Christmas Time.

This is a picture of Mike and Griffin decorating our Christmas Tree last year. I hope to have our tree up by the end of this week. Mike pulled everything down from the attic on Sunday, we just haven't had time to get it downstairs and up yet.

I feel pretty good about everything I have accomplished:

Christmas Cards - Done
Outside Christmas Lights - Done
Gift Purchased - Done
Gifts Wrapped - Mostly Done
Gifts Shipped - One Done, One To Go
Holiday Baking - Still To Do
Christmas Tree Up - Still To Do

Mike's mother will arrive in town next Thursday. I'm really excited about that. She will be here for two weeks. I hope it snows while she is here! It would be so nice to have a white Christmas.

I hope your Christmas planning and festivities are going well too!!

And now for today's new EBAY STORE items:

Working.

I'm really in the mood to make Christmasy Paper Piecings and Tear Bears. I'm looking forward to offering only Pre-Made things in the future. That just makes me happy.

While working on orders yesterday, I took a little time to make something new. I've listed it in my Ebay Store if you are interested.

Look what I've added to my EBAY STORE today!

Unexpected Fun.

Yesterday I had a few errands to run, one of which was picking up my friend Heidi's purse from a local restaurant and then take it by her house. When we got to her house she said we'd had an invitation to all join The Leary's (Lea, Kevin & Kenneth) at the zoo. I was really reluctant to go because I have quite a bit to do at home. But honestly ... it's mid-December and it's 75 degrees outside. Really ... who could pass up a trip to the zoo? Our annual passes will expire at the end of December so it was nice to be able to go one more time before they expire.

We had a really nice time. Normally Griffin spends the majority of time in the stroller because he is very fast and at times doesn't listen to me when I tell him to "stop" or "wait". But yesterday, I was quite proud of him. He ran/walked with the other boys most of the time and listened pretty well. Let me just say this ... when I say Griffin is fast ... I mean he is "FAST". He can get away from me before I even know he's gone. Heidi says he's going to be a sprinter ... LOL.

The animals were very cool yesterday. The big python actually came up to the glass and it appeared as if he was peering at the boys. They really got a kick out of seeing the snake up close. And the black bears ... they came right up to the glass. That was a first too! And they had a baby sheep that was born just last Saturday. He was so little and so white.

I'm really glad we went to the the zoo ... sometimes the most fun is on unexpected outing.

The Hobby Horse.

When we saw Pop & Nana (Mike's Dad Ray and Step Mom Jeri) in Florida while we were there on vacation they mentioned several times they wanted to get Griffin a spring rocking horse for Christmas. I've recently learned these are called Hobby Horses.

Yesterday I received a phone call from Jeri and she found one on Ebay. She wanted me to take a look and see if it's something he might like. She said she knew it was used, but she really liked it because the horse was one form and it was black. They had been to Toys 'R Us and didn't like any of the brown ones they saw there. We took a look at it and it looked like it was in pretty good condition. She asked me to bid on it for her, so it would automatically be shipped here. The starting bid was $49.99 so we placed a bid of $65.00 on it. There were no other bids at the time. There were two hours left on it and we had to run uptown. I told her I would look at it when we got home to see how we did. We were outbid. Darn!



She asked me to look online for her to see if I saw one that we might like. Well, I found this one:



Oh my ... I fell in love with it! I know Griffin will really like it alot!! It was $89.99 at amazon.com and shipping was only like $13.00. So really, the price of the "used Ebay one" plus shipping would be about the same amount as this one at amazon.com. I really felt a little funny about them paying this much for one gift ... but they insisted. So ... I ordered it for them and it's on the way to our house. Griffin is absolutely going to LOVE this hobby horse!

Thanks Pop and Nana!

Sunday Morning.

Our household has been awake since 5:30 am thanks to a little two-year old monster named Griffin. I guess he doesn't realize that Sunday is the morning we are supposed to snuggle in bed as late as possible. Downstairs we all came and together we snuggled on the couch to watch Sesame Street.

It's now 7:00 am. Mike is on his way to the airport for a cross-country flying lessons. I'm sitting here in front of the computer sipping a delicious cup of Captain Michael's robust coffee. My MIL picked the coffee up for us as a gift when she went to Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady & Sons. I'm feeling pretty good about what I've already accomplished today too. I already made two pitchers of brewed iced tea (we drink ALOT of iced tea everyday). And I've already started washing clothes. Sunday is my clothes washing day. I don't know why ... but Sunday has always seemed the easiest day to wash clothes for us.

Yesterday I finished up most of our Christmas Shopping and I'm feeling really, really extra good about that! Now I just have to get them all wrapped up and those shipped that I need to send to other states.

