Great Friends

Last night Shel and I went to T-town and had dinner with my BFF from Little Rock. She was in town picking up her step daughter so we made a night of it. We had Chinese food and it was GREAT! We always order a lot of food and share it. We ended up being at the restaurant for for about an hour and a half and then talked outside for another 30 minutes. It was so nice to finally see their faces after many months of just talking on the phone (daily!). She has a daughter that is a couple of years younger than Shel. But, they are best buds. She is now spending the weekend with us and boy has it been exciting around our house today. They finally went to sleep some time after midnight last night. At midnight I was out for the count so I'm really not sure what time their little eyes finally closed. They were too hyped up about getting to play today. Aaron has been hunting since about 6 this morning. So he hasn't had the joy of hearing 2 little girls giggle. NONSTOP!! They have been very creative today. It's really cold outside so they haven't been able to stay out for a long period of time. Basically it's been inside for a couple of hours and outside for about 30 minutes. Repeat - all day long.
This morning we did venture back to T- town for the Polka Dots and Lollipops sale. I wasn't disappointed but yet I wasn't thrilled. I did find some stuff.


I got all this, 6 infant sleepers and 1 pair of maternity pants for my prego friend. It cost me $33.00. Everything was half off today. I thought that was a great deal. There will be another sale in the Fall. I plan to be there first to get all the good stuff and then go back on the last day for the half off sale.
Aaron will not be home tonight either due to the predator hunt. I talked to him a couple of hours ago and so far they have NOTHING! They are about 20 miles down the river and have pulled out of the water just to warm up a little bit. They even built themselves a fire. Boy, that will bring the coyotes in don't you think? So they have a long night ahead of them. I hope they come up on something or they will be totally bummed.
Tomorrow I'm going to post pictures of what the girls have been up to. I assure you it will make you laugh. And I will let you know how the hunt turned out. Have a good weekend.

FINALLY!!

It's the weekend. Yeah!! I have been waiting for this weekend for a while now. I am going to the Polka Dots and Lollipops sale at the fairgrounds. I have never been to one of these sales so I am so excited to finally be going. I have seen it advertised on T.V. and looked into it just in time to realize it was coming to a town nearby. Has anyone ever heard of it or been to one? My understanding is that is an upscale consignment shop for children's clothing. I love consignment shops! A couple of weeks ago I went to one in T-town and Shel found a shirt she just had to have. I paid $5.00 for it. Later on in the day we were at the mall ( in one of those stores that sells ugly clothes for a whole lot of money) and we found the exact shirt for $26.00. We were then so proud of our consignment purchase. So if you live in the Texarkana area Polka Dots and Lollipops will be at the fairgrounds. Here's a link to their website. http://polkadotsandlollipops.net/ Good Luck if you go. The sale started today but will go until tomorrow. And tomorrow is half off. What a deal! Have a great weekend.

P. S. If it ends up being a crappy sale I apologize in advance. I will be soooo disappointed!
P.S.S. Just wanted to leave you with a beautiful face.
This picture was taken last year. Her and Tanner got baptized together on that wonderful Easter morning.
I don't like posting without a picture so I thought this was the best one I had in my files. Don't you agree?

YOU MUST READ

I was checking my favorite blogs this morning and I always check Angie Smith's FIRST. She writes Bring the Rain. Ya'll she is one my most favorite people. She doesn't even know me and that's okay by me as long as she keeps writing. She has an amazing story. She lost her last baby 2-3 hours after she gave birth. Can't even fathom that. The reason she's so amazing is because of her faith. You have to go read her blog. Promise it will bless your life. It will make you think. It will make you not complain as much. And I think it will make me be a better housekeeper. Maybe.
Here is the link, http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/ Today's post is just so good. So get over there and read it. Quit wasting your time at my blog!

