Fun weekend trip!

Wow, it's almost another weekend! Between traveling home on Monday instead of Sunday, a very slow computer, and a workshop all day on Wednesday, I am just now getting around to completing this post about our trip to Fort Worth.

Mike, Tanner, Grace and I left on Friday morning headed to Texas. We had not been to Mike's folks since April of 2008. Needless to say they were all ready to see Little Miss Grace! She traveled pretty well, thanks to the DVD player. She really only slept for about 45 minutes on the last leg of the trip. She doesn't have her paci anymore so it was not as easy for her to fall asleep. We made good time, though, and pulled into Mema and Papa's at about 3:00 p.m. Grace went to the door by herself, with Tanner around the corner, because Papa didn't know we were coming. He was very surprised to see that little girl at the door and at first didn't know who she was! It didn't take him long, though, and he was thrilled to see her. It was okay with him that we were there too, but she was the one he was really wanting to see.


Here he is just watching every move she made. He couldn't believe how big she had gotten and how verbal she was. She talked nonstop once she got comfortable in her surroundings!

There was a picture of her with Mema right here, but I accidentally deleted it! I will put it in another post later. She also was thrilled to see Miss Grace. She had seen her in February when she came up here for Grace's 2nd birthday but she was really ready to spend some more time with her. She, too, was amazed at how much she had grown and how much she was talking and making sense.


One of our all time favorite places to eat in Ft. Worth is Joe T. Garcia's. Mike craves it all the time, so I know we will eat there at least once any time we are in town. We went there for lunch on Saturday and it was just as good as it always is. Mema, Tanner, Mike, Brenda (Mike's sister), Grace and I stuffed ourselves to the hilt. Everything was fresh and hot! I had to send Taylor a picture of our table since she didn't go with us. She was not too thrilled!
After Joe T.'s, Brenda, Mema, Grace and I went to one of Brenda's friends and picked up their little girl who is the same age as Grace. We then went to Forest Park to ride the train. It was a lot of fun. The train was a little bigger than the one in Ft. Smith that Grace, Granny and I had ridden. The ride lasted for about 45 minutes and we saw some pretty scenery. Brenda was excited to be able to take Grace on the train. She remembered when she had taken Taylor and Tanner on the same one.

This is Audrey. She was more bashful than Grace at first, but she finally came around. Grace wanted to hold her hand and sit by her on the benches while we waited. She wouldn't even look at Grace at first. Grace couldn't quite understand why she wouldn't have anything to do with her. It was fun watching them interact. Grace is never around kids her own age. By the end of the train ride they were best friends and hugging each other. When we got Audrey back to her house she didn't want to go in! Don't they both have beautiful blue eyes?
Back at Mema and Papa's we had gotten popsicles from the ice cream truck. Grace obviously got a red popsicle! We stripped her down to panties and kept her outside and she had a ball.
When she finished it, Brenda got the water hose after her! She loved it, too. She loves the water as much or more than any kid I know. She stood still for a while and then she ran off. It was funny watching Brenda go after her with that hose.
On Sunday morning we left Ft. Worth headed for Lake Texoma to spend the day with Chadd, Jeannie and Brett. We met up with them at their boathouse. Immediately we put the life vest on Grace. I was a nervous wreck when we first got there. Grace is not really afraid of much and we were surrounded by water! They kept telling me that she was okay, even if she fell in her head wouldn't even go under water because of the design of the vest. She got pretty hot and kept wanting it off, but all in all she did pretty well. Jeannie got out the little fishing rods and let her fish right up there where we were sitting on the dock. She caught 2 almost immediately! She seemed to enjoy seeing them, but didn't really want to have much to do with them. Ranger, the dog, on the other hand was very interested in them!
After we snacked on some sausage stuffed peppers, we took off on the boat! Grace really enjoyed that. I was very nervous once again, trying to keep her still! We went off a ways and let the boat drift while Tanner, Jeannie, Brett, Chadd and Grace did some lake swimming! Tanner took very good care of his niece! The boat drifted quite a ways away and Chadd ended up going out to help bring Grace back. She was not so crazy about swimming with Chadd! It all worked out fine, though.
She did okay with Jeannie as long as she stayed close to the boat!
Tanner and Jeannie had to 2 seats at the front of the boat that they fish from so of course Grace wanted to be up there. She is pretty crazy about her Uncle T anyway, so she likes to be with him.
We had a great day at the lake! After our boat excursion we headed back to the boathouse for some delicious fajitas. When everyone had their fill we headed into Chadd and Jeannie's to spend the night. We were all pretty tired from the sun. On Monday morning we headed back to Arkansas! We stopped off in Alma to spend some time with Granny and then took Grace home. She didn't want to go home, she wanted to go to our house! We, however, were ready for her to go to her house! I love her dearly, but it was good to drop her at her house after having her for 4 days straight. I am reminded every time we have her for any length of time like that why we have our kids when we are younger!

