8th Grade Graduation

We reached another milestone this week. Katie graduated from 8th grade. Starting next fall, we will have both kids in high school. It doesn't seem possible but that's where we are.


Before we have any more graduations, I want to get a better camera. The one I have is so slow. If anyone is moving, the pictures are blurry, so I didn't get a good picture of her on stage. I asked her beforehand if she would please stop while she was on stage so I could get a good picture and she said that Mr. Miller already told them they weren't doing that. They had over 1oo graduates and they weren't going to wait while every momma got a good picture. So, this is all I got.

Katie and I went shopping for a new dress. We spent one evening trying on dresses. We got pedicures and went out to eat. I love spending time with her like that. It is such a wonderful thing to realize that I really like my kids. I look forward to times that we can be together and just enjoy their company and listen to what they have to say. I know that time is going by so fast and I want to make the most of the time we have with them now.

I love this dress she picked out. Of course I think she was the most beautiful girl at the graduation.

Katie, I love you and I know that you have an amazing future ahead of you. High School will bring many new experiences and I know that you are ready for the challenges. I can't wait to see how you blossom over the next 4 years. I just don't want it to go by too fast.

Appearance Issues? I'm Too Old For This

Over the years, I've had issues with my appearance. When I was younger, I used to think about all the things I would change about my looks if I could, but as I matured it grew less and less important until I reached a point where I was comfortable with myself. I'm not beautiful but I like to think that I do the best with what I've got.

That is until this last week when my self-esteem really took a hit.

It started when I was listening to one of my students read and he looked up at me midway through his story and asked, "What's wrong with your teeth?" My teeth? I had braces when I was a kid. Nothing is wrong with my teeth. I realize the question came from a 5 year old but still I'm wondering.

A few days later I was on the playground and one of my girls started telling me how beautiful my hair was. She loved the color and she loved the way it looked when the wind blew through it. I was soaking this up. I don't get compliments like this very often, but then she looked at me kind of funny and asked, " Did you know your ears are gi-normous?" My ears? Really? I've obsessed about many of my features over the years but I don't ever remember having a problem with my ears. I keep looking at them now and wondering.

This next part is kind of gross but it goes with the whole picture. I've had this little cyst on my shoulder for years. My doctor had told me that she would remove it whenever I wanted, but I shouldn't wait too long or it could get nasty. Well, it wasn't bothering me so I waited and this week it got nasty. I went to my doctor and she said, "Eww, gross, that's nasty." I don't think those were her exact words, but that's what she meant. She wouldn't touch it. She put me on a heavy dose of antibiotics and told me to come back in a week. So I have this thing on my shoulder that I am very self-conscious about. I'm keeping it covered with a gi-normous band-aid so I don't gross people out.

Then to add insult to injury, I woke up yesterday morning with a fat lip. I just didn't even want to get out of bed. I can't take another hit. My self-esteem is fragile right now.

So here I am with my bad teeth, huge ears, a thing growing on my shoulder and a fat lip. Let's don't even talk about the bags under my eyes and the double chin. I hadn't noticed that before.

I'm going back to bed.

Memories of a House

I've been looking at old photos again. This was taken in my grandparents house and it must have been a special occasion because they are both wearing flowers.

This is the only house I remember them living in. It was in Plainview which is also where I was born. We moved when I was a baby, but we were never very far away. We visited often and when I think about that house, a lot of memories come to mind.

I remember toasted Roman Meal bread spread with butter and jelly for breakfast.

I remember my grandfather singing gospel songs and playing dominoes with anyone who would sit down and play with him. He would set up a card table in front of his chair and his opponent would sit opposite him.

I remember the day lilies in my grandmother's yard. There are some in my garden now and I will try not to kill them. There was also a huge tree in the front that was perfect for climbing.

I remember a picture of Mark Twain that was proudly displayed in the living room and my grandmother being so sure that he was a relative.

I remember a large yellow Cadillac parked in the driveway. It was the first car I had ever been in that had power windows - so fancy!

I remember dresser drawers full of treasures. They were treasures to me anyway.

I remember being there one night during a fierce storm, yet feeling safe because I was surrounded by family.

I also remember being there the night we found out my sister had been killed in an accident. I'm so glad my mom was there that night with her parents when she received that terrible phone call. I was only 5, but I remember the devastation and horrible grief. My mom needed her parents.

Thinking about that house brings up so many memories of family. It was so often full of uncles, aunts, cousins, and more cousins. Sometimes when I drive through Plainview I think about trying to find it, but then I realize I would rather have my memories than to see the house as it is today. I wouldn't want today's reality to take away from yesterday's memories.

My Inner Gardener

I love plants. I love to go to the garden center and look at all the possible things that I could grow; however, I know that anything I buy is probably not going to live long. I'm finally going to admit after many years of trying that I just don't have that green thumb.

I feel like I should have it though. My dad is a wonderful gardener. I remember beautiful flower gardens and an abundance of homegrown vegetables as I was growing up. I really think some of his skill should have rubbed off on me, but it just didn't.


This rose bush has survived in spite of me. It looks good about once a year and this is that time. It's supposed to be a climbing bush, but of course, it hasn't. It's just lucky to be alive. It's not going to waste any energy trying to climb.

I have had some luck with herbs. This is cilantro and I also have basil and rosemary. Also in this picture you can see day lilies. These lilies originated in my grandmother's yard. My dad transplanted some to his yard and a couple of years ago he brought me some. I hope I don't kill these. I planted them in a spot that will be hard for me to not see them, so maybe they will get more attention.

