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Well, I haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire with my first batch of bowl game predictions. At the moment, I’ve only picked two of the first eight correctly. I would have done better if I’d based my picks on which team had the coolest looking helmets.

Armed Forces Bowl – California vs. Air Force. Air Force has the cooler helmet, but I’ll go ahead and pick California.

Humanitarian Bowl – Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State. This game will be played on Boise State’s blue turf. Fresno is in the same conference as Boise, so they’ve played on the “smurf turf” before. That’s why I’m taking the Bulldogs.

Sun Bowl – South Florida vs. Oregon. Oregon lost their final three games of the regular season after quarterback Dennis Dixon went down with a knee injury. They won’t beat South Florida, either.

Music City Bowl – Kentucky vs. Florida State. This should have been one of the better games of the bowl season. That was before the academic cheating scandal rocked FSU, resulting in the suspension of over two dozen players, including some starters. Kentucky looks like the easy choice now.

Insight Bowl – Indiana vs. Oklahoma State. How can anyone pick against Indiana? The Hoosiers suffered a tragic blow in June, when coach Terry Hoeppner died from complications of a brain tumor. The team responded by going out and earning their first bowl berth in 14 years to become the year’s biggest “feel good” story in all of sports. I’m not picking against them.

Chick-fil-A Bowl – Clemson vs. Auburn. Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville and Clemson coach Tommy Bowden both reportedly turned down the Arkansas job earlier this month. That could make for one interesting post-game handshake. Auburn will win the game.

Outback Bowl – Wisconsin vs. Tennessee. Tennessee’s speed will be too much for the Badgers.

Cotton Bowl – Missouri vs. Arkansas. Arkansas’ Darren McFadden (the best player in college football) versus Missouri’s Chase Daniel (the best quarterback in college football). Picking with my heart and not my head, I’m taking Arkansas. Also, I love that helmet.

Gator Bowl – Texas Tech vs. Virginia. The Red Raiders will go over, through and around Virginia.

Capitol One Bowl – Michigan vs. Florida. I have to pick Florida to win the game, but I’ll be rooting for Michigan to stomp the Gators and the Heisman Thief.

Rose Bowl – Illinois vs. USC. Illinois is the most undeserving of all the BCS teams and Southern Cal will show why.

Sugar Bowl – Hawaii vs. Georgia. A very interesting match-up. Hawaii went undefeated against a very soft schedule. Now they get a chance to show what they’ve got against one of the big boys. Georgia may have been the best team in the SEC at the end of the season. I’ll pick Georgia, but I think it could be real close.

Fiesta Bowl – Oklahoma vs. West Virginia. The Sooners were embarrassed in last year’s Fiesta Bowl, losing to Boise State. They’ll get their revenge against West Virginia.

Orange Bowl – Virginia Tech vs. Kansas. Like Hawaii, Kansas put up a lot of wins against a soft schedule. They won’t be able to handle the Hokies.

International Bowl – Rutgers vs. Ball State. Ball State couldn’t even beat Nebraska. I’m taking Rutgers.

GMAC Bowl – Bowling Green vs. Tulsa. Bowling Green won’t stop Gus Malzahn’s high-flyin’ Tulsa offense.

BCS National Championship Game – LSU vs. Ohio State. Once again, the SEC will reign superior over the college football world.

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If there is one thing I have learned about children it is that one should always expect the unexpected. Nevertheless, my boys still managed to surprise me this Christmas.

Conley is four and has a pretty clear concept of what happens when Christmas rolls around. Colter, on the other hand, at four months, is a complete beginner.

As we prepared for the holidays, I found myself purchasing more presents for Conley than for Colter. Mainly because Colter’s wants and desires are pretty much limited to a bottle, a jar of baby food, a clean diaper and a warm blanket. I was looking forward to Conley’s excitement on Christmas morning, but did not expect Colter to really even be interested in the presents.

Boy, did they pull a switcheroo on me. Conley opened his stocking and then was ready to go to his room and play. The other gifts and the pop-up tent under the tree seemed to have no attraction at all. I had to call him back into the room to open the rest of his gifts.

Colter on the other hand, loved opening the presents. At first I thought he just loved the paper, which he’d grab and tear off the gifts. I realized, though, that he really enjoyed seeing what was inside the packaging too. Each time we would hold up the opened toy or book, his face would light up.

I guess it just goes to show that one can never be prepared for life with children. I look forward to more of the “unexpected” in the new year.

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Well, we survived Christmas again this year. I know that sounds so dreadful and I really shouldn’t use that phrase because we actually had a wonderful Christmas ~ just different.

I always wait till the last minute to do my shopping. I finished earlier than usual this year, but still had to rush around.

Briar and Brad are also at the ages where the “magic” of Christmas starts to go away. I can’t use “You better be good, Santa is watching” anymore. They don’t believe me. No more leaving cookies for Santa, no visiting Santa… They don’t even want to watch the Christmas movies we normally enjoy. They don’t want anything with Santa at all.

I told them Santa would be disappointed when he stopped by our house, and they would be lucky if he left them any presents.

Of course the excitement of receiving presents never goes away. I was pleased that they enjoyed spending time with our family and friends as well as remembering Jesus’ birth. After all, that is what it is all about.

So, even though Christmas was different for us, the boys have deemed it the best Christmas ever.

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The bowl season starts tonight, so without further ado, here is part one of my fearless predictions.

Poinsettia Bowl – Utah vs. Navy. Navy will sink Utah.

New Orleans Bowl – Memphis vs. Florida Atlantic. Memphis ended the season on a roll, winning six of their last eight games. They’ll keep it going against FAU.

Papajohns.com Bowl – Southern Miss. vs. Cincinnati. Cincinnati was one of the surprise teams this season. Southern Miss fired their coach. Take Cincy.

New Mexico Bowl – Nevada vs. New Mexico. Is it a bad sign that the name of your bowl opponent is also the name of the bowl? Not for Nevada. The Wolfpack will win.

Las Vegas Bowl – UCLA vs. BYU. The Bruins fired coach Karl Dorrell after the regular season, and they still haven’t named a replacement. Even Arkansas found a coach quicker than this. BYU wins in a rout.

Hawaii Bowl – Boise State vs. East Carolina. I was going to try and make a potato joke, but all I could think of was ‘Boise will peel the Pirates’ so instead I’ll just say that Boise State will win.

Motor City Bowl – Purdue vs. Central Michigan. I’ll take Central Michigan.

Holiday Bowl – Arizona State vs. Texas. Arizona State.

Champs Sports Bowl – Boston College vs. Michigan State. Boston College.

Texas Bowl – TCU vs. Houston. It’s a good thing these teams are playing in the Texas Bowl, because no one outside of the state would care. TCU will win.

Emerald Bowl – Maryland vs. Oregon State. Oregon State and their “sports bra” jerseys will win.

Meineke Car Care Bowl – Connecticut vs. Wake Forest. Razorback fans everywhere should send WF coach Jim Grobe a Christmas card for turning down the head coaching job at the U of A. I’ll thank him by picking the Demon Deacons to beat UConn.

Liberty Bowl – Central Florida vs. Mississippi State. This could be one of the better “non-major” bowl games. UCF will slip past MSU.

Alamo Bowl – Penn State vs. Texas A&M. I’m glad these two mediocre-at-best teams are playing each other. That keeps one of them from stinking up another bowl. I’ll take Penn State, but it’s highly unlikely that I could care less.

Independence Bowl – Alabama vs. Colorado. Otherwise known as The Battle For a Winning Record. Alabama lost their last four games of the regular season, which included a loss to Louisiana-Monroe. That’s enough for me to pick Colorado.

I’ll pick the rest of the bowls next week in part two.

Here’s wishing everyone a very happy and safe Christmas and a thank you to everyone who’s bothered to read this stuff the past few months.

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I’ve been watching The Next Great American Band on FOX on Friday nights. I was a first time viewer of American Idol this year and thought this show would be entertaining as well. I haven’t been disappointed. This week will be the finale and there are three bands left. Two of them stand out to me and have from the beginning. I just can’t pick one above the other. One group’s performance even moved one of the judges to tears.

Saturday morning my husband’s company invited employees to enjoy a movie at the Paragould Cinema 8. We were able to choose between Fred Clause and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. We chose Fred Clause. It was a very entertaining movie — I laughed from beginning to end.

I received a phone call from my sister-in-law Saturday evening. She wanted me to keep Jarah and Kylie while she and Blake “went to talk with Santa.”

I love spending time with my nieces, so I jumped at the chance. After painting fingernails and toenails, putting on makeup and new hair-dos, Jarah played on the computer while Kylie and Tim argued back and forth. Most kids are scared of Tim, but Kylie gets in his face and tells him like it is. It’s fun to watch them go at it.

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Brad has found a way to unnerve me lately… he has started calling me “Angie” instead of “Mom.” I know that’s my name and it is not really a big deal, BUT there is just something about the way he says it that bothers me. He uses the same tone that my husband uses when he calls me Angela.

I calmly remind him that I’m “Mom” to him, but it seems to go in one ear and out the other.

A few years back he called me “Mother” all the time and I hated that, too. It took a VERY long time for him to stop. Maybe he’ll get it out of his system quicker this time and I’ll be “Mom” again by Christmas!!!

I hope…

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One of my favorite things to do is to sit around a table or in someone’s living room and just visit.

After we had our first son, Conley, we wanted to show him off, so we visited a lot of our family and friends, and it was not unusual for us to spend a couple hours at someone’s home talking about kids, life, work, etc.

I hear my elders talk about “the good old days” when congregating on the front porch on a Sunday afternoon was a routine experience. It’s easy to say life gets in the way, or we just don’t have enough time to visit anymore. I know, though, that there are plenty of times when I sit at my house and watch TV when I could be spending time with loved ones.

Just like everything else, it usually is not whether we have the time, but whether we take the time to visit. I think I will set a goal for myself to be sure to make time to visit more often with my family and friends.

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The Football Forecast contest may be over this year, but the college football season still has a ways to go. This weekend features several conference championship games and a few notable regular season games.

First, the best of the conference championships:
ACC: Virgina Tech vs. Boston College — BC beat Va. Tech 14-10 in the regular season, scoring both touchdowns in the final three minutes. The Hokies looked impressive against Virginia last week and I like them to get revenge on the Eagles.
SEC: Tennessee vs. LSU — I like LSU to bounce back from their loss to Arkansas and beat the Volunteers.
Big 12: Oklahoma vs. Missouri — I’ve been impressed with Missouri’s offense all season. Oklahoma beat Missouri in a close game in the regular season. I pick the Tigers to even the score on Saturday.

Most of the regular season games are traditional rivalries.
Army vs. Navy — Perhaps the most storied of all the rivalries in college football. It doesn’t matter that neither team has been much of a factor on the national stage for years or that neither has contended for a national championship in decades, the game is still one of the great events of the college football season. Navy has dominated the series in recent years and that trend should continue this year.
USC vs. UCLA — One of my favorite rivalries in all of college football. The Bruins shocked SC last year and prevented the Trojans from playing for the national championship. USC will avenge that loss, bigtime.
Cal at Stanford — Cal has been one of the biggest disappointments in college football this year. The Bears started 5-0, but have lost five of their last six. Stanford is only 3-8, but they pulled off the biggest upset of the season when they beat USC. Still, I gotta go with the Bears in this one.

