Are You Ready For Some Football?

I'm not that into sports. I like going to a good college football game. But ESPN is not my favorite channel. I watch Friday Night Lights. But the Superbowl? I usually just try to catch the commercials and at least know who is playing so that I don't look like a complete idiot. Steelers and Cardinals? Right? (Up until the middle of this week I thought the Cardinals were still in St. Louis. When did they move?).

So this Sunday night millions of people will watch highly paid professionals play the game. It will mostly be about who wins and which commericals were the funniest.

This other game didn't get nearly as much press, if any at all. Millions of people weren't watching. But this game reminds me that sometimes it's about more than just a ball and some players on a field. Grab a tissue.

A different football game.

Throwback Thursday

The date: February 1975

The place: W.T. Henning Elementary School, Sulphur, Louisiana

The mood: This is my first grade class picture. Mrs. Kraft was my teacher. That's me on the second row from the front, fourth seat. I love the fact that two of the boys are wearing leisure suits. Please note the Clifford posters above the lockers and Dick, Jane, Spot and Puff pictures on the wall. That's how we learned to read. "See Jane. See Jane run." Good times.

Interestingly enough, I graduated with almost all of these people. Only a few of them moved away. Recently, several of them have joined Facebook so I guess I'll have to post the picture there too.

Hunting Season

This is our backyard.

Why yes observant reader, that is also a tree stand in our backyard.

Kevin and Fletcher are all decked out in their camo, sitting in the tree stand, deer hunting. Pretend you can't see them because of all the camo.

Fletcher is blowing the buck horn. I still don't know if this is a real deer hunting tool or just an old hose Fletcher found in the garage. These pictures were taken on a different day.

Fletcher is waiting for the deer with his sword/pretend rifle.

Mr. I-Can't-Sit-Still-For-10-seconds-and-Not-Make-Any-Noise did not see any deer. But he sure had fun pretending with Dad. We'll try again tomorrow.

I'll have to check to see if the tree stand is allowed in our neighborhood HOA Covenants and Restrictions.

Opinion Poll

I was kind of getting tired of the blog layout. So during naptime yesterday I decided to find a new layout design. Of course, there are tons of really cute "girlie" styles out there, but I just couldn't see Fletcher and Luke and Kevin getting into flowers and swirls and polkadots, ya' know?!

So what do you think? I'm trying to go with a simple, uncluttered look. I wish I knew some fabulously talented graphic design/HTML guru that could design my blog template for free.

Any feedback is welcome. Did you like our family picture at the top? Do you prefer the dark background? I'm not saying "your wish is my command" but since you guys are the readers (all 4 of you), your opinions are important!

Can't Beat 20% Off

Back in August, I got really serious about trying to save our family some money. So I started creating a weekly menu and clipping coupons.

I love a good deal. There are several websites I visit that either tell about good online deals or printable coupons or grocery store finds. I get excited when I see a great coupon. I am all about saving money.

I realize the economy is really bad right now and businesses are doing whatever they can to get customers to come in and spend some money.

But where do you draw the line?

We received this in the mail last week. I had to scan it so you would believe me.

This is the front (of course the "save some money" part caught my eye):


This is the back:


Glad to know that there are b00b job coupons out there just in case. . .

But the funniest part about it? Go back and look closely at the second picture.

The postcard is addressed to Kevin.

Wait?

Should I laugh?

Or should I start asking him some hard questions?

Here's a belated Happy Birthday to my oldest brother Mike. His birthday was yesterday. Hope you had a fabulous day!

Carry On Luggage

Unless you live under a rock, you've heard about the jet that crash landed in the Hudson River last week. That jet was on its way to Charlotte so several of the passengers were from the Charlotte area. This past Sunday at church our pastor interviewed two of the survivors.

Of course, they both talked about how they feel like they had been given a second chance at life. Apparently, a plane of that size with that many passengers has never, ever made a successful water landing where everyone survived. One of the guys was sitting in an exit row and said after the pilot came on and said "Brace for landing" he literally had his head down, hands over his head, but was READING THE INSTRUCTIONS on how to get the emergency door open because he knew it would be his job to do that when they landed. How's that for calm, cool and collected?! As soon as they hit the water, he opened the door, held it for a minute because he wasn't sure what to do with it and then threw it into the river. These doors aren't on hinges - good to know.

The other guy was one of the last ones out of the plane. He was helping others and making sure they all got out ok. There was an 83 yr old person, a 4 yr old and a mom with a 9 month old baby among others. Here's the thing that stuck out the most to me when he was telling his story - everyone had gotten off in a pretty orderly fashion. But there was one woman on the plane who grabbed her purse and her carry on from the overhead bin!!!!! Are you kidding me? He said she was rolling it down the aisle as the plane was filling up with water. People were telling her to leave it, but she insisted on taking it. When she got to the wing, the suitcase fell into the water but the man (speaking at our church) did grab her purse and throw it into the life raft.

