Baby Makes Four!!

In With the New and Out With the Old...

2011-12-31T04:33:00.004-05:00

I think this blog is going to take a new direction for the new year. My focus for 2012 is going to be to Declutter and Simplify my life. I'm planning on doing this mentally and I'm planning on doing this with my surroundings, AKA my house. I need some place to be held accountable so here I am. I'll still include tidbits of the kiddos from time to be time (but let's be honest, I haven't been doing too a hot a job at that lately). I also have some other goals this year. I'm planning on running a 5K and later in the year a 10K in an actualy race. I've been slack on my running thanks to another issue in my life that's been going on as well as the cold weather. I also want to eat healthier. NOT diet, but really just change my mentality about food. Last year, my goal was to be healthier and lose weight and I'm proud to say that I lost about 20 pounds and kept up running throughout the entire year (or most of it). One last goal (I'm sure I'll make up more later), get smarter about money. That sorta goes hand in hand with the Simplify and Declutter goal though.

So here is the first post concerning my major goal. For Operation SD (again Simplify and Declutter), I have two major goals.
1. Don't buy anything that I don't plan to keep and use for the next five years.
2. End 2012 with less things than I have now. Bring on the yard sales!
And to give credit where it is due, the entire inspiration for this came from this blog: http://www.operationsimplicityblog.com/

I want to document things I want to buy and things I actually buy. So things I want to buy:

1. A new treadmill. I feel justified in purchasing this since I successfully ran all year and the only times I took a break is when the weather was too hot or cold. Also, Benjamin is training for the 5K and 10K run this year as well. I will say I prefer to run outside than on the treadmill. Estimated cost: $999

2. A new computer. Maybe. This one has been acting up the last couple of weeks. Plus, I'd like to lose this tower and get an all-in-one computer. Estimated cost: $550-800 ????

3. A shelving system for my kitchen from Williams-Sonoma. My kitchen is tiny, which also means it is disorganized. And, hey!, this goes hand in hand with Operation DS. Estimated cost: $600 ????

So, obviously, these are large purchases and won't be bought any time soon or all at once. And some may never be bought. A sigh for my shelving system.

And a look at things money was wasted on today.
1. $50 on a yucky Ruby Tuesday meal. Dude, what happened to your old, wonderful salad bar? Seriously, Benjamin and I had immediate buyer's remorse after this meal. The food was so bland and unappealing! I was a little sad because I used to LOVE RT.

2. Probably about $10 was wasted on Pepsi, ice cream, and a Reese's cup. Hey, Benjamin and I were trying to make ourselves feel better after the disappointing lunch. But you see what I mean about wasting money and on why we need to eat healthier.

Wow, it felt good to write all of this stuff out. I think this will do a good job at holding me accountable and helping me see how much money I waste.

And one more thing, I actually started another blog in early November that deals with my spiritual life. I actually update that one fairly often so hopefully I will get in the practice of writing on both of them at the same time! (Hey, it's hard to find time to write when you are constantly surrounded by two kiddos!) :) Anyway, here is the link: http://godisfaithhopelove.blogspot.com/
In case I don't pop on here tomorrow, have a wonderful New Year's Eve and New Year!!!

And just because I like lists:

Goals for 2012

1. Operation DS
2. Run 5 and 10 K
3. Eat healthier
4. Exercise daily (even if it's only for 20 minutes!)
5. Be more financially responsible

God is Good.

2011-09-28T08:48:00.003-04:00

So Jackson has literally become a little boy in the past three days. I'm not exaggerating! Jackson's gross motor skills have been a tad delayed. He rolled instead of crawled. He wouldn't or couldn't get from a lying to sitting position on his own. He doesn't pull up on furniture or anything. And he's eleven months old. But in the past few days, he has started sitting up, he can do sort of an army crawl forward, and we got our first tooth! I've been praying that he would catch up a little to alleviate some of my worries and God came through!
That's one of the other big changes that has occurred here lately. We became owners of Newspring Church on 9/11/11! I'm so excited to be a part of this church community. At first, Benjamin and I started going because we wanted the kids to grow up going to church, but it really has been the two of us that have been affected the most. God is doing something wonderful in our little family and I give him all the praise!
I hope you all have a blessed day! :)

Reboot

2011-07-29T21:40:00.003-04:00

I was talking to my sister the other day and she was telling me about a documentary she'd recently watched called Sick, Fat, and Nearly Dead. Inspired, I decided to try the juice reboot that the two men used to lose weight. I still have a little weight to lose (not nearly as much as the guys in the documentary, of course), but I thought an all fruit/veggie diet would give my energy level a boost. So I thought I would use my blog to document my journey.
I'm currently on Day 2 and, let me tell you, it's a miracle that I have come this far after Day 1. I began Day 1 drinking the Purple Power juice, which consisted of grapes, blackberries, a pear (I think), and some ginger. Well, I put too much ginger in it, but it was drinkable. That drink did leave me full though. At lunch, I drank something called the Gazpacho. Let me stop here and say that you can find the actual recipes and program at www.jointhereboot.com. It's free. Anyway, that drink consisted of tomato, celery, red bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, parsley...and I think that's it. It was nasty. I should have realized that because I don't like celery and it had a very strong celery flavor. I don't think the red onion juice helped either. However, I made myself drink it and had the most awful taste in my mouth the rest of the afternoon. I also had a salad and, yes, I'm going to admit my cheats...it had some cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, and croutons.
The third drink was another mainly fruit drink, although it did have some spinach. It was the best of the day. I also had another salad with the same cheat ingredients. I also drank a lot of water throughout the day, but I always drink water. I had a headache from afternoon on and at the end of the day I told Benjamin that I just wasn't sure if I could stick to it for 5 days (which is my goal).
So I woke up this morning and stepped on the scale. I'd lost a pound (which put me at the lowest I've been since before I got pregnant with Pressley). This renewed my determination to continue. So I made another juice this morning, again this one was primarily fruit. It had blackberries, strawberries, kiwi fruit, and coconut water and was yummy. Even Pressley liked it.
My grandfather brought over some fresh garden tomatoes so I decided to use the ripe ones for my lunch time juice. I concocted my own recipe for this one using tomatoes, carrots, spinach, and an apple. It was much better that the veggie juice I'd had the previous day. One thing I noticed is that this morning's juice didn't hold me over nearly as long as breakfast drink from Day 1.
I did snack on some almonds, but they were all natural and no salt or anything. My third drink was another fruit mixture: pineapple, blackberries, kiwi fruit, apple, and coconut water. I'm planning on having okra and a squash/zucchini/onions tonight. They'll be cooked in EVOO with a little salt and pepper.
So the problems I've encountered so far: 1. It's expensive to buy copious amounts of fresh produce. Like for 3 days of juices it has cost me around $120. And that's just for me. Benjamin is planning on doing it next week and I don't think the cost will quite double, but considering how we normally spend $150-200 in groceries, I'm sure we will exceed our usual budget. 2.I have to go to the grocery store every day or every other day. That's probably not a big deal for some people, and it isn't a huge one for me, but I have two little kids that I have to drag out with me (they are normally very good) but I have to plan around Jackson's naps and eating schedule. And honestly, this stay at home mom doesn't really fix her hair and make-up every day...unless I'm going out. I guess Benjamin does get to see me fixed up more so that's a plus for him. 3. Some of the ingredients are hard to find in po-dunk Honea Path. This isn't as much of a problem now. I've realized that not all the juices on that website are tasty so if it's something I haven't heard of then I probably wouldn't want to drink the juice of it anyway. However, I can not find coconut water at Bi-lo (my closest grocery store), but they do have it at the Ingles in Belton. Of course, it's $2.38 for a small container and I had to buy three of them. 4. I can't find the right blend for a good veggie juice, which means I lean towards the fruit juice. Fruit has more calories and sugar so I need to be drinking more of the veggies. I wish I could find the right amounts of the veggies they put in V8 juice because I love it.
So my goal is to go at least until Monday, which would be Day 5. My ultimate goal is to do this until next Thursday. I plan on updating each night, but don't be surprised if I don't make it because this is definitely hard to do. Not at all as easy as I thought it would be.

Anne of Green Gables...

2011-03-16T23:38:00.002-04:00

Throughout the years, there have been a few times that I've questioned whether or not I grew up in the wrong era. That would probably sound absurd to most people that know me because I love my computer, iPhone, iPad, and all of the other technology that we have.
But somtetimes I wonder if that simpler way of life is really the best thing for humanity. That's an entirely different topic though. Anyway, after watching Gone With the Wind I became obsessed with it. I'd even planned my future wedding attire based off of dresses from the movie (I was like 12 at the time). I also read the book, all 1036 pages, in the sixth grade. I loved that movie. I had the screenplay and in seventh grade one of my parlor tricks was that you could choose any line in the movie and I would tell you who said it and give you word for word, the line before it and the line after it. I made my mother watch me act out Scarlett's monologues.
I digress, though, because this is about Anne of Green Gables. I think it was ninth grade when I went on a mission trip with our church's youth choir trip. I had the best time. As we went to each venue, we stayed with a family at different churches. Well, Heather Whitt and I were teamed up with a couple that didn't have any kids. No video games or trampolines to jump on. So our two-night mom (I really wish that I remembered her name so that I could thank her), didn't have many movies for us to watch, except her VHS of the mini-series, Anne of Green Gables. Heather and I stayed up ALL night to see if Anne and Gilbert would hook up. It was late when that movie ended and we were dismayed that they didn't hook up by movie's end. Luckily, we were there for another night and were able to watch the sequel. I have fond memories of watching those movies. So as an adult I purchased both as well as The Continueing Story, which I hadn't known was made.
Once again, I stayed up all night watching those movies...alone. I wanted to share my joy and love for these movies so I recruited my best friend, Melanie, to watch with me. She fell asleep. I begged my husband to watch and he fell asleep as well. So if anyone out there has an affinity for the movies and wants to have a slumber party then just respond. :)
Seriously, it bums me out that no one close to me loves these movies. I guess I'll have to hope that Pressley has a smidgeon of me in her and will love these movies as much as I do.

The New Me...

2011-03-16T22:29:00.002-04:00

I'm not there yet, but I feel like I'm making progress towards that healthier me that I talked about a few blogs ago. I joined Weight Watchers in January and I've lost about ten pounds of pre-baby weight. I still have 10-15 more to go. Unfortunately, it seems as if I've been at a standstill the last couple of weeks. I've also incorporated running into my week. I'm doing a program called C25K, which stands for Couch to 5K. You can find the program online, but I got the app for my iPhone and it lets me set up the music that I want to run to and it cues me to let me know when it run and when to walk. Today's session kicked my butt, which was the first time that has happened. But I'm halfway through the program so I suppose it was about time to kick up the intensity.
On the kid front, Jackson is chuncking up a bit now that he's on formula. Pressley is Pressley, sweet one moment and unruly the next. But I'm still loving being at home with them and I don't regret quitting my job.
So that's my update. :)

Mama's Boy

2011-03-01T23:41:00.003-05:00

I think that Facebook has hindered my blogging abilities because most people are on there and I can create a quick update to let people know what's going on with me/us. So if you're no on facebook, you should be, and once you sign up, add me. And don't say that you're too old, there are some 80 year old women on there. If they can get the hang of it, then you can too. :)
So we had a double whammy doctor's appointment yesterday. Pressley had her four year check and up Jackson has his four month. It didn't go well. First, Pressley had to have five shots (she would want me to tell you that first because she has been a major drama queen about it). I feel for the little girl. She could hardly walk today. But Jackson's story is worse. He has always been a little guy, but he was severely underweight. I was told that I had to supplement formula so it looks like breastfeeding will be coming to an end for me.
On one hand, I'm really proud that I made it to four months breastfeeding. It didn't work out at all with Pressley. But I've just really enjoyed this experience and the bonding aspect of it. I knew it would have to end at some point, but I'm pretty sad that it is ending this way. But making sure that my little guy is healthy is my main priority and I will do everything I can to make sure of it.
Have I mentioned lately how much in love I am with Jackson? Due to breastfeeding and being a stay-at-home mommy, we have a very strong bond. Like, I'm the only person that he smiles and giggles at and I won't lie...I love it! Before he came along, I didn't know how I could love another baby like I do Pressley. He makes it easy! I've realized that you don't love one more than the other, your love just expands.
Aside from his weight issues, Jackson is doing great. He's a happy baby and sleeps during the night. And he adores his momma.

Am I crazy?

2011-01-21T01:58:00.002-05:00

I have an almost 4 year old, almost 3 month old, and I'm ready to do it again? I never thought I would want three kids. Heck, at twelve, I would've told you that I was going to be a doctor, unmarried, and no kids because I didn't want anyone to have control over me. That's really humorous nowadays. There is no way ever that I would want to be a doctor! But, hey, I'm married and have two kids and I think one day there will be a third. And more than likely, sooner rather than later. We were blessed tonight with another addition to our extended family. Benjamin's sister had a little girl, Caroline Grace. And I thought about them all the way in Texas and I just wish that I could have been there. A new, cute little life.
I've wanted three kids even before Jackson was born and even after a couple of weeks of sleepless nights, I wanted to do it again. I'm certain that we'll have a third child and I'm even more certain that it would be a girl. Audrey Rose. I just know that she's meant to be in our family. Now, I just have to convince Benjamin.

I Quit!!

2011-01-17T00:14:00.002-05:00

So I quit my job (hence the title). It was both an easy and hard decision to make. Every time that I would look down at Jackson, I knew that I wanted to be there in every step of his growing up. The thought of going back to work was heartbreaking. Pressley has grown up so fast and I really just want to cherish every minute of Jackson.
The hard part was that I'd worked hard to get where I was at. I'd recently completed my master's degree. I also worked at the beginning of the school year and I really liked my group of kids this year. But there is a lot of pressure on teachers nowadays. My planning period had been reduced by half...so I had like 50 minutes to plan classes, grade papers, and deal with disciplinary issues. And I only got that time like twice a week due to all the meetings that our principal required. I knew that there was no way that I could be a good mom and a good teacher so the teacher part had to go.
The even scarier part...I'll probably have to go back to work in five years (unless I get this book finished and published) and I'm pretty sure that I don't want to teach. Teaching is hard and I'm not sure that I want to go back to it. School has been out the past week and on facebook everyone is complaining because they are stuck at home with their kids. Well, imagine that times 30...and there isn't a computer, tv, or gaming system to keep your kids occupied at school.
Kids (and most parents) don't value education. So the kids come to school and it's a playground for them. Not a very fun environment for a teacher that is pressured to bring home good test scores. I feel for all of you teachers out there that may read this. Teaching is nearly impossible nowadays. And people complain that you're underpaid. Underappreciated is more like it.
Anyway...so now I'm a mom! However, I feel more like I've signed up to be a housecleaner. Since I've quit working, Benjamin feels like the house should be pretty clean when he comes home from work. And I try, oh, I really try. And in my mind, that's the way it should work too. My husband works long and hard hours and he should come home to a clean house and a warm dinner.
But there is Pressley. And feeding a baby non-stop (or so it feels like). And Pressley. I can have the whole house clean and in one feeding with Jackson, she will have every single toy known to man out to play with. I quit work to be home for my kids, but I feel more like I quit work to clean up after my kids. Rather, kid.
I'm very grateful for my husband's career and to him for working. But, man, this gig is pretty tough.

Bittersweet...

2011-01-03T01:24:00.004-05:00

In my last post, I mentioned that Jackson's birth was bittersweet so I thought I'd explain why tonight.
So Jackson was born and one of the first people that Benjamin called was his (and my) Aunt Peggy, aka Aunt PP. And that afternoon, Aunt Peggy was one of our first visitors. She only got to hold Jackson for a few minutes because the nurse had to check me so she said she would be back the following day. Well, we got discharged the next day. The next couple of days were so hectic as we adjusted to our new family that Benjamin only got to speak to her briefly on the phone. I didn't get a chance to talk to her at all. I wish I had made the time, but hindsight is 20/20 as they say.
Now Aunt Peggy was more than just my aunt by marriage. We talked on the phone at least once a week. She was really one of my best friends. I helped her with her problems and she helped me with mine. Sometimes our weekly phone calls were more like five or six in one week, but at the end of every phone conversation she would say (and I'm writing this so that I will never ever forget), "Sharlie, will you do me a favor? Kiss that sweet baby girl of yours. And your husband. And have them kiss you back for me."
I'm so glad that she got to meet Jackson that day. Jackson was born early on Tuesday morning and Peggy was in the hospital that weekend. I'm not even clear on why she went to the hospital. She went to a concert and didn't feel right so she went. All I know is that by Sunday, she had a blood infection and pneumonia. The following Thursday (one week and two days after Jackson was born), Benjamin and I were on our way to the hospital to say our goodbyes.
And that was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do. Our family left the two of us in the room to say our goodbyes to her. How in the world do you sum up what you have to say? Peggy was unconcious. And I just felt so empty. My daughter thought the world of her and vice versa. She was supposed to watch my children grow up. She had bought Pressley her first tea set, her first bicycle. And what about me? She was one of the three people in my life that I called when I needed someone to talk to.
After I told her that we loved her, a tear began to form in one of the corners of her eyes. I think that meant that she heard what I said. I hope it did because I want her to know how much she meant to me. She passed away about fifteen minutes after we left the hospital.
At her funeral, more than a few people asked if I was "Pressley's mom" and "didn't you just have a new baby named Jackson" and "Peggy talked about your children all the time. The last day she was at work she was talking about the most beautiful baby boy she had ever seen."
And so Jackson's birthday will be a bittersweet reminder of gaining one of the greatest joys of my life, but losing one as well.
It still hasn't really sank in that she's gone. Sometimes I find myself thinking, "I need to call Aunt PP" and then I realize that I can't. That's normal, I suppose. I miss her dearly and it breaks my heart to know that Jackson and any future kids that we may have won't get to know her.

A Little Late...

2010-12-29T03:07:00.003-05:00

On October 26, 2010, I received a great blessing. And I apologize for taking so long to write about it. It was a bit bittersweet, but I'll explain that in a bit. First, I want to share a blurb that I wrote up not too long after our child was born. It won't let me copy and paste so I hope all of you out there appreciate the time it will take for me to re-type this. :)

Maternity leave began for me at 3:30pm on October 22nd. My sister and adorable nieces visited for a fun-filled weekend. They left mid-afternoon on Monday and Pressley and I went to her weekly dance lesson. I told my dance parent friends that they would probable see me the following Monday--still pregnant. We came home and I crawled into bed sometime after 11pm.

