Jack's 1st Kill

The Hartman family had a pretty relaxed weekend, mostly consisting of eating junk food and watching football. One monumental event did happen, however. Jack made his first kill. I have provided pictures of the event...the before and after.

I know a certain mother-in-law who has some major sewing/surgery/patching up to do!! :)

Before

Midday

After the kill

In time-out with Randy

Count Your Blessings

Since it is now officially fall, and fall is a season to 'count your blessings', I thought I would include some things I am thankful for...

First of all, Randy is finally enjoying some (and I mean "SOME") downtime from all those tests. His schedule has been a little better recently, and it makes me very happy for him. That boy works so hard, and he deserves a little break every now and then. And he unloaded the dishwasher last night...for that I am very thankful!

Most of you know that I have had some difficult days teaching. Well, yesterday one of my 7th grade students talked about the city school she attended last year. (I won't mention the name of it, just in case...). Anyways, she said students would slash the tires of their teachers' cars, threaten to harm them, etc. One teacher had her weave pulled out so many times that she finally got a wig and would pull it off herself to show the students that that particular mean trick was not going to work anymore. She also told me about one day when one of the middle schoolers, yes middle schoolers, got into a fight (a physical fight) with a substitute teacher! Wow. By the time she told me that most of her friends served time in juvenile court for things that happened at school, I was saying a million thanks in my head for the teaching position I have. The students were even saying how grateful THEY are to be in such a great school.

And, finally, I am thankful for Jack. He is the epitome of a stinker, but at the same time greets me every morning in the cutest way possible. What I am most thankful of with Jack is that he has been attacking Randy more than me lately...and that he can no longer eat my bamboo plant! :)

Upgrade

He did it!....my dad has finally bought a truck!

Those of you that understand my dad and the trucks of his past, you will be happy to know that he is now the owner of a 2001 navy blue Dodge Ram, extended cab, and apparently pretty big (I have yet to see it). We are so proud of him...now all he has to do is keep it looking nice.

Easier said than done. I thought I would go down memory lane for just a minute to talk about my dad's past trucks. First of all, this is the first automobile he will drive that has air! I have been told that his first car didn't even have windshield wipers! what?! The truck I remember best was a Ford. It was red, rusty, had one of those Indian fabric looking seat covers, a hole in the floorboard between the pedals, and plenty of crazy noises to go with it. Several of my friends got to experience it breaking down, which became the norm. Nevertheless, I was the ultimate daddy's girl falling asleep on his shoulder, always, always sitting in the middle seat. We would always listen to Christian music...I remember one Christmas riding in the truck to Cookeville and being packed to the brim with blankets and quilts because it had no heat. Eventually, he painted that truck camo with spray paint and sold it, and got another red truck- which quickly got roughed up with dings and scars.

The past several years he has been driving my old Explorer, which just does not fit him at all. He is a truck man and always will be. Those of you that do not know my dad may think this all is silly, but those that DO know, you understand how monumental this occasion is...Way to go, Dad!

Mother Goose's Landing

Only a mom can come to visit and by the time she has left, make you feel as though you were the one receiving the hospitality.

After a crazy, mad school day on Friday...(9 teachers were out of school, 3 without subs, 1 being an art teacher....which meant I had an average of about 35 students in my classes with only 26 desks)...I picked up my mom and we headed home. As Randy liked to say, the Mother Goose landed around 5:45 on Friday evening. She rode down with her neighbor for the weekend and I was so excited about having a house guest (even though we had no bed for her to sleep in, only a couch).

We picked up Randy and headed to, where else?, Central BBQ for some barbeque nachos, spicy wings, and rack of ribs. Two hours later, we were stuffed to the brim and on the couch watching a movie. Saturday morning my mom and I woke up and walked along the river to Miss Cordelia's for breakfast, and even though my mom lost the cash she stuck in her sock, we had a wonderful time. We had a lot of fun watching all the people with their babies, dogs, funny outfits, etc.

