Monday, September 29, 2014

Weekend Recap Sept 26-28



 Busy Busy Weekend but it was so much fun! 

Friday night was our high school Homecoming game. H2 went with her friend to the game while H1 & myself went to the wedding rehearsal. Everything went smoothly. I was placed in charge of the music (blindsided) & was so nervous b/c the Groom had chosen a "mystery song" for the Bride so I had to make sure that song DID NOT play during any of the rehearsal. I was sweating bullets the whole time. Luckily I was able to keep it a mystery. After the rehearsal we had a quick little meal for the ones that attending & then we got busy decorating the church & getting it cleaned up for the big day. H1 used this time to practice her walk in heels. She's SUPER clumsy so she needed all the extra practice she could get. My cousin brought H2 to me after the game & stayed to help us get everything ready. While we were cleaning we looked back & found H2 & E (cousin) sleeping on the pews. They were tired. 

Saturday morning we were up bright & early - H2 had her first game @ 9am. They won that game 5-4, then played again @ 12:45 & won that 14-4. I had to leave to go get myself & H1 ready for the wedding. We all got ready at KD's house & was treated to Blushing Bride drinks & finger foods. We had so much fun getting ready together. From there we went to the church & the wedding was absolutely beautiful! H1 done perfect in her heels ... Got to the alter & had to take them off (gracefully). After the wedding H1 got her own chauffeur to the reception in none other than a 2015 Corvette! She was the Princess for the night. Go big or Go home is our motto! We had so much fun @ the reception ... The photo booth was a huge hit. I can't wait until we get the pictures back from the photographer. We left the reception early so that we could make it to the park for H2's final game of the day. They took a hard loss during that game but were 2-1 for the day. We left the ball field around 10 ... went home to wash her uniform & get ready for another full day @ the park on Sunday.



Sunday we got up bright & early again - H2's first game was @ 10:40am. When we got to the park the 1st games of the day were finishing up & we got ready for the Park Devotional. I love that the organization that we play for does a Devotional on Sundays so that everyone can fellowship together & Thank God for all that he has done for us. I love that added extra touch. The girls won their first 2 games (5-4 & 7-6) to take them to the 3rd place game. They lost again to the same team they had lost to on Saturday night but still brought home a 3rd place finish. This is a new team & their 2nd tournament together as well as in a new age bracket. We were all very proud of their accomplishments & finish. After the game we went by & grabbed a bite to eat & went home to get ready for the week. 


Sunday would have also been my Nanny's 73rd Birthday. This year she was able to celebrate it in Heaven. It's so hard to believe that it's been 6 weeks since she suffered her last hardest hours of her life & took her last breath & entered into Heaven. I miss her more & more everyday. She was H2's biggest softball fan. Before she got sick she didn't miss a tournament. After she got sick she done everything she could to be at all the local ones if she could. If not she called every little bit to check on the score & how they were doing. The whole team called her Nanny! My phone rang once yesterday & for just a split second I thought it was her calling to see how they were doing. I know she had that front seat up in the clouds yesterday watching down on her baby girl on the field. She had the best seat in the house. We move on with our lives but missing her never gets any easier. She was my best friend for 32 years .... A1 from Day 1 that's for sure. 

Today I'm linking up with Showered with Design & her link up party. I'm hoping to gain some new followers. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed.


Weekend Recap

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Friday, September 26, 2014

Thankful for ... Part 4

 10 Things I'm Thankful for ...

(in no particular order)