Still Learning

I think I need to confess something.... I don't know how to be an adult and have so many responsibilities. For the last couple of weeks I feel as if I'm drowning in the world. I'm so overwhelmed at the business of life.
Shel was home sick Monday. I absolutely could not take off work due to the TAKS test coming up on Tuesday. So my dear mother in law offered to keep her for us. So after I got off work I headed to T-town to meet Shelby and her bio father at the doctor. He came and picked Shel up from DeKalb after he got off work. The doctor believes she has severe allergies. She put her on a couple of medications for the next 2 weeks and then we'll go back and have her tested to find out exactly what it is that she's allergic to. The baby has been so sick here lately. It seems like she has kept a cough since December. Glad to finally be close to a diagnosis.
I can't keep up with my laundry and the housework. It's consuming my life. Mostly that's my fault. I say that because I don't ask for help from my family. Shel isn't home enough as it is and I just hate for her to do housework when she is home. Now... she does clean her own room. But that's it. Should my almost 9 yr. old really have more responsibilities other than her room? I don't know. That's where I struggle.
Aaron just doesn't have time to help because he's always outside doing something with the animals or fixing something. And when he gets finished and comes in he's exhausted from a very long day. His day begins at 4:45 a.m. Poor man!! I would be ready for a nap by 8 a.m. if I got up that early.
Here's my schedule..... go to the grocery store on Monday. Come home put groceries away and start dinner. On Tuesday we catch up on things that need to be done (like cleaning up Monday's dinner dishes if I didn't get to it). Wednesday we go to church. Thursday is dance. Friday is I'm so tired from the things that went on from Mon.- Thurs. I don't care if you go play in the street. Well we don't really have a street. We do you just have to walk half a mile down the driveway to get to it. I really just come in and do nothing but play or sit with Shelby. After all I haven't really seen her all week. Saturday we do outside chores or run errands and sometimes I stay in and try to catch up on laundry. But I don't like to do that because I am an outside person and Aaron and Shel are outside. I don't want to be stuck inside - by myself. I've tried to make a deal with Aaron that I would keep up with the outside if he'd do the inside. Hasn't worked yet. Probably a good thing cause we'd never have clean underwear.
So I need a routine in my life. I need to learn how to be a grown up and manage all these things a little better. OK a A LOT better. Because sometimes it would be nice to sit on the couch that didn't have laundry all over it. Help me!!
P.S. I need to hire a housekeeper. Don't you think? Tried to make that deal with Aaron also. Hasn't worked yet either.

Busy Saturday

We had a very busy but fun day today. It started with Aaron and Shel getting her registered for softball. Our little shy Shelby has turned into a social butterfly. No complaints from us though. We've been waiting on this for awhile now. She has gone from hiding her face if anyone spoke to her to taking dance, being in a pageant and now playing softball. We are really pleased with how far she has come. We are excited that she's comfortable enough to try new things in life. Praise the Lord!
Tiff and Tanner came back to town for our cousin's birthday party. It was a skating party and if you know anything about Tiff you know she's a germ FREAK! Not just a little paranoid about germs but totally ridiculous about germs. A couple of weeks ago Tan man had another skating party in LA and she was freaking out because he was going to have to wear skates that had been worn by other children. That in her book is just a big no no. I tried to tell her it was the same as wearing bowling shoes but she didn't agree. Her theory was that bowling shoes could be sprayed better with disinfectant. Skates are too tall to truly get down to the toe with germ spray. So her solution was to wrap that baby's feet in saran wrap. SERIOUSLY?? Yea, that's what I said, seriously? I finally explained to her that she could NOT do that to him. She later agreed and Tan man got to go to the party(without saran feet) and have a good time. I told her today she better not even think about pulling out the saran wrap. The kids had a really good time. Shel was interested in the skating and Tan man was interested in the arcade games. Must be a boy thing. He walked out of the skating rink with a handful of useless toys that he had bought with his tickets from all the games he had played.
Aaron wasn't able to make the birthday party because he was picking out our new heifer for the farm. And no that's not another wife. It's our new cow. He did this chore all by himself. I was really proud of the way he handled having to do this chore alone. He really wanted me there so I could give my opinion. But I really don't know the first thing about cows and which ones look good or not. They all look the same to me. BEEF! No, really it's hard to eat the animal that was just outside grazing the pasture just a few days ago.
Me, Tiff and a friend then got to enjoy some adult girl time after the party was over. We had dinner and then went to a movie. It was so nice just being with adult women and having good clean fun. We saw "Confessions Of a Shopaholic". It was GREAT and HILARIOUS! In my opinion it ranked right up there with "Legally Blond". I'm not sure if it's better but it's close. And it reminded me of Tiff. She likes to shop also. A LOT! She would deny that but I always say denial is the first step to a true problem. If you get a chance to go out with girls anytime soon you should really go see. I think most of the hubbies would like it too. So there's a thought. Get a babysitter, go to dinner and then catch a movie. Your relationship would thank you. And your kids probably would too. Have a good weekend!

