Daybook:::August 19, 2010

Outside My Window... another hot day for Middle Tennessee.  We had some relief yesterday, when some storms passed through.  But - the clouds have parted and the heat is back!

I Am Thankful For...  Mama Jean.  I have said this before and I'll probably say it again - but she is the best best bestest babysitter EVAH!!!  Today is Myles' last day with her before starting school tomorrow and she has taught him so much - not just schooling but everyday behavior.  Oh...and my wonderful husband that is celebrating 16 years of marriage with me!!!

From The Kitchen... I really have no idea. Myles has a baseball game tonight at 6:45 so I'm torn on whether or not to feed us before we go sweat at the game.

I Am Wearing... A brown skirt and a green shirt.  Thrilling...I know.

I Am Reading... I just finished another Nancy Drew book that I stole from Steph.  Now, I am onto a book that I found in my cubby here at work called Fire & Ice - I've only read about a page, so we'll have to wait and see if it's any good.

I Am Hoping... For a good first full day of kindergarten tomorrow for Myles.

I Am Hearing... Not much.  I just got off the phone with Terrance.

Around The House... Laundry needs to be done...badly.

One Of My Favorite Things... Seeing my kids play baseball/softball...they are doing so good and having so much fun.  I love it!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Baseball tonight...baseball tomorrow night and then...DATE NIGHT!!

Here Is A Picture Thought I Am Sharing With You...

Married 16 Years!!!

Anniversary Flowers!!

First Day of School!

New School

Today was the first day of kindergarten for Myles.  It was just a half day phase-in day for him...but I was nervous for him nonetheless.  

 Waiting to go to class for the first time!

He had his kindergarten screening last Friday and - thankfully - the teacher that screened him is his teacher.  So thankful that it was the one teacher he had actually met.  Her name is Ms. Lombardi and she seems really nice (and young looking!!).

Screening day

It was a hard day for momma...I managed to keep it together until I left him in his classroom.  Terrance had to laugh at me crying in the hallway.  

Learning where our new class is

Waiting for him to come home seemed like an eternity!  I didn't think 12:30 would ever get here.  But, it finally did and pick-up at the school went smoothly.

He said he had a great time and is ready for Friday so he can go back.  Just the words I was wanting to hear.  :)

Catching Up ~ June 25, 2010

So much has happened in the last 2 months...I almost don't even know where to start.  I felt the need to do a little catching up on what all has been going on.  When I last posted, we were getting ready to go on our beach vacation to Destin.  We had such a fabulous time.  I had scoured the almighty internet for different things for us to do while we were there.  We ended up going to the Gulfarium, the Emerald Coast Science Center, a fantastic dolphin cruise, and the Gulf Breeze Zoo.  There was also the beach - which we managed to spend several hours at each day.

The Beach!!

Dolphin Cruise

To cap off the trip...I made a little video.  :)

When we came back, we were in full baseball mode with Myles.  He had a game every Saturday during April and May.  Their team did so good!  We were so proud of the little ones - especially since several of them had never played before.  The video I made for it is such a perfect representation of how each game went...non-stop action!

At the end of May, we got rain...lots and lots of rain.  Nashville had a record breaking amount of rainfall over the first two days of June.  Thankfully, our home - and the homes of our families were spared from the flood waters.  Not everyone was so fortunate.  There was widespread destruction.  We were out of touch with my parents for almost a day when they lost phone and internet service.  Their area of town was heavily affected.  I was a nervous wreck...with flood waters creeping up on our back porch and the reports from the news...I was so glad when the rains finally stopped.

Because of all the rain, Jordan's first softball season got off to a late start.  She did so good for her first season.  She managed to hit a grand-slam home run and a double at her first game!  She ended up playing lots of different positions:  left field, right field, catcher and first base.  She played the most at first and did a super job making some great plays.  So proud of her!

We just celebrated Father's Day last Sunday.  Terrance told me not to spend any money on a gift for him.  I ended up only spending $1.29 to download a song from i-tunes and made him this...

Last, but certainly not least, Myles lost his first tooth yesterday!!

Friday Felicities:::April 9, 2010

Things that make me happy:

• One.More.Day.Until.Vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Taking Jordan for her first pedicure last night.
• An unbelievable teacher/friend Mama Jean that has been working with Jordan to get her back on track!
• Jordan - realizing that everything doesn't have to be a fight/complaint/struggle.
• A wonderful hubby that has stood strong during all the trials with Jordan and worked with me.
• That same wonderful hubby that has planned said vacation!!!
• Great parents that bring over gift cards for Cracker Barrel and Sonic before we leave.  :)
• Spring baseball for Myles - it has been unbelievably fun to watch him learn the game.
• French-manicured toes and sparkly flops - enough said.  :)  :)  :)

Daybook:::April 1, 2010

Outside My Window... Oh.My.Word...it is soooooo gorgeous outside. It is supposed to get up to about 80* today and I am dying that I have to be inside for most of it. Thankfully though, I have a nice window to look out and gaze at the sunshine.

