For The Love of Sweet Tea.....

Walt Disney World

2010-10-17T15:19:00.009-04:00

After a year of planning and saving, we finally made it to Walt Disney World.

I grew up going to Disneyland in Cali and have always been a Disney fan. But I have to say that there is nothing like enjoying Disney through the eyes of a 4 year old. The icing on the cake was of course watching Madeline meet Cinderella, and to top it off she danced with her briefly while at the Cinderella Dinner.

Here are a few of the 500+ pictures we took. See them all at my Photobucket page.
http://s589.photobucket.com/albums/ss335/smjoyce04/Disney-%20Florida-%202010/

Saddle Ridge Ranch- Vacation Bible School

2010-06-25T08:59:00.013-04:00

Madeline went to her first Vacation Bible School this year at Wake Crossroads Baptist Chruch. The theme this year was "Saddle Ridge Ranch" where they taught the kids "Need Answers? Ask God." I wasn't sure how she would do going on her own, but luckily her friend Rachael from church was able to attend!

Here is Madeline modeling her VBS attire. Now if you know anything about Madeline, you know what a big deal is that she is in a T-shirt (one that is a t-shirt, is not pink, or does not contain a princess).

Madeline and her buddy Rachael.

Yes to VBS

The Saddle Ridge Ranch dance.

Wake Crossroads went all out for VBS. Family Fun night included snowcones, western shaped silly bands, games.....

and horse rides. This was Madeline's first time on a horse (or pony in her case). I always say that she is an aggie at heart, but this is another notch in her ag girl belt!!

All in all, it was a great week. She is still singing the songs and talking about all the fun she had at VBS. The following Monday she was devastated that she wasn't going back. She can't wait until next year!

Living with a Diva

2010-05-11T09:47:00.003-04:00

I live with a diva. Yes, we are talking about my sweet 4-year old. In fact they call her Diva-Doo at day care. Yesterday I heard all the proof I need to know that the name fits.

This week is Spirit Week at school. When Madeline asked what tomorrow was, I informed her it was wacky-tacky day, which means they were suppose to wear clothes that did not match. Her answer? "I'm not doing that, I'm wearing a dress."

You should have seen the look on her face when she saw the teachers dressed wacky-tacky as she sauntered in wearing her Cinderella dress. No crazy fashions for my diva......well I guess she forgot about her past fashion infractions.....

Google Yourself???

2010-04-02T11:46:00.002-04:00

Have you ever 'Googled' yourself? Admit it, we all have. My name never yielded anything interesting, so I decided to 'google' Madeline. What did I find? In 1943 Marvel had a comic book character named "Miss America", whose real name was Madeline Joyce.

So, hheeerrrreeeee she is, Miss America!!!!

Socially aware teenaged Madeline Joyce was born in Washington, D.C.. She was the niece and ward of radio mogul James Bennet, who was sponsoring a Professor Lawson, a scientist claiming to have gotten superpowers through a device that had been struck by lightning. Joyce, secretly tampering with the contraption during a thunderstorm that night, herself gained the ability to fly and great strength after lightning similarly struck, knocking her unconscious. Joyce survived to fight crime as Miss America.

Later, she became a member of Timely's superhero team the All-Winners Squad, fighting alongside Captain America and Bucky, the original Human Torch and Toro, the Sub-Mariner, and the Whizzer in the group's adventures.

It was revealed later that Joyce married fellow Golden Age superhero Robert Frank (the Whizzer), and which she had a son with him. However, Joyce died in childbirth due to radiation poisoning from her offspring, the radioactive mutant Nuklo.

http://marvel.com/universe/Miss_America

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_America_%28Marvel_Comics%29

In Memory.....

2010-03-03T11:04:00.001-05:00

Eva "Nonny" Joyce

1925-2010

Chris' sweet grandmother (Nonny) passed away on March 1st. We are all sad, but rejoicing that she is with the Lord!

Snow Days

2010-02-14T14:06:00.017-05:00

We've had 2 'snows' in the past couple of weeks. The first one was about 5-6 inches and kept us in the house for 2 days and the second one was about 2 inches, but the roads remained clear!

Here are some pics of the first snow. I don't have any pics of snow #2 cause it melted away too fast...but not before I was able to scoop up enough to earn another punch on my southern card (as my hubby would say) by making some snow cream!!!

2010-01-25T13:08:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, Madeline!

2010-01-08T10:17:00.006-05:00

Madeline turns "4" on January 9th. Enjoy pics of Madeline through the years.

Janaury 2006

Age 1- 2007

Age 2- 2008

Age 3- 2009

Age 4- 2010

Surprise Annivesary Trip!!

2009-12-20T13:29:00.014-05:00

Chris and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on December 4th. A few months back Chris announced to me that he was planning an anniversary trip...and it would be a surprise. Yea right, I thought. He can't keep any secrets. But he proved me wrong.

We left on Saturday December 5th. All I knew was that we had a connecting flight in Charlotte, how long we were going to be gone and what type of clothes I needed to take. Now if you know me at all, you know how big it was for me to not be in control. I am the family/friends travel agent...I make ALL of the travel plans. So we boarded our plane in Raleigh, flew to Charlotte, and it wasn't until we got to the gate for our next flight that I found out we were going to New Orleans!!! Yep, back to NOLA, the city I fell in love with this past September.

WHAT?? You didn't hear about our last trip to the Big Easy? Read all about it by clicking here.

Anyways, it was great to be able to go back and not have to worry about what we were going to do with Madeline (did I mention that we got to go on our anniversary trip WITHOUT Madeline this year??).

We stayed in an awesome Bed & Breakfast just blocks from the French Quarter. It's called the Royal Street Courtyard Bed & Breakfast. If you ever find yourself staying in NOLA, this place is an awesome place to stay.

We walked ALOT, ate incredible food, yummy Muffaletta's, had beignets at Cafe Du Monde, rode the St. Charles Ave street car....here are some pics of our trip.

Audubon Park....

Beads from Mardi Gras parades are stuck in trees all over the city.

Street performers at Jackson Square.

Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France facing Jackson Square. It is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States, established as a parish in 1720.

You never know what you'll see in New Orleans. While we were in the French Quarter I think we saw Santa's of all colors. Apparently there was also some sort of a "dress like Santa and drink on Bourbon Street" thing going on, so we saw lots of drunk Santa's. And then Mr & Mrs. Clause on motorcycles (the Mrs. was even smoking a cigarette!!).

All in all, we had a great time and I can't wait to go to NOLA again....soon!!

I'm here...

2009-12-08T09:44:00.005-05:00

OK, so I have been slack about posting, but here are some Halloween pics to hold you over. I will post more later....promise!!

Madeline had a lot of Halloween activities, and she has so many princess costumes that she was able to wear a different one to each event. Here are a couple.

