40th Annual Natchez Balloon Festival

October 22, 2025

 Ideally, I'd like to come back home every year for the balloon festival, but it doesn't always work out. This year we managed to get in town, and have one really good day of balloons. 


Granted it was Friday morning, races happen on Saturday, but based on the past -- I had a feeling that Friday would be the day to see anyting. I was right. 




We started out bright and early on the Vidalia Riverfront. Balloons were supposed to launch from the bluff, but alas... that rarely happens. They ended up launching from the Vidalia airport, so we took off to see who was still setting up. 




I was nervous about what we would see, but it ended up being a good morning for it. 







If at any point int his blog post you wonder "Where is Harrison?" Just know that he hates heights, whether he's up high or the object is high -- so this was a bust for his excitement. He was over the whole ordeal and wanted Jeremy to take him home. 






After the morning launch, we headed to The Donut Shop. I kind of wish now that we had gone back at lunch and bought tamales as well. 






I thought the boys would be glued to this idea, they had a dog show where the dogs were doing the long jumps like you see on television competitions. 


It was beyond hot at this point, and several classes were on a field trip to this event, so the crowdedness wasn't that enjoyable. I really wanted to stay to see all the demos, but the heat was too much, so we headed off to lunch. 




It's funny what I do when Jeremy isn't with me vs. what I do when he is. This made me realize I'd never taken the man Under the Hill to lunch, so we settled in at The Camp. 




I had originally planned to bring Harrison to the balloon glow, but after the monring launch -- I wasn't going to waste the time. He happily stayed back with my mom while Jeremy, Elliot, and I wandered the festival grounds at Rosalie. 






How do y'all like that worried face? He said the balloons were too loud. 








It was a quick turn around trip - we got there Thursday night and headed back home Saturday after lunch. Just enough to see the balloons. 

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This Past Week

October 16, 2025

A week where all the activities feel like fall, but Louisiana weather never feels like fall. It's cooled down, but it definitely isn't in the range that has me jumping for joy. 


Elliot had his book character pumpkin project this week and we decorated for the book "There Was a Black Hole Who Swallowed the Universe." It looks less insane in photos than it does in real life. 




The neighbors chickens escaped yesterday and caused some excitement on our end as Jeremy locked up the dogs and captured it. Poor girl didn't realize what she was signing up for when she jumped the fence. 




Post homecoming parade (which I hope someone got a photo or video of us running down the road like lunatics) the kids pulled the magnetic tiles as a great way to play in such a way as to delay bedtime. Peep Elliot still wearing the beads they threw at the parade, which he thinks are real gold. 




Also, I think this was all a cross between homecoming parade tired mixed with trying to pack to go to Natchez tired - but let me leave for work a second past the time I'm supposed to and I'm catching a bridge. I managed to walk into my classroom literally one minute before the kids. 




In the same thread of thinking - being tried and making an extra coffee works great while teaching... it does not work great while progress monitoring oral reading fluency. This was not the time to sit still lol! 




It's homecoming at the kids school this week, that school is also tied to our church, which means we get rolled. The perks of being married to the youth pastor, yearly toilet paper before my kids even hit middle school lol! The boys get such a kick out of it, on the second night they went outside to surprise the girls that were rolling and ended up helping roll their own house. 


The fun promptly ended on the second day after school of toilet paper pick up. Harry declared this to be rude. Honestly, they're old enough to earn their keep. 




I snapped a quick picture of the buttons I had one of my parents make my own children's teachers this year for homecoming. It's from Les Vues Designs on Facebook. After I got a really cute one for the school I teach at, I had to have some made for the kids school. I just wish I had also gotten one for myself. 



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No Plants Were Watered (The Shrubs Are Filing Complaints)

October 13, 2025

After a gloriously wet summer, we've moved into a dry as can be late summer/fall. This has been terrible new for any plants anywhere near my realm of responsibilty. The little shurbs are hanging on for dear life. 


In a moment of genius, and a need to dead head some flowers, I put the boys on the task. The following photos are just evidence that two little boys can water each other and nearly everything in the yard except a shrub desperate to find water before giving up on the final stages of its life.  




I can say that the potted flowers were watered well, because I did it myself. Elliot was watered quite well. You can classify him under self watering. 



Harrison was not watered whatsoever, and the plants in his charge were also lightly watered, as a wasp came out and he then threw the waterhose across the yard. 


Spraying me alone. 


I went to the backyard to grab clippers and came back out the front door only to be sprayed once again. 




