Strawberry Lane

J O Y

2011-12-24T09:41:00.000-05:00

May you know the real JOY of the season this Christmas!!!!

Lee, Amber and Reese

WIP

2011-12-04T23:17:00.000-05:00

I feel like I have been up to my eyeballs in my to-do list the past couple of months. I am finally got around to the quilt that has been on my bedroom make-over to-do list (thanks to a late night girl's sewing time). Here is a sneak peek at it. Right now it is at my friend's getting quilted...yippee!!! (I promised myself that I would practice and master FMQ in 2012!) I can't wait to see what it looks like on the end of my bed. Now to get busy on the pillows!!!!

Oh and did I forget to mention that I have manged to paint 3/4 of my house. It feels so good to have it finished, but everything it a blank canvas. I can't wait to start creating and adding new and upcycled decor after I get all my Christmas sewing finish!!!

Trip to the Apple Orchard

2011-10-29T14:47:00.000-04:00

We went to our 2nd annual trip to the Apple Orchard with my MOPS group a few weeks ago. This is always a favorite for us. Miss Reese has grown so much since last year. All the baby/toddler is gone.

Here is a picture of Reese from our trip last year. Makes my heart hurt a tad.

Of course we had to stop for a picture.

Then off for a tour of the sorting and packaging of the apples.

Look at all the yummy apples!!!

Dad was able to go with us this year.

I wanted to take a few of these home with me. I am pretty sure someone would have noticed me sneaking them out, so I decided to leave them there.

Next up was a hayride through the orchard to see all the apple, peach and cherry trees.

The littles were able to stop and pick out a pumpkin to take home during the hayride.

And of course, we enjoyed the beatiful scenery. I love all the colors that come out in the fall.

Stoping for a little photo shoot along the way.

After all the group activities came to a close, we decided to stay and pick a few (read way too many) apples.

Nothing like a little help from dad.

Nothing like the taste of fresh picked apple! YUMMY!!!

It's Official.....

2011-09-11T23:07:00.000-04:00

I am a mother of of Pre-schooler. How is that possible!?!?! Reese started 3 year old Pre-school a couple of weeks ago, and she LOVES it. It helps that she goes to school at the same place that I work, and she goes to school the two days I work. Mama is always close by. She has made a few new friends and is settling in just fine. Here are a few pictures of my big pre-school girl.

We hope you have a year full of learning, fun and new experiences. BUT please stop growing up so fast, Peanut!!!

Love,
Mama & Daddy

Summer Time....

2011-09-07T14:22:00.000-04:00

Summer came and went much too fast. It was a busy, busy summer. I kept waiting for things to slow down....and it never happened. It seemed like my blog was one of the few things that has been neglected. Fall is going to be just as busy, but I am determined to not let things get so neglected!!

Here is a glimpse into some of our summer fun:

Reese was able to experience sparklers for the first time this summer....They were a big hit!

Everyone eats marshmallows on the end of a plastic spoon....right?!?!

Lot's of fun times spent with Papa.....

and Mamaw....

Reese's 1st trip to the beach. I am pretty sure we will be making more trips back in the future.

Playing in the sand....

We spent a lot of time at the pool....including swim lessons in July.

So much FUN!!!

Reese was finally old enough to attend VBS. It was a Gold Rush theme, and the kids were asked to wear western themed clothes. Is it a bad thing that Reese had a different western outfit for all 5 days.....wink. She was chosen as the best outfit in her class on of the days. She was able to go up on stage and pick a candy bar of her choice....she chose a Milky Way. She beamed with pride as she told us all about it.

Fun songs......

and even more fun motions.....

And what would a summer be with out a little splashing in some water puddles!!!

We hope you had a great summer....we sure did!!!

Now to get busy on the never ending to-do list.....lots and lots of painting in my future!!!

Sweet Vintage 3rd Birthday Party

2011-07-21T23:16:00.000-04:00

I know I am over a week late, but I had a good reason. I have been enjoying some time away with Lee and Reese. I started to write this post several times while we were away, but each time I sat down I had heavy eyes. We are safe and sound back home with suitcases to unpack and laundry to wash.

Now onto Reese's Sweet Party.......

I had a lot of fun planning this sweet party for Reese's 3rd birthday. I have to admit that it wasn't what I originally planned. I had another theme all worked out and had even started buying a few things. However, Reese figured out that her party is all about her and that she is the one who gets to pick out the cake. She insisted on a princess cake, Cinderella to be exact. I am so not into character themes, so I came up with (talked Reese into) the idea of a vintage inspired Cinderella Barbie cake. From there, I decided to use vintage sheets and sheet scraps for the rest of the decoration. I was really happy with the result, and I am so proud of myself for not going over board and stressing myself out (and believe me I could have stressed over a few things).

I went more simple this year. I only decorated the dining room, only made the desserts(ordered pizza) and deciding to skip on favors (my family could care less for the small touches).

Bunting made out of vintage sheets. I am going to put it in my new sewing space to brighten it up.

I use an old framed print for the back drop of the dessert table. I spray painted the frame pink, removed the glass and covered the print with a piece of vintage sheet. The aqua "R" is from Reese's room. I used aqua mason jars (thanks to my mom and dad for letting me have them) to hold fabric pinwheels. I filled the jars with candy and wooden spools of thread.

Cake bunting made from vintage sheet scraps. Lee requested a Ho-Ho cake, and it was one of the big stresses-I have made it numerous times, but the top layer decided to break into 3 pieces and fall off. I was running to Target to get eggs and bake another layer at 11:00 and the party started at 1:00. It came together in time thankfully!

Reese made it very clear that she wanted pink cupcakes with sprinkles to put on the cupcake stand (found at Macy's). I made the pinwheels out of paper and glued a cute, little button in the middle. I then attached them to sucker sticks.

A big thanks to Aunt Denise for making Reese's Cinderella cake. She was so thrilled when she saw it for the first time!

Cute vintage cards. The one on the left was from me and Lee. The one on the right was from my sweet friend, Jessica.

Jessica also made Reese an adorable hat. I LOVE it and it makes my heart smile every time I look at it. She sells them if you need one :)

Reese was beyond thrilled with this little chick that came with her hat. She kept sneaking it off the table every time I turned my back...Thanks for a special treat, Jessica! Reese loved all the fun, girly thing you picked out Miss Grace!

Lee and I, as well as the grandparents, bought Reese this play house. Lee and our friend, Kevin, worked all day the Wednesday before the party to put it together. It was sooo hard to keep Reese out of the back yard for 3 days. It was totally worth it to see her face when we showed it to her before her party. Thanks Uncle Kevin!

Also, Papaw and Mamaw brought this fun blow up house for all the kiddos....it was a huge hit! Thanks Papaw and Mamaw!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Reese. I am so glad that you enjoyed your party...even if it wasn't what I had planned orginally!

Sneak Peak...

2011-07-11T22:37:00.002-04:00

Reese's 3rd birthday was this past Saturday as well as her party. She had a blast! More to come tomorrow.....

"3"

2011-07-09T02:13:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to my little Peanut, Reese. It is so hard to believe you are already "3"!!!

Things that make you special:

You always stop and say, "Hey Mama.... I wub you" Melts my heart every time.

I love when you say, "I can't know" but then answer the question anyway.

You love all things girly, pink, princess, clothes, shoes and toons. You would watch them all the time if we would let you.

You hate bugs, and real snakes...the stuffed, pink ones are ok.

You are always telling us, "I do it by myself"....definitely Miss Independent!

You love pink toe nails :)

Jerzee is your Best Friend.

You answer all questions with a question.....what, how (a new favorite), where, who and the list goes on.....

You love to sing!!! And we love to listen to it even more!

You are completely potty trained...YAY!!!

You are a beautiful "big" girl, and we can't wait to see you blossom and grow....but please slow down a little!!!!

We love you, Princess!!! Happy 3rd birthday...Cinderella cake and all :)

Love,

Mama & Daddy

4th of July

2011-07-05T23:59:00.001-04:00

Lee had to work all weekend, so our 4th of July celebrated was a little different then normal. Since it was just Reese and I....and since none of our family decided to have a cook-out....we went to Amish Co. with my mom and dad. It was a lot of fun, but I completely forgot to get my camera out and get a few pictures.

After Lee got home, we loaded up (and bundled up thanks to the cool July evening weather...what was that all about!) and headed to Cedar Point-the local Amusement park. We have passes, so we are able to avoid the $10 parking fee. We always go and enjoy the fireworks from the parking lot since the park is usually packed.

Reese enjoying a marshmellow on the end of a plastic spoon???? Not sure what that was all about, but she was enjoying it.

First time around sparklers (she also had fun throwing Pop-its, but of course I didn't get a picture). She was thrilled!

Aunt Melissa and Reese's reaction to the first fireworks that was shot off. Reese was so afraid of the noise last year, and we spent the whole show in our car. So glad she enjoyed them so much this year. Love watching life through her eyes!!!

I hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend......and here's to hoping Lee gets to enjoy it with us next year!

Coming Soon.....

2011-06-23T21:42:00.000-04:00

In a little over two weeks my little peanut will be.......3! How is that possiable?!?!? Guess I better get busy!

Thank you Amy for another great design!!!

Duck Love

2011-05-03T23:37:00.000-04:00

I am finally getting around to posting Reese's Easter pictures. The dress was a big topic this year! I had something else planned, and then Reese told me what she wanted. Definitely a newer phase for me. How could I not give in and give her what she wanted! Her only request.....a duck dress!

I immediately thought of a cute embroidery pattern I had in my stash.. After a fabric shopping trip, a duck dress was born in my mind. I was lucky enough to be invited to a weekend of chatting and a little sewing by a new, sweet friend. I had such a great time and was able to finish up a few sewing projects (which I hope to share as soon as our rainy weather goes away) including this dress.

Papaw search and search for some baby ducks for Reese's photo shoot. He pulled through (like always) and Reese was thrilled. I thought for sure she would be scared of them and not want to touch them. Boy was I wrong!!! I had to encourage her to love on them gently the entire day.

On Easter morning, Reese looked at me and sweetly said......"Thanks, Mama, for making my dress! I wub it!" Melt my heart!!! That alone made all the time I out into making it worth while!!

Thanks Laura for another great photo shoot!!!

And a huge thank you to Papaw for Reese's ducks and Mamaw for putting up with the ducks!

He Is Risen.....

2011-04-24T15:05:00.001-04:00

HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!!

I hope your Easter is full of family, friends and great fellowship! BUT msot of all I pray that your day is full of redlecting on the real reason for today!

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified
Freely forever
One day He's coming
Oh glorious day, O glorious day!!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

Busy busy busy

2011-04-03T01:08:00.001-04:00

My cutting mat and sewing machine have been busy, busy lately. I have most of Reese' to-sew list completed. My list, however, keeps growing and growing. I am excited to finally be planning some sewing just for me...well for the house...but still for me!

Here is a sneak at what I have been up to.

More to come.....

Silverlicious

2011-02-20T05:01:00.004-05:00

Wow....It has been way to long since my last post. It seems like life has just been happening lately. My family has been infected with germs all winter it seems....the flu, colds and lately a nasty stomach bug!!! It felt like Reese was getting 3-4 baths daily for almost a week due to the stomach bug. Top with the multiple clothes and sheets needing changed and lots and lots of laundry that I am still not caught up on. Oh and did I mention Reese has been potty training since the day after Christmas. She has been a stubborn one :) BUT I can excitedly say...she is POTTY TRAINED!!!! (huge sigh of relief!) We are still nailing down nap and night time but that will come in time.