For the record, I went 9-6 in the final week of the Football Forecast. My final season tally was 133-38.

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Last year, I was devastated when I could not find the Christmas decorations that were handmade by Briar and Brad throughout their childhood. I looked for them for days. They simply could not be replaced, and our tree was not the same without them.

Sunday afternoon, the boys and I pulled the Christmas tree and decorations out of the attic and put the tree up. There was a box full of old garland I was getting ready to throw away when Brad noticed what I was doing.

He loves to decorate and wouldn’t let me throw it away. As I pulled the strands out of the box for him, a little snowman made of gumballs caught my eye. There, in the bottom of that box, were all the lost decorations!!!

I can’t explain the joy I felt upon finding them…

And to think, I almost threw them away.

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My family has always been huge Razorback fans. My older brother, Rodney, had Briar and Brad calling the hogs before they could even walk.

On the flip side, Rodney is not an Arkansas State fan. You would think since they are closer to us he would at least root for them sometimes. Not the case. He is extremely anti-Indians (or whatever they turn out to be).

Saturday afternoon my family was gathered at my mom’s house for a birthday party for Rod’s daughter, Grace. Blake, my younger brother, walked in wearing a gray A-State hoodie.

Rod instantly told him to get out of the house with that shirt on. He wasn’t welcome. Blake just smiled and said, “If you only knew.” We all got a good laugh when Georgetta, Blake’s wife, let Rod in on the secret.

She had bought the hoodie the day before at one of the many “Black Friday” sales. It was to be Rod’s Christmas present… until Blake saved him from that fate and claimed it for himself.

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I had my worst week of the season last week, missing six games. Let’s see if I can redeem myself this week.
1. Hoxie at Glen Rose (Game of the Week). The Mustangs have come this far. I’m not going to pick against them now. Hoxie by 4.
2. Arkansas at LSU. LSU is just too talented for the Hogs. Hopefully Darren McFadden can have a big game and strengthen his Heisman chances.
3. Augusta at Earle. Bulldogs over the Red Devils.
4. Alabama at Auburn. Auburn will roll over the Tide.
5. Pine Bluff Dollarway at Pocahontas. The Redskins meet their match in Dollarway.
6. Arkansas State at Southern Mississippi. ASU can’t seem to win on the road. The Golden Eagles will soar over the Tribe.
7. Lavaca at Shiloh Christian. I don’t know and couldn’t possibly care less, so I’m taking the home team. Ditto for Games No. 9, 11, 13 and 15.
8. Tennessee at Kentucky. The Volunteers need a win to capture the SEC East title. I’m picking Kentucky to play the spoilers and send Georgia to the SEC Championship Game.
9. See No. 7 above.
10. Ole Miss at Mississippi State. State will win the game and capture the Golden Egg (however, some Ole Miss players will probably steal the trophy).
11. See No. 7 above.
12. Notre Dame at Stanford. Both teams are terrible. Stanford is slightly less terrible, plus they have a win over USC to their credit. The Cardinal squeak past the Irish.
13. See No. 7 above.
14. Clemson at South Carolina. The Gamecocks started the season strong, but have fallen apart in recent weeks. Clemson wins this heated rivalry.
15. See No. 7 above.

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I am a big fan of good news and of positive outlooks. I think that one of the nicest things about The Times Dispatch is that we don’t just focus on the gloom and doom of today’s society. There is always a positive bent to the paper overall.

Most of us suffer from news overload. Our ears and eyes are assaulted with sensationalized headlines from the time we wake up until we go to sleep. The news channels on television are in such a hurry to report the latest scoop that they don’t stop to get all the facts anymore, but rely mostly on shocking us with a barrage of images and staccato sentences to emphasize the enormity of the event no matter how trivial it might be.

Sensational journalism is not new. I suppose the forerunner of this type of journalism was gossip. Gossip takes some truths and some speculations and presents it as fact. This is not sound reporting, but for many it’s the only type they are exposed to.

If every news media tried to find something positive to report along with the bad, perhaps there would be more hope in the world. Something we all desperately need.

Good news is rapidly disappearing from our broadcasts and from our newspapers. Thankfully The TD still manages to find space for it.

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Every year I am somewhat baffled as to why Walnut Ridge and Hoxie have separate Christmas parades two nights in a row with basically the same lineup. It would seem to me that a joint Christmas parade would be the perfect way to kick off the holiday season with a spirit of togetherness.

I can envision an even bigger parade that starts in one community and ends in the other. On the same day have the kickoff of the Christmas in the Park lighting display in Walnut Ridge and a community celebration at the Hoxie Service Center. Why not do it up BIG?

I would also be an advocate of a Saturday or Sunday afternoon parade instead of a weeknight event. I think more people would be able to attend, and it would be safer for children along the route, not to mention a little warmer.

I know each town takes pride in their Christmas parade, but this is one area where I feel the holiday spirit should prevail.

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I always plan to make some of my Christmas gifts each year but each year time gets away from me and I never get around to making those things I have planned to give my family and friends.

I found a site on the web the other day that intrigued me enough to go back for more than one look. The name of the website is “Not Made of Money” and it can be found at www.notmadeofmoney.com.

The website is loaded with information, and while looking around, I found a blog about gift making. The best part is that there were links to many websites with easy to make gifts that are also attractive enough to give. A plus when it comes to homemade offerings.

If you have the time and inclination to make a few crafty items for your family and friends, then check out 50 Homemade Gift Ideas – From Around the Web. The website can be found at notmadeofmoney.com/blog/2006/11/50-homemade-gift-ideas-from-around-the-web.html

Happy gift making!
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Ever wish you could learn enough sign language to talk to a hearing impaired friend or co-worker? A great website for learning the basics can be found at www.lifeprint.com. Not only does it contain numerous resources, it also discusses teaching babies sign language to communicate their needs before they develop speech. The baby’s 100 first signs section is a great starting place to learn the rudiments of American Sign Language.

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I love the holidays, but they sure make life more hectic.

At work, we have to adjust the day the paper comes out or adjust our deadlines to be able to complete a paper on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s weeks.

At home, there is the hustle and bustle of decorating, shopping, wrapping, etc. Most homes also include lots of cooking, but that never seems to be a priority for me. I do love to eat, though.

At church, we have a children’s Christmas production to rehearse, a parade float to build and many holiday activities to prepare for and attend.

Hopefully, I will be able to find some time during all this activity to relax and enjoy the holidays a little. They will be here and gone in a flash.

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Last week, I played it safe and took all home teams in the high school playoffs. Seven of the home teams came through for me, with Green Forest’s win at Harrisburg being the only stumbling block. I may get a bit more adventurous this week and pick some road teams.

I didn’t fare so well with my college predictions, hitting on only four of seven.

On to the guessing game:
1. Mississippi State at Arkansas (Game of the Week). Let’s see. MSU 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the SEC with wins against Auburn, Kentucky and Alabama. Arkansas is 6-4 with no quality wins at all, yet the Hogs are a 10-1/2 point favorite. This is a toss-up in my mind. If Arkansas opens up the offense like they did against South Carolina, they’ll win. If they revert back to playing Nuttball, as they did against Tennessee, they’ll lose. I’m not real optimistic, but I can’t make myself pick against the Hogs. Arkansas by three.
2. Hoxie at Gurdon. Hoxie won at Gurdon in last year’s playoffs and they’ll do it again.
3. Louisiana-Monroe at Alabama. Another SEC team beats up on another Sunbelt team. Bama big.
4. Lavaca at Corning. Corning.
5. LSU at Ole Miss. Even if Ole Miss was good (by their standards), they wouldn’t beat LSU. This year Ole Miss in bad (by anyone’s standards). LSU in a laugher.
6. Jessieville at Earle. My winner’s name is Earle.
7. Kentucky at Georgia. Kentucky could give the Bulldogs fits, but Georgia appears to be on a roll. Dawgs by seven.
8. Strong at Marked Tree. MT escaped last week, thanks to a late touchdown. I’m taking Strong.
9. Duke at Notre Dame. Even Notre Dame should be able to beat Duke in football.
10. Dumas at Newport. I have no idea why, but I’m picking Dumas in an upset.
11. Vanderbilt at Tennessee. The Volunteers will have to work a little harder this week, but they’ll beat Vandy.
12. Pocahontas at Ozark. Ozark beats Pokey.
13. Northwestern at Illinois. Northwestern in an upset.
14. Dardanelle at Highland. Highland wins and moves on.
15. Oklahoma at Texas Tech. The Sooners win a high-scoring game.

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I have always been interested in words and phrases. We have a lot of peculiar phrases in our language and sometimes I wonder how they came about. Phrases often were derived from a specific use. One of these phrases has come my way lately — close but no cigar.

I never really thought about what the words meant but generally accepted that the phrase meant one hadn’t actually hit the nail on the head. That’s one cliché for another.

After a little investigation I found that the phrase originated in the 1930s as carnival lingo to tell a patron who had fallen just short of winning the prize of a cigar that he was a loser.

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My cousin, Lora, has been battling cancer for several years. Every time we think she has it beat, something else happens. At a recent checkup at UAMS, she learned that the cancer has returned to her lungs and liver.

After having a reaction to treatments, they were stopped. Lora has been referred to MD Anderson Medical Center in Texas for an experimental treatment. We’ve been told this is her “last hope.”

Through all of the different diagnosis, chemotherapy and surgeries, Lora’s faith has remained strong. She has an amazing attitude, and I admire her for it.

My mom has organized a fund-raiser, to be held Nov. 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m at the Hoxie Service Center. The proceeds will help Lora with medical and traveling expenses. The Shaw’s will be performing as well as the Faith Worship Center Praise Team and the New Beginning Followers of Christ Dance Team.

It’s sure to be an entertaining night!

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I had an extremely entertaining ride while taking my nieces, Jarah, 7, and Kylie, 3, to Jonesboro for Jarah’s gymnastics class on Wednesday.

My son, Brad, is a huge Hannah Montana fan and has two of her CDs. They occupy slots number three and four in my CD changer. I was actually hoping that the girls would not remember that fact when we began our drive.

It didn’t take long, however, for Kylie to ask for Hannah Montana. She was singing at the top of her lungs, “Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days.” She wanted me to play it over and over… I just couldn’t do it though.

I had to contain my laughter when Kylie said, “Aunt Angie, I got my flea shot yesterday!”

Jarah laughed and told her it wasn’t a “flea” shot, it was a flu shot. She told Kylie to say blue… then had her say flu. She said it perfectly.

After Jarah got out of the car, and I was getting Kylie unbuckled, she told me, “Jarah don’t know what she’s talkin’ about, Aunt Angie, I know I got a flea shot.”

I just smiled and let it go.

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The high school playoffs get underway this week. I know nothing about most of these teams, but there are usually a lot of mismatches in the first round, so to make things simple, I’m taking the home team in all of the high school games (Hoxie over England by 20 in the Game of the Week).

