Life

Happy 41

2011-11-27T07:50:00.003-06:00

The moment I heard Blackhawk on the radio ...somewhere around 1995... I fell in love with the mandolin. Henry Paul, the lead singer for the band, plays a mean mando.

Fast forward to 2009 when I watched 'Into The Wild' where Eddie Vedder plays an even MEANER mando. Plus, I just love Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam.

So since then I was determined to get a manodlin and learn to play it. Ive never taken any kind of music lessons, even in school, so it will be a tough road for me. So far I got my mando, thanks to my hubby, for my birthday this year.

Watch out world, here I come to play! Who knows, maybe we have 2 future mando players in our family.

Halloween Cake

2011-10-15T18:39:00.001-05:00

Confession: I love sweets. Chocolate, pie, cake, ice cream...you name it. But I am a closet eater. I dont let my kids eat a lot of junk food so I must indulge either at night after they have gone to bed or sneak a bite of sweet goodness when they arent looking and keep it hidden away. Pathetic, isnt it?

With Halloween rapidly approaching I decided that this is the year to start making holiday sweets for the kids. Carmen helped make her very first Halloween cake this past weekend and she had a ball!

Upon turning the mixer on high speed with dry cake batter in the bowl, we escaped a minor mess. The cake turned out wonderful and we all indulged that evening after dinner.

Bring on the holidays!

He was right

2011-09-20T10:27:00.001-05:00

The hot summer heat has subsided and this past weekend was cloudy and cool. The family was all outside on the back deck enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

Andy: We should probably take the sun shade tent down for the season so it doesn't get ruined.

Me: Let's leave it up for a while longer. We can enjoy it all thru September and October.

Later that night we had thunder & lightning and a little rain.

Monday morning this is what we woke up to find.

I hate it when my hubby's right.

A sneak peak

2011-09-13T15:58:00.000-05:00

This pile of scraps is all I can show you of my current project.

Hopefully I can finish said project tomorrow while Carmen is in school and Eli is napping.

Stay tuned...
Sent from Beth's BlackBerry Style

1st Day of Pre-K 4

2011-09-07T15:28:00.008-05:00

Its that time of year again. Hot temperatures are starting to drop, cool breezes are picking up and school is in session. Carmen started her 1st day of Preschool, 4 yr old class today. This year she goes 3 days a week... M-W-F. Today went off without a hitch, same as last year. She has wonderful teachers and has many new classmates that she didnt know last year. Thankfully there are still a few of her old classmates in her class, too. We are so proud of her!

Happy 4th Birthday!

2011-09-01T08:46:00.006-05:00

Carmen celebrated her 4th birthday in style this year. A 'Magical Fairy' party. It was held at Wish! Memories and they did a fantastic job of catering to us. They provided all the costumes for 8 little girls, decorations, games,music and photography. The only thing I needed to do was bring a cake. It was AWESOME!

Look at all the cute little fairies! As I stated above, all I had to do was bring the cake. That was the easy part. But I felt like I needed to do something more. So 2 weeks prior to the party I began making these Butterfly wands. They look easy enough, but there's alot of detail in the wands. I hand-stitched each one and even taught myself how to blanket stitch in the process. Oh, and dont forget, I had to make EIGHT of them! By the smiles on their faces, I'd say they were a big hit! And of course each little girl got to take one home with them.

Yes, there are actually 9 wands. One little girl couldn't make the birthday party because she was sick and since she is one of Carmens best friends, I couldn't leave her out of the fun. Her mother was kind enough to still drop off a gift for Carmen at the party and she took a wand home to her.

The Magical Fairy party lasted 2 hours... from 2pm to 4pm. Once we got home and got situated, Carmen had more birthday presents to open from family. It was such a long day!

I won't bore you with pics of every single gift, but did want to share with you the Hungry Little Caterpillar quilt that I made. Its been in production for months. And believe it or not I sewed the binding on the night before her birthday. Talk about close! By the smiles on Carmens face, I would say she loves it!

Happy 8th Anniversary

2011-08-16T07:09:00.005-05:00

Aloha means hello, aloha means goodbye.

It means until we meet again beneath the tropic sky.

Aloha means forever, and always to be true.

But best of all aloha means I'll always think of you.

I love you Andy. You are my world!

4th of July 2011

2011-07-04T15:24:00.003-05:00

Our local park is only a block away and each year they have a nice firework display along with a live band. We are so lucky that we live so close by. No walking, no fighting the crowds, no sweltering in the heat. Nope. We enjoyed everything from the comfort of our front yard.

Aren't these camp chairs adorable? Got them on sale at Target a few weeks ago.

Carmen got a really nice bicycle for Christmas but has outgrown it already! Grrrr. My hubby picked this one up from the Goodwill for $12. What a great bike. Its near new and Carmen loves it!

And just look at my little guy Eli. He is 16 months old already. Where does the time go?

Hope all of you enjoyed your 4th of July weekend.