I didn't lay there for very long. Around 11:45 I felt and even sort of heard a popping noise. I waited for a gush of water and nothing happened so then I became concerned that the baby had done something so I pushed around on my stomach and felt him/her move so I felt a little better. At 11:55, I jumped out of bed for some reason and felt a small gush of fluid. After googling "water breaking" and several small gushes, I called the hospital and spoke to Dr. Forrest and she told me to come on in.

I hobbled back into the bedroom to wake Benjamin up. He was already in a deep sleep and it took him a few minutes to register what "We need to go the hospital" meant. My mother-in-law came over to stay with Pressley. Benjamin took a shower and I put together the last minute items in our hospital bag.

My husband is normally a speed demon and I play passenger-side driver and one would think that taking his pregnant wife to the hospital would mean that he had the green light to go as fast as he wanted. Instead, he drove five to ten miles under the speed limit. I was frustrated because I wasn't really having contractions, but I needed to go to the bathroom and wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

We pull up at the emergency entrance and I fill out some paperwork before being wheeled up to to the labor and delivery ward. It was confirmed that my water had indeed broken and at 3:00am we were in our room. Pitocin was used to start some contractions. I was at 3 cm when I arrived at the hospital. By 5ish, I was at 5 cm. Contractions started coming on strong at 5:15am and I had no pain medicine going yet. I told the nurses that I wanted my epidural, but they told me that two other people were ahead of me. It would be awhile. *groan*

I spent the next hour in unbelievable pain. Kudos to the women that do natural births. I was almost one of them. Contractions were coming every minute and a half or so and poor Benjamin just sat there helpless at seeing me in so much pain. This birth was the exact opposite of Pressley's. I had only had minor contractions with her and got my epidural and had enjoyed hanging out with my family during labor with her. This labor was complete misery. At 6:15, I pushed the nurse call button and politely asked, amidst a contraction, if my epidural could come ASAP. Lynn, the epidural goddess in my mind, came in soon after. Our nurse was an awesome lady named Jennifer and she helped me get on of the side of the bed and held me while Lynn prepped me. The contractions were coming on very strong at this point so being still was practically impossible. It took longer than I would have liked for the drugs to kick in, but I was finally able to relax. Then they checked me and I was 8cm. Looking back, I'm not sure that I would've gotten the epidural if I'd known how close I had been. The epidural made me feel icky during delivery and after.

At this point, Benjamin was calling people to let them know the baby was coming and to update my mother-in-law. A lady came from Lander and asked if I'd mind if a couple of nursing students observed my delivery. I consented and two cute college girls came in and I immediately felt self-conscious. They were sweet though and I hope they learned something.

I was checked at 8:45am and I was nearly complete, but there was a lip of my cervix still there so they asked me to lie on my right side to help that along. Dr. Russell had arrived at this point and I was happy with that because I love him as a doctor and he had also delivered Pressley. He said to give it about 15 minutes and we would be ready to push. Nancy, our new nurse from shift change, broke the bed down and we began to push after those 15 minutes. I think it took about five good pushes and we were ready to go. However, we were told that Dr. Russell had went to do a tubal surgery. So my bed was put back together and I was told to cross my legs and lie on my side!!! I wasn't a happy camper. Finally, he came in the room and the bed was broken down again around 9:15. I couldn't feel a thing but I'm obviously a very good pusher. The head was there at 9:23 am and our baby arrived.

I had went along with Benjamin's "let's not find out the sex" because I thought it would be super cool and exciting to hear "It's a ....". Well, at this point I was already sleep-deprived, groggy from the drugs, and just plain ole exhausted. I honestly hadn't been wondering whether it was a girl or boy because I was just so not there. Benjamin said it was worth it for him, though, so I guess that's good for him. All I know now, is that I have the most handsome little guy in the world and that I love him to pieces. And his name is Jackson Neil Grier.

My brother-in-law asked us if we named him after Andrew Jackson since he knew that I was a history buff. We didn't. Jackson was simply one of the very few names that Benjamin and I agreed on. But Neil is in honor of my dad, one of the greatest guys I know. And now my dad and Benjamin both finally have a little guy in their family.

Still Here...

2010-08-07T03:46:00.002-04:00

Twice in one week! I've now doubled my blog posts for 2010!
I've been sitting here for a few minutes pondering what to write about. The thing with blogging is that you know that there is a chance that other people may be reading what you write. And, well, that's the whole point. Some things are a little too personal, some things can offend others, and some things are just too boring to write about. (Can you tell that I'm still debating on tonight's subject? lol)
Okay, I've decided. Aging. I've realized that I have a messed up perspective of my age. I realized this while watching Glee this past fall (great show, by the way). I thought the guy that played the teacher was way older than me. In my mind, I just look younger than that guy and he seemed just...older. And then I found out that he is actually 31. Oops. Another example is when I picture myself in my mind, I still see that young, thin, and really fit 24 year old. Unfortunately, I'm not.
I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that I'm no longer in my cool twenties. And while I miss those days sometimes, I'm okay with the fact that that stage in my life is over. Overall, I'm a much happier person now than I was seven or eight years ago. My life is stable. I have a wonderful marriage, house, kid, etc.
I'm okay with being 31. How could I not be? The other day Pressley and I were laughing like crazy over something silly and I thought, "You know, these are the best days of my life." How could I wish to be 25 again when it would mean no Pressley? What I'm not okay with is my body and lifestyle at 31. I feel older than 31 on most days. I have no energy, too much fluff (when I'm not pregnant). So I've made that my numbe one priority. I've started drinking tons of water and ditched my Sprites. My next step is to cut the sweets out. Sugar is the devil according to this weight loss book that I am reading. And once this baby arrives and I get the okay from my doctors, it will be back to working out for me.
I mean, since I've now realized that my thirties are going to be the best days of my life, I don't want to look back at 41 and think, "Man, I wish I had went for a jog instead of eating those 3 donuts." So I've made my declaration for all to read. The thirties are the new twenties. And I'm going to own this decade (or what's left of it anyway ;) ).

So, it's been awhile....

2010-08-02T03:47:00.003-04:00

Well, hello there. If you're reading this, then you are probably bored out of your mind and scanned your favorite list and decided to take a chance to see if me (or my sister) had updated our blog. First, sorry that you're bored and, second, I have!

I'm great at making excuses (it's one of the things that I do best) so I already have mine ready to go as to why I've been absent. Once Pressley got out of her milestone/baby stage, it was hard to think of things to write about. I mean, let's be honest, I know most people that read this are here for my cute kid (and she's still a doll!). My life is also pretty boring so I didn't think many people would actually want to read about how I went to a six-hour movie marathon of Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. But I was at my family reunion today and about three people mentioned my blog and how they had stopped by and I realized that I needed to jump back on my blog bandwagon.

And here I am. At four in the morning. I had to get up to go to the bathroom (more on that in a second) and after I got back in the bed, thoughts of my blog consumed me. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I'm still sitting here nonetheless. It's hard for me to find time to write because Pressley wants my attention ALL OF THE TIME. She doesn't take naps anymore and pretty much stays up until I do since it is summer, so writing at 4 AM is about the best that I can do.

So you're probably wondering what is so important about getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Well, come November, there will be a baby making us a family of four so going to the restroom in the middle of the night is something of a routine for me.

And that is going to be the main subject for my first return blog post. YAY! A baby!! Words can't express how blessed I am to have this child join our little family. After two miscarriages, feeling this baby kicking around is just so awesome. Let me answer your first question. I've no idea if it is a boy or girl. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them that, but my dear husband wanted the gender to be a surprise and I'm going along with it. It is more exciting, even if I don't have a clue how to decorate the nursery or have a stitch of clothing bought for this child yet.

Your second question? Yes, Pressley is very excited. When I go to the doctor she asks, "Are you going to get my baby?" And it varies day to day (sometimes hour to hour), as to whether she wants a brother or sister. And, lastly...names. I *think* that we are pretty set on Jackson for a boy. I thought we had a girl's name but a couple of days ago, Benjamin decided that he didn't like my name, which was Emerson. Addison now seems to be the front runner, but Audrey, Payton, and Blair are contenders. But don't be surprised if that changes before November (the second is the due date, if you're curious). The middle names will be family names and I'm keeping those a secret for the moment to surprise those people (so if I've told you then, shhhhhhh).

I've also had a couple of people ask me about my book since I posted an excerpt here. I'm still working on it. As previously mentioned, Pressley doesn't give me much time to write, so I work on it here and there. I'm currently rewriting the beginning because it didn't flow as well as the middle and end. I joined an online writing critique group and I've gotten some good reviews on the chapters that I posted so that's nice.

I guess the only other big thing is that school is about to start. Normally, I'm ready to go back, but not this year. I haven't enjoyed teaching as much the past couple of years. I'm not sure if it's the disrespect that you get from the kids and, unfortunately, the parents or if it is seeing all of this gang stuff going on, but it wears me out. Plus, this year I have an extra class to teach and they have reduced our planning period by half. Not sure how I'm going to manage that since Pressley makes it impossible to bring work home. Not that I want to anyway.

Which brings me to my closing. Ahhh, Miss P. Words can't describe how much I've enjoyed this summer with my little girl. It's been a little bittersweet because, even though I'm very eager to welcome this little baby into our family, I knew that this was my last time to enjoy it just being Miss P and me. And even on the days where we didn't do much, it's been fun to wake up and spend the whole day with her. From day one, I haven't wanted this summer to end.

I'll be posting again soon. I promise. Oh, and the pictures of Pressley are from Easter.

I know, I know...

2009-10-15T23:00:00.002-04:00

Once again I find myself severly lacking in my blogging. Not that I think anyone cares because my life isn't very interesting. If there is one person out there that does then here are the updates going on in our household...

1. I now have my Masters in Education. Yay! Words can't explain how happy I am that I am finished with that degree.

2. Pressley has had awful skin problems the past couple of months and about three weeks ago I picked her up from daycare and she was just covered in what looked like bug bites to me. The dermatologist confirmed this and we are on the road to getting her better. She is now in a new daycare and there have been no new spots.

3. I have finished my young adult novel. It is in the hands of three different friends so they can give me some feedback on what to fix. It ended up being 240 pages long and around 70,000 words. I am contemplating two different options. One is to send it in to Random House's contest for first time young adult novelists. The prize is $1500 and $7500 advance in royalties-plus a hardcover and paperback deal. The other option is to start shopping for an agent. The only problem is that if I send it in to the contest, I cannot send it to agents. The winner will be announced in May so that would put me about 5 months behind on shopping for an agent if I didn't win the contest (which is very likely). Then again, what's five months?
Anyway, even if this book never gets published, I still consider it one of my greatest accomplishments. I started writing stories in the fifth grade and have probably started at least fifty...some I actually wrote 60 or so pages on. So to actually finish a book is just a huge deal for me.

4. To have another kid or not have another kid? Benjamin and I have been talking about this lately. Still not sure.

5. I have been reading a ton of books lately. I think I have read around 25 since August. Even better? My students this year have been doing awesome as well. I had been warned that this group did not like to read and would not do well with my reading program. Some of my students have read 15 books already! My class of 28 has read 160 books total in eight weeks.

I think that is all for updates. My husband just pulled a pizza out of the oven and it is calling my name.

Welcome the six or seven babies...

2009-07-09T01:02:00.002-04:00

Oh my goodness, Pressley has discovered all the baby dolls that she has gotten since her birth (thanks mostly to Nana and Nanny). And they are all naked! Pressley stripped them of their clothes long ago, but now the babies are entering our every day play time and then some. Pressley has to have all of her babies in the bed with her when she goes to sleep and the other morning I went in and all of the babies were lined up on the other end of the bed! Now here comes to funny part. Benjamin and I asked her what the babies' names were and they are mostly all forms of Liana with a few Adleigh's stuck in there. That's the names of my baby nieces if you are new onto the scene. How precious! Pressley remembers the names of her cousins!
And when we wake up, I have to take all of the babies out of her crib and we carry them into the living room because, of course, they have to eat and have their teeth brushed! And Pressley kisses them and then she throws them at me. We will have to be careful whenever we have a real baby around!
Pressley's other love, or maybe I should say obsession, is Dora the Explorer. My daughter NEVER watched tv, but she has somehow gotten latched onto Dora. And lately she has been known to say, "Diego is my boy friend." LOL. I don't like this obsession but I have to say it is really cute to see her talk to Dora on the tv and she has really gotten better at counting too. We bought Pressley her very own Dora backpack and when Dora talks about her backpack Pressley says, "I have a backpack too!"
This is really the most fun age! Pressley pretty much talks in complete sentences. The downside is that she is fiercely independent and so there is not much loving going on. She also has no interest in potty training. She is so smart! Why doesn't she want to use the potty? She constantly insists that she is a baby...not a big girl. Oh well, she's adorable and she brightens my day. I don't know how I will ever be able to go back to work.

More pictures!!!

2009-06-21T01:51:00.001-04:00

Look below at the other post...but here are some more pictures from the party!!!

We finally got to meet/see/hold the babies!!!!

2009-06-21T01:40:00.003-04:00

Pressley and I ventured to Charlotte for an awesome occastion yesterday. My precious nieces turned one!! The babies have sorta been sequestered during the winter season to make sure that they stay well, so this was the first time that Pressley and I have been able to go see them. Pressley was soooo excited...at first it was about the babies and then after two hours of driving, the only thing that could keep her going was persuading her with the birthday cake.

I haven't held a baby in quite awhile and they are so very much more light than my two year old. We had a blast and I miss my sister and the girls soooo much. I'm going to post some pictures from the day on here, but due to lack of time there won't be any captions. Enjoy! Well, the pictures are posting at top and I can only do a few at a time. More tomorrow maybe!!!

A Taste of my Book...

2009-06-20T03:24:00.002-04:00

I haven't blogged in a looonnngg time. Sorry about that. Mostly it is because I am writing a book and it takes up most of my free computer time. Three people have read what I have written so far and that is my sister, best friend, and my best friend co-worker (and if they are telling the truth then they seem to like it...yea!). But I have had a lot of people asking me what the book is about so I thought I would post a little snippet here for you to read. It's a young adult fantasy. The part I am posting is my favorite part, but it is in the middle of the book so I apologize if anything is confusing. Also, the formatting got a little weird once I copied and pasted.

“Are you tired of moping around yet?” I knew the voice without having to lift my buried face away from my pillow. What was even more strange was how his voice seemed to comfort me, like the way my mother tucking me into my bed had once. Still, that didn’t mean that I wanted to let him see the mess that I had become. It didn’t seem to matter what I wanted because I was being lifted gently from the bed and forced to sit up. Damien grabbed my desk chair and moved it so that he was facing me and sat down. God only knew what was running through Damien’s head as he scanned my make-up smeared face and tangled hair. Disgust swept over his chiseled features, his lip curled up and he rolled his eyes.
“God, Sadie, you only knew the guy for like a week. I hardly think this revelation of who he really is qualifies for you to lock yourself in your room and prepare to become the wife of Frankenstein.”
I ignored his comment and contempt rose through me as I quietly asked, “Have you ever glamoured me?”
Realization dawned on his face and I thought I saw some hope flicker through his expression. He quickly gained composure and his steely mask was once again in place. “I don’t need to glamour anyone. Women fall at my feet begging me to take them as it is. I guess that explains your obsession with your boyfriend, though.”
“He’s not my boyfriend—anymore,” I said through gritted teeth. Damien shrugged as if my comment meant little to him.
My eyes closed, I muttered, “Why are you here anyway?”
“Because you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and get up and train. The Malus won’t go easy on you just because you are upset that your boyfriend turned out to be the son of the head honcho.”
“Do you promise that you never glamoured me?” I had to know. I wasn’t sure what his answer would tell me or if I even wanted to confront any of the feelings that were coursing through every part of my body as I sat there and drank in Damien’s presence.
Damien looked straight into my eyes and leaned forward. “First, keep in mind that a promise from someone in the Malus doesn’t mean anything.” He ran a hand through his blonde hair and stood up, pacing the floor of my room. He turned towards me and said, “Sadie, let me be perfectly honest. I came to you in the parking lot that evening out of pure curiosity. News of this Chosen One had spread to even loners of the Malus like me. I ran into some acquaintances and we decided to check you out. I left that night hoping that I would never run into you again. Why would I try to glamour you? Being near you scared the hell out of me, for reasons that I have already mentioned.”
An idea formed in my mind and I stood up, walked across my room and put out a hand to stop his pacing form. He looked at me with interest.
“Kiss me,” I said quietly. I could see the heat flash across his eyes, desire and hunger intertwined together. He pulled me close to him, his clenched hands were at his sides, and brought his lips to where they were almost touching mine. My heart raced and I closed my eyes, yearning for contact.
He spoke softly but matter-of-factly, “Sadie, I am not going to participate in this experiment of yours to see if what you feel for Cole or for me is real. You are going to have to come to terms with that on your own.” I could feel his lips travel across my cheek and close to my ear, “When I kiss you for the first time it will be because you, without a doubt, know that you want me as much as I want you.”

So there it is. *blush* I'm loving writing it, even if nothing ever happens with it. I have 165 pages so far. I'll be writing tomorrow about my beautiful nieces' birthday tomorrow and sharing some pictures!! We had such an awesome time!

Pressley turns 2!!!

2009-02-09T22:19:00.003-05:00

Pressley's birthday was Feb 4th and we had her birthday party this past Saturday at our house. Guests were: Daddy and Mommy, Nana and Pappy, MiMi and Papa, Aunt JJ, Aunt PP, Nanny, Grandpa Hoyt and Grandma Lillie, Grandfather Grier, Aunt Mary Anne, Aunt Mel Mel and Avary. I thank everyone for coming and honoring our little girl. She is precious and we are both so thankful that Miss P is our daughter. She is simply amazing. Here is a video of P blowing out the candles on her cake.

