December...at a glance!

What a wonderfully busy month December has been!

The first weekend in December I signed "O, Holy Night" with Hands to Serve (sign group) at Union Hill Baptist Church. It was truly a blessing to help lead worship in that way. I have grown to love signing more that I ever thought I would!

The second weekend, I took the girls to Christmas in the Country (at Union Hill) and they had their Christmas concert at our church on Sunday evening. The music from both was wonderful and we had the chance to take a couple of Brooke's close friends with us. It reminded me of some of my own friends from school!

Between the second weekend and the third weekend, I was SLAMMED! On Wednesday of that week, the girls and I went caroling with the children's group at our church to some of the local nursing homes. It was very bitter sweet as we went to the nursing home that David's grandmother passed away in for the first time since her passing. Brooke (my tender heart), was fine until we turned down "the pink hall." That was when the waterworks started. We were able to find Granny's old roommate from there and it helped a little. The next night was the Christmas program for the kindergarten I where I work. My students are 5 years old and I taught them the sign for "O Holy Night" as I was learning it! BEAUTIFUL! It was almost flawless! I had a couple that were somewhat nervous as we were about to go on, but after reminding them that we were leading in worship and worshiping~not performing~and a prayer they were good to go with no jitters!

The third weekend, I was at Fowler Springs Baptist Church in Blountsville. One of my students attends there and is very, very shy. However, when his music director asked he and I to do our signing after the program, he looked at me and said he would do it if I would! Well, I was certainly not going to let him down at that point as he was taking a HUGE step! It went great and I honestly felt like I had gone back home as I saw people I had not seen in years! However, when the music director introduced me he had to use my maiden name because they didn't know who "Tasha Price" was!

Finally, Christmas! We spent Christmas Eve Day with David's family, went to the church for the service, and then back to Mom's for a while (we did the big family Christmas with them on Saturday). She said that it felt like Christmas even though we all weren't there, just to do something on Christmas Eve. Christmas day was spent at home...I had almost forgotten what this place looked like! LOL! Really, we took the day to relax...that is of course after Leila woke at 6am because she just knew that she heard Santa!

All in all, this has been a great Christmas season. I was blessed with chances to serve that I never thought possible, and look forward to what God has in store for the next year.

I am so excited that the Holidays are here! We have already had a very busy season and from the look of my calendar, there is more to come!

Last weekend we took Leila on her first ever "Mommy and Daddy ONLY" trip! Brooke was on a special trip with David's parents, so we took Leila away! Leila decided to go to Nashville, TN! We walked all around the Gaylord Resorts (beautiful), walked through ICE, and shopped at the Opry Mills Mall! This was built where Opryland used to be! The only thing left of Opryland that I noticed was the Thunder River!

This year we had Thanksgiving at my house! It was great! I did all the cooking and no one died! LOL! Of course, along with the cooking came the cleaning~but it was okay!! Brooke wants to learn to do some "real" cooking, but before we embark on allowing her full range in the kitchen, she has to learn to clean the kitchen. She helped me with the dishes and to make a pumpkin praline cheesecake!

I am so excited about Christmas this year! Already, my tree has been up for two weeks! I have been listening to Christmas music for over a month!!! I plan to fully enjoy the Christmas season this year...in a way I have never enjoyed it before! In the past I have allowed the stress of the goings and comings to take over the true meaning behind all the glitz and bows. Not this year. Taking the time to sit, look at the tree, the ornaments on it, reflect on the birth of Jesus and remind my children about what the season means.

The next few weeks will be slammed...programs, music, wrapping gifts, parties, parades...but rest assured that those things will not overshadow what is important.

Merry CHRISTmas!

Age...Just a Number?

Well, I hit 31 years old with a speed faster than lightening the end of August. 31...just how did that happen? Along with the 31 years, has also come the sagging of areas that were once "perky", the widening of areas that were once narrow, and the wrinkling of areas that were once smooth!

