Blessed!

Addie brought home her K5 graduation gown today. I cannot imagine what it will be like when my last baby brings home her senior cap and gown. I think I've been putting off paying for it, because I just didn't want to deal with the fact that she is really growing up. She was so proud and pranced around in it. 
Ali was very anxious to get dressed and ready for the concert tonight. She came home and changed immediately into her EBA shirt.

The concert was just wonderful. It was like an old time gospel singin'! Even though some think the old gospel songs are boring, I greatly prefer them to contemporary Christian music. Shall We Gather at the River is much more soul stirring to me than any contemporary song. I loved it!  How in the world Ms Joiner gets those kids to sing so well is beyong me. but I was blessed by it and was reminded how fortunate my children are to be able to attend Edmund Burke Academy.

My sweet niece Sarah Rose came with us. She's two and a pistol! After every song she would shout out. I told her to quit being such a Baptist and be quiet! It tickled the people in front of us and we all had a good chuckle.

Short post tonight. I still have about 995 things on my list of 1000 things to do before we leave for the beach tomorrow!

Where is Friday??

Are we positively sure tomorrow isn't Friday? This has been the longest week ever. I cannot believe it's not Friday yet because it seems like it's been 3 weeks since the last weekend. The power went out this morning at school during the thunderstorm. That's very bad in middle school. Very bad. Luckily it came back on and we all survived.

The girls had Donuts with Dad this morning at EBA. They really had donuts with MY dad, since Pete has to be at work too early to attend. According to reports, Poppy was a very good stand in. The girls won't remember a time when their grandparents weren't right across the road and very involved in their lives. Hopefully they will realize how blessed they are to have both sets of grandparents so very accessible and willing to help out. Pete's mother is coming up from Jesup for Ali's spring concert tomorrow only to turn right back around and head to St. Augustine with us on Friday.  Just another of our many blessings.

Ali and I had a heated game of 4 square or "two circle" as Ali called it today. I laughed hysterically when Ali slipped on the rug on the hardwood floors and landed right on her fanny.  It was enough to keep her ego in check for awhile. Yes we play ball indoors...

and by looking at Ali's socks, we must wear our socks outdoors

but ride scooters indoors...

but we do not  paint, blow bubbles, or allow anything with fur inside. I'm quirky like that.

Thankfully the girls got along well this afternoon. Addie feels much better today. No Ali didn't wear camo pj bottoms to school although I hear that's all the rage in some places... including UGA.  I may have been guilty of such an offense back in my Athens years...well not camo. Definitely not.

I have about 999 things left to do on my list of 1000 things to do before we leave for the beach. My husband is colorblind. He can't pack for us. That would be bad. Very bad. 

A Movie, A Marriage and a Memory that made me laugh...

When it's wet and chilly outside, it's so hard to get out of the bed. This morning I even played Jimmy Buffet on the way to work, hoping it would motivate me to scoot on through this week. Fail. It only made me want to turn around and head to the coast!  Listening to Buffet may me think about my friend, Michelle. We taught together at Effingham County Middle School. She was a little older than me, a little more conservative and married to an accountant. We used to joke about "catching a wave" every time things got tough. Things always get tough when you teach middle school. That's a given. You can imagine my surprise though when one day I walked in and found her leaned back in her teacher's chair listening to one of Jimmy Buffet's more "colorful" songs on the radio. I laughed out loud this morning while listening to Buffet and said to myself "catch a wave".  I hope she's doing well and I sure do miss her terribly sometimes.

The weather report didn't do much to lift my spirits since the weather is supposed to be cool in Saint Augustine this weekend where we've rented a house with Pete's brother and his family for a few days. Oh well. It'll be good to get away for awhile regardless.

Pete had a Cattleman's meeting tonight in town so the girls and I decided on an impromptu movie night. Addie still doesn't feel well so she piled up on the sofa happily.

Ali finished most of her homework quickly, so she piled up under the blanket for a movie too. We watched Karate Kid. The remake was nothing like the first one. I distinctly remember standing in line with my mother at the grocery store when I was a kid and begging her for some trashy magazine that had a picture of Ralph Macchio in it. She looked at me like I had lost my mind. 

I got this in the mail today..

an invitation to my cousin Cindy's wedding at Saint Mary's Church, Helsingborg, Sweden. I might just take off and go. Still thinking about it! I'm so happy for Cindy. We really like her hubby to be. He came down summer before last and spent some time here on the Ponderosa and ran successfully through the gauntlet. He's a keeper. Congratulations Chuck and Cindy! I am so happy for you two.  

