Busy Mom on a mission!

Just a "HI"

2009-11-16T09:41:00.003-05:00

Well a dear friend reminded me that I haven't blogged in a very long time, so thought I'd stop in and say hi :)
Life is going well, Samantha just completed her first All state Chorus performance 2 weeks ago and we are so proud of her abilities! Rachel is "in love" (she thinks)...boyfriend for 3 months now. He's a good guy so I'm not complaining- yet :), Katelynn is just finished her first season as a cheerleader and got her first trophy yesterday. She then came home and said "mom I think I will do this again next year".. so apparantly it is something she enjoys and it's so fun to watch!! All 3 of them are getting all A's in school so we are very proud of that!
We just got back 2 days ago from Florida where I got to catch up with a bunch of old friends!! Nothing like reminiscing about the "old days"... Fun times!!
I have been very busy subbing at school...this is my first day off in 8 weeks! I'm thrilled to be home just to take it easy today and I'm going to lunch w/ some girlfriends so very excited about that! Hunting season has begun, so of course Bill is off on the weekends trying to fill the freezer- no luck yet, but I know he will end up with something! I hope everyone is doing well and hope that you ALL have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and families!! Until next time.....

Back to school

2009-08-06T12:33:00.003-04:00

WOW! I can't believe it's been since May since I blogged.. well actually I can because I now use Facebook more than anything else, but for those few, yet dedicated blog fans I wanted to share a few pics of the first day of school today. It's hard to believe that Rachel is now in her last year of middle school and will be a high schooler next year- it's scary beyond belief!! Samantha my very sweet middle child is now in her last year of elementary school, the 4th grade and it's just crazy how fast they are growing. And last but not least, my precious baby Katelynn, who is of course not a baby, but still my youngest and I'll think of her like that always probably :) She is in 1st grade this year. I'm having a good day, but a quiet day and a bit sad.. the emotions are all over the place as I ponder my growing children today and my life and how and what I'm going to do with it all next. So until I have more ever so exciting (LOL) updating news, I'll leave you with these pictures and hope that you all are doing well and having blessed summer days!

My mom

2009-05-07T20:35:00.004-04:00

A tribute to my mom.....

My mom- there is so much to say, so I will let it just flow from my heart.
First and foremost, she is the best!
She is a loving, caring, friendly, special, amazing woman who anyone would be happy to know. She is beautiful inside and out!
My mom taught my brother and I the meaning of kindess, to love one another, to treat people with respect, to be fair.
She is and was a great role model as a mother and a wife. There were many times growing up when I didn't know how her patience (for example my brother and I fighting constantly) could take anymore, but she always stuck with what she believed in and what she lived for and that was her family!
My mom is a great friend and has many friends.... who wouldn't want to be her friend!! She's honest, reliable, a great listener, a Christian woman whom we all love and respect!
She has 9 grandchildren now and I'm so glad that I still have her to go to for advice in raising my girls and look forward to the times still ahead when my girls look to her for advice! She is the best at being a grandparent!!
We don't live very near each other anymore & I miss her dearly... she is on my mind more than she knows, especially now at Mother's Day! She is my friend, my teacher, my role model and the best mom ever!!
I love you mom and send all my love on this upcoming Mothers Day!

HI

2009-04-18T22:51:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to say I'm still here and alive! I know I have failed to blog in a while, but I've been stuck on Facebook now for what seems like years... ha ha.. I LOVE IT- if you don't have it- I encourage you to join (and add me as a friend)- I love catching up with old friends and family around the country that so often we forget!
Onto just a few updates of what is going on around Georgia lately. My girls are about to be done with another year of school.. 25 more days to be exact! That means they will then proceed into 1st, 4th and 8th grades!! I no longer have any babies and that is sad, but life must go on and each one of them is still my baby in my heart!
My mom, grandpa and Aunt are coming to visit me in 2 days and I CAN'T WAIT! Our Easter was nice,but quiet- no extended family around this year so a little lonely- but blessed that I have my hubby and 3 girls to enjoy it with!! I will add a picture here of us after we left church on Easter Sunday. Samantha is playing softball and she is great at it. She scored 2 of the 6 runs we had today and everytime at bat she hit a double! I'm very proud of her!! Katelynn sang at the PTA meeting last week and she was a big ham! She smiled and sang and made faces the whole way through it! Rachel is growing into such a young lady- it amazes me daily how quickly she is changing and becoming more like a teen than my little 5 lb 12 oz baby that left the hospital with me almost 13 years ago!
My life is good and I need to be more aware and appreciative of that. I hope each of you are having a great Spring with your family, friends and loved ones!

All State Chorus weekend in Savannah

2009-03-12T13:40:00.002-04:00

We had a terrific weekend in Savannah at Rachel's All State Chorus performance and she did a fantastic job! We are so proud of her and all our daughters. I hope they all have a passion like Rachel does with singing. Samantha is already wanting to sing more herself, she told me just this morning that she couldn't wait till Rachel was older and she could get her Karaoke machine so she could start recording cd's of her own :) She also has a beautiful voice- if I do say so myself. If you'd like to see more pics of this fun weekend, check them all out on my facebook account- just type in "Tammy Robinson Mayo" to get on my site & view them all.

14 years and counting

2009-02-25T21:27:00.003-05:00

This photo was taken a year ago, but it's the only one I had on my laptop (which I'm using at the moment).
It all started about 15 years ago. Mutual friends thought they'd try to set up Bill and I, before I even knew there was a "Bill", he knew my name, age, what I looked like, where I lived, everything.. When we finally met he asked me out, I said no..., he asked again a few days later, I said ok.. a couple days later I cancelled, he asked again, I said ok... a couple days later I cancelled, he asked again, I said ok... a couple days later...YOU GUESSED IT- I cancelled... finally I think I felt so bad and he was such a persistant man that I went to his work to ask him if he'd go out with me.... but before I could get the words out, he asked one last time (and he tells me to this day that it would have definitely been the last time).. anyway I agreed. We went to the Outback Steakhouse and to a movie-- guess what he fell asleep during the movie- must of been tired out from all the rejection and finally had a moment to rest and bask in the glory that he was finally sitting next to me in a dark place.. HA HA HA!!!
Long story shortened for your reading pleasure- 3 daughters, many many pets, many trials later here we are 14 years married today! I love him and he loves me and we are excited for another 14 years!

Superbowl Sunday & Missing Tooth

2009-02-01T15:37:00.003-05:00

Just some ramblings because, well, I'm bored.
It's superbowl Sunday. That probably deserves to all be capitalized but you see I'm not into football- in fact it is probably the hardest sport for me to endure! I have no interest and luckily neither does my hubby, except of course until it's time for a big game- like today's. So we were invited to a friends' house tonight for a party and so we shall go. Invitations are far and few between of places we actually get to go and mingle with other adults, so we are looking forward to our evening. The kiddo's will also have lots of other kiddo's there to play with so all should be good. Oh and did I mention food- well of course, what is a party without food- so that is another plus! I told you there is no real reason for this post- other than to "ramble"... ha ha.
Oh my baby (my sweet Katelynn) lost her first tooth today- BUT she can't find it- she thinks she might of swallowed it while eating her sandwich at lunch.... this ought to be fun! She sure looks cute though!

Random notes

2009-01-28T21:40:00.002-05:00

Last time I was on here I posted my New Year's Resolutions. This one has nothing to do with that, other than to say they aren't going real well.. Some better than others I guess. I started with working out to the Biggest Loser dvd's, but I just can't make myself do it everyday, or even every other day.

I went to Upstate New York a couple weeks ago and it was great to see my extended family and celebrate my grandfathers 80th birthday with him, BUT I also missed my family here tremendously! I got a wonderful welcome home with streamers and posters and screaming little girls when i walked in. I will post pictures soon, but it was one of the most wonderful times I can remember in years!

I've been really busy subbing at school but I love it and am VERY grateful for the work and the friends I have made there!

My beautiful Rachel, has made the final cut for the All State Chorus again this year. She will be performing in Savannah GA the last weekend of February. We are extremely excited and proud of our first born :)

Thanks to my loyal blogger fans for continuing to check it out- I consider you my dear friends and love reading your updates as often as possible. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week full of lots of blessings and fun times!