Sports, Being an American, Anne of Green Gables, and a Video

2009-01-19T21:03:00.005-05:00

A varied blog, to be sure. So it seems that my sports teams have not fared well lately. Clemson lost the bowl game. Colts (my #1 NFL team) didn't make it to the playoffs and then the Panthers lost. Clemson lost their first basketball game to Wake Forest. And I was pulling for the Eagles since Brian Dawkins is a Clemson alum and then they lost. On the bright side, I think I saw the Clemson basketball team at Ingles. They must have been leaving early to miss the snow to play in NC on Wed.
Well, this is an exciting week for the American people. We have finally broken the boundaries and will have an African American president. Have you seen the clips of people hooping and hollering in ALL sorts of different countries when Obama was elected President? You know, I wasn't sure if I would ever see the day so I can only imagine how those older than me feel. It will be a very exciting day tomorrow and I can only say that I am extremely proud to be an American. We will be watching the inauguration tomorrow in my classroom.
I once went on a church choir trip in the 9th grade (I think it was 9th grade). We went to Florida and people took us in their homes and we sang at churches, etc. Heather Whitt and I spent two nights at a lovely couple's home. I remember them taking us to dinner. Anyway, they introduced us to the Anne of Green Gables movies (which, of course, are based off of the book). I remember that Heather and I stayed up almost all night watching the first video. We were enamored with Gilbert Blythe. We were tired the next night, but knew that it was are only chance to watch the sequel to see if Anne finally realized that Gilbert was the one for her. I think we fast forwarded through a good bit to the end.
I bought the series a couple of weeks ago. It had been 15 years since I had last seen it. I stayed up until 4:30 in the morning on Saturday night watching it (good thing Benjamin was home to let me sleep in a bit). I finished watching the second and third installments over the weekend. It was better than I had remembered it. And it made me think of my old friend, Heather.
Lastly, here is a video of Pressley. It shows her doing a lot of her current favorite tricks. She counts...sorta, she pretends to sleep and snore, and she loves to jump and be thrown around by her daddy...and then she screams (another favorite thing to do).

Babies Again!!!!

2008-12-28T21:46:00.003-05:00

No, this is not a pregnancy announcement! As most of you know, my sister has twin babies and she has published some very cute videos of them on her blog. Well, Pressley can not be around the babies until RSV season is over but we want her to know about her two precious cousins so I show her the videos on Aunt Fey's blog. Pressley is addicted to the videos now. Seriously, we sit here for 30 minutes at a time watching 25-30 second videos over and over again. We can now quote the comments that Aunt Fey, Uncle Wade, and Bev from the videos. It's cute, really, but when you can't even sit at the computer to pay bills or check emails without Pressley pestering you gets a little old. Still, I am glad that she loves the babies (she calls them her babies). Here is a video that shows what I mean. But this video is actually pretty mild. There have been times that Pressley throws a crying fit to see the "babies again". Oh, we have taught her that if she hits the space bar then she can watch the video over and over again. At least it allows me to clean up the living room while she does it. And excuse the mess in the background. We are still recuperating from Christmas.
Seriously, Ferris, if you could just install a webcam near the babies then Pressley would sit and watch it 24/7 and Pressley isn't one to sit down and watch a tv show.

Christmas and the Big Car

2008-12-27T22:25:00.006-05:00

Happy Holidays to everyone! I am a little late with Christmas but I hope everyone has a Happy New Years. Christmas was soooooo awesome this year! Pressley was a little more into the holiday this year than last. We let her open up a couple of presents a few days before Christmas and her reply after unwrapping the gift was "More". One of my favorite gifts that I received was my Flip. It is an awesome little camcorder that makes it easy for me to take videos of Miss P. So be prepared for lots of videos in the future. This is a video of Christmas morning when P saw her most favorite gift that she received. It's still sitting in my living room, has not actually been driven, but Pressley is quite happy with just climbing in and out of the car--again, again, again, and again.

Looking for some Christmas gifts?

2008-11-11T22:34:00.002-05:00

I have a serious problem. I have an obsession of buying books that my students will want to read. This year I have taken a different approach for reading. My students have 15 minutes each day where they have to silently read a novel of their choice. They have to log their reading in a notebook, etc. I strongly encourage them to read books that they WANT to read. For the first time, many of them are actually reading a book on their own. I love it. Sadly, a lot of parents don't have the money or the desire to purchase books for their kids so I make sure that I have a wide variety in my room.
Well, I spend a good bit of money on this and while Benjamin is certainly supportive, the cost does get out of hand. So I now have a second job.
Which leads me to two other loves that I have. Jewelry and things that are monogrammed. I looked at a brochure for Initial Outfitters and wanted to be a part of it. So I am now a representative for the company. Most of the money that I make will go to purchase books for my classroom. So if you would like to help and get something out of it for yourself then please visit my website and buy yourself some really cute stuff or do some Christmas shopping for the people on your list. I will be doing parties soon (and the hostess gets free stuff), but I am waiting for the merchandise that I ordered to arrive before I do that. The stuff is super cute...I wouldn't support it if it wasn't. lol

http://sharlie.initialoutfitters.net/Pages/HomePage.aspx

If you want to help out our classroom in another way, I will be making a Wish List on amazon.com of books that my students want.

But DO NOT feel obligated to do anything. If you like the stuff, then that is great. If not, then that is totally cool too. I am just putting this out there. :)

Wow, just wow.

2008-11-04T19:32:00.002-05:00

I left my house this morning to vote at 8:30am. I dropped Miss P off and I arrived at Honea Path Middle School around 8:45am. It was sorta chaotic. I had no idea where to go. A lady pointed me towards a long line where the end placed me outside of the building. I stood in that line for around 40 minutes to check in and then I went to the end of another line to actually vote. Some people were in pissy moods and wanted to complain, but this was one line that I had no problem waiting in and was proud to be standing in.
I told a couple of people in line that this was my first time voting and asked if this wait was unusual. They nodded and said that they had never seen anything like this on election day at HPMS. I felt really emotional while standing in line, but I didn't cry. I was too excited to cry.
I finally left the building at 10am and the lines were longer than they were when I had arrived. I have no idea who people voted for and I don't really care. Seeing people show up to cast their ballot, regardless of party, made me really proud to be an American.
I am now attached to the hip with cnn.com and CNN is playing on my tv as I speak. What an exciting day!

Vote.

2008-11-03T22:03:00.003-05:00

This will be the first presidential election that I have voted in. I am not proud to admit that since I am almost 30 years old. I took for granted a right that had been fought for me by many great people. We tend to do that, don't we? We take for granted what others fought hard for us to have.
I have struggled over the last couple of months over proclaiming who I am voting for. Since I am a teacher, I have to make sure that I do not influence my students' opinions and so I do not discuss my political views with students (and even though I don't have one, I think teachers should be free to have political bumper stickers on their car). I do believe that I should have the right, as every American does, to practice the freedom of free speech and so here on my blog I will speak freely.
I am not going to force my viewpoint on you. I hope that everyone out there has made an intelligent decision about who they are voting for and will be proud of the ballot that they cast.
The last time a presidential election was held, I wasn't even a teacher. I feel like I have been teaching for an eternity so that blows my mind. But I was working at Winn Dixie and I would have voted for Kerry because I am a Democrat. Well, I spoke to a lot of other co-workers that today and they either didn't vote or were not registered to vote and all of them would have voted for Kerry. I had always been of the thought that my vote didn't really matter. But when I saw all of the numbers add up and then I thought about how that was such a small part of the SC population, I decided that I would be voting in the next election.
I cast my ballot in the Democratic primaries. I was in tears when I left. Voting, I realized, is a pretty powerful thing. I know that tomorrow will be even more emotional for me. Because this time I really really really (is that enough really's?) care about who wins this election. I love the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Jimmy Stewart is this guy who has these totally "idealistic" ideas of how the world should work. I doubted that "that" guy could ever really exist in Washington.
I live in a Republican small town. And the people that read my blog are probably going to vote Republican and I respect that. However, I hope those that read this know that I am an intelligent young lady and I have looked at both candidates, as I hope you have. And I really hope that you don't think less of me for this post. That was one of my main concerns in posting this. Yet again, I feel that I have the right to express my opinion.
I feel that Obama is Mr. Smith. He has stood up for what he believes in (whether you agree with him or not). He is actually standing up for the everyday man. And, I am going to be honest here, Obama is standing up for what a lot of people who are Republicans need. I also feel that a lot of people are listening to rumors and negative campaigning without finding the facts.
1. Obama is not Muslim.
2. Obama is not Asian (yes, a student told me this).
3. Obama is not a terrorist.

Seriously, do you think he would have made the Democratic ticket if those things were true?

1. Obama wants to pay teachers more (okay, this is a personal thing for me, but we deserve it. I had a kid tell me that he had a gun...is that worth $30,000?)
2. If you make less than $200,000, he wants to decrease your taxes ( I don't know many people around here that wouldn't benefit from that).
3. He wants to help those that are having trouble getting your health needs.

I do not want to offend anyone with this blog, but this is my forum to speak and I am going to use it. I hope that everyone, Republicans and Democrats, will go out tomorrow and exercise their right to vote.

Good night.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-01T16:25:00.003-04:00

Oh my, Halloween wasn't quite so easy this year. First, we had to convince Pressley that she liked her outfit. She was scared of the skirt and disliked the cat ears. After taking her to a full length mirror and telling her how pretty she was, she began to fluff up her skirt. The ears took a little more convincing. We told her it was just like one of her pretty bows and she was such a big girl for wearing them.
Then we headed for the car. We couldn't fit Pressley into the car seat with the skirt on so the skirt had to come off. After one visit, we decided to try readjusting the straps in her carseat to accomodate "the poof".
We only went to visit family members that were close in the area. It took us three and a half hours to visit 4. Amazingly enough, we ended up with a good bit of candy. You noticed that we said "we", huh? Well, I wouldn't be a good mom to let Pressley eat ALL of that candy. She could get sick. ;) Besides, I deserved a Snickers just as much as she did at the end of the night.

So here are some pics. It's really hard to get good pics at this age. She is always on the move, never wants to smile, and is usually more interested in looking at something else instead of the camera.

We head to the first door. She looks back at us for a little reassuring.

The door opens.

We wait for the candy.

Meow.

We visit Nanny's house.

She may not look much like me, but one thing proves she is her mother's daughter. She LOVES books more than candy.

After eating a few M&Ms, we take a picture with Nanny.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do...Part 2

2008-10-26T20:44:00.004-04:00

I had two break ups over the weekend. The first, sadly, is that things with my new hairstylist is not working out. I thought he was the one, but it isn't meant to be. Two reasons: Number one, I am putting more into the relationship than he is. As in, I am investing way too much money and I am not really getting what I pay for. The second reason is that my visit to him on Friday did not really meet my expectations. In plain words, I love the cut but the color sucks. I look like Victoria Beckham when she was a Spice Girl. Ick. If that comparison is lost on you, then simply imagine a skunk. I have these weird looking blonde streaks. I am contemplating my next move. I think I may break down and buy some over the counter hair stuff and hope that my hair doesn't turn green. It really does sadden me because I thought I had found "the one". Nevertheless, my hairstylist search continues. Perhaps I can pitch the idea to a reality tv show.
The second break up wasn't really all that hard. It was kinda fun actually. Benjamin bought an Iphone for himself today so we broke up with Verizon and are with ATT. We had been with Verizon for a pretty long time, but in the end we feel that our relationship with ATT will pay off in the long run. We got two awesome phones and rollover minutes. Gotta love those rollover minutes.
So I promised some Pressley pics of her new hair do. At least someone in this household is having some luck in the hair department.

Here are a couple of pre-hair pictures that I haven't posted yet.

One good thing about having kids, is that you get free labor. Just kidding, Pressley makes far more messes than she actually cleans.

And here is the new do for both of us. I promise that my hair looks far worse in person.

Pressley has a new 'do and I have a new phone!

2008-10-18T21:40:00.003-04:00

There really is so much to say. First, poor Clemson. I never listen to the radio in my car, but since Monday (Bowden's goodbye day) I have been a faithful listener on sports radio. There are some pretty big rednecks that host those talk shows. I found it odd that not a single woman called in. Benjamin says that he has heard women call in before. Perhaps I am a weirdo, but I am a female and I love sports. Well, I love football.
Pressley had another haircut today and this time you could actually tell a difference. She has a cute little bob now and the ends flip up. We cut her bangs too so that her hair won't continuously hang in her eyes.
And...I got an iPhone today and I loooovvve it. It is so awesome. I have played with it all evening long. It's an early Christmas gift. It's only been a few hours and I can't imagine life without it.
I will try to post pics of Pressley's hair tomorrow. She doesn't stand still for very long so it is hard to get a picture of her.

Twilight Spoof

2008-10-15T19:01:00.003-04:00

If you know me, then you know that I love the Twilight series and can't wait for the movie to come out! I found this hilarious spoof so I thought I would share on here.

Germs came along with the students...

2008-09-17T19:24:00.002-04:00

I apologize for my lack of posting. It never fails that I get a cold at the beginning of a new school year. Thankfully, Pressley hasn't caught my germs yet but the past few days have been hard to get through. My sinuses started acting up last week and by Sunday I had a full-fledge cold. It had now become a hacking cough. Lovely.
On Sunday night, I was almost delirious on the couch. Seriously, my face looked swollen from the sinus pressure and even my teeth hurt. Still, I had grand plans to finish my lesson plans online because I needed to be at school the next day. I somehow managed to finish the lesson plans but at 4:30 am when I was already under a dose of Nyquil and still could not go to sleep (and my teeth were still hurting!) I put in for a sick day.
I still didn't feel too well Tuesday morning, but I needed to be at work and I had class that night so I somehow made it through the day. However, I had a fever by the end of Tuesday night.
I am feeling a little better today. I just really hate being sick.

Have I told you about Pressley's obsession with shoes? Sadly, we share this addiction. But at least my feet have stopped growing so I can keep on wearing my shoes. But Pressley's feet grow pretty fast. So right about the time that we have a nice little diverse selection for her, well, it's time to go buy more. But Pressley has fixated on this one pair of hot pink Crocs of hers. She must wear them all of the time. Yesterday morning Benjamin (who is in charge of taking Pressley to her baby-sitter) can not find one of the pink Crocs. Pressley throws a fit. She refused to wear any other shoes. Benjamin threw another pair in her bag and had to take her bare-footed. Sadly, the missing shoe is still missing. We have searched everywhere and even Pressley takes part in the searching. She looked underneath the bed and under the sheets on my bed. Still no shoe. Let's hope it turns up soon.

Book Clubs, Book Reports, and Tomato Pie

2008-09-06T23:27:00.003-04:00

I went to my very first book club meeting last night. It's a group that we started at school and I felt like an intelligent young lady when I told people that I was reading a book for my "Book Club". We had a very good time at our meeting. However, we didn't spend a lot of time actually talking about the book that we read. We read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccoult. It was a good read. It's about a high school shooting and you get the past and present information from lots of differnt viewpoints. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of a teacher and a parent. I want to read more books by her so I would say that is was a success.
In other news, I have to turn in 20 reports on articles for my class that I am taking to get my masters. I have written 5 of them. That means that I have a lot of work to do between now and Tuesday. :(
I made my first tomato pie for our book club last night. It was pretty awesome, in my opinion. I am planning on making another one tomorrow.
Well, I have a few reports to write so I need to log off. Until next time.................

First Haircuts and Old Pictures

2008-08-30T22:09:00.003-04:00

Pressley got her first haircut today. Get ready for the story in pictures.
So Pressley was really upset this morning. We took her toothbrush from her and a break-down occurred. Brenda calmed her down. She put her clothes on her and another breakdown occurred. To make her happy, we gave her "baby bear", a pacy, and some sunglasses.

We had to wait for a few minutes. Pressley went through my purse and found my phone. We told her that Pappy was on the other line. She is saying, "Hey Pappy!"

We begin the hair-cutting process. Pressley gets settled in her seat and has her apron put on her.

Since this whole hair-cutting business is going down, P decides that I can have my phone back.

Pressley in her seat.

Pressley smiles at her hairdresser.

Pressley seems to want more cut off.

Pressley and I went to our favorite restaurant, Grits and Groceries, for lunch and had tomatoe pie and Eggs Elizabeth. We then went to my Uncle Bob and Aunt Robin's house to look at some old family pictures. This is my grandmother, Arlene. My grandmother passed away April 21, 1971. I was born April 22, 1979. I always wished that I could have met my grandmother. I absolutely love these pictures of her.

When I looked at the previous picture, I just can't help but wonder what that moment was like when this picture was taken. I have no idea of what year it was. But it looks like a special moment.

The next picture is another one of my grandmother. She was so beautiful.

My Aunt Judy also brought some copies of picture that she had. Thank you so much, Aunt Judy and Uncle Bob and Aunt Robin! The next picture is of my great-grandparents. I am pretty sure this is Mr. and Mrs. McGill. I may be wrong though.

Pressley and I had an awesome day. Well, until the Clemson game. We are losing at the moment.

Um...more randomness?

2008-08-21T21:28:00.002-04:00

School is going swimmingly well. (Leslie, I am still knocking on wood). :)

In PACE, I remember us talking about the stages of teaching. The first stage is survival. I can very much relate to that. There are so many expectations to live up to. First, there is classroom management. I honestly think it is impossible to have good classroom management as a first year teacher. You just don't have the confidence to pull it off. In this stage, you are in busy work mode. You really have no clue as to what your kids need or how to teach them. You care about your job and your students but you don't have the resources or background knowledge as to what to do. In hindsight, you just hope that your inexperience didn't mess any of your kids up.
In my opinion, the second year is sort of a survival year as well. You are a little better than the first year but the nerves are still there and you still aren't sure of yourself.
The next stage is comfortable mode. You have your routine. You somewhat know what to expect from your students. You pull out some of the worksheets that you ran off that first year but you also add some new stuff.
The sad part is that some people stay in that comfortable mode. I can't remember what they call the last couple of stages. But I remember them saying that when you hit the last stage (if you ever do), everything falls in place. This stage is when you start to care less about what everyone else is doing and ditch those worksheets. Instead, you tap into what excites your students. You don't think about your day as surviving until the next day. Instead, you look forward to your students walking in the door and your students feel the same way.
It's too early to say that I am at that stage yet, but I know that I want to be there. And I can see a big difference in the way I look at things compared to three years ago. I really love my job and I love my "kids".

In other news, I have started reading the "Luxe" series. It's another young adult series but it is set in 1899. We start off with the funeral of one of the main characters. I am only a few chapters into it but I love it. I wish that I had brough it home with me so that I could keep on reading.

School Days

2008-08-18T20:54:00.002-04:00

The students came back today and I got to meet my new crew. It's hard to tell how the year will go by the first day, but I really did enjoy the kids that I was introduced to today.
What's even more on my mind is that my first group of kids are now juniors (I hope that all of them are anyway!). It doesn't seem possible that I am embarking on my fourth year of teaching. I can remember that first day of my first year like it was yesterday. I had no idea what I was doing. It's amazing how much you learn and grow as a teacher from one year to the next.
In other news, Benjamin won a $500 credit at work so we put that money toward a new 47" high definition TV. Just in time for Clemson football! I think we will be getting it in the next week or two.

