The Georgia Carters

Concert Festival - Wind Ensemble

2011-03-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Today my Wind Ensemble (top band) performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association District Two Large Group Performance Evaluation, aka district festival. We performed a very challenging program:

Semper Fidelis - John Philip Sousa
October - Eric Whitacre
Procession of the Nobles from "Mlada" - Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, transcribed for band by Erik Leidzen

October is a Level VI piece; Procession of the Nobles is Level V.

This photo pretty much sums up the judges' reaction to our performance:

Straight Superior ratings (best you can get), with all A's/I's (best you can get) in every caption from all four judges (including sightreading). Yeah, it was a pretty good day today. :)

The Superior Beard

2010-11-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Back in September, the marching band was getting hyped up for its first festival/competition of the season. A couple of seniors promised they would shave their heads if we earned a Superior rating -- something we haven't done in marching band in the past four years. They wanted me to shave my head, too, but ... well, not a good idea. Then the band captain suggested I grow a beard if we earn Superior. I agreed.

We did in fact earn a Superior at our festival in Hawkinsville, so on October 11 I started growing a beard. We were on fall break for two days, so I thought maybe by Wednesday it would at least be noticable. Nope. No one even noticed until it was almost a week old. After that first week I decided to go for the goatee instead:

I think it looked OK. But after it started to get long (and never did get very full), I didn't like the way it felt. So, with the end of the regular season of football last night, I felt it was time to get rid of it. But first, why not see how I would look with different types of facial hair?

Wow. I *really* don't look good with a mustache! Don't worry; I didn't keep it long:

Light the Night

2010-10-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Earlier this evening, Tammy and I participated in the Light the Night walk at Chehaw Park in Albany.

Light the Night is a fundraiser for the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society. It's a special thing for us since Mom lost her battle with lymphoma two years ago. The band helped out by bringing in over $200 in donations as I walked with the Lee County High School team. Tammy walked as an independent.

Tammy walked in memory of her grandmother; we both walked in memory of my mom.

The Remembrance Ceremony was touching. Each family who had lost a loved one to a blood cancer brought a rose to add to the vases. By the end of the ceremony, both vases were full.

Mom's rose from the Remembrance Ceremony

The sea of red, white, and gold balloons blinking in the night:

Arkansas

2010-06-18T20:12:00.003-07:00

Well, since we're about to leave Arkansas, I guess it's as good a time as any to show you what we've been up to:

Our digital camera died, so we reverted to -- oh my -- FILM!!! Whoever heard of such a thing??!?!? Dug up the old film camera, and we had four rolls of unused film sitting around. Well, now we have two rolls of unused film, plus a new digital camera. All these pictures are taken on good ol' 35mm.

Here's us visiting Leonard's BBQ in Memphis. We stopped there for lunch. If you watch Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on Food Network, you may have seen this restaurant. Our review is not as glowing as Guy's. We thought it was pretty ordinary, actually. But oh well, it was still fun.

We were almost to Little Rock on our second day of driving, and it was time to feed Ryan. So we pulled off the interstate to a playground I knew of -- the playground at Oakbrook Elementary School, where Pete and I went to school when we lived in Arkansas in the mid 80's. Ryan and Jacob and I are standing next to the path that leads from the playground to the back yard of our old house. Can't believe the path is still there. Of course, once we arrived in Arkansas, we had to check out the TRAINS!!

The next day, we hit the pool. Jacob was not a fan -- which is funny, because he loved the pool last year. But Ryan liked the pool a lot!

Speaking of trains, one day we headed over to Creekmore Park and rode the train in the park. It's hard to believe you can still ride two laps for just 25 cents! All the boys had a great time.

Ryan has a favorite toy. It's an elephant. The ears make crinkly sounds when you play with them, and the feet rattle. He loves it.

Happy BIrthday to Tammy

2010-05-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I blogged here - but since this was my birthday, thought I'd post it here.

What a crazy weekend! I turned 40 and Hank threw me a surprise party. We hung out in the backyard until we all almost passed out from the heat and then we took it inside for cake.

the cutest cake I've ever had!! decorated by Hank and Jacob

Jacob always loves a good chocolate cake :)

THANKSGIVING!!!!!

2009-11-25T13:43:00.001-08:00

We are having a great week with the Spells. Last night we made cute Thanksgiving turkey cupcakes:

And last night, I (Hank) made a pie.

Let me explain.

Sheri found this mix for shoofly pie. Add three eggs, 6 Tablespoons of melted butter, 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract, and 3/4 cup of water to this mix. Dump it into a pie crust, and bake it for 45 minutes at 350. Sounds too good to be true?

Take a look:

Isn't shoofly pie supposed to be brown? This is definitely yellow-ish.

Tasted more like a custard pie. It tastes good, but it is NOT shoofly! :( What do you expect from someplace in Texas?

I think he knows....

2009-09-15T10:41:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, we are expecting Baby Carter #2 in February. Lately, Jacob has been telling me stuff about his "little sister"...hmmmm...I tell him that it might be a little brother - but I don't think he's convinced. We find out for sure next Wednesday on the 23rd! Stay tuned to see if he's right :)

What we're up to

2009-03-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while since the last blog. If you can't tell, it's a busy time of year for me. Concert festival is next week, which takes up most (if not all) of my brain cells. It also takes a lot of time with extra rehearsals, not to mention jazz band, band booster meetings, etc. And when I'm working a few extra hours at school, it means Tammy's working a few extra hours at home. Basically, when I get home, I spend as much time with Jacob as possible, and then it's time to (a) do home stuff like paying the bills, or (b) veg in front of the TV, usually watching American Idol.

Grandma and Papaw spent the week with us, which has been awesome. Jacob really enjoyed playing with them.

Jacob and I had fun this morning playing catch in the back yard. We need to do it again and get some video - it's cute!

So, looking forward to a good but crazy week this week -- festival performances on Wednesday and Thursday, band golf tournament on Friday, and a jazz gig on Saturday. It's going to be fun, but I'm looking forward to not being so busy!

Turkentacky Video

2009-02-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm way behind on this, but I hope you enjoy it anyway:

Savannah Fun

2009-02-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

So here's a picture of me and Paula at her restaurant :) Just hanging out by the fireplace....If you are ever in Savannah - you MUST go visit The Lady & Sons. We had such a fun time visiting old friends. Until next year....

For Pete & Jen

2009-02-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

you might want to read the comments on Laura's latest blog post. They have been updated :)

Gator Party

2009-01-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

We had some friends and our neighbors over last week to watch the Gators win yet another championship (yes we could get used to this). As you can see, we dug out everything we had that was orange and blue and adorned our house. Looking forward to doing this again next January!

2009 - off to a great start

2009-01-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

2009 is off to a great start! Here's a short ramble....Hank is away for a few days up in Athens so me and Jacob will be hanging out by ourselves all weekend :( We miss you Hank! ...Tonight I decided that Jacob would take me on a date so we went to Cracker Barrell. That boy sure can eat! He enjoyed coloring his menu and then playing with the peg game. He even paid! Well - not really :) We ran into a friend and he said he would tell Hank "I was out with another man". Yep - he's short - but sooo cute :).....It finally got COLD.... After a very warm December - it finally feels like it should outside....Went to playgroup today; I have some awsome mom friends - we always have a great time while our kids burn off their energy...Hank and I started our tv train wreck that is American Idol. Yes we DVR every episode of every season. We're nuts I know - but it always makes us laugh so here we are....Our friend Becca has moved here to student teach and eventually become a band director. She is also playing in our church orchestra with Hank.... she's awsome and we like having her around :)......oh! last week we had a blast with friends and neighbors watching the Gator's win another championship. Pics to come......We got a new computer!!! Yep - no more putting the old laptop on blue ice to keep it from shutting down. YAY for a brand new Dell with a huge monitor and wireless keyboard.....Jacob got his first bike for Christmas. We have "lessons" every now and then. He really enjoys it - but doesn't quite get the whole pedaling thing yet....We are going to Savannah for our annual GMEA trip (Hank's music educators conference) at end of month. It will be fun to see old friends, drive by our old house, eat out, stay in a hotel, see all our friend's new babies....always a fun trip......I think I will be visiting this store I love back in Rincon called Sweet Pea's - they have a huge Vera Bradley collection :)....I found out today when our church's VBS is - so I'm looking forward to helping this year...last year we were out of town......Christy - this is for you if you read our blog.....A friend of mine collects nativity sets and fell in love with the one you sent us. I was able to send her their website and she has ordered one. She is real involved with missions and loves that it supports the ladies in Poland... Thanks so much for giving it to us :).....Facebook - I am sooooo enjoying finding old friends and keeping up with everyone else who is just as addicted to it as I am... - but NOW Hank is on too - so I would ask all you Facebookers to throw snowballs at him, kidnap him, send him flair - etc. :) His wall needs more junk like that :) He is having fun finding his old HS band buddies and also kids he taught back in FL - and also all his grad school buddies......well its late and the bed is calling. Until next time....

trip to the zoo

2009-01-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

this week we took Jacbo to the zoo. It was the perfect day :) Here's more pictures

Whew!...

2008-12-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

What a week! I'm sitting here trying to get motivated to hit my "to do" list which involves mass amounts of cleaning, organizing, putting stuff away and trying really hard to stay away from the pile of sweets that are left over. I also have pictures to get off the camera and videos too and add to the blogs. hopefully soon....

I had a really great time with my parents here and also with Hank's dad. Just about every day involved a shopping trip, a nap, driving around looking for Christmas lights (what was up this year?!! - no one had any lights!), at least 2 awsome meals, and hearing Jacob say "Grammaw - come play da puzzle?"... We heard that a LOT! Thanks mom for the puzzles - Jacob sure seems to like them :) And dad - you would be proud to know Jacob told everyone at church that he got a bicycle for Christmas! We will be taking it out today as the sun has finally come out and the rain has gone. Paw-paw - I'm sure once the replacement wheel for the choo choo comes - we will probably have to barricade it in as Jacob will want to be in it all day long! I think it's time for Jacob to have his own garage as he now owns a bicycle, pedal train, electric car, wagon and lawn mower. Yep - our back porch is quite full now! :)

And... I must say how much better Jacob is doing after his trip to the hospital. We started off the week with a stay at Phoebe. Yep - we always have to have an illness during the holiday - so this year it will be Jacob and his croup. Can't anyone just get a papercut or something???

