We are headed...

to this gorgeous place for a few days!!

The girls have an extra day off from school, so we thought we would head out of town and have some fun.

I found out that the Scrapbook Expo is being held in Orlando this weekend also (beginning Friday), so we thought we would make it a family affair. My hubby will keep the girls busy while I am checking out the convention.

I can't wait to see what's new and what's going on down in Mickey Mouse land. I'll keep you updated!!

Well....

what can I say? I honestly have never taken such a l-o-n-g blog break, but I did it and I don't regret it. I won't go into all the [somewhat non-exciting] details about why...but it involved a little stress [on my part] and spending a bit more time with my girls. Blogging and uploading pictures [as we all know] takes a lot of time on some days, and a little bit of time on other days.  I just decided that I wanted to eliminate that part of my responsibility list and concentrate on other things.

On a lighter note, I have been doing some fun things this summer and have really enjoyed the "free" time. Here's a peek into what I've been up to...

First up is a cover I made for my iPad [which I LOVE dearly]:

 I used two pieces of Amy Butler fabric that I had leftover from my backsack project. The interior is lined with a coordinating fabric, even though you can't see it.

Unfortunately, I don't remember where I got the instructions, but I do have the measurements if you need them. I love this cover because, not only is it stylish....but the sides are made from a recycled notebook, so they are firm and will keep my baby safe and protected.

Next is another sewing project that I had on my to-do list for a long, long time.

We always use mats at Jazzercise and sometimes they can be a bit dusty, so I bought my own and, well, it needed a stylish bag....this project came from the "One Yard Wonders" book.  Unfortunately, even with my husband's help (because he is the math mastermind) this pattern needed a bit of altering.  Overall, I am very happy with it and my model was excited to pose for the picture.  :)

And now for a bit of randomness:

Hubby's [famous] BBQ Chicken

Lights from the Hilton Hotel lobby

And lastly, a big celebration we enjoyed last week:

My youngest daughter turned 8! We've had a good summer!! How about you?

Orange Two Ways

I sat down yesterday afternoon during the rain shower outside and put together these two cards to pass out to two special people. 

This card uses a pad of die cut flowers and leaves I purchased a while back. I am determined to go through my stash and use what I have instead of bringing in more at the moment.  These designs are from the Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse collection from K&Company. I added some black stitching and a rub-on sentiment from Making Memories.

Next up is another card I made using the other half of the orange 12x12 paper I pulled out to create two cards each measuring 4.25 x 5.5 inches.

This card came together quickly by using Kristina Werner's card sketch from her latest "Finally Friday" video.  I love seeing what she puts together on Mondays and Fridays.

I used a Stampin' Up set from my stash called "For a Friend" and added patterned papers and die cut papers from my scrap pile.  The baker's twine is from Martha Stewart's line at Michael's.

That's it for today...working on a few things as usual...but, before I go, I wanted to share with you a cute present I ordered a while back for my sweety hubs...I snuck this picture of him while we were getting ready for our family shot:

I found, through one of my coupon sites, a link to order a customized t-shirt through Vistaprint and all I had to pay was the shipping (which was so inexpensive I can't even remember how much it was).  I hope he can keep it clean during our yummy BBQ dinner today.

Friday Morning Giggle

Are you ready to have a giggle? My daughter, Abby, took this funny picture of our dog yesterday afternoon:
And here she is looking like one of those "Big Dogs" with a really large head:

Abby was just goofing around with my camera because, like me, she doesn't sit still long enough to watch a television show and sometimes our dog is her best playmate....have a good one!

Happy Birthday to You!

Today is my high school sweetheart's birthday! Can you believe we've been together for 24 years [married for 15]? It doesn't seem that long ago....what a great way to spend my life...with you....Happy Birthday Dear!

Here's my guy as we see him everyday:
Here he is looking a little more business-like:

And here's the card I whipped up for him last night because he always makes me a card on my birthday:

The close-up:

Have a great Saturday!

Grandma's Birthday

We celebrated my Mom's birthday yesterday with a homemade dinner and cake. We feasted on baked spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and a two-layer cake with pink vanilla frosting. It was all yummy!

Here's the card I made - it's not what I had originally planned (my mother is very old-fashioned) but I was under a bit of a time crunch and these colors just jumped onto my desk. :)
Here's a picture of Mom blowing out her candles and Abby in the background doing the "goofy" dance:

And here's a shot of Mom with her 40-year old baby girl.....can you tell it hasn't sunk in yet? And, isn't it amazing how much better the pictures look when you take them outside?

Happy Birthday Mom!

Good Morning Scenes

Here's the scene from our back porch this morning....what a beautiful sight!
And here's a shot of the girls' shark's teeth collection they started yesterday. In all my [40] years, I've never found a single shark's tooth....I'm glad they started early. Look at those sweet little hands [sigh].

