Bitter Sweet Moments

A Post for Ave of Made in Canarias.....

2009-10-20T13:34:00.001-07:00

Yeah Me!!!

A very special thanks to Ave of Made in Canarias for this amazing blog award........ Stop by and show Ave some comment love. She has a really neat blog. Thanks again Ave!!!

Rules: To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link. Pass the award to 10 other blogs that you have recently discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

The Best Blog Award goes to:

For Your Tears

DSL Kids

Carrie's Little World

Thanks again Ave!!! You made my day:)

Friend Makin Monday.......

2009-10-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

This weeks Friend Makin Monday is hosted by {ae filkins} for all the OMG moments in life . Stop by and check out her blog to play....while you are there take a look around.

Today's Topic: The Things that make you Happy in Life

My Family:

My Hubby

My Niece and Nephew

Mom and Dad

My sister

Sewing:

Clemson Football:

Cooking:
Balloons:
The Beach:

That is a snapshoot into the things that make me happy....I had to make myself stop my list:) Have a great Monday!!!

Six Word Saturday.....

2009-10-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

Spending a Lazy Saturday At Home!!!

These past few weeks have been crazy.....with all the Halloween costumes. After much running around and very little sleep I have declared today to be do nothing day:) Ok well that's not entirely true...I have had to work on a couple of costumes and Halloween bags, but for the most part it has been a great lazy Saturday:)

Halloween is here......

2009-10-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

Halloween + Costumes = One busy lady

I love Halloween.....I have been pulling all nighters to make the imagination of a child come true. There is nothing more exciting that watching a little one transform into something they never thought possible for a day.

For those of you who didn't know...I design children's clothing and accessories. For more information on that visit my DSL Kids blog. I usually keep the two blogs separate, but I love Halloween and decided to share some of what has been keeping me so busy. I would like to point out that I do have a photographer for my clothing line....and you will understand that statement when you see the difference in photos below between the ones I took and the ones she took:)

Why have I been so distant to blog land you might be asking? The answer is this: First week in October and I've already made 8 costumes and 12 Halloween bags......I have 15 costumes left to make and 24 more Halloween bags...................

By the end of October I'm exhausted....but I love every minute of it:)

So here's a sneak peek at a few of the costumes I have made so far........

Scarecrow

Minnie Mouse 1

Pippy Longstocking

Lion

Minnie Mouse 2

Little Bo Peep

Captain Hook

Blueberry Muffin

Costumes Left to make:

Raggedy Ann

Andy

Strawberry Shortcake

Tinkerbell

Pebbles

Little Red Ridding Hood

Mickey Mouse

Pirate Boy

Pirate Girl

Scarecrow girl

Snow White

Black Cat

Duck

Queen of Hearts

Dorothy

Fall is my favorite time of year!!! Not just because of Halloween, but I love being able to wear layers;) Gotta go work on more costumes!!!

Friend Making Monday...........

2009-09-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

List A Few Things You Can Not Live Without

This weeks topic comes from Kenz @ All the Weigh. To see more list visit Ae Filkins.

Ok, so maybe I wouldn't die, but I sure don't know what it would be like to live without some of these:)

My Hubby: Geran......I mean it has to only happen once in a lifetime that you get the opportunity to marry your best friend. My Neice & Newphew : Alivia and Tyler (can't imagine my life before they were here:)

My parents: I mean who else knows everything about you both good and bad and loves you anyway:) My Sister: Amber....probably the only person in the world who truly knows everything about me....I mean you can only do that with someone you know just as much about right!?! When we were little I always made her participate....that way I knew she wouldn't tell.

Ice Tea: I mean what southern girl doesn't love some sweet tea!!!

My Computer: I mean what did we do when we actually had to use snail mail!!! Fruit: I love some fruit......all kinds Diet Dr Pepper:...my husband says you don't want to talk to me in the morning until I've had my Dr fix:)

Ok...so I could keep going forever!!!

Six Word Saturday...........

2009-09-26T07:04:00.001-07:00

Pointless to Whine over spilled Milk!!

Another Award....

2009-09-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ave over at Made in Canarias has given me a new blog award!!! Thank you so much Ave!!!

This award comes with some rules and a survey I have to fill out.

Rules
1. You Can Only Use One Word!
2. Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers!
3. Alert them that you have given them this award!
4. Have Fun!

The Fun Part
1. Where is your cell phone? couch

2. Your hair? Blonde
3. Your mother? Asleep
4. Your father? Asleep
5. Your favorite food? Chicken

6. Your dream last night? None

7. Your favorite drink? tea
8. Your dream/goal? Mother
9. What room are you in? Livingroom
10. Your hobby? Reading
11. Your fear? Death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Mom
13. Where were you last night? Ballgame
14. Something that you aren’t? sporty
15. Muffins? strawberry
16. Wish list item? camera

17. Where did you grow up? Woodruff

18. Last thing you did? Facebook

19. What are you wearing? Pajamas
20. Your TV? ON
21. Your pets? Cat
22. Friends? Michelle
23. Your life? full

24. Your mood? tired

25. Missing someone? Alivia
26. Vehicle? Dodge
27. Something you’re not wearing? socks
28. Your favorite store? Kohls
29. Your favorite color? Pink

30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday
32. Your best friend? Geran
33. One place that I go to over and over? Carolina

34. One person who emails me regularly? Monica
35. Favorite place to eat? Myabi

Recipients
1. Penelope @ Penelope's Oasis
2. Shannon @ Snichols Scrap
3. Angie @ Just Shy of "Y"
4. Melessa @ But I digress
5. Just Breathe
6. Becky @ I'll Go Eat Worms

Again a very special thanks to Ave!!!

Yeah Me......

2009-09-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Blog Awards

While I was away from bloggyland....some wonderful people were gracious enough to honor me with some new Blog Awards!!!

My First Award:

Ave from Made In Canarias awarded me with this blog award!!! A very special thanks to Ave for thinking of me:) If you haven't visited her blog....check it out...it's well worth it!!! Thanks again Ave!!!!

The rules here are to pass the award on to 7 bloggers who I think are honest in their blogging and to list 10 honest things about myself.

Ten Honest Things about myself:

1. Fall is my favorite time of year....I love when the leaves change color and it's not too hot and it's not too cold....not to mention Halloween!!! I love to see the excitement on the little ones faces when their imagination takes flight for a day:)

2. I am a lover of life...I find ways to keep myself busy yet envy those who have figured out it's ok to take time to stop and smell the roses along the way.
3. The thing I want most in life is to be a mother......
4. I love to read books by Jodi Picoult....hopefully she writes faster than I read, so I don't run out of books:)
5. I am an accountant by trade but have been loving every minute of staying at home with my neice Alivia for the past three years!!!
6. I love lazy rainy days around the house.
7. I am very crafty...I design children's clothing, hairbows, and love anything else that is crafty.
8. I take friendship very seriously...I think there is nothing better in life than a good friend...I was lucky enough to marry my best friend!!
9. I believe in the philosophy that you are only as good as the people you surround yourself by...so choose your friends wisely:)
10. I love my life....sure there are times when things aren't perfect but I wouldn't trade if for anything....because afterall it's my life!!

