Over the river and through the FUN!

[MeMom]

Well, if you care about the song, I'll explain it. He wants a Cadillac and works at the factory. So, over the years he takes parts out to build his Caddy. By the time he gets all the parts out, he's got a 49, 50, 51, 52... You get the picture. And I think my DH would crap his pants if he got to see Johnny riding around town in his tractor. He loves him some Johnny Cash!

Okay, then, I'll make it even more exciting for you. A nephew of Johnny Cash coached my sons in basketball when they were younger.

Does Barbara Mandrell do anything for you? Trent's been to her old house for parties, and her son has been to our house for just hanging out. Nathan and Trent played ball together a long time back, so I have sat with her at a few ball games.

I'm trying to think of any other country music things of interest. Oh yeah, Drew is friends with Jimmy Fortune's son and we know the family of Jumpin' Bill Carlisle pretty well. We also know the people who used to take care of Garth Brooks's horses. We've passed Reba McEntire's house a million times on the way to a relative's house and to ball games. Then there was that Ronnie McDowell's Elvis song thing. The Oak Ridge Boys live up here, and I've seen them out and about together and individually, like at the grocery store, etc.

Jill, can you think of any other brushes with fame we may have had?

Oh, I know another one...the tall long-haired blonde country singer who was at all the basketball games for his daughter. We saw him a lot. What was his name? He was/is pretty famous. I can't think of his name. I'm going to go Google country singers and come back when I figure it out.

Okay, I figured it out. It was Alan Jackson.

Okay, I think that's all I've got.

Hi MeMom and Jill! Just popping over to say goodbye! I'll be back in a week and can't wait to read more of your updates

You're gone! I hope you're having a great time already!

Good morning all! I hope everyone has a great Friday that leads into a wonderful weekend! Today at school we are reading The Foot Book and having a foot fashion show. Brooklynn hasn't picked her favorite shoes to take yet but I'm sure they will be Disney related. It's supposed to be 72 degrees today. That's right snow on Sunday to 72 and Sunny on Friday - welcome to the South.

Pictures, please.

"Left foot, right foot, feet, feet, feet. Feet in the morning and feet at night." My kids loved that book growing up!!!

Take pictures of Brooklyn in her cute shoes!!!

Right there with you about the weather -- supposed to be 77 tomorrow in our neck of the woods!

It was a beautiful day here!

oh, i wish i could join in the favorite shoe fun!!!!! i LOVE shoes. i've done really well with cutting back on buying them over the last few years but i used to be ridiculous. when we moved into our house ray counted and i think i had something like 85 pairs. he had like 10. have fun with foot day!

yeah, it's supposed to be 71 here today. as i type this i'm looking out my window and i still see very tiny patches of snow along my fence line. go figure! tomorrow's supposed to be even warmer and our neighborhood is having a community yard sale, so i'm happy it's going to be a pretty day for that!

You shoulda told us about the yard sale. We've got a bunch of stuff to put in one. We could have run it down there.

And I was excited about the temps being in the 40's here this morning!

We had our days where 40 would have felt warm, but today that same number seems pretty cold!

Weather in the 70's, now that's the more like the SOUTH I know and love.

In June I can hope for temps in the 70's, until then I will just be jealous of y'all...

Feet day sounds like so much fun. I was a shoe person many years ago, nothing like Punkin's 85 pairs.

I am now a handbag girl, and I can top 85 bags....

Have a great Friday!

I love purses and bags, too, but I only have a few. I like looking, but it's too much trouble trading stuff out, so I just carry the same one all the time.

I'm with LL...I'm really excited because it's in the 40's and it feels SO mild! I think that this weekend is supposed to get into the 50's, but rainy...I'll take it, though!

Have fun w/foot day and have a fabulous Friday

Rain that doesn't freeze probably is pretty exciting to you guys, huh?

Haha..gotta love Full House. I actually saw Jodie (who played Stephanie) last year when she came here to my college to give a talk.

We saw her a long time ago when she was at one of our malls. This was when the show was still going on, so she was young. I have a picture somewhere.

