Merry CHRISTmas!

I just wanted to wish all my friends and family a very Merry CHRISTmas! Don't forget the reason for the season...Jesus Christ. After all it is His birthday!

Jackson as Joseph at the Christmas play!

3 of my beautiful children

Ryan, Jackson and Mason

I Elfed My Kids

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Can it be?

Well, Ryan didn't get to enlist yesterday...but he will. His father was born in Germany and adopted and brought to the US as a newborn. He has to show his naturalization papers before Ry can enlist. Unfortunately his Dad is out of town til Friday. Ryan will have to go back to Jacksonville next week to finish the process. He was so disappointed. He was so funny as he was telling about his adventure, you know the military physicals. You know, turn your head and cough, need I say more? He is such a comic anyways and to listen to him telling what he had to do, well I was cracking up. I love him so much and was so relieved when he got home. I can't even imagine him going away in the military. He has my heart and will take a piece with him when he does leave in August. My first born is going to be a man on Sunday as he turns 18. It blows me away that he is almost an adult. My prayer is that he will take all that the Lord has taught him and uses it to be a very successful young man. I couldn't be more proud of him! I love you my little Ry-guy!

Ooh Rah!

So, I can't even believe that Thanksgiving is next week. This year has flown by and so much has happened. Today I am praying for my son Ryan as he travels to Jacksonville, Florida to go through the enlistment process to join the Marine Corps. I think I am more nervous than he is. If he makes it through this, he will go to boot camp August 2009, after he graduates high school. I am so extrememly proud of him. He will be 18 this coming Sunday. He is a fine young man! I have beeen very lucky with him. He is a good kid and I am proud to be his mother.

Living right here in the south with Parris Island right here in Beaufort, I worry about him going through bootcamp in August during the hottest months, but I am hoping since he is from here, he will adjust quicker.

Ryan and Bernie earlier this year

I had a weird moment this week. When Ryan made the decision to enlist, I was so proud that I wnated to call my family and tell them the news. One of the first people I thought to call was my Mama. Then I realized that she was not here, that she was in Heaven and she already knew and that she would help keep watch over him. She was always so fond of Ryan. I really miss her so much. I go and sit with her and my Papa at the National Cemetery often. But it is not the same as sitting with her in her little green house or going to lunch with her or just hanging out with her. She was such a cool grandmother!

Howwwwloween

My beautiful cowgirl...Jess My cutest ever Pippi Longstockings...Jordan

And last but not least, my scariest, most frightening skeleton guy...Jackson.

Adoption Rocks

So, if you didn't already know, my sister, Lori, is in the process of adopting a baby girl and we are trying to do all that we can to bring Baby Ellison home and into our family. With that being said, my nephew is an artist in training and he has his own version of the Palmetto Moon design. So we put it on T-shirts to sell as a fundraiser. We are selling them for $15. If you are interested, please let me know and I will get one for you. They are absolutely adorable.

Front

Back

Port Royal Bulldogs

Saturday was the team party for Jackson's football team the Port Royal Bulldogs. We hosted it at the pool house in our neighborhood. Tony made hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill and everyone brought a dish. The team rented an obstacle course blow up thingy-magiggy. We brought our basketball net down as well. The kids had a blast. The adults had a good time as well. We have all become a bit closer during the season. I am gonna miss them. We all hung out during practice and chit chatted till it was over. And Fun Friday's...what am I gonna do now on Friday afternoons? I am kinda sad about that. We had a great group of boys and personally I can't wait til next year, hopefully Jackson will want to play again. But for now we are getting geared up for basketball season. The fun never ends!

Our Port Royal Bulldogs (Jackson is #44)

Football field cake I made for the team party at our place on Saturday.

Jackson with Brad after he got his trophy. He was so proud. Well, I better change that, they were both proud. Crazy kids!

Spider Cake

I love creating and decorating and so when Amy (my sister) asked me to make a spider cake for her son, Austin's birthday party this Saturday my wheels went to turning. I love making things that I have never made before. She found this idea on the internet and gave me the idea. I love it. It was so easy and fun to make. So, since me and my family can't make it to Austin's party (we have Jackson's football end of the year party at our house), this is his birthday present from Aunt Angie and cousins.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN...WE LOVE YOU TOO MUCH!

You like?

Well lookie here, I got a face lift. I absolutely love it! Jenna did an awesome job. If you want to get your blog redesigned then go see her. Serendipity Designs is the place to go.

One another note, football and volleyball are over...yay. We probably have only a couple of weeks until Jackson starts basketball practice. Jessica is thinking about trying out for school basketball. If so she will start the first week in November. So off we go again. But for now, we are taking a small and much needed break. Plus, the younger ones are out of school for 2 weeks on intercession. I am so ready for home cooked dinners at home around the dinner table. No more take out and sandwiches.

