Myers Menage

Sharese Casteen, 1961-2009

2009-08-29T02:57:00.000-07:00

The morning was supposed to go something like this...

Sharese's dad (Mr. Allen) was to drop off her mom (Mrs. Bennie) to relieve me from Monday night's night shift at hospice while he took Sharese's niece (Ashley) to the airport to catch her flight back to Hong Kong.

But, as we know, sometimes God has other plans...

Just before they arrived, literally right before they walked in the room, Sharese took her last breath. Being there for her death was not nearly as difficult as being there for her mom afterward. Mr. Allen had to leave to take Ashley to the airport. They were going to try to get her on a later flight (which they did). I stayed with Mrs. Bennie and later took her home. What do you say to a mother who's just lost her child? The rest of us saw a 48 year-old woman, Mrs. Bennie was looking at her baby. I wasn't going to pretend to know what she was feeling. She kept saying she would have traded places with her, that a parent should never have to bury a child.

I've never felt such conflicting feelings at one time. I was so very sad by Sharese's passing and my heart was just broken for the family but, at the same time, I was excited for Sharese that she was finally out of pain and had a new and perfect body. Her hands and feet are no longer crippled from the effects of rheumatoid arthritis, she no longer hurts from the excruciating pain she endured for so many weeks before God took her home.

Sharese was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 15. Through the years she also developed rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, a liver disease and within the last year MSRA, a staph infection that would never be completely cleared.

My thoughts and prayers are with her family now as they must adjust to life without her.

Sharese planned her own funeral. She chose her own dress, asked specific people to do her make-up and hair and wrote her own obituary. She only chose one song to be played at her funeral and it could not have been more appropriate. I can't yet listen to it, it's just too hard, but I thought others might enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-k-RhPhJhc&feature=related

Another Birthday!!

2009-08-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my hubby, Mike!! He turns a young 35 today and still looks just as good, dare I say better, than the day we met! We will be celebrating with a family dinner on Saturday (following Matthew's party). Here's a few pix of him. See our boys' likeness in any of them?

6 years old

senior pic

with our first born

Happy Birthday Baby!! I love you!!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

2009-08-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

Our baby turns 11 today!! Where has the time gone? In 5 short years, he'll be driving!!
I can't remember what we ever did before he came along. It must have been pretty boring. Matthew was so much fun when he was little. He had all these faces he used to make (as you will see below) and it was sometimes impossible to get a decent picture! He's always been pretty independent, insisting on doing everything himself quite early on. "Me do it." I must have heard that thousands of times!! He's still very independent and acts like an adult when he gets off by himself without Tanner. Matthew is a thinker. He analyzes everything and asks lots of questions. He struggles with school I think only because it's confining to him. He has bigger ideas! He's very hands-on and likes to figure things out for himself. He loves taking things apart and trying to figure out how they work. He's very intelligent, it's just not always reflected on paper!

Here are a few (ok, many) pics of Matthew through the years. I know it's a lot but how do you narrow down baby pictures?

This is Matthew about a month ago. He chose this picture for his 'now' pic so I went with it. He didn't want his picture taken this morning. I still see my little baby boy when I look at him.
Matthew's birthday party is not until Saturday. I didn't want his actual birthday to pass as just another day so I made his favorite chocolate chip muffins for breakfast and put a candle in it. Tanner and I each made him a handmade card and sang Happy Birthday to him before he blew out his candle.

O.K., time to get out the tissue!

Here is Matthew and I just minutes after he was born. It's not the most flattering of myself but I love it 'cause it's our first picture together. Though he was 9lbs. 1 oz. when he was born, he still seemed so small and fragile to me at the time.

Random pics along the way...

This was the day of his first birthday party. He was walking already! Every time I tried to take a picture, he kept walking toward me.

There was a period of time, probably about a year, that Matthew always wore a hat. We would bathe him and put his pjs on and he would go to his room and put on a hat. Oh, the struggles we had trying to get him to take his hat off for church! It's funny now, but it wasn't at the time!

I don't know what this look is for but I love it!

This is Matthew's very first haircut. He was almost 14 months old. I've often regretted getting those curls cut off so early but everyone thought he was a girl!

Look at that sweet face!!

Christmas picture.

This is Mike's favorite picture of Matthew, so I had to post it. Mike had built this 'souped up' engine for a friend and one night they sat Matthew on it and he just made this perfect face! I recently took out the reflection marks on his face and had this blown up to poster size and framed it for Mike to hang in his shop. He loves it!

I don't know why, I just like this pic. He'd been out helping daddy. He had his work boots on and, of course, a hat!

This is when he was in the hospital to have tubes in his ears. This is one of those faces we could never get a picture without! And, of course, he had his hat on at the hospital (and his Elmo shoes).

Here he is in my hospital bed as we were packing up to head home with Tanner. As you can see, he is not really interested in his new little brother, but rather what's on TV! Some things never change! :)

This is another pic I just love. No reason.

This is his new harmonica and he played that thing day and night for a little while until it finally, to our delight, fizzled out. And, what little boy can play a harmonica without a hat on? It just wouldn't sound the same!

I have always thought he looked so old in this picture and it was taken 2 years ago. We went to Wal-mart to get his film developed and he noticed he had one picture left so I took a picture of him. It's turned out to be one of my favorites. Isn't he handsome?

This is Matthew at Graceland inside the Sirius Radio studio. This was just this past November.

They grow up so quickly! While I miss him being little, I have come to appreciate every new stage in his life. Seems like each new phase becomes my favorite. I can't wait to see what year 11 has in store!!

Treasure Chest!

2009-07-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

My in-laws gave me this old trunk that they have had and weren't using. It had been in storage for years. It was locked and no one had the key or combination but I figured I could take it to a locksmith and get it opened, not really caring if it ever locked back again. Well, I finally called the locksmith today. On top of being extremely rude, he told me that it couldn't be opened without drilling the lock and he couldn't guarantee that my chest wouldn't be damaged. It's an old chest and it's pretty scuffed up but I didn't want a hole in the front of it!
Discouraged, I got online to see if I could learn how to pick the locks. I looked up how to find a combination and how to pick a lock since it had both locks. Would you believe I got it open? No damage to trunk, popped right open!!
Here's the lock I picked:
The trunk, opened in all its glory!

No one knew what was inside since it has never been opened since Mike's parents had it. Here's a few of the interesting things I found inside:

This is a tax bill from 1944 in Appling County (which is Baxley).

These are a couple of old patterns for ladies dresses and tops.

This is one of my favorite finds. It's a book for infant care. It has a stamp on it that reads: SINCERELY YOURS JOHN S. GIBSON M.C.

I think it must have been given to a new mother by her doctor maybe. It is quite interesting! It has a schedule to follow when you bring your baby home from the hospital. Pretty rigid!