In an attempt to feel and look better, I have joined a local small gym here in town. In the MONTH that I have been working myself into a disgusting smelly sweat I have only lost a few pounds! Keep in mind that I have been eating as many raw foods as possible (salads with tons of veggies, fresh fruit, raw nuts...). When I was in my 20's I could cut back for a few days and drop 5 lbs in a week!

Okay, all that whining aside, there are perks to being in ones 30's. I am thankful to have lived this long, to have two wonderful little girls, and a great husband. The feeling of stability at this point is priceless for me!

For the birthday celebration, David and the girls made sure to include my favorite things...pink roses, chocolate, my favorite perfume, hugs, kisses, and singing! David called from a store on the way home to see what kind of cake/pie/anything that I would like. As I couldn't decide, he bought double chocolate/chocolate chip muffins! We walked in from church to him lighting a candle atop a muffin! The night before, Dave and Leila went to the store to pick out a gift for me (she REFUSED to make me another card this year...in her words "I always have to make Momma a card!"). She presented me with a pink notebook and sparkly ink pen! So I would have somewhere to write the "grocery lists" and stuff!

All in all, even though I am 31, I have a wonderful life that I am so thankful for.

Back in the Saddle

We are back in full swing now! School, work, gymnastics, band, children's choir at church, GA's...yes, life is moving on.

Leila loves her teacher, even though she misses her kindergarten teacher! She has also started gymnastics! Daily she is asking if it is gymnastics day and if not, then how many more days! She will be 7 in October, where did the time go?

Brooke and 6th grade are...well...lets just say that I am not crazy about 6th grade! Mood swings, eye rolling, and crying at the drop of a hat! I am told that it only gets worse! Other than hormonal cry-fests she is great! She is learning to play the flute (which we were able to get a great deal on)! I have enjoyed listening to her practice...even if she is not actually playing any songs yet!

After over a month of preparation I have a my new students and with a week under our belts, I must say that I am looking forward to this school year! They are all so excited! I hear "Mrs. Price...know what?" about 100 times a day, but it is great!

What? Summer is OVER?!

Alas, it is a very sad time in our home. Today we went to meet the girls teachers for the year! Leila's teacher and Brooke's teacher I know very well so no worries about what to expect. They both have their best friends in their classes this year too! As they prepare for this next year, I am preparing as well! Next week I have to go sort out all of the lessons, papers, and put my classroom back together! This has been the very best summer!

I have been reunited with some friends from highschool over the last couple of months. I look at their lives and am so much more thankful for the life I have. I have great in-laws who do everything in their power to make life better for their family. A great husband who just also happens to be the best dad ever! Parents who still teach me about the little things, sisters to keep me grounded, kids to keep it real! The things that I once thought would bring me a feeling of security seem silly now! I get exctied about a new whisk for the kitchen or a book for Leila!

I love Summertime!

There are many things that I love about summer, but one of my favorites is the food! Fresh veggies and fruits just make me happy! I have a very small "token garden" with tomatoes (Better Boys and Tommy Toe), cucumbers, strawberries(out of season now), sun flowers and two massive blueberry bushes!

My father-in-law sent me some of his peaches and I made a cobbler! Yes, from scratch! The girls thought this was very cool! I have been making blueberry muffins and freezing the other fresh blueberries by the quart size bag full for winter!

I am also in the process of putting up other veggies...Corn, peas, green beans, tomatoes...Hmmm, I think I want some soup! LOL!

What to do now?

Leila had another big seizure this morning. We are in between meds at the moment because the first meds made her so weepy and sad. She would start crying out of no where and just knew that all the problems of the world were all her fault...Just don't think that a 6 year old on zoloft to balance out the other meds is going to happen.

Honestly, the whole thing just makes me mad. I have heard people say that this isn't that big of a deal, because the seizures are small and don't leave lesions on her brain...well, it is not your kid either! She is afraid to go to sleep at night, because she might have a seizure! I am a grown up, I could handle something like this better if it was me, but this is a lot for a little girl to deal with.

That being said, I am very much a believer that God doesn't give us more than we can handle without HIM, and that these things make us stronger and help us to learn to depend on God more. I have told Leila this many times, just said it again this morning. At her age, it is hard to comprehend that God can use this as a positive to help others as she grows, and just honestly I am having a hard time looking past the here and now to the great plan that I KNOW God has for my child.

