Too much time on their hands

Ok, I don't normally put stuff like this on my blog. But this was just too funny not to share. My sister sent it to me. And I'm sure I've looked at it about 5 times and everytime, it just cracks me up.

This video proves that sometimes, people just have too much time on their hands. I can't help but wonder what this person thought of themselves the first time they watched the video.

Anyway, check it out. It's just fun and something to make you laugh. AND it also shows what happens when one is sitting around with NOTHING else to do :-). Enjoy!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3597622493979993800&q=DANCING+DORA&pr=goog-sl

New Layout - Generations of Beauty

Yes, I've been at it again. I feel like I've got a LOT of catching up to do in the scrapbooking department. So, I've been trying to get some pictures to paper and "getter done!" :-)

Well, here's one I just completed of me, my mom and my sister. My mom will be in town later this week, so I thought I'd have this one ready to show her. So, here we are!




















Thanks for looking!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

I can't believe it's already time to say that. Where has this year gone?

Don't have too much to say today, as we're still "in" the moment. But I wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! The day has been totally relaxing and it was so exciting to watch the kids open their gifts. And I must say, the dinner that I made was AWESOME! I tried a standing rib roast for the very first time and it was THE BOMB!!! :-)

Anyway, everyone enjoy the rest of your Christmas Day!!!

New Layout - You Color My World

It's been a while since I've posted any of my layouts. I think sometimes, they're not "worthy" of sharing. But this one, I thought turned out very well and I'm pretty happy with it.

Special thanks to my dear friend, Cynthia and her sister Lisa, of Simplicity Portraits for taking these awesome pictures for us.

Thanks for looking.

18 years and counting...

Today is my 18th wedding anniversary! Wow, has it REALLY been that long? This anniversary in particular brings a funny memory to mind. Back when Marque and I first got married, my dad affectionately said to us, "If you can make through the first 18 years, it'll be a piece of cake from there on out!". Well, dad...I guess we're ready for that "piece of cake"! We MADE IT!!!

Last night, as tradition would have it, we went to our favorite restaurant, Fogo De Chao for dinner. And what was even more special this time, is they gave us the exact same table as last year. The ambiance at Fogo is so relaxing and romantic.


And as always, the food is AWESOME! Also as they did last year, they put "Happy Anniversary" on our dessert. How sweet is that?

Well, all I have to say, is I hope and pray that the next 18 years will be as wonderful as the 17 we've already had (that first year was rough...LOL).

Marque, if you read this, always know that I love you dearly and I wouldn't trade what we have for the world. As long as we both know that there's always room for improvement...we'll always strive for the best that OUR marriage has to offer. I love you!!!


Happy Anniversary!!

How do you use this thing???

Ok, as most of you know, I joined CURVES over the summer and started on the road to fitness. Well, I'm doing pretty well, but I've still got a lot of work to do. Almost everytime I go to a store I'm looking for work out clothes. But on my latest quest, I've been looking for one of those giant exercise balls.

Well, while out Christmas shopping for the kids today, I found one...and bought it. Now I would be amiss if I said I knew anything about exercise equipment. They had this ball in 3 different sizes 55cm, 65cm and 75cm. Again, I haven't a CLUE as to which one I need. So, I did what any woman would do and I chose the pretty red one (75cm) :-). Of COURSE I wanted it in purple, but Nooooo, they didn't have any. Little did I know that each size had it's own color. So we get to the counter to pay and I ask what's the difference in the sizes. The gentleman tells me that it depends on your height. He glances over the counter and tells me that I'll need the medium sized one (65cm). Well, you have NO idea how excited I was to be able to purchase a MEDIUM sized ANYTHING for myself. But wouldn't it be my luck that the medium size ball is BLUE! Oh well...I'll get the blue one.

So, I get this giant GLOBE home and proceed to inflate it. You know what? Rubber has an AWFUL smell! I get it all full of air and now I'm gradually being convinced that I should've gotten the larger one. Not because it's red...but because it just seems like the larger one would be better for me.

