It's the little things...

TJ turns 11!

2011-09-16T08:44:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe my baby is 11! His requests for the day were homemade potato soup (recipe from Aunt Mandy!) and a cookie cake. We also surprised him for lunch at school and brought subs to eat with him. I made his cookie cake...yes, I know the soccer balls look like pinwheels! I could be on Cake Wrecks with this one...haha! Cierra...pictured below wrote him the SWEETEST bday card ever! I won't be surprised one day if these two aren't married...but that's a LONG time away :) She's a great girl who thinks alot of TJ...right now they are like best friends which is perfect!

My 11 year old is very energetic, never sits still and is full of life!

He absolutely LoVeS to fish with his daddy! He asks every day to go to the pond when Todd gets home. It's been fun to see him learn more and more about fishing. I know he will have such great memories of these times.

His two pounder! Caught with just hog dogs too!

He also does alot of this!! He is at three times a week now with some personal one on one training for his goalie position. He is excelling at soccer...but more importantly he is learning that he has an opportunity to be a great example for God on his team with the way he acts on and off the field. Good life lessons...

Something you might not know is how much he loves to draw...or paint in this case. He's making a ceramic award for his dad for Father's day. Look at the intensity on his face!

TJ LoVeS UCF...he kind of has to in this family but his love for all things SWEET makes him more like ME for sure! Here we are at a UCF game sharing a cotton candy...Lordy, that was delicious! I savored it because I only get it about once a year!

A new love...

2011-09-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

Summer was amazing...really awesome. I did not want it to end but sadly it did :( I'll be posting some pics soon! Now the kids are back to school soooo...

I've discovered...

and I am loving looking and saving all the beautiful ideas for crafting, home, date nights..etc! I used to love cutting pics out of magazines and putting them in a binder...but I must admit...doing it on the computer is a lot faster!

Pinterest has given great ideas for fashion. I'm a visual person, so once I see it, I can then try to recreate it! Like this look...

I love, love the classic look of this outfit and while out shopping one day, I came across a white shirt like this at Old Navy...and only $17 too! I have jean shorts...have the belt and shoes...don't care for the hat, but with one purchase, I have this look :) Whoo hoo! Now when I am out browsing, I can visually remember some of the great ideas I am seeing on Pinterest to help pick out cute outfits!

Also, as I am in the midst of couch/chair shopping for our living room, I have seen some amazing designs that are helping me greatly as I put together this room. Actually...I am heading out now, but before pics will be coming as I can't wait to see this room transform!

From Gilded gold to Glossy white!

2011-06-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

So, my husband bought me this frame several years ago as a surprise! It was in our dining room, above our mantel, in our bedroom and most recently leaning up against a wall in my hallway collecting dust! The look of the frame was not working for me and I've been wanting a big chalkboard...so it was time to repurpose!
Here I am spray painting the frame glossy white...in like the heat of day! What in the world was I thinking?! I ended up having to bring the frame in the house to finish drying because it was sooo humid. Then I painted three coats of chalk board paint...and here it is all finished!
I changed the sign to say "Summer Memories" so we can record all that we have done and will do. At the end of the summer, I will take a picture of the board with all our memories on it! As soon as my hubby and I hang it, I'll be sure to post again to show you where it is...and all the memories recorded!

My achy-breaky heart...

2011-04-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ugh...girls!
Middle school girls. Their moms. Their decisions. Being left out...again...
Here's the situation.
M has a dance tonight. I told her to invite some friends to come home with us tonight.
She invited three. They are going to swim, eat pizza, do hair, and giggle...alot!
I decided to let her invite them to spend the night after the dance.
Yesterday, when I asked if they could stay the night, she replied...
"No, they are all sleeping at W's house"
I said, "Were you invited?"...
M said, "No mom...but it's OK"
And that's again where my heart broke for her.
WHY?
What's ONE more girl in the grand scheme of things??

So we are having the girls today after school, and they will be going back to a sleepover
while I pick up M to come home.
Silliness. Hurtful. Exclusion.
and
I'll never understand it. Never.

M amazes me though. Love that girl!
I'm thinking a beach trip tomorrow might be just what we need :)

Wild about Kids!

2011-03-04T15:15:00.001-08:00

I spent yesterday and today in Lakeland at an event to help raise
money for the Florida Baptist Children's home.

The group is called Women of Compassion.
It was an amazing 24 hours to say the least.
Jennifer O'Neill (former 30 year model for Cover Girl and actress) was
the speaker. Ladies...she brought.down.the.house!
Her testimony is unbelievable and what a blessing to see how
she is using her tragic past for God's glory today.

We had great food...met great women...heard unbelievable testimonies...but the best of all...
Last night we got to spend some time in one of the cottages with the kids!
They took so much pride in serving us dessert, showing us their rooms and just
hanging out and having conversation.
Amazing kids...

These are kids whose parents are addicted to drugs, or they've been abused in
all ways and yet because of God's love and grace as well as The FL Baptist Children's Home are able to get up every day and smile and have peace knowing that they are safe and very loved.

God is stirring up stuff in my heart more and more for this ministry.
How can I care for the LEAST of these? How can God use me?
I don't know exactly what it looks like yet but will be praying for clarity and direction!
I feel like this is the beginning of something...and that EXCITES me girls!

New blog title!!

2011-02-28T14:05:00.001-08:00

After a long time of talking, thinking, scribbling ideas trying to figure out a new blog name...it came to me yesterday while posting.

It was literally like a light bulb turned on and instantly I knew it was it! I even had to call someone and say it out loud!

So...my new blog name is....

It's the little things...

It's something I often say, it's those things that I try to weave into my life and the lives of others. It's what makes me sit back and think, wow!

I already have someone who is working on my blog to give it a little "makeover" but I said yesterday I would tell my new name and I wanted to hold to that...

but really I just wouldn't of been able to keep it in anyway!

So hopefully soon, It's the little things will have a new, fresh look!

In full bloom...plants and more!

2011-02-27T16:10:00.000-08:00

Yep...these are the gardening tools we used today!

We have kids. They use our stuff and lose things...like our gardening shovel.

So what's a girl to do? Head to the beach bag for a high quality diggin shovel!

So here we go!

First we dig up and move some plants...hope they survive!

Ummm...what in the world?!

This picture is for you Andrea!

The first bed is finished...except for a little edging

that needs to be done by the man.

I'd totally do it...but I can't start the thing!

The second bed...D.O.N.E. (I know...edging!)

Oh...and these are the flowers. The "little things matter" flowers :)

Planter by front door...

LOVE the daisies :) They make me happy!

So I show you a picture of my front porch because...

It's bare, bare, bare!!!

I am thinking a couple of chairs, a table and two beautiful flower pots by the front door.

Maybe a cute welcome sign to the left of the door...

Thoughts?!

Oh...and I am soooo flippin excited!!!

My blog name came to me...while writing this post y'all!!

I've been thinking so long and hard and over thinking

til I have made myself crazy over it.

Tomorrow I will announce my new name and to come will

be a redesigned blog to go with it.

The plants are in bloom and my blog is too!

I'm giddy :)

It's the little things

2011-02-26T12:55:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do...

is going to our local nursery and picking out flowers!

I'm embarrassed to say I have some sick looking poinsettias on my front porch still.

My berry wreaths on my door which last from Christmas thru Valentine's Day are coming down

It's time to "Spring-a-fy" the house!

We bought a ton of plants today...

11 of the daisies

11 of the purple ground cover ones

30 little alyssum plants and a few petunias.

My husband and I LOVE alyssum and petunias.

The "plant" lady who helped us told us that the alyssum and petunias are winter plants.

She was trying to convince us not to buy them because they might only last two months.

At check-out, my husband couldn't take it and went back for the plants!

That totally made me smile :)

In fact, he smiled tonight as he was admiring the new plants in our yard.

If you are around me enough you will often hear me say...

"It's the little things that make a difference"...

And if the plants we love only last two months...then we'll enjoy them for two months!

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS!!

More pics to come after we finish planting!

Memories of a dreamy vacation

2011-02-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

Every night, I came back to this setup...dreamy huh?!

The Mr. and I out on the beach

The view from our room

Another great view on the property...

I don't think I could E.V.E.R. get tired of seeing this every day!

I am here...

2011-02-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

I am here...The Montage in Laguna Beach. My husband is in meetings all day (poor guy!) and I am about to go on a beach walk on this amazing beach right outside our room.

I'm not going to lie...I am feeling very spoiled here. When I want to go downtown, they send driver in a Mercedes to take me there. When I am ready to come back...he picks me back up.

At night, slippers are placed where my feet hit the floor, ready for when I get out of bed in the morning.

I haven't had to think about what to cook...the food is beyond amazing and my bed gets made every day.

I will enjoy being "spoiled" for a few more days and love having time with just Todd and I to reconnect and just be a couple.

Off to walk the beach!

A guest post and guest room pics!

2011-02-10T06:26:00.000-08:00

Today I am guest posting over on Tracey's blog :) The pictures of my guest room and the process of how we transformed my armoire are there, so hop on over and check it out!

Sneak Peek

2011-02-08T06:45:00.001-08:00

On Thursday, I am privileged to guest post on my friend, Tracey's blog and I will show the pictures from my guest room redo. I thought today I could at least show you a piece of furniture that Tracey and I repurposed or otherwise...gave some MAJOR LOVE too!

Here is the before...

and AFTER...

I am absolutely in LOVE ...sometimes I find myself peeking in the room just to get another look at her...is she still there...she just makes the room! Oh...and remember, this dresser was my husbands growing up. I'm pretty sure it was a "Him"...but we've performed an operation because she's definitely a "Her"!!

