Oh, I love it!

It felt sooo good to do something creative, and it came out so well. I made an "E" for Emma's room and I love it so much I want to marry it. Lilly, of course, will have one made for her room, but the store didn't have an "L" in stock, today. My inspiration for this precious creation came from here. Instead of sewing together several pieces of paper, I just slapped on one piece and called it a day. The project did not take long at all!
Who knows...I might even eventually make the other letters of her name.

Sooo...

I went to a Pampered Chef party last night and purchased these.



I think my kids will have a lot of fun decorating with them. They will be great for Christmas cookies this year.

I have really been in a blogging and crafting slump. When I was at the party last night, my sweet friend, Emily told me how much she enjoyed reading my blog. I felt so encouraged and it inspired me to post. I even started a cute, little project for Emma's room. I can't wait to show you the finished product! Thank you, Emily! :)

Wow!

OK. I just made a really yummy meal for my family, and they all went bananas over it. Hello!! I've known about this recipe for a while and never thought to make it until this week. I could not believe that the preparation was so easy. If only I thought to take a picture of it before everyone inhaled it. Oh well...maybe next time. :)

Pampered Chef Taco Ring

Ingredients
1/2 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
1 1.25 oz package taco seasoning mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp water
2 8 oz pkgs. refrigerated crescent roll dough
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
1 med. tomato, cubed
1 cup (225 ml) salsa
sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine meat, seasoning mix, cheese and water in bowl.
Arrange crescent triangles in a circle on a baking stone or pizza pan, with bases overlapping in center and points to outside (there should be a five inch diameter circle in center).
Spoon meat mixture over rolls.
Fold points of triangles over filling and tuck under base at center (filling will not be completely covered).
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Fill a ramekin with salsa and place in center of the ring.
Mound lettuce and tomato around the salsa.
Garnish with sour cream.
Cut and serve.

Forgive Me

So sorry I haven't been blogging more. Emma will be starting Kindergarten this fall and I'm just trying to savor every moment. It will be the first time she is away from me every day, all day. When my little girl steps into the classroom of her new school on the first day, I don't know how life will be from then on. Will I still know everything that is going on in her sweet, innocent mind? Will her cheery personality change? Ugh, I try not to think about it too much.

It has been glorious these last five years with my little princess and we have had so much fun! One of my favorite things to do with my girls is to take them to our local library. Fortunately, there are always so many fabulous programs at our library and I have built a lot special memories while being there with my girlies.

Here are Emma and Lilly enjoying a play at our library. As you can see, they are having a blast.



Lilly just lurves her sister. Hehe

HOT, HOT, HOT

We are in the midst of one HOT summer weekend. So, we have the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality. We're off to have an evening cook-out by the lake.

Here are a couple of pictures from our fun trip to the beach. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Arboretum Photos

A few weeks ago, the girls had some photos taken at our local arboretum by an up-and-coming photographer. As you can see, she did an amazing job and you can see more of her work at Amy's Joyful Image. These photos are such beautiful treasures. Thanks so much, Amy!

I have so many gorgeous pictures, but here are just a few.

New Layout

I was finally able to do some scrapbooking during naptime this week and it felt wonderful. Everyone needs a creative outlet.

More Hair

I am having so much fun with this blog.

Check it Out!

Look at this fun hairstyle! Lilly FINALLY sat long enough for me to fix her hair. I got the idea from here.

It's so cute, I can hardly stand it!

Another Birthday, Another Banner

When Lilly turned two years old, I made her a birthday banner. Here is the one I made for Emma's birthday.


Emma had a fabulous time with her friends and family at her inflatable bouncer party.
Here she is with her sister and cousins - what a good lookin' group!


Emma said, "My cake is gorgeous!" Hee-Hee. My daughter is such a cutie.

Brand New Room

Emma is enjoying her new birthday bedding set from Target. She chose it herself and I am absolutely ecstatic with her decision. Isn't everything adorable?




We have had these precious wall decorations for a while and I love how well they match her bed.


We've had this flower frame for a year, but never really knew where to put it. John placed a picture of Pickles in it and set it next to her bed. She loves it!


Now that she is five years old, we are having her make her bed every day...so far so good. She does it surprisingly well and seems to take more pride in her new room...maybe too much pride because she flipped out yesterday when she noticed I was sitting on one of those little pom-poms on her bedspread. Apparently, I was "smashing" it.*sigh*

Memorial Day Weekend

Hope you are having a pleasant holiday weekend. We are so thankful for the sacrifices made for our country so that we can enjoy happy times with our family.

A lot of our time is being spent outside so I decided to make Wet Water Sponges for the girls to enjoy in the inflatable pool. Boy, those sponges were a hit and so easy to make!



Pickles loved them, too.


Everyone also enjoyed snow cones from the Snoopy machine. John and I both had the Snoopy machines when we were kids so the experience of struggling to crank out that ice really took us back to childhood.

My Little Snail

Emma will be in her first end-of-year school play as a snail. I have to admit I panicked at first when I heard that I had to make her costume. Oh, and I was instructed to make the costume simple...how on earth can I make a snail costume simple?!!? I googled "snail costume" and found a whole lot of nothing.

Grammy came up with a great idea of getting a Boppy pillow and coiling it up to make a shell. Fantastic! I sewed the "shell" to straps so Emma can wear it like a backpack. The rest of the costume was easy - headband, pipe cleaner and Styrofoam balls for the antennae and grey shirt and shorts for the body. I now have the cutest snail in the world!

Play Day

I had a perfect day. Since we had rainstorms, the girls and I pretty much stayed indoors all day. During breakfast, the electricity went out. It was cloudy and dark, so we got a flashlight and told "scary stories" under a fort that we made with a blanket and chairs.

We also made edible play dough or "day dough" as Lilly calls it. In addition to that, we played games and laughed a lot. Yes, it was a great day...and I can see it by looking at my messy house. I was too busy playing with my girls and didn't have time to clean. I love days like today.

Someone sent this to me a while back and I really enjoy reading it.

Song for a Fifth Child
Mother, oh mother, come shake out your cloth!
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking!

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake,darling and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo.
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby. Babies don't keep.

~~Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother's Day

Hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day. For me, it was a day of many blessings. I did not have to lift a finger for the entire day - it was so very relaxing. Special thank you to the love of my life, John for making it absolutely amazing. I couldn't stop smiling all day.

Emma made a card for me using her brand new Cuttlekids die-cut machine. The machine was an early birthday present from her Mama and Grandad and she uses it ALL the time. I have to say I'm thrilled that she has caught the crafting/scrapbooking bug. Oh, and the answer is yes...I will be using the Cuttlekids for my own scrapbooking needs. ;)



I gave my mom a shadow box containing a photo that dates back about 27 years. The picture shows my mother dressing me in a yellow raincoat. The background in the box says, "A Mother's Love."


I loved that photo so much that I enlarged it and hung it in my own home.

Magazine Obsession

I REALLY love magazines. When I see them in my mailbox, my heart starts racing and I get deliriously happy. Yes, you read that correctly...DELIRIOUSLY happy.

Every mom has guilty pleasures and reading magazines is one of mine. I can stop whatever I'm doing in the middle of a busy day and curl up on the couch and flip through one...even if it's only for a few minutes.

I just got my first issue of Family Fun and I am enjoying it so much. It is packed with family ideas and activities...DEFINITELY a new favorite.

Yay! I can't wait to get more...

Little Reminders

I love all the girly things throughout our house that are reminders of our two sweet, darling daughters.

Ladybug hooks with personalized backpacks


Emma and Lilly's favorite table


Basket of books nestled between two rocking chairs made by Grammy

So Very Blessed

Not only do I have a wonderful and supportive family, I also have a fabulous best friend, Christin. Chris and I go way back...20 years to be exact. We met in the 4th grade and even though there were times when we drifted apart a little, we always called each other best friend. When Chris and I get together, it's almost annoying to other people around us. We have a million inside jokes and laugh loudly and uncontrollably the entire time.

This last weekend, Chris and I got together and spent the ENTIRE day in Dallas. We did all the girly things best friends should do - shopping, pedicures, eating out and more shopping. We were without our kids and it was fabulous to have a day doing things for us and ONLY us.

My highlight of the day was getting cupcakes from Sprinkles. If you like cupcakes, you must try this place. Chris and I both agree that the strawberry cupcakes are the best! Yum!

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

Good morning, everyone!

This morning is absolutely gorgeous. We had some thunderstorms this past weekend and the air now looks so clean. We have the windows open and the fresh, spring air feels wonderful.

I have to share another good thing with you. I am officially OFF of caffeine and I really feel great! I'm not gonna lie to ya - it felt like someone was jabbing a thousand knives through my head over and over the first few days. I'm soooooo glad I got over that hump. Believe it or not, I actually have more energy now without the caffeine.

And one last piece of good news...Emma is now swimming WITHOUT floaties! Congratulations to our big girl! We're very proud of our little water bug!

Here's another layout of our sweet Lilly bean.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

A Fresh New Issue of Real Simple






Emma's "Starfish"





Lilly's Little Piggies





Buckets, Buckets, Buckets