The Yarbroughs

Back with the Boom, Boom Pow!

2010-07-07T01:29:00.007-05:00

Here we go! Promised to be a great update! I won't disappoint....I don't think!

Isn't that how the fireworks go? Boom, boom pow?!!!

So here is a little of our 4th of July blast!

So, sit down and grab your glass of wine or cup of coffee, if you're not the night owl I am! I'll fogive you this time....it has been WAAAAY too long!

We were blessed with sweet friends who came in from out of town.....from Atlanta! Meet John. Many of you know him by now, some of you know him but don't realize you know him.....he brought his three littles to play with B and to explore Birmingham! They had never been here and we knew they would LOVE it! They are 6, 4, and 2 and B loved them! Their 2 day visit turned into a 5 day visit and we had nothing but FUN!

We did all kinds of fun things, like eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel, at Mary Catherine's request (the oldest).....where we were asked 10,000 times, "are they alllll your kids?". If I had a $1 for every time someone asked us that this weekend, I could write a book!! Sheesh! Actually they are alll our kids....he has three and I have one. Even though we're NOT together, it seemed easier to answer that way than to stop to explain! So, there. The kids raided the candy section at CB and learned how to play a game of checkers on the front porch with the Champ! Fun times!

They got here Thurs night and we hung out then fixed the kiddos a pallet and everyone went to bed! We were tired and needed rest for the fun stuff over the weekend!

We spent Friday and Saturday morning being very very lazy...in fact, most of us were in our pjs in the street! The kids played at 7:00 am, yes I know.....eaaaaarrrrly, while we supervised! Coffee in tow! Mary Catherine is John's oldest and she is 6! She is a precious precious child and I had so much fun with her! B loves her!

And, then we headed to the pool. Every day! We spent LOTS of time at the pool! LOTS of time, I tell ya! And, some of you know John......aka "Big John" as Bowen knows him! But, this is Big John and Caroline, his middle sweetness, who is 4! She is a very sweet child who loves her Daddy! They even look a little bit alike, right?!

And she loves his shoulders for that matter......!!! The child is fearless! I think we counted that she jumped 1,456 times this weekend! I jumped too though, so I shouldn't put all the blame on her for his sore shoulders! It was fun and we laughed alot at each other!!

Oh, my sweet B who soaked up every minute of the first real day our friends were here! She bonded with Caroline from minute one and they were inseparable the entire trip! Bowen calls her "Carrowine"! Sweet friends.....those two littles! We swam and we swam each and every day they were here! Love our pool!

And she danced and modeled and moved her stuff every day we swam! Love this sweet B!

And these three were priceless! Christopher, John's youngest, is 2 and I must admit that we share a birthday.....that special kid! I knew I liked him! ;) He is attached to Daddy and does so well to adjust! I even stole kisses from him every day. I think he liked it! Sweet hearted child! He's the third!

And he's a toe head....can you tell?! They all have very blond hair but Christopher was blessed with a head of whiteness! John amazes me with all 3 and is super dad to the nth degree! Admire so much about his parenting and dedication to those three!

And, lets not forget about these two! B is getting so comfy in the water and loves her floaties! We had been at the pool for 5 hours this day and I think we were at hour 4.5 here! lol!

We headed home from the pool and decided to visit Pablos, a sweet spot in the "ham"! Pablos features a wonderful environment on their outside deck under the tree of life! Their is live music and the kids can run wild. Unleash all 4! Have fun!!! That's exactly what we did! Again, stopped over and over......"are they alllll your kids?". I mean, FTL...as Mary Catherine left my house saying! I know her mom will love that! I mean seriously though. Do you stop someone with 4 kids and really ask them if they're yours? I think the kids are cute.....4 of them=alot......John and I have our stuff together=no way are they all yours! Who knows....but, it was funny to hear everyone "talk" about us!

Sweet J and his sweet girls! See what I mean?!

And, I couldn't resist posting this one! Love this sweet man! He is my best friend and we have shared so much! I am thankful for him and his sweet 3! Did I mention that we've known each other for over 20 years?! Yep, it's true! Hard to believe, but true! In fact, we dated when we were like oh, 13.....was I really 13? I was! More on that later! Time I don't have tonight! ;) But, we share so much in common, so much we can both relate to and many of the same dreams in life. I think we'll always share a closeness and a friendship even we don't understand sometimes! Rock on, Mary Catherine, using my camera! You're becoming a real pro, girl!

MC danced the night away with B! They laughed and giggled and owned the stage!

All 3 were absolute angels! They had the best time! They took turns and played together on the dance floor and thought it was the best time ever!

They even cut up a little!

Doesn't get much cuter, does it?!

Until I got out there,and then it was serious business! Look at the faces of these girls! Loved every minute of this night!

I danced with them and we shagged.....yes, MC almost knew it by the end of the night! Watch out world....she's good....I've heard her Daddy thinks she got it from him......apparently he's a pro shagger himself! I'll have to research that one and get back to ya!!

We ate these yummy sandwiches and nasty chips that are NO good for you, ha....but what do you expect on 4th of July weekend?! That's what I thought! And, I did the grocery shopping because we were NOT cooking in my house this weekend! It was all about fun and junk food....not clean-up! Sweets, sweet treats and all kinds of sugary snacks! I did it to myself, I think! It was so much fun though....can you blame me?!

And after lunch, we did alot of this.....and if this isn't fun, I don't know what is! So stinkin' sweet!

And, then the big day was here! And, oh me! We had the best time ever on the 4rd of July!

Pizza, our own fireworks, party in the streets, trading of silly bands and B aka "Brave girl" jumping off our electrical box....more on that tale later!

I could eat them up! They were so sweet the entire visit! Couldn't believe it!

And, sweet Christopher.....he wasn't too such about the loud noises! But, he loves his Daddy and was safe right where he was!

Cotton candy was a staple all weekend and the kiddos shared so well! They are two bags of the fluffy stuff and smiled the entire time!

There is a Father/Daughter bond between these two that makes your heart smile!

And, the bond I have with this BIG kid makes me smile! I loved this weekend for the kids and am thankful for the tremendous friendship we share! We are kinda cute together...what do you think?! Well, he's cute with me anyways...:) After a day at the pool with NO shower and playing outside ALL day, I don't know how cute I look!

Did I fail to mention that MC plays Allstar Softball and is a PRO! You might see her at every Professional event as she grows up! She inherited her Father's talent when it came to baseball! A natural, for sure!

Nothing but the girls! These three kept us ultra busy all weekend and we wouldn't have traded it for the world! LOVE THEM! Look closely to the right in the background, that's the box B jumped off of......see it....more in a minute!!

John and the girls!

And I love this one......John and his two sweethearts! They love their Daddy but not as much as he loves them!

MC was so sweet to B and always helped her out. Unfortunately, B injured her foot Saturday night after trying to be "Brave Girl" and jumping with ALL her friends from our electrical box in the yard. MC felt she needed to carry B so B didn't have to hobble anymore! Love that kid! B has a sprained foot and hip and they might cast her on Wednesday, tomorrow, if she's still limping. They are concerned about some of the "chunky" bones that lead into the ankle. Small and round and hard to tell if they're actually cracked or stress fractured! Ugh!! At least she was in good company when it happened and he face when I returned from getting pizze was priceless.....she hobbled up to the car and said, "mom, I gotta tell you somepin.....(crying) I got a weal weal bad boo boo and I'm bave girl! I need to go to the doctor!". I did take her and we'll find out more tomorrow! Pray for NO cast although B's conviced that's what's gonna happen! Oh me!

On the 4th, we had ice cream parties and watched the kids make messes with their cones....especially this lovable boy!

What's not to love about OREO ice cream and sugar cones?! I mean, seriously!!! :)

After the ice cream social, we headed down to Homewood for the show to begin! Rides, carnival type stuff and beer for the Mom and the Dad! Oh, and I almost forgot, rigged nachos......what are those you might ask, well, imagine Doritos with pepperjack melted cheese and japs on the side....you got it!

60 tickets will buy you a night of peace and jumping and riding in case you were wondering! ha! Those kids ran and played and jumped and rode......and ate and.....well, you get it! Whew!

Oh, and John rode too! Doesn't he look thrilled?! Love this pic!

MC, I mean Bowen's second Mommy, made sure she was comfy and ready...held that hand TIGHT!

And thank God she did.....they were off and HIGH! B loved it though!

I taught MC how to operate my camera on Saturday, so by Sunday she was a natural! Don't you think? She's not in the pic, but her spot is! We were saving it for her! hehe!

And to say our 4th was full of sparks wouldn't be doing it justice! We loved every second of our time spent with our Best Friends and it was a perfect weekend! I hope they will be back soon to do it all over again! Whew, I admire you moms with 4 or more kiddos though.....especially if they're close in age! What an experience and what a blessing they ALL are!

Stay tuned for more fun.....Shake For Jake was AMAZING and I hope so much to post! Oh me, what a weekend that was! Many new friends to tell you about and fun stories too! Melanie was a perfect hostess and I always LOVE getting to see the babies while I'm camped out in her upstairs....all to myself! More SOON, friends! I love yall!

Girls Weekend To Remember

2010-04-30T13:49:00.000-05:00

How many of you can say you've actually taken a weekend dedicated to restoration and relaxation with the girls? Well, I can tell you that last weekend I was treated to a girls weekend by BBTN and Ashley Eiler (the owner) in which we did exactly that......well, and a little more! I was so excited when I got this sweet invite in the mail....

"here is to new friends & old"

I know many of you "know" Ashley by now since I've posted ten trillion cute outfits she is responsible for, and if you need a reminder, just glance at the picture on my banner at the top and you'll remember! Or, this one might jog your memory! I was convinced that Ashley should and could wear a size 2T tutu! She wasn't as confident as I was! I think it has left a lasting impression on me, or maybe it's just my face in this picture! ;) More to come below on the photo shoot!

We tried and Ashley was such a sport! At her expense, we all laughed! I would laugh too if my backside was that small! That 2T might cover my right ankle.....if I was lucky!

Yes, Ashley is the one who captured our amazing Christmas card pictures and yes, she's the one responsible for clothing B in the most precious "get-ups" around. She is extremely gifted, talented in many, blessed with an incredibly giving heart and a servant of the Lord! This past weekend, she was selfless and determined for all 10 of us involved to reap the benefits of "daddy day cares" all around the Southeast (due to our absences) and treat us to a time of fellowship many of us will never forget!

Our first group picture....aren't they beautiful?!

(I know it has been a long time, but that's me in the front row, 2nd from the right) ;)

We visited with one another, cherished uninterrupted conversations, compared lives, enjoyed great wine and phenomenal food, prayed together, laughed together, learned together and we were all touched together. Ashley put so much thought into everything from the gift bags to the meals and the itinerary, all the way to our group visit to Church of Brook Hills on Sunday morning. What a blessing Ashley's planning and execution was!

We came from all over the Southeast. We gathered at a precious new restaurant for dinner called Stone's Throw and we enjoyed great wine and then we toured the Favorite Laundry store! Super fun, especially for those who had never visited! The caravan headed back to Ashley's house where we were adorned with goodies in these colorful beach bags.......busy body mom agenda, personalized note cards, bag tags with our names on them, pj pants, custom tshirts made especially for the weekend, spa products and many other goodies! Picture Christmas morning with 10 women "ewwin and awwein!"! So great to be pampered!

And the precious pink tshirts we ALL LOVED! Shelly, I think you could wear this one with your leggings if you really wanted to!! ;) Don't you, girls?!

Saturday morning, we headed to the spa! Three spa treatments each..............and all 10 of us were spazombies! What an experience! I had a facial, massage and pedicure and we were then treated to chicken salad at the spa. I had never ever done that....what a true treat! Me spending 15 minutes to myself is a treat alone so you can imagine that I almost didn't know what to do when asked to spend five hours there with 9 other super women! Bliss!

After our grand trip to the spa, we headed to the brand new studio of a local photographer in Birmingham for a lecture (more like fun session with BIG words I had never heard of) and photography seminar. Susanne King rocks and I loved her and her work! She is gifted with the ability to capture the moment and she's not afraid to tell me when my eyebrows are too high (stupid botox)!! Go to her fb page and "like" her! She's always doing fun things in her new studio and she has some great giveaways for this weekend at her Grand opening.....even a Favorite Laundry gift certificate!

She means business with that camera!!!

We wrapped up the session/lecture and had an amazing photo shoot with all 10 of us girls! Headshots for the hubbies and kiddos and group shots to remember all the incredible memories we made this weekend! She was so sweet to provide us with "bubbly"...,the liquid kind, to put our minds at ease as we opened up for the camera! Don't worry, we got the funny face pics too-all of us...we might be a little bit crazy but I think you'll like us! SO much fun! I will post those soon! Can't wait as 10 moms who don't get out much, some never ;), and who are usually the ones putting a stop to the sillies in the pictures are the stars of the show and let it all go! We had a blast!

I did get to meet "Darbs" aka Darby Stickler from Fly through our window! Infact, I spent the entire weekend with her. Rest assured, and yes, I hate to disappoint, but she is EXACTLY as she appears on her blog! And, I mean the "Darbs" rocks it out! She is so down to earth and so open. So oblivious! So humble! So full of grace. We did get stopped at church Sunday morning by a few "energetic Darby fans" (and I mean that in the nicest way possible).....they blogstalk her! They ran up to her and said, "Hey, um, you're Darby and I read your blog.....oh, my gosh, it's Darby yall...".

Energetic Darby fan #1........

There is something about this picture that makes me think Darby was a little more amused by her "fan club" than she was with the "mamarattzi" that wouldn't put the camera down! It's a cute picture though Darby, and your expression is priceless! See all those people behind her? They were waiting for autographs! They camped out when they heard she was coming and I even think some of them went without food and water for hours ;) I sure am glad I didn't have to go to all that trouble!

So, for my friends who follow her, like DD, you know you can't miss a post! For those who haven't read her yet, she's a hoot and a half and her stories about her three rovers (as she affectionately refers to her kiddos), sewing, renovating, picture taking, baking and her daily adventures in motherhood will allow you to relate and reconnect! Go ahead, click on over to "Darb land", but come back cause there's lots more I have to share about the amazing weekend!

The service at church on Sunday was touching. God is father to the father-less! An amazing sermon about orphans, adoption and foster parenting. This church is beginning a revolution in this city and the arms are reaching many many families just like you and me! Just so happens that the preacher, yes the preacher, of this ginormous church went to Georgia with me and is my age! Can you believe our small world?! They have a huge "faith family" at Church of Brook Hills and it was so nice to be a part of the message with their "faith family" Sunday morning! Our pink shirts were a huge hit too!

It saddens me to wrap it up here as much as it saddened me to leave after such an amazing weekend! These girls are great and Ashley, it could not have been a more inspiring experience! I love yall and can't wait to do it again in 6 months.......juuuuussst kidding, Ashley!

Going back.

2010-04-08T05:49:00.002-05:00

Hey Friends! You might not recognize us, but rest assured, we haven't change that much!

Well, the little in the hat has certainly changed. Everything about her is changing daily. Her expression, her look, her words, her sassiness, her attachment to people and me, her quirkiness, her ability to believe......it all amazes me with each new day!

Forgive me while I re-acclimate myself with this "blogger" world! No, seriously. I feel as though I got up to fetch another can of diet coke, and when I returned, I found myself in some movie like Back to the Future. How on earth has it really been 2 months since I've updated? I did say I would never ever let time lapse again. Didn't I? The crazy thing is that blogging is my number one outlet. My open book.... if you will. Giving that up kinda shuts me up, right?! So, why I have not been able to come and tap keys here is still kind of a mystery to me! So much to do....so little time?! I don't know but I do know that I've missed blogging about some VERY important milestones that I need to share! The list is long but I'll let you dedicated, sweet peeps (since they are still sitting perched on my local Target shelf at 50% off) in on a few of the upcoming items of documentation! Here goes......

1. Half Marathon at Disney (remember the one Mo decided to sit out?) and my birthday!

2. Our "family" (for lack of a better cohesive term-he he) trip to Disney (yes... me, B and John)

3. Happy Easter

4. Dating update (yes, I can say I'm officially dating and.......I'll make you wait for that one ;))

5. Sweet Tyler Bates-Start Praying NOW please!

6. Girl's Weekend-Famous Bloggers Attending! ;)

7. Bunco and a Mean Menu

8. Has it really been a year?

9. The "pancake fairy"! Many of you have been partially introduced!

Much, much more to come!

I'm going back. Back for many reasons. I've missed sharing so many fun things with you and want you to be a part of us again. Going back.....a long long time to tell a story...... 17 years ago. Going back to the root of happiness. Going back to what I've been through and my life over the past year. Going back to the world of pediatric cancer and the tests of our Good Lord. Going back to acknowledge a choice I made years ago that directed my path in life. Going back......because we all should!

For today, I will leave you with a tease and one of my favorite pics of all time!

The "pancake fairy" and B!

Who says kitchen clean up can't be fun?!

Just know, there is happiness in my heart and a little pep in my step! Sometimes amazing to see life unfold......! Can't wait to share more! B is with John this weekend and I'll have a weekend off for the first time in a very loooong time. Expect round two soon! Very, very soon! Until then friends....