A couple of you have asked about my foot. I'm so pleased ... this past Monday I was able to get my tennis shoe on. I'm so happy about that!! I do not have to wear that silly boot anymore. It's still a bit uncomfortable, however it doesn't really "hurt" anymore. I'm still having the problem with my knee though. Now it only hurts at night when I'm sleeping. The doctor said if it's still hurting after the first of the year to come back. I'm hoping it's just deep bruising as he has suggested and needs time to heal.

Are there any Trading Spaces fans out there? I've been a huge fan of Trading Spaces for many years. Especially at the beginning when it was Frank, Vern, Doug, Laurie, Genevieve, Hildi, Pagie and Ty. I've been watching it lately ... but they seem to have changed so many of the designers and carpenters. But there is a rumor going around ... the rumor is Paige Davis is coming back in January. Has anyone else heard this rumor? I think it would be GREAT!! We want the Trading Spaces of old.

Okay ... so I've rambled today ... better get off the computer and finish the washing and other chores so I can get prepared to possibly get our Christmas decorations out later today.

Take care everyone! ~M

Walmart Bound.

So, yesterday about 9 am Griffin and I headed out Christmas Shopping. We got to the end of the road to get on the main road to head toward town and it was iced over. Oh my gosh! Three cars had skidded out before the first drive-way on the main road. We turned right around and headed home. That was pretty scary.

We waited a couple of hours before trying again. This time I could tell they had salted the roads and only one of the skidded out cars were still there.

First we headed to Plow 'N Hearth. I just love that store. I found the perfect gift for my mother-in-law Jeri (Mike's step-mom). I got her a pair of "real" Crocs and a nifty little tool that cuts corn off of the cob.

Then we met our friends Heidi, Ryan and Evan at the mall. It was sooooooooo busy. Oh my gosh. I did not find even one gift there. But, I did find Griffin three cute shirts at JC Penny and they were only $4.99 each. What a bargain.

Santa had arrived at the mall and we thought it would be fun to get a picture of them with Santa. Griffin wanted no part of it. This is the first time he's ever had a negative reaction to Santa Claus. He's never seen this Santa before, so I think next week we will try the Santa we always go to at Short Pump Mall.

It's 7:30 and Griffin is still sleeping. As soon as he wakes up, we are headed to Walmart. I have several children's toys I need to buy, and really no one beats Walmart's prices on toys. Mike has to work today ... so we are on our own. Mike thinks I'm crazy for trying to go to Walmart on a Saturday morning.

I only have TWO Christmas gifts purchased ... I have about 20 more to go. Wish me luck, maybe I'll just find the perfect gift today for everyone!!

I hope you all have a safe, happy and healthy weekend.

More Shopping.

Griffin and I are headed out this morning for more Christmas shopping. We are going to the mall and I'm hoping to get everyone bought for. I used to like shopping ... but these days it's really not one of my favorite things to do. It's really hard to shop with a two-year old.

Wish us luck.

Christmas Shopping.

It snowed yesterday. Not really enough to say "it snowed" ... but white, fluffy stuff fell out of the sky for about 3 hours yesterday. It didnt' stick. It accumulated just a little bit on the trees and bushes, but quickly melted.

I guess that's all it took to get me in the Christmas spirit. After returning from Mommy 'N Me Gym yesterday, I put Griffin down for his nap. He jumped and was singing for an hour in his bed, never falling asleep so about 2:00 I went up to get him and decided to do some Christmas shopping.

We went to Big Lots, Michael's, Target and Kohl's. I only found one gift out of all of those stores. Can you believe that? Griffin is participating in a Secret Santa Swap, so we found the gift for his little friend. Now I still have EVERYONE to buy for.

After our little shopping adventure, we met Mike at Sam's Club and stocked up on groceries. But lo and behold this morning I discovered I forgot one very important item. Bananas! I guess I will have to make a quick stop by the grocery store for just bananas sometime today. Really with a two-year old in tow there is nothing "quick" about any stops. LOL.

We have plans to visit our friends Heidi, Ryan, Evan and their "meows" today. Everytime we pass the road that leads to Heidi's house Griffin says "Heidi's House, Meow, Meow, Meow". It's really cute. They have two dogs and five cats and he loves playing (read harassing) the cats.

It's Cold Outside.

I do not like cold weather. I finally realized that last night when I ran out to get Chinese food for dinner. I'm a true blue Florida girl and I miss the warm weather. I guess I got a little spoiled while on vacation when we were wearing shorts at Thanksgiving.

Now don't get me wrong. I love the seasonal changes we experience. Fall has always been my favorite season. I so love seeing the leaves change. But, last year I realized I really like the Spring as well. Around here all of the trees sprout absolutely gorgeous flowers in the Spring and it's just so pretty. Spring time means we can play outside again. No worrying about getting layered up with clothing, gloves and a hat to play outside.

