Denise

I haven't posted alot about Denise, I wasn't quite sure how she would feel about being part of my blog, but I have now decided that there is just way too much not to post her. Sorry Denise and welcome to the family.

First off Steven has been a bachelor for a while now. He has been married before and has been divorced for a number of years. It's hard when you are in your 30's to find someone. He had tried eharmony, chat rooms friends of friends and nothing seemed to work out. Actually, I think I posted about the eharmony experience before but maybe not. Those girls were crazy and I mean certifiably crazy. Steven wants to be married, he wants children but not just with anyone, he wasn't desperate, he wanted someone to love. So Mom and I decided we were going to put him on Match.com. Best thing we ever did, you're very welcome Steven. After we listed him we went through all these matches, picking out the girls we thought he would like (aren't we thoughtful) and emailing them to him. Denise was one of the girls he was matched up with but she is a professor at UNCW. She has her PhD, she's a doctor for God sake. He's a deputy, for the love of God what would they talk about? And {gasp} she was listed as a vegetarian. That would never do, we are big meat eaters, what would we do for holidays and cookouts? But little did Mom and I know, they connected. She was the only girl he asked out, I think he talked to a couple others before he met Denise is person but after he met her that was it, there was no one else. Every time he talked about her, you could just tell there was something special about her. I think he fell hard and fast and that is absolutely NOT like him. Anytime he would date someone we would be afraid to like her because the next thing we knew she was gone. I haven't gotten to spend alot of time with her because they are in NC and we are in VA but I have met her, loved her, and I've talked to her on the phone. They are getting married October 4, 2008 and I can't wait. They also want to have a baby very soon. That I really can't wait for, a baby, we haven't had a baby in our family in almost 10 years, that is very exciting.

Steven and Denise have a small garden at Denise's house and they have a couple tomato plants.

Steven couldn't figure out what was happening to the flowers on the tomato plants so he asked her about it. She told him they died so she picked them off. bwahahaha Needless to say, she's never grown tomato plants before. (Again sorry Denise, but this stuff is just too good not to share, not laughing at you, laughing with you) Also, she's never been to or had a yard sale. Mom had one and Steven and Denise brought over some things for it and to help out. She could not understand why people would think it was ok to show up earlier than the time you advertised. She didn't get it, the early bird gets the worm. My Dad gave her a fig tree, he has one in his back yard and they love the figs from it. She put it in her car and took it home. There must have been some kind of little bug on the bark because it decided it liked her car more than the tree. It kept biting her but she couldn't see it or figure out how to get rid of it. She went to AutoZone(I think it was Autozone) and they weren't real sure how to get rid of it. So while Steven was on the internet researching how to get this out of the car she was buying a fogger and setting it off in her car. Now, I talking the kind of fogger you set off in your house and this was in the car. Steven said her car smelled so bad of chemicals.

But on the other hand she is so sweet and giving. After they get married Steven is going to put his house on the market and they are going to live in hers. Steven lives out in the country and her house is closer to town and the college. She wasn't real sure she could live that far out comfortably. She wanted Steven to feel like her home was his too so she has already started doing things around the house to make him feel at home. She took one of her bedrooms, cleaned it out and that will be his computer/gaming room. She has hung up some of his pictures in there and is very concerned about him being comfortable there. She really seems to have a huge heart and Steven really loves her. He loves her, so I love her, he's my brother and if she makes him happy that's all that matters. Good luck Steven and Denise, it's going to be a wonderful marriage.

(not quite sure why the pictures are so small, but Mom emailed them to me and I saved them from the email so maybe that's the problem.)

I LOVE THIS MOVIE

When Rusty came home this evening I was in the kitchen whipping up a culinary cuisine that would make Emeril weep. Ok, it was egg and sausage sandwiches but I just didn't feel like cooking and everyone here likes egg sandwiches for dinner so it was a win win situation. Anyway, Rusty came in the kitchen and said "What's wrong?". "I was, sniff sniff, watching Mr. Holland's Opus snifffff". His response was "Oh dear God". I'm sorry, I just can't help it, I love that movie. I don't know how many times I've seen it but if it's on I'm watching it. It's such a great movie with such an incredible message. He spent his whole life thinking he was a failure, he had never accomplished his heart's dream but in reality he had done something even more important. He affected the life of every child he taught and made a difference. He touched them and made them want to learn and push to obtain their goals. Teachers have a way of doing that if they truly understand why they are in that classroom. We were so incredibly blessed with such teacher when Ashleigh was in middle school. She was absolutely amazing and brought history completely to life for her students. At the end of the school year she organized a living history museum at the school. Each student was a different person from history and when you walked up to them they came to life and told about the person they were portraying. The kids loved it and the ones lucky enough to have her as a teacher loved her. She will be leaving soon to live in England for 3 years with her husband and children. His job is taking them there and while she is sad to leave our small town she is also looking forward to a new adventure. After the 3 years they will come back here. Everyone should know a Mrs. Korte, we will miss you Jessina.

