Goodness!

Has it really been two weeks? Time is sure flying by. A quick look at the calendar shows that December is over 1/3 of the way gone. Where did it go?

We have been busy! Marissa had tryouts for District Honor Band last week, and she made it! She is the only student that has EVER made it from her school. She will be competing again in February for the next level. We had our Christmas pictures made this past week, and they turned out great. I will post them here after Christmas. Don't wanna ruin the surprise :) Church activities are in full swing. Marissa's dance team party was last night, today we helped get the kids costumes ready for the church wide Christmas party tomorrow night, and tomorrow I teach my class again at 900. Church next, then home to a crockpot lunch and back to church at 600 for the evening of fun at our Christmas Party. Then Monday, Marissa has the party for the entire Fine Arts dept at church. This is the last week of school for us, and we are letting Marissa skip the after school tutorials this week. (Hey, with a 94 average, she can skip a few)

I have the house decorated, and Marissa made cookies tonight. I have all of our Christmas cards addressed, and will mail them Monday. I have all of the Box Tops for Education counted, bundled and totaled for our school's IPOD giveaway for the kid who brought in the most since September. Christmas shopping for Marissa is just about finished, and I know pretty much what I am getting for everyone else.

Still feeling very guilty about not going to the hospital to see my friend with leukemia. I have kept her kids some, and I text or facebook with her almost every day, but it isn't the same. Just seems time is slipping by way too fast. I just GOTTA go this coming week! I miss her smiling face!

Friday night we are going to a Christmas party at church for the PrimeTimers. Although we don't quite fit into the 50+ age group, they welcome us and we enjoy attending the events. Marissa's band concert at school is Thursday night. And oh yeah, I did complete several scrapbook layouts yesterday.  It is a busy time of year!

Awakening 11/9/10 IWC Grand Opening week

Our church is having it's grand opening this week, and Marissa is so excited to finally be part of the Interpretive Dance Team, The Awakening.
The video is kind of dark in places, but she is on the right hand side, black shirt, second row. She is behind the young lady with the white shirt and the wide black belt.
WORSHIP AND ENJOY!

Proud Mama

Have I mentioned lately what a fabulous daughter I have? I mean, seriously, I know ALL moms are proud of their kids but I think I have one incredible daughter!

I mean, just look at her! 

Not only is she beautiful, smart, talented, kind, compassionate, intelligent, concerned about others and our environment, a true believer in Christ and well behaved, (as if that were not enough!) she is quickly becoming a good friend to me.

When Dad is at work, and it is just us girls, we watch movies, talk, and just hang out. We spend a lot of time together. I enjoy that she is old enough now to have adult conversations and she articulates her feelings so well. We can talk about just about anything. I cherish this time, because I know it will go by quickly.

In an age where most kids think their parents are complete idiots and can barely tolerate to be in the same room with their parents, I have an AMAZING daughter who seems to actually enjoy being with me!

I am blessed!

It's Almost Time....

...for school. My daughter starts eighth grade at a new school next week. Due to district rezoning, she will not attend her old middle school. It has been an adjustment for her, but I am happy to day that we learned tonight at open house that she will be in homeroom and all core classes with her two best friends. Talk about happy!

First semester she will take:
9th grade math
math application
physical science
Georgia history
9th grade language arts/reading
9th grade Spanish
band/guitar

She is excited and so are we! I hope that 8th grade is the best year ever!

Last week of 7th grade

Today starts the last week of Marissa's 7th grade year. She is so ready for summer! I think that after the CRCT, the kids are just done. They are exhausted, frustrated, and as the weather gets hotter they are just ready to be out of school. Unfortunately, our school system has the kids in school until June 11. Thankfully, we do not return in early August as neighboring counties do, we wait until September to return. :)

So today is the last Monday of 7th grade, and also the last Monday that my daughter will attend this school. Due to redistricting she will attend  another school next year, but still in the International Baccalaureate program. She will be closer to home, but she is hesitant to change schools. She is a creature of habit, and very much like her Mama, in that she does not like change of any kind. We like things to be steady, even keeled, and predictable. :) It is also the last Monday that any of the kids at her middle school will actually be in that building for middle school, as it is being converted to a high school this fall. The middle school will move to the elementary school in September. Big changes in our district!

