What did you get for Christmas?

Hi everyone. . . are you still there? No one has posted in a month. I felt like I had hijacked this blog since most of the posts were mine with Patti, Cyndi and Misty throwing one in occasionally!

What did you get for Christmas?

Share with me!

I'm going to make a few posts to show you some of my presents. I never know what my children will give me, sometimes it's something I never expected like the skeet thrower and shot gun shells my son-in-laws gave me last Christmas. They wanted me to shoot with them!

Here's one of the items I received this year. It's a little grill for sliders (baby hamburgers).

I tried it out at lunch today.  It made perfect little burgers.  It comes with a tool to measure out the meat, which you roll in a ball and place on the griddle.

 

We like cheeseburgers, so I put some cheese on and let it melt.   Dinner rolls were our buns.  The instructions suggested using hot dog buns cut into thirds, which I will do next time because the dinner rolls I used were too large.

The burgers were great and then there was the cute factor!  But the clean up with this appliance was tough even though I sprayed it with cooking spray.  It doesn’t come apart so you have to wipe it out.  I finally used a toothpick to scrape out the little ridges in the lid!

Come on over, I’ll make some for you!

Too Cute not to Share

Yesterday, my favorite boy had his 3rd birthday party and I wanted to show you what we found for him. . . kiddie size cornhole boards!

Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook

With Lynne Tolley and Pat Mitchamore’s Jack Daniel's Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook you get a history lesson along with some great traditional Southern recipes. The photos are coffee table quality and reflect much of the Lynchburg’s history and the landscape of middle Tennessee.

The recipes in the book have basic ingredients that one would have in the pantry. Not all the recipes have Jack Daniels whiskey as an ingredient, but most of the ones that do would not be affected if you left it out. The dessert and cakes and pies sections alone are worth having the book. Spread throughout the sections, are well-written anecdotes and stories for the reader to enjoy, especially if you are a Southerner. Some of the stories about hog-killing or cooking possums may make city folk a little squeamish. If you don’t know how to whittle there is a whole section to help you learn.

This cookbook would make a great addition to your collection or combine it with a bottle of Jack Daniels to make a great gift. I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program. http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

30% off Coupon @ Gap and Old Navy

I received an e-mail from Gap with a 30% off coupon for November 12-15. I can pass this coupon on to 25 friends and family members by sending an e-mail to them. I have twenty left. If you think you might use this coupon just e-mail me and ask and I will send you one too. You can see above that it is also good at Old Navy stores.
gibsond2@k12tn.net

Beautiful Fall Day

Just thought I would share a couple of pics I took on this beautiful fall day!

Free Class--Holidays in Hand

Head on over to JessicaSprague.com and register for this free class. She is a contributing editor for Creating Keepsakes Magazine. It sounds interesting and you don't have to be online at a specific time. You can just log on and look when you can!

Coupon site

I find lots of good coupons at freeflys. You should check it out. There are some five and ten dollar coupons on toys here and many one dollar coupons on food! You many have to download a coupon printer, if you don't already have it from using other sites.

Free Offer at Kodak

Go to the Kodak website today. They are giving away gift codes for $15.00 worth of merchandise. The offer, once you get your code, is good until November 5th. It would be a good time to upload some fall or Halloween pictures for printing or make a photo book.

We Love Fall

One of our K-8 moms, Kasie B. loves Halloween and fall and has her family's yard decorated with this great fall scene. If you would like to share your fall scenes just send a picture to myself gibsond2@k12tn.net or Misty dowdym1@k12tn.net
Thanks Kasie for sharing! Your yard looks great!

The Tallest of Smalls--a book review

The Tallest of Smalls by Max Lucado and illustrated by Maria Monescillo is a children’s story about wanting to fit in with the crowd. We’ve all felt the disappointment of not being chosen by the “in” crowd or wanting something very strongly only to find that when we have this thing, it is not all we thought it was going to be. In this book Ollie, a young boy learns these lessons the hard way, but in the end realizes that he is special and loved all the time when he meets Jesus. I don’t recommend this book for toddlers, I think the message and the vocabulary are too difficult for them to understand, but any school age child could feel empathy for Ollie.

