02/29/08

This is a picture of guitar pegs (an old guitar) and in the background is an Australian instrument of which I know the name but do not know how to spell it. Seeing as I am a teacher I am choosing not to try for fear of "looking ignorant..." lol I liked the pegs on this guitar.

I am ready for this "whatever I have" to end. I feel so sapped of energy. It didn't help that this afternoon after school I had to take Wesley and Mikayla on a "hike" through a local nature preserve so they could get counted for their last section in their AWANA books. I enjoyed walking with my kids but my body was yelling at me saying "WHAT are you doing?????"

Last night I took generic Nyquil and slept like a baby again. Boy, that stuff is good but it surely gave me a "buzz" this morning. lol

Steve left this morning for a weekend at Myrtle Beach playing golf. Yahoo. (Can you tell I am thrilled?) I miss him terribly and feel so much like a part of me is gone when he is not here. The kids are really missing him, too. I applaud women who have to deal with their husbands being gone on business trips for extended periods of time. (Men who have to deal with their wife being gone, too...) I'm like Mikayla... I like my family to be all together in one place, not scattered. I hope he has fun playing golf but I'll be ready for him to get back home.

Wesley asked me this evening at the nature preserve why I didn't bring my camera. Can you believe I just didn't have the energy? You KNOW I haven't felt right if I have had no desire to really take a picture.

I am trying to make tonight fun and "special" for the kids. We are having a picnic (at least they will... I will sit in a chair) in the middle of the den floor, I have a fire going and we're eating pizza. Then I am baking some of those plop them in the pan cookies. I am such the cook and baker for my children, aren't I? At this point, I don't really care as long as we eat something. lol

I also was going to clean my house when I got home from school. Guess what? I don't think my house is going to get cleaned this weekend. I have GOT to work on their scrapbooks for their birthday party to get them caught up. I am going to work on those in the morning while they are at a play date with some friends. Then, when they get home we are going over to my best friend's house and hang out with them before we go out to eat and see a movie with them. That will be nice to spend some time with them and not feel so "alone." Therefore, the house doesn't look like it is going to have time to be messed with...

Well, I am being summoned by my daughter that they are ready for "movie night." I need to go check on those pizza's, too. Have a wonderful evening.

02/28/09

Still not been feeling my normal self. I am hoping tomorrow will prove to continue to be better as today was better than yesterday. Yesterday I was just feeling plain horrible. I am thankful for medicine that makes me feel better... even if it does make me jittery. lol Not going to "talk" much tonight as I have papers and such to work on as well but wanted to post.

Today's pic is of pencil's from the Music Room. I loved these pencils and thought they were nice colors. They so typify what I feel a lot of days as a teacher and mother... worn out, erasers mostly gone but the pencil is still there trying to be used to the best of its ability. I guess that is why when I found this "story" I thought I'd post it. It is actually on someone else's blog that I have read. It is dealing with a Mother, but I could add Teacher in there... and you could add other professions in there, and still get the gist of what it is saying. It is a good "story." It "spoke" to me as I read it to help me realize that all that I do for my personal kids or my students is not in vain. Down to the smallest of things.... (I changed the color to red on the part that really made me think.)

I'm Invisible

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids walks into the room while I'm on the phone and asks for something. Inside, I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone,or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

The Invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: "Can you fix this?" "Can you tie this?" "Can you open this?" Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. "She's going, she's going, she's gone!"

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned tome with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

"To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. I would discover what would become for me four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have norecord of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God will see."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. Then, if there is anything to say to his friend, it could be, "You're gonna love it here!"

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

May you see the little things you do everyday as building something amazing. God sees all we do and we want to be glorifying and thanking Him through it all.

Have a great evening....

02/26/08

No crying over trees today... aren't you all glad? I have moved on past the tree issue. I was told quickly by my wonderful brother that the bridge is in bad shape so would I rather keep the tree or fall in the lake. Wellllll... OK, falling in the lake is not high on my agenda. lol Truly, I think that once I got past the initial sadness it is now time to move on. Doesn't mean I won't have another moment or two, but I will try to keep them minimal. lol

Speaking of my brother, his blog was updated yesterday (very proud of him... of course, I had to demand he update on a regular basis) but he has a lot of good thoughts. For those of you that may not know my brother, he is a great guy. He is one of my best friends in the world and we can rant to each other about stuff that other people would call "boring." He inspires me and teaches me. In fact, knowing that God has given me the ability to teach, my brother ADDS to that and teaches me so many things I need to teach my students. I would be lost without him.

My picture from today is a broken bow from a violin. I just thought it was quite neat the way the strands were "flying" all over the place. I focused in the center sort of towards the bottom and thought that created a neat look. You can click on it to make it larger. I really like that shot for some reason. lol

I began to feel pretty crummy as the day went on and I am still not feeling a hundred percent. I think it is nothing major... probably sinus mess or whatever, but I came home, took some medicine and wrapped up on the couch for a while. The poor kids had to fend for themselves with homework. My body just wouldn't cooperate to help them. I am feeling a bit better now that the meds are in me, but I am hoping a good night's sleep will do the trick along with more meds. lol

I have lots of papers to grade so I need to get off of here. I hope you all have a great evening.

02/25/08

I am finally showing my favorite bowl from the other day. This bowl was bought in Hungary and it is BEAUTIFUL.(click on the pics to see the detail up close) It is made out of maple, I believe she told me. Anyway, I took a couple of different angles of it to show off the beautiful carving. I realize the first angle is QUITE tilted, but I didn't want to do "straight on." I just loved it. My friend's son actually made the carved plate underneath it when he was in college and it made a beautiful set.


OK... today I cried over a tree.

