The fun has begun

WOW! What a busy couple of weeks!!! School has officially started and I am feeling the impact. My feet are achy and as usual, my voice is starting to crack. That happens every year. I think it's because of all the "extra" talking I have to do this time of year. I also have to have my voice at a decibel that can be heard over 17 kindergarteners when they all appear to not be listening. I should be labeled a fireman instead of a teacher. I feel like I am constantly putting out little fires. Don't spit on her, don't poke him with your scissors, please get in line, when my voice comes on, yours goes off, please raise your hand, stop playing in the sink, keep your hands to yourself, go to the restroom...quickly and tuck in your shirt, where should your hands be, etc, etc. The list could go on and on and on. Overall, I do have a wonderful class with very smart children. My voice should recover in a few weeks and things will become as normal as a kindergarten class can be. (Whatever normal is) I also should stop hearing my name called in my sleep rather quickly, I hope. I am looking forward to the next 2 years with this class.

Just a few of the funny things that have happened so far...

*One kid argued with me because he was convinced I could recognize a drawing of his brother, Earl. I didn't know he had a brother and all he had drawn was a circle for the head, a bigger head for the body and straight lines for the arms and legs. How could I have missed it?

*One little boy actually took 10 minutes in the bathroom on more than one occasion. He said he was trying to get his pants up because he was sweaty. He now gets a count of 20 and then he has to be out. He can do it!!

*I was reading the book NO, David! The same child who was convinced I knew Earl wanted to know where David had learned all his bad attitudes that his mother says you shouldn't have.

*One child was on the way to the gym for PE with the rest of his class took a detour to the playground without anyone knowing it and blended in with another class. The teacher finally figured it out and went and found him. He had his priorities straight.

*Because of the standardized dress code, all students must tuck in their shirts. That is a task that can be accomplished for kindergartners, but it is hard. I have a child who gets his shirt tucked in and buckles his belt. He just forgets to button and zip his pants.

All this and we have only been in school 7 days. That's what happens on a campus of 600 Kindergarten and 1st graders.

The adventure continues.....

I am officially the mother of a TEENAGER!!

At 12:29 am this morning I was the mother of a teenager. Wil is 13 years old today. It's so hard to believe. Where has all the time gone? He is such a great kid!

I grew up with two sisters. My oldest sister had a daughter 6 years before Wil was born. My dad began thinking his chances for a grandson were slim. (He has been blessed with 3 more grandsons since Wil.) When he was born after a very long and difficult labor, we couldn't have been more excited, especially my dad. He even shares my dad's first name, William. When Wade and I brought him home, we had no idea what we were supposed to do with him. I had many conversations with my mother over the phone about why he was crying! It usually was because of obvious things, like hunger or being sleepy! He was actually an easy baby and slept very well. I did not work for the first year of his life. He and I spent our days "talking" and napping and playing. What a great time! I wouldn't trade that year for anything. There is something special about a boy and his mother! Whatever "it" is, we share it without question.

Time has flown by with many adventures for Wil....climbing into the washing machine when it was agitating(no broken bones!), locking my mother-in-law out of the house and refusing to open the door when he was 3(she had to call me at school-20 miles away-to come unlock the door), and almost cutting off the end of his index finger in a freak accident(I passed out. He handled it fine.) He then went to school, went through speech therapy, for what we thought was cute, got glasses, started showing his animals, and the most recent adventure was when he backed my mother-in-law"s car into Wade metal shop. She was in the car with him! I am sure we are in store for many more in the years to come.


Wil has grown into a great kid! He is bright and funny! He is a boy that loves video games, movies, history(Civil War is his favorite), loves to read(comics, science fiction, nonfiction, etc.), has great compassion for animals(especially his show heifers and our cats), is affectionate and very loving, loves to play his trumpet, likes drama and hates to play sports. He says he officially retired after one season of tackle football when he was 9. The most important thing I can say about Wil is that he has a personal relationship with Christ.

