My Big Kindergartener

A Huge Congratulations to my Finn Finn.

He started Kindergarten yesterday. Honestly I thought the day would never come.

The house was peaceful.

The TV was off. The radio was off. The house was QUIET.

I didnt have to watch him on the trampoline and yell "great trick" every 5 seconds.

I didnt have to make pasta, ramen, spaghetti-O's or Macaroni an Cheese for lunch.

So, I dropped my little one off at his classroom, watched him skip happily inside and start his first day.

Life is good.

Dancing With The Stars Lineup

ABC has announced the new season of Dancing with the Stars. It starts on Monday, September 22nd and this lineup is AWESOME.

Starting the Lineup is LANCE BASS. This former N*SYNC member shockedthe world when he came out of the closet in 2006.(By "the world" I mean absolutely no one. I mean were we REALY that surprised??) He will be partnered with newcomer Lacey Schwimmer. If he is anything like Joey, then we wont be saying "bye bye bye" to him any time soon. Sorry, I couldnt resist that glaringly obvious pun.(yeah it sucked, I apologize) I dont know how well he will do though. Just because you were once part of the world famous boy band, does not mean you will get anywhere far. I mean Look at JC Chasez...

Up first for the Ladies is TONI "Unbreak my heart" BRAXTON...Having more fun in the shower than any human being should have. Have you ever tried to find a picture of this woman fully clothed?? sheesh. 6-time grammy winner and mother of two, this 40 million world wide albums sold phenomenon is still smokin hot. She may get points for how good she looks in those skimpy outfits. She will be paired with Alec Mazo.

ROCCO DISPIRITO, chef semi-extrordinaire will be dancing with Karina Smirnoff. Hope she likes ho hum Italian Fusion cuisine.

Rocco is a "celebrity chef" and cookbook author, who had more troubles than what it was worth on the NBC reality Show "The restaurant". He sure seems to have a lot of "Creative differences" with the people he works with (read: he is a pain in the butt)

But Karina can reel him in. She is one tough cookie. She had to put up with Mario Lopez for so long, she can put up with anything.

Our next Lady is none other than B-lister BROOKE BURKE! Mother of 4 and a staple for FHM, Maxim and Blender magazines, this woman has a hard time keeping her clothes on as well. I bet her partner Derek Hough wont mind, just hope Shannon Elizabeth keeps tight reign on him!

Crack that whip shannon. keep your man interested in YOU. Recently Brooke has started her own business called "Baboosh Baby" which offers wraps to pregnant women. I dont know what that means, but if i wear one will I have a body like that too???

World fastest man MAURICE "MO" GREEN is another contender for the men. Olympic medal winner and world Champion, His partner Cheryl Burke will possibly lead him to another victory and her 3rd mirror ball trophy. Will Cheryl be able to keep her hands to herself this season?? we will see. (If not his girlfriend may come down to the dance studio and whack Cheryl with Case #1 (she is one of the deal or no deal models). I would PAY to see that.)Can his fancy footwork on the track convert to the dancefloor??

Our next "star", KIM KARASHIAN, is famous for (as E! Entertainments "The Soup" would say)having a big a** and a sex tape. They also say that her sisters are "dead behind the eyes". Her stepdad is Bruce Jenner. oh Bruce, how the mighty have fallen. She is also one of the stars on the E! Reality show 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians".

She will be dancing with young stud, and last years winning pro Mark Ballas. She too has had a little stint with Playboy, and needs to learn to keep her clothes on. Look at that Tush!! You could set a table on that bad boy.

ahhh the hair, Those eyes! He is sooo sensitive and brooding. Disney Teen sensation CODY LINLEY from the Hannah Montana juggernaut.(and Cheetah Girls 2...and Suite life of Zach and Cody...and Thats so Raven...)

Although he wont be a teen much longer, he turns 20 in November.

He gets to dance with uber sweet Julianne Hough, his dream come true.

Can she bring him along for her 3rd victory??

CLORIS"Frau Blucher" LEACHMAN, The oldest woman alive , will be contending for that famed mirrorball with partner Corky Ballas. Corky is young stud Mark Ballas' dad and world Champion Dancer.

Cloris has been in everything from Young Frankenstein to My Little pony to Facts of Life to Malcom in the Middle. If there has been a Movie made or a TV series produced, odds are she has been in it. After all she has been around since the invention of the television!

Is this show safe for an 82 year old woman?? I'm betting she gets the axe

quick.