Orchids and an Apology..

Check out my orchid in the window sill. I actually have a window full of them. Pete bought them for me for Mother's Day a couple years ago, and they've found a perfect spot on my kitchen window sill. I love orchids. Their blooms last a long time and I enjoy them all summer long. Many people are intimidated by orchids but they are really fairly easy to grow in indirect light. I think orchid snobs perpetuate that myth. I don't do a thing to mine but water it when it gets dry. This particular orchid came off the clearance shelf at Wal Mart. I think people are turned off when orchids aren't blooming and their foliage is yellowy. Orchid leaves are not supposed to be dark green. Strangely enough, that's an indicator of an unhealthy orchid with inadequate light.  If you see an orchid on sale somewhere grab one! They really are low maintenance and the blooms are long lasting.

Addie stayed home from school today. She had a very mild case of croup this morning. Thankfully she's outgrown the major cases that have landed us in the emergency room a dozen times in 6 years.  After I picked her up from my mother's house she still gave me the "sick face". 

  I told her she may not be well enough to go on the field trip tomorrow with her class. This face quickly followed:

The weather was cold and yucky today but in between rain showers Ali Grace found time to go out side and practice her jump roping skills. They have Jump Rope for Heart on Friday at EBA and I've never seen a kid more excited about missing an hour or so of class to go and jump rope!

This week Ali's class will take part in the spring concert on Thursday at EBA. The program is called "The Greatest Gospel Songs of America" and I can't wait to see it.  Addie has a field trip and will get her cap and gown for K5 graduation this week. Thankfully a friend's facebook status reminded me to send in the money for it tomorrow. This is a busy time of year and I've got about a dozen lists taped to the refrigerator. I'm hoping to mark off a lot of things before our trip to St. Augustine over spring break! 

And one more thing....

The same friend who reminded me about Addie's graduation gown, posted an interesting article regarding facebook. It talked about the down side of facebook and one of those is depression. I saw this in USA Today today as well. Both articles talked about people being depressed when they see other people having fun, going on vacation, getting together and enjoying family, etc. when these things are not possible for them at the time. I've never personally felt that way. I do have a few facebook friends who are over the top with their "my world is perfect" status updates, but for the most part, my friends are real. On the flip side, I hope through my blogging and my facebook that I have not given the impression that my life is perfect. Honey it ain't. I hope that I've not caused jealousy and depression in others as a result of what I've said or posted. A few years ago, my house was on the Waynesboro Women's Club Christmas Tour of Homes. It was a lot of hard work but I thoroughly enjoyed it. During the tour, a woman in her 40's came through. She was dressed in a well worn sweatsuit and her shoes were past their prime. I could tell she didn't have much in the way of material things. She sat in awe on my sofa and looked around my house. "She said this is just beautiful. I'm going to start saving my money today and decorate my house next year."

I sat down next to her and said "honey... with the exception of the wreath over the mantle, there's not a Christmas decoration in this house that didn't come from Wal Mart or Big Lots." That is the truth too.  So if I've ever given anyone the impression that I've got it together, trust me when I say we don't.  I'm much closer to Big Lots than to Bloomingdale's. Our kids pick their noses when they shouldn't. We go on vacations sometimes that we can't afford. Sometimes we're broke at the end of the month. Right now our shower is leaking and needs to be fixed. I found a a moldy glass of curdled milk under Ali's bed last week. My dishwasher is sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor right now because it won't drain otherwise. Get my drift? We're just like everyone else struggling through this life, doing the best we can and I apologize if anyone thought differently! I do love my wine and artisan cheeses but I like bologna sandwiches and Pepsi just as well. Enjoy this rainy week. Just think how beautiful the spring flowers will be in a couple weeks! 

Weekend Wrapup

 

We had rough storms last night and so both girls piled in our bed to sleep. I loved snuggling with them before we fell off to sleep but when I woke up about 5am contorted in some completely unnatural position, I immediately regretted even attempting to sleep in the same bed with a 6 year old and a 9 year old. My neck hurt terribly and my hip felt weird. I'm getting to be a regular senior citizen! When I put my foot on the hardwood floor I winced, remembering the stone bruise I got yesterday running down the walk barefooted. What was I thinking? We didn't make church :(  and then the storms from last night returned about 9am, nailing shut any plans we might have had for the outdoors today. It's still amazing to look out the windows and see how much the trees have budded out and the pastures have greened up just in the past 2 days.
Pete and Addie got a really slow start this morning...