Brooklynn is too cute in her pjs. Jill, you look great. Your cake was so cute, 3 princesses. Is your husband anxious about being the only prince in the house? My brother has 4 little princesses so he is outnumbered 5 to 1 in his house. I hope your foot day is a hit.

John didn't seem to care that it wasn't a boy when they found out. Jill can tell you more when she gets on about how he's preparing for Fatherhood Part Two.

MeMom, thank you for the offer of pictures of Pizza Planet. You're so sweet!

Jill, you look so pretty! Pregnancy agrees with you. We read The Foot Book often at our house.

I'll get those pictures for you, then. We'll be in Hollywood Studios the fist day. I love an excuse to take a lot of pictures!

70's!

I'm with LL and Megablocks....
It's 39 here right now, it was in the 40s yesterday. This weekend is supposed to hover in the mid-30s and we are all rejoicing! I cannot imagine 70 degrees in March. ENJOY!

Have fun with foot day! Sounds like a book I might have to pick up for Henry!

It was nice. The kids went to P.E. with no coats, and they loved that. I will love it when they aren't bringing coats, because it crowds the hooks and cubbies too much.

Weather certainly is funny, in Iowa we set a record high yesterday - 73. How is it the same here as in Alabama and Georgia but 20 degrees cooler in Minnesota? Today was supposed to be only in the 40's but it reached the upper 60's AAAAAHHHHHH it feels so nice after a cold, snowy winter.

Tomorrow it will be back to reality though, but no snow in the forecast thank goodness!

I got a PM from a lady in Iowa that said her husband was checking temps and at one point in the day it was seven degrees higher there than in Disney World. That's crazy!


**********************************

It's Friday night, and that's crash night for me. I talked to Kay, our friend who is going with me on the trip. She said she was starting to wash up her summer clothes to pack. That puts her further along than me!

I'm going to spend tomorrow morning with Brooklynn while Jill and John go run errands. I'll try to put more pictures up this weekend. It's time for a day at Epcot with a Dis meet!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Friday is always crash night for me as well. It's like all the adrenaline just drains from my body and I find myself falling asleep on the couch before 9:00.

 

[micandminforever]

Rest up this weekend, because Monday morning and Daylight saving time is coming early this year. How many kids will be tardy Monday morning?

But first getting to Church Sunday morning on time will be fun. How many will sleep through the service?

 

[IluvXU]

Have a fantastic weekend MeMom! Enjoy your time with Jill and family. I am impressed by all the celebs you have seen...

 

[lmillercrew]

WOW!!! I told DH about your encounters with famous people and he was impressed! So was I!! That is SO cool!! The only encounter that I have happened to DH in 2004 at Disney World. DH took youngest DD out the "chicken" exit on ToT. A man and his entourage walked in, DH said "You look like Hulk Hogan" "I am Hulk Hogan." DH playfully slaps, like guys do, on the arm and says "No way". Hulk, "Yes Way" and then slaps DH back on the arm and does his best Hulk voice. It was SO cool to see the look on DH face when I got off the ride. He was like a kid! We, of course, grew up on Hulk Hogan. Anyway, oh we've talked to Robin Roberts in an interview on Good Morning America, and Julie Chen on the Early Show. It wasn't a face to face, but does satallite count??

 

[teacher9702]

I am in a questionable state of mind. I don't know whether to purchase my airline tickets now for our Disney trip in June or wait a little bit more and see if the prices will go down. We have two airports to choose from. One is St. Louis and the other is Memphis. St. Louis went down by 50%--that is why I think I should buy them now and Memphis went up $200 since a couple of days ago. I am afraid if I wait that prices will go back up over $1000 where they have been. My husband says I should just go ahead and purchase the St. Louis ones and be done with it and as I am typing this I am inclined to do just that tomorrow afternoon but I needed some sound advice from others who have traveled more frequently than us.

We were almost to 80 here in Southern Illinois--at least that is what my weather website said. In fact it said we will be back down into the 40s by Thursday....NO!!!! I want this warm weather to remain. My daughter has track and softball starting up and I really don't want to sit out in the cold.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

 

[MeMom]

Friday is always crash night for me as well. It's like all the adrenaline just drains from my body and I find myself falling asleep on the couch before 9:00.

