The Bucket List

My Parents are so funny to me! They celebrated their 38th anniversary this summer and after seeing the movie The Bucket List they created their own "bucket list".. or rather let me rephrase that... MY MOTHER created a bucket list and told my dad they were going to do these things. You will find a theme in my parents wonderful marriage. MOM SAYS AND DAD DOES! Maybe that is the key! Hmmm... I need to get hubby to work on that one! :)

The first on the list was the Grand Canyon, which they did this summer. They enjoyed it so much! My parents love to travel and go different places. Next on the list was a Alaskan Cruise, but not only the cruise my mother wanted to ride the zip line. My dad is super scared of heights and if I know him he tried to get out of it but none of that ! So off they went! They actually enjoyed. I think my dad was probably shaking the whole time.

Parasailing was another "to do", which they accomplished that this summer. They joked about it on the boat and how they were crossing things off. I don't know exactly how many things are on their list but they seem determined to get them all done. Travel Europe is on the list, along with several other things. It is so cool to me that they are adventurous enough to get out and go and try new things. I hope after 38 years of marriage hubby and are so willing to get up and do. Of course when my mom was my age, she had a sixteen year old, ME! and I on the other hand got started late and have a five and six year old.

My parents have been such an awesome example of marriage. I am glad that I had some decent training to prepare me for marriage. It takes work! but it also takes lots of FUN! I'll have to talk to hubby and find out what exactly would be on his bucket list. First on mine is Disney World.. can you believe I have never been!!!! Now that E and S are old enough, I think it is time.. or maybe a cruise with my hubby.. there are plenty of things I can think of that I want to do. I need to go get started on my list! Hope you had a great weekend!!!

I actually have to get ready for my Fantasy Football draft....

Just got me to thinking...

My cousin, Katy, had a post about a book that sounded like a definite MUST READ for any mother. The book was titled "Let Me Hold You Longer". It talks about how as a mother we celebrate all the first but seldom do we remember the last. It got me to thinking about how many things in life I take for granted and everyday could be my last. My last hug, my last kiss, my last goodbye. Everything. Sure this book was talking about being a mother and never knowing when will be that last time they need you to tuck them in, the last time they can sit in your lap and listen to a story; but as adults how often do we miss out on the moments with friends and family. We should all learn to cherish the first, but don't become lax in thinking there will be plenty more. I loved the first, and I will be sad to see the last, but I want to live in the NOW! Live to the fullest, live everyday letting my family and friends know how much joy they have brought to me.

It is funny because at bedtime we had the usual meltdown from Miss Scarlett. "Can I please sleep in your bed" "Just one more time" and I refused to give in, and told her she needed to sleep in her bed. Tucked her in and she went to sleep, two hours later she was up crying that she wanted to be in my bed "just one more time". I gave in. I tucked her tightly in bed next to her daddy and I got up on the computer and started reading blogs. Katy's post made me sad. :( This may really be the last time she ask to sleep all curled up next to me, I doubt it.. but it could. She may decided tomorrow she no longer needs that comfort, I doubt it.. but it could happen. It is often sweet to watch her sleep and feel her little feet all cuddled up next to me. I know this too shall pass.

Being that I work in health care, unfortunately I see it everyday. I see people miss their chance for the "last". They miss out on the "I love you" "I am glad your my friend" things are missed everyday. I don't want to miss those things. I want to tell my family I love them, I want to be there when they need my lap to sit on, my hand to hold. I don' t want to miss out on anything. It reminds me of that email that circulated a while back that said "I'm not saving anything!". Each new day is a gift, every day should be a special occasion.

I think I must be hormonal. Everything is making me terribly emotional and making me think way more than I want. It is funny how something as simple as a blog can teach you so much. I have learned so much reading others blogs. That amazing faith of several, the great journey of mothers fighting against illness, the great love of families every where, even people I have never met inspire me. To all my blog friends, I so enjoy reading! To my friends that I thought I knew everything about; I am learning new things every day about you (and convinces me even more why we have been friends for so long), and new friends I am learning more everyday and I see why we "clicked". To my cousin, Katy, I love your blog. You are such a great mom! Kensley, Klay and the new baby are so blessed to have you. Thanks for reminding me to cherish it ALL!

