Shadowboxes and a Halloween Costume Sneak.

It's September!

In this house that means a few things. 

1. My BABY sister turns 21.

2. College football starts this Saturday.

3. It starts fall festival season.

We could not be more excited. I know I already posted about putting up the fall things but, yesterday Nanny came by and we changed our monthly shadow box. We went with a SEC theme.

Cause in the south we are all about our football. College football is huge here.

You can check out the steps on Nanny's blog.

Nanny is a GA Girl through and through.

I live in a house divided. Half my heart is GA, the other half is LSU.

Super funny trust me.

I also switched up the chalkboard in the kitchen to a fallish theme.

and...

What you have all been waiting for Jackson's Halloween Costume Sneak.

SUPERWHY. He was so excited in case you can't tell. 

The best part I got it on clearance for $3!

xoxo ra

Katrina five years later.

Five years ago we were...

Scared, nervous, hopeful, saying prayers, bracing ourselves, thankful that
 Al drove from Pensacola and got Grandma out of there before she hit.
By this time we were in the living room watching in horror.

She wasn't supposed to be this bad and then the levee broke.

Nothing could have prepared us for what came.

We sat up all night  and for days and days after just staring as we watched what we knew
would change our lives and our families lives forever.
We knew we had lost something more than the homes and things. 

We would never be able to rebuild the generation Katrina took from us. They died of broken hearts. 

I am convinced of that.

I have written about it before here. 

Today I say this. Home is a place that no matter how many miles and time that passes. Your family welcomes you back and you just feel right. NOLA will always be worth fighting for. I am proud to call it home, because it is my heart. Sometimes when I look at Jackson I ache. I wanted to Grandma to know him. She loved B. She would have loved our boy too. Oh, we visit her old home.

We touch the palm tree that sits in the front yard and we remember.

 We remember what it was like to go home and be within a 5 mile radius of the family.
It isn't the same but, I am thankful I have a family who still carries that spirit we felt
 when things were the way they were before her.

There is nothing like Uncle Johnny singing the second line.

 He does it at every happy event. I wish I knew how to upload the cassette 

tape to my blog so you could hear his voice singing it.

 It is magic. 

It is good for our souls. 

This is for what we lost and what we are thankful we still have.
I have the best family in the world. If you met them you would agree.

This will have to do for now. It just feels right.

We shall never forget because remembering what was is still so beautiful.
xoxo ra

A Monday Cheer.

Two plus four is half of sixteen..

All for the Panthers stand up and lean.

A lean, lean, lean, l-l-l-lean

We had a wonderful time with our girl this weekend. It was the first game of the season.

She is just too much fun.

Jackson had a great time. He wanted to PLAY football so bad.

 He didn't understand why he just couldn't go "get that ball". 

 At one point I caught him watching the big boys play behind the stands. 

 Sweet man soon enough you will be big enough to play with the big kids.

 I promise.

It felt like fall at the game. Jackson and I even had on long sleeve t shirts.

It was heaven. I hope you all had wonderful weekends. 

Did you do anything fun?

Oh fall, where are you?

I am ready to see you again. You are my favorite season.

I need to wear jeans and t-shirts. For college football to start again. For our weekends to be filled with early saturday mornings at the football field watching our girl cheer and cookouts with friends.

Afternoons spent at the park sans sweating in 10 minutes. Festivals, and roasted corn.

I am even getting the house ready so you will feel comfortable showing up.

Nanny and I were inspired to create a new fall project.

What you will need.

- a vase (milk glass for me, nanny covered one with festive paper)

-branches from the back yard

-black spray paint

-Martha Stewart Bat Garland (40%off coupon from Michaels)

-scissors 

-black thread and a needle

Spray Paint the branches black and place in said vase.

Cut bats apart from garland. (This saved us so much time)

Thread needle and loop through bat's, hang to branches and Tada.

I even pulled out my fall pillows for the living room.

I love the way it looks. Let me know if you make one of your own. 

I would love to see it.

Are you ready for fall or sad summer is coming to an end?

xoxo ra

Wordless Wednesday

Some of this weeks favorites.

{out of focus but, one of my favorites}

Happy Wednesday
xoxo ra

Flea market treasures? You decide.

How does that saying go?

One man's trash is another man's treasure...

There is a Flea Market about 4 miles from my house that I have never been to.

