Phase III

We've been done with our big renovation project for about 2 months. We still lack a few minor details but the bulk of the work is complete. I still need to pick out material for the living room curtains and as you will see in the breakfast room curtains make a major impact. Here are a few pics.

Girls Night Out

We usually have a department Christmas party at the hospital but this year we decided to do things a little differently. We planned an all girls ornament exchange at Olive Garden. It was fun to be with everyone outside of work and the food was delicious. We decided to draw numbers on the ornaments instead of playing dirty Santa like we usually do. I was looking forward to the dirty Santa because it tends to add a little touch of drama to the festivities. I happened to draw the ornaments from Gina, a woodsy, green and white Santa and sleigh. They match my tree perfectly with the cardinal ornaments and bird houses.

Thanksgiving

The week before Thanksgiving we began our celebration with a family lunch at Branson's school. The kids show off projects they've done during the year and they put together a short program. Each child usually steps forward to say or read what they've written. This year they talked about why their parents were special. We headed to the cafeteria for the traditional meal of turkey, dressin', corn, dumplins,green beans, salad and roll. YUM!

We had lunch with the Walkers family at Jimmy and Shirleys' house. While we were there I recieved a call about my dad being admitted to the hospital for bacterial pneumonia. We stopped by the hospital on our way to Elba for our tradional get together with my family. Mother skipped the festivities, not wanting to leave Daddy, so Daniel and Melissa fixed her a plate.
Branson always has a blast with his cousin Nate running around the shop and this year my cousin Pete was home with his two boys also. None of those boys wanted to stop playing long enough to eat.
The way they looked reminded me of the way Pete, Giles and I played when we were young, especially when we had an issue with the boys playing unfairly. I really just thought what goes around comes around because those two boys left me out as much as they could get away with.

Hope you all had a great family holiday too.

~my husband rocks~the future

Michael is always planning for the future. The sense of ease I have because he is in my life. It means so much to me to know he is the type of man Branson and I can always depend on. Thanks Baby!

A Birthday Adventure

Sorry about the lack of posts for those of you keeping up with us. Too much sickness in the house for bloggin'. This post was started back in November.




Branson celebrated his 8th birthday with friends and family this past Sunday. We had 9 boys, including little Charlie for a racing themed party at Adventureland Theme Park. We sent racing invitations and I made a race track cake for the party. It was a figure eight track so visually it covered the age and the theme. Branson helped me pipe the sides and placed the race cars on the track.

The room was decorated in the racing style of checkered tablecloths and red plates. The kids started the party with cake, ice cream and chips. We opened gifts and quickly headed out for the scheduled activities. We had the kids lined up to race go-karts, ride bumper boats, play putt-putt golf, take a turn in the batting cage, and play video games. I polled the kids on the way home and go-karts definitely scored highest on the fun gage.

SEC CHAMPS!

32-13

ROLL TIDE , Baby!

Florida has officially been served. No team dominated the Florida Gators like Alabama did in this game. I love it!

my husband rocks~early mornings~

Michael is really great in the mornings when he has to get up before me. He is quite as a mouse and never wakes me with all his stirring. I'm usually the first one up in the mornings, but he goes in early on Fridays so I get the treat of having him wake me. I'm not sure how he gets ready so quietly but I appreciate those little gestures of love. Michael is one of the most considerate people I know and this is just one of the many ways he shows it. Thanks Baby.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Every year when Branson's birthday rolls around it seems we are incredibly busy. Busy looking for Halloween costumes, busy going to fall festivals, busy trick-or-treating,busy making cupcakes to send to class, busy getting party supplies together, busy making the invitation, busy picking out the stuff for the gift bags you send home with the children invited to the birthday party(who's idea was that?), busy picking out a great present, busy making the cake, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Truth is I love it all. I love going to all the fall festivities, I love pondering over the theme and location of your parties. I don't love struggling with the computer to get the invitation just right, but I love when it comes out just like I envisioned it. I love shopping for everything right down to the bags we fill for the other kids.

More than anything else I enjoy making the cakes for Branson's parties. I have made several cakes for Branson and although it is a lot of work, I have had so much fun. Here are a few...

racing themed party for age 8
.
campfire cake for age 7



bowling for age 6

skateboard for age 5

my husband rocks~Veteran's Day~

Michael and Branson spent the day together on Wednesday due to the Veteran's Day holiday. They started the day by sleeping in and then heading off to the college where Michael works. Branson got to shoot a few hoops in the new gym and also meet the new coach who just happens to be a retired NBA player. Branson had stars in his eyes as he told me how he was invited to help coach the EOCC Weevils during this Sunday's game.

