Summer Jobs???

Did you have a Summer job when you were in high school?  Perhaps you had a regular job during school?  I did the Summer job thing when I turned sixteen and then found a job that would work with my school schedule and my cheer-leading schedule.  That job followed me all the way through college and thankfully it did. I had great bosses during my school job, they were hard on me but that taught me a lot about working for someone and dealing with people.  I want my kids to learn those same lessons, they cannot learn these things from the hubbs and I tough. 
Sprat, has tried to find a conventional Summer job with no luck. Thankfully he has offered himself up to be a handyman for anyone that needs him.  He has been doing yard work, mowing grass and spreading mulch,  for a couple of ladies in the area and has cleaned out a garage for one lady.  Yesterday he came home and said he had used a jackhammer to take down some bathroom tile.  The last few weeks he has been helping a gentleman gut a house and he has learned to take down dry wall and now to use a jackhammer.  I think that is really cool.   I am thankful for people that will take a chance on a young person and let them help out and do things and maybe even teach them a skill.  Sprat is learning  a lot this Summer. 
Stay tuned as we gear up to start another school year, one a sophomore in college 13+ hours away and one a junior in high school. 

Weekend Update: Garden, College, and Gossip. . .

My little side herb garden/bulkhead is planted.  Yayyyy!!!  My seedlings I was trying to start did not do so well so, I bought some plants to start my herb garden with.  I am  so excited and I cannot wait to clip my first sprigs of Lavender and put them in the bath, awww how relaxing that will be.   Below is the picture after we planted.

I also planted some Dianthus in this bed and some garlic, yes I am going to try my hand at garlic one more time. 

My next adventure is going to be a cutting bed somewhere in the back yard.  I absolutely love fresh cut flowers.  I have some that I cut now when they bloom but I would like a bed devoted for that purpose alone.  I use to have beautiful and very fragrant roses and they died.  I am going to plant some more this year.  

So I got a call from the Dean the other day looking for Sprat, she thought she had called his cell number.  Long story short they believe that Sprat's roommate may be suicidal and wanted to talk to Sprat about the roommates recent behavior.  Well, this just sent me spinning into never never land.  I am a worrier anyway and this was a lot to handle.  I ask that you keep the roommate in your prayers as well as Sprat because I did not know everything he had been dealing with this year.   Being far away from home is hard and add not knowing anyone in this new environment is very difficult.  Sprat was trying to help the roommate cope with some things, I love that my child wants to help everyone, but sometimes our friends need more than just a friend.  Prayers for  them both would be most appreciated.

On to the Gossip train. . .   So my husband went to Atlanta to interview for a job, the job was not in Atlanta the hiring manager was.  At this particular time while he was out of town Big T needed a ride home from lacrosse practice because I was having to work that night too.  I guess when he asked if he could get a ride from one of the players someone else overheard him and only got part of the conversation.  This how rumors and gossip get started, you  only hear half the story and then run with it.  The interview was about two weeks ago and while I was on the phone with Sprat about the roommate he asked if we were moving to Atlanta.  LOL!!!! One of his friends that is in college in another town  texted Sprat in Boston to ask if he was moving to Atlanta.  LOL!!!   All of that because a kid overheard half of a conversation and just went with what he assumed was going on.   Kids can make rash assumptions just like adults and all of a sudden your moving and did not know it.  

That's it for our update.  Stay tuned more college stuff going on and maybe some Lacrosse tournaments and camps for both boys this Summer.  

The Boy is Home for Spring Break. . .

It is so hard to believe that I have one finishing his first year of college thirteen hours away and one finishing his sophomore year of high school.  I am too young for this.  Look at this sweet face below, I just loved those chunky cheeks and that big ole smile.  Sprat was a very happy little boy and seems to be a very happy young man.  I was so happy to see him when he got off that plane, you would not have believed he had only been gone a few short weeks.  It seems like a year since I last saw him, all those gushy mom feelings came flooding over me. 

Is this not the sweetest face ever???

