HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY PICS. I DECIDED TO EDIT SOME OF MY WRITING AND MY PICS DISAPPEARED. I ADDED THEM BACK AND NOW FOUR SMALL BOXES SHOW UP ON MY SCREEN. IF I CLICK ON THE BOX THE PICTURE APPEARS. SORRY FOR THE PROBLEMS. HOPEFULLY MY NEXT POST WILL GO AS PLANNED.
I enjoyed a stereotypical rural southern day. Hubby left early this morning to play in a golf tourney benefitting our local high school football team. The kids and I got up and headed towards the course to see if we could help out. On the way I phoned my friend and she talked us into coming to her house and riding with her to their farm. Today is the opening day of turkey season and her hubby and friends killed five turkeys. We rode out to the farm so the children could drive the dead turkeys around in the gator. Good ole southern fun.
Nothing like two kids driving around w/a dead turkey
We headed back to my friend's house and stopped in the McDonald's drive-thru only to experience a little fun as the person taking our order fussed and cussed because she could not get the cash register to cooperate. My friend was kind enough to let me leave my kiddos at her house so I could go to the golf tournament and help prepare plates of food for the golfers. I dipped potato salad as we watched a black cloud approach. The cloud loomed, but the men never came in from the course- good ole southern boys ain't afraid of a little thunderstorm. During all this I took a call from a friend wanting to know if I had red camellias blooming- she was fixing flowers for a bridal shower this evening. I don't have any, but suggested she go to my neighbor's house and cut some of her flowers. She asked if my neighbor would mind and I answered of course not-just tell everyone who grew those gorgeous blooms. A southern lady loves to hear everyone swoon over the fresh cut flowers from her yard.
After dodging the storm and dipping potato salad for one-hundred plates I went back to my friend's house to prepare my little princess for the next event. Her dance company was invited to perform at a pageant in a neighboring county. If you have never attended a community wide pageant in the south- you are missing out. This pageant is the best fundraiser the community has going. I dressed my little gypsy in rhinestones and a hot pink stretch metallic supergirl costume. We applied make-up and hairspray so she would not be washed out by the glow of the spotlights on the candy themed stage. After dressing we went back to the golf course to drop off my son (he had no interest in going to the pageant) and let Daddy see his little girl. Imagine the looks on the golfers' faces as a little pink supergirl entered the clubhouse. Believe me she took the spotlight.
Wow- what a difference a few hours and no turkeys make
Once we greeted all the gentlemen and got a hug from Daddy we drove 20 miles to the neighboring county. I must not forget-we had to stop at the Dollar General to ask for directions. After arriving we saw dozens of girls from pre-kindergarten thru high school awaiting their chance on the stage. We listened as the "tiny misses" were introduced. The mistress of ceremonies read a brief biography on each contestant as well as a few other tidbits. I chuckled as the mistress read about each child's favorite food as well as their favorite celebrity. No doubt, chicken tenders, pizza, steak and shrimp were favorites. Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean were favorite celebrities. We were really not surprised to hear Toddlers and Tiaras was the favorite tv show of most contestants.
My daughter and her group did a great job performing. We were exhausted from all of the activities and headed home for the evening. Upon returning home, I asked hubby who won the tourney. He did tell me his team was in last place (no surprise since he rarely gets to play golf). I could not get him to tell me if he had the highest score on the team. I believe this is where most southern men use a little embellishment.
Tomorrow should be a very normal day with church and an afternoon nap- need a little normal after such a fabulous Saturday. I don't know how much more I could take.
Today, my son brought home the dreaded permission slip for the sex education class provided by the counselor at his school. OMG!- freaking out just a little. His school counselor is a really wonderful lady and I do not envy her job. I've hinted (strongly) around to hubby all school year this was going to come up at some point. What I don't understand is why they waited to do it during the month leading up to the annual testing for his grade. Once you start talking about this subject no kid will be able to concentrate on school.
I know most parents sign this form and send it back thinking "thank goodness the school is taking care of this topic". There are a lot of things we leave up to the school, but this AIN'T one of them. Schools are under so much pressure to keep everyone happy (politically correct). This means they might not talk about how God created us as man and woman (sorry if you disagree, but this is my house and my blog). They might hit on abstinence being the only way to prevent STDs or pregnancy, but they don't teach the subject from the stand point of remembering you are a gift and have a gift to give with the person God has chosen for you.
Several months ago we were presented with a similar situation when our little girl brought home a permission form for the "Good Touch, Bad Touch" program. Again, many parents don't mind the school teaching this subject, but not us. Tonight, hubby and I need to have a conversation with our son about what he has already heard/knows (this should be interesting) and why we aren't signing the permission form. During the last year we have had several conversation about how his body is changing-pimples, body odor, etc. We have talked about daydreaming and not being able to concentrate-this is very normal at his age. Please suggest good books on the subject if you have any experience with this topic. There are several books dealing with the subject and we considering several right now. I will post a review once we have put one to good use.
