To Sing ... Or Not To Sing ...

Good Morning ...

W O W ! ! !

77 Degrees today! I am SO EXCITED ! ! !

I couldn't ask for a better day ...

It's my Favorite time of year ...

The color is at it's optimum ...

It's very warm today ...

Almost too perfect of a day ...

I'm taking LeAnna out of school at Noon today ... to do her Fall 5 year pictures ... outside ...

I am SO excited ... I was just hoping for "no rain" while the colors were still pretty ... but a rare day like today is just unbelievable to me!

I had clients Saturday and Sunday ... and while I was driving to my destinations each day ... I was just amazed at the beautiful colors ... almost as if I haven't seen it this pretty before ... A lot of times at this "pefect time" of the season, it's raining - which messes up everything ... the "pretty leaves" get blown off the trees by the rain and wind and then turn yucky on the ground ... It was just a very pleasant time for me, to be able to drive through this "perfect scene" that I usually just imagine in my head when I begin to think about my favorite time of the year! .... Wow ... thanks God!

Yesterday LeAnna had her first solo at church with the children's choir ... Bless her heart ... we've been practicing for weeks ... and she has done just fine ... knows the music, has the words memorized ... and then ... Sunday morning, while getting dressed ... I heard her crying ... I went into her room and said, "What's Wrong?" .... she says, "I'm (sob), so (sob), nervousssss, (sob-sob) ...

Oh yikes ... I started saying all the things that any parent would say ... and nothing helped! SO ... then I told her that we would trade clothes at church ... she would wear mine and I would wear hers and I would sing her part for her! This at least made her smile ... then she said no ... that wouldn't work! ha! Still sniffling and red nosed ... I started humming the tune to her song and then starting making up new words! Oh my ... that did it! She started laughing so hard that she completely forgot about being upset and nervous ... the only thing is ... she made a deal ... that if she sang her verse, I had to sing what I made up! AND ... sit on the front row in front of her to do it! ... So I did ... no one heard me ... but I mouthed my "made up" words .. in front of her ...

She got through it ... she did just fine ... I could tell she was nervous ... at one point she grabbed Miquela's hand beside her while she finished her verse ... she stumbled through it a bit and didn't sing it as confidently as she had while practicing in the bathtub ... but she did GREAT for her first time ... and I was so proud!

Yes ... my "made up" words were very silly ... but it made her "less nervous" ... and it was very important to me, to "complete our deal" ... no one heard me sing them ... but it was the simple fact that we made a deal ... and important to me that I follow through ....

I know it seems trivial ... really ...

But ... I wanted LeAnna to know ... that she can trust Mommy ... and when we make a deal ... we keep it ...

To me ... the trivial things should be just as important as the BIG things in life ...

And if she trusts me and feels comfortable and confident in the "little things" ... hopefully she will be in the big things too!

Okay ... whew! ....

Anyhoo ...

Hopefully ... we'll get some great pictures on this beautiful "God-Given" day today ...

Happy Monday ... tammy

Ted E. Bear ...

Good Morning ...

Feeling better ... not at my optimum ... but better.

LeAnna got to bring home Ted E. Bear last Friday ... Ted E. Bear is a small teddy bear with his own backpack, favorite book and journal. The kids take turns taking him home for a few days and then journal and take pictures about what they did with him. Well ... Ted E. Bear went back to school today ... so here's what we journaled about ... (you can click on each page and it will enlarge) Happy Thursday ... tammy

Under The Covers ...

Good Afternoon ...

Here's a slideshow of LeAnna if you would like to view ... after clicking on the site, click on the first picture and it will start the slide show ...

http://www.photoshow.net/_713610e56f8b9a3


I am very much so "under the covers" today ... went to the doctor and I have double ear infections, sinus issues and an upper respiratory infection ... FUN!

LeAnna is much better though and even went to school today! So glad of that!

Happy day ... tammy

The Doctor Is In ...

Good Afternoon ...

Under the weather ... that's us! Well ... actually under the covers today! LeAnna has been sick all weekend and feeling better today ... but Mommy's been on the couch most of the day ... she has been "my doctor"! She stuck a mirror and lights in my face ... and said, "I'm your doctor, look up here at me" ... so ... looking at myself in a mirror with lights in my face is supposed to make me feel better?! Ahhh ... no!

