Beach Vacation

So, this summer we took a family vacation to Navarre Beach, Fl with my husband's entire family! There were 14 of us, 8 adults and 6 kids! We stayed in a townhouse on the beach that was 2400 square feet 4 bedrooms 3.5 baths!

This is the view from my room!

We didn't eat out at all! My sister-in-law meal planned for us and cooked almost all of the meals!

Our room!

The kids loved the beach!

Looking for seashells!

Just what the doctor ordered for my husband!

The boys dug holes every single day!

Kite flying on the beach!

A visit to the Gulfarium near Destin!

We hired a photographer to take all of our pictures on the beach! So, I took a picture of him taking our pictures! :) Can't wait to get the pictures back from him they
turned out much better than mine!

The entire group waiting for our group shot!

Uncle Steve caught a shark off the shore where we were playing!

Simple sand castle!

Headed to the National Naval Aviation Museum! See the truck in the photo! Half of our group was in that truck! Notice the picture below. . .

. . . the entire group ended up in my car because my sister-in-law had her handgun in her truck. You can't take a handgun on a Naval base! So, we had to go park their truck down the street and then attempt to go on base to get to the museum! Never a dull moment with this crew!

Getting ready to watch the Blue Angels practice at Pensacola Beach!

To sum it all up! This was a great vacation! 7 days of doing pretty much nothing! It was one of our favorite trips ever and one of our cheapest ones ever! I think this should be a annual trip!

A Closer Look

Ok, here we go. Let's take a closer looks at the vintage baby shower I shared with you the other day. These next few things have to be some of my favorite things. They can be used for baby showers, wedding showers, a girly luncheon, or whatever.

Notice the tall stack of plates behind the cake to your left. . . . .

I have been collecting dinner plates, salad plates, and dessert plates for nearly 2 years. They are all different patterns. My rule for collecting them is they have to be white/cream with pastel flower patterns on them. I have found them at Round Top, Canton, & Resale Shops. It's so much fun hunting for these treasures. This baby shower was my first opportunity to use them! It was so much fun! I have enough of each plate right now for 26 people. My goal is 30 so just a few more to go!

Rose growing is very popular this time of year where I live. People just sell them on the side of the road and it's only $2.50 a dozen. So, for my project I needed 9 dozen roses!

So, at the biannual Barn Sale one year I bought 3 candelabras like this one. I had a great idea a few weeks before the shower. I wanted to find pegged votive holders to put in the candle stick area. Easier said than done. Finally found enough online and had them sent to me.

Instead of putting a votive in the pegged votive holders, I had this idea to put roses in them. I think it turned out pretty cute! What do you think?

Vintage Baby Shower For Baby Ben

So, It's been a while since I have posted anything! Summer has been so wild and crazy. Nothing has changed it's still wild and crazy but I've been dying to post. Let's go back to June! In June some of us girls threw Baby Momma a baby shower at my house. I love parties! I love planning them and having them at my house!

This is a small cradle my friend had and we put diapers in it and let the guest draw pictures, write comments on the diapers for Baby Momma to enjoy when diapering little Ben.

Kitchen table before vintage shower makeover . . .

Kitchen table after vintage shower makeover!

A closer look!

Even closer!

Vintage baby scale that belongs to my friend. It's been in her family for years!

Vintage baby scale with bread in it!

Vintage baby scale with real baby :)

Next post I hope to take a closer look at some of the details from the shower! I hope this will do for now! I miss you all! Hopefully I won't wait so long before the next post!

Warming Things Up

It's been a while since I have posted anything, but I have been swamped with a project that I will not yet reveal to you until sometime in August. Here is a small task I took on recently. We have a traditional home and on the front porch we have 2 porch swings and 2 rockers. One of each on either side of the front door. One day I decided the furniture on the front porch could use some warming up, it needed pillows! So, I ran up to the attic and got down the some scrap fabric I had from another project, ran to Ross and bought some down decorative pillows to use for my pillow forms, and a then went to Hancock Fabrics for some zippers. One evening cut out all the fabric and the next evening during Grey's Anatomy sewed them all up! So, presto-change-o, we now have pillows we don't NEED for the front porch!

This week I decided the back porch needed warming up too. So, when I was at Canton on Sunday I bought some new wire plant stands to mix in with some other pots I already had. Took a trip to the plant farm south of town with the kids and again presto-change-o, a nice inviting back porch retreat. . . until the Texas sized mosquitoes come to make themselves at home there! :(

I really thing I could use a rug back here to finish warming things up! Haven't convinced the husband of that yet! In due time, my friend! :)

It's been a while, but Woman Interrupted tagged me with the prom queen award. I'm sure she thought I forgot about being tagged by now, but I didn't. Life has just been crazy lately! So, here it is... Prom 1995. I tried to find a picture with me and the husband in front of the cheesy background, but I guess that hidden treasure is in the Rubbermaid in the attic :) So, here is a picture of the pre-prom in the yard pictures.

I could over analyze this picture and point out all that is wrong with the fashion of the 90's, but I won't. You can form your own opinion :) Enjoy!

Now I will tag:

An American Girl In Tokyo

Liz's World

Girly Stuff

Cutie Patootie

Orlando

The week before Easter this year, we decided to go to Orlando. We went 18 months ago and did the entire Disney thing. Stayed on the Disney property etc. This time the kids wanted to go to the Nickelodeon Hotel. Can I just say that this will be the last time they get a imput on where we stay. It was way over priced for what it is. Anyway, we all had a great time and I had to block out the fact that it was more like a La Quinta for the price we paid to stay on Disney property 18 months in a condo and the same price we payed to stay at the Bellagio in Las Vegas in January! Don't get me wrong I stay at La Quinta's but for La Quinta price not 5 star price!

