New Stuff from It's Personal

Two new pieces that I had to share with you.

My girlfriend needed a baby gift for a friend. Obviously the nursery is pink and brown animal print, I think this is going to be amazing in baby Harper's room! My other girlfriend Amy gave me the saying that I wrote on it. It says "My Prince Did Come...His Name Is Daddy". Oh, being the mom of girls I about lost it when she told me that. I told her 'that will be the next frame I make'. Here it is, hopefully the Mommy & Daddy ~ to ~ be will love this as much as I do and will send me a picture of it on the wall with a picture Daddy and Harper in it!

Marilyn has been doing my hair for years, the salon she works is all Safari, she so needed this! No it's not an upside down M her last name starts with a "W"

Hanging on to summer...Deja style!

Deja has always loved the pool but her love for it only went as deep as her little (ok big) paws could reach.

That all changed last weekend when Babe was in the pool with Honey, Peanut and 18 other little people for Honey's "family" birthday dinner. Unbeknownst to me while I was in the kitchen making 17 pounds of Mexican madness in the shape of tacos and enchiladas, she was in the pool...swimming...all of her and not after being pushed or drug and not after she had fallen in while chasing a squirrel. Yes while she runs looking up barking like a dog gone rouge she as fallen in, more than once. She was IN the freaking pool people and I missed it!

It is so very cool to me, I swear some people don't get this excited when their children learn to swim, and they should be ashamed of themselves! Anyway in their attempt to get in as many days as possible in the pool the girls went swimming after school yesterday. As I walked around the corner I saw Deja standing at the slider soaking wet. I ask, through the door because a 70 pound soaking wet dog running through the house is no fun and I know that from experience, was she in the pool? Oh ~ yes ~ she ~ was ~ and I freaking missed it again.

So like any good mom I lock the door forcingHoney to get back in with her while I stand inside with the camera taking pictures. I had to stand inside because this 70 pound ferocious German Shepherd (ha ha) is afraid, I mean really truly terrified of the camera. How can that be? I'm a scrapbooker, does she know what that does to me!

Anyway, I was able to sneak outside to get a few shots from a better angle. I just love this, how cool is it to have a dog that wants to swim with your girls!! I just had to share.

Honey and Peanut had to convince her it to jump in again.

She would get the ball from them and swim it back to the side.

After a few minutes they were able to throw the ball from the side and she would jump right in after it.

I was finally able to sit outside with the camera but every time she heard the beep she would stop to look at me. It almost looks like she's walking on water.

She is so pretty!

New Stuff

I wanted to share the new stuff I made. For those of you that know me you know that my dogs are like my children. I have decided to make a custom dog line. Leash holders, name plaques, and picture frames will be in this line. I guess the same could be done for cats if you happen to like those sneaky creatures. Now don't get me wrong I love cats just not at my house. We did have one once ~ Miss Molly ~ she is the only cat I loved. She now lives with my Mom and Dad because Jewel didn't agree, well actually she did love her but as a snack not as a part of the family. She now is the most spoiled rotten FAT cat (she weighs close to 20 pounds) ever, and is clearly my Dads baby, to know my Dad you would NEVER believe that!

I can never find the leashes when I want to take the dogs out for a walk, the girls take them and just set them down wherever when they're done. Now this is no guarantee that they will be put where they belong but it's a step in the right direction and it's SERIOUSLY adorable too!

This canvas was made to go in the  playroom of duh, sisters. It matches their curtains and sums up just what sisters really are. Now if I were making this for my girls I would have added the words ~FIGHT~BICKER~ANNOYING! well, you get the picture. I hope they love it!

My 38th birthday dinner

Happy 38th Birthday to me...

Wait does that say 38?!?!?!? Are you kidding me? I so do not feel that old, f-f-f-forty is knock-knock-knocking on my front door! I swear when did most of my thirties pass me by?

To celebrate my birthday  some of my nearest and dearest got together. We had dinner at the Columbia, one of my favorites, ate some delicious food and drank some  very tasty sangria (translation... A LOT OF SANGRIA)! We laughed so hard by the end of the night my cheeks hurt it was kinda like the same pain I felt after my wedding you know when your face was stuck in that perpetual smile for I don't know 8 hours! It was a great time!

I was serenaded by two of the most beautiful voices, Chad and Russ, and I loved every minute of it!

AHHHH fun times!

Natalie bought pictures of all us to remember the evening, much like to one we have from Carlos and Charles but without all the bodily harm we endured to get it (that's another wild story and one I will not share, we made a vow, what happened in Mexico stays in Mexico ~ boy am I glad!!)

