Madge... and a Half

Best Weekend in Months...

2010-09-12T15:30:00.001-07:00

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but this has been the best weekend I have had in a long time. I know you are all anxiously wondering why so I will not keep you waiting. Friday night, we stayed home and watched a movie on Netflix in our PJ's. Do I have any idea what the movie was? Absolutely not- but that doesn't matter. Madgette and I cuddled on the couch and did nothing.
Saturday we talked about getting up and going to some garage sales. Instead I woke to the smell of fresh blueberry muffins my hubby had kindly made. After we ate breakfast he went out to work on his boat, and I went back to bed and read for a couple hours sometime during that taking a nap. That is pretty much how my entire day went-- read a little, took a nap, read a little more, took another nap. Madgette must have known I needed the rest so she stayed pretty low key. Madgette and I stayed in our PJ's all day long!!!
Today we got up and went to church then out to eat lunch at our favorite Italian place. We then came home to reclaim our disaster of a living room which we were able to do rather quickly. The rest of the afternoon has been spent reading, playing games as a family, and watching a little TV while the laundry washes.
Life has been so busy lately with school starting for all of us, and a very fast trip to Arkansas we all needed a little down time. I am also reading a series of books that are extremely inspiring even though they do not seem they would be. I am in book 3 of the series and cannot seem to put them down. (Thank goodness for the Kindle on the I-Phone)
I hope that the restful feeling that I currently have can carry me through the next few months as I know our schedule is just getting more and more packed. The Queen B Designs schedule is about to get kicked off in October and will consume almost every weekend until Christmas. That is a good thing, but very tiring.

Here is to a fantastic week to come for my little family, and I pray for yours as well!

Eventful Day...

2010-08-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Folks- I made one horrible mistake. I threatened all my family members last night that if anyone woke me this morning their life would be in serious danger. Of course that meant that I would DEFINITELY not get to sleep in. What was I thinking?!?!

This morning at 7:30 a.m. my sweet daughter comes in and "whispers" in her best whisper voice (which we all know was not a whisper) that there was bloody footprints all over the floor and she had investigated. (Doesn't that make you feel better?) Needless to say we hopped right up to confirm the investigation.

We did confirm the small person's testimony of blood throughout the house. We found that our poor cat, Audi, was indeed injured. Once we finally located her and managed to catch her (after a blood spattering chase) we attempted to clean the wound so we could see how bad it was. One thing was for sure- this angry, injured cat was going to have no part of our "cleaning." We quickly decided that a trip to the vet was in order.

We got a few clothes on besides our PJ's and headed to the local vet. The receptionist knew there was trouble as soon as we walked in the door with a cat wrapped up in a towel and crying. She also was very quick to tell us that they could not help us this morning due to their already packed schedule. However, she was kind enough to call a vet around the corner and see if they could help us.

We headed to the next vet and they took her back right away. As we filled out the necessary paperwork, Madgette told the entire story to the receptionist. We were ushered back to a room while they took an initial look at Audi, then they were kind enough to give us an estimate. While we were waiting my daughter filled my heart with amazement. She decides out of the blue to ask if we can pray for the cat. I answered, "of course" and we all gathered around and held hands. She took and deep breath and said, "I don't know what to say- anybody got anything?" I held my laughter and I prayed for us.

When it was all said and done we left the vet with Audi's leg all bandaged up and the hope that she would make it. After we got home Richard worked really hard to get all the blood cleaned up and was pretty successful. My BFF came over and we spent the entire rest of the day getting Queen B Designs up and running online.

We also finished a couple of dresses that we started last weekend. I must say we are impressed with ourselves- we actually finished them both. Even though someone may have forgotten to cut holes in the bottom of one of the dresses- we did not make the worlds largest tote bag. We made the corrections and finished them much to our delight.

We worked until after my normal bedtime before she finally decided that she had cracked the whip enough for one day. But we did get a lot accomplished towards our little business...

A busy day for sure, and I didn't do any of my real work that I should have done to get ready for the week, or catch up on any sleep but it was a great day with my family and best friend. I just hope my poor cat gets better soon!

Let's Go Astros!!!

2010-08-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

So after work yesterday our family headed downtown to the Astros vs. Pirates game. I was really tired, but knew it would be a great way to start off the weekend and get my mind off work. There were people everywhere, and the pirates were warming up on the field when we got there. We had great seats- the eighth row right behind third base. Luckily, Carlos Lee was playing left field which made Madgette really happy since he is her absolute favorite player.
It was a great game to watch, but by the 7th inning we were starting to get a little nervous- the Astros were behind 1-0. In the eighth Carlos Lee came up to bat and hit a homerun, bringing in two runners and scoring the third run. It was awesome! I thought Madgette was going to lose her voice after all the screaming she did.
After the game was over there were the Friday night fireworks which are an event all to themselves. The roof is opened, Rock music starts blaring, and the fireworks begin. Some friends of ours and their 2 kids came over and sat with us during the fireworks. The little white/blond headed boy and the lady in the white shirt are them. It was so sweet- at one point I turned around and that adorable little fellow was laid back on his momma all cuddled up just enthralled with the fireworks. It was so sweet it made me think to take a picture even though I missed the best moment.
Ya know, there is just nothing like going to a major league ballpark and listening to the crowd, the vendors, the announcer, the balls hitting the gloves, the tap of the bat, and your family chattering around you to make you realize how much you have. We are definitely not the richest family as far as money goes, but we are rich in some many other ways! We are very blessed, even though we may not always feel like it...

Life this Week

2010-08-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

This has been a rough week.
Madgette has been gone all week for the first real time. She had a blast- she won the camper of the week trophy, and when we picked her up the counselors told us she had been so sweet. She complimented every camper about something. They also said she never wined or complained. That made me very proud.
She was very happy to be home, and we were happy to have her!

The Razorback's dad is back in the hospital, and things aren't looking good. I just don't understand Cancer. Actually, I hate it. It took my mother before I was old enough to get to know her or remember her. There have been so many days in my life when I have wished she was there, or wondered what she would think about something. However, my friend Gancack (who I love with all my heart) got a clear checkup from her doctor. I am so glad she got a cancer-free report that every time I think about it I want to cry. I am sick of people I love being taken from me.

Anyway, the poor Razorback has had to deal with an emotional wife this week. That is definitely not the norm at our home! He has been an amazing man and let me cry on his shoulder (literally) and tried hard to just listen to me without trying to "fix it". I am so thankful God gave me this man as my husband. I love him more than I did when I married him 10 years ago, but it is a different kind of love. I appreciate him.

I am looking forward to the week ahead and pray that things will ease up in our world. I hope it gets better!

Wrapping up summer

2010-07-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I have gone back to work for the school year and hit the ground running. At least this year I will already have some idea of the responsibilities I will have. That can only mean good things.

Madgette is staying home with her daddy during the day and seems glad to see me when I walk through the door. They have made a few trips to the library but I think mostly this week she has just enjoyed hanging out in her "teenage" room (as she calls it). One more week of hanging with dad and she is off to horse camp. She is counting down the days, and so excited she can hardly stand it. A spend the night camp, for 5 days! Plus, she is going to find out if horses are worth all the work it takes to have them.

The Razorback has made the difficult decision to focus on school full time this upcoming year. He is enrolled at Sam Houston State and will have classes 4 days per week. He will be substituting on Tuesdays. Hopefully if he focuses on nothing but college for a while he will finish up next summer, but no later than next Christmas. We are all looking forward to that!

I will try and blog a little more regularly than I did over the last year, but I thought you all deserved a little catch up blog first!

A New Dr. Suess Book

2010-07-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

I do not like this Uncle Sam,

I do not like this health care scam,

I do not like these dirty crooks,

or how they lie and cook the books.

I do not like when Congress steals,

I do not like their secret deals.

I do not like this speaker, Nan,

I do not like this "YES WE CAN."

I do not like this spending spree,

I'm smart, I know that nothing's free.

I do not like your smug replies,

when I complain about your lies.

I do not like this kind of hope.

I do not like it- nope, nope, nope!

Happy Weekend

2009-11-01T18:53:00.001-08:00

The weekend has been the best weekend of Madgette's 7 years. As yesterday was Halloween, we started our day off early with crafts at Michael's, then went to Toys R Us for their festivities. We folllowed those up with an event some of the local retailers were having. After that we went to the grand opening of a vet clinic in Porter. We really hit the jackpot there. Chloe must be very lucky because I don't win stuff but with her by my side we won the cakewalk (A Red Velvet Cake) and then won the first big raffle of the day. She got a 40 lb bag of Purina dog food, rawhide chews, a leash, doggie shampoo, a ball cap, and 2 days of hotel and spa at their doggie lounge. Talk about cool!
This is a snapshot of Madison at the Toys R Us event, then this is Chloe with her fru-fru collar.

Today was Madgette's 7th birthday. It is so hard for me to believe she is that old. (Much less that in about 2 months I will have been married for 10 years). The pictures above show her with her BFF in the purple, and then two of her other good friends. The little girl in the red dress is her friend from softball, the other girl in pink is a school friend.

The girls got to dress up, have their hair and makeup done, nails painted, and do a fashion show on the runway. The fashion show was followed by a dance party on the runway, and a ride in the pink limo. I had been telling Madgette for over a month that she would NOT get to ride in the limo because it was to expensive. But, she was so good hearted about it I decided to get it anyway. She was so thrilled to find out she was getting to ride in it!

After the limo ride was over, we came back to the store and the girls changed back into their normal clothes. They had some of the High School Musical birthday cake (which were actually cupcakes) and each got to pick out their favorite "Ragmonster" thanks to Momma Pug. In the pic aboove each girl is holding their own.

**Side note: the Razorback talked to the host girl when she commented how cute the ragmonsters were and told her that their creator was with us. He mentioned that their store really should carry them to which the girl throughly agreed. She then connected Momma Pug with the store manager who is going to call MP next week to discuss this possibility. Woo-hoo! One more step towards the ragmonster empire!

Once we got home, Madgette played with her new toys and gifts then asked me to lay down with her on the couch. Her Poppa Reed called to wish her a happy birthday, then she crashed. And I do mean hard!

Hope you all have a wonderful week.

REALLY???

2009-10-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

OK- We all know that I like to talk a little bit. Maybe a few times in my life I have gotten in trouble for talking a little more than I should. So are any of us really suprised that my daughter is a talker?
Her teachers tried to be all nice about it, especially since I am an administrator in district, but what they said in "teacher-ease" is that she is the kid that could run the class for the day while the substitute teacher sits at the desk and eats bon-bons.
She is extremely strong in her English reading and comprehension skills but rather low on Spanish reading and comprehension. Really? My child reads and comprehends better in English than in Spanish. Imagine that! What got me was that when they delivered this information, they cringed like I might explode. Somehow that doesn't upset me. Would I like her to be knocking the socks off of both languages? Sure! But realistically, I am not much use to her in the Spanish language so I kind of expected that.

Are any of you suprised?

Still Trying!

2009-10-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Nana tells me that I need to keep writing even though no one is reading blogs anymore, so Nana- this one is for you!

We have had a great day. Madgette and I got up early and went to my appointment with the chiropractor. Had my neck and upper back adjusted. You should have heard all the popping that my spine did! Then we ran into a neighborhood garage sale (it was my friend Catfish and her husband Phruitz neighborhood). Bought a few beanie babies, then we headed to the grocery store.

HEB (my favorite grocery store in the whole wide world) didn't seem to be nearly as busy as usual, so we took our time and did a little shopping. We ordered her birthday cake, which actually turns out to be a cupcake creation with a High School Musical theme. We finished up the shopping then headed to rent a couple of movies.

The Razorback had invited a friend over for dinner so we invited a few other folks over as well and have had a relaxing evening with friends of all ages. I thought we were going to watch movies, but it turns out that the MSU vs. Florida game was to good to turn off so the men overruled us.

Madgette doesn't have school on Monday because of parent teacher conferences. Razorback has to have his stomach scoped on Monday morning, and a gallbladder ultrasound, so Madgette is going to spend Sunday night with a friend and they are going to the movies and play put-put on Monday. She is looking forward to it, but she told me she can't wait for this week to be over because she is ready for her birthday party.

I have several meetings off campus this week. I think I am traveling 2 days. So a lot coming up in the next week...

Questions and Comments

2009-10-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

I doubt that anyone still reads this because I have been so lacking in the posting of blogs. I truly apologize, I just can't get it together in the evenings to even blog. As Dr. Gabbert would say, I "Used all my words for the day" by the time I leave school.

I just wanted to let anyone who is still checking the blog that this years exchange student has been moved to another home. She is now located in Magnolia, TX. We are very happy with the move as I am sure that she is. She just did not fit into our family at all.

I hope you are all doing well!

Life for Us

2009-08-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

I have finally slowed down enough to blog this evening. Perhaps that is because the hubs is in class, and being a little tired I decided to hit the drive-thru. Claudia is on the other computer in the dining room leaving messages for all her friends in Spain. She is NOTHING like our Julie was last year. Today I had to tell her that I was getting very frustrated with her and explain why. Did I mention she is nothing like Julie?

Speaking of Julie, she called one night last week and is back in the USA. She was able to secure a 5 year visa, and locate a host family in Wisconsin. However, she did not have an easy time traveling- they made her throw away something that was liquid she forgot to put back in her suitcase on a layover. Then when she got to Wisconsin the airline had lost all her luggage! Can you imagine? Plus, her host family is a single older woman who has not moved into the technology age yet. There is no internet, one TV in the house, and phone restrictions for when she is allowed to use the phone. She cried- I cried. I miss her, and feel so bad for her that she isn't happy this year. She said she really misses Madgette a lot.

The Razorback has started the school year with all of us this time. He is working full time during the day in the same school district as me as a special ed. paraprofessional (aide). He comes home and tells me about his day and sometimes it's hard not to laugh because he is going through some of those things every first year teacher goes through. But when I went through them, he thought I was just being a little whiny-- now he is gaining a little more perspective.

I do feel a little sorry for him. He is also taking a full class load this semester with several online classes as well as night classes on Monday and Wednesday until 10. He can do it- I know he can, but a little empathy never hurt anybody~

As for me, I am still loving my job. We have only been in school for 3 days but it already feels like I have been working forever! I have been called many bad words already and today I was nailed in the mouth with one of those stress balls. Luckily, they are little kids so I was able to recover fairly quickly. Tomorrow is a new day and definitely a new adventure!

