Formal Meals

While this group forgot to choose a "theme" they did choose lovely china, set the table correctly and prepared a wonderful meal. Somehow I didn't get a picture of this group all together. I'm sorry guys! The young lady in the background with the pink apron on saved the day. She and another group member were the only ones to be at school on the day before they were to eat. They pretty much carried their group's menu. Good Job!
I think they had fun. I know I enjoy this project.

Sweetheart Theme.

The afternoon FACS class did a fantastic job with their "heart" theme. One of their group members had to leave school due to a stomach virus. They pulled together and created a beautiful table and scrumptious meal. You may not be able to see the "sweetheart" candies that are in the bottom of the vase. Way to go!

I have the students in my FACS class to do a formal meal as their final in foods. I am always thrilled with the attention to detail they take. The above table is a "Bridal" theme. Notice the heart shaped cakes with the monograms. They created those for their place cards. How original. The students below worked on this table display and menu. They invited 2 guests and I think they did a fabulous job!
This group chose a "game" theme. Unfortunately, 2 members of their group were out sick. The students below rose to the challenge and prepared a tasty and delicious meal. The table was beautiful. They dipped the glass rims into colored sugar for an added touch. Good Job!

Candy theme. Can you tell? This table was so "sweet"! LOL Seriously, I have included three photos of this table in order to help you get a full spectrum of how they set their table. The place cards were extremely large jaw breakers. They found markers with food coloring in them and wrote their names on each jaw breaker. They then placed the jawbreaker into a cloud of cotton candy! It was so cute! They tied ribbon to the stem of their glasses, dipped the rim into colored sugar and had a vase full of jelly belly's and large lollipops. Notice the spring wrapped Hershey bars encircling the vase? Again their creativity always inspires me! I love my job!

The group of girls below are the ones responsible for the "Candy Table". Great job girls!

Formal Dance

Headed for a "Ball"! Isn't she beautiful! What fun today has been. She had nail appointments this morning, both toes and fingers, courtesy of her dates mom. What a thoughtful gift! From there she had her first up do from a hair dresser. She was amazed how quickly he had it up. Less than 30 minutes.
Young love. They are so sweet together.
Someone....didn't want to be left out!

He is home from college on spring break.

He was suppose to be working on the garage. This was more fun!

Fancy shoes. While they are beautiful, they are difficult to dance in. Notice the pretty toes?

She found silver flip flops at Old Navy and I covered them in ribbon. Much more dance worthy.

Oh NO! It is raining! I'm sure she hasn't even arrived at the restaurant yet. Poor baby. I think they will have a wonderful time even in the rain.

I pray you are having a restful weekend. God Bless

XOXO Theresa

485 DOZEN

Trust me, it is darker outside than this picture indicates! My morning began at 5:00. I did 10 deep breathing techniques, while praying, please Lord, let us sell all those donuts, before I ever got out of bed. If you remember from Monday, I thought I was going to pick up 440 dozen donuts. When I went to school on Tuesday, I found out I was mistaken, I was to pick up 460 dozen. I began to panic! The Business Teacher called KK and asked how many more did we have to order to have them delivered. They said 18 dozen, thus 485 dozen donuts were delivered at school before 7:30 this morning. I left my house at 6:15 so that I could be there when the delivery was made.
The above picture gives you an idea of the almost 500 dozen donuts. I won't go into any of the details, but due to miscommunication, we ended up with almost 80 dozen unaccounted for! I agreed to take 21 dozen with me to try and sell tonight. Students were helping me carry them to the van when the buses began to arrive. One of the bus drivers asked me what I was doing with all those donuts and I said, "Would you like one? $5.00 and it's yours". Those bus drivers were extremely generous. By the time I left the school parking lot, I only had 14 dozen left to sell.

I called H. and began sharing with him my "donut woes" to which he began giving me the "sermon" about why he "told" me it wasn't a good idea (Honestly, he was very supportive, but he did have a good laugh). I told him I was going to sit outside of the church and look pitiful and see if I could sell my other 14 dozen. I didn't have to sit outside in the parking lot, 6 sweet people ended up taking those 14 boxes off my hands.

I'm sure I will dream of donuts tonight!