A walmart trip was in the plan so Bran could pick up a new DS game with his birthday money. Funny thing is they came home with 2 new DS games because somehow Dad got suckered into buying one too.

To re-energize for the rest of the day they headed over to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. Branson got to pick the spot as a reward for good conduct in class recently. After getting their bellies full they decided to check out the military surplus store. Now, I can only imagine what this place must be like to an 8yr. old boy. It is just full of all types of military items like clothes, canteens, bullets, tents, cots, you name it. Needless to say they can home with a healthy stash of goodies. Branson purchased a whip, numb chucks, a grenade and a WWII bullet as long as his forearm. He was all grins as I walked through the door and couldn't wait to tell me all about his day with his Dad.

Lucky for me the camo duffle I had ordered for him came in that day, so I got to get in on the cool gift giving too.

Another soccer season has come to an end for the Green Dragons. We had a very successful season coming out undefeated in the 6-7 year old league. Our team works well together and we saw their skills increasing in every game. We saw lots of communication, fancy footwork, speed and sportsmanship in our kids this fall season.

I'm sad to say Branson wants to play football in the coming year so we'll see if we return to the soccer fields again. I love football but I've been against him playing since he was born. We'll see just how persuasive he and his father can be.

Roll Tide Roll!

Looks like we pulled out another game and beat those nasty LSU Tigers. It's one thing to be a good team but to be so heavily penalized is shameful for LSU. I guess this means were headed back to a meeting with Florida. Let's hope we don't have any official problems in that game. I know we got a call in our favor on that interception last night, but in my opinion Florida has been handed 2 games because of poor calls from the officials. I don't know what their coach said that got him fined $30,000 but he should have been saying "thanks" to the officials if he said anything.

my husband rocks~the school cafeteria~

Michael stopped in the eat lunch with Branson at school on Friday. This is something Branson mentioned to his Dad so I know he was excited when he arrived unexpectedly. The kids eat in the classroom on Fridays under the supervision of the parents who visit while the teachers get a small break in the hallway. After shuffling through the line,choosing the traditional flat pepperoni pizza, side salad and fruit, they headed back to the classroom to find a spot at their desks. Michael talked with another Dad there who happened to be a high school classmate of his. He eats with his daughter every Friday and said Branson is always well mannered during his time there. I know this must have made Michael feel proud because we have been working hard to help Branson improve his conduct at school.

Peanut Festival

We headed to Dothan on Sunday for the Annual Peanut Festival Fair. Branson invited Okley for the rides and I invited Berita for the concert. Chip, Gloria and Bryson decided to go with us at the last minute. They followed us to pick up Berita and that's when it happened.

SETUP-As you exit the driveway you must turn right(Hwy 231N) to get to an access in the median to be able to go left(Hwy 231S) but Michael tried to cross the median of Hwy 231 where there was no access. I yelled "you can't cross here" so he stopped. That's when, in front of the big black and white sign pointing RIGHT he turned left(south) in the north bound lane. Again, I yelled "what are you doing"(not a question). All the while 2 seven year olds were telling scary stories to each other in the back seat, Berita was trying to show me the 2 new pair of shoes she bought, the radio was blasting and the sun was in his face. When we were safely in the median I looked back and Gloria had pulled the same move. Lucky for us no traffic was coming in our direction from the north bound lanes. After I finished laughing hysterically, I told Michael "lucky for him this wasn't our first date". I called our friends on the cell to let them know we had not been drinking and we made it to the fairgrounds without further incident.

The boys had a great time and they were big enough to ride some of the more thrilling, big kid rides. Watching them on the hang-glider, seeing the thrill and uneasiness of the unknown, was worth every dollar we paid for those armbands. Branson's head was down and his boots were flying off by the end of the ride. The crazy house,with the moving floors and silly mirrors, was also a big hit and they ran through it many times.They tried their luck at the games and Branson won a stuffed animal for target shooting. Later we restocked the energy supply with soda, corn dogs and cotton candy. .

