Friday, June 29, 2007

My week & Friday Flower Fix

Hello everyone.

Hope you all have had a good week. Mine has been super busy...which I guess is a good thing. However, I would be happier had I not had to put my van in the shop, only for them to have it for 3 days...THEN take $1200 from us!!! ARGH!!! Anyway, I guess I could draw my Pollyanna card for a moment and look on the bright side *smile*---at least we HAD the money to pay to get the van worked on. There was a time in our lives where we'd just be flat out of luck had that much work needed to be done on a vehicle. What a blessing!! It was also a blessing that the dealership put us in a nice rental for the 3 days they had my van. So I was still able to do all the running around that I normally have to do.

Anyway, we got the van back and it's working fine. Guess now we need to start saving up for the NEXT thing we need to get done to it. Fortunately, it won't cost us $1000 next time.

Alrighty...you guys have been SO patient and understanding with me over the past week. Therefore, I'll make you wait NO longer. HERE's your Friday Flower Fix!!!

"Things turn out the best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out."

Have a beautiful weekend!!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Sincerest THANKS --- Let's get on with it!

Hello everyone!! I'm back....

Before I say another word, let me just say THANKS!!! Thank you ALL for the awesome support. Thank you for the prayers and thoughts. Thank you for the heartfelt words of encouragement. And Thank you ALL for being my friends.

My goodness, I had comments on here from people I've never even heard from before. I was and still am, overwhelmed by the encouraging words you all gave to me and my family.

I must say, this past weekend was really rough for me. And for the past couple of days my stomach has been in knots. Anything I ate just gave me an upset stomach. My MIL says that she thinks I may have a touch of separation anxiety. She may be on to something. All of the feelings that I've had about Markell leaving have just had me on edge. So many emotions. But each day it gets a little better. I guess it has to...I do have a 5 year old I need to tend to and life goes on. I have to keep telling myself, Markell is out of my HOUSE not out of my HEART & LIFE.

But again, I'd like to give my sincerest thanks to all of you who left me comments. And also to those of you who didn't leave one simply because you just didn't know what to say. I'm sure I will have moments where I think about the fact that Markell isn't here. And it'll make me sad. But I just have to learn to trust in God 100% in this situation (as I should in EVERY situation) and see what a masterpiece He makes out of it.

Ok, I know I've missed two of my "normal" posts (Friday Flower Fix and Inspired to Inspire), as I know some of you look forward to those every week. But hopefully, you'll forgive me this time and I'll get back on track with them this week.

But for now, Let's get on with it! Be inspired...I (still) AM!!!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

I knew this moment would come....

UPDATE: 6/21 9:55pm See below

...and I knew I'd feel this way. I think I'm going to be SICK!!!


A few posts ago, I mentioned that our family would be going through some changes in the upcoming days, weeks, months, etc. Well, we're in the midst of it now. I've spoken to a few of you, my friends, about this recently. But I haven't really "dumped" it yet...so here goes.

Before I begin, let me tell you, this will be a long post. So if you're already losing interest, this might be a good time to stop reading.

I have thought long and hard about, exactly how much detail I'd go into when I write this post. I've wondered if I'd cry as I wrote it...or if this would simply be my therapy and my way of getting it off my chest. Either way, I don't think that by telling you all of this, that I'm going to feel better about ANY of it. But I know me...and if I keep this inside me, I'll explode.

On March 27, 1995, I received a phone call from my mother. She told me that my sister was, not only pregnant, but in labor. Two days later, on the 29th of March, my nephew, Markell was born. A lot of "family issues" insued over the next few days after Markell's birth. And all my husband and I knew was, we needed to "save" this little boy. Not from my mother and not from my sister. But from the system. He was about to be put up for adoption.

So the Sunday after he was born, me and my oldest daughter drove to Mobile, Al to see how we could assist. And to simply be there for my sister. Upon our arrival, we found that we still had 6 weeks before he'd be gone for good. So the next day, my sister and I went to pick him up from foster care. 3 days later, I was headed back to Georgia with a 7 day old baby boy. My nephew.

Fast forwarding a bit, due to my sister being a minor at the time, she signed over all parental rights of Markell to me and my husband and indefinitely made us his legal guardians. Now, he'd still be in the family and would not have to be in the "system" and wait to be adopted by, God knows who.