Well, I have been up since 5:45 this morning. I believe it is time for me to go to bed so that I can be rested for Day #2 of the school year. :)

Gracie...

2008-08-13T20:57:00.003-04:00

I realized tonight that I have never written about Gracie. Benjamin will tell you that Gracie was the pre-engagement ring to our relationship. He knew that we would last as a couple but it wasn't quite the time to get engaged. So he brought up the idea of getting a dog together. I remember that we researched the type of dog that we wanted. We were torn between a cocker spaniel and a German Shepherd. We decided on a German Shepherd.
Benjamin called an ad in the newspaper and we went one Sunday to take a look at some dogs. It was right before our Christmas break at Clemson. The owner walked us towards a red dirt fenced in area. One particular dog came towards me and it was as if the dog had chosen me and not the other way around. I glanced up at Benjamin and said, "This is our dog."
Of course, on the way home she drooled all over me. I was wearing a brand new light blue-green sweater from American Eagle. Mud was all over it.
Gracie's official birthday was 09/25/2000. Gracie lived with Benjamin and his roommates and I would go to visit her often. She was such a sweet girl and we quickly nicknamed her "Pretty Girl". She was a gorgeous German Shepherd.
I remember being worried about introducing her to my little Yorkie, Cooper. But they really got along beautifully.
I will fast-forward to August 2003. Benjamin and I had been married for three months and we were living in a condo in Greenville with Gracie and Cooper. I went to work one day and Benjamin had the day off. When I came home Benjamin said that Gracie had been acting funny. We tried to entice her with a real steak dinner but she wouldn't even lift her head our way.
I had the next day off of work and Gracie was so weak. I called my best friend, a vet tech, and she came over. Gracie's eyes were jaundice and Melanie suggested that I take her to the emergency vet.
It turned out that Gracie had a blood disorder. She was given steroids throughout the night. I went to a specialist the next day with Gracie. It was August 29, 2003.
Gracie would need at least a thousand dollars worth of procedures and she would only have a 50% chance of pulling through.
Putting Gracie to sleep was one of the hardest decisions that I have ever made in my life. To know that you are spending your last few moments with something that you really care about is awful.
Gracie was only here for a short time, but she was a big part of mine and Benjamin's life. We loved her dearly and I wanted to remember her in this blog.

We love you, Gracie.

The Zoo

2008-08-10T12:47:00.002-04:00

Well, it seems that summer is dwindling to an end. Of course, it still feels like summer outside but the you can sense that autumn is on its way. Thoughts of swimming in the pool are being replaced by the thought of Halloween, Turkey Day, and Christmas. Isn't crazy that Christmas stuff is already adorning the shelves at stores? Of course, I love Christmas so it doesn't bother me too much.
Benjamin, Pressley and I met up with my BFF and her niece and nephew for a day at the zoo. It started out easy enough because Pressley was content in the double stroller with Avary.

The first exhibit was the elephant and I made the big mistake of taking Pressley out of the stroller so that she could get a good view. Unfortunately, she didn't think the elephants were all the cool.

We made it through the entire zoo and Pressley did seem to enjoy the petting zoo. I am not sure if they had downsized the petting zoo since I was younger or if I am thinking about another zoo, but all that they had were some goats, a pig, and something else but I can't remember what it was. Pressley could see more animals than that just by visiting her Nanna and Pappy's house and then go visit some of their neighbors.
Anyway, Pressley got a kick out of the goats.

Not surprisingly, Pressley's favorite part was the playground.

All in all we had a good time.

Last week I attended a writing workshop conference and it was really awesome. I am actually pretty excited about going back to school and using these new strategies with my kids. I go back to work on Tuesday and the kids come back a week from tomorrow. It's been a great summer, but I am sorta ready for some Clemson football!!!

(I think Pressley is too!)

Family Reunions and Family Pictures

2008-08-04T20:52:00.004-04:00

The first Sunday of every August we have our annual "Ivester Reunion". I seriously look forward to this day each year. Sadly, the crowd seems to dwindle more and more each year. I have vivid memories of the lines of tables set out at my Uncle Henry and Uncle Jacob's house. We lived just next door then and we would walk across to the festivities.
These memories are such a wonderful part of my childhood and yet it brings me a lot of sadness as an adult. I can't help but think about all of the people that used to be here and were a regular fixture at those reunions. My Uncle Ned is one of those people. And I miss Papa Joe and Carrie too. I also really miss the voice of my great Uncle Jacob. In my memory, it almost sounds Irish but I don't know why. He had a great story-telling voice.
I don't want this to be a depressing blog. Instead, I want to honor those people that still are with me in my memories. To miss them and think about them is a good thing. It means that their memories are still alive with us. And this is why it is so important for all of us to do our best to attend these reunions. I know sometimes things come up, but you matter to the other people that are there. People will carry those memories of you for a long time.

Anyway, here are some pictures from our reunion. This is a picture with a few of the children and grandchildren of my grandfather and his brothers and sisters. I never realized how much we all looked alike until this picture. I also noticed that I am 100% Ivester. I look just like my Daddy.

And here is a picture of Pressley at the reunion...minus her bow.

And here we come to some Family Pictures. It is impossible to take a good family picture because Benjamin always seems to ruin it.

Attempt #1: Notice the silly look on my husband's face.

Attempt #2: I knew Benjamin was doing something sillin this picture so I did too.

Attempt #3: Need I say more? Poor Pressley looks like she is afraid of her own parents.

Visit to Charlotte

2008-08-03T01:12:00.002-04:00

On Friday, Pressley and I went with my parents to visit Wade, Ferris, and the girls. My nieces have gotten so big! It was so sweet to see them. I can't wait to hold them one day!
This was actually Pressley's first visit out of state. She did really well. I showed her the video of Adleigh online and she kept saying, "Baby! Hey, Baby!" I told P that was her cousin that she was talking to, but that didn't seem to kick in. I know that one day, Pressley will be running around and playing with her cousins!
After we visited my sister, we drove back to my friend's house where we had dropped off my parents' car. My parents baby-sat P for the rest of the night while Melanie and I went to the Breaking Dawn book release. It was lame. I am excited about the book, but I am finishing The Host so I want to end that up before I start reading another.
My husband is on vacation for the next week so we are looking forward to spending some time with him!

The Presentation...

2008-07-30T00:18:00.002-04:00

I wonder if there is anyone out there that actually likes public speaking. I have been practicing my speech for my presentation for days and I know that I will still mess it up and stumble over all of my words when I get up there.
I just spent 45 minutes talking to myself as I replayed once again what I am going to say.
And what makes it worse is that I know most of the people in the audience won't even care. I have been there before in the audience. You don't realize what stress the presenter is going through. You are just sitting there listening to what the person has to say. So I am going to try and keep that in mind as I stand up there tomorrow.
Ugh. I have to make myself go to bed now.

Christian the Lion

2008-07-29T00:30:00.001-04:00

I just saw this video and wanted to share. The story is two guys bought a cub lion in 1969. They had him for a year and then the cub got too large and it was arranged for the cub to go to Kenya. A year later, the two went to visit Christian to say goodbye. The video really tells the story.

More randomness...

2008-07-28T22:07:00.002-04:00

I think the word random is probably the most used word in my blog. It probably even exceeds Pressley. But that is what most of my thoughts are...random. I just sorta write what I think and my brain works in a pretty scattered way.

So I emailed some of my history profs at Clemson to see what they thought about the ole Lincoln/Calhoun theory. One pretty much shot it down and two said that they had heard of this tale but didn't know much about it. So, who knows? Unfortunately, the people that I would like most to talk to it about have passed on.

My presentation is on Wednesday and I am a bit nervous. It's about using blogging in the classroom, which I did last year. I don't like speaking in front of groups so keep me in your thoughts.

Ferris, in case you are reading, I am going to a midnight book party for Breaking Dawn on Friday! lol I have a feeling that I will be up all night reading. Again, the Twilight series by Stephenie Myers is awesome!

I watched P.S. I Love You the other morning. It was pretty good. A little long and I didn't see the purpose of one of the storylines, but still a decent movie.

Pressley likes sitting on her potty and I even took her diaper off so that she could sit down on it. She did pee in the bathroom, but it was on the floor. Such fun.

My summer is winding to a close. I have this conference on Wed and Thurs of this week. Next week, I am going to a grammar conference. The week after that, teachers go back to school. I think that I am ready to go back. I really do love my job and my "kids".

Until next time...

Is One Enough?

2008-07-27T03:46:00.002-04:00

Deciding to have two kids is almost as serious as thinking about having the first one. I am learning the ropes and as Pressley and I enter into the world of "pottyhood", I can feel my uneasiness arise again. I had just began feeling comfortable with the two of us going out and about. But lately Pressley has been saying things like, "I peepee. Diaper." We aren't quite there yet, but I know it won't be long before we have to tackle potty training. Pressley will be 18 months on Aug 4th.
I am in the minority around here in feeling okay about P being an only child. I'm being honest here in saying that the infant stage is not my favorite thing. I love the age that Pressley is now. She is so much fun. The helpless stage, eh...not so much. Pressley at that age really wasn't that bad, but I hear that Pressley is an unlikely story. I was sleeping through the night at 5 weeks with Miss P. And I really love to sleep.
Anyway, with one child, you can pass them back and forth so that one parent gets a break. With two kids, it means that no one ever gets a break. I will admit that I like the idea of another child, but with Benjamin's work schedule, I am the one that will be the ultimate care-giver. And I have a full time job as well that I love.

Thankfully, our decision has been pushed back a year. We hope that our next hypothetical child will be born around May/June so that I can spend the summer without using maternity leave. Well, next June/July we are going on a trip with my husband's family so we are putting off the idea for a year.

So I get another year to ponder the idea (sorry any granparents that were hoping for another grandkid). I also have to admit that I can not imagine loving another child as much as I do Pressley. I know that it is possible, but at the moment I can't fathom it.

What a weird day.

2008-07-20T23:32:00.002-04:00

Please keep praying for my nieces, Adleigh and Liana. I don't post about them in every blog because I know that most people are checking in on Ferris and Wade's blog and they, of course, know a lot more than I do. But I think about them every day and I want to thank every one else out there that is praying for these two wonderful little girls....

Today began with celebrating Nanny's birthday. There was great food and great company. However, during the course of our afternoon a car went off the road and into a steep ditch. The driver was an elderly man and died instantly. We still went ahead and celebrated Nanny's birthday, but I don't think any of us could shake off the fact that there was such a travesty. My father-in-law and Benjamin's cousin were the first people at the scene because they heard the wreck happen since they were outside on the porch. I do not know this man, but keep his family in your thoughts. Benjamin remarked that it was ironic to celebrate life and then a few feet away someone loses his life.

Okay, the following part probably won't be of any interest to anyone unless you are an Ivester or like weird history facts. This evening I sat down at my computer to do some geneology research. This is a passion of mine, if this is the first blog entry that you have read. I mentioned before that I had found an article that linked Abraham Lincoln's family to mine. So I went in that direction tonight to see what kind of link it actually was.

Wow. I feel like I am in the middle of a soap opera and a National Treasure movie. History can be so fascinating. I came across this article and realized that the link between my family and Lincoln's is quite controversial and somewhat of mythical proportions. In case you didn't understand the article or did not read it, my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather had a sister (some say this might have been a cousin) named Nancy Hanks. She worked as a barmaid at a tavern right down the road from me in Craytonville, SC. A certain John C. Calhoun (aka vice president, Clemson founder guy) had a home in Abbeville and would travel through Craytonville where he would stop at a tavern and a certain Nancy Hanks caught his eye. An illegitimate child was conceived. *gasp* Think about how we look at that today. It is still frowned upon in the South. In the early 1800's, Nancy and Calhoun's reputation would be tarnished. Calhoun hired a Thomas Lincoln to take Nancy away. She gave birth to an Abraham Lincoln and supposedly married Thomas.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding all of this. Honest Abe's mother died when he was 10 or so. There seems to be a lot of talk that he was illegitimate. If you read the article, then you see that there are various people from around our part of the state that seem to know about this connection. But no one really knows about it. There is evidence, according to the article, that Calhoun gave Nancy Hanks some money. So why would this be covered up?

Keep in mind that this is all circumstancial, but I find it very plausible. The Hanks people wouldn't talk about it because you tend to cover up a birth that is conceived out of marriage. They didn't know the babe would turn out to be one of our greatest Presidents. Calhoun would not want it known that he had sown some wild oats, especially since he and Lincoln had conflicting political ideas. And once Lincoln became President, the government would not want it to be known that Abe was a bastard child.

So I read this article and I remember that a long time ago, my father had mentioned that there was talk of us being related to Lincoln. I call him tonight and his uncles had told him this same story when he was a kid. Now for these uncles, it would not have been a tale told generation after generation. They would have been in contact with people that had heard the story from their own parents. And again, if you read the article, there seems to be a lot of people from around this area that have confirmed it. And I think I believe it. I guess we will never really know...unless some people are willing to dig up some DNA samples.

My dad also said that it was rumored that Calhoun paid for Lincoln to go to law school (as Calhoun did). Lincoln's supposed father, Thomas Lincoln, was a nobody and would not have been able to afford that (or perhaps sired someone so intelligent?). Who knows? But it has made my evening quite interesting. And if there are any kinfolk out there that have more to add then I would love to hear. :)

Picture Time!

2008-07-18T14:04:00.002-04:00

First, here is the new hair.

Pressley and Daddy playing.

A rare moment of her actually keeping a hat on.

I told you that she loved to read books. She can even read them upside down!

Visiting Aunt PP's house.

Feeding fish at a coi pond (koi?). We had a lot of fun doing this. You feed the fish out of a baby bottle!

Riding the horsie in a bathing suit.

Thanks for looking!!

The Wonderful World of Geneology

2008-07-17T01:09:00.002-04:00

I am a huge history geek. Geneology goes along with my love with history. It is fascinating, to me, to figure out who my ancestors are and where they come from. I had an extensive amount of research done when my computer crashed shortly after Pressley was born. I have revived that hobby and that is what I have been focused on for the past hour. Tonight my search has been focused on a link between my father's side of the family and Abraham Lincoln. I can find nothing on my mother's side of the family. I had it before my computer crashed. I can not get past my great-grandparents on that side of the family. If anyone is reading this and knows Faye's or Ziffie's parents' names then let me know. I am aslo looking for Connie Truelove and Mamie Sailor's parents' names.

Anyway, Pressley is still wanting to hit me and Brenda and throw things. I suppose the terrible twos are coming early. It is getting old and that is all that I will say.

I don't think I have done this here yet so I want to recommend a series of books that are just awesome. Seriously, anyone that I have told about these books and have read them have become obsessed with them. So you have been forewarned. I have gotten my sister and best friend hooked on them. I told a parent of a student about them and she got her son's softball team's moms hooked on them. The books are the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers. If you like to read a good book then pick this one up. It's addicting though. They are making a movie out of the first novel. Can't wait!! It is labeled as a young adult novel but adults will more than enjoy them.

My summer is winding to a close. At the end of July I have to do a presentation at a conference. Keep me in your thoughts because I do not like talking in front of people. I have another conference that I will be attending as a spectator the week after that. And then I go back to work.

This has been a boring post.........sorry. Perhaps the next one will be more interesting.

New hair!

2008-07-09T22:22:00.002-04:00

I visited my new stylist today. He is absolutely awesome. I pulled my hair out of my ponytail (where it had been nonstop since I got it cut) and the look on his face was priceless. It confirmed that the bad haircut wasn't just me. I will admit that I was nervous. But Matt made me feel right at home the moment that I sat in his chair. It was like a scene from Sweeney Todd without the gore. He pulled out his arsenal of shears and just went away at my hair. I think we probably cut another two inches off today so we have a total of 8 inches gone in a week's time. It does take some adjusting to. But I love it. I keep running my hands through it. There isn't much to run through but it is still fun. My next appointment is already scheduled for August.

Wednesday nights are a big deal at my house because we love the show "So You Think You Can Dance". If you haven't been watching it then it might be hard to get into, but it is the highlight of our tv watching during the summer.

Well, Pressley is now a toddler and quite a handful. She likes to test me. I tell her, "No" and she smiles and tries to do it anyway. The main problem is throwing things at the dogs and at me. We are working on it. If you have suggestions, then please feel free to comment.

So we had quite a storm tonight. It blew some of our patio furniture over into the pool. And then the patio table blew over and it broke the glass. How I am going to clean that up, I have no idea. There is glass everywhere outside. It is on the cement around the pool and then in the grass. Just a big mess all around.

My nieces are just a miracle. I am simply amazed every time that I read my sister's blog.

I am having to write a research paper for my masters. The class that I am taking now is Research I and we are in the beginning stages of our papers. My last class, in April, is Research II and I will have to have it completed by then. I like doing research so it isn't a huge deal, but doing the experimental part in my classroom this coming year will be. I am not good at putting stuff into charts and tables, but--oh well.

We watched Juno the other night. Cute movie. National Treasure 2 is next on our Netflix list.

Speaking of watching things on the television, I am a total history dork. On July 4th, I kept the History channel on non-stop because they did an amazing job on The Revolution. I read 1776 and enjoyed it, but watching this documentary was simply awesome. I also receommend The Presidents documentary that the History channel did.

Okay, I have rambled on enough. Until next time...

Breaking Up is Hard to Do...

2008-07-07T16:29:00.004-04:00

I hated to do it, but it was time. Things had been going downhill for awhile now and I had tried to ignore the signs. I had to break up with my hair stylist. I am being "tongue in cheek" here but it really does suck. I had been going to the same place for nine years or so. She knew my hair, knew the amount of time I was willing to put into styling my hair (which is about zilch), knew my colors, hair texture, etc.
It was quite a drive to get my hair done...about 45 minutes. I had an appointment scheduled for 9:30 Thursday morning. I leave at 8:30 and make the long gas guzzling drive up to Clemson. I enter the salon and do not see my old friend. The owner looks at me distressed. Her eyebrows shoot up quizzically.
I announce that I was here for my appointment.
"X is sick. I tried calling you to tell you that the appointment was cancelled."
I explain that I live an hour away. Either this doesn't compute with her or she realizes that she really doesn't have a good explanation.
In any case, "I called the number that you left," was her reply. (She called at 8:50 that morning. Missed me by 20 minutes).
To make a long story short, another woman does my hair. Now, I wasn't going in for a trim. I cut six inches off. I wasn't quite sure how I wanted it done because I was planning on talking it over with the girl that had been doing my hair for nine years. The girl that knew my hair.

