Changes, Decisions and an Invitation

I love blogging. I really do. Having a blog has allowed new windows to open in my world and new friends to be found.

I've had many evenings, of late, where I've slapped my forehead and said, "I forgot to blog!".

My life has suddenly become quite full. The boys are getting older, I'm taking more leaps with Anna K. Originals, and now *gulp* I'm going back to college.

That's right. This over-thirty momma is going to college!

I'm almost finished with the application process to be accepted into the Art Institute of Pittsburgh's Online Digital Design program. It's a one year diploma program and I'm stoked about it, but nervous at the same time. Classes start very soon...

So, here's the thing. For the time being I think I'll be blogging exclusively over at my Anna K. Originals blog. I hope y'all will stop by and visit me....

After all, the welcome mat's always out over there, too!

Sweet Shot Tuesday

I happened to have my camera with me before my trio practice at church a week or two ago. I couldn't pass up the sunset scene that greeted me when I pulled into the parking lot. So out I ran around in the frigid wind snapping away and to tally blissed out about using my new lens ~ a Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS. Hooray for Christmas and Birthday money!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm linking up with Darcy over at My 3 Boybarians for her
awesome Sweet Shot Tuesday event. Swing by and see all the talented entries....

Instead of our regularly scheduled programming...

Exciting news to share over at Anna K. Originals {blog}. Click on the art above to check it out!

Etsy Find {In Touch Clutch}

Every now and again I like to peruse the pages of Etsy. I like to see what's popular, what isn't, and what's new and interesting. I love that I never quite know what I'll find.

I stumbled across the In Touch Clutch from downstairsDesigns. Having a bent towards being unorganized, I'm always fascinated with easy to use items that save me a little stress and some time.

I saw the In Touch Clutch and I was hooked! I've always got papers that I'm trying to keep track of, notes that I want to write down before I forget or ideas that I need to jot down or draw. I could see myself using this beauty for my day-to-day business or even on a trip out of town.

I chose the pretty blue model that you see in the above photos. Y'all, I had a hard time choosing between the different accent fabrics! They run the gamut from having a vintage feel to more modern patterns...all of them in lovely colors. In addition to the In Touch Clutch, you can buy an In Touch Pouch for your iPhone/iPod, a Snap Pouch for your business/credit/gift cards, and even gift packs (think bridesmaids gifts).

My In Touch Clutch will be in the mail soon and I can't wait to get my hands on it! Thank you downstairsDesigns for creating such a pretty and practical way to make this mommy's life a little easier!

On the hunt....for a purse?

{I know that this photo isn't directly related to the post below but...it's my party and I can post photos all I wanna! ;o) Besides, it's not that often that I get to take in a snowy scene in our front yard.}

I'm on the prowl for a pretty bag.

Not a gift bag...heaven knows, I've got hundreds of those. No, really, I do.

I'm looking for an attractive but functional bag that I can use as a camera bag and a purse. Because I want to avoid looking like I'm going on a weekend away when I'm just going to a program at my son's school!

I've seen the lovely, lovely designs on the j,ill-e site, epiphanie, etc. *sigh* The bags that I fell in love with were too much for my little wallet to handle right now. Did I mention that they were lovely?

So I, being the creative type, decided to take a shot at making my own...kinda.

With the help of some protective camera bag inserts and {fingers crossed} some luck finding a bag I like, I think I'll be able to enjoy the best of two worlds- creativity and functionality.

So I'm off.

To hunt.

For a purse.

Ladies, you understand...right?

Linking up with Darcy for Sweet Shot Tuesday.

All I want for Christmas...

For the holiday season I fully expected to feel chillier temps, see the warm glow of twinkle lights and sing lots of Christmas songs. I wasn't expecting to be a nurse to two very sick boys...but that's life when you have young'uns, right?

One has strep throat and a nasty cough, the other has a major double ear infection. Yikes!

All I want for Christmas is for our boys to be healthy.