For those of you who do spend time in prayer, please pray for Leila. That we will be able to find the meds that will allow her to have a balanced, healthy, full life. That the doctor's will see her as a person, not "another patient". That we as parents will be strong enough to always point her to God, and that she won't grow up doubting God's love and great plan for her life. And anything else that God lays on your hearts in regards to this situation.

Summer Time Fun!

We started the summer with Brooke's swim meets! She has worked so hard on swim team and loves the personal challenge!

After Vacation Bible School, we went to Disney World! It was a great trip that didn't seem real until we had been there for several days! The girls had a blast meeting all the princesses and of course Mickey himself! Leila has a new big sister, Princess Bell! Brooke just soaked it all in and was all smiles, all the time! We were very excited as our total spending was right around $200 (including food!)...no we didn't eat any real meals, but we were on vacation!

Leila has a new kitten, her name is Oreo. This is the craziest cat in the world, but she is a PURRfect fit for my Leila! Full of energy and wide open!

Brooke's 11th birthday was the first of July, so of course in true David Price fashion there were fire works (as every occasion is an occasion for fire works)! She had two of her closest friends to spend the night so we ate pizza and a cookie cake!

The rest of the summer will be short, but busy with Brooke having two teeth pulled to help her braces, school preperation, and the last min summer funsies!

What's with the snakes!?

I have become the "snake lady"! We had another man eating snake in our back door!

I was on the phone with David one afternoon when the cat started jumping from here to there...at first I found it quite funny! As I went outside to get him and calm him down, I looked over and there it was! MAN EATING SNAKE right at my back door! I went for the hoe! I know, laughter all around, but I believe that snake was going to eat me! As I was beating this snake (which would NOT die), I was trying to get the girls back into the house and crying like a baby. Yes, real tears and everything! When it was all said and done, Brooke said that all she needed was popcorn, as it turns out I must put on a good show crying, and beating a snake with a hoe! I still get chills when I think about this snake! I don't like snakes...at all...

Next time you see a snake, think about the short chick, crying with a hoe in hand! You will at least get a laugh from that! ;)

Painting...

I have started painting again. This time it is my bedroom! As I was painting and covering all those little fingerprints, places where Leila secretly drew on my wall with eyeliner, nics here and there...I thought about how scared and bruised we are on the inside...the hurts that no one else sees because we "paint" over it. I became very aware of the awesome relationship with God. You can paint over whatever you want, but still it is not hidden from God. It gave me such a peace in these days after David's grandmother passing....Romans 8, God knows what we need, when we don't know what to pray...Never thought that painting a room would be what I needed! LOL! ;)

First Graders Rock!

Leila is a first grader now, "for real"! There was a friend of her's that was very sick right before graduation and she was worried that if he didn't go to graduation he would not be able to go to the first grade! LOL! I love the way she thinks! We also had a tea party for Leila's K-5 class!

End of May!

Field Day and Leila's graduation went well! I was even able to eat lunch with her one day~which she loves! Brooke had awards day~she made two "B's" on her report card all year long! Very smart kid!

Field day was an all day "adventure"! This was Leila's first time to have field day, she had no idea what was going on, but was happy to play! Leila also had a friend write her name on her forehead! Crazy kid!

Brooke has developed a bit of a comepetive spirit! She has always been so laid back, so it was rather fun to watch her!

Stats!

Okay Olya, here goes!

THINGS THAT HAPPENED TEN YEARS AGO...
~David graduated from Montevallo~with honors!
~I was working two jobs.
~Brooke was a baby!
~Ate LOTS of PB and J!

FIVE THINGS ON MY "TO-DO" LIST
~Laundry (always)
~Paint Brooke's and Leila's rooms.
~Re-cock the bathtub.
~Leila's K-5 graduation
~Field Day on Monday!

