my baby....

...is officially an ALUMNI of the same high school i attended! i had the most full weekend i've had in a while, but the highlight was this: i went back and forth over whether to make jamani a mini book or just a card. you see, my son is one of the most laid-back people i've ever run across in my life! not too much excites him. so, i debated over whether i should spend a LOT of hours on something he would pay absolutely NO attention to. i finally decided to just DO IT! we had a brunch for him sunday morning and i presented it to him. he quietly looked through it for about ten minutes while i stood there with my stomach in knots...i would be SO disappointed if he just said, "ok" and pitched it aside. he got to the last page and looked up at me and asked, "mama, can i keep this?" i was like, "son, it's yours...why would you ask that?" he said, "you hold onto everything for the memories and i just really want to keep this." he couldn't have responded better if i had PAID him!!! i watched him for the rest of the day. he would sit the mini down and talk to everyone but every once in a while, he'd go back to it and look at it and rub it and touch it. you all don't know how that makes me feel...he REALLY loved something that i put so much love into! i'll be back later to tell you all about my weekend, but i just had to share this mini that my son and i both love so much!

this is what happens...

...when i ask my husband to write a note for me:
vva stands for vietnam veterans of america and they pick up your discards (like goodwill). the last time i called for a pick up, i forgot to put the bags out for them. so, the stuff has been sitting under our carport for about a month. when john asked this morning when they were coming to pick the stuff up, i called to reschedule and asked him to write me a big note to remind me that they're coming tomorrow...think he was a little PEEVED?!?!?
OH! let me warn you right off: if you haven't had your second cup of coffee or you have breakfast on the stove you might want to come back and read this later! it's gonna be long as H#$*!!!
i haven't posted pictures of my mother's day loot yet because i still haven't gotten it right! john bought me five blouses and gave me a gift card. two of the blouses fit; the other three were exchanged. when i got THOSE home i realized that they obviously shrunk on the way home because THEY didn't fit. SO, john and i went out shopping yesterday (have i MENTIONED that i HATE TO SHOP?!?!?) and i decided that i would just stop playing around and i would just get some 1x shirts. THOSE fit me like maternity shirts. i don't know what to do now besides wear a sackcloth! if i can't fit the misses' large and the women's 1x is too big...what to do, WHAT TO DO?!?!? any suggestions?
i don't know if i ever told you all how i started krafting. i was about five years old and instead of using the paper that my parents gave me my crayons, i decided that the white wall would be a MUCH better palette. my parents obviously didn't agree because i was punished AND i had to destroy my masterpiece (they made me scrub the wall...GASP!!!) now that i'm almost 40, i think all the time about the things i did to my parents and how my kids will probably get me back. jamani and ahmad both draw but keanohn has demonstrated a SERIOUS propensity for art. he gets a gleam in his eye whenever he spies a pair of scissors he thinks are within his reach; he picks up my tools and studies them closely (dare i dream he may have an interest in scrapping?!); and the other day he kreated this masterpiece:

i took these pictures especially for my mom. she deserves a little "i told ya so" and "how do YOU like it?!?" i'll let you know how long she laughs...i'll time her!
i entered two layouts in the OLW "two" challenge. i didn't win but i DID see this on their website:

i thought that was pretty cool...they like me...they REALLY like me!!!
john and i were chaperones for ahmad's class when they went to the zoo last week. how cool is it that this 12-almost-13-year old still wants his parents to be with him? he actually begged me to go!!! that meant the world to me! i guess even more now that i have one who is turning EIGHTEEN and takes every opportunity to be with his friends rather than his parents. here are a few pix from our day:

i'm PRETTY SURE john and i had a better time than the kids...i know we ALL slept well that night! if you're wondering why ahmad has that jacket on when it was about 500 degrees outside...when we figure it out, i'll let you know!
this weekend promises to be another busy one. my baby graduates friday; my mom will be in town from florida; my 20th high school reunion takes place (please no old jokes!); john's 25th reunion festivities begin (his school celebrates for like five months...DANG!!!); and jamani's best friend graduates. SOOOO, i should be finishing jamani's mini album; making kristiana's canvas and working on my mom's album so she can take it home with her instead of us paying the usps $3,000 to ship it. so, WHY am i blogging? 'cause i have to keep y'all in the know! i'll be back with pix and the haps monday...so have your wheaties before you log in!

this weekend...

