The Taylor Tales

This and That

2009-03-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

Hey, I am still not keeping up with my blog very well. Well we took the sign down Monday. It was really a relief in a way. Now we just wait on Cory's job situation. He probably won't know anything till June. Anyway, I have been making out my calender for spring till the end of the year. I have so much going on. I have started planning for next years school year and we have decided to bring Kara home for school. I love looking at new curriculum and books and teacher stuff. I should have been a teacher. I was always the kid who loved to get the new school box each year with new pencils and crayons. I still love that. We have a couple of used book fairs coming up in April and convention in May. I love to go to those and look around. I am making my list slowly of what I need for the girls next year and hope to find some good bargains on used stuff. We will have spring break next week since Kara will be out of school. We are just going to hang out around home till Thurs. Then we are going to Dallas to the American Girl store to eat brunch and shop, then on Friday we will be going to Old City Park for folk days there. I hope the weather will be nice. We are going to stay with my dad. I am ready for a break even though our school at home has really slowed down.

God showed up

2009-02-26T06:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a hard day for me but the Lord showed up. Everyone knows we have been trying to sell our house, coming up on 10 months now, and have had no success. During this time Cory has applied for two jobs and did not get them, which is good because they were out of town. We have been waiting for God to show us where we would end up and where we should move and asking him to protect us and guide us in the direction we should go. Yesterday Cory came home and said there is some restructuring going on in his company and he will have to apply for another job in Tyler. So, we have decided until all of this is over we are going to take out house off the market for now. Meanwhile, I was watching Oprah yesterday. I don't watch her much anymore since she has gone wacky with this new age thinking of hers, but yesterday was about the faces of the recession so I thought I would watch it. It was about middle class Americans all over the U.S. who have lost their jobs and homes and are now homeless or living in shelters. It was so sad. This is happening more in the West right now but eventually it will trickle down to everyone. How it hit me that I should be thankful for what I have, but then it made me think about why are we moving. We want a bigger house in a better neighborhood but why. It would be nice when we have people over to entertain or when family comes and stays with us but is it necessary? I don't know the answer to that but the Lord did show up and tell me that he cares about my hurts over this situation. I laid down to read last night, my new little book my secret sister gave me called Divine Moments. I just "randomly" opened the book and the section was on disappointment. God spoke to me through this book. He said life is full of disappointments but we do not need to dwell on them, this will make you a depressed, grumpy, sad person. He is in control of what happens to us and it will happen at just the right time. He is the God of hope and will never leave us. I just cried, he had showed up and spoke directly to me through this book. What an amazing feeling that the God of the universe does care about me and my silly feelings about a house and where we live. Cory will not know anything about his job till the middle of the summer, so in the mean time we will wait and pray, and know that the Lord has a plan for us that he will reveal in his own timing.

Alone would be good

2009-02-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

I am ready for some alone time! My daughter Emma has been talking non stop for days! She needs to get more friends to talk to. I like my piece and quiet(not really good for a homeschool mom). She talks, sings, hums, whistles, and talks some more. I cannot get any simple answer, it has to be a long long story about how we got to this question in the first place then she may answer it. What will the teen years hold if this is how it is at 9 1/2? Cory and I have a date night tonight. It is PNO at church so we are going to eat and who knows what else. I hope he doesn't have a lot to say!

Neglected

2009-02-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

I know I have not posted on my blog for a couple or three weeks, but I do have over 85 friends on facebook now! It has been great to get reacquainted with old HS friends and youth group friends and college friends on facebook. Now I have got to learn how to keep up with it all. Nothing has happened with the house in a couple of weeks. We did have to replace the floor in the bathroom and reattach the toilet where it had come loose and leaked under the flooring. There again, what a handy husband I have, he did it all. Now we have to repair a piece of the patio cover that blew off, but he can do that too. We got signed up for Pine Cove day camp this summer. We are going week 10 and I will be the camp nurse again for castle rock and both family camps. I HATE driving back and forth to Tyler everyday, but it was better than writing that $450 check it would have been for camp. We also have decided to go to Disney World in September. We have invited my mom and sister go go with us. They are still deciding but we have locked in our dates. I am so excited and the girls are too. We went in 2005 when Kara was 3 and Emma was 6. We are getting the dinning plan free again and so we can do all sorts of character meals. I can't wait. I have started walking everyday. I have got to loose some of this weight I have put on in the last year and get in shape if we are going to walk around Disney. I am going to the Dr. next month for a check up too. Well, that should catch you up on us and I will really try to do better about blogging. It really is kind of fun and therapeutic.

