Quick Update

Parent-Teacher Conferences- Went great; Emmaline: doing great, but needs to try not to get frustrated so easily (apple not falling far from the tree thing...) and Annelise is the perfect student. No surprises there. Fireproof Movie- Great because it really makes you think about what you are giving to your marriage but some parts were extremely sappy and I do not like sappy stuff. There were some really funny comic relief parts and the overall message was great. Worth seeing. Trunk or Treat at church tonight- Fun and awesome turnout. The girls already have enough candy to cause sugar shock in 3 counties- and their costumes were too cute. The Shack (book I'm currently reading) - Ripping my heart in two reading about a parent's struggle with God after losing a child. But also making me think about my relationship with God and how I see Him. Really deep. The Lots- We closed, Hallelujah. So- now we are filing all the paperwork so we can break ground. Hope everyone had a fabulous week-end! More later.....

Out of the Loop...

Wow- things have been so insane here, lately. I just spent the last hour catching up with all the blogs I read and just sitting on the couch with B. I have been dragging out the girls winter clothes and putting away most of their summer ones- a HUGE task when they have the amount of clothing they have. (My fault- I buy all their clothes at the end of the season for the next year- and at 75-80% off, I can't pass it up... so I buy a ton.) I've been going around to different places giving flu mist for our office this week, too. Plus, we are supposed to close on our lots tomorrow and so there have been some loose ends with that to tie up. The girls are out of school tomorrow for Parent-Teacher conferences and so they are spending tonight and tomorrow night with Aunt Libby while B and I go to conferences and closings.... I've also been doing some soul-searching and spending a bit more time in prayer than I had been. I know the only way to be happy is to be doing what God wants you to do, and the only way to determine what that is is to spend time with Him- same goes for any relationship. I've been reading the book "The Shack" and it is just such a thought-provoking book as far as how we view God and what He is all about. It's a very interesting and eye-opening read. It is about a man who loses his youngest daughter to a serial killer/kidnapper and he goes back to the shack where she was killed and has an encounter with God. Really deep book. I'll let you know more about it when I'm done. Between that, reading the Doxa Glory blog I read, and getting to church on a regular basis again, I have really been convicted to talk to God about the path I need to be on. I want to be the best parent, wife and friend I can be and I can only do that if I am in God's will. I also am a little worried about this upcoming election and what it can mean for our country- so I have handed that over to Him, too- since He already knows what is going to happen and He wants us to give all of our burdens to Him and trust Him with them so that we don't have to worry about anything, ever. I just need to get back to where I need to be, and I finally feel like I am doing that. It's an awfully good feeling. For now, I am going to bed. Lots going on tomorrow- and on top of all of it, we are going to make time to go see Fireproof sometime between closings and conferences! Promise not to be so slack in the upcoming week.....

The Orchard Outing

I love this pic- it shows the beautiful blue sky that you only see in the Fall and the color of the apples just adds to it!

Emmaline and Annelise must have climbed a hundred trees looking for apples.....

These apples were the prettiest in the trees. They were called "Arkansas Black" and they were so beautiful - but, taste-wise, not my fave.

This was the store at the Orchard. They had all kinds of yummy stuff, but my favorites were the apple donuts (heavenly), the chopped apples with fresh, warm homemade caramel poured over them, and the apple slushies. (No, I did not eat all of those myself- my parents and the girls and I all shared....)

This is one of the girls running wild down one of the rows of apple trees, looking for a good one to climb. They were worn out by the time we left! It was a huge orchard.

Fruits of our labor- literally. ;0)

The girls resting on some hay bales. Notice their apple shirts. It's one of the cheesiest
things I've done in a while.

Looking out of the Pumpkin House in the parking area.


