The Beds

I still haven't found the bedspreads that I want and I am not looking for anything fancy-- I just want something in a cream color like the sheets shown here-- maybe a tad like the background on the curtains because I have some material to make some matching throw pillows.

Anyway, here they are and don't they look wonderful!!!!!!!!!

New Moon

Yes, I have finished the book I received for Christmas and it was wonderful. Someone had made the comment that they thought it was a "slow" read but I found it to be very good. I am going to start Eclipse next and can't wait. At least with this series, I am reading it now that all of the books are out and you can read one after the other, but of course, that could be a disadvantage because then you have nothing to look forward to read. I have found myself constantly thinking about the characters in the book and I am thinking that this is insane. How can someone enjoy reading a love story about vampires and like I told my sister, Bella will either become one or not so how can she(the writer) have 4 books about this-- Yes, there is more to it than that. I am going to take my time reading the next book to make it last longer or I could read through them and then reread them like "others" I know.

If you haven't started the series-- DO SO!!

Making Christmas Cookies

Yes- it has been awhile!!

Okay, Okay--

Time to keep up and move my "McDreamy" down a notch. You should be aware that the only reason I haven't posted in the last month is because I didn't want to lose McDreamy.
Where has the past month gone? It really has flown by and now I am wondering what will happen as these 2 weeks I have off begin slipping away. I guess I better type faster.

I have been spending my days getting ready for the holidays. I want to make cookies this week and would like to have my "little helper" come over and help me make some cookies. I even bought an apron for her today and will put a couple of special butterflys on it (iron ons). I told her that I would make her an apron and even though it wouldn't take long to whip one up on the sewing machine, I found one for $3 at Hobby Lobby's so I will "make it" with a couple of iron on's and I will become one special Oma!!

Bed update- I did get them finished and even made some curtains-- yes, made those. I plan on making a couple of throw pillows to go on top of my bedspreads that match the curtains, which I don't have yet and that is why I haven't posted a picture. I want it to look grrrreeeeaaatttt and since I haven't found any bedspreads yet-- no pictures.

I promise to post again -- soon!!

Wordless Wednesday

Life is Good

Been busy lately but have been keeping up with everyone else's blog- just haven't updated mine lately.
Home: Just bought a "big girl bed" for Kaitlin at my house. She has been informing me that she needs a bigger bed because she is a big girl now. I bought 2 so I can have 2 matching twins in the room and they came from an unfinished furniture store so they must be stained. I hope to post pictures after I get them finished over the Thanksgiving holidays.
Thanksgiving: We are going to be staying home over the holidays. Mike, Rachel and Christopher are going to Disney World!! I think Kandis, Rex and the kids will be at her dad's but I am not sure right now. I am cooking if anyone needs a place to eat.
School: We have our last GED test until January this week. We are testing Thurs. and Friday. Cram sessions are happening daily and I have threaten the kids so I hope they ALL pass. The test results will not be in until Dec. 5-8th. If they don't pass, they will need to attend all of Dec and January until the next test and we haven't gotten a schedule-- so no telling how long-YUCK! I have 6 high school kids on roll and am working with about 6 adults in the afternoons. It is funny to think that I am swamped with my few kids now when I was teaching 75 a day. I do still love my job even though I chewed some butt today in class and I think they got the message. Also, we are having a GED celebration on December 2nd to celebrate those high school students and adults who have gotten their GED since I started teaching GED classes. I hope it will be a good turnout but have only gotten a few RSVP's so I will be on the phone after testing on Thurs and Friday to get some confirmations.
Me: I have been busy planning home made gifts for Christmas. I am making my list and checking it twice!! I will be busy with night class Tuesday night, starting on the beds Wednesday, "stampin up" meeting on Thursday, bingo on Friday and then working on the beds again over the weekend. Once the room is done, then I am working on GIFTS!!!! I am cooking for Thanksgiving so I will squeeze that in there somewhere.
Bingo: I have been going but I can't remember if I told you that Otto had moved to Wiggins to be closer to his daughter so she can take care of him. He was the one with the walker. Thomas still comes and when I say hello to him, he says, "Hello Darling" and it just makes my night. Last week we both won and I guess my "lucky charm" has tarnished because he no longer slips me a $5, :-) . He is so funny with his wise cracks at the bingo caller and he is a pretty good artist too. He has sketched a few face while we are on "break" and he likes it when I comment on his work.