We chose Sunday because Lady Antebellum was in concert that evening and I am in love with their latest hits. They sounded great and during "Need You Now" a shooting star fell across the sky. I happen to be filming at the time and it just melted my heart. To beat the traffic, we left during the last two songs of the night. The kids were fast asleep before we were out of Dothan. It was a great night.

Happy Halloween

We had a sticky, sweet Halloween this year. Branson wanted to do the traditional house-to-house trick or treating this year so we spent the evening roaming a local neighborhood with a few other friendly characters. He was dressed as a member of the S.W.A.T. team and his friend Bryson was a soldier. We also had 2 friendly witches and 2 zombies from the Thriller video.

It was cold and windy as we headed through the neighborhood. As the kids were busy going door to door our attention quickly turned to the sky. Due to the rain that had moved through the area a beautiful rainbow had formed. It was a full, high arch rainbow with all it's color clearly visible. Adding to the beauty of the scene was the setting sun casting it's golden light everywhere, known to photographers as the golden hour . It was one of the most visually stunning, unforgettable scenes I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera along because I figured the kids would be too busy to pose for photos.

As true darkness fell we headed back to the house where more treats were waiting..
Gloria warmed our bones with spicy taco soup, green goblin dip(guacamole), eyeball punch, and some wacky witch cupcakes. We had a great time and Branson ended up with enough candy he could even share with his parents. The only thing he forbid us from eating was the sour heads because those are his absolute favorite.

my husband rocks~the mall~

Anyone who knows me knows I've never been much of a shopper. As of late, I've done quite a bit, but mostly for the house. I decided I needed some new fall clothes so I made plans for a shopping spree. I usually like to shop alone because I am picky, indecisive and hard to fit. So when I shop with someone I feel pressured to buy what I don't like or buy nothing at all out of frustration.

Branson would be staying overnight at a friends house on Saturday, so it seemed like the perfect choice. Michael was also completely disinterested in tagging along because the Alabama game would be starting at 2:30pm.

He did need to run a quick errand so we were able to meet for a lunch date @ Red Lobster:). After a yummy meal we headed off to our separate destinations. I touched base later in the afternoon to find out the score and he was in THE MALL! WHAT! He said he got caught up in the moment and decided to do a little shopping too.

When I got home that afternoon he had 5 shirts, 2 pair of jeans, 3 pair of khakis, a jacket, and 3 pair of shoes. You know what I had? 1 pair of shoes and 3 shirts.

Maybe I should tag along and let him give me some pointers.

New Do

I'm getting my hair done at a new salon. I'm giving her a try because she did a really cute cut on one of the girls at work. I'm taking her this pic , although I'm not going this short. I've been trying to grow my inverted bob out so I'm mainly looking at the color and the bangs. I'll post a pic of myself later to show you how she does. If she does a good job I might reconsider growing out the locks and let her cut the style also.

Honor Roll

Report cards are here and Branson pulled out with all A's. He is still working on his conduct scores and lucky for him conduct doesn't apply toward the Honor Roll. He did get a ribbon for his effort and a certificate for a free meal from one of the local restaurants. We make a deal a couple weeks back to give him $5 for every A, so I guess I'm out a Jackson.

kickin' myself

I guess we all have our moments when we feel were not meeting the expectations of our loved ones. Wether it's our spouse, our children, our parents or our friends. I want to say this is a hard post for me because I am not used to exposing my feelings in this way. I am posting because I think I'll feel better if I talk and I want to be real to my memories when I look back on them.

Today I am feeling especially weepy. I guess you could say I have the need for the appearance of perfection. Now, I'm not so far gone to believe I have perfection, but it's the appearance of perfection that seems to be a guard for me. (It's funny how things work out because God knows I am embarrassed by this type of emotional weakness, so he arranged it so my co-worker had an event to go to for a couple of hours this morning.)

I've never seen myself as weak. I've always, always thought of myself as a strong person . I'm the one who takes whatever comes, shakes it off, looks on the bright side, makes the lemonade. I'm the get over it, move on girl, but then it all catches up and I feel myself begin to surrender to the burden.

Now don't panic, this isn't some major catastrophe, it's just everyday life. I wonder am I a good wife? Will Michael look back on our lives and say I was everything he needed? Do I take opportunities to lift him up or am I quick to tear down? Do I cook enough? I worry if I am creating the best homelife I can for my husband and child?

