A Plan

If I could be like John and was happy playing in the dirt, I would not need a plan. If I could be like Ashley who loves spending time making funny faces. Or Jacob who loves finding animals in the woods. All of those things are great but its not for me. I feel so blessed in many ways. I always need to have a plan even if it changes along the way. Lately, I feel that I do not have a plan. I have some plans but not the "big plan". I lost it some where trying to be a Mom, homemaker, employee, ,student, and a wife. Lately everything seems blah, plain, white and non eventful. Things are what you make them. Its all in you head but my head is saying that I need a plan. We have lived in Tennessee for about two years. I do not feel like my family fits in here. So, I need a plan to get back to what makes me feel good. I am a home body who loves to take care of my home and feel proud. I do not like our home in Tennessee. I feel crowded and stuffed into a box with three kids and a husband. I need some land, a pool, and a traditional home. I want big tees, goldfish ponds, garden, gazebo, and a fountain. I really want an outdoor fireplace made from stone under a covered deck with cozy furniture. Inside I want the kids to have bunk beds and furniture that matches. I want a leather sectional sofa and warm colors on the walls. Now, I know that this is a lot but I am not the kind of girls that collects thing. I do not like shoes or clothes. I do not have any collections. But my house is where my heart is and its just stuck out somewhere in the cold for now.

So, I think I will finish my Nursing Degree in April and that is when my Plan will start. I want to buy a house near my family. I want my children to have a good education, and I want to grow old with my husband. I will need to find the perfect home and a new nursing job to match!

I saw two double rainbows this week and have taken lots of cute pictures of the kids. Maybe rainbows are good luck!! John just told me a funny story. He said " Mom, I saw a nasty thing in the garden". It was a pile of yuck with a worm in it and Ashley ate it. I just do not know about John when he tells funny stories.

Afternoon

The house is so quiet. I just put the kids down for a nap. We went to meet Stuart for lunch and then went shopping for a few minutes. The kids do not do well shopping. John hangs out of the buggy and pulls things off the shelves. Ashley and John talk about burping, passing gas, and try to make each other laugh. Then John is the typical little man he starts talking about going home before we ever start. I hate sounding nasty to my kids in the store so I limited my time to thirty minutes. I found Ashley three shirts for a $1.90 per shirt and John a Duckhead jacket for a buck. Then we went into the Dollar Store and got Ashley flip flops and ribbon and made her a new pair of shoes. I bought John a $1 truck and Ashley a work book. They get so excited over the small stuff. When we went to eat they noticed Stuart pulling up and you would have thought it was Christmas time. They were yelling, jumping, waving, and the whole restaurant was watching. It was so cute to see Stuart loved so much!

We also bought four packs of tic tacs for $1.00. How do they make them that cheap. Stuart and I always talk about the more something is processed the cheaper it gets. That is what is wrong with our society. We can by chips, soda, candy, cookies, Twinkies, donuts, crackers, and starch for 1/3 the price of fresh fruits and vegetables. Then we get our fruits and veggies shipped in from other countries. I just bought Ashley a shirt for $1.90 but how many resources from the earth was used to process that shirt. Is it really a bargain. Last night we were eating salmon that cost $7 and Stuart said "was it farm raised?" Of course it was, we can not afford it other wise because it would have been $12. But farm raised has red dye in it and is missing it's Omega 3 so is it really a bargain?

In my blog earlier, I discussed that Jacob was like the Crock Hunter. This afternoon he went to walk Mojo and came back with a baby bird. All I can think about is the bird flu and want him to was his hands with soap. Its the Nurse coming out in me!

Love

There are so many things I love about being a Mom. Ashley and John were watching Bindi the Jungle Girl and the Crocodile Hunter. John watched the Crocodile Hunter carrying a tiger. John said " I want a Daddy like that!". I was thinking he already has a brother who acts like the Crocodile Hunter.

I always like to make a cake with the kids. Of course, they are not really interested in the cake. They want to lick the icing and sprinkles. This cake was no exception. I love watching how excited they get with icing all over their faces. When we finished the cake, I took them to the high school pool. Kids are truly happy around water. I love watching them so happy swimming around and jumping into the pool. I love watching them enjoy ice cream, cake, and cookies too. I love watching the ride their own bikes.

I let Jacob and a friend go off to Dollywood for the day and then he stopped by the house for only 30 minutes. He asked if he could stay the night with his friend so I let him.

Yesterday, I was out walking with the kids on what I call a short walk. Stuart went for his run in the other direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stuart standing on the sidewalk. He was trying to get my attention so I turned the kids around to his direction. When we reached Stuart I finally understood why he wanted our attention. He was in front of a snake curled up like a Cobra. He said "I have never seen such an aggressive snake that is not poisonous". He thought it might be some kind of king or queen snake. It was actually a gray rat snake. The kids were fascinated. I wish I had my camera. Tonight Stuart did not get home until 9PM. I fixed him pan fried salmon, fresh pineapple, and pasta with squash and zucchini. Then we took a small walk and talk to the neighbor until 11.

This Week at Aunt Paige's

Ginny my oldest niece was visiting and took a tumble off the razor scooter. During the week she complained about her arm but she did not complain too much. I took her to see a doctor and then it was off to the ER on Thursday. When we got there she was very quite and made a few little jokes. Ginny and I went back to X-ray and they took 4 pictures of her arm. Then they sent us back to the room where we watched " Are you as smart as a 5Th Grader". The first question was about plural pronouns which Ginny and I both guessed wrong. Then the next question which was ironic was if you were to break the bone between your elbow and shoulder what is it called. I yelled out humerus and the ER doctor walks in and said that Ginny had broken her arm. I was very surprised it was not blue or overly swollen. Her arm had a slight defect place were the break was located. The doctor spent about 80 seconds with us and the nurses put on a temporary cast. Ginny had broken her left radial bone and it was a buckle break. They had given Ginny Lora tab and I was not sure how she would react. When we got home there was a great deal of excitement but then it was calm and Ginny started to itch. We finally got her settled and she fell asleep. She is a trooper. So, Aunt Paige took Ginny out to eat BBQ and then took her on a shopping trip. She purchased a Beta fish. She exclaimed she would name it razor after the scooter she fell.

