Too, too long!!!

It's been too, too long since I've posted, and my oldest dear daughter recently reminded me of this. Let's see - where do I start??? Do I go back and talk about Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years???? Very special times, especially 'cause my Philly-living girl came home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many good times with family! We hosted the Homeschool Christmas dinner - I think there were about 50 or so folks in attendance. We also had our Sunday school class over after Christmas (not quite as many, but still a good time!).

Super Bowl party at the Sartain's house! I'm thinking there were about 80 or so students and various adults in attendance. We had four TV's going and lots of great food.

We just returned from a trip to Kentucky and a combined visiting relatives/field trip/reunion with classmates kind of jammed-packed four days. We first went to Columbus-Belmont State Park in Kentucky; where the Confederates thought to out-smart the Yankees by stretching a huge chain and anchor across the Mississippi to keep them out of the deep South. Didn't work & the rest, as they say, is history! Got some great pictures and learned a lot. The museum is closed during the week, but I called and they opened up especially for our "school" group!
Susan and Lillian, Larry's aunts and our favorite traveling companions, went with us. They were amazed that we saw four major rivers - the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Tennessee and the Cumberland. We spent the better part of Friday with relatives - my favorite cousin Doris and my aunt, uncle and cousins in Dycusburg. We went by the farm where Doris and my father were raised, and by the farm where Mother lived as well. Visited Mother's grave and other relatives at the cemetary there. We went to "old" Kuttawa and I tried to remember where some of the buildings had been before they flooded the town in 1966 to form Barkley Lake. Had a wonderful visit with my aunt, uncle and 3 of their kids (and some grandkids & great-grandkids). I hadn't seen them in several years and it was good to catch up.

We drove around Paducah and saw Nobel Park, my old house where I lived for 20 years on Oaks Road, saw my high school, my old church and toured Paducah. I had forgotten how pretty it is with all the dogwood and redbud trees in bloom. We went to Metropolis, Illinois - the home of Superman! Quaint old river town. Then toured Fort Massac State Park where a reproduction of the Revolutionary War fort has been constructed. Lillian managed to get in a little antiquing in Paducah. The downtown has been partially restored and there are neat shops, galleries and cafes up and down Broadway. The floodwall has been beautifully painted with murals depicting Paducah's history - from the Indians through the building of the nuclear plant and the atomic age. We finally found the statue of Chief Paduke (I think he sold Paducah to the Clark boys for about $5).

Best of all, we were able to eat Fiesta Burgers at Bob's Drive-In! Yum!!! If you've ever had one, you won't forget it! I'm craving one right now!!!

One of the highlights of the trip for me was a dinner planned by my old friend (not that she's old - we've just known each other since 1st grade) Debi Walker Crouch. She managed to get together about 7 of us at Logan's Steakhouse. David Forbis came and brought his lovely wife, Nancy LaRue was there, Minnie Duncan, Debi, Donna Ramage, and Twyla McGuins! Our high school choir teacher, Donna Green Seltzer, was able to drop by. We had a great time talking about old times and hoping for a class reunion. We laughed, guffawed and just had a wonderful time. My throat was sore we talked so much. I think the others did most of the talking and I mainly listened. (ha)

I'll try to do better in keeping this up. I know I left out lots of stuff, but keep watching; I'll do better. Baseball season has started, so look for some baseball pictures!!

I've been hacked!

Hey mom - its jess and i hacked your blog! (haha)

Just wanted to say happy birthday!!!!

Where did the summer go?

I hate the early school starting dates. Funny thing is, we homeschool, so we don't adhere to the "school calendar"....but inevitably find ourselves impacted by it at church, in traffic, shopping, etc. We don't have a huge need to buy school supplies right now, but if I don't buy while cheap - it will be 10X more expensive later (if you can find it)! Kickoff tonight at church for children's choir - it's only July 29th!! I remember that I NEVER went to school on my birthday (Aug 26th) until my freshman year in college. To this day, I have a tinge of regret that it's not a more widely recognized holiday. LOL We don't even close the pool until mid-late September. (somebody please tell me if I'm sounding like Andy Rooney)

Trips to the beach, camping, spent the last month agonizing over my oldest daughter's bicycle accident injuries (riding her bike in Philadelphia & hit by a car). Trying to keep a much-too-big house clean with 4 kids, 2 dogs and a cat chasing behind me, messing as they go. Grieving over a dog that had to be given away; wounded over a heart-breaking church situation.

