Sunday, November 13, 2011

Fun Filled Saturday.

It was a really great Saturday.  It began with 2 cups of coffee before I got dressed and headed to Wal-Mart for a few things.  I normally never go to the W, but I needed sewing stuff, and Target has nothing in that department, and I did not have time to venture all the way to Hobby Lobby.  Anyway, I needed more stuffing for the monsters Bella and I had been working on.  Martha's birthday party was today, and she was having a monster party, so we decided to create a custom fleece monster just for her.  Of course Bella had to make one for herself too... Anyway, she has a red Ugly doll from my Aunt Cathy that we used for inspiration named Mynus.  She named her new blue one that she made Plus :)  It was a really fun project and Marty really liked hers, which is what matters the most anyway <3

Before the birthday party, we went to Lowes for several things, but most importantly we got Christmas lights for our house!  We're going to do the whole house this year, and I couldn't be more excited!  Vince even got all the lights out later in the evening, and plugged them all in while they were arranged sporatically on the green shaggy rug.  Something about it was very soothing and it put a big smile on my face :)  We also got a swing for Bella to hang in our huge tree in the backyard.  She was in heaven, and even made up a song about how lucky she is to have a swing in her backyard.

4 p.m. - Party time!  Once at Marty's, Bella took off to the backyard to find her peeps and begin having fun.  I spotted Laura and gave her a big hug because it was the first time we had seen each other since at least September.  That is way too long!  She is definitely preggo with #4 now, and glowing/beautiful as always.  We made the rounds chatting with various adults while the kiddos had a blast running around, drinking Capri Sun after Capri Sun, licking icing off of cupcakes, wrapping each other in streamers, and playing tag.  Marty got a "Monster High" doll and was in a state of total bliss.  Her parents have denied her these toys for about 3 years now, and somebody broke the seal.  It seems the floodgates are now open, so thanks Kim!  Before we said goodbye, I got a picture of the 3 Amigas - Allie, Bella and Marty.  They have been buds since birth, and it has been so much fun watching them grow up.  I seriously can't believe that 2 of them are now 6 with Bella not far behind.  Slow down already!

After we got home from one party, we all got ready to go to another.  Bella thought this was just fabulous.  2 parties in one day was almost too much for her to stand :)  Our friend, Russell, had gotten married earlier in the day at the JOP, and he and his bride, Krystal, were having a small party to celebrate at their house.  We dropped by to give our congrats, and enjoy a little food and fire pit action before calling it a night around 8.  Bella lasted all of 5 minutes before she was out cold.

It was a really great day.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Highs and Lows...

A lot has happened over the last 3 weeks, so this is going to be a highlights reel of sorts.  Enjoy.


  • The Sunday before Halloween, we went to the Renaissance Festival.  I knew it would be Bella's first time, but I was unaware that it would be Vince's first time.  I really couldn't believe he had never been.  Granted, this would only be my 3rd time (I went once in Houston with Jen, her sister Amy, Pat, Regina's sister, Jen's college roommate Andrea I think, and maybe Jen's boyfriend Brandon... it was a mixed bag for sure).  Bella dressed up as a fairy for the occasion, and she scored new fairy wings, a cool headband, and lots of candy and prizes for completing a scavenger hunt throughout the fair.  We had a really great time, and the weather was perfect.

  • Halloween and Trick-or-treating... Bella chose to be a panda bear this year, and trust me, this was after much deliberation over a good 3 month period.  Mainly between Rapunzel and a panda, and I'm glad the panda won out in the end because she was stinking cute in her costume.  After school, we headed over to Marty's house to go trick-or-treating in her neighborhood.  Vince had class, and our neighborhood is very dark and spread out, so we usually venture out to one of our friend's neighborhoods.  After a little playtime, we got the girls dressed, and then it was time for make-up!  I have to admit, it was really fun doing these 3 because they were totally into it and excited about it.  I would have rather died at that age if you tried to paint my whole face green like Liz was able to do to Freida, who is only 3!  After everyone was in full costume, we stepped outside for some fun pictures before stopping by a friend of Liz's house for some chili and conversation before we hit the streets for candy.  Trick-or-treating in Liz's neighborhood reminded me of how it used to be when I was kid.  The kiddos were able to run from house to house pretty freely while a group of adults followed behind watching for cars and keeping the group somewhat together.  By the end of the night, Bella had quite the stash of candy, and was worn out by all the fun that was had.  While waiting in carpool line the next morning before school, she looked like she was about to fall asleep and told me she was still tired.  Somebody had a really great time!
  • I'm a Reading Buddy every Monday morning for Bella's class, and I love it!  I know all the Pre-K kiddos now, and wow, are they young 4's, but so adorbs.  I'm really impressed with the number of 4 year olds that can already read, I mean damn!  I have a lot of fun with them, and I love how they all want to tell me about their weekend or whatever has been going on in their worlds before we get started.  I've also starte my "art project a month" with them.  Our first project was a fleece apple with a stick for a stem, and a felt leaf for decoration.  The kiddos sewed around the outer edge of a red felt circle, cinching it together and stuffing it with a plastic recycle bag to give it shape before adding a stick stem and felt leaf.  They all did a great job, and for November we are going to be making mini wooden boats, or Mayflowers :)  Pap Pap did all the prep work for them in a day, and I just need to get some canvas for little sails and we will be ready to go.  One more thing about Pap Pap before I move on... He has been helping in Bella's class garden since the beginning of school, and I can't believe the amount of work he has put into it.  This past Wednesday, he even taught a lesson about weeds - what they are and why they are bad, and they planted Swiss Chard.  He rocks!

  • Acting class is moving along, and Bella absolutely loves it!  She has continuely brought up dance class, so it looks like we will be looking into that for the Spring maybe.  It will be a new studio though, because we have a different schedule with school now, and she needs to be in a class with kids her age so she can focus and learn at an appropriate pace.  On Thursday of this past week, her class took a field trip to see ImaginOcean at Blumenthal Theater.  It was a blacklight puppet show essentially, and Bella loved it!  She loved that she glowed during the show too, mainly her cowgirl boots.  

