Prayer works wonders & Inspiration

Happy Monday all! (you may wanna sit down, this is gonna be lengthy *smile*)
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Before I go any further with this post, I'd like to ask everyone to stop for a second and pray. Pray for all of those who are sick, just not feeling well, going through some sort of valley/struggles/temptations, or WHATEVER!!! As Christians/Believers, we don't have to know exactly what someone is going through. Only that they have a burden that requires our intervention of prayer. We may not always be able to physically do something for someone else. But prayer works WONDERS! Therefore, that's the least we can do.
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Specifically, I ask you to continue to pray for my MIL. She came home from the hospital on Saturday and is doing much, much better. She will still have to go see a cardiologist to follow up with the hospital visit. But we're pretty sure, things will be fine. Secondly, please say a quick prayer for Adrienne. Most of you know her and have probably read her blog today. If not, check it out and let's keep her lifted up. Lastly, pray for me. Pray that I make it through another day with Jayla at home :-), lol. She goes back to school tomorrow and she can't WAIT!!! As I've told you before, she absolutely LOVES school and isn't too happy of a camper when she's not there. Therefore, she's worrying me to death about when she's going back. (Note: I realize this last prayer request is probably a little misplaced, considering the seriousness of the ones it follows. But I thought I'd try and lighten the mood a bit.)
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OK...now, back to my original post. I recently read a post by Leah, where she listed 10 of her most favorite scrapbook layouts of 2007. I actually thought about doing the same thing. However, I realized that I'd be hardpressed to find TEN that I even completed last year :-). Then, last night, I was reading Cheryl's blog...and she went and did the same thing (she's been reading Leah's blog too, lol) So now you know what that means...the pressure is ON! Well, I'm feeling it anyway. So last night I went through all my LO's and I did in fact find 10 that I could say were my favs...or at the very least, some I really liked and could stand to see again in a public forum such as this, lol.
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Alrighty, in no particular order...here are 10 of my favs from 2007. WARNING: there may be a little bit of a Jayla overload here, LOL. Remember, she is the last one still at home. So I just work with what I have, TEE HEE. Hope you enjoy.
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This is a LO I did of me and my hubby. I actually saw the idea of the holes on another LO somewhere and thought it would be beautiful with colored paper behind it. Then I thought of the song, "Color my world" by Chicago and I knew it would all work perfectly with the B&W photos.

Not too much to say about this one. As the title says it all...BEAUTIFUL!!! I simply LOVE these pics if Jayla. Such a sweet & innocent face. LOVE it!

Here is a LO I did for my friend and fellow blogger, Veroncia. Her daughter, Ava was another beautiful subject to work with. V and I swapped photos and these are of her daughters dance recital.

It's not often I get to do a LO of my DH. Probably because he doesn't like taking pictures :-). But this one, I LOVE of him. And being that purple is my favorite color, finding the perfect papers to use was bunches of fun. I love how it turned out.Yet another rarity...a photo of me and my dad. This is the LO I did for my dad for Fathers Day last year. I think I saw a tear in his eye when he saw it. I sure hope it was because he liked it :-).

Oh look...it's my Jayla, jumping around like a crazy girl :-), lol. This LO was SOOO fun to do. I stepped out on a limb doing this one. I love color and using more than one patterned paper. But I don't like "busy". I think my mission was accomplished on this one. I just love it and I'm thrilled that I "took the chance".

This is the LO I did as sort of a tribute to Markell. I was SOOO sad when he left over the summer. I miss him so much. So this LO was kinda theraputic for me. I love how this one turned out. He's so handsome :-).

Here's my MOMMA!!! lol. I was really nervous doing this LO. My mother doesn't like having her picture taken. And she REALLY doesn't like this one. But I LOVE it. I'm proud that my mom was a JET magazine Beauty. I gave this to her for Mothers Day last year.

There she is again, lol. It's Jayla...my Fiesty Fairy. Ok, how cute is this little girl? I LOVE the colors in this LO and the mix of papers really work well with the photos...at least I think so. :-)

Now here's a fun LO of me and my hubby. I really love these pictures of us. And as much as I thought we didn't "match" this evening. I do think we complimented eachother well. Therefore, it made the choice of colors & papers come together well. The balance of the B&W helps, I think.

Okie dokie, that's my long post for the day :-). I hope you enjoyed the pictures. And for those of you who feel "led" to do this same type of post, I'd love to see your work.

Ya'll have a great day...I'm off to try and entertain my 6 year old, LOL.

Inspired to INSPIRE....

Happy Monday everyone!

My goodness, where did my day go? I've been running like a crazy woman all morning. And here it is, almost 5pm already.

Backing up a few days, how bout a weekend recap? (Good idea!)
~Saturday, Jayla had a game and she scored one goal. Yay JAYLA!!! The big Stingrays had a game at noon and won 6 - 2! What a great game. They are doing so well. Oh, and guess what? The team that was undefeated and who was in the #1 position lost on Saturday (this is the team that beat us last Sunday 8 - 2). Honestly, I hate to hear when any team loses...but this put us in a good standing. Hope they continue to play this well as tournament is coming up in a few weeks.

~Saturday evening, we went over to some friends house for a get together. This is the friend who'd been asking to see Trae. She felt she'd make it up to us and invite us over for dinner :-). Oh my goodness, the food was SO YUMMY!!!

~Sunday, we heard a totally awesome sermon in church. The basic question was "How did I get here?" That's a question I often ask myself. I mean, I'm living a life that, in my early adult years, would be a life I didn't see myself living. I NEVER thought that I'd want to be a SAHM. But, here I am and I LOVE it. I NEVER thought that I'd be that mom that volunteers at my kids school. But, where did I find myself every Monday morning? Yep, volunteering in Jayla's class. And I LOVE it! When you think about it, the answer to "How did I get here", is very simple to answer. I don't really believe in "luck" or "coincidence". I'm at the point that I'm at in my life simply because this is where God wants me to be. I know that because everything is working out so perfectly. And due to my being imperfect...I KNOW it's nothing that I've done. Too cool, huh?

~Today, I worked at Jayla's school for a few hours. They were supposed to go on a field trip today to a local park. But it's raining and the trip was cancelled (for the 2nd time). So, I made lunch for me and Jayla and I stayed and ate lunch with her and her classmates. So fun!

Well, that brings me up to date :-). Practice has been cancelled tonight due to the rain. So I get to have a nice relaxing evening with Jayla (Daddy goes to a friends house on Monday nights to watch football). Oh, and speaking of rain...that brings me to todays words of inspiration. Enjoy.

RAIN

I used to listen to the weather, but lately I don't seem to care.

Sunshine and rain no longer matter, except in the expression you wear.

When raindrops dare to dampen the sweet windows of your soul,

washing away your tender tears is my most important goal.

And when the sunshine reappears in your charming, disarming smile,

I know I'll save that warming image, in my eternal memory file.

Have a wonderful day, my friends. And continue to be inspired...

Weekend recap & Inspired to Inspire

Hey ya'll! It just dawned on me, that I haven't been much of an inspiration lately. Sorry. My intentions have been there...I guess I just haven't made it happen.

But today, I'm gonna start off with a little nugget of inspiration for ya. There's actually a reason behind today's quote...I'll explain in a minute.

"For the mother is and must be, whether she knows it or not, the greatest, strongest and most lasting teacher her children have."

Ok, I really like this quote. And the reason I chose it today is because it goes perfectly with my morning. Let's talk about it, shall we?

You may remember, last Monday, I started volunteering for one hour a week in Jayla's kindergarten class. Well, I went today and had a fun time with the kids. I got to work with a small group of 3 kids. We worked on a Columbus Day project. HOWEVER, (isn't there always a "however"?) There was this little girl working with me, and I'm sure she's a really sweet kid...HOWEVER, that chick kept sneezing and coughing on me!!! And she kept scooting her chair closer and closer to me. I don't mind her wanting to sit by me...but STOP freakin sneezing all over me!!! I told her several times to cover her mouth and/or turn her head. Shoot, even the other kids at the table were telling her the same thing. Finally, the teacher noticed that I was being immersed in snot & spit, so she told the girl to turn her head and go blow her nose. No WONDER they keep so many bottles of hand sanitizer around the classroom.

I said all this to say...it is NOT the teachers job to teach a child proper manners. Things like common courtesy, saying "please"/"thank you" and HYGIENE should be taught at home....and reinforced at school. But that's just me!!

Anyway, after we were done with our little project, I doused myself with a few pumps of the ole hand sanitizer...man, I was rubbing in on my arms like lotion, LOL. God FORBID I get a cold and give it to Jayla. That child would have a HISSY FIT if she missed a single day of school!!!

Alright, alright...enough about my morning. It was fun though. So, this weekend....Jayla had a game on Saturday, and as always...let's say they won, lol :-). Afterwards, we went home, took a little nap. Then headed over to the head coaches house for a little get together. The guys, which includes most of the big Stingrays, the 3 coaches and a few other parents went to play laser tag in the woods. Afterwards, they all came back to Coach's house for pizza, cookie cake, brownies and a bunch of other snacks. Everyone had a great time. And the food was YUMMY!!! Especially the Shrimp Bisque and home made salsa!

Sunday, we kinda slept late...so we didn't make it to church. Ooops! Then around 3pm we had to leave for the Stingrays game. My goodness, they played at a field up in God's country...45 minutes away from our house but only 1 - 2 hours South of TN!!! Let's put it this way, we were NOT in a place that we wanted to be in after dark...if you know what I mean :-D. I had to potty so bad by the time we got up there...but I held it because there was NOTHING nearby that even looked like a public restroom. And I'm not too fond of peeing in the woods. So I sat like a nice little girl and cheered on our Stingrays from my chair :-). No sudden jump ups or anything. And yes, they won...they BETTER had after driving all the way to Eastbumblefart, GA (NOTE: not technically the name of the town...I don't think). Oh, the score was 8 - 3...YAY STINGRAYS!!! After the game, about 4 families caravaned outta there and headed back to civilization for dinner at TGIFridays.

Ok, well, there you have it. That's my weekend in a nutshell. Next weekend promises to be just as exciting. Both teams play on Saturday then the big Stingrays play again on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully, in a town with more than one traffic light :-).

Have a groovy day. And remember, Be Inspired...I AM!!!

Inspired to INSPIRED...

Happy Monday everyone!

Can you believe it's already Monday again? The weekend was a blur to me...ok, all of last week is pretty much a blur.

But my quick recap of the weekend goes a little something like this:

~The Lil' Stingrays had their pictures made. Can't wait til those come back. I'll be sure to share when they do.

~I'll say that the Lil' Stingrays won their game...even though at this level they don't keep score; in my mind (and in Jayla's) they won, lol.

~Had a nice brunch at Steak N' Shake between games.

~The Big Stingrays played AWESOME and won 5 - 2!

~The rest of the weekend was spent watching football and soccer and napping.

Well, that's about all I've got for today. Oh, I did my Taebo workout this morning too. Aren't ya'll proud of me?

Here's your inspiration:

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the REAL things after all."

Have a beautiful week.

Inspired to INSPIRED - Weekend recap

"An open home, an open heart...here grows a bountiful harvest."

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Happy Monday everyone. Where did the weekend go?

Well, as I predicted, Jayla's soccer game got cancelled on Saturday due to the soggy fields.

Probably for the best though. I think she's getting over a little cold. When she got up on Saturday morning, she said she didn't feel much like playing in the game. So, not 5 minutes after we told her that it was alright if she didn't play, we got a recorded message from the head coach stating that the 9am game had been cancelled. However, all other games would begin an hour later than scheduled. When we told Jayla that her game had been cancelled, she got upset. Well, wait a minute...didn't you JUST tell us that you didn't want to play anyway? This little girl is too much. She proceeds to tell us that, even though SHE didn't feel like playing, she still wanted to "support" her teammates.

Well, we all know what that means...now we're gonna have a make up game; probably on a Friday evening. Oh well, that's the nature of the soccer beast.

The Stingrays had their game as scheduled. And the weather was GORGEOUS! It was probably in the high 70's and there was a wonderful breeze blowing. Still warm enough to wear shorts and a short sleeved shirt. PERFECT soccer playing weather.

Ok, the parents thought it was perfect soccer playing weather...probably because we didn't have to play. The boys, on the other hand, weren't quite as convinced. They didn't play near as well as they did last weekend. We lost 5 - 2. Could be because they were only able to practice one day last week. I dunno...I'm just trying to find them an excuse. But I'm sure no excuse will do, because my husband...their coach, is gonna run them like crazy at practice tonight. Poor Stingrays!

Alright, that's all I've got with regards to my weekend. However, I do have a question for you guys. I realize that most of my readers are women...so this is for you.

Is it just me or are car dealerships/repair shops STILL in the business of trying to get over on women? YES...I am still having issues with my van. And YES, the "guys" at the dealership still think I'm making stuff up. Remember a month or so ago I had about $2300 worth of work done? Well, like you, I thought that was gonna be it. But Nooooo, my hubby had to take the van to get some MORE work done on it this past Friday. To the toon of $650!!! Ok, I won't go into any details here. But I will say this, I plan to write Mr. Nissan a nice little nasty letter. Which leads me to my next questions...Do you guys write to a company when you're not satisfied with their service? If so, what do you expect to be done to satisfy you? When you write to a company, how much info do you or should you give, to get your point accross?

ARGH!!! Now I'm ticked off again. More on this later...once I get my thoughts together...

Inspired to INSPIRE...

"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it."

Have a beautiful day and Be Inspired...I AM!!

Weekend recap & Inspired to INSPIRE...

Happy Sunday everyone! (Before you read any further, please understand that I DO know how to seperate paragraphs...however, Blogger doesn't nor will it save any changes I make to show that separation.). Ok, that was just a special word from your sponsor...lol. Carry on....

Did you all have a nice weekend? Mine was very nice...relaxing, just like I like it. Weather permitting, this will be the official first week of soccer. It's been raining for the past few days. So much this past Saturday that the power went out for close to 2 hours. And it's been scattered thunderstorms since then. The weather report says it's supposed to be scattered T-storms throughout this week. So we'll see what happens with soccer practice. Did you know that soccer fields don't like the water? :-) Especially the ones on a flood plain...which ours are.

Speaking of soccer, we went to purchase new cleats for Jayla and coach daddy. And not only did we leave there with those, but we also got more shin guards for Jayla and a new balls for both she and daddy. Jayla's ball was either lost or stolen at the beginning of last season. So maybe this new pink one will be easy to keep up with. Every season, Jayla wants me to take a picture of her new soccer gear. However, she didn't think anyone would be interested in seeing her shinguards, she says those are "personal"...lol.

It's always funny when we are able to get coach daddy out and shopping...the man goes crazy. As I mentioned, he got himself a new pair of cleats, which he really needed. And a bright orange soccer ball. He also looked at another pair of "coaches cleats"...you know, for game days (insert rolling eyes here). The ONLY reason he didn't get them was because they didn't have anymore in stock. So we all know what that means...that's right, "I" will be going by there over the next few weeks to pick them up for him. I guess that'll be the time I can pick up my new soccer magnet for the van...hee hee.

ANYWAY...sorry to bore you all with my soccer ramblings. I just really love soccer season and I'm excited that it's about to begin.

So with that, I thank you all for your patience. And now, before I attempt to "inspire" you...lol, let me explain why I chose this quote. I simply LOVE entertaining and having guests over. My door is always open to friends and family who want to visit. So when I saw this picture and this quote, it seemed so welcoming to me. Not to mention, I want everyone who enters our home to feel welcomed...so come by anytime.

"May each soul that steps inside, feel the joy where love abides, and the warmth of God's true love He sends us freely from above."

NOTE: this isn't my home...but it sure screams Southern hospitality, doesn't it?

Have a great week!!

Inspired to INSPIRE & New Layouts

Hello everyone.

How was your weekend? Mine was great! Let's see, on Friday evening, I listened to High School Musical 2 in the background as Jayla TRIED to sing the songs :-). But I have to admit though, the few parts I did see, were pretty cute. It's just hard to get past the "cornyness" of it. Don't get me wrong, I wish teenagers DID act that way and work things out the way the kids on HSM do. Those kids really are good actors...pretty impressive actually. But now that it's premiered...it'll be on EVERY day for the next 6 weeks!!! LOL. So now Jayla has time to learn all the words and dance moves :-).

On Saturday, I got up early and made Fried Biscuits for my scrapping friends (a Paula Deen recipe). Then I loaded up the old van with just about every scrapbooking supply I could get in there, picked up my friend Stacey and all HERstuff and we headed on over to the crop. We were in our friends basement, so we had room to spread out and get some scrappin done. We also had some really yummy food. I even got 10 pages done. Check them out:

This first one has GOT to be my favorite. I absolutely love it. I think the pictures just speak volumes. That's why I decided that no journaling was necessary. BEAUTIFUL...says it all.

This next layout was just down right fun! And I thought the quote fit perfectly: "JOY is not in things; it's in us...so JUMP for it."

As I mentioned, I did several LO's. But this is all I can share right now. The others, I did for a friend and I can't post them until she see's them. So check back for those at another time.

NOTE: All of the photos of Jayla were taken by my good friend and her sister. They run a photography studio and do AWESOME work...especially with kids. Thank you Cynthia and Lisa...ya'll ROCK!!

ANYWAY...I think it's time for your little inspirational nugget :-).

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

Well, that's all I've got for today. I hope you have a wonderful week. Oh, and thanks for looking at my LO's.

Look out KINDERGARTEN...here she comes!

Hello everyone in blogland.

I am proud to announce that I did NOT cry this morning when we dropped Jayla off for her first day of Kindergarten :-). Oh my goodness you guys, she was bouncing off the walls this morning. She was a little unhappy about having to be awakened at 6:30am...but as soon as I reminded her that it was FINALLY Monday AND her first day of big school, she jumped out of bed. And quickly informed me that she'd be having her usual for breakfast (Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and milk...with a straw).

Jayla didn't even finish her breakfast of champions this morning, because she was so ready to "hit the road". After getting dressed in the outfit she's had picked out for 3 weeks :-), we got the hair done and she was ready for pictures. Isn't she cute?

We can't head off to school without giving grandma a big ole hug first :-). Today is also grandma's 84th birthday. So this is a special day for everyone.

Gotta have that "at the front door" picture every year :-). She sure makes Bermuda shorts look good, doesn't she? lol

"Mom, take one where you can see my Princess back pack!"

Let's not forget the one by THE tree. This one was kinda awkward to take. The grass was a little damp and little missy wasn't real happy about getting her new sneakers all "dewey" :-).

There is no way I can explain to you how crowded the school parking lot was this morning. There were people parked all along the street, in the parking lot and in the grass. We were able to get the ole van up over the curb and on the grass. Jayla asked daddy to carry her out of the van so her new sneakers wouldn't get dewey again :-).

Look how little she is. She's too small to be going to big school. But look at that big, proud grin...I know she'll be fine.

Jayla was glad to hear that her new teacher, Ms. Freeman LOVES morning hugs. Well, she got the right student in her class for that this year :-).

I can't wait to hear about Jayla's first day of school when I pick her up this afternoon. I hope the excitement she's feeling today stays with her throughout the school year.

I think I'm gonna forego the "Inspired to INSPIRE" today. I mean, I'm pretty inspired already by the fact that this morning wasn't as sad as I thought it would be.

Have a great day. And Be inspired...I am!!!

Weekend recap & Inspired to Inspire

Happy Sunday, everyone. (See 7/30 update below)

So, how was your weekend? Do anything fun and exciting?

As I mentioned in Friday's post, my hubby fired up the ole grill and we had some family over. For the first time in a while, Jayla was able to play with her 2 cousins, Madesan & Haidyn. My goodness, when I tell you that girls really do know how to scream and have fun...trust me on that one. Now, it's loud enough around here with just Jayla running around laughing, screaming and dancing. But when you add 2 more girls to the mix, it's unlike anything you can imagine. :-)

Needless to say, Jayla was...how you say in the South?...PLUM TUCKERED OUT!!! :-)

This actually worked out well for us though. Marque and I were able to go out on a date last night and my MIL watched Jayla for us. Mom told us this morning, that Jayla was asleep probably before we got off of our street...lol. Poor thing was exhausted from all that playing.

Back to this date...Some of Marque's high school buddies invited us to get together last night. We've been planning this for about 3 weeks now. There were about 20 of us at this little pub and we had such a great time. His classmates are the sweetest people. And guess what? We even did a little Karaoke. I've never done it before, so it was fun to do it with a group of people. We sang, "We are Family" by Sister Sledge. Remember that one? One of the girls that was there did a few solos for us. TOO FUN!!! Anyway, we had a ball. I think we got home a little after 1 this morning.
We had Jayla take a couple pictures of us before we left. This first shot, she took of me. She said that she just LOVED my dress; because I NEVER wear dresses :-). And just a little note for all you mothers out there with daughters in the kindergarten age range....it is NOT a good idea to take them with you to buy a new bra to wear with your new dress. EVERYONE in (or in close proximity outside) the dressing room WILL know what size bra you wear. AND they will be advised that, 5 year olds do NOT have boobies as big as their mommies....but they will as soon as they turn 6! LOL

And here's me and my good lookin' husband. Jayla said she could NOT believe that daddy was wearing a yellow shirt...because it does not go with a single thing that mommy has on. But that the black pants were PERFECT! :-)

I'm sorry folks, I just HAVE to say...we make a pretty cute couple :-). I love when we get to go out together and just enjoy eachother. We have a ball.


UPDATE: One of Marque's friends took a picture of us at the pub we were at. And he sent us a copy. Thanks, Mike.Well, that's about all we did this weekend. And being 40...that's enough...hee hee.

This weekend leads me to todays "Inspired to Inspire". As I mentioned, we had a really nice time with some of Marque's friends from high school. I have a hard time calling them HIS friends. As over the years, they have become very good friends of mine as well. So I dedicate this Inspiration to them.

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

Have a beautiful week and Be Inspired...I AM!!

Inspired to INSPIRE...

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else, is the greatest of all accomplishments.

Be Inspired...I AM!!!

Inspired to INSPIRE (a day late)

Ooops, it's Tuesday, isn't it?

I can't believe I forgot about my weekly "inspiration". To those of you who look forward to it every week, I apologize.

Well, here you go:

"There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun."

Pablo Picasso

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!!

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."

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!

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!!

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!!!

Inspired to INSPIRE...Memorial Day Special

Happy Memorial Day!

"There is nothing so wrong with America that cannot be cured with what's right in America."

Inspired to INSPIRE...

"Things turn out the best for the people

who make the best out of the way things turn out."

Be inspired...I am!!!

Tribute to MOM's

I'd like to start today by wishing all my friends/readers who either are mothers...or have mothers :-)...a Happy Mother's Day!!! I hope you were all treated like queens today and actually got the day off (kinda).

I thought today, I'd do one big post to cover several things. First, I'd like to share with you the beautiful cards I received from the kids. There are times, when you think your kids don't pay you much attention and they just kinda wander aimlessly through the day. And then there are the days, like this day of celebrating mothers, where you see that they HAVE been paying attention and that they DO really love you.

That brings me to my first card. Markell made this card for me today in his Sunday School class. And I must tell you, it made me cry.

The reason this card made me cry is because, like I said, he's obviously paying more attention than I thought. When he plays soccer, more specifically goalie, he gets so embarassed when he hears me on the sideline shouting, "YOU ROCK KEEPER!!!" But he DOES!!! And not only when he's playing the goalie/keeper position. But of all the things he could've said about me as his "mother"...he chose to say that I ROCK! That means so much to me. Simply because I know how I mean it when I say it to him. And now I see that he too knows...he knows that it's a huge compliment. Markell, you DO ROCK!!! Thank you sweetie, I love you!

This next card is one that Jayla made in Pre-K. The cover is so cute to me. She says that that's me and her holding hands. But the inside just cracks me up. I love that she doesn't know how much I REALLY weigh...LOL. And what a compliment to be as pretty as a strawberry. I will say though, that I was surprised that she said that my favorite drink is tea. I mean, I DO...but by far, Dr. Pepper is my favorite. She told me that after she said, "tea", she remembered the D.P...but the teacher had gone on to the next question :-).

This last card is the one Jayla made in Sunday School class today. This one is really sweet to me because she's always wanting to plant flowers with me. So the teacher gaave all the kids a packet of flower seeds to plant with their mommies. Thank you, sweet girl...mommy loves you!!

~~~~~~~~~

And now, it's time to Be INSPIRED! And of course, its a tribute to moms.

"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take."

""There is only one way to lead a child down the right path...that is to go that way yourself."

"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness."

"A mothers arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them."

~~~~~~~~~

This is the gift I made for my mother for Mother's Day. She's not into scrapbooking, but does have an appreciation for the craft. I took a risk by making this LO for her, as she is sometimes embarassed by this picture. Not sure how many of you have heard of or see an issue of Jet Magazine. Well, in every issue, they have what's called a "Jet Beauty". Which is a woman in a swimsuit and a little snippit of info about her. My mom was featured as a Jet Beauty in a June 1964 issue of the magazine. Like I said, today, she's a little embarassed by this picture. But I LOVE it!!! I think she looks awesome!! Not to mention, it's something she should be very proud of.

Anyway, here's the LO/gift that I gave her. I framed it for her hopefully, she won't be too ashamed to hang it in her home somewhere :-).

Well, alrighty then, that's all I've got for today. Again, I hope all you mother's have had a wonderful day and that you enjoy the rest of it.