In case you get bored...

I've been super bored today. I was all ready to go to the pool and then the thunder started and hasn't stopped since. Boo thunder. But my oh-so-wonderful husband decided to email me a list of things I could be doing instead of complaining to him (via email). So the next time YOU are bored try these:

Think of places to go bathing suit shopping

Run around the house

Play the guitar

Let me buy a motorcycle (which I will not by the way)

Let ice melt in your belly button

Spit on bugs

Make a carpet angel

Throw carrots at the wall and see if they go through

Suck spaghetti noodles through your nose and out your mouth to floss your sinus area

Hit apples off the balcony with my racquetball racquet

See how high you can stack books w/out them falling

Build a card castle

Watch water boil

Build an indoor campsite

Kill wasps with hairspray (or quilt basting spray -- like I just did)

Tie your shoelaces together and practice walking

Burn fabric with an iron

Use a utensil with your feet

Tie your legs together and jump around

Juggle tennis balls

See how many slices of bread you can fit in your mouth

Eat of spoonful of half-sugar, half-salt

Blow peanuts out of your nose

Duct tape your mouth shut and see how long you can leave it

Play yourself in paper football and win

Put all pictures in your album upside down

Melt ice between your butt cheeks

Walk on thumb tacks (with shoes) and see how many stick

Play apartment golf

Put all your pillows outside

Tie all your towels together to climb down the balcony

Burn said towel rope and see if you can beat the flames up

Siphon water out of the bathtub into the toilet

Run around the complex holding your hands up the whole time

Of course what ge could have said was "Get off your butt and clean the house!" but he didn't and that's just one more reason to love him. =)

For Lisa....

So I just got a comment on "The Latest" asking how much I charge for a personalized Burpie Set. The thing is - no email address was left and since I know a couple of Lisa's I am just going to reply here for the world to see. The sets are $20 plus shipping. That price includes the name on the burpie and an initial on the bib. =)

The lastest

I just finished this etsy order:

It might be my favorite so far! I'm not sure why I like it so much - probably because it has green and brown and I'm a little bit obsessed with those two colors right now.

My Momma.

Love. That is the word that comes to mind when I think about my mother. She embodies love, and I have never once even thought of questioning her love for me. She has demonstrated it everyday of my life – even now that we live hours apart.

I sat down yesterday to make a little list of some of my favorite memories of Momma and of things that she has taught me and passed on to me through the years. What I thought would be a simple list of things that I could expound on and blog about today became a two page list that I could not “narrow down” even if I wanted to. So, dear readers, know that this post is long and drawn out and probably way too detailed, but it is for my mom. I want you to read it and know what an amazing and wonderful person she is, but MOST IMPORTANTLY I want her to read it and know that I love her and she means the world to me.

Momma, I love you and you mean the world to me. You know me better than almost anyone so I know that you know how out of character it is for me to write this. Douglas is the letter writer – I am the gift sender. I am terrible at expressing my true feelings around you and the rest of my immediate family – happy, sad, and everything in between. It is not that I want to keep these things from you or that I am embarrassed to say it – it’s a self preservation thing that even I don’t understand most of the time. Sometimes I’m afraid that my heart will explode and the tears will never stop (again, happy or sad) if I show any kind of emotion. I know you know this already – you’ve seen it time and again. But just because I have an issue sometimes with saying the words and talking about stuff doesn’t mean that I don’t love you or respect you or think that you are pretty much the greatest thing since sliced bread (or dill pickles).

My childhood was off the charts wonderful. I always knew to a certain extent that I was very blessed to have you and daddy as my parents, but now I understand more and more how truly rare my childhood and adolescence was and how great it is to have the relationship with you that I have today. I’ve been reminded in recent days from listening to so many of the ladies in my Bible Study tell their own stories – stories that are very, very different from my own. I am truly blessed.

We have wonderful memories. I remember going for walks and picnics pulling the little red wagon full of snacks. We would sing “The Ants Go Marching” over and over again and Douglas would make up words to it. We would find huge mushrooms that we called “boats” and we would walk around collecting feathers and flowers and pebbles to use for the boat’s decorations. We would search for the perfect stick and leaf to make the “sail” and then once it was “just right” we would go down to the swimming hole and set it out to “sea.”

