TESTING....TESTING....

Are you still out there? As I stated in the beginning, I am not a writer and have very little time to think up interesting things to say. Therefore, I have had the same post on here for two weeks or so. I know, boring. Or so it appears here. In real life... not so much. I have been very busy with family, church, scrap deadlines and projects, and teaching at two crops two weekends in a row. FUN, FUN stuff. I hope to have pics up soon! Keep in touch!

A Little Peek

Here are a couple of pages from an album I am doing. Yes, they are busy, but that's me. I like layers. To me, each one builds my story. The first page is a picture of my mom's dad. I called him Deedle Doo. I named him that because he always sang a little tune using that phrase. The rest of my journaling is my interpretation of a quote from one of the most recognized, and my favorite Christmas movie, It's A Wonderful Life. "This ANGEL got his wings long before these little bells rang!"

The next page is of my oldest daughters Santa wish list. It was special because she wrote it and actually expected to get everything on there! Santa made notes, but did not deliver everything!!Thanks for looking!!

Just For Example....

This would be me in an awkward position, not necessarily something a 35 year old plus size woman should be doing. With that being said, it was also one of my resolutions, among many, to enjoy the small things. To hear my children belly laughing over my antics brought true joy!

No, I was never a pole dancer, I know all of you were thinking, "Well you definitely should be!" HA HA!

Going along with this same train of thought, another of my resolutions was to get to all of my designated destinations on time or early. So this morning we all got up raring to go, school is back in session, got there on time to find no one there. Very eerie. I thought I may have been "Left Behind". After getting out of my car in my Scrapbook Girl pjs and no bra, I found a custodian to ask what in the world was going on!?!? Well apparently I was the only mom who did not read all of the wadded up pieces of paper in the bottom of my daughters backpack.
NO SCHOOL today, teacher workday. This is where I already break one of my resolutions, Get Act Together. Who doesn't start school on Monday after a holiday???

CRAZY. So, with my reasoning skills I am gonna consider this a practice for tomorrow and chalk it up to being extremely prepared. Therefore in my reality, I never really broke my resolution!! Whew!

I WILL WITHOUT A DOUBT BE MOTHER OF THE YEAR THIS YEAR. I feel it already.

Weekend Wrap Up!

I hope everyone started the new year off with a bang!! Oh its been eventful so far for me, but that's a day in the life of "ME".

This photo was taken on New Years day at the farm that my grandmother and her family grew up on. The house is over 100 years old and my sisters and I grew up going there for family gatherings, Easter egg hunts, fishing, and other fun country activities. This farm holds so many fun memories for me and it is so neat to see my kids and my sisters kids enjoying it like we used too. For as long as I can remember there has been a tire swing there and they had so much fun playing on that thing!!

The rest of the weekend was spent readying my dad's store for opening day. Today, as a matter of fact. All three of my sisters and their husbands and kids and mom and dad worked vigourously pricing things, learning the secrets of The Cock of The Walk, washing dishes and sampling all of the goodies. I am so excited about this endeavor and so proud of him for going in a very different direction than he is used too.

Our nights were spent trying to relax and playing games, but all of the competiveness kept creeping in. Many, many laughs were shared and we all made fools of ourselves. If you ever want to laugh hysterically and get people out of their comfort zone, play CRANIUM!

I look forward to spending time with family and friends in the new year! It's what makes my crazy world go round!!

Updated Update!

From what I am guessing, if you do not have one of those profile URL things, you have to leave an anonymous comment, but sign your name so I will know who sent it. I am learning new things everyday. THANKS For the love and patience!

Update!!

Some of you have told me you have tried to leave comments but were not allowed. Try again! I think I have figured out the problem. Can't have that cause I LOVE a comment!! THANKS.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

These are a few precious memories I captured tonight while ringing in the new year with my sisters family. My kids love fireworks more than.... food I think! That's BIG. They have such a great time with their cousins. Their birthdays are nine months apart, so they get along really well. Just wanted to share a little of my "Happiness" and wish all of my family and friends a BLESSED NEW YEAR!

What Makes You Happy?

This is a photo hanger I made for a class I taught at a crop in Natchez. I made myself a little "HAPPY" to hang on my mirror in my bathroom to remind me of what it's really all about. It is my prayer that each of you experience JOY and TRUE HAPPINESS in the upcoming new year!

GIVING

I hope that everyone has had an Awesome Christmas, full of traditions and moments that will forever be remembered. I guess my husband captured this moment and oh I am so glad he did! This is one of my holiday highlights. My mother took my girls to her workshop where she makes pottery and told the girls to pick out three things they thought I would like. A butterfly ornament, a snowflake, and a cross. They did a beautiful job. My neighbor, who is a second mother to me, gave the girls money for a Wal-Mart trip with her to pick something special for mom. Adeline picked a rain poncho and a PEACE ornament, because she said I needed a little "piece of quiet" and Lillian chose a set of Christmas hand towels. They were so excited for me to open their gifts. They kept it secret for several days surprisingly.
When I was flipping through my pics tonight I found this one and I LOVE it. It shows my sweet girls waiting in excited anticipation for me to see what they chose. I pray they are always so thoughtful and enjoy the "GIVING" part of this holiday. I am amazed everyday at the growth and changes my girls are going through. Andy and I seek God's guidance in our parenting, but never really know if what we are saying is soaking in. The other day Andy and I were talking about a friends blog who was disgruntled with the fact that people often intermingle Santa and the birth of Christ. For example, a Santa kneeling at the manger. We were questioning how one could possibly compare the two. I did not realize that my seven year old was listening in, but at that point she chimed in, " Mama, Jesus and Santa ARE alike. They are both men who give gifts without expecting to receive. That's how they are alike!" It took me a moment to put all of that together and I realized what she was saying. I hope that she understands what she said and the ultimate, awesome gift that GOD gave us, his SON. Without ever expecting anything in return. That was amazing to me. I pray they always remember that and never lose the joy of giving. Just look at their faces!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

What a busy wonderful time of year! I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope everyone has slowed down just a bit to enjoy this time with family and friends. We are making a gingerbread house, cookies and Martha Washington (the FAVE) today, then going to see the singing Christmas tree and Christmas carousel later this evening. I so wish it lasted just a bit longer and was not SO hurried. Eat lots, slow down, and CHERISH each moment!