Summer Nights

Last night the kids and neighbors had an outdoor fire and had smores. John had his first smore. He was not sure at first that he could eat every thing mixed together. It did not take long for him to gobble the whole smore and leave most of it on his face. I backed the car out and let the girls listen to their CD's. Stuart went running at Jacob's school. Earlier in the evening, I took the kids out to eat so that we did not have to cook and clean. Stuart gave the kids a shower so that I could go walking before his run. I went out walking and took some pictures. The sun was starting to set. I love how the sun hits the trees and flowers at night. I love the birds and the stillness. I think my house is the loudest place on the planet year around! Ginny and John are sitting beside me while I am writing and they are hugging. They are watching Wilbur on TLC and they need to get dressed for Bible School.

All the children in the neighborhood have been out riding their bikes and sitting on the front porch talking. John at 3 years and 4 months can get on his bike and ride without training wheels. He can even push off by himself and start. John is sitting on the couch saying " smell my feet!" Ashley said " yuck, John your feet are black." I might have to take Ginny to the doctor this morning her wrist is still hurting

Cousins

My nieces Ginny and Anna are growing up and changing ever so quickly. They are sweet, thoughtful, smart, helpful, and fun to watch. Last year Jacob fought with Ginny all the time. This year is different I have pictures of Ginny and Jacob out in the garden talking and watering the herbs. All the kids are getting along and Aunt Paige loves watching how they relate to each other. Mama Jan has taught the girls to love cooking. It was a treat last night Jacob and Ginny fixed dinner. We had homemade chili, hotdogs, baked beans, grapes, carrot sticks, and wheat thins. After that I cleaned the kitchen and the kids went out to play. The Ice Cream Truck came and the kids got snow cones. John got this long Popsicle with every color under the rainbow. Anna dropped hers and Mojo ate it for her. Jacob and Anna gave Mojo a bath and Mojo shook soap all over us.

Sweet Pea and Pumpkin

I love tucking my children in at night. They are asleep about 8:30 and before I go to sleep I check on them. I love to see what position they are in, if they have covers, and if they are talking in their sleep. Lately, we have been getting John up to make sure he does not wet the bed. John sleeps real still and always has a pile of cars in the bed with him. He likes to hold metal cars at night because they are cold feeling and his hands stay hot. My grandmother said I was alway looked for a cool spot in the bed and that I flipped the pillow because the other side was cooler. Ashley talks wildly and loud in her sleep. She is beautiful when she is sleeping or awake. When she gets up in the morning she glows and looks refreshed. She fights me every night when I try fixing her in the bed right. Hugs and kisses!

Our Family Weekend

This weekend proved to be interesting. I went to meet my sister in Spartanburg to pick up my nieces and bring them back to Tennessee. Stuart, Jacob, and John went off to Greenville to visit with grandmommy. I went to pick up my nieces because next summer I will be working again and wanted to visit with them.I also went to Spartanburg to visit with my Grandmother who had fallen and broken her hip last spring. My Grandma Jennie always took care of me and made me feel like I was a good person. She taught me small things about respect, good handwriting, and some great ideas for gardening. I always felt like I was at my own home with her. She has had the same phone number since I was a little girl. She has a bird named Sunny that was 21 years old. She taught me how to sew basic things. She had a love for old photographs, stories, picnics, Carolina peaches, homemade ice cream, the Beacon, and homemade biscuits with peach preserves. She loved all her Grandchildren. I am not saying that she is perfect but in a child's eyes she has always been perfect to me. Watching her this weekend was very sad. She has dementia and half the conversation with me were repeated over and over. It is so sad because she really is not connecting us it is like her life stopped 20 years ago. After I got home, I felt really sick to my stomach. I thought it was the winding curves up the mountain. Later on in the night I was surprised to find it was a virus or food poisoning. I was projectile vomiting, dehydrated, headache, and other not so nice symptoms. Also, my sweet niece Ginny took a horrible tumble off a razor scooter when it hit a rock and tumble down the hill. She had only been at my house for a few hours and manage to scrap everything on her body! I felt so bad for her. I checked on her every few hours. While we were in Spartanburg Ashley, Ginny, Anna, Kelly, and I stayed in an hotel and let the girls swim they had a blast. Apparently they do not get out much because they had a grand time! We are going to plan our week out now that I am better and they are going to Bible School at 1st Baptist Church of Dandridge.

John in the Flower Garden

Ladybugs

Today the ladybugs arrived in the mail all 1500 hundred of them. They were shipped in a round container. The kids wanted to set them free but I said you must wait on your dad. The main reason is that I did not want to have 1500 hundred ladybugs in my hair. The kids were jumping up and down with excitment when Stuart got home from work. Stuart wet down the garden first and then we let Ashley and John have the honor of setting the Ladybugs free. What family fun.


Ashley, John, and I went Father's Day Shopping for Stuart. We had fun and found Stuart a few interesting things. I wish I could buy him an old convertible because that is what he wants. Instead, we found some running gear, bubba cup, hummingbird feeder, and some stuff for his garden. He has been running in 3k races so we bought some shorts and shirts. We are off on a small road trip tomorrow and the kids are real excited!!!