Lowes shopping carts

2011-06-30T08:26:00.001-05:00

Lowe's has the coolest shopping carts for kids. Here's a double-seater with 2 steering wheels. Makes for 2 very happy youngsters.

Goodbye Sweet Gum Tree

2011-06-26T11:02:00.009-05:00

Here is our Sweet Gum Tree in all its glory.

This was the only tree in our backyard. It was so beautiful and gave us great afternoon shade but it also dropped 'gumballs' at all times of the year. Imagine stepping on one of these in your bare footies. Not a pleasant feeling!

So this is how our backyard looks now. We still have 3 small pine trees and they may get bigger, stronger and healthier now that the gum tree is gone. Our grass may even get thicker, too.

Eagle

2011-06-24T07:22:00.006-05:00

Another trip to the Memphis Zoo this week. I couldn't help but feel sorry for this majestic bird locked away in a large cage enclosure. But isn't he beautiful?

The Northwest Passage exhibit is gorgeous. I especially love all of these quotes that are engraved in stone. Unfortunatly, this is the only one I took a picture of. Next time I will get them all.

Hot pipes

2011-06-09T07:40:00.002-05:00

The temperatures here have been in the high 90's for the past 2 weeks and I try to keep everyone hydrated as much as possible. But sometimes a cats gotta do what a cats gotta do even if that means drinking out of the kids blow-up pool.

Another day at the Memphis Zoo

2011-06-03T13:35:00.008-05:00

Its Friday again and almost 100'... welcome summer, right? Well, we can only stand to be cooped up in the house for so long on hot days so I loaded the kids up in the car and we headed to the zoo again. Got there early and got out early.

First stop...the 'Animals Of The Night' exhibit...or what Carmen calls 'The Bat Cave.' We love this exhibit for 2 reasons. 1) the air conditioning and 2) the really neat animals inside. Porcupine, armadillo, sloth, bats, beetles, and a few really rare creatures from South America. Wish I could have gotten some good pics of the animals but its just too dark inside.

I did manage to get a good shot of Carmen and Eli enjoying themselves... and the creatures.

Our next stop was the new 'Birds & Bees' exhibit which just opened last week. We walked in and were overwhelmed with the amount of parakeets inside. Carmen even got to feed one from a stick. She just held the stick (which had a clump of bird seed on one end) up in the air and a parakeet swooped right down and landed on it. Pretty cool.

And whats cooler than a bird landing on your stick? Two birds landing on your stick!

Our last stop of the day was 'Teton Trek' which is the home to 3 grizzly bears, a small pack of white wolves and some elk. The lodge is very impressive. It is a much smaller replica of Yellowstone Lodge. We sat down inside and watched kids play in the fountain outside while we cooled off and enjoyed our sack lunch.

The great thing about going to the zoo is that we bought a yearly membership pass, so we can go anytime we want and just see a few exhibits each day. Next time we will see the Polar Bear and Sea Lions.

Tie Dye in the park

2011-05-23T11:55:00.003-05:00

Every Friday in May there is this thing called 'Fun In The Sun' where the city puts on a free craft and music in the park. Last Friday was Tie-Dye day where we each brought in a plain white t-shirt and did our own tie-dye. Lots of fun for the kids. Carmen and Paige show off their works of art.

Just look at all the cute shirts hanging up to dry!

Cooling off

2011-05-19T13:14:00.007-05:00

Its the middle of May but here in the Mid-South summer is upon us. Luckily the blow up pool from last year didn't spring any holes while it was in its winter slumber in the attic.

Zoo trip wears out a baby

2011-05-19T09:20:00.004-05:00

We met up with some friends at the Memphis Zoo yesterday.

Carmen had a blast seeing the animals and our zoo trips aren't complete until she gets a carousel ride and an ice cream.

Unfortunately we had to leave a little early because Eli has been running a fever the past days and he was done. Even zonked out on the car ride home. Poor little guy.

I'm back

2011-05-18T18:46:00.001-05:00

Geez, I haven't posted here since October. But I think I am back. All is well, just busy with life. Tomorrow I will update. Thanks to all of my followers.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T19:12:00.002-05:00

Halloween Pretzels

2010-10-20T12:54:00.002-05:00

These Pretzels are so easy to make! Simply melt some chocolate chips in a microwave oven - melt for about 20 seconds, then take them out and give them a stir, and continue melting every 20 seconds or so until the mixture is gooey.

Now take your pretzels or pretzel sticks, dip them into your hot, gooey chocolate, then immediately dip into some pretty sprinkles. Now lay them onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and let 'em cool. For faster cooling, pop the whole thing into the fridge for a few minutes. YUM!

You can use white chocolate chips as well.

2010-09-24T07:12:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was officially the 1st day of fall. Fall not only includes leaves turning brilliant colors of reds, oranges and yellows and weather turning cool but it also means the start of football.

