.023. who's that doggie in the window?

Today was spent doing school work. I'm trying to get ahead so I don't have to worry about doing anything while I'm in Ohio next week for Thirty-One's National Conference. I began by reading the required course materials while sitting on my comfy couch in my room, or should I say Lexi's comfy couch? Anywho...As I was reading my course materials, Lexi and Sophie decide to join me on the couch. Mind you, this is not a large couch. So, we all cuddle up as I read the intriguing Comprehensive Classroom Management textbook. I know, y'all want to borrow this book right away. I will be happy to lend it to anyone in need after my eight week course is over. I'm in week 1. Happy Waiting! :)

All of that to say...Sophie follows me everywhere when I'm home alone. Lexi is fine being by herself, usually on my bed or on my, her, couch. However, Sophie is a different sort. She likes to be right next to me. If I'm sitting at my desk, she sits on the window seat right next to my desk. If I'm on the couch, she's on the couch. If I'm in the potty, she's in the potty. So, I was sitting at my desk trying to complete my paper that is due this week so maybe, just maybe, I can get the paper that's due next week done tomorrow? All of the sudden, my blinds are moving. I look over to find...

the puppy in the window.

Oh happy days!

Bye y'all!

.022. ratatouille

or something like that.

Tonight, I was good. I prepared a nice, home-cooked meal that was ready when my mother walked in the door. I call that being a good daughter. No, I haven't cleaned the house and hope to get to that sometime this week; however, I did cook a, what I thought, was a delicious meal. Do I get praise? No. I get a "Soup?!" and a nose curl in disgust. How ungrateful. She did clean her bowl though, so it must not have been as bad as she imagined. I, on the other hand, thought my supper was scrumptious. I made Sante Fe Chicken Ragout with yummy cornbread. In my opinion, yes, it probably would have been better in the winter time because it did turn out a lot like a chili in texture. But, I found nothing wrong with the taste or seasoning. It was not just an "alright" dish. I was pretty dern good! Oh well! I suppose you can't please them all.

What should I fix tomorrow? Suggestions are welcome...

This is my summer life!

.021. a night at the cinema

I love movies almost as much as I love books. You don't get the wonderful smell from movies like you do from books, but movies are very entertaining. I have quite the movie collection. I took pictures to show you. Yes, it takes more than one picture to share my rapidly spreading DVD collection. I have yet to venture into the world of the Blu-Ray discs. Perhaps, one day.

What is my favorite movie, you may ask. Well, that is a tough question. I can't say that I have a true one movie that can be labeled as my favorite. Once again, I love romantic comedies. That is just the niche I was born to be a part of. So, one movie that I could watch over and over and over and over is Dirty Dancing. Oh Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. They are amazing together in that movie. It is a classic. On the newer side of things, I love Sex and the City. I have the complete series, as well as the movie. I haven't gotten to see Sex and the City 2, yet. I think I'll use my free admission to the $2 theater for that. Sound like a plan? Yep!

Ok, this may make me sound like a complete dweeb, but oh well. I love Little House on the Prairie. My all time favorite TV show, hands down, this is it. I have all ten seasons on DVD and will sometimes get the urge to watch several episodes. Who doesn't like Little House? I think it should be a crime not to like it.

I think it's time to reveal my movie collection...hold on to your seat...

With room left to grow! :)

G'Night World!

This is my summer life!

.020. just preparing

I'm preparing this area for the blog that I will post tomorrow. I think this might be called writer's block? I'll post in the morning while procrastinating over my school work! Night folks!

~UPDATE~
I love to read. It's something I inherited from my daddy, I guess. My mom gets a wild hair every now and then and decides to read a book. However, now, she is on an audio book kick. I don't consider that reading. That's simply being a good listener.

I have several books that I need to read. I can't help buying books. It must be a sickness. The smell of a new book is intoxicating. Don't get me started on the smell of book stores. Last night, we ran in WalMart for a couple things. It was like the books were drawing me to them. So, like the dutiful reader that I am, I wandered the isles looking for that one perfect book that I wanted to purchase. Found it! I like to get books by authors that I haven't read before because it broadens my perspective. Of course, I like to stay in the romantic comedy genre. Yes, I know, how cliche. I'm a girl who loves romantic comedies. Oh well!