Now I realize this wasn't me. And I realize that something this traumatic would make people behave in some bizarre ways. But I would hope that I wouldn't be so attached to "my stuff" that I couldn't just let it go. I mean, did she have her grandmother's ashes in her carry on? Her wedding gown? A kidney, liver or other body part? A fur coat? A miniature life raft? Seriously, what could have been that important? I suppose we will never know.

But as I was judging the heck out of this person I've never met, God reminded me that sometimes I want to hold on to "my stuff" too. Instead of letting go and letting Him be in charge and take care of the details of my life, I make these desperate attempts to hold onto the things I am sure of, the things that I am familiar with, the things that make me feel secure. Instead of leaving those behind and walking in faith into unknown territory and holding on to the One who holds me in His hand.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Throwback Thursday

The date: this past Tuesday, January 20, 2009 (yeah, it wasn't that long ago)

The place: our neighbors' backyard

The mood: Who doesn't love to play in the snow? Well, maybe Luke. This was his first time to see snow and he wasn't too sure about it. Plus, he was so bundled up that he could barely walk. That's him in the second picture. Yes, that is yellow thing you see in the first picture is a boogie board. We didn't have a sled. Jeff Foxworthy would be proud. You might be a redneck if. . .

Unfortunately, we didn't get very many pictures. Kevin was out of town and it was still snowing when we were outside so I didn't want to mess up his camera. I got a little bit of video footage, but not much. Maybe it will snow at least one more time and we will be better prepared.

Oddly enough, two years ago when it snowed Kevin was out of town too. He was so bummed that he couldn't be here to play with the boys.

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

Remember I said that we have lots of birthdays in January in our family.

Happy Birthday, Kevin! You are our protector and provider and my very best friend. You are the best husband and daddy we could ever ask for. Our life together has been a wild ride and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than right here with you.

I love you!

Also, in a crazy mathematically unpredictable way our nephew-in-law Cade's birthday is today too. So Happy Birthday to the guy who can grow a seriously scary beard!

Speaking of Teeth. . .

Now that Luke actually has a few teeth, we are trying to get into the habit of brushing his regularly. He loves it and runs to the bathroom yelling "teeth", "teeth", "teeth".

However, my favorite part is the spitting. Be sure you have the volume turned up so you can hear him "spitting". Of course, nothing is coming out but he loves the thought of it. Typical boy!

The Whole Tooth and Nothing But the Tooth

Strange thing happened on Sunday morning before church.

Fletcher had just gotten in trouble for talking back to us. He was crying and biting on the cuff of his shirt sleeve. I told him to quit biting on his clothes because he was going to tear his shirt. Then he said, "Mommy, my tooth is bleeding."

He sometimes has a flair for the dramatic when he's been reprimanded (no idea where that comes from). So I glanced over while I was making breakfast and there's a big gaping hole in his mouth. His bottom tooth had come out. We didn't even know it was loose. He apparently didn't either because he never said anything about it feeling funny. I found the tooth on the floor and the root was pretty much gone so it must have been barely hanging on. Great parents we are -- our firstborn has a loose tooth and we don't even know it.

So then he said, "Put it back in." After we explained that couldn't happen, we talked about the Tooth Fairy and he decided that he liked the opportunity to make money instead. Here are a few pictures and the note he wanted to write to the Tooth Fairy.

Anyone know what the going rate is for teeth these days?

Getting everything ready. Years ago in preschool he got a little white box that looks like a tooth. That's what he is putting under his pillow.

In case you can't read it, the note says (I wrote exactly what he said)

"Dear Tooth Fairy, My name is Fletcher. What do you do with the tooths? If you are going to take them, dump them out and don't take the box because I might need it again. Can you leave two moneys? Thank you. Fletcher"

Happy Birthday, Anna!

January is a big birthday month for our family.

Today our niece and Fletcher & Luke's cousin, Anna, is nine years old.

She loves playing with Fletcher and Luke. She loves making all kinds of art projects and playing with her new cat Smokey. She also sets a beautiful table when we get together for family dinners.

Happy Birthday, Anna! We hope you have a wonderful day.

We love you!

Throwback Thursday

The date: Decemberish 2004

The place: Tallahassee, FL

The mood: I was going through our pictures (see yesterday's post) and found this one. This was Fletcher's one year old picture. This is probably one of my all time favorite pictures of Fletcher. It is definitely in the top five. It just captures his personality so well. Kevin calls it "The South Beach Picture". Not because of the South Beach Diet but because Fletcher is working the green shirt, blue eyes and blond curly hair. Those wild curls are long gone but I get to see that precious smile every day.