Resolutions again

2009-01-01T21:43:00.003-05:00

This time last year I had a resolution of loosing weight and guess what, I actually did- 17 pounds in 3 1/2 months, and I was just starting to feel it and people were just starting to recognize it, but then I couldn't go to the gym anymore and I didn't have the group at school doing it with me anymore and boom, there came back those pounds- 15 of them to be exact. I just gave up.

I am on a mission ONCE AGAIN to give it another shot so here is my list of resolutions (yes I have many this year) here goes:
* loose weight!
* become more obedient in reading my Bible!
* be a better mom and wife (I am VERY sincere about this- especially the mom part)- this is another long blog to come!
* work on learning to save and spend money smartly!
* further my education so I can teach full time!

That's the short list- but those are the top 5! Once again I implore you , my friends and family to help me with your oh so great words of wisdom, encouragement and prayers.

Thank you and I wish each of you a most fantastic New Year and Happy 2009!!
Love you!

Update, read all about it :)

2008-12-17T08:57:00.002-05:00

OK Jonatha this update is for you.. ha ha... just read your blog so felt inclined to give a quick update myself just for you :)
Thanks for the Celebration idea- Bill and I were trying to think of something "cheap" we could do while in Florida this weekend with the kids and that might just be a good idea- although they see the "real stuff" here usually every year- quite a bit last year. Anyway.. thanks!

Today I am planning on going to 2 class Christmas parties. I have to pick up all the goodies for one of them (pizza, cups, etc) before hand so I have to leave here pretty soon. Also I am going to pick up Breakfast items for all the teachers tomorrow so we (PTA) can treat them before the holidays! My day is pretty busy today but it's also exciting being out and about in the rush of things.

Friday we are suppose to be leaving for Florida for a few days. It might get put off till Saturday though- depends on if Bill can get his work completed on time. We shall see. I'm invited to my first ever "ornament exchange" party tomorrow night- never been to one, but sounds fun. Now I need to go find a cool ornament to share... any ideas??

Only one more gift to buy for my youngest sweetie and I'm all done shopping! YEAH! I have stuck to my "budget" this year when it comes to shopping and spending- didn't over do it, like I always do. So I'm proud about that!

That's all the boring news from this part of town today. Hope everyone is getting in the Christmas spirit and hope everyone (all my 2 fans- ha ha) has a marvelous Christmas with your families!

Christmas thoughts

2008-12-06T12:00:00.002-05:00

Well today we are getting ready to start getting decorations out and going to pick up the tree tomorrow afternoon. I just can't seem to get in the spirit of it all right now.. usually the day after Thanksgiving I'm up and running and ready to pull everything out of the attic. I'm thinking it must be because it's so hard to spend money these days. After years and years of not really worrying "too much" about spending, now with the economy the way it is and people's jobs on the line and millions going hungry and loosing jobs, etc...it just all seems sad and not reason to celebrate. I know we celebrate Christmas because of Jesuss' birth, it's just hard for me in the "buying gifts department" of it all to NOT buy for everyone everything on their list. I know you might say well then "make some gifts"... well if you know me at all you know I am not crafty and never have been. So that option is out. So what to do... that is the question of the day? Also as you know time is limited so homemade stuff is really not an option for me. I've already told my kids that this year will be slimmer, but I'm pretty sure they've heard that before and it's never been slim! I worry they won't be happy, I don't want to disappoint them on such a big day. Am I selfish in wanting to buy them all on their lists and what do you do when you can't. I guess they are just too far past the "spoiled" stage and that's where my concerns are now coming into play. Am I making too much of this, do you understand where I'm coming from? Tell me your thoughts and ideas.. brainstorm with me!!

Still here :)

2008-12-02T23:25:00.003-05:00

Hey all- yes I'm still here if anyone is still reading! Just not into blogging that much lately. Quick boring update for my 2 fans.. ha ha hee hee. Working lots and lots- this is like my 5th straight week of subbing at school. Now I remember why I love a day off now and then. I'm very glad for the days though- it always helps around Christmas! My parents got to visit for Thanksgiving and it was a great time- Mom and I shopped for 8 1/2 hours- well ok we hit Olive Garden in the middle of that, but ya know you have to get energized to do a couple more hours of shopping :} Thanks Bill for watching our little pumpkins and allowing me some "mom and I" time!
Our Santa Shop starts at school next week and I'm the coordinator- LOTS and LOTS to do. So far I've been to 4 Dollar Stores, Target, Michaels, and a few others to shop. it's always fun spending other people's money at those places. It's all for the kids though- they love this event at school!
I've joined "Facebook"= spend more time on there now than i do on here- check it out and sign up.. I wasn't sure about it at first, but have come to really enjoy it and seems much "quicker" of a way to keep up with everyone.
Family is all doing good. Rachel is busy busy with All District and All State Chorus practices this month. All District conference is in Jan, All State in February. Samantha is wanting to play Soccer- I told her they do that in the spring, so just a few more months to wait. She's never played so not sure if she'll like it or not. Trying to convince her to stay in Softball, but guess she needs to try something different to see what she enjoys or is good at the most. katelynn is Katelynn- just growing up way to quickly, she's loves to walk like a fashion model and play on the computer. She is also great in school.
Well so much for the "quick update" but now you know what we've been up to. hope you haven't fallen asleep at your keyboard!
Love to all and goodnight for now.

Can you say OH YEAH!!!!

2008-10-31T16:30:00.003-04:00

(This picture was taken the day of the audition)
To follow up on my blog of 3 weeks ago- my daughter Rachel got the news today that she passed the audition for All state Chorus with flying colors! 10 was the absolute perfect score you could get, she got a 12 and a 14 or higher had not a chance. So I'd say she did well. There is one more small audition right here in our town before the performance in Savannah, but the teacher said it would be crazy for anyone to not make that one. She said if they pass the 1st one then they are pretty much in. I'm not counting my chickens- but the chorus teacher has been straight up and on track for everything she has ever told me! Each school participates and not every school always has someone make it. She was the only girl in her school to make it and there was one boy who also made it.
As you can tell I am very, very proud of her! God answered all our (and your) prayers that day and I can say nothing more but thanks!!

More North Carolina photos

2008-10-26T20:51:00.003-04:00

So many pictures I had to do 2 posts... these are more of the scenery and of us apple picking... we had a blast and got lots of yummy apples- unfortunately they are still sitting on my counter, but now that fall festival is over I should be able to find time to make some apple crisp, apple pies, apple cider,,, ha ha ha... oh I forgot- I don't cook... no really I will make the apple crisp because we all enjoy it so.
Anyway.. enjoy the photos. Love, Tammy

Fall Fun in N.C.

2008-10-26T20:39:00.003-04:00

We were very fortunate to be able to go visit with my parents last weekend. The fall colors were just amazing and we had a wonderful visit! Daddy stayed home to work and do a little hunting so he wasn't with us this trip.

Sweating is.......

2008-10-13T15:45:00.002-04:00

NOT FOR ME- ha ha! Just got done doing The Biggest Loser DVD for 30 minutes... that's an accomplishment for me! My middle sweetness (Samantha) talked me into joining her. She did an hour yesterday while I watched (I was not feeling good then), but today she got me up there with her- thanks Sammy :) I hope we can continue this- it's especially fun when the kids want to join in too. Seeing a 5 year old do jumping jacks at warp speed is nothing but hilarious. Maybe I'll try to video it next time and put on here for you to see. Happy Columbus Day!

Prayer request

2008-10-04T21:54:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone- I know I haven't been on here in a while and I'm only on for a few minutes right now because I'm so tired, BUT my daughter(12 year old) asked me today if I could post a blog asking everyone to pray for her and her Allstate tryouts next week in Cordele, GA. I said, "why of course"!- anything for my first born :)
Anyway... she has been in Allstate for the last 2 years and done solo's at the state level both years, but this year it's an actual competition instead of just being chosen and allowed to attend the state event. She was still chosen this year, but this year she must "compete" (I don't like that word) against other 7th and 8th graders across the whole state. The teacher has warned us that it is extremely difficult, but that she does have a lot of confidence in Rachel and doesn't usually tell many parents that... Rachel is nervous but she is also excited. She has a beautiful voice and I wish all of you could hear it- maybe I can figure out how to put her song on here for ya... we shall see... I don't know what is involved in that. So, back to the subject of this- please pray for her during this next week. The actual date is next Saturday, the 11th and her audition time is 11:10 a.m. We will drive her the 2 hours to get there and 2 hours back for her to audtion for I think she said 2-3 minutes, but it's well worth it to put the effort into doing anything and everything we can do to help her achieve her goals and encourage her to do what she loves most and that is sing.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and we'll let you know the outcome- they say they usually won't know for 2-3 weeks after the audition.