Now ... when the first snow comes this year ... I will probably change my tune. LOL. I love the beautiful, white dusting that snow brings to our area. I'll stop complaining and just accept the fact that we have four seasons ... one that is just a little too cold for me right now.

Look what I added to my EBAY STORE today!

Good To Be Home.

Vacations are really nice ... but it's always nice to get home too. After being away on a two week vacation, I am so loving being at home right now. We didn't leave the house Friday, Saturday or Sunday and I was loving it.

We decided to start painting our living room on Sunday. We've had the paint for a couple of months now. When we moved in four years ago we didn't have a chance to change anything before the movers delivered our stuff. Our living room is currently painted with flat white walls and this hideously ugly dark green/blue trim. I guess we are lucky that the trim actually matched our furniture though. We are painting the trim bright semi-gloss white and the walls will be painted a color called "Fortune Cookie". I hope it's looks the way I'm thinking it will on the walls.

Since we have a two year old, we are only painting while he's asleep, so we are doing it in stages. It took 2 coats of Killz and 2 coats of regular paint to cover the ugly green/blue trim up. I will post pictures once it's all finished. I can't believe the change just the little bit we've gotten finished has made.

I thought I would try something new. Everyday when I post something to my Ebay Store, I will be posting a small picture of the items at the end of my daily posts.

So ... here's the new items in my EBAY STORE today



If interested ... just click on my EBAY STORE for more information.

Back To Black.

I decided I like the black background better than the tan ...
So it's back to black.

New Look?

Today I've been experimenting with my blog colors. I'm not sure if I like the tan background or not. I think I will give it a couple of days and see how I feel then.

I've added a couple of new items to my Ebay Store today ...
If interested you can see them by clicking HERE





Happy Sunday Everyone!

We're Home.

We're home from our two week vacation ... and it's SO nice to be home.

Today will be a day of getting things organized, clothes washed, groceries bought and getting back to normal life.

While on vacation, I totally had the idea that I would blog everyday ... but I just didn't have the time. I do plan to share photos of our vacation with you very soon and some of the fun things we did.

The reason you see my banner above is there are big changes coming to Missy Made It!. I've been notified by the folks that I use to build and maintain my website that they are no longer going to provide this service come January. I've been using Freemerchant's service for 10 years now and I just love them. It was so easy to use their site to build and maintain my website. After much consideration I've decided I will offer my items only in my Ebay Store. And you know what? I am very, very happy about this. It's so much easier to offer pre-made Paper Piecings, Punch Art and Tear Bears for me. With my two-year old monopolizing the majority of my time it's very hard to find the time to get custom orders completed. And that is so not fair to my customers. So ... with the Ebay store ... it will be much easier to maintain. Who knows ... I might even offer some stuff that's not scrapbook related on there too. I'm trying to figure out where to have my missymadeit.com URL pointed. I'm thinking of having it pointed here to my blog and then you will find my Ebay Store Link and such. What do you think?

Florida.

We arrived in Florida yesterday. It's so good to be home.

My mother-in-law's Thanksgiving get-together is today and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.

We have a few traditions that we always do the Saturday before our Sunday Thanksgiving. One is to have Peebles BBQ for dinner ... yum! The other is the "peeling the boiled eggs" tradition. Basically my MIL boils about 3 dozen eggs for deviled eggs, the dressing and such. Before dinner we sit there and peel them all together. It was nice because Mike's step-sister Valerie and her girls Samantha and Lauren were here this year. It may seem like a silly tradition, but one I've always looked forward to.

Griffin is sick ... he's coughing and has a runny nose. He did not get sick until yesterday morning. We left on Friday afternoon and stayed overnight in Savannah. I think he picked the bug up in our hotel room. Hopefully he will be feeling better soon.

Well it's off to help my MIL with whatever she needs help with. Bye, Bye!

Homeward Bound.

This picture has nothing to do with today's post ... but I'm trying to include a picture with each post and I thought this was cute.

So ... we are headed home for Thanksgiving. I am so excited about this. We will see family and friends that we miss so much.

I have lots of orders packed and ready to ship before we leave. I'm excited about that too.

And ... I am taking lots of scrapbooking stuff with me so I can scrapbook while we are there.

And June ... if you are reading this ... I will be bringing your gift with me ... I hope to be able to give it to you in person. I've sent you a couple of emails ... have you gotten them?

I went back to the doctor about my foot yesterday. I fully expected him to say I was all healed up. But then deep down I knew he wouldn't. I still can't get my shoe on my foot. He said I would have to wear the boot at least another 3 weeks and it would probably be another 4-6 weeks before I could wear my regular shoes. He checked my knee because it's still bothering me alot and he said it's probably deep bruising and needs time to heal. He said if it's still bothering me after the first of the year I should come back. I fully expected to go in yesterday and he say, yes ... you're all healed ... but I guess I really knew that wouldn't happen because my foot is still tender. Oh well ... I guess I'll just have to wear this very glamourous (not!) boot another while longer.