In taking on this legal guardianship, we were able to raise this little boy as we saw fit. And in doing so, we NEVER made him think that we were replacing his mother. He even called us, "Uncle & Auntie"...so cute :-). But over time, as he got older, on his own, he began calling us mom and dad. And I'm sure that was to give himself some sort of normalcy. I was honored that he thought of me as his mom. However, it did make visits from my sister a little awkward at times. But still, Markell thought of me and my husband as the mother and father figures in his life. What a promotion that was for me...from auntie to "mom".

Now I come to the difficult part. We knew that it was inevitable that Markell would want and need to know why he was living with his aunt & uncle as opposed to his mother. We never held anything back from him and always answered his questions...in ways that he could understand. As time went on, those questions became a little more frequent and you could see his little mind just going. Eventually, Markell started having some difficulties in school with regards to his behavior and in turn being a little rebellious at home. Over the past year or so, it's been almost a part of life. But we dealt with it and moved on...just as parents do.

Lately, again over the past year or so, Markell has been wanting to spend more time with his mother. When they're together, they do fun things and life is a little more, shall we say, lenient when he's with her. So I can't fault the boy for wanting to spend more time with her. But his behavior was getting a bit more troublesome. Being that he's only 12 years old, he feels that being in trouble isn't fun. So he has informed us that he wants to go live with his mother.

This brings me to today...right now...this very moment in time. I am SICK about this! We have loved Markell and raised him as our own for over 12 years. Again, I don't fault him for wanting to be with his mother...I don't know how that desire feels, I've always had my mother with me. But at the same time, I feel betrayed. Actually, I feel SO many things right now and it brings me to tears. I love Markell more than he'll ever know or understand. I love him as my son. My husband feels the very same way. Even though we have been experiencing some trying times with him lately, I wouldn't trade the last 12 years with him for anything in the world. I'd do NOTHING different.
I'm having a VERY hard time going from aunt to "mom" back to aunt again. I don't want him to be angry with us for doing what's right for him. We have ALWAYS had his best interest at heart...and we'll continue to. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset, hurt, sad and angry about what's forthcoming. Because I do feel ALL of those things, strongly. I cry about this daily because I know MY days with him, living under my roof and in my care, are numbered.

My sister called today and wants to discuss the "final phase" of "the move". I haven't called her back yet as I'm trying to just make this go away. I knew this moment would come...and I thought I'd be ready. But I'm not.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think my sister won't take good care of him. But like I said, we've had him for 12 years and he's been an amazingly huge part of our lives. When Markell came along, my oldest daughter was 9 years old and had always been the only child. And we didn't think we could love another child the way we loved her. But Markell showed us that loving more than one child was very possible and not to mention, very rewarding. And of course, having Jayla just proved it even more.
These past few weeks have been very difficult. I know my husband is having a hard time with this as well. As we discuss this quite often. But for some reason, it's really hitting me hard. I can't imagine my day to day life without Markell in it...even through this rebellious stage he's in.




Like the old saying goes, change is inevitiable. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. And for the record, I don't...not a BIT! I'm sure Markell is beyond excited to be going to live with his mother. And I truly hope it's what he dreams it will be. I, by no means, am the perfect mother...especially for him. But I don't want to have to stop trying. I don't remember HOW to be just his aunt. However, I guess I'd better get on task...because it's coming...rather I'm ready or not. And I'm definitely not ready for it to be over the next few weeks. The way it's looking, Markell will be leaving before the first of next month. Update: Here it is, 9:55pm and I got word about 30 minutes ago that Markell will leaving tomorrow, 6/22 around 1pm.

Markell, I love you...always have, always will. Please don't ever forget that! We ALL love you and we'll miss you terribly. Be a good boy...or should I say, young man. And continue to make us proud...but even more so, make YOURSELF proud. Remember to always keep God first in your life and look to HIM when things aren't going quite as you'd like. There will be disappointing times in your life and things won't always go your way. But as we've been trying to teach you, that's a part of life. Be respectful of others, especially women and continue to be polite. Care about others feelings and care about yourself...you're the only you we have! You have had the best example of what a man, husband and provider should be. Please don't ever forget what "Uncle Dad" has done for you and how he's lived before you. Live by his example, go to God for your guidance and you'll do fine.

Love you always, Aunt "Mom"

Monday, June 18, 2007

Inspired to INSPIRE...