Last weekend we were all healthy (and potty trained), so we ventured out for a fun outing to a reading of the new book Silverlicous. Reese isn't familiar with the fun Pinkalicous book and other adorable books that have followed it, but I decided to take her anyway.

We had a little time to kill when we arrived at the mall.....so, of course, a quick trip to the play place was in order! I love how this place magically gets Reese to take a nice, long nap :)

Then it was off to Border's for a little fun! She sis a great job at sitting still for the story...until half way through :)

Reese's favorite part.....art time!!!

What girl doesn't like stickers...or a pink necklace and pencil. She was very excited about the special treats she got to take home.

Admiring her artwork........

It was fun day for both of us! I can see many more trips to Border's in our future since she asks to go every time we go to the mall.

Now if we can all get back to 100% and keep all the bad germs out for good!!!

Upcycle Goodness

2011-01-12T16:05:00.005-05:00

Reese's collection of up-cycled dresses is started to get pretty big. I love them for a few different reasons...
1. It is a way for Reese to wear character outfits in a way I love (I am not a big fan of character clothes typically)
2. They are usually very inexpensive to make and a pretty quick sew.
3. They are comfortable(great for play but also cute enough for going out) and great for any weather due to the ease of layering over long sleeve shirts and leggings or ruffled pants.
4. Reese loves them!!!

Reese kept asking for princess dresses for Christmas. I threw around the idea of sewing a few cute dress-up dresses out of knit, but then she could only wear them at home (which I knew could possibly turn into a daily battle). I finally decided to find a few cute princess t-shirts and make them into up-cycled dresses. She was thrilled when she opened them on Christmas morning and insisted that one of them would be her Christmas day outfit. I, of course, protested and told her she had to wear the adorable knot top and ruffled pants outfit I made her. Then I realized that she was excited about her new dresses and that she should be able to choose her outfit for the day. At least she was still wearing something I made...hehe.

Here is what I came up with:

I bought the shirts NWT off of ebay, and they are originally from Gap (Junk Food t-shirts). I still wanted to give them a little of a "princess costume" feel, so I decided to add the pointed skirt on Sleeping Beauty and the sleeves on Snow White. Cinderella didn't have any "fun" additions, but she is my favorite. I love pink and blue together....and of course, the blue has polka dots!!! I also love how the colors pop with the black background of the shirt.

Here is the dress (in spinning action) Reese picked to wear on Christmas. It ended up being covered up most of the day with one of the many princess dress-up costumes she received as gifts.

Here are some of the other dresses I have made for her. I have a huge bin of shirts waiting to be made into a fun new creation and a tote full of knits to add to them. Lee loves the U of M dress, and I have a shirt that match the one I used to make the dress. Reese wore the Minnie Mouse dress to Disney on Ice.

I also have a few that I was lucky enough to win as giveaways. The horse dress and the Mr Bubble dress where from Melissa at Nookie Skooter. She did a referral contest on her FB page. She picked one name from the people who where refered to her page. Whoever she picked received a costume dress as well as the friend who suggested her page to them. Luck for me, my mom was picked....so Reese received both dresses. We like to pair the horse dress with a cute pair of pink leggings that have brown horses on them and Reese's cowgirls boots. I made Reese a pair of yellow ruffled pants last spring that look great with the Mr. Bubble dress. Unfortunately, the pants are getting to be a little short (which will be nice in the spring) and JoAnn's isn't carrying the yellow fabric right now to make her a new, longer pair. I won the cute doll dress from Sofia at Chimi and Change. She designs such cute designs!!! The dress on the left is from Trisha at Night Owl. She had my name for a swap we did last summer/fall. I am also planning on getting a couple adult pieces off of her for me. Make sure to check out and "like" her FB page. She is always doing sun giveaways and discounts!

Of course, the baby dolls love up-cycled dresses too!

Reese loves dressing up like Jessie from Toy Story. She puts on her Jessie costume, asks for her cowgirl boots and then runs around the house yelling YEE-HAW!!!! She has requested a Jessie dress as her next up-cycle. Here is the shirt I am planning on using (from the Disney Store).

Eeeekkk..absolute cuteness!!!

2011-01-12T14:56:00.002-05:00

Isn't this adorable!!!! I am hoping I win this fun give away!!! Go visit my friend Jessica's blog for your chance to win.

Christmas Goodies....3 weeks late

2011-01-12T11:32:00.008-05:00

Yes, I do realize that Christmas was over 3 weeks ago, but I still wanted to share a few Christmas goodies!!! I have been busy busy since Christmas (more on that later). Reese had such a fun time this year. She understood most of what was going on and knew that Santa was visiting us(and was sooo excited about it). The one thing she asked Santa to bring here over and over again was a Rapenzul dress. She LOVES Rapenzul and also loves to tell us about Rapenzul throwing her hair down daily.....I am loving this age!!! Don't worry, Santa pulled through!!! Reese ended up with tons of fun dress-up costumes!

Reese was so excited to leave cookies and milk for Santa. Of course, we had to leave a special treat for the reindeers as well. The excitement soon left after she realized the cookies weren't for her to enjoy...hehe

Christopher Pop-In-Kins is to thank for me being so busy. Christopher is Reese's elf who hid in a new place every night from the weekend after Thanksgiving until Christmas morning(his final hiding place....in the tree of course). Reese had so much fun finding Christopher's new hiding spot each morning. It was also nice for mom and dad since Christopher watched to make sure Reese was being good daily....and yes we did use this as leverage a few time. Christopher took all of Reese's daipers with him on Christmas night when he went back to the North Pole. So, as you can guess, we have been in full swing potty training mode since the day after Christmas(and it has been a loooonnnggg 2 1/2 weeks and we are still tackling the pooping part...sigh). Any suggestions are greatly appreciated :)

I shared a sneak peak a few days before Christmas of some the things I sewed. One of the projects I tackled a week before Christmas was bedding for a fun bunk bed for her dolls that Maga bought for Reese. Kerri from lovely little handmades and sew deerly loved put together a fun scrap pack(and boy was it full of some yummy fabric). I love how the bedding turned out. Here is Reese right after she opend it on Christmas Eve.

I like the quilts so much that for a minute I was tempted to keep them all to myself...until I realized they would be in my house for me to admire daily (but the next quilt I make will be all mine!!!).

I also made a mattress for each bed using a few layers of batting and some fleece I had in my stash. I sewed up a cover, slipped the "mattress" in the cover and stitched up the opening. Of course, every doll needs a fun little pillow... with a hedgehog patch!

I was hoping to give free motion quilting a try, but my machine decided to take a dump on me right before all of my Christmas sewing. My sister was so nice to let me barrow her machine. Since it was a different brand then mine, I didn't have the foot I needed for the quilting. I was also a little out of my comfort zone with a different machine, so I decided to let a local quilt shop do the quilting. My favorite is the coin quilt (the one on the left).

Santa (aka the hubby) also left me some yummy goodies as well. He left this adorable new camera strap cover from knittybitties in my stocking. It pays off to leave lots of hints I guess...hehe. I am also loving this strap (love her new hand embroidered patch option too) and also have been wanting to make a strap from this tutorial...I love Lindsay..such a sweet gal! There are so many options of camera straps. I think I could make one to use for each month of the year....hmmm...maybe this would be a good thing to add to an etsy shop when I ever get up enough nerve to open one!!!

Lee also suprised me with a new necklace. I love to get gifts that I didn't pick out but is so me. Didn't he do a great job!

AND....drum roll please....Santa (aka hubby, mom & MIL) really surprised me with....

A NEW SEWING MACHINE.....EEEEKKKK!!!!

Let me introduce Miss Jane........

We are still getting to know each other but I am so excited to start some new projects!!! More on the new projects in another post!!

Yes, Santa was so good to us this year!!!

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!!!!

2010-12-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I would like to wish all my friends and family a very Merry & Magical Christmas!!! I hope you all enjoy every minute spent with your family!!!! Also, may we all remember the reason we celebrate this exciting time of year. Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!!!!

Sneak Peak......

2010-12-22T21:52:00.006-05:00

I feel like I have lived in my sewing room the past couple of weeks. I have been busy sewing some fun Christmas gifts for Reese from us and from Maga, as well as a few gifts for others. Here are a few sneak peaks into what Reese will be getting on Christmas morning. I had such a fun time sewing them. Hopefully Reese has even more fun playing with them!!!

I decided that Reese's dolls needed some new clothes. Some of the dresses coordinate with dresses I have made Reese. The others are just because. Don't they look so cute sitting there together :)

Of course, I couldn't just make one dress per doll.....

I also decided that each doll need a new diaper. I used a great tutorial from Lindsey over at The Cottage Mama. She is such a sweet person and another blogger I hope to have the privilege of meeting one day. I know that Reese and her daughter, Savannah, would get along so well! I also love all of her fun and timeless designs and her use of trims (especially piping)! Here is the tutorial I used. I am also hoping to try out her camera strap tutorial after the new year!

I just want to squeeze them :) Of course each doll needs more then one diaper!!!

I love that Reese will have a few new, home-made things to play with....even better, they were free since everything I used was from my scraps and sewing desk!!!

AND....a little sneak peak at the project that Maga asked me to make for Reese. I will have to wait and take picture after Christmas since I didn't have the entire gift here at my house. I can't wait to see what Reese thinks when she opens this gift :)

I am so relieved that I finished Reese's last princess upcycle dress this morning. I hurried up and wrapped them while she was napping and forgot to take any pictures. I love how they turned out!!! I will post pictures of them as well after Christmas!

Now to go relax and enjoy the last little bit of this Christmas season!!!

It's Chritmas Time.....

2010-12-22T21:14:00.006-05:00

Christmas time this year has been so much fun. Reese is starting to understand what is going to take place Christmas morning. She has also been having so much fun finding out what Christopher Pop-In-Kins new hiding spot is each morning. She has also really enjoyed taking a star off of our Christmas tree calendar each morning. She takes one off and gets so excited....because she only has "____" number of days until she gets her Rapunzel dress (her number one request for Christmas this year). I also love listening to her sing all the fun Christmas songs. My favorite though is when she sings "Happy Birthday" to baby Jesus. Makes this Mama's heart melt!

We have been busy busy here at our house....well, I have been really busy! But, we have managed to have some fun during this busy season. We had so much fun getting together with some of my mom's family for a nice, casual Christmas get together. It was nothing fancy, but was so nice to relax, talk and especially to laugh with everyone!!! Here is Reese modeling the Christmas out fit I made for her.

And of course, we can't have a Christmas party without Santa. We are so lucky to have a Santa in our family...Uncle Darrell!!!

HoHoHo......

Reese made sure she let Santa know she is expecting a Rapunzel dress on Christmas morning. She has been obsessed with her ever since Maga & I took her to see Tangled a few weeks ago.

Someone please enlighten me on when we will be able to get a good family picture again!!! It is pretty much impossible these days!!

