Slacker...

So, I slacked a little on the pic of the day. Well, at least for Saturday. This weekend was everything that a birthday weekend (not to mention a housebreak-the-new-puppy weekend) should not be...cold, windy, and wet. We did nothing on Saturday. Nothing. Thus, no pictures. But, we did have quite the little celebration for Miss Birthday Girl yesterday:

She couldn't wait to even get out of her pajamas before she broke into the loot. Even Sake got in on the action! I was going to post last night, but I spent most of the weekend in a Benadryl-induced haze. We've all been allergy-ridden around here, and were all in bed by 9 pm thanks to those lovely antihystamines.

Today...rainy again. I know we need the rain in this drought-addled Southeast, but ENOUGH already! So, I put on some movies for the kids, and spent the day bustin' out some work with my Red Velvet kit. When Rachel first told me that this kit would have a bunch of Bam Pop in it, I thought, "Oh no! What have I gotten myself into?!?" I really love what other people do with Bam Pop, but it never really fit my style. I spent days trying to come up with LO ideas that I could incorporate robots and those Nintendo Kirby-ish looking things into. Much to my surprise...the new Bam Pop is TOTALLY different, and TOTALLY AMAZING! I have had SO much fun playing with the kit! Be sure to pick yours up tomorrow when they go on sale here. They're sure to sell out fast...they always do! And, trust me...this kit totally ROCKS!

This was my kitchen table today with some of the goodies all splayed about:

I miss working in my craft room, and I hate having such a mess all over the kitchen table. But, with Bryan still being gone, I can't really retreat to my room to work. I can't wait to clean that mess up, and move it back into my nice, quiet little room. Anyway, I hope everyone had a great weekend, and stayed drier than I managed too!

It's a girl!

There's my little surprise. I found out on Monday that our pup would be ready to come home today. And, since it is Hazel's birthday weekend, I thought it would be a perfect surprise. She had no idea what we were going to pick up this afternoon. In fact, we spent the first 20 minutes at the breeder's house filling out paperwork...no puppy in sight. When she finally brought her out, Hazel's reaction was priceless. I am still kicking myself for not bringing my camera along. It was definitely one of those once in a lifetime moments. Hazel was so happy, and she just loves her furry little pal. Her name is Sake...as in the Japanese rice wine. Fitting...considering how much Bryan and I enjoy Japanese cuisine and culture. What a good little girl she is too...and sweet to boot! She's the perfect addition to our little family. I had really forgotten how comforting it is to have a dog in the home. We just love her to bits! On that note, I'm off to snuggle up with her and Hazel and watch some good re-runs on tv. Stay tuned for some yummy scrapage. I got my Red Velvet kit in the mail today, and I'm gearing up for some serious playing this weekend! Trust me...this kit rocks! Happy Friday!

Where a kid can be a kid...

Today was Hazel's 4th birthday party. Her actual birthday isn't until Sunday, but you get a WAAAAY better deal at Chuck E Cheese if you go on a weekday. So, there you have it. And, I couldn't pick just one pic of the day for today. There are a couple of cute ones that I just had to share. Although, the light inside Chuck E Cheese, of course, SUCKS! So, pardon the crappy photos, but you get the point. A little birthday cake action...

And, some birthday kisses from the birthday girl to her patient little bro...

And, finally, the obligatory shot with Chuck E himself...

This is the first year that Hazel wasn't terrified by the giant rat costume. I can't say as to where I blamed her before, but it was nice to finally see her not running away, screaming in fear. She had a great time, and the only thing that would have made it better was if Daddy was actually able to be home.

So, tomorrow will be the biggest surprise of all! Tomorrow's surprise requires an absolutely spotless home, so I had better get my rear in gear and get this house in order. Check back tomorrow...I can hardly stand to keep this surprise to myself any longer!

Here comes Peter cotton tail...

hoppin' down the bunny trail...