Oh...

one more thing. I just read about this give away and wanted to tell you about it. Go see for yourself http://mammaslittlesugarbooger.blogspot.com.

A Personal Note

Today I am going to talk about a very touchy subject that some readers may not agree with. The reason I am posting about this subject is because I just found out that a close friend is going to endure the traumatic process. I myself have gone through the same thing just 3 1/2 yrs. ago........DIVORCE!!! I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. It's in my opinion one of the worst trials in life. I can't think of any thing else that could be more traumatic other than having to bury your own child. And that my friends would just do me in. I don't want to even imagine that. Divorce is so bad because sometimes you are helpless and without any voice in the matter. Or at least I was. I didn't have a say so on whether or not this was how I wanted my marriage to be. The reason I didn't was because he had found someone else and wanted to be with her. I was truly devastated. Broken, hurt, deceived and rejected aren't enough good enough words to describe the pain I felt. I was in denial for so long. My family and friends were there for me every step along the way and they literally made me pull myself together and accept what was happening. In fact if it wasn't for them I would probably still be wallowing in my misery today. My BFF, Judi, was my rock. My mom and dad were my sole supporters and as affected and devastated as I was. After all they were loosing what they had called their son for 7 yrs. My sis and bro-in-law were shocked. My daughter was well...how do you explain a 5 yr. olds heart when her father tells her he's leaving(not just once but 3 times. Reason: he wasn't sure what he wanted. Well, he wanted the other woman no doubt he just couldn't deal with Shel begging him to stay). It was absolutely TERRIBLE!! And that's to say the least. I will spare the intimate details but my whole point is that if anyone of my readers has ever even thought about the D word... go get help today, NOW, in fact. Just ask my ex-husband who has openly admitted that the grass isn't greener on the other side. And it's just really not worth it. As you can see you just might get stuck on the other side. I believe the reason divorce is as common as marriage these days is because Satan loves, loves, loves it. He can attack one man or woman and ultimately attack the entire family and those around them. He doesn't have to attack Shelby later on in life because he already has when he took her father from her home. Satan loves to see God's people hurt. He enjoys not letting God's people feel that we were failed by Him. See that's how stupid Satan is. God never failed me by allowing my ex to walk out that door on a cold February morning. He was right there beside me the entire time. God loves us so much he allows us to make choices and sometimes we just make the wrong choice. We all do it. We may not go to the extreme of walking out on our families but we mess up. I don't doubt for one second that I was out of God's will when I married my ex. What I do believe is that He had a will for our lives and my ex just didn't stay in the will of God. I also believe that when we step out of that will He sends someone to fulfill it. (did that make sense?) God has a purpose and a reason for every single thing. It's not ours to understand or explain. It is what it is. Divorce is the most awful thing in the world. You aren't able to mourn your loss and eventually move on with your life. It follows you forever especially if you have kids. Your children will always be affected by your STUPID and SELFISH choice. If you are a victim or are starting the divorce procedures like my friend. Just know there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can start wearing your sunglasses again. The light will shine soon. At the end of it you just might be as lucky as me. You may find that person that God has picked out for you to pick up the pieces of your heart and slowly put it back together all the while gaining your trust and finishing out the will He has planned. God never intended us to raise these babies alone. You will find that special person when the time is right and you are COMPLETELY recovered. The best recovery program out there is Celebrate Recovery. It is a recovery program that covers every need you may have. From divorce to drugs to death. It works and it's a good program. To all the women who are single parents and not by choice, just know you are an amazing woman for just getting out of bed in the mornings. There were days that I didn't want to even get up but I pulled from within and made myself. You girls will survive and just remember you are strong enough to overcome this