  • Last weekend, Vince and Bella attended a Father/Daughter dance.  I got them both all dressed up, and yes they even kind of matched and it was on purpose.  We took pictures in the front yard before they left, and Bella blew me a kiss on her way to the car <3  Both of them had a blast, and when it was time to go, Bella said, "I wish it was the beginning."  Vince carried in a worn out Mooga Bear, who I quickly pjed and put to bed.  The next morning, I got the rundown on who was there, what everyone was wearing, what songs they played, and what dances they did.  She also showed me how to do the Macarena.... That hasn't died yet?!  Long story short, she had a great time, and so did Vince <3

  • Friday - 11.11.11 - Veterans Day.  Bella was out of school, so we had a fun Mama/Daughter day.  After a quick trip to Hobby Lobby for a few supplies, we headed to Imaginon to see "Comedia Cinderella," an Italian comedic version of Cinderella using only 4 actors.  We were right up front, and the show was hilarious!  We really had a great time.  On the way home, we stopped and got Chick-fil-a for lunch, and enjoyed singing summer camp songs with Lisa Loeb.  Once home, we began work on some fleece monsters.  Marty, B-bo's friend, is having a Monster Birthday Party this weekend, so we decided to design and create a monster for her for a present.  Of course, B-bo had to design one for herself too.  Anyway, they turned out super cute, and I think Marty is really going to like hers.  I also dyed a tee for Vince.  I had ordered him a cool tee in honor of him growing a moustache.  It was supposed to be red and say "The moustache is the key to this outfit"  Well, when I got it, it was orange, not red.  I didn't want to send it back, and I didn't want an orange tee either, so I decided to try and dye it.  It worked like a charm, and now he has the red tee I intended all along.  I guess I should explain why red is so important... His company's main color is red, and his moustache growing team is through work, thus the red :)


As for me.  Good days are sprinkled in between bad ones.  All of a sudden everything seems that much heavier.  I know what it is... It's that time of year, plus Papa is gone.  How have 5 years slipped by, yet sometimes it still feels like yesterday.  I keep hearing it gets easier with time, and I guess I'm still waiting for that ease.  Maybe I need to quit waiting and start doing.  It's time for some new memories, and it's time to take December back.  I want it to be my favorite month again, not something I silently dread most of the year.  My Dad would want that, he would want that for sure.  I'm trying, trying really hard.

One last thing before I end this lengthy post... This year for Thanksgiving, we are celebrating with my side of the family.  This will be the first time EVER that we will all be together for a holiday minus an Easter here or there in Hattiesburg.  I'm really looking forward to it, and I think we all need it to help heal our hearts from this partially heartbreaking year.  It's going to be full of laughter, that's for sure, and it's going to be wonderful to see everyone.

Now, it's time to get ready for the day.  Happy Saturday Everyone!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Super Weekend.

Friday.  Once I picked Bella up from school, we stopped by Target on the way home to grab a few things, including a new lego set for an excellent report card this quarter.  She chose a house set, and I gotta say I was pretty excited about her decision :)  We ordered pizza for dinner, and watched a few Ruby Gloom episodes while we ate and Bella began work on her house.  After B-bo went to bed, V and I watched a few Parks & Rec episodes before calling it a night.  A very nice night.

Saturday.  After a lazy morning, Bella and I got dressed and went to our favorite pumpkin patch on Rocky River Road.  Hodges Farm also has a working farm with lots of animals to see, plus horse rides, a corn maze, hay rides, a bouncy house, face painting, and of course pumpkins and candy.  We had a really good time, needless to say.  We picked out 4 pumpkins to carve into masterpieces so stay tuned for pictures of those once completed...  After we got home and had lunch, we all went outside to do some yard work.  There are 5 trees down in our backyard that we need to clean up and burn :), so we started organizing a bit, and getting our first fire set up.  3 hours later, we all got cleaned up, and Bella went to spend the night with her grandparents while Vince and I had a date night.  We went to my favorite place to eat, Dish, and I had my favorite thing to eat, chicken & dumplings with a side of mac & cheese and 1 deviled egg.  Delish!  The place was packed, and we had a cozy little table up on the second level that had a view of the lower level and the bar behind us. They also had a lot of new cool local art up for sale, and there are a couple of pieces I have my eye on.  We shared a slice of key lime pie for dessert, and sipped cups of coffee slowly because for once, we were not in a hurry.  When we got back home, we changed clothes and lit the bonfire we had set up earlier <3  It didn't last very long because the wood was pretty wet, but it was spectacular while it did.  After a couple of shots of Jager, we settled in on the sleeper sofa in the office to watch Texas Tech take down Oklahoma in the Sooner Stadium!  It was "Get Yer Guns Up" fantastic!  Great way to end the night.

Sunday.  We picked Bella up from the Grandparent's house around 9 a.m., and then headed home to clean -up/cook a bit before our friends Jen & Hammy came over for a fire and some football.  We all had a great time and Bella even got to enjoy some wheel barrow rides around the yard.  Oh to be 5 again, or more importantly only 38 lbs.  J&H left when the fire went out, the chili was all gone, and football was over.  So around 6.  Bella and I then got cozy on the sofa and watched a little Ruby Gloom, and I was so comfy that I fell asleep.  After Bella went to bed, Vince and I hung out for a while and just enjoyed our quiet house.

Life is good.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Where Have I Been?!

I know, I know... my bad!  I promise not to take so long between posts.  PROMISE!

I'm going all the way back to 2 Fridays ago... Our bay window has now been replaced with 2 big regular windows and I love it!  I will post before and after pictures once I'm done painting and hanging window treatments. Plus we had 11 trees cut down and 2 stumps ground up.  It was a busy Friday.  Then on Saturday morning, we woke up and took care of a few things before heading to Raleigh, NC to go to Lego Fest with Keri and Nathan.  It was a lot of fun, and I'm not going to lie, I totally love that Bella loves Legos as much as I do :)  That night, we decided to have Chinese food for dinner.  big.mistake.  I ended up with food poisoning and did not stop puking until late Sunday.  I felt bad for Keri and Nathan because we were all looking forward to staying up late and having fun, but Vince and I both got sick and had to call it a night around 10 p.m.  Bummer.  We left around 10ish the next morning to head home and get ready for the week.

All last week was spent mostly being excited about my trip to Wichita, read I didn't get much of anything done.  Anyway, I'm now going to give a highlights version of my fabulous trip to visit my bestie, and it was fabulous!

I arrived late Thursday afternoon, and after a yummy Il Vicino pizza dinner, Jen gave Grant a bath while Ken cleaned up the kitchen.  Once Grant was asleep for the night, Jen and I cracked open a bottle of wine, sat on her back screened in porch, and talked for a couple hours while enjoying a view of her beautifully twinkling lantern collection that lined the wall facing the backyard.  We had a LOT to catch up on, and it was so nice to be able to chat face to face.  After awhile, it got pretty chilly out, so we went upstairs and watched a couple of Modern Family episodes before calling it a night.  Great start to my trip :)

Now Friday.  After dropping Grant off at school, we got coffee at QuikTrip, and then stopped by her work to drop off a cake for her boss's birthday and to meet everyone.  Jen has a hip work place, and a nice office.  I'm way proud of her!  Once we finished up there, we headed to a nice park downtown to go for a walk.  It was a beautiful morning, and while walking we saw a troll under a bridge, an Indian on a mountain top, a bunch of ducks, a homeless guy taking a leak, and a remodeled old hotel.  It was a very nice walk, well minus the homeless guy.  Post walk, we went to Lucinda's and shopped for an hour.  Very cool store.  All that shopping made us hungry, so we went to Tanya's for delicious soup and sandwichs.  So yummy.  Before heading to the mall for a little more retail therapy, we stopped in to check on Grant.  They were all eating, and Grant was the only one without a plate because he preferred to dump his on the table and eat it that way.  He so takes after his Mama ;)  When we were done shopping, we went back to the house, and while I took a shower, she went to pick up Grant.  Once Ken got home and took over, Jen and I headed to Oeno's, a wine bar, to meet up with one of her ladies groups... Anne, Pam, LG, and Hojo.  3 pitchers of Sangria and colorful conversation ensued and we had a great time.  It was nice to get to meet some of Jenny's friends.