Now, on to the colleges:

2. Arkansas at Tennessee. Darren McFadden propelled himself back into the Heisman race with an incredible performance against South Carolina. The potential is there for another big game this week, as Tennessee is ranked 74th in rushing defense. Arkansas will get only its second-ever win in Knoxville and first since 1992.
4. Arkansas State at Florida Atlantic. ASU has struggled on the road this season, so I’ve gotta go with FAU.
6. Alabama at Mississippi State. State has picked up a couple of impressive road wins this season, at Auburn and Kentucky. Unfortunately, they’re at home this week. Bama had better not overlook the Bulldogs, but I’m still picking the Tide.
8. Auburn at Georgia. I like the Dawgs in this backyard brawl.
10. Air Force at Notre Dame. Notre Dame bounces back from their loss to Navy and upsets the 7-3 Falcons.
12. Kentucky at Vanderbilt. Kentucky in a close one.
14. Louisiana Tech at LSU. LSU by a bunch.

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The Center for Disease Control (CDC) continues to be concerned that our germaphobia is creating a far more dangerous situation than the one we are theoretically trying to prevent. With the rising use of antibacterial household cleaners we are creating super germs, which are becoming more and more resistant to our efforts to rid ourselves of them. We are also killing the beneficial bacteria we need to maintain a healthy environment.

Antibacterial cleaners were originally developed for use in hospitals and medical facilities, but have since been marketed aggressively for home use with substantial success. Most households use antibacterial products with regularity even though no one in the home is ill. The CDC has repeatedly said that there is no scientific evidence that shows that the use of antibacterial cleaners have any significant effect on the reduction of illnesses in a family over that of ordinary soap and water.

We are also seeing more bacteria resistant to antibiotics as well. We tend to think that every time we become ill the doctor should prescribe a miracle in the form of a pill or shot which will cure us instantly. This has led to the over use of antibiotics which in turn is creating resistant strains of bacteria.

With the rise in incidences of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylcoccus aureus (cMRSA) we are seeing evidence that the super bug issue is a real one.

Can we be too clean? Apparently we can.

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My girls are so cute!! They surprise me everyday with things they do and say. At six and a half years, Shelby thinks she is so big that she can do about anything she wants to, she loves to take care of her little sister (even when she is not needed).

I think that the three and a half years between the two is just right. They play very well together – for the most part. The other day Shelby was reading Alison a book, and Alison was listening so well. Shelby would be reading with such emphasis and then in an exciting spot she would reach over and tickle Alison. I was so proud of them. I watched all of this from around a corner where they could not see me. If they had seen me watching that would have been the end of that quiet time.

On one occasion they were playing in their bedroom that they share – they were climbing on the little recliner, then to the nightstand, then to the upper trundle bed and then jumping on the bottom trundle. They were having a great time laughing and carrying on until they noticed me standing there with the camcorder. They just looked at me and yelled “MOMMM.” I promise they didn’t stop for long. Back through their little maze.

Never a dull moment.

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My mother-in-law had her annual Halloween party Saturday night. She lives on the other side of Maynard, out in the middle of nowhere. It is a really good place for a Halloween party… lots of scary possibilities.

We had a big meal, then started a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. The crew my sister-in-law works with landed their helicopter in the field across the street and ate with us. Before leaving, they took some of the adults up in the helicopter.

Later in the night we had a hayride. My mother-in-law and several other adults dressed up in scary outfits and went to spook those on the hayride. The trailer they caught up with, though, wasn’t ours… they scared the wrong group.

To end the night, Briar, Brad and several others bobbed for apples. This is my least favorite thing… everyone slobbering in a pail of water, trying to bite the same apples. GROSS!

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Week 10’s predictions:

1. Florida International at Arkansas State (Game of the Week). FIU has lost 20 games in a row and are currently ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s Bottom 10. ASU by 24.
2. Carlisle at Walnut Ridge. A tough challenge for the Bobcats, as Carlisle is ranked in the top 10 in Class AA. I’m taking Carlisle.
3. South Carolina at Arkansas. Arkansas has lost two in a row against less-than-stellar competition. South Carolina has lost two in a row since being ranked in the Top 10. Both teams are struggling at quarterback, but Arkansas has the better ground game, so I’m picking the Hogs.
4. Salem at Marshall. Didn’t Salem lose to Westside earlier this season? That’s a good reason to take Marshall.
5. LSU at Alabama. This ought to be a good old-fashioned SEC slobberknocker. LSU is probably the best team in the country and they’ll have the motivation of playing against their former coach, Nick Saban. LSU wins this one.
6. Piggott at Brinkley. I don’t get to pick Piggott to win very often, but the Mohawks will beat Brinkley.
7. Tennessee Tech at Auburn. It must be homecoming at Auburn. Tigers in a rout.
8. Bald Knob at Batesville Southside. I don’t know anything about either team and I don’t really care enough to do any research, so I’ll go with the home team, Southside.
9. Vanderbilt at Florida. Florida has lost three of its last four and quarterback Tim Tebow was injured against Georgia last week. I still think the Gators have too much talent for Vandy, though. Florida survives a close one.
10. Cave City at Rose Bud. I just can’t make myself pick any team called ‘rose bud.’
11. Navy at Notre Dame. These teams are playing for the 81st consecutive year — the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in the NCAA. Notre Dame has won the last 43 games, the longest winning streak by one school over another in NCAA Division I history. I can’t pick against that kind of history.
12. Paragould at Greene County Tech. Tech hasn’t won a game all year. I can’t pick against that kind of history, either. Rams win.
13. Northwestern State at Ole Miss. It must be homecoming at Ole Miss, too. The Rebels win handily.
14. Nettleton at Wynne. Wynne.
15. Troy at Georgia. If Georgia is still congratulating themselves for their win over Florida, the Trojans could make this on very interesting, but I’m still picking the Dawgs.

Last week: 10-4
Season: 88-25
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One of my favorite recipe sites on the web is allrecipes.com. The website has a recipe for just about anything you can stand to cook.

Since the biggest cooking holiday of the year is nearing at a rapid pace, I thought I’d add a link to the Thanksgiving section of allrecipes.com for those cooks who are looking for something new or those who are in a panic.
AllRecipes.com

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Apparently, I forgot to post last week’s picks. Just for the record, here they are.

Last week, I correctly guessed predicted 13 of the 15 games in out Football Forecast contest. Normally, that would have me feeling pretty good, but last week was an exception. Several entrants correctly picked all 15 games and several others missed only one, so 13 out of 15 wasn’t really too hot.

1. Marked Tree at Walnut Ridge (Game of the Week). Marked Tree has far and away been the class of 2A-3 this season. I’m afraid they’ll be too much for the Bobcats. Indians by 20.
2. Florida International at Arkansas. Arkansas will beat FIU to move to 3-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. Who would have thought that, heading into November, Arkansas would have more wins against Sun Belt teams than against SEC teams. Are the Razorbacks eligible for the New Orleans Bowl?
3. Hoxie at Piggott. The Mustangs should beat Piggott and then take a week off while awaiting their playoff assignment.
4. Troy at Arkansas State. It’s tough to get a handle on ASU this season. Troy has been the best team in the Sun Belt all season. I’ve got to go with the Trojans.
5. Rivercrest at Westside. Each team has only one win on the season and both are winless in 4A-3 conference play. I’ll go with Westside to win this battle of cellar dwellers.
6. Ole Miss at Auburn. The Rebels must be even worse than I thought. Auburn in a cakewalk.
7. East Poinsett County at Harrisburg. A big game with playoff implications in 3A-3. EPC didn’t look too good against Corning last week, so I’m picking the Hornets.
8. Mississippi State at Kentucky. Kentucky.
9. Cross County at McCrory. Cross County does Walnut Ridge a favor and beats McCrory.
10. South Carolina at Tennessee. This is a tough one. As far as the coaches go, Steve Spurrier certainly has had Phil Fulmer’s number over the years. What Spurrier doesn’t have this season is a quarterback. The Gamecocks’ quarterback deficiencies were apparent in last week’s loss to Vanderbilt. Nonetheless, I’m picking South Carolina, strictly on the coaching match-up.
11. Rector at Augusta. Augusta easily.
12. Florida vs. Georgia. Florida.
13. Valley View at Osceola. Osceola should squeak past the Blazers in this 4A-3 showdown.
14. Western Kentucky at Vanderbilt. Vandy.
15. Trumann at Pocahontas. I’m picking the Redskins in a close one (or it might be a blowout for all I know, but Pokey will win).

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It’s awesome that our two local high school football teams, the Hoxie Mustangs and Walnut Ridge Bobcats, will be going to state this year. Congratulations to both teams!

My family attended the Iron Mountain Festival this weekend in Walnut Ridge. I enjoyed myself and could have watched the provided entertainment all day long. However, Briar, Brad and Tim had other ideas of entertainment.

They enjoyed the shooting range, karate demonstration, aquarium and car show, but were ready to go after about 45 minutes. One trip through was enough for them.

Oldsalt, a LawCo Talk board member and moderator, brought me a three-button mouse for my computer today. A few weeks ago he made a trip to our office and was astonished by the fact that my mouse had only one button. I use a Macintosh and they have only one button “mice.”

I am enjoying the extra two buttons immensely. While my Mac mouse would do all the things as a three-button mouse, the three buttons are just easier. However, you won’t find me abandoning my Mac anytime soon. They are the far superior computer… at least in my opinion.

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It never seems to fail that we have either way to long without rain or it rains every day for a week. While I am grateful for the rain we have been receiving, because it is much-needed, I am definitely ready for a break.

Right now the forecasters are predicting a beautiful weekend. Usually it’s pretty all week long (while I’m at work and can’t really enjoy it) and then gets nasty on the weekend, so I’m excited about a reversal this time.

There are a lot of activities planned this weekend including the Iron Mountain Festival in Walnut Ridge and many church fall festivals. Hopefully the forecasts will hold true, the rain will stop (at least for a while) and we’ll have a wonderful weekend.

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Did you know that Arkansas has an elephant sanctuary located in Greenbrier. The 330-acre sanctuary currently houses 13 Asian and African elephants, including a male elephant named Maximus (Max) who was born there in 2003. Max was the subject of an Animal Planet documentary “Growing Up Elephant”

Owned and operated by Scott and Heidi Riddle the sanctuary was established in 1990. The mission statement says that the primary objective is to provide a safe haven for elephants.

The Riddles offer an amazing opportunity for those who want to learn more about this rapidly disappearing species.

For more information visit www.elephantsanctuary.org

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I won’t deny that I have forgotten many things in my life … names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays … I’ve even forgotten where I was going on occasion. I have never, though, forgotten to breathe.

How do you forget to breathe, anyway? To me, the idea of forgetting to breathe is, well, crazy…

I don’t watch “Dancing With the Stars,” but I’m sure most people have heard about Marie Osmond “fainting” on the show Monday night because she “forgot to breathe.”

While they were talking about it on the news this morning, Briar walked through the room and heard them. He was unsure of what they had said, at first. He stopped and looked at me and asked if he had heard the TV correctly.

After telling him what had happened, his response was the same as mine… “How in the world could someone forget to breathe? That’s crazy!”

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Eight months ago I started insulin therapy for treatment of my diabetes. I really hated the thought of sticking myself with a needle every day for the rest of my life. Now, with the addition of yet another drug to my daily medications, I am up to three shots a day.

I often feel like a pincushion and look like I came out the looser in a boxing match. Sometimes I get down in the dumps about the whole thing and feel as if nothing is ever going to be right again.

