Wow, two posts in one day.
Anyway,
Tomorrow is my 36th Birthday. We took the kids out to the movies and then for ice cream today. We saw Rio at the $1.oo movies. It was pretty good. I think everyone liked it. I think splitcat and I are going out tomorrow. We haven't decided what we are doing yet. He surprised me on our last date and took me to Amicalola Falls( I thought we were going to the movies). He has a bunch of gift cards from the end of the school year, so we will probably use some of them up.
Also, I would like to send belated birthday wishes to my sister, to her new youngest daughter, and her oldest son(whose birthday is actually today).
Speaking of my sister's new daughter. I had meant to announce this some time ago, but forgot. My sister and her husband recently adopted a beautiful little girl. She just turned 2 and they have had her since she was 6 months old. They have been doing foster care for quite some time, but we all knew she belonged with them right from the beginning. She looks just like my sister except for her eye color. We are all so happy to have her as part of the family. So we now have 9 children between the two of us between the ages of 2 and 16. It makes going out together quite an andventure.
I guess that is all. Oh, I meant to add on my last post that there are a few more pics of our trip on Flickr. You can click on the pics to take you there. The last pic is from splitcat's acct, so it will take you to his pictures.
So,
Happy Birthday!!!!!
Friday, June 24, 2011
At long last! We went on vacation! This year is splitcat's parents fiftieth anniversary, so they took the whole family(there were 18 of us in all) to the Smoky Mountains. We stayed about 15 minutes outside of Gatlinburg, TN. The girl rode with her grandparents, so it was just us and the boys on the trip up.
We stopped at Chickamauga on our way.
We did the driving tour. A huge storm blew up and followed us all the way to our cabin. At one point it was raining so hard you could barely see the road. Splitcat's cousin, who went the scenic route through North Carolina and the National Park was delayed by several hours due to downed trees. It was apparently quite a storm.
The girl went to the Dixie Stampede that night with her cousin and Aunt. We hung out at the cabin with John's nephew and his girlfriend.
The next morning my father-in-law, niece, my nephew's g-friend, E, and I all went horseback riding. If I had a bucket list, horseback riding would have been in the top ten things I've always wanted to do. It was fun, but not something I think I will pick up as a hobby.
Here is my horse, he is the spotted one on the left. He was extremely obstinate. He really wanted to stop and chew the flowers the whole way.
The trail we rode on was very pretty as it skirted a large valley and went partway into the forest. We went first thing in the morning so the weather was really beautiful. My horse did not want to follow in line. We were always about 2 feet to the right while the other horses followed nicely in line.
Taking pictures on the back of a horse is not easy.
That was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.
While I was riding horses, splitcat and his nephew were fishing in the Little Pigeon River. Only the nephew caught anything. But later that day me and the boys went back to the spot they fished from to enjoy nature.
Well, most of us enjoyed nature. He saw the beware of bears signs and kind of got a little nervous. There were reports of a mama and two cubs about a half mile up the trail, so we stuck by the riverbank and the road.
On Friday the grandparents took the kids to the WonderWorks Museum, and splitcat and I took the morning to explore the Roaring Forks Motor Trail. We had hoped to hike to the Grotto Falls, but the parking lot was full, so we explored the empty spots along the way. Splitcat helped me learn how to take waterfall pictures with his camera.
While we were discussing camera settings, a car stopped and started pointing frantically to something behind us. Thankfully it wasn't a bear.
It was a beautiful drive with lots of fun little spots to explore. I really wanted to go back later with the kids, but the weather never cooperated.
We stopped in Gatlinburg on the way home and had lunch at Bubba Gump's. It was pretty tasty.
And that's pretty much all I did. Saturday the brave people went white water rafting. I am glad I didn't go, plus someone had to stay and watch my kids, everyone had already been really nice about keeping an eye on them while we went out . A nasty storm blew up right after they got on the river. I watched it from the safety of our cabin. Our cabin was right on the edge of the National Park, so we had a lovely view of just mountains. Watching the clouds was a favorite activity in the cabin. This is the beginning of the storm from our perspective
After the storm:
We didn't do much else because of the weather. Sunday morning we had family portraits done. I don't have a copy yet. It went better than I expected. But M refused to smile.
Monday we stopped at Clingman's Dome on our way out of the park. The twins ran the whole way up. We got there a little too early so the view wasn't too good. It was also very very sad. The Hemlocks and Fir trees have been attacked by insects and are being wiped out across the park.
So, that was our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. I would love to go back and do much more hiking. I am hoping we can get our kids out hiking this summer and fall in the North Georgia Mountains.
