 and 285 are the ONLY way to get to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport! My GPS kept telling me "no alternate route". So I drove in the general direction of the airport, down every pig trail in West Atlanta until my GPS finally found an alternate route. However, it was about 10:30 AM. Did I mention my flight was departing at 10:55Am?

Lovely.

I was the picture of patience and optimism by the time I pulled into an off property parking lot.

We got to the airport 10 minutes after our plane was supposed to depart. "We" included myself, my brother, his wife, my mother-in-law, and 3 other of our Sonic managers. We finally made it to the Delta counter, to figure out what the heck we were going to do, at 11:30 AM. The Delta agent told us that our flight had been delayed until noon. Hallelujah!! BUT...we could not check any luggage. The only problem with that was that my suitcase was too large to carry on. So was my sister in law's. So was my mother in law's. Women. Geez. So we had a split second to make a decision. My mother in law volunteered to catch the next flight and keep our luggage with her and check it. I offered to stay behind with her, but none of the rest of our traveling companions had ever flown before. She and I couldn't exactly abandon them in the madhouse that is air travel. So she kept back one of our managers. I handed her my suitcase and took off. Leading the charge to gate A13. We managed to all get through security and onto the monorail without a hitch. When we got to Concourse A we literally ran to our gate! We got there as the gate agent left his desk headed over to close the door to the plane! He saw us running and asked "Las Vegas?". We said yes. And he told us we better come on. We nearly missed this one!
So we were the people that everyone hates. You know, the people who board last, carrying their luggage, looking for any open space to store it, banging into the knees of everyone who is sitting in an aisle seat. Yep. That was us. But I didn't even care. I was just happy to be on that plane. Finally.
Unlike my mother in law and our manager, who were told they could fly stand-by, but there were no tickets available until the next day. So they flew stand-by. Fortunately, Atlanta being under water made lots of people miss their flights. There were 10 people flying stand-by for the 1:30PM flight along with my mother in law, and they ALL got on!! So by 5:00 PM CST our whole crew was in Vegas!

This was the first picture I took on our trip. Flying over the Grand Canyon.

Once we got to Las Vegas we met up with Britt, who had been there for 24 hours already. Our group checked into the hotel, and we went off in search of our Sonic swag! We found it. Our shirts, bags, note pads, pens, and other junky trade show stuff. By the time we had walked the 65 miles across the Mandalay Bay hotel from the lobby to the convention area and back to the food court area for a quick bite it was time for the Opening Session to start. So we trekked the 32.5 miles back to the convention center for the 2 hour session. Afterward was our supply partner trade show. You know, the people who Sonic buys bread, strawberries, napkins, etc from. They give away the BEST swag! I have a fabulous new Sonic tee shirt from our uniform supplier. I may or may not have a picture. If not, I'll take one. I LOVE it. They were only giving out shirts to the first 1,000 people to come by their booth. And folks were lined up out the door waiting to get in! I may or may not have been the girl who was running to get a tee shirt. But we all know the smalls go first!

Once that was over we went back to our rooms to change clothes. I mean, I had on the same thing I had put on at 4:30 AM CST when I woke up. By this time, it was 11:00 PM CST!! My brother and his girlfriend of 7 years had decided that they were going to get married while we were in Las Vegas. They were afraid with all the work stuff we had to do that we wouldn't have time. And we read that the courthouse in Vegas stays open until midnight. (Isn't that hilarious!!??) So my brother, his [wife], Britt and I grabbed a cab and headed out to get A and D a marriage license!

D and A inside the Marriage License Bureau
My brother looks like he is 17! He actually turned 26 in August!

We got to the Marriage License Bureau...as it is called....and guys were standing out front handing out fliers for different chapels. While A and D went inside to get the license, Britt and I sat outside looking through fliers and taking turns holding my eyelids open. We waited for several minutes. You'd be surprised at how many people were in line for a marriage license at 11:00 PM PDT (1:00 AM CST)! Britt figured out that one of the chapels we had a flier for was only two blocks away. When A & D came out we all headed over to Vegas Weddings so they could get hitched!

Outside the Courthouse showing off the Marriage License

We were all falling asleep waiting for the minister to come out and talk to them. It was 11:30 PM in Vegas. 1:30 AM in Alabama. A, D and I were going on our 22nd waking hour, after only sleeping 4 hours! It was insane! But they had a nice ceremony. No Elvis or a drive through, like A had said he wanted! D did not care what kind of ceremony they had or who married them! After waiting for SEVEN YEARS she just wanted to get married!!!

D had brought a dress to get married in, but when A wanted to do it that night while we were out D wasn't about to say "Let's wait until another day!!"

Hence the jeans, ponytail, and tennis shoes!!

D finally has the band to go with the engagement ring she's been wearing for 2 years!

After the wedding, for some reason, we walked the four blocks down to Freemont Street in the "old" Vegas. I guess Britt, who had plenty of sleep the night before and had not traveled that day, was afraid we wouldn't make it back downtown. He wanted A & D to be sure to see the "old Vegas" with all the lights and the impressively large LCD screen that covers the whole street that puts on a show every hour.

Outside Vegas Weddings Chapel
Their first photos as Mr. and Mrs. C

We got back to Mandalay Bay around 1 AM and fell asleep before our heads hit the pillow!!

We had to be up early for our General Session that started at 8:30. Breakfast was served from 6:30-8:00. Needless to say, I missed breakfast every day we were there! Wednesday was our long day. We had sessions until 5:00. Then we 4 girls went to see The Lion King musical which was at our hotel. It was phenomenal!! Everyone had told us to see it when we are in NYC in November. But I didn't want to wait! It really was spectacular!! We all four loved the show! The men went down the strip. Britt showed the guys all the different hotels and casinos while we were at TLK. Once our show was over I was still exhausted from the night before, so I called Britt and told him goodnight!! I'm not sure what time they all got back! I was sound asleep by 10:30!
The next day we had to get up early AGAIN for sessions. But we had the afternoon free. We took everyone over to The Venetian, which in my humble opinion is THE BEST hotel in Vegas!! Maybe the best hotel ANYWHERE!! The Venetian is where the Sonic Convention was held in 2005 and we found out at the final night reception that the convention is going to be at The Venetian again NEXT YEAR!!!!

The lobby at The Venetian

This is actually indoors. It's near the indoor canal and it's made to look like a street in Venice complete with shops and Italian Bistros and street lamps!

The Venetian is so beautiful. It's probably the best theme hotel in Vegas. Based on Venice, Italy, it has two canals where you can go for gondola rides while the gondolier serenades you in Italian! It's so beautiful!!

Britt and me with our gondolier going through a tunnel in the outdoor canal.

D and A rode with us. Isn't the hotel in the background gorgeous!?

We spent the whole afternoon there riding in the gondolas and walking around the shops. Then it was time to head back to Mandalay Bay for our final night reception and concert.

Britt with our general managers at the final night dinner

Dinner was wonderful! We had steak and lobster. Of course, I gave my lobster away. Yuck! It's too fibrous. I can't stand the way lobster feels in your mouth when you bite into it! Eww! But we had these cute little chocolate mousse desserts topped with a chocolate emblazoned with the Sonic logo.

Cute, isn't it?
I ate mine and Britt's!!

Anyway!

After dinner we went over to our entertainment for the night. None other than Huey Lewis and the News!!!!

I took this picture of the screen when Huey was playing the harmonica. I could've walked right up to the stage and taken one, but I didn't really care that much! ha!
Besides, once they did "Power of Love" I was outta there!!

Britt and me at they Huey Lewis show.
Not exactly a good picture of either of us, but I don't have many from this trip!

We headed back out with A and D for one last sightseeing trip before coming home! We went back downtown to Freemont Street so Britt could play BlackJack without spending a fortune. Those old casinos are MUCH less expensive than the new one we stay at! I was quick to go with him once he explained that he could play for $3 a hand downtown, but $15 a hand at our hotel!!

A and D picked up their actual marriage license the last night. We found this sign and took their picture under it wearing nicer clothes than what they wore to get married!!

A and I aren't gamblers. But D and Britt think it's a blast! So they played in a nearby casino and A and I walked up and down the street people watching!
We took this picture for our mom. She's gonna be thrilled. I don't think we've taken one together in atleast 5 years!!

A and me in front of Freemont Casino in downtown Las Vegas!

Have a great day!!

Three things all parents should teach their children--Blog Hop

2009-09-28T07:57:00.009-05:00

My interest was piqued with this blog hop. What three things do I wish all children knew? What three things do I teach my children that perhaps most parents do not? Aside from the obvious things that I teach mine; to love and build a relationship with Jesus Christ, to say please and thank you, pick up the toys they drag out....

With that said, I wish more parents would teach children these three things:

1. Cough into your shoulder or the bend of your arm, not your hands.
This one really gets me. So many times I've been in a public place when a child coughed into the air. The well meaning parent says "Cover your mouth when you cough." So the child coughs again....into his hands. Then that child proceeds to touch everything around him.

2. Acceptance.
So many times I see small children who are intolerant of others who are different; whether it be someone who is multi-racial, or with Down's Syndrome, or a person of a lower socioeconomic status, or even an overweight, or taller person. I know that children are curious by nature. Sometimes they stare or point. But far too often I hear children being cruel to, or avoiding all together, people who are different from themselves. I think it's important to teach our children to accept people who are different. Lots of times I think people confuse acceptance with agreement. My being tolerant of someone who is homosexual, or Catholic doesn't make me either one. Nor does it mean I agree with either. How can you share the Word with someone you hate? I know too many people who call themselves Christians, yet have all this anger and hatred toward minority groups, because what those people do is against the Bible. I agree that certain lifestyles are not of the Lord. But I believe that God loves those people regardless. And we should too.
I talk to my children about all differences mentioned above. We make sure our children know our beliefs, but I also make sure they are tolerant of those who believe differently. And I make sure they know God wants us to share His Word with all people. Our world would be a much better place if we could raise a generation who accepted others.

3. Civility
In this day and age we adults tend to be rude ourselves. We cut others off in traffic because we are in such a hurry. We talk on our cell phones while picking up the dry cleaning, or going through a drive-thru....which is not only rude to the merchants, but it's rude to whom you're talking! And we text one another while we are waiting in line, or even while having dinner with someone else! We totally engross ourselves with someone via text or email, and completely alienate the people sitting right beside us! By doing these things we are teaching our children that it's acceptable behavior. Technology has made our lives so convenient. But we need to be cautious of the incivility it creates!

Have a great day!

UPDATE:
Just because I just thought of it. Because I just said it....AGAIN.

4. Life isn't fair.
And it's never going to be.

Special thanks to Shoplet.com-Purell Hand Sanitizers for sponsoring this blog hop.

In this Mama's house.

2009-09-27T16:50:00.004-05:00

Honey....I'm home!!!

We got home from Las Vegas around 8:30 PM on Friday night. We had a really good time. Worked lots, but played lots too! My brother and his long time girlfriend got married while we were there!! I took lots of pictures. You'll be seeing those soon.......by soon I mean probably within the next week. Probably.

