WVU CHICK

We should not forget what happened 70 years ago today....

2011-12-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of our heroes. You are not forgotten and I appreciate each of you.

Wow, can you believe it is Dec. 2011?!?!

2011-12-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

Neither can I. Time flies, I need to take more time to enjoy every moment. I worry too much about this, that, him, her, them, they, etc... Need to concentrate on Sarge, Steven, Todd, Ralphie, Roxi, Skeeter and moi. :-)

We just had our entire roof replaced. Hard to believe what a difference it makes. Of course we are still finding nails, hoping we don't flatten any tires. We were outside grabbing stuff to throw in the dumpster. Our roofing company left the dumpster for an extra day so we could use it. :-) Skeeter jumped on the trampoline and Roxi was quite concerned. She walked around the perimeter, underneath and then just sat down. It was too funny.

Then we had a little dumpster diving by Sarge...hahahaha

Love this guy.

Then three of my favorite people decorated the Christmas Tree.

Todd, Sydney and Steven.

I am going to have to get them to pose again. This picture is washed out. Todd's eyes are closed, but the other two were WAY washed out and Steven had some goober grin on his face.

On another note, we could only find one tote of Christmas ornaments/decorations.

I am going to try to get back to my blog. :-) I miss it. I am on Facebook, connected to quite a few people...friends and family. It is nice, but I can't put my "feelings" out there.

Ummm.... yeah I have really fallen off of the blog wagon.

2011-06-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

I blame it all on Facebook. HA We have had lots of fun, craziness, etc.. since my last blog post. I am going to try to do a follow-up sometime today and let everyone know what has been going on in the Chick's house since January.

Oh and "those" cabinets are still not finished. Ahhh...such is life. :-)

Why, yes you are completely correct in assuming I did not get my cabinets

2011-01-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

organized since there are no beautiful, clean, organized photos. ARRRGHHH I was getting out of the shower this morning, placed my foot on the side of the tub to dry off, it slipped and I fell. CRACK! THUMP! THUD!! I landed on my back, at ribcage level on the side of the tub. I honestly saw stars. I have gotten NADA< NOTHING< ZILCH done today. I feel like I let myself down. Tomorrow, I am gonna work, hopefully the pain will be gone.

I did have time to draw out some new plans in my mind for our master bedroom closet, storage in the garage and the laundry room. I am gonna attempt using some power tools. ;-)

I have a confession.....I am a hoarder, a closer hoarder according to Steven

2011-01-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

I "always" see things that I think I "might" use, that would make "something" cute, that I could use for "some" craft, or something clearance that we just "might" need. I see things that I happen to have run across on a blog, or part of something that I know I could make that was on such and such's blog. See where the problem comes in? The two worst places for me happen to be Target and Goodwill. My poor husband, Rob, says my brain sees the clearance sticker and I "have" to have it no matter what it is....I wouldn't buy anything that didn't come to my mind as maybe needing at some point in my future, the boy's future or even hubby's future. ;-) Then, Goodwill.... oh mercy me.... I find lots of things there. Things that can be turned into this, that or something else. I just need to paint, glue, add it to something else....blah, blah, blah. Now, I have saved a fortune on reading material by getting books at Goodwill...well, maybe. If I figure in the other things that seem "neat" that I get while there maybe not. This rambling has a purpose.

My word for the year is focus. To focus on #4, my home, I need to focus on my hoarding closets. I have stuffed stuff in every closet, nook and cranny in this house. There are things in the attic, things in our garage, things still in my truck. SHHHHH.... ;-) So, I think if I start "showing" the areas I need to focus on I will be held accountable to getting it under control. I plan on having a yard sale with most of the excess, donating clothes and some other things and really finishing some crafts for my house.

So, for tonight Tuesday Jan. 18, 2011 I am going to share a picture of what should be my kitchen pantry. It is stuffed and I do mean stuff full of "stuff." My plan is to share a clean kitchen pantry cabinet with you tomorrow night. :-) I am also going to show off something that I actually am going to make tomorrow from my stash.

The second picture is of an additional unit I purchased at a garage sale. It is the height of our kitchen ceiling and it matched our cabinet doors perfectly. The bottom cabinets are being used for shoe storage, or was supposed to be, but they can't seem to find their way in there most days. The uppermost cabinet has glass doors and I am storing cookbooks and a few not often used appliances there.

Can you see all of the crafty, clearance, just have to have goodies in there? Nah? Neither can I with it all smushed in there. SO.... everything in these cabinets is coming out tomorrow. Three containers: keep, donate, yard sale.

My "word" for this year...

2011-01-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

Instead of making resolutions (that I would have broken by now) I am going with what I have seen others do for the last few years. They decide on a single word that pertains to them and how they want to live the next year. Something for them to fall back on, to strive to attain, to help keep them on track, etc.... I wasn't sure if I could even do that because I couldn't think of a word. I had tons going through my mind. I was back and forth for a few days, looking at other people's words, changing my mind, gave up a few times AND then it hit me.... FOCUS! I woke up with it on my mind, God had put the perfect word in my head. I knew it.

So, now I am working on that word. I am going to focus on my life as a whole this year. Following is a list of a few things I am putting at the top of my focus list.

FOCUS (on)

1. My health (mentally, physically and emotionally)
2. My relationship with God.
3. My family
4. My home
5. My education

Before we moved back to NC from Ga I had become a gym rat. I was up at 4:30 am every morning at at the gym or out walking or doing something in the house. I was at the gym 6 days a week for 2 hours. I was in the best shape of my entire life, felt great, had so much energy and wasn't take any medication. I want to get back there. I have a ways to go I know. I want my health to be the best it can be so I can focus on the other. Gonna start out slow, so I don't give up. Wish me luck.

Dear Rich Rodriguez...well, not so dear....I have found you a job

2011-01-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

I do believe the Mud Dogs need a Waterboy since Bobby Boucher became their star player. And, hey look... it works. Karma, baby, Karma.

Heck, I wouldn't even drink your water you two faced, back stabbing, low down good for nothing POS~

Todd finally spent his Christmas money (now he is of course regretting it)...

2011-01-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

He is so much like me, I always regret spending money. BUT, it was worth it. I laughed so hard at Steven and Todd last night I thought I was going to hurt myself. He bought a Kinect with his money. It is a device you connect to your xBox 360 and interact with the games. It is kind of like a Wii. They definitely brightened my night.... I was in tears from laughing so hard.

Todd is Student of The Month.....

2011-01-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of Todd, he was chosen as Student of the Month for 6th grade at his middle school. My two boys couldn't make me any prouder. They have their "moments" when I want to roll my eyes. HAHA All in all they are awesome young men.

Christmas Pics.. a little late. We had a wonderful Christmas.

2010-12-31T15:51:00.000-08:00

I love my family!! Rob made sure our boys had a great Christmas. I love him so much and appreciate all he does. Since I officially lost my job our budget has felt the belt tightening, I was worried about Christmas and Rob pulled a miracle off again.

We have SNOW....lots of it!! It is melting now and falling off of the house. I wish it

2010-12-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

would hang around for a little while. The boys have enjoyed playing in it. Ralphie didn't care for it, Roxi is okay with it. I wanted to share a few pictures. We ended up with close a to a foot of snow. WOW!!!

Whew, it has been crazy busy around these parts. LOL

2010-12-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

Rob started his new career since retiring from the Air Force. I sure miss seeing him in his uniform. Such a change for us. I am so glad we get to stay here though. I am also thankful he will not be leaving us again for a deployment, etc.. We are so Blessed he got a job with such a wonderful company. They value their employees and offer some amazing benefits. The company is owned by a company in Denmark. They make insulin and this one is the only branch in North America. Please say a prayer for his adjustment to continue to be an easy one.

I had a fun day watching Todd, Steven and Sydney decorate our Christmas Tree. Sydney is just awesome, I can't say that enough. She just fits right in. I adore her to pieces. Here they are after they finished. Aren't they adorable? My heart is just so full. :-)

Todd had his first major middle school project. A Science Fair Project. I had so many cool ideas...lol! He had his mind made up though, he wanted to see how fast three liquids evaporated in different temps, etc... So we bought three measuring cups and filled them with Pepsi, Water and Vinegar. To our amazement the soda evaporated the fastest and the water the slowest. Hmmmm... Here is the completed project, I am so proud of his work.

A bittersweet moment for me happened on Friday....Steven got his HS Class ring. I didn't think it was going to make me so emotional. I was fine looking at it, but after he put it on the tears were there. Wow, my baby is growing up to be such an amazing young man. The ring came in a graduation cap box..that didn't help. HA He is so proud of it. He also surprised me with having a Mountaineer (for WVU) engraved on the inside. He is so happy with it, every time he walks through the living room he thanks us and says how much he loves it.

The boys are really doing awesome in school this year. I couldn't be any prouder. They study hard and work hard. Normally by Wednesday it is tough to keep them up when they get home from school. They are ready to pass out. If I don't keep my eyes on Todd this is what happens...

Well... I am off to work on some house stuff.

Love ya'll!

Rob's retirement ceremony was yesterday..very emotional.

2010-11-23T04:37:00.000-08:00

He will have a tough time saying goodbye to the Air Force, he is Air Force through and through. I hate that he had to say goodbye to one of his loves and passions. Now on to the next chapter of our life. :-) I couldn't be any prouder of him. It has been a wonderful ride, the Air Force has been good to us and I will miss it, although we will always be part of the Air Force Family.

A few pictures from yesterday.

                             Todd, Uncle Richard (Rob's brother) and Steven before ceremony.
                                                      Don't the boys look thrilled? HAHA

Lt. Col Roger Sherman (Rob's Air Force Shooting Teammate) presenting one of his many certificates.

Todd perusing the program.

