TheBeaverDam

Tomboy Tools

2009-02-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

What is Tomboy Tools, you ask? Well until last month, I didn't know either. I recieved my monthly edition of the magazine All You. In it, they had featured some of the at home consultant businesses like Pampered Chef and such. There was one that I found intriguing enough to check it out. Tomboy Tools are tools that are designed specifically for women. The parties are designed to empower women to do their own repairs and not have to wait on hubby or the repairman. It can save hundreds of dollars. If you had to take off work (and not get paid for that time) to wait for the plumber to come fix a leaky faucet, then pay said plumber after he was 3 hours late, you would be out a pretty penny. What if you had the tools and the know how to do it yourself? The parts you would probably need would only cost about $5 and you wouldn't have to take off of work. Even in today's economy, Tomboy Tools increased their business last year by over 40%. Unlike Pampered Chef, Longaberger Baskets and the like, Tomboy Tools is offering an education that can be invaluable in times when repairs are so costly and money is so limited. So, if you are interested in having a girls night out and maybe learn something new, give me a call. Look it up online if you want at:
www.tomboytools.com

The Roof

2009-01-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

Our roof leaks! A few weeks before Christmas, Knoxville began to have what seemed to be monsoons. We began to notice water dripping on the hearth. Then as it rained more, there was water seeping all around the chimney. We called a roofer and found out that the roof that we thought was a great 5 yr old roof was laid completely wrong. The dimensional shingles had been laid as three tabs, which turns out to cause problems when there are roof lines that meet up. On the flat part, it just looks funny. The chimney just happens to be right where two roof lines meet up. Just the location of the chimney poses a roofing challenge, but added with shingles being laid incorrectly, it is a recipe for disaster it seems. We took a week or two to try to find out who had put the roof on, but the previous owners could not remember. We were told that even if they could remember, the chances of them still being in business were remote. So, we paid to have it fixed the week of Christmas. Done, right? Wrong. Another monsoon has been upon us the last two days. Last night we found water on the hearth again. We had drips in more places than we had before. The roofer is going to come look at it, but now they are saying that it may be the mortar between the bricks allowing the water to come in and that we will need to seal the chimney. ArrrrgggggghhhhH!!!!!!
I keep going through all the "if we had's" before we bought the house. This should have been caught before we bought the house, but it's hard to find a leak in a drought. It's just so frustrating!!!

Facebook

2009-01-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

So, I'm on Facebook like the rest of the world seems to be. I didn't want to do it at first. I had created a login so that I could look at a group that was on there. Little did I know that I was being sucked into a black hole. Once people started to find me, they would send me friend notices. I couldn't stop it. Now it consumes my life! I am a bit over the pieces of flair and plants and what not people send each other, but it is interesting hooking up with old friends. Most of the time, I find myself looking to see what they are up to now, and that is it. I don't really know what to say to most of them. It has made me very nostalgic. I also am becoming desperate for a scanner so I can embarrass a whole bunch of people with old pictures. :) Now you know what I do in my spare time instead of painting the house.

A New Year

2009-01-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

A new look for the new year. It's still a work in progress, but, hey, it's something new.

We got moved in back in October. There is a ton of painting to do. If anyone is bored and needs something to do, I can put you to work. I think things are finally settling down though. It is beginning to really feel like home. It is definately a place we can stay for a LONG time. They are going to have to drag me out kicking and screaming or in a body bag. This is it for me!

Christmas was low key due to the house. We ended up having to fix a leak in the roof the week of Christmas! There was no extra to go around this year. My parents came up from Mississippi for almost a week. Superbeav's folks came over for Christmas day. His folks wanted to come for Santa, but of course you never know what time the kids will wake up. The days before Christmas the kids had gotten up around 7. We told them they may want to be here by 6:30. My parent's dog got them up around then as well. All four grandparents were hanging out downstairs watching tv and waiting while the rest of us were upstairs fast asleep. Superbeav and I woke up around 8 and the kids got up soon after that. I was very gratefull for the extra sleep for Christmas!

The biggest news of the holiday was a proposal. My younger brother asked his girlfriend to marry him. We are all very happy for both of them. The wedding has been set for May 30th. Looks like the summer vacation will be in Oklahoma instead of the beach this year. We are all so excited. It will be the event of the year!

Beaver Update

2008-09-18T18:15:00.001-07:00

Were to start....A lot has happened in the past few weeks. I guess the biggest news is that in the beginning of July we happened upon a house in our neighborhood that was about to go up for sale. We decided to just take a look for the fun of it. It has been empty for awhile and is owned in trust currently. We talked to the realtor and had him let us in to take a look. We got very interested! It is very dated and will take some work to get it fixed up, but structurally it is sound. It is a 5 bedroom, 3 bath house with an office, an eat in kitchen and seperate dining room. The yard is right at a half acre. The rooms are bigger and it is a full 1200 sq ft bigger than what we have. Not only that, but the price was right. We quickly decided to put our house on the market. It took about 6 weeks to get it painted, decluttered and do some repairs. Once we got it on the market, though, wow! People wanted to look at it right away. We got one offer in the first week that didn't pan out. Only two and half weeks into the house being on the market, we got another offer. That one seems to be working out. This process is killing me, but hopefully we are about done with the worst of it (besides the moving part that is...). At this point, we are going to have to put a new roof on our existing house in order to sell it. I'm not sure why, but the inspection was difficult for me. The things they asked us to fix, except for the roof, seemed silly when there were other things that I would have requested. So, we are going to fix the roof and see what we can do about the other little things on their list. As it stands, we would close on both houses and move on Oct 10th. Sounds like forever until you look at a calendar. It's less than a month away!!! Anyone want to help pack?!?!?!