 Chris. Shawn. Natalie. Chad. Cody. Alisa. Russ. Dawn. Pam.David

Whose ass is that and how did it get in my pants?!?!?!

***Warning this post contains some mild adult language***

OK SERIOUSLY!

As I have been getting dressed the past few days I have looked in the mirror and wondered "whose ass is that and how did it get in my pants"? I mean really! I know I've been a little laid back with the whole "diet" thing and haven't worked out since I sprained my ankle but this is ridiculous! At the rate my ass is growing I won't be able to eat until I don't know, October!

My husband is taking me to New York on a business trip with him and we're staying a few days after to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. Lots of fun right, or should I said tons-o-fun! I'm not joking when I say if this "growth spurt" doesn't stop he'll have to buy another ticket just for my ass! Oh shit I didn't even think about the shades of embarrassed I'll be when the ever so perky waitress in the sky announces over the loud speaker that seat 24a needs a belt expander!

I also have nothing to fit this gigantic thing that follows me everywhere I go. When I lost my weight and was finally wearing single digit sizes, yes I was knocking on the door at the need to shop at the "big girl" store, I burned everything else. SERIOUSLY I have nothing to wear. It's not even an easy fix, I can't call a single friend to borrow clothes from, they're all skinny bitches! You heard me, skinny bitches! No, I'm not bitter. I understand that every circle of friends has to have a "token fat girl", but in my circle that's ME... oh the horror!

I guess I'll be wearing sweatpants all weekend...oh how sexy!

Well I've got to run the chocolate laxative I ate for breakfast just kicked in, then I'm off to enjoy my delicious lunch of carrots sticks with an 1/8 of a teaspoon of that ever so creamy and yummy non fat ranch dressing!

Note to self ~ throw away the cookie dough...no forget that, eat it quick there are starving children all over the world...I hate waste!

It's Personal

It's official ~ I have a web-site. Now it's a work in progress but it's a start. Go on by clicking the It's Personal link to the left, leave your name in the guest book so I know you've been there, and let me know what you think. 

I'm hoping and praying to get a lot of orders from this Christmas project I'm doing so if you were planning on placing an order as a Christmas gift please get it to me as soon as possible so I'm not going crazy at the last minutes.

I'm working on a few new things right now, I think they are going to be great so keep checking back either here or on the web-site, I'll post pictures as soon as they're finished.

~Shawn

School's back in session!

I have to admit, as much as my girls drive me crazy and their constant fighting is enough to make me crack open the bottle of tequila as early as noon some days I HATE, hate, hate, hate sending them off to school. Now, I'll be honest a lot of it has to do with the fact that we have to get up for freaking early! SERIOUSLY, 6:45, who made that up? I think school should be from 10-5, that would be perfect right!?!! 

Anyway, it's official I now have a third grader and an eighth grader! WOW!

To all you Mom's, have a great first day of school!

This was like pulling teeth to get. "Seriously Im gonna be late Mom,  blah blah blah".

Little Miss 3rd grade. Dontcha know we were at the bus stop more than 10 minutes early! Where did she come from?!?!?!

Happy birthday Honey!

14 years ago today I was a Mommy for the very first time. It was by far the most thrilling, exciting, terrifying, emotional day of my life! I thought I was so ready but as the time drew nearer for her grand entrance I was convinced I really had no clue at all what I was about to embark on.

I was right, I really had no clue what was about to happen to me. The immediate connection between a mother and child and the instant love is absolutely indescribable! The feeling of how did I ever get by, just for even one moment, without this baby in my life was incredible. I was a young 24 year old ready to take on the most important job in the world, being a Mommy. God had given me the most precious little baby girl and it was now my job to take care of her.

When the shocking news came that the pain I had been experiencing was from a blood clot that had been forming in my leg and that I would have to stay in the hospital came as a huge shock. What did they mean I would have to go to another hospital, one where my brand-new-baby-girl could not stay with me? The horror that I may not be able to raise my own baby was almost too much to bear and it overtook me like nothing had before or has since. Now I had complete faith that Babe would be the best Daddy to her and that he would love her as much as I would but I wanted to be there. I wanted to be the one that did her hair, fixed her first broken heart, screamed at her because she was driving me crazy when I had no patience left, I wanted to go shopping to pick out that perfect prom dress, I wanted to watch her walk down the isle holding her Daddy's hand, I wanted all of those things and there was a chance I may never see any of them. That scared me to death!

