One Little Word.

My "one little word" for 2012 is ...

The Gingerbread House.

When Grandma arrives from Florida we know it's THAT time!

Time to build our annual gingerbread house.

Grandma (Bett) and Griffin got right into the building part ... first comes the walls.



We got quite a laugh with the messiness of trying to get the walls to stay on. Especialy the roof. The royal icing was quite messy.



It's quite helpful having an engineer (Daddy) help with the gingerbread house.

{He was covered in royal icing too}



Grandma and Griffin posing proudly with their finished gingerbread house.

Daphne Oz's Coconut Bundt Cake.

Every Christmas I make my Momma's Butternut Cake. I love it. The simple truth? Mike doesn't. Neither does Griffin. So, we have this absolutely beautiful Butternut Cake in our house and I'm the only one that will eat it.

This year I was watching my favorite new show on TV, The Chew and I saw Daphne Oz make this delicious looking cake she called her coconut pecan cake.

So ... I made it instead of the traditional Butternut Cake that I love so much.


This is the cake I made ... isn't it pretty?

It is very easy to make and it is loaded with coconut and pecans!

After pouring the most delightful glaze all over it you dust it with powdered sugar to give it a festive look.

Yuuuuuuummmmmmmmy good!

If you would like a super fast and delicious cake
Click Here For Daphne's Recipe.

Seeing Santa 2011.

Griffin went to see Santa Claus yesterday ...


That was {before} he started complaining of an ear ache. And {before} I took him to the doctor. And {before} he was diagnosed with an ear infection AND strep throat.

My poor baby is sick and he's all medicined up.

We've been taking it easy today and will tomorrow as well.

Fingers crossed he is all better before Christmas gets here.

I Think I Love Her.

Sometimes something happens that is SO sweet you just have to write it down so you remember.

Today after school Griffin unwrapped a Hershey bar from his friend Annabelle.

He took a bite.
He paused.
And then he {whispered} ... Mommy, I think I love her.


{Picture taken April 2010}

It was one of those moments in which I saw true innocent love on my son's face.

His friend Annabelle is such a sweet girl.
She calls him on the telephone often.
Actually she is the first girl who has ever called him.

And all it took was a tiny little gift wrapped Hershey bar for my son to realize love.

Words To Live By.

We Have Santa On Speed Dial.

Here at our house ... we have Santa on speed dial.

If Griffin wants to talk to him we can put in a call to see if he's free. Sometimes he's in the toy work shop and is unable to talk, but most times he's free to take his call.

It says "Santa Claus" right there on my cell phone.
So, it's official.
We have Santa on speed dial.



Occasionally Griffin needs a gentle reminder from Santa about good behavior. Sometimes there is a fine line between naughty and nice. When he needs reminding it just takes a quick call to Santa to get back on track.

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Claus for everything you do.

A Must See ... By My Friend Sue.

Over the past 13 years or so I've had the pleasure of making some really wonderful online friends.

Sue is one of these friends. She is so sweet, kind and creative.

Today I wanted to share with you one of her newest creations. When I saw this paper piecing set I fell in love with it. It's so detailed. It's a work of art.


If you are interested in learning more about this paper piecing set or to find out more about Sue's other creations, makes sure to click here to visit her Facebook page.

Sweet Vintage Dictionary Paper Embellishments.

I am in love with the new vintage dictionary paper embellishments I just added to the shop

The pretty pear vintage dictionary paper embellishments have a beautiful mix of sage green, saffron yellow and vintage dictionary pieces.



I've also added sweet packs of vintage dictionary paper embellishment shapes.

My favorite is the birds in flight



And who can resist a romantic heart?



To find these and other unique handmade paper embellishments make sure to visit the shop and
Shop Now!

Cub Scout Crafting.

Griffin's Cub Scout leader Jim asked me to help the boys create table decorations for their Christmas party.

I found the idea for these darling Candy Cane Candles here

Aren't they cute? And very easy!!



