Top 10 Things I'm Thankful For

At church Wednesday night we had our Thanksgiving service. This is my absolute favorite holiday!!! I love having a couple days off work to eat, sleep, and shop. After all what could be better? So, after that I started thinking of things that I'm truly thankful for. What does it even mean to be thankful for something? The definition of thankful is feeling, showing, or expressing thanks or gratitude. I hate to admit it, but it's pretty seldom that I actually do the showing or expressing part of that. Usually for me it's a quick "Thank You" after someone does something nice for me, and maybe on a good day a thank you note or email. I wanted to stop and write down some of the things in my life that I am truly thankful for. I wanted to think about the things that mean the most to me. Here goes...

10. I am thankful for the wake up call that helped me to get more healthy. It has not been easy to lose this weight, 34 lbs., and I'm not there yet, but I haven't given up either.

9. I am thankful for the Lord allowing me and equipping me with the ability to make a difference in the life of a child.

8. I am thankful for memories that no one can take away. I know that sounds like a blessing and a curse, and maybe it is, but I love to learn from the good and the bad.

7. I am thankful that I've never been hungry a day in my life. As I say that I think maybe this led to me also being thankful for number 10 on this list.

6. I am so blessed to have been able to go and serve on the mission field in Jamaica. I could not tell you all that I learned on that trip with all the ink or words in the world. Thank you Lord:)

5. I am thankful for fun. I am so glad that almost everyday I can find or be involved in something fun. Something that every now and then makes me have one of those full belly laughs. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.

4. I am thankful for the near misses. I have had so many times in my life that I would have or should have messed things up, but God is so good, ALL the time.

3. I am thankful for friends. Wow nothing could be better for a single white female!

2. I am thankful for rest. My family is also thankful for me to get my rest because if not I get cranky.

or

1. I am thankful for my family. The greatest in the whole wide world!

I have so much to be thankful for. I am truly blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving,

~Ashley~

So Close Yet So Far Away

I have to admit that I am writing this post with many mixed emotions. Many of you know that I was so excited to be named "Wellford's Distinguished Reading Teacher" this year. I work really hard in my classroom, especially the way I teach reading. I work many long afternoons and some weekends trying to decide what each child in my classroom needs for the up coming week. I try to use what the children do in class each day as the springboard for what I introduce to them next. I try to remediate the students that need it without the fear of rejection or being made fun of by others while at the same time challenging those that are ready for more advanced books and comprehension skills. This is one of the hardest things about being a teacher, but one of the things that I love about this career. But before I start chasing rabbits, like I normally do, I think that so much of the way I feel about school is due to the way I preformed in school. I was not the Principal's Honor Roll kid for many many years. I went all through elementary school making mostly B's and C's with an expensive tutor for two hours a week and sometimes more! I was not the "natural" smart kid. There are some in the family, but I was not one. I was one that had to work really hard for the B's and C's I got. Mom, Dad, Kerrie, and I would do the craziest things when I spelled a word correctly, or actually read a page in a book all by myself. We used to dance to our favorite songs, or belt out a New Kid's on the Block jam! I can remember mom making tapes of the multiplication facts I had to memorize in third grade, and for half a year Kerrie and I went to bed hearing 4x2=8, 4x3=12, 4x4=16. I think you get the drill. The point of all of this is that I was so honored when it was announced that my fellow teachers thought I was the best reading teacher at Wellford School. I felt like I had really come a long way from that shy, quiet, (believe it or not) kid that sat in the back and couldn't read to the person and teacher that I am now. It was a great day, and totally unexpected! I immediately got on the phone to call Mom, Dad, Mema & Papa, and I even dialed Nanny and Pop in the excitement of it all! Then, I called William to let him in on the news, and just as I had planned a dinner date was in order! I love that guy:) The next few days brought cards, flowers, and notes from many of my friends and fellow teachers encouraging and congratulating me. Then, the work load of winning an award hit. I had a 500 word essay due, an interview, a lesson to video, and a few ofter things to complete before the district interview in just a few weeks. Then the winner for District 5 would go on the the county on October 7th! I worked on the essay and to be honest I could a have written a book easier than condensing that essay into 500 words. I thought how ironic it was the whole time I wrote the paper. I began to think of questions that the judges would ask, and how I could concisely yet completely answer them. I went into the interview on Tuesday at 2:30. I was the first one which in any competition is usually not good, but once again it was the luck of the draw! I wasn't worried about the people skills because lets face it that's a relative strength of mine. I went in and the ladies were from other districts and agencies and were fairly pleasant. I left the interview feeling ok about it. I knew it wasn't spectacular, but not a vague waste of time either. I knew that I was up against other teachers that were held in high esteem by their fellow teachers at their respective schools. I knew it was a challenge, and like in anything else in life all I could do was my best. I did just that my best, and the following day the District winner was announced............It was not me! Oh well, I'd like to think that I have a lot of time to have a chance to get another award in the field. I also realize that their are lots of great teachers out there that are never recognized by there own schools after putting their whole life into this career. I will always remember this honor and be thankful to the family and friends that helped me so much along the way! Always, ~Ashley~ Here's a link to the essay if you're intrested in reading it.

