The Electric Lemon ...

LeAnna's science experiment turned out great!

She decided on making the Electric Lemon!

The parents are asked to attend and help if at all possible ... but the student has to do the presentation ...

I was SO proud of her - she did awesome!!! And the kids had a blast!

She was only required to do the experiment herself as an example and show the kids ... however ... you can't really understand the effect without experiencing it yourself! So I brought lemons for every student and they all got to experience the "tingle"!

We generated a very small amount of electricity with 2 different metal components (a paper clip and a piece of copper wire), acid (from the lemon) and when crossed and touched to the tongue - voila! A tingle!

The principal found out what her class was doing and attended ... she liked it so much that she said that the info about it and the pics from it were going into the school newspaper! And not only that, but she's putting it in the West Vue Community paper!

LeAnna was so excited!!!

After the demonstration was over, the principal came back in before we left and asked if LeAnna would like to be the 2nd grade reporter for the next 9 weeks for the West Vue Community paper ... she gladly accepted and is so excited!

It was a very cool day!

I made these cards for each student to take home so they could do the experiment again at home for their parents ...



happy day ... tammy

All about YOU

... got to thinking about this AFTER I blogged last night ...

If you are looking for a magazine and not sure what to order ... OR maybe you decided not to place an order ... wanted to share this with you ... last year at this time, I placed an order for a magazine I had no clue what it was, but ordered it because it was one of the "cheaper" ones ... AND it turned out to be the BEST magazine!!! It's called "ALL YOU" ... you can only purchase this at Walmart or on-line ... it is FILLED with coupons ... coupons that you actually can use!!! Every magazine has $60-$80 worth of coupons EVERY MONTH!

I actually blogged about this magazine a while back ... I LOVE it ... and I'm sure you would too! The cool thing is ... they are manufacturer coupons, which simply means you can use them anywhere and they are NOT exclusive to Walmart ...

NIFTY!!!

So ... my two cents today ...

happy day ... tammy

Things That Are ... Yellow!

Man ... what a busy life we lead ... and ... well ... sometimes things like my blog have to be put on the back burner ... which does not make me happy, seeing as how this is my journal, that will be printed in book form (eventually) and kept for LeAnna to have at a later time ...

ANYHOO ... wow! So let's just jump to today and say ... AAAHHHH!!! Not only has this day been crazy, the whole week has been as well! So ... with a LOT to do and never enough time to get it all done - I went out this afternoon to run a few errands ... during this process, my van squeezed by a yellow pole and placed nice, bright, canary yellow paint down the front side of my van! FLIPPIN' out I drove over to Kroger and parked in the parking lot, got out and, just so happened to have a spray bottle of Basic H (ask me if you don't know what this is - it's an awesome product and I can get you some if you're interested) and a blue rag in the van from a photo session the day before (which I use this stuff to clean my lenses) ANYHOO ... My first thought was, "this van will have to be repainted!" ... my second thought was - try to rub it off with that rag - which didn't work .... So ... my next thought was "magic eraser" ...! So ... went inside and got a box of Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser, along with 2 bags of lemons and a box of paper clips for LeAnna's Science project tomorrow! (which I will post about tomorrow) ... got outside ... in the parking lot ... filled the magic eraser sponge with the Basic H water and started rubbing! And rubbing ... and rubbing ... AND like "magic" ... it REALLY worked! I rubbed off ALL the yellow paint! I stood there in amazement ... and SO very thankful to God that Magic Eraser came to my rescue! Do you know what Mr. Nate would have done to me? Oh My - let's not go there ... seriously! Whew ... I was happy to go home after this (I wasn't before) ... SO ... instead of telling Nate what happened ... I posted it on Facebook as a status update ... it took about 20 minutes and he came downstairs - fuming somewhat - went outside for the "inspection" ... AND ... he could NOT find one bit of yellow ... he never could find where it happened! I had to show him ... and let me tell you - it was not a "little bit" of yellow paint ... it was a LOT of yellow paint (and took me a while to remove it all) Whew! Just happy it "removed"!

