Update on Mom & Nashville, AR

So, I've been off all summer and I haven't found time to blog...what????? I tell you, the summers make me so lazy! I find so many other things to do...watch tv, layout, bake, take trips, shop, make peach preserves, visit coca cola plants, and of course, SLEEP IN!!!! What am I going to do when I actually have to start getting up at 5:30 again...this girl isn't going to worry about that now because I have two more weeks before that will happen...and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it!!!

Update on Mom:

Mom's scar has healed really fast and she's been a trooper! She has had a few curveballs thrown her way, but I know she's a strong woman and can make it through! Tomorrow, she will go to take her Radioactive Pill. She has to be quarantined from people for about 3 days...she will have a scan run to make sure that all of the thyroid tissue is gone so that no cancerous cells are left behind. She has already done a lower dosage of this pill and it didn't kill everything, so this is round two for her. The pill makes her very tired and last time I believe it gave her really bad headaches. She is already tired enough with her thyroid, so i'm hoping she'll have more energy soon! Hopefully, after this scan, she will be cancer free and can resume normal life again. I know that her summer has been consumed with doctor's visits, surgery, and worry, so I hope this will be the end of it! Please pray that this radioactive pill will get rid of everything and that when she starts her thyroid medicine, she will finally start having more energy!

Update on my weekend in Nashville, AR:

I had the best weekend! My wonderful friend, Ashley Jamison, took a group of us home to meet her family and to make peach preserves! Ashley was an amazing hostess, and was constantly preparing food for us...she's an awesome cook! Here's our weekend recap:

We left around noon on Friday, and made the 2 hour trek to good ole Nashville, AR. For those of you who don't know, I was not born a "southern" girl. I was raised in Indianapolis, IN...No Ya'lls and Fixin's and Coke (we said POP)...so this was an eye-opening experience for me. I really enjoyed going out to the country and traveling down dirt roads as the cows "moo-ed" at me (which if you know me, I'm scared of dogs, so this really scared me...haha). Ashley's family owns a lot of land, and practically all of her dad's family lives on the land....so as we entered town Ashley pointed out where everyone lived, Granny, Poppa, Aunt Amelia, Aunt Jackie, Cousin Micah, Cousin Ace...and so on. (There are WAY too many to remember, haha!)

Once we made it to Ashley's, we unloaded the car and got right back in to head over to her Cousin Tela's house. Tela is building a house with her husband, and man was it beautiful!! Tela just found out she is having TWINS, so it was fun to see her! She was in Kojies with us at Harding. We left Tela's, and went home to help Ashley cook supper. She made fried chicken, fried okra, creamed corn, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, and a delicious salad. Mrs. Bernie made Mocha Cheesecake for dessert! We tore up the kitchen, but it was worth it! We spent the evening cleaning up our mess, before we finally decided to hit the hay. We needed our rest before the Peach-Mania began.

On Saturday, we arose to the smell of homemade cinnamon rolls (Ashley spoiled us, if you can't tell already!) Lindsey and I began to sit at the table and peel some peaches, and some more peaches, and even more peaches. Talk about a sticky job...but it was fun! Ashley decided we could go first to make our preserves, and she coached us through the process. What a wonderful coach! Here's a picture of me cooking: (no makeup, so don't mind me)



And sweet, pregnant Lindsey:



And here are my peach preserves, waiting for the lids to "pop" and seal:



After we made preserves, we took the leftover peaches, mixed them with sugar and this fresh fruit powder (to keep them from turning brown), and we loaded them up in freezer bags. This way we'll have some frozen anytime we want to pull them out and whip up a pie or cobbler. YUM! So most of saturday was taken over with peaches...Granny came to help us, and she was so sweet...she showed us how to peel easily (because me and a knife is scary business). Her and Poppa picked all of these peaches for us out of their Orchard, and they were so great to do this for us! Thanks Granny and Poppa!!!!!!!!!!