TILT!

I think I know what a pinball in a pinball machine feels like.

You think you are rolling along one way then BAM! you end up going in a completely opposite direction. So you decide this direction isn't so bad. You kinda like this direction. Then BAM! off you go bouncing and spinning and rolling in yet another direction.

Umm. You are probably thinking, "Where is this post headed? Could we please just get back to pictures and videos of the kids?"

We took the For Sale sign down in front of our house this morning. We are not moving. . . for now. If you recall this post, we were all set to move to Chapel Hill. Our house was on the market; we cleaned out closets; we told friends and neighbors that it was just a matter of time before we left. Mentally, I was prepared to leave our house, neighborhood, friends, church, preschool, etc and make the transition.

After a series of events over the last few weeks at Kevin's work, it looks like the best thing for us (for now) is to stay here and have Kevin commute up to Chapel Hill one or two days a week. If we were to move, we would run the risk of getting up there and then possibly having to move again within the same year based on the needs of his company. The commuting part will not be fun, but we can deal with that. Not having to sell our house in this terrible housing market is a huge blessing (we were going to take a significant loss on it).

So after 6 weeks of trying to constantly keep our house in perfect shape for any potential showings, we can get back to life as we know it.

Today I think I'll ---

• leave the beds unmade
• leave the dirty dishes in the sink
• leave the clean, folded laundry on the dining room table (what else do you use yours for?)
• put our family photos back where they belong (we were told to take down any personal items)
• put my weekly menu and calendar back up on my refrigerator (I've been lost without them)
• actually let the kids play with their toys without telling them to quit making a big mess

I think Sadie may be the most excited of all. When we did have a showing we took her to our neighbor's house with a fenced in yard and tied her up there. It's been pretty cold here lately. Let's just say for a dog who spends 23.9 hours inside a toasty warm house, she was less than thrilled when we left her there.

How The West Was Won

Who can resist a baby in a cowboy hat?

Oh, and that's a light saber, not a rifle in case anyone is concerned.

For A Clean, Close Shave

We went to a white elephant Christmas party back in December and Kevin ended up with a Batman shaving set. Fletcher loves it and enjoys "shaving" just like Dad when Kevin gets ready in the morning.

May The Force Be With You

Fletcher had a playdate at a friend's house Thursday afternoon so Luke had mom's undivided attention and full access to all of his brother's cool toys!

Cool light saber!

The stuffed dog in the picture is Luke's favorite pal Rocky (named after one of my dog's I bought at a garage sale when I was a kid for twenty-five cents). Rocky is soft and washable and Luke likes to sleep with him and drag him around the house. Shhhh! Don't tell Luke that there are actually two Rocky dogs. I bought an extra and we rotate them in case we lose one.

Here's a rare sighting. All five of Luke's teeth. That's right. I said five. Poor kid will be almost 1 1/2 years old soon and he still only has five teeth. Most kids have about 12 to 14 by now. He is acting fussy sometimes and sticking his fingers in his mouth like more may be coming, but I'm not really seeing anything.

Throwback Thursday

The date: The Miss Louisiana College 1989 Pageant

The place: Pineville, Louisiana

The mood: I grew up watching the Miss America pageant. I thought it was so cool -- all the pretty dresses, the talent competition, etc. And the prizes. The winners won so many cool prizes. So when "all" of my friends decided to compete in the Miss LC pageant during my junior year, I decided to join the fun. I'd always wanted to do a pageant. I too could win scholorships, travel to exotic locations, meet new people, maybe even win a car.

Three words - I hated it. Being with my friends was fun, but I am not "pageant material." I sing ok, but not well enough to perform solos. I'm more of a group singer. As you can see, I went with the "more is always better" motto when applying my makeup that night. With some appropriate padding, spray glue, duct tape and starving myself for three months I did look pretty good in the swimsuit portion of the competition. My roommate Kim is in the picture with me. She actually won that year. The girl can sing and she is beautiful! I think the judges did tell her they didn't like her dress (they may have used the words "burn it" - my memory is a little foggy). I didn't walk away empty handed. I did win something (can't remember what) for having the highest GPA and for selling the most ads in the pageant program book.

So someday when I'm old and gray and everything is saggy, my boys may see this picture and think "oh no, I think our mom was a hooker in college."

I don't think I mentioned it, but Kevin picked up on my not-so-subtle hint and bought me a scanner for my birthday. We were so busy getting the house ready to sell that we didn't do much with it. However, it is now all hooked up and ready to go. When I was looking for a picture to post for today's Throwback, I noticed I had some significant hairdos back in the day. So we just might have to take a look at those styles at some point in the future. (I know you can't wait!)