Be helpful. When you see a person without a smile, give them yours!

Remember, one size fits all!

Have a great day and be inspired...I am!

Sunday, June 17, 2007

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!

Happy Father's Day to ALL the fathers/husbands out there. Most specifically, my dad, Julius. I LOVE you dad! My husband, Marque. I simply adore you, sweetie. And my mothers husband, Peter. I love you and thank you for taking such great care of my mom.

And just as I did for my mom on Mother's Day, I made a special scrapbook layout for my dad. He's supposed to be coming here to visit soon, so I haven't sent this to him yet. As he wanted me to give it to him personally when he gets here. Also, I'm not sure how often he reads my blog. So I kinda hope he doesn't...anytime soon, because I don't want him to see this yet. But Dad, if you have stopped by, I hope you like it.

(NOTE: Sorry for the bad picture. My scanner is on the blitz and my camera just doesn't like taking pictures of scrapbook layouts.

The journaling reads: "First guy to ever love me. First to sweep me off my feet or plant those scratchy whisker kisses gently on my cheek. First man to take me seriously. First pal I ever had. First guy I ever gave my heart to...Happy Fathers Day, Dad."

These have got to be some of my favorite pictures of me and my dad. The one with me on dads shoulders was taken in June of 1967 (I was 7 months old) at the Bronx Zoo in New York. And the other 2 were taken in April of 1968 ( I was 17 months old). I can never remember where these were taken. Somewhere in Philadelphia, I think. And the larger picture was taken last November when dad was here for me and Jayla's birthdays (I just turned 40).

Well, that's all I've got for today. I just hope you all have a wonderful day with your dads and those other special men if your lives. And if your dad is no longer with you physically, I pray that the good memories you have of him, make you feel as if he is.


Saturday, June 16, 2007

Dare to DREAM

Happy Saturday, everyone. I hope you all are enjoying your weekend so far. (Note: this is a long one...so relax)

Oh my goodness, you guys...let me tell you. Today, me, my hubby and little Jayla went to see the Street of Dreams. As mentioned in yesterdays post, there are 9 professionally decorated homes open for touring.

If you went to the link that I added, then you saw what the price range of these homes were. So I won't bore you with the minor details of these "little fixer uppers"...LOL.

It was SO hot today! But wandering around these GIANT homes cooled tourists off in pretty good fashion. Anyway, there's not too much more to say about these lovely homes. Other than, I realize that each decorating style is to each, his own. But the decorations in a couple of these homes was, in my opionion...AWFUL!!! I wish ya'll could've seen the looks on some of the other tourists faces...I think they agreed with me. So needless to say, I didn't take any pictures in those homes.

Speaking of pictures...here ya go...Enjoy!!

A master bathroom with a beautiful fireplace. There was also a FOUR person shower with showerheads at every angle and a closet the size of a small country. LOVE it!!


A basement, showing off SOME of the TV's they offer. DH LOVED this "man" room.

This is a stadium style media room. I took this picture from behind the bar at the "top" of the room. For the seating, there were about 8 leather recliners set on 2 seperate levels. They even had Star Wars playing. Who's bringing the popcorn?


A deck off the family room. Yes, that's a TV outside. Don't wanna miss your shows...

Beautiful waterfall jacuzzi that flows into the free form swimming pool. You can't really see it from this angle, but there's another fountain behind the jacuzzi that flows into a small coy pond.

This is a better shot...can you see the little fountain?

This is just a cute little girls room from another house. I'm pretty sure this was the house that we didn't like the decor in. And this was about the only appealing room.

This family room was in a beautiful, white victorian style home. Very clean and beautifully painted. Looks like it came right out of a magazine.

How cool is this sink and faucet? I don't remember which house this was in. But I REALLY like it!

Beautiful pink and black room. The wall I was standing near to take this photo was actually a curved wall and it was painted black. It had about 4 tall mirrors on it. It was gorgeous with the other pink walls. And the bed was a shiny chrome. Love that chair in the sitting area too.

I love this porch swing. It's actually like a bed that you'd lay on and swing. It was just outside the bedroom in the next photo.

Check out those clear lucite chairs. How cool is that? This room was a beautiful Robins Egg blue with brown accents.

Just another room that I thought was really nice. The furniture is black and the cornice board over the sitting room window is black leather with nailhead trim. Jayla was drawn to this room becuase of the soccer ball on the bed :-).

