Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Day vs. Sadie Hawkins Day
















When I was a young girl I was soo glad that I was NOT born on February 29th, because you only truly have a birthday to celebrate every 4 years :( It was just to confusing. I would actually worry or show concern for children and wonder how they chose the day to celebrate. I heard about Sadie Hawkins Day from my mother and her friends. I was probably preteen and they would laugh when referring to it. I did not truly understand the meaning until I was older.
Here are the differences:
Sadie Hawkins was "the homeliest gal in the hills" who grew tired of waiting for the fellows to come a courtin'. Her father, Hekzebiah Hawkins, a prominent resident of Dogpatch, was even more worried about Sadie living at home for the rest of his life, so he decreed the first annual Sadie Hawkins Day, a foot race in which the unmarried gals pursued the town's bachelors, with matrimony the consequence.
By the late 1930's the event had swept the nation and had a life of its own. Life magazine reported over 200 colleges holding Sadie Hawkins Day events in 1939, only two years after its inception. It became a woman empowering rite at high schools and college campuses, long before the modern feminist movement gained prominence.
The basis of Sadie Hawkins Day is that women and girls take the initiative in inviting the man or boy of their choice out on a date, typically to a dance attended by other bachelors and their aggressive dates.
Leap Year Day
The date for Leap Year Day is February 29. Leap Year Day has been around since 45 B.C.Forty-Five B.C.! February 29 has always had the name Leap Year Day. From
day one of it's existence. Leap Year Day was added to the calendar to keep the calendar in line with the seasons. It represents balance and harmony between the seasons
and our method of time-keeping.
Sadie Hawkins DayThe date for Sadie Hawkins Day is November 15. Sadie Hawkins Day has only been around since 1937 A.D. November 15 was just a day on the calendar until someone decided it should be Sadie Hawkins Day. Sadie Hawkins Day was added to the calendar because students at college thought it would be fun.That is all fine and good. It still does not perform the balancing act that February 29 celebrates.
***So there you have it. Four significant differences between Leap Year Day and Sadie Hawkins Day. They each have their reasons for being, and they have their own day on the calendar.
The only similarity between the two is that the woman is allowed to do the asking. Well,that's not a good enough reason for them to merge onto one date. They are separate. For your inquiring minds!!!!

Thursday, February 28, 2008


You know you are the luckiest blogger in the world
if you can call Kat your friend! She is such an inspiration
to me, and if you have seen her site she is an inspiration
to many, many people.
Miss Kat, thank you. I love the award and
I love you this much too!!!!
I am passing this on to all of you readers!
I am so blessed to have each of you in my life!!

Two Snow Days!!!














Yes the buses are parked, and the schools are closed. There are a lot of happy boys~ girls and teachers around here today! We are having our second snow day this week! Yeah, although we do have Parent~Teacher Conference from 3-6 pm, you do not hear me complaining. It is so nice to get an extra day to complete projects that have been lingering. Did I say Yeah!!
Seriously here in the South we rarely get snow, when that happens you really don't want to be on the roads with us! I don't have the most experience driving in those conditions. My brother-in-law laughs at us too! He lives in Ft. Wayne, Ind. and they NEVER close for inclement weather. In our town you can't find a gallon of milk or loaf of bread for a 20 mile radius if there is even "snow" mentioned in the forecast. lol
I better run, if I am going to take advantage of my day off!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

My 6~word Memoir Meme


"Through the eyes of my Children"



Kat at justabeachkat tagged me for this meme! If she can complete this one with an injured finger, then it is the least I can do!!! Thank you Kat for this fun meme and I am praying for you quick recovery.
Here are the meme rules:
1. Write your own six word memoir
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible, so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4. Tag five more blogs with links
5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!
My six~word memoir is listed under the picture at top of this post!!!!
Now the hard part:
Tag you are it
Come on girls, it's not hard and actually fun!!

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Tip Tuesday and American Idol!!!

