Get Fired Up

I love that I completly to back to a child when I realize Bo Jackson is running through the tunnel. And I love husband looks excited and daughter acts like I am taking her picture. But can I get a throw your hands up?





This was at the Arkansas game. I have a whole "nother" post about LS who and number one in the BCS. Loving all the games this year. Loving time spent with my family. Lots of love later...but today can I get a Hands UP?

Highlight Pictures

Football is over. I was surprised son and I cried at the last game. I have never seen him work that hard for something. It was a fun, hard ride. What will we ever do with our time?

Customize your own scrapbook design

Possum #1

I am thinking Billy the Exterminator might have met his match. By the way, Billy, owns us. Daddy Roach and I love to watch him and hysterically laugh. If you have not seen the show you are missing out. Billy seems ill prepared to catch his animals kinda like we are around the farm. With this farm came two cats. Son is allergic to cats but we agreed cats on the farm are a necessity. It has taken us months to get one cat to even like us and the other cat will now occasionally come out of the barn and watch us. We have been noticing Manassas was eating a lot. Well then we discovered a very large raccoon and another large possum were eating from her dish as she sits perched on my car. So we decide we will set a trap. The first night of the trap we were all excited. We heard it go off and ran outside only to discover we caught Manassas. Now 4 days later we still have not seen her. She is obviously mad at us. But later that night we caught the raccoon...he being the large beast that he is busted out of the metal cage. However, I think Manassas will be back tonight because look who we caught...

If you wondering, possums, really play possum. This means they move their lips back and show their teeth making a hissing sound. They will also lay down and pretend they are dead by producing a foul smelling odor. Our possum did just that. Thankfully we have a Paw Paw who shows up early every morning to take care of the chickens we also have inherited. He said Possum #1 is living the high life at a swamp behind his house. Stay tuned for Mr. Raccoon.

Sweet Tater Fries

What is a Momma Roach to do with sweet taters when they are coming out your ears? Cook'em. I remember when my kids were little the pediatrician asked me did my kids love the orange vegetables because their noses were turning orange! Well my kids are still carrot and sweet tater lovers and we will all have orange noses when these taters wear off.

These sweet nuggets are sweet tater fries and yum yum. These are better then french fries and this recipe will make your mouth water.

1/2 tsp of ground cumin

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. of olive oil

2 large sweet taters

Peel and slice sweet taters and place in a bowl. Combine spice, oil and taters until taters are coated evenly.

On a baking sheet bake taters until ends are crispy and taters are done.

400 degrees for 30-45 min.

ENJOY

Happy Fall ya'll!

PS We like our tater fries on the side of a nice steak.

Sweet Taters

Autumn is sorta here. I know we never get a "real fall" or a "real spring" in Alabama but it is kinda cool outside. I seriously love that I sat outside with a blanket on me at Tbone's game the other night. I love that autumn means sweet taters. To pick this many sweet taters, you need a few helping hands.

You need a farm dog. You know, 7lbs of fur and furry, who is so excited he must ride in the truck or be run over by the tractor.

To dig up sweet taters this big, you need muscles and fingernails that will never be the same. Manicures are for the city folks and have no need around these parts. Although I am pretty sure I never dreamed of taking my little girl to school with skank nails.

Nails that have had grubb slime. There is a hot debate if this is a red grubb or a witch's finger. Since October is but days away, I will let the witch's finger theory fly.

You need boots that don't fit to pick the most sweet taters. You also need your brande new Auburn underarmor shirt on to wipe mud. That reminds me, I need a new stain fighter at my house.

You need lots of enthusiasm. Running helps shake the ground.

You also need husband to come home in his work clothes and immediately start helping. He is trying to fit into farm life but he does look cute in his collared shirt underneath the shadow of the silo.

You need lots of plastic buckets. Good for tossing tater.

Rows of taters. Can you smell the dirt?

You also need more help on day 2 of sweet taters. Glad we have nephews down the gravel road. Tbone is missing from the cute barefoot photo. He was covered in ants. Ants are also a part of sweet taters. Hence the need for big boots...that Tbone thought he could leave off for one day.

And you can't get that many sweet taters without Mommy Roach driving the diesel. Hat is optional.

Country Song or It Ain't

My life should be a country song.
Seriously.
Between my kids, last name, life on the farm, day to day catastrophes, I should have my own country song.
But I don't.
So you get my brain dump today to sum up.

