Expo Loot!

Hey ya'll!

Well, I successfully got my grocery shopping done and I made it to and from the Scrapbook Expo safely. :-) (Thanks again, Mandy!)

Mandy and I got an early start this morning and headed to the other side of town. The conference center was really easy to find, all we had to do was look for all the SUV's and minivans :-). We got there about 17 minutes after the doors opened and STILL had to park about 50 miles from the entrance...ok, maybe it wasn't quite THAT far. We get in, walk right up, pay our admission fee, fill out our door prize tickets and we're ready to get our shop on!

On a funny note, as we're filling out our tickets, we notice a lady with some free give aways. You would not believe what she was giving away....RICE! Yes, rice. I don't know about you other scrapbookers out there. But when I have a touch of "scrappers block", a nice single serving of microwavable RICE always gives me the boost I need...LOL. Seriously people...RICE??? I just found that pretty humorous. But of course, when we were leaving, they were still opening cases of the stuff and giving them away to people. So GUESS what Jayla had for dinner tonight???LOL (she loves rice)

Anyway, we had a really good time. There weren't as many vendors there this year as in previous years. But it was still really nice. Normally, I go on Fridays...and now I know why. There are so many people there on Saturdays. HOWEVER...you can get some good deals on Saturdays. Those vendors are really marking stuff down! I know all my readers don't scrapbook, and I'm sorry to bore you. But I have GOT to share this one thing with those of you who do. I'm sure you've seen the line of albums by Heidi Swapp, right? They were selling the HS spiral bound albums for $6.99 each OR 4 albums for $20! I about passed out. They're normally $20 for ONE! My friend, Mandy bought 2 and I got 2. We racked up on the HS stuff!

Oh well, that's all I've got for now. I could go on...but again, I know everyone doesn't scrapbook and I don't want to lose any readers, hee hee. I'll just end telling you that I had a wonderful time and I'm already looking forward to next year.

Take a look at my loot: (click on the picture to get more detail)

I got some GOOD stuff! And I only spent $40!!! Now that's what I call shopping!! Ya'll enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Friday Flower Fix & Fun weekend ahead

"Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, like a flower, may alight upon you."

~~~~~

So, do you all have a big weekend planned? It's actually supposed to rain all weekend here. But that's not gonna stop me from enjoying my plans. I get to begin my fun filled weekend by going grocery shopping later on today...lol. And tomorrow....OH tomorrow...it's FINALLY here. I get to go to the Scrapbook Expo!!! YIPPY! I have been planning this day since I left the event last year :-). For all you scrapbookers out there, you can only imagine my excitement. This is NOT the place to go if you are a "recovering scrapbooker"...lol. It's the "heaven" on my "scrapbooking earth"...so to speak.

Anyway, that's all I've got planned for the weekend. And I'm beyond excited about it. So tune in later Saturday or sometime Sunday to see what kind of damage I did.

Ya'll have a beautiful weekend!!!

Inspired to INSPIRE...

Good morning everyone!

So, how was your weekend?

Guess what I did....NOTHING! Absolutely NOTHING!!! Ok, well we did have a community cook out at our neighborhood pool on Saturday, so we went to that. But other than that, we did NOTHING! It was so nice to be able to just wander around the house and/or take a nap (or 2).

Anyway, that was about it for us. So I guess it's back to "normal life" today. You know, loads of laundry, errand running, stuff like that. But before I get started with all of that, I'm feeling Inspired to Inspire you......

Reach high!

The best is always kept

upon life's topmost shelves,

but not beyond our reach,

if we will reach beyond ourselves.

Have a beautiful day and remember to Be inspired...I am!!

Friday Flower Fix

Happy Friday, everyone!

I hope you all had a great week. So, what's going on with you guys this weekend? Got anything fun and exciting planned?

You know, we have ABSOLUTELY nothing planned...that I know of. That hasn't happened in a while. But I'm actually looking forward to doing nothing.

Well, here's your Flower Fix!!! Enjoy.

"If we could see the miracle of a SINGLE flower clearly, our whole life would change. Now, imagine a DOZEN...."

Have a beautiful weekend.

Weekend recap, men and shopping & Inspired to INSPIRE

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well.

So, did you guys have a good weekend? Mine was actually pretty fun. I mean, all we did was go do some shopping for the upcoming 4th of July holiday. (we're having around 30+- people over) For the first time in many moons, my hubby went shopping with us. We had to go to BJ's to do our large quantity shopping and we NEEDED him there to help pick up the big & bulky stuff. Not to mention, pick out the "right" ribs since he'll be the one grilling them. After we left there, we stopped by the house to drop off all the big stuff so we'd have room in the back of the van. Then we headed to "the man" store...LOWE'S :-). I mean, doesn't everyone HAVE to have another grill? It's a cardinal sin to have chicken, hot dogs, brats, and burgers on the same grill as the ribs. DUH!!! So we grabbed another grill and some more charcoal.

Then we headed down to Publix to get the "normal" family sized stuff. Not to worry, I won't tell you guys everything we bought. But I will say this...I found out exactly why I don't often take the mister shopping with me. He is the BIGGEST kid! I'm not sure if it was because his mother was with us or if he was just having fun and showing out for Jayla. Regardless, I'm gonna try not to ask him to go with me again...lol. Maybe in the future, I'll just have him go FOR me! Yeah, that's a great idea. That way, he'll just go in for what he needs them come back out.

People, this man was messing with stuff and asking all kinds of questions. Questions, like, "Why don't you ever buy this for us?" "What is THAT stuff for?" "Do people REALLY eat that?" I think the man was hungry because he wanted EVERYthing he saw. One of the things we went there for was BBQ sauce. He didn't want the kind we normally get this time. He wanted to try one that he heard about on The Food Network. So we found it...and you guys, this man opened the bottle and stuck his finger in it to taste it! I was SO embarassed! Then, to add insult to (my) injury, he LICKED the seal that was on the bottle opening. ARGH!!! At this point, I am now PRAYING that he liked the sauce. Because I was having palpatations thinking about what he would've done with the opened bottle had he NOT! I can see it now...him "accidentally" dropping and breaking the bottle on the floor -- then hearing "CLEAN UP ON ISLE 5" over the store intercom!! MEN!! Thankfully, he liked it and we did in fact purchase the opened bottle.

THEN...once we filled up the shopping cart (or buggy...depending on what part of the country you're from), we headed to check out. My MIL paid for her items first and then the crazy man started unloading our stuff onto the belt. I moved the cart just a little bit so that he could get to things better, and it happens.....My husband FALLS on the floor, right in front of the candy and magazines, grabbing his leg saying that I'd hit him with the cart.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

I know I turned every shade of red!! Jayla got the biggest kick out of her deranged daddy laying on the floor, rolling around, pretending like he's in agony. By now the cashier and the bagger are STUNNED!! They don't know rather he's really hurt and they may have a lawsuit on their hands. Or if he's kidding. However, they quickly noticed me, my MIL and Jayla laughing at him...and by now, hubby is laughing too. Needless to say, the cashier said that we'd been the highlight of his day. As they had been VERY busy due to the upcoming holiday. Oh my goodness...why US?? Better question, why ME??? :-) What a fun outing!

Ok, I thank you all for your patience and sharing in our family craziness. Now, for your words of INSPIRATION:

"Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting."

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!!

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!!!

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"

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!

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.