BUT - seeing Stephen catch a fish all by himself. Watching Catherine swim lap after lap at swim team and slowly pull ahead of the others. The "ping" of the bat when Sam hits a ball; the snap of the glove when Larry catches a hard strike thrown by Sam. Observing a brown spider make her way up her web between the porch railing and roof line. Planting flowers; cross-stich; listening to Cat and Hannah laboriously practice their piano and then hear it all come together. Floating in the ocean, holding hands with my husband. Watching the Braves win......and lose. Cuddling with a fat, wriggling puppy. Gently cradling an elderly little dog, who gazes into my eyes, her dark expressive eyes emoting love, care, and devotion.

Preparing now for the school year with the same enthusiasm as always. Moving books to the right shelves, clearing out paper & junk on desks; deciding which furniture to move out or just rearrange. Figuring out how we'll juggle kindergarten, 3rd, 5th and 8th grades in the same room. God will help us through it, I know!

Spring in the Summer

Boy, that scientifically-verified global warming is about to get me down. low of 43 degrees tonight and a high of 69 tomorrow. Our pool is hovering at about 66 degrees, which is not warm enough to bask and not cold enough to enjoy slushies. The rain is a blessing, one I predict we'll be praying for in late August.

So many things going on with the kids. The Bookworm had a chorus recital and a band concert, so we are finished until August. Soccer is finished, so we only have two involved in sports - baseball for both boys. Scooter hits from both sides of the plate and has a good throwing arm. Of course, if you'd spent all your life throwing things at the DIVA for your own personal protection, your aim would good as well. The Children's group at church (the DIVA is a member) had a great spring production with lots of summer fun and songs. She enjoyed being in it.

The last weekend in April, we went on a wonderful camping trip with the Homschool group at church. Several families and lots (LOTS) of children. Kept busy all week end just being kids.

General fatigue and malaise has set in, I'm afraid. I need to exercise both my body and my mind. The new weenie dog, Daisy, has everyone on edge. Her name, "oopsy, daisy, doodle" give somewhat a clue as to what her bathroom habits are. First, she doodles, then it's an "oopsy" from me as well as the threat. It takes forever to housetrain a miniature daudhsand!

I'll try to add some photos soon. My tylenol is sinking in .................*snore**

2009? already????

Boy, have I been neglectful. We've had a busy, busy winter here. No snow, unfortunately..... sure do wish we'd get about 6 inches (settle down now - it would be gone in a day or two)!

Let's see - Thanksgiving. My dearest husband's favorite holiday; I think it has something to do with the fact that you don't have to decorate, buy gifts, or wear new clothing. Seriously, we have a lot to be thankful for........

We discovered in the fall that the baseball baron has a muscular problem with his eye muscles. (have I already posted about this? they say the memory is the first to go and I don't remember what the second thing is). They (his eyes) are weak and do not work together properly. He has tracking problems, focusing problems, and does not see spaces between letters or words. Fortunately, we have found a wonderful vision therapist in Marietta (about 1-1/2 hours away) that is working with him and doing a fantastic job. We want his reading to improve and he just wants to hit the baseball better! Hopefully, both goals will be achieved. Meanwhile, we have to drive there once a week until probably October or so. In conjunction with that therapy, he is also taking reading therapy which helps him to see the words better. That's in Clarkesville, a little town about 40 minutes from us ----- which leads us to another THANKFUL!

On December 22nd, we were involved in a head-on collision. Me and all 4 of the kiddos. Blessings upon blessings, no one was injured save for bumps, bruises (on me - very interesting shades of black, blue, yellow, purple and green) and a serious case of the jitters. I kept finding new bruises for several weeks.

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas - someone said "guess you'll have a lousy Christmas" after the wreck. On the contrary, were were so very blessed to be together and healthy - celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. After purchasing a replacement vehicle, we went ahead to Orlando to see our wonderful, beloved, talented, extraordinary BULLDAWGS play in their bowl game. We got to see the Citrus Bowl parade, spend some time with dear friends at their lovely home, and generally have a low-key trip. I'll have to add some photos of the trip.

The baseball dude has been playing basketball all this winter, and we've enjoyed the games immensely. He's playing in a tournament now, and the games will come to an end next week ---- just in time for BASEBALL season. Actually, baseball season never really ends around here. He is playing with a new travel team and they've been practicing twice a week all winter long.

But what's funny is that Scooter will be trying out soon for coach pitch baseball! He's so very small, but he's an absolute machine when it comes to hitting the baseball. He's already learning to switch hit (he's just 5!).

There's something about baseball. Carrying a chair in your car for months; having to take a cooler of gatorade and diet pepsi to every single game (and that means snacks for everyone, of course); the chill of the beginning of spring season and the end of fall season; the "ding" of the bat as it connects to the ball; cheering on the team until you're hoarse; watching the siblings play on the playground (go play, kid, so I can watch the game); seeing all the dogs and puppies at the ball field; the deep red of the Georgia clay on the baselines and pitcher's mound; the electric green grass on a bright summer's day. Baseball is everything that is good and right in this world. Plus, you play it on a diamond, so it can't be bad, right? But there I go again, chasing a rabbit.

