Snaggletooths abound......





This is my daughter and her two closest cousins (friends). They are having a ball after school.





Tomorrow, they may be goblins and vampires (or mermaids), but today, they are inseperable and getting along.

It's because of lovely children like this, that I got roped, Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to say that out loud.....that I volunteered to work at Fall Festival at their school tomorrow. I hope all your little ones have a good time no matter what they do tomorrow.

Hello, my name is Ouisa

and I'm a whiner. A complainer. An unhappy person. Someone who thinks that everyone is out to get me. WHAT?????

All this time, I thought I was pretty content with my lot in life. Apparently, not.

They say the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. So, okay, someone close to me told me these very things. And it floored me.

Yeah, I act somewhat like Ouisa Boudreaux from Steel Magnolias. I didn't mean any harm, truthfully.

Now I may have to go into therapy to get my smile and self esteem back. Man what a blow.

Anyone got any tips for recovery from this disease? I guess I can use all the help I can get.

(After all, everybody in Chinkappin Parish would give their eye teeth to take a whack at Ouisa).

This is some kind of good.......

And as you can tell from the above photo, I am not, I repeat not, a photographer.

This is what I call a caramel nut cake.

I made this today for lunch at my aunt's house. And man it is delicious with a glass of cold milk.

It's a german chocolate cake (baked according to its directions) 7 oz of melted caramels drizzled on a cool cake and pecans finely chopped and sifted onto the caramel while it is still hot.

I wish I had smell-a-blog. It's just too easy and too tasty. Ya'll have a good day.

AAAAhhhh

The week is over (a new one is about to begin)
today is a day of rest from the previous days' madness.
Time to catch up with family on the events of past and future.
Just sit in the recliner and be and watch them all swirl around you.

That's what I hope for everyone today.

Guess what? The Secret is in the Sauce is launching November's giveaway.
It is totally something that I need. You should bop on over and check it out.
They have such neat stuff and the community of support just keeps on growing.

Blessings to all and I hope you all have a wonderful week.

There are two jobs that you.......

absolutely could not pay me enough to do.

1.

A Teacher........after spending a few hours in the school these last few days, I don't know where they find you guys, but God bless you all.

2.

A school bus driver.........I cannot even imagine without screaming in horror.

Just let me give you all a shout out. I admire you and admit there is no way I could do your jobs. You are all obviously very special folks.

That being said, I volunteered to my hearts content today. I got to use.....(gasp and sigh) a copy machine and an industrial school paper cutter and I got to file and I got to make up cute little gift bags for the cafeteria workers.

I Made It

Well, my first day of volunteering was quite a non-event. When I got to the school, my daughter's teacher did not need me, so I was shuffled off to another classroom. It was a real learning experience. I got to do the kind of work I love without ever having to touch the first germy kid. YAY!!!!!

I had a great school lunch of whipped potatoes, chicken fried chicken (or something) and some delicous pears. And a Shoney's quality roll. All for the bargain price of #3.00. WOW, what a deal.

After lunch, I trundled on over to the High School and met with the volunteer coordinator who immediately put me to work on alphabetizing and separating and filing and I could not have been more happy. It was almost like my old job.

So, there are plenty of opportunities out there for me, I just have to decide which school I will go to today. I have a child in the elementary, the middle, and the high school levels. So, I guess I have my work cut out for me.

Thanks for all the wonderful thoughts and wishes.

Oh, did you know that Rhea over at Texas Word Tangle is having a giveaway. She's got this super cool pot to give away and some Jambalaya mix. No need to stick around here....Hello, is anyone there? Oh well, have a great day.

Can you really go home again?

Hey everybody. (All three of you). I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Here in the south, we enjoyed some rather mild weather and it was marvellous not be sweating by the time I reached the car.
After church Sunday morning, I took the kids and headed back to my hometown.
Four years ago, I was diagnosed with RA (rheumatoid arthritis). And once you find a good doctor, you kind of hate to let them go. Anyway, the kids were out of school for planning day and I had a doctors appt. today, so we went and spent the night at my mom's house (who, by the way, has gone to see the foilage in the mountains. AND, she wouldn't even take me with her, can you believe her nerve?)
Anyway, nothing looked quite like it did the last time I was there. And I found myself just wishing I could sleep in my own bed. AND WOWSER, that's when I knew that I didn't consider that my home anymore. Oh, I visited my old neighbors and I still dearly love them all, but it's not the same. I'm not in their business 24-7 like we were when we lived there. Life has moved on without us. The world did not stop just because we left. And I thought I was irreplaceable. LOL.
I went by my old job and saw my old workmates (many of whom I consider my closest friends when we were there). I shouldn't have done it. I miss them even more now.
So, I have made a decision. I am not going to sit at home anymore and just be a farm wife. I am going into all three of my children's schools and I am going to be volunteering at least three days a week. I have got to get out of this house and stop feeling sorry for myself. Pull myself up by the bootstraps, etc.
The RA makes me not feel so good a lot of the time and all the medications that I have to take make me feel anywhere from sleepy to even more sleepy. But I have let myself go for long enough. So, I bought me some hair color. Fixed it right up. I wore makeup for the first time in almost four years on Sunday and I am gonna start this volunteering stuff. I need to enjoy my children's life as much as possible. And I'm starting right now.
(If I pass out from over stimulation at the elementary school tomorrow, I'll let you know).