It tells how to prevent tuberculosis and scurvy. It says to start teaching 'bladder control' at age 10 months, by giving the baby the chamber regularly!! It also tells you what to do to get ready for the visit from the doctor and how to travel with baby. It's fun to see just how much things have changed! If only doctors still made house calls instead of us having to sit in their offices for hours!

This is an old girl scout uniform.

This is fun, it's an old cheerleader uniform. The bloomers were also with it. Rah Rah!!

This is a tiny little book for children with scripture in it and an uncashed $50 check that someone had written to donate to a charity from the Methodist church. These were in one of the church's envelopes. The check is dated 1944.

There was also lots of cards and cutout newspaper articles as well as a good bit of fabric that I plan to wash and someday use for a quilt or something. The uniforms I'll keep in tact. There was also a bloomer bottom thing that looked like it might have went with a majorette outfit, I'm not sure.

What fun it was going through all these treasures! Now, what to do with everything? I need the trunk for storage!!

Disclaimer: I in no way advocate the picking of locks that do not belong to you!! :)

Goin' to get my babies!!!

2009-06-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

My babies have been gone since Monday. They went to my in-laws' an hour away to go to their church's vacation bible school this week. I'm going to pick them up this afternoon. As many of you know, this is the longest I have been without them. I'm doing ok. I've filled my week with lots of things to do, had people over and kept myself busy to make up for the loss in company. I guess since we homeschool I have just become so used to having them with me at all times that I really do miss them when they're gone. That doesn't mean they never drive me crazy or make me want to pull my hair out, but I must admit those times are rare.
While I sometimes, usually when going through pix, miss the cuteness of the baby stage, I really enjoy where they both are now. Seems like each new stage they get to I like even better than the one before. They are so fun to have conversation with now. Their thoughts and ideas amaze me sometimes! And, they never cease to crack me up daily!!
I thought I'd share a few of my favorite pix of them together.

A kiss from big brother. Tanner was only a few days old.

They may no longer look like babies to you, but they will always be my little babies! They are, by no means, perfect children, but I couldn't imagine our lives without them!

Soon-to-be winery

2009-06-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

Mike has built (is building) a building at a (soon to be) winery. It is hoping to be opened by late next year. They are in the process of finishing the main building which will house a tasting room, a banquest room upstairs as well as a balcony overlooking the vineyard. It is owned by a man whose family has owned the land for hundreds of years and it is so full of family history for him, he could (and will) talk for hours about it. He has all kinds of artifacts. He has the ledger books from the corner store his great (maybe another great) grandfather owned with the lists of people and what they purchased. It's pretty interesting. What's amazing is seeing how excited he gets talking about it, knowing he's probably told these same stories a hundred times! Here's a few pix of our visit.

There's a pond behind the main building. It's so peaceful and calming. There's a gazebo next to the pond that he hopes people will, one day, take advantage of for weddings. It's made from the wood from and old grits mill that was on the property.
This is the winery owner. He has all this old equipment that he uses (or plans to use).

His drying rack.

Bottling equipment.

I loved these old barrels.

This was an old press that was given to him.

This is the front of the main building where his tasting room will be. It's kind of got a rustic, yet upscale feeling to it inside.

The property is full of old buildings used for many different things 'back in the day".

This old well sits in front of the vineyard.

The vineyard, taken from the balcony of the main building.

I can't wait to see it when it's done, he has big plans for this place! It'll be a great place to go with a group of friends and sit overlooking the vineyard or watch the sunset over the pond. Can't wait...

2009-06-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

We went to a cruise-in of a nearby car club this weekend. Matthew has a new camera and has been taking pictures of EVERYTHING!!! He walked around the entire time taking pix of the cars. I just enjoyed looking at them from his point of view, seeing the angles he appreciated and the details he thought worthy of a picture. I thought I'd share:

I think this one is my favorite!

Or maybe this one...

Last but not least, a self-taken pic of the artist.

And, yes, I'm sure he's available for appointments!

Summer To-Do List

2009-06-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

With all of the junk (ummm...I mean yard sale treasures) finally gone, I have been wanting to get other little projects done and finally get this house in complete order. I sat down this weekend to make a list of things I want to get done this summer. Some are small tasks, others a little larger. Some I can't do myself at all (which really bugs me!!) I'm taking the boys to my in-laws for the week to attend VBS at their church and thought this would be the perfect week to plow through my list. I thought by going public with it on my blog there would be a certain feeling of accountability to get it done. So, without further ado, here is THE LIST:

*cut grass
*overhaul schoolroom
*put up clothesline
*clean and refill bird feeder and bird bath
*paint picnic table
*finish Elvis puzzle for Tanner (its spread out on the guest bed and he's lost interest)
*kill spider and dispose of web above front door
*sweep sidewalk and porch
*order coat hangers for laundry room
*clean out under kitchen sink
*sealant on front porch
*strip and paint old dresser for our room
*re-pot african violet
*move Tanner's bed (he wants it on other wall)
*plant lantanas
*clean out storage room
*clean front door
*straighten up back patio
*move Hampton's pen (he's still recovering from being ran over)
*install shelves in guest closet
*clean up office (and throw out lots of paper!)
*organize sewing stuff
*clean back door
*finish painting laundry room cabinets
*organize laundry room
*wash boys shower curtain
*hem T's new pants
*hang jewelry box in closet
*iron clothes
*bathe Lola
*paint and install shelves in office
*cut out dead limbs from shrubs

There's a few more things that, without lengthy explanation, would not make sense so I left them out. I realize several of these things are ongoing and will never be complete such as sweeping sidewalk and bathing Lola but I put them on their anyway because they are things I need to do this week.
So far today I have cut the grass, moved Hampton's pen and cut the dead limbs out of the shrubs. I had done all of that, though, by 11:00. I showered and the boys and I met Mike for lunch before they leave for the week. We got home, packed them up and did a few little things around the house and now it's almost time to leave to meet my mother-in-law. I will go straight from meeting her to our car club meeting and from there Mike and I are headed an hour away to look at two armoires I found on craigslist. One is actually a computer armoire. I want to move my computer down stairs. The boys are getting online a little more as they get older and my computer is now upstairs in my little hole-in-the-wall office and I can't easily monitor what they're doing so I want to move it down stairs but need a cabinet to close up the mess. The other is a cedar clothes armoire that, if I buy, I'll get Mike to install some shelves in to house my fabrics and other sewing stuff. It will go upstairs. Hope it's not too heavy!
So, that's my day and a glimpse of what's to come. I hope I can report each and every day that I have crossed another few things off my list!!

Happy Birthday Gloria!

2009-06-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

Gloria turns 27 today! Happy Birthday Gloria! Her sweet husband, Warren, threw her a surprise birthday party last night and we were honored to have been a part of it. It was so much fun!

