The Ballad of a Football Coach's Wife

Two-a-days start and our summer comes to an end, that's when we kiss daddy goodbye until we meet again. We'll reunite around November, or, if we make a good run, it'll be December. Football has consumed our family for more years than I can remember.

Mondays through Wednesdays are for running drills and learning plays...Thursdays and Fridays are games, Saturdays are reserved for game film and college games. Sundays we go praise God with a proud heart and bended knees. It is then that we pray for no season-ending injuries.

We pray for junior high boys to understand all of the X's and O's, and for them to realize that they have NOTHING to do with tic-tac-toe. We pray for high school boys to understand that fall is no longer about the ABC's, but now their lives revolve around the F's and G's: God, Grades, Family, & Football...everything else must take a back seat.

We pray for these boys to learn that "Yes, Sir" is the answer to any question or command, and that they also realize that football is building the character that it takes to become an honorable man.

While my husband prays that God helps his receiver to finally learn to run the slant, I pray that my husband learns to let God control the things that he can't.

Long days and sleepless nights can sometimes take their toll, and sometimes kids and parents do things for reasons that we'll never know. Though on Friday night he pours out his blood, sweat, and tears, on Saturday morning, never failing, he'll receive some boos and jeers. He feels conflicted because his time is often spent with the kids of others and not his own, and I pray that he understands his family knows that through all of this his heart has grown.

He instills in boys daily the desire to be a part of something greater than they are, and the knowledge that successful teams need eleven, not just one star. That each and every one of them is important in their own way, and that no matter how much he yells, it's because he cares so much about them at the end of the day.

So then it's back to Monday, to do it all over again...and for the rest of the week, our lives are focused on a win. We love our God, our kids, our family, and for one thing we all unite: the emotions and the excitement of a small town Texas Friday Night.

Written By: Lacy Hollingsworth
For: My Favorite Coach in the Whole Wide World, Josh Hollingsworth :)

Sneaky Meatloaf

I came up with this recipe to try to sneak veggies in on Jase, who is NOT a veggie eater. I just threw a bunch of veggies together and mixed it in with his meat so that he wouldn't taste it! It's basically a traditional meatloaf, just using ground turkey instead of ground beef, and NO KETCHUP. Some people, my mother included, love ketchup and use it in their meatloaf, but I don't like ketchup and don't eat it, (it's nothing philosophical, I just think it tastes nasty...haha), so I don't use it. If your kids will run at the site of veggies, then, by all means, douse theirs with ketchup! lol.

This recipe feeds Josh, Jase, and I, but if you have a larger family, bigger appetites, or like leftovers, then just double it. I don't always use the same veggies either. I always use onions, but sometimes sub the carrots and/or bell pepper for squash, chopped fresh spinach, or whatever other veggies that I may have on hand at the time.

1lb ground turkey meat
Approx 1/2-1 cup finely chopped carrots
Approx 1 cup chopped onions
Approx 1/2-1 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs or crushed cracker crumbs
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1-2 tsp garlic (to your tastes)
1 Tbsp Thyme (opt.)
1 Tbsp Oregano (opt.)
Salt & Pepper (to your tastes)
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes

Mix all ingredients except tomatoes together thoroughly in a mixing bowl with your hands or a fork. Form into a "meatloaf" shape in a small casserole dish. Pour tomatoes over meatloaf, then refill the tomato can halfway with water and pour this half can of water around the sides of the meatloaf. Place coarsely chopped potatoes, carrots, or any other vegetable of your choice around the meatloaf in the pan. Bake @ 400 degrees for approximately 1 hour.

Simplifying Life

Sooooo I'm thinkin' that this week is going to be all about simplification. I'm looking at our closet right now and seeing clothes and shoes that Josh and I haven't worn in FOREVER (if I've worn them at all!). Why is it, that no matter how many outfits that a person has, you still wear the same things all of the time. (Unless you're like some crazy rich celebrity that never wears the same thing twice, however, I, unfortunately, do not fit into this category). So, alas, I will be letting go of the pairs of jeans that I intended to wear 15 pounds from now because, 15 pounds from now, I'm sure I'd rather go shopping than wear the jeans that have been hanging in my closet for a few years. I'm also gonna let go of the clothes on the other end of the spectrum...the fat girl clothes. Lord knows I don't ever wanna fit into those again. And the shoes...jeepers gracious I have a ton of shoes! And I wear the same ones all of the time! Josh just has t-shirts out the wazoo that he doesn't wear like, ever. He still has shirts from Cesar Chavez Middle School and Hillsboro High...and he hasn't worked either place in years. I know you like to mow the lawn in them, honey, but really, do you need like 10 shirts to mow the lawn in? Time to simplify, my friends, time to simplify.

