**~Heavenly Hairbows~**

Okay, so for the past...I'd say year I have been buying a few things from a lady named Michelle Griffin. LET ME TELL YOU...This gal has some talent! She can do ANYTHING you want! She specializes in "funky" hairbows and they are so precious! I have never been disapointed when purchasing something for Sydney. Her prices are reasonable and your child will be a hit in their new outfit or even their new hairbow/band. She is very talented and takes special orders. If you have it in mind, there is a great chance she can create it! So if you want your child to be unique and adorable, get in touch with Michelle TODAY!


Michelle made this ADORABLE outfit for Sydney last Summer:





Did you notice the hairbow?




This was a dress she also made! She came up with the idea of the cat in the bikini! So creative!

And the most recent! Sydney LOVES the grinch so Michelle made this hairbow and matching shirt!








You can e mail Michelle at Heavenlyhairbowsandmore@yahoo.com

E mail her and place your Christmas order today for your childs unique and funky accessories and outfits!

Adopt a US Soldier

Last night I began finishing up Sydney's Christmas list and wrapping my Prince's Christmas gift. Matt and I exchange one gift on Christmas Eve each year. Yes, I am bad about doing 2 or 3 things for him, but in my defense, I see him go without all through the year to ensure Sydney and I have everything we need. Therefore, I feel the need to go a little over board for him. Shhh...don't tell him. That's between me and you. :)

This also made me think of all the soldiers who are deployed and won't get to be with their families for Christmas. This deeply saddens me. I can not imagine not being with my husaband or child on Thanksgiving or Christmas. But, what it comes down to is that's is the reality for many women and men this holiday season.
Matt and I have been debating different ways to give back this holiday season. There are so many options! What we decided to do was to adopt a US soldier who is currently deployed. I can't share this soldier's information with you due to privacy restrictions, but I can encourage you to do the same! We will be sending a care package to our soldier for Christmas just to let them know that we appreciate them so much! It is because of the men and women fighting for us that allows us to enjoy all of the luxuries we have. It doesn't cost much, but the gesture goes a long way. Always remember that my freedom, your freedom, our children's freedom does NOT come free!


Even if you can not afford to send a care package, I encourage you to send a card, an email...whatever you can do. The soldiers need to know we are still behind them.

This is the website I adopted on: adoptaussoldier.org
but you can google SO many different websites.

If you can do no more than say a special prayer for our troops, I encourage you to do that as well.


God Bless America

Life is good today

Yesterday was a great day. I woke up and was blessed to have another day on earth. I spent the day playing with Sydney and of course cleaning. (Apparently the cleaning fairy had flown over my house the day before.) We talked about "Tristmas" and Santa and how excited she is for Christmas to get here. Every toy commercial that came on TV, she would say, "I want that mama!" I heard that phrase at least 50 times and that is no exaggeration!

My husband is only home one whole day out of a week (Sunday's) and his only night off is Tuesday nights. Instead of catching up on sleep or something he wanted to do, he came in and did 3 loads of laundry, helped me wash dishes, swept the floor under Sydney's chair and dusted our bedroom ceiling fan! What a sweet and giving husband I was blessed with!

Now let me take you back to when we were washing dishes. His job was to clear the table and dry the clean dishes off and put them away. When I turned my back for a second to check on Sydney, I turned around to a BIG surprise! HE SQUIRTED ME WITH THE SINK HOSE! I decided to play cool and act a bit frustrated so he wouldn't have any hints that I would do the same to him. After we finished the dishes I was cleaning the sink and picked up the hose and took revenge!!

My Prince then dried up the floor, hugged me and said, "Now that was fun!" Then he got a cup and put some water in it and drank some. I didn't think anything about it until out of the blue the water was all over me! I was drenched! We laughed so hard until I thought I would cry!
This is one of the "little" things Matt and I believe makes a big difference in relationships! Who knew a kitchen water fight could be so much fun?! The floor was soaked (so was I)and it took many towels to get all the water up, but that is ok, because we had such a good time!

The little things in life are the sweetest things. I won't ever forget our kitchen water fight!



Life is good today

WHEW! What a week last week was...so here are all of the things I did not do last week...here goes....


I did not almost forget to pay my cell phone bill after setting myself several reminders ON the my phone calendar and leaving myself sticky note reminders...of course, I didn't!

I did not eat 2 pieces of apple pie Sunday and even if I did, I would NOT have put vanilla ice cream ontop of the pie...That would completely undo all of the healthy eating I did do last week...so of course I did NOT do that! duh!

