"Mini" Birthday Celebration

  I just cannot believe that Gracie turned 6!

          When did that happen and where did the past 6 years go? 

Doesn't every parent say that?       

Well, this year Darin and I decided to take Gracie to Great Wolf Lodge for her birthday

and have a small  mid-week, "mini" birthday cake and ice cream celebration at home. 

Ha! Who am I kidding? 

We ended up throwing quite a shindig and of course friends, family and neighbors came ready to help us celebrate Gracie girl turning 6. 

I don't remember growing up and having themed birthday parties. 

 It was always a few friends, family, cake and just a really fun time. 

Of course, these days kids (and parents) always feel like they need to have a theme (not a bad thing) and Gracie picked a ranch theme.  So we went to Party City and she picked out a cowgirl hat (ultra tacky) and I fixed the tables up with fresh flowers and red and white checkered tablecloths and well, there you have it!

I found red, yellow and white flowers and put those in jelly jars with a sweet yellow ribbon.

Tacky cowgirl hat.  Gotta love it.
(yes, that is a rhinestone tiara!)

One thing I really wanted to do for Gracie this year was to make her a birthday pennant banner (bunting).  I have seen these all over the web and wanted to make her one that we could pull out of a box year after year  to symbolize her special day;  something that she would remember always. 

I dusted off my old Creative Memories circle cutter and found some great supplies at Michael's. 

Here it is in all it's glory.  

I also made some tissue paper flowers that were inspired by my cousin's wedding. I wanted to hang all of them from one of the trees outside but it was way too hot!

What do you do at a Wednesday night, 6 year old birthday party? 

You fill up a ton of water balloons (thank you Brannon and BJ) and let the kids launch

 them across the cul-de-sac. 

Gracie helped all the kids with their technique. 

"Gently place balloon in launcher..."

Gracie loves her friends. 

Can't you tell?

Thomas & Gracie friends since they were born. 

 The evening was by far one of my favorite birthday parties for Gracie.  Nothing fancy.  Just laid back fun on a summers' night.  I had told Darin that the most important thing was for Gracie to have a blast that night.

She is blessed to have such great friends and family.  She had all 5 of her grandparents there that night and one of her great-grandmothers.  Truly a blessing.

I would love to entertain every month if I could. 

I find comfort in opening my home and watching family, friends and neighbors relax and enjoying themselves.

 Shannon with sweet Caroline.

Susan and David.
(oh, and Woody)

 After water balloons it was time for cake. 

Gracie and Elizabeth were quite a team ready to blow out the candle, or shall I say sparkler...

My brother's girlfirend, Julia.
Native Texan.  Can't you tell?



Gracie riding her bike with her new basket from Pop-Pops.
See Riley in there?

The party was so much fun and she we rounded out the week with 2 more days of school, finishing kindergarten, celebrating her actual birthday on the last day of school and jumping in the car and heading to Charlotte to visit the "cousins" and spend the weekend at Great Wolf Lodge.

(Can't wait for baby Jay to join us one day!)

Gracie in Charlotte celebrating...again!

My niece came with us to GWL and the 4 of us had so much fun...not much time for pictures. I was way too busy negotiating water slides and the wave pool. 

Megan (9) & Gracie

I must say, a "mini" birthday celebration turned out to be several days of jam-packed fun and great memories.

I kinda wish I was turning 6 again...

Now I think it is officially summertime and that means...no worries...





Bike Riding, Date Day & Strawberries

I am a bad, bad blogger...this post was written forever ago and never posted.  Hopefully I can get caught up now that school is out...Lots to talk about!!

After the storms...

There is nothing in the world like a good 'ole fashioned thunderstorm.  Of course, I just love weather in general.  In college I took a fantastic meteorology class and briefly thought about becoming a meteorologist.  My interests changed (nursing) but my fascination with weather still remained.  I am however, very heartbroken these past few weeks as lives have been lost and changed forever by the tornadoes across the country. The images and stories that we have been hearing and seeing on the news are enough to bring anyone to their knees and pray. 

A few weeks ago Gracie and I went outside and picked these roses from our front yard about 2 hours before the tornadoes came through central NC.  The next morning, after the storms had passed, I came downstairs and this is what I saw;  sunlight shining through my safe home.  It symbolized so very much that morning.  I don't think I can ever remember a time I felt so incredibly thankful to have a roof over our heads.  Because I know of so many in the recent days who have not been so lucky and it makes me want to weep.

I will never forget this particular weekend.  My beautiful sister-in-law gave birth to my nephew, Jay.  A precious bundle of love that Gracie, Darin and I could NOT get enough of.  Throughout all of the wreckage that weekend we were blessed to celebrate a new life.  I just adore him!
By the way, Gracie is very thrilled that she now has  3 boy cousins with names that start with the letter 'J'. 