So, even though there are no pictures to look at yet - I just wanted everyone to know that we enjoyed hosting Christmas this year and hope to do it again sometime. It was really special for us to open presents under our tree and hang our stockings on a fireplace that we have never had until now. And it was also fun to cook the big meal. I'm so glad the goose turned out good!!! - I had plan "b" in the freezer... what ?? frozen pizza would not have been good for Christmas?? :)

Well - back to my list and I wish all of you a Very Happy New Year!

I love this....

2008-12-16T17:54:00.001-08:00

A friend posted this today...I've never heard of the song or the group - but the words are awsome..

These are lyrics written by Jamie Statema of the group Go Fish! Selah!

It's not just about the manger where the baby laid
It's not all about the angels who sang for Him that day
It's not just about the shepherds or the bright and shining star
It's not all about the wise men who traveled from afar...

It's not just about the presents underneath the tree
It's not all about the feeling that this season brings to me
It's not just about coming home to be with those you love
It's not all about the beauty of the snow I'm dreaming of...

It's about the Cross
It's about my sin
It's about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we can be born again
It's about the stone
That was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life one day
It's about the Cross.............................................

From the cd "Go Fish: Snow"

Posted by Tammy (I was signed in as Hank for some reason??..)

I Corinthians 13: A Christmas Version

2008-12-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

I Corinthians 13: A Christmas Version
My Friend Ashley posted this on her blog and I wanted to share it with you. I hope that we all don't loose the real meaning of what this season is really about!

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights,
and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another decorator

If I slave away in the kitchen baking
dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals,
and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime,
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home,
and give all that I have to charity,
but do not show love to my family,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a
myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir's cantata,
but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love does not envy another's home that has
coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way,
but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love does not give only to those who are able to give in return,
but rejoices in giving to those who cannot.

Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.

Video games will break.
Pearl necklaces will be lost.
Golf clubs will rust.
But giving the gift of love will endure forevermore.

The tree is up!

2008-12-08T09:54:00.001-08:00

Slowly but surely we are getting our house ready for Christmas. We got this great tree and even got a new star for the top this year. Now on to the outside lights.....

Autumn

2008-12-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

Autumn came while we were away for Thanksgiving....I just LOVE fall colors!

Back Home and more Thanks

2008-12-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Since Hank did our blog on Thanksgiving, I thouht I'd say what I am thankful for.
Safe travels to and from Nebraska and an awsome little boy who really did well considering the 4 days he spent in the car............Generous family for having us visit with them for an entire week!....all the fun stuff Jen planned for us.......Wii Fit (no we don't have one - but we sure enjoyed playing it all week)...........My wonderful husband who is my best friend and keeps me sane and always sees things on a positive note........My church.............My parents whom I can't wait to see in a few weeks!!.............My sweet little Jacob for saying at just the right moments "oh well!"............My friends from all over - I thank God for having to add to our Christmas card list this year and every year.......Our home - this year we spend Christmas in our house in lieu of the apartment we've spent the past 2 Christmas in.............Fall leaves - we came back to glorious colorful trees in our yard!............Fried turkey (yes - this is an awsome thing if you have never had one - you must!)............New recipes from friends and family to add to the collection............My cute nephew Benjamin who made me cry when we had to leave him on Saturday..............I suppose I could go on and on - but must sign off for now. I must get back to unpacking, laundry, etc. It was a great Thanksgiving!

Happy Turken-TACKY Day everyone!

2008-11-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

Turken-tacky, Day 4!
We got up this morning and walked the Turkey Trot 5K in our Turken-tacky t-shirts. Then we came back to "Ben's House" to watch the Macy's Parade on the big screen downstairs.

We ate and ate and ate - Pete cooked up two awesome turkeys (including a fried one, which was fantastic), and Jenn took care of the desserts -- rum cakes (of course), homemade pecan pie, and pumpkin cheesecake.

After dinner, we headed to downtown Omaha for the lighting of the downtown Christmas lights. It was awesome! Then back home to watch Texas beat Texas A&M.

It was a great day to spend with family. And since it is Thanksgiving, it is only right to share things we are thankful for. So, all tackiness aside, here's my (Hank's) list:
* the generous hospitality of my brother and sister-in-law
* a great (and cute) nephew
* a strong dad who is a wonderful and loving Paw-Paw
* a beautiful sister who is special beyond words, and her husband who always keeps us laughing
* an adorable little boy named Jacob, who is a blessing every day (even if he is unusually whiny when he's in Nebraska)
* plenty of food to eat (especially today)
* great band kids to work with
* and my amazing wife. She is beautiful and caring; she is a fantastic mom, she takes great care of me, and she is my best friend.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! (Time to start teaching Jacob some Christmas carols!)

Turken-tacky, Day 3 (Wednesday)

2008-11-27T21:03:00.001-08:00

Believe it or not, nothing tacky happened today!
Except that we made our tacky t-shirts...pictures coming tomorrow!

Turken-tacky, Day 2

2008-11-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

We had fun at the park, then did some shopping. The shopping included a trip to Target, where we bought some brown sugar for $0.77. When we got it home, we found it was hard as a rock. So, we returned it -- that's right, for a refund of 77 cents!

Meanwhile, the kitchen sink broke. So Pete came home from work, bought a new part for the sink, and attempted to fix it. Nope. Didn't work. Back to the store, where he bought a new faucet and installed it. Of course, the kitchen sink was out of commission while Pete worked on it, so Tammy and Jenn were forced to cook using bathwater! (Only at Turken-tacky.....)

Turken-tacky: the Papillion Pilgrimmage, Day 1

2008-11-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

Our first day of Turken-tacky got off to a bang....literally. More on that in a moment.

We hung out this morning, then spent the afternoon with Aunt Baby and cousin Ben at the Omaha Zoo. We probably only saw about half of it, but it was awesome. Nice job, Omaha! For pics, visit Jenn's Picasa album.

On to the bang. It seems there was a mouse in the trash can in the garage. We could just leave it there (trash is collected tomorrow), but no. Pete has a better idea. And so, in true Turken-tacky fashion, Pete breaks out the pellet gun. He takes the first shot, and, well, no second shot was needed. Now, is that tacky or what?

A MANS Desk

2008-11-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

We went down to Florida this past weekend to visit Hank's Grandfather (Umpah). We came back with this desk, chair and lamp. Isn't it HUGE!! It has been in the family for a long time and we are proud to have it in our home now. Most of you have never seen this desk as it has always had lots of "important papers" on it :) Just kidding Umpah! So here is what it looks like all empty. I know Hank will enjoy filling it up!

sooooo funny!

2008-11-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

Each month we get a few different channels on our DISH. This month we have Fine Living Network. This show is cracking me up as I watch episodes. If Martha Stewart drives you nuts - then this is for you.

Chocolate Cake - YUM

2008-11-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

This is a cake I made for our friend David's birthday. I don't think I've ever made a cake that came out so pretty :) It was dark chocolate cake with chocolate icing and then a chocolate ganache drizzled and topped with crumbled Heath bars. YUMMY :)

It's that time of year again. I have been working on a large order of Christmas cards for my mom's store. I made about 30 in the last 2 weeks. Whew....They are so much fun to make.
I also tried something new this year. I made gift bags to sell - complete with tissue and a gift tag. We'll see how they do. If they don't sell - then you may see them covering a gift one year :)

What's new with us...

2008-10-16T19:07:00.001-07:00

What a crazy year thus far...! Hank and I have had one of the most memorable years yet. Sometimes I forget that our friends read this blog in addition to our family - but I feel like I only write stuff that family already knows about...sooooo...for the rest of you, here's what we've been up to.

Sally...To start off our year, Hank's mom (Sally) was diagnosed with lymphoma. She did chemo from Jan-May and was told she was in remission at end of May. We took a 2 week trek/vacation to visit my folks in Louisiana in early June; and then spent a week with Hank's folks a week later. When we got there on a Saturday evening, Sally seemed like Sally - only with no hair and that was about it. By Wednesday of that same week, she became bedriddin with terrible pain in her back and legs, numbness all over and double vision, facial swelling and muscle control loss... Crazy!! The first half of the week, we were hopeful that she was on her way to recovery, and the last part of the week she was very ill and after numerous calls to several doctors, no one knew what it was. So, at the end of that week, we came home. A week later we were at friends and Hank's dad called on the cell to tell us that Sally had central nervous system lymphoma (spine and brain). They told her initially that if she did no treatment, she would have 8 days to live - and that if she did treatments, she would have 3 months. Sadly, she died in 3 months. During those three months, we traveled to Arkansas where they lived to spend as much time with her as we could. Those times were the hardest times I've ever had, just knowing that she wouldn't be with us and feeling the pain Hank was feeling of losing her. I pray no one has to go through that ever!

During June-September, between our traveling - we bought our 2nd house! We moved here when Jacob was only 2 months old in July, 2006 - moved into an apartment for two years..so it was time for a house! We are settling in finally and loving the back yard. Can't wait to use the fireplace! Today it was 90 -but the way the weather is around here, it could be in the 40's in a day or two :)

Our church....Exciting times at our church (Sherwood Baptist - Albany, GA). When we moved here, we visited lots of small churches, but always kept coming back to Sherwood. We finally joined a year ago next month. We have made great friends in our Sunday School class and through choir and orchestra. Hank loves playing with the orchestra. Those guys/gals are amazing! I love singing in the choir. We have about 80 on a typical Sunday. We are now preparing for our Dec. 14th concert. In other church news, most of you know about Fireproof. That's the latest movie our church made. The first two were Flywheel and Facing the Giants. It's quite exciting to be a part of all that. Go check out Fireproof as it's still in theaters this weekend! and doing great. For an independent church-made film - not bad to stay in the top 10 for 3 weeks running. And when you go see it, look for my name in the credits! :)

Spiritual Growth...Hank and I are also growing spiritually. It's so special to me to see Hank digging into Bible study, joining men's groups, being mentored and teaching Jacob all the awsome things that God has for him. I love the fact that our church challenges us to read the Bible, pray and tell other's about Christ - which is what the church should be doing. We're both trying hard to keep growing in our faith and I'm asking God to help me to be bolder about sharing it - you might have figured that out by now reading this blog :)

Friends....We have some awsome friends :)! It's funny thinking about all the places we've lived and how we have groups of friends in each place. I recently joined Facebook and have had a blast reconnecting with people I haven't talked to in over 20 years! We've got friends through churches, schools, Gator connections, and even family friends. We really enjoy visiting my parents in Louisiana and hanging out with their friends at their church (some are relatives).