Have a glorious day!

I [heart] My Hardworking Hubby

Saturday night, my daughter noticed this neat heart pattern on my hubby's tank top. He was still for one minute after moving all of our loot from the car to the condo...what a trip. He's so gracious by letting all of us "girls" relax inside while he went back and forth bringing in all of our much needed goodies.
He definitely loves us all very much to work up such a sweat including this one in a heart-shaped pattern.

A Friendly Stranger

We saw this little guy creeping across our back lawn this morning. Actually, I should have said, "this little girl" because later we saw her digging a deep hole in the dune area which I think means she's ready to have some little turtle babies. She certainly had a determined look on her face as she quickly trotted across the lawn.

Day #1's activities included a walk on the beach this morning (trying to fit in 30 minutes a day), looking for shells, going to the pool, a trip to the grocery (double-coupons at this store - yippee!) and then a trip back to the beach and back to the pool.....definitely a life of luxury out here and probably more of the same tomorrow.

Amelia Island Vacay

Hey guys! This is my view for the next week.....our family has been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to stay at my friend's beach condo for all of this week. This is the delightful scene from our back porch [I'm borrowing this picture, but I promise it looks exactly the same].

I don't know if the wireless will hook up correctly, so I may have to venture out a few times to post, but if I don't make it, I promise to catch everyone up as soon as I get home. I can't wait to be a beach "bum" for an entire week! We stayed here once before 2 years ago and had our best family vacation ever!!! It sure beats the heck out of the long, sweaty lines at Disney World! (BTW, this is a shot of the beaches at Amelia Island.)

Take care!

I'm busy this morning having one of these:
My girlfriend and I have two each year, one in the summer and one in the fall. It's always fun and full of excitement. I don't know that I've ever done one by myself.....I've made a delicious pasta salad, stocked the fridge with bottled water and Cherry Lemonade, organized, sorted, purged, cleaned and priced, so I think we are ready to go! Wish me luck!

Scenes from a Lemonade Stand

My youngest daughter had her first Lemonade & Cookie Stand yesterday in our front yard. She had such high hopes of people standing in line and waiting anxiously for her delicious treats. Here's a shot of her table underneath a nice covered shade tent.
In the end, after we moved out half of our house, including a stereo with Disney dance music, a fan to keep cool, a cooler and table for ice, her makeup box (in case someone wanted a makeover to go along with their Lemonade), 2 chairs, a whiteboard sign advertising her sale, and what you see here she made a total profit of $6.25!!! I was so proud of her for sticking through until the end (or at least when dinner was ready). And, I thought back on all those times I've seen other small children with their stands, next time I'm stopping at every single one!

New Momma

Congratulations goes out to my friend Arlena!! Here she is a few days ago...
and today she delivered a beautiful baby girl! Welcome to the world Baby Lindsey! She arrived this morning at 11:00 am, weighing 8 pounds and measuring 21 inches long. I can't wait to meet you and take a gazillion pictures of you! Your family is so sweet and we are so happy to be a part of this wonderful celebration!

Awaiting Santa's Arrival

The tree is lit and the cookies are ready....all we need now is Santa! Goodnight girls, sleep tight! Merry Christmas everyone!

Dinner with the Dolphins

We had a great time last night visiting Marineland in St. Augustine. My sister's company had their annual company picnic and we were treated to the first ever dolphin show in 4 1/2 years! Afterwards, the trainers came down and hosted a special Q&A session and we were allowed to visit with and photograph the dolphins right beside their training tanks. I had never been so close to so many dolphins. We were so close you could see them watching us and blinking their eyes at us as the swam slowly by.

Back to School

So, we made good time this morning getting ready for the first day back to school. I have one in 3rd and one in 1st this year. We took our annual back to school picture in the kitchen and then headed out the door for the easy walk to school. I came up with the idea last night to make decorated water bottles for the teachers instead of the usual "apple" gift. I watched a tutorial on "You Tube" and then put them together in just a couple of minutes last night before bed. The only thing is, I guess in all of my excitement about getting back in the groove for school I forgot to take a picture. Oh well...I'm sure I'll make a few more. The teachers were very happy about their special treats.

Pineapple Juice & Peanut Butter

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fanatic about organization. I LOVE it! I love being organized and I love helping people get organized. This afternoon was a pretty lazy one in our house...we don't get too many of those. While I was in the kitchen going through the mail my youngest daughter and I had this conversation: Abby: Look Mom, I'm organizing...I'm making more room [in our pantry closet]. Let's put the ice cream syrup with the marshmallows. Where do you think we could put the pineapple juice? Me: With the pineapples. Abby: Do we have pineapples? Me: No. How about with the coconuts? Abby: Do we have coconuts? Me: No. Abby: How about with the peanut butter? Me: Sure, they both start with the letter P.