Year End Review - October

Troy put in a couple of applications looking for a part time job but nothing turned up yet.

I had minor foot surgery with major anesthesia!!

Artie went with the men from work and watched the Carolina Panthers play in Charlotte.



Artie and I celebrated our 15th anniversary by taking the family to Myrtle Beach (thanks to Comfort Systems). Granny was able to go with us. It was a fun time. We played in the ocean, toured around the Grand Strand, said good-bye to the Pavilion, ate a lot and played games together. Granny used the time to play with the children and catch up on some rest. We are all looking forward to returning during a little warmer weather!!

Here we are in an ice cream parlor.













We're playing Greedy, a dice game we learned from some of our college and career kids years ago.











The children loved the Fall Fun Festival at church. It was a beautiful afternoon. Terry had grown big enough this year to play in all the attractions. Here is Emily climbing the wall in the obstacle course.





Stephen is playing in the ball pit.









Bobby is bouncing down the big slide and Terry does make it to the top of the wall. He was so proud!!















Halloween


Emily as a 50's girl in her poodle skirt.




Stephen as a boxer, like his Papa Quinn.


Bobby as an Army man.



And Terry as Superman!!

Year End Review - November

Brownie Troop 2623




Emily attended her first Girl Scout Pinning Ceremony.
She was responsible for telling about the Girl Scout promise.

She received four badges.

My Body
Travel Right (our trip to Myrtle Beach)
Dancercise
and Girl Scout Ways


(Carol, I knew you would be proud to see our second generation Girl Scout! I've showed her our pictures)



We spent Thanksgiving day at Granddaddy and Mimi's house. She cooked a huge meal. It was so yummy. There is nothing I'd rather eat than my Mimi's cooking. She sent me home with a big jar of her gravy!! It's always fun eating at Mimi's. We have so many that Mimi sets place settings all over the place - the kitchen, the living room, the back porch. I realized even though I'm 38 years old and have seven children, I've never graduated to sitting at the "grown-up" table in the kitchen. Next year I need to do better and get some pictures during Thanksgiving.

The Sunday after we got together with Artie's family. We ate at the commons room at Bobbie's apartments. It was fun. Bobbie said it was the first time in like 34 years that she's had all her children home at the same time for Thanksgiving. Brian and Cindy came from Florida and Janice and her friend, Dale, came from Charlotte.

We also went that week and had a cookout at Brian's new place at the lake. It is very pretty there. Brian and Cindy grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. We walked down and looked at the lake in the dark. All the children loved it. The boys camped out one night too.

I had my usually after Thanksgiving shopping event this year but thanks to the Yellow Mall, I was able to start at 12 o'clock midnight!! I shopped all night and Artie came and helped me around 5:00am at Wal-mart, then we had a restful breakfast at Waffle House. My feet hurt so bad!!! :-) But I got some great things!!!

Year End Review - December

Emily was in the Gaffney Christmas parade with her Girl Scout Troop. It was very cold that day. We all walked down to watch the parade and got lots of candy.

Brenda sang in the Granard Gifted/Honors Chorus at the Limestone College tree lighting. They sang three songs. Brian, Emily, Terry and I went and watched and then saw Santa afterwards. We had hot chocolate and hot apple cider with come cookies. Artie and the other boys stayed home and played army (moving all the furniture around to hide behind in the living room).

Brenda, Emily and her Girl Scout troop went and sang Christmas carols at Brookview nursing home.

Emily and her troop toured the Biltmore House for their Christmas party. It was Emily's first field trip without mama. I stayed home and went Christmas shopping that day.



We went to Papa's house for Christmas with him, Karen and the girls. We had a fun day.


The little boys got a train table.


Emily got a Barbie computer.




Papa and Karen gave Brenda a beginners sewing machine. She has been busy sewing patterns from the instruction book.











Troy got a CD player and a Carolina Panther sweatshirt.



Brian got a Washington Redskins sweatshirt (hiding in an iron box) and money for new speakers for his car.

