life lessons learned on the court

~ most problems can indeed be solved with a quick match of rock paper scissors

~ when it comes to goals, always shoot high

~ good friends can be chosen by their ability to match cool hip shoes with their chosen ensemble

~when you find yourself on defense,

always make your opponent smile

~ finally

if your mom catches an expression on your face that looks exactly the same as it did when you were two....you will score not only a happy meal but also an icecream on the way home from said basketball camp

a little intimidated

at the risk sounding cliche,

where does the time go?

the girl's summer break began may 22 & that break came to a screeching halt yesterday morning between 6 & 7 am .

back to school....here we go again!

as much as i love a break from all the carpools , homework, committee meetings, etc, i really function much better with a schedule. i hear the collective sighs. i know....i hate to let you down. i'd love to be a carefree hang-out kinda girl, but truth be told, i'm just not very productive in the summer.
i feel like our household runs more efficiently when we know what's on tap for the week. i'm better about getting well balanced meals on the table, my quiet time gets rolling again & for crying out loud, my neglected blog visiting can get back up to par!

i feel like i need to drop by about two dozen blogs & cut and paste the ole'

" sorry i haven't been by for a visit the last 10 weeks. life is good. just not much time on the computer when there are 6 of us here bidding for time on. please forgive me. i missed ya though!"

on that note, i must be honest....i've been a little intimidated lately. there's a handful of bloggers (some i've recently stumbled upon) that i am completely blown away by.

if i have the same 24 hours in my day as they have in theirs,

why don't i get as much done as they do?

let me clarify

~interesting entries....sometimes i just don't have anything fabulous to say. actually i rarely feel like i have something interesting to say. meanwhile, there are so many of you out there who just ooze wonderful entries.....frequently, like every other day!

~amazing homes.....trying to live somewhat on a budget ( yes, its hard for me to even choke out that word) these days means that i don't often--or ever have new fantastic decorating to share.

honestly, i struggle with a little discontent with all the projects i'd love to do around my home. then i stop, feel guilty, & remind myself how truly blessed i am, even without the beloved sofa & chairandahalf from pottery barn......sigh

~beautiful photos....when do these fantastic bloggers upload & edit all these fantastic photos? i have recently purchased some textures that i'm dying to get my hands on, but my resident computer geek ( aka--busy 16 year old) isn't home enough to give me an inservice.

~inspiring words...i don't think my mind works that way. i'll just leave it at that

~projects....heidi swapp, rhonna, & jenni bowlin are my fave scrapbook artists --they are completely insane. amazing projects, daily! do these women sleep?

meanwhile, back here at the ranch i have an entire 54" table set up with loads of papers & ephemera, just waiting for my creative juices to get going. well, they got up & went because i haven't done a thing...in months...ugh.

so my hat's off to you ladies who inspire me out there.

you have a voice in your blog, whether you realize it or not

& there are so many voices i love to come by & hear

even if i haven't 'said hello' in the last several weeks.

ok, back to the original question

where does my time go?

what am i spending my time on?

what am i investing in that has purpose?

what are my priorities?

i don't want my days to go by in blur, looking back & wondering what do i have to show for how i chose to spend my day.

yes, i'm a girl who needs order

yes i have a busy household

& yes, i really do want to do many things well

i've spent some time the last several days thinking about just that.

the new school is a great time for me to start over if you will

i feel like the Lord has put some things on my heart that i want to get into play in my household.

& i want to share them with ya'll.

but since my littlest one will be running in the door any minute, i gotta go.

but we'll talk soon!

xo

orange crush

things in my life that i'm loving

some of which are orange!

the orange pompoms all over our home
we now have

not one

but four cheerleaders

my mom agenda
can't do life without it




the new fall line from miniboden
ridiculously cute
& since our school colors are orange
i'm thinking little bit should sport these boots

she wants this jacket

except that here in atlanta it'll probably never get cold enough
but darn cute

but she could wear this one....

my fun orange bowls from pottery barn

oops...
they're all gone

but they fit in with my orange theme

i'm very picky when it comes to fragrance indoors

spray room freshners...usually gag me

glade plug ins...ugh

please tell me you don't have a scented candle on your kitchen table....

anyway

archipelago madagascar--blend of white orchid, vanilla, freesia & jasmine

insanely yummy

i'm usually more of a salty girl when it comes to treats

pizza, french fries, chips

all those healthy things

i can usually turn down sweets for a greater .....oh who am i fooling

i love homemade icecream,

i really love homemade carmel cake....

i digress

but starbucks new icecream

who knew?

i stumbled upon this the other night when my girls, yes they, not me ,needed an icecream fix

in my local grocery store none the less

they're packaged in these cute little portion controlled containers that look so cute lined up in your freezer

of course "lined up in your freezer" implies that you need plural

since we had been on a highcaloriefasttraintohell all day

i decided the best way to end my day was to try the java chip frappuccino

heaven girls, heaven

& if you open up this little linkie you too can meet the new flavors & grab yourself a $1 off coupon

for the kids of course

what does it say about me that the longest portion of this entry is about food?

