Easy Livin'

Long Summer

2009-07-26T09:22:00.003-04:00

I dont know about y'all, but this feels like the longest summer ever. I have been working at the daycare and the days just seem to be draggin' along. The kids of course are lovin' it and having fun here at home. We didnt go on vacation this year. Well Jay (DH) took Wesley to the lake for a few days with his family during the week of the 4th, but I havent been anywhere. I really really really need a vacation.

School will be starting soon and it will be back to normal, whatever normal is? I had Wesley tested for Pre-School and he will be starting this August. This will be the hardest one yet, I mean he's my baby the last one to start school. I didnt want to put him in yet but with him in school I can pick up something full time. I'm looking at substituting. I hope that will be something I can do on a daily basis and be here in the afternoon and evenings with them.

Not much has been happening. We have pretty much just been home bodies. Well thats just a quick update. Not much to tell. I hope everyone has a great day.

The boys and I took a little trip

2009-04-16T10:12:00.008-04:00

I havent been much on blogging for the past few months. Things around here are crazy. Life just gets in the way sometimes. Josh and I were on Spring break last week. That was some much needed time off from work. This week has gone by so fast, and Josh will out of school before I know it. Not to many more days left now.

Anyway, last Friday I decided to head up to Virginia to visit with my family. It was nice to just away. I have always had thing about running North when things in my life got to complicated. Another story. So we there early Friday morning and we stayed and came home on Saturday. We had the best visit. I just wish they lived a little closer. It is a three hour drive and we made within about 5 miles before the boys started fighting. Boy was I glad about that.

My cousin has a little boy. His name is Chance. He is in the first grade. He and Wesley had the best time together. They went hunting for squirrel and bears and they also got to color eggs. Wesley didnt take to that too well. LOL. We laughed and talked and just had some much needed time together. Josh even had a good a time tiedying paper towels.

Wesley didnt want to come home. I remember when my brother and I would go up there I felt the same way. I never wanted to come home. I felt like I was home. I think that I will try to plan to visit more often. Wesley was ready to go back the next day. It's funny really. Wesley kept calling my cousin Nannie cause that's what Chance calls her and he called Chance's daddy-daddy. How funny is that? He asked me yesterday when were we going back to see the other Nannie. LOL Gotta LOVE kids.

Other than that things around here have been uneventful. Sad but true. Just wanted to share this with y'all. I hope everyone has a great day. Until next time.

Spring Break Baby!!!

2009-04-05T12:32:00.002-04:00

Spring Break officially started for me on Friday. Whoohoo. Im off work until next Monday. I am so glad that it finally got here. Josh is out of school and I hope to spend my time off doin some much need cleaning. I sooo need the break though. Im tired and it's for me to have time away from the kids in the after school program. I tell ya that can drive ya Nuts sometimes.

Dont know what we will do. I thought about goin to visit with my cousin in Virginia. I havent made up my mind yet. I would love to have a visit with them, but I just dont know. They have alot going on and I just dont want to add to the burden. Im sure it would be good for them though. Maybe get their mind off things that are going on. But Im still not sure.

Anyway, just a little update on things around here. Hope all my blog friends are well. Happy Easter Everyone

Happenings This Week

2009-03-22T09:06:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been a busy week around here for us. Spring is in the air and we had some decent weather for being outside. Kinda chilly morning for the weekend but it did warm up nicely.

Josh is doing good in school this half of the year. It's so hard to believe that school will be ending in just about 3 months. Gosh time sure does fly by. He got his report card and I am happy to say he's passing. He was 3 points away from making the AB Honor Roll. Math seems to be better this time around. He's actually making a B in this class. He failed math last semester, but Im sooo happy he's doing much better this time around. I think the teacher has a lot to do with it.

Wesley is so happy to finally be able to play outside some. He loves to be out there. I mean what kid dont right? He is growing like a weed and well, he wont go to school until he's 6 due where his birthday falls. I get to hold onto him for one more year. Gosh seems just like yesterday we were bringing him home.

We are all still fighting what the Dr's say is allergies. Gosh we cough so much. Wesley and I both do. Stuffy noses and everything. Wish they would give him something for the cough. Besides the "allergies" I had to have tooth pulled this week so I have been babying my mouth. I tell ya that's no fun AT all.

Other than that nothing else going on around here.

I do have one request for all my blogland friends. It's a prayer request. I know that we all pray everyday for the safety of our troops. I recently had a friend go over to Iraq. It does hit home when someone you know goes over there. Please pray for my friend, and continue to pray and support our brave troops. Thank you all in advance for your prayers.

Until next time y'all......

We just keep passing it around!!!

2009-03-16T07:38:00.002-04:00

I dont know what is in the air, but whatever it is I cant get rid of it. Some of y'all may know that a few weeks back Wesley was sick. Then something hit me like a mack truck. I went to the doctor and she said it was allergies, same for Wesley. I just dont know if that's what it is or not. Nothing she told me to take seems to be working. Josh is home today he's just not feeling good either. Fever and upset stomach.

I have sprayed the house down and cleaned everything I know to clean. I dont know what we have, but we just seem to keep passing it around. I have soooo much nasal congestion I dont know what to do and Wesley still has a nasty cough. His seems to be easing though. Mine just wants to hang around.

I hope all who read this are doing well. I hope that whatever this stuff is will move on. Until next time....

From Spring to Winter

2009-03-13T09:34:00.002-04:00

I tell ya this weather is starting to tick me off. This past weekend was just beautiful. Spring time temps in the high 70's and cool breezes. Today and this weekend is gonna be cold and rainy. Temp today is gonna be in the high 30's to low 40's. What's up with that?

Sure did spoil me with those wonderful temps. Now we're back to freezing our hiney off. I turn the heat off, I turn the heat on. I know Duke Energy is loving this... My light bill shows it too. Why can't it just be one or the other?

We dont have any plans for this weekend. Hopefully we will work on the craftroom and make some major progress there. I hope anyway!

So how's the weather in your neck of the woods?

Nice Weather ~ Feelin Better

2009-03-06T06:03:00.003-05:00

Well, my last post was about nasty weather and feelin bad. This post is just the opposite. We are gonna have some wonderful weather this weekend here in NC. It is supposed to be the 70's today, tomorrow and Sunday. LOL it will probably snow on Tuesday. That's about how it has been here. Warm one week, snowing and cold the next. We have so much to get done outside. I only wish Spring would just come on.

I am feelin better. Im glad too. I hope I will be able to get outside. Wesley needs to go outside. He has so much bottled energy he's bouncing off the walls. He needs to get out and Run!!! It will do us all some good to get out of this house. Nice fresh air. Aahhh!

So we dont really have anything planned for the weekend. How about you? Do you have anything planned?

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Until next time....

Nasty Weather...... Feelin Bad!!

2009-03-01T18:52:00.002-05:00

I am gonna try to make a quick post. We are having some nasty weather come through. Wind is a howlin' out there. We just got our power back on after it being off for about an hour or so. Weather is calling for 100% chance of snow tonight and 30% tomorrow. Josh is soooo hoping there will be No School tomorrow. To tell the truth the way I feel I wouldnt mind it either.

I dont know what in the world I have taken. I ran a fever today of 101.2 finally it's down to 99 now. Fever chills and just achy. I do seem to be feeling some what better. I dont know if it was a stomach virus or the flu. Looks to me like if it were the flu, I would still feel pretty bad. Im not 100% but feelin some better. Still a little weak and not eating much. That might be a good thang.. LOL..

