Brings tears to my eyes...

This little girl singing is Avery. She is Alyson's best friend and they first met when they were 4. We have always known that she could sing - her and Alyson are always singing together and writing songs.

She recently sang in church and we were just like WOW. Every time I watch this I get chill bumps and have to grab for a tissue! Such a beautiful voice on a such a beautiful little girl. So proud of her!

I just had to shar this...and now I need to find a tissue again.

Journaling my Christmas

I have been working on my Christmas Journal and finally got my first 3 entrees scanned in.  I am really enjoying doing the 6x6 size.  My pages are front and back so the left side of the picture is the front and the left is the back where I am doing my journaling.  If you click on the individual pics you can actually read the journaling.

December 1st --

December 2nd --

December 3rd

December 1st -- It's finally here!

Mornings can be pretty hectic around here...the kids never really want to go to school...I never really want to go to work...it is not uncommon to hear Steve have to remind the kids, especially Alyson, about what they need to be doing...get dressed, brush your teeth, shoes and sock, get your backpack...

THIS morning however was a little different -- at least as far as our little Diva goes ;)  She was up and dressed - including her shoes and socks and her teeth brushed...all before Steve could go in and remind her to get up.  Why?  Because it is December 1st...and she FINALLY got to start her Christmas Countdown Calendar -- which means she starts the day with a glorious piece of chocolate!  LOL!  You can still see the sleep in their eyes and Stevie isn't even close to being ready for school, BUT you can bet they both emjoyed their little piece of chocolate this morning!  I think it is safe to say that this is one of their most favorite traditions for this time of year ;)

I was feeling pretty excited about today myself actually...December 1st means I will have my first email from Shimelle and it is time to start my Christmas Journal! 

This will be my third year and I have been looking forward to it for weeks now. I have to admit, I have been like a kid, anxiously awaiting the start of this holiday season. I am not even really sure why -- but who cares?! ;)  Looking forward to getting my first page done in my journal tonight!  I am writing my manifesto.

Crank those Christmas tunes!  Fa La La La La...La La La La!

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

I have not posted anything for over a month.  I have been feeling overwhelmed with everything going on around me...working 40 hours a week, taking time for myself twice a week doing zumba, keeping up with all the kids' activities and school work while still trying to be a good wife...there never seems to be enough time.  Apparently I must say that a lot too.

Just this past week it was Parent Observation Week at the dance studio and so my husband and I got to watch Alyson in her first Acro Class and then watch both her and Stevie in Hip Hop together.  Alyson definitely has a long way to go in Acro class and Steve and I both agreed that I needed to try and work with her and my first response...."when am I going to have time for that?"  HOW do I make time for everything.

Then someone on another board posted this...and while I have heard it before, ironically enough - from my husband, the timing of the post was perfect for me and so I am posting it here.  One - so that I can finally get back into the swing of things on my blog again...and Two - so that I know right where to go next time I am feeling overwhelmed and wondering when I am going to have the time to "do it all"...

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.


He then asked the students, if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.


He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.


The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.


He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'


The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.


'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions –
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.


The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.


'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.


If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.


So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'


One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.


The professor smiled.
'I'm glad you asked'.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

I will not forget.

Today is NOT just like any other day.

I will remember all those lost 8 years ago today...I am thankful for all those who serve and protect this country every single day...I am praying for all them and their families.

I will NEVER forget.

God Bless America.

ME: the abridged version

I am starting an online class today over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. It is Cathy Z’s – ME: the abridged version. I love Cathy Z – she is witty and funny, very down to earth and her writing and scrapbooking style just speak to me. She keeps it casual and simple and that SO works for me! I know I don’t really scrap much about myself in my layouts so it seemed like this would be a good class for me.

Unfortunately, as I am going into this class, I seem to be surrounded by this “funk fog” – you know the kind…where you just feel sad, nothing seems right…things in my life seem so uncertain these days and I am having a hard time letting go of things I can not change. I struggle with the unknown…wondering where we will be in the next year or two. Chances are good that we will have to move at some point and that weighs heavily on my mind. We were so blessed to move into our dream home a few years back but then, as luck would have it, life took a turn we just really didn't expect. It’s not all bad really, but it makes it tough to find that little bit of security sometimes. Do you know what I mean? Maybe not.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Cathy’s video this morning – thankfully it was a quiet day at the office so I was able to watch at my desk this morning, sipping on my coffee. I love how she has broken things down and made this project seem just a little less overwhelming – I have hope that I may actually complete it! Something I am not very good at. I can start a project like nobody’s business – but then there always seems to come a point that I have a hard time getting past and then the project goes unfinished. Thankfully I know will find support with a couple of my roomies at The House of Paper -- there is a thread started on the message boards just for us who are taking the class…not to mention the message boards in the classroom at BPS. Surely I can do this…and find my way out of this “funk fog” as well…

