My Poor Flowers!

Ok, I took the day off and do not have something new to share. This was featured on the AMN blog today and it makes me giggle so I thought I'd share it here. Jill had a similar idea - check it out!

Today, I took my kids to Monticello. The visionary Thomas Jefferson had a lovely home with so many inspired and whimsical touches. If you have never been, you should go (it is even listed as one of the Eight Places Every American Should See). It really is an amazing piece of architecture, has beautiful grounds and gardens and the history is remarkable. I wish I could share photos of inside the house, but photographs are prohibited. When I have time to get photos off my camera, I'll share. Now is a great time to go, but if you wait a little, the gardens will be absouletly beautiful. I just hope that there won't be any skunks about the grounds!

Final Snow Update (Or Is It?)

It stopped snowing before 5pm last night. We even had a sunset! Today has been a day of having some fun in the snow, clearing the remainder of the driveway and digging out a neighbor.

We already have word that there will be no school tomorrow. And, the forecast is for more snow Tuesday evening; maybe another 4-6 inches. Hooray for snow days!

Here is a panoramic look at our house (panorama are my husband's new favorite iPhoto trick).



I will have something crafty and stampy to share soon!

Snow Update #3

It is still snowing. We've shoveled the driveway about four times now and the walls on either side are huge. The latest measurement is 22 inches.

Along with the snow, there has been some damage to trees in our yard and the neighbor's yard. We have a lot of cleanup to do once the snow is gone and the ground isn't saturated.

Want to see what I'm talking about?


David and Joey clearing the driveway this morning.


The white pine trees are not meant to hold so much snow and are snapping in half. We had one do the same thing back during our December snow storm. Our neighbor's garage, thankfully, wasn't damaged beyond a dented gutter.

Snow Update #2

It is 6:45 am and it has been snowing for about 22 hours. The snow outside our front door is now measuring 17.5".

Everything is so quiet and peaceful outside. In a few hours, though, the kids will want to get out and play. I hope there isn't too much snow for us to go sledding.

Snow Update

It started snowing this morning around 9:30. It is now 11:15 pm and the snow on our front steps is already at 10.5".

It is falling at about 2" an hour, too, because in the half hour my husband and I were out shoveling another inch of snow fell. I'll be back tomorrow with another update and maybe a photo...

A Lost Week? Seems Like It.

The first full week of summer vacation has gone by quickly. My husband was gone for the better part of the week, so we kept really busy with friends, books and the pool. I even ventured into the city with my parents to go to the Navy Band concert at the Capitol. This band plays every Monday during the summer for free! It is a beautiful place to see a concert because you look toward the Washington Monument as the sun sets.



If you are local, I highly recommend going. There are other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces that play there on other nights of the week, too, so you could potentially see a free concert every night of the week in D.C. Plus, you can't beat the scenery!




I am so behind with the stamping fun this week for the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA challenge! This week, the inspiration was the word "ribbon." I love using ribbon on a card, but I don't always use it. So, I decided I'd use two pieces of ribbon. And since this is all for fun, I thought it would be nice to have a "just because" type of card. Also, don't forget to enter the ribbon guessing game over on the AMN blog.

We are getting ready to head way down south for a big family reunion. If any of you are mothers, you know how much work goes into getting ready for a long trip with children. I-40, here we come!

card info: paper, strawberry, sentiment, sheer ribbon and grosgrain ribbon by A Muse, Copic markers: lipstick red, nile green and warm gray #2, Spica glitter pen, pop dots.

Bittersweet Day

Yesterday was the Komen Global Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. The weather was great, perfect for a walk (or run) and the scenery was great, too. We started near the Capitol and then wound through the "downtown" part of D.C., past lots of monuments and the White House. My kids were well behaved and endured the large crowds on the Metro and the National Mall very well.

Here are a couple of photos from the day:



These are my siblings with me. PJ, me, Heather and Justin.




This is our group at the finish line. We did a pretty good job trying to all stick together. My parents, unfortunately, were not able to walk with us due to my mother's untimely illness. We are hoping that we will be able to walk together next year.

Thank you to all the blog readers who supported me this year. I am touched by the generosity of stampers, especially in difficult economic times.

All Kinds of Crafty

I know I've been absent of late.

Life. 'Nuf said.

I've been busy with stamps but was slow to get things photographed. Today I'll share two things that I've done recently. And there will be more soon.

First, I needed some thank you notes to send but was laking ideas. Then, inspiration hits when the A Muse Newsletter (don't get it? Sign up here) arrived in my inbox last week. Heather created a beautiful card using the *new* Kokeshi doll. I borrowed significantly from her card to make these two cards.



Second, I've been reading some sewing/craft blogs lately and saw some ideas (see Lollychops and Martha Stewart) using small images and some "Wonder Under" to make iron-ons for a shirt. I used parts of the Cupcake Clear set to make this shirt for my daughter.




It is pretty cute, no? I actually made two shirts, one for each of my two big girls.

So, just one more thing before I go. Last night I finally got to experience something my husband LOVES to do, but had never asked me to do with him. I experienced this. Pretty awesome for a man pushing 60!

D.C. Summer Fun

Almost every evening of the week in Washington, D.C., there is something FREE to do with the whole family. When I was little, my parents would take us to the Jefferson Memorial where we could see military concerts every summer. Our favorites were Christmas in July and the Lollipop concerts. My brothers always liked the concerts that included precision drills by special units. Last Tuesday, my mom and I took my three oldest children to see the U.S. Army Twilight Tattoo on the grounds of the Washington Monument. We had a picnic and enjoyed the music of the U.S. Army Blues Band and members of Down Range, an Army singing group. These are very talented people who are usually recruited for their outstanding musical abilities. Anyhow, the precision drill team flings rifles fixed with bayonets up in the air and twirl these weapons all over the place. *In the picture above, the drill master is in the middle with about 20 bayonets in his face - do you see him?* If you are near D.C., tomorrow is the last of these for the summer. However, if you miss this, there are many other military concerts held on the west lawn of the Capitol most nights of the week. Take advantage, if you haven't already!!!