A Major Award, Or Two

John said I must now know how the father in A Christmas Story felt when he won. My reply was, "Yeah. But this is waayyy better than a lamp."

Something wonderful happened to me this past week and I just have to share. One happened prior to the unfortunate incident involving my purse and the other the morning after I realized the unfortunate purse incident had happened. But first, have you ever seen the movie A Christmas Story? If you have then you will surely recall when the father wins his major award. Remember? “Fra-gee-ly...must be Italian.” Well, that scene should help you paint a mental picture of what happened to me.

About 11 months ago I began blogging. About two months ago I became a follower of two other blogs, one called Stone Gable and the other called Between Naps on the Porch. Both are wonderful sites full of many, many ideas for your home and they are both on my daily must-read list. A couple weeks ago it just so happened that each site was hosting a fabulous giveaway. One lucky Stone Gable reader would win a complete set of some seriously beautiful Christmas dishes depicting the Nativity, while an equally lucky individual would triumph in the Between Naps on the Porch giveaway for a fabulous set of dishes by Mikasa. Well, I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the lucky person was meeee!!! Both times!!! Can you believe it!?! Not one, but two major giveaways within a week!!! Karma must surely have been feeling quite sympathetic toward me since my purse was lost/stolen.

You can understand why I had to scream aloud when I saw my name announced as the winner the first time and then felt as if I had superhuman prize-winning abilities when I saw I had won AGAIN. John actually ran in from another room the first night because he thought something terrible had happened and, as he works across the hall from me and was the first person I told upon winning the second set, suggested I should look into playing the lottery.

I’m Tyla and I now have a new set, umm make that TWO new sets, of very pretty dishes. Or at least I will when they arrive in the mail. If you want to sneak at peek at my winnings just click on the links in the first paragraph.

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Meet Me On Mondays

In meeting a "new friend" today, Michelle over at Faith on Fyre, (well, I didn't really meet her but I did stalk her blogs) I found a neat little blog hop called Meet Me on Mondays. Unfortunately, I think it was from last week and was already closed, as I couldn't link up to include my own answers. But I thought I might post my answers to her questions for you here tonight. I'm still somewhat bummed out about my lost/stolen purse and wasn't up to anything very lengthy. After being on hold with the Tennessee Department of Safety for a good chunk of my adult life today, I am still a bit drained.

Now, in case you didn't learn enough about me here, here, here, here, or even here, you will be glad to know a few more things about my most fascinating life. Here ya go.

1. How many pillows do you sleep with?

3 - two rather skimpy little things and a larger, more fluffy one.

2. Where did you eat on Thanksgiving?

My Sissy's house (that would be my sister's house - for all you who may not know that I have called my sister, whose name is really Shelia, Sissy for as long as words have dripped off my tongue). We've had it at my house the past two years so it was time to stop the selfish behavior and share the joy.

3. Would you rather go to a party or host one?

I never, ever mind hosting any party of the weenie-roast or pot luck variety.

4. How many purses do you own?

Currently, I am in the market for a new one (insert sobbing here).

5. What is your favorite kind of seafood?

I love crab legs. I could seriously do the Tom Hanks' role in Castaway...well, if I had someone to actually catch and cook the crab for me.

Have a great rest of the week, ya'll.

P.S. Ladies, would you like to win 2 ever-so-cute bags? If so, head on over and visit Kellie. She's giving away two bags of your choice from Bags Full of Posies. I am particularly fond of the To Market, To Market bag and the one you can have personalized with your family name.

A Really Black "Black Friday"

Well, Black Friday was truly a black one for me. That evening my family visited a neighboring town to attend a party for my great-nephew. Since his birthday is in November, it has become somewhat of a tradition for his parents to take him for an overnight stay in a hotel so he and invited guests can swim. Anyway, upon leaving the party we decided to make a quick stop at the local Wal-Mart to pick up a few essentials.

I don't always take my purse with me when I go into stores with John, as he is the one who usually pays (let me clarify, we have joint accounts - he just is the one who physically pays on the occasions we are in a store together). However, anytime I do take my purse with me I always put it in the child's seat of the buggy and fasten that little child safety strap around it. My sister taught me to do this so no one can sneak off with your purse while your back is turned.

