The pitch!

Dad

.

Pap-paw and Austin

I have a plan!

For my garden, that is.
We got a lot of gardening done yesterday, and I have the plan laid out for the entire thing. It's a nifty little design, and I will post a picture of the finished product when it is done. Austin helped me break through the toughest ground, and he did a very good job. It is amazing to me that I have children who have reached an age as to be ACTUALLY helpful. Really. For years you let them "help you work", all the while going behind them and re-doing little tasks. I am here to tell you mothers of young children....KEEP IT UP! IT PAYS OFF! Anyway, we have planted, tomatoes, broccoli, green peppers and green beans. We have planted marigolds and basil in various places for help in pest control among other uses. We got the beds ready for squash and zucchini. Today we buy more seeds, make the trellis for the cucumbers, till (by hand) and plant the section for our corn. Savannah is in charge of the tags showing "what's-what", and we shall of course add the scarecrow (tradition), and........... Voila! It is a smallish garden, but we always have stuff to freeze and give away, so it suits our needs just fine. And I find it incredible the amount of produce that you are able to get from a small area. No Tractor needed! Oh, and don't tell the kids, but I am thinking about getting a rabbit hutch (and a rabbit) to keep down by the garden, to help with the "ahem" fertilizing/composting needs. They will be thrilled!
Have a great Tuesday!
Melissa

My E. Elliot devotional for this morning was SO appropriate:

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Prv. 3:6 ).

The mind can build barriers, produce huge obstacles, collide with boulders of impossibility. Strangely and wonderfully, when we turn our thoughts to Him with whom nothing is an impossibility (and to turn thoughts takes an act of will), He smoothes the path for us. We find it possible, maybe even easy, to move forward.
Don't waste time, energy, perhaps sleep-time, thinking of all those rocks in the way. Think of Him. Think of Him! You may find your path suddenly smoothed.


Just wanted to share that. I hope that it helps you today. It helped me.

The weekend

Well, I can't believe that I made it until Monday, but here it is. To re-cap Saturday and Sunday:

SATURDAY:
Race didn't forget about the run. We (the whole family) were out at the stadium by 10:00 am. We had everyone's bikes. Savannah and Jack were biking around the stadium, and trying out all of the various track equiptment. Austin was batting balls around, and working on sprints (ala Race Sprints......poor kid(kidding, he loves it)). Papa Frank was getting in a walk around the track (Frank is 70-something and he was looking mighty spry getting around that track). Race and I were walking the stadium steps. THIS IS A KILLER. You run down from the top, go over and up the other side. You go all the way through to the end, and then it's around the track 2 times. THEN, you do it again, only you SKIP a step going up!! AHHHH! My poor muscles do not understand why I am waking them up and doing this to them. You end with several laps around the track.
It was really quite comical. Race would be behind me saying :

Race: "good job, hon."
Me: (Pant, breathe, pant)
Race: "You're doin' great, keep it up, only a little more to go"
Me: (pant, breathe, pant)
Race: O.K., Now- UP ON YOUR TOES, GET THOSE KNEES UP
Me: ( Growling from somewhere deep inside my body) SHUT UUUUPP!!!
Race : HAHAHAHAHAH!

Grandmama has a problem with her hip, and/or her knee, and brought her chair and sat at the top of the stadium and watched and made a few phone calls. But I think that she enjoyed herself.

Race rode his bike HOME. That's about 10 miles. Yeah. WHAT AM I DOING???? Why have I subjected myself to this mans training? He has been tying to get me to work out with him for 15 years, and I have resisited. Goes to show you how worried I am about him. It has come to this. ;-)

Later that day we all went out to lunch, and then to the batting cages so that A and J could show off their stuff to Grandmama.
In the evening, I caught up on some housework, and an awesome phone call with Dy, while the rest of the gang went to see another minor league game in the cold windy weather!


SUNDAY:

Made it to church, and the service was good, and stayed around to talk a bit afterward. They are looking for Sunday School teachers. I am torn about this because it is something that I would really like to do, but I just don't know if our life's schedule (or lack thereof) is condusive to that right now. Jury is still out on that one.

We had a fabulous lunch at our favorite little restaraunt in our little town. Then we went out to Thomasina's and met up with Mom and Dad, who were stopping by on their way back home from their weekend trip. Thomasina's friend Bill was also there. We had a lovely time visiting with them, and the drive out and back was beautiful. I can't wait to be able to share a few of the pictures that Thomasina took of Dad and Austin playing baseball together. Priceless.

I made a black bean soup for dinner, and we visited with Grandmama and Frank, until about 10:00. They would be pulling out this morning.

Race has a flight out today, and I guess things are settling back in to "normal". I am excited, though, that I will be getting to fly out to meet Race for a few days next weekend. We will get to spend some time together, and that is always a plus (well, O.k., not ALWAYS, but most of the time. And, I am sure that there will be running involved). Anyway, I am looking forward to the trip, and the kids are looking forward to spending time with Aunt Thomasina, and Mam-maw and Pap-paw.
I will be working on school plans all week, running the regular route and getting the garden put in.
Have a great day!
Melissa

Running, Baseball, Grandparents and other stuff..