Music/download questions?

2008-09-18T14:40:00.002-04:00

Ok 2 things I need help with..
1 - does anyone know a good trusted site for downloading music onto MP3 players? We were using limewire, but our computer got a bad virus and the guy said it was probably from that site..
2 - How do I download a song off of a music cd and put it on my computer and/or my blog? My daughter has sang an amazing version of "somewhere over the rainbow" and I'd love to share it with others.
THANKS!!

SAVINGS- DO YOU HAVE IT??

2008-09-15T22:29:00.004-04:00

Well I feel like taking a poll! Do you have a savings and how do you go about it? What's your motivation? How do you stick to it? Is there any bible verses that reference this? I am feeling the need lately to motivate ourselves to get busy with saving for our future, yet it's so hard to do these days. I just feel like someone out there has the right words that will knock some sense (cents... no pun intended ha ha) into my head about this. How do make yourself put away money that you know could be put to better use right now? Maybe I'm not asking the right questions, or maybe I am, I'm just looking for the right answer... give it some thought and let me know what you think :) Thanks!

First day of school 8-6-08

2008-08-24T10:29:00.004-04:00

Ok as previously promised here are some photos of the 1st day of school. It was a great day for everyone. No one had any breakdowns, so in my opinion that constitutes a great day!! And as a special treat this year even Daddy got to go with the little girls to class and so that was exciting for them as well.

Missing hubby

2008-08-11T21:58:00.004-04:00

Well he's not actually missing (as it sounds in the title), it's meant to mean that I'm missing him! He's about 14 hours North picking up a tractor and then will head south again tomorrow and hopefully be home by Wednesday a.m. I've got so much catching up to do on this blog but can't find the time. With him not being here and me doing PTA stuff and subbing at school and watching the 3 little princesses all by myself well you can see why I just don't have the motivation to post all those first day school pictures and visit with family a week or so ago... I promise though I'll get to them soon. I have some really cute ones of the girls their first day of school last week. Right now I'm really tired and I'm going to settle on the couch a bit and veg in front of the tv with a book- but will I watch tv or read the book, or fall asleep??.. this is the "days of my life" question of the moment- ha ha ha..
Pictures to come soon... everyone sleep tight :) P.S. Pray hubby has a safe trip home- he's hauling 2 very large tractors back by himself and driving 14 hours today, probably another 10 tomorrow and then the remaining 4-5 on Wednesday a.m. P.S.S. I'm subbing in Katelynn's class tomorrow (Kindergarten) please pray that she will act like a student and behave for me and not be attached to my leg the whole day.. Thanks!!

On TV, shopping & ice cream

2008-07-29T19:42:00.010-04:00

Ok, so it's the last week before school starts. A lot happened today- it's TAX FREE shopping day in Georgia and so what a great reason (I mean excuse) to go out on the town.. ha ha... No DAD, we did NOT go to Walmart this time.. (was there 2 days ago :)
Anyway the girls and I get to the mall, head to the food court for lunch and as we were deciding on what to get at Chick-Fil-A a camera man and his crew from WTVM (the local news station) stop and start asking if they could interview me... yes me... oh and did I mention I'm so glad I had my shower last night- ha ha ha... anyway, I answered their questions (what we were going to buy today, why were we taking advantage of this tax free shopping time and if we had any concerns)... I answered most questions thoughtfully but I felt he was wanting more.. I wish I was clever and had great quotes like my other blogging friend (dreamsofacountrygirl.blogspot.com) but I don't so I just answered well we need sneakers, shorts, skirts and school supplies... HOW BORING IS THAT!!! Anyway then I said, "no we have no worries, we love crowds it's fun to fit in".... NOOOOTTTTTTTT!!!!!.. what was I thinking? I asked my eldest at lunch, why did I say that, we don't like crowds- i despise crowds... I guess my point is, when a camera is stuck in your face at the spur of the moment- do you speak your mind or try to come up with the right words that might sound good on camera? I did the latter and I just don't know why... oh well.. we'll be on at 6pm if you are in the area and want to check out the interview... oh and after our "hard" day of shopping we had to stop for Dairy Queen on the way home to celebrate narrowing down our shopping needs and being on tv... until next time... stay tuned :)

More pics of family

2008-07-29T19:42:00.009-04:00

Here are a couple more pictures I couldn't fit on the last post... My handsome brother with his youngest boy (my cute nephew!!) is in one photo, the other is my sweet sis-in-law with her youngest girl (my cute niece!!) and then the other of my middle child and her cousin giving eskimo kisses (notice how she is trying to look at the camera and make sure she gets "the kiss" done correctly - very adorable :)

A Birthday and family

2008-07-29T19:42:00.005-04:00

Katelynn had her 5th birthday on Friday. I know I'm a few days behind in posting pics but we've had a house full. My parents came to visit us this weekend from North Carolina and we had a great time as always. I love their visits so much. I wish they lived next door! Mom and I hit a 150 table yard sale and besides the 90 degree heat we had a nice time rummaging around and found a few bargains :)
Here is some pictures of Katelynn's birthday and of my family gathered at my house this weekend. My brother and his whole crew came for a visit since they live so close now (YEAH!) and all the cousins just had a great time with each other.

Try and try again....

2008-07-20T21:30:00.002-04:00

Well today marked the 2nd time this year I have begun a change in my eating habits and exercise. So far so good, cereal for breakfast, soup for lunch and I just put in my new "Biggest Loser" DVD that I got off ebay. My daughters and I worked out with good ole "Bob" for almost 20 minutes and I just couldn't do it anymore. I can already feel the muscles in my arms and legs tightened up from that little workout. Anyway again we shall see how good I can do this time. January 1st I started a "diet" and I did loose 16 lbs, but I gained 10 of it back in the last 2 months since school has been out. Now school begins in 2 weeks, so I'm hoping that once again I can get back on track and make myself healthier and slimmer and happier all the way around. Wish me luck and offer up any bits of advice you wish! Thanks!!

Then & Now

2008-07-20T21:30:00.001-04:00

My "BABY" is turning FIVE this coming Friday. It's kind of hitting me hard that she is my baby who is no longer a baby- I know you parents know what I'm saying here! Where does the time go... It started in the hospital when they said she was 8 lbs 15 1/2 oz... I said "are you sure????!!! my babies aren't that big"... but lo and behold, I guess she was taking after her daddy- ha ha! I'm not a great writer so I can't come up with a lot of "neat" things to say, other than I LOVE HER tremendously and I'm so glad GOD decided to bless us with that little surpise! Let me do that little spelling of the name thing and try to come up with ways to describe her for ya- K for kind, A for adorable, T for testy, E for elegant, L for loving- (She LOVES to give me hugs & kisses!), Y for young (sorry that one is boring), N for nice and the last N for nibbly- ha ha... Katelynn we love you and couldn't stand a day without you!!

PTA Pals

2008-07-17T21:02:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I got to do something I never get to do ..a girls only weekend! The annual PTA convention was in Atlanta and I got to attend and took a couple of the new officers for this year.. which also happen to be 2 very good friends of mine. It was a great time and they are just the sweetest. It's so nice to have friends who love ya even after they see you in a swimsuit-- ha ha!

We are back!!

