'Tis the Season!

I know, I know, Christmas is over now and this post is late, but I still thought I would share, since Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I just love the closeness of family and all the classic traditions such as a tree, good food, and present giving.

We were a bit late in getting our tree this year, because we all had the flu and none of us felt like doing much of anything. We knew the flu was going around the school, then Isaac and Abbi both ended up having it at around the same time. I went to stay with Hannah in hopes that I wouldn't catch it, but I ended up coming home feeling sick. It took us a couple of weeks to get over, but we were finally rid of it and were able to enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

{Our beautiful tree!}

I had tons of Christmas gift ideas pinned on Pinterest, so a week before school was out, I sifted through them all trying to decide what to give to Abbi's teachers and other school staff. I decided on Cinnamon Dough ornaments, which turned out to be very easy and fun! I made the ornaments a couple of days before the last day of school, then Abbi and I painted them the night before. I am still kicking myself for not taking a picture of them, they came out really cute and the teachers loved them. I was disappointed that the season flew by so fast this year and I didn't get to try more cute Pinterest ideas. Oh well, there is always this year!

I also paired the ornaments with a baggie of homemade candy. It is what we call Rocky Road candy and it is so quick and easy to make. Someone that worked with my mother gave her the recipe years ago, and we have made it ever since. I'll include the recipe at the bottom of this post so you can try it for yourself! It is not just a Christmas treat, it can be made all year round.

Abbi's was also in a Christmas play at school. It was called "A Dickens of a Christmas", and it was basically their version of "A Christmas Carol". She was chosen to be the Ghost of Christmas Present. The description for the character was perfect for her; brown curls, bright cheeks, and jolly personality. Yep, that's our girl! She wasn't very excited at first, but once we started getting the costume together, her excitement grew. The night of the play, momma curled her hair and I added a little blush, sparkly eyeshadow, and lip gloss. She looked absolutely perfect and her art and music teachers (who put the play together) gushed over her costume. I lost my camera, but I was able to snap some pics with my phone.

{In her costume and holly wreath made by momma and I}

All the kids worked very hard and it paid off! We really enjoyed the play and songs. Our girl only had 3 lines but several people patted her on the back as we left, telling her what a good job she did. We were all very proud!

Christmas dinners were a little different this year. Usually we do Christmas Eve at my Nanna's, then Christmas Day at the church with Granny and family. This year, my Aunt Linda had to work Christmas Eve, so we just did both dinners on Christmas Day. Overall I think it was a little better this way, because I only had one night of cooking to do, and we got both dinners done in one day. Also, we were able to have Christmas Eve free to spend with just the 5 of us.

As usual, the kids were spoiled with presents (especially Abbi lol). But the good thing is they truly appreciate it and don't act spoiled (most of the time).

We are all looking forward to a new year and some exciting things to come! :)

Rocky Road Candy

ingredients:

1 package of Chocolate Bark (or Almond Bark, if you prefer)

1 small container of party peanuts

1 bag of minature marshmallows 

Just melt the bark according to package directions, then add marshmallows and peanuts. Stir until everything is coated with chocolate, then pour onto wax paper to harden. Once it is hard and cool, break into bite sized pieces and place into a ziploc baggie or individual treat baggies. Enjoy! Trust me, it won't last long. It sure doesn't in our house! *You could add just about anything you like, but this version is our favorite! Simple, quick, and easy. 

Family Pictures & Updates

Since it's been a while, thought maybe I should do a quick little update on my family. Not much has changed, but there have been a few things that are worth mentioning.

I'll start with Abbi. She is 9 going on 15 haha. Seriously she is so much like a moody teenager sometimes! I have a feeling we are going to be in for even more moodiness and attitude when she does hit her teens! But even though she is moody most days, she has her moments too. Most days she is funny, kind-hearted, and gets along with everybody (except her big brother haha). She loves any kind of animal. Owls, cows, pugs, and kittens are her favorites. Her teachers brag on her every year about just how sweet she is. She doesn't hang with just one group, like most 4th grade girls. She will hang out and get along with just about anybody in her grade. She works hard and tries her best in all her subjects, and she loves to read. She is in gifted class this year, too. I am so proud of how smart and well rounded she is. She can be dramatic and moody, but we love her all the same!

