My Little Sweetheart, Fun Mail, and Thoughts

I love this self-portrait. I love it so much that I am going to have it framed. I love it. Have I already said that? Macy worked hard on it tonight. Really hard. And I have to admit, she worked hard on it because of a not-so-great-Mommy-moment that I had a couple of weeks ago. You see, Macy came home from school with this perfect little picture of herself that she had drawn and colored...I don't know why I didn't run it straight to the Grapevine that day...and a shame that I didn't...because as I was putting it in a "safe place" on my counter, I didn't realize that there was a crack the size of the Grand Canyon between the end of my countertop and the wall (who knew houses "shifted" and "shrunk up" in the winter time...seems as though Jason is the only one in our house who knew it). I was stacking some papers up and there that beautiful piece of art went...right down inbetween the cabinet and the wall. I was in tears. The picture was gone. I was about to call a carpenter friend to come cut a wall in myself (after I decided I better not do it myself). I didn't say anything for a few days because I was so sick about it. Then one day, I finally told Macy I had messed up and her picture was gone...could she make me another one? She has worked on a new one several times, but it just wasn't the same...until tonight. She recreated that sweet little self-portrait that was as identical to the first one as I can remember. How I love that little girl and her persistence (and patience with her nutty Mommy). It is in a "safe place" now, FAR from that crack. And I will be taking it to the Grapevine tomorrow. For real.

I love the mail. I look forward to the mail everyday. It can be a box full of junkmail, even bills...I still love the mail. When I was a little girl and big enough to know what I was doing, I would walk down our hill in my Mom's high-heels to check the mail. (Can you imagine letting our kids check the mail these days? I think not!) Our neighbors would hear the clicking and know "little Shannon is headed to the mailbox, the mail must be here." I especially love when cute stuff is waiting for me in my mailbox, like these notecards and these stickers. The notecards are from Kacey at http://www.doodlebugspaper.com/ Her paper products are of the utmost cuteness...and they always come wrapped so cutely...love anything wrapped in a little grosgrain ribbon. (The lighting in the picture is not so great...the flash kept reflecting.) Remember Olivia the Octopus from yesterday? Her bow is compliments of my last Doodle Bugs order :) Oh, and might I mention that Kacey is a Mississippi girl...always a plus :) Maybe I will get out my Christmas thank yous now...a whole 2 months late :) The stickers are from http://www.autumnleah.etsy.com/ Her stickers are just absolutely adorable. I shared some from a previous order on my cookie blog, but these just arrived in the mail yesterday. I adore them. They are postmarked Texas, which is another state near and dear to me right now because part of my heart is there...my sister :)

When I say "Hey J (meaning Jason), I've been thinking...", Jason usually says something like "Uh oh" or "Oh dear" and settles in for the longhaul. I think a lot. Sometimes my own thoughts will drive me crazy...I am hoping some of you understand this, else I may actually be crazy. Anyway...I had a couple of very meaningful conversations today. Phone conversations. And if ya'll know me well, you know that I am not a huge phone person...it seems like when I am on the phone, my girls become super needy and tend to act like they have been neglected...does this happen to any of you? When I get off of the phone, all of the sudden I feel like a horrible Mommy because I have just been blabbing or whatever (not that I blab often). Anyway...I will not go into the details of the conversations or divulge who the conversations were with, but they were VERY meaningful, and I did NOT feel like a terrible person when I got off of the phone...I needed these conversations in a MAJOR way. And I felt like a better person for having these conversations. I was reminded of a couple of passages in the book I am reading "The Power of a Positive Mom", passages that are now starred and highlighted and underlined (I was a bit of a nerd in school). The first passage is "...we must guard against adding too many distractions that will take us away from our main attraction: our relationship with God and our families." The second passage is "Although we may think an overflowing plate of activities and interests makes us 'well-rounded", the truth is that it is more likely to stress us out and make us ineffective in our areas of primary responsibility." Can I get an amen? I often mention my desire for simplicity...this is why. You will not find me at every function, meeting, or study, nor will you see that I am a part of every group...I am with my family...and that is right where I WANT to be and NEED to be! I love my friends dearly, I enjoy walking and talking, I (sometimes) enjoy running errands (like if that errand involves picking up a cute something for my girls), I love meeting up with other Mommies and hanging out while our children play...but come 5:00, we are eagerly waiting on Jason to get home and ready to enjoy an evening of family time. This has been a bit of a crazy week, therefore the need for me to get all of this out :)

Thank goodness tomorrow if Friday!!

