What We Did....A Painting Class

I finally get it.

I am addicted.

One class and I'm already scouring the calendar and upcoming classes to see when I can get another fix in!

Have you ever been to one of those learn to paint classes?

The kind where you bring your own beverages and snacks?

I just recently had the opportunity to go (Thank You GROUPON!) and let me tell you it was a blast.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a posse of friends like everyone else there.

It was just me.

But I still had a blast....

This was about 1 hour into the painting...

...it was a 3 hour class.

It is crazy to see how everything comes together!

The grapes and the trees were my favorite part.

And here is the finished product.
How cool is that?

Here is my challenge to you.
I know that the holidays are CrAzY busy right now, but maybe in the New Year, I challenge you to do something different.
Find one of the painting classes, grab some friends and go.
Or go alone and relish some introspective creativity time.
Painting not your thing?
Find a yarn store and see if they offer knitting/crocheting classes.
Check out Michael's and Hobby Lobby to see if they have any cake decorating or framing classes.
The goal here is to do something different.
Go outside of your comfort zone.
Don't have the funds to take a class, there are free classes if you look for them.
Or find a friend who does something you aren't fluent in and ask them for a lesson.

Anyways, that's my two cents!
I hope you had a Blessed Wednesday!

What We Did Wednesday-Michigan Part 1

I think everyone needs a place they can visit that is totally relaxing.

Not a luxury vacation spot.

Rather, a family spot, where life is simpler.  

For us that is my grandparents home in Michigan.

For my birthday this year (a few weeks back...) my grandparents flew Bud, Bitsy, and myself out to visit for 9 whole days!

It was there first time meeting their great granddaughter.

She's their only great grandchild

The first full day we were there was a beautiful and balmy 70º.

We took the opportunity to stow away to Grand Rapids and enjoy the outdoors and one of the museums there.

Part of the museum is set up just like old Grand Rapids used to look.

They encourage touching and being interactive.

There are even people in some of the stores and business that show what they used to do.

Including an old printing press where the volunteer was making actual book marks for the museum!

It was pretty interesting to see how calculated each plate must be and how they did multi colored items.

The feature exhibit was all about beer.

This was one man's collection of beer cans from all around the world and from varies time periods.

I thought this was interesting.

It showed where each beer stems from.

One of the best parts of the museum is by far the carousel.

It's the same carousel I've ridden since I was a child.

We were fortunate to be the only ones on it!

Grandma snapped a quick family photo of us.

I think Bitsy liked it ;)

(pssst....someone told me that the giraffe appears to be photo bombing this picture!)

She got to ride the horse that went up and down.

The lights and music had her attention 100%...okay maybe 90% since we did get a few pictures.

Daddy was holding Bitsy tight....

Uh....Dad....make sure she doesn't lick the horse.

Ewww!

Crazy child!

I had to get a picture on that giraffe, he was my favorite.

When on vacation many people sleep in.

Not me.

I'm not wired for it.

The good part about that though is that it meant I got to steal away for an hour or so with my Grandma each morning.

She would make us lattes with her fancy coffee machine and we would sit and chat.

Some mornings it was light hearted conversation, others were deep and more serious.

I walked away from each one with a wonderful appreciation of who my Grandma is.

This is the view from my Grandparents back porch.

The first days we were there the leaves were full of colorful trees.

Towards the end of our vacation the leaves had all fallen off.

No matter where we lived growing up, and we lived a lot of places being military, this was and always will be home.

It's the only place that has remained constant in my life.

This is the view from the pond up towards my grandparent's home.

I love this land.

I love this home.

Our time there was a wonderful time of rest and relaxation.

One day during Bitsy's nap....Bud may have been napping too....I stowed away to snap a few pictures...and to sit on the dock of the pond and revel in the calm quietness.

Below are a few pictures of the turkey's my Aunt is keeping in my grandparents coop.

These ladies were funny.

We would practice our turkey calls on them and they would gobble right back as though we were carrying on a wonderful conversation.

Bitsy thought they were funny.

Heck, I thought they were funny too...

and honestly I thought they were kinda cute.

One afternoon there was a fox hanging out by the shed.

I went out and stalked him.

This was the closest and best shot I could capture of him.

In all the years I've been to my grandparents I've seen deer and wild turkey, but never a fox.

Another wonderful thing about vacation is that you get to do special things.

Special things like allowing your daughter to have her 1st taste of ice cream....

...so everyone can see her reaction.

Even she's not sure what she thinks.
But it was fun to try.
We bought ice cream cones just for this.
Since our child refuses to be fed from a spoon/fork/utensil of any kind...we had to give her a way to do it herself.
Let me tell you, my family didn't believe me that went straight from milk to solids.
Not solids like pureed food either...solids like food she can pick up and put in her mouth on her own.
They got a kick out of it though.

I'll be back next week to show you some of the family.
Where is your get away spot?
How often do you get to stow away to said location?
I try to get to my grandparents ever couple years.

I hope you had a Blessed Wednesday!