Instead, I walked out of the salon with the dullest hair cut that I have ever had. Even the Richard Simmons look that I sported in the first grade has more style than I do at the moment. So I am calling a friend of a friend tomorrow that does hair and hopefully this mess on my head will be rectified. More importantly, I am hoping that this new guy will be the beginning of a beautiful new relationship...for my hair, that is!!!!

Oh, one last thing. I have naturally curly hair, which was a blessing when it was long and I could just scrunch it up and have some curls and go. Now, if I let my hair air dry I look like Gilda Radner in her Saturday Night Live sketch.

Let me also add that I am not just breaking up with X because she got sick and I didn't get the call about the cancellation. The drive was the major factor. Also, the last few times that I had been to see her, she talked on the phone more than she talked to me. I just wanted to add that because I reread my post and it wasn't clear that there were already issues building up to our break-up.

Oh my, what a day...

2008-07-01T23:18:00.002-04:00

Before I begin today's blog, I ask that everyone send up prayers or think a good thought for my nieces, Adleigh Grace and Liana Hope Joye. I spoke with Ferris last night and they are concerned with Liana's lungs and Adleigh's valve in her heart. However, Ferris seems so calm and optimistic when you talk to her.
Well, my day began fairly ordinary. I woke up and gave Pressley a bath and then we ate some breakfast and played. Pressley goes to a daycare in a lady's home about 4 days a week so I can do some work at the house or run errands. Today, I was going to Anderson to a consignment shop where I take Pressley's old clothes. You can only get paid from the 1st to the 10th of each month. So I get there and am greeted by a sign that said that they are closed until the 7th. I then head to Micheal's to get some scrapbooking stuff. I have officially finished Pressley's first year scrapbook so I needed a new book to begin her second year. I then go to Target and buy some useful stuff. Why is it that I can go into Target with nothing to buy and leave with a buggy full?
I am hungry at this point so I go to my favorite sandwich shoppe, Panera Bread. It is about the only place that I feel okay going in and eating by myself. I sit down to enjoy my French Onion soup and Sierra Turkey sandwich when two young girls sit down at the table in front of me. They were college girls from their conversation (since when did I equate college=young? That was me just a few years ago, wasn't it?). Well, one of the girls was a rich snob and all she talked about was her parents paying for this and may not pay for her brother's this and donated this scholarship...yadda yadda yadda. I seriously felt for the girl that was eating with her. She just sat there and nodded.
I then went back to Honea Path and grabbed an orange from Bi-lo. I was planning on making a ham tonight and the orange was the one ingredient that I lacked. My darling MIL calls. And I really mean darling, I love my mother-in-law. She has agreed to baby-sit one of Pressley's playmates and would like for us to hang out with them. So I go to pick up Pressley and we hang out with P's playmate. We went swimming, played inside, went to see the horses, took a ride on the golf cart, rode on Pressley's little car, went inside and played some more. We had a ton of fun, but Mommy has had a wake-up call. Two kids are a lot of work and that was with my mother-in-law there to help--and she did most of the work!!! So I am going to reevaluate my idea of having another kid anytime soon.
Anyhow, Pressley was pooped after the afternoon's events and Mommy is too. I did get four pages of her new scrapbook completed, though. Yay, Mommy!

Read a book...

2008-06-30T23:34:00.002-04:00

This is one of my daughter's favorite sayings as she brings a book to you to read. Unfortunately, her favorite is now Walter, the Farting Dog, which her honorary Aunt Mel Mel lovingly gave to her. So we read it to her by pointing out the dog and ball and corn and banana. We try to leave the farting part out of it. I'm not the most lady-like gal, but even writing "farting" that much makes me blush a bit.
Where I am going with this is that we all need to read a book. It amazes me at how much my 17 month old loves books and yet the majority of my 8th graders hate them. And books get much more interesting the older we get!!!
I am lucky in that my parents took me to the library at an early age. I loved going. My early memories are getting Dr. Seuss books. Library day in school was my favorite day. I remember reading The Boxcar Children in the second grade. And then what really sealed the deal was my teacher reading Superfudge in the 3rd grade. I will always remember Mrs. Haynes for really engaging me in books.
I have such fond memories that involve books. And this post is more for me than anyone else. Sorry for that; I know it is boring for anyone reading it. It's truly a trip down memory lane for me. I fell in love with The Babysitter's Club in the 4th grade. Going to K-Mart was so much fun. I would beg my mother to buy a book or three that I didn't have yet and then I would try to read one of them in the dim light as we rode home.
Eventually, I was caught up to date on all of the series so I would then call the bookstore everyday to see if the new one had arrived yet. And my mom would then drive me to Anderson to buy it. Some parents would have saw it as a waste of money, but I am glad that my parents invested that money in me. It made me a better reader, speller, writer, and student.
I would then fall in love with Sweet Valley High, the Nancy Drew Files, and Christopher Pike novels. And my parents would help me pay for all of them.
I still love to read. It's so much better than watching a movie.
Please encourage your child to read. My daughter has shown me that it is is an innate interest that we all have. If you do not have the funds to buy the books then please take them to the library. It will take them to places that you could never imagine.

I am Auntie Sharlie!

2008-06-22T01:06:00.002-04:00

I have hesitated on posting this for a few reasons. First, I don't feel like it is really my place to announce the news, but I think that most that read my blog and know Ferris will probably already have heard the news. Also, Ferris and Wade are quite preoccupied and I know that there are a lot of people out there that are thinking of them and appreciate hearing the news.
My nieces have arrived into this world a little earlier than they should have. I don't blame them; their parents are such awesome people I would be pretty anxious to meet them too. Ferris was 26 weeks and 6 days when the Dynamic Duo arrived. If you are a parent or in the medical field then you realize how sensitive the issue is.
The ironic part is that the twins were born on my grandmother and her twin sister's birthday. What are the odds that they would be born on their great-grandmother's birthday? I am taking that as a good sign. Honestly, you can see God's hands have been on these two girls lives since their conception, but if Ferris and Wade had not travelled to Ohio on Wednesday then they would have not had a clue at how dire Liana's situation was.
The twins have their ups and downs but there has not been one thing so far that has set off blazing red alarms. No surgeries have been needed, just adjustments to a tube here and there have been made. Both girls have a bit of jaundice now, but even full-term babies run into that. Liana does need some extra prayers for her lungs to develop a little more.
I just realized that I haven't told you my nieces names. Adleigh Grace is the bigger twin and Liana Hope is the smaller of the two.
I don't know why, but I have no doubt that both of these young ladies are going to be just fine. I was talking to Ferris on the phone today and she said that before we know it Pressley, Adleigh, and Liana will be running all over the place together. And I can see just that happening.
Our family appreciates all of the prayers and good wishes that you are sending our way.

Sorry, I do not have any pictures but I can tell you that when you see the two girls they are beautiful little miracle angels. Wade, Ferris, Liana, and Adleigh, I love you all so much. You are in my thoughts continuously throughout the day.

It's true...they grow up way too fast

2008-06-15T23:05:00.003-04:00

It's summertime! I am off work and now have a moment here and there to update this blog. Life is wonderful! I love my job but it is so nice to have these couple of months off. I had to go to a conference for school on Thurs and Fri of last week so I finally feel that I am off of work.
So I have to brag because that is what mothers do. I have the most awesome daughter that a person can have. She astounds me. She makes me laugh non-stop. My heart bursts whenever I just think of her. We went to the doctor last week for a check-up and at the end of our visit Pressley walked over to her diaper bag and said, "Read a book?" Now she says this many times daily as she walks towards you with a book of her choosing. The doctor looked at me with an almost stunned face.
"Did she just say 'read a book'?" he asked. I nodded.
"She also says, "Take a bath?'" I added.
Apparently Pressley's verbal skills are on par with a 2 year old. She is sixteen months. Yeah, I am proud and have to brag. She blows me away each day with her intelligence.
The other day we were going to Anderson, which is also the way that we go to Nana and Pappy's house. She kept saying Nana and Pappy and I told her that we were not going to their house. I glanced back at her and she was pointing at the road that we would normally turn to go to their house!
She just makes me smile so much and I am so thankful to be her mother. I was looking at pictures of her a little bit ago and it blows my mind at how much she has grown in a year. So here is the evidence..........

Here we are less than a year ago in September or so.

And here she is now...........

Her hair in pigtails.....

This was taken two days ago...........

music notes I'm so excited...I just can't hide it!

2008-04-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

My baby sister is having TWINS!!! Yay! I am beyond excited for her and Wade. It is surreal for me so I can't imagine what they are going through! I am just so happy for them!
I guess what they say is true. Twins come every third generation. Our grandmother is a twin and it was predicted that out of me, my sister, and our cousin Ashley there would be twins. Ashley and I dodged the bullet and it seems that it has hit Ferris!
I am so excited about being an aunt. I think I am going to have to learn how to drive to Charlotte so that P and I can go visit my darling nieces often! Also, I am so happy that P is going to have cousins close in age. It is going to be so much fun!
In five or six years, Disney World...here we come!!!

I'm back..

2008-04-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

Life has been so very very hectic. I am taking two night classes (which makes for mucho homework for me), teaching, being a mom, being a wife....and I am sick. I have had a nasty little cold for about two and a half weeks now. One day I feel better and the next I feel awful again. At the moment I have this lovely hacking cough. My stomach muscles hurt from coughing so much. I wonder if that can count as exercise? lol
So a lot has happened with Miss P since I have last signed on here. She is officially a walker! She hardly ever crawls anymore. Her favorite words are "Huh?", "Momma", and "Bath?". She is very good at putting that inquisitive note to her words so that she really is asking a question. We have celebrated her first birthday.
Now on to some pictures!

Here is Pressley being very lady-like.

Here is Pressley on Easter day.

Here we are getting into our Easter basket.

And birthday pictures! Here she is eating her birthday cake. I think she likes it!

Here we are looking a little greasy after getting all of that cake off.

And here is "cake hair" or our tribute to Uncle Wade's hair :) J/K, Uncle Wade!

Not a Pressley post...

2008-02-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

Ooooh, this is a post that might just spark some controversy. lol They say that you should never talk about politics or religion in polite company. I guess I am going to break that rule.
I am both proud and embarassed to say that I voted for the first time in my life on January 26th. I am the black sheep in my family. I am even the black sheep in my own little household. I have a very liberal stance when it comes to politics. This emerged at some point during my college days. However, I only became a registered voter a few months ago. I realized when I saw how close the election was in '04 that my vote did matter.
So on that Democratic vote day in SC I drove to my voting center and voted. I had tears in my eyes when I left. I have always been a sentimental person but I had never thought how meaningful it would be to vote. I am a history buff and I couldn't help but think of all the people that fought to make sure that everyone had the right to vote. And I was a bit ashamed of myself that it took 10 years to take advantage of my citizen rights..........or duty.
In January I went with my 8th graders to DC. We only got one day to tour our nation's capitol, but we still had a good time. I have been to DC many times and have seen most of the sights but it is still always moving to go visit. One monument that always sticks in my head is the Lincoln Monument. I appreciate it more every time I visit it. On this visit I was there at nightfall. There are less tourists at that time and you really get the feeling of this stone figure that sits tall in his seat and stares out across this government. I had read the Gettysburg Address before but I stood there in the cold air and really read the words etched amongst the stone. It truly is a powerful speech and I recommend you google it and read it again for yourself.
Anyway, when I think of what our nation was founded on and think of the situation we are in now it makes me realize that we need change. So here is my political plug because I feel that I need to do it.
Benjamin has a relative in the secret service so this person has had his fair share of meeting politicians. In November he told us that there was one person that who you see on the television is the same person behind the scenes. He said that a lot of the people are one way to the crowd and then become a tyrant when no one is looking.
This person is Barack Obama. He has a total idealistic view on politics and I am reminded of one of my favorite movies, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, when I think of him. He is the closest thing to bridge Republicans and Democrats. He is for the people. When I hear him speak it brings tears to my eyes. Yes, I think a lot of the things he hopes for are impossible but I also feel like we must have hope that things can change.
If you love your candidate then by all means support them and spread the word. If you are on the fence then I must spread the word about MY candidate. Please watch this link...no matter what race, religion, or political party you belong to, I feel that it will touch you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fZHou18Cdk

Have a blessed day. And if you aren't registered to vote then please do so...take it from someone that registered 10 years too late.

It's been too long...

2007-12-28T21:14:00.000-05:00

Wow...almost two months since my last ramblings. Of course, this is a busy time of year but that is no excuse. We had a most wonderful Christmas and I hope you and yours did as well. It has been a treat to spend so much time with Pressley. I wish that I did not have to go back to work next week. I suppose I am luckier than most with my work hours though.
I have pictures! This is one of P and me.

Here is Pressley on Christmas morning.

And here we have Pressley with her funky ponytail.

The end of the holidays always depresses me. It is such a fun time and the anticipation of Santa Claus builds and builds and then it is over in one day. My mother in law has always made a big deal out of Christmas. We stay over at their house on Christmas Eve and open presents at 7am. We continued that tradition this year since P is so young, but next year begins a new tradition of staying at home. Anyway, I had a hard time sleeping that Christmas Eve night. I woke up at one point and thought about all of those exciting Christmas Eve nights that I have had in the past. Some are so vivid in my mind.
I was always the first to wake up in my house. I probably was up before my parents had even walked up the stairs. I was always sooooo excited that I could hardly even sleep. I remember one Christmas Eve my mom kept checking on me and I was awake in my room. I finally put a lump of blankets under my comforter and hid in my closet. I remember my mom walked in and I watched as she peered at my bed. I guess I must have fooled her because she left the room and went to do Santa.
Anyway.....the year that I got my go-cart was an exciting one. I remember getting up the next morning and riding it around. Also, I remember getting my Super Mario 3 game and playing it at like 4am.
There is also one sad Christmas that comes to mind. My grandfather passed away Christmas Eve/Day. I got a diamond tulip ring that year. My mom came to my room to tell me that he had just died and I remember thinking that he was with my grandmother now.
The years pass by much more quickly when one gets older. I remember last Christmas quite vividly. I was pregnant and I kept thinking how I would have my baby girl with me at the next Christmas.
That Christmas has come and gone. And that precious little girl is the best gift ever. I can't quite put into words the love that a mother has for her child. It's quite wonderful.

Trick or Treat

2007-11-01T20:23:00.000-04:00

Last night was my first official Halloween as a mom. Of course, it wasn't about candy this year. We just went to see Benjamin's Nanny and my grandparents. Pressley was already tired as we headed out and she was pooped after going to these two places. As we drove back home, we went through downtown Honea Path and I was able to see what the upcoming years have in store for me. :)

I also learned how to use the timer on my camera. I think this is the best picture I have of me and P.

And here are some pictures of my pretty little princess.

Thanks for looking!!!

Update...

2007-10-24T21:10:00.000-04:00

Well, things have been pretty busy lately so I have not had a chance to get on here. Pressley said Mamamamamammamamama today. She hasn't said it repeatedly like she did dada but hopefully I will here it some more.

Also, Pressley was referred to a neurosurgeon to make sure that the sutures (?) in her brain weren't closing because her head is a little flat, etc. We went last Thursday and they had to take x-rays of her skull. Not very fun.

Anyway, the doctor called today and her sutures are still open so that means they won't have to do surgery. They said that we could do the helmet if we were worried about the shape of her head, but that is $2000-6000. We think Pressley is beautiful and we aren't really worried about the shape. It's not very noticable to us.
Anyway, I hope everyone is well. Pressley is all over the place so we pretty much have to keep a constant eye on her!!

Christmas came early!!!

2007-10-12T21:40:00.000-04:00

I got my Wii!!! It is so much fun! We got the Sports games and the Wii Play games. I was sore for most of the weekend! Ferris, you must come over to play with us!!!

And another one...

2007-10-01T21:31:00.000-04:00

Pressley crawling. :)

Miss Snow White

2007-10-01T20:30:00.000-04:00

Here is Pressley in her Halloween costume.

Superpowers...

2007-09-18T21:31:00.001-04:00

It is actually a non-Pressley post!
I think most of us have fantasized about what it would be like to have superpowers. To be able to do things that most humans can not do. I realized tonight that people actually can have superpowers. I would almost say that all people do, but I am not sure.
This realization came to me tonight when I realized that I actually could do something that a lot of people can't do.
My students were taking MAP testing yesterday, which means that they took a Reading test on the computer. There isn't much for the teacher to do except monitor the students so I knew that I would need to bring a book to read. I have been reading Pope Joan at home (fascinating book, by the way) and I had meant to take it to school with me.
Well, my superhero strength is NOT my memory. I forgot the book. I picked up Twilight by Stephenie Meyers from my book selection for my students. It is a young adult book that many teachers had raved to me about. I had bought it back in the Spring at a school book fair because I thought my students may like it.
I began to read it while my first class began testing. I put it down when it was time for first period to end and escorted my students back to class (Yes, I did look up a lot to make sure that they were doing what they were supposed to...also, another adult was monitoring the class as well). I could not wait to get back to the computer lab for the next period so that I could continue reading.
Benjamin came home last night and I held up a thick book (498 pages to be exact) when he asked what all I had done that day. I replied that I had read the book. He looked at me incredulously and asked, "You read that that entire book today?"
Yeah, I did. I have been that way since I was a child though. When I am interested in a book then I can speed read and know what the entire book is about. Benjamin could not fathom that I had read a 500 page book in one day. I realized then that I could do something that a lot of other people could not do. I don't know exactly how I can do it, but I can flip through the pages and know exactly what is going on. Twilight is an awesome book, by the way, in case anyone is looking for something to read. It is the first book out of a few, though. I have ordered the next two already. I plan on reading at least one this weekend.
So, think about what your super powers are.

Da da da da da da da da da da da da da

2007-09-17T20:24:00.000-04:00

Once again I am slapped in the face with the realization that babies grow up VERY fast. In the past month, she has gotten her first tooth, started crawling, and said her first word, which is Dada, of course. Benjamin is beside himself. We heard about "Dada" all weekend long from Pressley.
Also, I have had a nasty cold that comes and goes. I am hoping that it is finally going. Pressley caught my cold, which was the first time that she has been sick. She was a fussy little thing last week. She is feeling better now.
She also had an allergic reaction to something and broke out in hives. We think it was a new type of Huggies washcloths, but we aren't sure.
Anyway, here is the latest picture.