Race made it home yesterday afternoon, after being gone all week. Stress level high. Within 10 minutes, we were out the door, going for a run. I can't believe that I made it! It was 2 and a quarter miles. How about that? Now, I know for those of you who are "runners", that's no big deal, but for me? Well, that's a record. And for Race it is a big stress reliever. We are supposed to go to a local stadium today. The kids are to bring their bikes, and race and I are supposed to "walk" the steps. He is still sleeping, so lets just hope he forgets about all of that today!

We took the grandparents to see a local minor league baseball game last night. It rained. But we all got up under the covered part of the stadium, and they were real troopers about waiting it out. The kids had a blast running around. While we waited round, we ate hot dogs and talked, and enjoyed ourselves. They called the game, so we may head back over there tonight to see if we can watch a WHOLE game this time!

My Mom and Dad came for a quick visit on their way south yesterday. Dad immediately swept Austin out the door to hit the baseball field to go and practice. There was no one else on the field, and Thomasina got some awesome pictures. These will be priceless for me, I can assure you. (As an aside, I didn't know that Dad had such a wind-up!). Mom brought me some gardening books, and we walked around my house looking at all of the changes that I am trying to make outside. They took us all out to lunch at a local Italian rest. . We got to sit down with BOTH sets of grandparents, and that doesn't happen too often!

I am currently reading "Keep a Quiet heart" by Elizabeth Elliott. And Oh my, do I ever need to keep a quiet heart. This is a wonderful book. As always, the author shoots straight. She is tough minded, but tender hearted and exploding with wisdom.

Lastly, Jackson announced , while riding in the car the other day, "Mom, I have decided that I will never marry". "Oh? Really?" And then he continued, "Coach T was telling us that he used to love seafood, and then he got married, and his wife didn't like it, and he NEVER gets to eat it anymore! (Then, gravely), That's not gonna happen to me."
Now, I know this coach and his wife very well, and I can hardly wait to tell them that they single handedly turned my boy against marriage. I don't know what sort of life application Coach T was trying to make........But that probably wasn't it! Too funny.

When I got up this morning, I had 2 messages from Dy on my phone, so I need to give her a call. They are somewhere in their travels southward. I can't wait to hear how it's all going for them. If you are not familiar with Dy's story, check her out over at Classical Adventures on my sidebar. She is "good people", and a very talented writer.

Have a great weekend. The rain makes everything grow!
Melissa

Just like little lobster!

O.K. So, I FINALLY sit down to blog, and Blogger is down for maintenance! Trying again.

Do you ever have the opportunity to see your own family through someone else's eyes? Well, Races' Mom is in town and over the last few days, I have had the chance to see what we look like from her point of view. Turns we are quite an eccentric bunch. Huh, who knew?

We drug Granmama all over town today from ballet, to martial arts, to jiu jitsu, so that she could watch the grandkids do all of their stuff.

The kids have been camping out in our back yard over the past several nights. The weather at night has been perfect sleeping weather. The guys have become quite handy at getting a good campfire going. They have also become "catchers-of-meat" for themselves. Yes, that's right, my boys have taken to catching large crawdads from our creek and boiling them over a campfire, to eat.
O.K., now I know that some of my readers may find this an absolutely barbaric practice........But,.....Well......We are so proud! (sniff, sniff) not only did they know how to catch and cook their own grub, but they also knew enough to come in and ask for Cajun seasoning, and garlic butter! I tell you it is enough to make any good Cajun weep with joy. And lest you think otherwise, they are also conservation-minded and have vowed "not to over-fish our creek". LOL!

Savannah is really getting much better with her long bow. Her arm is getting much stronger. She was quite pleased today with her progress. She has also started working with water colors with her Aunt Thomasina in her art lessons. Race and I are thinking about setting up a word processor in her room, because she is so passionate about writing. She really wants to have one book written and published before she graduates high school.

Jack and Austin voluntarily helped me with the garden today. We got all of our tomato plants put in and mulched with grass clippings. Jackson really wants to grow things this year, so I am plotting out a little garden space for his own. We had to have a lengthy discussion about geographical conditions, growing climates, etc, because when asked what he would like to grow he said "olives, sunflowers, peaches, grapes and pineapples". O.K.! Well, we got all that straightened out.

Alright, there was a lot more to this post, but when I went to publish it, Blogger lost the whole thing. I hit the "recover" button, but only got 1/2 of it back! Argh! I'll try again tomorrow.

g'night all,
Melissa

OOOps! I am not sure how I did that, I lost one post, and then posted the same thing twice! I THINK that I got it all straight again.

Forgot to say, "HI ANNETTE!" (Waving wildly in a southery direction.) Annette was one of my roommates in college, and she knows that I speak the truth in the post about Janelle ! We had so much fun, and it was so nice to see her comment. Please keep commenting. It's nice to know that I am not talking to myself here! BTW, Annette, if you haven't read the book, "Eats, Shoots,& Leaves", PLEASE read this book, you have come to mind several times as I go through this fun title. You punctilious grammar stickler , you.

