~puppies and cookouts~

We cooked out for Memorial Day. One dish was fresh jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and cooked on the grill. The bacon was rather fatty, so I trimmed it off. Virgil put it in foil and grilled it for the puppies.

They ♥'d it!

~I ♥ him!~

So.Very.Much!

~for Joplin~

Dana over at Old Red Barn Co is awesome.
I've had an inkling for a long time.
But now? She's gone and PROVEN (or is it PROVED? IDK!) it!

Visit her post on Joplin.

Then donate to help these souls in their time of great need.

Bonus: For each $ you donate to the American Red Cross through Dana's site, you get a chance to win one of her beautiful quilts.

Go ahead... I wouldn't put this on my blog if I didn't think you could trust her. ;)

~band banquet 2011~

Last night we attended Stephen's Band Banquet. There was a Mardi Gras theme.

Next year's marching show is "Jazz Club", so Mardi Gras seems appropriate to me! :)

We had fun visiting with other parents and watching our kiddo in his element.

Stephen received 2 awards! Most Improved Player and Rookie of the Year!

Proud of your hard work!

We ♥ You!

~i remember when~

Our family vacation in Colorado in the summer of 2004. You were 7. So sweet! You, Dad and I had such fun. The Royal Gorge, riding the train to the top of Pikes Peak, tram rides, mountain picnics, fishing and jeep rides.

I ♥ our family memories!

~you~

Today is your last day of 7th grade. Wow.

You are 3 1/2 inches taller than you were on the first day of 7th grade.

Your spelling and math skills have grown by leaps and bounds.

You continue to excel in reading, science and history.

You received the Most Improved 7th Grade Student Overall award.

You scoffed at this award.

But Dad and I smiled. We are so proud of you!

Because what you don't realize at age 13 is that being "Most Improved" doesn't mean you were "bad" to start with.

For example, Dad and I don't have to be BAD parents to strive to be BETTER parents.

This award says, "Hey I can overcome obstacles!"

You have perserverence. You made 2 Cs on your report card the 2nd 6 weeks of the year, but since then its been all As and Bs.

You are becoming more organized.

More responsible.

You kicked High School Band in the FACE. As a 7th grader!

You have mad tuba skilz.

You are excited for the challenge of next year's marching season...where you will learn 3 difficult pieces of music.

You excelled in football. I love watching you pancake block!

Track? Fuhgettaboutit! First Place in shot put. Every. Single. Meet.

You are blessed. You possess integrity, kindness, grit, determination, and the best laugh known to mankind.

You rock, dude.

You're mine. (for a little while)

And I love you.

~wedding invitations~

~a beautiful saturday shared with family~

Today my sisters, nieces and I got together to assemble the invitations for Colleen and Eric's wedding. I love the message in the bottle idea. Especially since the ceremony will be on the beach.

I love how the aqua pebbles give a hint of ocean color to the invitations.

And, bonus! We got the bubble bottles decorated too!
Here's the label:

I'm honored to be a part of the planning and creating for this special day!

~new necklace~

I'm sporting a new necklace today. ♥ it!!!!! Bunches!

You can get one too from Sweet Apple on etsy.

Here's a link to her shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetapple30?ref=seller_info

~mother's day 2011~

♥Blessed beyond measure♥

~painted jar vase~

Today is my SIL's bday!

Happy Birthday Lizard!

(I hope you don't read this before supper tonight or you will see your gift!)

I got the idea here.

I rounded up a Ball jar, grabbed my Krylon Gum Drop paint, some ribbon and some tulle.

And..

Voila!

(flowers from the Wal-marts!)

I'm tucking a gift card into the tulle and I think this makes a mighty fine gift!

~christmas tray to entryway welcome~

This tin Christmas tray has resided in my craft room since right after Christmas. I bought it on clearance at JoAnn's. ♥ that place!


I knew it would eventually become a chalkboard for my entryway.

And this weekend it finally did!

~easter 2011~

I've finally gotten around to uploading my Easter photos!

This year we went to my sister's house (Jill) on Saturday to watch Little Aiden have his first Easter egg hunt. He couldn't be with us on Sunday, so we got some early Easter fun!

On Sunday, my sisters and their families and Virgil's parents, sisters, and families gathered at our house.

Menu: Egg Fu Yung, Chicken Fried Rice, Steamed Rice, Spring Rolls, Cream Cheese Wontons, Banana Pudding, and Carrot Cake!

We only had three hunters this year! Our kiddos are growing up!

Here's Elias (aka: Brown Bean) enjoying his first Easter egg hunt!

Sam and Meg are 'ol pros!

I love having my family in my home! ♥ them!