I am not a Denver Broncos bandwagon jumper just because Tebow joined the team. I have been a Broncos fan since the 1st time I laid eyes on John Elway...1986. Even though he and most of his teammates have long retired, I remain now, and always will be a Broncos fan! Now lets get out there and win!

Carmens 1st Day of Daycare!

2010-09-09T06:32:00.006-05:00

My baby started her 1st day of Daycare today. She goes two days a week this year. She didnt have any problems this morning. We walked into her classroom, put her backpack and lunchbox away and she was off and playing with the other kids. I stuck around for a few minutes so that I could talk to her teachers and they assured me that everything would be fine. Before I left I called Carmen over and gave her a hug and kiss and she told me she loved me. It was so sweet (I'm already starting to tear up at just the thought of it).

I am back home now with little Eli and the house is so quiet without Carmen here. Ive been telling myself for months that once she starts school I will be able to get all kinds of work done, lets hope that happens.

I miss you Carmen. We are so proud of you!

Happy 3rd Birthday Carmen!

2010-08-31T06:58:00.009-05:00

We started our day with a big plate of pancakes topped with bananas and whipped cream. YUM!

A birthday isn't complete without presents!

Happy Birthday Carmen, we love you!

Happy 7th Anniversary

2010-08-16T10:13:00.002-05:00

7 years ago today we were standing barefoot on a Hawaiian beach saying our vows. Happy anniversary Andy - I love you! Muuahhh

Butterfly Love

2010-06-28T15:42:00.003-05:00

Carmen loves butterflies!

Operation

2010-06-28T15:29:00.003-05:00

Andy went in for his hernia operation last Wednesday and I am happy to report that he is recovering well. Nothing a few pain killers won't fix. He is not to lift anything over 5 lbs for the next 4 weeks and nothing over 10 lbs for the following 2 weeks after that. Sigh, its been a heavy load for me but I am trudging along.

I took this photo of the 4 of us the night before Andy went in for his surgery. So happy!

Christine

2010-06-16T15:57:00.005-05:00

Eli woke me up at 4:30 this morning. We always give him a few minutes to cry because sometimes he will go right back to sleep. After giving him his time and not hearing him quiet down, I got up to get his bottle going while Andy went to change his diaper. Bottle was ready, but Eli went back to sleep. So did Andy. As for me, well once I'm up, I stay up. So I went to lie down on the leather sofa in the office. The office sits just off the kitchen and the light from the microwave oven gave off an eerie glow. The glow hit my framed Christine movie poster just right. Can you believe I took this photo in pitch black darkness (with the flash, of course). I have tried so many times to take this picture only to get glares and sunspots. I love my camera... and Stephen King!

Free Toy Story Plate

2010-06-10T15:40:00.004-05:00

I got this cute Toy Story sectional plate today in the mail for FREE. Just collect the bar codes off of specially marked packages of Sara Lee buns and bread and mail them in for free Toy Story stuff. The plate required 3 bar codes. For 4 bar codes you get a tumbler and breakfast plate, and for 5 bar codes you get a glow-in-the-dark lunch box. You dont even have to pay for s/h. How cool is that?

Heres the website for more details: Click on the "mail-in offer" icon.

http://disney.go.com/partners/wholegrainfun/

White Lily

2010-06-10T13:58:00.012-05:00

In our city we have what they call "curb alerts." The city not only picks up garbage, recyclables and yard debris, they also allow you to put just about anything on the curb that you dont want anymore. I have seen some pretty interesting stuff such as washers/dryers, old mattresses, used furniture, etc. The night before garbage day is a free-for all for junk collectors. I must admit, Im guilty of picking up a thing or two from someones throw-away heap.

Take this potted plant I picked up 2 weeks ago. I drove by it on the way to get my much loved morning iced coffee and thought about it the whole way. I hurried back home hoping it was still there and sure enough it was (it was garbage day and wouldnt be there much longer). I pulled up, flipped a u-turn and tossed the dirty pot into the back of the car. The plastic pot has a hole on one side and I had no idea what kind of plant was growing in it but I'm a sucker for plants and pots.

Once I got it home, pulled out the dead parts and gave it a good drink, I set it on the back porch and waited.

One of the buds finally opened this morning and what a nice surprise to find it to be a white lily! Orange tiger lilies are all over the place down here, they seem to be a Tennessee weed. Pretty isn't it?

Easter Bunny

2010-04-09T16:09:00.003-05:00

Carmen LOVES the Easter Bunny! She attended 3 Easter Egg hunts. Friday we went downtown to the one sponsored by the city, Saturday she went to the church sponsored hunt and Sunday we held a hunt of our own in the backyard. Lucky girl.

Wonder Horse

2010-04-01T14:53:00.013-05:00

Yesterday I couldn't stand being cooped up in the house on such a beautiful day so I fed the kids, loaded them up in the car and took off for the Goodwill. What a wonderful surprise to see this beauty sitting in the toy section! As soon as Carmen saw it, she ran up and wanted on. What an awesome find for $25! Wrestling it into the back of the 'Rango was a different story.