I got a few hours with him last night and then he was off making his rounds to see his buddies that were also home on break.  He even took Big T with him to make the rounds.  I got to hear all about Boston and his possible new school.  Lots of things pending right now so I do not want to share anything until we are 100% sure but things are looking great for this guy.  We are very excited for him, lots of changes and great new opportunities opening up for him.  It is very true that when God closes one door or college in this case, he opens another better door and guides you through.  This has been a wonderful teaching moment and learning experience for us all.   It would be very easy to be bitter and ugly about all of this and it has had Sprat down a little bit but I keep pointing out that God took him there for a reason and we need to embrace this as what it is, a wonderful opportunity for him to continue his education. 

Stay tuned as we figure all of this out and sort through the mire that is College transfer. . . 

We All Have Something to Learn. . .

The boys have started the new semester in school, they each have some class changes.  Big T is taking, what I would call a home economics class.  He will learn to sew, take care of a baby, and cook.  He thought he was going to get off easy and get to take care of a bag of flour but another teacher is in charge of his class and I think they are going to do the mechanical babies.  Yes, you may laugh now, I sure did.  These are the babies that cry and require being held and rocked to sooth them and they cry when they are hungry.  They are intended to simulate an actual baby and all the things baby's require.  This is going to an interesting semester for dear Big T.
Sprat is taking new classes too, he gets to take chemistry along with Spanish 2, math, and history.  He came home last night and had math and history homework.  He does not often come home and do homework, he must complete it most of the time at school.  This is going to be an interesting semester for both of the boys.
I am still working and learning as I go.  This is going to be a learning year for us all and lots of changes for everyone.  The boys are taking on more responsibility, reluctantly of course and the hubbs and I are relinquishing responsibility.  It is fun to watch the boys growing and learning new things but, it is also hard to watch your children not needing you as much.  I think that may be the hardest thing I have to deal with this year, knowing that my boys are not going to need me as much.
Stay tuned as we are all learning this year.

Mother is Always Right. . .

Not only is Mother always right but so is Daddy.  It took me twenty-two years to come to this monumental conclusion.    I wonder how long it will take my kids to come to this conclusion?    I look back on all of the advice, solicited or not, that my parents gave me and boy my life would have been so much easier if I had followed half of what they advised.   I did follow some but I do wish I had listened to it all!   This goes back to that post where I talked about the kids "earning" knowledge.  I earned a great deal of knowledge through those twenty-two years.   I talk a lot about Mom but Dad is also a force that cannot be left out.  He showed me how men are supposed to treat women and when I dated those that were not up to his standards he pointed it out.   He let me know that these boys were not fit for my company or my attention in very subtle ways.   They never told me who I could or could not date but they helped me see the true colors of some of the less desirable boys that I had contact with.
My Mom and Dad met my dear hubby at a basketball game.  They did not get a lot of time to talk to him but they immediately liked him.  He met the WHOLE family at a reunion a month or so later and of course everyone immediately loved him.  He blended well with the rest of our clan.   The hubbs was thrilled when he found out we were having road kill stew because my aunt Laura had hit a deer the day before on her way to town.   You may think that is gross but we all love some good deer meat and it did not matter how it got to the table.  Everyone had only the nicest things to say about my hubby when they met him that day and I guess I knew deep down he was going to be the one.  We had not been dating that long but there was just something about him that lead me to believe that he would be my forever love.
I do still lean on my Mom and Dad for advice for different things and I have no regrets.  I hope that my kids will come along at some point and make the same realization.  They are young, impetuous, stubborn, and very reluctant to listen to the hubbs and I right now.   I pray for them daily, I pray for whomever God has picked out for them as their mate.  No, it is not too soon to pray for that.    You want them to have a godly mate and someone that will love them the way they deserve to be loved.   I want them to have the kind of love that my Mom and Dad have, that my hubby and I have, and the love that my in-laws had.

Things My Mom Taught Me. . .