Better for me HOW you ask? That brings me to the reason for this post...How do you use this thing??? Sure, it came with a DVD and a little wall poster. But I don't get it!!!
So, if any of my fellow readers have EVER in life used one of these things, please help me out! I'd love to know if in fact I should've gotten the bigger - 75cm (prettier) red one. Or if my height is a factor. AND even more so, what are the best exercises to do on this thing. I'm looking forward to using it as I think it would be great for when I'm not able to go to the gym.

Thanks in advance for ANY suggestions!

A, B, C challenge

Oh my...now this one is gonna be interesting.

I've been tagged by Brown English Muffin...AGAIN! But I have to admit, this one looked a little intimidating. Mainly because of how many alphabets there are. Guess I'd better get on it, huh?

In the meantime, I'm tagging the following people: Diane, Adrienne, Renee, Veronica, Muriel & Tangee. And of course, anyone else who feels up to it. You guys let me know when you do it, I'd love to see what you came up with.

Anyway, here goes:

A - Available/Single: Married and off the market for 20 years!

B - Best friend? My DH Marque, Dee-Dee & Stacey

C - Cake or Pie? ARGH!!! I'm not against either one. But if I have to choose one, it would be cake.

D - Drink of choice: HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!! Dr. Pepper, DUH!!

E - Essential item you use everyday: Oh my goodness, I have 2. My "no more children" pills and deoderant. I about had a fit when I had my mammogram last month...they told me not to wear any deoderant. Boy, after the procedure was done, I couldn't get my deoderant on fast enough!

F - Favorite color: Purple

G - Gummy bears or worms: I guess I'd have to say bears. The worms may taste the same, but just the thought of "worms" makes me sick!

H - Home or homesick? Home! I can't think of anywhere else on EARTH that I'd rather live. Although I was born in NYC, I don't consider that home.

I - Indulgence? Oh GREAT!!! How's a girl to choose? Ok, I'd have to say chocolate. I LIVE for my Wednesday night Girls Nights. If we don't have anything else there, we have SOMETHING chocolate. And although it goes without saying...DR. PEPPER!!!

J - January or February: February for many reasons. It's the month of LOVE, it's my DH's birthday, Spring soccer season begins, and it's the month my DD, Jayla was conceived. (You asked!)

K - Kids & Their names: Yes, I have kids. Briyanna, Markell, Jayla and my doggie, Trae :-).

L - Life is incomplete without...: Jesus Christ and LOVE (actually, these are one in the same)

M - Marriage date? What kind of question is this??? If it's asking if I "ever" go on marriage dates with my DH, I'd say....SOMETIMES! Our anniversary is a given, every year. And we TRY to go out at least once every few months. Ok, I'm a ding dong...And Diane, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I guess I really DIDN'T understand the question. My "Marriage date" is December 17, 1988. (Call me crazy, but I thought that was my WEDDING date!)

N - Number of siblings: I have one sister, Kimmy. We're 10 years & 5 days apart in age.

O - Oranges or apples? I guess apples. As good as oranges are, they're too much work!

P - Phobias/Fears? I HATE bugs! Does that make it a phobia or a fear? Both I guess. I also have a fear of dying and leaving my kids without a mother. I often wonder if my youngest is old enough to have memories of me. I pray that my kids are ALL grown up and possibly have their own families before the Lord calls me home. ARGH...this makes me teary just thinking about it. On to the letter "Q".

Q - Favorite quote: "What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God."

R - Reason to smile: Waking up in the morning and seeing that me and my family are living to see another day.

S - Season? I LOVE the Spring! To me, flowers are simply the earth exploding into laughter.

T - Tag 3 or 4 people: I thought I did this already. Diane, Veronica, Tangee & Muriel.

U - Unknown fact about me: Ok, now if I answer this one, it will no longer be "unknown". I'm an open book...I can't think of anything, that almost everyone that knows me, doesn't already know about. If I come up with something, I'll let you know.

