Pre- Decorating Jitters

How weird is it that I would get nervous over decorating my house for Christmas? Don't get me wrong I love the idea of decorating I just have never been very good at getting it done without a near nervous breakdown. I am not good at it like so many others are but yet I still have this Norman Rockwell vision in my head that keeps me dissatisfied with my decorating choices. This year we are on a tight budget, as are most people, so I have to go with what I've got and make it work. The only exception is my quest to find an artificial pre-lit tree that is in my price range. The hunt begins tonight and poor hubby has no idea that in a span of 3 hours he is going to find himself in Target, Kmart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Lowe's and Home Depot. Pray for him. It is going to be a long night!

Election 2008 and life beyond it...

Today I will get up and put my pants on one leg at a time and start today's life journey. I am not happy about the election result but I refuse to feel defeated. I guess if my ultimate hope was in John McCain than defeat would be my drink of choice but it is not. Maybe that is the learning curve for some of us today. My hope lies in the firm foundation that is Jesus Christ. He never moves, never tires and never blinks or turns his head. All the events of our lives are sifted through the Father's hands and this election is no different.
So today I will keep on trying to save babies, love college students and be a good friend to others. I will lead choir, do laundry and get food on the table. I will pray, cry, sing and worship and stay busy with kingdom things. And I will pray for Pres. Obama, his wife and precious children that God will work massively in his heart and life, just as I pray He will in my own. And when it is all said and done, "it is well with my soul".

The Top Ten Reasons I Love FALL!!

10. “IT”S THE GREAT PUMPKIN CHARLIE BROWN”. I watch it every year. It makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

9. Front porch fall displays. In case you didn’t know this is the pre-cursor warm-up for the annual front yard Christmas light extravaganza. J. is breathless with anticipation.

8. Football Time in Tennessee. Eighth place may seem like a low ranking for some of you rocky toppers but it is the best I can do.

7. Fall Leaves. If you have never been to Cades Cove during the fall season, drop everything else and make plans to go. God was in a mood to show out when he created the Smokies.

6. New Wardrobe. I am sick of my summer clothes. Girls can I get an AMEN?

5. Cooler Temperatures. Let’s be honest, at my age I need cooler weather to offset my inner thermostat which is permanently set somewhere between “tropical breeze” and “bake until crispy.”

4. Left Over Halloween Candy. It makes our office a much happier place to work.

3. Dancing With The Stars. Dance Warren Dance!

2. Church Fall Festivals. Our church has perfected this to an art form. It is a combination of food and fun that can only be rivaled by a day at Dollywood!

And the number one reason I love fall is….

1. Family. The fall brings tons of opportunities for families to have fun together. There is so much to do from football games to campfires to carving pumpkins. Take every opportunity to be with the people that you love most and have a GREAT FALL.

No Shave November

Have you ever heard of “No Shave November”? For those of you who may be uninformed it is a holiday recently adopted by women who are sick and tired of shaving their legs. So for one month they don’t do it. That’s right. No shaving of the legs for one month. Personally, I think that is a pretty gross concept but I sure can identify with just getting tired of doing something that seems mundane or monotonous. Every now and then I feel like my life is in a rut and I feel like a robot just getting through the day. I get up at the same time, I shower at the same time, I get stuck in traffic at the same time and I get to work at the same time. I turn on my computer, check my email and begin the motions of the day. And then when the next morning comes, I start over. Blah!
I think it is okay to feel that way some times as long as you don’t get stuck in the rut of complaining about your rut! There are those thing that we do in the course of our daily “sameness” that are good. Every day God gives us the gift of an opportunity. A person who needs love help and encouragement is a reminder from God that He is NOT a God of boredom but a God of excitement, challenge and yes, even FUN!

Galatians 6:9 tells us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” So go ahead, grow the hair on your legs long enough to braid! Just don’t grow weary in the important stuff. After all you can shave tomorrow but today’s opportunities to love come only once!

Happy Birthday Rev.

Happy Birthday Joel. He is 42 today and has held up pretty well. Although he did, for the first time yesterday, hear a Doctor utter the word "arthritis". This is a word I have dealt with for a few years now so Joel has some catching up to do! HA HA!! For 21 years we have had the pleasure of celebrating our birthdays in the same week. And even though we share the same zodiac sign we are NOTHING alike which in my mind confirms that astrology is without fact and is based on gobble-de-gook( a true theological word!). Joel is calm. I am not. Joel is not a worrier. I have it down to an art form. Joel is steady. I am a weeble wobble. He has tons more energy and a lot more nerve. I am so proud of him. He is a wonderful husband and a terrific Dad. Happy Birthday Honey. You are the best!

"I'm the king of the .....lake?"