Madgette is back to liking school. Her arch nemesis is attending a different campus than her this year and she loves it. She tells me on the days she has Spanish class that she doesn't understand anything they say. I think she is putting on just a little! (I know you can't believe that she would be dramatic ;-) Sometimes I just can't understand how she has gotten so big.

That is all the news at our house for now. All the animals are doing ok, and the mail continues to run...

I LOVE My Job

2009-07-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since my last post and I know I am falling down on my blogging. Sorry about that- but I am here to tell you that I am definitely a happy woman. I have been on the job for one week and have truly enjoyed every minute of it. From outside sweating painting door announcers, to inside revising handbooks it has been great. I know that I am probably just having a honeymoon period in a new job, but it is a wonderful time none the less. I am looking forward to the upcoming year even though I am worried that I may not measure up or do a good job. The challenge that this year represents is absolutely wonderful.

I am so happy that I am annoying. You ever meet one of those people that you wonder "Who stuck a ray of sunshine up your rear?" Well, I am that person. I know I am annoying and I can't even stop. At the end of the day today our superintendent was talking about how many challenges we would have this year and all I could do was sit there and grin like the cat who ate the canary!

I guess I will just get up each morning, think positively, and pray hard. Here's to a fantastic year!

First Day of Work

2009-07-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today was my first planning day at the new school. A majority of the staff was there, and I was super excited. Many of you know how I get when I am "on" because I am a little hyper, very outgoing, and a little on the annoyingly positive side. I was definitely like that from 7-4 today but then on the way home I calmed down and became an exhausted woman. I am so tired! It was a great day, but this was the first full day I have worked since the surgery. Did I mention I am exhausted? Night ya'll- It's only 8 o'clock but the bed is calling my name!

Catching Up

2009-07-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a few days since I last wrote. The Madge_and_a_half family has been a group of road warriors as of late. Last time I wrote, we were in Austin having a blast. At least my family was having a blast while I sat in class! One evening we went out to see the nations largest urban bat colony. We got there early and took a seat on the hill beside the bridge. Madgette and the Razorback played a game of catch while we waited, and after about an hour we looked up to see our hill covered with people and all these people lined up along the bridge waiting for the bats to emerge. If you look closely, you can see all the people lined up on the bridge. When the bats began, it was a sight to see! We could hear them chattering before we could see them and it was definitely cool, and as Madgette reminded me-educational.

The next day the family went on a trolley ride, visited the state capital, and visited another museum where they watched a couple of I-MAX movies.

We returned home for the night, and then headed to Arkansas the next day to visit all the family and friends there. Madgette was uber-excited to see her cousin and was extremely annoying the entire drive. The girls have been playing for the last few days and done very well together. For the 4th of July they did fireworks and we watched old home movies. If you want to really see how everyone has changed- go back and watch your Christmas movies from 20 years ago!

One night I did manicures and pedicures which of course they had messed up before they went to bed. But, we had tons of fun! My niece normally has very curly hair, so I straightened it out and she looked like a different child! I straightened it again today and we took her down to get her hair cut. She has only had 2 trims in her life so she still had baby hair on the ends. After they trimmed it all and shaped it she absolutely looked like a little movie star. She was so proud.

Tomorrow we lwill head back to Houston. We hope to get on the road about daylight or maybe a little earlier if possible. We will stay home through the weekend then head for Mississippi the first of next week. I told you we were road warriors lately!

Austin

2009-06-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

So the three humans of our family have abandoned all the critters and made off for Austin, TX. No hate mail please- the animals are all being well cared for by a girl that lives in our neighborhood. If they are in any danger it is of being over-loved.

Anyway, we made the trek last night so I would be here bright and early to make it to the conference on time this morning. It was a super long day for me. All I can say is "Thank You" to the people who made a version of Tetris and Brickbreaker for the Blackberry. I think I might have gone stir crazy if these had not been available.

Austin though is such a pretty city. Rolling hills with the mountains off in the distance, and a beautiful hotel room. We are on the 9th floor, and can see downtown shining at night. Madgette (of course) went and tried out the pool today after the rain stopped. Yes- I said RAIN! No one complained about the rain because we were all so happy to see it. I was beginning to think I had forgotten what rain looked like.

Luckily, tonight we get to go eat dinner with a cousin of mine. It is my dad's first cousin who he really likes (which is saying a lot for my dad). She is bringing her son who Madgette absolutely loves because he will play with her. Her son is probably about my age and extremely handsome so all you lovely young ladies- you are missing out with this one!

Then it will be back to the hotel to rest before 2 more days of training. At least tomorrow afternoon I will get to start taking the tests you must pass before your appraiserertificate can be issued. I know I will get to work at my own pace, and get it done. If I can pass both of them on the first shot, I will be done testing and just have one more lecture. If I don't pass on the first try I get to stay late on Thursday and take another test. I have decided I will be done tomorrow.

I hope you all are planning on a great July 4. We are heading to Arkansas to see the Razorbacks family. His mom has had knee replacement surgery, and his dad is having cataract surgery on the 6th. So we are going to attempt to be helpful. Leave me a comment and let me know what your plans are!

You Get What You Pay For

2009-06-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

I know you have heard the old saying "you get what you pay for" and here is yet another example of how true old sayings can be. Back in April, we decided to get a new set of mattresses due to back pain when we woke up every morning. We looked and looked around town but just didn't want to pay what was being asked at all the furniture stores.
So we looked online and found someone off of Craig's List that had a storage unit of mattresses left over from a closed mattress store. (So the story goes) The price was reasonable, and they were willing to deliver so we called them up and ordered. Neither one of us had anymore back pain even though the mattress was a little more firm than our previous set.

On another front, our cat has decided she wants to be an indoor/outdoor cat instead of a permanent indoor cat. She comes and goes as she pleases, but spends most of her time outside. She seems to enjoy the outdoors more- I guess there is more to do. She started coming back in during the day and sleeping during the day on our bed.

Soon after we began to notice that we were getting bitten every night while we were in bed. After a little looking, we discovered that we had bed bugs. I was honestly suprised! I didn't think they were real- I thought it was just another old saying "don't let the bedbugs bite" So we aren't sure if the little critters came from the cat, or from the seller. According to what we have read on the net, animals don't usually carry them which leads us to believe that we definitely got what we paid for!

Anyone have a great idea where I can get a free set of mattresses without bugs? Mine are sitting on the front porch...

Update on Summer

2009-06-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

Well, The Razorback has purchased and set up and 18 ft. round pool that is about 4 feet tall. That is his solution to his public pool phobia. This week is also vacation bible school week and Madgette looks forward to that all year long. So- summer is definitely looking up for Madgette.

My day was made yesterday when my friend Catfish agreed to meet me for a manicure and pedicure. We tried a new place that had been recommended to her, and it is our new favorite place. The price was good, and the atmosphere was comfortable. After we got done we decided to go to Panera Bread for lunch. We had such a good visit-it was nice to have some girl time, and I am SURE the husbands were relieved not to have to mess with that stuff.

Last night Madgette's best friend Sof came home with us and spent the night. We took them to a huge aquarium store and they saw an ugly electric eel and were all squealing about how scary it was.

On our way home our good friend Momma Pug called and they were having AC problems at their house so she and her 3 dogs came to hang out with us for a while last night. Texas is just to dang hot to try to live without air conditioning! I was sad that they didn't stay the night with us- but they made their way home after an AC repair man visited their house. I have to give it up for her husband- The Mark Up- he stayed in all the heat for hours waiting for the AC man and then waiting for the house to cool off again.

This morning the girls woke up bright and early, and they have been fed some pancakes, and are outside playing a little basketball and loving on the rabbit before we take them to VBS. This is turning into the type of summer that we normally have. That is very comforting and I am still spending a lot of time lazing around in my recliner. So the latest update is that summer does not totally stink- it is turning very aromatic!

Summer

2009-06-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Most of the time Madgette and I have a summer routine that rocks. We get up and have breakfast, clean up around the house, and then head out to do something fun like go to the pool, go by the library, or something cool. I feel SO bad for her this summer. My heart just breaks for her!
Since I have had surgery I have not been able to drive or take her around like we normally do. The finances also are not helping us much. Maybe I shouldn't have had this done- we would be in much better shape if I hadn't. I am trying to follow doctor's orders by resting and not driving or lifting anything. It is really hard though! I am bored out of my mind- books have helped some, but they only occupy me for about a day and then I need another one.
Anyway, since R quit coaching softball Madgette has nothing to do and she is driving us up a wall with her energy. Which in turn makes me feel extremely guilty because I know that I normally keep her more occupied. Her dad has a phobia of public pools and we don't have a neighborhood pool so she is about to die to go swimming. I have taken her out and let her play in the sprinkler, but it's just not the same.
So the sum of summer so far is that it stinks!

I'm Back!

2009-06-07T15:14:00.001-07:00

The surgery is all over and I am trying to be patient and heal which most of you know is not my strength. Madgette had a softball tournament this weekend so my friends JP and Momma Pug came to hang with me. JP and I watched several movies that we had missed throughout the school year, and Momma Pug and I caught up while watching Marley and Me.

The Razorback had a HUGE run in with a couple of parents. These parents chose to let their daughters attend a dance recital yesterday instead of the tournament games. Today the children had to take their turns sitting out an inning and one set of parents threatened to take their child and go home. The second set of parents (of which the husband is the president of the league) decided to chew the Razorback out because "their" daughter had been sat out. When he explained that even Madgette sat out, they replied that she was not "their" daughter.

The Razorback finally had enough and quit. He handed off the coach's bag- gave away the trophy the girls earned and walked away. Madgette is extremely sad that she doesn't get to play with her friends anymore, and to be honest I am a little sad myself. We will miss the last 2 tournaments, and I have no idea if Madgette will be able to talk to her friends anymore. I guess time will tell...

Here's to hoping for a better week!

A week in pictures

2009-05-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

A quick update: Julie is feeling much better, but the Razorback's foot is not much better. It is still hurting him and is swelling pretty bad.

Madgette's kindergarten promotion was Tuesday night, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Lucky for our friend Tree, I mentioned it in my blog on Tuesday- otherwise she may have missed the momentous occasion! Madgette was dressed by her teacher Ms. B who is moving to College Station, TX this summer and getting married.

We left her with the other students in her class, and went to secure some seats. Before the ceremony started, the entire theatre was packed. My friend Tree informed me that she had counted the number of seats and their were 1,200 seats. At least 1,000 of those seats were being used. Of course, they were promoting 13 kindergarten classes that night and had 13 more to do the following night. When Mrs. C's class was announced I snuck up front to snap a few pics.

After it was all over, her daddy gave her a small bouquet of flowers and told her how proud of her he was. Somehow it just means more for a little girl to hear those words from her daddy. Today she had her last day of school party and I was able to get away from my campus long enough to go pay a visit. She is very happy that summer is here, and so am I! Mommy-daughter time is about to begin. Woo-hoo!!!

Crazy Days

2009-05-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

Julie has hurt the back of her foot somehow and her school nurse sent her home. I had to go pick her up and she was more upset that she wouldn't get to spend time with her friends than she was about her foot. Today was one of the last few days the school was running a normal schedule so she would go through class with her friends.

My heart goes out to her. She cried most of the way home today. We stopped and checked Madgette out of school so we wouldn't have to drive back over and pick her up. She has her kindergarten graduation tonight, as well as her awards ceremony. She is supposed to be recieving two awards tonight- that is a blog to come.

The Razorback made us an excellent lunch today since we camoe home early. Yum, yum! I was starving! Then he took on the job of figuring out Julie's insurance and which doctor we could take her to without paying a fortune. Well, it is time to get off and take her to the Doctor. There is more to come soon!

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I will give you a guess as to what our family will be doing this weekend.

It seems to be a growing weekend trend for our family. We will be out of town for a softball tournament. Last weekend there were 10 teams in our bracket and we came in third. This weekend there are 6 teams in our bracket and we have high hopes of coming in 1st. Madgette is not being consistent on her batting, so we are planning to head to the batting cages here in a few minutes once we finish dinner. Last weekend she hit one single and one triple, but Tuesday at practice she didn't hit even one pitch. Thursday night she hit 2 well past the pitcher. Anyone have ideas to help with getting her hitting consistently?

Softball will take up both Saturday and Sunday, so we are hoping to take the girls on Monday down to the beach in Galveston. Julie has never seen the beach in America, and none of us have been there since the hurricane so I am looking forward to seeing how much they have recovered. We were planning to have a little BBQ on Monday for Julie but that has been nixed- (note to self- call MP and tell her it's cancelled)

Oh, I forgot to mention that the Razorback hurt his foot Tuesday night at softball practice. He is making it ok, but he is not following the doctor's orders. Of course, we really don't have time to follow the doctor's orders- I am keeping him contained as much as I can, but our crazy schedule requires him to help.

I hope everyone has a great and relaxing 3 day weekend. I know we will! Then we only have four more days of school. Two whole days and two half days. Woo-hoo!!!

People in Your Life

2009-05-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

People come into our lives for a reason. The older couple that we bought our home from are one of those sets of people. The woman from the couple has gained a special place in all of our hearts- she is amazing. She and the love of her life (her first husband) were married for many years and were unable to have children. A few years back, he got ill and passed away. You can tell that she is still in love with him every time she talks about him. I believe she misses him every day.

Since then she has been remarried and divorced and according to her will remain single. Since she has no kids to help her out around her house, or to check in on her, we have taken on this role. It is a joy to go by and talk with her, and she spoils Madgette to death! Madgette loves her with all of her heart- she even wrote her a note this evening telling her so.

The Razorback has agreed to take on a couple of home repair/improvement projects for the summer when he is not coaching ball or in class. I am proud of him, and Madgette will enjoy getting to spend some time with her favorite local lady!

Tournament Update

2009-05-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had 2 games. We lost the first game to a team that was not playing by the rules. Well, it turns out that the tournament director had changed the rules the night before the tournament started without telling anyone. Also, this league plays with a super bouncy softball where our girls are used to a hard softball that doesn't bounce. Did I mention that they played this game at 12:30 in the TX heat?