I know. Being with kids all week, I appreciate the solitude of a quiet home on the weekends. I love being around my students, and they are the good part of the job, but it is admittedly draining to try to give that many kids your attention constantly. Unless a person truly spent an entire day in a classroom, they really couldn't comprehend what goes on. It's not like on the 30 minute TV shows where there are ten well-behaved students who sit quietly in their seats, raise their hands, and then say intelligent things when called upon.

I should record some of the conversations I have with kids and let people hear. They can be rather humourous!

Rest up this weekend, because Monday morning and Daylight saving time is coming early this year. How many kids will be tardy Monday morning?

But first getting to Church Sunday morning on time will be fun. How many will sleep through the service?

My two 'regulars', for sure. They are late a lot, lot, lot. The little boy's mother is a single mom, and she's going through treatments for lung cancer, so she has a lot of bad days. When she has good days, though, she often comes to school to check on J. It breaks my heart to know his mother may not be around to see him grow up. The little girl who is late a lot moves at turtle speed all the time at school, so I'm guessing she probably does at home, too. Sweet little girl, country as she can be. She's smart, but uses twice the time anyone else does to finish anything. I can just picture her getting ready in the morning, putting on one article of clothing, pausing to admire it, then another, then thinking about brushing teeth for a while, then doing it ever so s-l-o-w-l-y.

As for getting to church on time for me personally, that won't be a problem, but with the time change, I may amazingly make it to 4 or 5 before I wake up!

Have a fantastic weekend MeMom! Enjoy your time with Jill and family. I am impressed by all the celebs you have seen...

It just comes with living in this star-studded area, I suppose.

WOW!!! I told DH about your encounters with famous people and he was impressed! So was I!! That is SO cool!! The only encounter that I have happened to DH in 2004 at Disney World. DH took youngest DD out the "chicken" exit on ToT. A man and his entourage walked in, DH said "You look like Hulk Hogan" "I am Hulk Hogan." DH playfully slaps, like guys do, on the arm and says "No way". Hulk, "Yes Way" and then slaps DH back on the arm and does his best Hulk voice. It was SO cool to see the look on DH face when I got off the ride. He was like a kid! We, of course, grew up on Hulk Hogan. Anyway, oh we've talked to Robin Roberts in an interview on Good Morning America, and Julie Chen on the Early Show. It wasn't a face to face, but does satallite count??

Yeah, see, if you had come to Nashville on your vacation, you could have seen a bunch of stars, and you probably wouldn't have had any shark encounters!

I am in a questionable state of mind. I don't know whether to purchase my airline tickets now for our Disney trip in June or wait a little bit more and see if the prices will go down. We have two airports to choose from. One is St. Louis and the other is Memphis. St. Louis went down by 50%--that is why I think I should buy them now and Memphis went up $200 since a couple of days ago. I am afraid if I wait that prices will go back up over $1000 where they have been. My husband says I should just go ahead and purchase the St. Louis ones and be done with it and as I am typing this I am inclined to do just that tomorrow afternoon but I needed some sound advice from others who have traveled more frequently than us.

We were almost to 80 here in Southern Illinois--at least that is what my weather website said. In fact it said we will be back down into the 40s by Thursday....NO!!!! I want this warm weather to remain. My daughter has track and softball starting up and I really don't want to sit out in the cold.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

I'm the wrong one to advise on that, so I'll let the experts tell you what to do. I'm too cautious, so as soon as our dates opened, I saved us a spot. Once that was done, I checked in about once a week, and when the rates when down, I altered the tickets and got a credit. I saw them go up, too.

Soccer practices always started when it was freezing cold, and by the time the season was over, it was stifling hot.

No problem on the rambling. Every time I see or hear that word, I think of a car I had back in the Stone Age - it was called a Rambler!


****************************

Have a good Saturday, everyone! I'm going to travel south to play party kitchen and princesses..... and watch Little Mermaid, I'm sure.