Providing

My oldest son, Ryan, is following in his granddaddy's footsteps. Yesterday he went shrimping with a friend of his and they caught a big cooler of shrimp. He was so excited. They came home and he and Tony headed and peeled them. So for dinner last night we had fried shrimp. It was so neat. The kids gobbled them down and thought it was very cool that Ryan had provided dinner for us. It was a spectacular dinner. We all sat around a full dinner table. Tony's sister and Ryan's girlfriend ate with us. We blessed the food and had great conversation. Thanks Ry for such a great meal!

I'm trying

Oh my, I am so frustrated. I have the best blog designer ready to design my new blog header and what not and I can't get any good pictures of all my kids together...happy. I have tried snapping a few pictures when I can but they are never all in the same place at the same time and when they are...they are fighting and arguing about something. Plus, Lizzie lives in Illinois so I am gonna have to use an older pic for her. I have a great shot of her, Jackson and Jordan I can use but to get Ryan and Jessica to like each other for 2 seconds so I can take a picture is impossible. I am gonna try again this weekend. If I get nothing then I am gonna let her design it without the pictures. I hate that but I may have no choice.
Tonight I am going to spend some time with the best group of ladies I know...The Flip Floppers. I love these gals and am so thankful for all of them and the time we get to spend together. That is what is going to get me through this long day. FLIP FLOP

Bored

Today the kiddos had a day off from school, but unfortunately Mom did not have the day off of work so guess what...they got to go to work with me.  This morning I had parent/teacher conference with Jordan's teacher....she's doing awesome.  Then this afternoon I had a conference with Jackson's teacher....he is doing awesome.  So proud of you guys!  Sorry you had to be bored at Mom's work all day and not at home playing in the pool.  

This afternoon Jess has a volleyball game at school and then Jackson has football practice, a little bit overlapping, but we will handle it.  Always on the go!

Striped Bass

Jackson has done his first real project for school.  He had to pick out an animal and do some research on it.  He chose to learn about the Striped Bass.  Last night he had to do a diarama for his animal.  He put blue paper in for the water and rocks and grass for the river bed, then cut out construction paper and made reefs and fish.  I printed out a picture of a striped bass and he cut it out and stuffed it and hung it from the top so it looks like he is swimming in his habitat.  I think he did a great job with it considering he told me about it yesterday afternoon.  Nothing like waiting till the last minute.  Good job Jackson!

Exploring Life

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I'm gonna get a face lift...

I am so ready to start blogging again. I have been wanting to for a long time but I get discouraged when I look at it and it isn't pretty anymore. I am tired of the big ole X where my header used to be. My sister is getting hers redesigned so I am following suit. I can't wait.
Serendipity Designs is going to do it. Hopefully, it won't be too long.

So much has changed in my life and I can't wait to start to tell my new story....so until then.....

What was i saying about Jackson...

......Well, a few hours after my last post I got a phone call from the school that Jackson had broken his arm. I was at MaMa's house visiting when they called me, so I rushed over to the school. I knew it was bad when I pulled up and he was in front of the school on the bench sitting with his principal, his teacher and the school nurse standing over him. I swung my car around and pulled up next to him. I had no idea what I would find. They had his arm splinted with a piece of cardboard and a sweat shirt tied around as a sling with a bag of ice. I peeked under the ice and oh my goodness. He had a dip in his arm. Obviously, yes it was broken.

We buckled him in his seat belt very carefully. I was then a nervous wreck. He was hurting so bad. They said that he was swinging and fell out of the the swing as he was going back of course at the highest point. He had scrapes on his face too where he landed. I rushed him to the ER. We only had to wait about 20 minutes and they took us back. We made a point of sitting right in front of the triage room so they could see him crying.

X-rays showed it broken in 2 places. One was a clean break, the other was not. It was not a pretty picture to say the least. They sent us to another doctor's office where they proceeded to give him a shot of Novocaine in each bone. That was horrible! He screamed so loud, it absolutely broke my heart. Lori came with me and had to keep reminding me not to cry. Once the Novocaine kicked in they manipulated it back into place. It took 2 tries. Then they put a pretty blue cast on it and sent me home with a prescription of Tylenol with codeine and a very hurt little boy.

He slept with me all weekend, so I got absolutely no sleep. He went to school today. We will see how long that lasts. His fingers are so swollen. But he is my brave little soldier. So my very active and energetic little fella has slowed down just a little bit for the moment.

I am thankful to be a mother.

I always knew being a mother was a special job - I obviously had no idea how true that was until I became a mother myself. I have been a mom now for almost 18 years. I know that you hear people say all the time that they could not imagine their lives without their kids. Well, I am going to say that too. "I can't imagine my life without my kids." That is the way God intended it to be. I am so thankful for all of my kids. They are each one a very special blessing in my life and in other lives around us too.

Ryan,17, is a strong, young man who is trying to find his way in this world. He is very smart, probably too smart for his or my own good. He is quite athletic and full of energy. He has always been such a great help to me. I realize that I am hard on him and I have sheltered him quite a bit, but I think that he has grown into that and has made me very proud to be his mom. I don't think I tell him that enough.

