Weekend Review.....

Wow!

What an ending to the

Auburn vs Mississippi State game last night.

I can't say what a game, because,

most of the game, my Tigers looked terribly flat. 

The ending, though, was unbelievable!  

For those of you that didn't watch,
Mississippi State was leading with only 10 seconds left
when we scored the winning touchdown to finish the game. 

Needless to say, the stadium went CRAZY!

And so did I!

I could hardly talk after the game from yelling so much. 

It was great day for Auburn
football, and it was a great day for tailgating. 

The weather was perfect, and

 had just a slight feel of Fall in the air. 

The company was good and there was lots of yummy food. 
 

Who can go wrong with ribs and cookies? 
 

A fellow tailgater made theses delicious ribs for us.
 

I will find his business card
and give him proper credit on a future
 post, but let me assure you, they were d-lish!

I must confess, this girl cracked me up. 

 

I'm not sure what game she
was playing, but I can tell you for sure
 she wasn't interested in the game on the field. 

AT. ALL. 

To each his/her own, I suppose. 

One last picture from Auburn. 

The orange and blue sunset was quite fitting. 

Next week, the Tigers travel to Baton Rouge

 to play the Tigers of LSU, and I am looking forward
to spending a whole weekend at home watching football. 

Today, we spent the day on the water. 

Ruby loves riding the boat and now she has decided

she likes the water a little more and more every time we go.

We love her spoiled rotten self! 

Can you tell?

She played and swam and swam

and played until she was pooped.

I had to leash her on the ride back,

because she kept wanting to jump in the water. 

We wanted a river dog and we definitely got it, I guess. 

This afternoon I was able to relax on

the dock, cuddle up with a blanket and take a nap. 

It was w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l! 

Waking up to this amazing sunset was even better.

I hope you all have a great week, Blog Friends! 

Love you MUCH!

=], 

Gracie 

It's finally Friday! 

Friday means the weekend is fast approaching. 

The weekend means family, friends, food, and football. 

Football means tailgating, watching the

eagle soar around Jordan-Hare Stadium, singing

The Star Spangled Banner with 80,000 other people,

and, of course, 60 minutes of what I hope ends in a WIN! 

We'll be getting up bright and early to head to Auburn

to watch my Tigers play the Mississippi State Bulldogs.   

I love Auburn and I love Auburn football. 

I also love sunsets, clouds and, really, the sky, in general. 

In fact, I admit, I am quite obsessed with D.) All the above. 

It amazes me how beautiful God's handiwork is. 

I am literally in awe that He can paint

a masterpiece in the sky with the brush of

His Hand and can simply speak creation into existence. 

Here's tonight's sunset.....

It was too pretty not to share. 

My Daddy's check-up went well this week. 

Thankfully, his counts are good and holding steady. 

He feels great. 

He is playing golf 2-3 times (or more) a week,

and is just enjoying life, which is what I want him to do. 

He'll continue to see Dr. Erba monthly for check-ups. 

We'll take that over chemo any day. 

I hope you have a great weekend, Blog Friends!

I hope your team wins. 

Well, that is, unless you're a Mississippi State fan.

 

Or a Bama fan.

In that case.....

 

Love you MUCH!

=],
 

D-Lish.....

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with myself

for actually cooking something I pinned on Pinterest. 

I have a gazillion bunch of recipes 

on my Board, but I had never fixed any of them. 

Kinda like all the DIY projects I've yet to complete. 

I  feel like I should insert a disclaimer here that says

I can cook, I just don't do it often, as I'm usually working late. 

In any event, both of the recipes I tried

turned out great and were SUPER easy! 

The first was Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti.

 

 

 One word..... 

D-Lish!

You can find the recipe here at Reasons To Skip The Housework. 

My kids LOVED it! 

Needless to say, even though this recipe made a ton, it didn't last long. 

I also made this little gem.

 

 

O-M-Gosh!!! 

There are NO words to describe how heavenly this cake is,

especially, if you are a peanut butter/chocolate lover like me. 

You can find the recipe here at Something Swanky. 

Just so you know, I did let my cake chill overnight. 

I HIGHLY recommend this with a cold glass of milk. 

Both of these Blogs have some really good stuff on them. 

I look forward to trying something else one day soon.

My Daddy has an appointment with Dr. Erba tomorrow morning. 

This is his scheduled monthly check-up. 

For those of you who may not know, my Daddy was

diagnosed with AML, a form of Leukemia, in January. 

He is participating in a Drug Study at UAB and now,

after 3 rounds of chemo, is in remission and doing great. 

Some days, it seems like we were given his diagnosis

just yesterday, while other times it seems like it was ages ago. 

One thing is for sure, I am thankful he is doing well. 

Love you MUCH!

 

=],

Weekend In Review.....

Great day spent in Auburn yesterday with the kids. 

My beloved Tigers are off to a 2-0 start after such a terrible season last year. 

Here's a look at our day in pictures.....

 

 

We start SEC play next Saturday when we host Mississippi State.  

Looking forward to another great Saturday at Jordan-Hare. 

Today has been spent on the water. 

Haley was on her stand-up jetski and Kylee and Hayden were on Big Mabel.....

Fun times!  

Now, a Sunday afternoon nap to get ready for next week. 

Love you MUCH, Blog Friends! 

=],

Gracie 

New Addition.....

Meet Ruby.....

The newest addition to the Family. 

Ruby is an 11 week old lab/husky mix and already weighs 20lbs.

I must tell you, I have never been an animal person, but I LOVE her. 