I know you think I have totally lost my mind now, but it is another one of those sentimental things. Do you remember from my post the other day when I talked about them tearing down the trees to build a new bridge near our house? Well, the tree that I literally grew up with and SAW every day of my life that I went to school or went to Raleigh came down today.

Now, you might say I need to "chill" on the emotions but this wasn't just any tree. It bent over the road so it was like a landmark to me. (My brother feels similar to me, although he wouldn't cry over it, because he is the one who pointed out it wasn't behind the orange "save the tree fencing" they put up when they are about to destroy something to build something else.) I have been wanting to photograph the tree for some time now but I was either going to or from school or people were near there or there was heavy traffic. I didn't want to be out there alone and I surely didn't want to stop while the kids were with me. Therefore, there is no picture of what used to be and when I saw today they had taken off the part that bent over the road, well, it tore me up. I equate it on a much smaller scale (much, much smaller) to the day they tore our dairy barn down. Is that silly or WHAT? Geesh.

I guess it is like I told Steve when I got home... I feel like everything I have ever known is changing so fast around here. This is where I was born and grew up... I have seen SO many changes and it blows me away some days.

I really need to get off of this soap box because I have been on it entirely too much in my posts lately.

On a sweet note, Wesley tells me this afternoon that he and a friend were talking in class when they weren't supposed to. The teacher saw his friend talking and told her she lost her privilege of whatever they were doing at the time. She didn't see that Wesley was talking, too. Well, Wesley said he immediately said to his teacher that he had been talking too and would need to sit down. That melted my heart today. He said "It is good I told the truth, right, Mom?" I told him that was definitely the case! That boy has the softest and truest heart.

I am thankful for the wisdom each day from the Lord to help me and Steve be the parents we need to be for our kids. It definitely doesn't mean we always "get it right" but that takes a lifetime of learning as well.

The kids have come in from playing and now need to start their homework. I should figure out something that we are going to actually eat for supper. (My friend Karen who now reads this blog should have something AWESOME for supper tonight, right, Karen??? hee hee)

Have a wonderful evening. I would say go hug a tree but you really would think I have lost it. Instead... go hug your better half!! ha!! (at least I am laughing at the end of this post, right?)

02/24/08

These pictures are of the cello and bass. These aren't my favorites, not because I don't like the instruments but because I didn't get some focus I had wanted. I must have had more camera shake than I thought on the first one. I liked the lines, though, and the colors the makers of the instruments used to tell the strings apart.

Today we went to church. It was a good Sunday School and Message during preaching. I wanted to share Psalm 8 as that is what we studied in Sunday School. These are verses that show how awesome our God is and that He made us and put us in charge of His great Creation. Another example of how God cares for little old me.

Psalm 8
O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider thy heavens and the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou has put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

I love that last verse of the psalm. God gives me everything I own. It continued to put my flash buying yesterday into more perspective. I know He'll work it out whenever He sees it is necessary for me to get that other lens.

On another note... Pastor was talking about today how a family had to "let go" of their 7 year old son who had a brain tumor and after struggling with the Lord over it, give him back to the Lord. I tried to put myself in their shoes. Boy, that would be so hard. It made me thankful for the two silly kiddos we have and how healthy they are. It is so easy for us to take things for granted with our children. Especially when they have moments where they "get on your nerves." I am sure God feels that way about me on days He keeps telling me something and I don't listen.

Well, just wanted to share my thoughts today. I may not have gotten my point across quite well, but what I learned today blessed me and I thought I would pass it on...

On a funny note, my brother has now started a blog. He admits he is not as verbose as I am. lol (not many people talk as much as me...) I have added it to my sidebar. Not sure if he'll keep up with it as regularly as I try to do but I can be obsessive. LOL

I am gonna go enjoy an apple and then some coffee. :) Have a super evening.

02/23/08

My pictures are of the piano keys and music on the organ in the Music room at school. I was really excited with how my piano keys looked. White things can get "blown out" so easily. The music on the organ looked so inviting so I had to take a picture of that as well. lol

This morning I worked on some stuff and found that I had enough money saved to get the other lens I have been wanting. It is a macro lens that will allow me to get REALLY close to objects and it is also a great portrait lens. Well, this afternoon while I was getting ready for my "session" with the six month old, I found out my flash didn't work as well as I had thought last week after part of the base broke. In fact, when moved vertically it fell off my bracket hot shoe.

I wanted to throw up.

I had to leave for the shoot in less than an hour and had to think fast. I had already gotten all of my stuff ready and this was the "last minute" stuff I always take care of. I didn't think I would need my flash today but just as soon as I didn't take it, I would need it!! I had to go buy a brand new Speedlite. There goes my new lens. I had to look at the bright side of it, though, and think of positive things. It is a newer flash than my other one and can do more, apparently. I'm still thinking on how to be thankful for this. It wasn't what I expected to deal with but God knows the reason and I have to trust. Now is just not when He wants me to have the other lens.

My session with the six month old went wonderfully. She was SO CUTE and I had a blast with her. Here are a couple of my favorites. I let Mikayla go with me to be my "assistant". She loved it and loved being near the baby.

Speaking of the kiddos... let me just say that they have been "wild" for me. I think the full moon is having its affect. I was glad this afternoon when Mikayla stayed with me and Wesley ran a few errands with Steve. Those two together can be something sometimes. lol When they get in these "moods" they feed off of each other.

Tonight we are just hanging out and watching some TV. I am about to go watch a movie with Steve. We haven't seen much of each other today with him cutting wood and running errands and me working on stuff in the house and the "shoot."

Let's all keep on looking on the sunny side of life tonight. :)

02/22/08

Today was a half day of school so it was nice to be able to leave early. BUT... I didn't exactly leave early. The Music teacher at school and I have lots of things we love to talk about. Photography is one of them as well as the world and cultures in general. Her room is filled with musical instruments and other stuff she has acquired over the years. She has had some things given to her and then bought others at estate sales, antique sales or even yard sales. I have told her for a while I was coming down one day just to photograph all of her "stuff." Today was the day!!!

