Happy Sunday

Well, really I don't know how happy it really was but oh well. I spent most of my day working...between writing specs, laundry, housekeeping...I am just wiped! I did take some time to scrap a LO though which felt great! Got another one done for the Christmas Journal -- yep, I am half a month behind on that. But I WILL finish it this year! And with that LO I did manage to get one done towards my goal of 31 this month...

PROJECT 365 - JAN 3

Last night, even though I was in a really lousy mood, Steve convinced me that some time with friends would be a good thing...and I am glad I listened to him. We had a really fun time hanging out and having dinner with our favorite neighbors and so I asked the waitress to take a picture for me and wouldn't you know it...it is my picture for Jan 3

PROJECT 365 - JAN 4

Today's picture is of the cute little turtle that was making his way down our neighbor's drive way. I am pretty sure we have seen this guy before. I was at my desk working when Steve called and told me to grab Alyson and go outside (always a sure sign that I should bring my camera!) Kind of cute, don't you think?

Jan 2nd - Project 365

Alyson has a friend from her class that, as it turns out, lives less than 2 minutes away...literally! We discovered this a couple of weeks ago when Alyson was invited to her birthday party. The girls were super excited to learn this and so a playdate was planned. The night before however, Alyson started getting nervous and didn't want to go.

Thanfully when she woke up in the morning her fears were gone and so Steve took her over around 10am....by 6:30pm she still wasn't ready to come home! LOL! I was so thrilled that things had gone so well and hope these two will get together more often. I was also proud of Alyson for getting over her fears -- something she is having trouble with lately.

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone had a nice NYE. We had such a great time last night with friends and today we got to hang with more friends...we are so blessed to have some truly great people as friends...not too mention they are just so much fun! Not that you could tell from the pictures or anything! ;) My son was the one with the camera in his hand...he didn't too bad, and he was definitely better behaved than some -- no that I am naming names or anything! ;)

Today I am starting Project 365 and after some frustration this morning when trying to order along with the other thousands of people, I was lucky enough to get one of the kits! So excited about that and can't wait until it arrives...will make it so easy to actually complete this project. Project 365 is definitely the biggest project I have ever taken on but I think it will be a lot of fun and awesome to go back and look at the pictures we take every day in 2009.

And since we are talking about that, this is my picture for January 1st...

I thought it would be nice to start the year off with a family picture, taken by our friend Kathleen while we were all together with friends celebrating the beginning of the new year. Will be fun to look back on this in another year and see how much the kids have changed!

I had another fun start to my year as well. I am now a Friend of PageMaps! YEAH ME! I guess it is not exactly like being published in a magazine, but I am over the moon nonetheless! I am a big fan of Becky Fleck and her PageMaps, even bought her book, so it was an honor for me to be asked to do a LO for her January Sidemaps. So exciting for me!

In addition to Project 365, which will last all year, I have also taken on the challenge of doing 31 LOs in the month of January with the girls at The House of Paper. I was talking to Steve about all of this while we were making our coffee this morning and he just looked and me and asked "Why do you do this to yourself?" LOL! January will be a very busy month for us since we own a couple of Liberty Tax stores and we are heading into peak season but I am determined to do my best regardless. I will not stress out if I can't complete all 31 because I am sure I will be able to get a lot done and Chiara always has such great challenges posted, not to mention all the fabulous inspiration from all the girls at The House...it is a win-win situation in my book! :)

Hope you all have a wonderful 2009. Be sure and take time for the little things and find at least one thing to be grateful for each day. I'll bet even on your worst day you can still find one thing to be thankful for...even if it is just that you didn't pull all your hair out! ;)

Can you believe it is New Year's Eve?!

I can hardly believe it is another New Year's Eve. I am glad of it though...rather looking forward to putting 2008 behind and move on to 2009...hoping for better times ahead. 2008 was a tough year in my house, not that it was all bad, but a tough one nonetheless.

I am taking a little inspiration from my little girl this year. She is all about Camp Rock and The Jonas Brothers. She is our little performer and loves to sing and put on shows (a bit like her mother was at that age actually! LOL!) She has a particular song that she loves from Camp Rock, sung by Demi Lovato called This Is Me. I was listening to it this morning on the way to work (yep, got the whole Camp Rock soundtrack on my MP3 player -- I AM a Disney girl through and through!) and even though I know all the words by heart because I have heard Alyson sing them hundreds of times, this morning they really struck a chord with me and as I was singing, I felt like I could be singing about myself. Cheesy, right? So, I started the song over and sang at the top of my lungs! (and you thought I couldn't possibly be any more cheesy, eh?)