The rest of the day was spent at the Germantown Festival (Randy stayed on the couch with Jack all day trying to recover from being sick). This festival was the real deal...so crowded with tents, people, crafts, food, dogs, you name it...it was there. We ate some amazing crepes and then started picking through the tents. I came home with some wire pumpkins to decorate for fall and a little flower pot with bamboo to try and grow in the apartment. My aunt Sandi spent the day with us, surprised me with a cute little Christmas plaque, and by the time we rode the shuttle back to the car and all got home, we were spent!

That night we made some yummy homemade pizza and watched the Buckeyes (O-H-I-O) play a good game but lose to USC in the end...I think I was asleep for the 3rd and most of 4th quarter.

Sunday morning we had baked oatmeal and coffee before making caramel cupcakes, which took about 2 hours but tasted great! The end of the weekend consisted of a yummy meal at Sandi and Jack's home and the dropping off of Mother Goose to ride back to Nashville with her neighbor.

Now that the study/guest room is broken in, I hope we have more family come and visit soon!

Labor Day Weekend: Highlights

I'm keeping this post short (well, the writing part...I've got lots of photos to share) and limiting myself to only the highlights of the Labor Day Weekend. Randy and I drove to Nashville and I talked to middle school students at FRA about my artwork since I am the Alumni Artist this year. My artwork is displayed at the school for several months...even though my dad is the teacher, it is such an honor to have been chosen and such an encouragement for me to KEEP working as an artist...even though I am busy!

I discovered that a sewing machine that had belonged to my Aunt Bobbie is still perfectly in tact and now a heirloom in my parents' home. With Anna Grace showing me all the little details, I got very excited about this "found treasure" and hope to have it in my home one day. I just HAD to put up the pictures...mostly for you, Phyllis!

Sears, Kenmore Sewing Machine

All the little tools/feet/etc.

The vintage illustrations to go with the parts.

Of course we got to see the little kittens, Maximus and Rosie, who made it through the weekend unharmed.

And last but not least...The big part of our weekend was spent working in the yard of my Pa's soon-to-be home (his sweet brother-in-law left it to him after he died and my Pa is going to have it renovated and move in). My mom "tricked" Randy and I making us think it would be some weed pulling and then we would go to Burgess Falls for a picnic. We ended up spending hours and hours in the yard and then stuffing ourselves at Steak and Shake. It was all good fun- and a good workout too!

Our crew looking strong- Except for my mom and dad?!

Now we're tired...

That's right...I dug this root out of the ground with my bare hands! (actually I used a shovel)

The Call of the Wild

Remember this book? I don't really, except for I think the main character was a dog named Buck who was conflicted between joining the wild or staying civil. Well, I think my own son Jack is conflicted with the same decision this weekend. Those of you that have seen Jack in the past months...he has since grown...filled out...become more muscular...more manly. My students get to see his picture whenever a slideshow, video, etc. is ending in class and one student the other day said, "he looks like a lion!"...and he does!
Well, this Labor Day weekend we brought Jack to what we call the big house (my parents' place) to meet the kittens. We thought it would be best to meet them while they were small to get them used to one another. As a joke, we had been calling this week and used a deep, scary voice as Jack threatening the precious little kittens. Now I feel ashamed for the jokes because I think it was probably a valid threat without our knowing. At the big house, we tried to introduce Jack to little Maximus and even smaller Rosie on Friday night and, although Randy had a good grip, Jack was hissing, growling, and trying to get to the kittens. Strike 1.
Jack was banished to the garage while the kittens got the rest of the house (totally fair). Therefore, my mom was surprised the next morning when Jack ferociously busted through the --locked!--cat door and into the house. Luckily my mom picked him up before he could find what he was looking for. My dad came behind her with some serious duct tape and reinforced the lock. Strike 2.
The beast will now stay locked up as long as the kittens are out, which is making the poor guy so confused.
The weekend isn't over and all I am asking for is a safe three days with no strike 3...