We really did have a wonderful trip and I hope we get to have many more with her!!!

A little of this, a little of that...

Well, I guess I will just start out with this cute little thing! We were playing with the camera one day at the house and this was how she chose to pose. We never know what we are going to get with her, but I think it is adorable. (No prejudice here.)


We had to get Papa involved with the photo shoot that day. He really LOVES to have his picture made!

Now, on to some summer fun in the pool. We bought a new pool for Grace this summer and Mike decided to put it more in the shade instead of on the deck. It really only stayed there for one afternoon and then we went back to the deck with it. (Too many bugs while on the ground.) Anyway, this was her first day in it, she loved it.

Then, of course, Uncle T had to share some of the fun. I don't know who enjoyed it more, Grace or T. It really doesn't matter, they both had a ball that day. They took turns to see who could be the most aggravating!

Now for the inside! I don't know if anyone remembers, or cares for that matter, but last spring I got rid of all my bedding, window treatments and wall decorations in our bedroom. I had been looking on websites and in stores for months to find something that we liked to replace them with. While I was looking, Mike was slowly putting some of his western, cowboy pictures on one of the walls. I knew I had better get busy or he would have all the walls in only cowboy stuff. Not that I don't like it, but I didn't want it all that way. I was surfing one day and found a bed set on eBay that I really liked and it was affordable! He liked it too and it would go with what he had already put on the wall. So, I ordered it! While waiting for it to come in, I was shopping with Taylor at Arty Crafty in the mall and found some wall decor that I really liked that I thought would blend in just right, so I bought it and took it home. Mike liked it, too, and actually hung it for me that evening. The bedding and window treatments came in pretty quick so we now have our bedroom all decorated again. We both really like the way it turned out! I have added a couple of pictures so you can see the final result. We actually added the extra cowboy/western stuff that you see over the bed after we had gotten the bedding in. Now he has 2 walls in there that he decorated! I really think that everything works well together and we are both happy!!

I will have to say that it doesn't always look like that, I don't always get the bed made. But when I do, it sure looks nice. Mike is really bad to go in and nap in the afternoons, so he always has it unmade by 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon even if I do make it in the mornings, or whenever I manage to get up! Once school starts back up, I will at least get it made in the mornings because he leaves before I do.

This is one of Grace's baby dolls that stays at our house. Her momma won't let her take it home, she says it is creepy! Anyway, she is pretty good sized but Grace seems to love playing with her. She decided that she needed to put her clothes on the baby the other day. It's amazing how well they actually fit the doll! A little big, but not bad. Once she had her dressed, she told me that we had to take their picture.


Now for the next bit of randomness, Mom had some bushes on the side of her house and in the front that she wanted taken down. So, Tanner and I loaded up Mike's big truck and took off to Alma last Sunday. He worked and worked and worked at getting them cut down. They were a mess!! The first picture below shows one of the piles we ended up with.

I didn't get a picture of the end of the house before we started, but it looked worse than this picture of the front. The bushes were bigger and all grown together. Mike had sent a chainsaw with us, but not the big one. Tanner dulled 2 blades down pretty quick with the bushes on the side and ended up using a hatchet on the ones in the front! He worked some muscles he doesn't work when making pizzas!

This is how the front looks now! Bushes cut way down to the ground. The plan is to get a handle on them from the start when they come back, if they do!

Needless to say, Mom was very pleased with the results. I do need to mention here that my sister, Cathy, was in from Atlanta and she and I did a fair amount of work that afternoon also. We hauled off the branches as he cut. Then she got in the azaelea bed and started cutting them back. Tanner ended up in that bed also with the chainsaw taking them down even farther than Cathy did. Then after we headed home, Cathy went for mulch and got it all spread out in the azaelea bed. It looks great but I didn't get a good picture.

Mom was very excited to have so much work done that day. Tanner was also going to power wash her swing, but the power washer wouldn't work. We will get that done next time. Maybe by the time we get back down there with the power washer her deck will be built off the back of the house!! We are all excited about the new deck she will be getting very soon, thanks to the skills of my son-in-law!!

Til next time...

Where has the time gone?

I was looking at the date of my last post and didn't realize it had been so long since I posted last. I have some more pictures of summer activities but just haven't taken time to get them on. I don't have time to wait for them to load today, but I will get them on soon.

I got a text message from Taylor, my daughter, this morning about another giveaway. So, that is the real reason for this post. The Design Girl is giving away a blog makeover!! I have been wanting a new design for quite a while and have lists of designs that I like. Now that Taylor has her new one, it really made my desire for one even stronger. Of course, I am all about giveaways anyway, I have actually won two different ones, so I couldn't resist the possibility of winning my makeover. Anyway, check out her blog to see what she has to offer!

