Music

I am so excited that I now have music on my blog!  It will start playing as soon as the page loads.  If you don't like it, or you are at work, you can turn it off.  

Pray

Here is an email I got from Sonya this morning:

"Momma called & said that she just spoke with Danita. Steve has an obstruction in his liver. They are going to try some things to slow it down – which will by him a little more time. If they are unable to slow it down, they’re expecting him to only last a couple of more weeks. They’ve not told Nanna yet because she’s driving herself to go get her hair cut & they don’t want her driving while upset. Momma said that Danita was a basket case when she called Momma."

Steve is my mom's brother and Danita is one of her sisters.

10 Thing I Love that Begin with "P"

Over on Shannon's blog (http://shanny.wordpress.com/) she listed 10 things she loves that begins with the letter N. She told her readers to let her know if we wanted to play along. I think it's a great idea, and wanted to play. So, I got the letter P from Mrs. Shannon. This list is no particular order and I was hungry at the time and had to fight myself for this not to be an all food list!

1) Pajamas. Love a good pair of comfortable pj's.
2) Pizza. I think I could eat some kind of pizza everyday. My favorite is the supreme from Sidestreet Pizza in Tryon. They have more toppings than crust. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
3) Pink. The color not the singer. Jenny said once that I am such a girl, she was going to make me a pink cape.
4) Pictures. I love playing around with the kids and a camera.
5) Pickles. I have always loved pickles. Those of you who know my pickle story can skip this part if you want: When I was little my dad's parents owned a house at Lake Waterree (sp?) and we would go there all the time. It stormed one night and the power went out. Doris, my granny's sister, made the best homemade pickles ever! My cousin's wife was opening a jar just as the power went out and I was sitting in the floor at her feet. Right after the power went out, I asked her for a pickle and she said they were gone. The woman inhaled a whole jar of pickles in less than a minute. I am still upset about it!
6) Punches for paper. They are just making my cards look awesome.
7) Popcorn. Preferably with M&Ms.
8) Pillows. Soft, fluffy pillows.
9) Pedicures. I don't get them like I would love to, so that makes each one a bigger treat.
10) People watching. I could sit in a mall or somewhere busy and just watch people.

If you want to play along, leave a comment here letting me know and I will give you a letter.

Quote of the Day

This is the conversation that took place in the car this morning on the way to school:

Bri: "I like our new music room. It's cool."
Me: "That's good. Is it big?"
Bri: "It has quite an odor though. Ms. Seckler has used Lysol and Febreeze. I think she needs some OdoBan, it takes care of the Littles poop smells."

That child cracks me up! She's funny without knowing she is funny.

Just Another Manic Monday

Now you're singing the Bangles song, right?! Today was a DAY and a half. It started with ants in the kitchen. Brian sprayed them with some ant killer, after dropping Bri off at school I came home, vaccumed them up and mopped the floor. If you have never vaccumed your floor, it's the best way to clean floors, no sweeping and trying to get it all in the dust pan. My sitter, Ruby taught me that. Then the ants started coming in the front from somewhere! I vaccumed up ants all flippin day! Finally got them killed, after they got all in the carpet. I hate having a bug of any kind in the house, but ants were all over the place. Alex and Olivia were my official ant watchers. They would tell me when I needed to suck an ant up! The ants are all gone now, so all is good in the Taylor house.

I took the kids to the Central Homecoming game. Alex had a great time watching Maranda cheer. He "played" football on the bleachers.

I tried a new recipe tonight and it was way yummy and easy to fix. It's a Pampered Chef recipe, and the only thing I don't like about their recipes is they tell you which of their products to use to chop an onion or mix something. Anyway, here's the recipe:

Deluxe Cheeseburger Salad

4 sesame seed hamburger bun tops
1 small red onion, divided
2 plum tomatoes
3/4 lb. ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup finely diced dill pickles
3/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. mustard
8 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Slice bun tops into 1/4 inch strips. Arrange on baking pan, bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cool completely.

Slice half of the onion crosswise into thin rings. Remove and discard stems from tomatoes; cut tomatoes into quarters. Set onion and tomatoes aside.

Cook ground beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Chop remaining onion half. Finely dice pickles. Combine chopped onion, pickles, ketchup and mustard. Add cooked ground beef; mix well.

To serve, arrange lettuce on large serving platter. Spoon beef mixture over lettuce. Top with cheese, tomatoes and sliced onion. Arrange hamburger buns around edge of platter.

