Pretty Please??? Just To Make My Day...

Hey guys. It doesn't hardly seem like I've been blogging just shy of a year now. I love it and am so glad I started...for different reasons.

I know I have fallen into a pattern of not posting every day though, mainly because of baseball season and just life in general. I keep wondering if I will lose (am losing) readers, especially on days where I only get one or two comments.

So, give a girl a reason to smile....if you read faithfully, leave me a comment. Or if you just lurk, then PLEASE leave me a comment. To settle my curiousity. I would LOVE to know you are there and will continue to visit even when I become a slacker. No incentives or giveaways....just because you love me! (you do, don't you?)

Allies

Just wondering if anyone else would agree that one week is most definitely NOT long enough for Spring Break? Maybe I should take up homeschooling.

A Spring Break Post (in Pictures)

and maybe just a little writing...(just because I like to talk so much).

MONDAY:

Yeah, I guess it wasn't hard to figure out that we spent the entire day on Monday shopping and eating. Not a bad deal.

TUESDAY:



It took me the entire week to do all the laundry, but you can stick a fork in me...cause I'm DONE!

WEDNESDAY:






THURSDAY:


This shot doesn't reflect the "before", but notice the neatly labeled bags and tub...winter clothes, summer clothes. You know the drill...we do this twice a year, but we didn't work hard all day long. Our evening was full of pampering.....






FRIDAY:


I've tried not to talk too much, but I've just got to share captions for these next few pictures from tonight...

My handsome 1st baseman...

snagging that ball hit right to him.....He's OUT!!!


Runner headed to 2nd base....hmmmm...my handsome 1st baseman throws it to 2nd baseman..


And he's OUT!!! And yes, that would mean my handsome 1st baseman got a DOUBLE PLAY!! Go Big Dan!


All kids gone can only mean one thing. Hubby and I get a night to ourselves. Yum. I ate so much I felt like such a sinner. (You know...the gluttony thing. lol)

Hope everyone had a wonderful week...Back to work on Monday.

About A Girl

Yes, this post is an ode to my birthday girl / fashion queen!

The birthday fell on Tuesday of last week. Not the ideal time for partying it up, but she did get to hang out with the grandparents while I went to Big Dan's game. We had a day of fun planned for Saturday of this past weekend and here's what we did.....

We gathered up an aunt, an uncle, and a few little boys....

A daddy to foot the bill and ride go-karts with her....

A mom who played some skee ball with her, followed her around snappping lots of pictures..

cleaned up all the wrapping mess...

and kept up with ALL THOSE TICKETS!!

We went to Playtime Pizza and they had a blast! It was totally a Chuck E Cheese on some major steroids.

With all the craziness of baseball and just life in general last week, she decided she would rather have Cold Stone Creamery instead of a birthday cake. She's not much on cake anyway, and it sure made it easier on me. HOWEVER, we were so full after an all you could eat during the day buffet, we decided we would save that until our "girls day out" which was yesterday....the first day of Spring Break.

We had such a wonderful day yesterday. The weather was gorgeous! Perfect for some shopping....and let me tell you, this little fashion queen hit the mother load. We found some great deals and some super cute stuff including these...

The ice cream trip got changed to this...

Highway robbery if you ask me!! lol. Anyway, the goal of the day was to not come home without an Easter Dress. The MISSION was ACCOMPLISHED, and we had some wonderful quality chick time to boot!! I am lovin' Spring Break.

A Baseball Blurb

I love watching my son play baseball. Did you know that?

Our team is doing great this season so far. We have won every single game with only 2 teams even scoring on us. Everybody is in super spirits....although Big Dan has had some moments of distress. He has been down on himself because he's worked so hard gearing up for the season, and even in spite of that, he is still feeling inadequate. I think he just gets so nervous when he's at the plate. Instead of really focusing on getting on base, he focuses more on getting it over the fence. His fielding has been good though. He in is competition with another senior for 1st base and so he doesn't get to play all the time, but he hasn't had any errors and that says so much.

Ok, with all that said, I got some super shots at the last couple of games that I wanted to share and a couple of tips...if anybody is interested.