This and That

Well, I was going to post some pictures but blogger is not cooperating. I wanted to post a picture of a rash (hives) that Blake has broken out with in the last 24 hours and see if anyone has any idea what might cause something like this to happen. At bedtime last night, isn't it always at bedtime, Blake tells me that he has these bumps on his chest. I thought it was a stall tactic, go ahead give me the mom of the year awards, and I told him it was allergies and get in bed. Well.....this morning he calls me at work and tells me that the rash is worse and itches really bad. I had Wayne look at him to see if it's maybe poison ivy and he tells me it doesn't really look like poison but that Blake is really complaining about it itching. Thank God I work for 6 pediatricians, so Wayne brings him to work and one of the doctors takes a look at him.

Dr. K "No fever, does your throat hurt?"

Blake "No."

Dr. K "Ears look good."

Blake "Do you see anything in there?"

Dr. K "gum".

Blake loves Dr. K, he says he so funny.

Anyway, Dr. K wasn't really sure either because we are still using the same soap, detergent, shampoo, sunblock, all the known culprits. The only thing we could come up with was Blake went to football camp on Saturday and then came straight to a picnic we were at in a soaking wet shirt. Dr. K said him wearing the wet shirt all that time could have caused this unknown rash. So Blake is now sitting in an Aveno bath soaking and we pick up the hydrocortizone tomorrow. Dr. K ordered a large order of hydrocortizone so our little drug store (Rite-Aid you would think they would have it) has to order it and it won't be in until tomorrow after 1:00.

Oh, good here we are. The picture didn't turn out all that great but you can see the top of his cute little belly button. The Aveno has helped some with the itching and a dose of Bennadryl didn't hurt either. Those things sticking out at the top are his ribs, oh to have my ribs stick out like that again. Oh, well.

Anyway, on to fun things.

When my Mawmaw passed away my parents bought my grandparents house at the beach to live with my Pawpaw and help him. Not that he needed help, he remarried last year and moved out. Anyway, they put their house up here on the market and told me they would give me their dining room set when it sold. Fast forward to a year later, it finally sold and YEA!!! I got my dining room set. I have had a set of good dishes that my aunt collected and gave to me and Rusty when we got married the first time, 21 years ago. They have never been out of the box. I've never had a place to display them. Ta da, behold the china cabinet with the beautiful dishes. I love these dishes, I have open the box to look at them and make sure they were still there and hadn't wandered away looking for some place to display themselves. My dining room looks so different now with the new to me furniture. Before we had a wonderful solid oak table and chairs but that was it as far as dining room furniture went. Well, we had a computer desk with 2 computers on it but that doesn't count. It really looks like a dining room now. Thanks Mom and Dad.

I had to show you a picture of this, do you know what it is? It is an antique doctors scale. When my office renovated the building that was outside in a shed. I really wanted it bad but I really didn't know why they had saved it all this time. Finally I got up the nerve and asked for it and they were more than glad to get rid of it, go figure. My mom had been storing it for me because I didn't want it get lost in our basement and never be seen again. She had it in her bathroom with towels drapped over it. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with it but Rusty put it in the corner and I really liked it. My kitchen and dining room are done in antiques and old kitchen utensils. I love the flea market. What I have drapped over it is a matching apron, table cloth and napkins that my Mawmaw made when she was newly married. I love it and wanted to display them some where but I wasn't quite sure where. I want to be able to look at them and enjoy them, can't do that if they are in a drawer.

I've had this cabinet for a while, I just like it. It holds more of my old flea market finds and inside is one of my favorite places to sit and go through, some of my cookbooks. I collect cookbooks and I love to sit and look through them. I have my Mawmaw's Betty Crocker cookbook that she was given by her mother in law in 1957, that is my most prized cookbook. It is full of her handwriting. That one has a feature spot on a shelf in the kitchen.

Isn't this just the cutest? Rusty bought both of these for me at Cracker Barrel. They are for cupcakes but I have used them for deviled eggs also. I lined them with waxed paper and they worked great. I love baskets. The lids are wooden and both of them have liners.

Finally, take a look at my great free find on freecycle today. I love freecycle. I already have it hanging on my front door.

So, have you gotten any wonderful things from freecycle? And since I've shown you my dining room, how about yours?