Five days later I was sent to a different hospital and Honey was sent home in the best of hands, her Daddy and my Mom. Through the pouring rain they drove her home while I laid in a hospital bed at St. Joseph's hospital in the cardiac ward crying my heart out hanging on to her little 2" long sock. As sad as it was I needed that sock and loved my Mom for thinking of me in such a way, a way that only another Mother would think of. I was a little confused when she turned back around after leaving the room that night to hand me the sock off of her little foot, "here" she said "it smells like her". How does a Mom coupe with that feeling when they know they don't have a tomorrow with their child, tears stream down my cheeks and my heart aches even now as I recall how empty I felt without my baby in my arms. The strength of the Moms I have met after losing a child is nothing less than amazing!

My sister Sheila came in a week later and stayed for 2 weeks while Babe and my Mom went back to work. Every day she would dress my baby girl and bring her to the hospital where we would sit until it was time for them to go home then I was again left with that empty feeling until morning. All of the exciting first's were done without me, the first trip in a car, the first trip to the pediatrician, the first bath, I missed them all. My sister was so sweet to try to recap each thing for me. I'm glad it was her in my place, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm sure that's why to this day they have more of a mother-daughter relationship than an Aunt- Niece relationship.

The years have simply flown by. Honey drives me crazy ~ Seriously ~ CRAZY but she really is the most amazing kid. Kind, generous, sassy, compassionate, funny, nosey, messy, and gentle spirited are just a few words to describe her. She is beautiful both inside and out and I am so proud to be her Mommy and I feel blessed beyond measure that God choose me, a little ol' corn feed mid-western girl, to raise such an amazing person!

Yes today is a happy day! A day to celebrate the best birthday gift I have even been given. The gift of one little girl...Honey born August 17, 1994 at 3:27 p.m. (4 weeks early) weighing a healthy 5 pounds 6 ounces and measuring 21 1/2 inches long.

I searched and searched for a fabulous picture of Honey when she was a baby. Then I went back and searched for a great picture, then for a good picture, and finally for a decent picture of my little girl. You can so tell that scrapbooking wasn't even a thought at this point and time of my life because all of the pictures of her are too far away, at the wrong angle, and well, they're just plain BAD! Hard lesson to learn and one that I am glad to say was learned by the time her baby sister came into the picture 5 1/2 years later (sorry Honey).

Honey

approximently 4 months old

Honey age 13...

I know it's a year old but please, have you tried taking picture of a 14 year old lately? "No Mom my hair looks like crap, I don't have make-up on" blah, blah, blah! It's either that or she's not a lone. It's all good though because I love, love, love this picture!

Look who has glasses!

At our back to school physicals a few weeks back Abereese didn't do so hot on her eye exam. Now McKenzie was quick to tell me, since I wasn't there ~ I stayed in the room, "she totally worked that whole eye exam because she wants glasses, don't believe her Mom". Now I know my girls, they both want crazy things, McKenzie has always wanted a broken leg and they both wanted braces and glasses ~ crazy girls! So I believed McKenzie, they're due for eye exams in November anyway so it can wait. Well as the weeks have passed I have noticed Abereese complaining of headaches more often and holding her books closer to her face while reading. So when she asked Monday "Mom can you please call the eye doctor" I said yes. 

We went yesterday afternoon and she passed every test he gave her. After she persisted that she really did have blurred vision when reading he gave her a test they use for people that are unable to communicate, she passed that one too, she still argued with him. So he asked if he could dilate her eyes to relax them for another test and a closer look, sure I say why not I say. Well after that test he said, "Abereese I'm sorry I didn't believe you, you DO need glasses". This is why I have followed Dr. Russell for the past 14 years, I love his cautiousness and his ability to work so well with children, other doctors would not have dealt so well with an argumentative 8 year old. I guess after her eyes were relaxed he was able to run another test and it showed she needed glasses for reading, computer, and school work. With her very anal personality she asked a ton of questions, a good thing I know, but she needed to know when she should would need to wear them on more specific terms. "So if my teacher is writing on the board that's school work do I need to put them on?", "If I'm watching TV since it's like a computer do I need to wear them"?...you get the picture, she's just so OCD! I love her though, she is just so precious!

So off we go to VisionWorks, prescription in hand, to get her glasses in an hour, she couldn't wait a week for him to order her the VERY EXPENSIVE frames she picked out there (thank God!). Being very trending and fashion conscience, she is so my daughter, well her Daddy is the ultimate metro-sexual so I guess I can't take all the credit, she tried on a dozen pairs and through the process of elimination decided on these SERIOUSLY ADORABLE Ralph Lauren frames. Isn't she just the most ADORABLE thing ever! Since she has to wear them while working on the computer or reading I'll give you one guess what she's been doing all morning, I have such a quite house!

13 Years, 11 months and 7 days ago...

I cannot believe that 13 years, 11 months, and 7 days ago I looked like this! A young Mommie to be celebrating her 24th birthday in the labor and delivery room at St. Joseph's Women's Hospital in Tampa Florida with a very BIG belly.

I was in such pain from my leg, they still had no clue at this point what was wrong with me, all of that drama wouldn't develop until after Honey was delivered. To say I was a little "relaxed" in this picture would not be to far from the truth! The pain was crazy bad but not like typical labor, mine was all in my leg and pelvic area. As soon as I received the epidural and another dose of pain killer all was well and it was time to make myself look human, a very stoned human, but human, notice the mascara in hand! And you've got to love the Brooke Shield eyebrows! What I miss the most is that smooth skin, DANG, there's not a single wrinkle to be found! Now I really don't mind my "weathered" skin, it's a sign of a life well lived right? SERIOUSLY! I wouldn't give back a single wrinkle, not if it meant not living the life I have been blessed with. Now that doesn't mean I'm opposed to an occasional round of Botox, I do have certain standards and looking like one of my leather purses just won't cut it! SERIOUSLY!

Babe was beside himself with excitement. He couldn't believe that in a matter of hours he would be holding his daughter and that she would be tiny enough to fit into the preemie diapers that awaited her. At 4 weeks early we weren't sure what to expect as far as her size.

My Mom and Nannie (my Moms Mom) were right there with me the entire time. The doctors let Nannie stay in the room, it was the first birth she had ever witnessed, to say she was awestruck would be an understatement. I was thrilled to give her that opportunity and she never passed up the chance to tell anyone that would listen that she got to see her great-granddaughter come into this world. Oh how I miss that incredible LADY! My Mom not being there was simply not an option, without her and Chris by my side I would have been one freaked out 24 year old girl!

Yep, in 7 days I will be the Mommy to a 14 year old! Where has the time gone? It SERIOUSLY seems as if the pictures above were taken just yesterday. When did my little girl grow up? Can you ya'll hear the theme song from Fiddler On the Roof playing in the background? SUNRISE SUNSET SUNRISE SUNSET........

Happy Birthday Bobby!

My nephew turned one yesterday!He is just the cutest little Trotti boy there is, no he's more than that he's SERIOUSLY ADORABLE! 

So to document his first birthday and the ever so exciting birthday cake experience I made him a picture frame. Now this frame was not my idea, I always give credit where credit is due, it was Natalie's.  "Natalie" alone just isn't enough so let me use a few adjectives to describe her a little bit more.  She is very smart, beautiful, loyal, crafty, and adorable (did I cover them all Nat?). You know what is so much more important than any of that is that she is my true friend! Without her I would not have come up with this SERIOUSLY ADORABLE frame for Bobby, heck I wouldn't have developed It's Personal, Seriously Adorable Personalized Art with her friendly little nudges.  So this is more than a Happy Birthday Bobby post it's also a Thanks For Being My Friend Natalie post!

Can you see this frame being used for other things, I mean SERIOUSLY the possibilities are endless, or should I say countless, whatever. If you have an event coming up, or even past events, and want the perfect frame to hold that picture just let me know.

My brother-in-law Rob entered the picture of Bobby in the frame below in National Geographic's photo contest so keep your fingers crossed. Hey, since I took the picture I get the prize right?

Bailey & Anthony, my soon to be God-Children, needed name boards. These match their bedding and are the perfect size for a one room two child set-up. I actually love this  6x12 size,  it's fun and finding the perfect place to hang them will be easy.

Back From the Races

We're back from Tennessee and had a great time! Vaughn raced good, coming in about 25th out of the 42 riders. I think that's pretty awesome for a National race! The most important thing is that he's safe, a 41 year old died and a boy in the 7-9 year old class was taken from the track via helicopter. I'll take safe and 25th any day!

Go #81!!!!

Vaughn Michael Mays ~ aka Mad Dog Mays

The girls had fun with their cousins and endured the heat (99+) and rain (more like monsoon) by playing in the mud puddles, well at least Abereese did, McKenzie just chose to walk through the mud "boy-shopping".

McKenzie and I spent one afternoon in Nashville visiting with my niece  Samantha. While we were going through the shops I picked up the most beautiful pair of earrings, so beautiful that I just had to wear them. McKenzie was so proud to have me as her Mommy, and I was very quick to let anyone that would listen that she belonged to me!

I believe these bad boys are worthy of a close up!