I did not bribe my sweet angel to take a nap yesterday by saying "Santa won't come see you if you don't" because I was so exhausted...WHAT kind of mom does that? So I absolutely DID NOT do that!


I did not wash my hair with baby body wash because I got in the shower before I checked to see if my shampoo was in there. UGH! Of course I wouldn't do that because what's the point in me even washing my hair if I'm going to use baby body wash?

Of course I did not do any of those things last week!!

Ordinary Miracle

I have had many comments on my blog song, "Ordinary Miracle" by Sarah McLachlan. I heard this song through my dear friend, Cristin, who I must say has the most adorable baby, Avery! I know she put the song on her blog for her son and when I heard it, I fell in love with it!

This song makes me realize just how big of a miracle the ordinary things are!

I woke up this morning with my health...Thank you God for this Miracle!

I woke up with a healthy, happy husband and baby girl! Thank you for this Miracle!

The sun is shining, leaves are falling and are the most beautiful colors! Thank you for this ordinary Miracle!

The things we take for granted many times are the ordinary miracles in our daily lives.

How many times do we actually take the time to observe nature and all the beauty that surrounds us?

Look around and embrace all of the Ordinary Miracles in your life.

"Life is a gift they say, wrapped up for you everyday...." S.M.

Breathe.....

Breathe.....Just Breathe....

Those words can seem so simple, but yet be so difficult sometimes. Life throws us curve balls and it is our job to catch them and move forward.

Sometimes when you pray about things, God brings forth a solution in a way you never imagined. He may open doors to other options that you never imagined could help your "dilema" in the first place. All he asks is that we listen.

Just breathe...
When the world seems to throw things at you that you don't possibly see a solution to.


Just breathe....
When you feel you can't carry on any longer.

Just breathe...
When you feel there is no solution or answer to struggles.

When I feel overwhelmed I take a step back and Just Breathe.

"Having a place to go is home, having someone to love is family, having both is a blessing."

I can honestly say, I am blessed. God blesses each of us in different ways.

So today I am thankful for my blessings, the curve balls that have been thrown my way and the path that God has cleared along this beautiful journey, called Life.
I will remember each day to Just Breathe and place my cares and concerns in the Lord's hands.


So I challenge you to be happy with what you have, thankful for what has been given and to never want more than what you need.


Just Breathe...

Oh my...this morning has proven that it is MONDAY, indeed.



I did NOT put toast in the oven on broil and walk away to make my bed and forget about it... while it burned black. NO NOT ME!

And I most certinaly did NOT put new toast in the over, only to walk away AGAIN and forget it...Nope...because only a person totally out of their mind does that two times in a row!

I did NOT then give up the idea of toast and fix cereal. NO NOT ME!


I did NOT watch my sweet baby girl color on her feet with her washable crayons because she was so excited about her "art." NO NOT ME....only a mom looking for a few quiet moments would allow their child to use their feet as a canvas.

I NEVER EVER would decide it's a t-shirt and sweat pants kind-of-day.


and NEVER would I EVER let my sweet baby girl dress herself in a red shirt, purple pants and her ever-so-loved pink John Deere boots because I know we'll be here today. Never ever....NOT ME!

So there you have it, it's 10:30 AM and these are the out of the blue things that have already happened! But, if we can't laugh at ourselves, then we most certinaly will crash.

I hope everyone has a fun filled "Not me Monday!"

Same book, same chapter, same page

I met my husband four years ago, last month. It was the night of the Georgia VS. Florida game. I was a waitress at Ruby Tuesday and he happened to be sitting close to my section. A co-worker kept telling me that Matt was asking for me to go over to his table.

At this point in life, the only man I thought I could trust was my daddy. I had little interest on a relationship, I was just trying to "make it."
After being annoyed by this co worker for the hundredth time, I walked over to Matt's table and said hello to him and explained that I had been sent over there by my co-worker, who happened to be Matt's friend.

Now, after me saying that, Matt simply stared at me (he says he had food in this mouth, but my mama-in-law and I joke that he was "speechless") :) So, I decided to try and play off my embarassment of not being spoken to and asked him if I could get him a refill SO I grabbed his cup and got out of there as quick as I could. There is no telling how red my face was at this point. Not to mention the fact that this guy who just starred at me, was the most handsome man ever!

I remember standing at the drink fountain saying things to myself like, "oh gosh, that was so stupid, why did you go over there?" "How do I play this off cool since I am such a dork!?" I was trying to find this co worker who bugged me about going, to see if he would take Matt his drink. With no success, I decided to pull it together and be as cool about it as possible.