Hopefully the snow will come on in and we wont have all the ice. I dont like the ice. Whatever your plans are for the evening although it's almost gone, I hope you have a wonderful evening. Until next time

Several Sleepless Nights

2009-02-28T06:03:00.002-05:00

Boy am I beat. Wesley started Wednesday with a fever and coughing. Thursday morning I took him to the doctor and come to find out he has allergies. I never would have thought. So both he and Josh now on Zyrtec. His cough is not any better. The tossing and turning at night along with the coughing has really taken it's toll on me. He wakes up wanting to talk and all I want to do is sleep. The doctor didnt give him anything for the cough. I sure wish she had. The Zyrtec has helped as far as making his nose run ;) which is a symptom he didnt have before going and his eyes look a whole lot better. If we could just get rid of the cough. His fever finally broke on Friday morning. I tell fever scares me to death. But the doctors now-a-days dont seem to worry that much about it. It maxed out at 102.9 on Thursday and by Friday afternoon it was down to 99. I had to give him Motron to help with that. I feel so bad giving my child all those meds. I myself dont even like to take them, but at least the fever is gone.

So it's been several rough sleepless nights here. Hopefully the cough will move on as well.

Just cant seem to make up my mind

2009-02-27T09:58:00.002-05:00

I had thought that I wanted to close this blog, but so many family and friends were reading that I thought I would open it back up. I think it's good to keep my family stuff seperate from my craft blog anyway. So Easy Livin' is back up and running. Hope you will stop by often

Thinking about Deleting this blog

2009-01-21T06:38:00.003-05:00

It seems that I spend more time on The Olde Hollow Crow. I usually end up talkin about the kids or family or whatever there and not posting it here. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am shutting this down. If you are linked to easy livin' please link to The Olde Hollow Crow.

Thank you all who follow, and post comments. Thank you all who have visited. I just cant keep up with all three blogs.

Tasty Tuesday Diet Club

2009-01-06T10:32:00.002-05:00

My blog friend Ann-Marie at This Simple Life is starting a Tasty Tuesday Diet Club. This is where you will post low fat, no fat recipes to help us all in our weight lose journey.

Before Wesley was born, I went on WW counting points and such. It really worked for me. I lost 30lbs and was lookin and feelin good. Then pregnancy, well it's been 4 years now and I have no more excuses to use. It's time to do something. So Im back on the points system.

I dont know aboutch'all, but Im a junk food junkie. I love anything sweet. So with that here is my recipe for today.

Pineapple Fluff

Sm. box jello instant (fat free) vanilla pudding
1 can crushed pineapple
sm. plain yogurt
sm. Fat Free cool whip

Mix jello and yogurt together
Add pineapples
Fold in cool whip

1/2 C. = 4pts.

I know it's alot of points for just a half cup, but I pack it in there as tight as I can get it. Giggle.

I so neglet this blog

2009-01-06T08:08:00.002-05:00

I admit it, I neglect this blog.

It's Tuesday! Josh is back in school, not happy, but back in school. DH is back at work and the days are running a little smoother here. It's hard to keep a routine when you have other invading your territory...lol.

It's nasty & rainy here in NC today. Working on the laundry and doing a little blog reading and posting this morning. I hope that everyone has a wonderful day. I hope that you all enjoy the "love" music I have selected. I couldnt resist putting some songs about love on a playlist.

There is not much goin on around here to tell y'all about. Things are pretty quiet on the homefront. We have a few teacher workdays coming up this month and another day off for me. Which is good. Working with children I need all the breaks I can get.

I need to plan something special for the boys. I have been thinking about this for some time now. Just finding the right outing is hard to do with such an age difference. I have been thinking about taking Wesley to the circus. Then planning for Josh is hard, being that he is 14 and not really interested in sports. All he is or was interested in was hunting and hunting season has ended. He didnt get anything this year. Bless his heart.

He has stuck tight with my brother. DH dont hunt, so Josh relies on my brother and his friends for that. Which is good, he needs to spend time with his uncle, but his Dad also needs to get involved in things that Josh likes too. I mean I cant do everything. LOL! Josh will be driving soon, and that will be a heart breaker for me. He wont need his Mom much anymore. He will get that sense of independence. Im so not looking forward to that. But I still have my WessieBoo!! That's Wesley my 4 year old. Gosh and he will start school in two more years. I think Im gonna cry. Oh my gosh they dont stay babies long do they?

Well, that's about all I have for now. Sorry it was not more exciting. I live a very dull life..... Giggle. Not a whole lot to do here in Ruffin.

Hope everyone has a great day. Until next time.

Finally catching up

2008-12-29T20:41:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. I hope all y'all did too. We have been going non stop since. Running here and there, spending a little Christmas money and just having a good ole time.

Christmas Eve was very nice. Around 5:30 or so we went to my Nannie's house for supper. Nannie is my Daddy's mama. We had a wonderful supper. The kids couldnt eat, because they knew that presents were waiting for them in the living room. After supper we opened gifts and chatted for a while. Then we headed home to get Wesley settled down. He was soooo excited.

We opened gifts here on Christmas Eve. I usually like to wait until Christmas morning, but the boys were just to excited. Wesley wasnt to excited about all the clothes he got, but I had to explain to him that Mama and Daddy dont do toys. The toys come in the morning.

I didnt take alot of pictures this year. I dont know what's wrong with me. But while we were waiting to open gifts here, Wesley got a BIG surprise. I suggested that he look out the window to see if maybe he could see Santa. Well what a shock he got when Santa was standing at the window watching him. That boy ran!!!! LOL, latched on to his daddy's leg and wouldnt let go.

Ever since Josh was about 6 years old, my brother has played Santa and sneaks around the house and peers into the windows. He has caught me off guard a few times, but I wont tell him that. Several times he has set out the toys and made sure Josh knew,,,, HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas!!!! Josh always said he never wanted to catch him beacuse he would leave'em coal. Giggle.

So here's a pic of Santa as he was running away from the house... Since Wesley was still up, he would have to come back...

Christmas Day was very busy. We ate breakfast at Nannie's and got Santa there. We came home and then at lunch we over to our church to have lunch with my mama's family. That was alot of fun. I havent seen some of my cousins in gosh,,, 5-6 years. We were all so close growing up, and now that we have our own families I guess we just dont make time.

Around 2 or so we went to Jay's mama and daddy's. We opened gifts there and nibbled on a few more things. Gosh the eating we did that day... Way to much. So around 5 or so we headed back to my mama and daddy's house to open gifts there. Wesley asked if we had to eat before we opened gifts. Did he catch on quick or what? Jay then took the boys down to my brothers house. He just lives behind us, not far at all. Of course none of us live that far apart. The boys got Santa down there and then well, I guess they were done for the night. Boy!!! Phew!!! All that running. I was ready for the bed and so were the kids.

So now that Christmas has come and gone, I guess it's time to start for next year. Im gonna try to do better about buying things. Only thing with that is, I'll probably forget what I did with them come Christmas time... giggle...

I hope everyone has a great evening... Hugs.

The Night Before Christmas

2008-12-24T16:25:00.002-05:00

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Clement Clarke Moore
or Henry Livingston

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Christmas Lights

2008-12-24T10:44:00.002-05:00

We went Saturday night to see the lights. Well I say the lights... there is a man in Casville about 20 mins from us who puts these lights up every year. Yep, he takes them down and puts them up every year. What a job that must be. He has a circle driveway, and folks can either walk through or drive through. We like to walk through, because he has all these little cabins set up with holiday decorations inside each one. I love going over there. We had a great time and Wesley was sooo excited. Josh, not so much. But even though it drizzled on us a little we still ventured out into the cold. I hope you enjoy the slideshow.

Christmas Lights

Tonight's Christmas Party

2008-12-13T09:51:00.005-05:00

I can not believe there are only 12 days until Christmas. Tonight we are having our Christmas party for the boys. I think I posted a little about this in an earlier post. I have busied myself with getting the house ready and the baking is done.

I made a cinnamon cake that is just yummy. All I have to do is put the icing on it. I also found this recipe for pecan bars. Well I dont know if they will get served or not. They dont have much taste to them and they turned out kinda flat. Nothing like the picture in the book. We'll have to see about putting those out.

I have my dip ready and I also have a block of cream cheese and chow chow ready to go. I asked my Mama to pick up a meat tray. I am afraid that I have to many sweet things and not enough meat.. You know stick to the rib type things.