More curves in the road

2009-01-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

Well, more upcoming changes ahead. Cory found out yesterday that two more job opportunities are going to open up for him. One is in Tyler and one is in Mineola. He has the best chance for the one in Mineola. His boss told him yesterday to get ready for the move. Cory said we could live in Lindale. I do not want to move out of Longview. That is not what I had in mind when we decided to move. I am sure tired of all this uncertainty. I am ready for some concrete plans and actions. Now I get ready to wait and see what will happen. The thing about the state(who Cory works for) is that they do not get in any hurry. This could be a three or four month process. When you read this, just shoot up a prayer for us, that God will guide us in the direction he wants us and closes doors to the things we should not do.

Back from Camp!

2009-01-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it back from Pine Cove Scrapbook Camp. We all got a lot done. I got 32 12x12 pages done. Now I am done with 2007 pictures and my Christmas album is all caught up too. I don't know how many people were there but we all did 2300 pages the entire weekend. This is about my ninth year to go. I always have a great time of fellowship and renewal with my friends I don't get to see that much during the year. It is really great to have such great Christian mentors to visit with. I love you girls! We were all tired when we got back. I slept till 10am today. Cory and Kara were home for MLK day so we all slept in. Cory had to go to the office for a couple hours so I sent Emma with some of her school work so she could keep on track, and Kara and I are here at home just messing around. It is always good to have one on one time with each kid especially since I feel like I don't see her as much because she goes off to school. Well, it's back to the everyday stuff I guess. No news on the house yet either. Blessings!

2009-01-15T07:00:00.001-08:00

Hey, I just wanted to give a shout out and say Emma is in the paper today! She was so excited. It is a great picture in the sports section. We are trying to get school done today before we go to art class. I was a little lazy yesterday and we did not get everything done I wanted to, so we are rushing today. I am going to Pine Cove tomorrow for scrapbook camp so I am getting ready for that too. This is the sixth year I will be going. I just love it. We spend the whole weekend there and can scrap, eat and sleep when we want for three days. They feed us, take care of all our needs, we have skits and devotionals with worship time too. You can even get a massage if you want and go horse back riding. It is a great trip every year. I hope to get alot done and at least get finished with 2007 family album. I woke up this morning and decided I need a hair cut too. I just do that. I don't have a regular hair dresser I go to (you probably could tell that) I just go where ever. I need to fit that in before I leave tomorrow too. Too much to do, especially when your lazy one day out of the week. When I get back Monday, I will let you know how many 12x12 pages I get done. I hope it is alot!

2009-01-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

Well, we went to look at houses yesterday. There are a lot FSBO that we had not seen, so that made us feel better that if we had to move now there are some options. We have had one couple very interested in our house and several showings over the last week. Cory is going to have to apply for another job in Tyler soon and we will start that whole four month process again. We just keep praying for the Lords timing and that he will guide us in the right direction.
Since we have had our house on the market, I decluttered our house to make it look neater. That means alot of stuff in now in the garage. I am going to have a big garage sale when spring roles around. I read an article somewhere over the holiday that said kids are really more interested and remember the things you did with them, like trips, family outings, and fun things at home, more so than all the stuff they had. I want to implement that this year by doing more things with them instead of wasting money on little things here and there and trying to make a birthday list for the relatives. I want to go camping sometime when it gets warmer, and over spring break I was thinking of going to Dallas to some museums and things around there. I want to go see the King Tut exhibit before it leaves town. I really hope this year or next we can go back to Disney World. It is kind of hard to plan big things like that if we don't know if we are moving or not. I just can't sit around and wait and let time slip by. I am reminded of that when I go to work and I have a patient die of cancer when they are young. So many people wait to do things "later", when they retire, when they get enough money, when they get older. Some people run out of time before they know it. I hope I am giving my kids lots of great memories but most of all, I hope they feel loved.