Come see my post on Thursday on how we performed this operation and the guest room pictures! Thanks for stopping by!

8 Sticks of butter!!

2011-02-04T05:09:00.000-08:00

So...your wondering about this weird blog title and

why in the world do I have 8 sticks of butter?!!

It's because this week I have lost 2 pounds which equals 8 sticks of butter!

If you know me personally, you know that I have been stuck at a certain

weight forEVER! Like, I could not get the scale to move!

It's been extremely frustrating because I have been working out hard since November,

and trying to watch what I eat. I have struggled with feeling deprived while watching

what seems like everyone around me enjoying eating whatever they want, and here

I was with my 4 oz. of deli meat and a cheese stick....boring!

What's starting to finally click for me is this:

1. I have to commit every day. This is a process

2. While I'm trying to lose the weight, I'll have to really watch what I eat...

short term sacrifice because once I lose, I can have a cheat day now and then :)

3. Drink LOTS of water

4. For me, not having carbs at night is very effective

5. I need at least five days of cardio a week to lose

6. The MOST important...is everyday, I realize that without the Lord, I could not do this!

"I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength" Phil 4:13

(I have this written on my bathroom mirror...great reminder everyday)

See, I think I have finally figured out my "formula"....what works for me! You know that song..."It's tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time, it's TRICKY"?

It's tricky, tricky, trick-y...You got it right?!

Forever, I have said that was my theme song about weight loss. My body was so tricky

trying to figure out what works. It was never easy for me, like for some people who

stop drinking coke or sweet tea and lose 10 pounds!!

So, I'm super excited I "solved" my formula and am praying for strength, commitment

and to never give up or lose hope during this process. It will be so worth it

in the end...and can't wait to post how many more sticks of butter

have been lost!!

Sorry for the long and maybe more details than you ever thought you would read or know...but it felt so good to write it out...and dear heavens, I can't (nor I wouldn't) do that on Facebook!!

A friend, her first blog birthday and a giveaway!

2011-02-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

I already blogged about my sweet friend, Tara and the random way we met.

I have two people to thank for that...God and Lisa Leonard!

Anyway...today is Tara's first blog birthday and if you have not

been to her blog, you are missing out!

You must go. Like right now. I'll wait....

Between You & Me

You love it, right?! I knew you would!!

She's real, authentic, sweet, beautiful, creative and has an amazing North Georgia accent!

She is giving away her family rules sign which are absolutely a.dor.a.ble!! Personalized with your own family rules! So go back on over & leave a comment...you never know!

Chicken Citrus Salad

2011-01-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

This is an amazing salad!

I am also happy to not have to look at that ugly picture of

my potato soup in my last post!

Seriously...it's like I had no picture "filter" going on!!

ENJOY!

photo courtesy of Publix Apron's simple meals

INGREDIENTS

2-3 Grapefruit

1/2 cup lemon curd

1 tsp black sesame seeds (optional)

1/2 tsp minced garlic

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 TB canola oil

1/2 of a (4-5 oz) bag spring mix salad blend

PREP

Cut grapefruit in half; remove sections

Squeeze the grapefruit membranes for juice (about 1 1/3 c)

STEPS

Whisk lemon curd into grapefruit juice until smooth; whisk in sesame seeds and garlic.

Preheat large saute pan on medium-hig for 2-3 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place oil in pan then add chicken; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned.

Reduce heat on chicken to medium. Add 2 TB water; cover and cook 4-5 minutes.

Arrange spring mix on serving platter. Slice chicken; arrange grapefruit and chicken over spring mix. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Potato soup, citrus chicken salad and a night in!

2011-01-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

Tuesday we had terrible storms come through around dinner time. All of my kids activities were cancelled (happy momma!) and that meant we got to hunker down and just spend time together without all the normal hustle and bustle :)

So...I made their favorite...Aunt Mandy's potato soup! I'll post the recipe below. You'll notice that there are no carrots in my soup. Thought I had them, but I didn't. Also thought I had milk too...and I didn't. No worries though...I just bought dry powdered milk for a Mocha drink recipe (delish!) and used that. Improvisation at it's best people!!

For Todd and I, I made a chicken citrus salad (potato soup although quite yummy, is not good while trying to lose weight!) which was absolutely amazing! This was a last minute decision, but while at Publix the "sample lady" had made it and that did it for me! Had to make it! I'll post the recipe soon...

After dinner, we played a little Just Dance and even got Todd to dance a few jigs :)

Love to watch my kiddos having fun together and can you tell my boy really gets into it! He's all about the win!

Potato Soup

1 Celery

1 Med. Onion

I Med. Carrot - grated

1/2 butter

2 TB all purpose flour

4 c. milk

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup

1/2 c of shredded cheddar cheese ( I add more!)

5 lg. potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked

1 tsp of seasoning salt (this makes it!)

Saute onion, celery and carrots in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add milk and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Add soup, cheese, potatoes and seasoning salt and mix well. Cook and sit until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.

Enjoy and Happy Weekend!

Canvas and Guest room before pics

2011-01-24T07:03:00.001-08:00

This canvas was a Christmas gift from my sister. I (heart) it. Like alot!

My sweet friend, Tracey showed me the perfect place to hang it!

It fits so perfectly on my gallery wall!

It is first thing you see when coming into my house.

That totally makes me smile :)

Our sweet Nicole moved into to her own place. So we now have a guest room again.

My dad requested a comfy bed when he comes to stay.

I think this looks pretty comfy! I might make it my "nap" room!!

I'm still looking for the perfect drapes and a headboard to be made is hopefully coming soon!

First let me explain about this picture.

My Nikon is on the fritz and this is my back-up camera.

Gotta deal with what I've got!

This dresser was Todd's from growing up. No it wasn't black with cute little knobs on it!!

It was oak...blah! Then I painted it black for my craft room and added the cute knobs :)

A black dresser does not go in this room.

Today it's getting a coat of Kilz and a topcoat of Cottage White!

Tomorrow it will get a touch of Tracey :)

After pictures to come soon!

Ashley Anne Woodard

2011-01-19T19:05:00.001-08:00

So this year, I am striving to learn who I am in Christ, where do I belong, what makes me...me, my dreams, how to live intentional and passionate...and am sooo excited to be on this journey! The first thing I did was to research the meaning of my name...pretty cool!

Ashley - from the Ash Tree
Anne - Gracious, merciful
Woodard - Brave

I also did a personality test that revealed I am an....OTTER! Oh yes, that's me! Apparently, otter's make the world a very FUN place to live!!

On a different note...My camera is on the fritz, my photos on my blog will ummm...basically not be there until I get it fixed! I've been thinking about changing the name of my blog...ideas, thoughts??! So maybe during this time, I can spend some time thinking of a new title...something catchy, creative and that describes me...

That's all for now...be back soon! Hopefully with a new name and a fixed camera!!

Love...xoxxoo!

"It's not about me..."

2010-12-10T20:10:00.001-08:00

This girl blew me away tonight with these words..."Mom, It's not about me...". She recently started babysitting and has been making pretty good money! We talked about how much she should tithe and talked about starting to save money in a bank account. Then I mentioned that she and I could go shopping if there was anything she was wanting since she had worked so hard to earn the money. Silence. Then she said..."Mom, I really wanted to go and buy presents for this family that I helped paint their house over the summer. They have five girls and they really took a liking to me and I got to know them a little over that week. They don't have much and I really wanted to go buy them some Christmas presents and I just didn't want to make this about me." Tonight I saw through to this girl's heart...a heart after Jesus and a love for others. Tonight...I learned a lesson from my 12 year old about what Christmas is really about...and it's not about me at all.

Homemade ornament EXTRAVAGANZA!

2010-12-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

This is something I look forward to every year! Like I'm already thinking about next year! And you know what...every year, I wonder if ornaments can really get better or more creative...and the answer is a YES! Y'all...I have some friends with talent okay! :) And not only are they creative, but they ALL love the Lord with all their hearts and have blessed me by being able to call them friends.

We ate and ate lots of yummy appetizers and continued to eat scrumptious desserts, drink coffee and have great conversations and laughs. Then we each passed out our ornament we made...some with great anticipation and some with "disclaimers" they TRIED to say before handing it out! (One rule: you can't say anything negative about your ornament before handing it out! Some tried to break that rule...you know who you are! wink, wink)

It was like Christmas morning for my crafty friends! Lots of empty gift bags, tissue paper strewn everywhere and happy, happy girls!

This year I had four new friends join in...Jenni, Karen, Tracey from 7294 Cottage Way and Tara L from Between You and Me. You have to check out their blogs...you will love it and in turn LOVE them!

My tree speaks...

2010-12-03T06:21:00.001-08:00

Do your trees speak? If so, what do they say? I decorate three trees in my house.

A homemade ornament tree, a kids tree and our family tree.

The one pictured is our family tree and this is what it says...

One ornament tells us...Jesus Christ was born to a virgin in a lowly manger...but is the KING of kings and our SAVIOR!

and the nail we hang on the tree says...Jesus was nailed to a cross, beaten and scorned for our SIN

The gold pinecone came from Thomasville, GA where I spent many summers and holidays with my amazing Grandparents

The little gold apple is from our very first Christmas tree in a little apartment in Casselberry where we could see "Rachel's gentlemen club" from our balcony...oh, yes...it's true! But it's where we came from...where we started...

The glittery "A" ornament says I am very blessed to have wonderful friends in my life who know me and love me unconditionally.

