The Light at the end of the Tunnel!

Well, I can see the light now-2 more days of school! Lots of deadlines and stuff this last week, but it won't last too long. I know I'll be missing the kids in a few weeks, but right now I can't wait for a few weeks to just be ME.

This week was MUCH better than last week. It seemed long, but no slinky visitors at least. I was very excited Wed. night at Weight Watchers. I had lost again and hit the 20 lb lost mark!!!! I still have a long ways to go-but that there's less of me going!!!! Thanks to those who got me motivated to join WW, now you gotta get back in the game with me. I miss you!

Nothing much going on. Gotta get busy cleaning up! Have a good weekend everyone.

What a Week! Don't let the pics scare you!

Give me simple and boring any day. This week was too much!

First of all, Alan left last Thursday (May 22) to go to West Virginia for 9 days on a NC Baptist Men Disaster Relief project, to help clean up from a Mother's Day weekend flood. This really means alot to him and he's really missed helping for the last year & half with the collapsed disks & surgery. I admire him for going, but I hate when he's gone. I didn't sleep very well even though Mama was here a few nights, I never do when Alan's gone.

The good part of the week was at WW Wednesday night-I had lost 4.2 lbs!!! I was so excited. I had a small gain the week before and was kinda down about it, unmotivated, etc.

Thursday we had a bomb threat at school!! My first one ever. To make it worse, it poured rain while we were all outside! It was scary! I hated that some fool upset the kids so much. I pray they catch them and prosecute to the fullest. Friday, everyone was kinda apprehensive, but we got through the day with no more threats.

I was excited to get home Friday, because Alan was almost home!!! I pulled into the driveway and before I got out of the car, he pulled in!! Halleluia!! I told him I was sticking like glue this weekend! About an hour after he got home we went out on the porch. He was starting the grill and I was just gonna sit out there with him. As he walked by the table to the grill, I saw a snake laying on the table!!! At least about a foot of him was-the rest was coiled inside a little decorative house Alan built several yrs. ago that lights up! I yelled to Alan to get away, and I ran to the shed to get the shovel while Alan watched the varmit. He crawled back into the house and Alan finally had to pry the bottom off to get him out and kill him.

About mid-morning today, Major (our collie) started barking. Not his "I'm gonna eat you alive" bark, just short yelps. I went out to see what was wrong. There was a baby robin in his pen. It had fallen from the pine tree above. Major wasn't bothering it, just looking curiously at it (thank goodness!) I picked it up and its parents were calling to it from the trees around the pen. The little bird chirped and chirped. I put it outside the pen near where the parents kept perching. They didn't see him as he blended in with the dirt and he was not chirping much any more, actually dozing off. I was afraid a snake would get him, or Major when he was let out. So I rigged up a pot nest with some coconut hanging basket liner and hung in one of the trees. I checked on him several times. He seemed to be getting weaker and couldn't make a sound anymore. I was crying when Alan came out to see where I was. I just knew it was gonna die. The parent birds still kept going over to the pen, not to the tree. So I moved the pot nest to the fence. When we got back from Franklin about 4:30 he was sitting up alert and the parents were on the top of the fence. Hopefully he will be okay after all.

Mama in the tree right above her baby.

I hope the coming week is much calmer!

Sharing flowers

I've really missed blogging the last few weeks. Just too busy and exhausted to think what to write. I finally passed my 5% goal in WW!! Two weeks ago I lost 3 lbs and reached a total of 15 lbs lost!!! I was totally thrilled!! This past Wed. I was exactly the same (at least no gain)! I'm trying harder this week.

I thought I would share some photos of my flowers.

I love these old-fashioned flowers. I don't know the name of them-they're a type of lamb's ear, but not the broad leaf variety. As a child I called my grandmother's "velvet flowers" and it stuck

in our family. These are decendents from her plants. I love flowers that come back and don't need any help from me-just to love them!

Oh how sweet the smell! Magnolia grandiflora!! Southern sweetness at its best! Another of my most favorite flowers. I got married in May because these would be blooming! Our 24th anniversary is this Monday, May 18th. Like the magnolia, my Alan is sweetness at its best!

Love you sweetie!