After peeling peaches, Ashley's daddy took us to the Coca-Cola Plant where he works. They just celebrated their 100th anniversary in Nashville, AR, so there was a Museum to walk-through with Coca-Cola paraphernalia from years and years ago. I loved all of the old Coca-Cola machines...we took some fun pictures, too!

The plant, complete with Ashley's mother:



Lindsey and me in the museum:



The coke machines:



Now that's a lot of COKE!!!



And of course we took silly pictures:













Can you tell we had fun at the Coca-Cola Plant???? We really enjoyed getting to see everyting! Thanks, Mr. James for taking us!!!!!

When we got home, Ashley started working on another dinner...Greek Salad, Squash Medley, Rolls, and her dad grilled chicken with an awesome marinade. Granny and Poppa joined us for dinner...we had a great dinner! After dinner, Caroline, Lindsey, Ashley, and myself decided to take a walk. We walked over to Granny and Poppa's house...this is when the cows were "moo"ing at me and I started walking faster...the girls made fun of me. I know a cow is not going to "get me" but I was still nervous. They were LOUD!! And there were TONS of them! We made it home, safely (thank goodness), as soon as the sun went down. We finished the evening wrapping up the peaches we hadn't finished yet...I slept great that night. Lots of work!

Sunday morning, we went to Ashley's church, and got to meet a lot of her family members. We went home and Ashley made us taco salads. Ashley's mom, Bernie, made us cookies fresh out of the oven...YUM Then we packed up our things and headed home. We really had a fabulous weekend! I enjoyed meeting new friends...Sarah, Valorie, and Caroline...along with all of Ashley's family! If anyone is reading this, thanks so much for a great weekend! I loved every minute of it and I learned a lot!

I'm officially a peach preserve making queen,
Carrie

Mom

So, my mom had her surgery last Friday. The surgery lasted about 4 hours. My dad, Katie, and my Grandma Lillian were all waiting for her in the waiting room, and they were getting so antsy!! Mom finally finished her surgery around 5:00, and immediately went into recovery. The hospital didn't have a room ready for her yet, so they didn't get to see her until 8:00 that night. Needless to say, it was a LONG day for them...and for me. I was just waiting by the phone all afternoon, worried. There are so many things that can go wrong during a surgery, especially one in which they slit her throat open and begin removing things. The main thing to worry about is damaging the vocal chords, but luckily, everything went really well! She can talk, and eat, and get out of bed...things we take for granted every day! She had a really bad night, the first night. The anesthesiologist forgot to put Phernergan into the medicine he used to knock her out, and she spent that first night vomiting every 20-30 minutes. I know she was just miserable!!! Finally, saturday morning, the vomiting subsided, and she began to feel better. She finally got released from the hospital on Saturday evening, and was so happy to get home to her own bed. Her mom was there to take care of her and make her food, etc... Sunday, she started to feel really bad, again. Her hands and feet began to numb and she was shaking. Dad took her back to the hospital on Sunday night, and she was re-admitted. Her calcium levels were extremely low. Now that she no longer has her thyroid, she is having trouble keeping her calcium levels high enough. She has these Parathyroid Glands that were left behind that are supposed to help with this, but apparently they aren't "awake," as the doctor put it. She is currently in the hospital, getting a calcium drip every so often, and blood drawn to keep testing her levels. My sister just called and told me that her Magnesium and Potassium levels are low, too, so they are monitoring those, as well. I'm really hoping that they can get her levels under control...this is the hardest part with the surgery...she will always be on medication to help take the place of her thyroid...POOR MOMMY!!! Please pray that the doctors can finally get her levels where they need to be, and keep them there, and that she has a smooth recovery because I know she's been miserable thus far. I'm hoping she gets to go home soon, for good!

Just wanted to update everyone on my mom! I am flying to Florida on Wednesday, and I will get to spend some time with her...so at least that makes me feel better!

Thanks for your prayers,
Carrie

Babies, surgery, and summer vacay!

Since my last post, A LOT has happened! My sister gave birth to a precious baby boy, my mom found out she has thyroid cancer and has to get her thyroid removed, and I wrapped up my 4th year of teaching!!

