Pictures of Our Last Week!

How cute are these two before school?!





























Francie gets so dirty at school, but she's having a blast!!




















Will playing basketball afterschool with his best friend!!




























It's that time of year again!! Francie started dance and this year she is taking tap, ballet, and jazz!! I hope we can continue -considering we will have to take out a second mortgage on the house to buy the 3 costumes for the recital!! ;) I am just so glad she loves to dance!!

















We have been doing a lot of nails around here lately!! I put little purple and orange flowers on Francie's fingernails!! She is so girly girl! We also are getting pumped up for Alabama Football~ so we did red toe nails with white polka dots!! So cute!!

Just Some Stuff:

This is Will with a blond moustache- his prize from the dentist for doing a great job!

~Tonight we are having a delicious Paula Deen recipe!! It is the yummiest roast I have EVER had!! :) I love Paula Deen!! I wish she was related to me/ sometimes I feel like she is! She's a doll!! Here's the recipe!!

Ingredients:
1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast
1 teaspoon Paula Deen House Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion wedges
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
3/4 cup water

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the House Seasoning, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Rub seasoning into the roast on both sides. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the roast, searing it on both sides. Place the meat in a roaster pan. Add onions and garlic to skillet for 1 to 2 minutes to absorb leftover roast juice. Place into roaster pan with meat and bay leaves.

Combine the mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon into a bowl. Pour over the roast. Add water.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until tender.

Remove and discard the bay leaves.
(I don't use the bay leaves and it's still delicious)!!



~13 Days til Kickoff!! ROLL TIDE!!

~My class is adorable this year~ so cute and such sweet parents!! I must confess that I am a bit shocked! I had prepared myself to have a not-so-great class, see there is sometimes a pattern of every other year kind of stinking, and last year was just phenomenal, it looks like this class will rival them!! PTL! I am thankful!! God is so good!! I can't wait for all the adventures to unfold!

~I think it may be time for us to get Netflix- I am so behind on movies!!

~Last week Francie was sucking her thumb and Clint told her she doesn't need to keep doing it and she said "What am I supposed to do, I don't have any binkies!" It was so cute!! She is a MESS!!

~I want to see The Phantom of the Opera (the old one) at the Alabama Theatre this Halloween!! (In middle school I remember spending the night at a dear friend's house and watching it in the basement, it was great and creepy)!! Clint's never seen it, so I'm thinking it would make the perfect date -and at the Alabama, such atmosphere!!

That's all folks!! Have a great week!!

The First Week!!

Well, the first week is over!! Hallelujah! We managed to make it through, even with one stomach bug~ poor Will~ a bee sting~ poor me~ and one HUGE knot on the noggin~ poor Will again!! Despite all of the "issues" it was a great week!! Will loves his teacher, she is new to our school and I think she is a perfect fit for Will!! :) That makes me extremely happy!! Today was Francie's first day (Will's was Tuesday) and she loved every minute of it!! :) She looked so adorable with her pretty new dress and Olivia backpack and Hello Kitty lunch bag!! I am so glad she loves school!!





















I had my first day too!! My class is cute! They are so well behaved and excited about school and their parents seem really wonderful too!! I have a good feeling about this year~ I think it's going to be a great one!!

Free To Be Me!!

*This is how I've been feeling lately!! I don't do well with change~ even though I am super excited about this school year!! I just get really freaked and then I get all loose cannon-ish! Once school actually starts I am sure I will snap out of it!! Maybe you can relate!! :) Enjoy this encouragement, I know I did!!



At thirty-three years of age
I'm still looking for a dream
A war's already waged for my destiny
But You've already won the battle
You've got great plans for me
Though I can't always see

Cause I got a couple dents in my Fender
Got a couple rips in my jeans
Try to fit the pieces together
But perfection is my enemy
And on my own, I'm so clumsy
But on Your shoulders I can see
I'm free to be me

When I was just a girl
I thought I had it figured out
See my life would turn out right
And I 'd make it here somehow
But things don't always come that easy
And sometimes I would doubt

Sometimes I believe that I can do anything
Yet other times I think
I've got nothing good to bring
But You look at my heart and You tell me
That I've got all You seek
And it's easy to believe even though

I got a couple dents in my Fender
Got a couple rips in my jeans
Try to fit the pieces together
But perfection is my enemy
and on my own, I'm so clumsy
But on Your shoulders I can see
I'm free to be me and you're free to be you



Words and Music by Francesca Battistelli