We really wanted to get one of these Wonder Horses (aka Hobby Horse) for Carmen for Christmas last year but they were both too expensive ($130 and up) and were sold out of stores. Also, the new ones are interactive whereas they play sounds, music and they light up when bounced on. I just wanted a basic horse.

Carmen loves her new Wonder Horse and luckily at this age doesn't know the difference between new and thrifted.

Siblings

2010-03-26T14:09:00.003-05:00

Carmen and Eli are bonding well together. Carmen is getting over her jealousy and is starting to help out. She loves to put Eli's empty bottle on the kitchen counter when we are through with it. Eli is starting to sleep through the night thank goodness. I love my family!

3 weeks old

2010-03-18T16:26:00.003-05:00

Its hard to believe 3 weeks have gone by since Eli's birth. He keeps us so busy - day AND night!

Snow in Memphis

2010-02-09T14:05:00.006-06:00

Can you hear Carmen saying "more." So cute, and that laugh just kills me!

Valentines Day Quilt

2010-01-26T15:22:00.005-06:00

I came across this cute Valentines Day quilt last week and instantly fell in love with it. The colors are vibrant and sweet, the pattern is simple and I have gobs of leftover Valentine scraps from previous projects. With that being said, I rolled up my sleeves and got started.

Here's the link to the full tutorial including pictures.

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2010/01/hugs-kisses.html

Here's my stash that I had to work with.

The quilt only took me 4 days from start to finish. I think I could have easily done it in 2 days, but Carmen needs constant companionship. Plus, I'm 8 months pregnant, its not easy getting up and down to cut fabric and press blocks every few minutes. I had to pace myself!

Here's the finished project.

And what quilt would be complete without a matching pillow case!?

Carmen loves her quilt and pillow. Mission accomplished. And now she can enjoy it for a few weeks before Valentine's Day!

A touch of heartburn

2010-01-21T14:56:00.004-06:00

Nothing is worse than heartburn. I have to admit, I don't think I've ever had heartburn until I was pregnant. When I was pregnant with Carmen I lived on Fruit Smoothie TUMS during the entire 3rd trimester. They actually weren't too bad. I have 6 weeks to go this time around and heartburn is just now coming into the picture. And hoooo-boooy is it bad. The best cure for heartburn? Ice cream! And lots of it!

Nap vs no nap

2010-01-15T07:16:00.004-06:00

Some days Carmen will nap for 2 hours, other days... no nap. Today is one of those "no-nap" days. Heeegghhhh. Instead, I got her up out of her pack-n-play and made her sit and quietly read a book in her rocking chair. I'm too cute to nap is what she seems to be thinking here.

1st snow of 2010

2010-01-07T14:03:00.005-06:00

The weatherman has been preparing us all week for snow and it finally hit us lastnight. What I woke up to this morning was a big disappointment. Snow they say? Pffft, all we got was a light dusting. Totally pathetic, but this is, mind you, the South. Still, it was pretty to look at and Carmen had fun playing in it while it lasted.

Even the dogs loved it.

Welcome 2010

2010-01-05T16:25:00.002-06:00

Now that Christmas is over and the New Year has begun, its time to start taking down the decorations. Andy had a little helper this year. And boy was it COLD outside!

Goodbye 2009

2009-12-31T15:28:00.001-06:00

Its been a great year.

White Christmas Cartoon

2009-12-21T14:00:00.001-06:00

I received this cute holiday clip in an email several years ago only to find the link non-existant this year. Luckily I found the clip again on youtube. So adorable. Happy Holidays!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddVZOK_9UUI

doing vs not doing

2009-12-14T13:58:00.003-06:00

what i have been doing:

cuddling a sick toddler

reading twilight: a new moon

eating lot of sweets and junk food

christmas shopping

lounging on couch watching dora

what i haven't been doing:

hanging around blogland

answering emails

sleeping (i have pregger insomnia)

laundry, dishes and housework in general

Carmen & Grandma W

2009-12-13T07:22:00.007-06:00

Carmen had a great time with Grandma and didn't want her to leave!

Good times...

Santa at the Pink Palace

2009-12-09T15:42:00.005-06:00

The Pink Palace

www.memphismuseums.org/museum-overview

Inside we visited the Festival Of Trees:

www.memphismuseums.org/exhibit-12056

And completed our trip by visiting Santa Clause for the first time!

Thanksgiving Is Over

2009-11-30T04:52:00.003-06:00

We had a pleasant and quiet Thanksgiving this year - just the 3 of us. Traditional dinner consisted of a yummy turkey, stuffing, mashed taters & gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Yum. Luckily we didn't buy a very big bird, so we had leftovers for 2 days. None of us care to have any more turkey for quite awhile now.

After an early dinner and a nap, we drove around the neighborhood scoping out Christmas lights which then inspired us to get our tree out that evening (yes its a faux tree but has pretty white twinkle lights).

