Observations and Such

♥ Happy Heart Day ♥

2011-02-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

♥ Happy (late) Valentines Day everyone!♥

~these would be the gerber daisies i bought myself for Valentines Day... aren't they pretty!?!?~

So I am posting this a day late, but I was having too much of a great day with the love of my life... ♥

Nope! I don't have a secret boyfriend that I'm not telling anyone about (and surprisingly, I'm extremely happy and content about that... more about this some other time lol) ... So who, you ask? Well if you guessed the obvious answer which is Olvia♥ You would be CORRECT!

...as usual King Friday :P

We spent the day just having some quality Mommy&Daughter time. We woke up, took a shower, got prettiful, ate breakfast and took a few pictures of ourselves.

i am in love with this picture! X's and O's from Olivia, anyone?

Then I decided that since it was Sooo BEAUTIFUL out we would take a walk over to the playground so she could play. Olivia had a blast!

Afterward, we rescued a friend from school lol and hung out and had lunch at her house. Olivia was so tired that she passed out while watching Toy Story 2 while at my friends house... must have been all that sun she got at the playground.

I decided that we were going to make a "festive" dinner for Valentines Day. I mean, why not? I'm Super Mom, right?! lol So I got creative and we made some homemade heart shaped pizzas and valentines chocolate chip cookies for dinner and dessert! Don't they look delicious?! Because they were :D

We ended the night with a bath for Olivia (because even though she had one in the morning she was so dirty from playing all day lol) and a movie and Olivia got a manicure and pedicure!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I hope everyone had as wonderful a day as I did yesterday!

XOXOXO's from ME! (consider yourself lucky lol)

AstroNerdTastic! ♥♥♥

2011-02-06T15:26:00.000-05:00

WARNING: This post is full of @_@ Nerd ♥ for Astronomy and recent data that was released by NASA about the Kepler Mission.

For those of you who don't know, I am attending college again for the first time in 5 years! ♥ I am just going part time for now and taking a computer class and an astronomy class. I have always been fascinated with the stars and galaxies etc so Astronomy was the obvious choice for a science class. I couldn't be happier with my choice! My instructor is awesome and the class and the other students are awesome too (Minus "that guy" - you know the one who never shuts up and fills all the conversation pauses with random factoids that you don't give a crap about and relate nothing to the topic at hand)!

So anyways, we recently talked about Exoplanets. Exoplanets are simply planets outside out solar system. And in that lesson the Kepler Mission was brought up. The Kepler Mission, NASA Discovery mission #10, is specifically designed to survey a portion of our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover dozens of Earth-size planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets. I personally think that this is fascinating. Wouldn't it be cool if there were other habitable planets orbiting other stars?!?! I think so. Not that we could inhabit them (follow that link for some Astronomy humor about why we couldn't inhabit the 54 possible habitable planets that have been discovered)

http://kepler.nasa.gov/multimedia/Interactives/HowKeplerDiscoversPlanetsElementary/flash.cfm

Anyways I just thought I would share some Kepler Love ♥... If you want to know more about it you should definitely check out the links I have included in this post. ALSO If you are interested in becoming a Planet Hunter yourself :D go HERE... This Planet Hunter website allows people like you and I to get in on the Planet hunting action.......... AstroNerdTastic!!!!!♥♥♥

Modern Patchwork Giveaway :D

2011-02-03T18:03:00.000-05:00

Just blog surfing and rolled across this giveaway! She is giving away 3 modern patchwork e-courses! It looks super awesome and I hope i win... maybe you will too?!

GIVEAWAY

Mmm... dessert!

2011-02-03T15:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight is Thursday Night Dinner Night @ Leticia's house. I am quite excited for this as I haven't seen her in like 2 weeks with everyone being sick and all last week. We love TNDN for a bunch of reasons, but mostly it's the one night a week we get to be in the same room and make food together and be crazy and catch up on everything that happened during the week that we forgot to mention on the phone or via text.

Usually what happens is Leticia provides the dinner food and whatever she doesn't have already for it (an ingredient or french bread for pasta) I'll pick up before I get there. But I ALWAYS bring dessert with me. I don't usually have dessert any other time during the week so TNDN is an excuse for me to bake something awesome every week. And with my awesome school schedule (3pm-7pm on Thursdays) I have the entire day to decide what to make. Last time I made Reeses Peanut Butter Blossoms (where you reeses in place of hershey kisses) and those were a hit, of course. Today, i don't know where the whim came from but I decided I wanted to make Cream Cheese filled Devils Food Cupcakes. So, that's what I did!

Voila!

♥ Cream Cheese filled Devils Food Cupcakes ♥

(I only wanted to make 12 cupcakes so I used a 9oz box of Duncan Hines Devils Food Cupcake mix but you can use a regular 18oz box of cake mix for yours just make sure you double the cream cheese filling)

1 (9oz) Box of Devils Food Cake Mix
2-3 eggs (depending on box recipe)
oil
water
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 bag (6oz) chocolate chips

Preheat oven and prepare cake mix according to box directions. Grease and flour cupcake pan or use cupcake liners and and fill cups 2/3 full. Cream softened cream cheese together with sugar. Beat in egg and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop one rounded teaspoon of cheese mixture into each cup. The cake will bake up around the cheese. Bake as directed for cupcakes on the cake mix box. Cool and top w/ powdered sugar.

Enjoy! I know we will tonight :D Tacos, Rice&beans, and Cupcakes!!! ♥

And for those of you who don't know who Leticia is... she is my best friend here in Arizona. Here's a picture of us from last August (guess it's time for a new picture of us lol)

Joy of Love ♥ Days 1-3

2011-02-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

So as I said in my last post, I am participating in this photo class/challenge called Joy of Love. I haven't looked for my digital camera yet, but I do have a few ideas as to where it is (yes it's been that long since I've used it) so I guess I should really start looking for it so that I can take some new photos for this challenge and not just use old ones. After all the purpose of this is not only to be fun, but a learning experience as well. ♥

I figured I'll combine a few days at a time for this since there are days that Olivia isn't with me and I will have to catch up on a couple of days as they go... so for now (and I apologize for repeated photos), here is what I have for days 1-3 of Joy of Love.

Day 1: What they do

Reading seems to be very popular in my house recently and I love it. But I love it even more when she takes it upon herself to just go sit down with some books like she was doing for this picture. Bookworm in the making ♥

Day 2: How they look

This is what Olivia looks like when you ask her to make a silly face for the camera. I think she pulled it off successfully, don't you? :D

Day 3: Then & Now

Once a Diva, Always a Diva ♥

♥ Can't wait to share more with you!

Joy of Love

2011-02-03T00:29:00.000-05:00

So I decided that I would follow in my sister's foot steps and sign up for a photo challenge. This one in particular is called the Joy of Love and after reading about it here I am really excited to be a part of it... guess i should go dust off my digital camera lol.

Today was just another FREEZING day in Arizona. hahaha. Ok we actually did reach freezing temperatures here in the Valley which is crazy in itself. So after picking up Olivia from her dad's (and making the mistake of wearing flip flops which = numb toes) and taking her to go play at the play place I decided I would go pay my rent (as any good tenant should lol). I walk into the office at my apartments, and fill out the money order I had for the woman and then she asks me, "Did you see the fountain out front?". I asked her if it was frozen and sure enough, the fountain was covered in icicles. That's how cold it was here today. The wind chill factor was ridiculous. So here's my proof that it gets cold in Arizona... :D

Then I spent the rest of the day with Olivia reading books and playing. I decided that we were going to take some pictures of ourselves, but mostly I just wanted to take a bunch of pictures of her. These are my 5 favorites from today. I love her ♥

This last one Olivia took herself lol...

Lastly... I got my Brand New Glasses today!!!!! I am in Love ♥! I ordered them like 2 weeks ago from Zenni Optical. Basically if you know your prescription you can order super cute glasses online for as little as like 13 bucks! It's crazy. Don't you love them??? I do. They were well worth the wait. :D

Without Olivia....

2011-02-02T02:04:00.000-05:00

.... It is always so quiet in my house. She spends half the week w/ her dad and it still throws me off. Not that she spends half the week w/ him, but that I have half a life now lol. Silence drives me batty which usually leads me to throw on some loud music (Currently i just blast Florence + the Machine every chance I get) and get to cleaning or organizing something. That's if I'm home. Like I am tonight. It's too cold to go out. And I know what you're thinking... YOU LIVE IN ARIZONA!!!! It's not cold!!!! Well... maybe not to you, however to me 44deg feeling like 33 because of 20mph winds is COLD. :) So tonight I chose to stay in after a long day of monotony (you know... pay some bills, do some laundry, clean something, get dressed finally, go to school, get home, put laundry away, change the bed sheets, clean out olivia's closet, get thirsty, go to QT :D) haha yeah that was my day in order. So I treated myself to a nice big 24oz Vanilla Creme Cappuccino while I was there.

Anyways, usually when Olivia isn't here I try to find things to do outside the house. You know so I can re-connect with adults again. :D So I go to free poker w/ friends or I go to karaoke with friends. Or I just hang out w/ friends like Thursday Night Dinner Nights w/ Leticia. One of my favorite nights of the week. (cuz we're awesome and a force to be reckoned w/ and no one (we know) is a match for our cooking skills)...

So It's weird w/o my lil fireball. I'm still not used to it. I probably won't ever really be. But I just try to pass the time so I don't go crazy.... Now I guess it's the activity of choice is a NCIS marathon on my DVR until I pass out.

...a lil florence and the machine for you. This song makes my day every time (i swear I'm not violent). It's also my ringtone :D ♥♥♥

Pictures... as promised :D

2011-02-01T01:57:00.000-05:00

So I'm not sure why i couldn't post these in my last post but I'll start with the most recent picture of myself.....