Duck Duck Goose.

The other day we went to Crump Park in Glen Allan with Heidi, Ryan and Evan.

On the one side of the park they have this fabulous playground with swings, all sorts of climbing toys and such. On the other side of the park there is a lake with tons of canadian geese and ducks.



We fed the canadian geese and ducks lots and lots of bread that day.



Griffin was a little timid at first because the geese came right up to him.



But he quickly got down to their level to give them a little talking to.



And finally ... ducks & geese beware ... Griffin is on the loose.

Love.

I love being a Mommy ... I am reminded each and every day how very blessed I am to be the mother of this very sweet child.



Never has it been more apparent to me than yesterday.

We had no big plans ... just Griffin and me home all by ourselves all day long. And I loved it. The entire day centered around Griffin and what we could do together. Of course it's that way most days, but for some reason yesterday was just special.

Often times we have plans to go to the park, the museum, the zoo ... but yesterday ... we stayed home. Sometimes I wonder am I spoiling him by taking him to these places so often. When I was a child going to the park or the zoo was a special occasion. But with Griffin and I it's the norm. Then I think ... my parents didn't take me all the time because they probably couldn't. The good thing is ... I can ... and do.

I love exploring new places with Griffin and I love to see him learn new things.

I am so blessed to be the mother of this sweet child.

I love you Griffin.

Colors Of Fall.

Fall is my favorite time of year ...
I just love the colors, the smells, the weather, the foods, the holidays of fall!

Although the leaves are currently changing here, they are not as vibrant as they have been in years past. From my understanding, it's due to the lack of rain we've had this year.

The colors are still beautiful though ...
I thought I would share pictures of some of the trees in our yard.

This is my FAVORITE tree ... it's a maple ... not sure what kind of maple it is though. Right now as I'm looking outside, it's almost an irradescent orange color ... just beautiful!!



These two trees are in our back side yard. The are currently a gorgeous yellow and red colors.



And this tree is in our front yard ... it is sooo vibrant red ... these pictures just do not capture the magnificant colors.



And how about a sprinkling of fall leaves on the ground? I think it's so beautiful to watch leaves twirling and dancing their way from the branches to the ground.



Fall ... I just love it!

Broken Wagon.

The other day when Griffin and I went out to play, he discovered his red wagon was broken. I said "Oh No ... we better go see Daddy to see if he can fix it". He grabbed both parts and headed around to the front of the house where Mike was working. He was so cute!!

I thought I would share a cute little story in pictures with you about G's broken wagon.


What's a boy to do when he has a broken wagon?
Gather up the pieces and search for Daddy ...


Mike was on the ladder working on the addition, so Griffin waited patiently while Daddy finished up what he was doing ...


Still waiting patiently with broken wagon parts in hand ...


Finally Daddy came down the ladder to see what he could do about the broken wagon ...


He fixed it ... Daddy fixed it! Although you can not tell in this picture at the very moment I snapped this pictured Griffin said "He fixed it".


And off he goes with a repaired wagon ... searching, exploring, doing things only a sweet two-year-old boy can do with an adventurous nature and a red wagon.

Still Here!

Has it really been 10 days since I last blogged? It can't be possible.

I did go to the doctor and I did break a bone in my foot. They gave me this funky boot like thing to wear and it certainly makes walking alot easier. I sure wish they had given me this boot to wear sooner.

We had a really nice Halloween ... Griffin dressed up like a pirate this year. He was so cute. I barely get any pictures of his face these days, so this is one of the best pictures I got of him this year ... and his eyes were closed.

I thought I would share with you the past 3 Halloween pictures ... my how he has grown!!

2007 - Cap'n Jack Sparrow ~ The Pirate



2006 ~ Second Halloween ~ Bob The Builder



2005 ~ First Halloween ~ Cute Pumpkin

Foot Update.

Well, it's official ... this black & blue & swollen thing I call my right foot is broken.

I go to the foot specialist on November 1st ... apparently I have to wait so long because the swelling has to go down before I visit the specialist in case I have to get a cast.

Doctor Visit.

So ... I finally broke down yesterday and went to the doctor.

Honestly, I didn't go before because I was afraid of what he would say. He looked me over and feels there is a 95% chance that I've just sprained my foot. But, to be certain he recommended that I have X-Rays. So, I went to the Outpatient Facility at the hospital for X-Rays yesterday afternoon. They would tell me nothing ... they tell me that my doctor will call me in the morning.

So of course I am worried all night long that this may be serious.
I hope I do not have to have a cast or anything.

I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting a phone call from my doctor this morning.

Ugggh ... please, please, please, please ... PLEASE ... just let it be a sprain.

