More bark than bite!

It's a bow-wow party weekend! Roxy is officially no longer a toddler. She reached the big birthday milestone this week, she turned 5! Yep, I have to accept the fact that she's not a baby anymore, and she'll be the first to remind me of that :)

We are giving her a surprise birthday party this weekend with a puppy theme. Roxy has mentioned several times about being a Vet. when she grows up. I though that having a puppy/cat themed party, with Roxanne as a Veterinarian in training, would not only make her smile but it would also serve as a reminder of her childhood dreams (that may become reality).

Several weeks ago I sat down and put her party invitations together. Then today, I decided to do a crafty take home gift for each of the kids. So, I made these little wraps to go around each child's gift. I'll give more detail about the party next week and you can see pictures of the completed gifts. They are "doggone" cute!

Roxy, you're such a sweet little girl and I wish you all the best! Reach for the stars, baby. I love you with all of my heart - XOXOXOXO

sweet talk

Valentines Day is one of my favorite holidays. I love it because is tugs at my heart and there is lots of pink involved! It's just not Valentines Day without those little conversation hearts that I can remember getting as a child. They are by far not the most enjoyable candy to eat. However, there is just something about them. I have to get at least a handful of them to get into the Valentines mood. It's kind of like candy canes at Christmas time, it's just got to be there!

Well, I came across this fantastic fudge-o-licious recipe and I thought that I would share it with you. Doesn't it make those candy hearts look fabulous. So much better than handing them out in that stiff cardboard box that they are packaged it :)

my secret life

Thanks to a wonderful lady, my secret sister (for her generous gift certificate), I now have a bit of spring in my step. After drooling over Vera Bradley's newest bag, Alice, I headed out the door to our local Vera Bradley retailer (The Secret Garden). Ahhhh, it was love at first sight, touch...etc. You all know that I absolutely love anything with a bird on it. So, when I saw the new collection/print "Sittin' in a tree", I knew Vera had made it just for me, right? I am sure that Vera has been keeping it a secret so that others would not feel left out - j/k LOL! So, that's my secret life. A secret sister, a trip to The Secret Garden and a special (made up) secret that Vera loves me!

I'm not ready

Roxanne: "Mom, I need to tell you something."

Me: "And what is that?"

Roxanne: "I'm in love with Peyton."

Me: (laughing) "You are?"

Roxanne: "Yes, he's embarrassingly cute!"

Me: (laughing) "Oh, Roxanne, you are too much!"

Roxanne: laughing

Me: dialing her daddy's cell phone (still laughing)

There are just some things that I am not sure I am ready for! Dear Lord, please let the days of Dora panties and rain boots live on....for at least another 20 years - LOL

coming soon...

...to Lake Dow Garden Center. These adorable and totally chic bins, buckets and caddy's will be arriving at the gift shop soon! These items can be personalized and come in over 100 different color/print/pattern choices. They are unique and very versatile. These beauties would be great for outdoor gatherings or storage pieces/decor pieces throughout your home and/or office. I love'em!

happy

I am thankful for the life that I have been given. Happy Birthday to me!

poppy-licious

Laura Gunn is an artist turned fabric designer. Her popular artwork is now available as fabric. How cool is that? I loved Laura's first collection, Lantern Bloom. However, I think the Poppy Collection ( available in three color palettes) is going to be just as fabulous. Check it out HERE and see what you think. It's got spring written all over it, so fresh!!!!!

CRAAAAA-ZZAAAAYYYYY

...to say the least! Well, it's been full steam ahead this past week. We are on the final count down for opening day at the garden center. My orders from market have slowly been rolling in. A HUGE thank you to Kort-Kort for helping me check in merchandise and set up displays. Also a big whopping hug goes out to Nana for spending time with my two little darlings while I rush about buying office supplies and furniture.



In the midst of the craziness, I have managed to start a few projects. My "Smarty girl" bag pattern arrived a few days ago, and I've already cranked one out. It's adorable, roomy and very chic. I'll take pictures of it soon, promise!



I've also started making Roxanne's birthday outfit for her party at the end of the month. We are going with a puppy party, bow-wow theme! I'll post pictures of it as well once it's complete along with her cute little invitations that I created. I though they turned out pretty cute for not being a master designer with free hand art work.