Race is trying to kill me. A long, slow , painful death-by -running. My legs are shot. I know you think that I am whining here, but, c'mon- YOU try running with a guy who's nick name is RACE BANNON. This is the man that has run the Marine Corps Marathon..twice. This is the guy who has taken on a 50 mile marathon! No, you read that right 50 miles! I am the girl who would fake sick in gym class! We went running together yesterday and today. Unfortunately, this may be the thing that strains our marriage beyond its breaking point. ;-) We ran/ walked yesterday for 50 minutes. (This is all done by rigid scheduling on Race's watch, Argh!) Then today, for fun, we "walked" the hill behind our house.....4 times. For those of you who have been to my house, you KNOW the hill that I am talking about. STEEP! STEEP! It goes from our back yard, through the woods and down to the creek. We would go down, then turn around and come straight up.
* Is swelling in the legs normal? *

How cool is THAT?

Race called just before Austin's game on Thursday night. He told us that he happened to be with the Pres. at the first Washington National's baseball game! Austin thought that it was pretty cool. Race said that he would rather be home watching Austin's game. I wonder if the hotdogs are as good there as the ones that they serve at our little Dixie Youth Ballpark? I bet that they cost more than $1.00!!!!
Well, we have no baseball this weekend, and the weather looks beautiful. Not sure how we'll spend it yet, but I know we're gonna be outside! Have a lovely weekend.

Cheers!
Melissa

I know that y'all are probably getting tired of baseball pictures, but, well SORRY. It's my blog. And that's MY boy! Check out these shots. It's great to have your own sports photographer!

Makin' the Play.

HE'S OUT!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NELLIE!!!!

Yes. Happy Birthday to my best friend Janelle!!

*We have been friends since the first grade. We took ballet together. As mere youngsters, we played brilliant practical jokes together on some unsuspecting victims of our class. Mothers frowned. We laughed.

*As we got a little older we schemed and plotted together about friends, and boys over tons of chocolate, a good movie, and Jolt cola. We laughed.

*We both had parents who owned thier own businesses, so we both enjoyed the matter of taking a twenty out of the cash drawer and throwing in a little slip of paper with our name on it. Others would look on in amazement at our "little luxury". We laughed.

*When we turned 16 we both got cars.....with our names on the license plates.

* She opened the doors of the fasion world to me and taught me the meaning of the percentage : (um...LAYAWAY!).

*She was in love with Duran Duran. I was in love with Bruce Springsteen. Though, my purely superficial love for Bruce, was not to be compared with her pure and undying love for Simon LeBon.

*We got boyfriends. We got heartbreaks. We cried (slightly)......and then we laughed some more (AT the ex-boyfriends, of course).

* We spent countless hours on the phone. Laughing and laughing.

*We went to each others private school graduations.

*We took our SAT's seperately...............but got the EXACT SAME score!

*We went to college together. And we ate LOTS of pizza together there, and laughed at our roommates.

* She was the first person that I called when Race popped the question.

*She was in my wedding. She forgot to straighten my train before I walked back down the aisle.

* I was in her wedding. I dropped the ring! (Thankfully, she laughed).

*There were pregnancies and baby showers, and then baby birthdays.

*There have also been funerals.

*We have traveled to the beach together.

*We have traveled to the U.K. together. We tooled around the english countryside (with Thomasina driving) with the only sounds being the bleating of the sheep and our own howling laughter.

*We know things about each other that we will take to our graves.

* To try and describe all of the incredible meals that we have shared together over the years would be impossible. She loves and appreciates good food like I do, and doesn't mind paying big $$ for excellent food and service. I love that.

She and her husband are now raising two beautiful little girls. They are dedicated parents, and they love the Lord.
She is the one person in the world who still makes me laugh more than anyone. And I don't mean chuckle, I mean the can't-stop-to-breathe-laugh. I love ya Nellie. Happy 29th Birthday. ( It's 29, right? Cuz we're the same age). Don't fall and break a hip.

Me, Janelle, and "Spotty" at the "Red Hart" pub, somewhere in the English countryside. (Thomasina took the pic., of course).

About Today..

There is some "shaking up" going on in my life right now, that I just don't know how to fix. I am not even sure how to PROCEED. And I don't know what the next step should look like, let alone where to place my footing for that step. I was reading The Immitation of Christ, by Thomas a'Kempis this morning and came upon this:

We lose true judgement through love of ourselves. But if God were always the intent of our desires, we should not so easily err in our own judgements, or be so readily troubled because our own will has been resisted.

And then further down in the same passage:

Almighty God wills that we be perfectly subject and obedient to Him, and that we rise high above our own will and our own reason by a great burning love and a complete desire for Him.

So. That's pretty tough isn't it? Rising high above our own will, and seeking God and God alone. But those are my thoughts as I head into the day. Putting God's will above my own, and just doing the next thing on the list, and then the next.


Speaking of "the list". Today we have ballet, Martial Arts, and baseball. All in different areas of town . We are not expecting Race to be able to make it in for the game tonight, and I am trying to decide if I will need liqouring up to make it through this one. (Kidding ,people. Just kidding)

Got some ADORABLE pictures in the mail of my "Big Boy" nephew Q (he's 4) yesterday. Thank-you so much Em.

I got word that Race's Mom and her husband "Wonderful Frank" will be headed our way soon for a visit. Looking forward to that, and so are the kids.

Have a wonderful day, the weather here, looks like it will be a nice one.
Melissa

Check out these pictures!

