Anthony

I love this man. I don't think I tell him enough. He tells me often, sometimes by using words and other times it's his actions that speak loud and clear. Either way I know that I am loved. Anthony is daily showing our little girls what a Godly man looks like. They have a healthy and open relationship with their daddy and will one day use him as an example for a husband. Boy, do those men have big shoes to fill. I have been with Anthony for almost 18yrs. now and he is very much a part of my soul. We have been through very rough times and deep valleys through personal loss and sadness. During these times I had a constant "survival partner" in him.
Our lives haven't consisted of only bad times but also wonderful times such as the birth of our two daughters. There is no one else on this planet that I would have experienced that with other than Anthony. I love that we talk together and really care what's going on in each other's lives. I love how we laugh together and just "get" each other. I love how he calls and says he just wanted to hear my voice. I love how our girls run to the door when he walks in instead of running to their rooms.
We still hold hands when we walk together and I feel safe when he is around. I love how, whether he knows it or not, others look up to him and respect him for being the man, husband and father that he is.
So, in case you didn't get the message... I love you.

Swimsuits and Oreos

I hate swimsuits but I love Oreos! Can I get an Amen? That is my frame of mind right now. I completely thought today was Thursday a minute ago while talking with Anthony. I have been getting up later each day to get ready for school. I am SO READY to be done, but yet, not SO READY to have the children under foot all day, every day.
One really cool thing is that my sisters, mother and I will be having brunch once a week at different houses during the summer. If you are hosting at your house you will need to provide; a) something for the children to do, b) nice dishes to eat on, none of this paper plate and plastic cup business, c) an index card with a recipe of one of the dishes you served that day. That should be fun and I will share the new recipes with a picture of the dish on my blog for any those of you that love to cook.

Courage

What does courage look like? Some may say it is the image of a soldier going off to war not knowing if they will come home again. Some say it is a firefighter running into the fire as others run away. Not many people would associate courage with a mother proudly walking by her son's side with the memories of the paralyzing fear that she might not get a chance to walk THIS walk with him. Courage may have several different faces to you but for me,it is watching a child put someone else before them and helping others. Courage is the image of a father walking with his son during the "Survivor's Lap" at Relay for Life.
I stood on the sidelines with my two precious girls dancing around me to the up-beat music that was playing. I tried to take pictures and clap and not cry all at the same time and failed miserably. I explained as much as I could to Belle about what was going on and why we were there. She understands to a certain extent but one day I know that cancer will be a reality for her. So many people have this horrible disease and as a mother I pray that none of my children will get it and that I stay as healthy as I can for them.
I can't explain the joy I felt when I saw a group of ladies dancing/walking with their ball caps covering their heads that were just showing signs of hair growth. What completely took my breath away were the parents proudly pushing their children, with shiny heads and masks to help keep germs away, in strollers or beds. The children were so excited and the parents showing a tremendous amount of...courage.

Summer!

I have the urge to get out of town. I always think of the Pat Green song that says, "seems like you need a little hill country, little back roads driving, little of that ol' top down..." man I feel that way. We had a full schedule this past weekend with Belle's birthday, my sister, Amanda's birthday, old friends visiting, all that and throw in Disney On Ice performance, whew!
How do you get a vacation from your life? I want to get away! Anthony and I had a good time visiting with friends of ours this past weekend, we had a blast catching up and playing with all my daughter's brand new toys she got for her birthday. My girls love it when they visit because Nikki and Greg make everything they say seem so interesting. Nikki has been a part of my life since we were about 12. It doesn't even feel right to call her my best friend or a close friend, she's more than that, she's just always been there, like a sister. She married Greg who was one of our childhood friends and a friend of Anthony's before we even met. Greg is in the military and he has been told they will have to move to Georgia. In a way this is sad because we won't be in the same state and in a way it is good because now I can visit her.
I want to see Margaret Mitchell's house, (author of Gone With The Wind, shame on you if you didn't know that)I want to tour plantation homes and sip sweet tea and listen to long drawn out accents. I really will miss Nikki and Greg but I also look forward to some awesome times we'll share in the future. Thanks for giving me a place to visit, and ya'll know that we are here no matter what.
Love ya guys!

Sock-it-to-me Cake!

