Beach Day 5

Our last full day at the beach was jam packed full with fun!!!!! We were just trying to enjoy our every last minute and I think we did!!!


AJS showing his sis some love, ha!!!!
ABS & AJS playing...

"diving" for shells...The water was so beautiful...clear and pretty!

ABS & Daddy

They got splashed while trying to pose for a picture....oops...

She let us bury her...

AKS & Daddy wrestling! They did this the entire trip....

Then more wrestling in the pool...Avery didn't want any part of it...Smart boy!

BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I loved watching the sunset every night!

Writing in the sand...

They guys played Frisbee for hours that night!!!!! They had a blast!

One more day to go....whew...Almost done :O)

Beach Day 4

Back to my vacation documenting......I am almost done! This is mainly for the grandparents to enjoy, but I hope you will as well :O)

Day four:

We spent the day at Big Kahunas Water Park. We had loads of fun!!!!!! If you are ever near Destin, you should plan on going to this park! It has so much to offer and worth every penny!

I only have a handful of pictures because we left the camera in the truck so we could all enjoy riding the slides and "lazing" in the lazy river together. I did go and get it towards the end of the day to get a few shots of the kids.

Wave Pool Fun
Fun Fountains

One of the many slides that we enjoyed. This was one of the "smaller" ones, but it was so fun!

Daddy in the lazy river
An attempted photo under the waterfall....what was I thinking?!?!

We were completely worn out after spending the entire day there so we stayed in that night and cooked....Spaghetti...YUM:O)

Jet Skiing Fun

Thanks to my Dad and Sharon, we have had a really fun weekend jet skiing and tubing! I will probably pay for all of the fun I had tomorrow morning when my body is aching, but it was well worth it!!!

My 3 men....Go Daddy go!!!ABS getting ready to ride with DaddyDaddy & ABS...She yelled out to me one time, "Mom, I'm okay...we're having fun"....I guess she knew I was worried! :O) Wade is known to take you for a ride....literally!!!!!! He makes ME nervous when I am riding with him! ha!!!! The boys going tubing!!! Daddy came by slow so I could get a few shots of them.

And that was our weekend!!!! Thanks again Dad & Sharon! We had a blast!!!!!!

We have a winner.....

I'm so sorry that I am SO late in getting a winner picked and posted!!!! It has been a busy day and night!!!! You know...work all day and sew all night, ha!!!! Isn't she a cutie??? I ♥ her so much and I am so thankful that she likes the dresses and outfits that I make for her!
I know you all have just been sitting here waiting all day on the announcement..ha!!!!

Annah Brooke and I just put all of our entries into a big bowl and I let her draw our lucky winner!!

CONGRATULATIONS HEATHER SKAGGS!!!!! You are the lucky winner!!!!!! Please email me your address so I get your goodies in the mail to you! (melanieshea78 at yahoo dot com)

Thank you to all of you who entered!!!!! I was so excited at all of the entries!!!! Stay tuned....I have a BIG giveaway planned for my 500th post which is just right around the corner...well, unless I get into a blogging funk and it takes me a while to get there, just kidding....ha!!!!!

Again, thank you for entering the giveaway and being a reader of "Mel Tells"!!!! Have a wonderful weekend!

Summer favorites giveaway

*This is a sticky post that will be up all week. Scroll down for new updates*

I can not believe that we are in the month of July already! Where does the time go? Before I know it, the kids will be back in school, I'll be decorating for fall, and then Christmas! Who ever said that the older you get, the faster the time flys was right! It seems as if each year passes by faster and faster! Anywho...

I have a few new summer favorites that I'd like to share with you!

I have never been one that cared for "cold coffee". I mean, I have never even had one, but it didn't sound appealing to me...until recently. One the way home from the beach, we stopped by a Starbucks and I ventured away from my normal order of a Caramel Macchiato and I ordered a Double Chocolate Frappuccino. Oh. My. Heavens. It was fantabulous!!!!!!!!! So refreshing!

