Disney has thought of everything...

Check out this video. Very cute idea. I did it with Andrew's name.

It is that time of year...

Tis the Season...

Yes, I know Thanksgiving is still two days away. I just couldn't wait to add a Christmas background to my blog. It is exactly one month from today until Christmas. Kyle's dad, step-mom, and one of his brothers will arrive tomorrow. We have been getting the house in ship-shape for their visit.
Anyone doing Black Friday this year? I am actually starting my shopping on Thanksgiving. Michael's is open in the evening and they have Cricut cartridges on sale for $29.99!!! You better believe I won't be missing that. What a steal! I will also be battling Kohl's and Jo-ann Fabrics on Friday. I need towels for Christmas gifts for the little ones in my life and I need flannel to get some rag quilts done that I have had fabric stashed away for months (some maybe even years...yikes!). Time to stock up!!!

Nana is 90!!!

Today is my Nana's 90th birthday. I spoke to her this evening and she was having a wonderful dinner party at my parents' home.
She has seen a lot her her lifetime. She is the mother to six children and twenty-something grand/great-grandchildren. I am truly lucky to call this woman my grandmother. When my parents split, she was there to take care of me and my sister. When we would come visit our dad in the summers, she would take care of us. Abby and I loved Bean and Bacon soup and I have many fond memories of eating it at her house. Along with her letting us play grocery store with every last can in her pantry. I could go on and on with my memories of my grandmother. I know that she knows how much I love her and miss her each and every day.

Videos of Andrew

I took some videos of Andrew while in L.A. I taught Abby how to do it, so hopefully she will post new ones periodically of him. Thank GOD for the internet! I won't miss as much. Ok, that is a lie...I miss him terribly, but this will make the time in between trips bearable.

Red, Yellow, and Green



The Three Little Pigs

Legoland

I have been a bad blogger this week. I went to L.A. last weekend. Abby, Andrew, Cooper, and I went to Legoland. We had a lot of fun. I must say that it is really tailored for little ones. Andrew had a blast, as where Cooper was a bit bored. Here are some photos from our excursion...

He didn't even make it out of the parking lot.

"I want to go live with Auntie"

While chatting with my sister online this evening, she told me that Andrew told her that he wants to come live with me. What started this is she told him I am coming to visit on Friday. He doesn't want to wait until Friday. He wants me there now! They called me tonight and he wanted me to come tonight. He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. So since I can't come tonight, he wanted to come live with me. I told him he had to go to sleep tonight, tomorrow night, and the next night and then he would see me. It is so great to know that I am loved. I think it might be that I bring him presents everytime I see him. That kid is too smart for his own good.

Here is a photo of him my sister took this evening:





















What a ham! Abby had to go get him these rain boots because the other little boys at daycare have them. He is just like his mother!

Happy Halloween from Hunter

Hello everyone,
I wanted to be sure to wish you a Happy Halloween even though it is a day late. My mom and dad took me trick-or-treating with the Sprague family. Boy, was I tired when I got home. I don't think I have ever walked that far. Dad didn't think to bring a wagon for me like the one Tye and Ade had and Mom wouldn't carry me because she was having too much fun carrying Boston. Oh well... Better get back to my nap.
Love, Hunter

P.S. My mom doesn't believe in dressing up dogs in clothes. When she saw this costume, she knew it was a perfect combo costume for me and my dad.

Gotta love Goodwill

So I am a Goodwill junkie. I will admit it. No shame in it either. I particularly like to go on 50% off Saturdays. Today I met with my friend, Nicole, and we covered every inch of that place. I came home with quite a few items, but these are by far my favorite find ever.


12-12x12 stackable paper trays!!! All of them were only $2.50!!! Insane, I know... I am still in shock.

Jo's baby is here!!!

See photos here.

So sad...