He made that decision last summer. What a moment in his life and ours as parents! I am so glad that as he goes through these difficult years as a teenager he will have Christ walking with him. I can't say I am not terrified at the notion at what the world will throw at him. He belongs to God and my prayer for him each day is that he will follow Christ, not the crowd. I want him to depend on God for protection and wisdom. As his parents, Wade and I have a responsibility to teach him to make good decisions. Our expectations for him are high. We expect him to respect us and others. We expect him to follow our rules. We expect him to be responsible(a work in progress). We expect him to spend time with God. We expect him to go to church. We expect him to do his best in school. We expect him to consider the feelings of others. As his example, I struggle to do these things sometimes. I want him to realize that we all fail, but because of God's grace and mercy we are forgiven! What an awesome responsibility we have as parents! I am so glad that I have Jesus Christ to help me through.

So as we celebrate this momentous occasion in his life, I look back over the past 13 years with amazing happiness. I look at him (at eye level, because he is almost as tall as I am) and my heart just burst with pride in the fact that I am the mother of Wil, the teenager.

Sandy C

I wanted to post some pictures, but for some reason, Blogger won't let me. Check back later.

Tour Of Homes

Wade and I built our humble home about 5 years ago. It sits on almost 6 acres. Wil and Mollie's show heifers graze in the pasture out back. We also have 2 dogs (including a 12 year old Bassett Hound named Webster), and too many cats to mention. I took these pictures in the evening, so I couldn't show the yard or all the pets.


This is the family room. As you can see, we do spend actual "family" time in here. Wil, as usual, is doing his own thing, but at least he is in the room with everyone else. Mollie, as usual, is sitting with her daddy. She is probably trying to talk him into letting her do something that I have denied her.

Here is the kitchen. The cooking appliances don't see a lot of action. I only cook out of necessity and certainly not out of pleasure. On top of the cabinets, you can see my collection of vintage lunch boxes. I have about 25. Most of them I have found on Ebay. I collect the ones that remind me of things from my childhood. I have a Strawberry Shortcake-this was my sister's favorite toy. I have a great Sesame Street one with Bert and Ernie. I love watching that show before I started school. My favorites are my Holly Hobbie lunch boxes. I have 2. That was my favorite doll. I played with her and her friends all the time. Over on the cabinet, you will find more Ebay stuff. It is a vintage Lustro-Ware red, canister set. That is one of my best finds yet!

Here is where we eat! We try to spend dinner time together as a family almost every night. Wade and I think this is one of the most important times of the day with Wil and Mollie. I grew up in a family where this time was cherished and so many memories where made. Hopefully, the kids will continue this with there families sometime down the road. Also, over to the right of the table, you can see yet another great Ebay find. It is a unbelievable vintage 1950's era red metal, rolling tea server.

That's it! I realize the places I have shown revolve around family time. I didn't do that on purpose, I guess that is just what fills my mind when I am at home. It is our home and I love it!!

Sandy C

What a great job!!

Softball update....We finished 3rd in the state!!! Not a bad acccomplishment, I would say.

Now, it's time to get focused on school. I am going up on Tuesday to check things out and see exactly how much work I have to do in the next two weeks. I will start making a list of the things that need to be done. I am going to try to do a little at a time, so I don't get so overwhelmed. I usually do that to myself each year and this year I am not going to let myself get all stressed. I'm not, I'm not!!!! I also will get my first look at my class list. Because I am a looping teacher, I start over every two years with a new class. This is the year for that. I have prayed about these kids already. I know God will place on that list the kids who need me most. We will be meant for each other. Even those difficult kids will be with me for a reason. It's for me to teach them to read and count and add and subtract numbers, but it's more than that. I have the responsiblity to be a good example for them. They have to learn to get along well with each other. They have to learn that they have to follow rules and that there are consequences for not. They are so funny..I can hear them saying things to each other that I say. They sure keep me accountable.

That is the exciting part about starting over this year... getting to know a new group of kids and their families and seeing the growth in each one over the next two years. After all the years of teaching(13), it's still a great job!!

Maybe I am looking forward to going back to school...maybe!!