FIVE SNACKS I LOVE
~Chocolate
~Chips and dip
~Popcorn
~Grapes or strawberries with yogurt
~Brownies

IF I WERE A BILLIONAIRE I WOULD...
~Make sure that my parents and Dave's parents were taken care of and didn't have to worry about anything.
~Adopt several children
~Continue to tithe
~Give more to missions
~Set aside money for the girl's college, and a trust fund for when they finish college.
~Buy a home with more closets, a bathroom of my own, and everything will be on one floor!

FIVE BAD HABITS I HAVE...
~Talking too much.
~Staying too busy.
~Not returning phone calls.
~Not balancing my check book to the penny-drives Dave nuts!
~Saying exactly what I think!

FIVE JOBS I HAVE HAD
~Office assistant
~Pizza girl~great tips!
~Cosmetologist
~Teacher
~Teacher's aide

FIVE PLACES I HAVE LIVED
~Louisiana
~Blountsville, Alabama
~Oneonta, Alabama
~Current address, Oneonta, Alabama

A Leila tale!

I have started buying groceries for two weeks at a time. As I make the list to go shopping, I also make a list of the meals I will be fixing, this has proved to save us a good bit of money!

Anyway, we have a marker board on the fridge and I will write the meals for the next two weeks on the board, as we eat those meals I mark them out, or erase them from the board. Well, the board fell off the fridge other day and was laying on the counter. Leila took the marker and started writing on the board (pictures, Auburn signs...). She started asking how to spell "french fries"...then came "chicken"...by the time I looked over at what she was doing she had added French fries and chicken to the list of meals we are to have in the next two weeks! I said, "Leila, I don't remember adding that to the list, do you know how it got there?" With a grin that only means trouble, she replied "Not sure about that myself, but now that it is on "THE LIST" I guess you have to cook it!" The child is six! I couldn't help but laugh! Later she told me that she really wrote in on the board and begged me to make fries and chicken for her at somepoint soon!

Whew! The end of the school year is always busy! This year is no different than anyother!

Last night we had graduation where I teach. It went WONDERFUL! I was so excited as I was in charge of most of the music and had put in sooooo much time! In the next couple of weeks we have choir concerts at church for both the girls, feild day at school, ice cream parties, graduation for Leila from K-5, VBS, and vacation! I think that life might slow down by the end of June! ;)

David's Grandmother

The last several months have been so trying for the Price family (the whole clan). David's grandmother is very sick. She is in the hospital every two weeks at least and her health is going down hill fast. At this point the doctors can't do anything to help her~other than a feeding tube and she doesn't want that.

We are taking advantage of her few moments of clarity...Cracking jokes, telling her stories of past and present, laughing as much as we can. In the moments between, she doesn't know who we are, where she is, and is talking to people who have passed. These are the times that crush Dave and his family. She doesn't understand when she has to be cleaned, changed, given meds, eat...all these things are overwhelming for her and with the amount of pain that she is in, it just makes it all worse.

Please, pray for this family. Granny is saved, I know where she will be going. But it is still hard for them to say goodbye.

Painting, boxes, and washers!

To start this week, the dryer died. Yes, it was a very sad, but not unexpected, day in the Price household! The washer was on its way out as well, so I now have my first EVER, BRAND NEW washer and dryer, never ever used by anyone else but me! To top it off, I was able to pay for it with the money I have saved from working! We own it! It doesn't own us! That is a great feeling!

Leila had a friend spend the night on Friday. They played in the boxes that the washer and dryer came in! No joke! They "decorated" them as the boxes were club houses! Then I let them sleep in them! Keep in mind we have a tent that never gets used, but "Hey! Let's sleep in a box!" It was so much fun for them!

Spring cleaning has hit me hard this year. I have cleaned the carpets, cleaning out clothes, and decided to add painting to my spring cleaning list! We have been here for 7 years and I had only painted one room! Today I started painting the front room...bye-bye ugly pink wall paper! Dave walked in this afternoon and asked me why I was painting... "Because I want to!" He just laughed at me! He is always laughing at me!

Just ramblings!

I think I broke my big toe. Yep, I do believe it is broken...I ask you, how am I supposed to wear "Sunday" shoes and a skirt to work with a broken big toe!? Hahah!! Only me....(sigh)!

