Perseverance

Since early Fall, I have been spending my nights and weekends clicking away on my laptop keyboard as I built my manuscript – one page at a time. After I finished writing it, I sat back and soaked it in, then hollered for my child. My ten-year-old son rushed into my room, a huge smile plastered across his face, and hugged me. I knew he’d be just as excited as I was that it was done.

Regardless of what does or doesn’t happen with my manuscript, my son watched me build characters on an Excel spreadsheet and would riddle me with cool things they could do, and we would toss ideas around. There were moments he’d hang around me, waiting for me to finish a certain part, and I would print a few pages off and let him read it. His little eyes roamed over the pages, reading through part of the world I created, and I held my breath, then it happened…he laughed and slapped his leg, then ran out of the room, trying to find someone else he could pin down to read it.

I’m so blessed. Sometimes there are stressful days. We all have them, right? Not only am I a mom to two handsome boys, but I’m a wife, and I have a full-time job where I may be home today and in a different state tomorrow. As a Manager over several projects throughout various states, I interface with so many different people, and I deal with difficult situations at work to where it can be stressful. Through all of it, I didn’t stop writing. I would drive along the country roads, the story flitting through my mind. I would try to go to sleep, and there it was again.

Even though my Grams isn’t physically here with us anymore, I know she’s been with me the entire time. I can so see her in heaven flaunting purple wings, bright blue eyeshadow, and blonde hair as she hollers, ‘That’s my Tiffy!’ in her British accent. Yeah, my Grams rocked this world, just like I know she’s rockin’ heaven.

Now, I’m throwing my manuscript out there, and we’ll see what happens.

~Tiff~

Why Do You Write??

What causes a person to have the desire to click away on the keyboard to tell a story they have bubbling in them? When does that defined moment hit someone? Maybe, just maybe, it’s been bubbling within them for years and they finally had the courage to give it a go. To all the authors and indie authors who have the courage to tell their stories, I admire you. Every single writer has a wee bit of self-doubt in them when they first start writing. A million “what if’s” churn in the pits of our stomachs or maybe, it’s just acid and all we need is a couple of Tums… either way, to take the step to follow your dreams is admirable. At the end of the day, even if we fail to have people fall in love with our novels, at least we tried.

I don’t know about y’all, but I plan on stumbling through the process, much like a person who’s had one too many alcoholic beverages, but I’m good with that. At least I’m stumbling forward instead of standing still. Like Mr. Harry Truman said, “Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction”.

 No one should sell themselves short. No one should feel like they’re just not good enough. You’re dreams are your dreams. Reach for them and tell all the naysayers to shove it. Seriously. Maybe give them a box of chocolate and they will be more optimistic. Actually, send a box over my way and I’ll definitely be more optimistic.

Look around you and find joy in the little things. The sun as its warm rays shines down on you. The gentle caress of the wind as it whispers through your hair. Live each moment as if it’s your last and continue to write the story of your life the way you envision it.

Much Love to Y’all,

Tiffany

A Momma's Job is Never Done

I had a wonderful day yesterday. My oldest son, probably not so much of a wonderful day for him. As a parent, you try to guide your children to do the right thing and to be respectful. J is a good kid, but it seems like it is impossible for him to LISTEN sometimes. You can tell him not to do something and he will do it or DIE. If you tell him to do something, he will do his best to make sure you think he did it when he really didn't do it. For example:

The night was coming to a close and the kids were getting ready for bed. I told J to go brush his teeth. He actually gets up (hallelujah) and goes to the bathroom. I hear the water turn on and he is in there a few minutes before he shuts the water off and heads towards his room. I am feeling a little euphoric that my child actually LISTENED. I am making PROGRESS! I was pretty excited as I danced around my bedroom doing a victory dance. I calmed down and headed for the restroom to brush my fangs as well. I turn on the light, grab my tooth brush, and pause. The kids' toothpaste is in the same spot as it was this morning.....hmmm. I look at J's toothbrush and then reach over to feel the bristles. Guess what? It was completely DRY! He spent all that time in the bathroom with the water running to make me THINK he was brushing his teeth. Needless to say, I put my toothbrush down and marched down the hall to J's room. I pushed open his door and he just looked at me with those innocent looking blue eyes.

"J, you did NOT brush your teeth." I told him as I crossed my arms and gave him the stern momma stare.

He climbs out of bed. "Ok, I'll go do it. How did you know I didn't do it?" he asked me as he headed back towards the bathroom.

"Momma is REALLY REALLY smart and I will always know if you did what you were supposed to or not." I explained as I followed him to the bathroom to make sure he started the process of actually brushing his teeth.


Then yesterday, I had an hour drive with J and my nephew. They were wired since they just got out of school. By the time we got to where we were going, they both had gotten into trouble. This was their punishment:

J had to write, "I will not be disgusting." and it took him an HOUR to get it done. Taylor had to write, "I will not say I will kill you to anybody." and it only took him 10 minutes to get it finished.  It made me realize that a momma's job is never done. When you think your kid finally listened and figured it out, they end up doing something silly again.

SGC

My Kids are KrAzY

There are days when I look at my kids and wonder how they can possibly be mine. I was such a mellow child. I swear I was. My dad would have to ground me from READING as a punishment for when I actually did something wrong. Any-hoo, back to what I was typing before.

My oldest child was pretty mellow until he started school. Then the monster was unleashed. Since he has started school, I have had the pleasure of building relationships with his teachers. He is a sweet kid. He just wants to goof off instead of paying attention to the teacher. After the first conversation I had with his teacher this year, I waited for him to get home off the bus. He walked in the door and I announced that I had spoke with Mrs. Alyson. I told him since he felt the need to waste her time, I was going to waste his time. Since he is in second grade this year, he can write sentences. Woot! Woot! He was not a fan of having to write instead of being able to play. I spoke with his teacher again and he has been attentive in class ever since.

