Lately I've been:

* Busy putting our Christmas tree up. I had to go through the unfortunate event of having to remove and re-strand some of the lights (which was an absolute nightmare, thank you very much!). When I was finally done my arms looked like I had gotten into a terrible scratching match with a cat ~ and the cat WON! But when it was all said and done it turned out beautiful. Amazing what a difference 300 additional lights can make.

I will forever remember the look on Sam's face when he first came downstairs and saw it finally decorated. It was priceless. It made the fact that I stayed up until close to 2:00am working on it totally worth it. Most of my Nativities are out on display, but I still have a little more sparkle to add before I officially call it a day on the Christmas decorating front.

* Hanging out with these amazing ladies:
Because of different pre-school schedules, Bible Study, dance lessons, etc, I'm not able to see them as often as I'd like. But now that Bible Study is over and school will soon be over, we've been able to do quite a bit of catching up,... and that's been so fun!

* Able to go see a few of the latest movies:
Oh yeah, baby! It's New Moon, the second movie in the Twilight saga! And it was AWESOME! So much better than Twilight (the first movie). And the good news is that they're not making me wait yet another year for Eclipse, the third movie and my favorite book in the series. Oh no, I'll get to enjoy that one in June of 2010. I like to think of it as Edward's birthday present to me.

Scott and I got to go see The Blind Side. It was such a wonderful movie. So very inspirational. Sandra Bullock was phenomenal. And I also loved the fact that it's based on a true story of a Memphis family.

On Sunday afternoon my dear friend Cora called me and invited me to hang out for a while, sans kids. Hmm, let me think about that,... YEAH! First we went to a local craft show and then went to a matinee showing of this:
All I can say is Oh. My. Goodness! In all honesty, Precious was a very difficult movie for me to sit through. The subject matter is extremely deep and disturbing and heart-breaking and it tugged at my heart (and stomach) in ways a movie hasn't done in a really long time. At one point I actually thought we might have to get up and leave, but we stuck with it and made it through. And we're really glad we did.

* Working on my paper strips for our cute Santa Advent Calendar, which will be displayed tomorrow. Yikes! Can you believe tomorrow is December already? I never did get the advent calendar I so loved from Pottery Barn, but that's OK. I found one I really like at Marshall's for a whole lot less. And at the end of the day well, they both do the same thing.

Some of our paper inserts/activities included in the calendar are:
~ Seeing Santa and giving him our list.
~ Going to Trinity Baptist Alpine Village (for the 5th year in a row).
~ Baking Christmas goodies.
~ Going to Starry Nights at Shelby Farms.
~ Watching a Christmas movie of their (read Isabella's) choice.
~ Reading the Christmas Story book before bed.
~ Make Gingerbread Houses.

Well, that's about it for now. Stay tuned for a sneak peek of the SNL class we'll be teaching this coming Saturday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we're having Thanksgiving in our house. My brother and his family are coming, as well as my parents and grandmother. Lucky for me everyone is bringing something, which means I won't have to slave in the kitchen like I have in previous years. This year I'm only in charge of the sweet potatoes, the green beans, the spicy corn and a pie. And let me tell ya, I can handle that!

I am so ready for everyone to be here. I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone is thankful for this year (especially the kids), the conversations and laughter that will be heard around the table, and of course to eating some delicious food.

I hope you have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!

Howdy Partner!

Okay Felisa, here's your post,... finally!

A couple weekends ago we had the honor of celebrating Braden's fourth birthday with him and his lovely family, the Jackson 5. The party was at Kidz Kountry Petting Zoo, which we love and haven't been to since Isabella's second birthday party. And the theme was cowboys and cowgirls. Hello! Can you say super cute?!

I think you'd agree that the birthday boy looked quite dashing in his cowboy attire:
Here are my very own cowgirl and cowboy:
All I can say is Yee Haw! Unfortunately, those adorable hats were not kept on for very long, which was a bummer considering how hard it was to find them. It figures!

Here are some of the family pictures I took that day.

Seriously, are they not the happiest and cutest family?

Among some of the activities the children participated in was petting and/or feeding goats, bunnies, chickens, a gross humongous pig, horse back rides, horse carriage rides, train rides, you name it. They do such a fantastic job of keeping the children entertained and engaged,... and trust me, there were a whole lot of them.

And here are two of my favorites. Since Braden was the birthday boy he got to ride on the carriage ride with all of his guests. Well, here's Sam when his ride started:
And here's Sam after going once around the track:
Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of Sam when the ride ended, but it looked a little something like this:
And I gotta hand it to my friend Felisa for always finding the BEST party favors. All the children left the party with a couple of yummy cookies she made herself and one of these:
OK, so how adorable are those? My kids have been playing with them non-stop ever since.

Thanks so much for having us, Brandon and Felisa. We had the best time. There will be a disk on it's way before the end of the week ~ I promise!

We love you guys!

For Today - November 17

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Outside my window... it's gray and colder than it has been in a while. Definitely Fall weather.

I am thinking... about the fun but hectic week this will be ~ Girls Night Out with a group of friends on Thursday night for dinner and cocktails; Girls Night Out with another group of friends on Friday night for dinner, cocktails and New Moon; another craft show with my Mom all day Saturday and possibly a birthday party Saturday evening. Phew, I'm tired just typing about it!

I am thankful for... my truly amazing husband who encourages me to go out and have a good time with my girlfriends. I am thankful for Isabella going 6 whole nights without nighttime pull-ups and waking up to a dry bed. I am thankful for Sam and his impeccable comedic timing. I am thankful for my parents and their love and support. I am thankful for the incredible friendships I have with some pretty wonderful people.

From the kitchen...leftover rice with bacon and onion (YUM!) from last night and pork chops for dinner.