Wesley is all excited. He got up this morning wanting to know when the party started. I told him he would have to eat breakfast and then lunch and then it would be just about time. He said he didnt want anything to eat, he was gonna wait til the party. Well, he ate a little breakfast.

This is how he has looked all morning. All eager to see what's goin on and being made. It's so wonderful to have little ones at Christmas. The excitement and curiosity they have. Makes me wish I were a kid again.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Until next time.

Decorate a Tree

2008-12-12T06:53:00.002-05:00

I got this in an email this morning, so I thought I would share it with all my blog friends... Decorate a Tree. Just click the link.

http://llerrah.com/decoratetree.htm

and here's another one:

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=ER13610552

Is It a Sign of Snow?????

2008-12-10T10:14:00.005-05:00

Growing up I have always been told that when the birds gather like this, that means it's gonna snow. Well, I dont know about it snowin' but I do know it's supposed to rain. We are having some crazy weather. On Monday it was soooo coooold, I was all bundled up with my scarf and gloves. Today is different all together, we are at 66 degrees now. Gosh, might have to pull out the shorts... Just kiddin'!!

I know also when I was little my Papa use to say that it was gonna snow when he could here the train comin' through loud and clear.. Now we are at least a good 10 miles from the nearest train track. I heard it yesterday morning, soundin' like it was comin' through the house. Well, I dont know about that either. I guess we will have to wait and see. But I fear it's only gonna be rain.

What are some things y'all look for as a sign of snow?? I would like to know what others look for. I think this could be fun. Oh, and I forgot to mention the thunderstorms. They say if it we have thunderstorms during the winter months 10 days later it will snow.

Happy Birthday Daddy

2008-12-09T13:06:00.003-05:00

Today is my Daddy's birthday. I just want to wish him a happy day. My brother and mama all went in together and bought him a Kitchen Aid Mixer which we gave to him on Sunday. I took pictures, but I didnt have the disk in my camera and I dont know how to get the images from my camera to my computer. That stinks... He was happy with his gift though.

Happy Birthday Daddy, We love ya....

Passing It On!!

2008-12-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

Just having some Holiday Fun

2008-12-09T07:04:00.002-05:00

I hope this will work. You will need to scroll to the bottom and pause my playlist, so they are not playing at the same time. Thanks for peekin...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Still A Kid at Heart

2008-12-05T09:32:00.005-05:00

As I scramble around this house doing this and that, I got to thinkin'! When I was younger it seemed that Christmas would never get here. Now the years just seem to fly by. I can remember the feelin of excitement knowing that Santa was on his way! Now it's just rush rush rush. I know how my parents must have felt.

The reason I am thinkin about all of this is because Josh and I were watching one of the many Christmas movies we have, and I asked him. "Josh in the back of your mind do you think that Maybe, just maybe there is a magical Santaland?" Being 14 his answer was NO, mama. That makes me sad. I know that he stopped believing a loooong time ago. I am still at kid at heart though. I think maybe, just maybe there is a magical place with little elves and a whole town of magical little folks that are happy and cheery all the time.

I am so lookin forward to Christmas. I still have Wesley who is 4 and there is still the magic of Christmas in his eyes. The waiting and waiting a whole year for Santa, thinking that it will never come. Then my mind will switch gears and think about all the cleaning and having the house look like a tornado hit. But that's what it's all about, Right?

It's funny how so much changes though. The Christmas plays at school and church. My kids just dont want to be part of those things. When I was growing up, that was all the excitement too. I guess little boys are different?

It is amazing how much things change. I can remember writing letters to Santa and waiting for him to send a letter back. I use to do that with Josh and still with Wesley. I will continue until he gets to the point that he dont believe.

We still have the rush rush at Christmas. Rushing from this house to that house. You know it kinda takes the fun out of Christmas, but the kids dont seem to mind. Why do the holidays have to be so rushed... All the hustle and bustle?

Whatever your plans are for this Chirstmas season, I wish you all safe travels. I hope that your Christmas is filled with all the magic of the holidays.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Holiday Movie Addict.....

2008-12-01T21:34:00.004-05:00

Yes I admit it. My name is Tammy and I am a Holiday Movie addict. Giggle.

I just wanted to share some clips from a few of my favorite movies.

This one has a couple of words that some may not want to hear.

I know that most people cant stand A Christmas Story, but it is my all time favorite. Why I dont know! Giggle. Christmas Vacation coming in second. I love them all though. From Clark W. Griswold and his holiday lights right down to Zu Zu pedals. I cant help it.

So what are some of your favorite Holiday movies?

We're Home!!!

2008-11-24T16:33:00.016-05:00

First I want to say that Friday was my Nannie's birthday. I didnt forget, I called her Friday morning before we left to wish her a Happy Birthday. She is 80 years old. I Love You Nannie...

Well as most of y'all know we left Friday morning for the beach. And not only was that the excitment for the morning, but we also woke up to a dusting of snow.. How cool is that. We hardly ever get snow and when we do this is about all we get.

So off we go to the beach. We had a very good day to travel. The sky was blue and the air was crisp. I love the drive down, so many little towns and interesting things to see. My most favorite thing to see is the cotton fields. Fields and fields of cotton.

We went through the big attraction of South of the Border. Lots of things to do there too, but it was too cold to stop and enjoy anything.

So Friday we made it down safe and sound. It was bone chillin' cold though. The wind would just rip right through ya. Here is the waterway there in Conway. Not much longer now..

After ariving at the hotel, Wesley would not take a nap. He was just too excited to sleep. We headed over to Broadway @ the Beach for a little store hopping, and some good eatin'! We shopped around for a little while then we headed over to Margaritaville for whatelse, but a Chesseburger in Paradise.

Here is my little parrot head.. Aint he a cutie?

Here's my other parrot head, but he wouldnt wear the mask.. I cant imagin why!!

The only thing I didnt have was the cold draft beer.. Giggle... I have somemore pics of the resturant in my slideshow. So be sure to check it out.

So while we were waiting for our food to come, we were entertained by It's 5 o'clock somewhere. The huge hurricane in the ceiling starts spinning and well, if you want you can just watch the video. I hope it will play for y'all.

Saturday was a little warmer and that was a day full of shopping and eating as well. Before we did all of that we took Wesley down to the beach to look for sea shells. He had a ball.

Mama and Daddy love to hit the resutrants. Which I dont mind that either. I love good food. We went to Tanger Outlet on 17 in Myrtle Beach and I got right much of my shoppin for Wesley done there. After we caught a nap we ate supper at Capt. Benjamin's Calabash resturant. Let me just say this..... There was no way I could eat $27.00 worth of food. That's how much the plates were. $26.95 a person. All you can eat buffet. It was good, but we filled up fast. After that we went over to Myrtle Beach Mall and I got a much needed haircut, and shopped at Bass Pro Shop. We tried to get Wesley to talk to Santa, but NO way he said...

Sunday was more shopping. We hit Tanger Outlet on 501, I didnt buy anything there. I was pretty much done on Saturday. We ate supper at Johnny Rockets. Its set as a 1950 diner with the jukeboxes there on the table. It was very good too.

We then headed back out into the cold to see the Christmas lights and enjoy some Christmas music. All in all we had a wonderful time. I sure did need the time away from home. But I am soooo glad to be back. There is NO place like home!!

We laughed while we were there. My mama is not one to have her picture taken. We talked abou how she is like that neighbor from that TV show Home Improvents. I think his name is Wilson. You know they never show his face, all you ever see is his eyes. So mama because you are not a "team player" - giggle this is for you... Daddy he plays right along. Thank you Daddy...

Thank you Mama and Daddy for letting us tag along with y'all. We had a wonderful time..

Ok, here's the slideshow.. Thanks for peekin'.

2008-11-10T21:24:00.001-05:00

It's Monday!!

2008-11-10T21:11:00.003-05:00

I guess I could say Monday is just about over. I have the day off tomorrow, Thank goodness. I am sooo tired. We had a very busy weekend.

