2011 July | designs by Sarah Martina

Week In The Life : Friday

Posted by Sarah Martina on Jul 31, 2011 in Week In The Life | 3 comments

Hey y’all!

We had a pretty slow day on Friday, so I have just 16 photos to share. We had big plans for the weekend, but with my cold passing, and Daddy’s cold in full force (praying it’s just a cold and not the flu), we’ve really become some all out couch potatoes. Check it out, and I’ll be back soon with Saturday’s photos.

Day 5 | Week In The Life of the Parkers | Friday

1. Somebody’s getting way too used to sneaking in our bed in the mornings.
2. Dressed in our favorite socks and ready for school.
3. Shadow games. He’s making a “P” for “Parker”

4. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk. Friday’s weather made me wish I was at home in my jammies.

5. Supey was hiding from Mommy. He had no interest in coming home today.
6. Ms. Victoria didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Sie & Charlie’s hand and walked us all the way to the entrance of the school to wave goodbye to us.

7. Stopped to get a self-portrait before heading home.
8. Felt like popping in to the thrift store before getting home. Found some old books to re-purpose.

9. How about a little treat? Chocolate milk, it is!
10. Supey forgot how much he loved this stuff!
11. Syd is not thrilled at all with the shiner she got on her last day of camp. She kneed herself in the hamster wheel. (We all ended up having a laugh about that visual, lol!)

12. Daddy’s puckering up for me, lol. He wasn’t feeling well, but amused me with a funny picture.
13. Poor guy, add 2° to that and we have a temp of 102.8°. He said it was even higher earlier in the day. He came home from work because he was feeling so bad…and he never misses work. Bless his heart.

14. Hmmm… Mommy hasn’t done much cooking at all this week. And today was no exception. We usually go out to eat here every few Fridays, but today it was take out.
15. Steak fajitas. Yum. It deserves to be said twice. Yum.

16. Wrapping it up with some time of reflection before I turn it in for the night. Sweet dreams, all.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, y’all!

p.s., More on Week In The Life on Ali’s blog here.

Week In The Life : Thursday

Posted by Sarah Martina on Jul 29, 2011 in Week In The Life | 5 comments

Here we go folks…

Day 4 | Week In The Life of the Parkers |Thursday

1. Supey had no intention of waking up. Sis helped out with some cuddles.

2. Supey’s day school. He loves that red roof.
3. We get there just in time for splash day with his buds. (Mary Mayes aka MéMé, Charlie, Supey & Davis)

4. Wore my favorite sweater today with a cute dress. Happy clothes make for a happy day, no?
5. Gorgeous weather today. Downtown Baton Rouge, Capitol building.

6. Bank run.
7. Guilty pleasure run.

8. Lots of blogging and photo editing/uploading. Loving this project so far.
9. Adele keeps me company. Still not tired of her.

10. Scooping up Sydney from camp. Supey loves doing this. Her friends think he’s so cute. Lol!

11. Supey didn’t want to leave camp. So Supey is super grumpy.
12. Syd cheers him up with some tickling, which of course leads to wrestling.
13. Daddy calms them down with the last of the watermelon.

14. Time for some crafts. Still trying to limit our t.v. time.
15. These were fun and turned out great. Found theme on Pinterest.

16. Let’s take some pictures. Make a shark face!
17. “No Sydney! You’re doing it wrong!… Like this!”

18. … Supey has to fix Syd’s hair first.
19. Mommy hops in… why not?

20. Woops. It’s 7pm and we forgot about dinner. Greasy pizza it is, then. Plus some alka seltzer for Mommy & Daddy’s cold.
21. Syd made a palette at my feet and proceeded to pass out from exhaustion.

22. Checking in to see if any progress is being made in Congress. Not much, unfortunately.
23. Time for some paper work, with a bit of Project Runway to distract me along the way.

24. Went to tuck Syd in and found a light on in the kids’ bathroom.
25. It’s my super-strong Supey! He conquered no. 2 all by himself… “Because I strong!” he says. Lol! Lordy, Lordy.

I’ll take that as a happy ending.

The end.

p.s., More on Week In The Life on Ali’s blog here.

Week In The Life : Wednesday

Posted by Sarah Martina on Jul 28, 2011 in Week In The Life | 3 comments

Hey guys!

I’m back with a recap of our Wednesday. I’ve slowed down a bit with my trigger finger… That coupled with the pretty uneventful day and we end up with fewer photos for the day (Wednesday).

I’m beginning to get anxious about the “putting it together” part of this project… I still haven’t quite decided how I’m going to execute it, but I’ve got some ideas. It’s time to nail it down and get to work on it.

Day 3 | Week In The Life of the Parkers |Wednesday

1. Supey ran out to wave goodbye to Daddy & Syd as they drove off. Wanted to run after them. In pjs.
2. While I get ready, Supey watches one of his favorites… Jake & the Neverland Pirates.
3. He was not in the mood to get dressed when it came time. Lots of chasing ensued.