I walked into her room and, even though I have been in there many times, I went in there with different eyes. It was wonderful what I kept seeing. I have felt a bit "stale" at home with photographing things lately because I am always seeing the same things, it seems. It was so great to walk in and see new things to see through a lens.

These dolls today are in her room. The first one was a gift from a former student that went to Hungary as a missionary. It was the first thing I photographed today. The beading and colors of this doll are beyond beautiful. The second picture is dolls from Poland. We actually found that out today when we looked underneath the stand and saw it was eastern Europe and had Krakow underneath! The third doll is one she has recently purchased at a yard sale or estate sale. She couldn't figure out where it would have been from because it had no markings. I told her I thought it was from the Baltic region of eastern Europe. We looked traditional clothing up on the internet and we think that would be correct.

Not only did I get the dolls but A LOT of musical instruments or angles of the same instrument. It was like I had fallen into photography overdrive today. :) I will be sharing those instruments and other objects in future posts. There was no way I was going to get them all in this one, nor did I want to give them all away today.

I can't tell you how great it felt to just walk around and try to photograph something to make it draw you into the picture and not just look at it and say "Oh, that is a doll" but ... "OH... LOOK at that doll!!!" (or the musical instruments or objects took...) You all know I love closeups of things so I was getting into some weird positions to get the shots I wanted. It could be comical if someone videotaped that. lol

The kids had to be patient, which didn't always work and they kind of had to learn the hard way that what "Mama says Mama means." lol I realize that was not their most exciting place to be this afternoon, but patience can be learned at many times in life. lol

Have you ever thought about how sharp your eyes are? Even if you have to wear glasses or contacts your eyes can see things that are amazing. I guess that is why sometimes when a picture does not turn out as crisp and sharp as I would like it frustrates me because of how my eyes see them. What an awesome God we serve that He would make our eyes to be able to see like they do. It is mind boggling some days if you had to sit and think of all your body can do. It didn't happen by chance. We are DESIGNED by a CREATOR.

When I finally finished photographing and talking I knew we needed to head home. After another couple of errands I had to get done today we came home and I let them watch a movie. I chose to watch my eyelids while they were curled up with me. It was nice. It had been rainy today so it was a perfect day in which to do this!

Tonight we went over to eat supper with some of our good friend's from church. She is from China and cooked us another wonderful Chinese meal. I almost hurt myself eating it was so good. We always enjoy our time with them and were sad to see time slip by so quickly. We enjoyed watching some Chinese New Year festivities. I was amazed to watch their culture and the beauty in it. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own culture that we can't see past our own noses. The Lord is constantly teaching me to learn to appreciate others and other cultures because He made us all! The beauty of their traditional dress and the way they performed certain dances and musical numbers was really neat to watch. I would love to go to China some day to visit. Of course, I would love to go SO many places around the world. My students laugh at me when I tell them about a new place and say I'd love to go there. They always say back to me "You want to go EVERY WHERE!"... I think they are right. If I had the money to go wherever I would like, I would be gone quite a bit. Talk about taking pictures.... lol

Well, it is late so I better get off. I have to clean this house in the morning and get ready for the "shoot" with the 6 month old tomorrow afternoon. Steve is watching the Golf channel so I guess I'll join him and fall asleep on the couch. hee hee

Have a wonderful day and try to find something new to capture with your eyes. Thank the Lord for the ability to see. (even if you are like me and can't see a thing without your glasses or contacts... lol)

02/21/08

It is amazing how a week can be "short" but feel long. lol It has been quite a hectic few days and tomorrow we have just a half day of school. We are also supposed to possibly get some frozen precipitation around here, but I will believe it when I see it. lol

Here is a picture of the necklace Steve got me for Valentine's. Not the greatest picture because my lens will only allow me to get only so close, but you get the point. There are little diamonds in the center silver area. I love it. :)

I am quite saddened that trees near the lake near our house are coming down. More had been taken down today. It seems they are wanting the bridge over Lake Wheeler to be less curvy so they are going to straighten it when they build a new one. Don't know why... I think it adds character but they didn't ask me. Instead, they are tearing up more of what I have always known. :Sigh: I keep having a lot of those moments of sadness lately, don't I?

Today I taught my students how Colonial people would have written with feather and ink. All they did was write their name on a piece of cardstock but it showed them it was not as easy as it looked! Either there would be too much ink or not enough. The kids loved it, though, and so did I. I am so thankful the Lord gives me these ideas to make learning more fun.

I had a thought after I was watching the kids. I decided to come home and photograph these feathers. We had originally used them last fall with painting something (the way people would have done long ago) and then we washed them and saved them for what I showed them today. I had to cut the tips of the feathers to make the pen area. I was actually surprised they worked. lol Anyway, I took some pictures and these are a few. The colors of the feathers were so pretty and cheerful. I have a few others but haven't had time to check out the pics. They are not as crisp/sharp as I would like but partly because my natural light was fading and I had to hold the shutter open a bit longer so I probably had some camera shake. Oh well... it happens. I hope you enjoy those pics. The one of the ends in the vase just show all of the ink on the tips. I thought that was kind of neat.

