Words + Pictures

(A busy--but very GOOD!--weekend!! Delaney won her softball tournament, and I have pictures below! But first...)

I was inspired this past week by artist/scrapbooker Ali Edward's challenge on her blog to combine ONLY words and pictures (well, she said maybe one additional embellishment too) in order to create a scrapbook page that would really capture a MOMENT or a MEMORY or a STORY that you don't want to forget. I had already decided to spend some time this weekend on finishing a few pages, so I tried to take her challenge to heart and focus primarily on the words and the pictures (because, as a very verbal person, the story is usually what I'm trying to capture anyway!).

I developed this first page after looking at two different blogs this week. One (Scrapjacked) had a cool design using multiple copies of the same photograph; and the other (One Little Word) challenged people to create something using the word "today." I combined all of those ideas and made this...

I wanted to capture what I felt about myself and life right now...TODAY.. and I wanted to do it with just words and pictures (the only other thing I really added were those two different patterned papers).

You can see some of the journaling in these pictures...


(the words down the bottom of the first picture are some words that I feel pretty close to right now: contented...creative...grateful...positive).

And when I first read the idea of Words + Pictures, the first story I thought of wanting to tell was the one I shared with you back here at THIS post. Sydney set up a lemonade stand out in the driveway, and the "payment" for the lemonade was in hugs and eskimo kisses. An added benefit was that she wore one of her fairy Barbie costumes for the event. I got some pictures, so I KNEW I had to tell this story. So--the layout ended up being VERY simple (just words and pictures, with some solid cardstock, a few decorative circles, and a title added to it), but I personally think that simple is sometimes just what you need...


This next one doesn't really have many words to it, so it doesn't really fulfill the Words + Pictures idea, but still it just makes me really HAPPY so I had to share it. It's a page I did of McKenna and I on her 16th birthday and the design inspiration came from yet another blog I read this past week (the Unpubbed challenge blog). I just really like the interaction of the different, fun embellishments (rub-ons, circles, notebook paper, etc.) ...



It felt really GOOD to create some stuff this weekend (we had a very busy Saturday, but after church on Sunday I just plopped myself down in the living room and worked on some stuff. It was nice!)
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And now, as promised above!, a few pictures from Delaney's softball tournament this past weekend. Sydney had a BLAST with her "ball friends" and Delaney's team won another First Place championship (very exciting, of course!)...




I'm off to check out some of your blogs, and to get all that normal Monday stuff going!

Have a great day!

A Dirty Picture (LOL) and Weekend Plans

I couldn't let this post go by without sharing a Dirty picture with all of you (no, it's not a picture of me in my pajamas again; or even a picture of my dirty kitchen--now that would definitely NOT be something to share), but a picture of Delaney getting very dirty in the mud this past week at her Thunderbolts practice! (And then one of the whole team posing in the mud!)





How priceless are those? They are SO going on to a scrapbook page!

(They were celebrating their win in last weekend's tournament with a fun practice. Delaney does tell me that this wasn't just for fun, but it actually WAS a practice. They were practicing sliding techniques into second base. They just happened to do it into a big, huge, watery mud puddle!)

Well, what do you have planned for this upcoming weekend?

We are leaving tonight for a Saturday tournament with Delaney's team again. It is in a town about an hour and a half away, but Gary and McKenna are working the tournament again for photography and will need to set up around 7 am. To make it easier (since D doesn't actually have to be at the ball park until closer to 9), we are staying in a hotel tonight.

Scout has been talking about it ever since I told her about it yesterday. Last night when Gary got home from work, she ran to him and squealed (no, really, she SQUEALED--her favorite method these days when she's excited about something): "Guess what, Poppy? Guess what? We are staying at a hotel next day (this is how she says 'tomorrow'). I'm so excited!!" (then proceeds to jump up and down repeatedly!)

I'm kinda excited too. Remember how I said that ANY sort of traveling makes me happy? Well, even going away for a night sorta does it for me. So, I'm excited like Scout myself.

