PICNIC

My kids LOVE to go on a picnic. So, Last week I took Weston and Grace across the road to the park to have one. They were so excited to just be trekking across the street. I packed bologna and cheese sandwiches, Doritos (Grace calls them burritos),Choc. milk for them (in mason jars), and stale Oreos (which were actually yummy) . I guess I was pretty hungry! :D Mike bought the picnic basket for me at an auction a couple weeks ago and it seems to be fairly sturdy and in good shape. Weston took the pictures of Grace and I for me. My Mom came over and took the other pictures of us. Weston kept wanting to make goofy faces and show food that was in his mouth. And Grace kept squinting, the sun was very bright!

It is sometimes too easy for me to get wrapped up in one thing or another and allow simple pleasures such as a picnic pass me by! My children will only be little once and I have to make a conscious effort to not let the duties of Motherhood overshadow time well spent with my children.

P.S. Want some blog candy go to this site http://moralia.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/wow-im-a-few-short-hits-shy-of-30k/

Bowls Of Fun

Saturday night we went bowling in Kentucky (We stayed at Marisa And Angus's house the whole weekend). It was the first for Mike, Weston and Mel, they LOVED it. We all had our oopsies! The shoes were so slick Mike tripped over himself a couple times! :) He was NOT impressed !
I completely dropped one of the balls, my fingers slipped right out of the holes. The bumpers were up for the kids and they were still rolling gutter balls! :D For kids, I think they did well! They even threw several strikes!

The good thing is the bowling alley was in a dry county so there was no smoking or alcohol. When we got there we were the only ones there.

How amazing is this? I won the second game, which was sorta impressive since we ladies were playing against two big guys! :D

THANKS MARISA AND ANGUS FOR THE FOOD, HOSPITALITY AND FUN!!

Grace was the ball keeper...She stood right by the ball chute and rolled each one of us our ball. She kept track of each persons ball and knew which one we were using. :)

Adena Foliage

The trees and foliage on the estate were magnificent!! I had a blast taking pictures of it!

Adena Artifacts

We don't see many stone watering troughs around these days! :)

The garden was quite large and was arranged sort of like a maze with different curves and turns. I came across this and it appears to me to be a sundial. Although, it looks like the hands are missing.

Thursday I found myself on a noisy, yellow fourth grade school bus. We were headed to Adena Mansion. It's a historical landmark in our area. Thomas Worthington had it built in 1807. He is considered the Father of Ohio. He played a significant part in Ohio becoming a state. These are some photos I was able to catch while there.

I was quite impressed with the history the mansion holds. Tecumseh stayed there as well as many other Presidents and important leaders of that time. Unfortunately, Thomas Worthington only lived to be 54 years of age.

THANKS MICHELLE

Wow, I love the way the blog turned out...Thanks a million Michelle!!!

You Could WIN an 8 oz. Candle

If you are interested in the possibility of winning an 8 oz. candle you may enter by clicking on the blog link in my side bar that says Dj and Stacie. This will take you to her blog where you will be able to sign up for her drawing.

Blog Makeover

I'm so excited about the changes taking place in my blog....It is getting a complete makeover. So, bear with me as the changes take place.

Michelle, at Shabby Creations would love to do a makeover for you too! :) She also, has premade templates that are available. There will be a link to her site on my blog soon!

Bargain Buys

The girls and I went Mother's Day shopping Sat. and found some awesome bargains. These shoes were only a dollar a pair. Who could pass up a sale like that?! We only went to a couple of stores but at each store we were able to find some great stuff!! The girls and I had a blast!