I thought I'd share a picture of the books in my "Need to be Read" pile...

I think I can get these read this summer. What do y'all think? I'll just lock myself in my room and it'll get done. Of course, then I'd be neglecting my school work. Hmmmm...what to do, what to do?

Adios for now!

This is my summer {reading} life!

.019. it's raining, it's pouring, inside?

Tonight I had a girls' night out with my mom. I love having these nights. It gives my mom and me some time to catch up and talk girly things. Tonight we ate at Carrabba's because we love Italian! Then, we headed over to Masters Cinema, which is the $2 movie theater in Augusta. They don't have the new releases, but they have the movies that have been in theaters a while. We went to see The Last Song. Mom and I both read the book. Well, I read the book and Mom listened to the audio book that my Secret Pal had gotten me while she drove to work. The movie was pretty good, but it was like a movie and a stage show in one. 

In the middle of the movie, one of the ceiling tiles comes crashing down with a SPLASH! The people that were sitting around it popped up like they were sitting on springs. It didn't land on anyone, but it was close. After the initial splash, it continuously streamed through the ceiling for the rest of the movie. Then, the tile next to that one decided to be a copy cat and do the same thing. This one was a little more theatrical because it began with a SPLASH! then, after we were all engrossed in the movie again, we heard a PLOP! The final piece of the ceiling tile had fallen. As we sat watching the rest of the movie, praying for the movie to end before the ceiling tiles above our head decided to give way, we watched the steady stream of water and the movie in the background.

On our way out of the theater, the manager is standing there handing Admit One tickets as she profusely apologizes for the "ceiling collapsing on us". What a way to end an interesting evening! But hey! We get to go back to see Sex and the City 2 for FREE! Yes! I'm so glad I get to save the $4!

I guess you all have gathered that a pretty bad rain storm must have come through in order for the rain to enter the building, right? Well, on the way home, the sky looked interesting, to say the least. I had taken my camera with me so I could get some shots for my blog, so at every red light I'd try to get pictures of the sky. Below is the best I could get. Kinda artsy?

 I'll leave y'all with that! Night folks!

This is my summer {thunderstorm} life!

.018. enchilada

I didn't get to make my Shrimp Fried Rice last night because the shrimp had been in the fridge too long. So, it had to go in the garbage. Tonight, I made Enchilada Casserole. I have to admit, I've done better. I think I need to tweek this recipe. Overall, it's a good recipe; however, I think I should substitute the enchilada sauce for Mexican style stewed tomatoes. The enchilada sauce had a funny taste to me. Michael seemed to like it though. I did add ground beef to the recipe because we're not vegetarians over here!

Here it is! It sure looks yummier than it tasted. Maybe I'll have to tweek the recipe and then post a new picture. 

I'm going to post the recipe, as is, from the cookbook. I'm taking it from the Miracle Foods Weight Watchers cookbook.

Enchilada Casserole

Cooking Spray

1 (10 ounce) package frozen southwestern style corn and roasted red peppers, thawed

1 (19 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon salt

1 (15 ounce) can red enchilada sauce, divided

13 corn tortillas, cut in half

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1. Coat a medium skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high head until hot.{This is where I added onions and ground beef} Add corn mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Add black beans and salt; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

2. Spoon 1/3 cup enchilada sauce over bottom of 13 x 9 inch baking dish; spread evenly. Arrange 8 tortilla halves over sauce. Spoon half of corn mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layer with 8 tortilla halves, remaining corn mixture, and 1/3 cup cheese. Top with remaining 10 tortilla halves. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.

3. Cover and back at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and back 5 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with sour cream. Yield: 8 servings.

Let me know if you try it. I'd love to know your opinion on this recipe. I think it's a great idea, just needs a little work on the implementation. 

Til tomorrow...

This is my summer life!

"Were you in a pageant today?"