Other news....Buddy is doing TERRIFIC in first grade!!! I don't know if he has matured, if the structure is better, if his teacher is a better personality match or all of the above, but first grade defiantely agrees with him. He has also lost both his top front teeth. He thinks it is quite funny and wanders around wishing people "Merry Christmas" from the song "All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth."

Princess seems happy at her new school. We switched her from the Jewish school to a Church of Christ one. She has always loved Jesus, plus it saved some money. She has come home singing new songs almost every day. It's really cute to hear her singing in the shower.

Other than all that, I guess things are still about the same. I just want to go to sleep and wake up Oct 11 when all the realtors, inspectors, prospective buyers, roofers and the like are all gone and I can get on with my life the way I want to!

You Have GOT to Read This!

2008-08-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Laura for recommending this book. I am not quite finished, but I am far enough along to know that EVERYONE needs to read this book! Check it out!

www.theshackbook.com

The summer so far

2008-07-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

I guess you could say we have made it halfway through the summer. Everyone is still alive, amazingly enough. The kids and I have been very busy. We traveled down to Mississippi to see my parents and helped them start up an antiques booth. My mother has had many of her mother's things in storage for almost 20 years. She is ready to get rid of them and turn them into money so that she can then help her 4 grandchildren attend college. So far, the booth has not made a whole lot, but a few things have moved on and there have been nibbles at the bigger items.

We have been swimming at our neighborhood pool, playing with friends, running here and there and everywhere. Princess had a bout with an UTI that landed her in the hospital for a night. One of the dogs had surgery and then we left for vacation, all in one week! We have just gotten back from a full week at Litchfield Beach in SC.

Superbeav is a beach bum. He really loves to get sand between his toes and get out in the surf and float in the waves. When we went to the beach last year, Buddy wasn't so sure about the water. This year he ventured out farther and enjoyed the waves more. Princess played in the sand mostly. She would go out into the ocean with her daddy, but for the most part stayed in the sand. Her favorite part of the beach, though, was the shower afterwards. In the pic below, she is being a ballerina in the shower. I watched from my chair and tried to figure out why people like to be covered in sand.

We stayed in a condo at Litchfield by the Sea. It was very nice. Most of the pictures I have are from a broken tree in front of the Litchfield by the Sea property. The kids had a good time climbing the tree and posing for me.

We also went to Brookgreen Gardens. It is a garden museum full of sculptures and wildlife. It is beautiful. We didn't tour the whole thing. It was hot and the sculptures are not all that exciting to a 6 and 4 year old. Although they were quite interested in the fact that most of the people were naked.

Ok, now for the pics. I'll just load up a bunch. Hope you enjoy....

No more babies!

2008-05-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

Princess turned 4 last week! Yes, I am actually getting this blogged before it is a month old!!! I know you are just so excited... Anyway...

Princess had a Fancy Nancy party. If you are not familiar with Fancy Nancy and you have a little girl, you must click on the link and check it out. It is too cute. This was the second year in a row that we have done a Fancy Nancy party. Birthday Express has even come out with party accessories such as plates, napkins, balloons, etc. We invited all the girls from Princess' class at school, a few church and family friends and our new neighbor friend, who happened to be the only boy other than Buddy at the party. When the girls came in they could either dress up or make a fairy wand. I realized as they kept filing in that I should be commited for being insane for attempting this. I did my best not to panic as all 13 children with parents arrived. Then we ate a picnic of sandwiches with frilly toothpicks and parfaits with sprinkles, of course! Then we cut the cake and opened presents. After the presents were all open, people started leaving. I don't think Princess realized the party was over. She got very sad as everyone left. She never cried, but she had the biggest pouty face. BIG THANK YOUS to Grandma and Granddaddy. The party could not have happened without them!!!! Enjoy the pics.

Buddy is 6!

2008-04-29T17:52:00.001-07:00

Ok, well this is a little late, but hey, it's here. March 18, Buddy turned 6. His birthday actually fell during spring break, so we had the party the Saturday before. There is a girl in his class whose birthday is the 19th, and so she was having her party that day too. After we realized what we had done, we ended up combining the parties at our church gym. It worked out pretty well, Buddy just had to sacrifice a few BatMan themed things. We still had two seperate cakes and stuff though. We will have to plan better next year. Here are some pics....

The cake was a "cupcake cake." It was a bunch of cupcakes pushed together and then decorated like a regular cake. It really worked out well. Just pull and go...

The little girl's family brought this great parachute to play with. Her dad kept the kids entertained for quite some time with it.

