There Goes My Life...

Mother’s Day Tea.

This Mother’s Day weekend may have been the most precious one I have celebrated in my 12 years as a mom.  They have all been special, but this one was just so sweet. It started with watching Molly in her dance recital.  I’ve shared how proud I am of her for returning to dance after several years and how very proud I am of how hard she has worked this year. Watching her Friday night, I couldn’t help but tear up when I saw her on stage.

If Friday night was special, Saturday afternoon was to be treasured. The 4th grade Sunday school class at church is made up of all girls. Six precious 4th grade girls who have been friends since birth. They are very blessed to have a Sunday school teacher who is teaching them to be servants and young ladies of God. On Sunday mornings they have been helping with the toddler class and for Mother’s Day they have for weeks been planning a tea for their mothers and grandmothers.  Their teacher, Dr. Gentle, opened her historic home she recently restored.  She along with the girls treated us to an afternoon that I know we will always treasure.

Our hostesses:

Dr. Gentle and the girls planned it to the smallest detail.  We received formal invitations, and she and the girls planned the menu.  The girls were to each bring a designated treat, and they were each assigned a task on the day of the tea.  Some of the girls were greeters, some served punch, some served tea.  All were perfect southern young ladies.

 

Dr. Gentle surprised all the girls with aprons.  She had another teacher monogram them for the girls. Such a sweet gift.  Here Molly is helping Sara with hers.

Molly’s task was to serve tea.

 

Someone had the idea for each girl to pose with her mom and grandmothers for a photo.  I’m so glad we did that. The perfect memento from the afternoon.

After we had eaten and had plenty of tea and punch refills provided by our hostesses, we all gathered together on the screened in porch to chat. Each grandmother shared an etiquette tip with the girls.  Then the moms took turns expressing  their love and wishes for the girls and their futures.  As I watched these two sweet girls holding hands, I thanked God for giving Molly precious friends to grow up alongside.

It was truly a special time. It reminded us that we live in a world that spins way too fast. We were reminded of simpler times that even those of us who are true southerners have come to neglect. The art of entertaining.  It was so nice to slow down and just enjoy these relationships that we so often take for granted.

My beautiful dancer.

Today’s post is a a bit of a repeat of the post on my photography blog. Molly returned to dance this year after a 4-year break.  Most of the girls in her class have been taking dance continually since Molly quit her Kindergarten year.

She decided she wanted to return to dance last year. It wasn’t always easy for her, but she has worked very hard.  I could not be more proud of her.  She is so excited about her recital this weekend.  Last week we had a photo shoot of her in her costumes.

The theme for this years’ recital is “Work It.”  All the routines are career themed.  For her tap routine her class is performing to Bell Hop Boogie.  This is my favorite routine.  She loves this costume (so do I).

Her ballet is to True Colors.  The girls are artists and they have colorful streamers.

Molly wanted to do some of her ballet portraits in the museum courtyard. When we got there, there were a lot of people waiting in the courtyard for a meeting to begin.  So we were limited on what we could do.  She wanted one of the back of her costume, so we did get this one.

As we were going home Molly had the idea to go by our friends’ farm that I use a lot. I’m so glad she thought of it because I love these.

I cannot wait to watch her perform Friday. I love that she has returned to dance. This has been such a good year. Watching her grow. Seeing her want something and really working for it. I am so proud of my dancer.

National Scrapbook Day.

National Scrapbook Day was this past Saturday.  Did you celebrate? I didn’t get to do any scrapping on Saturday, but I did do a little celebrating on Friday using some new product by Gina Miller Designs.

(layout credits here)

I’ve also been busy putting together a Halloween album highlighting the kids costumes over the years.  For it I’m using a free template by Cathy Zielske. I downloaded it ages ago and am just now getting around to putting together my album.  It’s a hybrid album, and I have been enjoying using papers for a change.  I don’t enjoy the cleanup, but it reminds me of why I fell in love with scrapbooking many years ago. Her template is still available, so I highly recommend downloading it.

She also has a free template for NSD that I just downloaded. I love her style.  She has always been an inspiration to me.

I’m also downloading some new product from Digital Design Essentials.  I’m such a lucky girl to be on Gina’s creative team.