Walkin' On Sunshine

2010-03-30T22:12:00.005-05:00

Yes, I am. Walkin' on sunshine! In every sense of the word. Expect a new post soon! Thank you to ALL of you who have encouraged me. I have it in me.....I know I do! I'll be back soon!

Prep

2010-02-05T19:19:00.014-06:00

It doesn't matter how much I "prep", I don't think I'm ready for my baby to turn 3!!

Her BIG party is tomorrow and she is so excited! She is the youngest in her class, so she has waited ALL year for HER birthday party. Every time we go to someone else's party, she says, "when is it going to be MY birthday party?".

Well, sweet patient one.....your day is tomorrow!

I watched her get these done today as we prepped for the party.....

and I was quickly reminded of the mere glimpse in time we are here on this precious earth! It all hit me at once! She is my baby. My sweet Bowen Frances. Pink nails with black polka dots are most appropriate for her party! After all, those are the colors of her party! She might be my only baby......ever! She is my shining light. She is growing up so very fast. I need to cherish every waking moment with her.

I ordered this sweet T from Smitten and Co. for B's birthday and it came today! As you can see, I went ahead and gave it to B! I LOVE it, and B does too, and can't thank Tara enough. She was great and expedited my order so B would have it for her birthday! Isn't is perfect?! We're return customers and we love these t's.......visit her and let her know I sent you! Thanks, Tara!

Bowen doesn't look like a toddler any more. The dimples in her sweet hands are fading....quickly. Her cheeks aren't so puffy with baby fat. She is turning 3! She likes big girl things, mommy's lip gloss (only because it has a brush on the end), makeup and dressing up and Salad's from Zaxby's. Yes, my sweet child LOVES salads! She loves oranges, craisins, chicken pot pie, chocolate milk and starburst! I try to get her to eat junk food, but haven't succeeded yet! ;) Her favorite color is pink and blue and she is ultra excited about Disney World! Oh, and she secretly wants to be Snow White....I mean, IS Snow White!

But, I think she might be more excited about the BIG EVENT tomorrow at the "gym"! She will finally be able to do her "summer sauce" with 20 of her closest friends! Help me, help me......that's all I know to say!

And, this little guy is screaming, "EAT ME. EAT ME!". If you're a Bakerella fan (calling ALL Jessi's), you'll appreciate the time and effort that I put in to these bad boys tonight....Otherwise known as cupcake bites! We are ready to party!

We invited 20 of Bowen's friends and we are SOOOOO excited that ALL 20 are coming! I think B feels kinda special! Oh, and you know me, its all about the birthday month! We'll be back soon with ALL the fun and sassy stuff that I think you'll want to see! Here's to sweet treats tonight friends as we continue to PREP for the PARTY!!!

I'm baaaaack!

2010-02-01T21:34:00.003-06:00

Gosh. Has it really been this long? I mean, seriously people! Come on. Not blogging for three weeks MIGHT be punishable by time served.......or, just by lots of picture uploads!!!

Life really did run away with me! If I told you all that has happened to me in the past three weeks, you wouldn't believe me, so I'll try to show/tell and attempt to convince you! Someone did ask me if I was not planning to blog anymore and I felt like I had lost my best friend! I have missed each and every one of you. Even those who don't comment.:) You wanna know why? When I put my heart on "paper", I knew it was out there. Out there for those who are interested to read! It has always been reassuring to know that my friends bare the burden or celebrate the joy with me! I love yall!

Let's start with what we're behind on! Here is the latest.

I got married, had another baby, moved to Charleston (or Sea Island), enrolled B in private school where she is now speaking 3 foreign languages fluently and have lost about 20 pounds. HAAAA, juuuuust kidding! But, here is the reality.....

My BFF "Mel" received some unfortunate news a couple weeks ago that she HAD cancer! You all know how I feel about the "c" word and watching another family go through "not fun" stuff is sad. Mel was very lucky and they did catch it early. She did have to have a hysterectomy, but fortunately, doing so removed ALL the cancer. She does NOT have to undergo any additional treatment, so that is HUGE!

I got to spend the day with this little who likes chocolate ice cream.......or likes to wear it!

and this "other little" who apparently likes hospitals!! This was her "I can't get enough of this place" visit post op when the dr's think she must have unfortunately caught an ugly virus that landed her back in here for a couple days! NOT FUN! She was thrilled that I captured the Kodak moment! And, when I was not with this "other little", I was with this one....

And, shew weee Mrs. Sadie, he is one funny cookie monster! He is hilarious! Little C Man kept me laughing! He says 1000 words and is down right funny!

Wouldn't you agree?

And this little Man.......yeah, he's pretty cute too!

I made sure to bring the boys something since their mommy got all the good stuff in her big goody bucket! I think both boys LOVED Mr. Kermit! Hey, it's not easy being green!

We are so thankful everything has worked out with Mel and are grateful for another chance at life. What blessings we have!

Speaking of blessings......one sweet and special one came into my life almost 3 years ago! And, we're celebrating with a P.A.R.T.Y.!!!! Yay! We are sooo excited and can't wait to see B's reaction when we tumble flip and play at the gymnastic center! Insert spirit sprinkles here please! ;)

Oh, and these sweet invitations are brought to you by Bowen's mommy, Bowen's daddy and Bowen's personal creative graphics designer! Guess who? Yep! JESSI! She rocked it again yall! I just love her! I think she is the best, but better than that I think she is just the sweetest person! She does awesome work and always gets it right on the money! LOVE her! She whipped these up by designing the layout and then.....

poof......she poured her creative juices into these bad boys! Stickers for the favors! Cute huh?! That's all I can show for now....don't wanna ruin it for Shawn Johnson....you know she'll get a goody bag too plus travel fees you know! Oh, and the "Jessi sticker" on her bag! Woot woot!

And this my friends has been the best! I know you all hear me say ALLL the time that I LOVE BBTN! Well, guess what?! frilly frances is now being sold in the BRAND NEW Favorite Laundry Store here in Bham! Woot woot, raise the roof, shake a tail feather! What ever tickles your tootie but just know that I'm excited! I just love Ashley and this has been such a fun thing to take on! And, she gave me an entire wall! A wall? Yes, a wall! Now, listen, her Spring pieces are scrumptious and are hard to resist! The entire store is kick tail, toot the horn, gotta love 'em sassy! Check them out if you're in Bham (store is at The Town of Mt. Laurel) and tell the tutus hey while you're at it....they need a good home too! :) Oh, and I'll just slide this in here cause it looks like a nice hidden spot! I have been on a few dates. That's all! A little something extra for those of you who do more than look at pics! :)

Look at all those frills! You can also order from Ashley at the store if you should need a different size or style or color or.....you get it, right?!

And, would you look at what sweet package we received the other day?! Isn't it cute?!

And would you look at what was inside?! ALLLLL these bows! Cute, bright, colorful, Spring bows! I am officially ready for Spring people!
Look at how cute this bow looks with this....Dawn thought there might be a very very SMALL chance that we don't have something to wear with these bows.....hmmm, I think we've officially eliminated that concern :))))

PERFECT doesn't get much better than this!

And, look at these..........would you believe that we have something to wear with each of the bows she sent?! We LOVE them all and are so thankful for sweet sweet friends who will never know how much they made my day (and B's day) by sending such a sweet package! Thank you Dawn and Bree for thinking and me and B! he he! We love yall!

Sweet card and sweet packaging and ultra cute stinkin' bows! I mean, seriously? LOVE THEM! Bowen came home from John's saying....mommy, I got a present from Bree! Then she says, mommy, are these from Mrs. Mindy and Haddie too? At least she "gets" our blog friends! They are all grouped together! She really does! She told me that Haddie and Bree need to go here with us......OH, and then she told me that since Ellie and Gabbi were already there, we didn't need to take them......we could just see them there! Oh, gosh! I guess she enjoys reading and catching up with me!
That's right! John and I are taking Bowen to Disney World!!!!!! We have always agreed to do everything in Bowen's best interest, as a divorced family, and we feel we can be adults about the entire situation. She is at an age where she understands so much and still appreciates all the MAGIC. John and I had been given a free place to stay before the divorce so we decided to be adults about the situation and go as a "family" for Bowen. John and I have been successful in forming a friendship and I can say that I am so blessed to serve such an amazing GOD! Sometimes we endure what seems to be the deepest of pain, to simply makes things better forever. My wounds are still fresh, but I am glad after all we've been through, that we can still communicate and be friends. I continue to remind myself that HE has endured the deepest pain for US so that our ETERNAL life knows NO pain! Mighty To Save!

And what fun this will be............ps, no, that's not me on the front row! I'll be alllll the way in the back! ;)

That's right! We are running in THIS! I know! Whew! In fact, the race is my birthday weekend....March 6th and 7th (my bday is the 6th just in case you're keeping track!) and I can't wait! Mel is not going with us...cry, sigh, mope and cry again, BUT Melinda Marie Hughie is!!!!! And, Jennifer C and I are so excited to be getting it done in Disney! I come home from running through the Castle......ALL 13.1 MILES, and then we leave a couple weeks later for Disney! What a busy month! Bowen will be worn out by then! Shesh, I hope so, anyway!:)

Since I haven't shared in a looooooong time, here is a fun little outfit I whipped together for B since she needed some play clothes! The pants were $1 at WalMart! Cute, huh?!

Well, my long lost friends......I'll be back......soon! I think I'll be a regular again! "Where everybody knows your name...."! Is there anything I need to update about? It has been a long time!

I feel..........

2010-01-30T13:11:00.002-06:00

a post comin' on! Stay tuned my friends!

JF

2010-01-06T23:14:00.021-06:00

Today marks one year. One year since Grandma went to Heaven. Please read how raw the emotions were HERE!

Grandma celebrated her last earthly birthday with us, although she had already begun to slip away, on January 4th 2009! Her birthday was always easy for me to remember. I don't know if it was because it was so close to Christmas and I always went ahead and bought her birthday gift while shopping for Christmas, or if was simply because she meant the world to me.

Grandma was so special. And, I mean that in every sense of the word. She was a grandma and "grandmas are like that" you know?! Her favorite phrase! But, she was also THAT grandma. She drove a red (what she called) sports car, was always platinum blonde (in a good way) and didn't believe in perms. She always took us out to eat at our favorite place and she believed in sugar ceral. Coffee was frequently enjoyed under the age of 12, and if I heard it once, I heard it 5 million times......"This is my oldest granddaughter, Linday.....wonder where she got that name!" I have my mom's maiden name and that thrilled grandma! She was a professional shopper at Marshall's and TJMaxx and always made sure to have the favorite gift wrapped each and every year for us! It was usually some designer outfit we modeled with friends who begged to join us on any given outing! They loved her too!

Special, she was!

I want to share a picture tonight that is just one of those "God things!". As I shopped for Bowen this year, I looked for some fun little things closer to Christmas.....kinda stocking "ish" stuff but also things that she would want to take with us out to eat or something she might enjoy playing with in the car. Well, I stumbled upon this.....

I loved Cabbage Patch Kids and as a child, I had tons of them! When I saw this sweet girl on the shelf at TJMaxx (of all places) I passed her by. She was the only one there and this sounds ridiculous, but the box was a little torn up and that bothered me :)! So, I got in line to check out and as 5 or 6 others lined up behind me, I thought to myself........Bowen NEEDS that Cabbage Patch kid. So, out of line I went and grabbed the not so perfect box and headed back to line. I didn't pay any more attention to the doll, checked out and headed home. Stashed the bag in the secret closet and didn't open it again until Christmas Eve. As preparations were made for Santa to come, all the boxes were pulled down from the closet and I began to arrange everything! I stepped back once I was done and began to allow myself to feel the excitement that my sweet 2 year old would soon feel! Magical! I sat down in front of all of Bowen's gifts and prayed that she would enjoy every second of Christmas morning! When I lifted my head, this was what was directly in front of me. I was blown away. Our sweet new Joy Faith shared her sweet day with Grandma Lindsay. Grandma Lindsay's Birthday was January 4th. Oh, and that wasn't all. Joy Faith also shares Grandma Lindsay's like initials. Grandma's name was Jurell Frances Lindsay........much like that of Joy Faith (JF)! Our little blonde doll would have a guardian angle. To me, they even look alike!

To be continued........

Good Good News!

2009-12-23T23:29:00.002-06:00

It's been a looooong time coming, but I promised pics of the Christmas Programs from 2 weeks ago! Now, I want you to pay very close attention to B and the sweet sweet outfit she has on! But, first, look at all my cuties! I am blessed with the most amazing opportunity to minister to these children every day. My fabulous 4's earned the opportunity to dress-up as angels and they did an amazing job! These are two of my super singers! They all did a great job!

This is the stable that another very talented lady at church and I built! Sweet animals (I can take NO credit for those) and a sweet sweet manger! Hey, there's nothing like burlap floors! :)

Just before the HUGE debut....the kiddos were all wrangled in my classroom and they were dressed and they did a great job exercising patience! These are my fours and some Pre K 5's. We have about 230 students and my 4's are a BIG part of that number! Oh, and yes, my backside.....just in case you know of anyone interested ;)

Some of these boys had to be convinced, at the very last minute, that angel costumes and halos were NOT only for girls! After all, the angels had to be BIG and strong to deliver the message and to speak to Mary and Joseph, right?! Can I get a woot woot?! Thank. You.

I don't have enough time to share about this sweet face. He. Is. Precious!

Oh, again. Not. enough. page. space!

Love. Every. Last. One. Of. Them!

But, we will elaborate on this smiling face! She deserves it! She is our ONE AND ONLY Pre K 5 teacher and she has a great great class (that challenges her every day):) I LOVE Ms. Julie and LOVE what she is doing with those kiddos! She is always willing to lend me a hand (and hold a staff or two) and our rooms, for the most part, are connected! We's friends!

This is THE group of boys! They are my air guitar playing, sweet singing, dancing and jumpin' all around quartet + one.....don't judge....I told yall I wasn't musically talented!

Girls on the front row; Boys on the back row!

Unless you're an older 2 or 3 yr old! He he! See....my sweet B! Not the best picture but I wasn't taking them.....i was too busy herding the cats on and off stage! :))))

The first group of fours! Oh, and I'm going to add music so you can hear what they sang! It's good......worth listening to with your sweet littles!

My angels moved to the choir loft, the 2's and 3's joined us center stage and the fun began!

They amazed me! Belted it like they had practiced for 2 months! Hmmmm.....yeah, 2 months! Whew!

Finally, my sweet PreK 5's! They were our LIVE nativity and they rocked the show. They were the best and I was so very proud of them!

And, perhaps the HIT of the Christmas Program (did I really just admit that?)......his name is Jon Brennan. You might know him from some crazy reality show he appeared on. At least that's what they tell me. Something like 17 years ago (I think that's what he said)! Some channel, maybe MTV? I think it might have been set in Miami? Yeah, I don't know, but all I do know is that he rocked the roof off the church and the love out of the hearts of all those parents in our audience (the parents). See, he was our opening act! Yes, my kids had an opener! I know. I was as excited as you are! No. But, really, he is the best! Jon is the worship leader for the Youth at Asbury (our church) and we asked him to share his amazing talent with our parents and he did! He is sold out for Christ and shares so much with so many. Those youth don't have any idea how blessed they are to have him. Well, ok, hey might tell you otherwise. We have some really great kids there!

See, what I mean? These kiddos got to have a seat while their friends performed the stable and manger scene and they were fabulous at following directions! Outfit, outfit! Just sayin'!

They were ready....but, was I? I only have 9 of them, so they had a HUGE job ahead of them singing a song all by themselves! Again, I was very impressed!

And, so were my 4's for the second day of the programs!

Oh, did I mention that Mona joined us? She came to hear sweet B sing and wouldn't you know, B chose to sing on Day 2! Mona had already gone home! :( B did great and we were so happy with the way everything turned out! We had a fab brunch after the program and all the kids got to eat with Mom and Dad! Perfect!

My B really got into this stage thing and she has NEVER been one to perform in front of anyone! Just me and the camera.....that's all!

See. I told you she sang on Day 2! She's my super singer!

And, my Young 2's were twinkling stars! Love them!

I hope you've enjoyed our littles and their sweet pictures! I love them and their huge hearts for Jesus!

Merry + Bright

2009-12-16T23:20:00.007-06:00

Jessi from Darling Carter designed our Christmas card this year, and I have to tell you, I have smiled since I got the proof!

I'm still smiling see.....

Jessi is amazing and I can't thank her and Ashley (who took our pics) enough for helping to create a card that reflects "Just the 2 of us"! It's silly, smiley, whimsy and oh, that little one sure is cute! :)

I love each and every one of you who read, and without your support over the past year, I wouldn't be able to SMILE this big. My life is FULL and my heart is MERRY + BRIGHT!

Merry Christmas my sweet friends!

Ho, Ho, Ho....Happy Birthday!

2009-12-13T00:57:00.007-06:00

The BEST Birthday Party EVER!

Bowen was invited to what might hold the record for being the BEST birthday party of ALL time! Our sweet friend, Mia, turned 4 and invited her friends AND SANTA over to her house to have breakfast.....in their pjs! The breakfast was amazing: scrambled eggs, bacon, silver dollar pancakes, with all the fixin's: mini chocolate chips, powered sugar, strawberries and blueberries! But, the memories made today are priceless!