I'll check in this evening on all of your exciting adventures from your reports and just anything you care to share with us around here.

 

[carissanboys]

Enjoy your visit with Brooklynn and Jill! Enjoy the warm temps.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I know. Being with kids all week, I appreciate the solitude of a quiet home on the weekends. I love being around my students, and they are the good part of the job, but it is admittedly draining to try to give that many kids your attention constantly. Unless a person truly spent an entire day in a classroom, they really couldn't comprehend what goes on. It's not like on the 30 minute TV shows where there are ten well-behaved students who sit quietly in their seats, raise their hands, and then say intelligent things when called upon.

I should record some of the conversations I have with kids and let people hear. They can be rather humourous!

I always say a great idea for a reality show would be putting unsuspecting people in the role of teachers.

The conversations can be crazy. Sometimes I feel just like Alice smack dab in the middle of the mad tea party or trying to get a straight answer from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!

Have a great time playing kitchen and princesses today!!!

 

[reelmom]

I live near where Alan Jackson grew up. I have never seen him but my sister has. She worked at the Newnan WalMart in high school. He used to come in there alot. He hadn't made it big at that time but everybody was talking about him.

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

Enjoy the day with your sweet grandbaby.

 

[Megablocks]

Enjoy your day! My coworker is going to a tea party birthday party for her four-year-old niece, and she (my coworker) was very excited about it -- it reminded me of you getting to spend time with Brooklynn today.

 

[micandminforever]

Have fun playing party kitchen,princesses..., and watching Little Mermaid. We need pictures.

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

Hi Jill and MeMom!!!

I'm back!

I have SO much to catch up on...

 

[Happy Elf]

I always say a great idea for a reality show would be putting unsuspecting people in the roll of teachers.

The conversations can be crazy. Sometimes I feel just like Alice smack dab in the middle of the mad tea party or trying to get a straight answer from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!

Have a great time playing kitchen and princesses today!!!

That would be hilarious!

 

[MeMom]

Enjoy your visit with Brooklynn and Jill! Enjoy the warm temps.

I did. It was so nice that we played outside in the backyard for about two hours, and we ate lunch out there, too.

I always say a great idea for a reality show would be putting unsuspecting people in the roll of teachers.

The conversations can be crazy. Sometimes I feel just like Alice smack dab in the middle of the mad tea party or trying to get a straight answer from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!

Have a great time playing kitchen and princesses today!!!

That would absolutely make a great TV show! Parents get a little taste of what it's like when they come along on field trips. I've never had one of them leave saying that they wanted to become a teacher!

As for crazy conversations, keep reading until the end of this post. It's a little scary, but it might make you think better of Alice and her wild friends.

I live near where Alan Jackson grew up. I have never seen him but my sister has. She worked at the Newnan WalMart in high school. He used to come in there alot. He hadn't made it big at that time but everybody was talking about him.

I guess you can tell I'm not all that 'up' on big stars, since I couldn't even think of his name. At the ballgames, I would see people go up to him for autographs, and I kind of felt bad for him not to just be able to sit there and watch the game. I'm sort of Granny Clampett-ish on things like that. I can't really think of any TV or movie star I'd just really want to meet in person. I guess I just see them as regular people with cool jobs.

Now I'm sitting here trying to think of someone I would like to meet.

Enjoy the day with your sweet grandbaby.

I did. It was both fun and productive. I'll probably have some pictures tomorrow sometime.

Enjoy your day! My coworker is going to a tea party birthday party for her four-year-old niece, and she (my coworker) was very excited about it -- it reminded me of you getting to spend time with Brooklynn today.

Yes, I did very important things like that today!

Have fun playing party kitchen,princesses..., and watching Little Mermaid. We need pictures.

Little Mermaid was in the Blu-Ray before Jill and John ever got out the door!

Hi Jill and MeMom!!!

I'm back!

I have SO much to catch up on...

It was nice to hear the news about your new house. Maybe once you get all settled in, you'll be back with us for good!


