"50 BEFORE 50"

My 50th birthday is fast approaching. Don't feel bad for me.........I really don't mind. I have approxamietly 9-1/2 months until the big day and I fully intend to live each day to the fullest. That's where the "50 before 50" thing comes into play. I'm doing 50 things that are either important to me or that I have never done, before my 50th birthday.

Don't worry Deb and Rachael, skydiving is not on the list, never wanted to try it don't expect I ever will. I'm not exactly what you would call a risk taker. Nope,I'm a realist who wears her heart on her sleeve. I might mention that this is not going to be a bucket list kind of thing either, just a list of things that are do-able and personalized for me. Could get a little boring, so bear with me. I might throw in a shocker every now and then to keep you on your toes.

Have you ever heard a person say "I don't want to live to be that old?" Well, you've never heard me say it. I love living! Wanna do it for as long as I can. I just want to make the most of what is left of my 40's.

Okay, let's get this party started. Most of you know I'm a pretty patriotic person, thanks to my dad, which brings me to number 1 on my "50 before 50" list. I realized today that it's been a long time since I said the "Pledge of Allegiance" and really thought about what it means. Pretty pathetic, huh? Beginning tomorow and every morning for the next 7 days I will go outside, face the flag hanging from the front of our house and recite the "Pledge of Allegiance" with sincere consideration of the meaning of the words.

•I pledge allegiance - I promise my loyalty
•to the flag - to the symbol that stands to represent
•of the United States of America - each and every of the 50 states that form the united nation of America
•and to the republic - a country where people choose their representative to form the government and represent them
•for which it stands, one nation - the flag that stands for one country
•under God - there is one Supreme entity for every citizen
•indivisible - a country that cannot be divided
•with Liberty - complete freedom of life and living being given to the citizens
•and Justice - fair treatment being promised by the law of the land
•for all - for each and every citizen of the country.

Boys of Fall

Are you ready for some football???????
Apparently Kenny Chesney is and he's got a great new song to prove it. I admit it. I don't just like it .........I love it. Makes me feel like a teenager again every time I hear it. There was a certain feeling I got from going to the games in high school that I've never been able to recapture. I'm not sure if it was the game itself or the running back on the school team I was dating. I had finally given up on Donnie Osmond and my love life was back on track.

My boyfriend was a running back on the football team and my momma was not willing to provide transportation to the away games. Being the resourceful gal that I am I tried out and made the school drill team which guaranteed me a bus ride to and from all away games. Although the position on the team was in the beginning only a means to an end for me, I really enjoyed it. My drill team routines were getting better everyday and my romance was blossoming.

It was a great fall filled with practices, pep rallies, and football games. I performed with the band during half time shows and my boyfriend hustled for a first down during the game under the bright stadium lights. Life was good and love was in the air. Before long my boyfriend and I were going steady and I was wearing his class ring. I was positive that eventually I would be wearing his last name as well. There was no doubt in my mind that this time it was the real thing.

Football season ended as it always does and not long after so did the relationship with my football player. I survived another broken heart just one of many I was destined to experience. Had I known then what I know now I might have converted and become a nun.

I am still waiting on an offer from some cheesy movie producer to do a movie based on my love life. When the time comes and no doubt it will, I hope viewer's will have a large supply of Kleenex on hand. Until then grab your tissues and enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXDo5WhQXI "The Boys of Fall" courtesy of Kenny.

Forums, Blogs, and Opinions

Why blog? The question was posed recently on a local forum by my husband. He does enjoy a good prank and has been engaging in some foolishness on the Times Daily Forum. Hubby loves to get a rise out of some of the more intelligent posters on tdf (or at least they think they are more intelligent). It is so funny watching them try to rise above!! I read and wonder how long it will be before one of them bites when good ole JR goes fishing on tdf.


There are one or two in particular that my sweetie loves to aggravate. He tries to get under their skin any way he can and often succeeds. He really got a rise out of one of those guys by asking what the purpose of a blog was and included some very unflattering remarks about blogs. Shame on you, Mark. If you don't like it .......don't read it. That includes mine or any other.

This resulted in the offended party retaliating by posting a blog today devoted to Mark's post on the tdf. It was apparent he did extensive research on the definition of a blog. Gotta love wikipedia. His blog was looking good until he proceeded to make fun of my husband's spelling and typing. Then he wondered in his blog about my husband's ability to procreate. Our children are proof that he is. Quite frankly, I would venture to say that our children are likely as successful if not more successful than the children of the author of the abhorrent statement. It is offensive that a grown man feels the need to include distasteful and off color remarks directed toward the children of his cyber enemy in what would be an otherwise decent blog.