So, Easter was good, and the Easter bunny was good to the kids. He even left some Reese's peanut butter eggs for mom. Yum. My favorite! Unfortunately, I've devoured every last one of them. I guess I'll have to wait until Halloween when the yummy pumpkins come out. For some reason, the holiday shapes just taste better to me. I think it has something to do with the peanut butter to chocolate ratio. Ha!

Hazel had a blast hunting for eggs, but she wouldn't let me take any pictures. Every time I pointed the camera in her direction, she would scream or just turn away. This is the only decent one I got:

And, I'm still not even sure what she was doing there. That picture looks like it is just begging for a funny title for a LO. But, I can't seem to think of anything. So, whomever comes up with the funniest title for that photo, I have a little RAK for you. Put your thinking caps on, ladies!

Anyway, Luka didn't quite know what to do with the whole Easter egg hunt situation. Mostly, he just wandered around the yard aimlessly carrying his little basket. Hazel was kind enough to pass a couple of eggs his way...so long as she still got the candy out of them. Of course.

It has been a beautiful few days around here. I've gotten lots done in the yard. I love spring. I love the smell of fresh dirt, and the pretty flowers. There's nothing that says spring to me like digging into the cool soil, and planting something beautiful to enjoy for the warmer months ahead. I've got crazy tons of stuff to do before Bryan comes home. And, I have exactly 2 weeks from today to get it all done. Eek!

In light of these last few loooong days before my life returns to normal...wait. I guess this life without Bryan has sort of BECOME my normal. After all, it has been well over a year. I've grown kind of used to rattling around this house all by myself. So, I think it will probably take some time to get used to having Bryan home. But, it will be a good change. Anyway, in light of my last days of solitude, I decided that I am going to do a pic of the day until Bryan comes home. Just for fun. Just to make these next couple of weeks pass a little faster. Well, that and to remind myself that, even though it seems like I'm not getting a whole lot done, that every day a little something is accomplished. Today, I got the last of my creeping phlox planted. It is going to be a ground cover for the huge flower bed that borders the front of my house. It has beautiful little purple flowers, and smells wonderful!

There will be lots of surprises around this house for the next few days, so stay tuned! ;0)

A good Friday!

Wow...it seems like I was just here, but it has actually been almost a week! So, although I haven't been getting much crafting done, Hazel has been one busy girl.

On Sunday, she painted pictures for "everyone she loves". I guess I need to get a couple of those in the mail. And, today she was busy decorating all kinds of prettiful Easter eggs. I can't believe I didn't get pictures. Shame on me, ya' know? But, I'll be sure to get plenty on Sunday when she goes a-huntin' for those eggs. Luka wasn't really into the whole egg adorning process. He was more concerned with cleaning up the mess.

My mom sent that vacuum for Hazel's birthday. The little sneak discovered it early, so I went ahead and gave it to her. She played with it for, oh, about 2 minutes. Then, she decided that she would rather busy herself with Lite Brite. That's okay because Luka took right over. He was using it just like a grown up. Back and forth, back and forth. So serious about it, too. See Bryan...if a one year old can work a vacuum...so can you. ;0)

It was a great, relaxing day playing with the kids. I also finally found a WONDERFUL Mexican restaurant here. Actually, my new neighbor/friend, Amanda found it. It was so YUM! They had the best nachos, and good margaritas to boot! I will definitely be going back there again soon.

When I got home from lunch, a package from the lovely Mel was waiting for me at my front door. This is what was inside:

Thank you, thank you SO MUCH, Mel! It's gorgeous, and I will treasure it FOREVER! I'm snuggled up under it as I type, and Hazel keeps fighting me for it. Tee hee! What a lovely way to round out Good Friday! That, and, I finally get to announce that I will be the guest DT for April for one of my fave kits in all the land...Red Velvet Kit Club! And, I get to do it alongside one of my fave artists Michelle Clement! So excited am I! And, have you checked out the sneak for their April kit?!? Yum-o!

And, how about a little Good Friday goodness to spread around? Want Label Tulip's April kit for free? Here's your chance! Just go here, and leave a comment on the thread with at least 3 suggestions for kit names or themes that you think would fit the Label Tulip style. Easy peasy. So, go. Now! You don't want to miss out on the April kit...Cindee rocks the yummy kits, and this one will be sure to please!