As most of you know my brother got married on Saturday. Oh it was a beautiful wedding. Desiree was soooo beautiful and my brother Timmy was very handsome. Wesley and Josh were in the wedding as well and they were lookin very sharp as well.

The ceremony was a candlelit ceremony. They did the joining of the two families with sand. This is something I have never seen before. First the parents of both the bride and groom put sand in as a symbol of the two families joining together. Then Timmy and Desiree added sand as a symbol of the two of them becoming one. It was very interesting to see this being done.

Everyone was just beautiful. From the Bride all the way down to the ring barer. Which by the way was Wesley. Desiree had told me the night of the rehearsal to just let him do what he felt he needed to do. That way she knew that I was NOT stressing about he was behaving. I have to say that he did really good. Well until like the last five minutes of the ceremony. That is when he announced to the whole church that he had to go to the bathroom. OOOh, I could have died. The congergation got a giggle out of it. After returning from the bathroom, he went right back up there just like nothing had even happened. I guess you cant get too much more natural than that right?

Wesley James Clark

2008-11-02T10:12:00.005-05:00

It was 4 years ago today that my sweet Wesely came into the world. It is sooo hard to believe that he is already 4 years and will start school in 2 years. Why does time have to go by so fast?

So today we got pancakes for breakfast. Then my Mama and Daddy came up, Daddy had baked Wes a cake. Sadly they tore into that cake before I could get a pic. Can you believe that? Cake before 9 am.

Jay (hubby) has taken him up to his parents for more cake and icecream. He will be so wired today it will be hard to do anything with him. Giggle.

Anyway, so our plans are to have supper at Rock Ola and then back home for more cake I guess. Y'all come on over and get some cake cause I know we will have it up to our eyeballs.

I thought I would share a pic of Wesley on the day he was born and then now. I hope y'all dont get tired of seein my kids. They mean the world to me.

This is big brother Josh and the nurse, she was such a good nurse.

Wasnt he a porker? Weighing in at a whoppin' 8 lbs 5.3 ozs.

Sorry the pic are the way they are. I had to scan them.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you my sweet Wesley. I Love You!!

One of the Handsome fellas in my life

2008-10-20T08:27:00.003-04:00

As y'all know my brother is gettin' married. So we took Wesley to be fitted for his tux. He is the cutest little guy. He picked out what he wanted too. Desiree said it was ok for him to have his tux the way he wanted. So his tux will have the little hanky in the pocket and his flower on his lapel. Wesley wanted to look just like the display they had. I cant wait to see'em allll dressed up. Here are a few pics.

He is sooo cute, and just because he's mine either. LOL

Annual Harvest Festival

2008-10-19T15:12:00.010-04:00

We had our annual Harvest Festival this weekend at our church. It has been one busy weekend. Our church has done this festival for over 50 years now. My Daddy remembers helping out when he was a kid. So we have been doing this for some time now.

I can remember waiting to turn 10 years old so I could stay and help with the stirring and serving the sodas and taking food orders. Now they just let them all in the kitchen, which I dont like cause little kids could really get hurt back there. Lots of HOT food and liquids. But oh well no one got hurt so that's a plus.

The cookin started on Thursday, with the cookin of the B-B-Q. Let me tell ya, this is the best B-B-Q you will ever eat. Thursday evening was time to chop. I dont really like this job, but you can get alot of your frustrations out on that poor pig. LOL.

Friday night we had lots to do that night. Peelin potatoes, onions. Not fun jobs either, but we made it through. People just dont know the work that goes into these kind of events. We made 300 gallons of stew. And Im not sure how many pounds of potatoes and onions there are, I just know that there are too many. LOL

Here are some of the potato peelers.

Here is Karen and Peggy washing and eyeing the potatoes

I stayed until about midnight on Saturday morning then had to be back at the church by 9 am to get things going there. I am the french fryer. LOL. Handed down from my Nannie. She made french fries for years. So she finally passed it on to her daugther and myself. Saturday was just a day of good fellowship and eating. I didnt get any pics of Saturday, I was gettin' my deep oil treatment and suntan from the hot lamps that we keep the fries warm with. LOL. But here a few pics I snapped on Friday night.

Ronnie and myself were on this pot. I snapped a pic of him and the other guy there is Jackie.

Here is my son Josh. He's workin hard. Can you tell what he's workin hard at??? TALKIN' LOL

This is my Nannie, she is busy workin' on the craft table.

Here are the money takers. That's my aunt Kay and Mr. Powell and Jack

We had a pretty good day. Thank y'all for takin a peek.

Im just about all showered out!!

2008-10-08T11:29:00.004-04:00

I decided I should make a post since it has been a few weeks since my last one. I have been runnin and runnin. Since the first shower for my future SIL, I have been to one more which was at my brother's house. This coming weekend I have a my craftshow, my cousins wedding, another shower for my future SIL, a baby shower on Sunday. Boy I tell ya, I will just be glad when it's all behind us. Not to mention all the other day to day tasks I have been trying to do along the way. AWANA has started back and that's an every Sunday meeting. Im pooped!!!! Just thinking about it.

I thought maybe y'all would like to see a pic of my baby brother and his future wife to be. I know I have posted some in the last post, but I wanted to post this pic. It is of the of them at their freinds wedding from last year. So here they are the future Mr.& Mrs. Timothy W. Strader

They just had their engagement pictures made. I need to see if Desiree will let me add on of those here. They were wonderful pictures. I have to say that just love Desiree. She's good for my brother. Desiree is a very soft spoken, sweet and caring young woman. I am happy she will become part of our family. Oh and my boys just love'er too. That means alot too.

Well, I hope everyone of you are having a great week so far. I hope to get back to posting after things settle down a bit here. So hope you all have a great day. Until next time. Tammy

New Addition to the family.....

2008-09-30T20:48:00.005-04:00

Meet our new puppy Dixie. She's our new black lab. Wesley has been wanting a puppy for some time now, and we have put it off. I mean we already have 2 and 1 one more only meant another mouth to feed. Giggle. Anyway, a friend of ours had them for sale and so....... we got'em one. I thought it would be kinda like an early birthday present. He just loves'er too. They have played all evening long. Wesley and Josh have something new to fight over. Oh brother!!!

So anyway, for a few months she will be an inside doggie. I know she will get to big to continue to stay inside. So now it's learning to potty train all over again. She is very smart. She had played fetch with Wesley and everytime she would take the ball back to'em. Wesley thought that was "Cool"! LOL. So just wanted to share with you our newest family member. Aint she a cutie?

It's been a busy day!!!

2008-09-14T20:05:00.002-04:00

Boy am I tired. Today was a busy day for me. I got up early this morning and tried to finish up my crafts. I did manage to get a few of them finished. Then there was my brother's and future SIL's wedding shower at 2 and then our AWANA kickoff party was at 5.

I put some photos of the wedding shower in a slideshow. There were just too many to post. And the AWANA party, well I didnt get any pics from that. But we had a great time. We played volleyball and I tell ya, it has been a looooonnnngggg time since I have done that. Did I mention that I am tired? Well here are the pics from the shower. I hope everyone has a great night.

Photobucket Album

Guess what I am gonna be doing

2008-09-10T18:05:00.006-04:00

For the REST of the night? I had Josh clean up his room this afternoon. I think these pics say it all. I dont see how the child had anything to wear to school. Are all 14 yr. old boys like this? He is gonna get himself down here and help me!!!!

Wish me luck, if you dont hear from me..... You might want to call in the search team. LOL

These are his shirts:

His socks and undergarments:

A HUGE pile of jeans: I have one load in the washer right now.

A Boy and His Dog

2008-09-10T08:18:00.002-04:00

I just had to snap this picture this morning. Wesley spends alot of time out on the front porch. I tell him he can play where I can see him while Im on the computer. The computer is in the hallway just inside the front door. Anyway, he loves to go out there, and he would spend hours there if I would let'em.