Right now I'm just trying to catch up. On everything! My blog. Laundry. Housework. Hugs from my ninos! New TV shows. Emails. Just everything.

I went to the grocery store earlier today. Just to get the things we need for the week. Snacks, lunchbox items, breakfast and dinner. I also bought a candle. I'm in LOVE with the new Febreze Home Collection reed diffusers, room spray, and now candles in the "cranberry pear" scent. I'm usually picky about smells. I absolutely loathe cheap smelling room spray. Ugh. Or plug ins that smell like the dollar store. Not that I don't L.O.V.E. the dollar store. I just prefer my house not to smell like it! But this Febreze stuff smells heavenly! Give it a sniff next time you are in Walmart! But be warned that Febreze is proud of this stuff!!! One diffuser is like $9!! But it smells wonderful....and lasts a long time (unless my mom is here....but that's a different post all together)
Anyway. Back to "I also bought a candle." I did. And I couldn't wait to light it. Except. We have no lighters. We aren't smokers, so we don't ever have little pocket lighters. But I usually keep the candle lighters. I used to have a red one and a blue one. Both in the kitchen. Except. I have children. Children who love to build campfires out back with the neighborhood kids. So I have no lighters. So my candle will just sit there until another day. A day when I remember to buy a lighter. My new candle may be sitting there awhile!
Why is it that things like that are never to be found in a house with children? Remember that Dr. Seuss book "In a People House"? I should write one called "In this Mama's House". In this house there are no lighters. Trash in the can with no bag. Half drank Gatorade bottles....usually 4 or 5 of them. Candy wrappers stuffed between the couch cushions. Many many mismatched socks. DVDs in the wrong cases. Toothpaste dried in the sink bowl. No Scotch tape. NEVER. EVER. is there any Scotch tape!! Clothes are 2 feet from the hamper. And we can never find a sharpened pencil.
I'm sure I could make that all rhyme if I tried. But I'm still a little jet lagged. The true test comes tomorrow morning when my alarm clock rings at 6:00AM. That's 4AM in Vegas. I may be getting the ninos off to school then coming home for a nap!!

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!

By the way......ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!

3 or 10 things motherhood has recently taught me

2009-09-15T03:40:00.006-05:00

1. My son is getting to old for me to sniff the clothes laying on his bedroom floor to see if they are dirty. It's like playing Russian roulette. I have learned that it is worth re-washing already clean clothes than to experience the pleasure that is a t-shirt worn under football pads for 2 hours.

2. Polly Pocket accessories obviously regenerate like lizards' tails. It seems for every 10 I suck up in the vacuum cleaner 20 reappear on the playroom floor. It's a phenomena I may never fully understand.

3. White vinegar is more precious than gold.

4. Diet Coke is more precious than white vinegar, but does little to whiten clothes or clean hardwood floors.

5. It's not worth arguing with my daughter over what she wears to school. Wearing tube socks and high top Chuck Taylors everyday never hurt anybody. Nor did the mismatched Keds and cutoff Duck Head shorts that I insisted upon wearing daily at her age.

6. I have become my mother. I swore I wouldn't. Just as she swore she wouldn't become my grandmother. Such is the natural progression. Swearing not to become your mother is pointless. It's like swearing the sun won't come up tomorrow; totally inevitable and beyond your control.

7. Kids will still play outside all day, like we did as children, instead of sitting in front of the TV. They'll build forts, make up games, and ride bicycles if you simply encourage them to do so. ~~Or lock them out of the house.~~ Totally kidding. Probably.

8. I said I would NEVER drive a minivan. Yet, lately I have considered the option. There. I said it! The last shred of "coolness" that once lived inside me just died. It's just as well. It was on life support anyway.

9. I can't think of the last time I wasn't at least a little bit tired.

10. When life hands me lemons, I peel them and put them down the garbage disposal. Making lemonade doesn't improve the smell of my kitchen sink! Practicality is the byproduct of motherhood. (see #8 for a perfect example).

Weekend Sports Recap

2009-09-14T08:28:00.003-05:00

Wow! What a weekend!

This time of year is better than Christmas for sports fans. College and NFL football have started. MLB is headed into the playoffs. Golf is winding down in their final championship. Tennis is going strong. Even NASCAR is in their version of "playoffs"!

This weekend was an interesting one!

Firstly, Cam had his first regular season game. His team won! He even made his first tackle!! He also took his first hard lick! A guy put a block on Cam that send him sailing about 3 yards! He got up quickly, so I was ok! He laughed about it after the game. Instead of saying "Mom, did you see me tackle that guy?" he said "Mom, did you see that big ol' boy light me up?" We all cracked up!

Second, I'm not a huge tennis fan. I'll watch it on occasion. This weekend was insane! Serena Williams LOST her cool, to put it mildly. And lost the US Open...or chance at the finals anyway....after accosting the line judge! I've never seen such! Reminds you that those Williams girls are from Compton, CA! She was downright scary!

[Speaking of tirades, did you see Kanye West interrupt Taylor Swift's acceptance speech? He's an idiot!]

A great weekend in college football! Alabama won! Of course they were playing Florida International. Tennessee LOST to UCLA! As if that weren't enough to make my weekend, Notre Dame LOST to Michigan in the Big House!!! Maybe now Lou Holtz will shut up about ND playing for a BCS title this year. Charlie Weis should be fired. Makes you wonder who he has blackmail pictures of! He is one of the highest paid coaches in college football, but his current record is 30-22 at ND. Buncha losers. I like them about as much as Tennessee....if you haven't picked up on that! Then USC beat The Ohio State University at The Horseshoe! Typically, I like neither of those teams. I was pulling for OSU because USC's freshman QB, Matt Barkley, was running his mouth last week about "bring it on" to the OSU fans. But I have to admit. Barkley made a believer out of me on the final drive. He took USC 95 yards down the field in the final minutes to score the go-ahead TD! That kid appears to be the real deal!

Yesterday kicked off our family's fantasy football season! Yes, even my 7 year old daughter has a fantasy team! She played her daddy....and is losing right now.....thanks to Drew Brees SIX touchdown passes yesterday! But Carlie owns the Giants defense, and that kept her in the game! I'm playing Cam this week....and winning, but he and I each have several players playing tonight in MNF! Let's hope my Phillip Rivers throws 6 TDs too! But Cam owns the Chargers defense, so I hope San Diego allows quite a few points too!

Like a said.....better than Christmas!

In other news, we are all on the mend. Carlie and I are still coughing. And I lost my voice AGAIN! But for the most part we are over our "crud". I'm just hoping we stay well!! So many children at their school have the flu! We certainly don't need that!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Thunder storms and Alabama football

2009-09-09T11:10:00.004-05:00

So. Here I sit on this rain soaked Wednesday in Alabama. I've been to the brink of death and back in the last week. Well, maybe not exactly the brink of death, but at times it felt like it! Besides, I'm nothing if not dramatic.
So. It's quiet around here. TVs off...as usual. Kids are at school. B is at work. I only hear my sweet Bentley-dog rolling a golf ball, of all things, across the hardwood floor. In a minute, I'll hear him whine, because he's rolled it underneath a piece of furniture. So I'll interrupt this highly intriguing blog post just to get it for him.
Oooh. Thunder!
I'm just hoping it's not quite warm enough outside for tornadoes to begin popping up all over the state. Hot days and thunderstorms in Sweet Home Alabama do not mix. It's a recipe for literally disaster.
So. I've covered my near death sinus infection. The weather. My dog, kids, and husband. And if you are still reading, bless your heart! You are as bored as I am!!
Not that there isn't laundry to fold, or dishes to wash, or rooms to clean, floors to sweep, I just don't really feel like doing that right now.
So. How about the SEC?? With the exception of Georgia losing to OSU my conference looked pretty good. Even if Tennessee did play some middle school football team, then act like they knocked off Florida. Idiots. I hate Tennessee worse than just about any other school. I can't think of one I like less. I think I'm going to love hating Lane Kiffin even MORE than I loved to hate Fat Phil! Atleast Phil wasn't some hot shot that liked to shoot his mouth off. And I don't care who his daddy is. We Bama fans learned real quick, or not so real quick, that it don't matter who your daddy is! Even if your daddy is Don Shula!
So. I'm excited about college football season finally being here. Excited about the way Bama looked against VT the other night. But it's a long season. And anything can happen. Just ask Oklahoma.

ROLL TIDE!!

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth

2009-09-01T22:49:00.010-05:00

But it probably would have been easier to fall off the face of the earth than it has been to be sick, while taking care of a sick little girl!

It started Sunday night. The kids had spent Saturday night and most of Sunday with my mom. Mother lives about an hour from here, just across the Georgia line. So I met her halfway to get the kids back. As Carlie was getting out of mother's car she asked for a tissue. And, oh my! That child was surely getting sick! Mom said that she had been fine ALL day. It just came on Carlie all of a sudden. That was around 5:30PM. By 8:00PM, my girl was running a fever.

My first cousin is an MD. She started Carlie on Tamiflu. Mostly as a precaution because she did have flu-like symptoms. So Miss Carlie has missed school all week. Now, don't go telling her....but I kinda like her being home with me.....and then I got sick. I still liked her being here with me. I just wasn't near as much fun as I had been earlier in the week!

Monday and Tuesday we enjoyed lots of mother/daughter time.

We made waffles in the waffle iron she insisted her daddy buy me last Christmas. She finds every opportunity for us to use it!

We lined up all her Littlest Pet Shops across the balcony in our great room. They watched the movie Eloise at the Plaza with us.

And we rolled her hair in sponge rollers.

Then Wednesday hit and I woke up dog-sick. So that's where the pictures end. Like I said....I just wasn't much fun!

My girl started feeling better yesterday, but she was still weak from running fever all week long. So she stayed home yesterday too. Her fabulous teacher Mrs. F had sent all her work home, so we kept up with what was going on in her class. Albeit not as much fun as her class, but we got the work done!

She went back to school today. Feeling much better! I, on the other hand, still a little under the weather. Nothing a little SEC football can't fix though!!!!

I CANNOT WAIT for tomorrow to get here!!! I am NOT leaving my house all day! We had talked about going to the Alabama/Virginia Tech game in Atlanta, but I am sooo glad we decided against it. I certainly do not feel like going. But I can't wait to watch it! We will be having hot wings and chicken fingers delivered (I live in a college town, you can have just about anything delivered!) I do not eat wings....or anything else on a bone (Ewww!) for that matter. But that's another post entirely.

Ok. I've rambled long enough. I blame the cold medicine.

Have a good weekend.

and

ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!

Old enough to have "some work done"....

2009-09-01T18:38:00.005-05:00

So....what do you think of F&Ds new "facelift"?

Now that my blog is over a year old I decided it was time to have "some work done". Not that we had crows feet or wrinkles or anything. Just needed a nip here and a tuck there!

A BIG thank you Hot Bliggity Blog for the custom layout. They worked so hard to make sure I had a say-so every step of the way and that the new look was exactly what I wanted. And they did a fabulous job of making sure each aspect of the design reflected my personality!
If you are considering a blog makeover then you have to check them out! You will be so glad you did! I am tickled to death!

