Flag Football

With the Super Bowl behind us, I can finally turn the the TV channel to something OTHER than football on Monday night, Thursday night, and all day Sunday. Thank goodness; this season seemed to drag on interminably! It can be exciting when your team is doing well, but this year it was not the case for our Saints. 

Kevin's intramural team was also an underdog this fall, but I really enjoyed watching them on the field. There's something about watching kids playing a fun innoculous game of flag football that makes it so much more appealing than men who make millions practically killing each other over a pigskin.

The Panthers may not have won any games (several were close), but those kids had heart! It was especially fun watching Kevin block kids who were a full foot taller. He had spunk, and did his best to protect their quarterback. Fun times.

And how cool that this layout meets the Seeing Stars Challenge over at Simon Says Stamps!

Rama Jama's

This iconic eatery in the shadows of Bryant Denny Stadium near the University of Alabama campus is a site to behold. Inside, it is wall to wall memorabilia, Crimson Tide football memorabilia. Framed pictures, ticket stubs, footballs, jerseys, autographed photos, and more line every wall, fill every nook and cranny, and hang from every available space. It's almost too much. And it could all use a good dusting and top to bottom scrub!

Chris suggested it for breakfast on the last day of our visit to Tuscaloosa. Although we came for the atmosphere, we found the food was pretty good also. And they had milk shakes, which made Kevin  very, very happy.

This page was a lot of fun to piece together...and piece I did. I cut a multitude of strips from the many patterned papers and adhered them along the perimeter of the page to make a colorful and carefree border.


Then I sifted through my stash and picked out some fun miscellany to cluster.

I can just imagine how crazy this place must be on game day. It's name, Rama Jama's, is a reference to a traditional and controversial cheer which taunts the Crimson Tide’s football opponents. It is typically played towards the end of a game when an Alabama victory is certain, and goes like this:

Hey (opponent's nickname)!
Hey (opponent's nickname)!
Hey (opponent's nickname)!
We just beat the hell outta’ you!
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer
Give ‘em hell, Alabama!

According to Wikipedia, the lyrics originate from The Rammer-Jammer, a student newspaper in the 1920s, and the yellowhammer, Alabama’s state bird. I think it's fun to carry on little traditions like this, and I hope no one is really offended when they hear this cheer.

Supply List:
Patterned paper-Simple Stories, October Afternoon. Stickers-Simple Stories, Little Yellow Bicycle. Letter stickers-Doodlebug Designs. Fabric letter stickers-American Crafts. Card-Daisy D. Houndstooth stamp-Maya Road. Other-tags.

April Kit Reveal

As the Serendipity Scrapbooks April kits go up today, the gallery is hopping with design team examples. I had the pleasure of working with the Altered Kit this month, which included the unique designer Star album of quality press board from Kaisercraft. It was a great backdrop for the photos and story of our Saints' run to and through Superbowl XXIV to emerge as champs!

Here are a few photos of my Believe album:







Four more layouts were created with the April Altered kit contents and this is my favorite. Layering an assortment of colorful strips on a white background looks downright beachy! I'm already beginning to anticipate our days in the sand.



Check out the Serendipity Kits Gallery for more projects. I find it amazing how each person creates with the same supplies, such unique and inspiring works!

Lombardi Gras

After the trophy and team were honored by the city with their own parade on Dat! Tuesday, the Tuesday before FAT Tuesday, the moniker Lombardi Gras took over! Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees paraded as King of Bacchus. Coach Sean Payton joined the celebrity monarchs of Orpheus. Krewes everywhere paid homage to the Super Bowl champions and the new unofficial Saints anthem could be heard booming its bass up and down the parade routes. "Stand up and get crunk!" Mardi Gras was shaping up to be Saintsational! Like so many others, we donned our jerseys on Mardi Gras day, wearing them in place of costumes.


Those who did dress up in other attire often had a decidedly Saintly theme. Pigs Fly were one of the cutest groups inspired by these surreal happenings.


The Lombardi Gras "football heads" were another.


Think if I put Kevin's name on the season ticket list that maybe his kids or grandkids might benefit.

Bless You Boys!

Pigs have flown.
Hell has frozen over.
The Saints are going to the Super Bowl.

All of a sudden, there's so much to do.
We need flags for the cars. And car paint too.

When planning the food, we know we'll need these...
tons of cookies, with Fleur-de-lis!

Get out the jerseys, the scarves and the hats.
I wish we had one of those "Bring the Wood" bats.


It's time for the game. No one can sit still.
At halftime we're nervous. They can do it. They will!

An onside kick? What an ingenious play!
If they pull this out, it will be such a day!

The seconds tick down and our Saints are on top.
Listen outside as the fireworks pop!

Oh...my...gosh...
We won!