TED MCGINLEY, also known as the man who has been on every TV show ever produced. He was on Happy Days, Love boat, dynasty, Married with Children, Hope and Faith, Sports Night, West Wing and Til Death. He has been in all of the Revenge of the Nerds movies and even has Pearl Harbor and Waynes World 2 listed in his resume. I like him. He seems like a nice guy.

This 50 year old still looks good and I predict will cut a rug with newbie Inna Brayer this season. Not sure if he is willing material, but I bet he will give it his all!

SUSAN "25th times the charm" LUCCI will be attempting to win the coveted prize by dancing with temperamental Tony Dovolani.

Susan Lucci is best known as Diva Erica Kane on All My Children,Home Shopping Network darling and Emmy's most slighted Woman.

This 61 year old is still feisty, so dont count her out! IF she can last 38 years on the same soap opera then she can dance circles around those youngsters!!

Ultimate D-bag JEFFREY ROSS will be dancing with my favorite Edyta Sliwinska. She has the world greatest legs. I would KILL for her legs. She is glorious...although i could do without all the Pocahontas headbands she wears. i WISh they would have paired her with someone who has a chance of winning. She deserves that mirror ball trophy. she is the only pro who has been on all seasons. she NEEDS that trophy.

jeffrey is known as "the meanest man in hollywood". He is a roastmaster. Yes, thats what he does. His job is to make fun of people. I wish that were my job. I think I could do it.

Back to back Beach VolleyBall Gold Medalist MISTY MAY TREANOR rounds out the women.

She is the reason i will watch this season. If she can kick butt on the dancefloor as well as she does on sand, watch out fools!

I Love Misty May. She is so strong and powerful and athletic. I really hope she does well and I am happy to see her in the Lineup.

She will be dancing this season with Stud muffin Maksim "No way you're outgayin' me this time bro'"Chmerkovskiy. I think people in the audience should kick sand at her and chant USA USA USA.

GO MISTY MAY!!

Big Bad voodoo daddy WARREN SAPP brings it home for the men. This massive defensive tackle is a pro bowl veteran and super bowl champ.

His partner is none other than Australian barbie Doll Kym Johnson.

I am betting that Warren is more agile than he looks. Those football players end up being surprisingly good dancers.

Earlier this year sapp retired from the oakland radiers and is now on TV as a commentator.

Dont mess around with this bad boy, he'll break you in half.

So dont forget to watch MONDAY September 22nd for season 7 of Dancing With the Stars on ABC. I am sure this will be their BEST SEASON YET!

Hot diggity dog! School is HERE!!

So this morning Peter started 2nd grade!!

Last night we set out his clothes(what else, a Bumblebee transformers T-shirt and shorts).

So this morning, like clockwork he got dressed, ate breakfast, helped pack his lunch, took his medicine and brushed his teeth. We all piled in the car and drove him to school. Even Finn, who is excited to start Kindergarten.

We dropped him off and he gave us a salute, said "see ya" and trotted off to his class.

Finn starts on Wednesday. They have staggered entry here for Kindergarden. Each day Monday through Thursday only a few kids in each class go, so they can get to know the routine, the rules, the teacher etc. Then on Friday ALL the kids start full time.

So I guess that is nice for me. I still get to keep my Finny home a few more days.

I know I SAY I am excited for school to start so I have the day to myself, but actually I think I will miss them. We will see.

But on the flip side.... It WILL be nice to be able to keep the house clean for more than 5 minutes. it will be nice to be able to work on the computer getting stuff done without hearing "mom, can you download the spongebob game?" or "Hey! I wanted to play on the computer!".

I can go to the Y without having to fight the whims and desires of kids. If they dont feel like going it will take them 3 times as long to find their shoes, get dressed etc, until I have effectively missed my class and left my voice hoarse from yelling at them to get their butts in gear.

I can go grocery shopping without hearing "Can I get some Candy? waaahhh I want candy! YES! CANDY!!" or "Can we look at Toys??"

In fact I can go shopping anywhere I want without having to yell at them to "get back here! Quit touching that! Dont knock that over! Quit running into each other"

No more "Can we go to McDonalds? They have toys there we like!"

No more "I'm bored!"

No more door being left open, making our house a breeding ground for flies in the NC Charlotte area.(Ugh the FLIES. I killed 7 on the window yesterday. I have to go get some fly paper)

So Thank you Lord for helping me survive this summer and thank you that school has begun!