I got a hair cut just before Christmas and got my side swept bangs back. And while Karalyn was here we dyed the bottom layer of my hair a very dark brown and then I also got a monroe piercing while she was here too.... so this is the new me and I'm loving it ♥

Here are a few of Olivia and I ~ all taken pretty recently (within the last month)

This picture is probably the oldest one of her out of the whole bunch and even still it's not that old because it's from after I moved to the new apartment. Crazy how much she's grown.

The pic above is Olivia currently. Took this the other day right after she finished eating an oreo. but messy face or not I love it! (plus we got rid of the pacifier!!!!! YAY! no more pictures with that facial obstruction lol)

Olivia playing hat time with her dolls ..... too cute

She actually let me braid her hair... I love it.

Reading her princess book on her Tag Jr ( ty Grammie and Grampie)

ok this picture = ♥

crocheted olivia a hat.... She loves it

Can you say DIVA?!

And lastly, this one was just plain cute..... I love this little girl with all my ♥!

New Year... New Life... New Adventures...... ♥

2011-02-01T01:41:00.000-05:00

Well the month of January has come and gone and I haven't posted my New Year post.... well actually, I haven't posted anything since Olivia turned 2 in September. A lot has happened since then and I feel terrible that I am JUST getting to it now, but bear with me.

This year is going to be awesome for many reasons.... but I guess I should start with what has happened since September...

For starters, I broke up with Chris. This was a BIG MAJOR IMPROVEMENT on my life and one that needed to happen a while ago but I had to do it on my own time and not on everyone else's time. Basically I was sick of being a zoo keeper/maid/nanny/exhausted mentally and financially/stressed out all the time..... and the list goes on. But I made the decision to be happy, as I wasn't happy with the way things were going and i do not regret this decision ONE BIT! :D

So needless to say, I got my own apartment. It's in a much better part of town and I love where I live and Olivia does too :D! We have a large 1 BR and we share a room but I'm ok w/ that. It's the perfect size for us for now. But I do not plan on moving any time soon seeing as I have moved 3 times in the last year and a half and there is no way a 4th is in my future any time soon.

The holidays were spent with friends which eased the part where I missed my family. Thanksgiving always hits me hard because it's the one holiday that we always try to make sure that we get together for. I got to spend thanksgiving with my friend Sylina and her huge Mexican family. The best mexican thanksgiving ever! Olivia had a blast with all the kids to play with and I was just happy to be a part of someone's family that day and not home making turkey sandwiches and potato salad haha...

I decorated my front patio for Christmas and put up my tree in my living room. Christmas was awesome. The morning started out with a Skype session with mom, dad and Kate to watch Olivia open her presents and from there Olivia and I went and spent the day with Leticia and her sisters and her mom. Mexican Christmas... It was fantastic! We watched movies all day and grubbed on some delicious food and again, it made the missing my family part not so bad cuz they kind of are my family out here :D

The new year was also spent with Leticia. Olivia was at her dad's and I put on my pj's and went to Leti's and made dinner, had champagne and watched movies.... perfection.

This last month has been super busy.... starting with Karalyn coming to stay with me for a week - which was AWESOME!!!!! I love when she comes from NY to visit Olivia and I. I swear to you we laughed so hard our abs hurt for a week straight and i think we both probably lost like 10 lbs. haha
Then the week after she left, I started back to college for the first time in 5 years. This is awesome. I am soooo glad to be back in the college grind. I'm only going part time right now and just taking 2 classes, however I'm loving it. I have a computer class (lots of work but awesome) and an Astronomy class (not as much work and 2x as awesome). I was SUPER excited for my Astronomy class and have not been disappointed yet. Our second class was spent reviewing the first class, watching a pink floyd tour of the universe in the planetarium and going up to the roof to look at Jupiter and it's moons through the telescope. Yeah it was sweeeet.

So that pretty much brings you up to speed on what's gone on and how this year is going to be awesome... ♥

So here is the part where I bombard you with pictures... Olivia is getting so big (already over 3 feet tall) and she talks soooo so much and sings and dances all the time. Today she was singing along to one of the songs I was listening to and i couldn't help but grin cuz she was so darn cute! Every day is a wonderful day with her - even when she feels the need to be bossy and fresh (which is quite often). It's like that show/book Olivia about the little pig. She is a handful and at the end of the book when her mom puts her to bed she gives her a kiss and says, "You know, you really wear me out. But I love you anyway." and Olivia kisses her back and says, "I love you anyway too." ~ That's pretty much the same with Me and My Olivia.... She's a handful but I wouldn't have it any other way because she makes every day interesting and awesome. ♥ ♥ ♥

*ok apparently my image uploader doesn't want to work, so I will just post an entire post of pictures once i figure out what the heck is going on w/ it*

Happy 2nd Birthday Olivia!

2010-09-30T00:37:00.000-04:00

Today my lil peanut turned 2! I can't believe how fast time flew by because it feel like just yesterday she was a tiny little thing and i was rocking her to sleep. Now she is opinionated, tells you what she wants and doesn't want. She goes to sleep on her own. She is saying sooo many words and putting sentences together. She's super smart. She is a cuddle-bug and tells me she loves me all the time. She is starting to sing her ABC's and we're just about to venture into the land of potty training. She's hit the terrible toddler-ness already but she counters that with being a sweet, chatty, loving, smart, happy little 2 year old girl!

Olivia, I love you SO VERY MUCH!!!! You are by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're the thing that makes me smile every day no matter what! I smile even when it's 6:45 am and you're waking up, because I know you're going to smile and hug me and tell me you love me and give me a big kiss! You're the cutest little kid in the world (yeah i'm biased but it's true) and you will always be my little peanut, my sunshine, my most favorite Olivia in the whole wide world!

I'm a Blogger... Follow ME!

2010-07-25T17:38:00.000-04:00

I'm in this swap on Swap-Bot called I'm A Blogger...Follow ME! I love doing these kind of swaps because I love finding new interesting blogs to look at and I love making new blog friends!

Here are my partners for the Swap... So not only do i get to enjoy them but so can you!

Agnetha @ Lilofant Design
Sheri @ The Musings of a Manic
Laura @ True Stories, Honest Lies & Cook Pot Stories
Jennifer @ Jennifer Said.... Life is not a Rehearsal
Elizabeth @ ElizabethMD Jewelry Designs
Misses @ Better than Naked - Vintage and Handmade Finds
Christina @ Chrissy Gee's Swap Blog!
Cathy @ Remember When... Remember Then & Psychic Mama Indigo Child
Beverly @ Lots of Possibilities & Our Family Our Story
Nicole @ Kampiscines & P.S. Kampiscines

Happy Blogging and Swapping!

Just thought I would share........

2010-07-06T02:38:00.000-04:00

.........My new favorite pictures of the girls

It seems like I have to settle for individual pictures because Olivia and Rachel pretty much refuse to take a picture together. And it's not like they can't stand each other because actually they are pretty much each others partner in crime and best friend but either one smiles and the other is crying or grumpy or vice versa. Never a cute happy pic of both girls when i want one. So instead, on the rare occasion, I get amazing pictures of the girls and today was one of those times. It was nice outside, they were happy and my phone was cooperating lol. Hope you love them as much as I do!

I Really cannot believe how big they are getting. Seems like they can reach things today that they couldn't yesterday. Like I remember when Olivia could barely reach the door knob to close the door and now she can reach the light switch if she stands on her toes!

In other news, Our 4th of July was pretty relaxing. Chris worked on our neighbors tattoo and I hung out with the girls and then we went to this ball park called Big League Dreams where they have replicas of different famous stadiums set up. So we took our spot in the outfield of Fenway and picnicked and chased the girls around until it was dark and it was time for fireworks. They sat really well for the show and didn't cry once! Although I did think Olivia was about to when the finale startled her. But all in all they were pooped and we had a blast! (Sorry i have no decent pictures. I tried to take some of the girls during fireworks but they didn't turn out so great and the fireworks setting on my phone is weird so i got some odd shots of the fireworks and nothing good except for maybe the videos i took that i will have to upload later.

Also, Chris and I are on the hunt for a new place to live. Preferably something that is bigger and can fit more than 1 person in the kitchen at a time and has a backyard for the girls and the dogs and maybe even a craft/tattoo room if we were to get so lucky. We called and gave our 30 days notice today so I'm praying that something will pop up that doesn't cost 3x the rent to move in. Oi!

Well I'm going to go watch The Hobbit with Chris now. (yeah we are having a blast from the past moment) and do the rest of my laundry and maybe some dishes (ugh). Goodnight!

Songs by Emotion

2010-07-01T16:35:00.000-04:00

So I started back up on Swap-Bot in hopes that it will get my creative juices flowing again. I decided to join this one called Songs by Emotion E-Swap. Since they put a stop to mix cd swaps *sigh* the alternative is to send a playlist to your partner(s) with the link to the video or music from the internet. Doing it this way ensures that there is no illegal pirating of music going on.

Anyways I thought the theme for this music swap was fun cuz it made u think about which song you like falls into the respective category. So I thought I'd share with you the list I chose to send to my partners. :D Enjoy!

Pumping, energy, can’t sit still: Black Eyed Peas – I got a feeling
Drowning, heavy, sad: Evanescence – Going Under
Hope: Josh Groban – You are Loved
Upbeat, cheery, good day: The Beatles – Good Day Sunshine
Raging, vent: Five Finger Death Punch – Ashes
Numbing, empty/depressed: Linkin Park – Numb
Slinky, dark, dirty: Nine Inch Nails – Closer
Soothing, relaxation: George Winston – Blossom/Meadow
Vast, alive, blissful, beautiful world: U2 – Beautiful Day
Love (any aspect): Steel Magnolia – Keep on Lovin’ You

On My Mind... (confiscated from As is Proper)

2010-06-30T20:35:00.000-04:00

On my mind
For Today...
June 30, 2010

Outside my window... is a lot of sun. It's in the 100's here and it's still pouring through the windows.

