Trading Up

After weeks of decisions and waiting and researching, this arrived at the shop. I hadn't seen it in person, so when it drove into the driveway I actually exclaimed "O.M.G".
I wasn't mentally prepared for the size and shiny roundness of it! These are the corn and bean headers on a cart. They are way to big to take down the road on the combine. Lord have mercy on me driving these babies around from field to field. (stop laughing Leigh)
Old faithful. It looks pitiful doesn't it? All dirty and square and boxy. Peace out 9500, you have served us well. Man time flies. We bought it when Levi was a baby. I still remember who was in the field the first time Landon cut with it. Many a child has napped in that cab. S was upset when he was told about the new one.....until he SAW the new one, lol. Now everyone is fighting for a ride after school. And no, this is NOT my anniversary present. :)

Spring Break

Well it is Spring break. Not sure it is a "break" since the boy has waited until now to do his math project. Part of which involves writing a FOUR PAGE research paper. Yeah.....I have GOT to start paying more attention when I scan something. It is Wednesday....he has two paragraphs written. One of which has to be redone. So technically we only have the hypothesis completed. I have threatened and pleaded, and am now wondering if a C would be so bad. Seriously! He has even raked the flower beds instead of doing this project. Apparently the "man mentality" is bred strong in him. You know the the one, wait until the last possible minute to complete something, and do ANYTHING but this thing hanging over my head.

Apple Camp

Monday my big boys attended Apple Camp, at the Apple Store in Southpark. Upon arriving, each child was given a free Apple Camp t-shirt made by American Apparel (softest one I have ever felt), a name tag, and a map. The class was on making your own movies using iMovie. The kids were divided up into pairs and had to record themselves, and then taught how to add special effects, background music, transitions, titles and credits. When they were finished, each movie was recorded onto a disc for the child to take home. I HIGHLY recommend attending classes at the Apple Store. (I learned so much, lol) Remember to sign up as soon as you get the first e-mail to attend one. The one my kids attended, filled up in a matter of minutes the day I received the e-mail from Apple. And.... the best part...... they are free.

Run-a-round

Friday, the hubs brother was going to the tag office in Albemarle, so Landon got him to take a tag renewal for us too.  For some odd reason we never get this one through the mail.  The brother-in-law comes home empty handed saying something about a tax hold on the truck.  So, today I call the tag office.  It is so much fun to listen to their extra long recording before you can holler out "Hello" and hold for a live person.  Finally, a lady gets on the phone.  She is asking me questions and talking to a customer at the same time.  She asks me when the hubs got said truck.  I tell her in high school.  She tells me Stanly County has a tax hold on the vehicle and I can't get a sticker until they release it.  I tell her I don't live in Stanly County.  She asks me when I DID live there.  I tell her 10 years ago.  She asks me how we got the tag that is currently on said truck.  I tell her at her tag office.   She tells me to call the tax office in our county and they will straighten it out.  Cabarrus County tells me to call Stanly County.  Stanly County doesn't answer their phones.  Oh, yeah it was FUN people.  I finally get someone on the phone who tells me the only way to get all this straight is to pay the tax for Stanly.  I tell her I haven't lived in Stanly County in ten years and ask how much is the tax.  Fifteen dollars.  That's it?  I almost laughed.  So I got the buddies from preschool and headed to the courthouse, to pay the delinquent taxes to a county that we don't even live in, so my hubs can get a legal sticker for his truck.  They give me a paper with the correct address and county on it, and send me to the tag office.  I make sure while I am there that the kind gentleman types in the correct address, and county, so we can avoid any more problems in the future.  All I can say is.... I better start seeing someone driving the brown Dodge.  

How was YOUR Monday?

Voting

Yesterday, as with many of you, my kids were out of school.  That posed a real problem for the hubs and I voting.  We preferred to go together, but that was out of the question with four kids in tow.  Landon had to run errands, so he took Wyatt and voted on his way to town.  I went a little later, with Levi, S and G.  I left Levi and S in the car and took G inside with me.  Why?  Because if I leave all three they will fight.  If I take S, and leave G and Levi.... they will fight.  The ironic thing is I can leave Wyatt in the car with them and everything is fine.   Upon our arrival into the fire station, I found out that had my last name started with N-Z, I could have been out of there in three minutes.  That line was empty.  It appears they just now figured out that everyone in the vicinity is related, and all of our names start with B or F.  Therefore, I stood in the A-M line for about ten minutes.  I told the lady my name and she pulled my sticker off and put it onto a paper, which I handed to the next lady and SHE handed me the ballot.  The whole actual voting process took about two minutes.  G stood beside of me and started asking me if the table was a suitcase.  I handed him my pocketbook, and told him it was his very important job to hold it and be quiet.  The man beside of me snickered.  Upon completion of filling in the circles, I turned around and there was my pocketbook sitting on the floor.  But no G.  I scanned the room in a panic.  I called out his name, wondering how he got outside with all of these people around.  Then I heard a giggle.  I turned around to see two legs behind the voting booth.  He was quite tickled with himself for climbing under there so quietly and me not noticing.  I retrieved him (by now the man beside me was laughing hysterically) and we walked over to the machine to feed the ballot in.  The person in charge of that duty gave us both a sticker that said "I VOTED!"  Later we found, out along with the rest of the nation, that they didn't even need our states votes, along with California, and another state.   Oh well, bring on 2012.  Until then, I will continue praying for our nation to remain a Nation Under God.   