2008-07-10T14:41:00.005-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We are back from vacation and I'm feeling a little settled again. However tomorrow I'm off to Atlanta for 2 days to go to the annual PTA convention. I wanted to share a few pictures of our trip and actually there are a few more than a few, so I'm going to put it into a slide for ya :) We had a fantastic time, too bad vacations are so short- I could live at the beach in a second! And the girls are growing fins as we speak :)

Oh..DEER

2008-06-26T09:43:00.006-04:00

Ok, if you read my last blog you know I was suppose to not be on here right now and I'm suppose to be cleaning and getting ready for our trip BUT... Samantha called to me and said "Mom a deer in the yard" and so I came running with my camera. It's not odd to see them around here but we haven't seen one in the yard in a couple years. Bill will be sooo happy :)

Then again, maybe they are eating our corn out back...oh no!

Anyway, here's the photo (click on it to enlarge it for closer inspection :) ....

Excitement in the air!!!!

2008-06-26T09:43:00.002-04:00

This house is a buzz with excitement as we count down the minutes, hours and milliseconds (is that a word?) until we leave for vacation tomorrow!!
We are headed to NC first to see my oh so wonderful parents and here a wonderful singer on Sunday night (Squire Parsons- he will be there for the Nazarene Camp Meeting), from there we will go to the sunny state of Florida to visit our very favorite hotel/suites and spend 3 days there, from there we travel upstate just a bit to visit with mom-in-law for 2 days and have her home-made country fried steak and gravy! That alone is worth the whole trip to most of my family!
If I can ever get off this blog today my agenda is to: get the laundry done so we can stay clothed for our trip, buy extra dog and cat food so the neighbors can keep them alive for us while we are away, pack 5 suitcases for 9 days of travel, fill the gas tank up (that is the scariest part of the day!!!) and clean this house so we don't have to come back to any messes! The best part is I have 3 little girl helpers, so we're planning to turn off the tv, shut off the computer and turn up the stereo and jam out while we get after all these dustbunnies and such.
OK, that's our plans for today- I know not so fun, but the trip will make it all worthwhile.. I'll make sure I get LOTS of photos to share when we get back.

Blueberry photos

2008-06-25T18:35:00.003-04:00

Just beginning ...
Katelynn said "look at this whopper mom"
Aren't they pretty?
I peeked in on these little ones...
Aren't they just little helpless things?..I'm sure momma was close by

It was a fun day out with family.

BLUEBERRIES

2008-06-25T18:24:00.005-04:00

Blueberry picking is a great family activity to do. We have friends here who have a huge orchard of them and we go once a year and pick as much as we want and can use. We went last weekend and since then I've eaten blueberries every day, in pancakes, in ice cream, on cheesecake... oh it's great to have an excuse to have to eat cheesecake and ice cream :)... you know... "we've got to have something to put blueberries on, so they don't go bad"....

Anyway, we went and also took one of Rachel's friends who was spending the night with us. Here are some fun photos of our trip- also we heard a bunch of ruckus by some bushes and went to check it out and found 4 little baby birds in a nest- of course me with my camera, had to impose on them for just a moment while I took a couple pictures. I don't think they minded but they did look awfully hungry, but oh soooo cute!!

OK IT WON'T LET ME POST THE PHOTOS. HAS ANYONE HAD THIS PROBLEM? WHEN I HIT THE ADD IMAGE ICON ON TOP IT GIVES ME AN ERROR CODE THAT SAYS THIS:

When reporting this error to Blogger Support or on the Blogger Help Group, please:
Describe what you were doing when you got this error.
Provide the following error code and additional information.
bX-lp9vv
Additional information
blogID: 1329613153552816636host: www.blogger.comuri: /upload-image.g

THAT'S ALL I GET. I TRIED TO REPORT TO BLOGGER HELP PEOPLE, BUT CAN FIND NO WAY TO SEND THEM A MESSAGE... BLOGGING BUDDIES- PLEASE HELP....

Eeenie, Meenie, Minie, Mo....

2008-06-13T17:40:00.007-04:00

Katelynn loves to sit in my lap (THANK GOD- because it won't last!), anyway during our lap time last week we were talking about our toes and thought it would be a cute photo to have all our tootsies on camera as a reminder of that special time. Here's "toe" a fun time in your family!!

Hard day at work??

2008-06-13T17:40:00.003-04:00

My little sweet pea came to me this morning and said she was going to work! She had her fire helmet on and her police badge on her shirt. She said she was going to her morning job at the fire station and then her night job at the police station. She proceeded to go around the house arresting her sisters and then even her mom... can you believe it? Arrest me? For what? Feeding and bathing and nurturing this beautiful little soul ?!! Ha ha! Anyway..just thought I'd share with ya.

Honors for my sweeties!

2008-05-30T10:11:00.006-04:00

Samantha was honored with the school "Purchase Award", what this is, is her artwork was chosen as 1 of only 2 in the whole school (642 students) to be purchased by the school and put up in the main hallway for all time. We all were very excited about this one. They even gave her a check for it, so she was excited about the money! Samantha also got the Citizenship Award in her class, the Top Honors in Math, and the Principal's Award for all A's all Year. Samantha we are extremely proud of you and know that you will continue to be a beautiful, bright, sweet, helpful girl to your family, friends and teachers in the years to come.

Rachel received a handful of honors as well. Rachel received 9 awards, they were: Top Honors in Math, Social Studies, Language/English, Science, Art, Health, Chorus, All A's all Year and Student of the Year! We were so proud as you can imagine. She has always been smart and won honors, but to get the top honors in every class she had, in her first year of the "dreaded/hard" middle school....well let's just say I had the bigget smile in that auditorium on Honor's day!! Rachel you are a beautiful, smart, outstanding young lady and I look forward to spending the rest of my life honoring you like you honor us!

Ok- here is the party/socialite girl... wonder where she got that from... if you know me, you know it's not from my side of the family :) This is the end of the year pre-K party/luau and Katelynn was like the "leader of the pack" when it came to the hawaain dancing and music. I guess she follows her sisters leads in performing. That's my little blond in the front of the photo with her hips twisted out and her juice box in hand... so hilarious! We love you little bug!! Congrats on graduating pre-K!

Last week was the end of school for the summer. That's ALWAYS a good thing for everyone teachers, students, parents, PTA presidents :) YIPPEE! But I wanted to share with you what my 2 eldest girls (the 3rd was just in pre-K) earned this year while in school. (I TRIED TO GET THIS PARAGRAPH AT THE TOP OF THE BLOG, BUT FOR SOME REASON, WHEN I ADD PICTURES IT MOVES MY WRITING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG- DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS?? IF SO, PLEASE LET ME KNOW) THANKS!!!

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T21:24:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share my photos from the Mother/Daughter banquet that my girls and I attended this past weekend in North Carolina with my mom. I'm so lucky to be just 5 hours away from my parents that a quick trip is so worth it to get to spend time with them.

Mom you are the best mom ever and I love you and thank you for a fun and busy weekend filled with some of my most favorite things: You, my girls and garage sales :) HA HA!!

New (yet the same) ME

2008-05-05T23:10:00.002-04:00

Well I've been fighting with my hair color for about a year now. I finally got it about right with the help of none other than....my hubby :) YUP you heard it here, he fixes cars, re-builds tractors and you got it, he colors my hair... (DON'T Tell him I told you). Anyway, I'm finally happy with the new shade (it's actually a hint darker than in the photo) and so I took a picture of myself tonight. On top of that I have to add that I have lost 16 pounds since 1/1 of this year and it's been VERY slow going, but I can see a difference and I hope to keep at it, slowly but surely is my motto- ha ha!!

8 is great!!

2008-05-05T22:42:00.001-04:00

My middle sweetie has turned 8 years old! On Saturday she turned another year older and I wanted to share some birthday photos with you. We had a birthday party with invited friends from school. She got her first "webkinz" so we will have to be experimenting with that- I hear that all the kids just love them, we got a new pool ( a bigger one) so there was plenty of room for all the excited party guests and the day was sunny and about 80 degrees so all and all it was a perfect day and Sammy had a ton of fun :)...

WE LOVE YOU SAMANTHA- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

Can they be any cuter??

2008-04-25T18:27:00.003-04:00

These are the new additions. They are 5 weeks old this weekend. I'm hoping they will all have new homes by next weekend, but in the meantime, aren't they just cute to look at????