Santa took time with each child and there were even photo ops for the parents! What fun! St. Nick read the children Twas the Night Before Christmas and the children were in awe! Santa gave each child a toy and a Santa made out of chocolate! He was a JOLLY ol' fella and every single child (and adult) there loved him! There was a craft table for the kids and amazing cookies from a fab bakery in Homewood (right up the street)! A party that could have lasted forever...... except that Santa had to return to the North Pole to tend to last minute things before Christmas! Ho ho ho......Happy Birthday, Mia, Santa chanted as he headed North! What a magical time and how glad we are to have been a part of the sparkle! We love little Mia!

Visit Ashley's blog to see all the holly jolly fun and I'm sure you'll have a belly full of laughs too!

Visit Santa with us HERE!

Prayers, Please!

2009-12-11T08:21:00.004-06:00

I have not forgotten my sweet blogger friends! I have actually been working on sooo many post as I have sooo many pictures I haven't shared because I've been soooo overwhelmed! BUT, the reason I come today is to ask for your prayers for my sweet mom. Mom was admitted to the hospital yesterday, early morning, and she is being treated for double pneumonia. They are giving her antibiotics and breathing treatments but she is still in a great deal of pain. Please pray for her fast recovery and for the pain to subside. I am still in Bham as my sister has been with mom. I will post an update as soon as we know more! Mom was just with us for several days helping me with Bowen as I had my first ever Christmas program at school! She came and watched Bowen, who really did sing and do all the motions, and she thought it was super! Pray for Mona and for Bowen as she doesn't understand Mona's boo boo! She is going to spend the weekend with John, so I will head to Atlanta as soon as Mona needs me to! I have pictures of the program to share and I can't wait for you to see them! I teach some amazing kiddos and I love them so so much! I love yall too!

Cute Clothes and One Cute Chick!

2009-12-02T21:43:00.017-06:00

Check out the cute cute Spring 2010 Clothing Line from Blessed Be The Name! We LOVE this line and we are so so excited that B was asked to be a part of this collection. Click here to see the preview on Ashley (the owner's blog) AND Bowen's "modeling debut"!!! Yes, she hammed it up reeeeal good! See what you think and let me know about my cute chick! Oh, and for you facebookers, there are MANY preview pictures on the new facebook page.....search for blessed be the name clothing and become a fan!

I have soooo much to share and sooooooooooo many pictures......

Soon, very soon.....I hope!

Where, oh where, does my sweet time go?

Where, oh, where has it been?

This Christmas Program has been so much fun to put together..... but whew, I am ready for Christmas to be here!!!

Off to work on school stuff!

We wish you a Merry Christmas.....

2009-11-23T06:47:00.011-06:00

Oh, how I love Christmas! Because my faithful blogging buddies have exerted a deep level of patience with me over the past couple weeks, I share with you a preview....a backstage pass, if you will! Only a preview, because there is SO much more to come from this, BUT there is a catch!!! I think you're up to the challenge..... please don't let me down! :)

Here's the deal! If you visit my dear sweet Ashley's blog, you will see more of B and I from our shoot the other day........makes me giddy to see what expression she captured! The catch is that I would LOVE for you to leave her a comment and help me to thank her for allowing B and I to have these PERFECT pictures.......! Her clothing line bewilders, her photography skills-unmatched and her "self".....alluring! She understands and I love her for that!

Oh, and you might find yourself still reading hours later......she impresses!

HERE IS THE LINK

Thanks yall, I knew I could count on you!

Lindsay

Daraja!!! Seriously. Relentless.

2009-11-21T07:30:00.025-06:00

First, the picture........my sweet, and dear to me, friend took this (and many many others) and has blown me away with the expression she was able to capture! Thank you, Ashley!!! :)

Daraja who? I know, we'll get to them in a minute but first..........I mean, really, who goes a week between updates? NO, not me....NEVER! Life is running away with me! Yeah, this is my Mckmama "not me" Monday.....just a little early :)! I mean, I have become that "soccer mom" who never has time to cook dinner, get kids to various extracurricular activities, keep up with my house AND be a good wife! Ha ha! Except, I never cook, I have one kid who is involved in very few extracurricular activities (God love her), my poor neglected but decorated for Christmas house....... and I don't even have "wife duties" :))) So, where in this world does time go? When you find it, please let me know! I think lately, all my time is invested in my new relationship.....with my sewing machine!!!!! It's going well, thanks for asking!

For those of you who aren't on FB (and I highly encourage you to find me if you are), Bowen has kept things interesting for me lately! This Christmas is sure to be fun, exciting and FULL of the unexpected! Her Christmas list so far consist of :

1. Baby Brudder
2. Baby Sisser
3. "Peetend Sewin' Cheen"
4. Bike

So, I need some MIRACLES! Well, at least 3! She is seriously relentless! Lord have mercy on my sweet soul because this child is NOT going to quit! She is serious! Mel, you might need refer me because Bowen now wants us to go to the store to "bring home my own baby brudder!"! Relentless. I tell you!

And when these sweet babies came to visit.....all the way from Kenya, they almost went home with two of their members because B was serious. Can you tell by her face?

These sweet hearted children are in a group called Daraja. They are from Kenya and they blessed us during Chapel last Tuesday. They preformed for our church Wed. night but we got a sneak peak and it was so amazing! B was focused on how to fit them in her backpack so they could stay here with us! I mean, a smile B? Just a little one? Ummm, NO!

But, this one is never at a loss for a smile! One of my favorite teachers and counterparts! LOVE Ms. Lisa. She's the best and she keeps me laughing!

Daraja even taught our littles some of their moves. Now, I must brag on my sweet kiddos....they learned quickly and then proceeded to "teach Ms. Lindsay" later in the day! Boom chicca boom boom!

How could you NOT love your job when you have sweet kids like this one to greet you with a HUGE hug and a "good mornin' Ms. Lindsay!" Love him!

We tried to keep them, but they said they were called to share the Lord. I mean, they could stay here and share the Lord, right?! Bowen was convinced they were her "brudders"!

Look at all my CASA kids jammin' with Daraja! They held their own!

All my sweet ones are preparing for the Christmas program that is fast approaching! They are all geared up and ready for sing their hearts out......I HOPE! :) It's December 7th and 8th, so pray hard that through song, these sweet ones will share the love of the Lord! Their hearts are so big. I will be back, I promise! We are headed to Atlanta Tuesday for Thanksgiving and we are going to the PINK PIG like last year! The fun will begin. Can't wait! B spent this weekend with her Daddy in Milledgeville celebrating his dad's bday and then she got to visit with her new cousin, Cade. Bowen loved him! I think this might have reinforced the baby brudder on the top of the list. Oh me! Pray for sweet Grandmother Cathey.......her real name is Nellie Bly Cathey and I love her name by the way! Bowen was almost named Bowen Bly but we thought it was a little too repetitious and it is! We were told on Friday that Grandmother has a tumor on her bladder and we are waiting some more results Monday but she is having some serious complications as a result of the tumor. As you might remember, we lost Grandmother Yarbrough New Years Day last year and Grandma Lindsay died during Grandmother Yarbrough's funeral, so this is a tough time for us! I am hoping for better news tomorrow about the tumor. I will update soon! Love to all!

I know, I know....and a HUGE BBTN sale!

2009-11-17T07:13:00.007-06:00

It's me! Remember me? Yeah, it's been another busy week! Without going into tons of details, and there are many, I will leave you with a link this morning and I will revisit with yall tonight. Its that ok with yall? The great news is that this link will get you 40% today and 50% off tomorrow on the Fall 2009 line of BBTn clothes.....you know, the one Bowen just did the photo shoot for! Go, don't wait and pick some stuff out......she's extending the sale to out of towners, and that means alot of you! You can follow the directions on her last two blog post and she will tell you exactly how to go about ordering! You can also see the Fall 2009 collection online. Believe me, there are some great things....snowman pants, cute double ruffle things and ALL on SALE! Tell her I sent you.....it won't earn you anything but a pat of the back from me, but I think you'll be glad you did!! GO, don't stop, don't collect $200 (although that would be tempting) and shop your little out of town hearts out!!!! :) Love yall and see you tonight!!!! Ill be baaaackkk!

CLICK HERE for the fun!

Papa, the Puppy and BBTN

2009-11-11T16:36:00.003-06:00

I told yall Papa was coming, but did I mention that he was bringing his "puppy" and his big rig boat? Yeah, probably because I didn't know it either!!! :)

And my sweet child who is desperately afraid of heights didn't seem to mind climbing up in this BIG monstrosity to give the "puppy" water!

So, the funniest thing lately is that when Bowen can remember something, she gets this very "funny" look on her face and says, "mom, you help me peas...." and then she'll say, "papa's puppy.....what her name again?"! It's so funny because you can see her wheels spinning. She makes this very deep in thought face and then squints her eyes and says all that! I can hardly keep from laughing because she's so dang cute!

Now, this camo contraption......yeah, it's not so cute! But, b thought so as she sat there for 2 hours straight finding new things to play with in her new boat!

And, don't worry, this child is also scared to death of puppies........just not Papa's puppy! When we lived in Chelsea and Bowen was about 12 months old, the pit bull next to us charged her and she's never been the same about puppies since! It's so sad to me that she is so paralyzed by fear for dogs........oh, and size doesn't matter! :) She is so afraid of them, BUT for some reason, she was very interested in Coy, Papa's puppy! She played with her outside and gave her water, fed her from her hand (these are BIG steps, people) and eventually did this.....

Yeah, if I didn't have pictures, I wouldn't believe it either! She was such a trooper and she was so funny about Coy. She got excited at the smallest thing she did. If she stuck her tongue out or if she made a noise......and Coy doesn't bark, so it was more of a purring noise! She's a very TRAINED dog so she's really good, but speaking of really good, this one was thrilled when Papa bought her this getup when he visited! It was brown day at school the day Papa left and he insisted she wear her "brown" dress! Now, please look closely at the nice appliqued puppy at on the front! Papa thought this was super that the puppy was already on there. He said, look, Lindsay, you won't have to monogram it :)))) Funny Papa! What you can't see are the puppy paws on the bottom corner that match the puppy! They are itty bitty but they are still pink paw appliques! Oh me! When I got B out of the car for school (this was taken with my phone in front of school), the teachers looked at me like I had five heads! They really couldn't figure out what my B was doing in some camo getup! She did sport the pink bow and her new boots! Love the boots!

By the end of the night, B was sassin' it up with Coy! When Coy licked her, Bowen would say, "ewwwee, i't wet, hers tongue is wet, mom!"

See, I told you she was a trained dog............Well, almost, if these two had looked, we would've had a picture! :)

Coy was like, come on people, look at the camera.....and then she checked out! :)

But, not before giving Papa Five! A high five at that!

I hope yall have a fun day! Bowen had her picture taken today for a photo shoot for a friend's clothing company in town and she LOVED it! The was very shy at first but after the first outfit, I think she really got the hang of it! Love the new Spring 2010 line for BBTN and can't wait to see the pictures! Go check out her current line and I think you'll be amazed as I always am! I'll post a link to pictures when they are posted! Thanks for checking on us and for being so patient lately! Our life has been a little crazy!!!!

Sick

2009-11-09T22:50:00.010-06:00

That's all I know to say.....SICK! The sickies hit hard this past weekend and we are still recovering! This morning, the alarm clock went off and Bowen (you know, my child who LOVES school) woke several minutes later and said, "mom, I not go to school today...I sickie!". She was serious. I had to get myself out of bed, find my phone and then spend 2 hours finding a sub.....that's when I realized that Ms. Sickie had shared her sickies with me! I didn't feel good yesterday at all, but it was nothing like it was this morning. Yeah, double yuck! They think Bowen has walking pneumonia and after a nice Loooooong visit with my ENT this afternoon, 2 shots in my hiney and a CT, he wants to see me back on Monday! That should be fun! Not a fun time around our house....stay away, stay far far away!

I know, call me a slacker.......I have abandoned all of my sweet dedicated readers for a week! It's just been a busy time. Papa came to visit last week and I took a day off to visit Christmas Village (more on that later) and then we went to Disney on Ice Friday and Bowen and her Daddy went Thursday night, so it was busy busy! All fun fun times, but just a little overwhelming to stop and blog with a sick child and all this stuff going on. I am so so sorry! I'll do better, I promise! I'll be back tomorrow with a "real" post, I just wanted yall to know that I'm ok and that we are still here and alive......I think! After our 3.5 hour nap today, I had to ask myself if I was still alive! I woke up in a panic because I didn't know where B was......only to find her laying (or is it lying, Mindy.....I can never remember) at the foot of the bed sound asleep! I guess that's what I get for threatening her NOT to get out of the bed one more time until we both had a nap. Never ever did I think that was going to work........it did, and WELL! :)

See yall tomorrow......I promise! Oh, and please please pay special attention that this contraption that Papa brought to my house! Oh, sheesh a minnie.......is that CAMO?! :)))))

On Top of Pasketti....

2009-11-03T23:56:00.003-06:00

Thank you for being so patient with me! Everything at once and my upgrade for more picture space, what yall really care about, right, took longer than I thought to be in effect! Thank heavens, FINALLY!

We are all so overwhelmed with the success of our first annual Spaghetti Supper for CASA, the preschool where I work and where B has gone for 3 years now! No way, is she really almost 3? Well, we have at least 3 months before that happens! OH MY!!

The Silent Auction was a huge hit! We literally relied on donations from parents, church members, local celebrities that have ties to our church and of course, our teachers! Teachers blew me away with the silent auction! They donated every thing from "patty cake with paige" which was a morning of baking fun, ice cream at the park, a date with the director and curb service parking pass for carpool! Oh, and how could I leave out this....

One of our fab teachers, Ms. Joy, painted that canvas and it went home with some loving family for lots of $$! We also have parents at our school who just so happened to play on the (it doesn't mean I like them just because I have to type their name) Ala.....national championship team!! They were so generous, I mean their wives were, to offer an autographed football with some BIG names!!!

Stocking Stuffers anyone? These baskets were adorable and gave me a great idea of how to wrap things this year! I love the ribbon threaded through the basket openings! CUTE! Can you see it?

And a little friendly competition never hurt anyone, right?! Well, if you don't know......I live in Birmingham, AL and this is the home of ALABAMA football!! Sheesh! It's ok. I don't participate in all the fuss! Don't tell, but they're not really all they're cracked up to be :))

And, here is our Director, Carolyn and her sweet girl, Caitlin. Caitlin is the one who plays with B and B loves her!

And, how's this for ya? All of those who wanted some good Spaghetti, here it is! It was so good! Everyone raved about the food that night! Shane cooks for the church all the time and people line up for miles to eat his food!

Two of our sweet parents and BIG supporters of our Silent Auction. They just so happened to have a sweet daughter named, Garner.......LOVE her and LOVE her name!! I have her for Music and she is the sweetest thing!

It's Ms. Julie who teaches 5K and her daughter, Malory who I also have in Music and her son, Parker. Parker left CASA to go to "big school" a couple years ago.....

But, that's ok, because it meant that there was room for this little one at Ms. Julie's house! Little Walker Man comes to see me in Music too! I swear, I have the cutest kids ever!!

And these three mean trouble! This is Carolyn (far R) and her two right hand girls! These three get it done every single day! They all share one office and our school simply would not function without them!! Did I mention that Sherri (far L) and Bonnie (middle) have been there for something ridiculous, like 15 years!! Yep!

Here are the three plus Abbey in the black top. Abbey is our Children's Minister! She is great too! Love them!

Do you see what is all over the floor in my classroom? Those are our chef hats for the Spaghetti Supper! The kiddos had a blast wearing their hats and singing that night!

Speaking of singing....this little one sang some of the songs, but quickly made her way to sit beside me as I led the rest of the program! She was really sweet that night though and really did sing!

Remember Ms. Jenn? Ms. Jenn plays Bunco with us and these are her precious girls, Matty Kay and Ryan! I love "boy" names for a girl! Just love them!

And you know who this is, right? This is Madeline, Bowen's sweet friend that used to live in our neighborhood :( Her mommy and daddy are checking out all her fun stuff she made!

And, it's these two who are responsible for the fun stuff that come out of that classroom! Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Vicki loves those kids. Oh me! They have their hands full, I'll tell you that!

After dinner, these two found each other and EMBRACED! I guess that's what you call it! They are so funny! It looks more like B is tackling Madeline!

This was as dinner was concluding......well, and the teachers were finally able to eat! The event was really alot of fun! The families acted like we had done this for years!

I tried to tell you that B loves M! This is affectionately referred to as the CHOKE HOLD! Geeeze, B, let go! She needs to breathe now!

Thank you for loosening your grip, B! We want Madeline to be around to sing with us again next year! I mean, for goodness sake! This is how they are at school too! They just haven't had a chance to play together lately and B really misses Madeline! That's what I get for being a working mom!!!!! :))

We raised somewhere around $5000 and we considered it a HUGE success! Thank you to everyone who came out and supported our first annual fundraiser!

Papa is coming to play with us again! I know. It seems like just yesterday he was here, but he decided to go bird hunting up in the MidWest somewhere, so he's pit stopping it here in Bama! We love that! I'm sure we'll have a BIG night! Oh, and Christmas Village is this week! YIPPEEEE! I'm off on Thursday to get some fun time in! Can't wait! See yall tomorrow!

A work in progress.......