I just got the biggest kick out of this little fountain. Being that I'm a dog lover, I thought it was really sweet.

Speaking of being a dog lover, check out this "doggie spa". This is actually a 3rd garage off the back of a house. What a great idea!

This was a master bedroom in one of the homes. I love the water fountain feature over the fireplace. In the background, Jayla is standing in the sitting room. The next picture is another angle from this same room.

Ok, this is the same room as the one above. Check out the location of that flat panel TV! How cool is that? That lady that you see there, is coming from the master bathroom area.

Jayla took this picture :-). She really liked the colors in this room. Uh...ok! Moving on....

This was just a family/greatroom that I liked. It was roped off, so I guess the furniture was pretty pricey. I had to take the picture from the balcony upstairs. I actually like this shot, because you can see the room better.

This was just a kitchen that I liked. The cabinets are beautiful and the stove/range top was HUGE!

Just a bathroom that I thought was interesting. The large closet wraps around the mid floor shower that you can get in from either side. This door immediately on the left is the master laundry room. And the claw foot bathtub sits on an oval platform just to the right.

This is a beautiful deck area just off of a kitchen. There's actually 2 sides of this deck. This side is covered and the other is open with additional seating. You can't see it in this picture. But just to your left, on the wall next to that tall plant, hangs a pair of bi-fold doors. And behind those doors is a large flat panel TV. Again, you don't wanna miss your shows while you're outside cooking & entertaining :-).

Well, that's it for the tour. I hope you enjoyed my rendition of the Street of Dreams. I'm sure my pictures didn't do the actual rooms any justice. So if you get the chance to go tour these 9 homes yourself, please do. They'll be there until July 1st.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Friday Flower Fix

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Where did this week go? So, does everyone have a busy weekend planned? We're planning on going to The Street of Dreams tomorrow. I love looking in those HUGE decorated houses. I may even take my camera...there's some great pix to be taken at a place like that.

Isn't Father's Day on Sunday? YIKES!!! So I've got a day and a half to get my act together...I'm on it!!!

Well, here's your FIX!!!

"Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythum depend on simplicity."

-Plato-

Have a beautiful weekend!!!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Scattergories fun (from Gretchen)

Hello again. I came across this little list from Gretchen's blog. Talk about interesting. I hope I can do this...Be sure to read the instructions, then you'll know why I say that. Here goes:

The game is SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks! Here are the rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. Your Name: Dawn
2. Famous Singer/Band: Don Ho, Drifters, Delfonics
3. 4 letter word: Darn
4. Street: Dallas Highway (Marietta, Ga)
5. Color: Dusty Rose, Dark Blue
6. Gifts/Presents: Dinner ware, Dollars, Dishes
7. Vehicle: Delorean, Dodge Viper
8. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Drinking cups
9. Boy Name: Daniel, Douglas
10. Girl Name: Dorothy, Diane, Donna
11. Movie Title: Die Hard (I LOVE this movie!)
12 Drink: Dr. Pepper (Ok, now how freakin cool is THAT? My favorite drink starts with a "D"...life is good, hee hee)
13. Occupation: Doctor, Dentist, Dancer
14. Celebrity: Dennis Quaid, Don Knotts, Dianne Carroll
15. Magazine: Discover, Do It Yourself
16. U.S. City: Dallas, Texas
17. Pro Sports Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos
18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Down right lazy!! (I like Gretchen's answer better)
19. Something You Throw Away: Doo-Doo
20. Things You Shout: "Don't do that!" "Do that again!" LOL, "Doggonit!"
21. Cartoon Character: Daffy Duck, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck

That was fun!!! Consider yourself tagged if you're into these sorts of things.

Shall we dance???

Ok, that's probably not the appropriate title for what I'm about to post. But being that this is for a ballerina, I thought it would work...this time :-).

Remember my soccer flip flops (scroll down a little bit)? Well, a few people were actually pretty impressed by them and actually asked me to make some for them. Veroncia was my first "customer". She asked that I make a pair for her and her cute little ballerina, Ava. And she gave me permission to share them with everyone here.

These are Ava's. Yes, Jayla HAD to model them for me :-).

And these are for mom. Sorry, one of them looks a little wonky...lol.

Well, that's all I've been up to lately. Just thought I'd share. I hope everyone has a great day!!