I love little people! This is why I chose to become a teacher. I walked into clogging tonight and one of the little ones whose Mama is in my class said, "Were you in a pageant today?" I assume she asked this because of my new hair. See, it's having an impact already! I went back and forth with her for a little bit and then I asked, "Do you think I won?" and she said "Yes!" Ahhh...how little ones can make a day just absolutely perfect, even if I really didn't win a pageant today! *smiles*

.017. perm{anent}

I told y'all last night that I thought Lexi may have a urinary tract infection. I'm sure if Lexi was human and she knew that I was sharing this information with the entire virtual world, she would be humiliated. Lucky for her, she is a canine companion that thinks she's human. Well, after I wrote my blog, I decided to check her out. Now, I do not like ticks. They are nasty and yucky, so I try to check her periodically because we do live amidst a pine tree forest. Well, evidently one little booger escaped me and he wound up in a very uncomfortable place for Lexi. After removing the little invader, Lexi has felt much better! Glad to have saved my $100 and helped Lexi out.

This morning, feeling much better relaxing with Grandpa Bear!

On a funnier note...I made my bed this morning and then went to get ready to head to Greenwood for my perm. When I walked back into my room to get dressed, this is what I found...

I felt like Goldilocks. "Who has been sleeping in my bed?" Are y'all wondering who is under there? I bet a few of you could guess. But, it's Sophie! She must not have been ready to get her lazy tail out of bed, so she just made her way under the covers. I did enjoy my Goldilocks moment though.

Now, drumroll please, my new hair!

Whatcha think? I think I love it! I can't wash it or really play in it for 48 hours, but I think it's cute! Ashley, a student at Charzanne Beauty College in Greenwood and a girl that is in my clogging class, did it. I must say, she did a fabulous job! Thanks Ashley! :)

I am really on top of things today. It's not even 5 o'clock and my discussion question is done for the week, my blog for today is about to be posted, and the dishes are done (Happy, Mom?)!

Time to cook some supper! Shrimp Fried Rice, anyone?

Ta-ta!

This is my summer life!

.016. i dunno

I really have no idea what to tell y'all about this evening. I did have a Thirty-One party tonight. Oh, how I do love to go to my Thirty-One parties. They are so much fun. And tonight, I had a ball with Barbara's friends. We played games, chatted, and looked at great Thirty-One products. Now, that's what I call a good time! :)

It looks like Lexi may have another urinary tract infection, not fun. Which means, I'm going to have to spend at least $100 at Lincolnton Animal Hospital tomorrow. Oh joy! When she gets these infections, she will plop her hiney down abruptly. So, today, when I would let her out, she would run out there door and immediately plop her hiney down in the grass. This is a sign she may have a urinary tract infection. Why are dogs so expensive? Ah yes! Because it is almost like having a child. I do consider Lexi my baby, my daughter, so, as a good parent, I will be taking her to Lincolnton Animal Hospital in the morning. Which means, I have to get up extra early, let's say 8. And yes, on Summer time, that is early. And I will hike over to Lincolnton to get her peepee tested and her some antibiotics. Then, I have to make my way to Greenwood tomorrow for my harir appointment at 1. Yes, I was able to squeezed in somewhere else to get the perm that I missed on Monday (yesterday, right?).

Artistic, maybe? Or just plain blurry.

Well, I guess I did have more to share than I realized. Anywho...I will update y'all tomorrow on my baby, Lexi.

Goodnight World!

This is my summer life!

.015. today is?

Just so everyone knows, today is Monday, June 21, 2010. I was unaware of this fact until about 4:00PM, just in time to remember that I had missed my appointment to get my perm, which was at 1:00PM. Why couldn't I have remembered earlier? I think summer is beginning to catch up with me. Since school is no longer in session and I am no longer writing the date on the whiteboard daily, I have no idea what today is. So, I have no perm, but I do know what today is now. To put the icing on the cake, Mom had asked Michael if they were going to go to the dump today (since we don't have trash pick-up). Michael said no, but I chimed in and said "Today is Sunday!" Oh lordy! This was AFTER I had already gone through the whole ordeal of missing my appointment. I think it's time I invest in a calendar that I can tape to my forehead so when I look in the mirror in the morning, I'll know what the day is.