Thanks again Casey!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!

Friday Randomness

2009-08-28T19:24:00.011-05:00

By the time Friday finally arrives I do good to put together a cohesive thought. So here are several cohesion-free thoughts....

Our high school football team kicked off its season on Thursday night in a 14-13 heartbreaking loss. Missed PATs will kill you. Respect the kicker. Regardless of the score, my kids looked darn cute in their Valley Cub attire.

After a tough year of battling and defeating lung cancer, Britt's dad turned 61 yesterday. We celebrated at a restaurant in town with Britt's dad, his dad's girlfriend, our kids, Britt's sister, and her daughters. We also had fresh Wahoo served over polenta topped with a corn and crawfish sauce. That is a celebration in itself. Happy Birthday Paw! We love you!

Cam took this picture of me and my Bentley baby today. I love this dog more today than I did yesterday. And much more than I ever thought I would ever love an animal. Now I understand why people mourn for a week in isolation after losing a pet. I am so going to be one of those people. Just look at him. How could you not be totally in love with that sweet face?

Carlie loves our Bentley too. Almost as much as she loves her bubble gum pink Chuck Taylors with the black peace sign laces and tube socks from Justice.

Have a good weekend. We are going to try to have a restful one before Cam's football games start.

Sometime next week will be my 100th post! I can't believe I've been blogging over a year now! I'm not sure what I'm going to do in celebration of the 100 times I have shared my insightful wisdom with the world. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

That's why I don't go to the zoo

2009-08-27T05:37:00.002-05:00

I found these yesterday. My signature item for all those solid black sweater and blue jean outfits in my near future. I've never owned a pair of zebra print footwear. I've veered away from the safari-esque flip flops. But these. These spoke to me.

I bought them at this new boutique in town. It's next door to the shop where Cam gets his hair cut. Every three weeks, during his appointment I usually pop into the boutique just to see what's new. Yesterday, Carlie walked over with me. I was drawn like a moth to a faux fur zebra clog flame. I slipped the display onto my foot as I voraciously moved the stack of yellow shoe boxes searching for my size. Carlie was kneeling in the floor, looking into a display case of costume jewelry.
My child is fashionably mature beyond her 7 years, so I asked her if she liked my new found precious clogs.

"You can wear them to the zoo." was her answer.

The three ladies working in the shop started giggling. The woman behind the counter attempted to make conversation with Carlie as I handed my size 6 to the woman helping me with the shoes.

"Do you like going to the zoo?" she asked Carlie.

"Yes, ma'am. I love the zoo! Especially the time I saw a monkey eating its own poop!"

At that very moment. I died.

I somehow managed to pay for the shoes and make a beeline for the door before the embarrassment literally killed me. I can only imagine how red my face was! Those poor women tried desperately not to roar with laughter. It was all in vain. Bless their hearts! The woman helping me bit her tongue and snickered quietly. The older lady sitting in the office area had the door open and heard the whole thing. She cackled loudly behind us. But atleast I didn't have to face her! They are probably still laughing. And I may never have to courage to go in there again.

But these were worth it.

Almost.

It's Ladies Night....what a night!

2009-08-25T11:39:00.018-05:00

Last Thursday a friend of mine called to see if I wanted to go out to dinner on Friday. She and several other girls from my hometown get together once a month for dinner and a movie, or a play, or bowling, or you get the idea.
I had an unusually stressful week last week. So my first reaction was "Heck, no! I dont' want to go anywhere! I want to sit home in my pjs, watch Pretty Woman, and eat ice cream!" In other words, hide from the world and all the curve balls life keeps throwing me. So I politely declined the invitation.
But my friend, let's call her Lindsey. Mainly because that's the name her mama gave her! She and I have been friends since we were 12 years old. She knows me as well as I know myself. She has been there for me through thick and thin. We've fought and made up, laughed and cried together. She is my encourager in Christ. She holds me accountable. And she tells me the truth even when it hurts, even when I don't want to hear it. I love her like a sister. And she is none of those things if she isn't persistent! She would not take no for an answer.

I told her all about my bad week, and how I didn't feel like visiting with people. She said ok.

Then she called back.

I told her I didn't feel like getting all dressed up. She said she understood.

Then she called back.

I told her yet another thing had gone wrong, and how I hated to leave the kids. She said she knows how that goes. (she has two of her own).

Then she called back.

And I didn't answer!

But I called her back. After all, I was afraid she'd show up with all the other girls and drag me out to dinner in my pink footed pjs!

Britt had encouraged me to go out with them. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful Christian women as friends. And such a good husband! Britt knew I would feel much better if I would get out with them and forget about the stresses of life for awhile.

So when I got Lindsey on the phone I told her I was coming.

I am so glad I did!

We celebrated Lindsey (left) and Holli's birthdays

Me, Lindsey, Holli, Brandy H., and Brandy T.
(Kristi took the picture, and Emily wasn't there yet)

I can not remember the last time I smiled until my jaw hurt, or laughed until my stomach was sore!
We went to this great little Mexican place in my hometown. Of course it was so crowded! Every time we would take a picture, which was quite frequently, everyone would stare. Then one of my girlfriends would make some sarcastic comment about the staring, and we'd all get tickled. Thus creating more staring. It was a vicious cycle. Apparently it is unconventional for seven women to stand up in the middle of a restaurant and take the same picture with 7 different cameras. Who knew? Emily Post should have mentioned that.

This one is so blurry. But it's the only one I have of everyone.

I love these girls. It's so nice to be able to say anything, to show the real you, your real life (even the not-so-pretty parts) without being judged. I've known Lindsey, Holli, and Emily since 7th grade when we all went to Jr. High school. Brandy T. is my cousin, our moms are sisters. We grew up like sisters. I'm only 12 days older than she. So we were like twins. Brandy H. and I met at about 3 years old when we started taking dance class together. I met Kristi in 1st grade. We've been friends ever since!

Dinner was a blast! Chips, salsa, queso, Diet Coke, and good friends create the perfect recipe for forgetting life's little hiccups.

Until you run out of Diet Coke.

Lindsey and I both had finished off our sodas. Our glasses had been empty for several minutes. The two of us were moments away from curling into a fetal position on the floor from the withdrawal. We tried in vain to get our waiter's attention. We waved our arms like we were hailing a cab. We raised our hands like a child in school. Finally, Lindsey began slurping her drink loudly just as I was attempting to drain the last bit of soda from my own glass. The slurping caught me completely off guard, and I started to laugh. With soda still in my mouth, and soda in my trachea, I started choking. But I couldn't stop laughing. The more I coughed the more I laughed. I put my napkin over my nose and mouth and tried hard to stop laughing. I had this feeling that Diet Coke was about to expel out of either my mouth or my nose. So my dignity, and a mouthful of Coke was being held together by a single 2-ply, grease covered napkin. I tried to just hold my breath, knowing that if I spewed, I would never show my face in that restaurant again! Finally, by some miracle, I managed to contain myself. The only casualty of my severe respiratory distress was my mascara that smeared all over my face.

Instead of patting me on the back, or asking if I was ok, the other girls took pictures!

Lindsey was slurping so hard. Even in a crowded restaurant you could hear it!
But it didn't get us any Diet Coke!

We finally caught a bus boy, who looked to be around 13 years old, and asked him to get us another one. He quickly sent someone out with Diet Coke refills. And all was right with the world again.
After dinner, we decided to do something else. We had talked about putt putt, but it had started raining. Then someone mentioned bowling, but we were all pretty sure smoking is allowed in there, and Kristi is pregnant, so that was out. We hem-hawed around for awhile. It was 9:30, so I told them I needed to go on home.

Then Lindsey poured guilt all over my new dress.

So we headed to a cute little coffee shop for lattes and good conversation. And lots more laughter.

The left side of the table

Part of the right side of the table.

The other half. Kristi owns a spa, and is a massage therapist. She started massaging Emily's neck and back. Her sunglasses fell off her head, but she didn't mind! Lindsey was pointing at Emily's mouth and joking that she was drooling!

We sat in that coffee shop until the teenage boy that worked there came over at midnight to tell us they were closing. I could not believe it was so late! I had said I was going home at 9:30! I still had almost an hour drive home! But it was well worth dragging in the house after 1:30 AM and getting up early for a cousin's birthday party 2 hours away. I felt renewed after a night of Mexican food, coffee, and uncontrolled laughter.

I even managed to wash out the guilt Lindsey poured on my new dress. But I had to wash it twice!

I was naive to think we could avoid it.....

2009-08-21T10:37:00.001-05:00

If you read yesterday's post about football here in Sweet Home Alabama then you know I was delusional to think that I could avoid my son actually participating in the sport. But a mama can hope, right?

Against my better judgement Cam is officially a football player.

And a handsome one at that! But I am a little biased.

Now y'all know I LOVE football. Love it. Like, an unhealthy obsession. Like get-up-early-and-sit-in-front-of-the-tv-all-day obsession. Of course, that will change now that Cam is playing on Saturdays. We usually go to a few games a year. Looks like that is not an option currently. But I am ok with it. That's what TiVo is for!!! And I can watch college football when my baby is grown!As much as I L.O.V.E football, I'm still not sure how I feel about Cam playing. He wanted to play last year and I said no. Absolutely not. This year Britt and I gave in. And Camis loving it. He's working his rear off out there, but he enjoys it. He has played baseball and basketball before. Never once has he been this excited about playing a sport.

Cam has a history of being a whiner about things. That's just the way he is. Kinda like his mama, once it gets tough, I'm out! He's also never been very aggressive. But with this it's different. He loves getting in there and hitting kids, and even being hit!
He is bruised on his arms and legs. He's sore from running sprints and being hit, but he loves it!! He never complains about practice or how bad something is hurting. He just loves playing football.
Now it's still early. So I am only cautiously optimistic, but I think this may be just what Cam needed!

I'm glad I thought of it.

Its a religion. A cult. A disease.

2009-08-20T05:58:00.002-05:00

Or is it just football in Alabama????

I live in the deep South. Where 3 things are important. God, family, and either Alabama or Auburn football.

We're stuck smack in the middle of the Alabama/Auburn rivalry. Trust me, it's intense. It's one of those things you are from birth. Mama and Daddy took you to The Capstone (Alabama) or The Plains (Auburn). Or parked you in front of the tv to shout alongside them at Coach Dye or Coach Stallings (when I was a kid those were the coaches). If you move here it's one of those things you are expected to choose. But only if you moved here from someplace out of conference. You know, not in the SEC. Most people would never ask you to relinquish your allegiances to Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee or Ole Miss...but seriously....why would you not want to? ;-)

I digress.

So lets say you move here. Meet your new neighbors. Here's how the first conversation plays out....

Southern neigbor: Haaaaayyyy! (We don't say hi...and we pronounce it with a long A not an e) How are y'all? We are so glad to have y'all as our new neighbors. Here's a banana puddin' I made for ya!