While my friend, Angela, and I were out garage sale shopping last weekend, we stopped by her mother's house for a quick bathroom break. Her mother had the best smelling hand soap/lotion in her bathroom and I fell in love. It is from the Bath & Body aromatherapy "stress relief" line. Eucalyptus Spearmint hand soap and lotion are definitely a new favorite of mine!!I am hosting a Summer favorites giveaway. The winner will receive a product (soap or lotion) from the Bath & Body Aromatherapy Stress Relief line, a $5.00 Starbucks card to treat yourself to a cold (or hot) drink on that hot summer day, & two of my favorite hand towels (your choice of fabric from my collection). You know that I can't do a giveaway without including my favorite initial hand towels. They add a little sass to any kitchen or bathroom. I heart them!

The giveaway will last until Thursday, July 9th. I will announce the winner Friday, July 10th.

*Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Starbucks drink for ONE entry*

*Become a follower and leave a second comment for another entry* (if you are already a follower, that automatically earns you the second entry.)

*Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a 3rd comment to earn a 3rd entry*

Good Luck!!!!!

Movie Reviews by Mel

Last month Wade introduced me to something called "Movie on Demand". He has obviously known about this little feature on our cable package for 2 years now, but I never did! I am not a big TV fan, but I do love me some movies!!!!

I thought that Movie on Demand was the greatest thing EVER.....until my cable bill came in and I owed $20 extra in movie fees!!!! UGH!!!! I mean, I knew that I was going to be paying for these movies, but paying for 4 or 5 movies on top of your cable and Internet services....well, it was just a high cable bill this month!!! It is very convenient b/c you don't have to worry about taking them back and then chancing owing late fees, but they are still like $3.99 or more.

Well, two weeks ago Wade told me about $1 rentals they have at Wal-mart. O.M.G....this is like the best thing since sliced bread!!!!! They have a very nice variety to choose from even new releases. You pick your movie(s) and then just swipe your debit card. You have to return them within 24 hours and if you don't they just charge your card another $1. Simple as that!!!!! So easy, so convenient, and SOOO cheap!!!!!! (just be sure to take them back or they'll charge your card $1 per day)In less than 2 weeks, I've watched several movies! I am going to give you a little "Movie review by Mel"...Here goes....my opinion that is!!!!

The Women-Cute, cute girly movie, but if you have a husband like mine then he'll just curl up on the couch and watch it and giggle too! The entire movie is women...no men...not the first male voice or nothing....Women only!!! And some really great women at that. You have Jada Pinkett Smith, Meg Ryan, Debra Messing, Bette Midler, Eva Mendes, and several more!!!!! I recommend this movie! New in town-This movie started off a bit slow. I'll be honest, I didn't think I was going to like it, but I stayed with it and I am glad I did. It turned out to be another cute movie! Renee Zellweger stars in this movie! I recommend New in Town!

Taken-If you like a high suspense, keep you on your toes type of movie then you'll love Taken! This movie had my attention from the "get-go"! I l♥ved it!!!! I HIGHLY recommend this one!!!

And I do have a bad review to share with you....Granted, you are only paying $1 for the movie, don't waste your time or dollar on "Then she found Me". It stars Bette Midler and Helen Hunt. These two ladies are two of my favorite actresses, but seriously, this movie sucked and that is all there is to it!!!! I was bored to tears and ended up playing on the internet the rest of the movie!!!!!

I have also watched "Mama Mia"...We had not seen this one and it was really good!!! Very cute, fun musical comedy!!!! Wade seriously liked it!!! I think I watched him more than the movie!!! I caught him dancing a few times and just grinning from ear to ear the whole time!!! ha!

UPDATE-One of my commenters mentioned "Confessions of a Shopaholic". I knew there was another good movie that I watched this past week. This movie was really, really, really, funny and cute!!!!!!! I l♥ved it!!! I would rent this one again and again! Its next to "How to lose a guy in 10 days", ha!!!!! There are only a handful of movies that I could watch more than once and this is one of them! So there you have it..."Movie Reviews by Mel"...If you have any movie recommendations, please leave them in the comments for me! I will be making a movie run this weekend!

Until next time!

A typical night!

Tonight was just another Monday night at the Smith house. You know...the usual-cooking, cleaning up, load of laundry, blah, blah, blah! I am always tired on a Monday afternoon/evening. Usually because I stay up way too late on Sunday nights trying my best to get in every last minute of my weekend and then I always pay for it on Mondays!!!!

Well today was no different. It is Monday, I am tired..not to mention that I had to sit in a meeting and listen to someone talk about the stock market this afternoon...That in itself wore me out! All that stuff is SO foreign language to me. I felt like I was in a French class....Back on track, see I told you that I am tired.....Anywho.

