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.

Can you watch this and NOT smile?

Someone forwarded this to me today and it was rather ironic timing since I was feeling a little furstrated and down...the challenge is to watch this video without smiling. I don't think it is possible. Next time I am having a rough day or just feeling down, I plan to watch...

So, CLICK HERE and tell me...can you watch without smiling?

Back to school time!

It was back to school time today! I can't say they were BOTH excited - but Alyson definitely was! She has been counting down for the last week. They are both very happy with their teachers and were so thrilled to meet them at Open House this past Thursday. I am not the mom of one Sassy Second Grader and a Fabulous Fourth Grader (although the said Fourth Grader is almost too cool for pictures and for his mom to walk him to class on the first day!)

Stevie is especially happy with his teacher this year as she was actually his teacher's assistant when he was in kindergarten! They were both pretty happy to see each other at Open House as well -- plus there is another friend of Stevie's from that same kindergarten class in his room this year too. This is probably the most excited Stevie has been about school starting! Add to that the fact that he will have AGP Math AND Science (both his favorite subjects) and I am pretty sure that is as close to heaven in school as you can get! LOL!

It was nice for me to be able to walk them in on their first day - even though I had to beg that Fabulous Fourth-Grader just a little to let me! ;) And they both had great days...and I think what really made the icing on the cake is that school is canceled for tomorrow! We are on heightened alert with this tropical storm (hurricane, maybe?!) coming through sometime tomorrow.

We are all looking forward to a GREAT school year...despite the new "uniform" policy (bleck!)

And the winner is...

Say hello to Karen! Not only did she take a picture every day for the month of July PAD challenge, but she also completed a LO for each picture and has a completed album too! With all those drops in the hat, is it any wonder how she won?! I gave her the MM How to Organize Your Scrapbook Workspace and she is holding up her album as well. I was able to give it to her today when the FlaminGals got together for some scrapping today. Maybe I will have to think of another challenge now?!

July 31 (PAD) - And their off!

My guys headed out this afternoon for their backpacking trip in NC. They were both pretty excited about it...I am a little nervous about it! LOL! But then I just wouldn't be me if I wasn't! I miss them already! I could not get the time off work since they kind of planned this last minute so we are going to attempt a family trip sometime in the fall -- should be interesting! LOL!

Alyson and I are going to have some girl time this weekend, do a little scrapbooking, hang out at the mall with Aunt Rachelle, watch girlie movies...I think we will have a good time too!

When I look at this picture too I am struck by how grown up Stevie is looking! WOW! And I just love his crazy, curly blonde hair! I am so lucky to have these two handsome guys in my life!

July 30 (PAD) - Dinner with the girls

Tonight I had dinner with my 3 neighbors across the street. We walked around the mall for a bit and then had a really nice dinner at PF Changs...their lettuce wraps make my mouth water every time I think of them! LOL! SOOOOO good! We had a lot of fun and it was nice to get out with just the girls.

July 29th (PAD) - Little Miss Wicked!

This is my new favorite shirt! My brother took this picture of me at work today...obviously acting like a dork! LOL! I saw this shirt on Sunday when we were at The Magic Kingdom and I HAD to have it...I mean, it had my name on it! ;) How could I NOT?!

Back when Alyson was about 3 years old, she was Snow White for Halloween. I found an Evil Queen costume to go with. Shortly after, every time they would see the Evil Queen they would both say "Look Mommy, it's you!" I can only imagine what all the people around us at the Disney Princess on Ice show that year must have been thinking when they heard THAT?!?! LOL!

You know, she even graces my steering wheel these days too...although whenever school is session and Steve is driving the carpool, she tends to disappear! Can't imagine why?! LOL!

So now my secret is out! You all know my alter ego. APPLE anyone? ;)

July 28th (PAD) - Tiger Lily

This is our oldest cat...Tiger Lily -- or just Lily, for short. She turned 2 years old on June 16th. I have a soft spot for calicos and I just love her little pink nose too. Almost every night as soon as Steve and I crawl into bed she hops in too! We like to read most nights before turning out the light and Lily likes getting in the way and trying to snatch my bookmark! Or she will "attack" anything that moves under the comforter. I think she sleeps all day and then she is ready to play at night right when we are all ready to go to sleep! We adopted Tiger Lily when she was about 9 months old or so and she is such a sweet and lovable thing and possibly the quietest cat I have ever met! In all the time she has been with us, I think we have heard her 'meow' *maybe* 3 times! She reminds Steve and I a lot of Lenox...I think he would have liked having her as a little sister ;)

July 27th (PAD) - Got to meet up with a friend!

I got to meet an online friend today. She is the Landlord over at one of my favorite online hangouts - The House of Paper. I have been lucky enough to meet Chiara in person once before back in April 2005. This time though I actually got to meet her newest addition to the family (you can tell he was thrilled here, right?) I was talking to Steve about it and I figure I have known her for about 5 years or so now - we initially "met" on a Yahoo Group called Rakaroos before The House of Paper was "built"...how cool is that?! I had a lot of fun talking with her little girl who happens to be about the same age as Alyson. It was nice to have my family with me as well and Steve could get to meet her and her family too...he hears me talk about all my "House Girls" all the time! (see honey - they really DO exist!) We hung out for a bit and rode a few rides together and then we let them get back to their vacation. I am just thrilled that we got to "crash" for a little bit! And that is just another reason why I love Disney so much...what a great way to see some of our out of state friends and family!

July 26th - Meet Captain Fear!

We spent the morning at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex and watched some the Buccaneers Training Camp - so very cool! We are most definitely ready for some football to start in our house! The Bucs' mascot, Captain Fear was there and so we were able to get a couple of pics with him...he even attempted to use his sword to give Stevie a haircut! LOL! Alyson was excited to meet a few of the cheerleaders (and so was Daddy! - just insert a picture of me rolling my eyes here! LOL!). They were all very nice. I had a lot of fun snapping pics of all the players. ;)

July 25 (PAD) - A nice surprise!

Steve surprised me and booked us

a room for the weekend in Orlando. I got home from work, was told to pack and then we headed out. The kids love it when we stay at hotels because that is the only time they are allowed to jump on the bed! That is usually the first thing they do when we get in the room. This is mostly a rule that Steve came up with...I still have my doubts about whether or not it is really a good idea -- but I am pretty sure I would be outnumbered any way! LOL!

PAD - July 24th

Not much to look at, uh? I'll bet you are wondering why on earth I would take a picture of this house. On my lunch hour today I had to drive to sign some paperwork at my lawyer's office and so I decided to take a drive past here.

Can you believe I used to live in this house...back when I was about Alyson's age, my mom and I lived in this house. It certainly didn't look like this though! It didn't even have a cement driveway then, actually no driveway at all. And it was all open space around the house and no fence in the back. There was no front porch either. It was a bit more cute back then! My mom and I have always referred to this house as "The Crayola Box House" because she had pained each room a different color. My room was a sunny yellow color while my mother's room was lavendar. The little bathroom was green, the kitchen was blue and the living room was cantelope! LOL! She even painted a desk to match the living room! I wish I could remember how long we lived in that house. I used to love the tangerine tree in the back. I will have to see if I can find any pictures of what it looked like back then!