My Little Shoebox

Have you seen the My Little Shoebox? It is fast becoming my new favorite. The papers are even yummier in person! I had fun playing with the Enjoy Life line in putting together this LO for the House of Paper blog -- hard to believe Alyson was so little. These pics were taken back in 2004. I think one of the best things about kids being that age is just watching their imagination take off every day...not exactly sure where she was going on this day but she was definitely having fun...

August Goodie Box

Sometimes Chiara sends the Design Team a Goodie Box that she puts together. She sends the same thing to 4 of us and then we all see what we can come up with...I love it! It's almost like Christmas when I get it in the mail. This month our goodie box looked like this:

Pretty right? Green and blue are my favorite colors...and I just love the lace cardstock from KI. I feel a little "out of it" lately when it comes to my scrapping so I am not feeling overly happy with my latest creations but this is what I came up with.

When I saw the "You & Me" I immediately thought of some pictures Steve and I had taken in South Carolina the other weekend. We spent a little time walking around and exploring the capital building then sat on a bench for a few in the shade...and of course I couldn't resist pulling the camera out so we could take a few self portraits.

When I originally started on this one it really was supposed to be a door hanger but then once I got the paper on it I didn't feel like cutting out the hole! LOL! I opted to make it more like a plaque and it is perfect for my scrap space which always seems to look like a tornado just blew through it! LOL!

You can check out what the rest of the Design Team did over in the House of Paper Designer Gallery

We got to meet Brian McKnight!

Steve and I headed up to Columbia, SC on Friday to attend his 20 year high school reunion. As we were checking into our hotel we ran into Brian McKnight! Steve and I are big fans of his! It was almost 1am, we had been driving for well over 7 hours but OMG - I was absolutely giddy! I took our bags up to the room while Steve parked the car. When he came up to the room he said Brian was hanging out in the lobby. I asked him if he was going to take the luggage cart all the way back to the lobby...his response was "hell, yeah!" LOL! So we took the cart back down and then kept nudging each other to go up to him...then chickened out and rode the elevator back up to the 6th floor but when the doors opened Steve said there was no way we could pass up this chance so he hit the #1 and we went back down. LOL! I am sure anyone watching would have thought us hysterical!

I will be forever grateful to my husband for walking over to Brian McKnight and saying hello. Brian was so very nice, extremely gracious with his time and seemed quite humble. He was surprised when I told him my favorite song of his is "I Belong to You". It is not one of his more popular tunes that was played on the radio - it is a beautiful song though. I honestly don't even remember what words were really spoken but I remember my whole body just shaking and me trying to just keep my hand still as we were shaking hands. I am pretty sure I may have even jumped up and down right before he agreed to take a picture with us! LOL!

The picture is definitely not one of my greatest looks but again, it WAS after 1am and we HAD been driving for over 7 hours...Steve and Brian look great though! I was still so giddy after this...I was pretty much bouncing off the walls until well after 3am! LOL!

CHECK IT OUT!

House of Paper has entered the blogging world...The House of Paper Blog is up!

I know the Design Team is very excited...can't wait to see what fun Chiara has in store for us all. We always have the best time on the Message Boards with the online crops and contests and just are daily chatting...I always start my day off with my coffee in hand the my House Roomies!

Check it out! :)

UGH!

Well, I am still in a slump as far as my creativity goes...could it be because my scrap space looks like a tornado came through ?!?! I just saw a quote yesterday though that read "Creative minds are seldom tidy" -- so maybe that isn't it. I really need to get on the ball...especially since I have some design team projects to get completed.

I posted a challenge today to the House of Paper's Get Your Groove Back Forum...would love to see what you can come up with. I have an idea brewing in my head for mine...hoping to get that done by the end of the week. If you do a LO and link it back here or post it to the Gallery at House of Paper I will enter your name in for a RAK from me.

Speaking of the House of Paper...you have to see what Chiara just stocked in the store today...the new Sassafrass Lass Me Likey Collection...just too cute and yummy for words!!