P.S. I am not bitter with my ex for what he did and I have completely forgiven for him for what he did. It's a constant forgiveness because of how he acts sometimes but as far as forgiving him for the divorce, that's a done deal. I realized I was only hurting myself by staying angry. Forgiveness is the best medicine. It's hard and it hurts but it's best. Oh, and I love Aaron more because of what I've been through.

TAKS Test!!!

It's officially time. Next Tuesday to be exact.I have dreaded this time of year since August. Things at school will be crazy and BORING! As a Test Administrator it makes for a VERY long day. But I am also worried about Shel. This is her first year in Texas schools and since she's in the 3rd grade she has to pass the Reading part of the test to move on to the 4th grade. She is very smart and all but she stresses over test. She did great on the last practice test so I'm praying that she will remain on that course. Her teacher has done a very good job of preparing her for the test. There are so many rules and regulations that have to be followed during testing. Not only for the teachers but for the students as well. I guess I never realized because we've always been a part of a private school, just how much goes along with this sort of test. I can honestly say that before we entered the Texas school system in August that I had never even heard of the TAKS Test. But boy I am learning all about it now. When Shel came home after the 1st week of school and announced something about AR points I realized we were in for a rude awakening. Let me clear up a few things before I go any further before someone assumes that we weren't in a very good school system prior to coming to Texas. Cause let me tell you we were! Shelby could write her name in K2 and came home reading ,not just words but beginner books, in K4. She learned how to write in cursive in Kindergarten and she learned her multiplication tables in the 2nd grade. Not only all that but she had learned to hold the Lord in highest regard. She learned a new Bible verse every week and attended chapel on Wed. mornnings. I believe she was molded there and that's why we felt comfortable with taking her out of christian education. She had been taught how to love the Lord at TCS and she knew what she believed in.
Now let me explain what AR points are for those of you who don't know. She has to read 80 minutes every week that results in 20 minutes a night. When she finishes the book she has to test on the computer what the book was over. That's how they figure in the points she's earned. She really enjoyed doing this at the beginning of the year but now that the year is coming SLOWLY to an end it sometimes becomes an argument to read. She knows she has to do it, she just procrastinates to the bitter end. Then I have to step in and get her back on track. Thursday nights are her favorite though because she gets to go dance right after school. She's there until 6:15 so when she comes home she's to tired to play cause she's already gotten all that 8 yr. old energy out. She usually comes right in and sits down and starts reading. Oh how I wish dance could be 5 nights a week instead of 1.
So if your child doesn't attend Texas schools be so thankful that you're not preparing for the killer TAKS Test.
P.S. We really do love our schools just not the test!

