Roofing Situation

Update:

I posted a few days ago that it seemed as if we were getting a new roof for free. Yeah, well, it kinda doesn't seem as if that's going to happen anymore. We talked to the inspector who missed the fact that we ILLEGALLY have 3 layers of shingles on our roof, and he said it wasn't his job to catch the error. Which basically means he got himself out of the situation AND wrote it on our inspection booklet to cover his hiney.

He did say that he would put a new roof on for us IF we found him 4-5 other men to help him put the roof on. This still poses a problem because we don't know 4-5 men who would be willing to crawl around up on our roof in July for little pay. Therefore, we're still praying that we'll find someone who is willing to do the entire roof for the $2400 the insurance company gave us to get the back of the roof fixed; not the $4800 they're telling us it will cost to get the whole thing done!

A First Time for Everything

Well... tomorrow night is going to be "the night". The hubster and I are going out on our first "date" since we had the kiddo a year ago. We've only had someone watch her two other times besides going to the babysitter every day while we go to work. The other two times were when we had to be at school until 7 p.m. for parent/teacher conferences. Since both of us are educators, we work in the same school system, and the sitter closes at 5:30; we had no other option. But, tomorrow is the first time we haven't been forced to leave her with someone. The chick babysitting even offered to keep her all night long if we wanted her to! BUT... Mommy is NOT even close to being ready for that. Like seriously NOT. CLOSE. AT. ALL! That will be when she's 4 or so (or maybe 10) ~ not 1!!

I think it'll be nice to get a little alone time with my boy. We haven't been out together for a really really long time. I'm kinda looking forward to it. Another perk... the meal is going to be free thanks to Uncle Bill's Lonestar Steakhouse gift cards for Christmas! Date night and a free meal! That rocks :)

My 1 Year Old!

As you look at this face, I don't think I need to do one ounce of explaining as to how much joy this precious gift brings in to our lives! It's so hard to believe we've been blessed enough to have her in our lives for a year already... I can't wait for a ton more! <3

Father, I Thank Thee

We went up to Pennsylvania this past weekend to have a birthday party for our princess. I love going to Pennsylvania for a few reasons: 1) seeing family that we don't see often enough 2) I LOVE the area where my parents live 3) My dad is a pastor, and I just can't seem to find a church down here that I love as much as hearing my own dad preach. It's just not the same, and I'm never completely content with the church we're in. Anyway....

My dad's sermon yesterday really hit home. As I mentioned in the previous post about all the drama we've had in the last year and a half or so, I tend to have a negative attitude about a lot of things that happen to us. We've had sicknesses, surgeries, major car troubles, financial troubles, house troubles... you name it, we have more than likely had it to some degree between the three of us in the last year and a half. But, my dad's sermon was to always remember to thank God for what we have. There may be people out there with nicer stuff than what we have, nicer stuff that we are jealous of, but there is always someone out there that has it worse than you do. As humans, we tend to want things that we really don't NEED. We want brand name clothes because they look nice, we want a big name car because it's what everyone else has, we want a nice house because what will people think if our house isn't as nice as theirs is? When it comes down to it, is all that REALLY necessary? Shouldn't we be thankful that we have a car to drive whether it's a BMW or a run down Ford, that we have clothes to put on our body, that we have a roof over our heads that keeps us warm when it's cold out and cool when it's too hot out? People get too caught up with "keep up with the Jones'", and become unappreciative for what they have. Who cares if you pay $90 or $25 for your jeans? Shouldn't you be happy that you HAVE jeans to wear?

So.... before you go and start whining and complaining, or say "I HAVE TO HAVE......" because it's the bet brand there is; stop, and think about all of the people in the world that would give anything they could to have the life you do, and would give anything for the cheapest version of what you're about to buy. Then, thank God, and be thankful for what you have.


I hope this post makes you think... think about being thankful for little things. I also hope that it makes people realize that there is always someone out in the world that has it ten times worse than you do, and what do you do? Bellyache because of how bad your life is (I will totally, honestly admit that I am 100% guilty of this). Just remember to think about the wonderful stuff you have before you complain and become ungrateful!!

Did You Say Almost FREE???

A total drama seems as if it's going to turn out to be a total plus for us! We've had our fair share of drama in the last year and a half, and all I want is for everything to be over. So.... let me establish the base of our latest drama, and then tell how it all pans out to look like it's gonna be pretty freakin awesome!

