Ugh...

Still no word on the job. Looks like the test results from the Math and Science test might mean the difference in a job or no job...very anxious and emotional, tired of waiting and really going crazy because of all of it. I feel like my entire life is on hold and I don't like that.

Bring on the Rain...

Ok...so I'm not really happy with all the rain, BUT it has washed ALOT of pollen away which is a good thing in my world. So now that I am getting a little bit better it's time to turn my attention on better things...like moving. We are scheduled to move sometime at the end of next month into Brandon's grandparents house. I seriously doubt that it will be that soon but with my spring break being next week, I am planning on doing some packing and cleaning out. I want us to move with very little stuff that we don't need. I also have to find a way to get rid of some "holy" clothes of Brandon's as well.

The job situation is still about the same. Right now we are waiting to see if our numbers will go up. If not, I will sub and finish my master's degree next year. A job would be great but the idea of staying at home sounds pretty good as well.

The couponing is going ok. Some weeks are better than others. This past week was still a good savings week but I had to buy alot of stuff that didn't have coupons. So far my average savings is around 30.00 each time. I've worked it out to where I only go once a month for a BIG trip and then make little trips here and there.

We did really well not going out to eat when we had no money but now we have to learn to live like that when we get paid too!!

I'm ready for this upcoming month and all that it has in store...Spring Break, J-Day, Easter and Dancing with the Teachers just name a few.

Hope everyone is healthy and happy!

What is wrong with me...

I am sick for what seems like the 100th time in a row. It's another stinking sinus infection. I don't know what I can do to make these things go away. Any suggestions?

Crystal Ball

I really wish I had a crystal ball right now. I want to know what the plan should be for next year. I just wish I had an answer. But I don't have one, and I guess that's what faith is and how it gets stronger.

Happy St.Patrick's Day!
I'll leave you with this.

An Irish Prayer
May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

Local Folks

Savvy Shopper this week has some incredible deals for local places to eat.

Subway has 2 free sub coupons for 6inch subs right now. The cool thing is that right now a 6 inch sub is only 5.00 anyway. So that's 2 subs for 5.00. Can't beat that!

Cabos has buy one entree and get one free. Best Mexican resturant ever!!

Taco Mac has buy one get one free.

*It's our mission to try and not ever pay for two entree's again. Ok..for a while anyway. So if you want to go out to eat with us...we are picking the place!*

Updates and a new fun game!!

Sit down. Grab a cup of coffee...it's going to be a long one!

For those of you who didn't get my frantic text on Thursday...as of right now my contract for next year will not be renewed. The county that I worked in had trouble producing the number of students that it had projected and as a result I got cut.

So let me answer some questions and fill you in on the latest.

1. How are you? To say that I am not mad is a lie. I have worked my butt off doing jobs that no one is standing in line for at this school. However, some of it is my fault for being stupid in math and science and not having the certification for it. My principal is a very godly man. I trust his judgement. Many people have been through worse, are going through worse, and will go through worse than this news. I continue to believe that the Lord is faithful and have been blessed by his provision this far. I still have my health, my husband and my home! As my precious father in law said...our family still has their health and each other...what more can you need??!!

2. What are you going to do??
Well...that is not so clear right now. Here are the options that we are weighing...
Option #1. There is are a couple of positions that could come available back in Gwinnett county, which is where I was a para-professional at for 2 years. I am not looking high and low in Gwinnett simply because the county is HUGE. There is a room in particular at my old job that I would love to be able to teach. If it's meant to be it will happen.

Option #2. My principal informed me when he told me the news that I would be the first rehired if our numbers at Davis increased. So...if the Gwinnett job does not run out, I will wait, which could be till August to hear from Davis.

Option #3. Sub next year and finish my master's degree.

Option #3 is what led me to my new fun game of COUPONS!!