It is just so hard to believe that 7th grade is coming to an end.....seems she just started kindergarten last week!

Another Point of View

Remember a few months ago when I posted about the issues my daughter was having with being bullied at school? Well, tonight's youth group message really hit home with my daughter and she told me she wanted to blog about it. 


She has her own blog, and she will post this story there tomorrow, but I invited her to be my guest blogger tonight. Here is her story. Please comment and let her know what you think!

Tonight, our youth pastor was talking about friends. True friends, cocky friends, temperamental friends, etc., etc., etc. It made me think of the first half of the school year. Most of my class was kids whose parents could no longer afford private school or kids who went to the elementary school next door. Well, I was one of few kids from Pooler.

Everything was fine for a while. Breaking the ice, making friends, learning about people, and the like. I met a girl, lets call her Pop A, she was from Pennsylvania, and so I understood the left out thing. We became good friends. I hurt my knee, and they wouldn’t let me go to school because of the medicine I was taking. So, I come back to school, I think Wednesday, she wouldn’t talk to me. She wouldn’t look at me, talk to me, or even acknowledge me. Before I go on, let’s define friend. According to dictionary.com, friend, noun, means a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. Ok, moving on.

So, I text her and we had a nice chat. Sorta how it went:
Me- Hey, what’s up?
Pop A- Nm. U?
Me- Same.
Pop A- Cool.

This is where things fell apart.
Me- Why won't u talk to me?
Pop A- Because
Me- Seriously, why.
Pop A- Well…
Me- What?
Pop A- I’m cool and you’re not.
Me- Oh

I went crying to my mom. She told to say something like, “Well, I guess we’re not friends anymore. But, I want you to know I care about you.” So I do that and she said ok. It ended up that we’re not friends, we’re classmates now.

After that, things started happening. Some examples:
-Pop B&C sitting in front of me, look towards me, whisper, and laugh
-Pop D (I only heard a snippet of this one) whispering with some others and I hear her say “like those” pointing at my shoes and laughing.
-Pop E (I had a Hannah Montana lanyard, “kids” shows are put down extremely) Hannah Montana? Laughs and gossips with others.
-All pops- our lunch table was divided. Pretty much into these groups:
*Boys (except for 3 pop boys)
* Pops
* Me and my two best friends.
-So, once my friends and I wanted to see why they were all laughing, and joking and just being happy. So we sat with them. Everyone became silent, ate, a few whispers, and just looked at us. We got the message and never sat there again.

Things like this kept happening. I cried every afternoon. I begged my mom not to make me go to school. My mom finally talked to teachers, counselors, vice principals, everyone.
We had a meeting. It was a Wednesday or Thursday, and I was called in. I could only recall two events before I broke down. They decided to move me. I expected the next day or Monday to be moved. No, they moved me in this period.

In my new homeroom, I walked in and everyone thought I was replacing a girl everyone liked. Well, that was solved. Then 3 boys thought my name was Deborah. Deborah? My name starts with an M!

Ever since then, I’ve had few problems.

Happy Easter everyone!

Yesterday was a beautiful celebration of Christ's Resurrection! We had a PACKED house at church, then came home and rested a bit. I made dinner last night. Our best friends came over as well as my in-laws. My parents are still out of town. Jamie was working. :(

I cannot believe how much my daughter has grown. No more little girl here, she has grown into a stunning young lady. We still dyed a few eggs, and did the basket thing, but honestly my heart broke a little when her PaPa and Brenda and I hid the eggs, which she hunted, but then quietly said that "some of the magic was gone." I did not cry. (At least not when she could see me.)