I LOVE THIS PICTURE. Adam is a nut!

the sky is falling, the sky is falling..

I am a blogging slug. Quite frankly I have been to busy living my life to write about it. Summer is flying by and pretty soon life will change forever when we move Adam off to school. Please don't send me comments about how Carson Newman is only 45 minutes away and how I should be grateful that he is not moving to Nova Scotia or other parts unknown. I only know these things... his place at the table will be empty more often than not, he won't be laughing with Tyler while they play basketball almost every night, he won't be swigging out of the 2 litre Coke bottle in my kitchen (gross I know !!!) and there won't be hugs every day. I am devastated. But... I am also very very proud. Adam is a wonderful young man who loves the Lord with fiery passion and is committed to becoming what God wants him to be. He wants to live out God's purpose for his life. He is brave and sweet and very talented and I know that he will be fine. He will. Really. I promise. It is just hard to believe that this day is almost here.
But as hard as it is, we look forward with confident expectancy to what the future holds. It is going to be great and you can bet your bottim dollar that whatever Adam is doing I will be there to take a picture of it and brag about it. It is my job. I am his mom.

I cried some, Oh yes I did...

Well we did it. We graduated Adam from high school and we are none the worse for the wear. Oh it was really emotional alright. I cried for a couple of days every time I even thought about him. I just kept remembering the little boy who use to be. He is not little anymore. He has grown up to be this amazing wonderful young man with tons of potential and a fiery love for Jesus. We are so proud of him! Jamie graduated from 8th grade last night. It is mandatory of course that any high profile 8th grade event be followed by dinner out so we went to Cracker Barrell. Oh yes sir we did. I consumed enough carbs to clog the atereries of a Sumu wrestler and so did Jamie. My child ordered french toast with a side of bacon and a side of macaroni and cheese. I almost puked. She ate every bite of it.

Adam is graduating...pass the valiuum

We are in full graduation mode. My sweet baby boy is graduating from high school in just a couple of weeks. It is hard to beleive that he is 18 and getting ready to leave home. I am going to require some pretty serious Hallmark movie time in order to purge all the tears out of my system. But don't you worry, they are tears of sadness but they are also tears of great pride. Adam is a pure joy. He has never given us any trouble and has given his whole heart and soul to Jesus. He is very sweet and has a tender heart that will allow him to cry when he is happy or when he is sad. I LOVE THAT!

when kids grow up: Prom 2008

Prom day was crazy. Evidently sometime ago, the powers that be in the Seymour School system began to devise a plot that would result in chaos and mayhem for parents in our tiny community. In some smoky room...in the dark...under the influence of some sort of haalucinegens they decided.. lets have the senior prom and the 8th grade prom on the SAME DAY. (hear evil laughter...)

Well we showed them. We survived and managed to look good. Adam and Ashlee looked so sweet.The boy cleans up pretty good. And Jamie's prom fever that has lasted for 3 months finally came to a beautiful end. Sweet days, sweet memories, precious children.

Mini-Me

This is a girl I love. So young and so grown up all in one tiny body. I wish everyone in the world could know her. She is such a good friend, always funny and happy. She makes me cooler than I am and always keeps me on my toes. I never knew that raising a daughter could be so frustratingly glorious.

Pomp and Crazy Circumstance

I cannot believe my blogging tardiness. It can only be explained by a life that is in extreme overdrive that refuses to slow down enough for me to gather my thoughts. This past weekend was wonderful. Several months ago Adam was given the lead in his senior high school musical, Little Shop of Horrors. This weekend was show time and He was amazing!!!!! He sang he danced he acted and was downright awesome. I went to all four performances. O yes I did. I have never been so proud of that child. We are in full graduation mode and have lots of things to do over the next 20 days. Parties, trips, baccalauerate, awards night, choir banquet, and a basketball tournament trip to Cinncinatti. Great days. Hard days. Days that are flying by.
Now I have to get ready to go to work with a stop to pick up some Rolaids. You understand I'm sure.

American Idol...The way I hear it.

David Archuleta-The Bomb! His rendition of "When you Believe" was pitch perfect!
Carly Smithson- Predictable. I knew from the first where she would go vocally. Could use some Crest Whitening Strips. Lower range at the beginning was shaky. Simon is exactly right.
Syesha Mercado- Why does she look angry? There are HUGE pitch problems! Strong ending however.. the judges won't like it. Paula is struggling to complete a sentence. The gold dress is GORGEOUS!
Brooke White- Ooh I 'm worried. Does she have the chops to pull off a Mariah number? Hero? Here we go... good that she is at the piano. So far so good...the bridge has some pitchyness... she looks terrified..uh-oh stumbling at the piano but she kept going and finished respectably. Meat? Buns? What?
Kristy Lee Cook- I like the semi-country feel she is throwing into the song. It seems to suit her voice. Although the key sounds about a 1/2 step to low.. I liked it. It showed the power in her voice. Country Western?Is that a real category of music? I am not sure. No chills for Simon. I think he is being kind of hard on her.
David Cook- I am not excited. I may be the only person in America who doesn't get him. 10 notes in and I don't like it. He looks like he needs a bath. Yuck. I would not buy his album Randy. He is blowed away that Simon likes it. Maybe I am just to hard to please. O He is crying. Now I like him.
Jason Castro-I refuse to watch. I can't get past the dredlocks.