The ski lift, money wreath, lighthouse, Mickey ball, shells, painted Caribbean ball, starfish, Statue of Liberty, Baby's first Christmas, Ice cube snowman, personalized coffee mugs...they all say...what a incredibly blessed life we have! Sure, it reminds us of the places we have visited and the fun we have had on those trips or the reminder we have had two beautiful kids who had their First Christmas's with us! It's not an "all-put-together-matchy-matchy" tree. But to me...it makes me feel grateful and full of joy when I look at our tree. It's about the memories we have created and the life God has paved out for us so far.

Monday night I am having a homemade ornament party and I can't wait to blog about it, show pictures and tell you what is says!

Fall-o-ween decor and a pumpkin topiary

2010-10-11T13:12:00.001-07:00

Why Fall-o-ween?? Well, to me my Halloween decor is about half Fall and half H-ween so there you have it! Once Halloween is over...it'll just be Fall y'all :)

So I just found these orange plates TODAY and I just LOVE them!

Also, LOVE my black bird! The sticks are just from a bunch I have that I pulled out a few and spray painted them for a more "spooky" look

And as you can see...we have "fall" again out by the front door! My new fav addition is my polka dotted monogramed pumpkin I made!

I made this topiary for my bestie...but totally want to make one for myself too!

Fun in NYC

2010-10-08T07:16:00.001-07:00

Yummy cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery!

This is "Sophie" from Mamma Mia...she was sooo adorable and friendly!

Mandy and her "NYC" shoes...Sassy momma of five isn't she?!

All dressed up and ready for the broadway musical

Me, mom and Mandy in beautiful Central Park

Checking out for a bit...going to the Big Apple!

2010-09-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

I'm sooo excited! In less than two hours, I will be on my way to NYC to meet up with my momma and sister! We are going for a girl's weekend to celebrate my sister's 35th birthday...and she has NEVER been to the city! I imagine it would be like taking a child to Disney for the first time...but on steriods!!

On the itinerary is the broadway play, Mamma Mia...going to the Nate Bertkus show...shopping...eating...strolling in Central Park...being a crazy fan on the Today Show...and lots more!

I'll be sure to post pictures next week...bye!!

Drab dresser turned to Beautiful buffet!!

2010-09-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

So I have been looking on Craigslist for MONTHS for a dresser/buffet/hutch/console (all my search words!) for my dining room and last week I finally found it! Here is the before...just a plain ol wood dresser but what got me was the curvy lines...we like curves around here!

Here she is all cleaned up, painted white and ready for some chocolate glaze...sounds yummy doesn't it?!

This is a close up so you can see the glaze in the crevices...love it!

AND...tada!! Here she is all gussied up and looking beautiful! Is it wierd to say...I'm in love?! This project has been super fun and my good friend, Tara Byrd over at Byrd's Eye View totally guided and helped me to get it looking so good! Thanks girl!!

I cannot wait to change out those blue plates for some cute fall ones!

...like a rollercoaster...

2010-08-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

Ummm...if you look at these pictures, you will know how my day went yesterday...fun huh?!

It started at the beach with girlfriends...after the kids went to school! OK...it wasn't THAT beach in the picture, but we sure did our best to imagine that we were in the Caribbean on a little vacay! It's fun to dream right?! The beach was ah.maaa.zing...clear water...lots of sun...great company and conversations.

OK...next picture...

Got home at 2:00 and was going to LEISURELY shower and clean up before the kids got home...WRONG with a big 'ol capital W!!

My sweet, adorable dog Gracie pooped ALL over the house and let me tell you...I knew the moment I walked in the house! IT REAKED! It was under the pool table, on the wood floors....cleaned that up, took a 5 minute shower and headed to church to decorate for our women's event last night.

Tied over 150 balloons...came home just in time to help the boy with his math homework...couldn't find chin guards...ran to my room to look for them AND it hit me! That smell...AGAIN...GRACIE!!! We are now late for soccer practice but I HAVE to scrub the carpets the best I can. Race to get the boy to practice (10 min late)...head home to have 15 min to get ready for our event at church. Y'all...I still had beach sand on my face!! But tried covering it up with make-up...you know, "ACT AS IF..." I'd really washed my face after a day at the beach!

Phew...made it on time to set up, practice the drama, run through the songs we were singing...oh, and totally ate almonds on the way for dinner.

When our speaker got up to talk about "What defines you?", it was like my body just breathed a big sigh, my shoulders relaxed and I listened to Jesus speak to me through her. It was awesome, amazing, life changing, exciting...last night was the perfect, most best way to finish off my day.

The beach was like the ride up the big hill on a roller coaster...we anticipated having a great day, it was exciting and we enjoyed the slower pace of the day there :)

The big drop, up and down hills and a few loop-de-loops for the rest of my day...and I looked and felt that scary cat picture!!

BUT when the "ride" stopped...it was amazing and exhilarating!

Thank you Lord for this day that you made...craziness and all. It was worth going through it to get to the end!!

A 7th and a 4th grader

2010-08-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

My 4th grader

My 7th grader (Holy Cow!)

I can't even believe I am writing about the first day of school already! This summer just flew by...way too fast and I am trying to adjust to a quiet house again. Although I miss them while they are in school, I imagine I will be getting alot done around the house...meaning lots of fun projects and the not so fun cleaning projects!

Facebook-less

2010-08-06T17:22:00.001-07:00

I'm feeling a weight lifted off me today...a bit like someone detoxing from drugs or alcohol (not that I have ever gone through that!) but I imagine I might have a taste of what that is like...a little nugget if you will. So here it goes..."Hi, I'm Ashley....and I am addicted to Facebook"...there, I said it! I have known it for a while...God has made me aware for quite some time...but I didn't want to listen. I liked knowing what my friends were doing...I enjoyed looking through all their photo albums...I liked playing Bejeweled Blitz over and over to try to beat my friends (which I NEVER did!)...I woke up every morning to log on and see what was happening...I even had a few times where I would stare at my screen trying to come up with a funny or interesting status. I would check it on my phone constantly...and sometimes my feelings would get hurt because I would see things my friends did, knowing I wasn't invited. Or I would be worried about posting something because I wouldn't want to hurt someone's feelings...do you see the STRESS pattern forming here?! This.is.ridiculous.really! But you know the worst thing? Facebook was taking time away from the Lord...and my family...it was in my thoughts, and probably making me "assume" things that were not even true.

So, as of yesterday I am FACEBOOK-LESS! It's been weird not knowing what everyone's up to...but I'll get used to it. But it just feels amazing to know that I am doing what God has been nudging me to do and just like I felt as a child when I chose to obey my parents, I have that same feeling now knowing that I chose to obey my Heavenly Father.

I pray my mornings now will be me longing to read my Bible and have conversations over coffee with Jesus...and I'm pretty sure the things he will tell me will be so much more "great and mighty" than anything I would read on FB!

New friends & a City sign

2010-07-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

A new sweet friend, Tara Lowry at Between you & Me posted about this "City Sign" that she and her husband made a while back and when I saw it, I knew that I.had.to.make.one!!! Before I show you my attempt...I have to tell you a short version of how we met! It's too cool!

-Shopping in Children's Place when these two cute girls asked about a necklace I was wearing

-I told them I found it off a blog...Lisa Leonard...I think this is when we had an instant connection! We found out we all blogged and (heart) Lisa Leonard!

-To top it off...she had this really sweet southern accent and of course had to find out where she was from...and would you believe it, but her hometown (Clarkesville, GA) is where my parents have lived for four years! We both freaked out...how ironic is that?!

-I also met her precious friend, Tracy from 7294 Cottage Way...who has an adorable family, home and blog too!

-After leaving the store that day, I thanked God for the unusual circumstances that led me to meet two adorable new friends...

ANYHOO...here are some pics of how I made my own City Sign and how mine turned out. Thanks Tara for the wonderful tutorial (you'll prob notice how we framed ours a little different...but I think it worked!)

Putting our boards together in Ann's garage

This part was hilarious! We had to stack up magazines to just the right height so the projector would project our words right where we needed them...this was improvisation at its best!!

Teamwork was key doing this project...as you can see Tara and Ann tracing letters on Tara's board

So here is my almost finished board...but not hanging up yet! I think I am going to put on a little more stain around the frame, so I'll have to post a "totally finished" picture soon!

"Lifting up Ellie...and Team Potvin"

2010-06-26T12:22:00.001-07:00

Ellie...I can imagine your beautiful smile looking down from heaven and seeing a gazillion balloons floating up to you!

In remembrance of precious Ellie Potvin, we released balloons today. Ellie went home to be with Jesus this past week on June 23rd. We recently learned how desperate her illness became and our family has been praying for Ellie this past week. She has shown us strength, courage and amazing love as she fought so hard to beat this nasty cancer that was growing in her body the past two years. We personally have never met Ellie and her family, but feel like we know them as Ellie's mom did such an amazing job updating on her condition and just sharing their life with the world. As a mom, I could relate to Amy and the love she had for her children and what a testimony Amy is on loving your child and caring for them all the way to the end...Ellie's end here on earth but the beginning of her eternal life with Jesus. I can't imagine the ache in her heart of missing her baby girl, but also the peace she must have to know that Ellie is whole and perfect and cradled in the arms of Jesus! Such opposite emotions...

Please continue to lift up The Potvin family...Tim, Amy and Grace (Ellie's twin sister) as they try to heal from the pain of Ellie's passing.

All the kids before releasing their balloons for Ellie!

Morgan with her pink balloon before she released it. My sweet girl was touched as well by Ellie and prayed with me this week for her and the family...I just love her compassionate heart and care for others...

Wow...it's been a while!