I remember you hitting the rooster in the head with your high heeled shoe when it jumped me and Doug that Sunday after church. We learned not to lick the “beaters” with mashed potatoes on them in front of the chicken yard.

I remember building tents in the living room. You are the best living-room-tent-builder. We would use every sheet and blanket and clothespin in the house and then you would make popcorn and we would spend hours just playing under there.

I remember The Tea Lady and her crazy antics in the bathtub.

I remember riding all the way to the Camp on our bikes and the time we saw the water moccasin on Bobby Stewart Road and flagged Bobby down to kill it. He shot its head off and I remember thinking that I wanted to do that one day.

I remember standing on a chair in the old utility room so you could hem or pin or adjust whatever Halloween costume or pageant dress that you were sewing at the moment. I remember complaining incessantly about that part, but being so happy when Doug and I won the Costume Contest . . . again.

I remember the three of us swimming across the lake with only one float and how you would scream and pretend a turtle had bitten your toe and how I couldn’t get my whole body onto that float fast enough. I remember you thinking that was hilarious and me thinking that you should be kicked in the head.

I remember summer lunches in the cafeteria at the camp and Indian Campfires.

I remember that you believed me when, at the age of seven, I climbed down from that tree in the backyard and told you that “Jesus now lives in my heart.” It was true.

Yes, my childhood was wonderful.

I remember being so excited about my first youth group trip to MissionFuge the summer of 1997. Our group was leaving the church at some ungodly hour the next morning and Troy and I had already been on the phone for hours talking about how much fun we were going to have. I remember that around midnight or so you looked at me (still in the phone) and said, “Go load your stuff in the car. We’ll go over there.” There was no chance I was going to let you sleep anyway, so we loaded my stuff, drove to Troy’s and sat up talking all night with him and his mom. I vaguely remember falling asleep next to Troy on the floor of the living room shortly before it was time to leave for camp.

I remember wanting to be a cheerleader, like, my whole life. When I finally got the chance to try out as a freshman and made the squad I was thrilled. Little did I know that the coach would turn out to be one of the most manipulative, mean spirited, bitchy people ever to walk the earth and that I would loathe ever minute of being on that squad. I remember you not letting me quit – even when I cried and begged and cried some more. I didn’t understand then – you were trying to teach me to finish what I started – even if it was hard. What a life lesson learned there!

I remember you sleeping with me in my bed when I watched a scary movie or read a scary book and didn’t want to be alone in the dark.

I remember you staying up with me until all hours of the night writing paper after paper for my English IV class through LSU. We did an entire 2 semesters worth of work from January to April and I managed to graduate and walk with the Anacoco High School class of 2001. We both know that that would not have happened without you. At least I know that. Hopefully now you do too. It also wouldn’t have happened without Nash – he totally let me copy his geometry and chemistry homework every night of my life that year.

I remember coming home from two trips to Africa and seeing you and daddy standing in the airport with your arms open wide. It was your prayers that got me through that second trip. I cherish your prayers.

I remember making moles for chemistry. Stupid, stupid chemistry.

I remember knowing without a doubt that if I randomly showed up at the house with say, 10 college friends that you would cook for us no matter what hour of the night we showed up.

I remember thinking that my car had been stolen from the Esplanade Mall parking lot for thirty minutes or so and then realizing after a near panic attack on both of our parts that we were just on the wrong side of the mall. How were we supposed to know that the food court had IDENTICAL parking lots on each side of the mall? And I remember Papa making fun of us when we told him about it that night.

I remember watching you make my wedding cake the morning of my wedding.

I remember you letting me move home from Hawaii after I had a serious nervous breakdown from being separated from Justin. I remember you letting me move home from Korea when we decided I needed to return to the States and get a job. Basically I know that I can come home any time I need to and you will take care of me.

I remember that when all the crap went down with the church and what they accused me of that you (and daddy) never even asked me if any of it was true. You knew it wasn’t and that still means the world to me. I was having to defend myself to people that SHOULD HAVE KNOWN none of it was true and the fact that you didn’t make me defend myself to you spoke more love to me than you will ever know.

There are millions more memories like those.