Thanks so much Uncle Darrell for going out of your comfort zone and giving the kids (big and small) so much enjoyment!!! I also let Uncle "Santa" know how special he is. Reese was not in the least bit afraid or cautious of him......The mall Santa was a completely different story. He was a little strange looking though

We also had so much fun taking Reese to see Disney On Ice. Reese talked about it for days and was so excited on the morning of the show. Some of the characters she was familiar with, but the ones she did know....she went nuts about. Of course Mickey and Minnie are always a hit with Reese.

BUT the one person she asked about over and over and over again.....The Little Mermaid. She was awe struck when Ariel made her appearance!

Of course, Rapunzel had to be in the picture too :)

Now onto wishing and dreaming about what Santa is going to bring us in THREE short days!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying this magical time of the year!!!

Fun Cousin Photo Shoot

2010-11-24T17:48:00.002-05:00

Reese had a fun photo shoot with my sisiter's kids a couple weeks ago. Have I mentioned how much Reese is resisting pictures these days!!!

Here are some of the serious pictures from the shoot:

(click on collage to view larger)

And of course some silly pictures were captured as well:

(click on collage to make larger)

Fall Family Photo Shoot and Thanksgiving

2010-11-22T23:29:00.004-05:00

I have felt like life has been so busy lately....and it is not going to slow down any time soon. I have been trying to choose the important things in my life and let some of the not so important things go in hopes of making the important things more enjoyable!!! I have also tried to make myself not worry or stress and enjoy life as it is happening....I know...much easier said then done!! My MOPS group is discussing How To Be a Positive Mother, so I have also tried to think more positively and rid my life of all the negative things...another thing that is easier said then done. One thing that doesn't seem to get less stressful is having Reese's pictures taken. Unfortunately for me, she has been in four photo shoots in the past couple of months. This is the expression that seems to be used the most in the photo shoots.

My how I hope this phase goes by quickly. Here is a family, fall shoot that my bro-in-law, Tyler, did for us. We were able to get a few good shots but most of the shots contain Reese with the oh so famous expression. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot.

I will be sharing some of my favorite pictures from the other photo shoots over the next few days (since I am way behind on posting them on here).

Yesterday at church, the pastor shared some Thanksgiving verses with us and this one really stuck out to me. It goes right along with the lower stress and positive outlook I am trying to incorporate into my life.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7

And since this is one of my dad's favorite verses, I thought I would include it as well.

Finally, bethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things. Phil. 4:8

Very Berry Trick or Treat

2010-11-02T23:52:00.004-04:00

Trick or Treat was so much fun this year. We were invited to our friends house for a quick dinner before heading out trick or treating with some of Reese's friends. Reese really enjoyed having some of her best buds to go trick or treating with (and so did mommy & daddy!)

I usually try to make Reese's costumes and special outfits, but I decided to buy her costume this year. I am so glad I stumbled on this costume! I LOVE it and think the peanut was just so "berry" cute in it :) I just want to squeeze her every time I looked at her.

The "BERRY" cute STRAWBERRY!!!

LOVE those tights!!!! and the beret!

See what I mean!!! So fun and squishy!!!

OK Mama......NO more pictures!!! I am ready to go play with all my friends!

Checking out the goods....

Look what I got!!!!

And her first choice for taste testing.....DOTS....up next....PINK nerds of course!!!

YuMmY!!!!

And an attempt at a group picture...take one.......

and take two......

OK I guess a group shot was just not meant to be :)

Such a fun night of family, friends and CANDY!!!!

Thanks Brinkman's for the invite.

We had a blast hanging out with all of you.....

you too Wilson's :)

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-02T23:12:00.004-04:00

Even though I love all the activities of fall, I am not usually a huge fan of it since it means SNOW is just around the corner. BUT this year, I have really, really enjoyed everything about fall. One of the favorites of fall time is PUMPKINS!!! We tried a different pumpkin patch this year. While it is closer to us then the other one we have gone to, it was definitely not as enjoyable. We will definitely be going back to the other one next year. Regardless, we still had a good time picking out our pumpkins.

Reese and daddy heading out to find some pumpkins.

They were having a very serious decisions over which pumpkin they should pick :)

"I think you should pick this one, daddy!"

Stopping for a photo shoot with Mama.

So excited to carve the pumpkin she picked out. She decided that she wanted a cat face for her pumpkin. Daddy did a fabulous job on it, but I forgot to get any pictures of the finished pumpkins :(

Can you pick whose pumpkin is whose :) I think Lee's pumpkin weighed more then Reese and my pumpkin combined!

Scooping out seeds while making sure to NOT touch any of the "guts". Her response to seeing the inside of her pumpkin...."EEWWW GROSS!!!!" Such a girly girl :)

No way am I touching that!!!!

Maybe we will try painting the pumpkin next year :)

I had to throw in a picture of Reese dressing up after church a couple weeks ago. She is loving all things girly, princess and super hero lately....yes I said super hero :) A new cape is in the works to replace her receiving blanket she insisted on wearing all day every day. I am loving all the fun dressing up these days :)

Fun Times

2010-11-02T22:41:00.005-04:00

Wow...Have I been horrible at blogging or what!!! Guess it is time to catch up.

A couple weeks ago, we had a fun, girl's only day to Amish Country. Nothing better then a good day of shopping (especially when it includes good fabric shopping) and yummy, yummy food!!! Reese had a blast since she had Mamaw and Maga all to herself. I tried (with little success) to get a good picture of Reese with Mamaw and Maga. This was as good as I could get.

Hmmm....not having much fun with this picture taking thing!

Oh look....a plane....

You both are so funny :)

Like I said before...she was in heaven to have both Mamaw & Maga that day.

Reese had a blast "swinging"

Ready ONE......

TWO........

THREE.......

Best part of the day :)

I even lucked out and got a decent picture of Reese and I!

Hmmm....I think this was the best day ever!!!

Thanks for spending

such a fun day with us

Mamaw & Maga!!!!!

An Apple Pickin' Good Time

2010-09-26T09:03:00.003-04:00

Ever since Reese was born, I have been wanting to join the local MOPS (mother's of preschoolers) group. I knew it would be a great way to meet new Christian friends and also a great way for Reese to spend time with other kids her age. My schedule never seemed to permit me to join until this year. The group meets once a month and also has a mom & kid day once a month. I wasn't able to make it to the first meeting since it was on our anniversary, but I was able to go to the first mom & kid day. We went to a local apple orchard for a few hours of fun.

First fun thing on the list was to go out to some of the apple trees for some fun apple pickin'.

Reese got busy picking an apple. Golden delicious was first on our list.....

Then a yummy Jonathan.....OOOOHHHH an apple!!! After her second apple, she was finished. She just wanted to carried this apple around for a while and refused to pick more. Maybe next year she will better understand the concept :)

Next on the list was a fun hayride around the farm. They have rows and rows of apple, peach and cherry trees. They also have a few acres of pumpkins and gourds.....Reese loves pumpkins right now and was very excited when she saw the pumpkins.

Then we were able to check out the apple package process, as well as, watch them make some yummy apple cider. We found this guy along the way. Reese was very amused and wanted her picture with him.

Then what better way to end our fun trip then........

An apple cup full of full strength APPLE CIDER.....yum yum!!!!

So of course we had to get some to bring home for daddy.....and for us too!!!

Here's to many more fun memories to come with our new MOPS friends!

Wishin' and Hopin'

2010-09-22T22:31:00.007-04:00

I have to admit that ever since I finished Reese's big girl room re-do...I have been really wanting to have a new fun space in my bedroom as well! While I don't hate my current room, it is starting to look ho hum and the bedding is really starting to show wear. Now I would love to make another quilt...but not sure I am up to the challenge or the price! It cost me just as much if not more to make Reese's quilt then it would to have csot me to buy one. I am so glad that I made it, but not ready to jump back into such a huge project! Plus, we have a California King size bed which equals a big quilt! We have also been with out a head board since we got married four years ago. Again, California King=large price tag.

I have been getting request from some family members for a Christmas list. Yes, Christmas is still three months away, but we like to get a head start around here. I started to think of things I need, but also of things I would love to have but wouldn't buy for myself....isn't that part of Christmas :) This all got me thinking of the "want" to re-do our bedroom. I started browsing to see if anything stuck out in the hopes I could add it to my Christmas list and that (fingers crossed) Santa will deliver. I found this quilt while browsing....aka drooling....on Pottery Barn's website. Can I just say that I am in love!!!! It is the quilt on the left.
Doesn't this look like a great place to take a nice long snooze!!!

Here is a closer view of it.

Love love love all the color options to use for the walls. Tan or a nice shade of khaki would be nice and neutral. A shade of blue would be more shabby chic. But, my favorite would be a nice warm shade of yellow....nice and cozy! I am loving yellow right now and have thought of all different shades that would work in various rooms of my house...ssshhh don't tell Lee! I am pretty sure he would never let me re-paint rooms anytime soon.

I also would love to add some home-made pillows to the matching pillow shams. Again, so many fabric and color options! I think a nice hand embroidered scripture pillow would be lovely (can you tell I am jelous of the little peanuts room...hehe).

Our night stands and dressers are nice stained oak and in great condition, so there would be no change there. But, I really really want a headboard. I have been wanting Lee to make me one for a long time, but I am pretty sure that will not happen anytime soon. I even showed him the farm house bed plans from Ana on Knock-Off Wood numerous times! Or even this simple headboard made from one of Ana's plans. As I said before, buying a headboard to match the other furniture pieces is out of the quiestion. So, I started to think of options I had. I am sure I saw the idea somewhere before, but using an antique panel door turned on it's side with crown molding added to the top popped into my head. Here are a few examples I found.

Love the aqua lamp in the picture above!

Not a fan of the blue color or the door knobs but love the style of the door in the above picture.

For the finish on the door, I am thinking a nice shade of off white and distressed, or red and distressed to add a fun pop of color!

Now to find the perfect door for cheap and to cross my fingers that Santa leaves the bedding for me on Christmas morning!!!

This Day......

2010-09-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

Four Years Ago I Married My Best Friend.....

I am so thankful that the Lord blessed me with a loving husband, a best friend and a great father for my little peanut!!! I always love to look back on our wedding photos and remember all the excitement that surrounded our wedding day. We had perfect weather, a gorgeous location (for Ohio that is) and was surrounded by our loving family! Our honeymoon was perfect as well and was a much needed, relaxing vacation for us both. After a 2 month engagement, me graduating Cosmetology School the day before our wedding and Lee finishing work on the house he bought the weekend he proposed....we were more then ready to sit back and relax! What were we thinking :) Sorry for the poor quality of the pics (bad scan job for sure) but I decided re-scanning pics was not in the works for tonight!

We had originally planned to have our wedding on a beach in Florida with just our close family there. Lee found this great location and somehow talked me in to staying close to home for our wedding. I am so thankful that my Daddo and Lee's Grandma was able to attend since we had the wedding close. They were our only living grandparents. Daddo went to be with the Lord in November, right after Thanksgiving, and Grandma Estie followed in June. So glad we have this picture to keep and remember!!!

So young and in love (and thin...hehe)!!!

Oh to be there again!!!!

Happy Anniversary, Babe!!! I can't wait to see what the years hold for us!!!!

Adorable Shoes for Sale!!!

2010-09-04T16:54:00.003-04:00

Bought this pair of shoes for Reese to wear this fall, and she decided to have a growth spurt and they will be too small. So so sad...they are so adorable on and comfy!