Our girls then had a 5 hour break to wait on their next game. The awesome parents on our team set up camp with 2 huge canopies under the tree's. Everyone had brought games, snacks, little fans, and lots of camp chairs. The girls had a blast playing and wasting time. The second game time arrived and the opposing team didn't have enough players. We had the option to make them forfeit, or let them play and receive one out for each time the missing player came up to bat. The Razorback just didn't have the heart to make them forfeit (especially after they had been forced to forfeit their earlier game). We won that game so the girls went home feeling a lot better about themselves.

This morning we played at 9 am so we left the house at 7:10 to make it to the park on time. The girls slammed the first team 11-3. We had an hour and a half break then the girls played 3 games back to back in the very extreme heat. We fought our way back from the loser's bracket, and made it all the way to the championship game. Our girls played so hard today-it was amazing. Madgette only let one ball get past her all day. Even then she hustled to get it, turned and threw it back in. In 6 games, she NEVER struck out at the plate. Now, she did get out twice at first- but every other time we could count on her for a run. Saturday she was the only one of our girls to score in the second inning of the first game.

Each and every one of our girls did an amazing job. The Coaches and parents were all extremely proud of our girls. The ending up placing second in the tournament but it was not for a lack of heart. They each went home with a medal, and they recieved a team trophy that is about 3 feet tall which goes to the head coach (The Razorback). Go Purple Panthers!!!

Our News

2009-05-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

As usual at this time of year, life is hectic, crazy, and wonderful. This week Julie had her Athletic Awards Banquet on Monday night and it went very well. Tons of people showed up and when her coach called her name he introduced her as our guest from South Korea who was extremely sweet and a joy to have on the team. Also, if he could talk the athletic director into it, he would like to give her a letterman jacket. It made her very happy!

Madgette had her end of the year honor choir performance last night. There were 7 schools participating all the way from kindergarten to seniors in high school. Each choir performed 2 songs, then they came together to sing one song for the grand finale. Over 300 students crammed onto the stage. It was amazing! Brothers and sisters who were years apart in school got to sing on the same stage. The sound was wonderful! They sang "Step into the Spotlight" and the chorus to that song has been stuck in my head all day. (At least it's a good song)

I am so thankful that we have been blessed to be able to have music in Madgette's life and that she loves it. There is nothing about music and dancing that child doesn't love.

This weekend we are in a softball tournament for her league team. We know we play Saturday at 12:30 and at 6:30. It is going to be super-hot so please keep all the girls on your minds. Depending how we wind up in the bracket on Saturday, we will play several more games on Sunday. So we will be working on our tans this weekend for sure!

Oh- I almost forgot to tell you about the latest addition to the family. Today we (which means the Razorback) got a new puppy for our house. We have had so many things stolen here, we decided we wanted a big dog that can scare people away from our back yard. So we now have a German Shepard, Lab Mix puppy. She is extremely smart and has shown that already today. She watches the other dogs and learns from what they do. She responds to the name Cloey so that is what is sticking so far. I think we are only a few animals short of being named as a branch of the Houston Zoo...

Hope everyone has a great and safe weekend- Happy Mother's Day to all the other Mom's out there!

JAGS

2009-04-29T17:14:00.001-07:00

I am here asking for your help dear friends. Many of you are extremely creative and I need you to tap into that creative energy for me.

I am looking for a cute, positive, and powerful motto for the acronym JAG(S).
My new school will be the Jaguars and we are planning on calling them the JAGS. The other early childhood center (kindergarteners and preschoolers only) are the CUBS- Children Understanding, Believing, and Succeeding. Their mascot is "Cubbie Bear" which is a big cuddly bear.

Obviously, our mascot will be the Jaguars and we are looking at baby ones who are just getting their spots. Please help with something awesome and educational!

Purple Panthers

2009-04-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to one of the mom's on Madgette's softball team, we have a few pictures from her season. We are supposed to be on our way to the fields right now to play game 2 in the end of season tournament, but due to rain last night, the fields are muddy and play has been postponed this morning.

Madgette is giving it her all- trying to get that ball where it needs to go!

This was her batting stance for most of the season and it wasn't really successful for her. Last Sunday afternoon we went to the fields with her friend Lesly (who is our star first baseman) and has now acquired a new batting stance. Since the chance in stance she is hitting off the pitches now instead of having to hit off the tee. Woo-hoo!

This was a shot of the girls in the dugout at the very beginning of the season at a scrimmage. You can tell Madgette thinks she is in charge. She is the one who is marching in front while the rest of the girls sit patiently.

This dugout shot was taken during a real game. Doesn't Madgette look enthused?

For a lot of the season she played catcher. Here is my girl in all of the catcher's gear. She complains sometimes that it is heavy and she can't move. But she sure does look cute!

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

2009-04-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

In the picture the mailbox is really on the edge of the street, and the light pole is on the other side of the street.

Well folks,
This was the scene in front of my house this afternoon by 2 pm after the rain blessed us. There was a large number of stalled out cars in the main street we turn off of. We decided to park at the end of our street in a neighbor's side driveway (thanks neighbors!) and wade home. Razorback went and spoke with the homeowners just to make sure it was ok, and off we went. I am sure we looked like the village idiot family. We were holding an umbrella and wading through water on the sidewalks that went up to our knees. The Razorback finally got tired of waiting on us slow girls and took off. I know he was probably home a good solid 3 minutes before we were.

When we made it to our front porch, we stood and watched some teenagers swimming in the middle of the street. They were standing up straight and the water went up to their armpits. They were having a blast! Madgette called it a "halleluejah flood" which just cracked me up.

We are all just waiting for it to go down so we can go back and get the truck, then go pick up the dogs from the groomers. We also have tickets to go see the Astros tonight- so we are really hoping that the weather clears out before tonight's game.

Purple Panthers

2009-04-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

The title is the name of Madgette's 6U softball team. They are currently 9-0 which means they are undefeated. All the parents are SO PROUD. (Can you see my chest sticking out in pride?) We have 3 more league games before the end of the regular season. Thursday is the next game and probably the most important of the 3. We will be taking on the 2nd place team who has only had 3 losses all season. Unfortunately, all 3 of those losses have been to us. Their coaches and their girls want to take us down so bad they can taste it! Needless to say, we have a huge target on our back.

We are going this weekend to play with the "big girls." We are going to a tournament in Deer Park, TX that has 11 different 6U teams signed up to play. We will see how good we really are playing against people that aren't in our league, and who have done well in their own leagues. We will be playing on Saturday and Sunday- so we will have some tired little girls.

Saturday morning before the tournament, we have all star tryouts. The Razorback is coaching this team also so we will all be up early headed to those tryouts then onto the tournament. So a busy weekend for the Madge...and a half family. Is it sad that it is only Tuesday and I am already planning for the weekend? Or does it show that it is getting to be the end of the year and time for school to be out?

Astros Rock!

2009-04-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

So Madgette and I went to the exhibition game Friday night and had an absolute blast- the wind was super cold, but it was a great game. We even got to stay and watch the Friday night fireworks which were amazing. Madgette decided her new hobby would be to collect all the really cool hard plastic Astros cups that she passed, so we came home with a collection of about 12 new cups. That's fine because they hold a lot and I take one to school almost every day.

Madgette was proud of her Carlos Lee jersey! She got it signed and authenticated.

We got home and to bed about 11, then Julie and I got up at 3 a.m. to go sit in line for Astros fanfest. (click the link to see a picture)

Madgette with her hero... well at least a cutout...

Madgette wanted to meet her hero Carlos Lee. She was able to come later in the morning, and was super excited about meeting him. When she got in line she started doing a little dance with a cheer for Carlos. Momma Pug and I shamelessly bribed the child to do her cheer in front of Mr. Lee. Well, she got up to him and he actually danced with her and gave her a high five before he signed her jersey. The whole event maybe took a minute, but she was so excited when it was over that she couldn't talk. For those of you who know Madgette well, you will understand why this is such a momentous time. I do have a video of this performance but I am having trouble uploading it. If I can figure it out I will load it- it is so cute!

Carlos Lee signing autographs

Later she talked the Mark Up into letting her go with him to see her number 2 favorite player- Lance Berkman. She was able to get him to autograph a baseball for her along with the other 3 players at his table. She continued getting players autographs throughout the day and now her ball probably has 10-12 different signatures on it. The Mark Up even introduced her to Jimmy Wynn, and Mr. Wynn gave her an autograph!

Madgette with dos los Caballitos

Momma Pug signed Madgette up for the Astros buddies program which is endorsed by Berkman. With the sign up you get a discount on certain game tickets, an Astros Buddies hat, and a Berkman jersey look alike backback. When Madgette was getting all the goodies she looked at the salesperson with a dead pan straight face and asked, "Do you have a backpack that says Lee?" to which Momma Pug and I just about bust.

We got face painting, balloon animals made, ate ballpark food, met players, and even made a wax hand. Madgette was exhausted by the time the game actually started, but Julie had never attended a baseball game so we stayed for the game. Julie was amazed at all the people, and I had to explain a lot to her but she really enjoyed it. We stayed until the 8th inning (you just can't leave before the 7th inning stretch) and then headed home. By this point Madgette was so tired she was past the point of friendliness. I must admit I was getting there myself-- we had been at the park for the last 12 hours!

This is a picture that shows how tired she is- a fake smile and an expression like "Mom, can I just eat my popcorn?"

ASTROS!

2009-04-02T04:23:00.000-07:00

Madgette, Julie and I are all looking forward to this weekend.

Last night a friend of mine texted me that she has 2 extra tickets to the Astros exhibition game Friday night. Would Madgette and I like to go and make it an all girls night? Well, of Course! Madgette doesn't know yet- I think I will let it be a suprise. She and I rarely do an event together without all the rest of our crew.

Then Saturday is Astros Fanfest, and Momma Pug and the Mark Up have been talking to us about this for the last year. Madgette wants to meet Carlos Lee extremely bad. She currently has an autographed baseball and one of his figurines. We want to get her an autographed jersey and let her meet him, which she will have the chance to do at fanfest.

However, we do have a little kink in our plans. Madgette has a softball game at 9 am. So here is how this will work- 4:30 am- Madge, Momma Pug and the Mark Up will get in line at Astros stadium to get wristbands so we can get the autographs we want. 7 a.m. if you have a wristband, you can buy your tickets. 8 a.m. I will head back up to Humble for the softball game. 9 a.m. ballgame. 10 a.m. head back down to the stadium for the autograph session that has Carlos Lee, Roy Oswalt and one other person.

If we have any more energy, we will stick around for the afternoon ballgame. But after getting up so early, I am kind of doubting my energy level...

Can you tell we are ready for the weekend?

Extreme Hope Women's Conference

2009-03-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today I was able to attend the Extreme Hope Women's Conference in The Woodlands. I won the tickets last night on my local Christian radio station KSBJ. I love KSBJ but today I actually got to meet Jen Driskell in person. She was there to give out the extreme hope awards and I won one! I have a free one hour massage--- I can't wait to use it! Jen was so cute and funny today. We only got to speak for a couple seconds; she had to call out the other prize winners.

Anyway, they started out the day with some awesome praise and worship. They even played my new favorite song- "Free to Be Me." As I was asking about the group later in the day it turned out that they are just a few friends that like to get together to play music from time to time. They aren't a band with a name, nor do they have a CD out. That was a little disappointing because they were obviously very gifted.

They had many interesting speakers that spoke to us about finding your purpose in life, gave their testimonies of hope, shared healthy eating habits, discussed how to handle stress, and many other topics. My friend JP went with me, and we both enjoyed the day. I think the day made me recognize how blessed I am, and how much hope I have in my life and surrounding me each and every day. It also made me want to be more of an inspiration to others around me. I am extremely blessed and I don't think that I am shining that light for others to see nearly enough.

You never know how you can affect other people's lives, and I want to be a much brighter beacon for those around me. Thanks so much to KSBJ and the ministry of Melinda Gordon- Extreme Hope. JP and I had a great time, then stopped at Jason's Deli for lunch. That was quite a treat since the Razorback does not ever want to stop there! It gave us some time to just talk and get to know each other better, and it reminded me of how lucky I am to have her as a friend.

I hope everyone has as wonderful of a weekend as I am having!

Hello Again!

2009-03-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have posted last. There has been a lot going on at the Madge...and a half home (as usual). First, I have bronchitis and have been hacking away with that and taking lots of medicine to try and get over it.
Second, we attended the Livestock show this weekend and the girls had a blast. In the future, we will know that we need to attend more than one day. There is just to much to do and see for only a one day trip.
Sunday I stayed home to get some rest, get caught up on laundry, and get some work done for my classes. I was able to get a couple of assignments done. Now I just need to get 2 more assignments completed and I will be done with this course. I really need someone (or more than one) to start bothering me about getting my classes done more quickly.
Last night I attended our school board meeting, and was approved as an Assistant Principal for next year. If I was any more excited about this new opportunity, I think I might explode. The funny thing is, I said I was not going to be a teacher. That slowly became "Well, I might be a teacher, but I will NEVER be a principal!" Now look at me. It just shows that you should never say never.

I still need to post the pictures- at least a few- of the trip to MS. I hope to get that done by this weekend. Madgette has a ballgame on Thursday and Saturday, so it will be a fast end to the week. Did I mention that they won their first game 13-5? Madgette is playing the position of catcher and seems to enjoy it. She liked it even more when she found out that she could take the catcher's mask off and drop it on the ground when the ball comes her way. Gotta love a girl and her drama!

Catching Up

2009-03-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

I sat down tonight to load up the pictures from the trip to MS, and realized that I have gotten pretty far behind in my blogging and my loading of pictures. So, here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

The first picture is of Madgette dressed up as what she wants to be when she grows up. As a wrap up for college week, she dressed up as a vet. Gancack- looks like there might be another one!

When I was getting ready for my interview Momma Pug dragged me out of the house telling me that I MUST do something with my nails, and I also had to get my eyebrows waxed. Well, guess who jumped right into the car with us when she heard the word "manicure"? You guessed it-- cheesy! Her nails were SO cute!