Well, it is sad for two reasons... First, Hef and Holly are no longer together. And second, I am a huge fan of The Girls Next Door. I bet many of you don't know that. Holly was always my favorite. It just won't be the same watching the new season knowing they aren't together. Of course, I won't miss an episode regardless. I will still be a fan of Hef's, it doesn't matter who he is dating. I am sure I will keep tabs on Holly as well. I can't help but be obsessed with Hollywood. I think I will survive this break up. ;)

First Maternity Shoot

Check out my photography blog to see my first maternity photo shoot!

Cricut...Cricut...

After drooling over it for a long, long time, I decided to treat myself to a Cricut Expression. Size really does matter. hehe... I finally set it up last night and did some test cuts. There is a lot to learn with this little machine. It is going to be so much fun to be able to add custom titles and such to my scrapbooking pages and much more.

Feet don't fail me now

Tuesday evening, my feet and ankles became really swollen. I thought this was really odd. I went to bed and they were still the same way when I woke up. Went through my day and didn't think too much of it. Come Thursday, I became concerned. I went to the doctor this morning. She ran a bunch of tests and based on the immediate results, she can't figure out what is causing the swelling. We will have to wait for blood results to come back in about a week or so. Now here I am with cankles and nothing I can do about them. Well, except elevate my feet. Hopefully, it isn't anything too serious. I just want my normal feet back. Here are my poor feet.

I am so embarassed that my toes are not polished. That is why they are not in the picture. I hope this swelling goes down soon. I would like to wear shorts sometime this weekend.

Mom's 50th Birthday

I think everyone had a good time at Mom's party. The cupcakes were amazing. (wink,wink) It was nice to get to see several friends and family all at the same time. Especially those I hadn't seen in a while. Here are some photos from the party. Warning...there are many.

My first apron

I found a really easy apron pattern at You Can Make This. So I decided to make my first apron for my mom for her birthday. The colors match her kitchen. She doesn't have a theme, so I found some cute cherry fabric that happened to have all of the colors. Here it is:























What do you think? Not bad for my first try. I can't wait to make another one for myself.

Too much to do....Too little time

My mom's 50th birthday party is 6 days away. Between now and then, I will be in San Diego for business. I feel like I don't have time to get anything done!!! I am printing out the photos for the centerpieces for the party while I type. Thank goodness the centerpieces are similar to those I did for my grandparents' anniversary party. If not, I would be pulling my hair out right now. It is times like this that it is frustrating to not live near my family. I don't have anyone to help me assemble stuff like my mom and my sister. Ugh, why is it so expensive to live in California?
I will be traveling up to my sister's from San Diego. I am excited because I will be taking the train. I am hoping the track is open for me to make it all the way to my sister's. A tragic train accident happened on Friday that may prevent this from happening. I have read that the accident was caused by human error, but now I am a bit nervous about traveling on the train. I am sure everything will be just fine. I need to focus on the fact that I will have about 3 hours to myself. I am treasuring me time lately.

Once these photos are done printing, I will start on my mom's present and a new purse for myself.

Oh! I did take some quiet time this morning and watch Enchanted. I was finally able to rent it. Now I know what everyone was talking about. It was a really great movie. One I will be adding to my collection soon.
I better get my butt in gear. Minutes are flying past me!!!

What's up

I had a hilarious conversation with my nephew the night before last. Everytime I talk to him he has something different for me. This time he got on the phone and said, "Hey... What's up..." I laughed so hard. He started laughing and I could hear my sister laughing in the background. Where do kids come up with this stuff? I had him do it to K, too.
After that, I asked him who loves him. He always says "Mommy". I replied, "and Auntie" and he came back with "and Uncle K". Of course, I laughed again.
I am so blown away at how kids grow up so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was waiting for him to be brought into my sister's hospital room so I could be the first to hold him.
I can only imagine the conversations we are going to have as he gets older. That kid is something else.

It is well known that we are Dodgers Fans...

K and I are both HUGE Dodgers Fans. We have all kinds of memorabilia around the house, clothing, hats, you name it. I even plan to do our first child's nursery in Dodgers. Insane, I know.

