Crazy Hair Birthday Party

This year Ash and I racked our brains for a birthday party idea for she and her friends, then I happened to see on Facebook something about a "Crazy Hair" birthday. I told Ash, and she was in all the way.

We had all sorts of things . . . rubber bands, pipe cleaners, ribbons, curling irons, hot sticks (yes the ones from 1993 that still work, can you believe it?), bobby pins, etc.
Nanna and Papa were here, but only for cake not to have their hair done.
The girls were put into teams (2 in each team), and we had several different categories to give away prizes.
They all had to come up with a team name.


The Crazy Hair Crew
Time for the cake. . . Mom always does such a great job with their birthday cakes.

Ms. Faith and Maddie were so sweet to get Ash a GA Bulldog shirt. .. their family are huge GA Tech fans. I'm so surprised Steve let her get it. . . they just love Ash-that's why :)


Okay, why in the world I have my eyes bugged like this I have NO idea. . .maybe its the fumes from the hairspray?

Ash - spunky, delightful, our girl who does everything BIG, servant, giving, and such a thankful heart.

Ash's BIRTHday Surprise!!!

My sweet friend, Jenn. B, is such a great mom. She is always inspiring me in so many different ways. . . she truly is one of the MOST thoughtful people I know.

One of the many things she does that I just love is on her kiddos birthday (she has 3), she takes them out for a special day.

This year, I thought I would start this tradition with my kids. Remember, on Alec's birthday, I surprised him with a trip to an Infantry Museum. It was such a special day for the both of us.

Well, my spunky, now 11-year-old loves horses. I have a friend at church that gives horseback riding lessons. So I set up a date with her to come to her house and surprise Ash. Ash was so excited all day and couldn't wait to see what we were doing.

She was ecstatic!!!

Here's my sweet friend, Jackie. Her love is horses and she has so much knowledge and taught both Ash and I so very much.
Ash was so excited, yet a little nervous when after Jackie taught her how to "steer" the horse, she let Ash loose. Thankfully as Ash has gotten older she's a little more tame. If she would have been 5, that girl would have that horse galloping through the woods.

Here's the end to our day together.
Well, the next day Daddy-o had a surprise up his sleeve. He woke her up early before chuch and took her out to breakfast. Such a sweet Daddy! Ash, Daddy and I love you oh.so.much, and we're so proud of the young woman the Lord is shaping and fashioning you into be!

Every Girl Loves a Tea Party

Thuu baby turning 8. Man, where does time go??? Well Hanna was going to have a Crazy Hair party like Ash, then she changed her mind to a Cupcake Wars party, and then after her birthday surprise to a tearoom, she decided she wanted to have a tea party. There was only one condition - we had to find all the "tea accessories" . . . i.e. tea pot and hats at a thrift store. We found a tea pot for 1.50 and found several hats and then bought flowers. Gigi helped me and really did the hats up nice. She's so talented and did a far better job than I ever could have.

I did "tea party" voice, and I don't think any of the girls liked it. They all kept looking at me like I was really weird.
Thankfully Gigi had given me this for Christmas about 8 years ago. I seriously just pulled it out of the box with all its wrappings still on it. See those things at the top. I couldn't pronounce the name of them, so I just called them "scrumpdiliicious". My little niece, Natalie, kept saying, "Aunt Michele, I want some more of that scrump."
Birthday girl!

Sweet Lane.
Natalie -isn't she adorable?
Sweet Skyler
Lovely Noelle
Love Kara Jane.
Even Daddy participated in the fun.
Time for the cake. See Hanna's picture on the cake? That was from our tea room surprise.


Gigi and Granddaddy
Here's Papa getting some more coffee -coffee it runs through our veins.


Time for presents.
Now on her actual birthday we had her birthday dinner, which I can't remember what she chose. Anyhoo, every year the kids get to chose what we eat that night for dinner. Here's some of her presents from our family . . . nail polish, of course.

A hermit crap. Kara Jane has one, and Hanna has been coveting that thing.

We all just sat around the table looking at it waiting for it to come out. Hanna's our animal lover. . . doesn't matter what kind of animal, she loves them all.

Hanna's Special BIRTHday Surprise

For Hanna's birthday surprise I told her to get all fancy because we were going somewhere mighty special - to a tea room. Hanna was oh.so.dignified . . . and prissy. Dignified she must get from her Gigi. Prissy comes straight from her mama.

This place was delightful, and I can't wait to take my Grandmother there and my mom and sisters and niece.
On top of good food and great atmosphere they had a ton of hats to try on.
Unfortunately, though, they were out of hot tea. I told the sweet lady, "Can we just have some sweet tea in a tea pot. . . just for the experience?" She obliged.
After lunch, Hanna and I had a BALL trying on different hats. At first Hanna was reluctant, but I got her out of her comfort zone.


I love this picture of my girl. . . Looks like she should be in "Steel Magnolias".
But, this face, right here, is her real personality.

