Merry Christmas!

 I want to be sure to wish all of my J-land friends a very Merry Christmas! 

All is well here. . .I hope that this finds each of you well and happy too.

No hurricane damage

I just want to say thanks to all of you who have been concerned about us and Wilma.  We suffered very minimal crop damage and no damage to our home or yard.  We didn't not lose power (praise God!) and we are now experiencing the most beautiful weather imaginable!  It is now 61 degrees and it's supposed to go down into the 50's tonight!  I have all of my bedroom windows open and I am hurrying through this entry just so I can run and jump into my bed and enjoy the cool night air coming in the window.  I know I must sound crazy, but you all must realize that for the past 4 or 5 days before the hurricane our temps were in the 80's and 90's with extremely high humidity.  A 20 to 30 degree drop in temperature overnight is dramatic and very welcome.  Well. . .my cool bed is calling!  Nighty night!

It's been a while!

Oh boy it has been too long.  I have lost all my journal friends I'm sure by now.  My sporadic entries have ruined me!  I will give a quick update for those who happen to drop by:

As you know I am working full time now. . .enough said really.  I no longer have time for anything.  I do still love my job and am very happy to have it, but I miss my quiet days at home alone with my computer.  I am reading a great book right now, but in the old days I would have read 3 books in the time it has taken me to get to the 1/2 way point.  My house is suffering a bit too.  I like to clean the bathrooms before you can see that they need cleaning, but now I clean them to avoid any potential science projects from popping up.  My vacuum cleaner has had a clog in it for weeks now and so I have to use the quick vac and it doesn't do a very good job, but I don't have time to take apart the vacuum cleaner and dig out the clog.  I know that I will eventually get a system, but it's taking longer than I'd like.  I may resort to hiring someone to clean.  I offered to pay the girls to clean for me.  Not their rooms or bathroom, but the kitchen, den, livingroom and dining room and start supper.  Well, I guess they aren't interested, because I haven't had to pay them a red cent yet!  Katie will start supper, but when her heart isn't in it (and it hasn't been lately) then the food comes out terrible. . .undercooked pasta, big clumps of rice with most sticking to the bottom of the pot. . .you get the picture.  She made a stir fry the other night and it was so bad that Robert couldn't eat it, now that's bad cause he'll eat anything.  So. . .I'll probably end up with a cleaning lady before too long.  Hey, I even went out and bought some special cleaning supplies to make it easier. . .the disposable toilet bowl brush (I love it and think it is the best thing since sliced bread) but they were unimpressed.  I bought every kind of wet one available. . .dusting, windex, all purpose, clorox, orange scented. . .you name it, I bought it. Well, my cleaning lady will like it!!  I used to have a cleaning lady come twice a month and it was so nice to walk in to a spotless house. . .yes, I've talked myself into it.

On to other things. . .Wilma.  Stay away!!!!!  Robert starts picking tomatoes on Monday.  He has has the worst season this fall.  No storms.  I don't mean hurricanes, but regular gully washers, none.  You need a good hard rain every so often to clean the plants.  We've had some light rain and sprinkles but they just promote bacteria and fungus. . .now that we are ready to pick, we need nice cool, dry days. . .well, there are none of those in the forcast.  A hurricane right now would put my poor husband in the nut house. 

Kids.  Betsy is doing wonderful in school. . .no boyfriend. . .on a diet ( she is 16 and weighs 110 lbs, but she thinks she needs a diet. . .go figure.)    Katie is also single.  She and Matt haven't been able to get their act together. . .I don't get it at all.  She is going to Halloween Horror Nights at Busch Gardens with a few friends tonight.  She is also competing in the Calendar Girl pageant at her school next weekend.  120 girls all trying for 12 spots. . .it has cost us hundreds of dollars on a gown, shoes, walking lessons, hair and makeup. . .she better win!  The weekend after that is Homecoming which has become the "Fall Prom", so we had to get a gown for that as well!  And hair and make up!  I'm making her use the shoes for both. . .that's where I draw the line.  She is also getting braces next month.  She has decided that she hates her teeth.  Her bottom teeth are crooked, but her top teeth look fine. . .not perfect, but fine.  Not good enough for her,  so the braces are being put on in a few weeks.  She is trying to decide whether to go out for Strawberry Festival Queen (which is a BIG deal in this town, I mean BIG!!!)  She is freaking out because they have a bathing suit competition . . .why?, I don't know.  She thinks she has big thighs, she works out several times a week and only weighs 120 (she's 18).  Good grief.. . . . . .Wes is working two jobs and one is with his dad.  It is working out great. No fighting or threats to move out. . . He starts college on January 14th. . .we are so excited for him.  He is madly in love with Kady. . .madly.  It is very sweet.  He is flying up to Tallahassee next weekend to see her for her birthday.  He bought her a bracelet from Tiffany's for her b-day present.  He hasn't saved any money for college, but hasn't asked us for a loan in a while either. . .progress. 

Well, that about does it! The kittens are 3 weeks old and starting to get around.  They are too cute.  I'll try to make another entry before Thanksgiving!  If not, have a fun and happy Halloween and Veteran's Day!  ~later

Rainy day blues

It rained pretty much all day today.  So, I spent my morning cleaning house and my afternoon shopping!  I love having a squeeky clean house.  I did everything today, even vaccumed my window sills and bifold louver doors.   (I'm probably butchering the spelling here!)  The only room I didn't finish is my room.  I am putting it off until tomorrow. 

The kittens are doing well.  I introduced my big dog Pepper to them while the mama cat was outside and would you believe that those teeny tiny little babies could smell him (their eyes are still closed) and they were all spitting at him! (it sounded like they were all coughing)  It scared the crap out of Pepper and he took off into the kitchen.  He hasn't been back over in their corner again.  I just laughed my head off!  They are so sweet and precious and to see them hissing at Pepper just cracked me up.  Pepper is a big baby. . .he and our other cat Butter are best buddies and often sleep curled up together.

Well, I am bored.  I think I might go in my room and read for a little while.  Katie gets home from work at about 10:30, so I can't go to bed until she is safe and sound.  I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. . .let me encourage you all to go to church tomorrow.  ~later

More kitties to love!

I am sending a precious picture out to all of you of our new kittens.  Our sweet cat Dizzy had her litter yesterday.  There are 5 of them and they are mostly gray and white, but 2 will probably end up either very dark gray or black and white.  She lets me pick them up and kiss them.  So sweet.

        

I am still cheating.  Just to let you all know.  (See my last entry)  But, I haven't given up on my journal and I don't plan to.  I have many friends that read it to keep up with what's going on in my life.    We have more and more family members getting involved in our family website and it is so much fun!  We have family up north that we get to talk to daily now.  It's great.

I haven't gotten tired of my new job yet.  I still looooooooove it.  I don't think I will get tired of it.  It is exciting and I get to use my brain.  Today I spent the entire day doing the graphic design for a new series of brochures we are creating.  It was great. No pressure. . .no one looking over my shoulder. . .no deadlines.  We would like to have them ready to go sometime after Christmas.  No problem.

Well. . .I just wanted to share my baby pictures, I am going to go to bed and read for a while.  Have a great TGIF tomorrow!

I've been cheating

Sorry y'all!  I've been cheating on my journal for a week now.  This is the first time I have even signed on to AOL Journals all week too.  My cousin has created a family website at myfamily.com and I have spent all of my computer time (plus) on it.  I log on to it 1st thing every morning when I sit down to my desk.  It is so much fun.  I get to read entries from my mom and my aunts and cousins everyday!  We can also schedule family chat sessions and add pictures.  I am loving it, but I really don't want to neglect my journal.  She (I think it's a she) is getting close to being 1 year old! (Jan. 8) So, bear with me until the new wears off!

I love love love love love love. . . . . . . love my job.  My boss actually has to come in and remind me (at 5:15) "Barbara, it's time to go"  I  have found my place in the world.  (it's about time)  The funny thing is that this is what I went to college to do.  I went to a christian college and got a degree in business (it was actually called data processing back then).  I was planning to go to work as a pastor's secretary in Jacksonville, FL right out of college, but then Robert and I got engaged and started planning a wedding.  It took me 21 years to get back on the road. (And thousands of massages later) (see my Massage Journal for a little fun)  So, I am blissfully happy.