We stopped at Chickamauga on our way.
We did the driving tour. A huge storm blew up and followed us all the way to our cabin. At one point it was raining so hard you could barely see the road. Splitcat's cousin, who went the scenic route through North Carolina and the National Park was delayed by several hours due to downed trees. It was apparently quite a storm.
The girl went to the Dixie Stampede that night with her cousin and Aunt. We hung out at the cabin with John's nephew and his girlfriend.
The next morning my father-in-law, niece, my nephew's g-friend, E, and I all went horseback riding. If I had a bucket list, horseback riding would have been in the top ten things I've always wanted to do. It was fun, but not something I think I will pick up as a hobby.
Here is my horse, he is the spotted one on the left. He was extremely obstinate. He really wanted to stop and chew the flowers the whole way.
The trail we rode on was very pretty as it skirted a large valley and went partway into the forest. We went first thing in the morning so the weather was really beautiful. My horse did not want to follow in line. We were always about 2 feet to the right while the other horses followed nicely in line.
Taking pictures on the back of a horse is not easy.
That was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.
While I was riding horses, splitcat and his nephew were fishing in the Little Pigeon River. Only the nephew caught anything. But later that day me and the boys went back to the spot they fished from to enjoy nature.
Well, most of us enjoyed nature. He saw the beware of bears signs and kind of got a little nervous. There were reports of a mama and two cubs about a half mile up the trail, so we stuck by the riverbank and the road.
On Friday the grandparents took the kids to the WonderWorks Museum, and splitcat and I took the morning to explore the Roaring Forks Motor Trail. We had hoped to hike to the Grotto Falls, but the parking lot was full, so we explored the empty spots along the way. Splitcat helped me learn how to take waterfall pictures with his camera.
While we were discussing camera settings, a car stopped and started pointing frantically to something behind us. Thankfully it wasn't a bear.
It was a beautiful drive with lots of fun little spots to explore. I really wanted to go back later with the kids, but the weather never cooperated.
We stopped in Gatlinburg on the way home and had lunch at Bubba Gump's. It was pretty tasty.
And that's pretty much all I did. Saturday the brave people went white water rafting. I am glad I didn't go, plus someone had to stay and watch my kids, everyone had already been really nice about keeping an eye on them while we went out . A nasty storm blew up right after they got on the river. I watched it from the safety of our cabin. Our cabin was right on the edge of the National Park, so we had a lovely view of just mountains. Watching the clouds was a favorite activity in the cabin. This is the beginning of the storm from our perspective
After the storm:
We didn't do much else because of the weather. Sunday morning we had family portraits done. I don't have a copy yet. It went better than I expected. But M refused to smile.
Monday we stopped at Clingman's Dome on our way out of the park. The twins ran the whole way up. We got there a little too early so the view wasn't too good. It was also very very sad. The Hemlocks and Fir trees have been attacked by insects and are being wiped out across the park.
So, that was our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. I would love to go back and do much more hiking. I am hoping we can get our kids out hiking this summer and fall in the North Georgia Mountains.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Graduation
Can you believe it? The twins have graduated from Pre-K. It's hard to believe they are almost 5 already. We are trying to decide if we are going to send them to Kindergarten next year. One is ready, one is ready academically, but perhaps not emotionally. They turn 5 the day school starts. So we could hold them back without any problem. So please pray that we would have wisdom and make the right decision for the boys.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Skating Party
We had a skating party on Friday as the last celebration of the girl's 8th birthday. My sister, 2 girls from work, and I all chipped in and rented out the rink for 2 hours. It was really fun. I was a little worried about the twins. I had no idea how they would do skating. They did great! W was trying to get up and get going before I had even laced his skates. They both just took off. We had to keep getting on to W because he wanted to skate on the rink instead of the carpet. Thankfully they have a carpeted walkway that goes all the way around the rink. So a good time was had by all. M was surprisingly taken with the whole skating thing. He usually has a tantrum when he hurts himself, so I was a little worried about what would happen when he fell down. Splitcat got him on video.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Candle light breakfast
The power went out the other morning right as it was time to get up for school. Of course, it came back on just as it was time to leave. We had fun having breakfast by candlelight. I was a little sad when the lights came back on. It was really quiet without all the electricity.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Looking Glass Clock
I don't usually post my crafts here, but I really love this one. It's a clock that runs backward. I made it for a swap on Craftster. Click on my Flickr to see what else I made. I am pretty proud of the stuff I made for this swap. I didn't want to give any of it away! It was an Alice themed swap.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Baby Lady
I seem destined to be the baby lady. I quit my job this year, ready for a break from the crying and diaper changing. They've been through 2 teachers already. Now, it's back to me. I will only be working Mon and tues(until my boss can find a replacement), so it's not too bad. There were just 2 babies, now there are 3. Hopefully I won't get too bored. So, no more spending all day watching Netflix or playing on POGO. It's back to the grind for me.
