Happy Birthday Jon!

Somebody had a birthday yesterday and that somebody is my husband.  He turned 39.  Just in case you're wondering...

His "main"present hasn't arrive yet...  but should be arriving today. 

He requested Strawberry Cake....  I wanted it to be more than just a box version, so what else is there to do but Google it right??

And I came across this recipe from Paula Deen.  Automatically, the minute I saw her name, I knew it would be good!!  And I loved it even more when I saw how simple it was going to be to make!  BONUS! 

Funnest part? Pureeing the strawberries...  love to use the blender... (and yes, that is a snowman on my kitchen counter in March...  b/c snowmen are cool like that)

How gross does that look??  white cake mix, strawberry jello & eggs so far.... 

Yep...  when I saw one of the ingredients as being "white cake mix"...  I knew it was the recipe I wanted.  The frosting was from scratch though...  I didn't take pictures of that process...  but it was! 

Looking a bit better now...

Then skip a few steps and you get this...  A lovely, off-kilter, caddywhompus cake. 

I didn't cut off the top layers to get an "even" cake b/c hey, that's just wasting cake!! 


I also gave him two tshirts from this awesome website I found out about through this other blog I read.  Wonderful blog by the way.  If you've never read it, please do so. 

I couldn't get a good picture of this actual tshirt, so I went to the website and snagged this...  It's a Venn Diagram for Aliens, Zombie and Robots.  Oh how he appreciated this shirt....

His "winning" shirt. If you don't know what this is in reference to, consider yourself truly blessed. 

All in all, a good day...  but it had to end.  Because of Monday and all... 

Oh yeah...  he loved the cake too!  Happy Birthday Jon, again...

Jessica Turned 10

That means my 10th wedding anniversary is coming up soon....  wow.... 


Jessica is my niece.  My brother's daughter.  And she's probably the coolest 10 year old I know.  She's super smart (like crazy smart), she loves to read, draw and paint.  Her favorite colors right now are blue (1st) and pink.  She also LOVES animals.  She is taking care of baby chicks right now.  I've yet to get an update, but as of last Sunday, they were getting ready to hatch. 


Jessica turned 10 on February 13th, 2011.  We had a small get together at my house for her, just family. 


 I made her a banner w/ her name...  you can't really see it well b/c of my fabric...  but, she knows what it says, that's all that matters....

 Amazing what adding some foam hearts will do to a Christmas Tin.  Creates an instant birthday gift/holder....

She loved her banner...  she really loved it when I let her know she could take it home and put it her room.  

Party blower fight w/ Granny!   So happy to have Granny home and in the same town again.  She still needs a job though, keep those prayers coming... 

A homemade chocolate cake by Nanny and decorated by Uncle Jon...  I would say her 10th birthday was a success...  the smile proves it! 

Ten on Ten (a few days late)

First things first though...  Christen is doing MUCH better.  She bruised her tendon (the one that connects the muscle to the hip flexer) and was told to rest for 2wks.  So, she's been sitting on the sidelines.  But that's okay!  The swelling went down on Sunday and she put the crutches down yesterday!  Praise the Lord!! 


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And now, without further adieu...  my very late, Ten on Ten for March:

ten on ten :: the idea

Take a photo every hour for ten consecutive hours on the tenth of each month. Document a day of your life and find beauty among the ordinary moments. Then share your beauty with us!
 
 
 
I did not do as well on following the rules this month....  I was running late w/ having to take Christen to school, which made her late and well...  I was doing good to take pictures at all...  enjoy!
 

After I pull up my work sites, I open http://www.klove.com/ and listen online.  I pretty much stay with the station all day, unless I feel like listening to Clark Howard and Sean Hannity. 
 
 

I really need to get some frames for my diplomas....

Another piece of furniture in my office that I love and want....  but can't have.... 
 

I was running super late that morning...  so I pulled my hair back and put it in a bun...  Not my favorite style for me, but it beat coming to work with wet/frizzy hair. 
 

The view from my desk...  man, I can't wait for 4/10/11...  It's a SUNDAY!!  So no pictures of my dreary office....
 