Monday, June 11, 2007

FRIENDS, Inspired to INSPIRE...

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was pretty quiet. And I actually got to do some running around...BY MYSELF!!! It's the little things :-).

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how blessed I am to have the friends that I've got. I mean, I truly love my family and that's pretty evident by all the posts I do about them.

But I never seem to say alot about my friends. I never seem to say how much I appreciate them and how glad I am that they are in my life. Being that I'm 40, I think I'm a little old to have a "Best Friend"...as my real best (earthly) friend is my hubby. But I am TRULY blessed to have several close friends. And lately, I've even made a few new friends...that I've never laid eyes on. That's the beauty of this whole BLOG thing...I've made some wonderful friendships, with some wonderful ladies by becoming a blogger.

I could go on and on about this. But I'll spare you :-). However, I just didn't want it to go unmentioned that I LOVE my friends. I love that you guys are my support systems, my sounding boards (Thanks, Stacey Q.), my shoulders to cry on, my confidants and my cheerleaders. You guys ROCK!!! No doubt that family is, OH so important. But how boring would life be if we didn't have friends? I'd rather not even think about that!

Anyway, again, I love you guys...ALL of you! Both the friends I get to see when I want to and those that I've never seen, but get to talk to simply by logging on to my computer.

*****
A Friend

A friend will give you comfort, and hours on the phone (or on line). A friend knows when you need a hug or want to be left alone.

A friend knows when you need an ear, to just sit there and listen. A friend helps you to calm your fears, and cheers on your ambitions.

A friend can make you LOL, even when there's no one around. A friend is someone who makes you proud, of the friend that you have found.

Here's a big hug to all of you, of whom I am blessed to say are my friends. (NOTE: this was the only picture of a "hug" that I could find. But it seems to fit the bill today...that's a big ole friendly hug, ain't it??? :-)

Have a great week! And remember, Be Inspired...I AM!!

Friday, June 08, 2007

Friday Flower Fix

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Here's your fix!

"The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for."

Have a beautiful weekend, my friends!!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Ok, I admit it...

...I'm not only a minivan driving, soccer mom...I'm a minivan driving, soccer JUNKIE! lol

If you've been keeping up with my blog, you're fully aware, as am I, that soccer season is now OVER! But I can't help myself. Look at this cute little "off season" footwear that I made:

At the tournament in Columbus last month, I saw someone with some flipflops on similar to these. Of COURSE I stopped her and asked her where she got them from. She told me that she actually found them at a soccer store that's right up the street from the fields where our kids play. She said the only problem with them was that they just came with blue beads, and were a little over priced. But they were so cute, she had to have them.

And being that I too thought they were cute, I said to myself, "Shoot, I can make those! And I can even make them with red beads." (remember the league colors where the kids play are red, black & white) Also remember, that I'm pretty...shall we say, frugal (ok, ok...I'm CHEAP!). So I paid a whopping $1.00 for the flipflops and got some of the beads 1/2 price and some for free...heehee. I just finished my little altering project about 20 minutes ago. Love 'em!

Lastly, a special thanks to my Jayla, for taking the picture for me.

Proud moment....

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well and enjoying the, almost summer, weather. It's been beautiful here...a little hot (in the 90's) the past few days. But with a wonderful, cool breeze every now and then. It's only 10:26am right now and it's already 80 degrees!

Anyway, I know most of my posts are about my kids...as I'm always so proud of the things they do and just them being...THEM! But I thought it only fair to share a proud momemt about my hubby, Marque.

YES...I DO have a husband..lol. He's not too fond of having his picture taken and he definitely doesn't like me talking about him on my blog. Well, this time, he'll have to get over it. Because this post is for him...because I'm so proud of him! :-) (love ya honey!)

A few weeks ago, one of Marque's co-workers told him about a job, still within their company, that was available. Marque isn't looking for a job. But the guy just thought that this particular job opening would be a good fit for Marque. So they set up an informal interview with the hiring manager. And from what I'm told, Marque simply WOW'd these guys. As the days went on, he met with several different people and they were all very impressed with his technical knowledge.

After all these meetings, they decided that Marque pretty much, "Parted the Red sea" :-) lol. (this is what they told Marque's boss, also named Mark) So they spoke with Mark and the ball began to roll. THEN...don't you know it...there were some minor issues within HR. Even though this would be an internal move, red tape still had to be "cut". Which meant it would be a month or 2 down the road before the move/promotion could go forward. A little "derailed", we were prepared to just wait it out a few months. I mean, he wasn't actually looking for a job anyway.