Another thing weighing on me lately is my parenting skills. I wonder am I spending enough time with Branson? Do I read to him enough? Do I allow him too much t.v. and video game time? Do we laugh, tickle and play enough? Am I picking my battles wisely or am I frustrating the situation by setting my expectations too high? Am I too permissive? Does he know how deeply I love him? Does he see my dicipline as love or does he think he'll never measure up?

I wonder how are all these things molding him into the man he will become. I can only pray for wisdom in this area, hope I am doing the right things and let God fill in the gaps. Help me Lord to be able to teach and discipline him without wounding his Spirit and guard his heart in the times I fail.

~my husband rocks~the grill

My husband rocks because.....

the boy can cook and he looks good in an apron.

Pink Project

My hospital hosted its first ever walk for Breast Cancer Awareness on Saturday, Oct. 17th. It was a 4 mile walk from the parking lot of the hospital to the parking lot of our Surgery Center. It seemed to be a huge success with over 100 participants ranging from the very young to over 70yrs of age. We even had two from the canine family. There were tons of door prizes given away at the end of the event along with lunch donated by lots of local businesses. To top off the event there was a balloon release in memory of those who've lost their battle and for those still fighting. It was a beautiful sight and I spent much of the day drying my eyes.

Most of the girls from our department participated in the day either by walking or set-up.We all work in ultrasound or radiology so we often see cancer up close.It felt great to be a part of something much bigger than myself. I know the event raised alot of money for the cause and I'm already looking forward to next year's event.

~my husband rocks~giving

My husband rocks because I can trust him fully when it comes to our finances. He is very smart with our finances and has always had our families best interest at the top of his priority list. Several times in our lives he has given up things that were special to him, like his motorcycles and full-size trucks because he knew it would be the smartest thing for our finances. I feel truely blessed to have a man of this caliber in my life in a world where statistics show the majority of divorces are caused by money problems. Thanks ,Baby! You Rock!

Too Close

Way too close. Here's the story.....

It is time to plant mums for the fall season and I needed my gardening tools. We usually keep them in the far corner of the garage so I made my way over to start my search. Those of you who know us are probably laughing right now because I don't always keep all my stuff organized and you also know the state of our garage, nuff said? So, I'm standing there searching......and searching.... looking for my hand tools when I look down and one inch from my flip flop clad foot is a coiled up Copperhead!

Now... fight or flight instantly took over and I jumped like a gazelle on the Nile River at the height of a crocodile feeding frenzy. I screamed Michael's' name at least 10 times and I'm sure he knew immediately the implication in my voice(we've had lots and lots of snakes). He came running and killed the snake with a really, really short hoe. I know it was difficult given the distance his feet were from the snake.

When I settled down from the terror of the moment, I thanked God I had not been bitten and we went on with our day. As we were enjoying various moments during the rest of the weekend I was reminded of just how fragile our lives can be. I kept thinking I could be in a hospital right now instead of tossing the baseball, instead of grilling burgers or taking communion. Our outcome might have been drastically different if it wasn't for the protection our Lord provides for us daily. Psalms 91:14 says the Lord will rescue me because I love him; he will protect me because I acknowledge his name, he will answer me when I call upon him; He will be with me in trouble.

Don't you agree a copperhead in the garage next to my foot is TROUBLE!

school update

Michael and I went to Branson's 2nd grade parent-teacher conference. I was pleased with the over-all vibe of the meeting especially given the conduct grades Branson has been bringing home. Mrs. Robinette said Branson is a very bright student and is scoring above average on all his SAT scores.She said he tends to finish his work quickly and this gives him a lot of free time at his desk and this spells trouble for an already over-active student. Branson has struggled with his conduct since he started school and we have worked with him continually on this. I had hoped his misbehavior was mainly talking and the teacher did confirm this for me. I wanted her to know we are working with her from home and disipline him when he receives poor grades. When I asked what we could do to help in this area she suggested we encourage him in reading. If we can get him interested in a series of books he will have something to occupy him when he finishes his work. This will also help him in his Accelerated Reading Program. The AR program has the students read books then take a test on the computer afterwards. If they reach a certain point goal and accuracy within the 9 weeks then they get to participate in special activities like jump-a-roos, parties, and in the 2nd grade they go to the movies and take special field trips.