Addie was very productive during the thunderstorm this morning. She practiced writing her spelling words. Heaven knows she needs the handwriting practice. She has not missed a single sight word this entire school year. Not one. Her handwriting is terrible though! She's sitting with her zippidee doo dah snow globe. The kid has a thing for snow globes.

After the rain stopped, Addie rode over too see Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Carlos who were stopping by on their way to Richmond to visit Julie, Cindy, Goran and Chuck.. Oh who am I kidding! They're going to see baby Anneli. The rest of you are really low on the list compared to sweet Anneli! 

Uncle Carlos showed Addie the Bob Marley hat he got on a recent trip to the Islands! :)

Addie had to give it a whirl! Kinda cute mon!

After awhile, Ali came over too see Bonnie and Carlos too. I think she smelled the grill cooking something good! We had a great dinner together.  I have no idea why Ali grabbed a Christmas sweater out of my closet on the way out the door.

We enjoyed dinner together and afterwards the women sat around talking about everything from Obamacare to how to get rust stains out of clothes. Unfortunately, there's work and school tomorrow so we had to end our evening early to get back in time for baths and homework. We're looking forward to seeing Bonnie and Carlos again on their return trip back to Florida. We're really looking forward to getting through this week and enjoying our spring break!

Lovin' this weekend!

First thing this morning, Addie asked to ride her bike over to Nanny and Poppy's house. It was a bit early and chilly out but I was glad she was excited about getting on her bike again after having a bad accident a few days ago so I let her go. She remembered her helmet this time. :) She spent the morning helping Poppy at the farm. 

Ali and I had a slow morning at home doing laundry and sitting on the porch.  We walked over to get Addie about lunch time. We really enjoyed the nice weather. These two nosy girls, Mirage and Anastasia, did too!

After lunch Pete came home with a few ferns, and some ornamental pepper plants. We planted a few on the deck and put some in pots for the screened porch.

This afternoon it got very quiet and I thought Addie must be asleep since I hadn't heard her at all upstairs. I went upstairs to check on her and she was in the playroom reading a book. I just stood outside the door and listened to her, knowing if she saw me she'd stop. Talk about melting your heart! She really likes to read and she's getting better at it every day. 

I'm glad both my girls love reading. Ali Grace is on her 234235235th Saddle Club book.

We had a big supper. Beef roast, mashed potatoes, green beans and sweet tea. We're looking forward to movie night tonight. We're watching The Sandlot 2 on Netflix. The girls love movie night and I do too- mainly because I hold it over their heads all day long in order to get them to do their chores and get along with each other. We are looking forward to church tomorrow and a visit from Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Carlos. The girls love when their Great Aunt and Uncle visit. It's like Santa in the Spring!

Cinderella Dressed in Yellow...Jumping Rope Could Kill a Fellow!

Addie cracked me up this afternoon. Ali Grace was telling me about her friend's new pink blackberry. Addie said "uhhh Ali a pink blackberry is called a raspberry Duh!"  She cracks me up.

The kids had a great day at school. Ali Grace had a presentation today in her English class. She had to talk about her essay on dancing. She told me the night before it was due that she needed a "prop" for the essay presentation. Good grief child! I asked her why in the world she didn't write something about horseback riding. We have thousands of pictures of her on horseback and she could have taken her helmet, her saddle, brushes, blankets, bridles, get my drift???  Heck my daddy could have even brought her horse!  But dance?? We don't even take dance lessons anymore for goodness sake! Anyway, all we really had to send was a picture of her in her ballet costume. It was a beautiful canvas and I was crazy for letting her take it. She didn't feel so great about the "prop" but that was the best we could do. She came home today and said that her presentation was great! I asked her what made it so great. She said that when she finished, Ms Dillard, her english teacher exclaimed "Now isn't dance supposed to be fun?"  Ali replied "yes of course" and Ms. Dillard said "well everyone get to the front of the room!" Ali said she was really nervous about what Ms Dillard was about to do! All of a sudden her teacher starts playing The Macarena on her iphone and the whole class did the Macarena. Now that was a great prop!  Ali was so excited telling me about it. I love to hear the kids talk excitedly about school.

The girls talked their daddy into jumping rope this afternoon. It was hysterically funny. When he started jumping, Ali yelled "earthquake!".  He shook the deck and the kids thought it was hilarious.

