Duck Dynasty at Lipscombs Evening of Excellence

Well.  Hey there.  It's been a while.  We've been busy.  So busy.  Getting into our new norm with new school, new commute, new house, new routines.  Change is hard for me, so it's taking me some time to get in the groove.  But, I think I'm on the right track.  Oh.  And Barn Sale.  Every free moment has been in prep for that.  Update on that later too.  Well worth the work.  For sure!   

We had a fun weekend!  I'll play catch up later.  For now, lets talk about Duck Dynasty shall we?! We were so graciously gifted TWO Dinner Tickets, TWO reserved seats and a Parking Pass to Lipscomb's Evening of Excellence, with guests speakers, none other than Phil, Kay & Si Robertson! Not to mention Don Meyer, who won the Jimmy V award at the Espy's a few years ago.  If you ever get a chance to hear Don Meyer speak...GO!  He's an amazing speaker!   

Back to Duck Dynasty.  Hold the phone!  I know!  GIFTED!  I about fell out too!  Three events SOLD OUT.  This was a much anticipated event! 

My mom works at Purity Dairies, has for years.  Mr. Ezell was given 20 tickets to Saturday night's shin-dig and she put a little birdie in his ear that if he had any extra, Lance and I would LOVE to go.  And God bless that man, don't you know he came through.  Kindest soul ever.

A little history.  Mom grew up at Purity.  I grew up there with her.  She's worked there since she was 20 or so.  I used to go to work with her on Saturdays and I'd clean out my room the night before and I'd have a 'yard sale' in the office and all the nice folks would buy my junk.  So, most of these folks are like family.  To her for sure, but to me as well. 

So anyways, her asking Mr. Ezel wasn't out of line- she was just letting him know if he'd had extra who might want them.  In her words, they're like GOLD!

After 3 days at the Barn Sale and a babysitter for Easton (thanks Aunt Kathy!), we were off to the show!

To say I was excited would be an understatement.  Lance was keeping his cool pretty well, but I think we were both pretty jazzed for this opportunity.

We had a wonderful dinner, with wonderful dinner guests at our table.  I felt honored to sit by Mr. and Mrs. Ezell along with other members of their family.  We ate dinner and had a brief Q&A with Phil, Mrs. Kay & Si. 

I think my favorite question of that event was to Mrs. Kay.  Someone asked what she thought was the most beneficial thing she'd done for her kids was?  They let Alan answer the question first.  Alan is the OLDEST Robertson brother, who will be on the show next season.  He's a preacher.  And has no beard.  He says he's the rebel of the family.  Alan's answer was that she was the tender one.  She was there to offer compassion and comfort to them at any moment.  Then Mrs. Kay answered.  She said the first thing was to be consistent, and the second was that she loved and respected their father even when he was unlovable.  What an impact that one statement had on me.  It's obvious that she's the heart of the family but that radiates out to all of her family members, starting with her husband. 
Phil wasn't always the Phil Robertson we see on TV.  He had a rough start in their marriage but the Lord changed his heart. 

I read an article in our local newspaper about the Robertsons and thought this last portion was worth quoting: "Christianity doesn’t become the spectacle of the show, it simply becomes an element of authenticity. And that would certainly appeal to anyone who is a Christian."

What an example.  Christianity without spectacle.  I like that.  A lot. 

After dinner, we heard Don Meyer speak.  I'll say it again.  Incredible speaker.  Read his story sometime.  Pretty fabulous.  Then another Q&A with Phil, Mrs. Kay & Si along with a visit from the Tennessee Game Warden, who presented Phil with a plaque and even some Tennessee Titans came on for some duck calling practice.  The night ended with Phil preaching.  And, no.  He didn't offend me.  It was straight out of the Bible.  Truth is Truth.  He had some pretty powerful things to say.  And he's right.  On all of them.    And yes.  I took notes.  On the whole event.  They're in my purse.  And I'm too tired to get up.  But these are the high points.  The stuff that stuck. 

 

An incredible night.  I love the Robertsons even more now than I did.  They are real.  They are genuine.  They love the Lord.  They are good people.  They live in the country.  What's not to love??I'm so thankful that we were given those tickets.  Kudos, high fives and toe touches to Mr. & Mrs. Ezell for the tickets!  Much appreciated!  MUCH!!!

Do you watch Duck Dynasty?  Do you love them as much as we do?  How was your weekend?  Did you do anything fun?

Egg Hunting

This year we decided to take Easton to a HUGE Community Easter Egg Hunt.

They had 2 hunts.  We went to the early one.

It's a free event that a church puts on at a local park.

They had inflatables, pony rides, face painting, train rides, a small petting zoo.

It really was perfect!

Minus the rain we'd had all week, things were a bit soggy.

 

Easton loved the inflatables!

Aren't y'all proud?  I let him play in the germs balls!

This hunt was no joke.  It wasn't much of a hunt, as you can see behind Easton, the eggs were just laid on the football field, but it was FUN!

 

And quick!  I think once the hunt started it last a minute.  60 seconds.  At most.

Easton wasn't too sure about the chick, but he liked the duck.

