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Thursday, March 11, 2010

It's Springtime

and do you know what that means????

Time for spring decorating! =)

I bet you thought I was going to say spring cleaning didn't you??? No way...that is not fun and certainly not something I want to blog about...although, I will be cleaning those baseboards and closets VERY soon (like when J returns from training...I do not want him to miss out on any of the fun) (=

This week has been a llllooooonnnnnggggg week. (special emphasis on long) I forgot how draining it is to be a single parent. Hence the lack of blogs lately...whew...I am doing good just to keep up with the kids. HA! Things did slow down a little bit today, so I decided to pull out the spring/Easter decor (you know now that it is the middle of March) I did want to be able to enjoy it for a little while.

I tried to get the kids involved...Jack did not want any part of it, but Madeline was very eager to help. So she and I set out to spruce up the house with some springtime fun. =)

Below are some pictures of our decorations:




This is the dining room table before. The plant is from my granddaddy's funeral. I thought it was so pretty.


ahhh...blank slate...what shall we do???


I pulled out my boxes of decor and Madeline, being my wonderful assistant, took everything out.
(Oh and yes, she is in her pj's...yes it is the middle of the day. She and I had been running errands all morning while Jack was in school. On our way home, the first thing she said was "when I get home, I am putting on my jammies" My kind of girl!)


First step, put the spring runner down...yes, I probably should iron it, but who has time for that??? Eventually it will lay flat (I hope)


Second, place the candle sticks and iron wheelbarrow thingy (I am sure there is a better name for it, but this is the best I can come up with) HA!


Next up, place little faux nests on top of the candlesticks. I wanted to do something different than just candles. I saw these on clearance last year and snatched them up.


Arrange little bunny and duck figurines on table.


Place eggs in nest and scatter along the runner.


And here it is...my dining room table all decorated for spring/Easter.


I placed a little wicker type bunny on the mantel.


Full view of the mantel.


Front door. I found this hanger at Dollar Tree (or as Madeline likes to call it "Dollar Treat") ha I thought it was pretty cute for a dollar. I do however want to replace it after Easter. I have a few ideas...I will share those soon.


Remember the plant at the beginning of my post??? The one from my granddaddy's funeral??? Well, the plants were quickly outgrowing the basket so I decided that Madeline and I would repot them. Of course Madeline loved this idea because it meant she got to play in the dirt. ha ha!
Below are the pictures of us repotting the plants:


The planter had 4 different plants in it. First, we took the ivy out and placed it in a pot.


It is now sitting on the dining room table in the iron wheelbarrow thingy. The little butterfly also came off the planter so I wanted to use it and I thought it worked great here.


Next plant repotted and is sitting on the kitchen table.


This one is sitting on top of a bookcase at the end of the kitchen cabinets. Yes, those are all cookbooks. No, they are not all of my cookbooks. ( I have 2 other cabinets full of cookbooks) Yes, they are mostly all Southern Living. Please, don't judge me...I do use all my cookbooks. I love them! =)


The 4th and final plant was really big and too big for any of my indoor planters, so I repotted it in a medium size planter and placed it on the deck. It looks kinda funny out there right now, because its the only plant...but hopefully I will get around to that soon. =)

Well hope you enjoyed our Springtime decorating.

Jessica

Sunday, March 7, 2010

If You Ever Need To Smile...

then go to a T-ball practice! =)

Jack is playing t-ball this season for the first time and the team started practicing this weekend. It is the funniest thing to watch! Seriously...there is no way not to smile watching those sweet little boys practice.

Jack is enjoying it so much. He asks all the time when practice is or if we can go outside and practice. I love watching him, especially because he enjoys it so much. Truly makes my heart smile =)

Below are some pictures from our practice this afternoon:


Jack in his cool new mask. The league we play in requires a helmet with full face mask (yes, for t-ball can you believe that???) So, let me tell you...it is not easy to find this mask...I thought oh, just walk in the store and wah-la ... nope... but that is ok. I got it handled and probably bought a ton of other things that were not necessary, but my little all-star will be looking sharp with all the accessories =)


Taking a swing on the tee.


Up to bat. The league we are playing in uses a catapult to pitch the ball. The player will have 3 attempts to hit the ball then the tee will be brought out. I think this is great so the children will be prepared for the older leagues. This is Jack's first time ever to hit a ball pitched to him. He missed the first time...but hit it the other 2 times. It was great! I took lots of video (one is below) so that his daddy will get to see him.



This picture just makes me giggle...here the boys are practicing "fielding the ball" Jack is in the red t shirt...in position...looking like he is going to stop the ball (which he did not haha) But I love all the "action" going on around him...playing in the dirt, picking nose, twirling hair, just standing around ... etc
This is what I love and I can not wait to see them during game time HA!


And of course...what would a post be without a picture of lil miss priss...so enjoys watching her bubba play and tries to figure out how to get on the field to play. Oh I will be so glad when her daddy gets home so he can chase her HA!


Below is the video of Jack getting a hit. The video is sideways...I can not figure out how to rotate it. Sorry. Just tilt your head sideways =)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Well...

Well...

my friends....

we have....

CONFIRMATION.


Actually, we've had it for a few days now, but I just could not process it. During all the emotions of last week (my granddaddy's funeral) we received confirmation that J will begin deployment #3 later this year. It is official...on paper...dates, places, time etc....the reality of it all hit me yesterday. Not only will J be going "over there" but my brother will be as well. They were both deployed in 2003, but with separate units. This time they will be going together. Having them "over there" together brings on a whole new set of worries...but I know that God will give us even more strength and grace as we face this.

I took some time today to read over some of my past posts (mainly posts since January) and I do want to say this...yes, I am in a pretty sad point right now. Yes, I do feel like A LOT is going on. Yes, if I am not careful and constantly keeping myself in God's word, then it can all become overwhelming and I try to flesh it out. I do know that even in these times when I feel like screaming ENOUGH! that God is using it to grow me and refine me. Though I do not understand it right now...that is ok...I do not need to understand it...I just simply have to trust. And I do. I trust completely. And I comforted by God's promises. Promises for grace, guidance, mercy, and protection.

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee wherever thou goes."
Joshua 1:9


Jessica