13 Stairs.

Our house has 13 stairs ... not 10 stairs ... 13 stairs.
A fact I seemed to have forgotten on Monday.

I am currently recuperating from a fall down our stairs on Monday.
It's amazing how life can change in an instant.
Really.

One minute I was on the phone ... the next minute I was walking down the stairs while holding Griffin and down I went.

Let me explain a little ...

Everytime I go up and down our stairs I count ... that way I know where I am on the stairs. I know it's weird, but it's something I've always done. I went up to get Griffin from his nap and then we headed downstairs. We were counting out loud together ... and I remember getting to 10 and then stepping off like it was the last stair. What was I thinking? Down I went with Griffin in my arms. I remember my legs going under me backwards, and feeling as though my right foot folded in half under me. I was in hysterics ... Griffin was crying ... and we were alone at home. Thankfully I had the phone in my hand as I had just gotten off the phone with my friend Heidi and I knew Mike was on the way home from work. I called him and said please get home as soon as possible because I think I broke my foot. I managed to crawl to the couch, but couldn't get the gate up to the stairs to keep Griffin from going up and down by himself.

Let me just say this too ... Griffin was not hurt. Thank goodness. Thankfully he landed on me and I think my crying just really scared him.

I think Mike managed to get home in like 3 minutes, when it really should have taken 15 minutes. First thing I asked him to do was to get upstairs to get Griffin, because without the gate he was up and down the stairs and I couldn't move. I just do not like him to be upstairs by himself yet ... especially with the bathroom doors open, because I didn't know what he could get into. He did that and then checked on me.

I managed to hurt the four smaller toes on my right foot and my left knee. Oh my gosh ... I was really in alot of pain. So, there I sat on the couch.

I had invited Heidi and her boys over for dinner ... she came and helped Mike cook homemade pizzas. (Thank you Heidi!) They made me sit still.

Monday night was horrible. I made it up the stairs but could not get comfortable in the bed. I pretty much didn't sleep all night long.

Tuesday Mike made me sit still with my legs propped up all day. Thank goodness he could be home with us yesterday. I have bruises everywhere, places I can't imagine how I goto them. I slept well last night.

And this morning ... I'm walking better. My toes still feel funny ... but my left knee is feeling much better.

So ... yes, life CAN and DOES change in an instant.

And now ... something more FUN ...
The winner of my 400th post drawing is ..................
June Bruce!!

June ... please email me your mailing address and I will get your surprise package out to you. I have taken a picture of it and once June receives it, I will post a picture of it. I just want her to be surprised.

Dale Jr Layout.

I *love* this layout ... when I was pregnant with Griffin, as an inside joke we called him "Dale Jr".

I may be sharing a little bit "too" much information ... but Griffin was conceived on May 15, 2004. That night we went to the Nascar race in Richmond and Dale Jr. won. So ... he was Dale Jr. until we met him on February 7, 2005 and then he became known as our sweet little Griffin Michael.

I love these pictures sooo much! My friend Cyndi gave us the Dale Jr. Boyd's Bear as a baby shower gift and I happened to find a matching Dale Jr. outfit for Griffin to wear. He was only 2 months old in these pictures.

My scanner did something funky when it scanned ... it put this bright looking streak down the left side of the layout ... when I have time, I will try to get a better picture of it and repost it.

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ... don't forget to post a comment under ROLL CALL to be entered into a drawing for a surprise gift!!

400th Post ... Roll Call!

Okay ... so it's been a week since my last post and I've known for a week that my next post was #400 ... I was going to pretend it was later and just post that it was my #400 post on like post #403 ... when I actually had time to think of something fun and clever to do to celebrate my #400 ... but ya'll ... this really IS my #400 and I want to stay true to the number.

So ... what I would like to do is say ROLL CALL to all of my readers ... and everyone that posts under the ROLL CALL post will be entered into a drawing for a fun little gift package (not sure yet what it will be ... but it will be fun). When posting on the ROLL CALL, please let me know who you are, where you are from and what you like me to share best (Mommy Stuff, Griffin Stuff, Scrapbooking Stuff ... etc). I really like knowing who visits my blog and why you come ... REALLY I do!

I really wanted to post a picture with this post ... but honestly, I just do not have the time.

Life is so busy right now ... I have soooo many fun adventures to share with you ... so many cute pictures and even a couple of new layouts. We'll see when I can get all of that shared.

So here goes ... ROLL CALL everyone ... you have through Sunday night, October 21st to respond here to be entered for the drawing. I will draw the "winning name" on Monday, October 22nd.

I can't wait to see who visits!!

Road Trip & More.

So many of you guessed our family adventure was apple picking ... oh my ... that would have been SO much fun! Maybe we can do that soon. The picture of Griffin with his red wagon was actually taken in our backyard.