Nothing much has been going on with us lately. We spent most of the weekend outside cutting down cedar trees that will be used as posts for the new horse fence. We are going to build a fence closer to the house so the horses will have MORE green grass to munch on. As if they didn't have enough. Shel had a great time riding her 4- wheeler through every mud puddle she could find. I drove the truck to the back 50, Shel rode her 4-wheeler and Aaron drove the tractor. She was in the middle of us but I had to come to a complete and quick halt as she turned around several times to drive back through the mud. She was filthy by the end of the day.
We got to see Tanner and Tiff today. They were coming through town on their way home from visiting Heath over the weekend. It was nice to see them and see how much Tanner had grown in just 3 weeks. He's such a little brat. I love that kid so much. They brought Valentine's gifts for EVERYBODY! Aaron got chocolate and a Sonic gift card, I got cute leggings and earrings and Shel got 3 shirts. Shel said it was as good as Christmas because she also got a new outfit from Nana. I got some new bath gel from Nana. I was so excited because I had just run out of my Christmas bath gel and had to use bar soap for the last 2 days. Now I get to be a girl again with my pretty smellin bath gel. Thanks, mom! Mom also made lunch for us today and it was so good. She got a new Barefoot Contessa cookbook and has been cooking like a crazy lady. We had chicken salad, Gazpacho soup and these tomato things that I know I couldn't describe correctly if my life depended on it. They had Mozerella Cheese and Basil and something else that I don't know the name of but they were REALLY good. We had a girly lunch since all the boys weren't there. It was nice.
Tomorrow we go back to the real world and get back into our normal routine of going to school and dreading Monday - Friday.
Hope everyone had a good Valentine weekend.

Silly Girl

Hope everyone is having a good day. Today has been VERY long. We had a teacher luncheon so we've been munching all day. I'm on sugar overload and crashing fast. The kids are out tomorrow but we have in service. YUCK!!! So tomorrow will be even longer. But we're off Monday. YAY!! I've been reading a blog about different ways to fix little girls hair. This mom can turn a head of hair into a work of art. It's unbelievable. I'm not sure which is more unbelievable that this mom has so much talent with hair or that her daughter sits there long enough for this mom to make her masterpiece on top of her head. Anyway, I was showing all the different hairstyles to Shel last night and she decided that she wanted me to braid her hair and leave them in till this morning so her hair would be curly. I despise that look because yes the top of the head is curly and cute but the last 3-4 inches of the hair is straight and UGLY! But, I did it anyway. This is Shel before bed.


Now this next picture is Shel when she got up this morning. She literally walked from the bed to the living room so excuse the swollen face. And just so you know (Auntie) she did not go to school with her like this. It was terrible!
We fixed it so that you couldn't see all the parts in it. She LOVED it and thought it was beautiful. I didn't tell her how ridiculous she looked. I just told her we needed to put it up so the curls would last all day. I just couldn't bring myself to hurt her feelings. Can't wait to hear what all her friends thought about it. And can't wait to wash it out tonight!

Crazy Weather

Last night we went to bed knowing that the fire pager was going to go off around midnight. The chief called a meeting earlier in the evening to get a game plan together. In DeKalb the firemen are also storm watchers. So if there is a tornado we are at the mercy of all firemen to see it as it comes. You have to understand that a tornado came through DeKalb about 8 yrs. ago and completely wiped out the downtown area. So folks in DeKalb don't mess around when the word tornado is mentioned. It gets very serious around there. Aaron's post was out by our house. Shelby was with her dad in Texarkana so it was just the two of us. I watched the weather until about 11:15 and then finally drifted off to sleep. Only to be wakened at exactly 11:30 by the most awful noise in the entire world... the fire pager. It is one of those sounds that will literally make you CLEAR the bed in no time. I had already laid out my clothes and shoes so I would be ready. No I am not on the fire department. I just don't do well when storms come and I was not staying home by myself. So we quickly dressed and headed out the door. I grabbed my pillow and a blanket because I wasn't sure where we were going and how long we'd be there. I just knew that if I had to sit in the truck all night I wasn't staying home. When the lights go out at our house it is pitch black. It's dark out where we live. There are no city lights to help light the sky. The wind was blowing, the rain was coming in sideways and I was SCARED!! We started for the fire station and as we were driving Aaron's group was already in route to their post. Of course Aaron's phone was ringing like crazy and they were telling him that most of the wives were at the storm shelter. Apparently I wasn't the only scaredy cat wife because they were a lot of girls there. We enjoyed catching up with each other but we were all a little anxious about what was happening outside. I was very worried about Ed and Bandit, our blue heeler dogs that live outside. I started asking Aaron early on in the night what we were going to do with them. He assured me they would be fine. They are Shelby's playmates after all Bandit is the only one who will jump on the trampoline with her. At one point, one of the firemen who really gets a kick out of picking on me, ran in and said "Corrie, your house is gone". I knew he was just being a meany but it still sort of frightened me. Not in a way of oh my gosh are you serious but in a way of oh my gosh that could really happen. Finally the storm passed and everyone and everything was safe. We were all home and drifting BACK off to sleep around 2a.m. It was an eventful night and one that I will most likely never forget. I think that's the scaredest I've been in a very long time.