Babies....many friends are having babies this year. Welcome to the world John Ball, Stiles Lee Brinson, Andy Leff and Ashley Laurel Canino! You all have awsome parents :) Looking foward to meeting the newest baby McBride next year!

Hobbies....As most of you know, my mom and dad have a shop in Louisiana where they sell mom's mosiac art, old china, gifts and antiques. Dad has gotten into restoring antiques and he build custom furniture. They are having so much fun! They shop when they travel and bring back all their treasures for their store. I started making beaded jewlery years ago and now sell it in their store. I also make scrapbook greeting cards and those have really taken off. I am now starting to make a big batch of Christmas ones.. better get on that...been saying this for 3 weeks now :( Hank's so busy with his job - he really doesn't have time for hobbies - but he loves his Florida Gators! so guess watching football can be a hobby? His other favorite pasttime is playing with Jacob :)

Speaking of Jacob... well - he has his own blog - which I just posted about a mile's worth of stuff on him so check it out if you want to catch up on our little guy.

so there you have it...my first long blog (ever I think?)...I shoud do this more often. I've been reading other friends blogs lately and realized that mine suffers by comparison :(

love you all!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

We took Jacob to Mark's Mellon Patch on Monday - Hank had a long weekend!! We had a great time. Yay for fall!

Finally all moved in...well, mostly

2008-10-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

We have almost finished unpacking - but close enough to take a few pictures so you get the idea. The only room not photographed is the office/guest room. It is what it is...so if you want to see that room, you have to come for a visit :)

For those who may not have heard....

2008-09-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

From the Reading Eagle:
Sally Jean Prann Carter, 58, Fort Smith, Ark., died Sept. 11, 2008, in Fort Smith.

This also appeared in newspapers in Fort Smith, AR, and Little Rock, AR.

Back Home

2008-09-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we are back home in Georgia after a difficult and emotional week in Arkansas.

It was great seeing everyone, especially Uncle Richard and Uncle Cork, who we haven't seen in a while.

We got back Friday night, and I hustled over to school to try to catch the halftime show. I didn't make it, but it was good to see the kids. At least 10 different kids said, "We're glad you're back." Still, it was a lot harder emotionally than I thought it would be. I thought I would just walk in there, say hello to the kids, and things would be as normal. Things were normal, but at the same time they weren't. I can't really describe it.

So it's back in the saddle on Monday, ready or not. (I'm not ready, but it doesn't matter, does it?)

Stay safe, everyone....

one crazy summer!

2008-08-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while since we blogged. June and July were NUTS! After a week of painting, we finally moved in our new house on July 11th. I still have not taken "final" pictures as we still have boxes here and there and I don't think the house is ready for it's close-up yet :) But - I have added to our photo album so you can see all the painting we did (except for the guest bathroom - no pics - oops... you can see it in the "final" batch to be taken soon hopefully).

I know Jacob's blog is much more important - so I'm going to update it as well. We definitely need some new video of him as he's changed so much this summer and has been a ton of fun!

Catching Up

2008-07-06T19:44:00.001-07:00

What a crazy few weeks!! The last 2 weeks of June were spent traveling. We spent a week in Louisiana with my parents while Hank worked a camp at McNeese State University for most of the time, and Jacob and me hung out with Papaw and Grammaw. The next week was spent in Arkansas visiting Hank's parents. We had a great time with everyone!

Before we left for our trip, we were watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on Food Network and they had an episode called "The Memphis BBQ Tour". We knew we'd be passing through Memphis on our way home, so we picked one of the featured restaurants and stopped in. YUMMY!!! stuff...We got to chat with the owner and he told us all about the TV show filming and how it's increased his business. Wish it was closer. Oh well.

Since we've gotten back home, we closed on a house last week and this week are in the midst of painting and getting ready to move in.

Until next time....

Fun at the pool

2008-06-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

Now that Hank is out of school, we can go to the pool when it's not so hot and crowded. Jacob had a blast with his gator that Grammy sent him. Thanks Grammy! We since have bought him some floatie "muscles" for next time. We are getting all the pool time in before we move away from the pool :(

Offer Accepted!

2008-06-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

We put an offer on a house yesterday and today IT WAS ACCEPTED!! Here's the listing.

Here's an album of some more pictures we took.

YAY for a back yard!!!

Luau

2008-05-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday our church had it's annual Luau. We had a blast - took this goofy picture, played with sidewalk chalk, ate yummy food and then played with Jacob in our church's awsome play area. Each Sunday night through the summer, our church has fun themed meals. This Sunday night is an ice cream contest and sundae bar. YUM. It's summertime folks!

Happy Birthday !

2008-05-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today is my 38th birthday. It was a great day. Hank and Jacob shopped yesterday and tonight we opened presents. It was the traditional "Carter" birthday as Hank wrote a poem with the first line of each verse giving a clue as to what the gift was and the 2nd line gave a clue as to where the gift was hidden. So, off I went with my clues trying to figure it all out. As you see, Jacob "helped" me :). My boys done good! I got Godiva (dark truffles - my favorite!), pj's, cd's, a dvd and a new dress. Not too shabby :) No cake as we still had left overs from Jacob's yummy cake.

today

2008-05-21T20:16:00.001-07:00

Not much new here other than we're counting down the last days of school!!! Can't wait for summer. Jacob just turned 2 and now we're thinking about potty training. That will add some adventure to the summer definitely. Just watched the American Idol finale. Yay for D. Cook! I was so surprised - thought for sure the kid would win - but so glad he didn't. ....tomorrow is my birthday.....Hank and Jacob went shopping tonight.....All I know is they went to the bookstore so Jacob could play with the "choo choos" and they ate "cocos (cookies)" That's all I could get out of Jacob - he wouldn't spill as to what Hank got me :) Guess I'll have to wait :) Oh - I joined our church choir tonight. It's a fun group so I'm glad to be a part of it. Hank said he never thought he'd see the day where I was in the choir and he wasn't. Belive me - if we had no church orchestra - he would have joined choir a while ago. But he enjoyes playing with the guys better than singing - and that's saying something!.....We started looking at houses last weekend. We saw 7 on Tuesday and I have lined us up to see 5 more either tomorrow or this Saturday....Stay tuned... This blog is a ramble - oh well... Until next time..

Band Trip 2008 - Gatlinburg, TN

2008-04-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

What a fun trip to the Smokie Mountains! This year we took a small group (2 busses) to Gatlinburg. We left Thursday morning and returned Sunday morning around 6:30 AM. While there, we got a 2 hour bus tour of the Smokie Mountains, hiked up Clingman's Dome, spent an evening strolling around downtown Gatlinburg, saw Ober Gatlinburg,went to Dollywood,and then finished our last night for dinner at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. The kids were awsome and I think everyone had a blast. It's good to be back home. Next year we're off to New York City!

a day in my car

2008-04-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today I got up with the roosters and drove Jacob to meet my parents in Mobile (half way to Louisiana). They are going to keep him for a week so I can go on the band trip with Hank. It took 5 hours to get there (with one stop) and then we had some lunch, I walked around a store and then drove all the way back. Uggg... 600 miles...I sure do miss my little guy already. I know my parents are going to have a ton of fun with him. And, oh yeah, he will be ROTTEN!! :) but that's what grandparents are supposed to do right :)...I'm so tired of my car that I may just walk to places tomorrow...Thursday will be spent on a bus for about 8 hours. This is not good for my workout schedule!!!

What a weird day...

2008-04-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

For almost a year we have had NO neighbor upstairs. It's been awsome as the previous family was quite noisy. The past few days, we've been noticing that the noise was back and sure enough we have a new neighbor. Around lunchtime I looked outside and noticed this guy and a lady walking towards the stairs. I opened up the door and introduced myself. The guy was with his mom. His name is Shai (sp?) and he is from Israel. He seemed very nice and I didn't think any more about him.

Now the fun part....I went to the mall last night to stroll Jacob around and get out of the house. I'm cruising full speed ahead and when passing one of those carts in the middle isle, this guys says "Hi Tammy". I stopped - turned around - and sure enough it was my neighbor. He works for one of those stupid aggravating "dead sea mineral,, hand lotion, nail file, proactive" type products. Those guys drive me nuts!!!! You're trying to walk in the mall and browse, and they are just about ALL some foreign guy who barely speaks English getting in your face and begging you to try their product.!! (that's my experience at least)

So now if I want to avoid him, I have to cut through the Belk to get to the other side of the mall. So there's my day yesterday. It went well with Jacob and his meltdown day. He always has a "day" after we take a road trip. It's like all the extra tired he got on the trip finally catches up with him and he screamed like I was beating him silly about 5 different times yesterday. I'm sure the neighbor has called DEFAC already :/

So - how was your Thursday???

Oh- any new favoriste on Idol? I think I'm pulling for David Cook now. They fixed his hair so that's a good reason to vote for him now right? (giggle)

Gettin' Fit in Tamaqua

2008-04-07T17:06:00.001-07:00

Here's what I found to do for my 30 minutes of fitness while in Tamaqua.

I was all smiles at the bottom. Once at the top of these 134 steps, I thought I was going to die!!! It was quite cold and windy that day. By the time I got back down to the bottom my heart was about to jump out of my chest. After the steps, Hank and I toured Tamaqua for another 45 minutes or so. It was the only sunny day so we made the most of it.