I've always been the kind of girl

That hid my face

So afraid to tell the world

What I've got to say

But I have this dream

Right inside of me

I'm gonna let it show - it's time

To let you know...

This is real

This is me

I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now

Gonna let the light shine on me

Now I've found, who I am

There's no way to hold it in

No more hiding who I want to be

This is me

Do you know what it's like

To feel so in the dark

To dream about a life

Where you're the shining star

Even though it seems

Like it's too far away

I have to believe in myself

It's the only way...

This is real

This is me

I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now

Gonna let the light shine on me

Now I've found, who I am

There's no way to hold it in

No more hiding who I want to be

This is me

Okay, so I am not looking to be a rock star or anything but the words have inspired me to just be me and not worry about what the world thinks...This is me, so if you don't like it, well, that's okay.

I am not usually one for New Year Resolutions but this year I am feeling rather compelled to write out a few for myself...

I will take better care of myself.
I will stop putting myself last.
I will be the best wife I can be.
I will be the best mother I can be.
I will stop and take in the moment.
I will try really hard to worry a little less.
I will stop caring what other people think.
I will be the best friend I can be.
I will not lose faith.
I will not lose hope.
I will be a more positive person.

I will be okay with me.

These are the first things that come to mind. I have a few scrapbooking goals for myself as well but I will post those later. If you have any resolutions, feel free to link back here -- I would love to hear what goals you guys have. And you can feel free to have a good little giggle thinking about me jamming out to Camp Rock and singing at the top of my lungs...although just so you know, I did score over a million points singing it on Disney Sing it! ROTFLOL!

Wishing you all a safe and fun New Year's Eve and a 2009 filled with love, laughter, friendship and all things good!

More of my Christmas Journal

Man, I have been so busy lately, haven't had much time to play with all my scrapbooking goodies. I am way behind on my Christmas Journal but I am determined NOT to give up this year so here I go still plugging along...

December 7th - Making a List

This one is pretty simple...journaling reads: Every year I vow to be more organized and ahead of the game…and more times than not, I fail. I will inevitably find myself stressed and running around at the last minute trying to get things accomplished. Well, NOT THIS YEAR! We have cut back substantially on the gift giving this year which makes things so much easier! The Christmas cards are just about ready to go and once I get my cookies made it should be smooth sailing! WOOHOO!



December 8th - Disney Christmas Magic

I took the day off of work on Monday, December 8th and we made the kids think they had a dentist appointment before school...and took them to Walt Disney World instead! We were the cool parents that day! I used pics taken throughout the day for this entry. Journaling reads: Can there really be anything more magical than Walt Disney World at Christmas time?! Or a suprise day off from school in order to see all that magic?! I think not!

December 9th - Traditions

I am always envious of families who have all these great and meaningful traditions...never had any of those growing up but I hope I can change that with my own kids. Journaling reads: When someone asks about our family traditions my initial thought is that we really don’t have any and I find myself envious of those who have special things they do and look forward to each Christmas…but then the more I think about it the more I guess that we do have a few - like the kids getting their picture taken with Santa Claus every year or us taking our family photo for the Christmas cards. The kids always have their chocolate countdown calendars and we hang our stockings up too. Each Christmas Eve, we leave milk and cookies out for Santa and sprinkle reindeer food outside for Rudolph and friends. And when Santa does drop in for his visit he always helps me put out all the gifts under the tree in addition to what he brings. He also likes to leave a letter for the Stevie and Alyson. So while we don’t have a lot of traditions, the few that we do have definitely help make our Christmas special...and who knows, maybe we can add a few more in the years to come.

December 10th - My Favorite kind of Holiday Wrapping

This entry was totally inspired by my friend Karen...hope I did yours justice girl! ;) Journaling reads: I know it is Christmastime when I treat myself to a vanilla latte at Starbucks and they hand it to me all "wrapped" up in their pretty holiday cups! They are always so pretty and festive! It also means their new Christmas ornaments will be out soon too! ;)

Playing catch up! (half way there...)

We had a pretty busy weekend and then we surprised the kids and took them to Disney yesterday (poor things thought we were taking them to the dentist before school! Steve really had Alyson going! LOL! But that will be a story for another day!) so I have not had much time to sit down and work on my Christmas Journal. Tonight though I was able to finish up through December 6th!