Morgan & Milo size 7.5 (fit more like a size 7)

NWOB

Adorable!!!!

$25 plus $5 shipping.

Please let me know if you are interested!

Suggestions Anyone....

2010-08-30T09:48:00.006-04:00

I am in full swing with making Reese's fall clothes. I pretty much have ideas figured out for all the projects so far (well, except for the projects I keep adding to my to-do list). Does one little girl really need all these cute outfits....I think so!!!! Anyway, I am stuck on one of the fabric I bought. I love the fall feel of the fabric, but am having a hard time committing to a design. It doesn't help that everytime I get an idea, I can't seem to find cordinating fabrics. The purples in this fabric are impossiable to match!!!

Michael Miller Brown Pet Deer:

Michael Miller Lavender Lolli Dot:

I am considering using this pattern from YCMT. The dress length. I thought it would be cute with a white long sleeve shirt underneath and paired with a pair of brown corduroy ruffle pants I already made her.

But, I would love to some how incorporate this adorable deer embroidery pattern by Tasha from alittlesweetness with "oh deer" added to it. So cute!!! Maybe an aqua patch with the embroidering on it....or maybe too much????

Any suggestions?????

Enjoying Summer

2010-08-27T23:13:00.003-04:00

Wow...It has been a month since my last post. We have been busy busy busy trying to enjoy the little bit of summer that is left. We have made two trips to Michigan to enjoy a weekend with friends, spent most of the hot days at Soak City, went to Cedar Point with Lee's family, with stood the stomach flu (me) and now on the second cold for Reese and trying to put a dint in my fall sewing to-do list.

One of the trips we made to Michigan was to spend some time with our good friends that flew up from Charlotte for a family reunion. I was so excited to get to see them since it has been almost 3 years since last time we all saw each other....which means they have never met Reese. Reese was in love with Rylee (our God daughter) almost immediately. It might have help that Rylee gave her a couple new outfits right after they met and Reese gave Rylee a fun upcycled t-shirt dress I made for her :) Every girl loves new clothes. We had a great weekend at their families lake house. Hopefully we will get to see each other again much sooner then 3 years!

Here is a picture of Reese and Rylee (the best I could get since they were so busy getting to know each other). Reese now prays for Rylee every night during her night time prayers (so sweet).

We also had a great time at Cedar Point with Lee's family. It was such a fun day but so very long...12 hours of walking to be exact! Reese did such a good job with only taking a half hour nap all day (she normally takes a 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hour nap). We all passed out in exhaustion at the end of the day, but we all had such a good time making memories!!!

This is Lee with his mom, brother and sister. How did a 4'11" lady have such tall kids!!!???

The kids enjoying the rocket ride.....one of the many rides they enjoyed over and over again.....

Enjoying the Peanuts 500 with aunt Denise after I had more then enough of the ride....thanks for stepping in Aunt Denise!

I was so happy that Reese was excited to meet Snoopy and some of his friends....she is normally not very sure of them. We also took a break from the heat and enjoyed Snoopy on Ice.

I can't believe summer is coming to an end. I love fall, but unfortunately it goes by much to fast here in Ohio....then comes the SNOW....oh how I dislike snow!!!!!

For the Love of Crayons

2010-07-28T22:59:00.001-04:00

We love crayons here at our house...and have tons of them!!!

Reese loves to color with them.....reorganize them in her crayon rolls (thanks to me for giving her some of my OCD habits)......just hold them while she plays.....

BUT.....what's better then a......

CRAYON MUSTAGE....hehe

Good thing they are washable :)

Bitter Sweet Memories

2010-07-22T22:51:00.004-04:00

Lee has played softball since I have known him...sometimes even on 3 leagues during the summer. One of the leagues he played in was with a bunch of guys he works with. I have so many memories of going to all of the softball games...but most of the good memories are from the league with his work buddies. Of course, the memories are not of the guys...but of all the wives that came along and sat with me in the bleachers. I have to admit that most of the time we had no idea what inning it was or who had the most runs. We were to engrossed in conversation and our kids to watch the game :) One of the wives I met through the league was my good friend, Ulli. Our friendship went beyond the games, so I have many memories that don't involve softball, but whenever I think of softball...I think of Ulli. This year Lee decided not to play on any of the leagues, but a neighbor come to him about a month ago and asked him to come help them out. Of course, if you know Lee, he can never turn down sports...he lives and breathes most things sports!! I haven't been able to attend any of the games for various reasons until tonight. It was not at the same field as the one where all the memories have played out....but it was a softball field....and the first game I have attended since Ulli went to heaven a few months ago. I think of her often, but tonight the sadness and feeling of loss came back strong. How I miss being able to talk to such a Godly woman!! Ulli was so kind to everyone she came into contact with. She was such a great mother to her three little girls!!! But, most importantly, she had such a strong faith in God. Through all of her illness, she never lost faith and never questioned why. She even made sure that her husband felt the same way after God decided to take her home. It is funny how you can just be living life and God reminds you of the great things He has let you enjoy. Even though my time with Ulli was much too short, I am so glad that God gave me the opportunity to make all of the good memories with her. I am sure that softball will never be the same, but I will always think back on the memories and smile!!!

Ulli, you are truly missed, but I thank God that I know I will see you again one day!!!!

E-I-E-I-O.....Farm 2nd Birthday Party!!!

2010-07-13T22:52:00.006-04:00

What a fun time we all had at Reese's farmed themed birthday party!!!! I hope you enjoy a peak into her party!

Cake Table: I used one of Reese's Little People farms for the decorationalong with some of the animals on the cake. And look at all of those adorable hats...thanks to Jessica...and they were a BIG hit!!!! Reese loved her hat and it looked so cute on her!

Cute fabric banner made from this tutorial....

I thought I needed to be super mom and make Reese's cake. After two attempts resulting in crumbling cake....I threw in the towel and scrambled to find someone to make her cake instead. Luckily the last person I called was able to make it....did I mention I was trying to find someone the day before the party. I think it turned out adorable and was sooo yummy!

HoHo cake I made.....one of my favorite cakes ever!!! This cake was the most popular. Guess I should have just made this one and avoided the birthday cake fiasco :)

What is a farm party with out animals!!!! Papaw came through in a big way and had so many fun animals for everyone to play with. There were goats, bunnies(thanks to Aunt Melissa), kittens, chicks, adorable puppies, turtles and of course...Lucy (Papaw's Pony)!!!!

Reese trying to help me & Papaw hitch Lucy up for pony rides:

We had a surprise visitor thanks to Papaw!!! Dora came to visit and pass out toys to all the little ones. Reese wasn't quite sure what to think :) But she did enjoy having Dora there.

If you look at the bottom 2 right pictures...you will notice my nephew Ethan (the boy in the blue shirt). Ethan is very special to our family. He was diagnosed with Autism when he was around 2. It took him awhile to start talking and having conversations with all of us. Lately, his speech has been excellent. We love to hear all he has to say....and most of it is full of humor. Ethan kept stealing Dora's backpack, map and Boots...so we started calling him Swiper. Of course we all chimed in and said, "Swiper no swiping!" to which Ethan replied...."You're toooo late!!!" We thank God that we have the opportunity to share in these great conversations!

Cake Time: Reese was in awe of everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to her!

She did an excellent job at blowing out her candles....mommy and daddy only had to help a little bit :)

Sweet Pictures of the Birthday Girl:

Love how her Birthday outfit turned out!!! And the boots were the perfect finishing touch!!!

We had a Yee-Haw good time!!!!! But this is how we all felt on the trip back home!!!

Thank you Mamaw & Papaw for letting us have the party at your house and for making sure it was just like a farm!!!! You two are the best!!!!

Some Cake, a New Kitchen & a Fiesta!!!

2010-07-12T23:47:00.006-04:00

My little Reese turned "2" last Friday. Daddy decided to take the day off, and we spent the day doing things that Reese would enjoy. She woke up to daddy and mommy singing "Happy Birthday" to her. Then she asked for breakfast.....what do you eat for breakfast on your birthday....C-A-K-E of course!!! And I was a fun mom and let her have it, it was her birthday after all!

After we got showered and dressed, we headed out to see Toy Story 3. It was Reese's first trip to the movie theater (besides a trip with mommy and daddy when she was 2 mo. old). She did so well and really enjoyed the movie. The Wendy's fries and chicken nuggets we were able to sneak in helped out too!

We then went back home and put the birthday girl down for a nap while me and Lee finished her birthday gift. Nothing like working on it to the very last minute :) We made Reese a new kitchen using plans from Knock Off Wood. I had enough paint left from the shelf I painted for her room to paint the kitchen with. I am so happy with how it turned out. We do have to do a slight modification to the oven door, but other then that it turned out well. I made a curtain for under the sink out of fabric that I used in her quilt to hide some of her kitchen goodies. I also used some scraps left over from her quilt and made a few embroidered towels. She LOVES her new kitchen and has played with it almost non-stop since her birthday. I love that she now has something besides my sewing room to keep her busy while I am getting ready!

(click on the picture to enlarge)

I'm thinking I need to add something above the sink and stove...it looks a little bare. Any suggestions???

We finished off her birthday with a trip to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa Las Palmas, for dinner. She wasn't sure about them singing to her......

(Our favorite waiter, Pedro, is the one on the far left....he has been our requested waiter since before I was even pregnant with Reese)

Still not sure about the singing.....

But she loved the dessert they brought her!!!

Yum Yum!!!!

We always end our Casa Las Palmas trips by saying "Hello" to the horses that are behind the restaurant.

What a fun Birthday Reese had!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Peanut!!!

2010-07-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe it has already been 2 years since one of the best days of my life. It seems like I was just coming home with my new little one just yesterday. Now, you run from place to place and have conversations with me. I am enjoying watching you discover so many new things, but I have to admit that I do miss my little baby some days. Sure you like to sit and cuddle every now and then, but now you are much to busy to sit very long.

You love to dance and sing!! You love ketchup with a side of fries, ice cream and you would choose apple juice over milk every time! I love that you can talk to me and tell me what you want or need....well, most of the time I like it :) Right now you would go swimming everyday if I would take you. You also adore to swing but am still very leery of slides. Dora is your favorite cartoon, but you are happy with any cartoon. Of course, I am a bad mom and have to tell you no to cartoons more often then you would like me to. Snow White and Toy Story are you movies of choice right now. You love animals, but your favorite by far are the neigh's!!! And of course, we can't forget your favorite color.....PINK!!!!

I can't wait to see what the years have in store...just please take them a little slower then the past two! You are growing into such a beautiful little girl and am so proud to be called your Mama!!! I will also continue to savor the fact that you think Mama & Daddy are the best two people on earth!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Reese!!!!

We love you!!

Mama & Daddy

Farm Birthday Party Sneak Peak

2010-07-07T20:03:00.003-04:00

My little peanut is turning "2" on Friday. We are celebrating her birthday with our families on Saturday. Reese LOVES farm animals, so I thought a farm theme for her party would be perfect.

The invites turned out so cute! Once again, Amy was beyond patient and come up with a great finished product!

Some information blurred for privacy...I would love tips on a good way to do this!