Scrapbooking more for 2013 was one of my goals, and I am so glad to be documenting more of our family’s life. I really had missed it.  It’s the little things in life. :-)

Easter 2013.

Well, it’s almost been a month since Easter, so how about if I post about it?  Sound good?  OK!

For the first time we hosted our church Egg Hunt on Saturday before Easter.  Our friends who usually host it at their home had a scheduling conflict, so we I volunteered. You know the real incentive for hosting a party don’t you?  Yep, getting the house cleaned and getting all those home projects done.  Well, the weather leading up to the big day was horrible.  I didn’t think we were even going to get the grass cut! However, we did.  Plus the flowerbeds weeded and mulched.  Easter was so early that nothing was blooming, but hey those flowerbeds were weed free!

It turned out to be the perfect spring day.  The kids had fun playing on the our playground before the hunt, and we managed to round them all up on the front porch for a group photo before they started gathering eggs.

Sunday morning the kids were up early.  The Easter Bunny didn’t disappoint.

He even came to see Chris.

I can remember the days when I made sure the kids had new spring pajamas to wear on Easter morning. I’m a little embarrassed by their sleeping attire here. At least Stewart’s pajamas match.

As is usual for Eater morning, we were in a rush to get to church after the extra activities.  You would think they would be faster getting ready when they have sugar for breakfast.  We paused just long enough on the way out the door for this quick shot.

And, I may be late blogging about Easter, but I have already scrapped it. :-)

(Elements from www.digitialdesignessentials.com)

So there! :-p

A new perspective.

This week I started on a Halloween album. One that I have meant to do for a couple years.  It’s highlighting our family’s costumes from over the years. But that is not what this post is all about.

I’ve gathered the images that I need, but I needed to refresh my memory to do my journaling. So yesterday morning I went through some of the archives of this blog.  I just clicked on November of the year that I needed journaling since I knew I would have blogged about Halloween in the first of November.  As I scrolled through the posts to find the one I was looking for, I found myself laughing out loud about the things the kids had said and done.  Soon I was cutting and pasting the text and sending it to Chris.

Posts like "”I Like Candy, You Know” and “Sooner or Later” when Elizabeth cut Molly’s hair.

Or this one that is one of the first photos of Stewart with B and tells how B came to be Stewart’s favorite toy.

Oh how I miss those days!  I told Chris the other day that I missed the days of having a preschooler at home. In those days, this blog was my link to the outside world.  Knee deep in Legos and Cheerios, I could take a few minutes while the kids were napping and vent or share.  Whatever I needed that day. As our lives have changed with the kids getting older and me working I have gotten out of the habit of blogging as frequently as I did back then. As I looked back through my posts from years ago, I was reminded how important it really is.  I was reminded about how quickly we forget (or at least I do) the things they say and do.

The first of this year, I made it a goal to scrapbook more.  I have stuck with that, and it has made me so happy.  I missed it, and I am glad I have made it priority again. Now I am also making it a goal to blog more about our daily lives.  If I don’t I know that the details of Middle School, swim team and dance recitals will also be forgotten.  The things they say may not be as funny, but the memories we are making are every bit as special.

Firecracker Chase Rewind

For years I have wished for the Firecracker Chase to return to Fayetteville.  It was my very first race. A race before I was a runner.  I have in recent years tried to put the bug in the ear of local organizations.  There are lots of local 5k runs.  Pretty much every Saturday of the year, you can find a 5k within 45 minutes of Fayetteville.  What Fayetteville needed was a longer race.  So when I received a message to come by the city recreation center to talk to Rickey, our recreation department director, I was thrilled to find that he was on the same page as me.  We chatted, and I put him in cotact with Steve, a friend and fellow runner and local race organizer.  The ball started rolling and after 20-years the Firecracker Chase will be run again on the streets of Fayetteville, Tennessee on Saturday, June 29.

The Firecraker Chase was the 10 mile race that was held in my town on or around July 4th.  When I was in the 4th grade I decided I was going to run it.  Had I ever run a race before?  No, not other than on field day at my school.  Field Day was a big event every year.  It was our school's version of the Olympics. All the classes competed against each other to see who could win the most 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbons.  This wasn't like the field days that our schools have today.  Those races like the sack race and 3-legged race.  Those were fun races and didn't count in the ribbon count. This was serious business!  We would have tryouts.  You had to be the best in your class to represent your class on field day. 100 yard dash, softball throw, broad jump, and the main event - the endurance race.