When I got back to the table, Matt asked me if I was seeing anyone, when I told him I wasn't, he said (and I will NEVER forget his words) "Well mam, I sure would like the chance to take you out to dinner one night, if you're interested." Oh my gosh...talk about melting me! He asked me for my number so I wrote it on a napkin and took it back to his table and he told me he would be in touch soon.

I could NOT concentrate the rest of the night, I was like a little school girl, I was so giggly. And of course, all of the other girls that I worked with were going on and on about how "hot" he is...Note the word "is", not "was." Meaning he still IS. :)

The next day (after me tossing and turning all night, anticipating seeing him again)he text me to see if I wanted to meet him in Tifton, at the Theatre to see "Elizabeth Town." Well I had no way of knowing what this day would hold for me.

I received a frantic phone call from my dear mama a few hours later. I couldn't understand what she was saying because she was sobbing so hard. I rushed to get to her and I then learned that my Nana passed away. My heart sank and my mind started racing.

My mom and sister went to Mississippi to visit my nana the past week and I couldn't get off work to go. I think in hindsight, I was trying to ignore the fact that she WAS sick. I thought if I didn't acknowledge it, then it wouldn't be. How silly.
I had the most unbelievable, overwhelming feeling of guilt. Me, my mom, sister and daddy raced around the house throwing stuff into suite cases. I wasn't even sure I had my pants on the right way when we left.
It was an 8 hour drive to Mississippi, but it seemed to last days. We arrived late that night and got to visit with some family I hadn't seen in years...yes...years, many years.

That night laying in the cold, smelly, hotel I remembered something and almost fell out of the bed. "I WAS SUPPOSSED TO MEET MATT AT THE THEATRE!!!"

In all the rush, I totally forgot my date with Prince Charming! It was well past mid night and I just knew he didn't want to talk to me. After all, I would be very upset if someone just didn't show up on a date we had planned. I just knew the chance had slipped away. The next few days were very tough. I managed to sing a few songs at the funeral...those were my precious Nana's wishes....and we all made it through ok. After laying her to rest, we headed back home.

A few weeks later I had a voicemail alert on my phone. I was standing in my dad's kitchen with him and my sister. I called my voice mail and lo and behold, PRINCE CHARMING!!!!! I hit speaker phone and replayed the message to them. Lauren was instantly jumping up and down yelling, "call him back, HURRY!!!" The voice mail he left was, "Hey Amanda, This is Matthew, I know we had a mix up a few weeks back, but I am still waiting on the opportunity to take you out, if you are still interested. Please give me a call."
Now, do you see why I call him my PRINCE CHARMING!? I instantly called him back and we set a date for the next night, it was a Wednesday night.

Our intentions were to go to a nice sit down restaurant and have a quiet, romantic, candle lit supper. Well, prince charming and I didn't make it before they closed. So you can always resort to "plan B," right? ABSOLUTLEY! So we found a Wendy's and went in, ordered our supper and sat and talked, laughed, and shared stories for hours and I literally mean hours!

That night on the way home Matt made a comment that has stuck with me. He said, "Ya know, it is only with your soul mate that you find you are in the same book, in the same chapter, on the same page." Wow....how right is he?! We had so much in common. Our goals, our values, beliefs, they were so similar. From that first night at Wendy's I knew I would marry him.

March 4, 2006 I became Mrs. Matthew Powell! He is my rock, my strength, my best friend and my prince charming.

There are so many times I hear people say things about their husbands like,"He isn't the same person I married." When I hear this I just want to hit them over the head and yell, DUH! Of course he isn't the same person you married!
This is why I say that: People change, THINGS change! Couples go through trials that strenghthen them, couples go through things that bring them down, couples have to re-evaluate their goals depending upon certain circumstances; of course people change!
And it is OK to change. It is OK to be a different person today than you were then. The way you make it work is to keep communication open; to be on the "Same book, same chapter and on the same page."

Marriage is a consant work in progress. Some days you take more, some days you give more. But as long as you stay on the same book, in the same chapter, on the same page, all will be ok.



"A sucessful marriage requires falling in love many times, with the same person."

I fall in love with Matthew when I see him so devoted to getting that extra special minute with Sydney.

I fall in love with Matthew when he makes the effort to do something sweet, just because.

I fall in love with Matthew when he talks about politics, and gets so annyoed that he turns red in the face.

I fall in love with Matthew when he says things like, "baby, I found me a jam up jelly tight truck today" (a who, what truck?) :)

I fall in love with Matthew when he says, "Your show is almost on TV" and watches Army Wives, Grey's, etc with me.