The whole shabang!

Without further adieu, here are my LO's for Label Tulip's March kit in all their glory:






Be sure to check out the rest of the gallery here. All of the Tulip Girls did an AMAZING job with this kit! I am totally in awe!

Anyway, nothing much exciting going on around here this weekend. Still trying to clean the house. Tackling the piles of laundry that I so loathe. And, dodging tornadoes. Nasty weather around here. We got hit by that same storm that plowed through downtown Atlanta. Fortunately, nothing too serious around here...yet. Knock on wood. We are under a tornado warning until 1 am...which explains the late-night blogging. I hate this type of weather. It scares me. But, I am actually going to crawl into bed, and get caught up on some Netflix watching. Tonight will be Good Luck Chuck. I thought the previews looked totally stupid, but Bryan insisted that I would enjoy watching it. Let's hope so. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

And another one...

My house is a mess. There are piles of laundry to be done. I still have 4 huge bushes to plant in my backyard. There are dirty dishes in the sink. And, anyone who knows me, knows that just doesn't happen in this house...the dishes, that is. It's a huge pet peeve...something I nag Bryan about constantly. Well, that and leaving clothes on the floor. But, whoops! It seems I have forgotten my own rules. Dishes in the sink AND pajamas on the floor...cover your ears, Mom! We also haven't eaten anything that didn't come from the microwave, or come with a "Would you like fries with that?" in the last 3 days. But, hey...my Label Tulip projects are completed, and turned it. That's all that matters, right? Right?

Anyway, here's one last sneak. This last LO just about killed me. But, I eeked it out, and I actually ended up really liking it! Be sure to check out the full reveal tomorrow night at Label Tulip.

Well, I have a house to clean, laundry to do, and some spicy orange chicken to cook. So, I had better get going. TGIF! Anyone have any exciting plans for the weekend?

Sneak peeks with a side of OCD...

Have I told you how much I LOVE this month's kit from Label Tulip? Trust me, you won't be disappointed! And, they sell out with the quickness. So, be there when the kits go live on the 15th! Here are a few sneaks to tide you over in the meantime...




So far, I have 3 LO's and one project completed. I have one more LO to finish up tonight, and then I'll be good to go!

Now for the OCD part. So, Hazel gets up this morning asking for Cheerios for breakfast. I poured her a bowl, and handed them to her. Immediately, she starts screaming something that I totally couldn't understand. When I finally got her calmed down, she tells me that there is a "bare spot" in her bowl. She wants another Cheerio. "Just one," she tells me. Fine. I toss one more Cheerio into the bowl only to set-off another complete meltdown. "YOU PUT IT IN THE WORNG PLACE!" She finds the errant Cheerio, places it in the "bare spot," and proceeds to calmly eat her breakfast. OCD much? Little weirdo. LOL!

Well, I had better get to work on my last LO. I know I have been bad with my correspondence lately. After I get all of my assignments submitted for Label Tulip tomorrow, I will be getting back to everyone. So, if I owe you an e-mail or a good blog reading, I'll get to it this week. Promise. Promise. Happy almost Friday all!

Road Trippin'

Well, we made it home safely from our trip to Seabrook Island, and we had a GREAT time! Although, if the weather had it its way, we would have had a miserable trip. But, it was too great being around family that I hadn't seen in eons to be down about some rain and wind. We didn't get to spend much time on the beach...it was way too cold and windy. We made it down one afternoon. Hazel was so excited! As soon as we opened the door to the car, she was off like lightning down the wooden path to the beach.

We made it through about 10 minutes on the actual beach...

before Hazel wanted to go home and "take a nap." Nap? I don't think she's ever voluntarily wanted to take a nap! But, both of the kids were completely worn out every day. Mostly, in part to this little sweetie:

Krissi adored having the children to play with. And, I'm happy to say that they both played very gently with her. Good news for the new pup that will be coming to live with us soon! Apparently, Krissi was just as worn out as my two little ones!