This is Rob and Joe (SMSGT Nelson), they ran the AGE Shop together for a long time. They were such a great team. Joe is a great guy, he and I love to talk photography. ;-)

Rob and his co-hort, Brent. Brent retired from the Air Force, also. They both arrived at Seymour Johnson within three days of each other and became best friends. We introduced him to my BFF and now they have been married a year less than we have. He is rotten, but we love him.

Steven before the ceremony, he is such a handsome teenager.

I am a life long Mountaineer Fan, through thick and thin and I stand behind Coach Stewart! 100%

2010-11-08T06:03:00.000-08:00

West Virginia Football: Why This Mountaineer Believes in Bill Stewart

By Kyle Slagle (Contributor) on October 22, 2010 401

Born and raised in the small (and I mean small) town of Bruceton Mills, WV, I practically came out of the womb with a fur hat and a musket. Saturday football was always in the air, even in the mountains high above Morgantown.

In a state with no professional team, all eyes are on the West Virginia Mountaineers. I grew up in the Don Nehlen era, back when Miami, Virginia Tech and Penn State were conference rivals. I remember jumping up and down as a young lad when the Mounties pulled off unprecedented upsets over superior opponents; but I also remember the agony of defeat, mostly in soul-crushing bowl game losses.

Fast forward to 2003. I enrolled as an undergraduate student at West Virginia University, just as Rich Rodriguez's short-lived stint as WVU head coach was kicking into high gear. I graduated cum laude from WVU in 2007, in between two defining seasons—one capped with a tight win over Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl, and another with an unexpected (unless you live in WV) win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Yes, I was at Mountaineer Field for the 2007 loss against Pitt. Yes, I was glued to the television and interwebs during "Rodgate". And yes, I believe in Bill Stewart.

I wasn't initially a Coach Stew fan. He was to me the stepfather of Mountaineer football—he came in after the ugly break-up, played Mr. Nice Guy, and ultimately got the job, whether any of us wanted him to or not.

I called him a "honeymoon pick" following the win vs. Oklahoma, a "child of Nehlen-era football," and most regrettably, "the wrong man for the job." I retained these opinions for quite some time, and even now, as a rabid football fan, I find myself regressing to my seat on the Stew-bashing bus. But in this era of coaches' polls, power rankings, and computer picks, one simply can't ignore the numbers.

In Rich Rod's first two seasons, he went 12-12; Stew has gone 18-8. Rod's third season was 8-5; as of this writing, Stew's well on his way to outdoing that one as well. There's one thing Bill Stewart lacks that Rich Rodriguez was able to overcome in his second season, and that's a big win on the road.

Rod clinched his at Virginia Tech, which led to several more throughout his time at WVU. Stew has faced off against Auburn and LSU—arguably the toughest teams to face in unfamiliar territory—both games ending with tough fought losses.

Rich Rodriguez a better coach than Bill Stewart? Maybe so. But to his credit and despite his age, Rodriguez had a much more impressive albeit shorter resume before taking the helm at WVU. It included conference championships at Glenville State University, and working under Tommy Bowden at Tulane, where he perfected his spread offense before following Bowden to Clemson.

Losing seasons at VMI and time in the Canadian Football League were bullets on Bill Stewart's resume, the largest bullet being his time under the wing of the aforementioned Don Nehlen. Despite all that, Bill Stewart clearly learned a thing or two from Rodriguez before his departure. Stew could stand to learn a thing or two more, but as all coaches suffer in their first few seasons, he hasn't done half bad.

Rich Rodriguez revitalized Mountaineer football, and when Bill Stewart stepped in, he had big shoes to fill. With another year or two of growth, he might just be a size too big.

Report cards and other misc. things in our life....

2010-11-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

Friday was the first report cards for the year. I was the type that always looked forward to mine. LOL Steven got home first and handed me his, A-B Honor Roll. He is not digging Political Science though. HA Go figure! It is one of his requirements though. Todd came moping through the door with this totally down attitude. I asked him what was wrong he said he was upset because he didn't make the A Honor Roll. He had 2 B's... awww poor guy. I am so proud of my two boys, they totally rock. I couldn't have been Blessed with more awesome kids.

The boys went to a shooting match yesterday. It was Steven's first match and Todd's second. They did great, had an awesome time and they were beat when they got home. LOL I love that they are getting this time with their Dad. Great bonding time.

The following are photos from carving pumpkins and Halloween. Steven carved his pumpkin with Sydney and then helped Todd carve his. :-) Todd went to all of "1" house. He has always enjoyed giving out candy more than trick or treating. He isn't much of a sweets kid, well, neither of them are. Of course he went to our great neighbor and good friend's house. She had a gift bag of stuff for him. After that he really didn't need to trick or treat. LOL

Did you know shaking a pumpkin will not make the "guts" fall out. LOL

Sydney took this one and I am in love with it~

Too cute! Also Sydney's photo.

Sydney actually caught a grin and look at those dimples. Handsome kid.

Have you ever seen a chunky alligator.

My Mountaineer Cheering partner.

Steven giving out candy. I do not like the new style ball cap with the straight brim. LOL

Todd just had to be a Ninja and by Halloween night he didn't even want to dress up. Same story every year. LOL He would rather give out candy than trick or treat. Neither of the boys are much on sweets.

I thought he still was quite cute, even though he had removed most of his costume by this time.

Love ya'll,

Todd finally got to shoot his first "real" match last weekend.

2010-10-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

He has been waiting on this not so patiently. He was non-stop talk the night before and the morning of... lol. He was still talking when he got home.. He did very well and has some great Coaches. :-)

I am enjoying my camera right now....

2010-10-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

I love photography...it has become a great interest, love and hobby of mine. Normally I am into sports photography, we all know why. HA Yesterday I ventured out and took some pictures of the dogs and nature. I wanted to share...

This is Ralphie in the house yesterday morning. He came back in from outside shivering all over and wanted under his blanket.

Love y'all.

I just get worse and worse, huh? Whew...LOL

2010-10-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

I am gonna add to my keeping it real post that I started way back when.... I have found that some of my "ways of life" seem to bother other people. So here goes....

* We eat in the living room most nights
* I allow Steven and Todd to take food and drinks into their rooms, but it must come back out that day.
* My dogs sleep in the same bed as me and sometimes the cat squeezes in, too.
* I am most always behind on laundry... we pair socks out of the basket most of the time.
* My entire family is known to text each other IN the house. LOL
* I have been known to utter a few bad words.

I am human after all.

Todd and I enjoyed the county fair together. Steven took his girlfriend and they had a blast, also. I rode so many rides, laughed so hard, I felt like a teenager again. Todd is my adrenaline junkie ... just like his Momma. Steven isn't much for the wild rides and Todd is *finally* tall enough to ride most everything. OMGOSH --- I will say I felt my age the next day. I had a few sore muscles from all of the bouncing, jerking, etc... It was so worth it though when I heard Todd say, "This is the most awesome day this year!" I did the fist pump...oh yeah. We did ride the Zipper...Todd didn't want to ride it at first..which was okay with me. I wasn't sure about it, I haven't ridden that in 20 years. LOL Then he said he had waited all day to ride it and had to have someone to ride it with. He played it up big time, so we got in line. When it was over and we we got off (dizzy) he looks at me and says, "Whose bright idea was that?" bwwahahahah

Ok...gotta get some stuff done today. Have a Blessed day everyone.

Love y'all,

Good Sunday Morning my dear friends...

2010-09-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

I stayed up and watched the WVU game last night and was quite disappointed in their playing. They could have, should have been LSU. I am not going to tear it apart, it is over and I don't want to work myself into a headache. HA~

I have found this awesome Christian speaker/comedian/singer...Chondra Pierce. She is amazing, I enjoy listening to her and she makes me giggle. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do. This is one of my favorites. Every time I listen to it I think of my Best Friend Vicki...she and I would so do something like this. HAHA I miss that girl. Military life can suck sometimes.

Love y'all,

Is this not cute as can be?!?!?!?!

2010-09-25T07:32:00.001-07:00

I have forgotten how to blog. LOL I hope this link comes up correctly. I love this idea and I have found some very cute teacups and saucers at Goodwill. I want to make this for my kitchen. Don't ya just love it?

Be Different....Act Normal

Love y'all,

She's bbbaaaaaaccckkkkk..... LOL

2010-09-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

I lost my blogging mojo or something. It has been pretty quiet around here since Todd's team went to the District Tournament. So, I haven't had much to post about. Not only that I just haven't felt like posting. I have been riding the roller coaster of life and sometimes those drops will knock you for a loop.

College football is happening... YAY!!! I have had a chance to go to two of the three games and I haven't been able to. That is a huge bummer. If you read my blog you know it is on my Bucket List. LOL Maybe before I die. HA I am so proud of them, they are 3-0. They play LSU this Friday night and will have to really rock it to win. I want the US to see we are a force to be reckoned with. A lot of people snub their noses at the Big East Conference.

I watched the game on Saturday. WVU played Maryland, they came out full force. We will need to keep that intensity up the entire game against LSU. After the second touchdown I was hooping and hollering. The dogs, Bless Their Hearts...were snuggled up beside of me on the couch. They headed for the other side of the living room, the love seat. HAHA.

Just one thing to say today...........

2010-08-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

There is so much change going on in my life. I really like this quote...

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

Love y'all,

Do you have a bucket list?

2010-08-12T11:19:00.001-07:00

You know the 101 things you want to do before you die? I should have started way before now. LOL But, I am going to start my bucket list! These will not be in the order of importance or anything, just as I think of them.

