Playground Story

I told you this year would be full of stories ~ I expected them to all be from my boys, but not today! One of my girls lost it on the playground today!! When the kids were lining up from recess, she went to the class next to ours and started at the beginning of the line, pointing at kids, saying, "F***k you!, F**k you!, F**k you!" She did this to the whole class from beginning of the line to the end!!!! Can you imagine? LOL! I know, really I shouldn't laugh!

Needless to say, someone tattled on her. The other teacher came to my door asking if I had a child by this name. I am so naive about my girls, so I say "yes." "Sweetheart, can you come to the door to see this teacher please?" Sweetheart? If I'd only known! Pottymouth is more like it! This is funny -before the other teacher can say ANYTHING, she looks at her and says, "I didn't cuss!" BUSTED!!

And this is day 10 without a cigarette!

Little Moments

Last night I went to the game with the neighbor kids (Taylar and George). We laughed and had a great time. On the way home, Taylar and I were acting silly and singing to the radio (annoying George the best we could!). We were making up little dance routines to the music and laughing so hard our stomachs hurt. Then she looked at me and asked, "Have you ever had one of those nights that you wished you could live over and over?" I said, "oh yeah - those are the best!" She said, "This is one of those nights!"

These are the little moments I live for!!

Signs of football!!

Football season has arrived! Tonight was the first game and we won!! 20 to 7 - and it was 20 to 0 until the last 45 seconds!!! I love the whole atmosphere of a football game!

I had NO idea what a big deal this game was - we barely made it in time b/c of traffic. There were 22,000 people at the game!!! Even the weather cooperated and felt like football season - good stuff all around!

I Wish....

If I had 10 wishes, they would be ~

1) I didn't live paycheck to paycheck and never had to worry about money!

2) slow drivers would actually stay to the right! :)

3) people would stop having kids if they don't take care of the ones they already have!!

4) there weren't any pets in shelters. That when people moved, they took the pets with them instead of to the pound & when they have a baby, they still keep the dog/cat as a member of the family too...I could go on & on...

5) it was fall weather already!!! (Football games!)

6) I didn't have to say I was divorced.

7) that houses stayed clean and yards stayed mowed! ha!

8) people said what they meant!

9) the governor would stop trying to make everybody else lose weight just because he did ~ enough already! :)

10) that all the kids in my life never had to feel any real disappointment or pain and had a lifetime of happiness!!!!

And - that's what I would wish for!!!

PS. I have gone a full week without smoking!!! YIPPEE! :)

Weekend stuff...

This weekend started out with the Friday night scrapbook (aka girls night)! It was a small crew, but still lots of fun! The excitement for the night was when one of my friends reached into her bag to get something (after several hours of using the bag) & a black widow spider was in her bag!!!! I can't even believe she saw it b/c her bag is black, and it just blended right in. There is no telling how many times her hand was right beside the thing! She is so lucky she didn't get bitten! But never fear, the scrapbook girls united and killed the black widow before she could do any harm!! And, my friend will no longer store her scrapbook bag in her garage! :)

Saturday night I went to see Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Too Funny!! Lots of good quotes/one-liners in this one! It's just a good, dumb movie with absolutely no meaning to go see when you need to laugh! But we followed it up by going to the Speedway afterwards! Now that was fun! I have lived by that Speedway for 2 years now and kept saying I was going to go one Saturday night. Well - I finally made it but only in time for the last two races! So - I'm going to have to go back! I'll have to take my camera next time ~ great people watching at the Speedway! :) I even managed a round of putt-putt golf last night ~ now I haven't done that since I was in high school and we would all drive over to Jonesboro and play!

It was a great weekend to come off of the week I had! Now I have a full day of school work ahead of me. So ~ I think I'll go take a nap first! ha!

Awwww.....

First of all, yes, I have lost my mind! But we already knew that! ha! I got a baby bunny for my classroom today!!! I am as excited as one of the kids! :) Her name is Freckles, and I'm hoping her and my guinea pig, Nibbles, will live in the same cage peacefully (they are supposed to!). Then, I'll only have one cage to deal with! I've got them in the new cage on a trial basis now & things are looking positive!

I've had a bunny in the classroom before, and it was a miracle worker. You can trick the kids into thinking the noise level is actually upsetting the bunny! Hee-hee! Also, they will behave if they think they can hold or take care of the bunny!!! Hopefully this will work again. If not, I have a cute bunny to pet during my break to help keep me sane! :)

Nala Girl

I decided to write about my Nala Girl today b/c she cuddled up with me this afternoon and made me feel better after a HORRIBLE day! I crashed in bed as soon as I got home and here she came just a purring to make me feel better. (Day 3 of not smoking & the trouble boy from the first day was really bad today!!) Let's just say I had a melt-down at lunch ~ yes, at lunch on the 3rd day of school!! That is just crazy!! Usually they are on their best behavior the first week or so! I had the principal, asst. principal and two counselors visit my classroom today at different points today! It's going to be a wild ride this year!!