Do you remember when I talked about the sports setting here? In sports mode (in good lighting), you can shoot continuously which is what I did here. This is Big Dan fielding first base.





I was extremely pleased. All I did was tweak the contrast a bit in my photo editing software because I like vibrant color. One thing I will note is even with my 75-300 lens, instead of staying in my seat and zooming in, I like to get up close and personal with my subject, and I find that zooming in at the max sometimes causes me to lose clarity.

Here he is still at the same position, but I turned my camera to shoot landscape for a different look, and also to include the runner.



To me, the batting pictures are a bit more challenging. I have to be 100% ready and the continuous shooting here is the only way I'm really going to capture the hit. Out of about 10 shots, this is the only one that was really good, but I LOVED capturing the blur of the bat as it rebounded off the ball. That's some good action right there.

Good News! Last night Big Dan got a great hit! He got a double with a hit that went all the way to the fence. I was so happy because he really needed that pick me up. I was mad at myself, though because he had a face first dive into 2nd and I totally wasn't ready to capture that on camera. I'm sure you will notice the dirt in these next 2 photographs though. haha.

Remember I told you how I like to get up close and personal? Well, it's the best way. I get funny looks sometimes and I had to travel far from the stands clear to the other side of the home dugout to get over to 3rd base, but look what it got me!!

I'm so glad Big Dan has finally gotten out of that "mom, you're embarrassing me" stage. I thought that day would never come, but it's so funny....now the first thing he wants to know is "if I got any good pictures!". Makes getting out of my seat totally worth the smile on his face.

Eleven

Although it is actually 11:00 and the day has almost ended, it was a very special day....and no, not just because it was "St. Patrick's Day", although it was.

My baby girl turned eleven today.

She was up this morning before anyone else in the house. By the time my alarm went off she had already had a bath and painted her nails green for the occasion. I made cinnamon rolls especially for her birthday breakfast.

While she was at school, I scurried around knowing this would probably be my only chance to get chores done around the house. I'll be baseballing pretty much the rest of the week, but savoring every last moment of it. My parents picked Little Ann and my nephews up from school and they went to celebrate over supreme pizza and a root beer float, while afterwards heading to wally world to pick out a gift. I, of course, went to watch Big Dan, but if I had to guess, she had a great day. We will be celebrating more this weekend gearing up for "Playtime Pizza" and some "Cold Stone Creamery". I'm sure you'll be hearing more about that birthday celebration in detail..(with pictures!)

They grow so very fast. It's hard to believe that my sweet little chubby cheeked baby....


has blossomed into such a beautiful young lady.

Happy Birthday! I love you, my sweet Little Ann.

Catching Up....List Style

I've been reminded again lately that I've been lagging behind in the blogging department. I know. It seems that I want to blog, but by the time I settle in for the night, my brain is too tired to write anything comprehensible. And such is the case tonight, but I'm going to try to fill you in on what I've been up to by way of a list.

1. Friday I accomplished a great task. I actually paid off my van. I was ecstatic. I knew I was in close range when at the beginning of the year I numbered the pages left in the payment book, but God blessed us with a tax return in excess of the amount I still owed as pay off. It is a great feeling I tell ya. So great, that I felt the urge to detail it out, had Pete put on 4 brand new tires, do a brake job, replace a headlight...and today I had the transmission serviced. So!! I'm good for what...at least another 5 years or so, right?

2. Saturday, the Girl Scouts took a field trip to the Arkansas Historic Museum for a tour and a little hands on. I must say it was worth the $6 for the 4 hours they got. Of course, you must know, my Little Ann went in costume courtesy of my mother. I warned her everyone else would be wearing their girl scout tee shirts, but she didn't care. She looks for opportunities to be different. I guess that's a good thing...or is it? Here are a few shots from the day:

They made beautiful music.

Made sweet little corn husks dolls.

The toured homes, stuffed pillows, played with wool and even watched this lady spin.

Little Ann loved it so much, I am feeling a possible Natchez, Mississippi girl trip over Spring Break.