...was full and so much fun! friday, we have a mini cookout in the backyard. john pulled out the smoker...we didn't get to use the big daddy! have i told you that i kill for my husband's barbeque? i'm not a killer...but don't LET HIM make bbq!!! it's so serious i feel it's every man (woman or child!) for himself when i'm eating his bbq!!! anywho, i had a hankering for some bbq burgers (NOW you know why i weight 1,000 pounds!). i was just gonna do burgers in the oven but my husband insists on doing things PROPERLY...bbq burgers MUST be done outside (i think it's in the man handbook...page 354, paragraph 2!) like i said, daddy pulled out the smoker

and mama pulled out the camera!

we didn't stay out too long; i thought the weather was beautiful...there was a slight breeze and everythang...hubbs is allergic to heat, though! we did get a chance to talk, take a few pix (and no i didn't comb my hair...i was in my OWN BACK YARD!!!)...there was even entertainment:everybody (and everything!) must be feeling spring fever!!! ;) anywho, the burgers were just as good as i envisioned them...the fries...not so much!!! i've discovered that i don't like grilled fries...too smoky for my delicate palette!!!





saturday, this boy

sorry, this YOUNG MAN
went to his senior prom!!! Lord KNOWS my nerves were bad!!! i mean, i'm not too old to remember what HAPPENS on prom night! so, i asked if we could expect him back by two...he laughed HEARTILY in my FACE!!!! wow!!! we used to at least PRETEND with our parents...the times...they are a changin', i tell ya!!! he said, i'll be back by four. since he lives with his father now, i don't really regulate his comings and goings anymore...but since he was driving MY truck, i felt like i did have some say. but, jamani's a good kid. he didn't give me TOO much trouble growing up. i mean, a couple of times i thought about sending him to personally meet Jesus but he never did drugs or anything like that and i don't have any grandkids running around. plus, i asked him if he needed me to supply him with some condoms and he declined. (yes! i DO get down with my kids, brother and cousins like that! i tell them all the time: i would be disappointed if you have sex before falling in love/marrying but i know about the feelings you get and the inability sometimes to ignore them. so, before bringing home a baby or your penis in your hand...be PROTECTED if you DO make the decision to become active!) anywho, i thought i wouldn't be able to sleep so i worked on my assignments for tally. i was CONVINCED that i would be up until he walked in the door...by 9:30 i was sound asleep! i did get up at 3 and hubbs and i sat up until jamani walked in the door...at 3:48!!!! i was SO proud of him, y'all!!! he fully understands that his mama is not completely right upstairs and would have gone OFF if he had been later than about 4:15 so he decided to do the right thing and come in on time!!! a few weeks ago, my mom in florida asks him,"jamani, you'll be 18 and grown soon, right?" his reply? "i'll be legal...not grown!" i told him, "son, that was truly spoken like a child whose going away to college soon and knows he's gonna want some help from his parents!" he said, "mama, that's EXACTLY why i phrased my answer that way!" i raised him RIGHT, y'all!!!
sooo, sunday i got this in bed:

plus, hubbs brought my favorite breakfast to me:

oh, how i LOVE smothered liver and grits! (more evidence of why i need big bootie clothes!!!) once we ate breakfast and the boys were cleaning the kitchen-well, while jamani and ahmad cleaned and kea pretended to be napoleon-hubbs gave me my gifts! he started out with five blouses! they were cool! two of them i never would have picked out myself but none were like "oh, Lord, i will slit my WRISTS before i wear this!" i can't fit two of them but it's cool...i'll just return them and get the big bootie size! i was messaging my girl, taj saturday telling her that i was afraid of what my husband might buy for mother's day. she said, "don't worry...he knows you better than anyone but Jesus." i told HER if he DID know me as well as Jesus, he'd buy me a gift card and let me pick out my OWN clothes! well, guess what, taj? i guess john DID ask what would Jesus do? because he bought me a gift card, too!!! i don't like the mall but i dislike wearing the same thing over and over and over even more so i guess i'll have to get there soon!







john made a reservation a few weeks ago for us to visit this place:(that shirt i'm wearing is one of those john gave me for mother's day!)

if you EVER visit new orleans, i HIGHLY recommend this place! i've passed by it so many times and you would never know how BEAUTIFUL it is from the outside! you walk in and then down a flight of stairs...the main portion of the restaurant is in the basement. the servers are lined up by the walls and everyone greets you. everytime we would put our half full glasses down, someone was there to refill it. i got free champagne for being a mama! the food was wonderful...the only downfall? the kids! oh, ahmad was a gentleman...he's just getting a bad rap because of keanohn, who showed his natural black BEHIND!!!! this is a baby who goes to church and only "talks" when the choir is singing and claps when everyone else does...he KNOWS how to act. he also knows EXACTLY when to act a fool. i was SO embarassed...well, not REALLY!!! i WAS trippin' off of him, though. he tried to pull the tablecloth off a FEW times; he spit some of the food out on the floor; he was screaming at the wait staff like he had ordered more bread 15 minutes ago and his request had been ignored...he KEPT trying to climb out of the booster; and the piece de resistance? he half emptied his sippy cup and tossed it to the ground where the top popped off and splashed milk everywhere! i don't really drink anymore (don't have the tolerance for it!) but i drank that champagne in record time! john and i don't leave our kids with too many people. my mom who lives here watched them once before she got sick so that we could go to a concert...that's the ONLY time hubbs and i have ever been out without a LEAST one child! so, when he asked if i wanted to eat at that restaurant again, i told him of COURSE...as long as he could promise it would be just the TWO OF US!!!
well, ahmad has decided to cook dinner today...God is really testing my patience this month! he wants to cook chicken and macaroni so i think i'm gonna season the chicken for him before he get home...i would HATE to bite into it and have to grimace because he pour a container of seasoned salt on ONE PIECE...pray for me!