Tyler Daniel Kintz arrived on May 10, weighing 7 lbs. 6 ounces! He is healthy and happy! Katie and mike are doing awesome getting used to being parents! I haven't been able to go to Florida yet, due to school, but I leave in a week and a half, and I can't wait to hold my nephew! I can't believe he I already a month old!!! I wanted to upload a picture, but am not sure how to do it from my I-phone, so those will have to wait!

My mom is having surgery this Friday, June 17th! Pray the surgery goes well and she heals quickly! She will have to have radiation three weeks after her surgery, to make sure no cancer cells are left behind. We are hoping once the thyroid is removed, she will be cancer free. Please keep my family in your prayers!

School is finally over! It seemed like the never-ending school year with all of our makeup snow and flooding days, but we made it! I'm so glad to have a break! This summer, I'll be going to Florida and to the lake a lot! Im so glad I have a job with great vacation time! Woohoo! I always sing on the last day of school..."schools out for summer!!!" I hope everyone has a great summer! Don't melt in this heat!

No Sunday night blues for the next eight weeks,
Carrie

April...almost over?

So I haven't blogged in FOREVER! Hunter and I have had a very stressful April, but we made it through and we're ready for summer! I can't believe that April is almost over!!! (but so is school...YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!)

This week has had some crazy weather! Feels like the longest week ever...we lost power on Monday night (luckily it came back on in the middle of the night) and all of the shows we normally watch have been nothing but weather reports because of these dang tornadoes...yuck! Rain, Rain, GO AWAY (and take your tornadoes with you!) Hopefully, tonight will be a different story because if I can't watch American Idol and Survivor, I will NOT be happy! Looks like tomorrow and Friday will be pretty...without rain...and it's about time!!!!!

On a different note...my little sister is about ready to have her BABY!!! I can't wait to meet my nephew, Tyler. Katie went to the doctor, today, and she is dilated to 2 cm. Shouldn't be too much longer...her due date is not until May 14th, so we'll see how stubborn Tyler is! I'm hoping he doesn't make her wait that long because she is starting to get really uncomfortable and swollen. I'm getting excited, though! I'll keep you posted!

Well...that's about all that's going on right now! Hopefully, I'll make another post before May ends...keep your fingers crossed!

Auntie to be...
Carrie

Spring break!

So I've been a little busy lately and haven't blogged...bad, I know! This is our last week of school before spring break and I cannot wait!!!!!!!!! 4 more days!! Hallelujah! I love my middle schoolers but I need a break! Winter is always the hardest part of the school year! So happy for spring...flip flops, dresses, sunshine, grilling...yes! I'll be spending part of my spring break with family! I get to see Tristan, my niece, my mom, my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins! I'll be in Missouri and then hunter and I are going to spend the weekend in Branson! A nice break away! Sorry to those of u who don't get spring break...it sucks to be you...JK!!!!!! Haha. I earn my break, believe me! You probably wouldn't trade me if u could. Well, guess that's all for now. I'll be spending the rest of the week at work, parent/teacher conferences, and watching march madness!! Have a great week everyone!

Happy spring,
Carrie

Upgrade!

So I mentioned a few posts back that I wanted an I-phone. I have had the same flip phone for the past two years!!! In the past few months, I've had several people, including students, who have commented on how 'old school' my phone is.....I was starting to get embarrassed...so....my husband came home from work on our Anniversary with a new I-phone for me!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was pumped...and how did I ever live without one of these babies???? I'm loving it...it's only the 3G, but I don't care...anything is better than my flip phone! He's the greatest! Now maybe i'll take more pictures and actually post them!!!

Loving my new toy,
Carrie

Anniversary #4

I decided to change our picture, to a picture from our wedding, because it's time for another Anniversary! Our 4th Anniversary is on February 24th (this Thursday)! I cannot believe it has already been four years!!!!! It's been a wonderful four years...better than I ever imagined. Hunter and I are so happy together...we've got this marriage thing down! ha. Can you every really have everything perfect in a marriage?? Probably not...but I feel as though we're doing great! I know he would say the same thing. We're still as much in love as we were when we were 18 years old. I'm so happy I get to share my life with such a wonderful man! He still makes my heart pitter-patter. Hunter, I love you! Thanks for making the past 9 years wonderful...4 of which we have been married! I can't wait to share many more years with you!

