An Eventful Weekend

Hello all, It's me....a little sore....and a lot tired, but I'm back. We had a great weekend, but I must admit, tent life is definitely for the birds. Next time, and I stress if there is a next time, I will have an air mattress under my behind when I sleep.

Just a little heads up for you.....This may be long. I'm going to include several pictures with this post. There are just so many good ones, I just couldn't decide.

Friday, the girls all met up at the school to head to the park site where we would set up camp. Their first attempt at a "girl scout duty" was to get the tents set up.

Next up was to get the fire going. Yes, my little pyromaniac, Little Ann was one of the fire cheifs on first shift. Her daddy had taught her lots of neat tricks for starting a fire. One of the methods (and the one she chose to use) was touching a battery to a piece of steel wool. She blew on it a little to help it spread. I was impressed that it actually worked.

Here are the 2 fire chiefs on fire patrol while everyone else scurried around the site, completing set up, unpacking and preparing for dinnertime.

After set up, the girls roasted a few hot dogs over the fire, and our picky eaters fixed up some Campbells soups on the burners.

Every year, this particular state park, hosts what they call a "Ghost Roast" usually on or the weekend before Halloween, depending on the day it falls on. All of the tenants set up their campers usually for the whole month and decorate their spots. There is a contest for the best one. The kids love this and absolutely flock to it every year. Our girls were fortunate enough to catch a sneak peek of the sites as nightfall came and the park lit up with orange lights and sounds of ghouls.

Here is one of the camp sites I photographed as I walked past.

Of course, no camp out is complete until everyone sits around a campfire roasting marshmallows, making s'mores and singing campfire songs in their pj's......

Saturday, we rose up from our slumber fairly early to meet the day...well, actually some of us were already awake, because some of us never really got to sleep, because some of us had to sleep in a tent, and some of us didn't have an air mattress to sleep on. And I can thank my frugile hubby for that one. At breakfast, it was every man for himself. They each cooked their own pancakes, and others pitched in to fry up some bacon and eggs.

The weather was absolutely perfect for our midday hike. I swear, Little Ann had everything in her backpack but the kitchen sink.

And just as we were about to head out for our 3 mile adventure, I noticed the sun glistening through our own camp site Halloween decoration!

I can't say that I am a hiking kind of gal, but this one was quite enjoyable. Like I said before, the weather was gorgeous, the trail was nice and spacious, and I just enjoyed spending this day with Little Ann. She had the greatest time.

At the end of the hike, the girls had a little down time at the play area in the park. We left shortly after this so we would have time to stop my mom and dad's house to check on the newest member of our family.

Meet Amelia. She was born Thursday evening.

Thursday, Little Ann and I had actually just stopped by my mom and dad's for a brief visit and so meemaw could sew a few Girl Scout patches onto a blanket...unknowingly mother Abigail was in labor......lol. I can't say I have ever seen a calf born before now. Isn't she adorable?

Today has been such a good day too. My brother and his wife have reconciled after 10 long months of separation and an almost finalized nasty divorce. It was a shock to all of us and will take a long road of healing for everyone, but we are making a start. She and the boys came to church with my brother today and it was such a blessed feeling seeing them in the row in front of me again. Right were they should be. The boys like to sit with me and color and I just eat it up.

Tonight, a group went to our local Sunday night Mexican hangout and they went along for that too. I love sweet fellowship with my church family. If you haven't already, tell your pastor how much you appreciate him....this is Pastor Appreciation Month.

I guess I will go to bed now. I am substituing at the High School tomorrow!!

Have a great week!

UPDATED - Perspective and Some Blog Business

This is a post I've been putting off for some time now. Not because I'm not just the proudest thing to be tagged by friends and showered with bloggy awards, but I think it's mainly because forwarding tags and awards requires more thought than I've had in me lately...(and because I've had a terrible time thinking of random things about me!!)

Anyway, I will get to my blog business a little further into the post, but first I wanted to share with you a little excerpt from my devotion this morning. This soooo soooo much related to me and I thought you might enjoy it too.

It's so easy to trundle down the path of the insignificant. Dressing and redressing, piling each outfit in a heap on the closet floor, throwing a tantrum because the hubby wasn't home for dinner on time, battling with your teenager over the length of his hair, or with your little one over a bath when a sticky, happy child would rather go to bed dirty. In some moments, these issues might matter, but in the long run...how much?

When the writer of Proverbs writes "Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife" (Prov 17:1). I believe he is speaking to busy moms (among others) who focus on the insignificant instead of the eternal.

The next time you find yourself spinning..ask yourself one question. Will this matter in 5 years? If so, focus your energy on completing what's before you with grace and efficiency. If not, I say forget it!!