Thank-you, Thank-you Aunt Thomasina for these awesome pictures!
Enjoy,
Melissa

Makin' the play at first!

Taggin' em out at third!

Austin's Up to Bat! 

We met up with Races' friend on Sunday. We had a lovely time with he and his family. He was a navy seal, on Seal Team 6, and now he works for the fed's. It's funny, because he is a soft spoken, humble, totally unassuming guy. Super, Super people. We could have just scooped up their little ones and taken them home with us.

When we got home,Race and all 3 kids headed to our creek. They have been working on piling up rocks for a dam to raise the level in one spot. Hauling rocks in the water is a very good activity for young boys( Savannah returned to the house, unimpressed).
A little later, Savannah and I ran out to the store and picked up hot dogs & smore-makin's, while the guys got a campfire going. It was a lovely night. The stars were so bright, and I realized that my kids knew a LOT more about the constellations than I did! It was one of those evenings that you just don't want to end.

On Monday, Race left for work with 3 kids in tow. They were going to get to spend a night a Mam-maw and Pap-paws house! Leaving me............ALONE (insert hallelujah chorus here). They a are coming back home this afternoon and I have already heard that they fished, the went to the skating rink, AND Pap-paw took Austin out to a baseball field and pitched to him, hit him some balls to field, AND had Austin pitch to HIM! Austin was amazed. When asked about it, he said, "Pap-paw's good!".

While they were gone.....I cleaned. I entered THE BOYS ROOM (insert scary music here). Here are some things that you might find interesting:

* A boy would rather sleep on a broken bed that could collapse any moment, rather than to tell his parents that the bed had broken from being jumped on.

* Seven year old boys are amazingly strong, intelligent creatures. They can haul TONS of rock (each very precious and special) and stash it around their room undetected.

* a 1x4 makes a great tool for scraping out from under the culprit-boys' bed.

* Once items have been scraped out from under the bed, it will put any woman's sorting skills to the test: action figures, marbles, rocks, weapons...(for the action figures),unidentifiable junk, clothing, puzzle pieces, books, dinosaurs, cars,etc., etc.

*It's days like this that I thank the Lord even more for my daughter!


But, I got it done. And new chore lists are being drawn up first thing this morning. I DO NOT intend to let that get away from me again! (yeah, I am not even convincing MYSELF on that one). The new beds that had to be purchased ate up my lawn and garden fund.........but, these are much sturdier, and will look better than what they had. I ended the evening with a to-go salad from the Outback, a glass of wine, massive amounts of clean laundry to fold and the show "24".

O.K., Really Quick.....

We met some friends for breakfast yesterday. A good friend of race's who is in from Afghanistan for the week. Had a very nice visit with he and his wife and 3 small kids.
Savannah had ballet rehersal from 12 to 2. I got her to rehersal and then ran errands. She and I picked up lunch on the way home, and got back just in time to meet Mam-maw and Pap-paw, who came down for Austin's first baseball game. We got to visit with them for an hour or so before the game.
The baseball game was a double header, and we were there from about 4:30 till after 9pm. We ate corn dogs. We ate hot dogs. It got cold. We drank coffee. We drank hot chocolate. We huddled under blankets. We cheered.
Austins team won thier first game 16-3, and then lost the second 4-1. All I can say is that if I am going to be expected to come to these games, and watch my kid put so much pressure on himself (all the while having the time of his life, mind you), well, then, I am going to have to start carrying a flask with me, to spike my Dr Pepper when no one's looking. Seriously, I don't know if I can take it.
Today, we are off to meet some of Race's friends who are traveling through on thier way back to Kentucky. We are meeting them for lunch. I have never met them, so it should be a nice time. This is the friend who ran the 50 mile marathon with Race last year. We are looking forward to it. Gotta run.
Melissa

Well, the day yesterday didn't exactly turn out as planned.....it was better. The rain held off until late afternoon, so the kids and I ended up outside for most of the day. I made a dump run. YAY! Go ME! THEN, I actually got our shed in better order.(Notice I didn't say "cleaned out". That would be a task of gargantuan proportions.) I also planted 3 blueberry bushes, and surveyed the garden for it's up-coming tilling.

In taking time off from school work this month (we school through the summer months), we have noticed that a large amount of free time isn't sitting as well as it used to with Austin (13 yrs.). We don't like for the kids to have too much "screen time" (computer,t.v., nintendo) so we really limit that stuff. Austin still likes to read on his own, but I must say that the amount of time that he does this has greatly decreased since all things baseball have begun to crowd his mind. He needs more to do. What does he want to do? Play baseball. What else? Nothing as far as I can tell. So, what's a mother to do? At the moment, Dad is making it home for practices and things like that, but they don't get much time to do other "man-type things" (you know, like.....WORK). So, Race and I talked about it, and here is our short term soloution: A club house.... TO BUILD. The boys have been given our old chicken coop, which is just a frame of building with a roof that needs to be replaced. This weekend, we will be heading to Lowes for supplies, for Austin to begin working on it. He is thrilled. A Place of thier own! Now, there is an added bonus to this project for me: My avid reptile hunters now will have a place to confine all of thier critters (AWAY from the house). They have already started building shelves, and hauling aquariums and things out to the structure.

