Hale Household

13 RaNdOm Thoughts! 1. I love days when I come home and get supper in the oven! Tonight it is hashbrown casserole, baked chicken and a salad!

2. Abbey has softball practice tonight and she is LOVING softball this year! Ready to get this season started... First game MONDAY night!

3. So glad the temperature got out of the 60's today. I didnt freeze at recess! :) I have actually worn my "big coat" the last three days at recess. Yes, I freeze easily!

4. Lainey is loving her new art center in her room. She comes home every day and does her homework there. She says she loves the "peace and quiet!"

This past weekend my crazy, FUN, wonderfully, creative, cousin TONYA came to help me decorate my house a little more! She used the pieces that I had and just "jazzed" them up a little bit. She took pieces like this BEFORE: And turned it into this AFTER! We just added a little BLACK paint and THERE YOU HAVE IT! I love it! She rearranged my STUFF and gave it all a new look! She took my "dated" TV cabinet... BEFORE: And turned it into this AFTER! It now matches all my other pieces in the living room and I am not ready to get rid of it!

TONIGHT my Cousin CATHE will be on the WHEEL OF FORTUNE! Be sure to tune in to your local CBS station at 6:30 and watch her!! She is the the tall gorgeous, blonde! No, we look nothing alike... I am short and dark headed! And watch the ENTIRE show and you might get a glimpse of my mom and other cousin Vanessa at the end of the show! I CANNOT WAIT!!

I am sure you have been hearing it all over the media {like we all have} that public education in Texas is being forced to change due to the budget cuts. Well, last week our little Texas school began to really FEEL the changes. Here are the TOP NINE ways we are feeling the change.

1. On Thursday, there were MANY teacher and aides who were told they would NOT have a job next year, that their contract would not be renewed as of April 11. Sad News. LOTS of tears at our school district on Thursday. {Please note that our district as been very open with its employees that this was coming.}


2. I was one of those employees. I was second to the last person hired at our elementary school so I was expecting to NOT get my contract renewed. CUTS are happening state-wide!


3. People that cannot afford to be without a job next year are now without a job. All I can say is that they need our prayers and encouragement. Luckily, I can say I get to be a stay at home mom again!


4. I am so VERY SAD for ALL Texas public education students who will be the real victims in all of this.


5. The students will be the ones who are now in larger classrooms.


6. The students will also be the ones who may also not be allowed to participate in certain programs because they may be cut for our public school systems because of budgets.


7. We must pray for our leadership for our our schools.


8. I will become the "new copy queen volunteer" at our school or the just a "BEST volunteer with KIDS!!"


9. I will admit its not all bad to be just a mommy again...I am sure I will find LOTS of things to keep me busy :) My BFF was also released so we have lunch dates planned at least once a week!

EDUCATION is so important! We must continue to push what is best for our kids. Pray for education!

This FRIDAY I am LOVING my three Crazy, SPUNKY, little girls and there two adorable, cute, litte cousins who look just like them... Dont you see the family genes in all these kids! What beautiful, brown eyes!! THANKS Mi-Ma!! I am also loving some 5th grade Select H-town Bulldogs Basketball. Abbey Grace is in another tourney this weekend and they had a game last night and WON!!! I love watching my little sport girl play some awesome defense with her FAST FEET! Abbey and her super cute best friend really wanted to pose for a picture after the game last night... I just love them! They are adorable and so athletic :)

I know many of you may remember the "Bullfrogs and Butterflies" and "Music Machine" RECORDS from the days of old! Yes, I had the good 'ole record that came with a neat little book! Well, a few years ago, my in-laws gave the girls the CDs of my childhood favorites. {Yes, I think my hubby loved them, too!} Over Spring Break the girls pulled out the CDs and played them SO.VERY.LOUD! We would even take them in the car so that we could listen to them. {And yes I remember every song. My favorite was always the one about Herbert and patience! Oh yes and the first one about the Music Machine!}

Today is the first day of Spring! I love spring and the change of seasons! I have had the windows open in our house LOTS this week. We have also had to turn the air conditioner on a bit in the nights. {That may have a little to do with the girls being sick with the flu and just not feeling good and being hot then cold with fever :( } I decided it was time to plant some flowers in my pots on my porch the end of this week. It just always make the front of our house look better. Abover is the pots BEFORE: Here is me "in the process" of planting! Miss Em was my little helper! She said she LOVES getting dirty! Here is our finished porch! YAY! It looks GREAT! I think Jack Dog LOVES it, too.

Miss Emiley made the big decision to donate her hair to Locks of Love! Emiley had talked about it for awhile but wasnt really sure if she wanted to cut ALL of her hair off... Well, when it was time to go for her haircut, she decided she would go for it!

Yep! I "spruced up" other areas of the house this week, too. I tackled the living area of our house, too. I have mentioned before that when we bought our place {a 1960's house on 15 acres} we tore down three walls to make one big room. We have since put one wall back up to make a fourth bedroom but we still just have one large living area! I have had a hard time decorating this area... Let me also so that every piece of furniture we have has been given to us except for our couches that we just recently bought.

BEFORE:

I've been doing a little "sprucing up" around the 'ole casa while the girls were gone on a camping trip with their EE and Papa Jim the last 5 days! The first thing on my list was to paint Emiley's bedroom!
BEFORE:
AFTER: I painted her walls yellow and bought some new fun things at Hobby Lobby! While the girls were gone I wanted to get rid of some of the CLUTTER! They are collectors and I admit they get it from me and their EE! :) Smile MOM! I LOVE the way her paint turned out. Emiley is like Abbey and doesnt want anything pink so she LOVES her bedding and now I LOVE her room a little more.