Just another day.........

How about "Break Day" to follow up "Labor Day" ????


It's almost the end of a short week, and I feel as if I've taken some drugs! I guess my busy weekend and Labor Day and mid-week has finally caught up with me.

Our LD weekend was filled with football and volleyball games. It was a football Classic weekend in Tyler and we saw 3 of the games....2 wins and only 1 loss. Our high school had an amazing "last minute" victory! What fun! Matt's high school didn't win, but it was good to go.

Joanna's team played in a tournament and won 5 out of 6 matches. They are playing well and seem to be getting their groove on (as a team!) The district games started on the 5th and they won....yeah! They play again tomorrow and should win that one, too.

We saw our dear college friends, Mike & Darlene Rivas at our worship service Sunday morning! Wow...that was so unexpected. They live in California and had come to town for the weekend. Their newly married daughter and son-in-law have just moved to Tyler and they were visiting our church. We had a great visit with them and had a lengthy lunch with another "new" young couple. We invited them all over for lunch on Monday....so, that meant we needed to clean house and I got to cook ribs, potatoes, beans, rolls, salad and CHOCOLATE PIE! Choc. Pie is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! I love making it and it is the yummiest to eat....I finally finished off the last of it tonight. :-) Everyone was here all day and we had the best time being together. What a joyful surprise that was.

It was my turn to fix supper for our regular Wednesday night meals.....me and my Sou-Chef (Matt) fixed poppy seed chicken, cheese bread, oatmeal cake, chocolate sheath cake and opened up some bag salad and cans of corn and green beans. He's getting to be an excellent assistant...I love being the boss! :-) The meal was a hit and we didn't have any leftovers! I love hearing the compliments....makes me want to cook more.....maybe I can retire and start catering??? :-) Maybe, not. My next time to cook is Oct. 18...it'll be Taco Soup....something easy again.

This is the first day we didn't have something planned and I've just laid around trying to re-coup my strength and energy. We watched the movie, "Take the Lead"...it was pretty good.

Now, it's bedtime and I'm ready. We have Joanna's game tomorrow and then we start our 5 week training for foster care Saturday morning and Matt has invited all these young (and some old) couples over to watch the Texas v. Ohio football game Saturday night. I'm thinking he told them all to just bring chips and stuff. We'll see what kind of potluck snacks we have. Hook 'em Horns! - Pattie

Posted by Pattie at 8:12 PM | Permalink | Comments

Is she looking any older? No....but, don't look at her "granny arms!" I was surprised when I realized they felt like MY granny's arms. And, guess what, I'll be teaching and waving my arms around and for the first time, the flab in my upper arm distracts me from speaking! Ugh! Do we all become our mothers? :-)

She is so talented that she can listen to a story and laugh and play Skip-Bo all at the same time! But, she can't remember to bring the electronic game inside so it will be protected from the rain.

She is a model of good eating as she gets Jaiden (her great grandson) to eat his chocolate cake!

Me and my mother!

The two "Joyces!" Rebecca Joyce & Alma Joyce.

She loves to take photos and has become quite good at taking them.

Happy Birthday, Mother!

Don't you look pretty?

Posted by Pattie at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

A New School Year!



Well, I was waiting to write about the new year until after Rebecca headed back to HU on Saturday so I could take a photo of her loading up! EXCEPT.....my memory played out and I forgot to take the picture! Can you believe it?

Rachal left on the 15th to help with Freshman stuff and Rebecca left on the 19th. Their classes started today and I guess they are going well. It is Rebecca's last year and Rachal's second. We will be able to go see them on Homecoming weekend.


Joanna started the first day of her junior year on Thursday. She likes all her classes except for Algebra II and it's the teacher. She has been playing volleyball for a couple of weeks and they played a tournament over the weekend and they came in 2nd out of 16 teams. She and a teammate received "All Tournament" awards and that was exciting.

My classes are alright. We have lots of kids. I had to give up my "planning period" for my video class and my classes are still overloaded. Guess that's really a good problem. I do like my 6th graders and my 8th grade video students are eager and ready to tear 'em up! We started today on creating our first DAWG TV show which will air next Monday, the 28th. I do have all new equipment and that is really EXCITING!