I am thinking... that I would like to do a project soon. I have a few things in mind but currently dwelling on the fact that I want to make a measuring stick to track the girls height. Probably going to go to Home Depot and get some 6' long 2x4's - one for Olivia and one for Rachel - and sand and paint them and put little designs on them and then screw them to the wall so i can track their height on there instead of a door post. It's something we can take with us if we move and if there is one for each gorl they can keep them when they get older. So I want to do that but Idk when.

I am thankful for... air conditioning lol

I'm wearing... a green tank top and jeans. nothing fancy.

I am remembering... Schoodic Point. I love and miss that place. I was always so inspired there and I miss Maine so bad. My family is going this year and unfortunately as much as I would love to go I don't think it's going to happen. :(

I am creating... tattoos. Well sort of. It seems like thats the closest I've come to art recently. I've been doing the stenciling and drawing for our friends that come over for Chris to tattoo. And I even got in on it and did one on myself which i must say is awesome and i'm really proud of it. Hopefully i soon i will be creating more stuff too.

I am going... crazy... no just kidding. Chris and i are going to take the girls to the water park at the junior high by us. It's got some slides and water mushrooms and geysers and a kid area and it's $4 total to get in. Yay!

I am reading... wow nothing at the moment except for blogs. I'm in the middle of re-reading Cloud Nine by Luanne Rice.

Song that is playing over and over in my head... Dirty Heads - Lay Me Down feat. Rome of Sublime w/ Rome

I am hoping... that Chris and I will be able to find bigger place soon that is reasonably priced. *crosses fingers*

Noticing that... my house is a mess.... yet again

From the kitchen... I'm trying to avoid the kitchen right now. I guess i should go to the store and get soe meat so i can make some dinner in the kitchen lol

Around the house... Everything is everywhere. I'm trying to go through it cabinet by cabinet etc. so that when we do move it's not a bigger hassle than it will be already.

One of my favorite things... hugs from Olivia. she likes to nestle her head right in the crook of my neck and pull me in close. It melts me every time.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Swimming tomorrow, Gotta go get some lab work done, and a meeting friday night otherwise not much else.

A picture I would like to share...

Tattoo

2010-06-29T02:19:00.000-04:00

Sooooo.... I said earlier that I have been practice skin for Chris recently as he embarks on his tattoo endeavors. Well, today I decided to be practice skin for someone other than Chris............ and that would be me!!!! Yes I did a tattoo on my calf today and not just a nautical star that is what I guess would be a typical "starter" tattoo so I searched long and hard for something i wanted that i knew i would actually like and be able to do and I chose to tattoo this:

So I drew it up last night and did the outline today and it turned out like this!

Isn't he cute!? I'm waiting to color it in later when we get more colors so for now I will just have this outline but I loveeeeee it. And I am pretty proud of it for my first tattoo. It took a little to get used to the tattoo gun but once i was comfortable with it, it was just like tracing a picture (which is all it really was) and I had fun and got it done pretty quick.

:-D Fun times.... i can't wait to fill him in though.

Time to catch everyone up........

2010-06-28T16:22:00.000-04:00

Well It's Summer in Arizona and obviously HOT but still no humidity and suprisingly tolerable (yes even at 110 degrees). We've been very busy doing a whole lot of nothing it seems. We have Rachel (my step-daughter) half the time, but it seems like it's more than that which is OK with both Chris and I because we like it that way. Olivia and Rachel have each other to play with...well really it's more like cause trouble and make messes with but at least they have fun together doing it. They are pretty much inseparable minus a few sibling squabbles throughout the day.

Chris has been learning to tattoo. He's doing so well! Of course I have been practice skin a few times but I am pleased with the way it has all turned out. A lot of our friends have come over and been practice skin too and we have even made new acquaintances in the process. So all in all that has been pretty cool. He and I team up doing it too. I do the art/stencil/placement part and he does the dropping ink part. It's actually quite fun but my house get's pretty busy sometimes and then I feel like a tornado has swept through my living area and the thought of putting everything back makes me cringe. Luckily I find moments to do it and on nights like tonight, it looks fantastic (thank God).
***sidenote - the picture of the fore arm with the lotus flowers and vines is just the outline but I put that sucker together myself. and free-handed the vines on his arm. it is SICK!***

We are hoping to move into a new house in August *crosses fingers*. We simply can't live in our little 2 bedroom for much longer... not with 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs, a 55 and a 10 gallon fish tank, and frequent company. There's just no way. I feel like I have to come up with super creative places to put things lol and I know I shouldn't have to do that. So I have been in touch with a realtor and hopefully we can get something bigger for less than we are paying now :D

Oh goodness..... I'm sure there's more but I'm drawing a blank.

I'm working for Primerica and I love it. It's been a slow start trying to remember all the information and get a client base but I have faith that I will get there. Chris is looking for a new job too but we're having a hard time finding a place that's hiring cooks. He'll be back in school in the fall so that will be nice as he's working towards his Business degree and his Hotel/Restaurant Management degree.

All in all everything is going well and we are having a great time doing tons of stuff and nothing at all.

To Catch you up here are some pictures of the girls... enjoy! :D

Our Visit with Mrs. B.

2010-04-06T01:36:00.006-04:00

I found out from my mom that a family friend (one of my mom's good friends in NY who also happens to be my 3rd-6th grade teacher) Mrs. B. (Connie B.) was in Arizona visiting friends we know that moved to Arizona a couple years ago. So I got a hold of her and we met up at the big park by their house which was about an hour drive for me but well worth it because this park is HUGE and so fun for kids and adults too.

It was great to see her and visit and catch up and she got to see Olivia and we had a blast.

While waiting for Connie to get there,
Olivia took a test drive in the souped
up Chevy by the railroad tracks
that they have there.

While Connie and I were catching up,
Olivia played on the playground. She loved
the bouncy net a lot.

She also loves slides. This picture was taken
right before she was getting ready to
go down the slide. I love it.

They have this over sized bouncing Dinosaur that
Olivia discovered and she spent a good 5 minutes
saying RAWR and bouncing on it. Cute!

They also have a water fountain play area. It is really
awesome and Olivia had a blast! As you can see
she got pretty wet lol. Good think I think ahead
and had a change of clothes with me. (but not
ahead enough that I packed a bathing suit and little swimmer lol)

This last picture is one Connie took on her phone.
I LOVE IT! Olivia and mommy having a blast!

A New Day Has Come!

2010-03-27T13:20:00.002-04:00

So I am going to try and stop sounding like the boy who cried wolf and just blog when i remember to and I have something good to talk about. Most of the time i feel like life is pretty monotonous around here. Nothing bad about that but just not much to blog about lol. Anyways.... things are finally starting to pick up. What I mean about that is that I finally got a job. And it's not a job that will end up being a dead end job doing something I hate and being there 9-5 and never seeing anyone around here. I get to still stay home with Olivia and I make my own hours.

You may be asking yourself, what is this job you refer to??? Well.... I am on my way to being a financial planner. I get to help families become properly protected (with things such as the right kind of life insurance, etc.), get out of debt and have financial freedom and in the process, learn how to manage and properly save my money. I mean, in this economy, who doesn't want that? It's a light at the end of the tunnel for some people and I am soooooo psyched! The name of the company is Primerica. They have been around for 33yrs and have an impeccable track record and are going public in the stock market this week! So It's actually a really important week for the company and it's such a great time for me to be joining the team and for business.

Oh man there is just so much I could tell you right now it's ridiculous. I am so excited!!!!! :D

One of the main reasons is that I get to do a job, fall in love with it and most importantly - Help People. I knew that whatever I was going to do with my life needed to be something where I can help other people some way. I never thought that It would be this, but i know in my gut that it is.

Ok.... in other news hehe .......... Chris just got a job too!!!! Seriously, God i lookin out for us. We've been trying and trying to find jobs and then all of a sudden the door just opened up and we literally walked right into them... (that's another story haha)

The girls are doing great! Saying lots of new words and everything. I'm going to try and get some pictures up here later.

And I'm getting a new phone.... Samsung Omina 2 ..... friggin sweeeeet phone! Plus i need it for work woohoo

Ok and now to leave you with the song that is currently running through my head and the inspiration for my blog title

We've got fish!

2010-03-07T00:32:00.005-05:00

So, I play this game on Facebook called fishville. It's your own virtual fish tank and it's pretty awesome. On top of that I've wanted a fish tank for a while.... soooo we got our act together and cleared off a corner of our kitchen counter in a rare spring cleaning motivated moment and got a 10 gallon tank and some decorations this week and went and got some fish for it today.

We have 2 dogs named Orion (a black lab/pit mix) & Apollo (an american bulldog). Then I found out that 2 of my sisters got fish for their kids and I decided it was time to follow through and get some finally for our kids (and us too of course hehe). My 1 niece J named her 2 fish Hermes and Neptune. Then my other sister's 2 kids A & M wanted some fish so they got 4 and consulted J about names and named theirs Jupiter, Venus, Triton & Poseidon. So in true family spirit (and the compulsion to follow through with an existing pattern lol) we decided to name our fish in the same fashion. :D

So meet Artemis, Athena, Medusa & Zeus. (We are getting another one and naming it Persephone but we wanted an angelfish and they didn't have any at petco today)

Top to bottom: Zeus - a Marble Lyretail Molly, Athena - a Gold Gourami, Artemis - a Blue Gourami & our Algea eater Medusa - a Plecostomus.

Above is a better picture of the 3 fish... the neat thing about the gourami's is that they can change color. like get brighter and stuff. Weeeee! :D Fish are soo neat.

A good view of our ancient ruin tank (and all the randomness on the counter behind it - lol sorry)

Like the fallen ruins? lol I do :D I couldn't resist.

To all my new blog visitors....

2010-01-09T02:32:00.003-05:00

Welcome to my blog!!! :D

I am in a blog swap on Swap-bot currently and the partners will be assigned sometime in the next day or so. I love blog swaps!!! I love making new friends and finding new projects and recipes to incorporate into my life and reading about other people's lives. So.... thank you for visiting my blog!