Sandy C

Where has the summer gone?

I was in Wal-mart and saw that school supplies were out on the shelves and backpacks are hanging everywhere. I got a big knot in my stomach. That is not a good sign!!! I think it means that our summer is almost over and I have to go back to work soon.

I really haven't thought too much about school this summer. That is a change for me. I have too many other things to keep me busy....MY CHILDREN!!! That is not a complaint. I am happy they are involved in so many activities. Wil has stayed busy with the youth group at church. Of course, Mollie has had softball. That doesn't count our vacation and show heifers.(That is another story, I will have to share later!) I wouldn't trade this time in our lives for anything. I hate seeing them grow up so fast in front of my eyes. Wil is going to Jr. High!!!!

I guess, after the state tournament next week, I will start working on getting things ready for all my new kindergarteners. Once I start going up to the school, I will really start feeling depressed. Oh well!! Life goes on......

Sandy C

I love my church!

Our church is such a great place! It took us almost 13 years to get to FBC Athens, but we made it and are so thankful that God has led us to a place where we have connected so well with so many people who share our faith.

Wade and I both were brought up in church. My parents took my sisters and I to church every time the doors were open. (Wade's story is similar, but this is my blog!) Not only did we go to church, but my parents led by example. My mom always worked in the church and constantly cared for other members. She has such a pure heart! My dad didn't always go to church with us on Sunday, because he worked, but when he was able, he was there. We were expected to have a relationship with Christ and we all three made a profession of faith at various ages. I went to the same church regularly from the time I was born until I went off to college. Regretfully, I didn't get involved in a church in College Station. Then, Wade and I got married and moved to Huntsville and never got involved there either.

When we moved back to Athens in 1994, we started back to church where I had gone all my life. I know now it was because that is where I felt the most comfortable. We felt connected at times, but as the years went by, people our age seemed to be dwindling. We had no social interaction with anyone at church, except my parents!! The children's ministry was almost non-existent. We were involved, but I always felt like a big piece of the spiritual puzzle was missing.

We started praying about what we needed to do. We were very torn because we had history at the church, especially me. I felt like my parents would be upset and I have real issues with big changes. We knew the Lord was leading us somewhere else, we just didn't know where, as difficult as that was. In January 2005, we got a call from a couple we know that are members of FBC Athens. They invited us to a small group party. As soon as I got off the phone, I knew it was time to visit a new church. It was God's way of answering out prayer. We went to the party, and had a great time. Remember, we were not used to having any kind of social interactions with couples our age! We decided that we would visit the next Sunday. (It actually was several Sundays later, because I got sick and then we were out of town.) Anyway, I waited until the Saturday night before to call and tell my parents. Of course, my mom cried, but they both understood. With Wade's hand in my back forcing me into the door, we went to Sunday School. The kids were apprehensive, but they both had a great time. Our Sunday School class ended up being just what we were looking for. We couldn't have felt more welcome. I guess the rest is history, you could say! We didn't visit any other churches because we knew we had found our "home" as soon as we walked in the door.

Since then, we have been blessed with many new friends, spiritual growth and maturity, wonderful opportunities for service, mission work in Mexico, a great small group that meets and genuinely cares about one another, we have seen Wil come to know the Lord, the children ministry is expanding, our Sunday School is the best, but most of all we have a renewed faith!

God is so good to use other people to accomplish his purpose for us. He used our friends to make the phone call to invite us to a party. He used the leaders of our SS class to make us feel welcome, because He knew how hard it was for me to go in the door the first morning, He used the pastor and other staff members to speak to us spiritually. The list could go on forever.

Wow! What a ride! We truly believe we have arrived at the place God had intended all along.

Sandy C

Go Diamonds! Go!

The softball saga continues....Mollie just finished up district play with the Diamonds, the team that picked her up for playoffs. They won the tournament!! This means we will move on to the state playoffs week after next. We have had so much fun this week watching the girls play. Mollie has done a great job. She hit the ball very well. Her fielding still needs some work, but she is improving.

