junior tennis league

Carly is playing in a USTA junior tennis league this fall. The league consists of 6 teams across our county. The kids range from 12th grade to Carly, who is the youngest of the group.

There are 8 kids on her team, The Servers, 4 girls and 4 boys. They are paired up to play girls and boys singles, girls and boys doubles and mixed doubles. Carly is playing mixed doubles.

Carly's partner is 12 and in the 6th grade. They didn't know each other before practice started a couple weeks ago but are warming up to each other {4th grade girls and 6th grade boys don't usually talk to each other}. The kids they played appeared to be about that age too.

Carly and her partner lost their match 1-6; 6-2; 9-11.

Although they lost, Carly played really well. She played hard and smart. She did many of the things that she has been practicing. She started out a little nervous but calmed throughout the match and seemed to play better the longer the match went on {which was about an hour and 45 minutes}.

Even though they lost, she was jazzed when it was over.

She had a great time and is ready for the next one!

visitors

Yummy!

afternoon in oxford

{Ginny and I spent 2 days in Oxford at a speech pathology conference. We learned some new stuff and finished up our continuing education hours for the year, so I guess we rewarded ourselves with a little play time}

{We went to the square and ate lunch at a really neat place called Bottletree Bakery. I had a pastrami on rye panini with comeback sauce. Yes I think that is about as Jewish, Italian and Southern as you can get. Somehow it worked, it was delish. The decorations were eclectic, the food was yummy, and the counter was very tempting!}

{It was a rainy day and it could have ruined our little playtime. But we didn't let it. We dropped into a few shops including a bath shop. I should have taken a photo, but unless it was scratch and sniff it wouldn't have done the little shop justice. We went into a little kitchen shop that had lots of pottery and this sign at the door. I would like to go down on record that I showed GREAT restraint. I mean, come on, pottery AND ice cream sandwiches!}

{Then we spent lots of time wandering around Square Books. Ginny and I each bought a book. She bought a humor/mystery by a Mississippi author which title and author both escape me right now. But, she said she would share with me when she finishes. I bought The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. We even went out on the balcony and wished of some more time to hang out with a book and listen to the rain

just wait

Carly is sitting at the counter doing her math homework. This is after I helped her look up the science answers (no I did not know the definitions of mass, volume, density, cubic mass but I know how to use a glossary) and I am washing dishes that I left in the sink when I went to work this morning (I know mom, I know).

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Carly says "Hey mom! You know what? I feel really big because I am using letters in math now"

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she even said it with excitement in her voice

blanchard springs

stalagmites or stalactites?

It was all very fascinating and it would be the perfect place for a science field trip. If I had gone here when I was studying stalagmites and stalactites, I might have remembered which was which.

I can't imagine the explorer finding a sink hole and having the desire to go down to find out what was down there. Now there is an elevator to go down, a really great walkway, hand rails and above all lighting.

birthday weekend

Mom, Dad, Kacey, Kenny, Carly and I went here.... {I love old water towers like this}

and we stayed here in this neat little cabin.

we hung out on the porch

{I love a porch swing}

we watched this little guy who really loved clover.

Saturday afternoon, this little guy adopted Carly. We finally left the porch to take a walk, "Max" took off in the opposite direction either headed home or to find another sucker to love on him.

Saturday, we walked to the square, shopped a little, did some people watching {I love old town squares full of little shops}

and listened to these guys.

and at night we listened to these guys

ate ice cream

{Carly chose raspberry sherbet the first night and pineapple sherbet the second night. The rest of us waited until we went back to the cabin to have vanilla ice cream with birthday cake}

and listened some more!

We also visited here.

{I love National Parks.}

More about that adventure in another post.

There was birthday cake for "Kim and Sue"- our family is jinxed when it comes to ordering birthday cakes. Mom, Dad, and Finn went together to renew my People Magazine! {I love cute napkins, birthday cake, and magazines!}

Kenny and Carly gave me a new tennis racquet. Carly gave me the card on the right. It says on the front "It's your birthday and I hope you dance" and on the inside it says "you're funny when you dance". Stinker.

