Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Just a quick post to wish you and yours a little "luck o' the Irish" today! My boys got into St. Patrick's Day this year and we made sure they were decked out head to toe for school lest they get pinched. ;) Some hats from the Dollar Tree completed the deal and they were ready to party. Hope you had a wonderful day yourselves, ate yourself silly with some cabbage or potatoes or anything green you could find!

Please Pray for Jake

I don't normally put out these types of posts, but this family and their story touches close to home and close to my heart. And since I believe in the power of prayer, I'm coming to anyone and everyone who might read this to put Jake in your prayers.

Jake turned 2 in December. He is an amazing little boy who is a new big brother to his 6 month-old baby sister. His parents, Rick and Amy, are the best friends of *my* best friend's husband. (Follow that?) Jake was the answer to many prayers when his parents finally conceived him after a long period of fertility treatments. Now Jake needs your prayers.

Not even 2 weeks ago, Rick and Amy were sure that Jake had the flu. He was vomiting and not eating and just not himself. Concerned, they took him to the Emergency Room to make sure that he wasn't getting dehydrated and to confirm that the flu was all it was. Not long after he got to the ER, Jake had a seizure. The hospital immediately admitted him and did an MRI scan of his brain. Rick and Amy were completely unprepared for what the doctors would tell them - Jake had a tumor in his brain that was the size of a peach. Surgery was scheduled for the next day, where it was discovered that not only was this tumor malignant, but the doctors were not able to remove all of it.

A few days later, additional testing showed that not only did Jake have brain cancer, the cancer was now throughout his body and entertwined with his spine. Due to Jake's age and size (he's only 20 lbs), he cannot withstand radiation therapy. The only option the doctors gave them was chemo, but they didn't hold out much hope for that either.

Please, please, please, if you are the praying kind, put Jake and his family in your prayers. Spread the word about him if you would, get him in prayer circles and prayer chains, mention him at church. He could use all the blessings he could get right now.

Thank you so much.

Catch up

HOW did it get to be MARCH already?? Sheesh! I feel like I'm desperately playing "catch up" since my trip last weekend to Right at Home in N. Attleboro. I had a wonderful time there - the store owners, Lisa and Sharon, were beyond generous and kind and looked after me so well. (Even to the point of taking me to Gillette Stadium a few minutes away to see where my beloved Tom Brady plays. Did I mention I love those ladies?) The classes went wonderfully and the ladies that took them were even better. I had the best time meeting everyone and chatting - especially my fun women who took every. single. class. I offered over the weekend. You girls amaze me! A special hug and shout out to Reyanna and Kim - two online friends I finally got to meet in person which is probably my favorite thing about my job! Thank you, thank you, for having me. I can't wait to come back again! :)

I have to say though, that as wonderful as the teaching was, the highlight was finally getting to get my hands on my sweet baby niece, Lydian Jane...and seeing her mama, too, of course! ;) Tell me, HOW can you resist this sweet face?

My best friend, Ann Marie, drove up with this cutie to pick me up after my classes were over Saturday afternoon and I got to spend a few days with them. Let me tell you, this little girl is about the sweetest ever and so stinking cute. She was a long time coming and it was a thrill to finally see Ann Marie with a baby of her own. The best news is that they'll all be down for Easter and I'll get to get some baby love again before too long! Can't wait!

And finally...trying to dig us out of the 12-ish inches of snow we got on Friday. I could almost swear we moved somewhere north and no one told me! Sadly this snow was so fluffy and light it didn't make for good sledding or snowman building, but we sure tried....


The one good thing about a repeat of snow is an additional chance to take some snow pics. These cracked me up because we took the wonder pup out in it too - even though the snow was up to his chest! He loved trying to sled, though he prefered his belly over the flyer!

And see that really cool barn behind Carson in that first picture? I caught it through the lens as I was taking the picture and it captured my facination as it seems so picturesque and "Norman Rockwell"-ish. (That one was for you, Ann Marie ;)) So pretty, but I'll be glad when it's SO gone!

1 - 2 - he can tie his shoes!

We've got BIG NEWS!

I have to share that I have a very proud little boy here this weekend (shown here in his "Winter Festival" hat! (ha!) Mr. Turner learned to tie his shoes!!

It's pretty darn cute because he feels like such big stuff. It's even cuter because it was his big brother that really kept on working with him and taught him how to do it. So cool! (And he ties prettier bows than *I* do!) It's been hard to tell which one's more excited - Turner or Ethan. :)










And I just wanted to mention this since it's now less than a week away! I'll be teaching four classes at Right at Home in North Attleboro, MA between Friday, Feb. 29th and Saturday, March 1st. If you're in the area, I'd love it if you'd come by, take a class or just say hi! I'd love to meet you! Here's a few peeks as to what we'll be creating... :)

Lunar Eclipse

Bet you never knew the moon looked like that, did you?? HA! This was my attempt at capturing the full lunar eclipse that happened in the crystal clear skies tonight. It was an amazing sight but can you tell how stinkin' cold it was? Couldn't stay still for anything, I was shivering so hard, but I kinda like my worm-y looking moon. Somehow it fits for me right now! ;)

Hunkering down here for a major winter storm heading our way tomorrow around noon-ish. Will Spring ever come??