The last minutes of the game are a blur. I'm not sure why? Maybe it's because I had my hands over my eyes...afraid to look? But when the final seconds ticked off the clock, pandemonium broke out everywhere. Phone lines were swamped. Outside...people far and wide whooping it up. Fireworks in the sky. Cars piling up at stop lights, their congratulatory honks echoing back and forth. As we neared downtown, traffic began to crawl. French Quarter exits from the interstate were blocked. The world was descending on the center of the city. We had to go too.


We exited at Canal St. Bumper to bumper traffic. Happy traffic. Kids hanging out of car windows, waving flags and umbrellas. We only made it a few blocks in before calling it quits, driving past the Superdome on our way to the I-10 onramp. Who would have believed it 4 1/2 years ago, when the roof tore open. The Saints, our home team, going to and WINNING the Super Bowl? These are the days!

Party In The MIA!

It's going to be a long week until that NFC Championship Game on Sunday! But I believe!

Looking Back

Kevin, the last of five, came into this world on a frigid January morning in 2000. Boy was that life changing...again. The diapers, the colic, the middle of the night feedings!

Julie graduated from Mount Carmel Academy, spent a semester at Ole Miss, and returned home to finish her education. Home sweet home.

We took the kids to Disney World where all 7 of us crammed into a Wilderness cabin! The Murphy bed, waiting at the rope, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear again...and again...and again, Rockin' Roller Coaster with my eyes shut, Laura winning at Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Good times.

Kevin and I attended I to I (Infancy to Independence), a moms and baby/toddler play group. He loved their marble maze, snack time, and swinging and sliding outside. Field trips included the zoo and Sesame Street Live.

We discovered Christian Brothers School, and their motto, "Your sons into young men, young men into Christian gentlemen." We couldn't have chosen a better middle school for Christopher. Go Falcons!

I discovered scrapbooking, and had many of my pages published in various books and magazines. For over 6 years, I designed for Lifetime Moments scrapbook store, while my supply stash grew and grew. :)

Elmwood Fitness Center. Spinning class. Cafe Zucchini. Swim lessons for Kevin.

Tommy discerned and was accepted into the Diaconate formation program for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He attended classes twice a week.

Kevin attended preschool at St. Ann. He returned for his first two days of Kindergarten and then...

Hurricane K atrina devastated New Orleans. We couldn't go home for 3 weeks. 5 kids at 5 schools...all affected. Luckily, we got Kevin into St. Rita's kindergarten class. Christopher attended Christian Brothers' afternoon program (noon-6) held on the Rummel campus until they went back to their City Park campus in November 2005. Brendan was registered for Rummel's morning platoon (6-noon) until Brother Martin returned to New Orleans in January 2006. Laura and Julie signed up for the University of New Orleans internet classes...and liked them so much that they continued to schedule online classes for most of their studies!

I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. I filed, wrote thank-you's, processed applications, and solicited donations of materials for the Construction Manager.

Award trip travels: a Caribbean cruise, Puerto Rico, a Mediterranean cruise, an Alaskan cruise, and the Bahamas! Such luxury at a great price...FREE!

The kids enjoyed vacationing at the beach with their cousins. Riding the waves, kayaking, surfing, sunning, eating, playing Chicken Foot and Balderdash. Poker tournaments late into the night. Uncle Chris' beach hikes.

Two university diplomas showed up in our mailbox during this decade. Neither Laura nor Julie were interested in attending their graduation ceremonies. No matter...they did it!

I emailed and called my congresspersons. I wrote letters to the editor and had a couple published in The Times Picayune. I co-facilitated a social justice "formation class" and the "graduates" formed a Social Justice Committee in our parish. Our first venture was a Fair Trade Fair.

Christopher, while at Jesuit High School, joined the Cross Country team and spent most fall afternoons at practice, Saturdays at meets. He took the PSAT as a sophomore and college mail filled a shopping bag. He took it again as a junior and we're waiting to hear...

Tommy was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate and was assigned to our parish of St. Ann, and to Holy Cross High School as a co-chaplain.

Brendan graduated from Brother Martin High School. He volunteered and trained with the Third District Fire Department and now hopes to get into an upcoming NOFD recruit class. WTG!

Kevin tested for Christian Brothers School in December of 2009. Crossing fingers...

And that's the decade in a nutshell.

Here's to a healthy and prosperous new decade for our family and friends!

Bless You Boys!

It didn't have the fairytale ending that we would have liked, but we had a great time cheering our team. We ALMOST got a family photo! Julie was at work.

1st Down and 60...

minutes to Miami!

WOOOO-HOOOO! What a Saintsational weekend this is going to be! We've getting together with the family AGAIN for a party. Lots of football pools entered. The names Brees, Bush, Karney, McAllister, and Colton will adorn our backs all weekend. We bought jerseys for the entire family! Anybody retires or is traded and the name and number get sewn over! laugh.gif Kevin wore his to school today...Black and Gold Day! It's so electrifying! We've never had this much excitement over our football team before. GO SAINTS!!!!!