I am wearing... a gray pullover, jeans and sneakers and feeling comfy all over.

I am creating... some merchandise to sell at this Saturday's craft show, which I'm hoping will be much better than last Saturday's.

I am going... on a date with my hubby tonight (with free babysitting courtesy of my awesome Mom), since we pretty much won't see each other the rest of the week.

I am reading... Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik and thoroughly enjoying it.

I am hoping... to put our Christmas tree and decorations up before Thanksgiving and complete my Christmas shopping shortly after.

I am hearing... The Ellen Degeneres Show and laughing hysterically. She is one funny lady!

Around the house... other than the TV, all is quiet since the kids are napping/resting. Life is GOOD!

One of my favorite things... watching my kids play and laugh together. Nothing makes my heart happier! Well, except for their hugs and kisses.

A few plans for the rest of the week... a little cleaning, a little laundry, a date with the hubby tonight, a lot of fun with some girlfriends, a craft show, and some family time!

A picture to share....

Sam terrified of feeding the goats.
But then again do you blame him?
Those goats do look a bit crazy!

An apology letter to a neglected blog

Dear Perfect Chaos,

It's been so long, I'm not really sure where to start... Honestly, it's not you, it's me! I've been doing a heck of a job living up to half your name lately ~ CHAOS! Things have been so out-of-control crazy lately that I just can't seem to find the time or energy to give you the attention you so rightfully deserve.

Last week alone I had to prep for and teach two scrapbook layout classes, we had a very special friend's birthday party to attend, I had a huge project (a mini-book, which put me totally out of my comfort zone) due and I had a craft show to create merchandise for (which was a total bust). Oh, and I have another craft show this coming Saturday and if it's anything like last week's I do believe I just might go postal on someone.

Please know it's not just you who's been grossly neglected lately. I encourage you to have a chat with the laundry room, the duster, the broom and the vacuum. They'll tell you how I've been absent in their lives as well. And don't even get me started on WW ~ I missed a meeting last week and it's been down hill since. I can't even get into it right now, I'm so frustrated with myself.

As if all this wasn't enough, our household has not been 100% healthy since Halloween night. Both Sam and Scott have fallen victim to a pretty bad virus and neither of them can seem to totally shake it off. Ugh!

And yes, I know it sounds like nothing but a bunch of excuses, but what can I say? Super Woman I am not! Or Martha Stewart for that matter. But I do promise to try my hardest to make more frequent posts. Pinky swear!

And since I don't much like to post without a picture, I leave you with this recent one of Isabella:

SNL Sneak Peek

I'm currently working on putting some finishing touches on my layouts for our November SNL class which is this coming Saturday. And I can honestly tell you that I am thrilled about what we'll be creating in class.

Remember, in SNL you leave the class with 8 completed and photo ready 12x12 page layouts. Danielle will teach the first half of the class (4 layouts) and I will teach the second half (the remaining 4 layouts). You will get a short break in between, so be sure to bring a snack.

Our main theme for the months is Family, Thanksgiving, Fall. So I thought I'd share a sneak peek of some of the layouts we will be creating:

Oh, and yes my dear friends, those are real turkey feathers we'll be working with. I can't wait!

Saturday Night Layouts (SNL)
Saturday, November 7th
4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
$29.00

Bring your basic scrapbooking tools and we'll have fun making pages that will make you run home to look for the perfect pictures. But don't delay. Make sure you call Eclectica at 901-377-0730 to sign up and secure your spot.

See you there!

Another month bites the dust

Fist of all, I cannot for the life of me believe that it is already November. It seems like October came and went and I'm left with nothing but a blur. I don't know what it is, but time is just flying by at the speed of light and I'm foolishly and unsuccessfully trying to hold on.

Let's see... oh yeah, so life got in the way of our plans, as it often does, making our Halloween festivities not quite as fun as we were anticipating. Right when I was getting Isabella, or should I say Tinkerbell, dressed and ready Sam came up to me and pretty much collapsed on my lap. What was so very odd was that just minutes earlier he was being his active and chatty self while eating a Kit Kat. In a matter of a few minutes he went from being his joyful self to being lethargic, running a high fever, and vomiting. Let's just say Saturday night was a very LONG night and daylight savings did absolutely nothing for us.

So anyway Scott took Isabella out to trick or treat and to my mom's church harvest festival afterward while Sam and I cuddled on the sofa for hours. But you know I just had to take a few pictures before they embarked on their adventure. Can you tell how excited she was?

TinkerbellIsabella & her friend Madison

This is what our sweet boy did all night,
except it was me he was cuddling (and vomiting) on.

Isabella & her crazy Tata

He finally ate and drank something at around 10:30pm

On Sunday morning his fever was even higher so I called his pediatrician's office and made an appointment to have him seen that afternoon. For some reason I was totally expecting to hear that he had the H1N1 virus. I just knew they would say it and I was dreading hearing it.

Luckily he tested negative for the flu as well as for strep. He did however have a viral infection so not much could be done for him, except making sure he was hydrated and rested and use Tylenol and Motrin to help manage the pain.

By Sunday night he was starting to act like himself running around and yelling and laughing. And on Monday there was very little trace of the terrible virus that totally knocked him out on Saturday. Don't you just love how incredibly resilient children are? Heaven knows if it would've been me my throat would most likely still be on fire.

OK, so back to it being November, which again let me just say is CRAZY! This months presents itself with a whole new set of challenges for me/us. It's going to be a very busy month indeed. I'm teaching two scrapbook layout classes this month as well as participating in two craft shows. And in the midst of it all I have to find the time to decorate our house and put up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving (which BTW, we are also hosting). To say I'm feeling a bit of pressure right about now is a huge understatement. But somehow it will all get done... right?! Please say yes!