I can't BELIEVE...

...that I forgot to share this with you!!!  I got this

in the mail last week and I MUST admit...I squealed like a girl!!!  I submitted pages for this book over a year ago and it just felt soo good to know that I finally get to see my work in print!  Not that I've been published hundreds of times or anything but I just NEVER see me getting tired of it!  Wanna see?

Oh...you wanna see a closer view of each?  Pleased to oblige!!!

BARBERSHOP DUET: These are pictures that John and I took after the first time I visited the barbershop to have my 'fro shaped up

LAKE LOVERS: Just pix of the hubbs, me and the littlest hanging out at the lakefront one day

 

SOLEMN FAMILY FOURTH: These pix were taken a few years ago at my parents' house.  Even though it was the 4th of July, I was soo sad because my grandfather passed away that morning.

hello DOGGIE.  This is one of my parents' in Florida's dogs.  They were protection and company for my mom after my Daddy passed away.  Stripe got really sick but he didn't leave this earth until his son was old enough to look after "Mom"...that's dedication!!

This being published thang is soo addictive...I'm really gonna make some time soon to submit more of my work!

SOOO the man

had a birthday at the beginning of the month and I had the BEST time pulling together a celebration for him...because he said not to!  There are people who do soo much for everyone else and never expect anything for themselves.  My husband is that kinda dude...and I appreciate his selfless spirit.  So, every opportunity I get to celebrate him I do.  We had a small party at my parents' house and I made mustache props for the pix...here's the littlest boy trying them out for me:

One of his godmothers took Kea to a kids' party for a couple of hours to give me some time to set up

We had some yummies

and I even made my husband's birthday cake and muffins!

I decorated the top with a chocolate 45 and I think it took about two HOURS for my family to figure out why...GENIUSES!!!!  It was really awesome before the heat melted the wording but Blogger's being a butt right now and I can't upload the picture...I'll show you once I've finished scrapping the pix!  I'm not Betty Crocker yet but it was pretty tasty!!!  I'll be on the BALL once I get a decorating class under my belt!!!

My husband had friends drive in from out of town to celebrate with him and a few of my friends and family joined us.  

My brother and law 

and sister were there celebrating their future little one!  I'm pretty sure she's having a girl the way Kea was hovering around her all day!

They started playing cards which always ends up loud and long...I can't really play spades so I just laughed as they talked trash and drank (thanx to the Lindseys for the Amaretto daiquiri and Diletia for the Heinnies!!!).

The best part was that everybody had fun with the 'staches:

but my Granny just TOOK THE PRIZE:

(sometimes she's hilarious without even knowing it!!!)

I think the man really enjoyed himself because he's already talking about NEXT YEAR'S party!

  UHHHN!!!!

OK...now we're off to celebrate Mahd's day!!! 

There's just never...

...any rest for the weary mommy!!!  About two weeks ago, one of my aunties had surgery.  John and I visited her the day after and I promised to check on her again in a few days.  A couple of days later, Kea had a dentist's appointment so I decide to get the most outta my gas tank and combine trips.  After we left the dentist and took care of a few errands, we dropped Ahmad at football practice and utilized those two hours to visit my aunt.  We sat with her for about an hour and a half and went back to the field.  Mahd still wasn't finished when we arrived so I settled in to talk to my sister in Texas while we waited.  Kea climbed on my lap and I remember telling my sister that he felt like a hot box.  Now, I wasn't alarmed because his body temperature is naturally high (hence one of his nicknames...HOT DADDY!)and it WAS 100 degrees out that day.  Plus, he never stopped playing...he wasn't lethargic like you'd expect.  Well, we got home and he was zonked out and I just thought he was TOO CUTE so of COURSE I snapped a picture:

 Well, we got inside and he was still warm so I stripped him naked...that's how he normally rolls anyway!  After we had been here for about twenty minutes, he climbed into my lap and he was STILL a hot box and I knew.  He either caught something from one of the kids at the dentist's office or at the hospital and his temperature was 102.8.  So, we did what we normally do and alternated Tylenol and Motrin.  He never stopped playing but he woke up a couple of nights soo congested and once his nose was running all over the pillow...niice!!!  But, the fever subsided and we were just dealing with the congestion and cough.  Well, I fell asleep on the sofa Friday night and John awakened me around 3am with Kea in his arms and said, "Listen".  When Keanohn coughed he LITERALLY sounded like a puppy...or a seal barking.  It scared the HIZZIE outta me.  I took it for as long as I could...about 30 minutes...and then we packed him into the truck and drove to Children's Hospital...where the doctor told us he had croup. 

