Speaking of shirts...

Way to go, Cubbies!

Two shirts for Dan...and one for me

As Dan and I were watching "The Office" tonight, he mentioned that he would really like to buy the following two t-shirts:

"Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run For The Cure" t-shirt...and the t-shirt that Dwight wore during the "Fun Run".

I am totally fine with him buying both of those t-shirts...as long as I can buy this one:

Click here if you'd like to buy one, too.

In Scrapbooking Heaven

Today, Ainsley and I stopped by the Grand Opening for "Archiver's".

Archiver's is the greatest scrapbooking/cardmaking/preserving your photos store I have been to. So many beautiful papers, stickers, stamps, albums, and embellishments and so many friendly associates standing by to help you.

Ainsley and I had a lot of fun making a free "make and take" greeting card. It turned out very cute. (I'm not posting a photo of it because Ainsley made it for Ma's birthday and we don't want her to see it yet.)

Do you have an Archiver's close to you? What do you think?

Wordless Wednesday

Creativity for a Cause

Chili's is helping St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. By coloring a pepper and making a donation, you can help children who are patients at St. Jude's...like Ethan Powell.

Click here for more information.

(The sweet girl in the promotion with Jeff Probst is one of Ainsley's friends. Her name is Taylor. Taylor was a patient at St. Jude's last year. She is now cancer free! What a blessing St. Jude's has been to her and her family's life.)

One more week

Go Cubbies!

Mitford trip ~ recap

My favorite parts of our trip...

1) Staying in a beautiful cabin. Click here to see it!

2) Spending 3 days in the charming town of Blowing Rock, NC.

(Blowing Rock is where Jan Karon lived when she wrote the Mitford series.)

3) Hearing Jan Karon speak. She shared her inspiration for the Mitford series and even told a few Uncle Billy jokes.

4) Eating a few Mitford foods at Sonny's Grill. (the inspiration for the Main Street Grill)

Kathy had a livermush sandwich. I had a bite. (never again..icky!)

I ate a fried balogna sandwich (Dooley's favorite) with a bottle of Dr. Pepper. Very good!

5) Watching a play based on Jan Karon's Miford series. ("Jan Karon's Journey to Mitford")

6) Going on a guided trolley tour of Blowing Rock.

We saw many of the places that inspired Mitford.

(My favorite place was St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church...inspiration for the Lord's Chapel.)

7) Eating at the Dan'l Boone Inn in Boone, NC. (7 miles from Blowing Rock)

While we were in Boone, we stopped by the campus of Appalachian State University.

8) Attending the Mitford Country Fair and tasting some delicious cake from the Marmalade Cake contest. This cake was so yummy! I am going to make one in the near future.

9) Meeting "Esther", "Velma", "J.C. Hogan" and seeing "Dooley" in his red pick-up truck.

10) Driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway and viewing God's beautiful creation.

11) Spending quality time with my wonderful mother-in-law, Kathy...my wonderful sister-in-law, Meghan...and my wonderful aunt-in-law, Ebby. I am so blessed by each of them.

**********************************************

"People always ask me...Is Mitford real?

The answer is: Yes. Absolutely.

In fact, Mitford in right here, right now.

In this charming and beautiful town, and in all towns and even cities, everywhere.

As most of my readers know, Mitford isn't a place.

Mitford lives in our hearts - in simple acts of kindness, in laughter, in affection, in prayer, in sacrifice, in giving."

~Jan Karon

Mitford trip ~ photos

Our little cabin in the woods

"Esther", "J.C. Hogan", and "Velma"


St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church ~ inspiration for the Lord's Chapel


Sonny's Grill ~ inspiration for the Main Street Grill


Appalachian State University ~ Boone, NC

"Mitford Take Care of Its Own" ~ Mitford Country Fair

Blue Ridge Parkway ~ Appalachian Mountains

Guess where I'm going?

I am very excited that I'll be leaving tomorrow to visit a place that "...takes care of its own."

Do you know where? Click here to find out!

(I hope you'll stop by next week for a recap of my trip.)

Never forget

In memory of those who lost their lives on September 11. 2001.

Princess Wishes

On Saturday, Ainsley and I went to see Disney on Ice "Princess Wishes".

Ainsley dressed up as Snow White. (This costume was made 24 years ago by the grandmother of one of Ainsley's friends.)

We went to the show with 5 of Ainsley's friends and their mothers. All of her friends dressed up as Princesses, too. The show was very good! Mickey and Minnie made an appearance along with Tinkerbell and Goofy. Throughout the production, each Disney Princess was featured in a condensed version of their story. (Jasmine, Belle, Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, Mulan, Snow White) Ainsley "oooh-ed" and "aaah-ed" several times and had a smile on her face throughout the show.

When I asked Ainsley what her favorite part of the show was, she said "Tinkerbell!"

After the show, we went to lunch at The Spaghetti Warehouse.

My fun birthday weekend

In addition to receiving a lot of cards from wonderful friends and family members, Ainsley and Dan surprised me with a bouquet of beautiful flowers. It brightens up our entire kitchen.

What could be more fun than having dinner at Carrabba's with my sweet Dan and two of the friends I love the most ~ William and Robin?

We shared hot bread with dipping oil, Calamari Ricardo and Grilled Bruschette. For my dinner, I ate a Caesar Salad and my favorite dish from Carrabba's - Pollo Rosa Maria (which is grilled chicken breast stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto, topped with mushrooms and a basil lemon butter sauce). YUMMMMMY!!!

We had a great visit and lots of laughs. They also gave me a "special friend" candle and magnet.

I am so blessed!

Grandparents' Day

"I love Pa and Ma because I like to play with them and they give me lots of love."

~Ainsley

Friday's Feast #159

I'm feasting today! Won't you join me?

Appetizer ~ Using only one word, how does grocery shopping make you feel?
Hungry

Soup ~ What is your favorite part about the season of Autumn?
Autumn is my favorite season. I love the weather and celebrating Thanksgiving.

Salad ~ Have you ever had any bad experiences online?
None that I can think of.

Main Course ~ Name three things that make you happy daily.
1 - Reading books to Ainsley
2 - Dan coming home at the end of the day
3 - Eating dinner together as a family

Dessert ~ What one household cleansing or organizing item would you not want to be without?
Swiffer Dusters

Still in FIRST

Go, Cubbies!

Controlling Clutter

One area of my life I am working on is controlling clutter.

Before we moved, I literally went through every item we own and asked myself...
1) Is it something we use?
2) Is is something we will be using after we move?
3) Is it something that is sentimental to me? (ie - keepsake)

If I could not not answer "yes" to these questions for an item, I put the item in a big pile...which I either gave to charity or sold at a garage sale.

I am happy to say that our house is almost clutter free!

One of my favorite organizing blogs has a wonderful post on controlling clutter...and defines what clutter is. Click here to read it!