.......Four Months Later.

Traci, you were going to blog a lot and you were doing so well.....what the heck happened.

Life.

Life happened y'all.

My hectic life has went in 92 different directions - school starts back in T minus 29 days, can I get a PRAISE JESUS! Hallelujah and an AMEN brothers and sisters??!!

I know a lot of you Mama's are WAY better Mama's than myself, just said 'you crazy' and may have even rolled your eyes a little.....one of you even made PFFFTTTT sound (not naming any names <Jessica Dyson>).   I love my babies, a lot - like, more than my right arm or any organ.  BUT for my sanity and their um....well being.  School needs to happen, like, yesterday.  I work from home and its incredibly difficult to work from home when I have to break up a DS crisis every 22 seconds or feed somebody, because, you know these sweet little creatures are like freaking bottomless pits.  Did I mention they get up at the butt-crack of dawn?  Because, they do. E.V.E.R.Y.S.I.N.G.L.E morning.  I love my babies, I love my babies, I love my babies.

SO speaking of working from home.  We sold my hubbies wheelchair on eBay.  Don't worry, it was an extra one, I'm not dragging him around the casa or anything like that you crazy minded people!  He never used the chair because it didn't fit him comfortably and we were blessed by a local church to be given an electric/mobile wheelchair and he desperately needed.  So, basically, the $4,000 chair was going to waste in the basement.  We were hoping that someone would pay top dollar (hahahahahaha cough cough) for it and get us ahead a month in our bills.  A gentlemen in another state (where folks like to retire to) purchased it and made a deposit into our Paypal. This was money that was going to pay the power bill, phones, and buy groceries for the month mind you.....  He takes the chair around trying to find replacement parts, alter the foot plate then says that something needed repairs and finally 12 days later wants to return it.  Um, what?  I of course say NO WAY Jose!  He then says it was damaged in shipping....shipping that cost me $150 but he didn't bother to take any pictures of ANYTHING in order for me to file a claim.  SO what does eBay do?  What eBay always does, freezes your account.  So now, I'm just sitting here, waiting, not making any money, waiting, becoming more and more irritated over the situation and waiting to hear back from eBay with a decision if they are going to force the return or not.  That is my work life - fun huh?  I know you are totes jelly of me at this moment in time!

What else, let's see.  I started a new Facebook page that is totally fabulous, it's called Nifty Thrifty Picks.  On this amazing page I provide folks with information that I have compiled from numerous other sources.  I also will drop a coupon scenario every now and again.  Just trying to help folks save their hard earned dolla.  Let's face it, nothing like working an entire hour just to pay for toilet paper.

I also teach coupon classes - which are so much fun, I just love it, and it is a total blessing.  I don't teach people to buy 2,000 tiny boxes of cereal just so they can rip the grocery store off and have an overage to buy their actual needed groceries only to brag about it later.  I also don't teach folks how to clear shelves and then resell items that they have horded of course, only after charging a cover just to get into their 'yard sale'.  I DO however, teach folks how to keep organized and how to apply different scenarios in order to get the things that their family need for at least half off retail.  YOU work hard for your money, why give half of it unnecessarily to Walmart?? They have enough money as it is!  You know I'm right.

So the kiddos.  Payton is cheering this year, go ahead, pick your jaw up off of the floor.  Haleigh is fired up and ready to go....come on July 21st, hurry it up!  I'm not going to have the privilege of being cheer mom this year because our team that normally consist of two squads (Red and Black) is only going to be one squad since they didn't have the numbers to create two football teams for third grade.  So our coach from last year, the ever fabulous Faireca Bates decided not to coach which meant that I would not be the cheer mom because, we are kinda like, um, a packaged deal of sorts.  I loved it last year and I will miss it this year but it is what it is.  This years coach, Coach Stephanie is fabulous and her team mom Danielle is one of my favorite peeps so, it's all good!  Nonetheless, we are so excited and ready for some football!!

Speaking of football.  Tanner will be on the 70 lb. team again this year but will be a big first grader.  He is so ready to start practice, ready to be a leader.  He didn't get to play hardly at all last year.  SOAPBOX::: He didn't get to play because he was a kindergartner and kindergartners were the 'new kids', so 'no play time for you' kid.  Even though, I paid the same amount of money everyone else did, even though my kid NEVER missed a practice (even though his Daddy doesn't drive and Mommy had to get another one to soccer and another one to cheer - she made it happen), even though he had a great attitude, he didn't get to play.  He was only allowed to practice and only allowed to play for a sporadic play here and there.  Let me ask you....how do you learn to play if you don't play???  Let me ask you....when did WINNING become so unbelievably important that teaching was thrown out the window?  The coaches would rather win than make sure everyone got ample playing time.  This isn't the big leagues y'all, not even high school ball...it was freaking kindergarten.   OFF BOX.  This year, a 50% playing rule has been implemented, if the kid doesn't play the coach will be suspended (as stated by the assistant coach in our first meeting).  Not sure how I really feel about that either.  If a child doesn't show up to practice, doesn't do his best and has a crappy attitude, he should get to play as much as the other kids?  I dunno.  What do y'all think?  Either way, I'm really looking forward to this year.  I have met the coach and his wife, our team mom and they both seem to be very organized, likable folks (and that right there is half the battle y'all)!  I know it will be a great season this year and we are really looking forward to some football!

Well, while I'm sitting here breaking up knock-down-drag-out fights between my sweet little humans, helping the hubby, and trying to keep our heads at least a quarter of an inch above the financial waters.....I'm waiting to hear back from the University of Montevallo with my acceptance or denial letter.  Hopefully, over the next week or so I will know something, one way or the other.  I have exactly half of my classes done and I am so ready to finish this degree.  The Thompson High School Home Economics position became available over this summer and I have just kicked myself that I wasn't ready and waiting for it.  Hopefully, with my culinary degree and a degree to teach from UM, I'll be ready next time.  Everything is in God's timing.  Everything.

While I'm waiting, I'd really like to start a YouTube cooking channel, it's on my mind.  It may happen. Hint hint, wink wink.

I have a fabulous quiche recipe to share with y'all....it'll be posted tomorrow.  It was sooooo good and I'm not even a big fan of quiches to start with but even the non-egg-eaters in the house tore it up!  So good :)

                                                                   Till We Meet Again,

                                                                                       Traci :)

Did I mention I have also had a psycho Facebook stalker that may be crazier than squirrel on crack?  That's another story for another day I suppose.  Night y'all!