New "job", Birthday, and a cold...OH MY!!

My goodness, where have you guys been for the past week?

Oh, wait...it's ME that hasn't been around for a week.

It's been a little crazy around here, but nothing I can't handle. So, where should I begin?

Well, how bout we just go in order of my title. DUH!! Well, I got a job...kinda. A few weeks back, a friend of mine was lurking around on Craigs List and came across an ad that she thought I'd be interested in. Come to find out, it was an ad for a scrapbooking job. Intrigued, I checked it out...or should I say, I responded to the ad. A nice lady, we'll call her "L", was wanting to pay someone to create 4...yes, FOUR scrapbooks for her daughter's birthday by the end of the month. Still intrigued, I sent the link to my blog so "L" could see some of my work. After a few days of exchanging emails, she wanted to meet with me (and 3 other scrappers). Long story short, I was chosen as one of the people to work on the books. "L" wound up choosing 3 of us to do the work, as now we have a little less time to work on them.

A week or so later, I heard back from "L" and we scheduled a time for me to go and pick up the photos. ANYWAY, that's what I've been working on since Friday of last week. I have to have my book done by Sept. 3rd...so I don't have much time. I have another meeting with "L" tomorrow to get more pictures to work on. I'm praying I can get this done in time and done like she wants it to be. "L" is really sweet and knows exactly what she wants. Fortunately, we communicate really well with eachother, so I'm sure it will all work out.

Since I talked with you all last, my "pretty boy" has had a birthday. On Friday, the 22nd, Trae turned 3 years old.

Here's daddy giving Trae his birthday treat. My nephew and his wife told us that dogs like peanut butter. Who woulda thunk it? And they say that it helps keep their coats nice and shiny. So this was Trae's first taste of the nutty condiment :-).

Here, it looks like he's not quite sure what we've given him :-). But he's no sissy, he'll try anything...and I do mean ANYTHING!

Look, I think he likes it...he's SMILING!! lol

For some ODD reason, Mister M. wouldn't let me buy Trae a birthday cake this year. Something about him being a DOG!! No funny hat either...what's up with THAT?? lol

Ok, let's see, what else? OH...I have a code! I think Jayla gave it to me. She had a slight code after the first week of schood. I asked her about it yesterday and she lovingly said, "Well, that's what you get for taking care of me!" Thanks sweedie! Fortunately, I don't feel bad, I just can't breede very weld...you know, a liddle congested. Tell me, why does congestion get worse at night? Can your node really tell that it's dark outside? ("alright guys, the sun has gone down and it's time to back it up!") ANYWAY...this too shall pass!

Well, I think that's about it. I still have another thing I'd like to share with ya'll...but the time must be right. And right now, it ain't! :-) But I PROMISE I won't forget...cuz I'm SO excited about it. Also, I am still waiting to get the pictures from 80's night. So as soon as I get those, I'll share them with you.

Oh shoot, I almost forgot. Well...I DID forget last week. How bout a flower fix? Sorry to be such a slacker...I've been busy...and snotty! :-)

Ya'll have a great week and I'll be talkin to you sood! ACHOOOO!!! Skuze me! Talk to you lader! :-)

One week down

I'm glad to announce, that Jayla successfully made it through the first week of school (so did I). To her, everyday was AWESOME! :-)

My goal was to park and walk Jayla to her new classroom the entire first week of school...just like I did last year. But being that she's no longer "new" to the school, I was a little lenient on the idea. Only thing is, SHE didn't know that. So on Friday, we were on our way to school and our conversation went a little something like this...

J- "Mom, do you think I can walk in by myself today? I'm a big girl, you know!"

M- "Well, I had planned to let you walk in by yourself, starting on Monday."

J- "C'mon mom, I'm a big girl. Can I PLEEZE walk in by myself? I'll go straight to my class!"

M- "Hmmm, well, it's just one day sooner. So I guess so. Are you sure you don't want me to park and go in with you, just one more day?"

J- "Nah, I'll be fine.

M- "Ok then."

J- "Thanks mom! And don't worry mommy, I still need you in my life!"

Ok, now what do you say when the conversation ends like that? LOL My little Jayla is just too much. And I guess I should mention that as she got out of the van to go in the school, she blows a kiss at me, tells me to have a good day and REMINDS me to pick her up after school, LOL. Hmm, I guess she DOES still need me in her life :-).