The team won the first two games very easily. The third game was a different story and the game came down to our last at bat. They were able to win by one run. The night before the game Mollie and I prayed that the team would do well and try their best. The next day we prayed right before we left. After the game, I reminded Mollie that God answered our prayers. She said,"Coach prays with us too, before every game, didn't you know that?" I was so touched. I was so impressed that he led the girls in prayer
there at the ballfield. The next night we played the same team again for first place. Before the coach let the girls go out on the field, all 13 girls had their heads bowed in prayer. Not only is he teaching the girls wonderful softball skills, but he is teaching them to build their faith in God. I am so glad that Mollie is learning that she can depend on our Heavenly Father for anything, including a softball game.


The Lord has blessed her with a great summer! Her confidence is off the charts. Not only did she get picked up by the first place team, but she has had a part in helping them win a place in the state tournament. I am so thankful for Jeffrey Fulgham for giving my daughter so much confidence in herself, giving her the chance to see how it feels to win, teaching her how to be a team player, and most importantly, how to rely on God and to thank Him for answered prayers.

Go, Diamonds! Go!

I hate housework!!!

I have ask myself why is it that I dislike cleaning house so much. Is it because I know that within 1 hour or so the kids will mess it up again? Is it the monotony of it all? Am I a messy person? or Is it just boring?

The answer to the first question probably is the biggest reason. My kids, even though they are 12 and 9 can still make huge messes. Wil loves Dr. Pepper and he always breaks the little silver tab off the top of the can before he drinks. He just puts them wherever he is sitting-on the computer desk, on the end tables and I also found a considerable stash behind his bed. Mollie has a problem picking up shoes. I constantly have to remind her where her large collection of CROCS should go, certainly not on the living room floor. Mollie does do a great job cleaning her room and she loves to mop. There may be hope for her yet!! I am worried about Wil. He struggles to keep his hair clean, much less his room.

I do also think that house cleaning is very monotonous. It would be great if you could clean the bathroom and it would stay clean even though you use it regularly. I don't know where all the dust comes from either. I dust one day and it seems that within 2 days it's all back again. I think that is why I put some things off. It's like, why bother? Day to day chores, like laundry and keeping the kitchen clean don't bother me that much. I will confess, I do let a load of laundry stay in the dryer for several days. I'll remember it when I am needing to put a fresh load in there.

I don't think I am a messy person. I pride myself on being somewhat together most of the time. My mom, who my children call Cookies, taught me very well how to clean house. I have 2 sisters and we all had chores to do growing up. I think my older sister got most of the cleaning genes from Cookies. She is the clean freak in the family. My younger sister and I both lost out, I think.

Cleaning is very boring. Wade says he thinks I could get things done faster if I wouldn't go from one thing to another without finishing what I start. I agree with him and I am working on that. I just am trying to keep it more interesting, I guess. Sometimes I will be cleaning my bathroom and I will leave that to get a load of laundry out of the washer, which is when I will discover the load I left in the dryer 3 days before, I will fold that load. Then on the way back to the bathroom something in the living room will catch my eye and off I will go to do that chore. Wade says Cookies is the same way. I evidently got that gene from her. I am trying to get one thing done at a time and it does work better. I can get done a lot faster.

I think it might all boil down to the fact that there are 100 other things I would rather be doing. Those may include watching daytime TV, ( it's summer and I don't do much of that during the school year) reading a book, doing things with Wil and Mollie-like going to the movies, going swimming, etc. We are leaving for vacation on Saturday and I always like to leave the house clean when we are going to be away. I just finished the floors, but of course writing this blog has gotten me off track. I am going to have a goal--I want to get all 3 1/2 bathrooms cleaned and our room clean before I go to bed tonight. In between, I have to get a hair cut, go to Walmart and go to church tonight. I think it's an attainable goal-if only a good movie doesn't get me sidetracked.