You: Hi! Thank you guys so much. Is it always this miserably humid?

Neighbor: Oh, bless your heart! It sure is. It ain't even real hot today. Only 92. And the humidity didn't even reach a-hundred! But yep, it's always this hot. You learn to love it after awhile. So, where y'all from?

You: Oh, we just moved from insert your former town here.

Neighbor: Oh, bless your heart. Y'all are prob'ly wore slap out after that trip and all this movin'. So do you have any family around here?

[We almost always ask about family first]

You: Yes, we are pretty exhausted. But no, we do not have family here. Everyone is back home in insert your town again.

Neighbor: Well bless your hearts!! (more emphasis this time) Well y'all let us know if we can do anything to help. We'll be more'n glad to help y'all out! By the way, we are having a picnic at the church this afternoon. Y'all should join us.

[We will always invite you to church, if you've been here awhile before we meet, we'll ask you where you go to church]

You: Well, thanks for the invitation, but we have lots of unpacking left to do and......(get interrupted)

Neighbor: Oh honey, we understand. Maybe y'all can come with us on Sunday. Bro. Derrick is preachin' out of Ephesians 5. He ain't afraid to step on nobody's toes, either. It'll change your marriage! Also, tomorrow is the Iron Bowl. Y'all want to watch it with us. Everybody in our neighborhood is comin' over to watch it and cook out (we don't say barbecue...barbecue is not a verb here. Barbecue is smoked pork, ok?) Who y'all pullin' for? Alabama or Auburn?

[You will never escape the Alabama/Auburn question during football season. Ever.]

You: Ummm....what's an Iron Bowl?

Neighbor: Lordy, honey, it's only the biggest ballgame all year in the state of Alabama. It's when Alabama plays that other team in the state. (Auburn fans will say "When Auburn plays that other team in the state")

You: Oh, well maybe we can stop by for an hour or two.

Neighbor: An hour or two?? Honey, everybody is coming at 11. The game ain't til 8:00. So y'all just take the day off and come meet everyone.

You: They are coming over 9 hours early??? For what???

Neighbor: Well, to start smokin' the ribs and watch the Egg Bowl (that's Mississippi's rivalry). And well, just to visit, and argue over who's better. I'm just glad it's on the other side of the state this year. If it were in Tuscaloosa/Auburn we'd have to leave at 7:00 in the mornin' to head down there to tailgate! So, who'd did you say you were for???

You: Ok. Maybe we can come before the game. And we haven't really talked about Alabama or Auburn. We've always been So and So fans. We really aren't for Alabama or Auburn.

Neighbor: Well, you better choose one before tomorrow!!! And if y'all can't make it over to watch the game, then we'll see y'all at church on Sunday.

Y'all, I ain't kiddin'! Or as my husband says "I ain't just whistlin' Dixie." I'm serious about that too. Unfortunately.

Regardless. Football kicks off soon and I couldn't be happier!

Except for this year, my son is playing peewee football.

And that makes me...well....opposite of happy. I think.

More on that tomorrow.

So, do y'all have rivalries where you live????

Reason #178 Why I Love Living in a Small Town

2009-08-19T06:20:00.001-05:00

Mass emailing is completely unnecessary.

I'll admit. Even I find it hilarious.
And genius.

You see, Ben is a young man who grew up here. He is serving our country in Afghanistan. There was a mortar explosion on the roadside just the other day. Ben was there. He caught shrapnel in his face and arm. Everyone in town has been lifting Ben and his family up in prayer. We all have been waiting to hear how Ben was doing after the surgery.

We got the message today.

Ben's fine.

Indeed, God is good!

Coconut M&Ms

2009-08-18T05:43:00.002-05:00

So much for losing 10 lbs for that wedding I'm in on November 7th.....

These M&Ms are worth everyone talking about "How much weight Courtney has put on!". And if you know me IRL then you know that is saying alot!

If you like coconut, you MUST try these. You are doing yourself a great injustice by not trying them.

Good thing they are limited edition. Maybe they'll quit making them soon. Maybe I can lose at least 5lbs between now and November 7th. Or maybe I need to order a case of them.....

No, MARS, the company who makes M&Ms didn't ask me to write this. They don't even know I exist.
I'm just trying to help y'all out.

These coconut M&Ms may just be the best food invention since they started slicing bread!

My daughter Carlie, otherwise known as Patricia

2009-08-17T05:51:00.001-05:00

UPDATE:

Here is a picture of Carlie...er....."Patricia" after school today. In her polka dot pants, and Patricia Polacco braids........

Carlie has started 2nd grade, and LOVES it! Her teacher is FAB.U.LOUS! We are looking forward to such a great year! But currently they are doing an author study on Patricia Polacco.

And that is where our story begins....

Carlie seems to be infatuated with Mrs. Polacco. Carlie comes home every day telling me about Patricia and her brother "Rotten Richie". I think she really relates to Patricia Polacco because Patricia did not learn to read until she was in 4th grade. While Carlie is nowhere near 4th grade she has struggled learning to read. She is on her grade level, but last year was hard for her. I think hearing about Mrs. Polacco's own struggles encouraged Carlie.

I'm glad Carlie is loving the study, but she is getting carried away. She perused through her drawers and closets before finding a pair of polka dot capri pants that I classify as "play clothes". She is determined to wear them. She also asked if I could braid her hair. Not french braids, though. "Braids like Patricia".

Not only that....she also wants us to call her "Patricia"!!!!

It's hilariously frustrating!!!

At least now we have a new book series to read throughout the year!!

Show Us Your Life--Favorite Vacation Spot

2009-08-13T22:49:00.022-05:00

I've posted about this before, but.....

This week on Show Us Your Life by Kelly's Corner is "Favorite Vacation Spot".

Mine is Costa Rica, hands down!!!

My entire family LOVES the Guanacaste Region of Costa Rica. The beaches (or playas) Tamarindo, Brasilito, Flamingo, and Grande are some of the most beautiful in the world!!! We also traveled across the country to the city of La Fortuna to see the active volcano Arenal.

We would love to retire there one day! It's definitely in our long term plans!

This is the amazingly beautiful view from our bedroom balcony at our condo in Playa Flamingo

We did some mission work when we were there last summer. It is heart wrenching to see people living in such poverty.

Believe it or not this a main road to Playa Brasilito! The kids were out hunting crabs after the rain.
Folks these ain't no Gulf Shores, AL crabs!!!!
LOOK!
We went in-shore fishing. We caught the tuna, wahoo, and mahi mahi that Britt goes on 2-day trips from Orange Beach to catch!

This was taken on Playa Tamarindo one morning. Isn't it beautiful? This is the beach where parts of the old surfing moving "Point Break" with Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reaves was filmed.
(Leave it to me to throw some American pop culture into a remote, secluded beach!)

This was also in Tamarindo at a fab.u.lous restaurant on the beach called "Lola's".
Britt, Cam and Carlie are standing next to the restaurant's name sake! That HUGE pig is named Lola! Y'all I have lived in Alabama all my life....I ain't never seen a pig that big!

I cannot believe I am actually sharing this photo considering that lovely blue helmet I'm sporting! But we ziplined through the tree tops of the rainforest.
By far one of the most exhilierating things I've ever done!

There are actually several pictures of me! Which is unsual since I'm always behind the camera! But on the zipline a pro photographer zips in front of you....facing backward! It's the only way to get a shot...considering you are 40-80 feet off the ground!

Here's my daredevil baby girl! After watching the guides do tricks (the guides have to go along with you to move you from line to line through the forest) Carlie decided she wanted to hang upside down like they did. She was only 6 at the time. I didn't think she'd do it, but she yelled "Tally Ho!" and let go and dropped upside down!!

My handsome little man climbing up one of the platforms to another line.

We also went on an offroad tour. We got muddy! Our guide came on the radio as we were about to go through the last mudhole and said "Make Alabama proud!"

I think we did!!

Hope you enjoyed looking!

We will definitely be going back to Costa Rica....soon!

Head over to Kelly's Korner blog to see everyone elses!
You might just pick out your next vacation spot!

Star Gazing....

2009-08-12T22:49:00.008-05:00

Last night Britt, our yahoos, and I had an impromptu star gazing session on the front lawn of our house. The kids had been lying in Carlie's room looking out the windows watching for meteors. Britt and I had taken Bentley out one last time before putting him to bed. Then Britt got a phone call. While he talked on the phone I started looking up at the stars. Then I heard some knocking. It was the kids banging on the window!
Next thing I knew we were all camped out on the sidewalk looking for signs of the perseid meteor shower!

See for yourself.....

Carlie even took a picture of Britt and me. Even though my hip looks out of joint! ha!

We saw a shooting star!!!!
Carlie did a happy dance!!!!!!

We stayed out for about an hour. Looking at stars, snuggling Bentley, and enjoying a fun family night in our pjs, lying on the sidewalk in our front yard...

Hope you all got to see some of the perseid shower. It won't be back for more than 100 years!!

Much love,

Courtney

First Day of School

2009-08-12T06:11:00.002-05:00

Another school year is upon us. My babies are not babies anymore. Cam is now a fourth grader. Carlie has moved up to second grade. They are both really excited about this year!

My sweet yahoos!

They picked their clothes out individually. I noticed they "kinda" matched. But I didn't dare say anything. One of them would have surely gone back upstairs and changed clothes! It's not cool to match your little sister/big brother on the first day of school!

My princess in pigtails.
Her idea.
Which was unusual.
But I liked it.
Makes her look like a little girl.
She usually tries to look older.
Which I do not like!

My little man.
He loves to dress like his dad.
He was thrilled to find this Polo shirt.
Britt has the same color!
I love that his eyes pop in this shirt.
I love that he is smiling in this picture.

The kids came back inside for a couple of pictures with our "baby".

Of course, it's nearly impossible to get all 3 of them to look at the camera!

Carlie and her beautiful teacher!
Her teacher was named Alabama's Elementary Teacher of the Year last year!
Mrs. F is quite fabulous!

Look at that precious girl at her desk!

My peanut sitting at his desk. I can't believe he let me take this (not that I asked permission). Probably my last photo of Cam at his desk on the first day.
He's such a cutie.
He was a nervous wreck about his class!

When I picked them up yesterday afternoon they were both bursting with excitement! They had a great day! Both of them really enjoyed their teachers. They each had a few friends in their classes.
Such an answer to prayer!

Much love,

Blog Hop--Favorite Photo

2009-08-11T06:14:00.001-05:00

I took these photos of my kids at Noccalula Falls Park a few months ago. Noccalula Falls is a beautiful natural falls in Northeast Alabama.

This is a photo of the Falls from down in the gorge.

Cam in the gorge. Standing out on the rocks.

Carlie in front of the rapids.

We love living in Alabama where there is SO much natural beauty!

Look how HUGE the walls of the gorge are! My kids are amazed!

Walking out of the gorge, to see the Falls from the top

A view of Noccalula Falls from the top. Breathtaking!!

Looking down the creek from the top of the Falls

Cam throwing out some food for the ducks above the Falls

I love this last one of Carlie. She just had to put her feet in the water. But the warm rock felt really good to her feet after being in that frigid April water!