Alright, about this picking her up after school thing, I wasn't able to on Friday. Several months ago, I scheduled an appointment to have a physical. And of course, they scheduled it at 2pm on a school day. So Jayla got to ride home with one of her friends on Friday. She was so excited about that "change in plans". Talk about an eventful day :-).

Let me just go on record and say that I didn't know that women had physicals. I mean, why would I think that? All women "supossedly" go for their annual appts with the OB...so I just figured that was our "physical". Or maybe, what I really thought was, "SHEESH, isn't the OB appt ENOUGH!?!?!" Hmmm, guess not.

Well, you'll be glad to know that I got a good bill of health. And to be a 41 1/2 year old woman, I'm in pretty good health. Better than I thought, really. For those of you who have actually met me IRL...you'll be surprised by this one comment the ole doc made. She told me that I need to...get this...eat MORE! Maybe she needs her eyes checked...I'd be happy to recommend someone for her, lol. Strangely enough, you have to eat to lose weight. Talk about an oxymoron! I am a VERY, VERY picky eater and to be honest, I don't eat that much or that often. I told the doc what a day of eating consists of for me, and she was in shock. She said she's never met anyone who doesn't LIKE to eat. Well, that's me. Eating is just not at the top of my list of things to do. And by the time I do eat, I'm only reminded to do so by the hunger headache I get (almost daily). A normal day for me is MAYBE eating lunch and a little dinner. Me and Advil are real good friends. To me, it's easier to pop an Advil to get rid of the headache than it is to take the time to eat.

Anyway, I'm gonna try and work on that. But one bit of good news the doc gave me was, that Chick Fil A is one of the healthiest fast food restaurants there is. 9 times out of 10, if I eat fast food, that's where I go. I LOVE IT!!! So, I was happy about that.

Ok, ya'll know Jude, right? Well, although I've never met her IRL, we've exchanged a few emails and we comment on one anothers blogs. So I FEEL like she's an ole friend. A few months back, we talked about doing a photo swap. Well, we finally did that and completed a few scrapbook layouts for eachother. I just got the ones she did for me this past Saturday and they are AMAZING! She's gonna post those on her blog soon. But in the meantime, here are the LO's I did for her of her boys: (not sure if you can click on them to make 'em bigger...but give it a try)

The baby, Alden.

Of the 3 boys, Alden loves the water more than his big brothers did at this young age. He's so cute.

The middle son, Emerson.

Jude says that Emerson loves dogs. But being that he's allergic to them, these stuffed ones are the closest he gets to them...and he loves them just as much :-).

Emerson, obviously had fishing on his mind. So he laid down the basketball goal, propted himself up on it and pretended that he was fishing. I just love that. He's creative like his momma!

And, the oldest, Lincoln.

You all know that soccer is s big part of my life. So imagine my delight when I saw these pix of Lincoln. :-)

Thanks Jude, for trusting me with your memories. I hope you enjoyed these LO's as much as I enjoyed the ones you did of my Jayla.

Alright my fine people, what's going on this week? Anything interesting? Hopefully this week, I won't be in an alone FUNK like I was last week. I think I am now use to the fact school is back in full effect. So that means, I just need to find ANOTHER life, right? (at least until time to go sit in the carpool line, lol)

Have a great week. Talk to you soon.

Our 1st Grader!

Today was Jayla's first day of 1st grade.

Doesn't it seem like just yesterday, I was posting pictures from her first day of kindergarten? Time just goes by too fast.

Well, let's see...last night, Jayla only got up ONCE after being sent to bed :-). So I guess it's safe to say she got enough sleep.

This was not only a change for her but for me too. I'm much easier to get along with if I'm able to sleep until 8:30 or 9. But over the summer, we got the knock on the door between 7 and 8 every morning. Not today!! I'm sure I woke up every hour last night/early this morning, just to make sure I didn't over sleep on the first day of school. I finally got up at 6:15 and staggered into Jayla's room. She was a little hard to rouse...but once I reminded her that today was the first day of school, she BOLTED out of bed :-).

She asked for her usual for breakfast...Macaroni & cheese and chocolate milk. Ummm, breakfast of champions!

I'm glad to say that we had an uneventful morning...no fussing, no complaining and only one re-do of the face washing :-).