**********

Ok, now let's get down to business....blog business, that is.

* I have been trying to "follow" as many blogs as I can, and I would so much appreciate it if you would "follow" mine too!! It brings me much joy to see your cute little faces on my homepage. If you haven't started this yet, it is so easy and works like the google reader, but with faces! (see all my faces on the right sidebar)

* I am fulfilling my noble duty of blogging about a really cool giveaway so I can get extra entries!!! So, you could just let me get my entries and go on about your merry way OR you could go visit and enter too! Heidi is giving away a custom made bulletin board.

* And finally, I was recently tagged by Kim, April, and Naomi to list 6 random things about me. So, here goes. (And this is very random) 1. I am the world's worst at directions. I can't get anywhere without calling my husband or my mother a million times. I was driving recently in our capital city and went to pick Pete up from work. I asked him how to get out of where we were. He said "turn right", and guess what? I turned left. Hows that for getting around!

2. When I was pregnant with Big Dan I gained 40 pounds and craved green apple candy constantly.

3. The biggest fight Pete and I have ever had was over a recliner. My uncle was having back trouble and my mom had called to see if my uncle could borrow our chair because it had massage and heat and was very comfy. I said sure, and asked Pete to help me take it over. He had just come in from mowing the grass and wanted to get a shower first. I said NO!! It can't wait. We have to go NOW! Pete shrugged and went on to the shower. While he was in, I lugged that big chair out to the trunk of my little bitty car and left huffing and puffing with a recliner hanging out of my trunk. When I got home later, I thought we were headed for divorce. I look back on that one and die laughing.

4. I sleep on my side most of the time and cannot sleep unless my ear is covered. Weird, huh?

5. I don't really like hot dogs, but I will eat it roasted on an open fire. It has to be black though!!

6. I have never read a book from cover to cover (at least voluntarily). I try, really I do, but I am convinced it's NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!!

UPDATE: (okay, so maybe I shouldn't have said "never". Let me clarify this a little because some of you are going loco on me because I don't read...lol. I guess it would be safe to say that I did somehow manage to read library books in elementary...maybe even "Nancy Drew". I probably even liked it!! And I know for a fact I was forced to read Madame Bovary in French class, but I'm talking about now...my choice...reading for pleasure kind of thing, or self help. I just can't seem to ever make it from the beginning to the end. It just doesn't happen for me. Ok, is that better?)

Because I have some awards to pass on soon, I am not going to "officially" tag anyone for this tonight, but feel free to tag yourself!! Let me know if you do. I would love to read about your randomness.

Some Things - Updated

We are still in the midst of "renovating" I guess you could say, around the outside of the house. We thought we would just get new french doors, but after pricing them, I decided I would just do this at least until after Christmas.

The lawnmower threw a rock into the glass on the back porch more than a year ago. At first we joked that it "gave it character", but now glass falls out everytime the door is opened. I gave Little Ann a butter knife and she amused herself for awhile.

(Update: ok, in lieu of Chickadee's comment, I just want everyone to know the glass is double paned. We only chipped away at the outside pane. There is still the inside pane to protect us from the "teenage" vandals on the loose in the neighborhood at the moment, lol. That cracked me up that she thought there was nothing there!! nu hu, no way hosea!!!)

I hear the wind howling outside now as I type. We are in Arkansas and thankfully not having to endure the brunt of Hurricane Gustav, but we are getting a little taste. Although the rain has been off and on all day, the winds have been at least 25-30 mph.

I tried to capture the high winds, bleak sky, and rain, but this is the best I got. I'm sure alot of you saw it first hand anyway.

Unfortunately, today I had to get out and brave the weather. Of all days I was wishing I could stay curled up in bed, I had a dental appointment. I like to get my teeth cleaned. They always feel so good afterwards...I hate to eat and mess them up. Afterwards, I went to my local scrapbook store and spent a little more of my certificates. She had several new papers in and I was soooo excited. This is what I got!!

And then when I got home, my absolute favorite scrapbook magazine was in the mail. It is full of all kinds of neat layouts for the Fall. Between the new supplies and the new magazine, I couldn't help myself but to sit down for a bit, organize, and whip out a "re-do" of one I did a couple of weeks ago that I decided I wasn't happy with. I think it looks much better now.

The boss called tonight to let me know they had a better night at work. She really called to let me to know she had let Big Dan off an hour early so I could know when to expect him. Of course he is currently grounded from his phone (under the circumstances) and I am a nervous wreck with him out on the roads in this rain and wind with no phone. I should've sent it, but he is probably safer without it, since I know he would be talking all the way instead of paying attention. I don't know how we ever managed without cell phones when we were kids. My poor mother. I couldn't have stood not being able to call me. (lol, that sounded funny)

Anyway, I think I am actually going to go to bed before 1 am tonight. I am working at the High School tomorrow for the first time this year. NOT looking forward to the work, but anxious to see all the kids again after the summer.