This is her latest "face" that she makes.

New blog...

2007-09-11T22:12:00.000-04:00

I am trying to incorporate technology into my classroom to make Language Arts, which is what I teach, a little more interesting.
I wanted to share the URL with you all since if you are reading this then you are probably someone that I care about. It is a place for my students to discuss topics. If anyone ever wants to make a comment then please do. I think it may excite some of my students to see other people out in the world reading and caring about what we write.
Also, if you have any suggestions on how to improve the site (Ferris)...then let me know!

Here is the link...

http://grier.edublogs.org

Our Little Clemson Tiger

2007-09-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

Pressley watched her first Clemson game Monday night. As some of you may know, Clemson was quite impressive during the first half. I remarked to Benjamin that she must be a good luck charm to our football teams (she was born during the Super Bowl and the team that we were pulling for won). It was Pressley's bedtime during halftime. She went to sleep and we continued watching the game. The second half didn't go quite as well for the Tigers. They ending up winning but just played poorly. I told Benjamin that I might have to wake Pressley back up for the rest of the game. (I didn't!)

Anyway, she was all decked out for her first Clemson game. Of course, pictures are included in this blog. She also has her first tooth. And she is trying mighty hard to crawl. She can sorta get around by squirming around now. I think it is about time to start baby-proofing the house.

And paradise comes to an end...

2007-08-14T20:13:00.000-04:00

I go back to school tomorrow. I am trying to look at the bright side of things. Obviously, I am going to miss spending all day long with Pressley. I am going to miss staying up late and cooking dinner so that it will be warm when Benjamin comes home. I am going to miss not having a schedule, taking naps, and watching the History channel.
I love summer. I love warm weather. I love being able to go swimming. However, I have a few things to look forward to for the fall as well. I love football. So I am excited about watching Clemson and the Colts play.
I am also looking forward to Christmas. It's going to be so much fun!
I am also looking forward to meeting my new students and hopefully making an impact in their lives.
In other news, Benjamin's sister got married this past Saturday. It was a beautiful wedding. Also, our reunion was cancelled due to lack of response. I think they are supposed to reschedule it at a less expensive venue. So at least we may get a chance to go if they do reschedule it.
Also, I really have no clue how many come to visit this blog, but if there is anyone that hasn't been to Grits and Groceries then you must go. It is so delicious!

And here are Pressley pics. We have her 6 month shot, a picture of us at the wedding, and a picture of Pressley, Benjamin, his friend Trent, and their son Zach, who was born 3 days before Pressley.

Where did my baby go????

2007-07-28T18:29:00.000-04:00

When people tell you, "They grow up so fast", they really aren't kidding. It amazes me how fast a baby does grow and how fast they learn. A few days ago, Pressley was very wobbly at sitting up. You had to sit right next to her and catch her from falling often. And I really mean a few days ago. Like five or so days ago. Now she can sit up fairly well. I wouldn't leave her alone or anything yet but she can sit up on her own up to five minutes or so without falling. And she just gets better and better at it. Now, she can turn and look around and doesn't immediately fall over. I bet in another week she will be sitting up and playing pretty well. Truly amazing.

See, she is a Clemson fan already.

Also, we had another one of those fire department pictures taken about 2 weeks ago. I went to look at them yesterday and they are so good! I scanned them in for you all to see. Mom and Ferris, I have a picture for you so remind me when I see you again.

Cute as a button!

2007-07-19T22:14:00.000-04:00

I just realized that "cute as a button" doesn't make much sense. Buttons aren't cute. *shrugs*

We put Pressley in our pool for the first time yesterday. It was so much fun! She had me laughing so hard. As you can see, she has a car float. She was getting tired when we put her in the pool, but she had the steering wheel and was driving around. Then she laid back and put her hands over her head like she was chilling out and had this lazy smile on her face. It was hilarious.

Anyway, Pressley LOOOOOVEEES the water. It isn't too much of a surprise because her mom and dad have always loved the water too.

I am also putting up some pictures from Benjamin's grandmother's 75th birthday party.

New phones are so much fun!

2007-07-15T21:23:00.000-04:00

So our 2-year contract was up with Verizon so we got new phones. We have been playing with them non-stop all day long. Benjamin got an 8830 Blackberry and I got an orange (for Clemson) enV. Obviously, Benjamin's phone is much cooler than mine. I have always gotten the nicer phone but B doesn't have access to the internet at work so we figured it was time to get him a classy phone.
Mine isn't too shabby though. It plays music so it will probably replace my ipod. I can check and answer my email on it. I don't text message often, but this phone makes it a breeze to do it.
And.....it's orange!!!!!

Anyway, today we went to Nanny's 75th birthday party. There was a crowd there and, as always, Pressley stole the show. We seriously walked into the house and people rushed to us to take her away. She hadn't had a nap and was hungry but she grinned and smiled at everyone. I know that I have said it a million times but she is absolute angel.

So glad that this week is over...

2007-07-13T22:34:00.000-04:00

I am exhausted! I have been taking a class this week and it has consumed all of my time. I have had homework, a power point, a 5 page paper, a workshop, and journal writing to do every night after class.

Anyway, I am sooooo happy that today is Friday.

Also, today is my sister's birthday. Happy Birthday Ferris! I hope that you have had an awesome day.

Benjamin fed Pressley for his first time on Sunday. Oh my goodness! I have never seen her so messy! Benjamin thought it was hilarious.

Pressley's First Wedding...

2007-07-08T00:29:00.001-04:00

We ventured out tonight for a wedding. It was absolutely beautiful. It was an outside wedding, but the rain held out and there was a nice cool breeze. It was in a stunning location. Anyway, Miss Pressley was an absolute princess. She was soooo good. The wedding was for an old family friend, Kacie Taylor. Her brother, Trent, was a good friend of Benjamin's growing up. Trent and his wife had their son on Feb 1st....3 days before P was born. So it was sorta neat seeing the two babies together. Their son is a cutie pie.

Anyway, it was a great evening and we were able to finally get a decent family picture of the three of us.

Scrapbooking...

2007-07-06T01:02:00.000-04:00

Oh, yes. I have joined the scrapbooking world. I am one of those people searching the Michael's and Hobby Lobby's lanes looking for the perfect stickers and paper and scissors and ribbons and buttons....bet you didn't realize what was all involved in scrapbooking, did you?
I am about halfway through Pressley's first scrapbook. Of course, I cheated and bought a good starter set at Hallmark and all I am really doing is cutting out pictures and adding stickers. Shhhhh...don't tell anyone.
Also, I am not sure if I mentioned on here the saga of Pressley's name. When P was born we were given some documents to fill out. Mistake of my life was letting Benjamin fill them out. His "a" looks like an "o" so instead of Pressley Lillian, her social security card came in Pressley Lillion. I was not pleased. Well, the matter was finally fully corrected today. It took a lot of emails, phone calls, visits to the Soc Sec Office and Vital Records but it is now correct.
Obviously, it has been a complicated venture. I won't even get into it. Suffice to say, if we have another child, I will fill out ALL of the paperwork...no matter how many pain meds I am on!!!

Happy 4th of July!!

2007-07-04T22:36:00.000-04:00

We had a very nice evening. We had some company over and we grilled out some BBQ chicken. I made a yummy potato salad and a broccoli salad. We also had jalapeno cheddar cornbread and a peach and blueberry crumble for dessert. We wanted to take Pressley swimming but it was too cool after we ate dinner.

Pressley turned five months old today! I can't believe how much she has changed since just last month!

Busy weekend....

2007-06-24T21:43:00.001-04:00

We went on our first overnight trip with Pressley this weekend. We went to Augusta to visit friends from college. They have a little 2 year old girl and they are expecting a new addition at the end of July. They have been talking the past couple of months about how "the baby" (their baby) is going to be here soon. Well, we arrived with a baby and I think poor Madalyn was a little confused. She was a sweetheart though and she tried her best to be helpful with "the baby".

Anyway, we had a great time with them. We had to hurry home today for my sister-in-law's bridal shower. Pressley was an angel, even though the poor thing was just exhausted to death. She was passed from person to person and never cried or made a fuss. In fact, she was smiling and "talking" to everyone. I made a couple of good recipes tonight. Very yummy. I have a couple more recipes that I have made lately that turned out pretty good too. I will post those another time though.

Oh, and some of you know that I had hot oil pop up from the pan when I was cooking and it burned my chin and neck. I am happy and lucky to say that it has pretty much healed. There is a little discoloration but my make-up covers it up pretty good (as you can see from the pics that I post). Speaking of that, I am posting Pressley eating her first few bites of rice cereal. The other pictures are from today. She was dressed up for Jennifer's shower so I wanted some pics of her.

Anyway, here are the recipes (these were really easy to make too!!!):

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1 pound tilapia fillets

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Bundles

These bundles can be easily prepared on outdoor grill or in a hot oven.
1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears, trimmed 4 to 5 inches long tips Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling A few grinds black pepper 4 slices center cut bacon or pancetta Chopped chives or scallions, optional garnish
Preheat oven, if using, to 400 degrees F.
Lightly coat asparagus spears in extra-virgin olive oil. Season the asparagus with black pepper. Take a quick count of the spear tips. Divide the total number by four. Gather that number of spears and use a slice of bacon to wrap the bundle and secure the spears together. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
To grill, place bundles on hot grill and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes until bacon is crisp and asparagus bundles are tender. (I cooked these on my indoor grill and they needed to be turned halfway through).
For oven preparation, place bundles on slotted broiler pan. Bake 12 minutes.

Random stuff...

2007-06-08T20:47:00.000-04:00

Benjamin and I received our "Save the Date" for our 10th year high school reunion. I had really been looking forward to going because I haven't kept up with a lot of people from high school. Unfortunately, it is the same night as my sister-in-law's wedding. Obviously, I am excited about Jennifer getting married and wouldn't miss it for the world, but I am a little sad that we won't be able to go to the reunion. I'm going to see if we can perhaps drop in if it is still going on after the wedding. Let's hope so.
I am a Food Network junkie. That is ALL that is on my tv (unless Benjamin is home). I adore cooking now. I love trying new recipes. Tomorrow I am going to try a pulled pork recipe. I love pulled pork so I am hoping that it turns out yummy.
I have also found a recipe that is supposed to be similar to Olive Garden's Stuffed Chicken Marsala (one of my favorites). It will probably be the hardest recipe that I have tried but I am looking forward to it.
Benjamin gave me a huge compliment the other night. He said that I am now the best cook in the family! lol For the longest time, he did the cooking. A few months ago all he came home to was canned chicken and a bag of rice! Now, he has a good home cooked meal every night. I love searching for new things to cook. I love cookbooks and I get two different cooking magazines. I have started putting together all of my favorite recipes and it fills a whole binder!
I apologize because I know I am tooting my own horn on here, but I am really so proud of myself. I used to never cook and now I am making some truly gourmet meals!
I enjoy being a mom more and more everyday. When I look at Pressley, I can just burst with pride and joy. I will quote my husband and say, "Babies are the coolest". It amazes me how much they change in just a short amount of time. I had never really been around babies and didn't know how much fun they can be.
Pressley will be eating cereal for the first time on Sunday. She could have started on Wed after our doc's appt, but her dad is a sweet guy and requested that if at all possible we wait until Sunday so that he can be a part of it. He loves that little girl so much. I feel sorry for him because he works so much for us to have a good life. He knows that he misses out on a lot and it kills him. The past two nights Pressley has been going to bed around 8pm so he hasn't gotten to see her. He woke up early this morning just to spend a little bit of time with her.
I don't think I have ever seen a man as excited for Christmas to come as Benjamin is. Every time we talk about it, his eyes light up and he talks about how awesome it is going to be. Pressley will probably be more interested in the paper and boxes, but I know that she is going to be one very spoiled little girl that day!
Okay, enough rambling. Until next time....

The Human Mind is Amazing...

2007-06-05T23:49:00.001-04:00

Every once and awhile memories will come to mind and they are so clear. And they aren't normal memorable memories. Sometimes they are so vague. Anyway, I just had one of these vague memories and wanted to post about it. I don't know what triggered it, but I remembered being at my great Aunt Allie's house. Every so often my grandmother would visit her when I was with her.
My Aunt Allie is the grandmother of my cousin Ashley. I remember visiting her house and playing with one of Ashley's baby dolls. I remember her living room and it seems like there was a piano in there that I liked playing on. I also remember eating at their house for dinner and I knew that my uncle Dan was a diabetic and couldn't eat the sweets.
It's strange how the mind works. Now I have two different memories. One is being at my cousin Ashley's house playing Frogger and Jeopardy on her computer. Also, we played school and store in her attic playroom.
Another memory is of my grandparents' house. They had a camper near their pond and I stayed with them one summer and we slept in the camper.
Wow. Such great thoughts.
I hope my daughter has such wonderful memories one day.

Doctor Appt news!

2007-06-05T17:50:00.000-04:00

We had our 4 month check up today. Pressley is 25 and a half inches long (90-95 percentile), 15 pounds and 13 ounces (also in the 90-95 percentile), and her head circumfrence is 17 and 1/4 (97th percentile!).
Obviously, we have a very healthy girl on our hands. :) The doc said that her neck and head control was good so I guess the exercises that we had been doing with her corrected it. The doc said everything looked good.
She cried bloody murder when they gave her the shots. :( She was already tired at the office and as soon as I put her in her carseat with her paci she passed out. She woke up when we got home and cried bloody murder again. I fixed her a bottle ASAP and she quieted down. Poor thing though.
Well, I have a house to clean. I just wanted to give everyone an update!

She rolled over!

2007-06-04T21:48:00.001-04:00

While we were doing tummy time today, Pressley rolled over from her stomach to her back. She really is growing up so fast. Tomorrow we have our 4 month doctor's appt. She has to get some shots so I am not really looking forward to it.

I am excited because I saw a commercial today on tv that Cats is coming to Greenville for the 25th anniversary. I hope my mother and sister and I can arrange our schedules so that we can go together. We watched it together a few years ago on PBS. We all really enjoyed it. I saw the play when I went to NYC and I really enjoyed it. It would be neat to see it with my family.

Anyway, here are some recent pictures of Pressley.

New Pressley pics...

2007-05-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well, today marked my first day of summer alone with Pressley. Benjamin had off yesterday so we both took turns taking care of her while we got things done. Pressley was not in a great mood on Sunday or Monday, but my little angel was back today. We had the best time. It's amazing how much she changes every day. She now enjoys playing/eating toys. She jumps around in her jumparoo all the time. She can wear a certain type of bow in her hair. I think we may do some professional photos soon. She loves to stand and put weight on her legs. She grins and laughs all the time. She is really developing a little personality. I'm hoping that she will inherit mine and Benjamin's laid back attitude but she seems to have a bit of a temper at times.

Anyway, since most people that visit here are to see Pressley, I have some new pics for you.

Being an adult...

2007-05-29T00:44:00.000-04:00

One would arguably say that if you are 28, been married for four years, and had a kid then you should have already entered adulthood. Well, as I spent my weekend opening up our pool and spent 2 hours straight on my knees pulling weeds, I beg to differ.
We have all heard the saying "he/she is a kid at heart". They are the people that live life without worries, responsibilities....they let other people worry about being the adult and taking care of them. Some people manage to live their entire life being a "kid at heart".
My mother-in-law and aunt gave my husband perhaps the best gift ever for his birthday. They had someone come and do our landscaping for us since it was in serious need. We inherited such a beautiful yard from the previous owner. I used being pregnant as an excuse to get out of taking care of it last year. No such excuse this year. I have the summer off so yard duty is my responsibility. I am making it my mission to keep up with it this summer. I will mention again that I spent two hours of my day in the hot sun pulling weeds. I didn't even do half of the weeding that I need to do. I realized that pretty much every day this summer, I am going to have to go out there and do some weeding. As I sat and pulled out yet another weed, I realized that this is what being an adult means. You do things that you don't particular want to do, but you know that you NEED to. Notice that I capitalize need. Some of us don't want to work a job, but we know that we HAVE to so that we can survive and make money to eat and pay the mortgage. That doesn't make you an adult. That's just life...the things that you HAVE to do to survive.
As an adult, I want a nice yard. That means that I have to take care of it. I don't have to do it, but I need to do it.
Another part of my summer duty is to keep up with the pool. I spent a while yesterday and today vaccuming it out. Again, this will be part of my weekly routine. I wanted a house with a pool. I have to take responsibility for the upkeep of a pool. And for anyone reading...if you ever want to swim then come on over. I can count on my hands the number of times Benjamin and I went swimming last summer. I don't want to do all of this work for nothing. :)
Another part of my entering adulthood is learning how to cook. Again, cooking isn't something that I have to do. I can order out or buy frozen pizzas. But I need to learn how to cook for my husband and my daughter. Thankfully, this has been something that I have enjoyed learning and doing...unlike weeding and pool upkeep.
So this will be my summer of entering adulthood...at the ripe old age of 28. I will finally be an adult! :) Hopefully, I will gain a nice tan being outside this summer as I enter adulthood.

Happy Anniversary to me!

2007-05-24T19:14:00.000-04:00

Today marks the fourth year that Benjamin and I have been married. It's so strange to think of how our lives have changed in four years. We were living in Pendleton in a house that we rented. I worked at Winn Dixie and he had just started working at Aaron's. I was a good 25 pounds lighter and in the best shape that I have ever been. We had a German shepherd named Gracie and our Yorkie, Cooper. I drove an Eclipse and he drove a Dodge Ram. Obviously we didn't have any children.

We now have our own home in Honea Path. I am a teacher and Benjamin is a manager of his own store at Aaron's. Gracie has passed on and we have a new little doggie named Bella. I drive a Trailblazer and he drives a Cavalier. And we have little Pressley! Life has been good to us.

Today was the last day for the kids at school. I really can't believe it. This year has flown by for me. I was a little teary-eyed today because I hate saying goodbyes. I had some unbelievable students this year. Yeah, I know that I will see some of them again but for some it really is a goodbye. It's really hard to get to know these guys, establish relationships with them, care about them, know when they are upset or if something good has happened, etc etc etc....and then just let them go. And I know that it is a lot harder on me than it is on them. They will have new teachers next year and forget about me, but I still think about my first group of students and miss some of the fun that we had at school.

Anyway, tomorrow is my last day of work. I have an entire summer to spend with Pressley. I can't believe it. We are also uncovering the pool this weekend. It is not going to be fun. But in a week or so I will be able to go for a swim whenever I want....well, that is if Pressley is napping. lol

More delicious recipes....

