Cool dudes

Nothing like a really cool vehicle. I guarantee this lady wont get in the way of your view. My really cool brother with his new really cool 2002 black Chevy Silverado with purple ghost flames. 5.3 l. V8 with 327 horsepower, glasspacks, duel exhauset, 4x4, bedliner, liftkit. And yes it makes lots of noise. The twins with their bean and pasta treasure maps We always try to think of creative birthday party ideas. The twins turned 4. We tried to put cotton balls in a cup with a spoon and a potholder while blindfolded. Here is what we do with our vehicles when we are from the south. This is for all those people from the north who thought it myth and legend. Snapped this while riding down the road the other day.

Cumberland Homesteads

I’ve grown up in Cumberland County with the Homestead houses around me all my life. One of the coolest things I learned about in college was that FDR’s New Deal created the CCC Civilian Conservation Corp. The CCC was formed to give young men from needy families a job and provide housing to others.

In the1930’s the CCC brought men here to build the Homesteads, a school and a state park. One of the men it brought with it was my great grandpa Stacy Abner, a singing school teacher. I never got to meet him, but obviously he made a big impact in my life.

Another man the CCC brought was Hank Elmore who is 93 and lives at the nursing home in Pleasant Hill. Hank said factories closed, the mines closed, people were starving. At 17, he graduated high school on Friday, came to Crossville from Cookeville on Sunday, and had a job with the CCC by Monday. His dad was a carpenter so he was hired to help with the building. One of the foremen asked his dad why he didn’t apply for one of the homesteads. He went home and discussed it with his family. Hank said “I was highly in favor of it.” So we applied and we got the biggest house in the Homesteads. Thinking he might have had a large family, I asked him why they got the biggest. “Because we built it ourselves,” he replied. He was one of five children. He said the houses sold for a ridiculously low amount to people with immaculate character.

Another story was from a lady I go to church with. Her daughter married Avery York who grew up in a Homestead house. His parents were the first ones to get one. They owned a car lot on the corner in Crossville for 37 years. They say the houses were very cold because they were built of stone and lined with pine. Mrs. York didn’t have anywhere to put Avery when he was a baby so he slept in a dresser drawer. You might be interested in visiting : http://www.cumberlandhomesteads.org/history.htm As a side note: Meeting Hank is a noteworthy story as well. He always shows up to the singings at the nursing home. One day I offered to take him back to his room to politely get him away from a little old lady who was pestering him. They both informed me she was his wife. We giggle everytime they show up for the “Sing Along with Rebecca”. She says that was the nicest complement she ever got. Hank is blind and knows every song in the Methodist hymnal as well as many from the Baptist and Presbyterian books. He tells me I don’t play them fast enough!!!! Yesterday at church I wasn’t paying any attention and was just beebopping it, enjoying myself, not knowing I was going so fast no one could sing with me.

Yardsales, CPR, and Buttermilk

I had a yardsale this week end. I was surprised at how well we did. Here is me on Saturday happily allowing them to pay me to carry off my junk.

We took a 4 hr. CPR class Saturday. It specialized in infants and children. It wore mom and dad out. Dad had to say “breath” every time instead of actually doing it.

I just have to tell this. The other day Kaylynn left her sandwich in the kitchen chair. I’m sure she was working on it in between play. While she left it, along comes little Ella and eats it. My brother said “that’s my girl.” I was forever leaving my sandwich on the table, come through and he had eaten it. To add to that, one day Stacy had drank several glasses of milk. Mom told him he had enough and not to drink anymore. Thinking this didn’t include butter milk, he poured himself a glass and added chocolate syrup to it just as he had with the regular milk. I’m sure it was disgusting so he left it. But mom said he had to drink it. He would take a sip and come back later. Along come Jeremy, not knowing what had happened, sees a glass of chocolate milk and downs the whole thing. He went to spitting and gagging. Now Ella follows his footsteps.

What are you Doing? Get me down!

I've fallen and I can't get up. No that's not it. I've climbed up and I can't get dowwwwwwwwwwwn!!!!!!

The REDNECK FIRE ALARM

Available at most local grocery stores including Wal-Mart.

Olympics and Armadillos

Monday we had kiddie Olympics with a 5 yr. old and twin three year olds. We had ball toss, ring toss, high jump, long jump, volley ball, badminton, statue, push-ups, jumping jacks, running, swinging, and I can't remember it all. Needless to say it was absolutely hilarious. We made our own ribbons before we headed out to compete. We got creative and used stuff out of the craft box. We made them out of construction paper. The kids tended to like the ones we laminated in contact paper. The most practical ribbons were the straight ones. They were easiest to cut, laminate, and make in mass quantity.

Tuesday, Hailey asked me about armadillos. So I googled "armadillo coloring page" and then looked for fun facts that we drew on the back to remember. Like outlining the Texas puzzle piece to remember where it was from.

Thursday we used cotton balls and water colors to sponge paint giraffes. I used a giraffe I printed off of google as a template. Did you know giraffes pick up stuff with their tongues? And they only sleep about 15 min. in 24 hrs! Do you know what sound they make? Leave a post at the bottom of this messsage, either with the answer or with your guess.

What's the deal with the dude? Stacy bought an Indiana Jones version of Monopoly. Notice how the playing pieces fit perfectly on a GI Joe.