New Found Appreciation

Last night's Wii party left me with a new found appreciation- a few actually. We invited every girl in Maci's class plus a few others. There were some good girls here. Girls that I will encourage Maci to continue building realationships with. We had some girls here that I will encourage her to cut all ties with. But when scanning the crowd gathered by the television to sing some High School Musical song, I was overcome with pride and appreciation for my own little girl. Can she act bratty? Sure. Can she act mouthy? Sure. She can act like a 10 year old girl very well. But she IS friendly, loving, caring, compassionate, thoughtful, and well behaved. She is also a cutie. Because I want the best for her I can put such lofty expectations out there that I lose sight of the awesome person she is- Person...not just daughter -but person.

I also have a new deeper appreciation for friends and teachers (and friends that happen to be teachers) that also adore my daughter and make her feel like a million bucks every time they walk in the door. There is great value is in positive affirmation from people that don't have to say it.

Go Big Red

I went to the Claremore Progress from Anna May's site and was excited to read this article. This is fabulous news for the home of the Zebras. Go big red!

Talk about freaking cold...

Because the 32 degrees in Charlotte wasn't quite cool enough for us we decided to venture North to the mountains this weekend. Our tour guides (the Brownies) led us to Boone where we played in the "snow" on the campus of Ashley's old stomping grounds and then on to Blowing Rock- with a brief stop (read that- drive thru) at one of NC's ski resorts. (they have man made snow for that) You gotta remember this is NC and snow here isn't deep or necessarily pretty---but it was cold. :) Regardless of the frigid temps and lack of snow the laughs and "fellowship" (Ashley's word) made it a great outing. We saw some great views of the mountains, none of which I can show you due to a variety of technical difficulties. Joe thought you could just look online to see pics...here are the links you'll need: Blowing Rock, Mast General Store, Boone, App Ski Mountain, Appalacian State and for the best sweet tea in the state- Troys Diner. Here are the pics we did get...they were all taken the same day...not during a 3 year spread like Ashley's camera says...she really needs to figure that out!

Three Glorious Words-

TWO HOUR DELAY! That is what the great minds of Union County have come up with for these "snowy mornings." A two hour delay means just that, school starts exactly 2 hours later than normal. However, dismissal time remains the same. All the loveliness of sleeping in and having a very short work day without a pesky "make up day" to hang over our heads. Glorious. Please no one go and tell the dear Charlotteans that snow that doesn't last til 10 am or even cover all of your front yard is insignificant. They find it highly alarming and feel the need to close businesses all over town- including the court house. The other fabulous thing about the Union County system is the little automated lady that calls your house at 5:30am to let you know about the delay. You don't even have to turn on the TV. I certainly don't love everything about UCPS but this "snow" thing rocks!

Random Story

This is totally random but it's a cute little story. Play along. We have a Grandfather clock that "dings" every 15 minutes. Honestly, I rarely hear it anymore. I've just become so used to it that it doesn't even register. But everytime Ashley comes over and notices the clock ding she says, "I've been here 15 minutes." Even if she's been here hours, she still says "I've been here 15 minutes." Like I said, that is a random story but it always makes me smile.

My Theory

Maci is having a wii party in a few weeks. She presented me with her guest list which was neatly divided up into two catergories- "Girls and Boyes." My philosophy is if you can't spell it- you are too young to have them over! Agreed?

The Intro

So I have had some Charlotteans ask who the Hattaways are since I mentioned them in my last post....Let me give you a quick intro...

The Hattaways are a stellar family back home. Jim and Walta have raised four beautiful daughters- and made it look easy. Talent oozes from their pores. They sing, dance, play instruments, write, act, and are just generally fun to be around. The Osmonds have nothing on the Hattaways!

The Good. The Bad. And the Ugly

The good is we have the wii online now. Thanks to the "Welch Wii Help Desk." That Christopher Welch is a smart cookie, cutie pie too. He would be perfect for a Hattaway girl! But I digress.... Anyway, this wii is way cool now. We can even email from it! I must be at the age (old) where the latest technology just amazes me.

The bad is I didn't get any pictures from Hummel Wii night Friday. We'll get them next time.

The ugly is when Ashwii beat Minwii in boxing. See how she celebrated? I'm glad she got that in because I proceeded to kick her butt the next 2 matches.

The really ugly is described here.

I could do an infomercial for those smarty pants Nintendo people. Love them! If only they would let us have more options for our wii mii clothing...

Not Just Cold...Freaking Cold!

To quote Andy, "it's freaking cold here." No, he should not say freaking (blame Brad) but he is correct. I know I have been a little wimpified weather wise since moving here but it truly is COLD here today. It was also cold last night when our heat wasn't working! As I type our handy dandy Brothers Heat and Air man is preparing my bill. Yes it will be another $200 but did I mention last night was chilly? We are seriously thinking of getting on their maintenance plan...anyone do that? It's $15 a month but if you have a problemem there is no service charge when they come out (we've paid $150 in service calls the last 12 months). And you get a 15% discount on parts and labor when they do fix things. That would have made todays visit $75 cheaper... I usually gamble on these things but after 3 problems in 1 year...does that mean I am good for awhile or I should sign up quickly?! Maybe someone with good simple math can help me figure the odds.

WIP- Update

Ok, here is the crafty item I promised you. I have spiced up some spiral notebooks. It is very simple and quite fun! Here it is step by step.

1-Choose some pretty paper from the scrapbooking section of a craft store. Better get several pieces because this is addicting! (Oh! and the scrapbooking supplies- including ribbon are 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby this week!!!)

2-Choose a coordinating piece of heavier card stock and some ribbon- also from the scrapbooking section. The self adhesive is great for the midline and then regular ribbon for the ties.

3-Cut the cardstock to fit the cover of your spiral. (I got a pack of 3 spirals at WalMart for under $3.00) Cut the pretty paper so that it covers 3/4 of your cardstock. Glue the paper to the cardstock.

4- Take a coordinating ribbon (self adhesive is nice) and place it over the seam of the papers. Cut a little extra so that it will secure on the back of the cardstock and not fray. If your ribbon isn't self adhesive that is ok, just use the glue stick and then secure it on the back of the cardstock with tape.

5- Accessorize the cardstock with stickers or those "spare parts" that work like brads. Use a thumbtack to poke the holes and then push it through and secure. They come in letters, shapes, designs, etc. etc.

6-Glue the cardstock securely to the front of the spiral, getting as close to the top as possible. I used a wide Elmers Glue stick. Be sure to use a little extra on the corners.

7- Cut and tie your ribbon choices all along the top spiral...this is what makes it! Then trim each with a diagonal to keep from fraying.

They turn out so cute! I also did this to a planner for myself. Maci made some for her friends using the tiny spirals. They are also adorable. Here are a few pics of our finished products....

<----Maci's tiny ones