Sentimental Saturday: Kindergarten

Her first day of kindergarten...carrying a satchel that was almost as big as she was. 

Don't you just love how I keep getting later and later in posting these pics?  That'll teach me to name a series of posts after a day of the week.  Well, as they say (and by "they" I mean perpetually tardy people like myself)...better late than never!

Turning 5.  She was always dressing in costumes, and birthdays were no exception. 

On this particular evening she went from Pocahontas to some sort of circus performer. 

(Top) John and Ren in the garden of "Waverly Place" in Columbus, MS during the summer prior to kindergarten.

(Bottom L)  Napping (R) With John on Easter.

Fun times in school.

(Top L) An "apple smile" during the Thanksgiving feast (L) Donating a book to the school library.

(Middle) Getting ready to ride in the town Christmas parade as her school's Fall Festival Queen.

(Bottom L) Good times with friends before the kindergarten musical program

(Bottom R) Posing with the paper mache dinosaur made by her mostly me to celebrate "D" Week.

Not such a fun time.

The first of three surgeries to remove a birthmark from the side of her face.

The raggedy bear in the picture on the right belonged to Ren's grandmother Shirley before being passed along to John who gave it to her. 

His name is "the Protector" and he is what Ren slept with when she was little.

Have a fabulous "hump day" night!

Tyla Time

A very good friend and co-worker of mine posted a picture like the one below to my Facebook wall yesterday.  I thought it was so funny and so me that I wanted to share it with all you guys in Bloggerland.  

Isn't is a hoot?  My friend knows me well.

It seems you can find these for sale in various Etsy shops or, better still, if you're crafty you can make your own using a small canvas, some paint and vinyl letters, and a clock kit.

Oh, um, by the way...my birthday is April 17.  I mean...just in case anyone was wondering.

Sentimental Saturday: "Formal" Occasions

Yesterday, Ren and I did something that we can both sometimes dread.  We shopped for a formal gown.  The upcoming occasion?  Her senior prom.  In this week's edition of "Sentimental Saturday" - a weekly tribute to my soon-to-be-high-school-graduate-daughter - I thought I would take a look back on some of her formal wear through the years.  She's not had a huge amount of these dresses over the years, not like some girls (for instance, my niece - cough cough), but she's worn her fair share.

First up, the midnight blue satin and embellished velvet dress she wore in kindergarten for the Fall Festival King and Queen Crowning ceremony and for pics in front of the Christmas tree.  I later committed a major fashion faux pas by letting her wear it to perform in her school's kindergarten music program.  It was springtime.  Gasp!  I become just the teeniest bit mortified each time I look back on those pictures.

Next up, wearing a Jovani dress from the aforementioned niece for her first ever pageant (our county fair).  Her hair fell flat, they had to conduct much of the contest under a tent because of a thunderstorm, the dress was (as you can tell) just a wee bit too short, plus she had to duct tape the shoes to her feet and ankles (that you can't see in the picture) to keep them from slipping up and down, BUT she had near-perfect poise and posture in her walk and ended up placing third runner-up.

Another borrowed dress from the cuz.  This one was used for her eighth grade formal.

8th and 9th grade.  Finally, it was time to purchase one of her own.  She had grown too tall to wear Megan's.  This red Maggie Sottero number was actually a wedding dress that we bought for Ren to wear as a member of the basketball homecoming court her eighth grade year.  After that, we had a little of the train taken off and used it in some pageants.   

10th grade.  The white La Femme.  Ren got some good mileage out of this one and it was a very lucky dress for her on the pageant circuit.

Her junior prom in a coral Sherri Hill.  Gorgeous dress and great color for Ren, but aside from placing in some top tens and fives she didn't do worth a flip in pageants wearing this dress.

This year's prom pick...a Mac Duggal.  We went in search of another white dress and ended up with a black one.  I thought we might need a little more bling, but Ren loves how elegant this one looks.  I'll be sure to share some prom pictures with you in a couple more months.

Have a great rest of the week.



P.S.  I realize this "Sentimental Saturday" is actually being posted on a Tuesday.  You know me, that's just how I roll.  Think of it as Tardy Tuesday. 