Hope everyone has a great hump day and sorry for the RAMBLING!!!

More Sunday Randomness...

Last Sunday I found myself with nothing much worthy of the blog. Today has been one of those days, so once again I feel the need to ramble. Hope you don't mind.

God is so good and we had a wonderful day at church. Sunday's are always a challenge for me. Can't sleep in and I always feel so tired. I can't wait until I can take my nap. When we were leaving the church, I could feel sprinkles...oh yeah..what's better than a Sunday afternoon nap..a Sunday afternoon nap with rain! (which actually never amounted to anything today)

Things have been going good with Big Dan and the "girlfriend". I can refer to her as that now, since he popped the question. Well, not the question, but the one that keeps them from seeing other people..just each other. It's been official for one whole week - non official for two. You know, back in our day, it was called "going steady". These days, our terminology is not hip enough for them so it is referred to as "going out". Anyway, that's what they are doing. I like her.....she is very sweet and she actually talks to me. Not very many girls he has crushed on have lived up to my standards (I am a little picky when it comes to my boy). Mom really should be the only girl kissing on him.

OK, so I hope you're not totally grossed out now. I just thought this looked like such a fun picture. Little Ann took it. Ah, nothing like the giddiness of young love?

For those of you that read my post on the finger accident..I wanted to let you know it is healing nicely. No more blood or bandages..but still no feeling. I've heard it takes a while for the nerve endings to regenerate, but it is the most annoying feeling ever.

I'm not sure what this week will hold. I do know that Big Dan leaves tomorrow bright and early for church camp and he is really excited (the girlfriend...not so much). She did stay after church tonight and help us pack. Little Ann is happy to be able to have a week with no brother. She'll be missing him before the week is over, I'm sure. I can sense a little "Beauty Shop" in store for me.

Thursday, Pete and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. We haven't made any big plans yet, but maybe I will share "our story" with you on that day. Might even throw in a few more "big hair" photographs (yes, my fro followed me into the 90's). Yikes!

My birthday is coming up real soon too, and I'm getting ready to have my first bloggy give-away so you guys can celebrate with me. Be sure and keep a watch out and send your friends over.

And....last thing. If anyone notices my cutesy, wootsey signature is gone, it's because I accidentally deleted the html code for it as I wrote this post and can't figure out how to get another one unless I start completely over. Not happenin' this time, but it'll be back!!

All about me

Little Ann just finished the 4th grade and one of her favorite things they did (besides read), was her end of the year project "all about me". She had to write an essay about her family, hobbies, and favorite things. Then, post pictures, magazine clippings, etc. on poster board to be hung in the Elementary hallway. We had so much fun doing this together.

Today has been such a good day especially for a Monday. Mellow, I must say or rather peaceful. My husband is at work, Big Dan has been at work all day, rushed in and flew right back out to play baseball, and Little Ann is tucked away up in her room with 2 sweet friends, playing Barbies or Dress up, I'm assuming. So, where does that leave me? No drama for sure. In fact, I've pretty much been doing my own thing, reading blogs, of course, and with each load of laundry I fold, I am contemplating my own next post. Thinking about what kinds of things I want to talk about and of course which pictures I want to include.

Although, I still haven't taken the time to give you my entire life story, nor would you want to read that in one sitting, I wanted to share my own fairly condensed version of "all about me".

I love my community which pretty much includes our school, 2 stores, several churches and lots of chicken houses. I have always lived a pretty sheltered life and although we usually try to take summer vacations each year to expand our horizons, I always enjoy coming "home". Our house is in the country, positioned perfectly between our church and school, yet conveniently 10 minutes away from Walmart. I've lived here all 37 (almost 38) years of my life except the 2 years I did the college thing.

I love my family.
This is a recent picture of us at Christmas. I am the one in the black and white sitting in my hubby's lap. Big Dan is in the middle. He is the oldest grandchild and is sporting a fresh mohawk for the holidays. Little Ann is in the blue. She is the only female grandchild. The others are my dad and mom, brother, his wife and my nephews.


I love chocolate milk. I have tried repeatedly to shake this addiction, but it just won't go away. Ever so often, I will join Weight Watchers and rid my body from all the Nestle Quick toxins, but then I go right back. I can't help it. It calls to me in my sleep. Less Sugar, that should count for something.


I love my bed.
I think I inherited the "need much sleep" from my dad. He's usually asleep when his chickens roost at dusk, and can fall asleep anywhere, anytime. So...it's a gene thing right? Really it's not my fault, huh?


