A little bling...

I had two jewelry orders that I just finished that I thought I'd share with you.

This is a "Mommy bracelet":

And here's an amber/brown set:

I haven't made any jewelry except for special orders in ages, but the other day one of Alex's teachers noticed a bracelet that I had on and asked where I got it. I told her I made it and she said that she owns a purse/accessories store about 20 miles south of here and she and I should "talk". I need to get some things put in together to show her - I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm off to try to get one more layout or card done before bed, night!

Almost caught up...

Yes, I just finished #26 on my Deck of Me! YAY me! Bad news is that tomorrow's Sunday and Kathy will post #31, putting me yet another card behind - oh well.

Without further adieu, here they are:

And I actually did a layout! This is for j4k's Neverending Scraplift Challenge, mine is #151!!

Thanks for stoppin in!

Addicted...

Thanks to Leah, I'm now addicted to Big Brother! Does anyone else watch this show? I cannot stand how they're whispering half the time, so you have to watch intently to read the subtitles (I guess that's what you'd call them) instead of while looming or making posies or any of the other things I do during tv time (drives Andy insane that I have to do something while watching tv, but I feel like while I sit there, there's things I could get accomplished!!). So up until last night, all of the episodes that I've seen, I've been with Leah and we talk through the show - well, as soon as it went off last night, I called Leah to discuss the show (that makes it sound somewhat intellectual, right?) and didn't even think that it was 10pm there and Daddy's out of town and the phone ringing that late probably scared the bejimmies out of her. Anyhow, I first thanked her for getting me hooked on the show - with lots of sarcasm, I might add, then we decided that Justin has taken one too many steroids and we're waiting for him to flip out on tomorrow night's show! Okay, enough trash talk.

I'm also addicted to this:

fresh salsa - yum! Haley and I started making this when she was here after I had bought a tiny container for $4 and devoured the container in a few bites. So off with the list of ingredients from the side to the grocery and viola, homemade black bean salsa - holy moly, it's goooOod! If I remember, I spoon some of it out before I add the beans and use that to make guac! Double yum!! I'm eating this stuff on everything and will be so sad when I cannot get fresh tomatoes anymore (well at least good, fresh tomatoes) - I'm for-sure planting a veggie garden next year, you know, when the snow melts, in May!

I'm ashamed to say that over at j4k, Kathy is on week 30 of the Deck of Me - yowzers, I'm behind! So here are the three I got done last night and am hoping to get more made tonight after lil man goes to bed (which should be early since we spent 3 hours at the sprinkler park this afternoon!).

Thanks for takin a peek, and to keep you coming back, I spruced the ole blog up a little - there are SO many backgrounds to choose from over at The Cutest Little Blog, I'll try to do sprucing up more often!

One last post for today...

I think I've mentioned that I've got bitten by the sewing bug and thought I'd share the first clothing item I've made. My brave, gorgeous step-daughter, Haley, got to be benefactor of my sewing adventures! Hehe, I really couldn't mess up this dress since the fabric came pre-smocked, so all I had to do was hem it, sew a seam up the sides and add some straps. I made her a yellow ribbon flower with a blue button center to add to the dress, but we couldn't figure out where we like it, so it's not in the picture.

Haley has white leggins at home that she'll wear with the dress - she's SO fashion (to quote my little fashion friend Abby!), but since I had to unwillingly send her back home to TN, I had to get a picture of her in the dress - I even have some of the fabric left over to use on the scrapbook page that I'll eventually do of this picture!

Oh, and here are two more sewing projects that I've done:

A taggy blanket for sweet Tessa Cotton

A raggy quilt for my new nephew Parker!

Now if I could just get my rear-end started on making some curtains for my house instead of making these addictingly cute baby blankets, but I'm not that disciplined!!

Lake people...

After running a few errands yesterday, we stopped by the lake to take a walk on the trail, but didn't get very far before we decided to run back home, hook up the boat for an evening on the lake (forget the lawn that needs mowing!).

I packed us a picnic dinner that Alex ate before he would put his fishin pole in his hands!!

We caught lots of fish, all small, but it was fun!

The boys took a little swim after the sun set (which was gorgeous!).

Even though I didn't swim, I got soaked thanks to the water gun that Andy swears Alex was shooting - he's a good shot, but I think daddy got in a shot or two at me!

This lake is covered with geese!




We love being lake people again and know that it's okay to leave the yard work for another day because in just two months, it'll be too cold to go out on the lake - how sad is that? MN sure is pretty during the four or five months that we don't have snow - haha!

Good to be home...

No matter how fun vacation is, it really is good to be home. We got home late Wednesday and Thursday morning we jumped right back into our routine!





Alex's summer school class goes on field trips every Thursday - this trip was to Como Town in St. Paul. A very fun little amusement park and an hour and a half there was just enough time to have lots of fun!







Alex snagged the seat right up front - he loves a roller coaster!! He got off this one saying, "that was amazing!".


This ride went up in the air, spun around and turned circles all at the same time - made me dizzy just watching!

It was a fun day and Alex fell asleep on the bus as we headed back to school!

Hanging out in Tally

Alex and I stayed on in Tallahassee a few days after everyone went home (Andy included!) - it was SO nice, staying at my parents', lunch and shopping with Leah, swimming in the pool while listening to the distant thunder of the FLA afternoon shower approaching and getting to see my oldest friend, Paula (aka Pokie and for the record she's my oldest, meaning longest friend because in actuality, she's younger than me, but just by two and a half months!).

Pokie, Gracie and Bubbie picked us up and we headed for Garnet and Gold (the FSU store) which just happens to be right next to the Seminole Barber shop that Pokie's daddy, Mr. Dwayne owns! The Seminole barber shop is a tradition, a landmark and packed to the gills when school's in, especially on football Fridays! Bubbie and Alex got a little trim, here's Alex and Mr. Dwayne:


We had lunch at Chick-fil-A - YUM! Of course we don't have Chick-fil-A in MN, so it was an extra special treat!!

Then we took the kids to Zoinks to play - they had a blast in the jump castles, obsticle courses and playing games.



That's Gracie in the blue shirt with the super-star smile and Alex is right behind her!


This is the only picture that I got with the three kids together and you can barely tell that's Gracie in the back, but they were all over the place - I wish you could see Bubbie's face (in the orange shirt) - he's SO stinkin cute!!!


Gracie and Alex - she's a little mama hen, keeping track of Alex the whole day, man I wish I could have stuck her in my suitcase to come home with us, she's a sweetie pie!

We then headed to Pokie's parents' house to let the kids swim. I got to see Miss Windle, while we were there, so the visit was almost complete - hopefully I'll see Julie next time!

After swimming, Pokie's gentleman friend, Greg, picked us up and we went to my fave restaurant, Carrabba's for dinner!! YUM, yum, and more yum! I don't have pictures because I was too busy stuffing my face with calamari, salad, bread, chicken bryan and tag-pic-pac!! Holy moly, it was goooood and of course, we don't have Carrabba's here, so it was even more delish!

Thanks Pokie and family for a great, fun day - we miss ya!

Alex gets to meet his other great-grandma...

My mom's mom, Grandma Mackley lives in Bradenton and I haven't seen her since I lived in South Carolina - B.A., before Alex. My mom recently moved back to Bradenton to help care for my grandma and aunt - she hasn't lived in Bradenton since before I was born!

Since we were in Tallahassee for an extended visit, Alex and I drove to Gainsville (half way for both parties) to meet my mom and grandma for lunch. It was wonderful to see both of them, but sad as well since while we were at the beach, my Aunt Nancy passed away after a long, hard battle with cancer - she's my mom's sister and the second child that my poor grandma has had to bury.

Grandma is very strong in her faith, she's always been such a good Christian example for me and I'm so glad that she got to finally meet my little boy, although she says that she feels like she's always known him so well through pictures and cards.

Here all four of us are:

(Alex is again doing the crazy hands and tongue pose - arrrr!)

And please notice my grandma's hair color - she has NEVER colored her hair, she has very little grey - WOW! Unfortunately my mom and I did not get that gene from her, darn!

See a pattern...

Trying to get a good picture with Maw and her great-grand babies was near impossible, especially since my little stinker does not pose for pics anymore without sticking his tongue out and making Spidey-like web gestures.

Thank goodness for digital cameras is all I have to say because I love being able to take lots of shots just hoping for one good picture.

There is one common pattern in all four pictures, can you see it?






If you said that Haley looks great in all four pictures, then you are correct, ding-ding-ding. Sorry, there's no prize, but I just wondered if anyone else saw what I see, she's just darn photogenic!!

Florida or bust....

Every year my family gets together at Cape San Blas, FL, in the panhandle, just 1 1/2 hours south of where I grew up in Tallahassee. Cape San Blas is an incredible peninsula with the beach/ocean on one side and the bay on the other side. We rent a house on the bay side so that we can keep our boats at the dock in front for the entire week and almost literally scallop off our dock. My Maw rents a condo on the beach side, complete with a pool! Our daily routine is to get up, breakfast w/ Scuba Steve as the short order cook, make everyone's lunch sandwich for the day, fill the coolers on the boats, and head out to scallop. I LOVE to scallop - snorkel through the salt water collecting little shells filled with yummy goodness, life doesn't get any better, unless you count getting back to the dock just in time for rum-punch-o'clock! The kids are all old enough now that we send them over to Maw's to swim in the pool/play at the beach and just get spoiled by their Maw. Life is good at the beach! Yea, I'm having vacation withdrawls, so sorry about the rambling, here are some pictures:



Just dropped the crab trap far out in the bay and looking for a sandy spot to anchor to go scallopin!


My fave guys! Alex, Andy, Connor and Logan (my nephews!)


After a hard day of playing, breathing fresh salty air, this is what Connor and his shadow, Alex, could be seen doing - these two are like two peas in a pod and they have two speeds, GO and sleep.


One day was terribly windy, so rather than fight choppy water, we sent the boys to the beach and us girlies headed to Appalachia Bay for a day of shopping and of course grouper sandwiches and key lime pie at the Grill for lunch! YUM!
l-r: me, Jen (my sis), Haley (my step-daughter), my Aunt Vicky (Leah's sister-in-law) and Leah (my awesome step-mom)


No, we're not aliens! Have you heard of candling your ears? Well, Leah introduced us to it and we all loved it!! Everyone did it except Dad, Andy and Alex (he would not sit still long enough to do it and I could forsee something catching on fire due to his wiggliness - as for the two other big boys who didn't do it and probably needed it done more than anyone else there, they just thought we were doing some voodoo act and wouldn't be in the same room with us at the time!).


This boy loves his PawPaw!! My dad has a do-rag just like the one Alex is wearing and I hate that I didn't get a picture of the two of them both in them, but there's always next year!

Maw with her great-grand babies

Huey, Dewey and Louie!

Growing like weeds this crowd is! The cute guy on the left is my cousin Phillip from Canada who is now living with my parents, working for my dad - the boys all love him and we're glad that he's gotten to come to the beach with us two years in a row!

Jen & Stevie - she's gonna kill me posting this on my blog because she had "no makeup on!", but she's still so stinkin perty!

Jen and I with our parents - couldn't ask for a better family!!

yea, didn't get a ton of pictures this year, usually Andy is the resident photographer, but Stevie took that role on, so I'm waiting for him to send me copies of his pictures (HINT, HINT!)!!!