When searching for ideas I also happened upon these super cute Pipe Cleaner Christmas Trees. I found the idea for these here

Since we were using a glue gun to adhere the candy canes to the candle we needed something for the other boys to do while Kristen (Jim wife & Patrick's mom) and I helped the boys create the Candy Cane Candles.

And this did the trick.



These are two super simple ideas for little hands (with a little help from an adult!) to make.

Friends.

Griffin had his friend Sam over for a sleepover on Friday night.

They enjoyed building Legos, watching Lego movies and eating pizza.

They have been friends since Griffin was one and Sam was two.



My wish for them is they remain as close throughout their lives as they are today.

This is a photo of the two of them with Sam's brother & sisters in 2008.

Pool party ... bubble style!



We actually consider Carol, Allen, Hannah, Zachary, Sara and Sam more than "friends".

They are our family.
And we love them very much!

Vintage Dictionary Paper Embellishments.

I love old things.
Vintage. Antique. Shabby. Cottage.

So I got to thinking I wanted to add something with a vintage feel to the shop.

I had an idea to use old dictionary pages (maps & sheet music too!) to create handmade paper embellishments. My neighbor Debbie shared a wonderful vintage dictionary from 1961 that I'm using to create these.

This is what I came up with ... I ♥ them.

My handmade paper embellishments can be used for scrapbooking, cardmaking, gift tags, home decorating, weddings, showers, parties. They are whimsical, elegant and cute. They would make a lovely table scatter for a party!

I think this is my favorite set ...

Vintage dictionary paper bird embellishments



And of course ... the sweet heart paper embellishments are a bit romantic



And then on this set I added a touch of color with red hearts



They are currently available in my shop.
So please go
Shop Now!
for these and other cute handmade paper embellishments.

Legoland Florida!

We had an amazing trip to Florida during Thanksgiving week.

A highlight was visiting Legoland which happened to open in our hometown of Winter Haven.



I have lots and lots {did I say LOTS?} of pictures to share. I just have to get them resized and uploaded.

In the meantime you can see from this picture the bright, bold and absolute FUN we had while there!!

Chrismas Is On The Way ...

We enjoyed a delightful Thanksgiving day with our family.

Now Thanksgiving is over we look forward to Christmas!


I wonder how long it will be before it looks like this again?

Merry Christmas Paper Embellishments.

With Thanksgiving just a few days away we will all soon be thinking about decking our halls and other creations.

So today I am sharing my brand new Merry Christmas Kids ...



I've created both a girl and boy ... and I will customize it to your liking.


You can find these in the Christmas section of my Etsy shop!

Shop Now!
for these and other super cute handmade paper embellishments!!

Winter Butterflies

Though it's getting a bit cold outside ... butterflies still make me happy.


I've added some super cute new butterfly whimsies to my shop!

I have a rainbow of colors available including those you see above!

Shop Now!
to see all the pretty paper embellishments I have available

Boys Will Be Boys.

Our boys Jasper and Oliver have been full of energy today ...


When I went outside to check on them I could hardly believe they were on TOP of the wood pile.

OMG!

Needless to say ... I called them down and keeping an eye on them so they do not get back up there!

Custom Handmade Banner.

This is a custom banner I made for Sandra of Surreal Treasures.

This is the first time I've made a banner for someone other than my family.


Sandra is having a jewelry open house on Saturday and wanted something to welcome her guests.

Since it's a jewelry party she wanted it a little "blingy" but not too over the top. Its' hard to see the glittery paper I used as the colored accent on each piece.


This is a closer look so you can see the detail.

I really enjoyed making this for her. I'm considering adding these to my Etsy Shop after Thanksgiving. What do you think?

I voted!

Today I exercised my right ...


The right to vote!

Why My Family Likes Me ...

I was looking through Griffin's school journal the other day and discovered this very sweet picture he drew of our family. There's Mommy in pink, Daddy in yellow and Griffin in the middle. I asked him about the red and yellow circles over our heads and he said they were fall leaves.

It also included a written assignment of why his family likes him ...


He writes ...

My family like me bee kuz they luve me

Yes, Buddy we do!

We love you with all of our hearts and I'm so happy you know that!