Sandy C

It's all about Mollie

I have written about Wade, Wil, and now it's Mollie's turn. Mollie is my 9 year old, independent, perfectionist, basketball playing,heavy hitting softball all star, daughter. She is the sort of girl who refuses to wear pink, purple or anything that would lead someone to believe that she is a "girly-girl".

She has just finished playing regular season softball. Her team ended up 5-5, which was a little disappointing for Mollie. She always wants to win!! We started the season a little bumpy. The league rules state that you must be 9 before December 31 to move up to the next league. Well, Mollie's best friend's birthday is December 31, so she got to move up. Mollie's birthday is in April, so she had to stay down in coach pitch. However, the Athens league broke it's own rules and let several girls move up, even though they did not meet the age requirements. Mollie wanted so badly to move up and her dad and I considered letting her do that. After thinking about it for several days, we decided to teach her something. Rules are rules, and we were going to follow them. She was upset, especially after the first practice. She was the only player on her team that really had any experience and later we found out that only her and one other girl in the league followed the age rule. As the season started, we saw Mollie becoming more and more of a leader and a very serious softball player. Her skill level shocked us. She was hitting hard and playing great at 3rd base. She began to "coach" some of the other girls who were less experienced than her. Wade and I were so proud!!!

Last week, the coach of the first place team called Wade and asked him about using Mollie as a pick up player during the district playoffs. We had noticed him hanging around during some of her games. (His team is organized in Chandler and they follow the age rule strictly.) They are an excellent team. Boy, was Mollie excited! She has already gotten to practice with them and will continue to do that until the tournament.
She may not get to play much, but the lesson she has learned is worth so much. You have to follow rules. You may not like them, they may seem unfair, but in the end you are rewarded. Our hearts are just bursting with pride!

Sandy C

Now that she is so confident, she wants to be on the Lady Aggie softball team! WHOOP!

My Baby is growing up!

Today I finally realized my son, Wil, is growing up before my very eyes. We sent him off to youth camp! This will mark the first time he has had an extended stay away from home without the rest of the family. He was sooo excited!! I was excited for him, but it didn't make it any easier for me. He will be 13 in about a month and it seems like only yesterday that his whole world revolved around Thomas the Tank Engine and eating Little Debbie's Chocolate Cupcakes.

I figured out this morning that he is still not old enough to be embarrassed by the affection shown to him by his mother in public. As we were walking up the sidewalk I hugged and kissed him goodbye. Still having issues with the leaving him at the door scenario, I walked him inside the building and hugged and kissed him again. Poor boy! Wade, Mollie and my mother were also close behind. Anyway, without hesitation he hugged and kissed me good bye again. I love his big hugs! I thought about that after we left, are we embarrassed to show God's love in public? Do those around us know that we love Jesus? Whatever the answer, without hesitation, He loves on us!!! WOW!! Thanks Wil for reminding me of that so clearly.

When he gets home on Monday, I am sure he will be full of stories, have a very tired body, and hopefully have a heart filled with Jesus! I am so proud of him!

Sandy C

Now if he only remembers that swimming in the lake at camp does not constitute a bath!!!

I am gleaning!!!!

I have stepped out and decided to give this blog thing a try. I chose the title gleaning for my blog, because I hate that word. For whatever reason, my husband, Wade, uses the silly word all the time. Now it has just become a huge joke that drives me nuts. He first used the word several years ago when we were attending another church. He was teaching our class and he used it to summarize the lesson. You have to know Wade-I was shocked to here him use such a "fancy" word. I didn't say anything about it, but he used it again a few weeks later. That is when I finally had to confess the issues I had over the use of the word. I don't know what it is about the word--it may be the sound of it, but, to tell the truth I think it's the fact that Wade uses it. He is a very intelligent agricultural banker, but to hear him say it, just doesn't seem right. After we moved to FBC Athens and started attending a small group, he used the dreaded word one night. I just mentioned to our group the hang up I have about the word. Several weeks later, we are going through our bible study and there it was--in print!!! Everyone had a big laugh over it and now it is a big inside joke. I think seeing it in print made Wade feel validated in some strange way.

I do love my ag banker and his silly words.

S Carter