1. Go back to college.

2. Go to a Phillies game, just to see the Philly Phanatic. :-)

3. Visit New York.

4. Sit behind home plate at a Yankees game.

5. Go to every WVU game for one whole season.

6. Visit Australia.

7. Visit Africa.

8. Visit Hawaii.

9. Swim with the Dolphins.

10. Learn to ride a motorcycle, preferably a Harley. ;-) Is that better Zack? HAHAHA

11. Meet some of my online and blog friends.

12. Own a convertible Camaro...new or old.

13. Meet Patricia Cornwell.

14. Ride a horse on the beach.

15. Take photos of the Wild Horses in NC.

Back for more later.......

I have a new hair cut!!!

2010-08-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

I went in to have 3 inches off and ended up with about 13 inches cut off. I cried! Then it hit me that it could be much worse. But, we have been busy with parties, end of summer stuff, getting ready for school, etc..

Here are a few pictures.

Me and my silly boys:

Love y'all,

The animals in my life have it made....

2010-08-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

We have determined Ralphie does not like baseball caps. hahahaha Miss Roxi taking up the whole love seat to catch an afternoon nap.

Skeeter Jeter being King Kitty....haha!! He stretches out like a dog instead of curling up like a cat most of the time.

Love y'all!

The last few days have been tough..

2010-07-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

We lost a dear friend from our baseball family. Her son has played baseball with Todd for close to 4 years. Rob and I hit it off with Dana and Chris from the start. We pretty much always sat together at games and practices. Well, Rob and Chris did a lot of standing, pacing and talking. LOL Dana was a beautiful lady, inside and out. She had the prettiest red, curly hair and had an awesome personality. She was a devoted mother and grandmother. She wasn't much older than I am. I joked with her this year over the McDonald's Frappes, she always had one when she got to the ball field or left to get one soon after arriving. I told her she was going to turn into one of them.
Her parents were at most of the games and they are just a typical Southern family that adopts you into their fold. Sweet, adorable people.

She became sick about two weeks back with just a stomach bug, so everyone thought. She was up and down from then on. On Friday, July 23, she became much worse and was in a coma. Her kidneys had shut down, she was diagnosed with a few other things and was running a mid-grade fever. Sunday things seemed to look up, her kidneys were showing some light functioning again. The worry eased a little on my part. Monday around noon the Coach's wife called and said Dana was gone. I was stunned, in shock I guess and said, "What?" She repeated that Dana was gone, "I started crying and said you are kidding." (Who kids about that kind of thing, but I was just stunned) We both cried together on the phone, trying to figure out what we could do, what we should do, etc....

I am still in shock. Please if you pray, pray for this family. Chris (her husband), Alex (her 12yr old son), Summer (her daughter), Ali (her granddaughter) and her parents, Billy and Jaunita. She will be greatly missed. Her laughter at ballgames will be missed. Her cheering for her son and for Todd will be missed. Seeing her carrying her Frappe will be missed.

Dana, my sweet friend, I will miss you. I only wish we had had more time together.

Dude, it was and pretty much still is HOT today....

2010-07-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

We had extreme heat warnings today and man, they were not kidding. I ran out to Wally World later this afternoon and it was still NNAAASSSTTTYYYY!!!!! The announcer on the radio said it was still 104 with a heat index of 111. DUDE!!! LOL Can you tell I live with a bunch of guys? haha. Anyway, we have stayed inside most of the day, keeping cool, being lazy, watching tv and cutting up.

I wanted to share a sunset picture from my front porch taken last night. GOSH, we are so Blessed. The second picture is my screen in my Pathfinder, this was when I started my truck. Now, keep in mind my truck had been in the cooler garage, no sun hitting it or anything and it still read 98!!! The third picture is just part of who I am. :-)

Love you all,

Dogs love ice cream.... Puppy Paws is a favorite in my house..

2010-07-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Ralphie and Roxi grab their ice cream cup and go to different rooms. LOL Then Roxi will sneak back to where Ralphie is and see if he is finished. They crack me up. This video is so cute. I especially like the Mastiff (I think) and the noises he makes while eating his ice cream. CCAAAUUUTTTEEE.

Super Skeeter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well, Skeeter finally made it! He has been trying for a few days. He actually hit above the doors one day and slid right back down. It was almost like a cartoon. I made sure he was okay and then I cracked up. Crazy cat!!

Zack - Ya know I don't worry too much about him, he has proven to be a pretty good driver. Plus he knows he will lose that license in a heartbeat. I worry more about Todd ... haha!! He is the dare devil.

Grace - My Sister drove my Dad's truck up under a car a few months after she got her license. Luckily they were in the HS parking lot and not moving very fast. No injuries and she had to pay to fix it. I have threatened his life about the cell phone and extremely loud music. I have asked him to call me from his destinations though so I feel a little better. I am glad we have a good relationship and he doesn't mind giving me a call in front of his friends.

blueviolet - I will definitely have to turn away and say no...probably go lock myself in the bathroom so he can't give me puppy dog eyes. HAHA

Cindy - Thank you so much. He has a wonderful, beautiful girlfriend so he shouldn't be chasing any girls. lol We also have a rule for now, no other teens in his truck with him for a few months. I am kinda biased, but I think he is quite handsome myself. HAHA I remember how my parents were when I got my license. Now I know how they felt.

Love you all,

Guess who? Guess what? Guess when?

2010-07-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Steven

Passed the driver's test and has his license.

Today, July 21, 2010.

From this moment on my hands will be shaking more than they already do. I will worry every second he is out and about. Plus he will probably be very ticked with his Momma for the first time. He thinks a license means he can come and go as he pleases. Sorry, my sweet teenager, but it doesn't work that way. So, now I see some bickering going on between us, which usually doesn't happen.

Dang... I wish he wasn't my baby and so darned handsome. LOL Makes it so hard to say NO.

OMGOSH --- I found a couple more cute videos of Stinkers..

2010-07-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

You all have got to see him play and spin like a dog chasing their tail. The second one is of him eating a ear of corn. I love the little squeaky sound he makes. Too, too cute. I am in love my friends, love. LOL

What a cute, cute critter... He looks so "Fluffy"...

2010-07-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Stinkers makes me want a porcupine. LOL Of course I am sucker for pretty much anything, but FROGS. haha

I have been in a horrible blog slump this entire summer, it seems...

2010-07-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

Now, I am missing baseball. lol It always happens. I love watching my boys play baseball and of course, all of the other kids. Especially when you have such an awesome group, like we did this year. We also had a great group of parents. I miss chatting with them.

One of my favorite songs has a phrase in it that I keep hearing in my head, "I have gotten lost in this big ol' world and forgotten who I am." I kinda feel like that right now. So I am going to focus on me and my "nest." I am going to take comfort in the life Rob and I have made and try to keep the outside influences on my mindset from bringing me down. I am not perfect, but I am a darned good person.

A few "real" things about me:

My bed does not get made everyday.

I love visitors, but please call and give me at least 30 minutes to straighten up my house. I am not a perfect housekeeper.

I am not a size 2 and probably will never be.

I always have laundry that needs to be done.

My ceiling fans most always need dusting.

There will probably always be a dish or two in my sink.

I would wear flip-flops year round if possible.

It could possibly be dangerous to open any of our closets.

I am addicted to Sonic Ice.

I should probably stop there before my confessions go too far. bbwwahahahaha

I love you all...

PS...you probably all could use a laugh. Check out my two nut heads after a ballgame one night. They were comparing muscles on the back porch. Poor Todd looks like he may pop a blood vessel. These two make life worth living to the fullest.

Wayne County All-Stars finished 2nd

2010-07-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

in the District. We are so proud of them. They played very well. Here is my favorite video from all of the games. Todd made a dive, roll and catch to end the second game. It was pretty tense. They had two on base and a good hitter up. The score was 9-6 us, so they had a chance to tie the game and go into extra innings.

Wow, time flies!!!

2010-06-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Another quick post... My baby, Steven, turned 16 on the 16th!! I am still trying to digest that one. Seems like yesterday we were bringing home this long, skinny little newborn. He is such an awesome teenager. We are at practice daily for Todd's All-Star Baseball Team...YAY, he was selected for the team. I took the boys to the Olympic Pool with the big slide one day and ended up passing out from a slight heat stroke, scary stuff. I am good now, just gonna be careful in this heat and high heat indices. WHEW!!! We were able to hit the Mississippi Braves and Carolina Mudcats game this past weekend. We had a great time, Braves won (YAY) and we got to spend a few minutes with Coach Mr. Phillip. We are practicing every day this week, except Wednesday for this tournament this weekend.

I have been listening to more music than ever lately. I love music, love to pop my earbuds in and dance while I clean to my iPod. I am needing to add some new stuff though. Lots of new songs out now that I love. Here is one I really like, even though it makes me so sad. In the not so near future the home I grew up in will be someone else's and I am struggling to accept that. No more going "home." I guess that is why I have such a hard time visiting now. I haven't been back to WV in over a year which is crazy long for me. We used to go every couple of months. This song brings tears every time I hear it... I miss what I have lost and the pieces that continue to chip off....

Hopefully I can get back in the groove of blogging soon. I miss it, but I am so scattered I am not very good "company" right now. Love you all.

Wanting to show off my handsome boys "again"......lol

2010-06-12T10:13:00.001-07:00

Just a few photos from this last week.... my gorgeous sons. I am so blessed and so very lucky.... I also wanted to get the caterpillar picture off of the front page for my dear, sweet, loving, gorgeous Aunt Freda. She happens to be completely, deathly afraid of them. Pictures of them give her nightmares, having one close to her will either send her into fits or a catatonic trance. I love her to death and would hate to be the cause of her having a heart attack. She also doesn't mind frogs and knows that I am terribly afraid of them, so I wanted to ward off a package with my name and bearing the contents of a frog in my mailbox. HAHAHAHA Love you to infinity and back, Freda.