February has been a busy month. I've been busy crafting for swaps over on Craftster. I'm in an ongoing embroidery swap, did a Wall Art Swap and I am finishing up an Alice in Wonderland Swap. I am enjoying it. The kids have been out of school all week this week for winter break. So that's been exciting. Splitcat is assistant coaching middle school boys soccer this year, so we haven't really seen much of him lately. He's also been busy collecting coins for pennies for patients. Their school was 5th in the nation last year for donations. He told the high school he would shave his goatee if they raised a certain amount of money. Today is the last day and they need to raise another 4,000 or so to make it to his goal. However, that's how much they raised last year on the last day. So splitcat may have to shave this weekend. He's only shaved it off once since I've known him, and he did it over winter break and grew it back in so no one at school saw him beardless. I think it's funny that his students want him to shave.
The weather has been amazingly beautiful. We've been playing outside alot.(photos by splitcat)
Well, I am subbing today, so I must go gather the troops and take myself to work. Thanks for stopping by. Will update on the whole beard thing.
February has been a busy month. I've been busy crafting for swaps over on Craftster. I'm in an ongoing embroidery swap, did a Wall Art Swap and I am finishing up an Alice in Wonderland Swap. I am enjoying it. The kids have been out of school all week this week for winter break. So that's been exciting. Splitcat is assistant coaching middle school boys soccer this year, so we haven't really seen much of him lately. He's also been busy collecting coins for pennies for patients. Their school was 5th in the nation last year for donations. He told the high school he would shave his goatee if they raised a certain amount of money. Today is the last day and they need to raise another 4,000 or so to make it to his goal. However, that's how much they raised last year on the last day. So splitcat may have to shave this weekend. He's only shaved it off once since I've known him, and he did it over winter break and grew it back in so no one at school saw him beardless. I think it's funny that his students want him to shave.
The weather has been amazingly beautiful. We've been playing outside alot.(photos by splitcat)
Well, I am subbing today, so I must go gather the troops and take myself to work. Thanks for stopping by. Will update on the whole beard thing.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Well, January is nearing its conclusion. It's been quite a month. We spent almost a week completely iced in. Thankfully we never lost power or anything. And splitcat had the foresight to go grocery shopping before all the crowds hit, so we had enough food and such. All in all it was a pleasant time. I kind of hated that everyone had to go back to school. The worst part was that the garbage didn't come for 2 weeks. But it worked out because splitcat had to clean up the garage to get out the extra garbage cans.
While we were iced in we celebrated the boy's tenth birthday. He thought missing school was a great way to spend his birthday. He also had to miss his scheduled dr's appt. He was devastated. The in-laws braved the icy roads and brought him(and us) some Dunkin Donuts(his favorite treat). We also made a cake and gave him a book about weapons. Last night we went out for pizza with splitcat's parents and he received a nintendo DS Lite and a couple of games for it. Next weekend will be another party for splitcat's extended family, and sometime in February I am going to take him and his boy cousins out for the day.
He is growing into a fine young man. He is still struggling with school, but his appetite for knowledge is pretty voracious. The highlight of the past few weeks for him, though, is that splitcat is letting him play Medieval II: Total War. He has been playing an older version of civilization, so we thought he was ready to move on.
He is a funny, funny kid. In the car on the way to the pizza place last night, we passed a house that had horses in the yard. One of the twins yelled out excitedly that he saw some cows, so he was quickly informed that those were horses. Which led the boy to make a remark about how cows had lots of "pee-pees" but that milk came out of them, not pee. We quickly informed him that those were called udders(I guess I need to get him a book on animal husbandry). Of course, a general discussion broke out about the word "pee-pee." His sister(of all people) informed us all that they were called "weiners." (and yes, we were laughing really hard in the front seat). And in his most authoritarian voice, the boy said, "Actually, the real word is......(dramatic pause)....the Urinator of Doom."
In other news: the bible study I attend has started back up, so I now have something to do that involves people over the age of 10. I am amassing quite a pile of stuff to send to the thrift store. It's taken me a really long time, but I almost have my stuff down to a manageable level. Now, if I could convince everyone that they only need 7-10 changes of clothes, I would have a lot less laundry to pile up everywhere.