Will that fit in my stocking?

Joy in the Simple Things...and my Birthday

Well, I'm a year older today.

Hopefully I'm also a bit wiser, too! I mean, what's the sense in the passage of time if I didn't learn and grow along the way?

I miss my Momma something fierce. Something about the combination of my birthday and Christmas...makes this time of year not as fun as it once was. I've shed more than a few tears.

I'm learning that there is joy in the simple things of the season. The excitement of our boys, planning Christmas surprises with the Hubs, singing with my Dad, a phone call to out-of-state relatives and sweet messages in cards.

Those simple things have brought me the most joy when enjoying the season seemed impossible.

The perfect gift, no fancy wrapping required!

Sweet Shot Tuesday

I don't often get the chance to photograph my brother. Ironic since I know he's a bit of a ham. *chuckling*

These photos were spur of the moment and are blurry, etc. I was laughing and I couldn't figure out which button I'd mashed on my DSLR. *more chuckling*

The results are no less precious to me, though. Or funny.

Did you see his face?

Trust the Bubs to get someone to laugh!

Thanks for visiting! I'm linking up with Darcy over at My 3 Boybarians for Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Busy but blessed.

The title says it all. Here's a glimpse of my to-do list.....

• Get house ready for a big family visit {Thanksgiving}
• Pics of my little studio for Cloth, Paper, Scissors Studio magazine submission
• Type up blurb for above submission
• Finish art, inventory, pricing for my art guild's upcoming Holiday Craft Show
• Finalize craft show display and pack accordingly

In between those items, I'm doing my best to fulfill my most important roles....those of a Mommy and Wife.

I know that y'all can understand. Some of you probably have lists much longer than mine. You have my sympathies and, at the same time, my cheers of encouragement!

We are busy....but so very blessed!

Halloween: Phineas and Ferb Pumpkin

Halloween doesn't excite me. Sure, when I was little the idea of getting dressed up and getting candy was kinda fun....for about 5 minutes and then I wanted to go home. *laughing* I was odd like that!

Now every year the Hubs likes to hand out candy and this year the Bubs got to help. Oh, they had so much fun! The Bubs got to wear a silly cowboy hat and be his social self and the Hubs got a kick, as he always does, out of the little kids in their cute get ups.


We also carve a pumpkin every year. Up above you see the Bubs doing the dirty work for me with the pumpkin. ;o)






Last year's pumpkin sported Thomas the Tank Engine. This year it was all about Phineas and Ferb. Y'all, I couldn't find a P & F pumpkin carving template anywhere! I ended up drawing a free hand template while I looked at coloring pages online. Eek!



In between handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, the Hubs told me that the pumpkin was a hit with the parents and kids alike! One lady even took a picture with her camera phone.

I hope y'all enjoyed your weekend and have a wonderful week!

Photos at the farm II...

While we waited for our turn on the hayride we let the boys take advantage of the wide open space. They ran and laughed and had such a good time. The Hubs and I followed them around and made sure no oopsies or owies happened. Poppi held our place in line....thank goodness, 'cause it was busy!

E-man was begging for his sippy by the time we got back in line for the ride.










Once we got on the ride,we enjoyed the pretty evening and taking in the woodsy scene around us. The Bubs, my little planner, talked a bit about coming back around Christmas time to ride and see the lights and displays that the farms puts up during the holiday season. E-man, for the most part was quietly taking it all in from Poppi's lap.

The Hubs and I enjoyed the quiet.

Once we reached the pumpkin patch, the quiet was over. Bubs and his daddy wandered off to pick out the perfect pumpkin while Poppi and I followed after E-man. He decided that sitting in the middle of a field of pumpkins was a good thing to do. I happily let him...as long as he didn't put anything in his mouth!



I hope that you and yours have a wonderful weekend! Maybe a visit to the farm?

Photos at the farm...

