Blog of Love

So I decided I wanted to just write a blog dedicated to things that I have a new found adoration for lately!! Being Thanksgiving and all!

First off, I will tell of my new found blog that I have come to know and LOVE! The blog is for Shanty 2 Chic! I keep finding new stuff all the time that I want to make! I have already made the apothecaries...I just need to download my pics and post them on here! Check Shanty out! They are amazing!! Click below!!

Next item...this past weekend, we went to see the new Sandra Bullock movie, The Blind Side! Oh my gosh...it was amazing! And I am not sure if it was the hormones or because it was just so touching, but I cried at LEAST 20 times!! If you have not seen this movie...SEE IT! It is a touching story of helping out and making someone's life better for it! If you are like me, you will want to instantly leave the theatre and find a down on his luck youth and help him out! :)

Last but not least, and MOST IMPORTANT is my family! Since it is Thanksgiving, it makes me stop and take notice of my life and how truly blessed I am! Although my husband and I may not always see eye to eye (show me a husband and a wife that do), he is such a good man! He is a caring husband and a wonderful father! And he has stayed with me even through my most hormonal moments...which in the last week, has been very trying!!! Sorry hubby! I have such good kids who always make me smile and laugh! They are so talented and I am so proud of them! My daughter has found a love of reading this year, which makes me so happy! And to hear her spilling out big words that she has learned from school or tv or even from myself, always makes me crack up and then take notice of how big she really is getting! I cannot believe that my little baby will be 9 in 11 days! It makes me so sad! And now with my brother's GF Kyrstin having her baby on the 23rd and seeing that tiny, beautiful face and seeing the pics of my brother with that little girl and feel the love eminate from my computer screen as I look at these pictures, it just makes me so happy and thankful for family all over again! And knowing that I have yet another niece growing in my sister's belly adds even more excitement and love!! I love you all!!!

(This is my daughter, by the way...when she was 1! too cute!!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I am an AUNT!!

I am so excited to be an aunt! My brother's girlfriend Kyrstin, gave birth yesterday - 11/23/09 - at exactly 5:00 p.m. to a 7 lb 1 oz, 19 inch beautiful little girl, Emilyn Kay Allen!

She is such a little sweetheart and I am super jealous of anyone who has yet to see her in person and hold her! Since obviously no one else is allowed up to the hospital and Kyrstin and Emilyn will not go home until tomorrow! So I have to make due from texts from my brother and emails from my mom! Here are a couple pics that I do have!

I love her cute little dimple here! My mom said she just turned and looked right at Jordan so he could take her picture!

Mommy and daughter!

Look at that ridiculously large flower!! But she is rockin it! Darling!

My brother told my mom that he never believed in love at first sight until he saw this little girl! I hear ya brother!! I love this picture! My brother and Emilyn look so gorgeous together! You can feel the love!!

Here comes the baby...

So Kyrstin went in this morning to get induced to have her baby! I am bummed...they only allow the baby's dad and 2 other people in the hospital the whole time!!! they give those 3 people bracelets and it is only them allowed to come into the hospital to see the mom and baby! So of course, my brother, my mom and Kyrstin's mom got the bracelets! Bummer! So I will not even be able to see the baby until they are home! Hurry and have the baby...so you can come home! :)

Check this blog out...

I love finding new blogs to follow with amazing inspirations! And I have found a new one to let you guys know about! It is The Burnt Daisy! You have to check out her cute letters that she makes! My absolute favorite one I have seen is this one...

They are also having a great giveaway - so check it out soon!! Link here for the giveaway and make sure to look through the whole site! So cute!!

Disappointed...

So I have to blog about my blog disappointment and irritation!! As you can probably tell, I have quite a few sites that I follow...not so much that follow me. Which is fine, I know I just need time and effort to build my following (and thank you to those that DO follow me! It gets my heart all a flutter when I see a new follower or a new comment on my posts!)
So I try to comment on quite a few of the blogs I follow to make bloggy friends! And even sometimes if the situation arrises, I include a link of a certain post that pertains to the same as my blog friend's post! And I love when I see that people actually take the time to view my link that I have posted! Yeah!!!
However...when I take the time to follow someone - view their blog - help them out with followers by being one of them - and comment on their post...and wait for blogger approval of my comment....and NEVER see my comment post! It really hurts my feeling and perturbes me! (Is that how you spell that word?) Anyway...maybe you have not had this experience yet, but I will tell you what...I have stopped being a follower of that certain person...if they cannot even post my "time out of my day comment" then I am done spending my time on viewing their blog!!

Wonderful Find - Date Night Apron!!

I am in love...with an apron that I have found while blogging! I obviously follow a few blogs! I love to get ideas from many different people regarding cooking, motherhood, decorating, sanity! And I often find many useful things from these different blogs...and I have found an amazing little creation...the date night apron!!

I have found this little wonder from one of my bloggy friends, Cheapskate Mom.

I have also attached a link to the right side of my blog to go directly to these little beauties...or click here to go to Quilt a Treasure's Etsy site!

This one happens to be my favorite...which one is yours??

My Nephew, Maguire's Birthday!