Saturday.  We walked up to a local bookstore for breakfast, and then browsed through the books before walking home.  I love how there is a lot of cool stuff within walking distance from their house.  After we all got ready, we loaded up the car and headed to Jen's friend Ashle's house.  Ashle has 4 year old twins that both have special needs, and an absent husband to say the least.  Seeing how her life is everyday really made me thankful for all that I have.  A bad day for me is nothing compared to her daily routine, and it was a good reminder of how blessed I really am.  Several more folks joined us, Penny & her 2 boys, Scott & Megan and their 2 girls, and Anne.  It was another beautiful day out, and the kiddos played while the adults ate pizza and chatted.  Before leaving, I took a group picture of everyone because they have all been friends now for 10 years of so.  super.cool.  After an afternoon of relaxing, Jenny and I got dressed up to go out to dinner to celebrate our 35th birthdays. No, our birthdays are not until December, but we were together for once so close enough.  We dined at Yia Yia's, and they even gave us a complimentry birthday dessert of delicious peach cobbler.  After dinner, we walked around the shopping center a bit to a cool fountain where we took our famous bench picture together.  We've been doing it since college and it's been fun seeing us "grow up."  Once home again, we watched SNL, and that's 2 hours of my life I will never get back... Will it ever be funny again?!

Sunday.  For breakfast, Ken made blueberry pancakes with sausage links, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Grant stuff his face while jamming out to The Beatles.  too.cute.  After eating, Jen and I got cleaned up, and went to Lucinda's one more time so that I could get the coat I had my eye on.  I had finally made up my mind to buy it, and I'm so glad I did because I love it!  Then we had lunch at Cafe Moderne before heading home to take picures of Grant and pack up to take me to the airport.

It was a fantastic weekend!  I can't wait to do it again real soon.

As for this past week... I was a Reading Buddy on Monday morning, and then B-bo got sick and I had to pick her up early from school.  Tuesday morning she had a slight fever so I kept her home from school, but it was obvious in a couple of hours that she probably should have gone to school.  Oh well, while she was home, I cleaned our house like a mad woman, and Bella even cleaned her room.  By Wednesday, she was back at school, but Vince was home sick with a sore throat.  It turned out to be a great day because we were able to get his car legal, I got an iphone, and we went to Costco.  On Thursday, I had Bella's 1st Parent/Teacher conference of the year.  Vince was unable to attend due to a work conflict, and was pretty bummed about missing it.  So bummed in fact that he asked if I would video it for him... No, I didn't, but I thought it was both sweet and funny <3  Her conference went great and she is doing great in Kindergarten.  I couldn't be more proud of her.  Now it's Friday, YEAH, and I'm going to watch last night's Project Runway Episode.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Cool, I think...

I created this piece yesterday, and here are the steps I took...

Printed a black & white photo on tissue paper using my printer

Using glossy mod podge, I glued it to the top of an 8x10 canvas

Once dry, I colored over the picture with sharpies.

I like the end result, but can't decide if it looks cool or weird.


What do you think?

Vintage Napkins.

While in Mississipi this last time, I got to spend a lot of time with my Aunt Doris.  Here is a funny little story...

My Mom and I went to pick up my Aunt for dinner one night, and while we waited for her to finish getting ready, I noticed some nice vintage linen napkins on her dining room table.  My Aunt's dining room table is always set, it's just how she is, and with each place setting was a linen napkin covered in bright tulips, think sixties colors.  Well, I told her that I really liked them, and one day when she was tired of them that I would take them off her hands.  She told me I was a bad seed and then went to use the bathroom before we left.  When she stepped out of the room, I took one of the napkins and stuck it in my shirt but let a little bit hang out.  She came out, ready to go and talking away.  It took her a minute to notice what I had done, to which she lovingly smacked me and told me to put her napkin back.

The next morning, we picked her up for church, and she handed me the napkins I had been lusting over, plus another really cute set :)  Did I know what I was doing?  Hell yes I did, but she knew what I was doing too.

Tuesday.

Was a really great day.  I got Bella to school and then I began resetting the house.  I cleaned up the kitchen/living room/studio, unpacked from my trip, did 5 loads of laundry, finished a messenger bag order, and finally got a box big enough for my brother's birthday present so I could ship it.

I stopped at the bank and the post office before grabbing B-bo from school, and we stopped at Target on our way home for a few necessities and a few not so needed items.  While there, we also perused the Halloween section to make sure that our costume of choice still remained the same... panda bear.  After looking at every single costume, she decided that she did indeed still want to be a panda bear :)

Once we got home, Bella took a bath and I put away some laundry while we waited for Vince to get home from work.  While he made us a yummy veggie burger dinner, B-bo and I played some games, or more specifically Go Fish and Guess Who.  During dinner, Bella told us about what they had been working on in Technology class and it about blew my mind.  They are working on typing, and she proved it by placing her fingers on an imaginary keyboard and saying, "a, s, d, f, j, k, l, ;" using the correct fingers.  They had worked on the letters r and u today which she said was boring because they had to do it over and over again.  Learning to type in kindergarten?!  I didn't learn until the 7th grade so consider me impressed.  I guess the sooner the better these days considering computers are introduced at such an early age now.

After dinner, we played a short Uno tournament before bedtime.  Vince read stories, and I cleaned up the dinner dishes.  After that, we headed to the office so Vince could prep for his class the next day, and I sat on the red sofa and read.  It didn't take long for me to fall asleep because the next thing I remembered was Vince gently waking me and telling me to go to bed.

Really.Great.Day.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Trip #5

Friday morning, I headed to the airport to catch a flight to Gulfport, MS to meet my Mom, and help her finish up some loose ends.  We both arrived in Gulfport around 2 in the afternoon, rented a car, and made our way to Hattiesburg.  First we stopped at the bank to get a statement for Papa's account, and then we headed out to my Aunt Doris's house.  She is my Grandmother's (Papa's wife) sister, or my great Aunt.  Out of 8 siblings, only she and her baby sister Suzy remain.  Anyway, we hung out and chatted with her for about an hour before going to the Garden Hilton Inn to get a room for the weekend.  No way were we staying in Papa's house, it would have been too weird and creepy.  We grabbed some dinner from Newk's, put on pj's, and watched reality tv until we fell asleep.  I'm pretty sure we were out before 9 p.m.

