School Picture Re-takes

Let me start by saying that I love my mother-in-law, I really do. However, a few of her traits that have been passed on to my daughter can be frustrating. And the worst one.....smiling with her mouth closed and her chin tucked down. My mother-in-law HATES getting her picture taken, and rarely smiles big in photos and my daughter tends to be the same way. Her first set of 3rd grade pictures were not cute (or flattering), so we opted for re-takes. Now that can be a scary situation because you are then stuck with whatever comes homes. So, to up the odds of a good photo, I coached and nagged Emily to "smile and show your teeth!" For whatever reason, this type of smile does not come with a tucked chin, and I sent her off on re-take day with a hopeful heart.............

And today she brought them home & I am one happy momma! My "not-so-baby girl anymore" is just adorable and this picture really shows her personality. I like it so much, I might actually get one hung up this year!!

Unexpected Visit to the Doctor

Em & I had an unexpected day at home today--well, we actually spent a good chunk of the day waiting at the doctor's office because we think she might have a bladder infection. No antibiotics, yet. We have to wait for the culture to come back--should be by Friday. Poor baby!



Her appointment was at 11:10am and we were told to arrive early & go to the lab, so we got there at about 10:30am. The lab was quick, so then it was off to wait for the doctor. And wait. And wait. Thank goodness for the iPod! Em played games for a while to pass the time, while Brownie & Elfie kept her company. I happened to have the small camera in my purse, so I snapped a few pictures to pass the time.

It was pretty close to 12:00pm before the nurse took us back, and luckily it wasn't too long before the doctor came in. She was new to us, a bit brusque, but efficient, and before we knew it she was gone. Then we waited for the paperwork. And waited. And waited. She finally brought it to us and we left the doctor's office at about 12:50pm. Almost two and a half hours later!

By then we were starving, so I offered to stop at McD's to pick up some lunch. Of course, that idea was met with great delight, and as an extra treat, we went to the Red Box and picked up a movie for the afternoon. After that some homework was done (by Em), a little on-line shopping (thank you, Amazon--Project Life 2012 is on it's way to me!), some dinner started (by me), and "poof," the day is almost over.

I had hoped to get upstairs and spend some time in the studio today working on my December Daily album......maybe later tonight. Perhaps I can at least get some pictures of my base pages finally posted, but don't hold your breath!!

How Time Flies……

 

I still cannot believe that my baby girl turned 7 last week…7 years old……really, how did that happen so quickly??? It truly feels like it was just a few months ago that she was 7 MONTHS old. Although, honestly I don’t remember very clearly what it was like to have a 7 month old and believe me, I am glad to be done with bottles and diapers. But really, 7??? How did that happen.

We decided to have her party at Build-A-Bear Workshop this year, which limited the guest list to 5. It really wasn’t too hard for her to choose, though—first on the list was her cousin, Mackenzie, quickly followed by her 4 best friends from day care & kindergarten—Roman, Cooper, Mandi & Gavin. Other than Gavin (who she met in kindy), she has known these friends since she was about 2 years old. They have literally grown up together, and even though between the 5 of them they go to 3 different schools for first grade, they remain best friends. I am so grateful she has these sweet kiddoes in her life!!

 

They all had a TON of fun making their animals & choosing outfits.  I highly recommend BABW for a birthday party!! After that we were off to McDonald’s for lunch, opening presents and devouring GIANT birthday cupcakes from Costco. I would say it was one of Em’s best parties ever (although last year’s party at Captain Henry’s Pirate Store was a huge hit, too!)

Here’s looking forward to another year being Momma to this beautiful child. Daddy and I are so blessed to have you in our lives. I love you baby girl!!!

Gotta Love Summer!

I know it’s been a while since I last posted, but something has been keeping us VERY busy lately--—namely this…………..

which is just a couple of blocks away from this…………..

Yep, we are now the proud owners of a beautifully renovated 1930’s beach cottage and we love it! We have been spending as much time as possible there lately, especially with the unheard of high temperatures we are having in the Northwest. Today was over 105 degrees back at home (and no air conditioning at our house, so it was 94 degrees inside when Mel got home after 8 p.m. this evening), but a nice comfortable 60-some degrees here at the coast.

Unfortunately, Mel had to head back into town to work for a couple of days, but Em and I opted to stay here the rest of the week and invited one of my best friends down. Mel and my friend’s husband will be back on Friday for the weekend. Hopefully by next Monday the heat wave at home will have calmed down to a bearable temperature, as I really need to get some things done there—like cleaning and creating (in no particular order).

And believe it or not, I do have some projects ready to share over the next few days, so be sure to check back!!!

What happens when you have a snow & ice storm and your computer crashes in the middle of it?

And it's less than 2 weeks until Christmas????

No blogging for almost a month!!!! But I'm back now..........yay! No snow or ice and a computer that runs much better--I am a happy camper!!

Here are some pictures of our "fun" weather in December:

Our backyard--notice the ice glazed branches in the foreground! And this was in the middle of it all. We got even more snow than this!!!


Emily absolutely LOVED the snow. She went out in it every chance she could. Luckily, I had found a cute snowsuit& mittens that matched the new coat I had gotten her for Christmas. Needless to say, she got these gifts early!


And here is our next-door neighbor's car. Unbelievable!! We got even more snow after this!!! This will definitely be a winter to remember!!!

And it Begins....

Well, here I am.....finally taking the plunge.........starting my own blog. I can't figure out what prompted me on this Thursday night in October to do such a thing. Perhaps it is because I had a such a wonderful day from beginning to end and realized I needed a way to capture these moments........

I got to sleep in just a bit this morning because Mel took Emily on her first Kindergarten field trip today. I didn't have any of my usual morning responsibilities of getting her up and ready for school. No arguments over what to have for breakfast. No long, sad goodbyes at daycare. I still got to school a few minutes late, but quite relaxed nonetheless.

My day teaching 29 fourth graders was surprisingly uneventful. The kids were good, we laughed, we worked....I think they actually learned stuff today! Then, because Mel had Emily, I got to go shopping after school with no nagging hurry to get home. I went to The Avenue (bought a new sweater for only $10 with my coupon--took a risk and picked the fuchsia one!) and Craft Warehouse (bought a new smaller scallop circle punch and some Basic Grey magnets for an upcoming project). Just little things--but they made me smile.

Then, to top off the night, when I got home Mel suggested we go to Em's favorite restaurant for dinner. So we hopped in the truck and made our way to Sweet Tomatoes. No dinner for me to cook and no dishes to clean up afterwards. Pure heaven!!

So after coming home, getting Emily ready for bed, cleaning up my mess in the studio (I decided I am NO LONGER calling it the craft room--hee hee!), checking my e-mail and various other favorite websites, I guess I decided now was the perfect time to start a blog.

Soon you will see here not only snippets of the love and laughter in my life, but also many of the projects that are products of the creativity of my inspired soul (hence, the name of this blog). But not tonight. For now I will just share with you a picture of the angel who inspires my soul every day. I hope you have someone who inspires you, too!