Time Flies

Today is Mark's 21st birthday! Whatttt??? Time flies so fast. I can't believe I have two adult children now! I have this picture in my den and I look at it every day....


and sometimes it's hard to believe that those days are gone and he's all grown up now.

But I will say that he is just as much fun as a grown up!


Mark is such a wonderful son and I love hanging out with him and talking to him about all kinds of interesting things. He is a big talker and always has something deep to discuss (which I love)! Mark is so well-rounded. He is smart, good-looking, funny, friendly, sweet, and athletic!


I don't know where life is going to lead him as he starts this new chapter of his life. He is adventurous and loves world events and politics and learning about cultures and countries, so I know he is going to do something cool and exciting! I couldn't ask for a better son and I am so thankful God gave him to me.


Happy birthday Mark!! I love you so much!

On another note...whew! Thank GOODNESS it's Friday. I guess my class has Spring Fever or something, but it has been a rough week. To top off the behavior issues and some other crazy stuff, I got a soccer ball kicked right in my face today at recess. Ouuuucchhhh! I thought I had broken my nose and my whole face is still so sore. I had blood all over my face and dripping down my hands and clothes. It was not a pretty sight. It was just an accident, but I was so glad when this day was over.

Before I go, I wanted to share two quick things. One is this video. It is so sweet and funny. Bless this dog's heart. You can tell he feels so bad about what he did. It made me smile and it totally reminded me of me with some of my students this week. Is it possible to feel mad at and sorry for someone at the same time? That would be a big YES!! (Especially dogs and kids!)



Second-I am looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend--starting now! And I am thinking it may have a little of this in it somewhere...


Please pass the pasta, cheese, and Ro-tel. I could use some comfort food!

Happy Friday! :)

Good Things

I thought I would celebrate some good things today to get us through "hump-day"!

1-I was driving home from school yesterday and all of a sudden I realized the wisteria is EVERYWHERE! I think that is the prettiest flower and it only blooms for such a short time, so you have to look quick! And it smells so good too.


And the tulips are coming out all over the place! That is another of my favorites. Is it just me, or is spring coming earlier than usual this year?? On the down side, the pollen is getting thick on everything. Allergies are driving everyone crazy right now.



2-I am finally over being sick. Praise the Lord! I took an antibiotic and that kicked it for me. I feel so much better!

3-Steve is a big weekend newspaper reader. This past weekend, when he was reading the paper front to back, he found a new recipe he wanted me to try, so I tried it yesterday. It was from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook (she is Jerry Seinfeld's wife). She is into eating healthy and Steve is always on the lookout for healthy recipes. He is much more into cooking low-fat and all that than I am. I have a hard time breaking my southern habits. But I do love mozzarella with tomato and basil, so that may be what I liked about this sandwich. (I changed a couple things on it....no thank you on the broccoli puree!) Anyway...I thought I would share it with you. It looks kind of long, but it's really easy.



Balsamic Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ cup balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup broccoli puree (I didn't do this part!)
6 large slices tomato
6 ciabatta rolls, or 6 large slices crusty Italian bread (I just used a softer sandwich roll)
½ cup grated part-skim mozzarella

Cooking Directions
1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour on a sheet of waxed paper. Toss the chicken chunks in the flour and coat completely. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and garlic. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook until the chicken begins to brown and the garlic becomes fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the chicken broth, vinegar, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Add the puree and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the flavors are well blended.

4. Place the bread on a large baking sheet. Top each with a tomato slice. Divide the chicken between the 6 pieces of bread and top with mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted and edges of the bread are crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately.

For the Broccoli Puree

Cut broccoli into florets and steam for 6 to 7 minutes. Florets should be tender but still bright green. (If they're an olive green, they're overcooked.) Puree using a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes. May need a few teaspoons of water, for a smooth, creamy texture.

4-This is my new favorite song by Keith Urban. I just love his music and when I heard this song for the first time this week, I thought it was so sweet. His daughter is named Sunday Rose and she is in the video. Laura sent me a Facebook message a few days ago and sent me the link to the song and said, "You will love it and Sunday Roast is in it, too!" Haha....we always thought Sunday Rose sounded like Sunday Roast!