After playing with the parachute, we had some crafts. There were also t-shirts to decorate. Then we ate hamburgers and chips.

The two proud 6 year olds!!!!

My brothers

2008-04-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

I have two very talented brothers. My older brother has always been a ham, full of puns and never scared to be crazy. In fact, he usually seeks out opportunities to be crazy. Many of you are familiar with the movie High School Musical. Well, Big Bro has two young girls that, like many their age, love HSM. He is the dad of the century now - check this out!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=efV2CMXr6WE

I don't know how to add it so you can click on the video, sorry. The one in the middle with the goatee is my Big Bro! I'm so proud!

Now to the Little Bro. This one is serious. He is so talented, and I really am sooooo proud of him. He teaches theatre movement out at Oklahoma University in Norman. The show that he directed this year has won so many awards and recognition including the biggest honor a college show can have. His cast is performing tonight at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC!

http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&event=TIANB#details

I really, really, really wanted to go to Washington to see the show. It just couldn't happen. Little Bro, know how proud I am of you, and I wish I could be there. Everyone else, pray for his safe travel and for the show - oh and wish him happy bday. It was this past Sunday.

Love to both my bros!

Go Climb a Tree

2008-03-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

Back in February, I, with a bunch of wonderful ladies from my church, went to Lake Junaluska in North Carolina for a women's retreat. It was a much needed break from the everyday. We looked at John chapter 4 about the woman at the well. Before going, I was so tired, so spent, so thirsty that I couldn't even enjoy things in my life. During our break on Saturday afternoon, I was instructed to have fun - to really let loose and have fun. Me and a few other ladies took a walk around the lake and found a tree that just screamed to be climbed. So, two of us climbed it. I used to climb trees as a kid. We had three pine trees in our front yard that I would climb up into and just sit and watch the cars go by. It was peaceful. I even wrote a poem as a kid about it. I'm sharing it with you, but remember, I was a kid and I still don't do poetry very well. I would much rather play with numbers than words.

The Tree

I wish things could be like they used to be

when all I had to do was climb a tree.

Things seemed so much easier then

Easier then they have been.

The other day I went outside

And looked at the tree I used to climb

I sat and wondered as I stared

Is it really better up there?

So I climbed up the tree

And I could see

That the world isn't that bad

If you just climb a tree

After I got home, I felt so renewed. Maybe I need to climb trees more often.

The Totem Pole

2008-03-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

No, pigs are not flying... It's safe to go out. I am actually making a NEW entry in the blog!!!!

In Buddy's class at school, they focus on a certain part of the world for a few weeks. While they are studying it, they have to do a project of some sort relating to the area. The first one, each kid could pick a state to learn more about and make a poster. Then we did Mexico and Europe. Then Africa and now Alaska. His teacher is a HUGE fan of the Iditarod, which is going on right now. They have been following the race and comparing the temperature there to the temperature here. They have this long number line that they mark each temperature on so they can see the numerical difference. It's pretty neat. Anyway, when it came time for the project on Alaska, Buddy wanted to make a Totem Pole "as big as Princess." Hmmmmm..... I thought about it for a few weeks. I had one plan, decided it would be too expensive and complicated. We ended up with a concrete form from Lowe's. A four foot tall concrete form from Lowe's. We spray painted it and then added our design - a beaver, with two dogs, one that looks like Sam and one that looks like Kody our own dogs. If you ever do this, make note to either prime the concrete form or rough it up a bit with sandpaper. It seems paint doesn't stick to it very well. I did end up spraying it with a clear coat of spray paint, but even that doesn't help when it falls over on the rocks in the driveway. The beaver ended up with freckles. Oooops. Anyway, everyone oooooed and aaaahhhed over it when we brought it in, and Buddy was so proud - his project was the only put out in the hallway for display. You should have seen his face.

So much to say....

2008-01-29T11:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, so my New Year's resolution to blog more is already out the window! Things happen and I think I ought to blog about that, but then I never find the time. Well, here is a new artist that I have found. His name is Andy Gullahorn. I first heard him on Love 89's Detour. The song I heard was "That Guy." It is really neat. Click on the album cover to go to his MySpace page. You can listen to the whole album. I hope you enjoy it.

Other things that are happening here - Buddy is doing well in school and continues to amaze us with his math skills. We have started planning for his birthday in March. This year's theme is knights and dragons. Be looking for more info soon. Princess is busy. She is taking Kinderdance at school one day a week, has a little gymnastics class after school another day and has now started soccer one day a week after school. Each of her activities are at her school, so at least I don't have to go get her and take her somewhere else. I am planning a women's retreat for the weekend of Feb 8-10. A group from our church is heading to Lake Junaluska, NC. It's been really fun, but it taking a lot of time. I am looking forward to the weekend so that I can rest.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful 2007 and that 2008 is even better! We had a wonderful evening ringing in the New Year with some wonderful friends. It has become a tradition for 5 families to get together with fun and fellowship. The grown ups play games, and all 9 kids and an extra making 10 this year all run around and have a good time. We toast in the new year with sparkling grape juice and then pray in the front lawn together in a circle. It really is a special time that I look forward to every year.

