One of my new year's goals this year was to try and stay more positive. I tend to let a lot of people/situations/stupid stuff at work get to me, and then I bring that frustration home and unleash it around here. I hate doing that, so I am trying really hard to improve. I'm also trying really hard to let go of things at work and not get so frustrated and people/situations/stupid stuff in the first place.
Today has been a trying day. I actually got really worked up over a couple of things. I actually spouted off to some coworkers about those frustrating things... then I immediately felt horrible for doing so. I don't want that kind of negativity in my life anymore.
So, to restore some balance, I am posting something positive about the day. And right now, the most positive thing I can say is... YAY!!! This day is almost over! :)
EDIT - Barry just took the kids to activities tonight. That really makes me happy!! That is a great positivie to wash away everything else. :)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Been playing...
With my new silhouette, and this is my first completed project... SO EXCITED!!!
I've loved this quote forever, and knew it was the first project I wanted to do. I also have been wanting to change up my tiles for a while, so the two just seemed to scream to go together!
Hmmm... I am thinking no surface in the house is now safe!
I've loved this quote forever, and knew it was the first project I wanted to do. I also have been wanting to change up my tiles for a while, so the two just seemed to scream to go together!
Hmmm... I am thinking no surface in the house is now safe!
More snow pictures
At the end of the day on Monday, the kiddos looked out their windows at all the snowmen that were popping up in the neighborhood. They decided, then, that we needed to build one, too. So out we all went again, but daddy had an idea. Instead of a traditional snowman, the kids packed buckets full of snow, then stacked them up.
They played with the face a bit more, then called it done...
Tuesday morning Megan hopped up before anyone else and raced outside to build another snowman. She got a pretty good base built, then decided to build an igloo instead. She was out there for hours by herself working, but in the end she was very pleased with it.
Then Josh decided to get creative and make a snow fort. For some reason he decided that he needed to tear apart the snowman and use it for his base... not sure why, there was still PLENTY of snow on the ground. Not sure what happened then, but the next thing I hear from him, he is yelling at me to come take pictures of his creation... a double sided couch!
They all sat on it long enough for me to get a picture, then started complaining of it being cold... go figure! ;)
They played with the face a bit more, then called it done...
Tuesday morning Megan hopped up before anyone else and raced outside to build another snowman. She got a pretty good base built, then decided to build an igloo instead. She was out there for hours by herself working, but in the end she was very pleased with it.
Then Josh decided to get creative and make a snow fort. For some reason he decided that he needed to tear apart the snowman and use it for his base... not sure why, there was still PLENTY of snow on the ground. Not sure what happened then, but the next thing I hear from him, he is yelling at me to come take pictures of his creation... a double sided couch!
They all sat on it long enough for me to get a picture, then started complaining of it being cold... go figure! ;)
Monday, January 10, 2011
Snow Day!
The last time I remember snow like this on the ground was March of 1993... the weekend that Barry, his Dad, Kayti and I were all supposed to head out to Utah for Dawn and Shawn's wedding. We had to postpone our trip a day because the roads were so bad. Last week as I listened to the weather men all talk about the possibility of snow that was moving into our area, I really doubted that we would get much. But at the same time, I also knew that we had to get prepared, just in case this time they got it right. Growing up in the South taught me that you can never be too prepared when snow actually does hit... I can remember being showed in and without power when I was a teen-ager. That storm lasted weeks, and we were all so stir crazy by the time it was over.
I planned on trying to leave work a little early on Friday to get my grocery shopping done. Saturday was my regularly scheduled day, but I knew the stores would be PACKED and I wanted to avoid them. I didn't get there as early as I would have liked, and the place was a total zoo. There were a few aisles you could not even walk down, and lots of bare shelves, too. But, I got the majority of my shopping list checked off, and decided that what I didn't get could wait.
Barry and I watched the skies yesterday afternoon and evening. We were actually a little surprised when the weather men were still predicting 4-8 inches, then 6-10 inches of snow. These things usually go all around us, or fall apart the closer they get to us. Barry was cracking me up last night. He would check the radar, then run outside to see if he could see any flakes. Finally around 9:00 last night, he opened the front door and the ground was already white. He and I decided to bundle up and go for a walk. Kyle and Megan joined us... we didn't go far. The snow was coming down fast and hard, and so we turned around and came back home. The sky was so weird last night... we even saw the lightening and heard the thunder - Snowthunder. One of the weather men was saying that conditions like that could dump as much as 4 inches of snow in an hour. And on top of that, everything was just kind of glowing.