2009-11-02T17:39:00.005-06:00

Oh, me! Don't ever let your blogger storage space run out! Sheesh! I think it's finally fixed, but the email I just received said that it may take 24 hours for my storage update to be reflected so that I can upload pics! I mean, come one people! Google, don't you have more pull than that? Hang in there with me! And, yes, Mo, (sound system squeal) it's on! So, I'll be back after this QUICK intermission!! Maybe even tonight!

A Special Angel

2009-10-29T19:29:00.006-05:00

Since this is SOOOOOO stupid that I have to find the time to purchase MORE "storage space" in order to upload more fun pictures for your (and my) pure enjoyment :), I won't post pictures tonight! BUT, I will post what I think will make you SMILE BIGGGGGG! As I was leisurely doing some on-line Christmas shopping (and early I add), I came across this sweet message from a sweet boy looking down on me! See what you think......

CLICK HERE!

It was a great reminder to me that the toys don't matter, how much we spend doesn't matter, what all we buy doesn't matter, but the true gift of eternal life is what matters! If it's all gone tomorrow, what do we have? We have each other and the great gift of love! What a special Christmas we will have!!!!

Trunk or Treat 2009

2009-10-28T23:09:00.006-05:00

Well, folks, it was bound to happen! I have officially reached my quota for uploads on my blog! I will now have to purchase upload room from Picasa in order to post more pics........so, you'll have to settle for what's here tonight and expect the rest of the fun tomorrow!

And now I present to you.......drum roll please............

THE Funky Fairy!!!!!!

This is Caitlin, aka Bowen's bestest buddy from this Summer at school! Caitlin was one of my junior helpers and I LOVE HER! She is also our preschool Director's daughter. She is a doll! Bowen thinks she is part of our family (or would really like for her to be). Caitlin has a twin brother and a sweet little sis! She knows ALL about kiddos!

Look who it is......it's Delaney aka "Laney", you know, Ms. Jennifer's daughter! Gosh, we have lots of so and so's daughter in these pictures! We love Ms. Delaney! Pray for her.....she has JRA and has recently started Enbrel for treatment. Her sweet family needs to be wrapped in prayer as this is certainly a scary time with such a BIG drug. We know it's for the best and she is one big trooper handling her new shots!

And, Bowen's sweet friend, "Michael Dooley"! Bowen won't just call this sweet boy Micheal, she has to call him by both names.....it's funny! She loves him and has been in school with him for 2 years! Bowen's looking at him like what the heck are you eating?

And then she decides to take part in the fun.......candy....YUM!

Yeah, I know....YUMMMMMMY!

More on our Trunk or Treat tomorrow! Love yall! Oh, and the Spaghetti Supper was a HUGE success and I think I'll celebrate for another couple days :))) The kids were super and I was very very proud of them!

Old Baker Farm 2009

2009-10-26T23:25:00.005-05:00

These pictures will speak LONG stories to you, I believe........they spoke to my heart as the trip to Old Baker Farm was the most perfect trip B and I have ever taken!

I am convinced that B can read me and knows exactly when I need an UP day.....this trip was certainly one of those days! She was a perfect angel! I might also mention that after almost being potty trained 8 months ago, we resumed this weekend and are finally there! When things got hairy scary in March, I decided to give B a break. Well, honestly, I needed a break. I didn't feel that it was fair to her and did not want to confuse my sweetness, so we've been in pull ups for a long long time :) I decided it was time to full force push the process through since she "gets it" and always has.......IMPLEMENTATION! She has stayed dry overnight and has been in big girl panties for 3 days now.....YAY B!

Maybe that's one reason she's so smiley on the farm!

I know one thing....she was climby and smiley and funny on the farm!

See what I mean? My sweet sweet hearted child playing in the hay, or haaaaaaaaay!

I mean, we were at the Cotton Pickin' Celebration.......just sayin'!

Um huh......after explaining to Bowen what this puffy stuff was and what it was used for, she was a little overwhelmed with the thought........and you might be too!

And since the Farm is HUGE.....they take you, and 2,000 of your new best friends, out to the punkin' patch to "pick" your punkin'! Except, this year, there were NO punkin's! In fact, they delivered over 1,800 that very morning in the punkin' patch and by the time we went a pickin', they were gone! We grabbed the first one we saw and settled for it.......I mean, it's just a punkin', right?!

As we stood in line waiting for the hayride and tractor to take up back to the main farmland.......these two sweet friends pulled up. I'm talking about the ones with four legs! B was in love. She begged to ride with them back to the farm. So, Cinderella hopped into her glorious carriage and off we went! We certainly didn't want to be late for the ball......Heavens!

Along the trail back, these two friends got a little too close for comfort. We were on the back and B felt it necessary to tell them "no....stay bat horsey.......you durdee!" She was serious, eyes and all! They listened......durdee ears and all!

This is the conversation in action as it happened!

We needed some fun shots and I let B do whatever she wanted to! Strike a pose....

A "ni lady" as B calls them took our picture! I should've known better when she took my camera told me that "she'd always wanted one dem der big cameras with the fantcee lens on the end!" I guess my "dem der fantcee camera" might need a trained user behind it next time! These would have been great if Mr. Sunshine had gone away or "Ms. Ni lady" had known how to operate my contraption :)) Oh, Nellie! You take what you get and you don't pitch a fit though, right?! Even for us adults too?! Hmmm...

Ever since she was itty bitty, she loves these stairs! This is one of the farm houses and B walks up to the stairs on her own every year! It's her comfy spot.....no one else around! She loves loves loves it!

Time to go, but we'll be back next year! We had such a great time and this is one of those trips I will remember for a very long time! Thanks B for a great day and for such a sweet heart! Mommy loves you and thanks God for you every morning, noon and night!

Just so you can see how much she has grown! This was 2007 in the same spot as the top picture! This was the year we got there and left immediately! She was so little!

Her favorite white house! See how much she loves these stairs! And, it looks like they finished renovating the farm house this year. Look.......

LOVE THIS GIRL!

Off to bed! Tomorrow night is the Spaghetti Supper and the kiddos are singing! Yep, my first preschool music program EVER! Can't wait! Neither could my voice.......she took an early day off! Pray I make it through the day with something left and pray my kiddos are in the mood to sing their hearts out! I love them! See ya tomorrow!

A Sweet Tease

2009-10-25T20:02:00.005-05:00

Bowen and I had a wonderful day! We are both exhausted from food, fun, fall festivities and lots and lots of candy! See ya tomorrow!

The Traditional Trip To Old Baker Farm

2009-10-24T23:15:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow won't be any different! There has always been a traditional trip to Old Baker Farm since we've lived in Birmingham, and since Bowen was born for that matter! I am more excited about it tonight than I have ever been! Bowen's first trip to the farm in 2007 left not so good memories as it was the very beginning of MANY sleepless nights worrying about her health. She started experiencing symptoms a couple days before our very first trip and that particular day it was very hot. We didn't even make it to the actual pumpkin patch and ended up in the ER that night. The next year, 2008, was such a different experience! She was healthy and FULL of personality. I was able to get some great shots of her! She still looked like a baby to me and she was able to wear the overalls I wore when I was 2! A much different, much better and lasting experience! This year, we will take part in the Cotton Pickin' Celebration at Old Baker Farm! There are all kinds of fun things going on and we can't wait! Mona is here, she arrived this afternoon, and although I have NOT felt well the past couple days, I am excited about the FUN tomorrow! Bowen is growing up so fast and I love that we have pictures of her at this pumpkin patch every year. It's neat to see how we both have changed over the years! Visit my post from last year and get "down on the farm" with us!

HERE

We also have trunk or treat tomorrow at 5, so it will be a crazy day! The funky fairy will make us all laugh I'm sure! Check back as I'll try to post pictures tomorrow once we get home! I hope yall are enjoying Fall as much as we are! Now, if I could just feel better we would be perfect! Thanks for your prayers and for sharing the time of year with us!

Halloween Costume Update!

2009-10-22T21:12:00.007-05:00

IF and I mean a BIG IF I stay well enough to attend the 3rd annual shindig, I have my costume all picked out!

I think it will be funny and I can't wait to post pictures! I am finishing it tomorrow and I might even post before the party Saturday night as Mona will be here to take pictures for me! How much fun will that be?

Just wanted yall to sleep tight knowing my Halloween dilemma is solved. I mean, after all, it's the little things in life, right?!

Tutu Punkin' Pie!

2009-10-21T20:22:00.000-05:00

While I won't tell you WHO,

I can tell you WHY.......

my sweet customer wanted her lil' one

to look sweet as pie!

And, I'm sure with this tutu punkin' pie costume,

she'll not only take the pie, but the cake too!

Isn't it just precious?!

I hope to have some actual shots of her to post SOON!

I just can't wait! This is one of my favorites.....you know how I get about all my favorites! :)

I haven't posted in the past couple days because I've been slap worn out! It's just a busy time of year. Our school is hosting a Spaghetti Supper next Tuesday and there's always alot that goes into that...... especially when 215 of my sweet ones are singing before the dinner! You can guess how excited but nervous I am right about now! UNPREDICTABLE is the only word to describe 215 of the sweetest 18 mths-5 year olds on stage together! Yeah, it's gonna be fun! I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I will tell you it's sure to be funny!

On top of that, I had an appointment yesterday that didn't exactly go as planned. I am not going to go into much detail, but I want you to know that I need your prayers. I will be seeing my surgeon here in Bham next week (most likely) and as it stands now, I will most likely be having surgery in the next 2 months. Many of you remember when this happened last year! Well, my appointment this time was a little more direct. I will leave it at that because there really isn't much more I know at this point. I will remind you that I have seen three surgeons, including Mona's surgeon in Atlanta, so I have a pretty good idea of what the plan will be.......just not exactly sure who and where and when and all that "mess"! The opinions I got from each surgeon were all a little different (last year), but since there is a difference in the size of the lump this year, we will do as my ob-gyn says and, "not delay finding out"! So, you all know me by now.....I'm a realist. A little dramatic at times, but certainly realistic about what needs to happen. Please pray for balance for me right now. Not the kind that helps you walk, but the kind that my head and heart need to be able to continue juggling all 12 balls that are currently in full motion above my head. I am burning the candle at 25 ends and am trying to slow down to process things to keep my from being overwhelmed. I function in overdrive ALL the time though, who am I kidding? That's about it. I just covet your prayers and support. I know I'll be fine and I honestly in my heart feel like everything is perfectly fine, but still.......the thought of surgery right now? Um, no. I'm not doing well accepting that one. I'll keep you posted of any new developments but just know that if I don't mention it, my ta tas are doing just fine! Thanks! :) Night yall!

HELP!!!!! and 3 Little Punkin's.....

2009-10-17T09:10:00.025-05:00

I NEED your help! I have been invited to a Halloween party next weekend and I don't have a clue what to dress up as! Enter fabulously creative blog readers..............I want you to help me decide on my costume! Now, you know, the sky is the limit because I can put it together AND I have a week to work on the "project"! Some background info.......the party will be mostly, if not all, couples. Most people there will be early 30's to 50's. This is a fun group and I'm sure the party will be HUGE! Oh, and these clever host and hostess (2 couples) had a scary butler deliver invitations to the door steps of some of the invitees. Now, that's COOL! So, now you get it right? They are doing it up right and I want to do the same! Please leave me your ideas and I might even get yall to vote on my top 3 to pick a winner! This will be fun!

Bowen is with her Daddy this weekend.....the first in a long time, so I am getting some much much needed ME time! The quiet house doesn't seem to bother me as much when there is always something to do! It's amazing though how much motherly instinct there is even when she's not here. I stopped sewing twice last night because I thought I heard her downstairs. Habit is a funny funny thing! I turned the heat on last night for the first time since it was in the mid 30's and it finally feels like Fall! I am looking forward to a nice LONG Saturday filled with football, a little shopping and sewing, of course! I think I'll actually get to wear my UGGS today! Now, that makes me happy!

I leave you with three little punkins..........These are three of my kiddos I teach at CASA! They all happened to be brothers and sisters and they all just so happened to have my punkin' shirt on last week...... I had to have a picture! Ella is 4, Allie is 2 1/2 and Jay just turned 1! Oh, and I should tell you that Ella spent some quality time with a pair of scissors the month before her Aunt Julie's wedding this Summer! She is finally getting some of her Blondie locks back and she has bangs again! Yay, I know that makes mom happy! :) They are such sweet kids! Happy Fall, Yall!

Special Day at the Punkin' Patch

2009-10-15T22:14:00.004-05:00

No, really is was......Bowen's Special Day at the Punkin' Patch! See, B has great teachers this year and they really focus on building the children's leadership skills and confidence. On their "special day", they get to be the line leader, their parents get to bring in a special snack if they want and they really focus on that child for the day! Well, B's just so happened to fall on the day they were visiting the punkin' patch at school. It was perfect! We decided to make cookies for her friends in her class!

And, honey, she was INTO this! She's always made stuff with me in the kitchen, but Lordy B, watch out world, this chef likes icing on her raw cookie dough......yuck!

The outfit kills me! She's in her Halloween pjs since we didn't have school on Monday and she just had to sport the rain boots.......as she so loves to call them "yellies" instead of wellies! Oh, and Dawn, you're so right that I forgot to mention what B was wanting at the drive thru at Chick n' play that day! She wanted a sandwich! I mean, how stupid can this mom of the year be?

She loved rolling the dough and helping me cut the cookies. She loves getting messy when she knows she can clean right up! She really enjoyed this part!

And she ewed and awed over the cookies and the way they smelled when I pulled them out of the oven.

And, she favorite part BY FAR was the decorating! She decorated every single cookies and was very meticulous about what colors she used and what she wanted me to "ice" before she applied the decor. We used royal icing so it would dry hard and the decor would stick!

This was her very own cookie that she made and we did not make it with royal icing but with the black sparkle icing that B just HAD to have!

Oh, my sweet sweet B! Yall are so sweet by the way! I loved all the comments on the last post about the picture of me and B at Carter's party! I treasure each and every picture I have with her and believe me, they ALL make it to a frame in this house!! I will say that I do feel good and that means alot, I think! Stress does crazy things to you and being able to filter that stress is something I am learning to do that is helping me......well, that and a little......we'll save that for another day! ;)

This was at the patch. The look on B's face cracks me up! Those kids were O.V.E.R. it! Like, last year over it! They did have tons of fun but they wanted the paparazzi out of their faces!

This is her sweet Tuesday/Thursday class!

The "sweet ladies", as Bowen has referred to them since Tuesday, gave each child a sticker and a tattoo. Bowen's says let your light shine. The youth at the church do the punkin' patch as one of their fundraisers every year and the school buys each child a punkin to take home with them. They get story time a the punkin' patch and they talk about it for days! It's a huge hit every year!

See, she did pose for the camera at least once before we left!

And then at lunch, I got to eat with her and her class and then she handed out the cookies she made. She was so proud and talked about her special day all day long! She told me when we got in the car that she didn't want her special day to ever end. Sweet child! It's amazing how much it means to them when they are focused on even just a tiny bit more than the other children. She was beaming all day! I can't wait for her next special day at school, but every day at home is a special day for me and B! She is my light and she certainly shines!

Here is a picture of some of the cookies she made for her friends......no two alike and all different toppings! The kids got a HUGE kick out of them! We'll get to do it again soon! Can't wait!

I'm off to sew! That's my middle name! Lots to show yall this weekend and it will be my first weekend in a LONG LONG time without B! John is taking her for the weekend and I almost won't know what to do with myself! Oh, I think I'll find something to get into! Lots to do around here as Christmas is only 70 days away! Can you believe I just typed that? Me either! Can you believe it's not even Halloween yet and I just typed that? Me either, but I need to get my booty in gear, so that's my motivation. I have Christmas cards to get a picture for, I have B's Christmas to plan out and all kinds of decorating to do......sheeesh! Oh, and speaking of decorating.....when we were done with the cookies, B said, "Mom, I want to decorate some more peas!" I mean, Martha, every great chef has gotta take a break! Soon enough, B, soon enough! Love to all of you who check on us! It's a high of 50 here in Birmingham this Saturday, so we're busting out the coats and warm clothes! See ya on the burrrr side! :)

Carter Turns 2-The Boo Bash!

2009-10-13T21:02:00.017-05:00

What fun this was....

And how cute these were......

Oh, and these! Thanks Mel, for posting this idea from Maddi's Bday party! We totally stole it! :) We love your ideas and think you're the BESTEST ever! So, sweet thanks to you! The Whirly Pops were a HIT!

We traveled to Atlanta for Carter's "boo bash" this weekend and had a great time! I think you'll see why!

These window sings were perfect for Carter's 2 year old "boo bash". That's just what I called it anyways! Eat, drink and be scary! Isn't that the theme when I do have a chance to get out of the house, oh, once in a purple moon?! :)

And, the cake........It's spiderlicious!

What's better than Peeps on a stick (or pick in this case)? That's right, Peeps on a plate! I got some kind of creative wild idea and ran with it, but it turned out cute!

We had all ages at Carter's Bash. There was this little one who is 9 months, I think! She is a doll and I don't think those eyes could get ANY bluer, do you?

What's better than one baby? Three! Well, three and Kayla! Kayla is so sweet and she is blue eyes big sister!

Oh, and don't think for one second that this spitfire wasn't the most fun to play with! She just turned three and was hilarious! She did every thing those crazy boys did and then some! By the way, the older boys were 4, and 5!