  1. God - Without him nothing is possible
  2. My girls - They are my world. The air that I breath daily. They are my daily motivation to be who I am & always the reason behind my smile.
  3. My grandparents - My Nanny & Papa was my world growing up. If you saw 1 or both of them you saw me. I was their 1st grandchild & only grandchild for 15 years. Spoiled? Maybe! My Nanny was my best friend. LITERALLY! We talked about everything. She passed away on August 16 of this year & my world crumbled beneath me. I am so Thankful that God allowed me to have 32 years with her by my side! & I'm so thankful that my girls were also able to experience her joy & presence just as I did.
  4. My Mama - She's my voice of reason. We are so much alike that we butt heads a lot! BUT she is my Mama ... The only one I have & I thank God for her daily! She has been my rock through so much & she has always stood by my side. 
  5. My Home - My Mama built this house in 1995. She & her husband then built a new house in 2005 & me & my little family moved into her old house. I took over the mortgage in 2007 & I'm proud to say that in less than 1 year, before the age of 35, I'll be mortgage-LESS! It's small but it's all we need.
  6. My Job - It pays my bills! Yes, it's stressful ... on more days than none! I work for a growing company & I'm thankful that I can use my knowledge & abilities to help them move forward & succeed.
  7. My Church Family - My girls & I just started back to church regularly the 1st of this year. I grew up in a old country church with my Nanny & truthfully I grew out of it. There wasn't much to do for the youth & the preaching was hard to follow. I visited around over time & when we found New Life Chapel we all knew it was home for us. Our Preacher is awesome & we get so much out of all of his services. The congregation is wonderful. You always feel love when you walk in the door or are at any church function.
  8. My girlfriends - They are the reason for my sanity. AC is my BFF ... We talk about everything daily. I know that if I've got an issue ... true reason is what I will get from her. 
  9. Good Health - I'm not sure that I know anyone that has NOT been hit with cancer in 1 way or the other. Whether it be them or family. My childhood best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 31 ... she is a Survivor now! My Nanny was a 28 year Survivor or breast cancer before she was diagnosed with lung & bone cancer which in 1 year took her from us. Cancer sucks! I'm thankful that me & my family are healthy. We might not be next week but today we are.
  10. Family - ALL OF THEM! From my blood to my distant. I'm thankful for the bonds I have with all of them. 
What are you Thankful for?




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Back to Blogging Part 3


Hey y'all! If you've been following me then you've read Part 1 & Part 2 ... If not go get caught up! 

I'm posting late because we had a MAJOR (minor to some) catastrophe at my house on Wednesday night & I've been away from the blogging world for 2 days. 

Wednesday night I went down to get a load of laundry & heard water ... Water pipe had busted in my kitchen in the basement. The whole left side of my basement was flooded! UGH! So I was without water yesterday waiting for the pipe to be fixed. On the up side it was the perfect opportunity for us to get some cleaning done in the basement. For the last 6 years we've used it as storage. It's 90% finished. No carpet ... still cement floors but it has a bathroom, kitchen, living room & bedroom. My house used to belong to my Mama & when I lived there growing up the basement was my "apartment". All mine! Since we've moved in we've used it as storage. LOT of things were tossed yesterday that shouldn't have ever been kept to begin with (insert Hoarder DH). Water is fixed & we are working to get that basement cleaned out & up so that we can put in that movie room we've been wanting. 

Back to Blogging ....

Part 3 challenge was for a Fall Picture. I don't have any right now on my camera roll. But ... a good friend of mine took a picture the other night at a local county fair of the sunset over the fair ... breathtaking.





Thanks to everyone for stopping by ... I'll see y'all on Part 4!

 



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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Happy Fall Y'all


Finally - Finally - Finally ... It's here! We walked out the house this morning to 55 degree weather. H2 even had her hoodie on. I LOVE IT! Have I told you before that Fall is my favorite time of the year? I can not wait to light our firepit next weekend for our "Annual Lighting of the Fire Pit"! 

To kick off the Fall Season I got a little crafty Sunday. Daddy H had acquired several old windows @ an auction. They had been sitting out behind the building in "snake heaven" for a couple years - I'd had many plans for them but never got the time to orchestrate any of them. Sunday - I put my visions to use. I trampled out into the "Anaconda Valley" & grabbed 2 of the windows really quickly. I brought them up beside the house & rinsed them off with the hose pipe (water hose to some). I grabbed my paint & went to town. I'm not an artist by any means! I can barely draw stick people. But with the help of Pinterest I was able to do a fine job if I do say so myself.

I have the perfect place for this little beauty on our Front Porch beside the front door. I think I'm going to attach some heavy duty wire & hang it from the side of the house there & tie a cute burlap bow on the wire. What y'all think?

Plans for the other windows? I've got some other ideas. I did see that there is 1 back there that the glass is busted out of. I think I will attach chicken wire to that one & use it as a picture frame to hang different snap shots on. I'd also like to fix a Christmas painting & one that just says Welcome Y'all where I can just change the bows out by season/holiday. 