2007-05-19T21:51:00.000-04:00

We have had some yummy recipes this past week. First, we had the Roman Chicken, recipe from Giada. I was nervous about this recipe because it seemed like it could be above my capabilities. I was impressed. It also makes GREAT leftovers. I served it over brown rice. My Breville indoor grill also came in this week and we made some yummy chicken pitas on it, courtesy of Paula Deen. I LOVE MY GRILL! It is soooo awesome!

Roman-style Chicken

Ingredients

6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.
If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.

Grilled Chicken Pitas

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (1/4 pound)
1/4 cup olive oil

For the yogurt sauce:
8 ounces (1 cup) unflavored yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil

Olive oil cooking spray
1 large Vidalia or purple onion, cut into thin rings
6 pita breads
1/2 head romaine lettuce, finely chopped
1 (10.6-ounce) jar kalamata olives, drained, halved, and pitted, or other black olives
12 slices bacon, fried crisp
Alfalfa sprouts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Rinse the chicken breast and pat dry. Combine 3 tablespoons lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the oregano in a glass dish. Add the chicken, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the chicken breast to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Combine the tomatoes and feta cheese in a small glass dish. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, the olive oil, and the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, and stir to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
For the yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garlic, walnuts, and olive oil. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat a grill to medium heat.
Spray a grill basket with olive oil. Grill the chicken breasts over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until no longer pink in the thickest portion of each breast. Spread the onion rings over the surface of the basket and grill while the chicken is cooking. Turn the basket frequently. The onion rings will blacken as they cook; this will also take 8 to 10 minutes. When the chicken and onion rings are cooked, place the pita breads on the grill for about 2 minutes per side, until grill marks show. Slice the chicken into very thin pieces.
At serving time, put out all of the ingredients and allow each person to assemble sandwiches: Split each pita. Place several slices of grilled chicken, 3 or 4 slivers of onion, a tablespoon of tomato-feta mixture, lettuce, olives, and 1 or 2 slices of bacon into each pita. Top with yogurt sauce and a wad of alfalfa sprouts. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Fold up the sides of the pita and enjoy!

My first Mother's Day...

2007-05-15T19:45:00.000-04:00

Sunday marked my first Mother's Day as a mom. I had a great day. We went to our Aunt Peggy's for lunch and we cooked dinner for my family. Ya know, I can cook great when it is just Benjamin and myself but for some reason things don't turn out as planned when I have people over. It was still a decent meal, but not as good as when I cook for just us two. I have also realized that I should not try new recipes for guests. My bruschetta recipe came out pretty good but the salad was not my cup of tea. The main dish was two different types of salmon. I have posted the Wild Marinated Salmon already. Here is the Spinach Stuffed Salmon dish:

Spinach Stuffed Salmon

Ingredients:

2 (5 ounce) salmon fillets
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/2 (10 ounce) package baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon prepared pesto
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons pine nuts

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make a slit two-thirds of the way through the center of each salmon fillet making sure not to cut all the way through. Season each fillet with the salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine the spinach, pesto, tomatoes, and pine nuts. Spoon 1/3 cup of the mixture into each slit.
Arrange the fillets on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until the spinach mixture is heated through.

Salmon is so easy to cook because it takes no time in the oven. Plus, this salmon recipe has a lot of flavor and it is just salt and pepper!

I got a card for Mother's Day. It was a funny card but had a very sweet message from my husband. It said, "You are doing a great job. I know I don't tell you much and Pressley can't, but we are very lucky to have you in our lives". Awweeee.
I got a new phone for our house and I am getting an indoor BBQ/skillet. I had to order it and I can't wait for it to come in.
Tonight's dinner is the awesome, tried & true, chicken and broccolli casserole. It is impossible to mess up, quick to make, and absolutely delicious. It is our favorite recipe.

And you know I have some pictures to share from Mom Day. Pressley is wearing her sundress that her aunt Ferris bought her.

Three Months Old!!!

2007-05-07T19:24:00.000-04:00

Wow, I am exhausted. I hope I can hang on for the next 2 and a half weeks! Pressley was 3 months old on May 4th. Of course, I am going to share her monthly pictures. I am also going to include her 0, 1, 2 months so I can compare them. I hope they post in order, if not I apologize. Not much is going on here to write about. Dance team tryouts are over, thank goodness. Since they do not have a sponsor yet, I have to do the parent meeting and pick out their uniforms. I also have to do their summer camp.

I also have a ton of things to grade before we wrap up the year. Yuck. It's funny. I always loved to grade papers when I was playing teacher with my sister and her friends. And I loved doing it as a teacher's aid. It's not so fun anymore. :)

Random ramblings...

2007-05-03T22:43:00.000-04:00

Okay, if there is anyone out there that has read The Mercy of Thin Air then please comment me. I need to discuss this book with someone. I have sent my dear fellow book lover a message to read it so, hopefully, she will oblige. It's like when you see an awesome movie and you just want to talk about it with someone.
I have been meaning to write something lately but either forget or don't get around to it. On my way to work, there is an elementary school right down the road from my school. As I drive by there are lots of little kids walking to the elem school. On numerous occasions, there has been one little boy that has caught my eye. He walks to school with a little group, but one person happens to be special to him. I assume it is his little brother. While most kids are oblivious to the dangers of walking on a sidewalk on a windy road, this guy has his arm around his little brother. It gets me in the heart every time. I think the world of this little guy. The sad thing is that I will never know who he is. I may end up teaching him one day, but I can never get a good look at him and I know I would forget what he looks like by the time that I teach him. I wanted to acknowledge him in some way so here it is. He seems like a good kid.
We are having dance tryouts this week and I am slap worn out. Tomorrow we have tryouts so the end is near. I only have about 3 more weeks to go until summer vacation! Thank goodness.
This past weekend, Benjamin and I went to Pawley's Island for a reunion of sorts of his college friends. We had a good time, but I missed Pressley so much.
Okay, it is time for me to go to bed. Until next time...

Book recs, recipes and more....

2007-04-26T19:14:00.000-04:00

At school, the teachers and students read for 20 minutes on Mon, Tues, Wed. It has helped me to get back into the habit of reading. I didn't realize how much I had missed it. I grew up in a time without the internet and the only video games were Nintendo. So I read a lot. Sadly, reading has become a lost art with students today. I try to introduce them to some books that they will like and I reach some and others just pretend to read. At least it has helped me! I just finished The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory. It focuses on a girl that is a holy fool (has visions, etc) in the court of Mary I. We get to see her interactions with Mary, Robert Dudley, Elizabeth I, etc. I didn't really get into it until the end. I would still say that it was a pretty good book.
I began The Mercy of Thin Air today by Ronlyn Domingue. It is her first novel and I am captivated. I am already on page 115 because I steal moments here and there to read it. Plus, I can speed read so that helps to finish a novel quickly. It is a fictional novel. It deals with a very likable, vivacious "spirit" named Razi. She died in the 1920's in an accidental pool fall. She was very much in love with a boy named Andrew. 75 years later she is in the "between" world as a ghost, spirit...whatever you want to call that. One of the rules of the between world is to leave your loved ones alone. However, 75 years later she wonders what happened to Andrew. She also ends up connected to a living couple in today's time that she tries to help. Anyway, so far I love the book. It has already made me think, which I like in a book.
All of the senses are heightened in the between world except for touch. This is brought up over and over and is perhaps one of the hardest adjustments for Razi. You are reminded of those first moments during a courtship. The early part of love. When just holding hands sends your stomachs into knots. Stop and think for a second of your first real love. The excitement and joy of just being near them. Well, Razi died before the newness became familiar. It's hard to explain. Obviously, as the years pass we become comfortable and take our significant others for granted. I think that is why so many people stray from their marriage. They miss the thrill and newness of a new relationship. It's not suprising. When you start to fall in love you are on a natural high. Anyway, to prevent myself from rambling, I realized that I am lucky to have someone that I love so much as my husband. I realized that I can't take today for granted. And just from reading the book today, I can't wait for him to come home so that I can hug him.
On another note, I have made some fabulous new dishes this week. I will share my favorite first. For some reason, I have never been a big fan of seafood. If I am at a restaurant, the seafood section never is in consideration. However, my husband loves it and requested that I cook some seafood. So I found this recipe. Oh my! It was soooooo good. And easy too! The next day I kept wishing that I was eating it. It has a beautiful presentation. It seriously tasted like a gourmet recipe.

Marinated Wild Salmon

4 salmon fillets (we used some kind of frozen wild salmon)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I didn't measure this out. I put too much on and it was spicy!!)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (we couldn't find white so we used regular B.V.)
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

We let it marinate over night in the baking dish.

DIRECTIONS
Season fillets with salt and pepper, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Set aside in a baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, balsamic vinegar, sugar, green onions, and cilantro. Pour marinade over salmon; cover, and refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Arrange salmon on a broiling sheet. Place in a preheated oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Increase heat to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C), turn fillets, and broil 5 minutes more.

We didn't even turn the fillets. I LOVE this recipe!!!

This recipe is supposed to be like Alice Springs Chicken from Outback. It was also really good. I left out the mushrooms because I don't like them.

Aussie Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
6 slices bacon, cut in half
1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
Rub the chicken breasts with the seasoning salt, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until crisp. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the mustard, honey, corn syrup, mayonnaise and dried onion flakes. Remove half of sauce, cover and refrigerate to serve later.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the breasts in the skillet and saute for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Remove from skillet and place the breasts into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Apply the honey mustard sauce to each breast, then layer each breast with mushrooms and bacon. Sprinkle top with shredded cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve with the reserved honey mustard sauce.

Shout Out to Jaton...

2007-04-24T20:02:00.000-04:00

I have some really good friends. And I think at this age, we are beyond labeling those friends, but I have one particular friend that I consider my BFF (best friend forever for those that don't get the lingo). That would be Jaton. That doesn't mean that I don't have other best friends, but Jaton just has a special place in my heart.
Jaton and I met on the internet. There I said it. *gasp* About 4 years ago, we were on the knot planning our weddings and our paths crossed. It was over some huge knot drama about a girl pretending to be married but she wasn't. I still remember the first time I talked to her on the phone. She was with a friend and they were going to Texas Roadhouse, I believe. I couldn't get over her accent. Anyway, somehow we kept on talking. And talking. And talking. I have been to Texas to see her twice and she has been to SC once.
Now some people have a hard time keeping in touch when they live 30 minutes from each other. Jaton and I have kept in touch regularly for four years and we live 13 hours away (I know how long it takes, we drove there). That is a pretty special friendship in my eyes.
Jaton and I don't judge each other. We both know that the other person is always there. She probably knows more about me (thanks to 4 and 5 hour conversations) than most people do. I was one of the first people to call after Jaton found out that she was pregnant with Trevor and she was the first person that I called when I found out that I was pregnant with Pressley.
She left a message on my answering machine and sang Happy Birthday to me! She does this every year!
I never get bored talking to her. She is seriously the most awesome friend. I hope that things work out so that we can take a vacation together. My husband even tried to get a job out in Texas so that we could be near each other. It didn't work out, which is good in a way now that Miss P is here.
Anyway, Jaton if you are reading...I love you! I am so glad that we are BFF. And I LLYLAS!!!

Pressley's doctor's visit...

2007-04-24T19:04:00.000-04:00

Since I know that there are a few people that keep up with Pressley via my blog, I wanted to write about Pressley's doctor's visit. It was supposed to be her 2 month appt. I am a big procrastinator (something I am trying to work on!) and I called to make her appoinment a week before my Spring Break. Well, they were booked and we couldn't get an appt until yesterday. She was 2 months 3 weeks. Anyway....she is now 12 lbs, 13 oz and 24 inches long.
Unfortunately, I did not get to take her. I can not take off any more days at work so my mother-in-law had to do it. She said that she cried bloody murder during her 3 shots and for awhile afterwards. Poor baby.
Also, it seems that Pressley uses one side of her neck more than the other. The problem is that if she doesn't get those muscles stronger than the muscles will shrink. So we are having to work with her on holding that side of the head up. If we can't straighten it out then we may have to resort to physical therapy. :( Please pray that we won't have to go that route.
Her weird toes are fine. That is just the way that she is made and it will not impede walking, etc.
On another note, my evaluations for work are over! This has released a huge amount of stress off of me. I think they went well, but I have to meet with my team to see what they say.
I have a busy two weeks ahead of me so I hope I stay sane!

Awesome Day!!!

2007-04-22T00:07:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to write because I had a really awesome day! My sister came to town and spent the day with us. I have not laughed so hard in such a long time! I wish she lived right next door to me.
It's sort of hard to define our relationship. My sister said something along the lines of how she didn't realize how much she missed me because you sort of get used to not seeing someone everyday. I totally agree with her. It isn't that we aren't important to each other, but we both have so much going on in our own lives and we live a decent amount away from each other that it's easy to lose touch.
Our age gap always made it hard for us to become really close growing up. I am a little over 5 years older than her. When she got to the stage where she could play, I thought I was too old to play with her. She wanted to be at my side all the time and I thought it was annoying. Wow, don't you wish you could go back and change things with what you know now? We started to get along when Ferris was turning 13. The problem was that I was 18 and about to leave for college. So off to college I went. I didn't come home all that much and then Ferris went off to college...yadda yadda yadda.
What is amazing is how we just "click". We have the same type of sense of humor. It's really strange. I don't have a lot of childhood memories of us hanging out and getting along, which makes me pretty sad. But as adults, we have a pretty cool relationship.
I laughed so much today that I felt sick. I just want to say that my sister is the greatest. She is one of my most favorite people in the entire world. I wish that we could be a bigger part of each other's lives. I wish that I could get in my car and ride over to her house every week.
Also, Pressley had a blast with her Aunt FeFe (or Fey, Fay??? I just realized that was our great-grandmother's name and it is what her husband and in laws call her). Ferris took some pictures so hopefully she will put some up. I wish that we would have gotten a picture of the three of us. Anyway, I wish that I could wake up tomorrow and relive today. I had a blast.
On a side note, it is now officially April 22nd so Happy Birthday to me!!!!

Parents...

2007-04-19T22:02:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I know that I am probably preaching to the choir on this one, but I have to get it out. Since becoming a teacher, I now know why kids are the way they are these days. It is because of the parents. I have had to deal with this a few times already in my short two years of teaching. And I have heard stories from other teachers.
Parents seriously believe that their kids can do no wrong. I had a child say a very inappropriate sexual thing in my classroom once. The mother demanded a meeting with me and the asst. principal. She even wanted to take it to the district office to have the suspension appealed. She knew that he said the inappopriate thing but wanted to put the blame on us. Crazy, huh?
Believe me, I know that as a parent you want to protect your child. But there is a difference between protecting them and letting them get away with murder. I tell my kids that I don't want to punish them. I get no joy from it. I wish that everyone would come into my classroom and do what they are supposed to do. They make the choice to disobey and I have to punish them.
Anyway, back to the parents. When a parent fights the teacher or principle on punishment, all you are doing is telling your child that they can do anything they want. Yes, there are some rare occasions that the child is being treated unfairly. But that is rare.
Your child will lie to you. You know it. You have seen them do something wrong and they have even lied to you about it. They will lie to you about what they do in my class. For goodness sakes, YOU lied to your parents when you were that age. Are you stupid enough to believe that your kids won't lie to you?
If you love your child then you will teach them that if they break the rules then they must suffer the punishment. Otherwise, you will have a child that thinks that they can get away with anything and they know that Mommy or Daddy will bail them out of the trouble.
It just truly astonishes me. I rarely got into trouble in school because I knew that if I did I would get in big trouble at home. So I turned out a good kid that knew that you have to play by the rules. My parents would never have believed me over a teacher. And they shouldn't! The teacher is the adult. Your child is just that...a child! Why would you insult an adult by believing the child over an adult?
And that is why we have people shooting people at VA Tech or Columbine. These kids are mad and they are taught that they aren't to blame....other people are. It isn't their fault that they got into trouble. It is the teacher's fault or the kid sitting beside them. And guess where they learned that from? Their parents who put the blame on everyone else except their child.

I think my baby is teething!

2007-04-17T19:58:00.000-04:00

Oh this makes me sad! I didn't think that I would have to deal with this for another few months. I noticed that Pressley was drooling a lot the other day. Well, she has been really fussy as well. Not her usual chipper self. There have been moments where she will just scream her little head off...not happy moments for sure. I wondered if she could perhaps be teething but then I thought, "Nah, that normally happens around 6 months."
Well, last night in the first time in AGES, she woke up at 3:40am. Not fun. So I googled up teething (what did moms do without the internet?) and although it is rare some babies are born teething. Most babies do develop teeth between 6-12 months but it also said that it is normal for babies to teethe at 2-3 months.
I guess we will see soon enough if a little tooth starts to come through. My MIL pulled out her teething toy today and she said Pressley enjoyed knawing on it.
Everyone says that they grow up so fast and I believe it now. I was so excited for Pressley to start talking and crawling, but I am already beginning to miss the little newborn. :(
However, I will say that I am loving her huge little grins. And she talks to me all the time now. We have conversations all the time about nothing! :)

Sharlie's Tips for Cooking...

2007-04-13T21:01:00.000-04:00

Seriously, if you really know me then the subject line is a bit of a hoot. I have never cooked regularly. And Benjamin would normally cook anyway. My poor husband has gotten by on canned soup, sandwiches, and canned chicken and rice for years.
However, I have become a little more handy in the kitchen over the past few weeks. Also, Food Network has been on my tv for most of my Spring Break. I think I may even get one of those super nice KitchenMaid mixers for my birthday. Anyway...as I was cooking dinner tonight I thought about how much I have learned so I thought I would share. These will probably be in a very random order.