The illustrations are bold, bright and appealing. If you want to gift this book there is a page in front to personalize. After reading this book aloud I felt like some of the rhyming patterns are tongue twisters and did not flow well. This story’s message of how we are all special and how we don’t need others approval is one that children cannot hear too often, but I wouldn’t pay the full retail price for this book.

I reviewed this book as a member of the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger Program. http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

More Bus Duty Thoughts

I know you've heard the news. President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Some people believe he didn't really deserve to win. I don't know about that, but I know the people who give the prize overlooked me, you see I had bus duty again last Friday morning. The person on bus duty does a lot for world peace and harmony. We see that the hungry eat breakfast, we resolve all sorts of conflict--especially those brought to our attention by the wronged party(aka tattlers). We control chaos while paroling the gym and then get the school citizens to class in a safe and orderly manner. We do this all alone with just our teacher voices and maybe some eye contract that says you better straighten up!
I'm just Saying!

My (almost finished) Fall Display...

Well...I have a fall display in my yard......FINALLY!!!!

The boys are very excited!

Click here to see how it all finally came together!

How did we do?

Do you have any great fall decorations to share?

I would love to see them!

Fall is my favorite time of year!

What Difference Do it Make?--a book review

An unlikely friendship and the stories about people that have been influenced by this friendship make an inspiring read in What Difference Do it Make by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. This is a follow up book written as a result of their first best selling title Same Kind of Different as Me. The chapters of the book give background about both authors and relate stories of people who have been influenced by their first book. It is an easy short read with only two hundred pages, but it will inspire you to try and become less judgmental of a person’s appearance.

I didn’t read the first book, but it would have been helpful to know a little more of the story. I found Denver’s straight forward to the point approach refreshing and consider him a person I would like to meet. Even though this whole story is based on a friendship formed by author Ron Hall and his wife Deborah while helping the homeless, there are many lessons to be taken away from this book. It reminds us that one person can make a difference and that we are all responsible for each other no matter what our life circumstances are. The first section of the book is the most powerful and it slows just a bit in the middle, but it is worth reading just to remind us in Denver’s words, “Jesus don’t need no help from no perfect saints. If He did, He wouldn’t a’ gone up yonder and left us down here in charge.”

I reviewed this book as a part of Thomas Nelson Publishers Book Review bloggers program.

Win a Banner from Queen of My House

Misty's at it again. Over at The Queen of My House she is giving away a vinyl banner. It is 24x36". Just think of all the ways you could use that! How about some one's upcoming birthday. You could hang it at the party, or decorate the yard! The banner comes from UPrinting.
She has several ways to enter, so what are you waiting for, get over there and enter.
There is also a give away for some custom greeting cards! Enter it too!

Two Wolves

My forwarding friend sends me all sorts of e-mails that I usually delete, but occasionally she sends one worth sharing!

Two wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, " My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all."

One is Evil. - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good... - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. '

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins? "

The old Cherokee simply replied, " The one you feed. "

Bus Duty Thoughts

At 7:45 this morning I was standing in the gym, alone with a couple hundred children, some coming in for the day and some going out for breakfast and some moving up and down on the bleachers and I couldn't help but think:
"This must be what it feels like to live in an ant hill!"

First Day of Autumn

Happy Fall, Ya'll
I will miss my flip flops the most!

Is it just me?

If you watch the news you are aware that last weekend there were several cases of extreme misbehavior and rudeness on the part of two celebrities. Maybe the South Carolina congressman, Mr. Wilson, began this trend with his disrespect of the President and his refusal to apologize to his colleagues in the House.