This cake has played a very important role in my life. I'm sure it is a recipe passed from generation to generation and it may one day play a role in world peace, introducing Sock-it-to-me Cake.
Is it as moist and delicious as the photo makes it out to be? Yes, and some! Here's how you make it:

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden Cake mix
1 cup (8oz.) Daisy sour cream
1/3 cup Crisco oil or Puritan oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
4 eggs
Filling:
2 Tablespoons reserved cake mix
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375, combine filling ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl blend cake mix, sour cream, oil, 1/4 cup sugar, water and eggs. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes. Pour 2/3 of batter in a greased cake pan. Sprinkle ingredients over batter in pan. Spread remaining batter evenly over filling mix. Bake at 375 for 44-45 minutes until cake springs back when touched lightly.
Glaze:
Blend 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons milk, drizzle.
Serves:12

Laughing

I love laughing with friends. not just a little giggle or humph! but good ol' nostril flaring stomach grabbing laugh. The kind of laugh that when you are just thinking about how hard you were laughing makes you laugh.
Tonight I was talking with a good friend of mine. She has been at Texas Children's with her youngest son because he is having stomach pain. What started out as a truly heartfelt conversation quickly turned into a hysterical laugh fest on the phone. All it took was an innocent mispronunciation of a word and ta-da! We were trying to wheeze out our sentences but neither one of us could articulate what we were trying to say. I jokingly told her that I didn't need to do my crunches for the day, (like I do that anyway) but that is the laughter I am talking about.
I am no stranger to this kind of guffawing, I laugh with my husband, my sisters and many of my good friends. Anyway, I think it is great to laugh, somewhere I read that laughing makes you live longer. Listen, the next time you laugh hard about something, let loose! Give a good *snort*, maybe be close to a bathroom if you need to, just don't hold it in. When was the last time you had a gut grabbing laugh?

Fishin'

"Lazy yellow moon comin' up tonight,
shining through the trees.
Crickets are singing and lightning bugs
are floatin' on the breeze.
Baby get ready!"

Aaaahhh, the sound of that song, Fishing in the Dark, makes me so excited for spring and summer. "Winter's almost over and the summer's comin' the days are gettin' long," I love to fish. I have done it since I was a little girl. My dad would take us out all together or sometimes one at a time and we would go fishing at Lake Corpus Christi in Mathis, Tx. It was so much fun to sit in the boat and wait to feel that "jerk" on the line. Daddy would get just as excited as we would when we would start reeling it in. So many stories and good times are shared while you are fishing.
One Father's Day I got my fishing license renewed and took dad fishing, I think he enjoyed himself, I know I did. The other day Daddy came to our house for dinner, Mom was in Orange Grove spending some time with Nana (my grandmother) and like we all do when he is alone, I called to see if Dad would like to come eat with us. After twisting his arm (heavy sarcasm) he came over and we talked about fishing. Belle piped in and said she wanted to go. Anthony for some reason doesn't fish and knowing this Dad readily said that they would practice "casting" the next time she came over.
This makes me so excited! I guess because I know what she will get to experience, some real one on one time with her PawPaw. She gets some good quality time with just about everyone but this time is very special. I have always cherished my time with my father. It's neat to know that she will be hearing some of the same stories I heard while fishing with Dad. What are some of you favorite memories growing up?

Belle

My sweet baby is turning eight! When did that happen? It has been true joy watching her grow and change. I can already see some of the woman she will be some day. Of course thinking about that will make me cry... We are at such a strange stage now. I still love on her and the good Lord knows she can talk my ears off but something about it is strange.
I guess we are hitting that time when I'm letting her do more things for herself. It's funny, I want her to do stuff on her own because I want her to be a strong, confident, well rounded member of society but when she does, I feel a slight "twinge" in my heart. I'm sending her off to "Girl's Camp" this summer. It's only a week and the camp is not far, she'll be with other kids that she knows well and other adults for that matter. I know she will be fine, in fact I can't wait to send her off because I know the fun she will have will be remembered for years to come. However, a little something inside me wants to hold her close and not let her go. Will she remember to brush her teeth? Will she pick the right shoes to wear for the day's activities? Will she put sunscreen on? Stay by your friends when you play in the water. Don't use all of your spending money the first day you get there. Don't, under any circumstances, share your hairbrush!!
That's the loud frantic screaming mommy voice that I have to keep at bay. I know she will have fun and she and I both will grow from this little separation. She will never know that I will cry just a little bit when she drives off and you better believe that if she calls me in the middle of the night to come get her, sister I'm on my way!
I love you sweet girl and mommy is proud of you and you are your daddy's shining light and the best friend Layla will ever have!
Happy Birthday sweet baby!