Speaking of photography, I get to photograph a 6 month old this weekend. It is the "last one" I have for a while. I am looking forward to it and hope everything goes smoothly. I don't need anymore issues with my camera like I had last weekend. lol

Oh, by the way, many of you that commented on my last post about me saying I am now a "city girl"... well, I realize you all who know me know that I am as country sounding as the day is long. I am still a country girl at heart, that is for sure. I guess what I meant by that is by all appearances I LOOK like a "city girl" now. My heart will always be in the country. Does that clarify that? lol

And another thing... sorry about the cheeseburger pictures, Morgan. hee hee... I couldn't resist allowing y'all to SEE them. Truly, though, the pictures don't do them justice and if you have to lick the computer screen to enjoy the moment, then so be it. I have done goofier things as you all know. :) I wish I could have sent all of you one. LOL

I think I have found the "perfect" coffee taste now. I have been working on perfecting my coffee, you know, since we got the percolator. Well, the last couple of nights we have had it the coffee has been awesome. :) I can't wait to have some more in a few minutes... along with some dark chocolate, of course.

Well, it seems those papers in my bag aren't getting graded with me typing. I am not sure if all will get graded tonight or if some will have to wait until the morning when I get to school. lol

Enjoy your evening. Think of me as I am grading those papers... :)

02/18/08

Today was a day off from school and it was wonderful. I have needed a day to "chill." I was planning on scrapbooking all day but my Daddy changed those plans and wanted us to go have lunch at the stockyards about an hour or so away. click on today's photos to make them larger... some aren't the greatest but you can't do a photo shoot in a stockyard. lol

When I was a little girl we used to take cows to sell up there on Friday's. It was always a treat to go there because we got to go inside and see the cows that were bei ng sold as well as eat their famous cheeseburgers. I just can't describe to you how awesome these cheeseburgers were... and still are today. We began taking the kiddos up there when they were old enough to walk around and understand where we were... maybe around 3 years old. We began talking about it ye sterday and apparently Wesley brought it up again last night while they were eating supper. Daddy thought he'd surprise us all today and we'd go have lunch. :) We had to pick him up from a haul and we headed to Siler City, NC. Boy... that is a wonderful place to visit because it brings back a lot of c hildhood memories.

The place isn't much to look at... in fact, I think it has pretty much stayed the same in the 30 years or so that I have remembered going up there. Now, everything AROUND it has changed, but the building and all outside areas look the same. We got there and the kids were surprised because we didn't tell them until we were almost there. When we got out it smelled like a farm, if you can imagine, and Wesley got out and said "That smells GOOD!" We have a little farmer... We went inside and I took my camera a long as you can already see. I am sure those country/ farm folks were wondering what a "city girl" was doing there with a high falutin' camera. lol It is a shame but I guess I have turned into a city girl... the country is no where near me anymore.

We ordered our cheeseburgers and couldn't wait to sink our teeth into them. They are just as good now as they were when I was a kid. You may laugh at the pictures of them. lol I couldn't help myself. This day will definitely go in the scrapbook even though we've been there many times. I felt the need to capture the cheeseburger on this visit!! I finished off what the kids didn't finish of theirs... couldn't waste them. lol I know it wasn't the healthiest thing, but if this will give my children a sweet memory like it gives for me... then that is all that matters.

After we ate we went up to the boardwalk area. That is where we are in the first picture above... the kids were walking with my Daddy as he was looking at the cows below to be sold. I used to be so scared up there, especially around the "mean bull" pens. I was always afraid I would fall in on top of them. lol Wesley and Mikayla don't seem to be scared at all. Wesley was loving every minute of watching the cows. I told Daddy I wondered if we should get him a calf to raise to learn how to take care of a larger animal. He thought that would be a great idea in a year or so. Wesley has talked so much about being a farmer lately that I want him to experience some of it. We'll see what happens.

Before we left we went into the area where they actually sell the cows. I always love to go in there to watch the farmers bid. I love to watch them as they make their decisions about which cows to buy.

The people that were there today are not people you would see around Raleigh. They were simple folk who love farming. There were young guys in there who looked like "good ole boys" and you could tell they were hunters and fisherman. Simple things in life but yet still hard working. I felt out of place today. I used to be one of them. I find that quite saddening on my part.

The whole process of what we went to see today is becoming something we don't see much anymore. Everything I knew and loved growing up as a child is changing fast. It makes me sad. I want to hold on to it as long as I can. Steve and I were talking the other day about how things have changed so much around here in the last ten years. We can only imagine how things will be in the next ten years for our kids. I know I have said this many times on my blog, but I hate "progress" as they like to call it. I long for simple days where we are not so much in a hurry but we still work hard. Where we can labor without feeling the stress of life... to know you have put in a hard days work without having to watch the clock to make sure you are not "going over time." I say a lot that I should have been born in the 1800's. lol My brother doesn't think I would handle that very well, but if it was all I knew I would do just fine. The world is so competitive now that you "HAVE" to do this and that in order to succeed. I know plenty of smart men and women who didn't have to deal with all of that. Society doesn't see it that way, though.

Well, off my soap box. I didn't realize I would get so sentimental with this today. I had so much scrapbooking I wanted to accomplish today but making a memory with my family was much more important. I still have that scrapbooking waiting, but today I have more to put in it. :) Today is what life is all about.... the simple pleasures.

Enjoy your evening and go find a simple pleasure of life.

02/17/08

Sorry it has been so long..... it has been some crazy days recently!!

This past week at school with Valentine's it was a bit wild. I was thankful when the week ended because I was just plain tired. lol

Valentine's Day was nice. I have posted pictures today of my bulletin board at school. I know I had promised to do that earlier but kept forgetting to take my camera to school! I did so on Thursday so that I could take pictures of Wesley and Mikayla at their Valentine party. Well, I totally forgot to go down there because my class' party was at the same time and I didn't realize all of that until it was over. Just call me "Mom of the Year"... I did manage to take these pictures of 200 languages that say "I love you" or some form of it. Did you know there are over 6,000 languages in the world? Many are still unwritten, too. I don't know how to pronounce all of these but I do know some of them. Of course, I am sure if the people who actually speak those languages heard me pronounce them, they would laugh. I am from the "south" of whatever language I am trying to say at the moment. South of France, South of China, South of the Navajo Nation, etc... lol

The thing that is most important is the fact that without God none of these languages would be here... nor would LOVE even be here. God is the reason that love makes the world go around. HIS love is what holds us and carries us through each day. I am reminded of that every year that I put up this bulletin board. It always puts me in awe of such a great God that we serve who loves us ALL. It doesn't matter where you are from or what you have done, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for ALL people. That is what love is all about.