Life is Good

Thought of the day

The finest education is useless without common sense. E.F. Girard

I really hope that people use common sense when they vote today!!

Wordless Wednesday

Thoughtful Tuesday

I am currently putting together a GED celebration to recognize all of my participants that have passed the GED test. I would like for the school district to purchase each participant a t-shirt with a motivational saying on it. I don't want the shirt to "advertise" that they have a GED but just something that will remind them of what they have accomplished.

I searched the internet and have come up with a list of 14 saying that I felt would be appropriate for the occassion. I then had the students pick their topic 3 from the list and then tallied the results.

I would like to get your feedback on the top 3 sayings to help me make the choice. They are listed in no particular order.

1. It's never too late
to be what you
might have been.

2. Forget past mistakes.
Forget past failures.
Forget everythning except
what you are going to do now
and DO IT.

3. Motivate yourself.
The most successful people in life
are self starters....
They don't rely on others to get going.

Post your selection in your comment.

Wordless Wednesday

More words of encouragement

I read this saying, took a moment to think about it and then realized just how true it was--

"We leave traces of ourselves wherever we go, on whatever we touch." Lewis Thomas

Each of us has an impact on each other. Sometimes it is a big impact and others just a small one but an impact nonetheless.

Thankful Thursday

Okay, okay-- time to follow the crowd. Here is my Thankful Thursday.

I am thankful to have many wonderful family members.

Family is the most important part of your life and without family- you are nobody.

So my salute today is to my big brother Steve and his crew-- only a few pictured here!!! We would be missing Tara, Shawna, Hammer and the grandkids ( Hannah, Josie and Oliva belong to Tara; Sheridan and Aaron belong to Shawna).

Check back next week to see who will be honored next!!!!!!!!!!

Words of Encouragement

I was given a "101 Words of Encouragement" booklet on an easel from a teacher. I do love to read through them and often find encouragement. So, I have decided to share them with you as I feel they are needed.

"Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Oliver Goldsmith

Elmo and Kaitlin

This past Saturday, Kandis and I and the kids went to Zonta which is a fall arts and crafts fesitval held in Pascagoula. We did a lot of looking and I bought a piece of pottery but the main event was Elmo. They had a section set up for kids with a couple of jumping things, people making balloon animals and a rock climbing wall. As Kaitlin was bouncing, I spotted Elmo and asked her if she would like to see Elmo-- needless to say, she was out of the bouncer and in Elmo's arms in a flash.

Bingo update

I have been meaning to update you on my progress at bingo. I am still eating the 2 pieces of pizza that my two old friends save for me each week and I tell them that they are going to make me fat. The past couple of weeks I have been lucky and have won a bingo or two until this past Friday. Let me explain

When I arrived last Friday only Otto was sitting at our table and when I looked around, I noticed Thomas was sitting with his daughter and son-in-law. So I went over and said my hellos to Thomas and told him that Otto and I would miss him and then I wished him luck. I purchased my cards, my coke and went to settle in with Otto. After about 10 minutes of socializing her comes this 10-12 year old girl to give Otto a hug-- Otto then realizes that his daughter and granddaughter are there and he gathers his cards, his coke and his walker and goes to sit with his daughter. So there I am sitting by myself. I swore I took a shower before I went to work that morning. Needless to say, it was very uneventful. The ladys who sit at the table in front of us said "wow Lisa, it is odd not hearing you call the numbers to Otto and that is so sweet that you that for him." Well, that comment was the highlight of my night because I didn't win anything.

As I was cleaning up to leave, Otto comes rolling up with his walker and he was mad. He said that he will not be going back to sit with them because he couldn't hear the caller and he missed a bingo. So he "knows" how much he needs me!!!