I was a little embarassed this morning though, when my little lady reminded me that, "I wore these socks the first day of school LAST year, MOM!" Who remembers stuff like that? Ok, I remembered too, but I didn't think SHE would, lol. The outfit HAS to match...DUH! So wearing the same socks as the first day last year is the least of my worries :-).

Sock episode behind us...it's time to do the hair. OH...the hair...how I loathe thee! We kept it simple this time. Although I was asked if I could "curl it with that hot thing again...PAH-LEEZE, Mommy!! ":-)

Ok, Dora outfit on? Check! Face washed? Check! Face washed AGAIN? Check! Remaining teeth brushed? Check! (She lost her 3rd tooth over the weekend) Hair combed/brushed/curled? Check! Check! CHECK! Alright, it's picture time. It's only 7am and the school doors don't open until 7:15...we've got plenty of time for pictures.

Oh wait, let's not forget the Dora backpack! And the snack. CHECK!!

We head outside and it's not quite light outside yet. But we HAVE to take the infamous front porch pictures, right? She's so stinkin cute! And such a big girl. I was almost in tears when I looked at these pictures.




Ok, I'm almost done with the pictures. I mean, seriously...how many pictures can a mother take on the first day of 1st grade? This is a milestone in EVERY childs educational career. :-)

We made it to school in record time (it's only a mile away). The doors weren't even open yet, so we had to stand out front until they were REALLY ready for us :-). So why not take another picture in front of the school statue? lol (see last picture below)

Jayla got to see several of her friends as we walked down the halls to her new class. I'm really glad I walked in with her...otherwise, the girl never would've made it to class. She had to stop and hug all her friends and all the teachers she knew...my little social butterfly.

She was the first one to her class. "Mom, take a picture!" She said, as she hugged her new 1st grade teacher.

Jayla found her desk and unpacked all her stuff. "Bye mom! See ya this afternoon!"

Well, the first day of school is now old news. Although Jayla couldn't remember ANYTHING she did today other than go outside and eat lunch, lol. I think we're off to a good 1st grade start.

Last day of Summer break...SNIFF, SNIFF!!!

Well, wouldja look at that! It's Friday the 8th of August and school starts back on Monday the 11th of August. What happened to the Summer break? Ya know, it doesn't really seem like summer if there are NO trips to a body of water larger than the neighborhood pool.

Being that we won the neighborhood drawing back in January, to waive $399 of our $400 HOA dues (Yay us!) I really think we got our $1 worth of time at the pool :-). But still, sitting by the pool does not a summer vacation make.

SURE...we spent some real quality time together. SURE we went to the "Romantical" Gardens. SURE we had playdates with our friends. But still, no sand between our little tiki-toes this year (or the past 2 for that matter).

Alright, alright...I'm done whining.

Jayla and I DID have a great Summer together. And although she's BEYOND excited about going back to school on Monday. I'm still a little sad that it's over...as always. She's SO much fun to hang out with.

We had our sneak-a-peek yesterday and I must say, I'm pleased with the teacher we got. We were fortunate to get one of the two teachers that I requested. So again, I'm happy. Jayla was so funny. When we went to go visit her classroom, she ran up to the teacher and gave her a big ole hug. Once again, just as last year, catching the teacher off guard :-). By the end of our 5 - 10 minute visit, Jayla was already in love with her. So that's a load off my mind.

When we left the classroom, Jayla looks up at me and says, "Mom, I've never had a brown teacher before! How cool is that?" LOL, that girl cracks me up.

Anyway, I had a doctors appt this morning with an Orthopedist. You may remember back in November of 2005, I broke my ankle. Well, I've been having a little pain in my ankle for the past few months. I had x-rays taken about a month ago and MY doctor said it showed mild arthritis and a heel spur. Well, the doctor I saw today said I do NOT have arthritis. But the heel spur is there. Bottom line, there's nothing to worry about. As long as I'm able to readjust my ankle when it hurts and the pain goes away, all is well. So I was glad to hear that. This was simply one of those "better to be safe than sorry" visits. But still, no stilettos for me, lol.

SO, do you guys have any big plans for the weekend? Has everyone's kids already started back to school? Or do you start next week like us? By the way, what do you mom's out there do while your kids in school everyday? I'm just being nosey :-). Tomorrow, we're taking my MIL out to dinner for her 85th birthday. So that should be fun. Other than that, we don't have much planned for the weekend.