So, we will see how it goes. Austin is a very obedient, good natured child, and will do pretty much any work that I ask of him (without an attitude). He is also our chief "lawn man" all summer long. But I get the feeling that it's still-"Mom makin' me work". I think that he views it sort of like my hobby, instead of things that MUST be done. He only sees ME doing it, so he is thinking "Man, why can't you just be laid back like Dad!" LOL! What would YOU do??

The rain started late in the afternoon, and we got a call from Race to say that he was on his way home. When we knew that baseball practice was going to be cancelled, I made an executive decision, and CLEARED the schedule for the rest of the day. We didn't go to ANY lessons. We sayed home and had a really nice, home cooked family dinner. It was great, and very relaxing. We did our "High-Low" thing that we do at the dinner table. Everyone takes a turn and says thier "high" for the day, and thier "low" for the day,(dorky, but fun, and we've been doing it for the past 6 yrs.). The kids all said that thier "high" was having Dad at home.
It was a good day.
Cheers!
Melissa

Because of Winn Dixie

Thanks for all of the nice comments below. Thom and Em both remember the picture that I was referring to. It was one of my favorites for SO long, and I had it in a frame at the townhouse that we lived in after we got married. They would LOVE to see me post that picture here for their amusement. As I recall, I was wearing Make-up (au-naturel, of course), and my hair was curled, and Race had on some sort of madras plaid shorts. Too funny. I am curious to find the picture now.

After doing a ton of yard work yesterday, I took the kids out to see "Because of Winn Dixie". Savannah and her friend Tabitha had both just finished the book, so I thought that it would be a nice surprise. Thomasina was nice enough to come along. I was glad because this is the movie theatre where the creepy stalker guy was, and it's always nice to have another set of eyes(and another set of weapons;-)).

About the movie: Don't waste your money. Read the book. Can anyone explain the thinking behind things like this? The book is wonderful, wins awards, great story. They make a movie out of it. they CHANGE the story!!!! WHY DO THEY DO THAT??!! Argh. Anyway the kids all enjoyed going. They ate tons of popcorn, drank soda, and consumed the candy contraband that I had hidden in my pocketbook. Tabitha wanted to spend most of the time playing in the bathroom, which Savannah didn't really understand.She wanted to see the movie. I don't let kids go to the bathroom by themselves in the movie theatre,(this decision was reaffirmed by noting the unsavory folks hanging around the restrooms) so I spent quite a bit of time in the hall, while they giggled at the sinks in the restroom! I am quite sure that I NEVER did that at 10-11 yrs. of age!! (wink) They were happy. And I do believe that Jack has a pretty big crush on his sisters best friend. Too cute.

It looks like rain today, so maybe I will be able to force myself to do the inside house cleaning that has been neglected over the last few days. I will be assembling my cleaning crew shortly. They will be thrilled.(extreme sarcasm)

Race had to leave for work at 2 am this morning, and he will have to keep going through baseball practice tonight, which usually doesn't let out till 10pm.... then do it again on Friday. Our Hero.

Have a wonderful day,
Melissa

Well, sometimes, you just sit down to type, and nothing good will come out. It all sounds bitter, or whiney, or ungrateful. That's what happened to me over the weekend. Race and I had hit "survival mode". We were just putting one foot in front of the other trying to get by. The job is taking it's toll. We are ready for change, but so far, that opportunity is still in hiding. So, we were going along. Just making it. And then, through God's wonderful mercy, and through the prayers of others (you know who you are ;-)), we were blessed with a day like yesterday. A day so special that it is difficult to put into words. We saw a glimpse of the real RACE yesterday. We got far enough up into the mountains, away from EVERYONE and EVERYTHING that reality began to come back into focus, and all of the dry ,hard crust from the city where he works, began to crack and fall off. It was a great day from start to finish.
After our trek to the mountains, hiking and picnicing, we came home so that Savannah could go to Aunt Thomasina's for her art lesson, and the boys could get to Martial Arts and Jiu Jitsu. One of the great surprises for the boys was that Race took the adult Jiu Jitsu class with Austin yesterday. Race has been trained in the basics from one of his former jobs, so he was LOVING this class. The boys were REALLY proud. What a cool dad. When we got home, all of the men folk in our home went to baseball practice, and I went out to Thomasina's to pick up Savannah. I got to sit awhile and listen to Savannah share about her time with Aunt Thomasina, while Thom made the final preparations on a big pot of soup that she was making. For those who have never had the pleasure of tasting Thomasina's soups, you have my sympathy. This woman makes the BEST soups in the world. So, I got to sit and visit and eat her delicious home made soup, with a seafood salad ( she just whipped that right up), on a toasted whole wheat bagel. Lovely.
We ended the evening watching the last few minutes of the Amazing Race all together. Yeah, it was a great day from start to finish. We needed that. Race needed that. The pictures are below.
Enjoy the beautiful weather! I am going to catch up on some blog reading and emails, and then we are headed outside.
Melissa

I have a picture...SOMEWHERE....taken about 16 years ago, on this very same rock, in this very same pose, when Race and I were dating. Our good friend Tyler took the first one, and Savannah took this one. I am sure that you would love to see the old picture, but, well, no. Anyway, we look the same......nothing's changed ;-). 

