Rainy Monday

It's hard to get out of the bed on days like this! Rain started about 5am and at 530 my alarm went off.  Talk about torture.  The girls dragged themselves out of bed pretty well considering it was Monday and the weather was obviously perfect for sleeping in.  All day long today I was looking forward to coming home and mopping my hardwoods. Don't ask why. I wish I knew. Anyhow, I got the floors mopped and even gave Addie Belle a little mopping lesson. 

Lately, no matter how I do Addie's hair, she comes home with it in a big fuzzy mess.

Ali had a good bit of homework so she worked on that while Addie and I mopped over the downstairs floors twice! 

Ali is going to school with me tomorrow! She has a dr's appointment at 9:15, so I'm going to teach my first couple classes and then take off with her to the doctor.  I have no idea why she's so excited about going to work with me tomorrow. She's surely more excited about it than I am.  

Spring teaser

 I really could not have asked for better weather this weekend. It's funny how easy it is to hop out of the bed when you know the day is going to be gorgeous and you'll be spending it with your family and very close friends.

Addie and Cohen played with Cohen's MagnaTiles for hours. I'm always amazed at how well these two play together and how good Ali is at keeping an eye on them and alerting us to any problems. It surely makes for a relaxing parent weekend and a bodaciously fun kid weekend.  

I didn't realize how filthy the kids were until bathtime tonight. Wow. There was enough dirt on those girls to sink a small ship. If the amount of dirt in the bottom of the tub is any indication of the fun they had, then they've had enough fun to last until the next Tomlinson visit. 

This weather was made for kids like mine!

When your day starts with the promise of 70 degree highs and the most heavenly locally baked cream cheese danish God EVER made, there is no way your day can go wrong. Y'all it is worth visiting Waynesboro, Georgia (The bird dog capital of the world) just to taste the treats at the Pineland Bakery. I'm serious.  Pete takes the girls to the bakery every Friday morning for breakfast and my daddy takes them to the bakery on Wednesdays after school for donuts. The kids are rotten and I'm jealous.

The girls had a good morning. They had 11:30 basketball games. Ali's team, the Lady Sparks, was missing its leading scorer due to the death of her grandfather. The game was rough, but the girls were all smiles anyway. Ali and Addie were very excited to have Cohen and Bailey in the crowd cheering today!

Bailey really wanted to be a participant, not a spectator. 

Now that's what I call getting into the game!!

Lady Sparks hit a three pointer! (we wish)

Come on Lady Sparks! Get your heads in the game!!

No sunny weekend at the Ponderosa is complete without an Olympic regulation haybale hurdle competition. These kids are pros!

Peas in a pod these two are...

I swear Addie's shirt fit 2 weeks ago.

Today was one of those days you wish wouldn't end. The weather was beautiful. The kids played outside, then a chill set in this evening and we have a fire going in the fireplace. Good friends, good weather, good fire, good food. I must be living right.

*Many thanks to Alicia and Brian for taking most of today's photos. Again, I get by with a little help from my friends.  

I've got John Lennon kinda Friends

I have a quote on the wall above my butler's pantry door that's always been one of my favorites. "I get by with a little help from my friends".  The vinyl sticker quote is hard to see if you don't know it's there. John Lennon was right though. I don't know how I'd get by without a little help from my friends! Of all my many many blessings, I definitely know one of the greatest of these is good friends.  

Y'all I had a really rough afternoon today.  Days like today make me think I've really had enough- that maybe I have done all I was meant to do and need to move on. Luckily Brian and Alicia were here when I got home today. I guess they could see the CRAZY OUT OF MY MIND look on my face and Brian poured a glass of Muscato. They had also started supper. London broil, mashed potatoes, green beans, and garlic bread. Y'all I really don't know where we found friends like that. I've always heard that friendship isn't a big thing- it's a million little things. Indeed.

The kids have had a wonderful time playing tonight. They play so well with Cohen.  No, I've not found my card reader but my good friend Alicia, the concrete sequential, loaned me hers.  The only time Alicia ever loses anything is when she loans it to me.

Pictures from tonight's "Carmen is seriously about to go crazy so let's cook her dinner night" follow. Have a great weekend everyone.