Tomorrow is also St. Patrick's Day, but with the tournament going on we probably won't do anything. Not that we really ever do anything, but we always make it fun by wearing green and pinching each other (LOL). I always make some green goodies, so I did that last night as an early celebration since I couldn't do it tomorrow. I made chocolate cupcakes covered with fresh whipped cream and decorated with green M&Ms, and made a yummy green punch (strawberry-kiwi Kool Aid, Sprite, and lime sherbet.)

I will also try and watch some more NCAA basketball when I can over the weekend. (I already have four losses on my bracket, including the very surprising loss by Duke last night to VCU by 2 points at the buzzer!). Then on Sunday, we will be back for church and the regular activities for that day.

I'm still planning on answering a few more of the Q &As that you all gave me last week; I have three more questions in particular that I want to answer but I'll probably do them some time next week. So, I guess that's something for you to look forward to . . . Ha!

Well, it's still sorta yucky and drizzly outside and the weather has cooled down considerably (it's gonna be the high of 60 tomorrow which really stinks compared to the 80 degrees we had just a few days ago!), so I'm not really motivated to do too much. BUT, I need to pack some stuff for our overnighter tonight and do some other errands. So, I guess I need to get off the computer and go do that (although I'd really rather sit here and read blogs for the next hour. Well, wouldn't YOU? lol)

(I'm leaving you with a new song on my video screen. You know, I have such WEIRD tastes in music. My favorite style right now would really have to be kinda loud, alternative or even hip-hoppy Christian music--like I said, kinda weird. LOL!--but I also like praise music, country music, old-school music from the 80s and 90s, really old-school from 60s and 70s, and even Top 40 stuff from right now. In fact, McKenna cracks up when I'll say something like, "Have you heard that new song from Hello Goodbye?" and she asks, "You know who that is?" Ha! I love to keep them on their toes! So... anyway, I am seriously digressing here . . . I'm putting this new Avril L song out here today because it just makes my toes tap and it makes me giggle. It's more PG-13 than usual for me, but really all there is is a "bad" word or two and at least there's not thonged butts or gyrating pussycats on the stage. Ha! Although I guess that would go along pretty well with my whole "dirty" title for the day . . .)

Have a SUPER weekend!!! See ya on Monday!!

Weekend Update in Pictures (Softball!!) . . . and Question #2 Answered!



Well, I guess I could call this past weekend the Super Softball Extravaganza (or something liek that!). On Friday night, I took Delaney to her travel ball team practice and then on Saturday we had softball all day long with our park teams here in Hueytown. We had the parade on Saturday morning (all of the teams decorate trucks or trailers for their teams and parade through town; it's the kind of excitement that can only be found in a small town!) and then Opening Day ceremonies and games throughout the day.

Gary is coaching McKenna's team this year (he has coached Delaney since she was 4 and this is the first year he hasn't; but McKenna asked him to coach her this year, which will probably be her last year playing, so of course he couldn't say no!). But it was hard on him Saturday when their games were at the same time and the only part of Delaney's game that he saw was the very last play!

Both teams played well. McKenna's team--the Lightning Strikes--lost 8-5, but they actually did much better than I thought they would (they have four girls who have either never played or only played for a year, and are still learning how to bat and field); they also happed to get the hardest draw of the day, playing a team that has an infield of previous All Stars. So, they really did pretty well! Delaney's team--the Hot Rods--won 8-1, with Delaney striking out 13 batters. (That's her in the top picture in her purple and hot pink uniform! She is known as "D" at the ballpark!) She pitched great! And Sydney? Well, she spent most of the day playing in the rocks and bribing older children into playing games with her (she somehow has the ability to sweet talk others into doing almost anything for her! lol); she also spent most of the day eating candy from the huge loot she accumulated at the parade that morning.

You wanna see some pictures of it all?

Sydney and I camped out for a great view of the parade . . .

McKenna's truck rounding the curve . . .


The girls on Delaney's team having a good time in their truck (she is the one with the sunglasses on) . . .


This had to be the CUTEST float of all . . .

Everyone, it seemed, knew Sydney so they were ALL throwing candy at her. It took her a WHILE to collect it all (it filled up her Dora backpack! lol) . . .

The purple Hueytown "H" welcomed us to the park . . .

