Wacky Weekend...

Saturday started bright and early again with a 8:00 basketball game... seriously 2 weeks in a row... all the rest are 10:00 thank goodness... brylee and i are not a fan of early rising on saturday mornings... I finally remembered my camera and got some pictures of my little man in actions...takin' it all in...I also had the privilege of taking some picture of these fine folks before they headed off to an army function... can't wait to celebrate 40 years of marriage in a few weeks with them... it is going to be a fun...Saturday night i headed to the boyds for our annual Miss America Party (last years pics... wow people keep telling me how long my hair has gotten and I guess I don't realize it b.c i see it every day but looking at last years pics it has gotten longer...ummm???) ... it is always so much fun to get together with these girls... and of course we started planning our next new york trip too... can't wait... sad that miss alabama did not do better and not really a miss virgina fan either but oh well the company and food was great... (p.s. katie's makes our sashes we don't come up with them... LOL)

And it would not be a weekend update if i did not show you some updated basement pictures... we have sheet rocked walls and ceilings and they are mudded as well... my house is full of a nice layer of sheet rock dust and my poor husband can't breathe either seeing that he is allergic to dust.. but we are one step closer to being DONE... we have to sand, mud, and sand again and then we will be ready to paint!!! YEAH... I can't wait!!

We Survived 100 days of First Grade...

I just died laughing when Jackson got off the bus

with his little 100th day hat and necklace on ...

what a cutie...

b.c soon he will be "too cool" for this! :(

I love this little guy so much!

Special Delivery...

Look what came today.... YIPPEEE!!!

and look what hubby did while I was at aerobics...YEAH!! We have our first wall!!!!

More Shopping...

Yesterday Kelly's Kids... today Castles and Crowns... I have been "invited" to 4 Castles and Crowns party this season so I am sharing the love... today I ordered Brylee these two cute outfits... I love their kailey tops so I always get those every season (one on the left) and I am a sucker for a halter top so I ordered the outfit on the right today too... I can't wait for summer...And these are the items I plan on ordering next week...I am a sucker for some smocked shorts sets and dresses... poor jackson is getting the "shaft" this time... however I don't think his daddy is in the corner crying I am sure he is very glad I am not buying him anything smocked... however i do plan on "copying" this shirt for him to wear and getting shorts from bbtn so they can "match" in a big boy way! I can't wait for them to come in and the weather to get warm... this gives me spring fever big time... what am i going to do when brylee can't or want (gasp) wear all this cute stuff... I am going to be devastated... i can't even think about it... justice or limited too or whatever all those "funky" stores are that sell glitter shirts and shorts with writing on the hiney and skirts that are short enough for her baby doll to wear...gezz some of the stuff i see on some kids... i just have to wonder who thought it was a cute outfit and what their parents were thinking buying it... ok enough of my soap box!

A Splash of LIME in a room of CHOCOLATE...

For Christmas we got some new pillows for our bed and new towels and rugs for our master bathroom and since the maid (my "quarterly" maid visit) came Friday I felt like my floor was actually clean enough to photograph and share the new with you and my bed was made up all nice and neat too... so here it is... yes hubby's initials got the "boot" on the pillow b.c mine are more "symetrical" "even" whatever you want to call it... yes i am weird like that... sorry! I did let him "get in" on the towels and the last picture is the new rugs we found to go with them... the brown and green one is in front of our shower and the big green one is in front of our vanity area... still working on some pictures and "stuff" to sit around... i will keep you posted!

The Basement Update...

Our basement is beginning to look more like rooms and taking "shape"... we put up all the installation this weekend and were suppose to start on the sheet rock but apparently there was a little mix up in the delivery... it was to be here friday after 4:00 and it never came and they are not open on the weekends so we will have to see what the "hold up" was tomorrow!

Saturday's and Delights...

This Saturday started a bit too early for my liking... basketball pictures at 8:00 a.m.... ugh... really it is Saturday folks... and then a game at 9:00... and of course the one game i forget my camera Jackson plays his best game... he scored 7 of the 9 points scored, made several "steals", got fouled once and made one of the two foul shots, and had several break aways... he played a great game but they still did not win :( Then I went "shopping" and ordered some super cute Kelly's Kids clothes... oh good you want to see what I got... glad you ask... I got these... I gave up on the outfits getting in the correct order on the college... I am assuming you can see what goes together... Bring on spring and summer weather... I am so excited and can't wait... can you tell i am OBSESSED with turquoise this year??... amelia and ashley fall out in the floor... b.c i did not order anything pink and lime... and i am so excited about these polos for jackson (and no i did not get anything monogrammed on them)... they still get to match and he gets to look like a "big boy"!!! :) After that we paid a visit to our neighborhood doc in the box to see about brylee's cough that resembles the sound of a seal... yeah we have microplasma (walking pneumonia) we get so often we are just used to it... a trip to the pharmacy for "pink medicine", walmart for a get well toy, dinner, and a "delight"! So who else reads is obsessed with darby's blog??? (fly through my window) well she featured this dessert called "Striped Delight" this week and yet again i had another "craving" so i decided to make it... yeah I know kimberly i am not going to "see results" if I eat this either... and on another note anyone else wonder how in the world darby is so skinny or is it just me... when she makes recipes like this... Sorry back to the "delight"...