Friday was my birthday. Andy bought me a pretty silver necklace with a heart and butterfly pendant. And of course Carmen couldn't be left out, so she also got her 1st necklace - also with a cute butterfly pendant which she insists on sleeping with!

Saturday the outdoor Christmas lights went up along with this huge lighted wreath that I purchased last year on the after-Christmas clearance sale. Its hung over the garage and looks wonderful.

Sunday was a day of catching up. Laundry, dishes, bath for Carmen and a little housework for our guests that are arriving this morning. Can't wait!

Hope you all had a nice long holiday weekend.

Carmen wore her 1st dress Thanksgiving morning. She enjoyed it only for so long and demanded to have pants put back on. Maybe because her legs were cold? She insisted on wearing her Halloween shirt for the rest of the day and she even managed to sit still long enough for me to put a sloppy french braid in her hair. Too cute!

Polar Bear

2009-11-23T14:01:00.002-06:00

I bought Carmen this furry vest last Christmas and I am surprised and delighted to see that it still fits this year! She loves it and keeps calling herself a Polar Bear. Too cute.

I'm Lovin' It

2009-11-19T14:30:00.002-06:00

This has become my breakfast staple. Bacon, egg & cheese biscuit with a Coke. Soooo good. Last week I woke up around 3am starving. The donut store doesn't open until 5am and I was almost sure that our local Taco Bell isn't a 24 hr place (come to find out, nope, its not) so I settled on McD's once again. Lucky for me McD's starts serving breakfast at 0430.

The colors of Fall

2009-11-13T14:43:00.005-06:00

The colors of fall are upon us once again. I just can't get over the beauty of Autumn in Tennessee. I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest - the Columbia River Gorge, to be exact, and I never thought I would see anything more beautiful than Fall time there. Boy was I wrong!

Here it is the middle of November, but Autumn is in full swing. Since almost all of the trees here are deciduous, they make for some lovely colors such as yellows, golds, orange, rusts and reds. I have been taking my camera with me when I run errands around town just to try and capture this time of year. It won't last long, as streets and driveways are already littered with heaping piles of fallen leaves just waiting for the huge vacuum to come suck them up.

Oh, and its Week 24 already!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T18:40:00.004-05:00

Carmen didn't go trick-or-treating again this year but she had a BLAST handing out candy to all the kids that came to the door. Everytime the door bell rang, she ran like a shot to answer it and to get a good look at all the cute costumes. Next year will be a completely different ball game.

Week 19 & gearing up for Halloween

2009-10-09T08:12:00.006-05:00

Carmen and I got a few Halloween decorations out this year. I haven't decorated in 2 years, so it was kind of fun to see some things I've had put away for that long.

To help gear up for Halloween I got 'The Shining' Special Edition 2 disc set. I can honestly say that I have not seen this movie in its entirety, just bits and pieces whenever its on television. I can't wait to watch it, especially on DVD because it won't be edited for content. Should be pretty scary!

And whats a movie without movie snacks? I love M&M peanuts and these Spooky Halloween ones caught my attention.

Week 19:

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-19-weeks_1108.bc?intcmp=timeline

Monkey In A Tree

2009-10-05T08:03:00.002-05:00

I think Carmen is going to be a tree climber.

Friday and Week 18

2009-10-02T13:35:00.002-05:00

Week 18

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-18-weeks_1107.bc?intcmp=timeline

Stephen King Update & Week 17

2009-09-25T06:06:00.008-05:00

I have once again cleaned and rearranged my Stephen King bookshelf. I traded in a few of my books that were duplicates to make room for 2 patiently awaited new releases.

October 28 brings the hardback release of Riding The Bullet. This story was originally published as a free online download in 2000 - which I am proud to say I still have the printed out copy. It was then published in 2002 as part of the collection Everythings Eventual. In 2004 the movie adaptation was released starring Jonathon Jackson and David Arquette.

Kings newest book Under The Dome is set to be released November 10 and I have already pre-ordered.

Although I have almost every Stephen King book in (with the exception of one), I am always on the lookout for Gift Editions of certain books and other cool stuff. All of my books are hardbacks and are First Editions, First Printings. None of my books are Book Club Editions or Ex-Library copies.

Among my possessions are books, a Pop-up book, Audiobooks on CD, DVD's, Movie Paraphanelia, Movie Posters, Desk Calendars, Buttons, and a Bobblehead. I have yet to collect a book signed by King himself. Someday...hopefully.

I am always on the lookout for certain books so if you have these and are willing to get them off your hands, give me a shout. I am looking for Night Shift in hardback and Rage in paperback. These books are still out there, its just a matter of finding them in good condition.

Oh and its Week 17:
http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-17-weeks_1106.bc?intcmp=timeline

Flu Shot

2009-09-21T17:09:00.003-05:00

With a little pressure from Andy and from my OBGYN, I felt obligated to get a flu shot this year. I cannot remember the last time I ever got a flu shot - prolly when I was a young child. And it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would.