Tonight is the night for my favorite show!!! American Idol, I became a fan last year. I honestly haven't followed as closely this year! I think the auditions are hilarious! There are several very talented people. Please post your favorite idol and we will stay tuned to see who wins!



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Moving right along, today is also Tip Tuesday!!! With all the colds, virus', and flu bugs running rampant here, I thought today's tip would suffice. I have not tried this one, let me know if you have.


Tip: Pour a can of coke in a pan add some fresh ginger and heat on medium. Let this mixture come to a boil, then lower the heat to let simmer few minutes. Pour in glass and drink while warm to help cold symptoms!

**This tip is courtesy of Barefoot Lass's Tip Site

Monday, February 25, 2008

Menu Plan Monday Feb 25-Mar 2


Welcome to Menu Plan Monday at the Boyd house!! Please come in and take a seat and look over our menu. I hope everything is to your liking. If not then check out these other fabulous menus at Laura's at orgjunkie. I am sure you will find something to delight your taste buds. Last week was a little off course, so whenever this happens we have "carry overs!" I hope you enjoy and please come again.........
Mon: Grilled Fish, salad (carry over)
Tue: Stir Fry, salad
Wed: Lasagna, salad ( carry over)
Thur: Lemon Pepper Chicken, salad
Fri: Eat out or take out
Sat: Homemade Veg. Soup, salad
Sun: Dinner MIL!!!!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Prayers for Andy!!!




Most everyone who lives in our town knows Andy Dunn, and most everyone knows the trials the Dunn family are facing. Prayers have gone out from most every home in our area. We are praying for this beautiful family and their little Andy, we pray for his comfort and God's loving hands to cradle him during this time. We pray that he be healed, if it is God's will.
If you get a moment please stop by and visit Andy at caring bridge, and leave him a comment to let him know you care. I have also posted his site on my sidebar to the right. Please continue to pray for Andy and the Dunn family. May God bless and keep you!

School Days!!!!






Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying your Saturday! The weather is gloomy out today, it is overcast and so I just think I will stay inside and work!

I just finished another week at Bobby Ray Elementary and I love it! I am adjusting to my responsibilities and the changes, but all is going well. I can not say enough about this school, it is amazing to watch the teachers work so hard for their students! Mrs. Beverly Ramsey is our Principal and I am blown away by her dedication. She is totally on the job! Whether it is announcements, overload of paperwork, leading the teachers, or directing traffic at end of the day! She is an inspiration to us to work hard to reach our goals. Hats off to Mrs. Ramsey and all of our principals in our schools. Mrs. Delia Walker is our Educational/Instructional Coordinator, this job title doesn't do her justice! She takes care of so many other responsibilities. We all know educating students is the main goal of any education system. The students at Bobby Ray are well behave, nice and most days they are pretty much on task. Children/Students are truly the focus at this school. Thank you one and all for the warm welcome, help in finding my way around, just being great co-workers!

Friday, February 22, 2008



Don’t just tell your children that you love them ~ tell them what you love about them. May you all have a day filled with love, laughter, and special moments with those you love.