You are the best momma ever and I would not be the woman that I am today had it not been for you. You raised me to the glory and honor of God and I know that He is so proud of the job you have done. I know I’m married now and not under your roof anymore, but you will always be my momma and I am forever grateful for that. I pray you know how much I love you and that when I fail to show it in normal ways (lets face it, I am so not normal!) that you can look back on this and know that it is true. Thank you for being who you are and for loving me the way you do.

Field Trip

Gracie's class had a field trip yesterday to The World of Coca-Cola and The Varsity and I got to go with her. We had a great time! We rode up there with two other girls in her class and their moms (grandma). I was in the back with the girls so I had to try really hard to hear the adult conversations taking place in the front seat. The three 6 year olds in the back with me were loud and throughout the course of the trip to Atlanta and back these are some snippits of what I overheard while trying to hold conversations of my own with the grown ups...

Grace: Mrs. Stephanie has a pool and a creek and a pond and rocks and stairs and a playground at her house.
Kid 1: Mrs. Stephanie... I'm coming to stay with you ok?
Kid 2: Me too! Me too! Me too! ME TOOOOOOOOO!
Me: Huh? Sure babes. Come on.

a few minutes later


Grace: Mrs. Stephanie sings in a band.
Kid 1: Really? Sing something Mrs. Stephanie!
Kid 2: Yeah sing something! Sing something! SIIIING SOOOOOOOOOOOOMETHING!
Me: What? Oh yeah - I am in a band.
Grace: Will you sing the bear song? Do it in your absolute best singing voice. I mean, please do it in your best singing voice Mrs. Stephanie.
Me: (praying that the ladies in the front seat are oblivious to what's going on in the back) sings:

"Bears, bears, they got no cares

Bears don't drink from a cup

Sharp teeth and claws and furry paws

To catch you and eat you up.

No grizzly bears don't wear underwear

Sock nor jammies nor gloves!

No baby bears don't wear diapers

No Pampers, no Huggies, No Luvs!"

Grace: That wasn't it.

Me: That soooo WAS it -- that was the bear song and that was my absolute best voice.
Grace: No it wasn't. Use the voice you use when you sing with the man on the cd.
Me: {thinking...thinking...lightbulb! She wants me to sing the harmony part!} so I sing it all again but this time I sing the harmony instead of the melody and Grace is all smiles and then there was endless applause and a standing ovation. Ok not really. But there was applause.
Grace: {looks at Kid #1 all I-told-you-so-ish} I TOLD YOU she could sing.


a few more minutes later when the car is completely quiet...


Grace: Mrs. Stephanie can shoot tears out of her eyes.
Front and back seats: HAHAHAHAHA!
Me: Oh good grief Grace! How do you even KNOW that?
Grace: 'Cause you showed me while you were sitting on the picnic table at that lady's house who has the dog named Georgia (Lori's house)
Front seat: Don't worry. Kid #1 does that to me ALL the time.


and yet a few more minutes later while we are completely lost in downtown Atlanta trying to find the interstate... (mind you, I wasn't driving)


Kids: Let's make up songs!
Kid #1: Grace, make up a song about Mrs. Stephanie!
Grace: in her most country accent "Oh Mrs. Stephanie is sittin' on the couch with her hairy armpits....."
Me: Grace Ansley! That was ONE time and it was winter and that was supposed to be our secret you little stinker!!

Oh the things I deal with everyday! I can only imagine that it's a million times worse when they are your own kids! Apparently the other moms saw all of Grace's crazy antics as a sure sign that she is attached to me. At least that's what they told me! So I guess this is a good thing. =)

And just so you know, I am totally blaming The World of Coke for the hyperness of these kids on the way home. They let you taste 64 different coke products as many times as you want and most of them have caffeine. Yeah.

Enjoy a couple of pics from our day:

This is the lobby of The World of Coke. They have these bottles all over the whole place and they were made and decorated by people in different countries. My favorite is the one with the bright stripes at the top - it's from South Africa and is made entirely of seed beads!

The girls in Grace's class. Kid #1 and #2 are on the right, respectively.=)

The rest of the pictures from the Coke place are on another camera that happens to belong to Grace's parents. I'll have to get those and post them later.

Grace at The Varsity - she ate two whole cheese burgers!

