My 5 Favorite Things This Week

1. Carrie's house

2. a stray dog with tags!

3. jon & kate plus 8 marathon

4. old navy summer sale

5. empty laundry hampers

Did You Know...

did you know that i am a wedding fanatic? i LOVE looking at wedding magazines and websites of wedding photographers. i would love to be a wedding planner. a good friend ashli has a new blog that i visited and one blog led to another and the next thing i knew i was posting a blog about the blogs i just found. the picture above was taken from martha stewart's website. i love the centerpiece because it's simple and beautiful. it could be used for many occasions. if you love weddings like i do, visit these sites: wedding chicks, ritzy bee, and martha stewart. have a fabulous week, love me.

Cute Paper Strawberries!

thanks suz for finding these super cute strawberries! have fun making them!

The first of few...

this was the first of the few visits we'll take to the beach this summer. why you ask, because this freaks me out! i hate sand and saltwater together. seperate, it's not so bad, but put them together and it's nothing short of EWWWW! to me it is as bad a scratching a chalkboard. even still we went. me, the queen and her boyfriend, the little princess, and our friends, debbie, cory and kelsey all pack our things and headed west. it was a short trip. the tide kept rising and pushing us further back until we finally decided it was enough moving for one trip. i brought a little dome tent thing for the baby and he did real well. no sunburn, yeah! i was so worried about the kids i forgot to put it on myself and my right arm and shoulder got fried. oh well. i did realize that i need to go more than once a year because the little princess has zero beach etiquette. i think we all told her at least twice, "don't walk on the towels." poor kid it just didn't sink in. ick! sandy towels, really, is there anything worse? just kidding, i could have sandy hands being wiped with a sandy towel in my car! oh just the thought scares me. we cracked up because as all kids do, the little princess went and rinsed off her hands so she could get a snack only to come back and put her hands in the sand again. back to the shower she went and finally sat down to have a snack. funny. well it was ok. i think we'll go back again. next time i'll bring the baby powder and a bucket with a lid for water. and just so you know, i grew up going to the beach. my dad and uncle would bury us up to our head in the sand. really, i think it's their fault i can't stand the beach. but to be fair, it's really not the beach that i despise. it's the beach and kids that don't work for me. i just wanted to clear that up. take care!

My Friend Carrie

some people have a knack for putting things together, carrie is definitely one of those people. it's the little touches that make her house one to envy. every little nook has something fun to look at and every couple months it changes to suit the season. if that wasn't enough, her yard is to die for and her girls are even cuter. i'm sad because soon she'll be moving, but i'm excited to see what she does with a bigger house. carrie, if you're reading this, i think your fantastic, it's good to be your friend. love, me

My 5 Favorite Things This Week

i almost forgot to list my 5 faves for the week! here they are...drumroll please...

1. a bloomin' hollyhock

2. get to know you emails

3. being organized & having people appreciate the effort

4. the birthday book

5. air conditioning

Nana's Birthday

happy birthday nana! what are you, 47?

we had a good time hangin' out with family that we haven't seen in a while. it's great to have the family all together. so many cousins all different ages enjoying one anothers company. we are all blessed. and what better place to be than at aunt bunny's new house. the pool and the breeze were nothing short of fantastic and the food...pa, you did a fabulous job! way to order!!! it was a good day, a good day indeed!

Kim Henkel's Birthday Book

really quick, i have to post this stinkin' cute project before i go to the girls dance recital. kim henkel (her blog is listed) is teaching this at the pink pineapple today. i wasn't able to make the class but i was lucky enough to get a kit! the kit came in that really cute pink box all tied up. her treat was the cupcake "ice cream cone". can we say talented. i love her stuff.

ok, gotta go. break a leg girls!

Tomato Pincushions

martha stewart has these as her craft of the day. if you don't already subscribe to the emails you should. the website has a new feature where you can sign up and save certain articles under different folders. i'm enjoying it. have a great day!

Dirty Laundry

my little princess had this red ironing board that inspired jill to create

this pint size clothespin holder and laundry bag.

maybe if my laundry looked so cute, i'd want to do it.

If friends were flowers...

it all began with a need for a teacher gift...
thanks karen, i wouldn't have gotten it done without you.