So amazingly cute.


Hanna - you add so much laughter to our family. .. our little cuddle bug. You definitely complete our family, and Daddy and I love you so.very.much.

What's in a Weekend

Oh the weekends, glorious weekends. . . how I do love thee, especially when they looked like this one.

First, we celebrated Lisa!!! Like I told my 9th and 10th grade girls Sunday morning, when you get old you're idea of fun with your friends is going to Hobby Lobby, Cracker Barrel, and Starbucks. I'm so blessed to have such amazing friends and so grateful to celebrate Lisa and . . . goodness. . . 13 years of friendship??? Wow!!!! I always tell everyone Lisa was my first friend when we moved here. She remembers seeing Alec pee in the yard. . . NOW that was a LONG time ago!!!!

Our night was short on buying things (we were all trying to be thrifty. . . I was so thrifty I wouldn't even take my purse in). Although, we saw some really funny signs at Hobby Lobby that I almost went back out to the car to get my purse to buy. However, our night was NOT short of laughter. . . I mean LOTS of laughter!
We had Cracker Barrel for our grub that night, all the while gabbing from Hobby Lobby to Cracker Barrel then to Starbucks for Jenn's "decadent fudge pie" and coffee.
Lisa opened her present, but didn't read her card. She said she might cry!!!

I can't remember why I took this shocking picture of Jennifer. I DO know that I was laughing though. The conversation is never dull. In fact, we declared Tripp needed a metal because he was the first of the dads to have the birds and bees talk out of the men!! We had so many, make your stomach hurt, laughter over Griffin's reaction! These ladies always do my heart so good. And, to steal from Faith, I'm so grateful for my sisters!!!
Saturday I got up and worked some. Jon and Alec went to work on our rental house that was demolished. The girls and I went to the grocery store, folded laundry. Ash blew off the leaves on the driveway. We watched the GA/Kentucky game. Just a lazy/productive Saturday. . . if that makes sense??

Sunday was my day to teach. I am just plum crazy about my girls!!!! It was a very sweet moment, so many opened their hearts this Sunday. We always start off by asking if anyone wants to share how the Lord is working in their lives. It took a while, but all it took was one. . . and it just happened to be my sweet Shelby. The others then followed. We serve such an amazing God that He would even care to dwell in our hearts. We then had Upward lunch, came home, napped. I actually started to read a new book, "Southern Fried Sushi" my friend, Celeste lent me. We then went to a cafe in a nearby town with Gigi and Grandaddy. We had such a wonderful time of fellowship. Got home, brushed teeth, all piled into our bed and we watched TV. Jon and I were out by 9:00.

I love weekends like this . . . slow, yet busy, lots of laughter, and good, sweet fellowship.

Thinking Out Loud

My sweet hubby is downstairs cleaning up the kitchen from our full and busy weekend. While I have a few minutes I thought I'd sit here and blog a little bit.

What a blessing Jon is. . . he's always seeing how he can help me, even if he only has a few minutes to spare. I'm so blessed by him. He's such a wonderful man, husband, and father. Ash has been having a tough time emotionally and with her friends lately. Just about every Sunday and Wednesday she comes home sad or mad. At times I am either sad for her or mad and just want her to get over it and everybody get along. It's so hard when we have big hearts and love big . . . therefore, we get hurt big. Today, the children's choir sang during the service. Ash looked like she was going to bust into tears at any moment. I couldn't wait for that song to be finished. I couldn't wait to wrap my arms around my sweet girl and just love her. (Thankfully nothing was wrong and her big eyes just looked sad because she's so tired). Wednesday night she came home from church in tears. Jon was oh so very sweet and oh so very tender. He just got her to sit in his lap, let her cry, and listened to her spill out her little heart. . . he later told me "sometimes you just need to be loved on". Boy, how I know this and boy how i need to put it into practice. Not only is my man sweet, loving, and tender, but he's so fun. He has now named our family the "Fab 5". We all love it! Alec has been asked to be on a leadership team for our youth at church. They are headed out the door to go to that. Again, he's so sweet at helping me.

What a GREAT weekend we had. Jon and his friend Greg G. went in together and flipped a house and we closed this Friday. It was such a GREAT thing because the lady who bought it is a single mom in our church, and I taught her daughter in Sunday School last year. I was just as thrilled for them as I was for us. Our sweet friends came over for dinner and cards. We are loving play "Hearts" and "Set Back" right now. Jenn G. is such a hoot to watch play cards. She's such a great sport. What a fun night of fellowship we had. . . it didn't end until past 11:00. Jenn said she was about to pull out the sleeping bags. Jon and Greg were looking for more houses to buy. . .so their adrenaline was flowing. She and I, on the other hand, although we loved one another's company. . . we were drifting off fast. She's a mother of six and I had run 18 miles that morning. To say we were both tired is quite the understatement.