Then there are those moments when things seem to take a turn for the better. I had one of those last week when I went for my regular checkup.

My doctor came in carrying my chart and asked me what in the world I had been doing. My heart plummeted and I was expecting the worse.

He waved the papers he was carrying at me and finished his query with, “because your glucose levels have really dropped. These results are half of what they were last time.”

Then he grinned and said, “I think I get bragging rights for this!”

My sigh of relief was probably audible clear out in the waiting room.

With the upcoming holidays temptation will be everywhere. My next checkup is in January, and I hope that my doctor will still have bragging rights.

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There are many who have had to take on second jobs to help support their family or make ends meet. I fell into my second job in the summer of 2006. I chose something that would let me set my own hours and do what I wanted.

I chose Pampered Chef for many reasons, including the flexibility, the income potential, the discounts on products, the free products and the incentives.

This weekend at the Iron Mountain Festival I will have my first Pampered Chef booth. I will have lots of Pampered Chef items on display, and I will have information on how you can earn free Pampered Chef products. I hope to see you all there. And please stop and see me and tell me you read my blog, Girl Talk.

Also, watch the Main Street Dancers, starting at 1 p.m. Both of my daughters will be performing. Shelby’s class will be dancing to Hannah Montana’s “Life’s What You Make It” and Alison’s class will be dancing to “Teddy Bear Picnic.” I am just hoping that I will be able to see them from my booth.

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Week 8 recap

I only missed two predictions in Week 8, but I thought I'd take a few minutes to look back on some of my guesses for the past week.

Arkansas at Ole Miss (Game of the Week). Arkansas needs to win this one if they are going to have any reasonable shot at a winning season. Ole Miss by three.
Final score: Arkansas 44 Ole Miss 8
What in the world was I thinking? Ole Miss over Arkansas? Ole Miss is one of the few SEC teams Houston Nutt has a winning record against.

Tennessee at Alabama. I’m going with the Volunteers to win a close one.
Final score: Alabama 41 Tennessee 17
The Volunteers didn't win - and it wasn't close. This is another "what was I thinking" pick.

Mississippi State at West Virginia. Mountaineers roll over Bulldogs.
Final score: WVU 38 MSU 13
Hey! I got one right!

Texas Tech at Missouri. Forty points may not be enough to win this one. I’m going with the Tigers to outscore the Red Raiders 52-48.
Final score: Missouri 41 Texas Tech 10
As it turned out, 11 points would have been enough to win this one. I never thought anyone, let alone Missouri, could hold Texas Tech's offense to just 10 points.

Corning at EPC. Bobcats nip the Warriors.
Final score: Corning 42 EPC 0
Yep, Corning nipped them with a touchdown midway through the first quarter and then added 35 insurance points.

Maybe I ought to stick to just picking winners and losers.

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Every year I look forward to attending the Business and Professional Women’s annual coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker, but luckily for me, coffee plays a very small part in the annual event.

The main feature is a buffet table full of some of the most delicious finger foods imaginable — sausage balls, spin wheels, quiches, cocktail weenies, dips, cheese balls and much more.

And then there are the desserts, headlined (at least as far as I’m concerned) by the peanut butter fudge.

As much as I enjoy the food, I also enjoy an opportunity to visit with others in the community in a very comfortable, laid-back setting. Thank you B&PW for such a wonderful event!

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As the high school football season winds down, the playoff picture is beginning to take shape for both Walnut Ridge and Hoxie.

In 2A-3, Walnut Ridge virtually assured themselves of a playoff trip with their win over McCrory last week. As head coach Larry Treadway noted, McCrory, who is only 1-6 overall and 1-2 in the conference, must now win out against league-leading Marked Tree and Cross County to dash the Bobcats’ postseason hopes.

With last week’s loss to Corning, Hoxie may have slipped into second place in 3A-3, but the Mustangs are certainly not out of the race for the conference championship. The remaining schedules are definitely in the Mustangs’ favor.

Corning has two tough road games against teams that will probably make the playoffs. The Bobcats are at East Poinsett County this week and end the season on Nov. 1 at Harrisburg.

Hoxie’s two remaining games are against cellar-dwelling (and winless) Brinkley and a road game at Piggott on Oct. 26.

Now, on to this week’s guesses:
1. Arkansas at Ole Miss (Game of the Week). Arkansas needs to win this one if they are going to have any reasonable shot at a winning season. Ole Miss by three.
2. Walnut Ridge at Augusta. Walnut Ridge got back in the playoff picture with last week’s win over McCrory. Augusta picked up a big win on the road over Cross County. I have to go with the Red Devils over the Bobcats.
3. Arkansas State at Middle Tennessee. We could see lots of points in this one. I’m picking the Blue Raiders to nip the Indians in a high-scoring game.
4. Brinkley at Hoxie. Mustangs rebound from their loss to Corning and stampede Brinkley.
5. Tennessee at Alabama. I’m going with the Volunteers to win a close one.
6. Westside at Osceola. Seminoles tame Warriors.
7. Auburn at LSU. LSU wins a slobber knocker.
8. Rector at Cross County. Thunderbirds soar over Cougars.
9. USC at Notre Dame. The Trojans have been struggling lately, but they’re still better than the Irish. USC wins this one.
10. Rivercrest at Valley View. Valley View nips Colts.
11. Mississippi State at West Virginia. Mountaineers roll over Bulldogs.
12. Highland at Trumann. Rebels slip past Wildcats.
13. Texas Tech at Missouri. Forty points may not be enough to win this one. I’m going with the Tigers to outscore the Red Raiders 52-48.
14. Corning at EPC. Bobcats nip the Warriors.
15. Florida at Kentucky. Kentucky is coming off their upset of top-ranked LSU. Florida already has two losses this season. Gators bring the Wildcats back to earth.

Last week: 11-4
Season: 78-21

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I had a brief moment of nostalgia recently when I ran across a website devoted to obsolete computers.

We still have an original IBM PC, which only has two floppy disks (the 5-1/4 inch variety), no hard drive and basically runs on 16 KB of RAM.

Next we had an IBM XT (extended technology) system. When the XT arrived on the scene with a five-megabyte hard drive, this was the ultimate in computer technology. It ran on PC-DOS and BASIC. No more swapping out floppy disks or running out of room to store information. Five megabytes was an impossibly large amount of room and no one could possibly fill it up. Unfortunately we found a way.

Then the IBM AT (Advanced Technology) was developed and was it ever a hotrod computer. It could hold up to 16 megabytes of RAM and support a 20-megabyte hard disk. I ran AT systems for years and years.

These systems were for the most part stable. Occasionally a floppy disk would bite the dust, especially if your mother pinned it to the fridge with a magnet. They ran day in and day out and seemed to be virtually indestructible.

We had other computers as well, Commodore 64, Atari 400 and 800 and Apple II. It wasn’t until the “Clone” became available that computers hit the mainstream. Everyone was learning computer technology. Even I could change cards and mount hard drives. Now I want a cross and holy water to approach a computer.

Anyway, if you have one of the old “boat anchor” computers hanging around and you would like to get it rolling again or you just want to reminisce here’s the website, obsoletecomputermuseum.org.

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Today is definitely Monday!

The day started off normal enough, my niece, Jarah, arrived at my house at 5 a.m. this morning. She normally goes back to sleep, but she didn’t this morning. She didn’t feel very well, so I tried to comfort her the best I could. She called her mom four times before I took her to school.

I had to leave work to take Brad to the doctor for a follow up appointment. Not long after returning, I got a call from the school nurse. Briar was in her office because he had hurt his hand.

I went to get him and took him to the emergency room … it’s broken.

I’m now having trouble focusing on what I’m doing here at work… I can’t help wondering what’s going to happen next.

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It’s the time of the year when football season starts to get really interesting with conference races heating up at both the high school and college levels.

Hoxie hosts Corning in a battle of undefeated teams. The winner will have a leg up in the race for the 3A-3 conference championship, but both teams should be headed for postseason play. The Mustangs are presently in first place with a 3-0 conference record, followed by Corning at 2-0. East Poinsett County is in third place at 2-1, and Harrisburg is 1-1. Piggott and Brinkley bring up the rear, each at 0-3. Barton had won one conference game before canceling its season.

Walnut Ridge is only 1-5 overall, but the Bobcats are still in the thick of a playoff race in Conference 2A-3.

Marked Tree, at 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the league, appears to be the class of the conference. No one else in 2A-3 has a winning overall record.

Walnut Ridge, Cross County, Augusta and McCrory all stand at 1-1 in the conference. Walnut Ridge lost to Cross County last week, so this week’s game against McCrory and next week’s game at Augusta are crucial for the Bobcat’s playoff hopes.

On to week 7’s guesses:

1. Corning at Hoxie (Game of the Week). For the second week in a row, Hoxie faces an opponent that is undefeated in conference play. The Mustangs seize command of the conference race with a 7-point win over the “other” Bobcats.
2. Auburn at Arkansas. This may the most important game the Razorbacks have played in a long, long time. With a win, the Hogs can get back in contention for a good finish in the conference and a decent bowl game. A loss could leave Arkansas scrambling just to finish with a .500 record and a trip to a minor bowl. Darren McFadden can stay in the thick of the Heisman race with a big game. If the Hogs lose, his Heisman hopes suffer another blow. I’d love to be wrong, but I gotta pick Auburn.
3. McCrory at Walnut Ridge. Bobcats claw past the Jaguars for their second win of the season.
4. Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas State. Apparently I was a little too quick to put the Indians back in the New Orleans Bowl. ASU will get back on track and keep the homecoming crowd in good spirits with a win over UL-Laf.
5. Marked Tree at Rector. Marked Tree should win by 40 or so.
6. Alabama at Ole Miss. Rebels pull the upset. Ole Miss by a field goal.
7. Pocahontas at Westside. Redskins easily.
8. LSU at Kentucky. LSU will win and it won’t be as close as some may think.
9. Augusta at Cross County. Another big game in the 2A-3 playoff race. Cross Co. wins at home.
10. Boston College at Notre Dame. Notre Dame broke into the win column last week against UCLA. Boston College is a lot better than UCLA, though. BC by two touchdowns.
11. Greene County Tech at Nettleton. Raiders whip the Techsters.
12. Tennessee at Mississippi State. State will keep it close, but Vols have too much talent.
13. Harrisburg at Brinkley. The words “winless” and “Brinkley” just seem to go together nicely.
14. South Carolina at North Carolina. North Carolina beat Miami last week. I’m not sure if that says more about the Tar Heels or the Canes. Gamecocks step out of conference and pick up a road win against the Tar Heels.
15. Valley View at Highland. Outstanding match-up between perennial power Highland and up-and-coming Valley View. Rebels win this one at home.

Last week: 12-2
Season: 67-17

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My husband and I have been going to the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival, FKA The King Biscuit, for many years now. I know folks who have been to all 22 of them.

The King Biscuit is not the granddaddy of blues festivals but it is the largest. Each year there is doubt as to whether it will be happening and somehow each year it does.

This year they brought Pinetop Perkins to the stage. He is the last of the old Helena blues men. He played with Sonny Boy (Rice Miller) Williamson on the old King Biscuit Time radio show.