I've now gained the utmost sympathy for my father, who for many years I snuck up on and sprayed with the water hose every single chance I got. I can't name a single time he washed his car that I wasn't also chasing him with a waterhose while he hollered. 

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Just a Plain Jane Week

October 6, 2025

I wish I took more photos. 


This phase of life seems to have my camera out less and less, I don't even bother with the phone camera half the time. I don't know if it's being busier than I was when the boys weren't in school, or honestly what. Lack of drive to blog? Or just a general shift in how media is consumed. 


Regardless, here's what I did document from the weekend. 




Harrison got the Coach's Award at KidStrong this week. 


He was pretty proud of himself. KidStrong has been such a great outlet for burning energy and having to practice their listening skills. 




This is probably a partial reason as to why I'm brainfried - last week was homecoming. 


Homecoming in the tiny town I teach in is on aother level, it makes the 4th of July look mildly acknowledged every year. 


Kids are out rolling houses all week, then there is the parade and bonfire, followed up on Friday with the schools having an open house for visitors to come by and two pep rallies. I really intended to go to the game, but I was so sweaty and dead after all the pep rallies I just stayed home and rotted on the couch. 




One big perk of anything deemed a holiday here -- is the teacher treats. Some sweet parents sent cakes, candy apples, and puppy chow on Thursday. It definitely made for a much more exciting time of progress monitoring everyone on their Reading fluency.




Other than that I mopped a bunch (two boys and two dogs) and cleaned like crazy in preparation for the air purifiers coming in, we went to a party with the adult Sunday School class we attened when we aren't teaching a youth one, and my D-Group met to discuss what we studied this week. 

Just a Plain Jane week.

 

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This Weeks Meals

September 18, 2025

Let's dive into another subject I haven't been too inventive with in a long time. Again, I blame the phase of life. I'd give my left leg for a house managed these days. If someone else would clean and cook I could live easy. 


 

Thursday | Grilled Porkchops, Chopped Salad Kit, and Baked Potatoes

Friday  To be determined - it's 5th Quarter so I can girl dinner - I'm temped to make this

Saturday |  Eating Out 



Tuesday | BBQ Pork, Slaw, & Rolls

Wednesday | Sam's Club Chickfila Knock Off Nuggets and Fries.

Lunch for the Week | This Soup (it's funny the last time I blogged my meals this is what I made) 
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Clocks, Cars, & Still not having it together

 When I decided to take the summer off, apparently I mentally took off until September. Life with two elementary age children really is busier than any other time we've experienced so far. Babies are high maintence, but they don't have spelling homework. 


Then there was that time before kids, just watching tv, exercising, cooking dinner later. I love these boys and I know I'll miss this when they are grown, but dang if this rat race high speed chase that is school age isn't draining. I'm not a go-go-go person by any stretch of them imagination, in fact I just folded laundry from Sunday, and that was all because one more thing was added to my plate that day and kinked the entire chain of how I usually operate. 


Neurodivergent much? I need someone to diagnose me formally so Jeremy has to admit just how off kilter I can be. 


Anyway, life lately. Also, ignore my sentence structures... I teach English and know how they should look, but I'm typing on here as I speak. Plus I was listening to a podcast recap of Acts 20 this morning and giggled and cried my way through, the podcaster mentioned how Paul wrote -- and if the Apostale Paul can use more run-on sentences than he should -- then so can I. 




I repotted the front terra cotta pots over Labor Day weekend. The mums weren't mumming anymore. We had such a wet summer and then BAM! September has been bone dry. Far too dry for a lazy gardener. 


I grabbed a few flower varieties that supposedly don't care if I forget that I have responsibilities. If someone could relay that info to the shrub I rebought and need to replant, please have it pot itself. 




I finally got my hands on Elliot's Kindergarten graduation photo. He's such a cute little goofball. I wish I could write down everything that comes out of his mouth, but I never remember it all. 


Really both boys keep me laughing, they definitely got my Dad and Granny's sense of humor. Not too long ago I told them to be sure to water the dogs before I left for work and Harrison's response was "And be sure they get plently of sunlight." 



Nothing special here, just walking back to the car after dinner in downtown Lafayette one Saturday. I was going to take a photo of the boys and a sweet lady stopped and asked if I wanted a picture of all 4 of us. 




This was the real excitement of summer. I never even posted about it on IG. 