2010-06-11T09:44:00.001-07:00

Since it's been so long that I have blogged, I decided just to put up a few pics of what we have done in the past month and hopefully now that is summer I will have alot more time to keep up with blogging!

Boston - Fenway Park

Finally getting my wall decorated with my sweet friend Tara Byrd. Need I say more??! I LURRVVE my new wall! (Check out her blog...cute!)

Gathering of the Talents @ Morgan's school - They researched Papua New Guinea which is where Todd's cousin and family are missionaries...so it was extra special for her!

First day of summer was spent of course at New Smyrna Beach...my fav!! My sister went with us and the kids each brought a friend :)

weekend recap

2010-05-03T06:47:00.001-07:00

Todd & I helped at Morgan's field day
even though Todd was on crutches...he was committed to being there
What a daddy :)

The boy had his last soccer game of the season
Our sweet neighbors came to cheer him on too!
He played UNBELIEVABLE, MONSTER soccer! I love watching him play :)
Oh yea...they won! (Remember that I'm competitive?!)

I had such an itch to craft...repurpose...buy something...ahhh!!
Since I was out of money, I brought out the spray paint...Heirloom White (smile)
Painted gold accessories to make them less dressy...more casual...more "cottagey"!
And Gracie sat in the road, with her ball...just watching me go spray paint wild!

Met up with friends after church at the dog park and while throwing
around the dog toy, it got stuck in a tree
Matt put TJ on his shoulders and used Todd's crutches to try and get it...
no luck! But TJ had fun trying!
Morgan tried to teach Gracie to jump over the ropes! We have
been loving taking our family to the dog park!

weekend recap

2010-04-25T13:13:00.001-07:00

First....it started with some cleaning! I loved this picture because I am usually wearing some form of ponytail or bun

I LOVE my big ol dangly earrings AND

I have got my eye out for a sunburst mirror...lol!

but...

I sooo cannot push my apple green (love it!) vacuum cleaner with one hand...too darn heavy

SECOND...We watched the boy do his thing on the soccer field!

They didn't win BUT he played hard and did his best...all we can ask for...

secretly y'all, I hate losing! I am soo competitive...ahhh!

Thirdly...We took Gracie to the dog park for the first time!

She had a blast...made new friends :)

Fourthly...we met up with friends at our favorite Cuban restaurant for dinner

last night. Mmmmm, it hit the spot...and I didn't have to clean

up after dinner!! Whoo-hoo!

Finally...and most importantly...we spent Sunday morning worshipping together! Our pastor answered the question..."Why would God create us if He knew we were going to fail?"

He read out of Psalm 139

A few of my notes...

~ God's purpose for creating us was to have an intimate relationship with Him ~

~ Without free will, there is NO LOVE relationship with God ~

~ ...God is greater than our heart and knows all things...1 John 3:20 ~

It was a good weekend...pretty low key and not a ton going on but that's ok every now and then! BTW...in case your wondering why only one kid was talked about in our weekend plans?! It's because the other was spending the night with her friend and was gone all day Saturday and half of Sunday...her social calendar is starting to get busy!! What was your weekend like? Would love to hear about it!

Linking up with Tara @ Between you & me

Isn't she lovely...(singing the song in my head!)

2010-04-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got the itch...

the itch to buy something!

Nothing imparticular

but I knew whatever it was...

it would jump out at me!

Went to TJ MAXX...nothing

Off to Stein Mart...notta

Went to Bed, Bath & Beyone...zilch...PLUS, that place is sooo overpriced!!

My next to last stop before Target was

City Bargains.

If you live in Orlando, you should know about City Bargains!

I walked down to the back of the store and she caught my eye

Finished walking the store and I knew I had to have her...

she.was.BEE-U-TIFUL!!

I just love the description of the lamp on my receipt..."Pretty white lamp"...

One question though to my "repurposers"...not sure if that is a word, but if you know what it means...then it is! :) Should I do anything different or leave her just the way I got her?? The one thing I wasn't sure about was the trim on the shade...or even a different shade? Would love your thoughts!

But for now...I'll keep singing...

Isn't she lovely

Isn't she wonderful

Isn't she precious

Less than one minute old

I never thought through love we'd be

Making one as lovely as she

But isn't she lovely made from love

Weekend recap

2010-04-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Our weekend started off with going to see the movie Letters to God.

Not only us...but we rallied together 120 people to see it with us!

We sold out the theater...Praise the Lord!

I would encourage EVERYONE to take their family...you will be extremely blessed...

and

we need to support Christian movies so they will continue to make more!

Saturday was working around the house (I know...boring!)

but it HAD to be done!

TJ had a soccer game - they won! Then off to UCF for the spring game,

throwing the football with the kiddos and getting autographs from the players

and to top it off...a yummy taco dinner with friends :)

Easter weekend

2010-04-06T08:38:00.001-07:00

So I am a bit behind on blogging...these are pictures from Easter! Better late than never...right?! We had a wonderful Easter most of all celebrating Christ's resurrection...He is Risen!! We were blessed to have my parents home for the holiday and my sister and Todd's family were here as well. I baked the traditional ham dinner with all the fixin's :) The kiddos dyed easter eggs beautiful bright colors as you can see above and of course had an easter egg hunt. I thought the kids might not think it was "cool" to go hunt for eggs...boys was I wrong! They still got so into it and the picture above shows Morgan and Hayley checking out their loot!

After Easter, we had a week of spring break and pics to come of our few days at Ponce Inlet!

Bunny topiary

2010-03-27T12:39:00.001-07:00

My sister posted about this blog where she made the cutest topiaries and I decided that I just HAD to try and make one for our home! I absolutely love my little bunny topiary...he makes me smile every time I look at him!

No pets allowed...say what?

2010-03-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was such a gorgeous day and it was also the Winter Park Arts Festival...which I have never been too! Hard to believe since I have lived here for 35 years! I picked up Ann's sweetness of a puppy...Molly along with Morgan and Gracie and drove to Winter Park. It was SOOOO crowded and I finally found a place to park...for $10, but whatever...I was going to be outside, looking at beautiful art, eating kettle corn and drinking an ice cold lemonade...it was worth the $10! We walked a few blocks to get to Park Ave and wouldn't you know it, we got stopped by a police officer telling us pets were not allowed...say what?!! We were soooo bummed! Ann & I tried to walk behind Park Ave to try and sneak past the officers...but they were everywhere. While we were walking on the railroad tracks, we could hear the band playing this "Louisiana cemetery" type music...very sad and dreary and we just laughed thinking it was our theme song for the day! Here we were...two girls and their dogs, walking on "the other side of the tracks" because we couldn't get in...

We ended up heading over to Brio with Nicole and sat outside WITH our dogs to continue to enjoy the beautiful day...but really...NO pets on Park Ave?? That's absurd!

Jump for Joy!!

2010-03-08T15:12:00.001-08:00

I haven't entered in a while but when I saw the theme for this week at iheartfaces, I couldn't resist! I took my daughter and her friend out one Saturday just to shoot pictures of them just having fun...and I LOVE this one! It defines both of them...super fun, spontaneous, spunky & beautiful.

Go over to iheartfaces blog and check out more "JUMP" pictures!

A few more pics of Lake Eola

2010-02-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

Some tree climbing...

Alot of laughter...
Sisters...
Some ball dribbling...
An amazing day...

My new favorite place

2010-02-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

On President's Day, my sisters, kids and her long time friend met up here....Lake Eola

We brought bread for feeding the ducks...and quickly found out that they were not afraid of us as this one came right up to Mandy! Looks like they are having a nice little chit chat!
Mandy & Erin have been friends for-eva! They always try to see each other when Mandy comes into town, so since Erin lives near Lake Eola, she suggested we meet there and I am so glad she did! Sometimes living in a suburb of Orlando, we often forget how quaint and beautiful it is downtown...and it only takes 15 minutes to get there...not bad!
It was a thrill to me to watch my 11 going on 25 year old daughter still have fun playing on the playground!
More playing on this cool tire thingy...

Check out this awesome giveaway!

2010-01-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

Y'all have to visit Beneath my Heart for a fabulous giveaway and check out her blog while you are there! Enjoy :)

Handmade ornaments are the best!

2009-12-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

For about six years now, I have either gone to or hosted a homemade ornament party every year. My friend, Kendra invited me and when her family moved to Texas I knew that I had to keep the tradition going. It is something I so look forward to!! So, the obvious catch is that you have to hand make six ornaments for this party, so loving to craft is a huge must for this! Every year I am amazed by the creativity of the ornaments they come up with.
Above are just a few that are hanging on my "homemade ornament" tree in my dining room and of course I labeled who made which ornament for your viewing pleasure!

A quick and easy fall centerpiece

2009-11-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by The Nester on making my centerpiece and I just tweaked it a bit to make it more my own! This literally took me 1o minutes to put together...and I am praying it doesn't fall apart because nothing is glued together! I wanted it that way, so I can reuse the pieces in other things...smart huh?!

Boo!

2009-10-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

This frame is actually in my craft room, but thought I would repurpose it for Halloween! I just put in some spider print craft paper and used the chipboard letters to spell S*C*A*R*Y~

I do not have a ton of Halloween decorations but I have enough to decorate a little hutch that you see when you walk in our front door. So, this is as spooky, scary as we Woodard's get!!

*side note* The black sticks are actually part of a big bundle I use in a large vase...but they were brown. So I picked out one bundle and spray painted them black to put in this cute orange vase I picked up.

Plays hard, sleeps hard...