This is as close to being posed as it gets for this little guy. By that I mean that I start clicking away with my camera whenever he slows down for a moment. ;o) I'm sure y'all know what I mean!

Is it just me or do those mums look almost as big as he is?

The Hubs was desperate to get out of the house for a while so we all -Poppi, too- piled into the car and drove out to a farm. That's where these pics were taken.

This farm used to be a Christmas tree farm with a small, but lovely, gift shop. Now it's grown into a place where you can take hayrides, get a sweet treat from their bakery, eat the best macaroni and cheese ever in the restaurant, pick out a pumpkin or take home a freshly cut Christmas tree depending on the season. On occasion, they have live music in the barn and host school field trips. In short, it's one of our favorite places to go when we need to have some family fun.

I have plenty of photos to share from our most recent trip out there...but since the laundry and an active/hungry toddler are waiting for some attention, I'll have to share those later.


You understand, right?

Birthday party success...kind of.

{The cake that Dad ordered from a local bakery. It was divine!}

Dad's birthday party was a hit. He smiled and laughed and enjoyed being surrounded by friends and family alike. Some friends of the family (that are more family than friends) graciously allowed us to use their beautiful home and this novice party thrower was abjectly grateful for their help.

{Some lovely posies fresh from the garden and a pumpkin that I painted with Dad's initials.}

My only regret is that I wasn't able to get more photos. Out of everything that I and all my wonderful helpers got accomplished, I forgot to charge my camera's battery the night before.

Yes. Scatterbrain, party of one. *sigh*

But, Honey, we had fun!

Even if it's not pretty and happy...

I've been blatantly putting off writing here, lately.

I love my blog and, most especially, love reading and commenting on what others in the blogosphere have to say and share.

I don't like to use my blog to whine or complain, gripe or moan.

Sometimes, though, the urge to do so overwhelms me...when that happens I tend to stay away from my blog. I just think that no one needs to hear me dump out my woes and indulge in a self-pity party. ;o)

However, I feel that a dose of honest sharing might be a good thing right now.

The Hubs is still in a lot of pain. There are days when he's completely unable to function. On those days, of which there are more than a few, I go between tears to a horribly potent mixture of despair, frustration and anger. Going through that much pain for as long as he has has begun taking a toll on the Hubs and I get very frustrated that it's not getting better any faster. It took the military docs far too long to diagnose this problem and now he's paying the price.

So there I stand, helpless to do anything to make it better or offer even the tiniest bit of relief.

He's such a good husband and father. I hate that this pain is making him feel like he's become less of one. It's so not true!

So, I'll pray.

I'll listen.

I'll comfort.

I'll encourage.

And, every now and then I'll share. Even if it's not pretty and happy.

Thanks for listening.

Party Planning

I like planning things.
I enjoy doing research, drawing out my ideas and making lists.
Lots of lists.
I can't help myself!

Making those grand plans come to fruition.....now that's something that I have to work on.
I've gotten a teensy bit better about that.
I guess it comes down to keeping it simple and focusing on a few key details.

My Dad's 6oth birthday is around the corner and I'm pulling things together for a party.
Of course, I have some great people around me lending a helping hand...or three!

What am I focusing on?

*Food
*Ambiance
*Personal Touches

The food will be homemade things that Dad asked for...chicken salad, my pasta salad, etc. He picked out a cake from a local bakery that will be so, so yummy.

Fall colors and touches will be a big part of the ambiance. I'm going to try my hand at painting his initials in a cool script on a pumpkin. A smaller pumpkin will be used as a "vase" for some flowers straight from a loved one's garden. A pot of sliced apples and oranges simmering in some clove and cinnamon spiced water on the stove will help everything smell fabulous.

The personal touches will mostly center around a display of photos of my Dad over the years. My handy digital photo frame will be a big part of that. I'll be raiding Dad's house for a few more...including one of my Mom that he specifically requested.


So there you have it.
My idea of party planning.

I'm so excited!