Trying to Recover

This. This was my view from my room at the Anaheim Marriot while I was at CHA Show earlier this week. It was sunny, 75 and sooooo gorgeous...(Please. Note the palm trees and cloudless blue skies...sigh)
And THIS. This was what greeted me 12 hours later (oh yes, 12 hours to return home!)....uh, not so sunny and 25-ish with 4" of snow topped by 1" or more of ice. Now I find that I'm slowly adjusting to being gone 5 days from my crew and the 3 days of school "Snow Days" that they had as a result of said snow.

Sadly that above photo was one of the precious few I took at CHA. For some reason I just never seemed to remember to pull out my camera (I'm relying on those of you that did to send me pics - Trace, Emily, Silvia... ;)) but CHA was wonderful. I always love going and getting to see the latest and greatest that all the manufacturers are showing. Granted, I only got to see it for about 45 minutes each day as I was the sole make-n-taker at our booth, but I loved it all. I especially love getting to see friends that I only get to see once or twice a year. This year included a special surprise in the form of a former college friend - and if you knew that our college was only about 1200 students or so, you can know how rare that is that I'd run into her in California of all places. So HI to Lani in Florida! I hope to see you at more shows now that we know the other attends! :)

And since photos of it was one of the few benefits to the snow and ice, let me leave you with a few more photos of our day tubing. I'm hoping to catch up with a few Valentine party photos and some more BasicGrey booth samples in the next couple of days, God willing. (Anyone else have a "to do" list that seems never-ending??!)

Since I'm in mourning today...

over my Patriots' loss to the (they played amazingly!) Giants, I figured I had to do a little something to cheer me up.

SO...How about a little preview of some new BASICGREY that will debuting at CHA Winter this weekend?? I hope you all love it as much as I do. I can't even tell you now much this is my favorite release ever! Something for everyone! (And I've just been given the OK to release a few images so I'm editing this post to include them at the bottom of the banner peek! A special thanks to Stephanie Howell for letting me work with that precious picture of her Daughter, Harper!) Enjoy!






BasicGrey CUPCAKE

BasicGrey SUGARED

BasicGrey SULTRY



BasicGrey BOXER

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!!!!

Ok, I admit it right here and now, I'm a Patriots fan because of this man. So sue me ;) I can't help it. He's just something really pretty to look at during football season and it doesn't hurt he's amazing at what he does, baby mama issues aside. And since my Ethan's Packers didn't quite complete the deal to play today, we'll be an all Patriot household later on tonight! Go Pats!

And now for the WINNER of my little RAK... Thank you all so much for your comments and stories. They were wonderful! I couldn't pick a favorite (or worst!), so I resorted to the random number generator (I know, I copped out ;)) who decided that it would be #15 (sooo close to #12 ;)) which means, MAGGIE, girl, it's YOU!

Maggie said...
I was never into Valentine's until I had my dd, then now we make all kinds of goodies to take to school, we even made a wreath using a kit.
Take a look here
http://www.dragonflairestudios.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=1278
Have ag reat day,
Maggie

Email me at kelly.goree@gmail.com with your addy so I can get your prize out to you! Congratulations!

Midnight Friday - TIME'S UP!!

Hi guys!

Sorry I've been a little absent lately. I'm just coming up for air a bit from CHA prep to give a little reminder to leave a comment on my "Love is all Around" post to be entered for a little Valentine present from me :) Make sure it's there by midnight Eastern on Friday! (Just for fun, I'll announce the winner on SuperBowl Sunday! Go Pats!)

Have a Happy Hump Day :)

Snow Day!

This morning when the alarm went off at 6:05, we awoke to an 1" of snow with it still coming down. And around here, that means SNOW DAY! I know all you New Englanders are cracking up right now, but it's true. And dont' even get me started on the grocery raids with the threat of snow. That's another post for another time. Anyhow, since we don't often get snow and snow days here (which might seem contradictory considering I blogged about snow just a few days ago, but I swear it's true!), we took full advantage of it - after sneaking back to bed for another good hour and 1/2! (aaahhh...heaven!)

The boys ran out first preparing their snowballs for the upcoming battle with what was apparently some awesome packing snow. I ventured out a little later with my camera trying to make good on the rare opportunity. Thank goodness I did because all of that good white stuff was nothing but slush by lunchtime. Ah well. We had fun while it lasted and I think I'm good until next winter ;) Have I mentioned I hate the cold??!

But before we went in, the boys all got together to pose for a picture for me. I think I should have known something was up as they all raised their arms armed with snowballs "for the picture." Uh, yeah. Thank goodness most of them have lousy aims! ;) They're cute, even if they're being punks!

I am just about to figure out what's going to happen here and that I've been set up (yeah, I'm slow!). They're yelling "SNOWBALL!", what else. Carson's face totally cracks me up here.

And finally - fleeing before the other 3 snowballs find their way in my direction!
Have a fabulous day!