All of that to share that I created a flier today. I'm rather proud of my flier. I think it turned out pretty good. Just in case my blog readers were not already aware, I am having a Mystery Hostess Party. Through this party, for every $20 anyone spends, they will be entered into a drawing to win the Hostess Benefits (FREE and HALF-PRICE items) for this party. The party ends July 14th, so get those orders in to me! The customer special is AMAZING! It's a Sneak Peek at our Fall line, which will be coming out in August. When you spend $31, you can get the Littles Carry-All Caddy for $5 with FREE embroidery! How awesome is that?!

My flier. :)

We also had a pretty amazing dinner. We had rice pilaf (my version), grilled squash an zucchini, and grilled mahi mahi. Talk about a yummytastic dinner?! That's it! I took a picture for all of you to drool over. Enjoy!

Ta-ta for now!

This is my summer, don't know the date, life!

.014. another reserved spot

I had all intentions of updating yesterday's and today's blogs this evening; however, my brother had different plans. I shall update in the morning! I have pictures ready for y'all, just gotta write and post!

See ya tomorrow!

~UPDATE~

This morning, Michael cooked breakfast. Yummy! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I love most any type of breakfast foo. Bagels, English muffins, Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Fruit, Toast, Cereal, Spam, Grits, and on and on... Y'all know what Grits stands for right? Girls Raised In The South. That's me! Michael fixed eggs, bacon, grits, and toast. It was delicious! The right way to start off a beautiful Sunday morning!

After our delicious, stick to you ribs breakfast, we headed over to Michael's to pick blackberries. Michael was set on having a blackberry cobbler. We all got a bucket and went to pickin'. We wound up with quite a few blackberries, but the cobbler went kapooey, so it wasn't the best.

Some blackberries aren't quite ripe yet, so I guess we'll get another chance to make the blackberry cobbler just right! 

Finally caught up!

This is my summer life!

.013. reserved

I am reserving this for me to fill you in on today's happenings tomorrow. I'm too tired to type right now! See you tomorrow!

~UPDATE~

Ok...Saturday...I spent most of the day with my mom. We rode into town (McCormick) to go to Hobo Consignments and pick up the check for her junque she consigned. Then, I convinced her to go into a new little boutique in town that has women's clothing and accessories. I found a cute denim skirt and mom got some black capris. All in all, it was a successful trip. I took a picture of the store front to share with y'all.

Then, we came home and fiddled with the pond for a bit. We had to rearrange plants and clean filters and all that pond stuff. After that, we were nice and sweaty. We decided to take showers and head to Augusta to shop at the mall and eat at P.F. Changs (my favorite!). We didn't get home till late, but I rather enjoyed my Saturday.

I also got a picture of Dixie in her "wimmin' pool"

Ain't she adorable? :) Makes me smile.

On to the next update...

This is my summer life!

.012. nothin' like the smell of fresh cut grass

My mission for today was to simply get my paper done. As y'all may recall, last week my Friday was spent doing nothing but writing a paper, which left me feeling frazzled. I was expecting today to be much of the same; however, I was pleasantly surprised when I was totally finished with my paper by 1:30PM! That gave me the rest of the afternoon to actually enjoy SUMMER! So, I decided I was going to cut grass. Mind you, I have not cut grass since we lived at the lake and had a huge yard and I got to ride a nice riding mower. Well, we inherited a riding mower from my Papaw and this one seems to be a bit more complicated because I couldn't get the darn thing cranked. I called Michael at work for assistance, but he was no help because all he told me was that he was having trouble with it too and he needed to play with it. My plan was to cut his grass and ours. But...I had to resort to the push mower, so there was no way I was going to cut his couple acres with a push mower. So, I cut the grass around the house and felt very invigorated after I did. All by myself. I even got the lawn mower cranked by myself. I was very proud, to say the least. After I finished cutting the grass, I took a little break. Then, I cleaned out Dixie's kiddie pool because she looked miserably hot. As soon as I put clean, cold water in her yellow, plastic pool, she was in it. At first, she just stood there, but as the water began to rise, she would dunk her head getting all the way to her ears wet. I was trying to get her to roll over in it, but she looked at me like I was crazy.