a redneck bru ha-ha

I have no idea if that is how you spell "bru-haha but nevertheless we had ourselves one at the New Hopewell Baptist Church on Saturday. Rain, snow, sleet or hail cannot keep 800-1000 people from showing up at our church every spring to partake of some downhome vittles that includes the likes of deer venison and yes, I am not even kidding BEAVER. Who knew people at Beaver? I didn't know that and I didn' t eat any. Lest you think that we just feed a 1000 people Goose Casserole for kicks, it is our Annual Wild Game Supper that draws a crowd like you would not believe. I am so proud of our little church for thinking outside the box and doing anything they can to reach people for the kingdom of God. It rained buckets all day and we even had a conflict with the Vols playing the SEC tournament but we pressed on and the people came and ate and ate and ate and sang and ate some more. I'll try to post pictures later so you can see the carryins on for yourself.

how to half kill yourself without even trying

Step 1: begin th day with a nagging pain in the upper half of your back just under the shoulder blade.

Step 2: Carry a VERY heavy box from the Universtiy of Tennessee Ball Room to the UT parking Garage. (approx. 1/4 of a mile)

Step 3: Gracefully miss a step as you enter the garage, feel pain begin to exaggerate.

Step 4: Ignore pain while focusing on missing soccer cleats, unknown whereabouts of 18 year old son, driving to soccer practice, waiting in the car for 1 1/2 hours, going to soccer uniform fitting and write a $73 check for said uniform.

Step 5: arrive home at 8:30pm after leaving home at 7am. Continue to ignore increasingly worse back pain.

Step 6: wake up at 12 am. Realize you are in the throes of the muscle spasm from HELL

Step 7: Cry...Cry to Jesus...Cry to sleeping husband

Step 8: Move to couch at 1:30 and keep crying.

Step 9: Blog at 3:37 am and wait for daylight and pray for heavy drugs to be in your very near future!

I am so proud

These are the sweetest nuttiest kids in the world. Never mind that Tyler appears drunk, Adam looks like he is dippin' skoal and Jamie... well is just being Jamie!

tgif

So glad this week is over. Why is it some weeks seem longer than others! Not that this was a particularly hard week it just seemed to drag on and on. I am propped up in my bed while Joel is at Tylers ballgame, Jamie is at a birthday party and Adam is upstairs on the couch watching a ballgame. Suffice it to say there is nothing on television and even Samson is bored. I COULD be doing everyones laundry but I resigned this week. Well actually Joel resigned me. As my foot was to weak to put down he put down his and told the kids they were on their own. That's right. ON THEIR OWN. The piles had just become too overwhelming and there was really no reason to believe that three active reasonably healthy teenagers could not operate the washer and dryer. No reason at all. Really. At least that is what I'm going with. To be fair, they have each down a load. Jamie actually completed the entire wash, dry and put away cycle. The boys...not so much. I found Tyler's in the dryer and Adam's still in the wash. But let's let the dream live shall we?

SHE LIVES

It has been forever since I posted. I am aware of this not because of the throngs of people who hound me daily asking for more useless info about our family but because I just took a good look at the calendar. This month has flown by. Just when we thought we had survived sickyville the flu made a stop at our house. And if that wasn't enough Samson has a sports injury. Now people THAT is funny! The laziest dog to ever take up couch space has somehow gotten what the vet refers to as a sports injury to his left back knee. I didn't know dogs had knees and I certainly haven't seen Samson exerting his but nonetheless he is injured. The vet instructed us to "keep him quiet". Right. He has his own doggy mind. Always has, always will. He loves us but mostly he tolerates us. And he is rarely obedient. Only when we ask him if he wants a cookie, will he move from his post and follow us to the kitchen. Amazingly that sounds like our kids!

my drug of choice

It is sickyville around here. Tyler has the full on Dr. diagnosed flu and I have some version thereof so there has been more than one trip today to the cold/flu section at Wal-Mart. Which is where I was when I found the coolest thing. Vicks Vapor rub on a stick! Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of that mentholatum rub! When I was little, momma would rub me down good with the stuff when I had a cough and then put some in a vaporizor and I would lay in bed inhaling mentholatum until my lungs were free and clear. I have always remembered that Daddy had a little Vicks stick that he kept in his pocket and he would occassionaly poke that thing right up his nose and take a big sniff. Yes sir he did.