She is dressed as "Ariel" here for the Fall Festival at one of the local churches. Here she is on the hay ride.

She was "Sleeping Beauty" for her school party.

And the grand finale....she was a juice box for trick-or-treating!! Yep, I pulled out my Marth Stewart persona and made her this costume!!

The Big Easy

2009-09-11T12:30:00.022-04:00

The Joyce's have returned from their latest journey. This time it was a road trip to New Orleans!! We had a GREAT time visiting more of the Joyce Clan, relaxin' by the pool, eating spectacular food and some surprises in the French Quarter,

We left NC on Thursday afternoon and made to south of Atlanta for the night. We were back on the road by about 7:30am. As we crossed the state line into Alabama, we felt it was only appropriate to listen to some Skynard....Sweet Home Alabama.

We hit some hard rain in Alabama...in fact a SUV hydroplaned and spun across the interstate and ended up in the swampy median right in front of us. I was driving and my heart stopped! But crazy rains lead to this beautiful scene.

We arrived in Covington, LA (just North of NO- across Lake Pontchartrain) on Friday afternoon. We stayed at Resort Joyce, aka Chris' Aunt and Uncle's awesome house. While there we Madeline watched Princess movies in their media room....

and we all had a blas swimming! This was the first time Madeline has been in the pool since swimming lessone back in May. She did awesome.

This is the scenery from their back patio. The weather was awesome when we were there, and there was nothing better than sitting on the patio, listening to the water fall and looking out over the lake.

On Saturday we headed into New Orleans to go to the Audubon Zoo. Now, in order to get to the city, we has to cross Lake Pontchartrain using the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway...which is a 24 mile bridge across the lake. Good thing Chris didn't find this out until it was too late. But he did great, making 2 rount trips over the bridge (good thing he wasn't driving any of the times!).

Madeline and Chris take pictures in front of the 'Mingos everytime we go to a zoo. It started with her first trip to the Fresno Zoo when she was a year old.

On Sunday, we ventured into New Orleans. Luckily we had a great tour guide in Cousin Andrew. Here are some scenes you would expect to see while in NO.

Cafe Du Monde.

Cafe Au Lait.....

and Beignets.

A Mardi Gras Princess. Madeline did not go into the city with us...swimming and Princess movies were much cooler than anything Mommy and Daddy wanted to do.

Scenes from Bourbon Street.

Now, there is ALWAYS something happening in New Orleans. I have seen COPS enough and heard enough stories from people that I have no desire to attend Mardi Gras. But not to disappoint, we did get to experience Mardi Gras....called Southern Decadence- aka gay Mardi Gras.

So, here is my disclaimer.....you may want to take your little one's out of the room.....

Luckily we were in the quarter during the day, so things were pretty mild. We did get to see part of the parade and yes, they threw beads from the balcony (yes, you had to show something to get them...).

It was really a hoot. Costumes, parades, beads....and some new friends. I think the pictures speak for themselves.......

Until next time NOLA......

Madeline=beautician

2009-08-15T16:47:00.002-04:00

Madeline finally did it....she gave herself a haircut. Luckily it was only the bangs so I was able to salvage most of them.....

Holy Ikea......

2009-08-15T16:23:00.013-04:00

Chris celebrated his birthday this month with a birthday dinner at his favorite restaurant, Ted's Montana Grill. Although Madeline was terrified of the mac & cheese, we had a great time.

Chris decided that for his birthday, he wanted to drive to Charlotte to check out Ikea. We knew they had cool furniture, and he found a chair online that he wanted to look at. So we loaded up the 'Calibré' and set out to experience the icon that is......
All I can say is WOW. We had no idea the treat we were in for. We walked in to discover that they offer 1 hour of free child care. Madeline was up for it and spent the time climbing the rock wall and drawing. This left us in a sprint to experience all we could in an hour. If you have never been to Ikea, think about checking it out. They have EVERYTHING and the best thing (besides how cool the stuff is), is that it is cheap (as in inexpensive.....).

Out friend, who introduced us to Ikea told us to have some meatballs for him. We thought he was just making a joke since Ikea is a Swedish company. But no, he was referring to the meatballs you can get in the cafe. Again...WOW is all I can say. Meatballs in cream sauce, mashed potatoes and Lingonberry sauce- yum-o!!!

And this for dessert...an almond cake!!!

So after 2 1/2 hours (and that is a sprint through the store) and full bellies, Chris decided on the ever popular POÄNG chair and footstool.

Compliments my new red couch, don's ya think????

Roller Skating

2009-08-15T16:10:00.009-04:00

We took Madeline roller skating at Jellybeans for the first time. She was a natural and was skating on her own within about 10 minutes. Chris and I had a great time, too. Brought back lots of memories on hanging out at the roller rink when I was a teenager. Maybe Chris and I can go on a date and skate during 'couples skate.'

Here is Madeline and Mommy making silly faces.

Starting to skate on her own....
She's going now. Once she figured out the balance part of it, she did a great job!
She loved skating and we are going to make Saturday morning skating a regular Joyce family activity.

Adventures of Madeline

2009-07-18T13:05:00.011-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything, so just wanted to post a few pictures of our summer adventures.

We went to see fireworks for the 4th of July in Rolesville. We had a great time with the Myers' clan and Miss Cé Cé.

Here is Madeline making spooky faces in the flashlight

.

Madeline recently began taking a dance class at one of the local gymnasiums. She is learning tap, ballet and basic gymnastics. Here are some pictures of her classes (sorry for the blur...taking from behind the glass windows...no parents allowed!!!).

We have put the final touches on Madeline's princess room. While visiting Grammy this past weekend, we we able to put up the castle mural. She was so surprised when she came home.

We tell her that her room is her castle. She informed us that her room is at the top of the tallest tower and Mommy and Daddy's room is the tower on the far right. Ginger, being the Royal Cat gets the full run of the place.

Big Girl Bed

2009-06-08T20:50:00.002-04:00

Madeline has upgraded to a big girl bed. We found this awesome picket fence bed frame on Craigslist (LOVE me some CL...) and after many frustrating hours of mattress shopping, her bed is finally complete. Tonight is her first night sleeping in it, so we'll see if it ends the couch and guest bedroom sleeping! We'll be painting soon, so we'll have more pictures of her room soon.

Swimming Lessons

2009-06-08T20:22:00.009-04:00

Here is Madeline sporting her swim suit getting ready for her first day of swim lessons. She did such a great job and we look forward to taking her to the pool this summer.

Here she is perfecting her kick with Daddy's help.
Next was jumping off the side of the pool. She was a little unsure at first, but after the first plunge, she wanted to keep jumping in.

Swimming with the kick board.
The last day they practiced pushing off of their parents and reaching for the side, and then going back to their parents.

Her reward was a new princess bathing suit and floaties. Watch for her in a pool near you this summer!

