Tunes on Tuesday( way late) and much more...

First, let me apologize for being a bad blogger over the last several days.  We have had a lot going on around our house, had internet issues...(which we are still having...and are seriously considering switching internet providers...since Shane works a lot in the evenings from home...it is really a pain to have the internet stop working everytime we get a strong wind around here!) and to be honest I have been getting scrappy with it for the last several days... (thanks to some much needed motivation, encouragement, and some challenges...thanks to my good friends Leah and Telah...for the push!) so I have been avoiding posting on my blog because I wanted to work while I was on a roll.  I decided that I needed to be creating and posting my layouts on my blog.  I mean, I work hard on them, and really enjoy creating, so why not share?  Seeing other people's work is where I get a jump for a lot of my ideas.  Until now I have always been a little hesitant to post pictures, but that is just silly.  And like I said earlier...a lot of encouragement from my friends has helped!  I need to come out of my shell and get over it!  :0 

To be honest, I have been a bad scrapper for some time now.  Don't misunderstand...I love to browse all the magazines out there and feel my brain with ideas, love all the inspiration from great websites out there...but for the last several months I just have been unmotivated and really had almost given up on my scrapping!  Well, I am happy to say...I have pushed that thought out of my mind and am ready to get on a roll...Telah, Leah, and I are planning on doing two weekly challenges...one from Scrapjacked and one from Pencil Lines...I did mine for this week and decided to tie this post all together with my weekly tune and some of the things I have been creating this week...so sit back and enjoy!

Ok, now let's get down to the nitty gritty!  My Tune for Tuesday this week is I Believe by Brooks and Dunn.  I have put up the video clip in the side bar so you can view and hear this great song...if you are not familiar with it already.  I chose this song for this week, because several of us are starting a new round of circle journals and I have chosen Music of the Heart as my theme.  So I went ahead and did my title page and the first entry in my journal.  I have wanted to devote an album to layouts about songs that I love and so this seemed like the perfect opportunity! 

Here are my first two pages of the circle journal.

I used Autumn Leaves paper and embellishments, stamps and ribbon, some copper brads, and printed my lyrics and journaling on transparencies.  I struggled a littl with these pages, because I had so much I wanted to fit on the page and the format is 8 1/2 x 11.  This is the first time I have ever done layout in this size and I think it turned out pretty good.

The second page was the hardest for me to do.  It includes the lyrics to the song I chose, journaling and three very precious photos.  This layout is also the layout I am submitting to the Scrapjacked Challenge #1 (if my internet ever gets to running again).  The focus for this layout was I Believe, the song I mentioned before, and how it has become so meaningful to me over the last year.  The pictures are of a dear friend and really just a member of our family...as far as I am concerned.  She was honorary grandmother in our wedding and so special to us.  She passed away last January and it has been a difficult thing for our family.  Just to give you a little idea about how significant and special she was to us....we named Parker after her...Parker was her maiden name and we just couldn't think of a better way to honor her!   My thoughts are starting to wander now and I am typing too much here...I guess because there is so much I want to tell you about her...however, I will just include the layout and let you read for yourself. (I am not posting the lyrics this week, but if you would like a copy, I will email them to you)  They are on this layout, and hopefully pretty visable....

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know this post is already long...so I will close for now.  I will post more pictures and projects I have made later this afternoon...hopefully!

BTW, just a quick survey...we are considering changing to Bellsouth DSL service...but I don't know much about their internet service...if you use Bellsouth or know someone who does...give me a comment about how you like it...or don't like it!  Thanks!

More later...

Bad, bad blogger! Shame, Shame on Me!

Here are the top 5 reasons I have been a bad blogger:

1. I have been getting scrappy with it, and decided I needed to be creative worse than I needed to blog...plus it gave more blogging material  :)
2. Our internet has been down for 3 nights in a row!
3. I have been playing Mama and just haven't had a lot of time...except in the evening...when our INTERNET has been down!!!!
4. Our internet has been down for 3 nights and still as am typing this to post as soon as the guys come and fix our lame INTERNET!
5. Our internet has been down for 3 nights in a row!  LOL

Resume Regular Speed...Construction over!

Thanks to everyone... if my redo this afternoon made it hard to view...I apologize.   I didn't change anything all that big...in fact, my loving husband, didn't even really notice any difference!  LOL  There were just several things I wanted to add and change to make the blog look better and be more user friendly.   Oh well, at least I tried!

Next - Two Tags and now your it!  Ok, so I wasn't officially tagged, but I saw two today that I thought were really good and thought I might play along.  Jolene had a great one on her post for today and I want to answer it too, but I am gonna have to sit down and think hard about hers. Cheryl  had a great one too!  Here we go!