After all of the, holding, rocking and excitement, we were ready to celebrate Easter.  In preparation for our Easter trip to the beach, Gracie and I spent the evening making Easter cupcakes.  We had a blast, made a HUGE mess and stayed up past her bedtime.

Can you say attention to detail?  So focused...

I just love these sweet little birds nest cupcakes.  I also love the fact that they rest gently upon my Great- Grandmother's china (more about her in the days to come).  I think she would love to know that her great-great grandaughter made those precious bites of yumminess. 

After the flour and sugar settled it was off to the beach for a glorious weekend with family and friends. 

First stop...pool!  Gracie loves the beach, but at this age she seems to be all about the pool, freezing cold water or not.

How on Earth do children swim in freezing cold water, and I can not so much as place a toe in the water before I am chilled to the bone?
Obvioulsy it did not phase Gracie one bit.  She swam, we watched, dinos played and everyone was happy.

Spending a weekend at the coast recharges my batteries like nothing else.  Always has, always will.  You cross over the bridge, leave your worries behind and shut down for a few days. 

An evening swing is a simple, sweet satisfaction that we have really gotten used to.  Thank you to G-daddy (Darin's dad) for this wonderful treat.  Lady Unicorn was the toy du jour and she accompanied Gracie for most of the weekend...her newest BFF.

We also grilled some delicious food (read: cedar plank salmon) and washed it down with a fab glass of wine.  Doesn't everything taste better at the beach?

Gracie put on quite a face for the camera this evening and the light was just right.  Evening light + beach = fantastic opportunity for a mini-photo shoot.

Easter morning was great.  I just love those early morning pics of kiddos on Easter or Christmas when their hair is all frazzled and excitement is in full swing!

We soaked up all the joy and little moments we could.  Made new memories then packed up and headed back to our busy life feeling blessed beyond words.

Spring and Easter, I believe, brings out the best in everything. 

Spring Happenings

This is how I start my mornings... I creep out of the bed, peek in on Gracie, and give her a little kiss on her cheek, walk downstairs, look out the front window at my quiet street to see if there is any early morning movement and then I  make me some coffee.  I must say I love the routine just as much as the taste and aroma.  This is me and this is how I roll...in the mornings.

Last week was a long and stressful week;  we were "a man down".  Our sweet little lady came down with Strep Throat or as the doctor diagnosed it..Scarlett Fever! Can you believe these pictures were taken 24 hours after she was couch bound with a high fever and not holding anything down.  All I can say is thank God for modern medicine and good 'ole snuggling.  It was a rough few days, but we all survived with flying colors.  I slept with her each night to be ready for anything that "came up" (no pun intended).  This what we do as moms.  We do what it takes to get through ANY situation.   I love this part of mommyhood.  The caring part.  When they get hurt physically or emotionally we are there to place patches made of hugs and kisses all over them and their wounded parts. I can remember when I was young and being very sick.  My mom would make sure I was so comfortable.  I would have clean, crisp, and fresh sheets to crawl into, a fresh glass of ginger ale and chicken noodle soup at just the right temperature.  Not too hot, not too cold.  I remember my mom tucking me in my bed and I would drift off to sleep to comforting sounds of her in the kitchen and just a few feet away if I needed anything.  It's all about home.  You can have a house, but I tell ya, having a safe, secure home makes life so awesome.

Now that normalcy has returned we are also getting excited about Easter coming.  I think that on a warm Spring day all you need is some egg-shaped sidewalk chalk and a driveway.  And soon it is going to be time to stroll down to my friend Susan's house for our Spring/Summer ritual of popsicle happy hour!  Can't wait!

Recently I feel like everyone I know is going to or has been to Disney World.  I admit, I love that magical place.  I went for the fist time when I was, ahem, 35!  I know, crazy...We had the most awesome time.  I was exhasusted every night, and me and my bottle of Advil became best buds, but let me tell you I would go tomorrow if I could.   Here is Gracie prepping her autograph book. Priceless.

And how about a fish face?  Totally in character.

Guess what I got to do on Saturday?  Go shopping by myself.  Darin said, "go, have fun, take your time."  What?! "take your time?"  Ok, if  I must.  So I headed out and found this little guy,  Mr. Owl.  He just needs a nice coat of spray paint and he will find a new home.  But, what color?  I am thinking high-gloss white.  Hmmm...soon enough, soon enough.

This was what I enjoyed during my me-time.  Ate a sammy, and perused these little guys.  I love my laptop, but a great magazine is still one of my first true loves.

