Just a few pics

Today we went to a birthday party for this cute little man, Brody. He turns 4 tomorrow. His mommy and I teach together. Actually, the two ladies a teach with both have boys Drew's age. Which means they all start kindergarten together in a few years. Watch out!!! Drew loves to play in the sprinkler! And take off his clothes! There is something sweet about him running around outside on a summer night soaking wet from the sprinkler. Good memories!
And how, how I ask, can you resist this face?

Arts & Crafts Time

A few years ago I bought three frames for 80% off at Hob Lob. They were all black and had chips in the paint, dents, etc. Nothing a sharpie couldn't fix! :) I stapled some black and white fabric behind them and hung them on the wall in our old house. Here they have been repurposed into collages for pictures. What? These are already picture frames? Just wait...I started by spray painting the frames brown.

Collected these supplies: (scissors, duct tape, fabric)And these: (more fabric and some cardboard)All I did was this:

1) Cut cardboard to size of frame opening.

2) Wrap fabric around cardboard and pull tight.

3) Secure fabric in place with the "fancy adhesive"

4) If your cardboard is large enough, you will not have to do anything, but pop the cardboard in the back of the frame.
This frame and cardboard made a perfect fit. However I did a slightly larger frame and my cardboard was too small. To remedy this, I just didn't tape the two ends to the cardboard, I taped them to the frame. The cardboard was too small, but only I know that! (Now you too!)

You can see how I have these frames placed. I covered the other one with the brown and white polka dot fabric shown above.
I then using straight pins, added some pics. The pins allowed me to make tiny holes and I can also change pics whenever I want.Here's the finished product hanging on the wall. The other frame is done as well, I just didn't take a picture. Sorry.
Happy crafting!

Rachel

Seth Cooked!

Seth made this Baked Spaghetti for supper the other day! Yum! Let me say, I am a spaghetti with meat kind of girl, but this...delicious and NO meat. It is just soooo good! We also had "fancy" garlic bread. Can you tell what it is? That's right, a hot dog bun that has been toasted with a little butter and garlic salt. Doesn't this just look delish! If you want the recipe just leave a comment and tell me you are interested. (All 4 of you that read my blog! haha)

Rachel

I'm In Love...

With this...
And this... And this delicious, light, scrumptious, red velvety, cream cheesy, totally guilt free;), wish-I-could-eat-one-everyday Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting cupcake from Sprinkles in Dallas. These little slices of Heaven cost $4.00. I told my oh-so-wonderful-hubby before we left for Dallas that we might have to buy a dozen. (For the low, low price of $36) He thought that price was too high to pay for "just cupcakes!" When we got there, we ordered a cupcake each and two for my parents. Seth asked about the price of a dozen, then backed out. After he ate this...

he decided he should have bought a dozen, but didn't want to pay a second time. Guess I'll have to make more frequent trips to Dallas! By the way, his is Chocolate Marshmallow with a chocolate ganache top!!!

Rachel

A Post of Pictures

As per Sherry G.'s request...house pictures. Since my family came for the 4th, my house is still relatively clean. This is the entry. My mirrors all have patriotic drawings done by yours truly! I found these Crayola window crayons that are soooo fun! Drew's/Guest bathroom

Hallway. Kitchen is to the left. The double doors are a linen closet. Drew's room is to the left of the linen closet, guest bath to the right as well as another bedroom. Across from the kitchen is the pantry and playroom/computer room. I'll share those pics later!

Drew helped me make chocolate chip cookies this afternoon. What a sweet boy!


Rachel

Summer Days

One of the perks of being a teacher is SUMMER! I think every teacher would agree that summers get shorter every year! I always get frustrated with people who know nothing about teaching that say..."You get three months off during the summer." Not true! Two months is more like it and scatter a few professional development classes in there. Then be married to a coach or band director, like my sis, and you are very limited to a summer!

Earlier in June, Seth, Drew and I were able to go to Savannah with Seth's parents to visit Kyle and Jennifer (Seth's brother and his wife.) We did tons of fun things while there: took Drew to his first movie at the theater: Toy Story 3!

from my iPhone, so it's blurry

We went bowling:

We also had family pictures done on Tybee Island:

These were my two favs from the photo shoot!

The latest from Drew:

• On the way to church Drew mentioned the clouds and heaven...I asked him who lives in heaven..."Santa"...lol
• When we were eatting dinner on the fourth with my parents, Sarah, and Josh, Drew mentioned armpits. He said he wanted to see my armpits (I know, gross, right!) When asked what he saw he replied...dots! lol...better dots than hair, I guess!
• You know the song on KLOVE, "You will be safe in His arms" It was on the radio and Drew thought they said safe in His eyes. "Why they say safe in his eyes?" "Safe in his arms," I said. Drew asked what that meant. I told him that we were safe because it was like God was holding on to us, protecting us. Drew said, "Like he saves us." Ahhhhhh!

What a Difference a Year Makes

May 2009: Seth had lost his job. He had been teaching at a school where there was no opportunity to move up. We were uncertain about our future.