Have you ever had a lot to say, but nothing really substantial for a blog post?

2010-06-03T05:10:00.002-07:00

That is how I feel right now. Lots going on, so I will share some with you all.

* We are in the last few days of school here. Todd has gotten his End of Grade
Test Scores and he passed with flying colors. He will be a big middle schooler
next school year. YAY
Steven is taking his final exams as I type. He made the highest grade on his first
exam in the whole class. It was World History and I am so proud of him.

* The economy has me down and depressed. Our house was annexed into city
limits a little over two years ago (retroactive back until the legal fight started). NC is one of three states that allows forceful
annexation without a vote. Our taxes have gone crazy and finally caught up
with our house payment, since it is all in escrow. Our house payment
(insurance and taxes included) has suddenly risen over 300 dollars which
is a tough blow to a one income family. We were also hit with a back tax
bill from the city. We had numerous people fighting this with legal
representation, but we lost. UGH

* As of June 1, Rob has 20 months until he will be forced to retire. This is
scaring us to death, especially with the job outlook and our bills. We want
to stay here, we love our house, we love the town, this is home to us. Not to
mention there are 5 houses for sale on our street at this very moment. :-(

* Baseball is going great for Todd. He is still playing hind catcher, second base
and right field. His bat has been good and he still surprises those that think
the little guy can't keep up.

* We are having trouble finding Steven a baseball team and it breaks my heart.
He is an awesome player and loves baseball, just not much for his age.

* I am still trying to declutter and organize. I used to be OCD about my house,
after kids I became more lax. Then we bought a big (to us, after living in
military housing for 16 years) and I have more places to stash stuff that I
"may" just need at some point in the future. LOL

* We are LOVING the warm weather, just not all of the rain. We do need it
though, the last few years have been tough on our county and most of NC.

* I am struggling with the feeling of not living up to what I "think" others expect
now. I want everything to be just so and it is not and it drives me insane. I
have always suffered from wanting to be perfect, I guess it is a form of OCD.
At least that is what I have been told. I tend to want everything JUST RIGHT
and if I can't get it all done right then and there I put
it off and end up not doing anything. Does that make any sense? HAHA

Whew..... Now for a few pictures.... :-)

This was before the game... he needed a quick nap. HA

Playing around with digi scrapping stuff again...

2010-05-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

I love playing with digital scrapbooking stuff, I wish I were more PS Element Literate though. LOL

Steven comes home from school and the first words

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out of his mouth are, "How was your day, Mom?" I love that about him. Then I ask him about his and then he always, always gives me a hug. Did I mention he will be 16 next month? Gosh, I am Blessed. He also instantly gives the pets attention. He loves on Roxi also, but picking up a 97 pound dog is not an easy thing to do. LOL

For the love of sausage, Mom.... PLEASE!!!!

2010-05-18T17:51:00.001-07:00

I can just hear him, "Mom....Mooooooooommmmmmmmmmm, there is sausage in the kitchen!" "Did you hear me? SAUSAGE!!!!" "Please for the love of all that is Holy give me sausage." "I see it...right up there...c'mon Mom.....I really neeeeeeeed a piece of sausage!" " I could literally starve to death without another piece of that sausage." "See, look, I am skin and bones....starving!"

Sorry buddy, I love you.... you already look like a pot belly pig, no sausage for you tonight. (he did get a piece earlier)

I wonder what kind and color of butterfly you will be?

2010-05-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

I am a bigger fan of a butterfly than of a caterpillar, although he is still pretty.

My hound dog, Ralphie, makes me so happy......

2010-05-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

He cracks me up, he is so loving, has a great personality and is just an all around great dog. He is Mommy's baby, he is definitely a heartbeat at my feet. I have taught him to sneeze for a treat, that cracks Rob up. I can also get him to sing and boy do I mean sing.... LOL

As you all know I dearly love animals... this reunion is amazingly heartwarming

2010-05-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

This gentleman is Damian Aspinall, he rescues, rehabilitates and releases gorillas. What an amazing and touching story. He raised this gorilla, Kwibi from an infant until he was 5 and then released him. He found him again 5 years later and Kwibi immediately remembered him, embraced him and just showed how much he missed his old friend. And, yes I am in happy tears. God has Blessed us with such wonderful animals...we need to take better care of our world.

Todd was rocking the ballfield again last night!!!!

2010-05-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

The whole team had an amazing game. They were pumped, I hope they are the same tomorrow night...we play the only team that has beat us again tomorrow night. Anyways.....(lol) Todd hit a single, a double and a triple. One more at bat and it could have possibly helped him hit for the cycle. Dangit. LOL The single was a picture perfect bunt. Sadly, no picture of it. My camera is acting up and you all know what that is doing to me. :-( It is doing okay with close still shots, but anything active or far away is blurry. Guess I will be packing my baby up and sending her to Canon. What shall I do without a camera? Sad day...

Todd made all three outs in one inning. He had a double play and then tagged the runner out at second. I was thrilled, then he and one of his buddies did the jump and bump bellies thing..cracked me up!! He also had this catch, turn around and toss to first base....huh?!?! His Coach asked him if he was trying to take over ESPN's highlight reel for the night. LOL

Here are a few videos.... hope you enjoy. And, yes Momma Bear is yelling in all her Southern accent glory.

Todd's kitty cat is a bully!!! LOL

2010-05-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

Roxi, loves our neighbor's dog, Smokey. They have spent the last 3-4 years walking up and down the fence line together. They will lie down side by side at the fence. They chase each other up and down the fence. Very cute. I think Skeeter, our cat, is jealous. I let him out in the yard with us today and he played around with Roxi for a few and then Roxi ignored him to play with Smokey.

They came up on the porch got a drink of water and then they both walked back toward the fence. Next thing I know Skeeter clears the fence, Smokey has this look of OMGOSH on his little face, he turns tail and runs...Skeeter chased him all the way up on his porch. My neighbor was cracking up, I was cracking up and then I apologized.:blush: She said no biggie, it was hilarious.

Skeeter is fixed, is a house cat (that thinks he is a dog), but I let him out in the yard when I am out there. He has been great about staying in the yard with us. I bring him back in when I come in. Little turkey had to be a big ol' bully.
Then he comes back home and acts like a tiger and roars!! hahahahahaha

Don't make Momma mad!!!

2010-05-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

This video is hilarious. I can just imagine what Momma Bear would be saying, "Don't make me come up there and get you." "You are sooo in trouble." "You better come down, come down right now!" "When I get you out of this tree I am gonna tear your little "bear" bottom up. " Momma Bear is at her wits end. "You are grounded forever." "Just wait till I tell your father what you did." "Everyone is watching and I am too big to climb this little tree." Little baby brother bear is thinking, "Oh, Momma is gonna kill you!" Then when she gets him down, he takes off thinking, "I am a dead little bear, I better run away." hahahahahahahahaha

This reminds me of one time Steven climbed to the tippy top of a 15 foot tall play place in McDonalds and wouldn't come down. He was looking out the little bubble window and waving and we would tell him to come down he would shake his little head NO. Rob said, "Don't make me come up there!" Guess what, Rob went up there. I could hear other parents in play land snickering and the WHOLE entire play palace was shaking. HAHAHAHAHAHAH

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!!!

2010-05-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day, it is Mother's Day. So many out there may not consider themselves Mothers, but they are in many ways.

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, Teresa Ann. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day to my all of my friends, blog readers, etc.. You may be a mother to human kids, fur kids, feathery kids, slithery kids, friend's kids, adopted kids, Angel babies, nieces, nephews, gilled friends, neighbor kids.....someone looks up to you in a Motherly way, I am sure. Enjoy today my sweet friends. Happy Mother's Day to those Dads that are living life in the place of a Mother.

Being a Mom is one of the happiest parts of my life.

Do you ever have those days when you just feel angry?

2010-05-08T13:43:00.001-07:00

I feel angry today, I do not like feeling this way. I find myself feeling my eyebrows scrunched, my teeth grinding and my feet tapping when I am sitting down. I am angry with quite a few things right now, but I need to remember that I am the one letting myself be angry over these things. I need to remember how blessed I really am. I think Tom Gates said it best, "Anger is just a cowardly extension of sadness. It's a lot easier to be angry with someone than to tell them you are hurt."

I am hurt, I feel angry, I am sad... I need to hear my kids giggle and pet my dogs. I need to pray for help and guidance to stop feeling this way. It always feels better when you write some of your feelings down.

I finally caught a good video of Todd... HOMERUN!!!!!

2010-05-07T04:44:00.000-07:00

I am still stoked. Todd hit a homerun last night... in the park homerun that is. He crushed that ball into right center. Yes, that is me yelling my foold head off in the background. LOL Run, Run, Todd... go, go, go.... WOO HOOOO~ That's my baby boy!

I have not been a very good blogger... LOL so picture overload time...

2010-05-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

During the last week we have had baseball games. Todd made a run, dive and catch from behind the plate that was ESPN worthy and my camera battery had died just a few minutes before this happened. UGH!! I think my camera is giving me hints it is slowly dying. It is 4 years old and had thousands of pictures shot with it. I am trying to deny it though. His team is 3 and 1 now. We have a game tomorrow night. Can't wait, I love them....so much fun.

I went on a field trip with Todd's class to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC. Man, this place was awesome. I wish I had a dime for every time Todd and his buddy said, "Dude!" We were there for 4 hours and didn't get to see everything or try all of the cool things out. I definitely see us going back. I think Steven and Rob both would enjoy it. I want to finish the parts we didn't make it to. There was just SO much for the kids ...very interactive. Very educational along with tons of fun.. I give it an A+++!!! But, let me tell you Todd and I were BEAT. We hung around for a few after the buses left, but still didn't finish seeing it all. Just wanted to share a few of the 200 pics I snapped. LOL

Todd creating a tornado. Todd acting tough... yeah, right.