2009-10-12T06:57:00.001-07:00

It's 10:00 when we got home on Friday night. TJ went from school to the park for almost 3 hrs then came home and literally ate a piece of pizza while running outside to play kickball. Then we went to the OHS football game and after we got home, we sent TJ to take a bath....he.was.FILTHY. Todd started calling his name but did not get a repsonse from him so when he went to check on him, this is what he saw!! A passed out, snoring little 9 year old in the bathtub! TJ likes to play HARD, but when he is done...he is done!!

"Blue" photo contest

2009-09-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

I decided on this picture of TJ for the "Blue" photo as I just LOVE the blue background and of course those BLUE eyes!

Check out I heart faces for more photos!

He got it

2009-09-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought TJ wasn't paying attention in church yesterday...which wasn't hard to figure out since he was drawing fighter planes on the bulletin, he wrote this in his Bible.

"When you go to church do you just have a mask on? You shake people's hands, say your a christian. You might not really be a christian. Do you really want to wear the mask? Also, put God first, people second. Enjoy your life without the mask on and live a life with joy, happyness, and not faking to be a Christian. God is our SUPER God and not just any kind of God."

Thank you God for this gift!

Ahhh....it's been too long!

2009-09-22T12:28:00.001-07:00

I have really been in the crafting "mood" lately which is probably why I haven't posted on my blog in a while...(NOT! but it just sounded like a good excuse...). Actually, things have been quite busy here with school and sports going again. When I have had a free moment, I have been working on painting a personalized canvas for over Morgan's bed. It turned out really cute (for my first one)...and it is definitely not perfect as you will see in the picture! I tried fixing up a mistake and the spot of course showed up darker than the rest of the paint BUT that's OK! Overall...I really do love it and thinks it adds just the right touch of whimsy to her room.

Out of the mouths of babes

2009-08-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

TJ & I spent the day together today. His last day of "summer" before he starts school on Monday as a third grader! Unbelievable! My little peanut is growing up too quickly...anyway, we were in Orlando getting ready to go into a vintage clothing store. Todd and I are going to a "1974" birthday themed party this Saturday and I was on the hunt for my outfit. As we pulled into the parking lot, there was a big (ok...HUGE) picture of Uncle Sam holding a money bag. TJ said "Mom, that guy is stealing money!". It took ALL I had not to bust out laughing although inside I was cracking up...so true babe, so true! This will definetely go down in the book of "TJisms" and a book that will be so fun to read in the years to come.

I (heart) faces sports photo contest

2009-07-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of TJ at one of his soccer games and I just LOVE the action and the look on his face...it definetely shows his true colors of being an intense player!

Go to I (heart) photos for more pictures!

sweet esther

2009-06-25T06:17:00.001-07:00

Our babysitter, Esther stayed at our house while we were gone on vacation for 10 days. She watched the dog, the cat, took care of the pool and all the hiccups that came along with that! She was absolutley great and to top it off, this is the sight we came home to...ahhhh...We literally drove 10 hours in the car home and got to sit right down to have dinner! What a blessing she is and continues to be for our family!

~ vacation photos coming soon...they are on hubby's labtop ~

Sweet Emma...

2009-06-01T17:51:00.001-07:00

This week at IHeartFaces

the contest theme is "Kids"...and I couldn't resist entering this cute

picture of Emma from our RV vacation last summer

How come I couldn't think of this?!

2009-05-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs to read is Emily @ Chatting at the Sky. She is an amazing writer and I went to her blog yesterday, which she happened to be blogging about her lamps... she has some very cute ones I must say! Anyway, I noticed her beautiful arrangement on her dining room table that I asked her what it was made from. She was so sweet to respond back and would you know, it was greenery from her YARD! I have lived in my home for almost two years now and have NEVER gone outside to find me some greenery to make a little something for the house...and that is why I stalk other people's blogs!

So, this morning I went wandering around our yard and found that we have some great trees to cut from! The red vase was on my dining room table with a candle in it...but now it sits in my kitchen next to my chalkboard sign. Thank you Emily for the great idea!!

Watch out...I've got chalkboard paint!

2009-05-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

I went out and bought a quart of chalkboard paint...and before you know it, my kids just might be painted! Nothing...I mean, nothing is safe! This silver tray I bought at Goodwill for $2.99...woo-hoo!! Look and see how cute it is now! The glass jars were just $5.00 and I had the ribbon at the house to add to it...I just LOVED how the jars turned out :)

BEFORE...a plain silver tray...

AFTER...a fun way to display a menu for the night (I know, I need to clean the edges of the tray!)

BEFORE...just a glass jar for flour

AFTER...a whimsical, fun, cute glass flour/sugar jar with chalkboard lables!

For more fun, frugal ideas go on over to The Shabby Nest

Fix-it Friday

2009-05-22T10:57:00.001-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

today on iheartfaces you were to download the "before" picture and play around with it to see how you could "fix-it" and make it better through photo editing. i played around on picnik and came up with this...what do you think?

I (heart) faces contest!!!

2009-05-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

I was on the way out the door today to run....I stretched...wrestled with my iPod to get it just right...and then I hear...THUNDER! Sooooo, I headed back in the house and what's a girl to do all cooped up in a dark house with no kids? Read blogs. Friends blogs. Favorite blogs. New blogs...hence the contest I am entering! I found this really cool blog called I (heart) faces

I really love taking pictures and have on occasion taken some cool (at least I think so!) face pics of my friends kids and of course my own and family! This photo is of my sweet, spunky niece named Maggie. We were at my parents house in Georgia and Maggie was riding in the golf cart and when it stopped I called her name and just snapped this picture. I.LOVE.HER.EYES. in this picture...they are such a beautiful blue and I love the way her hair is all tossled from the fun cart ride she just got back from. Just good 'ol summer time fun.

"I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Facesweb sites."

Happy Mothers Day/Happy Birthday!

2009-05-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to combine holidays and instead of buying gifts we went to the JW Marriot for 2 days/1 night and then went to Disney for Todd's birthday...isn't it nice of Walt to give us free admission on our special day! We had a fantastic time at the hotel! We swam the entire time and what an amazing pool and lazy river we enjoyed! I really didn't feel like I was only 30 minutes away from home...so very relaxing. I will say it was stinkin hot...like 96 degrees hot! We loaded up the sunscreen and still got a bit burned.

Some dear friends sent us a special dessert cart for Todd's birthday and we were totally surprised when we came up for the night. The kids were too much...drinking the milk from the bottle, trying all the different desserts...how fun!

Morgan and T.J. are in the pink and yellow tubes in the middle of the pic...

enjoying the lazy river

Awww...Todd and I! Happy Bday/Mothers Day :) Check out the awesome firepit behind us...

Polka dot piggy

2009-04-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Several years ago my friend and I started our own little business painting personalized piggy banks called "Grace & Baby Duck". Isn't it the cutest name?! When I was little, my mom used to call me Grace (mainly because I ran into EVERYTHING...walls, mailboxes, you name it!) and Rebecca's mom used to call her Baby Duck...so that is how we came up with the name. We had a blast doing it together and had our banks in about 15 stores as far away as Texas! It was fun while it lasted but eventually just got to be too much. Rebecca and I still are very close friends...she actually went back to school and performs sonograms on OB patients now :) But...I still get an occasional call now and then to paint a piggy bank...and have sort of created a new style with polka dots and a cute bow. I LOVE polka dots and CUTE ribbon...and still LOVE to personalize and paint piggy banks!

I absolutely am crazy over this one with the pink and black...too darn cute! (Thanks Allison for being my very best customer!!...I hope Avery loves her new bank!)

And off she goes...

2009-04-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

My sweet girl is heading to Savannah, GA tomorrow for a mission trip on her Spring Break. Can I just brag a minute? I am so proud of her for sacrificing her time away from school to go and serve others. She has spent the past five months every Sunday preparing for this trip. Morgan is in the puppet group and she has had a ball learning puppets!! They are going to a children's home to do puppets, sign language, drama and singing as well as hanging with the children and loving on them. Each of the kids have prepared their testimony and will be sharing that throughout the trip. I am just so grateful to God for her servants heart and willingness to go...and I just pray that her love for others and wanting to serve will just keep on increasing as she grows. Thank you God for blessing us with Morgan Brooke and I can't wait until Thursday when she comes back to hear how Your love was shown in Savannah!

TEAM ELAINE

2009-03-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

"Team Elaine"

These are all sweet friends that came together to show love and support to one amazing girl!

Some sweet ladies at a church made Elaine this prayer quilt. Every time someone prays for her a knot gets tied...we tied alot of knots that night!

What a blessing she is to me!!!

A beautiful purse from Tara Byrd

Well...there has not been much "redecorating, crafting or organizing" going on around here. What's important is taking precedent and that would be taking time to help out my girl Elaine as she recovers from surgery and soon will start chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer. So I would like to share some pictures of a very fun night we had last friday. We had a PJ party and got to spoil the heck out of Elaine for the night :) We had Thai Basil for dinner and an endless amount of yummy desserts and snacks...food is so good for the soul :) She got a ton of gifts...yeah! After opening up her goodies, we had a very special time of praying for her...God is good!

On the way to the trash...now it's a treasure!

2009-03-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

So I have had these wood pictures for a very LOOONNGG time. In this house they were in my laundry room...because they just didn't go anywhere else in my house and probably really didn't go in my LR, but hey, I had them...might as well use them. Anyhoo...I got on this kick to clean, reorganize and decorate the LR. These pictures were going to just HAVE to go UNTIL...I had an idea...my very own idea! And here it goes....I have selected the pics I want to cover this already and we are outside ready to go!
The photo was cut to fit the front of the picture already. I had a couple really really cute pics of the kids left over that were PERFECT for this project!
Then I used some spray adhesive to have the photo adhere nicely to the wood picture.

