happy!

we've been working like mad to get our Christmas lovelies ready for the show...i realize today IS halloween, but i am listening to Christmas tunes and looking through boxes of nativities, even as i type this.

now, just to prove that i didn't skip halloween altogether, here are our trick-er-treaters....



we visited my grandparents at their assisted living home yesterday...our kids..
elliott and beatrice, darth vader and the lovely bride...and karla's kids - my nephew bennett, yoda, and the queen diva herself, miss kitt mixing things up as the cutest penguin i've ever seen.

happy!

those cutie patootie baby booties!

another advent pretty...

happy day!

four weeks from tonite...

i will begin my first adventure at


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thursday nite includes a meal with all the girls attending, an all together class art activity, and then, i am told, we will have the swap-a-rama exchange!

this is a major event in my little life. never. ever. EVER. could i have imagined attending art classes for 3 whole days - taught by women that i read about in publications i adore! i am seriously beside myself, totally giddy, as the big glittery event approaches.

big smile.
happy day!

precious...with a capital P.

at church this morning, beatrice and grandma suzie sang a darling little duet to celebrate bea's Christian birthday.



"i am a promise, i am a possiblity, i am a promise, with a capital p, i am a great big bundle of PO-TEN-TI-AL-I-Teee!"



it was absolutely so sweet and happy, my face hurt from smiling so big. fortunately we were sitting in the very front row so no one could see my pride.

i love seeing my children so crazy about my parents. (and vice versa.)
happy day.

love those little tags.

this is a lovely little gathering place for some of your favorite photos.



i saw something similar at the studio over at stampington awhile ago for ATC's. I JUST ADDED A LINK!!! can you believe it??? HOLY STINK!



it's a great way to use up lots of scrappies.



what a happy day!
i can link!

the art show.

i totally can NOT believe that the entire month of september has slipped away and i only had three posts on my happy little blog. three. seriously? three. i know that i have been making all kinds of messes in my art room, so where are the pretties? i've finished up my swaps for silver bella, so now it's time to wrap up the Christmas lovelies show.

you may recognize some of these photos, and i am so sorry for that, but i want to have some kind of record of the goods i've got ready to go, and this just seems like the best way to get that done. so....here we go.

banners!







advent ornaments!







Christmas countdowns!





baby's first Christmas booties!



little pretties!





if you're in the neighborhood, i'd love for you to stop by the Christmas lovelies show!
happy day!

this is my best girlfriend.

karla ann.
my little sister.
it would be so storybook to be able to say that we have been the best of friends since she first entered my world and memories, but the truth is, we used to have some pretty good knock'em down fights. drove our parents nuts. they always told us, "you girls are sisters! you're supposed to be best friends!" and as usual, they were right.
it just took us until i went to college to figure it out.
anyway. today is her birthday.



we are celebrating by hosting a huge garage sale!!!! let me just tell you, karla is seriously on a high over this thing. she is SO good at it. she could open a "let me come in to your home, clear out your junque, and have a garage sale" business. (in fact, she sorta did that with me and i am sooooo grateful!!)

i am blessed beyond measure to have her for a sister, and the fact that she is my
dearest friend is just too stinking wonderful. we live two blocks away from each other, create art together, and our children totally think they are siblings. so. even tho our early chapters aren't necessarily "storybook", i am so thankful for the way this life is turning out.

happy birthday, sissy!
love you!