Have you gotten YOUR flu shot?

Week 16

2009-09-18T07:36:00.003-05:00

Week 16:

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-16-weeks_1105.bc?intcmp=timeline

Stephen King & Ridley Pearson

2009-09-04T13:35:00.006-05:00

Today is the first day I have been to a thrift store in a month and a half! I am still sick and queasy, but I really needed to get outta the house today. Luckily for me, I happened upon this book titled "Peter And The Starcatchers" by Ridley Pearson. Its a treasure island/pirate story aimed for young readers ages 10 and up. I haven't read it yet, but plan to start this weekend.

Ok, so now you're asking who is Ridley Pearson. Well he is a crime novelist, but more importantly, he is linked to Stephen King (my ultimate favorite writer). Not only did they co-write the book "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer - My Life At Rose Red", they are also band mates in "The Rockbottom Remainers." Just a little bit of trivia.

Today is the start of Week 14:

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-14-weeks_1103.bc?intcmp=timeline

Happy 2nd Birthday Carmen!

2009-08-31T13:27:00.003-05:00

We had a great day at the Memphis Zoo yesterday. Took great pics but unfortunately some of them didn't get saved onto the camera. Hate it when that happens!

Week 13

2009-08-28T13:16:00.006-05:00

Carmen has a birthday coming up in just a few short days. Can't believe she is turning 2! Where has all the time gone?

Its Week 13 for me. I went to see the doc this week for a regular checkup and to hear the baby's heartbeat but the handheld machine wasn't working correctly and she couldn't pick it up. So she sent me next door where I got to see the baby on an ultrasound machine! It was so exciting! At 12 weeks, the baby really looks like a baby. 2 arms, 2 legs, everything appears to be normal physically. We still won't know the sex for another month or two.

WEEK 13:

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-13-weeks_1102.bc?intcmp=timeline

I'm Back

2009-08-21T13:18:00.006-05:00

Wow, its been a long time since I've posted anything on here. But its not from a lack of interest. Today marks my 12th week of being pregnant! I have been waiting this long to break the news, as the first 12-13 weeks are the most critical in pregnancies of anything bad happening. I think we are in the clear now.

I have been battling morning and evening sickness for the past month. Its hard to eat or drink anything and the smell of any food makes me nautious. I have lost 15 lbs. (the hard way) but this is all normal and is exactly what I went thru with my last pregnancy. Those pounds will come back, unfortunately.

For anyone interested, I will be posting a link every week to my favorite pregnancy website which sends me weekly emails. These emails explain exactly what is going on with my baby and my body. Tons of info!

Here is Week 12:
http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-12-weeks_1101.bc?intcmp=timeline

Nap time .... shhhhh

2009-07-20T14:24:00.004-05:00

Most kids have a favorite toy and/or blanket that they HAVE to sleep with. Not Carmen, she has to have ALL of her toys!

Sprinkler

2009-07-15T15:53:00.001-05:00

Carmen played in the sprinkler for a few minutes but the heat was unbearable. Now she's in her favorite spot - parked in front of the tv watching Dora and eating a PB&J with the crusts cut off. Oh how I wish I was a kid again.
Sent from Beth's BlackBerry

A walk down the street

2009-07-01T12:24:00.000-05:00

Its hot so we stopped at every park bench to enjoy the shade for a few minutes.
Sent from Beth's BlackBerry

Red White & Blue Table Topper Quilt

2009-06-29T12:45:00.006-05:00

Carmen is modeling my newest project. I finished this just in time to enjoy it for the 4th of July. Made up of 3" squares (yes, alot of work) and then stipled in a meandering pattern.

Now please help name this quilt!

BBQ pulled pork samiches

2009-06-17T12:42:00.014-05:00

Instead of smoked ribs on the bbq I decided to use the secret rub that Jenny mailed me (thanks woman) on baked ribs. They turned out sooooo good and were super easy and very inexpensive to make.

I purchased a pkg of boneless pork ribs from Walmart - they were even in the sale bin! I popped them in a large ziplock bag along with the dry rub and shook them up (just like shake and bake). Then I put them in my cast iron pot (its new and I love it) and baked them in the oven for about 6 to 7 hrs at 200'. Don't add anything else to the pot - water, broth, etc. The ribs will be plenty juicy from the fat.

Poke them with a fork to make sure they are nice and done. Remove them from the pot and natural juices and shred the meat with 2 forks. This is when you can add your own bbq sauce if you like.

Down here in the south we like to eat our pulled pork samiches with cole slaw on top, not on the side. YUMM - O!

Girl in a box

2009-06-04T14:45:00.003-05:00

Carmen loves boxes. More than she loves the toys that come in the boxes. Today I am trying to get a little spring cleaning done in my sewing room. Carmen thought she would help out.