This is sort of the finished idea...except I want to paint the edges of the picture black and change the ribbon color. I already had this black/white toile, but it's just too bland and needs some pop! I am also very impatient and didn't have time to run to Michael's, so I went ahead and hung them for now.

Another new do...this is for Mandy since she has given up FB for lent!

2009-03-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

So...I cut off about 4 inches (well, I didn't personally cut it...you know what I mean!). The back is alot shorter and from the side the angle is very sharp. I love it and will probably keep it up until I get bored and do something else!

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

This year I actually pulled out some crafty stuff and WE MADE our own Valentine's Day cards! Every year I have said we will do it but then I forget...uh hem...I mean procrastinate until it's too late and then we are off to Target to find the perfect card amidst 50 million different themes!! I was sooo proud of Morgan because she came up with the design on her very own. Here it is below...it says...."U are the best". Then we punched in two holes so she could stick a lollipop on the card.

Morgan in the crafting zone...

These are T.J.'s below...he helped a tad :) We used M&M's ties on with pretty red ribbon to his.

The three of us had just a ball creating and making our own V-day cards...so much that we will definetely do it again next year!

Monogrammed frame

2009-02-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

~Disclaimer~ this is not an original idea...I saw this really cute idea over at Bless My Nest and had to give it a try...especially since I have enough frames laying around for my entire neighborhood!

This is some leftover fabric from some drapes that my friend and I "mistreated"...isn't the fabric sooo purty?!
I guess I forgot to choose the original picture frame, but it was just a plain 'ol white frame with a matte inside. Of course I had to spray paint it, so I chose a chocolate brown, I mean October Brown :)
I picked the striped fabric and just covered right on top of the matte. I just used the hot glue gun to wrap the fabric to the back of the matte.
Then I took some white scrapbooking paper, and a brown paint pen to do the monogram. I could of used my computer with a really cool font BUT...we don't have a printer up yet and I'm just impatient and wanted it to be done. So in the future I could always just change this out...but I sorta like it right now!
This is the finished project sitting on the bedside table. You can also see that I took some sandpaper to the frame to rough it up a little...give it that old look. (The other reason...to cover up some of the dripping spray paint on the frame...)!
Oh yeah...I proudly went to Todd and showed him the beautiful frame I had made for us and where it sat right on his side of the bed. He looked at it and said..."TWA...Trans World Atlantic"!!!! What?!! I said..."No babe, it's T for Todd, A for Ashley and W for Woodard!"

A little Byrdie helped me...

2009-01-31T08:13:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Tara Byrd offered to help me spruce up some drapes of mine...that actually came with our house when we bought it. I really didn't like them but they matched my walls and were FREE, so I lived with them. It almost makes me sick to think I wanted to just throw them out at one time...what was I thinking? We kept the original drape and just added some fabric and cute trim which gave a whole new life to them...I absolutely LOVE my new drapes and just appreciate and love my friend, Tara who helped so much in getting these done and hung up. When Tara comes over, things get done...I love that about her!! When she delivered the drapes, I was just going to place them somewhere totally not thinking they could be hung up right away...oh no...we got right down to business!! It's a good thing too, because of my procrastination, they probably would still be nicely sitting somewhere ready to be hung! (sidenote: these pics are uploaded in the wrong order...ughhh...I'm still trying to work out some kinks with the MAC but you can still get the idea!)

In all my excitement to hang the drapes in my bedroom...check out how I hung the tieback!!! BACKWARDS...geez!
This is how I measure...nose height and "a tick before 2 inches"...hee hee!!
I LOVE, LOVE my new computer corner in my breakfast area! I can keep an eye on what's going on with the kiddos but yet still be on the computer :) Oh yeah, we also hung the drapes here in the kitchen...aren't they cute?!!
A close-up of the fabric and tie back...this one was hung right the first time :)

A full view of the new drapes. I just LOVE how they frame out my breakfast area and check out how they are hung...NO rods, just rings and upholstery tacks..."True Nester Style"...and CHEAP...

Christmas in Clarkesville

2009-01-06T17:41:00.001-08:00

This is the car all loaded (I mean stuffed!) and ready to go up to Clarkesville, Georgia for Christmas. We were all looking forward to spending Christmas with the whole Mossman gang!
Christmas Eve in their new jammies...the one present they get to open early every year.
Every year Todd blocks off where they are sleeping and puts a video camera to "monitor" their every move. The rule is that they cannot come out at all until we get up...and we found out that they got up at 4:30 and sat in the hallway playing with each other and telling jokes until 7:30! At least they let us sleep in a bit :) Here is Morgan with her new Ipod that Santa brought her.
T.J. is so excited to get a paper airplane kit...love the expression on his face!
This is having Christmas with the whole gang...WOW!! Look at the adults...no one is looking in the same direction!!
We played alot of games...Taboo, Catch Phrase, Bananagrams, Hearts and Farkle
Morgan & T.J. all dressed and ready for church
All the kids at the breakfast table...cooking for this many kids takes teamwork!!
This is what happens when your two marshmellows are gone...it's very traumatic for Jack!
Roasting marshmellows in Papa's firepit
What can I say...my son hates shoes!! Even when it is 50 degrees outside!!

Rub a dub dub...three boys in the tub and having a good 'ol time!

Morgan singing in her chapel service at school

2008-12-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

This is a short video of Morgan singing a solo at her school advent service. She did an awesome job and we are so proud of her!

Girl gone wild making crafts!!

2008-12-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

After recovering my dining room chairs in this absolutely adorable fabric...I had some leftovers and decided to quickly throw together this little window mistreatment! It is basically folded in half and I found some brown satin ribbon to hot glue to make it "appear" finished!

For my homemade ornament party this year, I decided on making tags. This is how it started...just a plain ol white tag from Michaels...

To this...my favorite part is the adorable little jeweled brads at the top!! Love them :)
Then my friend, Tara, got inspired to paint some picture frames! She found these cute wood frames for $1.00 at Michaels.

And this is one of my finished frames...I think I am actually in love with it!!

So have any of you made any fun things lately?? Would love to see or hear of your ideas!

Relaxing weekend in Punta Gorda

2008-11-24T18:05:00.000-08:00

I love that my kids still play with beach toys!
Morgan fishing in Boca Grande...a beautiful, beautiful beach!
Look what Mr. David caught! A baby hammerhead shark!
David & Anna Callin...such a sweet and special couple! They invited us to spend the weekend with them at their home in Punta Gorda. They said that we should come and be ready to relax...and that is what they meant! They truly spoiled us and the kids. We even had a movie night in the home theatre while snacking on chocolate fondue!

A family picture at Boca Grande...T.J. is sitting in the hole he dug :o)

~ A Tray Makeover ~

2008-10-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

So yet another idea from Joy at Joys of Home :o) I found this tray at Ross for $3.49. It originally was just plain black...so in need of a makeover!!
Ihave also broadened my spray paint color collection...I now own Heirloom white and am a HUGE fan!
Now the plain old black tray is a beautiful creamy whiteI bought these wooden circle knob things and little wooden pot things at Michaels's and did pull out the black spray paint for these! Then I hot glued them to the bottom...I thought I would show a picture of my summer kitchen turned craft work area!The last thing I did was use some black scrolly rub-ons on the front of the tray and VOILA! I absolutely LOVE the finished product...soooo much cuter!
And this is the home of my new~ updated beautiful shabby chic ~ tray!!

~ I'll take the last train to Clarkesville ~

2008-10-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow the kids, Courtney and I are heading to Clarkesville, GA (not on a train...but the song works!) to spend the weekend with my parents, sisters and all the cousins. We are so very excited...almost giddy just thinking about how much fun we are going to have. Dad called and gave us the weather report and the high is in the low 70's!! Whoo~hoo...real fall weather!
The other little detail is that my internet is down at the house...boo! So, that is why I haven't posted anything in the past week. Hopefully next week we will be up and running again...just didn't want you to wonder if I had fallen off the face of the blogging world!

It's out with the old and in with the new...

2008-09-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

I'm the kind of person who likes things to change up a bit. Some families do that by moving to different places or some get new cars frequently but for me...well we aren't going anywhere (already got us a plot in the Oviedo cemetary!! j.k.!!) and we are driving the cars we have now into the ground, so making changes in the house is what I can do~
So, here is a picture of the "old" fabric that was on my kitchen chairs...can you see the greasy fingerprints? I swear, my kids thought they were sitting on a napkin at the dinner table with how many times they wiped their dirty little fingers on it!!
O.K. enough whining on that subject! My sweet friend Tara is helping me make some drapes...the tricky thing in my house is it is very open, so colors really need to play on each other and flow well. I finally found a beautiful brown,green,blue, and black striped fabric for the drapes but notice below...hot pink and green polka dots (although very cute!!) would not go!

Now take a look at the new and improved fabric below! I ABSOLUTELY love it...it puts a smile on my face when I see it:o) The colors are all there but in a WHIMSICAL paisley pattern. I know it is sort of summery, but HEY we live in Florida and it is basically summer all the time anyway right?! When we get the drapes done and all hung up "Nester" style, I will certainly post pictures for all to see~

And...a new rule in our house...Don't wipe your greasy fingers on my new cute chair covers!!

Get your own signature on your blog

2008-09-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

Some of you have wondered about how I put my own signature on my blog and I thought I would just post you the link where I started. Go to the link below and she gives great directions on how to do it! When you get to the actual signature page, I did not use my mouse to create my own...because it looked like a preschooler signed my name!! I just picked a font I liked for my signature...just a little info in case you thought I actually signed my name with a computer mouse that cute!!

http://stampinwhenican.blogspot.com/2008/03/want-to-add-your-signature.html

the weather is HOT but it is fall around here...