My friend Jennifer has been doing this game for a while but it wasn't until recently that I found out just how much fun this can really be. While Brandon does not bring home the BIG bucks he does bring home enough to support us. It wasn't until there was no job for next year that we ever really sat down and saw that we really could live off of his salary if we were willing to change how we live. There are some sacrifices that will have to come with this new adventure should we choose for me to start staying at home. No more eating out for breakfast (me usually), lunch (him usually) and dinner (both). No more spending just because we have it. No more buying when we have it at home or not being careful with or wasteful with what we have. At this point we are planning to start living off Brandon's check and saving mine just to see how well we can really do this. We are going to turn off the cable, lose the gym memberships (Look at a recent picture of us and ask if we have been going...) and find the other ways our money is being blown.

The new addictive form of this lifestyle though has come in the form of coupons. I use to think that you clipped a few out of the Sunday times and took them with you when you thought about it. I had no idea until recently that there are people out there that live and breathe this until recently when Jennifer started posting the coupon sites on her blog. Right now I am just a beginner, but just in case you are just starting out let me tell you what I have done.

First...(stole this from Jennifer) I went and purchased a dollar photo album. I took some post it notes and started labeling categories of things I would need a coupon for. I started thinking of the layout of my favorite store (Publix) and just started jotting down the categories. Then as I clipped my first Sunday newspaper worth of coupons I added categories that I had forgotten. I take them with me to the store and when I see one that I will use I take it out and put it in my wallet next to my debit card.

Second...Jennifer has hooked us up with some great websites that teach you the trick of the trades. There are some INCREDIBLE things that you can get for FREE at places like Walgreens and CVS. It's all about taking some time to get familiar with what they are saying on the blogs and then just going out to do it. Learn the words Buy One Get One Free and love them!!

Here are the ones that she suggest...

http://www.beingfrugalisfabulous.com/
http://www.couponsavingfamily.com/
http://fiddledeedeeblog.blogspot.com/
and www.coupons.com


Third...I heard Kate from Jon and Kate plus 8 say..."if we don't have a coupon we don't by it." That's our new mentality in Peevy land. Now of course there are some things that won't...but for the most part we stick to that...or the theory that if it's not on sale we don't buy it.

Fourth...If we don't have a coupon we don't eat there. What once was junk mail is now a hidden treasure. Instead of throwing away all those sales papers I dig to find fun surprises. A LOT of local restaurants have buy one get one free! We have some fun new places to go this month...not the same ol' same ol!

SO...how did I do...

Well for my first real coupon experience I went to Publix...

Over 7.00 in Vendor Coupons
Over 4.00 in Store Coupons
Over 30 something dollars in Buy One Get One Free

For a total of 44.00 in savings.

Plus I shopped smart and got three weeks of lunch and breakfast combos and 2 weeks of dinners for the both of us. I hope to be able to share with you my savings each week as a way to get you pumped about this and to keep me accountable to the process. I will also post the fun restaurants that I find for all those local people looking to be frugal about where they eat out at!

So that's the update. Thank you for your words of encouragement and prayers for Brandon and myself. We are going to be just fine!!

Time for a Change

Did a little spring cleaning on the blog! Hope you like it!

Bound to start some trouble...

2 post in one day is unusual for me but I have a rant to make. After reading some blogs today, being in church and just thinking about things I have reached a conclusion...I am sick of people talking about "Christian" things. Since I was 14 I have gone to church in some capacity but seen very few people put into action the things that they say. Now when it comes to being one of those people...I'm probably the freaking poster child and spokeswoman of living one way and doing the other. I'm a hypocrite more than I am not and will admit that I have done more harm in my 28 years than good. But it just bothers me to no end to hear career Christians talk about talking about being a Christian.

I have no need to sit at Starbucks and listen to people talking about "doing life with each other." I would rather be with my hellions in my classroom and see them get the fact that somebody cares about them. They are my community. I am with them day in and day out, watching them make mistakes and achieve unthinkable things.
I don't have to sit around and talk about the new slang Christian terms like "community." To me I would rather have friends that go about the business of helping you when you are hurting, give you a dose of reality when you need it and tell you to get over yourself when you need to lose the pity party. I have about 10 friends in my life that if I needed them I could count on them. Really count on them to help me. To listen to me and to guide me. I don't want to sit around and have conversations about things that I will never be able to achieve like having a quiet time every day or saving the world. I just want someone to help me when I need it and be a help when I can.