What a wonderland we woke up to today. We have been more out today than in, I think. Went for a walk, tried to build a snowman, then spent a long time sledding. The pictures can say it better than I can, but we have had a BLAST today!
We are so glad that Barry has been home with us today! The kids and I will be home again tomorrow, but I'm not sure if Barry will get to or not... we hope so, though! I've hated having to give up our spring snow days, but at least we have something fun to show for it!!
I planned on trying to leave work a little early on Friday to get my grocery shopping done. Saturday was my regularly scheduled day, but I knew the stores would be PACKED and I wanted to avoid them. I didn't get there as early as I would have liked, and the place was a total zoo. There were a few aisles you could not even walk down, and lots of bare shelves, too. But, I got the majority of my shopping list checked off, and decided that what I didn't get could wait.
Barry and I watched the skies yesterday afternoon and evening. We were actually a little surprised when the weather men were still predicting 4-8 inches, then 6-10 inches of snow. These things usually go all around us, or fall apart the closer they get to us. Barry was cracking me up last night. He would check the radar, then run outside to see if he could see any flakes. Finally around 9:00 last night, he opened the front door and the ground was already white. He and I decided to bundle up and go for a walk. Kyle and Megan joined us... we didn't go far. The snow was coming down fast and hard, and so we turned around and came back home. The sky was so weird last night... we even saw the lightening and heard the thunder - Snowthunder. One of the weather men was saying that conditions like that could dump as much as 4 inches of snow in an hour. And on top of that, everything was just kind of glowing.
What a wonderland we woke up to today. We have been more out today than in, I think. Went for a walk, tried to build a snowman, then spent a long time sledding. The pictures can say it better than I can, but we have had a BLAST today!
We are so glad that Barry has been home with us today! The kids and I will be home again tomorrow, but I'm not sure if Barry will get to or not... we hope so, though! I've hated having to give up our spring snow days, but at least we have something fun to show for it!!
Monday, January 3, 2011
December 2010
I decided that I had to get this posted before I head back to work today...
What a wonderful month December has been! I've enjoyed it from beginning to end. (Didn't really mean that to rhyme;) )
At the beginning of the month I was invited to go with some friends from work to the Athens Christmas parade. It just happened to fall on the same night as our ward's extra Relief Society meeting. I have to honestly say that I have not really attended Homemaking/Enrichment/Extra Meeting in a V.E.R.Y. long time... at least not since we moved to Madison, so I didn't really feel guilty about going to the parade instead. But, the closer the time came, the more I felt like I should go to RS, and I'm really glad that I did. It was a simple program, but I came away with a wonderful feeling, and felt a little bit closer to my Savior.
The next weekend was the Stake Christmas festival. I had invited a friend to come with me, but she had to cancel at the last minute, so just the girls and I went. The concert was awesome, the trees/nativities/quilts were beautiful, and the live nativity was inspiring. I appreciate all the hard work that everyone puts into this festival. I know it is a TON of hard work, but it really is the highlight of the season.
The next weekend was the ward Christmas party. I was in charge of the "carnival" that we had after a yummy brunch. We did activities for the primary age chilren... a craft, face paining and cookie decorating. The awesome youth of the ward helped me out a ton, and it was a great morning.
I was really excited to decorate the house this year. I have had so much fun crafting. I haven't crafted like I did in a long time, and it felt really good to just be creative again. I made a sign for the front entryway, decorated a new wreath, etched some glass to hold candles, created some fun ornaments, made some blocks for the mantle, a Christmas countdown, and even made my Christmas cards this year! I must admit... I had a some help with some of the materials, but it was fun to put it all together. We opted for a live tree this year... mainly because out artificial tree was being put to good use elsewhere. This is the first live tree that Barry and I have ever bought... we have gone out to my parent's and cut down a few trees, but they mainly have cedar trees, and the last one we brought home about killed my allergies. I was tickled with the tree we picked out, and we were thrilled that it didn't cost us too much. The only major disappointment with the live tree was that a lot of our ornaments were too heavy to go on it, but it still looked beautiful. I have put my "charlie brown" trees out front on my porch for years now, but this year I decided that they needed to come inside. I found the perfect home for them on either side of my entertainment center.
