music monday {best days of your life}

today's music monday is about much more than just a video. at some point recently, i realized that i have not yet shared the story of this very important song.

while i was on maternity leave with coleman, we'd often pass the time listening to music, which sometimes lead to spontaneous dancing in the den. i didn't realize it then, but i was probably setting the tone for music in his life.

looking back, it's quite strange how i even came to realize the effect of this song. but when coleman was about six months old, he and i were in the car and he was not happy. i was trying everything i could think to soothe him from the driver's seat, which is pretty difficult, as most moms know. for some reason i thought to put on some music and i honestly don't remember if the song choice was random or purposeful. as kellie pickler's voice filled the car, singing her hit the best days of your life, my tempermental infant went silent. a sigh of relief and i didn't think much of it.

a short while later (i don't remember exactly how long), coleman and i were in the car with my two sisters (leaving a cross country race and headed to ikea...as if you care). he was, once again, not too happy. i said "hmmm, not sure if this will work, but let's try it" and i put on kellie's song...sure enough....silence in the back seat.

once was lucky. twice was coincidence. but then it happened again, and again, and again. no matter where we were, no matter how upset...that one song always worked. i downloaded it on my iPhone, and Matt on his iPod. then Matt was really smart and DVR'd the video on CMT (see photo above). over a year later, we still have that video DVR'd. and yes, it still works. i have no explanation, but i know it was a very popular song during my maternity leave and it was one to which we often danced around the den. maybe he remembered? maybe it was a comfort because of that history? and it's not just kellie's voice. i can even sing the song and have the same outcome (and trust me...i am NO kellie pickler).

over time, he has grown to enjoy a lot of music and there are other songs that have *captured* him. but when push comes to shove, if we truly need some help in settling him down...it's kellie to the rescue! i'm still baffled by the power of this song on him and always wonder how long it will last. when he's 18, will he remember this song or will he just laugh at our silly story?

so, in honor of kellie and all the comfort she's provided coleman (and our famly)...

this week {10.4 to 10.10}

~ matt, spencer and i did lots of trivia ~

coleman's art:

~ i woke up tuesday with a killer migraine and had to call in sick to work ~

~ finished (my last) HOA newsletter ~

~ worked on stuff for (my last) HOA annual meeting ~

~ started putting up fall decorations ~

~ talked to sister-in-law about plans for anniversary party ~

~ typed minutes from HOA board meeting ~

~ watched letters to juliet ~

~ got a free upgrade from *grande* to *venti* at starbucks ~

~ ordered two free 5x7 photos from rite aid ~

~ ordered mini photo book from walgreen's as a gift ~

~ ordered 75 (free) 4x6 prints from snapfish ~

~ shopped at rite aid and actually made money ~

~ the four of us went to belk. matt bought a shirt. ~

~ the four of us ate dinner at a new asian place called amber ~

~ i grocery shopped at harris teeter and bi-lo ~

~ i ran to wal-mart for a couple of things...including a new fry daddy ~

~ we had a few friends over to watch the football game ~

~ the gamecocks beat #1 ranked alabama!!!!!!!! ~

~ we all went to my in-laws' house for sunday lunch ~

~ i hung out at tara & warren's (neighbors) for a short bit ~

{savings tracker}

spent = $131; saved $124 (49%)

ytd savings = $3,855 (42%)

four week avg spend = $125; ytd average spend = $134

{planning to plan}

today, i seem to be in a mood that is lending itself to both planning and being reflective. over the last few weeks things have been different, and changing. change can be good, change can be bad. but ultimately, life is what you make of it and when things change, you must adjust. i'm at the point where i need to shift, once again finding my balance. with an anal quirky personality like mine, you can only function out of balance for so long before you fall off your rocker completely. today, i've decided that it's time to realign. with that, comes the need to plan for some planning (yes, you know you are truly type-a when you have to plan to plan).

if you read the chronicles regularly, you know i was pretty obsessed with the maximize your mornings concept introduced at inspired to action. i still am, but i've fallen off the bandwagon a bit lately due to the changes i mentioned...partially the changes in my work schedule, definitely due to my toddler who has decided to rise at the butt-crack-of-dawn, partially due to spending as much time as possible wrapping up HOA details so that i can let go. i've been able to stick with my daily Bible reading (usually with aforementioned toddler *helping* me). but i haven't really been using my weekly planning sheet and the other parts of my morning routine have fallen off. when i don't do these things, i can tell. i can really tell.