Anyhoo ... fever, upper respiratory symptoms ... fun ... fun ... goody ... joy ...

Okay ... so here's my tidbit today ...

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb

The Farmer In The What?

Good Morning ...

Yes ... having "blogger" problems ... got frustrated ... so haven't blogged in a few ...

oh well ...

Yes ... been busy too and haven't felt too well ...

LeAnna has a fever this morning ... and not feeling well ...


Okay ... let me start over on a "better note" ...

Good Morning ...

the end!

ha ...

So ... LeAnna asked me a question the other day ... I knew it was coming ... eventually ...

She said ... "Mommy, what is a 'dell' in Farmer in the Dell?

I said ... Aahhh ... well ... I'll get back to you ... so then I began humming it ... thinking ... what is a dell? ... Naturally I thought ... well ... a farm or something? ha!

So ... I looked it up on the internet when I got home from taking her to school ...

A Dell .... a small, secluded, wooded valley.

Cool ...

Also found out that I had been singing it wrong all these years! I had been singing "Hi-O the Cherrio" and it's "Hi-O the Derry-o".


So when I picked her up from school ... I explained what Dell means ... and she said ... what's a valley?

I could answer that one! =)

So yesterday ... LeAnna got to come home with Ted E. Bear and his backpack ... Ted E. Bear goes home with each child for a weekend and some of the next week ... she is responsible for caring for him, taking him with her places, taking pictures of their time together and then we journal about it before returning him to school. He comes in his own backpack ... including his favorite book, "Courderoy" and a journal to make notes in. She's so excited! So we'll post some pictures later after she's had some "adventure" with him!

LeAnna wasn't feeling well yesterday ... no fever, just a stuffy nose and general not feeling too hot!

Well ... this morning she's hot! A slight temp which has made her feel even worse ....

So she's in for today ... laying on the couch and catching some needed rest! And we have a VERY busy week next week!

So, I must go and play nurse ...

Happy Saturday ...

tammy

The Locket That Created The Pocket ...

Good Morning ...

Things are getting back to normal ... FINALLY ... I know I always try and do so much ... but I waited SO long to be able to do school parties, plan birthday parties, go and find the perfect present for my very own, etc ... that I just wear myself out! But ... hey ... at least when I look back to these special moments, hopefully I won't have any regrets for what I "should have done" ... =)

LeAnna's school pictures are in tomorrow ... can't wait to see what they look like! Because you know, I hardly have any pictures of the girl ... she is so deprived! ha! No ... I'm not going to buy all of them ... like I used to when she was a baby ... at the Picture People ... I would take her there every once in a while ... and it would just kill me knowing that if I didn't buy the picture, they were going to trash it! So I would buy them all! Yikes! I know ...

Anyhoo ... just a couple for "memories sake" ... =)


Okay ... check this out ... for those of you who know me well, know that I'm a Titanic buff .... well ... I have this site that I check periodically called "daily dose of Titanic" ... anyhoo ... interesting story ...


Famed Titanic locket sells for $205,000
In fiction, the "Heart of the Ocean" diamond was the most famous piece of jewelry on board Titanic, but in reality a locket that recently sold at a British auction for $205,000 was among the most famed accessories aboard the ill-fated liner.The locket was owned by first class passenger Helen Churchill Candee and contained a cherished porcelain painting of her mother. Candee was travelling alone on Titanic and therefore gained a number of male "protectors" including Archibald Gracie, who would later dub their travelling group "our coterie."On the night of the disaster, Candee had just returned from a concert with the coterie when the ship struck ice. After learning that the captain was ordering women and children to the lifeboats, she dressed warmly, donned her lifejacket and carried the locket with her.As she ascended the Grand Staircase on the way to the Boat Deck, Candee encountered one of her travel companions, Edward Kent, and entrusted the locket to him as she was about to enter a lifeboat.The locket was later recovered from Kent's body when it was picked up by the cable ship Mackay Bennett, which was sent to the wreck site to recover bodies of Titanic victims.The locket is not only famous for its fateful connection to Titanic, but for something even moreimpressive. When first class passenger and Titanic survivor Lady Duff Gordon heard the story of the locket, she decided that perhaps women's clothing should have pockets so that in the future women could care for their own jewelry. Duff Gordon was a noted designer of women's fashions under the name "Madame Lucille," and it was in this capacity that Lady Duff Gordon first introduced pockets to women's clothing.