Also on stage was Sam Carr. Sam is the son of Robert Nighthawk another legendary Helena musician. Sam also played music with Sonny Boy and was a member of his last band.

Sam is ailing and was wheeled on stage in a wheelchair to play one song on the drums. He came straight from the hospital and was taken back there as soon as he finished his performance.

Both of these men have paid their dues over and over again. It will be a shame when we lose them.

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Sleep — That is something one can definitely take for granted.

With the addition of our second son, now two months old, I remember how priceless a good night’s sleep can be.

While Colter is not a fussy baby and only wakes up to eat, the one to two middle-of-the-night feedings still cause a major disruption in my sleeping habits.

Over the weekend, my mother-in-law kept Colter and our older son, Conley, both Friday and Saturday nights. It was Colter’s first nights away from home. While I missed him tremendously, I sure enjoyed getting a solid eight hours of sleep.

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On Saturday, my family went to my husband’s company (LA Darling) picnic. The company has had the picnic for the past three years, and it is something we all look forward to.

As soon as we arrived this year, Tim and Brad headed straight for the NASCAR simulator. It is always their favorite thing to do. Briar and Brad raced several times in the Iron Man obstacle course. They had a mechanical bull, which Briar and Brad loved last year, but didn’t get on this year.

While eating lunch, we played Bingo, but didn’t win anything. Briar really enjoyed the Bingo games, so we spent a lot of the afternoon playing. Brad made friends with a boy close to his age. They kept busy playing on the giant slide and obstacle course.

The company always does a random drawing for prizes. In the three years we’ve been going, we haven’t won any of those prizes. This year was no different. The grand prizes were a flat screen plasma TV and a stainless steel, gas barbecue grill.

Even though we didn’t win anything, we got to spend time together and enjoyed the day.

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1. Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe. ASU looks like they could be headed for another berth in the New Orleans Bowl. The Tribe wins by nine.
2. Hoxie at EPC. Each team is 2-0 in Conference 3A-3. The Warriors will give Hoxie a fight, but the Mustangs will stay undefeated and claim sole possession of first place in the conference.
3. Chattanooga at Arkansas. The Hogs will take care of business by rolling over 1-AA Chattanooga.
4. Cross County at Walnut Ridge. The Thunderbirds will be too much for the Bobcats.
5. Houston at Alabama. That’s the University of Houston, not Houston Nutt. The result will be the same — a win for the Tide.
6. Piggott at Harrisburg. Hornets win a close one.
7. Vanderbilt at Auburn. Which Auburn team will show up? The one that lost at home to Mississippi State or the one that beat Florida in The Swamp last week. Tigers win a tight one.
8. Rector at McCrory. I guess someone has to win this one. Might as well be McCrory.
9. Florida at LSU. LSU wins round one at home. Despite Florida’s loss to Auburn, expect a rematch of this contest in the SEC title game in Atlanta, come December.
10. Westside at Highland. Rebels cruise past Warriors.
11. Louisiana Tech at Ole Miss. Ole Miss gets a win.
12. Brinkley at Corning. Corning should be 2-0 in Conference 3A-3 when they visit Hoxie next week. The Bobcats by a lot.
13. Notre Dame at UCLA. Bruins send the Irish to 0-6. Could be close, though.
14. Mountain View at Newport. Newport will win and it won’t be pretty.
15. Kentucky at South Carolina. Gamecocks squeak past the Wildcats.

Last week: 12-2
Season: 55-15

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I watched coverage of the 875th homecoming on television Saturday. Every image brought tears to my eyes, as did each of the banners as I drove along Highway 49 from Jonesboro to Brookland the previous evening.

The tears were, of course, tears of joy for the soldiers and their families who were at long last reunited. But, they were also tears of distress for those who remain deployed and those who are preparing to go.

While the soldiers are proud and willing to serve, a yearlong trip to Iraq is undoubtedly not high on their list of desires. As the war has continued, and support for the effort has waned, it is always a concern that support for our soldiers might fade as well.

Perhaps we might get bored with the same old, same old — another group leaving, another group coming home. Apathy can take hold easily, especially when the conflict seems to have drug on so long already.

One gentleman in my church, who served in Vietnam, said his heart was filled with joy to see the welcome the 875th received. He said it was a much different welcome than troops received when returning from Vietnam.

We should remember every night as we settle into our beds that they are suffering hardships and risking their lives in service to our country. I hope and pray that though individuals may not support the war, the support of our soldiers remains strong.

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I was lucky to be raised in a stable home with both parents. My parents are now a big part of my children’s lives. Briar and Brad go to their house after school on most days and usually spend two nights a week with them.

I believe the time a person spends with their grandparents is the most special time in the world.

I was blessed to have both sets of my grandparents until my PaPa Tate passed away on the morning of my 23rd birthday. Ten months later I lost my Grandpa Jones and five months after that, my Grandma Jones. My Granny Tate was with us five more years, until July of 2001.

I loved to fish with Grandpa and Grandma Jones, and I will never forget all the afternoons I spent playing slapjack under the shade tree with my PaPa Tate.

Granny Tate was the strongest woman I’ve ever known. She loved life and loved to laugh and have fun. My brothers and I always tried to get her “tickled,” which wasn’t very hard to do.

I think of them often and try to pass their legacy along to Briar and Brad through stories, pictures and home videos. I also hope that I am nurturing the same type of relationship between the boys and my parents. After all, nothing can quite explain or compare to the relationship between a grandparent and grandchild.

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So who do y’all think will be the Hogs’ coach next season?

On to this week’s games:

1. Walnut Ridge at Rector (Game of the Week). This might be the Bobcats best chance for a win this season. Walnut Ridge by 8.
2. North Texas at Arkansas. Just what the doctor ordered for the Hogs. Back-to-back SEC losses for the Hogs have some fans screaming for Houston Nutt’s scalp. A win over a patsy like North Texas won’t silence the critics, but at least it will get the Hogs back in the win column.
3. Barton at Hoxie. Game canceled.
4. Alabama at Florida State. Florida State isn’t the elite program it was a few years ago. Alabama in a mild upset.
5. Westside at Trumann. Trumann will roll over the Warriors.
6. Auburn at Florida. Florida is a serious threat to defend their national championship, just as the Gators did in basketball. Auburn appears to be down this year. Florida wins convincingly.
7. Rivercrest at Pocahontas. Redskins scalp Rivercrest.
8. LSU at Tulane. LSU will blow through Tulane like a hurri — okay, that’s a bad analogy. Let me try again. LSU will win by many points.
9. Marked Tree at Cross County. Should be a close game. I normally pick the home team in these situations, but this time I’m going with Marked Tree.
10. Notre Dame at Purdue. Many teams would love to give Notre Dame a swift kick while the Irish are down. This week, it’s in-state rival Purdue’s turn.
11. Corning at Piggott. Uncharacteristically, I’m picking another high school road team. Corning manhandles the Mohawks.
12. Ole Miss at Georgia. Ole Miss played Florida tough last week, while Georgia is coming off a big overtime win at Alabama. I’m tempted to pick the Rebels in an upset, but I’ll play it safe and take Georgia.
13. East Poinsett County at Brinkley. EPC keeps Brinkley winless. (Wow, I’m picking a fourth HS road team).
14. Michigan at Northwestern. Michigan seems to have gotten on track after an 0-2 start. Northwestern is just plain awful. Last week, Ohio State drilled the Wildcats 58-7. Expect a similar result this week.
15. Gosnell at Valley View. Another good high school match-up. Valley View wins at home.

Last week’ score was 10 correct and three wrong. My season tally stands at 43-13.
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Briar and Brad are supposed to read every night for at least 30 minutes. Briar usually reads something by R.L. Stein and Brad likes biographies, but right now is reading a fiction book entitled, “The Desperaux.” They hate reading, and I don’t understand why. I love it … I always have.

While growing up, I read the Sweet Valley High series. The books are about twin high school girls and their life experiences.

Two of my all-time favorite books are “Where the Red Fern Grows,” I still cry every time I read it, and “The Outsiders.”

I also read a lot of Judy Blume books. “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Fudge,” “Double Fudge,” “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and “Blubber” — just to name a few.

These days my favorite authors include Laurel K. Hamilton, Dean Koontz, John Grisham and Sandra Brown. I have to admit that I love reading Harry Potter, too. I would actually read just about anything you put in front of me.

So… with my passion for reading, why can’t I get my boys to read?

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Last week was a good week, correctly picking 13 games and missing on only two. My season tally now stands at 33-10.
On to this week’s guesses:
1. Kentucky at Arkansas (Game of the Week). If their secondary doesn’t perform better this week, the Hogs will start 0-2 in SEC play. My guess is that Arkansas will find a way to pull out a close win at home. Hogs by three.
2. Chaffee, Mo., at Walnut Ridge. I know absolutely nothing about Chaffee. Walnut Ridge is off to an 0-3 start, but they’ve been competitive in each game. I’m picking the Bobcats to break into the win column in front of a homecoming crowd.
3. Georgia at Alabama. Alabama won’t get lucky this week. Georgia by a touchdown.
4. Hoxie at Harrisburg. Maybe the best high school contest in the area this week. I pick Harrisburg, but only because they’re at home.
5. New Mexico State at Auburn. Who knows what’s going on with Auburn. They eke out a narrow, come-from-behind win against Kansas State to open the season, and then lose back-to-back home games to South Florida and Mississippi State. Whatever the problem is, I look for them to get it corrected and roll over the Aggies.
6. Gosnell at Westside. Gosnell easily.
7. Arkansas State at Tennessee. The Indians may be catching the Vols at a bad time, after Tennessee was blown out by archrival Florida last week. I look for the Vols to lay a hurtin’ on the Tribe.
8. Manila at Rector. It’s hard to pick Rector to beat anybody, so I’ll take Manila.
9. Michigan State at Notre Dame. It looks like it’s going to be a long year for Notre Dame. MSU keeps the Irish winless.
10. Piggott at East Poinsett County. Another good high school match-up. Again, I’ll go with the home team.
11. Florida at Ole Miss. Gators chomp the Rebels.
12. Hughes at Corning. Corning.
13. South Carolina at LSU. LSU will win, but Spurrier and the Gamecocks could keep it interesting.
14. Rivercrest at Highland. Highland.
15. Mississippi State at Jacksonville State. MSU should roll.

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1. Hoxie at Westside (Game of the Week). Westside ended a 15-game losing streak with last week’s win over Salem. Hoxie gets them started on another one this week. Mustangs by 20.
2. Arkansas at Alabama. Without receiver Marcus Monk, the Hog’s offense will be even more one-dimensional than usual. As good as Arkansas’ ground game is, I don’t think it will be enough to stem the Tide. Bama by 3.
3. Walnut Ridge at East Poinsett County. The Warriors got a big win on the road at Cross County last week. They should keep the Bobcats winless.
4. Mississippi State at Auburn. The Tigers will be looking to make someone pay after last week’s upset loss to South Florida. MSU gets to be the unfortunate victim.
5. Rector at Piggott. Not sure why anyone would care, but go with Piggott.
6. SMU at ASU. SMU embarrassed the Indians last year 55-9. Steve Roberts will have the Tribe motivated for a little payback this year. Indians ambush the Ponies.
7. Mountain View at Cave City. Cavemen club the Yellowjackets.
8. Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. I’ll take Vandy in this SEC pillow fight.
9. Cross County at Corning. Could be a good one. I’ll go with Corning.
10. Tennessee at Florida. Gators hang a second early-season loss on the Vols.
11. Harrisburg at Marked Tree. Another good high school match-up. I take the Hornets on the road.
12. Notre Dame at Michigan. One of these teams will have to win its first game this weekend. I’ll go with Michigan.
13. Pocahontas at Greene County Tech. Pokey wins its second straight against the city of Paragould after hammering the Rams last week.
14. Middle Tennessee at LSU. MTSU’s offense looked pretty impressive in a 58-42 loss to ninth-ranked Louisville a couple of weeks ago. LSU, however, is a lot better than Louisville. Tigers roll in Death Valley.
15. Highland at Bald Knob. Highland easily.