Without You - Keith Urban - Keith Urban Videos

5-It is WEDNESDAY! Yay! We're half way through the week!

70

Yesterday was my mom's 70th birthday! I can't imagine what it must feel like to turn 70. It's hard for me to imagine that I am a grandmother so I know by the time you turn 70 you must feel like time has just flown by in your life! I think that was a little bit how she was feeling yesterday. But I know she was also thankful for 70 wonderful years that God has given her!


We had a little party last night for her at PF Changs.


My brother Blake and his wife, Angie came. My mom has three sisters and they came, too!


After dinner, I had everybody over to my house. Ashley and John met us over there. They brought David and and we played "pass-the-baby"!






I wish I got to see my brother more. Even though we both live here in Charlotte, he is super busy with his four kids and pastoring his church. And we are always running around like crazy with our busy lives, so I always have fun when we can spend some time together! He is making me laugh with his "serious" face in this picture! :)


I got my mom a Dairy Queen Blizzard cake! Yummmmmm! I tried one at a party I went to recently and it was so good. I had to get one for her. Ours had Butterfinger in it.




I think she had a good time!

Meanwhile, I think I have a sinus infection. I just can't seem to get over whatever this is. Steve had a Z-pack that he never used, so I started taking it this morning. I am hoping I feel better by the next day or two. Being sick for this long is getting old!

Looking Forward

Well, last week right after all the fun of a wonderful Saturday, I came down with the crud! I started running a fever and felt AWFUL all day Sunday. I even stayed home sick from school on Monday, which I never do! Tuesday I went back, but it has been a rough week. I have lost my voice and have been hacking up a lung. I am wondering if maybe I have a sinus infection or something?? Who knows! Maybe I have allergies?

Anyway...in other news...spring is finally here and I have lots of things I am looking forward to.

1-Warm Weather
It has been absolutely gorgeous here for the past few days. When I got in my car after school yesterday, the car thermometer said 88 degrees! Steve has been working out in our yard and it is looking really good. The grass is getting green and little flowers are blooming. Our bulbs are starting to come up. Today we are getting our porch all cleaned up so we can get back outside and enjoy it. We spend alot of time outside in the spring and lots of time on our porch. We are always grilling out and eating outside or having people over to hang out. I am hoping we can also plant some spring flowers before too long. I'm ready to change up my pansies for some summery stuff!


Steve and I were just saying this morning that warm weather is like a drug! It is such a mood booster!

2-Baby Love
Ashley brought David over yesterday afternoon for a little while. She had him dressed in the cutest little plaid overalls.


I wanted to just give him tons of kisses and love on him, but I tried not to since I don't want him to get what I have (even though I don't think I am contagious at all!)

Ashley is loving being a mommy and she is so good at it!


Easter is going to be even more fun this year since we have a baby around! When my kids were little, I went all out on Easter dressing them in all matching outfits. It was so much fun. I am looking forward to seeing David all dressed up in something precious like this...


Ashley and I were "ooo-ing"and "aaahhhh-ing" the other night over all the Easter cuteness out there for babies! I love it.

3-Spring Break
Can I make it? Spring break is so late this year because Easter is so late. But I think we are going to go to Florida for the week. Steve has business down there and I can just go and hang out by the pool or at the beach all day while he is working. Then at night we can go out and do fun things. Maybe I can take some of the books I have been wanting to read and get caught up! That is my idea of a good time. :)



4-Water For Elephants
I read this book and LOVED it, so I am really looking forward to seeing it. I think Reese Witherspoon is going to do a great job in her role and it will be interesting to see how the book translates to a movie. I think it comes out in April sometime?



So...those are a few of the things I'm excited about lately. Do you have anything fun coming up this spring??

Back To Reality

Well, unfortunately I had to go back to reality after getting to play Nana for a few days. I have missed this sweet boy! I got to see him this morning and just about kissed him to death!