Addie talked on her "cell phone" with her pal who's "totally just a friend", Carson. Notice her filthy shirt. This is how she comes home everyday. It's somewhat worse during spring when they have snowcones at recess.

Ali has a great woo hoo for the weekend smile!

So does her daddy!

I am in love with our screened porch this time of year. We sat out there until almost dark watching the kids play and rehashing all the craziness of the week and pondering some big decisions we're going to have to make soon. I'm hoping to get some yard work done and a few flowers planted but overall, we're aiming for a low key weekend and a chance to get some much needed rest over the next couple of days. Pete is working in the morning and I'm looking forward to some morning snuggle time with the girls!

I really don't understand why I come home dead tired and my children have the energy to jump rope all through the house and ride bikes up and down the driveway for hours. Something is wrong with this picture!

Addie wanted to ride her bike over to visit Nanny and Poppy. Ali Grace, after jumping rope inside for a solid hour, decided to ride with her daddy.

Addie changed the menu on the chalkboard in the outdoor kitchen to reflect what she wanted for dinner tonight. "Steak!"  I have never seen a child love steak more than she does.  

Unfortunately, Addie went flying down the driveway on her bike and bit it about half way down. I'm not sure what happened but she busted her lip, scraped her palms and both knees. She also has a big knot on her head. It's all part of being a kid I guess, but she sure felt terrible and I felt terrible for her. She was mostly mad and after a little neosporin, bandaids and kisses she seemed to be okay.  

We are so looking forward to the weekend. Our yard looks like the monster plantation at Six Flags. I'm also starting my straw bale garden in the back yard! I'll be sure to get pictures of my progress or lack thereof!

This isn't just an ordinary picture of Ali Grace doing her homework. She's doing her homework on MY old lap board. I used this study board when I was her age. It was a gift from my Aunt Ann for Christmas. See how attached I am to things that are connected someway to family or have some sort of history?  I'm weird like that.

Today did not start well. A colleague called early to let me know she would not be coming in today and wanted to let me know what to leave for the students to do. She has a thick accent and it's not easy to understand her over the phone...especially with two daughters yelling at each other and yanking each other around by the necks of their shirts! I about lost it, but before I could, Pete came in and wore both of them out. They crawled in the car crying this morning. I hate mornings like that!  Thankfully, they both bubbled this afternoon talking about Okefenokee Joe's visit to EBA today. That man must be 100 years old. I used to show my Ag classes his videos when I taught wildlife classes. and he was old then!  He must still have it though. The girls were really impressed. 

Emilia came and organized my upstairs today. I am considering making the girls sleep downstairs so they won't make so much as one pollen track in the floor! Ali Grace took a picture of her room with my camera. I told her that's what I mean when I say clean your room!

After a stressful start, we all seemed to get it together and finish the day without much drama. I have a feeling this sister drama is just beginning and I have absolutely no tolerance for it. I am praying for patience tonight. These girls better hope my prayers are answered.  Otherwise, I am going to be the one snatching each of them up by the necks of their shirts!

Help Emilia Help!!

This teeny picture is a picture of the large chair in my living room. The chair really doesn't match anything else in the living room but we keep it there because it's oh so comfy. Now however, there's no point in having the chair because not only does it not match, but it's constantly filled with laundry waiting to be folded. The chance that someone will be able to sit in it is slim to none. If you look closely you can also see the dust under the chair and several other bits of evidence that I'm losing the clean house battle here. All it takes is a couple days of working late or one weekend away from home and poof! Craziness ensues around here. So.... enter Emilia. My sweet Mama hired her to clean my house this week. If she does a good job, then I'll pay her from here on out. She seems very nice and said she loves to clean. I consider that a mental illness, but whatever.  Since Francisca flew the coop,we've done okay. The girls have not done too terribly bad, but unfortunately I am somewhat OCD about the house and a whole lot ADD. I cannot focus on one thing very long. I start cleaning the sink and notice that the flowers need to be watered and while I'm watering flowers I find one of the girls' flip flops and when I take it to their closet I realize that clothes need to be sorted... and on and on.. At the end of the day, I am exhausted and nothing has been accomplished. It's a bad combination of "the house must be spotless" and "where did I leave my broom". OCD meets ADD if you will..   Maybe Emilia can help save my sanity.  

Today was a great day to be outside. Addie enjoyed jumping in the pollen on the trampoline and making a huge disgusting mess. Ali spent a little while doing homework while perched in her chair like a bird.

We are all enjoying the warm weather and can't wait for the weekend. We're also counting down the days until Spring Break!