This picture was taken after the girls played their first scrimmage game at the opening day for Humble Girls Softball League. Culver's was having a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, so we went out to try and support the ACS. The girls had such fun! Of course, they were already in a good mood since they won their game 10-5.

The Razorback (isn't he handsome?) was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa the honor society for Community Colleges. We are so proud of his good grades, and all his work. Madgette had a fight with the chili on her lunch tray that day, so we had to stop and buy her a new outfit on the way so she wouldn't embarass him! She was determined that she was pushing her bangs back under that headband. Yuck!

This very broadly covers the big events of the last few weeks. Sorry it has been so long getting posted!

A Glorious Day

2009-03-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well dear readers, today was a wonderful and glorious day. We started out by helping my parents finish up some last minute errands, then headed out to Cotton Branch for lunch and a little fun with the animals. I will blog again tomorrow when I can upload some fantastic pictures. Madgette was in awe of all the animals, and Julie was also. Julie took some amazing pictures- some were even better than mine. The one thing I can't believe I forgot to do was to take a picture with Nananotes! After we pulled back onto highway 98 I realized it, but it was to late to turn around and go back.
We took a couple minutes to stop in Meadville to visit with family and friends which went over suprisingly well, then on to Gancack and PawLarry's house. Madgette made a new best friend that for our blog we will call "Busy." They played hard the entire time we were there, and had a blast! Busy and Madgette were each very happy to have another kid around to play with. Time slipped away from us, and it was late before we knew it.
As we were leaving, Gancack was wonderful enough to send some bread with us, some cake from a recipe that belonged to my mother, and a High Road CD. I was so excited about all of them, but we listened to the High Road CD all the way back to Brookhaven. Some of the harmonies are so tight and beautiful it just gives me chills. I know we will be able to hear the entire thing on our trip back to Houston. I am definitely looking forward to that!

So thanks Nana and Gancack for a wonderful, enjoyable, and relaxing day with friends!

Excitement

2009-03-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

Can you remember when you were a little kid and you were SO EXCITED about what was going to happen the next day? You can't go to sleep because you are thinking about it, then you get in trouble when your parents come in to chek on you for not being asleep. (Unless you are a good faker!)

Madgette definitely felt that was this evening. She started about 5 p.m. asking if it was time to go to "Tree Branch" a.k.a. Cotton Branch. When I had to tell her that we were going tomorrow, she was very sad and said "OK. I'll get up early in the morning!" to which the Razorback and I both replied, "no, no, no- you sleep in as late as you can and we will still make it in time" because when Madgette decides she needs to get up early, she gets up at about 5 a.m. We don't want anything to do with that hour of the day during spring break.

Tonight I heard her in bed talking to Julie about tomorrow. Actually, I can't tell who was more excited- Julie or Madgette! Today they both got to ride on "Maybelline" my dad's motorcycle. They both took pictures, and had a total blast. We also got the paperwork done which was the whole reason for our trip. So business is complete, and the fun can begin.

I hope everyone else is having a wonderful spring break!

Is there anyone out there?

2009-03-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

I believe I have lost every single one of you. I have had no comments on my last three or four posts. I know someone is checking my page because I went into my analytics page just to see if anyone was even reading. There have been over 200 page views over the last month, so this leads me to believe that someone is reading.
The Person who is married to Madge should leave a comment occasionally- especially since his life is constantly put up on the blog.

Please leave me some comments! This makes me feel left out of the world...

To Tired to Title

2009-03-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days when you finally get home and sit down just to realize you are absolutely exhausted? This is definitely one of those nights for me. This has already been a wonderful amazing week, but the hours I have kept and the amount of emotion I have put into these 2 days has just worn me out.
I have to be on campus by 7 in the morning to go through some training, and then I have been asked to attend a field trip to the Houston Rodeo with some of our 4th graders.
I have never been to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo so I am definitely looking forward to the trip. I plan on hitting the bed here in just a little bit to try to catch up on some rest. I just hope I can shut my brain off long enough to get to sleep.
This weekend will start Spring Break and I cannot wait. I am so excited to get to sleep in a few mornings! We are going to head to MS to see my parents and take care of a few things while we are there. Madgette is really looking forward to that trip. She loves going to MS, and we are hoping to have a nice leisurely drive over and geocache along the way. Usually we are so focused on getting there as soon as possible we don't enjoy ourselves. I plan on a picnic lunch, and having fun. Isn't that what Spring Break is all about? By the way, some of you FC people- when do you have spring break? I would love to ease into the great FC and stop by the school one day. I would be even more please if there was a stop at Cotton Branch for Madgette and Julie to see and the farm animals. Can you believe that MY daughter knows little to none about the country? (But she does have the cutest pair of boots ever!)
I would also love to get a starter for a certain ladies bread... it is only the best homemade bread in all three of the states I have lived in. Yes, Gancack- I am talking about you!
Well, here's to making it the last few days until Spring Break. Cheers!

Life is Never Boring

2009-03-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

As we all know, life is never boring-- especially if you have kids. Today we spent most of the day at the softball fields. Today was opening day for Madgette's softball league. She was able to play the position of catcher, which is good for her. She is pretty good at fielding ground balls and this gives her a chance to practice her throwing. Her team won today 10-5, and they kept the other team from scoring for 2 innings straight! We were very proud of them. Madgette has to get back into her old batting form- she lost it since last season.

I have gotten an interview for an Assistant Principal position. It is at 11 a.m. on Monday, so keep me in your prayers and thoughts. They are interviewing 14 people for 2 positions, so I need to get my PPT created, handouts created, and my resume updated. I should actually be doing that instead of blogging.

So, I am going to get busy- have a great weekend everyone!

Depression

2009-03-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

I have depression I do admit,
Admit that I have been depressed,
Thinking how much I wish I could be happy,
Thinking how much I want in life,
Thinking how much you can miss someone you love,
When I look back I can see how much this depression has been there in my life,
I need this to be fake,
I need this not to be true,
Yet again its true I have this depression that makes me sad inside and the outside,
My depression has caused me to see how sad I can be,
How it makes me feel,
How this depression makes me think of cutting and suicide,
But we are all human,
We have all have something to overcome,
I will overcome this depression once and for all,
I fight back some how,
This depression I will get rid of someday,
For now I have to deal with it.

Jennifer Rondeau

Standardized Testing

2009-02-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

This week will begin the first in a series of tests that our students will take for standardized testing. My fourth graders will be taking the writing portion, while the third and fifth graders will all take the reading portion. Our students did amazingly well last year, and we received the status of recognized. This year they have been pushed to achieve the highest standard of exemplary.

I hope each year that the stress is not to much for them. I try to make it as positive as possible, and reinforce the fact that they have learned all they need to know, and that they are just getting a chance to show off those big brains. So please pray for all our students in Texas on Tuesday. They have had many lessons, tests, and pep rallies to get them ready. Pray for stress relief for the students and the teachers, and fresh well rested minds for our children.

Since I have been placed back in the regular classroom to try and get a group of students ready for the test, I am more worried and anxious than I have ever been for a testing season. Please pray that I will be able to sleep between now and Tuesday. I know there is nothing I can do at this point, but I just hope they can and will show just how smart they are. I also hope their families do not have crazy events happen so they are not bothered by outside circumstances during this time.

Mothers

2009-02-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

I was reading about Momma Pugs new nephew on her sister's blog and it made me think about how and who you choose to model yourself after. There have been many people who have passed in and out of my life, and quite a few of them have had a lasting effect on me. Grandma and Grandpa Pug (MP's parents) were one of those sets of parents. They were always supportive of their girls no matter what their goals were, and they were even willing to be nice and help take care of their kids annoying friends--(me)-- which says a lot to me. As Madgette has grown older, I have thought many times on their tolerance for annoying little girls and have tried to be as patient with Madgette's friends.

Another person who definitely needs to be recognized is our old high school band director. He and his wife while a little odd, were amazing people who cared about kids. We all know high school kids can be a pain. They knew this and still cared about us. There are several phrases that I still use that came from him. For example, 10 pounds of sausage in a 5 pound bag.
He was there when I lost my favorite great aunt in the whole wide world, when I went through quite a defiant stage, and when I totalled my truck- just to mention a few.

There are so many others that I should mention like P.J., R.Y, B.H., C.C., and J.C. all from MUMC. They showed me how life should\could be lived in the joy of the Lord. Many of those homes were open to me as I made life changing decisions. I would never made it out of High School without the people I have mentioned and several more. I guess I should probably sit down and write a few letters and tell people how much I appreciate them and what a profound effect they have had on my life...

BARNES AND NOBLES SUCKS!!!

2009-02-22T11:18:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: I returned the less expensive book since I still had the receipt for it. However, I will stick to my word. I will NEVER spend even one penny in ANY Barnes and Nobles for the rest of my life!

ORIGNAL POST: I am highly pissed right now. It is a rather rare occurance these days that something can truly get my dander up, but boy they have! I went in about 2 weeks ago to purchase several books for my principal certification courses and was disappointed to find out that they only carried ONE of the eight books I needed. As we went out to search for the one book, we came up fruitless. One of the employees was able to locate it in the back book room. It had been entered in the system but not placed on the floor. She went and got it, and it had not even been removed from the shrink wrap. As I went to purchase my book, I decided to renew my membership for another year. This added another $25 to my total for the day.

I was lucky enough to find another copy of the book for half the cost at another store. Today I went to go return my brand new shrink wrapped book and I was told NO. I had misplaced my receipt so there was nothing they could do for me. --Now let's think about this for one moment. They have a database of my information that they tap into each and every time I make a purchase! They cannot pull up my data, and give me my money back?

Someone in charge was called to deal with me since I was not accepting what the poor guy at the cashier stand was telling me. She continued to tell me that there was nothing she could do. That was store policy. However, she could make an EXCEPTION for me and give me a store credit! An EXCEPTION!!! They will give me a special allowance of a store credit. I told her I did not want a store credit- I wanted my money back. She said the only one who could authorize that was the store manager. Of course, I asked for the store manager. He was on vacation (imagine that) and no one in the whole store knew how to get ahold of him. NO ONE!

I told her that the entire policy was a bunch of crap. (Keep in mind that this was the strongest language I used-- Madgette was with me) She had the nerve to ask me to watch my language! I said, "Excuse me?" because I was sure that was not what she said. She repeated herself and told me that they had children in the store. Then my smartass side started to show up. I told her that I had a child of my own, and that I had not used any bad words. Of course, if she needed me to, I definitely could. I also asked her if she needed to call security- to go ahead. This was the most ridiculous policy on the planet- especially when people are paying them for a member ship! They are one of the largest bookselling chains in the country, and they treat their customers this way! I told her I wanted to be completely removed from their system. I was a loyal customer before, and had spent several hundred dollars there in books for my classroom, but they would never see another penny of money from me or anyone I know.

So I implore each and every one of you-- do not shop at Barnes and Nobles! Shop at your local mom and pop bookstore, or visit http://www.amazon.com/, but do not shop at Barnes and Nobles---- they SUCK!!!

...and a half

2009-02-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

UPDATE:

We met with Madgette's teachers this afternoon. We all agreed that she should have not put her hands on another student. However, I am still of the firm belief that she was provoked. My little girl would not attack another human being. In all the privacy laws, they weren't able to tell us much but they will be moving the girls apart from each other. They will also be keeping a close eye on BB to make sure she doesn't push another child's buttons. As an after thought, I guess I should just be happy Madgette didn't use any Tae-kwon-do moves on her!

Original Post:

Today has been a traumatic day for Madgette. She has been in the school environment since she was 2. The only behavior color she has ever gotten has been green which is the best color you can get. She has never, I repeat never, gotten in trouble at school. Today was a different story. For the last 2-3 months she has been coming home telling us about a certain little girl who is in her class. For the purposes of this story let's call her betty bully (BB). Well, BB has had quite a few run-ins with the law (the teachers and administrators).
BB has spent several days this year in "in-school suspension" because of various crimes committed to other students and to her teacher. BB seems to have no motivation to behave like a regular law abiding citizen. Today, Madgette was assigned the glorious position of caboose for her class when they are moving about the building. If you know me very well, you know that I love to have a title--anything will do-- and when I get that title, I take my position very seriously. Obviously, my daughter has the same affliction.
BB waited for the teacher to get out of sight when the class turned the corner, then made her move. She attempted to take over the position of caboose. Oh boy, that did not go over well with Madgette. They took several turns going to be last position in the line, then Madgette finally reached her breaking point. Months of being teased and bullied all came to a head. Madgette shoved the other little girl and told her to get out of her spot. A shoving match ensued, and the other little girl pulled Madison's pinky (which Madgette had surgury on at the age of 2).
Needless to say, Madgette came home with her very first red frowny face. We are attempting to schedule a parent teacher conference for tomorrow. We will see how this all turns out.

Want to know what my dad, the former elementary principal asked her? "Madgette, did you win? If your gonna fight at school, you at least better win!"

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

2009-02-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

As I am sure the pictures illustrate, we all had a wonderful time at the TCEA convention. This was my first time to attend, and we made the most of it. Our keynote speaker for the opening session was Lisa Ling. She was an amazing speaker who made me smile, laugh, and cry at some point through her presentation. We were all able to attend some very educational sessions to gather information we can take back to our campuses. The best part of the whole convention had to have been the exhibit hall. It was huge! Most of the latest and greatest school technology was there on display. It is amazing to see what has been developed to try and help kids in their classrooms.

I found what I wanted to for my birthday present, and before the conference was over I went back and bought it. It is a D-Note Digital Note Recorder. It is amazing! I also like the fact that they are giving me the interactive whiteboard software with it. I can't wait until Monday when I can break it out in my classroom.

As much as we enjoyed our time in Austin, we were very glad to be able to come home. We made tracks getting back to Houston so we could be there in time to pick Madge up from school. We were all happy to see each other, and the we picked up Julie. Our friend Tree had let Julie stay with her- thanks Tree! When we got home we dug through all the free stuff I had collected and just hung out.

Tomorrow the Razorback has his first team meeting for his/Madgette's softball team. He has a couple of folks coming by the house to look at the Camaro, then Madgette's children's choir will sing in both services on Sunday. So we are looking forward to a fun filled, fast paced family weekend. I hope all your weekends go just as well!