So, ladies, next time you find yourself using your pockets, remember you owe it to the Titanic sinking, a woman's struggle to save her precious locket and the work of an enterprising Titanic survivor/fashion designer!

Happy Wednesday ... tammy

A Cooking Adventure ...

Good Afternoon ...

Well ... finally ... an update on the birthday party ...

I have been trying off and on all day to post some pictures ... finally decided to do today's post in 4 segments and it actually worked!

Anyoo ...

The party was great ... everyone seemed to have a great time!

The evening began at 6:30 at Merriman's Tea Room of Ashland City ...

As the kids arrived, they were greeted by Chef Pat and were encouraged to decorate their own apron and chefs hat!

We also had an apron that everyone in attendance signed for LeAnna to put into her memory box.

The parents were escorted into another room right off the offical party room and were waited on by staff of Merriman's ... taking drink and food orders.

After the kids were transformed into little chefs, Chef Pat demonstrated how to make gourmet pizzas and once the pizzas were created - off to the oven they went.

While waiting for them to cook ... Chef Pat demonstrated/illustrated a story ... "Cook-A-Doodle-Doo" ...

Wow! How exciting ... she used stuffed animals and real objects to demonstrate the story. The kids were captivated (as well as the adults) ... they made a strawberry shortcake ... and once made ... Chef Pat held up the beautifully prepared dessert and then (as the story called for), dropped the entire cake on the table! The whole room gasped at once, with mouths hanging open wide! What a surprise! All part of the story, which included "sharing" in making a new one ... which they did not do, but it made for a great ending to the story!

Then it was time to eat their little creations ... PIZZA!

Afterwards ... Paula Deen Southern Tea Cakes were presented to each chef with their choice of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry icing to spread on their tea cakes ... then a ton of items to decorate with were placed on each table ... some pretty cool art work was displayed on these little cakes ... each chef got to take their creation home to enjoy later.

And then it was Birthday Cake time .... fun ... fun ... according to LeAnna ... she was so beside her self standing beside her cakes ... with the candle lit and everyone singing just to her ... a private wish was made and then "woosh"! Another year blown out!

The red apron cake was white cake, the chefs hat was chocolate and the wooden spoon was strawberry! Yum-yum!

And FINALLY ... it was time to open the gifts ... I think this gets more exciting with each passing year! The kids gathered around as she opened her presents ... wow! Cool gifts ... lots of Barbie stuff ... which she has just now, all of a sudden, started getting really interested in ... I overheard one request when she said, "I hope I get a Barbie Jet" ... oh my ... Let's just get a barbie and then we'll see about a jet! ha!

As each little chef began to leave ... with their neatly folded apron and hat tucked into their gift bag - that included a thank you rolling pin, LeAnna's personal cookbook and measuring cup filled with candy ... walked out the door to go home ... I only hoped that they enjoyed this little Cooking Adventure that would generate fun memories for them to recall at a later time.

What each person that was there, probably didn't realize ... is that they helped me create special memories for my sweet baby girl to recall at a later time in her life! Just as we sat together one day and looked over pictures from each birthday from the 1st to the 4th ... we had so much fun recalling memories ... some that she had and some that Mommy had that she did not remember!

LeAnna seemed to really enjoy herself and was SO happy ... from what I could tell everyone seemed to have a really good time!

NOW ... to organize the gifts, get thank you notes out and figure out a new home for all the new prizes!

Fun ... fun ...

Happy Monday ... and enjoy the pictures from the party ... posted below ...

tammy

Party, Party, Party ...

Good Evening ...

Here are a few birthday pictures from yesterday ... This first one is a picture of what LeAnna arrived at school to ... this little table sits outside the classroom door ... and has info about the day written on the board ... she was SO excited that her name was there. The kids seemed to have a blast decorating their tea cakes ... pictured with LeAnna is her "friend", Reese ... she had been coming home talking about him ... we finally got to meet him ... =) I guess we approve (for now ... ha!)