JINX? I hope not

2008-04-25T18:20:00.003-04:00

I'm probably asking for trouble by just writing this, but we have "scheduled" a date for tomorrow night..Pray, pray hard! Every time we've tried this in the last few months something has come up- children sick, bad weather, babysitter cancelled, whatever.. but this time I'm keeping my hopes up and praying that all goes smoothly!
I won tickets on the radio this week to a concert for an all girl band from Nashville called "Cowboy Crush", before this I'd never heard of them and honestly I still haven't. But I saw their billboard up in town and I checked them out a little on-line. They have opened up concerts for Travis Tritt, Lonestar and more, so I guess they can't be all that bad. Anyway, my husband and I are going to attempt a nice dinner before the concert and then head over to see the big event. We've got pretty good seats too, so again I'm just hoping for the best. I'll try taking some photos to share for later.

work, work, work

2008-04-17T20:47:00.003-04:00

Ok so did I ask for all this work? I guess the answer is yes. I'm just checking in with all my blogging buddies out there. I haven't been able to get on here lately because well I've been busy.
I've taken on another part time job, so now I have 2, in addition to my 3 children and very hard working hubby,2 dogs and now 7 cats!! (as in the previous email our mamma cat had 4 babies). Cats for free here in about 2 more weeks by the way... holla if you need a couple :)

I am still subbing at my girls school. I have been in my pre-K daughters classroom for the last 3 days and tomorrow I am subbing for a Kindergarten class. When it was time for me to leave my little one's class today, she had a meltdown. I guess she got a little too comfortable with me being her teacher in there so much this week. It was sad to have to walk away from her screaming, but I was on my way to my second job and I had to get out of there. My second job is as a receptionist/billing/secretary at a Cabinet shop. So this week I've worked 5 days and ya know what... I remember why I like being a stay at home mom!!! Maybe it's because you get to stay home and not have to "plan" things around work. However and this is a biggie- the paycheck is nice and I was so excited when I got my first one a few weeks ago. I told my husband "honey, this is my first check in over 7 years".. I was so excited.

Then this week I also agreed to sign on for one more year as the PTA president at the girls school. Am I glutten or what?? I guess this must be my innerself's way of coping with my littlest not being at home with me this year and now she's about to enter Kindergarten in August.. Time sure flies is one of the truest statements I've ever heard.

That's this mom's quick update in a nutshell. Goodnight to all :-)

5 minutes for mom

2008-04-10T10:25:00.003-04:00

Check out this site. It's full of helpful tips from beauty to parenting to contests, etc, etc... www.5minutesformom.com. Also click on this for a great prize giveaway: http://www.5minutesformom.com/3198/2weekstoys/. Have a great day!

Easter additions to the family

2008-03-24T16:23:00.003-04:00

Well Snickers (our momma cat) had 5 babies! She had 2 on Friday and then get this... the other 3 came yesterday afternoon (Easter)! You will only see 4 here in the photo as one of them didn't make it- but these four are really cute. I'm not a big cat person, but we do keep a couple outside (no indoor pets) to keep the snakes and such away. It actually does help because I've seen a couple snakes the cats have had for dinner- Ewww!!

Easter Day 2008

2008-03-24T16:07:00.003-04:00

Easter morning- girls are excited & not quite awake :)
In their dresses before church.
Mommy with her angels :) (ps. mom I found the dress)
The annual home egg hunt is about to begin-check out Katelynn's face!
I think my oldest thought it was Florida and 110 degrees out-
Katelynn made a perfect dyed egg..

HAPPY EASTER AND SPRING!

2008-03-22T12:45:00.001-04:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Spring...ERRR.."Shoe" Cleaning!

2008-03-20T09:05:00.004-04:00

I decided yesterday to start a little spring cleaning of my playroom and our shoes. I knew it would be a task to go through our shoes because well I just can't remember the last time it was done... so I enlisted the help of my middle child (Samantha) and she gladly said "Give me a challenge" :) Little did she know...

It started out pretty simple- only a few pair in this closet...

Then to the hanging shoe rack- it really did have a purpose....

then she looked at the "shoe box (aka..toy box-works great)" & said "this can't be that many"....
The sorting begins.... (sorry this one is blurry)
Oh my... Samantha come back!!! Looks like she's trying to crawl away..
Oh we forgot the laundry room.....

Well the final count.... 103 pair!!!!! in the play room only!!!!!!!!!!!! That doesn't count the laundry room, the closet photo and I just forgot I didn't check the girls bedroom closets- I know there are probably a total of about 15 more in those 2 closets!! YIKES! Shoes anyone??? :0)

HAPPY SPRING CLEANING!!

Fun in the Sun

2008-03-17T16:19:00.009-04:00

Snickers (the one on the right) is VERY pregnant right now. She should have them any time- the cat beside her is her son from the previous litter.

Katelynn wants to be like big sister and play ball next year.

Just wanted to share some photos taken yesterday in the beautiful weather (It was about 75 and sunny!!). Everyone wanted to be outside and that's just what we did - enjoying some family time- pets included :)

Love & Logic-

2008-03-13T16:04:00.004-04:00

This is another post regarding the parenting class I was involved in today. It was titled "Love and Logic". I just want to give some quotes from the book and/or dvd that this comes from and you take what you want/need from it:

"Love allows children to grow through their mistakes. Logic allows them to live with the consequences of their choices."
4 principles: 1) shared control- parents gain control by giving away the control they don't need. 2) shared thinking and decision making- parents provide opportunities for children to do the greatest amount of thinking and decision-making. 3) equal shares of consequences and empathy- an absence of parental anger causes a child to think and learn from his or her mistakes. 4) maintaining a child's self concept- improved self-concept leads to improved behavior and improved achievement.

Most of you know most of this and so do I, but it helps me to write it and read it to remember some basic principles.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-09T17:01:00.002-04:00

SNOW- yes we had snow- in March- in GEORGIA!! Hope you enjoy the slide. This was yesterday (3/8).

Good Job Honey!!

2008-03-05T21:46:00.003-05:00

To my honey, who probably won't read this, but I want to share good news. Bill has lost 20 lbs in 2 months! YEAH- I'm proud of him and I know he will loose more if he puts his mind to it. I can already tell he's lost it in his stomach and face.
I was down 2 more pounds this morning but my actual weigh in is tomorrow morning so I'll write again tomorrow night and let you know how I did. By my scales at home I've lost about 12 1/2 pounds. Instead of sitting on the couch watching tv tonight- I stood up and did stretches, jumping jacks and lunges while watching. It only lasted about 15 minutes, but it was better than sitting doing nothing. I also walked 1.2 miles today by myself which was a stretch because usually I need someone to motivate me to go with them, also this week my friend talked me into going to the gym with her and when it was time to go, she got called to work (sub) so she couldn't go- guess what i still went- in the POURING rain and storms I might add. I just feel better about these changes I've made this week and I needed to put it in writing. I hope everyone else is having a good week and if not then I hope this motivates you to get up and get moving. Stretch those muscles, play with the kids/grandkids, "walk" to the mailbox instead of drive, pick the farthest parking space outside the store etc, etc.. Goodnight.

Dating do's and don'ts

2008-03-03T12:02:00.004-05:00

1. Do plan ahead... 2. Do stay close to home... 3. Do leave # for sitter... And in our case DON'T believe you'll actually get a real date out of it all!