The birthday hats arrived today.....and are they C-U-T-E!!!! This a the special hat for the birthday girl. It matches her dress just perfect!!! The other hats are just as cute!!! We have Jessica to thank for all the cuteness!!! Thanks so much Jessica!!

And the cowgirl boots are here too...and the little peanut is thrilled with them....I see another pair in a bigger size in our future...hehe....

Now if we can just finish the play kitchen that we are giving her on her birthday....eekkk!!!

Fun in the Sun!!!

2010-07-07T19:41:00.003-04:00

It has been way to long since the last post!!! I have been so busy trying to get everything ready for Reese's 2nd birthday this Friday and for her Farm Birthday Party this Saturday. We also have been spending all our free time (and not so free time) at Soak City (one of my favorite things about summer!!!) We have an amusement park (Cedar Point) that is about 15 minutes from our house that we get passes to every year. The park also has a water park that we can use our passes for. Soak City is usually where I spend a lot of my summer. Here is a few pictures of Reese from one of our weekend visits to Soak City. It is hard to get her to slow down long enough for a good picture...she LOVES to go "swimming". The other day I actually decided to stay home and try to catch up on some things...despite the 90+ temps. Reese came up to me and said, "Mama, I want to go swimming, go put on my swim suit!". Boy, is her speech improving :)

I hope everyone is enjoying so summer fun too!!!

Weekend of Fun & First's!!!!

2010-06-28T23:08:00.004-04:00

We were invited to spend the weekend with our friends at their grandparent's cottage that is located in Michigan. We headed up late Friday evening and stayed until Sunday afternoon. It was such a great weekend filled with laughter, fun, food and a lot of first's for Reese. We started out on Saturday with mine and Reese's first ride on a Jet-Ski....and it was a blast!!!! The faster I went, the more Reese loved it....We are definitely in trouble since we found out our little peanut is a flat out dare devil! My first words to Lee after getting off was, "we NEED one of these!!!"

We took the boat out a little later and had fun speeding around the lake and pulling everyone around on the a tube. I forgot to take my camera :( Again, it was the first time to ride a tube for me and Reese. She had a blast, but unfortunately, our ride ended with both of us in the lake. I was much more worried then Reese and Reese was more worried about me being out in the lake still then getting back to the boat safely. It was a lot of fun...to bad I have no pictures to prove all the fun time. Reese loved the boat ride and squealed for most of it.

After the boat ride, we came back to the cottage and grilled out for dinner and the kids and Uncle Kevin did some fishing. It was Reese's first time, and she was thrilled that she caught her very first fish. I think we were all in shock that she caught it all by herself!

We followed dinner with Oreo's and sitting around a fire until bedtime......

Sunday was a lazy day thanks to off and on rain. We were able to get a few more rides on the Jet-Ski and some swimming time with daddy.....and one last first for Reese....she had her hair in a pony tail for the first time. My baby has turned into a little girl....sigh.....

It was such a great week-end filled with lots of F-U-N!!!!!

Yummy Garage Sale Finds

2010-06-22T14:55:00.003-04:00

I love Garage Sales!!!! But I love leaving them with a lot of fun goodies even more!!! I found a good one last week and thought I would share some of the goodies I found with all of you.

Lee and I decided to build Reese a play kitchen for her birthday (her birthday is in 3 weeks and the kitchen isn't started yet...eekkk!) I've been keeping my eyes out for some fun play kitchen items to add to it. I was so excited to find these: (total was only $4.50)

I also found some fun sewing notions to add to my stash. I bought a big bag of vintage buttons (still on the cardboard) for $5. I also found this pretty crochet "lace". Not sure exactly I will do with it, but I am in visioning it attached to the bottom band of a dress....maybe for Christmas. It will look so pretty with some vintage looking fabric that is maybe brown, red and cream......

Love these wooden spools to add to my collection.....

A bag full of ric-rac, bias tape and trim......

This is my favorite! Any ideas on what or how to use it????

I love the colors in these 2 pillowcases.....so many options here. Pillowcase dresses (maybe with a band on the bottom that has some fun vintage looking hand embroidering on it), pair of ruffle capris for next summer with a pretty aqua shirt or even a fun twirl skirt......

Keeping my fingers crossed for many more yummy garage sale finds this summer!!!!

Strawberry Princesses

2010-06-20T19:54:00.006-04:00

Wow...was this a busy weekend. My niece, Taylor, is turning "5" tomorrow and we celebrated her birthday this weekend. My sister let her decide the type of party she wanted, and all she wanted was a girl's weekend. She did have a few request....she wanted to wear a tutu, she wanted her nails polished and she wanted cheese sticks :) After much discussions and many changes, Taylor decided she wanted a strawberry theme as well....with a little pushing from Auntie Amber. I was so thrilled!!!

We started off the celebration on Friday evening. My sister, Taylor, Reese and I loaded up in my car and headed to Mamaw's house (Papaw was out of town, so it was just us girls). We went and grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to my mom's house for some yummy jello cake. Her is the birthday girl posing with her requested cake :)

Then it was time for some pampering! Last year Reese fought me every time I polished her toe nails.....and as a licensed cosmetologist, I thought they should be polished all the time. I just haven't been in the mood lately to fight with her, so her toes have just stayed unpolished so far this summer. She surprised by asking my to polish them and sitting like a big girl the entire time. I was one proud and excited mama!!! She is thrilled that she has pink toes!!! So much so that she made me take of her shoes and socks at church this morning so she could show them off. Let me also add that she has a new obsession with pink (and I love it!!!). After every one's nails looked pretty, Taylor opened one of our gifts....pink horse PJs that match a pair Reese has. They looked so cute! And since it was a slumber party....we stayed up until 11:00 and Reese still wasn't ready for bed :)

Saturday was the big day!!! The birthday girl was just stunning and she knew it...hehe. I taught my sister how to make a tutu for Taylor, and she did a great job on it!!! I also appliqued a strawberry shirt for her to wear and topped of the tutu with a bow. Of course, she had to have a cute bow for her hair as well. Also note her new "high heels"....another request from the birthday girl. And yes, she is turning "5" not "15"!

I was thrilled to have an excuse to make Reese a cute Strawberry outfit. I ordered a shirt off ebay and used some used knits to make this cute, comfortable dress (look for the cute detail on the back below).

We first stopped at a fun local spot for some pictures and to feed the ducks......

Loved this duck, but not sure why.

We also stopped and smelled the flowers.....

And was even surprised by an airplane flying over (Reese's new obsession is noises....she asked me at least 50 times a day, "What's that noise?" as she puts her little hand to her ear....so cute!). Can you tell she was very excited :)

We played in a fountain.......

And said "c-h-e-e-s-e" many, many times.....

And we where able to find a bunch of tadpoles that were just getting there legs....

Of course, we had to stop for a photo shoot with Mamaw......

After we finished up there, we moved on to the Carousel located in down town. It was a big hit!

We went to dinner at Red Lobster where the birthday girl ate yummy cheese sticks. The little peanut asked me to hold her half way through dinner and was out in less then a minute...she was so tuckered out :) Of course, we had to make a stop at Cold Stone when on the way home!!

It was a great weekend!!!

We all had a B-L-A-S-T!!!!

Labor of Love

2010-06-16T20:00:00.008-04:00

Reese's big girl room has been a work in progress since February....and I am so happy to say it is finally completely finished!!! She has been sleeping in her big-girl bed since the beginning of May, but we were finally able to complete the finishing touches in the last few weeks. It has truly been a labor of love, but I am so happy with how it turned out.....and yes, I doubted myself through the entire process!!!

I thought it would be so neat to make her quilt for her bed...and I asked myself many many times what I was thinking :) It was my first quilt, and let me tell you....a 96"x96" is not the best size to be your very first quilt :) There were many tears, lots of joy and even more frustration during the making of it...but I am so glad I was able to make her something she can always hold on to!!! My dad's amish friend, Esther, helped me hand quilt it along with help from many of other Amish friends. I love to look at all the stitches and remember all the conversations and love that went into all of them. It is an experience I will cherish forever!

Here is a peak into what Reese is enjoying so much!

Here is a look into her room from the hallway.....I absolutely love the wall color! We decided to buy Reese an nice set of Amish made oak furniture. It will last her for a long time. We were also very lucky to find the exact bed we wanted 50% off....$250 is a steal for a solid oak queen bed (which is why she ended up with such a big bed, but she loves all the room).

Her nice roomy bed :) I bought the vinyl wall decal off esty from happy tree graphics. I love the sweet birds, and Allison was very helpful!

I made all the pillows for her bed, and had alot of fun coming up with a few different things. I fell in love with this verse when I saw it on a pillowcase on esty. I knew I wanted to include it in her room somehow. I decided to hand embroider it on a pillow along with a sweet bird.

A close-up of the sweet bird.....

I really like how this pillow turned out. I first quilted the white part, then I attached the birds on it using steam-a-seam. I then hand stitched around each bird. I attached the back of the pillow and then added binding all the way around (like you would on a quilt). I used an envelope style back on both pillows so I can remove the pillow and wash if ever needed.

Reese's name and small note from me pieced into the back of her quilt....love all those quilted rows of hearts!

I found the frame on the left at Goodwill and the one on the right at an antique shop (it had a not so pretty picture of a lady in it that ended up in the trash). I spray painted them off white and covered a plain white mat and a mat I cut out of thick cardboard with fabric that matched her room.

Here is her night stand. I scored the lamp at an antique store for $15. The wood piece was a dark green so I took the lamp a part and spray painted it aqua. I then bought a cheap lamp shade at Target and covered it with some fabric that match the curtians. Her night stand is topped off with a few fun, antique books and a picture of Reese's best bud, Jerzee.

I thought there was something missing above her dresser and was happy when I found this cute bird cage in Amish County last week. Maga was so nice to buy it for Reese! Love how it matches the wall decal!

I have to have a clock in all rooms of the house. I was so excited to find this cute clock at a local store that was going out of business. It was only $3.00 which I knew was a great deal. It wasn't until further inspection that I realized how great of a deal it was...the original price was $96!!!

Of course I had to include our love of horses in the room. These are boots that my sister and I wore. I love that Reese was able to wear them and decided to make Reese's Halloween costume around them last year. Love this picture of Reese...definately one of my favorites (thanks Ty!)

I didn't get a picture of the shelf that hangs to the left of the room in the very first picture. It was a shelf we bought for her nursery and painted white. I bought some pretty aqua paint that matched her curtains and painted it. I decided to distress it and love how it turned out. Here are the fun things that are on the shelf.

I bought this cute bird doily at an antique store for $3. The flowers were made from scraps using a great tutorial from Dana over at Made. I decided that the "stems" needed something, so I covered them with fabric as well. The little doll is from my Mawmaw that passed away in 2001. I only have two things from her, so I was so thrilled that it matched Reese's room. I love that I can look at it everyday and think of her!

I sanded down the "R" and repainted and distress it (it was from her nursery). A fun, little, red teapot I scored at TJMAxx for $3. The dolls are from ebay.

The neat blue jars are from my mom and dad. I found the wooden spools of thread at Goodwill for $3 (such a fun find). I was going to use them in my sewing room, but since it will probably never get decorated, I thought they would look great here. These dolls are from ebay as well (shouldn't have bid on both sets at the same time...hehe).