Labor Day Weekend

Our Labor Day weekend started as most weekends do around the RackRoom. Rick and I met Cathy and Jerry for supper, Cathy had decided that we would eat at her house instead of going out which was a nice change. As we were eating a car pulled in the driveway. To my surprise it was Kerrie & Jerry, I knew they were coming home for the long weekend, but was not expecting them till around midday on Saturday.

Saturday started early for us since we stayed up till around 2:00 am talking, even though I talk to her at least once a day on the phone it just not the same as sitting down face to face. We went to visit Mema & Papa. Then back home so they could visit some of their friends while I cleaned house, washed clothes that I was going to do on Friday night before they arrived on Saturday. Rick and I had planned on going to the hot dog supper at church while they were with their friends. The singing Chaplains were singing so we stayed for the singing. This is a group of four local pastors that are a part of the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. http://www.spartanburgso.org/chaplains.html .

We stayed up way to late on Saturday night again, talking and laughing about a lot of the funny things the girls did as they were growing up, somethings that I didn't know about came up in the conversations.

On Sunday Ashley & Kerrie were cooking lunch, (now my girls have a hard time with anything that happens in a kitchen.) They were making Scalloped Potatoes from a box, Ashley uses a glass baking dish on the stove top, well it exploded just as they both turned away from the stove. Glass went everywhere, no one was cut or burnt. I vacuumed glass up for the next few days. They said their lunch was great after they cleaned the mess up and started a new box of potatoes this time in the microwave.

Sunday night we went to Amanda's church for the 5th night singing. Eric & Kristi, Amanda & Les, Uncle Dick , Aunt Lou, Tommy, Cathy, Kerrie, Jerry, Rick, & all the Babies were there. We had a great time.

Monday the gang came to our house for lunch, we enjoyed everyone coming to the RackRoom. I realized while all the babies were here that the house is not baby proof anymore, but we managed just fine with 5 kids under 5.

I think this post catches me up with what we have been doing here at the RackRoom.

Love to All

Start Of School 2008 - 2009

Ashley has her classroom set up for the new year. She had to move classrooms again this makes twice in as many years. She has moved back to the room she moved from last year when she changed from third grade to second grade. We have unpacked about 38 boxes of stuff ,that she says she really really needs. Things from pencils, pens, paper, markers, posters and books and more books, she has so many books. The school district has opened new schools this year and moved the 4th graders back to the elementary schools. She is so excited to be meeting the new students and learning their names and what makes them tick, she talks about how sweet and precious they all are, she has 15 little ones this year in her class. This is her bulletin board, she added the students names to the board on gold stars as they arrived on meet the teacher day. As you can tell she even adds her sense of fashion to the bulletin board. You may not be able to tell from the picture but she added jewelery, lipstick and her face to the lady in black, I really thought she would have had a red dress, because we all know what she says about being dressed in red, ha ha.

Wishing Travis A Happy Birthday

Travis was born 9 days after Rick & I were married, I was a new bride and we lived in the little house and Nanny was the official babysitter and I did not work the first year are so after I was married, so I was there helping Nanny with Travis while Cathy was working. I remember him falling down the back steps and busting his top lip. Also his Jimmy Carter Smile, and the way he would say new words as he began to talk. He was every body's little boy even my mother & daddy's . He was the Star of the show and the main attraction till Eric came to be and then as Travis says Ashley came along and ruined everything for the boys. Love You Aunt Cindy I have pictures to upload but blogger will not let me, I'll try later.

