Sewing and Serenades

Before I begin discussing the main purpose of this blog, I have a BIG announcement to make!!!

I finally have a JOB! Guess who is a new 4th grade Math and Science teacher.

If you guessed me then you are correct my friend. I was so excited to go work in my classroom Wednesday. I worked for about six hours and I made some very good progress if I do say so myself.

Before:

After:

It's a work in progress so don't judge me yet. :)

Here are a few pictures of some cute things I have made for my room. Don't start thinking I'm creative or anything. All these ideas came from Pinterest. If you don't know what that is you should go check it out. I highly recommend it!

Now that I have shared my good news with all of you, let's discuss the topic at hand.

I have the greatest Grandparents ever! Just saying...

When I found this fabric, I knew exactly who to call about sewing it into curtains for my classroom for me!

Tonight after supper my Mama and I made the twenty minute drive down the road to my Grandparent's house in the tiny community of Randolph. Some of my fondest memories from my childhood took place at their house. It makes my heart smile just thinking about them.

I decided I wanted to give sewing a try and I found a great teacher to help me. She was very concerned that I did not already know how to operate a sewing machine. She couldn't understand why I didn't learn this in home economics. I politely explained to her that we don't have that anymore. Sadly, those classes have been replaced with classes such as computer concepts. Of course, she did not approve of this.

She let me do the bottom hem and then she said, "Haley do you want to get this done or do you want to keep playing around". Needless to say, she took over the sewing for the rest of the night and I became the observer. Side note: I think I will purchase a sewing machine. It would be a very good hobby. Just call me Suzy Homemaker. Not.

Grandaddy decided to serenade us while we worked. I know I'm biased, but he has the most amazing voice in the world. It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear him sing. I really wish I had received some of his singing abilities. Oh well, we can't all be beautiful singers.

I can't wait to hang these beautiful curtains in my room! What sweet memories they will bring back to me.

I'm in love with Steve!!

I have a confession to make. I have sort of started a very expensive collection. I have been adding to it over the years, but it's becoming a serious problem. I collect Steve Madden shoes. They are just so fabulous. No other shoes can compare to them. I love Steve!!

Today my collection grew when I took a quick trip to the mall. Of course while there I had to visit the shoe department and look at all the pretty new Steves. Look what I found.

Yes, I brought them all home with me and yes I am aware I have a problem. My name is Haley and I admit I am addicted to buying Steve Madden shoes.

Worst Day Ever...and it's only 2:00

I believe the title says it all. I really don't know what the deal is today but apparently, I have been cursed. I am really? Really?

Today started off on a good enough note. I relaxed in bed this morning and watched some t.v. Basically, I was a bum. Good thing I got that much needed rest to prepare me for what was about to happen next. My sweet, beloved dog Lucy decided she wanted to throw up and decided to do it all over my new white bedding. To say that I was not happy would be a major understatement. Livid would be a better word to describe it.

I immediately took the comforter off my bed and ran to the washer. Problem is my comforter is freaking ginormous and did not want to go into the washer. Well, I did the opposite of what the little sign on the washer advised and stuffed it all in there. I really hope I didn't break the washer. Then came the problem of getting it into the dryer. As of right now it is in the dryer and tumbling around. I will let you know if I catch the house on fire. I keep opening the lid and checking on it periodically. All I see is a ruined, lumpy comforter. Very sad day!

All of this thanks to this sweet little girl right here...Thanks Lucy! You sure keep my life interesting.

This face has "Who Me?" written all over it!

Fill In the Blank Friday...

Well ladies and gentlemen, that is if I have any gentlemen readers, it's Friday so it's time for Fill in the Blank Friday with Lauren!

Okay, okay, in all actuality it is a Thursday, but who cares. I will be at a yard sale all day tomorrow so I had to do this ahead of time.

Let's get to it!

1. This weekend I'm going to be spending a lot of time with Willie's family from out of town and I can't wait to see them! I have missed them way too much .

2. My last vacation was a few weeks ago. We went to Orange Beach, AL and it was so wonderful. I am already missing the beach. Mississippi heat would make anyone long to be on the beach :) .

3. My next vacation will be ? I don't have anymore vacations lined up for the summer. I would love another get away before the end of summer though.

4. My favorite way to relax is with my sweet Lucy cuddled up next to me and a good book in my hand .

5. When vacationing one should always take lots of pictures. Actually, this is my motto for everyday of your life. I love having pictures to look back on .

6. When vacationing one should never wear a fanny pack. Gross .

7. The best part about a vacation is being able to relax and enjoy life. We sometimes forget to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Vacations have a way of forcing you to .

I Miss You...

Today marks the sixth anniversary of my cousins death.

My hero, Lance Cpl. Marc Lucas Tucker was killed in action in Iraq on June 8, 2005.

I can not begin to tell you how much I miss him.

He was a joy to be around. He had a way of lighting up a room. I miss his smile most of all.

Lucas taught me several things. The most important was also the final lesson I learned.

Simply put, life is short. We aren't promised tomorrow, so we should live each day to the fullest.

My Marine. My hero.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The sacrifice you gave for this county, for my freedom, can never be repaid.

Freedom is not free.

I love you!

Beach Recap

Well, we are back from the beach and my heart is very sad. It went by entirely to fast! There were lots of good memories made on this trip!

After a long drive down on Wednesday we finally made it to our condo around 8:00 p.m. Our palns were to leave around 12 and be there by 6:00. However, my brother can be a bit of a slow poke at times and we did not end up leaving until 2:00. Needless to say, after a six hour drive in the car we were all starving and a little cranky. Several people recommended Jake's Grill to us and since it was just up the road from our condo, we ate there on our first night.

I set my alarm for 5:30 on Thursday morning so I could see this....

It wasn't easy getting up that early and this boy sure wasn't happy about it, but the view that greeted us as we walked down to the beach was well worth it.

Beach Time!!!

We were so proud of our cute little sandcastle. Well, we were until two grown men walked up with real shovels and built a mansion out of sand right beside it. :(

Hi Mom!

After several hours of soaking up the rays on the beach it was time to find some food. LuLu's provided us with full bellies, a few new shirts, and lots of sweet memories! P.S. if you decided to go to LuLu's do not, I repeat do NOT (Daddy) feed the birds!! They will continue to circle you as you try to enjoy your meal.

Poor Wills had to deal with all the pictures mother insisted on taking. Good thing he's used to it! ;)

Right after this picture was taken Mother Nature decided to ruin my plans of going back to the beach and soaking up the sun. She did this by taking away the sun and replacing it with rain, thunder, and lightening.

Please ignore my hair in the following pictures. We had planned to take pictures on the beach as a family and let's just say it was a tad windy.

Right after we snapped the above pictures more dark clouds rolled in and it started raining again. We decided to head back to the condo and order pizza. We sat out on the balcony and watched the thunderstorm over the beach for a while. As you can see, it got pretty bad for a second.

Thankfully, the storms cleared out and it was nothing but sweet sunshine the next day!

Around lunch time we decided to go ride go-carts! We were in the lead....

Until Sy came and passed us. We lost. I contributed it to the extra weight Willie had to drive around with him. Ha!

Lunch at The Hangout! My favorite restaurant of the whole trip!

The view from our table!

Desert Hamburger!! Super cute!

Yummy!

Back to the beach after a great lunch!!

The next morning it was time to leave. Bye Bye Beach!