Oh...and to make matters worse and without giving you TMI, my back is hurting and I am tired....Ladies, do you feel me????? Okay, thought so.

So tonight, I am in bed with the heating pad on and Wade starts yelling "baby, baby, baby come here, hurry". He had just walked into the bathroom and I could see him from my bed. ABS was taking a bath and my first thought was that she had used all of my AMAZING GRACE bath gel that I won from Michelle at Stuttering Shell, and he didn't want to get on to her for it. By the way, that stuff is AMAZING!!!! Thanks Michelle! I ♥ it! And this was the rest of the conversation.........


Me: Wade, can you just tell me what she is doing wrong? I don't feel like getting up.
Wade: No, COME HERE......
Me: okay.....*walking into the bathroom* What?
Wade: Look, she is SHAVING.
Me: *looking down into the tub* ANNAH BROOKE SMITH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????
ABS: I'm shaving * grinning from ear to ear*
Me: This is NOT funny, you are NOT allowed to shave your legs. How long have you been shaving?
ABS: Well, I just started.
Wade and I busted out laughing! Once we were both settled down, we had to have a talk with her about why she can't shave yet, and that she could cut herself if she wasn't careful, and all that crap!!!!!!!!!


O.M.G........She is 8 years old going on 16!!!!!!!! HELP!

Happy 4th & homemade icecream

We had a great holiday weekend. Pretty low key, but nice. We "lazed" around all day Friday and then went to dinner and let the kids get a few fireworks. We came back home and had our own little fireworks show! This little man didn't really like the show. He stayed like this in my truck the entire time.

Saturday we got up and were very productive. We did the yard work, house work, cleaned the garage out, did the grocery shopping, and then had a cook-out! After we grilled, we made homemade Butterfinger ice-cream. Thanks to Sharon for the recipe! It was oh so yummy!!!! We LOVE to make ice-cream on hot summer days! It is so refreshing!!! You should really try it; you will not be disappointed!!!

Butterfinger Ice-cream

4 eggs

2 cups of sugar

1 can Eagle Brand milk

1/2 can of Pet milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

6 large frozen butterfinger candy bars crushed

Beat eggs. Then add the next four ingredients. Mix well and then add the crushed Butterfingers. Pour into ice cream freezer and finish filling up with regular milk (I use 2%). Start ice cream freezer and wait....Enjoy!!!!!

Yes, I have a PINK ice cream freezer! Don't you just LOVE it?!?!?! ha!!

We later headed out to the fireworks show that we go to every year!!!!! We realized quickly that they were not having it!!!! They go all out!!! Seriously, it is like the best show I've ever seen!!!! And every year is bigger and better! BUT, due to the economy, they decided not to do it this year. Or at least that is what we were told. I'm sure many people were disappointed as we were. There were vehicles lined up and people sitting around waiting on the show to start only it never started :(

It was getting late, but we made a few phone calls and hauled tail to my MIL & FIL's house. A park across the street from their subdivision puts on a nice show and we were able to make it just in time to watch that one! So they "saved" our night!!! We were starting to get really bummed out! :o)

I hope you all have had a good holiday weekend! Have a great week!

At it again...

Yes! I have once again changed my blog look! I love the rotating headers and so I thought I would give it a try with the kids beach pictures. Each time you visit my site (or reload the page), you should see a different picture of the kids. I am still working out a few kinks and need to "freshen" up my sidebars, but I'll get to that tomorrow. And who knows, there may be a whole new look too, ha!!! No, I'll keep this one for a minute!

So what do you think? Is it "working" for you?

Stay tuned for a great giveaway coming your way!

I am off to bed! Night!

The noise music has started

This + this
= one crazy momma!!!

Yes, that is a trumpet! Avery will be in the 6th grade band come August. He is very excited, but after a few short hours tonight, I think I am going to be crazy. My dad let us use my brother's trumpet and that is all Avery has done tonight!!!! Anyone know of a really good brand ear plug???? I think we are going to need it! :o)

Beach Vacation-Day 3

TGIF!!! I was so excited to see this afternoon roll around! After 9 days of vacation, going back to work is no fun! It really hasn't been a bad week, just hard trying to get back into the groove. So on with the vacation documenting!