She is so smart and can already sit, shake, and lay down. 

We are still working on the fetching part. 

She will gladly go get whatever you decide to throw, but likes to keep it and not give it back. 

Although she is an outside dog, we like to bring her inside the house a good bit, and she is completely potty trained. 

She also LOVES to ride in the car with the girls.....

And we're hoping to make a river dog out of her.....

 

Hope your Tuesday is fabulous, Blog Friends. 

Love you MUCH! 

=],

Gracie 

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day!

Labor Day has been completely labor-free at my house today. 

In fact, I've done absolutely nothing. 

The day started at the river, but since it was raining I went home. 

I have migrated back to the river this afternoon and it is PERFECT. 

Not too hot, light breeze blowing, music playing. 

Perfect. 

Somebody asked earlier how to start a blog. 

In no way do i think I am an expert in Blogging. 

I'm don't and I'm not. 

But, it has made me remember the reason I love blogging and why I started in the first place. 

It was therapy for me. 

It still is, but I have let life get in the way of blogging as often as I should. 

I hope to change that. 

Starting today. 

In the next few days I will try to bring you up to speed in the happenings of Gracie. 

You know how exciting my life is, right?

Lol. 

For now, I will just share this gorgeous picture I took on the river yesterday. 

I am posting from my iPod so I hope it does it justice. 

'Til next time, Blog Friends. 

Love you MUCH!

=],

Gracie 

 

For days and daaaaaaaaays.....

It has done nothing here but rain.

For days and daaaaaaaaays!

It may have stopped the boating, the jet skiing, and the swimming, but it hasn't stopped the spending time with friends and family, lots and lots of good food, and endless laughter. 

We've had plenty of all of the above.  

There is never a dull moment when us Cousins are together, but when you throw the rest of our family and our Mothers into the mix, it REALLY gets crazy. 

A circus, of sort, but we wouldn't have it any other way. 

Our 4th of July spread.....

             

There's one thing about it, we eat good. 

Maybe a little too good. 

=)

I am ready for some of this though.....

             

             

Blue skies and sunshine. 

I actually think I am beginning to have withdrawals. 

My Daddy is doing well. 

This picture was taken a couple weeks ago prior to his last bone marrow biopsy. 

We go back to Dr. Erba on the 10th of July and will get results. 

We will also talk about future treatment options at that time. 

Hopefully, I can keep you updated a little more consistently. 

At least, I will try to. 

I hope you and yours had a happy 4th! 

Looks like we will be wearing rain boots instead of flip flops for a few more days. 

Love you MUCH,

Gracie

Happy Mother's Day.....

I do realize, even though Mother's Day brings me joy, it is a painful reminder to some of what can't be, what was, or what is missing from their lives. 

I remember, all too well, all the Mother's Days I spent trying, without success, to get pregnant.

It hurt. 

Deeply. 

I am blessed to still have my Mom. 

She is the strongest woman I know. 

I can honestly say, there has 

never been a time she didn't put me first. 

If I couldn't go somewhere, she 

suddenly didn't want to go anymore. 

If there was only one piece of pie, 

magically, she wasn't hungry anymore.

Funny how that works, isn't it?

Through her example, I learned 

what being a Mom was all about. 

I now understand the sleepless nights, 

pacing the floors, and worrying over, 

what seemed to me at the time, nothing. 

I understand the relief hearing the car pull in the driveway brings. 

I understand loving another person 

more than you love yourself, and being 

willing to take on the devil himself for them. 

I understand how your heart can 

literally beat inside another's chest.

I understand unconditional love, and love beyond measure.

I understand love so deep you 

would be willing to lay down your own life. 

I understand praying to take pain and 

sickness away, and being willing to take it yourself. 

I love you, Mom. 

There aren't enough words in the 

English language to describe what you mean to me. 

I know now there were hard days 

and hard times, yet, you never let me know it. 

You taught me so many things 

about life and about being a woman. 

Not only did you teach me there were real life Princesses, you taught me it was ok to be one myself. 

You taught me I could do anything I put my mind to. 

You taught me I could be anything I wanted to be and what I always wanted to be was you. 

You taught me to love passionately and forgive freely, though, I'm still working on the forgiving freely part. 

You taught me the importance of Family. 

You taught me to hug, and not be afraid of human touch. 

You taught me to say, "I love you" 

and just how important those words really are.

You taught me the value of hard work, and a good name. 

You taught me to be a Leader and not a follower. 

You taught me plain talk is easily understood. 

You taught me to speak my mind and that my opinion is valuable. 

You taught me responsibility and accountability.

You taught me how important it is to keep your word. 

You taught me to laugh and enjoy life. 

You taught me it was ok to cry. 

You taught me to adapt to change. 

You taught me to take chances. 

You taught me it was ok to fail. 

You taught me it felt great to win.

You taught me how to lose with grace and dignity. 

You taught me beauty is on the inside. 

You taught me to be nice to others. 

You taught me to give of myself.

You taught me to stand up for what 

I believe in, even if it means standing alone. 

Above all, you taught me about Jesus and His Love. 

You taught me He has a plan for my life.

You taught me His timing is perfect. 

You taught me to pray and read my Bible. 

You taught me to carry my kids to church, never send them. 

You taught me to take notes in Church. 

You taught me to sing. 

You taught me to never be ashamed of 

Christ and the work He has done in my life. 

You have taught me all this and more. 

I'm proud to call you Mom. 

I hope I can be half the Mom to my girls, you have been to me. 

I love you MUCH, Always & Forever!

=],