You can take the girl out of the Country...

My dad enlisted the assistance of my sister, her boyfriend, and my husband, to re-build one of his deer stands. Lindsey and Matt worked on it Saturday, then, Sunday, Junior came in to help with the heavy lifting (up into the tree). My mom and I both went to Sunday School and Church, but afterwards, we came out to the pasture to join watch the fun.

Junior and Matt had loaded up their four-wheelers to play on after the building was done, Matt also brought a rifle that he wanted to shoot while we were out there. Mom had made a delicious lunch for us all, and we all just hung out in the pasture while Junior and Matt put up the deer stand, then we just relaxed until it was almost dark, and headed back to the house.  Junior and Matt took off on their fourwheelers to head back to Mom and Dad's house, leaving me driving Junior's truck, pulling Matt's fourwheeler trailer, Lindsey driving Dad's truck, pulling his trailer that they brought the pieces of the tree stand out there on, and my precious mother, who works in a bank and dresses up every single day of her life with full hair and make-up, and doesn't even own a pair of sweatpants, driving her, yes HER big red four wheel drive Chevy Truck.  I LOVE IT! My mom is so HOTT!!

Watch out... here comes Dirty Morgan (aka Lindsey, my sister)!!

Oh, and in case you were wondering how my dad got home.... he drove his tractor.

Well... in case you didn't already know.... that's my family... and these are the things we enjoy... Let me know if you ever want to visit Gillsville, and I'll give you the VIP tour!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome Home!!!

Today, I came home to beautiful weather, and the whole family outside enjoying it.  Junior was working on his sister's four wheeler with Tyler's "help" and Olivia was jumping on the trampoline.  I came in and got my stuff put away, and went outside to watch the fun.  Olivia and Tyler took turns riding their four wheeler all around the back yard and jumped on the trampoline while waiting for the next turn.

Then Daddy decided to take a turn... (Olivia was not a fan of this idea.)

After a while, and a few trips in and out... Olivia comes out and says "something is beeping in the kitchen." IT WAS DINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Junior had put this delicious meal in the oven before I even got home, and it was Just perfect for our family! (did I already say "delicious"?)

Not to mention they were on sale for $3.99 at publix, and I had a coupon for a dollar off.
 Dinner for four: $2.99 plus tax, having someone cook it for you, and a family to share it with: Priceless!!

After dinner, it was bath time, well, swimming-in-the-bathtub time (with bathing suits)... It gets a little wild in there, but its always fun :).  And here's an action shot....

Then, books and beddy bye :).

*sigh*

Coach Lance to the Rescue

This is my locker!

Taking care of over 200 girls is no easy task! It takes a lot of patience, love, energy, passion for teaching PE, and a few basic supplies. The students are not allowed to claim a locker for the entire semester, they have to take their stuff with them after each class, I however, have claimed this locker indefinitely, for my supplies.  My locker contains plastic grocery bags, for those that rip, wet/dirty clothes/shoes, etc.  It also contains a pair of scissors, which are borrowed unusually often... I find it strange how often these girls need scissors, I had to go get an extra pair from my office and start keeping them in my locker.  I have also relocated my sewing kit to the locker room, and have used it (just since August) on a pair of pants, a purse, a book bag, and a bra.  I also have pads, which are taken very often, but that doesn't surprise me. I keep band-aids in there, and am already on my second box (again, since August). I also keep extra rubber bands and pony-tail holders. The girls don't use them in their hair much, though, they use them to tie their tee shirts up to make them tighter (Teenagers!!). I just recently brought the kids' pictures from the filing cabinet in my office to the locker. They're in magnetic picture frames. I find the students looking at them all the time.  Its sweet how they're interested in my family.  I have some really great girls!!  A student who had to sit out one day made the sign for me, and the Donate Life magnets are to promote organ donation, which I've gotten to talk to several students about :).

That's it. I just thought I'd share.

Somebody Pinch Me!!!!!!!!!!!!

It may have been all a dream, but today, I'm pretty sure, I got up, started reading a book, took a break to eat the breakfast that my wonderful husband brought me, read some more, got a call from a good friend to catch up, read some more, took a bubble bath, finished my book, fixed some lunch/dinner (it was 4:00 before I realized I was hungry again), sat on the couch with my honey, baked some cupcakes, watched TV, iced the cupcakes, got a Sunday Dinner invitation from my mom for tomorrow (over text... wayta go mom), got to catch up with another friend over a delightful phone conversation, ate another dinner/snack, and now I'm watching a movie.

