I will be away from blogging for a while. Marc has been admitted to the hospital. Please keep our family in your prayers.

Picture of the Day ( my snack plate ).

Well as many of you know a large component of my family has been effected by high blood pressure ( including my 23 year old daughter ). So this month after my uncle had his quadruple bypass surgery we decided to clean out the junk in our fridge and cabinets and really start improving our intake of food. This has been especially hard on the budget ( its a shame it cost more to eat healthier ), but its a must for my family. Of course even harder is getting the family to actually follow through. Most of them are on the go all day and it a lot easier to pick up something on the run. The hardest for me will be adding physical activity to my daily schedule. I took the real age test a month ago and even though I am 43 my real age came up as 54! Top on the list for ways to change that is exercise, adding more green vegetables and fish to my diet. I hate seafood with a passion ( with the exception of tuna ...which thankfully is on the list ). But last night I picked up fresh salmon..........so we will see how it goes. If you have any recipes please pass them on.

Church Picnic



Ok, why is it that Quisha and I actually look like we are working while Nicki looks as if she is posing for a commercial shoot ( she was actually manning the moonwalk area)? Its been a busy month. And this weekend was no different. Marc preached on Thursday, the girls danced on Friday. Saturday we had our family and friends day at church and Sunday Marc and I left our service so that he could go and preach at another church ( the girls stayed behind to dance again). Also Sunday afternoon we went to the hospital to see my uncle who had a heart attack (please keep him in prayer) and then we left from there to go and see my godfather who has been told he has a brain tumor growing again (yes, this is not the first time). Less just say its been a hectic and sometimes scary weekend. All in all I think we are all holding up pretty good (and my bp is not up). I told you my life was a series of events!

My Life Is a Series of Events

Scrap Etc 2007

Family Reunion 2007

Chicago 2007

Friends (Birthday)

Family (Homecoming)

I'm slowly coming to the realization that I am not an everyday life sort of scrapper. On any given week my family, friends, or even our church has an event in some form. Even when I fill in my Memory Dock planner its usually with an event in mind. And I recently realized that I am OK with that. I think I would get bored really fast with scrapbook pages of my dirty laundry, dirty dishes, etc, etc. Now don't get me wrong I mix in a little bit of everyday life each time I come here and blog. But for the most part I love the special occasions ( And we know I love event planning) as much as the special moments. Maybe if my children were smaller it would be different. Let's face it I am a mother of three adults ( who just happen to still live at home), and most of the time an opportunity to document their life only happens at special events. So what you see is what you get. This is my Life!

Yard Girls (Not)

Its a given you will never see this look again. Nicki and I tackled a little bit of yard work this afternoon. Anyone who knows the girls in my family know this is a rare picture ( Nicki even warned me to grab the camera because its probably a once in a lifetime moment ). With the exception of Marc, none of us what you would call ...outside folks (and sports is a dirty word in our vocabulary). So is gardening or yard work. I can honestly say that I may have cut the grass at our home , once in my 42 years on this earth. Keep in mind I live on a 1.2 acre lot....which is a rare commodity in these parts. So its not from the lack of yard. (most people around here can reach out and touch their neighbor)! But lately I have been in the mood to "upgrade" our 14 year old home, and just as my goal is to revamp and reorganize the inside of my home, I also feel the need to do the same outside. Which for me means more time spent outdoors. The bad part is that I must be immune to the feel of little bugs eating away at my flesh. When I got back inside after the fight with the shrubs I remarked to my husband that the mosquito's must not like me. Unfortunately when I looked down at my legs there were lots of red marks all over me. I knew there was a reason I stayed inside!

Back to School 2

Quisha will graduate from college in December with a degree in Psychology. If all goes well she will be back in school next year getting her Master's degree in Education. I am so proud of my girl. Today she started her final semester of classes. It hit me this morning that very soon I will no longer be taking back to school photos. I kick myself now for not making this a priority before I started scrapbooking. Thankfully I am making up for that now thanks to my passion for this hobby. Now years down the line my family will have reminders of our life recorded in my scrapbooks.

Back to School

Nicki started her Junior year in college today! She seems to really like the classes she is taking. Probably in part because she is now taking the classes associated with her major........Mass Communications. She has even talked about going to graduate school! Quisha starts tomorrow so I will post her picture then. Now to get TJ back in class and I will be a Happy Mama.

Prayer

Today we got a call that my husbands brother in law had died. Please keep his wife and children in your prayers. He was in his early 50's. Once again we have been reminded how soon life can change and how little control we have over it. Please, if you have family members you are estranged from....stop the madness now and call them, write them or if they are close enough go see them. Life is to short for playing foolishness. ( My grandfathers saying which we kept referring back to throughout our family's reunion a few weeks back). I am blessed to belong to a very large close knit family. I thank God on a daily basis that we have tried to maintain these relationships over the years and that my children understand the importance of sticking together ( especially siblings ). Of course they would tell you I have drilled it into their brain from day one. I have even threatened to track them down if they dare leave my home and have the gall to not stay in touch. TJ's dream is to live and work in Japan, but I think even he knows that if he thinks that means he can avoid his family, ignore them or lose contact then I will be forced to track him down and believe me my mom would be out front leading the pack.

I talk to my mom at least once every other day ( sometimes more). And to my aunt and uncle at least 5 days a week. Now, I know that there are some relationships that need to be severed permanently (I'm am not talking about those). But if you have been holding a grudge against someone and you know deep in your heart that you should have gone to this person a longtime ago and made amends. Then don't wait. It would be so sad to have missed the opportunity only to find out its too late to rectify the situation.

And even with those we claim to have a close relationship with don't take for granted they will always be there. Make a point to tell that person you love them, as a matter of fact make sure that you kiss them goodbye when they leave and greet them when they come in....it may be the last time you ever have the chance to leave a good impression.

My Sister

Just wanted to share a picture of my sister and me. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for her. She is doing a lot better. This picture was taken the weekend of the Family Reunion.