God is Good


I am sure most of you heard about the recent storms in Tennessee and surrounding states and the damage, the homes, and most importantly the lives that were lost. A girls dorm At Union University was completely destroyed...Danielle's cousin was a student at Union, she is safe.
I received an email yesterday, it is pretty long, but I thought it was worth sharing..........
I have NO idea who this student is-----------but she has a truly amazing story
Heather Martin was trapped in the girl's dorm at Union. Her story is amazing... she's a brave girl. Just thought you would like to read.Well, most of you have probably heard by now, my school, Union University was hit by an F4 tornado this past Tuesday night (Feb. 5, 2008). Thanks for all the calls and messages. I will try to talk to you all as time and my emotional state allows. I don't know what reports you have read, but I was one of the 15 students who got trapped in the wreckage.I was in my dorm room with one of my roommates (Kellie), the 3 girls from upstairs, and my mentor from church. About 2 minutes before the tornado hit, my other roommate (who is an RA) ran in and told us to get in the bathtub. We barely made it. Our ears popped, my mentor (Julie) looked at me and said, "We have to get in, NOW!" -- then the lights went off. I was the last one in. My legs didn't quite make it before the building collapsed on us.I have not yet found words to describe the actual tornado, the noises, and the pressure. Maybe one day I will. We felt our bodies being compressed and compressed, and then it stopped. I couldn't move. We made sure everyone in the tub was alive. It felt like we were miles from outside --it was pitch black. My initial thought was, "this is where I'm going to die -- there is no way the rescuers will get to us in time".Then, I assessed my physical state. My body was twisted and contorted into a position that I plan on never attempting again...I think God placed me in there just so, because I don't know how else I could have fit. I had a pocket of air against Julie's legs. I couldn't feel my legs because they were pinned between the edge of the tub and all the debris on top of us.I thought through what my death was going to be like. I realized I was probably going to pass out first, and then I would be with Jesus. I've always wondered what my "last thoughts" would be. As one who has struggled in the past with doubts about salvation, I have always wondered what my last moments would be like. All I can say is, God was there. I knew He had me. And I knew He was either going to save me unto Himself or He was going to save me for a little more time here.I began to pray aloud, I prayed for peace, for the ability to trust Him. I started accounting for everyone who was in the tub. At that point I realized that someone under me was near the point of death (from her breathing). Then, I called out Julie's name and realized it was her. My heart sunk at that point. I didn't think my heart could bear losing another friend. I started praying for her out loud, telling her to keep breathing, God was with her. I was so afraid she was going to die underneath me. I think I even asked God to take me if He took her.Every time I moved, she either couldn't breathe or she had excruciating pain. I tried to stay as still and calm as I could. I know God was managing my thoughts for me at that point. I could NOT panic...and by His grace, I didn't.I found out later we were trapped for 45 minutes. One of the other girls in the tub had her cellphone and was actually able to call 911. I honestly only felt like I was in there for 10-15 minutes. I don't know if I ever lost consciousness or if God just allowed it to seem shorter.I was told later the rescuers had to use a backhoe to remove the initial debris. None of us remember that -- again, that was by God's grace. We would have been terrified had we heard that. When the rescuers started digging us out, it was terrifying. Julie's neck was exposed in such a way that one wrong move and it would have snapped...she was still having lots of trouble breathing. At one point, the rescuers could see my face and I was screaming out to them...telling them I was not panicking but there was a girl under me and I could not move or she would die, and that they needed to lift the debris and not slide it.Once they broke through to us, they got everyone out in about 10-15minutes. I was the last because my legs were stuck and I couldn't feel them or move them. Julie and I ended up needing to go to the hospital. But neither of us had to stay overnight.It was a night of chaos. And yet, God was in the midst of us. We were buried in a tangled mess of wreckage and yet He knew how each board, each piece of brick and rubble was placed. For example, right next to my legs was a 2x4...it ended up keeping just enough pressure off my legs so that I did not lose them. I haven't gotten all my feeling back, but I'm walking around.I know I have mentioned God a whole lot throughout this note. I know many of you who are reading this do not know Him and may think I'm a bit odd.But it comes down to this, there is NO other explanation as to why I am alive today other than, God had His hand over us. He kept just enough pressure off. He didn't let me panic. Was I scared?? Yes -- terrified at first. But at one point, my friend Kellie said "Heather, it's gonna be okay". And a sense of peace came around us. I know God was with us that entire time. And He did give me a sense of peace -- it kept me from panicking, it allowed me to speak up for Julie when the rescue started.My life has been a little screwy recently. I've struggled with trusting God. I've struggled accepting the fact that He loves me unconditionally.But God was with me. He showed me how to trust Him in the rubble -- in the chaos. I know I have some long days ahead.There are sounds stored in my memory that I'm not aware of until I hear them again. I freak out at some very random times and I'm not sure what all the triggers are. But this is what I'm holding onto -- God is not finished with me yet. He still has a purpose for me here on earth a little while longer.And the One who sustained me through the nightmare of Tuesday night will continue to sustain me, to love me unconditionally, to comfort me, and to hold me when I'm scared. And knowing that is what allowed me to get out of bed this morning. He is a good God. If you don't know Him, you need to. He loves you. He wants to know you intimately, and He wants you to know Him intimately.Like I said earlier, I want to talk to each of you. I am quite fragile emotionally -- so it may be a while. I'm at home -- have some fabulous painkillers will probably not have to take them except for at nighttime today. So, my body is healing. Just feels like a building collapsed on it...:) I love each of you.I do not have a new cellphone yet. I will post my number when I get one.

