Friday Flower Fix

WHAT A DAY!!!

Sorry for the delay in getting the Friday Flower Fix posted. Jayla had her Spring/Easter Program this morning (more on that later). Then her class had an Easter Egg hunt. THEN...they said she could leave early and get a head start on Spring break. So we did what everyone loves to do at the beginning of Spring break...we went grocery shopping! LOL

Anyway, here's your fix:

"If you pass by the Color Purple in a field and don't notice it, God gets real pissed off"

(This is a quote by "Shug Avery" from my all time favorite movie, The Color Purple)

Have a beautiful weekend!

He's a DOZEN!!!

Today is Markell's 12th birthday! Has it been 12 years already?

Most of you who read my blog may not know Markell's story. But it's a good one...especially for those of us who have been blessed to have him in our lives.

I'll try to be brief.

Markell is my nephew...he's my sisters son. My sister was young when she had Markell and wasn't able to take on the roll of a mother at such a young age. So my DH and I discussed it...albeit quickly, and decided that, instead of letting him get adopted by strangers, we'd take him in and become his legal guardians. So 4 days after Markell was born, me and my oldest daughter went to Mobile, Al to, hopefully, meet and bring home our newest family member. Well, we got him from Social Services the day after we arrived in Mobile and 3 days later, brought him back to Atlanta to start his new little life.

Markell was 7 days old when he came to live with us. We have loved him and raised him as our own since 1995. THIS is why I can't believe that it's already been 12 years!

We have always wanted a son of our own and taking in Markell was the next best thing. I love this boy more that you'll ever know. And I wouldn't change a single thing about our decision. He's an awesome, energetic, sweet kid and adds his own little "flavor" to our world.

Ok, before I get all misty...allow me to share some photos of what a 12 year old looks like :-). I just did a mini photo shoot of him in our backyard...can you believe it?...he actually LET me take pictures of him this time. Hmmm, maybe being a dozen does something to a guy, who knows, he may let me start taking pictures of him more often. :-) Enjoy!

Ok, I tried! This last picture sheds a little light on my "hopes" mentioned above. Maybe things haven't changed...he still doesn't like me taking pictures of him. But c'mon...he's SO handsome...it's always gonna be worth a try.

Happy Birthday MARKELL!!!! I love you, bunches & bunches!

Welcome to Allergy season!!!

Achoo!!!

Oh, excuse me!!

This is something you can expect to hear a lot of these days if you live in the lovely southern state of Georgia. I don't think I personally suffer from allergies...not in the Spring anyway. I prefer Fall allergies myself :-) lol.

Check this out. I just printed this from the WSB TV site.

I would venture to say that a pollen count of almost 4 THOUSAND is extremely high, wouldn't you? Anything that sits outside for ANY amount of time can expect to be COVERED in this fine yellow powder. Just look at our vehicles.

This 1st picture is the back of my hubby's car...NO, he doesn't have anything against the carwash (that would be me...hee hee). THIS is what his car looks like after sitting in the GARAGE for a hour...with the door closed! The 2nd picture is just another depiction.

And here's my van. The orginal color was navy blue....

Crazy, isn't it??? We can expect to see this for at LEAST another month or two. Gonna be fun!

ACHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inspired to INSPIRE.....

I love this quote. It's so true. And we all know that even EXCELLENCE is sometimes out of reach. Fortunately, everyone has their own version of excellence which makes it more attainable. With that in mind, have an EXCELLENT week...you deserve it.

Be Inspired!

Crazy Georgia weather & Soccer...

Last weekend, the kids had games at noon and 1:30pm. And let me just say, we truly LOVE these kids because it was FREEZING and WINDY outside last Saturday. Jayla played with a turtleneck under her jersey and thick tights under her shorts. Markell played with a thick long sleeve shirt under his jersey and his socks pulled up, almost to his thighs. My dad was in town from New York and even HE said it was ridiculously cold here. It may not have been so bad had the wind not just blown right through you.

Now TODAY was a totally different story...it was 83 degrees outside and HOT!!!!!! How crazy is THAT? I'm not sure which I prefer during soccer season...the cold or the heat.