Daddy and Jackson had a boys afternoon yesterday. So, Nanny and I adventured to the local flea market to see what it was all about. To say it was interesting was an understatement. We both found a treasure or two to bring home but, most of our time was spent giggling at what we found.

Let me take you along for the ride.

First off the collections of salt and pepper shakers. 

I mean there were probably a hundred different types. 

These were my favorite two.

#1. The toilet set. 

I mean what says "let's eat dinner" like red potty's?

#2 The Feet. 

Again, man those huge toes make me hungry.

{I think I just threw up even typing that}

The fun only started there.

Vintage Games

This empty 90210 bottle was $25!

Now I LOVED 90210 like every other girl in the 90's but, it's empty and rusty. $25!

This guy I have fond childhood memories with.

Anyone else have a Teddy growing up?

 I would have *almost* considered it for Jackson if the whole bedbug 

thing didn't skeeve me out so bad.

I had Nanny try these beauties on. 

What fall closet doesn't need it's own pair of clogs.

Ok, this booth I loved. My grandma had some of this plastic jewelry. 

After Katrina it was all lost so this pretty came home with me for the price of $1.25.

It makes me smile.

Now who doesn't want to stick

cookies in this guy...

Creepy.

Ahh, you guys.

 This was my favorite thing we saw.

I love Rod Stewart.

 I will refrain from making a song themed joke but, holy mother of hand drawn sexy Rod Stewart 

and for the low price of $5 in this lovely floral frame

 this can come live at your house.

and just so things come full circle. 

I will end where we started this little tour.

Now where would you put these little potty's?

Not to mention the creepy dolls with mouths open. :/

I hope you all enjoyed our flea market trip and at the very least got a laugh.

I know we did. Happy Monday Lovies.

xoxo ra

One more sleep...

Then Hubby, Bestie, Bestie's Hubby, The lovely lady that introduced us {hubby and I}, her Hubby, and one of our great friend's shall be seeing this guy tomorrow night.

{did you follow that?}

I AM SO EXCITED!

Have a lovely weekend.

xoxo ra

{we are finishing the big boy room this weekend. Pictures to come next week}

Make shift Superman {video}

Funny.

Enough said.

That is the face of Joy.

Just in case you were wondering.

xoxo ra

Pushing limits

Someone in this house has been pushing his limits lately.

 You know like when mommy says

 "Jackson we do not climb on the coffee table" or

 "No Bub's we do not fly across or jump on the couch".

I know, I know I am so mean.

Today I came into the living room and found this.

So cute, right?

He looks up to me and says "mommy, i lay down".

So I grab my camera. I mean I better get a picture of this moment.

Then we talk for a minute.

He is showing me his new car Sam.

That is his name.

"See Mommy"

Tell Sam to smile.

"Mommy watch me jump. K?"

"Bub's we don't jump. K?"

"I lay down".

{and this is where is goes downhill fast.}

still laying mommy

"Mommy want a kiss..."

{I should have known he would bribe me but, how do you say no to those lips}

"One time mommy."

"Jump"

"Big Jump Mommy."

"Jackson do we jump on the couch?!"

What does he do?

Busts out laughing. 

"I get down mommy"

Man this kid is something else.

xoxo ra

Weekend Pictures.

This weekend we made the trek to North Georgia to visit with

 Nana and Grandpa and Papa and Nuna.

We had so much fun.

Saturday during the day we went to Papa and Nuna's.  Jackson got to feed the cow's with Papa,

ride on the Gator and play with his cousin's. He had so much fun jumping on the trampoline with the big kids. I love to catching up with Nuna. She is so sweet, I just love being with her. 

She has always made me feel apart of the family. 

This picture was taken from Daddy's facebook, my camera was dead at this point.

He thought the cows were pretty funny.

He is still taking about the big cows today.

Then we headed up to Nana and Grandpa's and played with Hayden. Grandpa has a Harley and Jackson is in LOVE with motorcycles right now. All he wanted to do was sit on the bike. The boy's love riding toy's in the driveway and Hayden has become quite the pro at pedaling since our last visit. 

So much fun to watch these boys together, they are 6 months apart and have the best time.

We all went to a water park up where they live.

Their faces crack me up in this one.

He loved this waterfall and his boat. It was where he stayed most of the time.

Brrr. 

Jump, jump.

Hayden swimming from the Gator named Alli

He got you.

Nana to the rescue

:)

It was a great weekend full of visits.

xoxo ra