Day 20 - Be Thankful

Today, November 20th, I am thankful for - JAYLA!!!

On Tuesday, November 20, 2001,  after 11 LONG years of prayer (and trying), God sent me & Mister M. a beautiful blessing....

24 Hours old.

3 Months old.

1st Birthday.
(Look at that face! I LOVE it! She did NOT wanna touch
that cake, lol)

Pre-K
(Age 4)

Kindergarten
Age 5

1st Grade
Age 6

2nd Grade
Age 7

And here we are, 9 years later...and He continues to bless us with this BEAUTIFUL little lady!

TODAY!
...well, almost today :-)...she was 8 in this
3rd Grade picture, taken about a month ago.
She still looks like this :-).

Love you bunches, J'Bear!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ain't 8 GREAT?!?!?

In 2001, on this very day...actually, it was a Tuesday...but you get the idea :-) this sweet little baby girl was born into this world!!

 And today, in 2009. she's a BEAUTIFUL, funloving, vibrant, full of life 8 year old!

Happy, Happy, HAPPY birthday to my sweet little Jaylabear! I love you, baby!!

~~~

Stay tuned everyone...HOPEFULLY, another post will follow later on today. If all turns out well, I have something else birthday related that I need to share with you.

But before I go...guess what? THIS is my 500th post!  And what a day for it to be on...my baby's 8th birthday. How cool is that??? I'm thinking about doing some sort of fun drawing for you guys to celebrate my 500th post. Stay tuned for that!

Enjoy your day!

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! :-)

Friday Flower Fix & Happy Birthday!

Happy Friday everyone.

In addition to this being the weekly Friday Flower Fix, it's also a special dedication post to my husband, Marque (aka Mister M.)

Today, February 22nd, is Mister M's 41st birthday. Saying his age, and MINE, really puts in perspective how long we've been together. We started dating when we were 19 years old! Mister M. had literally turned 19, 2 months before we met back in 1986.

You guys, I have no words to explain how amazing this man is. And not to worry, I'm not gonna get all mushy on you here :-). But seriously, he is truly amazing. This man loves his family completely. And loves me and the kids unconditionally. Now, don't misunderstand...as amazing as I think he is, I know fully that he's not perfect. And the good thing about that is, he doesn't claim to be. But he does put his family first and all is right with the world when he's around. Marque is a great provider, a wonderful husband, an awesome father, a loving son, and a caring coach :-).

I tell him I love him all the time. But I think sometimes I neglect to tell him how much I appreciate him. And that I'm SO very proud of him. So, Marque, if you're reading this; honey, I appreciate you more than you'll ever know. And I wouldn't trade the life you're providing for me for the world....with your sexy self :-).

Happy Birthday, my love!!
And before I get to the FFF, I just have to share another picture of Mister M. The reason I love this picture so much is because THIS is how we spend a LOT of our time....

Laughing with eachother (I love the look on his face...as I'm sure I said something crazy, that obviously cracked me up). We have so much fun...even after spending half of our lives together. I just pray that we never get too old or too "grown up" to laugh together and enjoy one another. Again, happy birthday sweetie.

"We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh."

~Agnes Repplier~

Ok, how bout some flowers! I chose these today because I think I'm about ready for Spring. I'm ready for the cold to go away. AND because, I think they're pretty :-).
Well, I don't think I have any earth shattering plans for the weekend. So I'm guessing it's gonna be a quiet one. However, tonight, for Mister M's birthday, we're going here for dinner. I even told him to give me his credit card when it came time to pay...that way it would look like I was treating HIM to dinner :-). Remember the look he gave me in the picture above? That's how he looked at me when I made that suggestion, lol.

Anyway, I hope ya'll have a great weekend. Toodles!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Friday everyone.

Guess what?

Today is my oldest daughter, Briyanna's, 23rd birthday. My goodness, I can't believe MY daughter is 23 YEARS old! Where has the time gone?

This is Briyanna the day she came into my life...23 years ago. It's very hard to believe that as an 18 year old, God was trusting ME to take care of and love this beautiful, sweet, innocent little person. And I thank Him ...everyday for her.

And this is Briyanna now...23 years later. What a gorgeous young woman she has turned into. Don't you think? Sure, we've been through some STUFF! And saying that is merely scratching the surface, lol. But, again, through the strength, only given to me by God Himself, did we make it through those "terrible teen" years. :-).

