Random holiday pictures

This shirt I had on pretty much summed up how I felt on Christmas Eve with the incredibly warm temps. 

Sassy does not EVEN BEGIN to describe this daughter of mine. She's so stinkin' cute though! 

Merry Misery......

Well. Our Christmas cards have been photographed. The next 2 parts might be "iffy"--- printing them out and addressing envelopes. So in case that doesn't happen...... Merry Christmas. 

We're all in misery.

Breakfast at Tiffany's!

So my daughter had her 4th birthday party this weekend. And the sucker that I am for all things unusual AND retro.... well, I decided to go with this theme. It. Was. So. Much. Fun. I loved planning it and partying from start to finish! The girls all received sunglasses and pearl necklaces for party favors and we painted nails and did makeup.  Perfect girly-girl party!

Her big brothers and bodyguards. 

Beautiful girls at an elegant party. 

The closest I'll ever get to a Tiffany's piece of jewelry. 

Photo booth! 

Holly Golightly would be proud. 

BREAKFAST (food) at Tiffany's. 

Once Upon a Time Princess Tea Party

Today MG and I went to a tea party for princesses. They had all the major Disney prinncesses there. Mary Grace had her hair and makeup done and was in Princess heaven. We had a lovely time. It's so fun to see the magic in her eyes. I try to cherish these moments more and more. They grow up way too fast for my liking. 

Over. It.

I instigated this report on the national Fox News. I'm getting so tired of the p.c. mess. I'm over the political correctness. 

Here's the article, in which I was quoted:

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/high-school-marching-band-benched-over-christian-hymn.html#.VdjEcxGXWY0.facebook

Back to school

What's it like to have children?  It's like letting your heart walk around outside of your chest. 

Middle school and first grade, be kind to my heart. 

Happy 4th!

This is our attempt at a family selfie. Ha. 

Hope everyone has had a relaxing 4th of July weekend. 

This. Just this.

No words. This is intense. And beautiful. 

http://30-years.dailymegabyte.com/ex-lovers-meet-each-other-after-30-years/

Life......

I've spent the better part of this week feeling a little sorry for myself. I've had a certain issue that has, in its own way, devastated me. And then I have a family of 5. Five beautiful, wonderful souls. And sometimes, honestly, it's truly exhausting to try and make ends meet. Sometimes it's literally just robbing Peter to pay Paul. Don't get me wrong. My husband has a great education and a solid education. Of course, that doesn't come cheap. And if you've ever received anything from Sallie Mae, you get me. My husband is a great provider. I, myself, have a wonderful job and work for an incredible man. But regardless, life gets hard sometimes. And I don't understand how people can try and keep up with the Jones's and keep their head above water. Because, quite frankly, we don't care one thing about keeping up with the Jones's. Yet, we often find ourselves barely treading water. And we make a GOOD living. *Sigh*

But I digress. My family isn't perfect. My house is often messy and unorganized and unfolded laundry lies piled up in a rocking chair in the corner of our bedroom. I don't make our lives to be a fairytale. Because it's not. Nothing about it is. Marriage is hard. Raising kids is hard. And life is hard. 

But tonight, watching my kids play and laugh in our backyard.... The same backyard that we have transformed little by little, as we could afford it,  into our own place of peace and beauty, I see what life is supposed to be about. Not how much money is or (in our case) isn't left over at the end of the month. Not how new or old our cars are. And not how often we can afford to take a vacation. 

Because, the bottom line is.... I don't need a vacation to see the reality of what God has truly blessed me with: Healthy children, a home that many only pray for, jobs that my husband and I don't dread going to so we can earn a living, and friends who we can count on. Above all else, my hope is grounded in my Maker. Because in the end.... It all turns out beautifully. 

Natchez

I. Love. This. City. 

The Turning Angel. (Also made famous by Greg Iles from his book by the same name. Which also happens to be my FAVORITE.)

Going 6 feet under. 

Fat Mama's. 

Happy Mother's Day!

So glad God chose me to be their mom. 

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is full of so many emotions. I have been blessed with so many wonderful mother figures in my life. My one solid rock remaining is my own mother. Love her beyond words. 

Fairy Garden

I tend to think things like "fairy gardens" are a bit cheesy and silly. However, I had a big, broken pot in my yard that could still find some sort of way to be used. So..... Say hello to my new creation. My fairy garden. Yes. I now have a fairy garden. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Ha. 

And this was last weekend on our trip to Birmingham with the Boy Scouts. We got to spend the night in a science museum. I wasn't crazy about the idea. But my husband signed us up. And this was a traveling selfie.  Just because. 

Our Adventure to D.C.

Just a few highlights from our trip to D.C. 

At Arlington. It was snowing heavily and COLD. 

Capitol Hill. 

Holocaust Museum. VERY powerful. 

Buying a pretzel from an overpriced street vendor. 

In Gatlinburg. Sharing fried Oreos. 

Zip lining over Dollywood. 

That's me!  ^^^^