Spring Break in TAMAQUA, PA

2008-04-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

No, we didn't head for the beach for Spring Break -- we went to Pennsylvania!!
We had a wonderful time visiting with Aunt in Tamaqua. Here's a rundown of our trip:

SATURDAY: Drive from Leesburg to somewhere in the middle of North Carolina.

SUNDAY: Drive from somewhere in the middle of NC to Tamaqua, PA. Of course, a huge dinner was waiting for us, including ham, sweet potatoes, jello salad, asparagus, and rolls. Tammy's parents, Jim and Sheri Spell, were there waiting for us when we arrived. Aunt even had a high chair ready for Jacob -- apparently one that Papa Carter made for Aunt Nancy and Dad to use when they visited!

MONDAY: We had to dress up for lunch. Aunt took us to The Stouch Tavern in Womelsdorf. It was fantastic (of course). Here's how often Aunt goes there: The daily buffet only has one item each day. They publish the buffet menu a few weeks in advance, but apparently they left Monday's menu out by accident. So, last time she was there, Aunt asked what was on the menu. The response: "I don't know; what would you like?" So Aunt requested carved roast beef and custard for dessert. And that's exactly what was on the buffet, just for us. Then we headed to Boscov's.

TUESDAY: Visited the Cabela's outdoor store in nearby Hamburg. This place is AMAZING!!! Jacob had a BLAST in the aquarium. They also have very realistic animal displays, which he enjoyed. We had lunch in their cafe, then off to Allentown for a not-so-quick visit to Walgreens to refill my nose medicine, which I didn't know I was out of. (oops)

WEDNESDAY: Spent the morning at the Hometown Farmer's Market. The fresh produce and baked goods were amazing! The "flea market" portion was less impressive. Jim and Sheri were hoping to find some "goodies" for their store, but they struck out. After lunch, Tammy and I took a walk in downtown Tamaqua and visited the restored Tamaqua Train Station. The restored station now houses a hobby shop, a restaurant, and a souvenir shop. We have some great pics from Wednesday -- stay tuned for those!

THURSDAY: Cousin Louise (Aunt's cousin, which makes us third cousins, I think) stopped by for a brief visit in the morning. It must have been at least ten years since I had seen her last. She still looks great, but she walks with a cane and can't drive anymore. After lunch, Tammy and her parents drove to Morgantown to hunt for antiques and china. Aunt and Jacob and I met up with them at the Shillington Farmer's Market, where we picked up two shoofly pies and a large supply of sweet lebanon baloney!!!! :) That evening we had a wonderful dinner with Aunt Susie, Uncle Joe, and John Scornavacchi. They had tons of toys, of course, so Jacob had a blast. We had a great time visiting with them. Jim Spell and Uncle Joe really seemed to hit it off -- Jim got a tour of the house and was very interested to hear about how they found it, how they built the addition, etc.

FRIDAY: Drive in the rain from Tamaqua to somewhere in the middle of North Carolina.

SATURDAY: Drive in more rain from somewhere in the middle of NC to HOME! It was a great trip, but it's great to be back.

Well, I'm tired, and I'm going to bed! Hope you all had as wonderful a week as we did. Please say a prayer or two for Aunt as she recovers from the whirlwind week we put her through! We had a great time visiting with her. We talked about everything: family history, the renovations of her house (which looks great - a huge improvement since last time we were there), politics, traffic (yes, Tamaqua has traffic), and a host of other things. Jacob was extremely well-behaved for the entire trip, especially in the car. We were very proud of him, especially since he missed several naps as we were running around. Anyway, check back later for pics and even a few videos!

We're halfway there...

2008-03-29T19:44:00.001-07:00

We are officially halfway from Leesburg to Tamaqua (give or take about 30 miles)!!!

So I'm enjoying the wireless internet in the hotel -- at least, as much as ou can "enjoy" a slow connection. I'm soaking it up because we will be without internet while we're at Aunt's house. That means NO BLOGS!!! AAAAAAhh!!!!! So, if anything important happens, CALL US!! :)

Anyway, tune in on Friday night/Saturday for pics and more! We're staying at a different hotel on the way back; hopefully the wireless there will be faster.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all...What a weekend! Friday night we had a Good Friday service at church and then went to friend's for dessert afterwards. We kept Jacob up way late and fed him lots of sugar. He enjoyed that quite a bit. Saturday was a beautiful day so we took Jacob to the park and then had a picnic. Later that day we dyed some eggs and I did some cooking for our big Sunday meal with friends. Today we had church and then hung out with our friend's Amanda and David. We had a great time eating and just being lazy. We hid eggs for Jacob to find in their backyard. Jacob did enjoy all the festivities, but by the end of the day he had a fever of 103 so looks like he's coming down with something. Oh well - even when he doesn't feel well he still manages to have fun :) We took videos and pictures which we'll get posted one day. This week is busy for us. Hank has meetings Monday and Tuesday nights for the spring trip that's coming up. Meanwhile I get to get ready for our trip to PA on Saturday to see Aunt Phyllis. We will head out on Saturday, stop for the night and then arrive on Sunday evening I suppose. We'll be up there for about 4 days and then we'll head back on next Friday for our two-day trek home. Then we get to be home for 1-1/2 weeks and then the spring trip to Gatlinburg will be upon us. So - April will be busy but the traveling will be fun. Guess that's it for our update. Hope you all had a blessed Easter day!

Interesting clip from ER

2008-03-18T21:57:00.001-07:00

I don't watch ER any more, but I used to. I heard about this clip and thought I would share it:

A Powerful Lesson from ER

A Great Day!

2008-03-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our church held it's annual "Dinner on the Grounds". Our church has built a sports park for the community on 82 acres out in the country. Every year after service, we all head over there for the largest potluck I've ever been too! You talk about some goooooood food..YUMMY... Hank borrowed a easy-up tent from the band and we set up camp.

Jacob enjoyed all the yummy food as much as we did.Hank and Jacob taking a tour. There was a kite derby, fishing in the big pond and we also had a baptism service in a big tank which was pretty cool.
Jacob had a blast with his football and running all over the place. He fell fast asleep on the way home and then slept for 2 more hours once home! He was dirty from head to toe :)

can you believe!!

2008-03-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

Today we got sleet and then SNOW!!! It's South Georgia - and it's March!! Crazy. We were up in the upper 70's yesterday and then the crazy wind today along with some precip. this morning. Tonight in the 20's and then back up to 70's rest of the week. Hank was supposed to be outside with his Jazz band at an art fest. this morning. They were moved inside. Who would have thunk it...

stuff

2008-03-05T11:22:00.001-08:00

Spring is here! Our weather has been truly awsome. Although yesterday we had tornado watch and crazy wind. No power from 1-6 with trees knocking down all the power lines. Today I worked at the community children's consignment sale. It was alot of fun hanging out with other ladies from church who work as well. I noticed a few of my items have sold :) I have also been trying extremely hard to keep oup the EVERYday fitness stuff. It really has challenged me and I love it! Maybe I'll get better at DDR by day 50 - sure hope so as I am quite a spaz at it - but I do work up a sweat.

In case you missed last night's American Idol - EWWW for Danny N. Hope he goes home tonight. Thanks for the tip on David H. Jenn.....It does make me watch his performances in a whole new way :) I thought the guys did WAY better than last week. Hoping for Danny and Luke to go home tonight.

guess that's about it for now....

Strawberries...yummm

2008-02-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to going to the strawberry patch this season. Check out the monthly recipe. YUM!

My Idol Thoughts...

2008-02-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking I like the boys better this year.

Girls:
Amanda creeps me out!!!! that hair and those pants last night!!! uggg - horrible
Kady cracks me up with her Briteny impersonations - she's quite good at that - but she's not one of my favorite singers
Brooke and her guitar....hmmm... not sure yet on her - not into that Carly Simon type
Kristy Lee - want to hear her sing some country.. I think that is probably her thing
Carly is good - but tired of all the hype - we'll see
the rest of the girls... well - just average I guess - nothing special to me

Guys:
Michael Johns!!!! - didn't do so well last night - but I really like him - he's a pro and comes across as best on stage to me (love the accent too!)
David Arch. - well he's gonna win so they might as well end it now - but he is quite awsome - although you can tell he's 17 most of the time which can get annoying
David Cook - EWWW - the hair....ewwww. and the first week he just looked like he needed a bath!
Danny - OMG - Hank and I cringe every time he's on screen - I don't have enough time to tell you all I think of him - just gross - but he can sing - but not as good as some others.
Chikezie - yep he's doing the Ruben thing - but not quite as good as Ruben in my opinion - but I like him
Jason C. - hmmm. John Travolta with dreads....maybe....he's not a favorite thus far
Jason Y. - just plain cheesy - don't know why he's there
Luke - well he's cute - but not so good a singer - and yes Ryan - he does look like Dawson (of Dawson's Creek if anyone remembers that show)
David Hernandez - I know David Arch. will beat him - but he's my own fav. I'm pulling for him to get better and better
I know he's off now - but that Garrett kid (Leaf Garrett look-a-like) - poor kid - needs the sunshine or something!
other thoughts....
The judges (ALL 3 OF THEM!!!) are driving me nuts this year. So far I don't think anything they've said has made any sense at all....Simon is crankier than ever and Paula - well I like her better when she's "altered" - she actually said she wanted to dangle one of the guys from her rear-view mirror and squish him - I get what she meant - but that's just plain weird....Randy says something accurate once in a while - but mostly same ole Randy - dawg!! -

Oh and have you noticed that at the end Ryan doesn't thank Simon as a judge - and then they show Simon rolling his eyes - this bit is getting old and is just silly

So - that's my early opinions - maybe I'll post another blog when we get to top 12.

AI

2008-02-28T06:18:00.001-08:00

So, anyone watching Idol this year? Hank and I are ridiculous and have been watching it since the first season. thoughts.....

Spring Fever!