Since LeAnna's birthday fell on a Wednesday, we had church ... so we didn't celebrate until after church ... she decided she wanted Cinco De Mayo ... Papaw and Granny were out of town ... so in attendance was Nana, Aunt Judy, Unc Dean, Daddy, Mommy and LeAnna ...

She was SO excited once again ... when we arrived at the restaurant ... Nana had everything fixed and waiting on her ... she was beside herself! She had been asking for a couple of things and Nana pretty much fulfilled the "wish list" ... her favorite thing was a doll head that she can play beauty shop with ... and an iron and ironing board ... she got up this morning and "ironed" her clothes for school!




The cake is another story ... she told me a week ago that she wanted a cake on her actual birthday .... very specific, she wanted a cake from Sweet N Sassy ... white cake, white icing, light pink and hot pink dots and it to say, Happy Birthday LeAnna ... so guess what?! That's what she got ... and I thought this pic was so cute staring at her piece of it!

It was such a BIG day for her ... when we walked in the door last night ... she could barely make it upstairs and immediately fell asleep in her bed!

This morning when we got into the van ... I pulled out the video camera and did a "day after interview" ... she made the comment in the "words of wisdom section" ... that she thinks she still looks 4! ha! She's really had trouble with the whole "going from 4 to 5" thing! Bless her heart ...

I promised her that Mommy would work really hard all morning and this afternoon we would play with all her new things .... We had so much fun ... just being together ... we played beauty shop ... and we played with her new playdough set (thank God she likes to be neat with it! or it might have to go to Nana's house - ha!) ... then she went to Nana's this evening and they played all night together ... whew! Big two days ...

I love making memories with my baby girl ... I want so bad for her to know and fully understand one day, how much we love her and how happy she's made us ... she is truly an answered, long time prayed prayer ...

Happy Thursday ... tammy

Give Me Five !!!!

Happy Birthday LeAnna !!!!!

5 Years old !!!

We had a party at school this morning ... Daddy and Nana got to attend ... they had such a great time! The kids loved decorating their Tea Cakes ... They all sang Happy Birthday to her and she became so shy!

I'll post some more pictures later ... we are celebrating this afternoon/evening with family and then her main party on Saturday at Merriman's Tea Room - A Cooking Adventure with Chef Pat! Exciting, exciting ...

Happy Birthday my sweet baby girl ...

Happy Wednesday .... tammy

Tickle Me Elmo ...

Good Evening ...

B U S Y day today ... SO many errands ... getting ready for the party tomorrow and for Saturday's party ...

LeAnna is SO excited about her birthday tomorrow!

I remember SO WELL five years ago at this very moment ...

I had laid down for a bit and couldn't sleep ... got back up about this time ... reclined on the couch with my feet up until about midnight ... this particular evening ... I was SO swollen, I thought I was becoming toxic I had so much fluid ... I couldn't even stand up straight and was walking SO funny, bent over! ha! I remember around midnight walking up the stairs to our room ... S L O W L Y ... and when I got to the top of the steps ... I stopped and leaned over against the wall and prayed ... "Lord, I can't take this anymore ... you're going to have to help me and do something" .... I went and laid back down and at 2:39 A.M. my water broke and I jumped up out of bed ... unbelievable LONG night ... never went back to sleep and stayed awake through surgery at 3:01 P.M. the next day when LeAnna was born! WOW!!! Five years ago! My, how time flies ...

I even remember at one point when she was just a small baby ... thinking ... in 5 years, she will be starting school !!!! WOW! It's almost like I made that statement just yesterday ... Crazy how time zooms.

I have been in the kitchen all evening, making tea cakes in the shape of ... well ... it could be a mickey mouse, it could be a bear, it could be a face with big ears ... it could be a mouse ... oh my ... it will be interesting to see what the kids make in the morning with their cakes...

I have 3 different icings for them to use and two cupcake tins full of goodies for them to decorate with ... Nana is going to school with me in the morning ... I'll be doing pictures ... I'll post some tomorrow ...