Warren with his birthday girl! Gloria's sweet spirit is as beautiful as her smile!

Ellen trying to defend herself during a game of maffia (having red hair excuses nothing, Ellen!). This was the first time I had ever played this game. It was a little confusing, but fun!

Charlotte with her main man David. (Chin out, girls!!)

John Q. thoroughly enjoying the laid back atmosphere of the party!

Pastor Rowe was hilarious during the maffia game. I'm still not sure he ever really

got the hang of it!

Louise and John Q. They have to be one of the most fun couples ever! Mike and I always enjoy spending time with them.

Eric and his love, Audrey. Two of the sweetest people you will ever meet (besides Mike and myself, of course)!!

Tan man got a little bored waiting for his turn to play the wii in the den and found a playstation in another room. I think he played quietly hoping none of the other kids would find him!

Fun was had by all ages!

One last pic of the birthday girl with friend, Ellen.

I hope you have a great birthday, Gloria! Thanks for letting us share it with you!

It's been a while...

2009-06-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post and everyone keeps reminding me I need to update my blog. I have been very busy but either it's boring or I don't have pictures (I don't like to blog without pix). But, here's a few things I've been up to:

*Had a yard sale (made $677!!!!)
*Had our homeschool yearbook staff over to work on our yearbook (almost done!)
*Went to the beach with my mom for the day
*Family reunion
*Funeral (Mike's maternal grandmother passed away about a month ago)
*Homeschool year-end celebration
*Ran over our basset hound so we've been having to tend to him a little more than usual
*Boys had green tae kwon do belt test

I'm sure there's more but that's all that comes to mind right now. Things are starting to slow down some now and look a little more like summer. Pictures next time, I promise!!

She's 1!

2009-04-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

My niece, Alayna, turned one this weekend! I cannot believe she has been here a year already! Time has flown by!
Her party was Saturday and I made her birthday cake. My sister-in-law wanted polka-dots and wanted it pink and white, other than that I could do what I wanted. The small one with her monagram was her personal cake. I think it turned out pretty good!

For her gift, I made her a dress. I made her a day gown when she was born and would like to make her a dress for each birthday... we'll see! I forgot to turn the picture, so you'll have to tilt your head to appreciate it! It turned out very well. I had a friend from church (thanks Candace!) help guide me a little on it but pretty much did it all on my own.

Close up of embroidered collar.

Brandy made me a cute little bow to match!

Here she is demolishing my cake!!

At my mother-in-law's after the party. Is she not the cutest thing?!?!

Friday Fun!

2009-03-16T06:43:00.001-07:00

My mother-in-law and I took the boys to Jekyll Island Friday to ride bikes. They have a great bike trail there. Since the weather was a bit chilly, we stopped a lot to read signs and just pay attention to things we've always sped by on past rides. We stopped at this old oak tree. It was amazing!! It's the oldest at an estimated 350 years old!! It's limbs have grown down and into the ground and back out again! It was so relaxing just to stand under it and watch the moss blow in the wind. If only it had a hammock!!

The boys had a ball climbing. Matthew said this was the 'hugest' tree he'd ever climbed and wants one for the backyard! (we'll work on that grammar later!)

I had to boost Tanner up to get him into the tree! For those of you who know him, you know this was no small feat!!

They were also having an arts festival. I bought a small piece of pottery made by one of Jekyll's local artists. We got to tour exhibits. They had photography, paintings, quilting, beading, and much more! I can't even remember it all now! They had a small band consisting of one guitar, bongos and a vocalist who pleasantly played in the background. There was pottery you could purchase and paint and they fired it for you while you wait. I want to make a note of this date and make sure we go back next year!

What fun we had!! I can't wait to go back. We worked hard all week so we could take this day off but I think we learned more Friday than we would have learned at home!

A Must Read!

2009-03-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

If you are homeschooling or even just considering it, I highly recommend this book! We are nearing the finishing gate of our third year homeschooling and I only wish I had read this before I started! It addresses the need we have to conform to others' expectations (a biggie for me!) as well as how our schooling methods are usually a result of how we were schooled. It stresses the importance of really studying your children and catering to their learning style. While it certainly does not encourage a 'throw caution to the wind' approach, it does explain how homeschooling can be fun and how your children can actually enjoy learning. Homeschooling does not have to even remotely resemble organized school to be done effectively.

I know that me having read this book will not make next school year perfect but I do plan on making some changes. I want to be a little more relaxed and just enjoy my boys more. I want them to enjoy learning and not dread their schooling. I haven't quite gotten all the details ironed out in my head yet but I'm already looking forward to next year!

Mi Casa

2009-03-02T05:41:00.000-08:00

I finally have pix of our house to share!

A little about our house... Mike is in the steel building business so we have a steel house. I don't think it looks much different than most houses. The best part is that I have my own hurricane shelter!! Being terrified of bad weather, I feel safer in this house than I would anyplace else. The structure of the house is steel (and way over-built according to everyone who worked on it) but from the inside you would never know. We decided to go with the steel sheeting on the outside at first for cost effectiveness, planning to do some sort of siding later. But, we both really like it so it will stay as is.

This is a picture from the front drive. The little add-on looking room to the far right is Mike's theatre room. It is not finished yet but we hope to start on it soon! I can't wait to have '24' parties!!

One of my favorite things about our house has to be the red front door. I have always loved red front doors!

When you walk into our front door, this a view from the foyer into the den. It's a little dark, probably should have turned on some lights!

From the foyer looking straight ahead you see a glimpse of my kitchen, hopefully welcoming you in!

This is my kitchen. My favorite room in the house! Take a good long look, it usually isn't this clean. Being the hub of the house, everything (and everyone) collects here!

This is my den from the kitchen/dining room. It is all very open which is perfect for entertaining. You can hardly see it, but the black upright piano to the right was my great-grandmother's. She had it delivered to her house by a mule and wagon way back when (that's about as accurate as I can get). Don't overlook Lola posing on the sofa!!

This is our master bedroom. The wardrobe to the left was a real glossy white when I bought it. It had tacky green pulls and looked like it was from the eighties. When I brought it home Mike said it was not what he thought I was wanting. I told him to give it time. I stripped the whole thing, painted the inside a light mint green just to make it look cleaner and added new pulls. In the process, I broke the full-length mirror. I sewed a 'curtain' for it from some green ticking in my scrap pile and installed it from the inside of the door and I think I actually like it better than the mirror.