As bad as he hates it, Jase will be simplifying, too. We've gotta get "Hurricane Playroom" at bay or I fear that it will ravage the entire east side of our house. We'll keep the sentimental stuff, ditch the crap, and keep the stuff he plays with. I'm nearly positive, though, that when we get to the "ditch the crap" stage, Jase will have to be absent. He's my little hoarder. However, Thursday he will be seeing the Karate Kid with Granny....so, Thursday, my plans will commence. :)

Landry is gonna simplify by ditching the bottles this week. It's time. He drinks from the sippy, but likes his milk in a bottle. That's his "comfort food." haha...but, starting today, milk will be in the sippy, too. Big boy time at the Hollingsworth house!

Mission Simplification is Officially Underway!

The Summertime Chronicles, Pt. 1

The first week of summer has been busy, but fun. Jase loved basketball camp and Landry loved being home. The new puppies are super sweet, but housebreaking is not for the faint of heart! Small victory, though, now they are not going to the bathroom in their crate...now if we can teach them that outside of their crate, they can only go OUTSIDE, we'll be all set! haha

Josh and I have a goal for the summer to get our finances in order so that we can begin paying off our mountain of debt. We're working on the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover that we began in January, but needless to say, we didn't stick to. This time, though, we're pretty committed and may even begin attending one of the financial peace universities at a local church. We'll let ya know how that goes! Hopefully everyone will be able to get better Christmas presents from us in the coming years because our broke-ness will be under control. haha

With weddings and friends having babies and lots of fun activities going on, this summer should only get more exciting. Lots of fun to come! :)

Super Good Alfredo

So Natalee's Alfredo recipe was a great success in our house, and super easy to make! It's sooooo not healthy, but I'm sure could be tweaked a little. I used light butter, which helps some, but still, this is not a recipe for your more health-conscious friends and family to enjoy....haha...but it's soooooooo good! Here's how to make it:

1 cup butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 T salt
1 T minced garlic
1 box Alfredo noodles
Chopped Grilled Chicken pieces

Cook noodles according to box directions. Cream butter, then mix with cheese, cream, salt, and garlic until well combined. Pour butter mixture over hot noodles and stir until melted/combined. Stir in chicken and serve. :)

Summer's Finally Here!!!!

Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for....summer has arrived!!! Annnndddd, we've added two new "babies" to the Hollingsworth household! Two Dachshund puppies, Bella, an 8 week old red tiny, tiny baby, and Julio, a 6 month old dapple boy. Potty training dogs really sucks, by the way. If anyone has any tips, PLEASE send them my way! It's not that they won't go to the bathroom outside, it's that they won't stop going inside! In the words of Jase, "AWWWW C'MON!!!" lol I never wanted to be a nurse, because I didn't think I would ever want to deal with pee and poop...well, little did I know that, as a mother of kids and dogs, the pee and poop would NEVER END! haha...but it's worth it though...gotta love 'em. :) Pics to come!

Jase is going to b-ball camp this week in A-town. So far, he's been having fun playing with his friends and shootin' hoops. Landry is starting to walk across rooms and down halls. He still probably crawls more than walks, but he's gettin' there! Josh is on a mission to get our house very, very clean...like he's been cleaning only the kitchen for 2 hours kind of clean. He's a wonderful man. Don't be jealous. ;)

I'm trying out a new alfredo recipe tonight that I got from a great friend. I've never made alfredo from scratch, so I'll let ya know how it goes. If it comes out as good as hers did, then I'll post the recipe. ;)

What a weekend

I hope everyone else had as nice and relaxing a weekend as we did. We really got a lot accomplished! Jase's last day of 1st Grade was Friday. Bittersweet for us because, although he had a great year and learned sooooo much, our baby is growing up so fast! It seems like just yesterday that he was chasing us around our apartment in Stephenville as a toddler...now it's payback time, because Landry chases him around like he chased us!