The week of Christmas had us busy making goodies and visiting. The kids and I always make something to take to Barry's work and visit with him there for a bit. He enjoys showing off the kids. :) For as long as I can remember, we have spent Christmas Eve with some good friends of ours, the Sparkman's. Barry and Mike worked together at the Cookie Company when Barry and I first got married, and we all moved to Nashville together as well. We then moved back to Huntsville together a few years later, and continued the tradition of Christmas Eve together. We meet up at Mike's parent's house, and Momma Sparkman makes a feast of Italian Sausages, chips, dip, cookies, pies, cakes... you get the idea! We always stay there way too late, but we enjoy the company and catching up. We also started a tradition years ago of heading out early and looking at Christmas lights before we go to the Sparkman's. This year we headed down to South Huntsville, and found the best neighborhood ever! Every street you turned down had one awesome display after another! We got so wrapped up looking at the lights that the Sparkman's had to call us to see if we were coming or not!
This is the first year ever that Barry and I have stayed up all hours of the night putting together a gift. We got the boys a ping-pong table, and that thing was a beast to put together! We didn't get started until after 11:00 PM, and finally got it finished around 3:00 AM. After it was done, Barry headed out to see if he could find any gas stations still open, because he needed a Mountain Dew! When he got back he told me that it was starting to sleet outside, and maybe we just might get some of the white stuff the weather men had been saying was coming our way.
We have a rule in our house... the kids are not allowed up (or at least not allowed to get us up) before 7:00 AM. I have to admit that most years I am the first one up, and usually it is much earlier than 7:00, but not this year. I was still so tired from being up so late that I slept until the kids couldn't take it anymore, and came to grab me so I could see the snow. It was about 6:45 when they got me up, but I decided to stay up and light the fire in the fireplace and enjoy the beauty of the falling snow. Barry was up a few minutes later, and we read the Christmas story from the Bible, then went to open presents. The kids and Barry were all thrilled with their gifts, and Barry surprised me with a Silhoutte die cut machine! After the living room was picked up, and we had breakfast, we headed outside for some fun in the snow. It has been a really long time since we have seen snow like that come down around here. The last really big snow that I can remember was at least 15 years ago, but never on Christmas day. It was like an added present, and made for a perfect Christmas.
I had to include the above photo... this is the "after" of our morning, but it's the only picture I got of all the trees and mantle together.
Thankfully road conditions allowed us to get to the Callahan's for Christmas dinner. We enjoyed yummy food, and time with family. The kids exchanged handmade gifts, and had a ball! It was so much fun to see how creative they each got.
We were supposed to go to Fayetteville on Sunday to spend Christmas with my family, but icy roads kept that from happening. Instead we all stayed in on Sunday and enjoyed a quiet day. Things cleared up enough on Monday that my mom was able to come and stay with us for a few days, then we finally got the whole crew together on Wed. night for our family dinner and cousin gift exchange.
I have been so filled with a Spirit of Peace this month, and so grateful for my Savior. I am thankful for each and every blessing. I am thankful to have family and good friends to share the season with.
What a wonderful month December has been! I've enjoyed it from beginning to end. (Didn't really mean that to rhyme;) )
At the beginning of the month I was invited to go with some friends from work to the Athens Christmas parade. It just happened to fall on the same night as our ward's extra Relief Society meeting. I have to honestly say that I have not really attended Homemaking/Enrichment/Extra Meeting in a V.E.R.Y. long time... at least not since we moved to Madison, so I didn't really feel guilty about going to the parade instead. But, the closer the time came, the more I felt like I should go to RS, and I'm really glad that I did. It was a simple program, but I came away with a wonderful feeling, and felt a little bit closer to my Savior.
The next weekend was the Stake Christmas festival. I had invited a friend to come with me, but she had to cancel at the last minute, so just the girls and I went. The concert was awesome, the trees/nativities/quilts were beautiful, and the live nativity was inspiring. I appreciate all the hard work that everyone puts into this festival. I know it is a TON of hard work, but it really is the highlight of the season.