While we were iced in we celebrated the boy's tenth birthday. He thought missing school was a great way to spend his birthday. He also had to miss his scheduled dr's appt. He was devastated. The in-laws braved the icy roads and brought him(and us) some Dunkin Donuts(his favorite treat). We also made a cake and gave him a book about weapons. Last night we went out for pizza with splitcat's parents and he received a nintendo DS Lite and a couple of games for it. Next weekend will be another party for splitcat's extended family, and sometime in February I am going to take him and his boy cousins out for the day.
He is growing into a fine young man. He is still struggling with school, but his appetite for knowledge is pretty voracious. The highlight of the past few weeks for him, though, is that splitcat is letting him play Medieval II: Total War. He has been playing an older version of civilization, so we thought he was ready to move on.
He is a funny, funny kid. In the car on the way to the pizza place last night, we passed a house that had horses in the yard. One of the twins yelled out excitedly that he saw some cows, so he was quickly informed that those were horses. Which led the boy to make a remark about how cows had lots of "pee-pees" but that milk came out of them, not pee. We quickly informed him that those were called udders(I guess I need to get him a book on animal husbandry). Of course, a general discussion broke out about the word "pee-pee." His sister(of all people) informed us all that they were called "weiners." (and yes, we were laughing really hard in the front seat). And in his most authoritarian voice, the boy said, "Actually, the real word is......(dramatic pause)....the Urinator of Doom."
In other news: the bible study I attend has started back up, so I now have something to do that involves people over the age of 10. I am amassing quite a pile of stuff to send to the thrift store. It's taken me a really long time, but I almost have my stuff down to a manageable level. Now, if I could convince everyone that they only need 7-10 changes of clothes, I would have a lot less laundry to pile up everywhere.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Happy New Year
I am happy to report that we are all feeling much better. Antibiotics are wonderful things. Splitcat, the twins, and I all ended up on them. One of the twins is still coughing, but otherwise well.
We had a white Christmas here in Ga. The last measurable snow on Christmas day was in the late 1800's. There was a small amt in 1993. I remember that one because it was splitcat and I's first Christmas together. I think everyone had a nice Christmas--aside from not feeling so well(it at least kept us from overeating). I finally got new dishes(the light turqoise ones-they are more a robin's egg blue). I've been looking for new dishes for two years, and splitcat didn't have any objections, so i went for these. I still need to get a few more, but I have enough to use for now. From splitcat I also got a new iron(I asked for one), a new watch, and ironically, another new watch from my mom(if you don't follow the links, the watches are from the same line from fossil-one says hope, the other peace). Those were the big things I received.
Last Tuesday we were able to go to the Ga Aquarium with our two older kids, and splitcat's Sister, her daughter and his brother's son who is in from out of town. It was SOOOOOOO crowded, but we still had a pretty good time. We got lucky and were able to watch one of the general feedings in the big tank and watch the fish go a little crazy. I could have sat for hours watching them all swim around.
Tonight I find myself having another New Year's Eve alone(well, the kids are here, but they are in bed). Splitcat got a last minute invite to the Chick-fil-a Bowl a the GA Dome with his family. His nephew is in the marching band at FSU, so they are all going to see him play his last game(he should graduate this year).
So...it's a New Year soon. Hope you all have a Happy one.
We had a white Christmas here in Ga. The last measurable snow on Christmas day was in the late 1800's. There was a small amt in 1993. I remember that one because it was splitcat and I's first Christmas together. I think everyone had a nice Christmas--aside from not feeling so well(it at least kept us from overeating). I finally got new dishes(the light turqoise ones-they are more a robin's egg blue). I've been looking for new dishes for two years, and splitcat didn't have any objections, so i went for these. I still need to get a few more, but I have enough to use for now. From splitcat I also got a new iron(I asked for one), a new watch, and ironically, another new watch from my mom(if you don't follow the links, the watches are from the same line from fossil-one says hope, the other peace). Those were the big things I received.
Last Tuesday we were able to go to the Ga Aquarium with our two older kids, and splitcat's Sister, her daughter and his brother's son who is in from out of town. It was SOOOOOOO crowded, but we still had a pretty good time. We got lucky and were able to watch one of the general feedings in the big tank and watch the fish go a little crazy. I could have sat for hours watching them all swim around.
Tonight I find myself having another New Year's Eve alone(well, the kids are here, but they are in bed). Splitcat got a last minute invite to the Chick-fil-a Bowl a the GA Dome with his family. His nephew is in the marching band at FSU, so they are all going to see him play his last game(he should graduate this year).