Where we spent our day. 

Receiving safety instruction from former white-water raft guide, Race, about white- water safety. 

Gettin' in??? 

Wooooo..! That water's COLD! 

There was some of this........... 

Some of this. 

And This. My Fearless little one snatched up this garter snake in a flash! 

Savannah and Race  

It was a truly great day! 

Goin' For Coffee...

O.K. Check back in a few. I am waiting on coffee to brew. I am blogging AND uploading pictures. Now, aren't you just all breathless anticipation?!

Friday

We enjoyed watching the boys graduate to their next belt level so much! We are so proud!Way to go guys!! I posted some pictures below for you to see. It was hard to get any good photos because they move so fast, but thanks to Aunt Thomasina, we got a few good ones!
We went to lunch today, before the boys graduation, and this morning was spent with Race "rolling" with the boys in the living room. Race has already shared his secret fears with me, that Austin has become ALMOST too much for him to take in Jiu Jitsu. ACK! (Luckily for Race, A. doesn't know that yet!)
I can't wait to be able to post some pic.'s of Savannah at dance!
Have a great weekend!
Melissa

Go Austin ,Go!

Congratulations Austin! Good Work!

Congratulations Jackson! Good Work!

Awwww...THAT's MY BOY THROWING HIS FRIEND TO THE MAT!!

Fighting Stance!

Race is Home!

I was inspired by Dy's Blog over at Classical Adventures to post a few pic.'s from Jack's latest mud bath.
Race is home, so we are hoping to have a fun and productive weekend. The boys are graduating in Martial Arts to thier next belt level today, and A also tests for his first stripe in Jiu Jitsu. We are excited that Race will be here to see it. They've worked very hard for these belts. The tenets of the Black Belt are (Now, say this very loud) :"Modesty, Coutesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control". Good Stuff. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures this evening.
Have a great weekend!

Melissa

Prior to being forced to strip naked on the porch to run in "Straight to the tub!"......

Yeah. That's a 1 Gal. plant container on his head. No. I don't know why.

THE MUDDY DAYS OF MARCH!

First off I would like to say how thankful that I am for friends who will let you really whine and complain once in awhile, and just listen. I was having a particularly bad time of it this morning, and my friend Dy emailed and said, "Get your cup of coffee and call me". Thanks so much Dy, it really helped.

So, the Pope is now getting a feeding tube because of an inability to swallow. Irony??
My prayers go out to them all.

Jack started off Spring yesterday with a BANG. He was wrestling with his huge, overgrown lab puppy Scout, when he got bit. Just a "play bite", but still, it hurt. Then, about an hour later, he was stung by a wasp. This caused his siblings to break into a rendition from "The Sound Of Music" ("When the dog bites.....When the bee stings.....When I'm feeling sad.....), which made him laugh. Things began to look up (for him anyway) when he caught the first snake of the season. It was a little "brown snake" (I am not describing it, that's what type it is). The poor unsuspecting thing was trying to warm itself on the pavement of our driveway when it was apprehended and thrown into a cage. Oh, what glee! What joy! Happy is the boy who can catch snakes, lizards, and crawdads.
I went to Austin's baseball practice last night. I think it's going to be a really fun year. All of these long, lanky boys out there. They just love the game of baseball. (Oh, yeah, and....the kid is GOOD!) I met some of the other Mom's, and started learning the boy's names so that we can cheer them on in the coming weeks! We came home and watched the Amazing Race. I am so hooked on that show. It was an awesome finish last night, and Austin and I were yelling at the T.V. "GO,GO,GO!". (O.K. I just blogged about a TV show....I have no life.)
Savannah had a great time with Aunt Thomasina yesterday. She really looks forward to her art lesson, as well as just spending time by herself with Aunt T.
We are really missing Race this week. We are hoping for a long weekend together. I wish that the weather would cooperate, so that we could go down to the river and try out that new kayak!
Please pray for Dr. Jerry Falwell. He is back in the hospital in serious, but stable condition.
Have a great evening,
Melissa

HELLO. HAVE YOU SEEN ME?

Actually, I mean ME. This little fella whose name is "Brownie" (of course), is somewhere in our basement.

Belated Birthday Wishes to Aunt Jane & Aunt Nancy

Well, I will be 29 this year, so you gals must be......what?........... early 40's? Happy Birthday!


If you haven't seen the pictures yet, you MUST click on the links for Thomasina and Emily's blogs :

A Day In The Life

Me and The Guys

Have a great day! It looks like it will be a beautiful one.