Okay, Here they are...

Well, I only have two done but they are cute. VERY retro!

Relay for Life

I will be making some hand painted t-shirts to help raise money for Relay for Life. If I can figure out how, I will post pictures of some of them. Stay tuned. But in the mean time check out some of my video making skills... Don't forget to mute the playlist.

Unzipping Your Skin

I know what you're thinking, "That is totally gross!" Those of you that know me know exactly what I'm talking about. You have probably felt this way before but just didn't know how to express it in words. Ask yourself, have you ever been about to do something, or experience something that you would rather not. It's kind of like that South West Airlines commercial, "Wanna Getaway?"
One of the times I have felt this way is the night before I was to have my first child. It was a planned cesarean and I had been so stoked about it for pretty much the whole third trimester. However the night before while, laying in my bed with my legs freshly shaved and my toes beautifully painted, all I could think about was how exciting this would be if I could unzip my skin, step out of it like a pair of footed pajamas, and put it back on when the "hard" stuff was over.
Unzipping my skin doesn't only occur when something scary/exciting happens. It has been known to happen when my children (as wonderful as they are) have somehow made me feel like I want to run out of the house screaming. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and I thank God for them daily but I would be lying if I said I never felt like droppin' them off at MawMaw's to go grocery shopping at the Wal-Mart in Delaware!
I say all of this to say I would like to unzip my skin right now. It is the last night of Anthony's set of nights and I feel like a one man band (picture Bert in Mary Poppins). I know relief is coming, it's right around the corner and I'll make it, I'll be fine. I just wish I could take off my skin and chill. Oh well, I'm sure my kids feel that way too, and when my daughters call me when they are mommas crying and saying "they don't think they can handle what life has given them", "and how in the world did you do it"? "You have the patience of Job", so on and so forth... I will tell them all about how I wanted to unzip my skin, and hopefully they will see that they are normal and that yes life is hard and anyone who says it isn't is lying or hasn't really learned to live. Can I get an Amen?!

A Silly Fear

Among the many silly fears I have one of them is getting honked at in the pick-up line at my oldest daughter's school. One of my good friends made a comment a couple of years ago that she was scared she would get honked at while waiting for her son. "Jessica, there is nothing worse than getting honked at!"
What happens is this, you get to the line early, the sun is playing peek a boo behind clouds. The small child is already sacked out in the backseat, the windows are rolled down. The light breeze is blowing and you can smell freshly cut grass. The diesel engine turns off and a song by Don Williams starts to play on the car radio and all of a sudden ...*HONK*!!!!
You have fallen asleep and the line has started to move and you wake up and don't know where you are! You fumble to turn the key in the ignition all the way! Your sleeping child is crying and you are wondering if everyone in the line heard you snoring!!!
Thankfully this has not happened to me yet, however too many more of these pretty afternoons and I'll be a goner! I think maybe I'll just be at the end of the car rider line, just to play it safe.
Am I the only one with silly fears? Let me know some of yours.

Preschool

I have been a preschool teacher for almost 10 years now. I have had wonderful years and I have had years that have made me go home, rub my husband's feet and sing praises to my children. This year has been a great year. It's amazing to watch different trends in parenting. This year I definitely have a group that respects the authority at home. ...That or they fear it, hey I'll take what I can get. (Little side note, no matter what anyone says teachers like to know that you whip your kids at home, it makes our job so much more effective) more on that later.
Anyway, the other day I was going over letters with my kids and I decided to be really smart and show them some of the letters in cursive which started a whole discussion on the word and what it meant. They loved it and soon they were asking for all different letters. Among the loud enthusiastic voices I hear,"Mrs. Rutledge! Mrs. Rutledge! What's the "curse of D?"
I love my job.

Hello you all!

Today is the first day of hopefully some very neat things. I just sat down at my computer and decided to start a blog. My own little mark on the world,a bright spot in someones day if you will. Anyway I am going to use this blog to share my life with people. I will try to remain as honest as I can through all my trials and tribulations...okay through loving my husband of almost eleven years and raising my two beautiful girls. It may get ugly and a little messy at times, but that's okay. I would rather read the truth than any other sugar people try to throw at you. So, sit back, relax and enjoy!