Getting in my baby time..

My friend, "Old Kelly", (I will explain that in a minute), had a cute little baby girl in March. Her name is Emma Grace. How sweet she is! Today we swam and played at the pool and I got to hold her and feed her a bottle and just spend time cuddled up with a sweet little baby. Miss Scarlett was plenty jealous. She wanted a "lovey" like EG had, she wanted everything EG had that mommy was "ooing and ahhing" over. She even wanted a baby to come live at her house, so she could hold her and feed her. Little Emma loved the pool. She floated around in her little tube and just smiled and laughed at the kids splashing all around her. Then when she was done, she napped. How sweet are little babies.
While Miss Emma napped the kids ate pizza and then went right back to the pool. What happened to the 30 minute rest time after you eat??? "Old Kelly's" little boy was a hoot! He thought he was as big as Ethan and Scarlett. He is such a good big brother.

Scarlett nicknamed Kelly when I became friends with another Kelly. Old Kelly and I had been friends for a few years already so she had been around the kids and been to the house several times and so forth. Then New Kelly showed up and from that on when Scarlett needed to differentiate between the two of them, they became Old and New Kelly. Today on the way to the pool she wanted to know if was Old or New Kelly. She loves them both and better yet she loves playing with both Old and New Kelly's children.

Please don't think the "Old" implies anything, Kelly! You will always be younger than me! ha!

Miss Manners here we come..

This may offend some and it definitely may be TMI.. but it was amusing and disturbing at the same time. You see, I don't guess I am a "true southerner" I do not like fried chicken. Never have! I don't like chicken on the bone and I do not like anything but white meat.. which means I like boneless skinless chicken breast. That's it. That is what you will find at my house. Even better are the new trimmed and ready chicken breast. Last night while my children were at my parents house they had fried chicken. Scarlett LOVES fried chicken! She is a girl after her papa's heart. Her nana sent her a piece of chicken home and once home she went to the kitchen table to eat her chicken. She cleaned that piece of chicken! To the point that hubby and I both said "GROSS!" "Stop, put that down!". She looked at us and said, "What, this is what my papa does!" "It's good". That was definitely a habit of my dad's that I was hoping she would not pick up on! Growing up I remember my dad clearing off some meat! I am so bad that chicken wings are a total waste on me! I don't get anywhere near the bone. It is more economical for me to just not eat them. Can you imagine her at TWENTY FIVE and starting to date and she cleans a bone that well! UGHH!!! We laughed, but I really think we just wished she would not enjoy her chicken quiet so much! Her hands were greasy, her face was greasy and she was loving every minute of it! I think we will have to find a etiquette class for our fried chicken loving girl!

The Diary of an Angry House

Here is hubby hard at work getting my laundry room ready to paint. I really did do some work this weekend. I promise I did not go around with the camera watching every body else.
I started on my cabinets last night. They are going to be a very light color once we get done. There was so much wood in the house and when we are finished.. there will probably be nothing brown at all! We had paneled walls everywhere! No more! We have a fairy tale pink room and a Razorback Red room! Just what the kids ordered.