I must run, I don't want to be late for work. . .I go in at 9:00 today.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Happy Birthday to Me

September 25th, 2005 and I am officially 42 years old.   I was able to go to church this morning and sing and worship God among my church family for my birthday which doesn't happen very often.  I can't remember my last Sunday birthday.  Robert wasn't able to go with us this morning as today is the last possible day to plant tomatoes and he had to finish up. He got home about 1:00 and so he is outside standing over a hot grill.  We have some good friends coming over for a cook-out in about an hour.  I wasn't happy about it, but have come to grips with the idea and now I'm actually finding myself looking forward to it.  As you know, I was out of town Thursday through Saturday afternoon and while I was gone Robert ran into these friends of ours and asked them to come to our house on Sunday for a cook-out.  Well, he forgot that it was my birthday.  So, he told me about it when I got home and I hate to say that I was really disappointed.  I love these friends, and their company, but my fantasy birthday included a quiet day with a nice dinner out at a restaurant surrounded by my loving family.  I didn't want to have to clean the house or cook side dishes and I really didn't want bar-be-que ribs and chicken.  I'm sure some of you are thinking I'm crazy!  But my husband grills almost every weekend and I just want a nice "non-smokey" dinner.  The smokey grill smell and flavor infiltrates the whole house for days.  I just bought a vanilla apple candle the other day and it smells so pretty, well it isn't strong enough to combat the smokey smell.  I am lucky to have a husband who loves to cook, even if it is on a grill/smoker.  So, since getting home from church I have cleaned. I just finished mopping the kitchen floor and scrubbing the toilets.  Now I am boiling noodles to make a pasta salad.  My vaccuum cleaner sucked something big up in it the other day and I haven't had time to fish it out, so I won't be vaccuuming.  I don't care.

My sweet girls bought me a box of Russell Stover chocolates and an ice cream cake.  I don't care for regular cake that much and they know me so well.  My son is taking his girlfriend to the airport to go back to college.  He flew her down for the weekend.  They stayed down at her families house about an hour away, so I haven't seen him since he dropped me off at thechurch before my trip. 

Well, I have gone on and on about nothing.  I'm sorry!  The littlest things are big news to me.  I hope you all have a great week!

Home Sweet Home

I have finally made it home from my Music Leadership Conference.  Exhausting. . .that is the word for it.  Yes, it was inspiring and yes we had incredible music and exciting worship, but I am too pooped to think right now.  Our days began at 5:30 am and we finally got back to the hotel at aroung 10:30 each night.  I was blessed to have been able to hear Al Denson, The Annie Moses Band,  Alicia Williamson, Evidence, and the biggest hit of all was the Voices of Mobile which is the student ensemble from the University of Mobile (Alabama).  Wow, they were incredible.  I was awed to be led by Todd Bell (Music minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church outside of Dallas)and Kim Noblitt (he is a writer of christian music among many other things)  I enjoyed having Rick Muchow (music minister at Saddleback Church in California, his pastor is Rick Warren who wrote "The Purpose Driven Life")  He was wonderful.  My daily teacher was Kathie Hill who has authored many if not most of the children's choir muscicals on the market today.  If you are unfamiliar with any of these names, you can probably find them all on the web.  What an explosive, full 3 days I had, but I'm so glad to be home.  I learned so much and I can't wait to implement it all into my ministries at church.  I am signing off so I can rest before the girls come home from "Revolve".  ~Later!

You're Hired!

Yes folks, I got the job.  It has been close to 3 weeks now since I told the boss I was interested in the new job and yesterday I got the news.  He wanted to do it right by going through all of the proper channels of advertising in the paper and interviewing countless people.  Finally after the last of 4 people that were brought in for a 2nd interview, he came and got me and told me he wanted to talk to me.  I had already given up thoughts of getting the job as the time kept passing without a word about it and more and more people kept coming in for interviews.  He straight out asked me if I was still interested in the job and I said yes.  He said "well, let me tell you a little about it", and he went into the whole benefits package and salary and what my general duties would be.  Then he briefly went into some of the problems that were happening with the girl I am replacing (she wasn't fired, she quit).  And he said that none of the applicants were as qualified as I am and how excited he was that I am still interested in the job and so on and so on.  I floated out of there on a cloud and went straight to my new office to make my decorating plans.  I have a nice big window overlooking a cobblestone street.  We are in the historical district, so it is a very nice and quaint neighorhood.  So. . .there you go!  I am now officially the assistant to the Administrator/education minister. It sounds terribly boring, but hey. . .we are in a building program, so I will be very busy. 

Other than that big news. . .I am getting some new furniture tomorrow.  Yeah!  I am excited.  A new couch that is sort of a cranberry chenile, a new overstuffed chair and matching ottoman that are striped in cranberry, gold and sage green.  I could literally use it in any room in my house as I have used those colors all throughout the house!  But, it will be going in the den and the old stuff is going into the other den/computer room.  I also decorated my mantle for fall with greenery/apple garlands and lots of branches of silk fall colored leaves.  I also have white twinkle lights mixed in and they add such a soft glow to the place.  I'll take a pic tomorrow and put it up for you all to enjoy.  I even bought some pumpkin spice liquid potpourri and have it in a simmering pot. . .it's so soothing as I sit here in a quiet house. . .heaven.  Well y'all it is time for me to get up and go to bed.  The girls have "See You at the Pole" at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, so they have been in bed a while.  I would love to go, but I have to be at work at 8am.  I have always gone by the school on SYATP mornings and I stand in awe of the courage of my children and their friends to stand around the flag pole of their public high school and sing praise song, pray and fellowship with their friends and other christians.  It always makes me cry and I am so proud of them.   Well I have to get up in 6 hours, so I better get going.  Have a wonderful "hump day" ~later

This is for Kelly

Which book of the Bible am I?

I'm not sure about the pushy and prideful thing, but I do know my weaknesses and I do work to live in grace and with compassion.

Go to Quizilla at:  http://quizilla.com/users/reflectedgrace/quizzes/Which%20book%20of%20the%20Bible%20are%20you?/

Sunday (no imagination there!)

I am exhausted.   I have been going, going, going!  Yesterday was the women's fall conference at our church and Katie and I sang for it.  We have been preparing for weeks. (We are in a group with 4 other women)  It is fun and I love it, but it takes so much time and energy that I just have to push myself to do it.  It went fantastic and now I am so glad that I spent my time and energy to do it.  Tonight is the "Night of Praise" at my church.  We are doing a Concert called We're Here to Worship.  

It is so awesome and I am so excited to present it to our congregation. Oh, and the best part is that Katie and Matt have a duet!  Their first ever. It's so good. Our church is rather traditional in it's musical preferences, but we (the music leadership) are trying to bring the church into the 21st century!  So, we now have what is called a "Blended" service, with both traditional and contemporary music.  It works well. This Thursday I leave to go to Merritt Island, Florida for a 3 day Music Leadership Conference.  We have one every other year and it is the most incredible thing I get to do in my musical life.  I learn so much and get on fire to put into practice all that I learn.  My children's choir really benefits.  I am the only children's choir director that goes to these conferences and it shows. (Everyone of them can go, they just don't) My choir is full and the kids love it because I keep them moving and laughing and their performance skills shine brighter than any of the other choir because I have learned how to get the best out of them and in turn they have fun doing it!  I have lots of boys in my choir who play sports and come dressed in their practice uniforms so they won't miss choir!  It's awesome.  I had one boy talk his mom's ear off after choir last week telling her all about it and how this is going to be his "best year ever!"  I had to laugh when she told me.  She said, "I don't know what you are doing in there, but whatever it is, keep it up!"  That makes me feel so good.

Anyway, enough patting myself on the back.  It is as hot as "you know what" here in Florida!!!  It's still in the 90's everyday!  I ripped my blazer off in the church parking lot this morning! Oh, and I must share my embarrasing moment with you all. ( Scott, you might just want to click on the little red X now! ha ha)  I bought a new slip last week. . .a full slip.  I wore it today under my black sleeveless dress.  Well, remember that I am in the praise team up on stage, and I looked down and saw the top of my slip peaking out of the top of my dress.  Thank goodness I had on a blazer, so I just pulled the blazer in a little to hide it.  By the time church was over, that stupid slip had worked it's way up so much that there was now 2 inches of slip sticking out of the top of my dress!  When I got into the car I reached up from the bottom to pull it down and couldn't find it. . .why? because it was bunched up around my waist!  Well, that slip is history. I am constantly having wardrobe malfuntions!  Last week I had a big run in my black panty-hose that ran down to about 2 inches above my knee. ( I put nail plish on it to stop the run, but the only color I could find was red) My skirt came down to just below the knee, so I'm thinking that I'm ok.  Well, I wasn't!  Again I'm up on the stage infront of 1,000 people try sitting on a stool in a skirt that comes to just below the knee!  It ends up about 3 inches above the knee and lo and behold there is the big run, and there was no way to hide it. So I sat with my hand on it.  Unbelievable.  That's my life!  Unbelievable!