Now back to the question posed concerning the purpose of a blog. I'm not going to consult with wikipedia or anyone else for that matter. I blog for three reasons (1) I enjoy it (2) I like the idea of leaving a written account of stories from my life for my children and grandchildren. I would love to have something similar from my dad or grandparents. (3) I often include stories or thoughts about family members who have passed. I don't want them to be forgotten.

As for the bickering and aggravating on the forum. It is a huge waste of time. I have been there and done that. Everybody stays busy trying to one up everyone else. I can sum it all up right here. Let's see.......There is a God. Obama is a terrible president. There is nothing either beautiful or fashionable about Michelle. Glen Beck is a crybaby. Gary Dobbs may or may not have run a red light (I wasn't there so I don't know). The Shoals is a great place to live....bad drivers, senior citizens, and all. Of course, these are just my opinions. I'm sure you have yours.

Going Places

A new bike was big news to a young girl growing up in a small community in Alabama. The bike was a bright purple similar to the color of a grape Popsicle. The plastic grips covering the ends of the handlebars were the perfect size for the hands of a primary school age girl. The pink, purple and silver streamers dangling from the handlebars added just the right amount of feminine flair. The glittery seat comprised of the same colors made the bike a dream come true for me. I was a princess on a royal bike. Trumpets sounded each time I made the circle though the driveway and across the yard back to the starting point at granddaddy's garage. Dadada DAAAA.....here she comes on her shiny new bike.....Princess Sandra.

It mattered not one bit that no one else thought of me in those terms. I was kind of a homely child and sported a short haircut that often called my gender into question. The words princess and Sandra just did not come together very often unless it was me combining the two words. I did not care because I had a shiny new bike. Princess Sandra was going places now and the world she was leaving behind could kiss her.....ahhh. ..better not go there (my auntie Betty is a reader).

A week or so passed and I blissfully rode my bike everyday. I rode it to explore the jungle behind Grandmother and Granddaddy's house careful not to disturb the wild animals who made their home there. I rode my bike in the open pasture careful to avoid the piles of you know what. I pretended the bike was my car and I had an apartment in a big city where I was an overpaid paid fashion model. The bike was my ticket out of Center Hill. I was going places now!

One morning as I was washing my bike my older brother, Timmy, approached me with a proposition. "You like your bike now? Wait til I get through with it." I should have known better but the idea was just too tempting. "What can you do to make it better?" He stuck out his chest and said "I can't tell you I have to show you. Just let me work on it for you" I should have been suspicious because he kept staring at me. I now know it was the big red S for sucker written across my forehead that he was looking at.

Timmy was given a new bike on the same day I got mine. His bike was red with a blue seat. It was a nice bike but no where near the level of coolness that my bike had. I agreed to allow him to make my bike better. He proceeded to take both bikes apart, unscrewing bolts and and placing bicycle parts in a pile near the door in Granddaddy's garage. I began to feel a little nervous when I realized he was "working" on both bikes at the same time. How was he going to know which pieces came from which bike? I voiced my concerns to Timmy. "You're going to have to get out of here and leave me alone if you want me to finish this." My gut feeling told me I was never going to see my bike again.

I hoped that my gut feeling was wrong and it sort of was. I did see pieces of my bike again. Timmy had combined parts of both bikes together. My sparkly glitter seat had been replaced with his blue seat. The basket was missing, apparently it was too much trouble to put back on. The streamers were gone from the handlebars and various parts of my bike were now on his bike and visa versa. Both bikes were covered in grease and so was my brother.

I learned a lesson that day, a lesson that cost me my bike. If it ain't broke, don't let Timmy fix it. If it is broke, don't let Timmy fix it.

Put the pumpkin down

Fall is just around the corner. I know because stores are stocking their shelves with Halloween merchandise. Big orange pumpkins some with big toothless grins and others with slanted eyes and ghoulish grins stare at me from their temporary homes in the department stores. They want me to take them home with me but I'm on to the seasonal retail game.

I have compiled a list for the inexperienced shopper regarding seasonal items you are bound to encounter during a weekly shopping trip.

1.Put that bright orange pumpkin back on the shelf. Your old plastic pumpkin will still do the job. Replace the bulb, set it on your porch and call it vintage.
2. Purchase Halloween candy on Halloween day and not one minute earlier. I don't think I need to explain this one.
3. Never spend over $10.00 on a Halloween costume. A cheap or homemade costume will get your kid just as much candy as an expensive costume will.
4. It takes more than avoiding the seasonal aisles when you shop. Mr WalMart is really smart. He will place pumpkins, bloody hands, cackling witches and other such nonsense in strategic locations throughout his store. It will be difficult to grab a 4 pack of toilet paper without some kind of ghostly encounter. I recommend buying enough toilet paper in August to last until January.
5. Leave your kids at home while shopping. How do you think I got my collection of 110 plastic pumpkins? My boy has outgrown a lot of childish things but he still loves the overpriced Halloween crap.
6. Leave your husband at home while shopping. My hubby has outgrown a lot of childish things but he still loves the overpriced Halloween crap.
7. Candy taste the same in it's everyday packaging as it does in holiday packaging. The only difference is the price.
8. If you don't have trick or treaters you'll be the candy eater. If you haven't had a trick or treater for the past 25 years chances are you won't have one this year. Do you really need five 10lb bags of Halloween themed candy?

