Graduating!!

I can remember when I was an 8th Grader getting ready to move on up into High School. It's a scary thing. Bigger school, more classes, older kids, it's a lot different then Middle School and sometimes scary. When spending some time with this 8th grade graduate reminded me about my transition between Middle School and High School. Which happened to be a good one!!!
But this girl was ready to go graduate and looking better than ever!!!









See what I mean!! Adorable!! Congrats chicka!!

Toodles

Iheartfaces:: From A Distance

I made it... I made it... I finally made it to another Iheartfaces contest. :P I've been trying to remember but always remember on a Wednesday when the linky is closed. :( But not today, because I remembered!

My friend Brittney is always my guinea pig for ideas or if I just want to go photograph an actual person and not the grass blowing in the wind. ;P

If you'd like to join in on the iHeartfaces FUN link up your photo on their website. :)



Toodles

Bittersweet

There are so many changes going in right now in my life. Good and bad. Sad and Happy. It's all so BITTERSWEET!
The daycare I've been working at for the past 7 years is closing. It's sad to be leaving the kids, it's the hardest part. I wish I could take them all with me. The happy side to this sadness is that I get to start something new. I haven't made a decision on where I'll be working, but I'm not jumping back into the daycare scene. I love kids so much, and if you know me you know that. But, I'll still be working in the children's department at my church, Faith City, so I'll still be working with kids.
But I'll miss these faces!!!!


So as I finish up our last week of school this week, not just the last week for the summer, but our last week forever I'll be soaking in every moment with these kids. I know as they grow up they won't remember me, but I'll always remember every single one of these kids. I've truly been blessed to have put into each child and have enjoyed teaching them.

I better go before I get my keyboard all wet!!!

Enjoy your week all!!!

Toodles

Sunday Citar

The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence,
but you still have to mow it.
- Anonymous

Grass is the forgiveness of nature - her constant benediction.
Forests decay, harvests perish, flowers vanish,
but grass is immortal.
- Brian Ingalls

Head over to Fresh Mommy blog and link up your quote!

Toodles

Sunday Citar

"AFLAC"
-The Aflac Duck

“If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck”
-Proverb

“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.”
-Michael Caine

Isn't he just the cutest thing?

Head to Fresh Mommy Blog and link up your quote!

The Secret to Throwing A Party

What is the secret?
Really.... I want to know.... What is the secret? Do you know?
Because I would like to know for the next time I throw a baby shower and then a bridal shower in the next month. Yes, I did that, but it was so fun. The first baby shower and first bridal shower I've ever had the privilege of putting together.
The baby shower was for my pregnant friend, Chelsea. Whom you have seen on my photography blog, Crystal Rae Photography. I loved throwing the party, it was very fun to put together too. I wanted to be a little more creative with the decorations and I have seen two different ideas online that I kind of meshed together. I saw pictures on clothes line with paper baby clothes on a clothes line in seperate websites. So I kind of meshed those together by posting pictures of pregnant mommy and clothes that she had gotten before for little Eliza. I didn't have to pay for paper, or find paper baby clothes or print them and use my ink. So I saved money there. It turned out so cute!





What I saved from paper and ink from the clothes line decorations I used to make the banner... which said, Celebrate Eliza. I designed each circle in Photoshop and printed it on my card stock paper. I bought different colored and styled ribbon to put each letter together and came out with this....



Chelsea had a great turn out and her and Eliza were BLESSED!

The Bridal shower I threw was for my BEST FRIEND, Brittney. She is getting married July 9th and I'm so excited for her to start a new chapter in her life. To help her celebrate her upcoming wedding I threw I black and white themed shower. The decorations I used were easy, simple, and fun.



I found the 2 sided frames at Ikea and they only cost me $0.99, that's right. If you have never been to ikea you need to find your way to one. It is one AWESOME store. In the frames I put a black and white picture of the bride and groom on one side and a love quote on the other. I used quotes from movies, the bible, and books. To help add to the frame center piece I made the flowers. I did see the idea on a blog, if I could find it I would link it up, but I can't find it again. :( What I did was made a flower template in Photoshop, which can be found in
custom shape tool, you go to the Shape: menu and there you pick the flower shape. I put 2 per page, once I printed the flowers out he one side I put the paper back in the printer to print a book on the opposite side. That way when I cut the flower out you didn't see the black likes on the top. I actually used the first chapter of New Moon, one of the books in the Twilight series, which happens to be a love story that Brittney enjoys reading. To keep the 2 flower pieces together I bought a jeweled brad from Michaels and poked it right through the center. Then I kept one prong out and stuck it into the stem (bought at Michaels) and hot glued it in there so it wouldn't fall out. Whala! You have a homemade flower! I then bought pearl garland I guess you would call it to wrap around the frames and to just add a little something more to the tables.



And these gorgeous cupcakes were made by my friend, Emily, who happens to be a baker. They were awesome!!! When I saw a cupcake like this online I knew I wanted these for the "cake" rather than buying a huge sheet cake no one would eat. She did such a great job on them, they went perfect with the theme.



We most definitely were not lacking in the food department. We had food galore. All of it tasted great and we still had some left over to bring home. :)

She then floated away on her balloons!!



Brittney was one blessed chicka!

2 great parties and I got to be a part of both. Thanks gals for letting me throw you a party!

Oh... and when you figure out that secret, be sure to let me know!!!

Toodles

Sunday Citar:: Momma

Okay I know I'm a week behind on the whole mom quotes because last weekend was Mothers day, but better late then never right?



Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. ~Marion C. Garretty

Mother - that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries. ~T. DeWitt Talmage

For gifts to our mothers for Mother's day Jeremy and I took pictures of us spelling out MOM with our hands. They turned out really well, except for the fact that my hands are so white and they just kind of blend in with the rest of my skin so the hand letters are hard to see. No worries!

I hope all you mothers out there enjoyed your day of celebration!!!
Really you should all link up your quotes this week. Just head over to Fresh Mommy Blog and DO IT!

Toodles