Crazy Week

Single mommin this week and it happens to be teacher appreciation week on top of it. Found these double decker storage totes to give Jacobs teachers their "sweet treats." I think I need to go back and get one for myself. They are too cute.

Power, No Power....

The electricity can't seem to make up its mind.  Woke up to candles lit everywhere and, before you go all Harlequin romance on me...no. The power was out due to the storms that hit us around 4 this morning.

Then, after I got the kids ready by the glow of my phone flashlight,  it came back on. Then it went back off.
Sigh. But hey--no laundry.  There's an upside to everything. :)

Worry

"Let not your heart be troubled..." I'm really not doing a good job of this today.

I'm on my way up to the hospital in Atlanta where my friend Cindy's mom was taken back to the ER last night after doing so well at a local rehab facility. She had been hospitalized for over 2 months following a post surgical illness but had been recovering and doing so well for the past few weeks. I got to spend some quality time alone with her a couple weeks ago and it did my heart good to have that pseudo mother-daughter time with such a dear friend that has see me through some very difficult times as well. I'm praying this is just a small setback and that she will once again be on the road to recovery.

I've also been keeping my eye on the weather as a line of really strong storms move towards Central Tennessee. Having worked in the aftermath of the tornado outbreak this same week 3 years ago, I can't help but worry for their safety.

Just a lot on my mind today.

Me and the J-Rock

There's rarely an opportunity to sit in silence with my youngest and just "be." But that's what we did down by the lake this morning. I watched the ripples in the water as he dug in the dirt with a stick. A rare treat.

One Strep for Mankind

The D-man has strep throat so we're awaiting his prescription and then it's onto the homestead for rest and healing (aka he gets to veg out and watch tv).

Can't go back to school till Monday :( When it rains it pours!

A Sad Day

We regret to inform you that we lost Katie Bodiford under a mound of laundry earlier today. "The load of towels was the final straw," witnesses report.

She will be remembered for her athleticism, her graceful dancing ability and her superior math skills.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Save Ferris Bueller fund at Coweta County Bank.

Breathing a Sigh of Relief

Today has been one of those days.

The dark sky loomed with clouds and it rained on and off throughout the day. Normally, I would relish this kind of day but my mind was twisted into knots-- one of which centered on my golden retriever Cassie and the lump we'd found behind her left front leg. We had not noticed the growth until we had her shaved for the summer. Knowing that goldens are predisposed to cancer, I made her an appointment for this afternoon and waited (not so) patiently for 3:30 to get here.

But it's not just me I was concerned about...my 6-year overheard me mention "the C-word" when explaining the reason for my trip to the vet and I was suddenly under an official interrogation that would rival any tense Senate hearing:

"I know what the C-word is, Mommy. It's cancer.
Does Cassie have cancer?"

"If Cassie has cancer, will she die like people do
when they have cancer?"

"Does she know what we're talking about?
Will it make her sad?"

"If she dies, what do we do with her body? And how will I
give her hugs and let her keep me warm if her body is not here?"

The last one got me as tears welled up in my eyes. I answered best I could and tried not to break down in front of him making the situation worse.

Jacob was somber as we waited for our turn to see the doctor and it seemed as if he were the one being checked out instead of her. The doctor came in, loved on her, evaluated her and then aspirated the lump to see whether or not it was something we should be concerned about. Cassie, unaware of the results we were waiting on, laid patiently on floor at our feet.

After a little while, the vet came in with a big grin and said "it's just some fatty tissue! Nothing to worry about! Cassie will be just fine!" Jacob, overcome with relief, dropped on the floor, embraced Cassie and just laid his head on her in silence. The doctor even teared up at that point and remarked about his obvious love for her. "You have no idea," I told her.

So even on a day of knot-twisted thoughts and dark, rainy clouds, we found a little bit of sunshine. Looks like the Cass Cass will be with us for a while longer and that is enough to brighten any kind of day.

Won't Take Me Long to Pack

Click here and take me with you. Please.

Got My Golf Fix

Bubba Watson

Well, the 2014 Masters Tournament is now complete and I must say I'm pretty excited that Bubba Watson won again. He has a bit of a renegade personality (like driving the General Lee up to Augusta) but his reaction was truly touching. His flood of emotions with both his caddy and his wife and son really endeared me to him.