My companion for the afternoon. We'll call him Mr. Lawn Mower.

My pedicured feet don't look so pedicured after cutting the grass in flip flops.

Maybe I can get some pictures of Dixie in her pool at some point.

Adios for now!

This is my summer life!

.011. "she put sprinkles on my toes!"

Today was Girls' Day! Nicole, Emily, and I made our way to Greenwood for much needed pedicures. I had originally decided to get my signature french tip, but Nicole inspired me to get hot pink! Then, on my big toes, I got Palmetto trees. Emily was so excited all the way to Greenwood, but when we got to VyVy Nails, she decided she didn't want her toe nails painted. After watching her momma and me get ours done, she decided that she would let the woman, not the man, paint her toes as long as the woman took her gloves off while she sat in her momma's lap. So, I took a picture of Nicole and Emily sitting in the kiddy pedicure chair, yes they have a chair just for kids! They like to start them young! When the lady was adding the finishing touches of sparkly nail polish on Emily's toes, Emily said, "Momma! She put sprinkles on my toes!" Love it!!

PS...I tell Nicole all the time that Emily gets her blonde hair from me!

Til tomorrow...

This is my summer life!

.010. super

Tonight was Clogging night! I love Wednesdays, mostly because I love clogging! We are in the process of learning new steps to put into our next dance. Keeping our fingers crossed, hopefully we'll have two dances before Gold Rush in September. I think we can do it. So, tonight we learned a new combo. The crab, stomp heal step, 2 basics, toes, canadian, and a step similar to the high horse. Whew! It's a lot, let me tell you! So, anywho! Mamie, our teacher, said "Alright, let's put it all together! The one that gets it right on the first try will get a sticker! Hey! It works with the younger groups." FYI, the adult class is pretty competitive, so we all want to get it right! I don't typcally mess up, so she counts, "5, 6, 7, 8" and we start dancing! I do everything perfect, don't mess up! WOOHOO! So, Mamie gave me a sticker and like the obedient student that I am, I took it and placed it on my shirt proudly.

SUPER! :)

However, I did mess up tonight. I wanted to change the ending of another step in a different combo and Mamie said we would just overlook my little mistake since I never mess up! HA! I just love her!

All in all, today was a pretty good day.

This is my summer life!

Davis and I

The picture I have been telling y'all about for several weeks. Davis is much bigger now, but isn't he the most precious thing you have ever seen?

I think y'all can tell that I like to borrow other people's children. *smile* However, I always return them! 

My lifelong friend, Rebecca, that lives too far away became an aunt today for the fourth time! Rebecca's brother, John, and his wife, Kimberly, welcomed their second child, a beautiful baby girl into the world today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDI JEWELL!!

.009. my babies

Connor and Emily are absolutely dolls! They are my babies and I believe I would do just about anything for them. Today, I got to see them for a split second before they were out the door on their way to Bible School. Their daddy said Connor had been saying "Pier-iss" all afternoon. Makes me smile that those babies seem to love me as much as I love them. Miss Emily had got me some presents from their beach trip last week. I got a sea shell and a shot glass that says Jennifer. AND...Emily actually called me Miss Jennifer today. Maybe we can get on a first name basis eventually. So, I did take a picture of her with her pink cowgirl hat when she was in her car seat, but it's on my phone. So, I'm going to share a couple pictures I took of those babies at Relay for Life so y'all can see their precious faces!

This is the adorable Miss Emily! Just love her!

And this is Connor, as he says, "CHEEEEEEEEEESE!" Love it!

So these are my babies and would proudly claim them as my own! If Nicole (their mommy) is ever missing a kid...I think she would know where to find them! :)

These kids were the highlight of my day!

Til tomorrow...

This is my summer life!

.008. Davis

I went to the big town of Abbeville today to visit Stephanie. She's the friend I told y'all about earlier that just had a baby. So, of course, my main reason for going was not to see Stephanie, but to see Davis. I have to report that Davis is a cutie patootie! Yes, he did pitch a royal fit (so cute!!) when I was there, but I made him happy for a few minutes with a bottle. Then, all afternoon, he didn't want to go to sleep. I think it's because he knew I had come to see him! Davis and I are just like that. One of these days maybe Stephanie can catch a breather and send me the adorable picture of me and Davis. I should have gotten one today, but I forgot my camera at home. Shame on me!