Jessica, 12, is a funny and out going young lady. (She thinks she is grown, as they all do at this age.) She is athletic and smart. She loves to play fast pitch softball and has played since she was 9. She is "the little momma", as she helps me out a great deal. Being a single mom, I am very thankful to have a daughter like her to walk along side of me.

Jordan, almost 10, is a very special. She almost always does what she is asked, rarely do I have to ask twice. She is my quiet one though. She loves to read and is very smart. I am now finding out that she is quite athletic as well, playing her first year in softball. She is one of the relief pitchers for her fast pitch team. She is a rare gem and I am very grateful that God blessed my life with her.

Jackson, almost 8, is a very strong-willed little boy. He is set in his ways and doesn't take anything off of anyone. He is smart too. He gets bored very easily and is very creative. I try to encourage him to write, because he has an awesome imagination, but he is a boy and doesn't really like to do that. He loves baseball and basketball and wants to play football this year too.
He is a challenge for me and always keeps me on my toes, but I love him even more for that.

Being a mom is by far the hardest job I've ever had - and yet of course, the most rewarding. I am so thankful for all 4 of my children and I pray that one day they can look back and remember all of the things that I have tried to teach and instill in their lives.

Thanks guys for making me a MOTHER!

This is totally me...

What's happening...

Outside My Window... my car, Ryan's truck, softball stuff and one beautiful rose blooming in my garden.

I Am Thinking...about my Mama.

I Am Thankful...for my children all being healthy.

From the Kitchen... leftover spaghetti...yummy and sweet tea brewing.

I Am Going...no where tonight...just hannging out at home with my kids.

I Am Reading...lots of kid's homework.

I Am Hoping...that tomorrow is a beautiful day because we are going to be outside at the ball field all day.

I Am Hearing...my kids wrestling around on the living room floor...laughing and getting along...for the moment.

Around the House...got the washer washing, the ice tea maker making, the computer computing, the kids kidding.

One of My Favorite Things...is the smell of a fresh linens coming out of the dryer.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...well since the week is almost over, I hope to get in my studio sometime and make a purse or two, relax, clean house, taxi kids around

I'm Feeling...pretty good right now....things are really good.

A Picture Thought to Share for the Day...

My MaMa

It is 12 am and I just can't sleep tonight for many reasons. And so I thought....blog, Angie, blog! It has been like forever since I have blogged. I have been so busy lately. The kids are playing spring ball and work, that is about all I do anymore.

I feel like i have totally dropped off of the blogger sphere. Does anyone even come here anymore? So much has changed since I last poured out my heart here. So much! But at this moment I am typing with a heavy heart. My sweet, sweet MaMa is in the hospital again. She has been in and out for about 6 months now. She has had 3, maybe 4 back surgeries since November, been in and out of a nursing home. Now she is very, very sick. She has pneumonia really bad. The past few days she has been so sick that she has slept all day long. It truly breaks my heart when I go in and see her just laying there with the oxygen mask on and her eyes barely open. It is really tough for me. Yesterday when I went to see her I was really selfishly scared that she was just slowly fading away and that she was not even going to make it through the night last night. I can't imagine my life without her in it. I am the oldest of the grand children, so you know I am the favorite. :) I have so many happy memories that I shared with her. She loves to shop. She would take me on many road trips to see her sister, Aunt Gladys. I loved going there to see my cousins and hanging out with them. I guess eventually I grew out of going with her. Now I would give anything in this world for her to take me on one of our road trips.

Now my children have created sweet memories with her. They have spent the night with her, sleeping in the same bed I used to sleep in as a child when I would spend the night. Raking her yard for a few bucks she would insist on giving them. Picking her flowers to carry in a put in one of her vases. I feel very privileged to be her grand daughter and to have her blood running through my veins. She is strong and she is a fighter. She has fight hard for 6 months and I am very proud of her.

Last night when I came home, I was so burdened by my selfish need to have her here on this earth. I went into my bathroom and sobbed. I know that MaMa has lived a long, wonderful life and has experienced great things that she has passed on to all of us. We all carry a little bit of her with us everyday, where ever we go. I just hate to see her this way. So I prayed for God to keep her in His strong hands. I know that He has it, He knows what the future holds, what her future holds. I prayed that if it was His will for her to go back to her little green house then please start healing her as only He can. He can do it! I know that all of my family was saying the same prayer because today when I walked in her hospital room they had her sitting up in her fancy bed, she was alert and looking around, talking, she even tossed the therapy ball back and forth with me. She was smiling a bit and answering all the questions the nurse was asking her. She was quick to tell you what she thought of something she did or didn't like. My MaMa was back today. I was so happy and thrilled. I was amazed by the improvements she has made. Absolutely amazed!

Thank you God for answered prayer. If it is your will, then please continue to heal my Mama. Let us take her home to her little green house. Amen