1978 Revisited!

I was at Michael's the other day and found a flashback from my childhood c. 1978 - SHRINKY DINK plastic! I snatched some of that good stuff up on the spot and stashed it away for just the right time to play with it. And you guessed it - today was the day. Seriously! I haven't had this much fun in ages. There's just something about watching that plastic curl up to contortionist proportions and then settle back out again, infinitely tinier, that just makes me happy!

As a special treat for my Curious George-loving 4-year-old, I traced one of his coloring pages, colored and cut it out while he was at preschool (where he made his OWN hat - see picture ;)). Then when he got home, I let him have the honors of shrinking that little monkey right up! He was duly impressed. The results are that he now has a necklace I'm afraid will never come off of him. (And I'm thinking in about 30 years, he'll be mentioning shrinky dinks to his kiddos and his childhood c. 2008!)

UPDATE: Sadly, since that photo was taken, Mr. Carson has broken George, so now only his poor head hangs from a string. Yet he still won't take it off. I find that slightly disturbing.

Let it Snow & Love is all Around Us

This was the scene here yesterday morning! It wasn't much (I think we accummulated all of about 3/4" or so which, of course, was gone by noon), but it's rarity is now documented and I finally have some "snow" pictures!
So while I do love snow, I have to say I HATE winter and being cold, and the only thing that gets me through it is looking forward to Valentine's Day. I'm such a romantic and living in a house of all men, I'm all about a holiday that is about red, pink, love and glittery pretties! Since I've been all in the spirit lately, I thought I'd share a bit that makes me smile :)

I could eat this kiddo up, he's so cute. Yes, I realize I'm biased, but I'm allowed! By the way, these yummy looking lollies (that's for you, Nic!) can be found at the $1 Spot at Target and Carson assures me that they're pretty good. Warning - they last ALL DAY and getting them away from wee ones can prove slightly..uh...difficult!

And being the good little enabler I am, GET THEE TO TARGET! They have all kinds of fun, cute, and have-to-have goodies there for Valentine's Day. It's taking all the restraint I have not to buy them out!


Ok, so back to other fun pretties...here are a few love-related/pink things I've made lately - a little mini-album and some Valentines along with a Christmas present for my sister-in-law (I posted it on a gallery or so but don't think I shared here).



So tell me (by February 1st!) - are you into Valentine's Day like I am or do you dread it? What do you like to do to celebrate? What was your favorite Valentine's Day ever (or worst!)? There just might be a Valentine-related RAK for my favorite story! ;)

My Birthday Boy

My baby turned 8 two weeks ago today. I always take him out (as with his brothers) for his annual portrait session, but due to the funky weather we've been having, we didn't get out until today. I love doing these portrait sessions with my boys because it really lets me see how much they've changed year after year. And this sure was a big year for change for E. I could hardly believe it.

Gone was the baby face of just a year ago. Now he has adult teeth and big feet and picky taste. He's shooting up so fast that right before Christmas, he was one size, but in less than two weeks, he's another. He's bright, handsome and funny (*ahem*, even if often too funny according to his teacher). He's a great, if not always patient, big brother. He makes me laugh like no one else but can get me frustrated just as quickly. He's got my brown eyes and when I look into them I feel like I'm looking in the mirror, he's so like me. He is strong and athletic, gentle and kind. He loves video games, football, Harry Potter, his dog and 98% of the time, his family. He melts my heart when I see him sleeping he looks like such an angel, but has this devilish grin that does the same. He's the one that showed me what my purpose in life was. He is the one that made me a Mama.

He's my first born.
My first love.
And I am so grateful to be his mom.

Happy Birthday, Ethan.
Love,
Mama

Fits right in.

Oh, yeah. He fits right in. It seems I can't have a family member under 8 who doesn't love sticks. When the boys were out playing the other day, Fletcher had to get in on the act. He's looking mighty pleased with himself, don'tcha think?? And I swear he's twice the size as when Santa left him with us. Must be all those sticks he's eating, eh? :)

So, anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! I hope it's been off to a fabulous start for you and yours. I've been meaning to update for days and the longer I put it off the more I wanted to say so, well...I'm not the Queen Procrastinator for nothing.

Since Christmas, we've celebrated Ethan's birthday - my oldest is now an 8-year-old!- just a few days after Christmas. We spent it with my parents at the Louisville Slugger Baseball Museum (where they manufacture the famous bats) and then had a quiet dinner. A Lazer tag party is coming up later this month now that school's back in session. Those of you with holiday babes know just how hard it is to get people together for a kid's party this time of year.

Speaking of school, the boys started up again Thursday. I think they were ready to get back. They were tired of just having each other to bug and missed their friends at school and the routine. I find it strangely quiet in the house again with them gone most of the day, but Carson does his best to make up for it when he gets home from Pre-school.

Other than that, I'm busy gearing up for CHA in just a few more weeks. It's coming up fast and I personally can't wait to hit California in the middle of winter! It's been disgustingly bitter cold the past week or more and I'm ready for some heat.

Happy Play-off Sunday!

K.