{I can never take a serious picture with her, she loves to make crazy faces!}

Speaking of moody teenagers, that is exactly what Isaac is. He became a freshman in high school in August, and also turned 14 on August 28th. He is smart and funny, and still loves his computer and Xbox. We can hardly get him out of the house except for school or anything else he absolutely has to do. He's tall too, outgrowing momma and I both. He still has that signature red hair that was probably the cause of his wild and mean streak back in the day. He still picks on his sisters, but he has gotten a lot better and matured somewhat. I love that I can be my crazy goofy self around him and Abbi both and I won't get judged for it. 

{The most recent picture I have of him, taken on my birthday in June. His hair is much longer now. Being a teenager apparently means you can't have your picture taken!}

As for me, nothing much to update. Since my grandfather passed away in May of 2011, I have only attended one semester of school. It's been rough, but I will eventually finish and get my teaching degree in Early Childhood Care & Education. Little things have gotten in the way, but they are only speed bumps. I am determined. I know he wouldn't want me to give up, and I want to make him and the rest of my family proud. So with my free time I have just been enjoying my family and keeping up my hobby of crochet, even turning it into a tiny little business for myself. It's not much, but I get a little extra spending money here and there. 

In the summer we had family pictures made. Granny had a photographer come to the church and bought us a ticket for 1 free photo. Then of course when you get there they talk you into doing a few more so you will have options to choose from. It was a disaster almost to get us all there, and then we showed up a couple of hours late. We were a mess, but somehow we pulled ourselves together enough to smile and look like we hadn't just been at each others throats haha. We rarely take pictures of the 5 us together, so I was really happy we got to do it. 

I love them all. Especially the one of all of us kids, and the one of momma and daddy. Daddy is actually smiling instead of scowling like he usually is! Haha.

That's all for now! I hope to continue to do better about posting more often! :)

Changes

I have got to stop making promises I can't keep. I keep saying that I'm going to post more, but it just doesn't happen. This post is going to be about changes, as the title says. Changes that have happened and changes that I want to happen on this blog. 

One of the biggest changes was losing my sweet Grandpaw Don. He had been suffering from throat and lung cancer, severe COPD, diabetes, and congestive heart failure for about a year and a half. On April 11th he went to the doctor because of excess fluid. The doctor examined him and it didn't take long for him to determine he needed to be taken to the hospital. He was at Floyd Hospital from the 11th of April until the 22nd when we decided to move him to Redmond to try a new treatment called aquapheresis. He hated Redmond and we hated to move him there, but we had heard wonderful things about aquapheresis and it sounded like the perfect thing to help get some of the fluid off of him that wouldn't come off with diuretics. Eventually we learned that he was just too sick for modern medicine to make him better. On May 4th they brought him home at around 8 or 9 that night by ambulance. My momma, nanna, and I spent all day making things perfect for him at home while my aunt waited with him at the hospital. Momma and nanna went to the store and bought everything they could think of that would make him more comfortable, and I stayed at nanna's and made his favorite meal of veggie soup and cornbread. I also made chocolate cake since he had been craving more sweet things lately. When Abbi got home from school she picked him a boquet of honeysuckle and roses from his rose bush. I will never forget that big smile on his face when they opened the door of the ambulance. He was finally home.

On May 5th, 2011 at around 6:30 a.m., my precious grandfather took his last breath. I knew his soul had left this Earth and that only his body remained. He had assured us he was ready to go, but it was still so hard for us to accept. I prayed that I could be strong for my family, but it was hard. And some days it still is.

On a lighter note, I am very excited about updating my blog more often. I have discovered this awesome website called Pinterest, and it is pretty amazing. If you haven't heard of it or haven't joined yet, you totally should! It is basically an online pinboard where you can "pin" all kinds of recipes, crafts, and other cool ideas that will change your life. I was skeptical at first, but once I joined and started pinning, I couldn't get enough. I visit the site at least once a day, and have a collection of recipes, crafts, and beauty tips that are organized on their own boards.

I am very excited to share with you the pins that I use the most and hope they will work for you and your family as well as they do for me and mine!

In the last post, I created a little list of goals for myself. I don't know if this will be something I keep in the future, but I feel I should update you on my progress (or lack of) since I last posted.

-devote more time to crafts: I have materials to make things, whether it's crochet or sewing, but haven't done either one. My sewing machine is still in the box. I want to make at least one sewing project this month. I have done really well with this goal!  made one sewing project, and started selling my crochet things locally and in a small store near my town. :)

-help out around the house more: I don't have a set chore list, but I would like to help out more. Even if it's just loading the dishwasher or doing a load of laundry, I want to get back to it. I used to do it a lot, but I get burned out when I am the only kid around here helping out. I am happy to report improvement with this goal as well! I have started making an effort to help my mother around the house more. Not that I never did it before, but like I said, it gets a little boring. 