Isn't she beautiful!

I told you I would post pictures of my new love and here she is. Isn't she the prettiest thing ever.
I just love my new purse. It's the perfect size for me. I used to carry a sling purse so when I got my new purse I was so excited because it wasn't so big.
Last night Aaron and I were watching" The Bachelor". Which I vowed last week after he sent Stephanie home I was done with that silly show. Anyway, while we were watching I was also typing up entry forms for the Fire Dept. predator hunt. Last weekend they held a crow hunt and now the last weekend in Feb. they are going to have a predator hunt. My wonderful husband has invited me along. Not to be part of his team or anything. Just to watch and hold the spotlight. The hunt will be during the night and go into the next morning. So basically what he wants is a light holder. But, I think I will tag along even if I 'm just the light girl. Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday.

Whirlwind Weekend

It was an eventful weekend around the farm. To start off, Shelby had a friend spend the night on Friday. They had the best time. They spent all weekend outside. Our neighbor has a golden retriever that comes to play when kids are outside. We haven't seen him in a couple of weeks. The last time he came was when Tanner was visiting. We haven't seen him since. Until Friday afternoon when the girls were out playing. Then "Buddy" appeared. We don't know the dog's real name. Shel and Tanner named him. The funny thing is when he was at our house the first time the kids played fetch with him. They just used a stick out of the yard and he pretty much had nothing left by the time he went home that night. So when "Buddy" came Friday afternoon he brought his own ball. The girls threw that thang a million times. He layed on the porch for about 10 mins. after we made the girls come in for the night. Then he picked up his ball and went home. Saturday morning the girls were back outside by 8 a.m. And "Buddy" was there by 8:15 a.m. with his ball in mouth. They played so hard and Shelby was exhausted that night. She slept really well.
Aaron had a buddy come in from Dallas Friday night. It was the Fire Dept. Crow Hunt this weekend. Yes, they hunted crows. It was $40.00 for a 3 man team. Half of the money went straight toward the Fire Dept. and the other half went to the pot for the winners. They raised $1200.00. Yeah! The guys were happy with that. The winning team was Cowboy Bryce's team. They had 93 crows. The loosing team was A-daddy's team . They had...........4 crows. They were bummed but had such a good time they didn't really care. A-daddy's team consisted of Zach (from Dallas) and Clint. I didn't have the camera available this weekend because I spent the entire weekend in the kitchen. But, there was a great moment for a picture. Aaron said he purposefully didn't stop at the house when he, Zach and Clint were ALL 3 on the 4-wheeler TOGETHER! He said he knew I would of ran for the camera and they didn't have any time to waste, especially on a picture. I guess he had to get out there and find all 4 of those crows. So, you'll just have to make your own mental picture of the 3 grown, big men on the 4-wheeler. I watched them out the window and almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard.
And for the biggest news of all.....I'm in love , again! Except this time it's with my new purse. Zach came for the weekend and brought the best gift of all. I got a COACH purse. Well, it's Lauren's (Zach's fiance) old one. When we went to the PBR a couple of weekends ago we stayed with Zach and we were talking about purses. I was whining because I wanted a COACH and couldn't have one. So Zach suprised me with a hand me down. Which is totally fine with me. I am so thankful for good friends especially good friends who have really nice things. So thank you Lauren and Zach for my new COACH purse. I love it more than anything. I will take a picture and post it tomorrow or later today.
Yesterday we drug our tired selves out of bed and made it church on time. That never happens! We had a really good service. Bro. Walter had a lady in our church paint Goliath on a long canvas flag like thing. It was amazing. She did a wonderful job and it was so life like. It stood 10 ft. high and Goliath was standing 9 ft 9 in. tall. It was almost breath taking to see how big he actually was. So obviously the sermon was on David and Goliath. But in a way that I had never heard. The sermon was titled "Facing Your Giants". He asked us who or what our giant is? He reminded us that we all have lions and bears stories like David. When something goes wrong or we have a situation we're unsure of, we know that we are going to be taken care of just like David was when he fought the lions and bears. We've all fought different lions and bears but in the end we've all seen God's hand at work. Anyway I can't explain it like he did but if you're interested you can go and hear the whole sermon, http://www.fbcdekalb.com/ scroll down and find where it says Bro. Walter's Sermons Online. It will be worth your time. I really needed to hear this yesterday as Aaron and I struggle with a situation in our lives. I have to come to realize that no matter the outcome God has His hand in it and for some reason that I may never know, we just might get told no. It may mean that there's a yes down the road if we are lead to the right person but I have to stay open minded to whatever the outcome is. I have committed to do that, but it doesn't make it any easier. But I have lions and bears stories from when I went through my divorce. I fought hard with them! And God carried me then why should I even question whether He's gonna carry me now.
Well, I wish had pictures from the weekend but like I said I was in the kitchen the entire time. I did PW's quesadilla's Friday night and they were wonderful! Then I made breakfast, lunch and dinner Saturday. I got finished with one meal, cleaned up the mess and started the next meal. I'm not usually in the kitchen for very long - ever. I did enjoy taking care of my little family and all our friends. Have a good Monday. Look for pictures of the new COACH coming soon.