I'm FREE!!!  I normally go by the post office every day after work and drop off mail I'm sending to customers. 
 

Which means I drive by this water tower everyday too...   it's on my way home from the post office...
 

Quick stop home before meeting Christen @ the ball field...  I tried to get Brandi in the picture too, but she wasn't having it...  so Beckham gave me his signature "refined" pose...
 

Christen watching the JV girls game.  She's not much of a side-line person.  But she loves supporting her friends!
 

And the last shot before we headed home....
 
I did not follow the rules of ten on ten to a "t" this month...  I was just happy to remember to take pictures!  The day was truly a blur....

Never have I............

EVER...  and I mean EVER, ran onto the field when Christen was hurt.  I learned a long time ago (during the gymnastics years) that it sometimes makes things worse.  If I see her go down...  I let the coaches and trainers do their jobs, she rests, recovers and she's back in the game. 

Last night.... 

last night is a totally different story. 

She did so great in goal.  All the girls were working together, teamwork was abundant!  They were ahead by 6.  (the score was 6-0)  Christen loves to play the field, so the coach took her out of the goal and got her on the field in the 2nd half w/ about 14min left in the game.  The GK (yep, Goal Keeper :o) ) sub let 2 go by her. That made the score 6-2. 

And then...

Christen had the ball...  she was taking it up the field...  and this girl comes out of nowhere (or so it seems to me) and before I know it...

Christen's legs are taken out from under her and she flys/falls/hits the ground....

hard...

and she doesn't get up. 

And I just knew...  I had to go to her. 

(I want to stress...  I'm not the Mom who over-reacts.  If anything, I under-react.)

I was scared.  I jogged over to the other side and she's crying and can't get up. 

She landed on her hip.  She's had issues w/ her hip in the past, so I know it's not good.  Thankfully, they had a trainer on hand and checked her over.  Nothing seems to be broken or fractured.  She finally got up (with help) and they took her to the bench.  And the trainer delivered the words that just totally took the wind from her....  "Don't worry!  You'll be back playing in about 7-10 days." 

She cried harder at that statement than she did while lying hurt on the field!!

That's my baby.  You see...  they have games in Atlanta this weekend.  Christen has just been told a few days ago that she is the "main GK".  She doesn't take this responsiblity lightly.  She's upset that she may not be able to play this weekend.  But she understands that it's better to rest and heal and miss two non-region games, than to play, get hurt worse and be out the rest of the season. 

I wish I had pictures.  We do have video and when we figure out, I'll try and post. 

Thankfully, the girl that took her out, came over and apologized and made sure Christen was okay.  That girl gets MANY stars for that.  The referee though?  He's ref'd w/ Christen before.  He knows her.  The other girl should have gotten a yellow card. He did nothing.  He never even came over after the game was called (they had to stop play b/c of her) to check on her. 

Christen stated that she will never ref for him or with him again. I don't blame her. 

We serve a mighty God.  He told me to go to her. He knew she needed me.  He is taking care of her now and will continue to.  She will be okay.  And only my God is giving me the strength to get through her soccer career!  With out Him, my nerves couldn't take it.  :o)

Soccer... it's a love thing

I love school soccer season...... 

I love watching the kids play (and win)...  I love sitting in the stands and cheering Christen on...

I love after the game, hugging her (even though she's super sweaty) and telling her what a great job she did and how proud I am of her (cause it's all true)....

But most of all, I love watching Christen do something SHE loves.  It's the only reason why I put up w/ all the things I don't love about soccer season...  that's another blog post for another day...

She played in daylight on Friday...  enjoy:

(Christen is in the light blue, long sleeve, GK jersey)

 Look at that vertical leap would ya?

 Poor kid!  We just KNEW this one got by her....

 But....

She....

 GOT IT!!!!   Awesome recovery on her part...

 I don't even think she laid a hand on the ball during this play, but she sure did try to knock it out of the goal.  Thankfully, it didn't go in!  I just love that "go get it" look on her face...      :o)

 Love the determined look on everyone's faces!  

 That #7, Hope, she's got a great reach and is an awesome player!

And then the sun went down and I couldn't get a decent shot to save my life...

In case you're wondering...  they won!  1-0