A Year in the Life

And Loving... I recently started a new job.  Yes, at my age it can be a little scary, but it's been great.  Before I go forward, a little back story first... ...For the last 4 1/2 years I have been a sub in my children's school system.  (if you are a mom, love kids, and need a great way to make a little spending money, I highly recommend it.)  I loved being a sub!  I was able to be like everyone's favorite aunt.  You know the one I'm talking about.  She the one who comes in and loves you for you.  She helps you get through the have to's so you can have a little fun while your mom's not around. The way a sub enters a classroom is SO important.  You have to be confident, because it's true the children can smell fear, but you also have to be available to the kids:  available to offer an ear, extra help, smiles, a few hugs, and maybe even a little discipline in a life-giving way. We would play 4 corners if everyone finished with thei...

Today is a happy day  It's Hopson's birthday.  He's 29...again.  He's off with Harry & Henry hunting in Clarksdale.  It's his birthday & I want him to do what he loves.  I think he would really love it if it were warm outside so he could sit on the porch at the lake during the gloaming .  It's his favorite time of day.  He would be drinking a beer & playing Rummikub with the fam.  There would be love, lots of laughter & me getting eaten by mosquitoes.  For his birthday I didn't spend any money.  It's one of the things he always wants.  Hopson works hard for our fam & he is the best builder, fixer, ski instructor (water & snow) & manliness passer oner around.  I did get a chuckle at his expense the other night.  He loves to brag about how he still gets carded.  We had a Costco date, and as we were checking out, the wine he was purchasing was scanned right over the bar-code reader &...

and I think I have OCD. The older I get the more I like things 'just so'.  Well, maybe a little more than just so.   I had to run to the grocery store to get some noodles for tonight's dinner, because of course I forgot to get them yesterday when I went to the grocery store.  The joys of getting older & speed grocery.  We have a grocery store that has smaller carts that I have fallen in love with.  I only have two chicks at home, so I don't need a ginormous cart anymore.  This isn't so much about the carts themselves but about the cart return areas.  One a side note, I'll admit I'm somewhat lazy.  I don't park my car closest to the door to the grocery store, I park by the cart return.  It's also a habit.  Ever tried loading four littles into the car, putting all your groceries in the car & then returning the cart before your children die from a heat stroke & everything frozen melts?  Good times.  The way ...

Hop's graduation from Auburn this May. First off, I know how weird this is.  I've posted two days in a row after not writing anything for almost a year.  All my coherent thoughts are finally surfacing after all this time. :) How my life has changed in 10 years!  10 years ago I was a crazy and stressed mom of 4 ages 5-12.  Fast forward to today & I'm still crazy, but I'm now a mom of 4 ages 15-22.  I don't know where those 10 years went, but they flew by.  While I was driving children places, teaching kids how to drive, cooking dinner, folding clothes, and monitoring homework, all my little chicks grew up.  I have always loved my children.  Duh, they're mine.  What I've really noticed over the last few years is that I like them, and I tell my children I like them.  At first they said:  "you have to we are your children", but that's an untrue statement.  I have to love them, but not like them.  I heard a mom say sh...

Dear Facebook, I wanted to let you know how much I really hate you right now.  You have turned my country, state, and city upside down.  You have made enemies out of friends and ripped us in half, and left us bleeding out.  You have lawmakers removing historical monuments because someone screamed 'those are racist'.  The 'R' word scares the holy h.e.double hockey sticks out of people, and sometimes makes them think that by just removing a symbol we can take away the pain of the past.  Wrong.  A symbol is just a symbol & an individual is the only one that can give it any power.  Hate lives within a person not a thing. To the leaders of our country, state & city:  FYI, this is a southern state.  FYI, we were part of the confederacy.  Does that mean we still believe in slavery?  No.  Does it mean that we believe in the segregation and exclusion that some people assign to this state?  No.  Does it mean we can l...

 I have noticed that over the years I've become a little cynical about some things.  I was sitting in the doctors office today (for 2 hours!  Insert frownie face here.)  and was flipping through one of the different magazines they had on the table in the waiting room.  It was a style & gossip magazine & a few questions started floating through my head. Why are certain people considered celebrities & why do we care about every aspect of their lives so much?  I find it a little ridiculous. First off, they are people.  They do a lot of the same things we all do each day.  Second, they sometimes make bad choices.  (and keep making those choices...a lot)  I'm not saying those choices make them bad people, I'm just saying they consciously put themselves in situations that are not flattering & then some of them have the audacity to be mad because they are in the press about it. Why do we care so much what the celebrities ar...