4. Stopped for gas on the way to school.
5. $3.65/gallon. Not the worst, but still too high.
6. Hold hands when we cross the street to get to school. One day he won’t want to do this anymore.

7. He promptly let go of my hand to run out to see his friends on the playground.
8. Didn’t take long for him to hop on and join his biker buddies. (Alex, Sie, Mary Mayes aka MéMé, Christian & Charlie).

9. Took a lunch break and discovered over 400 unread entries in my Google Reader. Woops.
10. Heading home and listening to an audio book. I’ve read the first half of it already, but lost the book.
11. Supey hates when I back into the driveway. There’s a verbal altercation almost every time I do it.

12. Syd came home from camp ill and is sleeping. While she slept I entertained Supey with his favorite cup.
13. We’re encouraging the kids to drink more water, and fancy cups certainly do help.

14. The Fly Lady encourages us to take 2 minutes and address a hot spot. I tackled the Tupperware cabinet, and boy did that feel good.
15. Vanilla ice cream cones… Just because.

16. Syd woke up after 8 o’clock and was very sad. She needed the rest, but was in tears because she missed an evening with her family. Such a big heart she has. She cuddled with her little brother until they dozed off.
17. Sony tech support. Trying to get my laptop fixed. 2 hrs. No progress. Nighty night time.

Thanks again for popping through today!

Xoxo-

p.s., More on Week In The Life on Ali’s blog here.

Week In The Life : Tuesday

Posted by Sarah Martina on Jul 28, 2011 in Week In The Life | 2 comments

Thanks for the wonderful feedback, everyone! I love the connections that we can have through this project, and going forward via my blog. I know that I have some unanswered emails that I will be getting to, so if you haven’t heard from me, I’m making my way!

Day 2 | Week In The Life of the Parkers | Tuesday

1. A common sight in our home. These bad boys are everywhere.
2. Running late = cereal for breakfast in the car. I know, not wise.
3. Self-timer grabbed a shot of the gross weather on the way in to downtown.

4. After dropping Supey off, I enjoy some peace & quiet for the first time today. It’s nice.
5. Work. From an undergrad student job, to a Law student clerkship. They’ve been good to me.

6. Research. This is going to be a long day.
7. Escaping the office to treat myself to lunch. Lost my keys. Then found them here. Duh.

8. Pita Pit. I could’ve eaten two of these. Really good.
9. Was the perfect time for some reading. Great devotional. A gift from Grammy.

10. It’s proving to be one of those days that drags on and on. Afternoon coffee got me through.

11. Picked up Sie from school. He’s telling Nemo g’night before we head home.
12. He’s my little navigator. If I make a wrong turn (in his mind) he yells it at the top of his lungs. “STOP!”

13. Quiet time at home without the television. Reading Tip Tip, Dig Dig from the local library.
14. Hands down Supey’s the silliest one at the dinner table. Tonight Daddy grilled some ribs. Yum.

15. Cupcakes for dessert. Supey’s busy eating.
16. While Syd is busy giggling.

17. Supey snapped this beautifully awful picture of Syd and me. He exclaimed, “Got it!” after snapping it. I guess we just assumed he would have at least captured our faces, lol!

18. After dinner clean up. How did all this accumulate in just one day?
19. Sweeping reminds me that we’re out of dishwashing liquid. Wal-Mart run.

20. Get home to find Supey doing what he does best.
21. Same for Syd. She’s got such a creative mind. Hard to see the hand cut details, but they’re there.
22. We decide to dance to some Kidz Bop before tucking the kids in to bed. I’ve completely lost any rhythm I’ve ever had.

23. Supey would rather stay and cuddle with Daddy on the couch.
24. Before he goes to bed, Supey pinky promises Daddy that he’s his best friend… Mommy & Sydney, too.

25. Finally the house is quiet, and I can sneak and enjoy a little late night snack.
26. Fall asleep to a mediocre movie. Little Fockers. Meh.

Thanks again for the love… I’ll be back soon with Wednesday’s pics, and hopefully today’s will follow shortly after.

Xoxo!

p.s., More on Week In The Life on Ali’s blog here.

Week In The Life : Monday

Posted by Sarah Martina on Jul 28, 2011 in Week In The Life | 9 comments

(click image to see more info about this project on Ali’s site)

Hello, hello!

I’m here to share a peek into the life of the Parker family, thanks to Ali Edwards’ Week In The Life project.

This is something that I’m determined to see through, because I feel like right now I really need that sense of accomplishment in my life. (That’s me being transparent with y’all about how I really feel.) And of course I’m doing it because this project is a wonderful keepsake to look back on in the years to come. It’s like a scrapbooking version of those time capsules that the kids do in Kindergarten, but with much more detail.