planning to plan:

weekly planning

begin using my weekly planning sheet again. the meal planning and blog schedule really take the pressure off and i've missed them.

daily planning

spend a few minutes in my morning "quiet time" to think about the day even if coleman is already awake. it's still totally feasible. i need to work on going with the flow, instead of caving when my "quiet time" is interrupted.

party planning

lay out a detail plan of execution for the anniversary party (oct 28) and make additional progress on the invitations. continue brainstorming ideas for coleman's party (in february...yes, you read that correctly), and a possible un-birthday party for spencer in the spring.

blog planning

i've done a good job of documenting blog ideas in evernote but i need to increase the level of execution on some of the stronger ideas. one of the things that has suffered in this few week period is this blog. though i've still posted somewhat regularly, the quality of content has been less than i'd prefer. for those of you that are hanging in there with me, it's greatly appreciated. it'll get better. soon. i promise.

holiday planning

we are in the holiday season. in my mind it all starts now with pumpkin patches and carvings, trick or treating and fall hikes...gradually leading us into the thanksgiving season and then the craziness of christmas! i just read a christmas planning e-book that emphasizes planning out your entire holiday season (starting now) and that's what i plan to do (seriously, as if my arm had to be twisted to spend time with a calendar and some lists). this includes thinking about december daily.

• quick digression: as part of the "reflective" mood i mentioned...for the past month or so, i've been sad that summer is gone. by this i mean, school started again and our extra time with spencer is over. i had a list of wonderful, fun ideas for our family to do this summer. we didn't do them. seriously, none. it makes me sad. so, this holiday season, i am committing to making the most of it with my three favorite boys. i'm not talking about over-scheduling a season of craziness...i just mean making the most of everything the season stands for - faith, family and making memories. planning will make this much more feasible...i think this is where i fell short this summer. and summer 2011...watch out! i'm coming full force next year!!!

planning to write

i'm not sure what happened but for a while i was able to journal daily in my "quiet time". but i have been struggling to fit that in now. i haven't written in a while. and my blog posts haven't been of the quality i'd like either. i want to change both of those things, plus i have a guest post to write for publication at marta writes in november! exciting!


so, that's my plan to plan. interestingly, we have a very busy weekend ahead and i don't know how much time/energy i will actually have to accomplish any of this...but i'm hoping to stay inspired and motivated. knowing a plan is in my future is my *light at the end of the tunnel*.

{random ramblings}

i began this post on monday, when i just felt like rambling. but then i forgot to post it. and yesterday i felt like nothing. so...here is the post, which i've edited somewhat so that it makes sense :)

• glee came on last night. i almost forgot (gasp!!!). enjoyed this song preview, which i've never seen for an episode before! thoroughly enjoyed the britney/brittany episode last week. haven't downloaded the music from it yet, though.
• this past weekend i got a taste of having to squeeze in grocery shopping, errands and laundry into the weekend, rather than into my work week. it went fine because we had no plans. on a busy weekend...could be a problem. definite adjusting to the "real world" ahead. (yeah, i know...cry me a river, right???).
• coleman has been waking up at ridiculously early hours lately. monday was 4:45...the second time in less than a week. crossing my fingers that my sister doesn't read this because she has agreed to keep coleman overnight and might change her mind!
• i'm wore my brown cowboy-ish boots monday. brown ankle boots today. i love that it's cool enough to do this. not ready for winter, but glad fall has arrived.
• we need to decide when we are going to hit the pumpkin patches...this coming weekend or the following. right now, we are thinking saturday morning...supposed to be a nice weekend (weather wise).
• i'm still totally obsessed with these two zac brown band duets.
• i'm also totally obsessed with gray right now. my favorite ankle boots are gray. one of my favorite fall shirts is gray & black. our new comforter is gray & black (so is spencer's new one too, but it looks totally different than ours). spencer is considering having his room painted gray. when i get around to my "blog makeover", i want gray to be incorporated. the fabric i chose for my apron is gray.
• speaking of spencer's room, i need to take some photos of the "makeover"
• and we need to sell his old furniture. craigslist, maybe?
• the gamecocks play alabama this weekend. i'm scared. we are ranked 19. they are #1. undefeated. college gameday will be there. i hope we aren't embarrassed. they slaughtered florida this past saturday.
• jesse mccartney has a new song. i'm not sure if i like it yet. i've only heard it once and it annoys me that there is a telephone ringing in the background that sounds like my iphone ring.
• i've really enjoyed "window shopping" at etsy lately. i've been looking for party ideas and art for our bedroom, random things for the laundry room...just whatever!
• i actually liked my hair on monday. that never happens...even liked it all day which never happens.
• i woke up yesterday with a killer migraine and had to call in sick to work. it was a long day. ugh!
• i'm sick and tired of HOA stuff and so ready for my obligations to be over and done!
• spencer has turned into a girl-crazy, texting maniac. wow.
• time out is now a regular occurence in our home. i think it works. sort of.
• i'm enjoying having the fall shows back on tv. i watched 2 dvr'd episodes of criminal minds last night.