Here it is... It is "suppose" to chill for 4 hours... yeah right good luck with that... ours chilled for about 1 hour and we could not wait any longer... which is why it is not as "firm" as it should be... let me tell you my tummy or family DID NOT complain... it is delish...

Tester #1... the bite behind the smile tells it all... Tester #2... the chocolate "mustache" and the smile tells is all...

i think it is a keeper... if the plate is any indication...We ended this lovely Saturday with game night... UNO ATTACK was the game of choice...

Anyone need a new way to hold you cards... (i love this child she cracks me up...)and if that method doesn't work perhaps try this...

Happy Saturday!

Seriously... who needs beds when....

you have "pottery barn chairs"...

I went in tonight to check on the kids before I went to bed myself and this is what i found... both of them asleep in their chairs... not uncommon for jackson he usually falls asleep in his but not brylee but tonight she gave it a try... of course when i came back in their with the camera it stirred her a little bit and she stretched during her pic... but not jackson nothing wakes him up! On a different note... for all you prayer warriors out there please be in prayer for the savage family... jay is my cousin lanes best friend and his wife jen is 22 weeks pregnant with twins... Jacob William and Benjamin Lane...sweet baby Jake went to be with Jesus this past Saturday morning... but sweet baby ben is holding on... please pray for health for this sweet baby and his momma and for comfort for this family during this time of loss... i know they appreciate your prayers!

UPDATE: Baby Ben put up a good fight but he went to be with Jesus today as well... again I ask you to pray for comfort and strength for this family as they grieve the loss of their sons...

Party of 4...

After the "building crew" all left we decided to go out to eat. Some friends told me about a new place at the Summit called "Flip Burger" and they proceeded to say they had a Krispy Kreme milkshake... i was SOLD... my two favorite things Krispy Kreme doughnuts and ice cream. Therefore I could not get the "craving" out of my head. So we all headed to "Flip Burger" to see what it was all about and a night is never complete without a photo shoot with these two cuties...And i must say they were AMAZINGLY good... especially considering we did not leave to go eat until 6:30... waited an hour and a half for a table... and they did not get their food until 8:30... 3 hours after the time we normally eat ( i know i am still in shock i decided to do that with 2 kids).. and of course they passed out on the way home! Such little troopers so momma could get her milkshake... Here is one way I "bought myself some time" so my kids would not turn into monsters... I went to order them an appetizer at the bar but they don't have any so I ordered some fries... they had a grand ole time under this little counter in the corner munchin' on fries, sippin' on drinks, and playing ds and with our phones... richard looked at me about 45 min into the wait and said " i am impressed you must really want to eat here to go to all this trouble"... and he was right... (sorry these next pictures are terrible the blackberry is no cannon that is for sure...) And this my friends... is what I wanted and it met all my expectations... the Krispy Kreme Milkshake...We also got the smores milkshake too... it was way too chocolatey for me... but daddy and the kids loved it...I know all i mentioned was the milkshakes... we did eat real food too... bacon cheddar burgers, fries, onion rings (very good) and fried pickles (well daddy and brylee did)... the food was good... VERY PRICEY for what it is burgers, fries, and milkshakes... but it was a fun little night out just the four of us... for me it is one of those places you go once to say you have been and get a milkshake to go next time you have a craving... kind of like the Melting Pot... go for the dessert and skip the food! :) It is also NOT a kid place... it is not "fancy" but my kids were the only ones in the place (i know it was later but still)... there is no kids menu, no cups with lids, no crayons with coloring sheets etc...

And yes KW i WILL shake my milkshake off on Thursday...

Hope you all had a great weekend and fun "garbage day" off tomorrow

(that is for you Christie T and all my workout buddies too!) :)

The Basement...

For all of you that "wood" like to know all the fun we had at our house this weekend... well here you go! Bob the Builder and Crew or perhaps Handy Mandy and The Tools were busy at work at our house this weekend. The big pile of wood was for the framing that went on downstairs in our basement... and these are the fine fellows that did all the work... hubby, my sweet daddy and father in law... and the lil' straw boss of course... And here is the finished product... a framed big playroom, bathroom, and bedroom. I must say I gave our "crew" very little credit before they started and had very little faith in their abilities... but I sure did eat a big ole piece of humble pie when their work was done. We have 3 amazingly framed rooms that are as square as can be with all leveled boards... I must say I am more than impressed! A big ole thank you and a great job high five to hubby, dad, and steve (and jp too)! The pictures don't do their hard work justice! ( i think I just added a wide angle lense to my wish list... sure would make picture taking in the room a whole lot easier) top left: the big room, top right: heading into the bathroom, bottom left: bedroom, bottom right: other side of big room... and a few baby doll strollers, ladders, tools, and furniture for good measure... I am so excited I can't wait to see it all sheet rocked... if all goes as planned... that will be next weekend... fingers crossed! :)

Wood You...

like to guess what we have on the agenda this weekend???

i think it is going to be a LOUD one!

