Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.-John Lennon

Today is school lunch Thanksgiving...yum, yum!! I'll go eat with Jake, not for the food, but for the love. One day, like maybe 7th grade, he will not ask me to come to eat Thanksgiving lunch with him and I will be sad, so TODAY, I am one happy Mama!!

Joe is taking off at noon today and we are going to Tulsa for the weekend. Maybe do a little Christmas shopping or maybe just walk around and enjoy not doing the weekend chores!! I'm excited!

Anna and Jake went to the high school last night to watch a play...The Three Musketeers. Anna said she didn't really understand it, but she was with her friends, so I think she had fun anyway.

Clarksville plays Shiloh Christian tonight in the playoffs!! GO PANTHERS!!

Well, gotta clean up a little. I hate to come home to a dirty house! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

Bye for now.

This is why I have a little boy....

On the ride home from school:

Jake: Mom, I wish you were in my class.

Me: Really?

Jake: Yeah, I'd for sure be going out with you.

Me:



Bye for now!

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
-author unknown

I visited my LSS (local scrapbook store) yesterday...just doing my part to support the economy! Actually I had a good reason for visiting. I'm going to start my 25 Days of Christmas album SOON. It is an project that I saw on Ali Edwards site a couple of weeks ago. The premise is that you finish the album before December 1 and each day of December (until the BIG DAY) you take a picture to document something, anything, that is important to you and your family. So actually during the month of December you just take a picture, print it out, and dress it up a touch. It will be a lot of fun for me, and I'm sure by Dec 22 or so the kids will be fairly understanding when the flash goes off again in their face for the millionth time!!!!

Here is Ali's album.

Anyway, I had to get some paper and such for MY project, hence the stop by Memories by Design to get my loot!! So here is what I'll be working with. Wish me luck! I'll post some pics when I get started.



I've been a little "scrappy" lately. I made some Thanksgiving cards for our family. They were really quick and easy, but I liked how they turned out. If you get one of these cards, family, ACT SURPRISED. Actually, I'm only sending out 10 or 15. We will send out about 80 cards for Christmas, so I'll have to get busy on that soon.


It is going to be a really busy day for me today. Joe's office is having their Thanksgiving Pot Luck Lunch, so he asked me to come. Anna has an orthodontist appointment in Russellville at 4:00, so we are dropping Jada off at the groomer at 3:00. Then after we get through at the orthodontist, we'll run by and pick Jada back up and be back in Clarksville for Anna to attend tumbling at 6:30. Then we'll grab something to eat, if Gran doesn't fix supper, and do homework somewhere in the chaos! I will miss this one day, I know. I wonder what I did before kids...what did I do with all my spare time...and sadly, what will I do with all that time when I get it back?

This is a picture of Joe's boys, David and Brandon, with their families. This was taken in Florida this past summer. I don't think I've ever posted a picture of all of them, so here it is.

Standing, from left to right... Tonia, Reecia, David, Brandon
Kneeling, from left to right...Klayton, Nick, Alexis, Katelynn

Klayton and Katelynn belong to Brandon and Tonia
Nick and Alexis belong to David and Reecia

I am amazed at how early Christmas seems to be starting each year. I have seen several Christmas trees up in homes. Our town has already decorated the streets. I never get our Christmas tree out until after Thanksgiving, so I'll probably get it out while Joe and the kids are at deer campnext weekend. That is the one time of year that the kids go away with him, without me. It's kind of a tradition and a good time for them to spend just with Daddy! Its good.

This is a picture Jake drew a couple of years ago. I have always loved it.

Speaking of that, the kids only have school next Monday and then they are out the rest of the week. If they get advanced or proficient on their ACCTAP/Benchmark tests from last year they get extra days off at Thanksgiving!! I think it is a good motivator for them. Not sure I ever got rewarded for doing good on standardized tests?!

Joe is taking off work Friday afternoon, so that we can do something fun this weekend. I think we are going shopping...maybe in Tulsa. Anna likes to shop at their mall, so we'll see. It will be good to leave the chores behind for a few days!!

Bye for now.

Football Sunday

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
- author unknown

This is Buck...our neighbor's dog.

Anna and Jake stayed at their Gran and Papa's last night, but Jake showed back up this am at around 8:15 (he had been up for over an hour). Why is it that you can't get your kids up Monday through Friday, but weekends and holidays, they are up with the sun?

We are not doing much today. Joe is going to smoke some meat on the smoker for supper and we're gonna watch a couple of football games. Be back tomorrow!!

I took this picture at the Tulsa Zoo a couple of years ago. Just thought I'd pass it on....love those eyes.

Bye for now.

Happy Saturday!

" Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul."
--- Douglas MacArthur

Kinda quiet here today. 45 degrees!! We had a high school playoff game last night....it was pretty chilly, but in the end, WE WON!!! Now we are off to play Shiloh Christian next week.