Redneck Fun

Things have been settled around the farm the past couple of days. Aaron and his dad finally caught the "crazy" cow so she now gets to go ruin someone else's fences. She has tried to tear down every gate, post and fence in her path. And she did quite well at succeding. It wasn't an easy task catching her though. Aaron had to call on his buddy, Bryce, who cowboys for a living to come rope her and get her in the trailor. Pancake( Aaron's horse) just wasn't the right gal for the job. After chasing her through briars Bryce finally roped her and loaded her up.

The other day Aaron and Shelby were playing outside and appearently they couldn't find anything to do. So this is what they came up with. Shelby is inside a plastic culvert.

So you can imagine!!! Yes, she is inside and he is rolling her. She is giggling the entire time. So that wasn't enough. A daddy thought that was alot of fun so he decides to try it. It took both, me and Shel, to roll him completely over. We had alot of fun and I laughed so hard. You have to remember..... Aaron is a big boy and it was quite hard to get him over!

My nephew is so cool!

So yesterday I went to Wal-Mart to pick up Shelby's pageant pictures and they were lost AGAIN! After a very long time the lady finally recovered my pictures. As I was standing in Wal-Mart, embarrassing even myself because I was so mad, all I could think about was my sister,Tiff. When we go out in public and something goes wrong she always tells me to warn her before I throw fit. She would rather die than be humiliated. So, good thing you weren't there sista. Cause you show would have been embarrassed(even I was). Speaking of sister she has the most awesome little boy, Tanner. I'm proud to call him my nephew. He is just beautiful. Look at those droopy brown eyes and those freckles. He is a turd if there ever was one. But, he is a doll. He and Shel are best buds. They have a love/hate relationship. Tanner loves to visit the farm when they come to Texarkana. So, I usually go and pick him up and he gets to spend at least one night. It also gives his momma some alone time.He doesn't get to eat a lot of (or at all )sugar at home. His momma always buys organic food and fruit . Not that there's anything wrong with that. We just don't eat that healthy on the farm.You can look at us and tell that. So when he comes he gets candy and coke and anything else he wants. Tiff is a single mom right now because Heath is in warrant officer school somewhere in Missouri. She has been a single mom for quite a while now as Heath was deployed to Iraq before he left for school. She definitely gets props from me. Being a soldier's wife is a job in itself. And being a single mom is the most difficult thing in all the world. Tanner really doesn't like school. He likes to sit in his desk and people watch while twirling his hair. And that's so his personality and why I think he's so funny. I think he really should have been my child and Shel should have been Tiff's. But thankfully our God is so much smarter than us and He knows what's best for our lives and He didn't give me Tanner. Cause if he was mine I'd probably kill him. Tiff is so much more patient and calm than me. She calmly explains to him why he's in trouble and why he's going to get a spanking. She hardly ever raises her voice when she's talking to him. Now, me on the other hand. I'm just loud in general so when I get worked up my voice tends to accelerate to where the neighbors can hear. But lucky for us we don't have neighbors in DeKalb. My in-laws are the closest neighbors we have and even they are a pretty good ways off. Not like the good ol city neighbors. My dad always tell me that