I know that things are changing, and I love the young lady she is becoming. I am proud of her for the choices she makes and the attention she gives her schoolwork. She is a good friend, and is approaching this first boyfriend thing with great maturity and wisdom. I am grateful for these things and thank God for them several times a day. But seriously, where did my little girl go????

Love is in the air.....

Oh wow, my baby girl is in love. Hard to believe isn't it? Well, a few weeks ago I wrote about the young man at church who was asking if she was ok, and quickly became her biggest cheerleader/encourager. They really bonded over that time, and now since she has moved classrooms and things are so much better they have grown from being friends to "like-liking" each other.

Ah, young love....so sweet.

Today they are celebrating what they call their "one month-a-versary".

He is a great kid. He encourages her. He is called to be a pastor. He is musically gifted as well, and they spend a lot of time working on band pieces and he transposes stuff so they can play his trumpet music together. (He plays French horn, trumpet and is learning piano, she plays clarinet, piano and is learning guitar) They text all the time, and talk once or twice a day. Last month my daughter used nearly 5,00 text messages. Thank goodness for unlimited text!!!!

I am not ready for this.....but it is here.

Under The Big Top

Last Thursday we took Marissa to her very first circus. It was amazing! Until we bought tickets to go, I did not realize that my husband had never been to the circus either! I can remember going as a kid with my mom. I always loved everything about the circus, except the clowns. They always...even now....freak me out.

These were made before the show.

We got there early, for the meet and greet.

The animals were amazing!

All in all, we had ONE HAPPY GIRL!

Totally random here.....

A list of total random current happenings:

• Took my daughter and my husband to the circus Thursday. First time for both of them. Pics to come. They both loved it and said they liked it more than they thought they would. I remember going to the circus with my mom as a kid. My biggest excitement was over how much the elephants peed. Still amazed me this week.
• Mom and PaPa are renovating some rental property that Mom owns, the house I grew up in actually. The guy who moved out left it TRASHED and now they are working hard to try to make it livable again. Jamie helped all last week as well.
• Bible study started up Tuesday. Although I was not feeling nearly well enough, I led it and we had a great group. Looking forward to the next 5 weeks with these ladies!
• Marissa had her "friend" Barry over last night. It was great to see them practicing their band music together. He encourages her like no other. They took pics of themselves....more of those to come also. I can tell you the encouraging "friend" role has changed a bit :)
• Sleepover tonight......my childhood best friend and her two daughters are coming to stay. We will watch G Force and eat pizza. They are going to church with us tomorrow!
• My beautiful daughter donated 10 inches of hair today for Locks of Love. She looks so grown up! Pics of this to come as well. 

Thanks for being patient, it has been a crazy week and I am STILL not completely well. I have a doctor appointment Monday, hoping for a good report.
Have a great weekend!!!!!

A Friend Indeed

UPDATE: Today we had a conference at school, and my daughter was move immediately into another class. She is now with two kids she has known almost her whole life,, in a class without cliques and powerful girls. PRAISE GOD! The amazing thing is that He had it all worked out before we even asked for help. Isn't God good that way????

My daughter is a very studious, serious kid, with little interest in  what's popular or trendy....loves 80's music, thrift store shopping and wears sort of her own style of clothing that is a mix of grunge/Miley Cyrus/hippy chick. She is tall for her age, and very smart. She is not into rap music or partying or skipping school, and she loves to spend time with her family, reading, and watching Food Network which has inspired her to be a pastry chef when she is an adult. She is interested in pursuing a degree in culinary arts. She is active in our church, she helps with the little kids and is on the interpretive dance team and in youth group. Basically, she is everything a parent could ask for and then some. (I may be biased, but I am also right lol)

Lately, my daughter has had some issues with "mean girls" at school. Who knew middle school girls were so brutal???? They tease her and exclude her and say mean things about her shoes and lanyard and lunch box. (They wear uniforms, so they have to find other things to harass her about) This has been going on for a while, and over Thanksgiving break her closest friend in her class dumped her (by text message even) for not being cool enough to hang out with.

