hello...

It has been a busy week so far, but many great things have been accomplished, so I am happy for that. Sam and I went to the sprinkler park with Joy, Charis and Cai on Tuesday and we had a great time....as you can see, Sam LOVES the water. The pic is a bit strange because he had sunblock on and the water was beading on his face!

I was also able to get a little project done for Samuel...a small blanket with a snap on for a pacifier or a rattle. Whatever works for the moment, right? I am hoping this will help keep him occupied while he is what you might call, "fragile". The picture with him and the blankie is one of those moments. Can you tell he didn't get in a full afternoon nap yesterday?
Happy Thursday,
ariana

sunday night stamping

My friend Jen and I try to get together once a week to stamp or be creative...it's always a good time. It's nice to be able to ask each other about what to do with a certain project - she is definitely helpful!

Jen was coloring school supplies for her kids this week while I wanted to use some of my new $1 stamps from JoAnn's. It was fun to get a fall themed card done - can you believe we are ending the summer!? So sad.

Where's simba?

Sam has discovered Simba. He is so captivated by that dog that you can sit and call out Sam's name 2 feet from his face and he will not budge.

I tried to take pictures of him yesterday, but this is mostly what I got because Simba was out with us and was running around us here and there.

Happy Monday!

gifts

I made this nursing blanket for a girlfriend of mine who either is due any day or has already had her baby and has been so busy with her newborn that I don't know she's here yet!

Either way I hope that she enjoys it. :)

Happy Saturday!
ariana

Showers

Christy's brother is having a baby. Well, not him, but you know what I mean!

She asked me to do the invitations for the shower and here they are. I had a bit of trouble getting a decent picture of the invitation, so I settled for this picture.

Many thanks to my sister-in-law, Joy who let me use her Cuttlebug to finish out the flowers...I may have to get one now.

Happy Friday!

I didn't know that...

If you have email you get forwarded mail all the time...sometimes good, sometimes not worth the time. However, once in a while you get something that is definitely worth the investment.

Below you will see that I think these questionnaires are worth it! They help you think and sometimes realize things about yourself and allows you to share with your friends...Here I go!

If you want to join in the party copy and paste this to the comments section...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?????

Not sure...have to ask mom and dad!

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

I can't remember the last time! I get teary eyed sometimes and feel like crying, but I try to be strong and remember that my life isn't that bad and surely someone else has gone through worse.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

Sometimes. I certainly don't have a pretty artistic style!

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

Honey smoked turkey.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Yes - Mr. Samuel...he has rocked my world.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

I think so...I try to be a good friend, but I am not perfect.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?

Definitely. I find sarcasm amusing and a way to make it through some challenges! Which reminds me of a hall director I had in college who preached that sarcasm is wrong and that we should eliminate it from our lives. Really? Please tell me where you find that in the Bible...Didn't buy it when I was 19 and don't buy it now.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS

Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

Probably not. I always ask the question, "If I die doing this, will it be worth it?" In this case, NO.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?

Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

Always

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE MENTALLY STRONG?

Yes!

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

I don't do ice cream much at all - I have issues with it. But, if I throw caution to the wind, I will have something with chocolate and peanut butter or marshmallow and caramel. Have you tried Phish Food by Ben and Jerry's?

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Eyes

15.RED OR PINK?

Red

16.WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

Hmm. This is really personal isn't it?

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST

I miss lots of people because of distance, but the missing I feel the most these days is my little Samuel after I am gone for a few hours. Is that bad?

18.DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?

It would be nice...

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS/dress/skirtAND SHOE S ARE YOU WEARING? ? ? ?

Black skirt, cream halter top and flip flops.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

See number 10.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

The hum of the computer...

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

Green!

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?

Play Doh, babies and cake!

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

Matt

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

Jacqueline Marchuk? YES - even though we don't see each other all the time.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Basketball and Football.

27. HAIR COLOR?

Very dark brown - some whites coming in. I pull those because I don't believe that 7 more will come back.

28. EYE COLOR?

Dark brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

The best money I have ever spent - LASIK. Before that, I was blind as a bat.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?

Depends on the day, but my mom's rice, beans and fried chicken is ALWAYS a winner.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Happy endings. I can't do scary.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

The Bourne Ultimatum. I want to see the Supremecy and re-watched the first 2 movies as a refresher.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE?YOU??WEARING?

See number 19.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

Fall. I know...not the right answer. I enjoy every season, but Fall is my favorite.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?

Yes.

36.FAVORITE DESSERT?

A molten Chocolate Cake.

37. OMITTED FOR STUPIDITY
38. OMITTED FOR STUPIDITY


39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

I am browsing through many!

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

Dell

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?

Nothing really. Last Comic Standing was on while I crafted in the bedroom.

42. FAVORITE SOUND?

Baby Sam's laughter and babble.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

Venezuela

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

Not really.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Chicago, Illinois

The bag

So I attempted to sew a handbag for my sister Marissa to take to college. It had to be the right fabric - she loves purple. Oh. And it had to be a fall/winter bag...