Weight Watcher update

It's a crazy week!! Can't wait until FRIDAY this week (and it's not the kids this week)!
Just taking a moment to let everyone know that I didn't meet my 5% goal this week at WW. I stayed exactly the same-at least no extra weight to have to re-lose! I'm glad I didn't have a gain after splurging some while on vacation. I did get some extra walking in-so thought I might've lost some. Today starts a new WW week though! Hope everyone else gets good news tomorrow night!
Living for a beautiful weekend to get back in my yard and plant, plant, plant flowers!!!

Vacation Recap

Those of us fortunate enough to have a week off for Easter break are headed back to reality tomorrow morning-UGH! But, it's the countdown to June 9th and SUMMER! Actually, I did start to miss my students this weekend (crazy huh?). I should be cured by 8:30 tomorrow!

I really enjoyed the break though. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to by any means, but we got some things accomplished and I relaxed! Alan & I worked in the yard Monday moving hosta & creating some new beds. I planned what annuals & the colors I want in which beds, etc. After Monday's workout, Tuesday both of us were wiped out. We just enjoyed being home, sitting on the back porch (patio), watching & listening to the birds, and playing with Major.

Thursday we went to visit my relatives on my dad's side of the family in Supply, NC (between Wilmington & Myrtle Beach). We had a great short visit. We did some shopping. I spent some time at an antique store that's operated by a close family friend, & bought a milkglass cake stand. I always have to walk through like three times to see everything and see the neat way she's displayed stuff. She's really talented in that respect and she loves to reuse/repurpose stuff in different ways like I do. I always get tons of ideas from her.

We did make it to the beach for a little while Fri. afternoon, but the wind was so cold!!! My eyes were watering so much I could barely see. We walked for about 20 minutes and just had to leave. We had to come home yesterday, of course it was much warmer and not as windy, but that's the way it goes. Hopefully we'll get to spend more time down there this summer.

Well, it's getting late and I have to get up early and get my brain (and everything else) back in gear! So, goodnight! Hope everyone has a great week!

Little by Little...

I'm excited to blog that I passed the 10 lb marker! I had lost 2.2 lbs this week for a total of 11.6 lbs. Hopefully this coming Wed. I will reach my 5% goal! I know it is small amounts, but I haven't seen these numbers on the scales in YEARS! I hardly knew they were there as the needle blurred by! Thanks for all the support and encouragement from my family, friends (online and offline)! Gotta go, going walking on the beach in a little while-when it warms up a bit! Oh yeah, activity points!!! Everyone have a good day and hope everyone else had a loosing week!

Major is (will be) 1 yr. old!

Tomorrow our puppy Major will be 1 year old! He's registered name is Major Jakie Bear. The "Jakie" is after Alan's Dad, whose is often called Jake by his family. Our first collie was named Prissie after Alan's Mom (if you know Geraldine, you'll understand!), so it was only fair to name Major after J.P., and he owns Major's parents. BTW-he has a couple of new collie pups ready to go to new homes!!

It doesn't seem like it was a year ago Major was so tiny...(Minor?)

He's about 2 wks old in the photo above.

This photo was taken on April 4th.

He's not so tiny now! Now you know why the "Bear" part of his name! He still wants to be a lapdog some days, though. He loves to play with his rope. He slings it, chews it, and chases it. He's pretty good at fetching and bringing it back for us to toss again. He's got his people trained well. His other favorite toy is a plastic flower pot! He will carry it all over the yard, retrieve it when we throw it, and chew it. Then we get a new one so he won't get cut or eat the plastic pieces. He has brought lots of joy & laughter to our lives.

Here is Major with his first flower pot when we brought him home last May!

It took us a couple of years to get another collie after Prissie had to be put to sleep. She was with us for 13 years and was so much company for Alan, especially after he had to stop work due to his back problems. She followed him everywhere around the yard and shop. Major is following in her footsteps in that regard. If he would just stop barking so much!! Prissie only barked if something was wrong or someone came around. Major barks at the birds at the feeder, when he wants to play, while he's playing, when someone or some animal comes into the yard and sometimes just for the heck of it, I think. Hopefully he will soon mature enough not to bark so much. We love the noisy ole boy though!

Happy Birthday Major!