Today I'm liking up with Toni @ ABFOL for her One Project at a Time Link up that she does weekly. If you haven't been over & checked out Toni's blog you need to hop on over now. I've been following her for several years now & I love all of her ideas & taste. 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed!   


 

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Back to Blogging - Part 2

Yesterday I started the Back to Blogging Challenge with The SITS girls ... Today's Part 2 Writing Challenge is Back to School memories

I myself have many memories. I can remember doing my back to school shopping every year with Nanny, Mama & Aunt Sher. Shoes - Shoes were my obsession. I needed the newest shoe on the shelf & they needed to stay clean! I can remember my Nanny dropping me off @ school each year for my first day & I can remember her always being there to pick me up when I got out of school - ready to hear all about my day. Oh how I wish I could go back to those days.

Now I've got 2 girls of my own. Back to School Shopping with those 2 divas is enough to put even the sanest person in a mental institution. This year both of my girls are in Middle School together. H1 is in the 8th - Next year she will travel across the street to become a Freshman. H2 is in the 6th! I love hearing all about their first day back at school. This year I couldn't wait to hear all about how H2 liked the new middle school environment ... She loved it! 

They have grown so much just over the last year. It's just hard to believe. I feel old & I'm only 32!

2013 - 1st day of school

2014 - 1st day of school

 H2 has shot up like a weed. I never realized she had grown in height that much until I compared these pictures.

What are some of your Back to School Memories? Join the linkup & tell us all about them.

Hope you enjoyed my Part 2 of the Back to Blogging Challenge. I can't wait to get many new followers & make some great friendships via my new blog. Thanks for stopping by. 


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Monday, September 22, 2014

Back to Blogging with The SITS Girls - Part 1









Blog-Hopping along today & I have ran across The SITS Girl blog & noticed that she started a "Back to Blogging Challenge" & I thought why not? Seems like the perfect opportunity to get started on my new blogging adventure. If you get a chance stop on over to her post & join in on the fun. 
Part 1 ...

What are some of the activities you love to do in the fall?
What are some of the traditions you have for the three months before winter hits?

I love fall! It is my all time favorite season. Normally by mid-August I'm itching to start getting out all of my fall decorations & start burning my apple & pumpkin candles. The smell of fall in my house makes me smile.

We live in a rural community. There is normally about 4-5 different fall festivals that are held between September & October. Ball schedule (my daughter plays travel softball) permitting - We love to go to each of these festivals & just walk around, browse through the crafts, catch up with old friends & eat good festival food. This past weekend we went to the River Fest that is held in Eden, NC each year. 

My family always likes to make @ least 1 trip to the mountains in the fall. When my kids were small it was a tradition to go to the Woolly Worm Festival every year in Banner Elk, NC. The girls loved to pick out their special Woolly Worm & have a chance to race it during the races that are held. As they got older they also grew out of racing worms. :-( Then we started going to ride the Ghost Train @ Tweetsie ... That was LOTS of fun! We haven't decided yet what we'll do this year as a family fun trip ... We've been discussing plans of starting a new tradition of Thanksgiving @ the Beach. My Nanny passed away in August & I think it would be good for us to get away this year & start a new tradition.

My 2nd set of parents hold an Annual Pumpkin Carving the Saturday before Halloween every years. It's loads of fun for the kids! We all enjoy seeing what they are going to carve on their pumpkin this year & then comparing their pics from the years before.

At my house we like to have the "Annual Lighting of the Fire Pit". It's normally the 1st weekend in October. We invite some friends up for supper then we sit out by the fire pit & talk & let the kids roast marshmallows & just have a good time. 

STEW TIME - Is the best time. My Mama helps with so many stews throughout the fall season to help different charities throughout the community. Our freezer stays stocked!!!! 

Those are some of my Fall Traditions & favorite things to do ... What are some of yours?
     



  
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Weekend in Review - Sept. 19-21



This weekend was fun-filled. 
 