John and I also typically shop with two carts. John-Heath rides in one and the other is used for our purchases. On this evening John-Heath was with me. We browsed for quite a long time in the Christmas aisles and picked up a few rolls of wrapping paper and some darling church house ornaments to give our friends at church.

Upon arriving at the checkout stand I excused myself to go to the restroom. When I returned John was nearly finished checking out so I walked to stand next to John-Heath who was beginning to punch a few buttons on a nearby ATM. A moment later and we were all out the door and the purse remained strapped in the buggy - which we apparently left behind.

Today, I got into my car to drive to my sister's house for a piece of leftover pumpkin pie when I noticed my purse was not in my car. After a quick, frenzied search we realized it was lost and the retracing of steps began. Of course, this had to happen on the busiest shopping weekend of the year. We were only in 3 different Wal-Marts on Friday alone, along with countless other businesses. I made all the obligatory phone calls to each and every place we entered with no luck. Some young girl in customer service at Wal-Mart #2 squealed when I mentioned I had lost a purse and I was filled with a momentary sense of relief thinking that her squeal must mean they had just such a purse in their lost and found. I was wrong.

Anyway, I am 99.9% certain the last time I had it was during our 3rd trip to Wal-Mart after the party. And I am 99.9% sure that it was left, still strapped, in the child seat of that buggy. Of course, no purse had been turned in.

We have now done all the needful procedures when one loses a purse, like notifying all credit card agencies, etc. Don't get me wrong...I would love to get my purse back. It was a cute little Dooney and Bourke handbag which was a gift from my niece two years ago. She knew it was not something I would buy for myself and, since she was making her own money, wanted to buy one for me. I loved it. I carried it year long - even if that was fashionably taboo. However, even better than having the purse back would be knowing what happened to it and my wallet and my kids' pictures (a couple of them were the only ones I had left) and any other little things I had tucked away.

By the way, if you are the person who picked up my purse and are, by some fluke, reading this, I beg you...please... spare me the pain of going to the DMV and the heartache of losing my children's pictures and one of my daughter's baby teeth (yes, that may seem disgusting to you but I, nonetheless, did keep one in there). I'm sure you can find my address on something, so just mail it back to me. You can even keep the cash that was in it. Consider this your chance to right your wrong. I would be really grateful.

Over and Out.

black...friday...is here.

been...shopping...all morning.

too...tired...to talk.

time...for...a nap.

I Am Thankful.

As we celebrate another Thanksgiving there are many things for which I am grateful. A few would include...

My Children
Yes, even though my husband and I read somewhere that childless couples are happier, I couldn’t imagine my life without them. Ren is such a good girl. As any other typical teen she can possess a smart mouth at times and her study habits could always be a little better, but she truly has a good heart. When I think of some of the girls around our town, pass other wayward-looking teens in the mall, or read comments posted by a few on web sites like Facebook, I become even more proud of my daughter. She has her flaws, and goodness knows we stay into it a lot, but I am sooo very thankful she’s mine.

And John-Heath? Well, he’s the most into-something-all-the-time little boy I know, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Yes, there are times I could pinch his little neck off. But he’s just so darn sweet and funny and smart I can usually overlook much of what he does.

My Husband and Family
I am so thankful to have a good husband and such a close-knit family. I don’t have a large family (as I only have one sibling) but we are a strong one. It is also a blessing that I still have both my parents and that they are still in relatively good health.

My Job
I love my job! I have not always been able to say that. I work for good administrators and have good co-workers (though I have always been fortunate in the good co-workers department). I also have job security, and in today’s economical environment that is a HUGE blessing.

My Country
Even though I believe deep down in my heart that we are spiraling to you-know-where in a hand basket, I am still proud to be an American. I am thankful for the rights we have (though I personally feel those are being stretched to the broadest interpretation of the law) and the freedoms we enjoy. More importantly, I am thankful for our men and women in service who work to keep our country safe.

God has certainly blessed me this year. I hope you have been blessed, as well. Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!

Image credit

In My Family, We Eat Dressing!