Well if you read my last blog you remember that we were going on a "redneck date"... well plans change- on the way there I remind my wonderful hubby that we need to be home by at least 10:30 (we left at 4:45) because this is the time he told me to tell the sitter. When I told him this, he said "you know it's an hour to the race and by the time we get there and watch a little, we won't get to stay for the "main" race of the night".....( UGH!!!!) is how I am feeling at this point! So he says let's just go eat and see a movie (which we haven't seen a movie at the actual theater together in probably 12 years!). So ok, I'm kind of liking the "new" date plans as getting covered in dirt from the race track would not have been good for my new black suede shoes I chose to wear :) So we head to a seafood and steak restaurant that we have been told is really on the high dollar side but lucky me, I won a gift card there for $25.00 so this should cover at least half of it... I hope! So we get there, order our extremely expensive meal and just enjoy each other's company. Oh I forgot to mention that 5 minutes before the sitter arrived my middle child had thrown up! Yes I called the sitter and said that we would stay home because it's just not meant to be that we have a date (see previous blogs), but she said "no, it's not a problem, I'm sure she will be fine">>> little did she know. So anyway back to our food. I slipped off to the restroom at the end of the meal and when I returned my wonderful hubby (didn't I call him that already??- oh well it's pretty much true) had ordered desert- now if you have never tried "FRIED CHEESE CAKE with vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzled over the top"...OH MY-find it right now I promise you it's a must have!! I said, what's it going to cost us $8.00 per slice and he said no, only $6.00...so I was so relieved (NOT), but then he said well I ordered one for each of us....URGH!! But anyway I have to say that was the extremely BEST part of the evening!! So, we get to the movie theater, I tell Bill that I really need to call home before we sit down to this movie just to check on my little one and make sure she is no longer ill. He is reluctant to call, but says ok. Babysitter says "she's not hungry for dinner, but says she feels fine"... in my mind I know "I'm not hungry" means my stomach is just not right... so babysitter says - all ok, enjoy the movie. We buy the tickets, we stand in line for drink, get to front of line, order and "RING, RING"... it's my cell phone.. "Miss Tammy... Samantha just threw up and she wants her mommy".... so much for the movie, but at least I got my fried cheese cake and the $9.00 each we saved on the movie was much better spent paying the sitter for cleaning up the mess if you know what I mean!
Long story short (not really), It's just not meant to be that hubby and I have a "real date night"... don't get me wrong, we will try again....someday.... but it will be a while! Send me your date mishaps and comments, I'd love to hear them!

Redneck Date???

2008-02-29T16:25:00.002-05:00

Bill called me and said "hey honey, how about a redneck date".... of course I am thinking well we missed our special anniversary date last weekend so why not try for this weekend... So I called the sitter and she said "YES!!!!" AMEN!! So, although it's not the Olive Garden, we are going out tomorrow night to the race track in Alabama. No, it's not the Daytona 500... it's a DIRT track so I guess that constitutes his description of a "redneck date"??? Anyway, I'll try to take pictures and let you know how it goes. Any date is better than none, right........????? :-)

Anniversary update

2008-02-27T11:52:00.005-05:00

Hi all,

Thank you for your wonderful opinions and thoughts on our 13th anniversary. I'm writing to tell you that we did what we usually do and that is go out and eat. But I chose the place "Olive Garden", my most favorite ever place!! And yes we took the girls with us, and our dinner conversation consisted of where we were going on vacation (by ourselves) so we had a little peace in that we had hopes of someday having a long weekend away with a little quiet, and I realize that may sound a little selfish- but you must understand that we live in a state with no family near us. Most people are blessed that they have close relatives near by that they can just drop their kids off on the spur of the moment or on a much needed night out. I have to say though as the days past right after our anniversary I got to thinking more and more that I'm glad my children were with me at that dinner, because there won't be a lot more years I'm sure that they are all little and all at one place at one time to celebrate this occasion with us- so I'm thankful for the chance to have them here while I can!! Here is a quick photo of Bill and I at the restaurant and one of my youngest, Katelynn, who loves to get dressed up and is always ready to smile for the camera!

Bathroom battle

2008-02-24T09:06:00.002-05:00

Oh I SOOOOOO thought I was out of the wiping hiney stage and I know I am we are just having a setback, but I need some wise council from all you moms out there on how to handle the 4 year old holding it in. For the last week she has been on this thing where she is holding in her poopie, which therefore leads to messes in panties and constant wiping and cleaning dried up (well you know) off the forementioned hiney. I'm extremely tired of doing this- to say the least and she refuses to stop. Nothing I've done so far to persuade her to start being a big girl again has helped, so send me your smart saves here and I'll be ever so grateful!!!

Update

2008-02-23T09:30:00.002-05:00

Hi all- just a quick update. We received notice last night that the school has discovered who wrote that on the wall and are handling the situation. Thank you for your prayers!

No Brainer- Or NOT???

2008-02-22T15:36:00.002-05:00

Ok, I thought I knew right away what my answer was and I'm still pretty sure I know what it is- but let me toss this out there into cyber space and see what your opinions are. Here in our area today they are very opinionated among the people at school and I'd like to hear what you have to say.
Last night we received a phone call from the Superintendant of schools for our county (One of the very best in the state I might add!) that there had been "a situation" at my daughter's middle school and they needed to make us aware. The message stated that 2 females had found the message "IF YOU THINK VIRGINIA TECH WAS BAD JUST WAIT TILL FEBRUARY 28TH", written on the girls bathroom wall. Immediately procedures were being implimented to secure the school, police were called in to make searches, K9 sniffing dogs were brought in and paraded around, cell phones were confiscated to check students text messages to see if anyone had "talked" about the message they had left, etc, etc. The phone message went on to say that school will remain open on the 28th, and they are confident they are doing everything in their power to find the person(s) who wrote this disgusting threat and get to the bottom of it.
My first instinct and my husbands and daughter's was that she will be absent next Thurs, the 28th, no matter what. I can only hope and pray that this was someone's cruel sick joke and that no real threat is pending. I ask that you pray for Harris County Middle school and the student that wrote this message. I truly hope that this person comes forward and admits their error and begs forgiveness. I believe in prayer and know that the more we have the better!
So, what would you do- send them to school knowing that God will protect them or keep them home just to be even more on the safe side? I'm sure the parents of Virginia Tech students didn't expect their day to end like that and they had no warnings......

Anniversary to-do's.....

2008-02-21T22:29:00.005-05:00

Ok, I need help. My one and only babysitter has cancelled on me 2 days before I planned our 13 year anniversary dinner and night out date.. Yes I said "I" planned it-- see Bill doesn't know how to do these things! Anyway back to the subject... i need some creative help from my many dear sisters out there of things to do on your 13th anniversary with 3 kids in tow. If I can get at least 13 ideas, maybe i can use one of them!! So show me what your creative, talented minds can do and send me your best options.... After the weekend is over I'll let you know how it went.

Working mommy

2008-02-14T15:57:00.002-05:00

Hi all-
I just wanted to tell you that today was my first day as a substitute at the girls school. I really enjoyed it and now remember why I always wanted to be a teacher.. Maybe I'll have to go back to school .... oh honey......
Anyway, they've asked me back for tomorrow, so we'll hope that tomorrow is a little more productive. I told Bill when they called me this morning that "so sorry but no laundry done today" and he said "that's ok- you're a working woman now"... so I guess that means I'm free of laundry tomorrow too-- not!! It will have to be done or we will be walking around stinkin :)
Hope everyone has had a great Valentine's day!
Oh, and the para pro (teacher's asst.) only sent 4 of them to the principal's office today... YIKES!! I hope they act a little better tomorrow.
See ya!

STUCK IN A RUT!!

2008-02-11T20:21:00.001-05:00

Well I have to write because I need some motivation I guess. I'm stuck in a rut about this weight loss process. Here's the deal.. I do great during the week but when the weekend comes and it's time to go out to dinner (we don't always, but have the last 2 weekends), then I do horrible! The other thing is that I have a gym membership but it's 20 minutes there and 20 minutes back and it just cost too much in gas to go all that way. I know I need the work out and therefore the trip would be worth it to my body and health, but it would not be beneficial for my wallet to spend that much in gas to get there.
So I guess you can see where I'm at. I have lost 9 pounds but it's taken 1 and 1/2 months to do so. I do have to say, when I went for my annual checkup the other day the gyno said wow you've shed some pounds since last year... so that was a "aha" moment!
I guess I'm just wishing I had more will power and that I had more motivation. Any incentive or ideas you can give are always welcome!! Thanks!!

Rachel

2008-02-06T13:35:00.000-05:00

1st photo- Rachel is in center of shot, 2nd row down from top.

Rachel is in front left of the group of 5 standing.

Rachel out in front of GA performing arts center- Atlanta, GA.

Rachel in hotel room practicing her music. Daddy trying to join in on the fun. We told him to keep his day job :) ha ha.