Please continue to pray for all the storm victims and their families.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Tuesday Tip



This tip is short and to the point. I don't think I have used this one before, so here it goes. If you know of any problems associated with this tip or any other, please let me know and I can make a note or revision if need be!!!
Tip:To remove ink from most items~material, use hairspray! Make sure you test an area before you try this to be sure won't stain. Use a cotton cloth to blot as you spray, I usually use some liquid soap and water afterwards to get hairspray out of the material. Believe me, when Ethan was little I had ink on wallpaper, car seats, you name it. lol I hope this works for you! If you have tried this and want to comment please feel free. Have a blessed day!!!

Monday, February 18, 2008

It's A Wonderful Life


Richard and I spent the last couple of days in Gatlinburg. We attended a Christian Couples Retreat it was beyond amazing. We were uplifted, renewed and the biblical sessions were just fabulous. This was our first visit, we will definetly go back. It was such a refreshing break and a wonderful way to spend our Valentines Day. We attended with several couples from church and some of our friends who moved to Ohio met us there. I am so sorry to say I did not get pics. we were so busy each day. We all had a great time, the devotional time designed for Christian Couples was awesome! One of the speakers, Barry Grider and I went to High School together. It was so good to see him and meet his sweet wife. Richard and I both had time to devote to each other, and to strengthen our marriage. We also had fun recreational time with the other couples who was there with us. We prayed, ate, shopped, laughed together, and mostly we just enjoyed our time together. We pray for our marriage to continue to be strong and pray that we will be the example as a couple that others may look to. Our mates truly are a gift in our lives, lets always take time to show them our love and devotion. May God continue to richly bless all christain marriages.

Menu Plan Monday Feb 18-24


Happy Presidents Day! Here we are ready to begin another week. Richard and I are working on eating healthier and this will begin to show in my menu planning. It may seem boring and it may seem routine, but if it works for our family that is our goal. Having other people (teenagers) in our home, who are not watching their calories will demand that our menu consisit of regular or homecooked (carbs.) meals. Richard and I will either have a small portition of the main dish with a large portition of salad, or we will have Salad only. Sundays will be our off days. I believe we all need one day to enjoy our favorites and not feel guilty.
If you would like to check out other menus please visit Laura at Orgjunkie. Thanks Laura for hosting Menu Plan Mondays!!
Mon: Chicken Pot Pie, salad
Tue: Grilled Chicken Salad
Wed: Baked Fish, Garden Salad
Thu: Lasagna, Garden Salad
Fri: Take out or eat out
Sat: Fajitas, Salad
Sun: Dinner at MIL (this will be our off day)

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Leaving on a jet plane....

Well not exactly....but I am leaving with my sweetie today! Yeah!! I am finally packed and ready to leave "by car". One thing about car travel is you are confined to one small area. You must communicate whether you want to or not!! One of my favorite parts of road trips with my family is the conversation. I know several of you are very shocked...me talk, Never!!!! lol I truly feel that communication is under~rated in this fast pace world of ours. So I find it comforting to be able to have my family in one place and available (confined) lol for the duration of the trip ;) The conversation getting there, and coming home is priceless. I am sure Brittney and Ethan would tell different version of our trips and being "trapped" for 8 hours with their parents....lol

Well the clock is ticking and my sweetie will be home soon, so I had better run and finish packing his things..... say a prayer for us as we travel to our destination.
My wish today is for each of you to be able to spend special time with your loved ones. Lets never take for granted the wonderful gift of love...

