Cleaning-up

The other day I was trying to teach Kenzie about "cleaning-up". I asked her to put all of her toys in the basket. Well...she heard "in the basket" but might have missed what I said was supposed to go into it because I turned around to find this:

What a silly-goose!

Southern Living At Home...Take TWO!

I've been a Southern Living At Home consultant for almost SIX years and let's just say it hasn't been the most productive... I love the company, what they promote, the women, the friendships and of course the products!!

As life got busy, I put my participation with SLAH on the backburner. Well, I'm excited to announce I have the new Fall Catalog for 2008 and sales start August 1st! The products are amazing, the catalog is beautiful and it's time to share all of this with you!

I would love to jump-start my home business again and host parties! It is my goal to do several parties between now and next January...that's where I need your help! If you are interested in seeing the new products, gathering your friends together and having a good time (and possibly earn free products) you need to contact me today!
If you live near the Denver, CO area and want to host a party...let me know. You also have the option of a Catalog Party that only requires you to gather orders from people you think might be interested and you get all of the benefits of those sales without the hassle of hosting a party in your home! Contact me today...our beautiful line of products await you!

Getting Crafty...

Not that I have spare time on my hands but lately I've felt the need to test my "craft" skills...

I crocheted this baby blanket for a friend. It took me 1 week to complete start to finish and of course I completed the last round the morning of her baby shower...nothing like cutting it close! Whew! It was made using "Baby Bee" Sweet Delight baby yarn in the shade, "Little Princess" (bought at Hobby Lobby) I love how it turned out!! I hope she and her baby love it as much as I love the blankie my sister made for Kenzie!

I also made her some (girl) Cloth-Diaper Burp-Cloths...but gave them to her before I got the chance to take pictures. I have another (boy) set ready to be made and will post those pictures once I do!

Close-up Detail...

Next, I moved on to sewing...I made this wonderful Reversible Tote, and matching Zippy and Diaper/Wipes Pouch from a beautiful (girly) fabric from one of my favorite stores, Denver Fabrics. (This place has the potential to make me poor - unless of course I start to sell my bags...hmmmm, I'll have to work on my skill as these were my first!)

...It was the perfect carry-on bag for my trip to Minneapolis last week!!

I am now very excited to start my next set of Reversible Totes using this fabric (enough for 2 bags - one to keep & one to give as a gift??)

...and these fabrics (enough for one more reversible bag)...

If you feel inspired...Happy Crafting!!

Minneapolis 2008

We just got back from our trip to Minneapolis earlier this week. This was Kenzie's first airplane ride and she did GREAT! From many helpful suggestions, I was prepared with new toys and new snacks to help keep her entertained for the 2 hour ride. Kenzie is generally a sweet, sweet girl and through this adventure she prooved to be nothing less. She only started crying about 10 minutes before landing in Minneapolis - that only lasted 5 minutes - then she fell fast asleep and wasn't even phased by the landing. This is how I held her from the time I stepped off the plane until my Mother-in-Law picked us up... Right after we landed we headed to a Birthday dinner for Justin's Grandma. It was her 83rd birthday and she nor the rest of the extended family had met Kenzie! They all loved her and despite my fears because of the long day we'd had, she responded well to meeting so many new people and was extremely well behaved at the restaurant too! Boy are we blessed!!

We attended an outdoor children's music concert at a nearby park...although the music was playing, it mostly served as background music to the exploring Kenzie and her Grandma did. She was a very busy little girl...

...and found many interesting things to look at.We shared a room with Kenzie at Grandma's house. This was funny because it is rare that Kenzie gets to wake up in the same room as mommy and daddy. Kenzie thought it was funny...but mommy didn't when it was 4:00am and she is standing in the crib at the end of our bed saying "Hi" and "Mommy". Okay, I'll admit, it was a funny site to see waking up to this every morning! Who wouldn't wake with a smile!? The crib she got to sleep in was actually Justin's crib from when he was a baby!We spent one day at a nearby lake. Justin's brother and his wife came to town too and brought their darling twin boys. We hadn't seen them in almost a year (they're only 3 months younger than Kenzie). The kiddos all loved playing in the sand together! Look at my bathing beauty...what a cutie if I do say so myself! I just LOVE beach pictures!
Below: Kenzie playing with cousins, Jakson and Connor and Aunt Megan.

Walking on the beach with Daddy...We spent a day of my choice shopping at the Mall of America and IKEA. I was so excited since I had never been to either one! I was thrilled that the Mall of America had one of my favorite stores, H&M!! C'mon, when does Colorado get one??