american eagle boyfriend chinos are now marked down from $45 to $14.99

& ever so comfy

i'm more of a one larger cuff girl than a double roll

just in case you wondered

orange...school colors, so that was a no brainer

& the pink is so soft & looks almost white

another no brainer
super spot velvet mini from boden has my name all over it

as does this one

prada fragrance

one of the few i can wear without giving myself a migraine

no kidding

jennifer lanne's artwork

the reason i started taking oil classes

no she doesn't paint in oil

but she was my inspiration

brooke white's new cd

love it love it love it

kate voegele

love her too

curently my hugest crush

is jewelry

one of my girlfriends creates amazing pieces using sterling, freshwater pearls, crystals & religeous artifacts-crosses, peace signs...oh so beautiful

i love layering her bracelets and necklaces

these below are some of my fave's from bittersweet designs

i'd love to place several of these in our unused fireplace

still crushing on sugarboo designs frames

i've seen a few wannabe's

but these are just amazing in person

& i realllllllllllllllly

love their new line of antiqued signs

I also love Dee's work

you can check out her new online shop


probably wasn't the most optimal day to post on my crushes

being that we met with our financial planner yesterday for two hours

not that i was counting or anything, honey......

confessions of a photo junkie

madison grace~~ seaside '09

i thought i might need to explain the whole excessive photo taking issue that i confessed a few entries ago. despite taking over 2,500 images, surprisingly i really didn't feel that i had the camera in front of my face during my entire vacation.

i think for those of us that enjoy taking photos its really all about balance. the balance between wondering if i'm going to miss a moment that i want to tangibly capture forever vs the should i just put my camera down & be in the moment.

for me, many fun activity moments i usually do not even have my camera out---the recent family trip to the Atlanta Braves for example..nope , no camera. its funny how many times my girls will say...."what, you didn't even bring your camera?!" but rather, i enjoy capturing them in their world....cheering, dressed up for a dance, a good hair day, whatever. for years emi hated having her picture taken. honestly, as soon as i pulled it out of the bag she would morph into a completely different child. often times looking quite forlorn. this summer she was just beside her self excited about all the potential "photoshoots" as she called them. she talked about how she might do her hair, the outfits she'd wear, the jewelry. she frequently would ask me " can you take my picture here". i loved it!

i think there's something that makes the object of a photo feel special , feel cherished, when we take the time or make the "sacrifice" in making the effort or taking the time to capture those moments. i love taking my girls out individually & just doing a little impromptu picture taking , whether on a snowy day or an evening out in the field. my reward is seeing how happy they are when they view the finished product....when they are able to see through a photograph just how beautiful they are

how beautiful i see them

there's something just magical about the shore to me. i feel so at peace. like nothing bad is going to happen while i'm there. the sound of the crashing waves. the amazing miracle that those waves know just where to stop on the sand. the beautiful vastness of the ocean. the color of everyone's cheeks after a day playing outside. the fact that i don't have to cook dinner-just seeing if you're still paying attention. most years, i'll only see a handful of seaside sunsets. i want to hold those moments. i want to look over them year after year.

i love the images of little one's toes in the sand
little girls building sandcastles
white dresses on a sunkissed girl

so yes, i did enjoy the moments. many of them. meanwhile capturing a "few" for my forever too

say what you need to say....

She drove away today

no, she didn't run away

she didn't even leave for college

but she drove away.....on her own , for the first time

we've just begun another chapter in our life

& in our relationship

one of rapidly growing independence

she didn't leave for college today

but i'll blink my eyes & we'll be there

i have two years left with her in our home

will i have 'done it right' that day when she does leave?

research shows the majority of the influence we have on our children is done by the time they hit 12 years old

i'll be quite honest, with three of my girls past that point, i frequently, no daily, wonder if i've done it right & usually feel like i have failed.

this summer she & i have a had a rough time

mainly due to miscommunication & misunderstanding

& this has broke my heart

i would dare to say that most severed relationships stem from one of these.

she & i are much alike

first borns

both usually feeling we are right

& lacking patience

& maybe a little stubborn, just a little

i feel like i've dropped the ball

i've let this summer fly away where i really should have just stopped

stopped & hugged her

stopped & apologized

stopped & told her how proud i am to be 'Savannah's Mom'

refusing to let another day go by with unresolved issues

& i plan on it

i told her last night that i want she & i to head out , just us two for a little time together before school starts back.

with a large busy family it has seemed a little overwhelming to make sure both dan & i get one on one time with each of the girls

but i need to do this

i need to say those important things

i need to make sure that when that day arrives

when she really does drive away

i feel like i did it....that i did it right

as much as i could

& that she leaves with her love tank full,

confident that i love her & that i'm always on her team

i love you sweet girl

pass the herbs please, handsome

The last couple of years i have planted herbs just outside my kitchen door. I love having a variety of fresh ones to choose from as i cook. they're so easy to grow & do well in ground or in containers.

basil, cilantro, oregano and rosemary are my favorites.

i use my little williams sonoma herb snips & feel mighty cute doing so.

my sweet fella left early this morning for an out of town retreat with his fellow administrative team . so last night i made one of his favorite meals.

fresh tomato & basil sauce & pasta
home made meatballs


& yes i realize pasta and potatoes are probably not a proper combo, ina would be so disappointed. but being a meat & potatoes kinda guy, i knew this would make him happy.
red potatoes with parsley and rosemary. boiled & added butter and sour cream.

i love asparagus but for quite some time i couldn't get my girls to touch it. i began roasting those babies & now it's hands down their favorite green veggie.

snip the ends

roll the spears in extra virgin olive oil

add coarse salt , dried rosemary or basil

&
roast at 400 for about 20 minutes.

seriously yummy

we never have a single spear left over

sourdough bread

again, rubbed it down with evoo

added coarse salt & topped it with my fresh rosemary

broiled it up

fresh lemonade for the kiddos,
glass of wine for me

james taylor on the ipod

candles

&
a perfect dinner was served.

darn it

i always forget dessert

maybe i can think up something sweet for that handsome fella

~~wink~~

its a good thing he doesn't travel frequently

i miss that boy when he's gone for just two nights.