But enough of that negative stuff ~ back to Nala Girl! Nala is my true kitty cat. She hides when people are over, demands the water tap be turned on when she wants it, and doesn't really like anybody! ha! (My other cat thinks he's a dog!) Some people are afraid of her and when my niece was little we taught her the difference in the two cats by calling them "nice kitty" and "mean kitty" for her. Needless to say, Nala was "mean kitty"! She is so fluffy that everyone wants to pet her & she isn't too crazy about that! But she has only bitten once ~ funny story! My friend, Debbie, cleans for us. Well, she was here cleaning (luckily she is a major animal lover!) and sprayed some Pledge to dust the table. Nala was lying in the chair under the table and took the spraying of the Pledge as a hiss. So when Debbie's finger went over the edge of the table while she was dusting, up came Nala and bit her good! I mean - in Nala's defense - Debbie did hiss first! ha!

Yee-haw!

My niece, Autumn, has been riding in horse shows with my Mom and Dad. This past weekend she won several ribbons! We were so proud of her! This is her horse, Sergio. She had him whipped into shape for this show. He really performed well for her! The picture with the barrel is from the ball race. She had to run out to the barrel, drop the tennis ball in the bucket and run out. I think she placed in this one, but I can't remember.

They had some pretty funny events. In one, she had to run out to the barrel, pick a big bra out of a sack, put it on with a water balloon in each side and ride back. Well, Mom said the bra was so big she had to tie a knot in the back and when she rode back in, both water balloons bounced out of the bra and busted! LOL! I hate I missed that race ~ it was after Bubby and I headed back home. (These things last forever!)

She didn't take a break from riding Sergio the whole time! Poor horse! In the one picture by the trailor, we convinced her he needed to rest b/c it was so hot. She let him rest but wouldn't get down! ha! He literally had his head resting on the trailor with his eyes closed! LOL!

Back to School!

Today was the 1st day of school and what a day it was! I am going to have some stories this year! No doubt about it! My girls seem to be really sweet. They have already started drawing me pictures and telling me I'm the nicest teacher ever! ha! The boys ~ well, I think that is where my stories will come from! They have a TON of energy!!!! Not one of them can sit still to save their lives! I can honestly say this is the first year I have had to call a student into the hallway on the first day of school!! There was even another teacher in the room when it happened ~ so this is the behavior I got with TWO teachers in the room: You hear him yell, "shit" and then throw a huge wadded up paper at another boy. (The other teacher looked at me and said she was going to pray for me! ha!) I said, "Meet me in the hallway please." His response, "What? I didn't hit him. I missed!" Oh boy! Well, we had a little "meeting" in the hall, but if this is the first day, imagine what can happen when he gets warmed up! And to think I picked today to stop smoking!! Day 1 and I need a cigarrette already! LOL!

Happy Birthday DAD!!

Today is Dad's Birthday!! Isn't he cute? I think he looks like Kenny Rogers with his cowboy hat on (before all of Kenny's plastic surgery)!

Top 5 things about my Dad:

1. He's the grill master ~ at home & at the lake!

2. He did teach me to drive! I can drive a stick, a tractor and a 4-wheeler b/c of Dad. (I won't even try to say he was patient though! ha!)

3. He is Mr. Fix-It!! Dad can repair anything!! If something breaks on your car or house, he is there to help.

4. He is in his element when we are camping. My best memories growing up are camping and going to the lake!

5. He is an awesome Grandpa to my niece, Autumn!

Happy Birthday DAD! Love you lots!

My 50 favorite things!

I actually got this idea from another blog. You should check it out ~ she's really good! She is the cousin of a friend of mine. She actually did 100 things about yourself, but I couldn't do 100 because I'm exhausted from trying to set up my classroom for school to start Monday! ha! Her blog is http://www.thekwaitfamily.blogspot.com/

Here goes: My 50 favorite things ~
50. My new camera (a Kodak EasyShare Z740 - love it!)
49. Sunflowers
48. Acting silly
47. Grey's Anatomy
46. Reading a good book (usually a mystery of some sort)
45. Spring!! (right now I'd take anything beside the 100 degree weather)
44. People Magazine
43. Coloring (it's sooo relaxing!)
42. Writing in my journal (hope no one besides me EVER reads it! ha!)
41. Going to the movies and eating tons of popcorn!
40. Taking pictures
39. My house (it's my comfortable place!)
38. My Dad's camping breakfast
37. Witnessing a "light bulb" moment from one of my kids
36. Blooming flowers
35. Hugs
34. a hot fudge sundae
33. Coming home to a clean house (that I didn't have to clean!!)
32. Cosmo
31. Giggling
30. Tulips
29. Soduko puzzles - my latest addiction!
28. Critters - I'm a huge animal lover! (got that from my Mom!)
27. Krispy Kreme donuts
26. sleeping in
25. Camping
24. Road trips/traveling
23. My job - I love the teaching part , not the paperwork part!
22. Snuggling
21. A freshly mowed yard
20. home cooked meals (especially if my neighbor cooked it! She's an awesome cook! Of course, deer meat and fried potatoes from Chris or Alan is always a plus too! ~ my friend's hubby's rock! ha!)
19. Talking on the phone
18. Hearing the words "I love you" - especially from a child b/c you know they mean it and you made a difference!
17. Girl talk
16. Visits from Taylar
15. e-mailing friends
14. the 1st day of school
13. Right before falling asleep when Nala snuggles up on my pillow purring peacefully
12. A nice, relaxing glass of wine
11. Girls nights
10. Hosting at my house
9. Time with Family
8. Puppy breath
7. Seeing the excitement of my dogs when I get home (doesn't matter if I've been gone all day or for 30 minutes! ha!)
6. Gardening
5. Scrapbooking
4. fresh sheets
3. Boxers - got that from Mom too! My favorite breed - I'll never be without one in my life (although Jax can never be replaced!)
2. Scrapbook night with the girls (once a month & I look forward to it every time!)
1. Laughing!!!!