Some of McKenna's team (they are a very sweet team, which really is the most important thing of all!) . . .

Delaney with two of her best friends, Shelby and Scotti . . .


A few shots of Delaney pitching . . .



Sydney spent the day playing duck-duck-goose . . .


And watching the game from her Dora chair right by the fence . . .

And after a very LONG day at the park, it ended with McKenna taking a nap at the base of the bleachers . . .


And now we will spend the next two months doing nothing but playing softball. It takes up A LOT of time (practice or games every night of the week!), but we really love it. Our whole family loves sports and it's a way for us to spend a lot of time together. The only thing I don't like about it right now is how COLD it is at the ballpark. It's going to be very chilly at our games this week! (I really would much prefer to be wearing shorts and watching a game in 70 degree weather! But alas.. I don't always get what I want!)

Sunday was a much more relaxed day for me. We had a wonderful service at church with some very inspiring moments and a fantastic sermon, and then I actually laid around in bed for a few hours in the afternoon (I don't take naps in the daytime, but I did watch some meaningless television, which was nice).

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Now, let me answer Question #2 from the Q & A for Cheryl that you all gave me this past week. In fact, my plan is to answer a question each day this week. I'm really enjoying thinking about my answers, and really appreciate you all providing me with such good questions!

The question I'm answering today is from Michelle, who asked "What is one of your favorite childhood memories?"

I have so many fond memories of childhood with my Mom and Dad and my younger brother, Christopher. I love to brag about my childhood, because I truly remember it being a very happy, almost idyllic, one. My parents were very encouraging and positive people who always let us know that we were loved. I also had a lot of wonderful friends.

When thinking about this question, two things immediately came to my mind (although I then thought of A LOT of other ones). Firstly, since it's been so cold these last couple of days and I often wish that my girls could enjoy snow like I did as a child, I thought of how our whole neighborhood would gather together whenever it snowed. The whole crew of kids that lived around me would build snowmen, build snowforts, have snowball fights, and go sledding down the long hill behind our house. (We also spent countless hours on summer days riding our bikes through the neighborhood, making circuses in my backyard, roller skating in my carport, and reading underneath the tree in my front yard.) I didn't live in a fancy neigborhood (we were probably lower middle class), but boy was there a lot of fun and camraderie in it. There was always a game or an activity going on, and my memories from that neighborhood outside Fayetteville, Arkansas, are very sweet!

The other memory that came to my mind immediately was the many, many mornings I spent in the car on the way to school. My Dad drove me to school every morning from first through sixth grade and those are some of the most vivid memories I have. We would sing songs every morning ("Puff the Magic Dragon," "Stewball was a Racehorse," and all sorts of songs by the Byrds were our favorites!) to pass the time. I will always treasure that time I had my Dad all to myself, and it's a lesson that I have tried to repeat as a parent myself--to let my girls know that I simply enjoy being with them and having fun!

Thanks, Michelle, for the great question!!

Yay, I'm Back!!!
A Weekend Update for Random Tuesday

Let me just start this by saying (or screaming, actually!): "I can't STAND IT when my Internet is down!!!!!" Ugh!! I got home from our weekend at camp on Sunday evening, all ready to update with pictures and stories, and my Internet was down! Then yesterday, the girls were home from school for President's Day, so I had plenty of time to update my blog. But what's this? Yep, the Internet was still down!! I had pretty much given up--and figured that you all would think I had dropped off for the face of the earth and that I would never get to answer some important emails I had waiting for me. And then, lo and behold, this morning it reappeared! So, here I am at last (not the any of you were eagerly anticipating my return that much, but one can dream... lol!)

Well, we had a WONDERFUL weekend at camp although we came back SO exhausted. That always happens! We stay up very late both Friday and Saturday night, playing games and talking with friends and then have to sleep on not-so-comfortable bunk beds, and then we pay for it on Sunday. But... it's a price worth paying!

The weekend was SO cold that we spent most of the time indoors. We rocked by the fireplace, played games, sang music, and did as many activities inside as possible. Delaney did venture up the mountain with friends (this is a BIG activity for the weekend; we usually trek the mile and a half up the mountain to reach the cross and chapel on top), but it was too cold to get Sydney out for that long. (And my camera's batteries died at mid-day on Saturday, so I couldn't send the camera with her for some gorgeous photos of the view! wah!)