Season In The Pines Quilt

2009-06-02T12:43:00.011-05:00

I purchased this quilt kit that my Mom picked out on her birthday 6 years ago and promised to assemble the quilt top. The gorgeous fabrics are from the "Burst Of Autumn" collection by Holly Taylor for MODA. The quilt pattern is titled "Season In The Pines". No, the quilt didn't take me 6 years to make, but I have been working on it a little here and a little there. I really wanted to finish the quilt this year for her birthday (which was in May) and once again, I missed the deadline. Luckily for me (and her) the quilt is finished! She will receive a late birthday gift next week when she arrives. She has NO idea that its done. For all she knows its still boxed up somewhere in piles and piles of quilt fabrics and unfinished project totes. I had it quilted with a pinecone pantograph (see pics up close). It turned out fabulous! Woohooo!

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T11:59:00.012-05:00

I don't want to copy from Jenny's blog, but I did want to show off the ribs we are doing today. Beef short ribs done with Andy's famous dry rub. This is a trial run smoking them on Mesquite wood chips on the BBQ. Also making cole slaw (bagged shredded cabbage) with cole slaw dressing from a jar (Marzetti). Quick and easy.

The key to smoking ribs is to cook them slow and low. Tried keeping the BBQ temp below 200'. I've even heard keeping the heat down to as low as 130', but good golly, we would still be waiting for them to get done! Soooooo goooooood.

The ribs cooked for almost 4 hrs. The last hour is when we put a dab of BBQ sauce on them. YUM

Nature Walk at Peterson Lake

2009-05-14T14:54:00.008-05:00

Last weekend we went on a nature walk. The trail was a wooden plank walk so to keep people off the ground - very muddy and swampy, not to mention the snakes, bugs and critters. It was a lovely evening and the entire walk was a little over a mile. Definitely a do-over. Here are just a few pics that I took along the way.

Smile, its Friday

2009-05-08T14:26:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday everyone!

Rain, rain, go away

2009-05-05T15:09:00.003-05:00

A child can only stay cooped up in the house for so long when its raining outside. I say lets put her rain jacket and boots on and let her enjoy it.

Star Spangled Banner Quilt

2009-04-28T15:03:00.014-05:00

For those of you who have been following the progress of my Patriotic Quilt, wait no longer... voila...its finished! I used a variety of red, white and blue prints to make the 2 prominent blocks for the top (Hourglass and 9-Patch). I then used a Japanese-inspired floral print for the borders and backing. For the binding I used up leftover scraps. Quilt was then quilted in a star pattern called "Star Sparkles." Turned out super cute. Stay tuned for my free tutorial.

Delayed Easter post

2009-04-15T13:46:00.011-05:00

The Easter Bunny left a basket for Carmen at the front door. Inside was the DVD movie Bolt, an Easter board book, a frog-shaped bottle of bubbles, some Dora & Spongebob stickers (her favorite characters) and a fluffy yellow duck.

We then moved to the backyard for the Egg Hunt. She had a blast. The Easter Bunny somehow managed to lay eggs in the trees. Not sure how that happened.

Good Friday

2009-04-10T12:57:00.005-05:00

Easter weekend is upon us and I thought I would share things that I am happy about in life.

My wonderful husband
My sweet little girl
My dogs and cat
Good Health
My home
Food in the fridge and cupboards
My sewing machine

Easter ..... ahh the good old days. As a kid I remember waking up Easter morning to a big colored wicker basket full of mini chocolate eggs wrapped in pastel foils, plastic eggs filled with Jelly Beans, a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg, a Chocolate Easter Rabbit (hollow) and some type of small toy - usually a stuffed bunny or chic. All of this sweet goodness was nestled on top of a bed of plastic green grass.

So when did Easter become the new Christmas? Somewhere along the way Easter Baskets started getting bigger and are now filled with Toys, IPods, Video Games, Gift Cards and other expensive things. Get serious!

Easter Bunny

2009-04-06T14:09:00.002-05:00

Cutie Patootie

2009-04-06T13:59:00.005-05:00

These pics were too cute not to post.

Happy 1st Day of Spring!

2009-03-20T08:48:00.003-05:00

A little girl and her dog

2009-02-19T13:59:00.006-06:00

Carmen and Caleb

Weeeeee

2009-02-18T14:04:00.001-06:00

02.14.09

Carmen

2009-02-18T13:51:00.004-06:00

Like Father, like Daughter.

New project

2009-02-17T07:15:00.007-06:00

Its been awhile since my last post, but I have been very busy with a new quilt project. The goal was to have the top finished by early-to-mid May, mail it off to my quilt lady in Utaho, then be able to showcase it through June and July (it does, afterall have that Patriotic theme). Once I started sewing, the blocks went together super fast and before I knew it I was finished! Just a quick peek, no borders on it yet, but those go together lickity split.

Quilt pattern is 2 different blocks: a 9-Patch and an Hourglass. Working on getting my pattern set up onto a pdf file to share.

I love scrappy quilts!

Iced Coffee

2009-01-27T09:19:00.003-06:00

First it was Starbucks Frappuccinos, but at $4.85 a pop, they were just too expensive.