We had a good time this past Sunday at the orchard. The first thing I noticed was the smell. They were making homemade cider and the apple donuts were rolling "hot off the press". I bought a dozen so I could take some home to Brian- who was on call. You could smell the hot homemade caramel they were pouring over apples and apple wedges. Mmmm- it was so awesome. One of those smells that could never be duplicated in a candle. We had a picnic lunch and we stayed for about 2 and a half hours. My parents went along, so I wasn't totally overwhelmed with the girls. We did the hay ride, walked 8 million miles through the orchard looking for good apples to pick, played on the playground and went through the store. There were a lot of people, but it was a big place, so not too bad. The weather was perfect and the sky was just gorgeous. A pretty good trip. Even though the girls were in meltdown mode by about 5 pm, it was still worth it. I have been going 100 miles an hour since then. So much to do.... I packed up all my fine china today- even though we have not broken ground yet, I do not like to wait until the last minute and I have done this so many times- I know what I can go ahead and pack!! This week will be short for the girls- they are out this Friday, so I am excited about that. One more morning I won't have to get up early! For now, I still have a couple apple donuts left, and I hear one calling my name.........

All in all, not so bad

Well, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Tigers pulled together and played today. First half was a little rough. I agree with the announcers- too much trickery attempted and too many fancy play calls for a first game after everything has happened. Once they went to simple "get the job done" plays they did much better. I also loved the enthusiasm I saw in Dabo Swinney. I like him a lot and I am excited to see what he is going to do for the rest of this season. I have to say that as much as I didn't want Cullen Harper to go on the field today- he did a pretty good job out there. A few questionable ref calls today, but what else is new... So, all in all- not bad. I'll be a Tiger no matter what happens- ever- so you just learn to roll with the bad times... Brian is on call this weekend, so I'm single-parenting for a few days. Annelise's last soccer game was this morning. Gettin' cold so I am glad we won't be running out the door early on Saturday mornings for that anymore for a while. Came home, fixed lunch, watched Clemson, now watching Alabama and then tonight I'll be watching the chickens play LSU. That's gonna be a tough one, because I cannot stand LSU, and also cannot stand the chickens, so I guess I'll just be watching to watch- not really pulling for either team! The girls have had a friend over all day, so they were well entertained. Tomorrow the girls and I are going to an apple orchard after church for a picnic lunch and some apple picking activities. That should be fun. I don't like to do stuff like that without B with me- but my parents are going, so it should be ok! Anyway- prepare for some pics from that soon. Have fun watching some football today or whatever you may be watching!!

The Sweet Moments

Ever since Annelise and I had our girls day out last weekend, she has just been so sweet. She is sweet-natured, anyway, but lately we had been seeing some 'tude coming out with some sassy mouth and some rolling of the eyes and such. She may be 6 and a half, but she thinks she is a teenager- or so she tells me all the time. So when I saw a paper in her folder from school with "Mommy" written on it yesterday, I took it out and this is what I read: "Poime by Annelise To Mommy. You are as sweet as a Plum and I Love To spend Time with you. And with you I am happy. Love AfK " I thought that was so darn sweet and I even teared up a little, which is rare for me. She spelled everything all by herself and drew little different colored hearts all over the paper. Apparantly, it is what she chose to do when she had a few free minutes in class. I think those few hours we spent together last Saturday really just meant the world to her. I am so excited about maybe doing it again sometime, soon. I truly was surprised at how much I enjoyed our girls day. She is growing up way too fast.......

The Stars Have Aligned....