I Am Thankful For... My dad. He took Jordan on a trip this past weekend to the Creation Museum and had a little heart-to-heart with her about her recent actions. I can see the changes in her already. :) He has a way with her like no one else.

From The Kitchen... I really have no idea. Myles has a baseball practice at 5:00 tonight, so it will be late when we get home. Maybe I can get Terrance to pick up some pizzas or something quick.

I Am Wearing... Turquoise shirt and (shock!!) white capri pants with some fabulous blue sparkly flops. I have always been a bit paranoid about wearing white pants - but I have planned my lunch around them...chicken salad - it won't stain if I make a mess. lol

I Am Reading... Believe it or not, I am finally reading book 1 in the Nancy Drew series - The Secret of the Old Clock. Stephanie was a HUGE ND fan when we were younger and she has been after me to read them for years. I finally broke down...and it's not too bad. A little cheesy - but mindless fun reading.

I Am Hoping... For a cure for my friends' darling boy, for safe pregnancies for some friends, healing for a friends dad.

I Am Hearing... Angela typing on the computer next to me...it's verrrrrry quite in here today.

Around The House... I need to get started on my massive clean before our trip next weekend. I absolutely hate to come home to a dirty house even though I'm not a neat freak at all in my normal day-to-day life. Time to start mopping, dusting, and cleaning.

One Of My Favorite Things... The glorious sunshine!!! And...it's Easter weekend. Such a special day!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Myles has baseball practice tonight, some grocery shopping and laundry after work tomorrow, baseball game on Saturday, Easter service on Sunday. I can't wait!!

Here Is A Picture Thought I Am Sharing With You...

Catching Up

So much has been going on these last few weeks, I feel like I needed to do a little blogging to catch up.

Myles has started his "official" baseball practice. He has been practicing with Terrance for a while now but had his first practice this past Monday night. And man!!...was it cold out there! Jordan and I about froze our buns off watching his practice. But, there was no way this mama was going to miss her baby's first practice. :)

Poor thing, he looked like a little lost sheep when he first walked out onto the field - but he quickly figured out what he was supposed to do. We know one of his coaches - Terrance used to work with him. The other two seem like great guys with a lot of patience for the little ones. They started off with a little stretching...


Followed by a little practice running around the bases and watching the coaches on when to stop and when to keep running...(Myles is the blur)


Followed by some batting practice...

They were so cute out there! I especially loved it when the coaches would tell them to stop - as in stop at that base - and they would just stop running...wherever they were. lol Too cute! He has another practice Saturday afternoon and are thrilled that the weather is supposed to be quite a bit warmer.

Jordan has also been signed up for spring softball - but her practices have not been set and we don't really have a schedule for her yet. But, she is ready to play! She really hasn't played much organized sports since she quit playing soccer a few years ago. It will do her good to get out and get playing with a team again.

This past Saturday night was our church's Valentino's. It is a dinner and variety-type show put on by the youth group. Technically, our church only has two high school aged kids - so they enlisted help from the four middle school kids, of which Jordan is one. They serve a dinner of lasagna and salad with tiramasu for dessert. After dinner, the kids put on a show. I was a little worried about the show this year, I admit. Only one of the kids had ever performed in the show before, so I was a little worried that they would be overwhelmed serving all the dinners and then performing in the show. Plus...I was on-hand for the practices and - to put it kindly - it was chaotic!! Also, Jordan's partner in both of their songs was gone for most of the final rehearsals the day of the show because she had a soccer game. But, she made it back in time and they totally surprised me and pulled it all together for the show. They all did a fabulous job! It was hilarious! Jordan's acting classes have obviously paid off. :) What a ham!
Finally, yesterday was my big post-op ear appointment where they were going to give me an audio test to determine how much hearing I had lost. On the good side, they said I had "considerable improvement" in the hearing in my right ear since the surgery. I am not to where I was before I started having all the problems - and probably never will be - but it is definitely better than where I was right before the surgery, since I was basically deaf in that ear. I apparently have an artificial bone in my ear...didn't know that...that they had to put in to replace one of the bones they removed. The doc said the hearing usually doesn't improve much once they put an artificial bone in - so he was pleased with my results.

On the bad side, my left ear drum has started to cave in some. I'm not sure what all that means at this point - but he said there is supposed to be some space between the bones of the middle ear and the drum and there isn't in my left ear. It is not completely caved in - just partially. It is something he said we are going definitely going to have to keep an eye on, along with the possiblity of cholesteotoma re-growth in my right ear. He said if it continues to cave in, he will either have to - possibly - put in some tubes or basically do the same surgery on the left side to rebuild the eardrum. Sounds fun...doesn't it?!? It looks like I will be dealing with this for the rest of my life.