So ... anyhoo ... man ... like I needed "that" in the middle of my day! Still had to come home, fix supper, and get the science project together ... WHICH didn't happen until after church this evening because we ran out of time before! Anyhoo ... we created an "electric lemon" ... LeAnna has to make a presentation to her class tomorrow, explaining and demonstrating an "electric lemon" ... very interesting project! I'm just glad we didn't have to use "real" acid, or boiling water ... cause with my luck? ... the school could have possibly blown up!

So ... we'll let you know how it goes tomorrow! ha!

Anyhoo ... on a side note ... if you are interested at all in ordering magazines at a MUCH cheaper rate than your retail stores, LeAnna's school is having a fundraiser ... they, of course, are having a contest and LeAnna is really working hard ... so if you're interested - in renewing an old subscription or buying a new one ... here's the info:

... go to this website: www.qsp.com ... when the homepage pops up, click on "supporter" ... then enter the schools ID #: 425003511 ... browse and order (hint - they show a list of common categories on the left of the screen, however, you can click on the last option and view "all categories" for quicker look up of what you might be looking for) ... once you load your shopping cart and you're ready to check out, fill out all your info ... and follow the instructions on the screen - then when it asks for LeAnna's info - you can enter her code to get the credit, which is: BAT1

Thank you SO MUCH for helping us out!!!

happy day ... tammy

A "Chuck" Kind Of Girl ...

First full day today ... LeAnna was up bright and early ... as a matter of fact ... very early apparently ... by 7:10am she had a shower, dressed, hair fixed and had breakfast ... and well ... it was too early to leave! They've changed school hours this year and the students can't even get into their classrooms until 7:45, school starts at 8a! So ... what to do ... hmmm ...

I know! Let's take some pictures! =0)

2nd grade fashion ...

and posing ...

and ... hmmm ...

love the "chuck's" LeAnna!

You go girl!

Crazy girl ... but we sure love her!

.... definition of "chucks" for those who don't know: chuck taylor "converse" tennis shoes

happy day ... tammy

2nd Grade ...

First day of 2nd Grade ...

Wow!

LeAnna is feeling much better and the doc said she was not contagious now, but called her in more antibiotics yesterday and she has to be on them for 5 more days! I'm glad though ... that just means they'll be in her system longer ... and after I got to school this morning and found out that one kindergartner didn't get to start today because of Strep, I was glad we went through that LAST week and have meds in already!

LeAnna was already awake when Daddy went upstairs to wake her up this morning! I'm sure it was because I put her to bed before the sun went down (so she claims) ...

Very cool first day ... she was very excited to see her old friends and meet new ones this morning ... she gave out her goody bags that we had made for her teacher and some of the other staff and was happy to get the day started ... I took pictures of each student and some group pictures for a special project that they're doing and then went on my way ... still can't believe that school has started already though!

This summer literally FLEW by!

I stayed in the kitchen most of the day yesterday ... baking ... tried a new recipe "just because" and then made two batches of banana nut bread to pass out this morning ...

The new recipe is called "Upside-Down Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake" ... I will post the recipe later ... don't have it in front of me ... guess I could put it on the table for three blog ... BUT that would require me to make the recipe again and take pictures of each step! SO ... maybe I'll wait until this cake is gone THEN make it again ... however, in the meantime, I'll post the recipe here ... I've had several ask on Facebook for it ...

It's yum! It oozes with goodness! And now that I've made it once, I'll probably do it a bit different next time (as far as the upside down part) ... It will have to be called the "un-upside-down chocolate cream cheese cake" ... =0) trust me, you'll thank me when it comes to flippin' it! ha!

