IN HEAVEN!

Thursday September 1, 2010 I am watching the Dallas Cowboys play The Miami Dolphins in a pre-season football game. I am waiting for the Kentucky vs Western Kentucky game to start. That is being played in Nashville.  I am also flipping over to the Wisconsin vs UNLV game! PURE FOOTBALL heaven for me.
I made pizza. I am enjoying a beer! LIFE IS GREAT!
Hope all is well with all y'all!
Have a GREAT night!
Feel free to tell me what games you watched!!
XOXOX
Kate

Something fun I did.....

I  took this chair that I bought at a garage sale last fall and did this.....

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way it turned out.....

So, much fun taking an old piece of furniture and giving it a little love! 

FOOTBALL the basics... Just in case you need to know!

A friend of mine wants me to teach her about football. 
So, she came over last Thursday for the Eagles/Steelers game. 

I printed up a little Football 101 for her to read up the game. 

Thanks to NFL.com for having all the info I needed to get Jess started!! 

Just thought I would share on here just in case anyone is rusty and needs a quick tutorial! 

Happy Football Season y'all! 

FOOTBALL:

One 11-man team has possession of the football. It is called the offense and it tries to advance the ball down the field-by running with the ball or throwing it - and score points by crossing the goal line and getting into an area called the end zone.

The other team (also with 11 players) is called the defense. It tries to stop the offensive team and make it give up possession of the ball. If the team with the ball does score or is forced to give up possession, the offensive and defensive teams switch roles (the offensive team goes on defense and the defensive team goes on offense). And so on, back and forth, until all four quarters of the game have been played.

In order to make it easier to coordinate the information in this digest, the topics discussed generally follow the order of the rule book.

THE FIELD

The field measures 100 yards long and 53 yards wide. Little white markings on the field called yard markers help the players, officials, and the fans keep track of the ball. Probably the most important part of the field is the end zone. It's an additional 10 yards on each end of the field. This is where the points add up! When the offense - the team with possession of the ball-gets the ball into the opponent's end zone, they score points.

TIMING

Games are divided into four 15-minute quarters, separated by a 12-minute break at halftime. There are also 2-minute breaks at the end of the first and third quarters as teams change ends of the field after every 15 minutes of play. At the end of the first and third quarters, the team with the ball retains possession heading into the following quarter. That is not the case before halftime. The second half starts with a kickoff in the same way as the game began in the first quarter.

Each offensive team has 40 seconds from the end of a given play until they must snap of the ball for the start of the next play, otherwise they will be penalized.

The clock stops at the end of incomplete passing plays, when a player goes out of bounds, or when a penalty is called. The clock starts again when the ball is re-spotted by an official.

If a game is tied at the end of regulation, a 15-minute overtime period will be played. In the NFL, this is sudden death and the first team to score wins. Possession is determined before the period begins by a coin toss.

THE PLAYERS

Each team has 3 separate units: the offense (see section below), those players who are on the field when the team has possession of the ball; the defense (see section below), players who line up to stop the other team's offense; and special teams that only come in on kicking situations (punts, field goals, and kickoffs). Only 11 players are on the field from one team at any one time.

THE KICKOFF

A game starts with the kickoff. The ball is placed on a kicking tee at the defense's 30-yard line, and a special kicker (a "placekicker") kicks the ball to the offense A kick return man from the offense will try to catch the ball and advance it by running. Where he is stopped is the point from which the offense will begin its drive, or series of offensive plays. When a kickoff is caught in the offense's own end zone, the kick returner can either run the ball out of the end zone, or kneel in the end zone to signal a touchback - a sign to stop the play. The ball is then placed on the 20-yard line, where the offense begins play.

FIRST DOWN

All progress in a football game is measured in yards. The offensive team tries to get as much "yardage" as it can to try and move closer to the opponent's end zone. Each time the offense gets the ball, it has four downs, or chances, in which to gain 10 yards. If the offensive team successfully moves the ball 10 or more yards, it earns a first down, and another set of four downs. If the offense fails to gain 10 yards, it loses possession of the ball. The defense tries to prevent the offense not only from scoring, but also from gaining the 10 yards needed for a first down. If the offense reaches fourth down, it usually punts the ball (kicks it away). This forces the other team to begin its drive further down the field.

MOVING THE BALL - The Run and the Pass

A play begins with the snap. At the line of scrimmage (the position on the field where the play begins), the quarterback loudly calls out a play in code and the player in front of him, the center, passes, or snaps the ball under his legs to the quarterback. From there, the quarterback can either throw the ball, hand it off, or run with it.

THE RUN

There are two main ways for the offense to advance the ball. The first is called a run. This occurs when the quarterback hands the ball off to a running back, who then tries to gain as many yards as possible by eluding defensive players. The quarterback is also allowed to run with the ball.

