How do you spell "cool?"

You probably spell it C-O-O-L.

Or, even K-O-O-L, if you so desire.

But I spell it C-H-A-M-B-E-R-S.

Zeb's teacher, Miss Chambers, took time out of her busy schedule to watch a few of her students play a double header last night.  I can't say enough about how happy those kids were when they saw her in the crowd rooting for them.  She cheered and took lots of pictures of her boys.  During the second game, she even bribed them with classroom incentives if they hit the ball and ran the bases.  IT WORKED!!  Almost all of them had monster hits and we won the game.

...aaaannd then the parents made her take a blood oath saying she'll come to all the rest of their games. 

Baseball players are very superstitious.

{Not really.}

{The blood oath thing, not the superstitions.}

{They are weird about that.}

{Skip wore the same "I heart Mickey Mouse" boxers for his entire high school playing career.}

{I'm not even joking.}

{He still has them.}

Personally {selfishly} I loved having some time to talk with her without feeling rushed by the school clock.  She is incredibly easy to talk to and I am enjoying getting to know her better.  But the way she treats Zeb has earned her a forever spot in my heart!

I am a fan.

Miss C, you ARE one of the c-o-o-l kids!!!

I probably broke a million rules filming this...

Race on over to THE TRACK BLOG to read my testimonial about our date night with the kids. While you are there, use their website to plan you next Branson vacation, including a fabulous trip to any one of The Track locations. Sign up your email address and you can receive Branson/Track insider information all year long. You must come visit our fun town!!

My mission as a mom is complete. I have successfully embarrassed my children with this video.

Score.

I have a feeling, however, that when Langley starts driving I will be the one telling her to put her phone down and she will be the one blowing me off.

Score for her.

In the meantime, we will stick to go-carts!

Disclaimers (for my peace of mind only):
1. I hate hate hate the sound of my voice! Can you say, shrill?
2. Sorry about the crotch shot at the end. Nice.
3.  I bet there are a handful of people that go watch the video again just to see what I'm talking about.  That's just awkward.

Doing some shameless promoting today.

Today, I am taking a break from the silly stories to promote one of Skip's family businesses. I think you are going to love it as much as I do.

Skip and his two sisters are flea market/garage sale/auction fanatics. They jump at the chance to wander through aisles of vintage treasures. Finding that "hidden gem" is pure excitement!  Out of this passion, a business was born.

RZ's Antiques and Flea Market

They have worked laboriously to turn one of our existing B-Town stores into a really cool flea market. I am so proud of the work that they are doing. It's fun to see a passion come to life.

Even in the infancy of this store, it is taking shape and stocked with some really cool things. If you live in B-Town, or plan on visiting anytime soon make RZ's a stop on your agenda. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Here are some of the things that I am seriously in love with.

Um, hello.... "potty training incentive" filled with yummy M&Ms.

Vintage hankies and towels are so pretty!

Hello, gorgeous!

Great for a fall display!

Old vintage radio.  This baby sold in ONE DAY!

Sunshiny yellow happiness!!

For the man in your life. These are absolutely COOL!!

White anything is awesome!  I love this trio of fancy white jars.

Again with the white.  Crisp and clean.  New hardware on this baby would make it perfect!

Sweet yellow.  This would look great in my house.  Just sayin.

I am envisioning a party table.  Salsa and dips would be so amazing in these!

Could this be any cuter???

This just SCREAMS summer to me!  I love the cheery red finish!

I have a deep passion for dishes.  This one makes me happy!

This olive green beauty might end up in my house.  I heart it!

On so many levels, this would be perfect for a  baby nursery.  Vintage and sweet.

Aprons are totally back in style.  Love the kitchy feel of these.

 

And LOOKIE what I just got from the flea market!  This pub table is awesome!!

My favorite feature of this table is the height!  I love these little piggies hanging off the chair!

Even my big kid has dangly feet.  This table ROCKS!

Thanks for taking a peek inside our new business with me!  If you want some booth space, please leave a comment and I will get you the information.

Please come by and hunt for your next treasure!

Tomorrow, or the next time I can sit for longer than 20 minutes, I will blog about the significance of the name RZ's.  It's a great story!!

In the meantime, could you do me a teensy favor and head to RZ's Antiques and Flea Market facebook page and "like" us? 

Why does that statement make me feel like I am in the fourth grade all over again??

*sweaty palms*

Because sometimes I whine about stupid things.

On Tuesday, Langley's class went on a field trip to our local college. They toured the jelly kitchen, the mill, the museum, the Star School, and the dairy.

It was during the dairy part of the trip that I whipped out my phone to take pictures of the cutey dairy cows in an effort to woo this amazing blog friend to pack up her family and move to B-Town. Her husband is a veterinarian who works with dairy cows and I wanted to prove to her that we have us some COWS.  As I was texting her pictures I had the fleeting thought that maybe I depend too much on my phone. 

Addicted??

Nah.  That's crazy talk.

Two hours later my phone broke.

Lord?  Is that you? 

I have now been without a phone for two days and feel like I want to whine mightily about it.  I was all set to do that until I drove around town yesterday.

Nothing like a trip just mere miles away from my comfortable home to realize that THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE WORSE OFF.

Our small town is flooded in many parts.  People have lost their homes and businesses with more water coming our way.  The surrounding lakes and streams are full.  The dam is releasing more water than ever recorded in history.

I had my camera with me. Even though they aren't great pictures, they show the devastation our area is experiencing. 

This dock was half a mile from my neighborhood.

Half a mile from my comfortable life.

A park in my grandma's neighborhood.

It's amazing to see in person.

Water takes over everything.

There was flooding in my grannie's neighborhood.  Thankfully, her house was spared.

View of the kamp my kids go to in the summer.  Lower fields completely under water.

Zipline course at the summer kamp.

Goose wandering the streets looking for food.



Someone's backyard.  Their front was worse.  House completely under water.  Only in the Ozarks would there be a broken down house boat in someone's flooded backyard.  We might be rednecks.



Back yards and front all taken over.  This is where the police asked gawkers like me to move on.

A look at the swollen lake.

The force of the water coming off the dam got us completely soaked about a mile away.  Nothing compares to the power and majesty of water.  Devasting and beautiful.

Looking at these pictures makes me sad.  It makes me realize that NOTHING IS FOREVER.

Not our phones.

Not our homes.

Not our cushy lives.

The ONLY thing that is forever is Jesus!  Our rock.  Our fortress.  Our safety in times of struggle.  With HIM, nothing can hurt us.

Not even the floodwater.

I am humbled.