V - Vegetables you don't like: Okra, Squash, Beets, Brusselsprouts...I could go on...

W - Worst habit? Biting my nails and twirling my hair. I do these things mainly when I'm nervous or stressed.

X - X-rays you've had: My toe back in 1985, my neck/spine in 2002 and my ankle in 2005

Y - Your favorite food: Shrimp & pasta

Z - Zodiac sign: Awww, what a 70's/80's question to ask. My sign is Scorpio.

WHEW...that was fun...exhausting, but fun nonetheless. Ok, now for those of you who were tagged...I'm WAITING....

They're all out....

Well, all 95 of my Christmas cards have been mailed. So what it took me 4 different mailings to get them all out. THEY'RE GONE!!!!
And now that they're all, either received or still in the mail, I think it's safe to go ahead and share our card with everyone else. I made this card myself. But it wouldn't have been possible without the awesome photographic skills of my dear friend Cynthia, her sister Lisa and their company, Simplicity Portraits. Thank you ladies, ya'll ROCK!!!!

Well, here's the card. And oh, you're gonna love this. Do you know that after checking at 6 different places that there are NO 4x6 envelopes to be found! What's up with THAT??? I had to make my OWN envelopes...sheesh! Ok, I'm done. Hope you like the card.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (questions)

I know it's the season of giving. But right now, I'm STEALING!!! LOL. I'm stealing these questions from fellow blogger, Brown English Muffin. She had some really cool Christmas related questions on her blog. So I took it upon myself to "borrow" them from her. Hope she doesn't mind. Good news is, I'm using my own answers :-).

Well, here goes:

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate of course. Anything with the word "nog" in it, just doesn't sound very appetizing to me.

2. Does "Santa" wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Well, the Santa that lives in MY house, doesn't wrap NUTHIN! But his wife, on the other hand, does all the wrapping :-).

3. Colored lights on the tree/house or white? Definitely white. I got enough of the big ole incandescent sized light bulbs when I lived with my mom. Not to mention, colored lights are just too busy for my taste.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. It was never something our families did. Not to mention, I don't need to stand under some plant to get a kiss. :-).

5. When do you put your Christmas decorations up? Usually a week or so after Thanksgiving. OR whenever I can talk the Mister into bringing the stuff up from the basement.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I'd have to say my hubby's collard greens. YUM!!! With a slice (or two) of Honey Baked smoked turkey and some cranberry sauce.

7. What is your favorite holiday memory as a child? This is a difficult one. I guess I'd have to say just the anticipation of the day.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Well, I think I kinda figured it out on my own. I'm 40 years old and my mom still gives me gifts from Santa :-).

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No. This isn't a tradition our family adopted. I think the kids wouldn't be able to stop at just one anyway. So it's best we don't even start this one.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Twinkling white lights with silver, green and Burgundy bulbs, and Burgundy poinsettias. So pretty.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I think snow is beautiful and makes for a beautiful Christmas day. However, since I live in Georgia, that's not a sight we get to see much.

12. Can you ice skate? Sure, I can ice skate...as long as my ice skates have wheels on them! LOL Ok, NO...I cannot ice skate!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I'd have to say the gift my DH and I gave eachother in 1995. We gave eachother a trip to Jamaica....yes TOGETHER!!! We were actually there for Christmas. It was so cool (albeit not literally) to be on the beach sipping a virgin Strawberry Daiquiri. What a beautiful place....especially at Christmas.

14. What's the most exciting thing about the holidays for you? Seeing the kids faces when they see all the gifts under the tree. And when they open something that they really hoped for. Also, just getting together with family.

15. What's your favorite holiday dessert? My MIL's sweet potato pie. OR Chocolate Delight! YUMMY!!! Oh, and my good friend Stacey's apple cake...to DIE for!!!