Olivia the Octopus, a Visitor, and a New Baby

Jennifer at "Ramblings of a Crazy Woman" has inspired me! She is like a pro-crafter, seriously! And you know that kind of stuff is just right up my alley :) When Macy is wanting to do a craft, she asks to go see what "that crazy lady" has made lately. I have blog commented back and forth with Jennifer a few times...I felt like I was talking with a famous person :) So she had made this ADORABLE octopus in talking about the letter "O" with her children. When I saw it, I was just in craft heaven...it had to be my next project! Since our beach reservations for the summer were just set in stone yesterday, of course I have had the beach on my mind...like REALLY on my mind, and I thought this was the perfect little "get you in the beach mood" craft (like it really takes much to "get you in the beach mood"). Anyway...isn't anticipation the greatest?!

So doing this craft has further inspired me to do more crafting around letters...I am planning on doing a new letter craft every few days. My mind is racing! I think it will be something good for me and Lucy to do while Macy is at school although Lucy has known all of her letters and sounds since she was 18 months old (thanks to "Leap Frog Letter Factory"...if you have little ones and don't have this DVD, go get it!!) And for those of you who think I come up with this stuff on my own, I hope I am not disappointing you...a lot of my ideas are inspired by things I run across...however I do like to put my own little touch to them! So here you go...meet Olivia the Octopus!

We had a little visitor today...this was the prettiest bassett hound I have seen...and so sweet! He or she (I didn't look) was sitting on our front porch today. I have been begging Jason for a bassett hound for Lucy since Macy has Abby...he says no...but a girl can wish. There is just no way a dog with that short of legs can outrun Lucy. She wants one named Daisy...how cute?

One of my most wonderful longtime friends, Sara Whitten Withers Atwood, had a baby girl today...her name is Lilly Grace. She weighed 8 lbs. I haven't gotten any pictures yet, but I do know that Lilly Grace and her sweet Mama are doing just great! Congratulations!!

Oh, and don't forget...the Cookie Mama giveaway ends at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon. I'll be posting the winner tomorrow evening!! Ya'll have blown my expectations of this giveaway!! I expected 3 or 4, o.k. may 5 or 6 comments...and there are over 50 right now! Ya'll are the greatest!! Good luck!!

Some Pictures, Target, and Sleep Number Beds

I just love these pictures of Macy and Lucy in Jason's hat. Doesn't it make you want to call Jason right up for some plans? :)

Whew...breathe...sigh of relief...I am finished with the desks for the gala auction!! Hallelujah!! I have thoroughly enjoyed working on them, but I am glad they are finished! Here are some pictures of Macy's class' desk...I just love it. My friend, Elizabeth (who worked on the desks with me) and Mrs. Beckett (Macy's teacher) said it wouldn't be right without Lucy's fingerprints on it (she is the little class mascot), so we put her on there, too. I would love to win it at the auction, but we also need to eat in the next 6 months:) We had some old desks that my Mom got from Stokes Beard school when we were little, so we may dig those out and do some work on them.

I had to make a trip to Tuscaloosa today. Lucy and I left town after finishing AR with Macy's class this morning. I was giddy because a trip to Tuscaloosa means a trip to Target! Was Lucy giddy? Not hardly. She was ready to go home before we crossed the Alabama state line. We made the few stops that I needed to make, then headed to Target. The only thing about Target Lucy enjoyed was eating in the Target deli (we were going all out)...popcorn and a blue Arctic Freeze drink brought a smile to my little anti-shopper's face. I felt like I was literally torturing the poor girl all day...needless to say, we won't be shopping or getting in and out of the car for a whole day for a long, long, time. I asked her tonight if she like shopping (in front of her Daddy), and to his pleasure, she said "I do NOT like to shop...I like to EAT." That's a Willcutt for ya!

Faith Ford is trying to convince us that we need a sleep number bed. Have you seen her commercial? Tonight it came on, and Jason said "do you think they make sleep number beds with 4 controllers?" It cracked me up :)

Sunday, Pancakes, and a Book

Although a little chilly, what a beautiful day it was today! Macy and I got out of the house a little bit for church this morning...Lucy is still under house arrest :( but is feeling much better...hopefully we can get out some this week. (The first picture is a cross Macy and I made with seashells we collected at the beach last summer...we did it a little while back, but I don't think I ever posted a picture here. She came up with the idea all by herself! Just looking at it is REALLY making me want to go to the beach!!)

Jason is a wonderful pancake-maker (or "pancake-cooker" as Macy and Lucy would say). I told him we should make it a Sunday tradition to have pancakes for supper...like EVERY Sunday night. They are soooo yummy and not too terribly bad for WW...that's what FlexPoints are for, right?!