Valentine's Card Idea: Love Bugs

Have I mentioned that I'm a Grade A copycat?  I think it comes from being a teacher.  Teachers are always on the lookout for ideas to enhance their classrooms -whether it be ideas for decor, lessons, games and activities, etc. etc. etc.

Last year, I was torn between two Valentine card ideas to make for John-Heath to pass out to his friends.  I went with this one and decided I would save the other for second grade (this year).  Alas, that idea was put on the backburner once again when I came across these cute love bugs while trolling Google images (I think) one day.

I found and downloaded a free image of a Mason jar and then added text to it using Picasa, purposely leaving out the 'O' in the word "LOVE" so that a red heart could be colored in instead.

 

I thought finding a big package of plastic bugs would be easy enough.  I was mistaken (somewhat).  I ended up having to buy 4 packages of insects, bats and scorpions at the Dollar Tree to have enough bugs for the cards.  Then it was just a matter of trying to keep John-Heath from playing with all these new toys and concentrate on getting the job done.

Putting his John Hancock on each card...even though he is called by his first and middle name he always simply signs "John" - you can attribute that to him being a left-handed kid who hates to write.  I fully expect one day for him to just identify himself as 'J'.

We I hot glued a little critter to each card.  I heard later that some did not stay put too long, being promptly torn from the card and played with.  It was just too much to resist for some.

  Happy Valentine's Day, LOVE BUG!

Valentine 2013 Recap

Warning:  all Valentine ideas were stolen - thanks to Google and Pinterest.  I ask you, where would we be without either of these when it comes to crafting?

Yesterday afternoon when the kids both got home from school we squeezed in a little painting project to give as a gift to Ma-Ma and Pa Gene.  This also served as a thank you gift as they offered to babysit John-Heath last night while John and I had a nice, romantic box of stale popcorn at the district boys' basketball tournament game.  Ahhh, the duties of being a school administrator and/or spouse of one. 

Since my dad (Pa Gene) is so sentimental and saves every little scrap of paper on which John-Heath and Ren write, sneeze or bleed (okay, those last two were minor exaggerations), I thought he and mom would appreciate something homemade more than they would flowers or candy (besides, they're both diabetic).  This was such an easy one that took so little time to throw together that I'm almost embarrassed to put it in a post.

I cut out a few hearts from some white cardstock.  Using a white Crayola crayon I wrote some of the same sayings you would find on candy conversation hearts.  John-Heath helped me think of these.  I was surprised and impressed at how many he knew.  I shouldn't have been, though...the boy does know his candy.  Then he, Ren and I took turns using a cheap watercolor paint set to paint the hearts.  Overlook the tin Christmas platter used above.  My holidays can sometimes merge.

We always try to get the kids a little gift on each of the main holidays - but not too much.  I am truly amazed at times at how "Christmas-like" people can get when it comes to Valentine's, Easter, etc. 

Ren got a little more this year as we sent her some flowers to school.  She normally doesn't like the attention that can come from getting flowers delivered to school but didn't mind this year since she's a senior.  Another "last" in this year full of them. 

Ren with her new Grease movie and John-Heath with The Lone Ranger.  He's never seen it before but we figured it would be right up his alley.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and week.  Tomorrow, I'll share with you the cards John-Heath and I made for his class party.  They turned out really cute. 

Goodnight for now,

Happy Valentine's Day!

XOXOXO's to you all. 

14 Reasons

John,

     I don't tell you these things as often as I should but I think them most every day.  I know...you're probably thinking today must have been the exception to the rule considering the pissy mood I've been in all afternoon.  Nonetheless, I do - and I want to shout it from the rooftop (or at least from the desk in your study throughout cyberspace) for all the world to hear.  Consider this your V-Day gift.  It didn't cost me a penny.  I know you will appreciate that.

I love you because...

- even to this day I smile when I remember seeing you arrive at band practice    
 all those afternoons so long ago.

- we made beautiful babies.

- you are an awesome “best buddy” to our daughter and “big buddy” to our son.

- you strive to be a Godly man.

- you are respectful and respected.