16. What's your favorite holiday tradition? Unfortunately, our family hasn't really established any traditions. However, my wedding anniversary is about a week before Christmas. So DH and I usually spend our anniversary Christmas shopping for the kids. So, with that, I'm not sure if that's a Christmas tradition or an Anniversary tradition.

17. What tops your Christmas tree? A big ole silver bow.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Now, I assume we're still talking about Christmas, right? LOL Ok, for those who know me, you know this is a touchy subject for me. As much as I enjoy receiving gifts, I really enjoy giving gifts to those I love. I buy the kids and my DH stuff throughout the year. But there's something about giving gifts at Christmas. Nothing like the sound of joyus laughter or that big surprised grin when a child gets that special gift they wanted.

19. What's your favorite Christmas song? "Celebrate me home" by Kenny Loggins.

20. Candy canes? They're alright. I can do with or without them. I'm not much of a mint person.

Well, there you have it. That was fun. Even though Miss Muffin didn't challenge anyone, I think I will. Ok ladies, you're up: Diane, Veronica, Muriel & Renee. And anyone else who's up for the challenge. Ooops, I forgot to add Tangee! Get on it girl!!! :-)

Merry Christmas everyone!

My OTHER Princess is Twenty-Two!!!

Someone pinch me!

As hard as it was to believe that my BABY is 5 years old...it's even harder to believe that my FIRST baby is 22 years old! Yes, I said TWENTY-TWO! I feel faint!

I've gotta tell you, I have truly been blessed with some drop dead gorgeous daughters. But I am totally floored as to HOW beautiful this one turned out. I mean, I knew when she was born that she was a pretty baby, but I don't think I appreciated it as much as I would've had I been an older, more mature mother.

But as she grew older, God showed me more...not just through her beautiful face, but through her sweet spirit, that she's a beautiful person INSIDE as well.
Sure, we've had our issues...especially when she became a teenager. But what mother doesn't experience those times?

Now back to this 22 years old thing. What a blessing this young lady has become. She has grown up into a responsible adult. She's taking care of herself (and her cute little puppy) :-) What's funny about this is, she's finding out that being an adult and having to do for yourself isn't as fun as she thought it would be. She's finding that you can't just go to that "big ole grey box" and get money out anytime you want to...there's got to be money in there to get some out...LOL. But I'm beyond proud of her for taking care of her business.

Briyanna, I could not have asked for more special girls than you and your sister.


God has truly blessed me with the best of the best. I am SO proud of you and I love you SO much!!!









Please don't ever let a day go by without remembering that.


Happy Birthday, my dear beautiful daughter. Mommy loves you!!!

Do we REALLY know this many people?

SHEESH!!! For the past few days, I've been looking over my Christmas card list and updating addresses. I just do a simple spreadsheet in Excel where I indicate names/addresses along with the year and if I sent/received cards from that particular person or family. I have a 2-3 year rule. If I send a card to someone and I don't hear from them for 2 - 3 years straight, I remove them from the list. Heck, I figured they must not wanna hear from us anymore. However, this rule really doesn't pertain to close family members. I'll send them one regardless. Cuz I'm sure I'll hear about it if I don't.

ANYWAY, back to my current list. I don't actually remember meeting so many people since last Christmas that would make them "card worthy". But obviously it has happened. Our list has grown from about 80-85 last year to 103 this year! What's up with that??? Now, I've gone over this list...and checked it twice (hee hee) and there are only a few that I won't be sending cards to this year...and we're still in the high 90's! Now if you're an optimist like I ATTEMPT to be...this is a good thing! I HAVE met some great people over the past year, some of which I've never even laid eyes on. But we've struck up such a friendship that I think we'll be exchanging cards this year.

So, you tell me...is this a bad rule to have? I have a few other friends that do the same thing. But is it a rude thing to do? I know the old quote that says something about people coming into your life for a reason or for a season. Maybe to some extent, this "rule" flys slightly under that radar. Anyway, what do you think?