I am passing this award to:

For Your Tears

Heart 2 Heart

Tina @ It May Be A Crazy Life, But It's Our Life

Caroline @ The Croley Gang

Amy @ The Bee Dot

Lisa @ Simply Things Family

Carrie @ Carries Little World

The Second Award:

A special thanks to Heather at Visions of Sugarplums for this award!!! If you haven't been to her blog check it out. She makes amazing wedding garters!!!

I’m suppose to list 5 obsessions I have and then tag 5 others.

My obsessions:

1.Crafting: I love to make things especially children's clothing. I am so grateful to be married to a wonderful man who puts up with my oh so messy crafting:)

2. Photos: I love photos...I take pictures of everything....my husband gets agrevated sometimes because I have to have so many. I just feel like as long as you have a picture of it you'll never forget that it happened.

3. Ribbon: I have so much ribbon at my house it is crazy. I have it to make hairbows...but I save even the smallest pieces of it that are too small to make hairbows just incase I find something else crafty to do with it;)

4. Cloth: I design children's clothing so I am constantly in cloth stores, but I have a hard time not buying it all...I can always think of something to make out of it:)

5. Family: I think that there is nothing like family. I love spending time with my family and being there for them.

I'm passing the award on to:

Michelle @ Tickled Pink and Fabulous

KT @ Sneacker Teacher

Tina @ Talkin with Teenie

For Your Tears

Sandy @ One Day At A Time

A very special thanks to Ave and Heather for my awards!!! Thanks so much!!!

Finding your Lemonade Moment......

2009-09-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

When Life Throws Lemons...Make Lemonade

I can't believe it has been almost two months since I have blogged:( Where does the time go?!?

I loged on to blog and saw my last post.....hince the title of my post. What a suiting title!!! I had no idea when I posted that post that the next two months would be filled with life throwing one lemon after another. Life is funny sometimes the way something happens that you don't understand and then looking back you realize that God has perfect timing!!! The Saturday of my last post...I had just finished making lemonade and sat down to do my six word Saturday...so that's where the phrase came from that day. However over the past two months life has thrown me lemon after lemon, and many times I have thought of that phrase.

I have come to understand that life is full of lemons (things that leave a bitter taste/feeling in your mouth/life). But when we learn to take those bitter things in our life and mix them with the sugar/sweetness of life we realize that the end result is something wonderfully delicious. Many times we tend to focus on the lemons in our life because they are so apparent...they have a strong and lasting taste/effect that is hard to forget. We are so busy focussing on them that we let the sugar or sweetness of life pass us by. I have often wondered why some people who are on their death bed look so peaceful and content.....maybe it's that they finally see the finished product of their lives (the lemonade) and realize that without the lemons their life wouldn't have been so wonderfully delicious.I'm glad to be back......I missed my bloggy friends:)

Six Word Saturday.....

2009-08-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

When Life Throws Lemons....Make Lemonade!

Tell Me About it Thursday...."An event in your life that changed your life forever"

2009-07-30T17:04:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go....Thursday again and time for Tell Me About It Thursday.

Today's Topic: "An event in your life that changed your life forever"

There have been many events in my life that have changed my life forever....finding Jesus (best choice I ever made:); getting married (also a wonderful choice, not always easy but I'd do it all over again); or the birth of my newphew and my neice (both great events). However the event that I decided to talk about is The day God Choose to Spare My Life; My miracle!!!

A couple of weeks ago I participated in another weekly blog theme where I listed 13 things about myself where #8 was that I was a miracle. Many of you asked questions....so here goes.......

October 16, 2006:

The story really starts on April 4, 2006 when I went to work like a normal day and realized that I couldn't feel my legs. Later that day in the neurologist office I was told that I had Guillain-Barré Syndrome that I had gotten from a stomach virus which attached to my nervous system. By the next day I was paralyzed from the neck down. I stayed in the hospital for 2 1/2 months and was released in a wheel chair to learn to walk again.

That leads us to the "Miracle event" in my life. On October 13th 2006, while my husband and I had went out to dinner, which at this time was still a huge deal because I couldn't walk, I had the most overwhelming pain in my side I have ever felt in my life. Feeling bad was something that I had become accustom to, but nothing like this. I told my husband I needed to go home and go to bed. During the night, I spiked a fever of 105 and my heart started feeling like it was flying. It was a Friday and I was determined not to go back to the hospital, so I told my husband I would hold out and go to the doctor on Monday. By Sunday, I couldn't breathe at all. I had to take a breath twice to say one word.

Monday morning I went to the doctor as planned. I was there all of about 3 mins and ended up in the ER, where they discovered that I had threw blood clots to my right lung. Not just one clot but multiple massive clots. Judging from the damage to my lungs; I had thrown the clots on Friday at some point. (I feel like during our dinner). My heart rate was 178 which was stroke range. By 4 that afternoon, I was in ICU not expected to make it thru the night. I remember like it was yesterday a lung doctor standing at the foot of my bed talking with my mom and my husband and telling them he was going to make me an appointment to come to his office in three weeks, but he doubted I'd make it out of the hospital.

Thank God...He had different plans. That will be three years this October. It was that moment that taught me the important things in life. I had spent the past two and half years of my life trying to climb the corporate latter in the accounting field. I had no time for my family or friends. It was in that moment laying in ICU, that I vowed to treasure the things in my life that really matter. To live each day to its fullest. Sometimes life goes so fast that we forget to spend time with the people who mean the most to us, our family and friends. We put off saying things today thinking that we can tell people tomorrow. I now realize that we don't always have tomorrow, so the best time to say what you need to say is today. The best time to stop by and see family or friends is now. I have realized that at your lowest point your family and friends will be there for you.

My favorite definition of love was in an e-mail where a 4 year old was asked what love meant. The child's neighbor was an elderly man who had just lost his wife. When the child saw the man cry, the little boy went over into the man's yard and climbed on top of the man's lap and just sat there. When the boy's mother asked him what he'd said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry". You know sometimes you don't have to say anything to show someone you love them. You just have to help them cry.

Life is too short to worry about the little things in life. The things that don't matter....like who's mad at whom or who has the most money. At the end of the day....none of those things matter. What matters most is how we choose to spend the time we have here on earth. I will never forget that day as long as I live. The day I started living....I mean truly living.