After a rainy Saturday the sun finally returned and it was time for coloring Easter eggs in beautiful colors. I think Darin actually colored one.  Then it was off to find the perfect ferns for our front porch. 

After a long week, I must say, it was a fabulous day! 

Sweet Spring

Spring is here finally and we have been soaking up every minute.  Gracie has been playing soccer and we  really love watching her interact with her team and run around just having some fun.  My favorite part is when she makes a move, stops mid-stride and gives us a thumbs up.  She is so proud and l am soaking up every minute of it.

My birthday came and went.  It was a fantastic day filled with family, friends and of course flowers.  Hubby got me the prettiest roses and I could not get enough of them.  He also surprised me with a new camera. I was so excited, I actually shed a few tears.  Nothing makes me happier than capturing moments in the life of our cozy family of three. 

Aren't they purty?

Of course Daddy had to get Miss Gracie some flowers too.  These little beauties were front and center on the kitchen table for a long time.

I had to swipe this little beauty and put it in my kitchen window so I could enjoy it while doing the dishes.

It's the simple things, right?!

Birthday celebrations, in my opinion, are only fun when you can share them with the ones you love...

and I really love this crowd.  We enjoyed a dinner together and then came back to our house for cake, cocktails and conversation.  We sat around for a long time just talking and laughing.  This birthday was simple and sweet and  I enjoyed every minute.  I worked all day, but that is no big deal when you get to spend it with your husband.  We stopped working long enough to enjoy a take-out lunch together at our desks.  I am a lucky girl.  On the way home from dinner Gracie and Darin even stopped and got me a big bouqet of balloons.

I even spent time with the coolest brother one could ask for and his very sweet girlfriend, Julia.  Considering my bro is always traveling to way cooler places than Target and the grocery store, I was very honored to spend the evening with him.  Just wish my sister could have been there!

And how about these 2 sweeties?   Little Ben graces our doorway on most days with a knock and a "can Gwacie come out and play?"  I just love this kid.  It is fabulous  having neighbors who are also great friends; who come over anytime and feel like they can just kick off their shoes and have a dance party.  I love my street. 

Making Changes

Are these not the cutest things you have ever seen?

This is an image (silly as it may seem) that I thought about today.  The day my role as a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) ended and my role as a working mom began.  I had a pity party with the following guests: coffee, my sister (who was on the receiving end of a tear-filled phone call), and maybe a cheeseburger and a strawberry and cream scone.  But then the party ended when I picked up Gracie and the first words out of her rosebud mouth were..(drum roll please).."this was the best day ever!"  Yep, that did it.  Those words warmed my heart and cradled my soul.  I am pretty sure my little girl is growing up and I think that change is good and thank the sweet Lord I kept those Crocs from when she was barely 2 so I can remember all the trips to the park and piddling around town we have done together.  Now it's just going to be different and we are moving forward. And honestly, this is not a bad thing.

Little bit of this & little bit of that

Well, here we are on a very rainy, almost spring (yay!) day.  What are we doing you ask? A  little bit of nothin'.  I must say these days do not happen very often & it is a real treat. Although, we do wish daddy was here but, he is livin' it up in Florida!

I love this idea of of ''Blogland" and I am finally here!  I can not wait to share with you guys what goes on in this simple life of ours. I also love interior design and all things pretty, shiny, and well, just plan ole eye candy.

So, I am looking forward to sharing tid-bits of things I do around my humble home & awesome stuff  that I see on the web and out in this inspiring world of ours! 

For starters let me introduce you to our sweet ray of sunshine, or as daddy calls her,  Puddin':

She is all girl! Sassy, sweet and FULL of life!

This is what I like to call "The many faces of Gracie"



What in the world would my life be like without her and...this wonderful man?

(not Buzz, the guy in the orange shirt)

I am feeling quite blessed these days. I am loving life and I do find myself truly wishing for more hours in the

day. Don't we all?  So, I have resolved to really try to spend my valuable time doing things that I love to do and spending time with those I really care about. And guess what? I have a lot of people that I want to spend time with and things that I want to do.  Like transform this gorgeous  hideous, circa 1990 bathroom.

It has great potential and I must say I am very excited to transform this little space into a thing of beauty.

Stay tuned.  Hopefully I will get this started soon.

Well, time to do some baking.  Just some nanna muffins'. Nothing too exciting-like this 4 cakebox, gigantic surfboard cake I made for G's 5th birthday.  But hey, it's still baking right?

PS. This is some eye candy I like to look drool over:

http://www.lonnymag.com/

so much cool stuff!!

See you soon!

xxoo

~missy