Here is Lola's room. Now, let me explain! When Mike bought her for me the deal was that she was not allowed to sleep with us (Mike is really not a dog-in-the-house kind of person). So, at every previous house she has slept in our bathroom. I didn't want to close her up so we put a baby gate across the doorway. Well, Mike's closet has always been in our bathroom and when he gets up in the morning to get ready for work he has to step over the gate trying not to let her out because she will make a b-line to me and wake me up. So, when we built this house I got to thinking about what I wanted to do with the space under the stairs. I thought, why not? It opens into our room so she will be near me and Mike doesn't have to fight her off in the mornings! She doesn't even make a sound when Mike gets up. She knows she doesn't get out until I get up. Her baby gate is not even installed, we just lean it up in the doorway, she doesn't know! She can see us just getting ready fro bed and she goes to her bed. I think she likes her little space! BTW, the picture on the wall is of my mom's dog!

The entire time we were designing, building and decorating this house the primary thing I wanted to achieve in this house was for it to be comfortable. I wanted people to feel at home when they came in. I have 2 boys! It's just not practical to have a 'museum'. I want them and their friends to feel comfortable running up and down the stairs and in and out the doors. All this to say this...we had some friends from our church over Friday night for dinner. One couple had never been to our house before. As they were getting ready to leave, the husband was commenting on how much he liked the house and how open it was and then he said those magic words, "it's just so comfortable". Enough said.

(thanks Ben, you have no idea what a compliment that was for me!)

13 Years And Counting...

2009-02-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary!

How fast time flies when you're having fun! In some ways it seems like we were just married yesterday, in other ways it seems like we've been married forever.

I'll spare you the sappy stuff. I'll save that for his card! But, I do want to say that I am so blessed to be married to such an amazing man!

My Superhero

2009-02-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

My first video! This is Tanner in his new Superman suit! This was taken at my in-laws a few Christmases ago. I found it going back through my photo files and thought I'd share. Tanner never ceases to entertain!

Painting

2009-01-29T08:17:00.001-08:00

I went to help a great friend, Gina, paint last night. They are building a new house and they are painting it themselves! I actually enjoy painting, so I volunteered to help. I remember how busy we were trying to get our house finished and it was hard to find help. We had so much fun, it didn't feel much like work! We painted until almost midnight! We were both covered in sheetrock dust from sitting on the stairs and bending on our knees to paint near the floor. I had paint on my shirt and pants from touching the walls! Once, Gina and I had stopped painting and were talking and I just leaned my paint roller on my shoulder like it was a baseball or something! Paint all over my shoulder! I accidently stuck the end of my extender rod in the gallon of paint! I almost knocked a hole in the wall several times with said rod! Come to think of it, they're probably hoping I don't come back! :)
Gina, you have a beautiful new home and I know you can't wait to move in! Thanks for letting me help you paint!

It's The Little Things...

2009-01-29T07:49:00.000-08:00

I got a new birdbath and I had no idea how much we would enjoy it! The boys and I stand at the door or windows and watch them for what seems like hours! This is our cardinal that seems to enjoy our new offering the most. Such joy God gives us in even the smallest of things!

Look at the birds of the air: they neither

sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet

your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you

not of more value than they? And which

of you by being anxious can add a single

hour to his span of life?

Matthew 6:26-27

Catching Up...

2009-01-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

It's been a while. Several people have commented that I haven't blogged in a while. I guess we've just been busy getting back into the groove of things after the holidays. School is back into full swing for us now and that takes up a lot of our time. Pretty much our days consists of breakfast, school, lunch, school, prepare for dinner, tae kwon do, dinner, a little play time and bed. That's about it. I didn't realize how much of a break I needed from it all until this past weekend. Our homeschool moms in our group had a retreat. Wow! That's all I can say. It was amazing! We intentionally did not plan anything, which totally went against human nature for several of us. We did nothing but talk. We played a few games and cooked but mostly just talked. We laughed, we cried, it really was therapeutic. I am sometimes intimidated by the incredible organization of some of our moms. While I do not rejoice in their struggles, it is comforting to know that my struggles are not so abnormal after all; they struggle too.

A few other things I wanted to share:

The boys got life-size cut-outs of Elvis for Christmas (from Nana). They are motion sensored and talk whenever you walk by them. It doesn't matter how many times I walk into their rooms, I am always startled by these things! Lola (our shih tzu) hates them. Anytime she goes into their rooms, she barks and growls and carries on like it is about to attack her or something. It's funny for the first 10 seconds, then it just gets annoying. Thought you might like to see them:

Matthew got the G.I. Blues one:

Tanner got a cowboy Elvis. I'm assuming he played this character in a movie.

Matthew got a grappling hook for Christmas (from Grandma). He loves climbing trees. Well, he got stuck up a little too high the other day and couldn't get down. He yelled for me to help him. I told him to sit tight while I ran for the video recorder! When I got back, Mike was trying to help him down. I recorded the rescue. He was up so high, Mike had to get the ladder to get to him. It was quite entertaining!

Here is one of our cats, Lilly. What could she be staring at?

The boys got a new bird feeder for Christmas!

Lilly sits under this bird feeder all day long! She watches those birds for hours. Thankfully she hasn't caught one yet!

I wanted to share the beautiful view I have each and every time I leave my house now. The neighbors across the highway have moved their horses to the field directly across from our house. We have woods between our house and the highway so I don't get to enjoy them from my porch, but it gives me something to look forward to when I have to head out!

It's Been A While...

2009-01-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

My computer crashed two days before Christmas and I just got it back. So Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Birthday Elvis!

I hope you had a great holiday! Our holiday was quite relaxing this year. I guess it was because of Christmas falling on a Thursday that seemed to spread everything out a little more and we were able to breath a little between trips here and there. We bought the boys Rock Band for the Wii. I should say we bought ourselves Rock Band. Mike and I have enjoyed it as much, if not more, than the boys! I must say, I am quite good on the drums! I got a new video recorder so hopefully I can post videos now (as soon as I get it figured out, that is)!

Our New Year was unusually eventful this year! We always go to a bonfire/cookout thing at a friend's home and everyone usually leaves around 8:30. We then attempt to stay up and watch the ball drop and fall asleep on the couch. This year, we left the bonfire and went to another gathering we were invited to by a couple at church. We stayed there until after 12:30, making it the first in 4 or 5 years that we have actually seen the new year come in!! The new year affects me differently each year. Some years I feel like it is so overrated. Other years I feel like it's a new beginning. This year I was kind of indifferent. I really enjoyed being with our friends when the ball dropped but I haven't made any lists of things to accomplish this year or anything. They never last (for me, anyway).

Last , but not least, today is Elvis' birthday! He would have been 74. I can't imagine what he would look like or be doing today if he were still here.

So, the Christmas tree is down and gone. The new year has gotten underway. School has started back and life is back to normal (whatever that is).