I am now going to be rushing to get ready for tonight, but never fear. . .I am wearing black dress pants.  What could go wrong there?  ~later

 Night of Joy, Disney

My girls are rockin tonight!  It is the annual Night of Joy at Walt Disney World, Orlando.  There are about 10 different contemporary christian bands playing all across the Magic Kingdom from 7:30 to 12:30 am.  My kids have been going to these concerts for years and they are always a blast.  Me?  Well, I'm enjoying a nice quiet house all alone.  Robert is still at the farm and Wes is also still at work.  They should be home by 7:00 and then we are going out to eat at the Lakeland Ale House.  They have the best buffalo wings there.  Tonight I feel like a steak and mashed potatoes, no loaded baked potato. . .or fries. . .m m m mmmm.  I'll let you know.

I had a wonderful Bible study this morning.  This was our 2nd week back.  I really missed it over the summer.  We are doing Beth Moore's "The Patriarchs"  All about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  It is really extensive and deep. . .if you want something more "light" then don't even go there, but if you want to learn about and see the mighty hand of God, then this is the study for you.  I went to a christian college, so it takes good, deep Bible study to keep me going. 

Tomorrow my gang is going up to Gainsville for the University of Florida (Gators) football game. I am choosing to stay home!  I love it once I'm there, but this is my day off!  I am selfish with my days off.  I want to do my thing, and football is waaaay down on my priority list.  I would like to paint a room, or scrapbook all day or read :)  I can't wait!!!!  I may get up early and go to Lowe's and see what I can get myself into.  I'll have to let y'all know about that too.

Well, I have to run.  I just had a diet cherry limeade (large) from Sonic and my bladder is about to burst!  Have a wonderful weekend all of you  J-landers!

~later~!                

Don't send out a search party!

I received an IM today from a journal buddy wondering where I've been and I didn't even realize how long it has been since my last entry.  Wow.

We are fine. . .just busy.  I'll lay it all out for you:

1.  Wes is living at home. . .until January.  WE all changed our mind about sending him to Pensacola for college.  The school isn't accredited, and although the education they get there is great, he would be forced to finish there if he started and wouldn't be able to go on to grad. school even if you wanted to.  He wants to be a teacher and the state of FL wouldn't allow him to teach in the public school system with a degree from an unaccredited school.  So, he is going to Baptist College of Florida in January.

2.  I am preparing to begin teaching my Children's Choir on Wednesday.  I should have around 45 kids (3rd, 4th and 5th grades) in my choir this year.  I love it, but there is a lot of preparation involved.

3.  My cousin and her husband are in the Ukraine adopting a little boy.  I have spend much of my time going on their website checking for news and new pictures.  They have been married for over 10 years with no luck at having a child of their own.  This adoption process has been going on for almost a year now and they should be home at the end of this week.  My parents are coming down and we are all going to the airport to welcome little "Robert" into our family.  Very exciting.

4.  Stomach virus!  I was the first to fall prey and now my hubby has it.  It is very awful!!!!  I think I was a better patient than him. . .I really do.  I laid in my bed and just wanted to be alone and quiet.  Not him!  Honey, I need a wet rag. . .honey, I don't think I'm gonna make it. . .honey, I need water. . . honey, honey, honey!!  I'm not good at this.

5.  Choir practice.  My church choir is putting on a big. . .thing.  "Night of Praise" is what it's called.  We are doing a "Praise and Worship" cantata called "We're Here to Worship"  It is wonderful and exciting and a whole lot of work!  I am also in a ladies group called "Heartsong" and we are singing at a Ladies retreat on Sept. 17.  We have been practicing for a couple of hours a week for that!

There is probably more, I just can't think anymore.  I've been on the computer for over 6 hours now.  I've been planning my first children's choir event and writing out leaders guides for all my helpers.  Time .. . . .where does it go?

Well, I must get up and get some blood back into my butt!  I should probably check on the invalid. . .ewww.

~Later!

Yikes, it's late!

There isn't enough time in a day!  I just now find the time to scribble out a few lines and look at the time.  I have so much to do tomorrow morning before work that I will have to be up early and so I must rush through this entry.

  My new truck is in the shop having some work re-done on it.  I had new tires put on it about 3 weeks ago and the place where we went (so called, off road truck specialists, HA!) They put the wrong lugg nuts (sp?) on and it has been feeling kind of wobbly and bouncy, almost like it was out of balance ever since.  They said it was the new tires, they have to be broken in a little.  Well, then I would hear a weird squeeky noise when making a turn and a scrapey sound (don't you love my "highly intellegent" descriptive words?)  So, I told Robert we need to have it looked at.  He took it to his mechanic friend to have the brakes checked and he found that the other people put the wrong lugg nuts on because they were wallowing out the holes that the luggs were in!  And 2 lugg nuts and the "male" thingy they screw onto were already broken off!  My tires could have fallen right off while I was driving!!  Hello!  So, when we brought it back to the "specialists" they actually admitted that they messed up and so they are now fixing it and will have it for a few days.  Thank goodness Wes is home so I can use his truck.

Wes moved home yesterday to get ready to leave for college over Labor Day Weekend.  Tomorrow I take him school shopping for college clothes.  He is going to a very strict christian college that requires dressing up for classes and daily chapel services.  He must wear a collared shirt and tie everyday.  He also had to shave off his goatee and sideburns.  (His hair can't touch his collar or ears)  I haven't seen him without facial hair in 2 years!  It sounds like torture, but it will be good for him and he is even looking forward to it.  I bought him a few nice dress shirts and ties the other day and he had fun trying them on.  So, we will be taking a trip to Pensacola, FL over Labor Day Weekend. 

Well, I must go to bed.  I have only about 20 pages left in my current book and I can't go to sleep until I'm done!  I have another waiting in the wings.

Have a great week y'all!

Car Show

Here are a couple of pics from our town's monthly car show that we went to tonight.  They don't do it justice, however.  We have about 250 to 300 classic cars on display every month. This set of railroad tracks is active and we have a train come flying through here around 7:00 every night.  In the distance you can see a white steeple. . .that's my church, where I work and worship.  This car show is one of our favorite activities every month.  We haven't missed one single month since we've lived here (even last month we hit the show on the way out of town on vacation!)   I'm going to my room to read for awhile and sit on a heating pad, my back is achy tonight.  Later~  

Party Poopers!

Ok, that's it. . .never again!  My first (and last) game has crashed and burned because nobody wants to play with me.  I'm having flash-backs of elementary school; I was always the last one picked to be on the team.  Nobody likes me, I guess I'm having worms for dinner.  Thanks alot party poopers!

Show and Tell

I have a great idea for something fun. . .

What is your best feature?

Have someone take a picture of you or use a picture of yourself from your computer and, if you can, crop it so you can zoom in on your best feature.

Here is mine. . .

  I think my eyes are my best feature, and I think that my friends and family would say the same.    Post an entry with your best feature pictured and then don't forget to send me a link in my comments! 

Uh Oh! I'm interrupting my morning plans to. . .journal!

Oh well, it's too late now. . .I've already sat down, logged on, read my email and then why not pop into my journal for a few minutes!  I have been going since 7:00 this morning and have already accomplished a lot, I deserve it.  I put the dogs out and fed them, now they are back in their room (yes they have a room, used to be the garage, but now it is air conditioned and tiled.  There are close to 1,000,000 sets of antlers and deer heads (I may be exagerating a little) on the walls.  Our treadmill and weights are out there as well as my hubbys desk.  He can be surrounded by all the things he loves out there!  Anyway, boy I really chased a rabbit with that thought. . .lets see, oh yea, I brought the dogs back inside and then I did my morning "Yoga for weight loss" video (I'm too lazy for aerobics and jumping around!) Then I made my bed and even went through my closet and pulled out some goodwill donations (I really needed to free up some hangers to hang up my clean laundry pile!)  And then I went outside and vaccuumed the pool. . .wow!  I have accomplished alot!  I really need to get ready to go to work, it's payday and I like to get there early so I can pick up my check and then run it to the bank before starting work at 12:30 pm.  Robert has an eye Dr. appt. this evening at 6:30 and I have to take him because they are going to dilate his pupils and he won't be able to drive.  So, my day is full! 

We have an opening for a full time administrative assistant at work and I expressed my interest in it to the boss yesterday.  He said we will talk.  Yikes!  I love him to death, but we don't "talk" much.  I am pretty sure that the job is mine if I want it, so. . . . .we'll see after our little "talk." 

Pray for our poor little tomato plants.  We need rain badly with this 100 degree heat every day.  The plants are only 6" high and the thermometer on the top of the bed was up to 123 degrees yesterday.  Also my poor Robert has to be in the field with 123 degree heat rising from the ground and the 100,000,000 degree sun blaring down on him.  I don't know how he does it and in jeans and boots to, well, boot!  I love that man.