I fall in love with Matthew when he says, "I cleaned the kitchen!" And I go to find the dishes in the sink, pots on the stove BUT the table is cleared. Atta boy! :)

I fall in love with Matthew when he throws his clothes on the floor, BESIDE the dirty clothes hamper.

I fall in love with Matthew when he talks about winning the lottery one day and all the people he would help.

I FELL in love with Matthew 4 years ago and all these things make him the person he is. I annoy him sometimes and the same goes for him, but we always pull it back together and it isn't ever hard to remember why we love one another.

So Matthew and I believe and are examples that being in the same book, in the same chapter, on the same page, is THE key to a successful, happy marriage.

The Ice Cream Truck

Who would have thought that the ice cream truck could bring such a sweet moment between a mother and daughter?

This evening (actually about 15 minutes ago) I heard music that I have been hearing for years....it's the music from an ice cream truck. My husband and I have both tried many times to track him down but we were not sucessful. I think he goes everywhere in Ocilla, but here.

So when I heard it so close I grabbed my wallet and Sydney and darted out the door! There he was! I walked Sydney up to the truck and she picked out a spongebob ice cream (of course). This spongebob ice cream cost me $2.50 but it was worth EVERY penny...or dollar!
The look on her face was priceless, you would have thought she had won the lottery...(that is, if she knew about the lottery.) So with all the hustle and bustle today with the daycare, house cleaning, cooking and school work, Sydney and I had a moment that I will cherish forever.

When my husband and I met, one thing that made me fall in love with him is that he and I both agree that life is about the small things. If you don't have the small things in life, how can you ever expect to have the big things? I am happy to say that my life is filled with the small things...a house filled with love and I am surrounded by caring people. I also just got a sticky, spongebob ice cream kiss....what more can a mom ask for? Now THAT is the "bestest!!!" :)

So I hope you reflect on all of the small things in life tonight so that you can see the bigger things that surround you!

Family

A friend of mine blogged about wanting one last visit with her grandparents who passed this year and it got me thinking about FAMILY.

Where would I be today without the love, support and enouragement of my family?
My family means the world to me and I make every effort I can each day to send a short text, e mail, or phone call to check in on those so close to my heart.

Sometimes when I am busy and rush off the phone with my husband, sister, etc...I start feeling bad later because I wonder, "What if that was the last call I ever had from them?" It is important to let those in your life know each and everyday that you love them. You never know when it will be the last time you will see them or speak to them. Life is so short and precious and is a gift to be treasured.

It is human nature to become consumed with our bills that need to be paid, floors that need to be cleaned, laundry that needs to be washed, groceries that need to be bought, etc....so I challenge you today to make every effort to put priorities in order and make sure that God and your family are at the top of your list. Thank God for blessing you with your family and all other things and let your family know how much you cherish them.

Mommy, Dontcha Cry

Today was a big day for my Princess. My mom in law came and picked her up so she could spend the week with them! They live in Wrightsville which is 2 hours away from our house. My inlaw's are wonderful and Sydney doesn't get to spend as much time with them as she does family here. So last night I went through the gruelling task of packing her suite case. This process took me 5 hours! I had to wash clothes, iron them and go through last years winter clothes to see what still fit. Until recently, Sydney hasn't been one to venture too terribly far away from me. So when I talked to her about going I said, "Sydney, would you like to go spend some time with Mamaw and Papaw?" Her sweet reply was simply, "yep." I said, "Do you know that mommy and daddy are staying here and mamaw is coming to pick you up?" After giving me a look of "duh" she responded, "yep, I goes by myselfes."

That let me know she was ready. So we finished packing, got her in bed and she was up and at 'em first thing this morning waiting at the window for mamaw.

After breakfast and getting dressed, she reminded me she needed to put her Dora pillow and her monkey "Suzie Q" in her suitecase. When I knew my mom in law was seconds away I told Sydney I loved her and hugged her and she looked up at me and said, "mommy, dontcha cry, ima gonna see the moo cows!"

"Mamaw" arrived shortly after and she walked herself to the car and I buckled her in quickly, came in and watched out the window as the car made it down the road.

After she left, the house was oddly quiet until I began sobbing like a baby!

I realized something today. My "baby" is growing up. She doesn't need me in the same ways that she did at one time.

She still needs my love, my attention, my kisses when she gets a "boo boo", my "doubled" eggs (deviled eggs), and my arms to hold her when she needs to be comforted.

She is breaking away and entering a new stage of independence. I am so proud of her today, as I am everyday that we are blessed to see. No matter how far away she is or where she goes, she will always be my "baby."

This week is going to be very tough for me, but when I get upset I will remember her little eyes looking up at me saying, "Mommy, dontcha cry."