Life is a Gift! That's why we call it the "Present." GIVEAWAY!!!

  Presents, presents, and more presents!!! But I am not complaining! {My birthday was Wednesday, June 18, by the way!} I think I am finally reaching a stage of maturity, because I didn't mention my birthday with nearly every breath like I usually do. But if you would ask Daniel for his opinion, I think he would tell you that I did still mention it quite often, even though I didn't blog about it! My dear hubby and sweet mom-in-law hatched the most splendid idea ever which was to give me presents for 5 days in a row preceding my birthday and ending up on the day! Was that ever a blast to have a gift just waiting to be opened each day! One even got eagerly opened at 12:01 a.m.!! But I was good, and didn't even sneak early peeks or open them all at once like I wanted to!

    Celebration started early on Tuesday with MamaLisa! As I was heading down to meet her in Pensacola, I added another warning to my stack of speeding warnings. {Still no ticket though! Yay! Fingers crossed...} I told the trooper that I totally knew I was speeding and was so sorry, but that I was meeting my mom-n-law for my birthday lunch....and did he know Chris Chambles?? I grew up down the road from him... :) lol! It worked! We had a fabulous lunch at the Fish House where I was privileged to mark eating the world-famous "Grits a Ya Ya!" off my bucket list! There's definitely a reason that these grits are renown!! After lunch, we hit Pensacola Hardware which is NOT your normal boring hardware store! It's as good as the mall! Then we browsed the Bodacious Olive and had fun sampling gourmet olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Birthday Cake yogurt with piles of toppings from Wild Honey topped off the day! Thanks again, Mom!! On Wednesday, I started the day off right in birthday style by eating microwave baked oatmeal covered with colorful sprinkles.  I didn't put a candle in though....Then Katie, Mel, Anne, and I had met at the Coffee House for some java & girl time. Next stop was Novus to see Marnita since she hadn't been able to make it for coffee. After that, I shopped Miller Pawn Shop {found a drop leaf table that I want, but it's $120!}, Dirt Cheap, and Goody's. Amazingly, I didn't spend a penny! Lunch was at Jalisco's with Daniel. Next item of the day was swimming with Mel and Katie. Instead of going out for a birthday supper, I went along with Danl to wreak havoc where the beavers are wreaking havoc on the old fish ponds drainage pipes. Eager beavers they are for sure!! They haven't gotten the message that they are supposed to MOVE, RELOCATE, or SCRAM because their home is scheduled to be leveled, so they have been most diligently trying to maintain the water levels that they are accustomed to! A Cheeselovers pizza with light sauce and black olives on half sure hit the spot after that escapade! Peg Leg Pete's will have to wait...sigh. After supper, I was kinda sad because my birthday was almost over, and it wouldn't come for another whole year...but I still have several celebrations on the horizon! My birthday twin Roxie and I have yet to give ourselves the honors, and I think my family is planning an outing or two and a good meal to boot! So there's no reason to be blue! 

   Yesterday had me singing "O Happy Day!" Mel gave me an awesome present that has me ready for some fun in the sun!! Then when I got home from working at Dad's, an enormous birthday present from Jill was sitting on my front-porch bench! Wow, Jill! So many gorgeous gifts up in that box!! Thanks!! Also got to open a loaded card from DaddyWayne and MomDenise! Thank you!! I already know what I am going to buy!! Supper at Kim Holdeman's was the next highlight. Fajitas with friends out on the porch, balloons, coffee & cupcakes, and a magical present from London a is a perfect combination! You're the best, Nes!!!! 

   Now for the GIVEAWAY! Since I had such a wonderful birthday, thanks to all my dear family and friends, I want to share the joy by giving YOU a present as is the custom in some cultures! And since birthdays always make me think of cake, what could be better than this marvelous cupcake batter dispenser?! I have been in love with mine ever since Tiff gave me one for Christmas! It works like a charm! To enter this Birthday Giveaway, please describe in the comments your most magical birthday ever! Why do you remember it? What made it special? Once entry per person will be counted, but feel free to add as many comments as you like! This giveaway will be open for entries until July 18, 2014. Bring on the memories of your best birthday, because after all, birthdays are the reason we were born!

rubba scrubba??