Have a great evening!

I did it!!!

I finally, months after the cruise, have figured out how to remove that ticker from the top of my blog. YEAAAAHHHHH!! I know that probably sounds stupid but for some reason I just could not remember how to get it off the blog. So, now what did I do? Of course I put another ticker on my blog. What can I say? I guess it will be next year at this time before I remember how to remove this one, but the countdown is on to the wedding. I am so excited!!

Once again, I am back

I don't even know where to begin, it's been so long since I blogged I don't even know if anyone still checks to see if there is anything new. But here I am. Alot has happened and we have been so incredibly busy over the last couple months. We've had baseball come and go, not a bad season but not the best either but the kids had fun and that is what it is all about. In May we had "Mayfest" in our small town and that was alot of fun. The midget football league has a booth, the kids and coaches are in the parade and we had a dunking booth. Rusty did the booth last year and said "there was no way in hell he was getting in that thing again this year", so he cooked food instead. He loves doing things for the kids but the booth really did a number on his knee, for those of you who don't know he had a total knee replacement 4 years ago. Yes, at 35 years old he had to have his knee replaced. Football has been very good to him, yes sir. Anyway we got some really cute pictures from Mayfest.



The beginning of the day when it wasn't quite so hot.



My honey, isn't he cute? I told you I had some cute pictures from Mayfest.




Another really cute picture. This is one of Blake's favorite things to do at Mayfest. He loves to color his hair and of course it has to be Strasburg colors, purple and white.
One of our board members taking a turn in the dunking booth. The water was extremely cold and it is a long fall from that seat to the water.
This is Jayla, she is the daughter of friends of ours. She is adorable and starting kindergarten in the fall.

And here's Jayla's daddy taking a turn. He was so funny, every time the seat dropped he had the exact pose as he went into the water.

Warren, our president, helping the kids to dunk the victim every time.

Spencer, a friend of Wayne's (my son), posing for the camera. He was the first victim and he spent alot of time up there and in the water. He is leaving Monday for bootcamp, God bless our soldiers.

Cody, Warren's son, doing his best to dunk Spencer. He is a senior this year with Wayne. The kids really had a great time and loved being in the parade. Who wouldn't love being in the parade with firetrucks, a 18 wheeler truck, motorcycles and all of the other local businesses. Gotta love those small town parades.

Like I said, baseball went really good. The kids had a great time, hopefully they learned a little. The went to the batting cages and got in a little hitting practice.

My honey giving orders, he does it so well. Too bad it doesn't look like the kids are paying much attention to him.

Opening day when the uniform is still nice and clean and new. This was also before Blake got his hair cut. He was going through a stage where he wanted to grow it out long. Let me tell you, this child does not hair the right kind of hair to have long hair. It was horrible!!! It didn't want to lay flat, we had an awful time with it. I didn't make him cut it though because "it's only hair". But finally he got tired of it and got it cut. Thank God!!!!

Ashleigh was home in May for a week and she was home for a couple days this past week. She is doing well in North Carolina. She is about an hour from Camp Lejeune and loving that. She loves the Marines, well she loves the marines she meets and sees. I think it's the uniform and I understand that, love a man in uniform. A guy she dated, didn't date, dated (well you get the picture) just finished bootcamp at Parris Island and she went with his family to his graduation. She was in total awe of everything and had some great stories. He graduated on July 3, what at awesome time to graduate, right at the 4th of July. She came back to Virginia with him and his family and then was home with us for 3 days. She flew home on Wednesday and I was worried the whole time. Not because of her being on a plane, that doesn't bother me. Ashleigh is the kind of kid that can't find her butt with both her hands and a map and she had to change planes twice, once in Atlanta and then in Charlotte. I just knew she wasn't going to find her gate and she would miss her plane. She proved me wrong though and everything went great. Maybe she is a little more responsible than I give her credit for, no I seriously doubt that. She's a great kid and I miss her like crazy, she's just not the most observant person in the world. Sorry Ashleigh you know I love you.

Steven and Denise's wedding plans are going great. They have rented a house on the beach for the wedding and reception and things are moving right along. They are getting married on October 4th and then they are headed to Florida for a cruise. WHAAAAA!!! I am so jealous, I want to go on another cruise. (I still haven't figured out how to remove the ticker on the top of my blog from the last cruise but I'm working on it) The are going to Honduras, Belize, Cozamel and Grand Caymans. I want to go. I got to meet Denise finally and I love her. She is so perfect for Steven. Actually, she's kind of the opposite of Steven but they fit so good together and have the same goals. I am so happy for him. You can tell by the way he treats her, talks to her and about her that he is so in love and I am thrilled for him. It took us a long time but Mom and I finally found the right one for him. ha ha ha

Finally, we had a good time on the 4th of July. Rusty's family had their 30th anniversary 4th of July party and everyone had a great time. We had 127 people there this year even with the rain the day before and the morning of the party. Hope everyone had a great 4th and hope everyone's summer is going great!