We have a lab mix that Dh brought home about 8 years ago. He is just the best dog. His name is Bruno, and we just love'em to death. Wesley especially.

So this morning while Wesley was sitting out on the porch, I snapped this pic.It was taken through the screen so it's not a very good pic. Oh and by the way, in case you havent noticed, Wesley never wears clothes... LOL.

New Feature

2008-09-10T06:45:00.002-04:00

I have added the followers gadget. I would love to see who reads my blog. If you have added this feature let me know. Mine is located on the right hand side just under my website button.

I have added them on both my Easy Livin' and The Olde Hollow Crow. I would love for you to join. I have only found a few other blogs that have added this, so if you have added it just let me know.

Lookin' good in his uniform

2008-09-08T19:39:00.004-04:00

Well school has been back for a week now. I told y'all about Josh takin' JRAFROTC, well this week he got his uniform. I think he looks very spiffy in it. If I am correct I think they have to wear the uniform to school one day a week.

He has been sharing with me stories of his PT's which they have every Friday. They do all kinds of exercises and lots of runnin'. Josh told me that they are so hard to do, and if they get up fast enough when told to they have to start all over. Last Friday he said that he got sick after running and that he threw up. Gross I know.

He seems to like this class very much and that is a relief to me, I first thought that he wouldnt stick with it. But he loves it, which is a good thing. I thought the exercises would kill'em.

So here he is in his new uniform

New Blog

2008-09-02T10:46:00.001-04:00

I have decided to create a new blog for all those generous bloggin' folks that are offering giveaways. If you would like for me to post your giveaway on my blog please let me know. It is also for Featured Crafters. I have a new one every month. Let me know if you are interested in that as well. I know there are some very talented people out there in blog land and I would be very happy to have you as a featured crafter. I have my calender all set for the rest of the year, but the upcoming year is wide open. Just leave me a comment if interested.

Awesome Giveaway

2008-08-31T07:26:00.002-04:00

Im thinking seriously about doing a blog just for giveaways. I know we all love to enter. Aunt Manny's is having a kewl giveaway. Her contest is open until September 15th so you have time, but there are quite a few ways you can be entered. Go on over and sign up.

Home Alone

2008-08-29T20:49:00.000-04:00

Yep that's right. Im home alone. I have the whole house to myself. Jay took Josh and Wesley up the lake with his daddy. I hope to get alot accomplished this weekend. They wont be home until Monday.

I have the security alarm set and here I sit at the computer. Im gonna get my hiney in gear and get the bathroom and kitchen cleaned hopefully before I go to bed.

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend.

2008-08-27T18:25:00.001-04:00

You Are Fall Flowers

Beautiful yet often forgotten.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Done Spooked myself.....

2008-08-26T20:29:00.002-04:00

LOL, Im such a big chicken when it comes to Halloween and any kind of scary movie. As I was picking out the songs for my new playlist for Halloween, I could not help but get an uneasy feelin'. Im such a nerd. I just had to share this with y'all.

LOL, Im one of those who likes to scare rather than be scared. I have never been one to go out and do the Haunted trails or houses. Im just a big chicken. As I have already stated. I like to be safe in my environment and know everything that is around me.

I cant watch scary movies at night either. I have to watch them in the daylight. How silly is that? The last scary movie I went to see was Halloween you know the Rob Zombie one. I jumped and screamed through the whole thing. Pathetic.....

So, I hope I dont freak y'all out too much. But I had to put some of my favorite halloween movie theme songs on here.

~A Great First Day Back~

2008-08-26T07:23:00.002-04:00

Well, first day of school seemed to go really well for Josh. He said that he loves it. I think thats good for the first day and all. We'll see how he is in about a month or so. I remember loving high school too. I loved the social part of it, not the classes. LOL.

It's tough though. He was telling me about a guy that goes to our church. They have been knowing each other forever. Anyway, he came home tellin me how guys who are juniors will talk to'em and this one guy wont even acknowlede him. How do you deal with that. It's sad though. I guess that's just how kids are. I told'em not to worry about it, it will all work out.

He talked about how nasty the bathrooms are. LOL, I told him he should expect that. They were not in good condition when I was there either. Ewww, sorry...LOL.

Lunch time he said he didnt have to eat by himself. I think he was nervous about that. I use to hate lunch time too. Finding people to sit with and whatever. One of the guys he hangs out with down the road from us let'em sit with him.

Gosh why does it have to be so hard on'em? Funny how they have their own little clicks. Much harder than middle school. I try to tell'em all the time to make the best of his last four years. When he gets my age he will wish he could go back.

So, how did it go for your children? I hope they have all had a great first day and week for some.

First Day of School.... WhoooHoo!!

2008-08-25T06:15:00.001-04:00

Dont get me wrong, I love my kids. But today is the first day of school and I am soooo glad. I hate to see the summer come to an end for Josh, but it's time. Im tellin' ya. I thought that with Josh and Wesley being so different in age that there wouldnt be any fighting. HA! That's allll they do. They are both so head strong it aint even funny.

Josh is 14 and tries to help, but he only ends up makin' things worse. And they both fret each other until it turns into a screamin' match. Plus Josh gets borded I get bored and then you just have to say "It's Time".

Josh did say that he was not ready to go back, but then again he is ready. That's funny I think. I mean they just know. Ya know.

I dont have a picture. Josh has gotten a little to old for that.

Giveaway is here.

2008-08-24T19:14:00.003-04:00

Ok, I finally decided what I would do for my giveaway. I am giving away a prairie doll and 3 little clothes pin dolls. The clothes pin dolls can be hung on a tree or used as bowl fillers. They are cute.

Now for the rules:
All you have to do is comment here in the Giveaway post only. To be entered once.

If you comment on my Olde Hollow Crow blog in the Giveaway post only you will be entered twice.

Post this giveaway on your blog to entered for a third time.

If you do not have a blog and you wish to be enetered you can leave a comment or email me at clarktammy24@yahoo.com. Be sure to put Giveaway in the subject line.

Saturday the 30th at 10 PM Eastern time will be the cut off. And the drawing will be held on Sunday the 31st at 12 Noon Eastern time.

Good Luck to all who enter.

I've been awared for my Easy Livin' blog

2008-08-21T10:36:00.005-04:00

I want to say Thank You to Debbi at ******Prim 'N Stuff****** for givin' me this award. I think its the first one I have received for my Easy Livin' Blog. Thank you again Debbi.

Now for the rules of the award. They are as follows:

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you’ve nominated.

I have a time pickin' only 5-7 blogs that are my favorite. I love them all. So I will nominate all my bloggin buddies. Here's to all of you.

Great Sign Give Away...

2008-08-17T21:21:00.001-04:00

Cheryl at Canadian Country Girl is giving away an awesome sign. Head on over to her blog or site and sign up.

Another Fall Give Away....

2008-08-17T09:45:00.000-04:00

Sue at Country Pleasures is having a fall give away as well. Head on over and leave'er a comment. Post it on your blog and be entered a second time.

The Final Countdown

2008-08-17T08:54:00.002-04:00

Well, it's here. The final countdown. School will start back on the 25th. It's hard to believe that Josh will be a freshman in High School. I am soooo nervous for him. I asked him the other day if he was scared and he said, "Naaawww". I think that will change come the first day. It's tough for kids these days. I only pray that he will do good.

Going to High School means so many new things. I know that there will be Friday night football games, dances and so much more. I will have to send his daddy with him to the football games, that kinda thing dont appeal to me.

He got his schedule the other day. Some of his teachers I remember from when I was there. One of them was my History teacher in the 11th grade. So much has changed since I was in High School. All the block classes and things like that. Its hard for me to adjust to. He will have 8 classes. 4 first semister and 4 second semister. I just dont understand how he can get full credits for half a year class. I guess I will learn it though.

He also took Air Force ROTC. So that will be uniforms and military style balls. How exciting for him. I hope he will stick with that. I know it will be hard, and to tell the truth Josh is lazy. We'll see how that works out.