The City of Happy Hour

2009-02-03T20:10:00.001-08:00

Well, this week The Razorback and I are in Austin which I have decided is the city of Happy hour. I have been here for 2 days, and my colleaugues and I have been able to hit a happy hour for dinner every night. Last night we went to a really cool Jazz bar, where they had very expensive food and at half price it was reasonable. The other ladies and gents had some cocktails but I just went with a water. Tonight we went to another restaurant near the convention center called the "Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill" where we sat outside around the fire and had a wonderful meal. We all ordered different appetizers and stuffed ourselves. Did I mention it was also happy hour there? All the appetizers were half price, and some drink were also. We had some wonderful spinach and artichoke fondue, fried asparagus, brick oven pizza, homemade chips, and "corn dog" shrimp. We have decided that if we just go to a different happy hour each night, we will actually be able to stay within our food budget this week. Isn't that wonderful?

However, this week has already reminded me of how perky and annoying I can be. Some of these people are so blah, and grumpy in the mornings. Some are that way all day long. What joy can you get out of life if you never get excited about anything? I am looking forward to each and every day that I will be here. Tomorrow the exhibit hall will open with all the vendors- that is one of the absolute best parts! Free stuff, plus you get to see all the cool new stuff that is out on the market for the technology departments. Woo-hoo!

Anyway, guess I should get off here and pick out my classes for tomorrow!

Girls!

2009-01-31T15:58:00.000-08:00

So I need some of you "old hand" parents to answer this question. Does every little girl go through phases of acting out? Of acting like their mom (in particular) is the meanest person on the planet?

Why do girls act like that? Do boys act the same way? I know Madgette has to learn about responsibility, but does it have to be so hard? She was required to clean her room today, which I must say she had trashed rather well. She was determined to play instead of clean her room. So when the Razorback and I took the dogs for a short walk, she wasn't able to go. Why? Because her room wasn't clean. (Does that sound unfair or unjust to anyone else- or just if your 6?)

She told me I was mean, then tore up a picture she had drawn for me and told me "That WAS for you" on her way to put it in the trash. Oh my goodness! That child can be so sweet and wonderful, but when she changes her mind she can be the most hateful child.

So, do any of you have any suggestions?

MIscellaneous Information

2009-01-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

Momma Pug has inspired me with her random facts so I thought I would do random facts and general updates as follow ups for what is happening in our lives.

The Razorback traded the motorcycle for an '85 camaro. It is not in great condition, but it is not a motorcycle which makes me happy.
The Razorback purchased a '94 Toyota Four Runner. He is happy and it actually runs.
The lesson in the classroom went well, except I planned to much for the amount of time that I actually had.
I am SUPER excited about going to Austin next week for the TCEA conference.
Julie is going to stay with my friend and best HS drama teacher ever- Tree
Madgette is going to stay with another teacher in my building and her daughter who also goes to Madgette's school. These little girls ride the bus together every morning. However, I am not real comfortable with Madgette's arrangement, so pray for her, the family that will be keeping her, and me. (Anyone want to get out of AR? There's no ice here and you could have my bed...)
I have 2 MRI's scheduled for tomorrow. The UTI and kidney infections are gone, but the tailbone is still hurting. Trying to find out why.
Got asked to work the music portion of VBS for this summer. Of course I said YES- that is SO much fun!!!
Got a text from my middle brother tonight saying that my 93 year old grandad is back in the hospital with bi-lateral pnuemonia.
Really need to clean house this weekend to get it ready for us to be gone all week. Catfish-want to drop by a feed dogs for us Wed. and Thur? (Phruitz can you ask her since she doesn't read my blog?)
Waiting anxiously for my first real course for my principal certification to be opened. What is taking them so long?!

I guess that is all for now. Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

Over Achievers

2009-01-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

Does everyone have a little bit of an overachiever buried deep down in them? Or are some of us just blessed with a little extra helping?

I am going back into the classroom tomorrow to teach a science lesson and of course will be using technology during it also. But, I am such an overachiever I want it (totally expect it) to go completely perfect. I have planned group activities, whole group experiments, video clips, and a short quiz with a classroom response system (remote controls for each student). I am really looking forward to it, and hope that this will be a lesson that also motivates the teacher I will be modeling it for.

I want to be effective and motivating in everything I do. A collegue kindly pointed out for me this morning that I was anal. Maybe so... or maybe I was just given a little extra helping of overachiever!

TGIF

2009-01-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

We have all heard the phrase from time to time, but the end of the school day today just could not come fast enough. I truly love my work, but this week has been insanely crazy. Starting with the ER visit, then the inauguration and all the logistics of 700 kids watching it, the Razorback getting sick, Madgette performing in front of the school board, and Julie's first tennis match.
The kids acted today like they had no idea what the word "whisper" meant, much less "be quiet." They were ready for the weekend, and so was I. Fortunately, the Razorback is no longer running a fever which makes us all happy. We have no plans this weekend except the quarterly gathering of the FC transplant club plus a few other weirdo's who fit into our odd little fray (hi tree!)
There really is something to be said for a weekend without plans. We are all really looking forward to our chance to be bums!

Hello Doc!

2009-01-19T16:11:00.000-08:00

For the first time today I am sitting up and somewhat coherent. I have had pain in my lower stomach area since Friday night. Saturday is kept hurting, but not to bad. Sunday was a whole other ballgame. I felt like my uterus was about to fall out everytime I got up to walk. By Sunday night, I was ocassionally double over by stabbing pain. The Razorback decided it was time to make me go to the ER. We went to the one closest to our house, but as we drove up we could see that it was absolutely packed, so we made the decision to go to the next closest ER which was in Kingwood. We pulled up and thought, "Great, this one only has a few people! We will get in here pretty quickly!"

Well, to make a long story short, 5 hours later we made it back to see a Doctor. I had finally laid down on 2 chairs pushed together and the Razorback gave me his jacket to use as a pillow and secured me a heated blanket. When they finally came out and called us, the Razorback woke me up and we moved to a bed. The nurse named Joel was very nice, and gave me a freshly warmed blanket. We were able to watch the 3 a.m. version of "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and a odd little doctor came in. I tell you- this Dr. could not have been any older that 26- he was a child.
He came in and says, " Hello, pyelonephritis my name is Dr. McLaughlin" and shakes my hand. He finally broke it down to say that everyone has a little bacteria in their kidneys, but mine looked like the salmon trying to swim upstream. The bacteria had gotten from the urinary tract and infected both kidneys. I will save the graphic details as they were a little gross.
They hooked me up to an IV and blasted me with a bag of fluid, a seriously strong antibiotic, an awesome pain medicine, and an anti-nausea medicine to back up something else.
They released me this morning around 6 with strict instructions to see my primary care physician in 2 days and if it was not cleared up to pack my bags to be admitted to the hospital. Also, if I got really bad again before the primary care visit to report back for admittance.

So, I have spent most of the day passed out on the couch. My family has kept going today as normal- filling prescriptions, etc. I know the Razorback is exhausted. He needs to go to bed. I love him very much and am very thankful I have him to take care of me. I think we will all go to bed early tonight, because we are all supposed to go back to school tomorrow.
Just another day in the life of the Madge...and a Half family.

What Does the Future Hold?

2009-01-14T18:33:00.000-08:00

I sometimes marvel at the fact that the Razorback and I have already been married for 9 years. We have both changed each other for the better over these years. He has decided to go back to school and get a formal education rather than his education from the school of hard knocks. I am so proud of him. Since he has made this decision, he has applied himself and has a 4.0! Did I say I was SO proud of him?
Madgette is turning into the performer this year. You would think she was going to a magnet school for theater arts! If I had to tell you what she will be when she grows up (based on her actions at this moment) I would tell you she was going to be an award winning movie star that is adored by her audience. Thank goodness I know she will change many times before she is grown up and has to choose a career. Does anyone else ever wonder what their child will be when they grow up?
As for me, I am extremely happy where I work. I have my Master's degree and am working on my principal certification. Who would have ever thought I would follow in my father's footsteps? I definitely didn't! Hopefully in the future I will secure a position as an AP and eventually (not anytime soon) a head principal.
The future looks bright for our family--by this Christmas The Razorback will have his certification and his Associate's. Madgette will be a year older, and I will be a happy momma! The only other thing that I can hope is that our plans will be the plans that God has for us.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End

Another Day

2009-01-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

My back was SO much better last week. When I went to bed Friday night, it was fine. When I woke up Saturday morning, I could barely get up. I tried to take it easy throughout the weekend, and went to work today like a normal working gal. By the time I had gotten to my second class I had to take a muscle spasm pill. I completed that class, ate my lunch, then went to cafeteria duty. By the time I went back to my classroom I was ready to call it quits. I finally gave up on doing any work and just laid down flat on the floor. I probably laid there for 15-20 minutes. The P.E. Coach walked in and says "What are you doing?" because I am sure I looked a little odd laid out on the floor.
When the Razorback came back to campus that afternoon he brought me some Ibuprofen to help with the inflammation and that did help. I was able to make it 'till the end of the day. He saw me out doing my car rider duty and fussed at me because he loves me. Tonight I had an appt. with the chiropractor and when I explained how I was hurting again, he examined me and told me if it doesn't get better and I "keep acting up" he would be sending me to get an MRI to see if there was something else going on.
That kind of scares me. But, so does the idea of having an SI joint injury. I have been reading about these injuries and the internet makes it sound like people never get over this. People are online talking about getting shots in the joint, having their pelvis screwed into their spine, having nerves burned away every few years, etc. All of those things are extremely scary to me. So when you go to say your nightly prayers, please pray for my back/spine. I am very worried and still hurting...

New Beginnings!

2009-01-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

Since my oldest, bestest friend Momma Pug decided that it was time for my header to be changed I figured it should be accompanied by a new blog. So here goes--

Momma Pug is one of the most creative people I know. If you are a frequent reader of her blog you are aware of how many things she comes up with. She draws, sews, writes, and many other things. Actually, the only thing I can think of that she cannot do is replace toilets and sheetrock.

Home maintenance actually may be the only thing I bring into this relationship. Well, that and a really cute, sassy little girl. Let's be brutally honest here-If I had just met MP I would probably have been intimidated by her. She is self-confident, funny, creative, and has a very giving heart for humans as well as animals. She is also very lucky to be married to a man who adores her-- exactly as she deserves. He is obviously in love with her, and she with him.

So, if you need creative services contact Momma Pug. She can totally hook you up. But, if you need a best friend- go find your own. Please don't steal mine-- I love her too much!

New Certification

2009-01-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to update everyone that I have finally made the payment to begin my principal certification program. If I understand all the rules correctly, I can be done with all my coursework by the end of August. They will provide me with a certificate of eligibility so I can begin looking for an administration position for next year.
I feel like I could use my skills and love for kids to help benefit the educational community where I teach. My district is opening up 2 new schools next year. A middle school and an early childhood center, so there will probably be a shuffling of current AP's to head principal positions. My hope is that I can secure one of the AP positions and begin to learn from some of our amazing principals. I would absolutely LOVE to be able to stay in my current building. I would love to learn even more from my current principal. She is amazing!
Anyway, just thought I would let everyone know so you can help me stay motivated. I need to complete one course per month- so please help me be accountable!

Love to you all!

Writing Under Durress

2009-01-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

I am currently contemplating what I should write about since I am under extreme durress about not having posted in 2 days. Should I write about the latest experience with the salt water tank The Razorback is building? Nah- to many posts about him lately. Should I write about my hip still hurting, but the ability to walk returning? Nah- don't feel like it.

I think perhaps I should write about Madgette. How full of everything she is- sh**, joy, music, a desire to please, and peace. We all know I had a few issues growing up, and that to this day I am a little bit of a control freak and a little anal. (No comments MP!) But seeing that little girl every day just brings joy to my heart. I completely understand now what my grandma "mom" meant when she would tell me, "I love you- I would just DIE if anything happened to you!"

Now mom was a little dramatic in her own Southern way, but I had no doubt that she meant that with every cell in her body. However, I never truly understood how that emotion felt. As a mother, I completely understand. As I watch the evening news and see children being kidnapped, mistreated, and murdered I better comprehend what mom meant when she said she would just die if anything happened to me. It makes me very grateful that I had someone in my life who was willing to express her love to me that often and openly.

That is one of my goals in life. To ensure that my daughter has no doubt in her mind that she is loved, valued, and wanted. I want her to grow up to be a respectful, well mannered, well rounded, outgoing young lady. Just the way that mom wanted me to be.

The Razorback's New Toy

2008-12-31T18:20:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

His name is The Razorback, and he is a craigslist bartering addict. He loves to trade stuff. He traded a Mercedes Benz for an ugly, horrible, terrible truck which we nicknamed the Beast. He traded a laptop for a fiberglass boat. He has now traded the beast for a motorcyle. A 1979 Honda Goldwing to be exact. He is very excited about this trade. You ask, does he have a motorcycle license? Of course not! Has he ever driven a motorcycle? Yes, but not since 1988--just 20 years ago!

His mom is having a small coronary attack-- she has threatened his life if he has a wreck. She is also trying to get a promise of Madgette never plopping her rear end on it. Madgette will not be on it anytime soon. That much I can promise. I am a little to scared of it to let my baby get on it. Plus, the Razorback has told her he has to be 150% comfortable with driving it before he will even entertain the idea of riding her around the block.

I used a cane to get myself out the front door so I could get a look at it. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Check it out for yourself, then leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Laid Up

2008-12-31T09:39:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have known me for a while will not be suprised-- I have hurt myself. I wish I had a great story of great entertainment to explain what I have done. My chirporactor says it is a several mini-traumas that have gotten to me and Tuesday was the final straw. So here is the story of all the dumb things I have done to get myself in this shape.
1. Took a HUGE fall in Gallery Furniture in August. Landed on my right leg and rear end.
2. Carrying/moving boxes in my new classroom
3. Loading a small desk in the Yukon by myself (as well as a headboard and footboard)
4. Last straw- putting away the christmas yard decorations.