And, then we have the birthday boy! Sweet Carter was so excited when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. He loved it but wasn't too sure about the cake......NOT sure at all!

He was, however, VERY sure about jumping on his Mommy's nicely decorated ottoman and raising some crazy fuss in the living room....you know, it's his birthday, he can jump if he wants to!

Jackson, Carter's older bro is always so sweet to Bowen. Before the party, Jackson helped Mrs. Lissa and I so much! Thank you, Jackson for all your help!

This will be saved for their wedding day! They both will kill me one day for the collection of photos we always get when they're together! They are just both so stinkin' cute........JUST SAYIN'!

But, speaking of cute........look at these two! Brothers! Can you believe Carter is 2 and Jackson is 4 1/2? They look they're almost the same size here! I am so glad I was able to catch the two of them smiling!!

Oh, my! If she didn't have that obvious outfit on, I'd promise this wasn't MY child walking DOWN the UP ramp! I mean, is this the same "sceerdy cat" I know? No way! It just can't be my fearful child! I don't believe it for a minute......even if the girl wearing this cute outfit has the same initials as b! :)

Hold on to your tires, folks! Here is that same little girl riding a WHAT? A tire swing! NO way. My child would never ride a tire swing....much less a tire swing with three others who are demanding to go FASTER and FASTER! Not my B! There's just NO way!

But, my B would ham it up in front of the camera trying to get a good shot of Mommy and B from the party! Yep, now she would do that!

And, remember me telling you about Carter jumping ALL over........I wasn't kidding! Fearless CHILD!

Bowen had several friends at the party her age. This is Harper and Harper and Bowen are about 2 months apart! See how tall B is? And, she is standing behind Harper! They loved Mrs. Lissa (you know, Melissa) and her organic lollipops!

My sweet but tired eye girl!

How I was able to get this, I just don't know! These older kiddos played very well during the party and had so much fun....it was like a sugar fest.......suckers, peeps, candy corn, cake, cheese puffs, goldfish and tons of assorted candy......Oh, and the beloved Suckers!! A Whirly Pop went home with each and they all had their childhood dreams come true! A kid's wonderland!

Happy birthday sweet Carter! I can't believe you're already 2! I remember your Momma telling me she was pregnant with you when Bowen was a newborn! There's NO way you're already 2!! Your party was so much fun and we can't wait to see how BIG 3 will be!

Punky Brewster and The Rest of Mt. Laurel

2009-10-11T23:34:00.002-05:00

I always said if I had a girl, she would LOVE Punky Brewster as much as I did! Do you remember her?

I would sit and watch Punky every opportunity I could get and I wanted to be just like her. I think I even dressed up as a baby one Halloween so I could draw freckles on my cheeks (like hers) and pretend I was her for a day! Well, this one is always wanting to wear the most fun, frilly, funky outfit she can find and I think she succeeded this particular morning! ;)

Bowen had to show it all off! Look at my socks, Mommy! Get my socks, Mommy! That's what she said over and over again! We were on the way to school and she was concerned that I didn't get enough pictures. I guess when you take 200+ at a time, you expect them (or shall I dare say train them) to become accustomed to the flash and fast clicking!

Sweet sweet girl! There are many days I thank God over and over again for placing her in my life!

I made this twirly skirt as I was determined for her to have something fun this year! I love crazy fabric and this was perfect!

This is the remaining fun from Mt. Laurel last week as I haven't gotten around to finishing that post :(........I am playing keep up or catch up....depending on the day!

Is a an "I'm done" face or a "get the camera out my face, face"! When she's done, she's done!

We did get to see SnoWhite and several friends from school. This is Madeline and Marin. They are precious girls who are moving to Georgia this week and unfortunately won't be in school with B anymore! :( We have really enjoyed them and wish them well in Augusta!

Look what Punky did when she saw SnoWhite. All she would say the morning of the Festival was I wanna see her, Mommy, I wanna see SnoWhite! Over and over again! I thought, great, she's going to see her and run or get all shy....NOPE! Your attention please, my child is NO longer shy and she has come out of her shell!

She loved her and didn't want to go. She did skip off without crying though and talked about her all day long! She just loved her!

Didn't I just say that my child is NO longer shy? Yeah, well, I lied!

Not really! She runs and puts on a show for anyone who will watch, but if they comment on Bowen, oh, NO! She gets so shy and actually flirts a little! It's funny!

She had to much fun running and playing that day! We love Fall and all the Festivals to look forward to every year! Thanks, Bowen for making this year a great memory, once again!

We are out of school tomorrow and I will be sewing, Bowen will be getting a haircut and I think, if the rain holds off, B and I will make a trip to the punkin' patch! You know, in Bama, they got the real deal punkin' patches. You know, with the REAL John Deere tractors and the real corn mazes! Oh, and cotton candy, caramel applies, petting zoos, cotton (the real kind) jumpy pit, a hayride to actually pick your punkin' and lots more to do! We look forward to it every single year and this year is NO different! I will update tomorrow as I have lots of fun things to share that we've been doing! See yall then!!!!

The Funky Fairy: Warning-Language Not Suitable For Small Children

2009-10-08T18:07:00.017-05:00

I guess there needs to be some kind of warning given before you watch this video! Although it was NOT intentional (as you will hear the "shocked" tone in my voice at the beginning), there might be what some consider "bad words" coming out of my child's mouth! What started as an innocent "clip" of her 2009 Halloween Costume quickly turned into what might be the funniest thing I've ever caught on film. NOT because of the language, but because of the seriousness of my sweet B! I finally "laughed her off". She has always been head-strong, but lately....whew, she's funny! I can say that because I'm the same way....hard-headed that is....! Like Mom, like Daughter.......Bowen told me today that my name isn't Mommy, it's Mom. In fact, we were in a store and I said something to B like,

"Mommy will think about getting you a surprise if you sleep in your BIG girl bed AGAIN tonight!". Yes, I did say again....last night, in fact! I digress. So, anyways, she quickly says, "Shhhhh, don't say that!" I didn't know what she meant. "You're NOT Mommy, you're Mom, ok?" I couldn't even think of what to say, but apparently my face was looked confused because she then said, "Awe, Mom, don't be sad, I'm still your Bowie!" Just watch the video, and at my daughter's expense, get yourself a good giggle at the innocence of a child!!!! I sure am glad to have my internet back after 48 hours! I felt lost!

Fall Festival and Punkin' Overload

2009-10-05T23:34:00.015-05:00

What? It's the 5th of October and I'm already on Punkin' overload? Yep, I am. You see, I posted a picture as my new profile picture on Facebook on Friday night and woke up to SEVERAL orders for the outfit. I didn't post it on Etsy; I simply posted it as my profile to show it off a little.......te heee....serves me right! So, many of your littles are gonna be running around for the next two months in the "Punkin Pie" outfit! Yum, I mean Yay! I can't tell you how much it means to me that so many of you trust me to make your littles clothes! It is such a blessing to me to be able to make their clothes and make "Christmas money" all at the same time. It really has become my second job. I am so fortunate to have sweet friends who think of me and can't thank all of you enough! This weekend, just to give you an idea of WHY I'm a tad bit overwhelmed......and I can say that because I love the pressure :), since Friday night, I have gotten orders for 10 "Punkin Pie" outfits (the new punkin tee and orange pants outfit), 8 orders for tutus (some for Halloween costumes and some "just because"), 8 Turkey Shirts.....you know, the famous one:), 2 custom orders that I can't wait to make.....that might be my favorite to design, and 4 additional orders for "randoms".....either an appliqued shirt or pair of pants or something like that! I love it though!! I love the task and I love completing the end result and that feeling of accomplishment! See, you're not just my customer, you're my pshchologist too! :) No, but really, I am overwhelmed and I love having this hobby as my second "job" ......if you can call it that!!

It was a wonderful, wonderful weekend! I did have plans for myself, but since these orders came rolling in, I halted ALL those plans and decided to stay at home sewing! Bowen and I did spend the entire morning on Saturday at the Mt. Laurel Fall Festival and she ate it up.....every last bit of it she loved! She did get some new clothes and I'll post all about those soon! My favorite children's clothing company was there and you know that meant a shopping spree for Bowen. I got her an outfit and cute cute top, so we were thrilled! New bows were in order as the bow girls make bows to match the outfits and I love that! Bowen got to see her friend, Madeline and Delaney and many other friends too! She was really cute prancing around and loved loved loved SnoWhite! Finally......she is not afraid of costumes or people dressed up as so and so........FINALLY! Whew........

Can you say squeeze?

Little Bowen loved all the events Saturday....even posing with "Mom"!

Look, it's Madeline!

And, Bowen and Madeline sharing with each other! These two are so funny! Wait, are they sharing?

Right before my eyes....they are sharing! Wow!

And hugging before they had to leave? These two really are sweet to each other. They have so much fun playing every time they see each other!

This is the exhibit that won #1 place. The theme was "going green"! Bowen loved the gator.........rrrrrh!

Oh, and she spotted the witch. Bowen LOVES "witccchhhes" as she says! I mean, loves them!

A passer by was sweet enough to offer to take our picture together! Love it when sweet people take the time to even stop to ask. It was really a great time and we enjoyed every second of our time there!

I can't hold my eyes open any more! I am off to bed as this is a big week and I am so so tired. Please pray for strength this week as I have lots on my plate. I am trying so hard to stay on top of things and it's really hard for me to step back and realize that life will go on....even if these "things" don't get done. I have always put pressure on myself and especially with sewing. It's my passion and I love making other Mommies smile. Because of that, I work extra hard and long to make sure orders are processed and shipped. Why, you might ask? Well I know my expectations when I place an order and I want that same standard for everyone who orders and trust me enough to make their littles clothes! Hang in there with me.......if you've ordered, your order is either being processed or is in the mail and might arrive today!! :) Bowen did model her Halloween costume last night and I will post those pictures soon. Keep checking on us! We love yall!

It's official......

2009-10-02T20:56:00.005-05:00

You are allowed to dress your littles in Halloween and Pumpkin garb! It's my rule! As of October 1st, you are allowed to deck them out in all kinds of fun stuff.........orange and punkiny....he he!

like this.....one of our recent projects that Bowen actually helped me sew. She now comes into my sewing room (umm, the kitchen) and says, "Mommy, I need to work. I need to sew with you!" She's catching on.....she then dabbles with my scrap fabric.....that I am sending you Amy, I promise, and she thinks that is sewing too! shhhh, don't tell her it's not!

Oh, don't mind that green bow, it's just for show! No, you haven't gone color blind over night, my child, for the first time EVER, is NOT wearing a bow that matches :)))) She is feeling much much better and I'm thrilled for that! She is back to her old self......love that child!

But that didn't stop the gig she did the entire "photo shoot"! Ha....she wam bammed and thought it was rather funny!

Are we a bad ballerina tonight or just a show off, Bowen.........."we a show-out mom, not a show off!" OH, well, excuse me for living! I think I'll drink her milk tomorrow morning :)

This is one of those "cheeeeeeeeese" (grit the teeth) smiles. She was done......with a capital D!

Isn't this cute? My little punkin'!

Ewwwww, we kept a BIG fat secret! So here is the best story! Don, as in Jake's Daddy, ie Maddi's Daddy ie Staci Raborn's husband contacted me and wanted to surprise Staci with an outfit for Maddi for Maddi's birthday! How sweet is that?! I know I can post about it here because, you see, Staci is still at the beach, or opening some children's clothing store, or throwing birthday parties......or something like that anyways! :)) So, I designed this fun outfit for Maddiboo! What do you think? Cute huh?! Don told me to have free reign and come up with something different! I think we did that, what do you think?

This model did a pretty good job sporting the new DOUBLE RUFFLE pant.....don't you think? She said, Mommy, that not my name......that Maddi's name?! YES, B, that is M's name! I keep these por me, k?! No, Bowen, we must mail those to M's daddy. They are for her birthday and it's a BIG secret!

She then explained that the pants were "fluffy" and that she wanted a pair of fluffy pants.....oh me, oh, my! That double ruffle sealed the deal!

Those are the Angelina J. lips......POUT!

Say it with me.....DOUBLE RUFFLE!

And the reason it was so funny that Don called me is because Staci called me two days later asking me to make an outfit for Maddi's Birthday! She had NO idea of the other outfit I was cranking out....so it was grand sewing central here for a while!

I enjoy it so much that it just makes life fun! I was so glad to be able to do both outfits and even more thrilled to see M wearing it via Mo's blog.......jump on over HERE and see the pictures, they are really really cute! The party was designed and the caked done by some people you might just recognize! Cute party theme and ideas! We have a crazy weekend with Fall in the air.....Mt. Laurel Fall Festival is tomorrow and Snow White will be there.....jumpy's and carnival food......also, vendors and cute bows and clothes....WE'RE IN! See you soon!

Pre-teen, Painting and Papa

2009-10-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

Here is how it goes......every Monday and Tuesday we have chapel and Ms. Kim (to the far left with red hair) leads praise and worship followed by chapel. The children come straight into chapel from carpool, so it's the "wake-up" call for many of them! Many many sleepy heads......mine is NOT one of them!

Don't let the shy, quiet never speaks little girl in green fool you! She's really the worship leader, choreographer and back-up everything :) All the teachers came to get me as the pews were filled with 200 children.......but a few chose to be led by the music and "got down" with God! Mine WAS one of those! And, the youngest I might add. I think she'll be 13 next month.....is she already going through that pre-teen phase....sheesh!

Teaching Music and Movement this year has been a HUGE blessing to me. These children minister to me daily! I decided to go out on a limb and do something I've never done before (besides teach music:). I decided to have them paint to the music. I wanted their "interpretation through illustration"! It was a HUGE hit with my kids! Aren't these amazing?! I just love them!

See, it's budding talent at it's best! These creations really inspired me. Their little minds went 90 to nothing as they were SILENT the entire 25 minutes they were allowed to paint. It was simply amazing!

One little artist in particular added her creative touches as she broke the rules (that music teacher has some strict rules :) and MIXED the paints. Yes, you read that correctly, my sweet child created the most fascinating shade of brown you've ever seen....ha!

See how serious! They were ALL this way. Even my 4's and 5's..... It was ALL business!

But, not much of the above compares with Papa coming to town. Bowen had her bath Sunday morning and got all "dolled" up for Papa....

She wanted to make sure he saw those shoes. Those are important, you know?! The glasses, bow, baby, backpack and high heels......all so very important!

She was in Heaven!

Oh, did I forget to mention that Coy came too? Well, she did! She was a trooper after her 8 hour drive back to civilization! Papa has been working with FEMA in Houston and Galveston after the hurricane to "fix" the cities! Dad was in charge of the proposals to have the schools rebuilt. Coy was with him that entire time! Sweet puppy!

But, we knew the visit would be a short one as they were passing through! Now that Papa is done, he'll be in Atlanta much much more! We'll see him much more now!

And, I know one little girl that is very glad for that! Bye Papa and Coy, come back soon!! Bowen is back to her self again and she is excited about school tomorrow....she told me so! We'll see how tonight goes and make a decision in the morning! She has been fever free since Tuesday, so I'm thinking she's over it completely! She handled it so well. I'm very very proud of her! See yall tomorrow with pumpkins and fun stuff!

Oink Oink!

2009-09-29T22:04:00.010-05:00

Poor sweet Bowen has the Swine.......

Flu that is!

They came and got me during the last 15 minutes of school because she was "on fire"! No doubt...she was! We headed straight to the Doctor and he confirmed our suspicions although he said we have one special little girl. If there wasn't blood work to prove the "oinker" he said he might not believe it. A VERY high fever and a less than her normal enthusiastic little girl helped to make the case, oh, and the cough. What pediatrician would be willing to put his forehead against your SICK child's forehead and say, "you're one special little girl, Bowen Frances!"?? Only Dr. G! Love that man!

Little piglet is handling things well. She requested gummies and gatorade and still has an appetite (for Chick-fil-a-thanks to her Daddy)....thank Heavens!

John and I are working out scheduling so I can be at school half days tomorrow and Thursday! I have a BIG project going on in my room this week that is too hard for me to miss.

And that's all I have to say about that-oink oink!

Until tomorrow,

Love,

Porky and Piglet

Mona's 60th Birthday!

2009-09-28T20:47:00.001-05:00

So, what Mona didn't know was that my sister, Susannah, invited a couple of Mona's friends to join us for dinner to celebrate her BIG birthday! We ate at one of our family's favorites. It's called Horseraddish Grill and it's at Chastain Park in Altanta! Love this place.....

And, look who showed up! That would be B and Auntie Sue Sue!

Bowen was thrilled to see "MoMo" and actually had just woken up from a nap when we arrived in Atlanta Friday morning. Bowen sat straight up and said look there's MoMo....I bought you a present.....I bought you NEW shoes! Great.........just great, Bowen. Yep, no secrets here!

It's a good think we didn't buy MoMo shoes for her birthday.......:)

So, Mona had her special friends that joined us and gave her special gifts like this one from Bill! Bill was very thoughtful. See, if you knew my mom, you would understand that a deck of cards is a PERFECT gift. I mean, what do ALL 60 year old SINGLE women love to do.......play solitaire (she's gonna kill me for that one)! Not only are they cards, they have the year she was born on them and trivia for that year! YIPPEE Bill, I don't think any of us could top that one! Oh, and see that fried chicken on that plate? YUM!