This was really good! Brian thought it was something else, but he liked it. I thought it might be a little gross with the ketchup and mustard, but it was really good! I didn't make the hamburger croutons. Alex was excited about the tomatoes, and that's all he wanted to eat.

Weekend Update

We had a VERY busy weekend.  On Friday I washed clothes to get them ready for the consignment shop.  After Zack and Olivia left, Brianna and I blew up the air mattresses and had a movie night.  That is becoming one of our favorite activities, fast.   I didn't sleep well Friday night, someone knocked on our door late Friday night and it scared Brianna and me to death.  

Saturday it took us a while to get moving, Brian had to remove 3 splinters from Alex's foot, and then we went to a hot dog fundraiser for Mr. David's brother who has cancer.  Then we had to run a couple of errands.  After coming home and relaxing for a few minutes, it was time to cook supper. I tried a new recipe and it was not good, so I won't be posting it.  Then we had to make a BJ's run. On the way home, we remembered we had to go buy Brian some new clothes.  If you haven't heard, Brian got a new job, he is now an engineer at Siemens and he starts on Wednesday. Anyway, he has to wear dress pants and dress shirts, so we had to go buy some.  

Church on Sunday was good.  Jimmy's message was good, Travis did a great job teaching the middle schoolers.  Travis taught about being fake and acting differently around different groups of people.  Why do we do that?  Why do we act differently for friends, family, and at church?  After church we went on the search for Brian's clothes.  We got everything we need at Kohl's.  Alex had to go to the bathroom twice, Brianna once, it was quite an adventure.  After buying his clothes, we went to unload pumpkins at R2C2's pumpkin patch.  It went so quick. There was a great system this year and a ton of volunteers.  I couldn't believe how many people there were.  They got finished unloading and taking a picture about 5 minutes before it started pouring rain.  I can't wait for Friday when Rock Group will meet at the pumpkin patch. In October we move our meeting place there.  I love being out there at night, especially if we can build a fire!  

Saturday is April and Brandon's wedding!  I am so excited for those two.  I am trying a couple of new recipes this week, hopefully better than the one I tried on Saturday, so be on the lookout for those recipes.  

Dreadful Dentist

I had to go to the dentist yesterday. I honestly HATE going to the dentist, especially after my deep cleaning in March. When I got there there was a new hygienist and she was super nice. Until she mentioned that we would be finishing my deep cleaning. I think I had an anxiety attack. I told her the other lady had done the whole mouth last time, that's when she freaked out. Apparently you are only supposed to do half of the mouth at a time and supposed to be numb. Neither of those things happened for me in March. So, she did some more xrays and figured out for herself that indeed my whole mouth had been deep cleaned. So, I just had a normal cleaning. What a relief!

Last night I went to Taco Bell and The Vibe with my girls from church. It was so much fun. Becca and Catelyn were brave enough to try out the trampoline, bungee cord thing. I think everyone had a great time.

This morning Joey came over for a toga, this week is spirit week at Central and today is Toga Day. After he left the kids had to have a toga too.

Cracks Me Up

This commercial just makes me laugh everytime I see it.  

Monday Stuff

Yesterday was a true Monday.  Before 1:00 I had to do some preschool stuff with The Littles, wash laundry, walk on the treadmill (which turned into a run cause I was MAD), get a shower, get The Littles a nap, and get them ready to take Bri to the doctor.  Then at the doctor's office we had to wait for 30 in the exam room before the doctor showed up.  Last night I was excited about new shows coming on.  I love this time of year when there are no more reruns.  We watched The Big Bang Theory and then at 9, I watched Heroes.  Amos got me addicted to Heroes and I normally don't understand the first few episodes  of the season, then things start clicking into place.  Last night was no exception.  I was a little confused.  

I weighed in yesterday and lost 2 more pounds.  I did pretty well last week.  There was ice cream in the house and that is always a downfall for me.  I don't think there is anymore, so no more afternoon ice cream.  But there are cupcakes.  Yesterday was Olivia's birthday and she wanted chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing.  I think I am going to send the rest of the cupcakes with Brian to work tomorrow.  I just can't resist, I think chocolate should be a food group, for me it is.  

Brianna is supposed to go to my mom's this weekend to watch Adrienne on homecoming court. The weatherman is calling for rain, so don't know if she will go or not.  She doesn't know about it, so she won't be disappointed.  