Stephanie and I then made our way to Greenwood for two reasons. One, we were on a mission to find something yellow to wear. Mrs. Rice's favorite color was yellow, so all of MES is going to wear yellow to her funeral tomorrow, but neither of us had anything yellow. And the second reason is for her visitation. It was nice to see my MES family, but it was terrible circumstances.

Tomorrow, the plan is to attend Mrs. Rice's funeral. My MES family will be meeting and visiting beforehand as we celebrate her life with a hotdog lunch. Then, we will say our final goodbyes.

After the funeral, I'm going to visit my favorite three year old and almost two year old in the whole wide world! Emily and Connor! I love those kids to pieces! I am Miss Pier-iss to them. I love it! Perhaps I'll get some pictures of those angels to share with y'all tomorrow!

Ta-ta for now!

This is my summer life.

.006. & .007. combined

Yes, I know. I'm a day behind. I actually did post something yesterday, but let's just say, it wasn't my best work. Moving on...

The principal of McCormick Elementary School, Mrs. Eleanor Rice, passed away Saturday morning. She was a wonderful lady and she will be terribly missed. She was my first real principal and she made me feel welcome in her school. I will miss seeing her smiling face and her in the lunchroom on hot dog day. She loved her hot dogs. Which is one reason the faculty and staff will be celebrating her life Tuesday with a hot dog lunch before we say our final goodbyes at her funeral.

 The Faculty and Staff of MES {Mrs. Rice is on the front row in black capris and a blue and white sweater}

(I wasn't in the picture because, technically, I am not faculty or staff. However, I did take this picture.)

On a lighter note, I am starting a new summer job tomorrow. I will be tutoring a fourth grader. What fun! I'm so excited to get started. I get to keep on teaching through the summer! I hope I will be able to make a difference in his life. I will update more tomorrow after our first session. Wish me luck!

Tomorrow, I plan to get back to my daily posts. The weekend just got me all messed up.

Til tomorrow...

This is my summer life.

.005. frazzled

...is how I feel.

Today has been...draining. I have been putting off this paper that I had to write (that's due Sunday) all week. Today was the day that I had to do it or it would ruin my whole weekend. So, at about 11 this morning, I sat down at the computer with the intentions of being finished with this paper by 2 at least. Boy Oh Boy! How wrong I was! It is not 6 o'clock and I just finished. Or what I think is finished. I still have no idea if it's correct.

So, I feel frazzled. I don't normally get frazzled over stuff like this. Typically, it comes easy, I do it, and I move on. Today is a different story. Now that I feel frazzled, I start to think about Mrs. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus. Remember those crazy books? Yes, that is how I feel.

That's me! Frazzled Mrs. Frizzle!

Time for some Friday night pizza and relaxation!

This is my summer{school} life!

.004. new prospects

My focus for the last year and half, well basically two years, has been to get a job teaching at McCormick Elementary School. When I began my student teaching at this school, I immediately fell in love with the students. They are so wonderful! After I finished my student teaching and graduated, I dedicated myself to subbing at this wonderful school. That's what I have been doing for the last year and a half. Subbing. There is one particular class that I have not subbed in because I am not certified through DSS. Well, these kids in this class know my name and insist on giving me the most wonderful hugs when I am walking down the hallway. I looked forward to those moments. These are the kids that I seem to miss the most now that school is out for the summer. I had hope that this is where I would wind up next school year, in my own classroom. Due to cut backs and budget cuts, that prospect is not looking its brightest. However, today, I have heard from two different people about openings in other nearby school districts.This brightened my day and alleviated the sweating, caused by the what if's and what next year holds for me, for the time being. There is hope that I could have my own classroom. My own classroom. Ahhh. What would that feel like?