sorry for the wordy, non-visual post.

music monday {the boys of fall}

we are in the heart of football season. in the south, football is often compared to religion (jokingly, of course - because even though the south loves its football, it loves Jesus more). most household saturdays are devoted to the boys of fall from september through november. and that's right...i said saturday. not sunday. in the south, we like our college football. and in much of the south, we like our high school football. it's huge. seriously. huge. do you know who justin worley is? nope, you don't. but if you lived in my city, you would. and he's only a high school quarterback. but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone here that doesn't know the name, or that he's verbally committed to tennessee. because his 'deddy' went to tennessee. and if you said, on a saturday, "did you see what doodoo did last night?"...chances are, you'll get an answer and not some strange look as to why you might be talking about feces. and then you'll talk about how you hope doodoo goes to south carolina even though alabama's defensive coordinator was at the south pointe game a few weeks ago.

now, i will get to the point. i don't like kenny chesney. i don't even really care that much for this song. but i love the *concept* of this song. obviously, being a girl and all (not to mention, the least athletic person i know), i can't relate to actually being a football player. but, the essence of the sport and it's importance down south is captured wonderfully in the lyrics of this song...
warning: it's a long video (8 minutes+), but it's worth it if you haven't seen the full version yet. if you don't care to watch the video, i've included the lyrics at the end of this post. i got chills just reading them. but the video is so much more than just the song so watch it :)



on a related note: coleman already *gets* the importance of football. when a game is on tv, he immediately starts clapping (sometimes for the wrong team...we're working on the details). he even makes appropriate sound effects of "ooooowww" and "ooooh" and grunts when players get hit, etc.

lyrics

When I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass
I'm back in my helmet, cleats and shoulder pads
Standing in the huddle listening to the call
Fans going crazy for the boys of fall
They didn't let just anybody in that club
Took every ounce of heart and sweat and blood
To get to wear those game day jerseys down the hall
Kings of the school man, we're the boys of fall

(Chorus:)
Well it's turn and face the Stars and Stripes
It's fighting back them butterflies
It's call it in the air, alright yes sir we want the ball
And it's knocking heads and talking trash
It's slinging mud and dirt and grass
It's I got your number, I got your back when your back's against the wall
You mess with one man you got us all
The boys of fall

In little towns like mine that's all they got
Newspaper clippings fill the coffee shops
The old men will always think they know it all
Young girls will dream about the boys of fall
lyrics from elyricsworld

photos {coleman's fall portraits}

this past week, coleman was supposed to have some fall portraits taken at daycare. aj had gone "above and beyond" to set up a photographer to come and do all of the children right there at her home. i was excited to have new professional pictures of him! unfortunately, the photographer cancelled. but, as is normal for aj, she was bound and determined to find a way to make it up to us, the disappointed parents. so, she had someone help her take the kids pictures with cute fall decor. it really was not necessary, but much appreciated. i spent some time in PSE7 and was able to jazz up a few of my favorites. as you can tell, i used totally different effects on each one. some were done with actions, while others i just fiddled with (some were a combination of both). i believe all of the actions i used were freebies from coffeeshop.

i also realized that i never did a *19 month old post* about coleman. he turned 19 months just four days before these photos were taken, so i figured i'd just add the tidbits here...