My little nephew Maguire, had his first birthday this weekend! I cannot believe how big he is getting! The years never cease to fly by! He was a little tired - poor guy, but it was a cute little party with the family!
Here is Kaitlyn and big Mac!

Maguire and Tavin playing...it will be Tavin's first year pretty soon!

Maguire was not all that interested in his presents...Kylee is trying to hold him there and he is NOT having it!

Now Darlene is trying to hold him and make him interested...not working!

Brody made Maguire, his little brother, a bunch of stamped pictures, he was so proud of them! :)

Big Mac was more interested in one of his old balls...not the new stuff!

The birthday was themed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I made the cakes. The small one was just for Maguire to dig in to! (Don't forget to check out the full version of my cakes at my cake blog!)

How many dads does it take to put a bib on a baby? :)

Tavin was LOVING the cake and ice cream!

Poor little Maguire was so tired...he wanted cake, but did not want to have to feed himself, he kept grunting for more spoonfuls of cake!

Since Maguire was not getting into the cake too much, everyone started smashing it up to make him see he could dig into it...it still did not work. Brody is NOT the cake eater...but he got himself a spoon and dug into this cake! It must have been good!!

Mmmmmmm....

Maguire with a goatee of cake and icing!

Poor little guy ws obviously SO tired...

Yep, he crashed once we pulled him out of the high chair and got him cleaned up! What a tough day for a little one year old!!

My cute little grandpa...

As I was going about my business here at work today, I had to date a paper I was working on and noticed...it was my little grandpa's birthday! My grandpa has passed away now, 15 years ago.. I love and miss him so much, I wanted to pay a small tribute to him!
He was the cutest grandpa I have EVER seen! I remember always feeling so lucky that I had the cutest grandpa around! He worked for the Ogden City Police Office and I remember thinking how cool that was and that he must be SO tough!
He and my grandma had the best relationship and we so cute together!
My mom has so many pictures of me sitting with my grandpa in his favorite chair! He even let me and my sister do his hair at time!
He had struggled with his back and in the end, with cancer. My mom did not think that we should see him the way he was in the hospital but I recorded a song for him, changing a few words to fit him, but to the song Hero by Mariah Carey. I wanted him to know how much I loved him even though I could not see him!
I know that he was in a lot of pain and by the time he succumbed to the cancer, I knew he was no longer in pain and in a better place.
Every time I performed ANYTHING, I have always known that he was watching me and was proud of me! I still talk to him often and I know he is with me whenever I need him!
Love you grandpa! Happy Birthday!!

Overdue post...Kyrstin's Baby Shower

I have been meaning to get these loaded on here for a while...so finally, here is the baby shower pics! My brother's girlfriend, Kyrstin, is due any day now (I just got word that she is actually up at the hospital right now and may be going soon!!) Anyway...we held a baby shower for her at my house! She had quite a few friends show up and it turned out to be a pretty good party!

Here is the preggers, herself! :)

I decided to make cuppies for the shower, so I did not have to deal with cutting a cake! Kyrstin LOVES chocolate!
My mom even found a brown and pink table cover to go with the color scheme of the cuppies!

My mom is so creative, she made these little mint/nut cups! So cute!

Here is a close up of one of the cuppies!

We played a good old game of concentration! Baby shower style! For example...if you got the match of the word "contractions" the prize you got was whoppers - or if you matched the word "breast feeding" you got a Milky Way! So much fun!!

Here are the prizes...note the lovely witch in the background! Since it was so close to Halloween, she got a baby shower / Halloween theme! :)

I lined our wagon with plastic and filled it up with ice and drinks. I thought it turned out cute and gave good access for everyone to get a drink! Of course I had to use drinks with lids on them since we just got new carpet a month before!

Cute little banner as you walk in the front door!

Guests start to arrive...

Getting crowded...

Pretty good turn out!

She had a TON of gifts! Lucky girl!

Everyone loved my cuppie cakes! My sister really got into them! Ha ha!

Mmmmmmmmm......

Again, I will say, my mom is SO creative! She made these papers and wrapped them around Hershey's candy bars for everyone as they were leaving the shower!

Now to start planning my sissy's shower! Just a few months away! I am SO EXCITED!!!

Halloween Day

I like to do little treats for the kids on Halloween but I do not always get around to it. This year I did get the time. I just got some little Halloween cups and put together, some candy, a halloween pencil, some glow sticks for the youngest ones, and a package of hot chocolate.

Kaitlyn wanted to do some of her own make-up this year. I just could not refuse! Watching her put on her mascara, I HAD to pull out the camera!!
She did a pretty good job on her make-up!

I am just in love with my daughter! She is so gorgeous!

We went over to my sister's to do a neighborhood trunk or treat kind of thing. My brother and Kyrstin were there too. Kyrstin with her little pumpkin face on her pregnant belly and Jordan, ever the animated comic in his orange jumpsuit...yes the jumpsuit is a FAKE!! :)

My baby Dixie also got a new costume for Halloween, although she was NOT that impressed by it! She would not keep the little fairie antenae on and when we first put it on her, she just sat there is a half way sitting down position, too afraid to move!

Oh, my two little princesses!