THE PASS

The other alternative to running the ball is to throw it. Or as they say in football, pass it! Usually, the quarterback does the passing, though there are times when another player may pass the ball to confuse the defense. Actually, anyone on the offensive team is allowed to pass the ball as long as the pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage. A pass is complete if the ball is caught by another offensive player, usually the "wide receiver" or "tight end." If the ball hits the ground before someone catches it, it is called an incomplete pass.

THE TACKLE

The defense prevents the offense from advancing the ball by bringing the ball carrier to the ground. A player is tackled when one or both of his knees touch the ground. The play is then over. A play also ends when a player runs out of bounds.

SCORING

The object of the game is to score the most points. There are four ways to score points in football.

TOUCHDOWN = 6 POINTS

A touchdown is the biggest single score in a football game. It is worth six points, and it allows the scoring team an opportunity to attempt to get an extra point. To score a touchdown, the ball must be carried across the goal line into the end zone, caught in the end zone, or a fumble recovered in the end zone, or an untouched kickoff recovered in the end zone by the kicking team.

EXTRA POINT and the TWO-POINT CONVERSION = 1 or 2 POINTS

Immediately following a touchdown, the ball is placed at the opponent's two-yard line, where the offense has two options. Usually the offense will kick an extra point, also called the point after touchdown, conversion, or PAT. If the offense successfully kicks the ball through the goal posts, it earns one point. The offense can also score two points by running or throwing the ball into the end zone in the same manner as you would score a touchdown. Since going for two points is more difficult than kicking an extra point, the offense generally chooses to kick the extra point.

FIELD GOAL = 3 POINTS

If the offense cannot score a touchdown, it may try to kick a field goal. Field goals are worth three points and often are the deciding plays in the last seconds of close games. They can be attempted from anywhere on the field on any down, but generally are kicked from inside the defense's 45-yard line on fourth down. For a field goal to be "good", the placekicker (or field goal kicker) must kick the ball through the goal-post uprights and over the crossbar. The defense tries to block the kick and stop the ball from reaching the goal post.

SAFETY = 2 POINTS

The safety is worth two points. A safety occurs when the offensive ball carrier is tackled behind his own goal line.

TURNOVERS

While trying to advance the football to the end zone, the offense may accidentally turn the ball over to the defense in one of two ways:

THE FUMBLE

When the ball carrier or passer drops the ball, that's a fumble. Any player on the field can recover the ball by diving on it or he can run with it. The team that recovers a fumble either gets-or retains-possession of the ball.

THE INTERCEPTION

An aggressive defense can regain possession of the ball by catching (intercepting) passes meant for players on the other team. Both fumble recoveries and interceptions can be run back into the end zone for touchdowns.

THE TWO SIDES OF THE BALL

THE OFFENSE

Whichever team has possession of the ball is the offense. While only the quarterback, the wide receivers and tight ends, and the running backs can legally handle the ball, it is the quarterback who is the leader of the team and the playmaker. In fact, he's a man of many talents - he not only throws the ball, he outlines each play to his team.

THE OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

The quarterback ("QB") passes or hands off the ball.

The center snaps the ball to the QB and blocks the defense.

2 guards and 2 tackles keep the defense at bay.

2/4 wide receivers catch the ball thrown by the QB.

1 or 2 running backs take the ball and run with it.

1 or 2 tight ends block the defense and can also catches passes.

THE DEFENSE

The job of the defense is to stop the offense. The 11 men on the defensive team all work together to keep the offense from advancing toward the defense's end zone.

THE DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

Linebackers defend against the pass, and push forward to stop the run or tackle the QB.

The defensive line (ends and tackles) battles head-to-head against the offensive line.

Cornerbacks and safeties defend against the pass from the QB to the wide receiver and help to stop the run.

Sometimes I wonder....

I wonder why:
Things happen the way they do
Why certain people come into my life only to disappear as fast as they appear
Why I can't remember the names of people I went to high school with but I can remember the most random information about people who are no longer in my life
Why do people disappear without saying good bye
Why I let people hurt my feelings
Why people don't have common sense
I wonder how they survive without common sense
Why my little brothers have no clue how awesome their life has been and how much they have at their finger tips that they are pissing away just to enjoy a beer and a smoke
Why I am so afraid of commitment
Why I suck at playing Words With Friends. (I know this one... I suck at spelling.)
Why people say they are going to do something and then never follow thru even tho they claim to care about me
Why my dog picked me
Why I dont drink more wine. It is so yummy.
Why is it sooo damn hot
Why can't we get some rain
Why is being naked so much fun
Why can't I get Heavenly Hash ice cream in TX
What I should buy a 2 year old for her birthday
Why are is reality tv so popular those people are sooo annoying and should NOT be on tv nor should they be idolized
Why people think it is ok to racially slur our president
Why do people feel the need to discuss politics with strangers
Why do people feel the need to discuss religion with strangers
If anyone loves me as much as I love them
Why do I only like grape jelly on my PB & J's
Why is Twitter so much fun
Why oh so many whys....
I could seriously go on for hours... I need football back to entertain me STAT!
Have a GREAT week!!
XOXOXOXOX
Kate