I've had some of you asking how Rachel's concert went this weekend and I've just been lazy about getting it on here. So now, here it is. The performance was great. There were probably between 3500-4000 people in attendance. Rachel was 1 of 5 chosen out of about 500 students to perform in a solo part. She got to go to the front of the stage and sing with the other four. She did an awesome job if I do say so myself. We've been fortunate to be able to go and see her in these All State performances the last 2 years. I'm going to add some photos now, none of them were real close up because we just couldn't get closer while they were performing and they are a little dark in some shots, but at least you'll get the idea.

Blankie update

2008-02-05T21:49:00.000-05:00

To my friends- YIPPEE!!! We made it!!! When Katelynn got home from school today she said," mom I just want to get my blanket for a minute" and went to the garbage can, I then said, "no, it's yucky now (like it wasn't before ha)" and so she said ok! Then at bedtime, she looked up and said "mom I'm ok if you want to throw away all other blankets, I'm a big girl now and i just don't need it"- then she said oh and I want to be a girl scout when I turn 5. She was asleep in about 5 minutes, no crying- nothing!! YEAH!! Oh and I won't throw away others as they are for warmth- they are not a crutch like that pink one was. Good night!

BYE-BYE BLANKIE

2008-02-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

Ok, this morning was one of those times when you feel like your babies are leaving the nest, so to speak. Of course mine haven't left the nest, but they've left the womb and they are not too many years away from flying the coop, or is that me that fly's the coop?? ha ha

We have been telling Katelynn (4 years old) for a long time now that her pink blanket needs to go. One time I did manage to take it away (not get rid of it- but hide it) for a whole week, but then I had to go out of town and felt that she definitely would need it while I was gone, so it found it's way back into her hands. A couple months later "pink blankie " got lost in Walmart- I tried and tried to find it and even went back the next day, but no such luck- I guess because of the stains, holes, and smells Walmart didn't feel that it belonged on their shelf and so it must have been tossed. Well the next day Katelynn was telling one of my friends about her "loss" and lo and behold my friend's daughter had the same EXACT pink blankie that she no longer used and offered it to Katelynn-(her's was in MUCH better condition though). So of course Katelynn was in heaven now that she had "her" blankie back again.
Well last night I tried to take it one more time- you would have thought that the world fell in or that an alligator bit her or something (YES can you picture that!!). I have never seen a child cry so badly. Mommy (me) was trying to reason with Katelynn on why this smelly, torn, stained piece of cloth was no longer good and just that at 4 years old she didn't need it. Daddy in the background is giggling because of Katelynn's response and then he gives me this look like "just one more night"... SO, because I must save this child from going to school today with bloodshot eyes and swollen cheeks I give in, but tell Katelynn that she may have this one more night but that is it- absolutely it will go bye bye tomorrow (Today)! She said, "yes mommy, just this night and that is all".
This morning as I was trying to get Rachel out to the bus, fix lunches, etc., here comes Katelynn out of her room, still in her jammies with pink blankie in hand, she turns the corner into the kitchen with the walk of being on a mission, she says "I have something to do and gives the biggest sigh I've heard ever from her", she gets to the trashcan and yes you guessed it... SHE DUMPS BLANKIE IN!!! It took everything I had not to cry. I was both proud of her and sad for her at the same time- do you know that feeling???? If you are a mom (or dad) I'm sure you do. Anyway, I immediately fell to my knees and hugged her and didn't want to let go. By the way- she was totally fine, she said that it was the last night and now it needed to go.... OH MY!! How big and brave she was!
I wish I was prepared for such a morning and had camera in hand, but of course I didn't, so all I can do is blog this to you so you can share in Katelynn's accomplishment and mommy's disbelief.
If you wonder why you spent all this time reading this blog about a blankie- maybe, just maybe it's because you are a mom and you know those moments that touch your heart and soul.
To everyone reading, please have a blessed day and hope for the best at bedtime tonight in this household!

WOOOHOOO

2008-02-04T07:13:00.001-05:00

YEAH!! NY GIANTS!!!

Soloist in the family??!!

2008-01-31T17:11:00.000-05:00

Rachel just got home and told me that her Chorus teacher nominated her today for a solo part this weekend at the Georgia Performing Arts Center (in front of those THOUSANDS I was telling you about in the previous blog)!! Please pray for her as she is very nervous now. I know that if she is invited to do the solo once we get there she will be great at it, but I know she will be extremely nervous as well.
Thanks! Tammy

1 lb down and counting!!

2008-01-31T12:48:00.000-05:00

Well It's official- my first weigh in at school this morning. I was down 1 pound - which is definitely better than none, so I'm pleased. Actually not to brag or boast but to be proud of is that I have lost 8 pounds since January 1st- it's just this week that I started with the weighing in group at school. I've also been praying to God that I am committed to this and I'm very thankful for all the support that he gives and all my friends and family give. It's amazing. This weekend may be a challenge though as we are going to Atlanta and that means a lot of eating out. I know what is right and wrong and so therefore I know I can hopefully stay on track.
Speaking of Atlanta, we are heading there because my oldest daughter, Rachel (11 years old) is performing at the Georgia Performing Arts Center with the All State Chorus. She was one of just three people chosen from her school to go this year! This is her 2nd year in a row to be honored with the title of All State Chorus student and we are very,very proud of her. She does have a beautiful voice and God is allowing her to use it and share with others (thousands!!!!! this weekend). Hopefully I'll have lots of photos to post on Monday. Until then, everyone have a fabulous weekend!!

BIGGEST LOSER

2008-01-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

Haven't you always wanted the title "Biggest Loser"?... well I haven't but now I do. Many of you probably have seen the show "Biggest Loser", well I'm on it now... JUST KIDDING!!!! No, that wasn't me in the spandex-PLEASE!!! But I have joined the "Biggest Loser" group of women at the school where I volunteer in PTA to see who can loose the most weight and percentage of body fat in 11 weeks and change their eating habits and way of life!

I'm writing to tell you this for 2 reasons, One, because I believe that if I have things like this in writing, it holds me more liable to do what I say I'm going to do and Two I can use all the encouragment you can possibly dole out. We are doing it for 11 weeks because that is how long we have until Spring Break and you know everyone wants to look better in those bathing suits! There are 25 of us signed up.

So I'm off to a good start today, I've been walking around my fields, I'm on my 2nd bottle of water and I have eaten pretty lightly. Dinners are my struggle to keep on track, so please pray that I have the will power to follow through with this plan.

I know I can do it if I put my mind to it. Hey I just made a rhyme and wasn't even trying :) See good things are happening already.

P.S. There is no photo because I dislike my photo right now, but maybe in 11 weeks if I'm feeling happier about my picture you may just get a peek-- wait and see :)

Snowy Day In Georgia

2008-01-20T14:06:00.001-05:00

The weather man was right, IT SNOWED, however he wasn't totally on top of it. The snow stopped just 10 miles North of my house! After waiting very patiently all day in the house watching out the window for that first flake, getting the girls all dressed warmly and getting out the gloves, hats, etc, even at one point, going outside and doing a "snow chant/dance"... they came up with "we want snow, we want snow, we want snow" over and over and over again... finally mommy and daddy said, "Girls get ready we are going to go ride until we find it"... so that we did, fortunately like I said it was only about 10 minutes or so North of us so we didn't have far to go and boy were the girls thrilled--- and honestly so was I because the "snow chant" was getting a little old!! As you will see in a couple of these photos Samantha and daddy had little snow ball fights and I'll have to say that Samantha's 2 years playing baseball has given her quite the arm.. daddy was "creamed" a couple times, however don't let that fool ya, he got hold of her one last time and well her back is still cold :)

Hope you enjoy the photos.. Happy Snowing!!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-08T11:50:00.001-05:00

Picnic in January????

2008-01-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

Well I wanted to post this last week when I took it but the kids have been out of school and we have been busy- so there is the excuse, now the photo... It was 35 degrees out when this picture was taken but the girls felt they must have a picnic in the front yard- I had to force the jackets on, but they had fun and the little bit of chill didn't bother them at all. Isn't it always fantastic when they come up with a mutual idea that they all agree on and have fun with, even if they were getting frostbite?! Anyway... enjoy the photo and your day!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-01-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to say Happy New Year to all my friends and family! Bill didn't make it past 10:00pm New Years Eve but I did, as always. I love to ring in the New Year and this year I let Rachel and Samantha stay up with me so that was even more special. Although the lack of sleep Samantha got did not make for a totally fun event. Anywhoo... Hope everyone had a great New Year celebration and that you all have a very blessed year in whatever you choose to do. I choose to loose weight so wish me lots of luck.