A couple of weeks ago, we had a very bad wind storm. I'm talking 50-60 mile an hour winds bad. As we're sitting in our living room, (with a very LARGE picture window... I'll have to show a pic of that at some point) we see shingles flying off the roof left and right. Immediately we think... oh crap, another thing that is going to need repaired. (We JUST spend $5600 on a new heat pump a few months ago, mind you, and this was just another thing to add that needed to get done that was going to take a crap load of money to fix) My husband goes out to start collecting all of the shingles that were in the yard and driveway; then he decides to inspect the roof :o(. Out back, there was a piece of roof about 6 feet long and 4 feet wide that was getting ready to blow off. Thank goodness it didn't get to that point!! So, my husband put the nice little pile of shingles in the carport (in VA hardly any houses have garages!), and we decided to call the home owners insurance company to see what we could have done. Seeing that we had been told our heat pump was struck by lightning, and was going to be covered by insurance, then it ended up not being that at all and came out of our pockets..... we were just a tid bit skeptical as to what was going to happen!

I think I may be digressing a little.... so back to the point: We call the insurance agency, they send a dude out to inspect, and he tells us our roof isn't up to code. There are 3 layers of shingles, and a MAX of 2 layers are allowed. Therefore our roof is technically illegal! It's going to cost $2600 (minus our deductable) to fix just the back of the roof; which is getting paid by the insurance company. We call our realtor today, and find out that the inspector SHOULD have caught the 3 layers of shingles BEFORE we bought the house. In that case, we would have NEVER bought the house without the roof being fixed!! Our realtor is flipping out because she thought she hired a great inspector ~ guess not!

So... when it's all said and done, we may end up having a FREE roof (except for the deductible) because we will probably take the inspector to small claims court to get the money to fix the rest of the roof. I don't want to be hateful, but we can't afford $2600 to get the front of the roof fixed, and he should have caught that. We would not be in this house if we knew the roof was illegal, and we'll NEVER sell the house down the road if it's illegal!!

Hopefully this will all work out, and we'll have a brand new roof for next to nothing :o)

Oh Baby!

I was browsing the net, and came upon this pic. It is of Michael Johns... the Aussie rocker on American Idol. I think he is delectably gorgeous. Plus, he can really rock! I think he's my favorite reason for watching Idol this year!!

Hey There Chickadee!

We're growing our very own chickies in class!! We got the eggs today, and they're in the incubator. We have to wait 25 days, we get to candle them while they're developing, and then we'll have chickadees!!! We even get to keep them for a couple days to play with them :) My kiddos are SO excited! We're growing butterflies next!

Let's Go Racin Boys!

This picture is of Dale Earnhart Jr.'s new race car. In the 8 years that I've been with my husband, I have grown to love watching NASCAR racing. I started out not enjoying it at all, then very VERY slowly it was OK, and now I look forward to watching the boys speed around the track every Sunday afternoon from February to November. I guess I can say I'm on the verge of a hillbilly?? I'm really hoping that Jr. has a better season than he did last year. We'll see! He seems to be doing better so far :) My favorite part of the beginning of the race is DW (Darryl Waltrip) saying "Boogety Boogety Boogety, Let's go racing BOYS!!" :o)

GO 88

Another Funny

Just one more thing one of my kiddos did. One of our spelling words this week was "Mississippi". When the aforementioned kiddo was giving a classmate their make up test because they had been absent, she said "MissiPISSi is a state down South". As soon as she stopped, she realized that she said a "swear" in the middle of the word, flipped out, and begged me not to write her up. She totally messed up, and didn't do it on purpose. Then one of the little boys was like, "Well you messed that up. It's not fun to be sent to the office for swearing on accident. You should make it count and say a real swear". Needless to say Mr. Badpants got a talking to about the badness of swearing, and the rest of us got a kick out of Ms. Goody Two Shoes making a swear on accident.

Mama's Big Girl

All I can say about this pic ~ she takes my breath away <3

Apparently, I Rock!

Here in Virginia, we don't see too much snow. It kinda makes me sad because I won't be able to play with my own kiddos in the white stuff, and make snow men and angels. Lately, we've been getting a little dose of what a semi-winter looks like. (You also have to remember that here in the South.. even if we get a 1/4 inch of snow, ALL of the schools close. Being a Northerner, it cracks me up. We used to go to school with a couple feet on the ground, and now there are all kinds of accidents after a couple FLAKES fall) Anyway....

As I was saying, we've been getting a little taste of winter here in good 'ol VA. We had a 2 hour delay Weds. and no school on V-day. At our school, we have to do testing at the end of every grading period, and this so happens to be the ending week of this grading period. So.. I announce today to my kids, who were supposed to take their last 2 tests yesterday, that we aren't taking the remaining tests until Tuesday. They all told me that I really rock as a teacher, but I explained to them that the administration made that decision. I literally had nothing to do with it. But, I still got the credit.