Anna spent the night with a friend and Jake is happy to play video games upstairs for a couple of hours. I know he is there because I hear him running 15 to 20 yards at a time and "juking" a few players now and then. He is in motion 100% of the time he plays x-box 360....come to think of it, with all his jumping and running...he probably could have invented the Wii. Oh well....

Joe is on call, so he is at the hospital. He has a newborn that hasn't pooped since birth, 2 days, so he is really concerned about that! He'll figure it out, he always does.

Here are a couple of pics my dad just sent me:

1969

2005

Thanks Dad! Love you both!!

That's it here. I'm still in my snuggly pjs and think I'll stay in them for a little longer. Gone to fill up my coffee cup and watch t.v. for a little while.

Bye for now!

To Blog or Not to Blog

Well, I've been discussing this with my loving parents and decided that even though I don't have much to say...I can just say Hello! See, the thing is, is that daily life has just not been that exciting around here. Its just been "life." I guess that is what I enjoy most about my life...its just not that exciting. I have been reading alot of blogs lately (all scrapbook related) and sometimes they may not be but 2 or 3 lines, but they are still blogging. So, today, I'll just say Hi! Here are a few pictures from the week.

A card for my cousin George

Jada

Jake studying

A project I have been working on by Jessica Sprague, called Stories in Hand


Jada waiting on Gran to GET UP and LET ME IN!!!

She sits outside of Gran and Papa's door every morning for about 45 minutes to an hour waiting patiently for them to open their blinds.

Bye for now!

11-0

I want to start by saying "Congratulations" to the 7th grade Clarksville Panther football team that finished with a record of 11-0 this year!!! I must say they have a pretty good team and I am so glad that Anna was able to cheer for them this year! Congratulations guys...YOU DID IT!!!

We have our last high school home football game tonight....it is suppose to get cold, so I hope they have the hot chocolate ready for me. We have a Chili dinner (fund raiser) before the game.

I got a call from my friend Tracy this morning and it really made my day. She is from Pine Bluff and she wanted to meet me in Little Rock at Holiday House, but I had already decided not to attend. I made a date with her for next year!!! I can't wait.

It has been just beautiful here for the past few weeks. The leaves are red, yellow, orange, green and brown...colors you only get to see this time of year. I have taken tons of pictures and plan to send some to our family and friends around the U.S.


My cousin, George, just moved back to Nashville and I made him a card yesterday. He is very special to me and I pray that he is happy. It is always more fun to make things for such special people. I love you George!! (Not sure if he ever reads my blog, but just in case!)

I don't know why I thought this picture was funny yesterday

I looked out my bedroom window and this is what I saw. I looked for what it was that they were looking at, but never saw anything. I thought it was so funny that they were all looking in the same direction...at what?

We are going to the game tonight. Anna is going to the church afterward for 5th quarter, a get together for the older kids (older than Jake) ...I think, secretly, that is why she likes to go. The church usually has a fun night planned and the kids really enjoy it. It usually isn't over until midnight!! Jake has a birthday party to go to tomorrow afternoon and that about does it for our weekend plans.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Bye for now.

Changing of the Season

I hope everyone had a great Halloween...we had the $60 outfits, makeup, shoes, but no desire to go door to door, so the kids decided to invite a few friends over and watch a scary movie. I guess Anna and Jake are getting to that age when it just isn't "cool" to dress up for Halloween anymore. I will miss that, cause I love to take pictures and scrap their cute costumes, but I knew this day would come eventually!



I started the morning at the poles, like many of you, I'm sure. We are lucky to have our voting booths about 300 yards from our house. You can actually see it from our front yard! That is what I call really handy!


As some of you know, we live about 2 miles from the Ozark National Forest. It is so beautiful this time of year. On any given Saturday or Sunday, hundreds of motorcycles take this route to see the changing colors. We sometimes take it for granted, but it is truly stunning. Last weekend my mom, Jake and I drove to Ozone (in the National Forest) to get a burger from "The Burger Barn" and as we were driving up the mountain, I knew I had to go back and take pictures for my blog. So this morning I drove about 1/2 way up and stopped on the side of the road to snap some shots of all the beautiful colors. I won't bore you with all of them, but here are a few....

Here is a picture of Anna from the ballgame last week. So far, her team is undefeated this season!

Our week is not too busy so far..we have cheerleading practice tonight, tumbling for Anna tomorrow night, a 7th grade ballgame in Dardanelle Thursday night, and our last home football game Friday night! On second thought, I guess we are pretty busy. I'm planning on making a trip to Little Rock Friday morning to Christmas shop at Holiday House. The Junior League of Little Rock sponsors this shopping heaven each year and I think I have only missed it once in the last 8 or so years!! It kind of gives me a jump start for Christmas (and Lord knows sometimes I need one!!) Anyway, hope you all have a great day and I'll try to blog again soon.

Bye for now.