Portrait of Words...........Unpredictable Happenings of The Banal family

2009-07-28T13:32:00.001-07:00

Unpredictable Happenings of the The Banal Family

Below is a picture of the remaing Banal family two day's before they lost another member. Pictured below is Mother, daughter, and two of the four grandchildren.

Two days after the above picture, Mother Banal was hospitalized in the "crazy house" pictured below.......

Mother Banal's hospitalization happened after she was finally apprehended in a high speed police chase in the car pictured below. I use the word high speed in loose fashion as the speedometer on the car would only reach 55 miles an hour. Mother Banal lead the police on a 3 1/2 hour chase for simply running a red light. To the amazement of the police, Mother Banal's explanation for the chase was simply she always dreamed of being OJ.

That leads me to the only sane member of the Banal family......Biscutt. This is the last known picture of Biscutt since he recently made his escape to freedom.

This is my first Portrait of Words...I have to admit, it's not as easy as I thought to come up with a story:)

10 On Tuesday.....Favorite Sounds

2009-07-28T07:42:00.001-07:00

Today's Topic: 10 Favorite Sounds

1. Rain of a tin roof.
2. Waves crashing on the shore.
3. The rolling laugh of a child.
4. The soothing sound of my husband's voice when I feel my world is falling apart.
5. My mom's voice on the other end of the phone.
6. Champagne being opened on New Year's Eve.
7. Fire burning.
8. Thunderstorms.
9. Buzzer at a Basketball Game.
10. Beginning of a Clemson Football Game.

This might be the hardest 10 on Tuesday I've ever done......made me think.

What Makes your Monday.....

2009-07-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Family Bowling Night Makes My Monday

Sunday night bowling once a month was the greatest idea Geran ever had. Geran and I get my sister's kids (Alivia and Tyler) and we go bowling. The kids adore it and well the "big kids" like it too!!

Welcome to another week!!

Wow what Week.......Thanks Tina

2009-07-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Tina over at It May Be A Crazy Life, But It's OUR Life gave me these amazing awards!!! Let me start by saying that if you aren't following Tina you are missing out. Thank you so much Tina...I really appreciate it

Wow what a great week!!! Three blog awards in one week, I am overwhelmed to say the least!! I must admit I need to join Blogging Anonymous. I'm an addict....I have met some amazing bloggy friends. Thanks to all of you who follow me and allow me to follow you. I look forward to your comments and encouraging words:) Thanks bloggy friends and a special thanks to Tina

Here are the rules for the Adorable Blog Award:

1. Include the award logo in your blog or post.

2. Nominate as many blogs which you like.

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I am assuming the rules for the Uplifting Blog Award are essentially the same. Please take a few moments to connect with these wonderful bloggers. I guarantee you will enjoy your time there.

So, without further ado, I give you my nominees:

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Six Word Saturday......

2009-07-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

Today is my first Six Word Saturday!!

Today's Topic: Describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

My Six Words: Living my dream, and loving it!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

My Very First Blog Award.....How exciting!!!

2009-07-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

How exciting!!! My very first blog award. I am so blessed and excited to recieve the "One Lovely Blog Award" from DSL Kids . Thank you so very much!!!

The rules to receiving this award are to:Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I am sure you will find these lovely blogs as amazing as I do!!!

My List of "oh so lovely!" blogs . . .

For Your Tears

Heart 2 Heart

Carries Little World

The Bee Dot

Tickled Pink & Fabulous

JAM's Own Reality

She's So Blog

Sneaker Teacher

Just Shy of "Y"

Visions of Sugarplums

Tangled Eutopia

Ms. Wanda

Madaline: The Magnificent Mayhem Maker

Diary of a Mad White Momma

Why Mom Drinks Rum

I hope that you will go and check out this lovely blogs!!! Have a great weekend!!!

Friday Fill-ins....

2009-07-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

This is my first Friday Fill-ins:) These things are harder than you think to fill in. My answers are in black. Yeah for Friday!!!

1. Heartache is not the end of the world.

2. Sitting here, listening to the sound of rain falling, I could take a nap:)

3. Diet Cherry Dr Pepper tastes so good!

4. Sometimes, putting others first is my flaw.

5.The Beach Sunset is breathtaking, really.

6. Well, maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Father-in-laws B-day dinner, tomorrow my plans include going to see Harry Potter and Sunday, I want to go to church and lunch with my family!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Tell Me About It Thursday.....Tell me about your childhood

2009-07-23T11:44:00.001-07:00

Sandy over at One Day At A Time started a new weekly blog theme called Tell Me About It Thursday!! Sandy has an amazing blog.....check it out!!

Assignment for Week 1-
Tell me something about your childhood/early years.

My childhood.....It seems so long ago somedays:) I had an amazing childhood. I grew up in the small town of Woodruff, South Carolina. When I say small...I mean small. We only had three red lights in our town and you could see all three of them while sitting at the first one:) I have one sister who is a year and 11 months younger than me. I can't say we always got along because God knows we didn't, but it was great having a playmate living in the same house. My sister and I always had our own friends growing up, but they never compared to the friendship we had in each other. We were partners in crime. My sister and I were the only two girls in our neighborhood, so our playmates were all boys. We tortured those boys. The occurance that stands out the most in my mind is playing school. Of course, my sister and I were the teachers. On this particular day there was only one friend over playing with us. His name was Kyle. Kyle was amazing....he was like the brother my sister and I never had. He would walk with us to the store at the end of the street, because we weren't allowed to go by ourselves. My parents must have thought Kyle was a great bodyguard. I'm sure after this day they changed their mind. We were playing in the back yard and for whatever reason Kyle had gotten in trouble during "school" that day. So my sister and I put him in the corner (where the chimney of our house met the back of the house). My sister and I went on about playing school. I don't know how long it was before my mom came outside to find Kyle crying in the corner wanting to go home. I mean there was our "bodyguard" crying, scared to get out of the corner. The guy who was suppose to protect us from all the imaginary bad guys my parents thought exsisted between our house and store, scared to get out of the corner. My sister and I got in so much trouble.....I still to this day don't know why we got in trouble. I mean he just lived next door; he could have walked home anytime he wanted to.

Looking back now I realize that when we are younger we wish our childhood away. We always want to be older, because of whatever "great" thing we think that age holds in store. Only to reach that age and want to be a different age. Now I think......what would I give to be 5 again and my biggest problem be getting in trouble for putting Kyle in the corner.

Happy Thursday!!!