Jayla had pictures this morning before her noon game. So we had to be at the field at 11am. It was so cute to see all the girls huddled together getting matching ribbons put in their hair and on their jersey sleeves. I think we've got the cutest kids in the entire U6 league :-). There are only 2 boys on her team and maybe 10 girls. Here's Jayla after her "ribbon treatment" was applied...lol.

This next picture, I just LOVE. I can't tell you how happy it makes me that Marque coaches both of the kids. He loves these kids! Not only ours, but ALL of them. He's so proud of them. He says he gets quite the workout with the U6 team...you all should see him running all over that field. It's a sight to see! He gets a little bit of a breather when Markell's team plays...all he has to do is stand on the sidelines and yell...hee hee.

And you know how I'm always saying that Markell doesn't like for me to take pix of him? Well, today, I'm glad I didn't listen to him :-). He played goalie so I got a few good shots. I love that my camera can get pix from across the field. That way, he doesn't always know that I'm zooming in on him :-). This first shot is when he first took the goal. He sometimes doesn't like playing this position because it's "boring". We haven't convinced him yet that it's kind of a good thing...because it means that the ball and rest of his team are at the other end of the field in scoring position. But I guess I can't blame him...it is more fun to be running all over the field instead of standing in one place watching the grass grow :-).

Ok, NOW we're getting a little action. Time for a goal kick! This kid has quite a foot on him. Everytime he gets the ball when he plays goalie, he actually kicks the ball clear to the other end of the field. Very impressive.

Anyway, that's about all I have to share for today. Needless to say, I'm exhausted! I know, I didn't even play today. But sitting in that sun all day will zap the energy right out of a girl! So this is it for me today. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!

New Layout - Western Day

Yes, I'm posting again. But I forgot to post my newest LO. I know, I've been forgetting a lot lately...good thing is, I DO eventually remember :-).

Anyhoo, I know you've seen these pictures before. But they have finally made their way to cardstock and have become layouts.

Supplies:

(Patterned paper) Sandy Lion "Daisy Stripes" & "Stonewashed Pink"

(Cardstock) Paper Reflections "Bohemian Rhapsody Solie Palette (Target) & Making Memories

(Embellishments) Suede strips (Michaels), Paper Studio Spare Parts "Marquee pink letters, Creative Imaginations "Cowgirl" Epoxy Stickers, Making Memories "Leather frame", KI Memories stickers & ribbon, Clear epoxy square & circle stickers and eyelets

(Computer fonts) Playbill & CK Wrangler

(Techniques) Used suede strips to make letters. Tore, wrinkled & inked journaling box

Thanks for looking!

Friday Flower Fix

Shoot, I almost forgot about the flowers today.

Sheesh...what kind of blogger AM I anyway??? :-)

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's PARTY!"

Have a beautiful weekend!

Soccer season is underway....

Well, we're 4 games deep into the Spring 2007 season.

Markell's team, the Stingrays, have won 3 of their 4 games and they look GREAT! Sadly, Markell hasn't scored any goals yet...but he sure is keeping a lot of his opponents from scoring...and he hasn't even played goalie yet! We're finding that he's pretty good in the field defense this season.

I've let him off the hook as far as taking my camera to the games and embarassing him. SOOO, I've left the picture taking up to our "team photographer", Miss Trish. So, as promised, here a few pix of my Stingray.

I love this first shot of him. It's amazing how focused and determined he looks in pictures. Soccer is so fast paced that it's hard to see the expressions on their faces during the actual game. Miss Trish captures some awesome shots of these guys.

Again, more looks of determination. He looks like he's gonna kick the crap out of that ball :-).

Just another great shot of Markell keeping his eye on the ball and focusing on the game. He even looks good out there when the ball is no where near him :-).

And now, for my little Cheetah. Ya'll, Jayla is a mess. This little girl has her very own style and absolutely loves playing soccer. This season, she is really getting the jist of the game and follows directions so well. And she shows such concern for all of the other kids on the field. In this past weekends game, she was dribbling the ball down the field and accidentally knocked down this little boy (that's my girl! lol). She stopped cold in her tracks to check and see if he was alright. But not before she made a perfect pass to one of her team mates for a goal.