-stop staying up so late!!: I have turned myself into a night owl, staying up until at least 2 every morning. That usually ends with me sleeping the day away the next day. I would like to set a bedtime for myself lol. My goal is to be in by by at least 11 every night Eh, I don't think I have done too well with this. And it's not just me, it's all five of us. I have done better about going to bed on weekdays, but on weekends we stay up waaaayyyy too late! This  is a goal that definitely needs to be worked on! 

I suppose that's all for now. And this time I won't make a promise that I'll be back, because I always jinx myself. I'll just say "see you soon!". :)

Happy Birthday Abbi!

That's right. My baby sister turned 8 years old just about a week ago. It's hard to believe that 8 years has flown by so fast, and I am so proud of the little person she has become :). She wanted to have her party at a local skating rink, but we always wait til' too late to call. So we convinced her to go to CiCi's Pizza and the movies with 2 of her closest friends from school.

The celebration started the day before her actual birthday with cupcakes at her school at lunch. The funny thing was that it was her best friends birthday also so her mother brought cupcakes to school as well. All the kids were asking me where I bought our cupcakes, and were shocked when I told them they were homemade lol.

The next day was a Saturday, so we picked up the cake and the two girls that were going with us, and headed to Rome to eat at CiCi's. Aunt Joy and Uncle Tim came and brought cousins Hannah and Emily, and even Hannah's Tyler was able to come over during his lunch break. We ate pizza and cake, about went broke playing games in the arcade, and finally decided on a movie. Hannah, Joy, Tim, and Emily decided to join us. Tim went with Momma and Daddy to see "True Grit", while the rest of us girls went to see Tangled. It was Emily's first time going to a movie, and Tangled was the perfect movie to see. It definately made the top five of my favorite Disney movies :). After the movie was over, we stopped by for a late night snack at McDonald's and then took the girls home. Abbi and her friends had fun, and all got along great, which we were thankful for.

Abbi's adorable cake! It was made by a girl who also does our hair sometimes. It was absolutely perfect and exactly what Abbi wanted!

Abbi and her best friends at CiCi's Pizza. From the left is Belle, Abbi, then Gretchen.

above: Abbi and her cousin Emily :)

So my cousin Sarah is the one who inspired this blog, and on her blog she posts monthly goals. Since it is the begining of Feburary, I have decided to make a little list of goals for myself. I have gotten a little lazy (okay maybe a lot lazy) lately, and maybe writing out what I want/need to do will help me stay motivated.

-devote more time to crafts: I have materials to make things, whether it's crochet or sewing, but haven't done either one. My sewing machine is still in the box. I want to make at least one sewing project this month.

-help out around the house more: I don't have a set chore list, but I would like to help out more. Even if it's just loading the dishwasher or doing a load of laundry, I want to get back to it. I used to do it a lot, but I get burned out when I am the only kid around here helping out.

-stop staying up so late!!: I have turned myself into a night owl, staying up until at least 2 every morning. That usually ends with me sleeping the day away the next day. I would like to set a bedtime for myself lol. My goal is to be in by by at least 11 every night.

At the end of the month I'll post and report my progress with each goal.

Christmas and Crafts

Okay you can say it. I am officially the worst blogger ever! It has been months since my last post, but I am hoping that I can do better this year :). Especially since I am taking this semester off and I won't be watching American Idol on Tuesdays and Wednesdays lol. But I just can't watch it now that Simon is gone :(.

You're probably wondering why in the world I would take a semester off from school when I am so close to having my Associates degrees in Early Childhood Education? Well as you know my grandfather has not been doing too well the past few months. Lately he has kinda taken a turn for the worse. Even though his recent scan showed that the cancer in his lungs has not spread any further, he has been feeling weaker and more nauseous. The scan also showed some problem with his pancreas, which is probably causing his nausea. So when I missed the deadline for school, I took it as a blessing. I am going to take this time to be with him and cherish what time I have with him. Someone told me recently that they thought it said a lot about me that I was taking off to help out. He has been there for me for every single thing in my life, so it only makes sense that I would be there for him in this time of need. I can't do much, but even if it's something simple like making him an apple pie or just watching t.v. with him, I am going to be there. It makes me want to cry while writing this, because I cannot imagine what life will be like without him. Please keep him and my family in your prayers.







