Then and Now

This is a picture of my babies when we lived "up the river" (Mississippi River) in Iowa. (Spring of 2004 - I think). The girls should be one and almost three years old.

I saw some of these trees in bloom on the way home from church today and just had to try to "re-create" the moment. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a tree as massive as that one or one that had such low branches.

This was as good as I could get. It really wasn't the best time of day for the shot (too bright) and we had to compete with the wind...But I'll take it!

The "babies" - February 2011. Almost 10 and 8.

Makin' Pottery

I've been taking a pottery class for the past three weeks and I KEEP FORGETTING MY CAMERA!!!! I've been "throwing pots" using a pottery wheel. So far I've made three bowls and a mug. Anywho, since I don't have pictures of that...here is some pottery from a second grade birthday party. - before kiln

Garden Stakes

I bought these in Illinois before we moved.

Thought they were too cute. Had to share.

On the Side

The rest of the story...



I HAD made a gazillion initials out of melted chocolate that I poured into a squeeze bottle...

The "plan" was to whisk the cupcakes away after the candles were blown out. I would return the cupcake to each guest on a china plate with it personalized with a chocolate initial...

Unfortunately, I didn't have the icing deep enough for the initials to stay upright for very long. So we settled for "chocolate - on the side".

Happy Valentine's Day

Disclaimer: I can not claim credit for this creativity. I found it online.

New Mirror

I got this mirror this weekend at Paul Michael's. It's 4ft. X 4ft. We really needed it to take up space on our bare dining room wall. It does the trick!







While I was there, I saw this...

I really wanted it. Can you imagine all the stuff that could be crammed into those drawers!!!! Unfortunately, we measured it and there's only one place that it would fit in our den and it's not the best spot for that kind of furniture :-( .

The Seamstress

I got CR a toy sewing machine for her birthday. It's been a real hit. She started playing with it immediately. I had my reservations upon purchasing it. It only cost $20. I figured that it wouldn't really work. - So far, so good. It's a real hoot to hear her at the breakfast table with the little machine cranked up. All she's been doing so far is making stitches in her scrap of material, taking them out and then sewing them back again. - She has a vision though and has requested more material.


Notice what's left of the finger nail polish...imagine if you will, about half a bottle of that polish on your bedroom carpet...*sigh*.

Herding Cats

The "VIP Party" is officially over! Can I get an AMEN? We had a total of nine attendants. I was anticipating a low turnout considering my last minute invites, postal mishaps and bad weather. But it is over and all is well in my world. Here's a little recap...



The centerpiece...




The cupcakes...

The chandelier. I like to title this one "Hot Mess". It really looked cuter in person. - Guess you had to be there.

Trinket boxes. Everyone used these boxes to hold all their lute from the surprise balls http://alittlehappy.blogspot.com/2011/01/surprise-balls.html.

Of course, Shrinky Dinks are always a crowd pleaser. They are great for keeping the "cats" focused and contained in one location.


The aftermath of the "surprise balls".

Favorite Things - L. Young canvases

I've had my eye on these canvases for YEARS. - I'm not kidding. I never took the plunge to buy any because I didn't know where I would put them. I've finally got the perfect spot. I'd like to collect one for each state that we've lived in.



You can check out the entire collection at http://www.lyoungstudio.com/.

VIP Pass

Gearing up for a little Birthday Partay - weather permitting. It's SUPPOSED to snow/sleet that day...




I constructed the invites with a stationery kit from Office Depot. The card stock was pre-cut and the envelopes were included. I just printed, clipped the corners, punched the hole and added ribbon. Voila!