Birthday Wishes...

Hello friends,

i've been a bad blogger lately, i know.

but i'm still here, just a little on the busy side.

however, i had to stop by to wish my 

wonderful, beautiful, loyal boy a 

huge happy birthday!

My Maui is 5 years old today, and even more loved than when he first came to us.

happy birthday big boy!

XOXOXO

WANTED: My Birthday Girl. . . . . .

 my baby girl has a birthday today.

a special birthday.

today she is sweet sixteen!

let me tell you a bit about her.

she's a God-fearin

country music lovin,

cowboy boot wearing

football watchin

sweet tea drinkin

southern girl.

she has down home values 

and old fashioned morals in a modern world.

her faith is solid and strong.

(she's actually been called a "female Tim Tebow" by people she just met:)

she's fun

she's brave

she's thoughtful

she's generous

she's a cutie

she's adventurous

she's friendly

she's smart.

she's my girl.

she's 16.

and i love her!

happy birthday baby girl!!!

xoxoxo

mama

AND a birthday cake to match those boots,
made by a sister, with love:)

a day to CELEBRATE. . . . . .

december 30. . . .

it's a day to celebrate my dad.

because today is his birthday. . . . .a very special day.

this is his second birthday in Heaven.

and  while we all miss him SO very much,

we are grateful just knowing he is Home. . . . . . .

and waiting for us to join him once again.

dad...here is my pledge to you.

i'm not sure i can do this but i'm going to try.

today i will celebrate you more and mourn less.

i read that in a poem. . . . .

that there comes a time to celebrate more and mourn less.

we all get there in our own time.

i still miss you.

still shed many tears.

but i wouldn't trade a day of having you for my dad.

and that is something to celebrate.

you won't be here in person.

but you can watch from above.

hopefully smile your little smile.

and understand what i am trying to do.

i'm celebrating your life.

let's see, how can i do that?

well, first of all, by going to church as always.

you would want that.

then maybe playing with my dogs.

because i think secretly you liked my dogs:)

i think for you, we'll have fried egg sandwiches for lunch.

the sandwich you always made me when mom was at work.

then a bit of t.v.

Phil will watch some golf for you.

and the girls and I will watch some classics,

like maybe a few episodes of 

The Honeymooners.

you laughed so hard watching this show.

especially the one where Ralph Cramden is trying to teach his buddy

 Ed Norton how to golf.

remember " helloooo ball. . . . ."?

hahahaha

the Bible says this. . . . .

i'm gonna try my best to laugh as we celebrate.

again, no promises.

but your life is worth celebrating and appreciating.

i miss you.

i'll always miss you.

and there are some things I'll never understand.

but what else is new.

i don't understand a lot of things.

as long as i get to see you again, it's all okay though.

Taylor is making a birthday dinner tomorrow night.

Lasagna...something you enjoyed.

and what kind of birthday would be complete without cake. . . . .

or at least ice cream:)

i can't promise to eat any black cherry ice cream.

but i will get something.

maybe butter pecan.

neapolitan?

we'll think of something.

and guess what?

no little dinky bowls like mom had:)

we'll have a big ol' bowl of ice cream.

and candy if we feel like it.

because we're celebrating YOU!

i think we'll start a family puzzle.

we didn't get around to a Christmas puzzle as I was kinda out of it.

but we can do a birthday puzzle.

for you:)

we'll look at photos and try to smile.

photos like the ones of your shed.

it's really so pretty in a rustic kind of way.

and by the way, after all those times of not wanting to ride

 in your pick up truck,

me and the girls are into pick up trucks.

like really in to them.

as in if only we could have a little red one, we'd be happy:)

wish i had your old truck now!

it's been tough dad, i'm not kidding.

but i think we all are coming along.

this is a verse from a song that i like.

I don't think it is speaking to our situation,

but it kind of fits.

through life's trials and struggles,

you eventually get a little bit stronger.

hopefully wiser,

and find a way to smile again.

most of the time anyway:)

i made this snow heart in your beautiful back yard.

everytime i see this photo, i think of you.

and this time, i'm gonna try to smile.

and say Happy Birthday to my WONDERFUL Dad!

with more love than you could ever know.

Suzy

Rules to Live by and Things I Love for Birthday Week:)

welcome to my birthday week:)

in case you're new around here, this is me.

 and to celebrate, i am pretty much doing what I want all week:)

and to start with, that means spending time with

 my favorite country girls!

there they are......my pride and joy:)

we kicked off the week at a country concert;

Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.

even though we got soaked before and after,

we had a FABULOUS time!!!

but then, i have a fabulous time pretty much WHENEVER we

are together.

so that's the beginning of my birthday week.

today, my girls wanted to go to coconut point to do a bit of

birthday shopping.

they had ideas, but still wanted to know what i would like.

seriously, am i the only mother out there who doesn't have a list of

goodies i want?  

so in this age of technology,

i created a picture board on polyvore to give ideas

instead of writing a list.

here is my birthday idea board;

Things I love by shabbychicks featuring studded handbags

let me explain.
basically what this board shows is that i love rose gold,
bracelets...cross jewelry and western style,
i like things with inspirational words/messages,
whether wall signs or again...bracelets.
i also would like a fun kinda ring.
the denim backpack is one of my favorites but since that
would be hard to find, it stands for anything denim which i LOVE.
this is a great time to find sale clothes and i wear a lot of tank tops.
purses.....i could use one for Fall.  they know what i like,
which is pretty much everything.
the quilt on the chair is in case they found a cool one for our
new couch. highly unlikely but who knows:)
i also listed a few shops they might find something and
i wrote the words in turquoise/aqua
 cause that is the color i'm into the most these days.
still like pink...and always love creams.
and black is always safe.
but turquoise is a favorite...today anyway:)

now for those life rules..........
i've had this on a page at the top of my blog forever,
but i thought maybe it was a good time to re-post it.

45 Rules to Live By

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone…

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special

22. Over prepare and then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. Smile at someone today. Better yet, find something to compliment them about.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

until next time.....

Pink + Balloons + Sweets = PARTY TIME!!!

i feel SO lazy this morning.

in fact, i almost felt too lazy to do a post for pink saturday's 4th birthday.

now THAT is lazy, right?

then i remembered back 2 summers ago,

when i was diagnosed with MS.

it was Beverly and her pink posse to the rescue.....

praying for me, sending me encouraging notes,

checking in from time to time, 

simply giving me a boost when i needed it most.

SO

i decided to get off my lazy butt and take part in the

pink saturday party!!!

come on in.......let's get started:)

hop on your bicycle......and don't forget the balloons.

after all, what is a party without PINK balloons??? 

turn LEFT at the PRETTY PINK phone booth.....

proceed along the BEAUTIFUL PINK tree lined road.

my house will be the little white cottage at the end of the road......

you can't miss it because it's the only one with a

PINK door:)

just yell "HEY" if you need a hand with your PINK presents:)

gosh...it's great to have you here.

just wait and see,

there will be........

i should probably warn you.....

it's a bit of a zoo around here

with all my animals.

but they like PINK too so......

at least they followed the dress code.....

WEAR SOMETHING PINK:)

by the way,

thank you for the lovely flowers!

okay, enough talk!

please get yourself something yummy to eat.....

and if you brought your bikini,

grab a surfboard and hit the waves!

and then we can watch the sunset together.......

until next time.......

Suzanne