Hoping to win!!!

You know how I feel about giveaways!!

When I started reading blogs this afternoon, the first one I read was Taylor's, for obvious reasons, and she had posted about a giveaway on a new blog that she had found. So, of course, I went there and found out that she is giving away a pair of really cute earrings! You need to go there yourself and check them out! Good luck!!

Jenna has a very cute little boy that I am now looking forward to watching grow! Hope you enjoy her blog as much as I am anticipating enjoying it.

Have a great Sunday!

Birthday week and fun with Granny and Grace

This post actually begins with last weekend when Grace was over at our house. Mema Betty had sent her a package to our house and she thoroughly enjoyed opening it. There were several little things, most wrapped individually inside the box. The prizes included 2 pair of high heels, a head band, some pink hair, and a tinkerbell dress complete with wings. There were also some movies in there and a stuffed animal dressed up in a frilly dress and on a stand. She immediately started putting the shoes on and wearing them around the house and then it was on to the pretty dress. She looked adorable as some of the pictures below will attest. As far as I know, this was her first dress-up dress but I don't think it will be her last!

Digging into the box.

Front view

Back view (there was a toothbrush, too)

Head band and pink hair

and some new jewelry!

On Monday Grace and I headed to Alma to spend a few days with Granny. We always call for reinforcements when we go to Alma, Courtney! She is a lifesaver. Grace loves her and she loves Grace so whenever we are down I always call to see if Courtney is available. She is always ready to spend some time with Miss Grace, so she came up after we got in from the running around we did Monday afternoon. Grace absolutely wore her out, I think. But, if you look closely, you can see smiles on both faces!

On Tuesday we decided it was time for grilled burgers. There aren't many things in this world that Granny likes better than grilled burgers. If I am down for any length of time I always grill burgers and hot dogs for her. Courtney and Granny Ima came up to enjoy our burgers and dogs. While waiting for the coals to get hot, Courtney and Grace did some cooking of their own. I don't know how many pork chops and cookies they cooked out on that patio before our burgers were ready. It was shady on the patio and there was a slight breeze so it was not too hot to be out there. It's a good thing because Grace loves to be outside.

Wednesday, the 17th, was my birthday. Mom went over to Paul's Bakery in Van Buren and got a birthday cake for me. We were planning to go out on Wednesday so we had the cake and ice cream with our grilled burgers. It was soooo good. We have been having all kinds of cakes and cookies from Paul's Bakery since I was a little girl. Isn't it pretty?

When I was a little girl, a very long time ago, we used to have many picnics at Creekmore Park in Fort Smith. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many hours we have spent there over the years. It was a great park then and still is today. They have a train called the "Creekmore Express" that still runs most days. When we were kids, it was a steam train. Now they only use the steam train on holidays, but they run another one the rest of the time. I have been wanting to get Grace over there to ride it and we finally made it. We went on Wednesday about noon before it go too hot to be outside. It costs a whole quarter per person to ride it! Is that highway robbery or what? Anyway, we made it to the park and only had to wait a few minutes until it stopped for our turn. Grace, Granny and I loaded up, paid the man our 75 cents and waited until time to go. It was fun. Grace didn't have too much to say about it, but I think she enjoyed it too.

Waiting for the ride to start!

Of course, on the way to the train we passed all the other play areas, most of which were in the direct sun. After we got off the train, Grace headed for this slide. It was just her size and it was curvy. She had a ball. There was a swing not far from the slide and in the shade, so Granny sat down for a few minutes and we let her go down the slide.

At the top of the slide

At the bottom of the slide

She really wasn't ready to go when we were, but her cheeks were beet red and it was time for lunch. I met her at the bottom of the slide and scooped her up and started walking, eliminating much opportunity for fussing. I told her we were headed to eat lunch and since she is always hungry she gave in.

We had a great visit with Granny and came home on Thursday. I was tired, but it was worth every minute. I know she isn't going to be little for very long.

On Friday morning, I got a text message from Taylor telling me that I had plans for the evening. I was going to girl's night with her and her friends. I knew she had one planned and that they were going to dinner and then to see The Proposal. I had really been wanting to see that movie and I love to eat out so I was in. I asked her where they were going and she said that they were going to let me decide since they were helping me celebrate my birthday! Wasn't that sweet? I opted for Noodles. I haven't been there very often so it was some place different and I had a $10.00 coupon. It was great fun and the food was delicious. Taylor has posted some pictures that Stephanie and our waiter took. They surprised me with the sparkler dessert since we were celebrating my birthday. Thank goodness all the waiters and waitresses did not sing to me! It was nice to be the center of attention for a few minutes, though! Thank you girls for letting me be a part of your girl's night!

While we were at dinner, Taylor gave me my birthday card from her and Tanner. They gave me a gift card to Target so I could go get my NintendoDS!! I have never been one for playing video games but when Courtney got one for her birthday and started telling me all about it, I decided that I just had to have one! Both of my kids thought I was crazy, but they got it for me anyway!