I can still remember that Glenda Norris was the fastest girl in my grade. No matter how hard I ran, I could never beat her.  Never.

I don't know what made me decide that I was going to run the Firecracker Chase.  I mean it was a whole lot different than the endurace race...like 9.5 miles different.  For whatever reason, I began my training. My training consisted of running from my grandparents' house down the road to my cousin's house and back.  Probably 1/2 mile round trip.  I did it day after day though. 

I can remember the day I decided I was going to do my first long run.  My cousin was in from Indiana.  She wanted to run with me, so I said let's go.  We met my mom on her way home when we were about 2 miles into this long run.  I was doing fine.  My cousin not so much.  She had fallen and skinned her knees.  A runner's got to be tough, huh?  So we kept going. My mom stopped and made us get in the car.  That would be my one long run.

Well, all my training helped. That year on field day, I found my pace in the endurance race.  I was right behind Glenda.  As we approached the home stretch, I made my move.  No longer drafting, I shot out from behind Glenda and sprinted to the finish line.  I was the first across.  My first blue running ribbon!

Fast forward to summer, and it was race day.  I have no idea why, but my parents weren't there that day.  My cousin, Scotty, who was in 6th grade was also running, so I rode to the race with my aunt and uncle. We started out, and I was doing good.  After a while, probably a mile in, Scotty left me because he had to if he was going to win the race, right?  I knew he was a lot fast than me, and at this point the police car was behind me.  For those who might not know, there is a  police car in front of the runner in first place, and there is a police car behind the runner in last place.  

I kept going.  I ran and ran and ran.  I ran farther than I had ever run before. I remember crossing the downtown square and people cheering for me.  I'm not sure how much further I went after that. Being an adult runner who runs all over the streets of our town,  I am guessing that I ran 3 or 4 miles. Pretty far for a 9 year-old.  I remember seeing my aunt and uncle parked on the side of the street, and I decided I had gone far enough.  I got in the car, and we went to find my cousin. I remember seeing him on the last stretch before returning to the finish line at the recreation center.  He did it.  10 miles.

Fastforward 30 years, and I am going to get the chance to finish the race that I started as a 4th grader.   This time I hope to not see the police car behind me.  But you know what?  He's got to be behind someone.  And that person, well...they're doing more than most.  And as someone who has had the police car behind them, I can testify that there are worse things in life. This time, I'm just going to try to be one of the first 100 and get my finisher's medal.   I'm just wishing that I still had that baby blue t-shirt to go with it. ;-)

Trips of last summer.

It's time to start thinking about what we're going to be doing this summer, and I am finally scrapping our mini-vacation last summer.  I'm so ready for school to be out for summer.  Less than a month to go.  Our calendar is filling up fast. Swim team starts before school is even out.  

Chris is going back to Honduras for a week in July.  

The girls will most likely go to church camp.  

I have two weeks of band camp.  Well, it's looking like that may be three weeks.  Yes, for those who don't know, I am, the new flag instructor at my high school.  That's a whole other blog post.  Today, I'm sharing a couple layouts I did of last summer. 

This was the trip that the kids earned by reading 6 hours. Well, they earned free tickets to Six Flags.  We made a mini-vacation out of it.  We spent the night in Atlanta and also went to the American Girl store.  I wonder if that was our last trip.  I think Elizabeth has about outgrown AG. Sigh. At least I have the memories

 (layout credits here)

I'm looking forward to our trip back to Six Flags.  Last year was the firs time we had been.  We all had a great time. I do know we will all wear fast drying clothes this trip!

(all items from www.digitaldesignessentials.com)

Come on summer!  I'm ready for some fun!

 

Our Cubscout.

This is Stewart’s first year in Cub Scouts.  We were thrilled when he said that he thought he would like to try scouts.  This is the boy who likes no sports.  He wasn’t even interested in joining the Lego Team at his school.  He does love the outdoors, so this is a natural fit.

We found a den, bought his uniform and handbook,  and Chris and he started going to the weekly meetings.

