Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
Check out this energy drink commercial.
energy drink

Pumpkin portrait.

This weekend we finally got around to carving our pumpkin. Actually, Megan drew faces on the pumpkin and Kenny cut them out. She is a great little artist but we never realized her potential for doing portraits until Kenny decided to match our pumpkin's face with look-a-like celebrities after seeing everyone's blog. HILARIOUS!!!!

http://www.myheritage.com

An exciting week.

This week has been full of exciting things for some members of my family. Kayla and Megan are finishing up with their volleyball season today by having a parent/player challenge. It has been a great season and they both did really well. I have enjoyed watching the two of them play together. Oh, and the parents whooped them in the challenge.

Chandler FINALLLLYYY got his Halloween costume delivered that I ordered. He has been asking EVERYDAY when it was coming. It is a really well-made costume and he will be identical to the real Zorro. I will have to post some pics so Ammon can see his cousin Chandler is really Zorro. It is like a size too big but that's okay because I paid way too much money for it and therefore Zorro will definitely ride again next year.

Hayli took her driving test today and PASSED! She was literally a nervous wreck...I thought she might vomit. She did well and is now officially and legally on the roads. This really scares me too death. She drove to school and back home. Then to work and straight to church afterwards. Things are different here. You guys out west live like five minutes from everything. She has to drive at least 15 minutes to school, about 30 minutes from school to work (only 1 or 2 days a week), and to church, it is a good 30 minute drive from our house. We spend a lot of time on the roads here just getting from one place to the other. I drive over 100 miles a day, just taking and picking up kids from school! That is why on my 2000 Suburban we bought brand new, has 142,000 miles on it. My Vue that we bought in 2005 brand new has 48,000 miles on it. We are rough on cars around here.

Hayli also got a job teaching her own gymnastics classes at the same gym she competed at. She competed for 7 years and is going to really enjoy her job....and they pay is outstanding.


One last exciting thing..the Ola Mustang Volleyball team (Hayli's varsity) is heading to state this weekend. We are so proud those girls. They have done awesome. Go Mustangs!
http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/oh/OHSVolleyball.htm

Words of wisdom from a teenager.

My oldest daughter shared a thought with me the other day that I absolutely love. I am not sure where she heard it but it is something I want to share, especially with you Domestic Engineers (aka stay at home moms.) I am always busy, just like other moms and if I ever take time out for myself I tend to feel guilty, like I am wasting time. If I sit down and get on the computer instead of scrubbing bathrooms (um, like right now) I know I am not getting anything accomplished but am I wasting time? Probably. But when my husband is home during the day, we will sit in the spa or something and chat about this and that for an hour or more...I am not getting anything accomplished around the house but I sure do enjoy talking with my buddy. I was relaying this to Hayli and that is when she said "Mom, time enjoyed is not time wasted!" Yes!!!! Now, I have an excuse. I am really NOT wasting time because I am enjoying myself, right?

I love my job.

I love my job as a Realtor. It allows me to work from home, set my own schedule, and never miss time with my kids. I love being an agent in Georgia because we have such a great buyers market, making it nearly impossible for someone not to be able to own their own home. I would say the majority of my recent clients have been first-time home buyers and I enjoy helping people buy their very first home! In Georgia, buying a home is the norm and you can pretty much pick and choose. Obviously, our market here is different than many other areas because it is more rural and we have lot's of room to grow. We are also an area of ridiculous affordability, compared to other states. For instance, the house that one of my clients are contracting on this week is 2200 sq ft. on 1.3 acres. It is about 13 years old but has been very well maintained. It is a great price at $149,000.










This is what $200,000 will get you. A 2800 sq. ft. home on 2 acres.











This is what $250,000. will buy you.












This is what $400,000 will buy you. This is a 6 bedroom 4 bath house on 3 acres.











If you are really rolling in the dough, you can buy this house, which sits on 44 acres, for $900,000.









Although my job can be stressful sometimes when negotiating a tough contract, it can be very funny and interesting, too. You never know what you are going to run into. When you are going through other peoples' homes, you get a good idea that people are weird! Some are really weird! One house I showed a while back was hilarious and a little embarrassing. The home owners left the house so we could go in and look around. When we got into the master bedroom we saw a HUGE portrait of the home owner above their bed. NAKED! Gee,I have never thought about that when decorating my own house. Talk about awkward. Saying goodbye to the home owner on the way out was bizarre. I don't think any of us looked at her. Uh, we'd already seen enough.