A big ol' dish of dressing just waiting to be devoured. This pic is from Thanksgiving 2009 at my house. My sister is hosting it this year.

There are many reasons Thanksgiving ranks high on my list as a favorite holiday. It is true that I love spending time with my family. While it’s not like I don’t get to see them every single week (we attend church together - the whole lot of us) days like Thanksgiving are special. People are more relaxed and less rushed, there are board and card games to be played and football to be watched. And there is dressing to eat!

Dressing. That fabulous side dish to the the turkey. I liken it somewhat to Ed McMahon. Just as The Tonight Show would not have been the same without Johnny’s faithful sidekick, Thanksgiving would not be the same without dressing. In fact, if I could only eat one thing at Thanksgiving and had to choose between turkey or dressing, I’d opt for the carbs.

I know in some parts of the country people call it stuffing. I even read somewhere that the term stuffing is most commonly used in the south and east. I had to disagree with this, at least with the part about the south. I don’t think I have ever heard any born and bred southerner call it stuffing.

I believe they say in the turkey = stuffing, while out of the turkey = dressing.

So, today my mom is busy preparing her dressing mixture. She always makes it the day before so that it can soak up more flavor. It is absolutely delicious. I thought of selling copies of her recipe but, in the spirit of the season, decided to pass it along free of charge. Plus, you only have to Google the word “dressing” and you get about 5 million hits. Enjoy!

Betty’s Corn Bread Dressing

1 or 2 skillets of corn bread, depending on how much you want.
2 or 3 slices of bread.
4 or 5 stalks of celery - chopped

1 or 2 onions - chopped
dash of salt and pepper
about a teaspoon of sage and poultry seasoning
2 eggs well beaten
1 box of Stovetop Stuffing Dressing mix
Crumble corn bread and loaf bread.
Add all the other ingredients.
Put in covered container and refrigerate.
When ready to cook, add enough broth from the turkey to make the mixture somewhat soupy.
Bake in oven for an hour or a little longer.

A Missed Feast

John and John-Heath in line to eat.

We are not off to such a great start to this Thanksgiving week. John-Heath is sick. Just as Ren and I arrived at the Opryland Hotel yesterday to cheer on my school in the state's Junior Beta Club convention and contests I got a call from John who had just received a call from our son's school. Stomach pains and temp. Luckily, my mom was able to watch him. Her diagnosis at the time (based on his activity at her house) was that he was most definately NOT sick. :>)

With his buddy Wyatt.

When I picked him up, and throughout the rest of the evening, he acted as if he felt fine. But, low and behold, this morning at 5 he climbs in to bed with John and me running what appears to be a fever - a high one. So, he and I stayed home today.

All smiles at the thought of a good meal.

I did think about juicing him up really good with Motrin and sending him on so that he could stay, at least, long enough for the kindergarten feast. But, my more mature, motherly side took over and I knew that would be the wrong thing to do - both to him and all the others in the class. I was sooo looking forward to his little feast, though. I still remember Ren's.

Checking out with Ms. Kim.

Parents send in items for the makings of lunch and the little kiddies in kindergarten make homemade vegetable soup, hoecakes, and fruit salad. All the tables are taken from the individual classrooms and put together in the hall for one long banquet table. Then students, wearing their Indian costumes (made out of pillowcases and construction paper headdresses) or dressed as pilgrims, partake in their bountiful feast. And my little boy missed it. Oh well! At least he was able to be there the day last week when the school held it's annual Thanksgiving lunch.

He began with his chocolate cake. And ate every... last... crumb.

P.S. Had to park AT the hotel yesterday ($18. plus tax). Thanks to the flood that came through in May and a giant chain-link fence we were unable to do as we have done in years past and park at Opry Mills and walk over. And, of course, Opry Mills is still closed (again due to the flooding) so there was no shopping to be done, as well.

A Look Ahead at the Weekend

A couple months back we began the process of redoing Ren's room. This weekend, we'll take another step (hopefully) toward finishing that task with the staining and painting of this little desk. My sister told us about it after spying it at a little thrift store in Portland. Since buying Ren a cute, shiny, pearl-white chair at Home Goods prior to even repainting her room, I have wanted to find some type of desk or writing table to go with it. This is a little smaller than I had envisioned but we'll see if we can make do with it. With a little stain, a little distressed paint, and some new hardware it should add a nice touch to her room.