I'm still not quite sure this is really happening.... but either way, good dream or good day, I'll take it :). I can't even tell you the last time I had a day like this, if ever!!

God is Great...

Tyler: Tate said Olivia is a bad hitter and a bad catcher and a bad thrower.
Me: That wasn't very sweet
Tyler: I'm gonna tell him he's a bad hitter and thrower and catcher.
Me: Thats not sweet either.
Tyler: Well if he's mean to Olivia I'm gonna be mean to him.
Me: We can't be like that. If someone is mean, we need to pray for them that God will help them be nicer.
Tyler: God is great, God is great, make Tate be good. Amen.

*Tate is a boy that was on Olivia's Tee Ball team that Tyler sees on the playground at school.

Arts in the Park

Lindsey's boyfriend, Matt's Mom is involved in several local organizations including her Church and the Humane Society which both had booths in the Arts in the Park festival this weekend at Hurricane Shoals Park.  I've only been there a couple of times, years ago, but Lindsey and Matt have been several times recently, and I've had a couple of friends who had their family photos made out there recently, and I just talked to my favorite photographer about doing our family photos this fall out there.  After going there today, I'm so glad I decided to do that, it is a very picturesque place. And for some reason, having photos in old or run-down looking places, or even junkyards has been pretty popular lately, so may as well follow suit :).

The festival was pretty cool, too.  They had a lot of neat booths, and a fun kid area.
Here are the kids on the pony ride.

Here they are hitting a ball floating on air...

And on the obstacle course :)

It was a great day with family, and we had almost perfect weather for it :)!!!

Ready, Aim, Fire!

Let me set the scene for you:
We're at Mom and Dad's house. Lindsey, Mom, and I are in the kitchen.  Dad, Junior, the kids, and Matt are outside. Dad comes through the house. Mom asks him if he needs something. He says "no." Dad comes back through the kitchen headed back outside with a 22 rifle, and a sack of ammo. I know exactly what is about to take place, but still ask, "What are you doing with that gun, Dad?" He responds "shoot a box." I ask "Are my children going to be participating in this?" He responds, "Maybe" and leaves the kitchen.  I say to my mom and sister, "Here, finish this for me, please, I'm going out there." "I've gotta get a picture."

So it official! Olivia and Tyler have now fired a real gun for the first time.  I shouldn't be surprised, I was 6 the first I shot a gun. I'm proud of them for not being afraid, and for listening so well and following directions. They have understood the seriousness of guns for a while now, and are very good about not touching them without permission or help. We don't have them laying around the house, or anything, but we do own them, and do want them to be respectful of how dangerous they can be.

Wanna see those pictures I just had to take?????

And here's Tyler checking for holes in the box :).

He found some :)

Big Disgusting Pile of DELICIOUSNESS!!!!!!!!!!!

Hot Dog Bun
Hot Dog
Chopped Onions
Home Made Chili
Mustard
Slaw
Cheese

It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I invited my family to my mom and dad's Friday night for dinner.  Well, I called to see if i could bring over dinner when we came, but my mom said they had plenty to cook, so we decided on Chili... then hotdogs.

We got there about the same time as Mom did, and she and I immediately went to work on our dinner.  I LOVE cooking with my Mommy! I hope Olivia feels the same way about me one day :).  I know she likes it right now at least :).  My mom and I work so well together in the kitchen, I guess because she's the one that taught me everything I know about cooking, well, she and Memaw, but Memaw taught her, so I guess its the same :).  I'm so fortunate to have these wonderful women in my life :).  When dinner was ready, everyone tore it up! It was fantastic. I couldnt' decide what I wanted more, so I just ate everything.  And let me be the first to say, "That was a GREAT IDEA!!!"

Lunch and Dinner

Yesterday, I was off work for an apointment, and since I work so far away, it makes much more sense not to try to go in for 3 or 4 hours... I'd be driving more than half the time I'm there.  So I had the entire day off, and was able to get to Olivia and Tyler's school for lunch with them before jetting over to my apt... which was on the same side of town.  I also got to read to each of their classes.  And Tyler's sweet teacher even put a little thank you note in their weekly classroom letter saying "thank you" to me for reading to them and they enjoyed it :).