Saturday we had a soccer game, then fall festival at church. I love my youth girls so much. Renee had told me she wasn't able to go to "Secret Church" so Shelby wanted to ask me. It made me feel so good and thrilled my heart that she would think of me. BUT, we have a big race this coming weekend, so I can't go. It always feels so good to be thought of.

Saturday evening/night some more friends came over for fellowship and football. We girls sat around the table and talked and laughed! It was such a fun night and GA won!!! Whoop whoop! They beat the gators. I was so happy for Mark Richt. He's such an easy coach to pull for. . . he gave God all the glory. Our night ended with me heading to bed before Faith and Steve left. Faith was so sweet. She would tell me, " I won't think you're rude if you go to bed." I kept dozing off, so i decided to head to my nice bed with flannel sheets.

Speaking of flannel sheets. . . my sweet, sweet Ash. . . so very thoughtful that girl of mine is. With the first cold weather coming in, she surprised me and put my flannel sheets on my bed and made it up and cleaned up my room. Man, I love that girl and I certainly don't deserve to be her mom.

I just love teaching Sunday School. There are times when I think "this is what i was born to do". I just love seeing those girls learn and grow in our Lord. They bless my heart more than they could ever know.

I'm so glad my mom is back in town. I've missed her 7:15 a.m. calls every morning. She called me Sat. and when I told her how much I've missed talking to her she said, "Yeah I know, considering I'm the one who called you, you heifer." Being called a heifer is such a term of endearment in our family.

I'm so grateful for grace. I'm in desperate need of it, and I hope I extended it as freely as I need it.

I have so many posts rumbling through this head of mine. I just need the determination and the time to get them on here.

Better go. We've got church tonight and I need to prepare for discipleship with Lydia in the morning.

Tata for now!

It's 6:00 a.m.

I haven't forgotten about blogging. It seems when I am the busiest, blogging is put to the side. I have oh.so.much to blog about . . .as normal. However. . .

Right now, it is 6:00 a.m. and I AM NOT WORKING, which is what (Mon-Sat) I am always doing. While I'm on the subject of work, for the last 3 years or so I have HATED, DESPISED, and all the other words that go along with those, my job. I dare even say at times I've even been bitter about working. However, as the Lord has given and taken away and given again, my heart has changed. . . I'm actually liking working. I tell Jon that often. I have great bosses (I have 2 typing jobs). The dictators are great and I'm grateful. I think it is our degree of gratefulness that makes a difference in our attitudes towards the things we do or have to do. Even Tuesday as we had lunch with Granddaddy he was thinking about his mother (who is in her 90s and still living). The thing that he admired and thought of her the most was her hard work for her family. Now, I know I'm not on a farm picking cotton or tobacco as she was . . . however my candle does burn at both ends of the night . . . and if this causes my children and husband to "rise up and call me blessed" then I'm grateful. If it doesn't, then I'm grateful as well. Hard work was always stressed in my family, and the fact that for 3 years I HATED it and probably at times made my family miserable with my attitude about my job. . . I'm ashamed of. Praise God for his glorious grace and for Him sanctifying me through and through.

Sorry, I got sidetracked. This is NOT what this post is about. I'm not working, but what I am doing is listening to Veggie Tales. .. WOW! It's been awhile since I've heard that catchy tune playing. . . with an 8, 11, and 14 year old in the house that show no longer captures their attention. I'm here at my little sister's house. .. .3 hours from home. .. . keeping my precious niece Emory. Oh she makes my heart smile. She is adorable, and I'm so thankful to be here keeping her. Kristen has had her 2nd baby. . . Emmett . .. and he is adorable. I think adorable runs in our genes (along with cellulite, but we'll focus on the positives right now, K?) We've come here to keep Emory and do whatever in the world Kristen needs me to do while she is in the hospital. I'm grateful. Pictures WILL be coming SOON! For now, though, I'd better run. Emory is doing the sign (they are teaching her sign language) for "more". . . I think that means she wants breakfast. And, when she takes her nap and I run on the treadmill I will now be singing the song "because I love my duck . .. ." The good 'ole days of "Veggie Tales".

With a grateful heart,

Michele

You Know You are Getting Older When. . .

**after having coffee with a friend, a much younger friend, that you have so much fun together you just don't think about her age. . . after coffee, you get in your van and literally say outloud so only you can hear it, "Well, it's official I'm an older woman instructing a younger woman."

**you realize it is not worth starving yourself to fit into clothes you once wore when you were hungry ALL the time and mean to your kids. I'll take my bigger size and my 10 pounds and niceness over the "skin and bones" look I used to go for.

**you're 11-year-old is becoming a young woman, and when she realizes that she is beginning to look like you. . .and it totally disgusts her. I remember feeling this way about MY mom!

**the highlight of your day is when your dryer gets fixed.

**you've become your mother. It now takes me at least 30 minutes and 1 cup of coffee in the morning before I am capable of doing ANYTHING. . . that includes major things like work or minor things like brush my teeth.