Now is the time for all those positive thoughts on bettering ourselves. I have a hard time making resolutions because I guess I am too much of a realist. I know that I won't be able to stick to them. Sure there are things I would like to accomplish, but if I don't say them out loud then I feel like I haven't failed as badly. Plus, all the things that I think of are the same ol same ol - like loosing weight, getting finances in better order, reading my Bible... Don't get me wrong, I think that this is a great time to start fresh and try to change things. I just don't have much hope in things ever REALLY changing.

On another note, my best friend MamaDuck is starting something new. She has started an Ebay Business to try to sell things online. She is a single mom that recently lost her job. She really wants to be able to stay at home more with her kids. So, check out her new business - http://stores.ebay.com/Mama-Ducks-Nest If you are local and have things you want to get rid of, I'm sure she wouldn't mind putting them on for you.

By the way, Buddy lost tooth number two on my bday this past week. So far we don't have anymore loose ones.

Where to start

2007-12-26T11:23:00.001-08:00

Well, lots has happened in the last month and a half. First there was Thanksgiving - we went to my parents in Mississippi and got a chance to have a wonderful visit with my brothers and their families. We even got to see MSU beat OleMiss in the Egg Bowl in person! On Dec 13th, Superbeav and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. Hard to believe... We had been planning for years to go away on our 10th. My parents came up to watch the kids, and we ran away to Biltmore in Asheville, NC. It was beautiful. I highly recommend it to anyone. We stayed at the Biltmore Inn and did a candlelight tour of the house and a rooftop tour (very awesome!). I could totally get used to room service. It was so nice to be pampered and taken care of instead of taking care of everyone. Too bad we had to come back. The day after we got back, Buddy lost his first tooth! The tooth fairy came and brought him a real silver dollar. He thought it was very cool. The next tooth should come out any day now.

Now, of course, we have Christmas. We stayed here in town so Santa wouldn't have any trouble finding us. Monday night Superbeav sang "O Holy Night" at the 11:00pm church sevice. It was his first solo since his surgery in March. He belted it out with so much power - what a blessing from God for him to be able to sing again. He had such a hard time when he lost his voice. It's amazing how we take things for granted until they are gone. It's hard to believe that he only got his voice back 6 months ago.

The kids had a great time. Princess just kept asking for more presents. Buddy became very focused on the first one he opened (a bank that counts the coins as you put them in) and we had to keep reminding him to open more presents. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. Maybe I should make a New Year's resolution to post more often... We'll see... Happy New Year in case I don't make it on here again until next year. Love you all.

Happy Halloween

2007-11-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year, we went to our first Trunk or Treat. Since Halloween landed on a Wednesday this year, our church decided to host their first Trunk or Treat. It went over very well, as far as I know. We decorated the back of our van and handed out treats and went trick-or-treating to the other vehicles. I didn't get a picture of the back of our van, but here are our trick-or-treaters. We had Cinderella and SpiderMan this year and they each brought home a load. I even dressed up like a black cat. All of the office staff dressed as cats at work, so I just kept it on. I did redo the make-up a bit from work. You can't see it in the pic, but I had a great tail, too.

Latest Update

2007-10-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

Where to start. I haven't blogged in awhile because our computer has had a nasty virus. It looks as if we finally got rid of it. The latest update of Spy Sweeper seems to have swept it away, hopefully for good. It had hijacked my homepage and would pop up all these security warnings anytime you were on the net. So, here is what has been happening in the meantime:

Buddy got strep and missed two days of school, now he has given it to Princess. Superbeav has a convention to go to this week in Jackson, TN. The kids and I are going to Memphis. We will all be leaving sometime today and, at least to Jackson, we will be caravanning. Maybe that way we can each take a kid and save our ears a bit. We are going to Memphis to go clear out all of SuperBeav's old stuff from his parent's house before they move and help with a garage sale on Saturday. The move is happening slowly, but things are rolling. The Beaver's have started the work that needs to be done on the new house in Kingston while they are packing what they can in Memphis. The plan is to not completely move until the house in Memphis sells, though. Who knows when that will be.

Princess got her cast off yesterday!!! She still limps and says her leg feels funny, but the doctor was happy with the progress her bones have made. She was very excited to get it off, but then very hesitant to use it.

My older brother has been laid off from his job. In the end, we think it will be a very good thing. He had been wanting to leave, and at least this way they pay him to leave, but when you don't have something to go to it can be scary. He has some leads on things, just pray they pan out quickly. His car also died last week, so they are operating on one vehicle and can't get a loan for a new one without a job.

I guess I need to get back to packing, but I wanted to put out a quick update. I hope all of you are well, and I'll try to update again after we get back.

Ever Feel Invisible?

2007-10-01T18:51:00.001-07:00

I have to thank my cousin-in-law, Lizzardo, for posting this on her blog. I have to steal it though. It is a beautiful perspective on motherhood.

Perspective: The Invisible Woman
By Nicole Johnson

It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?" "Nobody," he shrugged. Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness,nobody?"

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking.