Saturday, after we had breakfast, we headed over to Papa's house to clean out everything because the house has been sold, and we sold most everything in it too.  A local family is buying it, and their 2 adult sons are going to live in it.  So whatever they can't use, they're just going to donate, which is great because that takes care of the need to have an Estate sale.  My Mom and I had everything cleaned up and cleaned out in about 3 hours.  We've all been slowing doing it now for 6 months, so it made for an easy job.  It got hard though when I had to take his clothes out of the closet, and put them in giant trash bags for donation.  It felt like I was throwing him away... I know this isn't the case, but it still didn't feel good one bit.  At 12:30 we got some lunch, and headed back to the hotel to take a break for a bit.  William Hickman, the man who bought Papa's house, also recommended a guy who might be interested in buying Papa's car which was spectacular because that was the other big thing we really needed to take care of.  We met him back at Papa's house around 4, he looked at the car all of 10 minutes, and then offered $2500.  SOLD!  The last big thing was taken care of, and I could feel the stress leaving my Mom in waves.  Once paperwork was signed, we closed up the house and headed over to pick up Aunt Doris for dinner.  We went to O'Charley's, and had a really lovely time.  My Aunt reminds me so much of my Grandmother, and on top of that she is hilarious, and we spent most of dinner laughing.  It.felt.good.

Sunday morning, after breakfast, we stopped by Papa's church to drop off some checks that people had sent for the scholarship fund, before picking up Aunt Doris and going to church with her.  Before leaving for church, she gave me the vintage linen napkins I had been salivating over the night before plus 2 more sets.  I love her so much.  Anyway, after church, we had lunch at Mac's Fish Camp.  I know it sounds sketch, but it is delicious!  They have a buffet on Sunday's, and a dessert cart that is to die for.  So what I'm saying is, lunch was WONDERFUL!  After we dropped Aunt Doris back at her house, we had to go by Papa's one more time to put out all the trash, do one final walk through, and then say good-bye.  I took a birdhouse that Bella had painted for him, and put it up in a tree on the trail in his backyard that I have walked since I was a kiddo.  When I walked back to the front of the house I noticed 2 orange butterflies following me.  They then stopped and hung out on this huge bush full of pink and orange flowers in the front flower bed of Papa's house.  I took one final walk around the house, and they followed me until I got back up to the front where they went back to the colorful bush.  It reminded me that my Grandparents are together again, happy, and that they will always watch over me.

We then stopped by my Aunt's one last time to drop off a few things for storage for the time being.  It was an early night because we had to get up at 3 a.m. to drive to Gulfport to catch our 6 a.m. flights.  I had a great weekend with my Mom, one I desperately needed, and it was hard to say good-bye at the airport.  She leaves for Africa next Monday to go to Kenya and Tanzania with her friend Linda and a group from Georgia Tech, and now she can truely enjoy her trip knowing everything has been taken care of.

I got home around 1, took a shower, and then watched last week's Project Runway episode.  Now I think it's time for a cup of coffee before I head to pick up my B-bo from school, which I'm excited about because I missed my little kiddo biddido <3

xoxox


Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Off and Running...

Well, not in a good way.  Bella and I both have diarrhea.  So in other words, it's going to be a great day.  I'm not so bad, but poor little bit has resorted to just hanging out in her panties because it's just easier.  Plenty of fluids and relaxation it is!

Here's a little recap of our weekend.  Saturday, after the play, Bella spent the night with her grandparents, and Vince and I had a lovely evening at home.  Wine, dinner and dancing followed by a late night movie all from the comforts of our house.  It.was.wonderful.

On Sunday, we got all the necessary materials to replace our mailbox for the 4th time!  Granted, this is the first time we have replaced the post because in the past we've been able to patch it back together.  Not so this time, whoever hit it took out all of it.  Now it has a nice cedar post with an Ironsides mailbox on top so if it gets hit again, it will leave a mark.  Plus, next time we replace it will be with a hefty brick number, so people, please quit hitting our mailbox!

Monday was another rainy day.  I completed a custom t-skirt for a client, did laundry, changed sheets on beds, and did some general picking up.  It was Vince's first night of class for the semester so he didn't get home until around 9:30.  long.day.

Now, I need to return some emails because I have a messenger bag/wet bag order, a t-shirt quilt order, 2 more t-skirts to make, and a teepee to construct.  Custom orders rule!

xoxox


Saturday, September 24, 2011

Going to a Play!

I got 2 for the price of 1 tickets to Seussical the Musical for this morning at 11:00, and Bella is so excited!  I will add more to this post after the show.

Here we are before the show, and very excited to be going <3  It was really fantastic, and Bella loved every bit of it.  The sound/lighting/costumes were all spectacular, so much so that Bella can not wait to be in her first play.  Her favorite characters were Gerturde, the bird with only one feather on her tail, the little kangaroo, and Cindy Loo when she zoomed by on her stomach on a skateboard during an ocean scene.  We had a really great time, and can't wait for our next show... Commedia Cinderella at the begining of November.  It's an Italian comedic take on Cinderella which should be a good time.


Friday, September 23, 2011

From Last Weekend Until Now.

Let's just start with last Saturday...

Around 11, I left to go shopping for some new clothes, and La & Karl came to pick up Bella for a fun excursion to Monkey Joe's with Nanny.  Nanny likes to take the kiddos there for their birthdays and she always includes Bella which I think is sweet.  I finished up shopping and headed home to spend a couple of kid free hours with Vince, before the girls came back because Allie was going to stay and spend the night.  Around 5:30, we loaded up and went to Pap Pap and Jamma's house for dinner, and after dinner I took the girls to see The Lion King in 3D.  The movie started at 7:45, and I knew I was pushing it but decided to go for it anyway.  big.mistake.  5 minutes in, Bella began saying she wanted to go home, and she continued to say this about every 5 minutes after that.  By the time Mufasa dies, Allie is in tears, and when I ask if they want to go home, Allie says yes, Bella says no and begins to cry herself.  Awesome.  So I gather them up, we throw away our trash, they are both crying, and through tears Bella says, "I'm sorry you don't get to keep your 3D glasses like us Mom."  The attendent up front was giving me the "can I do anything to help you" look, to which I politely smiled, shook my head, and continued escorting my crying kiddos out the door.  Allie continued to cry for about 10 more minutes and then they settled down and began reading their books like nothing ever happened.  When I got them home, they took a bubble/glow stick bath for an hour, climbed out, and then fell asleep watching a Barbie movie in 10 minutes flat.  Whew, girls can be exhausting at times.

Sunday.

The girls were up at 6:30 happily playing, and planning their day.  They spent a lot of time outside digging for worms, hunting for fairies, painting the fence with mud, feeding the dogs carrots, and coming up with some of the most intricate make believe scenarios I've ever heard of.  They were having so much fun, that I didn't end up taking Allie home until about 5 p.m.  Once home, we launched into our nighttime routine, got Bella fed and in bed, and then I wasn't far behind her.  It was a fun weekend watching B-bo and her best bud Allie have so much fun together.