One incident involved the famous tennis pro Serena Williams having a "hissy fit" in front of everyone and involved the use of words that no one's mother wants to hear. Now, I don't play tennis, it must be frustrating, but talk about bad sportsmanship. Then, during an awards show, Kanye West, a rap singer (I think) took the microphone out of Taylor Swift's hand to proclaim to the audience how he did not believe she should win. He was booed, by the audience and not allowed to perform himself, but what made him feel he had the right to do that?

I had these things on my mind, plus it was playing on the TV as I sat in a doctor's office waiting room yesterday for most of the afternoon. (We won't even discuss how our time is abused waiting for medical care--that's another post). This waiting room had about 25 people scattered around and as I watched their behavior, I decided there are some EVERYDAY misbehaviors going on--most of them involving cell phones. At one point there was a lady to my left, we were separated by three chairs and a table, that was having a very loud conversation with her friend. Everyone in the room was being subjected to this. Before she finished this ten minute talk the lady across the aisle began her own conversation. Now, there was a big empty hallway just a few feet from both of these ladies and they could have talked out there without bothering anyone-- but no! When the second lady finished her conservation she began going through the magazines in the doctor's office and ripping out some of the pages and putting them in her purse. I don't guess she thought that anyone else might like to read that article or that maybe that was not her property. Isn't that theft or vandalism?

As parents and teachers we try to teach our children to be respectful and have some civility, but there are some celebrities and everyday fellow citizens that are being very bad examples and making our job even harder. Is it just me? Where are Miss Manners and Emily Post when you need them?

Vote for Misty

Misty's Queen of My House Blog has been nominated for an award. Click the badge in the right hand column and go vote for her. She has worked hard all summer to improve her blog and she has been having some great give aways. Give her some support and go vote!
You will have to register to vote, but it's free and the site Divine Caroline is a great place to look around.

Remember This?

Remember this magazine. It's been around for 60 years now. We received an ad this week wanting us to subscribe. It made me remember how much I loved this publication when I was little. I have always been a collector of reading materials, I guess I'm afraid I will read everything and nothing will be left! I mainly saw this magazine in a doctor's or dentist's office, so I would gather all the issues they had and put them in my lap to pass the time. I especially loved the hidden picture puzzles. The artists who draw these are very talented. I can remember being especially mad if I found that someone had circled the pictures with a pencil. I wanted to find them! You might also remember the rebus stories or the Timber Toes comics in Highlights.
After looking over the ad, thinking that Parker might enjoy it, I decided to check to see if they had a website. Highlights was immediately googled and you will never believe what I found.
Go here.
See it for yourself!
It's hidden picture puzzles. On many different levels. Lots and lots of hidden picture puzzles. They are so fancy on this site. When you find the object it dances or makes a noise and moves over to the puzzle key. When you complete it the entire picture colors itself. I am in hidden picture puzzle heaven! There are just some things that you never outgrow!
What was your favorite thing in Highlights?

Be a winner!

Hurry over to Misty's Queen of My House Blog and enter her latest give away. It's a $25 gift card to Sam's. Don't belong, she's giving away some passes to Sam's Club too. Hurry because it ends on Thursday. Come on gals, start leaving those comments and entries. Her button is on the right hand side of this blog just give it a click and you will be taken to her site. What are you waiting on?

Got Chocolate?

Don't forget to sign up for free chocolate on Friday! You will receive a coupon in the mail.
Go here.
I've already used two free coupons.

Free offer

Glade^® Fall into Fragrance Gift Pack

First 10,000* to respond will receive one free Glade® PlugIns® Scented Gel Warmer plus Refill

Go here.

You have to join  Right@Home™ to participate.

It is a good website with lots of articles and ideas. 

From my Inbox

I just had to share this. It made me laugh out loud, but also scared me thinking I might do this!

TELL ME THIS WON'T HAPPEN TO US !!!!

An elderly Floridian called 911 on her cell phone to report that her car has been broken into. She is hysterical as she explains her situation to the dispatcher: "They've stolen the stereo, the steering wheel, the brake pedal and even the accelerator!" she cried.

The dispatcher said, "Stay calm. An officer is on the way."

