Thursday, May 27, 2010

Friday Fives

Friday Fives!! Hope you enjoy them!
I have been really busy this week, getting ready for an Open House Graduation Party on Saturday that we are having at our home.  I have also been dealing with a cold, so all my energy has been taken by these two, and not a lot of time for blogging!  I look forward to being back full time soon!

Here's my Friday fives; I'm sure you won't be surprised by the theme!!

1. What was the name of your high school?

2. What were the school colors?

3. How many were in your graduating class?

4. Did you have a high school sweetheart?

5. What did you do after graduating from high school?

Enjoy your holiday weekend; hope you've got some extra time off!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Countdown to Graduation

In just ten days, my daughter, Allison, will graduate from high school.  We will be finished with the era of school lunches, backpacks, field trips and permission slips.  No more absences/excuses, textbooks, forms to sign, sporting events to attend or emergency forms.  No more awards ceremonies, fund raisers, high school dances  or banquets.   We will have gotten three children through elementary, junior high and high school.  We will have had children in school for the last  23 years !!! What a GINORMOUS change!!

It seems like we've seen had a taste of it all, from Math Competitions, to all-consuming band days/practices, tailgating meals to feed the band,  theater plays, track meets,   FCA and PALS........ we've seen three children blossom from awkward adolescents to caring, generous, God-fearing young adults.  Now my oldest son is going to be a daddy to a little girl...Whoa, I better stop this reminiscing before I go on emotional overload......

Um, hum you can just imagine, if you've not been in this place yet, what the spectrum of emotions can be.  We are very proud of our children, yet knowing that they are really only "on loan" from God, that they truly belong to HIM. 
So as I get ready for this big party to celebrate ( a little early as the weekend of graduation will be filled with visiting with family) my mind goes backward and forward....looking backward at all we've done, seen and accomplished...and looking forward to what God has for our family in the future and for each child what God will accomplish with them.  How will He work in them, where will He take them?  Will they marry and have families, or will they be single and independent???  We do have hopes and dreams for them, but for now, that story is still unfolding.

Monday, May 24, 2010

The rest of the story.....




We left New York City with the rain beginning to come down harder, and since our feet were pretty wet, we were slightly chilly.  It was good to be in a car headed to the airport, finally drying out.  We had shopped much of the morning, told our fellow travelers goodbuy and had a bite of lunch.  It took much longer to get to the airport this time since the weather was so nasty.  We saw lots of flashing police lights and heard many sirens.  I prayed that we would get to the airport safely!! So MUCH traffic!  We did drive through Central Park on the way to the airport and it was lovely, even in the rain!  When we got to the airport, we saw that our flight was delayed by about 20 minutes....that's okay, we had about an hour to make our connecting flight in Atlanta anyway.  As we sat in the airport, we talked to a musician, who had been to NYC for an audition and we talked to four Russian girls who told us they were headed to Houston to be "housekeepers" in Galveston.  They spoke broken English, so it was interesting to talk to them....although I have to admit, when I heard them say they were going to be housekeepers, my heart sunk.......thinking so much about all the human trafficking going on. At that point, I began to pray that wasn't the case in their situation.  As we boarded the plane,  I thought we were going to be close on time to make the connection, but we could still possibly make it, very closely.....however, we learned that there were EIGHTEEN planes ahead of us to take off, with delays because of the weather, and had a sinking feeling that we would never make it.  And we didn't.  When we got to Atlanta, we were directed to the Customer Service booth, where they gave us vouchers for one meal and a discounted hotel room.  My daughter wanted to help the Russian girls thru the whole process, knowing that this would be so foreign to them.  After trying to persuade them to come with us, even offering to pay for their hotel room, they declined.  Allison was so distraught for them that she wanted to stay the night in the airport with them....and she got mad at me when I wouldn't let her.  We told them they would be safe, how to get some food, and we left for a hotel.  Allison's school schedule demanded that she get some sleep, especially since she was getting a cold.  We had left for New York knowing that she could only miss those two days, or she would lose her exemption for taking her finals....yep, she was going to have to take the finals.  She wasn't very happy about THAT either!  We managed to get ourselves and the Russian girls on the plane to Houston the next morning, managed to get Allison to school by 11:00 a.m.. the next morning, and I came home to crash....I was so tired!  So to make a very long story short, my daughter has a tender heart, we had a blast and it is a trip long to be remembered!! And I continue to pray for the Russian girls that came across our path.  I don't know if we will ever see them again, but I pray they are safe.  Have a good Monday, y'all.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Friday Fives!!!!

1.  Favorite perfume?

2. Favorite purse you own?

3. Favorite place to read a book?

4. Favorite person to hear on the other end of the phone?

5.  Favorite pair of shoes you own right now?

I'll be back with the final episode of our trip home from NYC......these things are all inspired by things I did/saw/heard on our trip!

