it's about having fun

and that is exactly what happened today. lacey's soccer game didn't go as well as we had hoped, but everyone had a good time. lacey got out there and kicked the ball, scoring one goal this game. the team we played today was a little more aggressive than last week's but the sharks kept up with them nevertheless. good job, sharks...keep with it!

on another note: don't forget tonight at 8:30pm is earth hour. all that is required if for you is to turn off your lights for an hour. by doing just that simple action, you are impacting the earth for the better. it will be occurring all over the world, so please join us along with millions of others as we try to help this beautiful planet we have been so blessed to live on.

it's a tea party!

well, sort of.

today, lacey and i took mom out to lunch for her birthday at this quaint little tearoom in newnan called holly cottage tearoom. we had a really good time not to mention the food was really good. when we entered this lovely british lady greeted us at the door and escorted us to a table in the back where we dined on sandwiches, soup and of course drank tea. i must say that my favorite part of lunch was the hats we adorned ourselves with. lacey absolutely loved hers so much that she hopped off the chair and proceeded to get gloves and a fan to complete her ensemble. talk about too cute! my only regret was the fact lela couldn't be there due to the fact she had school. i've decided that that during spring break we will definitely be making a trip back and i'm so looking forward to it.

go sharks!!!

i must say our first day of spring started off with a bang. lacey had her very first soccer game ever this afternoon. we had so much fun watching her run from one end of the field to the other, not mention she scored three goals but who's counting. we are so proud of her. she definitely gets in there and goes for it. she might be little but that doesn't deter her at all. great job lace! keep it up! go sharks, fins up!

signs of spring

have you noticed that it is beginning to look a lot like spring? buds on trees. weather getting warmer. daffodils blooming. girl scout cookies. and my favorite shop hop. yes, i said shop hop. are you trying to figure what exactly that is? well, every spring some of the quilt stores in metro atlanta get together for four days to basically promote their wares. the goal is to attend all the stores and get your "passport" stamped at each one where you will then become eligible to win a grand prize. for three years now, mom and i have started attending this event. we haven't made it to all the stores on the tour, but it's sure fun trying. my favorite quilt store hands down is a scarlet thread in mcdonough. karen has probably the best selection of fabric around and i always seem to find something every time i walk in the doors. yesterday, definitely got my creative juices flowing again and i so can't wait to pull out the sewing maching and get busy. here is just a peak of some of the fun stuff i got yesterday....

lacey and friends

i honestly feel truly blessed that lacey is able to go to school at our church. i absolutely love our preschool. it's the reason we joined our church and have the most wonderful and caring friends in our life, so it holds a very special in my heart. lacey even has the same teacher that lela had - "miss" mary who we love dearly. last week lacey's class, all twelve of them, went home with bradley to celebrate her 5th birthday. (thank you blake, you're a braver woman than i'll ever be.) here are a couple of pictures from that afternoon. lacey with the birthday girl, bradley herself and then a picture of the entire class including bradley's little brother, henry. take a look. if you look closely you'll notice that there are eleven girls in class and one special little boy, charlie.

what a sweet picture

when kevin and lela attended that princess ball a few weeks ago one of the teacher's was setup making pictures. this morning i got an email with the attached picture from the event. it's such a sweet picture of her and her daddy. i would love to get it framed for her...not to mention myself as well.

a box full of memories

talk about emotional. this morning i went downstairs and found my portfolio. i couldn't tell you the last time i even opened the thing up. it had been so long since i had actually seen my work that when i opened the box up a flood of emotions came racing back...the people i had worked with, the stories behind my ideas, late nights, etc. wow! i had forgotten about most of the stuff in it, so it was a nice surprise to see everything again. honestly i even surprised myself at the level of my work. talk about looking at something with fresh eyes! ahhhh....

the reason for my decision to pull it out and take a look at everything was because its time. time for what, you may ask? time to return to the job market. i'm scared to death but with the economy like it is, lacey starting kindergarten in the fall and the fact i'm not getting any younger, my time is finally up. i've always known this time would come and well it seems to be here. there is really not much i have to do per say to get back in the game and that is a good feeling. other than changing my files over to digital, making my resume current and hitting the ground to look for a job i'm pretty much already there. yikes!!!

here's a little peek inside my book....

sales tags i designed for various "seasonal" sales

four color printed ads found in southern living magazine

a wedding invitation

my personal identity system - fancy for personal stationary including logo and business card

sleepover at my house

that's exactly what we did last night! lela finally got to have her spend the night party for her birthday. i know it's a little late, but with all the excitement that has been going on this weekend seemed to be the best. the girls - all five including lil' sis - were such a joy to have and honestly i think i could do it again. i was in such a creative mode that i even made the goodie bags for each of the girls with their initials and bows on them...too cute, uh? not mention i had them each decorate a "night" shirt to sleep in as a memento of the party.

it's finished and i'm done!!!!

yep, the yearbook is done and out the door to the printer...finally. you will never know the joy in my heart to see that book go "bye-bye." right here at the end things got pretty dramatic but i'm happy and proud to say it has left my life. now i can enjoy myself and return to a normal life, whatever that was before all this ensued. i have learned many lessons in doing this project and the main one is i will never do it again, period. as much as it has been an act of love and i did enjoy designing it, i'm tired and mentally exhausted and that just doesn't work when you're a stay at home mom. one thing i did become aware of is how much i miss being a graphic designer, i guess when it's in your blood it's there to stay.

i am happy to report that the blog will be updated more frequently, since i got my life back. i'm definitely behind with it and will be happy to catch everyone on up on what's been happening in our lives. during these past few weeks lela has turned seven, lacey has started soccer and lela and her daddy attended the "princess ball" at school, kevin and i found out we will be working a youth retreat called chrysalis in june (i so can't wait) not to mention a lot more...just stay tuned.

i mentioned about lela and her daddy going to the "princess ball", here are few pictures from their evening. it was a dance just for the girls at school and of course, lela's dress was pink! she seemed to really enjoy herself not to mention it was just her getting all the attention and not having to share it with her sister.

after tuesday

this craziness will be over with...i hope! why is it everything always seems to happen all at once. my yearbook deadline just happens to be tuesday. this week is consignment sale at the preschool not to mention the book fair is happening at lela's school and then on top of all of that the men's walk to emmaus is starting tomorrow and i had signed up to bake some items. i looked at my calendar but for some unknown reason none of it seemed to register...oh well what can i say, if it doesn't kill you it will only make you stronger, right? honestly, though i feel as if i'm losing the battle.

it's hard believe its already march and winter's stronghold definitely doesn't seem to be losing its grip any. i keep telling myself that soon spring will be around the corner even though it doesn't seem possible with all the snow we seem to keep having. the other night when lacey i were out we found the cutest bathing suits for her and lela. i decided that even though snow was falling outside, i'd buy them the bathing suits anyways. call me an optimist, but it will get warm. the big question is when, though?