Justin's mom also treated us to the Underwater Adventures Aquarium at the Mall of America. This was SO neat! I normally don't like fish all that much but this was truly amazing! (Thanks Sue!) Kenzie actually really enjoyed it too...and learned how to say "fishies", of course it sounds more like "ishies" when she says it.
Family picture in the land display portion of the exhibit:
Just a few photos of the things we got to see...

SHARKS...Yikes!
Beautiful live coral...
Piranha! Weird how they all just floated in place, evenly spaced...it was a little eerie!
Before the cousins left, Grandma wanted a picture with her three grandchildren. Not such a great morning to do it as all three had woken up on the grumpy side. When one started to cry, it was all over from there! At least Grandma Sue thought it was funny!

Later, she was able to get some sweet snuggle time in with Kenzie. I guess Kenz just prefers Grandma one-on-one...she's a cuddle bug!One of the reasons we chose this particular week to visit was for the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Justin wanted to participate in. This was his third race of the season and his first ever out of state! The family came out to watch...Aunt Janis, Uncle Jim, Jeremy & Megan & the boys, Sue, Anita, Kenzie and I. Thanks for the support everyone!

Pictures from the race:

Done with the swim, out of the water...Coming in on the bike... Finishing with the run...
All in all, we had a great time. The weather was actually quite wonderful and it was fabulous to see all of the family and let them finally meet our sweet Kenzie.

The airplane ride home was just as great as the one out there. Kenzie handled it like a champ and once again fell asleep just in time for landing. What a stinker! She was really tired though and spent the bus ride home from the airport like this...

God Bless America!

It was a wonderful, warm (downright hot, really...) day and a perfect one for Barbecuing with family. We stayed in most of the day getting laundry done (thanks Justin!!), playing with Kenzie and relaxing on the couch together - a rarity since our schedules during triathlon season are hardly ever in sync. I love the days when we can take even a few moments to enjoy each others company and just sit together.

We ended our day with a barbecue at my younger sister's house. Usually we gather as a family at my parent's house. Mom and Dad do the grilling, Dad makes his special beans, and we all pitch in with something of our own to share. Well this year, Mom and Dad were out of town so we partied as sisters and hubbies instead. John and Abby grilled, I brought the beans (Dad's recipe of course!!) and Angie brought the fruit salad! Yum! Yum! We had a great time although I feel like we ate continuously from 6:00-9:00...we all had FULL bellies! Then it was off to find a fireworks show. What would the 4th of July be without a fireworks display!? We found one that was being set off around 104th up north. It was great though the kiddos seemed less than interested. It wasn't completely dark when the show started...bad if you like it dark...good if you have tired kids and a long drive home!

We parted ways and drove south just in time to catch the finale of the show at Bandimere Speedway. Talk about AWESOME!! I couldn't get my camera out fast enough to take any pictures but the show was spectacular. We had perfect timing as we drove right by on the highway and it felt as if we were in the middle of a firecracker! The streamers were showering down as if I could have reached my hand out and caught the sparkles. I have never seen a fireworks display appear so BIG! That's how close we were!!

Well, I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful 4th of July celebration too! I am thankful, and blessed to live in America! I appreciate the soldiers who fight for our freedom and pray for them and their families! God Bless America!

Happy 4th of July from my family to yours!

"Blankie"

Kenzie has formed a special attachment to her blankie this week...

She takes it everywhere she goes.

She can't eat breakfast if it isn't securely on her lap.

She needs it during nap time & when she goes to bed at night.

She loves to wear it over her shoulders and walk around like a queen.

She likes to snuggle up with Mommy in it...

And rest on it on the floor when she needs a break from playing.

It sure is a special blankie...Aunt Angie made it with lots of love and Kenzie just LOVES it too!

In One Word...

Since it's been over a month since my last post, I decided to fill in with this meme from Natalie's Blog (a new fantastic blogger who recently found me!):

In One Word...
1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? Justin
3. Your hair? dark
4. Your mother? funny
5. Your father? smart
6. Your favorite thing? daughter
7. Your dream last night? bizarre
8. Your favorite drink? macchiato
9. Your dream/goal? mommy
10. The room you’re in? condo
11. Your church? serving
12. Your fear? injury
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? house
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you’re not? tidy
16. Muffins? blueberry
17. One of your wish list items? house
18. Where you grew up? Colorado
19. The last thing you did? ate
20. What are you wearing? dress
21. Your TV? on
22. Your pets? cat
23. Your computer? consuming
24. Your life? blessed
25. Your mood? happy
26. Missing someone? sisters
27. Your car? Toyota
28. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
29. Favorite store? many
30. Your summer? warm
31. Like (love) someone? family
32. Your favorite color? pink
33. Last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? ????
35. Who will repost this? sister