~ he is doing lots of head nodding and head shaking. he doesn't really *say* "yes" and "no" ~

~ he likes to throw things. maybe a little too much. ~

~ he figured out how to open the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs ~

~ he's obsessed with the toilet...flushing it and putting toilet paper in it ~

~ you can tell him to throw something away and he will do it ~

~ he likes to help clean his high chair tray after eating ~

~ he thinks one of the progressive insurance commercials is hilarious ~

~ he can occupy himself for a long while with a baby wipe or two ~

~ we added a 1/2 teaspoon of benadryl to his daily regime (at night) ~

~ he was put into time-out at daycare for the first time ~

~ he used the potty at daycare for the first time (a fluke, not the start of potty training!) ~

~ he nods his head to music he likes ~

party planning {anniversary}

four weeks from now, matt & i will be hosting a party at our home (in conjunction with matt's brother & his wife) to celebrate my in-law's 60th wedding anniversary. 60 years! isn't that crazy?? anyway, i have officially started the planning and thought i'd share some of what i've accomplished this weekend. (his parents don't even own a computer so i'm not worried about spoiling any surprises).

since my home will already be decorated for fall, i am using an autumn-inspired color scheme of golden yellow, burgundy, green and brown. i began with a digital template i had downloaded a while ago. i will probably put this in a frame on display somewhere.

from there, i created the invitation using a variety of embellishments and word art (that i already had). in creating these things, i'm trying to keep his mother's style in mind, as opposed to what i would choose for me.
i think the invitation might be *too busy* and i may tweak it.

with each invitation, i plan to include a decorative 4x6 card, asking folks to write a memory, story, etc. and bring it to the party. i will have extra blank ones there for those that forget. after the party, i will pair these with photos and created a keepsake album for them.

everything was created in photoshop elements 7.0. all elements and papers were freebies that i've collected online and i'm not sure of the designers' names. i take no credit for the design of the papers or embellishments.

this week {9.27 to 10.3}

~ we came up with a new plan at work ~

~ i worked on putting together some prep material for my HOA board replacement ~

~ i watched the final episode of prison break ~

i have now watched all 4 seasons (through netflix streaming). it was definitely a great series and i'm kind of sad it's over.

~ i spent some time in my scrapbook room, mainly tidying things up but also added a bit to coleman's one year album ~

~ coleman "read" to everyone at daycare ~

~ my sister finalized the gift exchange list for my family ~

 ~ coleman had some "portraits" taken at daycare ~

they were supposed to be done by a professional photographer, but he cancelled.

~ scott came over to hang out on his birthday ~

~ i ordered a free 8x10 collage from walgreen's ~

~ i unsubscribed from five blogs ~

~ i printed the syllabus for momiversity at inspired to action ~

~ brainstormed ideas for our neighborhood halloween event ~

~ i chose a new theme for coleman's 2nd birthday party ~

~ matt, coleman and i had supper at the white horse ~

~ i attended an HOA board meeting ~

~ i bought a car charger and skin for my blackberry ~

~ i shopped at rite aid and walgreen's ~

~ scott came over to hang out (again) ~

~ coleman and i played in the yard ~

~ scott came over (again) yes, that's three times in one week ~

~ i had coffee at tara's while coleman and colton played together ~

~ i began working on the october HOA newsletter ~

~ tara and her mother-in-law came by the house for a visit ~

~ i updated the HOA facebook page ~

~ i designed the invitation and other items for my in-laws' anniversary party ~

~ i spent some time editing photos of coleman ~

~ coleman and i went to target, omega sports and books-a-million ~

we strolled from one store to the next in the shopping center, instead of driving.

it was a gorgeous day.

{savings tracker}

spent = $230; saved = $237 (51%)

ytd savings = $3,731 (42%)

4wk avg = $168; ytd avg = $134

obviously, i got caught up on some shopping this week!
considering that we were out of a lot of groceries, and my husband made two small (coupon-less) purchases, i think the week turned out pretty darned good.

desktop wallpaper {october}

a new month...a new desktop wallpaper. i don't know why, but choosing a fresh one every month brings me great joy :) here is what i choice tonight. you can find lots of free ones here at smashing magazine. you may remember that i talked about this website in a previous post.

why this one?
i love the bold green on the dark brown background. i love the font. i love the shadow. i love the quote. i love that it's fall-like without being obvious. i love that it's totally different than last month's. i love that the weekends are replaced with the word "relax". happy october.

{this moment}

{this moment} from soulemama


"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."