Well, you know I need to write about CLEANING since I just had to clean two glumps of some unknown substance off my laptop screen so I could see what I was typing! It's bad, I know. And since I am a much better analyzer, list maker, and ponderer than I am a cleaner, I have been making so much progress this summer in internal therapy as to WHY I am such a wretched housekeeper! Is it genetic?? Did my mom just not train me RIGHT?? {sorry, Mom! :)} Am I just plain LAZY?? Should I even try to CHANGE? Or just accept my Mama Bear closets?? And be HAPPY that Daniel and I spend way too much time hunting for our stuff among our stuff??

I am too much of a perfectionist to accept the myth that I can't improve my habits, and put my life back together like a magazine picture! {As if it ever was?!} So...... I have started polling my friends that appear to live like Martha Stewart/Betty Crocker {they tell me they don't, but the drawer under the oven doesn't lie!!} for success tips, etc. to get me on the road to complete, organized bliss. Here are some snitches of what they had to say!

"Make the bed!! Even if it's late in the day, just make it." {Even after making this a New Year's Try-To, I still fail miserably at this one.}

"I like to get dressed and comb my hair before leaving the bedroom."  {Oh dear, no lounging in yoga pants til lunch?!}

"Keep the dishes done."  {Supposedly this tidbit had come at one time from me!!!?? Wow. I went off course.}

"It helps to have enough storage."  {OK, this one makes sense. Trailer house does not = storage!}

"I actually enjoy cleaning." {You DO? Oh....HOW?}

"Try FlyLady's 15 minute Decluttering rule. It really works!!!"  {FlyLady, here I come!}

"You can't have it all. I wish I had all your ideas and creativity. Just be yourself." {Thanks! I feel better already!}

"I don't like to cook, but I love to sew."  {Well, I don't like to sew, but I love to cook....if I don't have to do dishes.}

"I didn't like how rigid my mom was with household rules. We had to put our shoes away immediately and hang things in our closets just so....I hated it. {Thanks, Mom, for being just the way you were!!}

"I don't think we can completely change our natures, but we can each try to improve in areas where we don't shine. {Such wise, sane advice. Maybe I don't need to continue internal therapy, and friend surveys after all.}

{Mr. Rubba Scrubba}

Anyway, I decided to check out http://www.flylady.net/ to see what she had to offer. Hmmmm.....I signed up for her daily emails that she deems very important, {GULP! 10+ per day?! I guess I will be so organized I will have time to read piles of emails!} but I am not completely convinced that I should become a "FlyBaby" and go "fluttering" around! I also draw the line at wearing lace up shoes in the house!! That being said, I did enjoy her tip of grabbing a trashbag and walking around the house throwing aways 27 things. Love the randomness of the number 27! It was actually harder than I thought it would be, but then it would be hard for a hoarder to throw away 27 things....Her next command was to give away 27 things. This was actually easier for some odd reason... Both activities were very good for my constitution! Maybe I should become a fledgling FlyBaby, and go fluttering around swishing and swiping with my Purple Rags, Rubba Scrubba, and Rubba Sweepa! Ummm... Really?? I'm thinking some Sitta Whila while I Reada Booka would be better! Like my favorite poem, "Dust if You Must!" I'm torn. I want to be a relaxed, fun person whose house is always ready for friends to drop by! But, that doesn't happen while you're Deepa Sleepa! What do you think?? Are any of y'all already happily fluttering around as FlyBabies?! Maybe if she didn't call her followers FlyBabies and FlyGuys I would be more excited about this. But then I never have been excited about cleaning! It's much more fun to write about cleaning than to actually clean. 

{Mrs. Rubba Squisha}

BREAKING NEWS! KK now has birthday cake batter donuts!

Life is sweet;

made sweeter with sweets 

from my sweetie. 

sperrys

I love my Laguna Top Sider Sperrys.

They are my first pair ever, and I am now completely Sperrified!! 

They're cushy, they're comfy, and they're green inside! 

{you can barely see a slice of the kelly color in the pic!}

Getting these shoes was definitely a lesson in "It Always Pays to Ask!"