Ok, enough rambling. How bout a flower fix? I haven't done one in a while...I don't think. So here ya go....

Ok, so I picked 3 fixes for you. All of them caught my eye today and I couldn't choose. So, there ya go. :-)

I hope you all have a great weekend. Toodles!!

Time with Jayla & Some of my FAVS...by way of Gretchen...by way of Susie Q.

Yesterday, Jayla and I were out running errands. Being that Summer break is almost over and school starts back next Monday, I asked her what was her most favorite thing she did over the summer.

Here's her response..."WELL...one of my most favoritetess things was going to the Romantical Gardens. And I loved going to the bookstore. Oh, and just spending time with you!"

Isn't she just the sweetest thing? I got a real kick out of the "Romantical" Gardens answer. And when I told her how sweet it was for her to say "Spending time with you", she said, "Oh, shucks...it's nothing! You know I like that mother/daughter bonding thing!" LOL

She's a mess!

I just know this week is gonna fly by. And come next Monday morning, we'll be back into our weekly routine. We've been backing down the bedtime for a few weeks now. So, we'll see how well she does with HAVING to get up early.

We have Sneak-a-peek on Thursday, where we get to find out which teacher she'll have and where her new class will be. So hopefully, she'll adjust as well as she did last year. I'll keep ya'll posted on how things go that first week of being back in school.

Ok, on Sunday, I was reading blogs and I came across this cute little list on Gretchen's. It appears that she "borrowed" it from Susie Q...so I'm gonna "borrow" it too. :-) Here goes...

Sport: Soccer
Color: Purple
Movie: "The Color Purple"
Broadway play I have seen: Never seen a Broadway play
Broadway Musical I have seen: Never seen a Broadway musical
Song: "I can only Imagine"
American city I have visited: Mount Vernon, IL
Foreign city I have visited: Other than Jamaica, I've never been out of the US
Book: "Days of Whine and Noses" (VERY funny book...especially for moms)
Children's Book: The Bearenstain Bears "B" Book
Recent television show: Who's Wedding is it Anyway?
Actor: Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Actress: Julia Roberts
Perfume: Chance by Chanel
Food: Mexican
Dessert: Chocolate Mousse
Chain Restaurant: Chick Fil A
Local Restaurant: Fogo De Chao
Car: Chevy Tahoe
Condiment: Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce (Chick Fil A)
Kitchen Appliance: Toaster Oven
Home Appliance: Vacuum Cleaner
Beauty Product: Mascara
Piece of clothing: Sneakers
HGTV Show: House Hunters
Food Network show: Iron Chef
Author: ???
Male Songwriter: ???
Female Songwriter: ???
Holiday: Christmas
Ballet I have seen: Never seen a ballet before. Sheesh, I need to get out more, huh?
Disney character: Goofy
Flower: Purple Tulip
Alcoholic drink: I don't have a CLUE!
Non-Alcoholic drink: Dr. Pepper
Magazine: Creating Keepsakes
Animated movie: Shrek (all of 'em)
Television network miniseries: ???
Season: Spring
Male vocalist: Luther Vandross
Female vocalist: Anita Baker
Day of the week: Monday
Household Chore: Vacuuming
Ice Cream: Chocolate Almond & Coconut
Candy: Almond Joy
Artist: Jayla Bibbs
Quotation: “What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God."

Now, how about YOU? Are you playing too? And a bonus topic for you:

What's your minimum preparation for going out in public? Are you a quick mascara and lipgloss girl (in the car, no less?), a no-fuss-no-muss-no makeup nor hair production gal, or are you more of a diva, complete with flawless makeup, coiffure, and matching (stain-free) outfit? I just throw on some clothes, something that matches is optional :-). Brush some of the teeth, comb some of the hair and I'm out! :-) I can't remember the last time I wore make-up. It's enough for me to put on chap stick. I wear mascara every blue moon. I'm very low maintenance. Hey, maybe I should be nominated for that TV show, "What Not to Wear". (actually, I think that would be kinda cool and just the thing I need)

Alright, my fine feathered friends, that's all I've got for today. OH...WAIT...as you are aware, I have my weekly girls night out on Wednesdays. So tomorrow, we're having a special GNO. We're having 80's night and we're all gonna dress up in 80's outfits. Depending on how well the pictures come out, I MAY have to share them with you :-). I'm so sure....