LeAnna got a birthday present today from Sylvia (who Nana works for) ... she gave her the new tickle me Elmo ... the one's you can't find anywhere and they are selling ebay for over $1,000 ... tempted to sell it and buy one again in February (after the rush dies down) for $40 ... ha! It's the cutest, funniest thing I've ever seen!


I still have SO much to do before going to bed ...

Happy evening ...

tammy

In The Dog House ...

Good Evening ...

Been a BUSY Monday ...

Trying to get ready for LeAnna's birthday parties this week ... we have one at school Wednesday on her actual "day" and then the main party Saturday ...

So ...

Today ...

While "being busy" ...

(oh ... LeAnna was out of school today - Columbus Day)

It got really quite ... I was working on something in the kitchen ...

Looked down and LeAnna's head was sticking out of Princess' crate!

I said, "LeAnna ... what are you doing?"

She started laughing and said ... "I wanted to see if I could get in Princess' crate" ...

I ran and got my camera ... oh my ... when she came out ... princess came out behind her ...

She had squished Princess up in there with her!!!!

Too funny ...

So then ...

She let Princess out and got back in herself (she backed herself in - that's what was so funny)

Princess was looking at her like ... 'what in the world are you doing' !

ha!

It was a cute "moment" !

I am so tired today .... long, busy, but productive day ...

Too many irons in the fire to even describe them ... really too tired to! ha!

Happy Monday Evening ...

tammy

So Is 3rd Time Really A Charm?

Good Evening ...

I finally went and picked up my platter at the Firestation ... It turned out better than I expected ...

ALTHOUGH ...

Someone "who didn't know what they were doing" ... put my platter on the wrong type of stand (or something) ... and there are three places on the bottom of it that came off in the oven AGAIN ... UGH!!!! I went ahead and accepted it ... the only issue is that if I sit it down on my table or buffet, it will scar it ... SO ... guess I'll have to put some felt dots or something on it!

Oh well!!!!

I'm FINISHED with platters !!!!!

Moving on to something else ... !

I have been going in a gazillion circles today ... We had two baby showers at church today (I took gifts for both ... but only stayed for one) ...

Rough night ...

LeAnna had a sleep over ...

I had diet coke with caffiene right before "normal bed time" ... and couldn't go to sleep ...

When I FINALLY decided to go to sleep ... my pump was 3 units from being out of insulin ...

SO ... had to change it ...

Ran my blood sugar test ... Can you say "rockets" ? Yea ... high ... SO ... all the more reason to change the pump site ...

Had to stay up until I knew my blood sugar was okay ... that was 3:30 or so ...

Fell asleep on the couch ... in my clothes ...

Woke up about 6am or a little before with a VERY low blood sugar ...

Never went back to bed !

AND ...

Have been working on stuff for church today ... plus ... working on favors, etc. for LeAnna's birthday parties this week ... one at school on Wednesday (actual birthday) and then her main party is Saturday ...

I am SO tired that I can't even go to sleep ! ! ! !

I try to "relax" and I think of something else I need to do ... so I've just been writing down things on my "to do" list ... to do "later" ... ha!

LeAnna fell last night and banged her head really bad ... it definitely left a mark! It was on her temple and she hit it so hard ... she apparently tripped and fell, hitting the corner of a chair ... the noise was loud enough for Nate to come upstairs because he heard the hit!

Bless her heart ...

Her and Daddy went bike riding today ... he gave her the choice of going to the park or riding bikes ... how fun is that?! They had a great time!

Just for the record ... 5 years ago right now ... I was SO big and SO miserable ... that I felt as though I needed a wheelbarrow to get from room to room ... because at this point ... I was going no where but from the couch to the bathroom! Tommorrow - five years ago would have been my last doctor's appt. (just didn't know it at the time) ... I remember getting my belly stuck in the steering wheel! ha! Yikes!

Yes ... I'm WAY too tired right now ... woo-hoo ...

Oh yeah ... and in my "spare time" today ... I practiced making Southern Tea Cakes for LeAnna's party at school on Wednesday ... we're going to be decorating shaped tea cakes ... and I didn't want to wait until Tuesday night to start a new recipe ... they turned out pretty good ... Nate asked where the chocolate chips were! ha! I said ... it's a tea cake ... he said, "so" ...