Todd creating clouds.....

Todd creating something cool... I can't remember. HAHA

Todd creating clouds.

Todd breakdancing on the bass floor.

Todd creating a sand storm.

Todd and his buddy on the train ride. :-) Can't miss out on a good train ride.

Todd in a tree...go figure. LOL

Todd in the little chair. HA

Todd in the BIG Chair. LOL Silly kid.

Todd sailing his boat. The kids seemed to love this and it was so peaceful I could have set there all day.

Todd in one of the tunnels in the park... I want to get both boys in these with the right light. Cool!

A beautiful butterfly in the butterfly observatory. I wish we had had more time in there.

Poison Dart Frog.... I am not a big fan of frogs (I am terrified of them), but these were enclosed and really cool colors. Hissing Madagascar Cockroaches....eeeeeewwwwwww!! Of course Todd and his buddy thought they were cool.

Mr. Krabs... LOL He was neat to watch, but I think he needs a bigger home.

A beautiful owl, the kids loved when he turned his head all the way around. LOL Owls are so magical to me.

The "writing spider" ... I am not joking when I say he was bigger than he looks in the photo and not in a cage. Gave me the heebie jeebies...

I have been a good baseball fan this season (2 games).... HA

2010-04-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well, Todd's season is off. The team Steven was going to play for has fallen apart and we are searching for a team for him as I type. He is ready to play and I feel bad the older they get the harder it is to find teams. Todd's team is a small team this year, they normally have a few BIG kids on their team, but not this year. They are going to surprise some people though. They are a good little group of ballplayers. I am looking forward to a great season. :-) I have not yelled yet, not even once. I am being good or I am slipping. We haven't quite figured out yet.

This happens to be Mr. Lance, the first Umpire I went head to head with. The boys were playing in the base league then. Lance made one horrible, horrible call. Which he admitted later, we both apologized to each other for losing our cool. He ended up being Todd's Asst. Coach for a fall season when we moved. LOL He said he couldn't believe how sweet I really was when I could be such a pit butt over baseball at times. LOL Now we are friends and he even hugged me after the game. He is a very nice guy, has a very beautiful and sweet wife (that is also an Ump) and a gorgeous little girl...that loves her Daddy.
Wishing you could lead off in this league and ready to head to third....hit the ball, someone.

Love this face, watching what is going on and I am sure disecting it in his mind...

Scheming at third with Coach Scott. HAHA There was a new pitcher warming up.

At home behind the plate.....

Field Day Fun!!!

2010-04-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

Todd's class won 4 out of 8 competitions, came in 2nd once, third twice and fourth once. This photo was after they won the polo match. Todd was first, so he was at the front when the last kid crossed the line. Excited? Nahhhh, haha

Some Coal Mining Odds and Ends pictures for my Dad

2010-04-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

Now, let's see if I can get names correct. I am really interested in finding out about the history of the Coal Mines around where I grew up. The little community I grew up in was actually a Coal Camp. A very thriving one, at that. I am hoping to find pictures of more of that area.

Weyanoke Coal and Coke Co early 1900's.
Matoaka Train Station - 1918

McComas Coal Camp Homes - 1929.

McComas High School - 1931.

Matoaka Water Tank for the Rail Road - 1930.

Lamar Miner's Homes -1930

Lamar Miner - 1933

Lamar Mines - 1933

Keystone - 1944

Keystone - 1941

Keystone - 1896

Keystone Company Store - 1935

JenkinJones - 1931

Hiawatha Ennis Coal Company - 1932

Grundy Panther Coal Company

Crane Creek - 1932

Arista Coal and Coke Store and Post Office - 1931

McComas Commissary - 1929.

Todd....being Todd.... this kid is a laugh a minute..

2010-04-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Todd was wanting a jacket yesterday morning, he went looking in the closet and came out with this jacket. It happens to be Rob's Varsity Basketball Jacket. He said it would fit, I wasn't so sure. I was surprised to see it wasn't HUGE on him, so I let him wear it. He was THRILLED beyond measure. He asked how old it was and I said he got it his Junior year which would have been 1986. Todd said, "Wow, I am wearing an antique!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA The kid is ROTTEN.

My Dad was a Coal Miner for many years....

2010-04-12T10:45:00.001-07:00

I have a friend from High School that works for Bridgemont Community and Technical College as the Director of Mine Safety Technology. He and I were talking about a program they are doing this summer. This was before the mining explosion. He was looking for photos of Coal Miners. I told him I had one of my Dad, it wasn't the best quality, but he was welcome to use it. I have carried this picture for YEARS!!!!! I am talking probably 25 years.

I was tickled to see he made the main photo spread for the pamphlet. I thought I would share the picture with you all. My Dad worked very hard and many long hours to provide for our family. Most of the time doing without for himself so my sister and I could have the extras. My Mom and Dad both would give us a want a lot of times before they got a need. I couldn't have been Blessed with better parents. I wish things were different now, though.

This is the photo for the convention....

See him right up there ^

Look how sweet these two are...

2010-04-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Steven's girlfriend is adorable.... She is a sweetheart and he is lucky to have found her. They are both such amazingly wonderful teenagers. She loves photography, seems down to earth and is just one of those naturally beautiful young ladies. I can't wait to spend more time with her and get to know her even more.

A rare find.... a once thought extinct creature!!! Appears to be a cousin of

2010-04-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

the Easter Beagle! I am sure Snoopy knew all along. We caught these invaluable photos of the Beagleosaurus. He has the body of a barrell, the legs, ears and face of a Beagle, humps like a Stegosaurus that appear to resemble Easter Eggs. An unusual find indeed, the world will go crazy with this new and no longer lost creature. He appears very docile and loves turkey jerkey.

Please pray for our Coal Miners and their families....

2010-04-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

They work so hard and in such dangerous environments. My Dad was a Coal Miner and I worried about him often. I am heartbroken for these families.

We lost the game, BUT we will never lose the LOVE, the PRIDE and the HEART!!

2010-04-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

The game was not the best of our lives. There were some bad calls made and some calls missed that shouldn't have been. The moment Da'Sean went down my heart and soul was praying for him to be okay. The game was not a huge thing to me then. Our Coach, Huggy Bear, showed what our state and a real Mountaineer is. I wanted to win, I wanted it, I craved it, I desired it, I became so worked up over it I gave myself a headache and a nosebleed.

Yes, we lost to Duke (one of the all time favorite teams of ESPN, FOX, and the US). I honestly didn't think we would be able to play a team of 7. I am counting the Ref's as part of Duke's team. I am not as heartbroken as I thought I would be. I am not as sad as I thought I would be. I am PROUD to be a MOUNTAINEER, as much today as yesterday. We are still The Big East Champions.

We face adversity daily, just saying you are from WV starts the jabs. Mention being a Mountaineer Fan and you get it again. Well, I can take it. Throw all you want at me ESPN, FOX, Fans of other teams, etc.... We have so much more than you will EVER give us credit for. We have HEART, we have HUSTLE, we have the LOVE of an entire state, the PRIDE of an entire state. WV is a force to be reckoned with. We have a Basketball Coach and a Football Coach that are real WV Mountaineers. They love these guys like their own. They will be there for them through thick and thin....the REST of their lives. How many Coaches can you say will do that? Not many. Our Coaches will show their LOVE for the team on the field and off. The moment Coach Stew held Pat White's Helmet in his hands and talked with him, my heart grew that much more. Huggy Bear lying on the floor with an injured Da'Sean Butler, consoling him and showing his fear for him. This shows what a REAL Coach is all about.

Huggy said it best when he was talking about other states having a MLB or NFL team, etc... WV has WVU Football and WVU Basketball. We, as a state, hold these teams as our identity. They mean more than "just a college" team to us. Many people just don't understand. That is okay, we will let it be our secret. HA

Keep watching, WVU will continue to rise and stand tall. That is what we are about. That is what the state is about. Put us down, call us names, spit on us.....we will show that we are the better people. We have FAITH and we will tell you no matter what, IT IS ALWAYS A GREAT DAY TO BE A MOUNTAINEER!!

No matter what....

2010-04-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

It is always a great day to be a Mountaineer. Today I consider myself Blessed to be Forgiven. Blessed to have Him in my life. Very lucky to be a true blue (and gold) fan of WVU Mountaineers. I have a wonderful and loving family. Thank you, Rob, Steven and Todd for making my life complete. I am lucky to be called a Wife, a Mom, a Believer, a Friend, a Christian and a Mountaineer.

Happy Easter to you all!! May God Bless all of you, watch over you and keep you.

This is it!!!! Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOO 'EERS!!!

2010-04-03T17:57:00.001-07:00

My tummy is churning, churning, churning. I am a nervous wreck. It is a great day to be a Mountaineers!

Just a quick picture of my eldest...

2010-04-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

He is so darned cute, even with his typical teenager smirk. He is such a great kid and I love the relationship we have.

~Flashback Friday~ While I stew in my nervous condition...

2010-04-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

waiting on tip off of the Mountainer - Duke game tomorrow night, I was perusing some old videos and pictures. As most everyone knows I live in North Carolina ...ummm.... home of MANY Duke Fans. (Yeah, I know) I am a Mountaineer Fan smack dab in the middle of Duke kingdom. My WVU Chick license plate gets some odd looks. Right now I have WVU Rocks - Final 4, in blue window chalk. Soooo.... I have gotten a few more stares than usual. Oh well, I bleed blue and gold. ooooo-rah!
Here are a few fun baseball videos. Steven from two years ago when his team went all the way to the State Championship. If the video is shakey, you can guarentee I am behind that camera. I have nervous hands during ballgames. I can take awesome still photos, but stink behind a video camera. Steven rocks the video camera, Rob takes most videos of Steven.