We are getting ready to close on our new lots on October 24th. We will break ground pretty much immediately after that. So, it has been crunch time with the final decisions on the layout of the house and what flooring we will do where, etc.... Our builder gave us a quote that almost made us pass out because it was way higher than we expected! But when we looked at all of the stuff Brian had added in that was truly just "stuff" we were able to cut the cost tremendously. (He has this tendency to go overboard.. Sweet Thang and Mr. Paranoia can attest to that.) Anyway- I have been nervous about leaving a bigger city to go to a smaller one because I am so used to the convenience of everything. Well, this past Sunday I heard from a very reliable source that Target and Kohl's are coming to the town we are about to build in! Two of my favorite stores! It was like God spoke right then and there to let me know that we are gonna be fine. ;0) Seriously, though- I am really relieved that the town we are moving to is going to be adding so much so soon. There are several shopping centers that have been planned out and Hobby Lobby just built out there a few months ago. (Another store I love.) I also read an article about the new high school that the girls will attend one day. It is supposed to be completed in 2010 and they have nicknamed it the "21st Century High School" because of the cool design and all it is going to offer. They will have a football stadium that seats 3000 and an auditorium that seats 700 and the gym will hold 1500. (But the school max will be 1000 students- with the ability to add on later if needed.) I love that because I like the idea of the girls going to a smaller, but still good, school. I've read the ratings for the elementary and middle schools and they were wonderful, so I am feeling better and better about it. Now if I can just convince all my friends to follow us out there .................

Sad, but Necessary

Well, we all knew it was possible- I just didn't expect it this quickly! Let me say that I do think Tommy Bowden is a good person and has been a wonderful coach in the past. But, I just don't think his heart was in it anymore. Just watching him on the sidelines this year- I think he was so much less emotional and displayed such nonchalance on the field. Plus, when it comes down to it, football is a business. A big one. And if you aren't putting out good results, you're gone. Period. I don't feel too sorry for him- he's getting close to 4 million, so he won't have to do crap for years if he doesn't want to. Clemson was retarded for extending his contract that long. I do love Dabo Swinney, and the players seem to, too, so I am excited to see what he can do. I don't have any expectations for this year, because I think the team will just be upside down for a while. I feel for the players- whether they liked Bowden or not- this is a big deal for them and they will have to try hard to stay united on the field and to keep their game faces on. I will tell you what I am angry about, though. I cannot believe what Cullen Harper said about Bowden's firing to ESPN. And to make it worse, what his father said to them when they called him. First of all, they should not have commented at all to the press. Second, for them to be so disrespectful and so harsh about a coach (who praised/defended Harper when everyone else was wanting him benched, and also kept him on the field much longer than he deserved to be) was just ridiculous. Tacky, and immature. I have no respect for Harper or his father. I hope he gets zero playing time for the remainder of the season. I really hope that Korn goes out there and just shows him up. Poor Korn- no pressure there- you just never started a game in college and have gotten almost no playing time, but now we're gonna start you with no coach, no offensive coordinator and all kinds of hype surrounding you and the whole team. No biggie. Bless him. Goodness- this is the excitement of college football! I do hope they get someone in there who will take the team where they have the potential to go. People keep talking about Danny Ford. I know he did great things for the football program , but his ways were frequently underhanded and a tad dishonest at times. If you're not good enough to win without doing it cleanly, then you're just not good enough. I know, I'll probably get death threats for that, but it's just my opinion..... It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few years with recruiting and stats and such. Never a dull moment!!

Done for the Day

After a soccer game this morning and 3 birthday parties , I've decided to call it quits for the day and plant my rear on the couch for the remainder of the evening and watch some football. I don't care at the moment that my house is messier than it has been in weeks. I don't care about the mountain of laundry. I also do not care that the recycleables are taking over my kitchen and garage. I am wiped out! The girls have had a blast today and Annelise and I had lunch together in the Mall (where one of the parties occured) as a special "girls day treat" for the two of us. She and I really enjoyed that. It's something we are going to do more often. She was so sweet and just thought it was the greatest thing that she and I did something alone. I sometimes just don't realize how grown she is now! She went to a party at Build-A-Bear for one of her best friends. She chose a pink and white leopard to stuff and take home, complete with a pink sequin dress, pink flats and a pink sequin purse. Those stuffed animals have a better wardrobe than I do! She bestowed the name "Alice" upon her leopard and is very proud of her creation. Emmaline is busy playing with her huge Magnetix set we gave her for her birthday and B is outdoors planting bushes. Which leaves me here on the couch alone- until I have to get up and cook something in about 30 minutes.......... ;0)

Please Explain....