So ... I picked LeAnna up today and she was acting a bit "funny" ... asked her if she was okay ... she said someone made fun of her when she was leaving today ... hmmm ... not fun ... another little girl called her "banana batson" and had some others laughing and making fun calling her banana... so when she got in the car she was crying ... and was afraid that when she went back to school that the girl would find her on the playground and call her "banana" again and make fun of her ...

So ... we had a little "object lesson" on our way home ...

To me, as an adult - "banana" is not that big of a deal and seems pretty silly to even let it pacify my mind ... but to a 7 year old being called a banana is not so fun ... kids can be mean and hopefully she'll learn sooner than not that people will hurt us by their words, sometimes deeper than others ... but it's important not to dwell there, consider the source, and not let it bother you ...

She is a cute "LeAnna Banana" though ... =0)

By this, I can see her getting older and being more concerned with her looks, what people think about her, etc. ... it's just all a part of growing up!

Good object lesson though ... hopefully she'll "think" about this the next time an opportunity comes along to make fun of someone or chime in with others to make fun ... and remember how SHE felt ...

sigh ...

growing up is hard to do sometimes - huh?!

happy day ... tammy

Fleeting Moments ...

LeAnna woke up this morning and said, "can you please take me to Sonic for french toast sticks?" ...

I quickly obliged ... today is her 5th day in the house and she has a bit of cabin fever I think ... and with it being the last weekend and few days before school starts ... I felt really bad for her having to spend it all inside, sick!

I think I made her a happy girl this morning!

Since then though ... she completed another book (4 down, 1 more to go) and book report on it ... and had 4 timed math tests and 45 minutes of flash cards!!

I figured this is how it would be ... the week of school starting and we're doing homework!

oh well ...

Registration in the morning ... still can't believe it!

Our 84 Moments are about over ... and that's just about all it was ... "MOMENTS" ... passed WAY too fast!

oh well ... life is but a vapor -

happy day ... tammy

Max and Ethel ...

A "funny" I'm very excited about ...

I did photography for a comedy DVD coming out in a couple of weeks ... it's going to be hilarious!!! I can't wait to view it ... I got a call a bit ago from "Max" letting me know he just finalized the DVD and it will be available in about 2 weeks ...

It's a christian video ... and hilarious sketches about a overzealous couple and I think just about every church probably has a couple like this! It's basically how "not" to act, do, be in ministry! Every minister, pastor, pastor's wife, and every saint will be able to relate!

check it out ... you can watch a trailer and also order a DVD on their site ...

click here:

Max and Ethel - We Just Want To Be Used

happy day ... tammy

Girlfriends Lunch ...

Today I met with some "friends of old" ... girls I grew up with ... at the Cheesecake Factory in Green Hills for lunch ... we've been talking about it for awhile and finally settled on today ... not everyone could make it but we had a great time just chatting and catching up, and reminiscing.

Lisa, Stephanie, Alicia, and myself pigged out on lunch AND yes, we ALL ordered our own pieces of cheesecake! And we all sampled one anothers ... =0) (no husbands or kids to share it with ;0)

We also made plans to meet again for an overnight stay in November ... hoping we can all be at that one!

I'm realizing more and more each day how important it is to let people in your life "know how you feel, and what they mean to you" because you just never know ...

These girls today played major roles in my life growing up ... also the ones who weren't able to make it today too ... but I wanted them to know I loved them and what they meant and mean to me!

Because if we wait until it's too late ... what benefit would it be to me or them - NONE! And what a shame that would be ...

No regrets - right?!

Alicia and Lisa

Me and Stephanie

Alicia, Stephanie, Me and Lisa

Love you guys and enjoyed myself!!! Looking forward to November!

happy day ... tammy

S T R E P ?! What? Are you kidding me?!

My poor baby ... so sick ... STREP THROAT!!! And right here before school even starts! Yikes!!! It's been a rough couple of days so far ... I hate it when she's sick ... and not being able to breathe from being so stopped up is the worst! Here she is with her Mentholatum and her "pink medicine" ... she's been sticking the Mentholatum up her nose every little bit just to breathe and it's not helping much!

