This is the official Stringfellow family game!
Mana won!

Lazy Saturday

We woke up late and laid around the house all day. It is nice to do that again since we have not been able to since school started. I am not feeling so well today. My sinuses have been acting up a lot lately and now they are making my ears feel bad and my eyes water. I hope this clears up soon. I had a mix up at work this week and I let that affect my mood for part of the day also. I got really upset emotionally. I really do not like it when my mistakes effect other people. It really gets to me. I hate it for that person. I hope I got all that straighten out. Sinuses and mistakes...not a good combo for me!


Picture of the day...
"Corby"
This bird has slept in our porch corner every year for the past 4 or 5 years. My daughter and I decided it was time to name it. She named it "Corby"!

Just a picture of the day...
"Strawberries with Chocolate"

Yum! I eat food that is good for me, just with food that is not!

Done :)

My sweet daughter prays for me every night to do well on the Builder. (Even when it is not Builder time) I would have to say I truly am touched by it. Ever since she started praying for me, the Builder has been easier to work on! She is very persistent in her prayers. She will pray for the same thing every single night with great meaning. She has prayed for this little boy in her class since last year. (He was in and out of the hospital a lot.) She always prays that he is well. How wonderful is that. Even after the initial need is over to still keep this boy in her prayers. How often do we cease to pray for an individual or situation when the immediate concern is over or when the prayer is not answered yet? It sort of gets pushed to the out box, forgotten. I admire my daughter for being persistent. So often I catch myself forgetting to include past situations that still need prayer! I thank God for showing me, through my sweet little one, I need to be more persistent with some certain situations and individuals that still need prayer! I have pushed them to the side and that makes me sad!

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Luke 11:9 - 13



Picture of the day....
"Violin"


The Builder is done! :)
On to other fun projects!

...Priceless

I love the rain! You know the kind of rain when it just sprinkles. Just enough to get things wet. No thundering! No lightening! Just a good soaking! Does it seem that we get less of those kind of rains now or am I just caught up in the day to day schedule of adult responsibilities now? I have enjoyed the rain the last couple of days because of that! When I was little, my friend Kristi and I would go jump in the big puddle in my driveway! Boy, was that fun! We would walk to the convenience store on the outskirts of our neighborhood to get a snack and one day it came a down pour on the way back! We took our time coming home that day and enjoyed the rain. In college, if it rained on my way back from classes, I would not put up my umbrella! People would just stare. I didn't care, I was enjoying something most people thought of as inconvenient. I do have to admit I think the same some times! I love to see the pure joy on a child's face that is playing in the rain. When Mana was smaller, we had a huge, muddy puddle in our driveway from washing the car. She had the best time jumping up and down in that puddle. I wish I had a picture. She slipped and landed right on her backside. She was covered. The look on her face, a huge smile.

She didn't care.....priceless!

Pictures of the day...
"After the Rain"

Work, Work, Oh, Excuses, Excuses!

This post is for Monday! As you can tell it is Builder time! This is the time that all my unorganized traits show greatly! I always procrastinate on getting started with the Builder. I do not know why. I really actually enjoy doing it when I finally get around to sitting down and working on it! So around this time if I get behind on my daily postings, it is because it is Builder time!


We are officially NOT puppy sitting now! I enjoyed having Princess around, but I am glad she could go home. I am so glad to be able to walk into my kitchen and not have to look where I am stepping! She is really cute, well behaved and fun to play with. Best dog I have ever been around! Mana wants a dog more then ever, of course. Puppy sitting just made my answer even a stronger NO! All I need is one more thing to take care of. Just four days of puppy sitting threw me for a loop! I told her we can puppy sit again when our friends go out of town, but that will be the closest she will get to have a dog for a very long time!

For Sunday

Yes, it is officially Monday and I am posting for Sunday. This is how unorganized my life can get. Oh well! Sunday was good. Brother Steve gave a wonderful message in which I got a lot out off as usual. It was about the church. I have several family members in other denominations and I myself was part of another denomination before I became a member of my church. So this sermon really touched a part of me. I was saved while I was attending a Church of God denominational church. I really felt at home there. My husband, not so much. (He acted like he was fine with everything) A few of my family members where not to accepting of the whole "pentecostal" thing. They thought it was strange and had no problem telling me that. My sister-in-law attends a church in the Church of Christ denomination. We have had a discussion about all this before. She believes she is saved by the same way I am! There are a lot of differences in our denominations, but the most important part is the same!


Pictures of the day..."Research"
and Princess liked playing in Mana's hair.