Oh, and these too! Bill had a bag FULL of goodies......these were a HOOT!

The girls.....all four of us!

Lets try that again! Now, all of us looking at the camera!

Mom and Bill.......her LONG time friend and co-worker for 15+ years!

This child cracks me up. Those are sweet potatoes ALL over her face.....yeah, the stoic, blank face. That would be my sweet daughter who had NO nap and had been in the car for 3 hours, played non-stop with Mona all afternoon and the sweet one who sat through the entire dinner without incident! She was, in fact, a perfect angel!

Gettin' a little sleepy are we?

But, not too sleepy to sit in Mona's lap!

She was all smiles......oh, and Bowen was too!

Bowen does NOT have one bit of interest in desserts at a restaurant. One would think a child would have their little paws all in that stuff, flame and all! Not my little. She couldn't care less about that dessert. What did fascinate her was the burning candle and she did help to blow it out!

Mom with Ginger.....also her friend from work. Ginger and her husband, Mitch, drove all the way in to town to eat with us. Ginger, unfortunately, just lost her job (like mom did a year ago). Sad, sad times for that company. So many great people who I hope are able to find work quickly! Praying for her and her family!

It's that time of year again. High top Converse time! They are a staple in our household! Oh, and with a smocked dress.......love love love.....

Bowen has been on a money kick. She understands that it takes money to buy things and that money saved, "her allowance", will sometimes buy her a surprise when she has been really really good! I gave her $5 to tip the valet and she thought she was rich! "I buy many presents for Bowie, Mom?" No, Bowen.......that's for the sweet man who carried you and all our gifts into the restaurant from the car. He has earned that tip tonight!

One that shot of the little and Mona! Gosh, they're cute aren't they? And for 60......lookin' good, Mona! Happy Birthday! We enjoyed being able to spend time with you and dinner was great!

We didn't forget Papa! He did come to visit and we'll have that coming up soon! See yall then........

The 60th Birthday Bash

2009-09-27T23:30:00.005-05:00

I am worn slap out! It has been a fun-filled weekend and the VERY sweet 2 1/2 year old and I are tired. Here is your teaser.......much more tomorrow!

A Mixed Bag

2009-09-24T23:29:00.024-05:00

It has been a very productive week! I know I keep saying I can't share......yet......but, I really really can't! I will share soon and I promise ALL the details too! Some fun new sewing stuff on the horizon!

School is cruising right along and I am still loving the opportunity to be with sweet, sweet children every single day.....my own included! Bowen is really loving school more than I could have ever imagined. She continues to be the "mother hen" and attempts to keep those who choose not to listen in line. Now, remember, she has many of those moments herself, so it's rather humorous for me to actually witness the "mothering" as she IS me all over again. She knows ALL too well what to say and how to get their attention as she is usually the one at the other end at our house!!! The child's heart is HUGE and she loves her teachers and her friends so very much.

Here is the proof! This is our sweet friend, Emery to the left of Bowen and Tallon to the right of Bowen. Bowen has been in school with these two forever and loves them both! By the way, today was froggie and turtle day. Bowen is a froggie and they had a huge treat for lunch....pizza! Bowen made sure I knew that she got Chhhhiips too!

How typical?

But, so does this!

"Guys, Listen.....I promise, my froggie shirt wasn't washed, and to tell you the truth, I like my outfit just fine. Just sayin' "

"gasp" as a group.....

Bowen: "Dude, you are so not cool, Wessey (Wesley)! Hey, guys, should be call Stacy and Clinton about this one?!

Alright, alright, we'll sit for a picture, but only one!

Trying to behave......may I direct your attention to the perfectly posed angel on the far right of your screen....(oh, and she's busy getting the approval of her "teachrrrr")

And, once the "teachrrr" approves, she gets the approval of her classmates! :)) She's a pleaser, what can I say?

And a new project.......fun stuff, especially for Halloween and my Funky Fairy! I can't wait!!

I decided that I was kinda bored with kids Halloween costumes and that we were going to mix it up this year. Bowen is going to be a "funky fairy" and we went all out! We added a little of this......

And a little of this....

and got a lot of this.....

I can't wait for yall to see her finished costume! Her converse came yesterday and she might be the cutest thing ever in those! We're on the road today to the big Atl as it's Mona's 60th Birthday! Make sure to wish her a Happy Birthday! We are driving for the day.......I'm getting my hair did while Mona and Bowen celebrate together, and then we're eating dinner tonight at a favorite restaurant, Horseraddish Grill, and heading back to Bham! More fun stuff as Papa is coming to see us Saturday and Sunday. He's been in Texas working for FEMA and he's finally done with that project! We will have fun, I know! Lots going on and lots to be excited about! It will be a BIG day, so pray hard.....our first trip in the new car and it's much much smaller than the "old car" as Bowen calls says! Love yall and thanks for checking in on us! BIG BIRTHDAY wishes to Mona as she is the BIG 60!!!!!

Sickies and Surprises

2009-09-21T22:21:00.016-05:00

At my house growing up, you got all kinds of surprises when you were sick......hmmmm, let me see, check out of school or stay home, get a surprise, the famous potato soup for dinner, mashed bananas, a prime seat in front of the tv on a couch to yourself......I think I liked being sick growing up :))

But, this one......she's a good patient, but she doesn't like to stay still for 5 minutes.....ugh. So, nothing like trying to nurse a fever, some good albuterol for that nasty cough and a hyper, but VERY sick little girl!!!

Here she is with her first surprise!

Oh, and her castle (in the bottom of the cup in a snoglobe) is her new best friend. She wanted to live in there :))))

And, yes, the outfit above are her pjs! And, those stickers, yeah, those were the first surprise from her daddy! John helped me so much this weekend! He came Friday, Saturday and Sunday to "play" (or help keep B in one place long enough to get well) and he helped prepare her meals and take care of her so I could get some sewing done! Many of you are waiting on your goodies! They're coming, I promise! Thanks, John!! Look at those dark circles!!

And, Saturday morning, John arrived with some treats. Bowen was finally asking for food after going on strike for 2 days! He brought her Krispy Kreme and a Chick-fil-a biscuit. How nice is that........choices!!! Bowen remembered very quickly having donuts at Delaney's bday party but B wasn't sure about the sprinkles and "dirty" (aka Chocolate) that Daddy put on these donuts! She went for the biscuit and then realized that there were actually plain glazed donuts in the house and she attacked!

Oh, and the hat was a surprise too! Can you say BLACK circles.....and no, I don't beat my child! Bless her.....she didn't feel good!

See that "dirty" donut? Silly rascal!

And, just to make you smile and feel better knowing B is well on the road to recovery......here she is today!!! Back to her old happy feel good self! Love her.......she's been such a Mommy's girl the past couple days and I enjoyed every minute of her being home with Mommy!

Yep, rockin' out to the "muuusic"!

By the way, have yall ever taken Tamiflu? Well, if you haven't, DON'T!!! My Doctor put me on it as a preventative when B got sick (not because she had the flu, but to keep my safe from all the others) and I have never been so sick in all my life! Needless to say, it didn't agree with me and my Doctor has taken me off. I guess my first clue would have been that it DOES cause halucinations! Um, you think? Besides not keeping anything down all day, and dying for it to be out of my system today, it did nothing for ME! I would rather have the...........I can't type it or I'll curse myself! I am much much better tonight and hope to NEVER have a reason to look at that stuff ever again!!!!!!

I have lots of fun to share, but I just have to wait a little while longer....I'll explain.......I'm working on so many fun outfits for B and on so many different orders! I have found a precious etsy store and I'll share the secret on that too! It's one you WON'T want to miss!!!!!! Halloween is right around the corner!!!

Sicky Sicky

2009-09-18T17:53:00.020-05:00

We have a sicky little one! I knew it was bound to happen, but it doesn't make it any easier!! Bowen saw the doctor yesterday afternoon after she looked at me and said, "I not feel good mommy". I had a feeling it was coming......she hasn't had any symptoms but I could just tell. She felt warm and she was a little sluggish. She coughed one time yesterday and it was that "hello, here I am" kinda cough. Our sweet pediatrician that we love saw her immediately.....like, we didn't even sit down in the waiting room, and he felt like we needed blood work. Would you believe she didn't cry a single tear during her draw, collected her sticker from the nurse, and looked at me as serious as she could be and said, "I get a present now, mommy?". She then smiled, put her arm around me and said, "mommy, I not cwy any more.......I get a present, Mommy?". I, holding back the rather large chuckle, explained that I was very very proud of her and that she was so brave to not cry at all. I also explained how she made my heart smile by being such a big girl (and yes a tear fell from my cheek). Oh, she didn't miss that one bit! She then says, "oh, don't be sad, mommy.......a present make it all better! You need a present mommy?" OH MY HEAVENS TO BETSY! Let's get this straight. I have been known to bribe my child with a M&M and various other treats in the past, oh, maybe once a year :))). I have even rewarded potty excellence with a "treat" or surprise for going potty on demand, but the fact that my sweet child thinks she can talk me into a present on any occasion makes me laugh! Now, don't get me wrong.......she did deserve some type of reward, but presents are BIG rewards and she knows that! In fact, I had a foot in mouth during the visit with the pediatrician. I told Bowen in the car where we were going and she said, just like last time, "mommy, I talk Dr. Glasgow this time, k?"! Great, B! I want you to talk to him (remember that B doesn't and never has talked in front of him....he has heard her talk to me when she didn't know he was listening and he knows her skills, but she has never had a conversation with him). I took the opportunity to encourage my child. Note: this was only an encouragement tactic since she is talking much more at school this year and I thought it might work "in the moment"! I told her that IF she talked to Dr. G today that I would get her a really great present! She said, "OK"! She always flirts with him, but that's the limit! So, today, he asked her a questions and checked her out.....no word from her yet.....just head shakes! We had been there quite some time and Dr. G came back in after leaving the room for a minute and he asked B a question. She was standing right next to me. I don't remember what, but something like, do you like school, Bowen? Bowen said excitedly, "YES!". She smiled big and turned to look at me and then as serious as a heart attack said, "mommy, I get a big big present now cause I talk Dr. Gaasgoo?". Oh. My. Mom. Of. The. Year!!!!!!!! How in the heck do you talk your way out of that one? Well, I guess I owe her one, but only because she has figured it out. I have learned a great lesson and I will promise you that I will never bribe with "presents" ever again.......or until tomorrow at least! :)))

So the results........B is sick! Yep, she's sicky sicky! He thinks she MIGHT and I stress MIGHT have a mild case of the oink oink.......SWINE! He did say that there are so many other viruses going around that mimic Swine because of mutations that sometimes it's hard to tell when they are first presenting with symptoms. Her blood work was within normal range, but still a little off for her. He thought IF she didn have it, we caught it literally at the VERY beginning and whatever it is, it is treated the same way as swine. Lots of fluids and rest and food when she'll eat! So, it looks like we'll have a weekend INSIDE! We did have an infant go home from school on Thursday and was later diagnosed with Swine! He's a sick little boy!! Please pray for the sickies this weekend!

In the meantime, I'm starting to feel a little puny and my head hurts. Mr. Doctor was quick to call in some Tamiflu and needless to say, I'll be taking it immediately! Let's pray hard that I stay well.....I can't afford for me and B to be sick! She's a great sick patient but I'm not a great mom to a sick patient........I worry too much and don't sleep well! We need to be well!

I'm working on lots of projects this weekend and can't wait to see what all I can get done. I didn't have my Friday, since B was home today, so I am really looking forward to next Friday when I can have a little "me" time! Until then, it's all about the sick youngin'! Bless her.....

I'll post some new pics tomorrow! Sorry, just too much going on right now trying to take care of sweet b! Thank you to all of you who helped with my project.......everything went super and I'll update about it tomorrow! Love yall!

Whewwww!

2009-09-16T23:14:00.001-05:00

Gosh, I've been blog MIA!!

No, really, we've just been crazy around here! My Music Assistant was called to jury duty this week and would you believe that she was selected to serve on the jury?!!! ALL WEEK! And, it's a murder trial! How many people can say they've sat on a jury..........and then a murder trial? Gosh, talk about killing two birds with one stone (no pun)!! School is going well though and we continue to have an amazing transition into this "new normal" as far as the routine is concerned and that's relieving.

I've been a little overwhelmed with orders and am very thankful to all of you who have placed orders with me or frilly frances! It's been a little bit of everything.....tutus, outfits, Turkey shirts, etc.! It's what I love, so it's always fun creating and designing. Now, staying up until 2 and 3 is NOT fun and I am working on that :) It seems like there is just alot going on these days to keep us busy. We like busy, and I am so fortunate to have an additional way to support and provide for sweet B! But, like many other moms/professionals, I also enjoy and relish MY TIME! I enjoy being by myself. Even when I was married (gosh, that sounds weird), I enjoyed short trips to WalMart and especially Target! The clarity those long organized aisles provide should concern me, shouldn't it?! Oh, and the Clearance racks.......oh, elation! But, I enjoy pampering time the most......getting my hair did, pedicures, chiropractors appts (ahhhh), an occasional massage (like once a year!) or even that trip to get new makeup (maybe once every 18 mths)! Why does that always make you feel so good? I have not had a chance to do any of these things in a long long time! You don't realize how much you appreciate the TIME to do them until you don't have it anymore! I think they're a thing of the past! I did do a little something for myself last week, and I'll share that a little later.......:) I am longing for Friday as I will have 4 precious hours to myself for the first time.......I might should make sure I'm available :)

Can you believe it's almost time for this............

And, aren't these the cutest things ever?! Yep, my Target friends......the socks are knee highs and they are super cute! Remember, run, don't walk! It's all about the clarity, well, and the adorable lettuce edge trim!! RUUNNNNN!

This is short notice, I know, but I need your help! I am doing a "project" tomorrow morning, I might add, and I would like to know the first 5 words that come to mind when describing me (as in "me")! So, based on how well we know each other (tee hee), please leave a comment and let me know what the first 5 words that come to mind to describe me! I'll fill you in later-PROMISE! Thanks so much!

I'll be back tomorrow! Love from me and B!

I'm In The Lord's Army

2009-09-13T23:14:00.001-05:00

I wanted to take tonight to share something that has really touched me today. Lately, I feel like God is putting people/situations in my path so I am able to grow and learn from them. Maybe I have been ultra-sensitive lately, but I have realized through this entire experience so much about myself, and more importantly, about others. Life is so fragile. People are fragile. In the blink of an eye so much can change. Our "normals" become "our new normals". What still amazes me is that God often shows me things that stop me in my tracks. Through this all, we have a choice. We can either embrace the change and the life lessons and move on with what God intends to teach us or we stand still IN the midst of storm. Many of you know, by now, that I have chosen to open myself to all I can learn from my divorce. I feel as though once you allow yourself the openness needed to mend your heart, God will do much more than "mend your heart"!

Today, I did what I do every single day, I logged in to blogger to check on my friends. I check each update, and if I have a second or two when my 2.5 year old isn't screaming, "mommy, I'm busy sewing, can you get me a snat please!", I leave a comment. Yeah, I know, she's a little young to be sewing! Well, you know, she isn't really sewing. She just thinks she is.....shhh, don't ever tell her the truth, she'd be devastated! So, I checked Mindy's blog and she posted a story NO parent ever wants to have told. The story that many of us here in "blog land" know all too well because we've cared for, prayed about, and loved sweet families just like the one Mindy shared today. Her sorority sister is how close this story hits to home. The story of a six month old little boy named Walker and his brand new battle with cancer. No cancer is good, but his is really really bad. It doesn't look good. He had a very successful surgery but has unfortunately been given devastating news that his cancer is very aggressive. Don't be angry. See, his parents have made a choice. A choice to stand firm in their faith and not to waiver in their prayers. I am sure they are hurting........a hurt that many of you reading know all too well. For some reason, I am reminded of a song I taught last week, "I'm In The Lord's Army". Do you remember that song? If you don't, here is how it goes.....and if you do, sing along!

I may never march in the infantry

Ride into Calvary

Shoot the artillery,

I may never zoom o'er the enemy

but I'm the in the Lord's Army,

Yes, Sir!

I'm in the Lord's army! We may not fight the same battle as our neighbor, but we are in the same boat as believer's, and no battle is too big for our God.

This little boy has already taught me so much through his parents; God has taught me too. When there is nothing else to cling to, when all bets are off, when there's no where else to turn, we stand strong in our faith. Because we know, no matter the odds, God will get us through. The picture, although emotional and heartbreaking, is clear to Walker's Mommy and Daddy. No, they don't know what the future holds, but they do know that they serve a God with a much bigger plan that just hasn't been shared yet. I can't imagine what they are going through. I can't pretend and say I would handle things with overwhelming grace as they are, but I can pray that I have the steadfast faith they do. Please, visit little Walker's site and share with his parents the support and love you all have shown me over the past several months! It's amazing how much a few sentences of encouragement can mean.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/walkerrainey/journal

Thank you, Mindy, for sharing an incredible story and thank you to Walker's Mommy and Daddy for sharing God through your son.

I survived......

2009-09-10T23:17:00.019-05:00

Well, we did it! Bowen and I have made it through the first week of our new routine. Except this week was far from anything that will be somewhat NORMAL for me and B. SO much going on and we still did it!