We have to be extra careful with Strep and her heart ... so I was VERY thankful that I took her into the doc (I hesitated at first, because she didn't seem that sick, but since school is starting next week, I thought it best to take her in) and boy am I glad ... NEVER dreamed she had Strep Throat ... yack! Strep is one of the infections that can get to her heart quickly due to the open heart surgery and the work on her valves a few years ago ... so "pink medicine" was a must!

Just so glad I took her in ... anyhoo ... she has gotten worse since Thursday (which they told me she would) but on top of the Strep she apparently has a bad cold/allergies ... SO ... not been all that fun around here on this last weekend before school starts!

Hopefully she'll be better soon and maybe can enjoy a day or so before Thursday!

stuffy days ... tammy

WHY is such a big word ...

WHY is such a big word, especially when its accompanying the word "death" ... many times I've questioned different issues or areas in my life and have learned that the word WHY can also be a very lonely word ... because when you let WHY consume you, you isolate yourself into this lonely place ... yep, been there ... not fun ... and then very easily your "why's" can turn into "whaaaa's" ... and then you

are in this huge ball of lonely despair ... not a good place to get to ... however ... even though it's a three letter word, it can still seem VERY large and lonely ...

Our friend Cory McCool left this world on Tuesday evening ... he would have been 32 today - he is in a better place no doubt ... and I do NOT grieve for him ... however, his young wife and 2 small children, ages 1 and 5 and his parents, brother and sister and remaining family and friends I DO grieve for.

So many questions invade my mind at the moment ... "why" finding its way into most of the sentences that my brain is conjuring up inside my head ... I've been taught "NOT" to question God ... and I'm not "questioning" Him, I just would like to know "why" ... does that make sense?

sometimes - I just wish "I knew" about a few things ... many things actually ...

the faith that not just this family had, not just his friends had, not just the thousands of people all over this country had - but the faith that Cory HIMSELF had for HIMSELF was just unbelievable to me ...

after pondering this ... MUCH this week ... and when I say much, it's pretty much consumed my mind ... I came up with this ... God did exactly what Cory asked Him to do ... Cory was sold out to God, and prayed for His will in his life ... along with that comes the phrase that most don't find very pleasant ... and that is "whatever the cost" ... yep - Cory was totally sold out to God, whatever that meant and whatever the cost ... and in this case, God saw fit for him to come home ... yes, he got his healing - ultimate healing ...

sometimes though, life just doesn't make sense ... and we may never know "why" ... however, I do know this ... I still have to "trust" (tough word) ... sometimes I find it easier to "question" and much harder to "trust" ...

Cory's last words ... he raised his hands in the air and said, "We Won" ...

MY OH MY what a testimony to faith ... that you know you were not defeated ... Great is his reward in heaven!

One thing I've realized this week ... Death can make people do, say, feel, act, react, talk, cry ... so many emotions are produced by death ... what is so sad ... is that most of us are guilty of waiting until someone has passed before saying all those things about them ... when in fact, if that person (who passed) knew what everyone thought of them - wow - can you imagine?!

I've been guilty of sharing what I thought about a person while standing in front of their casket ... and many of those thinking "man, I wish I had of said it to them while they were alive" or even said it more while they were alive ... yep- guilty there ...

It makes you stop and think ... treat people nicer, don't let the little things become big things, say what you mean MORE often!, hug more, kiss more, love more, say I love you more, forgive, forget, smile, enjoy the little things, slow down, enjoy smelling the roses along the way ...

just don't have regrets!

My heart goes out to Jina, Cory's wife ... knowing that she had a very small space of time ... actually just moments to tell him everything she wanted to tell him before he passed ... knowing there were no other opportunities to say just the right thing ...

what would I say if that were me? I can't even imagine what she is going through right now ... today is the viewing and memorial service this evening ... and the funeral tomorrow ... Nathan and I really wanted to go, but we had prior obligations and it's in Michigan ... but if you don't mind, please mention this sweet family in your prayers today ... for God's peace and strength to wrap around them and help to comfort their minds and help them with their "why's" ...