Well, I am going to see if maybe picking up a little after that said tornado might help me get the creative juices flowing...keep your fingers crossed for me and I will keep you posted! ;)

Just call me STELLA!

So far the summer has been pretty busy for me between working full-time, a 10 day road trip to SC, & VA, 4th of July and just trying to keep up with things on a daily basis...just seems to have sapped all my energy. It seems to have put me in a creative slump as well...and it has left me frustrated. I know that I am not the only one as it has been a popular saying amongst the gals over at the House of Paper. So we have started a Get Your Groove Back Challenge Forum and I am determined to get my groove on! It is not too late to join in....all the challenges will fun through until September 8th, 2009 since "not enough time" is also a common frustration as well.

I forced myself to tackle my first challenge last night which was to do a LO using a popular and trendy technique of clustering elements together. I made this Snow White LO using pictures from our visit to WDW with the kids -- it was our first time taking them and we flew down from Seattle. I remember how excited I was to be able to share my love of Disney with them both and Alyson has definitely followed in my footsteps over the years since then! The photos are from her very first princess encounter. Snow White was so sweet with Alyson and I wish I had photos of them talking and interacting but the boys were off somewhere else and the lady behind me was kind enough to take these 2 photos for me and I happy to at least have those. I used older stuff from my stash for this LO along with one of the new Say What Journaling Pieces from Little Yellow Bicycle - so very cool!

Well, I am off to see if I can work on my creative groove some more...amongst laundry, chores and getting ready for our Families Game Night that we are hosting tonight...should prove to be an enjoyable day despite the housework! ;)

A dance recital weekend

Alyson had her dance recital this weekend. I wasn't overly thrilled with her "costume" - I use the term loosely! And from what I had seen from her dance when she was practicing at home...well, I wasn't overly thrilled with that either. But THEN, I watched the dress rehearsal and I thought she was just too damn cute! The video is from her dress rehearsal - she did even better in the actual recital. (She starts out right in the front at first) There was one move I thought she needed a little more hip action on so we worked on that one! LOL! In the recital she looked right at me as she was doing it to make sure I approved! Love that girl!

Her and daddy participated in the "Father/Daughter" dance again this year as well. Just too damn cute for words! I know Steve thought it was a little cheesy but Alyson was absolutely over the moon to be up on stage with her daddy! I thought they were great! They even threw in their own ending as they exited the stage!

I just love the dance recitals! Next year should be even MORE fun as Alyson's big brother, Stevie has decided to give hip hop a shot as well! So he and Alyson are going to take a class together...and Alyson is also going to try an Acro class as well. I am already giddy about it! LOL! Can't wait til next year!

Getting ready for National Scrapbooking Day!

So, who's ready for National Scrapbooking Day this year? My Saturday is actually going to be pretty busy with a baseball game and 2 birthday parties but I am determined to squeeze in some scrapping! Plus, at The House of Paper we are celebrating all month long! If you don't already hang out with us it is not too late to be a part of the fun. For $5 you can have special access to the board dedicated to special challenges and you are automatically entered into the drawings for some really stellar prizes...some of which include a House of Paper Gift Certificate, Rebecca Coopers Book, a Page Maps Book, American Crafts Albums, Rubber Stamps, American Crafts Prize Pack, Crate Paper Prize Pack and a Kal Barteski! I am excited! How about you? Hope to see you there!

Turning 36...

This is my favorite LO right now...for a couple of reasons...not the least of which is that it was my first official assignment as part of the Design Team at The House of Paper! I was so excited to be asked to be a part of the DT...and I made my "debut" on April 7th and the theme was birthdays -- and it just so happened that the 7th was MY 36th birthday! I had a lot of fun playing with this Lily Bee French Couture paper - so yummy!

I love The House of Paper...I have been a part of the website from the beginning back in 2004...almost every single day you can find me on the message boards at The House -- several times a day at that! The group of ladies on that site are always so supportive and we have so much fun too! They have seen me through a lot over the last almost 5 years. I have tried other boards on the web but I always go back home to The House!

Aside from my debut on The House DT, I did enjoy a nice birthday. My co-workers surprised me with a mini-surprise party in the conference room complete with cake and Starbucks ice cream! YUM! And I was giving a piece of framed original artwork featuring my most favorite mouse - MICKEY!

Steve and the kids took me out to a nice dinner and Ms. Pat surprised me by joining us...