Well, the Dodgers are here in Phoenix this weekend playing the Diamondbacks. We went to the game on Friday and K is headed to tonight's game as I type. He came up with this hilarious idea for a shirt. Since the Diamondbacks are known as the D-backs around here, K wanted a shirt that said D-bags. Being the person who likes a challenge, I made him one to wear to the game tonight. I can't wait to hear how many people comment on it. Here he is in his new shirt. We couldn't stop laughing about it.

Lovin' Sugarland's new CD

I can't enough of Sugarland's new CD.


I have been a fan of theirs since day one. I can't pick just one favorite song from the CD, so I have three.

Life in a Northern Town
Come On Get Higher (listening to it as I type)
Already Gone

I highly recommend this CD to everyone. It will get you moving and grooving.

Mickey D's

We finally have a McDonald's in the Copa! With all of the tire drama, I didn't want to cook anything. So we battled the chaos and feasted on stuff that we should NOT be eating. I love their breakfast stuff, so I am super excited about having one here. Sometimes you just need a soft serve cone!

All because of the storm

So by doing the safe thing and pulling off onto the shoulder of the highway, I treated myself to a flat tire. It didn't really go flat until I got home today. I am so thankful that nothing happened while I was driving. I am upset though that I missed my crop night at Jo's. I am sure she understands. It is just so frustrating. So off to the tire place I go tomorrow. Not how I want to spend my Saturday, but at least it is a really good reason to make a trip into town.

Scary drive home

I met up with Jo Lynne tonight to browse IKEA for some furniture for the kids' playroom. We decided to grab dinner at Cracker Barrel and then head home. We noticed that the wind was really blowing outside so we knew a storm was coming. Once the wind died down, we figured we were safe to head home. Boy were we wrong. Once we were on the freeway, the rain came down in buckets. It continued to get worse once we were on the highway. At one point, I had to pull off to the shoulder because I couldn't see the road anymore. This is a road that I travel on every single day, so I am familiar with it. Jo called me and said it was better the further you went. I decided to get back on the road. I don't think I have ever been this scared. I was so close to the windshield that I was fogging it up. I know my knuckles had to be white. The lightning did not stop. I haven't ever seen a storm like this. I was shaking when I walked in the door. I am glad to be safe at home. I don't think I will ever drive in a storm like that ever again.

It seems to be working...

After two weeks, the CPAP machine is helping me feel more like me. It was rough in the beginning, but I think I am finally getting used to the mask. Although, today I am pretty tired. I just think I need to take it easy for the next couple days. Month end is always rough on me.
I have been so busy lately. Between work and helping a friend plan her daughter's birthday party, I feel like I have been going a million miles an hour. I loved every minute of planning the birthday party. Since I don't have any little ones of my own, it helps to get some of my creative energy burned. Some days I feel like my brain doesn't stop. From now until the end of the year, it seems like nothing but parties. Jo's baby shower, Mom's 50th, Tye's 4th... I can't wait for them! They are going to be so much fun.

First night on CPAP

I finally hooked up my CPAP machine. I was very leary about doing it. After seeing the respiratory therapist yesterday, there was no more excuses. It was a little uncomfortable, but I did pretty good. I woke up about four or so times. My nose kept itching and the mask was pressing on my cheek bones. I know I will get used to it in time. I feel better already, so I can't wait to feel even better than this. Here's to getting a good night's rest!!!

I am in love...

I received an e-mail from Restoration Hardware about their new baby furniture line. I am in love! Although there aren't any buns in the oven, I still love looking at baby stuff. Here are my favorite rooms...

Movie Mosaic

I saw this on someone's blog and thought it would be fun.

1. Favorite movie? In Her Shoes
2. Favorite movie genre? Chick Flicks
3. Favorite actor? James Marsden
4. Favorite actress? Toni Collette
5. What movie always makes you cry? Steel Magnolias
6. What movie have you watched over & over & over? Dirty Dancing
7. Worst movie you ever saw? Evening
8. What was the last movie you watched? Alvin and the Chipmunks
9. Favorite cult movie? Grease
10. Most embarrassing favorite movie? Titanic
11. Hottest actor or actress? Angelina Jolie
12. The actor or actress most people say you remind them of? Megan Mullally


To make your own mosaic, visit http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php

It's raining, it's pouring...