He will start driver's ed in the fall. Oh my, something else to worry about. Where has the time gone? I remember his first day of Kindergarden like it was yesterday. It makes me sad to know that they grow up soooo fast.

Here's wishing you the best Josh. I love ya.

Gotta Love those kids.

2008-08-12T07:02:00.002-04:00

I got this in an email this morning and thought it was too cute not to share. The things kids will say:

What, you ask, is 'Butt dust?' Read on and you'll discover the joy in it! These have to be original and genuine. No adult is this creative!!

JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: 'Mom why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?'

MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, 'If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six.'

STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. 'I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window.'

BRITTANY (age 4) had an ear ache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: 'How does it know it's me?'

SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. 'Please don't give me this juice again,' she said, 'It makes my teeth cough.'

DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: 'How much do I cost? '

MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: 'Why is he whispering in her mouth?'

CLINTON (age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried. When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, 'I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in it?'

JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.' Concerned, James asked: 'What happened to the flea ? '

TAMMY (age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then asked, 'Why doesn't your skin fit your face?'

The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget.... this particular Sunday sermon...'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust...' He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

Another blog Give Away!!

2008-08-10T07:18:00.000-04:00

My friend Lisa at Black Sheep Prims is have a back to school give away. Look at this wonderful prize she is giving away.

Now you better hurry, she's gonna have her drawing on the 11 of August. That's tomorrow, Monday. Hurry now. Run.

Awesome Give Away

2008-08-10T06:46:00.002-04:00

Pam over at Soft in the Head is having an awesome give away....Just look at this little cutie.

So hurry on over and leave her a comment so your name will be entered. What a great give away. Oh and she not just giving one prize,..... Nope, she's givin' 3. That's right 3. So hurry!!!!

Happy Birthday Mama

2008-08-06T07:32:00.004-04:00

Today is my mama's birthday.

My mama, hmmm. She is the life of the party. I dont think she has ever met a stanger. She can talk to anybody, something I lack. My mama is a very God fearin' Christian woman. She will give you the shirt off her back if you need it.

She is not gonna like it that I posted these pictures of her. But oh well, Love ya mama...

This is a picture of me and mama on Christmas morning 1976.

This is a picture of mama and my brother at my wedding.

I just wanted to share a few pictures with y'all. I love my mama, and I just wanted to say Happy Birthday Mama....

School Shopping

2008-08-03T17:28:00.002-04:00

Oh my word. I took Josh school shopping today. School starts in 3 weeks. That is sooo hard to believe. He will be a freshman this year. Gosh I remember when he started Kindergarden. Just like yesterday. Man where does the time go?

My Mama took him this afternoon and got'em a few things, however the jeans he got didnt fit, so I took him back. And I bought him a few more things. Clothes are sooo expensive. The mall wasnt too crowded, which was a good thing. And it was tax free weekend for us. I appreciate that our state and neighboring states do that. Saves some money anyway.

I still have all his supplies to get and I will be done. He did say that he wants to get some Carhart and Dixie Outfitters. So look out paycheck!!!

So how about y'all when does school start for your kids?

It's been a pretty uneventful week

2008-08-01T09:08:00.002-04:00

I have been so bad about not posting on this blog. We have not had much goin' on around here. It's been pretty quiet. I had a few things to run and do on Monday, Tuesday I had a Tupperware Party and did pretty good with that. I was pleased. Wedneday and Thurday I worked for a few hours. And now here it is the weekend. No major plans for that either.

My cousin called and wants the boys to come up this evening and go swimming. That should be fun for them. I am afraid I will have to put a bathing suit on this body, cause Wesley probably wont get in without me. Lordy, its been years since this body was in a bathing suit. I hate the thought of it. I will take my camera with me so I can share pictures of the boys.

I have to run to town this morning and pick up a few things. I think I might run by the Goodwill to see what they have there. It all depends. I am also gonna drop by my friend Angie's to give her her birthday present. I sure hope she likes it.

So that has been my week. Nothing exciting I know. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Until next time..

Scratch, Scratch, Itchy, Itchy

2008-07-30T17:27:00.003-04:00

Scratchin' the whole day long. Scracth, Scratch, Itchy, Itchy. That's the poison ivy song. Do y'all know that one???? Anyway.

I think my Wesley has gotten into some poison oak. I sure do hate that for him. Its gonna be really hard for him not to scratch. It was kinda funny. Josh called me into the livingroom and said, "Mom, Wesley has poison oak!" And without a thought Wesley looks up at me and says "Am I gonna Die?" Had to explain that to him. So I took him to the bathroom, put some Calmine(sp?) lotion on it and told him everything is gonna be ok. Just please try not to scratch...

Look at this!!!

2008-07-27T09:11:00.002-04:00

I dont think I have ever seen a moth this big. Wesley got all excited about it. He wanted to keep it as a pet. I dont think thats a good idea Wes, Im not even sure what a moth eats. LOL. But it was pretty sittin' on the side of the house. Where do they go, and how do they get that big.??? Got me.. Just thought I would share this little thought with y'all.

Bible School Program

2008-07-24T21:00:00.003-04:00

Well we had a great time at Bible School this week. Our theme this year was God's Big Backyard. We had visitors all week. They were Nick and Cooper. Nick is the squirrel and Cooper is the dog. The children enjoyed the puppet show the best. My Mama and Daddy helped with the puppet show. If they knew I posted this, the would have a fit. They did a great job too.. Way to Go Mama and Daddy.. Good Job. Wesley learned a little song. It is called The Butterfly Song. They were all soooo cute. I think Wesley had stage fright, cause he would not sing or do any of the movements. He had such a great time. It's all he talked about all week. Which is very good considering he wont even go to Sunday School without me. I hope this will play for y'all. Nope it wont play. Sorry.

This is Christopher. He has the biggest brown eyes. Just melts my heart.

This is my Wesley. He is my Sweet Boy. He's the one in the blue.

I didnt teach a class this year. I helped my aunt with the crafts. She had sooo many wonderful things for them to do. I think that everyone had a great time, just glad that it is over. There is sooo much work involved in getting things ready and the ladies that did the organizing did a great job.

The Nohawk...

2008-07-21T08:33:00.005-04:00

I told y'all about Josh and how he will cut his hair, just so I will finish it. Im so bad about cutting their hair. And Josh likes to shave his down to the skin, and even though clipper cuts will only take just a few minutes, I still have trouble gettin' myself in gear to get it cut. Anyway, yesterday we were here and Josh went out to the shop and did his own haircut. This is what he does when he needs a haircut. Just so I will cut it. Well this time I think I will let'em go a few days. It's kinda funny really, but sad at the same time that he has to do this to get me to cut his hair. Im bad I know. So here is the new look and name he cam up with. This is Josh with his "Nohawk".

The Picture In my Title.

2008-07-18T18:18:00.013-04:00

I thought I would share with y'all who the people are the picture that I am using in my title. I have lots and lots of old family photos of my Papa and his family. Just to let you know when I use Papa and Nannie I am talking about my Daddy's parents. I grew up with Nannie and Papa in my life and lived across the road from them all my life. Matter fact I still across the road from Nannie. Papa passed away just after I graduated high school. I sure do miss him.. I will share a few more photos with you if that's ok..

This is my Papa when he was in school. Aint he handsome?

This is my Nannie. This is her wedding picture. Aint she beautiful?

Anyway the picture. The people in the picture is my Papa and his mama and daddy all of his brothers and sisters. Of the eight I only knew three of them. Five had passed away before I was born. So on the back row, left to right is Aunt Elsie, Uncle Elvin, Uncle Grodan, Nannie Bell (my great grandmother), Wesley (my great grandfather). Kneeling from left to right: Aunt Vergie, Aunt Gladys, and Alfred (my Papa). And the ones that I had a chance to know of course was Alfred (my Papa), Aunt Gladys and Aunt Elsie.