I got the pink one, surprise, surprise! I also found the kit shown with it that has a case in it, a game, a car charger and some extra stylus pens. I looked at the games at Target, but they didn't really have any I wanted. I have been scoping out games since May! I had to go to Wal Mart for groceries so I looked at their games and found several that I want. I settled on this MillionHeir Mystery Case Files game to start with. The one that is with the case is a puzzle collection so I have some variety to start with. I was a little nervous to get it opened up and dig in, but I have played some of both games already. It is going to be easy to get addicted!

Anyway, that ends my week's activities. I do so love the summer time with very few committments! I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I'm off to play my new games! Housework, what housework?

More giveaways...

As I was blog surfing today I ran across some giveaways! This one is the Going Dot Com Birthday Bash. Check it out, there are some really good things to win!

Gotta love summer projects...

Before I get to the summer projects, let me tell you that Whitney from Whitney Caroline Designs is having a giveaway. She really has some cute things up for grabs so be sure to check it out!

Now for the projects. I know that you are going to be surprised that most of these projects revolve around this precious angel below! But, surprised or not, she's the motivation behind several of them. (Some are still in the works and I will post those at a later date).

She spent the night with us last Thursday night so we had some fun on Friday. I was sitting at the computer and she climbed up in my lap so she could type. (She loves typiing on the computer). I had the camera handy, so I snapped this cute picture while she was saying "Cheese." It looks like she was winking, too. Is she not just a doll?

I have had her toys in a basket in this corner of the living room since we took down the Christmas tree. It's convenient for us to watch her and she has enjoyed them being there so handy. As you can see from the picture below, she has a few. She decided that she needed to see what was on the bottom the other day and dumped the whole thing out. She did discover some things she had forgotten about. She has this thing about dumping containers. She usually doesn't play with whatever she has dumped out, but she sure doesn't want it in the container! Same with the toy basket on Friday. Would you like to venture a guess as to who picked them up? (I didn't mind at all! Gave me a chance to clean some of the junk out.)
The first big project was to add to Grace's library. I had stored a lot of Taylor and Tanner's books in my classroom since I was out of room here. Since Grace likes books so well, I really wanted to bring them back home for here, so I loaded them up the last week of school and did just that! They stayed in the back of my car for about a week. I couldn't really do much with them until we broke down the crib that was in her room. (The one she may have slept in twice). Anyway, Tanner got a bad sunburn on Sunday so he was off work on Monday and he broke it down for me. Thanks, son!! Mike and I carried it out to the container and then I had room to work. I had bought these shelves on Sunday and put them together in anticipation of completing the room this week. So below you will see Grace's complete library now, all neat and organized! (She hasn't been here yet to see it).

Once the crib was gone, I could finish the rest of the room. We turned the bed and I bought new bedding and got it set up yesterday. This is the third bedding set that I bought. I bought one at Wal Mart that I sort of liked, then found one at Target I liked better. When we getting ready to set it up, I realized that the bed was a queen sized bed instead of full, so I had gotten the wrong size bedding. I had to put that project on hold. I felt a little silly! However, I don't sleep on that bed so I never paid much attention to it! On Tuesday, Taylor called and asked if I was going to be out. She was going to have some free time after her doctor's appointment and wasn't planning to go back home. I am always up for a day with my daughter!! We met at Target after her appointment and decided on the bedding in this picture. She hated the one I had picked out on my own. I really didn't like it that much either, but I wanted to get finished and it was pretty cheap. We both really liked this one, though, and since it is Grace's room we decided it needed to be fun! What do you think?

After finishing the bed and putting in some extra storage containers in Grace's room, I moved her toy basket in there, too. Now it is her room and all of her stuff is in the same place. Our house is not very big, so it's not like I can't keep an eye on her in her room. That freed up the corner of the living room so I bought this corner shelf to put in there. I picked it out by myself because Taylor had to go to work. I found it at Hobby Lobby for 30% off!! I plan to fill it up with pictures. I actually have added a few since I took this picture. I am really liking the way the living room is shaping up and I love the way Grace's room looks now. I hope she likes it, too!

Mike has completed a huge project in getting the garage cleaned out and organized. I don't think our garage has ever looked as good as it does now. I noticed that he marked the calendar when he finished so we can see how long it lasts! He's not very good at putting things back when he finishes with them.

We also got a new pool for Grace yesterday and a bathing suit for here. Today, Tanner brought home a big carpet remnant for us to put under the pool so we cleaned off the deck and got it ready for the new pool. We didn't set it up yet with the rain coming, but I will be posting pictures of this year's version of Graceland!

I am feeling good about the progress we have made this summer and look forward to completing a few more projects before it is over!!

Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer, too!