2008-02-26T10:08:00.001-08:00

Ok, Karen - here ya go....After getting the shoes, I found this adorable green blouse and necklace to go with it. I think I spent a total of $30 for all of it and it all goes with so much I already have. Can you tell I have spring fever!!! The weather teases us. 3 days of 70's and then tonight back in the 20's with highs in the 50's tomorrow. After taking these pictures, I felt like I was doing a blog for Laura's boss. Melanie always has pictures of cool stuff that she has either bought or wants to buy. So - here's my version :)

New Blog

2008-02-24T18:35:00.001-08:00

I call this "new blog" because it's a new blog - and that's about all that is new. February has been pretty quiet although we've had some crazy weather off and on. Today was absolutely beautiful and springlike. This past week Hank and the kids had a gig for the blessing/ground breaking of our new YMCA. Jacob and I went to hear the band. This week I am volunteering to work at the twice-a-year community children's consignment sale. A friend of mine runs it in the spring and fall and I always get good stuff for Jacob. Since I'm working the sale this time I'll get to shop before the public when the selection is the best. Saturday Hank has another community gig in town for an Art Festival. His Jazz band will play. Oh! (this is for you Karen) - I too found a great shoe deal. TJ Maxx is the best! Original price was $48 - TJ Maxx price was $25 - then down to $20 - then $15 and I got them for $10. Maybe I'll put a picutre on later. They are quite cute :) Hank is playing his X-Box and I'm off to do some scrapbooking. Have a great week everyone!

I haven't blogged in a while...

2008-02-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

For those of you wondering if I'm still able to use a computer -- I'm still here! I haven't blogged in a while, mostly because I've been out of town. Over the past four weeks, I attended the January Honor Band Festival (aka "JanFest") at the University of Georgia, the Georgia Music Educators Association Clinic/Conference in Savannah, and the GMEA District 2 Honor Band in Norman Park, Georgia. This weekend I'm looking forward to spending the long weekend (no school Monday for President's Day) at home relaxing with Tammy and Jacob.

In other news -- just 4 weeks until festival! For the few non-band geeks who might be reading, "festival" (it's proper name in Georgia is Large Group Performance Evaluation, or LGPE for short) involves the band performing on stage in front of three judges. Each judge gives a rating; we are aiming for Superior ratings. Then the band goes into another room in front of another judge and performs a piece of music they have never seen. Once again, we are aiming for a Superior rating. I get to go through that routine on Thursday, March 13 with my Wind Ensemble (that's the top group) and Friday, March 14 with my Symphonic Band. So, the countdown is on!

For those who may not have heard, Mom was diagnosed with lymphoma a few weeks ago. We are trying to convince her to set up a blog to keep everyone updated. Meanwhile, keep checking your email for the latest.

I guess that's all for now. I'm sure you don't want to hear about my nasal rinse, but if you do, please feel free to comment and I'll blog about it later. (You thought the warts were gross....)

busy busy

2008-02-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Today I made some more cards for my mom's shop. I found the cutest papers! I will make some more over the next few days. Hank is out of town for a few days again. He'll be back on Saturday night so me and Jacob are holding down the fort.

A day in the kitchen

2008-02-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

What a day.... I have been in the kitchen pretty much all day (but it was so much fun!). Tomorrow night we're having friends over to watch the Super Bowl, so I have been doing as much prepwork as possible for my snack/meal. I'm making the yummy spinach dip in a bread bowl, crab/cheesy bites and some wings. But before I started all those dishes, I made a dish that I am brining to church tomorrow morning. I found the recipe in Paula Deen's magazine. It's not her recipe, but I figured any friends of hers who submitted recipes, had to be good! So - here it is and it's georgious if you want something that comes out pretty too :)

Strawberry Coffee Cake (makes 12 servings)

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped almonds (I used pecans)

Prehead oven to 350. Lightly greast a 9x13 baking pan. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar at medium speed till fluffy. Gradually beat in milk, eggs and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to cream cheese mixture, beating until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Place strawberries evenly over batter. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and almonds (I used pecans). Sprinkle evenly over strawberries. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.

I haven't officially tried it yet as I have to wait till tomorrow - but the batter was sooo yummy and when it was done, it smelled up the house something fantastic!!! Enjoy

January travels

2008-01-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

January is a month of travel for Hank. Last weekend he was in Athens at UGA taking kids to an honor band. He was there for 4 days. This weekend we are off to Savannah for his annual GMEA (Georgia Music Educator's Conf.); we leave tonight and return Sunday afternoon. Jacob and I go with him on this trip since we used to live there and get to see old friends. That's about it from here. Until next time....

catching up

2008-01-21T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hank has been away for 4 days. He left me with the crappy car, the crappy computer and took the camera. He's back now so maybe we'll get a blog out this week. Although, Wednesday night we're all off to Savannah for 4 days so Hank can go to his annual conference and we'll get to visit with friends. That's it from here. Oh - while Hank was up in north Georgia, he got to see some of that southern snow over the weekend. Jaocb and I stayed in all day Saturday to the 40 degree/rainy day. glad to see the sun is back out today :D

T

keeping up with the bloggers

2008-01-15T11:57:00.001-08:00

I love the new background I chose (after looking at what seemed like hundreds!!) - but DO notice that the squares bleed through on the pictures. I really don't want to mess with it anymore as I wasn't able to figure out how to NOT have to re-do al my page elements as I lost them when I switched templates and had to re-do them ALL. So - if anyone knows how I can maybe fix the picture problem - I'm all ears...

A short girl's best friend

2008-01-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays I got this brand new Singer....I finally opened it last night and decided to give it a shot. After reading every page of the instruction manual - I was able to set it up, thread it wihtOUT musing the automatic threader and hemmed 2 pairs of pants! Yay me! I was so nervous I was going to thread it wrong and break the needle or something, but the manual had the best picture instructions. They were so easy to understand :) Maybe one day I'll make something... stay tuned.

new stuff

2008-01-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

All I wanted this Christmas was kitchen stuff. I haven't bought anything new since we got married and some stuff was from before that. So, I got a new bamboo cutting board and some new knives. And yes, I already cut my finger. All those years with crappy knives and no accidents - now I get brand new ones and there ya go. And it's my mouse-clicking finger too! I also got a new peeler, a new cheese slicer, a batter bowl and a baking dish. It is fun using all my new stuff. My goal this year is to slowly replace stuff in anticipation of a new house with a NORMAL size kitchen with more than one full size drawer!!! Our lame apartment has one full size drawer so all kitchen gadgets are in a basket in a cabinet. I am hoping to find apple green stuff to go in my new kitchen. My mom did her's in red and they make everything in red these days. Looks like the green color is coming along. I hope to see more things pop up in that color this year. guess that's enough rambling. Until next time...

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T11:26:00.001-08:00

We made it back safely from Louisiana on Wednesday evening. We didn't drive through the night coming back. Instead we left around 4:45 am and it actually worked out fine. We stopped a few times and Jacob slept more than he did driving through the night. Since being back home, there have been piles of mail to go through, banking, laundry, groceries, etc. Whew....We did use up one of our gift cards last night for dinner. We just go a new Chili's in town so we tried it out.

Other stuff.....We officially own Hank's car now. We got the title in the mail yesterday:) One car note now YAY! I am putting Jacob in a "Wednesday Morning Out" program next week. He'll go to the Methodist church every Wednesday from 9-1. I think he will have fun with the other kids and it will give me a break once a week.

Oh!! While we were in Louisiana, my mom gave me my Aunt's sewing machine. My Aunt Becky and her family were Katrina refugees for about two months. They lived with my parents during that time. For some reason Aunt Becky got a new sewing machine but never used it. So, mom said it should be put to use so I have a brand new Singer to learn. I can't wait to use it. Hopefully I can self-teach myself.

Looking forward to this year. We plan to find a house this summer. We also plan to try and visit Aunt Phyllis in PA. We might travel there for Spring Break. We also have the annual band trip. This year we are going to Gatlinburg, TN. Should be fun. And Jacob will be 2 years old in 4 months!!! I can't believe it. He sure is growing fast.

Until next time!

Still in LSUiana

2007-12-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

Some thoughts for today...

LSU - in case you have been living under a rock (if you live in this state at least) LSU is playing for the national title in a few days. Purple and Gold everywhere!!! Hank is about to throw up - but he'll just have to get over it I guess. Yes - we did get Jacob a t-shirt (I insisted) to support the home state :)

My parent's house - yes it's on piers - but most houses around here are. We plan to take some pics tomorrow of the swamp that surrounds it when it rains. There are crawfish/rice fields all around it and the ground in these parts is mostly swampy so houses built like this are quite common, especially in the farm areas. Stay tuned for more pics.

Jacob - he's been having a blast running around with his Elmo slippers that he got for Christmas. Today, however, he puked twice. No fever - we just realized that the milk was on it's way to "bad" and I think he got some of it. So -he smells real nice and so does his room. PB&J I'm sure you can relate to the "smell"! He's better tonight and we hope it was just the milk and not some illness coming on.

Strawberry Date Cookies - not sure what "the big deal" is - all I know is they are yucky to me. Don't like dates and cloves!! that's my opinon on them. But, my dad, and two uncles (and now Jacob) seem to enjoy them. And yes, they eat 3 or 4 smushed together - Hank says that's how you should eat em :)

Me - having fun being lazy and cooking in mom's new kitchen. Love all the NEW appliances and gadgets she has gotten lately. We did some after-Christmas shopping last night and went out for steak. It was a good day :) I've enjoyed seeing my cousins and family here. hmmm. what else. oh - it was interesting to watch dad's old trailer get hauled off yesterday. Hank made a video for him of it all - that was the excitement for yesterday.

Cajun people - All I can say is that I so enjoy watching Hank try to understand when people talk around here. I know he's not getting 1/2 of what they say :) It's pretty funny to hear him try to immitate the accent - he's not so good with accents :) I translate daily for him.

Hank - Hank and my dad sang 2 songs last Sunday and Hank is singing a solo tomorrow.

Stay tuned for a blog from Hank later today I guess. That's it from me!