Now for

Cheryl's:

1) What's under your bed right now?
a lot of junk!  Mainly big picture frames that are empty, some shelves that we took out of the entertainment center
2) What size shoe do you wear?  size 9
3) What's the last restaurant you ate at?  Macaroni Grill
4) How many siblings do you have? One brother, four sisters...all younger
5) What side of the bed do you sleep on?  left side
6) Who taught you to drive, and in what kind of car? took Driver's education in high school and the rest I just learned by always offering to drive anyone who would let me  :)
7) If you could have a different career, what would it be?         A Professional Blogger???  :)
8) What color looks best on you?  Not sure what looks best, but I wear red a lot and black.
9) What's your favorite board game? I like trivia games(I didn't say I was good at them, just that I like to play them!)...Scene It, Trivial Pursuit, umm can't think of anything else!
10) How tall are you?  5'6

So there you go...Now TAG yourself and go post your answers!  LOL

More later...

Under Construction!

Hey everyone!  I am working on redoing a few things on my blog.  Thanks for visiting and please be patient...if things look a little wacky right now. 

More later...

Tunes on Tuesday...

 

My Wish - Rascal Flatts -  "Me & My Gang"

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

(I couldn't find a video clip of this song...so I attached the music to my blog...so you could hear it...if you know of a place where I might find a video clip...let me know please.)

The first time I heard this song  was last fall.  I love Rascal Flatts anyway, so when I heard this song and found it they were the artists performing it...well, that just made it sweeter!  The first time I really listened to the words was while I was watching a DVD that my dad had made of my sister...who just graduated this year.  He made us all copies and sent it out to grandparents and family.  BTW, he did a great job on it!  I wish I had the knowledge to do things like that...working on it...but haven't turned that techno yet.

Anyway, the words to this song are awesome and as I listened to it I cried...it made me think of my children and in just the few short years I have been blessed with their presence...the memories flashed in my head like the slide show that was up on the screen in front of me.  After a few days, I emailed my dad and told him about the song and how it made me feel and how much I loved the song.  And he wrote me back this...

I want you to know these words have always been for you.
Love,

 Dad

And then he attached the lyrics to this song...WOW!  Talk about a tear jerker!  Since then, I have played this song very frequently around the house and in the car and when I do play it here...Mallory and Kennedy like to crank it up and they..."Sing it to us, Mama!"  I have been singing it to them and telling them that this is my song to them.  They love that!  And it truly is...My Wish...for all three of my kids!  Hope you all enjoy it too!  :)

You Who?...Single parenting...100 days...one sweet little boy...and a spark in creativity???

Now that I have your attention!!!  Are you wondering what all this has in common or how is it linked?  Well, I am not sure that it all is...but it hopefully got your attention...and I am going to do my best to explain how this all links together...so stick with me and keep on reading!

First, let me just say that I have really enjoyed this new venture into blogging and all the new friends I have made and for the super sweet comments that some of you have sent my way! THANKS FOR VISITING SO FAITHFULLY!!!  However, I am going to make a plea to all you blog lurkers out there...thank you for visiting...but please DE-LURK(in other words...don't just be lurking around) and leave some comments.  I know there are many people out there that are visiting and silently leaving...with no input or comments.  Come on .... show some love!!!  :)  I want to hear from all my visitors! So my plea to you is...break the lurking habit....branch out...be brave and bold and leave me some comments!   So there you go...that is the answer to the first question in the title of this post...You Who?  Let me know WHO YOU are????  :)

Single parenting - No, I am not a single parent...and let me just say that those of you who are...YOU DESERVE A MEDAL!!! Occasionally, I get a small taste of what it might be like to be a single mom of three...and it just makes me sooooooooo thankful for my husband and all the help he gives me with the kiddos.  I know that one, two, three days or short snippets of time aren't true representations of single parenthood...but they allow you to get an idea of how it is to have to go from wake up till sleepy time with no help and all on your own...and boy it is tough sometimes!

100 Days of School - Today Mallory celebrated 100 days of First grade...Where does the time go?  I mean seriously, I can't believe my baby is already half-way through first grade!!! So we started last week with some projects for homework to prepare for her 100th Day Celebration!  She started off by making a poster of 100 things...so we brainstormed and came up with the idea to use some of my scrapping supplies and make a poster with 100 flower stamps on it.  Mallory's assignment was to make her poster counting to 100 by 5's...so I found 20 different flower stamps and she did 5 of each all over her poster and titled it 100 Flowers in My Garden.  It was too cute!  But, guess what?  I didn't get a picture before I sent her off to school with it...I will get one though when she brings it home and show you all later.  However, I did get another picture of one of our projects to share with you all!  Mallory also had to count out 100 edible something's to take to school today.  Every child was supposed to bring 100 edible items and then they were going to combine them all and make a snack mix!  Mallory took white chocolate chips...of course Kennedy had to help her count them out and then of course after counting 100...they had to cash in on the opportunity to eat few.  Also, I had volunteered a couple of weeks ago to make a cake to help with the snacks for today's celebration! (For those of you who don't know...before I started being a SAHM...I taught kindergarten and first grade for six years...so any chance I get, I try to help a little...mainly because I know how tough those teachers work on a daily basis and I know how much they appreciate any help parents can give!)  So, Mallory's teacher asked for a simple cake for today and I decided to try and connect it to 100 somehow...so this is what I came up with...

We baked a simple yellow cake, topped it with chocolate frosting and then exactly 100 M&M's on top...Mallory loved it!  She and Kennedy helped with it a little and it was a lot of fun!