Well, I'm outa here!  Later!

The Weekend!

The weekend is finally here!  It has been such a long week.  HOT, HOT, HOT!     My poor sweetie works out in this heat every day from sun~up to sun~down. . .I don't know how he does it!  Today was my day off and I did a lot of running around. . .in and out of the air-conditioned truck, into the air-conditioned store, bank, DMV (don't ask), but I was sweating by the time I climbed into the truck.  I am not much of a sweater, but today I must have sweat a gallon. 

I got up early this morning and started cleaning.  By 9:00 am I had the kitchen, laundry room and den sparkling.  Then I started in on the laundry and I'm happy to report an empty hamper. . .well, by now it is 1/2 full again!   Thank goodness Katie does her own clothes and Betsy helps a little.

Robert grilled for his crews today. . .standing over a hot grill in 100 degree weather?  Is he nuts?  Any way. . .yesterday was his birthday and he bought himself (well, I wrote the check) a new grill.  Now I don't mean the kind you can pick up at Home Depot or Lowes, NO!  This grill has to be hauled around by a hitch and the back of a truck.  It is HUGE!  He was so excited about it that he just had to go get $200 worth of meat and fixin's to grill for his guys, regardless of the heat.  I'll take a picture of him next to it. . .oh, by the way, he's doing it again tomorrow! He's throwing himself a birthday barbeque  and inviting several buddies and his brother's and their boys.  Grilling ribs and shooting skeet. . .(sporting clays). . .you can bet I'll be at the house.  I guess a man just has to show off his toys!

Well, it is close to midnight and I am feeling so tired and yucky.  I've been trying to get a cold for several days now and I am all stuffed up and sneezing.  My dad and brother think that I share too much information (TMI), so, if you don't want TMI then skip down to the end cause I just have to say that I have wicked cramps and I'm crabby!  I'm staying up so I can be awake when Wes comes tonight.  (He is spending the night so he can come to the big bash Robert's having tomorrow.) Otherwise I would have been in bed hours ago. 

I had a great eBaying day today.  WooHoo!  I won an auction for 2 Victoria Secret's Body by Victoria bras for $15!  That's only $7.50 ea.  I love a good deal, and yes, they are brand new!  I wouldn't wear used undergarments!  I love eBay, I go on it everyday and look, but I am good about sticking to my budget and if the item goes over, then forget it.  I want a pair of Brighton sunglasses, but I loose sunglasses all the time, so I don't want to pay full price for them.  I am bidding on a pair now and it's  close to my $20 limit, but I'm still high bidder!  The auction is up tomorrow, so we'll see.

Well, I have rattled on for what seems like an eternity.  Have a GREAT weekend y'all!!

 

 

 

And they're off!

Well, there they go.  It was a nice and organized morning.  Betsy was up on time after having very little trouble falling asleep (thanky you Lord!) and then she was the first one ready this morning.  Michelle spent the night (quick rewind for those who aren't up on Michelle :  Katie's friend from our old town whose family is moving to this area soon. . .she lived with us for 2 months last spring until Robert asked her to leave and then she drove the 40 minutes to school from home . . .they were supposed to move up here over the summer, but didn't, so she is still driving the 40 minutes, but last night Robert said she could stay here so. . . )  Here is a cute picture of the 3 of them crammed into Katie's little truck this morning: (or as Betsy says "Chico packing", she has a warped sense of humor!)

 I had another picture of them in their outfits, but stupid me deleted it by mistake!   

Well. . . .now what?  I have 5 hours before I go to work. . . . . oh ya, the pool. . .yuk!  First I'm gonna have another cup of coffee while I watch the news.  HAHAHA. . . . . I'll get to it, I have to!

School tomorrow!

Well, the alarm is set and the coffee pot is set to come on automatically at 6:00 am.  The girls clothes are all laid out after trying on 50 different outfits to find just the right one for the first day.  All the binders, notebooks, pens and paper are safely tucked into beautiful new Jansport backpacks.  Their brand new Vera Bradley purses stuffed with lip gloss, compacts, gum, mints and various other essentials are ready to be snatched up on the way out the door.  This is an exciting time.  I too am excited as I'll have my mornings back!  We have the girls from the girl's home coming over Friday evening for a "field trip" to our farm and a cookout/pool party afterwards, soooooo, I have plenty of work to do to get ready.  The pool needs vaccuuming, the pool deck needs sweeping, the patio furniture is desperate for a good hosing off and there goes my nice peaceful morning!  Looks like my peaceful night is going to be interupted by Katie's new kitten that she brought home without asking.  She is outside right now under my bedroom window meowing for all she's worth!  Betsy was freaking out because she couldn't get to sleep with the cat making all that noice, so I put it out in the car-port, but she's made her way around to my bedroom now.  I am pretty sure she was quiet long enough for Betsy to fall asleep, but for a little while it was touch and go.  Betsy has a terrible time falling asleep at night. . .I think she obsesses about not being able to fall asleep and then she can't. . .so we pray together and I reassure her that everything will be ok if she will just relax, but occasionally we get out the tylenol pm's. 

Well. . .I have to get up in 6 hours, so I better hit the sack myself.  I'll fill you all in on the first day of school!  Nighty night!

School shopping~

I know, I know. . . I've fallen behind again!!  Time just gets away from me.  Tomorrow is the first day of school for my girls and we have been busying ourselves with preparations.  Friday was our official school shopping day and we did well. . .a little too well!  Since Katie is a senior this year I agreed to spend the extra dough on some real Abercrombie and Fitch jeans. . .2 pairs!  At $80 a pop that was quite a sacrifice.  Also a few A&F tops to make my A&F total $287!!  That was just the first stop in the mall.  And only 1 top for Betsy in there. (she could care less about the jeans and Katie said she could borrow hers "anytime" {they will say anything to get what they want. . .just wait til Betsy wants to take her up on that!})  Then on to Charlotte Russe, Katie's favorite store. . .another $160, but they had a rack that was. . .no kidding. . .buy 1 get 2.    So we bought 1 pair of capri's and got 2 for free. Betsy even found a few things she liked! Then it was Betsy's turn to pick the store.  She likes PacSun and American Eagle outfitters. . .where we dumped another $200. . . and then off to Rack Room for new tennis shoes where we got a deal, buy 1 get 1 half off, so only $90 in there.  And then we finished up in Aeropostale where we went over the $1,000 mark.  Thank God I set aside money for this little spending spree!  Sure we got a lot, but geesh! 

Then Saturday they decided they needed some accessories!  Cute belts, panties, bras. . a purse or two!  I mean come on! So, we picked up some more loot, but we kept it under $100.    Monday was HAIR day. They each got their hair done complete with fresh highlights.  Yesterday was supply day. . .folders, pens, mechanical pencils, dividers, notebooks, lip gloss, color enhancing shampoos and conditioner (one set for blonde and one for brunette). . .I just fall for any thing. So, today we have to go back to Aeropostale to get the security tag taken off one item.  It never ends, but I had sooo much fun with my girls this week. 

A Wes update. . . .He is taking the job.  We are happy and I think he is too.  He doesn't say much about it.  He must be doing ok this week cause he hasn't called for money.  He is working a 2 week notice at his other job, but doesn't have an exact start date.  I think it's funny that he is working for the same company as Robert. . .and Robert is going to be farming on one of the farms down by Wes, so they will probably work together some. . .Wes is gonna love that!!  NOT!  He doesn't like working with his dad.  Robert is high strung and Wes is laid back.  Oil & Water.  Anyway, he will be set now as long as he doesn't screw it up.  Good money, benefits, company truck. . .alot for a 20 year old!  More than any of  his friends.  So, lets keep our fingers crossed and pray that he just does what he's supposed to do.

Well, I must wake the girls on their last morning of summer. . .which also means my last morning sleeping past 6:00 am  uuuuuugggg!