I have a prayer request for you guys.  My dad's friend Jimmy Walls had back surgery in Asheville on Friday and is not doing well.  I got an email from my mom this morning saying he is having some complications, some swelling, and they have all kinds of tubes in him.  His back is fine, but it seems to be other things that are causing the problems.  Jimmy is the Assistant Chief at my dad's fire department and his boys are the ones that the Puddin Boys festival is in memory of.  I just pray that his doctors figure out what is causing all these problems and can fix it.  I also pray that his wife Doris stays safe and strong while he is in the hospital.  

Kids

Brianna playing with her Barbies.

Alex playing the guitar!
Bri learning how to use the power washer.
Alex riding his motorcycle.
Alex wanted to take a picture.

Busy Weekend

We had a very busy weekend.  Friday night was Rock Group.  We didn't have a lesson or anything, just sat and talked.  It's so nice to really get involved with them.  I have to say, they have become our Concord family.

Saturday Brianna and I went to the consignment sale at Harrisburg UMC.  I love going there to get clothes for the kids.  Those ladies do a GREAT job.  Brianna is a good shopper too.  All I have to do is show her where the racks are with her size on them and away she goes.  We spent $81 for three arm loads full of clothes.  Then, we headed to Daddy's fire department for the 3rd annual Puddin Boys festival. It's a scholarship fundraiser in memory of Pete and Brian Walls, both firemen, who passed away. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.  We saw a lot of people we hadn't seen in a while, some we wanted to see, some we didn't.  We didn't get to see Nana though.  She still has shingles and the pediatrician said it wouldn't be a good idea for Alex to be around her, he could get Chicken Pox from her.  

Adrienne playing ball with Alex. Let me tell you Adrienne is one great kid.  She is going to set this world on fire!  

I saw the lady who used to babysit both Sonya and me. She is using a walker to walk now.  I got in the only fight I have ever been in at her house.  My friend Leah and I beat up Brian Radford, who was mean as a snake.  Ruby let us beat the snot out of him too.  I don't remember a lot from when I was little, but most of what I do remember happened at her house.  She had some woods behind her house and we used to spend hours up there playing and telling ghost stories.  I got most of my skinned knees and elbows in those woods.  

Sunday we had church.  The sermon was good, but Robin did an awesome job putting together a power point for our MS girls.  It really got them talking and not about random stuff, but about the topic.  After church and a quick nap we went to Olivia's birthday party.  The princess herself!  

Yep, that's Jeff with a Hannah Montana wig on!  Olivia got it for her birthday and she was a little freaked out by it.  So, Jeff put it on.  

Today is Olivia's birthday.  Happy 3rd birthday Little Miss!  

My Jesus

I love this song.

Blisfully Unaware

I realized in the last few months that I liked my church more when I didn't know what was going on. When I showed up and listened to the sermons and served once a month in the nursery. Don't get me wrong, I like my church and love the people I have met there, especially my Rock Group. You can't get any better than The Friday Night Lights. But, yes there is a but, it makes me sad to know that people no longer come to our church because their emails weren't answered or they never got a response from the Connection Card they filled out. Here's my solution to this: I am going to take care of my middle school girls and the people I love and care about. That's all I can do.

I watched the first episode of The Biggest Loser on Tuesday and it scared me to death. There was a lady on there that was the same weight as I am and they showed her what her organs looked like. Holy cow! It was enough to motivate me even more. I have been doing a great job this week and last. I am walking on the treadmill everyday and thinking about what I eat and making sure I stick to my plan. I even lost 6 pounds last week! I just don't want to be like this anymore. I am sick and tired of myself. I threw away all of my fat clothes, so I have to keep my weight in check or I am going to be wearing a lot of sweat pants.

On a much better note gas dropped 20 cent yesterday at the BP I pass every morning!

Two New Recipes

Here are two recipes we have tried in the last couple of days:

CrockPot Bacon and Cheese Chicken

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

12 pieces cooked and crumbled bacon

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup Ranch salad dressing

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Put the olive oil in the bottom of crock pot. Place chicken on top of oil.

In a small bowl, combine teriyaki sauce and ranch dressing. Pour over chicken. Add the cheese and bacon, getting between chicken, if possible.

Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 3-4.

This was good. Brian wished I had made some rice or something for the sauce.

Quick Club Quesadillas

8 slices bacon, cooked

8 sliced deli turkey breast

4 large flour tortillas

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 cup shredded lettuce

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup Ranch dressing

Place 2 pieces of bacon and 2 slices of turkey in the middle of each tortilla. Top with tomato, lettuce and cheese. Fold in half. Cook each tortilla in a skillet on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side or until crispy and golden brown. Cut tortilla in wedges. Serve each with 1 tablespoon of Ranch for dipping.