Mom & Dad Spell's New House

2007-12-26T19:40:00.001-08:00

Mom and Dad just moved into their new dream house a few weeks ago. Dad designed it and supervised the construction every day. Their gift shop "Between Friends Gifts" sits behind the house. The trailer they lived in for the past 3 years was moved off today. I just LOVE the front porch, don't you? :)

Safe arrival in Louisiana

2007-12-22T19:19:00.000-08:00

After a night on the road, we arrived safely at Tammy's parents' house this morning a little before 10 a.m. local time. We left a little later than we intended -- about 1 a.m. -- but we made good time once we got rolling. Stay tuned to the blog for pictures!

Reindeer Cookies

2007-12-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

Since the Turkey cookies were such a hit, I decided to make these for Christmas. I think they came out real cute :) We're off to Louisiana tomorrow to visit my parents. Today is laundry and packing day - ugg.

Awesome Birthday Present

2007-12-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I got another great birthday present. This one is special because about 20 band members pooled their funds together. They bought me an XBox 360!!!!! Oh yeah, and they gave me Guitar Hero II to go with it! How cool is that???!?!!

Here's how it happened: Last year, I was talking to one of my band members; his name is Matt. We weren't talking about anything important, just shooting the breeze. We got to talking about video games, and I told him I had been asking for an XBox for Christmas for the past few years. I never really expected to get one, though, because I knew if I had one I'd never get any work done at home!

Then, at band camp back in July, one of the "fun night" activities we did was a Guitar Hero tournament. Well, it was supposed to be a tournament, but it ended up being just a bunch of people playing Guitar Hero. It was great, and everyone had a lot of fun - including me!

So, fast forward to Friday. With about 10 minutes left in the school day, our principal came on the intercom and asked for some students to report to the front office. It was a long list, but after about 5 or 6 names I noticed that ALL of them were in band! The band room is right across the hall from the front office, and I was suspicious, so I headed to the hall. I was quickly redirected back to the band room! A few minutes later, they came in and asked me to come out into the hall. When I got there, all the kids were in an arc (which looked really good - definitely marching band kids). At the apex (?) of the arc was a present. Matt came up and told me that everyone here had contributed to the gift. I opened it -- it was Guitar Hero II for XBox! I thought, "Wow, this is great ... too bad I don't have an XBox." But I tried not to let on.

I started to thank them when Matt said, "You have an XBox, right?"

"Uh....no."

"Oh, really? Hang on a sec..." Matt walked over to a door to a nearby room and knocked on it. Another student came out with ANOTHER wrapped box. It looked like it was about the right size for an XBox. Sure enough, it was!

I was speechless. I think I said "wow" a few times. This is easily the coolest birthday or Christmas gift I have gotten from students. We brought everything into the band room and set it up right away using the projector in the band room. Everyone got a chance to play. It was awesome!

So, for those of you who aren't sure what to get me for Christmas, let me suggest NCAA Football '08 for XBox!!!!!! :)

ooops!

2007-12-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

Since tomorrow is Hank's birthday - I thought I'd better get his cake made. I was so excited. Had this great from scratch chocolate cake recipe with chocolate icing - just as requested. I have never made a 3 layer cake before, so it was a challenge baking all three layers in our oven. They came out very uneven. But - I watch enough Food Network to know that you should "level" your cake. Tried to level the bottom layer and it was a disaster - so I decided it would be fun to just leave it all lumpy and hilly. Well........After I was done, I headed for the couch to relax. Came back into the kitchen some time later to find this.....

but then I "fixed" it with wooden skewers

Hey... it's tastes great!!!!! Hank calls it the earthquake cake
Happy Birthday to Hank tomorrow!!

Friday night in Wal-Mart

2007-12-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

We had an interesting evening that included a visit to Wal-Mart. For more, check this out:
http://lchstrojanband.blogspot.com/2007/12/penny-wars.html

Mary & Joseph??

2007-12-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Hotel chain offers free rooms for Marys and Josephs at Christmas

Need some new Christmas music?

2007-12-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

As you might guess, I am VERY PICKY when it comes to Christmas music. So, when I recommend some Christmas music, you KNOW it must be good. We heard a special concert tonight by the Annie Moses Band. I'm not a big bluegrass/southern Gospel fan, but these guys are simply AMAZING, and they blend all kinds of styles - bluegrass, jazz, rock, and classical - into their music. If you get a chance to see them, you should definitely go! (They're in Indiana this week!)

the tree is up!

2007-12-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

We got a little tree this year. Putting it up on a table might not be the smartest idea we've had - but we'll just have to see. It was cheaper though :) Jacob is helping daddy water the tree. We had a high of 86 degrees yesterday!!!! so the poor tree needed all the help it could get.

the finished tree
here's a pic of our decorations. Umpah gave us a box of old decorations he used to put on their tree. They are so cool!!! Lots of wooden ones, hand made ones and some from around the world too. It really makes for a special tree.

crafty night

2007-12-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get Jacob a cute Christmas T-shirt. Jenni told me about some cute ones at Wal-Mart. Went today only to find out that they did have them, but sold out in 2 days! Geezz. So I got inspired by this shirt on the clearance rack. Got some felt and heat-n-bond; sewed on some buttons and a jingle bell and there you have it - instant cute original shirt for Jacob. It took a while - but it was a fun project. Merry Christmas everybody!

The Collection

2007-12-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

I started digging into the Christmas stuff today. I discovered that I have quite the collection of "Sally Carter Originals" :) Just thought I'd show them off to you. I look forward to new things from Sally all through the year. We have a small collection of Halloween/Fall items as well. And of course, Jacob has many personalized things on the walls of his room :) Merry Christmas!

The tin can has been with me a while - but I always love it. One side shows a winter scene and the other a summer.

Happy B-Day to Hank - early

2007-12-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

WE GOT A NEW CAMERA!!!! Thanks mom and dad. We got it last night since it was on sale through yesterday. We got a Cannon Powershot Digital Elf SD750 (if anyone cares). Very similar to Laura's camera. It's a 7.1. Our old one was 2.0 so it was time to upgrade (it was 6 years old) Oh yeah, and it was held together by duct tape and rubber bands and used up 2 batteries every 5 pictures or so!! The new one has a rechargable battery back so no more buying batteries - we buy enough batteries for all of Jacob's toys! Oh... and I can also take black/white pics, short movies and it has tons of other features. Can you tell I'm excited (yes I know it's Hank's present)!

Scrapbooking

2007-11-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

Last night I did my Thanksgiving scrapbook pages. Just thought I'd share with you. I had fun making the "2 little turkeys" page :) Indeed Jacob and Ben are turkeys!

Taking the plunge

2007-11-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

If you read our blog regularly, you know that we have been regular attenders at Sherwood Baptist Church down the road in Albany. We love our Sunday School class, Jacob has a great time in the nursery, Tammy serves as a babysitter for the movie we're working on, and I play tuba (and sometimes trombone) in the church orchestra/band/whatever you want to call us. So, we decided we should probably join the church. They accepted Tammy on a statement of faith, but I wasn't allowed to do that. You see, it's a Southern Baptist church and, as the name implies, they are kind of picky on baptism. Tammy was baptized by immersion at age 9, but my baptism by sprinkling didn't count.

They told me a few months ago that if I wanted to join the church, I would have to be baptized by immersion. So, I had to decide what to do. Tammy didn't want to join without me, so that made it a little more interesting. I took my time and put a lot of thought and study into it, and I thought some of you might be interested to read about that process.

First of all, it is important to point out that baptism does not equal salvation. In other words, just because you're baptized, that doesn't mean you are saved. Likewise, no baptism does NOT mean no salvation.

Growing up, I rarely (if ever) saw an adult baptism. I witnessed dozens (if not hundreds) of infant baptisms. But many of those infants were brought in by parents who were almost complete strangers to the church. They came for their baby's baptism, and then we would never see them in church again, except maybe at Easter. They probably claimed to be "C&E Christians" (Christmas & Easter), which I would argue means they weren't Christians at all.

And so I had to look at a comparison between infant baptism and believer's baptism. Infant baptism is exactly what it says -- you are baptized as an infant. Believer's baptism occurs when you are old enough to make your own decision for Christ. A quick Google-ing of "baptism" reveals that this topic is not an easy one to decide. Here's the arguments that were made to me, and how I dealt with each one as I made my decision:

1. All the baptisms described in the Bible are by immersion in a body of water.
-> When we lived in Rincon, we attended (but never joined) Grace Community Church. It was a great place, and we learned a lot while we were there. When we first started there, we attended a class that introduced us to the church, its history, structure, and beliefs. In that class, Pastor Wesley said something that made a lot of sense to me at the time. He said that when the Bible wasn't clear on something, he'd rather lean towards the conservative side. His example was that there are no examples of women leading churches in the New Testament. He said that doesn't mean it's wrong for women to be elders or pastors. But, since we are uncertain based on the Biblical example, Grace Community Church only allowed men to serve as elders "just to be on the safe side." I'm sure that's not a popular thing to say, but it makes sense. In the same way, since there is no Biblical example of infant baptism or of baptism by sprinkling, believer's baptism (by immersion) seems to be the right thing.

Ephesians 1:4-6 says that we were predestined for salvation before the creation of the world. So, shouldn't infant baptism be allowed as a celebration of God's love for all of us, even when we were too young to make our own decision of faith? Maybe. But there are no Biblical examples of such baptisms.

2. The word "baptism" is a transliteration from the Greek "baptizo," which means "to dip; to immerse."
-> This argument wasn't very convincing for me, mostly because there are as many arguments for it as there are against it. I'm not enough of a Greek scholar or historian to really understand this and make my own decision about it.

3. Baptism is an act of obedience.
-> This is based on the Great Commission, Matthew 28:19. I thought I had this covered, since I was baptized. And let's not forget that I did make a public proclamation of faith as a teenager through Confirmation. So by itself, this didn't convince me. But what if, by denying the opportunity to be baptized as an adult, I was being disobedient? That bothered me (based on the logic described in #1).

And so after several weeks of study and thought, I decided I needed to be baptized as an adult - to publicly proclaim my faith in Jesus. But I was waiting for the right moment. It didn't feel right. But when I heard the argument below, I knew I couldn't wait any longer.

