School Daze...

I guess it's because it is the end of the quarter that I have been so busy this week. I'm not sure what it is, but right now I finally have my feet up for what seems like the first time this week! It's been one of those late-home-from-school weeks that I really have been trying to avoid since the new year. I didn't do very well this week.

Yesterday afternoon I did take a break and our whole second grade team met right after school at Brio's restaurant just to hang out and have appetizers. We have such a sweet team of ladies. They are so much fun and we all get along really well. It was a rainy, dreary day and this restaurant has lots of couches and cushy chairs, so we just pulled those up in a circle and sat and ate and gabbed for a couple of hours. It was fun. Here are a few of us...three teachers weren't there yet when I took this picture.


Tonight we kept our niece, Bailey, for a little while just to give Britney a break. She was so cute. We took her to the pet store to look at the puppies and kitties and birds and fish. She was wide-eyed!


Then we took her out to dinner where she happily sucked on lemons all through dinner. (She LOVED them!) Then it was on to the toy aisle in Wal-Mart while I did a little shopping. She just talked up a storm and had the best time!

I watched the TiVo'd version of American Idol late last night. I've been trying to keep up with it. That is definitely the best way to watch it. You can watch in half the time! Anyway...I saw that Alan Osmond's son, David, was one of the contestants!


If you know me, you know what a big Osmond fan I was when I was growing up. So I hope he does well! I thought he really did have a good voice. Speaking of Osmonds, I heard Donny Osmond is going to be on the next Dancing With The Stars. I wonder how he will do??

And since we're talking about celebrity news...I heard on The View today that Elisabeth Hasselbeck is pregnant with her third baby. She is my favorite co-host on that show. She will have her hands full now since her baby is only a little over a year old!


Well, back to work now. This is the stack of papers I have sitting on my dresser waiting for me to grade them.


How did I get this behind??!! I think I'll bring them with me to bed and catch up on my TV watching while I get the job done!

24 Tips

I am super busy tonight. Just catching up on lots of school work and stuff for my Sunday School class. But last week I read something on my sweet friend Christal's blog that I loved. I hope she doesn't mind if I share it with you today. It's really good advice!!

24 Tips for a Better Life
There's a little something in here for everyone...

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it’ s still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals almost everything. . . and He can heal everything if its in His plan. We just need to trust His bigger picture.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

Happy News and Plan B

I am so excited because I just checked Kelly's blog and I saw that Harper opened her eyes tonight! Oh my goodness...I was so happy to see that. I know she could have just jumped for joy looking into those sweet little eyes.


It has been just a pretty typical Monday here. We found out today that the Atrium that I was telling you about yesterday is BOOKED for November 7th. :( So now we are going to Plan B. We may change the date or find another place. We have a few other places in mind and are looking into those this week. When we have it all booked, I will show it to you!

I am organizing a dinner club for our Sunday School class this week. There are about 12 couples who want to do it. We would have groups of 4 couples or so that would get together once a month to either meet for dinner at someone's house or at a restaurant. Then the next month, you rotate and different couples get together. I've been in a dinner club once before, but never organized it. If you've ever done this before and have any good ideas, let me know what worked for you!! I think it will be fun!

So Much To Think About

I told you yesterday that I would try to get you up to date on Ashley's wedding plans. Well, let's see...

Ashley and John have confirmed the date of November 7th. That worked out best with Ashley's teaching schedule since it will be close to fall break. Plus that weekend this past fall was absolutely gorgeous, so I'm hoping it will be just as pretty next year on that same weekend!

Since it is a fall wedding, she is looking at all the beautiful fall colors to use in the wedding for dresses and flowers, but all those choices haven't been made yet. She has really been focusing mostly on getting a reception location nailed down and I think she found a place today!

There was a Bridal Show downtown today and she went with Laura and Lindy and one of her good friends, Michelle.


They had so many ideas there and she took lots of pictures and got tons of information on everything from cakes to invitations to bands to photographers. But while she was down there, she looked at this location. It's called The Atrium and it looks really pretty when it is decorated for a wedding reception. We would have the wedding at our church, then go downtown for the reception.