 

Followed by a fun lunch with cousins and a big ole Saturday nap, the Hunt was a BIG HIT!

Easter Party & Last Day of School {cue the tears}

 

It feels like just yesterday I wrote about Easton's first day of school. 

 

And now, 3 years later, I'm writing about his last.

Friday was his Easter party at school.

What better way to go out than with a party!?

Complete with the Easter Bunny, cupcakes and cookies!

It's a shame The Mother couldn't hold her tears back the entire time...

 

 

Most of the kids in his class have been there from the start just like him.  If not, very soon thereafter.

We don't have a conversation most days without it including most of these friends.

They are the sweetest group of kids a mom could ever want for her child's friends.

It was a very hard decision to move him to a new school, and one I debated for MONTHS.

We commuted an hour and fifteen minute each day, one way.  This is hard on him, and me.

So, when we moved into the new house, we knew we'd move him to a closer school, but that didn't make it any easier for me.

 

This group of Directors and Teachers have been absolutely amazing.  From the first day we toured the facility, even now that we're gone, they are truly some of the best friends I could ask for.  They love Easton as if he were there own.  They have answered numerous phone calls from me, his detail loving mother, wondering how much breast milk he'd drank, if he'd had a BM, how he'd napped, the list goes on.  They have listened, they have talked,  they've supported, they have loved, they have hugged and they have cried with me.  To say I'll miss these girls is major understatement. 

 

 

There really is not enough words or sentiment strong enough to say how strongly I feel about this group. Directors, Teachers & Little Friends. They will be missed every day!

 

A sweet little song Aunt Janice sang the other day was:

Make new friends,
but keep the old.
One is silver,
the other is gold.

{source}

 

That's exactly how we're looking at this new chapter.

Keeping the old, but making new too.  Both are a treasure!

Easton's John Deere Party- {{Tractor Photo Booth Pictures}}

 

Thursday, before the party on Saturday I decided I want to to a Photo Booth again. 

I did one last year and enjoyed having so many faces in the same type picture!

I'm a smidge Type A, so having the same picture but with different faces makes me happy.

 

However, what I found was $40, and online...and I didn't have time to wait for shipping,

nor did I want to spend that for a one-time use prop. 

However, if you have the time and money, GET IT! It's super cute.

 

So, I brought a projector home from work and went to town.

I purchased a large white display board from Hobby Lobby,

you know the ones you use for science fair projects...

I set up my projector and I traced around the outline of the tractor with a pencil.

After I got the outline of the tractor, I traced it with a large sharpie.

Looking back, I should have painted first then sharpied but I was a little over-zealous to see what the outline would look like.

Then I started filling in the colors.

I used Apple Barrel Craft Paint and a variety of brushes

The green area took 2 coats.

I did some shading and lots of layers of paint on the tires.

I freehanded the farmer myself because the picture was really fuzzy to get it as large as I needed it.

And...I skipped the hat because I ran out of room.

 

We cut a hole out of the board for the face and captured MOST of our guests in the tractor!

I did the pictures outside on the porch because the lighting was best.

For the adults, most just held the board and stood up, but the kids were able to stand behind it on the floor.

Take a look at our Tractor Drivers!

It's a good lookin bunch of farmers!

Alright...lets see who's missing...

Cathy, Steve, Lauren, Ashley & Chris, Justin & Ashley, Honey!!!, Linda & Ariana.

I hate I didn't get y'alls sweet faces in the tractor!!! 

Feel free to stop back by next time you are in the boonies and I'll take your picture in the tractor.

 

So!  There you have it!

 

Photo Booth, John Deere style!

 

What do you think?

Do you do Photo Booth pictures at parties or do you do more candids? 

 

Easton's 3rd Birthday {{Party!!}}

I love parties!

I love planning parties!

I love decorating for parties!

I love making a menu for parties!

I love to clean for parties!

I love to grocery shop for parties!

I love to have my house full of the ones I love for parties!

 

So, Easton's birthday is the perfect time to party it up!

 

We decided on a John Deere party this year.

It was between that or Duck Hunting.

I thought we'd save the Duck Hunting party for another year.

I mean...green and yellow are so much more bright and cheery than camo and face paint and decoys.

 

Since we just moved in, I decided to keep the decor simple. 

Besides, bright colors make a big impact.

I had my dad pick up a dozen balloons, I found some Sun Flowers at Publix for $3 (thanks Diane!) and then I had a Lowes Gift Card that I bought the Gerber Daisy's with. 

I bought some green &yellow fabric, as well as a scrap piece of John Deere and decorated with that.

I used my green & yellow Fiesta dishes.  These dishes GO WITH EVERYTHING!

 

I bought the little tractors at Joann- they were read and I painted them green.

I ordered paper straws from here. 

I gathered all the John Deere toys we had in the house and used them as decor on the tables.

I picked up the E at Joann, and it will be used in his big boy room, if I can ever get going on that.

 

So, see for yourself.

Easton's John Deere Party!

 

As for the food, I always do finger foods.