December 4th - Perfection

This entry was all about your perfect Christmas...the journaling reads: Every year, I imagine having that “perfect Christmas”. I think I am finally coming to the realization however, that really there is no such thing. Nothing will ever be perfect. But I do believe that there are always “moments” of perfection - even if they only last for a second or two. The more I slow down and really take the time to notice, I can see at least one every single day. And while I may not have an entirely perfect Christmas, they are always filled with moments of perfection - quite a few actually. One of my most favorite ones is that very first moment when the kids wake up and come out to see the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Their faces are lit up with pure and absolute joy, excitement and bewilderment. It just doesn’t get any more perfect than that. (The picture is from 2003...can't believe how little they were!)

December 5th - Counting Down

There are so many different ways to countdown until Christmas Day. This year we added one to our house. Journaling reads: Stevie and Alyson really love counting down to Christmas. Each morning they eagerly open the next “door” in their chocolate advent calendar. This year I wanted to try and start a new tradition as well. I wrapped up 25 different Christmas themed books and put them in a basket. Each night one person gets to pick a book out of the basket and unwrap it, then we all sit together and read it. So far they are really excited about it and are quick to ask if it is time to read our book. I am really hoping this can become a fun, new tradition for our family.

December 6th - The Good and The Bad

I decided to take a bit of a different approach on this but I am sure Shimelle won't mind! ;) The basic prompt was a good memory vs a bad memory (or not so good). This past Saturday, the 6th, was the night of our neighborhood's first Progressive Holiday Party. We used to do these when we lived in Seatle and they became something we all looked forward to and so this year Steve and I thought it might be fun to try it here. I got a great response and the party was better than I expected! Everyone had such a good time and so it just seemed perfect to use it in my journal entry for the day. I included a pic of Steve and I as well as me and 2 of my favorite neighbors - otherwise known as "The Real Housewives of The EL!" -- the new show coming soon to Bravo! (NOT) ;)

Journaling reads: One of the things I never really looked forward to during the Christmas holidays was the fact that Steve would get to go to his company Christmas party, but I never got to go. He worked for Scudder for so long, 10 years actually, and in all that time, spouses were never invited. That was always tough for me and I am not going to lie, I was just plain jealous! Especially the years when we moved and he would fly back to Chicago to go. I wanted to be able to get dressed up and have a good time too!

When we were living in Seattle, our neighborhood starting doing Progressive Christmas Parties each year and so finally I got to get all dolled up and have a good time. It was a big deal and we all really looked forward to it. Of course once we moved back to Florida it was back to the way things were! This year though, our little neighborhood had our first Progressive Holiday party and it really turned out great! It was so much fun to get dressed up again and everyone seemed to have a good time and thanked me for putting it all together. I would definitely be up for doing it all again next year! I mean, seriously, who doesn’t love a good Christmas party?!

Feels good to have those completed. Now I just have 3 more to go and I have a pretty good head start on those already. I am pretty proud of myself for keeping up this year...definitely much better than last year's journal. Hopefully I will have more to share tomorrow. (((hugs!)))

This is for my little brother...it IS my little brother! Can you tell it was a slow day at the office? (oh and that other guy is Phi...one of our co-workers...pretty sure this is is internet debut! LOL!) **for the full effect you will need to pause the Christmas music...just scroll down and it will be on the left**

P.S. Hey Topher....your neice says you are weird! LOL!

Christmas Cards & Earnest Graham...

My entry for day 3 of Journal Your Christmas is complete! GO ME! Thanks again to Chiara for helping out with this one...if not for you I would have just put it off...

Journaling reads: Christmas cards are one of my favorite traditions. In this day and age of email, it is rare to get something fun in the mailbox! And I think Christmas cards are FUN!
I love getting the pictures every year and seeing how our friends and family have changed. I love to have them on display throughout the house. We normally have a picture taken by the end of November so that we can get our Christmas cards out right at the beginning of December. We are a bit behind this year though since Steve was pretty sick over Thanksgiving - kind of threw off our “schedule”. We will still get ours out though and I will be sure to tuck an extra one in this envelope as well. It is always fun to go back and look at how our little family has changed each year as well.

Every night at dinner the past couple of weeks we have started a new thing with the kids...talking about the best and worst parts of our days. Today one of the best parts of MY day was meeting Earnest Graham of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in person! Doesn't he just have the best smile?! He reminds me of a kid - his face just lights up with pure joy. He was so nice and sweet, so appreciative of everyone who came out to meet him. His story is so inspiring and I just couldn't be happier for him and his family. I am praying that he will be healthy again soon and back out on the football field doing what he does best!