Other official and maybe-not-entirely-sports-related observations of this year's tourney:

• I still love my boy Adam Scott even though he didn't play at the top of his game this year. No one can rock the light blue pants like that fella. Just sayin.
  
• 20-year old rookie Jordan Spieth almost brought it home with an impressive two-stroke lead early Sunday. But when it started falling apart he went a little John McEnroe and beat his club on the green. Keep it in check buddy. Never let 'em see ya sweat!
  
• Jonas Blixt--another rookie--played like a champ but unfortunately those blue pants were just a little too blue and would clash with the green jacket. The Fashion Gods of sports knew this and caused him to bogey one too many to take home the title.
  
• Bless Miguel Angel Jimenez's hair. Is he a retired wrestler? Checking Wikipedia now.
  
• Matt Kuchar is so nice and was wearing really sensible shoes. Like deck loafers you'd wear on a casual sailing excursion. He's like the really nice guy a few doors down that cuts your lawn when you go out of town. He couldn't find the fairway this afternoon to save his life but I like him. Kooooooochhh!
  
•  Bubba's pal Ricky Fowler played really well today coming in two under but oh-my-heavenly-day that orange get up he was wearing with that thug-looking wide-brimmed hat was killing me.
  K-i-l-l-i-n-g me.
  
• And finally, this is directed at the fans attending the Masters. No matter who you are or how much you paid for your ticket, a red diamond pattern on your pants is never a good choice. You are there to watch golf and to eat $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches and to post selfies from the game on Facebook. But please for the love of everything that is good and holy look in a mirror.

Till next year, folks.

Missed This Face

My dear friend Lara are having a sleepover tonight.  Course that's after we gorge ourselves on chips at the west end Chuys. :)

and...i have to add a funny side note as we get ready for bed...check out the pjs we each brought...hers red with black polka dots and mine black with red. Really not surprising at all :)

Back in Town

I've been back in Franklin for a little over an hour now and my first stop was my old house... And I couldn't have been more shocked.

Apparently no one has stepped foot on that property since the day we moved.  It's empty, overgrown and perhaps the freakiest part were our personal items that were still lying around... deck chairs, an old ball... very sad.

Now my friend Heather and I are sunning ourselves on the patio at McAlisters. Feels strange to be back for work. More to come.

Nashvegas Bound

At 10:30 tomorrow morning, I am headed north to Nashville to do an event at the Country Music Hall of Fame Monday night. Putting the event planning hat back on for a few days and it will be good to see some familiar faces. This planning process has been a whirlwind to say the least but everything has come together and I'm ready to see it to fruition Monday evening.

It's been refreshing to focus on doing one event well instead of juggling the details of 50 at one time. Let's hope all goes off without a hitch and that my client will think it's a success. Looking forward to being in the Music City again.

Keepin' It Real

In a recent conversation, my friend Debbie "gently" noted that my blog tends to make everything look pretty and perhaps does not fully reflect the everyday happenings of my life. Isn't that what blogs are for I retort? To have a place to relish life's little nuggets of happiness? But the truth is I agree with her wholeheartedly (but please don't tell her I said that.)

In hindsight, the not-so-happy times have been recorded on my blog but nine times outta ten they have a funny spin to them. Or, they are sad but stemming from grief of some sort and not just the ordinary, everyday, sometimes suckiness of life.

So here it is:

Katie's List of Three Things

That Make Me Wanna

Crawl Back in the Bed This Morning

1. iPhone Went Swimming-- well, actually it was plugged in on the kitchen counter right next to where I happened to be washing dishes after dinner. All of the sudden the flashlight feature pops on and I realize that the phone is sitting in a pool of water. Fried. Kapoot. Night night iPhone. And, with it being my only phone and I am planning an event in Nashville next week, I race to Verizon and have to purchase --at full retail price-- a new cell phone. Why? Because I am not due for an upgrade until JULY TWO THOUSAND FIFTEEN. I am now the owner of a Samsung Galaxy 3 Mini. It was cheap and the camera produces pictures that look like Fred Flinstone tapped them out on a stone tablet. But, other than that, it'll do. One thing's for sure. I've learned my lesson about washing dishes. Never again, I tell ya.