10 on Tuesday.....10 Favorite Places to Eat

2009-07-21T07:30:00.001-07:00

10 on Tuesday is hosted by...... http://www.yanowhatimean.com/tuesday/

10 Favorite Places to Eat

1. Grille 225 (Charleston, SC)

2. Cracker Barrel (Anywhere)

3. Mutts BBQ (Simpsonville, SC)

4. Moes (Anywhere)

5. Ruby Tuesdays (Anywhere)

6. Wild Wings (Greenville, SC)

7. Trios (Greenville, SC)

8. Resturant O (Greenville, SC)

9. Cheeseburger in Paradise (Greenville, SC)

10. McDonalds (Anywhere)

These are just a few of my favorite places to eat!!! Happy Tuesday!!

It's been a while since I was on here....sorry about that.....been on vacation!!!

Ten on Tuesday...10 Favorite Songs of the 80s

2009-07-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

Ten on Tuesday is hosted by http://www.yanowhatimean.com/tuesday

Today's Topic......10 Favorite Songs of the 1980's

1. When Doves Cry...Prince

2. Electric Slide....Marcia Griffiths

3. Like a Virgin ....Madonna

4. Mickey.....Toni Basil

5. Billy Jean...Michael Jackson

6. Thriller....Michael Jackson

7. Push-It....Salt N Pepa

8. (Let's Get) Physical....Olivia John Newton

9. She Works Hard for the Money....Dona Summer

10. Bad...Michael Jackson

I'm sure I left some out!! Happy Tuesday!!

The Queen's Meme....Blogging Outside the Box

2009-07-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is a new Meme that I was invited to participate in......

This meme is all about using your imagination. Free your inner blogginess. Step outside the proverbial blox (that's blog + box for all you non-blog speakers). Answer these ridiculous situational questions and post them on your own blog. Here's the situation for today. We won't tell a soul. And remember: Don't end up in the dungeon.

1. You are in court. You are in deep doo-doo. What did you do? ('Cause if you want, I might could talk to the judge and get your sentence reduced to Bloggingham dungeon time.)
I told the Queen to stop being so whinny and put on "her big girl panties and deal with it". Who knew you couldn't be honest with the Queen.

2. Your blog just became a best-selling book . What is the title of your book ?
Bitter Sweet Moments: A Snapshot into the Bitter Sweet Journey of Life

3. It is midnight. The phone rings. It is Michael Jackson calling from the Great Beyond. What would you like to ask him?
Were you really guilty?

4. You are having your future told. The fortune teller looks in the crystal ball, screams and leaves the room in fright. What did they see?
The Bitter Sweet Reality of my Life.

5. You're blogging along minding your own blusiness (that's blog + oh...you know) when Google unexpectedly puts a Objectionable Content Warning on your blog. Your own mother is afraid to enter! What, pray tell, did you do to warrant it? How did this happen? Do you think you deserve it? Just how objectionable are you? Do tell.
I'm having trouble with this one...I'll have to come back to it;)

6. You suddenly become God Of The Universe. What would your first Commandment be?
Thou shall not wear a string bikini if you are over a size 8. (Just got home from the beach....this concept always amazes me)

7. And finally, what secret would you like to tell the Queen?
Not to worry. What happens in Bloggingham, stays in Bloggingham.
That I dream of having her job:)

Ok so I must confess this was kinda hard for me. I am very crafty, but apparently not when it comes to fiction writting:) Happy Tuesday!!!

Friend Makin Monday.....Favoirte TV shows

2009-07-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Kasey the creator of Friend Makin' Monday is on vacation so she asked

to host FMM today!!! So today's topic is........

List 5-10 of your favorite things! These can be things you think everyone must have, a collection of things you have, or some product or miracle invention that has changed your life (yeah I am a little dramatic)...it's YOUR list of favorite things...

So I'm going to make a list of my Favorite TV Shows:

Greys Anatomy

Love this show!!! I think this would have to be my favorite. Can't wait for the new season:)
I really like American Idol too. It always amazes me how willing people are to make a fool out of themselves to be on TV. I love Simon too....I mean I need him to go around with me in my everyday life. Just to tell people exactly like it is. I mean how great would it be to be able to say.....just because they make string bikinis in a size 40 doesn't mean you should wear them. I'm not a small person myself, but I do cover up my extra:)

House

I really like House too. I probably have a House addiction. The idea of a pill poppin Dr....now that was just brilliant:)

Brothers & Sisters

This show allows me to hold on to the fact that maybe my family is normal!! Who knew another family (even if it's made up) could have as much Drama as my family:)

I watch all of the CSI's but I like CSI Miami the best. This show makes me wonder about our society...I mean you know they didn't create those ways of tracking down murders, which means the technology on these shows really exsist. That means that if we really tried.....Murders would actually be caught.

This is just a snapshoot into "my weekly TV guide". I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! Happy Monday!!

Thursday Thirteen........Who Am I?

2009-07-09T11:43:00.001-07:00

1. Christian....I think this shapes the rest of who I am.
2. Wife....I am the wife to a wonderful man that I am more than grateful to call my husband, best friend, and partner.
3.Aunt...........I am the aunt of two beautiful little ones, Alivia (3) and Tyler (8), who are the center of my world.
4.Daughter............I am the daughter of two amazing parents who any child would be lucky to call their own.
5.Friend......I have an amazing group of friends that support me in everything I do.
6.Designer.....I am the designer of children's clothes inspired by Alivia. http://dottiestripelayne.blogspot.com/
7.Accountant....I am an accountant by trade, but have been blessed to be a stay at home Nanny to Alivia for the past three years.
8.Miracle.....For those of you who doubt....I'm living proof. I medically should have been dead twice in the last three years, but yet here I am.
9.Lover of Life..... I am a lover of life. I find ways to keep myself busy, yet envy those who find time to stop and smell the roses.
10. Realist
11. Shy....The most talking I ever do is on my blog:)
12. Analytical....This one drives my husband crazy sometimes:)
13. Cry Baby.....I love a good cry.....The sappier the movie or book the better for me. I love drama as long as I'm not in the middle of it:)

When I started....I thought I'll never come up with 13 things. Now they just keep coming:) Thanks for stopping by. Happy Thursday!!!

Wifey Wednesday...Go 3 for 3....

2009-07-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

Todays Wifey Wednesday comes from Christie at Garden of Holiness.

Todays topic is ...................

3 Things to Keep in Mind

1. You picked him.

2. You can't change him.

3. You didn't marry a girl.

1. You picked him.

How ture is that!?! In one way or another we all picked who we ended up with. We may not have realized that all the things we thought were cute while we were dating we going to end up getting on our nerves, but we did know they existed. I mean come on....did you really think he was gonna start putting the seat down just because you married him? Or that just because your married now...he's not going to still be a mama's boy? Not.......I mean after all he was that way when you picked him!!! Reguardless of what flaws he has at some point you most have thought he was a good catch.