Journal Your Christmas (12/2) - Snow Day

My journal entry for today...

I had some fun with this one...used all old stash too!

Journaling reads: I confess, sometimes I miss the snow. Most of the time - well, not so much! LOL! But at Christmas time, I must admit, it would be nice to look out the window and see the world covered in a beautiful blanket of snowy white glistening in the sunlight. When we lived in Seattle I use to love watching the snow fall. There is nothing like the look of freshly fallen snow. I loved seeing the kids all bundled up with just their rosy cheeks and perfect little red noses peeking out.

The kids miss the snow sometimes too. I remember just a couple of years ago in 2006, Alyson was in Kindergarten. I picked her and Stevie up from school as usual and we were walking out to the car just before the Christmas Break and Alyson told me she wanted it to snow. Of course, we don’t typically get snow here in Florida and so I told her that I was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. Apparently she did not like that answer and proceeded to throw a nice big tantrum, complete with tears and stamping feet, all the while crying out that she wanted to see snow! Oh the looks on the faces of the parents around me was quite humorous! All I could really do was laugh and shake my head.

One of these years I am sure we will get back up to the north somewhere to see the snow…for now though we have our memories.

Today I was able to leave work a little early and head over to Alyson's dance class...it is Parent Observation Week. Normally they are behind closed doors so we don't get to see what they are working on. Alyson is taking a hip hop class...at 7 years old it doesn't tend to actually look like hip hop dancing but oh my goodness, it was just so fun to watch! My little girl may not be the best dancer out there but she was definitely having SO much fun. I think it is safe to say that this year is the most fun she has had in dance. Her teacher is really great with all the kids and I know I have used the word a bit already, but she makes things fun! I took some video of a dance they did tonight...a little too tired to upload it tonight but I will try and do it tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be another fun day for me too! We are going to an autograph signing for one of our favorite Buccaneers players! SWEET! Pictures FOR SURE on that one! One of these days I need to start THAT scrapbook!

Journal Your Christmas - December 1st

Today is the day...the first day of Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas. I have really been looking forward to doing this this year and am feeling pretty good at having gotten the first day done! I am letting go and just keeping things simple. Both in my journal and in my home. For years we have been saying that Christmas has become too commercial and too much about getting gifts, this year Steve and I both agree that is going to change.

Journaling reads: This Christmas I will make something with my own hands, my own words and my own memories. Starting today, December 1st, 2008, I will keep a Christmas journal. Each day I will use this journal to reflect on those things that are essential to making mine and my family’s Christmas merry and bright. I hope that by taking the time every day to do this I will be able to make the most of this Christmas and reclaim the joy of the season. I hope to teach my children the real meaning of Christmas this year and to keep it alive and well in my home, my heart and my children’s hearts. This year, it is not about how many gifts are under our tree and getting everything we want. It is about the precious gifts of our family and friends and wanting what we already have.

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!

Well, it wasn't the Thanksgiving we had originally planned in Stone Mountain, Georgia but it was nice nonetheless. Steve came down with a pretty rough cold so heading out to the mountain was not a good idea and we really didn't want to take any chances and get anyone else sick so we didn't make it to my parent's house either. I missed being with my brother and sisters but we still had a nice day.

Alyson helped me make some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that we shared with a couple of our favorite neighbors. Then I managed to get Stevie to help me a bit by scrubbing some potatoes for me.

Once I got the turkey going in the oven and the potatoes in the crock pot we finished up watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade...always exciting when Santa flies in with Mrs. Claus to say hello!

We had a nice family Thanksgiving with all of our simple favorites...

And of course Daddy carved the bird!

We went for a nice walk around the neighborhood, watched The Christmas Shoes and played a few games. Of course the boys watched football and Daddy fell asleep on the couch! ;) For dessert it was homemade pumpkin pie and Oreo creme pie.

We are so thankful that we have so many blessings and things to be thankful for that it would just be too numerous to list them. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

(Something else to be thankful for...I can officially pull out the Christmas music! Yippee!)

The Sack Lunches

I received this in an email this morning from my uncle. You always have to wonder whether the stories and such you get forwarded to you are true or not but this is one that I sincerely hope is true...and if it isn't, maybe someone would be inspired to make it a true story.

All too often days like today, Veteran's Day, come to pass and all you really hear about it the big sale the stores are having. Am I the only one bugged by this?! I mean, really, is that the best way to honor the men and women who serve and protect this great country that we live in?