Then two of my girls came up with reasons why I rock:

*I have braces like them
*I'm as tall as them (sadly I'm 5'1", and most of my 4th graders are taller than me)
*I'm funny
*I don't give homework (that much, at least)
*I let them do a lot of fun stuff (fortunately it's considered "fun" learning when they get to work in groups)
*And, even though IT WASN'T MY DECISION, I let them not take the tests today. Because ya know, I could have been mean and forced them to take the tests; even though I would have gotten in trouble.

Thanks to my administration... I got many hugs, high fives, and "you rock"'s from my kids today... all for doing nothing!! Rock on! :)

Previous Post

Just so I clear myself up: the last post was NOT to show that I support what is going on. That picture of the girls walking in the picket line, to me, is absolutely disgusting!! I just wanted to post something to show the negativity that they have to go through, even though they are willing to give their lives to fight for our freedom. I couldn't stand being a military wife because I would miss my husband, and the father of my children, too much to handle it. I wouldn't want my children's father to be away from them. I commend every single military family for dealing with what the government has gotten us in to, and for fighting for our country. I wanted to show what the men and their families have to go through, and we don't take it seriously enough that men we don't know are losing their lives for US... it's like we're not thankful for it. And, we should be!!! I wanted to make the point that we should be more appreciative of them for doing what they are. I didn't mean to be offensive ~this post was on another friend's blog and it brought a whole new perspective to me as to what the military men and women have to deal with. They're doing this for me, and what have I done to thank them or deserve their service?? I think they, regardless of what is going on, need to be supported 10,000% for giving us freedom, and for continually fighting for our freedom. I also agree that they need to be brought home! This was meant to show that we need to support our troops and not be against them how some of the people in these pictures are. I would NEVER stand out there with signs like that and thank people for dead soldiers, and IED's. It's gross, sick, and heinous. That's why I said support our troops. I want them home to be with their families... not over there fighting! I wanted to post this on MY blog, and say how I feel about everything. I also didn't intend to ask anyone to repost this to your blog. It was just on the bottom of the posting that I copied from.

Even if You Don't Support the War.... You Still NEED to Support Our TROOPS!!!

You stay up for 16 hours.
He stays up for days on end.




You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.




You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.




You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.




You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.




You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

..


You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.




You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.




Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.




You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.




You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.




You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.




You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.




You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.




You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.




You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.




You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.




You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.




You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.




If you support your troops, the click "reply to poster" copy all the codes, and repost the bulletin.

If you don't support your troops well, then don't re-post. You won't die in 7 days, your love life won't be affected, and you won't have the worst day ever. You don't have to repost. It's not like you know the men and women that are dying to preserve your rights.

God's Plan

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11




I love that verse. My grandmother puts that verse in every single card she sends, and wrote it on our message book when we got married. It has started getting sweeter and more meaningful to me in the last year or so. How awesome is it to know that God already knows what is in store for us for the rest of our lives? When things get to the point that we feel there is no way they can get any worse, all we need to remember is~ God is in control. He knows our needs, he knows EVERY ounce of anything there is to know about us. He is our maker, the giver of life. I know I definitely need to rely on Him more. He has proven time and time again that He is constantly there. His hand is always there to guide, love, and support me; even when it seems like nobody else is there. What a wonderful Father I have!!

Sick

My boy was sick first, then me, now the kiddo, and me again. Germs~ Go away! Thank you :)

Torn

I'm in a situation where I really am torn about what's going on. I found an old friend a couple of weeks ago, and I was really hoping to catch up, and renew a friendship that I have missed for almost 10 years. Things ended in a not so wonderful way, and it has bothered me ever since we quit talking. We've recently done some communicating, and then all of a sudden, it stopped again. I don't know if I said something wrong, if this person just doesn't like using the website that we've been talking on, if they have decided against wanting to try and reconnect... I just don't know. It drives me nuts when I don't know what is going on. If they want to just go about their business, and decide to call it quits for good ~ I just wish that they would be completely honest about it. Now I keep asking myself... do I just let it go, and if it happens it happens, do I write back again and make another attempt at this whole thing?? What do I do?? I want this person to know that I really care about them, I've been missing them a lot a lot since we stopped talking, and wish that things never happened the way they did. But, I'm afraid to come out and say it for fear of scaring them off, or making myself seem too over zealous in wanting to rekindle a relationship (strictly friendship because I am insanely in love with my husband). GRRRRRR I hate these situations! Any suggestions?? :(

I Wonder.....