And what's even funnier is, she's also the "team cheerleader"...she cheers and high fives players when ANYBODY scores a goal...Cheetah or not :-).

Now, in the first shot, I couldn't help but laugh. I love the way she's got her tongue hanging out. I've never noticed that she does that. It's so amazing how a 5 year old can have such foot control. Seriously, she REALLY knows what she's doing out there.

This 2nd shot is just too funny. After I saw this picture, I asked Jayla why she had her eyes closed while her "Coach Daddy" was talking to her. She immediatley comes back with, "I was trying to really hear what daddy was saying". LOL

Here again, just showing more of that fancy footwork :-).

Well, like I said, we're only 4 games into the season and we've still got the rest of this month and the entire month of April to go. Not to mention, possible tournaments for the Stingrays in May.

I just love that the kids are involved in something that they enjoy. And as soon as we get those professional pictures done, I'll share those with you. Enjoy your week!

Inspired to INSPIRE.....

FRIENDS

"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when she discovers that someone else believes in her and is willing to trust her."

Be Inspired...I am!

IKEA furniture upgrade

Now I said in my Friday Flower Fix post that today was going to be a busy day. And it has been.

On Monday, my DH and I went to IKEA to look at some new bedroom furniture for Jayla. Originally, her room was the guest room. But when she came along 5 years ago, that room became hers. Now that we've gotten the basement finished, we've gotten our guestroom back. So, we moved Jayla's furniture to that room and bought her something new. Anyway, back to Monday. We looked at a full sized bed and some dressers just to see if that's what we wanted and to make sure it was in stock. It was...YAY!!! But we couldn't actually buy it until today...BOO!!!

Backing up a bit, I've asked a few people what they thought about the quality of furniture from IKEA and I received both big praises and some, "It's ok's". So I decided that I'd let DH make the final decision. That way, if it turned out to be crappy, it wouldn't be my fault...hee hee.

Ok, so today, we run to IKEA and purchase a full sized bed, mattress and 2 dressers. We get everything loaded in the van and headed home. Fortunately, my dad is in town visiting from New York, so he helped my DH put everything together. Oh my goodness you guys...it's beautiful!! I simply love it!!! AND...they got it all put together before Jayla got home from school. She was SO surprised and couldn't help jumping on her new "low profile" bed.

Whatcha think??

Here's my husband and my dad working together on the bed. Ya know, this is quite a site for me. I mean, they put Jayla's bicycle together a few years ago...but that was pretty much a no brainer. But to see them reading instructions and working on FURNITURE together was just special to me. I am so blessed to have a husband who loves and gets along with his in-laws. Me and his mom are the same way. Except we've never put furniture together before...lol.

Here they are putting one of the dressers together.

And finally, the room is complete. Isn't it adorable? I just love it. DH actually picked out the dressers...he really liked the frosted fronts and how "different" they looked. I think it looks great and adds to the brightness and openess of the room.

Ok, that's it. I just had to share. Have a great weekend.

Friday Flower Fix

I know it's Thursday night and I'm posting the "Friday Flower Fix". But tomorrow is going to be a CRAZY day, and I know I won't have time to do it.

Good thing is, we all get to enjoy the beauty a few hours longer than usual.

Tulips

"Every flower is a soul blossoming out to nature."

Enjoy and have a beautiful weekend.

Spring Questionnaire

Happy Tuesday everyone!

During my daily blog reading today, I came across a few questions on Susie Q's site. For the record, her site is so fun and it just makes you happy when you read it. Anyway, she had some questions on there today about Spring. So I took it upon myself to answer them. I'm sure my answers won't be as elaborate as hers, but here goes:

What is your favorite part of Spring?
Hmmm, now this answer COULD go on forever. But I'll try to be brief. I'd have to say that one of my favorite parts of Spring are the flowers. I simply LOVE flowers and all the colors are so vibrant and refreshing. I'm not much of a gardener, actually I can say that I HATE yardwork! But I love flowers in the yard. I just want them to "BE" there. I don't want to have to plant them myself :-). I always tease my family and neighbors and tell them that I'm just going to go and buy some silk flowers and plop them in my yard. When the colors start to fade, I'll just yank them up, throw 'em in the trash and plop some more down...LOL. But I've been told that I'd live a long and lonely life if I EVER did that. I don't see the problem! But ANYWAY. Another favorite part of Spring is soccer. I love to watch the kids play soccer. There's something really special about sitting out there in the fresh air,cheering on your kids, chatting with friends and drinking a big ole Dr. Pepper. I've always vowed that I'd never succumb to the stereotypical SAHM. But I admit it, I have...I am a SOCCER MOM!!! (in both the Spring and the Fall) and I LOVE it!