My goal is to have it finished by Monday. We'll see. Keep your fingers crossed!

The Sign That Should Hang Above My Door

Yes, welcome to the 3-ring circus I call my life.

P.S. Would you like to win a beautiful set of Christmas dishes? If so, be sure to visit StoneGable and check out the giveaway they are sponsoring. Some lucky person is going to win a set of dinnerware featuring scenes from the Nativity valued at $400.

image credit

(I think this is where I first saw this. I've had it saved on my computer for a while and it just seemed to call to me today. If I have ripped it off from your website, my apologies.)

Van Gogh He's Not...Just Yet

You wouldn't think this can could be THAT dangerous, despite it's written warnings, but in the hands of a little boy it is. I still have not heard the whole story of exactly how he was so unattended for the amount of time it took to create his masterpiece.

"You know his little yellow dump truck?" "Yes." "Well, it's no longer yellow." This is how I was informed of my son's art work.

Luckily, this is on the side of the house and not the front.

Nothing a little flat black paint can't take care of.

No stone was left unturned in his quest to decorate our yard.

Our deck. One of many, many spots. John has sanded most clean now.

Yikes! My brick, too.

Thankfully, it doesn't stand out quite so much from a distance. It's a thousand wonders there's not a big smiley face here.

Oh, well. At least we're off to an early start for Christmas!

I Am a Peacock

During lunch one day this past week a co-worker gave me a personality test. It was one that she had done at an earlier training. After answering 18 questions one could be found to have the personality of an eagle, a peacock, a dove, or an owl. While I was very close to the center of the graph I was, nonetheless, found to be a peacock. Here are some things you may or may not know about us peacocks.

We...

are good at persuading and motivating
(Obviously this is not correct, as I am still waiting on John to take my car and have it fixed to rid it of its squeak. And there’s a little issue with the commode in our utility room)

have a short attention
(Okay, this one may be somewhat true)

fear losing our prestige
(If I’m not the wife of a Pleasant Grove Cemetery Committee board member then just who am I?)

are irritated by routine
(I'm torn on this one. While it’s true I do hate to fix my hair or put on make-up each and every morning, I could easily eat out/ order takeout every single day for a month and never tire of it)

are fashionable and stylish
(Umm, at times, like in my dreams. I guess that makes me a wannabe)

are fast and spontaneous
(No, yes)

seek recognition
(Hello? I do blog as a hobby)

are internally motivated by “the chase”
(Flirting with/dating John was pretty nice. Marryin Flea markets and antique stores can be pretty good, too)

gain self worth through recognition and compliments
(I must confess. I do get all giddy when people leave comments)

procrastinate
(Guilty, as charged!)

We are disorganized, excitable and reactive.
(Sometimes, sometimes, usually)

Well, there you have it. Me in a nutshell.

If I Get Fired One Day, I'll Blame It On My 5-Year-Old

As I mentioned earlier this week my son is a stinker (and not always in the literal sense). Each day, our school (where John and I work) dismisses a few minutes prior to John-Heath’s school. This gives one of us the chance to pick him up, though he would gladly give his eye teeth to ride the school bus. To kids who are normally car-riders the school bus is just something awesome I suppose. As a former child who had to ride the bus, I could go the rest of my life without riding on another one and not be sad. The sticky floors, cramped seating, uncomfortable chill in the winter and putrid smells, depending on who your seat-mate is, in the summer - to this I say, “No thanks.” But back to my story...

After John or I pick him up we will most always return to our school to complete some unfinished business. I tutor in the library after hours and John has lessons to make, papers to grade, and grades to enter into grade books (both print and electronic ones). Because of this, John-Heath is able to visit our school every day. His presence rarely goes unnoticed.

First, he must make the rounds and say hello to everyone. He might stop in to see the ladies in the office or check out how things are going with certain teachers, especially those who happen to keep toys or candy in their cabinets. I’d like to say my son is just friendly and never has a hidden agenda but I think some visits might be prompted by the lure of Legos and Hersheys.