The only picture of the two of us from the whole day.=(

My life

Music is a huge part of my life. In fact, at pretty much any moment of any day (except today, because I am sick and sound like a dying goat in a hail storm) if you just happened to peek in on my life, I am probably singing, or humming, or whistling, or listening, or, or...you get it. I'm so grateful that I get to spend a good bit of my time leading fellow believers in worship, for this is my heart.

Zach and I for Sing Great @ 8 - a Night of Worship we do in Atlanta

At Inside Out

The Set List for Inside Out - a once a month night of worship in Conyers

The Zach and I at Sing Great

Mary, me, and Kristi at Sing Great. Kristi was in from Hawaii (her husband is stationed there) for a few days, and this was the only time I got to see her!

Athens

A couple of Saturdays ago I got to go to Athens with my dear friend Lori for this thing called Ugapalooza at UGA. It was a concert put on by the a cappella singing groups there. All three of the groups were excellent, but The Accidentals (all men) were by far my favorite. My favorite two songs that they did were Everything by Michael Buble and Come Together by The Beatles. I had a great time and enjoyed getting to know Lori's daughters, Kali and Destiny. I left my camera at home by accident so Destiny snapped some shots for me. I want to go back to Athens and take some pictures soon -- I must have said, "That would be an amazing picture" a hundred times that evening! I hate it when I forget my camera!!

L to R- Me, Kali, Destiny, and Lori

This is "Dawgustus."

I am in love with this building. I seriously (ok - it just took me 5 tries to type "seriously" correctly) could look at it all day. It's an art building of some sort now. I will be taking more pictures of it in the near future. I don't know why it makes me so happy.

Little elves

Sarah, Micah and Isabella came over on Thursday to cheer me up after I got my ticket. How cute are these kids?!? Don't they just look like little elves with these crazy hats?The hats are actually sleeves to an old Coogi sweater (not mine or my husband's). I knew they had to be good for something!

ouch

Yeah so that whole plan about buying new socks to aid in my laziness? Not gonna happen. I got a speeding ticket on my way to work this morning. Yay. 62 in a 45. Yep. So there goes pretty much anything I was going to buy besides food for the next two or so months. *sigh*


It has been years since I got a ticket (since college...so about 5 years). I've never been one of those girls who could talk her way out of a ticket. Usually I am just so mad that I can't speak at all for fear of terrible consequences over my.big.mouth.. Seriously - I am usually fuming before Mr. Po-Po even gets to my window. I've never even tried to get out of one -- mostly because I knew I could take it home to good ol' Leesville and have some family member call some other family member to get that family member to call their daddy's brother's first wife's uncle to have it "fixed" for me. Gone are those days (unless I happen to get a ticket in LA. ha!). There will be no "fixing" of this ticket. But this morning, instead of being angry, I felt humbled (for lack of better word). I KNEW that I was speeding and I KNEW that I deserved that ticket. And he was so nice - not at all like the cops I have encountered in the past with their smugness and smart aleck remarks. He asked me if I wanted him to check the accuracy of the radar - and I was just like, um, no. I mean, I know I was speeding so there is no need to do that. (Which apparently was the not-so-wise-choice because since I was more than 10mph over the limit our insurance will go up. Boo.) Not that him checking the radar accuracy would have changed anything - I know I was speeding. It's very hard to go 45mph on a road with so many hills (Centennial Olympic for you Conyers folk). But anyway, this might sound totally weird, but aside from completely blowing our saving budget (I want a house and baby people!), I don't so much mind the ticket. I DESERVE IT. That's what happens when you are jammin' a little too much and let your foot get a little too heavy. And that makes me think about how in life I DESERVE so much less than I get. Or so much more (punishment/consequences). I DESERVE nothing. Well, I DESERVE death (thanks May family for that nugget of truth). But that's what's so amazing about grace. I don't deserve it but I get it anyway. Thank you Lord that there is nothing I can do to make you love me more. I would fail miserably with every effort. Thank you Lord that there is nothing I can do to make you love me less. Nothing at all. And that takes the burden off of trying so hard to get things right. Not that I don't want to live and do right (pleasing to God, not man), but I can't do it all right and that is ok. Because He has me and He's not lettin' go. Hallelujah! I am aware that the link between a speeding ticket and grace probably only makes since in my wacky mind, but I'm hoping you get something out of it too.

