Fun in FL

We got home last night from spending the most time in FL since I moved to NC 2.5 years ago. Our trip started out a little rough. We hit a tire tread from a semi truck blowout while we were doing 70mph on I-75S....scary stuff!!! We pulled over to survey the damage to the Honda...nothing too serious, but the "alligator" did take a chunk out of the front bumper.
Our first stop was in Crystal River to visit my parents. Emily had the best time chasing the water fowl, running through the blackberry rows, driving the golf cart and riding the 4wheeler with her Granny and Granddad. It was too cold to fish, but we still had a great time.
Ailill even came with us! We sure did find him in neat places while we were on vacation! Harley, the GBH, was out and friendly. I love taking his photo and I think he likes it too :) I got a bonus too! While I was shooting (photos) Harley, an otter swam by! The photo is a little blurry, but those suckers are fast! I was lucky to get what I did.
I made a collage to sum it up in pics :)


Next, we made the rest of the drive down to Plant City...ahhhhh! So nice to be back in familiar territory. Went to a 1st birthday party in the afternoon (I dont know what Emily enjoyed more....the cake or the animals they have!) and sweet 16 surprise birthday party in the evening, then had a family dinner the next day. It was so good to see so many people in such a short time! Emily enjoyed dancing and the gummy bears from the party...and GG surprised Emily with the disco ball from the night before!!

My aunt and cousins took us to a neat park in Lakeland too...Common Grounds. This park has something for kids of all ages and abilities. It was a little chilly the day we went so we were able to pretty much have the whole place to ourselves. Kika, Matt and I had a blast playing along with the kids. My favorite part was the papasan/hammock/swing. Emily enjoyed all of it, but I think the roller slide was her favorite.

Photography practice with my aunt was fun!! We did a little experimenting with candle photos, bokeh and action shots. Bokeh by far was the most interesting! The end result came out ok (the red hearts pic in the bottom collage), but I've got a lot more practice ahead of me.


We were able to visit my grandparents for awhile too. Emily loves her Papa and GG (Great-Grandma). Emily picked oranges with Papa and visited a bit with the cows. She was intrigued by the cows for sure. She had never been so close to a live one (that I can remember).

Next up was a trip to Christmas Lane in Dover, FL. Very neat Christmas light display and free admission (donations accepted). Emily loved the lights and displays so much, we made 3 trips around :)  She wasn't too fond of the train this year, but maybe next year she will understand it a little bit better.

We had lunch with Tiff at Cracker Barrel the next day and then headed back to Crystal River. Had a nice dinner with the parentals, then re-packed our car and left the next morning. We did make a very important stop in Macon, GA---to Bass Pro Shops! Emily sat in Santa's lap and didn't cry at all! I was so proud!!

Another pic collage :) I'll be adding more pics on my facebook over the next week or so. Need to get back in the groove of things first. If I don't post again soon, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

Opening Christmas Presents Early...

Hubby and I have a serious problem about buying presents and not being able to wait to give them. We seriously have to wait 'til the last minute before we buy them....or else they'll get given to early then we have to buy more! LOL!
Well, I've tried really hard to work on that for Christmas this year...especially since it's Emily's first Christmas that she'll be aware of what's going on. Last year she was 7 months old and her favorite part was trying to eat the wrapping paper!
Yeah, sooo I FAILED...Emily has spotted one toy (I need a better hiding spot, but at least she couldn't reach it!) and I broke down and gave her 3 books and 2 movies already...I just get WAY too excited because I know she will absolutely love them! Matthew and I were the same way before Emily...maybe even worse!
So where am I going with this? Well, ever since I threw away all the squirting bath tub toys Emily has not been loving her bath time. I tried the fizzy bath drops that change the water colors...didn't phase her. I've tried singing, dancing, even turning on the bathroom heater...nothing makes her want to stay in long at all...until tonight.
We opened up another present! (I know, I know!) Don't let the pic fool you, she totally flipped over it!

We got her the Crayola Tadoodles Tug Boat....washable tub crayons, cute boat...just an awesome little gift. And boy did she LOVE it?! She looked at me a little funny when I started coloring on the shower wall...especially since we've had a little problem with her coloring on our walls lately. Once she realized it really was ok, she was loving it!!

My flower and her random marks.