Next it was (or still is) McDonalds Iced Coffees - much cheaper at $1.85 and surprisingly yummy coming from a fast food joint.

This morning I was digging thru my cupboards and found this forgotton box of instant mix. Just pour the powder into an 8 oz glass of milk, stir, add ice and enjoy! And only about .75 cents a glass!

Comes in Hazelnut or French Vanilla.

How cute is this?

2009-01-15T07:30:00.002-06:00

Tricycle

2009-01-07T13:23:00.004-06:00

Look what we scored at the Goodwill today!

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-01T14:29:00.003-06:00

Beth - Carmen - Andy

La La Lemon Bars

2008-12-13T11:29:00.007-06:00

I have a serious problem with sweets so when I came across this recipe I knew I was in trouble. I made it anyway and so glad I did. Total YUM-O! I would like all of you to join me this Holiday Season in adding a few pounds to your mid-section so to help start you off, here's my recipe to the BEST Lemon Bars ever! Enjoy.

CAUTION: This pan can easily be polished off in one evening while watching your favorite TV show. Don't say I didn't warn you.

CRUST:
Cream together 1 cup butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Add ½ tsp salt and 2 cups flour. Mix until you have a nice, firm dough.

Pat into a greased 9 x 13 glass dish. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes. Meanwhile make the filling.

FILLING:
Mix 4 slightly beaten eggs, 2 cups sugar, ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup lemon juice, and grated rind of one lemon (I didn’t have a lemon on hand so I omitted this step and it still turned out fabulous).

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cool and enjoy!

Carriage Crossing

2008-12-08T11:45:00.005-06:00

There's a great outdoor Promenade close by thats all decorated for Christmas. We thought it to be the perfect opportunity to take Carmen there and get some pics taken. It was very cold and windy!

Flower girl

2008-12-04T12:01:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure what happened but Carmen used to love taking baths. The past couple of bath times have not been fun for any of us. She's ok until she gets her head wet. Maybe she got soap in her eye awhile back and remembers. Who knows, but isn't she cute in her flower towel wrap?

Amelia Bedelia

2008-11-21T15:27:00.005-06:00

I have the coolest bicycle. A Vintage 1977 Schwinn Hollywood. Bought it at a Sumpter, OR estate sale for $35. She had bald and cracked tires and needed alot of TLC. She had to be partially disassembled to fit in a box for shipping from OR to TN. Once in Memphis, Andy completely disassembled her, greased, lubed and tightened things, polished her and put her back together. She is now sporting brand new white walls and sparkles like a diamond.... well almost.

Before...

(this is a pic taken from a pic so its a little blurry)

After...

Now I'm the coolest dork on the block!

Mmm ... Yogurt

2008-11-12T11:19:00.006-06:00

I decided to let Carmen try yogurt. Afterall, cheese cubes, red grapes and mini peanut butter sandwiches are starting to get old. We tried using a spoon and for the first several bites it worked. Carmen demanded to it herself, so I was like ... fine... here ya go. She ate most of it and the rest ended up as a lovely large glob in her lap... oh yeah... and some splatters on the wall. Hey, its a learning experience.

2008-11-06T12:19:00.004-06:00

Just a day at the park.

Carmen and her pumpkin

2008-10-31T11:00:00.002-05:00

Zipper Mouth

2008-10-31T10:56:00.004-05:00

Andy carved the pumpkin lastnite (I know, talk about last minute). Turned out pretty cool.

Almost walking

2008-10-26T16:41:00.003-05:00

Winter is coming...

2008-10-25T19:30:00.004-05:00

I love Cardinals. This is the 1st one I've seen this season. It wont be long and I will see pairs of them flitting thru dead leaves foraging for seeds.

Sony H10

2008-10-25T19:24:00.006-05:00

I got this awesome camera yesterday that takes the most amazing pictures! These were all taken in my back yard.

October is here

2008-10-01T16:07:00.003-05:00

Backyard fun

2008-09-25T13:53:00.004-05:00

After I picked up several doggie doodies, Carmen was free to play in her own backyard today!

Mountain Goat

2008-08-21T14:46:00.003-05:00

Carmen loves to get up onto things. A stool, the hearth, back of the couch and even the end tables. She's part mountain goat (not from my side of the family). HAH!

Getting stronger

2008-08-13T09:39:00.003-05:00

Still growing like a weed! She is standing much better and only needs a finger or two to hold on for balance. She is also walking alongside the couch, so its just a matter of time now.

Radio Flyer

2008-07-30T13:26:00.003-05:00

Carmens new Radio Flyer. Even has a bell on it which she figured out how to use already. She can't walk yet which means she can't operate her Flyer by herself yet. But soon... very, very soon.

My pretties

2008-07-25T14:36:00.004-05:00

Check these gems out. Hit the jackpot in a used book store today. All are 1st Ed. 1st Printings and in very nice condition.