*********************************


It was a beautiful day in northern Alabama. I got there about 8. Brooklynn was in a corner of the living room snuggling with a bunch of her stuffed animal friends. When she saw me, she threw the blanket off and greeted me with a big hug, so my day was pretty much good from that moment on.

We ate pancakes that she and Jill made together.
While Jill and John were gone to a consignment sale to get many, many clothes for two little girls, Brooklynn and I did the following:

-while Little Mermaid was on in the background - read books and made the stuffed animals 'talk to each udder'. (None of them were cows, so take that as toddler speak!)

-while Cinderella II was on in the background - went in her bedroom and played with the kitchen and danced to a CD, Brooklynn made faces as I called out, "Show me your happy/sad/scared/etc. face." You'll see these when I get a chance to get them situated on the computer.

-while Monsters, Inc. was on in the background - went outside, leaving the door open so that Ben could run in and out. He's such a loving and patient little guy. Brooklynn gets into his space sometimes, and instead of getting mad at her, he just moves to a different spot. Sometimes she crosses the line a little too much, and he growls and snaps at her, but for the most part, he's very tolerant of the toddler in the house. He was there first, after all, and she invaded his space.

We actually did watch a little of each movie. Brooklynn asked/said her usual lines during Little Mermaid.
For instance, when Ariel fails to show up at the concert in the beginning, her standard line is, "Ariel's gonna be in big trouble!" She says it every single time, right Jill?
During Cinderella II, she kept asking where Stepmother was.
We were mostly outside while Monsters, Inc. was on, so she didn't say anything about that one. She was mostly busy downing a yogurt and helping Eeyore and an Animal Kingdom lion play on the swingset.

When Jill and John got back, we ate Wendy's burgers out on the patio table. Jill showed us all the cute little things they got for Brooklynn and Bella. Mostly Bella. It's fun to picture her in them already!

Then we went out into the garage and started working on that a little. Well, all I did was help pull stuff out of one area, and then they worked for two hours getting the garage straightened up as I was driving home. I don't like to drive at night when I don't have to, so I left there just in time to get home right as it was getting dark. She called and said they had had a very productive afternoon and the garage looks much better. It always feels good to get a chore like that behind you.

When I left, I knew I wouldn't see them again until the 28th, and Brooklynn was begging to go with me in my car, so with that combination, I was fighting back tears. I told her that the next time I see her we will be having a special Disney party just for her and her cousins, and I'll be bringing them some goodies from Mickey Mouse.

I held back the tears until I got out of the driveway (and no, Jill, it is not necessary for you to tell any driveway story!), but as I was waving my last few waves, the tears came, and along with that, the ugly cry. Luckily, no one saw me but the three white horses eating grass in the pasture. I cried until the 55 speed limit went down to 40 and then down to 35, but I was better by the time I got to the interstate.

Bear with me on the following thoughts from my interstate drive.

Jill and I had been talking about names earlier, so I was thinking of Bella's name. There's been so much questioning of what this baby will be called, so I told her instead of Isabella Marie, she could just go with Bella Marie, and that would simplify things, since it looks like she's going to very affectionately be called Bella anyway. I think Bella Marie flows nicely and sounds very pretty, too.

So, I'm driving along thinking about how if she's called Isabella, when she's in 3rd grade and some other girl is mad at her or a 'bratty' little boy wants to tease her, they're going to come up with something like "Izzy, Izzy, your hair is frizzy!"
I know that, because I teach 3rd grade, and I'm an expert on those kinds of rhymes.
I continue thinking (yes, I know I should have stopped there, but I was living dangerously), and I decide that the best they can do with Bella will be "Bella, Bella, thinks she's Cinderella!"
Of course, I'm okay with that one, because I know that she can then just wave her hand and say, "Yes. Yes, I am, and you are never allowed to come near my castle!"


Stay with me here, and I promise I will make you feel better about your own sanity.

After the whole Izzy/Bella conversation I had with myself, I came up with the name Clark in my head. I have no idea why Clark jumped out of the sky and smacked me in my brain, but it did, so I asked myself how many Clarks I had known in my life.

I came up with the following:

Clark Gable (Remember I am old.)