Fun Times

2009-06-01T13:06:00.015-04:00

We have had some great times these past couple of weekends. Had a great day with the Myer's at Pullen Park, picked strawberries, went to a wedding, the beach and visited family in New Bern.

Here are some pictures of our adventures. Tonight we start swimming lessons. Stay tuned to hear about that!!

May 30th was Kate and Robin's wedding. I work with Kate at the Farm Bureau. The wedding was in Wilmington, so that gave us an excuse to go away for the weekend. Here is a picture of us at the reception.
Lucky for us Kate understands the need to have entertainment for the little one's. They had coloring book and crayons and other activities for the kids. Here is Chris and Madeline decorating a drink koozie....or Daddy....

After the wedding we headed to New Bern, and stopped at Surf City on the way. Madeline has never been a real fan of the beach, and she really does not like the ocean (the sounds of it freaks her out). She finally ventured to the sand. Our beach trip was short lived, however. I finally got her to the water and when the water came about mid-calf on her she fell down. That was the end of the beach for her!

My cousin Sherri and her husband David who live in New Bern have this beautiful pond in their back yard. Madeline loves to feed the fish.
Saturday of Memorial weekend we headed to Pullen Park with the Myers Family. This was the first time we had been there. What a great park, complete with playgrounds, a train and a carousel.
Here is Madeline blowing bubbles.

Madeline on the carousel.
Daddy on his horse. This ride is actually moves pretty fast....hold on!Madeline and Chloe blasting off.
Madeline on the train. What great rides they have a Pullen Park and for $1, you can't beat it!

Chris had to work on Memorial Day (Yes, Wake County school were open...how un-American can you be???). Madeline and I had a girls day out. We went to the mall, shopped and drive the ice cream truck!We have a strawberry patch about a mile from our house, so we have made it a tradition to go and pick some.

And the best part is that they don't mind if you test eat the merchandise!

California Dreamin'

2009-05-09T10:17:00.022-04:00

We recently returned from our annual trip to California. We had a great time visiting family and friends and places...

Madeline loves bubbles. PaPaw bought a bubble gun for her, and that is all she wanted to do- play bubbles.

Here is Madeline with Grandpa. Grandpa showed her the fine art of bubble twirling.

One of Mom's Yorkies had puppies recently, and Madeline had a great time playing with them.. They are tiny (the fit in the palm of your hand at 8 weeks old) so Madeline toted them around. She even put one of them in an Easter basket and carried it around.

This is Grandma and Madeline with a couple of the puppies. It was great to have Madeline spend time with her. My Grandma has Alzheimer's Disease, so this was precious time spent with her.

These are my parents, Wayne and Grace...aka, PaPaw and MiMi.

While in fabulous Fresno, CA, we took Madeline to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. We've actually been there twice before with Madeline, but this is the first time that she really enjoyed (and knew) all of the animals.

Daddy's wing span.....Maddie's wing span.....

I'm not quite sure what to say. But if you know my hubby, no words are necessary....
I think the elephants are by far Madeline's favorite animal to see at the zoo. They always seem to be doing something fascinating to her. Last fall we took her to the NC Zoo and the elephants were throwing dirt on their backs to keep cool...and this trip they were slinging mud on their backs. I seriously think we could have spent the entire day just watching them and she would have been very happy!

Here is our little turtle....

Chico. Many great memories. Chico is a town of about 90,000 full time residents about 90 miles north of Sacramento, and home to California State University, Chico- aka Chico State, and my alma mater. Chris has heard so many stories about Chico that I was excited to finally take him there. We met up with one of my college roomies Clarette and her 2 boys. It was great to be able to take my little girl there. Although I doubt that her college years will be spent at Chico State, a girl can dream.....

This is the administration building at Chico State.
Here is Madeline in the free speech area. Chico, and especially the college is very hippie-dippie, and you never know what you'll see. From political rallies to the Chico Cannabis Club to the Dairy Science Club bringing a cow to be milked during Farm-City week, it all took place in the free speech area.

Madeline and I in front of Plumas Hall- the College of Agriculture.

While in Chico, we went to visit the University Farm. I have logged MANY hours there- from 1am milkings at the dairy, learning how to AI a cow, conducting plant studies, fundraisers...the list goes on.
Madeline loved the animals....

Ahh, the dairy unit. I have seen many hours here. Milking at 1am and 1pm. Milking cows, loosing my rubber boot in mud up to my knee, clipping cows for shows, feeding calves, throwing hay, driving the silage truck- I can do it all.

Well, here it is- the proof that Chris really does like dogs. OK, only a select few, but Merokie grew on him.

There are my brother and sister-in-laws 2 huge dogs, Dex (sitting on Madeline) and Merokie. Madeline loved them cause they were just about as tall as her. Merokie loves bubbles almost as much as she does, so the 2 of them spend a lot of time blowing and chasing bubbles together.

Special message for Brighton....

2009-05-04T17:13:00.002-04:00

Heading to Cali...

2009-04-22T12:45:00.004-04:00

Heading to Cali for a few days....linguisa, Me & Eds, Chico and Family- heavenly!

Easter Festivities

2009-04-13T19:35:00.011-04:00

Our Easter weekend began with an awesome opportunity to worship our Savior. We took Madeline and went with some friends (The Myers) to see Chris Tomlin in concert. What an awesome time of music and worship. Madeline had a great time at her first concert.

Saturday was spend in preparations for Easter Sunday. Madeline got to help me make cupcakes.....
and she got to experience the BEST part of baking- the clean up!!

Next was Easter Egg coloring. Madeline was AMAZED when she saw the eggs changing colors. She had a great time coloring on the eggs before we dipped them. She made an egg for herself, Mommy, Daddy, Ginger and Jesus.

Easter morning began with checking out the Easter basket. Now most of you have probably heard that Madeline did not like the idea of Santa Clause coming into her house. The gifts were OK, but him coming into the house was not. We passed the Easter Bunny in the mall a couple of weeks ago, and he got the same response as Santa...she wanted no part of it.

So Easter morning when she saw her basket and we told her that the Easter Bunny brought it, we got this look...Chris reassured her that the Easter Bunny left the basket in the back yard and that Mommy went out to get it. The dollar store shovel and rake we a hit!!

Here is Madeline in her Easter dress. Check out the shoes..she is all about flip flops these days.

We hosted a cook out for our small group. Nothing better that burgers and 'dogs on the grill, kids running wild and an egg hunt.

On a side note, Madeline went to the doctor today for a follow up for her collar bone. The doctor said she seems to be healing perfectly. We have to go back in 3 weeks for x-rays, and she should be completely healed in 6 weeks. Praise God.

Jesus conquered the grave.....

2009-04-12T14:56:00.002-04:00

¹On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " ⁸Then they remembered his words.

⁹When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹²Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

First Broken Bone....

