Fun days

This week we had some fun days. My friend Jill and I took our kids to the Greenville Zoo. I affectionately call the Greenville Zoo "Noah's Ark" because it basically has 2 of every animal. It is the perfect size for children Aubrey's age because it isn't so big. It also has a great park/playground at the front entrance. We visited the zoo last June. I was extremely pregnant and it was extremely hot. It didn't make for a fun visit. So we went back this week and had so much fun. The weather was perfect and all of us had a great time. After the zoo we went to visit Jenny, my best friend since high school, at the school where she teaches. I hadn't seen her in about a year, so it was good to see her. All in all, a really fun day.

I have also been so creatively inspired lately by the fall weather and the scrapbooking class I'm taking. Jill and I share a subscription to a monthly scrapbooking kit The Scarlet Lime It is fabulous, but this month one of the kits was for a fall/Halloween garland. We got all the papers, embellishments, etc to make it and we could personalize it to fit what we wanted. I made mine this week and had such a good time. It says Happy Halloween and I hung it in the kitchen window. Aubrey and I also made some pumpkin bread, which I love and Mallory can eat because it doesn't have milk in it! Yeah! I am looking forward to making and baking more this week. I'm trying to stay at home more because of the gas situation. In our county, the gas shortage is pretty bad. Most of the stations are completely out of gas and when they get it, the lines are around the block. I'm doing my part to help this week by being a homebody! Rats! (:

Love to all my girls!

Happy National Women's Friendship Day to you! I am so blessed to have sweet women friends who inspire me, laugh with me, challenge me and encourage me. So I want to thank all of you for being my friend and loving me! As we say in the south, "Thank Y'all!" I love you all, near and far. Both of my sisters are my best friends and I don't get to see them much, so Leah and Beth, here's a long distance hug and kiss from me!

I had been wanting to do a layout about my MOPS group because I love it so much, so in honor of the holiday, and with inspiration from my scrapbooking class Red Letter Days, I did this layout on my MOPS group. It was inspired by page 123 of Elizabeth Dillow's book, The Scrapbooker's Almanac, which talks about National Women's Friendship Day. MOPS has been such a blessing to my life. When they asked me to join last year, I wasn't sure if I would like it. So I said I would join, but I asked if I could get a refund on my money if I didn't. They said sure, knowing that wouldn't happen, and it didn't. I love my MOPS group so much. It has been a blessing sent from God to encourage me and love on me. I have made many friends from it, and now I am the Co-Creative Activities Director with my sweet friend Nancy. It's amazing!

All my girls out there, I love you! Have a happy day!

P.S. - Jennifer, there's a new layout on the slide show! I knew you would want to know! (:

Thursday Things

I realized a couple of things in the past day or so. The first is, I'm getting old. I know physically I don't look old, but I can't sleep in anymore!!! That is such an old person thing. I never could believe it when older people would say, "I just can't sleep late!" Well, I'm there. I can't sleep much past 7:30 these days. Last night I was up with Mallory for an hour and a half so I was going to sleep in a little this morning. Nope, at 7:15 I was wide awake! I realize I'm not ready for the AARP, but it is truly amazing to me that I can't sleep in anymore.

The other thing I realized is that almost every week I say, "This has been such a crazy week!" I don't like my life to be so busy, but it definitely is at times. So, I'm going to work on that as much as I can. This week and weekend in particular, we have lots going on (actually I do) so I am really busy, but I'm planning on having a slower week next week. Say a prayer.

Fun things!

First, I found this website on another blog I visit. It is so fun. You put in your name and it tells you how many other people in the US have the same name. There are 233 people with my name, 427 with D.'s name, 12 people with Aubrey's name, and 5 people with Mallory's name. How cool is that? Anyway, go check it out. You may be surprised! Here it is: Names

The next fun thing is that a friend from high school found me and she and her family are medical missionaries in Paraguay. That is so neat! Her blog is really cool because she shows a lot of pictures of the people and the country. I have added her blog to my favorites next door, so go visit and say hi to Amy McKissick, formerly Amy Crittenden.