2. Satan Called and Wants His Children Back-- for some reason, my children have selected the past two days to lose their everlovin minds in the morning as we prepare for their time at the schoolhouse. Fighting, whining, wrestling, aggravating, tattling. You name it. It definitely sets a not-so-pleasant tone for the day. I threatened to stay in the shower and never come out which, at the present time, does not seem like such a bad idea.

3. Let's Get Physical-- I'm going back to the gym this morning. And I don't wanna. That is all.

OK. Hope that shows the real me. The iphone ruining, Spawn of Satan raising, lazy me. :)

Now back to our regular scheduled motivational, inspirational, make-it-all pretty programming.

Morning memories haunt

As the cold rain falls

On the metal bucket

Outside my window

Tap

Tap

Tap

Winters last call

Beckoning me to

Give in to its grey skies

Tap tap

Tap tap tap

Tap 

Like teardrops they fall

I pull the covers tighter

And long for Spring

A friend of mine shared this and it really spoke to me:

Having No Bieber Fever Will Get You on TV...Apparently

Saying No to The Beebs?

I turned on the news this morning to see a reporter covering what he claimed was a "media circus" and a protest against Justin Bieber relocating to Atlanta. The camera then panned to show a middle-aged man in a sport coat holding a poster board saying "NO BIEBER" and two other people standing beside him with their arms folded. There was also a father and his teenaged daughter a few yards away there to support The Beebs.

REALLY?!  This is breaking news in the ATL? There were over two dozen reporters on a street corner to cover a guy with a homemade poster? I guess I'm lucky to live in a city where this is the most pressing issue we have to worry about.

Regardless of his brushes with the law or reckless behavior, do these people really believe that standing in front of a house that he reportedly looked at buying with a homemade sign is going to keep him from moving to Atlanta? And why does it matter? Are they afraid he'll draw a switchblade on them at Kroger or are they more afraid he might break into "Baby Baby" in line behind them at the Kentucky Fried Chicken?

Who knows? But there HAS to be be something more newsworthy than that going on in this town, folks.
By the way...my son's kindergarten class is almost out of glue sticks. I'm sure Channel 2 is planning to cover that at 11.

Exciting times, y'all.

What'll Ya Have?

I've been going to the Varsity since I was in the womb but I still whip out the camera every time I take my boys there. I'm not really sure why. We've eaten there dozens of times but I always feel the need to document the outing.

As you can tell, my too-cool twelve year old is not always thrilled with my photographic enthusiasm:

Isn't it in the Mommy Manual to torture your kids in public? Yes? I thought so. Photo shoots rank right up there with using phrases liked "that's jacked up" or belting out Demi Lovato tunes in front of their friends. Not that I've done that or anything. 

Hey at least I didn't make him wear the paper hat this time. I am a fount of compassion, I am.

Sweet Tears on a Freckled Face

Yesterday morning, my younger son Jacob was sitting at the table in our camper eating his cereal. He was playing his handheld video game and not paying attention to the morning show I was watching. Just then, a commercial for the ASPCA (animal protection group) came on featuring photos of neglected animals.

I saw him glance up then back down then he looked up again and the saddest look came over his little six-year-old face. He looked up at me and whispered "sad animals" and started blinking away tears. My sweet boy has always had a heart for animals but I didn't know the depths of his sensitivity until I saw him visibly moved by the sight of those images.

I couldn't help but hug him and comfort him as alligator tears slipped down across his soft freckled cheeks. My heart warmed at the sight of his compassion for animals. He's always been amazing with our own pets but I realized it ran deeper than that. As the commercial went off I reassured him that those animals were being taken care of and he smiled and, obviously trying to compose himself, said "ok Mommy" and tried to smile.

Ah the heart of my sweet sweet boy.

Saying Goodbye to Chattahoochee Bend

Well, it was a great week of camping with my fellas. We hung out with friends, relaxed and just generally enjoyed getting away for a few days.

A few more pics to wrap up the week:

The Chattahoochee River...very peaceful.

What Daniel and I call the camoflauge tree. Parts of the bark actually look like camo. Pretty cool. Here's a close up

Me and the D man looking for a hiding place for a letterbox we 're making...

Think we found a perfect hiding spot !

Packed up and heading to the house...

Later. :)