Happy Valentines Day

This year I actually pulled out some crafty stuff and WE MADE our own Valentine's Day cards!  Every year I have said we will do it but then I forget...uh hem...I mean procrastinate until it's too late and then we are off to Target to find the perfect card amidst 50 million different themes!!  I was sooo proud of Morgan because she came up with the design on her very own.  Here it is below...it says...."U are the best".  Then we punched in two holes so she could stick a lollipop on the card.

Morgan in the crafting zone...

These are T.J.'s below...he helped a tad :)  We used M&M's ties on with pretty red ribbon to his.  

The three of us had just a ball creating and making our own V-day cards...so much that we will definetely do it again next year!

Monogrammed frame

~Disclaimer~  this is not an original idea...I saw this really cute idea over at Bless My Nest and had to give it a try...especially since I have enough frames laying around for my entire neighborhood!

This is some leftover fabric from some drapes that my friend and I "mistreated"...isn't the fabric sooo purty?!
I guess I forgot to choose the original picture frame, but it was just a plain 'ol white frame with a matte inside.  Of course I had to spray paint it, so I chose a chocolate brown, I mean October Brown :)
I picked the striped fabric and just covered right on top of the matte.  I just used the hot glue gun to wrap the fabric to the back of the matte.
Then I took some white scrapbooking paper, and a brown paint pen to do the monogram.  I could of used my computer with a really cool font BUT...we don't have a printer up yet and I'm just impatient and wanted it to be done.  So in the future I could always just change this out...but I sorta like it right now!
This is the finished project sitting on the bedside table.  You can also see that I took some sandpaper to the frame to rough it up a little...give it that old look.  (The other reason...to cover up some of the dripping spray paint on the frame...)!
Oh yeah...I proudly went to Todd and showed him the beautiful frame I had made for us and where it sat right on his side of the bed.  He looked at it and said..."TWA...Trans World Atlantic"!!!!  What?!!  I said..."No babe, it's T for Todd, A for Ashley and W for Woodard!"    

A little Byrdie helped me...

My good friend, Tara Byrd offered to help me spruce up some drapes of mine...that actually came with our house when we bought it.  I really didn't like them but they matched my walls and were FREE, so I lived with them.  It almost makes me sick to think I wanted to just throw them out at one time...what was I thinking?  We kept the original drape and just added some fabric and cute trim which gave a whole new life to them...I absolutely LOVE my new drapes and just appreciate and love my friend, Tara who helped so much in getting these done and hung up.  When Tara comes over, things get done...I love that about her!!  When she delivered the drapes, I was just going to place them somewhere totally not thinking they could be hung up right away...oh no...we got right down to business!!  It's a good thing too, because of my procrastination, they probably would still be nicely sitting somewhere ready to be hung!  (sidenote:  these pics are uploaded in the wrong order...ughhh...I'm still trying to work out some kinks with the MAC but you can still get the idea!)

In all my excitement to hang the drapes in my bedroom...check out how I hung the tieback!!!  BACKWARDS...geez!
This is how I measure...nose height and "a tick before 2 inches"...hee hee!!
I LOVE, LOVE my new computer corner in my breakfast area!  I can keep an eye on what's going on with the kiddos but yet still be on the computer :)  Oh yeah, we also hung the drapes here in the kitchen...aren't they cute?!!
A close-up of the fabric and tie back...this one was hung right the first time :)

A full view of the new drapes.  I just LOVE how they frame out my breakfast area and check out how they are hung...NO rods, just rings and upholstery tacks..."True Nester Style"...and CHEAP...

Christmas in Clarkesville

This is the car all loaded (I mean stuffed!) and ready to go up to Clarkesville, Georgia for Christmas.  We were all looking forward to spending Christmas with the whole Mossman gang!
Christmas Eve in their new jammies...the one present they get to open early every year.
Every year Todd blocks off where they are sleeping and puts a video camera to "monitor" their every move.  The rule is that they cannot come out at all until we get up...and we found out that they got up at 4:30 and sat in the hallway playing with each other and telling jokes until 7:30!  At least they let us sleep in a bit :)  Here is Morgan with her new Ipod that Santa brought her.
T.J. is so excited to get a paper airplane kit...love the expression on his face!
This is having Christmas with the whole gang...WOW!!  Look at the adults...no one is looking in the same direction!!
We played alot of games...Taboo, Catch Phrase, Bananagrams, Hearts and Farkle
Morgan & T.J. all dressed and ready for church
All the kids at the breakfast table...cooking for this many kids takes teamwork!!
This is what happens when your two marshmellows are gone...it's very traumatic for Jack!
Roasting marshmellows in Papa's firepit
What can I say...my son hates shoes!!  Even when it is 50 degrees outside!!

Rub a dub dub...three boys in the tub and having a good 'ol time!

Morgan singing in her chapel service at school

This is a short video of Morgan singing a solo at her school advent service. She did an awesome job and we are so proud of her!

Girl gone wild making crafts!!

After recovering my dining room chairs in this absolutely adorable fabric...I had some leftovers and decided to quickly throw together this little window mistreatment! It is basically folded in half and I found some brown satin ribbon to hot glue to make it "appear" finished!

For my homemade ornament party this year, I decided on making tags. This is how it started...just a plain ol white tag from Michaels...

To this...my favorite part is the adorable little jeweled brads at the top!! Love them :)
Then my friend, Tara, got inspired to paint some picture frames! She found these cute wood frames for $1.00 at Michaels.

And this is one of my finished frames...I think I am actually in love with it!!

So have any of you made any fun things lately?? Would love to see or hear of your ideas!

Relaxing weekend in Punta Gorda

I love that my kids still play with beach toys!
Morgan fishing in Boca Grande...a beautiful, beautiful beach!
Look what Mr. David caught! A baby hammerhead shark!
David & Anna Callin...such a sweet and special couple! They invited us to spend the weekend with them at their home in Punta Gorda. They said that we should come and be ready to relax...and that is what they meant! They truly spoiled us and the kids. We even had a movie night in the home theatre while snacking on chocolate fondue!

A family picture at Boca Grande...T.J. is sitting in the hole he dug :o)