So… I’m going to be pretty honest about this because I think I owe that to those who take interest in little ol’ me. I really haven’t been feeling all to excited about much lately. I mean, I have happy moments, don’t get me wrong. But overall, not so much. Call it the blues, down in the dumps, or whatever… but it’s really no fun. I hate even admitting it because I do not want that Eeyore label put on me. And I figure, this too shall pass, so no sense in even admitting it’s here – it’ll all be gone tomorrow, or the next day (or whenever).

With that in mind, you’d think I really wouldn’t want any parts of this project that peers into my life with a microscope… right?

Well, wrong actually. Something in me really clung to the idea of this week. Although I haven’t had the urge to pick up my crafty stuff lately, there was something about this project that really gave me something to look forward to. I was really motivated by it… anxious even.

Of course I had my reservations…

I wouldn’t be taking any gorgeous pictures that we all love to look at… You know the ones- they capture every day life in the most gorgeous of ways… grabbing every sparkle in your kids’ eyes as they eat some watermelon, or the glittering of the drip drops of water in the school water fountain, or the crisp blades of grass as you walk to check the mail… Every day moments that are captured in a way that looks like it could be in some magazine in Barnes & Noble. I wouldn’t be taking those kind of photos… nope, mine would be pretty blurry, grainy, cell phone grade pics. No bokeh or depth of field (unless I feel up to adding some in photo shop). So who would really want to look back at an album full of cell phone pictures?

And do I really want people to see my personal spaces? The unfinished kitchen and bathrooms? The old carpet that needs replacing… The cracked driveway… The brass (yes, brass) fireplace doors… The busted fence… The old appliances? Who wants to see that? Why would I want anyone to see that?

Won’t this expose my bad habits? I mean I know they’re there, but that doesn’t mean I need you all to know that. Or that I need anyone who will be looking back on this album to know that. What kind of example will I be setting for my kids when they see that I ate peach cobbler for lunch, and a cupcake at night after everyone else went to sleep? Shouldn’t I hide the fact that I struggle every day to get my butt out of bed on time? Or that sometimes I eat cereal as I’m driving to work? Yes, you read that right, lol! But seriously… why would I want to capture that for everyone to see?

… Because it’s the truth. And it’s my life. It’s our life. The Parkers. And it is worth capturing. Even if with only a cell phone camera (ok it’s a really nice phone, I might add, but still, it’s no Nikon D90, lol!).

I feel like my kids have a right to know how it really was, even for just one week, when they were this age. I wish I could look back at some of the things that were going on when I was 3 or 7. This is giving me a sense of accountability, too. If I’m not happy with it, then I need to change it. They need to see that it is possible to overcome bad habits, it’s possible to achieve goals (like having a home that you’re utterly proud of), and that every little moment with your family is one to be treasured.

I hope that my family and I all gain that much and more as we take part in this project… So here we go y’all… You’re welcome to come along with me (or skip right on past if you’d like, )… I’ll be sharing my photos and some brief comments throughout the week, and next week I’ll share my completed album. I will complete this album.

Day 1 | Week In The Life of the Parkers | Monday

1. Daddy fixes a quick breakfast. Not my choice in cereal, but they loved it.
2. Supey shares his cereal.
3. Syd slurps her cereal.

4. Doing Syd’s hair. This is a very special one-on-one time we share each morning.
5. She loves a braid & but is still learning to do it herself.
6. Same can be said for Supey and his teeth brushing skills.

7. Off to school. This is Supey and my special one-on-one time together each morning.
8. A little after 8:30am, and we’re on the road. Pretty day outside. Will it rain?
9. Morning routine at school. First things first. Wash those little hands.

10. Don’t always do this, but need a bit of pampering. Starbucks on the way home.
11. Stopped fighting my munchies and dug into some cobbler.

12. Going to tackle this. Feeling motivated. Thanks to Flylady.com.
13. Gray skies. Guess it’s going to rain after all. Trying hard to resist a nap.

14. As usual, Syd’s pooped after Summer Camp.
15. And Supey did well at Wal-Mart, so treats ensue.

16. We baked and baked. The kids helped. Supey even sifted. He was so proud.
17. And we baked some more. Very therapeutic for Mommy.
18. And they licked, because it just wouldn’t be right if they didn’t.

19. Meringue cookies
20. Cherry Limeade cupcakes
21. All on a pretty platter. Yum. Time to clean up. Oy.

22. All cleaned up, everyone’s tucked into bed, and now it’s time to review my Day 1 of Week In The Life of the Parkers.

It’s my goal to get back on track with blogging this week, and this project will be a good boost for me. When it’s done, we have the Waltzingmouse Stamps and The Craft’s Meow releases coming up, along with some pretties for Crate Paper, and a few kits that I’ve been working on.

Thanks for stickin’ with me y’all.

Xoxo,