Cute embroidery hoops that are on the wall above the rocking chair (which Reese was definaltey not ready to give up yet). I love how they turned out.

Close-up of the hand embroidered bird.....

Here is a close-up of the ruffles on the bottom of the curtians and a sweet dollie. The dollie is how I first became friends with Angel. I am so grateful for being able to become friends with her! I am also greatful for being able to meet Jessica through her as well! Two friends that I know were sent to me by God!

Cuteness on the dollie's bum :)

I hope you enjoyed the glimpse into the peanut's room. Now onto to decorate the rest of the house....sshhh...don't tell Lee :)

This Little Piggy

2010-06-13T08:49:00.003-04:00

It is the time of year where we have to water our flowers morning and evening, unless it rains. Reese has really been having fun helping us, but hasn't really been able to help much. I told Maga (Lee's mom) that I was looking for a watering can for Reese so she could "help" us out. The next day, Maga came with a gift for Reese....and boy is it cute!!!! Meet the peanut's Oink Oink......

She is having a blast and wants to water all the time!! Unfortunately she finds it more fun to water the concrete more than the flowers :)

We are loving these warm days of summer. Reese's favorite place to be it ou sigh (out side!!!)

We hope you are enjoying your summer as much as we are!!!

Photo Shoot and a Lollipop

2010-06-12T07:34:00.003-04:00

I have been needing a good photo for Reese's birthday invite and have had no luck getting one on my own. The little peanut is almost impossiable to photograph lately. So, I asked my BIL, Tyler, if he minded trying to get one for me. He was happy to try, as always. He had been wanting to try using a lollipop as a prop and I thought it was a great idea. He mentioned it right after Jessica posted this post....so sweet! Reese l-o-v-e-d the lollipop!!! Here are a few of our favorites.

I used this one for her invite and it turned out so cute! Now to get them printed and mailed out!

Love this one in sephia and will probably have it printed for her bedroom wall...which reminds me. I am hoping to get the room finished and pictures posted soon! I have been so excited to share it, but the wall decal I ordered was messed up, and I am still waiting to get a new one shipped....impatiently waiting!!!

Special Delivery

2010-06-08T22:42:00.003-04:00

Reese received a special delivery from a very special friend, Jessica! She was very excited to see what was in the box :)

Can you tell she LOVED the bows!!! She ripped out her bow and ask me to replace it with one of her new #2 bows. Grace wore these and decided to pass them onto Reese since Grace is now 3 and Reese is getting ready for big #2 birthday. I might have to add pink to her birthday outfit just so she can wear these to her birthday party :)

And look at this adorable chalk mat. Look how yummy that oilcloth is!!! I thought for a second that I should keep it for myself :) You can make one yourself using Jessica's great tutorial. I know this will come in very handy for all our outings!

Jessica also sent a banner from Grace's 2nd farm birthday party that I am going to recycle for Reese's upcoming farm birthday!

Thanks so much Jessica!!! It made our day even brighter!!!

Tonight at dinner.....

Whenever we go out to eat, we always take Reese a sippy cup of milk. Tonight we thought we would be the "fun" parents and let her have some Coke(something very rare). She took one l-o-n-g drink and said, "Mmmmm....POP"! It was just priceless!!!

Memorial Day FUN!!!

2010-06-01T21:28:00.009-04:00

We had a great Memorial Day weekend!!
It was a weekend stuffed full of family, friends, yummy food and tons of fun!!! On Saturday, we had some of Lee's family over for dinner. On Sunday, my favorite cousin, Kristin (who is visiting from VA), and I did a little shopping. Then we picked Lee and Reese up and had a yummy dinner at Red Lobster. We went to my parent's house on Monday for a cook-out and tons of fun!!! Here are a few activities from Monday.

I am needing a cute picture for Reese's upcoming birthday invites. This was the best I was able to get. I love it, but wish her hair wasn't in her face. I was hoping for a cute one since Papaw has so many farm related props....guess another photo shoot might be in the near future.

This is my beautiful niece, Taylor!

Now for all the fun!!!

We played a little corn hole......

Drove a car or two.....

Tried out our cousin's helmet and scooter.......

And for the most fun part of the day......

Meet Lucy....one of my Papaw's Ponies

Here is Papaw in between giving us all rides....

Reese LOVED the pony ride(like always) and refused to get off. I think her birthday party is going to be a big hit :)

Well, the pony cart decided to get a flat when Reese and I were riding. Unfortunately, I was the one who got to walk back to the house while Reese and Papaw rode.

This is how the kids decided to stay busy while Papaw fixed the flat tire (thankfully my sister was the one who got to pull them around and not me!)

My dad has picked up some fun things through the years and my mom has started digging some out. Here are a few I found fun through out the day.

This neat metal bowl found it's way home with me :) Thanks mom!!!

This is my dad's hat and lunch pail from when he worked in the cole mines when we lived in Virginia.

My dad is always buying old washing machines. He sells some and keeps a few. He actually uses them to wash his work clothes and swears they clean tons better then a more modern machines :) I just like the way they look and plan on using the one I already have.

And if the day wasn't busy enough.....after our hour and 15 minute drive home....I stayed up and made this yummy cake for Lee to take into work today.

This is one of my favorite summer time desserts. It is a white cake (strawberry is also yummy) and layered with heavy whipping cream that I whip until it is nice and fluffy and add some powdered sugar and vanilla too. I also put some fresh strawberries in the middle layer. I have also used blueberries and raspberries as well. It is so light and refreshing!!! Unfortunately I didn't even get one bite...that makes me one good wife if you ask me!

I hope you all had a great weekend as well filled with family and fun!

The Many Expressions of Reese.....

2010-05-30T23:14:00.007-04:00

It seems like I stop at least once a day recently, and suddenly realize that my little peanut is growing sooo fast! She is turning into a litte girl, and almost all traces of being a toddler have faded. I love that her little personality developes a little more each day.....I thought I would share some of her fun expressions!

We are having a great Memorial Day weekend. We can't wait for a picnic and Pony rides at Mawma & Papaw's tomorrow!!!

Finally a Winner!!!!

2010-05-27T22:09:00.005-04:00

I finally won my first blog giveaway...YEA!!!! Let me start by saying, I am a very unlucky person. I seem to be the person who never ever wins things! But, my luck changed today when I opened my email and discovered that I won this giveaway from MaryJanes and Golashes. I get my pick of any 8x10 print from a cute Esty shop called Vol 25. Now for the fun part....which print do I choose.... I am thinking it will look really nice in Reese's new room (I will finally be finished if my hubby ever decides to hang the shelf and attach the hanging brackets to the back of the pictures).

Wouldn't this be a great thing to remind the little peanut....how beautiful she is...love all the frames!

I love the title of this one "we make a happy family". I also love that it includes birds, which is kind of the theme of Reese's room.

Or what about this sweet saying and adorable bicycle...in blueberry

or biscuit......

But this one has stole me heart! I love the little birdie but the wellies were love at first sight.

Reese loves the wellies she got from the Easter Bunny this year (thanks Jessica). She wears them rain or shine; pants, shorts, dress, skirt or PJ's; and she can put them on all by herself. And yes, she has decided to sneak outside to play while I am busy thanks to the doggie door we have for Jerzee. Thank goodness we have a fenced in yard! I think the count of sneaks for today came to a grand total of 3!!! Yes, I think this picture will be a perfect addition to the little peanut's new room!

Hopefully I am just starting a very long winning streak!!!

For the love of shoes and purses!!!!

2010-05-23T15:03:00.008-04:00

My daughter is a girl after my own heart!!! She loves purses (especially Vera Bradley) and she loves shoes even more!

A few months ago, Lee and I decided to have a weight loss challenge to help each of us shed a few pounds. Of course, a challenge isn't a challenge without a prize at the end. We each chose what we wanted to win if we were the one to win. Lee chose for me to mow the grass for the first 4 times of the season if he won and I chose a new Vera Bradley purse if I was lucky enough to win. Let me just add that Lee almost always wins any competition that we have. I was so excited to find out that I was the winner after the 6 weeks ended. I finally went and bought my purse last Thursday, and I decided I needed a wallet to match (even though that wasn't in the deal....hehe). I love the design of the Morgan bag and the function of the Turn Lock wallet. But, I am in absolute love with the fabric-Sittin' in a Tree!!! Here is what I ended up picking.

Reese ended up carrying three different purses around the store that she wanted. She was even more excited when I came home and pulled the one I bought out of the bag. She grabbed it, put it on her arm and went to show daddy. Daddy was very clear in his response...."Don't even think that I am going to go buy you one!" To which I of course I answered, "Oh come on Daddy, every little girl needs a purse!" Maybe I will luck out and find her a cheap one on ebay sometime soon.

We made a trip to Gymboree yesterday while I was in town visiting my parents, getting my hair trimmed at the salon I use to work at and having dinner with a few good friends from Mansfield. My main reason for going to Gymboree in the first place was to buy Reese some bigger socks since I had a few coupons that were getting ready to expire and her feet took a sudden growth spurt. Of course, Reese spotted the shoes as soon as we got there (I swear she can spot the shoes from a mile away). So, we had to try some one...which is what we always do at any store we got to that sells shoes. She fell in love with 2 different pairs of sandals. She did need some cute summery shoes. I have been putting off buying any since I couldn't find what I really wanted. Lucky for me I like what she picked out, they were colors that would match al lot of her clothes and both pairs were on sale for $19.49 with an additional 20% off and I had a 20% off coupon as well. Which brought them down to (drum roll please) $12.47!!!! Great buy if you ask me! Here is what she picked out...

We are a family that LOVES ice cream so these are perfect. I love how Reese says ice cream, so I am happy that I will get to hear it more :)

I thought these were adorable, but Reese doesn't have much, if any, purple in her summer wardrobe. So, I had to pass on them.

I think these would be adorable for her farm themed birthday party or for all those rides on the pony she will be getting to have this summer. I might have to keep on eye out on them to see if they still have them when they get marked down more and buy them for the fall....We love anything horse related here...or as Reese calls horses or ponies....neighs.

Mama is loving it all and daddy....well, he is in for a lot of trouble!!!!

To Sew or Not to Sew.....

2010-05-17T23:45:00.012-04:00

I have been drooling over some fun ideas for new sewing projects for Reese. She really doesn't need any more summer clothes....but I still love to look and create things in my mind. I fell in love with this fabric as soon as I saw it on Keri from lovely little handmades' etsy shop. She is also doing a fabric giveaway on her blog right now....Maybe I will luck out and win and be able to get this fabric for free :)

It would be adorable paired with a hand embroidered apron of this cute bunny that I found on the blog doe-c-doe. She offers a ton of free...yes I said free...embroidery patterns. I used a birdie one on a pillow in Reese's room.

I bought some Moda Funky Monkey fabric a while back since Reese just adores sock monkeys. I came across this cute dress and thought it was good inspiration. It was so similar to what I had in mind. The fabrics I bought are different fabrics then the ones used in this dress but would still look so adorable. I am also thinking a striped work skirt on the dress would be cute and a good way to use all the different fabrics. It will make a cute outfit for the fall for sure!

I still have some Moda Swell fabric in my stash that I want to use but have been waiting for the exact design to click....it might stay in the stash until next spring...hehe... I am using the picnic plaid in red that my wonderful and generous friend, Angel, so graciously sent me for pants for Reese's birthday outfit. I'm glad I will be able to use the pants with two tops!

