Playoff Game #3

Last Friday the Green Devils played their last home game for the year. It was the last playoff game before the state championships and we were all really nervous!! It was also VERY cold!! Artie and I were so bundled up we could barely move...he even wore his Carhartt bib overalls! It was the Friday after Thanksgiving so the band did not have to perform halftime. I know the girls were so happy to be in the student section. And guess what? WE WON!!! State championships here we come!!!

The hubby and I

I found Rachael!

The team after the game! SO VERY HAPPY!!!

Thankful

What a thankful girl I am! Artie and I had a great Thanksgiving this year. It started out with us delivering the food we made for our community outreach Thanksgiving. Our community feeds over 1600 people on Thanksgiving each year and unfortunately the numbers keep growing. Next up church...which is a message I will never forget. Thanks Pastor Rick! It was about "bugs" in our life and came from the book of Joel (you know, the one with the locusts). Sometimes bad things happen and it is a reminder of our covenant with God. God will not let the bugs destroy us! What a great message and I felt it spoke right to me....

Next lunch at the General Morgan. It was great to be there because this is where Artie and I were married! We had a nice lunch with our church family and the food was so delicious. Here is a photo in the lobby of this beautiful historic hotel.

Artie and I decided to have a nice quiet Thanksgiving dinner at home this year. What a wonderful choice! Here is Artie injecting the turkey with something good. We smoke our turkey every year and it is so good...which is amazing for me to say because I am not a fan of turkey.

OK....this next photo be stills my heart. It is Artie's great aunt Alice's sweet potato casserole. Oh my heavens it is so good. We actually ate this for dessert. Here it is before the oven. It is sweet potatoes with a topping of brown sugar, white sugar, pecans, coconut and butter. LOTS OF BUTTER!

Here is the finished product...it has a crunchy crust on the top and I could eat it by the gallon. Like I said...Artie and I ate it for dessert instead of making a pie.

Here is my table set with the "centerpiece"- I say that loosely....

Close up on the centerpiece

Place setting...kinda haha!

The best part about Thanksgiving at home was eating it in our pajamas!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful day and a fun weekend!!

Daytime TriCities

On Monday Suzan and I took a trip to the big city (Johnson City) to be on a local talk show Daytime Tri-Cities. We did a little segment on what we carry at the store. I loved it...it was a lot fun. Here is a link to video...check it out!

A photo of Suzan and I with the hosts Amy and Morgan

Baby Shower!

This past Sunday I threw my friend Rebecca a baby shower. She will be having a little girl in January and so she needed some cute little girl things! Rebecca was such a big help the day of the shower...helping me keep my head attached. Once everything was complete I could breath. It was really fun seeing everyone and we all had a great time. The room turned out so pretty! I was very proud and she loved it. I am

Here are the centerpieces...they turned out great!

I tied ribbons on the back of each chair to add some color.

Oh the chocolate fountain...FAIL!

The mommy to be snacking on some yummy goodies!

Some of the guests enjoying the games.

Some of the girls and current UT Majorettes

MTSU Majorettes together again...sad we missed alumni band weekend!

Me and the mommy to be!

After her shower I went and helped her decorate her tree! (What I do best!) Since she is pregnant it is hard to climb up and down a chair, so I took care of the basics. It turned out really great! Here is a picture of it after she put on her ornaments.

Hello!

I know it has been a while but I am still alive. Life has been so crazy lately but I have a lot to update. So later today I will have a few posts. Keep checking back! Have a great day everyone!

Go VOLS!

After a crazy, crazy week Artie and I left Saturday afternoon for the UT football game. We have season tickets but I am never able to go. It was so fun getting to go, especially knowing my husband loves it so much. It turned out to be very cold and we left a little before the end. My sweet husband reserved a hotel room within walking distance from the stadium since the game ended so late. We got up the next morning and had breakfast at the hotel and a special treat...Starbucks! Since we live in the boonies, we do not have one. It was a great game and they WON! Wahoo!

In the stands

My favorite part: pre-game!

Show Us Your Pet

Man is this the post for me! Kelly is hosting a blog carnival called Show Us Your Life and this week it is all about pets. I am an animal lover, I just have so much compassion for them. I use to work at Petsmart and when those (fur) babies would come it it would just melt my heart. Here is a look at my full house!

Kasey 8 years old boxer....yes she is sassy!

She is quite small at only 42 pounds.

Mishka: 5 year old Toy Poodle

He is my wild man...VERY good at agility! Don't let the looks fool you...he LOVES to be dirty and roll on bugs.

Jackson 3 year old Boxer

He is a BIG baby and at my side all the time. He loves to carry a toy (or sock) in his mouth at all times!