And I just have to say again how wonderful it is to be a part of the CCC Women's Group - though I do think we need a better name. You ladies pour out grace to each other and to me and I'm so blessed to get to see Jesus in you.

Random

I hate folding clothes. More specifically, I HATE matching socks. There are always missing socks, and I have a theory about that. This is my theory: all of the lint collected in the dryer and my husband's bellybutton is made up of those missing socks. Yep. It makes perfect sense. Really. It does.

And I have a plan.

I am getting rid of all the socks that are currently unmatched in my sock basket (which is ALL OF THEM) and I am buying new socks. But all of the new socks will be exactly the same so that I can just throw them in the basket unmatched and then reach into the basket at 7am (which I consider the butt crack of dawn) with my eyes still shut and still only pull out matching socks. Its brilliant really. I'll let you know how it goes.

*Even though I hate folding clothes, I am SO grateful to actually have clothes to fold. I am blessed.

Today's project.

I have today off (unexpectedly) and this is what I have accomplished so far...

and it's only 1:15pm! Yay for me. AND I worked out this morning. OK -- pick your jaw up off the floor. No, seriously. Wipe that look off your face. It hasn't been THAT long.

What have you accomplished today? Please leave a comment and share!

Happy Monday

I'll be back later with a better post (once it comes to me!) but until then here is a little something to tide you over.

Yep. That's me!

Faeries with Nunchucks

Ok. So maybe not.

But here's a cool (or scary if you are Sarah) story for ya...

So I grew up in what most people would consider the country -- 5 acres on a lake in rural Louisiana. We raised chickens all my life (for the eggs and the fun of it) and my parents still do. In our small Chicken Yard there is a small Chicken House - a little hut of a building where they go to roost (sleep). It has a flat roof so the leaves and pinestraw just pile up on top of it. Over the weekend my Dad was up on the roof raking all the leaves off and when he raked over a loose piece of tin, he was greeted by a coiled Chicken Snake. After nearly having a heart attack and falling off the roof (which he did later by the way....um...falling off that is...not a heart attack!) he beat it to death with the rake. It was 5 feet 8 inches long and as big around as a tennis ball for about 3 of those feet. Some biddies (baby chicks) had just hatched over Easter weekend and out of the 10 that hatched there are only 6 left - thanks to Mr. No Shoulders. Here's the proof:

If I had been at home, that snake would have been thoroughly dissected by now. But I'm weird like that.

The latest

One of five custom orders from my friend, Kristen.

Tagged!

I've been tagged! Jaime at Little Bird Creations tagged me for this meme.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here are my 7 facts as they come to me:

1. I can shoot tears out of my left eye. I love it. My husband has banned this activity from our house.

2. I have traveled to all of these places and LOVED all of them: Mexico; Senegal, West Africa; Burkina Faso, West Africa; Paris, France; South Korea; and Japan. I have lots of stories from each of these places. I'd be glad to tell them to you.=)

3. I love pranks. Not pranks that permanently damage a person or their property, but good-seriously-well-thought-out pranks. . .especially the ones that take time and effort to pull off. I like pulling pranks and having them pulled on me.

Examples from college days: One weekend I returned to my dorm room to find that my ENTIRE ROOM had been put in wal-mart bags. I'm not kidding - if it would fit in a wal-mart bag it was in one. Most of them were hanging from the celing. I thought it was fantastic!

My friend and I took the tires off of our friend's car, put it up on blocks, and Saran Wrapped the tires to the car. I have pictures to prove this but they are at my parent's house. I'll have to see if I can get mama to email them to me.

4. Justin and I had only known each other for 9 months when we got married. It's been 3 1/2 years now. (That 9 months had nothing to do with babies. We don't have any yet.) =)

5. I love adventures and I try to turn even the most mundane boring things into one. As long as it doesn't involve falling out of or jumping off of something higher than the high dive, I'm all for it.

6. I really really really really don't want to live anywhere that Zach and Sarah don't live.

7. These are a few of my favorite things: music, pickles, Chick-Fil-A IceDream, singing, going barefoot, a great book and a long bath, learning to make new things, great pictures, singing around a campfire, hot chocolate, the lake I grew up on, singing, best friends that can read each other's minds, oh yeah -- and singing.