- you can make me roll my eyes and laugh all within the same frame of time.

- you are a hard worker with not even the tiniest lazy bone in your whole being (which
 sometimes makes me roll my eyes).

- you are a good provider for our family and, barring some catastrophic, unforeseen event, I
 always feel secure about our future.

- when we’re out shopping you drop me off at the door of the stores we visit (even though it   
 would be best if I walked).

- there is always a book on your nightstand.  Reading makes one intelligent and intelligence is sexy.

- in addition to being a great reader you are an even better writer.  

- you are a caretaker of the past.

- you are a good steward of the earth.

- you love me.


H a p p y    V a l e n t i n e ’s    D a y !!! 

P.S.  That crazy picture was taken by a cousin at a Christmas get-together for my dad's side of the family.  We were in the middle of a very riveting minute-to-win-it relay round.  That's an ornament we have between our lips.  Our mission was to hang as many ornaments on a string as possible.  It's a thousand wonders none of us came down with some disease, as those ornaments were kissed by more than just us.  Yeah, we're pretty tight, my family.  Pucker up!

"Happy Martagruh"

They say you learn something new everyday.  Today, I learned that "Mardi Gras" is actually French for "Fat Tuesday", and is always the day before the start of Lent (known as Ash Wednesday). 

Do you know that feeling you get when you find out something that everyone else knows and it makes you feel really dumb, like a complete simpleton, that you didn't already know it, too?  Well, that's how I feel tonight.  How did I not know that?  I know about Lent...I just never put the two together. Hmmm. 

Anywhoo...Happy Fat Tuesday, peeps.  Or as John-Heath said when he gave me the beads his teacher gave him, "Happy Martagruh, Mom!"

John-Heath diggin' his Mardi Gras beads!

(Actually, he is sitting beside me as I type and just said, "I'm not fat!")

Valentine Card 2012 Recap

Tonight, I finished picking up the last of the supplies to complete John-Heath's Valentine's Day cards for his classmates.  It's a stolen idea, of course (isn't the internet great?), and I think they're going to turn out really cute.  I can't wait until tomorrow evening when he and I sit down to make them.  I figure I have this year - plus 3 more - before he outgrows them.  I don't see too many middle-schoolers passing them out to friends, though the world would be a much nicer place if we kept our children children as long as possible. I'll post a pic of this year's creation later on this week.  For now, here's a recap of last year's card.  You can go here to read the post, too.

John-Heath, 6

 

 

Toodles,



My Freaky Valentine

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Have you picked out that special card for the love of your life yet? No? Well, today’s inspirational post comes from the bygone days of a simpler time. And for those of you into cannibalism, slavery, and/or infectious diseases, I’m sure you’ll find one that’s a perfect fit.

Nothing says “I Love You” quite like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

The official Valentine of the Donner Party.

Valentine’s Day: Mobster Style

I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse. And if the threat of suicide doesn’t persuade you to love me, I’m also going to dump my body where you won’t ever be able to find it.

Tie on a book of matches to this one and you’ve got yourself the perfect treat for your first-graders class party.

Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go eat worms.

Now he’d be a catch. Whine on mopey boy!

You wouldn’t think this Valentine was created in the days after women had fought for and won equal rights, but you’d be wrong.

Ahhh…the threatening Valentine.

Yeah, well you’d better treat me right ‘cause there’s a lot more fish in the sea I could get.

I ask you, what girl wouldn’t jump on this?

The radioactive mutant farm animal card – sure to keep your kids from ever wanting to visit a petting zoo.

Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz turned crazy, transvestite stalker.

What’s Valentine’s Day without a little foreplay?

Okay, I’ve never been an overly PC kinda girl, but this is just stereotyping at its worst.

And really creepy, too.

Speaking of creepy…

And not to be sexist...

I swear I’ve seen this girl in some horror movie.

This just goes to show there’s someone for everyone.
When Ren saw this she said, "That chick can get a boyfriend and I can't.  That's pretty sad."

The sci-fi version of Jack Torrance in The Shining.

“Heeere's Johnny!”



And last, but not least...

Truly terrifying to English teachers everywhere.

Ahhh...Ain't love grand?