I survived the first week........

with approximately 230 children ages 12 mth to 5 years old!

teaching music in a total of 4 different classes on 4 different days!

shopping at our church consignment sale that raised over $22,000.00 last year for our church's children's ministries (and I'm a small part of that program)!

while having to tag Bowen's clothes for the consignment sale in hopes they will sell allowing money to buy her some new Fall things!

when after Monday I didn't think that was possible :)

and now am able to start thinking about our Christmas Program for the children in December!

and am now exhausted!

and now look exhausted!

am doing something about it tomorrow morning :)

and need a GREAT football weekend to wrap up the entire week!

and I still don't get tomorrow off........I'm volunteering tomorrow for Giggles and Grace (the consignment sale) so I won't have my one precious day of the week I have so loooooonged for!

That's ok.......it will come next week!

Until then, I am sewing, sewing, and catching up on everything I can get done! My laundry DID stay caught up and sometimes that feeling is the best in the world!

Bowen's week was super too! She did have Music with me for the first time today and was a SUPER star! She didn't even clingy and was very independent in front of her friends. She sang, or lip synced and was fine with that. She did all the motions and was excited to be in Music with Mommy! She told a classmate as they were walking to Music......Hurry, we're going to see Mama! I thought that was cute! She has gotten "treasure box everyday since school started and that's BIG! Good job, Bowie!

The best part, BY FAR, are the comments I have already gotten from the parents telling me how excited they are about what we're doing already! The children learned I'm in the Lord's Army and apparently they are teaching their entire families at the dinner table! I also had two 3 year olds WILLINGLY do a solo for us in class today....while holding hands! They rocked the house and I am encouraged by their "inner spirit"!

I LOVE MY JOB!

It was certainly a surreal day for me as it would have been mine and John's Anniversary. As ok as I have been with all "this", it's still the brutal reality that something that started as forever is now no more! I trust God's plan and pray it's revealed in due time.

P.S. I'll never forget the feeling of having to fly on Sept. 11th!

The First Day of School-Older 2's Class

2009-09-08T21:28:00.003-05:00

So, today was the day! Thank you for all your prayers and your comments about our BIG day! A big day it was! Bowen is really growing up :( and she has been anticipating the first day of school for a couple of days now. Look at her hands in this picture......that says it all!

She has been talking about all her friends, tries to buy each of them a toy or "tweat" in Target and continues to "make believe" as if she's talking to them during play time. It really warms my heart to know she has some of the best friends ever in that class. And, even better for me, their parents are super rock starts and have offered to help us in any way!

So proud of her dress. She picked her outfit out today and even told me she "did ent need socks, Mama!" No socks it was.....she wanted the "ony" in her hair before the bow. Let me explain. Most of you moms know that if the hair is fine, or the bow is BIG, you must put the top section in a ponytail (preferably a clear rubberband for us :)) in order for the bow to stay in. Well, we just recently started this as we upgraded one bow size and it was just enough to put us at the size with the little barrette that won't stay in! Bowen thinks it's special I guess because it doesn't slide out at all! The point, exactly! But then, she was all sass a fras!

And then she told me outside when taking pictures that she was "not ready yet, wait one second!" Hmmmm, wonder where she gets that 'tude from? She was trying to show me her dress and couldn't figure out how to do it.....so I kept snapping away! Didn't stop me. Nope! Laughing behind the lens!!

The hair from the side. My sweet girl is really GROWING UP! And before any of you comment and tell me how BIG she has gotten or how GROWN UP she is, think twice, I don't want to hear it! NOPE. I will stay in denial as long as Willits, smocked dresses and BIG BOWS come in her size. I hear that's around age 10 or so!!!!!!!!!

Back of her hair with a little sass! I almost decided I was never cutting again after this hair cut. Not because I didn't love the cut, but because she looks so UNtoddler like! She looks like she's 6 or 8......hmmm

But, as long as those hands have dimples and that bottom has to be wiped, she'll always be my TOT! And, I'm so proud to know that God has entrusted this precious sole to me. He made her heart HUGE!

She had a great first day and her teachers said on her Fun Frog Facts sheet that comes home that her mood was Happy! She did get to go to the playground and to computers today! Wow! The things they are teaching these children are certain to prepare them for school and for the real world. This isn't preschool, this is prep school! It's so great working with wonderful teachers that I trust and know are teaching Bowen great great things. She is blessed and so am I!

I certainly have my work cut out for me! I am more than excited after today, but am worn slap out! I now have a 9:00 pm bedtime and will have to get sleep to make it through these FUN FILLED days. Two funny stories from today........we were wrapping up each class with songs each class requested. Immediately, I heard Old McDonald from my 4 year old class. One of the 4's I should say. There are 4 classes of 4's this year! We start to sing, and you know, it's been a while since they've actually sang Old McDonald as a group. In the middle of the song, I hear a little boy sing, "Old McDonald had a COW (he he he he)" I thought that was hilarious and he did too! I'm sure Old McDonald did have a COW with as many animals as he had to take care of each day! :0) The funniest was during the same class........My sweet friend, we'll call him R, decided to explain to his friend after singing "Jesus loves the little children...." that the reason God put that in there (red, brown, yellow, black and white) was for him......because the friend was white and R was black. He pointed to his arm and the explanation was an A+! Then, my same friend R, decided to add some spice to Old McDonald's farm.......

And a Moo Moo over here, (insert beat box here)

and a Moo Moo over there, (scratch scratch and a little beat box here)

And a here a moo, there two moos, everywheres a moo moo (beat beat)

Old McDonald had a farm, boom chica boom chica! Juuuust kidding, I added that boom chica, but it sounded cute!

Lets just agree that it might be the funniest moment all year! Love that kid! BUT, I LOVE THIS KID WITH ALL MY HEART.......poor thing, the expression is pitiful! She loves her school and I think we're off to a great start! For note......she did see me several times today at school in between classes (and we have a BIG school) and she ran over and said "mommy, I need you". After a big hug and kiss, she continued with her class with NO hesitation! I was worried because you never know how they're going to do. I am very proud of her and hope tomorrow goes as smoothly! This was a big step for her! Please continue to pray for us and also for strength for John right now!

Here's hoping tomorrow is as fun as today was!

The Birthday PRINCESS turns 3!

2009-09-07T21:23:00.001-05:00

Have you ever seen anything like this? Well, Madeline has because she just got back from Disney World where she celebrated her 3rd Birthday and she got to see the REAL thing! But, for those of us who have yet to visit Disney, it was almost as real as the REAL thing!

And since party favors might have been a little expensive for all her closest friends, had she taken them, she decided to bring Disney to her house! The castle and ALL! We really felt like we were in Fairy Fantasy Land!! It was so magical....

Here she is.....Ms. Birthday PRINCESS! Madeline isn't going to know what to do when all her Princesses go home. All she has known for the past two weeks is princess everything! She had so much fun at her party and so did all the other kiddos!

Here is the birthday girl herself with her Mama!

I asked Madeline which Princess was her favorite and she said, "SnowWhite....I love her thhhhiiiiiiiiis much!"

I caught this. It was a blip in time because this child doesn't stop for a second for anyone. Yes! I got it!

And how stinkin' cute is this handsome tot? He's almost three also and he played so well around ALLLL girls. He was the dj for the party. And, besides Cooper (he almost counts at 3 mths), he was the only LITTLE MAN!

If you don't think this entire party was about princesses, then check out M's dress. Now, that takes the cake.

And Missy May didn't leave her house without her Fairy garb on. I told her to hurry because we needed to get dressed for M's birthday. She ran upstairs and got her clothes on, grabbed her shoes and headed down the stairs. She gets to the bottom and says, "Mommy, hurry, we're missing the princess party!"

Madeline was all smiles when they brought the cake out. She was excited to blow out the candles too.

But after several tries, she needed Papa C's help (or as B calls him, Pap E). Don't worry, they handled it together.......I'm surprised Special Agent Oso didn't show up! :) This would be a goooooood episode for him. Maybe I'll dial him up! Yes, Mindy I did just end that sentence with a prep. but listen, it's the way the sayin' goes, isn't it:)

No, Cooper, we would never forget about you! Little Prince!

It's the fam minus one and the other who is not looking at the camera!

M opening the gift B brought her. I can't go to a party empty handed (and since we gave M her gift for Disney early), we took M this fun book!

LOVE these two! Ansley's sister (tee hee), "CC" is the best and Bowen loves both "CC" and "Pap E"! We had such a great time at the party! Oh, and girls, I did make a special trip today to Anthro and let's just say that I'm the proud owner of 2, yes 2 new tops! Yay, me! Yay, yall! Yay, us! I'm still coming to get the one I coveted the entire party!

I love this, just love it!

The birthday girl ended her day with smiles and had a great time at her Princess party! Bowen won't shut up about the party.....you see, the favors were filled with FUN and Bowen has walked around with at least two items from her bag all day. Can we do it again next weekend Madeline? Happy Birthday Princess Madeline, may all your dreams come true!

Win, Lose or Draw!

2009-09-05T23:09:00.006-05:00

Well, we didn't WIN, we took the lose!!!

At midnight, last night, I realized that my sweet girl was lacking one vitally important necessity for today! Let me be very clear. Bowen DOES own Georgia stuff. To be honest, she has several fun outfits, BUT they're for cooler weather and what I consider the "cold football" weather. When it's supposed to be 85, pull-overs and cute long sleeve dresses will NOT cut it. So, what's a sewing mama to do? You know me all too well! The sewing machine came out, I recycled a white tshirt from the "play clothes drawer" and I went to town!! Please notice the cute Georgia G's on her Crocs!! She's proud of those things buddy!

I think I used more fusing and did more pressing than I've ever done on a applique before!!:) And, I tried the ric rac for the first time on the free hand applique and I think it looks cute. What do yall think?

It's obvious that this one thinks it's cute! Actually, she thinks she's cute!! :) This age is funny. They start developing, well mine has anyways, a love for themselves. Her favorite friend is the mirror that has yet to be hung in my bedroom. It's standing against the wall and Bowen carries on FULL blown conversations with herself in the mirror. It's amazing ;) She goes and gets "her friend"=herself snacks and juice and all kinds of fun stuff. Today, she even suggested that it was "her friend's" time to go to the potty. Really? I have to laugh because she is so serious about this new relationship. And, she doesn't like for me to watch her! Should I be worried?! Oh me. So, now does this pose surprise you? It shouldn't!!

She's full of it!

This is a close resemblance of my facial expression during the game today! Yeah, my Dawgs didn't win, but I'm NOT a trader, so I'll continue to cheer them on next week. I mean, that cute tshirt I made needs to, at the very least, last a couple weeks!! And, since I went to school there, it all makes sense!

Please excuse the non brushed hair and oh, yeah, the night gown. If you're really my friend, you won't even talk about the fact that we stay in our jammies ALL day when we have Friday off together! See, once school starts, b will have school on Fridays, so I will still have to get up and get her there.....no more pj days!! I just had to get a shot of this though! I loved this tutu that a sweet customer ordered last week! I think it turned out perfect (the colors) and could easily be used as a Halloween costume as a fairy or a mermaid or anything fun like that!

I keep books in my little console table and B has figured out where to go to get a new book anytime she feels like reading at the 6th grade level or above. That's rather often these days now that I think about it! My child is a genius! She comes by it honestly, though! Oh, yeah...the tutu! Love these colors...it's yellow and light blue!

Oh, the changes Bowen is making! This is a drawing from this week. Now, Bowen has gotten very intentional about what she says and she does NOT like it when you can't make out what she's saying. We had a very trying, on the floor crying, melt down this week because of this. And the one on the floor crying, melting down was me, NOT her!! See this drawing......

This is actually the back......here's the story. Very similar to that show, win, lose or draw. Remember that one? Well, Bowen came to me excited to show me her drawing.

She said, "look, mommy it's suurkales"

Mommy: (not sure what she was trying to say but Heavens to Betsy, don't ever let her know that) "Oh, how beautiful, Bowen. I love it!"

Bowen: "Mommy, I drawed it poor you. It suurkales"

Mommy: (down on my knees to talk to her bc I have NO idea what she's saying) "Bowen, I love it! Thank you!"

Bowen: (oh, no, she knows I have no idea what she's saying now) "NO, Mommy! (screaming and falling to the floor crying) It suurkales!!"

Mommy: "Bowen, honey, lets not get upset. It's ok. I promise. You can show me what you mean without yelling and crying, ok?" (And, I get in the floor to help calm her and to explain that Mommy is really trying to figure out what she is telling me........I'm in tears by this point too!)

Bowen: (She is upset but stops to sit in the floor and to listen for a minute. I asked her to show me what she was talking about. Point to it B, anything!!)

Bowen: "Come her Mommy!" (Bowen takes me in the living area where she drew the picture and is still very upset that I can't figure it out. And, by this point, she's crying hysterically again and drawing as intently as she's crying!) She continues to draw a little more (on the back of the paper) deliberately and then turns to me and says again,"Mommy, seerkales."

Mommy: (My heart broke as I realized what B was telling me.) "Oh, Bowie, CIRCLES!!!!!!!! I see. I see. CIRCLES!" How could I NOT know what she was trying to tell me. She drew 1,000 of them over and over again so I would get it! I felt terrible and for us to be on the floor in frustration over a silly word seemed silly! But, it wasn't. This is back of the paper that she drew once she realized I didn't know what the same picture on the other side (but in yellow) was. This is how deliberate she was! It's like that game, Win, Lose or Draw lately when I can't make out what she's saying. I have to guess and when I'm wrong or can't figure it out, it's NOT a good day!! Fortunately, it gets easier and easier. In the drive thru at Chick-n-plate the other day, she requested a "carrwits" from the back seat! I immediately thought she was talking about carrots and raisin salad they sell. She's never had it, but I've learned to do what makes sense and that made sense. NOPE! That only made her mad that I even suggested that it might be carrot salad she wanted. She starts to cry. Thankfully, I realized in 2 minutes what she was saying and was ready to order while my sweet daughter clapped for me for "getting it". Any guesses about what she wanted?! Let's see if you can figure this one out!!

She is saying so much. And, I laugh everyday at her! Yesterday, we had gotten a milkshake and we had to run in TJ Maxx quickly. I went to get her out of the car and she said, "no, mommy, stop it. Don't touch me, I very very MESSY!" Yep, she had turned the cup upside down to drink from the straw and her milkshake spilled everywhere! She was drenched. She goes through a bandaid a day too. You know, a bandaid fixes everything....even spills!"

I love her so much and wish she could stay little so she could say things that make me laugh forever!! Hope yall have a great weekend! I don't feel good tonight, and didn't feel good today at all! Trying to fight it off since schools starts Tues! No fever but bad headache and just that yuck feeling. I dread it continuing. No time to be sick and can't afford to miss my littles!

Oh, and Snekcip, I do teach at our church and that's why my classroom is the "Bride's Room"! So glad you found me on fb!!! Nighty night!

Whoo Whoooo

2009-09-03T19:40:00.002-05:00

Noooo, silly, not who let the dogs out! But, Whoo Whooo loves music?!

You know, I wanted something fun and trendy for my classroom that would keep the kiddos attention and that we could use through Fall. And, did I mention that we CAN'T decorate the walls of the room because it's the brides room. Yeah, I know.......I'm NOT bitter towards brides at alllll. They deserve to have their "perfect" day and they don't deserve to have to look at whole notes, half notes or treble clefs all day!!! Are you impressed yet? I learned all that today!!

So, all that to say that my challenge was a steep one. I had to come up with a way to decorate the removable partition. Oh, and did I mention that I teach seven different ages?! I do. So, try using 3 feet of space to satisfy ALL those sweet youngins. It's like putting me in a 1 foot box. I don't like to be limited!

I did what I could with what we had and we did bend some of the rules! Shhhh.... I think it turned out cute and for my first year teaching Music, oh yeah, uh huh....those kids are gonna have a blast this year!

So, meet my friend, Whooty Whoo. The pleasure is ALL his!

Whooty LOVES him some Music and he even flaps his wings when he gets really excite I even caught him dancing the other morning. Shhh, don't tell, he gets embarrassed very easily!

You want to see where Whooty lives? Ok, but you have to promise me that you won't startle him, as he sleeps most of the time (with his eyes open) so we want to be sure not to wake him. After all, he's had a very long day! This is his home: 123 Bright Cover Your Eyes Circle....

If you ask me, and we'll pretend you did :), he's got a posh little set-up. I mean all he has to do all day is sit there and watch all the children as they sing the welcome song and take their acorns with their names on them and place them on the tree (where the Velcro is)! He might offer a little whoo whoo every once in a while but other than that, he's a quiet little fella! The tree he lives in has beautiful Fall foliage and is soo bright. Whooty says that is so the children know where to find him! Yeah, whatever Whooty.....we'll see how well you do next week! :)

For September, we are studying all about getting to know me. Emotions, The Body, Good Health, and 5 Senses are all included. We have some fun fun things planned and I can't wait. This little poster reminds us of all our Emotions!