Some Highlights this week...

Wednesday was Peace Day at Bella's school.  She wore her purple butterfly dress because purple is the color of peace and butterflies are her school's mascot.  In other words, she was very excited.  When I picked her up from school, we began our usual question/answer session when she blurted out, "Peace Day was terrible!"  When I asked why, her response was, "We had to stand together and sing the same song over and over again, and I did not like it."  I just started laughing to which she wanted an explanation... I said, "Yesterday morning you sang the Ants go marching song 5 times in a row, the morning before that you sang the Doe a Deer song about 10 times, and this morning you sang your favorite song from Tangled several times in a row before we got to school."  She was giggling through all of this, but I tell you, she is quick on her feet this one, her response... "Well, I don't like having to stand still when I sing, I need to dance!  That's why it was awful."  So dramatic...


Thursday was Bella's second acting class.  She LOVES it and is dying to know what the first play is that she is going to be in.  Daily, she tells me that she also want to be a singer, and she wants to be on TV like CeCe of Shake it Up.  I have never seen Shake it Up, but she told me she has watched it at Allie's house and at Papa's house.  Without knowing it, I bought her a CeCe outfit at Target, and she now thinks I am so cool.  Gonna soak it up while I can, because it won't be long until I am so not cool in her eyes.


Friday, or this morning.  Bella chose to wear her white tiger shirt from the Houston Aquarium, a black cardigan, a floral skirt that I made for her, and her Missoni flats.  She told me that she chose her Missoni flats (and yes she called them that) because kitties like to scratch.  What in the world does that mean, and how many other 5 year olds do you think know about Missoni?  I love this kid <3


One more thing before I go... I watched Bridesmaids this week, and I LOVE this movie.  It made me laugh so hard I cried and I really needed to do that :)  So if you haven't seen it, go watch it very soon.


Now I'm going to make a second cup of coffee, and then watch Project Runway from last night and enjoy this rainy Friday.


Have a great weekend all!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

First Lunch.

Yesterday, Bella bought her lunch at school for the very first time.  You would have thought it was her birthday due to the amount of excitement emitting from every ounce of her body.  When Vince picked her up from school, lunch was the first thing she discussed with him.  She had mac & cheese, a pear, peach jello and chocolate milk.  One day, she will read this and think, "Really?  I was excited about buying and eating my school lunch?"  Until then, I will enjoy her pure excitement.

I wonder what would make me school lunch excited?  Something to think about.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Big Smiles.

Yesterday was a really good day for a few reasons...

1.  After being told that his class didn't fill for the semester, Vince got a message saying that the administrator forgot to turn off the class and that 2 more people registered last night which filled the class!

2.  My new boots arrived, gorgeous brown boots that I have been waiting patiently for for about 5 years to purchase...  I like them a lot!

3.  I have had a bonfire going since Labor Day, and as of yesterday, all of the 2 Bradford Pear trees that we took down have been burned.  I have bruises and scratches all over me, and Bella has asked me daily why I smell like a campfire.  Yes, I am a pyro, but a good pryo.  I only burn in a designated area :)

4.  Missoni did a line for Target!  I got a cute beret and sweater dress for Bella, and some silky pj pants and a baby blanket that I turned into a cute sweater shrug for me.  It's the little things <3

5.  My Mom made it home to California!  She can now relax since there will be no more back and forth to Hattiesburg.  Plus, now she can look forward to her trip to Africa in October that she is going on with a friend.  They are going to Kenya to go on Safari and to fly over the savanahs in hot air balloons.  How cool is that?!

Now to plan my Wednesday.

xoxox

Monday, September 12, 2011

Bittersweet.

Stay with me.  This one may be a bit lengthy.

It was finally here.  The weekend I had been dreading for a month.  The weekend we would make our way to Hattiesburg, MS to say good-bye to Papa, Theodore Roosevelt Schultz, my hero, and my best friend.

Friday.
Began at 4 a.m.  I got up, showered, and then packed while Vince got Bella up, fed her and then took care of all the animals.  We left the house at 6, and headed to the airport to catch our 8:30 flight.  We had a small layover in Atlanta, and my cousin, Alex, was on our second flight to Gulfport.  My Mom picked us all up at 11:30, and off to Hattiesburg we went.  We were home long enough to eat a little something, change clothes, and wait for everyone else to arrive, before heading to the funeral home at 5:30 for the visitation.  Thankfully, it was a closed casket, so it made the 2 hours there a lot more bearable.  Instead of people gawking at Papa, they spent time in the front room watching a DVD of photos of him throughout his life, and discussing fond memories.  Jordan and I sat together for a long time crying and consoling one another.  Out of the 4 grandkids, she got to see Papa the least during his last few months, and she was having a really hard time with it.  By 8:30, we were all back at Papa's house eating a catered meal that turned out to be quite awful.  Poor Uncle Randy, he was trying to do something nice by having our dinner catered so we wouldn't have to worry about it, and it really was pretty gross.  Honestly though, it gave us all a good laugh, and something else to focus on if only for a few minutes.  After dinner, the guys all hung in the living room watching sports, and the ladies sat around the kitchen table drinking wine and enjoying conversation.  It was really nice, and I gotta say, Sarah fits very nicely into our crazy little family <3  Around 10, the Schultz family headed to where they were staying for the night, and the rest of us cleaned up the kitchen and went to bed because Saturday was going to be a long day for all of us.

Saturday.
Bella woke up at 5:15, which is really 6:15 her time, but still it was way too early.  I finally got up with her at 6, made her some breakfast, and then tried to fall back asleep on the couch for a bit while she ate her cereal and watched Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  By 7, the whole house was up and beginning shower rotation.  My Mom left at 8 to head to the funeral home, and the rest of us followed and arrived at 9:30.  I ended up choosing not to speak.  I knew I wouldn't be able to do it, not in front of so many people anyway.  I had a private eulogy between myself and Papa on my own terms by our fire pit in the backyard, but more on that another time.  Back to where I was... At 10 a.m., the funeral began.  Andrew, Alex, my Uncle Horace (Papa's youngest brother), Pete (One of Papa's best friends), and 2 other gentlemen were the poll bearers, and when they wheeled in the coffin, everything became very real, and very final.  A few people spoke before we got to the family remembrances and once those began I didn't stop crying until noon.  My Mom went first and I couldn't be more proud of her eulogy.  I was in awe of her strength alone, being able to stand confidently in front of her Dad and deliver her speech without breaking down once and with a peaceful smile on her face.  She truly amazed me because throughout it, Jordan and I sat hugging each other and just letting it all out.  I'm sure we looked quite pitiful to anyone that could see us.  Next my Uncle Randy spoke, and poor thing, he was really emotional and torn up.  This has hit him really hard.  Andrew went last because he always is able to make us laugh.  His speech was touching/hilarious/sweet/perfect all rolled into one.  My little brother really has a knack for these kind of things, and I was so moved by what he said in honor of our Papa.  We ended the service singing "Amazing Grace" all together, and it was at that moment that I could feel both of my Grandparents smiling down on us.  It was beautiful.