Me, Ashleigh, my sister in law Bev, my sister in law Debbie and my mother in law Ethel, after about 2 hours of volleyball, lots of food and dancing.

Happy Easter and once again...Catching up

Well, it's me again being a slacker about blogging. I try, I really do, but there is so much going on around here that I just don't make time to blog. Ashleigh moved to North Carolina 2 weeks ago and that has been a huge adjustment around here. We miss her like crazy but I know she is going to do really well there. She is living with my parents, it started out with my brother but with his work schedule she just wasn't ready to stay over night by herself. So much for "I'm 19 and I can do what I want" she is just not ready to grow up yet. So she is living with Mom and Dad, looking for a job and signing up for a summer class at the community college. I talk to her everyday and she really was homesick at first but she is getting better.
A friend of mine got a puppy and Ashleigh brought him to the house a couple nights before she left. His name is Gizmo and he really is sweet.




The cat wasn't sure what to make of this dog that was smaller than him. He kept checking him out.

The puppy kept chewing on Rusty's ears and his chin.

We went to church with my mother in law today, for Easter, and then everyone went to her house for dinner. It was a really nice time and it was great to see everyone.

This is my great-nephew, Mason, isn't he the absolute cutest?! He's 2 and already he loves that football.
He was also really excited about the easter egg hunt.
Blake and Mason are good friends, Blake loves to play with him.
My mother in law has a fish pond in her front yard and the kids love to try to find the fish. Blake was trying to keep Mason from taking a header into the water.

You've met Mason, now here is Mason's parents, Michael and Misty. Michael was in a horrible accident 6 years ago and we weren't really sure if he was going to make it or not. He was in a moving van in a parking garage and the garage fell on the truck crushing the cab. He broke his neck and was on a ventilator. Now 6 years later he's married (she was dating him when he had the accident) and has this beautiful little boy. God sure is good.
My nephew Jacob and my sister in law Bev. She is also Michael's mom.
One of my other nephew's R.J. Notice the tie? It's the Redskins, this whole family is a family of fans.

My niece Kelly and her boyfriend David. She is Michael and Jacob's sister. Kelly is 2 years younger than I am which is kind of weird that she is Rusty's niece but my sister in law is 12 years older than Rusty's brother. I've mentioned that before and I do need to tell you that story.

Jacob again and his girlfriend Sherry. I have more picture of other people, other than Bev's family but they didn't load for some reason. Oh, well, we had a nice day, we really missed Ashleigh and it didn't seem the same without her. We didn't make it to sunrise service like we had planned, Rusty did something to his back over the weekend and I wasn't sure he was going to make it out of bed for regular services. He helped cook 400 chicken halfs and I don't know how much beef for a church that was selling it to raise money for relay for life. Good cause but he's paying for it now. Hell getting old, isn't it. Oh, by the way, I had mentioned going back to church in another post, we did and loved it. We already know so many people there and Blake has so many friends that go there, I really missed going today but we will be there next Sunday. It's a wonderful loving church and it's a very active church also. I grew up in an active church and I've missed that.

I promise to try and keep more on top of this, please bear with me and don't give up on me.

Good night.

One Tree HIll

Do we have any One Tree Hill fans out there? For those who don't know it is a show on the WB. (well it used to be the WB, then they changed the name of the channel) Anyway, this show is filmed in Wilmington, NC, where Ashleigh has just moved. You can go to the movie studio and tour the set, which of course we've done. Ashleigh has also been on the set for Dawson's Creek. Actually, what they called Dawson's Creek and where alot of filming was done was right around the corner from my parent's first house they lived in there. My brother's fiance (oh yeah, those that know him he got engaged over the weekend, we are so excited and happy for them) is a professor at UNCW and One Tree Hill will be filming at the college on Thursday in Denise's (the fiance) hall and Ashleigh is going to get to go there and watch them film. She is so excited and as she put it "I think I might pee my pants I'm so excited." ha ha They do alot of movies in that area, more than I think anyone really realizes, more than I realized. It's nothing to see a street closed and cameras everyone. My Mom and my brother have seen quite a few tv/movie stars around town. I'm always on the lookout when we are down there, you never know who you might see and John Travolta owns a home there. You never know, you just never know.