I don't think Luka fully understood the concept of the dog "giving kisses." Every time she tried to snuffle his little face, he would open his mouth right up and try to lick her back!

That sweet little kissyful dog belongs to this darling woman...

My Great Aunt Marty. She is completely blind now, but you would hardly even know it. She gets around so well, and I can't believe that she's in her 80's! Both her and my Great Uncle EM still act so young, and vibrant. They are both such a kick to be around! I was a little worried that the kids would be overwhelming for Aunt Marty, but she just adored them. And, they warmed right up to her too.

So, since the weather was so crummy, we just spent most of the time visiting and eating. The seafood was delish! It was a wonderful visit, and I only wish that it could have lasted longer. But, as always, it is good to be home too. Especially since my
Label Tulip kit was waiting for me when I got home! I've already busted into it, and started playing. Be on the lookout for some peeks in the next couple of days! And, speaking of Label Tulip, the lovely Alexis Hardy tagged all of our fellow Tulip Girls. So, I just had to play along. We'll wrap this up with 7 random things, and I tag anybody that wants to play along. :0)

1. My nightly midnight snack is always a spoonful of creamy peanut butter. Just peanut butter. Just one spoonful. EVERY NIGHT.

2. I am totally ADDICTED to this new lipgloss, Sexy Motherpucker from Soap & Glory. It's marketed as a lip plumper. It's clear (although I think it come in colors as well), smells like chocolate, and makes your lips feel like an electrical current is running through them (in a good way). You can pick some up at Target...totally worth the $$$!

3. I am a cheese snob. I LOVE to go to wine & cheese bars. And, my favorite cheese is a good Humboldt Fog. It's sort of difficult to describe. It has a flavor similar to bleu cheese, but here is a more specific description if you are interested. I just scored a nice chunk of it when I was in South Carolina at a gourmet market, and I'm hoarding it like crazy!

4. I haven't been to see a movie in the theatre in over 4 years. The last movie I saw in a theatre was Without A Paddle.

5. I don't drink coffee. No coffee drinks whatsoever. No mochas. No lattes. No frappuchinos. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Just give me an ice cold can of Classic Coke anyday. :0)

6. I have suffered from insomnia for over a year now. I hardly ever sleep unless I take a Tylenol PM. I should probably get a prescription. But, honestly, those drugs scare me. I'm hoping it will get better once Bryan gets home.

7. My favorite food is Sushi. My favorite sushi restaurant is a little place that Tina and I discovered called Peter's Sushi Spot. They have my fave piece of sushi...the Diana Roll. Shrimp tempura and crab wrapped inside-out in seaweed, then white rice & topped with a sweet glaze. *drool* Check that restaurant out if you're a sushi lover, and find yourself in Anchorage, AK. ;0)

How did this 7 random things seem to end up mostly about food? Can you tell I'm hungry? I guess it's about time for that spoonful of peanut butter!

Bloglines saved my life!

Well, not really. But, it sure is making it easier to catch-up and KEEP UP with my regular reads. I'm still adding some of you, and catching up on my reading. This has taken a lot longer than I had expected. I'm almost done, though. SO, don't worry if you haven't heard from me in a while. I'm getting there. ;0)

I have nothing scrappy to share. I have a tendency to start a ton of projects at once, and I'm in that beginning phase on about 5 thing right now. So, instead of scrappy eye candy, I thought it might be time for a little window shopping instead. I found this artist today through a post at Poppy Talk. Erin Tyner is an AMAZING artist. She creates dioramas, and then photographs them. They are so eerily beautiful! Although, I'm really trying to be good with my spending, I had to have one. Hey...I said ONE. Well, one for right now. This was my first purchase:

As my budget permits, I will be adding this one, then this one, and finally this one.

And, I don't know what it is lately, but I am having a major jones for all things Urban Outfitters. It's a sickness really. First of all, I MUST have this for the Halloween party that we plan on hosting this year:

And, HELLO?!? This is must-have for the dresser in my bedroom. We have the ugliest table lamp in there right now. Yes, it was from Pottery Barn. But, it is just so not my style. I've been looking to replace it FOREVER, and this is perfect!