And for dinner tonight, we had one of the kids' new favorites, "Chicken Bones" also popularly known as Drumsticks. My plan was to have it with Salad, but after talking about my leftover spaghetti for lunch today, Olivia decided she wanted her chicken bone with Spaghetti, so we had all three :).  The table, again, was covered with homework, coloring pages, and bead kits, so we decided to have our dinner on the back porch.  THE WEATHER COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE PERFECT!  Tyler demolished his "Chicken Bones" and Olivia finished hers, and wanted more spaghetti :).

After they finished eating, they made a B-line for the trampoline to enjoy the weather a little more :).  We hung out outside until Dad got back.

What a wonderful evening :).

Headed to Tennessee

Junior and I left after work Friday to go to Pigeon Forge for a car show.  On the way up, we stopped by Harrah's Cherokee Casino to give them some money ;) (as my dad says).  When we were walking in, we had to pass the security guards, they weren't checking ID's that I saw, but I think we were about the youngest people there.  Junior stepped in front of me because we were going down an escalator (who says chivalry is dead?) and the guard looks at each person and gives them the nod to continue, including Junior.  When he got to me, he stopped, and started to ask for my ID, but decided against it mid-word, and let me proceed.  So, this story isn't as great as if I'd had to show him my ID, but it did make me feel good that he looked at me twice ;).  ah, the little things. lol.

I hit the slots, and my 5 bucks went pretty fast...

Junior played a video poker machine. (The Deuces wild was my mom's recomendation. She has spent quite a few hours at the machines in Vegas over the years while my dad plays Craps.) Junior's 5 buckes lasted a pretty good while :).

We spotted a craps machine, and both asked each other if dad had given us any tips on playing craps, but he hadn't imparted his wisdom, so we passed on the opportunity to give Harrah 5 more bucks...lol.

We headed on up the mountain toward our destination. Junior's cd player in his truck is also a DVD player, so I brought along my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE... Gone in 60 Seconds.  Its hard to see the screen during the day, but at night, it was perfect :).  Turns out, it wasn't such a great idea for me to try to watch a movie while riding over a mountain in the dark.... duh.... don't know what I was thinking.  BUT, it was a great idea for sitting in traffic :).  Beautiful Old Cars all around, Beautiful Husband driving me through a Smoky Mountain town, and Beautiful Nicholas Cage in the dash stealing more beautiful cars.... what more could a country girl ask for??

And to top it all off.... we got there safe and sound :).

Shades of the Past

If you know my wonderful husband, you know that he LOVES cars, especially old ones.  This weekend, we had the opportunity to go to Shades of the Past in Pigeon Forge, Tn.  We saw some cool cars and had a great time.  We got to town pretty late, and after driving around checking out some of the cars, we headed to the awesome condo that our awesome friend let us use.

We had a good night's sleep, the got up and went for a delicious pancake breakfast, met up with our friends Chuch and Charlene, and headed to the car show.  It was in the Dollywood Splash Country Parking Lot, and the top cars were actually inside the park.

It was great weather but Hot during the daytime, and pretty chilly at night! We looked at cars all day long and had a great time! We went back to the condo after lunch to rest our legs for a bit, then when it cooled down, we headed back to town, parked in front of a BBQ place with the tailgate towards the road, and hung out and watched cars until after 11.  It sounds pretty redneck.... and it was.... but it was a lot of fun.  And we had our BBQ dinner in the bed of the truck while watching and listening to the cars and motorcycles go by :).

And to add to the redneck-y-ness.... as it got cooler, Junior got out the long john shirt he brought just for that purpose. And as it gets even cooler, my husband remembers that he has a baseball cap in the truck to keep his head warm.... then he remembers that he has camo overalls behind his truck seat... and as if that weren't enough, he packed deer jerky as a travel snack, so he breaks that out too.... Here's a picture of my favorite redneck all necked out sitting on a tailgate.

It looks like he has no hand in this picture since he was moving it at the time the picture snapped, but if you could see his hand, you could see that to top off this look, his wedding band looks like a mud grip tire!
I do love him, though.  He's not like this all the time :)

On the way home... Somewhere in Rabun County...