Tuesday we spent another lazy, but fun day on the beach and at the pool. Believe it or not, I didn't take as many pictures on the beach that day. Every time I picked up my camera, the boys scattered. They were so over pictures from the day before, ha!!!

Beach Fun!!!

Mr. Smith hanging out.

We left the beach mid-afternoon to go swimming in the pool. The thing we really liked about our pool was that it was covered. It was like an indoor pool just with no walls. Around the pool was open, so you could lay out and still get some sun, but over the pool was shaded. So that was really nice being able to get out of the sun and relax in the water.

The kids having a race.

Avery...he had the right idea. He wore a shirt some of the day, because he didn't want to turn into a lobster.

Andrew being goofy as ever!!!

When we went up to our condo to take a shower and get ready for the evening, we had a friend debating whether or not he wanted to "visit" us.
Finally, he graced us with his company and actually stayed awhile.

We had fun feeding him dinner and I think he enjoyed it as much as we did.

Of course, the camera was pulled back out for "beach" pictures. Although many pictures were taken, we do not have a "family" picture of all 5 of us. I thought about buying a tripod, but didn't and thought of asking a bystander to take our picture, but didn't....So, no family picture was captured this trip!!! Oh well!! I did end up snapping away all night and I got some really great pictures of my kiddos! ABS
AJ

AK
My reason!

Of course, I could photograph this hottie all day long too (and did)! At least, he allows it and is a really good sport!!!
Beautiful!!! And we headed back to Sharky's for dinner on the beach!!! Yes, we went there twice!!! We LOVE it! Andrew didn't want a picture with Sharky!!! Bummer :(

But, I did get another group shot of them by the BIG Sharky!!!!!

Day 4 coming soon!!! Stay tuned.

THE DRILL....

I am sure most of you have one of these things around your house. Right? Well, this joker can come in really handy! I mean really handy! Actually, I really don't know what men (and some women) use this for, but let me tell ya...this orange drill thingy is my new best friend.

You see, I had a kitchen crisis Saturday night when my mixer goes out in the middle of me trying to be THE COOKIE MAMA!!! Yes, I was trying so hard to make my honey some homemade sugar cookies for Father's Day and right when I had all of my ingredients in my bowl for the icing....my mixer would. not. turn. on. I was livid!!!! I was mad!!!! I was in tears when superman walks in to rescue me. He was holding this big drill and I thought (for a really quick second) 'WOW, he is going to take it apart and fix it for me'....Boy was I wrong, well sort of!!! He didn't exactly take my mixer apart, but he did get my ingredients all mixed up. He held the bowl for me while I used my new mixer!!! Now I just need another drill and a few more hands and I'll be in really good shape to whip anything up in the kitchen!!! OR....if someone feels really sorry for me, I would love to have this! :O)

Seriously, if you feel the need to do something special for me, I would like this....Is that too much to ask for? :o)

Day 2...

Monday we woke up to this. We hurried down to the beach to do thisand this. We couldn't wait to play in the sandand bury each other. We rode the waves and stopped to pose for the camerabecause Mom was a picture taking fool.

We tried to catch fish... but we ended up catching crabs...(the kind in the ocean)LOTS of them. We raced the waves in and then back out. We played in the sand some more. We finished up the afternoon at the pool doing this and this... And then we did this

and this and more of this

because I told you my mom was a picture taking fool...

We ended our day watching this and wouldn't ya know, she made us do this.....

Beach Trip 2009-Day 1

Last Sunday morning we headed to Panama City Beach, Florida for our summer vacation. We have been planning this trip since the January and all of us were so excited. First we were going to Destin, then Orange Beach, and then we finally settled on P.C. I am so glad we did. It was great and I have no regrets! It has changed a lot (for the better) since Wade and I have last been there (11 years ago).

We had intentions on leaving around 5 or 6 a.m., but Wade and I were like little kids the night before and couldn't sleep. We didn't go to bed until around 3 a.m. so needless to say, we didn't wake up and leave at 5:00. However, we were on the road by 9:00 a.m. and still made great time.

Once we were into P.C., we rode the strip and checked everything out. We were all as giddy as can be! We checked into our condo, unloaded, freshened up, and off we went. We knew just the place we were going to eat. SHARKY'S!!!! Like I said, Wade and I have not been to P.C. in like 11 years and we were so excited to be able to take the kids to one of our favorite restaurants from back in the day! It was just as I remembered. It is such a fun atmosphere, great food, & great service. The kids loved it!!!