I have known that I wanted to be a teacher since I was in first grade and never steered away from that dream. I taught my stuffed animals how to read and do arithmetic; they were wonderful, well-behaved students. In a sense, I suppose I have had my own classroom. On those afternoons when I would come home from school and, instead of doing homework, I would banish myself to my bedroom and recount the days lessons with my stuffed animals. They were most eager to learn what I had learned at school that day. I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but I would even take this to a further extent. I made worksheets and got my mom to copy a class set at work. Then, I would teach the lesson, hand out the worksheets to my eager students, explain the directions, take them up so I could complete them (in different handwriting, of course, because not every student had the same handwriting), then I would pass them back out again only to take them back up because the students had finished their work. I would grade the papers with my red pen. Then, for the third time, I would hand the papers back out to go over what the students had done wrong. After I had finished my lesson, I collected the papers because after school had dismissed, I needed my bed to sleep!

I don't think this career is something that I simply decided to go into when I got to college because I was being pressured. No, this career is one that I have been dreaming of, training for, and aspiring to be for virtually my whole life. This is the career that I was born to do.

Today, I feel there is hope for me to have my own classroom. A classroom that has "Miss Pearce Room so and so" on the outside of the door. A classroom filled with students that are just as eager to learn as my stuffed animals once were. A classroom where I can touch the lives of my students in such a way that will change their lives forever.

Teaching my first set of second graders in my first clinical at Lander University

There is hope.

This is my summer life!

.003. national conference

Thirty-One National Conference is July 8th! I am so super excited about this! I know, I know. Thirty-One seems to be the subject of most of my blogs these days, but that's okay! I love Thirty-One! I had a conference call this evening about National Conference and now I am super pumped to get going! I haven't even gone to Conference yet, but I have already set the goal of being a Director by next year's conference. Which means, I need some recruits! Want to own your own business? Let me know! Thirty-One is a wonderful company to work with. I have been more successful with Thirty-One than I ever dreamed I would be. Now is a GREAT time to sign up because you could earn a rebate on your kit (basically getting your kit for FREE) just by qualifying in your first 30 days, which is so super easy! Anywho! Let me know if you want more information about joining my team!

This is my summer life!

.002. my daddy

So, today is one of those days that didn't have much significance until three years ago. June 8, 2007, my life changed forever. I had always been the "normal" kid with both my parents, still married, and my older brother that I got along with, for the most part. But, on that day, in early June, my world was turned upside down. I sat down here to write this blog with the intentions of recounting those early morning hours that will never be forgotten, but I don't seem to be able to do that. On June 8, 2007, my daddy passed away. The events that happened that lead up to this or the events that took place after do not change this fact. The fact that I wish I could change. By no means would I call my relationship with my daddy perfect, but we did have a relationship. My mom says that we argued so much because we're so much alike. We both had a need to be right all the time, we had strong opinions, and we but heads quite a bit. However, I would give anything to have one more argument with my daddy. In fact, the evening before, we were doing our usual, arguing. I wanted to play cards, a typical evening summer activity in our household. But, for some reason, daddy just didn't feel like playing that night. Should we have suspected something from this? I don't know. There are so many things, looking back, that perhaps I should have seen as being suspicious, foretelling what lies ahead.

On June 5th, my parents would have celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary.  I wish I could have surprised them with a romantic meal, like I did three years ago.

We took my daddy's boat out on the lake Memorial Day weekend, I already told y'all about this. I couldn't help but think that daddy was with us. I'm not one of those people that feel the need to visit the cemetery often. I don't feel like my daddy is there. My daddy is with me all the time. Every time I argue with my mom or my brother, I feel myself acting like my daddy would have. My daddy is with me when I need him most. Lately, I have noticed my brother picking up little habits that were characteristic of my daddy. His grilling technique is coming into its own, but while he stands at the grill, he'll wipe his hand on the back of his khaki pants, just like daddy. Or while we're playing cards on the back deck on summer nights, he'll wiggle his toes in concentration. Or when he is relaxing, he'll put his hands behind his neck and his feet up in front of him. Or when we're standing outside, he'll find something to prop his foot on so that he can lean on his knee. All of these things are my daddy. My daddy will be with me forever.


