Happy 90th Auntie Jean

Saturday we met at Tomatillo's to surprise Mike's Auntie Jean for her 9oth birthday. I personally don't think it's a great idea to surprise someone who is 90 years old but Jeannie handled it all just fine. She shed a few tears but quickly joined us for a fun afternoon with family we just don't get to see enough of. She even had 2 margaritas!

These are all the cousin's kids. and one grand kid that snuck in the photo.

Mike's sister, Debbie & her husband Bron.

Matthew & Brent. These two are trouble!

Paula helping her mama in for the big surprise. She cried when she realized it was a party for her.

Mason, giving his Nana (great grandma) a birthday kiss.

The Neels

Jeannie, the only living sibling with her daughter, Paula and her nieces & nephews

Me & my boy, Matthew

Debbie reading Jeannie her cards. She was just over whelmed!

Me & my man!

Jeannie & Paul. They are so sweet!

Auntie Jean, Norman (Mike's cousin) & Debbie

This cake was terrific! One layer for each decade and 90 candles. She managed to blow them all out (really)!

Wearing the Tomatillo's sombrero while we sang happy birthday.

Getting a hand back to her seat after all that work blowing out the candles.

Ballerinas and Bears

I really like how this page came out. I saw the cute little bear months ago while blog stalking (as I like to call it). I fell in love with her but didn't save the location. Rachel sent these great pictures she took of her 2 little ballerinas, Savannah & little sister Adelyn. I knew the little bear belonged with these pictures. I searched forever before finding the cutie again. It is from Jill's Paper Jems, she creates paper piecing patterns. I got the pdf from her and the rest is history. I just loved cutting out the little girl and making her cute outfit. (drawing her eyes was a scary event) You will be seeing more of her, I am sure -dressed differently of course! I framed it and gave it to TJ to deliver for me. Rachel called today to tell me she really likes it. Whew!

My future business partner

I spent the evening with a little friend that I haven't seen since she was a little baby. The Kee's were our favorite across the street neighbors for a few short years but moved to Houston when Kellie was a baby & her brother Robbie wasn't even in school yet. Then they moved even further away to Naperville, Illinois. I have missed seeing the kids grow and have missed their parents, Lea & Jim as well. Shortly after Christmas I was happy to hear Jim's work brought him back to San Antonio. I know Naperville had become home for them but they were happy to be close to family again. Lea told me Kellie, now a 2nd grader is quite artistic & would enjoy spending some time with me making something. They came over tonight and after we visited for a while we sent Lea off to HEB so Kellie & I could collaborate on what to make with the great pictures she brought with her. This design was all Kellie & very fitting to her personality. Bright & sparkley!

We had a great time! We decided to make a mini album with some cardboard coasters I picked up (with permission) at Chili's last week. Since it was our first we made a few mistakes but were pretty pleased with the overall outcome. First off, either punch the holes on the side or flip the pictures before punching the holes so the Kee's aren't standing on their head.

We decided we are so good together that we are going into the mini scrapbook business. She has already picked her title. Director of Sparkles. She is my kind of girl, she loves sparkles!

Daughters Of The King Banquet

Sunday evening several of us joined our friend Shirley Gaede at her church for their annual Daughters of The King Banquet. It was a nice evening. The theme was mardi gras and men started the evening out by serving mimosas which we thoroughly enjoyed. The dinner was a yummy chicken dish with green salad & green beans. Kyle & Kristi Smith were the speakers. They shared some of their music and explained how music has helped them grow closer to God. They shared some sweet pictures and stories about their much loved puppy, Tex. They did a great job & it was a fun night to spend with girlfriends.

House Painting Time

The Stone Valley Architectural Control Committe called today to approve our request to paint our house. It's a darn good thing because Mike is almost finished! They just don't move fast enough for us! He is finished with all the big areas like the back and sides of the house. I will be holding the ladder for him tomorrow while he gets the highest peak in the front. Picking out a color is very stressful but I like our final choice. We went darker than the original color and it is coming out pretty nice. My hubby is the best!

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Not much to blog about going on in my world at the moment. (other than the fact that my left ear is stopped up & I feel like I am losing my mind. But that isn't very interesting) So, I decided to try something new (of course inspired by one or more of the many great blogs I follow). I never have been much for "favorites" so I am going to attempt to list a few of my current "most liked" things in no particular order.