I WAS SO ANGRY.....

I have always thought of all people, I would be one level headed woman when it came to issues with my children. I really did.

Not so, number one.......I nearly lost my mind yesterday. On Wednesday afternoon, my middle son (MS) came home from school and asked to speak to me privately. Uh oh, is what I first thought. What has he done now. (He tends to run his mouth alot and trouble seems to find him). I am not blind to my child's faults.

Apparently, another boy had punched him in the mouth on the bus on the way home from school and called him some rather unflattering names. The first question I asked was what did you say that made him hit you? Okay, that was so wrong. I backed up and said, it doesn't matter, nothing gives him the right to hit you.

So I went to the school, the principal wasn't there and the snotty woman at the front desk informed me that there was no one there that could speak in her absence. WTF??? Is this a public school or what? She didn't even ask me what I needed to speak with her about. And finally, when I said, you mean to tell me that someone can assault my child and you can't help me? Then she was like, Oh where did it happen. When she found out it was on the bus, she said we can't help you, you'll have to go so and so. I was livid.
So I went to so and so and they pulled the video of the bus ride home. Guess what, you can clearly see my son trying to ignore this person. This other person got up from a seat behind where my son was sitting and began punching his arm. (My son will not fight because we have told him it is not the way to handle things). So on the video you can see this other person get up while the bus is moving and change seats to deliberately antagonize my son. And on the video you can clearly see my son trying his best to keep his back turned to the other person. The other person hit him about three times on his arm and then my son turned around and put his hands up around his face. The other person stood up and punched him right in the face. I didn't know they had videos on the bus. Well, needless to say, I called the principal later in the day to find out what had been done about this other person. She tells me, get this, they cannot tell me anything about the discipline of the other child because it would violate HIS rights. Are you kidding me? What about my child's rights to an education without living in fear of some bully?
We try very hard to do what's right, but I'm freaking out over all this stuff.
Anyone with similar experiences have any advice for me. I'd love to hear it.

Six Things.....maybe a few more.....



I was tagged by JillJillBoBill to list six things that make me happy. Sheesh, only six?



If you ask DH, he will probably tell you that nothing makes me happy. (LOL) Just ask him.



So here we go (oh, and before I forget, thanks JillJill for tagging me? You are my favorite separated at birth twin who got the bigger slice of grey matter).



1. Hearing my kids laugh. That is a sound that just warms my heart and makes me smile and giggle a little.



2. COMMENT LOVE (HELLO) makes me very happy.



3. My internet connection actually working makes me extremely happy.



4. My hometown high school football teams winning their games makes me happy.



5. I love to sing along with my favorite songs and hymns.



6. I am happy to be alive in this beautiful world that has been created just for us. To see His beauty all around us, every day.



7. I am happy to live in a country that I am free to get on this internet and chat and voice opinions and no one is going to hunt me down and kill me for them.



8. I am happy that my mama taught me how to act when I really feel like jumping on somebody's head and pulling their stinking hair out.....wait, I need to get to my happy place for a minute.................................................aaaaaaahhhhh. Okay, I'm back. (I'll post tomorrow about what was making me so angry).



9. I'm thankful for each and every one of you beautiful women (and men) who take the time to lift each other up even when we don't know each other from Adam's housecat.



10. I'm thankful that the Twilight movie will be out soon (that's for you Lula).



So I didn't have 6 but 10 and I could keep on going cause it's fall y'all. And I love fall. But enough. So here are my six people I am tagging to do this:



Karin at 6byHisdesign



LeighAnn at Lulaville



Melissa at Stretch Marks



Kori at Life As a Cfers wife



Stephanie at Life as a Southern Rose



That's only five, but that is all I can remember right now.



So, ladies, hate me if you must, but please pass on the love.

What a Ride . . . . .