Belt Test

2008-12-19T03:10:00.001-08:00

The boys had their Tae Kwon Do belt tests last night. They did very well, I'm very proud of them. It's rare that they end up close enough to each other that I can take pictures of them both but last night they were side by side, so that was nice!
I have to say, the belt tests are a little boring. They tests the juniors with the adults, so you have to sit through alot of other people. I don't mean to sound rude, but I just want to see my children! OK, that's a little rude, but I don't think I'm alone on this one!

Here are a few pics of the juniors at their best!!

Here are the three amigos! This is Matthew, Tanner and one of their very best friends Caleb. Aside from the big shoe in the way, this is a really cute picture. These three seem to never be able to spend enough time together!

Shower Cake

2008-12-19T03:01:00.000-08:00

I made a baby shower cake yesterday that I thought turned out really cute. I was only told that she wanted a 9x13 and that it was a boy. The rest was left up to me. I also had my Christmas candy to make so I opted to do this quick and simple design which turned out well, I think. I hope she likes it!

Car Club Christmas

2008-12-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

We had the honor of hosting our car club's Christmas dinner this year. It turned out really well. I had no idea of how many to expect, but we had quite the turn out as 32 friends drifted in with casseroles, salads, and desserts in hand. We had a great time of fellowship! These are a few pictures I took. They're not that great but I wanted to show off my guests!

One of my favorites things of the night was when we needed another table and Mike and I were able to pull this table out with 2 benches and extra chairs, throw my favorite linen table cloth on it and accommodate another 8 people in a matter of minutes!

This is my dining table, it seats 8 without the 2 leafs in it. I hope to do a post soon of my house, but you can see a little of it in these pix.

This pic has a shot of my kitchen in the background. I think my kitchen is my favorite room in the house. I love the way it turned out. It was the room I spent the most time planning out when we were building.

This is outside the dining room door on the back patio (that door leads to our laundry room). It is usually cluttered with bikes and scooters, but we cleared it off for our guests. We had 2 tables set up outside and the weather could not have been better!

I love entertaining! One of my friends commented on how brave it was of us to have this many people over. I have been dreaming of these kinds of dinners for years. We finally have a home that can comfortably accommodate a lot of people. God has blessed us with a fantastic new home. It just seems selfish not to share it with the amazing family and friends He has also blessed us with!

Our Beautiful Christmas Tree!

2008-12-04T04:35:00.001-08:00

We put our Christmas tree up and it is absolutely beautiful! I can't stop staring at it!
This is what Lola did the entire time we were decorating. She would not come out from underneath the tree, especially after I put the skirt down. She really got comfy then!!

What's so special about this tree, you might ask. Looks like any other Christmas tree to me, you're thinking. Well, let me fill you in on a little history of my rather 'unconventional' Christmas trees! Hopefully I can find the pictures soon because my descriptions will not do my previous trees justice!
In my defense (you know it's bad when I have to start off defending myself!), we were living in a cramped mobile home while we were building our house. We did not anticipate on being there as long as we were, as is usually the case when building. When the first Christmas rolled around, we had no room for a tree. Many of our things were in storage and I had no idea where my Christmas decorations were. Time to get creative! I went to a dollar store in town and bought a small (maybe foot, foot and a half) artificial tree in a little pot. I thought it was cute! But, still I have no decorations. So, I bought 2 cans of silly string. I took the tree and the boys outside and let them decorate the tree with silly string. I thought they'd love it! Actually, they did until they realized this really was our one and only Christmas tree! I had to hear about this tree for weeks, no months, no...I'm still hearing about this tree! Matthew was so upset because he said no presents would fit under it. I told him we were buying small gifts that year! That didn't go over so well! OK, that's tree #1!
Tree #2 was actually very pretty (I thought). We're still in this mobile home. We thought we would be in the house by now. So, I go out in the woods and cut down a small tree (some argue that it was just a branch, but it was a tree!). I stripped off the few leaves left on it and spray painted it white. I put it in a bucket of sand and strung it with white lights! I thought it had somewhat of an elegant touch! At least we could fit presents under it (if only a few).
My family has given me much grief over my Christmas trees. I choose to believe it's jealousy!
I asked Matthew a couple of months ago if he would like a real tree this year. He looks at me with this blank look and says, "it would be nice" with no sound of hope whatsoever in his voice. So, I took them to the tree farm the other day and we picked out an 8 ft. frasier fir! We only have 9 ft. ceilings. By the time we got the tree into the stand, it was only inches away from the ceiling! I turned on Christmas music and we all decorated it together!
So, there's the story behind why this tree is so exceptionally beautiful! Compared to what we're used to, most anything would be!

I even decorated my buffet! It's festive while still leaving room to be functional!

And, what Christmas tree would be complete without a nod to The King! I tried to convince Tanner to put his ornament near the back, you know so it wouldn't get knocked off and broken (wink, wink). Well, when you enter the den from the foyer, it's the first thing you see! Oh well, it's still the most amazing tree ever!

Graceland

2008-12-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

I wanted to fill you all in on our trip to Graceland. It was a lot of fun! Mike nor I were that excited about it at first, we were just taking Tanner. But, I have to say, once you're there you kind of get into it. The very first night we got to Memphis, we went out to eat on Beale Street. The first souvenir we bought were these sunglasses (with attached sideburns)! As soon as Tanner put them on, we could not resist! Note his new Elvis hat, too!!

We stayed in none other than the Heartbreak Hotel, which really is at the end of Lonely Street!! It was decked out in blue velvet and pictures of Elvis on every wall. We did have a little excitement while we were there. We went out to dinner our last night in Memphis and when we got back to the hotel, there were two firetrucks in front. As we entered the lobby, we noticed a lot of people sitting everywhere! Turns out, there was a faulty wire on the elevator which set off the fire alarms and all the guests were having to stay in the lobby on the ground floor until it was checked out. There was no fire, the firemen checked the elevator and we were allowed to return to our rooms around 11:00 (I think). Fast forward to 1:30 a.m.! We are waken by fire alarms going off! Talk about panic! People were going up and down the halls banging on doors telling people to get out! We were on the second floor. We were trying to throw some clothes on as fast as we could and get downstairs. You could not even think straight for the noise of the alarms! We get downstairs and oh, what a sight!! People are in their pajamas, hair sticking out everywhere, slippers on. It was a mess. So, after a few minutes, here come the fire trucks again! They check everything out and about 2:30 we are allowed to go back to our rooms. Who can go back to sleep after that?!?! Apparently, the sensor on the wire was bad and kept saying the wire was overheating or something, there never was a fire! But, we had to drive back home the next day and we were all beat!
Oh, I almost forgot the other exciting event! We were pulling into a gas station down the highway from the hotel and these two cars race out of the parking lot as we are turning in. Mike even commented that they must be racing. Well, when we get out to get gas, we find out a guy at the gas station just got his car stolen and one of those cars racing away was his!! Crazy!
We can't say we didn't have any excitement on the trip!