I can't remember how many we have to sell tomorrow, I'm hoping it is only about 20 dozen or so. My friend and assistant principal suggested that I freeze the ones I don't sell and then when we have our "male beauty pageant" ( this will be another story) on Tuesday of next week, I take out the frozen donut, zap it in the microwave and slap a scoop of ice cream on it for "donut sundae"!

Biscuit making.

I thought you might enjoy seeing my Foods class in action. They made beautiful biscuits today.

I am tired. But with visions of donuts dancing in my head I should have sweet (NOT) dreams. LOL

PS. I can add, they ended up bringing 7 extra boxes which is how we ended up with 485 boxes.

God Bless

XOXO

Theresa

DONUTS

Do you like donuts? Krispy Kreme has a bakery here in Kingsport. Not too close to our house, just far enough to make it a chore to go there. That is a good thing! Truthfully, I associate donuts with warm, loving memories. When I was a little girl, my family would go to Owensboro (approximately 40 miles from our farm) and because my dad loved donuts we would stop at a donut bakery. Dad would always give us girls the "donut holes" to eat on the way home. They would be fresh, warm and melt in our mouths! I can taste those donuts while writing about them! LOL

How does this story relate to the above photo? Well, I'm glad you asked. The Business Teacher in my school and myself need to raise money for the clubs we sponsor to go to state meetings. We were sharing our wows on how to raise quick money when she mentioned that donut sales are a good way to make quick money for organizations, but someone has to drive all the way to Kingsport to pick them up. Of course, I replied, I don't live "THAT" far I can pick them up. Now is where the story gets interesting. I am suppose to pick up...... 440 dozen donuts in the momma van on Wednesday morning around 6:30 a.m.!

I came home and shared with my loving H. about this project. He quickly begins making a list of why this is NOT a good idea. I finally tell him to be quiet, it is already done and instead of giving me a list of why it won't work he needs to be helping me figure out how to place 440 dozen boxes of donuts in the van. He says it can't be done and no encouragement is going to make it happen. In our defense we did call Krispy Kreme and the man said we should be able to get them all in there, it would be tight. H is still not convinced.

Stay tuned, this story will continue on Wednesday of this week. If I have enough sense about me on Wednesday morning I will try to take pictures of the story.

Beautiful Weekend!

What a gorgeous weekend! We had three beautiful snow days this week, Wed, Thurs, and Fri. and then...... this incredible spring weather for Sat. and Sun. My baby girl and I decided to make the most of our time together. We opted to make reservations for the Tea Room for lunch on Saturday. This particular Tea Room holds special meaning for us. Our very first visit to Kingsport, a trio of sweet ladies took us here for lunch. We were both impressed! The food was very tasty and the atmosphere was so pretty. We were smitten!
From the moment we arrived in Kingsport this has been our "special" place. How fun to have lunch and conversation with someone you love in a beautiful setting. I am blessed! I don't do well with close up camera shots. LOL Oh well... it was a memory making moment and we wanted to capture it on camera.
Our favorite "tea" is Black Currant. We both love it. A dear friend of ours is now the chef for this tea room and she is an awesome cook. Her talents are many and she uses them to serve others. She prepares meals for our church, wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners. She makes Amish Friendship bread for one of the ministries in our church. It is yum, yum!
I am ready to go back to school. I've had a sweet rest and have spent time catching up with my children. Thank you Jesus for loving me with beautiful people. AMEN

OXOX Theresa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Today is my Dad's birthday. He is the young man on the left in this picture. We took this at Christmas with all of his grandchildren. The beautiful baby is his great-grandchild. How quickly time flies. He is my hero. I admire his faith, commitment and relationship with God. He is the 5th of 6 sons. I realize I am biased but I think my dad is special. He is the head you want in an emergency situation. He worked for the state of KY for years in the mining division of first aid and safety. While he is officially retired from the state department, he continues to consult and teach when he finds the time.

He still lives on the farm that he grew up on. The house is different, he built a new house across the garden from the old when I was in middle school. He and his wife Pat work in their church, they keep an eye on their 101 year old neighbor (who still lives in her home), they garden, and when the grass growing season is upon us you can not believe how much grass they keep mowed. He has been a deacon in that church for more than 40 years. He is a perfect example of the Biblical "Deacon".

My sisters and I consider ourselves "Daddy's girls". He has given us unconditional love and as a testimony to his life all three of us and our families are active in our local churches. Again, he provided the role model. I love you Dad. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

So Proud!