4. Salvation and repentence are decisions. They are not feelings. They are choices.
-> We had a Sunday School lesson several weeks ago on Luke 13. In that passage, Jesus says we must repent or perish. It struck me during that lesson that repentance is a choice. Ever since then, it seems that every time I opened my Bible, went to Sunday School, or listened to a sermon, I heard something about making a conscious choice. (Maybe God was trying to get through to me???) We must choose to honor God in our daily lives -- at work, in our marriages, and at church. When I examined myself, I found that I was often making the choice to honor myself. It wasn't on purpose, because I wanted to be a good Christian, set a good example at school, etc., but truthfully, I was only doing that when it was convenient. When I felt like it, I would honor God; the rest of the time, it was all about me. So I chose to change my behavior and to start honoring God in everything.

And so, as a part of that choice, I decided to go ahead with baptism and to join the church. Our Associate Pastor, John Spencer, baptized me at the evening service. Tammy and Jacob were up there with me. After the service, we were presented as new members.

If you made it this far into the blog, you're probably wondering why I went into all this detail. I guess this is my way of describing a difficult decision process. I don't want to discount my baptism as an infant. Not to mention that growing up in the church is an important part of my Christian experience as an adult. At the same time, I believe that I have to be obedient to God, and this was the right way to do that. Trust me, I did not take it lightly! I did a lot of reading and a lot of studying.

By the way, for those of you who may be wondering, Jacob has not been baptized. We're going to let him make a decision for himself when he's old enough. But you can bet we'll be teaching him and leading him towards his own relationship with Jesus (Proverbs 22:6).

the turkeys are on their way

2007-11-18T19:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight Hank and I made these cute turkey cookies. They were a lot of fun to make. I figured we should take a picture in case they don't survive the road trip to KY tomorrow night.

UK sux

2007-11-17T12:46:00.000-08:00

Well, looks like UK isn't going to get it done for us today against Georgia, thanks to a second-half offensive meltdown.

Meanwhile, the LCHS Trojans lost last night. I honestly don't remember the score. I'm told we had the furthest distance to travel of any team in the state. It sure felt like it, especially on the way home.

Can't wait to see everyone in a few days!!!

We're big Kentucky fans (for two weeks)

2007-11-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

Queep, this is just for you, from my favorite Gator website:

By ARNOLD FELICIANO
Sun sports editor
12:24 am, November 12, 2007

While Florida awaits its fate in the SEC East division race, the Gators will be involved in another race — for the Heisman Trophy.

No. 14 Florida (7-3, 5-3 in SEC) needs a loss by both Georgia and Tennessee to force a three-way tie, which would put the Gators in the SEC title game. Georgia closes its SEC schedule Saturday against visiting Kentucky. Tennessee hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday before closing its regular season Nov. 24 at Kentucky.

"We're big Kentucky fans," Florida coach Urban Meyer said Sunday.
-----

Yep, we're big Kentucky fans!
The interesting part is that if Tennessee somehow manages to lose to both Vanderbilt AND Kentucky, then Georgia wins the SEC East. So, GOOOOOOO CATS!! (But I'd still like to see Vandy make it to a bowl game.)

In other news: Our football team ACTUALLY WON on Friday night! So we're off to Augusta this Friday for a playoff game. 4 1/2 hours on a school bus just to get there ... I can hardly wait.

great weekend!

2007-11-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

We had a fun weekend. Friday night I took Jacob to the last home game and we had a great time. Then, Saturday morning I got up early and drove to a friend's house and had a yard sale. Made $25 - not great - but better than nothing. Saturday night Hank and I went on a date!! It's been so long - I really don't remember the last time we went out without Jacob. Our friend Amanda came over to hang out with Jacob and we went to Red Lobster and ate till we hurt - then went to Theater Albany to see "And Then There Were None" - Agatha Christie. It was a fun murder mysterie. 3 hours long!! After eating all the food, I did have trouble in Act 2 staying awake - but somehow I still managed to follow it all :) The weather this weekend was beautiful as well. It's finally cooling off and feeling like fall. One more week of school and then we're off to "Turkentucky"

Speaking of KY -Laura I stumbled on another cheerleading show. We are getting free channels this weekend and the network is called "Fuse" - they have a show called "Cheerleader U" and it follows the KY Wildcat cheerleaders. They had a marathon on so I watched several.

That's about it. Our church is 50% completed in it's filming of our next movie. Sadly though, tonight one of the crew passed away. A guy from Orlando was one of our film crew and he was traveling back up here. He had a car accident and died several hours later. His wife is expecting their first child. Very sad news. Pray for the Monk family this night.

Until the next blog....

T

Weekend

2007-11-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

41-0 is not much fun to watch, let me tell you. I realized at the end of the game that we had not played the fight song AT ALL. When we're not scoring, we try to play the fight song (or at least part of it) for first downs, big plays, etc. But there weren't many of those, either.

So, our football team is now 1-8 for the season, 0-2 in region play. Fortunately, the band had a great show at halftime and did a nice job in the stands. But I feel for the football team. They're very frustrated right now. I really hope they win next week. It will be our last home game of the season, and it's senior night.

So that was Friday for me. Tammy spent the evening at a marriage retreat hosted by our Sunday School class. The evening included a prime rib dinner and cheesecake for dessert. I had hamburgers from the school cafeteria. Who got the better deal there????

This morning we got up and went to the second session of the marriage retreat. Then we came home and watched the GATORS absolutely destroy Vanderbilt. Then we went to the fair (see Jacob's blog for details). That's a pretty busy day for us, yet it was relaxing.

Tomorrow's plans: Church, football, nap....not necessarily in that order.

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Today's project

2007-10-29T14:28:00.001-07:00

Today I made Jacob something to collect all that candy in! Yummmm - mommy and daddy will have to help him eat it all.

Band Stuff

2007-10-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday we all went to Warner Robins to hear Hank's band perform at competition. Hank rode the bus with the kids and Jacob and I followed in a big caravan for the 2 hour trek. It was a beautiful day and we really had fun. This is the only picture I took. After the performance the kids "circle up" around until they are all in a spiral around Hank. It's pretty fun to watch and they have fun doing it. As you can see, little man Jacob was right there with his daddy having a great time :) The band got a "2" but they did improve from their last competition a few weeks earlier. There was disappointment but it gave Hank an opportunity to teach them about doing your best and dealing with disappointment I think it was hard on the kids because the crowd LOVED the show. Since this was the last competition, Hank gets to wind down his schedule. We only have 2 or 3 more football games. YAY!

Jen, you have inspired me.....

2007-10-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

So, I really don't like Halloween. It's my least favorite holiday and I just assume skip it. But, I do think it's cute to see little ones in costume and I really wanted Jacob to be a fireman this year. I put off buying a costume and really wasn't going to mess with it until I chatted with Jen (my sister-in-law) today. Sooooo ... despite the fact that I can't sew and don't have a sewing machine anyway, I decided to use good ole duct tape and see what I could do. So - here's the start of it. I need to make a badge and pick up a hat. Don't have black shoes - but I will work on that too. The pants were given to me by a friend so I don't feel too bad that I cut a hole in them when I was trimming the tape. Oh well... So, hopefully it will be a cool night for Jacob to wear this heavy fleece and lined pants.

Our church has an annual festival called "Candyfest" and Hank and I are working in one of the booths for an hour and then we'll take Jacob around. Should be fun :)

Not something you see every day...

2007-10-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Some of you might know that our church makes Christian movies (Flywheel, Facing the Giants). We are now working on our third movie, called Fireproof. It's partially about firefighters, so today at church they were shooting some scenes. I am babysitting for the cast/crew kids on Monday mornings, and today we got to go watch them do some filming. They invited all the kids who were in our daycare today to come out and they did a little fire safety demo. They also showed the kids the trucks and equipment. I tried to get Jacob to sit still in a few group scenes, but he just wanted to roam around and give me a fit. I think I might have gotten him in for a few minutes as they did some filming of him just wandering around. Not sure if they'll use it - but it's fun to think that he might be in a small part of the movie. The movie won't be out til next fall so it will be a while before I know if my little man made his film debut yet. That's about it for a Monday. Just wanted to pass on what's going on in the Carter household.

45-37, 21 in a row!

2007-10-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

I DVR'd College GameDay, but the recording cut off right before Corso's prediction!!! (We went to the South Georgia Peanut Festival in nearby Sylvester ... see Jacob's blog for all the details.) Which way did he go?

Anyway, with or without Corso, it's official - Florida has beaten Kentucky 21 times in a row.
For a little perspective on this, there's a great story on my favorite website.

There have been some memorable ones -- Danny Wuerffel throws a TD to Chris Doering on 3rd down with 8 seconds left for a come-from-behind win in Lexington in 1993, the close win in the Swamp in 2002 when the massive Jared Lorenzen was the UK quarterback. This one featured two solid offenses and two REALLY BAD defenses.

This Gator win was very important for several reasons:
1. Thanks to Vandy and Alabama, we can win the SEC East if we win out.
2. It avoids what could have been Urban Meyer's first-ever 3-game losing streak.
3. And most important, NO TURKENTUCKY GLOATING from Queep!

So, to Laura and Pete: Sorry your CFGD appearance was in vain. Better luck next year, when your QB will be gone and we'll have a better, more experienced team! Now, do us all a favor and beat the crap out of Tennessee!!

GameDay

2007-10-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

So, it's the day of the big game, and ESPN's College Football GameDay is in Lexington. Laura and Pete said they're going to be there, so of course we're watching. And I have a couple of observations:
- Today is the first time GameDay highlights a UK game. It is the record 26th time highlighting a Florida game.
- Lee Corso said, "I love Kentucky fans. You know why? Because they BELIEVE!" Of course they believe now! But Lee, have you been to a Kentucky game before this year? I have. It looked a lot like the pictures Laura took at a high school game last night.

Here's hoping Corso picks UK......GO GATORS!!!

busy busy...

2007-10-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm making a box to send to my mom's shop. This week I've been busy making Christmas cards and more jewlery. I think I am enjoying the card-making more than the beading now. Making cards is just like scrapbooking and that is relaxing to me. Not much else new. Hank is at an away game and Jacob is in bed for the night. Watching another train wreck on TV - "American Band" - so far it's not too good. Oh well - FNL will come on soon so I can switch tracks to that train (and you too Jenni - I know). Have fun watching football tomorrow. Go Gators!! (I hope) :/

Camping!