Turkey & Cheddar, Ham & Swiss Roll Ups

Cowboy Caviar and Chips

Fruit Salsa with homemade cinnamon sugar chips

Pasta Salad

Veggies

Cheese plate

Cream Cheese with Peach Preserves on top served with Wheat Thins

And cupcakes and Ice Cream to top it off!

Easton picked FunFetti cake mix with vanilla icing and green sprinkles.

The cupcake flags are washi tape that I tore and wrapped around tooth picks and cut a triangle out of the end.

SO SIMPLE!

Dipped Pretzels- I burnt the green melts, thus the reason for just yellow.

Don't try doing melts with a double boiler, stick to the microwave!

And some green and yellow candy sticks from Cracker Barrel.

Thanks to Lance's friend who let us borrow his tractor for the day too!

 

Check back tomorrow for our photo booth pictures!

They are a HOOT!

Easton's 3 Year Pictures

I was able to take the day off and spend the day with my boy on his birthday.

We snapped a few pictures after nap time to document 3!

Here's a few of my favorites!

 

Grace for the momma

I overslept.  I paid for the Tylenol PM I took last night at 10:30.  What was I thinking?  I was thinking about my heavenly 2 hour Sunday afternoon nap I took and knew I wanted to SLEEP so I was trying to induce sleep.  However.  I paid for it.

I need to leave the house by 6:45 to get to work by 8.  I was just waking up at 6:45.  Great.  Fantastic start to this Monday.  This last Monday that Easton would be commuting with me to work.  He starts a new school April 1.  Closer to home.  Less money.  All around a good plan, but it still makes me sick.

We hurried to get ready and got out the door by 7:15. I knew several counties were out of school for Spring Break so I was hoping this would help in our late-ness. 

I got Easton loaded in the truck.  He'd dropped a glove.  I retraced our steps and found it.  I got in the truck to realize I left my phone.  I turned the truck off to go back in to get it.  I get back in the truck, I unwrapped Easton's granola bar and backed out the driveway.  I need a tissue mommy, I hear from the back seat.  I open the glove box and get out a tissue.  I wanna do it myself.  No Easton, you don't need the whole pack.  He wipes his nose and throws it back up front.  He thinks he's helping by doing this, but my truck looks like a war zone.  Sweet boy, just hold it in your seat for the next 17 times you will ask before we even make it to the interstate.  We have 2 miles to go before we make it to the main drag that takes us to the interstate.  About 8 miles on that main highway.  By about mile 5 I had already passed about 16 tissue and 3 wipes, half of my banana, cleaned up yogurt from the front of his jacket, which he thought would be best to eat with his fingers, passed back his milk and I was grabbing the 4th wipe from the console when I lost it.  I. Lost. It. 

Instantly, the guilt came over me.  He's 3.  He's only 3.  It's early.  No one wants to be rushed.  He's only little once.  He depends on me.  This is our last Monday carpooling together, as we've done every day since he was 12 weeks old.  And that set the tone for the whole ride in. Quiet.  Somber. 

He knew it too.  He was quiet.  He was gentle with his words when he did speak.  About 15 minutes down the road, I apologized.  He looked at me with those big brown eyes as if to say 'you let me down, mom.'  But, I apologized again.  I asked him if he accepted my appology and he said yes.  He sang Little Bunny Foo Foo all the way to school.  He wanted to know what the Good- Fairy said.  I reminded him. 

And the good fairy said...
Little Bunny Foo Foo
I don't wanna see you
Scoopin up the fild mice
And boppin 'em on the head.

He sang it all the way in.  We held hands walking in school.  I told him I loved him.  He knows I love him.  I know that without a doubt.  He bound in his room with a big smile on his face and kissed me and gave me my I Love You's at the door.

I've cried off and on all day long.  These days are so short.  They go too quickly.  Most mornings we are up and out the door by 7am, and land back at home around 5:30 or 6.  I then have 2 hours with him, which consist of laundry and supper and clean up and bath and then bed. 

The guilt creeps in every so often.  I rush, rush, rush to get him to school.  Then we rush, rush, rush home to get to bed.  Every day.  It's exhausting.  At times I really wish I could stay at home with him, but I know how much he loves his friends and his school (and hopefully will feel that same way about his new school).  I think back on my own childhood when my mom worked.  I went to daycare.  Every day.  But the afternoons were spent with her.  I don't ever remember feeling anything less than HAPPY to be with her.  It didn't matter what we were doing, we were together. 

In between moments of tears, I offer myself GRACE.  So very quick to offer it to others, but so extremely slow to accept it myself.  And.  It's not excuses.  It's grace.  Grace to do better, starting now.  Grace to do better, starting today.  Grace, that when I pick Easton up, he will KNOW he has my attention for the hour and fifteen minute ride home.  Grace that when we get home I can sit down and play a minute.  Or just sit and  hold him.  Grace.  Grace.  Grace.  Grace to let go of the little things that I think are important but to take time for the big things that really do matter.  Grace.  So freely offered.  Yes so difficult to accept at times.  And Grace to be able to get up and do it all over tomorrow, but with a new attitude.

Thank GOD He never runs out of it for me. 

It's a new moment.  Starting now.