She came home today and had done a lot of fun things at school and said the cake was a hit! But, my finicky child....she didn't even try one bite of the cake!!!  WHAT?  Weird!  Come on...it is cake with choc. frosting???  Yummo!

One sweet little boy - My little Parker is soooo sweet!  He is such a good baby and even with all the crud he has been going through lately...he still is the best little baby!

I mean come on...to have two older sisters and to let them play with you like you are a doll...and never even whimper...now that is just plain GOOD!

Mallory and Kennedy decided to wrap up their brother and play with him like he was their baby...oh how funny!  Poor little guy...he has no idea what he is in for over the next few years!!!  :)

Oh and by the way...for all of you  readers who posted such sweet comments about Parker's surgery....THANK YOU! He is still struggling some...with low grade fever and the doctor switched him today to antibiotic ear drops...which are absolutely NO FUN when you have just had tubes put in your ears...and he took him off the oral antibiotic.  Hopefully, within the next week or so all this will be better and he will be well on the road to recovery.  He is such a trooper!   

And finally...a spark in creativity!  Yes, I am a scrapbooker and crafter...as many of you may be...however, until now I have never posted any photos of my work on my blog.  Mainly this is because I can't ever seem to get a good picture.  But, I am putting that excuse away for now.  I don't have a great scanner(...although, I would LOVE to have a great scanner to use with my scrapping projects...HINT, HINT) so I will just try to get the best pictures that I can up here and it will just have to do.  I have just recently got out of my funk and really back into scrapping and using my creativity...and I want to share it.  I have gotten so many good ideas from others and so I thought I should share and maybe something I post will give you a creative spark too!  Here are just a few pictures...I am planning on doing some re-organizing on my blog over the next few days and updating...so I am planning on putting up a album of some of my layouts and finished projects.  So you can be looking for that by the end of the week...if you are interested.

Happiness Paper Bag Album...that I finally finished!

Some cards that I have made...

Ok...I guess I better stop for now...before someone starts falling asleep reading this long post.  I promise tomorrow won't be this long!  LOL

Tomorrow is Tunes on Tuesday and I got a good one picked out!  Have a great night!  See ya tomorrow....and don't forget....stop being a "Blog Moocher"...as Telah likes to call it...and let me know you stopped by!!!!

More later... 

Five on Friday

Five Things That I Have Learned This Week:

1. I have learned that the mountains we face in life, sometimes are bigger than we think we can climb and we get down and discouraged.  But we have a help in those times of stress and worry and trouble...God is always with us and will help us if we just ask.



2. I learned that sometimes, even when you think you don't need it, having help from friends can really make the difference...thanks to Kim, Tandy, and Melissa for all their help and concern this week.  We couldn't have done it without you all! 



3. I learned that (or maybe I should say it has been brought to my attention more) my husband is wonderful!  Everyday I find new reasons to love him and I couldn't ask for a better man to be my mate for life.  Thank you Shane for all the sacrifices you make and all you do for me and our children!  We love you very much!



4. I learned that no matter how much you plan and prepare, that when you have three children...always have an alternate plan!



5. Finally, I have learned that you don't have to know someone up close and personal to consider them your friend and that I keep adding to my list of friends almost daily.  Thank you to all my friends out there in the blog world...Jolene, Cheryl, Telah, Leah, Bethany, and Amy, and I am sure there are others that I am gonna miss listing...but you know who you are....I am thankful for all of you!

Links to other Five On Friday participants:

Update on my little man...he is a trooper!

First, just let me say THANK YOU so much to everyone who has called, emailed, and left comments here on the blog about Parker and his little procedure yesterday. 

We got there and were done and home by about 10 am yesterday morning.  He did fine throughout the whole thing.  They came out to get us before he was quite awake and I went back to hold him.  As I was following the nurse back, I could hear him starting to cry and moan and it broke my heart.  I picked him up and he was still hooked up to the monitors and stuff...and boy he was NOT happy!  He is so strong and coming out of that anesthesia...he was hard to hold on to.  He drank some juice, they unhooked him from the monitors, we signed some papers, talked with the doctor, and came home. 

He slept a good part of the day yesterday and was pretty fussy when he wasn't sleeping.  He got the hiccups a couple of times and everytime he hiccupped or burped, he would cry.  I guess it hurt his ears when he did that.  He still ran a low fever yesterday and we did Tylenol and Motrin...but today his fever went up...and I had to call the doctor again. 

So as of tonight, I am not too pleased with his progress.  He has a fever of 101 degrees and his ears are draining some...and you can just look at him and know that he doesn't feel good.  However, I still managed to get a kiss and a smile a little while ago and that does a mama good!

Once again, thank you for your care and concern.  It has meant a lot to me! 

Hope everyone has a good night!  Stayed tuned tomorrow for Five on Friday!

Trying something new on Tuesdays...

I guess I need to post a big message up on my bathroom mirror that says...BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!  That seems to be the way that my good intentions go these days...late and not like I intend them to be.  However, it could be somewhat because of the fact that I am a wife, a mother of three precious children, a friend, a daughter, a whatever I need to be at the moment person...so therefore certain things just take priority.

I had run a couple of errands after I picked up Mallory from school today.  I took the kids and headed out for just a little while, met Shane and he took Kennedy over to her grandparent's house to spend the night, I came home started on homework and projects with Mallory, and tried to soothe my little man, Parker.   I guess I started thinking about all this on the way home this evening.   A song came on the radio, I cranked it up a little and started listening and singing along.  It wasn't a new song to me...in fact I have heard it several times...but maybe haven't listened to it as closely as I did tonight. 

For those of you who don't know this about me...I am a huge music fan...or maybe you could say that I am a huge fan of the lyrics you hear on the radio...because that is what I tend to focus on the most.  In fact, I love it so much and feel so strongly about some of the words I hear that I have just about decided to devote a whole scrapbook to various favorites of mine!

I tend to listen to country music the most...but am not limited to it...for me it has to have a good meaning...the words have to touch my heart and mean something to me...a good beat helps too...but I love a good song with a great message!

So...because of my love of music lyrics and because there are so many that I have related to my own life experiences...on the way home this evening...Tunes for Tuesday just popped into my head...I heard this song and thought I need to blog about this....mainly because this song seems to fit some things in my life right now....and so here it goes....I want to try to devote each Tuesday to a song and blog about it, include the lyrics, and if possible I will include the video clip in the sidebar.  Maybe you can draw a little from the lyrics and apply it to your life, maybe you will hear a song that you haven't heard before and will develop a new favorite....who knows???

  Mountains by LoneStar

Lucinda Jones workin' at the IHOP:
Ten years worth of bacon, eggs an' tears
She's waited on every creed an' color,
While waitin' on this day to get here
Graveyard shifts, two big tips,
Makin' every quarter count,
Was worth it all to see her son,
In that cap an' gown

There are times in life when you gotta crawl,
Lose your grip, trip an' fall
When you can't lean on no-one else:
That's when you find yourself
I've been around an' I've noticed that,
Walkin's easier when the road is flat
Them danged ol' hills'll get you every time
Yeah, the good Lord gave us mountains,
So we could learn how to climb

Bobby, Bobby Dunn came back from the war,
Lost his leg but they couldn't take his will
Hell bent to run in that local marathon,
He trained through the endless pain an' pills
It hurt so bad that sometimes,
He just had to cry,
He didn't stop until he crossed,
That finish line

There are times in life when you gotta crawl,
Lose your grip, trip an' fall
When you can't lean on no-one else:
That's when you find yourself
I've been around an' I've noticed that,
Walkin's easier when the road is flat
Them danged ol' hills'll get you every time
Yeah, the good Lord gave us mountains,
So we could learn how to climb

This world ain't fair,
It can knock you on your butt
You can just lie there,
Or you can get back up
You gotta get back up

There are times in life when you gotta crawl,
Lose your grip, trip an' fall
When you can't lean on no-one else:
That's when you find yourself
I've been around an' I've noticed that,
Walkin's easier when the road is flat
Them danged ol' hills'll get you every time
Yeah, the good Lord gave us mountains,
(The good Lord gave us mountains)
So we could learn how to climb
Yeah, oh

I heard this song on the radio tonight.  It helped me!  Maybe it will help you too...I listened and I thought about the words.  It is so true!  Life is easy when the road is flat...but the problem is that the road isn't going to always be flat...the hills and mountains that we climb are what is going to make us strong and give us character!  But the most important thing is that we can't make it over these mountains with out some help....help from God.  I guess the reason that this song hit me right between the eyes tonight is that I have been struggling...struggling with things that are too numerous to mention here...but this song helped me to put some things in perspective.  Yes, lately I feel like I have been living this chorus in real life...but this is just one small speck in the big picture.   I am learning how to climb daily...and my guess is that all of you are also.  Hope you can get something from this song too and that maybe it will lift your spirits a little as you listen to it today. 

By the way...one of the reasons that I have been struggling lately is because of my children and the sickness that we have been fighting around here lately...Since I have made so many new friends through my bloggin' experience...and I truly have been so blessed in my life to have so many friends...If you all will take a minute and say a little prayer for my sweet little Parker.  We have to be at the surgery center in the morning at 6:30 and he will be going under the knife for a small procedure of getting tubes in his ears.  I know this is nothing major and I have been through it with my other two children before...but as a mama, it still makes me just a little apprehensive when I know that my baby is going to be sedated and they are going to be "working" on him. 

Hopefully we will be home late in the morning tomorrow and he can get some rest and start his recovery off on a good note tomorrow.  Poor little guy has really been having a hard time with these ears and I know he is probably as ready as we are to finally get some relief...since I think this is like our 6th ear infection since the end of October....YIKES!!!!

Everyone have a good evening!

More later on...

Five on Friday...

First of all,  let me give a shout out to one of my good friends Telah...we were discussing today about trying some new things with our blogs... and I think that I have come up with a plan from some things from what I have seen out there on others blogs.  Telah came up with this Five on Friday...and I love it!  Great idea Telah!!!

So from here on out...I am going to do my best to post Five on Friday.  I am gonna add the linking part of the post at the bottom...for anybody who wants to participate.  I know there are others out there like Thursday Thirteen and Works for Me Wednesday...that you can link to and I think that is so neat.  So, I am going to try it.  Hopefully, if it works you can link up and we can get a good number participating.  If you have any other prompts for posting....share them with us all and let us know about them!  I like the idea of having a structured topic to help guide my thoughts and it gives your readers something to look forward to.

Five Things I That I Use Everyday:

1. My Laptop: Yes, this is something I use a whole lot during each day!!!  I use it for conversations, entertainment, studying, contacting others, banking, business....just all sorts of things....and it is hard to imagine life without it...honestly!  Let's face it....I use my laptop as much or more than probably anything else I own....and I am glad too...because without it I wouldn't be meeting all of you wonderful people. 



2. Lysol Wipes:  Use these things all the time...for wiping down countertops, bathrooms, door handles, toys, etc....I need to count someday and see how many I use in a day!



3. The Microwave:  This is a necessity...especially when you have kids.  I use my microwave soooo much each day. 



4. The Diaper Genie:  Man, I used this a lot today!  I am so thankful for it too!  Whew...can't imagine having a baby without it! 



5. My Deodorant:  Oh yes, can't go without this on any given day.  Although, I don't think I stink...:)  I just don't feel fully "dressed" without it! 

Links to other Five On Friday participants:

Ten on the tenth! (warning!!! lots of quick lists...long and jam packed with lots of information and links to click on)...

Edited* - Ok, Ok....I know that this didn't get posted till the 11th....oh well....but still was meant for the 10th...LOL

Can you believe we are already 10 (well, actually now it is 11...but it was ten when I was writing this....HA!)  days into 2007?  2006 flew by and I guess they all seem to do that the older I get...I know especially since I have had children they have flown by very quickly!  I intended for this post to come on New Year's Eve and that is how I originally starting developing it...but plans changed and I didn't get the post ready in time....so I thought tonight I can still do this...and just make 10 lists of our top ten things....so here you go....10 different lists with the top 10 in each category.  Shane and the girls helped me out on the post by coming up with their list...plus I asked Shane to give me some ideas....so that it isn't just from the female perspective....plus I want him to use this site too to update and communicate with family and friends...but so far no luck!  :)

So a little Top Ten  post to help bring in the new year...remember these are in no particular order and just the top ten for each of us this year....I helped the girls a little with their lists...but they did most of it on their own!  I was proud of them for that!  Shane and I struggled with our lists a little bit....but it was good.  It made us stop and think about some things!!!  I kept trying to explain to Shane that it doesn't have to be a list of top ten things.....

I explained to him that it can be an event, a person, a website, a new toy, a bargain, a game, a funny email or story...ANYTHING...just something that was significant to you in 2006....Enjoy!  And this is for everyone...feel free to take this idea and run with...consider yourself tagged and give us your Top Ten of Most Memorable for 2006.

Shane's Top Ten of 2006:

10) Sunday nights after church with dinner and watching Extreme Home Makeover.

9) Mike Shula was fired as the head football coach of Alabama and the fiasco of a coaching search. Come on coach Saban! Come to Bama!   (Edited** - Yes, we got him!!!  Woo Hoo! )

8) Was clued into the computer game World of Warcraft and have been playing every since.

7) Finally got to go out with my wife for several hours and no kids on our anniversary. We hardly ever get time to ourselves, so that was a big deal.

6) After changing job positions to get back into programming, I managed to get my old job back when the funding for the new job ran out unexpectedly. Also, I survived funding cuts in September and December on my new/old job. It has been an interesting year at work.

5) Watching Mallory’s soccer games and practices.

4) Getting to know and try to understand the diva in Kennedy. Here is a memorable quote from Kennedy…”Daddy, you’re an idiot.”

3) Got to watch, in person, my high school football alma mater win the state 5A championship with my daughter, Mallory. Go Golden Eagles! Now all I have to do is watch my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl  and I’ll have seen my three favorite football teams win it all in person!!! (Athens – 2006, Alabama – 1992, Pittsburgh - ????)

2) Got to see several of the kids that I teach/have taught in the 5^th and 6^th grade bible class at West Hobbs Street Church of Christ be baptized and added to the Church. It is always a thrill to get to see that.

1) Parker Shane Jewell was born!

Heather's Top Ten of 2006:

1. Our family grew by two feet this year...Parker Shane joined us in May!  It has been a pure joy having him here and watching him grow and change.
2. Started my blog this year and have learned many things about code, weblogs, linking, etc....that I didn't know before.  It has been so much fun keeping it current and meeting so many new friends because of my blog! Cheryl, Amy, Traci, Lindey, Jolene, Jamie....and these are just a few!!!  (of course I could mention Telah and Leah, but I already knew them...LOL)
3. Still coping with some very hard losses this year...losing someone you love and grieving with your dearest friends teaches you a lot about life and the brevity of life.  Two losses this year that will impact our family for many years to come...Mrs. Zelma and Sydney Kathleen...(love you Danny and Tandy and we are still praying for you) ....and I am grateful for what we have learned and how we have grown as a family!
4. Mallory's soccer games on Saturdays and dance class every Monday with Kennedy, Jolie, and Jessie! 

How fun!  The girls have had a blast!  Here is Kennedy with her dance teacher.  This is her first year to take and she really looks forward to it every Monday!  We have a little tradition of going to McDonald's and getting lunch before we go to dance class and she likes doing that...I like it to!  It is something that just she and I get to do together and it is special for her...I know, I know, McDonald's is not my dream restaurant...but it is for Kennedy!  :)

5.  Gatlinburg Trip with my "Sisters"...staying in a beautiful cabin...sleeping, eating, and scrapbooking...and a little shopping.  Ahhh...it was so nice!

6.  Reconnecting with some friends from my college days...Joey and Jennifer, Danny and Jennifer, Jay and April, Crystal, David and Erin, Tony and Laura....and some others are out there...I have missed so, so much for such a long time and this past year I felt like I made some reconnections with long time friends...(I don't know how many of you will see this or even visit this blog....but if you do leave us a comment, email us and let us know how you are doing.) 

7.  Taking my first photography class...or at least attempting to attend with my buddy Melissa...I want to take more and learn a lot more about photography and editing programs.

8.  Camp Ney-A-Ti Mini Camp with Mallory for the first time...we had a blast and it was great to spend time with my girl!!!!

9.  Parker's stay in the hospital at 6 weeks old...very scary to me and still very memorable to me.  Thankfully everything turned out ok...and he certainly is a strong, healthy, hearty baby boy!  :)

10.  Painting and decorating the nursery for Parker.  It was so much fun and I learned that  I was a lot more crafty than I ever knew I was....I really enjoyed painting the farm animals and doing the artwork for his nursery.  It was fun finally getting to decorate for a little boy!  :)

Mallory's Top Ten for 2006:

1. I got a digital camera for Christmas!
2. I got a new baby brother for my birthday!
3. My favorite movie that I saw was Princess Stories DVD.
4. I got to go to Club Libby Lu for my birthday party with my friends Jenny and Alli.

 

 

 

 

 

5.   My favorite game was Trouble.  (I was shocked by this considering how much she begged for Operation...but oh well...I wanted this to be her list not mine)

6.  One of my favorite trips was going to Build A Bear Workshop and making a cheerleader bear that I named Bama.

7.  My favorite book is the Bible. (So proud of this kiddo....this answer was with no prompting from us and I just loved the answer)

8.  I love the color pink! 

9.  My favorite place to eat was Rainforest Cafe.

10.  I lost my first and second tooth! 

Kennedy's Top Ten for 2006:

1. My favorite thing to eat is fruit! (I like bananas, oranges, strawberries, and apples.
2. My favorite movie that I watched was Dora Easter Egg Hunt.
3. I love the color purple!
4. My favorite game to play is Disney Scene It.
5. My favorite place to was McDonald's...big shock there!  NOT!
6. My favorite book was Dora's Easter Basket.
7. My favorite place to go was the Disney Store in the mall and to the skating rink.
8. I started taking ballet and tap dancing classes and I love going to class with my buddies Jolie and Jessie.
9. My favorite toy is my pink Leapster.

10.  I got to celebrate my birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

Top Ten Favorite New Toys from 2006:

I thought that you might like to see some of the cool finds (or at least I think they are cool) that my kids received this year either for birthday or Christmas...from us or someone else in the family....

1. Mega Mask
2. Air Hockey and Pinball portable game
3. Fisher Price Digital Camera
4. Fridgi Gears
5. Magnetix Blocks
6. Betty Spaghetti
7. Leapster and game cartridges
8. Knock It Down Block Town (Domino set)
9. Buckaroo Game
10. Chutes and Ladders

Top Ten Favorite Reading Materials:

1. Scrapbooing Magazines ( BHG Scrapbooks, SS, CK,)
2. My Bible
3. Tom Clancy novels
4. J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Online news
6. Marianne Richmond Books
7. Junie B. Jones
8. Beverly Lewis Series
9. Blogs
10. Taste of Home Magazine

Top Ten Favorite Websites we have found and/or like to visit daily:

1. We 8 There (restaurant reviews) 
2. Humor with/clean jokes
3. Two Peas In A Bucket
4. VideoCure
5. The 9
6. Polka Dot Potato
7. ESPN
8. Christian Answers (movie reviews)
9. Birthday Alarm
10. Fact Monster

Top Ten Favorite Songs and Videos:

1. My Wish - Rascal Flatts
2. Par Avion - Mike and the Mechanics
3. In My Daughter's Eyes - Martina McBride
4. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
5. Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
6. Everybody's Fool - Evanescence
7. I Hope You Dance - LeAnne Womack
8. Spoken For - MercyMe
9. Something's Always Wrong - Toad the Wet Sprocket
10. Dream Big - Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband

Top Ten Sporting Event and teams:

