Strawberry Shortcake

Memaw bought Maggie some strawberry plants.

They hung them in a hanging basket in April.

This morning, I noticed that we have one ripe strawberry in the basket.

Maggie picked it after she got home from school.

She loved it. She was amazed that she planted it and it grew to a real strawberry

It's just stuff

I've had this one in my mind for a while, but I haven't written it all out in my mind yet. Here ya go....

There is a new JoAnn's fabric store in our town. Maggie was ecstatic. She talked about it non stop for several days. She had grand plans about what she and Memaw were going to make when Memaw came back for a visit. There was some crafting to be done!

So, it opened one weekend and Maggie begged all weekend for us to go and explore the new store. We made plans to leave the boys at home after church and go have a girly date at the new store.

We walked into the new store and we wandered around for a while. We just wandered up and down a lot of aisles. She wasn't begging for stuff, but I told her that if she found a little something, I would get her a new craft.

After a while, we ended up on a kids craft aisle. They weren't awful crafts, just okay. She thought about a few options, but just wasn't satisfied with her choice. She finally bought a cute little journal from the dollar section that was pink and green (that's my girl).

On the way out to the car, she started to tear up. I asked her what was wrong, but she asked if we could wait to talk about it in the car.

We got to the car and we started talking. She said that she was disappointed by our trip to JoAnn's. She said, "it just wasn't that great".

I explained to her that I was proud of her for not just picking out a craft that she didn't like just to be getting something.

She said, "I just feel dumb. I feel dumb because I was excited about a store. A store isn't something to be happy about."

I was astounded. I couldn't believe that she put that together. I get excited about going to new stores and picking out new stuff. But, it's just stuff and it's not stuff to be excited about.

Matthew 6:19 (New International Version)

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

We talked about this for a while. I am proud of her for recognizing that stuff isn't going to make us happy.

On the way home, I bought her a Happy Meal, but that's another story.

Adoption story

As you know, fostering/adoption is something very dear to our family. Steven sent me this blog today and I thought I would share the link with y'all!

http://www.potsc.com/uncategorized/guest-post-nicole-wick-on-adoption/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+deadlyviper_blog+%28People+of+the+Second+Chance+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

P.S. If you email me, I will send you an adorable picture that Steven just sent me of Patrick in a grocery cart. He's so cute!

The dog ate my homework???

I think I have heard it all now.

I have taught community college classes/online classes for 5 years now. I have heard every variety of excuse about why a student couldn't make it to class/be there for a test/turn in an assignment.

I was SHOCKED by the amounts of grandmas that died in my first semester of teaching at a community colleges. I was getting concerned about my grandmas (and I have 5 of them right now) and their health. There must have been some kind of epidemic going around because almost all of my students had grandmas that were dying and their grandchildren couldn't turn in their work because of the funerals.

By the 2nd semester, I was pretty jaded. I asked for doctor's excuses, but never went so far as to ask for a death certificate. But, you'd better be sniffing and crying when you told me about your grandma dying.

Now that I teach online classes, it's a little harder to know what's legit. (M.C. Hammer is 2 legit to quit,but I digress). I get a lot of phone calls and emails about things that come up in the life of a student. I have gotten pretty good at deciphering what's real and what's just an excuse for extra time on an assignment.
Even in emails, you can tell if a person is telling the truth or not.

Tonight, I got my best excuse ever. It wasn't even an attempt to cover up the truth. No dying grandmas here.

Nope, this student couldn't turn in his work on time because....(let me read you the exact quote)

"my kid was away from home tonight and it was just the wife and I. Let's just say that we spent some much needed time together."

Are you serious? You are telling me you couldn't do your homework because you were um....insert whatever cliche' you want here.

Wow. This isn't even a student from my Human Sexuality class.

Bra makeover contest

Do slipping straps, riding up backs, or not enough support have you ready to write a Dear John letter to your old bras? Apply for a Bra Makeover from Playtex! Seven out of 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra, which can result in an ill fit for the rest of their outfit, back and shoulder pain, as well as bruising and digging.

We know that busy moms don't always have time to update their bras or even check to make sure they are wearing the correct size. That's why we wanted to let you know about this contest from Playtex! Playtex recently launched www.PlaytexBraMakeover.com, a site where women can go to apply for a bra makeover or nominate a friend. If chosen, the winner will be flown to New York to receive a Bra Makeover with style expert Alison Deyette. Deyette is a fashion and trend lifestyle expert who has been featured on Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker and TLC's Ten Years Younger, as well as in print publications including Good Housekeeping, The Washington Post, and O Magazine. Apply for your chance to win a Playtex Bra Makeover today. The last day to apply is Friday, May 21st, 2010.

The 10 winners selected for a Bra Makeover will also star in their very own webisode wherein a makeover candidate will receive a fitting with Deyette and walk away with the perfect Playtex products. A new webisode will premier on every two weeks.

Playtex has teamed up with MomSelect to offer the first 100 bloggers to publish a post about this contest a free Playtex bra!

By posting this information, I am entered into a contest to win a free bra from Playtex. I did not receive any compensation for this post and thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Best Day

Have you heard the song by Taylor Swift called "Best Day"? I swear, that stinkin' song makes me cry every time I hear it. I try to brace myself and it still hits me outta no where and I end up bawling.

It's a song that Taylor wrote to her mama about growing up and how much she appreciates everything that she did for her.

My favorite verse is the last one where she is talking about painting in the kitchen as a little girl.

We were rocking out to Taylor last Thursday. Patrick was banging on tupperware in his high chair and Maggie was planting some tomatoes in honor of Earth Day. She came up with a "gweat idea" that involved lots of scotch tape.

At the same time that she was doing this, the "Best Day" song came on. I grabbed my camera and recorded her singing along and crafting. You can kind of hear the music in the background. I love that she didn't even know that I was recording her.



There is a video I found from back when I was three
You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me
It's the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs
Daddy's smart and you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world

Maggie's first game

On Friday night, Maggie had her first soccer game. Her team's name is the "puppies". What a feriocious name!

Maggie is um, not very athletic. She likes to dance on the field and slow down to wave at the camera more than she likes to kick the ball. But, it's fun! Her daddy is the coach of the fighting puppies. Katelyn's mom is the assistant coach. Her job is to stand on the side lines and tell them which way to go to the goal. They are usually going the wrong way!

The ferioucous puppies didn't win their first game. They lost to some stinky boys. But, they fought hard. Maggie's BFF, Katelyn, even scored a goal!

Maggie made up a cheer for the puppies. Just ask her about it, she will give you a demonstration.

She was sad to "not win" the game,but some yogafina (frozen yogurt) made it a better day!