After securing a snack, he checks the t.v. monitors in the principal’s office to make sure the security cameras are still working properly. Apparently, he considers this his “job”. From time to time he’ll also swipe some piece of fruit from a basket while he’s there.

The custodians are busy cleaning on our end of the building at this time of day, so he always stops to see how they’re coming along. And, at times, he even pitches in. Just the other day he came home after spending some time with one of these ladies and swept out our garage and then went and cleaned his playroom. John mentioned that if this keeps up we’ll have to put someone of the payroll.

But his favorite person to visit in the entire building is our assistant principal. He’ll usually greet him with a barrage of questions about his job, the building (ours is comprised of two main wings and John-Heath is fascinated with this, so he is always asking something about the north wing or the south wing, and it doesn’t help that the south wing is thought by some to be haunted), the school buses, or any other topic that makes its way from his brain to his mouth. Typically, if he’s not in the library with me or in John’s rooms with him, he is apt to be found following around behind the number #2 man.

John-Heath loves to hide. At home, if one of us returns from having been out he will hide and make the other tell that he has “left home” or “run away”. Then when the one of us that has just returned starts to bemoan the fact that he has gone, he will jump out to surprise us.

This past week, he decided it would be funny to surprise one of the men who evaluates me each year. As it was recounted to us, the ass’t principal was at his desk working when a desk drawer ever so slowly opened. Busy working, he (the AP) took his knee and pushed it back in. A moment later the same drawer slowly opened again. Thinking what is up with this drawer he investigated - only to find a small boy, and not a ghost, hidden underneath his desk

We’re just hoping that when he gets a little older, say in about 5 or 6 more years, he won’t be spending too much time on the other side of that desk.

This Moment Has Come Too Soon

Could someone please tell me where the past 15 years have gone? Tomorrow night will be the county-wide high school basketball jamboree. It will be held in the town that is our county seat, roughly 18 miles away. Ren will be going with a friend. This friend is the daughter of one of my former co-workers who Ren has come to know better this semester since being in a class or two with her. The moment I am dreading? The friend is DRIVING! Yep, even though, being one of the youngest in her class, she is not yet a licensed driver herself, her friends are. John says we can’t hover over and shelter her forever, but I don’t think I am ready for this. I am seriously thinking of revising my weekend plans to include watching a little round-ball.

Here's hoping for a wonderful, SAFE weekend - from my family to yours.

My Royal Heritage

No, not this kind of royalty. But wouldn't that be cool?

As I mentioned in a relatively recent post, our town’s elementary school will sometimes sponsor a king and queen contest as part of the yearly fall festival festivities. It’s a great fundraiser for a school, as there is very little overhead and not a lot of work on the school’s part. Mostly, it’s just clear profit. Here’s how that works.

1. Parents who are really big gluttons for punishment agree to allow their son or daughter to participate. “Really big” doesn’t even do it justice. Words like gargantuan, colossal, and astronomical would better describe the level of gluttonous to be found within these parents.

2. Each class votes for a king and queen candidate to represent their room in the school-wide contest. And while it may not seem so at the time, the lucky ones are the parents of children not voted into this spot.

3. Then those glutton-loving parents spend two weeks nearly killing themselves trying to raise money for the school. They do this by having bake sales, selling breakfast items to teachers in their lounge (and after two weeks of fried pies, country ham and biscuits, and sausage pinwheels everyone on the payroll at the school is a solid pound heavier), running games the day of the carnival (Toss the ping pong ball into the bowl and win a goldfish!!!), selling raffle tickets for quilts and country hams, and placing jars bearing their child’s picture in stores all over town.

4. On the day of the festival all money raised must be turned in to the school by a certain time, or at least you hope those raising the money actually turn it in.

5. Behind closed doors, with security tighter than that at Fort Knox, the money is counted and recounted (and sometimes recounted again and again just to be on the safe side) with the help of volunteers from the local banks. These ladies are money counting professionals.

6. Everyone gathers in the gym. Contestants are dressed in their Sunday best and seated in chairs below the stage. Parents are seated everywhere else, sometimes lining the walls. It is fairly easy to spot the parents of those children in the chairs. They are the nervous-acting, ashen-looking ones who are thinking to themselves I can’t believe the time and energy and money I have spent over the last two weeks and, dog-gone-it, if my kid doesn’t walk away with that tinfoil crown I will be sick!