Briyanna has been on her own now for almost 5 years. And I am BEYOND proud of her. She is making her own way and taking care of own business. It's so funny to talk to her on the phone sometimes and hear how being an adult really....um, shall we say SUX (her words), LOL. I remember when she was little and we'd be out shopping. I'd see something that I'd like and maybe say, "I like that! Wish I could get it today.", Or, "I'd like to have that...". Briyanna would say, "Mom, just GET IT!!" I'd find myself explaining to her that it's just not THAT simple.

NOW she's seeing what I meant by that. And she's making very good and wise choices about what to do with her money...and her time.

Anyway, Briyanna, if you're reading this...ALWAYS know that I love you beyond words and beyond your understanding. Being a mother is very hard work....but there is no one in this world that I'd rather hear call me "MOMMY" than you and your sister. You have been and continue to be a true blessing to me. I'm so proud of you and so proud that you're MY daughter. Have an awesome day, my love!

So you guys ready for your Friday Flower Fix? Okie dokie...here ya go:

Ok, these aren't only for you, my fellow readers, they're for Briyanna too. It seems I remember her telling me that she loves Cala Lillies. And I KNOW she loves things that BLING...so here ya go, babe! :-)

Welp, that's all I've got for now. I've got a few other things to share today...but wishing my daughter a HAPPY BIRTHDAY was the most important. So with that said, ya'll come back by later on today (or tomorrow), I may have more for ya! Have a groovy day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRI!!! Mommy loves you :-D

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

My goodness, November is a busy month for birthdays in my family.

And today is a very special one. My baby, Jayla is a half-dozen years old today :-).

WOW...it's so hard to believe that on Tuesday, November 20, 2001, this beautiful child came into our lives.

Just as I've said over my past 2 years of blogging, this day is always so bittersweet for me. I'm thrilled to death, everyday, to see this little lady blossom, grow, and learn. She has the most amazing personality and her character simply oozes with tenderness, gentleness, and love.

For those of you who have had the opportunity to meet her, you've only seen just a small part of who Jayla really is. You don't have to be around her for long before she makes you break into laughter. She has the sweetest spirit. Words can't express how much I love this girl and how thankful I am to God for trusting US with her care. What a blessing she is.

Well, you've seen what a beauty she was when we first brought her home from the hospital...puffy eyes and all, lol. But check her out TODAY, at the age of 6 years old!

Sorry, but pictures of Jayla are just like Lay's potato chips...you can't have just ONE! lol

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl!!!

Today at Jayla's school was Grandparents and Special People day. Jayla wanted her Grandma to come and have lunch with her. But she said she wanted me and her daddy there too. Just so happens, daddy took the past few days off for our birthdays. So we were both able to join Jayla and Grandma for lunch.

When a child has a birthday at her school, they are given a special "crown" to wear. So today was EXTRA special for Jayla. It was so funny, last week, they sent home the form telling us about the upcoming luncheon. On that form, they also had the menu. Well, Jayla isn't much of an eater and I knew she wouldn't eat the basic Thanksgiving dinner that was being served.

Jayla proceeds to tell me that she doesn't like any of that and she wants me to bring her something else to eat :-). My MIL reminded me that she'd gone to G'Parents day with Markell a few years back and she wasn't too fond of the menu either :-). So it didn't hurt her feelings at all that Jayla wanted something else to eat. Long story short, we stopped at Chick Fil A and got lunch for the 4 of us :-).

The school has a rule that no outside (fast food) restaurant food can be brought in. However, as long as we don't bring it in the "original packaging", it would be fine. So on the way to the school, I was stuffing CFA sandwiches, nuggets and fries in foil and sandwich bags. The teachers said it was alright if we brought softdrinks in. It was fun.

Jayla even got to have a professional picture taken with Grandma.

Well, Jayla wanted me to share one more of her birthday surprises with you. Today is the last day of school for the Thanksgiving holiday. Last week, the teacher sent home a note saying that Jayla was chosen to be the caretaker of the class "pet", over the Thanksgiving break. Ok, if you're keeping up...that's a total of 5 days!!! :-) Needless to say, Jayla is VERY excited about being given this responsibility. Also, she's the very first one of this school year to be chosen. And how cool for it to happen ON her birthday.

Well, without further ado, allow me to introduce to you...SWIMMY the Beta Fish.

For the next 5 days, Swimmy will reside in Jayla's room. I ask that all of you take a good look at him for me. You know, just in case "something" happens to Mr. Swimmy the fish and he needs to be replaced, LOL! By the way, do dogs eat fish? I hope not.