Mrs. Robinette thanked us for coming and mentioned how nice it was to have both parents attending the conference. I have to say I left there with a much better feeling about the year than I went in with. I had the idea she had a sour taste for Branson because of his conduct but I didn't get that impression at all. She was delightful and encouraging towards him. I know he is a challenge in the classroom but a good teacher will be able to harness his energy into something positive.

~my husband rocks~while I'm sleeping

My husband rocks today because while I was nursing a migraine he took down all the light fixtures, cleaned them and replaced the bulbs. I estimated it to be around 30 globes in all, most of which require the ladder to reach. I appreciate this because it is hard enough to keep up with the day to day maintenance let alone get to the things no one can see with a full-time job, church, soccer games and homework.
If you like this idea and want to uplift your husband check out the concept for my husband rocks Fridays here.

Soccer

Fall soccer is well under way and the Green Dragons are doing great. I see a lot of improvement from the spring season and they are really working together as a team. It is so awesome to watch your child transition from a place of complete self-centered behavior to a real team player. Although, it is a huge thrill to see your child score a big goal the reward is even bigger when you see their character growing. I saw the willingness to pass the ball to another player growing in Branson last season, but now I see it as part of his game. I'm so proud of you Baby. Play Hard!

Project 365

I saw this idea while reading a magazine the other day. It immediately struck my interest and knew it was for me. The concept is to post a picture a day for 365 days. You'll also add a small bit of journaling to explain the photograph. I love taking pictures and am constantly photographing my surroundings. Although I do not have a really good camera I do the best I can with my Kodak Z710. I hope to invest in a new camera soon because my passion is growing everyday for this hobby. You can check out my project here.

~my husband rocks~Fridays

I found a really great idea while on another blog one day. It's called my husband rocks Fridays. The idea is to do a post or photo every Friday to document why your husband rocks. When I saw the idea I knew it would be great for me because 1)I want my husband to know how much he means to me and 2)I'm not that generous when it comes to verbalizing my appreciation for all he adds to my life. So, I thought this idea was the next best thing to renting a blimp to fly over our city. So look for my posts about Michael each Friday and see just why I think my husband ROCKS!

Today my husband rocks because...

We just had our 2nd grade parent-teacher conference with Mrs. Robinette.( I'll post more detail about the actual conference later.) Michael was running a little late so I went ahead to the teacher's room to let her know. On the way I was noticing all the other rooms, how the doors were decorated, the children's artwork on the walls and also lots of other parent-teacher conferences taking place. I began to notice that there were only women at each conference, no Dads. I couldn't help but smile and swell with pride knowing my husband was on his way. At the same time ,I also felt sad for the Dads who couldn't be there or just don't understand the importance of being a part of these type moments. Michael has made every effort to attend Branson's school events and he has never missed a parent-teacher conference. All of Branson's teachers have commented on how nice and how rare it is to have both parents attend these type meetings . We are both very blessed to have jobs where we have to ability to prioritize our children at the top of our lives.

Welcome Autumn

I'm looking forward to the arrival of Autumn in Alabama. Although spring is my favorite season I also love the crisp nights and brilliant leaves that appear this time of year. I wish we had the type of fall color changes that you typically see in the Carolina's because those deep orange and yellows are just magnificant. I have managed to place a few trees in our yard that will provide some fall color like Bradford Pears and Japanese Maples. I hope to add some type of ormanental tree with a yellow leaf to the side yard sometime soon.

Summer's End

I guess it's time to say goodbye to summer as we've seen the first day of Autumn come and go on the calendar. We are looking forward to a decrease in humidity and the crisp we will soon begin to feel in the air but, it also means another pool season is quickly drawing to an end. The pool temperature is holding around 85 degrees so we'll have time for a few more swims in 2009. We had a lot of fun this summer both on the road and at home. We really enjoyed our backyard, especially earlier in the season before we started our living room makeover, by grilling, swimming, gardening and watching movies under the pergola. Now that we are almost done with our makeover I hope to spend some time enjoying the cooler nights outside again. As the temp changes we will also begin to see less and less of our state bird, the mosquito. Here's a look back at our summertime fun.

Panama City Beach, Florida

Bama Jam Music Festival, Enterprise Alabama

Aaron's 499 Talledega Motor Speedway, Talledega, Alabama

Charlie's 2nd Birthday

Memorial Day @ Lake Eufaula, Alabama Globetrotter Game @ Troy State University, Troy, Alabama



Spring Soccer YMCA Enterprise, Alabama

Braves Coach Pitch Baseball