I also am planning on using these two fabrics for a reversable pinafore top for Reese this fall. Maybe I will even embleshish a pair of jeans to match....

And of course there is the fabric that I mentioned in my last blog. A dress or top for Reese out of the Moda Happy Camper fabric is first on my list since I am getting her pictures taken in the next few weeks. I thought it would be cute on her 2nd birthday invites. I am planning a farm birthday party and she is thrilled!

Guess I better get busy since I am still finishing up on her new room!

Back in Business!!!!

2010-05-15T22:08:00.010-04:00

Yea!!!!! I received a very fun and long a waited package from Fed-Ex today.....our new laptop!!!! No more trips to the library or my sister's house to check email. And.....I can finally blog again!!! I thought I would fill you in on a few things that have happen since my last post.

A short trip......

I was able to take an over night trip to Amish Country with Lee. We had such a great time together, but I have to admit....there were a few times that I looked at Lee and told him I felt like I should be doing something. What did I do with all my time before Reese came along?!?!? Oh, that is right....I was in shape, my skin was taken care of, my pedicures always looked great and I never had regrowth or a grown out hair cut. I wouldn't trade being a mom for all the things I use to be able to do, but it would be nice to have some spare time for just me :) We stayed at a really nice hotel. Here are a few views from the hotel's balcony....breathtaking!!!!

We shopped at some of the many, many shops and we ate some of the best food ever!!! My favorite thing to shop for there is fabric. They have a few good shops, but I really lucked out when we stopped at my favorite shop. They were having there annual anniversary sale and the whole store was 30% off. It was like Christmas morning....all that designer fabric and it was all 30% off!!!! Lee was very scared when he saw the sign. I lucked out and found some fun striped knit fabric in the clearance section for $2.50/yd. plus 30% off. Here are a few of my fabric finds.....

I loved this fabric the second I saw it....definitely love at first sight! I bought enough for a shirt or dress for Reese and a skirt for me. I am thinking of using this pattern from YCMT for Reese's and am planning a shirred waist skirt for me. I am planning on pairing Reese's with some new yellow pants (more an them below).

I also found these two fabrics and bought them for me...yes, fabric for me and not Reese. I haven't decided what I want to make out of them. Maybe a fun, girly apron or a skirt or maybe even a shirt....any suggestions????

Sewing.....

I found this cute dress at Carter's outlet. I was so happy to find such an adorable dress at such a great price...only$12 plus I used a coupon and saved 20% off my entire purchase. I looked and looked for a cute pair of yellow pants or leggings. I was getting a little annoyed...then it clicked.....I can make a pair. I bought some nice, bright yellow knit fabric. I must admit that I was nervous as soon as I had them cut the fabric. I haven't really sewed with knit, but I was determined to try. I think they came out great. Knit is definitely a little tricky, but anything you try is different at first. I am ready to tackle more knit projects now!!!!

Mother's Day......

Lee had to work on Mother's Day but we still had a fun and very busy weekend. My mom came up to visit Saturday morning. I cut and colored her hair. Then we met up with my sister and her 3 kids and had brunch at Bob Evan's. Later that day we went out with some of Lee's family. On Mother's Day morning, Lee surprised me by going into work a little late so he could make me breakfast in bed. I actually decided to sneak into Reese's room and cuddle with her in her new big girl bed. She loves it as much as I do. We all had a yummy breakfast in her bed. It was so fun!! Lee also surprised me with my very first apron. It gets even better!!!! It was a Vera Bradley apron....love love love VB!!! It was actually my gift from Reese. Guess I better hurry up and make her an apron so we can get our bake on. Lee also bought me a nice, simple pair of white gold hoop earrings. I was able to have lunch with my MIL and Reese and spend the rest of the day with my peanut. I am so blessed and love that I am a mother!!!

Here are our annual Mother's Day pictures. Unfortunately Reese wasn't very cooperative and Lee was in a rush to get to work on time. I still love that I will have them for years to come......

What did you say, Daddy.....

Telling mama a story......

OK we will just settle for a kiss.....

Reese's 1st sleep-over....

I have had my friend's two little ones since Tuesday. Luckily we were able to get Reese into her new bed in time for them. Addison was able to sleep Reese and Graham camped out in Reese's crib that we moved to my sewing room. I figured I wouldn't have time for any sewing since I would be keeping up with 3 instead of 1......how do you mother's of multiple kids do it!?!?! I guess is would help if they were spaced a little more apart in age, but wow...am I exhausted!!! There mom & dad will be home in the morning. Hopefully, my house will look less like a tornado blew through it! I think Reese talked Addison's ear off the first night, but it got much better after that :) Here are a couple pictures of Reese and Addison at bedtime.

A little playing around......

and LOTS of laughs......

I can't wait to capture many more sleep-overs!!!!

Sorry for the long post...but that's what happens when you have to go so long without posting a blog. I have been working on getting Reese's room finished and it is slowly getting there. Hopefully I can get more done after we are back to normal. Hopefully the big post will be very, very soon!!!!

Still Alive

2010-05-05T17:07:00.003-04:00

My computer has been broke for over 2 weeks now and is still not fixed...ugh!!! I have been running to the library or to my wonderful sister's house to check email...let me tell you, it's getting really old!!! Hopefully it will get fixed soon so I can get back to the blog world!

I have been busy, busy and wanted to share a little. I had the opportunity to attend a weekend of sewing at a B&B my friend's mom has. It was my first night away from Reese since she was 5 months. Let me tell you, it was way overdue!! I was able to finish up some sewing for Reese's big girl room (more on that to come) and just chat with some old and new friends. The food that the owner of the B&B made was out of this world and in grand supply! I might have gained 5 pounds in the day and a half I was there (I didn't weigh myself thankfully), but it was worth it! I was up until almost 4:00am, so I can't say I had nice, long, restful night, but I so enjoyed myself. I was so caught up in the sewing and food that I completely for got to get my camera out :(

And even more exciting.....Reese's big girl room is in the process of getting a make-over!!!

Here is what her room looked like before we began. A nice shade of blue.....

Now a fresh shade a Pale Daffodil.....

Reese really wasn't into the whole painting thing (not that I blame her!), but I was able to get a shot of her helping daddy.

Exploring her new, huge bed.....

She wasn't really sure what to make of her new room when she first saw it, but she warmed up quickly.

My little peanut's first night in her big girl bed! She looked so little when I laid her down. The first night was a little rough, but she has adjusted sooo well. I am one proud Mama!

We still have to get her dresser and hang things on the wall. I will be posting pictures of her room when it is all finished (I am hoping that will be soon!)

We have also been enjoying the nice weather we are having. Reese is especially enjoying the trips to the park. Can you tell that she loves the swing!!! I think she asks to swing every time we get in the car. This is going to be a fun summer for our family!

And lastly, I am so excited for the next two days. I am finally getting the opportunity to go out of town over night alone with my husband. We are headed to Amish Co. to pick Reese's dresser up and to enjoy lots of shopping and food! I am hoping to post pictures when we get back. It is such a pretty place!

Finally...a shopping trip for me!!!!

2010-04-13T08:30:00.011-04:00

It's time for me to face the honest truth....I need to start thinking about myself a little more. It seems like since Reese was born, every shopping trip always revolves around finds for her....even when it started out as a trip for me! Does she need more clothes or shoes? Most of the time...not so much but that is just how it always seems to go.

One day I was trying to figure out what to wear, and I realized most of my wardrobe was from before I got married....almost 4 years ago. Sure, I have bought a piece here and there; but for the most part everything was pre-marriage and pre-baby (and boy has the body changed since then!). Finally, after telling Lee the night before Easter that I wish I had bought a $35 pair of shoes to go with the dress I was wearing the next day for Easter but didn't because I hated to spend the money. To which his response was...."but you spent $35 on Reese at a few different stores on things she didn't need. You have to start taking care of yourself!" He is right...there I said it....but he was right this time. He instructed me to take some money and go buy myself some things that I needed.....and I did!!! This past Saturday I left Reese with my sister (thanks Melissa!) and set out on a shopping trip for myself and promised that I wouldn't buy anything for Reese (I did have to take a peak in a few kids stores). I shopped until my feet ached, but it was so nice to spend a day on me! Here are a few of my finds that I can't wait to wear. Now I need to talk the Mr. into a night out I guess...hehe.

I saw this shirt during a recent trip to Target. It is from their new Liberty of London line. I love the print and the ruffles make it look so girly (which I am really loving right now). I should have bought it right then...but I probably bought something for Reese instead. Needless to say, they didn't have any in my size left when I went back to get it.

So....I settled for this one. I still really like it but I didn't love it like the other one.

But...I couldn't get the other shirt out of my mind.....I just had to have it!!! So after a few phone calls and two Target stores later...I FOUND IT (cue the heavenly music)!!!! And, to top it off, I remembered I bought a cardigan last year that is the exact color of orange. Perfect for the cool Ohio weather...when will it ever warm up!!! It will also be perfect with the pair of yellow wedge sandals I found at Target a few weeks ago (I couldn't fins a picture of them).

I also had my eye on this shirt and cardigan from New York & Co. when I was shopping for my Easter outfit. I was so happy that they still had the shirt and cardigan...and they had it in my size!!! I love the color combination.

And I found this extremely comfortable and cute denim skirt. It will be perfect for a nice dinner out with the hubby, and there is so many options for things to pair it with! Dress it up a little for church or dress it down for nice trip out.

And of course, what is a shopping trip with out a pair of shoes?!?!?! I wanted to find a few pairs of flats that would go with jeans, cropped pants and even skirts. These just fit the bill! Plus, they are very comfortable, and I just adore the flower.

I like them so much...I am thinking of getting them in pink as well! I usually am not a big fan of buying an item in multiple colors but I really adore these shoes. It's hard to find a shoe you just love adn that is so comfortable so why not! Maybe I should get them turquoise and yellow too.....that might be pushing it!

So, I have promised myself to start taking better care of myself!!! And, I promise to buy for myself and not just Reese...even though the adorable little girl's things are hard to resist (but I can not promise to avoid fabric for making Reese some cute things)!!! It will not make my less of a mom, but it will help make me a better person!!!

The Peanut is 20 months old today!!!

2010-04-09T08:12:00.007-04:00

It was love at first sight!!!

You have.......

taken a few naps with daddy.....

had a few rides in the pony cart with Papaw.....

cheered on Daddy's team.....Go Blue......

had a few bad hair days......

made quite a few messes.....and been so proud of them.....

dressed up......

and posed......

but most of all....you are becoming a beautiful, sweet, little girl that we love soooo much!!!

Happy 20-month birthday little Peanut!!! We love you!!!!

Love,

Mama & Daddy

Some Fun Antique Finds

2010-04-08T19:00:00.007-04:00

I decided to take a trip to a local antique store to see if I could find a lamp for Reese's room re-do. I went to a shop called Milan Inn-tiques in Milan, OH which is the birthplace of Thomas Edison. Milan is a small town located about 10 minutes from me and has some neat history to the town. The school is even named Edison Chargers with a lightening bolt as there mascot.