3. Sunday Little Ann had a relapse. She missed 2 days of school last week with tummy troubles. Keep her in your prayers for she has been having some issues and I'm not quite sure what the problem is. I have an appointment made in April with a specialist. Could be allergies, could be other. May be nothing. Just don't know.

4. Today, I made a trip into the big city with a friend. We had put clothes in a bi-yearly consignment sale, and needed to go pick up our checks. I sold everything I took except 2 pair of shoes and a tank! YEA. Now I can go buy more!

5. And last but not least, we finished the night off with baseball. Overall our team is doing excellent. We had 2 more shut downs tonight. The team we played never scored a single run. It's been a great season so far, but Big Dan has been somewhat down. He's been working so hard. Staying late for extra batting practice, and giving it his all, but it seems that during the games, he is just not hitting right now. He wants to take this to the next level SO BAD, and I just hate when he's down on himself. Mom's job is to help him keep his head up though, so I just keep encouraging him and telling him how proud of him I am. (Because I am ...no matter what he does.)

There you have my list. Happy "almost" Tuesday.

A Friday the 13th Daybook

Outside my window.....a slight breeze and cold, but at least there's no rain. (Well, I spoke too soon. It started raining before I even finished this post.) Things are turning green despite the 40 degrees. I am sooooo glad they canceled the baseball tournament this weekend.

I am thinking.....what a wonderful time I had at Revival this week. I will admit, my week did NOT start off on the right foot, but God's been working on me all week with each new sermon I've heard. Thank you, God for blessing me. And for you prayer warriors out there that read, please pray for my family. Hard headed teenager, high tempered husband, sick daughter = stressed out MOM.

I am thankful.....that I have such wonderful parents that lift me up in prayer and would do anything for me.

From the kitchen.....a big yummy, pot of chili to warm my belly.

I am wearing.....tee shirt, some comfy jeans, and my favorite fuzzy socks.

I am reading.....nothing, but wanting to.

I am hoping.....that I can scrapbook soon. I am feeling the urge BIG TIME, but it's one of those things where I get overwhelmed with guilt if I do it when I have other things lingering over my head. Believe me though. I've got the FEVER.

I am creating.....a clean living room floor just as soon as I finish this post. Tired of trampling over laundry that should've been put away Monday! Ug.

I am hearing.....Little House on the Prairie. Life was so much simpler then, but Ma and Pa Ingalls are in an argument??? I didn't know they ever had a disagreement.

Around the house.....I've been cleaning and organizing. What a great feeling.

One of my favorite things.....my electric blanket that I've so desperately been missing. Pete is glad I burnt that sucker up, but I want another one.

A few plans.....Girl Scout Pioneer Days tomorrow, Church on Sunday, Little Ann turns 11 next week...ELEVEN. oh my goodness...ballgames, ballgames and more ballgames.

A picture thought for the day.....

I took this picture of Little Ann in March of 2007. She's grown up so much.

Oh Spring. Where, oh where are you??

Bad, Bad Blogger

Ok. So I'm sorry. I've been a bad blogger lately. My husband reminded me that it's been over a week. What's wrong with me? Could it be that my emotions have been running wild again and I didn't figure you wanted another whiny post? Could it be that my girl has been sick with a whole different ailment this time? Could it be that my church has been in revival all week and that both my days and nights have been cram packed with things to do, places to go and people to see? Or could it be that I just absolutely, for the life of me, can't think of one single thing to blog about?

But! I'll be back, I promise.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends.

Isn't Baseball Supposed to be a "Warm" Sport?

Look! The blossoms on my pear trees are blooming. It's March 4. Baseball is in full swing. So, doesn't that mean we should be getting some warmer weather?

Arkansas weatherman did say we should see warmer temps by the end of the week which is a very, very GOOD thing because I don't know if I can hang with watching baseball in 40 degree weather for much longer. Did I mention they played in snow Saturday night? Yes, SNOW. Can you believe that?

This would be Big Dan's frozen "spectator" section.

Ah yes....the things we do for our kids..(and boyfriends).

And this is the baseball star himself. I won't give you any kind of photography lesson today for these weren't the greatest shots in the world. It was the one time I could force myself out from under my blankie and between the darkness and the shivers, it was pretty much a lost cause.

