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.

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!

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.

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