Ok - that was really random and if you were to ask me tomorrow I would probably tell you 7 completely different things!

But now I tag:

Kim at Today's Creative Blog
Manda at Sunshine and Poppies
Kris at Monkey Foot Designs
Em at 3 Peas in a Pod Designs

and anyone else who wants to do this!

80's Night!!

We celebrated our friend Kiley's birthday with 80's Night last night. It was a blast! I'm so glad that I'm too young to remember 80's clothing! Scary!

Flashdance and Marty McFly

Me, Sarah, and Mandie


Melissa and I


Kiley (Birthday Girl!) and I


The Zach and I


Adam and The Zach (I just like this picture)


Sarah and I

Ben and Melissa


McFly, Edwards, Bueller...Bueller

McFly and Bueller



How many people does it take to zip a vest?



This was Justin's vest when he was 8 years old...it should not be zipped anymore!

Oh Flashdance..I think I may have pulled something.

The Moons and Mays


The CCC small group (most of us)

Total Goofiness!

Yep.

Stone Mountain and Easter

On Good Friday we (Mom, Dad, Doug, Justin, and I) went to Stone Mountain. It is the world's largest outcropping of granite and it just happens to be located about 20-30 minutes from where we live. We hiked to the top of it. It was a gorgeous day and we all had a blast. We were worn out by the end, but it was worth it. If you are ever near Atlanta, you should visit Stone Mountain.

This was taken before we hiked it. We ended up directly above the carving at the very top.

This is at the top - right behind us it pretty much drops straight down and that is where the carving is that you can see in the first pic. We were facing the sun - can you tell?=)

The is what was behind us. We were standing in front of the building with the columns for the first picture.

Still at the top - it is amazing to me how trees can grow out of solid granite. How is that possible?

Skipping ahead to Easter Sunday...

We had a fabulous service Sunday morning and then came home and had a an amazing lunch. We had Chicken Deluxe (chicken breasts wrapped in bacon and dried beef, smothered in golden mushroom soup and sour cream, and baked for 4 hours), homemade yeast rolls, rice, and fresh broccoli with cheese sauce. It was sooooo good and I ate it all again last night! For dessert we had Four Layer Delight, and if you are lucky I will share that recipe later.=)

Here's two Easter pics:

Salutations!

Hi y'all! I hope you had a fabulous Easter and rejoiced over the empty tomb! Sorry I haven't shown any blog love the past week (I know y'all have been checking here everyday just waiting for me to post some random tidbit about my life. yep.) - I've had a lot goin' on! My parents and brother came to visit from Louisiana last Thursday and stayed through Easter and I have been working on my studio for the past couple of weeks (which doubles as a guest bedroom minus the bed) trying to get it finished before they got here. I managed to finish the room about 2 hours before they arrived so I was thrilled.

Here's my studio:

It makes me happy! My FIL let me have the desk (it was just hanging out in the workshop at the golf course) and Justin and I cleaned, sanded, and painted it. I'm pleased with how it turned out, but I think I'm gonna have a piece of glass cut for the top. We sealed it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

IKEA was a huge help in pulling this together. Sarah and I each picked up some shelves and brackets on our trip and I also got the desk lamp (which is not at all the same color green as the desk, but hey, it's still lime and it makes me smile). I am also in love with their little rail-hanging-basket-wall-system-thingymabobs and I got this, this, this, and two of these. They are changing my life as we speak. Seriously -- when I finally have a house I might have one of these on every wall of every room. Ok, maybe not EVERY wall, but a lot -- you get the point. Here's a close up of the thingymabob:

I read somewhere that when setting up your studio you should try to have different work stations for different types of projects. I just recently discovered my love for paper and paper crafts, so I brought in my moms old sewing table to use as my Paper Crafts Station. Everything is seperate and in its own special place right now. We'll see how long it lasts before I have sewing stuff and paper stuff all mixed together with no rhyme or reason.=) I have a bad habit of turning my studio into an explosion of fabric, paper, buttons, ribbon, etc. But I'm trying to repent.

Oh yeah -and here's a pic of the thread holder that my dad made for me (I meant to post this a LONG time ago because he gave it to me in November). Thanks Dad!

So that's my studio. The other wall has two big utility shelving units that house all my fabric and batting and things that are not nearly as fun to look at, so I'll spare you those pics.