He's Three Months Old!

our baby boy is 3 months old today! it really has gone by way to fast. he's well over 15 pounds and is quite active. we all get such a kick out of listening to him laugh and coo. we definitely have been blessed with a great baby. people always ask what it's like to have teenagers and a baby and i have to say for anyone who's interested, it has been the best experience for my older two. there are so many lessons being learned and such a sweetness in a teenager that you might not otherwise get to see. they learn patience and love that only a baby can deliver. i wouldn't change a thing! we love you baby boy!

Tyler & The Baby

they were so cute, they needed their own post. nana put the baby in tyler's lap and she just sat there and made the cutest faces. great photo opp, she's so stinkin' cute! love you tyler.

My 5 Favorite Things This Week

1. white lab puppy

2. this glory banner

(you can get one too)

3. family

4. the feeling of being organized

5. enjoying the last couple days

before summer vacation starts :)

Happy Father's Day!

it was a good day for everyone. we spent the afternoon with family. i'm so exicted that i got a picture of the kids and bob the builder. the guys hate to have their picture taken.

it's always nice to go to nana & pa's house. bob the builder chatted with mike and jason about motorcycles and guy stuff. the queen and her boyfriend, david hung out and relaxed. it was the first time david met uncle mike. (sorry david, you just have to ignore him.) uncle mike's a character. the little princess found a new friend in auntie ineke who is visiting from texas. she couldn't get enough of her. she had a great day swimming and swinging. she'd stay forever if she could.

bub was in heaven driving his truck in the field with jason. around and around and around he went. jason was really sweet to indulge him and be the adult supervision. thanks jason!

all in all i think it was a pretty good day. i hope all the fathers in my life had a great day. dad, george, dave, tom and phil...happy father's day, i love you all.

Preschool Graduation

today our little princess graduated from little bugs preschool.i can't believe she'll be starting kindergarten in the fall. where does the time go? where did that little two year old go? i barely remember the sound of her little voice and how i couldn't wait for her to start talking, then wondered when she'd stop. they grow so quickly before our eyes and if we aren't careful to take everything in it's gone before we know it. i wish i would've taped her little voice and journaled more.
the graduation ceremony was super cute. they had a little play, in which, the little princess was the sparkly ladybug (it was the rainbow fish story line) bob the builder wasn't able to be there so we decided to have an "after party" and invite the family over to watch the video and have dinner and dessert. it was a nice evening, we had pizza and ladybug cupcakes. i posted a picture of the cupcakes, they turned out cute. the other picture is a little gift we put together for her preschool friends.

everything turned out perfect, i even got a quilt done for her teacher. i'm sad it's over but i look forward to the future and from now on i have promised myself to document a lot more and try to stop and take the moments that matter in. goodnight.

My 5 Favorite Things This Week

if you listen to jeff and jer you may have heard the 5 favorite things "thing" they do (i'm having a brainless moment and can't think of the word...when will i get my brain back???) anyways, i like it and thought it would be fun to post my 5 favorite things of the past week. so here i go, the first of, what may be, many weekly faves.

five favorite things

(not in order)
#1 baby's first laugh

#2 a desperately needed hair cut

#3 getting unfinished projects done

#4 button flowers

#5 holding a newborn

More Fabulous Finds

i wanted to share more fabulous finds with you.

go to www.allsorts.typepad.com and

http://www.nicholeheady.typepad.com

if you love all things crafty, you'll love these sites.

My Little Genie

our little princess has always been one to dress herself. at times it has really tried my patience and i have to remind myself that she's only young once. i've learned in the last 18 years that some things are better left alone. her choice of clothing is one of those things, usually...
i had errands to run today and had no intention of taking the little princess with me. looking at the picture you can imagine why. however, as i was about to walk out the door she came running to me asking to come. what do you say...no. no, you say sure, i'd love to spend time with you. i did ask her to change but it was no use, she really thought she looked great. it would have crushed her if i told her otherwise, she put so much effort into it. so, off we went me and the genie. we got a few looks but the smiles made her all the more confident. don't you wonder where that confidence goes...and at what point does a smile become a criticism. i could be the mom who fights the ongoing battle to make sure my sweet 4 year old is dressed impeccably every time we leave the house and make her as neurotic as the rest of us, or i can let her be herself and express her creativity thru her clothes even when it pains me to do so. it might be an uphill battle, but i'm going to do my best to keep her believing that a smile is exactly that, a smile. wish me luck.