I love my job. I love going to work with my kids. I love it.
I miss my friends.
I feel like I talk to some of them almost never right now.
Best thing about having a full time job. Cell phone bill cut in half. Can you feel Husband smiling?



We had a family photo shoot at the farm...go here http://www.jencowsar.com/index2.php#/home/ and check out her amazing work.







This was our first day of school photo shoot. Kindergarten and Second Grade. Both kids are loving school and loving their teachers. They both still are adjusting to waking up at 6am...but I figure that is a battle I will fight for the next oh...12 years.

Son turned eight. I still haven't swallowed eight yet. He had the best party to date. Camping at home with five boys and a sister.

This child is learning each year that Auburn is in your heart. He believes and I love it!

It is true, that if you want to know what is important to you...look where you spend the most time and money. No matter how tired I am on Friday's...I drive to Auburn on Saturday. Nothing is better for the soul then old friends and 36830.

I miss running.

My ankle.

Well, I do not talk about it anymore. I am officially over it. Over the way it has changed my life. Over the fact now they are going to do surgery AGAIN. Over the fact it swells like this after a day of walking. Over the fact that it is STILL painful. Over it. But thanks for asking.

Tiger Walk back in my life and in my Saturday's. Life is Good. Hey, rumor has it a quarterback in town!

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and sometimes Saturday and sometimes Sunday...we are playing football. #48 that is. Otherwise known as Tbone. He has been known to put on a good show. And he is not near as exhausted as I am from football.

I really think each year we get busier and busier but the basic day to day life is the same. I keep busy doing all my normal things like folding clothes, cooking meals, keeping kids from killing each other and trying not to forget at the end of the day I am still a just a MOMMA ROACH ....kinda like a country song or it ain't.

Too Fast

I am finding little time lately for blogging. So to catch you up on Roach life...say hello to the terminator. I have had him for about 4 weeks. Along with the terminator came rehab. Well that is just a barrel of fun. At first I could move my toes and inch. Today I can move my ankle 25 degrees more in one direction and 15 degrees more in another direction. I go back to the doctor tomorrow and hopefully will go to full weight bearing without crutches!!!

And I said goodbye to Pinkie. This is the only thing that has not been too fast in my life. This has been long enough! However, taking a bath, shaving my legs, taking a shower, swimming...heaven. I pray I never take those things for granted again. That pink cast was about the death of me.

We have been putting up tons of vegetables and loving every minute of it. My favorite still is purple hull peas. YUMMY. On any given morning I can find a basket on my back door. The kids are so excited about picking the vegetables and are big helpers in shelling.

Husband and I enjoyed a weekend away with our home group peeps to the mountains. This was breakfast...fire and french toast. Yummy. I boiled husband in a hot tub. Not even kidding.

We finally got to take this kids on a vacation. After probably the worst summer ever with a broken momma and a move they got to enjoy being on vacation.

I finally got to put 10 toes in sand and water. And I worked on that awful tan line. And just like that our vacation was over. Too fast.

Football season is here. If you are a follower of this blog you know my heart bleeds orange and blue. But this season I will be bleeding red and black for this little Warrior. First of all he can not be this big. The other day he sneezed and said, "Mommy I keep bless youing!" And instead of correcting him, I thought I am keeping that saying. That is the only thing he still says that reminds me of him as my toddler. It's too fast. I want to put a brick on his head and read him Goodnight Moon.

I will do something next Monday that my family has never known me to do. . . I will go to work full time. I have not worked full time since son was growing in my belly over eight years ago. I am thrilled and blessed to be going to work at my children's school. I have had very little time to be sad about daughter starting Kindergarten because I will get to be with her. We will all go to school together and leave together.

I have learned so much about myself this summer and about my friends, about my family, and about my faith. So glad I serve a God who is not surprised about my worries, my pain, my needs, and my faults. I am thankful for the eight years I have spent in our home, raising my children and serving my husband. I would not trade those years or the sacrifices. I was there for every "first" moment. Those are precious memories I will not forget and even the days when I thought one of us would not survive! I would not survived without my mommy friends. They are the only ones you can call at 6:30 am and have your morning cup of caffeine with and laugh about which kid had you up all night. They are the ones you cry with, ship your kids off to and the ones that know we are all trying to figure out this mommy thing as we go.