This is a very common sight to see when we're in Pennsylvania visiting my parents. They live in Lancaster County, which is the location of one of the largest Amish communities in the United States. I LOVE going up to my parents' house because it is such a peaceful, serene area. I would honestly love to live there one day, too!!!
I have often wondered what it would be like to live the life of an Amish person. They are always out working their fingers to the bone, they don't bathe very often, they are such giving, forgiving, loving people, they have no electricity and no car. What would it be like to be one of them for a day? All I know is that I love wondering what it would be like to experience just a day of their life. One fact is: I wouldn't be able to last for more than that one day!! Anyway... I think their way of life is really interesting, and I love getting a little glimpse of what it's like just by being a bystander looking in.

*BTW... it's NOT fun standing behind them in line in a store!! My mom works in an opthamologists' office, and they go in there. She says they stink up the whole entire office!! Can you imagine?

Another Goal

So.... being the PK that I am, and the Christian that I am as well, I came upon the realization that I have never read through the Bible from cover to cover. I've done devotions, and have read scripture from every book of the Bible. But, I've never actually sat down and read it straight through. I have it figured out that I read so many chapters a night. So far, I've read through Genesis, and I'm halfway through Exodus. By the end of the month, I'll be done with Exodus, and either a quarter or half way through Leviticus. I'm actually excited about accomplishing this goal. What I want to do is read through it first, then go back, reread it, and begin to take notes and such in the margins. For some odd reason, I never thought that I could sit down and read the Bible how I would any other book, but I'm really enjoying it!!

I <3 Me (I guess)

I have a totally, completely negative self image. I always have, and I think I probably always will. It's just something that I've gotta deal with. One of my New Year's resolutions was to have a more positive attitude about myself (among MANY, MANY other things). So, I am putting that resolution in to action today, and I am going to list 10 things that I actually like about myself. Here goes nothing:

*I have a great personality
*I am a very caring person
*I have beautiful eyes
*I'm devoted and loyal
*I'm a good mother
*I'm a good wife
*I finally have nice teeth (as soon as I get my braces off, that is)
*I'm a good teacher
*I've accomplished a lot of my career goals so far
*I'm a good friend

I think some of these things were an "easy way out" answer, but it's a start, right?

I Live in the State of... HUH??

I am a teacher. As a teacher, I think that I am doing a pretty good job at creating bright minds in the future generations of our country. I also have the wonderful privilege of teaching the Talented and Gifted class. I found out that some of my kids aren't so Talented and Gifted!!!

We are working on a couple different things in Reading. One thing we're working on is conducting, and answering questions in, an interview. The second thing we're working on is digging deeper, and understanding the character on a more personal level. So... their assignment was to work with a partner and do an interview of a character in order for them to completely explore the complexity of the characters we were talking about in our recent story. They were to try and put themselves in the place of the character, and really bring out the true feelings, concerns, joys, etc. of the main character. The partner had to play either a different character in their book, or they could interview as their own human self. They also had to write down their interview questions, and then had to let their partner answer them because I wanted to see that the got the gist of the assignment, and I obviously couldn't be in 11 groups at one time. One of my little "TAG" boys was interviewed as himself. The interviewer asked the interviewee "I am from Chinatown in New York City (the character that she was playing). So I can get to know you better, where are you from?" He answered "I live in the state of Vagina"

Needless to say... this kiddo hasn't gotten the concept of what state he lives in, which should have been something he caught on to in like 1st grade. I'm really hoping that he doesn't have to answer this question again on paper until he can figure out how to spell his state correctly!! I at least got a kick out of it.

I'm 28!

Another year down. They are all seeming to mesh together these days. Everything is going by in one big blur!! However, there was one moment that defined my last birthday that changed my life forever. I became a Mommy. My birthday present came 25 days after my birthday, and she was the best present anyone has ever given me. Each and every day she finds some new way to amaze me. When she looks at me, and sticks her tongue out to give me a kiss (she kisses like a dog because she loves getting kisses from our dog), or how she pats my arm when I pat her bottom so she'll go to sleep, her little thumb in her mouth and her bunny blankey with her while she goes to sleep are the two most awesome things because they calm her down immediately, when she says "no" to me after I say it to her because if she has to listen then Mommy has to listen, too, how she repeats EVERYthing these days (I told the dog to stop doing something, and Morgan said "top" to the dog, too). Her big smile with her dimple like her Daddy. It's all amazing. I am so blessed that I was deemed worthy enough by My Heavenly Father to be a Mother. There is no other feeling like it in the world, and every year she'll be the best birthday present ever.

Love

Daddy loved holding his girl wayyy back then :)

















And, 11 1/2 months later, it's still just as amazing
as always <3
















Boy, do I love these two!!! <3