Daddy gave me and Artie a new video recorder. I need to read the book more. It is a little more advanced than my push the record button abilities!!


We gave Daddy and Karen a fire pit for their porch and then Hillary and Miranda both got the 20Q quiz game. We all had fun playing them.

We celebrated Christmas with Artie's family at the Rainbow Lake pavilion. It was a lovely night.

Granny gave all the children gifts - the boys got How Wheels cars and trucks.

Emily got a new baby doll (and a new baby blanket handmade by Granny's friend Ms. Laura). The older children all got money. Brenda spent hers at Old Navy and Troy bought some pickles!!

We played our Chinese swap game. Artie got a fishing reel and I got a gift certificate for Belks.

The older children have their own swap game. Brian came away with a $15 gift certificate for Blockbuster (which he used to rent Cars for the little children to watch), Troy got $5 for Hardees, McDonalds and Pizza Hut, and Brenda got a $15 gift certificate for Old Navy (she bought two shirts and a white tank top to wear underneath).

~Christmas at our house~

Terry was sick on Christmas day. This was the first time in my whole life that I haven't been at my Mimi's house and the first time since we started dating that we hadn't been with Artie's mother. It was a quiet and peaceful day. We stayed in our pj's all day and played with our new toys and video games. Don't you love the dinosaur? I think it was my favorite present to the boys!

(The kitty got a new bed from Santa)

There were many Christmas miracles but that will be a whole blog entry to it's self.

Date Night at the Movies: Rocky Balboa

@ The Movies: Rocky Balboa
Originally uploaded by ★WaiWai★.

Wow, Artie and I had a date night last night. We went to the movies with our friends, Shay and Gwyn. It was fun. I saw the original Rocky at the theater when I was a little girl, so it seemed right that I should see the final one on the big screen too.

Rocky "It ain't over til it's over"
Bad guy " hey man, what, is that from the 80's?"
Rocky "No, I think it might be from the 70's"

Or it went something close to that!! It was a great movie that had me biting on the zipper of my coat through the whole fight seen. I won't give away the ending for you!!

Best of all was spending an evening out with my sweetie!!

Christmas Snowmen Coasters

This is what I am making for my brother and sister-in-laws. They are little snowmen coasters that I stamped. This is a little item I saw Brenda make in her stamping class last year. I thought they were so cute. I am gonna make a set of four for each family. I hope they like them.

These three are my samples to see which tiles and groupings I like best.





I need to get them all made tonight so they will be dry and ready to wrap before our Christmas party tomorrow night.

Gingerbread

I found the best recipe for gingerbread from http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/search?q=gingerbread. I fixed some today while Artie and the children were out raking leaves in the yard. It was so yummy!!!!


•Schoolhouse Gingerbread•

Combine and beat until smooth:

1 c. sugar
1 c. molasses
1 c. oil
3 eggs

In another bowl mix:

3/4 t. salt
1 t. cloves
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda

Add to first bowl, then stir in:

1 c. boiling water.

Bake in greased and floured 8x8 pan at 350 for 45 minutes.

A nice surprise at Kindergarten

Friday the boys had to wear black pants and a black shirt to kindergarten, but weren't told why - it was a surprise. When they got there, they were given the white and black polka dot t-shirts to wear over their black shirts. They teachers wore the same thing.

They were the 101 Dalmatians!! They watched the movie and I think everyone had a fun day. Bobby looked very cute with his nose painted!!

A morning at the dentist

dentist's chair
Originally uploaded by tommy vicious.

Today was the dentist day for three of the four little ones. Emily, Stephen and Bobby all had to go in for a cleaning. Emily was so excited, the hygenist pulled her front tooth. Now she will get a tally mark on the big tooth on the chalk board in first grade!!

Terry was very disappointed that he didn't walk out with the new toothbrushes, pencils, and stickers. I realized he's not a baby anymore and it's time for him to be seeing the dentist too. So, come June, all four littles will travel together to the dentist office. I can't believe my little baby is growing up so fast.