A few minutes later, the officer radios in. "Disregard." He says. "She got in the back-seat by mistake."

Check it out!!!

A winner and ANOTHER giveaway!!!  

Check it out!

The Queen of My House

Free Automatic Shower Cleaner

Click HeRe to get yourself a free automatic shower cleaner.   

This is a great offer!  

 I have been wanting to try one of these for a long time so I am excited to be getting one!

Have you heard of Learning Curve?

If you have not heard of Learning Curve.....

Check out this post.....

To see how they brought smiles to the faces of my sweet boys!

Safari Greg @ Pickett County Library

Safari Greg will be at the Pickett County library, tomorrow, July 30th. I am sure he will have some kind of critters with him! It's the last program in the Summer Reading so come join the fun at 10:30. It's free!


Here's a couple of pics from last year's fun.

$2.00 coupon

If you go here and give them your e-mail address, you can print out a $2.00 coupon for White Cloud bathroom tissue. It's good for one 24 pack or two 12 packs.

School Supply Lists

This year's supply list for each grade at Pickett County K-8 is now posted on the computer lab blog. The link is in the blog roll to the right.
Happy Shopping

Misty's Giving Something Away

Misty is having another giveaway over on her Queen of my House blog. Check it out. You might win.
I would like to win, but I don't usually win any thing but extra bus duty when there is a drawing involved!!
It's here.

Sales Tax Holiday

Just a reminder the 2009 sales tax holiday is Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 9th. You will not pay taxes on purchases of clothing, or school and art supplies with a price of $100 dollars or less per item. Also, computers are tax exempt up to $1,500.
Check out the details here.

Baseball on the Mountain

The 7-8 year old Pickett County All Stars played in a baseball tournament in Jamestown Saturday, July 18. They won their first game, 10-0, lost the second game, 14-6 and lost the last one, 16-15 in overtime, taking third place. Way to go guys! You all played hard and we're very proud of you! They will be playing in a hometown tournament beginning July 31st. Come on out and cheer them on!

School Supplies

It's time to shop for back to school supplies. There are some good deals at Walmart, but don't forget places like Office Max. They are having some one cent specials this month. Check their weekly ad to see what the deals of the week are. This week pencil sharpeners were one cent each, but you must get to the store on Sunday when the sale begins or they will be gone. Other featured items this week are packs of colored pencils for 25 cents and plastic binders for 20 cents. Now is a good time to buy flash drives and dvds and cds. Happy Shopping.

Misty's Give Away

Get over to Misty's Queen of My House blog and enter her first give away. She is giving away a poster print. If I win I am going to use the photo above. You have until Sunday to enter! Click here to go straight to her post.

Remembering. . .

July 20th 1969
I sat in the living room with my family watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. We were watching our black and white TV and it was tuned to Channel 5 where Walter Cronkite was narrating the event.
And that's the way it was, 40 years ago.
Where were you?

Like mother. . .

Remember the Tale of Number 26, who doesn't have the sense God gave a goat. This must be her KID!

Pray for Henry

I know that when the health of your child or grandchild is at stake there is nothing you would not give or do to make them better. I want to ask you to help the Emmert and Hance family by praying for their son and grandson, Henry.
This afternoon I received a call from my church asking everyone to pray for Henry who is fighting a battle against cancer. He is only three years old. His website at caring bridge tells his story. His grandparents are dear friends. They pastored the First Christian Church here several years ago. The cancer treatments have made him weak and he has a problem that may cause him to have more surgery. Please add to your prayer list Henry Hance and the Emmert Family.

From my Inbox

One of my forwarding friends sent this photo to me, thought it was worth sharing!

Scenes from Lewisburg

June 26-27...we didn't win...but we had fun! And it was only 100 degrees.