Part Two

We went to Myrtle Beach for our annual family vacation the last week of July, we had a great week of rest and fun in the sun. My brother's family, Mama & her friend Joann all joined in on the night out at Sara J's. Ashley and I could have stayed for another week, we love the beach so much. I need to thank Ms Holly for house sitting and taking care of the puppies while we were gone. On Thursday after we returned home we had to take Little Bit the the Vet. He was not acting like he usually does, going 90 mph 20 hours a day. We knew something was wrong with him, when Rick got up on Thursday afternoon Little Bit would not go outside he could not walk, just sat and looked at us. So off to the vet we go, to make a long story short Little Bit has a bad back. We were told to keep him as still and not to let him jump up or down for 3 MONTHS (haha). After the vet had given him 2 shots and meds for 14 days, he seems to have gained about 5 pounds but he is doing ok.

Going to do BETTER I hope!!!!!!

I am going to try to keep this blog up to date better than I have. Just an update on what has been going on the last few months. I have been busy at work and trying to get the yard back in shape since the house fire two years ago. I spent last year getting the inside ready ( still working on that too) I do not know if I will ever have the house like I want it, I always see new things or think of a different way to organize the things I have. Like the bedroom I would like to move the bed to the wall to the right and have the dresser where the bed is, but this bed is way to heavy for me to move by myself and all that know Rick knows he is a creature of habit and does not like change. Me I could change stuff everyday and still not be satisfied. Love the colors and the furniture, just not the layout. I wasn’t at home when the furniture was delivered or it would be the way I think I want it. We had a garage built last spring where I had planted the Iris that I had gotten from Nanny’s when we sold the house so I transplanted them to Mema’s till I could figure out where I wanted to plant them. I had decided over the winter that I wanted them where I could see them blooming from the screen in porch so I brought them back home, and I have them planted beside the garage and I can’t wait till they bloom next spring. I have worked in the yard since early spring trying to get my flower beds and the grass back in shape, what little grass we had was where I had my flowers, so I had to start from scratch with the new ones this year, I am pleased with the way they have turn out. It has been so dry around here that I did not plant as many flowers as I usually do. I have two hummingbird feeders at the screen porch and I have been late getting to work a few days this summer because I have been watching them,when I should have been getting dressed for work. I am going to close for now will add a post tomorrow.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Wishing Kerrie & Jerry A Happy Anniversary!!!

Love You,

Mama

Mother's Day

Well, I always say that I am going to do better about updating the blog, but this time I'm not going to say it. No way, I'm not promising that that this blog is ever going to be up to date. In fact I'm going to say the extreme opposite......I'm going to venture out and say that it might be a couple of months before mom or myself actually upload another post. I guess what really happens is we get too busy! So, for the moment enjoy the new post and pictures and check back with us once in a while to see if we have actually updated the blog or not! This picture was taken on Mother's Day. I thought it was a pretty good picture. I tried really hard to find something that matched mama's outfit. By the way that's hard to do sometimes considering my mother is a size 2 and I'm just now back in a size 12. I'm returning from the size 14-16 world for the past few years! That's the good part, but the bad part has been that for the last few weeks every time I plan on an outfit, it falls off my body. Yes, this is a good problem, actually great for a girl who loves to shop and still lives at home with mom & dad! (Ha ha) Then it happened..........I was uploading the Mother's Day picture to the blog and I realized that I myself had committed a fashion faux pas. I wore the the same outfit on Mother's Day 2007 & 2008! How could this have happened? After all I'm a very fashion conscious person. What was I thinking? I guess I wasn't, so for pure proof and laughter here's the picture from Mother's Day 2007 . I do enjoy the hat!!! It was a nice addition, and this way you can tell the skirt and shirt combo was a little more snug in 07 than 08. I even matched the same shoes with the outfit! Now readers I have so many shoes it's unbelievable. Now, why would I wear the same pair with the same outfit on two consecutative Mother's Days? Oh well, I guess the point of this post has been I'll talk to you around Father's Day and I'm signing off to go make sure I don't wear the same outfit for that occasion! Oh My:o