Matt's official school year started today, but he's been working all summer so it's easy to forget that today was the "first day" for his school. We'll be busy this fall following the volleyball circuit and as many local football games as we can stand.

We also will be taking a 30 hour course over 5 weeks beginning on Sept. 9 to do the last of our training before being certified as foster parents. Then we should be getting children.

So...it'll be a busy fall, but we do enjoy that. Take it easy and have a wonderful week. Pattie

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Aren't we a happy, tired couple??? This photo was taken at the end of trip....we were out of energy and out of money! :-)

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Every Road Leads Somewhere

I've decided to start blogging again. Just some thoughts and ideas I have about what's happening in the Blake house!

Our "road trip" began on June 26 with a stopover in Memphis and a quick trip to Graceland. It was pretty powerful to be in "his" home knowing how he ended! Kinda tragic. Then it was a short drive over to Nashville, where we went to a Grand Ole Opry show, visited Andrew Jackson's farm, walked the honky-tonk street and explored the Country Music Hall of Fame. Nashville was nice.




Then while en route to Michigan, we made an unexpected stop at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. That was way cool, but we only got to hike down a small percentage of the whole thing! After getting to Michigan, we stopped for lunch with Uncle Don, Aunt Judy and cousin Jeff....Matt's relatives. It was good to see them and their "new home."

Next stop was Honor, MI...all the way at the top left hand corner of Michigan, right along the lakeshore. We made a hiking/driving tour through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore...took a sailing trip in Traverse City and stopped over at Mackinac Island. Eventually, we crossed over to the Upper Peninsula and watched the Soo Locks in action and hiked to Taquehmenon Falls before heading west and south towards Wisconsin.

Wisconsin was a pretty state and I even got to stop at a dairy farm and get some real cheese and beef sticks. By the time we made it to Chicago, we were whupped! But, that didn't stop us from walking the Magnificent Mile and shopping in downtown Chicago. Matt even treated us to a White Sox game and we got to ride the subway to get there.

Chicago was pretty much the end of our trip, but we made sure we spent a day in Fayetteville and got to visit with Pete & Frankie and their 4 girls and attend church where Matt went while in high school and college. It's nice going back and seeing all those "old friends."

Our trip ended on July 9. Matt had to return to work. It was 3,845 miles of driving. Don't know if we'll ever do another one like that, again! :-)

Posted by Pattie at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

The trouble with....................

getting "new stuff" is you have to clean out to make room for it.....

and then....

once you start cleaning, one thing leads to another.....

and before you know it.....

you've overhauled the kitchen while still wearing your work clothes....

after a full day of teaching......

working through supper......

and then realizing it's after 10:00!!!

Ha!! I am a bit on the tired side with a slight backache! I started this project yesterday and in the midst of cleaning out the junk drawers (one had multiplied into three!), I thought about cleaning the oven (self-clean mode) and was driven out of the kitchen due to "smoke" and bad air, etc. I left 2 windows open completely with the vent going during the night. The smell is gone now and has been replaced by the smell of orange cleaner! :-)

I've made room for all my new flatware and new dishes and knives tonight as I was clearing away the "junk" and then realized the sugar bowl was dirty and also the straw dispenser and then I took a closer look at the cooking spoon containers! Ugh! They're all in the dishwasher now......and the counters are clean and shiny.

It was then I realized the drawers under the cooktop were "dirty" and I cleaned one spot....which showed how the door next to it was dirty and before you know it, I was upside down washing all the cabinet doors to the left of my sink. Next is the floor, but I'm out of time and am only staying up to finish this email. I'll be in bed and asleep soon enough.

It is nice to have a clean kitchen. :-) Matt had a checkup today and needed to get his meds straightened out.....Rebecca went to doctor for severe heartburn and got flu and meningitis shots! Rachal went to chiro for a follow-up and Joanna has a chiro appt. in the morning. She's complained with back problems since volleyball. Rachal and Rebecca both have been to dentist this week, too. So, it's "medical" week on the home front.

We'll be going to Penny's on Friday for a volleyball tournament on Saturday in Dallas. I don't know if I'll be able to do anymore shopping. My bank account may be "dried up!" :-)

I'm taking it easy on the students this week.....kinda helping them get back into the groove of school! So, easier on them means "easier on me!"