1. I.U. Basketball
2. Alabama Football
3. Marshall Football
4. Firing Coach Shula hiring Coach Saban
5. Firing Coach Davis and hiring Coach Sampson
6. Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl '06
7. Athens Golden Eagles winning State 5A Championship
8. Rutgers unbelievable season in football
9. Atlanta Braves Baseball
10. Alabama Basketball (Too bad they got thumped by Arkansas in their first SEC game)

Top Ten Restaurants and foods:

1. Macaroni Grill (yum, yum, yum)
2. P.F.Changs (the first time we at this restaurant was in Palm Springs, California....since then we try to find one whenever we are traveling...we have been to this restaurant in Nashville, Houston, Washington DC, and I hear there is one in B'ham....also I think Huntsville is getting one in the new mall.....)
3. Outback (gotta love those bloomin' onions....or at least Shane does.  But they don't love him...)
4. Red Lobster
5. Olive Garden
6. Sarge's Shack (yummy rice)
7. Fast Food- Wendy's and Burger King
8. Dominos Pizza
9. Steak Out
10. All Steak (Cullman, Alabama)

Whew!  I know this is a long post....but I wanted something to get my husband and children involved...plus...this was a great tool to help journal some for my Year in Review scrapbook...and I wanted to share some things with you that maybe reveal a little more about us!  Plus, there are some good links here and I always am excited when I find something new or a cool website to visit. 

More later...:)

For all my sisters...

Blessings are innumerable!

• More than anything I am blessed with life in general. 
• Life given to me and sustained by God. 
• He is the greatest giver of blessings!  He is the Almighty and the best friend I could ever ask for!

I am so blessed!  First of all, I am blessed with a wonderful husband...and I do mean wonderful...he is my rock and I couldn't and wouldn't want to live life without him!  Thanks babe!  I love you!

Secondly, my children are a true gift from God and a blessing to me.  Molly, Peanut, and PJ...as they have so affectionately been tagged....I love you bunches and bunches!!!!  Don't ever forget that!   They teach me sooo much!  I learn lessons of humility, patience, unconditional love, and  much more...each and every day!

One of the other things in my life that I count as a rich blessing from God.....MY FRIENDS!  I am truly blessed with great friends....and even though I don't say it often enough ....I love you all!  Here are just a few of my "Sisters" from one of our ladies trips to Gatlinburg about a year ago...we had a great time!

And you know who you are if you are reading this....the list is too long to name....I have friends (aka my sisters)...from church, from school, from the Internet, from "other" friends, from activities that my children have become involved in, that I inherited when I married, that are lifelong from my childhood days....WOW...so many directions I could take this.  Mainly though, I wanted to focus this post to "My Sisters"

Now I would be remiss for not mentioning my "blood' relatives here...I mean yes...in real life I am a sister...a sister times 4!  So here is a shout out to my sisters... Britt, Brandi, and Adrienne....(and then of course I do have one stinky brother.... Chad ...hee hee)  I love you all and miss you!

This post, however, was sent to me from one of my dear friends, Terri, in an email....she is a "sister" and I love her too!  When I read this email...I thought this is too good not to share with others.  It touched my heart and I wanted to send it to all of you....my sisters....with love.

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and
visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, 
about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, 
the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned
a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

"Don't forget your Sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to 
the bottom of her glass.
 
"They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you 
love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may 
have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with
them now and then; do things with them. "Remember that 'Sisters' means

ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other
women relatives too.
"You'll need other women. Women always do."

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a  married woman, for goodness sake!  A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and 
their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.
After more than 50 years( in my case 30 +...but I still have learned all this)  of living in this world, here is what I've learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates. 
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.

BUT.........
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are  between you.  A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.  When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to  walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's  rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.  Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or come in and carry you out.
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!  The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I.
When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.  Every day, we need each other still.  Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful.  I just did.

More  later....sista!

Update and goals for the new year...

***Update*** - I am working on the 2007 Photo a Day spot still.  I am trying to get a calendar to put up there with a picture on each box of the calendar day....so far no luck and I have tried a couple of things...If you know how to do that and have a suggestion, please let me know.  Thanks!  I have photos for most of the days in the new year and really want to stick with the challenge...but just don't like the current format!

So Christmas is over...my tree is still up...stockings still hung by the chimney with care...children are nestled all snug in their beds...cause school started back this week         ...and man...we DEFINITELY needed to get back on a bedtime schedule!  :)  No, I haven't taken down my decorations yet...not really ready to...and I haven't had time to really.  We haven't even celebrated Christmas with Shane's family yet...cause his mother was in the hospital on Christmas day and the rest of us were all sick!

I have been a bad blogger...but am going to try to catch up a little.  I have been a little overwhelmed and pretty busy just being a mama and a wife....you will see why...