Yours in fashion crisis,

~Ashley On a seperate but equal note.......... I have included a picture of Kerrie on this post. I did so because she came down for a wedding over the Memorial Day weekend and we grabed a few pictures with her and Mom because we knew that she wouldn't make it back down for a little while anyway. I can say that sense her move to Bristol TN things have been different to say the least. We have both done pretty good about calling and staying in touch. It seems that every couple of months we go up or they come down to vist for a weekend. We took off and visited her at the end of March, then they came down for the wedding a few weekends ago, and if I were a betting woman I'd say mom, mema, and I will be visiting sometime in July before our beach trip. Anyway, Kerrie if your reading and laughing at this rambling "WE LOVE YA" Here is the yearly visit with Mema on Mother's Day! This is one of my all time favorite pictures of us. We always take her a gift, usually a flower or something for the yard, and just sit a chat for a while. Mother's Day was a great day again this year! Love Ya Mema.

Time To Catch Up

I know I said I would update the blog a couple weeks ago but what I didn't know was the sniffles and coughing would hit the RackRoom. Ashley and I started coughing and feeling yucky the week before Easter. Ashley went to the Doctor, she had a sinus infection and her blood pressure was way to high. So she is on a the dreaded diet, to see if she can help control the high blood pressure with a little weight loss. The Doctor said the over the counter meds she had taken could cause the blood pressure to elevated some. It's been three weeks and Ashley has lost 10 pounds. Since then we have recovered and been very busy here at The RackRoom, Ashley helped Alyssa & Travis with the Vacation Bible School workshop few weeks back. Rick has been working on the getting the pool ready for summer. Mama, Ashley & I went to Bristol to visit Kerrie & Jerry over spring break, we had a great trip with the Lady in the black box(GPS). The problem is Kerrie lives in Bristol, TN and works in Bristol,VA. and every time you crossed the state line the Lady in the black box would say recalculating and send us a different way than what we were going or wanted to go, it got on our nerves after a while, but we could not get where we wanted to go with out the Lady in the black box. Kerrie is still learning her way around and she was not much help getting us where we needed to be. You drive through neighborhoods to get anywhere and there are very few STOP signs, they have YIELD signs which was hard to get used to. Found a few Boutiques for Ashley, scrapbook stores for Mema. We just had a great time visiting with them and can't wait till I can go back, hope Rick can go next time but with his off days being in the middle of the week and mine on the weekends, just have to wait and see if we can work it out so we can go together.

Road Trip

A few Saturday's ago Mema and I went to visit Aunt Nancy ( Mema's Sister) and her family in Cherryville, North Carolina we had a great time My cousin Cathy and her husband Jake came over, we went to Cousin Bruce's house but he wasn't at home. We went to this little hole in the wall diner for lunch. The diner has one of the best burgers called Lotta Burger it is great. There was so much on my plate with the homemade fries and onion rings there is no way I could eat it all. I promise that I will add more to the blog later this week. With the change in Rick's work schedule, I'm have a hard time adjusting so I know that he is. Love Cindy

Morning Coffee With My Buddy

Most mornings I sit out on the screened in porch with my coffee and listen to the birds while watching the sun rise, a few weeks ago I met a new buddy scurring around the vacant lot behind our house.
Her name could be Snowball, or it could be Lightening or it could be Lucky.If you can't tell from the picture my friend is a White Squirrel. I can't get close to her and she will not get close to me because of the sweet puppies that share this home and their job is to protect us. So she crosses my property by way of the powerlines. I have seen two squirrels together, one was smaller than the other and not as surefooted on the powerlines. So I'm assuming that the bigger squirrel has a baby. I have never seen a white squirrel, and I have found out that they are easy targets for hawks, cats & dogs. I guess thats why they stay on the power lines.

Brevard NC has a Festival around Memorial Day for White Squirrels. They say there is a difference in white squirrels and albino squirrels. Albino Squirrels have pink eyes white squirrels have dark eyes. From some of the other pictures I have the squirrel at my house has pink eyes. More updates later & maybe a better picture. Cindy

Bubba

Happy Birthday Bubba

Hope

you have a great day.

Love You

Sick

The bug has hit the RackRoom. Ashley is at the doctor as I type this, we think she has strep throat. She went to school to get her sub plans ready for today and Friday. Ashley getting sick is not a suprise to us, she gets Sick every year the end of January first of February. Ashley is in a wedding next weekend so we got to get her well quickly.

Rick on the other hand is never sick, he isn't feeling good this morning either very seldom has a headache , but he has one since early yesterday morning.