*sidenote - i'm in a blog lull at the moment.... I seem to be so busy that I forget to upload my pictures and such to share about my life at home with Olivia, Chris and Rachel and all the new friends that I am making here in Arizona... So yet again I promise to try harder and whip out those blog posts :D*

Here are some recent random pictures

Olivia playing in fallen leaves at the college

Olivia and Kylee - best buds

Olivia :D - she's trying to get that headband out of her hair... i wish she would keep stuff in her hair cuz it is soooo long and gets in her face... ohhh well :P

Olivia and Rachel at the park - I love this picture

Christmas morning. - Sitting in front of the tree in their brand new Christmas PJ's... Olivia got minnie mouse and Rachel got spongebob :D

Christmas Pictures

2009-12-10T02:43:00.006-05:00

Ok this post is out of order from all the rest being that I have about 5 more drafts left to post but I am too excited about these pictures to keep them from you.

I took the girls to get their Christmas pictures taken today and boy do they look cute!!!!

We Got the first, second & last pictures.... I didn't have money to get anymore of the individuals otherwise i would have. We got the package of pictures of the first picture of the two of them and then a sheet with 4 wallets and a 3 1/2 x 5 of Olivia and the same for Rachel. I can order more prints if I want to from the site i got the proofs off of. If anyone wants to order yourself some like a bigger picture than might get sent to you, I can send you the login and pw to get into the site to order these pictures :D I think they came out really great :)

Ok off to bed.... nighty night! Xmas tree pictures to come as soon as I put my tree skirt on and get a good tree topper

Halloween

2009-12-07T02:24:00.010-05:00

We did a lot for Halloween. The weekend before we Rachel and Olivia to the Gilbert Halloween Festival. It was cute and we all dressed up for it. Olivia was a princess, Rachel was a ladybug, Chris was a Winged Reaper and I was Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. The festival was cute but kind of a bust cuz the girls were still too little to do anything like the bounce houses.

Here they are - The Princess and The Ladybug

Olivia wasn't too sure about that hat and Rachel wasn't too sure about those wings.

As you can see these 2 are sans hat and wings at the Halloween Festival lol.

see her princess shoes? ^ :D I love them

On Halloween we went to the Arizona Irish Festival during the day for a music project Chris had to do for his Music in Culture class. We walked around the Irish cultural center and everything was really cool. There were people in period dress and people playing instruments and lots of little kids in costumes. It was a lot of fun.

(Hey... I didn't know Doc was Irish lol)

The main band we saw - The Knockabouts. They're pretty darn good :D

We got home in time to go Trick-or-Treating to the other town homes here and we had a blast. Olivia had her little Glow stick flower wand and her princess shoes and we were off.

We had lots of fun :D

Camping in Tonto National Forest

2009-12-07T02:23:00.016-05:00

In October we went Camping with our friend Michele and her 3 girls and the babysitter. We bundled everyone up and drove about an hour and a half north east to the Tonto National Forest where it was about 25 degrees cooler than at the house. So it was pretty chilly that night but we kept the fire going and everyone had a blast. We made taco salad for dinner and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for dessert and had a blast. Idk how soon I'll go camping again though lol
Here are the pictures I took:

Rachel & Olivia banging on the picnic bench

Playing in the dirt with Sydney

Rachel probably walked on the cement beam for a good 30 minutes with Chris back and forth. I love this picture of them. / Sydney being cute / Rachel bringing her plate to Ray Ray (the sitter) ...somehow Michele's oldest, Tatum managed to escape my pictures lol

Olivia, Ray Ray & Aubrey / I love this picture of Liv & Aubrey - The girls fought over who got to play with and watch which baby. I love it. They love Olivia and Rachel so much & we love them.

The campsite. I particularly loved that old tree that has been used multiple times for firewood (we left it alone though and sent the girls to go get wood that was already scattered through the woods)

Random Pictures in AZ --- Take 1

2009-12-07T02:23:00.015-05:00

Olivia's Birthday (NY & AZ)

2009-12-07T02:22:00.007-05:00

On September 29th my baby girl, Olivia turned 1. It never ceases to amaze me how fast that has gone by and how much she's developed and how smart she is.

Well I moved before she turned 1 from New York to Arizona, so I decided to have a birthday party for Olivia before we left for Arizona. So she actually had her 1st birthday party a month early. Here's some pictures from her party day in NY.

Then after we got to Arizona and it was her real birthday we celebrated with a little cake that she got to eat a nice big piece of lol

Thank You

2009-11-06T10:46:00.002-05:00

I promise I will blog some more about what we're doing out here soon. But I saw this video on youtube and It's really touching. So I wanna say thanks to all the men and women that serve our country especially my 2 brother-in-laws. Love you guys.

Arizona

2009-11-03T00:48:00.008-05:00

Well yet again I am a bad blogger.... So I will try to be more faithful I promise.

This blog is dedicated to my favorite pictures from my trip to Arizona. Laura came with me and we drove for 6 days from NY to AZ. First we stopped in Virginia to see Colleen, Dan & the kids for 2 days. Then we stopped in North Carolina to see Rachel and Bea (Robert was camping). We made a detour through Nashville *side note* we were looking for one of those pressed penny machines to get ourselves an Elvis penny from Nashville but there was a festival going on in Nashville so we just drove through *end side note* And we stopped at the Cheroke Trading Post outside of Oklahoma City to get ourself some souvenirs.

The trip went smoothly and Laura and I switched driving duties. We stopped at a lot of rest stops to stretch our legs and let Olivia get some air and get out of her car seat. Olivia slept a lot with minimal screaming which was nice for the trip. We were smart and brought along the portable DVD player so she had something other than us to entertain herself.

And then we were in Arizona. It was beautiful and exciting and what a relief to know the end was almost near. I was sick of driving. Luckily everything is within a 5 minute radius here lol.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip:

Fun Post

2009-06-28T14:37:00.004-04:00

So my 2 youngest nieces decided when they walked in the house today that I needed to post a blog. Because, as they said, you haven't posted in a while. Which is true minus the blog from the other day. So I told them - if you let me take pictures of you then I will blog them!!! Of course they were all for it. So as I promised, here are the pictures of Olivia, Mitchell, Avery & Julia. (Excuse my camera's poor quality... idk what the deal is today :P)

Vacation...

2009-06-25T01:28:00.006-04:00

I apologize for my BAD (and i mean HORRIBLE) blogging skills these last couple months.... just been doing other stuff i guess. Well I decided that if i don't post now about my vacation i never will.

Olivia and I took a trip to Arizona to see Chris (her dad/my boyfriend). We had a blast visiting with him and with her half-sister Rachel and it was cool to see the girls warm up to each other. Rachel is a lot shyer than Olivia so it took her a little bit but after hanging out together for a while Olivia was getting nice pats on the head and such.... Regretfully i was having so much fun on vacation that i didn't take nearly as many pictures as i should have.

The desert landscape was absolutely breathtaking and I honestly loved driving especially cuz that's when you saw it the best. The mountains and the cactus and the trees and the flowers... It was just beautiful. We saw little lizards here and there too. I love lizards so I thought it was cool.

Other than going to restaurants like Wienerschnitzel and Macaroni Grill and Jack in the Box and a few others that arent in NY and the occassional trip to Walmart, we went to a few of the Outdoor Malls like Desert Ridge Marketplace and my favorite was Tempe Marketplace. Friday was our most eventful day. We went to the Phoenix Zoo and then killed time at the Desert Ridge Marketplace and a beautiful park in Anthem before we went and had dinner with Carolyn, an old friend, and her husband and parents (and 4 dogs lol). That's the only day i took pictures lol so here are a few of my favorites.
The Zoo was hot but it was awesome.... Here are pics of both of the girls playing at the park.

And lastly a picture of Olivia with Carolyn.

....All in all im really glad we went and saw Chris and Rachel. I had a great time no matter how hot it was and I really can't wait to go back.

Hoppy Easter!

2009-04-12T16:39:00.002-04:00

HOPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!!!

This just made my night....

2009-04-12T01:21:00.001-04:00

hahaha this kid is hysterical!!!! This video made my night and i thought I'd share.

Amazing Dancing Kid!

Guinea Pig.....

2009-04-10T23:34:00.003-04:00

I was the guinea pig... I got my hair cut yesterday by none other than ... my sister Kate. She is going to school for Cosmetology and is now out on the floor cutting actual people's hair starting this past monday. So she didn't want to work on a mannequin and convinced me to come in and at least get it washed and dried - I, obviously on crack cuz im very picky bout my hair, said - hey why dont you trim it too! So before i knew it (actually it took a while cuz everything gets approved by the 1 and only instructor that is bring torn between 25 girls) I was shampooed and getting my hair trimmed. Then half-way through i realized that other than a mannequin, i was her first haircut! I thought - OMG! What am I thinking?!?!?!?! - and i bugged the crap outta her to make sure it came out good - but all in all it came out pretty great! :D See below...

...in the process

...just finished (then i got my eyebrows waxed)

... just now! :D

Looks pretty good right?

Look what I can do!

2009-04-10T23:24:00.004-04:00

I woke up the other morning and Olivia was playing in her crib and then did this.......

Yes that's right! She pulled herself up w/ help of the slats to her knees... grabbed onto the railing - and pulled herself up to standing position and stood there for a while talking to me and Kate and we even got my mom up there to see it before she left for work. And since then Olivia was waiting for me on her knees in her bed today holding onto the railing when she woke up from her nap and found her way today to the diaper box and sat there on her knees and then 1 knee and 1 foot for a while just playing w/ it and opening and closing the flap.

She's too much... Someone tell my why my 6mo old is already crawling (and speed crawling that is and laughing when i try to get her cuz she thinks its funny and a game) and now pulling herself up!!! She is gonna be walking before i know it... Cuz all of this stuff sure crept up on me.

Let's do the Army Crawl!

2009-03-31T09:53:00.005-04:00

Olivia has figured it out... the cute little baby army crawl and now she's REALLY all over the place.