7. Finally, the Master of Ceremonies begins by introducing all the little contestants and thanking the teachers who worked on the king and queen committee and telling the total amount of money raised for the school by the kids in this contest. And then the announcement of the winners is made and trophies, sashes and crowns are awarded. Some parents and children leave happy. Some leave a little disappointed.

My sister Shelia, as a second-grader, was the Fall Festival Queen many moons ago. I won’t tell you how many moons exactly. Let’s just say man had not yet been to the moon.

Her son Shane was the Fall festival king the year he was in the fourth grade...

...and her daughter Megan was the 2nd runner-up during her fourth grade year.

And, finally, my own daughter was crowned queen during her kindergarten year in 2000.

Yes, my family is full of royal blood. And even more full of royal gluttons!

Image of Queen Victoria via

It's Like Looking In a Mirror

My baby.

John-Heath’s first "official" school pictures have arrived. He’s a cutie. He’s also a little stinker (as is evident by what he he did yesterday to my assistant principal - more to come on that Friday)! While he’s looking more like John as he grows, I can still see a lot of me in him at this point. And there are times, in certain shots of him, it’s almost as if I am looking at pictures of myself at that age, though I always had darker hair. Speaking of hair color, both my children have light brown hair, while John and I each have dark brown hair. Go figure. Of course, I have a friend who is a redhead and has two sisters, a blond and a brunette. Me thinks that’s neat.

Me. A long time ago.

Actually, in this shot John-Heath's hair looks a little darker than it really is.

Then there’s Ren. She looked more like John and his family as a baby. Actually, I have always thought that, in those very first pics of her taken by the hospital after her birth, she looked so much like John’s father that all she needed was a pipe in her mouth and a Stetson hat and she would be good to go. Of course, as she gets older she is beginning to resemble me a bit, too - only a prettier version of me.

I guess it’s all in the eye of the beholder. I think my sister and I favor. My mom has never thought we looked alike. Though the other night as we were looking through old pictures at my sister’s house, I came across one of her (my sister) from about 20 years ago and showed it to my mom and she thought it was me. Then I said, “See? I told you we look alike." To this she replied, “No, you don’t.” lol

So, do your little stinkers look like you, your husband (I assume most of you reading this are women), a relative, or are they completely unique?

THIS JUST IN...Tonight, as Ren and I were sitting in my bed talking about our day, John-Heath crawls in between us and asks, "Is Santa Claus real?" Ugh! He said so with a sheepish little look on his face, like he thought he might already know the answer. My bet is that he heard such a vicious lie at school from some terribly mis-informed child. By the way, John-Heath has landed a plum role in the upcoming kindergarten Christmas music program. He is to be the man in red himself. So, this weekend I'll be looking at Santa costume patterns. I can't wait to see this, as I'm sure there will be some improv going on that night.

Look What Came in the Mail!!!(aka the post in which I throw in a lot of exclamation points)

Okay, this post is waaayyy overdue. But I have been waaayyy busy. Or lazy. Or unwilling to retrieve the pictures from my camera. Take your pick. It’s your call. Anyway, a couple weeks ago, or as John-Heath would say, a long time ago when I was in kindergarten, I was one of the lucky winners of a Halloween giveaway held by Carrot Jello over at Oinkle Doinkle. The day the package arrived you would have thought Ed McMahon had shown up with an oversize check and a bunch of balloons, at least by my son’s reaction. He was thrilled!!! What kid wouldn’t be thrilled at a box full of candy!!! (yes, I know that was a question) And spider rings!!! And masks!!! And pens and pencils!!! And a Casper DVD!!! And bunches and bunches of other good stuff!!!

His favorite? Eyeballs. He was even more impressed when he found out they were made of CANDY!!! Could he be any luckier!!!

My favorite? The card. Hilarious!!! I only know Carrot from her blog but if we lived closer I would most definitely want to be her friend. She is too funny!!! So, thanks for the goodies, Carrot. You made our night!!!