Cohen brought his Buzz Lightyear so the crew was all together. Jessie, Woody and Buzz

Addie, Ali, and Cohen

Everyone cooking supper while I take pictures and drink my glass of wine (No these are OUR friends. Do not inquire about them. I will not sell their address or phone number to you).  :)

The kids took the barstools and made "kid tables"

Addie and Cohen

Look at the whiteboard on the left. Ali has been teaching Cohen and Addie how to do division. 

Abstract Randomness Part 2

I haven't found my card reader. Truthfully I haven't had time to look for it. Today I about went into a tizzy when I saw Ali Grace outside playing with Bess, our collie.  She's trying so hard to train Bess to do tricks and Bess loves Ali so much. Unfortunately Bess just isn't so smart. Tomorrow I'm going to turn this house upside down and if I can't find my card and my card reader, then it's off to Wal Mart I go.

Today's Abstract Random moment:  I cannot tolerate a classroom that is in disarray. My desk cannot be a mess. My room cannot smell funky. (This is a challenge since I teach 8th grade and 8th graders are naturally funky- especially after PE.) Anyhow, after straightening my room and dusting, organizing some long overdue papers and throwing away stacks of junk, I could not find ANYTHING. Ugh!! What a curse. My room is a wreck and I can find things. My room looks like a classroom they show you in those education magazines- I can't find my own butt.

The Tomlinsons are coming to visit this weekend and I shouldn't have told my girls. They are SO excited. They love Cohen and they play so well with him. They are excited about inviting Cohen to see them play basketball on Saturday too!

Pete had a Young Farmer meeting tonight so it's just me and the girls.  I had several folks ask for some more "blast from the past" pictures so until my card reader and I reunite, here goes:

Ali Grace at Bass Pro Shoppe I think  2006

Addie Summer 2005

Ali and Alicia 

Ali headed to Alicia and Brian's one weekend

Ali Grace <1 yr

Blue eyed Ali Grace with her Uncle David

Addie and Gran

Mama will kill me for posting these since she's like HALF that size now. 

Abstract Randomness

Addie Belle and Ali Grace 2005

My husband used to be so irritated by the fact that I lose things constantly. Yesterday as I was leaving, he gave me my phone charger. I got it tangled in my backpack and sat it down on the seat until I could back out of the garage and get out of his way. When I reached for the charger no more than 30 seconds later, it was gone. This is my life. This is the life of an Abstract Random. If you've no idea what I'm talking about google the words "Gregorc Delineator". Gregorc is a researcher who is DEAD ON when it comes to pegging certain personalities. He has me down to a tee! Abstract Randoms are passionate teachers who will do anything to get a rise out of their students. Their classrooms look like living rooms and have bright colors and always smell nice! My husband is 100% the opposite- a Concrete Sequential. His classroom is all business. It would look like a hospital room or a prison cell if I had not gone and added some "feng shui". He never loses things and has a hard time understanding those of us who do. Thank goodness he loves me despite my craziness!

Sadly, I've lost my photo card and the end piece to the card reader. My poor husband doesn't even bother being irritated. He just starts turning over sofas until he finds what I've lost this time. Only this time, we couldn't find it. He did have a momentary lapse and say "honey why don't you just put it in the drawer when you finish with it?"  I promptly responded, "honey don't you think I would do that if I had the ability to do that?".  He just shook his head and started looking through the sofa cushions. I don't know where I've put the card reader but until I can find it or buy a new one, Pete suggested I post some old pictures of the girls before we moved here and before lots of you knew us. So, here they are- some of my old favorites.

When Addie was tiny, Poppy was one of the few people she would allow to hold her other than me!

I think Ali was about 4 in this picture. She's on our patio in Rincon

Ali Grace -4 years old 2005

Proof that I was skinny at one time! 

Happy Birthday Uncle Ernie!

This is Uncle Ernie with Ali Grace about 4 years ago.

Today is my little brother's 32nd birthday. Happy Birthday Uncle Ernie! I can't believe I have a LITTLE brother who is in his 30's. I am aging.  There's not much going on around the house today so I thought I'd share a little family lore regarding my brother!