I'm tired of watching churches trying to be bigger and better than the rest. I'm tired of people trying to one up each other on the checklist of being a good Christian. Maybe I am just bitter but this is where I am right now.

This probably doesn't make sense to anyone but me.

Me and the Boyz

So it's time I guess for a little update. It's been an insane last few weeks. Christmas was spent redeeming my title of "driving ho" by going to the houses of our dear family all over the freakin place. From Alabama to Georgia we went around spreading Christmas cheer. Ok...so we made it to each spot by the skin of our teeth, plastering our fake smile on while we probably fought in the car. Ok...so it wasn't that bad either. I did start the tradition of making Christmas cookies with the nieces and cousins in the family and hope to get those pictures up soon.

Christmas closed again this year with Mee-Maw Christmas and it was incredible. We were once again failures at watching a DVD, had an insane amount of chicken and creations from the Jones house, stayed up way to late, and yelled way to loud at the announcements of babies to come. I still go around my house saying...Heather is having a baby!!! :)

Since then it's just been back to work. Me and the Boyz as I like to call it. Around November I was switched to our EBD class room. EBD stands for Emotional Behavior Disorders. Yeah...right person to teach the class right. Right now I have 7 boys in the class. They range in age from 12-14. All of them have rough home lives or emotional circumstances. We apparently lose our minds after Christmas break because we are just now starting to remember how to act semi-appropriately again. Semi being the theme.

I love my boys though. I guess you can almost say I've found my calling (almost because I promise you if a wealthy benefactor came to town I would say adios to the boys and hello to the beach.) I love seeing them make the right choices. A good day is when we realize that someone cares for them and out of respect we do the right thing. There are some hard days with these guys (my chiropracter should be able to build a new wing thanks to me), but those bad days make the good days AMAZING.

I hope all of you are doing well and hope that 2009 is a year filled with precious moments and memories!

My first trip to DISNEY!!!

Magical Kingdom...the greatest place on Earth!














Here is just a short first installment of our trip to Disney. We went with our good friends Lee and Christie. We got there on Friday night and started our Saturday off at Magical Kingdom. For a girl who has never been to Disney it was the greatest experience. The husbands didn't love it so much but they endured our love for the characters and we went to Epcot next. It was amazing. We went around the world they have built there and rode some amazing rides. Everything at Disney is such an experience. We started out Sunday at Animal Kingdom. We went on a Safari and had so much fun seeing all the amazing animals right before us. The best roller coaster at Disney is Mt. Everest at Animal Kingdom. It was hands down all of our favorites. We went back to end our evening at Epcot at the most amazing Japanese resturant. On Monday we spent the day at MGM Studios. We finally got wise and split from the boys and got to see shows like the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. When we finally rejoined them we rode the Tower of Terror and I seriously thought I would wet myself by the time we got off the ride. So....we rode it twice. We finished out our Disney journey with the light show FANTASMIC!! It was such an incredible show and was filled with ALL of the Disney characters. I got a little teary eyed.

It was so much fun. I'm so glad that I got to do it before we have children but can't wait to go back and see the smiles on the faces of our kids as we introduce them to this "Whole New World!"

Thankful Thanksgiving...

I've been thinking on these things for a while now but decided to finally put together a list.

A random list of things that I am thankful for....