This is a shot of the front of Graceland. I like the way they do the tour. You walk through at your own pace and you have these headphones with this little player of some sort that narrates everything for you. You can pause it if you want to look around more before moving to the next room or you can skip ahead if something doesn't interest you. It's pretty neat. Graceland is not the mansion you think of celebrities living in today. But, it is still quite large. It looks smaller from the front, but seemed to keep going in the back.

This the first room you see when you enter the house. It's the living room. Check out those peacocks! If only I'd seen those before we finished building our house!!

This is the raquetball room that has been turned into a huge trophy case! These are just a few awards. There are hallways in the house lined with more!

The hotel had a sirius radio stand where you could listen to Elvis through headphones. Here's Tanner listening to the King!!

The Sirius radio station All Elvis (which we have to listen to all the time) broadcasts straight from Graceland. We got to go in the booth and talk with the dj. He told us all kinds of information. It was very interesting. He showed us how they set up the computer to play the songs. They have over 3,000 varieties of Elvis songs! This includes different versions of the same song as well as his songs done by other artists.

That concludes all the pictures I have so far. The rest of my pictures are not digital so I may have to post them later. We saw his private jets (the Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog), the Private Presley exhibit (from when he was in the army)and we toured Elvis' car museum. We also went to Sun Studio where he recorded while in Memphis. That was interesting. We also went to the Peabody Hotel to see the ducks. That was fun! We went over the Dolly Parton bridge to Arkansas, just so we could say we went to Arkansas! We stopped in Tupelo, Mississippi on the way home to see Elvis' birthplace and childhood home as well as the church he grew up. It really was a fun trip!

I thought I would end this post with a little Elvis trivia for those who might be interested:

*Elvis had a twin brother (Jesse Garron) who was stillborn

*Being a mama's boy, when his father remarried several years after his mother's death, Elvis would not let him continue to live at Graceland because he said that was his mama's house so he bought them a house next door (we rode by that house, too)

*The pink cadillac that everyone says he gave his mother never was his mother's. She never drove. He called it his mother's car because it was her favorite of all his cars

*Graceland today is what it looked like when Priscilla lived there, not what it was like when Elvis died

*Elvis (and his mother) were originally buried in a public cemetary, but due to security concerns, his father had them moved to Graceland. Today Elvis, his parents and his paternal grandmother are all buried at Graceland. There is a marker there for his twin brother, but he was buried in Tupelo

I'm sure there's much more I'm forgetting, but I'm getting really tired and can't think straight. I'll have to post more pix of our trip later when I can get them scanned. I hoped you have enjoyed your virtual tour of Graceland!

Happy Birthday Tanner!

2008-12-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

Better late than never! Tanner's birthday was last Friday, the 28th. He's 8 now! That realization is a whole other post entirely!!
We celebrated with a small bowling party. Tanner had never been bowling and wanted to have his birthday at the bowling alley. I think it was one of the most fun parties we have ever had for them. I think kids and adults alike enjoyed themselves. Everyone bowled!
What party would be complete without a cake. An Elvis cake, of course! Here's Tan's cake I made. I knew I could not make Elvis look real in frosting, so I found a picture of a caricature of him instead. Tanner liked it and everybody got a kick out of it! It was fun!

OK, I must have had just a little too much time on my hands that day because I had no wrapping paper for Tan's gift and decided to make my own. I had some U-Haul packing paper but it was a little see-thru. So, I decided to draw designs on it to throw off seeing through it. Elvis pictures, no less! Everyone thought I bought it that way!! It was hard to watch all my hard work get ripped to shreds as he tore into his gift! Oh well, it was worth it! Here's my artwork. Green is Tanner's favorite color so I did them all in green paint marker. I found this picture online and started off drawing my own and while they looked good, it was just taking too long. So, I traced the rest. What do you think?

The King, I mean Queen

2008-11-15T13:10:00.001-08:00

The boys and I were at Petco the other day and saw this Elvis costume on clearance and I had to get it for Lola. As you know, we leave tomorrow for Graceland. Tanner loves Elvis! Anyway, the picture is dark and you can't really see the hairpiece with sunglasses and attached sideburns or the tuft of hair coming from the chest of the shirt. We got such a kick out of this! It was only $4 and well worth the entertainment! Poor Lola! For those of you who may not know (and I can't imagine there's many of ya'), Lola is my baby girl in my house full of guys. I'll have to post on her when I have more time, she commands an entire post of her own!
Well, thought this might hold you over until we get back with all those Elvis pictures! We're going to the Peabody Hotel, too, to see the ducks! Pray for our safety and sanity!
Until our return...

My Life of Crime!

2008-11-12T13:10:00.001-08:00

Sometimes crime does pay!

I'm at a friend's house one day and am admiring a wreath she made for her front door. Nothing fancy, very simple but I liked it. I suggested many times how nice it would be as a house warming gift. We move in and no wreath. I then suggested how nice of a birthday gift it would be. My birthday comes and goes and still no wreath (though the cupcakes were delicious). Well, yesterday, I stole her wreath off of her door! I brought it home and put it on my door and doesn't it look nice (the picture is a little blurry)? She texted me and asked if I took her wreath. To which I replied "what wreath?" So, she said to bring her wreath back and she would leave mine hanging on her door for me! Sometimes, you just have to take matters into your own hands! :)

Thanks again, Katherine, for the wreath!

Receiving Is Good Too!

2008-11-12T04:49:00.000-08:00

My 29 day giving challenge is up. I had hoped to finish with a bang by increasing my giving as the end neared. I may not have given much away but I still think I finished with a bang!
By my calculations, I had 10 days left of giving when I got sick. I got strep throat. My head felt like a bowling ball and my throat was so sore I dreaded each and every swallow. I laid around for several days trying to rest and heal. Needless to say, the only thing I could have given were my germs! As that got better, I got bronchitis! This went on for almost two weeks! Oh, the coughing!! Anyway, I kept thinking of how this was ruining my 29 days of giving and I was making mental lists of things I could give away when I was fit to re-enter society. As the days went by, though, it occurred to me how much was being given to me. Wait, I'm supposed to be the one giving! It was then that I realized the importance of being able to receive as well as give. I have never been comfortable with people doing things for me. When I had my knee surgery, a friend from church came and cleaned my house. That was hard to let her do. People cooked for me and came to visit. I appreciated it immensely, but it was hard nonetheless. But, as the calls came in to watch the boys for me and to bring me soup, it really got me thinking. My instinct was to say no thanks, I've got it. But this time was going to be different! I did let a friend come get the boys for the afternoon (I was able to get to the doctor while they were away), I did let another friend run an errand in town for me. I even called and asked someone if they could come by and pick the boys up to take them to class (our homeschool co-op classes) so they wouldn't miss it. They were also picked up for Tae Kwon Do so they wouldn't miss that and I was even texted a picture of them so I wouldn't feel left out! What special friends I am blessed with!
We can't do it alone. We all need each other. It is important to give and be aware of the needs of others. But, it is also important to be able to accept help when you need it. I think it's important to remember, though, that it's not about keeping score. I find myself thinking I can't ask her because she's helped me twice already since the last time I helped her. It has to be about the needs (of others as well as myself) and not the scoreboard!