So ... if today was your last day and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday? Would you live each moment like it was your last, leave "old pictures" in the past, donate every dime you had? Would you call those friends you never see, reminisce old memories and forgive your enemies? If today was your last day?

humbled ... tammy

no room for waver ...

how's your faith?

does it waver? ever? sometimes? maybe?

hmmm ...

I have to admit that sometimes I have issues in the "waver" department when it comes to faith ... for myself that is ...

I can have ultimate faith for someone else and their needs ... but when it hits home ... well ... I guess sometimes I waver ...

Having faith for a friend in need at the moment ... Cory McCool ... diagnosed with stage 4 cancer ... doctors are giving him 6 months to live with no hope ... he's only 32, has a beautiful "unwavering" wife and two small children ... and his faith is OUT THE ROOF right now and totally "unwavering" ...

WOW!!! .... What an inspiration he is to me ... to have this kind of faith for himself! .... He believes God is going to give him a miracle ... I am believing with him ...

My prayer right now is for him to keep his unwavering faith ... he is such a testimony ... and I know God is going to honor this ...

When you pray - please mention this family in prayer ... they are coveting all prayers and positive thinking at the moment ...

I know God can and will do a miracle in his life ...

God help ME to have this kind of faith for myself!

humbled ... tammy

Dawson's "X" Party ...

today we celebrated Dawson's 10th birthday at the park ... he requested a "ballgame" between him and his friends ... and that's what they did!

I think they all had a great time!

Happy birthday party Dawson!

happy day ... tammy

Age of X, Seniors and American Girls ...

what a fun filled weekend ... we left last Thursday evening for Atlanta ... stayed until Sunday ... and have been non-stop since we got home! literally ...

we went to the Georgia Aquarium on Saturday - SO very cool! thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there! our fav was sitting in the room with a 60x60 foot glass window watching the "sea life" to classical music! man - wow! very nice ... did lots of other things there too including the Titanic exhibit which I enjoyed ... being the Titanic buff that I am ... and LeAnna was very interested in it too - asked lots of questions and even looked through a book I have here at the house a couple of times since we've been home ...

we did the American Girl thing ... and Chrissa is now a part of our family ... very cool store ... LeAnna thoroughly enjoyed herself ... she said, "Mom, this is the best store I've EVER been to!" ...

after - we came back to the hotel and LeAnna went swimming while I went and did a senior pic session for my cousin James ... we also threw in some family pics as well of Jan and Jimmy and the boys while we were at it ...

can't believe James and the man he has become ... wow! we heard him speak at a youth rally on Friday evening and he did awesome! So proud of him! but can't believe he's graduating!!! When Nathan and I got married, Jan was VERY pregnant with him and he was born about 6 or 7 weeks later ... time flies!

Today is Dawson's birthday ... my nephew ... he is 10 years old! Can't believe that either!!! Man - I'm getting OLD!!!!!!

He's having a party on Friday, but tonight he invited us to eat with him and bowl a game or two at Strike and Spare ... they had a large time!

Happy Birthday Dawson ... it's the Big X for you!

happy day ... tammy

Half the year is gone ... but I'm still here ...

Crazy month ... it's half gone and I'm just now posting!!!

It's been a busy month ... lots of clients right now - keeping me busy ...

I had opportunity to do a session for a CD cover for a jazz/blues player last month and a session for a comedy DVD project this month ... those were lots of fun but hard work - mostly in the hot sun! Lots of others in between - its usually this busy in the fall - so ... I'm afraid to see how it will actually be in the fall! oh well - it's a blessing, cause I can sure use the extra money right now! Two house notes is NOT good ... so if anyone out there needs a condo - PLEASE contact me!!!! SOON!!!!