Back to school

2009-01-05T06:40:00.001-08:00

Well, vacation is over and school starts today. I sure do want to just lay in bed today, it is raining and dark. Kara is out of school today but I am making Emma get started so we can stay on track. I still have some organizing and cleaning to do today from the holidays but things are coming together. We had a great sermon yesterday at church to get started in the new year. It really challenged me to be more Christ like this year and keep my perspective. I feel like I am always trying to do better and never reaching it. I guess that is a sign of growing in the Lord and not being satisfied with where I am at. We are putting our house back on the active list today to show. I am really ready to take it off the market completely. If we sold it now there would be no place for us to move anyway. We keep praying that the Lord will guide us in his timing and take care of our needs. We know that he will, he as done it many times before. Hope you have a great day!

Emma's first deer

2008-12-30T06:11:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Day, Emma killed her first deer all by herself. She was so excited! I was surprised she did it. That gun was so heavy for her and the kick threw her back so far that I did not know if she could really hit it, let alone kill it. She went with her G-pa and dad that morning. They were so proud of her. We had a good time in Corpus for Christmas week, but it was good to get home. We got home Sat. night but I have not blogged because I had forgotten my account name since I had been gone so long. Anyway, I figured it out. We really celebrated Christmas on Tuesday last week with presents and lobster dinner with Cory's family. His sisters had to leave on Christmas eve to go to their in-laws. On Christmas Day they went hunting that morning and when they got back everyone went out on the boat to the bay. I stayed home all alone for six hours! Merry Christmas to me! I really enjoyed the quiet. Cory's family is, shall we say, very active. They are always talking or doing something. Too much chaos for me, I have to decompress every once in a while while I am there. My brain just gets too much input. Anyway, now it is time to find room for the new toys and presents. I did get Kara's room cleaned out with garage sale stuff to make room for her new things. I am going to have a major garage sale in the spring. I am so tired of all the clutter. Well, back to the laundry.

Hussle and Bussle

2008-12-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas is in full swing at our house this week. My cousin is coming in today, tomorrow my sister and her man, and Friday my Dad and his wife. Today I am cooking four pies and making homemade cornbread for the dressing I am making tomorrow. Thursday night we will have Christmas with my sister, mom, grandma, and cousin here with turkey and dressing and all the fixins. Then Friday my dad will come and we will do it all over again that night. We have a piano recital Sat. at the nursing home and Sunday is the church Christmas play where Emma has a solo to sing. Monday we leave for Corpus to spend the week with Cory's family and maybe then I can relax. We do this every year this way, but the girls love it. We are trying to do school this week too. I did talk to my friend Alice Thompson last night and she said during these weeks leading to Christmas it is really alright to modify your days. See, I am a nurse, not a teacher and the only thing I have to go on is how the girls did things in school. Not to mention that I am an organizational list freak. So, I am learning to be flexible and we don't have to be so methodical about our school schedule each day. It is getting better and by next year I will definitely have lightened up some. Anyway, I am learning alot from all of you that I visit with and blogs that I read and comments that you leave me. It lets me know I am not running my kids off in a ditch.

What a day!

