Mom's Day Gathering

Today we had Mother's Day at Mom and Dad's new land.  The weather was beautiful, the food was good, and the 4-wheelers were in full force!  It was a good country day!!  

The furkids cousin, Lucky, is OBSESSED with balls, so the football tossing had him running back and forth and back and forth. 

Sidney and Sierra - They are no longer little girls!!

Granny with her kids

Granny and her girls

Summer, Taylor, and Ashley

 We even got a little fishing in today.  I got a fishing pole and tackle box from the furkids for Mom's day.  It is super peaceful back at the creek. 

 We won't even talk about Kevin and this 4-wheeler.  He is reckless you know! Ha! :)

Teacher Appreciation Week!!

It's teacher appreciation week.  Have you thanked a teacher? It doesn't cost a dime to say thanks!! :)  Sometimes it is nice to just hear that you are appreciated.  If you have kids, your child's teacher spends just as much, if not more, time with them during the week than you do.  That seems crazy, but true!  We are often the nurse, the counselor, the mom, the dad, the grandma, the teacher...so many hats to so many kids.  I absolutely LOVE my job and know that I am blessed to get to go to work each day and love what I do.  Would I like less work to bring home?  Oh sure!  Would I like more money?  You betcha ya!  Would I rather sit in a cubicle all day? NO WAY!  Every day is different.  Every child is different.  I love the challenges each of those brings.  I do hate that there are some in our profession that clearly do not enjoy their jobs, which affects the kids.  But, it should be clear by our attitude, the kids attitudes towards us, and the amount of work we put into doing our best, which teachers are clearly called for this profession and love every minute of it.  Grab one of those teachers and say thanks for making a difference, or send them a quick email.  Just think, those few minutes will make a teacher smile and that smile will affect possibly hundreds of children!!
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!!

Tribute

The world lost a beautiful person this week.  A person who touched my life that I never even had the honor to meet face to face.  Trina Martin was a mother to 6 boys, a wife to her high school sweetheart for 24 years, a grandmother to a newborn and an inspiration to so many with her faith.  I cannot imagine the loss that those who had the privilege to be around her are feeling.  I have read her blog for as long as I can remember and watched her family grow and change.  But best of all, we became friends.  She was one of the first people to impact me spiritually.  Her way with words and unwavering faith planted the seeds of my faith.  I may never have met her face to face, but she had a big impact on my life.  I am grateful I had the opportunity to tell her that in our last messages to each other.  None of us ever expect at 41 years old to say goodbye to this world.  And, as I cry for her family, I rejoice for Trina, because I know she is in heaven with Jesus.  I will miss her words, her prayers, and the way she had of appreciating all the little things in life.  Please pray for this family to have comfort and peace. 
Trina's Blog

Wordless Wednesday - Cute x 3!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

#14
All I can say is that I am sorry it took me this long to read it.  I am sad to be finished and will probably read them all again at some point!!  If you haven't read them, I highly recommend them ALL!  But if I had to number them in order of my favorites (as my kids want me to do), that would be #5, #6, #7, #3, #2, #1, #4
From Amazon.com:
Readers beware. The brilliant, breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's spellbinding series is not for the faint of heart--such revelations, battles, and betrayals await in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that no fan will make it to the end unscathed. Luckily, Rowling has prepped loyal readers for the end of her series by doling out increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and mystery, shot through with lessons about honor and contempt, love and loss, and right and wrong. Fear not, you will find no spoilers in our review--to tell the plot would ruin the journey, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is an odyssey the likes of which Rowling's fans have not yet seen, and are not likely to forget. But we would be remiss if we did not offer one small suggestion before you embark on your final adventure with Harry--bring plenty of tissues.
The heart of Book 7 is a hero's mission--not just in Harry's quest for the Horcruxes, but in his journey from boy to man--and Harry faces more danger than that found in all six books combined, from the direct threat of the Death Eaters and you-know-who, to the subtle perils of losing faith in himself. Attentive readers would do well to remember Dumbledore's warning about making the choice between "what is right and what is easy," and know that Rowling applies the same difficult principle to the conclusion of her series. While fans will find the answers to hotly speculated questions about Dumbledore, Snape, and you-know-who, it is a testament to Rowling's skill as a storyteller that even the most astute and careful reader will be taken by surprise.
A spectacular finish to a phenomenal series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a bittersweet read for fans. The journey is hard, filled with events both tragic and triumphant, the battlefield littered with the bodies of the dearest and despised, but the final chapter is as brilliant and blinding as a phoenix's flame, and fans and skeptics alike will emerge from the confines of the story with full but heavy hearts, giddy and grateful for the experience. --Daphne Durham

Love this!!

This just makes me giggle every time!  It is SO Stella!!

All is well here, just recovering from a very busy weekend of concessions and gearing up for another one at the same time!! And of course, trying to find time to read Harry Potter and grade papers. :)

Newest Members

Meet Red (with the almost red stripe down the back), Goldie(light gold one), Dottie 2(looking at us in the pic below), and Big Boy(he's the biggest one - you can't really tell that in this pic though)!!  Hopefully whatever killed our last crew will not realize we have restocked the pond.  We lost all 6 of our fish from last year.  They just disappeared.  No evidence left behind. :(  So, we restocked this week with some $2 goldfish to "test the waters" and see if they stay around before we add anymore.  I got some floating plants to give them hiding places.  That's the only thing I was lacking last year compared to year's past.  If that doesn't do the trick, we are going to put a deer camera on the pond and see what we are up against and then the war will be ON!