So I'm asking that ya"ll keep them in your prayers today.

Happy Birthday, Ashley

A daughter is a gift of love; given from God above

A daughter is a joy forever.

A daughter may outgrow your lap,

but she will never outgrow your heart.

All the dreams I prayed you'd be,

are all the things you are.

You are loved for the little girl you were;

and the precious daughter you will always be.

It's truly a gift to have a daughter like you,

who grows more precious with the years!

A daughter is: the happy memories of the past,

the joyful moments of the present,

the hope and promise of the future.

A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer!

Daughter, you're the young woman,

I dreamed you would one day be.

Author Unknown

Love Mama & Daddy

Happy Birthday

Tink!!

Now she will be a Volunteer

Good news for some and bad news for others. Kerrie and Jerry have moved to Bristol TN.

I am going to need ya'll to pray for me as I will adjust to this and pray that Kerrie adjust to being away from home and in a new place that she can learn her way around the town and that they find a new church home.

Jerry is from Bristol he has been here since he was in high school so he is going back home close to his parents and family.

I know she is a little over 3 hours away and I can go see them anytime I want if the weather isn't bad, must go over the mountains to get Bristol from here. It's just new not having my babygirl across town. This is a first for me the girls have always been just down the hall or across town, saw them a couple times a week, talked to them a couple times a day. A dear friend reminded me on Saturday that God in Tennessee too, and that He will be with them in Bristol.

Love Cindy

Happy Birthday Les

Happy Birthday Les,

Love Ya!!!

Snow Day

This is what we woke up to this morning. Of course the schools are closed, Ashley got the call around 5:30 this morning. She had to call the teachers on her list and pass the word.

It started snowing here around 9:30 last night, I love to sit and watch the snow fall, so I made a pot of coffee opened the blinds on the french doors and sat and watched till 2:30 this morning. It is raining now maybe it will turn back to snow (not cold enough ).

When it snows that I get in the cleaning mood so that's what my plans are this afternoon I'm going to clean house for awhile. Send me your snow pictures.

Love Cindy

A New Year

I recieved a date planner as a Christmas gift as I was adding birthday's and addresses, this poem was printed for January, so I am going to share it with you.

As the New Year starts and the old year ends, There's no better time to make amends For all the things we sincerely regret And wish in our hearts we could somehow forget--- We all make mistakes, for it's human to err, But no one need ever give up in despair, For God gives us all a brand new beginning, A chance to start over and repent of our sinning-- And when God forgives us, we, to must forgive And resolve to do better each day that we live By constantly trying to be like Him more nearly And to trust in His wisdom and love Him more dearly--- Assured that we've never out of His care, And we'er always welcome to see Him in prayer.

Helen Steiner Rice

The End And The Beginning

I have not blogged about Christmas, so I will start there. On Christmas Eve, Rick, Ashley, Kerrie, Jerry and myself met Mema & Papa for dinner. To celebrate their 52nd anniversary which is on Christmas day.

This is a tradition that we have had for many years.

Christmas was different this year for the Rack Room, Kerrie was at her home, making Christmas traditions of her own with Jerry. This was the first year in 24 years that both of the girls were not waking up together, since they were little they had always slept together on Christmas Eve. The plan was for Kerrie & Jerry to be at our house around 9:00, but they arrived early. Once they arrived we had breakfast, which is a new tradition for me. We opened our gifts and remembered past Christmas's which was both fun and sad at the same time. Then off to Mema & Pop's house we go, where we helped Mema finish lunch. Terry, Suzanne, Christopher & Andrew arrived with food and gifts. We always enjoy our meal before we open gifts, this is easier to do now that the kids are grown . Papa started a tradition about 11 years ago where all Christmas guest sign the red tablecloth before they leave, as we signed our names this year it was so much fun to look at all the names and what years friends and family had joined us to celebrate Christmas.

Then Rick, Ashley, Kerrie, Jerry and myself headed to,

The Spark's

Christmas celebration.

For more food and gifts. We decided we would not draw names this year instead we would each bring a gift card and play a swapping game after Travis explained the rules. The fun began each one of us drew a number, you then had to pick a card or chose to steal a card that someone else had. It was fun to try something different this year.

Then back to Mema & Papa's for a little snack then back home to wait on William. We had a great Christmas shared with family & Friends.

Love Cindy

Happy New Year