I just thought this banner turned out so stinkin' cute! Don't you? These floor to ceiling cabinets are so great for so many things......but they're WHITE. Too bad the bride will have to look at an entire room of this now! She'll be ok! Oh, and I know the music notes are backwards...that's what happens when a 2 1/2 year old helps you! :)
Love these girls! This is me (just in case you don't know me) and then (from the left), Sarah, my teaching assistant! We are going to have so much fun. Did I tell yall that she was Bowen's teacher last year? We did some fruit basket flip around and I am so excited that we have the opportunity to work together. She ONLY has 5 kids of her own, so she should have tons of time to devote to music, right?! She's dedicated and has been a super star helping to get the program ready! All these other girls are great too.......computer teachers and one 4 year old teacher. Gotta love a fun bunch!
Here's Sarah again! I often ask myself when I'm around her, what exactly would I do with FIVE children? Um, yeah, I don't know and I KNOW I won't be finding that out EVER!!! :)
We had a very successful orientation today and it was so much fun meeting everyone and seeing many familiar faces. Now, for a very long weekend so I can get some stuff done.....like buy some clothes to teach preschool MUSIC in AND watch some college football!! My Dawgs are playing on Saturday and I can't wait!! Thanks to all of you who left comments yesterday and to those of you who commented on FB, thank you! It's so nice to wake to sweet encouraging notes from yall. You really can't imagine what it does to lift my day and my spirit! I knew going to work would be a big change for us. This week was such a gentle reminder that every single thing in my life has happened for a reason. My new job is exactly what the doctor ordered and I am so fortunate to have an opportunity to be with B every single day. She handled the week like a champ and went right along with me never missing a step and I am so proud of her!

I corrected the link for Oak Hill Designs....I don't know what happened. I think Mr. Linkawhateverheis decided to take the day off. I've never had that happen! It's fixed so yall can cruise on over and shop a little. Oh, and tell Lynn I sent you!

First Day of School and New Jewels

2009-09-02T17:30:00.005-05:00

What a fun way to start the school year! All the teachers gathered in the sanctuary to begin our FIRST meeting of the year! The excitement was larger than life. Everyone was ready and looking forward to an incredible year! We were all great by these sweet bags that have a scripture from Proverbs on them....

See?! I thought they were so cute and how appropriate!?

And this one here was more interested in her shows on "tb" than my camera. She was ready to go and excited to see her old teachers, Ms. Kim and Ms. Sarah. She knows her new teacher's names but hasn't mastered them yet! She's trying hard!

At least you can see her new haircut. She is growing up so fast and is saying the funniest things!! On Monday morning (after I loaded her and went around to my side), she said, "Mommy, I don't fit ANYMORE!". Ok, Bowen, I'm not exactly sure what you mean.....so she screams, "I not fit in my car seat ANYMORE!" I don't know where that came from, but she has a mind of her own these days!!

So, Bowen and I get home from school and I see a little surprise sitting at my back door. It was a box.....a fun box!

This little "fun" creates all sorts of excitement! Remember when Mo and I traded......2 pairs of pants for this GEORGIA necklace and earrings....I'll get those pics up tomorrow! Go Dawgs! Thanks, Mel for everything!! I LOVE it! Go to MoJoy and tell her you want one! Once those Dawgs whoop up on some LSU Tigers I have a feeling everyone will want one :)) he he! Juuuuust kidding, Mel!

We actually tried to take a picture by ourselves with the self timer on the camera?! Ummm, yeah, NO!

Have I mentioned how much I love love love the necklace and earrings! It's red and black and it's perfect! Thanks, Mo!

I LOVE the toggle and the cross hanging on it. It's a sure favorite!

And this, my friends......made my day! I ordered this for a friend's birthday off Etsy.....Oak Hill Designs!!!! This is such a fun piece. I got it for Ansley (you know her...we went to Hilton Head with her fam) for her birthday and had to go ahead and give it to her almost 2 months early! I thought it was perfect for someone who appreciates the sweet stuff! And for a mom of two that still likes fun jewelry.......it was an easy decision! I love the size and the design and think it's a perfect every day piece!

I love how it's hammered but still shiny.......

And, would you believe that there was a surprise for ME in the bottom of the package?! There was! Would you believe that Lynn at Oak Hill Designs read MY BLOG?! Yes, it's true! It was not only a surprise for me, but it has my sweet littles name on it!!! Look how cute!! How sweet of her to do something so thoughtful and at such a hard time for me! It came the day things were so ugly last week! Thank you so so much, Lynn!

The lighting is so bad but I had to share! Check out Oak Hill Designs and think of any gifts you will need......they are perfect for teachers or friends. Thank you so much Lynn for thinking of me!! This meant so so much!

The week has gone well at school and we are all set for orientation tomorrow and we get to meet at the little sunshines! I can't wait to see the sweet faces and to meet their moms and dads! I'll take lots of pics of my classroom. I hate to disappoint, but my Music Room is also the Brides room and we aren't able to decorate the walls! I had to get creative and do some fun funky stuff on a partition that is able to be rolled away when needed. It's gonna be a fun year and I'll have lots more to share tomorrow!!!! Stay with me, please! I need your prayers. We are starting a BIG chapter with me working and so far......Bowen has actually eaten it up. She has been a rock star and is so deserving of a night at Chick-n-play and maybe even a BIG BIG surprise! See you tomorrow!

"The Other Daddy"

2009-08-30T20:46:00.004-05:00

Don't you love my titles lately? Yeah, I figured we had been serious and sad and all that mess for long enough and a little spunk our trunk might do us some good! :) So, come along, our weekend was......well, a little weird!

First, this face..."the face" is on, "Houston, we have a problem!" In this case, it was as simple as the Drama Queen having a big big boo boo (ha ha, more like a hangnail)! Bowen said to me this week, "Hurry, Mommy, I have a big big boo boo!" Now, this was not that specific time, but this IS the face that accompanied the words......

Here SHE is! It's Mona, yaaaay! Are you as glad as I am? I will tell you, we took somewhere around 432 pictures just to get a shot that was "blog worthy" according to Mona. Oh my. It was a process. Bowen is NOT looking at the camera, but at the counter at something (maybe at the M&M I put down that I was bribing her with), but at least it's cute of these two!

And, a house full of Grandmothers. Does it get any better than this? Bowen loves Grandmother, or as she says "grrmudder". It's kinda funny to listen to her talk about Grrmudder! Bowen was taking pictures of Grandmother as I was taking pictures of the two of them. BUT, the party was just getting started.

Granddaddy was here too and you see, NO ONE is like Granddaddy! Granddaddy always cuts up with Bowen and she thinks he's so funny. Bowen was playing with one of her thousands of dolls and Grandmother discovered that Granddaddy and the doll had a striking resemblance! What do you think?

Now, what do you think? Yep, I'd say he could be "baby daddy"! But that's not the funny part! The funny part was that John had been here to unload some stuff and he told Bowen goodnight before he left. After a while of visiting, Granddaddy and Grandmother went to bed, as it had been a very loooong day! Bowen was playing with me and Mona downstairs and she came over to me VERY concerned. She said, "Mommy, where'd the other daddy go?" After I figured out what she meant, all I could do was laugh. She got it. I mean after all.......aren't they all "daddy" first? She wanted to know where Granddaddy was and she wanted to see him and NOW. He added money, excuse me, Bowen's Money, to her purse and she was super duper proud!

I still think they look JUST alike! You can't see it here, but his eyes are as blue as the baby's eyes. We love you, Billy!

Have I told yall about this? The Cherry Tart dessert from All You magazine? Well, don't be afraid to try something new! I am always a little leery of recipes in those magazines, but I went out on a limb and tried this and OH, my! It is the best stuff ever. So, 5 pounds later, the scale didn't think it was so good to me. I don't believe her though. See, she's wrong most of the time! So, if you get All You and you have the one from August, it's in there.....yummo!

I don't know about you, but I can't eat anything cobblerish without vanilla ice cream! This was Mona's treat for coming! She came after radiation on Friday and she goes home tomorrow morning early in order to make her Monday radiation appt. at Emory!! We appreciate so much her coming to help!

John moved this weekend and I'd call it successful! Stressful, but successful! He stayed at his new place this last night and he called this morning to let us know that his tire had been slashed overnight. That's not exactly what I would call a fun first night in your new place. He says he loves it and I am sure he's glad to be settled in. Thank you Granddaddy and Grandmother for driving 5 hours to help! I enjoyed spending time with yall and hope you'll come back very very soon to visit!! Until then, I'm sure I will enjoy hearing Bowen ask about "The Other Daddy"! I hope everyone has a great week! Bowen and I have our first official day of school tomorrow for inservice. We start next Tuesday and Bowen says she's "Cited to see piends"! Love her at this age!!

Panties and Stuff

2009-08-28T23:40:00.008-05:00

STUFF!!!!!

It amazes me how much "stuff" you can accumulate in only two years! We've lived in Birmingham a little over two years and there is baby/toddler stuff taking OVER! I guess I could blame it on the kid :) But we would ALL know I was kinda not telling the truth, right? Some of it is hers to claim, but MOST of it is the "stuff" I bought for her out of necessity or just for fun........lots falls into the "just for fun" category. Whatever the reason, it's taking up space that I don't have now. And to think that I have to move it again anytime soon makes my head hurt. Mona just about fell out in the floor when I told her I was selling Bowen's beloved infant car seat and stroller! This was what everyone in my family got excited about when we first registered at Babies R Us! I think it was the first thing I "clicked" or "scanned" when we picked out stuff for B!

Nice....stroll it, stroll it! Isn't it crazy how fast things change. Bowen is 2.5 years old and I registered for this when I was about 5 months preggo, so 3 years later and it looks brand new! And it will be someone else's brand new stroller soon! I am selling this (Graco Metrolite Stroller and Graco Safe Seat) travel system.

And, I'm throwing in the two bases.....let me know if you know someone in or around Bham who needs a great stroller and car seat at a great price! Now, I'm sad......but it's not the first time I've been sad in my life :)) and I'm learning not to hold on so tight.....especially to the sadness :)

And, if I was at the HAPPY place that the little girl who got this bday present is, I would be VERY HAPPY too! This was Madeline's birthday present from Bowen. We also gave her black and red Crocs with Mickey cut outs on the toe to match the new outfit. They were cute! She had to have an outfit that was Disneyish by also needed a shirt she could wear to EVERY single Georgia game this year! I like this idea, don't you?! I think M really liked her new outfit! I hope she's having fun with Mickey and Donald Duck!

Guess who is here!!!!! Guess who arrived this afternoon to give me a much needed break? Well, ok, she didn't really come to give me a break, she came to play with her friend, Bowen. I'll give you a glue, her name starts with a M, she paid $850 to have her car fixed just so she could come all the way to Birmingham (bc she was soooo worried about us), she's going through radiation RIGHT NOW and has 4 weeks left. Do you know? Yes, it's Mona!!!! Oh, and she really didn't pay to have her car fixed just to come here, you see, it's medically necessary for her to report to Radiation at Emory and you must have a car to do so. Thus, the repair was made! It still makes us happy because she's here! We are excited too, because Grandmother and Grandaddy Yarbrough (John's dad and step-mom) arrive tomorrow morning (yes, I love them and have always been close to them-they're staying with me and B....and Mona!) so we have a big weekend! I have had a much better day today and feel much better than earlier in the week.

Emotionally, I am realizing how drained I really am after this week, but I am hoping that some help from the Grandmothers and Grandaddy will relieve me of some duties and allow me to get away some. I don't know how much of that I'll be doing in between moving the rest of my stuff out of the Chelsea house and John moving out! Gosh, does it ever end? The stuff? I'm going to bed and hope to have lots to post tomorrow! Bowen got her hair did and it looks really cute. She's growing up so stinkin' fast. She told me today that she was "busy sewing her ma-sheen" as she pretended to sew on my machine and then she asked me to "wait right ther, don't come closer....just one minute". She didn't want me telling her she couldn't touch the sewing machine and if I kepy my distance, I couldn't remove her from the sewing table! I think she was really focused :) Gosh, do they really pick things up that fast? It's scary at this age what they repeat. In Hobby Lobby the other day, bowen was holding my leg (I was wearing running pants) and she said, "mommy, what's that?" referring to my NICE pantie line she could feel. I said (in a rather shushed way), Bowen, those are Mommy's panties. Bowen immediately beams and excitement erupts inside of her........"Mommy wears panties today?!!!" Yes, thank you, Bowen. Mommy actually wears panties every day! As if she NEVER sees me dress, NEVER sees me use the restroom and has NEVER felt my pants or panties for that matter ever before!!! Oh, and she's just 2! What am I in for? Sheeesh! The sewing tutorial is coming and so is a very fun week! I'll post lots more in the week to come so stay tuned! Is there anyone who reads that has an Etsy shop? Oh, and Mo, you don't count and neither do you Oak Hill Designs (more of that in a couple days)!! If you have an Etsy shop, will you please leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know your shop name? Thanks so much!

Recovering with Your Prayers

2009-08-26T22:45:00.026-05:00

A heartfelt thank you to every single prayer being said for us last night and today. I feel them, I promise. What a wonderful feeling to know we are being cared for.....not just by the "man upstairs" but also by such a loving "community"! I mean that. It's kinda like having a newborn baby (just ride along for a minute). Babies have to eat every 2, 3, or 4 hours and Mommies feel the responsibility (by instinct) to feed their new child. Well, today, I felt that way. Except, I was the baby. My heart stayed full today by reading every single comment left here. Every time I felt myself drifting backwards into feeling that utter bitter sensation, I would look at my blackberry to be greeted by a new comment and my cup was refilled. Yall, it happened ALL day long. Every single time I checked my phone, there was a new prayer or uplifting comment. Thank you!

How I feel so much today. And, I think I am finally feeling the hurt this divorce (and all events associated-especially yesterday) has caused. My pain is significant, but overshadowed by the pain my sweet girl is experiencing. She just doesn't understand enough to make sense of all her emotions. We have been talking a lot though, and I have explained to her that her Mommy and Daddy both love her very much. Today was the hardest yet. I had to tell her that, for now, things were going to be a little different. The resolve of Bowen's heart is amazing. She is able to process naturally and immediately what takes me days to sort through and NOT because she is aware of ANYTHING that's going on. So, she gets the things I tell her and talk to her about, but the tornado inside her little mind makes it much harder to process her own emotions. Much like my blog, Bowen has been shielded from the details and it WILL always stay that way. It doesn't matter how angry I get or how much I'm devastated, or how much I disapprove or am shocked! She will only know the simple details and the logistics that pertain to her Mommy and her Daddy now that we're in separate households. Bowen is my priority and I have a duty to look out for her best interest!

As I have done since the beginning, and will continue to forever do, I will move on to the next step. I am eager to see what's in store for us and what amazing life will be created for us. I pray, no matter what, we will always find happiness. Remember the stepping stones.....that's how I feel tonight. Sometimes you just have to be prepared and step with faith. Tonight I keep replaying this story in my head....do you remember this post? It's certainly one of my all time favorites! But so is this..........

Yall love the sewing post from a couple nights ago, so I thought I would share some MORE things that make me happy! These pictures are funny to me. This was taken Sunday night after I picked B up and she was sick. Can you tell she didn't feel good? I still insisted she try on her new clothes to make sure they all fit :) She looks thrilled, doesn't she? This top clearly isn't done, but it fits so it's on to finishing touches.....a ruffle and some buttons....oh, and it has pants to match (NOT the ones she has on either)!

She tried so hard to be "happy" in these pictures.....he he. I love this outfit. The pants have green ric rac around the bottom (can you see it?) and around the pockets and the shirt is appliqued with a flower in coordinating colors. Cute, huh?

Love how modern and trendy this flower is. Big and plain!

And, this picture, my friends, wasn't taken Sunday night!!! It was taken last night. Back to her self! I had to make sure that Ellie Sue's new pants would fit her and what better way to do that than to have my sweet girl model. And model she was....

Yep, on her own. Yes, she did. Oh, no she dit ent! She put her hand on her hip and the other behind her head and said, "mommy, I posin"! I kid you not, I fell over laughing. Where did this come from? I promise it's not something I do every day....mainly on Tuesdays and Fridays :))

Lately, I guess because Bowen's heard me talk so much about music as I prepare for the school year, she wants to make music ALLLL the time. She goes around our house and saying, "mommy, I want more music" and "mommy, I need loud music!" She likes to make it herself though. If I turn the radio up or try to get her to accept Imagination Movers as a replacement, NO WAY! That's not "Bowie's own Music!" Well, Excuse me!

She has a point and it has made me think. And, tonight I hope you always make your own music and sing your own tune! I love you sweet girl!

Hey, how many of you folks sew? It doesn't have to be GOOD, but how many of you know how to sew? Is there something you want to learn? Leave me a comment and let me know. I have thought ALOT about doing a tutorial to post. Or, we could always have a sit and sew! Let me know!!

Unexpected.

2009-08-25T22:55:00.013-05:00

One step forward and three steps back.....isn't that how it goes? Until today, I really didn't think there could be anymore "unexpecteds". Bowen and I have been through enough and we are ready for some consistency......we were well on that track. How my heart hurts today for us. I covet your prayers tonight as this is certainly the hardest day yet. Please pray for peace for Bowen as she is asking many questions. I pray that God will protect her and her innocence. She is such a precious child. Strength and courage need to come. I know you'll pray.....on your knees for us tonight. Here is my reminder that this life IS what I choose to make it for me and B.

I have never been more determined. I hope to never disappoint her or let her heart down. How precious the relationship......a parent and a child. I pray for a better day tomorrow and for clarity for me as I sort through so much. Above all.....Please pray for John.