My children are pyromaniacs, but then again, aren't most children?  Mine come by it naturally.  My sister & I used to stick our fingers in candles to play with the wax & Hopson used to set rice fields on fire after they had been harvested on his family's farm growing up.  (yeah, I know, Hopson wins...)  But, playing with candles has always been a fascination of mine.  I just can't help it. Our kitchen, which I spend most of my time in, smells like rotten pumpkins right now.  Yuck!  My centerpiece that was on my table had three pumpkins & I didn't know the bottom had become rotten until yesterday.  In case you've never smelled rotten pumpkins, it's gross.  I've scrubbed my kitchen down, but I still get whiffs of it every now & then.  Bleh!  Because of the smell, I picked up some fragrance spray that I like at the grocery store.  It has a nice fresh smell to it. When I brought it home, Henry discovered it ...

For some reason, I find this article hilarious! For the love of Pete, LET ME SLEEP. But, don't tell me when to sleep; where to sleep; or how to sleep. I have found that as I have gotten older I am sleeping less and less.  My mother-in-law told me this would happen.  I really hoped she was making it up, but she wasn't.  I have noticed that I am sleepiest around 8-9, but if I can stay up to 11, I can stay up all night.  Or rather I will stay up at least until 3am.  It would be great, if I were a vampire.  Since I'm not it really stinks. If you are on social media in the middle of the night it is amazing the number of friends who are wide awake with you.  Last month I posted on facebook "I love insomnia, insomnia's my favorite" with a few cute emojies with it.  Someone made me giggle by writing back for me to make sleep my favorite.  Trust me, if I could make sleep my favorite I would. I'm an early bird, so when the sunshine is awake...

This weekend my younger two children are participating in a youth Discovery weekend at a church close to our home.  We have lots of friends that go there, so E & Henry will have a great time.  Harry is fishing with his grandfather & a friend, and Hop is still working.  Hopson & I should be childless for the weekend...but we're not.  We volunteered to keep seven 9th grade boys.  Most of whom we know & love.  Boys are easy.  Throw some food at them; let them run around & then unwind with shooting pool or watching tv & they're good.  I could do seven 9th grade girls, but I think the boys are easier.  Since we have three boys, we kinda know what to do a little better.  Plus, Elizabeth is not your typical girl.  She is very low maintenance thanks to her brothers, and that has spoiled us terribly. This morning while we were waiting for all the boys to finish showering & come down to eat breakfast, Hopson sh...

The freshman, 6th grader, senior & college sophomore This  year has been a haze.  How is it already June???  I mean, I know May flies, but we are almost half way through 2014.  Yeah, I don't think I like it, except that means we are a little over 6 months away from my birthday.  :)  December 26th, you gotta love it.  Sorry, rabbit trail!  But seriously, do you know why I don't like time moving so quickly?  It is because my kids are growing up too fast.  I worked so hard to get them all independent & then when they get really fun they leave.  :/  Not only do they leave, they really love their independence.  Hop only came home a handful of times last year, and now we are going to be getting Harry ready for the same thing, thank goodness I have another year with him. But... We are about to start another year of lasts.  Harry's lasts.  Not ready!  He'll be getting his senior portrait stuff in the ...

Well, I've done it.  I've officially gone & lost my cotton picking mind.  You know, my life is crazy.  (like every mom I know with multiple involved children.)  Crazy but manageable.  April is beyond it all.  Here's a sampling of April:  Relay for Life, Prom, Interviews for a friend, lacrosse games, practice, dance, dance tryouts, photo classes, an art show & I'm co-chair, Easter, college child's finals & move out by May 2nd.  Yeah, this month is going to be nuts without anything else thrown in, but with everyone's ages it is also easier. Three kids still at home:  all can wake themselves up; shower; clothe; brush their own teeth; wipe their own bottoms; tie their own shoes; make their own lunches. I have one crazy chihuahua, almost 6.  Pretty much house broken.  She doesn't chew up underwear, socks or anything else any more.  It's good.  Well, it was. I want to thank my brother & sister-in-law for intr...

I've been so remiss lately about posting.  I had forgotten how CraZY December is.  One more big deep breath...tomorrow is the last day of school for this semester.  The fam is very excited about this fact.  (I would be lying if I said that I wasn't ready too.) Anyway, I posted something on my sorority alum blog & wanted to send you over.  Anyone can read it.  It about the 'S' word.  It's a word we don't say here in the south unless we want all heck to break loose.  :)  Y'all know what it is! Well, gotta go.  Have to pick E up from dance & help Hopson make some Red Fish Cubion .    I'm not too crazy about it.  I like butternut squash bisque myself.  :)  Yum, comfort food!  I may have to make some for me.  Have a wonderful Thursday! Celebrating Life! ~ashley

It Saturday.  I'm working on a lot of different things today.  I'm watching college football.  Life is good! On a normal day, 99% of all commercials on TV really bug me, but today I saw one that I can really identify with.  It's a little scary, and I hate having to look at myself so closely.  I don't like to admit it, but I can not tell a lie.  I am superstitious.  Here is the commercial that at first made me really laugh & then think...wait, I'm like this.  Not in a crazy bad way, but in a tiny little bit way.  Just in case you couldn't get enough of the superstitious commercials, here's another one . The superstition begins Thursday.  I'm the senior mom who gets food for the linebackers.  I pick up something different every week, and I have to have it to the school by 2:20.  Every position group has a mom that does this.  I love it.  I get the food & have a qu...