Let's see - both boys start baseball within two weeks, the Diva will be gearing up for soccer soon, and the Bookworm has been taking dog obedience training classes for the black lab. Add in chorus for both, band for the bookworm (along with drum lessons), and we're always pretty busy. Oh - and we manage to fit in some pretty rigorous school work, too.

Believe it or not, we've added a new member to the family. Oh, no, you scream! Not another baby, please say it ain't so......! Well, this is a four legged baby. Black with red trim. Another miniature dachshund. She's our little Daisy, and it's amazing how a 1.8 pound creature can disrupt an entire household! But just like a human baby, she's so adorable and cute that you overlook the mess.

Are we caught up yet? I'll scoot back soon to add some pictures to this rambling mess of a post. Sometimes I feel like we're sitting on the porch, having a long conversation over a tall glass of sweet iced tea. Come to think of it, just come on over and I'll pour you a glass, too!

Catching up......!

Yes, it's been a long time. Too long, I've been told! I'm not even sure where to begin.

We visited Myrtle Beach, SC over the Labor Day weekend. Our trip was intended to go there to attend a Myrtle Beach Pelicans minor league baseball game. Jon Mark Owings of Gainesville, GA is on their team and plays outfield. The Owings family are great folks, and we wanted to go to give Jon Mark some support. We enjoyed the game but we weren't too impressed with Myrtle Beach. I guess we've been spoiled by Destin! Plus, it was just too stinkin' hot!

Let's see -- what next? Things have been so very busy around here. I had been hoping to get back into the church choir and help with the Christmas production, which is a very big deal in our very small town! It's been called the "Biggest Little Christmas Production" in North Georgia. You can go to www.concordministries.net to learn more about it. Anyway, things kept getting in the way, and I was so disappointed to have to send my regrets again this year. However, the Good Lord was looking out for me and my sanity. Sam has been diagnosed with a visual muscle problem and we are now driving to Marietta (2 hours there and 2 hours back) once a week for vision therapy, also twice a week for reading therapy. Truly I would have pulled my hair out if I had ONE MORE THING on my plate!! We are excited that the baseball baron can be helped, and grateful for a wonderful doctor who can help him.

Speaking of the baseball baron, he tried out and made a new travel baseball team, the Gainesville Braves. He is very excited about this and we are already involved in practices. They will really crank up after the first of the year and are planning to play in at least three tournaments.

During a lull in the action around here (ha!), I administered the Iowa test to my three star students. The bookworm (grade 7) scored on the 12.7 grade equivalency level, the baseball baron (grade 4) scored on the 8.2 level [even with his vision problems!] and the DIVA (grade 2) scored solidly in the 3rd grade level. So I was pleased ..... it never hurts to have a little affirmation that things are going well and we're traveling in the right direction. I was more nervous than the kids while waiting for the test results.

Following our ITBS testing, we managed to grab a few days in Destin in late October. We stayed at the beach house and dear hubby's parents came down for a couple of days as well. The bookworm has turned into quite the shutterbug and took some great photographs. She's entered several pictures from last year's Key West trip in the National Geographic Photography Contest for Kids. Let's hope she does well. Grand prize is a Nikon camera!

We're beginning to gear up around here for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cold weather, the winding down of football season for our beloved Bulldogs (only more more game ..... vs. Georgia Tech), shorter days --- all draw us to the conclusion that 2008 will soon be over. For the first time in her life, I won't be spending Christmas with Jessica. She will be staying in Philly with Josh over the holidays since he can't get off during that time. Very, very bittersweet for me and she will be sorely missed. I knew the day would come, but just not ready for it.

I'll be adding pictures to this rambling mess soon, and will probably do some pretty savage editing at that time. Til then, ta ta for now!

The DIVA has a rockin' birthday!

The Diva had a great birthday party. Luau theme - with hula hoops, flower bracelets and lots of bling! Swimming, pizza, chips & dip, loud Disney music on the CD player, and the airbrushed cake were enjoyed by all ....... but NOTHING compared to the limo ride! A dear friend who owns a limo service came by and picked us up to go get ice cream. What a sweet birthday gift for the Diva! Saucy little thing - she had suggested a limo ride for her birthday and then proceeded to remind the owner of "Simply Elegant" of the date of her birthday! She's not shy in the least ..... she's even been referred to as a "sassy girl" by a former fiance!

The girls' eyes were as big as saucers when they saw the limo pull up. I've never had a classier ride to the Dairy Spot, and the employees there were all tickled when they were invaded by squealing little girls (can anybody squeal like a 7 year old?).

Truly a birthday to remember. For all of us!