Please pray for us as we tackle this topic in our household. It is really hitting home that our son is growing up. Pray God will give us the answers he wants our son to hear.
Community Theater Production- Week One
Hubby and the kiddos are having a great time performing. Backstage with the rest of the cast is great fun. Here are a couple of pics:
A little backstage fun w/the IPOD
the backstage entrance to the upstairs
We are all really busy, but we must take a few minutes and take care of ourselves. I'm reminding myself of this as well as others. No matter how busy we get with family and home life we need to take time to make ourselves feel good. This might mean going for a mani/pedi, treating yourself to a 15 minute bath with your favorite bath gel, getting your hair colored, going for a walk, etc. Ladies do not forget yourself and especially your bra when you go out. Look at yourself in the mirror before you go out and ask yourself if you have put on your best face for the day. Do your clothes give you a lift or bring you down? Put on a little extra blush or mascara if it makes you feel better.
Recently, I've noticed several ladies that have gotten so busy with life they have forgotten themselves. On occasion I have needed to be reminded to do something for myself to give me a lift in spirit. We sometimes get stuck in a rut and start wearing big, slouchy clothes, comfortable shoes, hair in a ponytail and minimal make-up. Remember you are important. Treat yourself with importance each and everyday.
The apparel, shoe and cosmetics industries offer the consumer many choices, but not all of these choices are suited for everyone or every occasion. UGG boots don't look good on every body type, but might be great for fetching the newspaper in the driveway on a cold morning. Plaid pajama pants were not meant to be worn outside of the house unless you are in the UGG boots fetching the paper. Hair rollers are not hair accessories. Lately, I've noticed some trends in fashions we might want to avoid if we are trying to look our best. As we head into spring consider adding something fun and new to your wardrobe.
I've seen people wearing a certain brand of flat canvas slip on shoes in the last year and I must say WOW! First of all I must give the company credit for donating a pair to a needy child each time a pair is purchased. This brand and style has been around for many years, but they seem to be all the rage again. With this being said, I must say these shoes are not flattering to the foot or the leg. These shoes remind me slightly of the Grasshoppers brand my grandmother wore when working in her garden. I'm assuming comfort is the reason for purchasing a pair of these shoes. This company does make a few other styles, but this style is the classic. Ladies, if you want to put a little pep in your step choose something feminine and girly.
I feel like I have been out of commission for months even though it has only been a few weeks. While I'm keeping up with most of my favorite blogs, I have done nothing update my own. This week is opening night for the production my hubby and kiddos have been working on for the last few months (lots of pictures to come). I've been stitching and ironing to make sure their costumes are perfect. My daughter also has a dance competition coming up as well as a solo routine she is working on for the recital. I've been working on the costume for these events too. These sewing projects are very funny to my mom as she remembers how I hated sewing classes when I was working on that degree in home economics. Now it seems to be a must have skill. I can't imagine not being able to alter or stitch up something when I get in a pinch.
With all of this fun I also started a Bunko group in my community. Several friends and I played when I first moved to the community, but our group quit playing. A new neighbor asked me recently if I played and suggested we get a group going. This past week was our first meeting at my house. I think everyone had a blast and looks forward to playing again next month-much needed time away from the mommy duties.
Work has overwhelmed me lately. This past week I almost missed a meeting because I got the dates mixed up. I'm usually very on top of things, but I've been more than a little stressed with tons of meetings and lots of reports due. When I left the office on Friday I felt very good about how much I had accomplished. I plan to tackle this week with GUSTO!
Tonight, we are enjoying what will most likely be the only meal we enjoy together this week as tomorrow night is dress rehearsal and then the play begins on Thursday evening. Hubby has city council this week and I have a Monday night meeting. Hubby pulled out all the stops and fired up the grill. YUMMY! Good ole backyard favorites- BBQ chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob and a fresh green salad.
No special recipe, just store brand sauce and leg quarters.
The national and state news is full of stories about how our students are not making the grade. At work I've been so fortunate to work with some great students. It is so rewarding to see young people strive for excellence. Many of the students I work with have few experiences outside of their community. I've witnessed a few break out of their comfort zone to try something new to improve upon themselves. Even though we live in a small rural community some of my students have found opportunities while others have created opportunities for themselves. Sure there are others that like many adults are apathetic to their situations, but that is the choice they make. As many of my students get ready for college, I'm consistently asked to write recommendation letters for scholarships. I love bragging on the accomplishments of such great young people. These are the stories of young people you never hear. You see happy stories don't sell so we don't hear much of this good news. The stories of guns, knives, fights, drugs and poor test scores overshadow the good.
Pray for me tomorrow as I travel with a large group of students on a really cool field trip. I'm so excited to witness some of them have a really awesome experience. Some of these kids have rough days in class, but here is hoping for a "knock your socks off" kind of day.
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