Steve and I didn't get to spend much of Valentine's Day together. By the time he got home from work I was taking a short snooze on the couch because I was going to a play with my brother that night. I hated that the play was on Valentine's Day but they didn't ask me when making the schedule!! Steve gave me a heart necklace (I will show that on another post... too many pictures of other things today...) and I gave him a new golf shirt. I surprised him that morning by having it out for him before work. Normally we wait till after school. The kids got their traditional balloons, stickers, and some chocolate covered strawberries similar to the ones my friend sent me a couple of weeks ago. They have been enjoying them slowly which is good. :) We went out to eat with my parents for Valentine's Day on Friday night. All in all it was a great time to celebrate with those you love.

On Friday morning I looked out and saw a beautiful sunrise. I knew now was the chance to take to try to get a picture over the lake... should have thought more on that. lol I grabbed my camera and told the kids to brace themselves for cold wind as I was putting down the window. No one was behind me or coming towards me so I slowed down to a stop on the bridge (yes, it was at 6:30 in the morning...) and had my camera in one hand and the steering wheel in the other. Comical is putting it mildly. I tried to get in a decent spot only to realize in my haste that I was right in front of the area where briars and other vegetation, which was now bare of any leaves, was in my way of the picturesque view I was trying to capture. I figured I could work around it... NOT SO. Then, after I had taken a couple of shots, both of which were not so great, Mikayla says that a car is coming so I had to get a move on... while the camera is still taking shots. Let's just say I didn't get anything of value but these pictures do make me laugh. At least you can see how pretty the colors of the sunrise were that morning. I'll try again another day, I hope... Just not in my vehicle and trying to drive at the same time. lol

On Friday afternoon I had to take Wesley to the doctor. He has had a cold for over a week and his cough was getting deeper and not better. I was concerned about bronchitis. He has seemed fine and no fever, but I thought it best to get it checked out. We saw one of our favorite doctors and he agreed something was going on in there but recommended we wait a few more days before filling the prescription for the antibiotic because a lot of these bronchitis' in children are viral. He was being silly with Wesley and rubbed the prescription paper on Wesley's head and said "See, now I healed ya!" Well, Wesley said in a quiet voice "Only Jesus can heal..." The doctor asked him what he had said and so Wesley repeated it. I was so proud of Wesley being that light for Jesus and showing his faith in the Great Physician. Well, the doctor fully agreed with Wesley and said that a lot of doctor's don't think that way. I just backed up Wesley's little powerful statement with the fact that it is GOD Who gives the doctors the wisdom to know how to help us and treat us and for that I am thankful. The doctor agreed wholeheartedly. It was nice to see and be a part of on that Friday afternoon after a long week. God can use children in a mighty way....

On Saturday we worked on cleaning the house. I got the idea that Steve and I needed a "date" since we didn't get to spend much time together on Valentine's Day. I had wanted to take some pictures of just him and me to "update" us so I had this brilliant (yet again) plan to go to a local park, set up my tripod and get some shots of us. You may think that would be easy... well, it wasn't exactly. lol We got all the way to the park (thankfully, it wasn't far from our house) and I realized I had forgotten the piece that attaches the camera to the tripod! I was not very happy about that. We had to go all of the way back home. Steve was so sweet about it. Then, we get there and I know we are looking a bit "geekish" as I am trying to set up this tripod to take pictures of US and not nature as others were doing. There were hikers, runners, walkers, etc.. there and we were the only ones on the trails having a photo shoot. The first shots were alright but we decided to go deeper into the park area (we went to Hemlock Bluffs for those of you who know our area). We kept getting some interesting looks but by this point we didn't care. It was actually kind of fun traipsing through the forest with my sweet man. He was trying to come up with neat backdrops for our photos. He would help me set everything up as well. We came to a neat bridge that led to a path. Steve came up with the idea of us holding hands and walking away from the camera. I thought that was so sweet of him to come up with that idea. I decided we'd do it. He helped me, once again, with the tripod. We thought everything was secure but THOUGHT is the key word here. I set the shot and leave to go grab Steve's hand when all of a sudden we hear this "Crash, THUD!"... we turned around to see my camera, flash, tripod... ALL of it had fallen off the bridge!!!! Thank the Lord it fell into a bed of leaves, but still... I wanted to CRY. Steve told me later he wanted so badly to laugh but knew I was about to cry so he decided against the laughter part. The only part that was messed up was the base of my flash. It still works but I know it won't handle very well forever like that. It made me quite mad but I am thankful it wasn't my lens or the camera body. I really would have gone to the crying room then. This leaf shot was what the camera still took as it was on the ground. (That was kind of funny...after I had calmed down a bit.) We still got some looks, but we also got a few pictures of us that I have updated in my sidebar section. :)

We were able to laugh about it later as the day went on. Steve felt so badly for me he took me out for a late lunch/early supper. We then headed to the mall and bought a few things before heading back home. It was just nice to spend the day with Steve. We don't get to do that very often anymore with how busy things get as well as things going on with the kids.

