one week down!

One week down and 15 to go! My head hurts from my brain stretching. So "they" say to actually grow you have to stretch out of your comfort zone...I am stretching! I am definitely in survival mode. I have already called Nana to see if I can drive down and get some HELP with this huge project! My expectations of myself are so different now than 12 years ago! We went out to eat 2 nights...one for Steve's birthday so does that count? I am 5 loads of laundry behind and tons of homework and reading behind already even though I went to bed every night at 11 and got up at 5. I am feeling a little ADHD. I guess I need to drink some of Charity's green lemonade or I could call Katie to hook me up!!! Even though I am feeling completely overwhelmed and BROKE I am so excited and I loved my classes. I learned something new in all of them already and I took it so serious. I actually enjoyed myself!!! I felt like I spent more quality time with my kids even though my house and everything else went by the wayside! My kids are so excited that I have homework Ha Ha.

Happy Birthday Steve!!!

Happy Birthday Steve! When I am as old as him my oldest son will be 18! Wow! He's getting old! I am not so sure about him being older and wiser since I am the younger I would like to think I am the wiser! Ha! I can't wait till my sugar daddy steve starts getting some gray hair!

To my hard working-crazy playing-fun loving-smooth talking-best daddy& husband! Happy Birthday! We all love you so much. Not too many daddy's I know take their entire vacation week to spend with a bunch of stinky boy scouts at camp and spend every Sat. with these kids doing something different and fun! From riding remote control cars, swimming, camping, Frisbee golfing, riding bikes, going to the creek, planting a garden, shooting BB guns, back of the truck rides, reading books, driving them all over the state for sporting events- and so so much more-They can never grow up saying you haven't devoted your life to them! There is def. never a dull moment with you around. Not to mention never a moment I don't spend worrying for your safety. Just this morning spinning out of the the driveway since it rained all night. The kids squealed and laughed with delight while I shook my head in worry! We are so lucky to have you-and grateful to know that you always stand up for your family even in times that are not always comfortable. Hope you have the best year ever and you are blessed with all the many things you pray for each day! Thanks for all your long work hours so that we live comfortable! Thanks for supporting me to go back to school or whatever task I take on! Sending you happiest birthday wishes! We love you!

NERVES!

I feel like I am starting the first grade with C. On her first day of first grade she said
C-Mom, I really liked kindergarten
M-I know you did
C-First grade is prob. going to be too hard
M-But you are so smart once you get going you will remember everything and it will be easy like kindergarten
C-they don't have centers
M-They'll have new things you'll love
C-MOM you aren't helping-Don't try to make it better. I am just nervous!!!


Today is my first day of SCHOOL! So different than working 30 hours a week in photography where I am in my own zone-I am a bundle of nerves. I was actually fine until I started reading the syllabus for a couple of the classes. My nerves hit the top when I read that I actually needed to do oral class presentations. HMMM....as much as I love to talk you would think that wouldn't be hard for me. But for some reason when I present myself in front of a large group it all changes for me. I become a nervous wreck (thanks to Nana for handing down her best quality) My voice changes-my hands shake-I sweat-I can't remember anything about anything-SO if I can get over the fact that I have to present myself in front of others maybe I can figure out where my classes are held!!!

It's been 12 years with the exception of 1 class in 1999. I took some online photography classes but really 12 years since I went to school. I had just delivered Andrew and thought I was up for some more classes. I cried and was so miserable when I left he and Blake that fall. So, I dropped all my classes and went back home. Although I was really not that far to finish I couldn't keep my mind straight and I worried about them the whole time. So here I am now age 34 praying that my brain cells will come back!! Thank goodness for spell check! Too bad they won't have centers!

chicken in crock pot tonight. This is so easy-if you don't already do this I wanted to share

Whole chicken thawed

a couple of slices of onions

a couple of peeled cloves of garlic (crushed or whole)

Put chicken in crock pot and add slices of onion and garlic into the cavity of the chicken. Cook 8 hours. YUMMY

Mulipication facts cupcakes. No one can eat a cup cake until the person trying to learn their math facts gives the answer! These are for LB. She forgot her math facts over the summer so we are trying to remember. I loved this idea. Wish I had thought of it but I got it from Family Fun!

Warming up

This is my Caroline cold-tired-wet from the pool-trying to warm herself on the driveway in the sun. Could you imagine falling to sleep this way? Crazy girl!

Hanging out and playing games

Last Friday, the boys decided to have their Hale cousins over and a few friends. It turned into around 20 friends. After everyone started arriving I started to worry if we had left people out-since it was so last minute it just kind of happened! The kids had so much fun! We ended up playing some fun games and having a blast. We separated into two teams. We had a watermelon race. Where a swimmer swims the watermelon to a runner-then the runner brings the watermelon back around to the swimmer. This goes on until every member of the team has ran the watermelon! We had a ice melting contest. Our hands were numb. And a eat the donut off the string! We had a couple more games planned but they ended up playing their music and standing around! We ended with a movie (RM) on the garage door and Hamburgers and hot dogs go a long long way. Last night they went camping-but they are already planning another fun night before the warm weather ends!

Land PLEASE PLEASE-not a chance!

Orange flags are the bad ones. We were looking for red! The wrong kind of soil all around us!

Good bye my beautiful almost land!

Well for those of you who know us we have wanted to move out of the subdivision lifestyle for a long time. We "almost" have gotten so many pieces of property but something always happens. We were so so close this time. About a month ago we found the most beautiful piece of land, fairly priced eight acres. We met with a builder. Put an offer on the land-started packing up out house. In fact I was thinking I must really be crazy to go back to school at the same time I was selling a house and building a house. The customer accepted our offer so the chase was on. Our closing date was set- earnest money paid. We were ready to go forward. All the land around this certain piece of property perked. It had once been a cotton field and the owner was 85 years old single and just not needing a cotton field any more. So this past Wednesday was the big day to perk the property. Steve and I met the soil group at the perfect piece of land. We walked the land everywhere-they dug and dug. NO PERK..NONE..NADA...NO perk means NO HOUSE. Oh well on to something new! Maybe next time!

Back to School!

4th grader 1st grader
8th grader
7th grader

It can't be time already!

Summer has gone by so quickly. My kiddos are starting back to school today. Last night at the parent meeting I could feel the sadness kick in. It is overwhelming for me the first couple of days of school. I love summer and the freedom of no homework, less of a schedule, eat when we are hungry, read when we want not because we have too and lots of extra time with my babes. I could feel the agony starting when I was listening to the teachers talking about the fun and exciting things my children were about to do! I wanted to scream NO I'm not ready yet...I need another month!