What is your least favorite part of Spring?
Bugs, pollen and puddles from all the rain.

What is the most severe weather event you've ever experienced?
Fortunately, I've not experienced really severe weather...thank God! I do remember, though, when we use to live in an apartment, a really bad tornado blew through our complex. After it was over, me and my DH, went outside to "inspect" the damage. Not sure what we thought we could do. But it was fun. Sorry, it wasn't "fun"...maybe a little exciting. Our crazy selves stood by the sliding glass door (NOTE: we are aware that this was a dumb idea) and watched tree branches and roof top shingles blow by. Talk about cool!! lol Oh, and then last April, a really bad storm came through and a HUGE tree branch punctured a hole in the side of our house. Now THAT was scary! It happened at like, 4:00 in the morning. Fortunately, it came through a closet in our playroom and no one was in there. Not to mention, me and DH were the only ones who heard the loud noise it made.

Daylight Savings Time (DST) began last Sunday, 3 weeks earlier than in previous years. How do you feel about DST? Love it, hate it, could care less?
Well, personally, I don't see the need for it. I can't quite understand why we do it or what purpose it serves. However, I could actually care less. It seems to really affect people, with regards to sleep. But it doesn't really phase me, I don't really notice the difference in the hour change, one way or the other.

Well, that's it. That was interesting. Feel free to answer them yourselves, I'd love to know what your favorite and not so favorite things about Spring are. Have a happy day!

New Layouts

Hello everyone.

I haven't posted any of my layouts on here lately, as I haven't been too impressed with them. However, I thought I'd share a few anyway...who knows, SOMEbody might like 'em :-).

Anyway, here they are:

"Miss Thang"

Supplies: DCWV Neutrals Stack (Cardstock), Robins Nest DD Orchid Stones, English III Presto BT (Computer font), Scanned floral design from Jayla's jeans

"Markell"

Supplies: Hobby Lobby Textures & Provo Craft Crafters Block II (Cardstock), Photo corners, holders, flowers and letters from Roots Scrapbooking, Barbara Hand (Computer font), Quote from EK Success: The Write Words

"Pretty Girl"

Supplies: My Minds Eye "Everyday Tango" stack (Patterned paper), cardstock from Michaels, EK Success 'Feminine" Simply Classic Inspirables (chipboard stickers), EK Success clear circles, MAMBI Curly alphabets and "GIRL" cut from Cricut (George font). Handcut & "popped" flower accents.

Thanks for looking.

Something new for YOU...

Happy Sunday everyone. I hope you all had a great weekend, and assuming you had some good weather, hope you were able to get outside and enjoy it.

As you see in my title, I've got something new for all of my readers. But before I explain, I'd like to give my dear, special friend, Gina my sincerest thanks for helping me with this. Last week, Gina sent me a really awesome poem, that I'm gonna share in a just a moment. I don't think she was aware that I absolutely LOVE poems, quotes & sayings. I use them TONS in my scrapbooking. And now, I'd like to start using them in my blogging.

I've shared a couple over the past month or so, and I gotten some really good feedback from you about them. So I'm getting the feeling that I'm not the only one who is inspired by the written word.

SOOOO, now, for the something new. Beginning today, I will share a new poem, quote or saying at the beginning of every week. I'm shooting for either Sundays or Mondays...you know, just to get your week off to a good start. Gina and I tried to come up with a "name" for my new blog addition....she even threw out some great ideas for me. However, the more I thought about it, the more I kept coming back to the name of my blog...Be Inspired. With that in mind, I have come up with (drum roll please)...............Inspired to Inspire! So, be on the look out every week for that title.