Thanks for looking!

Much Love,

Ooooh that burns me up!

2009-08-10T20:58:00.005-05:00

Tonight after dinner I decided I was going to make a batch of the best blueberry muffins ever. So I multi-tasked. Got the kids bathed and pj'd while mixing up the recipe. Then I popped the muffins in the oven and headed upstairs to tuck my two yahoos in.

Cam went right to bed. The boy is exhausted after his first day of fourth grade!
Carlie wanted me to listen to her read Fancy Nancy Loves! Loves! Loves! So I did. Then she wanted me to read Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris. So I did.
I didn't hear the oven timer beeping.
As I tucked Carlie in I heard "You are burning the muffins!!!!" Britt had been outside with Bentley. He came in to a smoke filled kitchen and started screaming for me.
I was using both ovens. The top oven had a dozen regular size muffins. The bottom oven had 8 bakery size muffins. The bottom was fine because they were so big. The top batch was burnt to a crisp!
I don't think I have ever burned anything so badly!

It really burns me up!

Are all a dog's teeth called "canine teeth"?

2009-08-10T10:49:00.003-05:00

This morning, while getting ready for her first day back to school, Carlie was lying on the couch watching "Phineas and Ferb". Britt was still trying to wrestle the bear (otherwise known as Cam around these parts) from his slumber.

I was in my usual ~~bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, cheerful~~ stumbling down the stairs, eyes-half-open-until-I-get-to-the-bottom-of-this-diet-coke mood. But even I had to laugh at my girl this morning.
Carlie was lying there minding her very own business. Bentley was super excited about us being awake with him at such a ~~horrendous~~ I mean, early hour. He jumped up a couple of times to get Carlie's attention. She gave him none. So he jumped up and nipped at her. She flipped out. Given her propensity for drama. I expected no less.
She was hysterical. Obviously, I wasn't sympathetic enough. (I could not even see a scratch, mind you) Through her crocodile tears she managed to say. "Mama you don't even care! And it really hurt! Bentley got me with his cani (she pronounced it cay-nye) teeth!".
I guess the dog's "cay-nye" teeth are sharper.

But aren't all dog's teeth called canine?

People to People

2009-08-08T12:50:00.003-05:00

Cam got a letter in the mail yesterday saying that he had been nominated to serve as a Student Ambassador for People to People in Australia next summer!!!!

We have to go to an informational meeting in Huntsville, AL next month. So I'll have more information after that.
We know that he will have to go through an interview process and submit 3 letters of recommendation before he can qualify for the 2 week trip.
Alone.
Without me.
Oh, my.
Can't we just say it was an honor to be nominated and forget about the trip part?

The First Day of School.....again

2009-08-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's that time again. The first day of school for my children is Monday. It's always a bittersweet day for me.

Part of me is excited. We will be back on a structured schedule. Part of me is bummed because we are back on that schedule! I'm thrilled that I can go to the gym every morning after dropping the kids off at school. I've gained 8 lbs since May. Their days are numbered! Again, I'm bummed because I can no longer say "I feel guilty having the kids spend their summer at the gym's daycare." I'm all out of excuses. I love being able to get in our playroom and CLEAN IT OUT!!! Adios fast food kids meal toys!!!! I love the free time I have, whether to cook dinner, grocery shop alone, get my nails done, or just blog uninterrupted! But I miss my kids. I watch the clock, just waiting for 2:00PM to roll around so I can head out to car rider line.

Honestly, I would love to home school them. They aren't interested. What is wrong with them?? I would have jumped at the chance when I was their age!
So, to school we go. I dread seeing 6:00 AM's torturous face on my clock again. I haven't missed that horrendous time! I dread hearing my alarm clock's annoying honk again. I dread dragging two sleepy children out of bed and trying to get them dressed and fed and out the door on time.

By Thursday morning those two children of mine will be begging for home school! By then, I'll laugh and taunt them saying "I tried, you said no. So, sorry Charlie." Then I'll finish drying my newly manicured nails, and wonder why I ever thought about homeschooling and giving up my daytime freedom!

I just found these photos on my computer. So I had to share. Here's a look back at Cam's (now a 4th grader) and Carlie's (now a 2nd grader) first day of Kindergarten and Preschool, respectively.

Oh. These photos make me incredibly sad. My babies have grown up so quickly!

I love this last picture. Look at Carlie dancing in the background. Hilarious!!

Yes. That is a store bought cookie cake. It wasn't until the next year that I started making this fabulous school bus cake. My children demand it! I'll be making in while they are at school Monday!
I'll post the recipe for y'all tomorrow. Because that's the kind of gal I am!

Prayer Request

2009-08-07T22:19:00.003-05:00

I would like to ask you all to remember my [soon to be] sister-in-law, D and my brother, A in your prayers. They recently found out she was expecting. They think she is about 7 weeks.
She had a doctors appointment yesterday. It appears that the baby is not developing beyond an embryonic sac. Her doctor explained that he did not think that there were enough chromosomes present for a baby to develop.
She will go back to the doctor this Wednesday. The doctor told them if a baby has not developed further at that point then he will perform a "suction abortion".
Just typing that makes me sick.
So prayer warriors, please be on your knees for them. My selfish prayer is for that little baby to grow into my healthy niece or nephew. But I know that God is in control. If it is His perfect will for this pregnancy not to continue then, I pray His will be mercifully done.
Please just pray for a sense of peace for the two of them. They are 26 and 25 years old. They've been together 8 years and this was their first attempt at conception. Obviously, they are devastated.
Neither of them have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I pray that through this they find Him.

Much love,

I have something to say.

2009-08-07T00:54:00.005-05:00

There has been a lot said this week in the blog world to discredit a popular blogger. I do not know her in real life. I do follow her blog. I pray for her son. But I do not pretend to know, or have any desire to know, the intimate details of her life.
What I do know is that lots of people are talking about the allegation that police were called to her house for a domestic disturbance. People are also saying negative things about her as a Christian woman, referencing Ephesians 5:22 "Wives submit to your husbands, as to the Lord." I have read things such as "If being submissive and letting your husband beat you is what it means to be a Christian woman, then 'No Thanks'."

Let me make this abundantly clear.

Listening?

GOD DOES NOT INTEND FOR A WOMAN TO SUBMIT TO HER HUSBAND'S ABUSE!

Got that?

I did a Beth Moore study at my church a few years ago. Beth talked about this subject and how it was taken out of context. For example lots of times people forget...or just don't know that Paul continues on in Ephesians 5:25 to say "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church."

Now, I'm no pastor. Far from it. I'm a female Southern Baptist, so believe me when I say FAR from it.

But even I can realize that this isn't a solo deal. If a husband loves his wife as Christ does the church, then he will not abuse her.

I searched online for Beth's study. Instead I found an excerpt from her book To Live is Christ: Embracing the Passion of Paul. Beth is one of those women I aspire to be like. She and I are going to be friends in Heaven. Beth Moore makes my Top 10 People to Meet in Heaven List!! She and I are in the same boat all the way down the river when it comes to theology too! So I feel comfortable in sharing that excerpt with y'all on here. Besides Beth says it waaaay better than I can anyway! Now if y'all know anything about Beth Moore you know she's gon' get real deep. But hang in there. It'll well worth it!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 1: The Role of Christian Wives
First, notice verse 21: "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." The attitude of all Christians is to be submissive to one another. No discussion of this topic can stay on track apart from that spirit.

How does the principle of mutual submission play itself out in marriage? The way I see it, my husband, Keith, has to worry about things I don't. He sometimes has to come up with answers when I can't. He's responsible for things I'm not. Many times, I'm very happy to pass the proverbial buck.

Keith would say the same about me. He really doesn't want to drive a carload of teenagers all over the city or sit for hours on the end of our daughters' beds discussing matters of the heart.

Usually we defer to each other on our "turf issues." When I'm not in agreement with Keith, I usually speak up, and we pray and work it out – at times less easily than others! This spirit of praying things through until we can come to consensus on important issues is the essence of mutual respect and the opposite of "lording it over one another."

Paul's primary directive to women dealt with submission, while his primary directive to men dealt with love. Could it be that he was targeting the areas most likely to be our weaknesses? Before we learn what submission means for Christian wives, let's learn what it does not mean:

1. Submission does not mean women are under the authority of men in general.
I love the King James Version's rendition of Ephesians 5:22 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands." Guess what? Wives aren't asked to submit to anyone else's husband! Just their own!

While I make this point somewhat tongue-in cheek, many women assume the Bible teaches their general inferiority and subjection to men. Untrue. Paul is talking about marriage as a matter between each husband and wife.

2. Submission does not mean inequality.
Paul, the same man who taught submission, made a statement in Galatians 3:28 pertinent to our subject: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Spiros Zodhiates' definition of the Greek word hupotasso explains that submission "is not due to her being inferior to her husband, for they are both equal before God."

3. Submission does not mean wives are to treat their husbands like God.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary explains: "'As to the Lord' does not mean that a wife is to submit to her husband in the same way she submits to the Lord, but rather that her submission to her husband is her service rendered ‘to the Lord.'" I think most husbands are relieved they are not called on to be God to their wives!

4. Submission does not mean slavery.
Let's release a few old notions and fears! Paul uses an entirely different word in Ephesians 6:5 when he instructs slaves to obey their masters. This Greek word for "obey," huakouo embraces more of the meaning people often mistakenly associate with marital submission. Hupaaakouo means "to obey, to yield to a superior command or force (without necessarily being willing)." The term draws a picture of a soldier saluting his commander, not a wife submitting to her husband!

Now that we've learned a few things submission does not mean, just exactly what does it mean?

The Greek word for "submit" is hupotasso. Hupo means "under" and tasso means "to place in order." The compound word hupotasso means "to place under or in an orderly fashion." Paul didn't dislike women, he liked order! He advocated order in the church, order in government, order in business, and, yes, order in the home.

I'm convinced he even kept his prison cell in order! Galatians 3:28 and Ephesians 5:22 could spill from the same man's pen because Paul regarded husbands and wives as spiritual equals but with functional differences.

The concept of a submissive wife really used to go against my grain until I began to learn more about God. Two realizations have changed my entire attitude:

1. God is good and loving.
He would never give approval to meanness or abuse. Any misuse of submission by either the husband or wife is sin.

2. God granted women a measure of freedom in submission that we can learn to enjoy.
It is a relief to know that as a wife and mother I am not totally responsible for my family. I have a husband to look to for counsel and direction. I can rely on his toughness when I am too soft and his logic when I am too emotional.

Certainly, I haven't just delivered the definitive dissertation on submission, but I believe I'm offering you sound doctrine. I hope it helps. Now, let's take a brief look at the role of husbands, according to Ephesians 5:25-31.

Part 2: The Role of Christian Husbands
Thus far Paul probably had the Ephesian Christians nodding their heads in agreement. Submission of the wife to the husband was codified Hebraic law. Nothing new here.