The next weekend was the ward Christmas party. I was in charge of the "carnival" that we had after a yummy brunch. We did activities for the primary age chilren... a craft, face paining and cookie decorating. The awesome youth of the ward helped me out a ton, and it was a great morning.
I was really excited to decorate the house this year. I have had so much fun crafting. I haven't crafted like I did in a long time, and it felt really good to just be creative again. I made a sign for the front entryway, decorated a new wreath, etched some glass to hold candles, created some fun ornaments, made some blocks for the mantle, a Christmas countdown, and even made my Christmas cards this year! I must admit... I had a some help with some of the materials, but it was fun to put it all together. We opted for a live tree this year... mainly because out artificial tree was being put to good use elsewhere. This is the first live tree that Barry and I have ever bought... we have gone out to my parent's and cut down a few trees, but they mainly have cedar trees, and the last one we brought home about killed my allergies. I was tickled with the tree we picked out, and we were thrilled that it didn't cost us too much. The only major disappointment with the live tree was that a lot of our ornaments were too heavy to go on it, but it still looked beautiful. I have put my "charlie brown" trees out front on my porch for years now, but this year I decided that they needed to come inside. I found the perfect home for them on either side of my entertainment center.
The week of Christmas had us busy making goodies and visiting. The kids and I always make something to take to Barry's work and visit with him there for a bit. He enjoys showing off the kids. :) For as long as I can remember, we have spent Christmas Eve with some good friends of ours, the Sparkman's. Barry and Mike worked together at the Cookie Company when Barry and I first got married, and we all moved to Nashville together as well. We then moved back to Huntsville together a few years later, and continued the tradition of Christmas Eve together. We meet up at Mike's parent's house, and Momma Sparkman makes a feast of Italian Sausages, chips, dip, cookies, pies, cakes... you get the idea! We always stay there way too late, but we enjoy the company and catching up. We also started a tradition years ago of heading out early and looking at Christmas lights before we go to the Sparkman's. This year we headed down to South Huntsville, and found the best neighborhood ever! Every street you turned down had one awesome display after another! We got so wrapped up looking at the lights that the Sparkman's had to call us to see if we were coming or not!
This is the first year ever that Barry and I have stayed up all hours of the night putting together a gift. We got the boys a ping-pong table, and that thing was a beast to put together! We didn't get started until after 11:00 PM, and finally got it finished around 3:00 AM. After it was done, Barry headed out to see if he could find any gas stations still open, because he needed a Mountain Dew! When he got back he told me that it was starting to sleet outside, and maybe we just might get some of the white stuff the weather men had been saying was coming our way.
We have a rule in our house... the kids are not allowed up (or at least not allowed to get us up) before 7:00 AM. I have to admit that most years I am the first one up, and usually it is much earlier than 7:00, but not this year. I was still so tired from being up so late that I slept until the kids couldn't take it anymore, and came to grab me so I could see the snow. It was about 6:45 when they got me up, but I decided to stay up and light the fire in the fireplace and enjoy the beauty of the falling snow. Barry was up a few minutes later, and we read the Christmas story from the Bible, then went to open presents. The kids and Barry were all thrilled with their gifts, and Barry surprised me with a Silhoutte die cut machine! After the living room was picked up, and we had breakfast, we headed outside for some fun in the snow. It has been a really long time since we have seen snow like that come down around here. The last really big snow that I can remember was at least 15 years ago, but never on Christmas day. It was like an added present, and made for a perfect Christmas.
I had to include the above photo... this is the "after" of our morning, but it's the only picture I got of all the trees and mantle together.
Thankfully road conditions allowed us to get to the Callahan's for Christmas dinner. We enjoyed yummy food, and time with family. The kids exchanged handmade gifts, and had a ball! It was so much fun to see how creative they each got.
We were supposed to go to Fayetteville on Sunday to spend Christmas with my family, but icy roads kept that from happening. Instead we all stayed in on Sunday and enjoyed a quiet day. Things cleared up enough on Monday that my mom was able to come and stay with us for a few days, then we finally got the whole crew together on Wed. night for our family dinner and cousin gift exchange.