After the service, Aunt Doris took Vince and Bella back to Papa's house, and the rest of us got ready for the 2 hour trek to Grovehill, AL for the burial.  Papa grew up in Grovehill, his parents are buried in the same cemetery, and 2 of his siblings still live nearby.  When we arrived, I noticed the 3 soldiers standing near the coffin.  Papa was a WWII Veteran, so he could request "Taps" be played at his funeral since he was in the military, and I gotta say they did an amazing job.  It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen.  Once everyone arrived, the pastor did a small reading and then prayed.  Next, one soldier played "Taps" on a trumpet, and then they preformed the flag folding ceremony at the end of which, they presented the flag to my Uncle Randy.  It was really a heart felt moment.  Once it was over, everyone got up to mingle a bit more, and I just remained seated where I was for a bit longer just staring at the coffin wondering if what was happening was really real or not.  When I finally blinked, I looked down and saw my Grandmother's headstone.  It made me remember that they are together now, at peace, and happy, and it made me smile.  I then got up, walked over to the funeral spray, took out a single red rose, smelled it, kissed it, and then placed it on Papa's coffin.  I kissed it one last time and said my last good-bye.  Hardest.thing.ever.  The next 15 minutes were spent hugging necks, and kissing cheeks good-bye.  My Aunt, Uncle and Jordan all were headed back to Atlanta, Andrew and Sarah to Houston, and my Mom, me and Alex back to Hattiesburg.  Promises have been made though to get together for part of the Thanksgiving holiday, and I think that would be a really wonderful thing for my family.  We need that.  Anyway, we were back home by 5:30, we ordered pizza from Mellow Mushroom for dinner, and then we all went to bed early because 3 a.m. would be here before we knew it.

Sunday.
By 3:30 a.m. we were in the car and headed back to Gulfport.  All of us and Alex had flights to catch at 6, and it was hard to leave my Mom at the airport, I'm not going to lie.  She doesn't get to go home until early Tuesday morning because she has a few more things to take care of before she can leave.  Alex bought us breakfast/coffee, and I thought that was so sweet.  I am so proud of the man he growing up to be.  Our flight left before his, so we gave hugs one last time, before boarding our plane.  We were home by 1, and at 2:30 I laid down and took a 4 hour nap.  I so needed it.  

Now I will leave you with this.  A picture of my favorite pair of Papa's jeans.  He patched them himself, that's the best part. :), and a little something from my brother...  

"Yesterday we said goodbye to a true renaissance man. After serving USA in WWII he spent 40 years barnstorming Africa, picked up a PhD, cared for his wife, painted every house in Mississippi (including Brett Favre's), and treated his grandkids like royalty. I'll miss his phone calls and the constant teasing we threw at each other. Goodbye for now my friend."

Rest in Peace Papa.  Until we meet again.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Wink.

Starting off the day with a wink and a smile from my purple cardigan wearing kiddo is about as good as it gets.  Also, I believe we are on day 16 of wearing pigtails.  How long will she go?


Remember to enjoy the little things <3  and have a great day!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Recent Updates

Love this piece because it has so much storage!  Eventually, the wall behind all this will be a collage of old doors.  Vince and I are still working out the details.

Snazzy shoe storage.  Each bin pulls out and holds about 3 pairs of shoes.  10 if they are Bella sized.

The fireplace and a nice view of our new shaggy green rug.  No worries,  drapes are in the works.

New toy storage for B-bo.  She loves it and it makes clean-up a snap.  win.win.
And there you have it, the most recent updates in the Ammirato house.  Our little work in progress has come a long way.  Stay tuned for future updates.

Perfect.

My little rock star diva.  A perfect way to start off a rainy morning if you ask me.  Bella has recently started wearing my sunglasses if she sees them laying around, and I gotta say I really like this little habit.

As for the rest of the day post school drop off, I will be cleaning the house, and then Allie is coming over for a fitting before I pick B-bo up from school.

For now, I need to throw on some clothes, make a second cup of coffee, and hit the road.  xoxox

Monday, September 5, 2011

Soothing.


That's what an all day bonfire is, soothing.  We started one this morning at 8 a.m.  It's almost 8 p.m. now. Trust me, we have a lot of bradford pear tree to burn, but I am utterly amazed at how quickly and how much we have burned in 12 hours today.  

I spent a good amount of time at the fire by myself.  While thoughts swirled in my head, I grabbed branches and shoved/threw them into the fire.  Sweat was pouring out of every inch of me, but I didn't care because the exertion felt so good.  

I have little burns on my hands and forearms.  Scars will form to remind me of this day.  The day I spent stoking a bonfire and talking to Papa.  Saying.good-bye.  Wallowing in vivid/fond memories.  

Grieving because I know it needs to come out.

It was a cleansing day.  a.good.day.

Let's back up a bit.


I'm gonna go back a little bit to last weekend, and then I will move up from there... Here we go.

Last Saturday/Sunday. 
We spent the entire weekend cleaning out the house.  It felt amazing.  Not only that, but we got 3 new pieces from Ikea that make life easier and look fabulous.  One was a storage system for Bella's room.  Now she has easy access to all her toys, and clean-up is a breeze.  The other 2 pieces are a snazzy shoe storage piece in the entryway, and an oversized dresser with 8 drawers for under our tv.  Now I need to make some drapes, complete the door wall, add a splash of wallpaper, and finish with crown molding and our living room will be complete.  I am loving the transformation immensely.  We also got the huge brown cabinet out of my studio and into the garage until we have a garage sale in a couple of weeks.  My studio is HUGE now :)

Monday thru Friday.

This was our first full week of school, and it went smoothly.  Bella is transitioning back into a routine nicely, and her separation anxiety seems to be easing up every day.  The Pre-K kiddos began this week, and Bella was super excited to help acclimate them to the classroom.  When I asked her what their names were, she gave me a few and then said she couldn't pronounce most of them because they were kind of hard :)  For example, there is a little girl named Branson that Bella sometimes calls Francis, and a little boy named Yaqui who speaks mainly Spanish.  B-bo thought his name was Bucky, and most of the kids think it's pronounced Yucky... poor little boy.  Bella had also been working on a challenging work with several steps this week, when I asked how that was going she told me, "Good until a Pre-Ker destroyed it."  Wow, destroyed, such strong language.  I gently reminded her that the Pre-Kers are only 4 and they are still learning and may need extra help sometimes.  She nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll try to be patient, but she destroyed it Mom."  

Now a bit about Vintage Fresh.  I have had a lot of custom orders recently and I LOVE IT!  One of my corporate clients, Gorilla Glue, ordered 6 t-skirts for a trade show coming up, and I busted them out Tuesday.  Now I'm working on an adorable flower girl dress for Allie, and an indoor hula hoop teepee for Ro and Rigs.  After that, I have more t-skirt orders on their way.  Go VF go!