This is Aunt Gladys. Im not sure how old she was in this picture. But I just love it.

When I started this blog, this is what it was gonna be about. My Papa and Nannie and how things were in the old days. But with the way my brain works I just decided to have it about family in general.

My Great Grandfather. Wesley. Papa's Daddy.

I miss Papa and Aunt Gladys the most. They were the ones that I was closest to. Aunt Gladys was so funny. She tried so hard to fill my head with family things. You know things like who was who, and who they married and who their children were. But me being in my teen years, I really didnt care much about that. Now that I am older I wish I had listened to her more. My Daddy knows alot, so I can get some stories from him. But I only wish I listened to her more.

Grandma, Nannie Bell my Great Grandmother. Papa's Mama.

So that's just a little bit about my family. I will try to share more as time goes on.

Fun Time this Morning....

2008-07-18T17:52:00.005-04:00

Wesley and I were here by ourselves this morning. Josh has gone to the lake with my brother, and wont be back until Sunday. So when Wesley got up we ate waffles for breakfast and just sat and chatted. I love to sit and listen to him talk. The things he will say. He just cracks me up sometimes. So after we ate our breakfast, I asked him if he wanted to go over to the playground for a little while before it got hot. Of course his answer was yes.

A few years ago our church bought the school building that is next door to us. They took the old playground equipment down that was there and raised money for a new setup. There is not much there to do, but Wesley loves to go.

It didnt take him long to do everything there was to do and then he was ready to come home. Which I was glad because it was starting to heat up nicely outside. I told him that while we were there, I went to school there when I was a little girl. I told him about how we use to slide down this huge sliding board, and played in the trees. I remember it just like it was yesterday.

I dont get to spend much time with just me and Wesley, so I thought I would take advantage of the time and do something fun with him. He loved it.. And in case you cant tell, his favorite thing there is the slide.. That's all he wants to do..

So Wesley and I had a good time this morning at the playground. What did you do today..??

Day at the "Beauty Parlor"

2008-07-18T07:14:00.004-04:00

LOL, I came home from work on Wednesday and my aunt was here. Josh and Wesley were nowhere to be found. I came in and was talking to Kay, asked where the boys were and she said "They are at the beauty parlor." I looked at her kinda funny. She said "Josh is giving Wesley a high and tight." Oh, my heart fell to the floor.

Josh has been in a mood of shaving his head. When it gets a little length on it, he will go out to the shop and cut funny things in his head. I dont know if its his way of saying mama I need a haircut or what.?

Wesley has wanted to shave his head like Josh's. I just cant bring myself to do that. His hair is so baby fine, and if I shave it, well I just dont think it will good.

So I said to my aunt as I was running to the bathroom. Josh better not be shaving his head. She assured me that he was not, he was giving Wesley a new hair style. Oh good. Pheww!!! I was sacred. So when Wesley came out the bathroom he had a new hairstyle. I think it was very cute and very becoming of him. LOL. It's funny what kids will do and try. They arent afraid to be different.. So what do y'all think of Wesley's new hairstyle..

Trying to be good this week

2008-07-14T20:48:00.003-04:00

As far as what Im eating. I dont know if Im in the right frame of mind or not, but I dont think this was a good week to start watching what I eat. Today at work one of my Mama's friends visited her and what did she bring? Nothing but Chocolate Brownies... Oh my gosh they were soooo good. Then this evening Nannie stopped by. She said that Jay (dh) had prunned her trees and she wanted to pay him. Well what did she pay him with you might ask. Nothing but a Chocolate Pie... My Nannie makes the Best Chocolate Pies... Now I know I didnt have to eat either of the two. But being the Weak Soul that I am, I just had too.. And who wouldnt... They were both Delicious... So here is what has starring at me alllll evening.. Could you resist??

I am soooo behind

2008-07-13T10:39:00.002-04:00

Oh my goodness. Its been almost a week since I have posted anything on this blog. I have to say, since going back to work things around the house has kept me busy. The cooking and cleaning. Y'all know about right? Anyway, I had a great weekend last weekend. Jay took the boys up to the lake with his family for a few days and I had the whole house to myself.

I said that while they were gone I was gonna sew my fingers to the bone.. LOL, welll that didnt happen. I got a few things done, but not what I wanted to get done. I just enjoyed my time here, because I dont get that too often.

They left out on Saturday morning and got back about 3:30 pm on Tuesday. They had a great time. Jay didnt take the camera so I dont have pictures to share with y'all. I could have kicked him for that. But anyway. Wesley slept in a tent for the time, and he sooo enjoyed the water and sand. Josh had a great time too.

Wesley cut his little toe pretty bad, running around without shoes on. But that is looking alot better today. Well I just wanted to update y'all on their lake trip. If I can get the pics off DH's phone I will try to get them posted. I have never done that before, sooo I dont know if that will happen or not...

I hope everyone has a great weekend... Hugs

Is it Friday Yet??

2008-07-07T16:56:00.000-04:00

Well its the beginning of a new work week. I tell ya after being off for a week it sure was hard for me to get up this morning and get going. I sure did enjoy my vacation time though. My projects are still ongoing.. I sure do hate to wait on things to get done. Seems thats how all of our projects end up.

I havent heard from Jay and the boys. I guess they are having a good time. I dont know if they are coming home today or not. Its already 5 pm and they arent here, so I guess they wont be home tonight. I have really enjoyed my free time. I thought I was gonna get alot done, but you know, I have not done one single thing. I just enjoyed the peace and quiet.. I sure miss them though..

I hope you all had a great Monday...

Well the weekend is here...

2008-07-05T11:14:00.002-04:00

I just want to say that I hope everyone had a safe holiday. I have the weekend to myself. Yay!! Jay took the boys to the lake with family, and I stayed behind to get much needed time to myself. I plan to do just what I want to when I want to do it. No one hollaring Mama every 2 mins. I know this time is much needed, but I will probably go insane from the usual queitness that is surrounding me right now.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend..

Fourth of July....

2008-07-02T18:51:00.001-04:00

The fourth is just about upon us. I just want to take time to say that I am very proud of country and all the brave men and women who work hard to protect our great nation. Without them I would not be able to live so freely.. God bless this nation and all the men and women out there fighting for our freedom..

I hope everyone has a great holiday.

Cooking 101

2008-06-30T20:39:00.006-04:00

LOL, my son Josh is 14 and he just loves to help with cooking. I sure hope that will turn into something good for him. Today we have been busy. We got up and started to remodel his bedroom. Ripping out the carpet and removing the staples in the floor. So by lunch time he was hungry. I helped him fry up some squash and onions, which to my surprise were very tasty.

After that he decided to try those cookies in a jar. He followed the instructions to a T. Oatmeal Rasin Cookies is what he tried. I dont like raisins, but the cookies turned out to be pretty good as well.

Then it was back to work for us. So what have you done with your Monday?

Here is what the jar cookies look like:

First in the jar

mixing

all mixed

the finished product

All in all, I think he did a pretty good job. I guess all those days spent in the Life Skills class at school paid off. Way to go Josh. You did good!! ;)

Goodies I got today

2008-06-28T20:47:00.006-04:00

Well I think they are goodies anyway..LOL. I got up this morning and went to an Estate Sale. I found some goodies there. I wish I could have bought the house and all the land too. Its such a great little place. Its an old family house that has been remodled, lots of trees and little out building every where. I thought today I could just see my little Wesley running and playing out there. Anyway, I think for now we just stay where we are. Being this is family home and all. I love my home, no way could I move. Its nice to dream though. Anyway the best find I got today were two benches. One I left as is, and the other is a church pew (I have always wanted one), so I sanded and stained today. I will add the poly tomorrow, if its dry.

I also got a cuttin' board that I painted and added my own touches to. Along with a few other things. So all in all I think I did pretty good today..

Where does the time go??

2008-06-26T07:10:00.004-04:00

I think about this all the time. Where does the time go? I became a Great Aunt in May. My neice Rebecca and her boyfriend Billy now have a new baby girl Brianna. It is so hard for me to believe that Rebecca is old enough to have children of her own.