Not much to report

Today was what I would call an ordinary day. . .if there is such an animal.  I got up and got ready for work and then went to work and then came home and fixed supper.  After supper I watched a little TV then put hubby to bed.  Now I am up on the computer for a few moments of "me time".  Robert is getting ready to plant tomatoes and so he is working really long days making sure everything is done and ready to go.  He is exhausted by days end and after eating supper and watching a little TV he is ready to go to bed.  So, I dutifully went in the bedroom with him and scratched his back for a little while until I heard him start to snore. . .and then I made my escape!  Katie just got home from work.  Did I mention that she has a job?  I don't think I did!  Yes, Katie has found a job (or should I say that I found her a job)  One of the benefits of my job is that I am in charge of the "classified" board in the church's foyer.  People must go through me to put anything up on the board and a couple of weeks ago a lady came to me to put up a help wanted ad.  She was looking for someone to work evenings at a retirement home.  The duties included answering phones and buzzing people in, watching TV and reading to pass the time.  Sounded like a great job for a teenaged girl!  So, I immediately called Katie and told her to call the lady ASAP.  Well, after a complete criminal/ background check and drug screening she was hired.  She is expecting her first paycheck next week.  No more begging mom for money!!  Now if only her 20 year old brother would do likewise!  I still get calls weekly from him asking me for food money, but the end may be in sight.  He has a job offer for a really great job.  We are really hoping he goes after it because it would mean that he is on the way to a good future.  If he doesn't go after it that means that he isn't finished being a stupid kid!  He is looking at a crossroad. . .one way is heading toward maturity and independence (company vehicle, cell phone, retirement, health insurance) . . .the other way is to maintain the crappy lifestyle that he is living now and having to beg mom and dad for hand-outs all the time.  Grow up or stay a kid. . .the choice would be easy for me!  If he takes the job then he will have to cut back on his fun. . .(parties, softball tournaments, beach, fishing). ..and even work some weekends.  I really don't know what he is gonna do.  I just pray he will make a wise choice.

Well folks, I am pooped from my "ordinary" day.  There were a few extraordinary things that happened today: 1) Space Shuttle Discovery - I watched the take-off on TV and then ran outside with binoculars to see it, but it was too hazy.  2) I pumped diesel gas into my new Ford F250 4X4 Power Stroke Diesel and it was awesome!  I've never used a diesel pump before, and was surprised at how big the nozzle was and how fast the gas pumps in!  No kidding, I pumped $40.00 in 40 seconds. . .I counted! 3) I had birthday cake for breakfast.  4) I had homemade steak fajitas for dinner!  5) I made it through 8 minutes of Reno911 on TV before begging Robert to change the channel! I hate stupidity!!!!  Give me the Golden Girls any day! 5) Betsy volunteered to peel the dead sunburned skin off my back and shoulders. . .as I cleaned up the kitchen with her following me.   It wasn't such an ordinary day after all!  I'm blessed.

"Sweet 16"

Happy "Sweet 16" to my sweet Betsy! Here is a giant poster/card that I made for her at work. Today is Betsy's birthday and it has been a nice day so far.  We all went to church and then out to lunch to celebrate.  I love you sweetie!

Home Sweet Home

It's good to be home!  As many of you are regular readers of my journal, you already know about our family vacation fiasco.  Thanks to Hurricane Dennis we had to cut out our trips to Key West and Pensacola/New Orleans.  The last leg of our vacation was Steinhatchee, Florida and we were able to make this part of our trip.  We arrived home today. . .Thank God!  The hurricane wreaked havok there as well.  The scallops were gone.  The chest deep water was murky and muddy, making the snorkeling miserable.  Day 1 (Sunday) Arriving around 9:00 am we got our rental boat, and then waited and waited for our friends to arrive.  When the 30 or so people finally arrived (about 10:30 am) they launched and boarded their boats, and we all set off to go scalloping.  Well, we headed out into the bay and then raced to the south for 13 miles over choppy waters with me and Katie sitting on the bow hanging on for dear life as our boat bounced across the water.  I didn't think we would ever get to where we were going and saying "slow down" was like spitting in the wind.  By the time we anchored I had a splitting headache.  Then we proceeded to "scallop" only there were no scallops to be had.  I say "we" proceeded to scallop, but I didn't exactly get in the water. I don't care for snorkeling, salt water, slimey grass wrapping around my legs, and most of all dragging my fat butt back in the boat with an audience.  So, I just stayed in the boat and watched, as I do every year.  This year, however, it was UNGODLY HOT!! I am not kidding, scorching, blinding heat! and I already had a headache from the ride out there.  We stayed out there until 3:00 pm and then raced back in to outrun a thunderstorm.  We didn't eat lunch because we wanted to save room so we could "pig out" at dinner! By the time we got back to the cabin, I was starving, I had a splitting headache and way too much sun.  I had applied plenty of sunscreen before leaving and even reapplied it while out there, but I still got really red in the chest, back and shoulders.  I even sat under the canopy most of the day!  When we got back to the cabin it took me about an hour to cool down even with the air conditioning blowing full blast and a cool rag on my forehead.  Thank God for the cooler of ice cold drinks or I might not have made it. By 6:00 pm I was showered and ready to pig out (and I did!)  The next day they were all going out scalloping again at 9:00 am.  NOT ME!  NOT Katie or Betsy. . .we stayed behind and enjoyed our lazy day in the cabin.  Here is a picture of our cabin:

This is the marina and deck (which has had a roof added to it for shade and many more boat slips too).  It isn't a bit luxurious. . .just a fisherman's motel and marina.

I'm glad we didn't go out yesterday; they didn't come back in until 4:00 pm!  One of the other boats broke down and our boat towed them back in.  They didn't get any scallops, but they were all very sunburned.  Poor Robert and his "farmer's tan"!  His back and legs are pretty red!

It sure is good to be home!  I think we might go to Alaska next summer!

Katie's new wheels

Katie will be celebrating her 18th birthday next week!  We have been planning to get her a car for her birthday.  Well, she found one she loves. . .a pick-up truck.

Yes, my little "farmer's daughter" wants to be a "pick-up girl".  Her daddy is so proud!  Here are a couple of pictures of the newest addition in our fleet:

She has the inside all "prissy-fied" and smelling like tropical flowers.  There is a pink flip-flop air freshener hanging from the mirror and she's looking for some hawaiian print seat covers.  What a girl!

Ooops! I'm a day late!

 

 A Great Big Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet niece Allison!! We love you honey! 

 Aunt Beba, Uncle Robert, Wes, Katie and Betsy

Plans are changing again!

I am so glad that I do not base my happiness on travel and fun!!  For numerous reasons we have had to cancel our plans to travel to New Orleans and Texas.  We should be comfy and cozy at my brother and sister-in-laws house right now up in Pensacola, FL. . .but we're not.  They have no electricity.  We were supposed to leave early tomorrow morning for New Orleans, but. . .we won't be.  It's okay though.  I am not too upset about it.  We are still hoping to fit in our scalloping trip to Steinhatchee, FL this weekend.  The only thing that may hinder us now is ~Emily~ also known as T.S. #5.  Emily is gaining strength right now way out in the Atlantic Ocean, and is reportedly heading toward Florida.  She may be arriving early next week. . .while we're scalloping in the gulf.  So, needless to say we have been watching the weather channel alot lately.  We are thankful that there are no crops in the ground right now, but starting August 1st there will be close to 500 acres of baby tomato plants out there! 

Not to worry though!  I am thankful for my "unshakeable faith".  I surely don't know what tomorrow will bring, or next week or next year, but I learned a song when I was a little girl and it rings true for me today on so many levels.

   "Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand; but I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand."  Thank you Lord for your faithfulness.

You all have a great night. . .I'm going to bed.

Here we go again!

We are safe and sound.  We are home.  If you remember from my June 24th entry, we were supposed to be in Key West today.  Well, had we gone ahead as planned, this is what we would have woke up to this morning:

  We were going to get up early and head to Duval Street and do all the little shops before a nice relaxing lunch in Margaritaville.  I was looking forward to having a cheeseburger in paradise!

But no. . .we are at home listening to the howling winds and bouts of rain.  We're praising God for keeping us safe, but a little bummed about our vacation.  Tuesday we head to Pensacola. . .what's left of it after Dennis makes landfall there tomorrow.  And then on to New Orleans, unless they are without power, then we are staying home!  I went 8 days without power last fall when Jeanne hit us, not fun. . .not fun at all!  I'll keep you all up to date on our plans.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Testing 1, 2 , 3

This is a test. . . . . . .

  Happy 4th of July!!

It has been a very exhausting and emotionally draining week, but today is a day of celebration and reflection.  On Saturday, my family celebrated the life of a great woman, and today we celebrate the anniversary of a great nation.

Things are beginning to calm down now in the family and our lives are settling back into a normal routine.  I go back to work tomorrow and I must say that I am glad.

My brother and his family are still here, and we are really enjoying our unexpected time together.  My parents have decided to stay a little longer and go down to the Florida Keys with us this weekend.  They haven't been to the keys in many years, and so I think we will have a great time together.

Thank you all who have made sweet comments and have been thinking about my family and praying for us.  Believe me, it truly helped.  I will be in and out a lot over the next 2 weeks on all of our little get-aways, but I will try to keep up on my journaling whenever I can.  You all have a wonderful 4th!