Now Paul raised eyebrows in a hurry. He told husbands to love their wives. The Greek word for "love" is agapao, meaning "to esteem, love, indicating a direction of the will and finding one's joy in something or someone."

Notice the phrase "indicating a direction of the will." A husband is called by God to exercise his will to love his wife. Love is not simply an emotion or a feeling. Love is a willingness to continue in devotion and goodness toward the spouse.

For a society where women were little more than property, passed from father to husband, the command to love their wives was a radical idea. Paul knew few role models existed for the men to follow. He gave them the best role model possible: Jesus Christ.

1. Husbands should love their wives sacrificially "as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (v. 25).
Just as a husband must be careful not to abuse his wife's exhortation to submission, a wife must not abuse her husband's exhortation to sacrifice. Some men work several jobs sacrificing time at home in a continual effort to raise the standard of living for their families.

2. Husbands should love their wives in ways that encourage purity.
Christ encourages purity in His bride, the church, desiring for her to be holy and without stain. God calls upon husbands to treat their wives as pure vessels even in physical intimacy.

3. Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies" (v. 28).
I have to snicker when I think about verses 28 and 29. I wonder if Paul might have been thinking, "If you love yourself at all, Mister, then love your wife – because life will be far more pleasant under the same roof with a well-loved woman!"

I also have to wonder if Paul's reference to a man treating his wife as he does his own body, such as feeding and caring for it, implies that husbands are supposed to cook for their wives. I'm not certain about that interpretation, but I would submit to my husband's cooking any day!

I would like to suggest one last responsibility for both husbands and wives based on the final phrase in Ephesians 5:31: "And the two will become one flesh."

The Greek word for "flesh" in this passage is arx, which means "flesh of a living creature in distinction from that of a dead one." Our marriages were meant to be alive, not dead. Is your marriage more like a romance or roadkill?

Think of marriage as a three-legged stool. The legs are a submissive wife, a loving husband, and Christ. All three legs must be in place for marriage to work as God intended. A wife submitting to an unloving husband is as lopsided as a loving husband sacrificing for a domineering wife.

When Christ is not the head of the marriage relationship, the stool falls indeed. Paul pictures for us God's ideal marriage relationship. Sadly, many Christian women are trying to keep their stools balanced with only one leg in place – their submission.

Over the course of the last twenty years, my marriage has been at both extremes and everywhere in between, but Keith and I have never been the types who could tolerate dull for very long. God has always been faithful to restore the life, passion, and active care to our marriage, and we have worked very hard to cooperate.

You may need help from a real marriage expert like we have needed at times. I'd like to recommend the one who saved our marriage. His name is Wonderful Counselor, and His office is open twenty-four hours a day. He also uses human Christian counselors to help with His caseload!

Part 3: The Role of Christ in Marriage
Not only has Christ set the standard for a good marriage and the example of a loving husband, he offers sound counsel. Then He supplies every ounce of power necessary to make a marriage work.

"For by him all things were created" (Col. 1:16). Beloved, God created marriage (Gen. 2:21-24).

Figuratively speaking, before Adam and Eve said, "I do," God did. No one helped Him. Only God created marriage, and only He can hold it together.

Many people live in the same home and share a joint checking account under the same name, but they don't have a clue about the true covenant of marriage. Marriage as the institution and wonderful mystery God created cannot exist or hold together without Him.

Still with me????? See, I told y'all Beth could say all that better than I could.

Now, maybe God will let me go to sleep (it's 1:30 AM). He's been on me pretty hard about this subject for 2 days. What's that? You can't believe I wouldn't listen to God telling me what to do for 2 days? You thought I was this upstanding role model for Christian women? Oh. Well, I hate that I just blew that idea out of the water! I try to be. I always fail. But God forgives.

Goodnight.

God Bless.

2009-08-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to be sharing this opportunity with y'all!

Sonic is teaming up with a company called DonorsChoose.org. Together they are launching a program called "Limeades for Learning".

Here is how it works:

Starting now teachers can log onto www.LimeadesforLearning.com/teachers and register a classroom project they would like help in funding.

During the month of September, people who buy any drink at Sonic will be able to go online and vote for their favorite teacher's project. Then Sonic will fund the projects that receive the most votes!

Make sure one of those projects is yours!!!

Please pass this info along to any teachers you know!

I think you need an employees name and store number to get through to register your project.

If you live near me then you can use my name. And here are the store numbers near you:

Jacksonville--3937
Alexandria--3801
Attalla--3802
Boaz--4852
Centre--5055
Oneonta--4044
Rainbow--1251

If you do not live in NE Alabama. I'm sure you can call your local drive in and get your store's number. Or go here to locate a Sonic near you!

Make sure to buy lots of drinks from your local Sonic during the month of September. Then get online and VOTE for your favorite teacher's project!!!

2009-08-05T12:47:00.004-05:00

Ok. I plan to leave my blog background and title alone until I get my custom one. The creative geniuses over at HOT bliggity BLOG are getting to work on my customized blog! Yay! I can't wait! Until then, I am pretty sure, I am leaving my blog alone.

Check them out for your free background! I'm in love with like 8 of them! Maybe I'll change them out, one a day until I get my own. Hmmm....

Forget what I said about leaving my background alone.

I can't help myself folks. It's a sickness.

Much love,

Wordless....er....Make Up-Less Wednesday

2009-08-05T06:00:00.002-05:00

Excuse this Frazzled Mama's mess!

2009-08-04T19:04:00.001-05:00

Y'all will have to excuse my blog for the next couple of hours....or days....or......well, until I get it like I like it!!!

Much Love,

Encouragement Blog Hop....

2009-08-04T13:26:00.007-05:00

When I need a little encouragement, this scripture often comes to mind.....

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. " 2 Corinthians 4:17

Between the Scriptures and these two.........

They really are precious. (Sometimes. Ok, most of the time.)

How could I not be encouraged?

Go smile at someone. Hug someone. Tell someone you love them.

Everyone could use a little encouragement!!!

Much love,

Signature

2009-08-03T12:26:00.001-05:00

A hectic day is worthy of planning.....

2009-08-03T06:30:00.003-05:00

Last night, Carlie was quietly playing in her room. Instances such as those are usually cause for alarm...

I called for her up the stairs. No answer.

Sound the alarm!!

I went up to check on her. Expecting the worst......

Instead, she was sitting on her bed, working intently. I asked what she was up to. She was busily writing on a chalk board. She paused, gave an agitated sigh, and explained "Mama, I have so much to do tomorrow I have to write it all down, or I'll forget!"

Well then.

Who am I to impede a fellow list maker's progress?

"Good idea, sister." I told her. "Come downstairs when you finish, so I can see your list."

Five or so minutes later she came bouncing down the staircase.

"Here it is, Mama! My list!"

Y'all. This may be the cutest to-do list the world has ever seen!

That'll bless a mama's heart! My sweet girl and her phonetic spelling!

Y'all, it is darn hard for a Southern child to spell using phonics!!!! Notice how she spells "get"? Just like we say it "git"! She has the hardest time with words like ten, pen, lens. Carlie always spells those with an i instead of e. Just like she says them. Also with words like ton, son, from, love. She spells those with a "u" instead of an o. Sometimes she struggles words that end with an "a". For instance, they call my mother "Gramma". Carlie and Cam both spelled it "Grammu". We lazy tongued southerners don't say Gramm-ah, we say Gramm-uh! Eventually she'll remember how the correct spelling looks! Until then, I'll treasure every piece of her southern phonetic writing!

An in-depth look at her plans.

Sorry for the poor photo quality. I'm stuck using my BlackBerry until I can buy another camera. Both of mine were in my stolen car! = (

Here is Carlie's "very important" to do list for today:

wayk up
eat
GitDreest
Bruhsteeteth
GitLiNDeyandLoLo
GitRaGiN
AdskLiNDey
Go to seep

An Engish translation:

wake up
eat
get dressed
brush teeth
get Lindsey and Lolo (our neighbors, The Johnsons, Lindsey and Logan--Carlie has called him "LoLo" since she was 2. He was only 1.)
get Reagan (another neighbor)
ask Lindsey (Carlie further explained she meant "ask Lindsey to spend the night". But apparently that would take up too much space.
go to sleep

If that ain't a hectic day worthy of planning, then I don't know what is!

Much Love,
Courtney

Car shopping. More fun than a trip to the dentist. Maybe.

2009-08-02T07:00:00.002-05:00

Buying a new car isn't as fun as I remember.

Britt and I have been together since 1998. When we met, I was still driving the Toyota 4WD pickup I had picked out for my 16th birthday. He was driving a BMW 5 series. After we had dated a few months we swapped cars. He loved my truck. What 18 year old girl wouldn't love his car?

We married in January 1999. One day in June, we went to lunch in a neighboring town. We were not in the market for a vehicle. Nevertheless, on our way home we stopped at a car dealership because we saw a 4-Runner we liked. We bought it on the spot.

Oh to be young and impulsive....

Six months later we had a baby. My lifting Cam in his car seat into the 4-Runner proved to be difficult. In March 2000, we sold it and bought a Honda Accord from my grandmother. I loved it. Britt, well, he didn't.

A mere 8 months later, Britt bought me a Lexus 300ES and sold my Accord. He didn't even ask me. I had nothing to do with the decision making process. Much like the purchase of the 4-Runner.

Then we had to go to the beach for a wedding in April 2002. I was 9 months pregnant with Carlie. Cam was 27 months old. We realized there was no way were were ever going to fit 2 children and all their stuff in that car for a road trip! We barely fit one! But nothing else was ever said about buying another car.
Finally, Carlie arrived in May, along with an invitation for Britt's grandmother's 80th Birthday Party. In Arkansas. A week before the trip, Britt pulled into the driveway in a champagne colored Yukon. He got out and asked if I like it. I told him I did. He replied "It's a good thing. It's yours!"

Noticing a pattern?

By the time he came home in a Ford Expedition, 2 years later, after going to get his oil changed. I was less than shocked!

But after he completed the trade of my Yukon for the Expedition, he and I had a "come to Jesus" meeting. I told him that I was driving that car until the wheels fell off!!!! Under no circumstances was he allowed to trade or sell my car!

Shockingly, he obliged. I drove that Expedition for 5 years. I had plans to drive it for another 3. I wanted to drive it until Carlie turned 10. Then I'd buy something to drive for another 5 years. By that time Carlie would be 15 and I'd buy a car to drive for a year and give to Carlie.

Some thieves in Atlanta had other ideas!

So here we are. Car shopping. A task that I have never really done. I picked out my 1st car, but I was 16 years old! We didn't shop for the 4-Runner. It was an impulse buy. But atleast I was there! I chose the Accord. But it was my grandmother's. No dealerships. No shopping around. The rest of them Britt bought with my input. But now he asks what car I want.

I have no idea!

Here is what I do know:

I do not want a van.
One day I want a car, but I think I need something bigger for now. My kids still have lots of "stuff" that needs hauling around.
I do not want something as big as my Expedition was. I'm only a smidgen over 5 feet tall. So it was always hard to park and make right hand turns in that tank!
Heated seats are a must!
I'd love to have 2nd row captains chairs.
DVD is a plus, but not necessary. My kids are old enough to travel without it now.