2008-12-15T07:47:00.000-08:00

Well, it is Monday morning at 9:30 and I have already blown it. I have spent the better part of forty minutes trying to get Emma to blow her nose. She will not do it. She hums out of her nose and blows air out her mouth. She has a cold she caught last week and her nose is all stopped up. I know she is going to end up with a sinus infection if she does not get it out of there. Why can a 9 year old not blow her nose?! I have seen two year olds blow their nose better. Anyway, I had to sit on her to put saline up there and clean it out. Yes it was a fight to get it up there, she is getting too big for me to force her to do it, and yes there did end up being some yelling. Before that she had already thrown a fit because we have a lot of school work to do today. I don't know why she cannot just do what I ask her to do. She has to challenge me, stomp the ground, grunt, shoot me the evil eye, whine, cry, and sometimes flop on the floor when I ask her to do something she does not want to do. I am tired of sending her to her room to think about her attitude only for her to come back and apologize then five minutes later do it all over again. I am already tired today. I hope we get some school done today and this week so we don't have to take it with us to Corpus next week at Cory's family's house. I have so much going on this week that it might be better to take it with us next week. Anyway, I will vent more later. Thanks for listening.

Does anyone regulate you?

2008-12-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

That was the question of the weekend when Cory's family came to town. Why doesn't the public school regulate you? How do you know she is learning anything? What do you teach her? I hope she turns out smart enough. The holiday's are tough for a first year homeschooler when the family comes around. That is exactly why I did not give any of our family, except my sister, access to this blog. Just in case I am struggling with homeschooling, which we all do time to time, and need to vent, then they won't see it. I can hear it now, " I TOLD YOU IT WASN'T A GOOD IDEA". Anyway, only two more family times to go. Cory is so good though to back up to everyone what we are doing and why we are doing it. We are a unified front. Thank you to those who have lifted up a prayer for us and our homeschooling. Things are really improving with Emma. She is learning to work more independently with less fits. I am ready for next year when we can start ELO and she can see other peers on a regular basis. We are still praying about what to do with Kara next year too. She will be in first grade. The Lord had been so good to guide us this far that I know he will tell us what to do.

Who has time to blog!

2008-12-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

We made it through Thanksgiving! We went to Dallas to stay a couple of nights with my Dad and his wife. We had a good time, then did some shopping on Friday morning with just me and the hubby. Now it is on with Christmas. Cory's parents are coming here on Friday along with his grandparents. They have never, in the 16 years we have been married, been here at Christmas time so I feel like I need to have everything ready for their visit. We have the house decorated, now I need to wrap presents. I have no room to store the presents anywhere so if I wrap them they can stay under the tree and out of the way. This whole week we have activities every night. I was really out of the mood to do schoolwork before Thanksgiving, now I really am. I have to get on the ball. We are really starting back today after the break and Emma does not want to do it either. Anyway, after this weekend I can relax and just enjoy the glow of the Christmas tree and the cold nights, but until then, who has time to blog.

My Husband Rocks Friday

2008-11-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to join the bandwagon and tell you why my husband rocks. He is so handy. I don't think we have called a service man to come to our house but maybe twice in the 15 years we have lived here. He has added on a two car garage, den, storage building, full covered patio in the back yard, moved a hot water heater outside, made me a walk in pantry, done work on the air conditioner and every appliance we have and put in a floored attic space for us. He is so good and no telling how much money he has saved us over the years by doing it himself. He is not afraid to try anything, except electricity. I am so thankful for him and all the hard work he does around here, even when it means one more trip to Lowe's just before they close. Love you honey!