FOOTBALL IS BACK!

and my head is spinning trying to keep up with ALL of the news!
I am a happy it is back!
Not sure how my Cowboys will do but I am excited to watch!
I am ready for football season and having some people over for games!
I am DYING to make chili!!
Have a GREAT week!
XOXOOXOXOXOXOXO
Kate

Technology Is Overrated

I have a love hate relationship with the internet, smart phones and just plain old advanced technology.
I remember what life was like before everyone and their dog had a cell phone.
I remember when internet was dial up and SLOW!!
But all in all the world wasn't all that bad.
The internet is killing so many things things I love like bookstores. I absolutely HATE HATE HATE with every fiber of my being electronic books. I REFUSE to look at one or read one. I have deleted the book app off my ipad.
The internet is also killing record stores and cds. I love to go to the store and pick up the new cd as it comes out. I LOVE reading the liner notes. I love buying cds and giving them as gifts.

The internet is also messing up generations of kids. There are kids out there who feel like they should get anything and everything at the drop of a hat just because they have it at their fingertips via the internet.
There is an entire generation of kids who can not carry on a conversation because they don't know how to interact with REAL LIVE people.  They essentially have NO PERSONALITY. It has been killed by the computers and internet games they play with.
It drives me crazy when I meet a teenager or someone even in their 20's who doesn't know how to talk to other people.
They don't know how to entertain themselves without a tv, cell phone or some other electronic babysitter.

I thank God that my little brothers LOVE to read. I thank God that they can carry on a conversation.
They play their fair share of video games. But they at least have a personality to show.

When I was little I spent EVERY summer on my grandpa's farm in Wisconsin.
I had a cow I claimed as mine (only because she would let me walk up to her in the field and pet her)
Her name was Maria.
I would get up and go get the cows in the morning with my grandpa and his dog Benjo.
Benjo was my best buddy.
I would help my grandpa milk the cows.
(the fresh milk would go into this huge bulk tank that would cool it off and the milk man would come and collect it every other day)
I would drink milk directly from the bulk tank it was pure heaven. So, cold and creamy.
I would give everything I own to go back there for a summer.
My grandma taught me how to bake jelly rolls and home made bread. It was pure heaven. I am sure at the time I had no clue how wonderful it was.
I just skipped thru the summers playing with the cows, barn cats, Benjo, my swing on the big tree and the girl my age who lived across the street.
We played all summer. We had the best time. We played in the play house. We played in my grandpa's camper. We played everywhere you could think of. We never got bored. We never went inside except for lunch and dinner.

I'm not saying kids today need summers like this but they need so much more than electronic stimulation.

I will admit I am addicted to my Blackberry and it usually isn't too far away from me.
I do text. I enjoy the ease of sending a picture via text message.
I am addicted to Twitter. I love so many things about technology but I hate that its is killing so many really cool things.

The internet is a helpful tool as well. It has reconnected me with old friends via Facebook.
It helps me communicate with sometimes long lost friends via email.
It keeps me from getting lost with Google maps! I am directionally challenged.
It helps me feed my football addiction.
It helps me meet people I would normally never meet if they had not happen to follow me on Twitter.
It allows my friends to share videos and pictures instantly without having to wait to get them printed and mailed out.
It does AMAZING things.

BUT my advice and what I have been doing lately is totally unplugging.

When the weather cools off. Grab a BOOK (that thing made out of paper with lots of pages)
Go sit outside and enjoy the world. Leave your phone and computer inside.
Take at least 1 hour everyday and just unplug from the world.
I have started doing this lately and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Enjoy!
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Kate ;0)

2011 Roster of Football Teams

Last year when I started this blog I did a Football and Why with a list of teams I cheer for  you can read it HERE . 
I was thinking (yearning) for football season so I thought I would post My 2011 Roster of Football Teams:
Listed in NO particular order.
DALLAS COWBOYS 
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Florida State Seminoles
Furman Paladins
Kansas Jayhawks
Kentucky Wildcats
Miami Hurricanes
NC State Wolfpack
Stanford Cardinal
Vanderbilt Commodores
Wake Forest Demon Deacons

West Virginia Mountaineers
Green Bay Packers (my dad's FAVE team)
Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers