The most amazing photos!

I am visiting my best bud and she just took the most fantastic pics of my daughter. I can't believe that my daughter cooperated for these! What a little ham!



If you live in the Knoxville, TN area and would like Melanie to take pics for you, please contact me for her info!

Out of Town

Hope everyone is enjoying their week. I am! Shelby Lynn and I are in Knoxville. I hope later I can get a couple of posts that I have been meaning to do up!

Cupcake Party

Last Wednesday, my friend Amanda hosted a cupcake party for my Shelby Lynn and her daughter Ellie to make cupcakes for the daddies' for Valentine's day! When we got there Amanda had every thing set out. She had already made the cupcakes (homemade red velvet) and the icing (homemade cream cheese) and had lots of different sprinkles and cute little boxes to put the cakes in! Shelby Lynn didn't quite understand how to frost the cake, but she loved shaking the sprinkles! And of the best part for Shelby Lynn was eating the cupcake! We did make sure to save a few for daddy. Then the girls went outside and played on the swingset. It was a blast! Thanks so much Amanda for hosting!

All the supplies just waiting to be used!

Shelby Lynn trying out the heart sprinkles.

Ellie "Can we eat now, Mom?"

Playing in the sandbox, this is Shelby Lynn's favorite activity. We have to get one!

I love this pic of Ellie on the swing. I was playing around in Lightroom (a program that comes with Adobe photoshop) and used the direct positive filter on it and love the results!

Page 2 of Fly Me to the Moon

Be sure to visit www.spinkydinkscraps.blogspot.com to see more of her great kits!

Fly Me To The Moon

This awesome digital kit comes from Lindsay over at

SPINKYDINKSCRAPS

The pictures are of my best buddy's baby. Is she gorgeous or what!!!!

Harper goes home with Mommy and Daddy!

For all of you who had been following and praying for Harper she got to go home yesterday! Be sure to pop over to Kelly's blog (you can click on the praying for Harper button) and see the pictures of her tube free in her beautiful going home outfit!!! God is sooo good, through Harper's journey and story, several lives were changed and a few people were saved!! Yea God!!!!

Good News/ Bad News

So do you want the Good News or the Bad first?

How about the bad...we are not going to get the house after all, but the good news is that my hubby doesn't have to go to Afghanistan now!!!!!!!!!! I am so relieved that I don't care about some silly house. I do feel bad for him, because I know he really wanted to go and he is super disappointed about the house. But I really feel that this was God's way of protecting him. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I had been praying about him going and also about the house; and I believe that God answered those prayers, perhaps though not how we expected or maybe even hoped. But last night for the first time in a month I actually got a good night sleep, my hubby on the other hand probably didn't....but he will be okay!!!

A Tenative WoooHooo

So we got the approval yesterday for the house! The loan goes to underwriting now and that is hardest part. Then after that they start building!! The only crazy thing is Jay is leaving Sunday for 4 months and when he gets back in June we are due to close a couple of weeks later!!! Crazy. Later today I will try to post pics from my Rapid Stampers Club, we had a blast last night!

House hunt part 2

Well we put a deposit down on the land today and tomorrow meet with the loan officer. I am still not sure if we will qualify, but here's hoping. I really would like to be in a house where the laundry is on the same level as the bedrooms and not down in the yucky basement. I don't think I have ever been this anxious about a house. I really want this one! I guess with our other purchases I wasn't in love with it so I was prepared if it didn't work out. I know what ever happens is God's plan and I know that he desires the best for us, I just hope it includes this house, lol. Plus I think it would be great to have something to focus on while my hubby is away in a dangerous place. He leaves Sunday and I just feel like the hours are slipping away so quickly. In one way four months doesn't seem long, especially considering all the wives whose husbands go for a year, but for me since this is my first time experiencing this four months may as well be four years. But I know it will be okay and I will get thru it with all the fabulous support I have!

Tot School

Be sure to click the link above to see what everyone else did this week!
Ladybug, Ladybug fly away home!

Our theme this week was ladybugs. I tried to do a mini lapbook for Shelby Lynn. I don't think she is quite ready for them, but a couple of the activities worked. We also checked out the Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. She normally loves his books but this one I think was a little advanced but she did like the pictures. We also colored a ladybug and worked with magnetic letters and sorting colors. On Friday we got a kid's meal from Chick-fil-a, and I was shocked to find the "prize" a package on ladybugs....yea! Here are some pics of our week:

Coloring the ladybug. You can get it HERE
She loved using the big girl crayons to color with, she could manipulate them much better than the chunky ones.

Here is part of her lapbook. They are ladybug letters that you can get HERE
She mainly just took them in and out of the pocket, but as she did, I told her then letters and she repeated, A, Y, G.

Here she is playing with her magnetic school house by Parents, which we bought at Target.

Sorting the letters by color. She really liked this activity.


This pic was taken by Shelby Lynn. I was shocked that she was able to push the button and the pic turned out okay, too! She loves playing with the camera, she gets that from my best bud, Melanie! And speaking of Melanie, her little one, Zoe was very disappointed to learn that this week was ladybug theme and she was not here to help:

House Hunting

Going to go look at a new house in couple of hours. Really, really want it, but don't know if the timing is right, especially with hubby getting ready to leave next weekend, but they only have 7 lots left. I have been praying about it and that God would let us know if we are doing the right thing ( don't want to rush into something just because I love the house). Say a prayer for us that we will know if this is what we are supposed to do. Here is the link to check out the neighborhood:
http://www.ryanhomes.com/Broad_Creek_Estates_9520220031114.html

Tuesday Fiona Whitt

Last night Tuesday went home to be with God. That sweet little girl is no longer in pain, but I can't imagine the pain her family is in. Please pray for them. She leaves behind her mom, dad, two brothers and a twin sister.

LEVO

What is LEVO you ask? A word in a foreign language, perhaps. A acronym, maybe. A city overseas, could be. But this is what it really is............








Cute, huh! When I went to take a pic for the blog I notice how I hung it, LOL! Here is how it should look:

Here is a closeup of one of the pennants:

I am so happy at how this project turned out! I made it using the cricut design studio and the george and plantin cartridges for cricut. Let me know what you think. I think I may make one for the guest bath and hang over the mirror! **as always click on the pic for a close up.

Baby Shower Time!

I bet that go your attention! No, not for me, lol! Go check out the link below for contests, prizes and stories about two precious little ones!

http://www.leeloublogs.blogspot.com

Snow Day

We had snow today and it was the first time that Shelby Lynn got to play! Here are couple of pics!

A New Site!

Carisa over at 1+1+1=1 has just launched a new blog with some other mommies that participate in tot school! Be sure to go check it out and leave some comment love!

Tot School

So we are finally feeling better and going back to Tot School! Carisa over at 1+1+1=1 has given me some great ideas to get started. Be sure to click on the above link and see what others are doing! This week for our tot school, Shelby Lynn will be learning about ladybugs, the number 1, and the letter 'L', along with some arts and crafts. I will post pics of our activities on Friday, but wanted to put the Tot School link up, because others have already posted pics of what they did last week! You can click on the link above to learn about tot school and click on the link below to see the blog!

Baby Shower part 2

Still feeling yucky here but thought I would try to get more pics of the baby shower up! Be sure to double click on the pics to see them close up!

Here are the party favors:

They are little baby booties filled with candy
HerSHEy bars and popcorn
Here are two more pics:


As I mentioned before it was a scrapbook baby shower. Here is a pic of some of the scrapbook embellishments I made to use as decorations:


Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get the pics of all of the girls layouts. They did an awesome job!

sick

We are so sick here, the yucky stomach bug. I am worried about lil bit though she has not had a wet diaper since yesterday, so off to the doc! Maybe can get part 2 of the shower up tonight.

First posts of many

So I am waayyyy behind on things I wanted to post, so I may have to start doing two a days! With hubby getting ready to leave I have been in such a funk! But last night before I went to bed I decided to get out of it! It was kinda of like therapy for me to plan what sort of surprises I am going to send in his care packages! Soooo, back on track now!

When I went home at Thanksgiving I threw my best friend in the whole world (my soul mate friend we call each other) a baby shower. I spent months pouring over the cricut message board getting wonderful ideas. The ladies on that site are soooooo very talented. So I want to say a big thank you to all of you who posted ideas that I scraplifted from. There are way to many to name, so I am just going to link to the cricut message board HERE.
Here are some pics of decorations:

Welcome to the shower!


Diaper cake (No cricut used here).


Diaper Wreath

Name photo book

Memory paint can

Baby Clothes line

Baby Sock Rose Bouquet
Well this is part one of the shower decorations. I will post the rest tomorrow. Melanie is the one who got me into scrapbooking, so of course I had to throw her a scrapbooking baby shower. After we opened the packages, each person made Melanie a scrapbook page to go in her baby book. Tomorrow I will post those pics and the scrapbook embellishment that I used as decorations as well as the party favors! Thanks for Looking and as always I love me some comment love!!!

7lbs 2oz!

Zoe Bella arrived safe and sound Tuesday night at 5:02 pm. She weighed 7lbs 2oz (so Jay was closer to the weight) and she was 19.5 inches ( I was closer on that one!). It is so hard not being in TN so I can see her and love on her!!!! Hopefully soon though. Quick post today, I have to clean the house.

Corduroy and Lace

This will be my first post showcasing the amazing kits that Lindsay over at SPINKYDINK has created. Be sure to pop over to her blog and meet the rest of the design team. These two layouts were created using her Corduroy and Lace kit which is soooo versatile. I love it because I can use it for many different events. You can get this amazing kit HERE















These pics are of my best buddy! And it is so great that I am posting these today because she is in the hospital right now having her little girl!!! Jay and I have made predictions as to the size. I am saying 7lbs 11oz and 20inches and Jay says 7lbs 8oz and 21 inches. I can't wait, the anticipation is killing me, but I am know it way worse for the proud momma and papa!!! Good luck Mel, you can do it!! (She is going to try to go natural, but they started her on pitocin, which I as know is one mean drug!)

Tot School

Yea! I found another site that comes up with the weekly theme and activites for teaching your tot! I am just not feeling really creative right now with my hubby getting ready to leave; so it is nice to have someone else do that side of it! The theme for the week of Jan 11-17 is Zoo Animals! Go to www.teachyourtot.com for ideas and to sign up for the weekly newletter and link to their blog! I am loving this theme because I have a cricut cartridge called Zooballoo that I have been wanting to use to make Lil Bit a ABC book with. So hopefully I can post that by the end of the week along with the activities we do!
So my hubby is definitely leaving and I think is trying to give me a heart attack. Friday night he went to play flag football and came home with four stitches and a big black/purple eye! I thought flag football was supposed to be less injury prone that full tackle, but apparently not because another one of his buddies tore his ACL!! I am hoping I can convince my hubby to let take a pic, I really think this one needs to be scrapbooked about!

Posts where are u?

Where oh where I have my posts been? Well, we have been sick! Lil Bit had RSV and ear infections in both ears and Jay and I both had the crud, but thankfully we are better! So needless to say we didn't do tot school this week, also when I went to the site that used to host tot school, it appears she no longer is. So I guess I will have be creative and think of themes all by self, though I will be disappointed not to see what others did with the same theme!
Well, I got some bummer of news last night. My hubby was supposed to be going out of town for four months this summer, but his work called last night and said he will probably be leaving in 3 weeks! I am so not ready for him to be gone, especially during the winter; at least during the summer it is warm and we are super busy. I absolutely hate winter and cold weather and now I won't have my hubby to keep me warm!
Until next time....

I am on a Design Team!

I am so excited to be a part of a design team for digital scrapbooking. I have been wanting to try for one for a while and can't believe I got picked! Where you ask? Well let me tell you! It is for a fabulous digital designer named Leslie at http://www.spinkydinkscraps.blogspot.com/
Her Kits are so beautiful and I can't wait to post my first layout! So be sure to check her site out HERE
or you can click on the blinkie to the right!