Summer Reading Begins this Week

Are you bored yet? Summer Reading at the public library begins this Thursday, July 9th with the Upper Cumberland Regional Library Puppet show. Check out the information on the Library blog that Miss Lori has created. It tells all about the shows and times! It's fun and it's free. See you at 10:30 Thursday.
Library Blog

Meanwhile, Back on the Ponderosa

Check it out. . I've spent the afternoon creating my own blog called Meanwhile Back on the Ponderosa.
My url is www.delilahgibson.blogspot.com

You Had to Have Been There

Warning: Some of you are too YOUNG to understand this post!

There is something about this photo, I believe it's the two dead trees, that reminded me of the CCR ( Creedence Clearwater Revival) song Bad Moon Rising.

50 prints for 50 cents (plus shipping of course)

This is a deal that is hard to beat! Start uploading, it only lasts until July 10th. It is from snapfish. I've used them many times and always been pleased with the photos. Plus if you are opening a first time account you will get 20 more photos free!

New Background...

Hey guys...just thought I would add a new background in honor of Independence Day which is fast approaching! I can't believe it is July already!   Where has June gone?   I haven't gotten to see much of it...I have stayed covered in paint!   Hope everyone has had a good summer so far...I am going to try to be finished with all of my home projects this week so I can enjoy the rest of my summer!   And if I don't see you...Happy 4th of July!

A goat tale

Our neighbors have goats. They live in a barn nearby and have their own guard dog.

This is number 26. She does not have the sense God gave a goat! She would put her head through the fence, because you know the grass is always greener on the other side, and then she could not get back through because of her horns. She did this several times a day. Her owners rescued her. . .

Her neighbors rescued her. . .

But she just could not learn a lesson, so now she wears a stick and duct tape!

Somebody could get hurt!

First day of Wii fit.
You will never, never know my wii fit age!
Stay tuned for progress.

I Love Laundry

I have used Tide for 35 years. No one could change me. My mom used Tide. I was loyal. But, lately I have been trying to save some cash by clipping coupons. I found a $2 coupon in the newspaper insert for Purex 3 -in- 1, a new detergent. It is in a small package and comes in sheets that have the detergent, the softeners and the anti-static stuff all in one sheet. You just pick up a sheet throw it in with the laundry and then just put it in the dryer. No measuring, no large boxes in my small laundry room. (It's not really a laundry room--it's the space under the stairs) But the thing that sold me is the scent. There are three to choose from. I picked Tropical escape. I do not like for the laundry to smell like perfume, so I usually bought unscented products. If you want to try for yourself, there is a one dollar coupon on the Purex website and info about the product. Sorry, Tide! The convience, the size and the smell have won me over.

Papa Jerry's Father's Day Gift from Courtney

All the grandkids finds these critters, if mom and dad won't take them in...they go to Pa Jerry's and Granny Gail's house. Courtney found this one on her way back from church today....and since it was Father's Day.....Lucky Pa Jerry.

Sale Alert

Old Navy has all their guy stuff 50% off this week. I don't think that applies to little guys, just big ones!

Follow Misty

Hey, everyone jump on over to Misty's Queen of My House Blog and become a follower. She is going to try a give away when she gets enough followers and one of us may win! She is also posting some great deals and free things. The Queen has done some major work on her blog and has it in top shape with lots of interesting links. You can be a follower by just clicking on the follow button and following the directions. Only takes a second!
Hope everyone is having a happy summer!

Just a Box of Cards!

Check out this post. What a great idea! The author who made the post wrote the cards to her husband, but you could do that for your mother, father, child, or grandchild. I may do some for Parker that I save and give to him to read when he is older. One a week may be ambitious, but I think I could handle one a month! With a few extras thrown in. She also created and cut her own cards, but I would have mine made at Wal-mart, Snapfish, or York-- someplace that would do all the work! Start writing today and save them until next Mother's Day or someone's birthday, I'm sure it would be a much appreciated gift.

Graduation Treats

Check out these graduation treats. I think this is a website worthy of our list. It is called Bakerella. Be sure to look at the other things on her site.

Strawberry Fields Forever!