So, you're wondering what that picture (credit to the designer) is up there, right? Well, I found this tutorial that I thought you would like. It's on my "to do" list for this spring. I love the idea and I have the perfect spot for it in my forever long hallway. I'm thinking this is gonna be fun!

going up?

Yes! I think I heard the phrase, "Going Up?" about a gazillion times this past weekend. Everytime I entered into an elevator, and I lost count after about 15, that was the question I was given. I attended the AmericasMart this past Friday and Saturday. Talk about a job, shew! Let's just say I now have a new respect for people who buy for large retail shops. Holy cow, I was amazed at the amount of time and energy that I spent meeting with vendors to buy products for the gift shop at the nursery.

For those of you who have no idea of what the AmericasMart is, let me explain. Simply put, it's a huge mall. There are about 280 vendors per floor and there are 17 floors in the building. So, do the math...CRAZY! I was able to hit 6 of the 17 floors in 2 days, and I was not dragging my feet. Seriously, I was close to falling out, so Tommy and I treated ourselves to a nearby hotel with a beautiful view of the city. If you're ever in Atlanta, you must stay at the Georgian Terrace Hotel. It was great and my feet were glad to rest in luxury for the night.

Well, we are one step closer to meeting our March opening date at the nursery. Now that the gift merchandise is on it's way, it's time to start getting down to business. A big huge thank you to all of you who have helped us keep afloat taking on this new adventure. Your encouraging words, help with the "facelift" of the facility, watching the kids, the fudge (Thanks Kara)...and the list goes on. Each of you mean so much. I am sending you a virtual hug (squeeze)! Thank you from the bottom of my heart - XOXOXO

Magic

There is just something magical about the dance. A deep rooted love, a bond, a total focus on the one in your arms...and it shows!

Smarty new me!

I just snagged a great deal over at Heather Bailey's online shop. Heather's starting off 2010 with a "Smarty New Year". So join the smarty new me and become a smarty new you. I also picked up a couple yards of her new fabric, Nicey Jane, along with some of her designer felt. Heather Bailey is the Mama of all crafters, she's just awesome!

nothing new

Roxanne has had some experience in the past with my camera. She loves to use the "black" camera to take pictures. Most of the time I make her use the tri-pod with it, but there are times that I have let her hold the camera free hand. She loves to work the lens, angle the camera and count down before the shot is taken (the warning call).

While being silly and having fun taking snap shot photos at a recent anniversary reception, Roxanne stepped behind the lens. With the camera mounted to the tri-pod, she was begging for a good target. So, I stepped in and gave her some action.

For being so young (almost 5), she does a pretty amazing job of capturing a moving target.

This little gal may just have a little talent under her sleeve (fingers crossed).

I would love to see her advance in her photography skills, she would be amazing!

So, I guess little Roxanne is going to be following close in my footsteps. It's fine by me, I like her close and it looks like she kind of enjoys it too! We make a great team :)

bring it on

Mr. Roe and I were in the mood for some fun family time. With all of the holiday bustle, Christmas gatherings and other to-do's on our event list, we wanted to slow it down a bit and have some "us" time. We packed up and headed north to Tennessee.

We stayed in a high rise condo. that was so awesome. My favorite part was the tub, it was HUGE. I gotta get one...soon!!!! I feel a remodeling project coming on - LOL We visited some of our favorite place, The Black Bear Jamboree, The Comedy Barn, and Roxy's favorite...Dixie Stampede. We were able to see Santa once again and his reindeer. Roxy enjoyed being on stage dancing during the show at the Comedy Barn. Bryar loved the live music and the food! We also found a fun cafe, the Flying Horse Grill. It's a cafe with a large carousel, so fun!

We had a great time with the girls enjoying each others company.

We got a nice surprise...snow! It wasn't a ton of snow, but the kids got a kick out of it and Tommy and I giggled right along with them. It made for a fun ride home and made the time in the car pass quickly.

This week I hope to post lots of fun ideas, crafting stuff and maybe even a few of my own creations. I am looking forward to reading your blogs and enjoying your creations and ideas as well. Let's make 2010 full of crafting fun...bring it on!