If I can do it...

anyone can do it!! As we speak, my monkey bread is in the oven and I am anxiously awaiting for it to beep!! I didn't have any brown sugar, so I just used white, so mine probably won't be as pretty as Paula's, but, hey, give me credit for trying!:) I hate to cook, but LOVE TO BAKE! I love baking fall and Christmas goodies because my mom has always done this for us and her friends. It is a tradition that I hope to continue with my girls. So I promise pictures of my bread when it gets done. Or if it doesn't turn out well, I will just steal the one off of Paula's blog.HEHEHE!!

I plan on taking it to school tomorrow and sharing it with the people who are NOT on my "Biggest Loser" team. Nothing like a little diet sabotage, huh???? Wish me luck!!


Ok, pretty good for the first try, huh?? It is delicious! Arden is in LOVE!!!

Palin Rap

As I am sure most of you know by now, I am supporting the McCain/Palin ticket in the upcoming election. Regardless of who you are supporting, you have to admit that all of the SNL spoofs have been hilarious! Of all the skits so far, this one is my favorite and I had to share! Enjoy!

Watch more Saturday Night Live videos on AOL Video

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Last night was our Fall Festival at Morrison and we had an AWESOME turnout. Like I have said before, Morrison school is made up of the greatest people in the county and they really proved that last night!

Every year, the students always ask for a talent show, but we could never do one because of the other programs that were planned. But not this year! Our new guidance counselor, Jennifer Dunlap Loh, or, J LO to all of us at school, decided to take this on! By the way, Jennifer works so hard for our school and has been a God send, so if you see her, give her a pat on the back. She and I work together sooooo well and I love her! The talent show was supposed to be for the students, but Mrs. V, Miss Woods, Mrs. Betty Stacey and I took this opportunity to do a surprise performance for the kids. Mrs. V (principal), Miss Woods (librarian), Mrs. Betty Stacey (Title math) and I rocked it last night! Mrs. V was Aretha Franklin and we were her back up singers. The kids and parents had no idea we were performing and THEY LOVED IT!!! It was so awesome to see the kids trying to figure out who we were, and when they did, they couldn't believe their teachers were actually out there on stage. That gym was packed from floor to ceiling and there wasn't a single person sitting still! It was fantastic! Below are a few pictures. Again, they aren't very clear...sorry! NEED A NEW CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!:)









From L to R: Miss Woods, Mrs. Stacey, Mrs. V and Moi! Aren't we gorgeous?

Smile Award!

I was nominated last week for this award by Tanya Jones. Tanya and I go to church together and, even though we don't get to see each other very often, I do consider her a great friend. She is one of those people who I could call at anytime and she would be there to help. She also has the cutest little girl in the world. Olivia is an absolute doll baby and I love to see what she will be wearing. She always looks like a model! Thank you so much, Tanya! It means so much to receive an award from such a wonderful person like YOU.

These are the rules:
1. The recipient must link back the the awards creator
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.
Characteristics for the Smile Award:Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human)
Must love one another
Must make mistakes
Must learn from others
Must be a positive contributor to blog world
Must love life
Must love kids
Now I would like to nominate the following:
1. Kirby Williams
2. Regan Stewart
3. Jennifer Boyd
4. Mrs. Paula Morris
5. LaJuana Baker
Congratulations ladies!! You all hold a very special place in my heart... Thanks again, Tanya, for thinking of me...

Who is the coolest kid in town???

CHANNING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arden put her shades on Channing today after church. Isn't she the cutest??

I am a little partial...I know!

Pictures from the concert!

Me and my BFF, Carrie, @ Olive Garden!
Caylie and Arden posing!
Me and "my gang"! Arden, Regan, Kirby and Me before the show!
RF stage set up during "Life is a Highway"

Well, the concert was fabulous! This was the second time I have seen RF, but the first time we went, we sat up in the nose bleed and couldn't see anything! This time, we were right down front and had a great view of the entire stage. My camera wasn't cooperating(I NEED A NEW ONE BAAADDDDD) so I couldn't really get any of Taylor Swift, but I did manage to get some of RF and their stage set up. This is by far the best concert I have ever been to. Not only are they great musicians, they are also very generous to charities. The past 4 years they have donated every penny from their ticket sales to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Before the concert, we went over to the hospital to visit a 3 month old baby girl from McMinnville who had heart surgery on Wednesday. It was neat to let Caylie and Arden actually see where the money from our tickets goes to and see how very blessed we are to be healthy!

Tonight's the night...

for Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift. I am actually just as excited about seeing her as I am them. She is such a great singer and not to mention gorgeous. I will be taking the camera, so I will definitely have pictures to post tomorrow! I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Ta ta for now!!

A little fun at my expense!