Saturday.

Woke up to yucky news, but kept myself occupied throughout the day so as not to think about it all too much.  I mowed half of the front yard while Vince chopped up more of the trees.  We are down to 3 big trunk pieces!  It's nice to see the yard again, but it will be short lived because we have one more pear tree to take down.  Next, Vince finished painting some trim along the back of the house, and I trimmed up the wild and wooly wisteria bush.  That thing is crazy huge this year, and what a great little natural play house for B-bo :)

That night, we went to V's parent's house for dinner because his sister and fam were in town for the holiday weekend.  The kiddos played, we had dinner, and then Vince and I went home while Bella stayed to spend the night with her cousins.  For the first time ever, Bella had a complete meltdown, and Pap Pap had to bring her home.  She is a sensitive little thing, and she knows I am super sad right now which tends to make her cling to me a bit.  She is protective of her Mama.  When Pap Pap pulled up into the driveway, I walked out to get her out of the car, and as soon as I picked her up, her whole body relaxed.  She told me that she was sorry but she missed me too much and needed to come home <3  My little sweet princess!  As soon as I laid her down, she was out, and I was glad she came home too.

Sunday.

Around 10, Vince took Bella to play tennis/have lunch/go swimming with her cousins.  I stayed home and slept from noon to 3.  I decided not to fight it because really I haven't been sleeping well for a month so I know my body needed it.  Plus, I do not want to slip into a downward spiral so I am being extra attentive to myself right now.  V and B got home around 4 and we all relaxed for a bit before heading back to his parent's house for dinner.  We were home by 8, Bella was asleep by 8:30 and Vince and I were out by 9.  Exciting, I know.

Monday.  Labor Day.

Now it's Monday, and the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee are going to insure that we have a soaking wet holiday.  Fine by me, I'm feeling like a home body today and the rain will make it easy to stay inside.  It's going to be a short, and hectic week.  We leave Friday for Mississippi.  For now, I'm going to reheat my coffee, and then begin putting Allie's flower girl dress together.  It's going to be a good day.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Theodore Roosevelt Schultz

October 11, 1921 - September 3, 2011

On this particular Saturday, I woke up at 6 a.m. wide awake.  I laid in bed for about 30 minutes before wandering into the kitchen to make some coffee.  It was 6:45 and my phone was ringing.  The screen told me that Papa was calling, but I knew that it really wasn't him.  I knew what I was about to be told, and I was right...

He went peacefully, in his sleep at 6:25, with my Mom holding his hand and telling him how much she loved him.  Bittersweet.  So bittersweet.  It's been a rough 6 months, and all of that is over now providing a sense of relief, but now begins a new/deeper grieving process.  If I'm being honest, Papa has been gone for a month, but now he is really gone and putting that stamp of finality on it changes everything.

When I was a little girl, I remember our many trips to the airport to pick up Papa and Grandmother.  I would stand in the gate area, with my face pressed against the glass trying to catch a glimpse of the plane barely able to contain my excitement.  The moment I saw Papa, I would make a mad dash into his arms for the biggest hug and kiss I could muster from my tiny frame.  He and I would walk hand in hand to baggage claim, and he would listen to me, mesmerized, as I rambled on about whatever it was I happened to be into at the moment.

And our relationship was always like this, one big easy conversation.  In college, I began calling Papa every Sunday night.  Sometimes we would chat for an hour or so, and I grew to love and depend on these chats.  Sunday night conversations haven't happened for a month now, and it sucks.  I'm really going to miss hearing his voice.

I spent a lot of time with Papa over these last few months.  Time that I will treasure for the rest of my life. We spent a lot of it just talking about anything and everything that had happened in his life.  Amazing.

My Papa lived a full and passion filled life.  I can only imagine the party going on in Heaven.  He is with my Grandmother again, and his family, and I hope he gave my Dad a hug for me.

I am going to really miss him.

Rest in peace Papa, until we meet again....

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Balloon Canopy

It's fun to celebrate the little things as well as the big things.  For instance, first day of Kindergarten, kind of a big deal.  Now last year was probably bigger, but now she's in Kindergarten, the real deal.  So while she was at school, I blew up some balloons, tied them to yarn, and hung them above her bed with push pins creating a fun canopy effect.  I also rearranged her room a bit adding a reading/dress-up corner by moving her trunk to the end of her bed freeing up her window.  She loves the transformation and is happily playing in her "new" room.  life.is.good.

1st Day of Kindergarten





















It is finally here!  Bella was up at 6:40 ready to get her day started.  Her backpack was packed, pigtails perfected, and shoes double knotted to lessen the likelihood of tripping.  I walked her to class to help her with all her school supplies, and when we walked in, she gave Miss Angie a big hug before hanging up her backpack and beginning her day.  I noticed that she got out her orange Kindergarten journal that I got for her to use throughout the school year to write/draw whatever.  I'm going to try to give her a new journal each year, that way we can compare them as she gets older... Won't that be fun?!

And, as Bella starts school, I too am contemplating going back to school for Fashion Design.  I talked to Vince about it and he was nothing but supportive :)  I am in the research phase now, but I will keep you updated with my progress.  The more I sew, the more I love it and want to know more.  I think I have finally found my passion <3

For now, I'm going to enjoy my first day home on my own.  2nd cup of coffee, yes please!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Mostly Balanced.

I'll start with a little of yesterday... It was open house at Bella's school :)  She chose to wear her navy dress with pink roses, white mary janes, and pigtails.  Perfect.  We arrived at school around 4:15, the same time as the Primm clan.  Marty is in Bella's class this year and B-bo could not be more excited.  Once in the classroom, Bella showed Marty all around, and then introduced her as her "best friend" to any of her former classmates that were there.  She gave Miss Angie, who is about 6 months pregnant, a big hug before introducing her self to the new teacher's assistant, Miss Alexa who is another cute, young thing like Miss Ensley was.  I chatted with Angie for a good 10 minutes, and she tried with her charming self to coax Liz and I into being co-room parents, but I didn't bite.  I am going to do an art project a month, starting in October, with the kiddos in conjunction with what they will be studying at the time.  I think I may be as excited as Bella.

As for as excited as she acts about going back to school, there is also some anxiety creeping in and reeking havoc.  She has been with me all summer, and she gets very used to hanging out with Mama as well as attached which tends to some slight separation anxiety.  Plus, it's been a rough summer and she can sense that I'm sad, so she's extra protective of me right now too.  Don't get me wrong,  I love having her here, but I'm also trying to grow a small business, and I know once she has been in school for a week or two she will have adjusted nicely and be just fine.