2009-04-06T07:49:00.005-04:00

We have our first broken bone...ever. Chris and I have never broken anything, so Miss Madeline wins the first broken bone award :(

Sunday afternoon she was running down the hallway when she slammed (either slipped or tripped?) shoulder first into the laundry room door. She cried a little and said she needed some ice for her shoulder. We kept an eye in it...no bruising, no swelling, and she could move it. As the evening went on, she started to favor her left arm and would cry and wince in pain if she held in out in front of her or reached across herself. So, we decided it was time to head to the ER.

We told her we were taking her to the Emergency Room so someone could help her with he shoulder. Of course the 20 questions began- "Why are we going to the 'mergency room?" "Who is going to help me there."

They took x-rays of her shoulder and clavicle, and there was the cause of the pain- a broken clavicle. The doctor said that this is a common fracture for kids and it'll heal up on its own. Here she is wearing her fashionable sling...

Keep the little Miss in your prayers...it's gonna be a long 6-8 weeks, but she is tough and she'll get through it!!

Bristol

2009-03-26T08:27:00.014-04:00

We just got back from our yearly trek to Bristol Motorspeedway. We LOVE going to Bristol. I have been to a lot of races at a lot of different tracks, and there is nothing like it. The sound, the smell, the people.....

Here is Matt and Kevin in line waiting for pre-race inspections.

Driver introductions.....Matt Kenseth

and Kevin Harvick (go Bakersfield....). Read my story on how I became a Kevin Harvick fan (long love Jeremy)!!

Matt's pit stops were fast......go Killer Bee's

Matt and Kevin started near one another near the back of the pack, and the both finished where they started- Kevin was 30th and Matt was 33rd.

On a completely random note, on the way to Bristol we stopped for lunch. A new Family Christian store was opening and we got to see Bob and Larry from VeggieTales. This may not mean much to you, but to a 3-year old, when Mommy and Daddy got to take their pics with them, that's pretty darn cool!!

Visit with MiMi

2009-03-26T07:40:00.011-04:00

Mimi came to visit us this past week. We had a great time with her, and she volunteered to watch Madeline for the weekend while Chris and I went to Bristol.

Here is Madeline and Mimi with the medical kit Mimi bought. Mimi is helping Madeline give Jesse a physical.

We celebrated Mimi's birthday while she was here. Madeline is singing Happy Birthday.

Madeline and MiMi shared a piece of cake and they took turns feeding one another.

We took Mimi to Madeline's favorite park, the Rolesville Park. Madeline LOVES to swing, and even though she has a swing at home, we spend most of our time at the park on the swings.

What a sweet face.

I always LOVE her hair when she slides. The plastic slide charges her hair and after she gets off the slide he hair stands up!

Random Pics

2009-03-02T19:41:00.008-05:00

Here are some random pics we have taken over the past couple of weeks:

Madeline dancing!

Making silly faces.

Making play doh hair.

Check out this outfit, put together by the fashion-ista Madeline. Outfit consists of princess shirt, jeans, ballerina skirt, princess stocking hat and glass slippers. Look for this new look on the runways this spring!

The voice of an angel

2009-02-24T17:10:00.003-05:00

For those of you that are not on Facebook, here is a video of Madeline singing "Mighty to Save."

Snow Day

2009-01-20T09:06:00.008-05:00

We got our first 'real' snow today. This is the first time that Madeline has really gotten to play in the snow. It's still coming down, so we'll post more later.

Happy 3rd Birthday to my Sweeet Girl.

2009-01-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe, but Madeline turns 3 today. Weird moment this morning. I heard Madeline in her room talking to herself. Looked at the clock and it was 5:03am (she has been waking up very early for the past few days). 5:03am happens to be the time she was born....just letting us know she is here!

From a sweet little girl....

To a Princess.......

Happy New Year....

2008-12-31T07:44:00.003-05:00

That time of the year again. Time for the dreaded "New Year's Resolution."

Last year I decided to work on me. As I look back, I think I did a pretty good job. Everyday I see improvement. I am down 35 pounds since January 2008, my spiritual life is better than it has ever been, and Madeline is growing up to be a smart and beautiful little girl.

So this year I will continue to work on ME.

Hope you all have a wonderful 2009. May God continue to bless us all.

It's a Princess Christmas

2008-12-25T08:49:00.005-05:00

Madeline LOVES princesses. So this Christmas was definantely a 'princess Christmas.'

The princess castle...and the CInderella broom set. She hasn't put the broom down yet.....hhmmmm, this could be a good thing.

The Princess Loot....

Princess Ginger.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T08:48:00.002-05:00

Four Years and counting.....

2008-12-04T08:16:00.003-05:00

Happy Anniversary, Chris!!

What do you do when you are bored??

2008-11-25T09:30:00.002-05:00

Boredom. We all experience it at one time or another. But what do you do to pass the time? I like to read or watch some mindless TV. Well, listen to the tales of a 2 year old. I have to give her some credit...how did she think of this at the age of 2??

Madeline has been in day care since she was 9 weeks old. It's a daily routine that she is used to and I think she really enjoys. She recently got 'promoted' to the Preschool 1 class, which is for 3 year olds. She was the oldest 2 year old in the "Two's" and lately her teachers have noticed that Madeline has been 'acting out' and getting in trouble for doing thing that are very out of character for the Madeline at day care (note: I think she has 2 personalities, one at day care and another at home). Nothing bad, just little things. Since these things are so out of character for her, they came to the conclusion that she was bored in the 2 year old class. We made the decision to move her up where she will have more stimulating activities and less down time.

So, what does a 2 year old do when she is bored. Here is one example. Since Madeline is the oldest, she pretty much does everything on her own, including bathroom trips. She can take care of business on her own and she is able to reach the soap and turn the water on and off. On a recent trip, they noticed that Madeline was in the bathroom for a long time, so they decided to check on her. What did they find? Madeline had taken a wad of paper towels, stuffed them down the sink and proceeded to turn on the water and flood the bathroom. Her reaction? That sweet little "what" smile with her head cocked ever so slightly and her hands up in the "I don't know position."

Ahhhhh, I am so proud!!!

Fall in North Carolina

2008-11-04T21:05:00.005-05:00

2008-10-27T17:45:00.015-04:00

This past weekend we went to Samantha's one year birthday. We had a great time, some good grub and great family time.

The evening then progressed to this.....a bunch of people who are probably a little too old to be attempting forward and backward rolls.

Chris was quick to show off the forward roll.

Then Aunt Bernie joined in

Even Layla was wondering what in the world they were doing. She had to check out Bernie to make sure she was OK.

After being shown up by the younger cousins Johnathan and Angela, Chris decided it was time to take on the backward roll.

His first few tries were unsuccessful.

Then Johnathan gave some lessons.

Finally, Chris made it over

check out the face.....