OK....enough.....y'all have a good hump day! Love, Pattie

Posted by Pattie at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments

God is Good!

I'm sitting here in Overland Park, KS after driving all day yesterday with my family....how many years have we done this? 22! (Well, one year we all met in Colorado....the drive was twice as long....so it counts, too!) I've always enjoyed bringing my daughters to see their dad's family for Christmas. Family is important to me and I want the girls to have these experiences through the years. We used to come here for Christmas day (every other year)....somehow Santa always found the girls whether we were in OP or Channelview!

For the last ten years or so, we've been coming up here for the week after Christmas and spent the New Year's weekend with them. So....the tradition continues....even with "growing-up" daughters (they can't be all "grown-up" until they're out on their own!)....we are able to all come. Tonight is Bingo and we'll have "the tree" on Thursday. Rebecca will be flying to Dallas on Friday morning (our 23rd wedding anniversary) for a freind's wedding and the rest of us will head home on the 1st. Matt and I both have to report to work on the 2nd while the girls have another week (at least) of holiday.

Christmas was a good time! It started for the girls on the 18th in CV with my parents and my sister's family. Then, it continued on the 22nd at our house when my folks, my other sister and family and 2 nephews and neice came for the night. I dreamed "big" for the meal and Matt agreed, so we had Prime Rib (my first time to cook that!) and Scalloped Potatoes (really yummy!), salad, green beans and rolls. The dinner was actully really good and I was proud of myself! ha! But, boy was I TIRED at the end of the day.

Everyone but my parents left late Friday afternoon and mom and dad left Saturday morning. We spent that day scurrying around town looking for the last minute items we hadn't gotten around to getting. What fun I had playing "I'm more patient than the other driver" game with all the holiday traffic. You might have thought you were on Westheimer in Houston with all the traffic on Broadway! ha!

Santa (yes, he still comes to our house!) was good to the girls and after breakfast, we headed to church and then home again for Christmas lunch. After cleaning up the kitchen, we settled in for "the tree" and I must've been a good girl! I got everything on my wish list. :-)

So....like I said, God is good ! We have our loving family, our good times spent together, memories of Christmases past and dreams for the Christmases to come!

Pattie

You can view our family Christmas photos here:

Posted by Pattie at 5:46 AM | Permalink | Comments

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I just love Christmas music! I think that may be one of my favorite Christmas songs....of course, there's a few others...the one from Grinch, Silver Bells, White Christmas....guess I don't have a favorite! ha!

I finally finished getting my trees decorated and declared the "decking the halls" done and put away all the ornaments that we didn't put on trees. I have 10 trees in all. The main tree, plus a variety of sizes of other trees in different parts of the house!

God bless my "son", Andy! My "adopted son" that is! He is married to daughter of some good friends of ours from Houston and they live here in Whitehouse. He loves to help me out and I love to cook for him...it's a mutually needy relationship! :-) ha! Anyway, he came over and got the lights on the house for me and then came back Sat. afternoon to put up some garland on the porch archway.

We've been enjoying the really cold weather.....it's good fire weather. Although it warmed up today, but the cold is back on it's way here again. Our thermometers definitely get a work out in the winter....a regular exercise of up and down....high and low.....we don't want them gaining any weight!

I've been enjoying the TV shows and the seasonal themes of love, family, giving, etc. Of course I had to watch Survivor last night after coming home. Stayed up late....good for Danni! She deserved the million! Tomorrow night is the season finale of Amazing Race. I hope my "favorite family" wins! :-)

If you haven't gotten to see Chronicles of Narnia.....you need to. It's a really good movie and done so well. The movie is so much better than my imagination could come up with! They put the Disney dollars to good use! :-) I went with my 6th graders on Friday....what a field trip! How many public schools would go to such a blatantly religious backed movie? Only in east Texas! :-) I'm fortunate to live where there are so many people who openly live their faith!

This is my last week for this semester. Yea. I will have to return to work on the 2nd! Ugh! Enjoy these last few days before Christmas. I have yet to finish my Christmas shopping and I still need to do my Christmas greetings and wrap and bake and .......oh, the list is getting too long! God bless! Pattie

Posted by Pattie at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments