WHEW!!! What a weekend!

Hey ya'll! Happy VETERANS DAY!!

SOOOO, how was ya'lls weekends? I'm sure some of you have already updated your blogs with the answer to this question. But obviously, I haven't read them yet :-). But I'm gettin to it.

Anyhoo, I've got quite a bit to share with ya'll. So grab a snack, a Dr. Pepper (get one for me too, wouldja?) and get comfy. Cuz this could be a long one.

Ok, you comfy?

Good! Let's get started, shall we?

Well, we left for Fayetteville on Friday evening around 5:30 or so....along with half the people on the NW side of Georgia. So needless to say, we got into a little traffic. We finally made it to the hotel...which was brand spankin new. VERY nice and clean. Gotta love that. I checked us in then we headed right back out to meet up with everyone else for dinner. Of course we get there and they're all just about done. So we got ours to go...nuthin like eating buffalo wings in a nice clean hotel room :-). And before we go any further, here's the first of many photo's I'll be sharing. These are for you, Cheryl!

This little girl could not get to the hotel fast enough. She had a HORRIBLE case of the AWTY's (Are We There YET's!) And this hotel being only 1 month old made for SUPERB jumping beds. She's seriously enjoying this new "tradition".

Everyone is all settled in their rooms and the head coach advises us that one of the rooms of boys doesn't have adult supervision. So who do they call on? The assistant coach, of course. ARGH!!! So it wasn't bad enough that I had to sleep alone the first night in a nice big comfy bed. But my poor husband had to sleep with 4 teenaged boys. Not sure who got the worst of that deal...me or Marque :-). Me and Jayla spent some nice mother/daughter time though. She watched a movie on one of the flat panel TV's that were in the room (SWEET!!) and I read my new scrapbook magazine. Life is good!!!

The next day, we had to get up around 7:15 and get all the boys together so they could eat a light breakfast before their 1st game. It is SO much fun to round up and keep quiet, 16 soccer players...SO MUCH FUN!!! Anyhoo...we made our 13 mile trek to the fields so now, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

The boys played really well in their first game. However, we didn't take away the "W". BUT...we didn't take the "L" either. We tied our first game 2 - 2. Not bad. So at this point, we are in first place in our division with the team we just played, hmmm. The next game wasn't until 2:30pm so after eating a light lunch, this is how the boys spent their time:

Playing keep away with the soccer ball. And this is how Coach Juan and Coach Marque spent THEIR time between games...

Running their mouths...errr, I mean discussing how the boys played in the first game and how they NEED to play in the next one.

And this is how Coach Juan's daughter, Ashlee spent some of her time between games...

Now SHE's got the right idea. :-)


Ok, let's take a break for a minute...must be picture of Ashlee that's got me thinking about a nap :-). But check this picture out...

This is the kind of day we were blessed with for the tournaments. Actually, it was like this both days. The sky was a BEAUTIFUL shade of blue with gorgeous, wispy, feather like clouds. AND...not one, but TWO rainbows! Not sure if you can see them here...but they're there....


See, our good friend Mr. Rick and the girls see it... lol!


Ok, back to our regularly schedule soccer games :-). You guys, the 2nd game was SO exciting!!! I can't even explain it to you! I have to say, this has got to be the most exciting game I've ever seen the boys play.

Just look at that...doesn't that game look exciting??? LOL I know, this is a terrible shot. But I was trying to show what a great view of the field we had. We sat up on this hill and the view was perfect. Anyway. we won this game 2 - 0! YAY, Stingrays!!! BUT...isn't there always a "BUT!"? Remember, the team we were tied with for first place? Well, they won their 2nd game too! Guess what the score was? NO...GUESS!!! That's right, 2 -0! ARGH!!!


Oh, I forgot to mention, just before the 2nd game, the man who the soccer complex was named after came to watch us play. Not only is he the owner of the land, but he's the great uncle of one of our players. So the boys took a picture with him and gave him their winning game ball.


Ok, now where was I?


Oh yeah, we are still neck 'n neck with this other team. So, that's not a terrible thing, is it? Tell ya what, let's go celebrate!!! You want Mexican? SWEET...me too! So off we go to LaFrontera. Table for 40 please!!! Oh and we need the bill to be split up too. Thanks a bunch!!! :-)


Don'tcha just love live (Mexican) entertainment? I don't! But who am I? There was a guy there that sang and played the guitar for us and I must say, he was really good. So much so that the boys decided they wanted to dance...
:-)...like I said, we had a small party of only FORTY people. We had such a good time and the food was so yummy. I guess it's safe to say now that I DO like Mexican food. I have yet to meet a Jajita that I don't like :-).

It took us FOREVER to get out this restaurant. For some ODD reason, they had a hard time "cipherin" the bill. But we got it worked out. Fortunately, the hotel we stayed in was walking distance from the restaurant. So some of the parents walked the boys back so they could partake in the indoor pool.

We get back to the hotel after dinner and our room key doesn't work. Marque takes the keys down to the desk to see if they can reprogram them. Still, not working. After about 6 - 8 trips back and forth to re-key the keys, the desk person decides to just give us the master key so we can get in our room. You should've seen me and Jayla sitting in the hallway outside our room. NOPE, didn't get a picture of that...my camera was in the ROOM!!! I know we sat out there for about 20 minutes. Anyway, to make this part of the story short...we constantly had issues with our room key...to the tune of having them re-key it (to no avail) about 10 - 12 times.

Ok, back to the story. We finally get into our room and I'm about to give Jayla a bath. I run her water then I sit at the desk to check my email while she splashes around for a bit. When she got in the tub, the water was about waist high to her sitting down. A few minutes later, I go in to wash her and ALL but about 1.5 inches of the water is GONE!!! LOL That chick didn't even tell me that the water was draining...she said she didn't notice (insert rolling eyes here). After her bath, this is how Jayla and her daddy spent the evening...
Reading her Backyardigans book. I think we were both glad to have daddy back in our room with us.

Ok, ok...I'm almost done. NOW, going into Sunday's game, we were still neck and neck with the team we played first on Saturday. We both played at the same time on Sunday, so it was hard to keep up with how they were doing. Anyway, attempting to make a long story even shorter...we lost :-(. It was SO sad. But again, those boys played their BUTTS off! Our tournament is now over. But check out what the coaches presented the boys with for having such a great season:

However, our league, Cobb FC was very well represented at these games. There were 7 Cobb FC teams playing and of those 7, 5 of them won in their bracket. So all in all...we did very well. We even hung around the fields to watch 2 of our other teams play and in turn, receive their trophies.

Ok, I think that's all I've got for now. Oh, look at how Jayla and the other girls spent their time after the 2nd game:

These girls know how to have fun :-). And speaking of fun, how bout we end this post with one more fun photo? This is a "special edition" for you, Cheryl. :-)
I think Jayla and I have started a REAL tradition. Gracie and Ashlee couldn't believe, that not only did I let them jump on our bed...I took a picture of them doing it :-).

Well, there you have it. What a weekend, huh? And I didn't even mention us going to dinner last night on the way home and having totally CRAPPY service, did I? And I'm not gonna either....

Ya'll have a great day and I'm sure I'll be talkin to ya later this week. Thanks for all your support of the Stingrays! TOODLES!!

Friday Flower Fix & I'm outta here for the weekend

Happy FRIDAY!!!

Oh my goodness, it's already 20 minutes to 3pm and I'm JUST now getting to my post. Where did the day go? Well, in a nutshell, this is what I've been up to today:

took Jayla to school, took a quick nap until 8:45am :-), checked my email, took my MIL for a 10am Dr. appt., dropped MIL back off at home at 11am (LOVE those quick Dr. visits), stopped at Chick Fil A, made a U-turn/went BACK to CFA (they forgot to give me my fries), went to Archivers for flowers...oh gimme a break, it was a scrapbook emergency!! :-D (ran into Colleen while I was there), went to Target to exchange some sweatpants for the hubby, went to Publix to grab a few items for my MIL, brought the items home, checked/replied to emails, picked Jayla up from school and NOW...I'm home updating my blog. WHEW!!!

I forgot to add that, after I finish with this, I've gotta finish packing. Yep, they finally put me out! :-) Nah, just kidding. We're heading to Fayetteville, Ga for the Kohl's soccer tournament .

ARGH...I'd better hurry...I act like I don't have anything else to do. But before I go, I want to show you something. It seems that nowadays, everyone (blogger) has more than one hobby that they enjoy. Some of you knit, some sew, some make cards/scrapbook, etc. So I thought it was time I share something that I've been working on lately. I've been making/decorating canvas totebags. Here's two of my own that I've done. I'm still kinda new at this craft. But I'm really enjoying it. And I must say, the part that I'm enjoying the best is...I've actually been HAND sewing zippers into these bags, I don't like for my bags/purses to hang open (didn't take a picture of the zippers, so you'll have to trust me). I'm actually thinking about making these as teachers gifts for Christmas too. That's a good idea, right?

Anyhoo, these are the only 2 I've done thus far. I bought a red bag yesterday and I can't wait to decorate that one. I'll be sure to share that with you once I'm done.

Ok, now it's time for your Friday Flower Fix...you guys are so patient :-)...I just love that about you.

You know how I love Tulips. So I thought these were beautiful to end the week with.

I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to update over the weekend. But if I am, I'll keep you posted on our standings in the tournament. Anyway, hope ya'll have a groovy weekend. I'll be talking to you soon. And don't forget...Be Inspired...I AM!!!

It's almost NOVEMBER!!!

Happy Monday everyone.

So, did you guys have a nice weekend? Mine was fun. Let's see...On Friday night, Jayla had a game...yeah, they won, lol. Saturday, Jayla went to the big Stingrays game with daddy. She felt like she had a little independence since mommy wasn't there to keep an eye on her, while daddy coached. But that's where good friends, with daughters the same age as Jayla come in...Jayla was being watched but didn't really know it :-). I went to my all day crop on Saturday and actually got a few things done. I'll share those LO's as soon as I get them scanned. We decided to take a break and go here for dinner. It was pretty yummy. Then we went on a little field trip to Michaels. Anyway, we had a nice time and I got home a little after 11 that evening. Oh, the Stingrays won the game on Saturday...can you believe it? And I wasn't even there :-). The score was 9 - 2! They also played on Sunday and won that game 5 - 1. I sure hope the boys play this well when we go to tournament the weekend of Nov. 10th.

Ok, is it just me or is this year FLYING by? I simply cannot believe that on Thursday of this week, it will be November! Another thing I can't believe, is that my baby has finally learned to tie her shoes...ok, her daddy's shoes :-). Check this out:

For the life of me, I can't figure out exactly how she does it. But the bottom line is, she gets 'er done!!! The 100th day of school is quickly approaching. And this is one thing they want the kindergartners to know how to do; is tie their shoes. So I guess the extra 3 - 4 minutes we spend every morning is paying off.

Party plans: Well, things are coming together for the upcoming Luau. The invitations are filled out and will be mailed within the next week. I already have my "shopping cart" filled up here. And I did my pricing of other items at Party City today. So now I just have to tell daddy how much money I'm gonna need to pull this shin dig off.

ANYWAY, not much else going on here...not today anyway. Oh, I did work at Jayla's school this morning. And I thought I was gonna have to DROP KICK this little girl that I had to work with today. I am SOOO thankful that I have a well behaved daughter who listens, not only to her parents, but to her teachers and any other authoritative person in her life. I am also thankful that we taught her the "basics" before putting her in the hands of her teachers. I am a firm believer that a teachers job is to reinforce at school, those "basics" that should be taught at home...NOT the other way around. Ok, don't get me started on this one....

Before I go, I want to share a few cute pictures with you. This is what Jayla does to Trae in her spare time :-). She loves to dress him up and make "leashes" and drag him around the house :-).

Doesn't he look disgusted? LOL

Not real sure what she's doing to him here. I think this one of her "vet" moments.

Please excuse Jayla's messy play area :-).

THIS is one of my favorites...albeit blurry. I love seeing them together and sharing moments like this. They both love looking out the window...you should hear Jayla telling Trae who might be driving down the street, or to look at the birds or at the "pretty day".

And with that, I'll bid you all a farewell. Enjoy your day and I'll see ya later in the week. Toodles!!

Friday Flower Fix & weekend plans

Hello everyone. So, how has your week been? Once again, mine has been a blur. How bout a recap:

Monday - Volunteered at Jayla's school and ran errands. Soccer practice that evening.

Tuesday - Met a friend for breakfast then went to Archivers to look at scrapbooking stuff that I don't need.

Wednesday - Took my MIL to the doctor and got some great news. You may remember, a few weeks ago she was in the hospital and then had a follow up. Well, the day of the follow up, they sent her to have a MRA done due to her dizziness. They found a small clot that could potentially turn into an aneurysm. Well on Wednesday of this week, she had a follow up with an Neurologist. He showed us about how big the spot in her brain is. It's VERY small. He assured us that it wasn't dangerous and is more than likely NOT the cause of her headaches or bouts of dizziness. It maybe something as simple as her immune system being a little off...which is very "fixable". What an answer to prayer. Then on Wednesday night, I had my weekly Girls Night, which started with, yet another, trip to Archivers (It was on the way...gimme a break!). Had a ball. Didn't get much scrapping done...but I laughed a lot (as usual).

Thursday - I went on a "road trip" to another county to a JoAnns store (the one I usually go to didn't have what I needed). I was VERY disappointed when I found it as it was simply a dressed up hole in the wall. HATE when that happens. I get ALL the way over there and they didn't have it either, ARGH!!! Oh well, you live and you learn :-).

Friday/Today: I volunteered at Jayla's school again. Still trying to figure out "how I got here"...here being this point in my life. What a great class she's in.

And now for my weekend plans:

~Jayla is supposed to have a soccer game tonight. But it rained a little bit earlier. And if it starts back up, it wouldn't surprise me if they cancelled it.

~Tomorrow, there are no morning games. But the big Stingrays play at 2pm. I'm gonna have to miss that game, as I will be going to scrapbook with my buddies from 2 until 10pm or so. Can't wait for that! Guess I'd better get my pictures together to work on.

~Sunday, we'll go to Sunday school/church. Then the boys have another game later in the day.

Welp, that's about it for me. What a life, huh? :-) (Somebody's gotta live it...may as well be me!)

Thank you all for your patience and your time. And now, without further ado, here's your Flower Fix:

That's a pretty way to end a post, huh? I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend.

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...

What a SLACKER!!!

Hey ya'll.

Ok, OK...I admit it, I'm a SLACKER. I know I said in my post on Friday that I'd be back with a "better" post. Well, yesterday got away from me and I'm not getting back here until now. Well, I guess I didn't actually say WHEN I'd be back, huh?

ANYHOO...here I am. So, how's your weekend going so far? Mine is going pretty well. Let's see, here's the breakdown thus far:

~Friday, my MIL and I went to the grocery store. And I wound up spending $97! What's up with that? I didn't have but a couple things to get. I HATE when that happens.

~Later Friday evening, me and several of my gal pals got together for an event sponsored by this group. It was pretty nice. The theme was "birthdays". So we had a big ole birthday party for everybody. Afterwards, several of us went out for dessert. I had no idea there were still places on earth where people could smoke indoors. Well, this place we went had a smoking "section". So needless to say, we were all a little smokey smelling by the time we left. We all got a kick out of where our husbands thought we may have REALLY been that night :-).

~Yesterday, I jumped up at 6:30am because I thought it was a weekday and I had over slept :-). Marque quickly reminded me that it was Saturday. WHEW!!! Jayla had yet another 9am game. Only half of the other team showed up, so we had to forfeit. But we went ahead and played them anyway, it just didn't "count". So, let's keep up with tradition and say the Lil Stingrays won! LOL. Later in the day, the big Stingrays played. And BOY did they PLAY!!! They won 11 - 0!!! Talk about a BLOW OUT!!! Fortunately, the other teams coach knows our coaches and wasn't that upset about his team losing. He told our coaches that the Stingrays are an awesome team and he didn't think we were just "scoring at will" to be mean and to stack the score. I mean, c'mon...10 of the 16 boys that were there yesterday scored. So it was a great game. Only bad thing was, Jayla lost my Sapphire ring :-(. But it's partially my fault. I shouldn't have let her see it. She was sitting right in front of me and I was watching her with it. But I'm thinking that the game just got exciting and I totally forgot that she had it. So it didn't even dawn on me to ask her for it when she got up to go play with her friends...in the grass...behind me. When it finally hit me that I no longer had it on, it was too late. I was just thankful that I hadn't let her see my engagement/diamond ring instead...because she DID ask for that one. After the game, serveral of us went here, of all places, for dinner. (insert rolling eyes here) :-). It was fun though.

~Today, we went to church. The Stingrays have yet another game this afternoon at 4pm. And from what we here, this is gonna be their hardest game of the season. So hopefully, they'll keep up with their winning streak and not let the potential difficulty of todays team get the best of them. (6:45pm EST game update. Well, todays game was very difficult, just as we expected. But the boys played really well. However, not well enough. We lost 8 - 2 :-(. But like I said, they played really well and played THEIR game. It's just that the team we played has been playing U14 for 2 seasons longer than us. We just moved up this season. SO....having that in mind, our boys played they little hearts out. Well, there's always next weekend.)


ANYway...that's all I've got for now. I'll update later (maybe) with the outcome of todays game. Until then, ya'll enjoy the rest of your weekend.

BE INSPIRED...I am!!

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!!!

Happy Monday!!!

Hello everyone! It's Monday AGAIN...where did the weekend go?

Oh my goodness, you guys...this past weekend was GORGEOUS!!! The sky was a beautiful shade of blue, without a cloud in site! Every once in a while, there was a nice breeze and the temp couldn't have been above 85. Perfect weather for soccer. Hey, I'm glad you brought that up...lol.

The Lil Stingrays played at 9am and let's just say they won :-). Jayla scored one goal, which was awesome. She seems to be really getting the hang of the rules and doesn't look so much to score all the time. She LOVES to be able to assist her team mates in scoring and loves to pass the ball. So she was very happy with only scoring once. Last season, it was so funny...every goal she scored she thought was worth 10 points each. So by the end of the game, let her tell it, she'd scored about 40 - 50 goals...LOL.

The Stingrays had their team pictures at 10:30 on Saturday morning. And this was a milestone in Stingray history. This was the first time in about 4 or 5 seasons that EVERY SINGLE player AND coach was there on picture day...AND on time!!! Now isn't it just our luck that this happens to be a season that Markell isn't there, so we may not get a team picture :-(. But all I can say is thank God for scanners! Doggonit...I'm gonna GET me a team picture!!!! After the pictures, we headed on up to the new fields that just opened. We were so excited that one of our games were scheduled there. The fields are BEAUTIFUL!!! The game got underway around noonish and it was ON AND POPPIN!!! LOL. I won't give you the play by play...I'll just put it in simple terms for you...the Stingrays ROCKED it!!! They won 10 - 3!!! What a game! It was so exciting. I just love watching those boys play together. It's amazing what playing with the same guys season after season will do for a team. I'm so proud of them.

After the game, several of us went out for Mexican food. I was so glad too, cuz I'd been craving a Fajita!!!

Then on Sunday, we went to Sunday School then listened to a wonderful sermon. Well, I only heard 1/2 of it. I don't know about you, but the smell of strong perfume gives me a headache. Two couples came in and sat near us (one in front of us and one behind) and the cologne/perfume they had on had a seat of it's own! Marque and I both sat there with our fingers across our upper lips trying to mask the smell. Oh my gosh, it was SO STRONG. 1/2 way through the service, my eyes were beginning to burn and the headache was kicking in big time. Marque looked over at me and said, "You and Jayla can go out if you want to!" Man, he didn't have to tell me but once! ARGH!!! Why do people do that? After church, we went out for a nice dinner. Oh how I love not having to cook on the weekends!

ANYWAY, today has been a fun day for me too. Today was my first day volunteering in Jayla's class. Every Monday for one hour, I get to help out in the class. Can you imagine...they asked ME to help with the "craft centers"! I had a really good time. And it was so cool to see Jayla being a "student". She's a really good kid. And her teacher says she's like that all the time. So I was glad that that wasn't a show for mommy :-). It was so funny, one little boy that sits at Jaylas table said, "Oooo, who's momma is THAT?" Jayla answered and said I was her mommy. The boy then said, "OH, I like yo momma!" Jayla quickly informed him of, not only how old I am, but how old I'll be on my birthday next month, LOL. Hmmm, I've still got it...even to 5 year olds :-).

Welp, that's about it for me today. Ya'll enjoy the rest of your day and I'll be talking to you soon! Be Inspired...I AM!!!

Friday Flower Fix & Weekend

Ok, before I get into todays (late) post...let me sit down and take a breath for a minute....................

I have been ripping and running ALL day today. I took Jayla to school this morning, came home, laid back down for about 45 minutes, then I was up and out again. Today, the kindergarten classes at Jayla's school went on a fieldtrip to the North Georgia State Fair. So, me along with about 5 other moms from our class tagged along. I've never been to the fair before and had been wanting to go. My friend, Stacey, has been several times and warned me that it might be pretty boring and stinky, lol. Well, let's put it this way, I didn't have "the time of my life", but it was fun. The weather was beautiful and the kids had a good time. None of the rides were running, as the time of day that we went is mainly for school/daycare field trips.

After waiting in line for quite a while, it was finally our turn to take a "hayride" (minus the hay) to the first attraction. The first attraction was the "stinky" part of the trip. There were several animals for the kids to look at. There were turkeys, goats, a zebra, donkey's, a giant yellow snake, ostrichs, parrotts, minature horses...OH MY!!! :-)

After that the kids had their picture made with a clown, they toured the crafts displays, then took a picture in front of a big ole green tractor, (remember, I'm the class photographer? :-D). After the photo stops, we headed into the second stinky part of the tour. This time, we saw horses, cows, ducks, emus (not sure I spelled that right), and chickens (NOTE: chickens look a LOT better when they are plucked, fried, placed between a warm hamburger bun with a slice of pickle and placed in a white bag with Chick Fil A written on it...but that's just me.) Oh, the kids also got to feed some goats...YUCK!!! Can you say "Pass the Purell hand sanitizer?!?!) Then it was on to the highlight of the entire field trip.....Mayfield icecream sandwiches and apple juice :-D.

Welp, that was about it for the field trip. The kids were exhausted and getting a little hot and hungry. So,we headed back to the entrance and onto the bus they went. After dropping off one of the moms back at the school, I was off to run my errands. Then back to the school to pick Jayla up. What a day!!

So, what have you guys got planned for the weekend? You're not gonna believe it...we've got soccer...hee hee. Jayla has a 9am game, AGAIN. Then the Stingrays have their team pictures followed by their game at noon. Other than that, I think that's all we've got going on this weekend. Well, I thank you all for your patience....here's your flower fix for the day.

Have a beautiful weekend and I'll be talkin' to ya soon!! Toodles!

Friday Flower Fix & Weekend

Happy Friday...it IS Friday, isn't it??? These days, I don't know whether I'm coming or going. But the calendar says it's Friday...so that's what I'm going with.

Before I go any further, I'd like to wish you all a happy FALL/AUTUMN. Again, looking at the calendar, I see that Fall doesn't officially begin until Sunday, the 23rd. But Happy Fall anyhow!!! :-) So here's your FFFF (Fall Friday Flower Fix) Aren't these pretty? I apologize if I've shared these before, as I try and delete the photos as I post them here. But it feels like I've seen these before. ANYWAY...they just scream Fall to me, so I thought they'd do (possibly again...lol).

I have something else I'd like to share with you too. I frequent a site called Roots Scrapbooking. And once a month, they have a featured designer. I was the FD back in February of this year. That was WAY cool for me. I was welcomed with such wonderful comments from people. This month, Tina Cockburn was the FD. And let me just say, she rocks! If you keep up with the scrapbook magazines on the market, she has been in several of them. Anyway, as part of Tina being featured, she suggested a challenge to us readers, to "scraplift" a layout and post it on the site. Tina offered a RAK to who she chose as the winner. Well guess what? I WON!!! Check out the scrapbooking stash she sent me:

What fun stuff!

So, what have you guys got planned for the weekend? Not only do we have the regular 2 soccer games tomorrow (weather permitting), Jayla also has team pictures. And get this...we have to be at the field at 8am for their 8:15 pictures. ARGH!!! That sure is early to get a bunch of 5,6 & 7 year olds to smile. Oh well, I hope everyone gets enough sleep so that they'll be in a good mood for pictures. Hmmm, I'd better go to bed now, lol.

Alrighty, that's all I've got for today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Oh, and before I go, let's all congratulate JUDE on the birth of her new baby!!! CONGRATS!!!

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...

Friday Flower Fix (on Thursday) & weekend plans

But first, a special word from our sponsor: I am SUCH a ding dong!!! Here I call myself being proactive and typing up this post LAST NIGHT. So that it would be available for you all to read this morning. And not until NOW...here it is, 7:43pm...that I notice that I forgot to post it! ARGH!!! Sorry!!! Ok, now, back to our regularly scheduled post...(from YESTERDAY!) UGH!

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Hey ya'll.

I know, I know...it's not Friday yet. Well, you know that tomorrow I have an appt with Mr. "slave driver" Banks, lol. And I've also got a few errands to run in the morning. So I thought it would be best to post tonight and not make ya'll have to wait on me. I hear ya'll tapping your fingers on your tables when I'm late posting the flower fix...I HEAR YA!!!

SOOOO, with that being said, here's your fix:

Ok, by no means am I a cat person. But this picture is just cute, isn't it? (Those are cats, aren't they?) And wait, are those Christmas flowers? Oh, I dunno... they're pretty anyways. :-)

So, what have ya'll got planned for the weekend? I know you're gonna be shocked...we've got soccer :-). Well, we're supposed to anyway. The forecast calls for a 40% chance of scattered showers. Those kidders :-). Anyway, we'll see. I will say this though, if in fact Jayla DOES play on Saturday, I'm not looking forward to her 9a.m game. YES...I said, 9a.m...like in the MORNING, a.m....sheesh!!! Ok, ok...I'll stop complaining. It's only the 2nd game of the season! (which more than likely, we'll have to make up). Anyhoo...I don't think we have anything else planned...I mean, what else is there if there's no soccer???

Speaking of soccer/sports...I'm gonna take after my friend, Cheryl here for a minute. And throw in a few questions for ya'll...sports related of course.

1. Did you play sports as a kid? If so, what did you play? Well, back "then" this wasn't really considered a sport. But nowadays it is...I was a cheerleader. STOP LAUGHING!!! I was! I cheered for the Midway Packers. And we wore an icky green and white checkered skirt, goldenrod bloomers, a long sleeve goldenrod shirt with a flyguy collar, golden rod kneesocks, a white vest with a big ole green & goldenrod "P" on the front AND the standard issue black & white saddle oxfords. (I'll have to see if I can find a picture for ya). Funny note about the cheerleading. I was the ONLY black on a squad of 12 cheerleaders...and the football team that we cheered for was all black...except for one guy...LOL. Oh, I also played volleyball for 1/2 a season in high school. My mom made me drop off the team because the shorts were too short...LOL.

2. If you did play sports, were you forced to play or did you actually want to play? At first I was forced by my mother. She said I was a little "plump" and needed to do something to stay active. But then, she got tired of taking me to practice twice a week and games on Saturdays. So that's when my "want" to cheer kicked in.

3. What sport did you always WANT to play or be involved in, but you couldn't/didn't, for one reason or another? Even though I was a cheerleader, I always wanted to be one in highschool. My "Packers" days were at a local recreation center. So whoever paid, "played". I tried out a couple times for the highschool squad, but I never made it. Probably for the best though, I never could get those jumps right :-).

Well, that's all I've got for today. I hope you have a chance to answer these questions. I'd love to see what your future could've been...you know, besides a blogger :-). Ya'll have a great weekend.

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!!

Friday Flower Fix & New Layouts

"Never let a cloudy day ruin your sunshine, for even if you can't see it, the sunshine is still there, inside of you ready to shine when you will let it."

Happy Friday everyone!


I hope this post finds you all well. So, did everyone have a good week? I did. However, it sure seemed to go by quickly. I did some shopping, met up with a dear friend for lunch, did some more shopping :-), ate at Chick Fil A (YUMMY!! I could eat there everyday), hung out with my daughters & ate ice cream, did a little more shopping and ended the week by getting the oil changed in my van (and eating Chick Fil A) :-). Don't tell me I don't know how to have a good time...lol.


We don't have too much going on this weekend...which is a good thing. Because in a couple of weeks, soccer begins and that means that the weekends will be spent on the fields. Can't WAIT!!! So tomorrow, we're going to buy new soccer cleats for Jayla and Coach Daddy, so they'll be ready for practice to start next week. Other than that, nothing else will be going on.


Well, my friend, Veroncia, finally received the layouts I did for her and her daughter, Ava. So now I have "permission" to post them. And without further ado, here they are:

These first 2 are from Ava's ballet/tap dance recital. She's such a cutie. That made these LO's very easy and very fun to do.

The next 2 are from a mini vacation to San Diego. That little girl sure makes playing in the sand look fun :-).

Well, that's all I've got for today. Hope you enjoyed the FFF and the new layouts. Until next time, have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend. See ya soon....

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.

Upcoming weekend, new friends, Update on Markell & Friday Flower Fix (not necessarily in this order)

Happy Friday!!!

I know, I know, it's already mid afternoon and I haven't posted the Friday Flower Fix yet. I should be ashamed of myself. I'm NOT...but I know I should be :-). I have a really good reason for not having done this yet. But I'll get to that in a bit. In the meantime...here you go. (Special thanks to Jayla for choosing this weeks fix).

Ya know, it is always nice to make and meet new friends. And THIS is my reason for being late with the FFF :-). Today, I had the priviledge of meeting someone new. Colleen is a fellow blogger and scrapbooker. We have exchanged comments on our blogs as well as Instant Messages. We finally met today at a place that is obviously, near and dear to both of us...Archivers. It was very interesting how we immediately clicked. I mean, she came in the store (I was already in there waiting for her) and we started talking to eachother like we've known one another for years. Later, as we browsed the store, Colleen even mentioned that we didn't have that "awkward" first meeting feeling. So cool when 2 people are getting the same vibe. Once we gave Archivers some of our money, we went for lunch. Then on to another scrapbook store then to JoAnn's. Needless to say, I thourougly enjoyed meeting her (she's such a pretty lady too). We have agreed that we'll meet up again in the near future and possibly go here for a yummy treat. One can never have too many friends and hopefully this is a new friendship in the making.

So, do you all have a big weekend planned? I know one thing, I'm gonna be somewhere that it's nice and cool. It's too freakin hot to be outside. Which brings me to MY plans for the weekend. I'm sure I've mentioned one time or two, that every Wednesday night, me and several friends get together and scrapbook from 7pm - midnight. Well, tomorrow, all of us are getting together to scrapbook ALL DAY! We're gonna get started around 9am and go until late in the evening. We did this at my house last year and it was so much fun! So, we're gonna try it again at an unspecified location :-). Hopefully, we've started something we can do annually. Can't wait!!!

And last...but definitely not least, we FINALLY heard from Markell. I know several of you have asked how he's been doing since he left. (Thank you all for your concern). Sorry that I haven't had anything to share, because we hadn't heard from him. The last time we saw or talked to him was when he and my sister came over for the 4th of July. Then this past Sunday, the day before school started, he gave us a call. We were all so excited to hear from him. He spoke with Marque first and as most 12 year old boys, didn't have much to say. Other than he wasn't really looking forward to starting back to school and a new one at that :-). When I finally got to speak with him, he sounded so sad...then he started to cry. I asked him what was wrong and he said that he still really misses us. I did good not to burst into tears myself. But I reassured him that we ALL still miss eachother and for him to be prepared for that feeling to hang around for a while. Like the scrapbook LO that I did says, "Me missing you is my hearts way of reminding me that I love you!" After speaking with me, he talked to Jayla for a few minutes then told us that he'd call us after his first day of school, to let us know how it went. We didn't hear from him. However, a few days later, my sister sent us these pictures she took of him on his first day of school.

What a handsome guy he is, don't you think? He obviously still hates having his picture taken :-). Well, he shouldn't be so stinkin cute.

Jayla successfully made it through her first week of kindergarten (and so did her teachers...lol). She got 5 green stars (green stars mean you had a great day and she got one everyday this week). The teacher lets the children pick a prize from the treasure box if they have a good week. So wouldn't you know it, Jayla chose Playdoh! ARGH!!! I hate that stuff.

Well, I guess that's it for today. I'd better go and get (mentally) ready for High School Musical 2...only 4 1/2 hours until show time!!

Have a great weekend!!!

Friday Flower Fix & Weekend

Hello everyone in Blog land. So, did you all have a good week? For a lot of us, this is the last week of summer vacation with our kids.

I'm actually experiencing mixed emotions about this being that last week. I am, however, VERY excited that Jayla is excited about starting kindergarten (more on that Monday). But I'm a little nervous for her going into big school. She and I have such a good time together. She never complains about having to run errands with mommy...even when I "NEED" to stop by every scrapbook store within a 10 mile radius of our house...lol. She's my fun little hanging buddy. But again, I'm so excited that she's looking forward to this new chapter in her life.

Well, as far as the weekend goes, I think we're gonna keep it low key. The only thing I think we've got going on is, daddy promised Jayla that we'd go out to dinner on Sunday after church, to celebrate her going to big school. And whenever I don't have to cook is a happy day :-).

It's time for the Friday Flower Fix. Enjoy!

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring; all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

Have a beautiful weekend everyone.