When I returned from my walk this afternoon, my parents were at my house with these. Well, this is all that is left since I had a few! They know how much I love strawberries and they found these today fresh from the patch! There is nothing better than some of the first berries from the field! I cannot express with words their goodness!!! Both my parents and the berries!

Is it Friday Yet?

This week I have the dreaded breakfast duty. That means I am suppose to be in the cafeteria each morning about 7:20. It is my job to keep order and peace and things running smoothly, but I am outnumbered 200 to 1!

Here's the week so far:
Monday--throw up
Tuesday--bad words
Wednesday--turtles
Two more days to go!!!!

Misty is in the gym doing the same thing, but even more outnumbered. We've been too busy to talk but I know she began the week with a frog! See why we ask, Is it Friday yet?

The Elk...

So...for quite sometime now, I have been hearing talk of  "the elk."  It seems everyone has been seeing this creature various places all fairly close to my house.  I am not sure where it came from or why it is here.  I have not gotten to see it.  Dana saw a glimpse of it one time, however this morning...he got PICTURES!!!   He was sleeping this morning when a neighbor started banging on the door.   The man saw the elk coming up in front of our house and wanted Dana to get in on the sighting too.   He told Dana he was afraid no one would believe he really saw it.   My mom told me about this story before I got to talk to Dana.   I said, "I wish he had taken a picture...but he probably would never think of it.   Well...he came through for...I have taught him well!  He got great pictures of it!   He said our cattle ran after it all the way down the fence row.   Yes, it was on the other side, but they still tried their best!   I am so amazed to see these pictures...the boys were super excited about them too!  It really is a strange sight to see...in little ole' Byrdstown!  

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I stopped by the bowling alley for a few minutes on the way to work and took some pics, didn't get many but if anyone would like to send me some to my email...cpritchett@twlakes.net, I'll add more to the smilebox! Had a great time with you guys!

New Site

Check out these Mason Jar Cupcakes, even I can do that! I saw them on a blog called Joy's Hope, it's full of great ideas for those of you that are crafty. After looking around on the site I felt it was worthy of being added to our blog list! (Find Great Ideas Here Section)

Tennessee Trivia

When It's Iris Time in Tennessee is one of our five official state songs. Do you know the other four? The iris, by the way is the state flower. Mine are in full bloom this week! Some of my neighbors have the darker purple ones that are also looking spectacular this week.

Thursday's Thoughts

Here are Thursday's Thoughts...brought to you by none other than Winnie the Pooh...hope you enjoy them!

"If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear."

"A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference."

"When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish."

"You can't always sit in your corner of the forest and wait for people to come to you...you have to go to them sometimes."

"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day."

"Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known."

"You can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right; but spelling isn't everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn't count."

"It's always useful to know where a friend-and-relation is, whether you want him or whether you don't."

"People who don't think probably don't have brains; rather, they have grey fluff that's blown into their heads by mistake."

And my favorite...

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together. There is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart...I'll always be with you."

Cheap Eyewear

I met one of our K-8 Moms in the hall this morning who was sporting a new pair of glasses and she shared this deal with us! Go to this website. Here's what she e-mailed me about the site:

Take a look at all of the frames there are to choose from and read the info and see if you think you could get what you are looking for! Remember too....2 pair one single vision with clip on sunglasses and one no line bifocal for $ 79.00. I'm just tickled with the deal...hope to share with anyone that could use a new (or few) pairs of glasses.

If you are like me and wear glasses, you know what they cost and this is quite a deal. It takes about 3 weeks to get them if they have bifocals.
Check it out. I would probably be skeptical, but I saw the glasses this mom had received and they looked great. She was really happy with them!
* The shipping and handling charge is only $4.95--no matter how many pair you order.

Valuable Magazine--all*you--April Edition

This magazine retails for $2.49 (less at Walmart, cause they discount). It has $51.00 of coupons in it.
The coupons are good--not a quarter off, but dollars off! One coupon is good for a free mascara valued at $6.47.
Get yourself one.
Here's a list of the specific coupons. (click on the picture to make it big enough to read)