Making memories can be exhausting....

right?  We had such a fun time in NYC, but we came  home exhausted, or at least I did.  Allison hit the ground running.....with projects to finish, and social things to attend to as we approach the last two weeks of school......wow, where did the first half of 2010 go?  I'll tell you a little about NYC, and perhaps a pic or two....my camera's batteries died about an hour into Monday; the fresh batteries I had were back in the room and I just started using my phone camera...not bad, but not truly great.
We went to Serendipity, which was loads of fun, and had appetizers and dessert...they are famous for their frozen hot chocolate...and let me just say, if you like Peanut butter and chocolate, pick that one, because it was delicious!!! Check out the website, it's even fun to look at!
We saw Mamma Mia on Broadway, which was loads of fun, too.......the music is good, the actors were great.

We started out Monday with a subway ride to find breakfast.....there are just people everywhere!  Then we headed to Chinatown and Little Italy to experience shopping in NYC, and the street shops.  What an adventure, and I know I saw a million pair of sunglasses and purses.  Whoa!  The girls (my two nieces and my Allison) enjoyed shopping to the hilt! {This picture is from a google search and the words captured so well what you find there, that I copied them from the site........}

Then there are the touts who hang around street corners and subway entrances uttering 3-4 magic words to every passing woman, "Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Coach?" They show you pictures of the handbags they have, and if interested, you follow them to semi-secret locations to buy these so-called better quality fakes. Most of these people carry cellphones and are constantly looking back for police and private investigators.



After that adventure, we found a little deli for lunch (we obviously never were hungry!)
and then went on to more shopping and to find the famous Magnolia Bakery. 

All they had to offer that day was a limited selection as there power had gone out and melted all the cakes!  We did go in search of cupcakes, though, and that we found.  We were mostly impressed with the icing, so light and fluffy!  They had chocolate, vanilla and red velvet......we sampled each one!!
We enjoyed them in a lovely park across the street.
More shopping was on our agenda, and then we left Greenwich Village and headed to the subway to go to FAO Schwartz.  The subway is amazing to be able to get all the way across town in less than an hour!   With a grandbaby in mind, I could have shopped for hours in the toy store, but I kept thinking about the luggage space available!!

That just makes another trip a necessity, right?  We had dinner in a lovely little Italian restaurant, and then headed back to Times Square.......oh the people!!!  And three whole floors of M&M merchandise???? Wow........we must have walked 100 miles in our two and half days there.  {I would have never made it in Jesus' day!!!} On Tuesday, we added some rain to those miles, too. We experienced Bloomingdale's and some other uptown shops.....just so much fun to have nothing else to do but window shop and sight see.  This trip was with three girls and their moms, not exactly a trip focused on doing a lot of touristy things.  Since it was a senior trip of sorts, I just decided to see what we saw and let Allison shop as long as she wanted and dollars would permit!  She is a wise shopper!  Our time ran out too quickly and the whole story about our getting home is a post for another day.......hopefully more pictures and more info to come.....I think I need a nap!!! My legs and feet are still sore.....but my brain is full of fun memories!!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Here's my girl....

and we're off on our trip to NYC!!!!  Wahoo!

Friday, May 14, 2010

It's A..............


GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




(I was indeed going to type it all in pink, but it was terribly hard to read in pink!!!!)

My sweet daughter in law and son sent us a very special, self-composed poem to tell us that they were sending us a gift.....but knew we couldn't wait to find out what the baby is.  Maybe they shouldn't have told us when they were finding out...they had a plan to surprise us by sending us the frame shown.  And here's the sweet poem..

Roses are red,
Carnations are too,
Baby girls go with pink,
And boys go with blue.
We know you've been waiting
All day to find out...
When you open this picture,
It will leave you no doubt...
The gift pictured there
Is on it's way to you,
But we knew you can't wait,
So we're emailing it too.
Greater grandparents will have
No baby than ours,
Such blessings outnumber

The moon and the stars.

With love,
Russell, Heather, and Baby Joffrion (who is very active and squirmy!)


I don't think I need to tell you how very excited I am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Friday fives!!!!!

1.  What is your favorite way to start the day?  Coffee, tea, blogging, reading news?  Tell us about your "relaxed morning" routine.

2. What is your least favorite household chore, and what do you do to make it more bearable?  Or do you just slog through it?

3. Do you have help with your housework, albeit your spouse, your kids, a hired housekeeper?

4.  Favorite type of reading material?

5.  If cost were not a concern, and you could go anywhere you wanted for the weekend, where would you go?


Have fun and be sure and come back tomorrow, as I'll be posting in either BLUE  or PINK , depending on the news I hear from my kids as to what my 1st grandchild is going to be!! I am so excited!!!

Linking up to Friday Followers!!!  Glad to have you here!!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

What WE can do!!!

http://nashvilleflood.myshopify.com/pages/support-us/

It's WooHoo Wednesday At Always Nesting!!!