The kids hanging out while we were waiting to be seated.

The BIG Shark out front!

ABS being goofy...as always!

Day 2 coming next....stay tuned!

Dear Daddy....

Warning: Mushy, gushy post ahead! Read at your own risk!

Dear Dad,

I hope you have a great Father's Day. I love all the times when you take us hunting, and come to and coach our baseball games. Also, thank you for taking us on vacation to the beach this year. I hope you will continue to do all of those things. If you weren't here, our lives wouldn't be anything that they are now. I am so glad that you are my Dad. I love you very much, and I hope you continue to do what you do now. Have a great Father's Day.

Love, Andrew
Dear Dad,

I hope you have a great Father's Day. I love you very much and I enjoyed all the times we went hunting and I enjoyed all the vacations we went on together.

Love, AveryDear Daddy,

I love you and I hope you have a great Father's Day. Thank you for taking me to the beach and buying me a turtle and taking me to Joe's Crab Shack. I like when I get to spend time with you.

I love you, Annah Brooke
My Love,

I probably don't tell you enough just how much I love you. I am so blessed to be able to walk hand in hand with you through this thing called life! You are an amazing husband and father! We would be lost without you!! Thank you for all you do from supporting our family to coaching and teaching our children to fixing a bike to hanging a picture! You are our world!!!!!!
Happy Father's Day!!!! I love you Snookie!!!!
Happy Father's Day to my dad and FIL!!!! Hope you both have a wonderful day! We love you!!!!

I'm back...

Hello World!!!! I am back from a much needed, fun filled week of rest and relaxation with my four favorite people!! The past 6 days have been pure bliss!!! We have enjoyed our share in swimming, eating, laughing, and just "beaching" it up!!! This week has been great and a lifetime of memories were made!

I have so much to share with you, but first I am sorting through 1300+ pictures. It may take me a minute or two! :O)

I'll give you a little teaser though! This is one of my favorite pictures that I captured this week! We watched the sunset every night and it was just beautiful! The kids were very cooperative for me except the fact that Avery is holding his sister's wrist instead of her hand. Ha!!! I guess Mom was asking for a little too much!!!! Nonetheless, I LOVE this picture and it still shows their true personalities!!! :O)I'll be back soon with more! Happy Friday!!!!

Calling all readers....

I need your help!!!

I am not a reader. I do not read! Well, I say type that, but I really do read...some. I mean like blogs and magazines and I have a few devotionals, but like books....that is a different story! I couldn't really tell you the last time I read, um...a whole book.

Here lately though, I have been having an urge to read (a book or two or three). I just do not know where to begin. I do not know much about authors and best sellers and all that hoopla!

Wade and I are taking the kids to the beach soon and I would like to have a few books to take for those early mornings on the balcony listening to the waves crash or while I am soaking up the sun and digging my pink polished toesies into the sand!

I picked up two Nora Roberts books at a garage sale last Saturday. They are not very "thick" and I figured they would make good beach reads. Plus, I paid $.50 for the both of them! You know, I can't pass up a deal like that!!! I actually thought Nora Roberts was a Christian author until I browsed the back cover to realize that these two books are like love & romance books. See, I know nothing about books and authors!

A co-worker loaned me a Nicholas Spark book titled "Nights in Rodanthe" and "The Pilot's Wife" by Anita Shreve. I know nothing about these books either. I have been told that "The Pilot's Wife" was absolutely wonderful!!!! So, I have 4 books to choose from and hey, I may just read all of them!!!

This is where I need your help!

Do you know anything about any of these books? Do you have any book suggestions for me? Who is your favorite author?

Thanks in advance!!!! :)

Check it out...

You know how I love giveaways!!!! I like to host them as well as enter them! Go check out this one here!!! I would so love to win!!!!

Mel-ology

I am borrowing this from my bloggy friend Laura! Thanks girl!!!

FOOD-OLOGY

What is your salad dressing of choice? Comeback
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Joe's Crab Shack & Fudpuckers
What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it? Hamburgers
What are your pizza toppings of choice? black olives, pepperoni, mushrooms
What do you like to put on your toast? cheese or cinnamon toast-although I rarely eat toast...