She loved it and I think she is calling tomorrow to get it reserved.


This is one of the cakes she saw today at the Bridal Show and really liked (the one in the middle).


This is alot like what she wants so she got the name and number of this bakery so she can call for more information.

There is still alot to do, but Ashley is very organized. She's got ideas in mind for invitations and centerpieces and dresses, etc. Even though there is so much to do, we still have plenty of time, so I don't want her to get stressed out. She is a very busy girl right now with her student teaching. We will just take it one day at a time!

Rachel's Wedding

Today we drove to Beaufort, South Carolina to attend Ashley's roommate, Rachel's wedding. It was such a sweet wedding and Steve and I both got a little teary when we watched her walk down the aisle, dance with her dad, and just so many things that we know are right around the corner for Ashley.

Ashley has been so blessed to live with such a close group of friends while she was in college. They have had the most fun together and have had so many great experiences. They love each other and have been there for each other through lots of ups and downs. It's hard to believe that it is all coming to an end, so they have been a little emotional over the past few days. I know they will still stay close, but it won't be quite the same.

We were glad that we got to be a part of Rachel's special day today. Here are a few pictures we took.



















Two other quick things...

1-Steve and I went to see the movie Slumdog Millionaire last night. It was so good!! It's not a movie that's in every movie theater. You kind of have to look for it. But if you have a chance, you should go. It was a great story!



2-And, have you heard the letter that the Bush twins wrote to Sasha and Malia Obama? It is just the sweetest thing ever. It almost makes me cry when I hear it. You should take a minute to listen to it when you have time. It is just very, very kind and thoughtful. (Just go over and turn the music off on my sidebar.)

Show and Tell

I just wanted to share a few of the pictures that Laura and Lindy took while they were in Washington and tell you what they did while they were there. They had THE BEST time and were just jabbering on about it when they got home last night. It was such an historical event to be a part of and they said there was alot of excitement in the air.

They were actually on the news twice here in Charlotte and I TiVo'd it for them. (They had a news crew following their trip.) They did everything from visiting museums, Mt. Vernon, a night tour of Washington, attending an Inaugural Ball, Arlington National Cemetery, the Inauguration itself, plus more!

I think other than all the fun and excitement, the thing that stood out the most to them was how extremely COLD it was there. They stood outside for 8 hours on Inauguration Day and they said they literally couldn't feel their toes. All the fountains and lakes and even the Potomac River were frozen! They stood with all the other millions of flag-wavers about half way between the Capitol and the Washington Monument, so they watched everything on the Jumbotrons. They are so short it was hard for them to even see those, but they could hear everything!

Here are a few of their pictures (and I do mean few...they took about 300!).












One other thing they told me was that you have never seen so many porta-johns in your entire life. They had one porta-john for every 6000 people, though, so Laura and Lindy said they didn't go the whole day until they got back to their hotel that night!!! (Can you say disgusting??)

Today was kind of like a Friday for us because it is the end of the quarter and tomorrow is a work day. Wow...this has been a short week!

Ashley's roommate, Rachel, is getting married this Saturday! The wedding will be in her hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina, so we will be driving down on Saturday. I will tell you all about it when we get home!

Speaking of weddings, I will have to fill you in soon on what we've been up to with Ashley's wedding plans when I get some time!

Happy Friday!

Home

Well, my extra long weekend was so nice. I loved having Monday AND Tuesday off, thanks to MLK Day and a surprise snow day!!

Steve and I always have fun together. It was just us these past few days and we were loving it! We sure did stay busy. Sunday after church we went to lunch with some good friends. Then Monday night we used some gift certificates to a new restaurant called Brick Tops. It was delicious! I would definitely go back. I know we will since we have another gift card still to use!