Now, I am rambling. I may not sleep tonight, I may pace all day tomorrow and if WV wins I may not sleep for a week. LOL And to my followers and wonderful blog friends, I love you all and thanks for putting up with my quirks. I wish you all could come to my house for a big sleepover party.

Oh gosh, my heart rate is already up.....two more sleeps

2010-04-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

as Todd would say. Then ALL DAY Saturday....... my nerbs (another Toddism), my nerbs, my nerbs. LOL

Todd came home with a shiner today....

2010-03-30T17:50:00.001-07:00

They were playing some kind of game during recess and as another child passed him his hand hit Todd in the eye. He is very proud of his black eye, ya know chicks dig scars and bruises..according to Todd. LOL Not the greatest picture either, I took it outside as the sun was going down. I should have used my flash. Oh well.....Here he is.."Bruiser."

Da'Sean Butler (WVU Mountaineer) visits lady in the hospital..

2010-03-30T05:07:00.000-07:00

This story just warms my heart and shows you what kind of guys make up our sports teams. It just brings tears to my eyes. What a guy!! He could have been partying, sleeping in, or just enjoying the KY win. But, he spends time at the hospital with a true fan. Here is the story:

All American Da'Sean Butler Visits WVU Fan in the Hospital

Morgantown - There are plenty of things that WVU Senior Forward Da'Sean Butler could be doing the Monday after earning WVU's second Final Four birth in school history.

But instead of visiting friends, sleeping in late or prepping himself for the next game, he went to the hospital to visit a recovering Mountaineer Fan.

Agnes Channel, 74, of Upshur County, had a heart attack a few weeks ago while she watching a WVU game.

Family members recalled Channel not wanting to leave to go to the hospital until the game was over and she hasn't missed a game since being in the hospital.

What a great story. WTG Da'Sean!! Here is a link to the story and a news video. Makes my heart happy!!!

http://www.wvnstv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=77510

Wow, how time flies. Our youngest #4, 4 years ago......

2010-03-29T14:15:00.001-07:00

All of the kids look so small. LOL Time flies, in the blink of eye, they are eye to eye with you. I would not change any of it, other than to relive every second again. I was going through my external hard drive looking for a pic of Ralphie and found these two videos. He looks like a bobble head with that batting helmet on. HAHA

WVU headed to the Final Four the first time in 51 years....

2010-03-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely over the moon. We have the Big East Championship Title this year, I even heard maybe one ESPN Commentator say a good word about WVU. WOW!!!

The game against the Wildcats was a hard-core basketball game. We couldn't make a 2pt shot the first half to save our lives. We did however make 8 3pt shots in the first half. We could not do anything in the paint, but we did suffer less turnovers than our last game. We were outrebounded, it just seemed like we couldn't get a rebound at all.

We went to half-time with a 2pt lead. I knew we had to come back out running the ball, getting it to the paint, getting rebounds and holding off KY from getting in to the paint. They were struggling from the 3pt zone, so if we kept them out there we had a chance.

Mazulla shined, he absolutely played the game of his life. He was the one that started making the dashes to the baskets and pulling off some beautiful shots. Butler rocked the 3pt line hitting it 4 times in the first half.....all of this while playing with a sore hand. You go Da'Sean. I love the smile on Kevin's face, he is always grinning like the Cheshire cat... was the leading rebounder. Flowers had 3 in your face blocks. Flowers had to deal with KY's Cousins clapping his hands in his face and yelling, "Let's Go!" after he hit a few inside shots. Then to be hit in the groin by Cousins, what a dirty move. He went to the bench, he should have went to the locker room.

I had Rob telling me we had neighbors a few times, Steven telling me I need to calm down and Rob telling me they couldn't hear me through the tv. My last yell was, "Final Four Baby!" and I even got a fist bump from Rob. HAHA

I have to give it to my Mountaineers, no matter what, no matter where ....they give their heart and soul to the game and to our State. It is always a great day to be a Mountaineer!

WVU Men's Basketball Country Roads.wmv

2010-03-28T12:48:00.001-07:00

Love my Mountaineers!!! Let's GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Final Four ------ Awesome game Mountaineers....

2010-03-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my Mountaineers tonight!!!! It has been a long time coming. Give us some respect ESPN!!! More from this Chick.....tomorrow..... LET'S GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Mountaineers face the Wildcats tonight....

2010-03-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

It is going to be a battle....the underdog facing the King of the Jungle. It is definitely going to be be a play hard or you are going home night for WVU. We have to fight and struggle, kick and claw, drive it in, make the shots and play defense like never before. We have to hold on to the ball, the turnovers can't resemble the game against Washington, MESSY!! Handle the ball, get it down the court and take it to the paint. Be ready to rebound and don't take no crap. Get those legs and arms moving, steal the ball....don't let a cat hit the net. I know we can do it. So....LET"S GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

My nerves are crazy in over drive right now and will just gradually get worse as the day progresses. It reminds me of the WVU football game against Oklahoma....it is like the whole US doubts the Mountaineer team. I hope Da'Sean can make a speech after the game just like Owen did. I hope we once again make people back track, take notice of us.

This Chick has her fingers and toes crossed and I have faith in my guys. No matter what, no matter where... I will bleed blue and gold. I will be WVU Chick and remain a fan to the core. I am still stoked over the Big East Championship Title. Love my 'EERS!

Headed to baseball practice and lookin' fine.....

2010-03-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hey, ya never know where the cute girls might be lurking. ;-)

I love my Mountaineers.....love, love, love 'em!!!!!

2010-03-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

Just SAYIN'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooooo Hooooo!!!!

I am a little worried about my Mountaineers tonight....(chewing my nails)

2010-03-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

"Truck" is out with a broken foot, he is a key player. I know this has to be tough for him, I hope he heals quickly and is not in pain. Feel bad for the guy. He rocks as a point guard, he scores, he assists and he rebounds with the best of them.

I hope the team can overcome the loss of "Truck" and prove that we are still a contender. Earlier in the season we used an all-foward team for 4 games and won 3 of them. The Mountaineers have a well rounded team, we will hurt from the 3 point line, but that means we just have to be more aggressive getting it in the paint and making the shots. We will have to win from the inside. Hustle and heart my boys, hustle and heart.

I am guessing Huggy will use Mazulla in "Trucks" place which would not be a huge deficit if not for Mazulla's shoulder injury in 2008, which put him out for the season. This injury has continued to haunt his shooting ability this season. He has assisted with ease, but that range of motion needed for a three point shot is not there right now.

This Chick is nervous my friends......but, no matter what happens I will still bleed blue and gold. I believe in my Mountaineers and I believe we can make it to the Elite 8. To all of the naysayers, especially the Mountaineer Haters at ESPN, this Chick hopes we make you have to back track on your words. I am used to you. We have the basketball and football haters at ESPN, this Chick wants to see a few of you eat your words and let us know how they taste. We did it when Fraudriguez stabbed us in the back, we proved what a great team we had....we got no recognition. Huggy will have our team ready tonight, we will play hard... we have the heart and hustle that is required.

Worried about a bird and a dog......

2010-03-23T04:27:00.000-07:00

I had a dentist app't yesterday for a cleaning. I have such an awesome Dentist and his staff is just as wonderful. The front parking lot was full so I had to park around the back. As I walked down the walkway this bird was hurling some strong remarks my way. She/He was not happy with me and I thought I was gonna get buzzed. LOL This bird was doing some feather fluffing, stomping and fussing at me.

After I got out of the office I was walking back down the sidewalk and there it was again, but on the side I was walking on. Back to the feather fluffing and yelling at me. The bird was not moving though, so I thought it may be hurt. I kind of leaned over to check it out. Nope, she was protecting her nest of 4 eggs. Silly bird with a nest on the ground, in the gravels. That set my anxiety to going. I was still worried about that little Momma bird and her babies being on the ground when I went to bed last night. I think I may take her some food today so she doesn't have to leave her babies. I just hope some cat or other predator doesn't get her or the babies.

I was reading the paper yesterday and once a week they put the cat and dog of the week up from the local animal shelter. The dog just happened to be a Shepherd. Rob said he wouldn't mind if I adopted her, but he wasn't sure how Roxi would handle another female. She does okay around males, but females she kinda gets grumpy. So I am gonna call the shelter this morning, see if she is still there and if she is I am calling the Shepherd Rescue in Raleigh to see if they have a foster home for her if I pull her. This is a kill shelter and owner turn ins only have 3 days. :-(

So that is how I spent my night worried about a silly, trash talking bird and a beautiful shepherd a family just decided no longer fit in with their lifestyle. :-(

Mountaineers Rock - Tigers sent home.....

2010-03-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

What an awesome game!! The Mountaineers were able to handle Missouri's defense and Da'Sean didn't fall to the pressure either. Mountaineers scored the first 8 points and never gave up the lead. Da'Sean accounted for nearly 2/3 of the 30 points in the first half. The team was able to break down Missouri's high pressure defense, it was definitely a very fast paced 40 minutes of basketball. I yelled a few times at the screen, Rob reminded me they couldn't hear me... BUT all of the neighbors could. HAHA

Missouri came into the game as leaders in forced turnovers and steals, but they were unable to shake the Mountaineers. I loved the way they got down the court and then slowed the pace by working the half-court game and running down the clock then assaulting the basket.

It was a very aggressive game, my blood pressure is up and this Chick's team is in the Sweet 16!!!!!! Let's keep the running and gunning going, strong defense and stay aggressive.

Love the ting of a bat making contact with ball....