Horrific

I have just gone through the most horrific 2 days of my life.  My wonderful sweet Aunt was killed yesterday morning in a tragic car accident on I-4 in Tampa, just a mile or so from her home.  Immediately after hearing the news, I left work and headed to my 87 year old grandmother's house to be with her.  My other Aunt (my grandparents had 4 girls) was there and some cousins and we just hugged and cried for the whole day.  My parents arrived from S.Carolina at about 10:30 pm and then there was more hugging and crying.  We spent some time at my Aunt's house with her children and grandchildren and it was so terribly sad.  Today we spent making funeral arrangements, writing the obituary, getting her clothing together and going through photo's to find the perfect one that best depicted our precious loved one.  The funeral will be held on Saturday morning at the church where she has been the pianist for about 20 years.  She was the mother of  5 children ranging in age from 36 down to 16, and 12 grandchildren.  She and I were pregnant together with our 20 and 16 year olds.  It was so special.  I was named after her and so when I was little, to distinguish which Barbara was which, she became Aunt Beba.  Now, since I have become an aunt, my niece and nephews call me Aunt Beba too.

Good bye Aunt Beba. . .I will miss you so.

  My Aunt Barbara's car.

Ahhhh

Well, today proved to be as crazy as I anticipated.  Thankfully, I am now at home relaxing in a nice quiet house.  Robert is watching CMT in our room and the only sounds I hear are my dryer running and my dog laying next to me licking himself.  I keep telling him to stop it and he just stops, looks up at me and then goes right back at it.  How disgusting. . .thank you Lord for not creating us to do that! 

I got up at 6:30 this morning so I could shower and get ready to leave the house by 7:30.  I ran about 10 minutes behind, but being as it was so early on a Saturday morning the traffic was very light and I made it on time for dress rehearsal.  An hour drive doesn't sound so bad until you are doing it. . .have you ever noticed that?  And dog-gone-it, I've got to do it again tomorrow morning!  Why can't I just say NO!  Robert doesn't have to work tomorrow, but he does have to go in and get every body going, so that means he can't go with me.  Speaking of Robert. . .it is nice being kid-free for a change.  We went to the mall tonight (something we rarely ever do together)  I thought it would be a nice evening and we could walk off our dinner.  He got a new outfit for vacation and I got a new sweater wrap to wear to church.  Our church is always freezing.  We also looked at rings.  He is overdue buying me a new wedding set.  He was going to for our 20th anniversary last year, but he changed companies just before our anniversary and now another year has passed!  So, he has promised that this summer is it.  I like really simple jewelry (lucky for him!) but, I want a nice one.  I'd like at least 3/4 carat. . .we'll see! 

Well, it's already 10:30 pm and I have to get up at 6:00 again. **waaahh**.   Have a good night y'all!!  I'll write again tomorrow after the "big show".

The Last Hoorah

Well, this is it, the last day of VBS!  Hip hip . . .well, you get the picture. (it's too early for a hooray anyway.)   I can almost breathe a big sigh of relief.  Almost, because I am about to begin another long weekend leading into another long week!  Tomorrow morning I have to drive an hour and 15 minutes south to my old church for a dress rehearsal for the big patriotic musical they are putting on.  I was asked a few months ago to sing a solo in the production and I happily agreed thinking it would be great to go back and sing with my old choir. That was a few months ago. . . today I am a fraction of the women I was back then as Bible school has about killed me.  So, at 7:15 am I will be leaving my house to head down to dress rehearsal.  Hopefully I will be home early enough to grocery shop and clean my very neglected house.  My girls are leaving for mission trip at 9:00 am, so I won't be seeing them off. :(     Then, bright and early Sunday morning I will make the long trek back to sing in the performance.  I will probably be home by 1:30 to spend exactly 3 hours with my hubby before I head on over to my church for praise team practice.  Then, get this, I have to work 8 - 5 every day next week as the morning receptionist is on vacation all week!!!!!!  I just realized this yesterday.  I knew she was going to be gone, but it didn't dawn on me until yesterday that DUH!, I would have to work her hours!  So, one long week rolls right into another.  The good side is that I have the 4th of July off and then on the 7th we go to Key West for 4 days.  Then, we come back and I work exactly 1 and a half days before we leave for our real vacation.  We are going to Pensacola to see the college Katie is going to next year and stay at Robert's brother's house that night.  Then we are heading to New Orleans for 2 days and then we might run up to Baton Rouge to see Robert's Aunt and stay in her guest house 1 night.  Then on to Steinhatchee, FL to go scalloping for 5 days!!  My parents are meeting us in Steinhatchee.  We are going to have a blast.  That puts us into the middle of July.  Before you know it school will be starting!  (Aug. 8)  Wow. . .I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  We were hoping to squeeze in a little trip to Corpus Christi, TX  because some of our dearest friends are moving there next week.  They have been stationed in Hawaii for about 6 years.  The Army is giving him a big reception as he is being given the command of the Defense Distribution Depot down there.  He is a Lieutenant colonel.  We really wanted to go, but there is no way we can add another 11 hour drive (each way) onto our trip. 

Well, the girls are getting ready for me to take them shopping for their mission trip.  There are a million things they need.  I'll try to squeeze a little journaling into my packed schedule this week.  Have a great Friday! 

PS.  Thanks for all the lovely "one words" !

One Word

I got this from Sherry 

http://journals.aol.com/jbcoupe/TheSecretLifeofaStayatHomeMom/                                                                                          

One word...

Please leave a one word comment that you think best describes me.

It can only be one word.  No more.

Then copy and paste this into your journal so that I may

leave a word about you...

2 More days to go!

Well, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now!  Tomorrow is the last day of VBS!  Last night we increased our numbers to 491 kids!!!  I'll bet tonight we break 500.  Wow.  My classes weren't too bad last night.  I made my daughter Katie (she's one of my helpers) laugh so hard that she had to leave the room, with her legs crossed!  After repeating the same stuff with 5 different groups of preschoolers, I just had to shake things up a bit or else I was going to blow!  We have a CD that has a medly of about 4 different styles of music (classical, a fast techno, polka and she'll be comin round the mountain)  I told the kids to just feel the music and move their bodies in the way that the music makes them feel.  It was great!  The kids were all over the place, and all their teachers were doing it and acting crazy.  Well, I was doing it too, and Katie was sitting in the corner totally humiliated, thinking that her mother had completely gone over the edge.  Every now and then she would chuckle at something stupid I would do.  Well, when the "she'll be comin round the mountain" part came, I started to lift my knees up and slap them with both hands, (and apparently I had a stupid grin too) and it tore Katie up!!!  She jumped up and took off for the door.  Well, I beat her to the door, and spun her around to see where she was going (all the while still slapping my knees) and her face was frozen in this look of hysteria with her mouth wide open, with little tears squeezing out of her closed eyes. She couldn't talk, just shook her head and went out the door!  I knew I looked silly, but good grief, I didn't know it was that bad!  Well, now I've got to figure out something else to do tonight to make her pee her pants!!  I have found some joy in teaching preschool music!!!

I've almost let a week go by!

It has been 5 days since my last entry.  I hate when that happens!  I get so mad at myself for neglecting my journal and all my alerts.  I do have a good excuse though.  It's VBS week!  For all of you non-Baptists out there. . .VBS is Vacation Bible School.  It is a very big deal in my church and tonight we had 460 children under the age of 10.  I am teaching preschool music.  A big mistake.  I have suddenly realized that I don't like preschoolers, or music.  I am sick to death of singing with a big fat smile on my face to children who look at me with a blank stare on their faces.  Why blank stares? It is too late for these children to be up!  By 8:00 they should be in bed!  Who wants to dance around shaking soda cans full of split peas and paper plates with streamers stapled to them, huh people??? Come on!  I have worked like a dog for 3 days now cutting out stuff, learning kiddie songs, decorating my room all for a bunch of zombie kids who don't appreciate it anyhow!  And the ones who aren't zombies are on sugar highs from all the candy they win in their other classes.  I have one class with 30 four-year olds! In all I have 5 classes for 20 minutes each.  I teach the exact same lesson plan and sing the exact same songs 5 times in a row.  By the end I am ready to poke my eyeballs out with needles!  Sorry y'all, I am such a scrooge tonight. . .a party pooper.  I direct children's choirs and have for 13 years now.  I have been directing 3rd-5th grade for several years now and that is where I am happiest.  What was I thinking taking on preschoolers?  Next year (and yes, there will be a next year. . .it's kind of like childbirth, you forget the pain) I will NOT be teaching preschool, I'll tell ya that right now.  Maybe I'll do crafts, or snack time, or registration desk. . .not music, not preschoolers, no how.  Well, me and my 2 tylenol pm's are going to bed now.  I have another long day ahead *wince* and 130 preschoolers will be waiting to shake their soda cans for me.  Pray for me. . . hard.