Croup (or laryngotracheobronchitis) is a respiratory condition that is usually triggered by an acute viral infection of the upper airway. The infection leads to swelling inside the throat, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classical symptoms of a "barking" cough, stridor, and hoarseness. It may produce mild, moderate, or severe symptoms, which often worsen at night. It is often treated with a single dose of oral steroids; occasionally epinephrine is used in more severe cases.

The doctor told us he has a very contagious virus which brought on the croup.  So, we've kept him inside as much as possible which means...of course ...Mommy is all caught up!  I HATE being sick...especially because I'm in the middle of painting our house and reorganizing.  It's a good thing that I recognize how busy the devil is when you're trying to accomplish something so I just keep pushing on!

I can't believe this 

is one of my final assignments for the Examiner.com!!!  I have an assignment to turn in today and then one next week...THAT'S IT!!!  Irene  has been SUCH a pleasure to work for...I'll really miss it!  But, where one door closes...yada yada yada!!!  You can check out some of my work on the Platinum Scraps challenge blog (this

is my latest project for them)and of COURSE HERE.  I haven't forgotten that I promised to share pix of my hubb's birthday celebration but it'll have to wait a little longer...Mahd's birthday is this week and I have another celebration to plan...told ya...no rest!!!!

My husband turned...

...45 on the 2nd.  As I do with for every holiday or event, I pulled out my craft yummies and made a card for him from his wife as well as from Kea.  When my boys were babies I took great joy in putting the pen in my right hand and writing messages "from them".  But, John told me for Mother's Day he wrote a message on a sheet of paper and Kea wrote it inside my card himself.  So, I decided to do the same for Daddy's card.  I gave Kea this

card that I made using the May and June Kreatorville Kraft kits and told him we would be writing on the INNNNSIDE!  That was cool with him.  But then I gave him this

and told him we he would be writing these words and he said, "No...I'll write an H!"  I'm like fo REAL OCD when it comes to stuff like this but my mind was like, "Chill.  Let him attempt the H and if it doesn't turn out right...THEN you beat him!!!"  But GUESS WHAT???  He SAID he would write it and HE DID!!!  I started thinking, if he can write an H from memory MAYBE he can write the other letters, too!!!  So, I took the cheat sheet away and just told him which letters to write and he produced this

We had some kreative differences over placement as the HAPPY extends down into the BIRTH and the D in DAY somehow got sent to the end of the line...and WHAT in the HIZZIE is going on with that E???  I THINK he heard OCTOPUS instead of E!  But...it CLEARLY says Happy Birthday KEA and I'm TOOOO stoked!!!  I like this lil kid...I like him a LOT!!!!


In scrappy news, I got an email last month where THIS lady asked if she could interest me in teaching an online webinar.  UMMM...dude?  SERIOUSLY???  For future reference if anyone out there has similar endeavors for me you DON'T NEED TO ASK!!!  Send me an email telling me what's due and WHEN...I am SOOO there!!!  I'm pretty excited to see my name all up on the Get It Scrapped site

in conjunction with all those hard hitters!  Does that mean I rock as hard as them?  Why, yes...I think it DOES!!!(Go to the website if you're interested in getting some great ideas to jump start your kreativity!!!)  I was also asked to join a scrappy team which is near and dear but I'll wait until THEY tell you before I DO!!!  I guess since it's 3:30 am I should LAY MY BOOGIE DOWN!!!  Be back soon with some new scrappiness and pix from the hubbs' birthday barbecue!