2010-03-17T03:46:00.000-07:00

That is one of my favorite sounds and I have heard it the last two nights. Woo Hoo!!! Todd hadn't really touched a bat since fall baseball, it has been very cold and wet this winter. He has definitely surprised both Rob and I. He is crushing that ball this spring, LOVE IT!!!! He is still on the small side so nobody expects him to hit like he does, run like he does, steal bases like he can or play behind the place like he does. It tickles me totally pink ( and I am not a pink lover)....HA! He is a natural in so many ways on the baseball field. We have had so many people comment on his skills and just how easy it all comes to him. He has the most awesome batting stance and boy, the kid has a arm you would not believe. Can't wait for the games to start now. I am READY!!!!!

Let's GOOOO TODD-Smalls-Big Mac!!!!

My love for the Mountaineers, Yankees and sports in general....

2010-03-16T03:56:00.000-07:00

I am a die hard Mountaineer Fan (I am sure you haven't noticed that by reading my blog, HA) and a hard core Yankee Fan. I love sports in general, mainly College football and basketball, MLB and my most favorite being the sport either of my boys is involved in. I am a huge cheerleader for them, I pace the sidelines, I snap pictures, I bring them drinks and hotdogs from the concession stand. I have a wonderful baseball (farmer's type) tan during baseball season and I have finally learned to put jackets and blankets in my truck for the fall baseball season.

I will tell you that there is nothing in the world like watching the kids play. They have such heart and hustle, they play with everything they have because they love it, not because of a million dollar contract. Todd started playing when he was 4 and it took us until Steven was 10 to get him started. Steven is shy like his Mom and it just took a little more to get him on the field. All of his Coaches have been SHOCKED when I tell them he didn't start until he was 10!!

My LOVE of sports comes from my Dad. I used to watch WVU football with him and we always tried to watch the Yankees together. I learned a lot from my Dad about sports and it surprises many people how much I do know about football, basketball and baseball. My family was a huge softball playing family, also. We played most every weekend. When my Dad was in a league I became the stat keeper. I LOVED IT!!!

When I left WV I became even more of a WVU fan. I bleed blue and gold and will defend my homestate team tooth and nail. I know my poor husband gets frustrated sometimes because I get so "into" the game on tv. I will be pacing, heart racing, yelling at the tv, changing the channel 50 times, etc... etc... Normally it is the man of the house that is a sports crazed nutso...not in this house, it is ME. Steven gets a bick kick out of me knowing so many stats, rules, etc... His friends also love how much I know and how much I love sports. According to Steven my love and knowledge of sports is another reason I rock. ;-)

Now last year at the end of the MLB season we had some rivalry going. Rob does enjoy baseball and loves to watch it on tv, but he decided to turn on me and start rooting for the Red Sox...WHHHAAAAA?!?!?!?!? Steven is a huge Braves fan, but luckily I have brainwashed Todd into loving the Yankees. bbwwwahahahahahaha.
We would pick back and forth about our teams and it was fun. Yet, I still feel the heat in my stomach when someone is dissing my teams. ;-)

I have a 9ft tall WV banner in my front yard, my license plate is WVUCHICK, I have three WVU vinyl stickers on my truck and I am drooling over the WVU flip-flop decals that I have yet to find. I have tons of WVU gear, I wear proudly. I am the one sitting at fall baseball games watching my boys and watching the football game on my cell phone. Yes, I have been know to yell touchdown during a baseball game. I have been known to yell at Umpires, not my best moments (but, hey I am human).

So, there you have it...a condensed version of why I love the Mountaineers, Yankees and my boy's sports. I had to write this after reading Connie's sweet comment on the Big East Champion Post. I think her dear hubby isn't quite so sure about an overzealous sports fan that is a lady...haha. I loved the comment Connie....it made my evening. If the Mountaineers should happen to win the National Championship I will have to send your hubby a t-shirt so he can show some Mountaineer pride way out West. ;-) As a matter of fact, one of my favorite Mountaineers is out that way, he plays for the Seattle Seahawks. His name is Owen Schmitt and is just something else, a great Mountaineer.

I love the silliness that comes out of my two boys...

2010-03-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

This is how I was greeted by Steven last night....bbbwwwahahahahha. He came out of the kitchen and said, "Hey, Momma...check me out!" And he was actually grinning. I love it. I am so blessed with such good kids and I adore their sense of humor.

Let's hear it for the Mountaineers!!! BIG EAST CHAMPIONS!!!!

2010-03-14T05:43:00.000-07:00

It was like watching someone claw their way to the top of a mountain, with everyone thinking they would never make it. When they get to the top you have a few very surprised people and then you have a whole State that cheers for them and knew in their heart it was something they could conquer. WVU won the Big East Championship Game. The first such title in program history and the first tourney victory since the '84 Atlantic 10 Crown.

Da'Sean Butler came through once again with a last minute 2 point shot to take the title. He is an awesome player, a good role model and I say his is our Patrick White of WVU Basketball. Thank you, Da'Sean and the rest of the great players!! Now keep playing your heart out and let's get a National Championship to add to it!!! Let's show the US what we are made of and show them we deserve to be recognized.

Let's GOOOOOOOOOO Mountaineers!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonight is a HUGE night for the Mountaineer Basketball Nation...

2010-03-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

We have only appeared once in the Big East Conference Championship Game. We have never won the Big East Championship, as a matter of fact we have not taken a conference tourney since 1984 and that just happens to be way too long ago for this Chick. We have to come out of the gate running and gunning tonight. We have to stay "in" the game for the WHOLE game. We can't compare in size to Georgetown, but when it comes to Heart, we have it. We need to work the rebound board just like we did with Notre Dame last night. My nerves are already knocking each other around.

Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Mountaineers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have a WINNER!!!!!

2010-03-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

My WVU lucky bowl.....

My Handsome magical assistant...

Digging for a name.....

He is still digging......we need to know today Todd....LOL

And the winner is ......

Connie, you have won my very FIRST giveaway..... e-mail me your mailing address and your choice between the bird clock and the corningware and it will be on its way to you.

Congrats Connie!!!!! Enjoy your prize!!!!!!

Thank you everyone for entering my first giveaway and welcome to my new followers. Keep your eyes open I have another giveaway just around the corner.

Giveaway CLOSED --- Will announce a winner in a few minutes..

2010-03-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

I am handwriting each name, once or twice and folding up the paper and my magical assistant (Todd) will pick the winner. Stay tuned......

WVU 54 - Cinci 51 !!!!!

2010-03-12T03:42:00.000-08:00

Can you say, "Nailbiter?" Wow what a game?!?!?! 3.1 seconds left in the game Cinci's Dion Dixon had the ball and he dribbled too quickly losing control of the ball to WVU. Devon Ebanks inbounded the ball to Da'Sean Butler and he took literally one step and he put it up over Stephenson's highley stretched arms.....seemed like hours, when it was only mere seconds. Da'Sean was teetering on the NBA's 3-point line, it hit the glass and slid through the net like cutting butter. WHEW.... I could finally breathe again. Poor Dixon just fell to his knees, seemingly with the weight of the world on him and with this being The Big East Semi's, I am sure he has a right to feel that way.

WVU struggled some offensively, which I have noticed more than once this season. They were just gifted with the fact Cinci struggled in the same way. I have thought during many games I have watched this season, WVU plays with the heated fire and go get 'em attitude like we all want to see, to find they slow down during one or the other half. We need that FIRE the whole game boys. Act like you WANT it, play like you WANT it, DEFEND like you want it!!!

WVU will play Notre Dame Friday night. Come on guys... GO BIG Friday night and try not to give this Chick a heart attack. ;-)

Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!!!

2010-03-11T16:34:00.000-08:00

I was recently contacted by Sena, from the DX Agency about WVU being in a FACE OFF for the best fans in the BIG EAST. WOO WOO WOO!!!!! MIGHTY MOUNTAINEERS!!! I have said it before, I will say it again... I, Cecelia, Sissy, Sis, Cece, WVU CHICK BLEED BLUE AND GOLD! Oh, yes I do. I am a FAN no matter what, no matter when. I yell at the tv, I jump around, I pace, I wiggle, my heart races and I breathe funny during the entire game...be it football (my fav) or basketball...heck, I even keep up with their baseball team. I love my State!!!!

Anyway, she wanted me to rile up some voters to head on over to VOTE WVU!!!!!! Let's show the people of Madison Square Garden's College Hoops Program who has the best fans in THE BIG EAST< HECK IN THE WORLD!!!!! As I said before and I will say it again, many, many times....LETS GOOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!! LET"S GO VOTE!!!!

This is so funny to me...

2010-03-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

I have always had a dream of building my own house. I have always dreamed of having one of the staircases that circled around. I don't know why it appeals to me so much, but I think they are so neat. Well, look what I found today..hahahahahahahaha Now, if we ever get a chance to build our own house I definitely MUST have this staircase. Whheeeeeeee............ Doesn't it look like fun?

Todd eats more than Steven does, if you can believe that.. LOL

2010-03-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

I thought I would surprise him with ribs last night, since that is one of his favorite meals. I don't make them, he likes them from Ham's or Logan's Restaurants. So Steven and I ran out and picked up food. Rob loves ribs also, so I got two full racks of baby back ribs. I figured if Todd didn't finish Rob could take the leftovers for his lunch. Never fear, the hunger was there! He plopped down on the loveseat and didn't utter a word or anything while he ate the entire rack of ribs, fries and coleslaw. LOL

Rob finished and asked Todd if he had any left over and Todd looked at him as he was cleaning the last bone and said, "nuh-uh!" HAHA I told Rob he had better not get too close as Todd may growl and bite him. LOL LOL Todd did have two pestering him. Roxi actually had her head lying on the recliner. LOL

Giveaway time!!!!!