That leaves me with crossover SUVs, I guess.

I've looked at a few online. GMC's Acadia. Volvo's XC90. Range Rover. BMW's X5. Just to name a few. I've got to drive them, I guess.

Any suggestions? Any cars you just love?

I still have 2 weeks to shop before my insurance company will even process my claim. They have a 20 day waiting period for stolen vehicles. They wait to see if the car is recovered before they send you a check!

I think I like this process better when Britt just shows up with a vehicle and tells me it's mine!

2x2=Much Prayer?

2009-08-01T11:15:00.008-05:00

Well. Today is Saturday. Today is the day that my wonderful friend Jenifer is 38 weeks pregnant. Today is the day in her pregnancy 5 years ago that she went into labor with Sweet Miss Ellie.

Today is almost the in her pregnancy when she went into labor with Little Mr. Ethan.

If history is any indicator of future behaviors, and it is, then I should be getting the phone call any day now.

See, Jenifer's family lives out of town. When she has a baby her other baby, or in this case babies, stay with me for a few days.

When she found out she was pregnant with Ethan a few years ago, she called me. I was driving through town when she asked me what I had planned for August. This was somewhere around February. I launched into this long spiel about kids starting school, yada, yada yada, when she finally (politely) interrupted and said "Well can Ellie come stay with you?" It took me a few seconds to catch on! This time she sent me an email that read "Can Ellie stay with you again in August? Can Ethan come too?" It was late at night, but I called her screaming anyway! Ha!
I waited a few months before telling my kids. Carlie, immediately went into planning mode! She was designing where everyone would sleep. And wondering would she be in school when the little ones came. Cam is excited, because for one week, he will be the big brother to 3 little siblings!

That's right. 4 children. Under my care. For 4 or 5 days.

Wow.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous. But, I am very excited. I love Jenifer's babies like they were my own. I know Miss Ellie will keep me on track. She always has. Jenifer was kind enough to put a list of Ethan's sayings on her blog for my future reference! But it has been a while since I had a two year old. More than five years, to be exact!

When Ellie was here two years ago my children were in school. I got up and took them every morning while Ellie slept. When I'd get home she would always be sitting in the recliner with Britt, watching Handy Manny. Then she and I would get ready and go visit baby Ethan, Mommy, and Daddy at the hospital. I wasn't used to having a toddler. There were times that she and I would get in the car, and I'd realize I forgot the diaper bag. Or her "boppy". Or my purse! It's going to be a hoot with TWO little ones! If you see me in town with two small children, and no shoes, or mismatched shoes, or something crazy, you'll know why! ha!

Ellie and Carlie in their matching pjs.
When Ethan was born.
August 2007

Fortunately, I'm not a very high strung mama. Never too uptight. Not real worried about my house being perfect. As evidenced by toys, blankets, and games, strewn about my living room. I currently sit in the midst of it all. Blogging. Instead of cleaning! Don't get me wrong, I like for things to look nice. But I'm able to prioritize. I always said I didn't want my children to feel like they grew up in a museum. I want them to play in our house!
I'll clean it up when they move out. Which will be here before I know it, I'm sure.

We will be fine, me and my temporary 4 children. But if you think about us in the next weeks, say a prayer.

A prayer couldn't hurt.

Please say one for Jenifer too. It's never easy to be away from your children. Even if it is because you're having another one!

Much love,

Courtney

I blame Batman....

2009-07-31T11:12:00.009-05:00

Some good friends of ours invited us to go with them to Six Flags over Georgia yesterday. Britt and I decided that would be a welcomed distraction from this disaster of a vacation week. I had not been to Six Flags since I was in the 9th grade! Britt had taken the kids for the first time in June with Cam's baseball team. I had a commitment at church that day and couldn't go with them.

We had plans to leave early yesterday morning. When we woke up, it was raining. Not just raining, pouring! Here we were, trying to salvage what was left of this disastrous vacation week, and it was pouring rain. It hasn't rained in weeks! But we were resolved to make the most of the day, and headed east toward Atlanta.

There were a few showers here and there as we drove down I-20. But by the time we reached the Six Flags parking lot the sun was out. Hooray! I thought to myself. We bought tickets and headed inside to "the Log Ride" (I don't know the official name). As luck would have it, (if I believed in luck), just as our crew was getting to the loading dock for the ride, the bottom fell out! It starting pouring rain AGAIN! We all ran for shelter at a nearby attraction. After standing there for about 5 minutes a Six Flags employee informed us that we could not stand there. We would have to move to a restaurant or retail shop. What???? Oh, because Six Flags is bankrupt we can't stand next to the lockers at the Georgia Scorcher! We would have to move to a restaurant or shop, where our kids would beg for a $ 7.00 soft drink or a $12.00 jumbo pencil! Instead we moved 20 feet and stood under a bridge in staunch rebellion from the man!

After the rain was over we headed to what I still call "The Highland Swings", but are really called "something-about-a-crime-wave" in order to fit in with the whole "Gotham City" theme they've got going on. Those things are still as fun to me as they were when I was 9 years old! I could take a really good nap on those.

Next we headed to The Mind Bender roller coaster. Britt and my friend Nancy took the kids to ride. Her husband David and I are sissies and waited for them by the exit! The kids LOVED it! Cam quickly announced it as his favorite ever! And we headed off to the next attraction.

One that I regret.

We went over to the Batman coaster. Which looks, well, not-so-bad. So I decided to ride it with Britt and Nancy. Carlie wanted to ride, but wasn't tall enough. The boys didn't want to ride. Justin, who is always trying to convince us that he loves roller coasters like his mom, said he didn't "want to waste all my roller coaster fanatic-y". Ha ha ha! He is his daddy's son! Cam, on the other hand, is very open about being a chicken. He didn't like the idea that there was no floor in this coaster. You are suspended from the top.

I know.
What was I thinking?

Corkscrews and loops do not bother me. It's the precipitous drops. The ones that make your stomach go up into your throat. I thought I'd be fine on Batman. After all, it's only a handful of loops and corkscrews......

What was I thinking?

The three of us rode. When that ride stopped, I didn't know where I was! Y'all I don't think I have ever been so disoriented. I felt like someone strapped me into a box, shook me up real good, the turned me loose!! It was a good thing that I didn't have to drive immediate after riding that thing!! My brain was still bouncing around in my skull.

We spent the afternoon riding bumper cars, a few kiddie rides, Monster Mansion, and my most regrettable choice of the day "Thunder River". I know it's hard to imagine that I could do something more regrettable that riding that torture method they call Batman. But I did. Really I blame the Batman coaster for the following story. No self respecting woman in her right mind would willingly get on a ride in which every person getting off is SOAKING WET! There were no survivors here. Everyone exiting Thunder River looked like they had to swim their way back to shore. Like they had just taken a shower, fully clothed. And yet, I soldiered on to the loading platform. See? This was all Batman's fault.

Britt and Nancy had the sense God gave a goat, and bailed out midway down the waiting line. David wanted to bail, but Britt beat him to the punch. I, still oblivious to it all, because of Batman's wrath, just stood there, mindlessly waiting. The moment arrived. So David, the 3 kids, and I abandoned all hope, and loaded our round death trap, thereby sealing our fate. Things went well for the first....oh.....2.7 seconds. Then out of nowhere, this fire hose, came shooting out of a rock, directly into my ear!! For what seemed like an eternity this high powered water hose blasted me in the head. Through the gush of water, and my emotional anguish, I could see David roaring with laughter. This only contributed further to my emotional distress. But, God is good, and the death raft spun around just in time for the hose to blast him in the back of his head! By this time I was laughing so hard I didn't even notice that I was on the side of the boat that was about plunge down into the rapids. And then it hit us. That tidal wave of faux rushing rapid water. The water rushed over the top of Carlie and me. If there had been a dry thread left on my body prior to that, it had just died a very swift death. We continued down the River of Despair, where I was nearly drowned under a waterfall. Clinging to life, and what was left of my dignigty, we reached the unloading dock. Every person on our raft was drenched. Somehow I managed to be even more soaked than the rest. Possibly more soaked that the rest of the people who had ridden that miserable ride all day!

We walked around for awhile in a futile attempt to dry off. We rode a few more rides. Then got in line for the Antique Cars. Again, we were almost to the loading dock........and the bottom fell out. I'm not really sure why we ran for shelter. We looked like we had been standing in the rain all day. Britt and Nancy were dry. That may explain why when we were about 10 feet from the shelter, lightening struck nearby, and Britt (who was behind me), grabbed my shoulder and flung me backward in an attempt to get himself under the roof of the carousel. I guess he figured since I was already soaked I wouldn't mind standing in the rain an additional 5 seconds if that meant he could stay dry. Sure. You know me. Selfless. Considerate. Rained on. Oblivious.

I blame Batman for today's emotional breakdown.

PS---I would normally have pictures with a post like this. But both, my digital SLR and my point and shoot were stolen with my vehicle. So there is no evidence of my looking like a drowned rat in the River of Despair. I may just have to send those thieves a thank you card.

Start spreading the news.......

2009-07-27T12:32:00.010-05:00

MY CAR WAS STOLEN!!! WITH ALL MY LUGGAGE IN IT!!!!!

On Sunday we went to church, came home to finish packing, then headed to Atlanta for the night. Our flight was supposed to leave at 8:30 EST Monday. So we were spending the night over there to keep from waking the kids up at 3:30AM CST and driving over to catch a flight!

For convenience purposes, I had packed us one bag for the night in Atlanta. One bag with each of our pjs, and clothes for the next day. I do this so that we don't have to unload all of our huge suitcases. We just get out the one bag, and our bag of toiletries. When we fly out the next day we leave the overnight bag in the car and take our luggage. I will NEVER do that again.

About 6:30 EST Sunday night Britt and the kids decided they were hungry. Cam wanted to eat chili with beans from the hotel grocery shop. (I explained to him that he was only allowed to eat such when Mama was not there, and he was dressed in camouflage, sitting by a fire in the winter! Only during hunting season is he allowed to ingest such a "gut bomb"!!)
I digress.......
After deciding that we would not be spending our first day in NYC fighting over whose turn it was in the restroom....we headed out for dinner. We passed a Ruby Tuesday near our hotel. Britt asked if that's what we wanted. We all decided against it. That was the only place we saw close by, so we headed out to Camp Creek Parkway. CC Pkwy is the road that leads to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Int'l airport. There is a huge shopping center on that road with a Target, Chic-Fil-A, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday, Barnes and Noble, you get the picture. This is a relatively nice, heavily trafficked area. The kids chose Red Lobster. We pulled in to the PACKED parking lot and chose a park to the left of the front door.

This next part makes me sick.

Before we left home I changed purses. I had been carrying a black Coach purse that only snapped closed. To be safe I changed into a small purse with a strap that goes across my body. But it is VERY small. Like a wallet with a strap, really.
Britt asked if I was taking my purse in. Lots of times when we are together, I don't. He was holding his iPhone and his wallet. I told him I was carrying the purse in, but when he saw I had that tiny one he said "Nevermind." So he took his check card out of his wallet then put the wallet and his phone inside the console of my truck. He usually puts it in my purse....