It is April! That means that the cold weather is almost over...I know it is not as cold as you guys have, but my bones like warm weather! Plus, we have little to no snow to show for these cold temps.

The massive tree in our front yard is covered in green, and yesterday was covered in honey bees! It was amazing! You could hear the buzz of the thousands of bees covering this tree! It sounded like the tree was humming!! Only God could do something like that...very awesome!

I will be singing again soon. Our adult choir will be doing a praise and worship thing, with a mix of old songs and new praise songs. I miss it so much...I mean I sing all the time, at work, at home...but there is something about singing in church that changes things for me. The time spent rehearsing alone is more of a meditation for me...one of the songs we are singing is from the hymnal, but I can't remember the name. The verse starts " I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean..." I can't stop singing this song!! Helps me remember how blessed I am...Jesus didn't have to stay on that cross...His love for us, His obedience to His father...

Um, I am watching the news as I write this...There is a scientist who has grown human blood, a heart(I saw this little thing beating in a tube!), arteries, bladders in a LAB! Using stem cells! From unborn babies! I am in shock, not a surprised shock, but some sort of shock right now! Don't get me wrong I am all about studying the human body. I think it is amazing, but GOD makes the human body...I just wonder what is going to happen as a result of this. These people are playing GOD! "Creating" or "Growing" human organs!?

Sorry that this is kind of here and there, but my brain is so frazzled right now!

Okay...am going to try and upload some pictures, I haven't been able to make it work thus far...lets see!

This first picture is the 2008 Alabama Baptist All-State Children's Honor's Choir! Brooke was accepted into this group this year and she had a blast! Over 160 children! Beautiful!

The second one is the girls at home using sidewalk chalk! Oh, the joys of chalk! They traced all of our feet going down the sidewalk! Very fun!!

Where to serve?

Well, I have reached a fork in the road, so to speak, regarding where I am supposed to serve and how. After much prayer and thought I have decided to stop teaching GA's and 6th grade Sunday School at church in May.

Why? I have been very...uncomfortable in the roles I currently hold for well over a year now. I love teaching/working in my church...it was ingrained in me from an early age as both of my parents have taught Sunday School all of my life.

The 6th graders need a couple to teach...those boys are entering man-hood and NEED a strong Christian MAN to teach them! At this age, it is very hard for them to respect a woman teaching them...I have noticed this over the last couple of years and though I know it is a natural part of the growth of a boy into a man, it doesn't make it any easier to teach them.

As far as GA's...no one wants to DO anything. Don't get me wrong, the book work and learning about missionaries is great~I LOVE it, but aren't we supposed to be doing missions as well? Life is not book work, it is action filled! To tell you the truth, I don't remember very many of the actual missionaries that we studied about...I do remember the ones I met, and the impact they had on my life. I remember going on mission trips, and realizing that we are all missionaries as Christians. Don't we owe it to these future wives, mothers, teachers, missionaries to do more with and for them? Maybe I am wrong, but I really believe that we are called to action...from the oldest Christian to the youngest Christian.

There have been several other things that have happened in the last year to contribute to this decision.

Knowing that God has plans for my life, and that He will make sure they come to pass, helps. I am just praying about the next step to take here. Is God leading me to another church? Is He leading me to work somewhere else in my current church? I am looking forward to going to a Bible study with other women, and maybe even singing in the "seasonal" music! I do miss choir...

My Spring "Break"

This week has been spring break for me! Now, mind you I did anything but take a break, but a break from work was good!

The beginning of this week started with Dave's grandmother in the hospital. She is old, sick and is not much longer for this world. It is sad to watch Dave's parents hurt (Dave too) and not be able to fix it....I tend to be a bit "man brained" when it comes to "fixing" things! I think I should be able to make is all better! So, I guess it is "mommy~man brain"!! We did have some bright spots in this time...our 3 year old niece on Kaylee, on Dave's side, told her mom that she kicked her papa (David's dad, and she didn't kick him hard) because "I wike to tick people!" Now, I know you aren't supposed to condone ugly behaviour~but it was FFFUUUNNNY! And it broke the tension of the hospital blah! Comic relief!