Kids Art & Projects

Cherish made this Mother's Day card for me at school. She made the flowers out of pipe cleaners, which was a VERY crafty idea! :) I thought it was a class project but she said she was the only one in her class that made the flowers out of pipe cleaners! You go girl! :D
Melody has a gift I LACK and that is drawing. I CANNOT draw worth a hoot! She, on the other hand, has drawn some GREAT stuff. IMO! :) Of course, I am her mother so there is a little partiality there. :0) I loved the details in this drawing if you look closely in the photo below you may see where I'm coming from! Her art teacher told her "That is a refrigerator picture".
Notice how the dolphin is jumping out of the water, there's a crab, a treasure chest, clam, jellyfish, seaweed and even a diver. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

Mother's Day Photos

I always thought I would miss my children being babies, but as they grow older I see now that idea was craziness! :) I love interacting, playing games, and doing everyday tasks with them. To me, being a Mother is a privilege and I count it as a special blessing. I pray for the wisdom to teach and instruct them in the ways of the Father. That is my ultimate goal as a mother.
~Mommy & kidlettes~
~Mommy & Girls~
~Mommy & Son~

Mother's Day Boquets

As many of you know, I love to craft!!! As a result, I made these paper bouquets for My Mother and MIL. They were very easy to make and I think they turned out so cute! ~My MIL's bouquet~
We gave my MIL a gift card so I decorated the tin to match the paper bouquet.
This photo is of the tin OPEN.
My Mother's bouquet was made in green and yellow to match her downstairs bath.
There is not a photo of her gift I had given it to her early.

Mother's Day Tribute

Happy Mother's Day......To a VERY special person I know, My Mother!!! She and I share a close bond of love and understanding. I appreciate the she way continues to nurture and support me as I have taken on the responsibilities of marriage and motherhood. Thanks Mom, I love you!!!!

NEW Family Photos

This was taken before church a few weeks ago and there wasn't time to set up the tripod to get a complete family photo. Mike and I enjoy being parents. Mike is a very caring and active daddy! Even though he is VERY busy, he always makes time for them. I appreciate his daddy skills, even I learn from them! ~Mommy and kidlettes~Cherish (9) , Melody(7), Weston(5) and Grace (2)~
~Our Four Blessings~
~ Daddy with his pride and joy~

Handbag......

Once upon a time, our family went shopping at Wal - Mart after church one Wed. night. (We were buying supplies for Weston's birthday party). Needless to say, Cherish and I wound up in the craft section. This handbag is a result of that . We were able to get nice material for 2.00 a yrd. So, if there's too many mistakes we won't be out as much! The girls enjoy sewing and I thought the pattern looked easy and simple enough for us ( I am NOT a seamstress). This is the result of the trial run! :) There was something about this material that I liked. One of my girls said it looks "OLD". I guess that is a hint at how old I seem to them! :D When the bag was finished it still looked Plain so, I added a small, velcro flap closure.
Grace ~"modeling" the handbag! :)

Final Cake Class

Today I completed my fourth cake class......That entitled me to a certificate of completion. :D I was not thrilled at having to make and decorate another cake today since I had already made two last week. Nevertheless, I put myself to task and thank the Lord got it finished in time for class. This cake took me about four hrs. total. That included the cakes baking and cooling, making and coloring the icing and decorating it. My biggest gripe with cake making is the MESS! No matter how organized and clean you start out, in the end, it's all went haywire!

This cake could've turned out better if I wouldn't have been so rushed! But I've made worse! :)

Inside Pictures of Our

A friend of mine who hasn't been to our house for several years wanted me to post some more pictures of the inside of our house. So, here are a few....... This, of course, is the kitchen...... :) It is decorated in a cherry theme.
This was taken from the D.R. and this is the right side of the kit. On the left side of the kit. is a doorway that goes into a Bth. Rm. which goes into our bedroom.
Mike put up two extra cabinets in my washroom for my cake supplies! He made them from scratch. I love the new space!!!!! We have few closets in this house so any extra storage space is a blessing!

For years I had a wooden "screen" in front of this open space under the stairway. Last week Mike finished it out and it looks SO nice! He's an awesome wood carpenter.
A few weeks ago we painted the upstairs this burgundy color! I love the richness it adds to the walls.
This desk is directly in front of you when you walk in the front door. This is where I sit and add all this stuff to my blog. :D
The love seat and chair are along the same wall as the front door. I faux painted the walls and repapered the living room last year. If you look close, you may be able to see the cabinet to the left of the chair (it's a gun cabinet)? If so, Mike made it a few years ago.

And finally, this is the Dining Room...... It is directly off the kit. and living room