When Jay and I got married, I had a ready made family. With just his siblings alone I gained 3 Sister in laws, and 4 Brother in laws and 7 nieces and nephews. Looking back on that they ranged from ages 14 to 8. Now 5 of those 7 have graduated High School, and of those 5, 1 has graduated from College. I have 1 neice who has gotten married, and now 1 that has her own child.

I do not know where the time has gone. It's funny in my mind they are still the cute little kids they were when Jay and I got married. It is so hard to believe that they have become and accomplished what they are today.

Even lookin' at my own children, I have to wonder the same thing, Where has the time gone. It all seems just like yesterday. I am so Thankful for what the Lord has Blessed me with.

Had a little visit

2008-06-24T16:53:00.000-04:00

I had a visit with my Nannie last night. She lives up and across the road from me. Anyway, I went up to spend some time with her last night, and she just talked and talked. About things she did as a child, when she met my papa, chores she and her sister had as children. Stuff like that. I hope to share of them with y'all. She gave me a scrapbook that she kept as a little girl. There wasnt much in there, but what she had was just as sweet as could be. As I get older I appreciate the stories that she tells me. I dont know much about either of them as far as their childhood, but Nannie is slowly but surely filling me with her wonderful memories.

The Thunder Rolls

2008-06-22T15:24:00.003-04:00

I dont know if we will get anything here or not, but I can hear thunder rolling in the distance. I really wish we would get something. It is so dry here. We havent had a really good rain for a while now. The grass in the yard is brown and crisp. If you are getting rain where you are be thankful. And please, by all means send some my way..

Good Sunday Afternoon...

2008-06-22T12:46:00.004-04:00

I hope that everyone is having a great day so far. I got up this morning fixed the boys their breakfast (a bowl of cereal). I didnt feel like cooking this morning. Anyway, got out the door and to church on time. Came home and I am now cooking lunch. We are having short ribs. I got the recipe from Food Network, Paula Deen. I just love her. So they have to cook for 2 hours, and I thought I would sit down and chat about what I have done this morning.

Not a whole lot by the looks of it..lol.. Getting to chruch was big step, I am lazy about the sometimes. The devil gets a hold on me.

Not much else goin' on. My brother has the boys at the pond for some fishing this morning. I hope they are having a good time. Have to check down good for ticks when they get home.

Anyway, thats my morning in a very small nut shell... So what have you done today?

Until next time... Tammy

The Joy and Pain

2008-06-21T17:22:00.004-04:00

Before:

The pain of having a tin roof. Some of you may know what Im talking about. We have the old tin that has to be painted every so many years. I wish that we could put the new tin that requires no painting, but right now that is just not an option. Right now that is the pain we are experiencing. Hubby has been busy all day painting our roof. It will look so much better when he gets through.

The joy of a tin roof. I love the look of the tin. Gives the house that old age look. I love it when it rains. The sound the rain makes on the roof is so soothing. I could just sleep and sleep when it rains.

There is so much that needs to be done. Shutters need to be repaired and painted, the windows on the outside need to be painted, and my list could go on and on... Its tough owning your own home. There is always something that needs to be done.

After:

A Day with Mama

2008-06-19T06:53:00.002-04:00

Well the boys decided to go to work with me yesterday. This week is water week at summercamp, and the firetruck came to help the kids stay cool and have fun. The weather was just a bit cooler yesterday, but no matter they had fun on the slip and slide. Wesley was undecided about giving it a try, but he did make it down a couple of times. Josh on the other hand, said No Way. He knew how cold the water was, so he stood off to the side and watched. I didnt get a picture of Wesley going down the slide, but I did get one of him lying in the sun to get warm and dry off.

Back to Work for me

2008-06-18T06:44:00.002-04:00

Well, it has been since Novemeber that I have been at SAHM. I have loved the time being home with Josh and Wesley, but with the economy the way it is I had to get a job. I started on Monday the 16th, and so far everything is going well. I went back to the childcare program with the school system. Im only working part time as of right now. Josh is keeping Wesley while I work, but I dont know what the Fall will hold because Josh will go back to school and I will have to find someone to help out with Wesley until Josh gets home.

I really hated to go back, but I didnt see any other option.

Stayin Cool

2008-06-17T16:33:00.002-04:00

It has been so hot here. Poor kids are trying to stay as cool as they can. Wesley never wears clothes. He runs around in his underware all the time. Even in the winter time.. I guess all the neighbors might think the kids doesnt own any clothes..

Father's Day

2008-06-15T15:16:00.004-04:00

Today is Father's Day, and as I sit here thinking about my daddy I can't help but to think about my Papa too. Papa has been gone for quite a few years and I find myself thinking about him alot. I was Papa's gurl. He passed away before I graduated in 1991. I sure do miss him alot.

I remember times when I was growing up the things we would do. I would wake early in the mornings during the summer to hop on the tractor with'em and hit fields to plow, pull corn, and just spent the day farming. He loved to farm. He raised his own hogs and well just did what farmers do.

I remember selling strawberries, boy that was hard work. All the picking and keeping the field clean of weeds. My brother and I spent alot time with Nannie and Papa. I think about playing in the irrigation when nearby tobacco farmers would water their tobacco. We didnt mind the fishy smellin' water at all. LOL.

Sometimes I can even remember how he smelled. How he looked. The funny things he would say. I sure miss'em. So Papa, I know that you are in Heaven watching over me. So to my Daddy, my Papa and all the Daddys everywhere, Happy Father's Day. I love you Daddy and I love you too Papa.

My Country Bumpkin

2008-06-14T08:00:00.003-04:00

Josh is my oldest. He will start High School in the Fall. We have seen many phases with him too. However his "redneck" phase is the best, because to me he is being true to his roots. Josh is funloving. He loves to hunt and fish, ride 4-wheelers and get muddy. He is very witty and smart. He is very social for a boy, which is good I think because he can easily make friends with just about anybody.

Hot Fun in the Summer Time

2008-06-13T16:15:00.000-04:00

It has been sooo HOT.. Temps in the upper 90's with heat indexs reaching 100 degrees. The kids have tried to stay cool. Sadly the only time it was really comfortable enough to go outside was in the late evening. Otherwise they would have roasted. Here they are having a little fun on the slip and slide. We dont have a pool soooo, we have to make do..

A Boy and His Turtle

2008-06-13T16:01:00.001-04:00

Josh my 14 year old, had been trying his hand at Catfishing. We have a pond down behind the house. So baitin' up his hook and tying it to a drink bottle,(you know a 2 liter bottle) he throws it out in the pond hoping to catch a fish. Little did he know, turtles love that kinda bait too. This was his frist turtle catch. I know this thing had to weigh about 10 pounds.

I had no idea snappin turtles could get that big. Man is that thing uu--gly.

My little Wesely

2008-06-13T11:37:00.003-04:00

I wanted to let you all know about Wesley. He was born Novemeber 2, 2004. So he is now 3 years old. Boy is he full of energy. I dont know where he gets it from. He is so full of life. I love to listen to him talk, although sometimes he drives me nuts. LOL, thats all apart of having kids. I love'em though, and would not trade'em for the world.

He has been though so many changes as he has been growing. Our first change was thinking he was Spiderman. Now we are going through with him being a Power Ranger. Kids can so funny.

He loves to be outside. It doesnt matter if its 100 degrees or 20 degrees. He wants to be outside.

Story of my family home

2008-06-13T08:20:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my profile, I live in the same house that my daddy's daddy was born and raised in. I am proud of that. Not many people can say that these days. I feel it is an honor..

I will share with you what I know. Now being from North Carolina, the main crop then was Tobacco. When they would cure the tobacco, they would put it in a tobacco barn. The first home was just that. A tobacco barn made into a home. A one room house with the kitchen outside and of course the bathroom too.. It was built in the late 1800's and throughout the years they added on until its what it is today.