Enjoy the last few days of summer............. before you know it we'll be trimming the tree.

Memories, School Clothes & Bears

Gotta love those grand kids! My Caraline can make me happy on the worst of days.

My daughter, Rachael, my granddaughters, Kassidy & Caraline and I were driving home from our annual back to school shopping trip in Huntsville this past Saturday and out of the blue Caraline says, "Mommy, Nanny and Kassidy, thank you all for one of the most specialist days of my life". Too sweet.....right.

Now I'll go in reverse, on the way to Huntsville she has chattering non stop. Her conversation went something like this" I didn't eat breakfast, I just had a sucker and I licked it a few times and I threw it in the garbage. My teacher gave it to me. Can we go to Build A Bear? Can I spend the night with you? Nanny, my Mommy yells at me". Whoa, where did that come from?

Kassidy had the "ear disease" the entire time we were in the car so she did not speak or respond when spoken to ( Ipod inventor, I'll get you someday). I was happy to see she brought along a book to read in the car, something by William Shakespeare or Stephanie Meyer's, I believe. Okay, it was Stephanie Meyers. We were left with Caraline to entertain us for the hour long drive and she did a great job!

I had earlier in the week received my coupon book from the Build a Bear store which I shared with Caraline. She held an open forum for the next hour on build a bears discussing the pros and cons of purchasing a blue peace bear vs the black peace bear. The bunny was really cute, too and the puppies were adorable. School clothes were now a secondary concern as getting to the nearest Build a Bear store became our main objective.

The excitement mounted as we pulled into the Parkway Mall parking lot and headed straight for the store. Caraline only took minutes to decide on the blue peace bear. She picked out a heart for her bear, kissed it and placed it inside the bear, a little cotton stuffing was inserted into the bear and we were good to go, right? WRONG! It is illegal to take a naked bear out into the world. We had to find suitable apparel for the bear and fortunately bear clothing was for sale right in the Build A Bear store. Thank you Build a Bear creator for having the forethought to include a line of clothing for your critters.

Two malls, dept stores, a trunk full of shopping bags, two meals, a milkshake stop and one emergency french fry stop later and we were finally home. Isn't life funny? Special days can come out of nowhere when we least expect them to. I guess life is better when you let it happen without expectations. Caraline wasn't expecting a new bear on a back to school shopping trip and look what happened.

No trench coats....the kid's will freeze

Unless you are the parent of a school age child you will most likely find today's blog a boring one. Don't knock me off my soapbox just yet.........I enjoy it too much.

As many of you know today was the first day of a new school year so I am spending much of my evening signing off on all the papers that my 16 year old son has so responsibly brought home. I extend a BIG HATS OFF to you parents with 2 or more children in school. It takes some effort to sign this many papers and a devoted parent to read everything they sign.

PLEASE, please read this stuff before you sign it, make copies of the papers you sign and return and most importantly keep your student handbook. File them away in your filing cabinet or do what I am doing put them in a Wal Mart bag and throw them in the bottom of your underwear drawer. It's really not important where you keep them just keep them. After hearing a teacher or principal say to me on more than one occasion "it's in the handbook or it was in the paper I sent home for you to sign at the beginning of the school year," I now read, sign, copy and save.

There are a lot of interesting things in the county school handbook and particularly in the 4 page Brooks High School handbook distributed to the students today. Page one of the BHS student handbook regarding student absences states that excuses must be turned in within 3 days after the absence and before 7:50.... will the excuse be refused if a student attempts to submit it at any other time of the day? Students are only allowed 3 parental excuses per trimester. What about children with chronic illnesses that might render them incapable of attending school on more than 3 occasions but do not require a visit to the doctor's office each time? Oh, and parents make sure you put your child's full name, date of and reason for absence and also include a contact number on that excuse. If you send a note for your child to check out of school it must be in the office by, you guessed it, 7:50 with the reason for checking out clearly stated. Only 3 parental excuse notes will be allowed for checking in or out per trimester.


The dress code section declares that baggy pants and pants that are too tight are not acceptable. Should we hire tailors to design custom made pants for our children so they will not violate the BHS dress code? Is a perfect fit required or will the administrators be happy if their little cracks aren't showing and they can bend at the knees without busting a seam? I guess I'll be one of the first to know considering the fact that my son's pants have never been a perfect fit.


