Happy 4th, Y'all!

Yes, I am getting in touch w/ my southern roots. It always seems to happen this time of year :) I hope you had a GREAT 4th! We participated in tried and true traditions, and even made a couple of new ones. Warning - lots of photos!

Every July 3rd, North Point Baptist Church host Family Fest. This year, we heavily promoted it as a community event. The count from the fire department before dark was over 2,000. The Nelons held a concert on our new football field. There was tons of food; the kids had a blast in the jumpies & running wild on the soft grass. And Jordan kept Mason occupied:

(I think it is payback for her being such a pest!)

The fireworks were AWESOME! I decided to challenge myself to try to take some photos since we were right under where they were being shot.




Bobby had to work today, so the girls were on their own today. Bright and early this morning, J & I headed to the Carroll TEA Party's Constitution celebration. We manned one of the literature tables, and it was wonderful meeting so many people that feel the way I do about the government stepping into my doctor's office, my wallet, my civil right, and my child's future! (In case you didn't know....I am very political minded!) Anyway, it is a great cause, and I encourage you to attend an event near you. I heard there were around 500 in attendance today.



Then we headed up to Carrollton's parade. This is always alot of fun, and it is always hot! Fortunately, there are always plenty of folks passing out bottled water & pop-ice.




And this always makes me tear up:


Next, off to grab some lunch and a little picnic at the Southwire Lakes. We always go feed the geese, and this year I bet there were a hundred or so when the re-enforcements came charging across the lake. Check out my Geese Whisperer. She was speaking their favorite language - stale Sunbeam bread! :)


Then home for some down time, and a swim this afternoon.


And to cap the day off - a family get together at Bobby's aunts, back home for another swim (and J swam for over an hour at Mickey's), and then sparkler time. (I loved having the fireworks at NP last night; I did not have the normal compulsion to go sit in a parking lot w/ hundreds of people that I do not know to watch fireworks that I cannot see b/c of the trees!)



So needless to say, the Mullenix girls are exhausted, but in a good way. I hope you got your 4th on b/c the weather here was phenomenal. I cannot remember the last time that it was this good. And, even though there are alot of "issues" in this country - overall we are a very blessed nation; & it's all thanks to wonderful men and women who serve and sacrifice, and a loving God who hold us in His hand.

~MM

Hot Hazy Days.......

As I have gotten older, I have come to the conclusion that I am NOT a summer girl. I HATE the humidity; I HATE the heat; I do NOT tan; and I do NOT have a beach bod. Summer is just NOT my time of year! I am definitely more of spring/fall kind of gal.

I do realize that I am in the summer my life (albeit probably more like the mid to late summer - LOL), and I do have appreciation for that. You would think at this point in my life that I would be settled w/ the way things are always in perpetual motion…..friends come and go, the economy rises and falls, the seasons of the year, people I love pass away and new ones are born; etc. All things I really have no control over. I do admit that I am too grounded in schedules & expectations, and I really don’t like change. I really like to have a game plan and know what I will be doing every living, breathing moment of the day.

How I would love to go back to those more naïve days of care-free, childhood where these realities don’t fog my mind and are not even a passing thought. Praise God I can catch a glimpse of those times thru J. Sometimes you just have to let loose, and laugh!



This is an older LO I did back in the early spring, but for some reason the random silliness of this day back when and the reality of the journaling really hits me today. So I am NOT going to begrudge the heat and humidity - Enjoy your summer, and I’ll enjoy my A/C :)


~MM

Slip Slidin' Away

Slip N Slide @ Walmart - $6.65
Digi Canon Rebel - $600
Dawn Dish Detergent - $2.49
Water Bill - Heavens, I don't want to know
Fill Dirt for the gooey spot in the yard - Bobby works for free :)
Getting some good shots to scrapbook - PRICELESS!!!

Playing w/ paper.....

First I must confess, I absolutely LOVE Jenni Bowlin's new line! Here's a couple of LOs I've done with it this week:

This one is about "that girl" that I love to pieces and makes me crazy all at the same time. You can tell by the look on her face that she knows it too! ;)


Not sure why I love this picture so much. I think it is because I caught the motion of the moment. And if you know J, you know she is always scheming and on the go!



And lastly, Jen and I are hosting a series of challenges on Sweet Memories' Scrapbooks blog. These are designed to kickstart you into actually getting something done, and there are some "sweet" prizes involved.

The first challenge is using We R Memory Keepers divided page protectors. These are a GREAT way to scrap a lot of photos in a very short time for very little money. (Did that last sentence get your attention?!) And, they fit right into your 3 ring and most post bound albums. This challenge was so much fun, that I seriously think I am going to use this for my Disney album that is currently a huge box of supplies and about 400 photos.

Here's my version, using Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday papers and American Crafts Thickers. Yes, they are from the same series of Mother's Day photos as the above LOs. I think I just was drawn to the colors in J's dress, and the fact that she was a character that day! This is the front and back of the page protectors, and took less than 30 minutes for both sides :)



Go grab one of these page protectors from Erin (or 2 or 3 or 10), and join in the challenge. I think there are about 6 or 7 different formats, and they are only a $1. So for a buck and some scraps out of your stash, you can have a double-sided LO in minutes. You can't beat that w/ a stick! Deadline for this round is June 30th, and new challenge will be posted on the 1st.

~MM

Absolutely nothing going on around here....

And that is a GOOD thing!

But I did want to pop on and wish my most awesomest mother-in-law "a very happy birthday!" Happy Birthday, Nona - you rock! :)

Oh yeah - also have a "freebie" for you. I am trying to get out of my comfort zone and learn to "enhance" my photos thru Photo Shop Elements. Jessica Sprague has a free class in honor of the 2nd birthday of her website. And, you can get a 30 day trial of PSE here.



TTFN,
~MM

Uh yeah....exactly what we need the Mullenix abode!

ETA - found out that this was an Eastern River Cooter Turtle (thanks, Tonya). Yes, that sounds like a made-up redneck, critter name if I ever heard one. I had to google it (sorry, Tonya) and found indeed that there is such a beast, and it was living in my backyard. I also found out that this turtle needs 10s of gallons of water every day, so he/she/it has been set free in the nature reserve at Katie Lane (ie the creek behind our house). Tonya said this handsome guy/gal could easily be 20+ years old. Wonder what that is in turtle years.......

Thanks, Uncle Johnny - we seriously "needed" a honking, huge turtle/tortouise/whatever in our fenced in back yard!

I have a friend who is a self-proclaimed hard-shell amphibian expert, and she is going to try to identify it for us. She said there aren't any GA native animals as large as this, except 1 that is endangered. For the love of God, please do not let DNR show up at my house because this little girl loves this mean, grouchy walking mobile home!

It's a Dog's Life

Deuce Mullenix is not your average canine. This dog is part mini dauchy, part sissy butt, and part cantankerous old man (sorry if you are a cantankerous old man).

First of all, he loves to walk around Princess Leia ears. This drives Bobby CRAZY!


He is also cold-natured, and loves shirts, sweaters, and blankets. He will burrow under anything. Imagine my surprise when I looked over on the other side of the bed, and saw this!!!!


And speaking of sleeping....check out this crazy position! (Yes, this photo IS turned the right way!)



I will hand it to him....he is an awesome swimmer.


And gangsta rapper....


Word to your mother....