July 2009: God decided to move us to Hot Springs, gave us both jobs at Lake Hamilton, a great daycare for Drew, and a brand new home. Well the new home didn't come until November, but you know.

May 2010: Seth is about to wrap up his first year in a public school. Public school is a different animal compared to private school. And the baseball team he coaches (assistant) is playing in the state finals tomorrow afternoon at Baum stadium. This is the first time in school history that the Lake Hamilton Wolves baseball team has made it to state finals.

I am so proud of Seth, the head coach, and the players! They have worked so hard. As a matter of fact, baseball began the Monday after the last football game in November. Seth said tonight, "Well, tomorrow is our last practice. At least we know it's the end." Win or loose, they've had a great season.

I know God had His hands in this year whether I see it in the positive, upbeat attitude from my husband, the frequent phone calls from family, or a trip to Baum stadium, God IS in control!

Thank You for...Sewing Our Flag?

In my profession there are days when a kid says something and you just have to laugh! Point in case: We have been studying government. So to wrap up our studies, we watched School House Rocks: Election Collection. You know the one, "I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill, and I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill!" In one of the songs there is a picture of a lady sewing an American Flag. So I asked..."Who is that?" To which a lovely student eagerly replied..."Betty White." I just had to laugh! (and politely correct her)

Yummy in my Tummy!

If you aren't familiar with www.e-mealz.com you should be. Why, you ask? Because it is a meal planning system that provides you with a menu and shopping list for the week. It isn't free, but only costs $15 for three months. You get to select your particular plan. For example, I have previously done the Point System for Two people and I selected Walmart as my shopping venue. I have made three pretty tasty meals this week that I thought I'd share with all 3 of you that read my blog!

The first is Mexican Minestrone:
2 15 oz black beans, rinsed and drained
2 14 oz Mexican style stewed tomatoes
15 oz whole kernel corn
14 oz FF chicken broth
2 c chopped potatoes
1 c salsa
1 c frozen cut green beans (but I just dumped in a can)

Combine all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low for 7 hours, or until veggies are tender. Makes 6 servings @ 4 pts each.
E-mealz suggests making this with Italian Breadsticks. 1 breadstick @ 2 pts each.

Crunchy Onion Tenders
1/2 lb skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders
1/4 c FF egg substitute
1/2 c crushed French fried onions

Dip chicken strips into egg substitute and then into onion crumbs. Fully coat strips. Bake on a sprayed baking sheet for 20 min @ 400. Makes 2 servings @ 5 pts each.
E-mealz suggests serving with boiled corn (1 ear @ 1 pt) and Green Beans (0 pts).

I'll post the third later! Oh....I forgot to tell you one of the best parts! E-mealz calculates your estimated cost for the groceries needed to make these recipes. You can get online and view a sample meal plan and give it a try. If you're like me you make the same things over and over cause it's easy and you know the recipe by heart. I love that these are new meals to eat and most of them are very tasty! Happy eating!

He's Alive, Forever, Amen!

Happy Easter! Don't you just love this day! Not only is this a day for ridiculous amounts of candy, food, and egg hunting, but it also is the day we celebrate the Risen Savior! While making egg and bunny shaped sugar cookies with Drew over Spring Break, I was trying to explain to him that Easter is not just about the Easter Bunny. I told him that Jesus had died on a cross so that we could go to Heaven. Then Jesus came back alive (I realize that isn't perfect grammar, but I'm also have a convo with a 3 yr. old) and that is why we celebrate Easter. To "test him", I mean see if he understood anything, I asked why Jesus died. His response was, "So we can go to Heaven and see the Easter Bunny." To which I replied, "maybe."

On a different, but somewhat related note, (the brilliance of my child!) children's vocabulary shocks me! On the way home from school on Thursday, I asked Drew how Play-by-play was. This is a gymnastics place that has a huge indoor play area and short gymnastics class that his daycare goes to. He told me that he went down one slide, not two because the black slide is scary! I thought he said he went down both of them (driving, texting, carrying on a conversation with a three year old {I realize the combination of two of those is illegal, don't turn me in. You all do it too!}) and asked, "You went down two slides." To which me genius child said, "Actually, just one, Mommy!" Did my child just say 'actually' and use it correctly in a sentence?!? On a slightly not as proud vocabulary moment: There is a preview on tv for a movie called Kick-!@*. My son saw the commercial and of ALL the words on the preview, guess what he decided to say? That's right! I quickly told him that we don't say that word and that we would be in serious trouble if we did! Yikes, I don't want a phone call from his school telling me that the teacher's kid cussed everyone out!

Hope you all enjoyed your Easter Sunday!

My Random Thoughts

Drew is at such a fun age. He says and does the funniest things. This morning we started P90X. At the end of 90 days, I'll look like this:


Wishful thinking! Seth and I moved the coffee table out of the living room and were sweating after 5 minutes. Drew was working out with us for about the first 30 minutes of the 60 minute workout. He was so funny. When we finished he wanted to know when the next P90X was. We laughed, politely, in his face!