Marla, at Always Nesting, hosts a fun party every Wednesday that she calls WooHoo Wednesday!!  It's really whatever you want to share......whatever you want to celebrate!

So I wanted to join in the party....and I began to wonder just what it was I wanted you blog friends to celebrate with me about.

First of all, WooHoo, I find out on Friday whether I will be grammie to a granddaughter or a grandson!!! I will be posting in either blue or pink in honor of that news!! :D

Secondly, we are days away from our trip to NYC.....woohoo!!! My daughter and I are going to meet my sister in law and my two nieces for a whirlwind three day trip, partly to celebrate my daughter's graduation coming up in three weeks!  WOOHOO! She is headed to Texas A&M in the fall.......and we are so very proud of her!

And thirdly,  I am celebrating that life is just good.  My faith in a living God trumps it all, and He blesses me in a way that is indescribable!
So join me, won't you in one big WOOHOO!!!  Life isn't perfect by any means, but it's a true blessing.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

An award and an award for all of you!!!

Aww, how sweet is this??? Carol over at  FleisherFamilyFun gave me this sweet award....for blogs that are beautiful and have a little extra!! Isn't that the sweetest?  I guess my extra bit of insanity or zaniness helped her decide I should get this award!!! haha......Thanks, Carol!  I'm supposed to pass this on, so let me see .......I have SO MANY fabulous blog friends so this is going to be difficult....
So I am giving it to:
Debbie at Words on Wheels-- a relatively new blog friend to me, but everytime I visit, I leave with a big smile on my face, having laughed out loud over and over!!!  Go see her!

Next: Tanya over at FrouFrouBritches.http://froufroubritches.blogspot.com.....love her style, her sense of humor and her taste!

and Laura, from Paring Down --not only is she a Houston neighbor, she is also having a fabulous giveaway!! go see her!!

Lastly, go over and see my dear friend Renee, at Add More Chocolate--she has a recently renovated kitchen so she will be sharing lots of great recipes again........

And lastly the award I want to give you is the GREAT mom award......I am giving it to any of my friends who has mothered, mentored, or befriended another person........we all need one another, especially Moms!!!
Thanks, and have a fabulous Mother's Day!!


Friday, May 7, 2010

Friday Fives.....

1. Do you enjoy fresh flowers?
2. Which is your favorite flower?  What colors do you like?
3. Do you have a favorite vase or vessel you like to use for your flowers?
4. Do you have someone who gives you flowers regularly?
5. Do you grow flowers in the garden for cutting purposes?

Enjoy this video about arranging flowers....I thought it had some really good ideas.  I have a GIANT ball jar that I might just make a terrarium in after having watched this video......great idea!  I've wondered what to do with that jar for a long time!!!
Happy Mother's Day to each of you!




Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Dishing it with Amanda!!!


Amanda, over at Serenity NOW, is having a party today...and I"m linking up to it!! 

She's asking us to tell a little bit about our mammas...........you know us Southerners always talk about momma and em......well, that's just what Amanda is asking us to do.  So without further adieu, I will tell you a little about her.
~What's the best thing about your mom?  My mamma loved to laugh and have fun.  She's no longer living, so I also consider my mother in law as a very influential person in my life, so I will answer about her, too.  My mil loves to laugh, too and she is oh. so. generous and treats me just like one of her girls!

~If your mom isn't around, do you have a family member or mentor who can stand in for her?  Yes, as I've mentioned, my mother in law have a great relationship....she's not my mamma, but she is a great stand in!

~What's your relationship with your mom like (do you just tolerate each other, or is she your best confidant)?  While my mom was living, we really weren't really THAT close, so I am very glad God gave me my mother in law!
~If there is one quality about your mom that you could emulate, what would it be?  I immediately think of my mother in law, and I have learned so much from her....one big lesson I've learned is to say "yes" to my children as often as possible, and to not mind being interrupted to do something for someone else.
~What's the best advice your mom has ever given you?  Not sure......

I don't have any pictures or any instances that I remember of something embarrasing my mother made me wear.....

~If you're a mom, what's your favorite thing about motherhood? What's the most difficult?  One very rewarding thing about motherhood is seeing my children growing up to be GREAT kids/adults....and to see them following God.  The most difficult is remembering to treat them like adults and also having my oldest son and daughter in law (and coming grandbaby) live far away.  I wish they were nearer to us!


Go over and see what else/who else is playing along with the Dish on Amanda's blog!  It's a great party!!


Thanks Amanda!!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Love deeply?

 
Love anything & your heart will certainly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, give your heart to no one. Wrap it carefully in hobbies & little luxuries; lock it up in the coffin of your selfishness. But in the casket it will change. It will not be broken; it will become irredeemable.The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is Hell. C.S. Lewis
 
Hug someone today, hold or touch a hand.....express love this day. We are not promised tomorrow.  Live, love, laugh TODAY.