Oh well ... I figured the "thicker" tea cake like cookie would be easier for the kids in her class to work with and decorate ... FUN!


Happy Saturday Evening ... tammy

Dinner with Friends ...

Good Morning ...

Last night ... we had a date ...

We went to the Cheesecake Factory ...

So ...

When we arrived ...

Nate notices a "Bentley" in the valet with orange cones around it ...

Okay ... so ...

I'm like ... it could have been a Lexus or something .... I don't see Bentley's everyday ... probably would not have noticed if he hadn't of mentioned it ...

So ...

He's like ... I bet there's somebody famous in there ...

So ... for like the next 15 minutes (until we get to the table) ... he's like ... you don't just "drive" a Bentley ... you are VERY rich and have LOTS of money to drive a Bentley ...

Okay ... so ... the waitress takes our drink order ...

Nate says ... is there a Titan's player here tonight? She says ... ah ... no ...

Nate says ... is there someone famous here tonight? She says ... well ...

And we're like "WHO?" ...

She says ... well ... Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are sitting over there ...

We both gasped!

She described where they were located ...

We couldn't see them ... only the mirror that hung about their table ...

So while she was talking to us all about it ... they got up and left and we never saw them!

When the waitress walked away ... Nate decided he was going to go see if he could see them ...

By the time he got out front they were gone and so was the Bentley ...

Oh well ...

SO ...

I guess I could say ...

"Good Morning ... last night we had a nice quiet Thursday evening dinner out with friends ... Nicole and Keith ...

.... although we never spoke the whole dinner ... never heard a word they said ... well ... as a matter of fact ... we never could quite focus on them ... at all ...

Yes ... it was a nice dinner ... "

ha!

OH well ... our brush with the rich and famous!

Okay ... so ... it's Friday ... 57 degrees this morning ... cold compared to 85 earlier in the week ...

Today is "book swap day" at school ... LeAnna had to choose a "gently used" book of her own collection and take it in to swap with someone else ... GREAT lesson for teaching "share with others" ... bless her heart ... she chose one of her favorite books to give away! "Hug Day" ... aahhh ... I hope she gets a good one in return ... she was excited!

Happy Friday as I leave you with this quote from our good friend Nicole ...

"I have a little bit of a belly, a tiny bit of pooch. It's the one thing I don't want to lose. I just like having some softness. If I lose that, then Tom might leave me." Nicole Kidman

hahahahahha .... okay ... so she must have gotten rid of the "bit of pooch"! Because Tom's gone!

Anyhoo ... I have LOTS of softness!!!! Glad someone likes it and approves of it! =) .... tammy

Sweet Baby ...

My sweet baby girl ... LeAnna

Here's a fun picture from the one's I did of her yesterday ...

Show's her fun personality ...

Five years .... WOW! ! ! ! Hard, so very hard for me to believe!

What a love though!

Just wanted to share ...

... tammy

Pictures and Platters ...

Good Afternoon ...

Yesterday was picture day at school for LeAnna ...

We got up earlier than normal ... got her hair all rolled and fixed ... and off to school we went ...

Yesterday was her short day (out at noon) ... and when I picked her up ... the teacher seemed a little frazzled ... the photographer had just finished taking the pictures of her class! She was so worried about the kids and their hair and clothes ... from playing on the playground, etc. all morning ... oh well ... it's "a memory" ... and that will just be part of "the memory" in the picture ... =)

After we left there ... we went to do some more pictures ... since her hair was already rolled (well ... WAS rolled) ... and the weather was unseasonably hot ... I decided to do some pictures of her in a pillowcase dress I had bought for her a while back with the purpose of just doing pictures in it ... and had not gotten around to doing it ... so since the weather was just right ... I thought I would go ahead and get some pics in it instead of waiting until Spring. So ... we went to where my mom works to do the pics ... plugged in the curling iron and I curled a little more on it ... got it looking like something again and then we headed outside ... I took pictures for about 10 minutes and it was SO humid ... that all the curls fell out ... and we came in!

Oh well ... at least I got a few good pictures ... and that was the goal.