Anyway, I do plan on going back this Friday and winning some money!! I will keep you posted :-)

Where has the time gone???

No, this will not be some sentimental story about how years have slipped past and you look around and notice that your daughter has given birth to your second grandchild -sheez-- am I getting older??

This is about the month of September-- Where did it go? Last I remember it was the first couple of days into the month and I was waiting for the arrival of Reese and now it is the 30th. I just can't imagine how the days have slipped past so fast. But it is payday!!!

School is going good. Of course, all of my students are special and they have some life changing stories and I guess that is why I have them in my GED program. Currently I have 4 high school students and about 14 adults who come when they can. I do still love my job-- have I mentioned that lately?

Kandis and family are doing good. I brag all the time about how smart Kaitlin is and Reese is growing fast. The last couple of Saturdays I have taken Kaitlin to the library and we read a few books and then check out some books and movies to help keep her occupied while her mom is busy feeding Reese. Hey, did you know that you can type Reese with only your left hand-- pretty cool. Rex can also be typed with the left hand. Just thought I would share.

More later--

He has arrived!!

I am an Oma again!!! Reese joined the world on September 4th. He weighs 9 lbs and 9 oz and is a beautiful baby boy!!! Mom and baby are both doing great.

Weigh everyday-- Yes, Yes, Yes

Okay, I know-- just last week I was moaning and groaning about getting on the scales. Well, I decided to get on the scale after that last post. I weighed less than I thought-- just went to the doctor the week before-- was weighing a pound less. That was motivation-- so I have been watching what I eat and trying to get more exercise. Well, I have lost a total of 2 pounds since I posted on Aug. 26th. I have been getting on the scale everyday to make sure that I haven't gained that weight back. Now I see the reasoning behind weighing yourself everyday-- you want to monitor your weight and see if you need to make adjustments to your diet/exercise routine for the day. I would like to lose about 10 pound and I would be happy-- and I would weigh less than my friend Laura!!

I am a WINNER!!!!!!

Yes, you read the title correctly. I went to Bingo last night and sat with Otis-- remember him? He is the guy with the walker-- the other guy, Thomas, sat in the back with his daughter and family. Anyway, sitting with Otis is a treat because I tell him what the number of the bingo ball is that is in the tv monitor. He can't read it unless he takes his glasses off and tries to focus and by then the "caller" has said the number and it is a worthless task for him. So, I lean over and tell him the number like B15 and he can go ahead and start marking his cards before the caller calls the number. It helps him to keep up -- gosh, I don't know how he makes it with out me-- maybe that is why he doesn't win unless I am around. Shoot, I feel guilty now cause he didn't win last night but I did TWICE!!! Woo-Hoo!!! I hit one game for $40 and one for $25-- for a grand total of $65. I really must think about what I am going to buy myself with my winnings-- heck, got to be careful how I spend such a large amount. ;-)

The old man at the cemetery

There are times in your life when things you experience or people you see have a profound affect on you. I told my sister a couple of months ago about an old man that I see sitting by a graveside and it is such a sad sight that it makes me want to cry.
Now, this is not my normal path home, only when I need to stop by the grocery store do I see him. But 9 times out of 10, he is there. At first, I thought "how sweet" and then I noticed that he is not only there but had brought his own lawn chair to sit in. Somedays he would be packing up his chair and somedays I would just see him sitting. Now, in my current emotional state, being very hormonal and still getting my thyroid levels right- I get teary-eyed seeing him there. I drive by thinking, oh- that must be his wifes grave and he must have really loved her and now misses her deeply. So, I spend the rest of the drive home thinking of this old man and worrying about how he is doing.
That brings me to yesterday evening. I taught my night class until 7 and offered to give one of my students a ride home to Vancleave. So once again I am passing the cemetery, later than usual and there he sits. Needless to say, something made me turn around and go the cemetery. I introduced myself and told him that I have seen him sitting here on many days and I thought that he was visiting someone he really loved. He told me that he and his wife were married for 53 years before she died and that he had never meet another couple that loved each other as much as he and his wife had loved each other. Of course that brought tears to my eyes and we continued to talk. I told him about myself and he told me that he was 78 years old and had worked at the shipyard. He has 4 kids and that includes one set of twins, a boy and a girl. The boy lives in Jackson and the girl at home with him-- they are 51 years old!! His son is the only one that ever married. Of course, the one lives with him and has all her life. The other 2 girls are living is Ocean Springs.
After a few tears, some very touching moments and a couple of hugs, I left feeling better about the old man in the cemetery, knowing that he has a broken heart but he will be okay.