Just after the first of the year it was time to get ready for the Pinewood Derby.  The boys were all given a kit – really a block of wood. Chris and Stewart started talking about the design.  I was proud of Stewart because he knew exactly what he wanted his car to look like.  He had the Bat Mobile in mind.  Well, with a twist.  It would have a Superman style S on the front.  Not for Superman.  No, this S is for Stewart!  The Stewie Mobile was born.

It was so fun to watch the boys.  They were so excited to race their cars.

Stewart’s car had a good run.  he won several races.  The boys who were racing would take their places at the end of the track. 

In the end his car didn’t win, but he didn’t come home empty handed.  No, he came home with a trophy for his shelf.  This super cool car that he designed won Best in Show!

This past Monday was the Blue and Gold Banquet.  This was the night that the boys received their badges in their crossover ceremony. Stewart is now a wolf.

He is looking forward to some fun adventures in the summer.  I hope this is just the beginning of his Boy Scout journey and there are many more memories to be shared.

A belated birthday post.

This post may be belated, but the party was not.  My mother-in-law has asked me more that once about the photos I took during her 70th birthday celebration.  That is one of the things about having a photographer in the family.  The pictures get taken, but they often go unedited for longer than you would like.

She also mentioned last weekend that she checks my blog often, but I haven’t posted anything in some time.  Sigh.  I know.  I have intentions day after day to blog, and stuff just gets in the way.  Well, today, I have a little break in between editing sessions, so this post is in honor of my wonderful mother-in-law.

For her 70th birthday, my father-in-law planned a party for her.  He hired a local chef to come to their home to cook dinner for family and friends.

Chatting with Richie as he cooks:

It was a seafood meal.  Yum.

It was very special day for a very special lady. I love this Happy Birthday singing series.

There are a lot of mother-in-law jokes out there, and I’ve heard lots of people complain about their mother-in-law.  I feel sorry for them because they obviously don’t have a mother-in-law like I do.  My mother-in-law is kind, thoughtful, and caring.  She is truly beautiful inside and out.  I love her dearly, and appreciate the wonderful man she raised to love me. 

Remembering a less happy time.

Just now I was dusting the shelves in our study.  Something that doesn’t get done as often as it should. I cleared a shelf that held a scrapbook album I did some 8 years ago.  It was for a Chatterbox contest. My album didn’t win, but it is one that I treasure.  It’s called 32 Lessons.  Yes, I was 32 then.  I included a life lesson I had learned for each of my 32 years. This time when I lifted it from its place on the shelf, I opened it and read a few pages.

Lessons 3 through 5 are on prayer and as I read that page, a flood of emotions came over me.  My eyes were suddenly filled with tears as I was taken back to the days of heartache when I so desperately wanted a child.  Here is my journaling.

I thought I was a person of faith.  I believed in God, and I thought I knew about the power of prayer.  As the months turned into years and Chris and I still did not have a baby, I found myself doubting.  I continued to pray every day and night.  Often I would fall asleep praying to God for this to be the month – for this to be the month that I would finally conceive and have a good pregnancy.  I prayed, but in the back of my mind I thought there was no point – that I was never going to be a mommy.  After my second failed pregnancy, we were given some less than encouraging news from my doctor.  Somehow this was a turning point for me.  I told myself that I was going to have a baby.  That there might be more disappointments, and it might not be soon, but one day I was going to be a mommy.  I went back to my bible.  I wrote down Mark 11:24 and carried it with me everywhere I went.  I read it daily, and I continued to pray just like I had.  Well, not just like I had – I prayed with faith.  That was what I had been lacking.  That month I became pregnant.  Pregnant with my precious Elizabeth.  After the birth of Elizabeth we were stunned and delighted to be expecting our second baby before Elizabeth turned one year old.  God has blessed us beyond measure and in the process has taught me a valuable lesson.  He taught me the importance of prayer with faith.

I remember that dark time so well.  It’s been almost 12 years, and I can still remember the heartache. Today I pray for all those couples who as struggling with infertility. A pain that you cannot know unless you have been there.  The roller coaster of emotions that you go through each and every month. For those mommies that lost babies who faces they will never see.  I still think of my angels in heaven. I especially think of my first when I see my nieces who are the the age he or she would have been.  I cry tears for these couples today and hope that this will give them the strength and faith they need to continue on.

Therefore I say unto you, Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them.  Mark 11:24