Read Any Good Books Lately?

I just LOVE to read, I mean really LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to read! I think I got this from my mom. I remember her reading a lot, especially when we were little. She even had a special book that she would read to us, each and every time we asked....over and over again. It was a big book of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. It was probably the only one we had, but we didn't notice, because we thought it was the greatest book ever!

Well my tastes have definitely changed, although I do still enjoy the occasional Mother Goose Rhyme with my kids. I thought I would share some of my all time favorites.


Shopaholic Books...these are sooo funny, more so if you're a shopper. But don't worry, even if you're not, you'll still get a kick out of these.




Twilight Books....I thoroughly enjoy a GREAT love story. Like so many others, I devoured these books the second I got my hands on them!




Hunger Games and it's sequel Catching Fire....I just finished the sequel and had been waiting a year for it to come out. I put these books right up there with the Twilight series. They are absolutely WONDERFUL! Once again I find myself waiting for the next and final one in this trilogy. I am hoping that they will make them all into movies.





Last and probably my all time favorite is

Pride and Prejudice....My mom actually turned me on to this one. It's my favorite of all the Jane Austen books. I have read it many times and I still can't get enough of it. If you haven't tried this classic, it's a must read.



If you have some favorite books I would LOVE to hear about them.

BATHTIME

This is one of my favorite pictures from my childhood. In this picture our ages are Tabby 7, Me 5, Randy 4, and Ronnie 3.

I think when we were all in the tub together, is probably the only time my mother had a moment to herself.

It is amazing to me how each of us look so much like our own children at that age.

Gotta love the color of that bath water!

Family Stories Ch. 1

Without a doubt, when I am tucking my girls in at night, their favorite thing to hear is a family story...or as they put it "tell me a story about when you were little." After the first one they were hooked and this was what they preferred to any story book. I have found myself during many bedtimes digging around in my mind, dusting off some old memory from the past. And on nights I couldn't come up with something new, they would request a story they had already heard. I even have a couple of photos that go along with the some of the stories. They love it when this happens.

But before the story begins, you'll need a little background first. I now have 2 brothers and 2 sisters, but when this story occured there were just 4 of us. My older sister Tabby(Tabethia), Me, my younger brother Randy, and the youngest of us all back then, my sister Ronnie (Veronica). Our other brother Shane didn't appear on the scene until I was 16.

My brother Randy was down this past weekend helping us with a project, so keeping this in mind I think it is only appropriate to start out the family stories with one about "Uncle Randy". His story goes like this....

Round about the time when we were all junior high age...the youngest being in about 5th grade and the oldest in 9th grade....we would have to take turns making supper. This particular night it was Randy's turn and he decided he would make some macaroni and cheese with his meal. Well there he was in the kitchen slaving away while his sisters, who seemed more like buzzards, were anxiously and hungrily awaiting supper. We were already circling before he even had a chance to put all the food out. Sitting in wait at the table with our beady little eyes, hands grasped around our forks and mouths watering. Ok, maybe not quite that way, but we were already seated, when he was bringing in the food.

Never one to shy away from attention, he recognized the fact that he now had an audience to reveal his edible masterpieces to. So with his head held high he proudly walked into the dining room and placed them on the table. As soon as the dish hits the table we only have to take one look at the macaroni and cheese before all of us girls burst out laughing. Poor guy. But if you were there I'm sure you would have done the same thing. Bear in mind that they even make macaroni and cheese now for elementary kids to fix by themselves because it is SO EASY. Well Randy's mac and cheese was more like soup and cheese. The noodles were all floating around in yellow cheesy water. I'm sure you've guessed, but yes he didn't drain the water from the noodles. Even sadder and funnier still is that he had no clue what was wrong with his side dish. Couldn't even understand why we were laughing. Well it didn't take us long to clue him in.

I would like to say the rest of the meal was much better, but I can't. However I will tell you I did appreciate the effort he put into preparing the meal for us. Truth be known, none of us put much on the table worth eating at that age. Could be why we were all skinny...hmmm. Never the less, it was a time in our lives when we had to step up and help out the best we could. And from that we have some memories that put many a smiles on our faces, and even now puts some giggly little girls to sleep at night.

Wonder what memories my girls have tucked away in their little minds that they will someday be dusting off to share with their own children?





Here we are on a camping trip, taking a walk along Blue River. Randy is in the front, followed by Tabby, Me, Ronnie, and bringing up the end is Mom. Dad of course is taking the pictures.

The Night Before Second Grade

Helping dad on
the baseball field.
Happier times.

I probably knew better....but I did it anyway. There it was just waiting in the shadows to get me...Irony that is. While I was so innocently and lovingly putting together a post about "My Guy", Irony was planning to get me and it was gearing up in a second grade class room. How are these two things related? Read on and you'll soon understand.