Happy Valentines Day and a Give-A-Way

Happy Valentines Day! I was thinking back on my elementary school days and exchanging "valentines" with your friends, hoping the one you had a "crush" on felt the same way! Oh my, to be young again.....Take some time today to recall old memories and create some new ones with your current "crush"!!!
While you are daydreaming....lol stop by and visit Joy at Simply Joy Catering she has another great give a way for February, it is worth checking out. Please let her know you heard about it here...

Much love to you all and thanks for the walk down memory lane......

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Snow Day


No, the above pic is not of my hometown. Yes, we do finally have a snow day! Although there was very little snow, we did get a break from school. Word is out that we are off tomorrow too! Yeah!!!! If you really want to see a true snowfall check this out, now Laura really has snow in her front yard!! Read her post you will get a good laugh....lol To all my teacher buddies have fun on your extended break.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Tip Tuesday


This week holds a very special day. February 14th, is Valentines Day. This is a day connected with "love" in a world where you see so much violence, hatred, and hurting people, I welcome a day to show love to those special people in my life. Richard and I will be going away to a "Couples Retreat" I am so excited to have this opportunity to spend some alone time with my husband. There is never enough hours in the day to "get everything done" i think it is very important to take time with our partner, our mate. The person we made a vow to love, cherish, and honor. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity and I plan on enjoying every moment of our time together. My tip this week is connected to this special day, and the special someone in your life.
Tip:
I think Males have a huge responsibility to deliver on this day. My tip today is directed to us females. I challenge you as well as myself to find ways to make this day special for our mate. You don't have to book a hotel room in another city, or attend a "retreat" to share special time. Ladies we need to take a moment and see what we can do to show our love and appreciation to the leaders of our family and homes. You can cook a meal, or order out, write them a poem or letter, make a list of all the things you love about him and read it to him. Just go for a walk, or go out to lunch and give them your undivided attention. It really doesn't take a lot of money or very much time to let our husbands, boyfriends know how important they are to us. Most men need to protect and care for their wives, just take a moment on this day to let him know how much you appreciate all he does for you and your family.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Menu Plan Monday Feb 11-17

The weeks are flying by, before we turn around it will be Spring. Do you all realize we are only 4 weeks away from daylights savings time and springing forward. We will be starting our Spring Break in 5 weeks. It is true about time passing quickly as you get older, or at least it seems that way. This week is going to be a short week at school so I have a little different menu plan this week. Richard and I are taking a couples get-a-way trip with our other friends from church, so the younger ones at my house have to take care of themselves for a couple of days!!!
May you all have a blessed week. If you enjoy my menus please visit Laura at Orjunkie for more menu planning ideas, and thank you Laura for hosting Menu Plan Monday.


Mon: Pork Chops w/mushroom gravy, Brocili caserole, green beans
Tue: Breakfast Burritos, hashbrowns
Wed: Meatloaf, White beans, Mac/Cheese, garden salad
Thu: Dinner with sweet Richard (at couples retreat)
Fri: ditto (Couples Retreat continued)
Sat: Lasagna, corn on cob, salad
Sun: Dinner at MIL....YUMMY

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Sunday Down on the farm!!!!