Just a day

Well, it is late. Officially it is Sunday, but I'm still up. I do not sleep well when the weather may go bad. It doesn't seem like it is going to get bad so I am going to go to bed right after this. All I can say is that it has been a long day. No complaining here. Worked on the Builder a while, played with Mana and the puppy, talked to Brian. Overall a good day. Not much more to say. I'll post a picture tomorrow. (today)

Praying for several friends & family down Florida way. Keep them in your prayers also please.
One was at her sister's wedding!?

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

The Two Princesses

This morning I met my friend Christy at the Chick-fila. I haven't seen her in about two months. It was nice to sit and talk to her awhile. Afterwards, I went to Wolfe Camera to see about my camera flash. The salesman tried to take some pictures with it and immediately went to the back to get me a new one! I was very glad I didn't have to wait to have it sent off to get fixed or something! The fix was quick and easy! NEW, can't get any better then that!

Heidi's puppy, Princess, is the best dog I have ever seen! (except for the misses, which Mana is still doing great at being responsible!) She NEVER barks! I do not even think she knows how to bark. She has whimpered a little. She is extremely calm for a chihuahua. We did not crop tonight. I was out of the house most of the day and did not want to leave the puppy for that long and Angie needed to go back to work. Mana played with the puppy since she got home until now, when she is about to go to bed. I took Mana to Wal-Mart after school to pick out some toys for the puppy to play with. She had fun picking them out!

Happy Birthday Misty!



Picture of the day...
"The Two Princesses"

Princess

We are officially puppy sitting! It took awhile for Mana to warm up to the puppy. Now she is doing ok with her. I made Mana clean up a mess she made! She told her dad she did and then started laughing and saying how gross it was! She is still very excited we are keeping her until Monday. I wonder how long that will last if the puppy keeps missing her bathroom pad! LOL!

I have to take my D60 back to the store! :( It is not registering that it has opened the flash and it will not go off. I am really disappointed, but they said they would fix it or replace it. So I will be running by Wolfe Camera tomorrow! Hopefully they will have my Nikon bag in and an English version of the manual! (they only gave me the Spanish one)

This is Princess!

Innocents

Don't you just love to see children sleeping? They look so innocent. No matter what they have or haven't done that day, it is all erased at that moment you look at them. She doesn't even look like the same child. When she is sleeping it reminds me of when she was a baby. You can still see that softness in her face! It makes me think "God, thank you for trusting ME with someone so precious!"

We are going to be puppy sitting from Thursday to Monday. Mana is extremely excited! That means it is time to clean the house really well. (No more excuses) Dogs can find things in your house you forgot you left in that corner! So I need to get back to that now!

Just a note...I actually saw Fake Toe Nail Kits in Wal-Mart today! LOL!


Picture of the day...
"Light Ball"

Fake Toe Nails

Today was Sherry & my day to get our pedicures. She brought me breakfast and came over to the house since the nail place doesn't open until 9 am. We usually only get a pedicure, but today we decided to get on a full set of acrylics. I do not do this very often, and they usually do not stay on long because they bother me. Well, this set will be off sooner then the others. They look completely fake (Even from a distance!) and they are already pulling! (And that hurts!) Sherry said I should have said something to her about them. I do not like to do that because I can't understand what they are saying. I was quiet and left with them looking like I decided to do my own nails. They are thick and not straight. You can even see the ridge on one of them. I need to remember that I do not need to get acrylic nails on anymore! They just look so nice if done correctly! Mana was so funny. She asked "Do you have fake toe nails too?"

Pictures of the day.... "Fake Nails" & "Butterfly Flowers"
Shot with my new Nikon!

Thankful for Great Friends!

I am very thankful for the friends God has put in my life! They really do have to be extra ordinary to put up with my quirkiness! I locked myself out of my house this morning. I took my door key off the ring so Mana could go back inside the house for something (yesterday) and not have to turn the car off. (I wanted it to stay cool since I have been having trouble with the air conditioning) I put the key in another small purse I was holding so I wouldn't loss it. I forgot to put it back on the ring! This morning I walked right out of the house without the key! Here I am trying to unlock my front door with a credit card! I called my friend Sherry to see if she could help. She came over and we did eventually get in, just not through THAT door. I DID have the key to the side door, the one I NEVER use! (After trying the front door and windows for about 20 minutes) :) LOL!


The Women's Ministry Painting Event was tonight. We had 6 women come and paint! We always have a great time! My picture(S) of the day are from the painting event.

A relaxing day!

This morning we woke up and went to church. Brother Steve preached a wonderful sermon that I personally got a lot out of!

Angie, her daughter, Mana and I went to McDonald's for lunch and then to the gardens to take pictures of our little girlies! They are growing up so fast. They both wore white dresses to church so we thought it would be pretty to get their pictures together. It was a nice sunny day with a slight breeze blowing, so it wasn't too hot. Mana squealed about the bugs quite a few times and Lauryn would tell her "If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone." I've been telling her that for years (not that I believe that to be true!). It seemed to help a little coming from her friend instead of mom. I think we got some good shots!