2. You Can't Change Him.

This is oh so ture. I mean while there are probably things about my husband I would love to change, there are probably that many things about me that he would love to change too. But if you stop to think about it.....do we really want to change them. I mean all those qirky little things that drive us crazy do help to make up who they are. After all there was a point in time when we thought those things we cute. The same things that now drive us crazy. What's the point in changing someone into what you want them to be if it means them not being who they are? When you try to put someone in a box, eventually that box starts to suffacate them and they want out. I don't want my marriage to be the box that my husband wants out of. I want him to feel like it's a place where he is safe and free to be himself.

3. You didn't marry a Girl.

This makes me think of the Book "Guys Are From Mars, Girls Are From Venus ". Someone gave me this book as wedding gift. I laughed when I opened it, but about 5 months after being married I found myself reading it. It was like I woke up and thought I married an alien:) I'm just kidding, but it really did help me understand the way men think about things.

I have heard many women say that they "wear the pants" in their relationship. I thought being married was a partnership. In a partnership both individuals work together toward a common goal. That is how I try to look at things in my marriage. I'm not saying I'm always successful, because God knows there are times that I just want to be right. I don't want to plead my case, I just want what I want (don't judge you know you are same way sometimes). So I guess it would be fair to say in those situations I want to "wear the pants". I guess I'm lucky because Geran is good about letting me have my way in those times. But just like he lets me have my I also let him have his too. I guess that's what makes our "partnership" work.

10 on Tuesday........

2009-07-07T06:29:00.000-07:00

Hosted By http://www.yanowhatimean.com/tuesday/?p=264

10 Things that Turn You Off About People

1. Not telling the truth. I can't stand it when people aren't honest.

2. Acting like they are better than everyone else. This probably ties with my number one. In my opinion there no one is better than anyone else; we all put our pants on one leg at a time.

3. Smoking. This use to not bother me so much, but since I have been sick and have such a hard time breathing, I just can't understand doing something that ultimately is going to make it harder for you to breath.

4. Bad Hygiene.

5. Being a Bully. I guess I need to explain this.....I can't stand people who make themselves feel better by making others feel bad about themselves.

6. Fake People. I like to call this Prada Taste on a Walmart Budget.

7. Rude People.

8. Ladder Climbers. This is what I call people who only want to be friends with you because of what they stand to benefit from you both socially and professionally.

9. Dirty Hands. This could probably fall under my hygiene complaint, but this one drives me crazy. Unless you work on cars, you can get your hands clean:)

10. Know it Alls. I cannot stand it when someone thinks they know all there is to know about everything!!!

Happy Tuesday!!!

Friend Makers Monday.......

2009-07-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

Todays FMM is being hosted by Kelli over at while Kasey is out of town. The topic for this Monday is......

Tell us about your BFF...where did you meet, was it BFF at first sight, how long have you been friends, etc.
What makes him/her your BFF...what is it about this person that makes him/her so special to you?

My BFF......Geran!!

Geran isn't only my best friend his is also my husband which probably seems a little cliche. He hasn't always been my husband however. Geran and I have been best friends since the 9th grade which seems like forever ago these days. He moved here from Arizona that year, and we were in the same homeroom. We were instantly friends, and stayed that way for many years. Everyone said that we would end up married, but we (well I) never saw it that way. He was just my very best friend. The one I told everything and complained about all the people I was dating or whatever. It wasn't until I was in college that things started to change. He went to Clemson and I went to Presbyterian College, which put us about 1 1/2 hours away from each other. So one weekend, I ramdomly called. I needed a "date" at the last minute for the homecoming game, so I called and to my amazement he had come home for the weekend. So of course he came to my rescue once again. We stayed up all night that night talking. For the next 3 weeks, he came home every weekend, and we did all the crazy things we used to do. Went to carnivals, football games, or just went to the movies. Three weeks from the time I needed him to come to my rescue, we were walking around the PC campus and went to my favorite place.....the duck pond. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting on the side of the bridge. I knew he sounded way to serious, but I couldn't figure out why. He ask me to stop feeding the ducks for minute, because he needed to ask me something. So I turned around thinking he was going to tell me about someone he was dating or wanted to date. However to my amazement he was talking about me. He said that he had tried for 8 years not to love me. He had tried to just be friend, to listen and be there, but at the end of the day he wanted more. He loved me more than ever thought possible. To be honest, I don't think I said anything that night. I caught me so off guard, but I knew in my heart I loved him too. For that day on, we were together all the time. A year later we were engaged and a year after that we were married. He is still my best friend even today:)

My other BFF....My Mom AKA Nana!!!

Ok, so I'm sure that both of my BFF's fall into the cliche category!! But I couldn't leave my mom out. My mom and I haven't always been what I would consider close. During the teenage years when you know it all, we were anything but close. Even in those times of my smart mouth (don't judge, you know you had one too:), disobedience, and just being a typical teenager, my mom was always there. To me that is the definition of a true friend....being there even when you don't deserve to have them. That makes my mom a perfect match for being my BFF!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!!!

Wifey Wednesday....What Lens Do You See Your Husband Through?

2009-07-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Shiela from http://www.tolovehonorandvacuum.com/ came up with an amazing Wifey Wednesday for today. She summed up the challenge by saying, "Quite often we don't see people how they really are. We look at them with our own biases.For instance, before we get married we tend to see our husbands (then our fiances) through rose-coloured glasses. We may notice that they do annoying things, but we think of these as "cute quirks" that they will likely grow out of.Then, once we're married, those glasses often fall off and we start noticing all the things that are wrong with our husbands.But we have other lenses, too, and we need to be aware of them so that we can make sure we're not being unfair to our husband"

What an interesting topic for me today!! Monday was Geran and I's anniversary. We have been married 7 years. It's amazing to realize it has really been that long. I would have to agree with Shiela though in that when you first get married there definatly is a reality check. I can remember about six months into my marriage, I woke up one morning and remember asking myself "who is this person I married". Not that I didn't love him, but it's like all the things I loved about him seemed to masked by all the things that got on my nerves. I went to work that day, and spent the whole day making a list of pros and cons, trying to prove to myself that there were more pros......at the end of the day when I looked at my list I realized that there only 6 things on the con list. Six petty things had been making me miserable. I was allowing those 6 things to define my relationship. Allowing those 6 things to make me think my marriage wasn't worth it.

I sit here 7 years later thinking about the day I wrote the list. The list that I now know could have easily been the end of my marriage. The list that I was trying to use to justify not being happy and giving up. What would I have done had there been more cons than pros? Would I have really walked away from a perfectly good marriage? I don't know, but I'm so thankful that I didn't put myself in that situation. For whatever reason when I started writting that list all the cons I thought were there all stems from the 6 petty things. Six things that I knew where there from the start, and honestly the six things that I thought were cute when we were just dating:)

Seven years later, we are still here. My marriage is better now than it has ever been, and I deeply expect it to continue to get better. It was shortly after I made that list that I realized that loving someone isn't always about the sappy feeling in the pit of stomach. There are days and situations that mask that feeling, but love isn't always that feeling. Sometimes love isn't the passionate kiss or a touch that takes your breath away; sometimes it's sitting patiently and listening, or doing something that normally isn't your responsibility just because you know your spouse is stressed or tired. Even more than that sometimes love is walking away when you're angry even though you think you're right. You have to make a choice everyday to love. So from that day on, I have spent my days choosing to love.