Wednesday and Thursday were slammed! Crafts in the morning, swimming lessons in the afternoon, church on Wednesday, and company Thursday night for Brooke! I had PLANNED to do some Spring cleaning around here...HA!

I was able to do craft days with Leila's class at school in the mornings! She and I had lunch together, and her teacher let me read to her class. Ha ha, I take a break from my K-5 class only to go to Leila's K-5 class and work some more!! It did mean alot to me to be there with her! Of course, she begged to come home with me both days, but still!

Brooke has started swim team! She had clinic this week after school. She has a swimmers body, and I am sure that if she ever grows out of this lanky awkward phase she will be great! LOL! Really, I think she will do great and so does the coach. Just needs training.

I am now gearing up for Easter on Sunday! I wish you guys could be here...I would love to see the girls hunt eggs at "The Grammie's" house! Miss you much Coker Family!

Man Eating Snake!

As we came in from school today, we noticed that our cat was messing with something on the sidewalk. We thought it was a bug or something because of all the leaves...guess what! It was a SNAKE! For the record, I am not one of those "nature" lovers who think that snakes are cool, beautiful, or "neat". I HATE snakes! I am terrified of them!

So anyway...Leila steped on this thing and realized that it was not, in fact, a rope. I heard the girls scream "SNAKE!!!" and went running. By this time the snake was semi out of it because of the fight with the cat and Leila stepping on it. Looking around franticly and could not find anything to kill it with...so I used Brooke's crutch. After I felt the snake was dead, I found a stick and with my arm straight out in front of me and the snake hanging from the end of the stick, I moved FAR from the house.

Now, in the mean time I had called my father in law so he could come over and tell me what kind of snake this sucker was. When he drove up, he found me "guarding" the snake for fear that it would come back alive and try to eat me! Being the man that he is he had to find a stick of his own to poke the snake! Then he got the snake on his stick and acted like he was going to come at me with it...While he was doing that the snake turned his head to Cecil and opened his mouth! AHAHAH! I ran screaming! Again, I HATE snakes. Cecil then killed the snake for good...now it can't kill me and eat me.

Oh, and he also said that the snake was a harmless garder snake...but I don't believe him. All snakes are deadly, I kill myself trying to get away from them!

Here is whishing everyone a snake free day.

Children's Honors Choir!

Alabama Baptist All-State Children's Honor Choir was great! There were over 160 children (4th to 6th grade) from all over the state of Alabama and my Brooke was one of them! These kids had to audition and were hand picked to sing in this group!

The first rehersal blew me away! These kids have been having scattered rehersals for a couple of months now, but had not all been together...let me tell you, it sounded like they had been singing together forever! Angles!! These kids also learned sign language to one song, AND movement/sign language to another song in ONE night! I was amazed! Oh, and the director had these kids (all 160 something of them) line up from shortest to tallest without talking! No joke, they reall did it! Without talking!

All of the music that they performed was about God, and the things He has done. They sang in a mall and though there were alot of parents there, I saw many people who stopped to listen as they were walking thru the mall! This was like a mini choir tour/mission trip for these kids! Who knows the impact they could have had on someone just by singing about God and His love!? The kids also sang in a couple of other churches.

My friends Rory and Jamie Amos met us in Florence (mall show), to hear them (meaning Brooke, Rory and Jamie are honorary uncle and aunt!) and see us! It was great to see them again, but Rory and I still can't sit by each other without getting into trouble for talking and fussing!! LOL! Really, it was great to see them and it meant so much to me that they were there!

Snow + 160 kids = exausted adults! On Friday night when it was snowing (at 10:30) some of the kiddos went outside and ran around screaming with joy over the snow! Haha, too funny! I was lucky, my girls were happy to stay in the room nice and cozy! I did take their picture the next morning in the pittiful dusting that we had there! I will be posting some of the pictures...I just wish you all could hear them! Amazing, I tell you, amazing!

This trip took me back so much! Singing, no sleep, tour busses, kahki pants...and to have a child who loves this as much as I do...it was very cool!