We will go out to dinner to celebrate, and hopefully, I'll get a new picture of us. We never take pictures anymore, unless we go somewhere special. Like we need anymore pictures of us......we have soooo many, but I'll try to get a new one!

Thankful for my husband,
Carrie

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hunter and I were watching Man vs. Food and we saw this pie (Peanut Butter Pie)! We just had to have it, so we went and bought the stuff. I made it last night and we'll have it again tonight...delicious! I'm sooo excited. There wasn't a recipe, so I just did what the Amish lady described, and it turned out great! We decided to have Valentine's dinner at home. I really don't like messing with the crowds, and with our Anniversary coming up in 10 days, we like to go out then. So we're grilling steaks with asparagus, baked potatoes, and rolls. Sounds yummy to me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope Cupid came your way...(Hunter used to sing this song to me in college...it makes me laugh really hard! Enjoy!



P.S. This link will send you to YouTube to watch so click on the icon...it won't allow you to hear it from my page...sorry!

With love,
Carrie

Super Bowl Sunday (a little late)

Super Bowl Party at the Scott's house!!!! Matt & Lana Summitt, Drew & Lindsey Holbert, Trevor & Lori Holbert, Gene & Dona Scott, and Andrew Meadows joined us for our party! We had a GREAT time! It was pretty typical...girls sat at the table, chatting, while the boys crowded around the tv, watching the game. I usually get into the Super Bowl, but was not too terribly excited about the teams this year. Wish the Colts had made it...I'm a die hard fan (seeing as though I was born in Indiana!) But oh well...it was still a fun excuse to have a party!

Hunter wanted to make ribs and chicken, so he had the smoker going at 11 am. They smoked all day long...and they were delicious! Our friends were in charge or sides. Lindsey brought beans and chips, Meadows made cheese dip, Lana made coleslaw and a texas sheet cake, and lori brought another dessert (ooey gooey cake). It was a success...and I actually snapped some pictures of the occasion! Woo!

Enjoy looking...

Hunter is working hard on the ribs & chicken!




Outdoor fireplace going...it was chilly!




Yum!






Finished Product!




Boys are chilling while waiting for everyone to arrive...



Everyone's eating...











The girls...love them!



Hope everyone had a great Super Bowl Sunday! Too bad Christina Aguilera blew it...haha! She was the talk of the week...along with the winter weather! We had 3 snows days this week...can you say, LONG WEEKEND! Yay!

Enjoy your weekend! ;)
Carrie

SNOW DAY!

So I heard last night that there might be a chance of snow...but i didn't think anything of it. They weren't calling for more than 1-3 inches. It's been really cold here, but we missed the snow storms that the majority of the Midwest has experienced. This morning, my alarm rang around 5:45 and I got up to shower. After my shower, I realized that maybe I should look outside to see if it did snow. I peeked out our bathroom window and there was NOTHING! I knew school wouldn't be canceled so I just continued getting ready. Interim reports were due at school, today, so I ran to the computer around 6:20 to print off my class spreadsheets. For some reason after I printed, I jumped onto facebook and saw a teacher had posted that school was canceled. I immediately went to our district website, and sure enough, school was canceled. I'M SO GLAD I CHECKED BEFORE I DROVE 35 MINUTES TO WORK, TO FIND THE DOORS LOCKED! I turned on the news and found that there was a 100% chance of snow, starting around rush hour...and sure enough, after I woke up from my morning nap (of course I went back to bed), it was snowing! Now we get a three day weekend...yay! We will have to make this day up in June, but it will be ok. I was really tired this week and was ready for a nice long nap.