I am waiting for.....

1. My new grandson who will be here shortly. Heck, depending on the doctors visit today, he might be here soon than later!!

2. Hurricane Gustav to decide what direction he will take -- left, right, straight ahead????

3. My trip to see Mom and Lyman!! Road Trip here I come-- okay, air trip here I come!!!

4. My cholestrol to go down -- okay, so I didn't take my medicine every day (tried everyother day) so since that didn't work, I will take it everyday -- darn it.

5. My weight to decrease-- The Flylady says to weigh everyday, first thing in the morning-- I disagree. Why start everyday off in a bad mood? I am thinking of weighing once a week-- maybe

6. Publishers Clearing House to arrive at my door with my multimillion dollar check.

WOW-- I can only think of 6 things-- Life is good!!

How sweet it is

There is nothing sweeter than being an Oma and being able to enjoy your granddaughter. Today we took a walk in the rain (sprinkles really). It started with feeding the fish in Mr. Arlin's pond and then we had to pick up the Sunday paper at the end of the driveway and then we had to take a walk on the "trail" which is a bamboo lined path. What a day!!!!!!!!

Back to School

Well, we have been back in school for a week and a half! I am currently teaching 2 high school students that are returning from last year. They past 3 out 5 parts of the GED. I hope to get them both finished soon. We go to testing at the end of the month so we will see if they are ready!
I also have "practice tested" 5 adults who all have tested as ready and I have 3 adults who are coming to my afternoon classes.
Many of you may have heard me say this before, but this is the most rewarding job. I have always been an instant gratification type of girl and this is pretty instant. I remember telling my dad that when I retire from teaching I was going to be a painter or a power washer because you can see what you have done instantly. I feel that I am having an instant impact on my students. To date, I have helped 24 people get their GED-- HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I am waiting on results of a couple right now)

The loss of a friend

This past week I have endured the pain of the death of a dear friend, Geneva Ross. I had worked with Geneva at Gautier High School for 10-12 years. She was the type of teacher that students loved, teachers admired and administrators feared. Everything she did in life was with passion. After she retired from teaching, she became a "deck hand" on her husbands shrimp boat, the Joe-Gen. She spent the last 2 years side by side with the love of her life, Joseph Ross. If you have ever eaten shrimp at my house, it was caught by the Joe-Gen. They shrimped together because they loved it.



Yesterday we had a beautiful "Celebration of Life" for Geneva. There were many pictures of her and lots of her awards, plaques and "teacher goodies". The service was prayers, songs and a few people had the courage and strength to share memories with us. Family and friends brought boiled shrimp (very fitting), a variety of salads and deserts. I think Geneva would have liked the celebration.



Her death has been a wake-up reminder for me-- Life is precious and the time we have is much too short. I want to spend more time with family and friends. As a society, we tend to get caught up in our own lives and are forever busy--- this must change. We need more time with family and friends because that is what makes life worth living.