TECHNOLOGY

How many televisions are in your house? 4
What color cell phone do you have? Red-ish
What does the first text message in your inbox say and who sent it? "Eat and site see" From my MIL
Who was the last person to call you? Wade

BIOLOGY

Are you right-handed or left-handed? right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? wisdom teeth, appendix, right fallopian tube, & 3 children :o)
What is the last heavy item you lifted? weights!

CRAP-OLOGY

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? absolutely not.
If you could change your name, what would you change it to? I do like my name, but if I had to change it, I like Addyson, Olivia, Ava, & Chloe
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? probably.

DUMB-OLOGY

How many pairs of flip flops do you own? 8-10 right now...I need a few more!
Last time you had a run-in with the cops? I haven't personally had any.
Last person you talked to in person ? Wade
Favorite Month? oh, this is hard. I have a few favorites for different reasons. June-renewal anniversary, August-anniversary, October-I just love the fall, December-my birthday & Christmas

CURRENT-OLOGY

Missing someone? My baby girl
Mood? blah
What are you listening to? The devil wears Prada
Worrying about? a few things...

RANDOM-OLOGY

What’s the last movie you watched? watching The devil wears Prada now
Do you smile often? Yes!
Do you always answer your phone? Yes, but there are times that it is on silent and I don't realize it!
It’s four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? Wade
If you could change your eye color what would it be? I like my eye color...
What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? none
Do you own a digital camera? Two of them
Have you ever had a pet fish? yes.
Favorite Christmas song? I have too many to narrow down to just one. Christmas music is my favorite!!!
What’s on your wish list for your birthday? well, I have several things I would like to have (new camera lens, new sewing machine, monogram machine....Maybe I'll get one of these things for my birthday:o) hint, hint!
Can you do push-ups? not many!
Can you do a chin up? Probably not
Does the future make you more nervous or excited? both!!
Do you have any saved texts? No
Ever been in a car wreck? Yes
Do you have an accent? southern accent.
What is the last song to make you cry? The Climb
Plans tonight? Wade grilled and we are now watching a movie
Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? yes
Name 2 things you bought yesterday. 2 white shirts to applique for Annah Brooke and Rylee
You ever been given roses? Yes, many times!
Current hate right now? laundry...
Met someone who changed your life? yes
What song represents you? I don't know...I would really have to think on this one.
What were you doing 12 AM last night? Going to bed!
What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I need coffee!

__________________________________
Check out this great giveaway Glenda is hosting over at Thats 2 cute!!! I would SOOO love to win this! Really...go check it out!!!

Ending an argument....

When your boyfriend, husband or significant other does something that makes you angry, don't give in to the temptation to argue and fight. Just count to ten, remain calm and after he goes to bed, super-glue his flip flops to the floor.



However, I would never ever never dream of doing this to My Love (wink wink)!!!

Love you Snookie!!

Looks can be deceiving!!!

I thought I was going to get this.................

BUT.....I REALLY GOT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, I took 2 bites, lost my appetite, and tossed it in the garbage!!!!

State fan at heart & sibling love

I am working my little fingers to the bone finishing up some hand towel orders this afternoon. The house was quiet as the kids were down the street swimming and I noticed Wade was no where to be found. So I took a short break to walk outside to find him and this is what I found...

He was listening to the Ole Miss game on the radio while sitting in a Mississippi State chair. LOVE IT! He is a true bulldog fan at heart!

Then I noticed 2 of my 3 children coming up the street holding hands....Awww, so sweet.

Annah Brooke was given some Rollerblades yesterday from a neighbor and Andrew was pulling her up the street. The really do love each other!!!!

Little old married couple and some fantabulous finds...

I sometimes feel like Wade and I are a little old married couple. We have been together for 14 years-married almost 12 of those 14 years. We do most every thing together and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Take this morning for instance. We rolled out of bed at 7:30, brushed our my hair and our teeth, grabbed us a cup of coffee and we were on our way. Today was the day for garage sales. We were so excited. See, I told you...little old married couple we are. It doesn't take much to excite the two of us!

I had 3 specific things I was on the look-out for and I found 2 of the 3. ;o)

Remember this chalk board tray?