This is what your yard looks like after a 6 year old and an 8 year old get through "rolling" it. Last night, Arden spent the night at Carrie's and she let her and Caylie roll our yard. I watched the whole thing from our bedroom window and it was hilarious!!!! Needless to say, they aren't ready for the big leagues yet, but in time, I am sure their game will improve! I cleaned it up first thing this morning, but had to take a couple of pictures before I did. I called them this morning to ask if they knew who had done it, and they both fessed up immediately! Sooo cute!

My Granny Ma and Pap

Here is a picture of my wonderful grandparents and Channing from our family dinner yesterday . Channing's middle name is Cope, which is my Granny Ma's maiden name, but was also her mother's maiden name. Confused yet??? Let me explain...my Granny Ma's mother's maiden name was Cope, but then she married a Cope. No, they were not related! But that is a little joke in our family.
The swing they are sitting in is on my back porch, but was Granny Ma's mother's day gift about 20 years ago. She never hung it on her porch, so when we built our house, I asked her if I could hang it, and she said of course, but only if she could come here and swing in it!
My pap has beginning Alzhiemer's, but had a really good day yesterday. He was in very good spirits and seemed to be himself! I just wanted to share this sweet picture of my grandparents! They are two of the most amazing people on this earth and we love them so!!!

Randomness...

I am so glad that our fall break is here. I don't have any plans for this week, except to clean house and help Arden organize her room. It is a disaster area in there!!! Friday night, Carrie, Caylie, Arden, Regan, Kirby and I are going to see Rascal Flatts! This will be the first time since Channing was born that I have had a night for me! I can't wait to see Arden's face when the concert starts! She is going to go nuts! She has never been to a real concert before because she has always hated loud noises. But we took her to her first Indy race this summer and she loved that, so I am pretty sure she is over her fear/phobia or whatever you want to call it.
These first few weeks of school have flown by. You know what they say, "time flies when you are having fun", so I guess that is true. I absolutely love my job! I am super busy ALL day long and sometimes forget to eat lunch, but I don't mind because I love what I am doing. This is my niche and I am so thankful that I am able to go to work everyday and LOVE what I do. This position has changed my perspective as a teacher/educator and made me see the big picture for my future. I have never been so passionate about anything in my life as I am about helping make every child at our school feel successful. Last year, was a tough year for me and I think alot of it had to do with me being preggo, but I am not sure. I was in a funk or something. It took a lot of guts for me to admit that, but as a teacher, I felt like I could be better. I prayed that God would put me where he wanted me to be, where I was supposed to be, doing what I was supposed to be doing...and he did. I didn't apply for this position, my principal came to me. Now, for those of you who pray and have had prayers answered, you will understand that this could have only happened because of prayer...end of story! Now don't get me wrong, I loved being in the classroom and LOVED teaching my 6-8th graders! They are remarkable!!! I also love the little ones that I am teaching now. I have Kindergarten students and work with them on DIBELS intervention, and it is a whole new world for me, but they are the sweetest things on earth!!! This job has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I don't just go through the motions, I try very hard to make every child that I come in contact with feel like they are the most important person in the school. I believe everything happens for a reason, and if we don't know that reason right away, we will someday!

PS Thanks to Paula Morris for asking the question...What do you live for? I guess that is where all of this came from!:)

The Votes are in!

Wednesday, the 8th grade history classes put on a mock election and debate. The students did a fantastic job writing their speeches and preparing for this big day. Some of the local candidates were invited to attend, as well. John Greeter, Mike Niederhauser, Eric Stewart, and Judd Matheny came to show their support! How cool is that??? We have the best kids, teachers and staff of any school in the county and I am so proud to call Morrison home! Check out today's Southern Standard for the full article!!

Spreadin' the Love

What an honor to receive such a nice award from such a wonderful gal!! Mrs. Paula Morris nominated me for this award a few days ago and I have so much going on that I haven't had the time to say Thank You! For those of you who do not know Paula, you are truly missing out! She is an absolute hoot and makes me laugh all the time...and Channing thinks she is pretty funny too!

She, Mrs. Beth and Mrs. LaJuana are awesome and I can't say enough wonderful things about the 3 of them. They have been so good to my baby girl!


So, now it is my turn to give this award to:

Paula Wanamaker, my sis, and my girls' "auntie". (She spreads the love with all of her goodies that she makes!)

Kirby Williams, my sis, and now my neighbor!!!

Tanya Jones, is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet and I am sooo glad that she has started blogging.

Good News!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike got to call tonight and he had WONDERFUL NEWS!!! He will be working in Rutherford County!!! That was his first choice and we are ecstatic!! He and Justin will be working together and, like Jennifer said, "backing each other up" in times of need! What a relief that is!! This is another prayer answered!