Friday Night Bingo

I just returned from the local VFW from a night of bingo. Out of the 50 people there, I was one of the handfull that was under the age of 50!! I hadn't had a chance to play since the family reunion so tonight I decided to attend. Now, you may be wondering why I have chosen to play at the VFW with a bunch of "old" veterans. Actually, I have met 2 nice old men and they are my buddies at the bingo hall. Thomas and Otis are their names and they play 2 times a week. Thomas uses a cane and told me that he was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. Otis has a walker and told me that he was in the Navy many moons ago. They call me their lucky charm because at least one of them will win when I come to bingo. Thomas will "slip" me $5 after he wins saying that I am his lucky charm and he wants to buy me a sandwich. I told him he didn't need to do that but he insisted. The winnings range from $25 to $40 for the regular games. I help keep an eye on their cards and let them know if they miss a number. Otis wears glasses and can't see the ball on the monitor so I call out the numbers so he can get a head start on marking his cards before the number/ball is called. He won tonight ($40)-- Thomas wasn't there. It tickles me to watch them win. Of course, I like to win too and I won $25 tonight. Woo-Hoo

Clutter Attracts Clutter

No-- this isn't an autobiography. This is a famous saying by the "Flylady." Those of you who know of her understand this concept but those who don't may thinkI have really lost it.

Let me explain. Flylady.com is an online network that provides motivation through emails to help you clean up the chaos (clutter) in your homes. The Flylady has many saying that I had posted on sticky pads and stuck them to my kitchen window to motivate me keep the kitchen clean-- I removed them a couple of days before the family reunion-- Now I can't see the kitchen bar anymore, I know it was there a couple of weeks ago. So I am making new reminders and am going to get back into the habit of decluttering my "hotspots"- like the kitchen bar.

You might be wondering why I would need such a thing as reminders and the Flylady. Well, I am not a born organizer, somewhere I missed that gene from Mom. Steve, Mike and Gina all got that gene but I am thinking because I was born a month earlier that the gene didn't have time to develop. Now don't get me wrong, Steve has some clutter but he keeps the majority of it here in Mississippi and then lives in Louisisana-- not a bad idea. Mike- heck, you can walk in his house and it is perfect everyday (I am thinking he must have elves or something and his house was always cleaner than mine even when he was a bachelor!). Gina has 4 kids, a husband, and a two story house to take care of and it looks awesome all the time. I just don't get it on how they don't have clutter-- my clutter attracts more clutter. That is why I need the Flylady and daily reminders-- it is a sad state of affairs. I wonder if more premature/early babies have clutter problems. Maybe we should conduct a study on it-- hmmm.

Anyway, the whole purpose of this post is to let you know-- like you really needed to know-- that I am on a mission to declutter my home and keep it that way. It will take time but it will all be worth it.

I am excited about my new adventure,

Okay, some of you may think that my past fever has caused brain damage but I really am excited. Here is a place that I can express my thoughts, share ideas and just plain talk. You have the choice to read it or not and I will never know the difference!! How cool is that?

I understand that you may be thinking that I always seem to find more to do, but I look at it as a way to keep my mind fresh. If I unload it on this blog site then I don't need to remember as much thus it will be a good thing for me.

Talking to Gina today-- she was the first one to post a comment :) -- so I had to call her and share my excitement-- anyway, she said that I would be surprised at the amount of things that you will think of to write/post about. Well, she is right. Aren't sisters great!! I have thought about all kinds of things to say. I could tell you about my days, post information that is "happening" in the family, share some good jokes, pictures and videos. Man, this is going to be fun.

I am looking forward to sharing with you.

Here we go

Well, I have decided that I couldn't let Tara and Gina get too far ahead of me in the technology world. Heck, I remember a time when they would come to me for questions about technology and now I am following in their footsteps to keep up. That's okay! I have decided that I would take a moderate approach to this and just use other peoples information, notes, thoughts, and anything else that I can beg, borrow or steal to keep my blog up and running!!

So, now you not only need to check your email daily but you are also going to need to keep an eye out on this site for updates. I hope to post some pictures that will keep you up-to-date on how everyone is looking these days--- yes, I know, we almost saw everyone in the family at the 2008 family reunion but there are other people in the world that would love to get a look at us!! And my how we have grown--- in numbers, of course!!!!!!!!!

This is the best group shot that I have. Does anyone have one that is better? Please email it to me so that I can post it.