Lots more birthday goodness was waiting for me at home. There was a card journal from Beege, Libba, and JC with a variety of greeting cards. Cards from Finn, Kacey, my co-workers, and my friend Keetha. Good mail from blogging buddies including quote note cards from Jill in Utah, gift cards from Michelle in Paris by way of Utah, a "Bless This Home" tile from Linda in California, a super cute "Boo" banner from Melinda in Utah {that got left out of the picture but will definitely make Halloween pictures}.

What am I going to do with this?

Thank you Celeste for my first birthday present

and a huge good mail package .

BUT what am I going to do with it?

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No really, after all the stalling and all the "anything but a food processor" comments, I'm sure we will enjoy it. Although kenny is still laughing that you actually did it. At least you won't have to bring yours when you come to cook next time. I promise to have gotten it out of the box before you come!

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I'm sure there are some good 5 ingredient recipes that you need a food processor for!

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wordless wednesday

SPT: how I spent my summer

{sp of Carly and I on the steps of the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C. Carly and I went on our first vacation together to a big city. A vacation full of firsts from seeing the White House, visiting the Smithsonian Museums to riding a subway}

Don't leave home without it!

Last weekend, mom, Kacey and I had a discussion about someone we know who took a trip on a motorcycle. We agreed that even though we don't pack lots of clothes when we go on our little trips, we do like to pack a cooler, bring some snacks, and we never leave home without reading material- usually a whole bag full! We were packing to go to heber springs- a small duffle bag each, a cooler of drinks and food, boat bag, and of course reading material!

5 for Thursday that feels like Friday

My friend Ginny offered to take Carly to school this morning. So,I dropped Carly at her house. By 8:45 when I got back home, I had dropped books at the library, pulled through the ATM, dropped mail at the post office, picked up Kenny's dry cleaning/dropped more dry cleaning off, and did the grocery shopping for the weekend! All that in the time that it usually takes me to take Carly to school and get back to the house. Thank you Ginny - what a wonderful help!

Ginny came over and hung out in the kitchen so we could visit. I made these cookies and Ginny organized and backed up her photos on her laptop. We weren't extremely productive but we did enjoy visiting for a couple of hours.

Inspired by a post by fellow blogger, Jill, I wrote these cute little notes and dropped them in the mail. {Thanks Jill, for the heads up about the postage} Maybe they will make it to their destinations!

Look what I got in the mail - 2 pieces of birthday good mail! Can't beat that for starting off the celebration of my birth-month. Jane, from Washington, sent me this cute card with numbers embossed on it and full of sweet words. Natasha, from Louisiana, sent this super fun lime green envelope with a cute spiral bound note book. Her card said "Happy Birthday Month!"

I put a roast in the crockpot this morning which made the house smell yummy all day. Do you put celery in your roast? Kenny likes the celery. Me, not so much but I don't mind putting it in. I just don't eat it. I was able to share 1/2 with my friend Jan's family. I didn't think about asking them if they like celery in their roast.

full of herself

Note to self: don't forget moments like this one even when she is a hormonal teenager. The weather was too perfect not to go outside. So Carly and I got our books and headed to the hammock. Why do math now, when you can put it off to later?

. We tried to take a SP and Carly was making crazy faces and then saying "let me see". I said sarcastically, that's special. Carly (being full of herself) cracked, "I'm special in SO many ways, YOU just have no idea."

. Later, she was laughing so hard that she was snorting because she almost flipped us off. She said, "I'm SO hilarious, I crack myself up!" I told her, you're the only one. She quipped "yea, but I'm the only one that matters"

. When I told her, we needed to go in and take care of our stuff, she said, "why don't we just stay here, no one will know" I told her WE would know. She told me, "I won't tell if you don't"