It all started the night before the first day of school. My youngest daughter Channing was going into second grade. It was bedtime and she came up to me with little tears running down her cheeks, trying to keep from crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me she was scared about going into second grade. I reassured her in every area I could think of...telling her that she was going to love second grade...she would love her teacher...and that she would do wonderful in the classroom. Then I gave her a hug and a kiss and sent her back to bed.

Well in the morning things appeared to be better. We did our usual first day of school traditions...took a picture commemorating the first day...went to the donut shop for breakfast...and walked her into the classroom so I could get a picture of her with her new teacher. All seemed well, and I would go on to believe this until a week later.

Channing comes home from school the following Monday and I begin taking out her folder with all of her homework in it so we can get started. That's when I came across the paper. The paper that told me why she had little tears running down her cheeks the night before school. The paper that told me why she was so nervous about 2nd grade. The paper that would make me "not happy" with her daddy. This is what it said:

This morning I had a

lot of Buderflis in

my Belly. Beceuse my

Dad sed Mrs. taller

spanks hard. So I

wus very neris! So

I cood not go to

sleep because that is

my techer is Mrs.

Taller.

I couldn't believe it. "My poor baby!", was all I could think. Well, that and "My rotten husband!" Of course I couldn't let this go, I had to do something....so what did I do? I put it on Face Book, for all the world to see and respond to. This is how it went down:

My Post

The night before school starts Channing is nervous and little tears start running down her cheeks. I reassure her and send her to bed. Then she comes home today with a paper she wrote on the first day of school. It says: This morning I had a lot of butterflies in my belly. Because my dad said Mrs. Taylor spanks hard. So I was very nervous! So I could not go to sleep because that is my teacher Mrs. Taylor.

Amanda Copeland

Hahahaha-Oh no! Poor Channing

Veronica Blue-Harden

ummmm I would not want to be Kerry right now..lol

Dina Moran Wright

....shame on Daddy!

Lindsay Johnson

Um..daddy is in big trouble! lol

Norma Clement

It's like they have a pesky older brother sometimes instead of a dad! I don't think he will ever outgrow it!

Veronica Blue-Harden

he is making sure you never miss out on not having a boy! lol

Debbie Keatts

I hope you took care of that man of yours!! Sounds like Bruce Keatts!

Norma Clement

I am doing my best but I think I may have to bring in reinforcements!

Sandy Francis-Cobb

Well, ya know that Mrs. Taylor is pretty mean! :0)

Nikki Anderson-Terry

Oh I am cracking up. It is funny, cute and sad all in one! Bad daddy, bad daddy!

Marsha Sample

Kerry just can't keep from getting Channing in trouble can he? I still haven't forgiven him for the OU thing! LOL

Norma Clement

Bad daddy is right! Think I'm going to frame that paper and put it where he can see it every day then...maybe...he will think before he teases...maybe!

Marsha you are going to have to remind me what the OU thing is...I do my best to forget as much as I can! :)

Robin Reynolds-Watts

Oh my gosh Norma, poor kid! That is so funny though....sorry Channing....

Another side note to all of this is that Channing wasn't supposed to bring that paper home, she did it on accident. Her teacher didn't even have a

chance to read it before she slipped it in her folder. So now you see how Irony has come around to laugh at me and let me know that I should always be on the lookout should it decide to strike again.

However before I finish I will admit it was funny, but only because Channing's tears are gone and she absolutely loves Mrs. Taylor. So much that she was no longer scared after that first morning. So my husband has survived and yes I still think he's the cream of the crop! (Irony this is not an invitation to revisit!)

I bought a frame today...we'll see if it works.

My Guy

As a matter of opinion

I think he's tops.

My opinion is

he's the cream of the crop.

As a matter of taste

to be exact,

He's my ideal

as a matter of fact.

This...is how I feel about my guy. I know he's tops and the cream of the crop. I know this for many reasons. Let me tell you about what a wonderful father he is. I didn't say perfect, I said wonderful. He is present in our children's lives and active. He gives his all. He is selfless, almost to a fault. He is not mean. He is a great role model for our girls. They know without a doubt that he loves them. He makes time for them. He is always concerned about what is best for them. He wants to do more for them and WITH them. I could go on...
But I'll just say I thank God that even though I wasn't thinking about what kind of father the man I married would make, He was.


In all these ways and more he is a husband to me. He is supportive. He is kind. He likes to make me happy. We are always first. He is helpful in many ways. He is funny. He loves me in spite of my many imperfections. I could go on...
But I'll just say I thank God that even though I was too young to perceive all this when we said I do, He already knew.

If I haven't told you about our first date, you should ask...

Thank you God for my guy.

My Family's Hobby...er maybe

Diners, Drive Ins and Dives! That just about says it all.

While my family and I were in Austin earlier this summer I decided to print out a list of the restaurants that were featured on the show and see what Austin had to offer. I officially announced to my family that this was my new hobby and I would like for us to eat at some of these establishments during our trip. After I convinced Kerry that we had to eat anyway, I quieted the groans from the kiddos and we sat out to locate our first restaurant on the list. (Thank you GPS!) We waded through the Austin traffic to find The Magnolia Cafe.