Our mothers are our first friends, so to speak, and they are our first teachers.  What did your mom teach you?  My mom taught me that you always share what you have with others.  I remember my mom sharing what ever we got out of our garden with all of our neighbors.  We usually end up taking ours to Church and passing out cucumbers and zucchini as people make their way to their cars.  I love our Church family.  My Mom also taught me about respect and that you respect your elders.  Mom also worked very hard in our Church and she taught me to do the same.  Mom was over our nursery for many, many years and spent her own money to buy juice and cookies for the kids every Sunday.   Mom did not just teach by words she taught us by doing.  I learned more by watching my Mom than I could have learned had I taken a home economic class in school.  My Mom lead us by example,  I can only hope that my kids learn as much from me as I have from my Mom.
One thing my Mom was notorious for was making sure anyone that visited her house had plenty to eat.  I will never forget my roommate in college and I meeting mom and dad at the State Fair and the first thing out of my mom's mouth was; "how are ya and have you eat?"  She always fixed a ton of food to take to the Fair.  She was always prepared to feed the multitudes.  We usually spent several days there showing and of course they would catch a football game too.   Mom always made sure you had plenty to eat if you were around her.  She wanted everyone to be comfortable too.
Mom always worked in the yard, she mowed her own grass and plowed her garden and worked her gardens.  When I was in high school she had two gardens, one at the house and one at the barn.  I know I got my love of gardening from her.  I am thankful that my hubby's family was similar to mine.  He got his love of gardening from his dad.  
There are two things that I did not get from my mom.  Mom is very strong and can handle anything thrown her way.  I am not nearly as strong as mom, I think all of her strength went to my sister.  I am also not nearly as good at whipping up a meal as mom.  I remember my dad always came home for lunch every day and occasionally he may call at the last minute and say; "hey, I am bringing Bill with me for lunch today."  Mom could whip up a five star meal in the drop of a hat and it would feed whomever dad brought home.  I do not have that talent.
I am so blessed to have been raised by such a strong mom that taught me so much and she may not even realize how much she has taught me.  I would not be the woman I am today if it were not for the example that was set by my Mom and my sister.  I am truly blessed to have these two beautiful women in my life.  This black and white picture is of my Mom before she and my Dad were married.  The other is of my sister and my Mom at one of Big T's football games.

We never stop learning, even as adults we are always learning.  Sometimes we have to refresh our skills to help our kids with school work.  Then you have to hear, Mom that is not how the teacher said to do it.  That is my favorite,  especially since we are still fighting common core stupidity.
We are learning a new sport,  Sprat has been trying to help his brother with passing skills.  We had a great Saturday watching Big T play Lacrosse.   After watching a game, Sprat has decided he might want to try it next year.  We watched several games on Saturday and some of the older kids got a little rough.  That was when Sprat said he was interested.   Big T's team won both their games and he had a blast.   We are looking forward to the season. Below are some of the pictures I took, I am learning how to use Big T's camera.   Big T is #42 in black.

Making Wagers. . .

My husband and I  have always made bets with each other on various topics.  Before we had our kids and when we were both working we would make sizable (several hundred $) wagers with each other.  
One day we were out of town and I thought I saw one of my students from my Sunday school class.  I pointed him out and of course the hubbs immediately dismissed  that it was him.  I was pretty sure it was him, so I bet my hubby a new designer pocketbook if I was right and he could get a new rod and reel of equal value to my pocketbook  if he was right. 
We happened to be at a basketball tournament when all of this happened so I had to wait till the game was over to go and see my student.  Long story short, it was my student and the hubbs was not happy. 
I usually won these bets with my hubby and yes they were silly bets but we have so much fun picking  with and teasing each other.   Sometimes we bet on who knows what.  We got into an argument about where the mini Coopers were built and who made them.  You can imagine the salesman's surprise when we pulled into the dealership to get the facts to resolve our bet.  You guessed it, I won and this time I got a mani/pedi. 
I am sharing all of these crazy stories so that I can share the latest between Sprat and I.   He was being hard headed, as teenagers do and refused to take any notebooks or pens or pencils to school on his first day.  I insisted that he would need to write things down and he needed to take a notebook and a pencil.  Naturally, being the loving mom I am, I packed a notebook, pens, and pencils in his bookbag without him knowing.  He was still insistent that he would not be writing anything down on the first day.  I do not know where they get this attitude?  Heeheehee.   He proceeded to bet me he would not be writing anything down.  He has the know it all attitude but he forgets that I DO KNOW IT ALL.  You moms know what I am talking about.  He bet me $100 that he would not write anything down.  Well, you know I could not resist this one.  I took his bet and when he came home from school last night he pulled out all of his papers that would need signing and low and behold he had written several things in his agenda and on his papers.  I did not take my child's money,  this little mishap will be worth way more than $100 later on down the road.  This little gem will stay in my mom arsenal of "do you remember when?" 
Here is to all the moms and dads fighting the good fight day and night, hang in there and know that your kids will thank you later on down the road.  It took me twenty-two years to learn and realize my parents were always right.   Love and hugs to you all.