WHAT?????? How can kids be so mean? Who is raising these girls to be such snotty cliquish little brats? Why can't they all just go to school and get along and be happy? I blame hormones myself. But I also blame parents and media influences. We all know kids mimic what they see. I am willing to bet their Moms treat people the same way, forming relationships based on what the other person looks like or can do for them rather than what is real and true. And the media...oh goodness. We hear all sorts of stuff there, even from husbands and wives like Tiger and Elin and Jon and Kate. When people are publicized making fun of or trashing their spouse, what dignity can be left? And don't even get me started on Nancy Grace.....

However, my daughter has recently discovered a great friend at church. He is a really sweet kid, a couple of years older than my daughter, raised in a single parent home by a Godly mom. He asked his mom what was wrong with my daughter, what was going on, and his mom told him. He began texting her, telling her how he thought she was so cool and that the other kids didn't see what was really there in her. Then he had her begin looking up scripture verses about how she is so perfectly made, how she is unique and beautiful in God's eyes, and how she is created in God's own image.

A complete turn around is taking place. Yesterday I was fixing my hair in my bathroom, and my daughter was in her bathroom doing her daily chores. Through the wall I heard her singing. For the first time in a long time, my daughter is HAPPY.

The texting is continuing, and she is being encouraged and strengthened beyond anything I could have forseen. I am thanking God for sending my daughter a friend that we have prayed for, for the young man's obedience in what God told him to do, and for the young man's mom for raising such a wonderful son.

I am also thanking Him for unlimited text messaging......:)

Wow how time flies. It seems only yesterday I had a newborn baby girl, all wrapped up in a white receiving blanket with blue and pink stripes stamped with "Balboa Naval Medical Center". It hardly seems like nearly 13 years have passed in the blink of an eye. My newborn baby girl has grown into a young lady, excited about the things life has in store while dealing with preteen drama and the heartache that friendships can cause. Just this past weekend we had an issue with a girl who called herself my daughter's friend.....and then coldly told her they were no longer friends because my daughter isn't "cool enough" to hang out with the "pops". (Lest this girl forget that just last week she was deemed "uncool" by the "pops")

I lie awake at night wondering what the future holds. Many of my readers do not know my daughter personally, so you have no idea of her accomplishments, dreams, goals, gifting and abilities. Let me say that my daughter is the greatest gift I ever received from God, a true delight, special in so many ways. A good friend once described her as a beautiful butterfly with large wings, that never quite fit in 100% with any group on this earth because of her special gifts and talents. We have to remember that Christ was never accepted, even by his own people, and that we are  set apart and destined for greatness by Him. We are warned not to be conformed to this world (and trust me, 7th grade "pops" girls are truly WORLDLY) so this should come as no surprise. But when you are 12, it hurts deeply.

All I can say is that those we reject my daughter and abuse her trust and friendship will be sorry one day. She is destined for greatness. Her day to shine is coming......

Band Christmas Concert

Tonight was Marissa's band concert. She plays clarinet. They played a song called "Twenty Carols in Two Minutes and her band leader (a real character!!!!) made the comment that anyone in the audience who could name all 20 carols after the song was played would win a prize. He went on to say that they had no prize planned, so the winner would get......um....the flute section! Yeah that's it!

Well, they did a great job, and after the concert I told Marissa that we were hoping to name all 20 because then we would get to bring home one of her best pals ( who plays the flute). I told her that seriously, they did a great job and I was very proud of her.

So without skipping a beat, Baby Girl says......

"Yeah, we should rent ourselves out for Bar Mitzvahs and stuff."

You gotta love it!

HONOR ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marissa got her first report card for 7th grade, and I am very happy to report that she made honor roll with a 93 average! We are very happy with that, especially given the degree of difficulty and challenging assignments that this type of school poses. She is doing so well, and we are very proud of her!