Donations needed for hospice

Our Relief Society(womens auxilary group at church) is making little pillows for the local Hospice center. They use them for leg pillows, neck pillows etc. They are nice for the people to have to help make them a little bit more comfortable.
There are 5 large Hospice centers here in the charlotte area, so we are going to be making quite a few. i am donating all the fabric etc, and I went through and even Old Blue will be making an appearance. So over the next couple of weeks I will be cutting the fabric to size and getting it ready. Then at our activity we will be sewing them and stuffing them. I think it will be a huge success.
If anyone has any fabric they would like to donate for this service project please let me know.
It needs to be cotton, blend, flannel, terrycloth or something soft and not scratchy. It needs to be a minimum quarter of a yard wide (the full 45" long). I would like to make as many pillows as humanly possible. Like i said they have 5 centers here in Charlotte and lots of patients. They also do not reuse pillows, so they do go through them quite quickly.

we are relying strictly on donated items and can use fabric, fiberfill and thread.
We have quite a bit of fabric and can always use more. The fiberfill is VERY welcome as well.

so if you are able to donate anything to this worthy cause please let me know. Your blog or etsy shop will get a special thank you post with links to your shop or blog.

have a wonderful day!

Maggie Reads: ___Southern Reading Challenge Y'all!

Maggie Reads: ___Southern Reading Challenge Y'all!

Southern Reading Challenge wrap-up

So i did take and complete the "Maggie Reads: ___Southern Reading Challenge Y'all!" I had to read 3 books from southern authors in a southern setting by August 15th.
I Chose
Widow of the South by Robert Hicks
Cant Wait To Get To Heaven by Fannie Flagg
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.

WIDOW OF THE SOUTH(3 out of 5 stars)- The history and the subject was very interesting. Living in the South I am always amazed when i learn new things about the Civil War. The book is based on the true Story of Carrie McGavock who used her own land to create a cemetery for the soldiers who died during the Battle Of Franklin. (the bloodiest 5 hours of the Civil War- almost 10,000 casualties). However he included a fictional character for carrie to fall in love with. So no basis, just a diversion.
Violent and gratuitous use of the N-word. (VERY gratuitous use). A few little side stories that you arent sure why he threw it in there, maybe in order to use some of the sources he researched. I felt a few things were out of place or just thrown in for the heck of it.
It took me awhile to get into it. Then halfway through it was a little better. I found the last 25 pages or so the best part of the story. The very end with the authors notes, photos etc was the most interesting part of the entire book.You actually get to see pictures of the McGavock family and plantation and find out what happened to them all. I would have to give it a 3. It was Good, just not great for me. Maybe if I were more of a civil war buff I would enjoy it.


CANT WAIT TO GET TO HEAVEN(5 stars out of 5)- i REALLY liked this book.
I personally enjoy Fannie Flagg's style of writing and her witty observations, so this was no different.
This book really struck a chord with me about being a good person no matter what. Life is a gift and each day is precious. Life is a roller coaster-sit back an enjoy the ride.
great characters, and a funny and endearing story.
At age 80 something Elner Schimfizzle falls out of her fig tree. Did she or didnt she die? did she or didnt she meet her maker?
This story proves that One person can touch the lives of so many people and change it for the better, without even realizing it. Elner is just that woman. She is an odd duck, but people love her and she touched and changed the lives of everyone around her for the better.
I HIGHLY recommend this book.



GARDEN SPELLS(4 stars out of 5)- I really enjoyed this book.
This book shows that no matter who you are you cannot escape(nor should you) who you really are and where you come from. You are given talents and gifts and you should use them to your best abilities and not hide them or be embarassed by them. We all have gifts. You cannot escape from your past no matter how hard you try.
This book had a great premise and some really great elements: two sisters with nothing in common, a prophetic aunt and a crazy apple tree.
I would read this again.
i cannot QUITE give it 5 stars as I was a tad disappointed in the ending.


BONUS READ: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.
My problem is I saw the movie first instead of reading it, so all i can see is Cathy Bates as Evelyn couch. It was an enjoyable book, typical witty Fannie Flagg. A good story, a story of love, friendship and a cafe that brings it all together.
3 1/2 out of 5.


So go sit on the porch, enjoy some sweet tea and pecans and enjoy a good southern read, hon.
(or sugar or ma'am...all three are acceptable around here)

Can you Guess the movie??

Since today is Wednesday and is Charles day off we decided to take the kids to see a movie.

They are so excited and have the movie all picked out.

Can you tell what we are going to go see(according to Finn?)

<-------

scroll down to see the answer

wait for it...

wait for it.....

WAAAAAAAAIIIIIITTT FOOOOORRRR IIIITTTTT!!!

We are going to take them to see "The Clown Wars"

(The new star wars Clone Wars)

I am not quite sure what he is expecting...