We loved, loved, loved these. I would make sure you have plenty of ingredients before you start. I ran out of tortillas and had to substitute a whole wheat Flat Out and it was yummy! Bri took one for lunch today.

Pictures from the Weekend

Here are some pictures from the weekend.  While we were at Siemens we took the kids to the airport to watch the planes take off and land.  

Playing at Toys R Us.  I told you he was obsessed with motorcycles.  

Yes, that's a light saber, no Alex did not get it.  We were afraid we would all need helmets if he brought that home.  He did hav an awful good time with it in the store, but we had to keep an eye on him, or get knocked out!  

The white plane was HUGE.  We were ready to go, but had to watch it take off.  It made the other planes look like toys.  Brian wondered if it was an air bus.  

Weekend

We had a whirlwind of a weekend. It seems like we had no down time at all. Saturday we had a fish fry at Siemens. The kids got gift cards for Toys R Us for bringing posters, so we just had to go spend them. Bri got some new Littlest Pet Shop toys and Alex got a helmet. He is obsessed with motorcycles lately and needed a helmet.

Sunday was church. I don't know how the service went, I missed both. But, Robin and I did get to meet with our girls! It was so fun. I can't wait to start teaching them and letting them teach me. After church we went to Michaels, I got a Cuttlebug! I am so excited. Really can't wait to make some cards with it. Then we rented a carpet cleaner and got to work on our nasty carpets. Those two things made my week! It doesn't take much to make me happy, a new toy and clean carpet.

Tomorrow Joey and Liz will come over for supper. We are having Brown Sugar Chicken, we love it and I can't wait for them to try it.

What Happened??????

What happened to my sweet little Brianna that never caused us any trouble?  Something did!  In the last few weeks she has gotten to big for her britches, that's a good Southern phrase that means she is basically being a butthead.  She has started demanding things and if you tell her no, she will ask again.  If you ask her to do something, she rolls her eyes and says she doesn't want to Yesterday, while I was in the shower she opened the door when someone knocked on it.  It's like she has been posessed or lost her mind!  She decided her own punishment for opening the door, no TV for a week.  It's probably better than what Brian and I would have come up with.  I have also given her the chore of washing dishes.  I cut my finger and had to have a steri strip put on it, which means, I couldn't get it wet.  So, she washed dishes for me, thought it was fun.  When she found out this is a new chore for her, she is trying her best to get out of it.  She is making a mess and not cleaning the dishes like they should be, so I am watching and if it's not clean, she washes it again We don't have to hand wash a lot of dishes, we have a dishwasher, which she is now loading and helping unload.  I am going to work this new attitude out of her.  

7 Years

7 years ago today I was laying in the bed watching Brianna play as we listened to the radio.  The DJ's interrupted a song to tell everyone to turn on their televisions.  On the TV, I could not understand what was happening.  The World Trade Center was on fire, as I continued to watch, a plane slammed into the other building.  I still did not understand what was happening. Brian was at work at Corning.  There were reports of two more crashes and planes being grounded and told to land, reports of missing planes, they could not find or could not communicate with.  On that day 2,795 people lost their lives.  I still did not understand what was happening as two buildings fell to the ground.  What in the world?  I don't remember what reporters said about what was happening, I do remember Dan Rather crying as he was reporting.  I remember calling Nana to tell her happy birthday and she said, "What a day."  I finally began to understand that someone had done this on purpose, who would do that?  Brian and I talked to each other on the phone several times, him wanting updates and me wanting him to come home.  I talked to my mom several times, wanting to be with her and Daddy.  I prayed, something I had not done in a long time.  I prayed for protection for the firemen running into the buildings.  I prayed for the kids whose parents were on those planes or in those buildings.  I prayed in the following days for the loved ones who were praying for someone to walk out of the rubble or be an unnamed in the hospital.  I think our lives changed that day.  I know that it is something I will NEVER forget.  
The events of that day was what prompted us to return to church.  

The phone poll on Channel 9 today is, Do you feel safer from terroritsts today than you did 7 years ago?  I don't.  7 years ago, I would never have dreamed of a terrorist attack on US soil.  I would never have thought that someone could learn how to fly a plane in the US and use that knowledge to shatter us.  

On a much lighter note today is Nana and Grandma's birthday's.  You all know who Nana is, she is my grandmother and Grandma is Brian's grandmother who lives in St. Louis.  