Pat(our neighbor at my parent's house) doesn't care what I'm talking about. So, it's a big joke in the family that coco(that's me) has a big mouth. Tanner is very blessed to have such a patient mother that will sit with him hours upon hours and do homework with him. The reason she spends hours upon hours is because he doesn't like school and the only reason he goes is to people watch while twirling his hair. Therefore, when he gets home his mother becomes his teacher. The thing is Tanner is so stinkin smart it's not even funny. He could build you anything. Shel and Tan man went to Branson with my parents over Thanksgiving and he wanted to buy this dumb necklace. Mom told him no, he quickly informed her that that was as an "Authentic Native American Indian necklace" . Well, what do you say to that? He proudly wore his necklace home and told us exactly what kind of necklace he was wearing. How could you not love a kid like that? I'm so proud that he's my nephew. Good thing he just gets to come and visit and I get to spoil him rotten, load him up on sugar and send him home. Tiffany and Tanner
Tanner's shirt says "He's not just my Daddy, HE'S MY HERO " and it has a picture of Heath in his combat uniform. Tiff ordered one for Shel also. They wore them off July 4th. Our kids rocked!

Preparing for the Miss DeKalb Pageant

This morning it's just me and the computer. Aaron and Shelby have left for church so I'm all alone and loving the quiteness of the house. I am not attending this morning because over half of DeKalb goes to our church and my immune system isn't cooperating very well. So, I'm home sick. I got up to get ready and start coughing really bad. You know that really annoying cough that drives those around you CRAZY! I kept going, though. Aaron quickly told me I wasn't going anywhere today. He said"you aren't allowed out of this bed today". And I laughed but he didn't . So I agreed to rest for most of the day. But, I have a little guilt over it because I didn't feel well yesterday either but somehow I managed to get some great pageant pictures of Shelby and to spend the day shopping with my friend Keri Barrett and her 2 daughter's Kandle and Kassidy. Not to mention that I really need to get some housework done since I was gone all day yesterday. But in my defense I don't think I was as sick yesterday as I am today. We do have pageant orientation today at 2:00. This morning as Aaron was giving me my instructions to stay in bed I reminded him about the meeting and he told me he would go and take Shelby. Well, Shel just happened to walk in our room at the time and as serious and smart mouth yet so sincere and concerned she said"uh, I don't think so. Momma please take me. If A-daddy has to take me I just won't go and won't do the pageant." It was so funny. Don't get me wrong Aaron and Shel are best buds just not when it comes to girl stuff. She later told me she was worried about Aaron embarrasing her. I totally understood. Aaron is the type of guy that really doesn't understand girl stuff and would say something about how much everything costs or disagree about something or have a better idea ...out loud, in the middle of the meeting. That's why we love him so much cause he's so crazy. So, yesterday we took pictures for the judges sheet and most photogenic. We had alot of fun at first but Shel got restless and bored after awhile. Keri, Kandle, and Kassidy were great cheerleaders and were such a tremendous help to me. Since this is our first pageant I really have no clue what I'm doing. But, I am being schooled on pageants. Shel and I both are enjoying preparing for it. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures. Have a great day.