Three years have gone by, but I will never forget my daddy.

This is my summer life.

.001. Sonic Blast

I'm back! Tonight I had a Thirty-One social in Greenwood at Sonic. I love Sonic. Well, it turns out that the only two that made it to the social were me and my director, Ashley. Even though our team bailed on us, we still had a good time chit chatting about this and that. Yes, we did talk some business and then we talked about our frustrations with being in the teaching profession. Maybe one day there will be job openings for us. However, for now, we have Thirty-One and I am very thankful for that. We had some ice cream while we did our chit chatting. Then, we went our separate ways. It was a nice evening. I didn't take any pictures to share. Sorry!

Til tomorrow...

This is my summer life!

Lots to Tell!

Yes, I know. It has been way too long since I have visited. I definitely had good intentions of updating my blog last week; however, last week was the last week of school, so needless to say, it was busy! Now, it's my first official day of Summer! What else do I have to do besides update my blog? Therefore, I am going to update my blog daily (cross your fingers that I keep this up!) throughout the summer. I'm hoping to fit this in to my nightly ritual. Alright...so be looking for my blog tonight. But, before I can start fresh with my summer blogging experience, I must update you on what has been going on the last couple of weeks. Ready? Here I go!

Last weekend, Memorial Day weekend, we spent Saturday out on the boat. Our mission was to go fishing and catch enough for supper. 5:45 AM:Michael is at our house waking us up because we need to be on the lake by sunrise. After getting dressed, stopping for gas and munchies, we were on the lake a little after sunrise. Since I did not get my fishing license, I took a book and read while Mom attempted to catch a fish and Michael caught 3 decent sized Bass. After fishing for a while, we needed to cool off, so we found a sandy bank that we could park the boat on and we all jumped in. It was very refreshing! After spending most of the day on the lake, we went home, showered, and headed to Augusta. I failed to mention that my cell phone went to cell phone heaven that morning. It had been dropped one too many times and well, did not make it through its last drop. So, I needed to go to Verizon ASAP to get me a new phone. When we arrive at Verizon, it was amazing! The lady was actually very helpful! However, she teased me with the LG Ally. She let me play with hers and told me how wonderful it was. Then, went to the back to get me one and...they didn't have any! The LG Ally could only be ordered. I believe I have already mentioned that it was Memorial Day weekend...so there was no way I would get this phone anytime soon. I bit the bullet and told her to order it. I was informed that I should have it by Wednesday. WEDNESDAY! That was 4 days from then! So, I got my old Chocolate activated. Talk about torture!

Can't go anywhere without my Thirty-One products! :)

The whole next week was full of last week of school events, as well as anticipation for my new phone. Wednesday, my phone arrived, just as promised.



This past weekend was spent in Columbus, Georgia. This is where my grandparents live. My mom's mom and dad and my dad's mom and brother. So, needless to say, it was a busy weekend. Saturday, we went to the Infantry Museum at Fort Benning with my Oma and Opa (Mom's parents). It was an awesome museum! I've never been to a museum that didn't bore me to death. I told my brother that it was like the History Channel coming to life! (For those of you that don't know, my brother LOVES the History Channel!) When you enter the museum, you start by walking through this life-like timeline through different eras of the Army. This is where I took one of my favorite pictures (see below). Then, you enter the actually museum areas with the artifacts and such. Downstairs, they have different sections for different time periods. I really wanted to go in the Civil War area, but it was closed. It was an interesting trip and I would highly recommend it if you are ever in that area.

Then, we spent the afternoon with my Dad's mom and brother out at their little farm. We played cards (I won, of course!) then I took a nice nap! It's very rare that I get the chance to take an afternoon nap, but this one was so nice. After spending time with both sides of the family, we headed home Sunday afternoon.

My favorite that I mentioned before.

Magnolia bloom at Mamaw's. Magnolia trees always remind me of my daddy.

Wow! That was a lot to update. Like I said before, stay tuned for my daily summer blogging! I'm sure it's not all going to be exciting because, let's face it, I don't have many summer plans, but I will do my best to keep you entertained.

Til tonight...

This is my summer life!