Awards

Okay, they do superlatives in each fifth grade class.  All the kids vote on each one, just like high school.  Levi won "friendliest".  How cool is that!  I have always told him to be nice to everyone, and treat them like he would want to be treated.  I guess he WAS listening, lol.  He also received an award for being on the Safety Patrol.  Remember, only a handful of fifth graders get to do it.  They are chosen by their teachers each nine weeks.  But, the huge news of the day is........ Levi won a President's Silver Award for outstanding academic achievement.  He has a certificate signed by the president, the secretary of education and the principal.  He also got a letter from George Bush congratulating his hard work and determination.  From what I can gather it is based on grades, E.O.G. scores (apparently Levi's were through the roof), the huge improvement from fourth grade to now, and attitude.  He was impressed because everyone else who got one was in A.I.G.  Then all the fifth graders ran through a tunnel made by the teachers to signify passing from elementary school to middle school.  

Both boys made the EXACT same grades in each subject.  Weird huh?  A's in Math and Social Studies, and B's in Science and ELA.  Also found out that open house is on the 21st for both schools, and the first day of school is the 25th.   Thank goodness we will be home from the beach.  The hours for elementary are staying the same next year, and uniforms were vetoed once again.  Summer vacation... here we come!

Where Are You From?

Yesterday, our Farm Service Agency (FSA) lady stopped by to check everything.  She was training a new girl, who just so happened to be tagging along.  After we completed her stuff, we started talking about the twins.  All of a sudden, "new girl" pipes into the conversation......

New Girl- Are you from North Carolina?

Me- Yes.....twenty minutes down the road (I am COMPLETELY taken by surprise by the question).  Why?

New Girl- You don't talk like everyone else around here.

(FSA lady is staring at new girl like she has grown a second head by now.)

Me- I have lived here all my life.

New Girl- Oh.

FSA lady- She sounds fine to me!!!!

What in the crap was she getting at?  Do I NOT sound Southern enough for her liking?  I was really rattled by the whole scenario.  For pete's sake, I am a true G.R.I.T.S. through and through.  If I just so happen to have good grammar..... sue me!

Tuesday

Let's seeeeeee, I took the buddies to the ear, nose and throat doctor because I KNEW something was going on with them.  They have had general crud (snot, coughing, ear pain, loss of appitite) for two weeks now.  G has a double ear infection, with one ear drum bulging, and S has one ear infection.  Now, he is talking about G getting tubes again this summer if this doesn't clear up in the next two weeks.  Poor kid!  He got a double dose of nasty ears from both the husband and I.  We both had ear trubs as chitlins.  (ya'll Northerners liked that ...... didn't ya, lol)  And, no, I don't call kids "chitlins" on a daily basis.  I went to my doctor to be told that, yes, I have a sinus infection.  It probably triggered the Vertigo.  She gave me a Z-pac and a horse pill for sinus pain that knocked me out last night.  I was looking forward to getting on the scale at the doctors to see if I have lost any weight from all of the healthy eating, and exercising at the Y.  It was still the exact same as last summer.  Seriously?  I almost asked the nurse to hold on while I take off my hoodie,  my shoes, and the thirty-five cents in my pocket.  How much do glasses weigh? Surely that would have made a difference, oh well. ;)  I am aiming for a toned tummy when I return in July for my physical.  Let's see what it says THEN!  When we returned from basketball practice last night the husband was up to his eyeballs in paperwork.  Those of you who think that all he does is ride around in a tractor all day are sorely mistaken.  The paperwork for the USDA and the FSA are crazy.  Not to mention we haven't gotten our taxes done yet.  He also had misplaced some weigh tickets, and was tearing the office apart searching for them.  I asked him when he saw them last.  "When the crop insurance agent was here", he replied.  That was a while ago..... they could be anywhere.  I found a bag of them, nope 2004.  Found another bag, nope 2006.  For pete's sake, we have two filing cabinets to prevent this kind of fiasco from taking place.  But he would rather keep piles everywhere.  PILES!  If you know me, you know about my organizing.  Piles don't cut it.  But the office is HIS domain, and I have succumbed to his system.  (whether it works or not, lol)  Oh, and the weigh tickets for 2007?  Stuck inside of a composition book in his desk.  I KNOW I didn't do that.  Now if they were found in the filing cabinet, or the 2007 box of files..... that is another story.