1. Brandon - I never knew that I could love or be loved this much.
2. Being married - It is just a great feeling to know that for as long as I have on this earth...I have it to spend with him.
3. Our little house - It may be little and I may want to scream when I try to cook in our tiny kitchen, but it really is becoming a home.
4. Making new memories and traditions as a family - It seems like this year everything is new. Putting up our first Christmas tree together (without my mother wanting to put nasty silver garland all over the thing) was a HUGE deal last night. It was just so much fun to get to do some of these things together for ourselves for the first time.
5. Lee and Christie - Lee is Brandon's cousin and best friend and Christie is his new wife. They are so important to us. Not only are they family but they really have become our best friends. We love to just cook and have them over, go to different places and shows with them and soon we are all headed to the greatest place on Earth...DISNEY!!
6. Friends - I love my friends. I love my friends from home that I can go forever without talking to but pick right back up when I do get the chance to hear from them. I love my friends from Judson that I have so many memories with and can feel like I am home when I pull back through the gates. I love the mee-maws and what we mean to each other. I love that we might not all talk all the time but there is a bond between us all that keep us living for the moments when we do all get to be together. I love my Georgia friends from churches and schools that I have been blessed to be a part of. And I love my newbies. The newest group of friends that I get to hang out with at school and staff develop with on a weekly basis.
7. New Hope - I love pulling back into town after being gone for a while. Although I don't think we will ever live there again, I do miss it. I love the small town atmosphere and the scenery that makes it such a beautiful place to go back to.
8.Facebook - There I said it. It's crazy but I love to be able to talk to people that I love, see people that I miss, and stalk people that I am interested in their life but have no real reason to want to communicate with them.
9. Alabama Football - I just love it.
10. Sara Beth - I know we don't get to talk as much as we use to but I love it when we do. I love that our conversations can be as simple as a 10 second call to remind each other that we still know the words to Fancy or an hour conversation trying to figure out the world's problems because we don't want to face our own. And sometimes even the conversations when we do face our own because we don't judge each other, we love each other, and we always tell each other that we do when we hang up.
11. Aunt Jettie and Uncle Harold - That they love Brandon as much as they do me.
12. Terry Carter - That he hasn't blocked my text or e-mails of prayer request daily from my crazy life and that he counts it a privilege to get to be a part of the insanity.
13. Ornaments - Mee Maw ornaments to be exact. Each one holds a memory of a Christmas of laughter and food. My tree will never be bare.

There's much more that I could list but these are the things that my heart is thankful for right now.

Yay for Baby Jack and a Prayer for Baby Kaia

Yay for Baby Jack Bird. Rita you will be the most amazing mom to that little boy. Congratuations.

Please pray for my friend Heather and her baby Kaia. Heather was forced to go into labor at only 26 (or so) weeks. Baby Kaia was born weighing 14oz. She is alive though and breathing on her little own. Please preay for Heather and the baby. Heather has had some issues related to everything but both her and the baby seem to be doing better now.

We're still here....

I feel like we have fallen off the face of the earth most days. School takes everything I have out of me most days. Teaching special ed is so hard sometimes. Along with the paper work, I have to make sure that each lesson has something going at all times. I can't give these little 6th graders with probation officers any down time. They have to be kept going. We start World War 1 next week and I'm anxious to see how that is going to go with them. I can hear it now...."Mrs.Peevy, so what you are telling me is....a bunch of people got pissed off and started shooting. We do that in my hood too you know." Or something like that. Of course with mine it might be a more red neck version like...." It's kinda like the time my cousin came in from huntin and got pissed off at my other cousin and they started throwing stuff and shootin." I'll probably understand those kids better!

Married life is wonderdful but cleaning house sucks. I can't imagine what my life will be like if Brandon and I ever do decide to have children. We can't do laundry for ourselves. I know if I would just get in the habit of doing it daily it would be better....instead MT. Laundry is in my living room right now and looking at it just makes me want to take a nap.

Ok...so the only really interesting thing we have going on right now is our new doctor. Brandon suffers from the gout and until now every doctor has just wanted to put him on medicine that will one day shut down his kidneys and tell him not to eat beef. So a few weeks back I decided to contact a doctor that my friend had been going to that takes a more holistic approach on things. So far Brandon has enjoyed meeting him and I'm going to start his new metabolic program for weight loss and healthy living. We'll see how it goes. I go on the 18th for a series of fasting blood work and metabloic testing. Sometimes it takes extreme messures to do what is best for yourself. I don't want to get pregnant at the weight that I am at, so that gives me a great incentive to want to trim down and be healthy before I even think about sharing that space and growing a baby Peevy.

So the journey starts next week and I'm going to try and do my best to blog about it. Maybe seeing the results on screen and hearing encouragment from you all will make it a little bit easier.

