Try and Try Again

Trying to get back into the blogging again....I really do have good intentions!  I've bought a new camera, though, so I'm hoping that will be my new kindled inspiration!

Pinterest

Pinterest is my new addiction.....I. Love. It.  It's a bookmarking site but with visual thumbnails.....and it's all organized into little interest boards that you can categorize.  I have boards for my house, school, clothes, dreams, Rylee Grace, vacations.....I think that's all.  And, you can follow boards of interest, like Southern Living is my favorite for dreaming!  Check out my Pinterest page by clicking on the red "P" in the side bar! 

It's HOT!

It has been REALLY hot here!  We have been trying to stay cool by swimming in the pool, but even the water in the pool is hot! 

Yesterday, Rylee and I had to run to Texarkana.  We were walking in Target and she said, "Mommy, who makes it hot outside?"  I said, "Well, I guess God does, since God made the world."  She thinks for a minute and says, "Well, can we call him and ask him to make it cooler?" 

Oh, how I wish it was that simple!

My Favorite Things

Oprah can have favorite things, so why can't I!? I just won't be giving them away! They make my life easier and thought maybe you would find something to help you ease your pain, as well!

My Droid X.....I LOVE IT! In fact, I love it so much that I can not see myself switching to the much anticipated Verizon iPhone rumored to release early next year! I do wish all of the apps for iPhone were available for Droid, but it's improved so much since I got this little jewel, that I think it will only get better and apps will steadily increase!

Some of my favorite apps:

iSyncr App syncs my iTunes playlists right to my Droid X phone! (That was my only hangup about the Droid......iSyncr makes life easy!)

Catch Notes app lets me take pictures, notes or voice notes and save them in one place. If I see something online that I like, I can send it to my Catch page and it will save it. I can tag items, also. For instance, this year during the school year, I think of things I want to purchase for next year with my district money. How will I ever remember? I take a picture and send it to "Catch" and tag it as "Classroom Wish List". Next summer when I'm getting my purchase requests ready, I can pull up the tag "Classroom Wish List" and see all of the items I used the most during the year! It's also been great for Christmas! If I see something in a newspaper ad, or on the shelf in the store, I take a picture, send it to Catch and label it "Christmas2010".

iRecord app lets me record students' reading assessments. I save them to my computer and I can go back and listen to progress being made......I can also use it to let parents hear specific concerns. Love it!

Pandora App on my phone! Listen to anything......anywhere.....well, as long as you have cell service! :)

My Kindle app lets me read books on my phone! I love it! What am I reading now? Double Cross by James Patterson!

Around the house...................

My Dirt Devil! This is the only vac that I have found that will suck up dirt on a wood floor without slinging it everywhere!

Of course, my iPod touch is not complete without my iLuv home player! I have my Christmas music on my iPod and play it all over the house with my iLuv player! My other favorite thing to do is attach my Belkin auxiliary chord to my Verizon Droid X phone and click on my "Pandora" app and stream my Christmas music from my phone! It's such a must-have! (I have one in my classroom, also! And I bought both really cheap off of eBay!)

During this cold weather, our noses get so dry! Aunt Cherrye, who is also a Registered Nurse, suggested this product for Rylee! We LOVE it! It soothes her nose (and mine too) when it's runny and stuffy!

My next favorite things are those Crock-Pot liners! Have mercy! Why has nobody told me about these things before!!!! I made chocolate covered goodies for my kids at school and dreaded cleaning out the crockpot after melting our chocolate! Enter Crock Pot Liners! Just pick the liner up out of the pot after using and ..........

Voila!.......No cleaning at ALL!!!! LOVE that!!!!

My Favorite iPod apps:

Dropbox app - syncs my documents from my computer, to my laptop at school and to my ipod or even my phone!

iWrite Words Lite - Rylee's favorite! She can trace letters and make words. It says the letter then ultimately the word she makes!

eBay mobile - on both my phone and iPod - so I can find those good deals!

K12 Timed Reading - for school - I can select students who are struggling with reading to add to this app. They can take the ipod to their desk and read the stories. The app times their reading and tells me how many words per minute.

Words with Friends or WordFeud (Droid) - scrabble type game to play with real opponents! Super addictive!

A True Blessing

Kacey Tinsley Young is a dear friend who experienced some tough times a few years ago. She blogs and has posted about her experience and about her faith in God. It is a true blessing to read. I'm sure she will not care that I linked her post to my blog. Visit her blog, here.

Greasesorber

What on earth is Greasesorber? Well, go to the link on my sidebar, read about it and vote! It was created by Nashville, Arkansas folks.....Terri McJunkins, being one. Voting ends on August 31. If they are in the top 10 of most votes received during the month, they will receive $50,000 to go toward the production of their product! Terri says they plan to package it right here in Nashville, AR at the Howard County Children's Center (employment opportunities, folks)!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it.....WHAT?

I was outside today in my short-sleeved shirt with sweat on my forehead as it was 70 degrees here. I looked over and got tickled at my flag which reads "Let it Snow". I thought - yeah right. Although - the forecast for Monday is 40 degrees with winter precipitation.......we'll see.

Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

with pretty roses, and.....

beans and corn

and tomatoes, all in a row.

Much needed break!

Roy and I spent a nice, much-needed-weekend-away in Hot Springs. We stayed at the Arlington and attended way too many basketball games! LOL We had a really nice time. We searched for "treasures" all day Saturday at some of the many flea markets in Hot Springs. Rylee Grace stayed with BecBec and Nan. They had a ball with her, but I think they were glad to see us Sunday!

Okay......maybe Spring is NOT here.......

Mar 6 Today
Cloudy skies with rain developing and possibly a thunderstorm during the afternoon. High 47F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Mar 6 Tonight
Rain and a few thunderstorms early changing to snow after midnight - it will be heavy at times. Some sleet may mix in. Low 32F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches.
Mar 7 Tomorrow
Snow during the morning will transition to snow showers during the afternoon. Cold. High 39F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 90%. 2 to 4 inches of snow expected.

I'm pregnant!!!

Okay - now that I've got your attention, this is not a recent exclamation, but an anniversary of such.........

A year ago today, we found out Ms. Rylee Grace would become a member of our family! We have had lots of fun over the past year - a few scares and stressful moments, but mostly times of fun and excitement. As Rylee grows every day, we continue to enjoy the excitement that comes with having such a joy in our lives!