Last fun thing for you scrappers is that I start an online class today! Yippee! I am doing the class Red Letter Days with Elizabeth Dillow on Big Picture Scrapbooking I am so looking forward to it. Elizabeth's book was so great that I know I will love her class.

And to finish, I am putting a couple of pictures (actually a bunch b/c my sister Leah says I don't post enough pics) I like just because I feel like a post without pictures is incomplete. Have a wonderful weekend!

This is one girl who hates to be told no! Can you tell? This was the first time Mallory pulled herself up. It was on our dog gate!

Aubrey enjoying his ice cream at Chick Fil A. Also, I'm sure everyone in the US knows that if you turn in the toy in your happy meal at Chick Fil A you can get an ice cream, but I just learned that so Aubrey was enjoying it.

Aubrey in his booster looking so cool with his glasses in his shirt.

Here's Aubrey pretending to shoot the slingshot with the statue. He has been interested in slingshots since we read about David and Goliath.

Fun weekend!

This was a fun weekend. We started by tailgating at our local high school football game. We took some Zaxby's and sat out while the kids played on the practice field. We then enjoyed a great, though tense game. Our guys won, beating the #6 team in the state! Yeah! Mallory and I didn't make it through the whole game, but Aubrey and D. did.

Saturday was busy, but also lots of fun. We started it off watching College GameDay in the wonderful town of Gainesville, FL! Who wouldn't love that? Then the Higgins clan came over, had lunch and watched the first half of the GaTech game. We then went downtown for a special ceremony honoring D's dad. He was mayor for almost 30 years. The city named our plaza for him down by the railway depot. The ceremony was very nice, and it is really special that the plaza is named after him. Will be neat to take the kids and grandkids there in the future.

That night we had a great dinner and then watched the Gators play Miami. I won't lie, I was very nervous for much of the game. However, the good guys prevailed. The Jackets won too! All three of our teams this weekend, high school, GT and UF all won. How bout that?

Now I am eyeball deep in hangers and tags as I get our children's clothing ready for our local consignment sale this weekend. So I'm off to tag some more!

Go Sarah! Go Sarah!

Ok, I know I posted yesterday, but several of my friends did not watch Sarah Palin's acceptance speech last night. (I'm sure some of you are wondering how I could be friends with such people, but I still love them) Anyway, I told them I would help them by posting her speech on my blog. This isn't all of it, but just a part of it. I am so excited about her and the McCain campaign. She is an awesome woman who will be an awesome VP! So for all of my friends who didn't stay up as late as I did last night, here is a link to her speech.

Sarah

Movin on up!

This week we are movin on up!

Today is Aubrey's first day of K-4 pre-school. He went last year for 2 days a week and loved it, but this year he wasn't too keen on going. Last night we talked before he went to sleep and I told him that we would have a special treat after his first day of school. He said, "What special treat?" I told him we would go get an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen. He said, "That's not a special enough treat." I said, "What would be a special enough treat?" He said, "I think going to Bompie and Grandma Bonnie's house and going down to the creek with Bompie would be a special treat." I said, "I think that sounds great, and I'm sure Bompie would love that too." So, after school today that is what we are going to do. I am so thankful that Aubrey loves his grandparents and has a relationship with all of them. That will be a special afternoon for him. I am also thankful that he is in a wonderful pre-k program at our church where he is taught the abc's and 123's, but also God's Word and important Christian ideas and lessons. It is such a blessing. There are no girls in his class this year so far, so please keep his teachers in your prayers!

We were also excited this week when Mallory started pulling up on everything. One day I looked over at her and she had pulled herself up to standing! She is crawling everywhere and into everything now. This weekend at the lake, she didn't even want to stay in her baby pool. She wanted to explore the dock. So we are now in full force baby proofing and pulling things out of her mouth. (No quarters yet, Leah)

Tonight we get going back into our Wednesday night programs at church. I am leading the first through third grade children's choir this year, so that should be fun.

I'm also in the midst of watching the Republican National Convention. How exciting! I actually watched C-Span last night for possibly the first time ever! Maybe one day I will get to be a delegate. For now I will have fun just watching. My sis in law Amy was actually laughing at me the other day because I told her I had to get my Republican elephant Jibbitz out to wear in my Crocs. Can you imagine?