A Week in Review

This week has flew by and I am ready for the three day weekend. Here’s a few things that has been going on around our house…..

• Last Saturday my Cricut died - I was heartbroken until I found out that luckily it was still under warranty. So, I am waiting for a replacement to arrive any day now. Okay for any non-scrapbookers, it is not a bug or a critter, it is the most cleaver die cutting tool around and mine kicked the bucket last weekend. :(

• Monday night was Jonah’s Court of Honor for Boy Scouts and he did it again, he advanced in rank to First Class Scout. Way to go!!! He totally surprised me on this one.

• I have fallen back into the routine of having weekly migraines this week I think a small piece of banana caused it. It lasted a little over two days.

• I turned 35 this week. It is soooo hard to believe that I am 35. I started the day out battling the remains of a migraine and ended the day with no migraine so HBTM. Over all it was a great day. I received a large number of calls, went out for dinner and tonight I am enjoying the house to myself. So guess what I am doing? SCRAPBOOKING!!!

• Phillip and Courtney is heading out for dinner and a movie tonight.

• Jonah is heading to Sonquest in Orlando, this weekend, with the youth group from our church. So, I pray that the youth group has a safe trip and a wonderful time.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!! Enjoy the three day weekend, I sure plan on it!!!
Blessings to all~
Carla

You Gotta Love Them!!

Saturday and Sunday was again rainy days for us even though Fay had departed from our area. On Staurday, the kids were outside playing with their friends in between the rain showers, which I was aware of. Just like I was aware of the fact that Fay had turned the lot next to our house into a large mud pit but I never expected this when Phillip called me to the door after the kids rang the doorbell. Needless to say I stayed calm, I hosed them off in the backyard and into the showers they went. What a muddy mess!!!!

Fay, Fay, Go Away

It has been a long week. Over a week now we have been dealing with Tropical Storm Fay. Wondering.... where and when she would hit, it has been crazy. The schools has been out all week except for Monday, church was cancelled Wednesday night, the stores has been busy. Tropical Storm Fay never made hurricane status but she sure left a wet mess and has hung around the state for a long time and is still here. Never did I imagine that she would drop so much ran and last sooooooo long and chose to mark its path through our county, days after she was initially suppose to hit the state. Luckily, all we have seen is just some down tree limbs and heavy rains, no major flooding, known in our area as of right now. Praise God! As of this post, the wind is still whipping around outside and the bands of rain are still very strong, but there has not been any power outages or lightening. With all that said the kids have enjoyed this afternoon outside playing in the rain.........

Singing and dancing in the rain

Heavy rains can come really quick, but that does not stop the kids.

Courtney shows how strong the wind is!

Courtney gave up on the umbrella and decided to tube down our street, not really, but she tried. The water was not quite deep enough.

Jonah and Courtney
My two wet kiddos

Back to School

It's official....yesterday was the Starling's first day of school for the 2008-2009 school year, which seems odd since most of my friend's children have already been in school for almost two weeks. But since Florida passed a "save our summer" bill a couple of years a ago, schools do not start now until around the 20th of August, so we chose to do the same.

Where does time go? It seems like just yesterday, Jonah was starting kindergarten and now he is starting the 7th grade. Four of his classes he is taking online this year through Florida Virtual, which has him sooooo excited that he is already working ahead in his classes, let's hope he keeps it up! The program is a really neat program and will help him in many ways, plus he thinks it cool that he gets to work on a laptop. I can not believe that this year marks the 5th year that we have been home schooling, WOW, which means that my little girl is now in the 5th grade. She is growing up so fast. We had an awesome first day. Everyone woke up on time, the four of us had a nice breakfast together and by 8 we had started school. Monday is usually Phillip's office day so he was home all day and since most kids do not get to wear pj's to school on the first day, I did not insist that the kids get dress at a certain time like I had in the past. There will be plenty of other days for that. Courtney, in her pj's, reading Anne of Green Gables
My favorite 5th grader
Teacher's pet!

Courtney's Trip to Tn

A little late but I thought that I would share a few of the pictures from Courtney's trip to Tn with her friend Ashley. Yes, my wonderful friend Minta gave me a CD full of pictures to document Courtney's first trip without mom and dad. She had a blast and I really think she would have stayed longer if that was an option. The week was full of exciting things including a trip to Dollywood, the Fun Factory, Flyaway (an indoor skydiving), the Applebarn, a day of horseback riding, and tubing down a river, not to mention the things that they did around Ashley's grandparent's house. Overall, she had an awesome time. Courtney and Ashely - Like "Two Peas in a Pod"
This creek runs beside Ashley's Grandparents place.

It is where the kids waded, fished and just were able to be kids.

Ashley's grandfather took the girls riding through the mountains in his Jeep
Tubing down deep creek
Courtney and Ashley posing in front of a bear

in downtown Cherokee on the way to Dollywood.
Courtney and her horse Savannah

Praise God!

Let me just say THANK YOU to everyone out there that has said a prayer for me over the last several months. I just realized that it has been 17 days since I have had a MAJOR migraine,one that has put me in bed for three days. I am still on a very strict diet, exercising daily, taking several preventative medicines and trying to get an adequate amount of sleep. I have learned to live without an ice cold Pepsi (it has been 4 months) and even though I still crave that Hawaiian Pizza, I am dealing with it, however it was hard a couple weeks ago when at the youth lock-in, Phillip and I was asked to stay for supper they were ordering pizza and I heard several of the kids and adults say order plenty of Hawaiian Pizza, needless to say we did not stay for supper. Phillip did take me to Carrabba's Italian Grill instead, what a great husband! Eating out has become a challenge for me, I am pretty safe to stick with a salad or pasta with a white sauce nothing with aged cheese (of course the good stuff) or MSG. It does have me eating healthier, though. I am eating more organic, which means yes, I have lost weight and Courtney and I are spending some time shopping in the same section together, which is kinda fun for now. Thanks again for all the prayers. I see the neurologist again September 18, but for now I am on the right track, I think! Happy Friday!

Blessings to all~
Carla

MAMMA MIA!

I have to say that when my friend Minta called and asked if I wanted to go and see it with her I was a little hesitant. She wanted to see it, I wanted the girls night out! But once I started watching it I loved it! The only slightly painful part was listening to Pierce Brosnan sing!!! He is adorably cute but his singing is horrible. However, the movie ROCKS and if you go to see it make sure you sit through the credits at the end........ We laughed so hard!!! Let me know if you've seen it.