Andrew Meadows is in town for work and he sells insurance to schools. North Little Rock schools were closed, too, so I texted him and told him. He didn't have to go to work either. So he came over and we hung out for a little while until Hunter got home. Meadows will be staying with us this weekend because he has to work here again next week, and his company won't pay for hotels over the weekend. So Hunter came home around noon and the three of us have been making food and watching tv. I'm so excited for a nice, long weekend. I didn't bring any of my school stuff home because I didn't expect school to get canceled...guess i can't do my lesson plans...darn! I think we may go see a movie in a few...it's a rough life!

Just wanted to inform you of my morning...sorry if you are bored...

Have a happy Friday! ;)
Carrie

Brunch with Friends!

So this is what I made for breakfast this morning! Yum!!!!!! As you can see, half of it is missing, and man was it good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (recipe, below) I love Monkey Bread! My mom used to make it for me all of the time, growing up! I have never made it, but decided it was time to try when Ashley Jamison invited us to a brunch at her house. Do you think I got a picture of us at brunch??? No....I forgot! Ashley did take a picture with her camera, but I don't have it, so no picture to post, sorry! I'm soooo bad about taking pictures. Maybe if I actually had an i-phone, i'd take more, but I don't. I'm working on getting a new phone for Valentine's Day...if somebody would TAKE A HINT! We'll see how that goes....

Anyway, about the brunch. We had a great turnout! The guests were...Ashley, Jill Hicks, Valerie Hendrix, Lana Summitt, Amanda Burroughs, Lindsey Holbert, me, and Callie Lillard! It was sooo fun visiting with everyone again. We all live close, yet, we rarely see each other. We reminisced about college days...and we laughed A LOT! Ashley was cracking us up! So glad we got together!

Thanks Ashley for opening your home to us!!!! I loved it! As for everyone else, thanks for coming! I enjoyed seeing everyone! Love you guys! Let's do it again before another year passes...i don't mind opening up my home for the next one!

Loving my friends today,
Carrie

Ps. Did I mention it was absolutely gorgeous outside today...and 70 degrees???



If you would like the Monkey Bread recipe, and aren't on a diet...here it is:

4 cans of refrigerated biscuits (I used Pillsbury, 4 pack)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt cake pan with Pam (i used a lot so it wouldn't stick). Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a gallon size freezer bag. Break apart refrigerated biscuits into quarters with your hands. Put about 8-10 pieces in the sugar/cinnamon mixture and coat. Remove and put in the bundt pan. Repeat until all biscuits pieces have been coated. Then melt the butter and brown sugar and stir together until smooth. Pour over the biscuits. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for about 5 minutes to cool. Dump biscuits onto a serving tray and serve warm! Delicious!

Busy, Busy Week!

So this week was quite busy...I did get Monday off to finish up a few household chores; however, I had to go out of town for work. Yes......ME.....out of town for work. Who Knew????

My Principal asked me, along with 3 other teachers, to attend a Leadership Conference with him. We went to Petit Jean Mountain on Tuesday morning to stay for the conference until Friday. It was great until they made us leave on Wednesday afternoon, due to inclement weather coming our way. We didn't want to get stuck up "On the Mountain" so we decided to head home early. I did enjoy the first 2 days we were there. We got to do lots of group activities, meet knew people, and learn a few things along the way. Since we already had substitutes signed up for our classes, we decided to still meet for our Conference, just in an alternate location, closer to home. So we were able to finish all of our work, just not "on the mountain." I really enjoyed learning how to be a leader in my school. We have a lot of great ideas and activities we are going to try on our Faculty, the remainder of the school year. Then, in July, we will go back to Petit Jean Mountain for a couple of days to share the things we were able to accompolish, etc.... Hopefully, that won't get cancelled because of inclement weather! If it does in July, we have major problems! So, even though I wasn't at school teaching all week, I was still very busy working and discussing ways to improve my school! Let's just hope my room isn't a disaster after being gone all week. Who knows how they acted with a substitute, especially for 4 days!!! I've never missed that many days in a row...only Monday will be able to tell...I did tell my kids I would give them something edible if I got a good note...we'll see if that worked!