This picture is a blurry, but I still wanted to share. It was taken on Grandpaw's birthday this year when we took him to the doctor. We were waiting for my aunt to pull the car around, and when momma came out of the bathroom she decided to take our picture with her phone in front of all the beautiful poinsettas in the lobby of the doctor's office.




There is some exciting news in our life as well. My cousin Sarah is having a baby girl in April! My mother and I are so excited for baby Ansley to arrive. I got a sewing maching for Christmas and I am super excited to try it out and start making things for my new baby cousin. We have also been going over ideas for her baby shower. I have been looking at cakes, food, favors, invitations, and anything else to do with baby showers. I have even bought a few things already, but I can't reveal too much because Sarah reads this blog ;). I know that she has waited a long time for a 2nd child, and now her, her husband Tyler, and precious little man Garyn will be blessed with what I am certain will be a beautiful baby girl.


I have been working hard on my crochet, and am proud of the progress I have made since I started. Everything that was so confusing when I started seems so easy now! I was a little worried about getting the scarves done for Christmas gifts, but I finished just in time.

The first one I made was for my cousin Lorna. She said purple was her favorite color. This is made with a double crochet and it was my favorite of all the scarves. I love the color and I think it will look great on Lorna.

The second one was for my cousin Kaysie-Lee. She also said she like purple, so I went with a lighter color purple for her. This one is made with a combination of a treble (triple) and a double stitch.

The third one was for my cousin Lauren. She wanted blue. By the time I started this one, I was getting a little panicky because it was only a couple weeks til Christmas. It was also made with a treble/double combination.

The last one was for my cousin Emily. I only less than a week to finish this one and I was worried about the way it would look. I wanted to finish it and make it look just as good as the others. And red was her favorite color, which was the perfect color for Christmas. This one was made with a treble because it's a taller stitch, and it helped me finish it quicker.


Other than the stress of getting all the scarves finished, we had a beautiful Christmas. Our tradition is always to do Christmas Eve with my momma's side of the family at my Nanna's, and then Christmas Day at the church with Granny and my daddy's family. Nanna's was filled with food, good times, and wonderul presents. It snowed Christmas morning and there was some concern with ice on the roads, but everyone made it safely to the church. Christmas at Granny's is always loud and chaotic but definatley fun. We got two of my youngest cousins a Nerf dart gun, and the adults ended up having just as much fun with them as the kids. My 2 older cousins Wally and Mandy had a big fight with them lol.



My Granny Polly had been in the hospital the week before, and we were all glad she was feeling better and made it to the celebration!


The snow was so beautiful on Christmas and just last week we were blessed with snow again. The roads were icy, so a lot of the stores and schools closed for a few days. We all had a bit of cabin fever but otherwise it has been great. I didn't get out in it too much, but I did go out one day and build a snowman with Abbi and Daddy. We enjoyed many batches of snow cream and have enjoyed looking at the snow, but I am ready for it to melt and for things to warm up around here!



If you would like to see more Christmas, snow, or other pictures of me and my family, you can see them here.

Well I think that should hold you for now. I'll post again within the next few weeks. I promise!!

Family Reunions and Field Trips

Hey again! I know I say every time that I am going to do better about posting, but then I get sidetracked. Anyway, I'm here now and there are a few things to tell you about.

First thing would be our annual Wright Family Reunion at Campy Hamby in Menlo. There weren't as many people there as usual, but the ones that did show up had a great time catching up. Hannah, Joy, and Tim didn't get to stay long because Tim's brothers were in town and they had to go visit with them. But I did get to see Hannah for a few minutes. I haven't seen her in forever and the time I got with her was great. All the little cousins had fun running around and playing together while the adults sat around chatting. I would love to post all my pictures, but adding pictures is kind of a pain, so I will only give you a few.

(from left: Lorna, me, Hannah, and Sarah)

Me, Hannah, and Mandy

Sarah and Garyn

Abbi

My classes started at GA Northwestern Technical College on the 28th. I thought I was going to have 3, but it turns out I didn't need one so my load got dropped down to 2. I have had a little stress about getting the books I need, but other than that things are going smoothly so far. Good news is I only have about 3 more classes and my Internship and I will have my Associates degree in Early Childhood Education.

Even with my school starting back I have found time to volunteer in Abbi's classroom. All the kids were so excited to see me again and I am glad to be back. I have had a great time working with small groups, putting up pictures in the hall for the teachers, and just enjoying all the little moments and funny things they say. The kids are out for Fall Break Oct. 1-11th, and I will miss them, but know that they will have a great break and then come back ready and eager to learn again.