Last week: 10-4 again.
Season: 20-8
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Earlier this year while shopping at a Walnut Ridge grocery store, I was treated horribly when they thought the $20 bill I was paying with was fake.

I had to go to the Police Department and they sent the money to the crime lab to be tested. David Burnside from the Walnut Ridge Police Department called me today to let me know that the money had been real after all. I can go claim it tomorrow.

Officer Burnside said the bill had been printed in 1950, which was before the recent safety measures to prevent counterfeiting. In my opinion, the store should better train their cashiers on how to spot counterfeit money.

If their safety precautions don’t apply to bills printed prior to a certain time, they should know that and use another method of testing. At the very least, they should make sure that all of their customers are treated respectfully.

I know a little extra effort on the store’s part would have saved me a lot of embarrassment.

I’m very happy to be getting my $20 back. This, however, has been an experience I won’t soon forget.

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Last week’s record was 10 correct out of 14 picks (the Trumann game was cancelled). Normally I’d say that’s pretty decent, but it wouldn’t have even come close to winning The TD’s Football Forecast. Several entrants picked all 14 games correctly and several more only missed one. I guess I need to get my crystal ball fine-tuned if I’m going to compete with you guys.
Nonetheless, here we go again with this week’s picks.

1. Memphis at Arkansas State (Game of the Week). ASU won’t need a miracle to beat the Tigers this year. Indians by 7.
2. Walnut Ridge at Piggott. Piggott won a thriller at Sexton Field last year. I’m going with the Mohawks at home.
3. Alabama at Vanderbilt. Alabama.
4. Mountain View at Hoxie. Hoxie goes to 2-0.
5. South Florida at Auburn. South Florida won nine games last year, including a late-season upset at West Virginia. Last week, Auburn had to score late to pull out the game against Kansas State. I’m picking Auburn to win another close one.
6. West Side at Salem. Salem.
7. Virginia Tech at LSU. LSU should win this battle of Top 10 teams.
8. Earle at Marvell. Earle is ranked in the Top 5 in Class 2A. That’s good enough for me to pick them over Marvell.
9. Notre Dame at Penn St. Notre Dame lost at home to Georgia Tech by 30 last week. I’m not sure if Penn State is as good as Tech, but they should beat the Irish at home.
10. Rector at Valley View. The Blazers will make a wreck of Rector.
11. Missouri at Ole Miss. Missouri has too much firepower on offense. They should beat the Rebels.
12. EPC at Cross County. Cross County.
13. Southern Miss at Tennessee. Tennessee.
14. Harrisburg at Highland. This could be the best high school game in the area. I’m picking Highland at home.
15. Kent State at Kentucky. Kentucky will roll over another cupcake.

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I recently wrote about the doctor finding a lump in my breast. After a mammogram and ultrasound, it was determined that I needed to have a biopsy. I went to UAMS in Little Rock on Friday. I wasn’t really sure what to expect once I got there, but the doctors were amazing.

They looked at the films I had brought them and decided to go ahead and remove the entire lump and then test it… I could either schedule a day to come in and be asleep during the procedure, or they could do it that day and use a local anesthetic.

I chose to go ahead and get it over with. The doctor used a “mammotome” to remove the lump. The procedure didn’t take long and went really well. I had some pain in the area on Friday night and over the weekend. If I do a lot with my left arm, it starts to hurt. All-in-all, though, it wasn’t bad.

I heard from the doctor today, and my results showed no sign of malignancy. While I never doubted that would be the outcome, it was nice to actually hear it and it will be a relief for the rest of my family and friends!

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Football season is here again, so that means it’s time to put on the prognosticating caps and take part in The TD’s annual Football Forecast. Here’s one man’s opinions.
1. Hoxie at Walnut Ridge. The Mustangs have dominated the series in the last few years, but the Bobcats pulled of an incredible fourth-quarter rally to earn a tie last year. I’m going with the 3A Mustangs over the 2A Bobcats in another close one.
2. Troy at Arkansas. Troy won’t be a pushover, but the Hogs should win by a couple of touchdowns.
3. Southside Batesville at Westside. Other than the two local schools, I really don’t follow high school football that closely. When in doubt, go with the home team.
4. Arkansas State at Texas. Steve Roberts has done a terrific job at ASU. He has the Indians competing for the Sun Belt title each year and even took the Indians to a bowl game a couple of years ago. ASU will play hard and represent themselves well at Austin, but the Longhorns will win by a bunch.
5. Corning at Rector. Corning should win this Clay County showdown.
6. Western Carolina at Alabama. Bama by a bunch.
7. East Poinsett County at Marked Tree. Marked Tree.
8. Kansas State at Auburn. Auburn easily.
9. Marshall at Mountain View. See No. 3 above.
10. Ole Miss at Memphis. This is usually a close game that goes down to the wire. I pick Ole Miss in a squeaker.
11. Trumann at Hughes. Trumann easily.
12. Georgia Tech at Notre Dame. It’s always tough to pick against the Irish at home.
13. Palestine-Wheatley at Barton. Barton, I guess.
14. Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky. Kentucky will roll.
15. Valley View at McCrory. Goin’ with the home team.

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My son, Briar, officially became a teenager on Aug. 24. I no longer see a baby when I look at him. I see a clever young man full of laughter and mischief trying to find his way in this world.

I realized this week exactly how much of a teenager he has become when I asked if he needed me to go over his algebra homework and he replied, “No, I don’t think you’ll know how to do it anyway.”

I was also told that I wasn’t the computer whiz he thought I was, while he was doing his computer technology homework. This one really hit home. While I don’t claim to be a computer whiz, I definitely know my way around a computer. After all … it’s my job.

Although I have seen some changes in his attitude, and he now thinks he is smarter than I am, one thing remains constant… his kindness and compassion for others. He is an exceptional young man and I’m very proud of him.

I know that he will continue to spread his wings. I hope that I have and continue to set a good example for him.

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A few days after we came home from the hospital with Colter, my husband and our older son, Conley, went to our neighbor's barn to feed the cows and horses. Conley generally leaves his four-wheeler, a little 50 we bought at Cox Implement, at the barn so he can ride when he goes to the barn with his dad. On this particular night when they got there, they could not find the four-wheeler.

As we had not looked for the four-wheeler since before we went into the hospital, we assumed someone had just moved it. We soon learned, though, that this was not the case. Our neighbor remembered seeing it there on Tuesday, and a friend who had come to the barn on Thursday said he noticed it was not there then. We had to face the truth, someone had stolen it.

I don't know that my four-year-old really realizes what happened. He just knows his four-wheeler is gone. As he sat across the table from me a few days later he looked up at me with sad eyes and said, "Mom, I really want my vroom vroom back." I have never really understood how someone could steal somebody else's possessions, but I really cannot understand stealing from a child.

We reported it stolen, but know the chances of recovering it are slim to none. As adults, we know the realities of life and that people break laws and do bad things, but it is a shame that children have to learn this life lesson, as well.

I know that Conley’s wound is nothing compared to what many other children go through, but the experience did give me insight into how deeply children can be affected by the actions of adults.

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On Aug. 31 Hoxie and Walnut Ridge will face off for the last time on the football field. I will admit that I have mixed feelings about it. This unique cross-town rivalry, that you have to be a part of to understand, got way out of hand, at times. It has also provided MANY amazing memories.

My family moved to Hoxie from Walnut Ridge when I was in the sixth grade. The adjustment from Bobcat to Mustang wasn’t an easy one; however, it was absolute. I bleed green!

Both of my brothers played football for Hoxie. A lot of talk and a lot of pranks led up to a huge battle that played out before our eyes. It didn’t matter how the rest of our season went… whether we lost every other game or went to state… we wanted to be able to say we beat the Bobcats!

Since most of my cousins were Bobcats, the stakes were a little bit higher. We wanted to be the ones with the bragging rights.

So… as the battle unfolds for the last time, I’ll have only one thing to say…

Go, Mustangs!!!

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My baby is growing up. Of course, if he knew I was calling him my baby, he would quickly correct me and tell me he is a big boy now. Conley already didn't like being called my baby before we had our second son, Colter, but now he gets downright offended. I think in his mind he thinks if I call him my baby that means Colter can't be my baby. He always tells me "Colter is your baby, I'm your kid."

Monday, he started school at Greene County Tech. He is in the Pre-K program and though he is not technically in school, it is on the school campus and they have class time and eat in the cafeteria and he will even be able to ride the school bus (which he is quite excited about). He had a great first
day and I was so happy for him, but I was also a little sad. I guess it made me realize that he is in fact right — he's not a baby anymore.
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I, like most people, hate to go to the doctor. I don’t go for routine checkups, but if I’m sick, I will go. During a recent visit, my doctor read me the riot act for not taking better care of myself and scheduled me for all the routine exams I’d been neglecting.

I was relieved that I had five more years to wait before I had to start routine mammograms. Relief was short-lived when a lump was found during my exam. I went today and had my first mammogram. It wasn’t as bad as I believed it would be. Yes, it was uncomfortable, but not painful.

Since I had a problem, there was a doctor on hand waiting to read my results so that I could have further testing if need be. I had to have an ultrasound done of the “suspicious area.”

The doctor talked to me and assured me that he doesn’t think I have cancer, but the area is solid and I should have a biopsy to be on the safe side.

I’m sure this scare will turn out to be nothing, but it did serve as a wake-up call. I will no longer neglect checkups or routine exams. I hope you don’t either.

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Like so many other parents, I’m trying to get my kids ready to go back to school. Tuesday night, Brad, Drake (my nephew) and I went to open house. Brad will be in the new building at Hoxie this year and is excited about that.

The classrooms are really nice and seem to be somewhat bigger than what he has had before. There is also a science lab in the building. Brad loves experimenting, so I hope they are able to use it often throughout the year.

Briar had football practice and wasn’t able to attend with us. Brad, Drake and I visited his classes without him.

Although they both say they aren’t ready for school to start, they seem excited about it. I’m not sure I’m ready for the hectic schedule that the school year will bring. Not only will they start back to school on Monday, Briar has his first football game that night.

Ready or not…

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Saturday my family and my brothers’ families took a trip to the Wild River Country Water Park in Little Rock.

When we first arrived, Briar, Brad, Tim, Rodney, Blake, Drake and I went down what we called the “toilet bowl.” I don’t know what the real name is, but you go down a long tube into a bowl type portion where you are swished around before being shot out the bottom into the pool. It was everyone’s favorite slide.