I desperately needed something to wear on field trip last week, so I journeyed up to Goody's in Atmore with hopes high. But alas! The only Sperry my size was a gold speckled black thing that I was sure was not my style, even though I tried to convince myself that I did adore them. Along came a shoe lady whom I proceeded to beleaguer with questions such as, "Do you recommend Sperrys?" "Are they really worth the cost like everyone who owns them says they are?" and "Do you have ANYTHING else in the back in a size 9.5???" She sadly replied that all she had was what was out front, but upon seeing my mournful puppy-dog expression, she commenced to plod to the back to make absolutely sure! A few minutes later, out she came with a box in hand! "I did have this one pair back there in a 9.5! They are the newest style that just came in." 

I, with trepidation, lifted the lid and let out a great gasp of pure delight!!

"These are the very pair I had most been longing for!!" I then continued to let out such grateful acclamations of joy and gratitude that I'm not quite sure what she thought of me. I hope she always thinks it is worth it to go in the back and double check when a woman wants a pair of shoes! 

living the life of a loo redo

   

I miss my ole blog! I feel like it is always the thing to get pushed off the never-ending "to-do" list and this makes me sad. I so often don't know how I am feeling about life in general until I sit down to write about it! So here I sit to type instead of finishing up the dishes with Dawn. :) Feeling a sudden compulsion to blog immediately if not sooner, I promptly neglected the dishes and rushed to the couch to begin a small summary of our lives of late. We are doing well! Landon has been expertly re-doing the loo, which was what I thought would be a somewhat small project. NOT. Sawdust, Sheetrock dust, insulation, and dirt covered the house from tip to tail. And has stayed that way mostly until I have been attacking it today. We do love the new loo though! Bye bye  to the following: old, unused, huge Jacuzzi; ugly, country blue counter top, chintzy gold half-working light fixtures, and cracked, mended {with some yellow stuff that always made me think of urine} shower. Hello classy black counter top, new closet, sparkling white shower, and brushed silver light fixtures and cabinet handles! Fresh paint in the tint of Martha Stewart's "Dolphin" which is a pale, fresh grey, will hopefully soon be gracing the walls. Also the cabinets will be transformed from yellowish oak to a glossy white. Since the pot for our master bath is basking in sun out in our front lawn, we have been using our hall/guest bathroom. This has resulted in me becoming totally repulsed at the orange walls this small dungeon of a room!! Orange, I have learned, is NOT a calming color! I become very agitated and slightly nauseous when I have to spend any amount of time there. Come to find out, Daniel has been having these same feeling for quite some time now, but has kept them bottled up since he thought I was deeply in love with our orange loo. This will never do!! We will attempt another loo redo as soon as the time and funds are available. I'm thinking a very pale mint for the walls, and accent colors of cherry red, emerald, lime, navy or royal blue, black and white wallpaper on one wall... maybe some British nick-nacks? It's been fun to brainstorm and gather ideas! As long as there is NO ORANGE involved!!!
   Daniel has been breaking his back dozing and hoeing while putting up with the dozer and 'hoe breaking their backs. Repairs are not for the feeble-minded.
   Well, my friend Dawn is impatiently awaiting some assistance with dishes, so I shall return to the work wither it goest where I go, and lodgest where I lodge.

  

my friend Dawn

I guess I'm still feeling poetic due to the WHCS Poem Fest we had Friday night. We had a wonderful time and the children were so proud of the amazing job they did with reciting their poems, making tarts, bagging party mix, and serving the crowd. It was well worth every ounce of effort it took. Yesterday, since I had largely ignored housework for the past three days, I had the most majestic mountain of dishes and felt a surge of thankfulness for my dear friend Dawn. Hence this poem. Today I made Frozen Mocha Cheesecake Dessert for Mamalisa's belated birthday supper, along with Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta, and Ceaser Salad. We had a lovely evening with Mom and Bill. Now I need to finish making lesson plans, check some tests, and give Dawn a call as I have a small smattering of dishes to do. Have a good evening, everyone! 

I want to tell you about my dear friend Dawn.

She's always there when hope is gone.

She's steady, dependable, I can call her anytime.

And believe it or not, her favorite thing is GRIME!

Dawn loves to see the dishes piled high,

What makes her sing, makes me cry.