I'm pretty sure that "aggrivation" is not one of the Love Languages.... but its one of Junior's!

We were on the way home from the "Shades of the Past" car show in Pigeon Forge, and we pass by a place called "Goats on the roof." I didn't see the place, but Junior tries to tell me that there are literally goats on the roof.  I agree, then ask him more about it. I'm thinking there are a few big plastic goats on the roof, and was going to just chalk it up to Junior giving me a hard time. Then I decide to ask again, "are you just pulling my leg?" He turns the truck around, and takes me back to "Goats on The Roof," where I see that there are indeed GOATS on the ROOF.

It was a delightful little place, and the people were super nice.  I overheard some ladies asking about the "Okra Chips" I didn't hear everything they said, but when we were wondering through the next building, I spotted the Okra Chips.  They were VERY INTERESTING!!!! They tasted like okra. I think I would have called them Okra Jerky instead of Okra chips.  When I first bit into it, it was a delightful surprise.  Then as I chewed, the okra re-hydrated.... and those of you who eat okra, can probably guess what that texture was like.... like I said, Interesting.... but not bad. :)

Where were you?

On September 11, 2001, I was in my little red skittle ('97 cavalier), on the way to class when there was NO music on the radio.  I couldn't believe that all the stations were talking at the same time, how inconvenient when I'm trying to wake up on my way to school! So, I put in a CD, and continued on my way, not paying attention to what anyone was saying. I got to class, and was SO ticked when I arrived to find a note on the door that said class was cancelled and everyone should go to the student center.  I would have gone home if I hadn't had another class after it. So I walked across to campus, frustrated with every step. I got to the student center to find tons of people there, and all the televisions were tuned to the news, which was reporting live from the World Trade Center.  I FELT LIKE SUCH A JERK!! Here I was, alive, safe, healthy, and mad over the radio and a class?!?!?! It was a very humbling and eye opening experience.

I feel embarrased that this was my experience, but that just goes to show an example of what a huge effect this event had on our country.  Even people like me who had no attachment other than being a citizen of a country under attack learned such an important lesson in putting things into perspective.

Loving this Weather

On my way home from work today, I realized that I didn't have anything laid out to cook for dinner, and really didn't want to go to the grocery store AGAIN (especially since my coupons were stolen along with my purse :(... I HATE going to the grocery store without coupons!), so I decided to make the kids happy with some McDonalds, and Daddy happy with no dishes, and of course me happy with not having to cook. It was a win-win-win!

As I unload the car, thrilled with my idea to bring dinner, I'm smiling ear to ear at the thought of making my sweet babies happy.  I ring the doorbell so they'll come to the door and see me with the food.... and I should have expected this, but I was thinking about my usual "JESSICA!! How was your good day?" from Olivia and my running up hug from Tyler, and didn't even think that their eyes would stop at the McDonalds bags and not even SEE me. (You've probably guessed by now that McDonalds is a pretty big treat for my kids, Junior and I try to avoid it.) So, what happens? The door opens, then a shreek, followed by "MCDONALDS!!!" and "Can that one be mine?" I say sure, give Olivia the drink she wants, and proceed into the house.  Olivia announces "Everyone come to the table, its time to eat." But, the table is covered in homework, so we decided to picnic on the trampoline. Well, the kids and I were on the trampoline, and Junior stood beside us.  The weather was WONDERFUL, the food was good, the kids were happy, the family was together, and my heart smiled :) (oh, and there was no mess to clean up). Then when we were done, they were able to go right back to the homework since it was still opened to where they left off :). Yet another win-win!

Stellar Evening, I'd say!

Lessons From My Father...