I hope you will all take a moment to read this story, it really touched my heart and if I am ever in a situation that I can do something like this, I absolutely will. I just don't think we can do enough to thank these men and women, and their families. I confess that when I see someone in military uniform I want so much to just go up to them and just say thank you...but then I chicken out at the last minute thinking they might not want me to bother them or even worse, they might just think I am a crazy lady! LOL! I really need to get past that fear and shyness and just do it...and I want to teach my kids to be thankful and respectful, too.

You know what? I am going to do it! The next member of our military that I cross paths with is going to hear a 'thank you' from me... I will get past that shyness! Surely it is the least I can do, right? (I'll keep you posted!)

Oh yeah...here's that story I mentioned! ;)

The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. ' Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq '

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago ' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldi er in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.' Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it.'

If you have a chance today, I hope you will thank a Veteran!

The Boo Crew!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Yeah, so we are a little early but who cares?! My sister, Rachelle, threw a little Halloween party this weekend and so we actually ALL got dressed up.

Alyson was our little Incantasia...she is a friend of Merlin'sand also known as The Glamour Witch...couldn't have been a more fitting costume for our little Diva. She loves to "turn it on" when I have the camera out...don't ya just love her little sassy pose? ;)

This witch is ready to fly!

Stevie opted for something a little bit more on the scary side... a phantom with glowing eyes...

It's hard to be too scared of him though when you know he looks like this underneath...

Obviously Alyson was not scared!

The kids were pretty excited to have mommy and daddy dress up this year as well...or should I say "mummy" and daddy (yep, that was cheesy!)

Have a a safe and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Me...in 10 sentences?!

Okay so the latest blog challenge is to let you know who I am...in 10 sentences. Hmmmm...I am really awful with these kinds of things. I don't think I am all that interesting...I mean, I certainly don't have any paparazzi following around and no one gets too excited when I walk into a room (well, hopefully my husband on occasion!) but you get my drift! Anyone, this is what I got for right now.

1. I am passionate about the people I love...my husband, my 2 babies and my friends.
2. I tend to be a little passionate about the things I love as well...like my Starbucks and Disney.
3. I am a Life Artist.
4. I have a temper. Just ask my little brother...his advice to Steve on our wedding day "Don't make Heather mad!" (seriously, it's on the wedding video, I kid you not!) and to be fair, Steve has referred to me as "Hurricane Heather" on a number of occasions...although not recently! ;)
5. I love to escape into the pages of a good book -- sometimes I think I lose a little grip on reality...like today, at lunch, I told Steve, if a vampire walks through that door, I am gone! ;)
6. I am actually a hot, sexy, singing sensation...at least in the confines of my Sequoia! ;)
7. I hate dishonesty...don't have much tolerance for lying.
8. I love to dance...I especially love belly dance.
9. I am actually rather shy...until you get to know me.
10. I am perfectly unperfect.

So...tell me about you....(and link it back so I can read it!)

Simple Pleasures

I had a rough end to my week last week and so I have been putting off Beryl's Blog Challenge from House of Paper but quite honestly it has truly been the simplest of pleasures that have helped me get through my heartache. Turns out my girlfriend was right...once I thought more about what she said...it hurt - a lot...and yep, now I am pretty ticked. She hurt me more than I would have thought a friend like her could. *sigh* Oh well, right? I guess we just see our friendship differently now...who would have thought. I always considered her "my person" (if you are a Gray's fan then I know you totally got that.)

So, on to my simple pleasures right now. Of course it goes without saying that a hug and a kiss from either of my kids of my hubby is always a pleasure...or when I get to snuggle with any of them at the end of the day.

Reading has become a wonderful escape as of late. Can I just tell you that I am totally in love with a vampire right now?! Who would have thought I could become so engrossed in what is really more of a saga meant for those a few years younger than me?! I totally blame Amanda! I am half way done with the 3rd book and will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 4th (Susanne totally rocks, BTW!) I am even planning to go see the Twilight movie when it comes out on November 21st...thanks again Amanda! ;)

Another simple pleasure for me is being able to keep up with my House Homies while I am at work...and on this particular morning I came in to find the gift of this bumper sticker on my desk from a co-worker and having my morning coffee out of this flamingo cup was enough to bring a huge grin on my face! Now before you Obama fans start getting all fired up...don't. I don't care who you are voting for and I am not posting this to cause an uproar...I was so happy to have this at my desk because it meant my manager would stay away for most of the day (yep, he is voting Obama) which made it much easier for me to squeeze in a few more pages in the Twilight Saga while sipping my coffe and posting to The House of Paper. One of the other Obama supporters in my office was contemplating getting one for his office door to ward off management as well! LOL!

