A Little Piece of Quiet

Well, another Thanksgiving passed. I hope you all have had an amazing holiday!

We've had a good one. I got off work at 1:30 on Wednesday, and we headed for LJ. We stayed until yesterday morning. We had loads of fun times. (btw, Lane Bryant had a killer sale!) We ended up with a toddler with allergies and a cough, and then Michael ended up with nasty allergies and lost his voice. Poor guy's never lost that before. He said, "I don't know what I'll do at school tomorrow." Well, honee, I don't know. :-) Lex did really well, though. took his medicine like a champ. We lost quite a bit of sleep, though. he met Kourtney again, and they played. Nothing like a two year old and a six month old goign after it. lol.

We came back, got some rest, and then we ordered wings and headed for SA. We've been here since noon, and we're all just resting up. Lex is watching Charlie Brown and playing with his animals. Sweet kiddo. Michael and his mom are running to the store in search of Sudafed PE strips. We looked everywhere last night! no such luck.

Anyhoo, enough of my visits.

Lex and I made everyone's ornaments from him. Those will have to be posted tomorrow. 12 ceramic ornaments, all painted in blues, greens, reds and golds. He did a wonderful job!

Tired and creative.

Is it bad to be so creative, yet have so little energy? I'm sitting here at work, and I'm wondering why I didn't take off a few days between jobs. hahaha. Yep, that's the overachiever in me.

Anyhoo~ I have bought myself some art papers and have begun an art journal. It's pretty good so far, but the pages are falling out of the book. I guess that's the Gesso working its magic, eh? Oh well. I can Bind-it-All later or use some cute binder rings and ribbon when I'm done. :-)

I don't have any photos to put up today, but I will in the morning. I have some god, god ones of my little man outside with his "appey ciduh" and his walnut kicking while Michael barbequed. Nom, nom, nom is all I can say!

I bought my Christmas cards this year from MD Anderson's Children's Project. I usually make my cards and have some sort of cutesy photo of Lex, but this year, it'll just be encased in these wonderful projects by kids. I am a huge advocate for the children's art project.

Anyhoo, off to creat something! More tomorrow.

Happy Falling Back!

For my birthday, a group of girls that I've come to know and love got me a gift certificate for Amazon.com. I searched and searched for what I wanted to order. I looked at those amazing shoes Lizzy Kartchner suggested a long time ago, games, books, and purses. I came to the conclusion that I needed to get my creative juices flowing again. It's time to get out of the slump I'm in.

 

So, I ordered:

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in absolute LOVE with Art Journals and Creative Healing and the Mini Albums books so far. I'm waiting for Amanda Soul's book to make it's way into the freshly lotioned hands of mine today or tomorrow. Lizzy was right. Ali Edwards' book makes you just want to up and get creative. And I'm wanting to learn the fine art of gesso and layering in art hournals... and maybe even make one or two. So, the question of the day is "What's going to be your medium, Ashley?" Maybe a board book covered in gesso, maybe an old hardback, maybe I'll just buy a book to use. Who knows.

 

Speaking of Lizzy Kartchner... I got an email from Creating Keepsakes that she'll be answering my question in the February issue of the magazine. Sweet. Never thought twice when she asked for everyone to enter qustions into CK. I'll be getting a February copy in the mail. By the way, I'm in wub with her blog. :-)

 

Lex has been sick. Starts of a sinus infection. I hate the allergy/weather change seasons. Poor baby's hacking up a lung a day. Whatever the pediatrician gave us for his cough is AMAZING! Atuss, I think.

 

We got one photo of him in his costume, since we didn't do much for Halloween. So... I'm getting him to pose for me tonight or tomorrow and get some good'uns. Will post them soon.

 

I guess I need to update my Etsy sometime, or maybe even put something up in my Hyena Cart. I'm loving making things, but no one seems to be uber interested. Eh, it'll catch on one day!

 

We're walking away on this house we signed on. It's the Option period, and we've found a humongo list of issues, so we're going to look at house option #2. I'll post pics as they come!

 

Hope you have a happy day!

 

 

My Punkin got to pick out a pumpkin!

Yes, we visited the pumpkin patch yesterday. It was bad lighting, but I think I got a few good ones in there...

 

 

Wow, what a week.

Well, it's been a little while, hasn't it?

 

We signed for a house a week ago. I started my new job at the church full time on Wednesday. I'm making Lex a puppy costume out of a brown hoodie jacket and pants because his vampire costume's too scary for his party at school. I made 20 little cups with goodies for the Halloween party in Lex's class next week. I sent thank yous out from his parties. Most of them anyway. :-) We had a good time in LJ with Lex and the family, but I miss, miss, miss, my sister. I went to Diboll for a UMW meeting Saturday morning. I'm somehow the Vice President for UMW next year, and I just learned that means I'm president in two yers. Ummm. Wow.

 

Without further ado...

The house...

Playroom

 

Living Room

 

 

 

Kitchen

 

Little Blessings.

Blessing number 1. Well, I got a new job. They approve me today after the late service at the church. I will be the church secretary at the local presbyterian church. I put in my notice at my other job on Wedensday. I've been working in the mornings and training in the afternoons. I'm running ragged, but I think I can keep this up. I may have to take a day or two and relax or clean. It's a pay cut from my full time job, but it's a huge increase from the part time they made me on Wednesday.

 

Blessing Number 2. Yes, clean people. We may have found ourselves a house. An older home, but it's 3200 square feet of old, gorgeous house. It needs a little tlc, but what older home doesn't? And for the price... just wow. That's all I can say. We are checking our lists and finances twice to see if we can swing things, but we're the top of the list right now for the family/realtor, so i'm pushing Michael to figure something one way or the other as soon as we can. We go look again tomorrow. Drool. Pictures to come.