Well, I have been looking for one that was bigger and better than the ones I have and I found the big daddy tray of all trays!!!! Just what I had in mind!!!!!!!! I was ever so giggled and I spent $.50 for it. Can you believe it?!?! FIFTY CENTS!!!! Talk about the highlight of my day!!! Sad? Probably. Do I care? Nope, not a bit! :o) I was grinning from ear to ear. The lady that I purchased the tray from was probably a bit confused as to why I was so tickled!!! She could have charged $5 for it and I would have paid it. :) I have also been wanting a step stool for the kids to use in the kitchen rather than have to use the other's back.....I found this jewel for $2 and I have fantabulous visions for this baby! :)I really want some of these jars for my bathroom, but this is the one thing that I didn't find today. I may have to break down and go purchase them from an actual store, ha!!! I want 2 or 3 small ones for my bathroom and I would like 2 big ones for my bar in the kitchen. If anyone knows where I can find these at a dirt cheap an affordable price, please let me know.

I am sure you were having a fit to know what we had for dinner tonight...Wade has really been putting his birthday present to use. We kicked things up a notch from last nights meal. Yummy burgers on the grill and tater tots.

Note to self: Next time do not use a plastic spatula to get the tater tots out of hot grease. The spatula will melt!!!!

I am off to the sewing machine.....Tons to do!!! Talk to you soon! MUAH!!!

Friday Night Randomness

I was excited to see 5:00 roll around today as I am pretty much any day. I hopped into the truck and pulled out of the parking garage with a smile on my face. The windows were down, music was up, sipping on a diet coke, and yelling singing along to Love Story by Taylor Swift. Oh, how I love Friday at 5:00!!!!

My man met me at the door with a cup of coffee. Yes! I drink coffee at 5:30 p.m. everyday. I have to have my coffee in the morning and in the afternoon. Weird? Maybe...but a must!!!

I don't think I am the only one that is ready for the beach. Annah Brooke had pulled out some beach toys and she was playing in a bucket of sand. I so can't wait!!!! It will be here before I know it!!! We enjoyed a really fancy Friday night meal....We were tempted to dine out tonight, but we refrained and stayed in....My kind of night :o)

My Love was sweet enough to sit down and watch a chic flick with me. That really isn't surprising to me. He will watch anything I want to watch and it is normally chic flicks...Bride Wars was really good which Kate Hudson is a favorite of mine so I figured I'd like it!!! I even cried at the end! It was so sweet and cute!
As we speak I type, we are all piled up in the living room watching Bedtime Stories. So far it is really funny. The kids are loving it! Adam Sandler reminds me SO much of my brother, Josh. His features, expressions, character, etc...I always have thought of Josh while watching an Adam Sandler movie. I have a lot of sewing to finish up over the weekend. Some personal and some are orders. I am finishing up a really large order for my initial hand towels. I have some really cute fabric in so if you are needing a happy for yourself or someone else, these towels are the thing for you!!!
These burp cloths are also a big hit! If you are needing a baby gift, this would be perfect. Well, I am off to bed! I need to be very productive tomorrow!!!!

Memorial weekend fun

I hope you all had a nice Memorial Day weekend. We sure did. Things were pretty low key around the Smith house and I loved every minute of it.

I started out the weekend by hitting up a few garage sales Saturday morning. It was rainy and not really a good weekend for garage sales, but I did manage to find a few and ended up with some fabulous finds!!! I have been wanting to do an arrangement for our front door. So I was so happy to find this white Southern Living hanging "basket thingy" and it was still in the original package. I do not like the white, but that is what paint is for, right?! That will be a project for this coming weekend.

I also have been wanting something to hang in the kitchen to hold my cookbooks and I found just the thing. Yes, another painting project...for this weekend. Pictures to come of the finished products.

Since sewing has become my favorite past time, I have a HUGE fabric obsession!! I mean, HUGE!!!!! I go crazy over fabrics and could literally walk around in a fabric store for hours! So, I was SOOO excited to find this burlap fabric at a garage sale for a $1.00....I am in the process of turning that piece of $1.00 fabric into a few seat cushions for my wicker chairs on the front porch. They are definitely the cheapest pillows that I have EVER purchased! :o)

Speaking of pillows, I spent the rest of my weekend sewing. I have been wanting to add a little "wildness" to my living room. So I made these zebra throw cushions for our furniture. I was a little hesitant at first because I didn't think it would really match, but I do have to say that I like the look that it gives!!!! What do you think, honestly?!?!Monday we spent the day just hanging out and relaxing. Wade grilled us some yummy ribs and corn and it was delicious!!!!!!! I hope you all had a great weekend as well. School is now out and summer is officially here which means our beach trip is getting closer and closer!!! WOOHOO!!!