Fall

2008-10-26T09:04:00.011-04:00

Well, fall is finally upon us. I think we are past the random 90 degree weather that usually pops up here in NC. It is officially hoodie weather, and I couldn't be happier!!

Here are some pics of our recent fall outings:

Pickin' Pumpkins at the NC State Farmers Market

The NC State Fair:

Checking out the big pig

Feeding the goats

Smile. This is the apple she 'bought' with the money she made from harvesting her crop at the Farm Bureau 'farm'.

She thought the chickens were so cool.

And for a bit of ag nerdiness...here is a picture of the Grand Champion Barrow.

Jesus Messiah

2008-10-08T20:48:00.005-04:00

After hearing Daddy play "Jesus Messiah" 524,235 times, Madeline has mastered the song.

Here are the lyrics she is singing:

Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

Tales from the beach

2008-09-23T18:40:00.008-04:00

Last weekend we took a long weekend and headed to Myrtle Beach, SC. We usually hit MB every year once the vacation crowds have gone for a weekend of shopping, pool time and a little bit of beach time.

Last year Madeline wasn't too big on the beach. She liked looking at the ocean from a distance, but she wanted no part of the water or sand. This year started off a little shaky, but she did venture out to make some sand castles- as long as the water didn't touch her.

MB is great for shopping. Lots of outlets- and someday I'm sure that Madeline will actually enjoy shopping. Luckily many of the outlets have lakes with fish to feed, toys to ride on and goofy cut outs to pose with.

Out trip ended with a trip to Ripley's Aquarium. Now this Madeline LOVED. She is still talking about the sharks, Nemo and the sea horses. (Note: bad mommy- camera betteries went dead...).

Only one bad thing to report. Our first meal in MB was at the new Mellow Mushroom. YUM-O we thought- something good and familiar. The service was HORRIBLE, the pizza did not meet the usual Mellow Mushroom standard....and Madeline refused to eat the pizza...in fact she was scared of it. Chris would put a piece next to her and she would squeal and say NO. Sorry to disappoint, Sellers!!

Happy Birthday, Uncle John

2008-09-07T18:06:00.002-04:00

Kids...they do know everything.

2008-09-02T08:51:00.001-04:00

This weekend was the race in California. My brother and our friend Chris went to the race to do what else but drink beer. Madeline knows that Uncle John likes beer. And she knew Uncle John and Mr. Chris were going to the race. Here is proof of how smart a 2 year old can be. They can put 2 & 2 together to make connections between things they know (and proof that they do listen to what you tell them).

Madeline: “Daddy, look at the airplane.”
Daddy: “Where do you think it is going? Tennessee?” (her boyfriend just moved to TN)
M: “No.”
D: “California?”
M: “Yes.”
D: “Who lives in California?”
M: “Meme and PaPaw, Buster, Peanut, Snickers.”
D: “Who else?”
M: “Uncle John and Aunt Sarah.”
D: “And Mr. Chris?”
M: “Yes, he is at the race with Uncle John.”
D: “What do they do at the race?”
M: “Drink beer.”
D: “What else do they drink?”
M: “Tea.”
D: “They drink tea.”
M: “Yes.”

That’s end. End of conversation. Well at least she is optimistic to think that they drink something other than beer (but I’m sure any tea that was consumed had the words “Long Island” in front of it!)

Time for goodbye's

2008-08-19T09:45:00.005-04:00

I hate good-byes. I have had my share of them in the past. Good bye to my "BFF's" in high school (whom I lost touch with), good bye to my college roomies (whom I miss very much), good bye to friends and family as I moved across the country.

And now it's time for another. This week we are saying good bye to our dear friends The Sellers, who are setting out for Savannah, TN. But this time is different. This is the first time I've had to say good bye to someone as a family, someone that all of us are close to. It's amazing how you can pray that God will put some friends in your life that will make a difference and that you know right away that you will still be friends with when you are old and rocking on the porch (drinking sweet tea, of course. Just give in, Becca).

But it's even harder this time cause I have had to tell Madeline that her boyfriend "Piton" is moving away......

We miss you already Sellers Family. See you at the inaugural "SG Reunion" in Gatlinburg!!

Kids say the weirdest things....

2008-08-13T12:44:00.004-04:00

Kids are hilarious. They say and do the funniest things- and sometimes it's hard to not laugh (when they do/say something they shouldn't).

So here is the latest "Oh My moment."

We are on our way to church Sunday evening when I hear Madeline say, "Look at the butt, Mommy." Strange, I think. I know she can't get out of her car seat, so I am pretty confident that it isn't her butt I am suppose to look at. I turn around to see what she is doing and I had to contain myself before I could even say anything. Look what your daughter is doing I tell Chris. So he too turns around, Madeline says "Look at the butt, Daddy" as he quickly turns back to me and say "Oh my, where did she learn that."

What was she doing?

She had her knee straight out in front of her and she had the skin on her knee folded so it resembled a butt.

Now let me tell you, the adult in me thought that was hilarious, but the Mommy in me hid the laugh. She did her new trick again on the way home from school on Monday (this time she told me that she learned it at school). I very nicely told her that nice little girls don't talk about butts......

Celebrations!

2008-08-12T20:34:00.006-04:00

August began with some wonderful celebrations!!!

Chris' b-day was started early in the morning by this greeting......

Does it get any sweeter than that? This was really the first birthday that she really understood what a birthday was. She sang to Chris all week!! The day was capped off with a great steak at Texas Road House with some dear friends!!

We also celebrated Drew & Laurie's wedding!! Thanks to Angela, Aunt Bernie, Uncle Durwood, Samantha and Nonny for watching Madeline so mommy and daddy could go to the wedding as adults!!!

California- hot temps, high gas, one pound burgers and Sweet Tea???

2008-07-21T19:42:00.010-04:00

We made our whirlwind trip to Cali to visit the family last week (5 days, 5 airports). This trip was a real test- as I made the flight alone with a 2 year old (wow JT- I admire you and your long flights). Luckily for me, Madeline is fascinated with the airplanes and the hope of seeing the pilot. Although she knows that planes go in the sky, she wasn't too keen on the idea of US going in the sky. So to calm her fears, I assured her that we were going on the new plane that did not go into the sky. Then the landing came, and since we never took off, there was no need to land, right? Each segment ended with her standing in her seat yelling "Good Job, Pilot."

As I have mentioned before, there are a few thing that I do miss about Cali...so of course my trip included a trip to Mervyn's, See's Candy and Me & Ed's pizza. However I was devastated when I got back to NC only to realize that my stash of Linguisa was still in my brother's freezer in Cali.

Here are the highlights of out most recent trip:

High Temps- The thermometer was topping out about 105 while we were there...but hey, it's a DRY HEAT (after living in the dry heat and the humid south, I can safely say that HOT is HOT).

High Gas....the picture says it all.