I'm really looking forward to seeing pictures of baby Jack soon and ready for Christmas this year. This will be the first year that I will be able to decorate my own house and I am so looking forward to that.

Hope all is well with you.
Peace.

People let me tell you bout my best friend

A few updates and one really corny, cheesy ramble...

1. Mom and her man are back together. I'm over it and over her. If it makes her happy, fine...be happy. Just come to Georgia for Christmas and Thanksgiving if you want to see me.

2. Grad school is kicking my rear end. I only have one week left of the class from Hell. That week has an 8 page paper and a huge final though. I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.

3. I still LOVE my new job, I really do...but this week has thrown me for a loop. We lost a teacher this week due to numbers. She was displaced in our county. So as of tomorrow I no longer co-teach 3 classes and have one by myself. I now teach 3 by myself and co-teach one. I have 2 6th grade social studies classes, one 8th grade Language Arts and my co-taught 7th grade LA. Co-teaching is not what you think either. I actually co-teach. The other teacher and I feed off of each other and take turns throughout the lesson teaching different aspects. I'm excited but hate, hate, hate losing my kids that I have learned to adore. I also hate changing my caseload after spending endless nights working on things to help them in class. Oh well...at least I have a job at the same school.

Now the ramble....

Brandon has been gone since Wednesday. He went on a hiking trip to the North Georgia Mountains and is getting back today. I've always heard of people calling their spouse their best friend but thought that it was going a little far. After being away from him for four days and having very little communication with him (2 - 3 minutes a day) I'm starting to realize that he really is becoming my best friend. I never realized how much I depend on him, crave his attention, long to hear his voice, need him to bring me back to earth, need him to comfort me, want him to say everything is going to be ok...just so I can get mad at him and tell him he has no idea what he's talking about. I have missed his companionship and his laugh and can't wait for him to be home in just a few minutes. We've been away a few times since we've been married, a lot this summer, but this was the first time that we've had no communication. I pray that I keep strong friendships with those that I grew up with, went to college with, and gained here in Georgia...but he really is my best friend.

I told you I was right...

I hate to say this, especially with my mother's happiness on the line, but I was right. I knew I was. I knew there was something going on with that man that creeped me out. I knew it.

Here's the rest of the story...

My mother dated a guy when she was a teenager. She has just finished taking care of her mother who passed away when my mother was 19. She loved this man. He was called away to war and came back in a wheelchair. He told her that he didn't love her and wanted nothing to do with her. I'm sure it was because he didn't want her to have to live that way but still he broke her heart. Mom met dad, married him, and took care of him for the last 10 years while he was in and out of the hospitial and nursing home. Dad passed away 2 years ago this November. The day he died there were flowers on our front porch from that man. A few months later they started dating and were engaged just a few weeks ago. The whole time I did a very poor job of keeping an open mind about him but crap...the man broke my mother's heart. She called to tell me they were engaged and I lost it. I never did like the situation and was even more pissed that our house would be sold and I would have to go to "his" house when I went home to New Hope.

She loved him. I'll give her that. She loved him, he made her happy, so as much as I could, I put on a happy face and pretended to finally be ok with the situation.

Until last night....Mom called me around 5 my time. I was in class and didn't answer and figured no one had died when she didn't leave a message. I called her when I got out of class and she had already gone to bed. My mother is 61 years old and works 11 hour days so her being in bed early is nothing new. I asked her though why she had called me so early. She responded that usually she was somewhere else but she hadn't gone over there last night because he had told her on the phone that they needed some time a part. Who says that? 14 year olds...that's who. The more I thought about it the more pissed I was. So being me and being like Kay I called him. I said some really not nice things. Especially when he led on like it was her fault. Are you kidding me? The woman works 11 hours a day, goes to his house, takes care of his crippled rear end and then comes home and goes to bed. Really...she has time or energy to cheat on you....come on. So after setting him straight and deciding not to drive to New Hope to kick his face in, I calmed down.

I say all of that to say this....you don't mess with my husband, you don't mess with my mama and you don't mess with the mee-maws. I will punch your face!

So....if I call you and tell you the bus is swinging by to pick you up to go kick some rear end...just put on some pink shorts and be ready!!

It's Labor Day

and though I'm sad I'm not sitting on a whale with these girls...I'm ok that I'm not in New Orleans!

I am at home however, coughing up a lung, sore throat, and reading a book that I would rather use as fire wood in the winter.

Here's to fun memories!

If everyone else was jumping off a bridge...

I would probably strap it on and jump too! So I finally got around to changing this thing and updating it a bit. Maybe just maybe that will keep me motivated to post on it. I cliked on my very first entry and looked through all the months just the other day. It has become a scrapbook of events, feelings, emotions, highs and lows.

I got my first real paycheck today. A paycheck that might just cover all the bills, food, and leave me with 25.00 at the end of the month. I've been paid now for 2 years once a month and I'm still not use to it!

We are spending a weekend at home this Labor Day. Hopefully I'll be productive and lazy all at the same time.

Have a great weekend.

Look at this photograph

So this year at school I get my own laptop. I'm pretty excited about this because now I don't have to share a computer with my husband. I decided to make my screen saver my saved pictures. I went on facebook and myspace and my e-mail and saved a whole bunch of pictures to my documents. I hit apply and there you have it, my pictures are my screen saver. And then it hit...

I'm sitting at my desk at work today. I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm lonely in my trailer and my computer goes on stand by. The first picture pops up and it's the mee-maws on a whale. The second one is of me as a baby. The third of Brandon and our nieces at our wedding. The next a picture at a wedding I was in with old friends from Georgia. The next of me and Sara-Beth at a Judson function and then the next of us at my wedding. A picture of Brandon kissing me on the forehead on our honeymoon and one of him on bended knee asking me to marry him. And so on and so on. The flood of tears came as I sat and watched my life unfold before me. Of course it wasn't a complete snapshot of my life, but it covers a lot. My mind went from being tired and frustrated to overwhelmed at the goodness in my life. There was a bittersweet feeling towards all the changes in my life. Joy over pictures of my sweet husband and family. Sadness over friends that have drifted away or no longer care to be a part of my life. Sadness over the distance between the Judson girls and myself. Pride at the pictures of children and families we have created and moments we have shared since graduation.

Tears of joy and sadness.

To everything there is a season, and
a time to every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and
a time to die;
a time to plant, and
a time to pluck up
that which is planted;

A time to kill, and
a time to heal;
a time to break down, and
a time to build up;

A time to weep, and
a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and
a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and
a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and
a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and
a time to lose;
a time to keep, and
a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and
a time to sow;
a time to keep silence, and
a time to speak;

A time to love, and
a time to hate;
a time of war; and
a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

It's really over...

My summer vacation that is. I have to go back tomorrow to new teacher orientation. I'm not really excited about this part. I am however excited about the fact that my classroom is going to be ready for me by the end of the week and I can get all this crap in there that's been living on my kitchen table this week. I'm pretty excited about the fact that I get to set up my classroom. I'm really getting into this whole planning phase of things but I'm also pretty nervous about this upcoming semester. I'll be teaching for the first time, have my own caseload of special ed students, take the hardest class next to capstone in my master's degree, look after the youth ministry at our church and try to still learn to be married. It's going to be a lot but I think i'm ready to get back into a routine....that's for sure.

I miss my friends though and wish we could get together someitme soon. I may just have to rob a bank and make it to Lily's party. I really want some mee-maw time.

He shocks me sometimes...

Random conversation in our house the other day...

Brandon: I don't think Jon and Kate really like each other...
Me: If we had 8 kids I wouldn't like you much either
Brandon: I'm excited about you getting pregnant so we can take those sideways belly pictures...

Then he preceeds to stick his stomach out like he was pregnant. Too bad I could take those pictures now without being pregnant.

The end...

Oh wait...the new Sugarland is amazing and worth getting the deluxe version on ITUNES!! Wish I could be around my friends to sing Stay like I was cheating on someone. Shut up Brandon...I'm not.