On our way home from dropping the kids off with my mom, the day before we went to Brazil on a mission trip, our car engine just gave up. As we were driving Jeremy said the back window kept getting dirty, then the oil light started blinking. We pulled off the road and a big fat trail of oil had followed us down the road. The engine blew a gasket, the car was so done (and I had just put new tires on it). We had to call a tow truck and beg a friend to come get us from the nearest truck stop, 1.5 hours from home. 


I've repeatedly said I was driving this until the tires fell off, and technically they did since they all needed replacing that Monday. Then Thursday the engine blows a gasket and would have to have been totally replaced! 


So we had to buy a new car, and spent any spare second we had on that mission trip trying to line one up; just so we could show up and sign papers when we got home. Not exactly how I wanted to end the summer. 



After much negotion with Elliot and his constant waking up at hours that just don't work, we finally got one of those alarm clocks for kids that show colors. 


I has helped a bit, they know to stay in bed until the clock is at the very least - yellow. Ideally they'd wait for green, but Elliot is a yolo child and convinced he is going to miss a second of daylight. 


It's been mostly successful, there have only been a few monrings where has been up way way earlier than I want to see them. 


I need to gather up some more photo from the summer and share them. Vacation. Mission trip fun. 

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Kindergarten Graduation

May 21, 2025

 The baby of the family graduated K last night. 
He was super nervous to be on stage and say a line, but he did a great job. It was funny to see his demeaner change when he was trying to be serious and remember his part, then pump his fist in the air when he nailed it. 


Now let's pack up and go kayaking in North Arkansas!


Mom even made a whirlwind trip down for this and disappeared back towards Jonesville before I was out of the shower this morning. She retires this week! 



Elliot and his teachers this year. 


Seriously, I'm so excited that our entire meal plan for the next week includes sandwiches in a creek and kayak snacks. 

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Half Birthdays and Meal Plans

May 9, 2025

 The last couple weekends Jeremy has been away. This older kid age is a nice one for taking it easy when Dad is gone. Plus the only person who sleeps in is Jeremy so mopping can happen at 6am on a Saturday. 

Since we were up with the sun on Saturday, Elliot insisted that we finally celerate his 1/2 birthday. We got donuts and made a "donut cake" and sang happy birthday under very specific directions. No "cha cha" anything. No monkey business basically.... and that was all directed at Harry. 



We had a weather day this week too, and my favorite kind. The off all day with no actual issues weather day. Let me keep power and do some sewing. I started working on my pattern I've had for ages. 

Initially I cut for a size 16, which is what I measure for according to the pattern, but it seems to be fairly large. Hopefully after everything is attached and finished I don't have to do much resizing. 


This has not been the year for lettuce. I didn't start it as soon as I usually do since our winter had so many weird freezes, and then spring got hot quick so it started bolting. I think we managed one good salad. 

I also need to go back to the garden center for a replacement pepper. I accidently grabbed a variety I didn't want and low and behold it is pathetic and tiny, while my Marconi is huge and already producing fruit. 

Also placing bets on the fact that my egg plant does nothing since I picked up the wrong variety. 

But the basil, it has survived the great puppy debacle and is growing great. Only one seed seemed to be in a weird spot after I scooped all the dirt off the ground and back into my grow bags. Thankfully Honey has finally quit messing with the plants so much. 


Honey is a hard core chewer. Dill isn't. 

However, whatever Honey has, Dill also has to have. I think he is chewing bones just to make sure he is included. When I've sat down and worked on training her, he sits by me and slaps my arm with his paw to point out that he is already doing whatever it is. 

Honey also is still only about 75% certain what her name is but 100% sure what the dog treat bag sounds like. 



Now for meals. This next week is insane (the entire month of May is at my school). I'll be on a field trip Mon-Wednesday, then Thrusday Elliot has awards in the monring. I feel like by the time I'm back in my classroom the insanity will be more than I could ever rope back in. 



 

Thursday | Grilled Porkchops, Chopped Salad Kit, and Baked Potatoes

Friday | Something I'm not cooking or easy, Teacher Appreciation Week + activities has me whooped. 

Saturday |  Eating Out 

Sunday |  Burgers with caramelized onions, argula salad, and bread pudding. 

Monday | Breakfast

Tuesday | Beer Can Chicken with grilled asparagus and salad with fruit (no beer can, just this seasoning on thighs and grilled)

Wednesday | Sam's Club Chickfila Knock Off Nuggets and Fries.

Lunch for the Week | This Soup 

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