One Pound Burgers- My parents have a restaurant near the house that they frequent--and so that meant that we became frequent eaters there (in Fresno for 2 1/2 days...we ate there 4 times). Luckily the grub is pretty good and they have a nice variety. My brother and sister-in-law joined us for dinner, and my brother decided to take on the "El Capitan"- a mammoth one pound burger.

Yep- he finished it. He was suppose to get his picture on the wall, but they were having technical difficulties with the camera (or maybe it was operator error).

Sweet Tea- McDonalds here in the south has recently added Mickey D's sweet tea to their menu. No surprise as sweet tea is a staple in the south. Our many airport stopovers included a trip to Pittsburgh, PA. I was really surprised to see Mickey D's sweet tea on the menu(mid- Virginia is about the cut off for sweet tea). This made me wonder...is it possible that the rest of the U.S. is getting to experience the heaven that is SWEET TEA?????

AHHHHH, there it was, in Modesto, CA--my brother surprised me with a Mickey D's sweet tea. So enjoy all of you non-southerners.....

(Side note- My dad said they had a poster in the McDonalds in Fresno advertising the "New Southern Style Chicken Biscuit" --followed by the Spanish translation, of course).

So, Chicken Biscuits and Sweet Tea in Cali-is that enough to entice me to move back? No, I think I enjoy the humidity!!

Going back to Cali.....

2008-07-10T19:05:00.002-04:00

Heading to fabulous Fresno.....will update when I return. Did I mention it is 107 degrees in Fresno this week????

Thank you PaPaw and MiMi

2008-06-17T18:35:00.002-04:00

John Deere Green....

2008-06-17T18:26:00.005-04:00

No good aggie can be without a John Deere. PaPaw and MiMi Hopper sent Madeline her first Deere. Of course it had to be put together, so until we could get it done, she sat on the box and would say "I ride my track-tor." After a couple of hours, I finally got it together and Madeline was so excited to ride her tractor.

So be on the lookout for a blondie plowing up the road!!

Madeline says Hi.....

2008-06-02T19:44:00.002-04:00

Greetings for Uncle John and Aunt Sarah...

2008-06-02T19:23:00.004-04:00

In the Wild

2008-05-09T08:22:00.007-04:00

We recently took a family trip to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. The NC Zoo is wonderful- over 5 miles of walking trails. The zoo is broken up into 2 sections- Africa and North America. The Africa side has recently undergone some renovations, and it was absoulutely beautiful. All of the trails are shaded, and the exhibits are large open open areas, providing the animals natural habitat (or as natural as you can get for the middle of the NC). This allows you to see the animals as several points along the trail.

Madeline talked all week about wanting to see the elephants. While we were there, the elephants were cooling themselves by throwing dirt on themselves- she thought this was really cool.

I think her favorite animal ended up being the Baboon's (bad mom- no pictures). She laughed so hard at the baby babboons chasing one another, tackling one another, and pull each other off the rock by the tail. The next day she asked if the babboon's had to go to 'time out.' Well, at least she understands the purpose of time out!

Here are a few more pictures from our trip. I would highly recommend the NC Zoo. Long nap guaranteed.

Chevy vs. Dodge

2008-05-02T08:58:00.008-04:00

I am a Chevy girl. I have purchased 3 cars in my adult life- all Chevy's. My 98 Chevy S-10 (Rusty)- what a great little truck, my beloved 01 Chevy Monte Carlo SS- man I miss Monte, and then there was our 03 Trailblazer (or TWNN- Trailblazer with no name).

Due to rising gas prices and the amount to driving that Chris will have to do with his new job, we decided to get a smaller vehicle to save on gas. So last week we purchased a 2007 Dodge Caliber.

Cute little car. If the Dodge Neon and the Dodge Durango had a love child, it would be the Caliber. Although sitting closer to the ground is going to be an adjustment, it does have some cool features. An plug in for an MP3 player and the electrical outlet in the center console is cool, but nothing as cool as these.

What looks like an ordinary glove box on the outside.....

Is actually a beverage cooler on the inside. It'll hold 4 cans/bottles and is vented to cool from the air conditioner.

And what is that- A UFO??? No, it is the illuminated cup holders. These are important- WHY?? I guess just so we can say we have them!!

I'm still a Chevy girl- always will be. But illuminated cup holders- that is cool!!!

An Ag Girl in the making

2008-04-28T19:36:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we took Madeline to a strawberry farm near our house to pick strawberries- or pick up strawbebbies- as she says. Ahhh, I'll make an aggie out of her yet!!

Ramblings

2008-04-19T13:29:00.005-04:00

I have been at a loss for blogging. Nothing 'blog worthy.' So, here are some ramblings to let you know that I am still here.

Today (and everyday)I am thankful for....

My AMAZING husband- who has provided for us even when times were tough

My BEAUTIFUL, SMART and incredibly SWEET daughter- she brightens my day

My LORD and SAVIOR- who has blessed us immensely

Chris will be starting a new job on May 1st with Wake County Public Schools! This is going to be a HUGE blessing for Chris and our family. He has been stressed and really unhappy at work for a couple of years, and the right job finally came along.

My daughter is one smart cookie!! She amazes me everyday with what new thing she has learned. It's fun to be able to carry on a conversation with her and talk to her like an adult. She isn't a baby anymore- my little girl is growing up.

My yard is full of beautiful yellow and purple Iris'. Chris is having to mow every 2 weeks. All the windows in the house are open. Yep, I think spring is finally here.

In Loving Memory

2008-04-03T07:38:00.005-04:00

Kodiak

October 1993 - April 2, 2008

Gonna miss you Bubba Boy!

The Terrible Two's

2008-03-31T18:36:00.007-04:00

We have found a shirt that sum up the terrible two's .....

However, shot's like these make us see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Beer- it's not just for drinking

2008-03-10T19:06:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago a friend gave me a starter of Amish Friendship bread. You know these- you keep them in a zip loc bag for 6 days (squeezing it daily), then add a few more ingredients, squeeze for a few more days, divide, bake, and pass along. This particular bread was sweet, a cinnamon bread.

The baking brought back another college memory- beer bread. Yes, we actually did more than DRINK beer, we cooked with it. This very simple bread is delicious. The top is crunchy and slightly salty...mmmmmm. So, having a left over beer from the race back in October, I figured that baking was the only thing it was good for (I don't drink beer, and after being in the fridge for 5 months, figured no one else would either...). So, I looked the recipe up online, found it, and baked it.

Here is the recipe:

Beer Bread

3 cups self rising flour

1 -12 ounce beer

3- T sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes.

My college roomies and I developed quite a habit for this bread. It is best warm topped with butter.

Warning: Now the above picture is what the bread should look like. However on one occasion we used a micro beer that we had in the fridge...the results, well see for yourself. My advice is to stick with good ol' beer.....