My girl, the fighter

2008-11-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

Emma had her first mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament this past weekend in Shreveport. She had two events she fought in, stand up sparing (like kickboxing) and grappling (like wrestling). She was so nervous and I was too. She was the only girl in her age division. First she did sparing and fought a 10 year old boy, she came in as runner up and got a medal for that. She was so excited that she even did it and got a medal, I did not have the heart to tell her she really had lost. She did not know the difference, we were just so proud of her getting in there and fighting so hard. Next came the grappling match. She fought this real tough little boy who was her size. We had seen him fight before and we worried if she would make it out unharmed. She fought for a little over 1min. and had him in an arm bar (that is a submission hold) and he was not tapping out for anything. I thought she would break his arm before he finally tapped out (that means I quit). She was sooooo excited she had won and we we so proud of her we were crying. (Don't tell Cory I told you that) Then I saw the little boy, he was crying and holding his arm, I was sure she had broke it. They gave her a trophy and they both left the ring. I tried to get her to go over to the little boy and tell him "good fight", but he would not acknowledge her. I think he was a little embarrassed he had lost and lost to a girl. I felt so sorry for him, but so excited for Emma. Our whole team did great, they all got a medal in one event or the other, Emma and her friend both got trophy's in one event and the other girl fought two different opponents for the title belt. It was so much fun. It has really been good for her and Cory to bond through this. Cory really enjoys it and the competitions, I can see how he always wanted a boy to do sports with. I encourage everyone locally to check out longview mma on line at www.longviewmma.com . They have mens, womens and kids classes. They teach kickboxing, grappling, and self defence. Emma originally got into karate for self defence when a boy at school pinned her against the fence and would not let her go. It has been a great confidence booster for her. Mr. Wade is such a good teacher and is a great guy. He teaches them self control and respect for others. He is and ex-policeman, army guy and 3rd degree black belt. Anyway, enough with the commercial, I don't get a cut. Hope y'all have a great day.

Homeschool challenges

2008-11-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

Today was a better day. I can't believe it has been 12 weeks since we started school. Since we have been homeschooling I have looked at schools on line twice, this week was one of them. It is not that Emma cannot do the work, she is very smart. We have just gotten into some issues with her attitude toward me as her teacher and what being at home means. This has been such a learning experience for me as well as her. I have learned what areas I have let her slide in and how to deal with her. We are just alike and that makes it hard. Cory has to be the mediator a lot for us. I am so thankful that we are working on these character issues now when she is nine rather than down the road at thirteen or so. I think if I can just change her attitude and character this year I will be doing good. Who cares so much about the grades. I told my friend the other day that, I feel more isolated now than I ever did with they were pre-schoolers. At least I could take them with me as pre-schoolers and they had childcare at Bible study and MDO they could do. Now, I am just stuck here at home and I have to stay here until the work is done. This first year of homeschooling is hard to adjust for all of us, especially when they have already been to school and I had my thing and they had theirs. I just have to keep my perspective and know that this is where God lead us and he never said it would be easy. I know other people have been through this first year and survived to homeschool another year. I hope that will be us.

God is in control

2008-11-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

God has many lessons for us to learn in our lives. Mine right now is that he is in control. We have been trying to sell our house since June of this year and are still at square one. We have had three sets of people want to buy it but cannot get funding. We have had several people seem very interested only to never hear from them again. Last weekend I got all my scrapbook stuff out, my six foot table, and my cricut set up in the kitchen. Cory was gone camping and I had nothing on the calender all weekend, so I thought I could get something done. No! The phone rang and someone wanted to see the house Friday afternoon. I said OK, then put away all my stuff I had gotten out Thurs. night that I had only organized, had not really scrapped yet. They came, so, Friday night I get it all back out, work on it a little. Next morning, another call to show the house, then later another call, those people want to come back on Sunday to see it. I did put all my scrapbook stuff back up and in the garage again, maybe another weekend. Anyway, the realtor called Monday and said they had decided it was down to our house and another in LISD so he would call us later. We prayed for Gods direction and will. That night he called . . . . . they went with the other house. Back to square one. We have had two houses picked out to move to, one we had a contract on till Nov. 1st. They have both sold. Now there is nothing really in our price range out there, and Cory has a job interview on Friday in Tyler. Could this be the reason we have not sold yet? Are we moving to Tyler? Who knows, only God does. So we keep waiting and praying for guidance. It is very hard to wait and be patient, but I know from past experience that it will all happen in God's timing and his timing is perfect.

Oval office field trip

2008-11-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

I am going to try to start blogging like the rest of yall. I am not good at it yet and still have a lot to figure out. I love to read all of yalls blogs, it makes me feel like I am getting to know you better and maybe my blog will let you get to know me. We went to the oval office yesterday and had a great time. There was a good turn out. We did manage to get out of there without any disasters, although it was a close one due to a tipsy flag pole. Mr. Wade and his wife Laura were so friendly and generous to open their home to us all. We learned a lot and saw some great things. I will blog more later.