Free Stuff

We have a garbage bag full of girl's shoes (size 0 to 7). Some are pretty worn but there are some super cute church shoes. We also have wooden puzzles (the 8 to 10 piece kind) of all types (fruit, transportation, colors, shapes, animals) and the flat thick cardboard puzzles that come in a 4 pack. We probably have around 15 puzzles. Please comment or call (770-715-4686). They will probably go to Goodwill next week if no one wants them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fun with Cousins

Ma and Papa took Audrey and Kelsey down to visit their cousins and Uncle Greg and Aunt Rita this weekend. From what we heard they did not want to come back. They had fun jumping on the trampoline and swinging, carrying Joshua around, playing treasure hunt, jumping in a bouncy house and playing in the woods. They are already planning their next trip. Audrey wants to have her birthday party at Aunt Rita's...man that must be a fun place!!

Rocks for Sale

Audrey has been asking to paint this collection or rocks she has accumulated for weeks and I finally said okay. So I went downstairs to check on her (I work from home in afternoons). She showed me her different rocks...the halloween rock, the rainbow, and the star rock. She said she was going to display them when we sold our bows and people could buy them. So we have a little entreprenuer. I told her that I wanted to buy the star rock and she said "you probably don't have enough money." So grandparents and family...be warned your Christmas present might be a little heavy this year!

First Fire

We had our first fire this weekend. We never built a fire at our other house and didn't have one last year at the new house. I think Kelsey thought we went to the store and bought fire and brought it home. Yesterday she asked if we could go buy some more fire. It was very nice. The girls ate cereal (for dinner) in front of the fire. Those jammies Kelsey has on are her new "Grammy Jammies" made by Randy's mom. I think we will have to wash them secretly while she is at school. If Kelsey is at home she has these jammies on. The design on Kelsey's face is from the Winder Methodist Church Christmas Fair. We did really well selling the bows and luckily we got a space inside so we were nice and warm and had a great comfy spot. We sold all out of our UGA bows.



Audrey and Kelsey playing "mommy - baby" one of the most popular games at our house.

Friday Funny

Always Check Your Child's Homework



Mommy works at Home Depot. She was selling a shovel.

Family Fun Night

We went to the Mall of Georgia and walked around the Disney store, the toy store, Claire's, the bookstore and created some new friends at Build a Bear. We ate happy meals, rode the carousel and this super cool car. We rode escalators and elevators and saw the biggest Christmas tree ever (even taller than Daddy as Audrey pointed out). Audrey wanted to play in the fountain but didn't have her swimsuit on (it was freezing)...and according to the sign no lifeguard was on duty. We can't wait until our next family fun day!

All kinds of stuff

First off, we had another visit from the tooth fairy! I am sure she is going broke! Audrey lost her 2nd tooth while having a sleepover at Ma's house. I have been so lucky and haven't had to witness any of the extractions...just the end result.



Free Armoire! We got this a while back (it actually wasn't too long ago but you know I have to say that because I change my mind on TV entertainment centers soooo often) off of craigslist. It is solid wood and very heavy. The TV fits in the top portion and their are two drawers covered by doors on the bottom. It does need some work, mainly the bottom portion where it needs new rails on the drawers and latches for the doors to catch. You will need a truck to move it (and a couple big strong men...I can only volunteer one!). It was in our living room but then we got rid of the TV in there now that the Pettyjohn Theater in the basement is set up. If you would like it please just call me (770-715-4686) or Randy (770-714-6445).


And finally an update on Christmas in Braselton. It went really well. We did much better selling our bows than at Auburnfest. There wasn't as many people there as most of the vendors expected (many people near us sold nothing). But people who came to our booth were buying several bows and we got good reviews. This Saturday we will be at the Winder Methodist Church. They are having a Christmas Craft and Gift Fair. After that we will be taking a break from the fairs.

The Boss's Go-To Guy

Congratulations Randy!! The regional manager called and personally requested that Randy accept the position of assistant manager at the Lawrenceville store. The sales tracking system that he created which everyone loves was also officially picked up by corporate and will now be part of their policy and supported there by IS. Whoo hoo....you're the best!!

I was Drugged by my Parents....

The following is a statement of answers to many of the ills of modern times. This was published in newspapers around the country.

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"

I replied, I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather. I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood, and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in every­thing I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin: and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem. America would be a better place. God bless the parents who drugged us.

Christmas In Braselton

We will have our bows this Saturday (the 8th) at the Christmas in Braselton festival. It sounds like a nice event. The booths will be open 9:00 to 4:00. At 10:30 they will have a parade and then all the normal kid stuff. Around 4:00 I think they will light the Christmas tree and then at 7:30 they will be showing a movie (Fred Claus) on the lawn. It is supposed to be beautiful weather. If you come out, be sure to stop by and say hello! The location is the Braselton Park. It is off Hwy 53, kind of across from the Braselton Town Hall.

KJ sporting her supergirl bows.

It’s all about the Ice Cream……

The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching third grade in 2000. The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest. I decided we would have an election for a class president. We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote. To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have. We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot.
The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids. I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support. I had never seen Olivia’s mother. The day arrived when they were to make their speeches Jamie went first. He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best. Everyone applauded. He sat down and Olivia came to the podium. Her speech was concise. She said, “If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream.” She sat down. The class went wild. “Yes! Yes! We want ice cream.” She surely would say more. She did not have to. A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn’t sure. Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it? She didn’t know. The class really didn’t care. All they were thinking about was ice cream. Jamie was forgotten. Olivia won by a land slide.

Every time Barack Obama opens his mouth he offers ice cream, and fifty percent of America reacts like nine-year-olds. They want ice cream. The other fifty percent know they’re going to have to feed the cow.

Happy Halloween!

"Fire" and "Supergirl" had a great Halloween. Thanks to Grammy for making Fire's costume. This year the girls and their friend David went to lots of houses in Ma and Papa's neighborhood. They could barely carry their buckets of candy. As Kelsey would say "they are very very heavy."