That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me. I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package,and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte ,with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, afterwhich I could pattern my work:

* No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tinybird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Spider Lilies

2007-09-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

My spider lilies are blooming! These flowers are very dear to me. When I was little, my maternal grandmother had these flowers all over her property. She was very proud of them, and I thought they were the most unique flowers I had ever seen. When she died, my mother took great care to dig up a lot of the bulbs so that she could enjoy them at her house. When I finally got a house of my own, many years later, she gave some to me. Every year when they come up, they remind me of all the fun I had at my Ma's house. In case you don't know what spider lilies look like, here is a picture.

And here is one of some of them cut in a vase on my table.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Thanks, Ma!

Give me a break!!!

2007-09-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

Well, life had been just plodding along nicely - hence no posts. Then came last Friday. Buddy was out of school, so he and I were just hanging out running all over town doing "just stuff." We got a call from Princess's daycare. She had fallen and was hurt, but they didn't know how. Best they could tell, she had just been spinning around, as children will do, and she fell. She wouldn't let them touch her leg and couldn't be distracted. Buddy and I turned around and started heading that way. I got there and she still wouldn't let anyone touch her leg. She really just wanted to lie in a lump. I got on the phone to our pediatricians office so we could go get xrays and avoid the ER. We thought she may have hurt her knee or maybe even her hip. So, to East Tn Children's Hospital (ETCH) we go. Buddy was such a good helper. He opened doors and pushed elevator buttons for us. (I was carrying Princess). So we got the xrays, but they had to send the results to our pediatrician. Buddy and I got a bite to eat; Princess had fallen asleep. Our doctor got the results and set us up an appointment with Knoxville Orthopedic Consultants (KOC) to follow up on something in the hip xray. I take Buddy to hang out with Superbeav at work, and take Princess up to KOC. They end up taking an xray of her lower leg and found a break in the tibia. The doctor said that it is called a "Toddler Fracture" and is usually done with a twisting motion. All we can figure is that as she was spinning, she got her feet tangled up and twisted her leg. Anyway, she had to get a cast. She was so mad that she wouldn't even look at the colors she could choose from. I told them that she would of course want pink. They came in to do the cast and she wouldn't stop screaming at them. She even threw "Green Baby" (our security item) at them a few times.

It's been a few days now, and she is getting in the grove. She scoots everywhere and is beginning to enjoy all the extra attention. I'm getting tired already! She has to be carried to the potty, in and out of the car, out of bed when she wakes up, to get her to the table to eat.... *Sigh* This too will pass... In fact, we are hoping that she will only have to be in a cast for a couple of weeks. Good news is that kids this age heal quickly. We go for a new xray on Tuesday. Fun, fun!

The migration of the Beaver

2007-09-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Superbeav's parents are "migrating" this way! They have put down a contract on a house in Kingston, TN just 40 minutes from us. They are coming from Memphis where they have both lived all their lives. It's a big step for both of them, but they really want to be closer to Buddy and Princess - not to mention living in Memphis isn't what it used to be. They are excited but scared at the same time. Right now the plan is to close on the new house sometime before the end of this month. The actually moving part is still up in the air. There are some things that still need to be done to the Memphis house before they can put it on the market. But soon, very soon, there will be more Beavers in East TN - fair warning!

Could it be?

2007-08-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

Could things really be settling down? I don't want to say in risk of jinxing it, but so far so good. Superbeav took Princess to school for the first time today. Everything went well. I've started back working at the pediatrician's office. I'll be there every weekday morning except for Tuesdays, and a few Saturdays here and there. Buddy seems to be adjusting to kindergarten. He won't tell us anything about it, but he doesn't fight going either. At this point I will take what I can get. One step at a time, right? I'll try to keep things updated...

Webster look out

2007-08-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Princess has come up with a new word that everyone should know. I just thought I would be the first to share:

pret·ti·ful – (prit-ee-ful)
-adjective
1. being pretty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind: a prettiful dress; a prettiful princess.
2. excellent of its kind: a prettiful spin on the dance floor; The chef served us a prettiful parfait
3. wonderful; very pleasing or satisfying.
–noun
4. the concept of pretty (usually prec. by the).
5.(used with a plural verb) prettiful things or people collectively (usually prec. by the): the good and the prettiful.
6.the ideal of beauty (usually prec. by the): to strive to attain the prettiful.

Woo Hoo

2007-08-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Buddy made it through the day and did well. He still won't tell me about it, but maybe that will come. We also started back with his piano lessons again today and he did great with that too. I'm really proud of him today. He is off again tomorrow, but starting Thursday he will go every day. Keep up the prayers!

Day 2 of Kindergarten

2007-08-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today was much better. Buddy fussed a little this morning, but walked into school on his own. When we got to the classroom he was interested in what his teacher had laid out for them to do today. No fussing when I left, except from Princess. She cried all the way home, "[Buddy], oh [Buddy]." We came home a sat for a bit, and I took her to school. Then I went to the doc. I've got a sinus infection that is trying to go into my chest. Now I'm going to rest before I have to go pick up Buddy. Hopefully, the day will go well.