Lily 4 year old Siamese...she loves Jackson will sleep on him at night. She also likes to drink from a cup. Don't sit your drink down near her or her head will be in it. Lollipop 4 year old DSH She is my puppy kitty. She will follow me around the house and wants to sit in my lap if I ever sit down. She is a fat cat because she loves kitty cookies.
Pearl 9 year old Gecko She loves to eat crickets from my hand and likes to watch the dogs run around. She also sheds her skin and then eats it (eww).

Well I suppose that is it for my many animals. Head on over to Kelly's Korner and see everyones pets!

Looky Looky Looky

After quit an unfortunate incident with my laptop last week, I was in need of a new computer. I have been looking into a Mac for a while. I know you die hard PC fans out there are cringing....but it is a choice that every person has to make for themselves. It is why we live in this great land of ours!!! I must say that I love it. Granted we are in the honeymoon phase of our relationship, but I really do love it. I have taken right to it.

My schedule this week is crazy. I completely hit a wall today and broke down. I think the stress of trying to do everything just caught up with me. Seriously...This week I have a commercial shoot, teaching a mantle class to the Kingsport New Comers, work, hosting a merchant's meeting, decorating 3 trees and a mantle in a ladies home, church, a hair cut, teaching a bow class to the junior league, prepping for the shower on Sunday, teaching a holiday wreath class, work, football game, and the shower. Ahhhh! And I wonder why I am stressed sometimes. The next week will be a bit quieter I think. (I hope!)

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week? Not me! I hope everyone has a great week! Say a prayer that I will get through it in one piece. Also so a prayer for Amber...she has a VERY important meeting with a doctor tomorrow. I know she is probably going crazy with anticipation tonight. OK...that's it. Blessings!

Play-off Game #2

Last Friday night the football team played Brainard High School and the girls performed great! We all had lots of fun and the team won!! Wahoo! The other team brought their band and WOW..they were really good. They definitely stole the show that night.

Here are the girls during pre-game.

Look who came..Taylor!

Rachael with Brainard's drill team...the girl with the blue head band totally danced like Beyonce!

I MUST buy a VCR!!!

Ok. My best friend Audra came to visit this past weekend and brought me a birthday present. It happens to be the best present IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

Yes. She bought me 4 Babysitter's Club videos!! I can not wait to watch them. Haha. In my younger days I read every single book that Ann M. Martin put out. Growing up there were 2 types of girls, Sweet Valley High girls and Babysitter's Club girls. I was definitely in the later group. I LOVE my present Audra!!!!! Thank you so much!!

Now I just need to buy a VCR.

Another Big Post

I have been feeling all of your prayers. The past few days I have felt more peaceful. So thank you. I know I have been a bit of a slacker on updating the fun things that have been going on.

A couple of Friday's ago the band traveled to Claiborne County for football game. The girls got to twirl FIRE BATON!!! They were so excited and did great. It was a nice night and we won! The girls and I got to meet the majorette from Claiborne County and she was as sweet as can be. She also did a great job during halftime!

Look who came....Robbie Poteet!

The girls with Amy....SASSY!

Look how tall they all are...

This past Friday was our first playoff game of the season! We won! Wahoo...It was so very cold. Here are some pictures to enjoy!

All in all things are going well. Artie and I took an administering medicine class ALL DAY on Saturday. It was actually not so bad....very informative. We passed that test...next up is first aid and cpr. We think our home study will be next week sometime...wish us luck. I would like to have all of this finished up soon. Just keep praying for my sanity.

Guess who came to see me on Saturday night?!? AUDRA!!! We had such a great time together...I can not believe it has been 8 months. We stayed up late drinking hot tea and eating hummus and chatting. LOTS to catch up on...but the time passed too quickly and she had to go Sunday morning. I can not wait until January!

Well I suppose that is about it...we had our glitter gala at The Christmas Shop Friday. I will post about that soon. There is a lot going on, especially with the holiday coming up. Trying to get through one day at a time! Have a great week everyone.

While I'm Waiting

I have a lot on my mind this week. There are a lot of emotions that have come to the surface recently. Please just skip past this post if you are in a good mood or do not want to hear some ranting.

I am really try to keep my head up and stay positive but it is hard. I feel like I have been on a roller coaster the past few days.

It started on Saturday with our turtle Doc dying and then seeing all the families trick or treating made me sad. I found out this week that someone I knew in college is pregnant and it was not planned. Then today my stepsister in law gave birth to a son. I know that these are all happy things (well except for Doc) but not for me. It just reminds of my short comings. I just reminds me of what I am missing out on.

Artie and I have been trying to finish all the classes we have to take. The paperwork and hoops that we have to jump through are maddening. Just so someone can judge whether or not we are going to be good enough to be parents. I hate it.

I was driving the other day when a song came on the radio. I lost it. I had to pull over until I could get myself together. The song is "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller and is from the Fireproof soundtrack. The song just reminds me that I am not alone. That God is always good and I will continue to praise Him even during the hardest of days.

I added a link to the youtube video. Please watch it... you will love it too Amber...I know how music moves you.




I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord