Little Bit Country

Last night, I was cleaning up around the house, and I tend to be a "tosser" while my husband is a "keeper". Well, I found this trinket of Colton's that I thought was long forgotten, but I thought I would verify with my beloved husband, so that I wouldn't scar my child by throwing away some precious childhood memory.
I held the object up to him and said, "I don't think Colton cares two hoots to a holler about this, can I throw this away?"
He looked at me and said, "Are you 80?" I looked at him, bewildered. He then said, "Two hoots to a holler? Who says that?!"
That got me to thinking about all of our sayings that are a "little bit country." Here are a few that I've been made fun of for, but I still continue to say them. (Now, I may guard my tongue in some circles, for some just wouldn't understand.) I'm a West Texas girl, and some things are just better expressed in down-home terms like these:

"Who in the Sam Hill is that?" (expression of bewilderment)
describing something as "colder than a well-digger's behind" (really, really cold)
"Good Golly Girdie!" (an exclamation that can be used for various emotions)
"Well, slap me naked and hide my clothes!" (extreme surprise)
"possum on a gumbush" (another exclamation)
"Sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade." (say it how it is whether acceptable or not)

Now, for those of you laughing at this West Texas girl about these, I've heard a few sayings that were new to me, that I found quite funny when I came to GA:

"I don't know him from Adam's housecat."
"Taste this. It's so good it'll make you slap your grandma." (really? I don't think I would ever...)
"It is what it is." (okay, yes, it is, but what does that mean?)

Now, it's your turn...what are some of your faves?

Cousin-in-law

I'm not sure exactly if there is such a thing as a cousin-in-law, but I guess that's what Jason is to me. He is married to my cousin Aimee, whom I grew up with, around the corner, from my house.


Only now, Jason's kinda famous. I guess.
Famous for our family anyway.
He is an author.
He's been on the History Channel.
His books are at Barnes and Noble, at Lifeway and on Amazon.
Anyway, he's really sharp and has an amazingly quirky way of looking at things. He is known as the "Pocket Guides" guy in some circles.




I just read a blog that he wrote as a guest blogger on Stuff Christians Like that I got a kick out of...thought you might enjoy it too.

And, he just did a really cool promotion with some of his first edition of his Pocket Guide to the Bible that we are excited about being able to give out, so I thought I'd take the chance to give him a shout out.

Check out his blog...I think you'll enjoy it too. Let me know what you think if you check it out. Here's a look at the newest Pocket Guides...

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Things I Love About Texas:


1. My family and my roots...both are in Texas.


2. Watching a big ole thunderstorm roll in.


3. The food...barbecue beef brisket, tex-mex, Mrs. Bairds powdered sugar donuts, plain Doritos, Donut Stop donuts, Taco Villa...


4. Walking in stores (and restaurants) and hearing country music playing.


5. Men in cowboy hats (especially old cattlemen that I've grown up around) and boots.


6. People who pull to the side of the road to let you pass.


7. Wide roads with shoulders.


8. Aggieland and Aggies..from the inside looking out you cannot explain it, from the outside looking in you cannot understand it.


9. West Texas people...those who are blatantly honest - mean what they say and say what they mean and will stand by you through anything.


10. All my exes live in Texas...hee, hee (Jerry actually added this one)!

Green Thumbs and Gardens...

We attempted a garden this last fall with some success, learned some things (I have never had a green thumb, but my good friend Libby told me to keep on trying anyway), then called Stone (couldn't do it without him) once again to come help us get our summer garden ready. We have had a bountiful summer crop, and it has been so exciting for the kiddos...here is our first harvesting session back in June:

We have had cucumbers and green beans running out of our ears! And our tomatoes and squash are now producing well too!

We wer all very excited as you can see. The kids have eaten more fresh veggies than ever because they grew them and picked them themselves!

Anyone who knows Asher, knows that, before long, he's got to take a break for a snack...

Kenzie's Macon Noise

Wow! I tried to start catching up on my blog at the end of school and had started writing about our spring, when...my computer crashed, so I lost all of my pics. Well, Kenzie asked when I was going to write about her ball season, so here it is...

Kenzie loves softball...I mean, she looovvves it! She had prayed for God to give her an opportunity to play travel ball, so when she got the opportunity to try out, then made it, she was soooo excited! She played on the Macon Noise this spring. She came such a long way in her hitting and she dominated left field. I was so proud of her!

She had the best experience with the best coaches - truly a team of men who coached with integrity, love, and grace - all the while with a very competitive edge. I could not have asked for better as a mom. We were so blessed to be a part of this team - great girls, great parents, fabulous coaches!

We had a rough start as we were a very young team; Kenzie was the second oldest girl on the team! In our first few tournaments, we played whatever games we were guaranteed, then went home...then slowly, we began to win a few games each time.

Then, for our last tournament, we lost our first game, then we played five games in a row with no break in between (98 degrees, mind you), because we were WINNING! We didn't win the tournament, but we came in third and I was so proud of our girls! They were elated! As a matter of fact, one of the umpires for that tourney caught us at the end of the day and said, "You know I had my doubts about your little team when I first saw you, but I have never seen a team with such heart and determination...it was a treat to watch them play and win today!"

The best thing for me was seeing Kenzie grow through all of this. She learned about being a part of a team, about doing your best and playing your hardest, even without success for a while.

She had an incredible time and never once complained...she loved it and can't wait for some more NOISE this fall!