What a sweet ride....

2008-03-07T14:49:00.003-05:00

So today I was randomly checking out craigslist (yes, I admit it, I am addicted) which I do almost daily. The stuff you find on there is great. My favorite is the 'free' section.

Anyways, I was looking today and came across this guy that drives across the county in an old purple bread truck that he is living in. Check out his site http://purple53.com/. Funny thing is that he just left Wake Forest, NC headed out west. He was advertising in the 'rideshare' section looking for someone to ride along with him.

What a life!!! Sometimes it sounds appealing to just pack up and leave, see what is out there. There are so many places I would love to see- maybe I'll get there someday. May not be in a cool purple hippie van, but I'll get there somehow.....

Sweet Memories

2008-02-26T10:05:00.011-05:00

For most people these pictures won't mean anything, but JT and CM- I'm sure the memories will come flooding back. Miss you both.

Signs of Spring...

2008-02-24T17:59:00.005-05:00

From our yard.

Old habits die hard.

2008-02-19T09:14:00.005-05:00

Those of you who know me know that I am a huge NASCAR fan. Of course living in the heart of racing country makes being a fan easy. Within a 5 hour radius, I can go to 5 different tracks and visit nearly every team in NASCAR.

A lot of people that watch NASCAR are fair weather fans. They are fans of whoever is winning or doing well that season, or whoever is cute or popular. This is not the case for me. My driver from the beginning has been Jeremy Mayfield. When I began to pull for him, he drove the #12 Mobil 1 Ford for Penske Racing. I had everything Jeremy Mayfield- hats, shirts, die cast, jackets- some even signed. Then my world was turned upside down- Jeremy left Penske near the end of the season. I had to begin the Jeremy shrine all over- new hats, cars, shirts. That was it though. I had decided that if he left again, I would just become a fair weather fan…..

Jeremy began the next season with a new team driving the #19 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports. Along with that came the new hats, shirts, cars….and then it happened again….after 2 years, Jeremy was moving on to another team….

Well, a year with Bill Davis Racing proved to be a flop…Jeremy made hardly any races. I did buy one shirt- a neon green #36 OTC shirt…that really I only bought cause I was going to get his autograph.

So, here we are again…. 8 years and 4 teams later. Yes, 4 teams. This year Jeremy is driving the #70, no sponsor car for Haas CNC Racing, and once again I am at a crossroads. Maybe it’s time to pick a new driver.

So, I am here to say that I have officially made a driver change. Decided to go with a taste of Cali….this Cali girl will be pulling for Kevin Harvick, driver of the #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet.

But, old habits do die hard. I will still be secretly pulling for Jeremy. You know I had to make a point to let my NASCAR buddies (a Kenseth Fan, a Martin fan, and a Gordon fan) that after one race, Jeremy was ahead of them in the points.

Go BAKERSFIELD!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T12:46:00.003-05:00

Thank you, my wonderful husband! I love you so much!!

Gimme a Pizza Pie....

2008-02-13T12:07:00.002-05:00

But not just any pizza- today I have a real craving for a pepperoni and black olive pizza from Me-n-Eds back home in Cali. There are few things I miss about Cali, but this is definantely one of them. I have eaten many pizza's in my life, but none compare to Me-n-Eds.

Let me describe Me-n-Eds. If you check out their web page, you'll see a rather she-she looking pizza place- Pizzeria Moderno is what they are calling it. But this is a far cry from the Me-n-Eds that I grew up eating at. Me-n-Eds were known as neighboorhood pizza parlours. The lighting was dark, you sat at tables with benches. The wall paper was red and white stripped with some crazy pattern (i think the red stripes were velvet-like), and they had these 1/2 wine barrels hanging on the wall with 2 short Italian guys (Me and Ed...) saying funny things. Ahh, the memories...

But the pizza- ahhhh, the best memory of all. They bake their pizzas in brick ovens. There is just something about the taste of the thin, crunchy crust....and the way the dough and cheese bubbled. What I would give to have one right now....

Boopie Longstockings....

2008-02-03T19:27:00.000-05:00

I know, right about now you are wondering what is up with the title of this post. Boopie is a nickname for my daughter. Not really sure how we came up with this, but it has stuck...along with different variations(boo, boop, boopster....). Anyways, the longstocking has to do with her new hairstyle- yes, the ever popular, never out of style pig tails.

Unfortunantely Boo is cursed with thin stringy hair. On the bright side, it is very long (about mid-back- nope, no haircut yet). Earlier this week I picked her up from day care where she was introduced to the ever popular pig tails. As I walked in she ran over to me, did a little pose, touched her pig tails and exclaimed "I show Daddy" (she also had to show Ginger- and once again- no surprise, the cat was completely un-interested). Let me tell you, she thinks she is something else with these thin, stringy, un-even pig tails. It's amazing how a hair style can make your baby girl look like a little girl.

When we got home that day, I put my own hair in pig tails. Wow, was that amazing to her. She kept touching them and saying 'ooooohhh, nice.'

I'm sure you can just imagine the look on Hubby's face when he walked in to see his 2 blondies perched on the couch with matching pig-tails. Personally I think he is just jealous....

Parental "aahhhhh" Moment #932

2008-01-22T17:59:00.000-05:00

I can't remember the last time I had a pleasant dinner. I once read that a 10 minute dinner time period is all a toddler can handle. So once I get the little one served, I have about 5 minutes if I am lucky to scarf down the dinner before she announces she is done, and about 30 seconds after that announcement before the remains of dinner are scattered onto the floor.

This is the seat she has eaten in since she could sit up. We never had the traditional high chair- this one was much more space friendly, and not to mention portable. In the past few months we have tried different seating arrangements- the seat using the tray, the seat as a booster seat at our table, different placement around the table. Nothing seemed to prolong her dinner time frame- and frankly I am tired of cleaning the floor.

So after we got settled from Christmas, family visits and birthday parties I had a light bulb go off. How about putting her new table and chairs into the dining room and letting her eat at her own table. I mean after all, she sits at a child size table at daycare to eat.

Ahhhh, and here is the result. A happy dinner time, no food on the floor, and I think I actually tasted my food for the first time in months!

A side note- the chair is only there for dinner time. She has temporarily had her chairs taken away (except for dinner and coloring time)- she has taken to carrying them around the house to climb over or get into anything she pleases. Oh well, at least dinner time is enjoyable.

Happy 2nd Birthday To My Little Girl!!!!

2008-01-09T11:28:00.000-05:00

My little girl turns the big "2" today.

As I remember back to this day 2 years ago, it makes me wonder "What did I ever do before I had her?" It seems that our lives revolve around her. We plan our outings around nap time, meals around her meal time, and decide whether to go someplace depending on how 'angry toddler' friendly they are. Luckily we have a few 'safe' places as we call them- places to eat, shop, entertain.

