Sunday, May 22, 2011

13 Years ago today

Thirteen years ago today, I met my husband.  Literally, the moment I met him I knew I would marry him.  I love our anniversary date (the day we said our "I dos") but I love this day almost as much.  I can still remember the feeling I had when i looked at his beautiful blue eyes, his voice when he first spoke to me, when we first held hands, when we first kissed, when he was the gentlemen I was not used to, our long conversations about our dreams, the way he challenged me,  the way he surprised me, his intellect  and how we didn't leave each other's side for the next year.  
I love you Babe <3 

Some of our favorite love songs :)








My Back Patio was JEALOUS

OK, so my back patio was so jealous of my front porch so I had to do something about it.  I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me but I couldn't stand it.  So first, I cleared it off and gave it a good power wash.


Then, I gave my existing patio furniture a mini makeover with a good can of outdoor spray paint.  My motto is if you don't like it...spray paint it!  It's a cheap and easy trick that will make something look brand new.



Next, I cleaned the cushions, added some potted plants, and some new summer cushions for an added color splash.







Last, I put out some mosquito candles by Yankee Candle and OFF.  Now we have a wonderful back patio that looks just as good as the front.  It's clean, fresh, and mosquito free.  I love it!! We had breakfast out here this morning!  After breakfast I drank my coffee and read my Nook on the couch and watched the girls play on the tree swing.  Perfect morning:)

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Happy Birthday to Me!!

For my birthday I asked my family for Lowe's and Home Depot gift cards because I have been wanting to update my front porch.  Even though it was cute, it was not very comfortable or functional.  Well, they hooked me up!  I was able to combine the GC from my parents and sister, b-day money, and GC from teacher appreciation and gave my porch a renovation I am so proud of.  I also can't stop looking at it:)

Here is the before pic. I cleared off the bistro set and put it in the backyard under the tree. It looks sweet there:)


I swept and cleaned it.  You can't see it here but there is a huge crack and the paint is chipping:(



SO, I added a Martha Stewart outdoor rug from Home Depot to cover the imperfections and added my two wonderful rocking chairs I have been eyeing since February.  Patients is not my strong point so I was very proud to have waited so long.


Then I added my potted plants including lavender, mint, lillies, hydrangeas and potato vines. 


Voila!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

What a great Mother's Day!!!!  Had a wonderful brunch @ MiMi's Cafe with my mom, sister, and all the kids.  Then we went to see my mother-in-law and great grandmother's house.  It was a beautiful day!  This tradition started when the first grandchild was born.  I had Eggs Benedict, country potatoes and fruit.  I so wish I would have taken a picture of it.  It was too georgeous to eat.  I received flowers, a card, and a clean house from my hubby and wonderful hand-made cards from my babies.  To all the mothers out there who give their all, who sacrifice everything for their children and families, and work hard everyday to show their love, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

 I love the wooden display I received for Christmas from my room mother who happens to be the swankypear blogger http://www.swankypear.com/ .  I display weekly events or special cards.  It's awesome!



This is the "Thank You" card from my daughter's Justin Beiber Laser Tag birthday party.  I attached it to a goody bag filled with candy and JB goodies.  P.S. It was a great easy bithday party @ Laser Quest, totally recommend it for any b-day party you have coming up!

This is the Mother's Day card I had made for all of the mothers (thanks to wal-mart photo).  How great does it look displayed? 










More Teacher Appreciation Pics


"You're A Cut Above the Rest" ~ A great pair of scissors and a box of candy, how can you go wrong with that in the teacher world.


"Thanks a Latte for all you do"~ A cute card with a Starbucks card attached to a bag with a initial cup.  SO SUPER CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!!

To all the teachers out there, you are appreciated!  Teachers work harder than most people I know and they love it when they are appreciated.  I have had a great week so far! I have recieved some wonderful gifts for teacher appreciation! It also got me thinking.  What are the best teacher gift ideas?  Well, let me give you a few ideas...
How cute is this?  My student wrote "Thanks for being my teacher" on a cute white bag and filled it with gourmet popcorn from the poppinshop http://www.thepoppinshop.com/.  Made my day! BTW the bag in this pic is empty because the pop corn lasted till 9:00 AM :)


This is another great idea! I recieved one of these glasses with my initial (i love initials) and a Starbucks GC.  I stole this idea and am giving this gift to my daughter's teacher.  Credit to Hobby Lobby;)


This is a basket of Starbucks coffee and herbal tea that will be going in the teacher's loung at my daughter's school.  The entire school was asked to bring goodies to the teacher's lounge.



My neighbor teacher recieved Edible Arrangements (chocolate covered apples) with nuts and coconut.  YUM!! SO glad she shared!  Thanks Farrah!

Special Thanks to my awesome room Mother! You have really warmed my heart<3 THANK YOU for appreciating TEACHERS!

I will send more pics as soon as I get more ideas.  I can't wait!