This past week was an extremely busy one. For those of you that I've talked with, you realize I felt extreme pressure waiting for the UPS man. He was suppose to deliver FCCLA items 2 weeks ago. Circumstances being what they were, he brought my package at 1:00 on Thursday afternoon. That was the deadline. A cheer went up by myself and students when the secretary announced over the intercom that my package was in. You had to be there.
In case you were wondering what FCCLA stands for: Family, Career, Community Leaders of America. The name was FHA prior to 1997 or so. This organization has a long tradition of preparing young people for leadership roles in their community and families. As a part of this leadership experience students can participate in many different events, called STAR events. I had 10 students to take on this challenge. My daughter, her roommate and my dh all volunteered to be judges for the category I was responsible for(thank you!). Hence, the above picture. My sweetheart of a daughter took that photo as I was giving a pep talk to my students.
The above young ladies are the BEST! I am so PROUD of them! They rose to the challenge and met high expectations. I am hoping to raise enough $$ to take the entire group to Nashville, to the state leadership meeting. It is a wonderful experience and I don't want them to miss out.
As much "fun" as I had last week preparing for that huge event, I was completely worn out by the time I arrived home on Friday afternoon. I walked into the house and immediately put on my pj's. It was so nice! The house was quiet. Our church had D-Now for our youth and all of my crew was involved with that activity. I took the opportunity to recoup from my week, do laundry ( I even did the kids since they were busy with church), and learn to make hearts. My dh asked me last night what I was going to do with all those hearts and I told him, at the moment it was the challenge of learning to read a pattern. I was quiet proud of myself!

On a prayerful note, the daughter of my friend left this earth yesterday morning. Please pray for her family. Jesus, please send comfort and peace to Terri's family as they adjust to the loss of their daughter, mother and grandmother. In Jesus name, Amen.

XOXO Theresa

The Cold Wind Doth Blow!

A cold front is moving through NETN. It is soooooo cold! We took the momma van to the fix it shop this morning. She was abused by another driver not too long ago. Poor thing. Yesterday was over 60 degrees so I only wore a light jacket this morning. Not Smart! I nearly froze. I was glad to come back home and stay in where it is warm. Thank you for electricity!
This is a close up of the chest in the entry way. The plate was a gift from my children a few years ago. We change the ribbon and message often. It is the cutest thing!
This gorgeous handmade crochet lace was given to me several years ago by a dear lady in our church. I love it! Her handwork is exquisite.

I have a prayer request. A dear lady in my life is sitting with her daughter in the hospital. The daughter is in the last stage of what began as lung cancer and now it is in her brain. This is a very difficult time for them and I ask that you join me in praying for peace and comfort and strength. Amen

True Love

Last Tuesday my darling H. went to the dentist ( he is going to have an implant). While there the dentist shared with H. that he recommends his patients use water piks instead of dental floss. Less stress on the gums. With that information, I decided it would be a "perfect" gift for my honey for valentines. LOL Our daughter was appalled that I would consider that a romantic gift. I told her I was concerned about her Daddy's health and this was the "perfect" gift. On valentine's evening, H. gave me my gift to open and inside the package, yep, you guessed it was a water pik! I had a stunned look on my face and he began immediately saying that A(daughter) tried to talk him out of it, that she thought it was a sad romantic gift. He said it was only part of the gift, the other was pieces of a dish set I have been admiring whenever I walk into Belk's. This is the first time in all of our years of marriage that we have gotten each other the same gift and had no clue that we had. True Love!

P.S. I'm not wild about it, but he loves his. LOL

We had the opportunity to entertain friends this weekend. It was so much fun! It reminded me of when I was in college and had to prepare appetizers as well as the meal. I decided to have a small appetizer (seen above). It was pretty good. Simple but tasty.
A.'s boyfriend arrived before our other guests so I put him to work. I gave him the camera and asked him to please take pictures. A was still upstairs getting ready. LOL He was a good sport. He always is! I found those pink placemats and napkins at TJ Maxx our first summer here. I loved them immediately and the price was right! The plates are white and I used the pink tulip shaped glasses I found at Belks's last year.
This vase belonged to my mother. I love the simple pink roses in that odd shaped vase.
You can't really see the "pagan" tree. I bought this white feather tree our first spring here in TN. I decorated it for Easter. My minister H. immediately titled it "pagan" and the name has stuck. I used it in the dining room at Christmas and moved it to the entry hall for February. I found vintage valentines at Hobby Lobby and placed them on the tree. It looks so sweet. I love that little tree!