As long as I've known Gina, she has continued to be an inspiration to me and my family. I miss her so much and I'm still very sad that she doesn't live here in GA anymore. But if everything works out, she and her lovely family may be moving back here. I can't wait! So, again, Gina, I thank you for your friendship, your continued support and especially for your love. Special friends like you are hard to come by. This new weekly posting will always be dedicated to you...as you have "Inspired me to inspire" others. Love you girl!!!

Now, without further delay, here's the first poem I'd like to share with you. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANYWAY

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends & true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, they may cheat you; Be forthright anyway.

What you spent years building, they may destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous and scorn, Be joyous anyway.

The good you do today, they often will forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it will never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them, ANYWAY!

~~~~

Be Inspired...I am! Have a great week.

Friday Flower Fix

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."

Have a beautiful weekend!

Addictions...does everyone have them?

I know when most people hear the word addition, they immediately think about drugs or alcohol or something of the like. But that's not always the case. I'd like to think that I don't have any addictions, but my family and friends think otherwise.

What am I addicted to, you ask? Again, I say nothing. But if I had to make an educated guess, I'd have to say that I'm very FOND of the following: (don't you love my play on words? lol)

I'm really fond of: (in no particular order, of course)
~Scrapbooking
~Sleeping
~Shopping (with or without coupons)
~Dr. Pepper
~Chick Fil A
~My computer
~Blogging
~Dr. Pepper :-)

Ok, ok...now that's just enough! Sheesh! Now the average person wouldn't call these addictions, would you??? Those are just things that I REALLY, really enjoy and can almost live without...lol.
I'm sure I could think of a few other things, if I really put my mind to it. But why bother?

However, there is one that I "stumbled" upon earlier this week that I didn't realize I had...and I trully mean stumbled. MAGAZINES...now who would admit to something so silly? I guess I would. Just look at this small mountain of magazines. The worst part about this is, these are ONLY the ones from my "bedside reading stack". I have about 2 - 3 more stacks like this in my scrap area. And not to mention, I just recently got rid of my 2005 issues...so there's another mountain (or two).

I admit it, I LOVE magazines. Between me and my mother in law, we get just about every magazine that's in print. But my scrapbook ones, are my all time favs. I don't subscribe to any of them at the moment...but I can't stop myself from checking out the reading section everytime I go to the store. It's kind of embarassing when my 5 year old says, "Hey mom, you have THOSE already!" It's crazy, I tell you!

And just in case you're wondering, I DO go back through them from time to time just to see if I missed something. When I purge my old issues, I go back through one more time and rip out anything that may be of interest later. So there is a method to the madness!

Ok, so what's YOUR addiction? I know you've got one...or two. Let's talk about it. You know, that's the first step to recovery, is acknowledging that there's a problem. :-)

What a FUN weekend!

Hello everyone. I hope you all are having a great weekend. Today has been a lazy, relaxing day for me. And I'm loving it.

Yesterday, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. But in a good way. Let's see, where should I begin?

Well, yesterday, was opening season for soccer. And outside of the frigid wind, it was a beautiful opening day. Jayla played first and was all bundled up in her soccer gear. THIS year, we opted to go with black tights to be worn under her shorts and a long sleeve shirt under her jersey. For the life of me, I can't figure out why the U6 teams get new uniforms EVERY season. The standard colors for this league are red, black & white. But this year, they've changed it up on us. Aside from the white jersey for "away" games. They now have navy blue shirts (with red & white writing) for "home" games instead of red. Now, when I went to pick up Jayla's new uniform, I was a little shocked. We happen to be good friends with the guy who runs the league. So I pulled him aside and told him that if in fact, navy WAS going to be the new color, that Jayla wouldn't be able to play when she was the "home" team. He asked why and I told him that no daughter of mine is going to be wearing a navy shirt with black shorts!!! LOL. Believe me, it looked AWFUL together. He just laughed at me and told me not to worry, the red shorts and socks would be in later this week. Whew...that was close...lol.