Oh.My.Goodness. Look at all this stuff in my living room.  It's a little overwhelming.  October 25th is the Ballet Women's Committee Fall Extravaganza.  We have a holiday shoppe, silent auction, fashion show, and a drawing for some mack daddy inside-out diamond earrings.  (I really hope I win them!) My house is serving as the holding pen for all the silent auction things.  It's not so bad except that I really want to keep a lot of the stuff that's in here.  I know exactly where I would put the things I'm storing.  ;)  Just kidding, my house is already so full of stuff I really don't need anything else.  But, it has been fun to see everything the members have brought.  It's given me some great ideas for my house.  Today we worked on getting everything priced.  The red & white stuff is not quite my taste... I love orange & blue.  :) Well, I really need to go work on some bid sheets.  Lots to do &...

I really need a wife or full time secretary to keep up with my schedule.  I came dangerously close to forgetting to make Henry's birthday snack for school tomorrow.  Now, I know some of you are laughing and saying that it's no big deal, but to the child who was forgotten, it's a huge deal. I usually make a huge cookie cake and write Happy Birthday with all the children's names on it.  It's easy & fun & everyone wants to eat their own name.  Don't you remember calling your own name on your birthday cake?  To make matters a little worse, we still haven't had Henry's birthday party.  Every time we've tried to have it, all his friends have been out of town.  :(  It's a real bummer.  So, we're going to do something for one of the high school football games.  The guys can go down after the game & have their pictures made with the varsity guys.  Hopefully they'll t...

Well, I'm looking at my calendar for the week, and I can feel my blood pressure going up.  No really, I can.  I all of a sudden have a very big headache and I think I'm going to hyperventilate.  You know that moment when you just realize that you have too many things to do & not enough time to do them in.  Yeah, I'm there. I get this way at the start of every school year.  Too much to do and it's my fault for agreeing to it.  I'm serious about becoming a hermit.  I'm going to quit answering emails & my phone.  I'll be that parent that people ask "I don't know her, help me place her".  They'll say:  "you remember her, she's the one who went crazy trying to be and do everything; she's a control freak, and it drove her literally crazy".  They'll catch glimpses of me like I'm Sasquatch.  I'll become a legend.  ;) Maybe I'll just a legend in my own mind.  LOL.  I complain, but I like it....

Hello school time schedule.  I didn't really miss you all that much.  I really enjoyed hanging out with the fam & not worrying about who needed to be where, or what homework/projects needed to be completed.  But, now you're back.  Now when I look at what needs to be done, the list is a mile long.  Yeah, you're kinda a drag and you're making me grey. I think I've bitten off more than I can chew.  I have a tendency to do that.  Everything I am helping with are great things, but when I say yes to someone, I may not be thinking about all the prep work that goes with it, or at the time I may not be doing a whole lot, so adding one more thing is not that big of a deal.  **Note to self ~ It's a big deal, flex your 'No' muscles.  Some times I just wish I wasn't a joiner.  I like to feel needed, what can I say?  I think I'll move into a cave and become a hermit.  No wait, caves don't have electr...

You know how you have friends who have random talents, totally obscure, and totally useless talents.  Well, I have a few.  I know you're totally shocked.  One I learned in high school as a freshman & the other I learned in college as a sophomore.  I'm sure I have others but these are the most prominent.  You know when you eat something sour and little drops of spit will fly out of your mouth?  I've heard it called snake spitting, yanging, or gleeking.  No matter what you call it, I can do it at random.  I know, it's gross.  What can I say?  I had a lot of guy friends in high school and they taught me how.  I'll eat something sour and can spit 10-12 times in a row without stopping.  When the kiddos were young they thought it was hilarious, and would ask me to do it a ton of times in a row.  Now they'll just shake their heads because they don't have this wonderful random talent.  I'm glad my momma...

Wow, I feel like I need a nap.  I have been cooking dinners this afternoon for the next few nights.  CraZy.  I grouse, but you know I love it.  Especially since I'm cooking some of the things the fam has been asking me to cook for at least the last month.  :)  I hope it is like a happy little surprise.  Hopson will get his chicken meatballs, Harry his Friday special, and they all like the hamburger pie.  Wins all around, and a mom who will be at peace because no throwing something together last minute.  :) Yea!!!  I think I may have to start doing this more often, especially once school starts.  It's kind of a pain while you're cooking, but now that I'm done I feel such a sense of accomplishment.  It's not that what I was cooking was difficult; it just takes time to get all the ingredients together and cook each thing.  I used three different kinds of meat for the meals this week, but normal...