The finished artwork.
As the water was draining out, I took a spare loofah and wiped all the crayon marks off. Who doesn't love an easy clean-up like that?! Of course, Emily had to add more after it was clean, but that was no big deal. I'm just glad she liked them and stayed in the tub to play for a little while.
We'll have to hope Santa brings her more of these :)

Thanksgiving and Bibs

Thanksgiving has just passed and now we're gearing up for Christmas! This year has gone by so fast! We spent Thanksgiving at my grandparents' house in GA. The same place we got married! I love going back and taking pics in front of that fireplace. Here is a comparison shot from last year and this year. We'll play the "spot 10 differences" game.


1. Emily gained about 15lbs. and a good 10" in height!
2. I'm wearing glasses! I like the way they look, but not in pics...lol
3. We decorated the fireplace mantle for Christmas this year...and it looks so nice!
4. My hair is longer (much!) and darker from not getting out much this year. My hair goes down almost to my waistband now...it's about time for a trim though.
5. Matt's lost weight...or at least looks like it. He always looks so good in the color green!!
6. Candelabras are gone.
7. I'm wearing a red shirt, instead of green this year...still have jeans and you can't see it this year, but I was barefoot again :) lol!
8. I used an external flash this year...making things much brighter. Need to figure out how to not get the glare off my glasses though...if it's possible. (more practice with the flash is needed for sure!)
9. No palm tree in the corner this year.
10. Emily's not wearing a dress this year...It's been a little too chilly for it. Dressed her in pants to keep her legs a little warmer.

Well, that was fun! And harder than I thought once I started it :)

Been busy crafting and sewing this week. I've made quite a few bibs for some awesome friends :) I love custom orders...and this week's involved:  UF, LSU, Skulls, and Christmas. Here are a few I made...

 






This coming week brings lots of baking, cleaning and packing :) Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of their weekend!! GO GATORS!! 

The pretty lights!!

Well this week has went by entirely way too fast!! Worked on a few sewing orders and straightened up the house a bit before pulling out some of our Christmas decor tonight!!! I LOVE this time of year!! I put the tree up last year about the same time. I miss having real trees, but with PB (Punky Brewster a.k.a. Emily) being small, we thought this would be a lot easier. And I've got a few of those "pine" type candles to help with the smell. I don't know about you, but my nose is awfully picky (haha!! pun definitely intended!) when it comes to holidays smells.

PB is currently stalking the tree...she loves the lights, maybe too much?! The only ornaments that are up already are the plastic/non-breakable ones. She did push the end table over, climbed up on it and got off one of the ornaments (I watched the whole thing or I wouldn't have believed it!). She carried it around for awhile and then put it back on the tree, much lower though so she can reach it just standing on the floor.

Another someone noticed the tree while I was up in the attic fetching more decor...

Silly little Ailill!! All I can say is at least Emily hasn't pulled the tree over to get to him yet. She did that with the surround sound speaker he was sitting on the other day!We love our Elf on the Shelf!!

I've had the Christmas lights above our kitchen cabinets on too since those PB can't reach. She just says "wow" and "pretty" and stares at them. I think tomorrow I'll tackle the outside lights...no, I probably won't turn them on until next weekend, but I like to try and get ahead when I can.

Have you started decorating yet? What are some of the traditions you and your family have??

Combining my Craziness

  I've decided to combine my blogs...because honestly, my life isn't really THAT exciting! haha!! Here are the blog entries from my Elf on the Shelf happenings:

Monday, November 15, 2010

He's HERE!!!!

"Ailill" (Ay-lil) was found in the kitchen this morning! He must've known I burned the berry cobbler and started a small fire...oops! Hope that doesn't get back to Santa. (Not to self: Make a bigger cobbler in a bigger baking dish next time....and don't fill it up too much!!)


Trying to keep 18month old DD from touching Ailill will be a challenge. She wants to hold him and carry him all around. I think I will be buying one of their plushie elves that she'll be able to carry around with her.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Elf FINALLY Has a Name!!

After lots of thinking we've decided on the name "Ailill". It is "elf" in Irish Gaelic form...at least that is what several websites have said :) 

I've printed off the Certificate of Adoption so he should be on his way to our house anytime!!

Dear Little Scout Elf

Welcome to the Adventures of Elf & Friends :)
We've recently adopted our Elf On The Shelf (still to be named)...I hope to keep up with his adventures during the Christmas season AND his vacationing too on here.
If you don't have one yet, I highly recommend this!! 



Dear Little Scout Elfie (without a name still),
We're so glad that you will soon come to stay at our house. Your paperwork should all be done soon and we will expect you shortly after. We've been reading your story over and over!!  When we get word you've left the North Pole, we'll bake some cookies to leave out. Back to work soon for you, but we can't wait to meet you and hear all about the fun you and your friends had over the summer!!