Great comments

A big "Thank you" for all of the great comments on my entry yesterday.  I agree about having Katie get a job and she had filled out a few applications, but she is going away on a mission trip on June 25th for over a week and I thought it would be best if she didn't start work until after she came back.  It would be silly to get a job and then have to take 8 days off within the first couple of weeks.  So yes, she will be getting a job, and she wants one too.  She had a job before we moved and enjoyed buying all of her little extras with her own money. 

Betsy is really good with money. . .tight, I should say.  She was given $30.00 over a week ago and she still has $20. . .the other $10 she gave to Katie for gas.  Bless her heart.

Wes?  Well he's a different story and I can't even go into it.  Let's just say that he is in a downward spiral and he is too dumb to realize it.  He'll be 20 next week and he thinks he is living the good life.  He's living in a teeny-tiny house with 2 other boys.  They have crap for furniture and he has to share a bed with his best friend.  His truck isn't running and he is spending most of his paycheck each week on parts.  He catches rides where ever he goes.  They eat fast food for every meal because if they grocery shop then when all of their friends come over they will eat their food.  They have a bunch of friends come over every night.  So. . . .

Anyway, I have to work today and then I get my 3 day weekend.  Robert is getting close to being finished with the tomato harvest.  It has been a horrible spring for him.  June is not typically a rainy month in Florida, but this year we've had rain almost every day.  As a matter of fact, he started harvesting on Memorial Day and it rained every single day after that, until this week, and this week has been scorching hot.  Poor guy, he's so ready for vacation.  Me too.

I have Vacation Bible School all next week, then I have to sing in a big patriotic concert at my old church next weekend.  The girls will be gone on mission trip after, so it will be quiet around the house. . .YEA!  Then when they get back we are going to the FL Keys for a few days.  Then Robert wants to run to Texas real quick. (honestly, that's how he put it)  And on the 17th of July we are going to Steinhatchee, FL for 4 daysof scalloping.  We do this every year and it is great.  The kids start back to school the first week of August, so there's my summer in a nutshell!  I have a bunch to do before work today, so I'm gonna get going.  You all have a good Thursday!

Teenagers!

I am so frustrated this morning.  Is it my obigation to make sure that my 17 year old daughter has a great summer?  Is it my fault if she doesn't have fun every day?  I am so sick of hearing "It's summer!  I can't just hang around the house every day!  I'm supposed to have fun!"  I don't remember my mom being the activities director in my house all summer long.  I might have a bad memory, but I don't remember her handing me money everyday to go off and have a good time either.  I gave Katie all of the cash I had in my wallet yesterday ( all of $11.00) to go to the beach with Michelle.  Katie said since Michelle was driving waaaay out of her way to get her that we (and since Kate has no money, "I") should  give her some gas money.  I think $11 was plenty and there was even enough for Kate to get a coke or 2.  Well, Michelle arrives bright and early and immediatly upon arrival proceeds to lock her keys in the car.  We try the old coat hanger trick. . .not a chance.  Her mom and dad are at work over an hour away and so apart from calling a locksmith, we were out of options.  So, in walk the girls with a big wrench in their hands (a tractor wrench!)!  I said what are you going to do with that?  "we're gonna break the window"  What?  Are you kidding me? What planet did they just get off?  The beach is sooooo important to their sad little existences that they would actually break the window out?  It wasn't my car and therefore not my responsibility, but I wasn't about to let them smash out the window just so they could take their stupid butts to the beach!  So, I told them no. . .they could stay here until Michelle's mom comes with the spare key.  We have a nice pool, it's not like they were stuck in some God-forsaken wasteland!

So, they stay home and lay out and swim. . .even got some sun, believe it or not! Robert was planning on grilling ribs for dinner, so he sent them to the store for charcoal and b-b-q sauce. (with his debit card) I get home and they say they want to go to the movies.  No problem, go and have a good time. Michelle's mom never comes with the spare. . . . Fast forward to this morning. I go online to pay some bills and what do I find? 

1.  $16.00  movie tickets       2.  $9.33 at 7-11          3. $28.00 at Walmart (just going for charcoal and b-b-q sauce?    4.  $6.00 for a car wash.

$60.00!  S.I.X.T.Y. D.O.L.L.A.R.S.!!!!!  That's what their day staying home cost me!  Their explanation?  "Michelle didn't have enough money for the movie and Kate put the cash I gave her into the gas tank; I can't drive the car when it's dirty. . .it's embarassing!.  I needed some tanning lotion. . .yada, yada, yada. . ."

Well, to top it all off. . .apparently Michelle has "road-side assistance" on her cell phone!  Her mom forgot to mention it yesterday.  So, here it is 11:00 am and they are outside waiting for the locksmith to come open the car so they can. . .yes . . . go to the beach.  I'm keeping the debit card, and I'm out of cash, so they are on their own today!! Unbelievable!  They better not run out of gas and get stuck somewhere and make me come rescue them!

I have to jump in the shower now.  Have a great day!

No problems with the storm!

Well, we made out just fine!  Actually the 1st half of the day was beautiful and sunny and then about 1:00 pm we got a torrential downpour with wind and thunder/lightning.  No flooding. . (thank you Lord!). .no power outage. . .(thank you, thank you Lord!!). . .no trees down either.  Thanks to all of you that wished us well and for all the prayers.  My brother-in-law in Pensacola also made out fine.  I have several other pictures I want to share from my parents visit.  I'll do that later.  Robert just got home and is grilling ribs for dinner!  They were given to us along with a cooler full of meat from the girls home.  They called us because their walkin freezer went down and they had to get rid of all their meat before it went bad!  Yea!  So we ran over with our cooler and we've been cooking like mad so we can eat it all week.  We also gave away a bunch to the migrant camp. . .so nonewill go to waste.  Ribs are better than spaghetti which is what we usually have on Tuesday night!  Well, I really need to run before my husband starts hollaring "BBAAAAAARRBBB!"  I have to do a lot of "fetching" when he grills.  You can imagine how much I enjoy "fetching". . .about as much as a paper cut.  See ya!

No time

I am going to say the words. . .are you ready?   "I don't have time to journal"  I hate it but it's true!  I keep thinking that tonight I'll do it, or tomorrow I"ll be able to make an entry.  But as you all can see, it just doesn't happen.

 

Anyway. . .I am worried about tomorrow.  We are having a tropical storm with winds up to 70 mph.  I wasn't a journaler during the hurricanes last year, and I wish I was so I could have shared the devestation around me.  I don't want to go through another hurricane season like last year.  My husband is a farmer for goodness sake!  How much can that poor man take.  He has only been picking for 1 week and 1/2 and every one of those days had rain.  He is depressed about the week end ahead.

   Could we face this?

I pray we don't face this!

Would you all pray for this state for us?  There are many thousands whose lives are still not back together from last year. 

I have to go.  I'll try to write tomorrow.

Time Flies

It is already Sunday evening and I have almost missed a week of journaling.  My mom and dad are visiting from S.C. and so, needless to say, I haven't had time for the computer.  We are having a great visit.  We all went to church this morning and then came home to a wonderful pot roast with potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms all over it.  It was fabulous.  Then we had a lazy afternoon until the girls and I had to go back to church.  The girls are going on a mission trip and they have mandatory meetings to attend to prepare them.  I taught a class tonight and only had a few people show up.  I really wasn't disappointed though, I was kind of relieved.  Then I had to take Amanda (Katie's best friend) home.  She lives about an hour away.  So, I was on the road for 2 straight hours and I am now exhausted. 

Katie and Mike broke up for good.  He found some emails that she sent to Matt recently and he blew up and told her he would never be stupid enough to take her back again.  She was more stunned than upset.  He found them in her "recently deleted mail"  She thought "deleted" meant "deleted!  How could she be so naive!  Come on!  Why can't deleted mean deleted!  Just get rid of them!  Very rarely do you "accidently" hit delete.  Anyway, as most of you are aware, he was a jerk and so she is much better off without him.  She was supposed to have a date with Matt tonight, but he has to get up for work in the morning and so he cancelled.  She is a little bummed out tonight.  Last night she went to his restaurant with a few girl-friends and they caused a lot of curiosity among the single men in the restaurant.  Matt kept coming by and talking to them and some of the male waiters were asking him to introduce them to the girls.   Well, he brought them over to the table and went around the table introducing the girls "This is Amanda, this is Michelle" and when he came to Katie he said " and this one is "Off Limits"  Katie was on cloud nine!  But then today he was distant.  She doesn't know what to think, but I told her to just hang in there.  Let him persue her and she could play a little hard to get. . .not too much.  She and Betsy are now at Walmart.  They wanted to get out of the house for a little while.  Walmart, that's funny.