A good storm

2007-12-30T11:37:00.000-05:00

Don't you love a good storm? Last night it began to rain, that nice steady rain that's easy to sleep to. Well after we were in bed, the thunder began- and this wasn't your everyday Florida afternoon thunder, this was a house shaking thunder. It felt like it was sitting right on our roof. One of these booms woke our whole crew this morning and then I laid in my bed and just listened to all the "little voices" coming from the opposite end of the house. What a wonderful noise that is when they don't know you are listening. The little giggles, the soft whispers and then "WOW did you see that crack of lightening"... Finally the lightening and thunder and pouring rain have stopped but the puddles (or should I say the heavy stream) going across the front yard is just a reminder of how thankful we are too have this rain finally in Georgia.
There is not really a major point to this blog, just jotting down my thoughts on the storm and the rain and those oh so wonderful little "noises" you can hear when you really try!
Enjoy your day!

Girly, Girl

2007-12-30T11:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I told Katelynn to pick what she wanted to wear for the day and told her it could be whatever she wanted and to surprise me. Well I expected...well I'm not sure what I expected but it wasn't "normal"... I figured, mismatch or dress up play clothes, etc... well what she chose was her new outfit from Christmas (from Nina and Papa), along with her new purse, bracelet and ring she got from Rachel. She made sure that I knew that she was "fashionable" and she said "Now you need to take my picture"... I just thought it was cute so I wanted to share.. Future career: fashion designer, model....?????

P.S. Today she just walked in with her shorts and John Deere Camo shirt on. She wanted to impress her daddy today :)

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-25T18:52:00.001-05:00

Christmas photos

2007-12-25T18:21:00.001-05:00

Hi there. Just wanted to share some photos from last night and today. The girls put on a "production" for us last night and it was really cute. Today they all had fun opening gifts and just spending time playing. Hope everyone had a great day! Love to all!!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-23T16:55:00.001-05:00

More Free Graphics at pYzam.com

Why I love my job!

2007-12-20T16:26:00.000-05:00

This is why I love being a "stay at home" mommy! I get to go to class activities and see expressions like this on my daughter's face.

She received a new book in a book exchange in her class yesterday and the look she had was priceless!

Christmas already??

2007-12-16T19:53:00.000-05:00

OK- This is just a warning- your cards and gifts may be late. I have no idea where this month has went or for that matter where this year has went. Ok wait yes I do- it's went to my new title at school which is PTA President. I have been so busy that my home life has been on hold for a while now. I cleaned my bathroom floor this weekend and found things that well I can't even mention on here... let's just say I can see the grout again and Bill is a very happy man now that the bathroom smells better and shimmers just a bit. I am so glad that the girls are out of school for almost 3 weeks at Christmas because it will also be like a vacation for me, not having to go to school. Don't get me wrong I love doing the volunteer work that I do but it's sooooo time consuming and I've found that it's way more than I wanted to sign up for. Anyway back to the point of this post - I can't believe it's just 10 days till Christmas- I love each of you but wanted to let you know that I'm definitely behind on my "Christmas duties" this year. I just got my cards made up yesterday, now to get them all addressed and mailed .... I hope that doesn't take until next Christmas. On top of this, I took Katelynn to urgent care today and she was diagnosed with pink eye. She's now on antibiotics, and my eye is itching and running, so lets pray that I don't come down with it as well.
HO, HO, HO and Merry Christmas and I hope that you receive my card in time to wish you a fantastic new year... if not... well then here it is... my wish to you for a fantastic new year and a very, very Merry Christmas filled with lots of love and wonderful memories!!

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-06T19:59:00.001-05:00

The girls and I got to visit Fantasy In Lights this year at Callaway Gardens. We went last night and I wanted to share our photos from it. This yearly event is held in Pine Mountain Georgia and it showcases over 8,000,000(8 million) lights throughout the gardens. They are on the golf course, in the trees, on the lakes, on the bridges, etc.. It is a beautfiul site! We took the "jolly trolley" ride through the gardens/lights and it took about an hour to travel through it. Other than being extremely (!!!!) cold, it's a wonderful time and I encourage anyone who has not been before to make the trip and visit. It's just 30 minutes from my house so if you need a place to stay..... :) I'd be happy to make arrangements.

Hope you enjoy the slide. Goodnight!

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

I figured out the slide show... YEAH!!!

2007-12-01T20:56:00.001-05:00

I'm hoping if I put Christmas colors on my background of the blog that maybe that will help me believe that I'll see snow this year... what do you think??? I know, I know, wishful thinking - but it did happen 6 years ago and I've got lots of pictures to prove it! If I see it here this year I'll post some shots to share with you :)

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-12-01T16:58:00.000-05:00

This is what my Thanksgiving usually looks like every year- of course the # of children has continued to grow yearly it seems.

Anyway, as you see my dad with his nice 8 point that he (rescued from the wilderness) on Thanksgiving morning bright and early. I think, no I take that back, I know that is why my home seems to be the stopping point for Thanksgiving dinner every year. See it all starts out with the men rising early to venture into the woods in search of "the big one"... well this year my dad was lucky enough to be blessed with one finding it's way towards my dad's hunting stand/blind. It's about time dad :-)

Next, they come home to clean up and the women are working away in the kitchen. Mom you are my hero because basically you do it all- beginning with driving down here all the way from North Carolina bright and early. I am so lucky to have you on this day with us every year because otherwise we might be hitting the "Country Skillet" for t-day and you know how I feel about that place :-)

Anyway I wanted to send just a few photos of our special day this year. I tried to make it a slide-show but failed to figure out how to do it..... maybe I can get help from sis-in-law on this one :)

One photo is of my brother and I and all our children- yes the 2 of us, have 9 children total! Casey having the majority of that # of course! The other photo is "Nina and Papa" with all those wonderful grandchildren and the other is dad with "his" Thanksgiving gift.

May you all have had great memories of your Thanksgiving like I am blessed to have from mine!

2007-11-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

Contrary to popular belief.... they do get along once and a while! The girls were having a fun moment pretending to be driving cars so I snapped this photo. It's amazing to me to look back at pictures and see how quickly they are growing. It's weird to not have a "baby" anymore. I'm learning more each day how fast these years with them go by and to be honest I wish I could slow it down and/or get some of it back! Just another reminder of things I am thankful for this year!

2007-11-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

Recently my niece Kelsi was able to visit and this photo is of her eating a picnic lunch with her cousins. They all have a great time when they get together with family! Family is so special and I hope it's at the top of your lists this holiday season of things to be thankful for. I know I'm very blessed to have a wonderful family and I am proud to have them all in my life! Hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving full of lots of fun, family and friendship!!

2007-11-11T09:32:00.000-05:00

This is a photo of my 3 precious girls. It's a few months old but for those that haven't seen them in a while this might help. They are defintely a hand full but I love that they each have their own ways and that I can be there for them. Rachel is now in 6th grade and has just been chosen to go to All State Chorus again this year- her performance is in Atlanta on February 2nd, 2008 if anyone is close by :). Samantha is in 2nd grade and getting straight A's. She is my outdoor girl- she could ride her 4 wheeler for hours and hours at a time. She went hunting with daddy for the first time a couple weeks ago and had a good time. No deer, but that's ok! Katelynn is my baby (at 4 years old)- oh my... she is trying to become Samantha I think... what that means is she has Samantha's attitude (sometimes not so good), loves to get her own way and most often does. She is in pre-Kindergarten this year and really loves her day at school. Anyway that's a little tidbit of info on my sweeties. I hope you all are having a great day and I hope mine will continue to be blessed by having my hands full!!

2007-11-04T12:01:00.000-05:00

Hi all. I have finally made it to the current technical mishmash you all call blogging. I hope I can figure it out and I look forward to communicating with all you wonderful family and friends on here.
Let me know if you get this and I'll be updating the "site" I guess you call it very soon. I guess I need to post a few photos to start with. I'm excited about this adventure and I'll "chat" with you soon.
Love to everyone! Tammy M