I am so proud of my baby girl for facilitating See You At The Pole this year! It had not been done in her middle school in recent years and she happily volunteered to lead the prayer.

Her friends Matthew and Dasnee helped out and we carpooled together this morning.

Even Gram and PaPa got up at the crack of dawn to be there for her.


I don't know who these girls were but they really touched my heart.

Marissa began by prying for our President and Vice President, and then moved on to the school board and teachers and staff, then closed by praying for her friends and all the students at her school. She had a strong unwavering voice and did a great job! We are so proud of her!
If you are not familiar with See You At The Pole, you can read more about it here!

Middle School

Wow....baby girl had a hard day today. She got off the bus and burst into tears as soon as she walked in the door. Being in a homeroom class without any of her old friends is hard. She has not made any new friends yet. She feels left out. I feel so badly for her, and part of me wants to storm the school and beg them to move her to another homeroom, but I just don't know if this is right. She was very upset, and cried for quite a while. She is sad that her old friends on the bus are talking all about their new friends. She feels left out. It was a bad day in 7th grade......

Welcome to 7th grade!

Marissa is officially a 7th grader! We had a good morning. She got up and got moving without much complaining, and we were at the bus stop at 5:50. She hopped on the bus and began chatting with her pals. Jamie and I rode down to the school to walk in with her and give Jamie a chance to meet her teachers since he was working at Open House. We were both amazed at how orderly the students were and how well organized EVERYONE was. WE LOVE COASTAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marissa was fine riding the bus because she knew her bus driver from last year. We are so blessed to have Mr. Knight as her driver. He loves these kids like they are his own! Because Marissa sits right behind him, he says he is "drivin' Miss Daisy". She loves her bus! She did want us to meet her at the school however to walk in with her. We went in for breakfast with her and after she ate (cheese toast, cereal, mixed fruit and milk), walked her to class. She trotted right on into her homeroom....no tears, no anxiety, PRAISE GOD!!!!!

My baby is growing up too fast!

Marissa has discovered her hair straightening iron that I bought her last Christmas.............
She looks so grown up!

Baby Girl's Newest Blog

My daughter has created another fun blog, and this one features FOOD! Go check out what she is coming up with, and leave her a comment please! I really want some of that lemon sorbet stuff.....
Food Glorious Food!

Where have I been?

Well, let's just say it has been a very busy week. Our church is having Bible school this week, so every night from 4:30-9:30 I am busy with that. I am working in registration, then I move to the kitchen once everyone gets there. My beloved hubby is working security detail, and our daughter is assisting in a classroom. She is excited because her class is ALL GIRLS!

On top of that, we are painting Marissa's playroom. Well, it used to be called a playroom, now she is insisting it be called her "Teen Hang Out Room". She picked out a color scheme, and I had this wonderful idea of painting it with stripes on one wall and vines and flowers on the other 3 walls.

My plan got changed however, and it was decided to do two walls in stripes and two in flowers.

We began by ceremoniously getting rid of the old Barbie theme.....


Next, Jamie taped off the wall into one foot sections for the stripes.

(Gotta love it when a Redneck works shirtless)
It would have gone a lot quicker if Julio had not discovered the joy of UN-taping...


Then I sketched out the vines on two walls and began painting them.


While I worked on the vines, Jamie did the first two color stripes.

We thought we were doing well, and Marissa was very happy with the finished wall. All that was left was to remove the painters tape, leaving a 1" stripe between each color.

Then we discovered that the tape was actually lifting the paint as we pulled it up. (GRRR!) Jamie had to run an Xacto knife along each side of each strip of tape so he could remove the tape without paint. (Think...two walls = about 22 strips of floor to ceiling tape)

We finally got it all un-taped, and I began on flowers today. I will have to post those when we are done!

We have been working our buttocks off on this project and I think it is going to be beautiful, but I am so tired from painting all day, then VBS, then painting again until 3:00 AM every night!

It is worth it though, just to see Marissa smile. :)