The countdown begins...

In about 3 weeks Mike, Arden, Mom and I will be on a plane heading to Disney World.WHOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!! We have been planning this trip since March, well actually it has been in the works for almost 2 years, but it didn't pan out. A couple of years ago, I booked a trip, paid the deposit and had everything set with the travel agent for a trip in November 2006. But that spring, they changed the school calendar from an entire week off at Thanksgiving, to just 3 days off and that meant I was going to have to miss 6 days of school and I just couldn't do it, so I cancelled.

We decided to take this trip to celebrate Arden's 5th birthday. Her actual birthday is Sept. 12th, so she always looks forward to the fair because she knows her birthday is coming. But this year, instead of looking forward to just the fair, she has something a little larger to be excited about. Actually, I think I am more excited about it than she is because as most of you know, I am a little girl in a grown up's body. I have been to DW about 5 times and the last time I went I was 16 and there is no need to go into how looooong ago that was.

Of course, there will still be a birthday blowout here! I ordered the entire collection of HSM birthday supplies from Birthday Express and it came last week. It is going to be sooo cute. (I know, I know you all can't believe that she is having a High School Musical birthday party.) They also have a HSM Pep Rally every day at MGM Studios, so she is about to die over that! Mom got her the Gabriella dress, shoes, microphone, earrings, necklace, lab coat etc. so she can dress up for her party and for Halloween. Killed 2 birds with that one!

I just had to share my excitement with all of you. I have tried not to think about the trip too much until just now, because it was sooo far away and there wasn't anything to get excited about. But now, it is definitely in view and I can't wait!!!! Just hearing the Mickey Mouse song gives me goose bumps and takes me back to my childhood. I can't wait to see Arden's face when she sees Cinderella's Castle. She is going to FREAK!!!!!!!!

Way to go Pioneers!

I just wanted to take a minute to say CONGRATS to the Warren County Pioneers on their victory over DeKalb County last night. Despite the bad weather, they came out on top! This is a great way to start the season off. Keep up the good work guys!

Cute as a Button!

Here is Little Miss Roxy. She is the newest 4 legged addition to our family and as you can see, Arden adores her. Mainly because she lets her do what she wants to her. Foxy isn't as cooperative and would never sit still in a stroller. We got her on Thursday and she has made herself right at home. Even though she and Foxy are the same age and breed, she is much smaller than Foxy. She weighs 5lbs and Foxy weighs 18. I have to say "Thanks" to Paula and Darlene for letting us know she was available for adoption. She is wonderful!

Blog Tag

Ok, Steph tagged all of us who have blogs and she said that she was going to keep a check to make sure we did this too. So, not to disappoint her here goes... Love you, Steph

8 things that some of you may not know about me...

1. I love anything HSM. I have been anxiously awaiting HSM2 for months now. And I think that Zac Efron is absolutely gorgeous!

2. I love animals... I have 2 dogs:Foxy a red Pomeranian that we adopted 4 years ago and Roxy a black teacup Pomeranian that we adopted this week. And the cool thing is, we didn't name either one of them. Is that fate or what???? Oh, Arden also has 3 fish and 2 miniature frogs.

3. I am a total clean freak. I can't stand for my house to be dirty. The older I get, the worse it it gets! (I know my mom will laugh when she reads this because I was a SLOB when I lived at home.)

4. I am addicted to Court TV.

5. I have found a new love of crafting. Nothing specific, just random things!

6. I have a wonderful family, immediate and extended, but in my family it's all the same. So if you're my 1st cousin or my 10th, I do not know the difference!

7. I am a kid at heart. I live for snow days, the fair, all holidays and vacations!

8. Nicknames I have: Buffy, Al, Mrs. C The last two are pretty obvious, but the first one I earned when I was a little girl. I had a bunch of rabbits (not all at the same time) and I named them all Buffina. So, whatever reason, I became Buffy!

Ok, Kirby, Jenn, and Paula! You're next!

"What Time Is It?"

It's movie time!!!! Tonight is the night that so many little girls (and their moms) have been waiting for. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 premieres tonight at 700. And from what I heard at school today, there are going to be parties galore! Arden and I are going to a friend's house tonight to watch it and I can't wait. Thanks to Miss Tabetha, I got Arden and her BF Caylie a HSM wake up call this morning and they both nearly stroked out. I will post pix later tonight when we get home. Til then...

Is she in Kindergarten already?

I have heard that question more times than I can count this summer and I am a little sad to say, "Yes, she is." My baby girl started Kindergarten yesterday and I don't know who was more nervous, Arden or me. It was my first day, too. I am always so wound up the night before the first day; I can't sleep which isn't good because I have to have sleep. I always tell my class that I am just as nervous as they are. Teachers are like performers, and somedays we get a standing ovation and others, a few tomatoes thrown our way. If you are a Muppets fan, I need not explain that one! Mike went with us and stayed with Arden for a little bit longer than I got to because I had to go to my class and welcome them for their first day. It was a great day. She got to be with friends from Covenant and a few new ones. She doesn't go back until next week because of phasing but I can't wait until she is there full time. It is so nice to have her at school with me; she can keep me straight!

Showing off her new lunchbox and, of course, the HSM backpack!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

It has been almost a week since I posted last because I have been soooo busy with school registration, a birthday party for my Granny Ma, Arden beginning Kindergarten and my school starting too! Whew!!!! Anyway, my first post is a few pix of my Granny Ma's Birthday Party on Saturday at my mom and step dad's new home. We all got together to celebrate her 81st Birthday and eat, eat, eat! Everyone brought a dish and my step dad smoked pork loin on the smoker. Everything was delicious! We had a great time visiting, talking and playing with the babies. Here is a slideshow of our day.