The Rest of the Story

2007-08-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived. Buddy, according to his teacher, had a good day. He did cry just a bit when he realized that I was gone, but then did well the rest of the day. He refuses to talk about it though. He seems to still be full of anxiety about it. Last night he wet the bed and had a nightmare that kept him (and mom and dad) up for over 2 hours! He finally calmed down and went back to sleep when I explained that he didn't have to go back to school for a week. Keep praying for him. He's going to do great if he can just calm down about it. Until next Tuesday...

Kindergarten!

2007-08-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Today was the day! Buddy started kindergarten very reluctantly. He got ready without much of a fight, surprisingly enough, but when it came time to leave, he pitched a fit. I had to carry him to the car without his shoes on and listen to him fuss most of the way there. Then I had to carry him from the car, up the steps, down a long hallway, down another long hallway and into his room. He tried to run out a few times, but I got him focused on putting his stuff away, and he settled a bit. Then the teacher had them all gather on the rug to listen to announcements. There were only three kids there today. Our school system does what they call a staggered start. Only a few kids come each day for two weeks and then the fun begins. So, each kid had a parent there and the teacher let us all stay for the beginning of the day. Buddy was glued to me. I sat down on the mat with him, and we listened to the announcements and said the Pledge of Allegiance. Then the teacher started going over the class rules and reading some books. She asked the kids some questions, and Buddy knew the answers. He is going to have to learn to raise his hand though. After awhile on the mat, they took a tour of the room - step back mommy. Another sit on the mat to go over the body parts you would want to put on a picture of yourself, and then to a table to write their name as best they could and to draw a picture of themselves. That's when I left. Buddy had his back to the door, so he didn't see me leave. Hopefully, he is doing well. He should be finishing up lunch right about now. I will pick him up in about an hour. I'll let you know how it went.

More Beach

2007-08-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

I finally got back the other pics from the beach. I had bought a couple of disposable waterproof cameras to take down to the beach with us. I had used one before with very good results. These, however, did not thrill me with the results. I have zoomed in on them some and the picture is still good, but the resolution is bad for enlarging and the gang is not always in focus. Anyway, you can at least see some of the best. The kids and Superbeav definately had fun out in the waves. I enjoyed just sitting in the surf and digging in the sand. I got some really sweet shots of Superbeav with the kids. I really like the one of him reaching out his hand to Buddy. I just wish I had had a zoom lens with me.

The Jolly Rover

2007-08-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, I mean Rover not Roger. It was the name of the boat we went sailing on Monday down in SC. We drove down to Georgetown, SC and picked up a "Pirate Adventure Tour." It was fun. There were three crew men dressed as pirates. They sang pirate songs, told pirate stories and just generally acted piratey. At the beginning of the cruise, the captain gave the "rules" of the ship. Things like if you reach your body parts over the side of the ship, one of the crew would chop them off; to only hold on to metal parts of the ship not the rigging (ropes) because some of the rigging could cause things to come down, some could cause things to swing over, and some might even take you flying into the pulleys where you will either come out in pieces or one long skinny noodle; and Buddy's favorite, don't open the closed doors down below because hidden in one of them is a gorilla that hasn't eaten in a week. Buddy pondered that for almost the entire 2 hour cruise until he decided that he could see it down through a window. He had half the other kids on the ship convinced that you could see the gorilla's back. It was actually something black hung in the rope storage closet. From above deck, you could see through a skylight into the closet. He still isn't quite sure whether there was a real gorilla on the ship or not. Later, we asked Buddy what his favorite part of the pirate ship was, he said the gorilla. It's like the boxes on Christmas morning!

All over the place, the whole trip, whenever there was a small body of water, we would find a sign that warned us of alligators. We had been on the lookout for one because we thought it would be cool. While we were waiting to get on the ship, we got lucky. While looking at crabs crawiling on the supports of the pier, we saw it. At first just a head sticking up out of the water. But then it moved. I got a great shot of the whole body swimming through the water. It wasn't a very big one, but it was an alligator all the same.

More Beach

2007-08-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

The kids are in their rooms for some quiet time now, so I thought I would take a moment to share some more of our beach trip. I don't have the film pics developed yet, but I can show you ones of our night on the pier at Garden City. After dinner on Sunday night we decided to drive around. We found a public pier in the Garden City area, and so we parked and walked down it. At the end of the pier there was a bar. When we first got there, we just enjoyed watching the fishermen and the ocean. While we were there, though, a band started playing in the open air bar. It just happened to have a dance floor. Princess, especially, enjoyed that. At one point she was dancing to "Strokin'." Superbeav thought that was quite funny. It was a very windy evening out over the water. If you notice, Superbeav is quite red in the face. He got very sunburned the day before out on the beach. He put sunscreen on, then went out into the ocean for about 4 hours. He never reapplied any sunscreen, and even now has blisters on his shoulders. Ouch!!! It was probably the most fun evening we had. Princess was asleep pretty soon after getting in the car. She had danced her heart out.