Well, I am beat, so I'm going to take a couple of advils and hit the sack.  I work all day tomorrow and then were taking mom and dad out for dinner.  It may be Tuesday before I get back to make another entry.  Have a great week y'all!

Peaceful evening

Wow, it has been such a peaceful evening!  The girls went to the movies tonight and Robert and I have been being lazy and watching TV.  I can only stand so much TV before I start getting antsy, so I decided to go online and do a little journaling and blog-hopping.  I also stopped by ebay to check on a couple of items I'm bidding on.  My Katie's 18th birthday is coming up in July and she would like some Vera Bradley  bags (in the "Katherine" pattern which is retired and getting more and more difficult to find).  She is hoping to have a nice set to take to college next year.  It will take me a year to be able to afford a "nice set"!  I'm hoping that ebay will help save me some money.  I am in love with the "sherbet" pattern and would love to have some for myself! 

Robert's 2nd day of picking tomatoes was rained out.  He isn't in too great of spirits today.  He went and got a haircut to pass the rainy day and the barber really whacked his hair off!  I told him that it wasn't my favorite haircut that he has ever had, but it's not too bad.  It reminds me of the haircuts that men in their 40's and 50's used to get back in the 1960's.  Very short in the back and sides and longer on the top and parted on the side.  I told him that all he needs now is a pair of thick black framed glasses and he could be a 1960's news reporter.  He wasn't amused.  He said "You know how you felt the other day when I told you that your knees were getting bigger?"....that's all I needed to hear.  Well at least his hair will grow!!  My knees are doomed forever!!

Did I mention that my washing machine died today?  Well, I'm mentioning it now.  I am glad that the miserable month of May is officially over in 1 hour and 20 minutes!  This month has been the worst month for household repairs of my entire 21 years of marriage!  The 1st thing to go was the truck.  Then the well pump burned up.  Now my washing machine.  I was hoping to be able to put some money aside for our rapidly approaching vacation.  Well, they say that bad things come in 3's.  There have been 3 bad things now. . . .I'm ready for a little smooth sailing. . .please?

Did I mention the bite on my elbow?  I am not quite sure what bit me, Robert says it looks like a spider bite, but I'm not sure.  It is pretty swollen, hot to the touch and red, but the worst thing is the itching.  It is like a giant mosquito bite that itches constantly!  I bought some benedryl cream for it and it did nothing, so I took a couple of Tylenol PMs a little while ago.  The active ingredient is the same as benedryl, so we shall see if it works.  I can already feel the sleepiness creeping in.  I love that feeling of blissful sleepiness.  Thank goodness they are non habit forming!

I'm outa-here y'all.  Have a good one!

Holiday Weekend

I can't believe that it is summer and will be June in a few days!  Boy this spring passed quickly.  It is hot, hot, hot down here in central Florida.  It is expected to be 91 tomorrow for Memorial Day.  We had a very nice church service this morning and honored our past and present Veterans.  It was very special. 

Robert begins picking tomatoes tomorrow.  He will not get to enjoy the holiday and so the girls and I will be hanging out at the house, swimming in the pool, laying out in the sun, watching movies when it gets too hot or reading. . .just a nice day of relaxing.  My poor hubby, working hard out in the heat.  When he gets to complaining I have to remind him that he chose to be a farmer!  He had more than a few chances to get out and stay out, but he always came back to it.  It's in his blood and he's good at it.

Katie might (I repeat MIGHT) be going out to Chili's with MATT after church tonight.  We have a brand new Chili's restaurant that opened this Thursday and Matt works there.  He asked Katie if she would go with him after church tonight.  She didn't say no!  The only problem is that we live in a really small town and Chili's is the biggest thing to hit our little town in a long time, so there are bound to be people that know Katie and Mike there.  I don't know if she's ready to go down that road again.  If you are totally lost, then pop into my family and friend tree journal.  http://journals.aol.com/stronghands63/FamilyFriendTree/  I have a brief overview of the kids and their love lives in there.  Mike has begun his "jerk" ways again.  She and a friend wanted to go to the beach yesterday and so they stopped at Chick-fil-a on their way to the beach for breakfast.  Well, guess who was in there having breakfast too?  MIKE.  He saw Katie in her skimpy shorts and tank top with her bathing suit underneath and said "what's this?"  And she lied!!!!  She told him that she and Jenna were going to Jenna's aunts house to swim and lay out!  I asked her why she felt the need to lie to him, why didn't she tell him the truth? and she said that famous line from A Few Good Men "He can't handle the truth!"  Apparently she isn't "allowed" to go to the beach without him.  OOooOOoo....I could pop him right in the eye.  So, she is mad at him right now, so maybe she'll go out with Matt tonight!  We'll see.  I'll let you all know how it plays out.  I keep getting that deja-vu feeling . . . oh ya, I have been here before!! 

Well y'all, I am going to do a little blog-hopping and commenting before going to church.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday tomorrow, I'm sure I'll get the chance to make an entry while enjoying my day of relaxation!  Bye!

                                                     

Carrie

                   

Yeah Carrie!!  Our newest American Idol.  I am very happy for Carrie, although Bo was great too and I have no doubt that he too will be a huge star.

It was a great finish.

I made it

Just a quick note to tell you all that I made it to and from work today just fine!  Truck is running great!  YEAH!  I'll write more later. Bye

LONG Monday

Ol' Blue

I am thrilled that yesterday is over.  What a long day.  It started out badly, but got better as the day went on, and on , and on.  Once again I broke down on the way to work.  I got about 3/4 of a mile from my house when my truck (yes, the one I just got back) began to die on me.  I turned off the radio and the air and prayed that it would keep rolling far enough to get me to a place where I was far enough off the main road, yet close enough to a phone.  You see, my "cost effective" husband who freaks out over the cell phone bill EVERY month wanted to try "cell phone sharing" between my daughter and I.  So, feeling that she needs it more than I do while driving, I let her have it most of the time.  Now when things are going great I don't really NEED it, but when I break down on a main highway, 3 miles from the nearest convenience store, and have to walk to a mobile home with 2 big muddin' trucks in the front yard ( yes, front yard as opposed to "driveway") thats when I say. . .I need my OWN cell phone!!!!!!!!!!!  Which of course I told my sweetie as soon as he came and picked me up on the side of the road!  It just so happened to be about 80 degrees and very humid yesterday. My office is always freezing, so I try to dress warmly, so I don't freeze all day.  Well, the long sleeves and black pants with pantyhose underneath were not the right choice for walking down a long dirt road looking for a phone at 7:30 am on a hot sticky day, I'll tell you that right now!  Anyway, he picked me up and got me to work only 10 minutes late.  Then I had a nice long day at work with nothing but the yogurt (I threw in my purse as an afterthought as I was leaving the house) for lunch.  That's bad enough, but the girls had a mission trip meeting at the church from 6:00 to 8:30 and so they planned to come then and I'd ride home with them.  Now I ate 2 pieces of toast at 7:00am and a yogurt at noon, so 8:30 pm was looking mighty bleak to me, but fortunately we had a funeral at the church and not many people came back for the meal after the graveside service and the family came down about 5:15 and asked if anyone was hungry (MY head popped right up!)  There was a ton of food and all was hot and good!  I was very thankful.  So, we got out of the meeting at 8:00 instead of 8:30 and got home just in time for Robert to come home and grab a bite to eat (Katie made spaghetti before coming to the church) and then he had to go right back to work.  He made it home about 10:30 and showered and got right into bed.  Poor guy, he's working 15 to 16 hour days EVERY day and will be for another 2 weeks.  Up to his eyeballs in watermelons!  And I haven't even gotten 1 single watermelon!  I really want one, I have to ask him to bring one home for tonight.  I can eat it while I watch American Idol!  Go Carrie!

Oh, and the most unbelieveable news? You want to know what was wrong with the truck?  I ran out of gas.  No, I am not embarassed to tell you at all, because. . . . I filled it up the day that I broke down the first time.  My gas gauge isn't working, so when I fill it up I reset the mileage to "0" and then when I get to about 150 miles I fill it up again.  Well, my mileage meter read 89 miles when I got in it.  So, the only thing we can figure was that the gas was stolen while it sat at the garage for a week. The garage isn't in the best area and gas cyphoning is big out here in the country.  So, thank God that is all it was.  I'm gonna try it again in a couple of hours when I drive it to work!  And yes, Katie has the cell.

Bye!