I was carrying a tub of lights across the front yard to the shed in back when all of a sudden my lower back began to hurt. I put the tub down and called for Richard because I could not stand up straight. He assisted me into the house, and we waited to see if it would get better. Needless to say, it did not get better. I spent the night awake in the recliner. First thing the next morning we called the best chiropractor in the entire state of TX- Dr. Bruce Guillory. He got me an appointment for later in the day and we went to see him. He asked some questions, looked at my hips/legs and showed The Razorback how out of place my hips were. When he placed his hands on my hips, his right hand was at least 6 inches higher than his left hand. My hips are majorly off kilter. Then he gave his diagnosis- it is an SI joint injury. He started treatment by hooking me up to 4 electrodes for about 20 minutes, then followed that with an ultrasound, and finally he did a very small adjustment (it was small because nothing wanted to move!). He sent me home with directions to put ice on it for 30 minutes every hour.

I also had directions to meet him at his office today so he could do another treatment even though he is normally closed on Wednesdays. (Did I mention he is the best chiropractor in TX?) Anyway, he says it will probably be at least a week before I am fully able to walk correctly and function again. I told him I m supposed to go back to work on Monday, ane he told me we would see- he could write me an excuse for work. I told him I did not want to take time off- I wanted to be fixed. He looked at me with all the tolerance a Doctor can muster, and told me that he would see me 2 more times before Monday and we would do everything we could.

So while you are praying for our little gal pal Phebs, lift up a prayer that I will be able to walk again soon without looking like a cripple and that I will be able to return to work on Monday as scheduled.

Prayer Please

2008-12-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

I have a very good friend who could use a little prayer right now. My friend Tree, her husband, and her baby Phoebe can use all the prayer you can offer up. They are preparing physically and mentally for Phoebe to have heart surgery tomorrow. This baby is 6 months old (should only be 3 but was born early) and is lovely and very special to all of us. She cannot eat after midnight tonight, and her surgery is not until 3pm tomorrow afternoon. This will be a rough morning-those of you with children can understand. You want them to stop crying and not feel the hunger, but you know you are doing it for their own good.

Both sets of grandparents are in town to give moral support, run errands, and be helpful. I know Tree is very thankful, as are all her friends. Her friends like Momma Pug and I will back off for a couple of days and just help through prayer, then when all the family has gone home we will be there for our friend.

Please just pray for strength for them mentally and physically, for the doctors who will perform the operation, and all the other hands and lives that will touch theirs tomorrow.

We love you Phoebe!

One of Those Nights

2008-12-28T22:19:00.000-08:00

Do you ever just have one of those nights when you can't go to sleep even though you know you have an appointment the next morning?
I have been so bad tonight that I just decided to pester The Razorback so he couldn't go to sleep either. Now we have both gotten out of bed and back on the internet. What is wrong with us? I know my alarm is set to go off in 6 hours, but I cannot make myself go to sleep! So I will sit here and surf the world wide web, perhaps read a bit and then make another attempt at going to bed.

Night, Night!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

2008-12-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

Today has been a very joyful day for our family. Madgette woke up about 7:00 ready to see what Santa had delivered. She woke everyone up, and just about had a heart attack because her daddy made her wait until he could get the webcam set up before he would let her come in. We wanted to let all the Razorbacks family in Arkansas see our Chrsitmas morning. We also wanted to be able to see theirs. It was a lot of fun, except the girls kept forgetting they needed to be in front of the webcam so the other family could see them. So we could hear all the little kids talking, but not see them. It was funny!

Santa brought Madison a bike, and Julie a new digital camera. They were equally excited about what the big man brought them. While this Christmas was smaller than usual, we had just as much fun- if not more- than usual. Julie got a makeup kit which is the third picture, Madgette got some new "Hannah Montana" sparkly high top sneakers, and they both got lots of other stuff and full stockings. The first picture on the page is Madgette all decked out in her safety gear ready to give a no training wheel bike a try. She was concerned about protecting her "skuulll" (say that aloud like school- that's how it sounded)

The second picture is The Razorback getting some great daddy time in with Madgette. He was helping her to set up her DS. You probably can't tell, but he is wearing a Christmas present from his mom. A t-shirt that says "You Know You're a Razorback When..." and it has 10 reasons on the back. (There is a reason he is called "The Razorback")

This evening we ate a little dressing, some ham, cranberry sauce, and rolls until we were all stuffed. Now everything is quiet as everyone is playing their own games, or doing their own hobbies. I am pretty sure Madgette has gone to Julie's room to play, and Julie is probably playing on her computer. The Razorback has gone outside to work on restoring his boat. All is calm... at least for a little while!

From our house to yours-- MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Afternoon Excitement

2008-12-23T14:17:00.000-08:00

This morning was very rough at our home thanks to a disturbing phone call from Chase auto finance. However, the afternoon turned out to be much better. We were able to stop and see baby Phoebe. She was so cute- and VERY expressive with that face! You should have seen her poke her lower lip out before she was ready to cry. Madgette is quite dramatic, but she can't even poke her lip out that far! We can't wait to see her again.

Another source of delight was when we give Phoebe's mom a Christmas card of our family. She told us "I will have to move that other card out of the way to put this one by Momma Pug's card." I was so honored! To think that we could be placed next to the Christmas card of Momma Pug is just amazing.

Christmas Giving

2008-12-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

As children we are all told "it is the thought that counts" and "it is better to give than receive."

I must say that I agree with some of that, but definitely not all of it. I totally agree that it is better to give than receive. I love to give gifts to others. I like to give "happies" to my friends and co-workers to let them know how valuable they are in my life, and how much I appreciate them. I love giving Christmas gifts and I try to make sure everyone gets something. Madgette and I even packed a cute tin full of goodies for her bus driver. Ms. K (bus driver) looks out for Madgette each and every morning and gets her to school safely- what could be more important? I wanted her to know that we appreciate her. You should have seen Madgette getting on that bus and giving Ms. K her goodies. Madgette even told her she would need to share them with her son. I was cracking up! Her bus driver just laughed and said "Awww, you mean I have to share?" which Madgette loved.

However, I do not always believe that it is "the thought that counts." Now if a person is doing all they can- then I definitely believe that the thought counts. It is the people who can do and don't that really bother me. Maybe I am always broke because if I see a person that needs something and I have any money I will give it to them, or help them out however I can. There are so many people in this world who are so blessed and give nothing to anyone else.

What really blows my mind is how those same people can fool people into thinking that they are so wonderful. How can people like that keep the reputation of a golden child? The only thing I can think is that it must somehow be inter-related with the story of the prodigal son. But in the story of the prodigal son, the son realizes that he has made a mistake and comes to ask forgiveness. The golden children that I am thinking of will never ask forgiveness, or even admit that they have been disrespectful and/or dishonest.

I guess I am done rambling for this evening. Wow- this really is not what I sat down to write, but it sure is what came out!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-14T07:25:00.001-08:00

This weekend has been a fun one to say the least. Yesterday was our family baking day. Madgette and Julie helped to make oreo balls and rice krispie treats. We also made haystacks and oyster cracker treats. As soon as I can get rid of this headache this morning we are going to make toffee, fudge, and caramels.
My friend Janet taught me how to make all this wonderful candy, and motivated me to want to make Christmas goodies each year. After doing "baking day" with her ust one year, I knew this was something I would need to do every year. I also knew it would be something I wanted to raise Madgette to do. Madgette kept asking why we were doing this- was there a party, was I taking it to school? My only answer was that it was Christmas time and it's something fun we do.

Madgette has her children's choir performance at church tonight. She is in the kindergarten choir and the pre-k and k choir will perform first, then the 1st-4th grade choir will perform. My girl has been asked to sing the first verse of "Away in a Manger" with the 1st-4th grade choir. I am so proud, my chest might explode!

Tuesday night she has her program at school and has been given one of the speaking parts. She is playing the role of the grandmother, and her teacher says she knows her parts, and the parts of all her friends. I know she will be great- she is such a dramatic child! (Does anyone have any idea where she gets that? I can't figure it out! lol)

So, we are having a great weekend and are looking forward to the week to come. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

Catching Up

2008-11-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

I would like to help my 3 readers catch up on what has been going on here at the Madge...and a Half home for the last couple of weeks. So, pardon the change in subjects as we have had several big events going on in the last few bits.

The American Girl Debacle

The first big event was going to Momma Pug's house to pick up Madgette's birthday/christmas/rest of her life present. It was the long begged for and awaited American Girl Doll named Mia. Momma Pug in a stroke of creative genius decided to leave clues for our little girl to follow in order for her to find her doll. The only issue with that is that Momma Pug writes like a normal adult- not like an elementary school teacher or a computer. Seeing as Madgette is just learning to read, those are the types of writing she understands best. She had to sound out a lot of words and think pretty hard (which was the point I am sure!). She finally got to the box and you could feel the excitement flowing through that room like a cut electricity wire waving in the breeze. With the help of her Uncle and Aunt she was finally able to get to the coveted box that was located inside the shipping box. They frantically opened the doll's box and Madgette pulled the doll out, laid it down, and exclaimed "A new American Girl Catalog!" with full enthusiasm. We all here amazed--the child had completely ignored the doll she had begged us for!

As you can imagine, I was thoroughly embarassed. I wondered how I had raised a child that was that unappreciative-- I was getting upset with her, but I reminded her to tell everyone thank you. She went over to hug her aunt and uncle and her Aunt Momma pug says "I heard your momma tell you to say thank you. You guys aren't very smooth!" Madgette was beginning to realize that she had somehow messed up and came to sit beside me again. I looked at her and asked her (in a serious momma face) "You are being very rude right now. What do you think you are supposed to be doing?" to which her frank response was "be more smooth..."

That was pretty much the end of it all. Momma Pug and The Mark Up both burst into laughter and I was caught so off guard I started laughing even though I knew I shouldn't. Madgette became extremely embarassed so I composed myself moementarily to tell her the correct answer. Soon after that we left the Momma Pug National Headquarters to head home we looked in the back seat to discover that even though we had only been in the car about 2 minutes she was snuggled up to her doll sound asleep.

Thanksgiving Lunch @ School

Madgette had her Thanksgiving lunch at school on Monday, and all the family was able to attend. Thanks to my boss and team of workers, I was even able to go! Madgette was super excited to see everyone as her class came down the hall with each child dressed as an indian.

Her cousin was happy to see another school and was quite amazed by how big the school was. As soon as lunch was over we let her checkout to spend the afternoon with Mimi, Poppa, and her cousin. They had a great afternoon.

Family Picture Time!

The day before Thanksgiving I decided that since the cousins were together and had beautiful coordinating dresses that we should go have pictures taken of the girls, and have some family pictures done while we were there. So I scheduled the appointment and with the help of my mom-in-law got 2 little girls all dressed and ready. The Razorback begrudgingly accepted that he was not getting out of this duty, and Julie got herself ready in record time.

The girls looked like little princesses and we think we got one good picture where both girls weren't giving the camera completely fake smiles. This is not the picture, but I thought it was cute how they were both sharing and looked so beautiful.

You can check out ALL the pictures here at the Sears online gallery.

Julie and I got up early this morning and went to do Christmas shopping and got a couple of good deals. Nothing to really brag about this year. My in-laws had already hit the road to travel home before we got back. The definite highlight of our day today was the Arkansas-LSU game this afternoon. Need I say it again? (Of course I do!!!)

GO HOGS!!!

If it Weren't for Bad Luck...

2008-11-17T16:27:00.000-08:00

You all know the old saying, if it weren't for bad luck we wouldn't have any luck at all. This must be the motto that is following me above my head like in the cartoons. Today the battery in the Yukon died while the Razorback was waiting in the car rider line to pick up Madgette. Needless to say, I did not get to stay and help our music teacher get decorations done for the 4th grade musical. We had to go purchase another battery with $100 we do not have.
Not to long ago, our other car drowned. Razorback traded the Benz he bought for an old, ugly truck that he is not fully confident in driving back and forth to his classes. So we are all still riding together.
There are many other issues that I will not be posting on the internet. Just know that the Madge...and a Half family would appreciate any and all prayers at this time. Specifically, strength for the Razorback to make it through school, less financial problems, and the ability to provide Christmas for 2 girls.

Geocaching

2008-11-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

I have decided that geocaching will be a great thing for our family to do. Our group of technology specialists learned about this in a meeting this afternoon, and were able to go hunt for 2 caches. It was SO much fun!!!
Being the dork that I am, I have come home and set up my own geocaching account. I have also mapped several of the caches between the softball fields and one of our friends home. We will be stopping and hunting for several along the way. The Razorback cannot fathom why I am into this- there is no prize, it is just about the hunt. I am looking forward to tomorrow and our geocaching that I am not sure I will be able to sleep tonight!
I will update everyone later about how the rest of the family likes it.

Have a great weekend!

Renaissance Festival '08

2008-11-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

This weekend we experienced the Texas Renaissance Festival in the big town of Plantersville, TX. Momma pug, The Mark Up, the Razorback, Madgette, Julie, and I all went together and we had a blast. Momma Pug and I completed the girls costumes in the car on the way to the festival and I thought both girls looked beautiful. (Especially since we waited until the last possible moment to complete them) Upon our arrival at the festival, we had to park on aisle 12 which had to have been 12 miles from the entrance. We trekked to the front of the park and entered the world of the renaissance. We were immediately greeted by lots and lots of boobs. I was unsure how some ladies were able to keep them from popping out the top of their dresses!
Madgette and Jiseung took no notice of this type of thing (thank goodness) but stood in awe just looking around at all the people in costumes, vendors in boothes, and all the people wandering around. We had a wonderful day, saw lots of neat things, had to sheild Madgette's eyes a few times, and had several good laughs. The one thing that sticks out in my mind about the whole event was the conversation and laughter that was had in the car during the trip to and from the festival. For another view of the festival check out Momma Pug.

Tooth Fairy

2008-11-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

Madgette has lost her first tooth!!!
She was very scared, and cried a little, but she wanted to pull it herself rather than allow any of us to put our fingers in her mouth. I am a little concerned that her grown up tooth is already poking through and it seems like it is set back about 1/8 an inch further back than her other one.
I need some info from those of you who have already raised kids. Do the new teeth come in under the old ones, or are the supposed to come in behind them?

Anyway, the tooth fairy will be making her first stop at the Madge...and a Half home tonight!