Great news!!!

Guess what?!?!? i got an email a couple of days ago saying, "welcome!!! you're now a part of

i'm freakin' out!!! you know, being chosen for a design team to me is verification that your kreations appeal to others! even though you want to say what others think doesn't matter...sometimes it makes you feel good when they appreciate your art! what makes being picked for this team so great, too, is that gudrun and marit have already sent (and received!) congrats!!! i can't wait to start kreating!!!
in other scrappy news, tally's may kit will be out in SEVEN MORE DAYS!!!! it's called "like a box of crayons!" if i wasn't technology challenged, i could post a nice picture of it for you! tell you what: just go here to check it out!

I did a layout a few months ago with a picture of my dad holding a newborn ahmad (almost THIRTEEN years ago!!!) this picture is SO precious to me because (as i've told you before) i don't have many picture of my dad with us. div challenged us to use a buzz and bloom product without it actually being there! i used several of my b & b yummies as masks. make sure to check out what the other divas did!!! it's amazing to see how we get the same instructions and come up with such different art!!!
well, i have a few layouts and MOTHER'S DAY CARDS to finish!!! i know i SHOULD be hanging my head in shame but....ummmm...i'm NOT!!! this is the first occasion/holiday in the LONGEST that i've gotten THIS many done!!! so, i'm quite pleased with myself about my progress!!! plus, i bathed the little boy this morning, washed his hair and fed him...what more do you want? enjoy this day!

i'm scared

sooo, john and i were having a discussion about mother's day...well, specifically what i wanted for mother's day. since i'm experiencing double jeopardy (can't fit anything in my closet + in denial about my TRUE size), i said, i really need some clothes. hubbs eyes lit up and i think he even drooled a little. he was like, COOL!!!! i'll get right on it. just then, i came out of the coma. i mean, what was i THINKING, entrusting my husband with the TREMENDOUS task of shopping for me!?!? would he spend too much? would he remember that his wife wears size "BIG BOOTIE"?!?! more importantly, would the clothes be CUTE?!? he came back from the mall smiling...and i'm more afraid than ever. so, if i upload pix from mother's day and i'm wearing scrubs...YOU KNOW!!! he either bought a size 10 and i choked him to death and i'm trying to get accustomed to prison wear or it was just UUUgly and i "mistakenly" dropped the staz on right in the center of the left pants leg!
i'm so excited because i spent a few hours today making mother's day cards. i DON'T DO cards!!! i don't know what the problem is...i'm just kreatively challenged when it comes to cards and minis. but, i decided to stop avoiding cards and work it OUT!!! i think i did a pretty decent job! 7 down; 4 more to go! take a look:
for my sweet friend, julie whose not a human mommy but
is a kitty mama!!!
i think this one is going to my mom in florida
for my secret mommy in the mother's day swap at tally scrapper

for my mother in law

this is for one of my scrappin' friends...can't tell you which
because she follows my blog!
another for a scrappy friend!!

and last but not least, a card for j (aime lynne) on her 1st mother's day!
i STILL think they should have named the baby LIL LEROY LEA but
he's still beautiful! ;)
in other news, i'm pretty excited about scoring this:
don't ask me why but i've wanted one of these forEVA!!! i guess it's because in my head (yeah, i said in my HEAD...yous wanna make somethin' out of it?!) i see myself not only being a proficient scrapper but also seamstress, crochet-er and photographer. i see me doing all of this while the birds and the squirrels sweep and fold the clothes (wait...think that was cinderella). but i really am obsessed with these body forms. this one is a little taller than kea (a little over 2') and it's cast iron....awww, divas...i am in L-O-V-E!!!! i haven't even brought it to the back to my studio yet. it's not that i think my dirty room will swallow it never to be seen again (well, that IS PART of the reason!). i just sit at the computer and everytime i'm at a loss for words i look over at it and...and...it INSPIRES me!!! that's what i tell hubbs. when he looked at the price tag

his eyes glazed over and i could read his mind: what the HELL is she gonna do with this? i just couldn't pass up this price! he may REALLY strangle me when i start sewing with FABRIC and it's a NECESSITY to buy the $150 body form...maybe i should wait a year for that, huh?
well, gotta go before hubbs finds me passed out on the living room floor and bans me from the computer for a week! later!!!