The Day After

2007-08-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

Oh, my! It's going to be a long time before I'm going to want to go on a vacation with the kids and then spend the next day with them. Superbeav GOT to go to work today. The kids are suffering from not being on a schedule for the last five days, staying up late and who knows what. I am personally suffering from kid overload! 10 hours in the car with them yesterday and then all day today listening to the constant sibling bickering and whining is about to drive me nuts today. Currently, they are both in their respective rooms so I can take a time out. Unfortunatly, I can still hear Buddy screaming at the top of his lungs. Aren't vacations grand! I guess the next post on the vacation will have to be after the kids are long asleep and maybe after a drink or two. :)

The Beach!!!

2007-08-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, Barry, I know I must blog to have a blog, but we have been out of town. We just got back tonight from a trip to Pawleys Island, SC. We had a great time. Here are a few picks from the first night's walk on the beach. I'll have more to come including some great pics of some pirates we met. This is Buddy's first look at the waves. He was in awe. Then Princess took a look. She was a little more skeptical, but still quite intrigued. Once she warmed up to it, she did great. That night all she did, though was run away from the waves. Superbeav had been waiting a long time to see the ocean again. None of us had been to an ocean since Superbeav's sister's wedding almost 3 years ago. Personally, I can appreciate the beauty of the ocean, but I don't crave being there. Superbeav does, which is somewhat ironic since he hates to take off work.

He admits that he had a good time, though, and is even talking about taking a whole week off next summer to do it again. I just enjoyed taking pictures of my family. As we were walking back to eat dinner, we found a family that was taking pictures on the bridge over the sand dunes. I offered to take a family picture for them, and then they took one for us. It really was a great trip. I'm glad to be back home, though. Little kids are hard to travel with especially ones like ours that are so used to a schedule. We have a week to get them in gear for school.

Soap box time...

2007-07-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

I have gotten on this soap box lately of eliminating high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and MSG from our diets. A few of my friends would even call it an obsession, I think. It is my own personal opinion that HFCS is directly responsible for obesity and the rise in diabetes in our nation. I challenge you to start reading labels. Look at what we are expected to consume. It is amazing. You can not buy a loaf of white bread without HFCS and just don't even bother going down the cookie isle at the grocery store. MSG can be found in most of Campbell's soups and most flavored potato chips, not to mention ranch dressing!

Buddy has even picked up on my obsession. We were at a friends house not to long ago. Buddy asked her for a snack. She asked if there was anything that he couldn't have. Before I could say anything, he piped up, "I can't have cheese or corn syrup." Just very matter-of-factly. Some days he even asks if I will ever "stop not liking corn syrup." I just tell him no. OK, so that's my soapbox. What are some of yours?

Job Change

2007-07-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

I will soon be changing jobs. Buddy is starting Kindergarten this year. In the public schools here, kindergarten gets out at 1:00. My plan, since I only worked two days a week, was to find a college student to pick him up at 1, then pick Princess up at preschool at 3 and watch them at home until I could get home. I've been having a hard time finding anyone. Well, God had a better plan. I got a call out of the blue from an old employer and friend. They had had a couple of people quit suddenly and they were wondering if I could help out any. When he called I could only help on Tuesdays, but I started thinking about things. I asked if they would be interested in just morning help. We talked a bit and have worked things out. I have two more days at the bank, and then I will be going back to office staff at our pediatrician's office. It doesn't pay as much per hour, but the hours are better, not to mention that they are very understanding when you have a sick kid. :) Things get a little slow for them in the summer as well, so I get to have summers off with the kids and still have a job to come back to in the fall! I think that Buddy really needs me to be the one to pick him up everyday as well. He is having real anxiety about starting school. Pray for him. It's a scary thing and he doesn't deal with change very well. It's amazing how things just have a way of working out. God is so good!!!

Leaper

2007-07-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

Recently, a good friend of ours, Geoffery Wood, had his first book published. It is very exciting. His book has been getting great reviews all over the web. I read it in two days, which is really saying something for me! It usually takes me weeks to read a book. It was very captavating and funny. It also makes you do a little thinking in the end. The book is called The Misadventures of a Not-Necessarily-Super Hero Leaper. Here is a link to a review in the Memphis Flyer a few weeks ago. You can also go to Amazon.com and find more reviews or purchase your own copy. If you happen to be in the Memphis area, you might just be able to find Goef at a book signing. It would be well worth your time to stop by.

Vacation Time

2007-07-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

We are actually going to go on a family vacation!!! Believe it or not, it will be our first real vacation. We have gone different places to visit family, but never away from everyone we know on a real vacation. We are headed to Pawley's Island, SC on Aug 3-7! Superbeav reluctantly agreed to take some time off from work. He does love to work. The kids are ready to go now. We were in the car the yesterday, and I asked the kids if they would like to go to the beach. Princess piped up quickly with, "My bucket! I need my bucket." She was upset that we had left her bucket at home. She wanted it to collect shells. Neither one of the kids remember going to the beach before. Buddy has been there twice, once at 15 months and again at 2 1/2. Princess has only been there once at 5 months. It should be a lot of fun to watch the amazement in their eyes at the site of the Atlantic Ocean, the waves and the shells. It will be a much needed trip for us all.