So...it's a New Year soon. Hope you all have a Happy one.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Prayer Request
For my few readers out there, I would like to make a prayer request. We are just about all sick. I have been sick since Thanksgiving with a bad cough and on Sunday it turned worse, and I went to the dr. yesterday and I have bronchitis, a sinus infection and a double ear infection. Splitcat is currently at the dr. with the twins, one has sinus issues, the other a really bad cough. And splitcat is also sick with a bad cough. We were both sick with fevers yesterday, but I was ordered to do nothing but rest(I had a 102.2 fever by the time I got home from the dr.), so poor splitcat has been having to take care of everybody. The boy has a mild cough, and the girl is well. So I would appreciate any prayers for us. I am starting to feel better already but still don't feel terribly well. Thank you.
And if I don't get a chance to post again this week, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
And if I don't get a chance to post again this week, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Why I Don't Do Christmas Cards
Afer about 120 pictures, I got a few usable ones. Here are my favorite unusable pictures.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling - The Water
I know I am a little early, since I usually post music on Saturday. BUT I JUST FOUND OUT JOHNNY FLYNN WILL BE IN ATLANTA NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I MUST GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I need a babysitter for next thursday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(preferably someone free, ha ha).
Okay, sorry, I got a little excited there. I've been waiting for him to come to Atlanta for a couple of years now.
Smile!
One of my Craftster and Flickr friends started a new group on Flickr called No Frown Found Friday. This is my entry for the day. I wish I could say they are all still smiling, but M(the blonde one) has been awake since about 2:30 this morning. He woke me up every hour or so to change his movie for him. He's been whining for about 10 minutes now about really random stuff. I see a nap in the near future, for both us.
All 4 kids are fighting off something. We've had runny noses and slight fevers, so I let everyone stay home today. Splitcat has to stay late tonight for the football game, so we may go meet him later for a late lunch/early dinner. If everyone is feeling better. Although on most days I am happy to send everyone off to school, there are days that I like having everyone near me. Today was one of those days. I like to have them near so I can ambush them with hugs and kisses. Tell them how much I love them. Of course, these are things I do every day, but it's more fun when everyone is already in a good mood from staying home from school.
I decided before I even had kids, that I would not be obsessive about attendance. I had perfect attendance for about my last 6 years of school, and it really did nothing for me. I learned when I was a full time worker that it was better to stay home and recuperate when not feeling well than to go to work sick and infect everyone. So I give my kids the same grace. Hopefully by Monday we will all be ready to face the world again.
So, if it's Friday, and you are reading this, smile(they are infectious), give someone a hug(they just might need one), tell someone you love them(for extra points,tell your parents, nothing makes me happier than to hear my kids say I love you).
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Happy Birthday to Splitcat
Happy Birthday to Splitcat!
We had a family party tonight. I made fried chicken and mashed potatoes. This was the first time I have tried fried chicken. It turned out quite tasty. We had cupcakes for dessert, then we took splitcat's present (a fire bowl) outside and had a fire and made s'mores and roasted marshmallows. I still smell like smoke, and it feels so right. I have really missed the outdoors in the past few years. Hopefully we will have lots of fun this fall making fires and spending time together as a family.
I am looking forward to spending many more years celebrating with splitcat.
We had a family party tonight. I made fried chicken and mashed potatoes. This was the first time I have tried fried chicken. It turned out quite tasty. We had cupcakes for dessert, then we took splitcat's present (a fire bowl) outside and had a fire and made s'mores and roasted marshmallows. I still smell like smoke, and it feels so right. I have really missed the outdoors in the past few years. Hopefully we will have lots of fun this fall making fires and spending time together as a family.
I am looking forward to spending many more years celebrating with splitcat.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Rainbow
It finally rained today. It's been a while. It was one of those weird days where there was blue sky, sunshine, and rain. I kept an eye out for rainbows all day. After dinner, I looked out the twins window and saw one. It lasted a really long time. I did doctor up this photo a bit because the sky was such an odd color and I was standing in the garage because it was still raining. So my colors were all screwy. The sky was not quite this blue, but more grey.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
NEWSFLASH--Updated
Splitcat just called from school. He was just interviewed by Janine Turner on the Constituting America Tour. I can't tell you why yet. But they may post the interview online. We don't know. He didn't know they were going to be there today until school was almost out. They weren't there for him, but he was involved with why they are there. I will tell you why as soon as I can. Well this post is about as clear as mud. But all will eventually be revealed.
Update. Okay, it's been officially announced, so I can share. One of splitcat's students won in the video category of this year's contest. You can see her video on the CA website. There is a link on splitcat's blog.
Update. Okay, it's been officially announced, so I can share. One of splitcat's students won in the video category of this year's contest. You can see her video on the CA website. There is a link on splitcat's blog.
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