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Field Trippin'

Pumpkins for sale at the orchard. They had a neat little shop with all kinds of stuff.

Annelise inside the shop at the orchard. This pic was her idea.......

Annelise milking the simulated cow. This was a huge hit with the kids!!

Annelise feeding one of the goats. Not a huge deal for her- her Poppy has a goat farm.

Pic of the pumpkin patch. I love love love Morning Glories. I know they are in the weed family, but I don't care. They are so pretty and vibrant. I plan to plant some on our new lots against the split wood fence in our backyard.

The deer family at the orchard. There were 8 of them, all different sizes. They snacked on cheese crackers and would stand on their hind legs to eat them and lick at them. Too cute.

One of two baby deer. They were adorable and the kids had a fit over them.

Totally separate from the field trip- yesterday was "tacky day" for Emmaline's class. My little anal child threw an absolute fit about wearing mismatched shoes and socks. I had to beg her to participate!!


Obviously, Annelise had a field trip yesterday to an orchard way out in the middle of nowhere. It was pretty and I had been there before- it's only about 15 minutes from where I grew up. Most of the kids were just fascinated. You could tell it was a group from the "city". Brian happens to be off this week and he got to go, too- which just thrilled Annelise. It was supposed to be 76 degrees and sunny, so I wore short sleeves. Well, it was freezing cold. Freezing. I even passed up the free homemade ice cream they gave out. You know it was cold for that to happen. As we rode through the peach trees and blackberry vines and pumpkin patch and fig bushes on the hay ride, I really wished that I was the kind of person who wanted to live somewhere like that. Out on a ton of land in a cool old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. But, I guess I can't change who I am. I would love it for about a week and then I would be jonesin' for a Target. Or pizza delivery. We can't even take care of the 5 acres we live on, now. Oh, well- I'll be perfectly content with my 1.2 acres we are about to build on. (As long as the guy across the street stays quiet... BTW- his yard was sodded this past weekend and it looks really good! ;0) ) That's it for today- I'm off to the orthodontist. He says we will no longer be friends after today. He's going to put a really strong wire in my braces that is going to make me very sore for the next couple days or so. Yay. Thank goodness milkshakes are soft.........

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

So, I have a TV in my kitchen- right beside the cooktop. That was the deal if B wanted me to cook. Anywho, I always leave the channel on Lifetime while I cook because I love Reba and Golden Girls and Still Standing. They just crack me up, even if I do know almost all the words to some of the episodes. Well, as you may or may not know, Lifetime began showing episodes of Wife Swap during some of this time frame. I never watched this show on regular TV channels, and I didn't have the energy to find a new "dinner preparation channel", so I started listening to it while I cooked. Good Lord. No way I would ever go on that show. I tried to imagine what kind of woman they would trade me with. Hard to determine, as I have so many conflicting personality traits. It would be someone who would have "anti-religion" tendencies and someone who kept a dirty house and someone who had foul-mouthed materialistic kids. Also someone whose husband was dumb as a rock and/or never around and/or toothless. Or it could be someone who was very timid and quiet and looked/behaved somewhat like one of the women they featured on TV from the polygamist compound not too long ago. Also a Carolina Gamecock fan. I shudder at the thought. No way. These women amaze me. They know they are going to be paired with someone as totally opposite themselves as the show can find, yet they are shocked at where they get placed and they end up crying. I don't know how much they "win" for being on the show, but there would not be enough compensation for me. My husband and my children get on my nerves at times, I definitely could not tolerate someone else's for 14 days. Especially someone who the show would choose purposefully to tick me off- seeing as my temper is my worst issue. I would end up in jail.... Who would you get "swapped" with? Can you even imagine? Just giving you something to chew on tonight! Have fun. ;0)