Mom, Where Do CDs Come From?

We were in the car Tuesday on our way to drop Fletcher off at preschool. We were listening to this CD called Seeds Family Worship: Faith. They are scripture songs, but not hokey/cheesy music. They are a bit repetitive but the lyrics are directly from scripture so when kids learn the song, they are actually learning scripture. There are four or five CDs in the series.

Fletcher: Mom, where did you get this CD?
Mom: Remember? It was in your stocking.
Fletcher (in an utterly amazed, incredulous voice): Really?

Long pause (I've learned to just wait these out and see what he says next)

Fletcher: I didn't know Santa made CDs. I thought he just did toys.

Somehow, I think he has this picture of Santa at the North Pole in a recording studio making scripture praise CDs. Someday a therapist somewhere will probably question my parenting skills.

Yum!

Kevin made chocolate chip pancakes on Saturday.

Luke thoroughly enjoyed them.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

We're sending lots of hugs and kisses to Grandma today because it's her birthday.

We hope you have a wonderful day.

We love you!

I Got Chills - They're Multiplying

I am trying not to start 2009 on a whiny note. But this North Carolina winter might just kill me.

Keep in mind I have lived within about 10 miles of Interstate 10 for 38 of my 40 years of life. I am not kidding. Not counting college, Sulphur, Houston, Jacksonville and Tallahassee are all right along the Interstate 10 corridor which means that except for a few days in early Feb, it is somewhere between 70 and 98 degrees all year long. I like that. I stay warm that way.

Today it was 45 degrees outside. Not bad if you are indoors, but Fletcher wanted to go to our neighborhood playground. So we went. I was wearing my heaviest coat. After 8 minutes I went and sat in the car. Even my bones were cold. My neighbor from Maryland called me a wimp. It probably didn't help that I was wearing gloves purchased at a Target in Florida. Somehow I have a feeling that Target stores in Florida don't understand 45 degree weather. They understand cute and fashionable, but not functional.

When we returned to the house, two of my fingers were completely white because there was no blood circulating through them. I had to run them under hot water to get them to perk up. I still can't feel three of my toes. On a side note, I dread those time in church where they tell you to shake hands with a neighbor because I know my "neighbor" is thinking "Good Lord, that woman's hands are freezing."

Here's part of my challenge. I am a cotton girl. I like things made of cotton. Wool, acrylic, cashmere and sometimes polyester make me itchy. And they do weird things to my hair -- like making it all flat and staticky (not sure if that's a word). I could possibly handle bad hair, but I can't handle feeling itchy.

So if any of you know of any good clothing, jackets, gloves, hats, etc that can keep me warm this winter (but are not made of wool, acrylic, etc), please let me know. It is only January and it doesn't get warm around here until June.

I'm off to google "walrus pelt pajamas". Now that will add some romance to my marriage!

Hello 2009!

I realize people say this all the time, but this year has really flown by. I told several people at the end of last year that 2007 was the year that kicked my butt - so much happened from leaving Florida to adopting Luke to being the parents of a newborn again and moving into a new house. I said that I wanted 2008 to be a year of simplicity.

I can't say that I've hit a home run, but in many ways this has been a year of simplicity. I've spent more time at home than at Target. I've decluttered, donated, consigned, and sold things we no longer use or need. I'm learning that less is more. I've worked harder at planning menus, grocery shopping and using coupons. I'd like to say that I've read more books, but I didn't. Or exercised like a mad woman, but I haven't. Or spent hours and hours in prayer and quiet time with God, but I didn't. But I did realize God is with me and still loves me in the midst of poopy diapers, Star Wars toys and spiritual conversations with my 5 year old. I did start this blog which has been a great way to keep me feeling connected to my family and my friends.

So what about 2009? I know there are alot of things that are going to make 2009 a little crazy. Selling our house, moving, renting a house, finding the right kindergarten program for Fletcher, adjusting to a new work schedule for Kevin, making new friends, finding a new church, finding new doctors and dentists, finding someone to cut my hair, finding the nearest Target and Walmart.

But in the midst of the craziness that 2009 will bring, I want to laugh more and give up my need to control all the details. That's God's job, not mine. I want to enjoy the stages that my children are in right now. They will never be this exact age ever again. I want to face 2009 as an unexpected adventure with my husband, not an annoying inconvenience to my predictable routine. I do want to read more and exercise more and spend more time with God. But I'm going to let go of the guilt now just in case those things don't happen the way I think they should.

A sweet friend of mine who recently moved sent me this verse today. It will probably become my verse for 2009. Not that I have a verse for every year, but it seems like a good idea.

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;

he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8

I hope you and yours have a safe and happy New Year!