It SNOWED on Saturday night and the kids were all insane with happiness! Squealing, jumping around, catching snow in their mouths (or, wait, was that me doing that? Yep, I think it was!) Sydney even made up the Snow Song ("snow, snow, snow, snow... snow, snow, snow, snow" in the cutest little tune!). That was fun!

We had an awesome speaker with us for the weekend who did three sessions for us on Loving God and Loving One Another. He was so funny (he's also a stand-up comedian!) and inspirational! My favorite quote of the weekend was: "We can only truly know and love one another when we know the songs of each other's hearts." He challenged me to reach out to those around me and try and discover the "songs" of their hearts, so that I can really connect with others--both friends and those that I "know" I like, but also those who are "un-loveable" to me.

How about some pictures?

A glimpse of the scenery, looking down on the lodge where we stay (and then two other shots outdoors) ...







The first big "event" of the weekend is making signs for our room door. Here are Gary and Scout in front of ours...



Home away from home (very rustic and uncomfortable, but part of the appeal. LOL) ...



We spent a lot of time by the fire . . .



Playing games with friends was a highlight of the weekend. We played 80s Trivia (none of us did as well as we'd expected!), Phase 10 (our current fave card game), Apples to Apples (SO fun for a big group, we played it many times and just laughed and laughed!; need to check that one out!), and Scrabble . . .





Lots of free time meant Sydney racing through the halls . . .




Jump rope...



Camp food (it was nice to get home to "real" food) . . .



Wonderful music . . .



Fun with friends...




Hanging out at the playground (it was SO cold, but Sydney did not want to leave!). . .









Camp Sumatanga is SO gorgeous! The natural beauty of the place just blows me away. It is so relaxing and serene, and it is a place that really connects you with God. A few shots of the views . . .









So, as you can tell... we had a wonderful time and can't wait for next year!

Since I'm up and connected again with the Internet, I haven't been to any of your blogs. But I hope to stop by today sometime! I hope all of you had a great weekend too!

Now, this is Random Tuesday but since my weekend update was a day late I'm not doing anything "sexy" for my post today. Just thought I'd give you my list of 5 Things I'm Looking Forward to This Week:

(1) Seeing my friend Jeff this weekend!!!!!!! Jeff was one of my best college friends and he is flying in from New York City this Thursday. He and my best friend, Angela, and I are all getting together either Thursday or Friday (still making the arrangements!). The three of us had such a wonderful time back in school (can it really have been almost 20 years ago??!!) and we can't wait to all see each other!!

(2) Teaching my Calendar Class at Scrapbook Mania tonight! I'm teaching this class each month through the year, and we will be making a new layout using a different technique each month. Really looking forward to it! (will take pics!) (I am also looking forward to Maniac Madness, a scrapbook weekend being hosted by the store this coming weekend; I won't be able to go to all of it, but will be helping with a mini album class and hope to get some cropping time in!)

(3) Celebrating my Dad's birthday on Saturday! My Dad's birthday was Sunday (Happy Birthday Dad!), but we can't get together to celebrate until Saturday. Will be fun, as always!

(4) Watching Alabama play their way into the NCAA basketball tournament! We had a big win Saturday against Kentucky and have two more games this week. I'm gonna cheer REALLY loud this week for them. Roll Tide!

(5) Getting started with Softball!! It's the time of year that Softball becomes the all-consuming activity for our family! McKenna plays at our local park (Gary will be coaching her team this year, which is going to be really different; he has coached Delaney since she was 5!), and Delaney plays both for the park and also for the Birmingham Thunderbolts travel team. Delaney has been having Bolts practices all winter long and we will start tournament play on March 10. Our park practices will start this week! It takes up pretty much ALL of our time, but we LOVE it!! (Scout was at the ballpark when she was 3 days old and we all love sports so much--we just have a blast with it!)

Okay, so if you want to join in... let us all know about 5 things you're looking forward to this week!

So glad to be back online!!!