ABC's of ME

I borrowed this fun little survey from my friend, Lindsey's!!!! Thanks girl!!!!

Feel free to borrow it and play along as well! Just leave me a comment letting me know you are so I can come read your answers!!!!!

ABC's of Me:
A - Age: 30
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: LAUNDRY! I hate putting up clothes!
D - Dog's name: Oreo, Bentley, & Sadie
E - Essential start your day item: Coffee with 2 blue packets and a little bit of French Vanilla.
F - Favorite color: PINK, but I really like a TON of colors: lime green, red, turquoise, orange, etc....
G - Gold or Silver: Both
H - Height: 4'10"
I - Instruments you play(ed): Piano for a very short time growing up.
J - Job title: First and foremost, I am a wife and mother. But I also hold very important jobs as a cook, janitor, nurse, chauffeur, referee, seamstress, blog designer, administrative assistant, and a wanna be photographer!!!
K - Kid(s): I am so blessed to have 3 wild, crazy, and fun-loving kiddos!!
L - Living arrangements: Live in a house with my husband and children
M - Mom's name: Suzy
N - Nicknames: melanieshea, mel, mom, baby doll,
O - Overnight hospital stay: 5 times....3 were for pregnancies, 1 for appendicitis, and 1 for an ectopic pregnancy.
P - Pet Peeve: Showing up at my house unannounced!!!!!! BIG NO NO!!! I do not like unexpected company!
Q - Quote from a movie: "You had me at hello." ------Jerry McGuire.
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: 2 brothers---Brad & Josh
T - Time you wake up: 5:45ish
U- Underwear: Yes, I have them on....
V - Vegetable you dislike: English peas
W - Ways you run late: I run late for EVERYTHING!!!!!!! You name it and I've been late because of it.....Seriously!!
X - X-rays you've had: I have had a few...
Y - Yummy food you make: All of my food is Yummy!!! :o)
Z - Zoo favorite: I don't really recall a "favorite"; I enjoy watching all of the animals play...

Now I know my ABC's next time want you sing with me!".....Have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!!! I'll be back with more later!

Love Chalk Notes

He found this.....
and I later found this....
I SOOO love my little chalk board tray!!!

My winner!!!

Aside from the regular ball season, Avery's team played in a tournament last weekend. All of the boys played so hard and never let up. They ended up getting beat in last inning of the play-off game. They came in 2nd place and received medals. I was so proud of Avery! He played awesome in all three games.

I literally take a TON of photos of the boys at their games. It starts getting overwhelming as I am sorting through them, ha!! Here are a few of my favorites from the tournament!

There is always the "last out" in a game and somebody has to make it...unfortunately, this time it was Avery. He struck out (which I felt was a bad call...not just as a mother defending her child....a really, really bad call on the umpire) and that was the game! As a mother, I was pretty upset for him as he was, but Daddy had a "pep talk" with him and he cheered up shortly after. Way to go Avery!!!!! Great job! We love you!!!!!

More ball pictures to come this week of the boy's regular ball season!!!!

Who's that girl?!

Strike a pose....

there's nothing to it....
VOGUE, VOGUE,
VOGUE,

VOGUE! I have been doing a lot of sewing lately and Ms. Priss is loving it! This weekend I made her a few more pillow case dresses and a few "beachy" tops to take on vacation. I have a few more things I want to do, but I had to give my machine a rest after I worked that baby so hard this weekend.

I was pleased with the outcome, but most importantly, she is!!!! :o)

I am contemplating on adding the dresses to my Etsy shop. Please email me if you'd like one for your little one! :o)

Job Wanted

With the economy the way it is, I guess kids are even looking for work....."If your dog or dogs need groomed or you just cant hadel your pet just let me visit it for a week to train it. If you want me to give it a bath I will or I will also brush it hair.

One dog doing one of them is $14.49 Training is $18.50 More than one dog getting trained is $21.46.

Don't matter what kind of animal."

Annah Brooke wanted me to make copies of this so she could pass out in the neighborhood....