Pouring is more like it. We were dumped on yesterday. It came out of no where. Don't get me wrong, I love the rain. I just wish I could have been better prepared. I am hoping it rains again today. I have some stuff to do after work, but it makes for a cozy evening at home.

My first rag quilt...

I am in love...with my rag quilt. It is the perfect nap blanket. I worked really hard on this, but I love how it turned out. It isn't perfect, but that is what makes it unique. Plus, only I will probably be able to find the couple things I "missed". I have more fabric coming from a fabric buy to make another one. I am not sure if I will be able to part with that one. I am addicted to these. Rarely, do I make something for myself. I am always making things for others. So it was nice to know that I was keeping this for ME!!! I am considering it a birthday present to myself.

The prizes just keep coming...

I won Brooks and Dunn tickets!!! My name was put in a drawing because I bought a Arizona Lucky Ducky Derby duck. I am so excited. The concert isn't for a couple months (the hottest time of the year), but it will be fun.

De La Salle Shooting

I never would have thought that a shooting would ever happen at DLS. I was sadden to hear of the shooting that happened just before the opening of the annual festival on Saturday. The festival brought many happy memories in my lifetime and now someone had to ruin it for so many. For selfish reasons... I can only pray for those who were injured and all of those who were affected in some way. Even though I haven't attended the school in 15 years, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Please say a prayer for all of those involved, that they may return to some level of normalcy after this horrific event.

Rubber Ducky...

I stopped by the KNIX World Tour of the Valley stop this morning. I have always wanted to buy rubber duckies for the Lucky Ducky Derby. So today I had my chance. I won a pool gift pack with stuff I will never use since I do not have a pool, but I love to win anything. I will also have a chance to win Brooks & Dunn tickets. Keep your fingers crossed that one of my duckies will also win me something else.

Here I am with the morning show guys, Ben and Matt. They are a hoot. My day isn't complete without listening to them in the morning.Talk about a great way to start my day!

Another year older and wiser?

Well, I have made it to 29. My day was mostly spent on the couch, as I am getting over a cold. I watched a couple movies and some shows on Food Network. It is funny how the older you get, the less exciting birthdays get. It starts to feel like any other day. I hope that will change once I have children of my own and they make me birthday presents. :) I am hoping that one of the things that happens in the next year is getting pregnant. I have a feeling it is going to be a long road, but I have faith it will happen. So here's to another year!!!

What a great day

I love when it is close to my birthday! I had a great birthday lunch with some girls from work. My meal was amazing and the dessert was unbelievable. I had to go to PT (not fun), but it was worth it. I had a photo shoot with a daughter of K's co-worker. I got some great shots. She was really nervous at first, but she warmed up after a few shots. Straight from the shoot, K dropped me off to dinner with some girlfriends. We had a blast. It is so nice to go out with just the girls. It ended up being a "surprise" birthday dinner for me. I am so lucky to have women like this in my life. Thanks girls! You all are the greatest.
I am going to proof my photos from today and head to bed. I had a pretty big day. Two more days until my birthday!!!!!

One year

It is amazing what can happen in a year. New job, miscarriage, lots of tears, and even more laughs...in the end, all memories... We celebrated our first anniversary on the 28th. Where did the last 365 days go? It seems like the wedding was just yesterday. No one ever tells you how hard the first year of marriage is. It is something you have to find out on your own. I wouldn't trade this past year for anything. K and I have grown so much as individuals and as a couple.
K celebrated his 30th birthday on the 25th. We had a birthday bbq at our house. It was fun. We broke out the Guitar Hero, and that really got the party going. Everyone was gone by 9. Are we getting old or what...
Here is to the next year (and the years after that)... Hopefully, it will be just as memorable as the first.

Escape...