Sometimes, showing houses can be scary. Just last week, I showed a house that I had confirmation to show at a certain time. When we arrived, there were two cars in the drive and the garage door was up. This always makes me nervous because I am afraid the other agent might have forgotten to tell the owners we were coming. I get the key and before entering, I ring the door bell, just in case. No one answers, so we go in. We look all through the house, talking about it's pro's and con's. When we get to the last door in the hall, we open it up to see someone lying face first on the floor. They didn't move, so we quickly closed the door and walked outside. We were pretty sure the person was sleeping and not dead but WEIRD! I hate it when something like that happens. Over all, it is a great job to have as a full time mom. It allows me freedom and flexibility but also some contact with the adult world, even if that world is often crazy!

Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Daughters

Rules are important. Necessary. Maybe there are eight...there are probably more. They are simple. At first glance, you may think this blog is about the rules we have established and the standards we have set regarding individuals who may be interested in our daughter(s). No. That area has already clearly been thoroughly covered by my daughter(s). Actually, this is the eight simple rules to date my daughter successfully. See, it is my observation that boys just don't get it. Or maybe they just don't get my daughters. (I say daughters because even though Kayla has not reached dating age yet, this appears to pertain to her, as well.)

I have observed in the past a pattern. I keep thinking that as the boys get older they will recognize the "rules" and adhere to them. No. I know this sounds nuts but I feel bad for the guys and I feel bad for my daughters too because they are disappointed that after just a brief conversation or two, the boys have already broken one of the rules and well....that is it for them..The thing is, my daughters don't even realize that they have these unspoken rules and the boys OBVIOUSLY don't either. How could they? They are not written...they're not even spoken, but they exist and if a boy ever wants to have a second date with one of the daughters,well, you gotta know the rules.

1. A clean mouth...I don't mean clean as in fresh breathe, ( although, I am sure that is a plus) I mean talk nice. I remember one day, my daughter coming home and saying she had met this really cute guy that was really nice. Well, next day, she overhears him talking with his buddies..and not very nicely...and that was it, she never so much as looked his way again.

2. Love your momma...A long time ago, I told my girls that you can always tell if a guy is a good guy by the way he treats his momma. Somehow, that has never been forgotten and if they see a guy disrespecting his mom, well, that's the end of that.

3. Missionary bound...sorry, but this is not negotiable. I have seen some really great guys mention they were still on the fence about serving and well, that was the end of that. Hayli won't even budge an inch on that...if you haven't been planning on serving a mission since um, let's say, you entered Sunbeams, it might not be necessary for you to read the rest of the rules.

4. Know your alphabet.... We have a saying in our house about getting from A to Z. Somehow, guys forget there is a whole alphabet out there. For instance, A is the interest my daughter may show a guy. All of a sudden, he wants to be at Z asking her to be his girlfriend and saying "I love you's" Big mistake. Huge. Following the alphabet is VERY important to my daughters and I believe they have yet to make it to Z, ever. If the boy made it to Z, he made it alone and that was probably the end of that. Don't forget about B,C,D,E, and so forth. My girls have yet to say I love you's and when they do, it will be a big deal.

5. Be patient...don't they say patience is a virtue? Well, you are going to need it in order to make it from A to Z.

6. Honesty is the best policy..it is. Really. It is an important one and a rule that I probably should have put as #1.

7. Where's the line?....You have to recognize it. Know where it is. You might have to look pretty hard 'cause it is fine. If you are over zealous...it's over. If you are not aggressive enough (obviously NOT in a physical way because then you wouldn't need these rules because my husband would kill you. Literally. Seriously.) She will think you aren't interested and move on. I mean, if you like my daughter, spend time with her , but not too much. Express your fondness, but not too much. Tell her how nice she looks,... that, you don't have to limit. But NEVER, EVER, send someone else to express your feelings for her. Not good... unless you are like in the 4th grade.

8. Friendly vs. Flirty....there is a difference. Friendly is good. It is great. Being flirty however,..with many girls, is a major turn-off to my girls. I know, it is just a normal thing in life, harmless..I understand that but nevertheless, if you are a big flirt, it just ain't gonna happen.

Now, my girls are probably going to kill me if they ever read this but I am being honest here. They have these rules that they don't even realize they have. I am not saying it is a bad thing, at all. It is good to have standards and high ones at that. But how can the poor guys follow the rules when they don't know what they are?
It is just as well because once they know the rules, they have to fill out my husband's application.."Application For Dating My Daughters". Not to mention the interview process. Grueling. Who do you feel more sorry for, the guys or my daughters?