Is It Just Me?

2008-11-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

I'm back!! I have had strep throat (which thanks to antibiotics was brief) and what I think was bronchitis the past two weeks. I am still coughing but I think it's getting better.
Since I was not feeling well, I spent more time than usual laying around and watching television. This brings me to the topic of this post. This is officially my first rant (kind of, it's gentle)! Have you seen the Stanley Steamer commercial? The one that says your house needs cleaning because of kids, teens, pets and husbands? What about the Hotels.com one where the husband gets so excited over having 2 bottles of shampoo that he starts pouring them on his head? And let's not forget the one for Pepto-Bismol where the husband is compared to the dog he ate so much, including dog biscuits. What is with all the "stupid husband" commercials? I have never noticed there being so many. I realize there are commercials that portray women as less than intelligent as well as those with respectable men in them. I'm just wondering how these "stupid husband" commercials affect the way we see our own husbands. So many of the sitcoms center around the "got-it-together" wife who tolerates the shenanigans of this clown she lives with. In a society where half of our marriages end in divorce, this cannot be good for us. I think it's easy to say we know better, but when we're inundated with these images I have to wonder how much seeps in. I don't know about you, but my husband is far from these stupid portrayals. Has he ever done anything dumb? Absolutely, who hasn't? But, he works hard for his family and supports me in everything I do. I just wish more male roles would reflect the kind of husband/father he is and strives to be. I want my boys to grow up with the sense of responsibility to care for their family and not to think it's ok to goof off and expect their wives to hold the family together.
Chill out, you say. Get a life. I know, I know. It may not be quite as big a deal as I make it sound, but at the risk of sounding like a stick in the mud, it does concern me a little. What say you?

This post is dedicated to my sweetie:

Giving Update

2008-10-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've gotten over parting with the quilt. I'll be ok!
Since then, I have given:
*time-kept a friend's child for an afternoon
*time-had 2 couples over (and their children) for dinner and game night. We know how to party! It got so rowdy, someone had to be taken to the emergency room!!
*time-went to the grocery store with my mom. You have to know, my mom is notorious for asking you to go clothes shopping with her and then, after you're in another town and in her car she springs on you the fact that she has to go grocery shopping afterwards (and out pops this mile long list). Ok, grocery shopping for my family is bad enough now I have to go with her too!! :) But, Saturday I did and with no (ok, few) complaints! :)
*time-we went to my in-laws after church Sunday to visit with my brother-in-law who has been working out of town for a couple of months now and was here for the weekend

Well, it looks like I gave the very thing I previously said I had the least of! I seemed to find enough time to share with everyone this weekend!

So Sweet

2008-10-20T11:17:00.001-07:00

As I was making lunch today, Tanner offered to fix drinks for everyone. I don't know why I found this so sweet. I think it was just that he made it in one their cups instead of the glass I usually use or that he fixed me one of their root beers that their Papa gave them. Or maybe it was the single ice cube floating around all by itself? More than likely it was that look of accomplishment and innocent pride on his face when he brought it to the table (without spilling a drop!).

Early Morning Ride

2008-10-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful view we had as the boys and I left our house to meet a friend for a bike ride Friday morning. We rode early (7:15) to not interfere with our busy day (we both homeschool). The weather was perfect! And, look at that sunrise! We are currently training to ride in a local bike ride in mid-November. They have a 16 mile family ride. Matthew and I did it last year. Tanner wanted to join us but we were concerned that he couldn't make it. So, Mike said to let him go as far as he could and to call him and he would come get him. Tanner made 5 miles! I have to say, that's further than I expected!
I love cycling! Matthew seems to really enjoy it too which I am so excited about! It's a goal of mine to BRAG (bike ride across Georgia) before I'm 40 (I have 7 years). We'll see...

Giving Biggie!!

2008-10-15T17:37:00.001-07:00

I knew the day was coming, but I didn't know it would be so hard. I gave my first quilt away today! It was for my niece.

What's the big deal, you ask? Well, I have been working on this quilt for almost 10 months! It was originally meant to be a shower gift, then I thought I would get it done in time to take it to my sister-in-law in the hospital when the baby was born but I didn't make that either!

In my defense, I have had to teach myself how to embroider (online) and learn how to quilt (read a quilting book). Insert finishing a house and moving somewhere in there too and you can see why it took so long!

I think it turned out pretty good for my first quilt. The embroidered pictures are vintage baby animals and they turned out really cute! I think Amy (my sister-in-law) really liked it. I love the idea of my handmade quilt being passed down through the years as my great-grandmother's afghans have been. I'd like to think it would be so appreciated.

This is Alayna. She's almost 6 months old. Who couldn't part with just about anything for this face?

Giving Update

2008-10-15T05:33:00.001-07:00

I wanted to update you all on my givings since last challenge post. I have to write them down so I won't forget them. I don't want to post every single day on what I give as that would surely get boring.
To date I have joyfully parted with...
*time-kept a child just to give the mom an afternoon to herself
*made a cake for my grandma's 84th birthday (red velvet-her fave!)
*time-kept 2 young children so a friend could go shopping and enjoy a little time alone
*gave away a few items a friend needed from my garage sale pile (free of charge, of course!)
*made a wedding cake this weekend (did not charge for this, it was my wedding gift!)
*time-had a friend over for tea
*made a cake to take to my mother-in-law
*time-balanced Mike's business account, paid his bills and got them in the mail (glad that one's over!)
*bread crumbs (ok, I know this one hardly counts, but I didn't have anything else that day and my mom really needed them for a recipe!)
*ice-cream-I surprised the boys with an ice-cream for no reason except to treat them

Teaser: I am about to deliver my giving for today. It's a biggie (and, by far, the hardest thing I have had to part with)! I will have to post it later, gotta' go!

DUI

2008-10-06T03:26:00.000-07:00

We went to a car show Saturday in honor of our troops. It was fun. There was a good turn out of cars to see and they had live entertainment and free drinks and snacks. The thing I was most impressed with, though, more than any restored classic there was the drunk driving simulation. Some of you may have seen this before but I had not. They have these goggles that distort your vision and sense of balance as if you are drunk.

One of the things they do is throw tennis balls at you. Here's Mike trying to catch one. People were walking sideways and grabbing at thin air trying to catch the ball. It was quite entertaining!