By the end of the day I had been treated to 3 cakes! Looking forward to dinner out with some of my favorite girlfriends pretty soon too! ;)

Picture of the day...

Went out to get the newspaper with Alyson this morning and she was playing some millipedes - we got this cool pic for the day. She asked me to "babysit" it while she went inside to grab her bug habitat...and that's when I saw it...that damn black snake, (also known as "Blacky" around these parts!) wrapped around the tree outside my dining room window. UGH! I managed to walk calmly in the houese without alerting the entire neighborhood of its presence. I received quite the angry "moooooom" from Alyson as I came in the door, but once I explained myself she forgave me. WHEW! Of course my crew immediately went to the window to check it out. According to them he is "only a baby". And what exactly constitutes "a baby"? Oh he is only about a foot and a half. ONLY a foot and a half?! Do they not realize that is the length of a 12x12 sheet of scrapbook paper...plus another half?! A baby, my ass! They watched as he made his way out of the tree and so he is now on the move...which means that at least the rest of the day (although probably longer!), I will NOT being using my front door.

I am going to stick with the millipedes!

Getting back into the swing of things!

It has been pointed out to me, by more than a few people, that I am behind on my blog. It is nice to know that there are people out there who are actually interested in what I might have to say or what is happening with my family...kind of gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside! ;) So sorry for being a slacker...things have just been hectic.

Today seemed like as good a day as any to get back into the swing of things (yep, that pun was totally intended!) Stevie had his very first baseball game today...and I confess, I was absolutely dreading it. I know, what a bad mom, right?! I am just not that big of a baseball fan and was really not looking forward to sitting out in the sun and time dragging...but I was most pleasantly surprised. I love how this league runs their games and these guys did so great! I was super proud of Stevie too! He played second base today; he got a few outs and had some really great plays! (I know I sound biased since I am his mother but, really he did!) He was up to bat 4 times with 3 hits and came in with 2 runs! He was so excited when the game was over...the fact that his team won probably had a bit to do with that but he really had a great time playing. I am actually looking forward to the next game!
















I have been keeping up with my Project 365 although I haven't been posted them each day to the blog obviously. I am trying to decide which pic to use for today...what do you think? First hit or first run?!

I still can't believe it...

I have been a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since I was a kid. My mom and I moved to FL the same year the Bucs franchise began. I can remember my mom taking me to game when they were dressed in their orange and white uniforms - now referred to as the "creamsicle" look. We would sit in the old "Sombrero" stadium and she would hand me the binoculars and tell me to look for grass stains...and alas, my love of football began! ;) (they had white pants back then just in case you were wondering). Probably not the best thing to tell your young daughter to do but hey, it helped pass the time and kept me interested in the game!

I grew up as a Bucs fan...even when they were downright awful. I am not what some would refer to as a fair weather fan. I am a Bucs fan for life. Today though, I am truly disheartened with the whole franchise. Over the years I have not always agreed with some of the choices and changes they have made but today's big announcement really left a bad taste in my mouth and a heavy heart. They let Derrick Brooks and 4 other veteran players go. There are a small few who support the move but I, and quite a few others do not. My heart is heaviest at the dismissal of Derrick Brooks.

Derrick Brooks is a class act on and off the field. He does so much for this community and he has played his entire career as a Buccaneer. Even he was blindsided by today's announcement. I feel so let down by the whole franchise. They don't seem to have any sense of loyalty. Granted, I am not a football expert but I think Derrick could have finished his last year on his contract and then been given the chance to retire as a Buccaneer...let him go out the way he came in. I have lost faith in the whole organization and I think the move they made was disrespectful and just down right classless.

Warrick Dunn is another one who is truly a class act on and off the field and another one they let go. It is really unbelievable to me. Both of these men are tremendous role models for our kids today...man, I just can't believe how sad all of this makes me.

I know I am not alone in my feelings either. I don't think this year is going to be the same for the football fans around Tampa Bay. I wish both Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn, as well as Joey Galloway, Cato June and Ike Hilliard, all the best in their future endeavors. I am so sad to see them go.

"WHO's YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER? ---- MR. DERRICK BROOKS!"

"Who's Your Favorite Player..."

You will be missed!

Project 365 - Feb 9th

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...so what does this one say to you? LOL! That is our little Tiger Lily -- not so little anymore though. She hopped on the couch to keep us company while we were watching The X-Files Movie. Guess she figured since the kids were all tucked in bed we needed a snuggle buddy. She is rather partial to Steve.