2008-09-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

I am definetely ready for some cooler weather...amen?! So, I thought if I started putting out my fall decorations, it might encourage some cooler weather! I love love living in Florida, but one thing I wish we had were four seasons, leaves changing & crisp air. Anyway...here are some pictures of what I have done around here to make it fall-like at our house. These frames had old pictures in them that I didn't like anymore, so I took the glass and picture out and painted the frames with some leftover acrylic paint I had laying around. The big one is a brown/bronze color and the middle one took about 5 colors to get it right!
This idea I absolutely LOVE but cannot take ownership for at all! I got the idea from The Joys of Home blog. The black berries wreaths are from the dollar store and started out as Christmas wreaths until I gave them a few sprays of black spray paint to give them a spooky look for Halloween.
The frame is from the dollar store as well...that's right...$1.00!!! I was supposed to print out the "BOO" letters but my printer ran out of black ink today and you know me...I couldn't wait. So, I just got out my paint pens and printed the letters myself.

the big second grader...

2008-09-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

I know I am behind on this post, but better is late than never! T.J. has had an awesome start to second grade...phew! Last year this time was rough! He has a great teacher who knew T.J. last year in first grade as she was right next door to his class...Mrs. Robins0n. So far, the only time he has been on "yellow" was he was finishing his work before the rest of the class. T.J. has a very competive spirit and likes to be the best at everything he does and apparently, finishing first is the best to him...we are working on that but do love his enthusiasm~

A work in progress...

2008-08-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today I got really inspired to get our master bedroom decorated...partly because I found these gorgeous plates...and the other part was that they were $1.97 on MAJOR clearance at Stein Mart...whoo hoo! I remembered some designs the Nester has created with plates and that also was a part of my inspiration. So...after moving two laundry baskets out of the way, making my bed and picking up the remnants of paper Gracie chewed and left all over my floor...here are a few pictures of the START of the END of decorating my master!

I think I might add a ribbon to the white plate?...aren't they the cutest?!!

A poem by Morgan...

2008-08-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

Morgan

Pretty,
Loving,
Kind,

Wishes to have wings,

Dreams of allowing public schools to worship God,

Wants to save homeless people,

Who wonders what heaven looks like,

Who fears of the ocean,

Who is afraid of dying,

Who likes spending time with my family,

Who believes in God,

Who loves my pets,
Who loves sugary things,
Who loves science,
Who loves sea turtles,

Who plans to be famous,
Who plans to change the world
Who plans to have a good family,

Whose final destination is…heaven.

Testing...Testing...

2008-08-26T13:50:00.001-07:00

I am just testing to see if my signature will end up automatically at the end of this post...hope it works!!

I love my new "mistreatment"!!

2008-08-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

Whoo-hoo...I did it!! My very first (and definetely not last!) window "mis" treatment! I got inspired by The Nester (hence the IDHTBPTBB motto...it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful). I started out finding this great tablecoth at Home Goods (one of my favorite stores) for $12.99! Then I folded it in half, nailed in some black circle rings into the wall and did a little poofing. Ahh...then my friend suggested I put a black feather boa at the bottom for some fringe and that was done today! I LOVE IT :o)...and the best part? No sewing whatsoever...all hot glue!

First day of 5th grade...last year in elementary!

2008-08-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well...Morgan started 5th grade today (sniff...sniff) and was so unbelievably excited! She looks so grown up in this picture! Her new thing is scrunching her hair with gel to make it look (& stay!) curly.
We made it a family affair today that started out with a special prayer for Morgan and for her first day at school. Then we all piled in the jeep and walked her in all the way to her classroom (and am sooo thankful she wanted us to go!)
This is Morgan getting into to her class at her desk. The girl the other pink shirt is a good friend of Morgan's from last year and was so excited to see Morgan this morning in class.
After picking up Morgan today, I asked her what the best things about today were and this was her answer...
"I felt so big and strong...cuz you know the 5th graders are all so big!"
"Alot of people said my hair looked good." and finally....
"Mom, they said if you forget to do your missed work then you will get a detention!"
All in all, she LOVED her first day and that is all that matters...until tomorrow!

Our family RV trip...movie to come!

2008-08-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

Both of the "beasts" parked at the welcome center in South Carolina...

We just got back from two weeks on the road in these RV's with the Okaty family. We camped in Hilton Head and spent the day in Charleston, Lake Toxaway, Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, and finally Stone Mountain in Atlanta. Hilton Head by far was our favorite destination. Our site was right in front of the tennis courts and pool and our lot was brick pavers so we didn't need to pull out the carpet! It was shaded by many beautiful trees and had asphalt paved roads that were awesome for riding bikes. We even rode up to an ice cream shop one night...so great! I am posting some of my favorites pictures but I will probably do a slide show because their are just too many!

Here we are in Hilton Head waiting to eat at the Salty Dog Cafe...2 hour wait!!

Todd (aka..."THE SEWER BANDIT"!!) This was his first experience emptying the sewer!

The kids feeding the fish at our campground. Their was this crystal clear creek running right through the campground...so beautiful!

We had a great day on Lake Toxaway as you can see! Morgan riding the hotdog with Alex and Reagan (friends of the Okaty's).

The picture above is of Mike, Nicole, Ethan and Emma...our sweet friends we RV'd with for two weeks.

We had an AMAZING day at the Seneff's home in Asheville! We got to visit with Tim & Michelle and their family as well as the Black family and Tim's mom. Swimming, soccer, fishing, eating, tire-swinging, talking, walking, feeding horses and just taking in the beautiful scenery were part of our day. Then to top it off, Mrs. Seneff graciously offered up one of the homes for us to stay in for the night. It was so nice to have a hot bath before we were on the road for another week :o)

Morgan and I at the entrance to the playground...it was more like an enchanted garden with a playset, tire swing and apple trees!

Check out Todd in this little car....too cute!

too pretty to eat....nahhh!!!

2008-07-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

while i was at the grocery the other day, the cake/cupcake/brownie/cookie isle was just a callin my name....so i visited them and decided to bring home yellow cake mix and strawberry and vanilla icing...mmmm! i had alot of left over random sprinkles and this is what i came up with! then i had to get out my camera and play. this photography thing is way new to me so right now i am just playing with my camera... love the colors of the cupcakes!

ya might be a REDNECK if....

2008-07-18T12:36:00.001-07:00

you find an ALLIGATOR chillin in your neighborhood!!! yep...we saw this "baby" on our way out to a friends house and of course i had my camera with me!

Gracie!!

2008-07-14T12:06:00.001-07:00

My dream of FINALLY having a puppy came true!! Last Saturday we went to pick out our little cockapoo...Gracie. As we were trying to decide on a puppy, we kept going back to her because we just loved her coloring! She was the only one in the litter with these colors...you know, she is already one of a kind! She has been such a good puppy...she only wakes us once at night to go outside and when she cries I just put my hand in the crate and she goes right back to sleep. She is coming out of her shyness and LOVES when we play with her. She is a ball of energy...great for the kids! Keep checking back for updates...maybe I'll have her in an outfit next time (hee hee!).

Rejoicing with friends!

2008-06-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

A day that is obviously special to us is the birth of our son, T.J. on Sept. 6, 2000 but another reason it is dear to my heart is that my sweet friend, Susan had her son on the same day and in the same hospital as me! I'll never forget the sound of wheels sqeaking on the linoleum floor as Susan & Toby were coming down to our room so our little boys could meet for the first time! I was just impressed she was out walking around...hee hee!! T.J. and Caleb became fast buddies as Susan and I hung out together alot...until the day they had to move (sniff sniff) Even though they are miles away we have still kept in touch through email and now our blogs (love blogging!!). They are a precious, precious family and I am just so happy for them....
One thing as Christians we are called to do is to rejoice with others...I am sooo rejoicing with dear friends, The Johnson family on the adoption of their precious daughter, Georgia Faith! She officially has the Johnson name! I know that God blessed their family with Georgia, but she is also being blessed with an awesome new daddy and mommy (and brothers and sister) that are going to raise her up in the grace and knowledge of the Lord! We love you guys and sure do hope that we will get to see you sooner than later!!

Goooo Wildcats

2008-06-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

Morgan has auditioned for her second show with a local theatre company. She really, really, really wanted to be Sharpay (as did 50 other girls!). She has definetely got the.... thing going on and personally I think would make a fabulous Sharpay :o) She is really girly, loves getting her hair and make-up done and wearing fun outfits. So yesterday was the call backs and I got there at the end to see what part she would get. The director called out name after name of girls with obviously the main parts to be called last. Morgan was still sitting their as she was giving away parts. There was about six kids left and she called out parts for the "JOCKS" and would you know it, Morgan's name got called!! I knew she would be disappointed and sure enough when we got in the car, the tears came flowing :o( I tried to tell her all the positives...you get to do the fun dance with the basketball, you are in alot of scenes, it might be fun to wear a basketball uniform and look like a boy for once (that was a stretch!). All she could say is..."Mom, I don't want to look like a boy!" Well, as the day went on she was better with it and after today's rehearsal she came running out saying how many parts she will have and had such a

positive attitude! That's my sweet-drama-girl...I mean...errr.... Jock??

From Daddy's arms...