If I could only grow one thing, I would pick tomatoes. I love home grown tomatoes so much. Of course my dad always grew the best ones and he still does. I've tried and tried over the years, but I just don't have the touch. A few years ago, I planted a lot of them and poured so much attention and care on them that I just knew that would be the year that I finally had a bumper crop. I remember looking out the window one day and there was a deer standing there eating all the little green tomatoes. At first I was alarmed and thought that I needed to go run her off and save my crop. But as I stood there watching her, I realized that if she destroyed my crop then I was off the hook. I didn't have to pretend anymore that I knew what I was doing. When people asked me how my tomatoes were doing, I could just say, "Oh, the deer ate them" instead of admitting that I had killed them.

I allowed myself to buy one tomato plant this year. It's doubled in size since I planted it and it has some blooms. I can't take any credit for it's growth because it has rained so much that I haven't had to do anything for it. If you think about it, say a little prayer for my tomato plant and the day lilies. Their days are probably numbered.

Almost Done

I can't believe it, but another school year is almost over. I've had a really great group of kids this year. Some have been very challenging, but for me that's part of the fun, trying to figure out what makes them tick. One girl in particular worried me from the first day of school. She had no fear. I went through my whole bag of tricks with her on the first day of school. Nothing fazed her, and I just really didn't know if we would both survive the school year. I had to pull out the Treasure Box right away because I could tell the idea of a treasure intrigued her. Everyone in the class earned a trip to the Treasure Box during that first week except her. By the end of the week, she was so mad at me she was spitting nails. She marched around the room shouting, "All I want is a stinkin' treasure. Just give me the stinkin' treasure." To which I informed her that my treasures didn't stink and if she ever wanted to be able to go there she better show a little respect for the box. We came to an uneasy truce, but things did get a little better. At least I thought.

She drew this picture about 4 weeks into school. It was supposed to be a picture of something you can hear. I asked her to tell me about it and she said, "It's you. You talk all the time." Notice the scribbles all over my body. I think that speaks volumes about her true feelings for me. I was curious about the bloby thing on the left so I asked about it. She said, "That's a brain. Not your brain because you don't have one, but I would like to give you one." This is going to be a long year, I thought.

We've had a shaky relationship for most of the year. If I would just let her be the boss, all would be well. Last week, she made all the girls in my class cry because she was telling them they had hairy chests. Apparently that's a huge insult to a 6 year old girl. I didn't know.

She going to be mad at me tomorrow, because I've already heard that she was bad for my substitute today. I had to go to a workshop so I knew I would be out. I told the class that if I got a good report from the sub I would bring worms to school on Friday. The sub said all she had to do was say, "Remember the worms", and everyone snapped into shape except for this little girl. So, I've got the worms, both real and gummy, but I haven't decided if I'm going to let her anywhere near them. We'll see how it goes.

Look Out Pioneer Woman

My stove is connected and operational now. I promised my family that I would make anything they wanted after I got the new stove. So the first time I used it I made Kraft Mac and Cheese. It's a good thing I didn't get too fancy because gas is quite a bit different from electric. My macaroni was mushy. Tonight I branched out a little and made spaghetti and meatballs. I have to admit that I am a little intimidated by the gas. I'm afraid I'm going to set the kitchen on fire and I jump every time I turn a burner on and the gas wooshes out.

I'm not giving up. I'm ready for the challenge of learning to use a new appliance.



Anyone have a good recipe for me to try?

License to (learn how to) Drive

Tom got his driver's learning permit today. I have been so focused on jumping through all the hoops to get this permit that I hadn't really thought through the implications of it.

Now I need to let him drive.

The process for getting a learner's permit is not easy. No one really knows how to do it. Even people who just did it can't really tell you what they did. There are so many forms to fill out and you have to take the proper ID and if anything is missing, you have to start over. I've heard stories from my friends about going to the DMV and waiting for hours only to find out they were missing something and they would have to come back when they had the paperwork in order.

I took the afternoon off today so I could take Tom to the DMV. I read everything I could find about what to take and still wasn't sure if I had it all, but decided to take the chance anyway.

We got there about 11:45 and was told to take a number. We were number 22 and they were on 6. The secretary at Tom's school told us she heard people were having to wait for 3 hours. It looked like we had along wait ahead of us. As it turned out, we got there at a good time. Apparently, some people had been waiting so long that they left. We had only been there about an hour when our number was called. Another thing that sped the process along was all the people who didn't have the right paperwork so they were told to came back later.

When we finally got to the desk, I handed the lady all my papers and she started sorting through them. She kept looking at me and then at the papers and the whole time I'm thinking she's going to send us away. She finally looked up at me and said, " Did you ever live in the country?" All I could say was "uhhhhhh". Then she finally said, "Did you live out by Jarrell?" I immediately nodded and said, "Yes!" I didn't know it yet but this was my lucky day.

She was the daughter of our neighbor when we lived in the "country". She remembered me! So here we are at the DMV in a room full of impatient and borderline angry people and she wants to chat with me about old times and how big my kids are and she can't belive one of them is old enough to drive. She was having a great time, but I could feel daggers in my back. She goes through my papers and tells me there are 2 forms that I haven't filled out yet. Now, I had been listening to this lady for at least an hour while I was waiting and she had sent many people away for not having papers already filled out. She handed me a pen and pointed to the lines I needed to fill out! God was looking out for us and sent us to an angel. She was so nice and helped me though all the papers. Tom passed his test and we walked out at 1:00.

My lucky day didn't end there. I have a family picture that I have been wanting to get framed, but I have been waiting for Hobby Lobby to put their custom frames on half price. They used to do it all the time. I've been watching the ads for a long time and I haven't seen that sale so I finally decided they must not do it any more so I would just have to pay full price for a frame. I walked in to the store today with the picture in my hands and there was this huge banner that said, "Custom Frames 50% off". I couldn't believe it.

I let Tom drive a little. I think he'll be a pretty good driver.