This afternoon we watched the Daytona 500. I never knew much about racing before meeting Steve (our first date will be 17 years ago this week!). Now, I enjoy watching a race with him but I never fully can handle ALL of the race. I like the beginning and the end. lol I fell asleep during the middle today and woke up with around 47 laps to go. That was perfect to watch. We are Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans so we were cheering him on. He did well today but not well enough to win the race his father had finally won 10 years ago. That is hard to believe it has been a decade since that historical win for Dale, Sr. Anyway, I was bummed for our guy, but glad for Ryan Newman... he broke a non-winning streak, too, and won his first 500. Steve doesn't care much for Ryan Newman, but, as with any sports, I don't know enough about most of these guys to have an opinion so I just get happy if someone hasn't won something in a while. lol I do think Dale, Jr. will have a much better year. He already seems happier and quite content. I wish him the best...

Well, I have rambled enough for one night. I have the day off from school tomorrow as it was supposed to be a weather make-up day but you all know we haven't had anything to worry about making up!! I am off to go spend some more time with Steve as he watches re-caps of today's race on the SPEED Channel. lol The kids wanted to spend the night at my Mom and Dad's since they didn't have school tomorrow. I miss them.

Have a good one and I hope you had a few laughs with my mishaps this past weekend. lol :)

02/12/08

This picture today is of some flowers from my Moms house. She had gotten a bouquet of flowers from her friend and I thought they were pretty so I decided to take a few photos. I'll show more of them later... I took a few angles. lol

I tried to get different points of view of the pistil on the lily. That is why I chose this one for today. The others I have show the lily like we normally see it. If you click on it, you should be able to see the liquid on the top of it. This was the only lily of the bouquet that was doing that.

No "doughnuts" last night, thank the Lord. Steve worked on that alarm for quite a while last night. He even had his stuff by the door in case he heard it. Many of the comments I got were that we should put up those things that make a tire go flat... or nails in a board. Believe me, we thought about that. When Steve asked the sherriff they said we would be liable for the person's tires as well as any medical bills if that person got hurt while destroying our property. Is that dumb or what? Wish we could... Steve even asked the sherriff last night if he could go put his truck at the end of the driveway to cause the person not to be able to get out if he tried it again. They said that would not be a good choice. SO, we will just sit idly by and see what happens next. Steve is researching a BIG light to put in the front yard. We'll see what happens with that.

We were working with the kids on money tonight. Now I know how my dad felt when I was their age and had NO clue as to how to count money. I hope this doesn't mean they have my math brain. lol They will get it when it clicks... I know that... but it is frustrating when you are trying to teach it. Plus, we as a society do not use money like we used to because it is all through debit/credit cards or transfers and such. Kids don't see money being used like even I did. I find more and more kids have trouble with that concept.

I must go read to the kids before they go to bed. I have already graded all papers... did that as soon as I got home. I am planning on crashing in a few... I am LOVING our new couch and the left side recliner area (if you are looking at it) has become my new favorite spot. Steve and I both passed out on each side of the couch last night and had to wake ourselves up to actually go to bed. The kids love getting cozy with me while I read on it, too. I was missing the memories I made with my kiddos on the other couch, but I am enjoying the new one and enjoying the new memories being made. I am so sentimental it is pathetic, huh? lol

Have a great evening....

02/11/08

Isn't this nice? It seems our "doughnut bandit" that drives around in circles around our yard is back. He hasn't been in a year or so and we thought the problem had been solved. We guess not now... I took these pictures this afternoon. Steve noticed it when he left this morning because of the nice burned tire mark on our driveway. I, of course, didn't notice a thing because it was dark and I was focused on getting to school. Apparently, the culprit began at the lower end of our driveway near the road and came up, did some loops around trees and then tore a good one around one of the trees (just look at all of the pics..) and then decided to burn rubber as he departed. Steve said he believes this is a different vehicle than last time, though, because the tires are bigger. Isn't that nice? I am sure Steve will not sleep very much tonight. I shot different angles to show where all he went. The last picture isn't as clear for the tracks because the sun was in my eyes, but at least you can see how big our front yard is to know why he would think it was a great place to be... yeah, right.

For those of you just beginning to read my blog, you may not know that we had this problem almost 2 years ago. The guy came to our house two times in a few weeks and did this mess. The second time we had gotten our driveway alarm and Steve heard him. Actually, he SAW the lights of the car coming toward our dining room window. That is how close he was! Well, Steve jumps out of bed, grabs his keys and gets into the van to chase the guy. Chase is exactly what he did.. the guy was going over 100 Steve guessed when he pulled out of the driveway! Steve chased him up the road but lost him. We had the sheriff come out and everything but they couldn't really do anything. The problem is, we can't really do anything to protect our property either, because we would be liable if the person got hurt. How ridiculous is that? It is alright for him to come in and destroy our yard but we can't do anything to stop it. Geesh. Please pray this guy comes to his senses and stops this mess. Mikayla's room is at the front of the house and if he lost control while doing his destruction, he could very easily come through the house. Especially since he has been really close to the house before.

Steve has called the power company to come out and give us an estimate on an overhead light from the light pole. Our area is REALLY dark at night so I am sure that causes our "friend" to think he won't get caught.

I had all of my students back in class today which was good. I felt like I was able to accomplish much today.

Wesley got himself a "JOY" ticket at school today. He was SO tickled with himself and I was quite proud of him. Mikayla has gotten a lot more of those than he has simply because of his focus issues. He is working so hard and his little "FROG" thing I worked with him on last week. I made this up (actually, I know the Lord gave it to me because I would have never thought of it!) Anyway, F is for FOCUS, R is for Re-check, O is for Organize, and G is for GO turn in your work! I made him a "frog" folder and put those letters and explanation on his desk at school to help him. He is just so visual that he needs those types of cues. He seems to have done somewhat better and we keep asking him, "Did you 'frog' it today?" He loves frogs because they are "John Deere green" so that was a plus. I thank the Lord for giving me insight into what I needed to do to help him when I didn't think I could figure out another thing.