I have been reading on this book "The Power of a Positive Mom" for a while now and haven't gotten it finished yet...I am posting this so ya'll will hold me accountable for finishing it! If you haven't read it, it seems like a great book so far! I just don't find much sitting-down time to finish it :)

Lucy is wide-eyed right now, as she took a 3 hour nap late this afternoon. I have her set up in front of a movie (yes, I do that sometimes) while I am trying to finish the desks for the gala. I am almost done...yay! Anyway, so is looking though a "cookie book" (a cookbook) looking for "stuffs to cook". She has something picked out, so she and I might just be cooking a little tomorrow.

Goodnight!

P.S. Lucy just told me "Oh, Mommy, I just look like I need to eat something" as she is making a really pitiful face and holding her belly. She said "Don't I need look like I need to eat something, Mommy?" Um, well...oh sure...I love that little girl of mine!

All Over the Place Post

Why the funny title? I have taken some snaps throughout the day that are really unrelated, but I am making them blogworthy. I am trying to post once every day, so here goes...first I have to start with cute pics of my girls...Macy first (with the big eyes) and Lucy (who just today has started feeling better and is fever free except for a lowgrade as she is getting tired...maybe the lamb JisJis brought her yesterday is helping...thank you, JisJis!).

Ya'll know I am furiously and passionately doing Weight Watchers...I have just started being asked about my weight loss (!), so I thought I would share. I lost 10 lbs in 6 weeks. I did not get to weigh after my 7th week due to Lucy being sick, so I am now in my 8th week and will weigh next Friday. It feels so good!! WATER is the key. I shoot for AT LEAST 64 oz a day, but I really prefer to drink 128 oz, which is a gallon. This not only helps my weight, but my skin and hair too. I keep a mixture of splenda, lemon juice concentrate, and water in my refrigerator (like right now, there are 2 1/2 gallons of it made up...cute pitchers do help)...when I was pregnant with Lucy, my doctor recommended me drinking a gallon of water each day (and he told me to mix it with spenda and lemon juice), which made a TREMENDOUS difference in weight gain (like 25 lbs!). And who wouldn't enjoy drinking water out of a bottle with a "fleur de lis" (I probably hammered the spelling of that) on it...is that the cutest bottle of water or what??!! And check out this recipe for Weight Watchers potato soup...1 cup of it is only 1 point (and a couple of servings of veggies)!! Add 5 saltine crackers for only 1 more point :)

WEIGHT WATCHERS POTATO SOUP

32 oz 99% fat free chicken broth
1 pkg Pioneer peppered gravy
1/2 cup warm water
32 oz southern style (cubed) hasbrown potatoes

Mix together the warm water and gravy mix in a small bowl. In a soup pot, mix the chicken broth and the gravy mixture together, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes slowly so not to splash the broth. Turn heat down to med-low and cook for about 30 minutes.

I have been working on first grade art projects for Macy's school's gala (the big school fundraiser of the year) this weekend. There will be a silent auction for art projects from every class...lucky for me, there are three first grade classes (all other grades only have two classes). My friend, Elizabeth, and I were put in charge of the first graders, and it has been so much fun. I am painting whimsical old-timey school desks in school colors. Each class has its own desk...fingerprints from every child and teacher are on the top...I'll show you that part later when I am all finished. Here is just a peek...

My Mom gave me this Vera Bradley cooler bag in the new cutest pattern...pink cupcake...looking at this pattern literally makes me want to scream with excitement...it is so cute!! I had this grand idea to use it as a camera bag...it is the perfect size!! If you want one, go to Monograms Plus...their Vera Bradley section is fabulous!

Don't forget the Cookie Mama giveaway...1 dozen free cookies...the drawing will be next Thursday!!

Have a great rest of the weekend...hope your Lord's Day is a great one tomorrow. I will be getting out of the house to substitute teach in Lucy's Bible Class (although Lucy can't go) for Katie and to take Macy to her class. I have been trying to warn Lucy that I will be leaving her with her Daddy for a little while...I mean, she loves her Daddy and is fine with him for the most part...but she looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooves her Mama :)

A Trip to the Doctor, Strawberries, and Guitar Hero

Lucy's fever was raging high again yesterday morning, so we took a little trip to the doctor. Instead of going to Tupelo like normal, I took her to the clinic in town where I normally go when I am sick. She asked if we were going to see "the good doctor" who is her pediatrician. I said "no, but this doctor will be good, too." I loved the doctor we saw...he was so sweet to Lucy. As soon as we walked in, we had to put on masks...they say the flu is rampant. Fortunately, she had a negative flu test. Unfortunately, Lucy has a really bad ear infection in her right ear and possibly strep. She started sobbing crying when he went to check her throat and buried her head in me...the doctor was so sweet and didn't want to tortue her, so he is treating her for it anyway. He was pretty positive she had strep by feeling of her neck. We got 2 week's of antibiotics (wow!) and instructions to stay in and away from people until next week. Poor girl...she has been up since 2:55 this morning...we did Tylenol, juice, etc...tried to lay back down, but she said, "Mommy, I can't go back to sweep (sleep). I thinks it is the fevers." :) She is trying to go back to sleep right now...she is so tired!