I have an amazing husband. He isn't only my husband he is my best friend. I love him dearly and can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone other than him:) It hasn't always been an easy ride, but it has been a great ride.

2009-06-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is probably anything but a normal Tackle It Tuesday; however it is the greatest thing I have tackled in a while......

....The Monkey Backpack.....

I mastered the task of taking three children to the zoo today, as some of you are probably thinking that in itself is a task worth mastering. Even more devistating that 3 screaming kids, all wanting to see their favorite animal or whatever else tickled their fancy; was the dreaded Monkey Backpack. See Alivia is at this age, where she doesn't want to ride in the stroller. She wants to walk, so I paid $20 for this Monkey Backpack. Boy does she love the Monkey Backpack. She thinks it's her purse and puts all her stuff in it.....however, she will not wear it. It's one of those backpacks that has the long tail so that I can then hook the tail on my hand and she can walk without getting to far away. Great, Great, Great invention. However, the inventor never met my Alivia:) She thinks that if the Monkey is on her back he can't see. After hours of trying to reason with a 3 year old, that the Monkey didn't need to see, I gave up. However, today I knew there was no way I could keep up with her and the other two while they were frantically trying to find their favorite animals. I spent the 1 1/2 hr drive to the zoo, talking up the Monkey Backpack. How lucky her little Monkey was that she was going to carry him on her back through the zoo........IT WORKED.......

As you can see from the pictures below, Alivia (in the purple shirt) has on the Monkey Backpack. Mission accomplished. It just took me 4months, playing nanny to my aunt's children, and $150 to go to the zoo. I have to say it was the best $150 I ever spent!!! Monk Monk (as Alivia calls her monkey) found his way home.... safe and sound on Alivia's back (picture in the bottom left hand corner:).

2009-06-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

What are you doing this 4th of July?

This 4th of July I will be at the beach with my family:) We always tend to go on vacation the week of the 4th. Every year, I say that it is too crowded and we are going to change to another week, but every year we go back at the same time. I love it though...you can stand on the beach and see fireworks all around you. It's great!!!

What is your favorite dish to pass when attending a 4th of July party or summer barbecue?

My favorite dish for 4th of July is Strawberry Pretzel Squares.

Strawberry Pretzel Squares

What you need:

2 cups finely crushed pretzels

1/2 cup sugar, divided

2/3 cup butter melted

1 1/2 pkg (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

2 Tbsp Milk

1 cup thawed Cool Whip

2 cups boiling water

1 pkg (6 oz) Strawberry Flavored Jell-o

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 qt. fresh strawberries sliced

To Make:

Heat oven to 350, Mix pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar adn butter; press onto bottom of 13x9 inch pan. Bake 10 min and Cool

Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, and milk until blended. Stir in Cool Whip and spread over crust. Refrigerate.
Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Regrigerate 1 1/2 hours or until thickened. Stir in strawberries; spoon over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

*If you make whip cream lines on the top and blue berries you can make a flag:)

Do you have any July 4th traditions?

I guess going on vacation would be our tradition!!!

Share your favorite July 4th picture.

*Ignore the date on the picture; my camera stinks:)

Happy FFM!! I hope everyone has a wonderful week and a Happy 4th of July!!

A Thousand Words Thursday.....

2009-06-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

This picture is very dear to my heart. I was taken on our family vacation to the beach last summer. I was able to get this shot of Alivia dancing on the beach while she didn't think anyone was watching. My dream for her is that she always dance to her own music and as if no one is watching!!!
Thousand Words Thursday hosted by http://cheaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/

Prada Taste on a Walmart Budget......

2009-06-24T07:32:00.001-07:00

Fake People

I have recently ran accross more people that I think fall into this category. People who act to others as though they are on a Prada budget when in fact they are on a Walmart budget like the other 95% of the world. These people drive me crazy. They way they look at you like what you do is so much less important than what they do. The funny thing to me is that these people consider themselves your friend. Newsflash...a friend isn't someone who degrades or says negative things about you to make themselves feel better.

A friend of mine has a friend who is this way, and I use the word friend lightly here. A couple of my friends and I were going to have lunch when this other person who is a friend of one of the other people invited herself to come, we'll call her Jane. I love to have a good girl's lunch, and love to have a lot of people there to chat or whatever. We were having a wonderful lunch when in walks Jane, the girl my friend considers to be a friend of hers. Everything about her is fake...fake boobs, lypo, lip injections, and who knows whatelse. Not that I think any of these things are bad. She comes in and the first thing she does is complain about where we were having lunch. Just a side note...we didn't ask her to come, she asked us. At any rate, as the lunch proceeds Jane turns to my other really good friend and ask her how many kids she has. My friend says that she doesn't have any children yet, and Jane responsed by saying "then I don't feel so bad I guess I look pretty good for having a 12mnth old. Ok...so who couldn't look good if you have it sucked out!!! My friend was so upset the rest of our lunch. She might have said all of two words the rest of the time.

What makes people think they have the right to make other people's life miserable simply because they are unhappy themselves. I don't get it. Maybe it's just me. Who wants friends like this. I mean after I left I got in my car ( a dodge by the way) and thought all the way home, why would you want to be friends with someone like that. If she's that rude to someone she doesn't know...you know she talks about the people she knows.

Well that's my soap box for today!! Thanks for stopping by. Have a great Wednesday:)

To The Father's In My Life.....

2009-06-21T19:38:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day

Daddy's Little Girl

Daddy's Little Girl You're the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold,You're daddy's little girl to have and hold.A precious gem is what you are,You're mommy's bright and shining star.

You're the spirit of Christmas, my star on the tree,You're the Easter bunny to mommy and me.You're sugar you're spice, you're everything nice,And you're daddy's little girl.

You're the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold,You're daddy's little girl to have and hold.A precious gem is what you are,You're mommy's bright and shining star.

You're the treasure I cherish so sparkling and bright,You were touched by the holy and beautiful light.Like angels that sing a heavenly thing,And you're daddy's little girl.

What is the definition of a father?.....

A dad is someone who wants to catch you before you fall but instead picks you up,brushes you off,and lets you try again. A dad is someone who wants to keep you from making mistakes but instead lets you find your own way,even though his heart breaks in silence when you get hurt. A dad is someone who holds you when you cry,scolds you when you break the rules,shines with pride when you succeed,and has faith in you even when you fail....