Clark Kent

Donald Clark Osmond (My teenage love, although he never knew it.)

A Clark bar (you know, the candy?)

Mr. Clark, the art teacher

Clark, the younger brother of a girl I knew in high school, whose name I could not recall for several miles, but finally I remembered. Funny that I remembered the brother and not the girl.

And of "The moose out front should have told you we were closed!" fame, Clark Griswold

That's all I could come up with, so I stopped thinking anything about names.

Until I reached Maury County.

Then my brain said, "Wonder how many Maurys you've ever heard of?"

Fortunately, I could only come up with Maury Povich and a local preacher whose name is Maury, so the conversation with myself was short.

After that, I put in a Magic Kingdom CD and disallowed any further discussions with myself about names.

The castle leads the entranceway,
to seven lands and more!
Step inside a storybook,
imagine what's in store!
It's all pure magic
wrapped up in pixie dust...

Ah, yes, that was much better!

Now, after knowing all that, you should all feel much better about how truly normal and sane you really are.
Have a good evening!

 

[VandyFan10]

Just keep in mind it's a budget trip!
This will have to be cheap blackmail.

Mark your calendar for April 7th!

You do not have to bring me anything!! And please don't!! My lips are sealed

April 7th - check....what is it again that I'm supposed to mark it for? The baby or your return . Sorry I'm sure I know but just not coming to me

And of "The moose out front should have told you we were closed!" fame, Clark Griswold

That's all I could come up with, so I stopped thinking anything about names.

Until I reached Maury County.

Then my brain said, "Wonder how many Maury's you've ever heard of?"

Fortunately, I could only come up with Maury Povich and a local preacher whose name is Maury, so the conversation with myself was short.

After that, I put in a Magic Kingdom CD and disallowed any further discussions with myself about names.

The castle leads the entranceway,
to seven lands and more!
Step inside a storybook,
imagine what's in store!
It's all pure magic
wrapped up in pixie dust...

Ah, yes, that was much better!

Now, after knowing all that, you should all feel much better about how truly normal and sane you really are.
Have a good evening!

I LOVED this.....thank you for sharing

So sweet!! And good to know I'm not the only one that has discussions in my head

 

[punkin413]

For instance, when Ariel fails to show up at the concert in the beginning, her standard line is, "Ariel's gonna be in big trouble!"

so cute!

When I left, I knew I wouldn't see them again until the 28th, and Brooklynn was begging to go with me in my car, so with that combination, I was fighting back tears. I told her that the next time I see her we will be having a special Disney party just for her and her cousins, and I'll be bringing them some goodies from Mickey Mouse.

I held back the tears until I got out of the driveway (and no, Jill, it is not necessary for you to tell any driveway story!), but as I was waving my last few waves, the tears came, and along with that, the ugly cry. Luckily, no one saw me but the three white horses eating grass in the pasture. I cried until the 55 speed limit went down to 40 and then down to 35, but I was better by the time I got to the interstate.

poor memom! i know this is gonna be my mom when ray and i have a kid. i have a feeling she's going to be making more trips to georgia!

Bear with me on the following thoughts from my interstate drive.

you are so funny! thanks for sharing. now i don't feel so odd for having conversations with myself.

And of "The moose out front should have told you we were closed!" fame, Clark Griswold

this one's my favorite.

 

[Happy Elf]

I held back the tears until I got out of the driveway (and no, Jill, it is not necessary for you to tell any driveway story!), but as I was waving my last few waves, the tears came, and along with that, the ugly cry. Luckily, no one saw me but the three white horses eating grass in the pasture. I cried until the 55 speed limit went down to 40 and then down to 35, but I was better by the time I got to the interstate.

I know how you feel. This is what I do when we have to talk Mom back to the airport! I usually am crying as we are walking out. But I'm glad you were able to spend the day with Brooklynn! It sounds like you have a wonderful day together!

 

[IluvXU]

sounds like lots of girl fun with Brooklynn today! I am sure you are so sad leaving your girls--- I almost cried thinking about how hard that would be, especially when she wants you to stay!