See you soon!
Your Anxious New Family

Do you feel lucky??

Check out www.facebook.com/KozyKuddlers and take a guess at how many cherry seeds you think fill up the 15-cup trifle bowl!!

Craft Fairs

Well the craft fair was kind of a bust...slow day, but met a few interesting people and sold a couple things and most importantly got my name out there a little bit more. Looking forward to seeing where this new route will take me.
Also, on Saturday I also put a few items at a little convenient store close to home. Hubby's uncle owns it so I had an "in"...before I was home 2 things had already sold! Wish I had put them there sooner!!

I was told about 2 more craft fairs before Christmas and I'm debating whether to do them or not. One is a HUGE church show...2 days!! But I'm lucky to get a full day of LO actually behaving. She's 18months old today and cutting 2 molars. {She's also still nursing...something I'm very proud of!!!!} Even though they have a nursery there, I just don't foresee it being a good thing....maybe next year though!!
The other is a much smaller community closer to home. I'm just wondering if they'll promote it a lot or not. Being in the boonies definitely has it's ups and downs but getting people out and about (especially if it's cold!) is like pulling teeth.

That's all for now...I should have some more items up later in the week. Thanks for reading my ramblings :)

Sergers are great entertainment...

For my almost 18month old daughter! Grrrr! I have spent quite a few hours untangling the thread on more than one occasion since I've wrote last. For some reason she is attracted to everything that she shouldn't be....I think this is natural though. Easy solution would be to put it in a spot she can't reach, but I'm convinced the only place that would be is hanging from our ceiling! She's a climber...that's the reason our dining room chairs are upside down on the table (which BTW has been turned into my craft table).

Some of the things worth mentioning that I've made (sewing machine or serger) since I last blogged:



Emily's Gator Gameday Outfit
The shirt was a onesie that I cut the bottom off of and added the "petals". Pants were made of the same material I used for the petals.



UGA Kozy Kuddler
A friend of mine asked that I make her this :) And with the leftover material my hubby has requested I make our LO some half UGA/half UF pajama pants...sooo maybe next time those will be done.



I added a new size to the KK family. Not wanting to waste material, I decided to use the leftovers to make these.  These are the new Eye KK's...they measure 10x3...and they're selling fast! I gladly welcome any other size suggestions and custom orders as well.



Denim scrap skirt.
Started with a pair of jeans...cut the legs off and added the bottom skirt layer. Added the zigzag decorative stitching then put the two triangular shaped side panels on. Topped it with more decorative stitching...and Voila! I've washed it 4 times to get the fringe to look good. But I've not actually worn it outside the house...it's getting chilly here now. I have worn it all over inside the house...even cleaned in it because I loved it so much I didn't want to take it off! haha


Emily's skirt!! I had made it for her to wear to the craft fair that is this coming weekend...but I'm not sure if it will even fit anymore! My munchkin who was still wearing 6/9 month clothes at her birthday in May is already growing out of 18month stuff...and we just bought her 2T!!! It's like she hit a growth spurt and hasn't stopped! ((And don't you just love how I got her still...she's holding hemostats, a sippy cup leash in progress and a serving spoon))


Well that's all for now...I need to get everything ready for the craft fair this weekend in Hiawassee, GA!!

Welcome!

Welcome!

This is my very first blog...EVER! I'm excited, nervous...a little bit of everything all balled up. I'm not going to make promises about posting daily, or even weekly. Truth is, I'm a WAHM to a beautiful 15 month old daughter. She is priority number 1 right now.
I have recently acquired a serger. A little intimidating, I'll admit. Luckily, my MIL came over and set it up for me. Before that, the only thing I had done was take the dust cover off! haha! I'm hoping, over the course of this blog, I will expand my knowledge, make some super cute things and somehow help inspire others to try out some projects.
I'll post pics of different things I try and promise to show the good and the bad. I'm not perfect, I make mistakes and I am not afraid to show my trials and errors. Trust me, there will be plenty of errors. I love to experiment with cooking and crafting. I'll try to keep it interesting too.
Well don't want to keep you too long. Hope you enjoy my blog. Please feel free to send project ideas or tips (YES! Please send helpful tips!!) to help me out.

Projects already started: (this is ONLY the sewing machine & serger stuff!)
Nursing Covers
Blankets
Nursing Pads
Kozy Kuddlers

Projects I'm looking forward to:  (Help me add to the list!!)
Dresses (I've made a few, but hoping to really get some cute ones for DD)