Something Old Made New Again, Then Old Again!

Confused???? Arden's changing table was a pretty cherry finish until she banged a hair brush on it one night, making it pretty ugly with lots of dents and places where the finish was knocked off. So, I decided to paint over it. I sanded it just a bit to rough it up, primed it and then painted it "Sand Dollar". I wanted to give it a distressed look. So, I began researching and thanks to Martha I have a beautiful finished product. I am so proud of it and had to share it with you. I kept the original hardware because it was still perfect for the look I was trying to achieve. Now, I am on a mission to find a pretty mirror to go over it!
Before...


After being primed...looks bad, huh??



Arden helping...



Finished Product!!

The Show was Deen-Licious!!!!

Well, I couldn't wait to get the pix of tonight's show. Paula, Kat and I left town around 12:00 and headed into the Boro to get some lunch. That in itself was an experience!!! We were going to hit up a little place called "Through the Grapevine" that Jenn had told mom and I about. Mom ate there last week and she loved it, so we thought that would be nice to go somewhere a little different. We pull in the parking lot and were soooo excited because it wasn't busy. Come to find out, it was CLOSED for a Private Party. So, plan B was the Front Porch. Now, this place is as cute was can be on the outside, great parking and no line, so in we go!!! We waited about 10 minutes on a table. By this time it is almost 1:00 and we were trying to get in and out quickly! So, we sit and wait, and wait and wait. No one even came to get our drink order and it is HOT in that place, so we leave and go to Plan C. We end up at the Main Street Grill. We walk right in, get seated and are glad that the A/C is working! This turned out to be a great choice, with the exception of the Lemonade that I ordered. It was not so good, but not a big deal. By this time, it is a little after 2 and we are off to Nashville. We got there around 2:45 and after parking we found the newly restored Hermitage Hotel and we were pretty sure this is where Paula was staying. Can you say "Stalkers"?? Kathy said that this was on her list of things to see, so we went in and checked out the 19 million dollar renovation. It is absolutely gorgeous. Picture opportunity!!!! There were 2 ladies there getting tea served to them in the lobby and they were kind enough to make our pix and we gladly returned the favor. If you are ever in downtown Nashville, you really need to check this place out! It is worth your time. After we left there, we were off to TPAC and still had plenty of time to check out the souvenirs and find our seats, which by the way were excellent! It was time for the show to begin and we were so anxious for Paula to come out. The audience rose to their feet and applauded like crazy when she made her entrance. She was absolutely hilarious, as was her husband, Michael. They are the cutest couple. This show turned out to be much more than a cooking show; she is truly an entertainer who loves her fans and interacts with them so well. You can't help but love her! I am going to try out her Mac and Cheese recipe next weekend for my Granny Ma's birthday party. Hey, who knows, I may actually be inspired to cook! Thanks girls for a wonderful day. I won't ever forget it!!!!!

Paula Deen, Here we come!!!

Tomorrow, Paula, Kat Brewer and I are off to see the "other" Paula at TPAC. I can't wait and feel a little more excited about going every time I tell someone, because their reaction is always the same, "Oh, I am so jealous, I wish I were going". So, I have to say Thank You, Mom for getting us these wonderful tickets. I am pretty sure we are going to be right up front near the stage and I am also sure that I am going to have to put "my" Paula in a straight jacket before it is all said and done. She is going to go NUTS!!! I am not a cook, just ask my husband; he will tell you! It is not a secret...I DO NOT COOK! The reason I don't like to cook is because I hate having my perfectly straightened kitchen in a mess!!!!! Logical, huh?? I must admit, the older I get, the more OCD I am becoming about my house. So I guess at this point you are probably wondering why I even want to go see Paula Deen in the first place. Well, I love watching others cook and I love to eat! Those are good enough reasons in my book. Also, she is a Southern Lady, as am I, so she has my attention. Anyway, I dislike cooking, but I LOVE to bake breads, cookies, cakes, etc. So I am hoping to get some new recipes that I can try out for my friends and family. I will have plenty of pix to post tomorrow night after we get home. Look out Nashville, here we come!!!!!

All that hard work...

is beginning to pay off. I have been working in my classroom since last Wed. I realize that most teachers work in theirs all summer, so I am a slacker in their eyes, but I never go to school before the end of July. My brain doesn't work until then!!! I never realize how much I have to do until I get to school for the first time and then reality hits. I leave my room straight, neat and organized, so it would seem that I wouldn't have much to do. However, I have the same children for 3 years, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Language Arts, so I have to change my room around and keep things exciting for them. I mean, who wants to see the very same thing for 3 years? Children love surprises, so that is what I try to give them, a little bit of the unexpected on the first day of class. Arden and I have been at school each day for at least 6 hours at a time and it seems that the time slips by so quickly and I get nothing accomplished. She has been a trooper and hasn't complained one time. This week I inherited an UGLY BLUE bookshelf that is probably older than I am. Granted, I am very greatful for it because I needed it desperately for my Thesauruses (CAN'T live without these) and Dictionaries. However, it had to be the ugliest color of blue known to man, and the fact that blue happens to be my least favorite color didn't help matters. Anyway, I went to work and painted it UT orange, which is the same color I painted my room last summer and is the inspirtation for my new template colors on the blog.(Can't wait til Football Season) After it dried, I took a Wal-Mart bag and some white paint and gave it a sponged look. It turned out soooo cute. I feel like Martha Stewart! I wish that I had some pix of before, but I didn't think to bring my camera that day and I couldn't wait to paint over that hideous blue. Well, here is the progress that has been made so far. Steph, these are for you girlie!