One thing I know now is 8 years...too fast.

But I am ready for the next chapter and can't wait to see what God has in store for us.

We are home!

In between boxes and picture hanging...the farm provides time for swinging. There is a lot less television time here and not a lot of Wii, a little less play station, little time for blogging or facebooking...But there is always time for swinging. There is a breeze up here on this hill and trees a hundred years old that provide just the right shade.

There is more time for running to the creek barefoot. Which is really not nice since I still have pinkie and I can't run after her.

There are waterfalls to explore into the infamous Buck Creek. And rocks to be thrown. Because no creek is complete without out thrown rocks from little hands.

And there are tours to be given to all of your friends. Tours are made complete in bathing suites and shirts are optional on the farm unless you are the MOMMY.

There is a Silo that stands guard as if hold the past and look over the future. And if I listen long enough, I hear a whisper, "welcome home Marsha."

Cow Trophies

Everyone has a past.

Mine includes cows and trophies.

When your friends find your trophies...your past is out in the open and in this case on the mantel for display.

If I was interviewed about the cow trophies this would be the interview.

Q. What do you do to get a cow trophy?

A. You show your cow at fairs in a circle with lots of other people.

Q. What do you wear?

A. White pants, white button up shirt and white shoes...because that is obviously safe around cow manure.

Q. What do you mean "show" the cow?

A. You lead them around a ring and stop them when the judge tells you to. They have to stand in a certain way. Feet in a certain position and head up. Kinda like a dog show with cows.

Q. Were you nervous?

A. Yes and most of the time the cows were full grown and I was all of 8.

Q. Was it a heated competition?

A. Yes. Especially the State Fair. Someone would have to spend the night with our cows at the State Fair grounds because people might try to do something to our cows. Like feed them something to make them sick. Tough competition.

Q. What was your biggest Cow Trophy Accomplishment?

A. Grand Champion at the State Fair with Gumdrop, sweetest cow I have ever known.

Seriously. Cow Trophies.

It's My Birthday!!

What a fabulous weekend. I am too tired to think but I don't want to forget these moments. After finding out pinkie has to stay on until July 8th, I was in need of friend time and a getaway. So MS friends came down or over I guess. All the kids had a blast and these is the last time these 6 will be together in this kitchen. They all have grown up here in this kitchen. First it was Karen and Allen's house and then ours... we are currently making the plea for Summer and Brian to buy it and keep it in the family. Nothing says we have missed our dear friends other then welcoming them to our home and asking them to move furniture. These three boys moved our WHOLE downstairs Friday night while the girls got to play catch up. Well, Summer and I did...Karen pulled weeds.

Summer and Sarah Burns...my heart already misses these two faces. You know you have a friend for life when you pick up right where you leave off. That is how I feel about Summer and Jaclyn.

Karen and Tracy had planned a trip to Ross Bridge while I was in the hospital. I had never been and was pumped. There were 9 of us. The pool was amazing and I only wanted to slap people that could go under and go down the slide. I did my first step dip and cooled off rather well.

Karen, Pinkie, Me, Bre, Kerri and Tracy.

Jacyln and Jen.

Summer, Sister and Karen.

All nine of us in our little cabana. Yes, by the time we left everyone knew pinkie and knew it was my birthday!

And nothing says Happy Birthday other then Edgar's Strawberry Cake with NO FORKS!

So many funny stories and lots of laughter. My favorite picture is KP driving me in the wheelchair. She is the fastest wheelchair driver. Summer is a hotel guru. Tracy is full of air. Karen finally relaxed with no children around and did not clean up the room. Jaclyn is still the most beautiful person on the inside and out. Bre got entertainer of the year with her mug shot magazine. And sister and Jen...well they get the music award. Thankful to have had time away because this week is moving week. So the next update will probably be from the Roach Ranch. Stay tuned.

Birthday Weekend

Karen and me and Jaclyn!!!

Me and Tracy and Kerri, my running Nazi's and hood buddies!

My Mississippi girl, Summer!



My sister and her bf Jen.

Me and Bre!!

All of these girls are taking me to Ross Bridge for my birthday. I am sure we will be a sight. Wheelchair, bath stool and crutches. Some of these girls have never met, some are my oldest friends and some are my newest friends and two have moved away. I am blessed to have each one of them in my life. Look for us on the news...Friends take handicap friend on a birthday trip.