Friday I got off of work @ 3 (love it that the company I work for allows our offices to close at 3 on Fridays) & went by the school to pick up H2. (H1 had a field trip scheduled for Chorus but we also had dress shopping planned & the field trip wasn't going to be back before 7. She chose to "skip" the day.) H2 & I went home & stopped by Papa's to visit him & Mama. We also had to wait for my friend, TB, & her daughter, JoJo, to get there so that we could go dress shopping --- They arrived & we loaded up the car & headed to Danville to get H1's dress. We found a couple ... none that we just LOVED but then we went to Belk. We wasn't even looking for a dress in there @ the moment & this one dress just jumped right out & it was perfect. Right size, right color & 70% LESS than the original sticker price. H1 is not a dress shopping ... let me rephrase that ... H1 is not a shopper PERIOD! After the dress shopping we headed over to Buffalo Wild Wings for some supper. I love that place! Supper was great - Then we headed home. 
 
Saturday we woke up & I tried to get a couple things done @ the house because I knew we were heading to the River Fest & would most likely be gone all afternoon. Sure enough ... we were. We left to go pick up Mama & my niece, Cambree, around 12. We went to the River Fest & walked around. It was hot & miserable. Cambree done great in the stroller. She's nosey like us so as long as she could see what was going on she was good. H1 & H2 walked around with some friends & met back up with us to leave. Cambree had gotten hot & her Mama wanted to come get her so we had to leave to go meet her. From there we done some shopping @ Belk & Wal-Mart. I dropped the girls back off @ the River Fest with some friends while I ran home to unload groceries & then I headed back down there to catch a little bit of the band they had scheduled. We walked around ... The girls signed the "Ol'e Big Pink" truck for breast cancer awareness. That hits home for us so we try to give & support as much as possible. My Nanny was a 28 year breast cancer survivor before she was diagnosed with lung cancer that took her away from us. Cancer is ugly - no matter what form it is. Homeward bound around 10 & hit the bed - Dog tired!
 
Sunday we missed our alarm clock & missed our morning church service. When we did finally make it up out of the bed I fixed me & the girls some Cinnamon Buns & we snuggled back up in the bed & watched The Heat w/ Sandra Bullock. We had lunch @ Papa's house & then I went home to do a little crafting. We had some old windows that I think Daddy H had gotten at an auction. I went out back & rummaged through "snake heaven" & dug out 2 of them. I cleaned them up & picked 1 for the project. I got out my craft paint & went to town. Time snuck up on me ... I had to leave it 1/2 finished so that we could make it to the evening church service. It's always such a blessing to be in the house of the Lord - even more so with our church family. There is always so much love throughout! After we got back home I finished up my project (I'll post about that tomorrow). Daddy H brought some pizza home & we went to bed. 
 
This is pre-wedding week for JoJo - On top of that it's Homecoming @ our local high school & H2 has a softball tournament this weekend! Needless to say my calendar is full for the week as well as the weekend! 
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A litte about me ...


Hey y'all!

Welcome to Southern & Blessed! Grab you a cup of sweet tea & stay a while.

I'm fairly new to the blogging world - I say I'm "fairly" new because I've been stalking blogs for several years now. I've even attempted to have a couple myself but never stayed committed to it. I think I've finally found the time & balance in my schedule to be able to stalk & write all @ the same time.

Let me introduce myself ...

My name is Tiffany! I am 32 years old. I am a mother to 2 beautiful girls, Harlei (13) & Hannah (11). They are my world. They are every breath that I breathe. I am a Southern Country Girl. We live on a farm with all of our family. Family is #1 in my life! I am a Blessed Child of God! I Thank Him everyday for all that he has blessed me with in my life & all of the blessings that are to come. I enjoy crafting, anything outdoors, front porch sittin', sweet tea, smell of fresh cut grass, country music, Amazing Grace, 4wheelin' in the mud, laying under the stars, drag racing, bonfires, Pinterest, concerts, watching my daughter play softball, cheering on all my "other" kids in sports. The list goes on & on.

That sums me up a little - If you follow my blog you'll learn a lot more about me over time. The focus of this blog will be the life of me & my children, the juggle of my calendar weekly on how I balance my time running a Teen & a Tween all over the county to different events, the life I live on the softball field with my youngest daughter on the weekends & the crafts I get to squeeze in between all of the other things going on in our lives.

Saddle up & let's do this!

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