Rah, Rah, Rah...

We have a little cheerleader on our hands... and she is SO excited!!!

Weekend Review...

Weekend in review... two days late... gotta love when the internet goes down for 2 days... I guess it is cold and doesn't function very well in below freezing temps... Anyone else ready for Spring? Gezzz it was such a COLD week, weekend, and continues to be cold. I know some of you probably live up "north" where it really is COLD but for us in the south a week with below freezing temps is COLD for my southern blood. But I had cabin fever and had to brave the cold this weekend... after Jackson's ball game Brylee, GoGo, and I went shopping! We had a blast, shopped till we dropped, and found lots of good deals and sales... Someone got a super cute fuzzy pink NorthFace jacket (for a great deal, might I add) and a super cute scarf to match! How cute... Sunday afternoon I decided to audition for "mom of the year" every time i do... i always end up wondering what i thinking? We made Cake Balls... they looked really good and sounded yummy but I must say I am not a fan... after it was all said and done I wished I had the cake back... but oh well... I guess the bright side is the kids like them and I want eat any unwanted calories like I would if I did have the cake! :) Licking the batter off the beaters... i know... raw eggs... who cares... it is the best part... another one of those things I did as a kid and survived so I am assuming my kids will too...

27 minutes and waiting...

and when you are tired of waiting bundle up and go play outside...

check out finished swing set from Santa...leave it to brother to swing like a wild man... BOYS!Cake balls the finished product...

melted chocolate + sprinkles+ 5 & 6 year old= MESS!!!

One excited little dude...

This my friends is one excited little guy when he woke up this morning and found out that Alabama won the BCS National Championship. He made it through most of the third quarter but just could not make it any longer... poor guy! I think his daddy was equally as excited b.c he and his buddies went to 3 different sports stores last night at mid night to get them and their little guys a shirt. He said that the line at Academy was down to Publix, Hibbits was so crowded you could not get in the store much less shop, so they finally ended up at Dick's and got the shirts there. Congrats to Alabama and the SEC for bringing home another National Championship; Congrats to Texas' true freshman Gilbert for giving every effort in his first game... can you image your first game being the National Championship Rose Bowl... WOW; and to Colt McCoy (oh how i love your name... you have a great texan football name) what a true man of God you are... I can only hope my son will praise God the way you did after a game even after being injured and loosing!

Mount St. Laundry...

Well I have successful completed one of my new years resolutions... LAUNDRY!!!! Sunday I took all the dirty clothes from all the laundry baskets and threw them all in a BIG pile! Seriously we had beach towels, bathing suits, an all star jersey (yes he finished playing in JUNE), halloween shirt, shorts, etc... all in the dirty clothes... I had me some little "helpers as well"... I separated it all out into loads and lined it up around my dining room and washed and washed and washed and washed some more for 5 days... and 28... TWENTY EIGHT!!!!! LOADS later... (yes my washer and dryer and sitting there with their tongues hanging out... :) ) EVERYTHING IN OUR HOUSE IS WASHED, DRIED, FOLDED, AND PUT AWAY!!!!! We now have closets that look like this... organized by color and style... and clothes folded nicely on the shelves in our closets... and our laundry baskets look like this... and we now have nicely EMPTIED and LABELED laundry baskets... that look like this.. and we have all had a "lesson" on how to put your dirty clothes in the proper basket when they are dirty... and then based on our schedule i have decided that Sunday afternoon/evening will be our laundry day... my goal is to have the baskets emptied and all the clothes washed, dried, folded and put away before we start the week. I have made it into a game... if the baskets aren't emptied by Monday morning then i loose and i hate to LOOSE at anything PERIOD! Yes, my hubby thinks i am "off my rocker" he has TOTALLY made fun of me for my "labeled baskets" but i am the type of person that if i am going to "do something" i am going to do it 100% and be very anal retentive about it. I have me a system and I think it will work... i will let you know! :) p.s. Kelly and anyone else who was interested the site with tips on cleaning is flylady.net... it takes some navigating and searching on the site to find helpful hints... i liked the shining your sink and i really liked the beginner baby steps... i hope to start this Sunday since i have the laundry under control!

My New Favorite Picture...

There are days these two make me crazy...

but thank goodness there are days like this...

when they are this cute and this sweet!

and the little mama could not wait to get home and take a picture

with her and her baby in their matching outfits!

Family...

The New Year has started off a little sad in the Powers household and we morn the loss of Richard's uncle Johnny. As Richard said, "heaven got a little more crowded on December 29, 2009 when Uncle Johnny went to be with Jesus". Today he was laid to rest with a service attended by many family members and friends. After we all indulged in a good ole country cookin' baptist church feast (there is nothing like fried chicken and chicken and dumplins from a country baptist church lady) the Powers cousins all got together for a group pictures. (l to r: tim, tom, mike (it was his dad who passed), alana, dorthy, donnie, scott (it was his dad too), lori, richard, and lindsey!

the girls...

the guys

Always good to get together with family but we all wish it was under different circumstances.