This one definitely fits under the dive category. We walked inside and put our name on the list...Norma Jean...and waited to be seated. In no time at all we hear a hostess singing "Goodbye Norma Jean" over the intercom. This gave us all a good laugh, as we were being shown to our table. The atmosphere of course is almost as important as the food. And the atmosphere here I would describe as quirky and artistic. We ordered our food and then looked around us to take in the "murals" that were painted all over the walls. They were as interesting as our waiter and some of the customers. Definite Austin vibes all around! Kerry and 2 of the girls ordered a hamburger, the other ordered breakfast and I cannot remember for the life of me what I ordered! But I do remember the potatoes they served. They were prepared in a home style fashion, and were definitely not your typical french fries. More like skillet fries made from red potatoes. I loved them. Kerry and the girls....not so much. If its not deep fried for them, then apparently it's just not right. I can't say that any of us were very impressed with our meals, aside from me and those potatoes. Kerry and Kerra really didn't like theirs at all.

In all fairness I must add here that the gingerbread pancakes was the feature of The Magnolia Cafe on the Diners Drive Ins and Dives show. Suffice it to say my new hobby was not off to a popular start! I was beginning to wonder how long my family would let me endure my new venture or if it would even survive under their scrutiny and their ever increasing hunger pains!

However, supper time arrived and it was time to eat, so once again I pulled out my list and this time let my family pick the place. Which by the way helped a bit with their attitude about Mom's new hobby. The girls wanted bar-b-que, so we were off the find The Green Mesquite.

As we got out of our truck we heard the sound of blue's music coming from the backside of the restaurant and I turned just in time to a smile spread across Kerry's face. Definite potential. We of course decided we would sit out back and listen to the music of Jimmi Lee while we dined. This was an excellent choice. The music was great and so was the food. We ordered a variety of entrees; chopped BBQ sandwich, Chicken Fried Steak, Chicken Strips and for dessert pecan cobbler. We were all very happy with our food and with the music. Toward the end of our meal Jimmi Lee started talking about a movie that he wrote a song for, a movie called A Pocket Full of Soul. We looked it up and sure enough there was Jimmi Lee's name. Although he called it a movie it is really a documentary about harmonica players. Too bad. I was hoping for the big screen. But this disappointment I could deal with. I was just glad the food was good! And so were Kerry and the girls. This is a place I know we will visit again when we are in the Austin area.

Well our third and final stop in Austin was Maria's Taco Express. The line out the door let us know ahead of time that we were in for something good. As we waited to place our order we took a look at all that surrounded us. Though it was not as eclectic as The Magnolia, it was very interesting. Lots of "stuff" to look at on the walls and ceiling.and we were once again delighted as we heard the strains of music pouring out to us in line. Come to find out Maria's Taco Express has "Hippie Church" on Sunday afternoon for all of the diners. Who knew? "What is Hippie Church?", you may ask. Well on this particular Sunday it was the soulful sound of gospel music being sung by a family as they gave their testimonies in between songs. We LOVED it! Way to go Maria! I told Kerry I felt like I was at an old fashioned revival. So while we waited for our food we drank in those soulful sounds. What wonderful music it was, just like our tacos! Kerry, Kerra and I all ordered chicken fajita tacos, but Kerra opted out on the breakfast tacos that Kerry and I also ordered. Connor and Channing had beef tacos, "meat and cheese only please." Kerry loved the breakfast tacos, I loved the Chicken Fajita tacos and Kerra loved hers better without all the peppers and onions! Connor and Channing enjoyed their as well. This was another hit with the family and I was glad of that.

I think my hobby just may survive! I also think we've learned that there is way more to a restaurant in Austin than just the food!

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday I turned 40. Today I am starting a blog. Tomorrow....who knows?!?

Turning 40 wasn't nearly as painful as I have been led to believe over the years. It may be because I've been telling myself for the past 3 years that I might as well consider myself 40. "Why?" you ask. Well, I was just hoping it would make for a softer landing when I did hit the BIG 4-0......I think it might have worked.

Although I haven't gone into melt down mode over the number it has made me realize how fast time flies by. Especially where my children are concerned! Our oldest daughter is getting closer to college , which can I just tell you I am not looking forward to - at all! My middle daughter thinks she should already be in high school, and at times I am inclined to agree with this. Then there's our youngest daughter, who is losing all of the precious baby stages that seem to linger around a little longer on the last sibling.

All of this affects me much more than the numbers in my age do. As a result, I have started this blog. I want my girls to have a resource to come back to and be able to laugh about the things that might not have been so funny when they were happening, but will cause many tears of joy when enough time has passed. I want them to know how special those" little things" that they did were to me. I want them to know how they make our lives worthwhile, even when we forget to tell them. I also want them to know what their mom was thinking, especially when they are moms themselves. And so much more.

So at 40 I am beginning a new journey. I hope you enjoy it as much as I think I'm going to.

P.S. Stay tuned for tomorrow!