Cheers!
Melissa

A Great Family

Mam-maw and Pap-paw arrive bearing gifts. Mom brought me a lovely ivy plant, and some glasses that have been in our family ever since I can remember. She also brought the now- famous pea salad that was first made by Uncle Gary, then carried on by Aunt Jane, and now Mom makes it. (Someone correct me if I am wrong on the pea salad passage). Mam-maw of course brought all of the kids little Easter gifts, chosen especially for each of them.
One of the other things that I love about Mom and Dad is that, no matter what you say....THEY ALWAYS HELP. Seriously. No matter what. And I mean it's the stuff no one wants to do: the trash, the dishes, etc. Ahhh...everyone should be so lucky to have such guests!
When Em, Todd and the boys arrive......the party has started. They always come in with such energy, and it just seems to get everything started. And those boys are just the absolute cutest!! It's just not the same until they get there. How Em manages to get those little ones out of the house so clean and dapper looking, I'll never know. They brought bags of Easter candy for the kids, and Q had made a special Easter egg for everyone in the family, which he handed out SO thoughtfully. Em always does the Easter Egg Hunt. Her spirits weren't even hampered by the dreary rain outside.........she hid eggs for the kids in the house. They loved it!
Thomasina arrives (fashionably late as always) with the most lovely pile of beautiful lemon bundt cakes that you have ever seen, (which TOTALLY makes up for being late). They were all drizzled with lemon icing, and had daffodils tucked beautiully among the cakes! And yes, they were as delicious as they looked! She brought Easter baskets for all of the nieces and nephews. All 5 of them! ALL of the kids love her. She brought me a lovely bouquet of daffodils, and a bag of English toffee. Thomasina also got some AWESOME pictures of everyone. We finally got one of all the grandkids.
After everyone arrives, we say the blessing, and EAT. I LOVE it that my family loves to eat. We eat, we talk, and we laugh......loudly. I love it. I learned as a small child being raised in a proper southern home, that fullness has nothing to do with eating.....you eat till you're tired.....you rest, and then you eat some more. And if you leave hungry? Well, that's your fault.

The Menu:
Roast Beef w/ horseradish sauce
Fried cabbage (you know w/ bacon, sugar etc.)
Deviled eggs
Macaroni and Cheese (home made, of course)
Buttered Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Biscuits
Potato salad
Pea salad
Glazed Carrots

For Dessert:
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Chocolate Eclaire Pie
Easter Cupcakes
Lemon Bundt Cakes
200+ lbs. of Easter candy

We washed it all down with iced tea, lemonade, and coffee.

It was a great time, and I always look forward to it. We were happy to have Race home for easter. I am indeed blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Jelly Beans Anyone?
Melissa

HAPPY EASTER

I am resting. Here for your viewing pleasure is a photo journal of our Easter. We had a wonderful time with the family. I am hoping that Thomasina will post some of the pictures that she took of all the kids.

Matthew 28: 6 "He is not here, for He is risen..."

Dying easter Eggs.

The Baskets

Children in Easter garb on the way to Church.

The Food.

The Fam.

More fam.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACE!!!

Are you ready for the surprise?? It was a ..................KAYAK!!! Yep. When Race got home yesterday (after his 4 hr drive), the boys led him into the house, made him close his eyes, and led him into the living room. He opened his eyes to see a brand new, bright yellow KAYAK, along with it's supplies taking up our whole living room. Above it was hanging a huge Happy Birthday Sign (made by Savannah). He was SOOooo surprised!!! He LOVED it! We can't WAIT to get in the water! I made the executive decision to skip Martial Arts yesterday, and I am so glad that we did. It worked out great, because we got to spend the whole evening with Race. He took both boys out to baseball practice, and then we they got home (at 10:00 pm!!) we had the chocolate cake that the kids and I made.
I will post a picture soon.


Poor Race had to get up at 2 am this morning to get back on the road. He will be home on Saturday. We all really had a great evening yesterday, and our gift to Race really lifted his spirits. He loves stuff like that, you know.......toys.

As I review all that needs to be done by Sunday, and knowing that Saturday will be a day of mostly cooking and baking (which I LOVE), I am thinking that I may need to talk to our principal about having a Teachers Workday today. Hmmm.....

BTW, as an aside, I'll bet that you didn't know that you could do school in a kayak did you? Jack did all of his lessons yesterday sitting in the kayak in the living room.

OMgoodness, I almost forgot. Last night , right before bed, Jack was hogging the upstasirs bathroom for a Loooong time. He was making jokes (of course) about being in there so long, but still the door did not open. Then, he came downstairs to OUR bathroom. I said, "Whatcha doin?" He replied, "Oh nothin' just have to get something". I hear the water running loudly. He tries to go quickly past our bedroom, and cringes when I say "Hey, wait a sec. Come here." He walks back into our room sheepishly, and that's when I see that his shirt is covered (O.K. not covered, but smeared considerably), with blood. Calmly, Race and I look at each other. Race says , "So what happened here?" Jack didn't even know all the blood was on his shirt......he was pleasantly surprised to see THAT. He had been using his pocket knife, and it slipped and cut his thumb. I guess he thought that we would wisk away that pocket knife forever, so he tried to hide it. It was a pretty good cut too. He had cleaned it and applied, Oh....I don't know......about 10 band-aids to it, and a hair elastic applied over the top for a turnicate. We took care of the cut, and talked a little about "deceiving", (which, incidently had been part of our Bible lesson that morning), and let it go. He scurried off upstairs to show Austin and Savannah his " cool bloody shirt". When I asked to see his pocket knife, it had blood all over the blade, Jack could see me eyeing it, and he said, "That didn't happen from the cut ,Mom." "I actually smeared that on there." " Um, why??", I ask. "I dunno, I just thought that it would be cool". And I was asking prayer requests for the OTHER boy?????????
(FYI- Jack's (now blood-stained) knives are each about 3 in long,closed. They are boy scout-type. He carries them on a long "dog-tag"- like chain around his neck, inside his shirt. And he HAS been taught knife safety by Race. He was working on dissecting a baseball when he slipped up. Lesson learned. It's gonna be sore today!)