Those are 2 videos that I took last night while she decided... "Ohhh i think I'm gonna be over there! nope now i wanna be over there!" She was everywhere last night and it was no different when i put her on the floor this morning. Actually today was better. Which means i need to baby proof and get a gate or something of the sort.

Here are just some more pictures of Olivia sitting up and in her new Tinkerbell stroller and playing with mommy and sitting in her highchair waiting for food lol.

In other news....... I signed up for online distance learning classes to get my Interior Decorating Certificate!!!! It's about time and I'm really excited... sooooooo if anyone wants me to decorate I'm game :D I can probably finish school anywhere from 9-18 months and The courses look to be very detailed and that means there is soooo much for me to learn and I just cannot wait! David Bromstead look out cuz Liz is on her way up!!!! LOL (p.s. I heart David Bromstead - I think his designs are amazing)

6 months!

2009-03-26T12:39:00.004-04:00

Ok so time goes REALLY fast..... in 3 days Olivia will b 6 months old ALREADY!!! It's crazy how fast it's going!

She can get where she wants to go if u put her on the floor... She is babbling and singing - she says da da da a lot and gives people respberries and plays along with you when you pat your hand over her mouth so that she will make noise... She gives kisses and cuddles alot now... oh yea and she can sit up without help (most of the time). She's AMAZING!

She's also eating babyfood now... she really likes bananas and green beans.... I am introducing applesauce today - we'll see how that goes. :D

Yesterday we went to the doctors for her 6mo checkup. Olivia is 17lb 9oz and 26" long! She had a couple shots and had a slight fever/reaction to them yesterday and today too... Last night was not a fun night... she slept for 2 hours and then was awake from 12-3am - thank goodness she is taking a long nap this morning. She needs it. Because of the shots she has been a little more fussy than usual and definitely clingy... but i like when she cuddles and wants me to hold her.

Anyways here are a few pictures I've taken recently... Last night i gave her some pizza crust at dinner and she went to town on it.

Sitting up all by herself in her crib... she was watching baby Einstein on the piortable DVD player and being SUPER cute :D

Mommy and Olivia - she was trying to get my phone while i took the picture

Making faces at the camera while saying da da da da da
Sitting in her crib and watching finding Nemo while I cleaned the room
I LOVE this little girl!!!

Little Leprechaun

2009-03-17T16:33:00.003-04:00

Olivia says... Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Now don't ya be eatin' me lucky charms :D

Randomness

2009-03-16T10:01:00.004-04:00

Just some pictures that I've taken over the last few days :D

So I finally got my rear in gear and decorated Olivia's "nursery" end of the room. I bought 2 pink panels to go on either side of the yellow panel on the window and hung up the letters i made of her name and put some butterfly and gerber daisy wall stickers that i found at the dollar store :D also had to buy a bumper for her bed cuz she likes to bonk her head on the wood now that she can crawl around and a new bedskirt... I'm very proud of it :D

Guess what Olivia found.... lol

2009-03-16T09:53:00.003-04:00

Olivia was taking a nap in her pack and play the other day and before she fell asleep i decided i wanted some blueberry whoppers at which point i put 4 in my hand and looked back and noticed only 3... So I looked around on the floor and in her pack and play and couldn't find it, so I just assumed that it had either rolled under the couch or fell back into the whopper box.

Olivia fell asleep and I was sitting at the computer and Mom was sitting on the couch when Olivia woke up. Mom was trying to ignore her in hopes that she would fall back asleep but then was watching Liv and was wondering what the heck she was doing in there. Mom got up to check on her and started laughing and telling me to get my camera and come over there. Needless to say when I saw Olivia I nearly peed my pants I was laughing so hard. Apparently that fallen whopper did find itself into the pack and play and blended in w/ the blanket and Olivia found it and ate the whole thing minus the blue smeared across her face and the little bit that was left on the blanket.

She had that "what are you laughing at me for? What did I do?" look on her face.

And here she seems to be very proud of herself... Cuz she really did eat that whole thing... Needless to say a couple hours later she puked blue on me lol

Professional Pictures

2009-03-16T09:09:00.005-04:00

I picked up the professional pictures we got done while Chris was here the other day and OMG they are Amazing! I cannot believe how big Olivia has got since she was born. Time really does fly! Hope you love them as much as i do!!! :D

Playtime and Crawling

2009-03-11T21:30:00.004-04:00

Playing on the blanket Aunt Colleen made her and crawling.... At the bottom of the pictures is a video - PROOF that this beautiful little girl is going to be full on crawling w/in a matter of weeks and its the beginning of my end lolol.... actually she's already all over the place but once she knows she can get around without my help it's gonna be funnnn. She's gonna keep me on my toes FOR SURE lol.

Just Because....She's SOOO CUTE!!!!

2009-03-11T21:11:00.003-04:00

I'm uploading pics of olivia that I've taken in the last few days.... The order they uploaded is most current to least current (but really the pictures only go back as far as saturday)....

My little Leprechaun - modeling her St. Patricks Day Hat :P

Mommy and Olivia

Olivia in her Ballerina Outfit

Hangin out at Anita's house - lookin all cute in green

Well she WAS on the blanket but found her way over to the entertainment cabinet and discovered the metal handles

Chillin on the couch in her Sunday Dress (thanks to the hand-me-downs of Rachel's from Chris)

Mom holding Livi... She's waaay too cute in her dress and hat (there are socks to match too) :P

Up on her knees crawling

Tattoo :D

2009-03-06T13:31:00.005-05:00

Yep! I got a tattoo on my right shoulder blade... I've had it planned for a while and I got it for my birthday... It's a stargazer Lily with Olivia's name underneath it... the artist did an amazing job at drawing it up and channeling what i wanted into the tattoo... He even drop shadowed the name with pink... it's so awesome. I got the stargazer lily because i wanted it to symbolize Olivia reaching for her dreams and the stars.

ALSO - I started Olivia on cereal... so I took this picture this morning - I thought it was pretty friggin cute :D

Life catch-up cuz I'm a BAD/Lazy blogger

2009-03-06T10:04:00.010-05:00

I admit it.... I've hardly blogged in this last month... i really need to get back into the habit of blogging...

Sooooo lemme catch you up on Olivia...

She just turned 5 months old and is getting bigger and more adorable everyday. She's learning how to crawl... like she will find her way around by launching herself forward and trying to move her legs and she has not problem getting up on both her hands and knees now... but if u leave her alone for more than 5 minutes you can almost guarantee that she's not going to be in the same spot that you left her in. Che can roll from her back to her belly w/o a problem now and anything she sees or passes she needs to touch/grab/feel it... it's really cute.

As for me...... I turned 22 last Thursday and had a very eventful week... First I got my hair cut and i got glasses that were much needed the week before that.

Then on Thursday 2/26 (my b-day) Olivia's dad (aka my boyfriend) came to see us...

Right now he's getting his act together and going back to school out in Arizona and getting a business degree so he can open up a bar and grill which i have high hopes for. He's also taking care of Olivia's half-sister Rachel who turned 1 just under a month ago.
~Chris and Rachel~

If Olivia progresses anywhere near as fast as Rachel did, Liv will be running around by the time she's 1... and as you can tell she's well on her way already lol.. SO anyways Chris came to see us and Olivia knew he was her dad... she was nothing but smiles and laughs and hugs and kisses the whole time (yes she gives hugs and kisses now too)

So we spent Thursday - Monday with Chris and it was awesome... we went and got some new pictures of Olivia taken so those will be coming soon too... Chris' flight got canceled due to the nor'easter we had.. so needless to say instead of flying back on Monday night from the airport that is 15 minutes away, I had to drive him to a larger one that was 1 1/2 hrs away at 3am the next morning... yeah that was fun. And of course goodbyes are never any fun but I'll see him soon...

Also this week I got a sort of job offer to help my friend out with her company's website and do some marketing/advertising for her... It's just for about 15 hours a week but it's more than before and most of it i get to do from home :D So I'm looking forward to starting that back up too....

I will try to post come pics and videos of Olivia crawling around in the next couple days...

....Disclaimer ~ if you're hurt/mad/upset/annoyed/etc. about Chris and I, I ask you to please be considerate of my feelings, because I'm truly happy, and if you can't accept that then trying to talk me out of my own life decisions and bashing him any more than he's been bashed in the past is only going to make it worse and I'd like for people to be happy for me as opposed to telling me what I'm doing wrong and how you would do it if you were me because you're not me....thanks for understanding....

Amigurumi Swaps!

2009-02-10T21:58:00.005-05:00

Ok as you know I recently sent out a Happy Poo to my swap partner for the 2009 Amigurumi Celebration Swap. I just received (yesterday) my swap package from my partner for that swap.... She lives in Spain and makes some of the cutest stuff.... and Here is what she sent to me!

She crocheted the doughnut and tea cup for me, as well as sent me some tea. And how nice of her was it to crochet a dragonfly (my favorite bug) for Olivia!!! :D I LOVEEE IT! I was so excited to get my package.

I also joined a Winter Amigurumi Swap on Swap-Bot... I'm still waiting for my package to get here (it's coming from Australia). I did however send mine out... Here is a picture of what I made for my partner! :D

A Gingerbread Man!

I loved that gingerbread man....

OK well now i'm off to work on my current WIP - a Seahorse

Just because...

2009-02-10T19:38:00.003-05:00

...Olivia is soooo cute :D Here are a few of my favorite recent pictures

She's a Daaaaayeeyay Tripper...

2009-02-10T19:16:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday, Olivia and I took a lil road trip to go see Aunt Deb and Uncle Ron... Ron was skiing for most of the day so Liv and I spent our day with Aunt Deb and had a lot of fun. :D

First, after hanging out at the house for a bit we went out for Chinese for lunch and then when we came home, Aunt deb took Liv and I over to her neighbor Abdul's house. He is from Afghanistan and just recently got his US Citizenship and his family keep and Afghani home... see their living room in the picture below??

While we were there his wife Parwen offered us some Chai Green tea and some of the bread she made from scratch... the one with the black and white sesame seeds is called Roat (idk if that's spelled right but thats how they pronounced it when i asked what it was called) I thought it had lemon in it, but she said that it is milk flour sugar eggs and mint with the sesame seeds on top... she just described it as Afghani bread... I liked it alot but Olivia was crying so I didnt get to eat it all or finish my tea.

They also gave me an outfit for Olivia - it's a blue Carters outfit in size 9mo. I'm sure Olivia will get use out of that this spring/summer :D

After we left Abdul and Parwen's house, Aunt Deb decided it was time for Olivia to take a ride in the "Family Sled" sooo we plopped her in there and Aunt Deb pushed her around on the mekting snow/slush

After we came inside, Olivia got a little mad with me as u can see (heh i think the squishy face is adorable), she and I played a little "Dress Up" and She played with the Tree with Aunt Deb (Olivia loved the texture of the branches the best).

All in all it was a fun day and I'm really glad we went :D

A message from George Carlin

2009-02-03T12:21:00.002-05:00

I was browsing some of my new blog friends blogs (courtesy of Swap-bot blog swaps) and came across a post on Laura Ann's Blog that is a beautiful message written by George Carlin that really makes you think and i found to be very humbling. It is one of those messages that reminds you no to take life for granted....

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember to say 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Progress Report

2009-01-27T22:31:00.003-05:00

Today Olivia had her appointment to see the pediatrician for her 4 month checkup which included shots. She got 2 shots in 1 leg and 1 in the other and of course hated it. They weighed and measured her and she is 14 1/2 lbs and 25" long! OMG such a big girl...

As you can see - she grabs at her feet now. She almost can get them in her mouth. She grabs for toys and everything else in between. And somewhere between last night and today she figured out how to get her knees under her while pushing herself up. I give her till the end of February to be crawling. Oi!

Last but not least - Today

2009-01-25T17:13:00.002-05:00

OK I am all caught up here :P and i promise to not let this much time go by w/o blogging again... so Today she was beyond adorable and I thought I would share :D

My Favorites!!! :D

2009-01-25T17:06:00.002-05:00

Mommy and Me

2009-01-25T16:55:00.005-05:00

SOme pics of us.... Olivia and Mommy time is the best :D

And just a few of me for the heck of it :P

Boyfriend Already?

2009-01-25T16:49:00.003-05:00

HAHA well Olivia and Zackery seem to enjoy eachother's company enough :P He's Laura's nephew and we like to go visit him... actually we are going over there tonight for laura's bday get together :D Sooo just thought i would show u a few pics of her and Zack. Cuz gosh are they cute

this was just the other night and they held hands most of the time they realized the other was there - how friggin cute

Playtime!!!

2009-01-25T16:28:00.003-05:00

I thought I would jusy post some pictures of Olivia playing... she's starting to get more independant... she can now reach out for toys and play with them when she is in her bouncy chair or her carseat or even on the floor. she is a big girl! :D

playing w/ her new giraffe rattle

@ nana's playing with bella - or more like being entertained by bella

holding her new favorite stuffy - william (Thanks Quincy!!!)

Playing on the floor - she's very good @ pushing herself up

Laughing at Laura when we went to the restaurant

pushing her face up against the pack and play hahah it was waaay too funny

ok ok so this isnt really playing, but she was very good and watched finding nemo while I attempted to clean our room

playing in the bouncer that laura's family gave us

LNT Party

2009-01-25T15:43:00.004-05:00

As everyone has heard all over the place, Linens N Things has liquidated and gone out of business and seeing as I used to work there and am still good friends w/ the people i worked w/ I was invited to their "LNT *268 4ever* Party" :D I loved getting to see everyone and I hope they loved seeing me too haha although im pretty sure Olivia took over and she definitely was the center of attention. Go figure - a baby being the center of attention hahaha.

look @ what she got a hold of - a noisemaker - good thing she didnt figure out how to use it :P

a few of my LNT buddies

Claudia playing w/ Olivia - it was SO cute

My manager debbie - holding Olivia

I had alot of fun though and it was great to see everyone... I hope i get to see some of them soon... there were more ppl there but I of course didnt get very many pictures of them. :)

Christmas / New Years

2009-01-25T15:23:00.006-05:00

Well first off in the middle of December I got Olivia's pictures taken. Hard to believe that she was 2 1/2 months in these but omg was she a hamm.

This one is the one I got the package of and has been sent around:

This was my free enhanced 8x10 - currently framed and on top of the entertainment center:

This was the extra i got suckered into buying when i went to p/u the pics:

Don't you just want to eat her up???? I can't get over how cute she is.

Sometime not long afterwards Beacon had a Christmas Parade that we took Avery and Mitch to see.... they got their picture taken with Santa - thanks to much persistance by me haha it was insane down there.

So along came Christmas - we had a great day and Olivia was very good for presents and passed out shortly after. Here's a few pictures from christmas.

I love how she looks like a little christmas elf here - she's sitting on her Uncle Chris' lap looking very mischevious...

Lastly is NEw Years. Kate's plans got ruined by the snow, so lucky for me, I had a babysitter and got the heck outta dodge and went to a friends house w/ my friend Karalyn. It was fun and I had a blast. I love this girl lol she makes my life more interesting :D She's Livi's Auntie Kay and she also is the one who bought that little bouncy chair you see Olivia in in the CHristmas presents.

All in all our holidays were great and I really hope everyone's were as well and that you rang in the new year w/ a bang :D

I am a slacker!

2009-01-25T14:19:00.005-05:00

Sooo It's been almost a month and a half since i posted a blog and I feel like such a slacker! I didn't want to post one huge encyclopedia sized blog so I am going to post a few to break it up...

I'll save christmas and new years for the next blog, but I do want to keep up the one a month photos going so that everyone can see how big Olivia is getting. Last time I posted 1 & 2 month pics to compare so I'm gonna post the 2 & 3 month pics here. (granted I'm going to be taking 4mo pics next week lol)...

Olivia @ 2 months:

Olivia @ 3 Months:

She's getting so big! I really can't believe how fast it's going.

Also here are just a few pics of some stuff I have cooked/crafted recently - I keep forgetting to take pics of the stuff I make for swaps, but the one that i did take a pic of was my 2009 Amigurumi Celebration creation. You were supposed to make something for your partner that you knew they would like. Mine enjoys Kawaii and in her want list was "I want a Kawaii Happy Poo - weird, i know, but cute" SOOO it's always been one of those patterns that i look at and think - oh its so cute but what do i need a stuffie that resembles poo for haha so this was my excuse to make it. :D And she loved it.

Also I made some apple empanadas recently as well as making homemade bbq chicken pizza. YUMMMMMM

ANd just for the heck of it here is a couple pics of Olivia... from last month lol (I don't want to get ahead of myself lol)

Christmas is coming... OI!

2008-12-16T21:59:00.010-05:00

These last 2 weeks have been pretty busy. I've been home with the baby by myself trying to not only keep her busy and keep her company, but also try and make Christmas presents for our homemade Christmas. Now I have plenty of WIP's however i cant really show them since they are for people that read this blog... BUT I can show pics of a couple things I made for Olivia.

I made her an Olivia's first Christmas ornament...

I also just made tonight a blanket for Olivia with some fabric I picked up at Joann's this week. I was really excited because the fabric is not only adorable, but it's also the colors in our room. I used some batting in the middle to make it a little warmer for the winter and sewed some squigglies on it to keep it interesting.

This year we have our little 4' tree up. It was just easier with the holidays being so hectic this year. Avery and Mitchell helped my mom decorate it and I added some icicles and mom finished it up. I think it looks pretty cute and of course we probably have enough ornaments to fill 3 or 4 of those trees lol.

And what is a post without a picture of Olivia... this picture was a fluke when I was trying to get a pic of her eyes (that are on their way to being green btw) and its is up there with my favorites so far.

Finally here are 2 videos of Olivia..... The first is of Olivia putting her pacifier back in her mouth after I tell her to and the second is her rolling over from her belly to her back. YEPPP she may only be 2 1/2 months old but she is definitely rolling over already - it's insane.... Now we just have to work on back to belly :)

What a Difference!

2008-12-02T20:19:00.005-05:00

I decided that I was going to take as close to the same picture of Olivia every month to see the changes and I took her 2month picture today. OH MY.....

Here she is at 1 month (5 wks old)

Here she is at 2 months (9 wks old)

You can see the change in length, size and her face!!! Oi! She is getting so big. I like this picture thing though because when you see her everyday you don't notice the difference as much. But when you have a month span of difference to look it it's amazing.

Ohhh Thanksgiving...

2008-11-30T12:31:00.004-05:00

Well this Thanksgiving was certainly the biggest Thanksgiving we have ever had. My whole family was there (my dad's side though not mom's... now THAT would be interesting with both sides there). All the nieces & nephews/grandkids were there and all my siblings and their husbands and it was awesome. Here are some pictures from the day

What A day!!! We were stuffed to the brim and it was so nice to see everyone and have us all be in the same place all at once. I hope it happens again soon.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T19:02:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again when you sit down with family to a day of feasting, football, and most of all thanks. It's not often that we take time out of our lives to really consider what we are thankful for, as most of the time life and the people in our lives get taken for granted.

So I want to say that I am thankful for my family - immediate and extended - that is always there for me and loves me for who I am. I do love you guys and I may sometimes have a funny way of showing it, but I think we all do... But I wanted to say thank you for being the best family I could have ever asked for. I also want to say thank you to friends both near and far that are like my family. This past year and a half probably would have been much more insane if I didn't have my friends to help me through and listen to me gab and talk and sob and whatever else. I was there for them and they were there for me and true friends become your family. There are some I wish were here that won't be but remember I am always thinking of you and sending prayers your way. And I am making new friends which always is exciting.