Birthday Party

2008-11-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

Let's just say Madgette had her best party ever. The thing that gets me is that we probably spent a lot less money on this birthday than we ever have on a party. I think she is just getting to the age where she wants to hang out with other little girls. They did American Idol on the PS2, ate cake and ice cream, opened presents, watched the new TinkerBell movie, had a pillow fight, attempted to play Rock Band, and attempted to go to sleep while watching a movie in the sunroom. They were all asleep by 10:40 p.m., but were up again by 5:15 this morning. We are just exhausted, and this is a day to try and recover.
Check out the slideshow link to see all the pictures we took.

Happy November

2008-11-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

Cinderella lived again in the heart of one little girl this Halloween. Wednesday she attended a Halloween party at the gym where she takes Taekwondo, Thursday we had a softball game, Friday we went trick-or-treating. Saturday was an adventure all in itself. It was Madgette's birthday and she had a softball game first thing in the morning, and her team coming over for a sleepover in the p.m. Plus one of her oldest, bestest friends Sofia. The activities of the evening are a whole other blog to come later today. I just wanted to put up the pics of Cinderella during our recovery day!

Busy Week

2008-10-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is one of the craziest weeks of our year. Halloween, ball games, and Madgette's birthday. Due to lack of money, our trip to the American Girl store in Dallas had to be postponed. So, we are letting her have a sleepover. She has invited all the other 8 girls on her softball team to spend the night. So, come Saturday night we will have 9 six year old little girls running around our house having the time of their lives. I am sure by Sunday we will be ready for them all to head to their respective houses, but we are all excited about the sleeover. We are determined to make Lemonade out of our lemons!

A special thanks goes out to my friend Momma Pug who whipped up this super-cute invitation in about 5 minutes. She is so creative- I am lucky to call her friend!

A day in the life

2008-10-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Realizations I have had this evening:

FYI- when you go cold turkey off your anxiety and depression medication, you can act like a donkey. You cannot control yourself and will embarass yourself. (Just in case you didn't know) I would not suggest this to anyone. Always make sure you get to the doctor before your med's run out!
Another news flash- insurance adjusters stink. At least the ones who are independently hired to do work during a major disaster like a hurricane. They try to get you to accept a ridiculous amount on your homeowners settlement. I mean, isn't that why we pay for insurance- so when your house is cracked and wiggly they will help pay to fix it?
Your child can be dressed as Clifford for school tomorrow if you buy some felt and some red fur. This will make said child extremely happy. Especially if they get to wear red sparkly pants with the furry tail.
Knowing your oldest, bestest friend is home safe and sound with all her babies can make a girl feel better. Even if you have not laid eyes on her, nor have plans to do so in the near future. (This lack of plans obviously needs to change!)
Friday can be a relief, or it can be an even more stressful day because you suddenly realize there is not even a chance that you will get all your work done before the day is over. Does anyone have a magic wand I can borrow?

Just a Little Update...

2008-10-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

We brought the car home today and I must say that getting it off that auction lot was harder than getting a newborn baby released from the hospital!

The Razorback drove it back to my school district to pick up the girls while I headed to an after school meeting. The family all met me when my meeting was over because the Razorback had night class and we had to swap off kids and unfortunately-cars. I did not want him driving a strange possibly dangerous car home at 10 pm. I have had enough middle of the night calls asking to get picked up. Therefore, I got to drive the newly acquired prize home.

I can honestly say I was scared. The gas pedal was really tight, and when it did take off it laid you back in the seat. Right until it started shaking! I have come to the conclusion that I will not be back in that car until it has seen a mechanic and all of it's problems diagnosed. After all the major problems are fixed, I think I will stick with my lovely, safe, strong, high off the ground, Yukon!

The 100 Year Flood

2008-10-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

As usual, there is lots of excitement here at Madge and a Half. Last Wednesday night our little suburb of Houston received 8 inches of rain in an hour and a half. Madgette had PraiseKids practice at church during this little rain. By the time we headed home, we passed several stalled vehicles and Julie says "It's like we a motor-boat!" because the roads were flooding. I was getting a little concerned (even in my Yukon) when we turned on our street. By the time we got to the stop sign about 100 feet from our house, I knew we were in trouble. The entire street was flooded and our neighbor's trash can was floating down the middle of the street.

I really love my Yukon and did not want to kill it, so I parked us in the elementary school parking lot across the street (which is higher than the street). Julie, Madgette and I had to wade across the street to get into our home! We put Madgette in the middle and Julie and I each held a hand. The water was at least 3 feet deep, and it was still raining- we finally made it to our front door and laughed so hard we almost fell down. A few hours later we looked outside and the water was all gone. So we made it home safe and sound.

EXCEPT... that the Razorback was in his Wednesday night class, and being the wonderful student that he is, he had his cellphone ringer off so I could not let him know what was going on with the roads. He left class about 9 p.m. headed home and discovered that parts of Beltway 8 were flooded but not yet closed. By the time he realized that the water was to deep for him to go through, it was too late. He was trying to pull off the road and into the new NTB (National Tire and Battery) when his camry died. He had the front end out of the water, but the trunk was floating! The wonderful employees at NTB pulled his car out of the water and into the parking lot. They also rescued as many people as they could from stalled cars. I am so grateful to this store and their employees- they stayed open ALL NIGHT with all the stranded drivers, let them watch TV, made them coffee, and even made the trek about a quarter of a mile across a muddy field to pick up pizzas for all the stranded drivers. If you live in the Humble area, please give the new NTB on the Beltway your business- they deserve it! Anyway, about 5 a.m. the Razorback calls to tell me he was able to get out and catch a ride with an off duty police officer to a local Wal-mart. I got up, woke Julie to let her know what was going on, and went to pick him up.

The insurance company has totaled the car, which has made the Razorback very sad- he loved his Toyota Camry. Needless to say, we have been looking for an inexpensive car all weekend. We decided the best thing we could do was to pay cash for a little junker run around town car for him to drive back and forth to class. We really didn't need the car payment and it was a burden anyway. So this may have been a blessing in disguise.

Today we went to a public auto auction. We went early so we could examine the cars and make a list of the ones we thought we could afford. We picked out a Toyota Avalon, and a couple other cars. We sat there for about 3 hours before any of the cars we were interested in drove onto the auction block. The Avalon was driven in, and we were quickly outbid. The same thing happened with the other cars on our list. I was very discouraged and began reading a book. The Razorback was getting a little desperate so I look up and he is bidding on this black car that was not on our list. It turns out that we did not look at it earlier because someone had written "SOLD" on the windshield. Well dear readers, the Razorback did purchase this little black car for $850. By the time we added all the buyer premiums, and other fees the total came to $1600. I am looking at him asking, "What did you just buy?" to which his response was "Honey, we now own a Benz."

What a hoot! We have bought a car without checking the engine and inspecting it thoroughly. So we have either made a good buy, or the worst mistake of our life. All I can hope is that it will stick together for about a year until he finishes school. The entire purchase price of this car is about the equivalent of 4 months car payment on the camry- and we will not owe anything on it.

So here is a hip, hip, hooray for the one hundred year flood and the thought of being rid of some debt!

Below is a picture the Razorback found like the car we have bought. It is the same style, model, and color. Ours is just missing the little Benz hood ornament... hmmm, do I see a stocking stuffer for the Razorback in our future?

Hurricane Pics

2008-10-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

There have been several blogs that I have posted since Hurricane Ike blew onto the Texas coast last month. I finally have enough time to show you all what we experienced. The first picture is of my local HEB (grocery store) when they reopened on generator power. We were just glad to be able to get out even if there was not anything cold to eat.

The second picture is of the HUGE tree that was down at the end of our street. Unfortunately, it was located on private property and the electric company would not touch it. Therefore, our side of the street was without power for many, many days. The homeowners stayed out of town due to the wife being ill- I mean who would want to sit in the Texas heat especially if you were sick. Make sure you notice the full size trampoline that has been crushed underneath it.

The next 2 pictures are of our house. Julie is showing the world our mailbox that was in the middle of our yard. We promptly replaced it with a pretty one. We also had several branches
down in the front yard. The next door neighbors told us that the city had come through before we came home and pulled the huge limbs out of the yard and chopped them up. What good luck for us!

A Night Out

2008-10-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had to fulfill a little payback for The Razorback. He has helped work on my student council's homecoming float and it was wonderful. He made arrangements for me to sing with a live band at a local western dance pub. So we got the girls fed, and Madgette tucked into bed before we took off. I must admit I was a little excited, and a little nervous.
Upon arrival we made ourselves at home and got adjusted to the place. The evening wore on, and The Razorback and I finally decided to hit the dance floor and do a two-step. This may have been the biggest mistake in our evening. Obviously, once you step on the dance floor you become available to everyone. I was asked to dance by a short little man, and I looked straight at my husband who I assumed would say No. To my suprise he told me to go ahead, and the short little man escorted me onto the dance floor before I knew what had happened.
As many of you know, I was married at 19 so I have only danced with my husband (except the mandatory high school dances). Needless to say, I was VERY uncomfortable. I saw my husband get up and come out to the dance floor and I breathed a sigh of relief. I just knew he was coming to rescue me by cutting in. I then received my second suprise of the evening-- he was dancing with another woman!!!
Fast forward another hour- I am on the stage singing a little Patsy Cline and the lady he had danced with earlier comes over and wraps her arm around my hubby to inquire if he is alone. He tells her "No, I am here with my wife. She is the one on the stage singing." Can you believe that she continued to question him? She acted suprised that he was with me-the big fat girl. After all of this, we found out that the guy who had asked me to dance was her brother. He was getting me out of the way for his sister.

Oh yes, another entertaining and sad note- I overheard 2 ladies talking in the bathroom. One says to the other "Yeah, I am working on number 5- I need a new babies daddy." It was almost all I could do not to fall off the toilet and convulse into laughter. Then a stroke of sadness came over me as I thought about that baby and the type of inconsistent home life that child must have.
During another restroom trip, I hear one lady say to another "Betty-Lou you said you had to get away from them kids- why you keep calling 'em?" Of course this made me think of Madgette who I do not like to leave. If we cannot do things as a family, we do not do them. I felt bad for that child also. This is the point in the evening where I knew it was time to go home. Maybe I am becoming an old lady but I believe in the old saying "Dance with the one that brung ya" and that your children should be the first priority in your life. I discovered I like my nights at home with my daughter and husband. These are the days of my life, and the ones I love- not the ones where I go out in public and get humiliated.

Update

2008-10-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hello

My dear friend at Nana Notes posted a twitter asking about our well being. What a great friend! So here we go- we currently have electricity, and running water. The Razorback restored our internet tonight (Go Razorback!!!) but we still have no cable. That is ok, my wonderful hubby went out today and bought an antenna to mount outside the house and it works very well. It even picks up high def. channels and we don't have a monthly fee!!! That will save us a little over $100 per month. HURRAY!

The insurance adjuster is supposed to be here tomorrow. I am actually glad it has taken him a while to get to us. It has given us time to notice all the things about the house that have changed. The Razorback noticed today a 2 inch crack that is zig-zagging up one of the brick walls on the side of the house. We thought that only our sunroom had shifted- now we are thinking that maybe some other damage was done that we did not realize.

I guess to sum it all up, life is glorious again. We are back in the swing of school, softball, tennis team (Julie's activity), and taekwondo. Oh yes, and children's choir at church. The Razorback is going to school full time, and I am overloading my plate as usual which makes me happy. I am glad to have friends, two beautiful children, a fulfilling career, and an amazing husband. Life just doesn't get much better than this!

HUZZA, HUZZA, The Internet has Risen again!

2008-10-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

Due to our desperation with the lack of internet, my hubby (The Razorback) has decided to make some changes to our internet, phone, and cable service. Comcast has still not fixed any of these things for us, so he has decided to switch. He has gone with a local company that happens to be right down the street from us. So tonight he has finished installing the modem and we now have wireless internet in our home again.
Julie (the foreign exchange student) is so happy all she can do is smile and type. She has been watching her skype messenger like a hawk for the first sign that her mom or dad in South Korea have logged in. None of them have logged in yet, but she is just happy to be able to get on the internet. I am just as thrilled- I cannot lie!

Tonight Madgette tested for her next level of belt in Taekwondo. She was finally able to kick and break the board on the 3rd try. Now she is an orange belt. She is very very happy. I am just thinking that no one should pick on her at school! BTW, if anyone is interested we are selling raffle tickets for $3 a ticket, and we are selling something else as a fundraiser for her elementary school. If anyone is interested in helping her we would greatly appreciate it!

Internet Addiction

2008-10-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Madge. I have an addiction to the internet.

Since the lovely hurrican Ike graced the Texas coast last month we have not had phone, internet, or cable TV. Comcast has not seen fit to repair the line that serves our street, even though our street is the only street in Humble, TX that has not been restored. However, through this trial I have discovered a few things.
1. I do not care if I have a home phone. I have not really even noticed we did not have it excet for the few times our exchange student has needed to use my cell to call family. Most anyone who does not have my cell phone number, it not anyone I wish to talk with.
2. Cable is huge to our family. We have gone through a major depression as a family by not being able to see the season premiers of our favorite show's. The other day Momma Pug was visiting and made fun of the fact that we have become Public television station junkies because it is all we have!
3. I cannot live without internet. Seriously!!! We have logged tremendous numbers of hours in places like Burger King, and Barnes and Nobles just to get internet access. I mean come on, I am an instructional technology specialist. I am supposed to be teaching my students how to utilize technology-- this usually requires the use of technology and I use technology and the internet to create all my lesson plans! At this moment I am sitting on the floor of the "Wines and Spirits" aisle at Barnes and Nobles typing this. I am located here because my battery died when I was sitting in the comfy chair so I had to find an outlet.

I have missed my online banking, my daily blogs I read and numerous other things.
Well, I hope someone out there understands all these ramblings...

What Would We Do Without Friends?