I am defiantly a Daddy's girl!! Ask me who the best dad in the world is, and I'd say hands down my dad. As a little girl, you look at your dad and think he's invincible...there's nothing he can't do. At 29, I still feel this way about my dad. I am very thankful that God allowed me to having a loving father who always put mine and my sister's needs above his own. A father that never made me question rather or not I was the center of his universe. So yes....my dad is the best dad in the world.

Not only do I have a great dad, I have a wonderful husband. For those of you who know Geran and I personally, you know that Geran and I do not have any children of our own. However, we help out with our niece and nephew. Geran is absolutely wonderful with them. He treats them as if they were his own children. Alivia loves her G and has him completely wrap around her little finger. Tyler loves playing ball and learning new things from Geran. For the past two years, Geran has coached Tyler's baseball team, and truly loves spending that quality time with him. I am very grateful that God gave me a wonderful husband that would be another positive "father figure" in my sister's children's lives.

A special thanks to all the dads, grandpas, uncles, or anyone who is a "father figure" to someone. Thanks for allowing yourself to love someone more than yourself:)

Happy Fathers Day!!!

Hectic Reality....

2009-06-18T09:26:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been so long....life has been crazy. Seems like these days life goes by so fast we forget to stop and take the moments in. I'm going to try and hit the highlights......

Thunderbolts Baseballs 7-8 yr old

Geran coached Tyler's 7-8 year-old baseball team. I of course acted as the Dug-out mom, which was bitter sweet. Nine boys.....how do the Dugger's do it!?! Needless to say, organization was out, but I gave it my best shoot. It wasn't always the most stressfree environment, but where is these days, but I loved being in there. Geran as you can see above was the coach. He really enjoys having this "guy time" with Tyler. It was a great season....We were the WYRA 7-8 yr old champs!!!

Highlight number 2.....New Addition to the Conway House.....Sydney. We got a dog. I say all the time, I wanted a lap dog and ended up with Sydney. She is terrior and beagle mix, and most definatly not a lap dog. She is so very hyper, but the most loving dog ever. She is Alivia's partner in crime. They do everything together; it is really cute.

Those are just a couple highlights since the last time I was on......and that really was a long time ago...Halloween. It's almost Halloween again:) I'm going to try and do better.

Fall is Here......

2008-10-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch

Nevins Apple Farm

Tyler and Alivia (saying she's bigger)

Geran and I took the kids to Nevin's Apple Farm this past Wednesday. We got Tyler out of school early and made a day of it. Kids definatly make you realize how old you are:) There is nothing better to me than hearing a child having fun. They played until their hearts were content!!!

A very tired Aunt Chrissy and Uncle Geran:)

Alivia had said for the past week that she wanted to ride the hay ride, but after getting there and realizing that the hay ride wasn't running, she decided that she wanted to pick apples. Who knew picking apples was so much work, or that so many apples would fit in one bag. I swear they have the stretchable glad bags:)

Aunt Chrissy and her Angels.

Weather glitch!! I guess I would have known had I watched the weather that is was going to be too hot for pants and long sleeves. I had made Alivia a candy corn outfit and really wanted her to wear it to the apple farm, so bless her heart she was so hot. We had to shed the top I had made and just wear the undershirt after a while. She kept saying "I'm wetting" meaning that she was sweating. "G" and his Alivia and Tyler

I look at Geran with Tyler and Alivia and I am amazed. He has really become accustom to having them around all the time. When they aren't around it's like somethings missing. We had a great time spending time all together Wednesday. We don't get to do that as often as I would like:) The kids with their pumkins.

We didn't actually by the pumpkins. They just had to pick one out to have their picture made with. My sister and Daniel are taking them back on Saturday to get pumpkins, so they didn't need two. It's hard enough to carve two.

Alivia catching some shade in her candy corn outfit

Ever since Alivia was little I have tickeled her feet with my mouth and told her I was eatting her corn. So she loves her candy corn outfit. After we got dressed and were on our way to get Tyler from school, she said do you want to eat my corn. I have corn everywhere:)

Geran helping Tyler pick and apple.

This is what I mean when I say picking apples is hard work. There had been schools at the apple farm all morning, so the only apples left were at the top of the trees. With that being said, Geran's back was killing him by the time we left from picking them up to get every apple. That was all him too, since I can't pick Tyler up that high at all and I was doing good to breathe seeing as we had to walk forever to get to the apples:) It was worth it though. They were both so excited!!

Alivia and her "G"

Tyler was always really close to me. He loved Geran, but never wanted that much to do with him when he was smaller. Alivia however, loves her "G". I am pretty sure that her "G" loves her too:) She is a mess. Everytime she sees him she act like she hasn't seen him in forever. When he gets up in the morning it makes her day. It's sweet!!

All and all we had a great time. We were there for about 4 1/2 hours with 2 hours of that being picking apples. Part of that is my fault as I agreed to let them each have their own apple bag. Those little bags hold a lot of apples:)

Thanks for stopping by to check on us!!!

Much Love

~Chrissy~

Halloween DSL Style..............

2008-10-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

Trick-O-Treating Here We Come

This Monday had pictures made for my Halloween Costumes and my fall and winter wardrobes!! I am so excited about the new pictures.

Alivia the "Witch"
Kyleigh the "Angel"

Alivia the "Ladybug"
Emily the "Bumblebee"

Emily is the newest little model I have. Her mom Michelle actually did my photos. Michelle ordered a Birthday outfit from me in August and since then she and I have become pretty good friends. After a playdate for Emily and Alivia at Niven's Apple Farm, I discovered that Michelle was a great photographer and Emily was a beautiful little model. I love her curls and big blue eyes:)

I am so excited at how my shop has done so far. I have officaly reached 23 sales online. That doesn't seem like a lot, but that isn't counting all the sales that don't run through my website. Thanks to all of you for helping spread the word!!!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by to check on us. We hope all of you are doing great!!! Talk to you all soon.

Much love,

~Chrissy~

Where does the time go ?!?

2008-09-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

Alivia's 3rd Birthday

At Pump It Up

Alivia in her Birthday outfit

Where in the world does three years go? On August 24th, Aunt Chrissy's little princess turned 3. It seems like only yesterday she was born, now she's no longer a baby. She's a little girl, or as she would say she's bigger now with her little hands in the air:) It's amazing how they go from being this totally dependent people to being little individuals. She has her own personality and ways of doing things. She amazes me everyday. Every morning we have our snuggling time. We lay on the couch all snuggled up and watch cartoons (Dora being the show of choice). I cherish every morning, as I know the day will come when she will think she is too big to snuggle.

Both of Aunt Chrissy's Angels watching the safety video.