After I put Bella to bed last night, Vince and I lit the huge bonfire we set up in the backyard, enjoyed a glass of wine, adult conversation, and the dogs running amuck around our feet.  After an hour or so, we were headed back inside, but paused to take in the stars first.  They were truly breath taking, and a nice reminder of why I love living in the country... so to speak.

As for today, for the most part it was great, with a bit of yuck.  Let's start with the great.  Vince took the day off to spend it with Bella since it was her last day of summer vacation.  He decided it would be fun to start a new tradition, and what better time to start then the day before kindergarten :)  They got up, got dressed, and went to The Flying Biscuit for breakfast, and I went out thrifting all by myself.  We met up at the Restore around noon to say hi to Pap Pap, and while there I scored a vintage chair for $40 that I'm going to reupholster.  Pics of that project at a later date.  From there, Vince and Bella went to Discovery Place and I went home to sew in a quiet house <3  They stayed at DP for 3 hours before Vince had to carry an exhausted/not wanting to leave kiddo out to the car, and she was out cold before they even made it out of the parking garage.

Now the yuck.  My Mom is home in Cali, which is good and bad.  She is exhausted and alone which = prime time for bad thoughts to creep in.  We had a very long conversation where she kept saying she just needed to get it all out so she could feel better, through big sobs and at times gibberish because of extreme exhaustion/devastation.  I just wanted to reach through the phone and wrap my arms around her and reassure her that it is all going to be ok.  Sucks that I can't do that.  All I can do is pray that this nightmare is all over soon, and we can all find some peace.

Back to good.  While Bella took a bath, I ran to Target to make an exchange and get some white air dry clay for Bella's class.  It was a teacher wish list item.  Anyway, while I was gone, Vince made dinner, and when Bella finished hers, she helped me make her lunch for the next day :)  Let's see if we can keep that one up.  Her outfit has been selected, teeth brushed, story read, kisses exchanged, and lights out.

In case you were wondering, the answer is yes.  I am doing a Kindergarten Fashionista album for this school year.  And her first outfit is awesome.

For now, good night.sleep tight.and don't let the bed bugs bite.

Unless you like that sort of thing ;)

One more thing... We discovered this at the end of the day.  Apparently, Vince dripped toothpaste down his shirt this morning while brushing his teeth, and it happened to fall in just the right spot.  Funny stuff.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

My Monday.

Here it is in a neat little list...

6:00 The alarm goes off, but I hit snooze at least 4 times.

6:45  I finally got up.  Trying to get back into an early morning routine for school.

7:00  I unloaded the dishwasher, started a load of laundry, updated my blog, and made my first cup of coffee.

7:30  Bella woke up, and Vince left for work.  I made her a breakfast of cereal/yogurt tube/orange.

8:00 Switch the laundry and began picking up the house.

9:30  Cleaned both bathrooms and my studio while Bella cleaned her room.

11:30  Lunch!  Ham & Cheese sandwiches with carrot sticks, strawberries and lemonade.

12:05  Time to reconstruct Hogwart's Lego castle for Bella's city that is getting larger by the day.

3:00 Answered all client email, and set up appointments for next week.

4:00 Got roped into rebuilding the space train, and finished my 8th load of laundry for the day.

6:00  Bath time for Bella, and Vince is home from work.

7:00  Dinner!  Yummy portabello mushroom sandwiches for V and I, and a hotdog/fries/an apple for B.

8:00  Teeth brushing, stories and bedtime for Bella.

9:00 Sat down on the couch for the first time all day.

9:30 Out!  Sorry I missed your call Jenny, I promise one of these days we will catch each other.

and there you have it... A day in the life of Q.


Monday, August 22, 2011

Perfect.

One word to describe yesterday that is because it was.

I slept in until 8 a.m. ;) and was on my way to the kitchen for my first cup of coffee when I remembered my promise from last night.  Bella was sitting on the living room floor surrounded by Legos.  I promised the night before that we could put all the sets together and build a city, and it seems someone did not forget.  So I made my coffee and we began our first piece, a set that can be made into 3 different houses.  She picked the house, and we began.  While we built, Vince made a yummy breakfast.  I finally came up for air around 11, changed into some yard work clothes, and Vince and I headed outside to do some more tree clean-up.  Bella opted to stay indoors and continue building while enjoying some Pandora.  We got in a good hour of tree removal before heading back in to shower and eat lunch.  I walked out to put Bella's lunch on her table only to discover a passed out kiddo on the sofa.  Talk about some intense Lego play <3  She slept for about 2 hours before waking up all confused and apologizing for falling asleep.  so.sweet.

During her nap, I made a trip to Lowe's for one more can of spray paint for her table, some blackout shades for her window, 2 lamp shades and some paint chip samples to make garland with.  Once home, I promptly fell asleep watching Phineas & Ferb with B-bo and ended up taking a 2 hour nap.  Guess I was sleepy.  Once awake, Vince and I headed back out to do a little more tree removal before it started storming.  Great.workout.

Bella was in bed by 8:30, and while I prepped the Hogwart's castle set for construction on Monday, Vince watched some football.  We were in bed by 10:30 in order to begin getting back into a routine for the school year.  I set the alarm for 6 a.m. and fell asleep to a starry ceiling and thunderstorm brewing outside.

perfect.day.

*I made it up by 6:45 Monday morning... gotta start somewhere.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Lovely.

That's what today was.  lovely.

I let Bella pick out some fabric for a skirt, and she chose a hot pink with black polka dots knit.  I have already put it all together and it is adorable.  She already has the perfect shirt and shoes to wear with it, and I will post a picture when she is wearing the whole ensemble.  She is calling it her lady bug skirt.  too.cute.

I also created another melted crayon piece.  It's titled "Ocean Wave" and I love it.  This crayon melting thing is becoming a bit addicting.

Bella is spending the night with Pap Pap & Jamma tonight!  Vince surprised me with this when he got home from work.  He told me to pack a bag for her to sleepover, and that he was taking her to the park for a while first so that I could have some "me" time.  I love my husband.

Now, we are deciding what we want to do for the evening while enjoying a drink in front of the fish tank.  Life.is.good.

Photo Entry

Here are some photos of what I've been doing for the last few days.  Enjoy!

I covered a canvas in fabric, and then melted crayons down the front with a hairdryer before adding the buttons.  I call it Fall, and I will also be adding a vertical 4x6 black & white family photo in the bottom right corner area.

A skirt for Bella made from one of the sample squares from Susan trimmed with the ribbon sash from her flower girl dress from my brother's wedding.  Coolest part, this skirt has built in shorts made from a t-shirt.  Awesome.

I repainted Bella's table and chairs a creamy yellow, and I made the area rug below it out of 4 pairs of jeans.  I'm also going to paint a stencil of some sorts around the table in a charcoal gray.  And I am also contemplating drawing a huge zinnia pattern on the jean rug using a bleach pen.  We shall see...

Enjoying some outdoor time since the temperature is finally in the mid 80's.  It has been a scorcher of a summer to say the least.

And that is all for now.

xoxoxxx.