LeAnna began swimming lessons last week ... tomorrow is her last lesson ... she has done SO well ... I'm so very proud of her!

this time last week, she was a scarred little girl who would not go under water and had to have a life jacket on ... but this week ... well ... here's a video of her jumping into 8 foot off the diving board ...

So proud of her!

AND ... I uploaded pics/video from my little purse camera today ... and discovered this ... I had no clue she had done this and it was SO funny and totally put a smile on my face and an out loud laugh!

too funny ... she is crazy!

We are leaving to go out of town tomorrow after swimming lessons ... we're going to Atlanta for a "mini vacation" for several days ... I'm also doing senior pics for my cousin while were there ... it should be a fun filled weekend! I'm looking forward to getting away for a bit ...

als0 - in other news ... Daisy turned "1" last Tuesday and we forgot! LeAnna sang happy birthday and gave her a gift on Friday ... oh well ... thought that counts and we're the only ones who know - she doesn't give a rip! ha!

Also - Coco went to a new home! He was getting too much for Nana to handle and getting tangled up in her feet and she was afraid she would fall and that wouldn't be good with her knee surgery and all ... so ... he went bye-bye ... however, he'll be coming to visit frequently! We will miss him though ...

Posting should happen more frequently now ... I hate getting behind ... 84 Moments is finally caught up too! Whew!

happy day ... tammy

The Creation Of Lucy ...

We had several errands Monday ... grocery shopping, Target run, bank, etc. ... in between all that LeAnna mentioned like 4 times "I want to make a doll" ... my response, "ok" ... I didn't ask her questions ... just in my busyness of the day said ok ...

Monday evening after returning from tearing everything down from Sunday at church, I wasn't feeling my best ... had some eye issues today ... went to bed earlier than normal ...

I heard LeAnna rummaging around in the room and I turned over and found her with a pair of scissors just getting ready to cut out two circles she had drawn on one of her Daddy's t-shirts ... I said, "Stop!" "what are you doing?" ... she said, "I'm making me a doll!" ... (all day I thought, well, assumed she meant paper doll) ... she said, "I asked Daddy if I could borrow one of his shirts" - I said, "does he know you are cutting it up?" ... she laid down the scissors and went to seek permission ... came back and said, "he said ok, can you help me cut these circles out?" ... so I sat up in bed and proceeded to help her ... she left the room and came back with her box of sponge rollers ... she removed the sponges and started cutting them up in pieces ... I said, "what are you doing?" ... she said, "I'm making stuffing" ... I said - ok - hmmmm ... I got the circles cut out for her and I said, "why don't you call Nana - she's an expert at making dolls and I know she could help you ... she gathered all her stuff up and ran to Nana's ...

Nana was more than happy to help make a doll ... and this is what they came up with!

She named her "Lucy" and even made her a bible to take to church on Wednesday night ... =0) She has no hair (she was going to use pipe cleaners, but we didn't have any ... and of course Nana made her an outfit!)

I was quite proud of her and enjoyed watching her creativity spark without any help ... and she was proud of herself that it was all her idea and she accepted the help from Mommy and Nana on the cutting and sewing parts ...

... just one of those days that you sit back and enjoy every moment of it as it transpires ...

happy day ... tammy

Island Castaway ...

Today was Friendship Day at church and also our "Island Castaway" Super Church in the big church!!!


Everything went great! It was very exciting and I think the kids REALLY enjoyed themselves! Of course the focus was the kids ... so for offering, Zachary and Brayden played an instrumental - they did awesome!

Then as a special, LeAnna, Dawson and Kaitlyn sang "How Great Is Our God" ... tears came ... they did awesome too!

The puppets, the lesson ... everything was great!!! We also honored our Sunday School teachers ... our staff does such a great job!!! We have a great team!!!! I am so very proud of them!

We also gave out these mugs to everyone who attended today ...

The event was a great success!!! and I am VERY tired! Hopefully a restful week is ahead!

happy day ... tammy