1. H.E.B. Sparkling Water (Peach is the one I drink most - unflavored comes in second) - I really do like this stuff a lot. I drink at least one 32 oz bottle a day. It helps to break up the boredom of plain water and keeps me from wanting to drink sodas. I asked the doc and he said it's just as good for me as plain water. One word of caution: If you buy another brand be sure there is no sodium in it. I noticed some do, which makes my HEB brand even better along with $.50 price tag!

2. Cricut Expression - I have named my little girl Catie. Mike bought it for me for Christmas. Well OK, I bought it and told Mike what he got me. She is such a joy! I love to go to the cricut message boards and see what all the creative people are making and I copy it! Now that I have Design Studio that goes with it I have it hooked up to my laptop and have a blast playing with it. I can make letters in any size I need and cut out all sorts of cute shapes. Catie makes me look good!

3. My Girl Cave - (OK maybe I do have a few favorites.) I never thought I cared much about having my own space. Mike loves his garage & has grand plans for the one he will build in Colorado. When I decorated cakes, of course the kitchen was my spot. When I made jewelry, I set my card table up where ever the kids were playing. Then I decided I wanted to go back to work (what was I thinking?) and my creative side was pretty dead for several years. After Matthew left home, we were left with 2 spare bedrooms upstairs. I set a table up in his old room and started playing around with scrapbooking and other crafts thanks to the encouragement of my friend Cheryl - the scrapping queen. When I came home from a church retreat last year, Hayley had orchestrated a huge room makeover for me. I now have everything I could possibly need to be creative in my girl cave. I just love having my own spot!

*Matthew recently moved back home for "a while" in order to pay off school loans and finish up some training. I informed him his old room is no longer his room, therefore he is staying in the guest bedroom. So if you come to visit us anytime soon we will have to be creative with sleeping arrangements.

4. Technology - I love to learn new things but don't think my brain was wired for this century so I am sometimes very slow at catching on but I love it all! My job allows me to learn all sorts of great new stuff and I drive our IT guys crazy with questions and more questions. I sometimes understand their answers but usually not. I learned pretty much all I know about my job by jumping in with both feet, a lot of prayer and a desire to learn more. I love my Blackberry and am lost without it. I am struggling with the Twitter concept though. I am thinking it is a fad that will (hopefully) pass but according to others that know much more than I, Twitter is the future! Hmm, I just don't feel the love. I will let you know if & when I do.

5. Pedicures - Which reminds me I am in desperate need of one.

6. Almay Smart Shade Foundation -As much as I sometimes hate to admit it, I am getting older and my complexion isn't as even as it used to be. I can put this smart stuff on and it doesn't feel heavy and my skin can breathe. When you squirt it out of the bottle it is an odd grey color but when you smooth it on your face it colors you just enough and looks great. I always buy it when I see a $3 coupon at HEB.

7. Stephanie Plum Novels by Janet Evanovich - Reading novels is something I usually save for vacation because I am so bad about reading all day and getting nothing done. I am now trying to be more disciplined and read a chapter then put it down to do something productive. - I started reading these several years back and stopped at #7. I see she is up to #15 now so I picked up #6 again and hope to keep going. I have no idea how many she is going to write but I would love to see a move about Stephanie Plum and her hilarious adventures. She comes from the "burg", a blue-collar neighborhood in Trenton, New Jersey. The story starts out when Stephanie was laid off from her retail job so she decides to become a bounty hunter and work for her sleazy Uncle Vinny. She knows nothing about being a bounty hunter and gets herself into some real doozies. Her mother and grandmother often get involved in her job as well as her retired prostitute friend Lula. Then there is Joe Morelli & Ranger...............

8. Ralph Rocks by Ralph Lauren - Mother's day and my birthday are right around the corner so feel free to surprise me with this because I am currently out. It is so yummy! Not the usual type of fragrance I usually wear. It has a fresh light slightly citrusy smell to it. It is a great summer fragrance.

That's all for now. I think I am going to go get some dynamite for my ear. Has anyone ever gone crazy from having a plugged up ear? I think I'm on my way.