Our adventure was actually a road trip with Mike. He was called away on an emergency call on Sunday, and he asked me if Griffin and I wanted to go with him. Sure we did!! So, Sunday morning we loaded up the car, headed north west through Virgina, then drove all the way through West Virginia ... finally reaching our final destination of Kentucky. Mike's job was actually a few miles away in Ohio, however the closest hotel was in Kentucky. So he got us all set up at the hotel and off he went. Griffin and I didn't have a car, so we were lucky to have a Walmart in the very same parking lot as our hotel. Off to Walmart Griffin and I went for magazines, snacks and a balloon. It was great fun playing "hooky" for a little while. Our drive there, I was hoping the fall leaves would be changing. They had just barely started changing ... so I have no beautiful fall foliage pictures to share now. It was really nice to get away for the night.

We have had sooooo many wonderful adventures the past few weeks that I've not been able to share yet. With the dial-up internet connection we have, it just takes forever to load even one picture!

So ... let me share a bit of what we've been doing ... I will share more about them with pictures and such as soon as I can.

Field Days of the Past ~ A great local event
Goochland Farmer's Market
Richmond Children's Museum
Ryan's 3rd Birthday Party
Playdates Galore!

Today I've been getting ready for the Pumpkin Party we are having at our house tomorrow. We have invited 9 of Griffin's friends and their Mommies over to our house for a pumpkin themed party. Today I spent cleaning the house ... but it seems no matter how much I clean, things never LOOK clean. I did manage to get the mess of what I call my "Scrapbook Room" (actually the dining room) cleaned up. I finally got the curtains ironed and put back up in the living room ... I washed them in July, pulled them out of the dryer and they needed ironing ... never took the time to get to them until today. And ... I mowed the grass. Mike was working at home, but has a 6:00 meeting tonight ... so while he was working and looking after Griffin, I mowed the yard. I actually LOVE to mow the grass. Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved to do this. It's something I always did with my Dad.

I think I have enough of everything for tomorrow. I think we are going to eat "picnic style" on quilts in the back yard. I just hope it doesn't rain tonight. I really do not have enough tables/chairs for everyone to sit in ... so I thought picnice style would be fun.

And then ... last night ... my heart went a flutter ...

I sing this song to Griffin that my Daddy used to sing to me ... "I Love You a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck" ... well, after I sang it to him last night, he walked away singing it. This just grabbed my heart and stayed with me all night. Gosh, I love our boy!

Adventure.

Today we are going on an adventure.
Somewhere we've never been before.

Care to guess where we are going?

Happiness.

Doesn't Griffin look HAPPY in this picture?

I had this exact same giddy feeling earlier today ... a new scrapbook store opened only 12 miles from my house!! Normally I have to drive 25 minutes to the nearest scrapbook store ... but not anymore!!

I've been waiting for Scrap N Time to open ... everytime I would pass I would look to see if they were open. Well, today it was open!!

Let me just share a little bit of information ...
You see ... this store opened in the exact spot I thought would be perfect for a scrapbook store. I live way out in the country and there's really not alot of retail spots available. But this store is located in the cutest little location. They have wooden floors, brick on some of the walls and the most beautiful stained glass window.

Griffin and I went in for a little bit of shopping ... and we met the owner, Tammy ... she was very nice. I purchased a bunch of different patterned papers that I do not have. I'm really looking forward to shopping there frequently!

So ... if you are in the Richmond/Goochland area here's the information

Scrap N Time
1039 W. Broad Street (250)
Manakin-Sabot, VA 23103
708-0613

To Be A Pumpkin.

I received the following in an email from a friend ... I really liked it ... so I thought I would share.

From one pumpkin to another ...

A woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"

The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin."

Like a pumpkin, God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you.

Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.

He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed.

Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

This was passed on to me by another pumpkin.
Now it's your turn to pass it to other pumpkins.

Easy Weekend & Easy Monday.

We had a very nice easy weekend ...



We started our weekend off with homemade pizza on Friday night. My husband makes the BEST sauce ever ... then we add onions, peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, italian sausage, sliced tomatos and tons of cheese. It's sort of becoming a Friday night tradition with us ... homemade pizza and I love it!

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. Saturday night we went back to Red Lobster for more "Endless Shrimp", then on to Target and Home Depot. It was nice spending some quality family time together.

Sunday is cleaning day for me ... washing clothes, organizing the house ... it was nice to get all of my chores completed early. And I made a beef roast with tons of veggies for dinner!

And today ... we've had an easy Monday ...

Mike is working at home and we love having him here with us.

Earlier our neighbors Cyndi, Harry and Jack stopped by to play with Griffin on "Fort Griffin" for a little while ... it was nice spending some time with them.

Griffin is now napping ... after this post I'm heading over to my work area to begin an order.

That's it ... how was your weekend???

Cherry Popsicles.

Seriously ... is there anything better than sharing a sweet cherry popsicle with a friend?