 

Blessing Number 3. Lex is talking up a little storm! We're so happy. And he's getting better every day.

 

Blessing number 4. Lex's allergies/molars/cold is gone! He's still coughing some, but the little guy's no longer hacking up a lung. We're all elated.

 

Blessing number 5. We got cuppity cakes tonight. Nom, nom, nom. Is all I can say. Yes, I know I can make them myself. And yes, I know I could pile on the homeade buttercream to the sky, but I didn't. I found mint chocolate cupcakes at Brookshire Brothers tonight, and I had to try them out. They had tthe whipped topping on them today. Not my favorite at all. Nothing like mine, but I give them two thumbs up. Satisfies that weird chocolate craving for every woman. ;-)

 

Blessing Number 6. We got our "adoptive" college student last sunday. I forgot to mention! The university class at church takes all the students and gives them to a church family that has signed up to be their "home away from home" for the year. We got a senior gentleman that loves intramural sports. I bought a card and a BUNCH of Snickers for him to get going. I think I'm going to start a midterm/Halloween basket for him...

 

Blessing Number 7. We lived through haircuts this morning. Michael got his. Then, it was Lex's turn. Gene gave Lex a sucker, but it didn't help. He screamed, cried, flailed, and reached for Mama the whole time. Michael held him in his lap and let Gene at the little guy's hair. Short in the bac, trimmed on top. My baby looks like the little man he's becoming every day now. Michael came home and said, "He looks a year and a half older." And he does!

 

Blessing Number 8. Halloween costumes. Before I go any farther, Michael picked it out. My son is going to be a vampire. I'm not into it, but those two are. I picked out a puppy and a scarecrow while I still have a little say in what he wears. But, no. The girl's outnumbered this year. Oh well. Maybe baby number 2 will let me choose theirs, when we get to that point in trying for him/her.

Daaaang, I'm a bad poster.

I'm a terrible blogger lately. It's been over a month since I've done anything on here. I aplologize.

Pictures to share! Michael and I put together Lex's "pishie" tank last night. We get the Glo Fish (Tetras) tonight and put them in for his big TWO tomorrow. 

He sat there staring before school this morning saying, "Where'd they go? Where'd they go? Huh?" Sweetheart.

Yes, my little man's two tomorrow. I can't believe it one iota. We are taking professional photos next week for him. Wub, wub, wub.

I made new jewelry, but be warned... I took some bad photos. Okay, maybe I don't have them on this computer. Will share tomorrow!

I made a cover for teh APA Cookbook, but sweet Sarah's won. (Congrats!!!)

And, I have a job interview on Friday at the Presbyterian Church as their Secretary. 10:00 a.m. Wish me luck! And, the job I have right now is willing to go part time so I can finish college classes. Things are working left and right right now. 

Michael starts with Lamar in January on his Masters in Education & Principal's certification. I'm so proud of him.

I think that's it for now, folks! I'm off to get lunch in the cafeteria today. Nom, nom, nom.

Almost forgot...

Our little man's two year birthday's next month... What theme do you think I should go with?

Little Einsteins

or

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse??

(Yes, I'm fully aware that I've posted two posts in one day! Lucky, lucky!)

Well, I'm a little behind...

In my posting, that it. Sorry 'bout that.

Been applying for jobs like a madwoman, and I'm working on more jewelry that I'm about ready to debut in my Etsy. My bosslady tells me that it reminds her of Carnival Glass, very vintage. I'm excited. And I found pearls and Czech glass that makes gorgeous stretchy bracelets. Wish I had a camera to show some of it to you. Maybe tomorrow morning.

My family's in the midst of lots of rain. Glad they're okay. T.S. Edouard hit this morning around 8:00 a.m. We're getting wind, but nothing more than that and a few sprinkles so far.

The job hunt is going slowly. I didn't get the job in the Registrar's Office, notsomuch as an interview. I didn't get the Library spot, but I had a good interview. Did you know that I'm overqualified?! What the..?? I interviewed in the Charter School two weeks ago, so I'm waiting there. I REALLY want that one. Bad. It's so perfect for my little family right now. Hours, days off in the summer, a school. Sigh.

Lex is saying lots of things now. He sings the alphabet, but he's so off on his sounds. It's sooooo sweet. Double-doo ('W') is my favorite. lol. He says dired ('tired'), shoes, cheese, he can spell Mickey Mouse (kind of), and he's working hard hard on saying I love you completely right. He gets to frustrated when he can't say what he needs to. We cry a lot right now, too. He's having communication issues, but we're learning. Lots of school wall supplies in his room. Shapes, letters, colors, words...

It's only 3:20, and I'm soooo ready for home. We got a Wii Fit and are in love with it. It's so much fun, but I need sleep. It told me my Wii Fit age was 20!!! Hehe...

But... I will bid you adieu for now. Ciao!

Little Climber...

Yes, my little man is a climber. He thinks that the blow up mattress is Mount Everest. He cracks me up, too. We stopped re-putting it up against the couch, and he lost it. (Please excuse the laundry... We're doing laundry right now. Like my little piles?)

Lex hasn't been sleeping well lately, and last night, he did an amazing little job for the second half of the night!! Woo hoo little man!

Oh, and to let you know, I got him some 2T Army/Camo underwear to help him out with potty training. He loves sitting onteh potty and he loves his new undies! Niiice.

Yep, AND Heather and I have decided to do Holiday in the Pines. I'm excited and nervous all in one. I've got everything for the application ready, except the booth presentation. Got to do that this evening.