Jen helped me get through the whole thing a lot quicker by assisting with ironing and helping me through the pattern directions. In the end, the bag has it's imperfections, BUT it's from me. I told Marissa that I hope she thinks of me when she uses it - especially when she looks at the little stitching imperfections. :)

Here's the bag and the card that just had to coordinate with the bag...

I wish my sister had more friends...

As you may know, our family hosted a party for Marissa on Sunday night and I would definitely call it a success! My parent's home was full of people and there was even overflow outside. My dad didn't mind that at all because he disappeared with his buddies out to the garage to play dominoes. :)

It was really fun to see all of Marissa's friends and catch up with family. Here's some pics of the event - Marissa and I and Mom, Marissa and I.

Enjoy!

Oh...my Sambo!

Recently I shared a link to a couple of pics of Sam on Christy's Blog.

Well, the exciting part is here! Sam's slide show is ready to view and I love it! I hope you enjoy peeking at my baby and appreciate the great talent that went into capturing those moments...

Happy Friday!
ariana

Watch out, Chicago!

Here he comes and he is getting wild! Starting to crawl and loving the bath tub. Can you tell?

what did you do today?

Well...since you asked...

I handled 5 children ages 6 and under by myself for about 4 hours!!!

It is my friend Jen's anniversary and her husband John called to see if I could help watch the kids so they could go out. I agreed, but when Jen found out yesterday she called to say, "Are you sure!?" I told her I would call if I need reinforcements. ;)

We survived. No major injuries and I might add that a few fine pieces of children's artwork came out of the whole deal too!

shoes

Those who know me well know that I love shoes...I have way too many and, no, I will not count them and give you an exact number. ;)

While some may argue that too many pairs are unnecessary, I must make an argument to the contrary. There are flats, heels, wedges...boots, pumps, slip-ons, sandals... to wear with casual attire, formal attire, semi-casual, athletic...You see my point?

But really, what I am trying to say is that shoes are so important. Remember my foot that hurt so bad that I thought it was broken because I was limping around for days? Well, I now believe that my injury was due to wearing worn out running shoes! I replaced my shoes after "the incident" and ran a looong distance yesterday with no negative repercussion to my foot. NO LIMPING!

So, you see?!? Shoes are wonderful and can make a positive contribution to your overall health. And those beauties you see up there are the pair that make me feel good.

M-I-C...K-E-Y...M-O-U-S-E...

I am so thankful for the support and gifts of friends and family when Samuel was born - our home overflows and the gifts keep coming!

We will be sure to share them with others when the opportunity comes...

Sam got a gift package recently from Erin, his Auntie Becca's best bud. Erin loves Disney World...Land...Disney. Period.

Well, everything was so adorable, but this hat with "Sam" monogrammed on the back was a winner!

marissa's going away!

My baby sis Marissa is going to college soon!

She will be attending Taylor University and we are so excited for her to go to Taylor and enjoy the college experience. My brother Ben and I are also alums of Taylor.

We are going to celebrate with a going away party for Marissa and yours truly was commissioned to create the invitation.

I hear that Bonjour means "Hello", and not "Goodbye".

Guess you can tell that I took Spanish instead of French for my Language Arts credits...

**Note to my friends who are Photoshop users: I know that I can use the "blur" tool for this, but I couldn't figure it out and to save time I cheated and added a layer. ;) Lazy? I prefer to call that creative problem solving.

Is anyone coming???

Samuel still takes a few naps a day and he's such a good baby! I don't take the credit for his great sleep patterns, he really is very good...

When he wakes up from his naps he is fine with just hanging out in the crib and talking by himself. When I hear him I know he is up and he is always excited to see me when I come in to get him.

He has started the cutest thing recently. He has learned to pull down his bumper so when I walk in, this is what I see.

Aggh! So cute.

Happy Friday!

Sam and I are preparing for the weekend and we spent the morning visiting Lydia and Isabelle Fisher. He had a great time and played with all the neato toys that they have - they even have a whole play room!

He was such a good boy as we finished the morning running errands - I may not have another baby because I can't imagine that I would get another well-tempered baby!

Not much to report on right now - but I hope you all have a wonderful and restful weekend!

pool time!

Sam and I visited Paige, Hunter and Shelby at the pool this evening and it was quite fun! We had a great time dipping in and it was Sam's first time in a pool. :)

As I reviewed the pics, I realized that only Paige's hand made it in the photos - not Paige herself. She was helping to take the pics...Sorry Paige! : (

Shelby tolerated Sam even though he wasn't much fun to play with - look at him grabbing her face!

Oh, and Hunter decided that we moms were not fun and made friends at the other side of the pool...he's such a boy!

Enjoy the pics and Happy Thursday!
ariana

dinner

Last night was a fun evening because I was able to go out to dinner with friends and celebrate Shawna's birthday. Remember Shawna? She's the girl who has gone running with me while she is pretty far along in her pregnancy. She is Workout Queen and has tons of energy!

On the Left is Erin, Shawna and Stephanie and moving to the right is Paige, me, and Kelly.

It was a fun time - I always enjoy time with the ladies. :) Here's a pic from the event...Not the most flattering picture of me and my new hair cut, but we can't all be photogenic, can we?