After the gardens, we went to Wolfe Camera. I have been eyeing the Nikon D60 ever since my sister-in-law bought one a couple of months ago. She has been very happy with hers, so since Wolfe was having a GOOD sale on it with the two VR lenses I had a hard time passing it up. I've been debating which camera I wanted for awhile. I figure since I only scrapbook and take pictures just for fun and not for a career I might as well get the smaller priced model. (Angie really had to talk me into it after I talked myself out of it three times in the store - the palms where sweating) I hate big purchases! I have expensive taste on a small budget! I still WANT the Canon EOS 5D, and depending on the price the lady is asking for it, I may still get it! My prayer is that I like this one so much that I do not care if I get the other one or not. (I MUST be responsible with the money, is what I need to keep telling myself!!)

So I bought the camera and off to Barnes & Nobles we go to let the kids look at the books! They both love to read! And it gave Angie and I some mommy time to talk! It was a nice and relaxing afternoon. (Except the camera purchasing time, of course!)

Party Time!

Angie and I did not crop last night. Instead, we talked and looked at children's portrait photography on the internet the whole time she was here. I am getting a little obsessed (understatement, just ask Sherry! LOL!) with trying to figure out what kind of new camera I would like to buy. I am hoping I can get a used camera from one of Sherry's friends at a good price. She is selling three of her older cameras and they are the camera body I would like. I hope it all works out!

Today we went to my niece's 4 year old birthday party. The kids had a lot of fun and it seemed the adults did too. August and September are filled with most of my family birthdays! Very busy months! Up next is my my sister-in-law's birthday, sister's birthday, cousin's birthday (that was just August), nephew's birthday, my birthday, niece's birthday, Brian's Grandmother's birthday AND my Grandmother's birthday(September)!

Here are my pictures of the day... Balloons from the party, and a cool looking flower that is from my sister-in-law's anniversary flowers!

Uneventful days are good!

Today was uneventful. I brought my friend Sherry breakfast because she got stuck at home working and we usually go out for breakfast on Friday mornings during the school year. After she got some of her work done we went to get a pedicure but there were a lot of people, so we went shopping. Mana said she was "back in school mode" and that she had a great day! Always nice to hear! Most Friday nights, my friend Angie and her daughter Lauryn come over. We scrapbook and the kids play. We always stay up til way past midnight. The latest has been 2:30 am when they have left the house. We decided we needed to set an alarm to go off around midnight after that time. Boy were we tired! I am really looking forward to cropping tonight!

Here is my picture of the day! The ONE rose I have in my flowerbed of weeds!

The first day back BLUES...

Well, she is off at school and the short drive home seemed lonely! I am so used to having her around and always talking and singing. I'm sure that later on this day I will start to appreciate the peace and quiet. She had to take her school supplies in today. She had her backpack full plus two Wal-Mart bags also full. She drug everything in this morning with her usual dramatic interpretation. I am sure everyone down the hall knew she thought she had a LOT to carry just by her actions! LOL!
Happy Birthday to my niece today! She is 4!
Happy Birthday to my nephew! He was 9 on the 10th!
And the house is much cooler now! :)

A picture a day!

I have seen on different sites, people learning photography and posting a picture a day. I have a wonderful friend that has let me borrow her camera for awhile so I can relearn all the things I have forgotten in photography class over 10 years ago. So I decided to give it a try. Here is a picture from yesterday when Mana and I were watching some birds on our porch and one from today of our wreath.

Still HOT!

Well, Brian's friend came and it turns out that the thunderstorm the other night caused the breaker to flip and there was a lot of ants living in the air conditioner unit. You would think by now that I would learn to check the breaker if anything goes wrong! (But in my defense, it was running when we got home from the beach, just not cooling?!) He said everything looks fine now and the house SHOULD be cooling off now! It isn't cooling fast enough for me. It has only cooled off 2 degrees so far!

Mana meet her teacher this morning. She got Mrs. Garrett. She has been teaching at the school for 18 years. She is really sweet and I think we will have a great year! Tomorrow will be Mana's first whole day of school!

Boy is it HOT!

We have been without air for two days now! We basically have been sticking to one spot in the house where all the fans are! Hopefully Brian's friend can make it by the house to fix it in the afternoon!

We go and meet Mana's teacher in the morning! I am sort of ready for school to start back, but sort of not. We haven't had much of a summer break, except by the generosity of the grandparents to take us along on the Gulf Shores trip! We did have a lot of fun that weekend!

OK Christy!

I see you are responsible for not only me opening a blog! Now I am officially on and have no clue on what to do next! LOL!