A Lysol kind of day

lysol
Originally uploaded by jactivity5.

All the children have been sick this week. We have been spraying lysol everywhere, serving orange juice, passing out cough syrup and cough drops, handing out vitamen C drops, changing sheets, washing toothbrushes, taking naps. Hopefully this will pass soon. School starts back tomorrow (out yesterday for teacher/parent conference and today for election day) . Tonight we will be serving up some homemade chicken soup and french bread.

Sunday Afternoons

I love Sunday afternoon naps!! They are one of my favorite things in life. Today everyone (except Brian who was keeping up with his Redskins) took a nap - even the cat was asleep when I laid down. Oh, it's such a nice feeling to lay down with no guilt. What a gift from God!!

My Clothesline

One of my favorite joys - hanging clothes out on my clothesline!! I love my clothesline. I am trying to teach myself and Brenda to hang out like the Amish do - all like things together and by size. She thinks I've flipped my lid and am gonna run off and become Amish!! It looks so pretty when it is all hung neatly though.

(Beside the tree, behind the clothesline you can see Artie's horseshoe pits - that was his father's day present last year. And then the children's fort is coming off the side of our pecan tree.)

Sarah Plain and Tall

It was Sarah Plain and Tall day today. Hallmark showed the complete trilogy!! I love these movies.




As I watched the moves today I cleaned my family room and kitchen. I deeped clean in some piles of papers that were in desperate need of attention. I found some important insurance papers that needed to be filed that were just sitting and waiting. After the table was all clean we had a nice warm dinner of salmon stew - our first of the fall. I love having all my children around my table. Terry has been sick and during the end of the last movie I got to just sit and rock my sweet baby and watch the movie.

Watching the movies I realized that Sarah is a Charlote Mason mama!! She taught the children music - singing and playing the harmonica, nature drawing, journaling, outdoor activies such as swimming and planting flowers, love of animals, and the art of creating beauty in the areas around you. She inspires me to be a better mama and have a prettier kitchen!

How to feed a family of 8 for $4.00?

pinto beans
Originally uploaded by spentpenny.

Pinto beans and fried potatoes. It was so yummy. We cooked up a pound of pintos and 10 pounds of fried potatoes served with a lot of ketchup and sweet tea!!

Here are our Halloween Trick or Treaters!!

Bobby is an army man, Emily is a girl from the 50's with her poodle skirt, Terry is Superman, and Stephen is a boxer (with a black eye)! They had a fun night going around our neighborhood. They will get to dress up again this weekend and trick or treat at their grandparents homes.

Fall Leaves

The fall leaves are so pretty this year!!!
This is my favorite tree in our yard. It is a sugar maple. Wow, we will have lots of raking in a couple of weeks!!

Beverly Lewis

"The Revelation"
Originally uploaded by Pictorial Life.

My favorite fictional author right now is Beverly Lewis. I am currently reading The Shunning, but my favorite so far is Abram's Daughters - a series of five books. She is such a wonderful writer. I love hearing about the Amish life!!

Some lovely things today

• Brenda baking brownies
• My favorite neighborhood tree turning bright yellow/orange
• Trying out our new Fred's store with Terry
• Stephen doing his homework - coming to a surprise in his story - saying - I wasn't expecting that!!
• Artie working hard for his family - another day of overtime doing inventory
• A kerosene heater to make the family room completely toasty
• Troy's football team winning the Conference Championship today!!!!!!!
• Watching the little boys play outside in the backyard
• Emily and Brenda going to church tonight - J-Treck and Youth Group

Who's the tallest??????

It was weird to say good bye to the Pavilion!! It's just always been there!!! And that SCARY roller coaster!!!!! Lots of good memories growing up here. I can see pictures in my mind of my mama and Bonnie standing on the Pavilion in their peddle pushers and bandanas. :-) I'm sorry my children won't be able to enjoy this too.