So, who's ready for Spring already?

Interesting Find

I realize just an hour ago I posted my rant over tonights finale and after rose show, but in my denial, I've been lurking around on the net and happened across this article much to my dismay. Thought you fellow fans may be interested.

Wanna Know What I Think?

Huh? Huh? Do ya? DO YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT I THINK? I seriously think Jason is a meany pants. I am absolutely shocked and appalled and extremely hurt for that poor girl. The audacity to do that on public television. I just can't believe it. Say it isn't so. ABSOLUTELY!

Ok. Now, that I got that all out of my system, here's my opinion.

Molly is a cute girl, although I had a hard time getting past her messy ponytails and "I love yo", but all in all I could see him falling for her. Melissa was no doubt my favorite and I liked her more and more with each episode, but really. Did she deserve all that? I'm not doubting that the guy was having second thoughts, and I completely understand that he came to terms with the fact he made the wrong choice. I mean, who can possibly choose a life partner in that short of time? It stands to reason that he just wasn't sure who he was really in to by the time d-day rolled around. What I DON'T understand is why on earth could he not have told her all that in private before that stupid rose show so she could've come on stage with some dignity left. That was just mean. Didn't his momma ever teach him to do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

The spoilers I read seem to indicate that Jason was having secret contact with Molly all along. I'm not so sure about that. If that is the case then Molly did a really good job acting surprised about the whole thing. AND if ABC instructed Jason to do all that (which is another thing I read) to increase their ratings, then phooey, phooey on ABC. The nerve. I would boycott them if I wasn't so excited about watching the new show coming on next Monday, Castle.

Ok, so I feel much better now. So what did YOU think about the whole thing? I really wanna know!

You Think I'm Obsessive?

I'm sorry. I know you guys are probably beginning to think by now I am truly obsessive compulsive. After days and hours spent working on this blog layout, I just can't get happy. I even purchased those tabs and header from the shabby shoppe and loved them, but without really knowing what I was doing, I couldn't use them without a white background which really bugged me.

I've got so much on my plate throughout the next month with 4 or more basball games per week, bible study, revival, a consignment sale in the big city, a spa party, Little Ann's birthday, a long overdue promised room makeover during Spring Break....and the list goes on. I guess I will just have to settle until I find some time to either learn how to compose my own or get someone to help me. Until then, just bear with me.

It is officially one hour until the big finale of The Bachelor!! We'll see how this pans out and I may be back later tonight for one last venting session. lol.

Sicklings

Well, the first day of March has come and almost gone and I've got nothing to show for it except a couple of sets of clean sheets and some left over homemade pizza. I didn't even get to go to church today because my Little Ann has been a sickling. I am guessing I will call the doctor tomorrow because she has been running fever since Thursday evening with flu like symptoms. I was looking forward to getting over this cough I've had lingering on for the past week myself, but sharing a bed and a lap with Little Ann may hinder that (not that I would have it any other way). We had a bad night. Despite my efforts to bring her 103 degree body back to normal by way of cold drinks, popsicles, and lukewarm baths, the fever was refusing to come down. She was miserable and even after she finally went to sleep in the wee hours, I seemed to worry myself to death for the rest of the night.

Big Dan will probably be bed ridden with pneumonia next after playing a tournament game in freezing temperatures and some snow last night. Friday's game got canceled because of the rain. This mom thinks it was absurd to play in conditions like last night brought, but who am I to second guess baseball coaches? And what a difference 24 hours makes. I never went out today, but my thermometer showed temps nearing 60 degrees. And so is weather in Arkansas.

So, who's ready for the big finale tomorrow night? If what I have been reading on the Hollywood gossip is true, I must say I have mixed feelings about it all. I just can't believe Jason would really do that. If he does, then I guess I had him pegged all wrong. I guess we'll find out tomorrow night.

I wish I had all kinds of excitement to write about tonight, but unfortunately I don't. Other than a little female surgery planned for Dixie (our momma dog) in the morning, things around here are..blah, blah, blah. Pete told Little Ann she and Dixie could go in to see the doctor together tomorrow, but she might not like the way they took her temperature.

Hope everyone has a good week.