Gran (Jason's Dad) sent us some GINORMOUS strawberries which were very yummy...we have just realized that Lucy has some kind of thing for strawberries. She loves them! They are about all I could get Lucy to eat yesterday besides cheeze-its and mini Nilla wafers.

And no, we didn't get a Wii...Gran also sent the longest loaf of french bread I have ever seen. I heard Macy in the kitchen making guitar sounds...with the bread. At least we weren't having company.

Thank you for our yummies, Gran!!

Another Birthday, Playdough, Fancy Nancy, and a Sweet Picture

Three birthdays in a row...actually today's birthday is 3 & 4...Jason's younger brother and sister are twins (no, not identical), and today is their birthday! Happy birthday to Brad and Ashley...hope ya'll have a great day!

Macy was out of school on Monday for President's Day (whoo-hoo!). We had a fun day in our jammies making playdough. This is the best homemade playdough...it is very pliable and smells great, too! Here is the recipe:

Smelly Good Play Dough:

1 cup flour

1 cup salt

2 pkg unsweetened Kool Aid (the pouches)

3 Tbsp cooking oil

1/2 cup boiling water (MUST be boiling)

Children can mix dry ingredients if you wish. Add oil. Pour in boiling water. Mix. Conntinue to mix and knead with your hands. When mixture cools, let children knead it. Then let them play with it (for hours, if they wish!). Store in an airtight container.

My Mom gave Lucy this really fun interactive "Fancy Nancy" book for Christmas...the girls got into it and had a blast...there are sunglasses, a crown, lace socks, a fan, hairclips...and much more for real girly girl fun!

Macy came home yesterday with the sweetest picture she had drawn of Sophie...Sophie is a special little girl...her Gammy and Aunt Meg own "The Carousel"...so we have known her since she was born! Macy has such a sweet heart, and so does Sophie...they are a perfect little match!

And Lucy, my smiley little girl in these pictures, now has fever of 102 degrees :( She is coughing her head off, sneezing, and has a runny nose. For a sheltered kid (no Wal-Mart or McDonalds or any indoor playground for that matter) she has sure had her share of sicknesses this winter. Hurry up, Spring!!

Happy Birthday to My Daddy!

Today is my Daddy's birthday! He is more commonly known as Pepe by Macy, Lucy, Carson, and Cade. My Daddy is a wonderful grandfather! Since Macy was 2, he has been taking his grandchildren to Mother Goose every Thursday for story hour...and I mean EVERY Thursday. Seriously, like if he misses, Mother Goose calls him to make sure all is well and everyone is alright. This is such a highlight of the kids' weeks...Macy has already said "when is summer, so I can go to the library with Pepe" and every morning when Lucy wakes up, she says "is it Thursday?" He has such patience with them. I am so blessed to have my Daddy!

P.S. I had to put the picture of my Daddy on here with the giddy smile...this is the face usually planted on his face when the grandkids are around!

Happy Birthday, Katie McCrary!

Today is one of my bestest friends birthday...happy birthday Katie! She is probably better known these days as "Nash's Mommy." I have known her forever (hence why I still her Katie Rose...I am probably one of the very few that still calls her that). She is much like me...enjoys the simple and laidback sort of life...she is happiest on a horse or digging in the dirt, and a little mud doesn't faze her at all. She is the one who realized my need to start my little cookie business...I was dragging my feet some, so she just set me up a website and declared that I was open for orders...thanks, Katie! I hope your day is wonderful...30's are the best! :)

Valentine's, Birthdays, and Four Cutie Pies

Valentine's Day was great...laidback and simple...my kind of day! Macy and Lucy made white chocolate covered marshmallows with sprinkles (kind of like the marshmallow fairy pops we made a while back) and a "flower" centerpiece for our table. The day was beautiful, so we played outside...always fun!

Today, we ate lunch at my parents' house to celebrate my brother's birthday (the 11th) and my Dad's birthday (the 17th). The food was great, and we had a lot of fun, but we sure missed Bippy :( Bippy...please teach us how to hook up the Wii...there were several meltdowns because we couldn't figure it out...o.k. make that 2 meltdowns...Cade is too little to care, and Macy reminded us that she was "too sophisticated" to have cry over "something so silly." JisJis saved the day by letting them play "Purble Place" on the computer (if you have Vista on your computer and have never played "Purble Place" check it out under games...it is great for little ones).

And notice the first picture...are those four of the cutest kids you've ever seen? We sure think so!