Hey is everybody worn out from yesterday? I had a blast. No wonder they don't hold blogathons every day. We'd be so tired our little fingers couldn't press any more keys...
I so had a great time yesterday and found so many more blogs that I want to follow.
I was thinking this morning, what a fantastic network. We are women (and some men) all over this precious country of ours. We are so different and yet so much the same. And no matter where we hale from, we can all understand or at least "get" what most of the rest of us are blogging about. I am new to my area and I don't have a close friend here. I haven't met "that" friend yet. So it's nice to be able to blog and "talk" to all of you. And know that somewhere, out there, someone understands me.

Thanks for a wonderful day, SITStas.

It's a Blogathon....

I'm not sure what that means....but the gals over at SITS are hosting one for Tueday (get it...Tue day) oh well. I try to be clever sometimes. I should have learned my lesson by now, though.

Jump on over to The Secret is in the Sauce and join in on the blogathon.

I have only been blogging about four months and I am going to get to the point to ask SITS to feature me, but I hate to be pushy. Just have to over come that. I do not have that many readers, maybe four or five per each comment. It makes me feel like I'm boring? Was that a SNORE?

Some of my favorite blogs are Leigh Ann from Lulaville. She is one Edward Cullen obsessed Georgia Bulldog fan. And I love to read her everyday and if you ask me why I'll say......she's just plain funny most days.

I am the separated at birth twin of Jill Jill Bo Bill. She says and does exactly what I wish I was brave enough to. Besides, she's an animal whisperer, even though she doesn't want to be.

I like to read Caroline at Pocket Change everyday.

And Karen at 6 by His design

And I absolutely heart Melissa at Stretch Marks

These are just a few of the wonderful bloggers that I follow daily. And I picked up most of them at The secret is in the sauce.

Hope you all have a great day.

IT'S OFFICIAL......

It's official. I have become a.......... football fan. Ssshh!!

I cannot believe at the ripe old age of 43, I have discovered football. And it is all my boys' faults. If they hadn't insisted on playing midget league this year. I could still be sitting here all fat, dumb, and happy.

But NO! They just had to play. Which forced me to try and learn a little bit more about how the game works and what the purpose of all those men in black and white stripes was. Not to mention yardage and downs and all that other brain cell sucking stuff.

Also, I was introduced to high school football in a big way. Here in this little town, Friday Night football is IT!!! In a big way, so I kind of got sucked into the spinning vortex of high school ball as well, especially since we have relatives and good friends playing on the high school teams.
And not only do we get to play midget league on Tuesdays, but Thursdays we have a cousin in JV football, on Fridays we have a cousin and friends in Varsity football. (I have been learning rapidly about why the yellow flags fly and all tha business). I'm a very good student.

I knew that I was in trouble when, Saturday night, during the UF/LSU game I was screaming at my TV. In that moment my eyes were opened and I felt , I don't know, ridiculous. Here I was screaming GO at the top of my lungs at people on a TV set who not only could not hear me, but would not care one way or the other if they could.

I have confessed my failings, please don't hate me because I have come to love F O O T B A L L.
And find it necessary to yell (even when I still don't understand exactly what it is I'm yelling about).

Anyone else out there feeling my addiction?

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.....

Hey everybody, how's tricks?

I woke up this morning after two go rounds of extremely bad weather to discover.....there is no pollen in the air this morning. YAY!!!! There is a crater running through the middle of my driveway, but at least I don't have a sinus headache. (Flip, flip, ta da)

I got the funniest joke in my e-mail this morning and I laughed and laughed at it (almost as much as the dirty little secrets post over at StretchMarks blog).

A man said to his wife: "No matter how mad I get and how much I fuss at you, you never lose your cool. How do you control your anger?"

The wife replied: " I clean the toilet".

The husband said: "How does that help?"

The wife replied: " I use your toothbrush".

Y'all have a great weekend, you hear!

FINALLY......I'M FINISHED

Okay everyone, I have finally finished the Twilight series. I have to tell you, it worked out better than I had hoped for. No spoilers though. It is a relief to finally be finished though. No more wondering when I was going to get that call from my local l ibrary telling me my crackliture was in and that I could pick it up at any time.
I even missed watching the Nascar race at Talladadega yesterday to finish up this book.
Man, I feel such a relief and that a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.(Thanks Lula).

Has anyone else got any crackliture they are recommending?

We are blessed..........

When I get the kids off to school in the mornings, sometimes I just like to ride around the farm on the little Kubota and just soak in all the beauty that the Lord has created just for us.

When I rode out this morning I saw.....(don't know if you can see them, but the farm cows are in this field)

And this......

And my sweetie pies, of whom I actually have a picture......but alas I cannot get it to load right now, so I will save it for another day.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!