Make a game plan. I sit down over the weekend and plan out our meals for the next week. I then figure out what I need from the grocery store. If you know you don't have much time for that week then know what recipes are easy peasy. For me, my chicken pot pie is my fast recipe that tastes like a million bucks.
Make out a grocery list. This has seriously saved us about 100-200 bucks each month (if not more...eeek!). We sit down and decide what we need. We go grocery shopping and hold each other accountable when we want to pick something that is not on the list up. Before, we would just randomly grab stuff. And our bill would be close to $200 when we got to the line. We have managed to keep it under $100 most weeks and we are eating better than we ever have. I have also realized that we need to go shopping together. I went on Monday by myself and spent about $60 more than I needed to.
Clean while you cook! I am in the middle of a recipe (just waiting for Benjamin to get close to home to stick it in the oven). I have zero dishes in my sink. If I use a spoon and don't need it again then it gets washed and thrown in the dishwasher. As soon as I was finished with my bowl that I used to mix some of the ingredients together, it got rinsed off and put in the washer. Trust me...it is a lot easier to get that goop off fresh than it is when it is all dried out. After dinner, all I will need to do is rinse our plates off and (yeah, you guessed it) into the washer they go! I also wiped my counter off too. If you do these things as they come then it doesn't feel as much like a chore. My kitchen is much cleaner doing this. However, I will say that my husband can not adhere to this. I leave hints about how his bowl is so much easier to clean after he uses it instead of the next day. He is getting a bit better. He washes it out so he thinks that he is doing a good job (how hard is it to just reach over and put in the dishwasher???). I seriously just hate seeing dishes in the sink nowadays. I'm not a maid!
Be adventurous! I will admit that my first few attempts at cooking weren't all that great, which is why I didn't do it all that much. My mother in law made us some dishes the first few weeks after Pressley was born. They were really good! She assured me that they weren't very hard. So I tried them. The recipes were as good as if Brenda had cooked them. So start out easy with a fool-proof recipe (did I mention my chicken pot pie? Anyone can make that!). I then got a bit more gutsy. Seriously, I had to saute chicken one night and I had no idea what I was doing. I cut my chicken up into bite size pieces and just threw things in there (Montreal seasoning, minced garlic from a jar, salt and pepper). It turned out soooo good. I think I sorta fooled myself that I could cook at that point. Anyway, my point is to jump in there and your skills will improve. I also recommend watching Food Network. Watching what they do has taught me a lot.
Home made meals are awesome! I will tell you that I love going out to eat as much as the next person. However, do you know how many calories you consume eating out? A ton! They put stuff in there that isn't even needed. And the portions! We have all been there. You have enough on your plate for four meals. However, you don't want to waste it so you stuff yourself to oblivion! Again....tons of calories that you don't need. I know that I will never be able to make Alice Springs Chicken like Outback does. However, my husband's hamburgers are the best that I have ever had. I can make a chicken casserole that leaves me weeping when there aren't any leftovers. Plus, it makes me feel so good to have my husband say "Wow, this is delicious!" I don't get that same satisfaction eating out. And it is really satisfying to eat something tasty and think "Wow, I made this!"

I hope I might have motivated someone out there! I also made an awesome soup the other day. I know that soup weather is sorta gone, but I always like a good soup. Plus, it makes tons of extra to put in a container for the next day or to freeze.

South of the Border Chowder

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion
4 bacon strips, diced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 package (32 ounces) frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
2 cans (14-1/2 ounce each) chicken broth
1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream style corn
1 can (11 ounces) Mexicorn, drained
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
Sour cream

Directions:

In Dutch oven or soup kettle, saute onion and bacon until onion is tender and bacon is crisp ( I cooked cut up my bacon and cooked it a bit first before adding the onions). Stir in the flour, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.
Stir in hash browns, broth, cream corn, Mexicorn, and chilies. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Garnish with sour cream.

This stuff is so good with the sour cream mixed in!

More fun for everyone...

2007-04-12T23:33:00.000-04:00

Since some of you enjoyed my other game, here is another one.

http://www.joeykatzen.com/alpha/ver4/

Good luck!

How intelligent are you?

2007-04-11T19:40:00.000-04:00

Find out here....

http://intelligence-test.net/part1/

So far I have figured out 13 so I am just intelligent. Not much has really been going on in my neck of the woods. I have just been hanging out with Pressley at home. I am getting stir crazy so we may venture out tomorrow to do some shopping. New York & Co is having a sale and I need some new shirts desperately.
Never mind. I just realized that I can't. Benjamin took my car to go to Atlanta Airport for his business trip. My stroller won't fit in his car. Hmmm, I could always shop online but I don't know if I should get medium or large. Decisions, decisions....

Edit: I now have 25 correct answers. Here are the answers: http://www.chesskit.com/miscellaneous/quiz.php

Last edit on this: I ended up with 26 correct answers before giving up. Here is the breakdown of what I got wrong (don't worry...I won't reveal the answers)

# 12: I should have gotten this one. I think I even said "duh" out loud.
# 14: Eh, I might have gotten this one if I had played long enough. I doubt it though.
# 19: I got close to getting this one. I had the general idea but didn't word it right.
# 29: I had part of it right. I don't think I would have ever figured the entire phrase out though.
# 30: I was on the verge of getting this one. If I had played around with it more then I think I would have gotten it.
# 31: I would have never figured this one out.
# 33: Never would have gotten it.

I got number 32 right but it would not accept my answer. Did anyone else have that problem? I count it as part of my 26 right though.

My cup runneth over...

2007-04-08T23:42:00.000-04:00

I first heard that statement on Hope Floats. The grandmother said it to Sandra Bullock's character. Lately, I really realized what that comment means. It is when you are so overcome with emotion that you can't prevent the tears. They aren't really happy tears and they aren't sad tears. You just feel so many emotions.
I feel like that whenever I look at Pressley. I feel that way when I look back at mine and Benjamin's relationship over the years. I am so thankful at how I have been blessed in my life. I am so thankful for my husband. I just wish that his job didn't take so much of his time. I am so thankful for my tiny and perfect daughter. Lately, she has begun to really smile. And laugh. And "ooh" and "ahhh". My cup runneth over a lot these days. And what is another great blessing is seeing people that I love so much love my daughter so completely. She is such a joy to so many people.

Hippity Hop!

2007-04-08T21:28:00.000-04:00

Well, the Easter bunny came to visit us this weekend. Obviously, Pressley wasn't very excited about it this year! lol

The highlight of my weekend was going to visit New Spring Church Saturday afternoon. I have been wanting to find a church for us for awhile now. It is hard to get back into church when you have been out of it for awhile. I knew that I didn't feel that the church that I grew up in was right for me. And I don't think anyone really likes to be the "new people" that everyone stares at when you walk into a church. Thus, excuse after excuse came up as to why we couldn't start visiting x church or y church.

My friend Melanie had been to a few church services at New Spring and asked me to go with her. New Spring was having 2 extra Easter services on Saturday to accomodate the extra crowd for Easter. I have never experienced anything like it in my life. It reminded me a lot of the youth retreats that I would go on when I was younger but on a grander scale. The band was awesome and I loved hearing Perry Noble preach. It made me excited about church again. I can't wait to go next week!

In a way, it kinda sucks though when you have a congregation that huge. With 4 church services and pretty much a max crowd at 2500 people each time, it would be hard to make connections with other people. Also, obviously their preacher would not be able to have the kind of relationship with all of his members that I grew up being used to. On the other hand, it is awesome that people are excited about this church and that their numbers are growing. I just looked at Perry Noble's blog and New Spring had 10,707 people attend their Easter services. Isn't that awesome?

I hope everyone out there had a Happy Easter! As you can see, there are more pictures to share. :)

Easter weekend and Spring Break

2007-04-06T22:48:00.000-04:00

I made it! It is now Spring Break and I get a glorious week off. Today Pressley and I went to the Greenwood Mall and got pictures made with the Easter Bunny. My scanner isn't working so I can't post pics of it tonight. I did take some pictures in the dress that she wore for her picture though. I am also including her 2 month picture. The outfit that she is wearing for that is much cuter on the hanger than in person. But she hadn't worn that outfit yet and it is 0-3 months, which Pressley will be growing out of soon.

I also stopped by Belk's. They were having a sale and I got some 6 month stuff that is really cute. She should be able to start wearing them in a couple of months for the summer. I got an adorable smocked dress with watermelons on it for $17. It was originally almost $40. Of course, it is for a 12 month old so it will be awhile before she can wear it.

In other news....I am a big history buff. I read history books for fun. And I am particularly infatuated with British history, especially the Tudor dynasty. So imagine my delight when I found out that Showtime has a new series called The Tudors. You can watch the first two episodes for free at www.sho.com. There are some historical inaccuracies, but overall I am impressed. It focuses on Henry VIII during his younger years when he was extremely attractive. He is married to Catherine of Aragon, but Anne Boleyn is starting to enter the picture. There is some nudity/sex scenes so be forewarned.

I hope everyone out there has a Happy Easter in case I don't make it on here before Sunday. I am going to church tomorrow night with my friend at New Spring. Then we are going to the Presbyterian Church Sunday morning. I am looking forward to going to New Spring...I have heard good things about it.

I want to add that I love the picture of mine and Pressley's hands. Although I did not intend for it to come out like it did, I love that her hand appears to be lit up. It's like she is the light of my life and she extends her light to me.

Survey says...

2007-04-06T21:59:00.000-04:00

My mom sent this survey to me via email and my sister posted her answers on her blog so I figured that I would do the same.

1. What is your occupation? English teacher
2. What color are your socks right now? beige with some yellow
3. What are you listening to right now? Pressley's swing making music
4. What was the last thing that you ate? 100 calorie pack Dorritos
5. Can you drive a stick shift? yes
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? hot pink
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My mother in law
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? yes...I love my mom!
9. How old are you today? 27...but only for two more weeks
10. Favorite drink: Mt Dew
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? FOOTBALL!!!!
12 Have you ever dyed your hair? yes
13. Pets? Cooper and Bella
14. Favorite food? My new chicken and broccoli casserole
15. What was the last movie you watched? Thank You for Smoking
16. Favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you do to vent anger? I vent to someone
18. What were your favorite toys as a kid? Toss up between my Nintendo and go-cart
19. What is your favorite Fall or Spring? Spring!!!
20. Hugs or kisses? Depends on the person
21. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry
22. Do you want your friends to send this back? I'm not sending through email, but if you want you can blog your answers
23. Living arrangements? I live with my husband and daughter
24. When was the last time you cried? When I watched Oprah this morning. Yeah, I am a dork like that
25. What is on the floor of your closet? shoes and hangers
26. What did you do last night? Hung out with Pressley

There may not be a tomorrow...

2007-04-03T20:23:00.000-04:00

Pressley is still sleeping and my previous post has led me to write this one. It is hard to write. In fifth grade I was pretty popular. I reached out to a shy, awkward girl named Stacy. I didn't stay in the popular group for much longer but that was okay. Stacy became one of my best friends. We talked on the phone every day. We wrote notes to each other in class. We spent the night at each other's house almost every weekend. I went to her family's lake house and vacationed with them at the beach over the summer. We jumped on her trampoline. We watched Wayne's World and Saturday Night Live together. *sigh* We did all the things that best friends do.
When we went to high school we drifted apart. I had boyfriends and she made some new friends. We were still friends, but not really best friends. She got mixed up with the wrong crowd and the distance between us escalated.
She opted out to graduate early. We lost touch. Stacy went through some very hard things. However, after I graduated college I found out that we lived in the same town. I meant to call. A mutual friend saw her and she had recently moved to the lakehouse. Stacy had cleaned up and had went to pilot school. My friend said that I wanted to meet up with her. They planned on us getting together after our mutual friend returned from a month long vacation that she was planning to Europe. I still had not actually talked to her at this point.
Well, we never got to meet up. Stacy passed away shortly after our friend had left for Europe. She was in a car accident.
Words can not express the loss that I felt. The guilt that I felt. I meant to call her. I wanted to see her. I really and truly did. I wanted to let her know that I still cared about her. That she had been a very important part of my life. That I still thought about our times at the beach and at the lakehouse. That at one point in my life I could not go a day without speaking to her.
But I couldn't. Going to her funeral was very hard. I felt like I shouldn't be there because I hadn't been there for her when I should have been. Her family barely recognized me. Once they did, they hugged me so tight.
It will be six years this September. I still think about her often. She had the most beautiful blue eyes and perfect teeth. Hug those close to you. If you think you should call someone then do it. I truly learned a very hard lesson. Sometimes there isn't a tomorrow to do the things that you want to do.
And in memory of Stacy, I am humming "Girls, girls, girls" by the Beastie Boys. She knows what I mean.

How I met your father...

2007-04-03T19:55:00.000-04:00

Anyone that knows anything about me knows that I like to ramble on and on and, well, on. So I decided that since my blog is about my family then I would do a "how I met your father" post. When I tell people that I started dating my husband when I was 14 I get a look. How does someone meet their husband when they are that young? Well, rest assured that I did date around, as did my husband, and we always managed to find our way back to each other. No, it wasn't all that great at times since my husband was fairly wild back then. He liked to have fun and was young and I was a homebody. But that isn't what this post is about.
I first knew of my husband when I went to the highschool in the 8th grade. Belton Middle and Honea Path Middle joined to make a high school. They had a program that about 12 8th graders from each school go to the HS to take 9th grade classes. We were both in the program. Benjamin had a crush on a girl that he could never get and I was "going with" a boy that was in the 10th grade at the time. Fast forward to 9th grade. Benjamin and I had a lot of classes together. I was still going out with the now 11th grader. We had gym together and in true redneck fashion one of our units was square dancing. It's okay...you can giggle.
So before Christmas break I asked Benjamin if he would be my dancing partner. I thought he was funny in class and I didn't want a loser for a partner. He said yes.
We return from break and Benjamin seems to have forgotten that he was going to be my partner and he agreed to be another girl's partner as well (yep, I remember who it was). There were more guys than girls so some guys had to double up and switch off anyway. Well, as we docie doed (I have no idea how to spell that) I realized that I had a crush on Funny Guy Benjamin. I decided that it was time to break up with the 11th grader (and just a few months before prom...oh no! poor guy).
So how did Benjamin find out that I had a crush? Why, the way anyone in high school does. My friend Stacy (RIP) told his friend that a friend of hers liked his friend (double points if you followed that). And the friend said that one of his friends had a crush on her friend. They finally revealed their friends' names and so it was settled. Benjamin had a crush on Sharlie and Sharlie had a crush on Benjamin.
Benjamin called Sharlie soon after that discussion. I went to his church basketball games. On January 17th (MLK day), we were out of school because it snowed a bit and I had to beg my mom to take me to see Benjamin play basketball at First Baptist Church. Benjamin came over to see me after the game and walked me out. He called me later that evening. Here comes the funny part. As we were ending our phone conversation he said that he had something to ask me. "Would I 'go with him'" he asked. I said yes. He said he would see me tomorrow at school. And then bye. And then, "Oh, I love you". Benjamin gets so embarrassed at this story. Well, I am looking at the phone in disbelief. Did he just say "I love you"? Now I was his first real girlfriend (remember...I had been dating 11th grader guy). The poor thing just didn't know that you don't say that right off the bat. So, of course, I say it back. I don't want him to feel bad.
We broke up over a year later. Right around my birthday, as a matter of fact.
So, Pressley, if you ever happen to read this....this is how I met your father. :)

Just sharing some pics...

2007-04-01T20:21:00.000-04:00

Pressley got her picture made today in her Easter dress. My mother in law donated money to the rescue squad so they do this thing where you get a free picture with the choice to buy more. Of course she wanted to use the free picture on Pressley. So we got her all dolled up today to go and I took my own pictures of her in it. I'm glad that I haven't taken her to get professional pictures done yet because she is a little too young for it. She was asleep up until a few minutes before she had the picture taken. It's still hard to get her to smile for you. She can't sit up on her own so she was sort of propped up in this carseat that had blankets and stuff over it. Of course, I am sure if I took her to a studio we could get some good pictures.

Pressly is 8 weeks old today. Time is going by fast! I really do not want to go to work tomorrow. Pressley is starting to be so much fun.

Too little time, too much to do, and too little sleep

2007-03-31T15:20:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been awhile since I have made a post! Life has been pretty busy. Thankfully, I only have 4 days to work next week and then we begin Spring Break. Pressley has been doing well. We bought her Easter dress today. It is absolutely gorgeous. It is all white with smocking. She has a matching bonnet and little white shoes and some very frilly white socks.

I have a new recipe to share with everyone. It was quite tasty and fairly easy.

Speedy Salsa-Chicken Quesadillas

1/2 cup Salsa

2 Tbsp Miracle Whip dressing

1/2 tsp chili powder

8 flour tortillas

2 packages of Tyson's fajita chicken strips

Mexican style shredded cheese

Combine salsa, dressing, and chili powder. Spread evenly onto tortilla. Top with chicken and desired amount of cheese. Add small amount of salsa mixture onto another tortilla and place it on your other tortilla. Cook in skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side. Cut your tortilla in wedges. Serve with sour cream. *Note: I also added some bacon pieces to my tortillas.

Tonight I am trying a chicken florentine recipe. I'll let you know how it goes.

Baby Makes Four!!

In With the New and Out With the Old...

God is Good.

Reboot

Anne of Green Gables...

The New Me...

Mama's Boy

Am I crazy?

I Quit!!

Bittersweet...

A Little Late...

Still Here...

So, it's been awhile....

I know, I know...

Welcome the six or seven babies...

More pictures!!!

We finally got to meet/see/hold the babies!!!!

A Taste of my Book...

Pressley turns 2!!!

Sports, Being an American, Anne of Green Gables, and a Video

Babies Again!!!!

Christmas and the Big Car

Looking for some Christmas gifts?

Wow, just wow.

Vote.

Trick or Treat

Breaking Up is Hard to Do...Part 2

Pressley has a new 'do and I have a new phone!

Twilight Spoof

Germs came along with the students...

Book Clubs, Book Reports, and Tomato Pie

First Haircuts and Old Pictures

Um...more randomness?

School Days

Gracie...

The Zoo

Family Reunions and Family Pictures

Visit to Charlotte

The Presentation...

Christian the Lion

More randomness...

Is One Enough?

What a weird day.

Picture Time!

The Wonderful World of Geneology

New hair!

Breaking Up is Hard to Do...

Oh my, what a day...

Read a book...

I am Auntie Sharlie!

It's true...they grow up way too fast

*music notes* I'm so excited...I just can't hide it!

I'm back..

Not a Pressley post...

It's been too long...

Trick or Treat

Update...

Christmas came early!!!

And another one...

Miss Snow White

Superpowers...

Da da da da da da da da da da da da da

New blog...

Our Little Clemson Tiger

And paradise comes to an end...

Where did my baby go????

Cute as a button!

New phones are so much fun!

So glad that this week is over...

Pressley's First Wedding...

Scrapbooking...

Happy 4th of July!!

Busy weekend....

Random stuff...

The Human Mind is Amazing...

Doctor Appt news!

She rolled over!

New Pressley pics...

Being an adult...

Happy Anniversary to me!

music notes I'm so excited...I just can't hide it!