2nd grade went on it's first field trip to the New Echota museum and historic site on the 24th. Momma and I got lost following the buses (they go too fast!) and had to stop a few times and ask for directions, but eventually we made it there. It was so hot and dusty and at first and the 3 of us were ill and sweaty. But once we started visiting the building and enjoying the trip things got better. Afterwards we went to lunch at Cracker Barrel and finally made it home safely.

Since the kids will be out for Fall Break for a few days, we have been thinking about taking another vacation. This time to the Smoky Mountains. It is Momma's favorite place to visit because it is so close to home and so beautiful in the Fall. If Grandpaw Don is doing good, we plan to pack up in our new Excursion and visit the Smokies a few days.

Speaking of Grandpaw Don, he has been doing better lately. He felt kinda bad last week, but this week he has felt pretty good. He still keeps that smile on his face and remains in good spirits. We are all treasuring our time with him and just taking it day by day. He has been able to get out a little. The other day my aunt took him to get his hair cut, and then today he went to the doctor to get a flu shot. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Well I think that's all for now. I'm sorry if this post has been a little random and scattered. If we do end up going to the Smokies, I will try to do a post when we get back. If not, I'll post again when I can.

If you wanna see more Wright Family Reunion, New Echota, or other pics of my crazy family, you can do so here.

Prayers

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while but things have been a bit hectic around here. Between school starting back and Grandpaw Don being sick, I haven't had much free time.

School has been in session for a few weeks now. Abbi started 2nd grade, and Isaac is in 7th. Abbi got Mrs. Lori Spraggins. We got a chance to go meet her a few days before school started. She has been teaching for 14 years and was so sweet. Abbi and her best friend Belle have been in the same classroom since Kindergarten, so she was excited that they were once again together and even got to sit side by side the first few days. Isaac is not too enthusiastic about 7th grade, but has had no complaints either except for a heavier homework load. All in all the first few weeks have gone good, and I am very proud of both of them.

I tried to take Abbi's picture the morning before she left for school, but she was too eager not to be late, but I do have this picture, which was taken after we met her teacher.

A couple of weeks ago I got to go stay with Hannah in her new apartment in Rome. She is getting along well with her roommates (who were friends of hers already) and seems to be adjusting very well. She is excited about school starting on the 23rd, and even applied at a few stores at Mount Berry Square for a job. I miss her not being so close, because I know our visits will be less frequent, but I am excited for her and know that this will only make our time together more precious. I am just glad that she decided to stay close to home instead of going off to Savannah to Armstrong Atlantic.

As you know my Grandpaw Don has not been doing very well since last October. He has been hospitalized twice since then and had many doctor visits and tests. They have determined that he has cancer. There are 2 spots, one on his lung, and one in his throat, but they aren't sure where it began. He also has severe infazema/COPD and a lot of fluid. We took him back to Dr. Voccio (the pulmonologist) the other day and he gave him lasixs and potassium for the fluid and a nebulizer machine to help his cough. He is still on his oxygen and has also been diagnosed with diabetes. We all know that we will not have him around for much longer, so we are trying to spend as much time as possible with him. Momma has even changed her postion at work to part-time, and I am even considering taking a few semesters of school off. We know there are more important things right now, and I know I will have plenty of time to finish school later. We are all taking this very hard and cannot imagine what life will be like without him around. He has always beeen there for my Nanna, my mother and her siblings, and then for me, Isaac, and Abbi. He picked us up everyday for school up until he got sick, and paid us for all our good grades. Everytime he went to the store for my Nanna he always had a treat for us when he came back. He has encouraged me through college and has always been genuinely interested in what classes I was taking. He is the best and sweetest grandpaw and it hurts to see him suffer. Please continue to keep him and my family in your prayers.

Left: Peach pies requested by Grandpaw Don. Nanna has a huge tree in her yard that is full of them. We had so many peaches and they were rotting very quickly. I put some in the freezer, made peach preserves, and then grandpaw asked me to make him a peach pie because "no one else knows how to make one around here". They turned out a lot better that I thought they would, and they were so beautiful I just had to take a picture of them!

On a lighter note, momma and I have started putting some things away for Christmas presents. Isaac and Abbi haven't given us their lists yet, but we've bought a few little things for stocking stuffers and things such as that. I am hoping that maybe we can have most of it finished by the time Christmas gets here, and then just have a few last minute things to buy. I don't know why, but I am so excited for Christmas and just cannot wait for it to get here!

I think that's enough for now. Maybe I won't take so long to write my next post.