These would make for some rockin' necklace hangers in my bedroom:

And, I'll definitely be needing some of these. Not for my kitchen, though. I'm thinking they would make nice little bowls for my craft room to put bits of this and that in. :0)

I'll spare you any more of my crazy window shopping after just one more. I love these mixing bowls. My mom has a similar set that she's had since I was a little girl. They bring back good memories, and come in even COOLER colors than my mom's. I gotta' have these...for nostalgia sake, ya' know?

I have about $300 worth of stuff on my wish list over there, and I could probably add more. And, we won't even go into my desires from the new Pottery Barn catalog. *sigh* But, I'm really trying to be good. Trying. Really. Hard. And, if it wasn't for this trip to the beaches of South Carolina, and the $200 worth of gas that I'm probably going to have to spend...some of it could have been mine. As it is, I suppose I'll just have to drool through the cyber window.

Speaking of my trip, I don't know why I had it set in my mind that we were supposed to be there today. Silly me...my great aunt & uncle didn't have the house rented for us until tomorrow. Good thing I couldn't find directions to their beach house on Mapquest. Otherwise, I would have just printed them out, and been on my way. Fortunately, I called them this morning to get the directions, and was informed of my error. Whoops! Hazel is majorly upset. But, we'll get up bright and early tomorrow morning to leave. So, I hope to have some nice beachy photos to share tomorrow...and a tag that I am WAAAAAY over due on completing!

A little cheese with that whine?

So, I've been dealing with lots of this lately...



Although, I actually adore this photo because I think the expression matches the shirt so well. Big thanks to Zoe for that fabulous shirt! Girl, how could your birthday gift for Luka be better than anything I bought him? Seriously though, I LOVE it! I'm not so sure what Luka thinks of it, though. I'm not sure if it's the shirt that's making him cry there, or the fact that he's the only boy in a house full of females. Don't worry little buddy...Daddy will be home soon. Although, you'll still be outnumbered once Sake comes home to live with us. And, Hazel is hell-bent on having a baby sister. Sorry little lady, I think we've closed up shop in that department!

So, that's the whine. Here's the cheese...

*Hazel singing along to The Beatles' "Revolution" and "I Wanna' Hold Your Hand" during our weekend car rides. Too cute!

*Got a couple of lovely cards and care packages from some very special bloggy friends

*Discussed Bryan's "fantasy homecoming." Get your minds out of the gutter! It's an exercise they are encouraged to do with their families so that there are no disappointments, and everything gets off on the right foot. We've planned our first dinner, what movie we're going to watch, even what Bryan would like for me to wear when I pick him up. Seriously, honey...a sundress?!? You know I don't do dresses! I guess I can make an exception in this case, though. I'd really like to have this:



However, at $298...I think not. Thank you, Anthropologie, for sending me your catalogs with your obscenely over-priced merchandise that I spend hours drooling over, but could never have. Thanks a lot.

It was such a sunny, warm and beautiful weekend here...



Although, we really didn't get out much to enjoy it. Boo. There's just so much to be done before we leave for the beach on Wednesday! That, and I have a to-do list about a mile long to get through before Bryan comes home. I did get quite a few things ticked off.

*Spring cleaning: Deep-cleaned almost all of the master bath (will finish tomorrow), deep-cleaned half the car (hey, I could only get half done during nap time...will finish that tomorrow too)

*Did about 10 loads of laundry

*Shampooed the couch cusions, flipped them all

*Packed ALMOST everything for our trip to the beach

*Finally got around to making these little lovelies from the knitted wine bags that Gina picked up for me back at Christmas time:



And, I am finally, FINALLY getting caught up on my blog reading. I am in the process of getting my Bloglines set up. I've known that they have been around for a while. I've just been too lazy to look into it. Now, I'm about half-way through my list of regular reads. If I haven't gotten around to you yet, I hope to be caught up by tomorrow night! :0)

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start! I can't believe it's already March! Crazy!