New Neighbors

As of today I'm feeling really safe!  I've never really felt unsafe but now I feel like I have extra protection should something sketchy ever happen in these parts.  Look who moved in next door today!

City of Athens police man.  Chris and his wife Mallory.  I plan on taking a meal or something over to them in a few days once they're more settled.  I want to be a good neighbor and I want to get in good with the cop in case he would ever stop me!

??????????

On my last post I had an anonymous comment from someone who said they liked my shoes, shirt vest and of course me.  It totally sounded like my mom but when I asked her about it she denied having anything to do with it.  So clearly, the most logical conclusion that I can make is that I have a secret admirer.  SURELY that's the case.  Right?  Oh, it's just so exciting;)

My Weekend

Costume Party- had the girls from church to our house as well as Cassie's old roommates.  Here's the group shot

And here's me, dressed up as Cassie.  I was going to dress up as an egg but then Saturday morning had this idea instead.  I found a curly wig at Wal*Mart, and while she went and got the pizza's for supper I raided her closet.  No, I do no own a pair of bright orange shoes.  Only Cassie.  As well as the piano belt, orange shirt and bright pink vest. 

Sunday we had a weiner roast/going away party/Extreme Makeover: Home Edition party.

Ryan and Hope Stoller have lived in the Tennessee Fellowship center for a little over two years now.  For some reason, God has led them back to central IL.  We are all really really sad about that and we're going to miss them and their kids like crazy.  They are one cool family and their kids are so cute!  But that was our reason for a going away party.  Not sure when they're leaving though.  The EM:HE party was because Kerwin worked on the house they did in Philo, IL and so we all wanted to watch it.  I love that show.

Then tonight we went over to the church to make the beds we have over there for people to stay in.  I was walking down the hall and found this

A black widow spider.  After defying death and trapping it, we had a small funeral and then flushed it down the toilet.  Glad I'm not the one staying in the church this weekend!

Okay, my camera is acting up.  When I cut it on it says that the memory card is protected and I can't do anything with it.  (These are all Cassie's pictures.)  Any suggestions?

Brutally Honest

Sometimes I tend to be brutally honest.  But I do know how to use tact when necessary.  Not true for my kiddos.  Take yesterday for example.  One of my boys was behind me as I was on my way to open the bike shed.  The conversation went something like this:
(His words are in yellow and my words are in purple.)

"Miss Sarah, I saw yo booty shake when you was walkin'!"
"Oh yeah?  Did it just shake or did it jiggle?"
"It was shakin'!"
"Is it really big?"
"It's big and flumpy."
"What does flumpy mean?"
"I don't know.... just flumpy."

Then him and another little boy standing there proceed to sing

"I like 'em big..... I like 'em chunky...."

Gotta love 'em!

Chain Reaction

 If two little boys drop the lid of the toilet tank into the tank,

it causes the tank to look a little something like this

Causing the floor to look a little something like this

Causing their teacher to look a little something like this.

OH the joys!  Somehow I reamained unusually calm through the whole ordeal.  I had to keep reminding myself that it was probably partly my fault and not just theirs.  They love to "fix" things with blocks that they like to pretend are tools.  Today they decided they wanted to be plumbers and were working on the toilets.  They were just "fixing" the bottom of it and they were being really good so I let them do it.  (Usually they don't get to just play in the bathroom.)  After awhile it was time to clean up and not 1 second after I said "Okay plumbers, time to clean up" I heard the crash.  At first I thought the lid broke but quickly realized that it was the tank, as water was gushing out.  *SIGH*  What's a girl to do?  Glad that afternoon's over.

Girls Weekend

This weekend I found myself in Leo, or Grabill rather, visiting Dustin/Mandy/Libby/Caden.  Not only me, but also Jamie, Angie, Erin, Patty, Bevy, Lydia, Haley, Maggie and Abel made the trip.  Needless to say, it was a very full house.  Quote from Dustin: "There is WAY to much estrogen in this house!"  Contrary to popular belief *ahem, aunties* I enjoyed the company of everyone that was there.  It was just a little overwhelming with that many of us in that small of a house.  Ya know, sometimes being a very honest and blunt person can be a good thing but sometimes, like this weekend, it can get me into trouble;)  But really though.  We did have a good time.  I realized on the way home that I didn't take any pictures except for just a few of the kids.  And they didn't really turn out.  So, this is a pictureless post unfortunately.  And boring now that I got back and reread it.  Oh well.  I got home in good time though.  Gotta love that time change when it works in your favor.  So now I'm tired and ready for bed.  Time to face a new week!  I'm hoping tomorrow is a small day because of Columbus Day.  It usually is when public schools are out and our kids stay home with older siblings.  Not that anyone cares.  Now I'm just blabbing about nothing of importance.  This is what happens when I'm tired.  So.... good night y'all.

A Very Sad Day Indeed

Today was my last day with one of my favorite kids in the whole world:( He's moving to Las Vegas next week and I'm taking tomorrow off so I won't see him anymore unless he comes to visit. He's my little buddy.

He's my boyfriend.

He's a really really good kid.  He's very well behaved, he's smart, plays good with all the kids......

He LOVES it when I smother him with kisses and don't let him get away:)

And he has these awesome soft ears that are really fun to play with.  We just recently discovered that we can tie them up to make him resemble an ogre!  But he's so much cuter than an ogre.

I was trying to upload an "Interview with Ty" video but it's not happening.  Any suggestions?  Is the video too big or do I just not know what I'm doing?  Anyways, he will be missed, that's for sure.  I held on as tight as I could until his mom said it was time to go.  *Siiiigggghhhhh*

Fiddler's Convention

There are times when I so badly wish I had my camera to snap a picture of some of the people I see down here.  This weekend I had the chance as it was the 43rd Old Time Fiddler's Convention here in Athens.  People seriously come from all over the country to this thing every year.  Most of the people though are from Alabama/Tennessee and the surrounding areas.  This was my fourth year to attend the fiddler's convention.  I don't like to spend a whole lot of time there, but going for a few hours, listen to some music, check out the craft tents and of course, getting some amazing food is fun for one evening out of the year.  Seriously- this place is packed with literally thousands of people.  All the hotels in town are booked a year in advance for this weekend, not to mention all the people who drive their RV's and camp out on the front lawn of the university where this is held.  It's not just fiddles either.  It's harmonicas, banjos, mandolins, dobros and all out bluegrass bands.  Not to mention buck dancing.  I didn't get a whole lot of pictures because it was hard to take them in the dark from far away, but I got couple of the contestants.  And I know for a fact that the two I took were from Alabama.  The fist one is really blurry but you get the idea.  You see people looing like this a lot down here.  This really is the south, people.  There's no other way to explain it:) 
The gentelman you see here- not only did he have this lovely beard and hat with the feather in it, he also had a beautiful, long, gray ponytail to go with it!

This guy here?  There's just no way around it- he's a true southern hick.  I love it!

I think Cassie enjoyed her first fiddler convention experience! 

That there is just a small taste of what we see on a regular basis down here.  There is nothing to do about it but smile and enjoy it.  That's part of what I love about the south- anything goes cause nobody cares!

And on a completely different note, I have a story from work.  I was dealing with a little boy who was not wanting to listen very well.  He was starting to mouth off and I was going to have none of it.  I started out saying "Don't fight me" and somewhere in the middle changed to "Don't argue with me".  It got all discombobulated in my mouth and it ended up coming out "Don't fart!"  It was really hard to be serious after that and he got off a little easier than if I wouldn't have messed up:)