Well, I need to get off of here. Steve is working on the driveway alarm and I need to finish up homework with the kids before I read to them and they go to bed. And, of course, I have the joy of grading those papers, too. :)

Have a good evening and if you want a doughnut, don't come to my yard to get it!! lol

02/10/08

Goodness! Sorry it has taken me four days. I didn't realize I hadn't posted in that long.

We got our couch this past Friday! I am amazed at how the room looks totally different. The first picture is the only one I could find of the whole old couch on this computer. lol This was taken on Wesley and Mikayla's first day of school this past August. I wanted to take some before and after shots but Steve got rid of the old and put in the new before I got home from school. Silly man... doesn't he know by now I have to document everything by a photograph? lol Anyway, the new couch is a lot bigger!!! It is the same length but let's just say there is a lot more support in this couch... lol I now know why our old couch didn't look so great. The second picture shows the new couch after I got home Friday.

When we put the new couch in I began to look around the room and realize nothing had changed, really, in eleven years since we built this house. The new couch brought out the fact that one of the lamps was one I had in highschool... does that tell you how often I DO NOT change things? Well, I became inspired and decided it was time to shove out some old and bring in some new. Now, don't get me wrong, you all know I am quite content with what the Lord has blessed me so I didn't want to be discontent, but if you saw the whole picture after we got the new couch... worn out rugs, holes in the rug by the fireplace where some cinders escaped before we had the wood stove, cracks in shades of our lamps where the kids accidentally hit them or Steve was trying to attack a moth... those kinds of things. (Yes, Steve was trying to kill a moth with a dish cloth and kept hitting my lamp shade not realizing he was creating a whole new pattern in the underside of the shade... lol) I was going to get new shades soon, but I began to think about the whole picture and realized it needed a bit updating. lol

My Mom and I went shopping yesterday. I had the BEST time and I was actually spending money, which is NOT easy for me to do. I was thankful I had set some money aside for needs that may arise and this was one such time. It was something I haven't done in years... go out and buy new things for the house. I am always so cautious about it that I always put stuff back. I went in with a purpose this time, though, and got some great deals in the process. When we got home, Steve helped me put the floor lamp together and get the table lamps set up while I worked on the throw pillows and new accent rugs. I COULD NOT believe how differently our room felt and how much more inviting and cozy it was. I was so excited. Our best friends came over last night and they loved the reclining couch. It was awesome to have people feel comfortable and at "home." That is our desire when anyone comes. Again, I wish I had taken before and after shots but it just didn't happen. Just envision what I wrote above. lol At least you get the "after" shot with Ashes enjoying the rays of sunshine creeping in from the window.

On a funny note, the house was disastrous when all of this began on Friday. I had not had a chance to clean in two weeks and it was on my last nerve. I knew I was going to attack it on Saturday. Steve brings the couch in while I was at school Friday. Normally, guys don't necessarily worry about what a house looks like (unless they are like Wesley!!) but this guy did. He told Steve he knew I was not going to be happy that he saw our house look like this. lol I was "mortified" to find out he saw it look so terrible. If he could just see it now!! Yesterday, I worked all morning to clean this house. It was a mountain to climb but I put on my hiking boots and got to it. It felt good to throw away some stuff and get other things in their rightful place. During the week it is so crazy I don't always have the energy. Wesley was SO happy when the house was put back in order... especially with the "new look" in the den. He kept walking around yesterday and this morning commenting on how great and NEAT everything looked. lol He is such an OCD cleaner. (For which I am thankful because Mikayla hasn't quite reached that yet.... lol)

Mom's birthday was this past Thursday. We took her out to eat Friday night to a place called "JK's." Let's just say that for what you have to pay for the food there, the service was not great... It was the oddest experience we have ever had in a restaurant. I believe it is safe to say we won't be going there again... I hated that for Mom for her birthday but there was no way of knowing how it would be. Daddy was really disappointed because he picked it.

We went back to their house and Mom 'opened' her presents. All of them were paper! LOL I gave her a picture of the shoes I have been trying to buy her for 3 months. Those things are selling like "hot cakes." Eventually, I'll get to order them! Then, my brother gave Mom a paper describing our "Family Birthday trip" for the year!! We are so excited to be going "west" this year... to the mountains of NC and Tennessee. We will go to Pigeon Forge and Dollywood, get to ride horses and pan for "gems", go white water rafting (I will go, I guess, even though that thought scares me... Mom will be watching from the bank as she does NO water at all. lol), see Unto These Hills and Horn in the West (outdoor dramas), and go to the Biltmore!!!! I am beyond excited at the photography possibilities!! We'll go in the middle of June. It will be wonderful.

As I have stated before in earlier posts this month, I have been dealing with some "valleys" in life this past month. We all know we go through them and when we do it seems to consume us at times. This past month was a time when the "valley" consumed me and I hit my breaking point last Wednesday. It is amazing how the Lord puts people or written words in your path to teach you and help you through those hard times. One of my fellow teachers at school gave me some words she heard from a pastor the other morning. She has no idea what I have been facing, most people don't because it is no need to air your worries to the whole world, but the Lord knew and He knew I needed what she said. In essence, she said to keep on thanking God when something looks very hard and you see no hope in it. God is working in you to be thankful so you can be used in a might way. When she said that I felt like it was just for ME. Sometimes we get so bogged down by the trials we can't see things for which we should be thankful. I began to work on that as the day progressed and things seemed much better. God is so good to know what I am going through... a little person in this vast universe He has created... and to know exactly what I needed to get me through the "valley."