*To my mother's dismay, my brother and I were both slobs growing up. That's why I know it's a hormonal thing that makes me OCD about my house being clean now. I was not born this way! We used to really trash our bedrooms and my mom would get the shakes when she came upstairs and saw them. Strangely though, she never got on to both of us at the same time. So, when she'd come down on my brother for his terrible room, we'd chunk all his junk into my room. Conversely, when she'd go crazy about my room being a wreck, we'd chunk all my junk into his room. We literally drove my mom crazy growing up. If you think my mom is a nut, she has ample reason to be.

* Once my brother backed into a huge 6x6 post holding up the shelter part of the barn. We called all over town trying to find a post to replace it before my parents got home. The effort was unsuccessful.
*Similarly, one of us, I can't remember which, backed into a cherry tree and pulled it down. We set up blocks around the tree to make it stand up. I don't know if Mama or Daddy  ever figured that one out.

*I had just gotten my driver's license. My brother and I were driving home in my '65 Mustang. It was a GREAT car, but unfortunately on the way home the brakes went out. It wasn't a huge deal since it was a straight shot home and after all I learned my driving skills from watching episodes of the Dukes of Hazzard. The problem was my brother had driven his 4 wheeler to my Aunt Ruby's house and wanted to pick it up and drive it back home. I told him I didn't think I could slow down enough for him to get out but he insisted that going up the big hill before we got to Aunt Ruby's would slow us down enough. Ha. You don't think 20mph is fast until you try to jump from a vehicle moving at that speed. I saw him jump out and roll all the way to Aunt Ruby's garden. I couldn't stop to check on him but I saw him raise his hand behind a row of collard greens in an "i'm okay" kinda way so I kept on heading home. When he got home on the 4 wheeler I was still doing laps in the yard trying to stop.

*Once we were washing mom's car and my brother hooked the water hose onto her bumper. She left to go to Otis Skelton's store to get onions for a fish fry and pulled the entire pump out of the pump house. We came home to a small scale model of ol Faithful.

*When I was in the 5th grade and my brother was in the 1st grade, I was called to the office of our little country elementary school. Apparently my brother had shot a bird out the bus window. The principal handed me a letter to my parents in regards to my brother's behavior and asked me to deliver the letter.  We had a LONG driveway and all the way down the driveway my brother begged me not to tell Daddy. I would not have told my parents except for one little fact. The TURD told our principal that I TAUGHT HIM HOW TO SHOOT A BIRD!!  For the record, I did not.

*Once when I was about 20 I talked my brother into going to pick up some antique furniture I'd suckered some boyfriend into buying for me. He hooked up my dad's cattle trailer and we took off in the rain to pick it up from the antique shop. It was pouring rain and a little datsun truck was stopped in the road. Ernie went off the side of the road and to avoid turning the trailer over, went straight down in the ravine. We saw squirrels, trees, shrubs, chipmunks, and all sorts of things fly by on our way down to the bottom of that ravine! When we finally crawled out and back up the ravine, an ambulance was waiting for us. The deputy asked Ernie(since he looked older) to call our parents. Ernie said - "uh no. I will call Daddy after you put me in the witness protection and relocation program." Luckily Daddy was glad we were alive after seeing all that wreckage and there was no need for witness relocation.

In similar fashion, earlier in high school, I was driving home from band practice. My brother was with me and I can't remember if we were fighting or if we were laughing. We were NOT paying attention to the road. That's for sure! In front of Turner Concrete, a small truck was turning left. I could not hit the ditch on the right since it was a steep hill. I could only go to the left and squeeze between the oncoming car and the one we were about to rear end. I heard a loud screech and knew I'd "made contact" with the truck. I was scared and didn't know what to do. So, I took the advice of my 11 year old brother who screamed "JUST DRIVE HOME!".  I flew home and told Mama I thought I'd hit someone. She was about to end my life right there when my brother stepped in on my behalf and said "Mama! You should not be yelling at her. You should be PROUD of her! She THREADED A NEEDLE! I've NEVER seen anyone drive like that!"  Mama was so upset and yelled that the people probably got our tag number! Ernie informed her that there was no way anyone got our tag number because A) we were going at Mach 3 and B) The man was looking for tissue in his glove box!!   :)  I did call and report my hit and run and luckily nobody reported a hit so there was no run.

I probably need to stop there so that I'll still have a sufficient number of tales to tell on his 40th birthday.