Ya'll have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a great time with your friends and family. Save me a wing!! :-)

Happy Birthday to me...ALOHA to you!!

Hey ya'll!!!

Well, I told you I'd be another year older by the time I posted again. Yesterday was my 41st Birthday.

Awww, ya'll are so sweet...I can almost hear you singing the birthday song! lol

Let's see, where should I begin? Well, on Friday night, the 16th, my sweet hubby took me to dinner. Oh you guys, it was WONDERFUL!!! Here are a few pix:
I had the Petit Filet & Shrimp (Two 4 oz. medallions of filet topped with jumbo gulf shrimp) cooked to PERfection, a baked potato with butter & cheese and the fresh broccoli. YUMMO!!!

And for dessert, we shared the Warm Apple Crumb Tart with Vanilla ice cream. It was so sweet, our waiter presented this to me with a candle in it and said it was on the house. It was DEE-LISH!!
Here's me and hubby after our dinner. We had a beautiful booth in a nice, secluded corner of the restaurant. Oh it was devine. Thank you again, sweetie!

THEN...on Saturday, my actual birthday, we celebrated Jayla's birthday. Oh you guys, it was BEAUTIFUL!!! I just don't have the words to describe how everything turned out. I'm not one to toot my own horn....but this time, I've just gotta call a spade a spade, LOL. My basement was decorated like a tropical "kids" paradise. My friend, Stacey...Oh STACEY...I could NOT have pulled this off without her. She really helped me out a lot...by having so many of the things that made this party a success for Jayla. Even down to the candle for the cake. OK..., c'mon now...what kind of mother doesn't have CANDLES for their childs birthday cake? That would be ME! I mean, I HAVE some, I just didn't know where they were, ARGH!!! (I found them this morning...DUH!!) But being that Stacey was at the party and only lives 3 doors down from me, she came to my rescue in a crisis :-). (thank goodness her husband was at home) Thanks Stacey...I owe you!

All of Jayla's friends were there, we had the tropical/hawaiian music in the background, there was an abundance of food (including 6 LARGE pizzas), real coconut cups with umbrella straws, Hawaiian leis, a sunshine pinata and wonderful gifts. Ok, ok...I've talked it up long enough...HERE are the pictures:

And guess what? To add the icing to my birthday cake, so to speak, I finally got to meet Lynilu. During her travels, she happened to stop over in Georgia. Oh my goodness, she is even more beautiful IRL! As soon as I saw her, I felt that I've known her for YEARS. Such a sweet, sweet spirit. I didn't make too great of a first-first impression, because I was running late getting to our meeting place. And I HATE for people to have to wait for me. But she was very forgiving and understanding. My second-first impression was a little better :-). I had both of my daughters with me too. I was so glad they got to meet her. Briyanna found out that there was a Starbucks in the shopping plaza that Lynilu and I met in. And the good news was that it was in a Barnes & Noble bookstore. My new friend found it pretty humorous that I'd NEVER been to Starbucks before. I mean, I've been IN one, but I've never had their coffee before. So Briyanna had to help her mother out and actually order for me :-). I know, I'm a mess. She also got a not-so hot chocolate for Jayla...it was PERFECT.

After we made our beverage purchases, we strolled back to the kids book section. Jayla LOVES books. So this was perfect for her. Not to mention, Briyanna had given her some money for her birthday. So she found quite a few books that she wanted to buy. ANYWAY, Lynilu got to see me in "mother" mode :-). Jayla was...um, shall we say, herself. Which meant Lyn got to see exactly what I talk about in my blog :-). But thankfully, she wasn't too over the top...therefore, I wasn't embarassed by any of her "Jaylaisms". And Briyanna was simply a sweetie. She and Lyn talked about their doggies, as they have the same breed.

Anyway, you guys, as I said, this lady is simply beautiful. I was a little sad when our visit was over. I could've chatted with her all night. She was SOOO easy to talk to and very interesting. Meeting Lynilu yesterday was the perfect ending to my 41st birthday as well as to a crazy, busy day. Had I not been so excited to get to meet her, I may have cancelled. I was almost beat from the party. But she made it so worth it and she gave me a new burst of energy to get through the rest of the evening. Hopefully, Lyn, you feel the same as me...in that we may have a new, long lasting friendship brewing. And I hope that the next time you're on this side of the country, you'll want to visit with me/us again. Thank you again for your time and your friendship.

Ok you guys...here's proof that I'm not making this whole visit up, lol.