I'm thankful that every morning I wake up to the most wonderful daughter. I am truly blessed. She is my world and I love being a mother. I'm thankful my eyes work and my body doesn't hurt that bad and that I have a roof over my head and food to eat.

Thank you to everyone who just read this. :D I really hope that everyone has a great thanksgiving. I know that I am really looking forward to spending this day with 20 other family members at the biggest Thanksgiving that I think we have ever had together. It will be a day of lots of picture taking and laughs and I can't wait.

I thought that I would share with you one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite musicians. George Winston's - Thanksgiving. I wish I could play like him and though I know I never will I have high hopes for Grant (hehe). Because I know that he could probably play them right now... Maybe I'll bring the sheet music with me and beg for him to play.

Enjoy! and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

2 months already

2008-11-25T20:44:00.003-05:00

Olivia is almost 2 months (Saturday she will be) even though the 8 week mark was this monday. Anyways any mom out there knows what 2 months means for a baby.... Shots. :( We went to the doctors today - she's getting longer and weighs 10 6 1/2 and is beautiful and perfect and progressing beautifully says the doctor. Plus she's a hamm - my favorite thing of all besides the fact that she's absolutely and i cannot get enough of her. So she got her shots - 2 in one thigh and 1 in the other and an oral one too.... I hated seeing her cry and assisting the nurse in it. It made me cringe. She was sooo upset. Well we got home and she had fallen asleep and then woke up and I gave her some baby motrin and this is my cute/pathetic picture of her after the meds and passing out all exhausted from the day she had at the doctors.

Ugh I love her.... she is perfect.

Oh what to blog about...

2008-11-23T13:12:00.000-05:00

So it's been what has become a normal week for me... Sleep - wake up to feed Olivia - sleep some more - catch up on TV - try and get some swap/Christmas crafting done while Olivia sleeps and maybe take her on a trip to walmart or something most likely to get groceries.

I left her with Laura to babysit her for the first time on Tuesday. I had to go to the department of labor concerning unemployment. She was so good for Laura and slept for almost the whole time i was gone. It was weird to go somewhere without her. She has become so much a part of my life that you almost don't remember what it was like when she wasn't around. Laura was awesome and sent me a picture to let me know what was going on.

This was the pic I got saying - she's sleeping... i was sooo relieved

Below is Olivia smiling real big at Zack when I dropped her off at Laura's

Then today, I went to see Twilight with Laura. IT WAS AMAZING! I loved it and now I am going to have to read the books (as the books are always better). I just found out that the author of Twilight was working on a book called Midnight Sun and it got leaked to the internet and instead of fighting it, she put up the draft for people to read. It's from Edward's perspective. Quincy you might enjoy reading it :D There's this song that Edward plays to Bella called "Bella's Lullaby" that I found on You tube. Check it out - I want to learn how to play it.

Anyways, I wish I could post some pics of the stuff I am making, but since we are doing a homemade Christmas this year and my current swap partners have access to my blog, I cannot post till after swaps are sent and Christmas is up.

And since they are in high demand - here are some recent pictures of Olivia. She was 10lb 5 1/2oz. this week! :D

She speaks!

2008-11-16T13:19:00.002-05:00

It's not formulated words yet, but Olivia is well on her way to being a little chatty comedian...

hahah she has a faux hawk. I LOVE it :D

Hello Swap Friends!!

2008-11-13T08:12:00.007-05:00

I haven't blogged in a few days. I feel like i havent really had much time to do anything. I still have a hamper full of laundry calling my name in my room and a bag full of Olivias too. I have some crochet WIP's that I need to get done (wishfull thinking??) and I've been trying to make plarn out of all the plastic bags i have right now to sort of consolidate.

I joined this swap called I Love Your Blog ~ 2 and was assigned 3 partners yesterday. HELLO SWAP PARTNERS THAT ARE READING THIS!! I love this swap cuz its an awesome way to make new friends around the country.

I don't really have too much else to blog about. I'm getting stir crazy in the house but i dont wanna go to walmart again w/ Olivia. Maybe I'll have something more interesting in the next couple days *crosses fingers*

Here are the most recent pics of Olivia who was 6 weeks old on Monday!!!

In this picture above we went 4 a walk in her stroller & her hood kept falling in front of her face

I realy just love the look on her face here and that outfit. I love finding baby clothes that arent all pink.

Just after a bath... Doesn't she look like she's about to deck someone in the face?? lol

us before church

Olivia in her denim jumper dress and ruffle bum tights. I've been waiting forever for her to be able to wear this!

Hamming it up

And lastly I caught her sucking on her thumb while Grammie was holding her.

Green Crafting Part 2

2008-11-07T14:31:00.003-05:00

It's DONE!!! My Plarn purse is finished. I just have to send it out to my swap partner. I am very pleased with it. I finished it last night while Olivia was napping with Grampie.

I threaded some ribbon through the bag and added a button with a crocheted plarn loop to hook around it and I even bought some fabric to line it with. So hoorah I got to break out the Viking last night.

Here's the finished product! :D Hope you like it cuz i know I sure do!

Baby's First Halloween

2008-11-05T07:16:00.005-05:00

Well it's a few days late... but Happy Halloween! I hope everyone's was filled with treats and not tricks. I wanted to post some pictures from Olivia's 1st Halloween and from the weekend. My friend Karalyn works @ Old Navy, and she has turned into my personal shopper for Olivia there lol. She has an outfit or 2 picked out for every holiday and more. So she and I had lunch last Wednesday and she gave me this onesie outfit that is beyond cute! Needless to day it was Olivia's halloween outfit.

It says Mummy Loves me on it

This is THE Banana Costume. It has been in the family for 16 years and counting. Colleen's 4 kids have worn it and Leslie's 2 kids have worn it so naturally it was passed to me when I was pregnant for Olivia to use on her first Halloween. And whoever is next shall get it back/have it passed on to them. Since Olivia is still such a peanut (9lbs. -ish) The costume was too big for her still but that didn't stop me from using it.

We went up to Leslie & Chris' for Halloween. Olivia and I trick or treated with Avery and Mitchell. And yes... I dressed up too. Avery is a gymnast, Mitch is an Astronaut and I was a Bumblebee and of course my lil Banana.

And here are just a couple pics of the kids holding Olivia the day we went to the mall with them and then later came home.

MY little Hamm

2008-10-30T21:02:00.001-04:00

These are not fake laughs or gas laughs. She's such a hamm. I LOVE it.

I LOOOVE this picture of Olivia. It it my background on the computer. I can't get over the expressions she makes. I can't wait till she develops a full-on personality.
Someone gave me this little hat and I love it. I had it on her for most of the day today.
Is she not the cutest little thing or what?
The bonnet she is wearing in the picture below was actually mine as a baby. Mom said it was the first thing she bought for me.
I love this picture of her laughing. She's my little muffin baby and I love her so much!
And I couldn't resist this picture... I love her outfit and the expression on her face. I think she might have been watching TV. Much like she is doing right now with Aunt Katy.

Tis of a Maid I sing my song.......

2008-10-30T18:45:00.004-04:00

I've always associated the song "Rickety Tickety Tin" with our family - sinister but nonetheless It reminds me of our family. Mostly because I can hear Aunt Deb P. singing it to us and teaching us the many verses over campfire. I also remember one distinct family vacation with everyone stockpiled around the campfire at Molasses Pond (I think that was the year that everyone including Rachel was there) singing this song. I believe Colleen and Leslie started it but it didn't take long for everyone to join in.

SOOOO in true All Hallows Eve spirit, I'm posting up the lyrics to my favorite sinister Irish Ballad.

Rickety Tickety Tin:
About a maid I'll sing a song
Sing rickety tickety tin
About a maid I'll sing a song
Who didn't have her family long
Not only did she do them wrong
She did every one of them in, them in
She did every one of them in.

One morning in a fit of pique
Sing rickety tickety tin
One morning in a fit of pique
She drowned her father in the creek
The water tasted bad for a week
And we had to make do with gin, with gin
We had to make do with gin

Her mother she could never stand
Sing rickety tickety tin
Her mother she could never stand
And so a cyanide soup she planned
The mother died with the spoon in her hand
And her face in a hideous grin, a grin
Her face in a hideous grin.

She weighted her brother down with stones
Sing rickety tickety tin
She weighted her brother down with stones
And sent him off to Davey Jones
All they ever found were some bones
And occasional pieces of skin, of skin
Occasional pieces of skin.

She set her sister's hair on fire
Sing rickety tickety tin
She set her sister's hair on fire
And as the smoke and flame rose higher
Danced around the funeral pyre
Playing a violin, olin
Playing a violin.

One day she had nothing to do
Sing rickety tickety tin
One day she had nothing to do
She cut her baby brother in two
And served him up as an Irish stew
And invited the neighbors in, bors in
Invited the neighbors in.

And when at last the police came by
Sing rickety tickety tin
And when at last the police came by
Her little pranks she did not deny
To do so she would have had to lie
And lying she knew was a sin, a sin
And lying she knew was a sin.

And just one thing before I go
Sing rickety tickety tin
And just one thing before I go
There's something I think that you ought to know
They had no proof, so they let her go
And they say that she's tall and thin, and thin
They say that she's tall and thin.

My tragic tale I won't prolong
Sing rickety tickety tin
My tragic tale I won't prolong
And if you do not enjoy my song
You've yourself to blame if it's too long
You should never have let me begin, begin
You should never have let me begin.

***I still sing the verse about setting her little sister on fire to Kate every now and then... :)

PICTURES!!! :)

2008-10-27T17:13:00.003-04:00

I took advantage of my camera phone today and took some pics of me and Olivia and her sleeping

These other pics are from the other day in one of my favorite outfits she's worn so far.

For Becca

2008-10-24T16:54:00.005-04:00

This post is for my best friend Becca who also happens to be on the front of Olivia's onesie today.

I thought you would like this picture Becca xoxo Fluffer

p.s. Olivia weighs 8lbs. 2.5 oz today!!! :D

Hamming it up for the camera...