We went in and had a really good dinner. I'm not always impressed with the Dead Lobster, but that night was EXCELLENT! We were in the restaurant for about an hour. So at 8:00 or 8:15 we headed out to get in the car.........or so we thought.

Britt and I were walking toward our parking spot and laughing and talking to the kids. I looked up and didn't see our car. Britt and I looked at each other, then looked back at the empty parking place. I finally said "Where did we park?" and we walked back the other way. Britt and I just kept looking at each other. Each of us with this sick, oh-no-is-this-really-happening look on our faces. We headed back to where our car had been sitting. Britt said "I know this is where we parked. Remember the old camaro sitting there?" We had talked about a car that had been parked beside us. Britt grabbed my phone and called 911.

A few minutes later a police officer arrived and we filed a report. Britt's iPhone. $300 cash. 5 credit/debit cards (business and personal). Britt's checkbook (only about 3 checks left, thankfully). Britt's ID. My Nikon D50. Britt's Sony Cybershot camera. Brighton earrings. 2 Initial Outfitter necklaces. iPod touch. iPod Nano. My iPod mini (I loved my antique iPod). Every pair of my Nike Tempo running shorts. 2 pair of my Nike Shox. And the list goes on and on! I figure about $1500 of my clothes. About $1500 of Britt's clothes. Atleast $1000 of the kids clothes. I still can't wrap my brain around it all. But they got EVERYTHING!

The police officer told us that out of state plates are a big target. Thieves know you have "stuff" because you are transient. Why didn't someone tell me that before??

I had to cancel our trip to NYC. We tried to move it forward one day, but it would cost an additional $2300 in airfare for last minute tickets!!!! Because we couldn't pay the extra for the flight, we lost all the money on the hotel . It was non-refundable. So don't ask what I think about the Sheraton in Times Square!! We got credit for our flights. We have to use it in the next year. It's just a big mess.

The biggest problem I've had with it is the lack of concern by the East Point Police Department. They acted like it wasn't a big deal. No sense of urgency what-so-ever! They told us that they wouldn't look for the car unless it was in an accident or stopped for a traffic violation!!!! Nobody was even looking for it!!! The officer said, "Realistically, anything of value will be gone. But the car should turn up in 2 to 7 days. These people aren't going to keep driving it around. They will abandon it somewhere soon and we will find it. Chances are, your clothes and stuff will be in it."

Oh really? Thanks for all your hard work.

Since then we realized that the thieves used all our credit cards at the SAME Citgo gas station on Headland Ave. We called the police dept. Obviously someone who works at that gas station is helping the theives. The charges were all even amounts and totaled over $800!!!!! They transferred us to a detective's voicemail. We've called twice. Left two different messages. Never heard a word. Nothing.

So why wouldn't you steal cars in Atlanta for a living??? As long as you don't speed or have an accident you can have the car and everything in it!!! Free and clear, no questions asked!

Being dead is no excuse......

2009-07-25T21:02:00.006-05:00

So the kids and I were having a conversation in the car yesterday. I don't even know how we got on the subject of funerals. With my two kids you never know what turns the conversation may take! I told the kids that I would rather be cremated. My entire family has been cremated. The whole idea of being buried really freaks me out.

Funerals in particular give me the creeps!! At visitation, all these people stand around like there is not a body in the room. Saying things like "Doesn't she look good?" and "They did a really good job on him. Looks like he always did." Um.....no. Look closely people!

Anyway.

I tried to explain to my 7 and 9 year olds that I wanted to donate any organs that could be donated and cremate the rest. And that I did not want a funeral. Mainly because funerals are sad, and hard on the family, and I just don't want them to have to do that. Heck, I'll have my wings and be sitting at the feet of Jesus by then, so don't shed any tears!!

But like any good Southern gal, Carlie was appalled at the idea of no funeral! So she said "Mama, if you are not going to have a funeral then nobody is going to come visit us and eat! Nobody is going to have any cake!!!!"

The girl is right! I mean seriously? How dare I die and deny people an excuse get together and eat fried chicken and peach cobbler??

Then she told me she had some news for me. Apparently I'm not going to know it anyway, so she is definitely have me a funeral!

At least I know I am passing on the tradition of Southern hospitality to my little lady!

I don't know why I expected any less. Since she was 4 years old Carlie has stayed up late on nights before a party helping me decide which serving dishes to use, and where to put the food. That girl has helped me arrange centerpieces since before she could pronounce the word "centerpieces"!!

I hope it is a very long time from now, but if you are still around, and hear about my funeral, make it a point to attend. You can rest assured it will be one of the best parties you've ever attended!!!

These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray....

2009-07-24T19:19:00.014-05:00

right through the very heart of it....New York, New York!!!!!!

Start spreading the news. We're leaving ~~today~~ Monday. We will be spending a week in the city that never sleeps! (But I sure hope I get to!)

We are all really excited. The kids can't wait. They've never been to a city any bigger than Atlanta! And Britt has never been to New York City! Our hotel is right inside the heart of Times Square. So they'll get to see all the "ginormous" signs and lights from our hotel window!
The first time I went to NYC I had just graduated from college. Even at 23 years old I was awestruck by the sheer size of the architecture! I can only imagine how it will look through the eyes of a 7 and a 9 year old.

Carlie can hardly wait for ONE thing, and ONE thing only. It lives on Fifth Avenue.....

and it's is called......American Girl Place!!!

Seeing those red awnings makes my heart beat just a little faster! I can't wait to take my princess to brunch there. She has her heart set on buying the new Historical Girl, Rebecca.

This doll's story is that she is a young Jewish girl growing up in New York City in 1914. I think it only fitting we buy her in her hometown. Agree?

Cam on the other hand can't wait to see the Mets play. Not that he is a Mets fan. He is just excited about seeing a ball park other than Turner Field!

Say a prayer that the rats here aren't as big as the ones were at the old Shea Stadium!

We are also going to see Wicked on Broadway.

And probably The Lion King too!

We heard so many good reviews, from so many people. We just couldn't decide!

I cannot wait to show my children Central Park, or the views from the Top of the Rock. And you never forget the first time you meet her.......

Such an iconic emblem of the United States.

The government reopened tours to the top of Lady Liberty's crown, but they are sold out until late September. Bummer.
We will also go see Ground Zero and explain to them what happened on that September day in 2001.
September 11, 2001 was also the day everyone received postcards from us saying we were having another baby. Cam was only 20 months old. So obviously, they don't remember it.

And I hope they never know the feeling I had that day.

When I was in NYC in January of 2005 Ground Zero was still just a giant hole in the concrete. Surrounded by fencing, still covered in flowers, candles and photos of lost loved ones. There was a lone cross built out of two steel beams that had been welded together in the center of the destruction. Funny how it takes such utter devastation for us to honor GOD.

It's sure to be a memorable trip. Filled with new sights and experiences. I'm excited to learn about new places and teach my children about the ones I know already. But my biggest concern is...........

How am I going to explain that?????

Where have you been all my life?

2009-07-22T18:06:00.026-05:00

Ok. Folks, this is the post that is going to make you love me for the rest of your natural life.

So much for subtle introductions.....

Yesterday my mother in law sent us some fresh blueberries she had picked at my uncle-in-law's (is that a word?). So, like any good Southern woman should, I decided to look for a recipe for blueberry muffins, or pies or something. A recipe filled with sugar and refined flour. Because, who wants to eat a raw blueberry filled with nothing but antioxidants and stuff? Not me!
I happened upon a recipe titled "To Die for Blueberry Muffins" on one of the recipe websites. I read over it and realized I ~~was in love~~ had all the ingredients in the pantry!
I whipped up a batch. Just as they were coming out of the oven some friends of ours came by to pick up their son. So they each had one, and LOVED them! I also had one or two, or four. But who is counting?
By this morning, the entire dozen was gone! Don't worry. I had help eating them all!
Being the thoughtful person I am, I made another batch just ~~so I could eat another 3 or 4 or 6~~ so I could post the recipe on here, with pictures. Just for y'all! Because that's the kind of gal I am!

Here's what you will need:

1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup butter (cubed)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

************************I doubled the recipe in these pictures**************************

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease muffin cups or insert liners. (I highly recommend liners with these muffins because of the fruit. It sinks to the bottom and makes a mess of the muffin. But they are still delicious even if they fall apart and have to be eaten with a fork!)

2. Add 1 1/2 cups flour to a large mixing bowl.......

like so.

3. Combine 3/4 cup sugar.....

I love my Domino sugar in the can! Cute, huh?

4. Add 1/2 tsp salt

But get the lumps out of your sugar, first!

5. Add 2tsp of baking powder

That can of Clabber Girl reminds me of my grandaddy. He always cooked with it.

6. Now. Add 1/3 c. of vegetable oil to a 1 cup measuring cup

7. Add 1 egg to the oil

8. Now add milk to the oil and egg mixture, until it reaches the 1 cup line

The oil will reach the fill line. The milk settles to the bottom. It's called magic, or maybe just physics, I think.

9. Now mix the oil, egg, and milk. Then pour into the flour mixture.

Remember, I doubled this recipe. Only I forgot that tidbit when I mixed the egg mixture. So I had to repeat this step. I didn't take a picture. But pretend you saw it. Ok? Great!

10. Mix. Then fold in blueberries.

What does "fold in" mean, anyway?

11. Stir.

In the words of Lou Bega, "If it looks like this, then you're doing it right!"

Now.....the good part......the topping!

12. Start with the cubed butter

13. Add 1/2 c. sugar and 1/3 c. of all purpose flour

........I'm still singing Mambo # 5..........Lovely.

14. Add to this 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

15. Mix with a fork.

After making these twice I've realized that it is important to keep the butter cold until you're ready to mix it. I let it get way to soft yesterday, and a little too soft today. Partly because I was taking pictures....instead of working with a sense of urgency!
You want the butter mixture to stay "crumbly". If it gets too warm it becomes a cinnamon sugar blob!

16. Now fill the muffin cups with batter and top with crumbles before baking.

Today I used large cup disposable muffin tins, because I'm going to share them. Well, probably.

I use enough crumbles to cover the tops of the muffins. I use only about half of what the recipe calls for. But to each his own. I LOVE the topping. I just didn't want the cinnamon topping to overpower the blueberry flavor.

17. Bake on 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Anytime I bake in those thin throwaway pans, whether it be pies, or cupcakes or whatever, I put that pan on a cookie sheet to bake. I'm always afraid the bottom won't get done otherwise.

The doubled recipe made 12 big "bakery size" muffins. After putting them on the cookie sheet I didn't have enough room, so I had to use both ovens.

18. Remove from oven and let cool.

I left mine in the pan to cool. Got busy and didn't bother with a wire rack.

ENJOY!!!

Hello, most fabulous blueberry muffins ever!

Where have you been all my life?