But, all-in-all, I am thankful every day for the ability to hear. My doctor is great and has told me to contact him if there is any problems - basically telling me to never never ever go back to my regular doctor for anything concerning my ears. :) I can live with that.

Reviews:::A Wrinkle In Time, The Soloist & Switchback

A Wrinkle In Time


Let me just start by saying I looooooove this book. This book is in my Top 5 favorite books. I read this book for the first time in 5th grade and have loved it ever since.


The movie, however, was not good. I would have just given it 1 star - but Jordan seemed to enjoy it - so I gave it 2. This movie just didn't seem to draw me in as the book did. The 3 women (Who, Which, and Whatsit) did not seem believable - especially Mrs. Who, played by Alfre Woodard. I know she is a good actress - but this was not her best work. I guess my main problem with this movie was that I had played and re-played this book over in my mind while reading it over the years - and the movie did not live up to my expectations at all.


With the help of a neighbor boy, Meg Murray and her brother, Charles Wallace go in search of their missing astrophysicist father. Along the way, they are helped by three celestial beings: Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit. Meg is an insecure yet smart girl who has to save her family when the trio ends up on the strange planet of Camazotz and Charles Wallace falls under the spell of a strange, hypnotic power.





The Soloist


This movie was amazing. This is worth watching for the beautiful music alone - but Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx do an unbelievable job in this true life drama. I was watching this while at work - and I feel that if I had been at home, giving it 100% of my attention - I would have been in tears. Downey and Foxx's performances were so believable and touching.


Los Angeles newspaper writer Steve Lopez (Downey Jr.) meets Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx) living on the streets of L.A. and discovers an unbelievable musician hiding behind this broken, mentally ill man. The unique friendship that builds between the two transforms them both.

Switchback

This movie wasn't that bad...I just had this feeling the whole time that I had seen it before (which, since it was made in 1997 - is very possible). Dennis Quaid gives a decent performance as an FBI agent in search of the serial killer that kidnapped his son. As a Quaid fan, I enjoyed it - it just didn't have me biting my nails wondering what was going to happen next.

FBI agent Frank LaCrosse (Quaid) tracks a serial killer that has kidnapped his son to Texas - where he believes he has committed more murders. While he searches for his son, the murders become an issue in the local sheriff's election. Danny Glover and Jared Leto also star.

Daybook ~ January 22, 2010

Outside My Window... Another cloudy/gloomy day in what has been a pretty cloudy/gloomy week. I need some sun!!

I Am Thankful For... Mama Jean and her decision to home school Jordan. She (Jordan) was really not wanting to go back to school after winter break - and we were all really struggling with the decision. I think we have made an excellent choice!!

From The Kitchen... Cheeseburger macaroni. Exciting - I know...but Jordan will eat it - even if I put ground turkey instead of ground beef. It's still good. :)

I Am Wearing... Brown (long) capri pants, a white/brown/aqua striped shirt and some brown flats.

I Am Reading... I have no idea of the title of the book I am reading now. My sister loaned it to me from someone who loaned it to her. Not sure what I think of it yet.

I Am Hoping... For 4:00 to come rather quickly today. I am ready for the weekend.

I Am Hearing... The hum of my wonderful cubby heater. It has been rather cold in the office the last month or so - so, I asked if they would buy me a small heater. I love it! It has been keeping my toes toasty warm. :)

Around The House... Not a lot of plans for this evening. I know I should probably go ahead and start the laundry pile tonight...but I probably won't.

One Of My Favorite Things...Did I mention my cubby heater?? It is wonderful. :)

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Jordan has another agent audition tomorrow - her 2nd. I was supposed to go to a baby shower tomorrow - but the audition is at the same time - so I can't go. Hopefully, she will land an agent so she can start working!...oh...and that laundry pile I'm trying to ignore. :)

Here Is A Picture Thought I Am Sharing With You... No picture this time...I haven't taken any lately. :)

Review:::Taken

I loved this movie! I had never actually heard of it. It was a suggested movie on Netflix and I thought I would give it a try. It is in the genre of an old Mel Gibson-type man-on-a-mission movie.

Liam Neeson plays Bryan Mills, an ex-spy who's daughter and friend goes missing while vacationing in Paris. The daughter (Maggie Grace) is taken by an Albanian group involved in human trafficking and her father is on a mission to find her. He is working against the clock and worried that he might be too late.

If you like action type movies - this is right up your alley. The violence was not over-the-top - a la Steven Seagal - but enough that was believable without getting into the gory. The language wasn't bad - I thought it would be much worse for this genre of movie - but I was surprised at the lack of cursing. There is no sex or nudity - even though the subject matter is human trafficking.