Those of you who know him may not believe this, but it is one of my most vivid memories from childhood.  I was in around the third or fourth grade, and I was sitting on the couch with my dad.  He had done something that day, or heard about something related to being an organ donor. He was explaining to me how it worked, and how if we went to heaven and didn't need our bodies anymore, that someone here on earth could use parts of them if something was wrong with theirs.  I wasn't too happy about someone else looking into my daddy's eyes, or playing with his beard (yeah, I thought someone might need a beard), but I trusted him.... then I made the mistake of asking him "If I die, are you going to give my organs to another little girl who needs them?" I wasn't exactly prepared for his answer, which was a YES without hesitation. It was pretty upsetting at first, but the more I thought about it, if it was a good plan for dad, it was a good plan for me, so I agreed. Having recently gotten glasses, I told him that I didn't want any boys or girls to get my eyes because they didn't work right. I thought they might be mad at me for giving them bad eyes. Then my good old pops brings in a little piece of reality, "If they can't see at all, don't you think they'd be happy to have your eyes?" I agreed... and then I learned another lesson. Even though my eyes are horrible (they've gotten much worse since then), I'm SO very thankful that they work, and also thankful for glasses and contacts. As frustrated as I have gotten over the years with my inability to see, I'm so glad I can see what I can, and I'm always thankful for that and all aspects of my health! I  don't remember talking to my dad much about organ donation since then, but I'll never forget that conversation.

Since then, I have had the great fortune of meeting a few great people who are organ recippients. One recieved a kidney from a friend that we worked with, and two others have recieved heart transplants. I am so thankful for the medical technology that has allowed these wonderful people to live healthy lives. They have been able to watch their children become adults, finish college, get married, move across the world into a mission field and come back safely, be there for their wives and husbands, and live happy lives that are encouraging to others and me. I want to spread the word and make others aware of this possibility, and opportunity to turn a tragedy into a life changing blessing.

My mom has had a magnet on her refrigerator for years that says, "Don't take your organs to Heaven. Heaven knows we need them here."

So in conclusion, become an organ donor, tell your family about your choice, and spread the word.

DRAAAAMMMMAAAAA!!!!!

OVER GUM!!!!!!!

Olivia and Tyler went into the grocery store with me to pick up a couple of things while Junior waited in the truck.  We picked up what we needed, and I just sort of ignored the pleas to buy a new toy or coloring book.  As we were standing in line to pay, Tyler, all of a sudden, bursts into tears, complete with red face, and wailing... he runs straight to the wall and hides his face as he sobs. I yell "Tyler Lance, get over here right now" upset that he ran away from me in the store.  He came back, and admitted to why he was crying.  I had to FIGHT HARD... the urge to "give him something to cry about" as my dad always said. I was SO embarrased.  I'm pretty proud of the way they behave on a regular basis.  I try to be firm and consistent with discipline, and explain why we can or can't do certain things. And they are SO good.  But I guess I'll just call it a mini breakdown, and hope it doesn't happen again!

Of course, he was over it by the time we got home. He did great on his homework, and even did some extra work. I don't know what in the world caused all the drama, but, at least its over for now...

When plans fall through...

My good friend, Tressa invited our family to her church's fall festival last night.  They had a lot of great things there.  Junior liked chatting with all the people that brought their cars to the car show, the kids had fun riding the one slide that they got to ride, and they enjoyed being outside, and hanging out with Ms. Tressa.

It was drizzling rain on and off, and I guess they expected more rain to come, or didn't want the liability of all those people there if a big storm did hit, so they shut down all the inflatable slides and bouncers, and climbing things, and cancelled the fireworks, and they had already shut down the music just as we got there, and all the cars were leaving due to the rain. There was a rediculous number of people there, and maybe the didn't expect all that, or plan for so many. The line for the slide the kids got to ride was insanely long but moved pretty fast. We were waiting in another line for what seemed like forever, and just as we were about 8 people from the front, they shut it down. So sad :(

Even though we won't be going there again, we did get there and back safely, and the kids spotted the church's playground on the way out, and enjoyed that about as much as they would have enjoyed anything else, so even though the festival was a flop, our sweet babies still had a great evening :). And I enjoyed hanging out with Tressa :).

I also hope that any lost people who were there don't feel the same way I do. Hopefully they will go back to their services and their mission was accomplished. The devil is tricky sometime when God's people are trying to do good things.

Loving Labor Day ;)

We had my parents, sister, and her boyfriend, and Junior's Dad, sister, and her family over for lunch today for Labor Day.  It was a dreary day, but we had a good time hanging out and eating some delicious food :).