Last Trip for the Week

Yesterday we went to check out the Bechtler House.  This is the home of the man that first minted the first gold dollar in the United States and it was right in my back yard.  Big T, grandma, Alli, and I are touring this time.  
We had a great time visiting with the family.  It really is amazing at how much history you can learn that is practically in your back yard.   I bet you think the gold rush started in California, nope.  It actually began in western North Carolina.  Christopher Bechtler began a mint to aid the gold miners of North Carolina.   He started in the early 1830's with a $5 gold coin and latter made a $2.50 and $1 gold coin.  Bechtler made the first gold dollar in the United States. 

I have hit the high points on all of our trips, please check out the websites I have mentioned for each trip to find out more or maybe even plan your own visit.  I think Big T has enjoyed his adventures this last two weeks, I know I have and I think we both have learned a lot.  Our trip would not be complete without a trip to see my sisters' house and to see her sweet goats.  Big T got some great pictures of them, he is quite the photographer.  We also went by one of our local high school agriculture barns to see their new piglets.   Check out Big T's pictures below.

Exploring Local History. . .

Big T and I are still exploring our little corner of the world.  We have an unusual home in our area called Korner's Folly, Jule Korner built the house in the late 1800's to use as a studio for his furniture and interior design concepts.  Big T and I set out yesterday to see this house, our little adventures these last two weeks have been a lot of fun for us both.  We have seen things that we may not otherwise have the opportunity to visit.  Next week Big T has leadership camp and Sprat goes back to football workouts and there will not be time for side trips.
I will give you a brief run down on the house, it really is a must see to appreciate how it all comes together.  To look at it on the outside it looks like a typical two story home, when in fact, it has seven levels and ceiling heights that vary from 5 1/2 feet to 25 feet.  I will not spoil all of your fun by telling everything, it is a must see to appreciate.  Check out their website:
www.kornersfolly.org  Below are some pictures Big T took.

Stay tuned we have at least one more trip this week maybe two if it all works out.  

Always Learning. . .

I am always learning something new.  I read all the time; magazines, blogs, books, news feeds, tech websites, even Facebook.  I have found I am always learning something new, especially when it comes to the ever changing world of technology.   My classes have finally finished up for this semester but my education never ends.   Technology is ever changing and we, as consumers of technology, need to stay up to date so we can stay ahead of the bad guys.  

One very simple thing to remember is, if you are shopping and you are going to be entering your credit card information, look for the https:// in your browser window before the web address.  If the https:// is not there you are not on a secure site and your credit card information is not safe.    

Here is another gem I would like to pass along to you.  If you work for a company that supplies you with a computer, phone, or other mobile device you should know that company is well within their rights to know every website you visit and they may even read your emails.   I would also wager they have gps on them so they know where they are at all times.  You may say that is an invasion of privacy and it may very well be but, the company has every right to protect their investment and their proprietary information.   

Book Club. . .

Had our first book club meeting last night.  It was a lot of fun.  I only knew one person going in to this club.  I met three very nice ladies last night and enjoyed getting to know them the way women always do.  We talked about our kids and having kids and what we did when we were kids.    We enjoyed good food and fellowship and discussed our book.  We read "Water for Elephants."
I enjoyed the book.  There are parts of it that are very graphic with regard to sex and hurting animals.  I am an animal lover so that was hard for me to get around.  Overall I did like the book.  I still have not seen the movie.  I tried to watch it before I read the book and I could not get past the animal cruelty.  I am a softy when it comes to our four legged friends.  If you have not read the book I would recommend it.  It does make you think about how you treat others.
Our next book may be "The Memory Keepers Daughter."  I have not read this one yet so I am pretty excited about it.  I have heard good things about it.