Yesterday morning Rocky woke us up at 4:00 because he needed to go out. It was really snowing, so I turned on the TV to see if they had cancelled school yet, but there was no word. So I set my alarm for 5:30 and by then they had called school off. I turned off the alarm and rolled over and went back to sleep. Then Steve and I just stayed at home all day and watched the snow and the inauguration. We did take a break to go next door for a game of Mexican Dominoes with our neighbors. That's always good snow day fun!

Last night we went to dinner with my parents at one of our favorite places, PF Changs! Honestly, I really didn't want the fun to be over and have to go to school today.

But, today it was back to reality. Laura and Lindy are coming home tonight. I think that is always the best feeling!


It's so great to sleep in your own bed again and have a home cooked meal. I am fixing oven fried chicken with potatoes and green beans for them. And I've got a fire and a Christmas Cookie candle going. I am ready to put on my pajamas, too, and just enjoy being home.

Inauguration Day

I was so excited because this is what we woke up to this morning...


Woo hoo! I am just like a kid when it comes to snow! :) School was cancelled, so we got to sleep in and enjoy the day watching the Inauguration. I have been watching all the ceremonies and celebrations all day and feeling so patriotic. No matter who you voted for, it is such an historical event.



I loved seeing the huge crowds and all the flags waving.


I have been dying to talk to Laura and Lindy all day, but haven't been able to get through to them on their cell phones. I know they are FREEZING since they have been standing outside since 6:00 this morning, but this is something they will never forget! They were in that huge throng of people in front of the Capitol and now they are going to the parade. I hope they call soon, but I just heard on the news that the cell phone system in Washington has been taxed almost to the point of crashing. I probably won't hear from them until late tonight.

And, I have to say that the Obama girls are just precious. They are so patient and well behaved. I know there are lots of pros and cons about growing up in the White House. But I believe the Obamas will do all they can to keep them grounded.

I am also proud of the way our country transfers power. What other country in the world does this in such a peaceful and dignified way? That makes me so glad to be an American!

There are a couple of other things I wanted to share with you...

There is a new prayer blog for Harper Stamps.


If you would like to, you can go here to leave encouragement or a prayer for the Stamps family.


And Monogrammed Teacher is having a giveaway to celebrate her 100th post. Look what she's giving away!! Isn't this cute??



Go here if you'd like to enter!

Lots To "B" Happy About!

Meredith had a fun tag on her blog a few days ago where she was assigned a letter of the alphabet and then she had to think of things that she loved that started with that letter. I decided to play, so she assigned me the letter "B". At first I thought that might be hard, but then my mind just started buzzing with things I love that start with "B"!!

"B" Names
The first thing that came to mind was my family...so many of us have "B" names!! There's Betsy, Blake, Brent, Britney, Brianna, Bryson, Brett, Brad, Bailey, and one on the way that's going to have a "B" name!! And our last name is Bouldin! :)

Blue Jeans...I wish I could wear them every day! They are so comfortable.



Bellagio Fountains...Steve and I have been to Las Vegas many times and we always love to watch these beautiful fountains! They are amazing!



Baking Cookies...especially chocolate chip!



Boots...any kind really!


Babies...so sweet and precious.


Bubble Baths...the ultimate relaxation!


Backyards Barbeques...I love summer and this is one of the reasons why!



Burgers and Fries...another reason to love backyard barbeques!


Buble (as in Michael)...love him!


Beach....one of my FAVORITE places on earth!


Bible...it is my guide and my comfort.


Books...I love to read!



Bouquets...any kind of flower is beautiful, but I think my favorite are...


Blue Hydrangeas


Blogging. Who knew I would love it so much? I have had the best time getting to know so many sweet and wonderful people, not to mention keeping a journal of my life!


Bread Pudding...so yummy!


Being on a fun trip...like to London or Paris or NYC!







Believers...I feel so blessed to be a part of God's kingdom of believers all over the world. Just reading Kelly's blog this week reiterates the fact that there are Christians everywhere who are lifting each other up and encouraging each other and who all are serving the same God. I love that!


Bright Sunny Days...they just put me in the best mood! :)


Balance. I want more of this one!



If you want to play along, just let me know and I will assign you a letter!