2010-03-09T04:45:00.000-08:00

Well, today is the day I let you in on what I will be giving away!! Woo Hoo I believe if I get the chance to redo either of the boy's rooms I will definitely be using CSN to decorate. Check them out, they have such cute, cute stuff. Kids Bedding I love the collegiate stuff they carry. Bet you wouldn't have guessed that, huh? HAHA You have to check out their adorable wall decor items.

They have these cute canvas wall decorations that I am in love, love with. We know how I adore dogs. I oohed and ahhed over these and they give me a huge smile. They are just too cute.

I have loved perusing the CSN Store pages.They have so much to offer and some really good clearance sales ( I am a sucker for those clearance stickers). Well, I am giving the winner a choice of what they want. You may choose this adorable shabby chick bird clock.

Or.... you can choose this Corningware Bake Set. I use Corningware and it is by far one of the best baking dishes you can purchase, in my opinion.

All, you have to do is jump over to their site Kids Bedding, tell me something you like in a comment and you are entered!!!! If you would like an extra entry you may become a follower, but it is not a requirement. I will choose a winner Friday, March 12, 2010. I will announce the winner over the weekend and it should be in the mail to you by next week. Easy as pie. :-) Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win!

Disclaimer: I was not paid or otherwise reimbursed for this giveaway. I did not receive anything from them. I was contacted about doing a giveaway or receiving an item to review for my readers. I chose to do a giveaway and gift one of you lucky readers with a pretty something new for you to enjoy.

What a lucky day for you all!!!!!

2010-03-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite blogs, favorite bloggy friends and one of the sweetest ladies in the world is doing a giveaway on her blog!!! You have to go see what she is giving away.... her creativity is amazing. She has TALENT!! I would love to go shop one of her bazaars she prepares for all year long. I could talk about her creations all day long, I check her blog out every day. I could talk about what a wonderful person she is and she is just adorable as can be. BUT.... I will let you jump over there and check it so you can enter her giveaway. She is very special to me. Good Luck!!!! Shady Creek Lane

Giveaway time..... YAY!!!!!! A product from one of the many CSN Stores...

2010-03-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

I received an awesome e-mail from Jessica, a CSN Promotions Team Member, asking me if I would like to have a giveaway on my site or receive a product from them myself and do a review on it. I decided I would love to do a giveaway.... I have some of the best bloggy friends. So stay tuned....not sure what it may be, but it is guaranteed to be awesome! Sooooo....stay tuned and check out CSN while you wait for my giveaway post. I found tons of gorgeous items there. ;-) CSN Stores

I dropped by Goodwill on Friday to see if there was anything I just had to have... HA

2010-03-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

I did find a couple of books, two smaller picture frames (I plan on spray painting them for a future project), a huge serving tray (also a paint job, not sure what else I will do with it), this cute Santa, this huge, heavy blue candle holder and the green thing (it just interested me and it will be tan soon). Wanna hear how much? $10.58!!!! The crazy thing is that the blue candle holder (I am not kidding, it must weigh 5 pounds has a $35.00 dollar price tag on the bottom) and the green thing has a Belk price tag for $30.00!! I just fell in love with the little blue Santa, I think it is his chubby cheeks. Hopefully I will get to spray paint some tomorrow. I need to find the right black though, man, that is tough.

I was hit with some yucky news late last night...

2010-03-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

The job I had, working from home, perfect for me is no more. :-( The emotional state I was already in was not ready for that news. Woah!! I have been doing this for 3.5 years. I was a private contractor for a company that provides many different services to many different businesses. The company that I handled for them chose not to renew their contract after being with them for 5 years. It had slown down, my pay had diminished to almost a third of what it was when I first started, but it was still a job that I could do at home and be here for my family. The economy has really thrown the company I took care of for a loop, here in the US, in Canada and the UK. I was a bowl of tears and I am still trying to adjust to the news....

When one door closes, another opens. God is watching over me, this I do know.

Such a great capture....

2010-03-03T03:47:00.000-08:00

Doesn't he have the cutest curled tongue? Not sure what he was doing, this was probably meant for the cat. HAHAHAHA I love my animals, especially when I catch a silly picture. HA Ralphie has such a special place in my heart. I have had him the longest and he is just different than any other dog I have ever had. I am telling you this guy would ride in a baby carrier on my chest if I let him. I spent some time curled up with him when I went to bed last night, rubbing his Pillsbury Doughboy belly and his soft ears. That is the best psychology session in the world. I also had Miss Roxi at my feet, who needs an electric blanket when you have a furry 97 pound shepherd on your feet and legs? Skeeter jumped Ralphie last night while I was brushing my teeth, Ralphie chased him out of the bedroom and he decided to sleep with Todd. LOL

My busy part of the month has started with work and I am not going to complain

2010-03-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

It has slown way down with this economy and I need this job that allows me to stay at home for my family. I don't make much, but the little I make helps us stretch the paydays. So, I will do my long 14 hour days for a week or two and thank God I have some kind of job.

I have another bacterial eye infection. Not fun at all. I woke up this morning and looked like a bee had stung my eyelids. I am on prednisone, antibiotic eye drops and some ointment. Itchy, burning, watery.... I keep telling myself at least I can still see. Maybe this is a kick in the pants to see what I really should see and not notice the things I should ignore.

I am having a down day, can you tell? I don't like to complain or whine. I just feel sad today. I want my old family life back.... I want my real "Daddy" back, not the one I have now. I miss my best friend. I try so hard in phone conversations and I can block out so much, but then that danged frying pan hits me square in the face. I miss my old Dad, the new one is not even close to the man he used to be.

I am Blessed beyond measure, in so many ways. I will go on, God is GOOD.

PS... I am so glad you all enjoyed the photo of my bed partners. They mean the world to me, but they need to scoot over...haha!! I love to hear of other people that let their pets crowd them outta bed, too. HAHA Thank you all for being a friend.

How am I supposed to sleep under these conditions?????

2010-02-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

Strike a pose... hahahahaha

2010-02-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Todd is such a HAM!!! I was joking with him about how handsome he looked in his red shirt and he said he knew. I asked him to let me take a few pictures and he was doing all kinds of posing. NUTCASE. Gotta love him though. HA

Check him out...He's Popeye the Sailor Man... LOL

2010-02-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

This shirt cracked us up and Steven had to have it. LOL He is like Popeye since he started taking the weight lifting class at school. He has taken it for a year and a half and you can tell it. I bet the kid has 0% body fat. He has awesome biceps and his abs are to die for.

My sweet, sweet Mama Lois is doing better and

2010-02-21T18:07:00.000-08:00

should be able to come home by Tuesday. Prayers have been answered! Praise Him! She did have a mini-stroke, but she seems to have bounced back from it wonderfully. God is Good! She is eating, speaking well and ready to go home. She loves her home on the mountain and by on the mountain I MEAN on the mountain. Thank you all for your prayers and positive thoughts.

Tomorrow I am tackling our kitchen cabinets. I am craving some organization and the cabinets are begging for it. We lucked up and found a cabinet at a yard sale last summer that looks like it was made for our kitchen. So I have a huge floor to ceiling cabinet right inside the garage door, then a desk with three open shelves above that and then another floor to ceiling cabinet that has 5 huge roll out drawers inside. Planning on making my space work for me. :-)

My sweet, darling, precious Grandma Lois is in the hospital..

2010-02-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

If you could spare a few prayers for this wonderful, God fearing lady I would so appreciate them. She had a stroke today and after getting to the hospital they also diagnosed her with Congestive Heart Failure. Gosh, I want to be in WV so badly right now. The weather has me a little scared though, they are supposed to get another snow storm tomorrow and there are places with 4 feet of snow still on the ground. The kids in the county I am from haven't went to school in 21 weekdays!!!

Anyway... my Mama Lois is as precious as can be. She lost her hearing as a teen and wears two hearing aids that help her somewhat now. Now that I am losing my hearing I so understand her frustrations with that. She is funny, silly, tells it like it is, loves to sing, an amazing cook...just a darned good Granny. So, please if you are the praying type include her in a few. Her name is Lois and I appreciated your thoughts and prayers. Here are two pictures of her with Steven and Todd about 4 years ago. She was all fancied up and we were fishing. HA Isn't she a beauty?!

Ummm.. I am 39!!!! THIRTY NINE!!!! A big 3 and a big 9!!!!

2010-02-17T03:48:00.000-08:00

It is still soaking in. Wow, where have the years gone? So much time GONE, in the blink of an eye. I am working on a list of things I want to accomplish this year, the year before I turn the big 40!

1. I want to be FIT by 40!! In 2001 I lost a little over 70 lbs, became a gym rat and felt better than I did in my teens. I just woke up one morning went to Cory Everson's gym and that was that. I want that motivation again, I am going to find it. I want to be healthy and I would love to be skinny by 40. My biggest want is to be healthier. The Military moved us back to NC in 2004 and I lost my mojo. I gained back weight and became a hermit.

2. I want to be a better Mom. I want to spend more one on one time with my boys. We only have a few more years before Steven is going to fly from our nest. I want to see what they need to gain and help prepare them for the world. I want to strengthen our family bond.

3. I want to get my house in the order I want it to be in. I used to be Monk, now I am NOT. I may never get my OCD Monk ways back, but need some organization and a plan of attack. My crazy online work schedule hinders me a bit, but I am going to work on a schedule to help me keep everything under control during that time.

4. I want to strengthen my relationship with my husband. We have been married almost 21 years and have been together for 24. We are in a payday to payday rut and it is stressing us both. Rob only has 2 years left in the Military before he has to get out so we have to work on a plan so we are not both stressing about what we are going to do in May of 2012.

5...... I am still working on this list. There is much I want to do in the next year.

I figured if I put my thoughts out there I would have that need to prove I can do all of this and a reminder of what I want to accomplish.