While we were doing that, Georgetta, Jarah, Grace and Kylie rode a four person raft slide that sends you through the dark around lots of curves and then sprays you with water before the ride ends. I enjoyed this ride with Blake, Jarah and Grace before I got a little bit sick.

I spent some time with Kylie in the pool. Then we all went to the wave pool before having a picnic lunch in the shade outside the park.

We spent a lot of the afternoon in the wave pool. Tim and I floated around the “lazy river” in tubes while the others went down slides or played in the wave pool.

We had a great time! I hope to make the trip again next year.

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Briar and Brad spend a lot of time on either my mom’s computer or our computer at home. I have Brad set up as a separate user because he likes to change the background and put shortcuts on the desktop. Briar likes to browse the Internet, but doesn’t care what kind of wallpaper, etc. he has.

Briar does however, like to try and figure out Brad’s password. He doesn’t really want to login as Brad and use the computer, he just wants to make him mad. I just changed the password Monday, but Briar is getting close again and by the end of the week, I’ll be doing it again.

Brad also wanted to have his own webpage. I had told him that I’d sit down with him on a Saturday when we had some time and work on one with him. He has very little patience, though, and had to have something right then.

I have a Yahoo account, so I set him up a Geocities site. Right now it isn’t much, but on Saturday we are going to add more things to it. As of now, he has had 64 visitors and his guestbook is on the second page of entries.

If anyone is interested in visiting it, go to www.geocities.com/skimahorn_99 and leave us a message!

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I was sad to see that Bella’z, a restaurant in Walnut Ridge, has closed its doors. I know starting a new business is a challenge and is never easy. I enjoyed the additional option while it lasted and had many great meals there (not to mention desserts). I wish owner Brandy Zupa luck in her future endeavors.

I also hope that others who are still struggling to run a home-owned business can succeed. One of my favorite things about Walnut Ridge and Hoxie is being able to do business with people I know and have the knowledge that the money I am spending with them is not only helping them but also this area.

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I’ve never really paid much attention to counterfeit money reports. I don’t normally carry cash, and when I do have cash it comes from the bank’s ATM machine. The bank checks their money, so it can’t be counterfeit, right? WRONG!!!!

My husband got some money out of the ATM machine Sunday morning. Later in the day, he handed me $30, a 20 and 10, so I could make a quick trip to the grocery store. After paying with the money that came from the bank’s ATM machine, I got funny looks from the cashier and she took off to the office. The lady in the office called more people in and they all stared and whispered about me. Finally, the cashier came back and informed me that my $20 bill was not good. It was counterfeit.

I called my husband and the store called the police to come in and check things out. I wrote a check for my groceries, although the lady in the office didn’t seem to like that very much, either. When I went with the bag boy to put my groceries in the car, I thought the two left in the office, who were watching my every move, were going to have a stroke because I walked out of the store.

I had to wait about five minutes for the police to arrive. When the officer got there, he took a statement from the lady in the office and then came to talk to me. I had to go to the police station to do some paper work and make a formal statement.

My husband arrived about the time I was leaving to go to the police station. He went with me and filled out a form saying where the money came from and that he had been the one to give it to me.

While the officer was very nice and assured me that he didn’t think I was producing counterfeit money, those at the store were another story. I know the store has a procedure they have to follow, but I was just as innocent in this as they were. I won’t be shopping there again.

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Being pregnant at 31 is no fun. Jason and I were married seven years before we had our first son, Conley. I was 27 for the latter part of my pregnancy, and I can attest that four years can make a big difference.

The crazy thing is that 31 is not that old for having babies anymore. My mother had her youngest at 40, though it was not planned. I now wonder how she ever survived.

Now, with improved fertility drugs and what I would call some women’s crazy notions, the childbirth age is being extended up into the 40s and sometimes the 50s. It is especially crazy to me since the drugs that allow them to conceive often also cause multiple births. Being 55 years old and pregnant with twins does not sound anything like fun to me.

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While I was growing up, my family always celebrated Christmas Eve and New Years Eve with my Uncle Donnie, Aunt Vicki, Jennifer, Ashley and Cody. We also spent many summer days swimming and barbecuing together and sometimes going to Liberty Land.

On the Fourth of July we enjoyed lunch and swimming at Ashley’s house. Uncle Donnie, Aunt Vicky and Cody were also there. It was a nice way to spend the day and catch up with everyone. It’s also nice to see our kids play together. We don’t get to visit as much as we used to, but we still have fun when we get together.

I was also pleasantly surprised the other day to receive an e-mail from Jennifer, who lives in Minnesota. The e-mail contained a slide show featuring her daughter’s senior pictures and a few family photos! It doesn’t seem possible that she has a daughter graduating high school.
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Conley and I were driving home the other day when a police officer did a U-turn in front of us to go after a car that was speeding.

The blue lights caught Conley’s attention in the back seat and he asked me what the policeman was doing. I told him he was probably going to catch the car that had just passed us and give them a ticket.

To this, he offered the ever-popular four-year-old question, “Why?”

I told him they were driving too fast and that is why they were getting a ticket.

Now, it didn’t occur to me that to my four-year-old son tickets are a good thing. He acquaints tickets with riding rides, winning a prize or going somewhere. It didn’t take me long to realize he did not understand that in this case getting a ticket was not a happy occasion.

“You better hurry up, Mom,” he told me. “Why?” I asked him. “You have to go fast so we can get some tickets, too,” he said grinning.

I explained to him that when you get a ticket from a police officer it is because you were doing something bad and you have to pay money as punishment for getting in trouble. I also told him that driving too fast can cause an accident, which he took very seriously.

The next day he told his grandma that you can’t drive too fast because you might get a ticket, and even worse, you might crash.

So often, we want to make the police be the bad guys for writing the tickets, but my four-year-old son really got it. It’s not about driving slow so you don’t get a ticket. It’s about driving safe so you don’t get in an accident.

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Today is my youngest son, Brad’s, 11th birthday. We usually have one big party at the Walnut Ridge City Pool. Not this year! A couple of weeks ago, there was a WWE Pay-Per View event that he really wanted to see. My husband gave him the choice of a big party or the Pay-Per View. Of course he chose the Pay-Per View.

I thought he’d regret that decision once his birthday arrived, but he’s getting a pretty good deal out of it.

We are doing a small celebration tonight at home. Brad gets his choice for supper (Pizza Hut pepperoni pizza), cake and a present. Tomorrow night, my mom is cooking him a special supper and all our family will be there. Friday he is having a small party at our house for a couple of his friends.

It seems it’s turning into a week-long celebration.
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Chain letters have always made me crazy. But at least in the good old days of snail mail the things came less often because the sender had to pay for postage and then get them in the mail. Now they just zip through my e-mail at all hours of the day and night.

Threats of retribution and bad luck often accompany them or they whine about friendship. If I’m a real friend I’ll pass them on to all the people I know and continue the chain.

I always break the chain. I do not want to receive it, and I do not want to send it. So far the only bad thing that’s happened to me is that the stuff keeps showing up in my inbox. I guess that’s bad enough.

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My girls are now six and two and a half. They are both in dance class. They love it. Shelby started last fall, and after watching Shelby in class and doing some of her dances, Alison started this spring.

With my husband and me never being ones to be in front of big crowds, we were a little worried how the whole recital thing would turn out. First, we had Shelby’s first recital in December. Would she go on stage, would she freeze or would she cry the whole way? She did great. She surprised me by actually smiling and doing her moves really well. She couldn’t wait to be on stage again.

Then Alison started lessons. Sometimes she would dance in class with her group and then other times she would be in her own little world and not do anything.

In June, we had both girls on stage. So I had to worry all over again. I was not worried at all about Shelby. I knew she would do as great as she did before and possibly even better since she had been there before. But what about the temperamental two-and-a-half-year-old who screams at the drop of a hat and who won’t do anything you want her to? How is she going to do? Will she get out there? Will she just stand there?

Well, of course, Shelby got out there and danced and smiled. Alison had to be coaxed a little at first, then she started shaking her stuff. She had the audience laughing with each great big twist that she did. She did great. In one dance she even had to stop and tell me as I stand backstage “Look, Mom, I’m dancing.” I gave her a great big hug after each dance and told her how proud I was of her.

They both are asking us when will it be time to go to dance class again. We tape the dance class and the recitals so they keep in practice. They love it. Thanks, Miss Amber.

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The 2007 edition of Hooten’s Arkansas Football is out now. The magazine is loaded with lots of coverage of the Razorbacks and the SEC, as well as ASU and other Arkansas colleges, but Hooten’s is probably best known for its in-depth coverage of Arkansas high school football.

Of local interest, the Hoxie Mustangs were predicted to finish third in Conference 3A-3, behind Harrisburg and Corning. The conference was named as the second toughest in Class 3A.

Mustang running back Alex Ward was selected to the Sonic Class 3A Super Team.

The Walnut Ridge Bobcats were picked to finish fourth in Conference 2A-3. Bobcat quarterback Tyler Meadors was listed in the Unheralded Stars section for Class 2A.

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Weather is an amazing thing and though you can hear story after story about how strange the weather can sometimes be, there is nothing quite like experiencing it.

Last Saturday night, June 28, my husband and I, along with our son, Conley, and Jason’s cousin, Leah, her husband, Billy, and his daughter, Hayle, were pulling into Portia to attend the carnival when the skies opened up.

We decided to head back to Walnut Ridge and get a bite to eat and see if the rain would let up when Jason’s phone rang. It was his brother, Anthony, calling to say that the roof had blown off our neighbor’s barn, where Jason, Anthony and our neighbors’ horses are kept.

This is where the strangeness of weather comes in. We pulled up to the barn and the entire south side of the roof was demolished. Whole sections of the roof had been lifted and dropped, one on top of a pickup truck.

Meanwhile, the empty blue barrels, lined up in the riding arena located directly behind the barn, were untouched. There was no damage to any of our homes or other property. Other than a few limbs down in the roads, which is a common occurrence in the mildest of storms, you wouldn’t even know a storm had been through except for the scattered debris that surrounded the barn.

My husband’s aunt recalled her mother telling a story about a storm that came through and took the roof off their house but left a teacup sitting on a fence in the yard. There is no doubt about it — weather is an amazing thing.

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My family and I went to the Portia Picnic Saturday night. Like many others in the community, this is a yearly ritual for us. I’ve always loved going to the Picnic. I have lots of memories of riding rides and playing games, many of which are still the same. It’s nice to be able to see my kids enjoying the things I did at their age.

They only played one game – they threw darts to pop balloons. Brad won a Dale Earnhardt Jr. mirror and Briar won a Grim Reaper mirror. He told me later that he had thought about getting one with a half-naked woman on it, but opted for the spooky one instead (must be his age).

We also visited the food vendors. You can’t go to a carnival without having a funnel cake (or a corn dog and cotton candy in Briar and Brad’s case).

The best part, though, is the rides. The boys had a contest to see who would throw up first – which must be a guy thing, because I don’t remember ever doing that. Luckily, there was no winner or loser for the contest. Maybe next year…

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As the baseball season approaches the All-Star break, last year’s World Series champs, the St. Louis Cardinals, are struggling to stay within shouting distance of the National League Central Division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Longtime Cardinals fans should not be surprised. Following great seasons with disappointing seasons is a part of the team’s recent history.