Ever wish you could escape...
Escape from your life, your job, your problems...
I am not in a good place in my life right now and I wish I could escape. I have had moments like this before in my life, but none as bad as what I am going through right now. I wish my life was easier. I wish I didn't have the medical issues I have or the financial ones. I try everyday to focus on the positive, but I hurt so badly that I can't help by focus on the negative. I want my life to be good and happy. I want to feel better. I want to not have to worry so much. I am just tired of being tired. Tomorrow is a new day and a clean slate. I hope tomorrow will be better than today.

Quintuplets?!

No, I am not having quints. I had a very vivid dream in the wee hours this morning that I had given birth to three boys and two girls. One of those dreams and you wake up and wonder if it was a dream or reality. I kept waking up (alarm/snooze) and when I would fall back to sleep, I would be in the dream again. Totally bizarre. I remember being mad at K for naming all of the babies without my input. Plus, asking for input on the babies' names from staff at a jobsite that I don't work with. See, I told you it was bizarre. I also remember being worried about having to put them through college. At least, I have my priorities straight and want to put my babies through college. But 5 at once...no thank you!
As much as I want a baby, I wouldn't want quints. Not long ago, I had a friend IM me to tell me she had a dream that I had twin girls. I am starting to wonder if multiples are in my future. Only time will tell... (K would kill me if it was twin girls!)

So lucky...

On this day of luck, I have been thinking about what I am lucky to have...

1. My wonderful husband who I am lucky enough to wake up next to everyday.
2. My sister who is always there for me.
3. My nephew who I love with all my heart and makes me smile all the time.
4. My many talents that make me and many other people happy.
5. My friends who are always around when I need them.

I am sure I could go on and on about what I am lucky to have, but this is a good start.
So what are you lucky to have?

Until next time...

I just want to feel better...

I have been feeling under the weather for the past few weeks. Last week, I was cursed with really horrible nausea. No, I am not pregnant... I saw the doctor this week and she is running a few blood tests. I honestly hope something comes back positive so I can be treated and feel better. I am sick of being sick!

Time is flying by me...

So much has happened since my last post...

My wonderful friend, Marisa, is moving to Oregon with her family. I will miss them all so much, but I am so happy for them that they have this great opportunity.

Our friends had their second baby yesterday. We went to the hospital to meet Miss Addison less than 12 hours after she was born. She is absolutely precious. I was able to get my baby fix.

I have decided to venture into doing professional photography. I have dabbled in it for a while, and now it is time to get serious. Now, all I have to do is practice, practice, practice...

I have also decided to sign up as a demonstrator for Uppercase Living. I wanted to start my own vinyl lettering and decor business, but just didn't have the funds. So this will give me almost what I wanted without the hefty investment.

Oh! K and I did make jam after all. It was a lot of fun. The photo to the left is the only jar that sealed properly. We gave away most of it as gifts. Everyone went nuts over them! I think we will try this again in the spring when strawberries are in season.

Until next time...

Be jamin'

This is what the subject line of my step-mom's e-mail said. It cracked me up! She sent me her recipe for raspberry jam. I will be trying it out this weekend. I am a little bit nervous, but really excited to learn how to make it. We usually get our homemade jam from her, so it will be nice to have my own. :) I am really hoping it turns out. I am excited to give it as gifts. If you know me, then you already know that I prefer to give homemade gifts whenever humanly possible. Who doesn't love homemade jam?
I will try to take photos once I am done. It is impossible to do it during the process. Maybe I will get K to take some. This is definitely a scrapbook layout I need to do.
Until next time...

Bad Blogger

I can't believe it has been three weeks since I posted. I need to be better at doing this. I still have my Christmas trips to post about. Maybe tomorrow...

Where does the time go?

My nephew will be 2 years old on the 19th. Where does the time go? I remember looking at him through the nursery window...so excited to be an Auntie. Now he can say Auntie and he talks to me on the phone. I miss him everyday. Time goes by way too quickly...

He and my sister were here to visit over the weekend. We went to the park to get him out of the house. I got some great shots of him. He is really photogenic and he loves the camera.

Here are some more photos from the set.