Did You Know?

I'm sure you all know this, but Jenny introduced me to one of the best deals around.  Bloom has certain items on sale on specific days for $4.88.  On Saturday, it's pizzas from the deli and on Sunday it's a rotisserie chicken.  We don't get the Bloom sales paper on a regular basis, so I didn't know this.  Anyway, I checked it out online and am really excited.  We love to eat pizza and it's always cheaper to get one at the grocery store rather than ordering from Papa John's.  We also like rotisserie chickens, sounds like a good after church lunch, since it's on the way home!  

Confession

Okay, I have something to confess to all of you, I have OCD.  This is just my professional opinion. If a light is off, the switch must be down. These two and three way switches in my house drive me nuts.  When we first moved into this house one of the switches for the kitchen was in upside down, it just about drove me crazy.  I was asking Brian what was wrong with it, and he said it was in upside down.  I made him flip it.  We have a three way switch for the living room and every now and then Brian will turn the light on with the switch that we never use.  I think he does this just to sit back and watch me.  

I am also weird about plans.  I am such a planner.  I'm not all that organized, but plan.  If something happens to interrupt the plans, I will go with the flow, not weird like that.  It's not like I freak out or anything.  I just want to be prepared for whatever.  I also hate to be late, that's my parents fault.  They always told us, "If you're not 5 minutes early, you are late."  I have also noticed that the older I get, the more I notice these quirks.  

Alex and I had an awesome breakfast this morning at the Wayside Express on 29.  We split a livermush and egg sandwich.  Soooo, good.  If you didn't grow up eating livermush, I'm sorry. My kids have to eat livermush if they want to live in this house ;).  Alex got to see two of his favorite people, Mrs. Ellie and Ms. Ginger.  Mrs. Ellie works at the On the Go and Ms. Ginger works at the Wayside attached to the On the Go.  Wayside has some of the best tea around.  Someone asked Alex this morning if it was sweet tea, is there any other kind?  

Weekend

We had a great weekend.  It started with having Rock Group on Friday.  Our food theme was beans.  Mrs. Wanda made a pinto bean cake, yep, cake, like dessert.  Before you start, it was really good.  You couldn't taste the beans at all.  

Saturday, I took Bri to school.  Then we did nothing.  I mean nothing.  Brian and I wore our pajamas all day.  I finally got ready to go to Jenny's around 4 in the afternoon.  It was nice just having a day with nothing to do, especially since the next 3 or 4 weekends are busy.  Saturday night I went to Jenny's to learn about digital scrapbooking.  I am NOT a scrapbooker, but think I could do this.  Of course there were other projects that could be done with the program besides scrapbooks.  It was such a great time sitting and talking.  

Sunday we had a great church service.  I didn't get to listen to Jimmy's sermon, I went to 252. But afterwards we had baptism.  I love baptism services.  Nicole decided at camp that she wanted to be baptized, so she got dunked.  There were also several adults that got baptized.  I think I cried through the entire thing.  For adults and older "kids" I think baptism means a little more to them.  It's something they will always remember.  Bri told me she was proud of Mrs. Carol.  Sherry and Donnie and Amy and Jody got baptized, what an awesome thing to share with your spouse.  

Afterwards we went to the fair.  I love going to the fair.  It was HOT, but we had a great time. As long as I get a candy apple, I am a happy camper.  The kids had to have some cotton candy and Brian was on the search for the best lemonade.  We got to see the new piglets that were born on Saturday.  They were so tiny.  The kids got to pet a baby goat.  Then, we scrubbed their hands. Bri had a great time riding rides with Becca.  They are both silly and were having a good time.  I was in charge of them, Brian was with Alex and Robin was with Maranda and Kaylee.  I have to say the Bri and Becca were cracking me up.  I think I had the best job.  

If you are reading this and you own or have used a Cuttlebug, will you please let me know how you like it or what you didn't like about it?  I am thinking about getting one to make my cards better and REALLY need some feedback on them.  

 

I was told at Bri's back to school night that real third grade starts today, so I am expecting more homework this afternoon.  I hope so, so we can finally get in some sort of routine around here.  

Water Day

The leaders of the K-5 grade ministry did an awesome job of the annual Water Day. Brianna had such a great time. I had to leave her there, we had Rock Group, so Ms. Robin and Becca brought her home. Apparently she dumped ice cream on Jessie, sorry about that Leigh. She said she got Travis good and wet with a bucket full of water. Anyway, I know Bri had an awesome time. You guys always make sure the kids have a good time and I know you don't get many thank yous. So, as a parent, I want to say thank you for teaching Bri about God and adding a little fun in with it! I don't worry about her when she is with you guys and pray for you all daily.