Then, this past Monday, the hiring manager emailed Marque and told him it was all a go now! WOW, an entire week hadn't even passed from them telling us we'd have to wait! Anyway, the guy said that we should be receiving the "formal" offer sometime this week. COOL!!! Needless to say, Marque was really excited and now a little anxious to see what they were gonna come back with.

The next evening, at around 10:30pm, the phone rings. I immediately thought it was an emergency with a family member or something. Marque answers the phone and a few minutes later, comes to tell me that it was the hiring manager calling. He was actually on a business trip in California. He was so excited about Marque coming on board that he couldn't wait until the next day to extend the offer :-). So he made Marque the offer right over the phone! As I mentioned, this is a promotion, and the money they offered is SWEET!!! :-) So, my brilliant hubby will start on his new job on the 25th of this month!

Sorry for the long, detailed story, but it just seemed to be better to give the story behind the promotion. Better than doing a post just saying that my husband got a new job...that he wasn't even looking for :-) and that I'm happy for him... lol.

But just like with my kids, I'm VERY, VERY proud of Marque. I've always thought he was brilliant and I'm very impressed with what he knows about his technical profession. He's an awesome man and truly loves his family...and his work.

And Marque, if you're reading this, I LOVE you so very much!!! And I thank you for ALL that you do for me and our family. I'm so proud of you!!!

Monday, June 04, 2007

Weekend recap, Inspired to INSPIRE...Swim Suit Sweetie

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was really fun...spent running about from place to place. The Stingrays, finally had their end of season party. We met at the pool of one of the players and it was so nice. We had grilled hamburgers, hotdogs and all the fixins.

And this year, instead of the boys receiving trophies, they got these personalized posters....
















Isn't this cool?? I just love it! Our team photographer ROCKS!!! She took all of these shots...several of each boy throughout the seasons. And the head coach designed this poster and made one for each player. The boys will appreciate this so much more than having another trophy. This is Markell's 8th season of soccer and he's got about 12 trophies. We don't have anywhere else to put them!

While at the EOS party, the boys pretty much took over the pool :-). Good thing it was big enough for all of them...and their little sisters. Speaking of little sisters, Jayla had a ball watching the boys splashing around. She even took a minute to pose for me before diving in...several hundred times, to daddy. Check her out...

We are hard pressed to find a time that this child is not ready to pose when a camera comes out.
It was so funny when we were getting ready to leave for this party...she said to me, "Mom! Don't forget my bavin suit with the Maflingos on it!!" lol

Then on Saturday, we were invited to my nieces high school graduation party. Which was also held at a pool. The weather was a little iffy on Saturday, but we all took our swimming gear...just in case. Personally, it was a little too cool for me to get in the pool. But the kids didn't care...lol. Jayla sat on the side for quite some time. And finally, she couldn't take it any longer...she HAD to get in. As far as Markell goes, all it took was to see Jayla getting her feet wet and he was ready to dive in.

Once again, it took nothing but Jayla seeing the camera to strike a pose for me....

My nephew cooked up quite the feast for everyone and it was DEEElicious!!!! The rain held off and it wound up being a really nice evening.

Well, that's about it for our busy weekend. We ended it with a wonderful church service yesterday, a nice dinner and a much needed nap.

Today begins another week of running errands here and there. But of course I can't start that without my weekly inspiration. With that, I thought I'd keep with the summer theme and share this with you...

"Then, followed that beautiful season...SUMMER...filled was the air with a dreamy & magical light; and the landscape lay as if new, created in all the freshness of childhood."


Have a beautiful week. And, Be Inspired...I am!!!

Friday, June 01, 2007

Friday Flower Fix

Oh my goodness...this is SO unlike me. The last time I updated my blog was on Monday! What's up with that? I bet you guys are kinda glad though, huh? I guess I wasn't the only one who got a little break...lol.

It's been a crazy week! I have been doing my daily blog reading, just haven't had much to write about, I guess.

Anyhoo...It's already June 1st and how cool that it's on a Friday...seems like that's the day all months should start on.

Well, here's your Friday Flower Fix...ENJOY!!!

"The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration."
Have a beautiful weekend.