Wordless Wednesday....'nuff said!

As promised...more to share!

UPDATED:  I decided not to draw the name for the RAK giveaway today.  I am going to wait until Monday morning to do that to give everyone a chance to leave a comment and have their names entered into the drawing.  Also, I guess I should have given a little more info about the products I am giving away.  The flowers are PRIMA...they rock!  The letters and the tags are not CHIPBOARD...sorry...but they are quality cardstock...and I have some that I have used and love them too...so I just wanted to clarify that for y'all!  :)

Well, it has been a busy day at our house and I am tired!  It started off early and pretty much stayed at a steady pace all day.  I had three kids home today, instead of just two.  I got the call that school was releasing early today and that meant I had to swing into gear and be ready to pick up Mallory in the car line at 11am.  Don't misunderstand...I am not complaining...with the weather like it was here today in Alabama...I want my babies home with us...I just feel better knowing that they are here with me. 

There were storms throughout most of Alabama today, but for the most part our storms were nothing compared to what areas south of us received.  There are many families that are suffering and need our prayers right now!  If you haven't already heard about it on the national news, just take a listen to the next newscast...I think the last I heard is that there are 5 confirmed deaths from where the tornado hit Enterprise High School earlier today.  We are being told that the number will most likely rise as they search through the night for others that are possibly trapped in the debris.  So sad and it just makes my heart ache for those families that are suffering.  It just reminds me to count my blessings each and every minute!

Ok..now on to some happier news...even though I haven't been posting a lot over the last couple of weeks...I have tried to keep reading my favorite blogs and commenting when I can...one trend I have noticed is a lot of blogger's doing RAK...so you guessed it...I have a RAK for all my readers!  Here is the key...if you don't leave a comment, you have NO chance of winning. That's it....ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is leave a comment!   I know there are still a lot of lurkers out there that visit my blog, but don't leave a comment when they visit.  So stop that lurking and show me some love!!!  I will have one of my little sweeties draw a name on Saturday and will post the winner sometime that day.  Now, since I have done a major clean-out of my scrapping area....my loss is going to be your gain...because I have a whole box full of goodies to give away in RAK's.  Here is what you will receive if you are the winner of this RAK:

Now here is what I need your help with...I bought this little beauty at my LSS a couple of weeks ago...and guess what I paid for it?  Six dollars...it was in the clearance section and regularly priced at like 29 dollars!  I was excited....I thought to myself, now surely I can alter this in some way and make it a beautiful piece of home decor.  So, leave me a comment and give me some of your ideas on what you might do with this.  There are four "coasters" that fit in the bottom wooden tray and sit up to display.  I think the measurements on the coasters are like 3.5 inches square...or something like that.  I finally pulled them out of the box last night and am ready to work on this project...so tell me....What do you think?

And finally, here are a few more things I have been creating while I was gone...

 a 6x6 fabric album all about my favorite quotes...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

altered paint can made to send to a good friend of mine that just recently had a new baby...

I am in the process of finishing these books for the girls...this one is Mallory's and the one below is Kennedy's...I made these books out of an 8x8 chipboard book...tore them apart  and covered all the pages of the book and then made it like a flip book by putting a metal ring in the top corner to hold it together....as soon as I finish these I will post the pages and show the whole thing to you.  I planned on having these finished much sooner, but just haven't got it all together yet.  I used two bedtime stories and each book is titled like the story and then when I did the journaling I altered it to fit either Mallory or Kennedy (using their names) and I can't wait for them to see them and to read the books to them. 

The one above is Kennedy's.  I really like how it turned out!

Well, I am off to bed for now...gotta get some rest and quit staying up so late.  :) 

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!

Thought and a great way to start my morning off...

This day has started off just as normal as every other day.

• Woke up
• Packed Mallory's snack for school
• Got out her clothes
• Picked up house and started a load of laundry
• Helped Mallory get dressed and made sure her backpack was ready to go out the door with her
• Fixed Mallory's hair
• Sent Shane and Mallory out the door with a hug and a kiss and a Have a great day!
• Checked my email
• Heard small little feet running down the hallway just as I was reading my email
• Made breakfast for Kennedy and turned on Handy Manny (a new Disney cartoon...which really is pretty cool)
• Made breakfast for myself and a cup of iced tea and decided to flip my calendar and read the thought for today....
• which in turn made me want to share it with all of you
• so here it is:

Father,  My prayer is that I would learn to trust You more.  It's such a comfort to know that my life is in Your hands, and the circumstances surrounding me are in Your control.  Remind me daily that choosing to be happy is an option.  May I find my strength in Your joy. 

I don't always like the thoughts on each day or even agree with them....but this one just made me stop and think about the day ahead and how I should approach it.  Just something to think about.

One thing I am learning with posting on this website and using it as sort of like my journal....is that it is motivating me to write more of my thoughts and feelings.  Which in turn makes me take a look at my own life and to work on some things that I need to work on.  But it also gives me an avenue to express about everyday happenings and life events that I never really took notice of or kept track of before....and I want to be more vigilant in doing that.  I realized that a lot of things that my kids did or said slipped by me too many times.....but this allows me to sit down and record those things very quickly and then go back and reflect on them later...plus I get to share them with all of you.

I mentioned that I am going to organize my posts in some sort of fashion...this is one thing I got from some other websites I have been looking at.  Later today I am going to post about Milestone Monday and then on Tuesdays....I am going to try something called Ten for Tuesday.  We will see how it goes....

Thanks for all the emails and sweet comments about the website.  Hope you continue to enjoy it as much as I enjoy updating it.  Please keep commenting under the posts!  I really enjoying reading them and I try to reply to them as I can.  Also, if you are reading the posts and want to give your answers to the quizzes.....please post them.  We would love to read what everyone else's answers are....and it is a great way to get to know people better.  It is really easy to do....if you can type, then you can post.....just click on the word comments under each post and type your info.  We would love to hear from you!

Have a good morning and a great day....more later....:)