Enjoying my Saturday, sleeping in, while the husband tries to kill us some ducks. YIPPEE! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Carrie

Snow Days!

So I updated my blog background, FINALLY!!! I'm not very creative so when I find something that works, I stick with it....FOREVER! But the recent change in weather has inspired me to do so. The picture you now see is like two years old, but I liked it...it's fitting for the season. Hunter and I really want to go snow skiing over my spring break, so maybe this picture will be the motivation he needs to plan the trip.

I have not played in the snow, yet. I've just observed it from my windows and front door. I don't have dogs or kids to play with me, and my hubby is at work, so i'll just enjoy the view. It's really okay with me that I haven't played in it....I grew up in Indiana, so believe me, I've played in tons of snow for many years. In fact, I find it hilarious every year we get snow in Arkansas...you think the end of the world is coming. Hunter and I were at Kroger when the snow JUST started to fall and man, it was packed! People were loading up like they'd die of starvation if they couldn't go to the store for like 2 days. And everything shuts down...I LOVE that everything shuts down, especially my job. I couldn't go to work even if I wanted to...it would be locked. Another perk of being a teacher...

So i'm spending my days watching tv/movies, blogging, cooking, and sleeping in. Not too shabby! I've showered, but decided there is no reason to wear makeup or get dressed for the day...yes!

Hope you guys are safe out there in the snow...I'm pretty sure it will melt a lot, today, and I'm hoping to return to school tomorrow. 2 days is enough...we'll see!

Carrie

Jamaica Trip!

Our family Christmas trip to Jamaica was AMAZING! I had sooooo much fun and hated to leave. I would totally reccommend the resort we stayed at. It was called Secrets St. James and Wild Orchid. They are sister resorts so you can stay at either one and then use all of the pools and restaurants. We stayed on the St. James side, which is a little bit more quiet. This is a picture of our hotel from the beach!














And here is a picture of the view from our balcony...beautiful!














Our room was really nice, too! It felt like my honeymoon all over again. Hunter and I had our own room with a fully stocked mini-bar. They came in our room every evening to turn down the bed and put on these "mood" lights, haha! They left chocolates on our pillows.



























The first day we were there, it was a little chilly and cloudy, but the next two days totally made up for it!! We spent the days laying on the beach, and of course eating plenty (it was all-inclusive, duh!).















We went to a nice restaurant every evening, and the food was really good. I liked everything I ordered! The Jamaican Jerk chicken was incredible too...everyday at lunchtime, a man would push a cart and scream "Jerky, Jerky, Jerky, Jerkaaaaayyyyyy!" And you could go get a plate of the chicken...mmmmm, yummy, and spicy, too! Here is us at the Italian restaurant...














But our favorite was the Japanese restaurant...cooked by a Jamaican! He was hilarious!














After dinner, we went to the entertainment they provided...Here is a show where they sang and danced called Reggae Love! It was really good...and at the end, they taught us several Jamaican dance moves. We all had to stand up and do it with them...and they told us that these dance moves are the reason why Jamaica is so over-populated, ha! It was hilarious...wish I had pictures of that!














We also sang Karaoke...or shall I say, I sang karaoke! Like a Virgin...(oh Madonna)














We also went snorkeling on our trip...it was great! Our guide took us all over and showed us everything. I got to hold a Sea Cucumber, touch various wildlife on the reefs, and keep a few shells in the process. The water and fish were beautiful. Ahh...Jamaica...I love you!


























Needless to say, we had a GREAT VACATION! Loved every minute of it. Good food, good service, wonderful scenery, short flight, all-inclusive...enough said! I'll drink to that...














Christmas in Jamaica was awesome...they say that Jamaica is dangerous so don't venture off of the resort. We only left the resort to travel to and from the airport. I never feld unsafe. They provided transportation, and our hotel was only 15 minutes from the Montego Bay airport. My brother-in-law used the hotel transportation to travel to Margaritaville one evening, and he was fine! It was such a great resort and Jamaica is breathtaking...wanna go???? I'd reccommend it...and we sang the entire time...

Jamaica we have a bobsled team!