Sam and his Mommy Carol came over for a playdate on Wednesday. While Sam and Griffin played with trucks, airplanes and helicopters ... Carol and I played with my Cricut machine ... we all had a blast. And ... Carol made some DELICIOUS apple/curry chicken salad for lunch ... yum!!

Daisies ...

Griffin adores flowers ... this past spring we had a patch of wild daisies sprout in our yard and he was in absolute heaven!

This layout is all about my flower loving little boy. It's much brighter and cuter in person ... and so much fun to make!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Griffin.

Yesterday I was very worried about Griffin. My little 6:00 am riser slept in until 7:45 ... that was quite unusual.

Then we went to the gym for playtime ... then to Walmart to print out some pictures ... and then we were home by 1:00. He ate a little lunch ... he's not been eating as much as usual the past few days.

After playing around for awhile, he went upstairs for naptime. He didn't fall asleep until about 3:30 ... and then he didn't wake up at all. Mike was late arriving home from work last night, so at 6:30 I went upstairs to wake Griffin to come downstairs. I carried my sleeping little boy downstairs and sat in the rocking chair with him until Daddy arrived home. He still didn't wake up. Mike and I decided to just put him back in his bed and he slept all night until 6:15 this morning. What is up with that? I kept checking on him to make sure he was okay ... he was of course. I guess he was just really tired ... or growing. Who knows.

He woke up this morning at 6:15, happy, rested, talking and singing up a storm. He woke up saying things he's never said before. And he's singing words to songs that I didn't know he knew. My goodness ... it's amazing what a little more rest can do for you.

Using What I Have.

When I was working on an order earlier today, I came across this Griffin Tear Bear Title that I had made as an example. So ... after I finished the order, I decided to make a quick page.


Isn't it funny ... once a layout is finished and you think it's all completed and ready for the scrapbook, you look at it and think ... oh .... I should have done this, this, this and that instead.

Oh well ... I really like the way it turned out. I just wish I would have bordered all of the dark blue areas with dark red to make it match a little better.

And I wish my photos would show up more clear on my blog. I visit many blogs where the images are so clear, but mine always show up kind of blurry.

Promise To Self.

Last week I made a promise to myself ...
To scrapbook some personal pages!

As I've mentioned, Griffin is 2 and a half years old and I did not have one scrapbook page made for him.

Well ... that has changed ... let me present my first "Griffin Layout" ever!!



(You can click on the picture for a bigger view if interested)

This is a layout of Griffin's first Halloween in 2005. He was 8 months old and in my opinion the cutest little pumpkin ever!

I had so, so, so much fun making this layout.

I'm really excited about this, ya'll. I will be scrapping at least ONE personal scrapbook page a week ... and I plan to share them with you here.

Here's a few of my preferences when scrapbooking:

* I prefer using the 8.5" x 11" pages

* I really like the top loading albums. That way I can scrap the pictures I want to in no particular order. Hey Jen ... does CM offer anything like that?

* I love, love, love using patterned papers

* I like the time worn look alot ... so I'm loving those walnut inks

* Rarely do I use anything that I make on my own pages ... well, I never have in the past ... but with this page I did make some pumpkins using the cute little Quickutz Pumpkin die.

* This is the first page I've ever used photo splits on. I love them now!!

Okay ... so there you have it ... I am now on a mission to scrapbook, scrapbook, scrapbook!

Scrapbooking.

I am a scrapbooker ... but the honest truth is I scrapbook for everyone else and never for myself. Griffin is 2 and a half and I do not have one single page made for him. I have lots, and lots and lots of pictures ... but there they sit in the little envelopes they came in.

Well ... that's changing my friends!

I've been INSPIRED to scrapbook ... by my friend Andi!!

Just look at this page ... my dear friend Andi created this page of Griffin, herself and me from our visit last year. We went to the Festival of Trees when we visited Florida last November. (Andi, I hope you do not mind I borrowed the picture!)

I have so much STUFF to scrapbook with ... I'm making a promise to myself ... at least ONE personal scrapbook page a week ... at that rate I will have 52 done in a year!!

I am soooo excited!

Thank you Andi for inspiring me!!

What A Great Birthday.

I was really spoiled this birthday ... oh my gosh ... my husband, family and friends went all out. I'm so very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

Mike was away on a business trip in California last week ... thank goodness he was able to catch the red-eye home on Thursday evening and arrived back in Richmond on Friday morning (my birthday) at 9:00 am. Griffin and I had taken him to the airport the previous Saturday because I knew he would be flying all night and imagined he would be pretty tired Friday morning when he arrived home.