I got to thinking this weekend about "if walls could talk". I am sure this old house we bought would have plenty to say to us. I am sure it is ANGRY! It has had a nice calm existence for the last forty years and then here we come! We have come in knocking down walls, tearing up cabinets and painting every square inch we can find. You see the house was nice, it was just "old" nice. It was a wonderful elderly couple that had lived there and they had enjoyed the space. Nice and quiet just the two of them. Enter the Cash Family! We are LOUD! We like COLOR! We are upsetting this little houses being. I figured the walls would have plenty to tell us about the last forty years and how wonderful it was and WHY did we have to mess it up? I imagined them pretty much cussing us out for ripping down safety and comfort among the old walls. But I like to imagine were giving it a face lift. We plan to bring it into the new millenium, and take this little house places it has not been in a very long time! I hope the angry old house will forgive us and learn to like it's new updated existence!
This is where we started. I think this picture was taken not long after we bought the house and we had started on the "easy" rooms first. This room will probably be a continued work in progress for a while longer. This is a before and after picture once we torn down the wall. It blocked so much of the view and I love the new openness of the room. My living rooms looks a little pink, I think we are going to have to repaint it. It was supposed to be a caramel pink, or a salmon color but with the lighting it looks pink. Hubby wants it repainted. I like it with the brick wall fireplace.. but then again I am a girl! Of course I like PINK! ha! We were trying to find something to match the brick, but I did not want GRAY. So any suggestions???
My dad is hard at work in all the pictures. At one point he told me if I wanted to keep my camera I needed to stop taking pictures! :)

This was my original color I had picked out, which is Ralph Lauren's Caramel Pink but hubby thought it was too dark, so now we have tried to go lighter but it looks a little pink!

Here is the cabinets that we are demolishing over the the bar. I don't really think my dad had planned on starting those last night.. but my mom wanted to start. Guess who won? I laughed and asked my dad yesterday "at what point, after he married my mom, did he realize he was in over his head?" ha! Of course my mom said he only realized he was in over his head after they had me. Either way my dad is great when it comes to helping me out and doing all my projects. :) Here is my mom with her tools. You notice my dad standing with is hands on his hips.. I think he was shaking his head, too. She was on a mission. I was just standing back and watching with a quiet snicker every now and then. :)


As you can tell there is still much to be done. We are hoping to rip out the old floors this week and get them ready for the new floors. Once that is done, we should be ready to MOVE! Ethan's birthday party is September 27th, I have been told we WILL be in the house by then, but I am not holding my breath.

Next I will start asking for decorating tips, I get to start picking out the curtains and all the small details. That's the fun part!

Hope you had a fun weekend with less work!

Having fun and Working Hard

Friday afternoon we got together with Hayden's family. The kids have the best time. Nancie and I have fun with "girl talk", the guys have whatever it is they talk about and the kids just have loads of fun! What more could you ask for? Me to take pictures? Ha! Don't I wish. You will have to read Nancie's blog to see pictures. I am a little co-dependent I think! I sit back and let her take all the pictures. She is always ready, camera in hand, so she never misses out on anything. We did have a lot of fun and plan to do it again very soon!

I'll update that rest of the weekend on it's own post! :) It was a hard working weekend.

Where has the time gone???

Today was easier for me than most moms. I did not put my five year old on a bus, or drive them to school and drop them off. I simply have to come to the realization that "my baby" is going to Kindergarten, or rather she is "in" Kindergarten. Since, we home school it is not as traumatic as dropping her off but the finality of the fact that I know longer have a toddler, or even a preschooler is harsh! I don't like it one bit! I miss my babies, I miss the sleepless nights, I miss the rocking, the crying, the diaper changing and realizing that those days are gone and over sometimes really hurts me. That fact that I now have a first grader and a kindergartner at home is wonderful that my children have grown to be such amazing kids, but sad that the time is passing me so quickly. My mind starts racing ahead and I fear the inevitable. The first date, the driving, college, and the list goes on! When I realize how fast these last seven years have gone by I fear how quickly the next seven year will be. I remember when I had Ethan and Scarlett, I thought it couldn't get any better. I thought that my heart couldn't hold the love I felt for them. But you know what, it has grown exponentially with each year. In this picture Scarlett had just turned one years old and it seems like yesterday! These two have become my best friends. They are my constant companions. I miss them terribly when I am gone. Can you tell I am a little upset that my babies are getting so big and that my "baby baby" is going to school!