They also had you drive a golf cart through a cone course. They said every cone you hit represented a possible accident and every cone you run over represented a fatality. Well, I killed 13 cones! It's amazing how the goggles work!

This was their seatbelt demonstration. They had dummies in the truck, one belted in and one not. They would flip the truck a few times and show how someone could get thrown out of a vehicle if not buckled up.

Mike and I talked to the guy running the demos and he said he would love to come do a talk with our homeschool group. I'm so excited! We have a great range of ages, but he said he could also do some pedestrian demos as well as one with bikes.

He said they go to the schools around prom time. Isn't this fantastic?!?!

Giving Feels Good!

2008-10-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

I am loving this giving challenge! I have given away a jar of homemade blueberry jam, a stack of magazines (I was saving them to go through and tear out pix or recipes I wanted to keep, but I decided to just give them away without even going through them! I have a friend who is building a house and I thought she might enjoy looking through them for ideas), clothes I no longer wear and the biggest brownie (Tanner and I were home by ourselves and thought we'd have a brownie so I gave him the biggest one leaving myself the microscopic crumb known as the other brownie).

I want to challenge myself to give away things that aren't so easy to part with. It's easy to give away things that you don't like or don't use anymore. Parting with clothes that I haven't worn in over a year wasn't that hard! I almost feel like it's cheating! This week I want to concentrate more on giving away things that are more meaningful to me. I'm not an overly materialistic person so giving away 'things' won't be that difficult for me. Having to give away my time is another story! We shall see...

*This is a picture of the church my grandma grew up in. I took this picture and had it blown up and framed for her for Christmas a couple of years ago. She was surprised as this is a two-hour drive away. She hung it up almost immediately. It's amazing how something so simple and easy can mean so much. I love it!

Decluttering

2008-10-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

I cleaned out my closet today and this is what did not make the cut!! I have been wanting to clean out my closet for a while and finally tackled it this morning. I took every single item out, swept the floor and dusted my shelves. I started by replacing only things that I love but that was only about 3 items. So, until I go shopping for new winter clothes, some merely mediocre things had to stay. Now, to do something with that huge pile of clothes on my floor! Actually, I have someone coming to look through it. Hopefull, they'll take it all!!

Next up...Mike's closet! (Just don't tell him, he'll never miss a thing!!)

Giving Challenge

2008-10-01T12:24:00.001-07:00

Who's with me?

Tea for Two

2008-10-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Is it 'unmanly' for guys to drink hot tea? Much to my delight, both of my boys like it. Matthew prefers chai (my personal fave) while Tanner likes green tea with milk. Is this unusual? Are they ruined for life? I'd like to think that one day two sweet young ladies (of my choosing, of course) might appreciate this quality in my handsome young men. They do insist on the red and blue cups, they won't drink from the flowery ones. That should count for something?
I'm kidding, of course, but I do love it when I see little interests and likes of mine surface in them.
*You can tell which is my lefty!!

Elvis Lives (if only to Tanner)!

2008-09-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that Tanner loves Elvis. He is almost eight and knows the words to more Elvis songs than the average person. I think it started with the movie Lilo and Stitch and grew from there with some help from his two papas. Thanks alot Papa Roy for the Elvis CD! I only have to hear it every day of my life! I'm scared I'm going to sprout sideburns!! The other day we were singing the Doxology in the car and when we finished he said very quietly, as if not even to really be heard, "thank you, thank you very much"!

Well, yesterday I booked our room at none other than the Heartbreak Hotel! Tanner heard about Graceland on TV a while back and immediately put in to go. We planned on going in September but when I called to book our room, there were no rooms available. I gave Tanner a choice of either staying somewhere else and still going in September or waiting until late October, early November and getting to stay at the Heartbreak Hotel (he calls it the Elvis hotel). He actually chose to wait!! So, we're off to see "The King" in November. It's not anywhere Mike and I ever really wanted to go, but to see his excitement will be fun!

Happy Punctuation Day!

2008-09-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Today is National Punctuation Day! Who knew?!?!

For all you punctuationally (?) challenged...

http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/

My Ninjas

2008-09-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

The boys had their first public Tae Kwon Do demonstration yesterday at a local healthfest. The weather could not have been more perfect for the outdoor event!

All of the kids did a great job! My mom even commented that the kids did better than the adult class that followed!

The boys have played baseball, soccer and flag football in the past. I think they have learned more in Tae Kwon Do than any other sport. I was a little concerned about Tanner as he is my more active one and not too much holds his attention for very long. But he goes into that class and he is focused. He is in his zone! Part of their pledge says 'and have self control in my actions'. Tanner has learned to control his actions (if only in class!). The teacher commands respect and order but has alot of fun with them as well. They all seem to really like him.

I'm sure we will play soccer and flag football again as there is a local church with the upward program that we love. And when the time comes, I think the boys will be better teammates and athletes because of what they are learning in Tae Kwon Do.

Happy Birthday/Anniversary

2008-09-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my father-in-law's birthday.
Happy Birthday Papa!! We love you!

Today is also my sister-in-law's one year anniversary! I know, how cruel was that to make your dad give away his only daughter on his birthday!! :)
Happy Anniversary Mike & Misty!!

Fall is in the air!

2008-09-21T16:36:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of Fall and it looks like Tanner and I will be ushering it in with the first colds of the season. We both have runny noses, coughs and scratchy throats. This just gives us a reason to have a cup of coffee (hot chocolate for Mr. T) and snuggle! I'm already thinking of all the soups and stews I plan to make as the weather begins to cool!

Cruise-In

2008-09-20T19:15:00.001-07:00

Our car club had a cruise-in tonight at a Starbuck's in a neighboring town. We have a collection of old cars we are restoring and try to support local shows when we can. It's a great family activity. The boys enjoy the fast cars! I'll post our cars soon.

My Guys

2008-09-19T10:50:00.001-07:00

OK, already I'm told people like pictures. So, I thought I would start off with a pic of my three guys. Mike took this with his phone and sent it to me on our anniversary. What fun these three are!
I'll be sure to try to include pix as often as I can.

Welcome to my blog!

2008-09-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

I finally have a blog! Now, what to write? What pressure this first post is!
I'm not blogging because I think we live this extraordinarily exciting life, but I would like to share some of our experiences with homeschooling, funny kid stories (have lots of these!), etc. It's also a great way for out of town family to keep up with us.

I guess I should start off with a little about myself:
I am not a very good writer (as you will soon see)
I love homeschooling
Fall is my favorite season (I can feel it in the air already!)
I enjoy embroidery
I like to cook
I cannot eat off of plates with pictures
I speed

I had to add that last one in there to make me sound a little more exciting!! :)

I guess this concludes my first post. To all you experienced bloggers: advice, criticism and suggestions are welcome!!