The House of Paper is not the only website I visit on a daily basis...I love reading The Pioneer Woman's blog as well. She makes me want to put us all in wrangler jeans, boots and cowboy hats and become ranchers! She has such a way with words and the way she writes...man she can crack you up and then turn around and make you cry! Gotta love it! LOL!

My brother works at the same company I do know...yep, he owes me so big! One of the nice things about that though is that I actually see him on occasion...and just the other day we even had a chance to go out to lunch together since he was in the office for a change rather than having to be in the field. We enjoyed a couple of beers and a great lunch at Tanks. I tell you what...a nice Stella Blonde at 1pm on a Friday was just what the dr ordered...and in a beautiful Buccaneers glass....perfecto!

It's a new week and a new attitude!

It is a new week and I am determined to make sure it is a GOOD week! I made myself a list of things to get done over the weekend and I was able to get at least half of them accomplished which felt great! I even got 2 LOs done which was even better.

I just love these pics of Alyson - they were taken in December 2004...I can't get over how little she looks!

And I did a quick one of Stevie as well...when he was Anakin Skywalker for Halloween in 2005...you can tell he was pretty serious about his role!

I only have a couple more LOs to finish to get our Halloween album up to date. I love doing a LO each year of the kids in their costumes...an idea I got from one of my favorite scrapbookers, Stacy Julian. Stacy and Becky Higgins are definitely my 2 all time favorites and I tend to look their way whenever I am in need of inspiration!

One of my favorites is this one that I finished last week of Alyson's costume from last year... my mother made her a gorgeous Sleeping Beauty gown...she spent quite a bit of time twirling around in it! The pictures just do not do it justice. The material I picked out has glittery sparkles all through out I know I am a little biased being her mommy and all but I just thought she was absolutely gorgeous in her dress!

Speaking of Stacy Julian, I came across a challenge she had posted on her blog called Give Yourself a Present! I swear, the timing on finding this is perfect for me and where I am right here and right now. I am planning on working this week to put together my 10-12 pics and making my little mini album to keep in my purse. The next time I am feeling my funk and feeling like the wind has been knocked out of me yet again, I will thumb through my album and remember to breathe and see what is really important in my life. :)

Yep, this week is starting off good! If you are lucky enough to have the day off for Columbus Day - well, color me jealous! ;) Happy Monday and have a great week!

I am just rambling.

I am in such a funk these days. I just can not seem to get out of it. I was thinking that maybe I just need to talk about it...but talk about WHAT exactly?! Let's see...

I am constantly tired these days.
I feel utterly overwhelmed and stressed.
I feel like I have no control over anything right now.
I am feeling insecure.
I am working really hard to be happy when I just don't feel happy right now.
I am really struggling as a mother right now with my daughter.
I still can't seem to find that sense of balance I have been searching for over the last 6 months.
I have been slacking in the exercise/healthy me department.
I don't seem to have enough time or energy to get the things done that I need to or want to.
I want to keep the peace -- but at the same time I just want to explode!
I used to love this time of the year...and now I dread it...trying to change that...that's a struggle.
Things are bothering me that probably shouldn't. How do you just make that stop?
How exactly does someone NOT worry?
Everything just feels so "off" right now.
I am definitely in need of "something" right now...just can't quite figure out what exactly that is.

Can I just go back to bed...for a week, maybe?

The sweetest cupcake EVER!

How adorable is this?!

I had a package waiting for me when I got home today from Amanda, a friend from The House of Paper and fellow FlaminGal. She made me this most adorable cupcake! How freaking CUTE is this?! I am absolutely in love with it! Thank you SOOOOOOOO much girl! You will have to share with me how you made it...I would love to make a couple myself.

This is definitely the most creative way to treat any sweet tooth! ;)

Remembering 9-11-2001

It is hard to believe it has been 7 years since that tragic day. I know that I will never forget. I think it is important that we, as a nation, make every effort never to forget. Just like most people, I remember every second of where I was that day and I kept my babies close by my side as I watched, cried and prayed. Please take a moment to pray for all of those lost and for the families of those lost. Please pray for our military men and women who continue to give their lives to keep us safe and the sacrifices their families make as well. At least for this one day, put aside your political differences and just stand together as Americans.