Unfortunately I had awaken with my "period headache" on Friday morning ... uggh ... I really, really hate those. But anyway ... we got home from the airport around 11:00, Mike went to sleep and Griffin and I stayed downstairs for awhile. Finally around 12:30 Griffin was ready for his nap and I went upstairs with him to sleep my headache off. Honestly, sleep is the only thing that seems to relieve it. So, the entire family slept until about 4 pm. We got up and went to Red Lobster for dinner. Going to Red Lobster is a tradition for my birthday. September they begin offering "Shrimp Fest" and we love, love, love that!! So after dinner we went to the mall and Mike and I both found shoes! I couldn't ask for a better birthday (well, we COULD leave the headache out). Mike also got me the most scrumptious carrott cake from The Haywood Grille! Yumm!!

The Thursday before my birthday my friend Melinda invited me to lunch. I got to choose where we went, so I asked to go to The Music Cafe in Goochland. I've never been there before and I'm glad we went. We had a really, really good time!

Then Thursday evening our friends Heidi, Ryan and Evan invited us to dinner for my birthday. So, we all went to Red Robin. I've mentioned it before ... but I just love going there ... it's so kid friendly!!

I received SO many nice emails, e-cards, phone calls, gifts and well wishes ... I just wanted to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my 40-year old heart!!

Oh ... and today is my Daddy's birthday!! He would have been 85. So Happy Birthday Daddy ... I know you and Momma are up there in heaven having one heck of a party!!

40.

I am 40 years old today ...
I can hardly believe it.

The View.

I had several questions in my comments about Sherri Shepherd joining The View. Basically most folks that don't watch seemed confused thinking Whoopi Goldberg was joining and wondering why Sherri was joining as well.

Well ... let's see if I can explain a little ...

Two seasons ago they had had Meredith, Star, Joy, Elisabeth and Barbara. Meredith left and Rosie O'Donnell replaced her. Then Star Jones left shortly after, never to be replaced last seaon. Now, Whoopie is replacing Rosie as moderator and finally they are replacing Star Jones with Sherri Shepherd. I'm so happy with this panel now.

I truly think it's a great group of women, with their own views and NOW these folks are willing to listen to everyone else's point of view without making everything political. Honestly, I watch The View for the hot topics, celebrities and fluff. If I wanted to watch a political show I would turn to Fox News or CNN. Granted, they do have their own political views on things ... but thankfully they have chosen to share those in only one segment of the hot topics section.

So to Whoopi, Joy, Sherri, Elisabeth and Barbara ... yes ... I will take a little time to enjoy The View each and every day!

Sherri Shepherd.

I am so, so excited that the new co-host of The View is Sherri Shepherd. I was really hoping she would get it. On Monday ... Barbara Walters announced that yes, indeed Sherri was the new co-host! Woo Hoo!!

I could not find a non copyrighted picture of her to share ... so if you are unfamiliar with Sherri ... stop by her website Sherri Shepherd's Website to see who she is.

I can totally relate to Sherri ... she turned 40 in April, I will be 40 in just a few days ... she has a young son ... she's a curvy woman ... and she is just so REAL. I love, love, triple love her!!

Favorite Things.

It's been awhile since I've posted ... so I saw this list of favorite things on Andi's blog and thought I would blog lift it and share some of my favorite things too.

My Favorite Things...

Sound:
Seriously ... when I am downstairs and Griffin is upstairs and he is running. I love the pitter patter sound of his little feet. And I LOVE the sound of his giggles.

Late Night Snack:
Microwave Popcorn with shredded mozzarella cheese

Smell:
Fresh Cut Grass and Fresh Baked Bread.

Color combination:
Dark Red and Navy Blue

Nut:
Pecan

Time of the year:
Fall ... and now that we live in Virginia ... it's spectacular! I love the colors of fall ... I love how the air gets cool and crisp ... and I love the holidays related to fall as well.

Author:
Nora Roberts ... I LOVE HER!

Vegetable:
If I'm honest ... I will say potato ... cooked anyway.

Male Actor:
Tom Selleck

Female Actor:
Sherri Sheppard

Flower:
Sunflowers or daisies

Vacation spot:
We've never been ... but either Washington State or Alaska

Sport to play:
Chase the Griffin ... LOL.

Subject in school:
Florida History

TV channel
Food Network or TLC

Radio station:
Mostly country music

Holiday:
Thanksgiving

Perfume
I love the way Happy (Liz I think) smells ... but I can not wear perfume (burn candles or have potpourri either) since having Griffin. Strange huh?

Shoes:
This is a tough one for me because I've been on a shoe hunting quest for awhile now. I'm looking for some great leather fall/winter closed in shoes ... can't seem to find what I'm looking for.

Candy:
Maple Nut Goodies ... yum!

City to shop:
Any quaint antique/craft store filled town

Beauty products:
Soap, Water, Toothpaste, Shampoo, Deodarant (I have a 2 year old)

Item to shop for:
Scrapbook paper ... I just love scrapbook paper!