So I bought not one but two Vicks sticks, one for me and one for Tyler (he is not nearly as excited as I am). .....pausing for a whiff.... and I have to tell you I feel better.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall....

It was a great non-snow day snow day as I was very excited that I had saved some left over deliciousness from our trip to "Ye Olde" the night before. Broccolli Casserole floating in cheese and butter would be my lunch and I cannot even tell you how excited I was about it. I heated it up to a perfect temperature, added salt and pepper and poured myself a diet coke. Then I began the decent down the stairs. In socks. In a hurry. And it was over before it started. I fell down the two bottom steps. It hurt. A lot. I was comforted for a nano second as I heard the running of four legs, and I felt sure that Samson was running to see if I was ok. NOT! If I had not been in pain I would have a picture of that dog with cheese and broccoli dripping from his drooly jaws. I did however snap a photo of said stairs to remind myself that pride DOES go before a fall and the same dog who somehow manages to leave green peas in the bottom of his OldRoy Country Stew dog food is a lover of Ye Olde Steak House Broccoli Casserole. They should be honored and proud. I am bitter.

weather men crack me up

At last something for the weather people to get excited about! Icy conditions have caused Knoxville to come to a screeching halt. The tips we are getting from those in the know are nothing if not hysterical. For example, "Icy conditions may cause you to slide.Please slow down and exercise extreme caution." For the stupid in our viewing area!



I also wonder why journalists have a "redneck radar" when it comes to those on the spot interviews. I mean just because we are in Tennessee do have to hear from everyone wearing camo pants and a John Deere tractor hat. Is there no one out there carrying a Vera Bradley purse with a matching umbrella? Sweet Mercy!



But most importantly this weather event has caused me to realize that I NEED some of those cute little rain boots that I see the fashionistas wearing. The ones with ducks or rainbows or daisy's on them. My sweet friend Charlotte has some and they make her look both cute AND prepared. What could be better I ask you?

What's Not to Love?

family interviews: part two; Here's Jamie

Mom: What is your favorite candy?
Jamie: Reece Cups
Mom: If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world where would it be?
Jamie: California
Mom: To be a superstar?
Jamie:To swim and tan and shop
Mom: all of those things you can do here
Jamie:I want to do it in California instead. Hollywood.
Mom: If you won a million dolars what would you buy first?
Jamie:Like now as a kid, I don't have to pay off any debt or anything? Mmm an island!
Mom: What grosses you out?
Jamie:Open wounds and wrinkly old men
Mom: Ooo Gross. Do you love Adam and Tyler?
Jamie: I love them but I don't always like them. How much longer is this?
Mom: Almost finished. What do you like most about me?
Jamie: Silence
Mom: What do you like most about Dad?
Jamie: Silence
Mom: Is this interview over?
Jamie: I hope so
Mom: One more question. Would you pick your nose in the hallway at school or $100?
Jamie:Probably not
mom: For a $1000
Jamie: YES
Mom: Thanks for playing

family interviews: part one; tyler speaks

Mom: What makes you happy?
Tyler: church, Christmas and music
Mom: Do you take drugs?
Tyler: No and I don't plan on it.
Mom: What is your favorite Jim Carrey line?
Tyler: "Loser" and "All-Righty Then"
Mom: Chocolate or Vanilla?
Tyler: Chocolate
Mom: What would you buy if you had a million dollars?
Tyler: a new house
Mom: Do the girls think you are sexy?
Tyler: Do cats Meow?
Mom: Which parent is the coolest?
Tyler: Neither
Mom: Ouch!
Mom: Would you kiss a girl for $100?
Tyler: No
Mom: $1000
Tyler: I would randomly go up to someone and kiss them for no reason for $1000 bucks.
Mom: Do you love your sister?
Tyler: Yes, Goodness. As much as I love Samson
Mom : Are you ready for this interview to be over?
Tyler: Yes

Do you believe there is such a thing as an 8th grade prom? Well trust me there is and it is accompanied by great drama! My sweet baby girl will be in attendance this year and she is beside herself,behind herself and on top of herself with giddiness. Guess what that makes me? Beside myself. Guess what that makes Rev.? Poorer! Here is her super sweet and age appropriate prom dress for 8th grade Prom 2008!

WE DID IT! WE"RE BLOGGERS

Hello Everybody! I am so beyond thrilled to finally have this blog up and running. Oh sweet mercy it has been two days of blood sweat and literal tears of frustration to learn how to enter the realm of the blogoshpere. The point of it all is to have a place for our friends and family to check up on our crazy life. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I am.