Last night ... I finished up LeAnna's birthday invitations and got them ready to mail today.

AND ... today ... went over to the Firestation to "view" my platter that got messed up during the firing process ... okay ... so ...

I attempted once again ... to do this platter!

If this one comes out bad ...

Well ...

You know what ... ?

That's it for me! No more platters ...

I even "named" this one ...

I wrote "Charm" on the bottom of it ....

Because 3rd time's a charm ... right?

Not very charming to me .... ha!

I just hope it comes out ...

Anyhoo ... It should be ready tomorrow afternoon ...

I'm anxious ...

Pictures to follow ...

So ...

Happy "unseasonably" Autumn Day ... this October 4th!

... tammy

Down On The Farm ...

Good Afternoon ...

Back from Gentry Farms ...

Had a great time! The kids had a blast!

I was so glad to be able to share this first field trip with LeAnna. I met a new Mommy today who thinks she was one of LeAnna's pediatric nurses at Vanderbilt during her heart surgery ... she looked familiar and LeAnna was familiar to her ... it was really neat talking to her.

They played in a barn with interactive things for them to do ... then they took a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, "shopped" for the perfect pumpkin ...


The smashed pumpkins are referred to as "cow candy" ... and after the kids chose their pumpkin ...we were taken to see the cows and feed them "cow candy" ...

How fun is that?

It was a fun trip!

On a more nostalgic note ... today would have been my Dad's birthday ... he would have been 60 today ... how ironic that we passed the cemetary where he's buried this morning on our way to the farm. My family always looked for a reason to have a party ... and we definitely would have had a Large 60th party for him today! He would have been so proud of LeAnna. He wanted a grandbaby so bad and talked about it all the time. "So" ... in my head ... I had my own little sentimenal moment of reflection ... had to ... there were four 5 year olds and another Mommy in my vehicle ... don't think they would have remotely cared about my "moment" ... =)

Anyhoo ... Happy Birthday Daddy!

Although I'm enjoying this very warm weather this week, I'm still happy it's autumn "officially" ... Happy Monday ... tammy

Are You A Rough Draft Or A Masterpiece?

Good Evening ...

Sunday evening ...

Ahh ... but it's Monday already ...

Yikes!

Anyhoo ...

Everyone has been put to bed ... all snuggled in ...

While I'm up doing laundry... unloading the dishwasher ... straightening things ... folding clothes ... you know the drill ...

Just trying to get a head start on my Monday ... so it won't seem so overwhelming ...

Tomorrow is LeAnna's first field trip ... and I'm helping out driving ...

We're going to Gentry Farms ... for a hayride, pick out a pumpkin and walk through a corn maze...

Fun ...

I'll post pictures tomorrow afternoon (or sometime in the very near future).

Nathan and I were both commenting this evening ... how Sunday DOES NOT seem like a day of rest! ha!

I've always said .... we need a "Saturday" after Sunday ... !

So ... in trying to "wind down" ... I thought I would blog a bit.

Okay ... so ... I am SO upset ...

Remember last Tuesday I went to the Firestation with my family? Okay ... I "re-did" a very large platter that they had messed up in the firing process a few months back ... just haven't had the time to go and do another one (free of charge) ...

So ...

Tuesday ... that's what I did ...

I re-did the large platter ...

Okay ... get a load of this ...

I get a phone call from the Firestation ...

She says ...

Hey ... wanted to let you know that everything looks great! Although there is one little thing ...

I messed up your platter ... I forgot to put it on a stand ... and the bottom of the platter stuck to the inside of the oven and pulled the bottom of it off!

W H A T ? ? ? ? ?

Okay ... once ... I understand ...

But twice in a row?!

Yikes!

That's like 3 1/2 hours of work on one platter!!!!! times TWO!

Ugh ...

BUT ...

I get to make another one for free (again!)

Blast! Bubbie ... Fuzzie .... Pickles! Arrgggh

Okay ... I'm over it ... but ...

Not sure if I want to do a dumb platter now! ha!

I think I'm ready to move on to something else!

Well ...

Now ... I think I'm ready to get some rest ...

Happy Sunday Evening as I leave you with this ...

"Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece." ~Author Unknown

... tammy