Have a great day !
Melissa

And a thank-you

I also wanted to say a big "thank-you" for all of the comments on my "prayer requests" post. Thanks for the kind words, the encouragement, and most of all the prayers.
And Grandmama, yes, Austin does remind me very much of his Dad. Thank-you again. I am going to try to put together a proper Bible lesson/devotional for Maundy Thursday for the kids.
Cheers!
Melissa

A mix

Well yesterday was a mix. It rained most of the day. I did my taxes in the morning. Blech. We went out to run errands in the afternoon. Race's birthday is Friday, but because of work, we will be celebrating today. So one of our errands was to get a really special birthday gift for Race. The kids and I have stewed over this decision for days. We really wanted to surprise him. I believe that we will succeed! He is going to FLIP when he sees what we got for him. I can't say what it is yet, because he may read the blog while he is at work. You have no idea how hard it is to surprise him! The kids and I are very excited about it.

We were at the mall yesterday waiting for the boys to get out of the baseball card store, when I started feeling really sick. We headed home without accomplishing much more than the birthday gift. I was sick for the rest of the day. (Maybe it was the taxes?). Anyway the kids helped me out so much. They were SO sweet. Savannah unloaded the dishwasher, Austin loaded it up again, and Jack? Well, he stayed out of trouble. Ahhhh.....good kids. I was feeling a smidge better by bedtime so we did some reading out loud from some of our library books. Everyone ended up going to bed, as usual with a book, books or a book on tape. Austin is reading "Inkheart", Savannah is reading.....Ack.....I forgot the title. Anyway, she is reading a book AND listening to "Erragon" on tape. Jack and I read "Trupp", "The Leprechauns Story", and "How The Chipmunk Got his Stripes". So, the day ended on a good note, and I was out like a light EARLY. Feeling better today, and I am thankful.....cause we've got work to do!!!!! We have lessons, ballet, Martial Arts, Jiu Jitsu, baseball, a cake to bake and a birthday party to throw!!!
Have a great day,
Melissa

Some Prayer Requests

Several things have my attention right now, and if you pray, I sure would appreciate a few.

A boy named R. is in the adult Martial Arts class with Austin. This boy at 15, is taller than ANY of the adults in the class, and he outweighs Austin by a ton. I mean this boy is BIG. Austin has been trying to defeat this boy for weeks in Jiu Jitsu.
For some background, they all choose a partner and they "roll" (Think :wrestling wearing white gi's) for about 8 min. then they all switch partners and go again for another 8 min. This goes on for about an hour. Anyway, every chance Austin would get, he would choose R. as his partner, determined to "tap him out". And R., using his size and weight, would basically just throw him around. Now, Austin can roll with the best of them in that class, but he could not figure out how to defeat this boy. It happened again and again. He knows that in Jiu Jitsu, there is a move to defeat every other move. He kept trying. Race was there to watch. When we got home Austin had to get ready for baseball practice. He went straight in and laid down on our bed to talk to Race about what was clearly bothering him. They talked. The next thing I knew they were in the middle of the living room "rolling", with Race showing him that in his haste to defeat R., he had forgotten a few of the basics. He was frustrated, and wanted to continue working on it, but it was time to go to practice. When I went upstairs to help him find his baseball pants, he was visibly upset. I was stunned, I didn't know what was wrong (being of the female species). After we talked to him, it seems that all of this was about not being able to defeat R. . I can't believe it. Not Austin! He has never showed even the first competitive bone in his body. But it's more than that. Austin KNOWS that he has more talent, trains harder and longer than R. . It isn't R. that he is really competing against, it is himself. He wanted to prove to himself (and probably to Race), that all his training was worth it. He was so upset that he didn't want to go to baseball practice. Race talked to him, and really helped him (Thank-you God, that Race was home), and they went to practice (which was cut short due to rain).
I am amazed at this whole thing. I can't believe that Austin has put that much pressure on himself. I was shocked, impressed, worried.......
Please pray that I will know how to guide this growing boy. To help him to turn to the Lord in prayer before things become more than he can bear. To help him to see the promises of God, and to claim them. Austin has a good heart, and his faith is very strong. I see a need though. Please pray that the these experiences will ultimately be used to draw him closer to the Lord.
My other prayer request is for Race and I. Please pray for guidance, as we seek out the next step in our lives. Pray for Race. For his faith, for persistence, for strength. He is wearing down and I can see it. I am concerned. He is currently working an average of 65 hrs. per week NOT including his drive. He is still recovering from a 7 hr time difference. No hope for vacation or time off at the moment. He left for work this morning, and will be back Thurs. for Austin's practice. He is just so down. We need to make some changes, we WANT to make some changes, but everything seems to have come to a stand-still. Pray for wisdom as we seek His will.

Well, that sure did get long! Today is our "day off", so hopefully we can get a few things done. We also need to make a library run.
Have a great day,
Melissa

Ahhhh...just like a Jane Austin novel...the sport persued by all proper young ladies.