Lindsey went to the grocery store with me this morning to get a few things, and since Aunt Lindsey was going, the kids had to go too... Olivia was dressed, but they were painting this morning, and she had some paint on her clothes so she had to change, and when Tyler went to get dressed, he decided that his Christmas Suit (the one that's almost too little and the sleeves are too short) was the most appropriate thing he had to wear on a rainy Monday morning to the grocery store (with a mohawk). I caught several peple looking at him and smiling.  I think it was pretty obvious that he wasn't going anywhere since Olivia and I were both wearing shorts and tee shirts, and Lindsey was wearing Jeans and a tee shirt, and all with pony tails.

Tyler had to use my umbrella so that the drizzling rain wouldn't mess up his mohawk.

Here's my handsome boy being Olivia's Driver... he couldn't wear a hat because of the mohawk, of course...

We got everything we needed at the grocery store, and headed home to start on lunch.  The food and fellowship were wonderful :).
Oh, and we found out later, that SOME people thought that we may be making a baby announcement since we were getting everyone together.... let me assure you, though, that that was not the case.... not this time anyway :).  When it does happen, I'll be too excited to wait until everyone gets together ;-)

ANYTHING BUT MY COUPONS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Junior and I were suddenly awakened about 2:20 this morning to our neighbor pounding on our door.  He'd been on his front porch with his 12 year old who had a friend over (explains the staying up all night), and saw a blue Toyota Highlander stop in front of our driveway.  He started the walk over, from 2 houses down, when he noticed that the driver had gotten out of his car AND INTO MINE!!! He took my purse, my dirty lunch dish from school, and a bag of chips. When he saw my neighbor, now sprinting towards him, he ran back to his car and hauled tail out of there. He got a description of the car, but could not see the license plates because the robber didn't turn his lights on until he was several houses away from us. He felt bad that he couldn't stop them, or do more, but I was SO THANKFUL that he let us know immediately.  I had my debit card cancelled before the thief even had a chance to get to the nearest store to use it. Thanks to modern technology, I have already taken precautions to protect my accounts and my identity, and my new cards are already on the way.  There was one thing, though, that is not so easily replaceable.  MY COUPONS!!!!!!!!!!! Granted, I had absolutely NO CASH in my purse, not even a few pennies, I cleaned them out the other day, but taking my coupons is like taking money out of my purse. I'm so ticked!

I usually keep my car locked, especially since I leave my purse in there (well, used to anyway), but Junior and the kids pulled up yesterday just as I did, and I guess I got distracted and didn't hit the lock button.  Wouldn't you know... the one day.  I would beat myself up over leaving the doors unlocked, but I'd rather think that since they were unlocked, that scumbag lowlife didn't have to break the window.

I can't help but think, though, that he had to have been disappointed in what he got. A dirty dish, a bag of chips, some pictures of my kids, 2 advils in the bottom of a bottle, Tums, eyedrops, chapstick, a whole bunch of reciepts, a couple of checkbooks with only one check left in one of them and none in the other, some bandaids, maybe a matchbox car or two, some business cards, (Oh shoot, i just realized that my favorite nail file was in there. One of the nice "diamond cut" ones), some store discount cards, like my CVS card, a Sports Authority card, a Dick's Sporting Goods card... you know, stuff like that, MY COUPONS, and a Visa Check Card and a Mastercard Check Card that he won't even be able to use. I wish he would just bring my junk back since its obviously not going to do him any good. UGH!!!!! I would think that people who resort to stealing to get money wouldn't be using coupons.... its way too much work. MY WORK THAT THAT WORTHLESS SCUMBAG JUST TOOK!!!

I wasn't sure my head would fit...

through the door!!!
Let me start by saying that I have one of the best joobs in the world. Come to think of it, I can't imagine having any other job that I would like more. As my friend Dave often says, "Can you believe we get paid to do this?" Asside from the perks that other teachers have, I get to play games all day and wear shorts and tee shirts to work!
I love it, but I will say that when I have the opportunity to dress up a little, I jump at it. For curriculum night, I decided to wear my hair curly for the first time all year because you can take a pony tail out after a long day of play, add a little water and mousse, and it will still look decent. Straight hair doesn't bounce back from a ponytail so easily.
My day started with multiple compliments on my curly hair. Then when I changed clothes, fixed my hair and makeup, and walked into curriculum night, my wonderful colleagues had so many nice things to say. I didn't even mind working til 8:30 with all that ego boosting :) It was a good day for me:)