I'm watching the Bachelor as I'm blogging and have to say I really like Tenley and Alli. However, I've read a couple of sources that say (SPOILER ALERT) Jake keeps Tenley and Vienna as the finally two and that he picks Vienna. Really!?! Jake wonders why nice guys finish last? Cause he's a stupid, nice guy, that's why!

The Great Hot Springs Church Hunt: Reeves Edition. So that's what I'm calling our search for a church home here in Hot Springs. Let me begin by saying GABC is quite possibly the perfect church for us. I'm a little bias, though, as I've been a member at Grand for 16 years. We were married there, had Drew's baby dedication there, and have friends and family there. Visiting other churches is hard, because even though we try not to compare every church to Grand, it's really hard. I know that whatever church we choose to call home here, we will become involved and put our hearts into what God has called us to do. This has been harder for me, I think, because of my family's involvement with Grand. I often find myself reading fb statuses of GABC members about the great service and feeling jealous that I'm not there, singing in the choir, or the praise team, enjoying our Sunday School class, and learning from all Jeff has to teach. Then I remember how faithful God has been to us through the last 10 months and I know that He must have something great in store for our family here. Our job is to find the perfect place He has in mind for us to serve. I know that you get out of church what you put into church. So the search continues, and I am confident that we will find the perfect place to get involved.

I made a great Weight Watcher dessert today: Caramel Apple Salad. Yummy! What's not to like: apples, pineapple, butterscotch pudding, marshmallows, pecans, and a whole tub of cool whip!

I think this is the end of my random thoughts for the day!

Hi, My Name is...

Drew and I were at Walmart today after school and I needed some wire cutters for school. I put them in the basket and he said, "Daddy needs these?" I told him that they were for Mommy. He said, "No, they're for Drew-be." I asked him who calls him that and he said, "You, Mommy." I asked him what his name was and he responded, Drew. I asked him what Daddy calls him and he said "Drew" and that GBob (Seth's dad) calls him "Toodles." Toodles is Mickey Mouse's helper who supplies all the Mouseketools on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I thought it was cute that he knew Mommy calls him Drew-be.

Random Thought

Anyone remember these from the 80's?

Sister?

So proud!

I'm so proud of my little man! He has made it to school and around the house in these:

What a big boy! He has only had about 3 accidents! It helps that he is now in "the big kid class" at school and those kids potty regularly. When he's in the two year old room he's one of the oldest kids. And most of those kids are still in diapers. Warning: I'm going to get "graphic" here. We haven't mastered going number 2 on the potty yet and I'm not sure how to encourage that. Do I do it just like going number 1? Help me out, moms! All of this means that my little Drew-man is growing up. Seth did say we could have another baby when Drew was out of diapers. Maybe soon? Who knows. (I'm kinda ready though. Seth, not so much!) Seth's excuse the other day when discussing why I was ready for another baby was: "We're just starting to get some sleep." I wanted to say, "Speak for yourself." Oh well.

On another, totally unrelated note, here's a funny school story. In class we are studying the Midwest Region of the US. We were discussing types of houses people built in the 1800's and that some people had houses made of sod. And how "creepy crawlies" could come crawling out of your walls or ceilings, etc. A kid raises their hand and asks, "Is your necklace made of real gold?" My comment was, "I'm teaching Social Studies and you are worried about my necklace? That won't be on the test Tuesday." I'll be anxious to see that grade!

Another story! In math today (which I don't teach), the kids were learning about grid coordinates. The math teacher comes walking down the hall toward me and says (with a giggle), "I feel sorry for you." "Why?" "We were trying to locate places on a map using grid coordinates. We were looking up Washington, D.C. and __________ was looking in Asia."
I keep reminding myself that they are only 10 yrs. old and I kinda like my job, so some days, I really have to bite my tongue.

Just a day in the life of a fourth grade teacher!

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

So today's funny conversation at school went like this:

Student: Mrs. Reeves, can I get a drink of water, I feel sick.

Me: Where do you feel bad? Your head? Stomach?

Student: My stomach hurts.

Me: Well why don't you go to the bathroom.

Student: And my head feels like I learned too much today.

Me: Why don't you go to the bathroom and get some water and see if that helps.
(like drinking water out of the water fountain is going to drain some of the knowledge that was "swelling" the brain)

The student come back in and the story continues:

Me: Did you go to the bathroom? Do you feel better? Did you get sick?

Student: No. Do you know what this stuff is that's peeling off my fingernail.

Me: No, I don't. But, do you feel ok?

Student: Can I go call my mom about something really important.

Me: We go home in 35 minutes. What's so important that you just thought about it and it can't wait 35 minutes.

Student: I need to tell my mom I'm biting my fingernails again.

Me: That can wait till you get home.

A day in the life...Don't you wish you had my job!
On a different, more personal note: Drew was pretending to give me a bath (while I was fully clothed) and found a mole on my neck. He said, "What's that? A little poopy?" I died laughing.