It is absolutely beautiful today! The sun is shining, cold, but pretty outside! We had a wonderful worship service today. Of course you all know after service we head over to my MIL for a delicious meal. This is so much more than a meal, it is a time set aside to share with family and loved ones. Much discussion takes place, or should I say lots of conversation. We plan family vacations, our work week, long term plans, upcoming events, you name it! We cherish this time, and we all protect it. We love to be together and take an hour or so just to slow down and be a big happy family~with full stomaches!! lol I just can never say enough about my MIL and what she means to our family. She cooks this delish' meal and is never late for Sunday School. I don't know if I will ever be able to take care of my family the way she does?? I digress.......
After dinner today we had a fun job~ living on a farm involves taking care of animals, building fences, and much work, work and more work.....Sheila, being the city girl is not accustom to taking care of farm animals, or farm work for that matter...lol That would not be the case today, we have a baby calf that needed some mothering...it's mother is not feeding it, so it has to be bottle feed....please notice the pictures above.....Me, baby calf, Jensen (my nephew) the BIG bottle! I had fun feeding this baby, I guess mothers know how to care for "all" little ones, although we never had a bottle that size for my "little Ones" if you had that bottle there would be no need to wake up at 3 in the morning....We could fill it up and it would last them all night!!! Back to feeding the calf...job was acomphlished, and I left with one happy little calf following me and did you girlies notice my new black boots, as they say "You can take the girl out of the city, but can't take city out of the girl" lol
I hope you all have a fun, restful Sunday spent with the ones you love, on the farm~ in the city~by the ocean (Kat we are so envious of you) lol, or just laying around the house, enjoy your day!!!

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Asking for Prayers!!!

I wanted to please ask for your prayers for a little 4 year old in our hometown. Andy is Battling cancer, he is in need of our prayers. Pray for his family in their time of need. I can only imagine what his parents are facing.
Please take part in the blood drive on Feb 18 at Westwood Church of Christ. Joy at Simply Joy Catering has kept us all informed and updated on Andy's condition, she is also responsible for getting the blood drive together. You can visit her here for an update on Andy/info. on the blood drive. Thank you Joy for everthing you have done to help this sweet family, for keeping our community informed of his condition and how we can help.
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Continue to pray for the families who are recovering from the storm damage earlier this week. I am sure everyone has heard how devastating it was in West TN. Several States suffered damage, loss of homes, pets, and loved ones. We were very lucky in our hometown, the storm was to the north of us. Please lift up in prayer those who were not as forunate.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Tuesday Tip



I realize just like my Menu Plan Monday, I have not posted a Tuesday Tip is 2 week! Shame on me. This is going to be short and sweet. I am borrowing a tip from Flylady.com, if you are not familiar with this site, please check it out. They have so many motivational tools to help you get organized. Each week they focus on a specific area of our home to begin work on, they break it down into babysteps! It really helps you gain control over those clutter areas and helps put you on a routine, and we all know it's all about routine. So my borrowed tip is simple and listed below

Tip:
To declutter 15 minutes at a time. Pick an area each day (morning, evening) and set a timer for 15 minutes. Get started throwing away, putting away. Each day only devote 15 minutes to this task, by the end of the week you should have a more organized area. I hope you enjoy! I have made progress using this method for those overwhelming projects, areas, that need my time and attention. Ladies, who doesn't have 15 minutes to spare?
Please post a comment if you have other ideas that we can use!!! God bless and have a happy, safe week...

Monday, February 4, 2008

Menu Plan Monday Feb 4-10


Wow I can't believe I haven't posted a Menu in two weeks, I planned my menus, although I was on my "blog break". Today was my first day in my new positition, Bobby Ray Elementary and things went well for the first day! I just need to adjust and get back into the groove of the school schedule. I know everything will fall into place soon. My weekly Menu is posted below, I hope you enjoy. If you would like to try other great menus check out Laura at Orgjunkie, thanks Laura for hosting Menu Plan Monday!!!
Mon: Chicken Alfredo, Smashed Potatoes, Green Peas
Tue: Kraut and Summer Sausage, black eyed peas, Mac and Cheese
Wed: Roast Potatoes and Carrots, corn and Salad
Thur: Left Overs, and Salad
Fri: Eat Out or Take Out
Sat: Grilled Chicken, Oven Fries, Salad
Sun: Dinner at MIL yummy!!!!!