I'm pooped

2007-07-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Where to begin.... We have been having a lot of problems with Buddy at school. He has been hitting and being very aggressive. We have started seeing a counselor about it. She thinks, and we agree, that Buddy thrives when he is surrounded by structure. The more free his surroundings are, the harder it is for him to behave. The summer program he is attending right now is not very structured at all. Therefore, he has been having great difficulties. The answer - more structure at home. We have now started a very structured chore system and discipline system. We started it on Sunday and so far it has worked really well. Today has been a little bit hard because we have been staying home doing laundry. It has also been trying to rain (a rare event here in East TN!). That means that the kids are inside wrestling, fighting over toys, running... You get the idea. Many times I feel like I'm at fault. If I just had a little more energy, I could play a game with them, or find something for them to do, but I just haven't been able to find it in me lately. I'm tired. If anyone out there has any suggestions to being a structured home, please let me know. Right now its exhausting.

Where has the time gone?

2007-06-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Has it really been two weeks since I blogged?!?! Wow! Time is just flying by right now. This week we have been extremely busy. We have had our normal activities during the day and VBS at night. Superbeav is playing drums for a musical at a local church so he has been busy, too.

The trip went very well. I almost didn't come home. It was so nice to be free for a bit and not have to worry about all the "mommy, mommy's." This weekend is Superbeav's show. Next weekend my older brother and his family are coming to visit. I'm really looking forward to that. He has two girls, and the kids haven't seen each other in a year and a half, I think. Lots of changes. Hopefully they will all get along. We plan on having ribs, corn on the cob and homemade ice cream when they come.

Anybody have any questions I can blog about? I'm finding that I don't know what to say. :) Let me know what you think. What do you want to know about our family?

A New Day

2007-06-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Princess is well again! She went back to school today, and I went to work. With the exception of a couple of times on Saturday, today was the first time I was not attached to a child in a week. I did enjoy rocking her to sleep a couple of nights when she was so sick, so I guess it wasn't all bad. Tomorrow I leave to go visit my mom. She had back surgery on Wed. It was a "simple" microscopic surgery. They had her up and walking within the hour and then shipped her on her way back home. I'm leaving the kids here with dad. It will be a much needed respit from the day to day for me. Plus, I'll get to see my dad for Father's Day. I'll let you know how the weekend goes.

Reflection

2007-06-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

One thing that the stress of this spring has done is to make me realize how much I miss our friends and family that are scattered about. I guess that is one reason I decided to do this. Of course, it could just be that I'm getting old, but I really have been feeling the miles between us. We have a wonderful church family here and Superbeav's office group has been tremendous as well, but its not the same. On top of our stress here, there have been health problems with my mother and one of my brothers. It just makes the miles seem so much longer. My relationship with my brothers is not as close as I wish it was. Maybe one day. I just wish we were closer geographically. I know that doesn't always mean that we would be closer emotionally, but it couldn't hurt. There just doesn't seem to be time enough to call everyone. Please know, that you all are thought of frequently, especially lately. Love you!

Ho hum

2007-06-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Today is the third day in a row home with a sick child. Princess has been running a fever since Thurs night early in the am. I even took her to the ER last night because the fever wasn't responding to meds. Of course, by the time we got there, it had... Typical! They didn't find anything so right now we are just treating it like a virus. There is still a slight possibility that she has a UTI (urinary tract infection) but she wouldn't pee for us last night. If the fever is still around tomorrow we'll go to our regular doc and see if we can get her to pee then. Meanwhile, Superbeav took Buddy to a bday party yesterday, church today, and now to another bday party. It's not that I want to go to the bday parties because, honestly, I really don't care for them, but here I sit in a dirty house that I don't want to clean. I've always felt like I was missing something. I never wanted to go to bed in fear that something might happen while I was asleep. Its days like this when those feelings really come out. I have to try to remind myself that Princess won't be little long and these snuggle days are days to cherish. But then I think of all the other fun things I could be doing. It's quite a dilemma.

Major Praise!

2007-06-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Superbeav had quite a spring. In March he had to have emergency surgery to repair a ruptured disc in his neck. That in itself was stressful enough, but due to the surgery, his voice was damaged. We went to a ENT that specializes in voices and found out that one of his vocal cords was paralyzed, and she had told us that it was permanent. It was a very difficult thing for Superbeav to hear since the way he worships God is through singing. Now for the praise part. He went to another ENT yesterday mainly for a second opinion. He found that the paralyzed vocal cord is now moving again! It is still not quite as tight as the other one, but the new doctor was confident that it will fix itself soon. We had noticed that his voice was getting much stronger and he can even sing a bit. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for him. Your prayers are working. Praise God!

My first blog

2007-06-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Beaver Dam. This is my first blog so please bear with me. It is definately going to be a learning process. Just a bit about me: I am "Anniebeth," and I have a wonderful husband of almost 10 years. We will call him "Superbeav". We have two kits (baby beavers) that keep us busy. The oldest, we will call him "Buddy", is 5 and will be starting kindergarten in the fall. The other little kit is 3-yr old "Princess." She rules the house most days. I hope that this will be a way of letting family stay in touch and see what is happening with our family and also a way to connect to others like us. Thanks for visiting, I hope you will come back again soon.