We Survived

Barely. Wow, I am so tired and just worn out! I am fairly certain that I could now try out for the show Survivor and be fine no matter where they sent us.... The baby (23 month-old) Jess, was perfect. She could not have been better. Annelise "mommied" her and they were so sweet. I put her to bed at 8 pm Friday night, she told me night-night and she didn't make another peep. Now, her sister, Reagan, and my Emmaline were the total opposite. They were like the demonic duo or something. Total defiance towards me and B and just as wild as they could be. We almost lost our minds with them. Reagan spilled something every hour, and at every meal she managed to get a ton of food in her hair. She and Emmaline drug out every toy and every what-not in the entire house- which is already a mess with all the stuff we are storing for our next house. Reagan tore up Emmaline's lamp on her bedside table (which she has had since she was born) by ripping all the flowers off of the base. We told them to stop jumping on the bed and the minute we would leave the room, we would hear them doing it again. Insert scream here. They were really mean to Annelise and didn't want her to play with them, but absolutely destroyed her room. You get the idea. On Saturday morning, either Jess or Reagan woke up at 5:45 am and started screaming, which of course woke up everyone in the house. They were so tired the rest of the day that they just cried about everything from then on. It was so bad, that I did not allow my girls to go with my mother when she came to get my neices at 4:30 Saturday afternoon. I didn't want her having to deal with what I had dealt with and I also needed for my 2 to be in the bed on time that night. Now y'all know it was bad if I was willing to give up a kid-less night! We were all just totally exhausted last night and went to bed and slept like bears. (After falling asleep several times during football games during the evening. ) We went to church this morning and now we are just all doing our own thing in the house and we will have family night tonight (a game and a movie). There is so much I need to get done, but I am just too tired to get off the couch..... After all is said and done, though, I love my daughters and neices so much and they did make me laugh a lot this week-end. They are precious. I am also glad my sister got to have a girls weekend with her bff- she doesn't get to go out much with her friends and she had a great time. I am also glad that after this weekend, taking care of just my 2 seems so easy! Well, off to figure out the game for tonight and decide what to throw together for dinner. I'll tackle the house tomorrow...... :0)

Frantic Friday

This week has continued to be great (crazy as always, but great). I think it is what you could refer to as the "calm before the storm". Today B and I went to Annelise's classroom to help with a space project they were doing. Involved paint- lots of 6 and 7 year olds with lots of paint.... And none of the colors coordinated with my outfit.... ;0) Anyway- got that done. Got all the things signed up for with the Teacher Treats we are doing next week. Trucking right along really. But in about 2 and a half hours, my sister will be bringing her 2 little girls to spend today, tonight and tomorrow with us. They are 4 and almost 2. I am going to have a house full of wild ones for the next oh, 30 hours. Brian actually looks scared. They love to be together, and they entertain each other, so it should be ok. We have just never had all of them here at the same time before! Annelise usually helps a lot with Jess, the 23 month old, and Emmaline and Reagan are only 8 months apart, so they are completely attached at the hip when they are together. I just hope I am capable of this challenge... My sweet sweet mother wants me to bring them to her house tomorrow afternoon and they are all going to spend the night there tomorrow night. Ahhh. B and I will probably need a little R and R by then. I am sure to have some entertaining tales to tell after tonight. I think the worst will be that I am so used to mine sleeping until about 9 am on the weekends, now- and Jess and Reagan are usually up around 7 or 7:30. Not to mention, Annelise has a soccer game at 9 am- so that should also prove to be interesting. I am excited because I am looking forward to spending time with my neices, and because they all love to be together- I just know I am going to be so worn out by Saturday evening! Pray for me...... At least I got some Barnes and Noble time in this week. Emmaline had a field trip there yesterday and you know I was all over volunteering for that one. I got there 45 minutes before the class and had their new special Marshmallow Mocha coffee. It was all yum and then some. So, I am not complaining. I am strong, I can handle 4 girls 6 and under in my house overnight. I think I can, I think I can....... ;o)