However, what I think I have done more than anything since I have had her is laugh. She does the funniest things. I find myself just laughing and shaking my head wondering what made her say or do that? Last night had she had 2 funny moments.

I have a collendar in the bath tub for her to put her bath toys in. It has been fun to watch her try to fill it up with water. But last night she discovered that it made a great hat. She insisted that 'I show Daddy,' but not even that was good enough. She insisted that the cat Ginger (or GiGi as she calls her) come and see her to. No surprise here, but the cat was completely uninterested.

Bed time came too early, so she played even after I shut her door and turned the light off. After about 15 minutes I heard silence, so I figured she was asleep. I opened the door to find her diaperless- well kinda- she had a swim diaper on. Well, sort of on...both legs were through one leg hole. She promptly stood up and said 'I wear pull up.' I told her she was wearing a swim diaper. She then had to walk into the living room to model for Daddy and tell him that she was going 'swimmin.'

She never ceases to amaze me. Everyday it's something new. Something funny. Something only a 2 year old would think of. Thank you little girl for opening my eyes to your world.

Ding Dong the pond is GONE!!!

2008-01-07T17:57:00.001-05:00

When we bought our house in September 2006, this beautlful koi pond was the deal sealer. When we told people about the house, we always told them about the pond. It really was beautiful and made our yard probably the nicest looking in the neighborhood.

The the fall came. As you can see, the pond is build around 3 beautiful Bradford Pear trees- which lose their leaves in the fall. Skimming the pond and unclogging the pump became a daily job. Everytime I had to stick my hand in the cold water, I hated the pond even more. We were working hard to keep the pond maintained, but the final straw came shortly. My hubby was cleaning the leaves from the pump area, slinging leaves out. Later that afternoon he realized that his wedding ring was gone. After hours of draining the pond and digging through sludge, we found the ring- laying in a flower bed near the pond. But that was it, it was over. We unplugged the pump for good. We drained the pond a couple of times before we finally had the time to take out all of the rocks (probably 3 truckloads), and dig up the rubber liner. I don't have any pictures of this stage, but gross is all I can (lots of mud and muck- but hey, I'm an aggie, I've spent my time digging around in far worse).

Many hours of shoveling and moving dirt around led to this...

With the help of some warm winter days in Carolina (68 in Janaury???), we were finally able to finish leveling. Now we have a large flowerbed, mulched and ready to go for spring planting.

2007-12-31T09:46:00.000-05:00

My New Year’s Resolution- ME.

Every year I, like most other people make a resolution for the new year, and for the past countless number of years, mine has been to lose weight. I’m sure you hear the commercials every day for the great deals that the gyms offer this time of year. If you continue to stay committed to the gym past about 3 months, you see the gym populations gradually decline as most people forget about their resolution and go back to their old habits and ways. Those people that were so motivating (the gym, the ‘free’ trainers, etc) have forgotten about your resolution, also.

So this year my New Year’s Resolution is ME. I am going to work on myself- physically, spiritually, and mentally. I am going to work on improving my health, my spirit, work on being a better wife, mother- just work on being a better me. And I have learned that the only way to do this is on your own. I have a great support system in my friends and family, but every year I break my New Year’s Resolution, even with their support and encouragement. So this year I am going to be my own motivator and cheerleader. After all, if I can’t make myself do it, then no one will.

Here’s to a wonderful 2008!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-21T07:52:00.000-05:00

As we spend time with our friends and family this Christmas season, let's not forget the reason for the season- the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:8-20

Creation of "Southern Girl"

2007-12-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

My 2 year old is becoming a product of marketing. Yes, at 2 she knows the familair red bullseye of Target, knows a Wendy's by sight, and knows the exit off of the interstate for the mall.

However, the making of a fine southern girl would not be complete with the her acknowledging the following places:

"Yeah, Wal-Mart"- a phrase she uses each time we drive by or tell her we are going there

And Daddy's finest moment happened last week when he pulled into the "Bojangle's" drive thru. She pointed at the sign and yelled "Bojiggies" and told daddy she wanted fries. We couldn't be prouder!!

Wedded Bliss.....

2007-12-04T08:13:00.000-05:00

Today is my wedding anniversary.

3 years.

Am I as happy today as I was this day 3 years ago?

Nope- I'm happier.

Thanks, baby, for making me the happiest woman in the world.

Thanksgiving Travels.....

2007-11-30T08:10:00.000-05:00

I love traveling. However, traveling with a 2 year old is quite a chore- bags, car seats and strollers- oh my. Despite all of that, we packed up and headed to Cali for a long Thanksgiving weekend.

After moving to NC after living in Cali most of my life, it's nice to go back and visit. Guess it brings something familiar to my life. There are some things I grew up with that we don't have in Carolina that are a 'must' when we visit:

Mervyn's- my favorite department store (although I never buy anything when we go)
See's Candy- I enjoy the lolli-pops (Cafe Latte) and hubby goes for the blueberry truffle
GOOD (Authentic) Mexican food- Now don't get me wrong, we have some decent mexican food in NC, but no Carne Asada to speak of. We took Chris to a taqueria and got him a real taco- 2 small corn tortillas, carne asada, onions and cilantro- that's it. No fluff, just steak.
Linguisa- prepared any way (I had mine in a breakfast burrito). Linguisa is a Portuguese sausage of which there is no comparison. Just pure love in sausage casing!

Our trip included visiting with the family and friends, grubbing on some turkey and pie, and seeing my brother's new house.

But the trip ended in Cali where in began- in San Francisco. Although we had been there before, I took Chris into the heart of the city. He could not believe that people lived stacked on top on one another- and where do they park??? We saw the skyscrapers in the financial district, drove down Lombard, saw the sea lions at Pier 39, ate the obligatory clam chowder in a bread bowl, smelled the Chocolate at Ghirardelli, and drove through China (town that is). After all of that he proclaimed that he could never live there. Guess we'll just stay in the Carolina.

What's so great about sweet tea?

2007-11-15T09:49:00.000-05:00

I lived most of my life drinking iced tea. To me there was only one kind of tea, and if you wanted to sweeten it, you added sugar. Now this was something that never made much sense to me, because the sugar never fully dissolved. It seems you were always left with a sugary mess at the bottom of your class. Then I visited the south, and wow, were my eyes opened.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was having lunch with my cousin and as I ordered an iced tea, she informed me that I would get 'sweet tea' unless I specifically ordered 'unsweet tea.' Well, I was going to put sugar in it anyways, so I'll just take it sweet. That first sip was heaven- wonderfully sweet and refreshing. I remember thinking, how have I lived all these years without sweet tea. Needless to say, I was- and still am addicted.

Now years later, living in the heart of sweet tea-land, I often tell people that the love of sweet tea was my reasoning for moving to the south. Was it really? Well, ya'll come on down and try some- and decide for yourself.