I do home school, so I will still be with them each and every day but homeschooling brings on a whole new list of fears. Last year when Ethan started kindergarten I had this same fear. What if I ruin my children? What if I hinder their learning? Worse yet, what if I lessen their desire to learn? So many fears are running constant. Am I doing the right thing? Is it what is best for them? So may "what ifs". I want so bad to be what they need me to be. I pray each and every morning that I will be a example of God's love to my children. I pray for patience and understanding. I pray that my actions and thoughts each day are Godly and that my children are secure in knowing how much I love them and how much I want the best for them. So many thoughts and fears going into homeschooling two children. Having the responsibility of teaching two very different kids with very different learning styles. Please keep me in your prayers as we begin this journey. Pray that it is a wonderful journey for our family and that God continues to bless our home.

"For I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work
in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

Every good and perfect gift comes from above and I thank the Lord everyday for my precious children. The Lord gave me the gift of being their mother and I have been so blessed.

We actually will not start until after Labor Day. The first day of school has me in a tizzy of nerves! I am sad and fearful all in one.

To all the mothers that took their children for their first day of school today. To all the moms that dropped off their kindergartners for the very first time, I hope it was a blessed day! I hope your children had a wonderful first day of this new journey.


and to my beautiful Scarlett, I hope this is an amazing journey for us both! I pray that I will have the patience and the understanding to be the kind of teacher and mother you need me to be. I love you, my little kindergarten baby!

Imagination Station...

Scarlett has the best imagination and I just love it! For a five year old she is very creative. I have always told the kids to turn the TV, the games and anything electronic off and "use their imagination". Usually that has involved the Little People. They will set up the whole Little People world and play for hours. Some days it is building a pirate ship and pretending to be pirates. The one that has personally been my favorite is Scarlett's Crime Scene Investigation Kit. She came up with this all on her own. She took Ethan's old toy tool box and started filling it with items she would need for an investigation.

She has tweezers, brushes, small bags for the "ebidence", flashlight and we made her very own "fingerprint spray" with Agent S. Cash labeled on the side. She is so funny on the trail of a crime. She will put on her little latex gloves and grab her tweezers and start filling her bags with all the evidence she can find. She will spray for fingerprints, lift and mix her "chemicals" and brush for anything left behind.
I was really proud of her for coming up with this idea. She has watched C.S.I. Miami and just LOVES Dr. Alex on the show and tells me she wants to be "like her". I am all for a doctor in the family! She thinks Callie is pretty, but likes the doctors job better. Smart girl!
Her she is with her crime scene box and happy that another case has been solved.

Another new blogging buddy...

We got another one! :) Nancie, my friend and photographer extraordinaire has decided to start blogging with us. She has a adorable seven year old that my children just love. Hayden is into sports so Ethan and him hit it off quickly. You have probably read in previous post about Hayden, Nancie and Harold. We have so enjoyed getting to know this family and just love being around them. If you get a chance check out her blog, http://hangingwithhayden.blogspot.com/ and welcome Nancie into the blogging world.

Overdue Part Deux

Just another picture of me and the kids...
One of the many pictures of our nightly crab hunting excursions. The kids loved hunting crabs, although anytime they came close to catching them they ran away screaming! It was so funny!

One of the crabs we did actually catch. Hubby did most of the catching. We all carried flashlights and buckets and looked really good out there on the beach, but did little of the work. We always looked at them and showed them off to the kids and them scattered as we turned the bucket over to let the crabs go back to their home in the ocean.

Hubby with is two favorite people...

Ethan and Scarlett looking all cute and sweet on the first night of trying to get beach pictures..
Just a small glimpse of dinner time at the beach house. Ever try to get 15 people still and fed??? I am sure it is not easy. My mother did most all the work. Thank goodness for moms! :) I appreciate mine more and more everyday!

Just another picture of Ethan and Scarlett on night #2 of pictures.. I couldn't figure out which outfits I liked the best.. so I did some pictures with both sets! :)
All the kids running crazy on the beach. They had been feeding cheetos to the seagulls. Probably not something we were supposed to be doing.. I am not sure.

As you can tell we had a wonderful week with lots of things going on and a lot of things to do. I can't wait for next year! We got back home last Saturday night and we are off to work on our house today. So, back to reality. :( YUCK!

Overdue update...