I have still had a lot of sickness in my class. I had 4-7 out most days this past week... again. Friday was the day I had 7 out. I had a parent come in and deep clean my room and I was greatly appreciative of her doing that. I am praying this stuff goes away soon. It has been very challenging trying to teach with so many out. The weather probably hasn't helped much.. instead of cold to get rid of some of the germs, we have days that are 70 degrees one day and 40 degrees the next. Crazy stuff here in NC!

Today it has been terribly windy. I just finished reading The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the kiddos and this wind today reminded me of that book. I can't remember the wind howls of Hurricane Fran from 1996 anymore, but today comes close to jogging my memory! I tried to take a bit of a nap this afternoon and it wasn't a restful one as the wind was shaking the doors! It did make me think of how Laura and her family must have felt that long winter and to deal with blizzards on top of it. It also made me thankful for the fact that I have such a nice home and I am protected from the storm. Kind of like how God is our refuge in a time of storm...

It will be time to start another week tomorrow. Speaking of that, I just got in contact with a highschool friend recently and she has also started blogging. Her first blog talked about how God's mercies are new every morning and how we can start over each day. It was something I needed to read and made me thankful God loves me enough each day to "start over" and get me moving upward while keeping my eyes on Him. He is so faithful.

Well, enough said today! Had to catch you up on the latest and greatest in our lives. lol I need to go read to the kiddos and get them to bed. May you go lie on your couch and have restful slumber. :)

02/06/08

Yes, this is a coffee mug. lol I should have filled it with coffee when I was taking the picture to make it look differently. I may try that another day. This is my "china" we got for our wedding. Hard to believe it is almost 15 years old. As I photographed this mug, I saw the recesses in the body of the mug that I have NEVER noticed were there!! I always concentrated on the decorative "ring" around the top. It is amazing what you continue to learn about stuff you have had for years.

I haven't been able to photograph "stuff" in a few days and I have missed that. I did those few things at Mom's the other day, which I have yet to upload, but things have been so hectic around here. I had a thought of another one today that I'll try out tomorrow or something.

I am just plain tired today. It was like by the end of the day my body "stopped" and I realized how exhausted I was. I was pretty fine throughout the day so it kind of hit me like a wall. I have so much I NEED to do but don't have the energy to do it. lol I will get it all done, I know, but I may need a quick power nap. I won't be any good at church tonight if I don't.

Our couch should be here by the end of the week!! I am excited about that... I truly just hope it doesn't blend in with our walls. lol We'll see, huh?

It has been hot today... and windy. A cold front is coming in tonight and we may get some bad storms. We'll see how it goes. I know it was to be 78 today and on Sunday be no higher than 42. lol Such is life in the winter in NC.

I taught about the heart and lungs today at school. I read today that our heart pumps 90 gallons of blood a day.... WOW is all I could muster. I truly am loving teaching all of these things because then I learn something, too. lol Even though I teach a lot of the same things every year, I still learn something new. Did you know you get a wrinkle in your brain everytime you learn something new? :) I know I have lots more wrinkles to "earn." (I tell my students that in order to "learn it" you have to "earn it"... think for themselves.... not everything is handed to them on a silver platter. lol) Just because we are adults does not mean we know it all. In fact, I find I feel more "dumb" than I did right out of college. (Of course, we know EVERYTHING when we leave college... LOL!)

I think I am going to go crash before I have to grade papers, fix something for supper really quickly, put clothes in the dryer, wash more clothes and get ready for church. The couch is calling me... typing that just wore me out. ha!!!

Have a great evening. Go get a mug and actually put coffee or hot chocolate or something in it. lol

02/05/08

Yet another bird picture. This is the last one, actually, from the other week. I managed to photograph a few birds and such at Mom's on Sunday. I hadn't had time to upload them yet, though. I like this one simply because of the depth of field in front and behind the bird. It is a house finch. :)

Had another busy day today.

On Saturday, my brother helped me put up almost 200 languages that say "I love you" or some form of it. I always love that bulletin board and am amazed each year at how quickly it comes around. I don't claim to know all of the languages, but I sortof know a few. The students really enjoy it. I challenge them to find ones that are similar and try to write those in different scripts and lettering. I'll have to take a picture of it to show. I put the words "God's love makes the world go around" as the title. That is such a true statement. Without God, we would have no love and without Him we wouldn't be here. He is such a loving Father and I can't comprehend how much He loves me that He would send His Son to die for me. His patience and mercy are new every day. I am so thankful He loves me that much.

We are getting our taxes done tonight. I'll be glad to have that taken care of and done for the year. I always worry I am forgetting something. lol

The other day I saw a BEAUTIFUL sortof sunrise over a lake near my house. It wasn't fully sunny but it was just coming up. The water was so still it looked like glass. Too bad I was on my way to school. I really would love to do that some day but people might run over me standing on the side of that bridge at 6:30 in the morning. lol

We mailed off our "Flat Stanley's" yesterday. I am looking forward to finding out their adventures. lol

Well... better go meet Steve to do those taxes. Have a wonderful evening and tell someone you know you love them and remember how much God loves YOU.

02/04/08

I am quite irritated right now as I typed out a lengthy post and my computer went on the fritz. I lost ALL that I had written earlier and do not have time to go back and type it all out again. Just know things have been crazy around here and I am frustrated with my computer and the fact that I now have to buy another one! The apple pics are ones I took a couple of weeks ago. I would go into more detail on them, but that was in my DELETED post. The picture of the baby is from my shoot on Saturday. It went pretty well. She was a cutie.

Hopefully, this computer will be thrown out of the window soon and I will be able to work without dealing with "not responding" messages or other mess. Sorry for the frustration coming out in my post....

Maybe I'll go make coffee. I need to go grade all my papers I brought home so I'll close. Hope everyone else's computers are doing what they should!!!!!!!!!!!