I am headed to watch "Extreme Home Makeover". The story is about a young blind, multi disability young man in Louisville, KY. He plays the trumpet in the marching band for the University of Louisville. It is an incredible story. The courier journal has this story on their web page. Go check it out!

xoxo Theresa

The Greatest of these is LOVE

Beautiful, Beautiful Valentine!

My darling daughter and a gift she made. From scratch red velvet cupcakes. I made the icing for her. She was rushed. LOL I hope your evening made your wishes come true. I love you!
I had a hair appointment this afternoon and when I walked into the house, this was my welcome! My darling H prepared the most delicious and beautiful dinner. He had grilled steak, baked potatoes, ss rolls, and vegetables. It was a good thing!
The heart shaped cupcake behind the candle was what he made for dessert! He really was thoughtful and romantic. I love you darling! XOXO

To the other 2 young men in my life, A & A. I hope your day was great. I love you both bunches. I wish you were here, I understand you are where God wants you to be. Thank you for being responsible and Christian young men. Some young lady will be blessed!

To all my family in Kentucky, IN & IL. I pray you had a beautiful day. I miss you and pray for you daily. God Bless you All.

We Made the Front Page!

The newspaper article was fabulous! I wish you could read it. Those are my kids on the front page of that paper. I am so proud! Another proud moment. The above picture is the stage at the KY Center for the ARTS. I have had several opportunities over the years to attend Broadway plays and concerts in this center. Our oldest son was chosen to be in the all-state choir his junior and senior year of high school. If I didn't have to grade papers I would dig through photos and post those. LOL Our middle child was also a member of the all-state high school choir his senior year of high school. I am a proud mother! I thought those days would be behind me. I was pleased when my middle child, who is a Junior at Alice Lloyd College, e-mailed me that he had been chosen by his choir director to be a part of the all-state collegiate choir! I realize you can't pick him out from the above picture, but with a wonderful zoom lens on my camera you can see his smiling face below.
God has blessed both of my boys with musical talent. OS(oldest son) teaches guitar and voice lessons in the evenings and sings regularly. MS(middle son) joined the choir at ALC and is thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to study music and sing. Their sister has talent as well, but doesn't enjoy the performing aspect. That's ok, she is creative, smart and a beautiful young woman. I love all three of you! XOXO Theresa

Did you Vote?

Did you vote today?

I had my patience tested, and I truly debated in my head whither it was worth it or not, but I DID vote! I happen to live in a state that had primary elections today. While I am not always pleased with the choices, I realize that as a citizen of this great country, it is my responsibility to vote.

The weather here was so beautiful that I enjoyed being out and about. I had a few appointments I had to meet and then I took the opportunity to stop at a few of my favorite stores. I was very careful in my selection of merchandise, which should thrill my checkbook. I picked up construction paper and stencils for school. I'm always running out of school supplies.

The above bear is what I had planned on doing today, but... I think I will do that another day. That adorable clip art is found here.

She has the most precious free clip art. You should drop over and see her selection. I envy her skills.

It was Beautiful!

Students designed this board as a welcome to the guests that had been invited.
Dessert. YUM! It was a chocolate gooey cake with peanut butter. They swirled caramel for the garnish. It was perfect!
The main course, well part of it. Guests had a choice of Taco Soup, or Loaded Potato Soup or a sampler plate. This is a picture of the LPS. They also had a choice of grilled cheese, chicken salad croissant, or egg salad croissant sandwiches.
This was taken as you enter the door into my new room. There are almost 20 students working down this line as a perfect team. The front group is making the croissant sandwiches. Can you see the slice of tomato for a garnish?
The appetizer salad. I'm afraid you can't see the beautiful garnish, but they made lemon curls, jello salad on lettuce. The salad was sitting on the table waiting for the guests as they arrived. I have more pictures, but the site won't allow me to upload more than this at a time. I will show you more tomorrow. I really wish you could have been there! We evaluated the event today, the students and I, they want uniforms (or t-shirts) and want to give our team a name. I can't wait to see what they come up with. The newsman told the students that they planned on running the article in Sunday's paper. This has been a hectic but rewarding week for me. Thank you for your prayers. I felt them!

XOXO Theresa