So, school is going great now. I just need to work on J's sense of style. This was his choice of an outfit when we were actually able to go into a store to shop. Are you R-E-A-D-Y for this? Okay, here it is:

Isn't he adorable? I think the reneck tendencies are starting to show up as each year passes. It is bound to happen since he is growing up around it. Some of the words he uses gets drawn out in the southern drawl. What was once, "Mom, I'm hungry." has turned into, "Ma, I'm hongray." That is seriously what it sounds like - hongray.

Then there is my youngest wild child. He is wired like a kid on crack every single day. Who needs a gym membership when you have Michael? He rides around on his little red tricycle in the house like a bat out of hell. My poor dog knows how to effectively run and hide from the little terror that has part of my genetics. I totally blame my husband's genetics for the crazy antics of our child. Then today, Michael is rolling around on his tricycle, puts on a hat, and holds up a plastic gun. "Pow pow!" he yells as he rides around the living room with eyes half covered by a hat.

He has a fondness for all hats. For example, he put on a "hat" a few days ago and came into my bedroom saying, "Look at my hat!". This is what I saw on his head when I looked up from doing some college work:

I had to follow him into J's room to get a picture. You would think he wouldn't try to run around with his eyes covered, but he does. Then when he runs into the wall, he will pull it off his head and say, "I'm ok".

Here is another example of his hat obsession. When my mom and I were at Kohl's the other day, he was wanting to make a "hat" of the underwear as he attempted to pull it off the hanger. I placed the underwear back on the rack and then I placed Michael in the stroller as I explained to him that it was not a hat.

My kids can be KrAzY at times and I love the entertainment that they provide on a daily basis. Hopefully my husband and I can keep them on the right path as they grow up. I would hate for them to be like the guys that broke into the local gas station to just take a  couple packs of cigarettes. Hello?! If you are going to risk going to jail at least take something besides just cigarettes. So, the people of our town had to look at the eye-sore after the burglary whenever we went to the gas station.

Cardboard does wonders for the overall look. I will never understand what goes through people's heads at times. Hopefully, we can effectively teach our children the difference between right and wrong, so they won't do something so silly.

I am just going to enjoy every moment that my children are little. It won't be that way for long and I get to take some pretty awesome pictures. They let me do my test to see if they need a haircut and then I get to take a picture. They are SO going to hate me when they are old enough to start dating.

I am such an awesome mom, huh? I figure it is only right to do to them what my father did to me. He made it his life mission to embarrass us once we started dating. I feel I am obligated to continue the tradition.

I love my life and the little town I live in. I have a wonderful husband and two great kids. Enjoy every little thing in life and carry a camera with you at all times. You never know when you will get a terrific picture. Until next time....

SGC



Moving on Up!!

Sometimes I feel like I stepped back in time when I moved here. For example, the county I live in is still a dry county (no alcohol sold). I was so naive when I moved here  because I didn't think that dry counties even existed anymore, but alas, they do. Even though the town I live in only has one caution light, it is finally moving on up in the world. Take a guess at what will be opening soon..........

That is right ladies and gents! The Dollar General will be opening in a few months! Maybe we will even get a fast food joint at some point now that our town is expanding. This an exciting time for our little town. If all you had was a gas station with overpriced hamburger buns, you would be "tickled to death". 

You gotta love all of the southern sayings. When I first moved here, it was almost like I had to learn a new language. I have to watch what words I use when I am talking because it is taken the wrong way from time to time. For example, I can't say innuendo because then someone never fails to ask, "What's in the windah?". No joke. My husband and I had a deep discussion about using the word innuendo in these parts and his nanny proved his point beautifully.

It is also almost election time and all the electioneering is in full swing in our county. I can feel all of the excitement in the air as I try to stifle a yawn. There is constantly someone at my door asking for my vote. Then the other day, as I drove my oldest son to school, this is what I saw.......

Yep, it is a life-size sign of one of the people running for magistrate. There is one thing that  I can say about living in the country. There is always something interesting to write about. Until next time....

SGC

Cow Days?

The biggest event that happens only once a year near our town was this past weekend. Everyone around here gets fired up for Cow Days! That's right - COW DAYS. I feel better knowing that this town isn't the only one with a lovely festival. There is also Ham Days, the Apple Blossom Festival, the PumpkinFest, etc.  Do you see the pattern? Livestock , fruit, and a vegetable - they are all home grown around these parts.

My oldest child ended up being mad at me when he grabbed the local newspaper from the mailbox this afternoon. He showed me the front page and just take a guess what was on it.

 Yep, the good ole' Cow Days parade!

 My parent's came down to visit the same weekend and we took the boys to the local festivities on the very first evening it started. Since the parade was the following afternoon, we just so happened to miss it. Yippee!  I took the paper from my son without saying a word. We will just let him keep thinking we "accidentally" missed it.

I know, I know. I am such a horrendous mom! I just can't get into watching a bunch of tractors, ATVs, etc. rolling down main street. Not only did we miss the parade, but the kids didn't get to milk Annie the cow!!! Here's the kicker - she isn't a real cow. The town has a fake cow that the kids can milk for a microscopic amount of a soft drink.

Say, "hello" to ANNIE the Cow!!

I guess I am not on the list for mommy of the year in my kid's book. I did happen to go on the little train ride with them, if that counts for something. I also looked at my son's drawing that was posted on a local business. He was so proud of it.

Even though it takes a solid 20 minutes to get to a restaurant and the closest mall is an hour away, I love where I live.