I actually feel relief tonight.  I feel like I sort of know now that we are heading in the right direction and that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.  Although, I have tried to remain positive throughout, my little family has had a rough few weeks. Nannie (aka my mother-in-law) came home from a stay in the hospital on Christmas day and has made some improvements.   All three of my kids have been sick...my husband has been sick ...and yes even Mama has been sick.  Kennedy and Parker have both had bad ear infections, fever, and the doctor says...RSV...and is treating them with Albuterol and some steroids.  Not good...but necessary I guess.  Mallory has another sinus infection.  Shane has had ear and sinus infection and the doctor says bronchitis....ok... all this has been going on since the week before Christmas...so you see why have not spent a lot of time posting or commenting on blogs. 

Please know I am NOT complaining...I know that I am still extremely blessed just to rise out of the bed each morning and greet a new day....I am just thankful that we are starting to show some improvement.  And today I finally feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel because the doctor scheduled Parker to get tubes in his ears next Wednesday morning....first thing!  Yeah!  I know that most mama's would not be excited about this....but I have been there done that,  so to speak with the girls....and it has helped tremendously.  I am glad to do it and for him to get them...we are on the 6th ear infection....I think...since late October.  Poor guy!  He just can't get rid of it!!!  Mainly, I just want everyone to get healthy again and feel better.  I feel like all I have done over the last few weeks was take care of sick kiddos and try to keep my head above water to get Christmas "stuff" taken care of...but I intend to change all that .... and to try and regain some sense of normalcy here in this LIFE of mine!  Woo Hoo!

Several friends of mine have posted about their resolutions or goals for the new year of 2007....so I thought I might give it a try too....hopefully I will do better this year and strive to stick to my goals better....I need to be more accountable for these....cause I always seem to make 'em and then never seem to follow through for the whole year....how about you???

Here they are in no particular order....I just made a list of 10 goals...I tried to keep them attainable and doable....I want to really try to improve.

1. Pray more.
2. Read to my children each and every night...I NEED to do better about this!
3. Keep on top of sending cards...birthday, get well, anniversary...etc
4. Work on one scrapbooking project every week! 
5. Have family devotional each night after dinner and baths.
6. Make an effort to take better care of my body and be healthier.
7. Have one date night per month (time for just me and my wonderful hubby)
8. Make more of an effort to tell people that I love,  how much I love them and how important they are to me in case I never have that opportunity again....I have had it happen and have regrets that I didn't take advantage of the time I was given....don't want to feel like that again.
9. Make more time for personal Bible study
10. Continue to use the Internet to:

•  meet wonderful new friends,
•  blog and keep my family and friends updated on what is going on with us,
• learn more about developing my digital scrapbooking skills and get great new scrapbooking ideas
• help me get more organized
• and to improve and learn in the area of photography

Y' all have a good night...working on a post for tomorrow....gonna get back to my daily blogging....or at least do the best I can.  Sure have missed y'all!

 

More later....and I promise I will be commenting on all your blogs soon....very soon! 

Thanks for visiting!

Final Christmas Post #3...

Well, I tried to get it in before the big ball dropped...but just didn't make it!  Oh well, better late then never...so here is the final post of the Christmas celebrations....

• We left and made it to my grandparents house very late on the 23rd.
• Spent Sunday, after church, finishing up shopping and wrapping with my grandmother. 
• Put the kids all to bed and stayed up late????
• Santa came and all was well!!!!  Santa was great to the kids this year...

• Had a huge breakfast with all the family and it was yummo as usual
• Started tearing open gifts...which always takes awhile...our tradition is we go around and everyone opens one, then the next, then the next...you get the point

Kennedy....I can hardly ever get her to smile for a picture.

Cool gift Mallory...just what you wanted, only purple not pink.

My brother Chad

Parker liked chewing on the red tissue paper!

Here Jordan is trying to keep Parker from chewing up the red tissue paper.

Even Parker got on in the gift opening some!

And I saved the best for last....Pap opening a gift...

This must have been a good one!  LOL....I think it was a gift from Jordan...but can't be 100% sure on that....however, once he opened it up....they guys decided to have some fun with it!   Pap obviously was either surprised or thrilled at what was in the bag!!!  Keep reading to find out!

Sorry for the bad shot....but maybe if you look really close you can see the words?????  What?  A   F_____ (I have heard it called fluff, poot, a rip....I think it has many names....but the one on the package....well????)  Machine????  Just what he needed right....lol 

Now I must warn you,  that as soon as this came out of the gift bag, four men went to work on getting it set up to use!  They were all having a fun time with it and found it very entertaining...I guess....you will have to judge for yourself from the video below.....

This video is rated PG!#....:)  I was just the one holding the camera....I am not responsible for what you see or hear in the video.....but these guys were too funny not to take some video of them.  Pap, Tim, Chad and Jordan.....well, you just watch for yourself and come up with your own opinion! 

Ok Patty....there is the only video clip I got from Christmas morning....sorry....but it was too funny!  Now for those of you who do not know my family....this will give you a good idea of how crazy they all are...but I still love em' so much!!!!! 

We had a great Christmas together!  Dad, Patty, and Britt....we missed you guys! 

This is the last of the Christmas posts....whew...you are probably as glad as I am!  On to 2007 posts......I hope to put up a post of the most memorable for my family next.....I have been working on it....we will see what happens tonight and if I can get it up here.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my blog visitors! 

More later....