P.S. I'll be posting a special giveaway next!

Belated Halloween Happiness!

Come on guys/gals...

Seriously!

Where has the time gone.

It's already been 2 weeks since Halloween and I haven't even shared pictures of our pumpkins or my ADORABLE Bitsy!

(I know I'm a biased parent, but seriously...you can't tell me she isn't the cutest, especially once you see these pictures!)

If you follow me on Instagram than you were inundated with pictures of me and her being silly!

After having the luxury and joy of picking our own pumpkins, Bud & I patiently waited for the day when we could carve them out.

Too soon and you risk the chance that they will wilt or worse MOLD before Halloween!

So, Sunday afternoon, 3 days before Halloween, during Bitsy's nap we set out to carve our pumpkins.

 I carved a Mama Pumpkin....

....and a Baby Pumpkin.

While Bud carved a Daddy Pumpkin.

He is really good about cleaning out his pumpkin and making the wall so thin that carving is a breeze!

When we were done we set our pumpkin family out on the front porch.

I added a bow to the Baby Pumpkin just so everyone would know it was a little girl ;) 

Unfortunately, Bud works nights on this current schedule so he wasn't going to be home for Halloween.

Also since we had moved and gone on an extended vacation all in the month of October I didn't have time to sew Bitsy's costume.

Fortunately, I had a hand me down costume that JUST fit her, but it did involve a little face make-up.

 Do you know how hard it is to paint a 1 year old's face?

**notice the cracker bribe she is holding.**

 Each time the brush hit her cheek she wanted to look at it.

This took about 20 takes to get it right!

 Luckily giving her a cute lil nose was easy!

Look at her, she melts my heart!

Next it was my turn!

Bitsy is pretty tall for her age so I knew this costume wouldn't be long enough.

I added some tights underneath and figured it was as good as gold!

Plus I knew it would help keep her warmer while we handed out candy.

We did not go trick-or-treating ourselves this year.

I kind of felt that if she couldn't walk she shouldn't trick or treat.

That's just my logic.

Oh and we didn't need all that candy in the house ;) 

She was SO confused by the mittens on her hands.

Normally she pulls any and everything off her head, but I think the mittens were a perfect distraction.

 Trick-or-Treating started in our neighborhood at 6 and was set to go until 8 pm.

We set up our station and patiently waited for the parade of costumed cuties.

Okay well I was patient.

Bitsy was not digging waiting at all.

But once the people started coming Bitsy shined.

She waved and said, "Hi" to each and everyone!

She wasn't scared by anyone which was something I was curious to see.

Unfortunately, we ran out of candy an hour into the night so we were forced to close up shop.

We hopped next door to meet our other neighbor and ask her to snap a picture of us.
It was a wonderful night to be out.
Cool, but not cold, and only a slight occasional breeze.
All-in-all I was happy to be done handing out candy, Bitsy was already 30 minutes past bedtime when we went in.
So a quick wash of the face, change into PJs, bottle and a story and she was in bed in 15 minutes flat.
Next year when she can walk I think we will spend the 1st hour trick-or-treating and the second hour handing out candy.
It's hard to believe that last year I was carrying around this Lil Mermaid...

My oh my how much changes in just a year.

I hope you all had wonderful Halloweens!
When did you first bring your little ones trick-or-treating?

Have a Blessed Wednesday!

What We Did Wednesday- A SURPRISE visitor!

Hey All!

I kinda forgot to tell everyone that my birthday came and went a few weeks ago, October 16th.

I turned 28.

Apparently, a new study shows that we aren't really adults until we are 28.

So I guess I'm official now...ha ha ha!

Part of my birthday present was a gift from my grandparents to come up with the family and spend nearly 2 weeks up there.

It was pure heaven, but more on that in another post or two!

Right before my birthday I got a surprise present.

Let me start by telling you that Bud's new work schedule is noon-8 pm.

On this particular day he was really taking his time getting out the door.

Once he finally left, I got Bitsy down for a nap and started my household chores as normal.

Fast forward 3ish hours and I'm upstairs getting Bitsy up from her nap.

Bud comes up and tells me that he needed to get more moving boxes to give to a guy at work.

Then he proceeds to help me change and redress Bitsy.

Honestly, I thought he was acting weird, after all it doesn't take 2 people to change her diaper or dress her....too many cooks in the kitchen if you get my drift.

When all was said and done he grabbed our daughter and rushed her downstairs.

I slowly followed behind, still thinking he was being odd, but chocking it up to him being him.

Upon reaching the bottom of the steps I didn't see him....

so I turned to the right towards the front door.

No Bud, no Bitsy.

I turned to the left and nearly fell on the floor out of shock.

There stood my best friend Mrs. M!

We were supposed to Skype that afternoon, I guess that was just a rouse!

She had coordinated with Bud to come spend a few days with us for my birthday.

Apparently, Bud had coordinated to go pick her up and bring her home during his work time.

He snuck in the house and unlocked the back door so she could sneak in while he distracted me.