Wednesday nights

Wednesday nights are TaMolly's nights with some of my fav people! Every Wednesday me, my 13-year old cousin (Tanner), his mom, and sometimes now even Jared, go to TaMolly's for dinner. How this started I can't remember ~ help me out Sandy! ha! But somehow it did and now it is a given that you will find us there every Wednesday. Unfortunately (b/c of my expanding rear end), I often go there more than once a week! LOL! The things you do for quality family time! :)

Best Friends

This is my dear friend, Michelle. We have been friends since college. Life is funny sometimes ~ when you think you are at your lowest, it gives you a present. I found myself in a situation in my first year of college with no place to live. I was literally sleeping on the floor of a friend's dorm room desperately looking for a place to live. I answered an ad in the paper where 3 girls were needing a roommate. I didn't know any of them. It was a four bedroom apartment with 2 bedrooms on each end. Michelle and I shared one end of the apartment. She & I ended up living together the rest of the time we were in school. I couldn't have asked for a better roommate or friend! Who knew moving into a apartment with a bunch of girls I didn't know would give me a life-long friend that is more like family than a friend!!

Every summer we stay at each others house for a few days & scrapbook & shop & hang out. Michelle's house is about the only place I can go and still feel like I'm at home!

Rottie Rocky

Rottie's get such a bad rap, and it isn't deserved! Rocky is an awesome dog!! Granted he doesn't instantly climb all over everyone as soon as they walk in the door giving 'em puppy dog kisses like Jax (the boxer) does. He hangs back and waits to make sure you are ok. I have found him to be an excellent judge of character too ~ ha! The main reason rottie's end up on the wrong side of the news is because the wrong people end up getting them. Any dog that is mistreated or left out on a chain will become mean ~ regardless of the breed. Rocky is like a big 'ole teddy bear! He is even ruled by the male cat in the house (but we'll save that story for another day!)

Day at the lake

Yesterday was a family day at the lake! My Bubby & niece met me & my cousin for an entertaining ride to the lake ~ listening to a 7 year old and a 9 year old's conversation can be very interesting & funny! We met my Mom, Dad, Uncle and his girlfriend at the lake. We had an exhausting day of riding the sea doo, riding the tube, swimming, and getting lots of sun!! The girls were worn out (and so was I!!). It sure is nice to borrow other people's kids and just give 'em back at the end of the day! ha!

Good neighbors

I have the BEST neighbors! When this neighbor visits - which is almost daily - she brightens my day & the dogs are thrilled to see her every time!! As you can see - Jax adores her! Rocky too b/c she fusses over him and rubs his belly and makes sure he's been brushed. Like they weren't rotten enough!

I am blessed to have such wonderful neighbors. You really appreciate them more when you've had "not so nice" ones in the past!! I was worried when I moved here 2 years ago. Can you believe it's already been 2 years???? I can't!! I lucked out and couldn't have picked a better place to start over!

Deck Party

This weekend I had a little deck party complete with a vodka watermelon! My Dad, Bubby & several others helped me back in May add a 8 x 20 extension onto my back deck. Love it! So, to thank Dad, I had him come to the deck party and cook burgers for everyone! ha!

Anyway - haven't had a vodka watermelon since college!! So - I didn't know what the heck I was doing, but it was still good. Apparently, I should have started soaking the vodka early that morning and giving it all day. Live and learn!

Summer fun...

Summer is almost over for us teachers! But I spent June & July enjoying camping & some laid back days with the neighbors! June was the yearly family camping trip where lots of good memories are made & many laughs this year!! Best quote from my 5 year old cousin, "What the BLEEEP!" or even when he said, "What's wrong with you woman?" to my niece! ha!

My neighbors and I had some awesome fireworks on the 4th of July. Way too many to share all, but I included one. Really this is just a test for me to see how to load pictures! :)

I'll do a better job next time!!

New at this!

I have no idea what I'm doing! A friend of mine has one of these and apparently I need one to share all my photos! We'll see how it goes! She says it's easy....hope she's right!!