I lucked out and found a lamp for a good price. I had decided that I didn't want to spend to much on it in case it ends up in the floor in pieces on day....something I have come to expect to a degree with a toddler around. I had planned on buying a cheap wood lamp from Target and painting it. I am glad I took a look around first since I found this lamp only it only cost me $15....the same or less then a painted wood lamp and with so much more charm! I am still deciding id I want to pant the green, wood part since it doesn't really fit into the color scheme. Now to find a lamp shade and decide which fabric I want to cover the lamp shade with.

Here it is....

Here are some of the other fun things I found. I fun children's book. One of my favorite stories in the book is The Little Red Hen.

It was love at first sight when I found this box of cards....I loved the inside contents just as much.....

Some of the cards.

Some more cute cards that are blank inside. Perfect for sending little or leaving little notes to special people.

This one is my favorite...isn't she just so cute. It might have to find it's way into Reese's new room since I am going with a bird theme.

And......here is a sneak peak into Reese's room re-do. I still have to do the binding but I am so glad to have experienced hand quilting this for Reese. I can definitely say that I have blood, sweat and tears involved in this project (at least I was able to get the blood part out before it stained).

A little personal message from mom.....wish I would have attempted hand embroidering before I pieced the back together. It would have been fun to add my own handwriting to it and a little birdie would have looked perfect on it too.

Special thanks to Amanda for doing the machine embroidering for us :)

Trip to the Zoo & a New Hair-do

2010-04-05T07:57:00.009-04:00

Last week we had such beautiful weather here and we decided that our first trip to the zoo of the year was in order. Reese enjoyed the zoo last year but this year she had a blast! My favorite part of the trip was after visiting the Polar Bear, she walks away and looks at us and says. "bear, roar, bear" so matter of factly. It caught us off guard and we laughed so hard. She becomes more and more fun everyday. What a great stage she is in....well, except the tantrums and the dreaded terrible two's lurking. I also did something that morning that I said I would never do....I cut some bangs in Reese's hair. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against moms that like them. I'm just not a big fan of a thick bang that most kinds with bangs have. I always hated cutting thick bangs on little kids and hated seeing them try to grow them out even more (something I am trying to do with my hair right now and it is just annoying!) I always loved the way Reese looked with her little wispies hanging down. Unfortunately they are gone now that her hair has grown so much.....so, I took the plunge and cut a thin bang and they look adorable on her. Best part, they are thin so they won't be so annoying to grown out in the future. Why did I wait so long to do this!?!?! I still have some tweaking to do on them and plan on doing it when I can get her sit still a little longer....if I can ever get her to sit still for longer. Here are a few pictures of our day at the zoo......

Checking out a dog statue.

Mama and Reese in front of the Sloth Bear...this is always a fun one since he likes to come to the glass and smell your hand.

Reese loved the Elephants!

One of her favorite parts......the aquarium.

And to end our day at the zoo, a little time at the playground area.

a little peek-a-boo

We had such a great time and ended our day with a stop at our favorite Mexican restaurants (have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE Mexican food!!! Yum Yum!) and a trip to Toft's!

Easter Fun

2010-04-04T22:35:00.008-04:00

What fun we have had this Easter Weekend!!!! On Saturday, we went out to eat with Maga (Lee's mom), Aunt Denise (Lee's sister) and Uncle Jeff (Aunt Denise's boyfriend). We had a great dinner and then went back to Maga's house for a fun surprise from Aunt Denise and Uncle Jeff.....Reese's 1st Easter basket of the year and some fun monkey PJ's and a cute dress to wear of her swimsuits this summer. Aunt Denise also bought us some cut-outs and a variety of other cookies from "The Cookie Lady"....yum yum!!!! Here are a few pictures from our fun Saturday evening.

Reese modeling her new spring jacket (which wasn't needed on Easter...yea for warm weather!!!)

Such a pretty smile!

Oh yum!!! You're the best Aunt Denise!

Love me some M&Ms!!!

I was so excited to see Reese's reaction to the Easter Bunny's visit. She was to little last year to really understand what was going on. She was still a little confused when I went in to get her from her crib and told her the Easter Bunny had visited, but she dug right in when she saw her basket and loved every minute of it!

Look what the Easter Bunny brought Reese.

Isn't this little lamb just too cute...it was also one of Reese's favorites!

Wow...is all of this for me!!!???

Some toothpaste and a new toothbrush to go with all the sweets.

Love this expression!

Look Mama! Baa Baa

Liking her new bunny cup, but trying to figure out why it is empty.

Checking out her lamb card.

Cute little bunny....

Thankfully she loved her lamb that I made her and didn't put it down for most of the day. It even went to bed with her.

And a little sneak peak of her cute Easter outfit. I'm waiting on pictures my brother-in-law took. More to come soon!!!!

Happy Easter!!!!!

Bit of Whimsy Giveaway

2010-04-02T12:28:00.008-04:00

I recently found out about Sarah at Bit of Whim sy when Jessica had a giveaway to celebrate her 2nd blogaversay. I knew Reese needed one for her Easter basket the second I saw Jessica's post. So, I bought the pattern for Lilly the Lamb (which was on sale for $6 last week) and made one for Reese out of left over fabric from her Easter dress (there will be post on all of Reese's fun Easter things after the bunny brings them). Sarah's e-pattern was great and easy to follow. She even has some you-tube videos found on her website that gives some tips and tricks for making her dolls. I just found out about another Bit of Whimsy giveaway from Lu Bird Baby and wanted to share it will everyone so you can have a chance to win a pattern! Good luck since I never really have any when it comes to giveaways :) Maybe this time I will win and I can get one of the other patterns I have been drooling over!

I almost bought this pattern instead of the lamb for Reese's basket....love the horns and the long ears!

Aren't her pig tails just too cute!!!!

This would be cute to make Reese for her farm themed 2nd birthday party in July!

Wouldn't one of these be adorable sticking out a stocking on Christmas morning!

Good Luck!!!!

Spring Time Goodies

2010-03-24T13:16:00.012-04:00

Almost two weeks ago, me and Reese drove to attend a memorial service for my dear friend Ulli who passed away from cancer. She was such a great, Christian mom, wife and friend and I miss her so much. While we were there we met up with my sister-in-law, Denise. Well, needless to say, Aunt Denise loves to spoil Reese (maybe because Reese is the first girl of 5 grandkids on my husbands side of the family). We met for lunch and discovered the restaurant we were suppose to meet at was close....sigh. So, we decided to eat at the mall's food court and do a little shopping. Let's just say that Reese made out!!! The first stop was Build-A-Bear. This was Reese's first trip there and she LOVED it! She had a blast giving her new bunny a bath, but the best part was drying the bunny off. We spent quite a bit of time at that station. I wanted to share a couple pictures of Reese's new best sleeping pal.

Isn't her new bunny pal adorable!?!?!

A Cheese......

Some Hugs......

Ok, now I'm ready for some ME camera time!

As if that wasn't enough....we had to make a stop at Baby Gap (Aunt Denise LOVES to shop for Reese here). We found some cute rainbow items that were on great sale. And then...Aunt Denise found this adorable jean jacket and thought Reese just had to have it since she didn't have a jean jacket that fit her right now. I just love all the great embroidery details.....wish they sold one in my size! My favorite part is the super cute bumble bee! Makes me giddy!

Check out all the cute details!

My favorite....the cute bumble bee!

Thanks Aunt Denise!!

You're the BEST!!!!

Spring/Summer sewing

2010-03-23T14:56:00.021-04:00

WOW...what a week this last week has been. We had my dad a surprise 60th birthday party this past Saturday. Friday evening we had a small family party to try to throw him off track. All the grandkids got swim and Reese LOVED it! She kept yelling Yee-Haw. Not sure why but she had a blast! I was busy, busy getting the party together with my sister. The party was a great time even though the birthday boy figured something was up the day before the party. We were all exhausted Saturday when the party was finally over.

Then, on Sunday morning this wonderful stomach virus that is going around decided to bite me. It has been a doozy of a bug might I add. I am starting to feel a little better but am still dragging and haven't really felt like eating much.

Anyway, I thought I would finally share a few things I have been sewing for Reese for the upcoming spring/summer. Please forgive the poor pictures. I am in desperate need of learning how to use my nice, new camera I got for Christmas. A cute hanger and better backdrop would help tremendously too. A model would be even better, but toddlers aren't very cooperative. Oh well!

Here they are:

I love the bright colors and love that my little one can finally wear some cute pig-tail bows!

The next two where made from scraps. I didn't have a lot of any of the fabrics but am glad I got two cute outfits for cheap! I think the brown and cream peasant top will look cute with some pink leggings!

This shirt from Gymboree was the inspiration for the 3 layered ruffle shirt.

I found this tutorial that Dana from Made wrote and knew I had to make Reese one. I also used her gathered pocket tutorial but modified it a tad. I bought a yellow shirt to wear with this skirt and it looks adorable on Reese.

I fell in love with these shoes the first time I saw them so I had to buy them for Reese for this summer. That is one reason there is a lot of yellow in her summer wardrobe.

I finished up Reese's Easter dress today. I decided to make a little big so she could get more wear out of it. It is so hard to so this for toddler sizes and I think it is a tad too big but nothing I do about that now. I still have to make the apron to match. I also bought these adorable pink shoes for Reese to wear with her Easter outfit. I bought a size up since everywhere I read said to. I was so excited to get them in the mail today and tried them on Reese, and they are HUGE. So disappointed! Guess I will have to wait a while for her to wear them and try to find something else for Easter. Better hurry since it will be here in less than 2 weeks!!!

New Blog Header and a Big Thank you!!!

2010-03-17T10:04:00.013-04:00

I have a beautiful new header thanks to my generous friend Amy. I wanted to thank her and to share the link to her Etsy store. She makes great invitations and thank you cards and is great to work with. She will revise a design until you are completely happy with it and is so patient during the process. The best part.....they are so reasonable! If you don't see exactly what you are looking for, contact her and she will do her best to design a custom invite. Here are some of the great things she has designed for me.

Thanks Amy!!! I really appreciate all you have done for me!

Check out her store and keep a look out for Reese!

Welcome to Blog World!

2010-03-15T10:47:00.000-04:00

My very 1st blog post!!!!!

I have been trying to decide what to write about for my very 1st blog post. It is something I have been wanting to do for a long time. What better thing to write about for my 1st post then my favorite thing....my family of 3....well, 4 if you count the dog! Here is glimpse into my family.

Lee and Amber

I married my wonderful husband, Lee, three and half years ago in September. It was a beauitful sunny day and we had a beautiful, small and intimate wedding. Only about 30 people in attendance.

Reese Kennedy

Then, one of the best things in my life happened almost 2 years ago. My baby girl, Reese Kennedy, came into my life. It was love at first sight! Reese is a name I fell in love with a couple years before she was born. Kennedy is my great-grandmother's maiden name. She was such a great woman of faith! A perfect person to be named after!

Reese at 1 week old and 1 year old.

Jerzee

And last but not least, our sweet family dog, Jerzee. We got Jerzee a few months after we got married and she is a big part of our family. She is great with Reese, even though she runs and hides from her most of the time now that Reese is on the go continuously.

I know that this isn't the most exciting post but thought I would share my family first. I promise that the next one will be more exciting! Maybe even some peeks into what I have been working on for Reese for spring/summer. Well, I better end this very 1st post. It is quiet in the house and that usually means trouble!