No hair in the eyes, no non-traditional hair colors , trench coats, decorative contact lenses, visible piercings except ears also made the list of no-no's at BHS. Most of these don't concern my child since he has no piercings, does not color his hair, and wears glasses (so decorative lens are out). The hair in the eyes might be a problem but if worse comes to worse I can whip out my kitchen shears and give him an emergency trim.

I am on the fence about some of this stuff. I really hate body piercings. Every time I see a pierced tongue or lip it literally makes me hurt. Do they distract me to the point that I can not function in whatever capacity I need to? Never. Strange hair colors don't bother me at all. In fact, I think pink hair looks good on some girls.... just not mine. I secretly admire people who don't conform and I hate to see that taken away from the kids who want to harmlessly express themselves.

I think it is important to have rules and regulations. I fully intend to have my child comply with the rules whether or not I agree with them. At least I won't have to say no if he has an urge to dye his hair green and pierce his tongue. I can rely on BHS to take care of that for me.

A frend sent this to me in an email today and I thought it was worth sharing with my friends.

"One Sunday morning, an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn-out old hat and an equally worn, dog-eared Bible.
The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and fine jewelry. As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him.No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled by his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.
As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what he thinks would be appropriate attirefor worship in our church." The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.
The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored. The preacher approached the cowboy and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church."
"I did," replied the old cowboy.
"And what was his reply?" asked the preacher.
"Well, sir, God told me that he didn't have a clue what I should wear. He said he'd never been in this church"

Parents.....can I get an Amen?

Getting ready to send my youngest son back to school next week has had me reminiscing about my own school days. I find myself comparing the way things were then to the way things are now. Boy, have things changed, from lunch menus to the teachers. Some things are better others not so much.

I can't believe my son has only two years left before graduating from high school. I regret that I have not been more vigilante during his high school years. He was fortunate to have been a student at Brooks Elementary during a time where there were some fabulous teachers along with a first rate office staff. Mrs Walker is an absolute genius when it comes to doing her job. All that was left for me to do was make sure he was prepared for class and there on time. There was no reason to ask questions about faculty members behavior or be at the school constantly because there was a problem. The teachers were there to teach and they did it well without interference from me. Thank you Brooks Elementary! My son was ready for high school and I expected the same professional atmosphere we experienced at BES. WRONG!! WRONG!! WRONG!!


There were issues in junior high that I chose to ignore rather than cause problems. I was still advising my son that he was to follow rules set by a teacher in the classroom. I wanted him to understand and follow the chain of command to prepare him for life as an adult life when he enters the job force. He complained about silly things like being counted tardy because he was on his way to the trash can to throw away a snot filled tissue when the bell rang. I stood behind the teacher and told him to in his seat when the bell rang. In other words, the teacher is always right. I even ignored it when a teacher confided in me with an air of disapproval that a student in her class was an atheist. I should have asked what his lack of religious belief had to do with school? I ignored when politic views where discussed in the classroom inappropriately during an election.

Man, have I changed my way of thinking. I'm sorry to say it but teachers are human just like the rest of us and they are not always right.......God love 'em. They make mistakes for whatever reason perhaps, they are misinformed..... in that case they should listen more. Could be they just don't care...........then they should leave the profession to those who do. Whatever the reason I am keeping my eyes and ears open for the remaining two years.

I watched an interview with Colts Coach Dungy yesterday and was inspired by many things he said. He quoted his father who was a teacher,who said that it was his job to help ALL his students get A's. Those were the words of a true educator. I wonder how many teachers are returning to the classroom with that attitude?

I realize it must appear as though I kind of have it in for teachers. I am not anti-teacher I am pro-equal opportunity classrooms. I have the utmost respect and admiration for those who teach our children. I am of the opinion that somewhere along the way a few of our teachers have allowed their personal feelings to interfere with their job performance. Especially, if they have children in the school where they employed or even worse, in their own classroom.

As a mother, I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to have a child in the same school I worked (if I were a teacher ) and not want to give into the natural parental urge to give my child a little motherly attention. I would hope that I would have enough self control to resist doing little favors for my child or their friends. I would hope my judgement would remain clear and I could distinguish right from wrong and make the best decision for ALL students and not just the ones that call me mom. And God forbid I would willingly or unknowingly harm another student while trying to make things easier for my own little darling.

Please don't assume I include all faculty members who have children enrolled at their place of employment. I certainly do not. The point I am making is that one teacher behaving this way is one too many. I would challenge administrators, superintendents, and school board members to address this issue.

I do not expect that my child or any other child be coddled during their high school years. I expect faculty and administrators to perform their job objectively showing no amount of favoritism or aversion to any student regardless of their family connections, athletic ability, choice of apparel, personality, social standing, hair style, religious affiliation, lack of religious affiliation or political views.

Okay, now that I have finished my sermon.................Can I get an AMEN???