Anyway, the Cheetahs did really well. And, let Jayla tell it, she scored her normal amount of goals...50! Hee Hee. She's too much! Fortunately, they don't keep score at this playing level. So I won't say rather they won or lost. But again, let Jayla tell it, they WON and it was a close one, even with her 50 goals! Gotta love 5 year olds.

Markell and the Stingrays played later in the day. As I've mentioned in the past, Markell literally runs away when he sees me with the camera. So I didn't get any pix of him. However, the team photographer, got some. And as soon as she says they're available, I'll post one of him.

Last season, Markell didn't play. But he was SO excited to get back in uniform and on the field. He looked AWESOME! Unfortunately, he didn't score, but he did help his team win 5 to 4. And the good thing about this win is, this particular team is the ONLY team that beat the Stingrays last season. So that was awesome to start the season with a win to this team. Not to mention, it sure pumps the boys up. So stay tuned for a picture of #14!!! He ROCKS!!!

NOW...after our game, we stayed at the field and watched the next game. Just so happens, one of the teams that played after us, is who we're playing this coming weekend. After watching that game, several of us decided to go grab a bite to eat. About 14 of us (including kids) went to a local Mexican restaurant. I'm STILL full!

Then, after dinner, we decided to catch a movie. Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I don't go to movies that often. So I was really excited about this part of the evening. One of the mothers took the little girls to see Astronaut Farmer with Billy Bob Thornton. From what I'm told, it wasn't that great. Jayla slept through it. But the rest of us went to see Wild Hogs. Talk about FUNNY! Oh my goodness, I think we laughed the entire movie. "Bobby" (Martin Lawrence) was very funny. It was great to see him playing in a movie such as this. Very unexpected but it fit him well. "Dudley" (William H. Macy) was HILARIOUS! He's normally in such serious roles. But this was a perfect fit for him. "Doug" (Tim Allen)...what can you say about him? He's a MESS! I loved his part too. Very funny. And last but not least, "Woody" (John Travolta) was OFF THE CHAIN! I don't think I've ever seen him play a part this funny. I mean, he can be a funny guy, but not like this. Love it!!

So if you don't get to go see another movie this Spring, try to see this one. It's very worth it and it's so much fun!!! Two thumbs up (I've always wanted to say that)

Ok, that's all I have for today. Hey, be nice...I can hear you all saying, "sheesh, it's about TIME!!" lol I just had a fun weekend and wanted to share with you.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'm sure I'll be seeing you around soon!

Friday Flower Fix

"May your flowers display a beautiful palette as they worship the sun and all that nature offers."

Isn't this called a Star Gazer Lilly? Yep, I think it is. Yay me! lol

Have a beautiful weekend!!!

Reading material....

Fellow blogger, BEM, had some fun questions on her blog today. She took "a DAY off" (actually 2) from blogging, just to read blogs. I don't know how many of you have ever been to her blog, but she has a LONG list of links. lol. Ya know, I'm pretty impressed. But I just couldn't imagine reading ALL of those everyday. Don't get me wrong, I love to read other people's blogs...but I think I'd get a little overwhelmed with that many. As a matter of fact, I KNOW I'd get overwhelmed...as I've read ALL of her links before!

NEway...here's the questions I told you about.

1. How did you acquire your list of blogs that you read?
Well, I kinda do the same thing that BEM does. But I don't link EVERY person who's left me a comment. However, if someone leaves me several comments (and nice ones at that), that tells me that they read my blog quite often. So I guess that makes them "worthy" of being linked :-).
And then there are some, the I just find very interesting and/or funny, so I just add them too.

2. Do you read peoples blogs who don't read yours?
Yes, I do. And being that BEM has literally HUNDREDS of blogs linked on hers, I read those occassionallly too :-). Actually, that's where I got some of my links from. But not just hers, other peoples too. You know, kind of a "word of mouth" thing. I'm networking...yeah, that's what I'm doing :-).

3. Do you read your entire list daily?
Being that I don't have but a select few on my list, yes, I do read them daily. And several times a day, I might add. But now that BEM has told me about bloglines, I may not have to do that anymore. Thanks!

4. Do you eat crackers in bed?
Silly girl!!! Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.

Happy Reading!!!