2007-10-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, Queep, I'm sorry we missed the big upset. Don't worry, we'll be glued to the tube next weekend! Funny, though, how you beat a team and they still end up ranked higher than you. That's not right.

Anyway, we missed the game because of camping. Jacob was great. If you missed out on his fun, well, why in the world are you reading this blog before reading his? DUH.

It was warm during the day and cold at night - perfect weather if you ask me. As it got colder at night, we added layers. Here's how it worked:
- Tammy is wearing jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, and a sweatshirt. I am wearing a tshirt and shorts.
- Later, Tammy adds a light jacket. I'm still wearing a tshirt and shorts.
- Later, Tammy wraps herself in blanket. I'm still wearing a tshirt and shorts.
- Tammy digs the hood from her sweatshirt out from under the blanket and puts it over her head. I finally decide it might be getting cold. I put on a fleece, but I'm still wearing shorts.
- Time to go to bed. Tammy replaces the jeans with PJ pants, and the blanket is now covering her sleeping bag. She wishes she had a hat. I remove my fleece, replace my shorts with PJ pants, and unzip the side of the sleeping bag so my feet can cool off.

This proves that women are (as my father-in-law would say) COLD-BLOODED. ;)

Competition

2007-10-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

I think I am finally starting to recover from a long competition day on Saturday. We began the day at 7:30 a.m. with a quick warm-up, brief rehearsal, and a run-through of the show. We planned to do that in our stadium, but the sprinklers were on (despite the recent rain), so we moved to our practice field. No chance of water there -- that field hasn't seen a sprinkler in decades!

At 9ish we rolled out in 4 school buses, our equipment truck (pulling our trailer) and another truck hauling a trailer with the flying rig and the backdrop. At 11:15 we stopped at a rest area and handed out hot dogs (kept warm in a cooler -- ironic, I know), fruit, cookies, and lemonade. Back on the bus, and we arrived in Carrollton at 1:15 p.m., just in time to unload, put our uniforms on, and head to the warm-up area.

We had the best performance of the year (so far), which was enough to give us 3rd place in Class AAA. Our drum majors got second place, as did the drumline. So, it was a successful day.

Oh, and I should mention that one of our judges was none other than Ken Bodiford -- my (and Pete's) high school band director in Hampton, VA! He is now the Director of Bands at Jacksonville State University and Executive Director of Spirit of JSU Drum and Bugle Corps. (Pete and I marched with Spirit in 1993, back when they were Spirit of Georgia.) JSU's band was there for an exhibition performance, which was phenomenal. They marched THIRTY tubas, playing bell-front concert tubas with a strap. Pretty impressive. The band was HUGE, but they were clean and sounded amazing. I now have 100 kids who want to go to JSU. :) Probably the coolest part was when the trumpet section "arched up" in front of us and played the theme from Phantom Menace, complete with ridiculously high notes.

Anyway, I got to talk to Mr. Bodiford (still feels weird to call him "Ken" - I know, Pete was calling him that before graduation) for a few minutes during one of the breaks. He didn't know I had a band there (we had already performed). Last I saw him I was at a drum corps show in Orlando while I was still in Florida. He asked about Pete and Mom and Dad. He rolled his eyes when I told him that both of us had little ones running around. :)

So, back on the bus at midnight, and we arrived at school at 3:45 a.m. Sunday. I got home a little before 5 a.m. No church for me on Sunday morning! It was a long day. But we brought home 11 trophies in all, so that's pretty good. We placed in every caption - overall band, drum majors, color guard, danceline, and percussion.

For those keeping score, yes, Effingham was there, competing in the same class as us. Their drum majors won first place in class (we were 2nd), as did their percussion (we were 2nd). But our overall band score was better. :)

As for video -- I have an MPEG, but Google video doesn't seem to like it. You can't see Elphaba flying anyway -- it's a wide angle shot from the press box, so all you see is a little black dot, and only if you're paying attention. Still, I'll keep trying to post it.

The good thing about being at a band competition all day is that it distracted me from Florida's meltdown against LSU. But I did notice that Pete Crawford is a little less vocal about his Wildkitties since they lost last week. I have to say, it's pretty strange looking up at Kentucky in the SEC East standings. Don't worry; we'll correct that in two weeks in Lexington!

Football: AAAAAA!!!

2007-09-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

Another Friday night, another Lee County loss. It was homecoming, and the band had the blahs in the stands. BUT, they did a nice job on the field with the homecoming court. We played "I'll Be There" (Jackson 5, Mariah Carey) TEN TIMES while they introduced the homecoming court!

Meanwhile, the Gators lost. Stupid Auburn.

We have our first real competition coming up this Saturday. I should get some good video either Friday night or Saturday of Elphaba flying. So, check back here in a week!

Back from our little trip

2007-09-24T11:34:00.001-07:00

Jacob and me made it back from Savannah yesterday. We had a great time. I just put a ton of new pictures on his website. Not much new this week. Gonna try and get some more pieces done to ship to mom's shop. People are gearing up for Christmas already. I'm up to 2 miles, 4-times a week on the treadmill and I've upped the incline too. When I'm done I really feel my age :( But it seems to be helping the hipline so it's all good. We're planning a camping trip in a few weeks. Must buy a new tent first though. The old one is finally "done". Jacob should enjoy camping now that he's walking around. I think we'll get him a little camp chair. So - after that trip - we will bombard you with more cute pictures of our boy - so get ready!

Friday Night Footblah

2007-09-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight's special: Lee County loses to Dougherty County 21-3, and it wasn't that close. We're now 1-3 for the season!

Worse is that we couldn't march our halftime show because it rained all day until about 6:00 (kickoff was at 7:30), and we might mess up the field. So there we are in perfectly good weather, nice breeze blowing, no rain, and we had to play a standstill performance from the track.

But, the good news: We're performing at an early-season exhibition tomorrow in Tifton (about an hour east of here), and Elphaba is finally going to fly! It will be the first time this season. I'll try to get some video. I saw it in rehearsal for the first time on Thursday, and it's a neat effect, even though we haven't added the fog/smoke effects yet. Our first competitive performance is in two weeks!

A question for Queep

2007-09-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

The greatest part about Saturday's victory over Tennessee was not the 59 points we put up on them, nor was it the fact that it boosted us to #3 in the polls. The greatest part was not the fact that now we are recognized as a force to be recognized in the SEC. No, the greatest part was the fact that I was sitting in church orchestra rehearsal during most of the game (and recording it on DVR to watch later). Let me explain. (I'll get to the question for Uncle Pete in a minute.)

The orchestra leader, Jim, is a huge Tennessee fan. (In Savannah, everyone was a UGAly Bulldog fan. Here, we have fans of Florida, Tennessee, UGA, Auburn, Alabama, FSU, and even a few who admit to pulling for GA Tech. It makes football season a lot more fun -- although shaming the UGAly fans never gets old. But I digress. Back to Jim and the orchestra.) Jim was sitting next to me, playing trombone. He kept getting text messages during rehearsal, and I kept telling him, "Don't tell me." He didn't. But he had this smug look on his face, and I kept thinking, "Man, we didn't look too good in the 1st quarter, then I had to leave. I hope they're not beating the mess out of us."

Then I went home. Tammy had watched the game, but she is great about showing NO EMOTION in her face until after I get to watch. (What a great woman she is!) So I watched the game, cheered as if it were live (only I got to FF through the commercials), etc. It was great.

So, Sunday morning came, and I came in and sat down next to Jim. He flinched and said, "Oh, sorry...I thought you were going to keep beating up on me!" Now, that was GREAT! I didn't even have to say anything! Only problem was I had to wear RED (blech) because that was the color of the day for "platform volunteers," which includes those of us in the "orchestra." (It's really a band - the only strings come from a synthesizer. But "orchestra" sounds a lot more proper.)

Yep....gotta love college football. Let the gloating continue!!!

OK, so, on to my question for Pete Crawford.
Q: What is the deal with THIS guy?

Not much new

2007-09-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Just sitting here blogging while Hank is at the football game (probably in the pouring rain). Didn't want to risk getting caught in the storm that's supposedly heading our way. I made some brownies and ate 3 of them. Not cool. Watching my fav. Friday night show "What Not To Wear". So, it's been another crazy week with yet another funeral. A man from our church committed suicide on Tuesday. Very sad. He had a wife and 3 kids. We didn't know the family, but alot of our friends did so it's been pretty sad around our church. Let's see.......not much else... guess I'll get to beading. Mom called and said she sold some of my stuff today. I'm going to make scrap Christmas cards this year. I've been doing cards for several months and they sell pretty well. Well guess that's the update. Hope all your teams win tomorrow.... Last week we had 3 on the tv and one going on the computer streaming. It makes for an interesting Saturday :)

Jacob's B-Day Cake

2007-09-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Reading Karen's blog and looking at all her favorite links made me think of something.... She had a link for cool handmade cakes. I remembered that when I made Jacob's Noah's Ark Cake, I sent the picture and description to the website that gave me the idea in the first place. It is posted at http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/child-birthday-cakes.html#c7

I think that's pretty cool! Jenni - send in Ben's cakes and I bet they'll put them on. The lady who runs the site emailed me and was very nice. She says it takes a few weeks to post pictures as she gets tons. And you too Laura - the scrabble "cookie" rocks!

A crafty night

2007-09-11T19:25:00.001-07:00

Tonight I felt like doing some beading. My mom said that the store is going to be getting busy with Christmas shoppers. Yes, it's 93 degrees outside and people are thinking about Christmas... But hey- if they buy my stuff - I don't mind! So, here's a few sets I made tonight. I did the best I could with the picture taking. The photos do not do the beads justice. The colors are so pretty :) I love using glass beads. I sometimes use stones to mix with them - but mainly use glass. While I beaded, Hank sat on the couch watching "The Biggest Loser" while eating a piece of cake with a side of whole milk. That was just funny to me.