2008-09-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

I honestly do not know what we would have done without our friends the Conleys through the fallout of Hurricane Ike. They opened their doors and extra bedrooms to us with an open heart. We were able to be in a comfortable home and do whatever we needed to do. This trip also gave us a chance to visit with some of the hubby's family. Madgette spent the night with her cousin and they had an absolute blast!
Julie has learned a lot about the Arkansas Razorbacks, and a little more about our family. She has taken tons of pictures in the Conley family pool and hot tub. We have joked that this is the Conley resort and spa, but I am so appreciative for them. We are planning on heading back to Houston tomorrow morning bright and early. I just hope that someday we can be there for them when they need a hand. Thanks Conley's!!!

Hurricane Fatigue

2008-09-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

I heard this phrase announced this week as our journalists were discussing how the general population of Houston is experiencing "hurricane fatigue." I would agree- I am tired of preparing for hurricanes. However, this time I was a little scared. So we decided to evacuate after much deliberation. We left our home in Humble, TX and headed North to our former hometown of Conway, AR. We pulled out at 8:15 p.m. with 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 kitten, 2 kids and all of their supplies. Madgette slept through the entire trip and is raring to go this morning. Julie slept through some of the trip and is rested. The Razorback drove almost the entire trip (he even took over when I attempted to drive and then failed) so he has slept a lot this morning.
The evacuation experience has left me with a new definition of "hurricane fatigue." Perhaps it should be added to Webster's dictionary: the complete exhaustion that ensues after evacuating from a hurricane; symptoms include headache, sore throat, puffy eyes, and general grumpiness from lack of sleep.

Any thoughts?

This time of year

2008-08-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

First Day of School

This time of year can be hard for parents and kids alike. As I have already shared Madgette left the nest this week to begin kindergarten. Not just a normal kindergarten, but a dual language one. Her homeroom teacher is the Spanish part of the duo- so she has spoken to them in mostly Spanish this week. According to Madgette she has not understood most of what her teacher has said this week. She is only able to tell us about what the other teachers in the building have told her. However, she loves her teacher and has complete faith that she will be learning Spanish. I have already noticed that she has mastered some Spanish formal greeting elements that she did not have a week ago.

Madgette was able to stay on green every day this week and was rewarded by a trip into the much coveted treasure box. She was able to secure herself a completely glittered orange pencil and some M&M's. That made all the effort of being obedient and quiet worth it.

Julie has had her own totally different struggles this week. After the first day of school I am pretty sure she thought she had made a major mistake by coming here. She was a little sad by the lack of friends, and thought several of her classes were way to easy. We have jumped through the hoops and gotten 2 of her classes changed, and she has made more and more friends every day. The first update I get every afternoon when I ask how her day has been is that she "made more friends." I am very happy for her, and will be glad when she gets settled into a routine.

Thursday some boy walked up to her, tapped her on the shoulder, handed her a note and walked away. When she opened it she was very suprised- it was a love note! Complete with illustrations, and a phone number for her to call. Luckily, she told her sister about it first and her sister told her NOT to call them. I was able to reinforce what her big sister told her.

So this weekend Julie has gone to spend the night with some friends from our church youth group, and Madgette has gotten us all to herself for the first time in several weeks. However, we do have some very sad news to report- 2 of the kittens have passed away this weekend. The other 2 are eating and doing very well.

Nerves

2008-08-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else find it hard to believe that my baby is old enough to start kindergarten? I am struggling with my professional knowledge that her teachers are well trained individuals who specialize in 5 year old children, and my mother side that says she is my baby and that I can't let her go.

I know we have to do this, and I am glad I have a full teaching load so I will be distracted all day. What if she doesn't know what they are asking her to do when they speak to her in Spanish? There are so many "what if's" that make me nervous. I know I have done everything I can to get her ready for this milestone, so I guess that is why she is perfectly happy and excited about her big day. That is probably why I am nervous and she is OK.

Pray for us this week-

Update

2008-08-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

So here is a quick update on the going-ons around the Madge and half home.

The little kittens are eating quite regularly, and a getting the hang of eating from a bottle. The one we have named "big mouth" might be the first one evicted from the kitten sibling box. All the kittens will be sound asleep, and big mouth will start meowing. Within moments he will awaken all his siblings. We might have our own version of Big Brother soon!

Julie and Madgette have spent a little to much time together this week since I have gone back to work. They are acting like real sisters- fussing and then playing together. We took Madgette to kindergarten orientation tonight and she got to see her classroom and meet her teacher. Fun, fun! We have to go this weekend and finish her school supply shopping.

The Razorback will also start back to school on Monday. So Monday our entire family will be starting a new school year in one way or another, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Our latest fiasco

2008-08-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight we came home from dinner with our good friends Momma Pug, The Aggie, Catfish, and Phruitz to an unusual sound in our shed. It was the sound of one very hungry kitten, and the silence of three other kittens who were to weak to make much noise.

We gathered them all up and then made a Wal-Mart run to pick up kitten formula and rushed back home. We attempted to feed them all. Julie and I had the most luck getting some of the kittens to eat. We have named one of them "Big Mouth" which is the noisy little guy who alerted us to their presence. Julie has named the black kitten "Hug" because she/he/it loves to cuddle. The other two remain nameless for the time being.

Did I mention their mom died 2 days ago? She joined our family because she jumped into my engine and rode home with me almost a year ago- but she never did let us touch her- just let us feed her. She always stayed at least 3 feet away from us at all times. We knew she was dead when we were able to walk right up to her. We had not told Madgette about the death in hopes that we could just avoid the topic all together. So guess what other conversation we were lucky enough to have tonight?

Now I feel like we will be awake every few hours bottle feeding little babies. Wish us strength and luck- I think they are going to need it!

Shopping on Tax Free Weekend

2008-08-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

We decided to go shopping for Julie's school clothes today, since it was tax-free weekend in Texas. After 2 stores we had gotten everything she needed and her backpack. She was not real enthused with dress code clothes and I cannot say that I blame her since she is a teenager.

I think she was a little shocked at how much we spent to get 5 days worth of dress code clothes so we only have to wash once a week. She said it "cost lots of money" to which my reply was "Welcome to American back to school shopping"

This evening the Razorback cooked us some baked chicken breasts, mac & cheese, and a corn and butter bean mix. Poor Julie, all she would eat was the baked chicken breast. We have gone to the game closet and picked out several games. We have played Zingo which is an educational reading type of Bingo, Connect Four, and are getting ready to begin Monopoly. Julie loves to play games, which fits right into our family!

We are just having a wonderful weekend, spending time together and getting to know each other better. We are broke as all get out, but truly blessed, and extremely happy. Life just doesn't get much better than this!

A Day in the Life of an American Newcomer

2008-08-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well folks, we are live from the great city of Houston, TX tonight with an update on Foreign Exchange 08-09. She arrived Sunday, and after many trips on the underground train and some horrible directions from airport staff we finally found her. Julie (names have been changed to protect the innocent) was exhausted but excited about being in the U.S.A. (can we blame her?) and Madgette was equally as excited to meet her "big sister."
We came home, she unpacked, and we ate an early dinner. The poor thing went to bed at 5 pm much to the dismay of Madgette who at her young age was quick to point out that it was still daylight. In her book that means we do not go to bed. Julie slept until 8 am this morning, and was still tired. We went out to lunch with my colleagues then one of my newest great friends, Tree, met us at the high school where I was supposed to be doing some training. She gave Julie the grand tour and showed her where all the things of importance were located. I think it was all a bit overwhelming for our exchange student who went back to the home of our friend Tree and took a nap.
Upon my arrival Madgette was quick to volunteer for the job of waking her slumbering big sister. After a quick update on the baby (which was all good) we headed towards home. Both girls slept all the way home, then came in and Julie went back to bed. We let her sleep for another 30 minutes and then woke her up to go to Taekwondo. After class was over, we made our thrice weekly trip next door to the Goodwill and I made my greatest discovery yet. I found a Gail Pittman pasta bowl in my pattern for $3.99. Those of you who are from Mississippi will understand the greatness of this find. For those of you not from MS, let me clue you in. This bowl was created, hand signed and originally at least $40. It was in perfect condition! Woo-hoo!

This evening we have watched a movie and both girls have had showers, hugs, and been sent off or tucked in bed. Now I guess it is time to clean up, and head to bed myself. Another successful day behind us!

A few pictures...

2008-08-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Dancing with Mr. G was worth some "knucks"

Proud parents and a happy kid

Nothin' like hanging with your cousin...

Anxiously awaiting school shots

No longer excited after getting five of them!

Yes, ice cream does help you recover-

Best friends ready for a little baseball

Let's go Astros!!!

Every good band needs a vocalist :-)

Waiting for instructions from the Master- note the white belt

"I really got it?" The Razorback was happy to tie her yellow belt!

Look Mom- it's the board I broke with my hand! By the way, my hand REALLY hurts.

I just wanted to share a few of our summer pictures. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do, and be sure to leave us a comment!

Storm News

2008-08-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

It would appear that we are about to have our first experience with a tropical storm named Edouard. Our cars are gased, water purchased, bathtub filled, and snacks ready. I have never been through a storm of this caliber, so I am a little anxious. The Razorback has an unhealthy attachment to "The Weather Channel" and Madgette just wants him to change the channel. At five you get really bored with bad weather-or in our house maybe it is just a girl thing.

The meterologist says we will get the worst part of the wind and rain in Houston because we are to the right side of the projected path. Great. This glorious storm is suposed to hit us about lunchtime. On the bright side, at least it won't be 110 degrees here tomorrow! I will be sure to keep you posted to what happens to the Madge...and a Half family.

Kindergarten...Here She Comes!

2008-08-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today was a momentous day for our family. Kindergarten registration! We arrived at her school this morning to be greeted by a huge line. We stood surrounded by families of other pre-k and kindergarten children- most of whom spoke Spanish as their native language. We waited in all the lines, filled out all the paperwork, and succeeded in registering this small young lady.

This event has reminded me of how outgoing she is. Madgette has never met a stranger- (wonder where she gets that?) and will start a conversation with anyone she sees. While most of the little hispanic girls were staying close to their mothers and being shy, Madgette would walk right over to them and greet them with a very cheerful "Hola!"

How is it that she is old enough to start public school? She was just being born the other day- broken leg, messed up neck, crooked fingers, and all. The Razorback and I are very, very blessed to have a healthy, vibrant, intelligent daughter. She amazes us on a daily basis with something she does or says. Is she spoiled? Maybe. Is she loved? Tremendously and without a doubt!!!

Can we all say "Bad day"

2008-07-31T12:47:00.001-07:00

So yesterday we were in a big furniture store in Houston and I slipped and fell. I didn't break anything, but I have messed up all the muscles in my leg and foot. I am wearing one of those big beautiful boots. The doctor wanted me to do crutches which I am not steady enough to do. So then she prescribed me a walker. Yes, you read it correctly-a walker. What am I? 80?
I am hurting and not feeling that great today.

Then we had to take Madison to the doctor to get all her final immunizations before kindergarten. They decided to stick her finger to test her for anemia, and she did not like that at all. She wined about it. When the nurse came in she had 5 bandaids hanging on her scrub top so I knew we were in trouble. I must admit, she was a very skilled and speedy nurse. This was obviously not her first rodeo. Madison took her first shot with an "ow!" and a little wine. By the time the second shot was given, she was done. She was twisting and screaming that she didn't want anymore shots. At this point her dad had to hold her still. I was trying to sooth her, and the nurse moved to the other side and administered 3 more shots with lightening speed. (She did say the last 2 burned going in)

Madison was screaming crying, and I once again realized what a set of lungs she has. Her daddy almost lost an eardrum in the process. By the time we left the office Madison had a coupon for a free ice cream sundae from Culvers, as well as one High School Musical sticker and 2 HSM tattoos. She felt a lot better after she got her ice cream.

The Razorback needed to go to his shipping store before we all went home. So he goes in the store and Madison and I stayed in the car so I could stay off my foot. I thought after about half an hour that he had gotten lost in the 200 square feet this establishment offered. By the time he came out, I discovered that one of his sound systems he had shipped to a school had been completely smashed while being delivered. Great. A $400 system now unusable.

After we finally got home I got online to check my bank account. DirecTV had wihdrawn $100 from my account. Here is the kicker--we do not have service with them, and have not had service with them in about 5 years! HOW did they get my account number?! I called them and they have no idea. They did not seem to believe me that I had not loaned my debit card to anyone else. I mean, I think I would remember loaning someone my debit card-especially if they are going to use $100 off of it.
So I am frustrated. I have to go to the bank and fill out a fraud form. So much for staying off my foot. The bank cannot fax me a copy, and they will not refund my money until an investigation has been done. Now my account is overdrawn and there is seemingly nothing I can do except fill out a form and wait. AAAHHHH!!!!!!

And guess what--the day is not over yet!!

Off to the bank we go- oh wait, I have to put my boot back on!

What's Under YOUR Bed?

2008-07-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

LadyBelle and her boyfriend "Duece"

As a child I was always scared there was a monster under my bed. My monster hated reading, so he was out to get me because I read every night before I went to sleep. As an adult, I no longer have that fear (thank goodness!) but I have the fear of what a 8 month old puppy can carry under the bed and destroy.

Ladybelle- the cutest female toy schnauzer on the planet fears nothing. She also has no qualms about chewing up something that belongs to her parents or big sister. Today I decided to clean the master bedroom and bath and Madison volunteered to help. In an effort to do an excellent job we pushed, pulled and wrangled the mattress and boxsprings off the bed te reveal the mess below.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

Ladybelle had chewed up flip-flops, a magic wand, several rawhide bones, pens, pencils, dixie cups, and anything else she could wrap her furry little mouth around.

It sure is a good thing that she is cute! I am currently taking a break after getting the underside of the bed cleaned out and then put back together. So I guess I will sign off for now and go finish my bedroom cleaning project.

Lazy Monday

2008-07-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

After the Sunday of craziness at Momma pug's house, we all got in bed a little after midnight last night. Needless to say we all slept in this morning. The Razorback has already become frustrated with his employment this morning, and Madgette and I cannot get motivated to get out of our pajamas.

I should be cleaning the house to prepare for the upcoming arrival of the foreign exchange student. She emailed me this morning to tell us that she thinks she found a flight about 6 days earlier which would be great. We would actually be able to get her settled before I go back on contract for this school year.

The phone is ringing, my Dad is calling. Gotta Go!

Welcome to my page

2008-07-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hi, I am Madge. And I am here to tell you like it is.