Isn't she gorgeous?? By the way, I'm not sure if Lyn just remembered that purple is my favorite color or what. But she had on the most beautiful purple top. I'm just gonna step out on a limb and say that she wore it for me...for my birthday :-). Thanks! lol

WELP...that's it for now. Tuesday is Jayla's actual birthday. And I'm sure I'll have more pix to share with you. Until then, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Oh, don't forget...BE INSPIRED...I AM!!! (Seriously, how could I NOT be? I mean, I've got the bestest friends!) ;-)

Amendment: OH MY GOODNESS...where are my manners??? I totally forgot to thank those special people who gave me gifts for my birthday. I am SUCH a slacker. Special thanks to Miss Marie "Rie" (Ashlee's mom) for the sweet card, the beautiful bracelet and the salsa. I love you! To Jennifer C. for the beautiful flowers and the hilarious card. You are a special friend, and I love you. To my MIL, Mattie, for the beautiful purple flowers. Mom, you are an awesome woman and I love you to pieces. To Stacey for the hilarious card and the Dr. Pepper lounging pants :-). You're an AWESOME friend and I love you to death. Thanks for all you do for me. To my daughter, Briyanna, for the BEAUTIFUL & thoughtful letter that you wrote me. I love you bunches and bunches. To Markell for the beautiful wall hanging and for your framed, SUPER HANDSOME school picture. I love it and I love YOU. And to all of you who sent cards and the wonderful birthday wishes. You ALL mean the world to me.

Friday Flower Fix & CELEBRATIONS

Hey ya'll...Happy Friday.

Once again, I'm in a time crunch. I've gotta take advantage of the alone time I have right now to start decorating for Jayla's Luau tomorrow.

First of all, I just came from the cutest Native American celebration at Jayla's school. I'll share the pictures and more details on that later on this weekend.

Second, here's your Friday Flower Fix. Let's just say I'm giving these to myself as a birthday present :-).

And speaking of which, I will be another year older by the time I speak with you again. How exciting. Tonight, my hubby and I are going on a nice evening out to dinner to celebrate my 41st birthday.

Then tomorrow, at 2pm the party will begin!!! Jayla's Hawaiian Luau is tomorrow and I think I'm just as excited at she is.

SOOOO, with that, I leave you for now so I can go get some decorating done. Lord knows I don't wanna be running around (even more than normal) like a crazy woman tomorrow :-).

I hope ya'll have a WONDERFUL weekend. Love you all! Toodles!!!

He's a TODDLER!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

...to our sweet "little" boy, Tramore. Also, affectionately known as Trae.

That's right, our beautiful buddy is 2 years old today! I would say that he's 14...but dog years seems so OLD. So I'm gonna stick with what I know (human years) and say he's a TERRIFIC TWO year old :-).

What a sweet boy he is. People always think he might be mean or ferocious. But he's just not. He is a gentle giant. I mean, look at that little face.

How can HE be mean? Trae is the sweetest thing and has been an amazing addition to our family.

Some of you may remember, last year we "celebrated" Trae's birthday with his very own cake and party hat. But this year, Daddy veto'd the celebration, lol. So instead, I gave him a "cookie" and a bunch of lovin :-).

Here are some pictures of how our big boy spent his special day...

This is one of his favorite places to lounge. Right at the top of the stairs...right in the way :-). He is one big boy! And you know, if you have to go down the stairs or come up them and he's laying there, he will NOT move! We should've named him RoadBlock! Cuz that's what he is...a big 71 pound BARRIER!







And when it's 1 million degrees here like it is close to today, you will find Trae snoozing here. On the slab of marble in the sitting room of our bedroom. He loves the cool feeling on his belly.





And a day of birthday lounging wouldn't be complete without a big ole hug from his favorite girl.

Happy Birthday buddy. We LOVE you!!!

Happy Birthday, to the love of my life

Today is my dear husband, Marque's 40th birthday! It's hard to believe that I've been with this "young man" since we were both 19 years old! It appears that we're doing exactly what we vowed to do...and that's grow old together. Now don't get me wrong, 40 is not old! Personally, I think we're in the prime of our lives.

Over the years, Marque has proven that he is a man of his word. He promised that he would always work hard and do what was necessary to take care of his family. And he continues to do just that. Not only financially, but spirtually. My husband is a man of God and it's very evident by the way he leads & teaches our family.

There are so many things I can say about Marque. But I won't bore you all with the mushy details :-).

I will just say that I love you, Marque, with all my heart and I look forward to what the next 40 years will add to, not only your life, but mine as well.

Me and the kids love you SO much and we hope that your 40th year of life is as wonderful as you are to us.

Happy Birthday, Babe!