2008-10-24T16:49:00.002-04:00

She is going to have some personality... I can't wait till she can laugh real hard :D

My little Peanut...

2008-10-24T09:42:00.006-04:00

She is starting to smile... Just little smiles here and there but it's so cute. Most of the time it's not even at anyone in particular - although she does coo and smile at each of us here and there, but mostly she's looking off into the corner of the room laughing and smiling and interacting with something... Mom says she's talking to her angels. I say she's interracting with her fairies. :D

I took a couple videos of her...

This first one is of her waking up:

This second one is of her talking to her fairies or angels (OR BOTH!)

This third one was taken today... i caught her laughing! :D

Blog Tag

2008-10-23T17:13:00.004-04:00

I took the tag game from Leslie - mostly cuz I was interested to see what the 6th picture in my 6th folder is... SOOO Here it is:

This is a picture of Eleni, Julia and Myself in Maine. It was the year that us and Colleen had cabins on the same stretch of road right down the road from that amazing blueberry field and nature and wildlife conservatory. Eleni came to visit us for the day and when she was leaving the next day, we took this picture in Colleen's cabin before I brought her back. I love the expression on Julia's face. She is so little here. Time sure does fly!

NOW I TAG - Becca, Kate, and Laura to post the 6th picture in your 6th folder and explain it! :D

Green Crafting

2008-10-22T23:12:00.003-04:00

Soooo I have a swap I needed to create something for.... and It's due on the 11th. I decided that I wanted to crochet something, but what?!?

WELLL In an effort to try something new as well as reuse/recycle, I am going to be making a purse made out of recycled plastic bags.

I have not started crocheting yet, HOWEVER I am in the process of making my Plarn (and yes that's the official word for plastic yarn). I am currently using walmart bags. But you can use any kind of plastic bag to make plarn including bread bags... how cool is that?

Anywho, this is the Plarn I am in the process of making:
fisrt you get the bag and then cut the bottom off and the top two handles to get the bag/empty tube below:

Afte you have the ends cut off you cut the bag into strips

Then you link the loops that makes together like you can see below

wrap it up and VOILA! The beginnings of a PLARN ball! :D

The many faces of Olivia

2008-10-17T22:52:00.002-04:00

This is Olivia sticking her tongue out lol what a cutie I love this...
A look of wonder... more like - That Camera AGAIN MOM??? and the poor thing has baby acne. :(
Olivia in the sling that Aunt Deb P. gave us for the baby shower... this is how I got laundry done today. HOORAH something got accomplished.... next I tackle my room and the rest of the baby shower gifts lol
She looks like an angel here...
Another look I love... well sort of... The blank stare is adorable, except we all know what that blank stare means.... Time for a diaper change! :)
I love my little peanut...

More of Olivia... :D

2008-10-16T18:53:00.005-04:00

So I left out some of my favorites...ooops!

Baby's First Road Trip

2008-10-16T18:21:00.005-04:00

We went to my Grandma's this weekend for mom's 40th High school reunion and so the cousins and aunts and uncles and great grandparents could meet Olivia. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive and she slept the whole way there AND back. My Aunt April paid for a fantastic hotel room for mom and I to stay in with Olivia - we called them after the reservations had been made to inform them of the baby and set us up in what they called a "quiet room". Basically all that is is a room on the end of the hallway that is secluded from the rest of the rooms and not in the middle of the strip of rooms. So we were on the first floor right next to the door pretty much.

Here are some pictures of her while we were there and of Russ holding her and Great Grandpa Bear holding her.

On our way out of town, mom and I detoured to the Cider Mill and got some apples and some donuts and some Apple cider... MMMMmmmm They are all soo good, but expensive too so I guess it's a good thing that the Cider Mill is 2 1/2 hours away :)

My First Swap

2008-10-16T18:11:00.003-04:00

I Just recently completed my very first swap. It was called the Travel Bag for Tea Swap. Basically the goal was to make something pretty for your partner to bring their tea along with them on trips as opposed to using something like a zip lock bag. So I got to sewing... I had the travel pouch sewn before I had Olivia, however I didn't have the closure sewn onto it until after we came home from the hospital. And my Travel pouch was waiting for me when I got home.

This is the Travel Pouch I made for my Swap Partner who lives in Germany. She is fond of autumn and earthy colors so I found these fabrics that I thought were perfect.

This is the Travel Bag I received from My partner. She also played off of my love of autumn and spiced tea. As you can see in the first picture of it, It was packaged so adorably that I almost didn't want to open it up, but I'm glad I did.

More Pictures of Olivia

2008-10-16T18:02:00.004-04:00

My little peanut is 17 days old today and I can already see a difference in her face. She's gained her weight back (she weighed 7lb. 7oz. today), as she should since she has a very healthy appetite (meaning she is permanently attached to me haha).

Olivia and her boyfriend Zackery (notice the linked arms - that was Olivia's doing lol)

SHE'S HERE!!!!

2008-10-04T11:01:00.004-04:00

Olivia Gabrielle is FINALLY here!!!

Born Monday Septemer 29th @ 7:04PM weighing 7lbs and measuring 21 1/2 inches long!

Here are some pictures of my beautiful baby girl!

Holy YARN Batman!!!

2008-09-25T22:09:00.003-04:00

This is a picture of all of the AWESOME yarn that I purchased this week and that mom also picked up for me tonight at discount store... I'm in YARN HEAVEN!!! I don't usually buy these yarns because they cost so much, so I was thrilllled to see the flier mom brought home the otherday and told her - pick up WHATEVER - IDC. Now I just need ideas for projects for some of this yarn!!! Anyone???

These are the rest of the projects I worked on this week. As you know I made that little fairy creature and finished Olivia's octopus... I also finished the Kodama :)

I made a bunny security blanket too... It is very soft. I have been looking for something to use that small skein of yarn for...

And I was looking on Lion Brand's website for free patterns and found one for a spike stitch stocking that is supposed to be 4 different colors, but I wanted to test it out so I used the leftover yarn from the octopus and tested it and since that came out pretty cool I decided that I was going to make one 2x the size for Olivia's Christmas Stocking in Red and White (the leftover white from the Kodama - I like it cuz it's sparkly).

OHHH THE FUNN!!! :)

Oh yeah and kind of randomly - Mom bought some Harney and Sons Tea for her tea swaps that she's doing and got me this White Vanilla and Grapefruit Tea. I LOVE how it's packaged in the little silk sachet. AND BOY OH BOY did it ever taste good!!! It smelt like chocolate and just was pretty wonderful.

Kodama

2008-09-24T00:31:00.003-04:00

Kodama are Japanese Tree Spirits... A kodama (木霊, 木魂, or 木魅, kodama?) is a spirit from Japanese folklore, which is believed to live in certain trees (similar to the Dryad of Greek myth). Cutting down a tree which houses a kodama is thought to bring misfortune, and such trees are often marked with shimenawa rope.

I recently joined a Swap to create a Kodama stuffie for your partner. Now, I am not really into anime or any of the Japanese characters from anything, however I thought as creepy as they kind of look, I REALLY wanted to make one and send it to someone and recieve one from them in return. It can be made of any soft material/style you would like to make... felt, fabric, knit, amigurumi, etc. and It's an International swap, which means I could possibly be paired up with someone from another country. SOO Cool... And I am so excited to see their interpretation. I of course - needing something to do these last 2 -3 days have already made mine haha. Well I found the perfect yarn (it's white but it's whimsical) and all i need to do is get some black felt and sew the eyes and mouth on the Kodama I made. It's about 10" tall. I added "fake (w/ photo program)" eyes and mouth to it so you can see what it will look like once I get the felt and sew it on.

Amigurumi Fairy...

2008-09-23T01:46:00.002-04:00

Ok so I know I said that the Octopus would be my last project before Olivia was born... BUT she is being stubborn and I need something to do to pass the time while she stays all cozy... SOOO I bought this really cute yarn at JoAnn's today and wanted to do something with it. I just kind of started crocheting and made the body first wondering what i was gonna do with it. And eventually this cute little fairy formed. I love it. I just had fun with it and as you can tell I'm up late, but I managed to watch some TV (Dancing with the Stars - anyone??? :-D ) and finish this little fairy creature. I thought it was appriate to photograph her in the flowers. YAY! I wonder how many other things I can get created before Olivia decided it's time (and dear god do I hope it's soon because she is approximately 8-8.5 lbs. right now lol).

Chocolate Peanut butter Bronwies... YUMM

2008-09-21T16:31:00.003-04:00

So Today I decided that I was going to make this recipe for Chocolate Peanut butter Brownies that was in one of Mom's new cookbooks. Now I LOVEEE Peanut butter, so I couldn't resist these (even with the estimated 3 hour baking and prep time). And you have to admit that they look absolutely delicious. And I can vouch for that, because I dug right into mine. But one is definitely enough. Plus, I needed something to keep me busy :)

My most recent project...

2008-09-20T10:04:00.002-04:00

Well this will be the last project i finish before Olivia is born...

Instead of making her "Baby's first teddy bear" I stepped outside of the box and made her "Baby's first OCTOPUS"!!! :)

Yes I am in love with this Amigurumi project I FINALLY finished. (I have been slowly working on it for months) And I know Olivia is going to love it too... A while back I was purchasing yarn and I noticed that Red Heart had a yarn called "Monet". SOOOO, being the Monet fan that I am, I HAD to buy it. I then came across an idea for an Ami Octopus and it was settled... This yarn was meant for my octopus project.

So I guess this puts me on the starting path for the not soooo conventional mom haha... But I'm done crocheting for the moment. I'm just glad that I got both her blanket and her Octopus done before I had her. I feel mildly accomplished!!! :D

Last Dance :)

2008-09-18T21:42:00.002-04:00

Nooo not me.... but I caught 2 people dancing to the song "Last Dance" in the kitchen tonight HAHAH

Sorry that the video is sideways. It's how i ended up taking it on my phone.