Pete went to a Cattleman's Meeting with my dad tonight so it's a girls night here. The kids had a good day at school and are both very excited about planning a long February weekend with Gran and Papa in Jesup.

Here's a few pics to remind everyone of what Uncle Ernie looked like back when he had hair!!

Ali Grace riding "Pinto" with Aunt Beth and Uncle Ernie 4 or 5 years ago

Us at my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary party.  I think Ernie was 5 or 6 here.

Misery free Monday

Addie had a rough morning! She just wanted to sit in the chair with her Daddy and sleep.

As Mondays go, today was a good day. Murphy's Law did apply though. I picked the girls' clothes out last night, along with matching bows, earrings, etc. Then this morning as we're getting dressed someone remembered it was pajama day. Ugh... Seriously y'all?  We survived the wardrobe change and everyone made it out of the house on time.

Ali had no homework thank goodness. Pete took her to basketball practice and Addie stayed home with me. She hasn't bounced back from being sick yet and had a low fever. We decided staying home and painting fingernails was a better choice.

No she's not flashing gang signs. She's showing off her purple nail polish!

As you can tell, there is folded laundry on my drop leaf table and on the back of my sofa. I'm blogging. I'm doing okay. It's like when Dr. Phil took those germophobic people and made them face their fear by licking a dumpster. I'm sitting here looking at those clothes cluttering my living room and licking my  proverbial dumpster!  

This morning before Addie Belle left for school she tugged on my arm and said "Mama I need to tell you something 'portant".  I asked her what and she said " You're the best mama in the world".  Isn't she the sweetest? Doesn't she know how to play me like a fiddle?

Warm weather picture of the day: 

I took this picture back in the summer on one of those oppressively hot summer july days that we parents think are unbearable but the kids can still tolerate. I don't know what these two are talking about together. They didn't know I was watching. I think they were on their way to "check out the fillies", which is Addie's way of saying we're going to sit on the fence and let the horses nibble the toes of our shoes.

Sassy sisters

When these girls are getting along, they are loud, giggly, and hysterical! Last night I took this picture while cooking dinner. They flew by on the scooter together!  When they're good they're VERY good. When they're bad- oh mercy! They will make you want to pull out your hair! They have days where I seriously have considered locking them both in their rooms and daring them to come out because they cannot stop fighting. Then they have days where they are totally inseparable and will look at you like they could kill you when you reprimand the other one. Here they are warming up by the fire. They call it a "foosh fire". Foosh for the sound it makes when the gas starter ignites. They are silly. I know. They get it from me. 

While I was cooking lunch today, I noticed Addie sitting at the bar, reading my February issue of Southern Living. She was commenting on the very cool bathroom decor. That's my girl. She's mine through and through.  

Yesterday, after posting that picture of Soper's Hole in the British Virgin Islands, it made me think about places I've been and want to go back again. Back when I was in college, my family went to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas. My brother was showing cattle there and we soaked up the Fort Worth experience. It was awesome! An ad popped up on the side of my facebook advertising the start of the stock show and I thought about how much I'd love to take my children there. It's on my list of things to do before I turn 40. Along with taking the children to Ireland, visiting Machu Picchu and learning to bake.  

Pete doesn't know it yet but he's taking the girls to a prayer walk at EBA tonight for their headmaster. He is having a cardiac ablation at Emory on Tuesday. It's the same procedure Poppy had with quite miraculous results. We are praying for the same miracle for Mr. Cribb.  While they're gone I'm making chicken nachos using this recipe:

Chicken Nachos

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste ( I also add a little fajita or taco seasoning)
• 1 (12 ounce) package corn tortilla chips, or as needed
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
• 1 (7 ounce) can diced green chilies, drained

• Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken, vegetable oil, and cayenne pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes, or longer if desired.
  2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture, and fry until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat, and set aside.
  3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spread a thin layer of tortilla chips in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 of the chicken, 1/4 of the chilies, and 1/4 of the cheese over the chips. Repeat layers ending with cheese on the top.
  4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Serve with your favorite nacho toppings.
  
  
  
  
  I got this recipe from allrecipes.com several years ago. It's been a long time since I've made it and I've never made it for my picky eaters here. We'll see how it goes! Have a great Sunday everyone.