I have been super busy since I went back. We are getting ready to gear up for the EOG's (End-Of-Grade tests) which are coming in May. It is starting to feel like "crunch" time trying to make sure my students are as prepared as they can be to take that important test.

Laura, Lindy, and Mark were all on Spring Break this past week. Mark went to Florida with some friends and Laura and Lindy went to Charleston. They all got to be home a little bit too so I was glad about that. Last night I took them out to dinner at Cajun Yard Dog while Steve took his "Little Brother" Nicholas to a Charlotte Bobcats game.

I have been so tired this week. Even on a Friday night, I came home and got straight in bed and I think I was asleep by 9:00! I am NOT looking forward to springing forward tonight. I was really enjoying it finally being light outside in the mornings on my way to work. Now it is going to be dark again. That makes me sad. Plus getting up at 5:00 am is already ridiculously hard for me. How on earth can I get up an hour EARLIER??! Uuuggghh....I am dreading it!

Anyway...this morning we went over to Steve's parents' house for a big breakfast with eggs, bacon, biscuits, and grits. It was delicious. I hardly ever fix a big breakfast anymore! Steve's sister was in town and she wanted to see David.


Plus Laura and Lindy and Mark wanted to see Steve's dad while they were here.


He is doing okay. He started his chemo and radiation last week and it does not make him feel very good. He is doing as well as he could be expected to at this point I think.

The rest of the day was spent running errands and getting everyone ready to head back to school. Mark and Lindy left today and Laura is leaving tomorrow. I cleaned bathrooms and vacuumed and grocery shopped. I also tried to keep an eye on the news. I am so sad about the earthquake/tsunami in Japan. That is such a tragedy. I have been praying for those people ever since I heard about it yesterday morning. I hope they don't have a nuclear meltdown now!!

I did get to go outside for a little while, too, and go on a walk with Steve. I am so happy that spring is just about here to stay. It is one of my favorite times of year! Hope you are having a good weekend!

March Is Here!

It is March!! Are you as happy about that as I am?? Finally winter is almost over and spring is on it's way.

These past few days have been so nice. I have loved being off of school and spending time with Ashley and David. I could just hold him and kiss his little sweet cheeks all day. He is so soft and he smells so good! Precious.

Today Ashley brought him over to do a little suntanning. My house gets so much sunlight in the morning and he is still a tiny bit jaundiced, so he needed to sit in the light for a while. He looked so adorable, I had to take his picture! He's still "fuzzy" all over and I love that!





We took him out to Chick Fil A for lunch. We sat far away from everyone and didn't stay too long. It was fun getting out just for a little while. David slept through the whole time.


By the way, have you seen these yet?


Ashley and I tried one today. I thought it was pretty sweet, but Ashley loved it!

Ashley is doing so good. I stayed with her most of the morning, but she really has it all together. When I left this afternoon to come home and cook them some dinner, she was cleaning and vacuuming! She was made to be a mommy! :)

When I got home, it was such a gorgeous day, I decided to get out and walk. I love how all the trees and flowers are starting to bloom. The forsythia and daffodils are always the early bloomers




But the pear and cherry trees are out too!




Everything was so pretty. Yay for spring!

This morning while Ashley was here, I went into my attic and found a box full of old baby quilts and blankets. I got them all out and washed them. I am so glad I kept them. They are perfect for spreading out on the floor and laying the baby down to sleep or play!


Besides spending time with Ashley and the baby, it has been wonderful being able to relax at night and watch movies or read or do whatever I wanted to do and know I didn't have to get up at 5:00! I am not looking forward to getting up early again tomorrow. Thankfully this will only be a 2-day week for me. I can do it!!

I wanted to share this video with you. Lindy made it right after David was born and it is the sweetest thing. It has lots of pictures and some live video, too. I thought she did a really good job of capturing the emotion that was in the room that day. She was also smart enough to turn on her Flip when my dad was praying and blessing sweet little David, so his whole prayer is recorded on here too! It makes me teary eyed when I watch it!