I have been so filled with a Spirit of Peace this month, and so grateful for my Savior. I am thankful for each and every blessing. I am thankful to have family and good friends to share the season with.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Year in Review
I have a mega post of our December all typed out and waiting to be posted. All of the pictures that I want to accompany the post, though, are on our desktop computer instead of my laptop, which is being used right now. So, it will have to wait, but that's ok! Before the night gets away from me, I wanted to post a quick review of our year.
January - Started house hunting, and found one we love! Kids were sick with pink-eye... NO FUN!
February - Moved!! Celebrated my 40th birthday. Dealt with tragedy of school shooting.
March - My baby became an official teen-ager!! Enjoyed Spring Break working around the house and at the farm.
April - Kidnapped my hubby for a weekend in Nashville! Started prepping my garden.
May - Kayti graduated high school!! Then she turned 18!! Summer break came!
June - Kayti started college. Worked in the garden. Celebrated Barry's birthday and our 19th wedding anniversary. Prepared for YW Camp
July - Went to YW Camp. Enjoyed the 4th of July with family. Prepared to head back to school and work.
August - Enjoyed a visit from my sister and niece (and her adorable baby boy). School started back. Soccer started.
September - Mayfield Family Reunion at Smith Lake!!
October - Fall Break... and trip to Savannah, Ga!! Soccer season ended.
November - Great month to reflect on our blessings. Two yummy Thanksgiving dinners - one at Nate and Alisha's, one with my family at the farm.
December - Lots of holiday fun! Josh turned 17; Kyle turned 15. Bought a new car for Barry (he has needed one for SOOO long!). Enjoyed a white Christmas... first one ever for Barry and the kids. I'm not sure about me... I think we might have had one or two when I lived in Idaho, but I can't remember.
I am looking forward to 2011. I'm sure there will be lots of challenges, as well as plenty of fun times.
I hope you have a wonderful new year!
January - Started house hunting, and found one we love! Kids were sick with pink-eye... NO FUN!
February - Moved!! Celebrated my 40th birthday. Dealt with tragedy of school shooting.
March - My baby became an official teen-ager!! Enjoyed Spring Break working around the house and at the farm.
April - Kidnapped my hubby for a weekend in Nashville! Started prepping my garden.
May - Kayti graduated high school!! Then she turned 18!! Summer break came!
June - Kayti started college. Worked in the garden. Celebrated Barry's birthday and our 19th wedding anniversary. Prepared for YW Camp
July - Went to YW Camp. Enjoyed the 4th of July with family. Prepared to head back to school and work.
August - Enjoyed a visit from my sister and niece (and her adorable baby boy). School started back. Soccer started.
September - Mayfield Family Reunion at Smith Lake!!
October - Fall Break... and trip to Savannah, Ga!! Soccer season ended.
November - Great month to reflect on our blessings. Two yummy Thanksgiving dinners - one at Nate and Alisha's, one with my family at the farm.
December - Lots of holiday fun! Josh turned 17; Kyle turned 15. Bought a new car for Barry (he has needed one for SOOO long!). Enjoyed a white Christmas... first one ever for Barry and the kids. I'm not sure about me... I think we might have had one or two when I lived in Idaho, but I can't remember.
I am looking forward to 2011. I'm sure there will be lots of challenges, as well as plenty of fun times.
I hope you have a wonderful new year!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Mary and Christmas
I was blessed to have both of my boys born in December... their birthdays are only 10 days apart (plus 2 years!). When I was pregnant with Kyle I was asked to write a part for a Christmas Relief Society reading. It was to be from Mary's point of view about her feelings the night of Jesus' birth. I was very humbled to be asked to do this, and I'm not sure if I did it justice or not. But since then, I often think of Mary and how she must have felt that night. Every year when my boys celebrate their birthdays, I am reminded of my feelings. I don't know that I could ever adequately describe my feelings, but I can say that I am so thankful for Mary. I appreciate her sacrifice, and her willingness. I can't imagine the responsibility of raising our Savior, but I am thankful that she agreed to take it on.
I found this clip on youtube the other day, and thought I would share. I love this song by Amy Grant, and someone put it to LDS video, The Nativity. Merry Christmas, everyone!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQs0H7dvwy0&feature=related
I found this clip on youtube the other day, and thought I would share. I love this song by Amy Grant, and someone put it to LDS video, The Nativity. Merry Christmas, everyone!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQs0H7dvwy0&feature=related
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