After winning the World Series in 1982, the Cards finished 11 games behind Philadelphia in 1983. After coming within one out of the championship before losing to the Kansas City Royals in 1985, St. Louis stumbled through 1986, finishing 28-1/2 games behind the New York Mets in the NL East. After losing another seven-game series to the Minnesota Twins in 1987, the Cardinals finished 25 games behind the Mets in 1988.

Going back even farther: A World Series appearance in ’28 — 20 games out in ’29. A championship in ’64 — 18 games out in ’65.

To be fair, the Cardinals have made back-to-back World Series appearances on at least two occasions. After losing the World Series to the Philadelphia A’s in 1930, the Redbirds came back the following year and defeated the A’s in a seven-game Series rematch. St. Louis beat the Boston Red Sox in the 1967 World Series and returned to the Series a year later, only to lose to the Detroit Tigers in seven games.
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People tend to be kind when someone messes something up (as long as they are remorseful), and the phrase “Everyone makes mistakes” is a common tool to comfort those who are being hard on themselves for an error.

In the newspaper business, unfortunately, when we make a mistake it gets reproduced thousands of times and distributed to the masses. We, of course, strive to make our newspaper as accurate as possible and go through a tedious process to make sure that everything that runs in The TD is checked as carefully as possible.

Even so, there are times mistakes get past us — sometimes small ones and sometimes big ones. This week, in a miscommunication, we believed there to be only two sons in the Bailey family and therefore thought that Eugene Jr. and Leslie must be the same boy. When we ran the story on the tragic loss of Eugene, we used a photo from a Hoxie annual of Leslie and only later discovered that Eugene and Leslie were actually two different people.

We, obviously, were mortified at our error; however, with the paper already printed, there was very little we could do. Wednesday morning as the paper was being distributed, a couple of us took a paper and went to visit Mr. and Mrs. Bailey to explain to them how we had made this mistake and to offer our apologies and condolences.

When we arrived, we were greeted kindly, and they quickly told us that they understood how the error had been made. They were gracious in making us feel better about a mistake, when they didn’t have to be.

We tend to beat ourselves up even over the little mistakes, but when we make a mistake that could be hurtful to a member of our community, we really take it hard. I am grateful to the Bailey family for their understanding and continue to offer my condolences for their loss.
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Our family just returned from my husband’s family reunion. It’s always the weekend following Father’s Day, but the location changes on a yearly basis.

We gather each year to renew our family ties and meet the newest additions. It is also a time to remember those who are no longer with us.

Our reunions include not only Heyls, but also the blended families of remarried siblings. We all have a great time, and we have become one big family.

If I have had doubts about the need for these once-a-year gatherings, they were laid to rest when Matt, the child of my husband’s brother’s second wife said, “Aunt Viv, let’s not wait so long to get-together again.”

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I grew up, the only girl of three children. I have an older and younger brother. I don’t want to say I never did “girlie” things, because I did. I had my share of Barbie dolls, a white canopy bed with a pink bedspread and canopy and lots of makeup and fingernail polish. However, most of my time was spent playing baseball, football, basketball, climbing trees, fishing, etc. I wanted to do what my brothers were doing.

Now, I’m married and have two boys. I’m the only female in my home. Even the dog is male. I have, however, been blessed with five nieces.

When they come over they head right to the makeup and fingernail polish and want to give Aunt Angie a makeover. You can bet that I have every color of fingernail polish and every bit of makeup I have in my house on by the time they leave. A lot of the time, I will also be sporting a new hairstyle of random ponytails and hair clips

I love my nieces very much, and I wouldn’t trade my time with them for anything.

BUT, at the end of the day – I would rather be fishing or playing catch than painting fingernails or fixing hair. God certainly knew what he was doing when he gave me boys!
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I was surfing the Internet news feeds the other day when I came across an article about a website set up to test the stupidity of computer users.

The website offered a free virus to those who didn’t have one. “Is your PC virus free? Get it infected here!” the site asked and there was a clickable link to get the virus. In the six-month campaign over 400 people chose to get a free virus.

There was no actual virus. The whole setup was an experiment to see whether advertising with an overtly malicious intent would work. It appears it will.

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Spring … birds are singing, flowers are blooming and most of all… bats are swinging.

Briar and Brad will play baseball in the Hoxie league this summer and Jarah will play her first year of t-ball. Yesterday, we were all at my Mom’s house for my birthday dinner and decided to practice.

Briar, Brad, Dad, Blake, Georgetta, Jarah and I played catch and then let the kids take turns batting. Briar and Brad have grown quite a lot over the past year – and although they hit the ball well before – they amazed me at how hard they were hitting. Their fielding surprised me, too.

Jarah was just as amazing as the boys. For a six-year-old, she was hitting the ball really well. While fielding, she eagerly tried to catch every ball that came her way. Although we had her way out in outfield, she scared me when Briar hit a line-drive in her direction. She went after the ball and ended up being hit right in the chest. You could hear the thump all the way across the field.

She jumped right up, though, and threw the ball to my dad. I worried that the next time, she wouldn’t be as eager to get the ball. Those worries were soon put to rest. She and the boys raced after every ball hit without any reservations.

I can’t wait for their season to begin!

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It has occurred to me having heard discussion and reading comments on the LawCo. Talk Message Board that it would be helpful to have a volunteer coordinator for the county. This individual would be the contact for groups or individuals who need assistance and for those who are willing to give their time. Part of the problem is there are people who are willing to work, but if they don’t know what needs to be done or how to go about doing it, nothing will be accomplished. If anyone has any ideas about how this might work, please share them on the message board or by e-mailing me at ghunt@thetd.com.

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Last week, on the way to school, a lady on the radio was being interviewed about a proposed law that would not allow parents to spank children under the age of three. She stated that she hoped to eventually have a law passed that would eliminate spanking children altogether – no matter the age.

The conversation became heated when one of the radio personalities stated that he was spanked as a child and turned out okay. The woman told this guy that his parents should be in jail.

She was on the radio again this morning to continue the discussion. The woman is obviously very passionate about this issue. It is her opinion that a time out is the strongest punishment a child needs.

I use “time outs” when Briar or Brad get a little out of hand and just need a few minutes to sit and calm down. I have, though, and will continue to spank my boys if I think they have done something that warrants that kind of punishment.

There is a difference between abuse and spanking – while it is a fine line, I believe that as long as it isn’t crossed parents have the right to choose how and when to punish their own children.

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I bought myself a new pair of shoes this weekend! I absolutely love them. They are very comfortable and I like the way they look, too. While shopping for them, Brad said, “those aren’t the ones you’re going to buy, are they, Mom?” I didn’t let that influence my decision. He’s a 10-year-old boy, after all. How could he possibly know what is stylish?

I wore them over to my mom’s Sunday afternoon. I got responses as soon as I walked in the door. My little brother, Blake, informed me that I was wearing the ugliest pair shoes he had ever seen. My mom and Briar agreed with him. At this point, I wanted someone — anyone to tell me they liked them.

I asked my sister-in-law, George, what she thought. After saying she liked them, she sat silent for a few seconds before adding, “but I wouldn’t wear them.” I had Mom and George try them on so they could see how comfortable they are. They both liked them much better after wearing them for a few minutes.

Finally, my six and seven year old nieces came in. They always say they like shoes or clothes – even if they don’t. They did say they liked them, but I could tell by their faces that they didn’t. I guess I’m the one who doesn’t know what’s stylish.

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As a proofreader I constantly struggle with current usage questions. The English language is a living language and as such it constantly changes and reinvents itself.

The grammar that I learned as a student is still basically sound, but not all of it is still correct. Many of the taboos of a half-century ago no longer pertain and now there is a new list.

In addition to desk references we constantly browse the Internet looking for those sites that provide sound writing advice. As a college student I found myself dreading those long research papers I had to write each year. The Internet would have been a great blessing to me then.

A couple of sites I have found to be particularly helpful are dictionary.com and askoxford.com. Both of these sites deal with current usage and both have several reference tools. They are a wonderful resource for students at any level of study.

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As a newly elected member of the Chamber Board of Directors I am quickly learning that there are a lot of things that can be done to help promote and improve Walnut Ridge and Hoxie, as well as the county as a whole. I have also realized how much help is needed. We all have skills and gifts that we have been blessed with, and I challenge everyone to figure out at least one thing they can do this year (big or small) that might make our community more appealing and eventually more prosperous.

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I wasn’t a straight A student in school, but stayed on the A/B honor roll with very little effort. Both my brothers struggled (or so I thought) through school. They did well to have a B on their report cards and had mostly Cs and Ds.

My oldest brother, Rodney, and I went together to take the ACT and I was shocked that his score was higher than mine. I realized then it was never that they weren’t capable of doing well – whether they just weren’t motivated or didn’t care – I don’t know, but they were both more than capable of making the grade.

Right now I’m going through the same thing with Briar and Brad. They are both very smart – and can do well when they put forth the effort. I was disappointed with report cards after the first nine weeks. I knew they could do better than the grades they had earned.

I was harder on them the second nine weeks as far as homework and studying habits. Although still not on the A/B honor roll, they both closed the gap a little bit the second nine-weeks by improving their grade at least one letter grade in several different subjects without letting any of the other grades fall.

I’m very proud of what they accomplished and optimistic for the third and fourth nine weeks…

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An annual debate among college football fans is which conference is strongest. The final Associated Press Top 25 poll of the season was released earlier this week and provides fans of the Southeastern Conference with some solid arguments.

The SEC has six teams in the Top 25, more than any other conference. Plus, SEC champion Florida whipped Big 10 champion Ohio State 41-14 in the BCS Championship game. LSU finished third, giving the SEC two of the top three. Other SEC teams ranked in the final poll are Auburn at ninth, Arkansas at 15th, Georgia at 23rd and Tennessee at 25th.

The Big 10 had four teams in the final Top 25, including three in the top eight.

The Pac 10, Big East and Atlantic Coast Conference each had three teams ranked. The three Big East teams were all ranked in the top 12. The highest ranked ACC team was Wake Forest at 18th.

Oklahoma and Texas were the only Big 12 teams ranked. Three conferences, the Mountain West, Big West and Conference USA, each had a single team ranked. Notre Dame, an independent, was ranked 17th.

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I remember the first year Briar stayed up until midnight on New Year’s Eve. We hadn’t gone anywhere, but he was excited to be awake when the new year began. Excitement soon turned to disappointment … he was expecting people to run down the street yelling, fireworks, the whole shebang… I told him maybe at Time Square, but not in Hoxie – at least where we live.

This year when the clock struck 12, Briar, Brad, my parents and I were anxiously waiting for my cousin’s wedding to begin. I told Briar and Brad beforehand, that weddings, although a happy event, aren’t usually exciting for kids their age. They may get a little bored, but after the ceremony we would be able to visit and have fun.

Brad couldn’t wait to see them “kiss and make up.” Briar took a nap in his chair while waiting for the wedding to begin. It was a beautiful ceremony. A wedding is a great way to begin the year – full of love and hope for the future.

After the ceremony, we had food, drinks and fellowship. Briar and Brad were finally able to see the new year begin with a bang.

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