When it came time for her to choose where she wanted to have her party, she was real sure that Pump It Up was where it had to be. Her big brother had his party there and now she was bigger:) As I think about that statement, I am reminded of my own childhood. We spend our whole childhood wanting to be bigger. Wishing the time away....If only we understood what that meant. With age comes responsibility and the end of innocence. While I want with all my heart I want for her to stay little, I know that isn't possible and I want for her all the happiness in the world. Princess Alivia and Her Cake

Alivia was quit sure when it came time to pick out a cake that she needed a castle (of course Aunt Chrissy agreed what would be more fitting for a princess:). So Aunt Chrissy got the task of making the castle. So Alivia and I went to Michaels and I let her pick out the colors. She said that because Cinderella's dress was blue so was her castle. So I made her a blue castle (made sense to me:).

Below are pictures of the castle cake I made......

Alivia loved that Cinderella was at the door.

From Above

So in the end, Alivia had a birthday fit for a princess complete with a castle. She had a wonderful birthday complete with more toys than any one child should get. Of course she got the baby that Swims that "G" (Geran) promised off of a commercial. I like to never found that baby. It is the neatest thing though. It starts swimming as soon as it touches the water. So needless to say, bath time is Alivia's new favorite time of the day.

As always thanks for checking on us.

Much love,

~Chrissy~

Hardwork paid off................

2008-08-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

My Clothing Line

Dance tutus (with matching Hairbow and bow on front)
Three of my Little Models (Joanna, Alivia, & Blair)

Blair ( Flower Power)
Brayden ( Lilly Pad)
My Girls in Overalls (Kyleigh, Joanna, Alivia & Blair)
My Girls again in Little Fan Outfits (available for the team of your choice)
Kyleigh ( Flower Garden)

Kyleigh & Alivia (Flip Flops)
Blair (Dottie Stripe)
Joanna (Pink Watermelon)
Kyleigh & Alivia (Strawberry Chocolate)
~~Lots more on my website~~

I guess I should start at the beginning. When I got sick about 2 1/2 years ago, I started making clothing for Alivia (my neice). I soon decided that I loved designing and making clothes. I have since come to the conclusion that God used the worse time of my life to allow me to find my true passion. I soon started making clothing for other teachers' children that worked with my sister and to take to festivals around the state. I have since then made enough clothing to have an entire wardrobe of clothing. For the past 6 months, I have been setting up my website. I can now say that I have finished. Not only to I have a website, I also have a blog entitled DSL kids that I feature pictures of the children who are wearing my clothing. It has been an adventure, but I am so excited. I am in the process of having pictures made for my winter wardrobe and my Halloween costumes. So stay tuned for future additions.

My website is http://www.dottiestripelayne.etsy.com/

My DSL kids blog http://dottiestripelayne.blogspot.com/

Check them out and let me know what you think. Derrick if you are reading this I would love to have a picture of Ella in her outfit for my blog. You can e-mail it to me at either gcconway1022@yahoo.com or dottiestripelayne@yahoo.com Thanks for keeping up with us!!!

Much love,

~Chrissy~

Childer's Family Vacation

2008-07-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Geran & Alivia on the beach

Alivia love her "G". With Daniel being gone for the past 18 months, Alivia is quiet sure that Geran is her dad. That has proven to be hard on Geran, as he is quiet fond of her as well. It has been hard for him to relinquish the "dad" roll back over.

Amber, Daniel, Alivia, Tyler, Chrissy, & Geran

My mom and dad came down later than we did. My mom had been on a mission trip to Brazil and didn't get home until after we had already left, so my dad waited on her.

Alivia, Me, & Geran
Alivia would live with us if her mom would let her. She spends the night with me at least 3 or 4 nights a week most of the time. Even then, you would think my sister was killing her when she comes to pick her up. My summer days seem very long without her being there everyday while my sister works. She is definitely an Aunt Chrissy's little girl!! Aunt Chrissy & her little princess (she loves pigtails)

Tyler Boogie Boarding

Alivia Dancing on the Beach

Watching Tyler and Alivia on the beach amaze me. Kids are amazing. Tyler was so brave, he would fall down and get right back up until he taught himself how to Boogie Board. Alivia loves to dance. She would get on the beach in her little bathing suit and dance everyday. Every time she would make her little trip down to the water. She would stop near everyone that had a radio or some sort of music playing and dance her little heart out. I watched her and a part of me envied her. The ability to dance like no one was watching her. To do what made her happy regardless of what everyone else thought. Oh to be a kid again.

We had a great time at the beach. For the first time since we have been married Geran and I both were able to spent the whole week with everyone. It was nice. Can't wait until next year.

Anniversary

2008-07-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Geran and I have been married 6 years June, 29, 2008. This picture is from the Grille 225 in downtown Charleston, where we had a lovely Anniversary dinner before meeting my parents and sister at Ocean Lakes the next day. It was an amazing dinner!!! I would highly recommend this resturant to anyone looking for a romantic get away:)

As I sit here and think of fact that we have been married for 6 years, it is hard for me to believe. I can still remember when we first got married. I was so nervous, I thought I was going to die. I remember telling his mom that I couldn't do this. I think I was more worried about walking down the asile in front of everyone than I was about getting married in general:) It wasn't Brent (Geran's roommate from college) came in with a card Geran had gotten me that I realized I was the luckiest person in the world.

I am not going to sit here and say that it has always been easy. It definately hasn't always been easy. My grandma was so right when she said you only think you know someone until you live with them. The getting used to being with each other all the time. Not being able to "go home" and cool off when you don't exactly see eye to eye with each other. Learning that you have to value each other's oppions over the oppions of your parents (this was the hardest thing for me being a daddy's girl). The first time something went wrong with my car I remember calling Geran. I really listened to what he had to say, but then doubting that he knew as much as my dad, I called him just to make sure he agreed with what Geran had said:) Of course, as time went on there were many other difficult times that we had to learn to work through. There have been times when it would have been easier to walk away, but I am so glad that we both decided to stick it out. They say that the first five years of marriage are the hardest. Geran and I have definatly had our share of trials, with the last two years being the hardest. With me becoming very sick unexpectedly two years ago, our marriage has definatly had to go through things that most people don't have to go through until later in life if they face them at all (that's another entry). With that being said, I can definatly say that this past year has been the best by far. We have definatly learned to value the time we have with each other and that noone no matter how young is promised tomorrow. You have live each day as if it were your last, and make sure that the other person knows, even if you aren't with them tomorrow, that you loved them more than they will ever know.

I am very proud to call him my husband, my partner, and my best friend. There have definatly some good, some bad, and some indifferent years, but I wouldn't trade one second of one day. The past 6 years have definatly been 6 of the best years of my life. I LOVE YOU, GERAN!!!!