I found out last night that my grandmother, Nana, has shingles. I have not talked to her yet, just my mom. I have heard that shingles are painful and just can not stand the fact that this is causing her pain. I know my mom is taking great care of her.

Mr. and Mrs.

Alex has started calling Olivia Ms. Olivia. It's so funny. He figured out that he is a Mr. so he will say his name is Mr. Alex. It amazes me that last year at this time I was worried about him not talking. Now he can carry on full conversations.

Looking forward to the fair this weekend. We try to go the first weekend, it's a good thing we are this year, next weekend is busy.

I am so tired today and I still have to clean the kitchen and fold towels.

I am not a very political person but am trying to become as informed as I can for the upcoming election. I have watched both parties conventions and I must say that I really like Sarah Palin. I think it's the whole mom thing. She has never claimed to be anything other than a mom first and a governor or mayor last. I also liked that when she introduced her husband on Wednesday, she said he was still her guy. Her youngest daughter cracked me up licking her hand and trying to get the baby's hair to stay down. At least she wasn't licking her thumb to get something off his face. I used to hate it when Momma did that! I liked certain moments of both conventions and by no means am I trying to convince anyone to vote for one person or another, I don't even know who I am voting for right now. But, I am trying to convince you to vote. Daddy used to tell us, "If you don't vote, you have no right to complain." This will be one of the most historical elections in our country's history: either a black president or a woman VP. Despite your party affiliations, don't you want to be able to tell your children and grandchildren about the role you played in this! Register to vote! If you are registered, vote!

Weather

I have loved the weather the last two mornings. When we walked out to take Bri to school, the air was crisp. I love the fall, the humidity is low, the mornings are chilly, and a good cup of coffee feels good in your hands. If the weather was like that all the time, I would be a happy camper!

I am so bummed that I won't get to hang out with my middle school girls on Sunday. It has been pushed back until next Sunday. But Robin and I will be extra prepared and ready to go!

Balloons

I bought a pack of balloons this morning for about $1. Alex and Olivia have been playing with them for the last hour. I just love it when something simple keeps them occupied for a while. They are running all over the living room kicking and hitting balloons. The trick it though, they both have to have one of a different color.

Joey and Liz came over for supper last night. We had baked spaghetti. I love hanging out with those young adults. I used to call Liz a kid, but she corrected me and said she was a young adult.

I went to Brianna's back to school night last night and I am so excited about third grade. They are teaching the kids to be more responsible. Brianna is a fairly responsible kid, but it sounds like they are teaching them to be more independant. I'm not happy about her taking the EOG at the end of the year, I think it puts too much pressure on the kids. She is actually taking the Pre-EOG this week, they are starting today. She is nervous, but it's on second grade material, so I don't think there will be any problems.

I am so excited about starting to meet with my Middle School girls again on Sunday. I have missed them over the summer. Last Sunday they all said they had a good first week of school, I just pray that continues. I also pray they make good choices in who they choose to hang out with.

Friday is Rock Group. I look forward to Rock Group Friday's. I love just having everyone here and just talking and the best part is when Mr. David has a word to share with us.

I started a new book yesterday that Leigh Walters suggested, The Trouble with Tulip. It's a Mindy Starnes Clark book and very good. I like to get the large print books, so I can read them on the treadmill. My 50 minutes we by really fast yesterday. Thanks Leigh for the suggestion!

Baked Spaghetti
courtesy of Mrs. Ellie Bagley

1 jar spaghetti sauce
8oz sour cream
1 lb spaghetti noodles
Mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to directions on package. Mix sauce and sour cream. Combine the sauce mixture with the cooked and drained noodles, put in a casserole dish. Top with lots of cheese and bake at 350 until cheese is melted.

This is so good and so easy. It makes a lot too. It warms up well for lunch the next day. Alex and Olivia will be eating it for lunch today.

This turned out to be longer than I expected. I hope you all have a great week.

Bri's Party

Here are a few pictures from Bri's party on Sunday.

Blowing out her candle.

Brianna and her friend Julie.

Adrienne. I can't believe she is 15 and has her permit and is driving. She is the best kid and played with Alex and Reid the whole time we were in the pool.

Alex LOVED jumping in the pool. He would stand there and count and be so excited he was shaking.

Nana, Momma, Me and Bri!