Speaking of Landry, he put together his first sentence on Saturday morning and it was soooooooo....well....Landry...haha. I put him in his playpen and, of course, as soon as his feet hit the bottom of the playpen he acted as if they were on fire. He also proceeded to give me the "sad eyes" and the most pitiful cry ever. So, of course, like any good momma, I picked him up and said, "Look at the sad baby." I fussed over him for a while and he dried it up as quickly as he started it, just as we were walking into the bedroom where Josh was laying on the bed. I started laughing and told him "You're not sad baby, you're fakey sad baby." He looked at me with the most pitiful face and said "Yes sad baby!" Josh and I just cracked up. Crazy kid!

Saturday was the Jeremy and Bridgette Memorial Softball Tournament, and it looked to be a big success. Josh spent all day at the TSTC softball fields serving up hamburgers, hot dogs, and barbecue. Jase got hit in the face with a (plastic) bat early on and after seeing blood come out of his nose he decided that he was done for the day, so I came and picked him up and took him to Granny and Paw's. (Not seeing a future in the medical field for that one. ;) ). However, I was super proud of him on Sunday when he got over his fear of the "deep" water. (4 foot is deep when you're only 4 foot 1!) Landry was much less worried about the depth than he was about the COLD...but he LOVED every minute of being in the pool. He floated in his little baby ring like a champ! He's gonna be our little tadpole. I'm actually kind of glad that Jase is so cautious, because it seems that his little brother is going to need a voice of reason because he is fearless and crazy!

Today, in the Memorial Day spirit, I have conquered the battle of the laundry and am ready to tackle my last week at W.I.S.D. Josh only has a few more days to go at La Vega as well and then we're out for the summer! We're hoping that Summer 2010 holds lots of fun, memorable times in store for our family...can't wait to sit back and enjoy the ride. :) :)

So we've finally entered the 21st century...

So it's official! The Hollingsworth Family has finally entered the 21st Century and created a blog. I'm going to try to update this AT LEAST once a week...but you all know how good I am about keeping up with things with our cRaZy schedule around here, so ya know....might get a little behind!

So here's the latest scoop around our house:

Jase is still rockin' and rollin' with t-ball season. He was super excited to have earned the game ball at his last game in Groesbeck. His team is pretty awesome, and they're pretty much ensured a play-off spot if they keep playing the way that they have been. He's doing pretty well, but isn't totally into t-ball, so we think that this will probably be his last year to do little league. He's decided that next year he may want to play spring soccer instead. (He's a little too wormy for t-ball...too much downtime or something. lol) So until then, he'll be the best little circle spinning, dirt-clod throwing, smack talking t-ball player on the field! haha

Landry is now taking three steps at a time before he realizes that he's walking and promptly puts a stop to all of that by dropping to the floor and crawling at warp speed. He's like the fastest crawler EVER! He also tells Ollie to "SIT!" repeatedly, every time we walk outside...but it's not just Ollie, he'll tell your dog to "SIT!" too...as a matter of fact, he'll tell everyone's dog to sit. Some kids say "puppy"...yeah, not this kid. There's a slight possibility that he might be reincarnated from a hippie nudist. The last few mornings when I've gotten him out of bed he's stripped his diaper off and thrown it out of the crib...usually holding his bottle in one hand and his "boys" in the other. Which, again, proves my point that there is waaaay too much testosterone going on in this household!

Josh and I are soooooo ready for school to be out. We're very excited about summer and really jealous of Jase, who gets out of school TOMORROW, while we still have another week left! However, I found out today that next year Jase and I will be on the same schedule for the first time EVER! I accepted a position at Axtell Elementary to be the new 4th and 5th grade math teacher. I'm super excited to have a job that is challenging in a good kind of way, and not a make me want to jump out of the window kind of way. (Fortunately, this year I had no windows in the Technology Dungeon...haha) But, I'm taking quite a pay cut, so Josh has informed me that I must sell the crap outta some Mary Kay to make up the difference. So if ya need anything, give me a call. ;) Buuuuutttt on the bright side, La Vega is getting a good raise this year (whoop whoop!) so that oughta make up for a little of the difference. :)

Time to get Jase in bed for his last day of school, so until next time, keep your diapers on....cuz Landry won't!