2008-06-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

From Daddy's arms come...a giant throw in the air for a perfect cannonball in the lake, a touch on the shoulder encouraging you that you can do anything, countless hours of throwing the football, baseball and shooting hoops with you, lots of tickle marathons, holding hands in prayer time in the morning before each of you go off to school, secret treasures that he hides away to give you at the perfect moment, a gentle touch to your face to say "Morgan is Daddy's little princess ~or~ T.J.'s my buddy", a beautiful note he has written just to say he loves us and is thinking of us while he is at work...
Happy Father's Day to an amazing father to Morgan & T.J. and my wonderful husband! We miss you so much and can't wait to see you on Friday!

House of Blues!!

2008-05-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Just wanted to post a note to let you all know that on Sunday before Labor Day I came home to half of our house flooded!! The hot water heater (in Todd's closet) broke and water went EVERYWHERE! As of now, they are tearing up our wood floors in our dining room, den (where the pool table was), office and master bedroom carpet. It is an absolute construction zone! I have been mentally having a hard time dealing with it as the days get longer and it looks like it will be two weeks before flooring will be done. All of the furniture that had to be moved is in my kitchen, master bedroom (for now) and even on our porch. Just to give you an idea...today when I needed to get dressed I had to manuever between the piano, move a huge bookshelf, step on a pair of Todd's dress shoes (yikes!), squeeze in between the bed and another dresser...phew! I finally made it to my underwear drawer!! The shoes I wore to my bedroom I had to remove to go back to the part of the house not damaged so I wouldn't get wood glue everywhere! Anyway...that's what is going on here. Oh, I also have been trying to update my blog which I am at a halt since we don't have a computer at the moment, but I have lost all of your blog addresses. Would you mind emailing me if you get a second so I can re-enter them back on the blog? Thanks so much....I'll update soon!

Girls just wanna have fun!

2008-05-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend for our 6th year in a row, we got together for our annual Girls Weekend. We were sooo excited to have Mandy with us too! We stayed in Clarkesville at my parents house....thanks mom and dad! We went shopping at the outlets in Dawsonville and even saw Vern from Trading Spaces at Restoration Hardware!! He even opened the door for me :o) We also stuffed our bellies at the Smith House for a good ol' southern dinner! Fried chicken, fried okra, creamed corn, green beans and butter beans, rolls, sweet potatoes....can't you just taste it! On Saturday we were supposed to be on a boat and jet skis but when we got up it was 40 degrees!! These Florida girls just couldn't do it. So we spent part of the day at a festival downtown and ate a yummy mexican lunch. Then we all went back and some took naps, some read or did Sudoko!! What a relaxing day! We also cooked dinner together...food was sort of the center of what we did...but it was all good! Then it was off to Helen for dessert...candy apples, funnel cake and yummy chocolate! At night, we turned on the music and tried to dance some calories off. What a great, great weekend with the girls! Six down, sixty to go :o)
Twin sisters! Mandy and I bought the same outfit at Black House White Market...don't we look cute??
My daddy got up on Friday and cooked us a wonderful country breakfast! We felt like princesses being served. Thank you so much Dad!
A picture of my family...minus my sister Courtney. We missed you! This was right off the road on the way to Helen and it was such a beautiful spot to stop and have photo op.

This is a picture of me, Jen and Mandy at the candy store in Helen eating our yummy treats.

Mother's Day Treasures

2008-05-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning I awoke to two excited children presenting me with handmade treasures. There was a huge "Happy Mother's Day" sign, each one had a note of why they appreciate me (above), t.j. drew a picture for me and Morgan wrote me a letter. Also they had made coupons of things they will do for me. The funny thing was is on Saturday Todd had "confined" them to the playroom to "clean" and they both kept telling me they couldn't come down because they weren't finished cleaning...and they weren't fighting...and the t.v wasn't on...hmmmm! They were so adorable trying to hide what they were doing. Not only did this mean so much to me, but I was so thankful to Todd for "organinzing" all this to happen. They also presented me with beautiful pink roses, a Barnie's and a Sonic gift card. We went to church, then brunch and then on to Todd's parents to celebrate his birthday too! We had a great time over there and the cousins were so excited to see each other....it was indeed a great day!

The Big Apple

2008-05-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

Here we are taking a self portrait in Central Park. It was a gorgeous, warm day and we explored all around the park. Todd tracked in on his GPS and figured we walked like 5 miles! I broke down and put on my tennis shoes with my outfit...comfort beat cute!!

The tulips were breathtaking...this was one of my favorite pictures. Amongst all the yellow was one pretty red one.

While Matt and Todd were in meetings, Lauren and I hung out. Here we are in the courtyard of our hotel, The Palace. Lauren was freaking out because they were filming shots for "Gossip Girl" and all the stars from the show were there. It was a beautiful hotel. The best part to me was the bed...it was the most comfortable bed I have EVER slept in!!
I really wanted to see a someone famous in NYC...but we had to go to the wax museum to see them instead. Here we are posing with Julia Roberts....love her!

and with Jessica Simpson!

We did do the NYC thing and see a broadway play. We saw "Curtains", which was a murder-mystery with David Hyde Pierce (from Frasier). It was so good...my very first broadway show in NYC. I am hooked and will have to see one every time we go now!

Fun times...March and April

2008-04-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Athlete of the Week!

2008-04-15T19:10:00.001-07:00

This season the parents get to vote each week on who played the best to be crowned "Athlete of the Week". The child who gets the award is given a $10.00 gift card to Beef 'O Brady's. T.J. played awesome this past week and he won! He was so excited...as so were we! He has really grown to love soccer...basically any sport with a ball! He starts kicking the ball as soon as he gets home and loves to practice his punting for when he gets to play goalie...who knows, maybe one day he will be a kicker for football! Anyway, we are proud of our little athlete and wanted to share with you.

~ Happy Easter ~

2008-03-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

We had a great day today! We went to church this morning and walked over to The Townhouse for breakfast with our friends from the office, Karl and Jason. Then we went home and the kids tore apart the house looking for their Easter baskets! Next, we were off to the grandparents for Easter lunch and fun with the cousins. We had our annual Easter egg hunt in the backyard after a yummy lunch. Ham, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, rolls and deviled eggs...mmmmm...oh, and wacky cake, ice-cream and Grandma Carlisle's delicious cookies! The kids had such a blast playing together...making memories that will last a lifetime.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

freckles....

2008-03-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

Why in the world my kids argue with me about getting showers at night, I will never know!!! It is the most frustrating thing...you have been bathed your entire life and will continue to have to....why fight it?? Well, mine do. The other night as T.J. was putting up a fight about me making him get clean...like I'm abusing him...he told me "I wish I had freckles so you wouldn't know I was dirty!". I laughed so hard! Again, it is the literal thinking that I just adore about him...but he still has to get clean every night :o)

a fabulous day...

2008-03-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

a day off of work, calling one of my bestest friends the night before and asking her to go to the beach with me, she calls me to tell me "yes" with a sweet giddiness in her voice, riding in the jeep with the air whipping through our hair, having our morning coffee on the way there, tons of conversations from american idol to life now and how it used to be and sharing about our kids, stopping before the beach to use the restroom because we had kids (you know what i mean!), feeling the cold sand between our toes, basking in the warm sun, listening to the waves crash, watching elderly men look for treasures with their metal detectors, taking a few pictures to document the day, leaving fifteen minutes early because we needed to use the restroom again (b/c we had kids!), getting a value meal at mcdonalds to share so we could save money!, the FRIES :o), singing our heart out to a reba song we used to dance to in our line dancing years, the FRIES :o), listening to K92.3 but turning it down to talk at times, the FRIES :o), racing back to pick-up her preschooler (b/c we have kids!) in time, having your friend tell you "thanks, it was the best day"..... that is a fabulous day!! i love you elaine and can't wait to go again!

strawberry festival

2008-03-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

two weeks ago we went down to plant city to see our friends, the strickler family and go to the strawberry festival. this was the biggest carnival we have ever been too! we got hooked up with free ride passes, so we just went on as many rides as we could. we added up that if we would of paid, it would of cost us about$80!! go vicki, go vicki!! we were also blessed to go on the night that mercy me was playing and got to see them in concert...amazing! we went to church with them on sunday and then the kids played for a while. t.j. and blake built a ramp to ride their bikes off of...all i can say is "no emergency room visits!".

the jr bridesmaid and ring bearer....

2008-03-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday our office manager's daughter was married. She was also our babysitter for a few years. Whitney asked Morgan to be her Jr. Bridesmaid and T.J. to be the ring bearer. Morgan was overflowing with excitement but T.J. was a little hesitant at first. Whitney, Ann and the bridesmaids all came over Saturday to our house to get their hair and make-up done. Morgan was all about getting glamed up for the big event! She looked so beautiful and T.J.....hello, in a tux!! The boy gives us a hard time on Sunday to dress nice for church! He got into wearing the tux and even asked if we could keep it and wear it to church! What a gorgeous day it was....very windy at first, but the temperature was perfect and the sky was such a vibrant blue. Whitney looked stunning as you can see....

Hip Hip Hooray...Morgan gets an "A"!!!

2008-01-17T16:53:00.001-08:00

For the past year and a half, Morgan has struggled....and struggled with Math. We have had her tutored, given extra work, we have sat with her many late nights trying to explain concepts, and prayed together for help! Well....today I got a phone call from her teacher letting me know how proud she was because she had been able to tell that Morgan had really been working hard on her math facts (multiplication) and did really well on her multiplication drills. I was so excited at this information and then to top it off, she said that Morgan aced her Math test today!! Praise the Lord!!!!!!! We waited until dinner to tell her as a family and we were all clapping for her and singing her praises!! It was so neat to see the look on her face of accomplishment as for so long she has just been defeated with this.