I'm featured!!!!

Ok, well I guess that is what you call it. But if not, I'm still going to call it that because it makes me feel good.=)

Erin of The Vintage Pearl (remember her?) featured me and the aprons I made for her kiddos on her blog. The kids are sooooo cute in their aprons! I'm so excited to be mentioned on her blog - I'm doing the happy dance! If you are looking for the post about me on her blog, you'll have to scroll down a bit because she posted them on Friday. Head on over there and check it out! THANKS ERIN!!

On the same note, yesterday I was looking at my site meter (yes, I keep track of who visits my blog so I know what URL referred you and so I can visit your blog) and I saw a new person had stopped by for a visit. Usually new people are either hopping over from The Vintage Pearl, 5 Minutes for Mom for the Blog party, or google (because they are looking for Shrimp n Grits recipes and I happen to have one on here) - but this one was from another blog (Crafty Natalie) that was unfamiliar to me. I went to that link and OH.MY.GOSH. Right there in the post is Moonpie Designs! Go check it out!

I don't know what to do with myself!

HAPPY MONDAY!

The Ultimate Blog Party!

{This is a "sticky" post and will stay at the top until March 14th. Please scroll down for new posts!}

A great big "Hey Y'all!" to everyone stopping by for The Ultimate Blog Party!

My name is Steph and I am a wife to Justin (3 1/2 years) and a full time nanny to Grace and Nate (6 and 3). I love fabrics and creating new things and I want to be a WAHM when the kiddies come, so I created Moonpie Designs. I make aprons, purses and totes, blankets, and all sorts of personalized baby goodies. I really enjoy trying new things and Moonpie Designs allows me to do that without breaking the bank! When I am not working with the kids or sewing, Justin and I are most likely hanging out with the besties, Zach, Sarah, and Baby Micah.

I always love it when bloggers give me a little history about themselves, so over the next couple of days I am going to do just that. I'm including lots of pictures and stories so get comfy and settle in for a bit. Let me take your coat.

Be sure to leave me a comment so I can check out your blogs too!

****Ok, I have been trying for an hour to scan some old pictures and get them in a decent enough shape to put on here, but I am giving up for the moment. I hate HP Image Zone (where my scanned pictures automatically go), but I am determined to get those pictures up here! Please check back in a bit for those, and until then you can look at all the other pictures I've put in past posts!****

It's gonna be a great day!

It is gorgeous outside ("not too hot, not too cold - all you need is a light sweater!") and to make it even better, Sarah and I are going to IKEA!

I'm re-doing my studio right now so hopefully IKEA will help out in the "shelving" department. Sarah has never been to IKEA, so who knows what all she'll bring home! It is going to be a fun day indeed!

I'm in love...

with making cards!

These are a couple of samples of the cards I made today at the CCC Annual Scrapbook Day. They will go in my Etsy orders. The last picture is of the bottom half of the inside.

Don't forget to SPRING FORWARD tonight! I'm going to bed - it is already 11:10pm and I have to be up at 7:00am!!

This makes me happy

*UPDATE*


Another BIG THANK YOU to The Zach for once again sharing his immense knowledge of all things computer related with me.
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But because I am dense and can't figure out how to put the actual youtube video in this post, I am going to have to send you here to see the happiness-inducing thing of which I am speaking. Sorry 'bout that folks. I plan to get The Zach to teach me how to do the video-in-the-post-thing tonight.

Regardless of the inconvenience, you should go there and check it out. Make sure your volume is turned up. It will not scare you - you have my word.

The latest creations

So my bloggy friend Erin (can I call you friend?) over at The Vintage Pearl ordered some Mini Me Aprons from me awhile ago. It has taken me FOREVER to finish that order (sickness on top of sickness on top of full time job) but the aprons are finally done and ready to be shipped! Here they are:

I'm pleased with them. I had the hardest time deciding what to do for Caleb's but hopefully he will love his soccer apron - especially since he just had his first game of the season!

Now I'm sure y'all have already been over to Erin's blog today, but if you haven't you should go right now and check it out and then hop yourself right on over to her etsy and/or ebay shops and buy yourself a little treat. Well go already!!=)

Whatcha think?