I love my scrapbook stash.
The newest item I have added to the stash is my die cutter. It is awesome!! After much consideration and forum discussions, I settled on the Klik n Kut Element. It cuts any true type font on your computer and you don't have to continually purchase cartridges. It was a Christmas present from my husband, and I have loved it. What I would give for my own room where I could spread out and be oh so neatly organized, but for now this will have to do. I have my rolly thingy that has all my stamp sets, foam stamps, ink pads, stickles, paints, punches, and pretty much the tools of the trade. Right now, I have separate rubber totes for chipboard, one for patterned paper, and another for ribbon. The carry on was a gift from my husband last Christmas and it pretty much has everything inside it. I load it down when I go croppin'!


I love mashed potatoes and gravy...and Diet Mt. Dew!

Ok, so by now, you can tell I am a little weird. I have always been a very picky eater and my mother didn't help that any. She catered to my pickiness by always creating an alternative such as "cookie pudding" instead of banana pudding since I didn't like bananas. (Which more or less is the same less the bananas) My hamburger is still plain with cheese even since the days of "Burger Chef" a million years ago. When I was a kid, I learned to love mashed potatoes and gravy. Instant was just fine. When I moved to my college town I lived off of the Colonel's potatoes and gravy. That was ok, because I never had enough money to include the chicken in the meal. Now, instead of the brown gravy mix, I have upgraded to Campbells beefy mushroom. I guess because now I have developed a liking for mushrooms that I have never had in the past and it's one less step. Just heat. No more add water and heat. Little Ann has fallen right into my quirky footsteps. This is by far her favorite meal as well. I have never been a fan of diet drinks, as a matter of fact...they are all pretty much nasty..that is except Diet Mt. Dew. That is my drink of choice...aside from the fact it has mucho caffeineo and I need all the energy I can get these days.

I sure love these little dudes!
I do love to talk on the phone. Not near as much as when I was younger, I admit, but I still do. When we built our house, I even had the electricians put a phone jack next to the tub. I can't figure out what it is about my cell phone that wants to attach itself to my ear the moment I get in the vehicle. I honestly don't know if I can drive and not talk. They go hand in hand.


And this is where I love to go to talk.
I often wonder why nobody ever wants to hold a conversation with me at home until I get on the phone. It's kind of like when I get in the tub to soak (another favorite of mine). It's like the world comes to an end when mom locks herself away. I have come to love swinging in my porch swing when I am trying to hold a friendly conversation. I have trouble focusing on the person on the other end when there is too much going on around me. Nobody bothers me there (mainly because they don't know I sneak out here). My grandfather made this for me before he passed away so it holds a special place in my heart. I can enjoy the hummingbirds flying around me, smell the gardenia growing right around the corner and have privacy all at the same time. It's lovely.

I know it's corny, but I loooooooove the Bachelorette. So sue me. I'm a sucker for these reality romance shows. I think I have watched every single season of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. I think Deanna is doing an excellent job narrowing down the search. These guys are exactly who I would pick!! ooo la la.

I love the 80's. Who doesn't? The music was awesome and the clothes were rad. Oh, and who can forget that hair! GEEZ! Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to share my big hair days with you..or NOT! My friends know I am an 80's child. I force them to play my 80's version of Trivial Pursuit when we get together. My husband and I sometimes play "name that tune" with midi files from the 80's. I guess I'll always be an 80's child at heart!

Do any of these things sound familiar to you?

Ya had a bad day

Ok, so I had a totally different post planned for today. Being my third time to write, I had full intentions of getting you all aquainted with the family and what better place to start than with the eldest child, Big Dan, but Big Dan and I didn't get off to a great start this morning. Maybe it was because I woke up cranky and I let the little insignificant things really get to me.

I do love my sleep, and it was distured bright and early this morning by the dear hubby who is out of town and needed me to run some urgent errands for him. That might have been why I was so cranky. I know he felt bad for disturbing my slumber because he offered me a tip to spend at the local Scrapbook store. (from his "own" stash, I might add)

I grumbled awhile and then left, and while I was driving, I began to think about some of the things that Big Dan had done to irritate me. Big Dan and I had a mother/teenager discussion when I got home, but suddenly my blog plans changed. No warm, fuzzy, meet the sweet, good natured, teenager...not today anyway.

Unfortunately, another scenario popped up, once again interrupting my lazy Saturday. This time I took Little Ann along for the ride. She opposed the trip into town too, because she was having her own set of issues over a rescheduled play date.

On the way home Little Ann and I weren't really engaged in conversation, just listening to the dull roar of the road and the radio turned down softly. She looked over at me and said "Daddy said you were the prettiest girl he'd ever seen".

How's that for turning a bad day around?