One of the pool/water slide areas at The Nickelodeon. My kids loved it!

E.T. and Baby Girl just as happy as can be playing in water for 8 hours straight!

Character breakfast at the Nickelodeon with Spongebob and other characters.

We spent two days at Universal Studios and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.

I think for our kids age we still prefer Disney hands down. The lines were not so great at Universal and standing in line for 80 minutes with two five year olds was not an option so we were forced to buy what they call an "Express Pass" to be able to go in a shorter line and only have to wait more like 30 minutes or less, which is more age appropriate for all of us :)

We love us some Mr. Grinch. Maybe this should be our Christmas card. What do you think? I think I am just kidding :)

Here are my Thing 1 and Thing 2! They are true to the storybook characters in many ways! :)

So, after an entire day swimming at the Nickelodeon and two days at Universal parks, we realized we couldn't come to Orlando and not at least go to Magic Kingdom for a day.

The kids loved Disney World so much 18 months earlier and all they ever talk about it wanting to go back. Being five and not really having any map skills, they were clueless that the Universal parks and The Nickelodeon were in the same town as Mickey Mouse. So, on the last day we surprised them with going to Magic Kingdom! We spend 16 hours there! It was the best day of all! And you can get a "Fast Pass" at no extra charge to be able to go in a shorter line unlike at Universal where they charge you $50 more per person each day for an "Express Pass" Can you tell at all that I was frustrated by that?????

It was a wonderful trip for just the four of us since this summer we are going with the my spouses entire family (14 of us) to Florida to stay in a beach house. The kids loved every minute of it even though there were a few things us adults were not thrilled with. I am really glad we ended it with Magic Kingdom. Disney just seems to be able to put a magical spin on things for this age and it is fun to just sit back and watch the kids. One day they will be adults doing these things for their kids and singing "When You Wish Upon A Star" to their children and making magical moments like this for them.

Birthday Week

Many years ago my husband started doing sweet things for me each day during my birthday week! Some years it is just small gifts or gestures each day and other years it has been quite large gifts or gestures! Each time is always unique and special in its on way.

On Monday, he started the week of with this beautiful ivy! I love ivy!

On Tuesday, he gave me a bag of Hot Tamales and made a little note to go with it that said "You Are My Hot Tamale."

On Wednesday day he picked me up a hot chocolate on his way home from work (I don't drink coffee.) He wrote on the jacket of the cup "You Are Like Hot Chocolate, Hot And Sweet!"

On Thursday, before he left for work at 6:40am, he put out my cereal bowl, spoon, cereal, and some trash magazines I love, People Magazine, and US Magazine. He is not crazy about me buying them periodically when I go through the grocery store line, so I don't do it often. This time he bought them for me! It's too sweet! Isn't it?

Next to the cereal bowl, the had this not. I think you can read it on here. . . if not, here it is "Always wonder if I am going to see you in one of these magazines. Your so beautiful, you would fit right in! Have a wonderful day!. . . ." Talk about melt your butter! He melts my butter when he writes stuff like this! You should read my four page handwritten love letter I got on Valentine's Day!

On Friday my surprise was a limo ride to a really yummy steakhouse between the town we live in and Dallas. I was totally shocked when I walked out the door and saw the limo waiting for us! He is so creative with the little things and the big things he does for me. Little did I know though, there was more surprise to come. I went to get into the limo and there were two of my sweetest friends and one of the husbands. The other husband had a conflict and sadly couldn't join us! There was also chilled wine, and some birthday gifts waiting for me! :)

This picture is blurry, but you can tell I was really surprised to see the girls when I got in the car! I was so not expecting that! My sweetheart really pulled one over on me! He is so good with surprises!

I think there is a photo of us sitting just like this in a limo almost 13 years ago when we got married! :)

O.K. today I am giving my husband another name besides Daddy. Let's call him Hot Stuff for obvious reasons! He is HOT! At least I think so! :)

The Girls: Reba (we call her that because of her red hair and singing voice), Miss Priss (me), & Mother Hen (she takes real good care of all her little chickens)

Yum!!! My favorite Strawberry Margarita! I figured I deserve the calories, it's my birthday!

Yummy cheesecake waiting for me to eat it! One candle, that's right! I am just mature for my age! :)

They always say "Make a wish!" I can't say I ever really do! I think all I am worried about usually is getting to the cake cutting part so I can have a bite! I honestly don't think I need to make a wish for something or to change anything. . . I am thankful to be who I am, where I am, and for what I have! Be is good, bad, ugly, challenging, heartbreaking, or whatever, I am thankful for it all! Everything up to this point in my 31 years has made me who I am! I love what Psalm 139:14 says "I will give thanks to You for I am fearful and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.

On Saturday, the day before my actual birthday, we had plans to eat out with some of my family and my in-laws. My treat for that day was E.T. and Baby Girl helping Daddy make me a yummy birthday cake!

As I looked at my cake with 31 candles, I thought now might be a good time to get a fire extinguisher to keep on hand! It looks like these flames were too bright for Baby Girl's eyes. Poor thing she had to close them it looks like because the light was so bright! :)

I guess now you are wondering what did I get or do so fabulous on my actual birthday on Sunday! Well, I did nothing really! Went to church, ate lunch at the regular dive, came home and chilled by catching up on "Dancing With The Stars" and "Grey's Anatomy"! To me that is something! That's the simple life right there!

I just have to say give my man a round of applause! He is so creative and really knows how to make a girl feel special! I am so blessed to have him as my husband! If you only knew the garbage he puts up with! I don't deserve such a man, but I am going to thank God for him and enjoy every bit of him!

All in all it was a fabulous 31st birthday! Every day in life gets sweeter with my family and in my relationship with God! What more could a girl want or ask for!