Since I was so bad and did not update all week, even after I figured out I did have computer access I figured I would put it all under a couple of LONG post. Most of it will be pictures so bear with me.
Tuesday: We went on a dolphin cruise. This was one of my favorite things last year but this year was a little slow. The dolphins did not play along as well and we saw just a few while out on the boat. But being on a boat in the ocean is still a wonderful thing. Here is a group picture before we left. :) The kids did so well with most of the pictures. I know towards the end of the week they were all tired of having their picture taken ever time they turned around. Here is another picture of one of the dolphins that actually did a few tricks for us. He jumped about 6 feet over the water and did a big flip. The kids loved that!

WEDNESDAY: That was the day for parasailing. The day I just knew I would meet my doom! I was so nervous and scared of what I am not sure, I just knew it did not sound like something that guaranteed my safety. My 13 year old nephew agreed to be my partner and we suited up and were geard for take off. You can tell the panic on my face. I am taking extra deep breaths and trying to calm myself down....

Once I did calm down and were up in the air, it was amazing! I just LOVED it. It felt like we were just floating in the clouds. My nephew spotted a shark down below up and just for a minute I had a couple of panic moments thinking about what would happen if we came crashing down! ha!
Thursday: I spent all morning and most of the afternoon at the outlet mall shopping! I had the day to myself. I wandered in and out of stores and found some great deals. We tried to take some pictures on the beach once I arrived home and we had planned Thursday night to be our bonfire on the beach... the weather had other plans. Just as we were taking pictures a big storm rolled in and ruined our bonfire idea. So we had grilled hotdogs and oven toasted smores in the house instead. :)

Three of my four newphew and my two kids hanging out on our pier.

Ethan looking way more grown up than I am ready for...

Scarlett with one of her many poses... She loved having her pictures taken...

Me and two of my favorite people in the world. I was one lucky mommy to be on the beach with my family for a week. We had the best time! :)

One more update post.. I promise! :)

Update from the Gulf...

Hubby and I have decided this week, we are the ONLY people left without a laptop computer and therefore that will be a new purchase as soon as we get home. I finally borrowed my brothers computer and thought I would give a quick update of what we have been doing.
Last Thursday we drove all day and finally arrived in Pensacola at 10pm. We were exhausted. We did stop on the way and take a quick tour through Vicksburg. Ethan LOVED it. He is so in interested in world history and the Civil War. My nephew, Mitchell, went with us so he could get to the beach a couple of days early. I think he likes to "roll" with his auntie! ha! Friday we managed to find a beach in Pensacola and go swimming for a little while and then we went to eat dinner at one of the best seafood restaurants I have ever tried. It came highly recommended so we gave it a go and we LOVED it! :) It was Hall's Seafood near Pensacola Beach. If you ever go there I highly recommend their food. Next we went out on the Pier at Pensacola Beach. That was really nice. Such a beautiful view and the weather was perfect for a leisurely walk. We decided then to head back to the hotel and on our way the kids noticed the HOT NOW light on in a familiar favorite. Can you guess what we had next??? Krispy Kreme Donuts! YUM!!! We were all exhausted and returned to our hotel with a full stomach and ready for some sleep. We got up early Saturday morning and went to the National Museum of Naval Aviation. The kids were in awe to be around that many planes and helicopters. They had the best time. We ate lunch at the Cubi Cafe which was a replica type Cafe they had built at the museum. My dad was in the Navy and lived aboard the aircraft carriers when I was a baby, so we checked out his carrier, the U.S.S. Forrestal, and explained to the kids the history and that their Papa had been on that big ship. :) It was finally time to go to the beach house. We my grandmother, my parents and both of my brothers and their families at the house. So far we are having the BEST TIME. We have been ot the see the dolphins, went crab hunting and just layed around the beach all day! Ethan was stung by a jelly fish on our first day here! OOPS! I am going parasailing tomorrow! I can't wait I have always wanted to but have been chicken. Mitchell agreed to go with me so we are going to try it out. Wish me luck! I will post another upate tomorrow night.