She said she was convinced the neighbors might have been curious to know why a woman was sneaking in our back door in the middle of the day.

HA HA HA!

That had me in stitches!

She had hopes of helping me unpack, but I was nearly done within a few days of moving in.

(I was just glad that I had finished unpacking the guest room!)

So instead she had to settle with just hanging out at home with Bitsy and I.

We watched some TV.

Took a couple walks.

Talked.

Prayed.

And most of all just enjoyed each others company.

I apologized for not being able to offer much entertainment, being a one car family has it's drawbacks at times.

But she assured me that the pace we were going was exactly what she needed.

She met Bitsy for the 1st time post-womb.

She crawled around on the floor with her which had Bitsy in a fit of giggles as they chased a 1/2 empty water bottle.

She took photos and even let Bitsy play with her camera....

Bitsy don't get any ideas, you CAN NOT have Mommies camera!

All in all it was a wonderful few days.

Mrs. M was even able to get some work accomplished while she was here and when she wasn't doing that we took time to watch a reality show called INK (it was about tattoos).

I love seeing some of the work people can do.

Honestly, it has me thinking about my next tattoo...oh once I am done having babies I can't wait to get back under that needle!!!

Mrs. M also informed us that we should watch the documentary "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia".

Once she had gone home we did.

It was shocking.

I really think anyone who has Netflix instant streaming should watch it, without little ears to hear.

It's shocking.

Mrs. M headed back home after a few short days.

It was such a blessing to have a friend come visit.

We have been friends for over 15 years!

Bitsy was not happy about seeing her new friend go.

Bud Daddy quickly remedied that!

Thank you Bud and Mrs. M for the wonderful birthday surprise.

Have you ever been surprised like this?

What has been your favorite birthday surprise?

I hope you all have had the luxury of being surprised in one way or another!

Have a Blessed Wednesday!

What We Did Wednesday- Corn Maze

I have so many other things to post about that happened prior to our visit to the corn maze!

However, seeing as how today is the last day of October...

....also known as HALLOWEEN!

I felt that I must share our corn maze, hay rack ride, and pumpkin patch experience!

The day we travelled to the Gross Family Farms it was a bit warmer than your average North Carolinian fall day.

A bit overcast too.

I'm starting to understand how people can find corn mazes creepy.

We paid for entry into the maze, but opted not to pay the extra $1 for a maze map.

Bitsy was just along for the ride.

Eating her cereal bites, sipping on some milk, happy to see the sights.

Bud took charge, leading us down the twists and turns of the maze.

He was confident we didn't need a map.

"What was that"?

"Zombies"?!?!

We walked and walked and walked.

We passed creepy corn....

...and not so creepy corn.

Bud & I took turns pushing our happy camper.

All the while feeling confident with our decision not to spend $1 on a silly map.

Ooops.

A dead end.

Hmmmm.....maybe we should have gotten that map.

We turned back and found a check point.

It was there that Bud got a genius idea.

The check point shows you where you are on the map.

Well if you take a photo of the checkpoint map with your camera phone, you can use THAT as your map and totally justify the first 20 minutes of wandering as enjoyable sightseeing!

Once we neared the exit of the maze we heard the last call for the next hay rack ride.

We boogied over and hopped on.

Another 1st for Bitsy.

She approved.

Not only did she approve, she relished each moment.

She HAD to see everything!

Sitting still was not an option.

She was not only a ham to everyone else on the ride with us....

...but she insisted on waving to all the pumpkin patch pickers too!

The wind in her hair, people to coo over her, and free range of a 1 sq foot section of a hay bail, and this girl is experiencing hay rack ride bliss!

But don't take my word for it...

"What's that Mom"?!

"Someone else to wave at"!?!?

"Pumpkins are so cool, I have to have one....what are they"?!

Once our ride was finished we got a family portrait and then it was time to procure a wheel burrow and hit the pumpkin patch.

Bud took it upon himself to trek deep into the vined fields to find the perfect pumpkins for all of us.

This was the one he chose for Bitsy.

The coolest thing about her pumpkin is that once weighed we realized it weighed as much as Bitsy did when she was born!

A whopping 8 lbs and 4 oz!

I wish I could have taken all of these beauties home.

I was smitten with the green pumpkins....next year I might have to snag one and transform it into a witch pumpkin....

This year we stuck with traditional pumpkins.

This past Sunday we carved our pumpkins and this is what our pumpkin family looks like:

From Left to Right: Biz, Bud & Bitsy!
Wishing you a VERY HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I hope that no matter where we are stationed next we will be able to find a pumpkin patch, hay rack ride, corn maze extravaganza!
It's these small things in life that create the lasting memories.
Do you have a Halloween tradition?

What are you going to be this year?
I  had hopes of making Bitsy's costume, but between all our moving and traveling it didn't happen.
So her costume is on hold until next year and this year we are fortunate enough to have a hand me down bunny costume.
(Picture for follow soon)
I have a BIG bucket of candy and we are ready for our trick or treaters!
Have fun and be safe!

Have a Blessed Wednesday!