She gets right to it, and attacks with glee

Every stuck-on noodle of last night's spaghetti.

She smells of the islands, of a tropical clime

When Dawn does the dishes we have a good time

For the scent of pineapple takes us far far away

To a place where grease is not a part of our day.

Even though she's so helpful and cheerful and bright,

I can't quite convince her to get this thing right.

I want her so badly to do the dishes herself.

But she insists on waiting for me, the unselfish elf.

She says she just can't do the the dishes alone.

That I must gird up my loins and not groan.

That blessings will come as we work on together,

And she'll always help me no matter the weather.

So I sigh and tell Dawn that she can have it her way.

Just so she'll help me get through each fray.

Because she is the best friend that there ever was

And boy can she can make the most beautiful suds.

She makes washing dishes almost seem like fun,

And I'm almost surprised when we wash the last one.

But maybe one day she will surprise me and say,

"You know what, I'll do the dishes without you today!"

{SMF- 4.06.14}

Completely "Spring Broken"

I have written this post so many times in my head but never on digital paper.

So for those of you that can't read my thoughts yet, here it finally is in black and white! {albeit the short version}

During the magical 10 whole days of Spring Break I... Slept in. Way, way in. I cooked. Ate. Reorganized my Pinterest boards. Cooked again. Had lunch at Dixie Catfish with my friend Kristy Benner. Baked cinnamon rolls. Ate. Fished with Daniel. {I caught the biggest catfish and the most bass! Yay! Nothing like some good competitive fishing for a healthy marriage! :)} Had a fish fry. Worked 5.5 hours in the office for my Dad. {If you read that really fast it looks like 55 hours. Kind of.} Thought about taxes. Read. Emptied the entire contents of the guest room/studio closet out into the room. And left it all sitting right there where it landed. Shopped Fairhope with Priscilla and Anne and Matthew. Bought a whimsical little painting of a sad dog sitting by a red door. Purchased 2 tiny loaf pans so I can bake miniature loaves of bread for my future children like my mom baked for us. Had coffee drinks at the Southern Living-famous "Coffee Loft." Shopped Pensacola with Aunt Sue. Thought about taxes again. Worked in my classroom. Picked up litter along Garrett Road. {I've decided to adopt a highway. Shall I make my own sign?! "This road is maintained by resident Sharon M. Faircloth" LOL} Reveled in being plain lazy. Climbed the Pensacola lighthouse {all 177 steps!!!} with Mel, Katie, and Mom. Then we ate our packed lunch and laid in the sun at the beach. Blissful. Got Krispy Kreme donuts. I ate 6 in 2 days. Chocolate-covered mocha-filled, raspberry-filled, chocolate-covered creme-filled, lemon-filled, cappuccino frosted chocolate-dribbled, and one more last chocolate-covered mocha-filled. Gained 3 pounds. Drank coffee. Gave Diesel and Leroy a severe outdoor shower. And of most consequential consequence, I signed my name with red pen on the dotted line of the contract that says I will teach 5th & 6th grades at WHCS for the year of 2014-2015. So instead of staying home to {hopefully} have 1 child, I will be a working "mom" with 8 kids!

http://www.whatscookingintheburbs.blogspot.com/2012/07/bacon-cheddar-chicken-and-rice-bake.html

http://www.skinnymom.com/2012/05/11/skinny-sour-cream-enchiladas/

http://willcookforsmiles.com/2013/07/coconut-crusted-stuffed-french-toast.html

http://www.ohbiteit.com/2012/07/french-toast-dumplings-simmered-in-maple-syrup.html

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/16/chocolate-frosting-shots/

{this was a fail. Let me know you get it right. mine was soupy, not firm like the pic. but it tasted good.}

Made and ate these with Mel one night. :)

http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/2012/07/15/single-serving-deep-dish-cookie-a-la-mode/

http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/opal-newcomb/almond-joy-bars/quick-easy-cake-for-kids#.T26CR8kBVvp.pinterest

{Made these this past Thursday for the Schneider gathering we had at my folks to celebrate that Uncle Lyle and Aunt Polly were down for a visit. So wasn't a Spring Break bar. Just wanted to clarify lest you think I went completely sugar-bonkers during Spring Break! Which I guess I did....}