This has been my project this week - between finishing up orders and cursing the cold weather. It is going to make its home on my studio wall but, I can't decided if it needs something else or if it is perfect the way it is. And, if it does need something else, what is that something?

I need your help. Leave me a comment with your opinions/suggestions please!

Nothing has been glued down yet so make as many changes as you like!

I think I am going to hang them side by side instead of top and bottom but when I tried to take a picture like that it was just really small.

If you read...

...you must read these books by my favorite author, Ray Blackston.

Seriously. These books are fabulous. They are funny. They are charming. And they are real. I've read Flabbergasted, the first of the series, probably 15 times (I'm reading right now) and the whole series probably 10. These are my go-to books when I don't have anything else to read, or just want a good laugh. If you read these, I promise you will laugh. And you will relate - no matter your age, no matter if you are married, single, or single-again -- you will relate to someone or something in these books.

Now if the cover of this next book doesn't make you want to read it, then I don't know what will.

A Pagan's Nightmare is a "comic spoof on legalism." You should read it.

And now for the best news of all...drum roll please...Ray has a new book out that was released February 12th. I did not know this. I don't know how I didn't know, but I didn't so this news totally just made my day, week, month, and possibly year. This is the cover:

I am literally going to Lifeway at lunch to see if they have it. I'll cry if they don't and politely DEMAND that they stock some copies, and then I will go straight home to my computer and order one for myself from amazon. I can't wait. I might have to go right now.


Anyway -- you can learn more about Ray and his books here. You can read Chapter One of each of the books there and what I call the "back cover" - you know, the short run down of what the book is about. I know you know what I am talking about. Don't kid yourself.


You can order the books here, here, and here. I suggest ordering them all at once, especially the series, because once you start you WILL NOT want to stop and driving the the bookstore or waiting for the next one to come in the mail will be excruiatingly painful. Consider yourself warned.


I'm off to the store. Happy reading!
Oh yeah, and when you go to Ray's website, leave him a little note and tell him "Steph from GA" sent you. =)

My first attempt at scrapping (sorta)

So I got it in my head about mid-January that I was going to MAKE cards for Valentine's Day this year. Um...yeah. I don't know why - I just did. So 2 hours in Michael's, a splitting headache, and $34 later, I had what I needed to get started. Keep in mind that I had NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING. The goal was to make 4 cards - one for my parents and brother, one for DD (my grandmother), one for Sarah (the bestie), and one for Justin (the hubby). I managed to accomplish this - but it wasn't easy. You see, I have committal issues. I don't want to glue anything down. I am always afraid that if I glue it down that 5 minutes later I will come up with a better use for it and then I'll be screwed. But over a weeks time I managed to make the four cards I needed. And I must say, it was pretty fun once I got the hang of it. I need tons of practice though and I am certain that I will never make an actual scrapbook - but the card making was fun so maybe I'll do it again sometime.

Here's the one I made for Justin: (please don't laugh - I don't claim to know what I'm doing)

Kinda plain and simple, but he loved it so that is all that matters.

This may very well be the death of me...

Chocolate, caramel (car-muhl), and pecans (pah-cahns NOT PEE-cans). Now separate, these three things are harmless (well, maybe not to your thighs, but for the most part) but put them together and the sheer ecstasy of the experience alone will kill you - Stop your heart dead in its tracks. Not to mention the elation you will feel when you bite into it and pull it away from your mouth only to have a trail of the most amazing caramel you've ever tasted stretching from your lips to the bear claw now a foot away. But the imminent threat of having that sticky goodness dangling off your chin will not deter you. You will let it dangle and continue devouring this caramel-bleeding Bear Claw until you have 5 trails hanging off your chin threatening to permanently make themselves at home there. Or maybe that's just me.

But...

Chocolate + Caramel + Pecans + Ecstasy (feeling, not drug) + Elation = DEATH BY BEAR CLAW

If I truly do die from attempting to eat the whole box in a single weekend, you can blame my parents. They sent Justin and I a box for Valentine's Day. Yes, you should be jealous. No, you cannot have them. They are MY parents. I'm willing to share though.

You can order your very own Death in a Box here or by clicking on the picture.

Come now friends. Let's all fall off the Resolution Wagon together. You will not be disappointed. =)

Picture property of River Street Sweets