Cottage & Family [Search results for LIVE] 

I just got home from having a wonderful long weekend

girl's trip to Southern California ~

My two girls met my mom, sister and niece

and we laughed, shopped

and ate to our heart's content ~

We all used to live in the same town

but now my girls and

I live in Texas and they all still live in California

so it is great

to get together and do trips like this ~

This is Chelsey (my niece), Kristin (my oldest daughter), Kim (my sister),

Sue (my mom), Stephanie (my youngest daughter) and me ~ We are

at the Orange Coast Swap Meet ~

What is a girl's trip without chocolate :)

This is one of my new favorite shops ~ It is called the Daisy Shoppe ~

Their website truly does not show how soooo yummy it was ~

Their clothes were awesome, girly and lacey ~ I loved the decorations and

accessories too ! It was me all over !! This is my daughter though in the picture :)

This is my mom and my two girls at the Irvine Spectrum ~

It was a glorious sunny day to shop at an outside mall ~

This is my sister, Kim and I ~

It was the end of the day and it looks like we should have

been getting our makeup done with my mom :)

My niece must have been hitting the shops since

she wasn't in any more of these pictures ~

It was a fun time and we can't

wait to meet up again soon

for more girl's weekends !!

The second half of our California vacation was visiting our family on the central coast ~

My parents live in the home that my grandpa and grandma lived in for a few years ~ They live up on a hill that overlooks 2 towns and it is gorgeous ~ there is something about having an amazing view from your home that is wonderful to a girl living in Texas ~ they also have deer in their yard that I love to see but my parents aren't overly thrilled with them since they tend to try and eat all of their pretty flowers ~

These are hollyhocks that my grandma planted years ago and every year they bloom ~

The area they live in is known for its wineries and olives ~ we didn't go wine tasting this time but we did go to some olive tasting rooms and they were so yummy ! We also went to some of my favorite antique stores and some fun thrift stores ~

Before we left I got to go through my grandma's buttons ~ I remember when I was a little girl loving to see her jars of color coordinated buttons ~ She even took the time with some to thread the like buttons together on a single strand of thread ~ I can't imagine taking the time to do that ~~ it is so neat ~
The jars that she used were old baby food jars and peanut butter jars with the prices of 49 cents still on them ~

Vacation is over for now and it is good to be home ~

Talk to you soon !! I am off to add goodies to my website and catch up ~

This was a fun weekend!!! I went to visit my friend in Kansas to go to an Amish Festival close by where they live ~ while I was there it made me realize how nice it would be to slow down our fast paced lives and live like they do ~ We watched the horse and buggy races and just walked through the shops of some of the things that they had made ~ My very very favorite thing was to see the little Amish children who were sooo precious ~ As we were leaving we saw this family heading home in their buggy and I thought it was so ironic to see the sign right in front of them "Speed Zone Ahead" ~ It made me wonder what they think of the way we live as they quietly went on their way ~ After we left the festival we did alot of antiquing, it was a nice weekend get away ~

Goal: Students will extend their motor skills and explore their imaginations while crafting three dimensional birds.

Materials: Model Magic, toothpicks, glue, paint, birds sounds, "Feathers for Lunch" by Lois Elhert

Objectives: Students will:
Create a three dimensional bird model
Learn about birds and creatively interpret this knowledge
Be able to think critically about how the shape/size color of their bird relates to their physical characteristics
Explore a modeling material in three dimensions

Motivation: Students will listen to several bird sounds and be asked to identify them. Students will also listen carefully for a woodpecker. (CD "morning Songbirds--can be bought on Amazon.com) Students will be asked what kind of birds they have seen. What size and shape where they. What kinds of noises did they make? Students will be read "Feathers for Lunch" by Lois Elhert. Students will listen to the story and notice many different types of birds. The teacher will invite the students to think about an imaginary bird. Where does it live, what does it eat? Teacher will demonstrate how to use model magic to create three dimensional forms.

Procedures:
Students will decide what kind of bird to make.
Students will knead the model magic and create three dimensional forms to join together to create a bird shape.
Toothpicks will be used a "bones" to hold the bird together.
Students can flatten and shape additional forms to add to the body.
A paper clip will be used as a hanger/name tag for the bird.
Students will paint and add details to their bird once it's dried.
Birds will be hung from a tree to create a class flock of birds.

Closure: The class will gather around their flock of birds. Students will be asked to point out certain birds that are interesting to them. We will discuss that like people, ass the birds are different, yet fly in the same collective flock.

Evaluation: Students will be asked to talk about their imaginary birds. Where do they live, what do they eat etc. A fine example of this project will feature a carefully crafted bird that is modeled in three dimensions. Careful thought should be given to what kind of bird they wanted to make. Students will be asked to name their bird and draw several pictures of their birds.

We are so excited to start the
Creatively Made Home
e-course and wanted to share it with you!!

Creatively Made Home is an all new e-course about creating a home that reflects your heart in everyday living. It is about inspiring and encouraging you to create and style a home that you and your family love to live in...

This five week online course is hosted by 5 friends who want to help you to define your decorating style so that it is a true reflection of your heart.

Creatively Made Home is hosted by:

Tracey Leber

Sara Duckett

Kimberly Taylor

Jennifer Rizzo

and.....Jeanne Oliver

Here is the jam-packed schedule for the course:

* Each week you will have amazing truthful videos from not only the five teachers but other creative women.

* Each week we will take a room from one of YOU and all five women will give their suggestions telling you how they would transform the room with their style.

* There will be 50+ project videos.
These will be incredible videos that include everything from gardening, cooking, gift giving and decorating.

* There will be written tips from each woman telling you how she starts a room, picks paint, fabrics, etc. You will learn where to start when putting your own home together.

* Tons of beautiful house photos from each of the five women.

* Videos that truly reflect what life is like in each of their homes. The stuff that life is really about.

* Each woman will share their own truthful journey about how they started making their home a reflection of their hearts.

* Each person registered will get an easy entertaining e-book to download.

It will contain go to recipes for beautiful and easy entertaining (they do go together), photos of table settings that take the stress out of having people over, favorite drinks and so much more (and their funniest entertaining story).

* There will be a private Facebook group to connect with other class members.

* There will be a once a week live discussion with one of the teachers!

* You will get printables and pdfs to keep and use again and again.

This course is about loving your home, loving your family and blessing those around you....and having fun doing it.

This course will lavish you with ideas, beauty, inspiration, joy and encouragement!
Come and play house with us.

Class begins October 22.
Registration is now open!

The price of the course is $58 for all 5 weeks!

To sign up for Creatively Made Home, go *HERE*

We can't wait !!

Well there comes a time, especially after 6 years of collecting "stuff" that I just had to clean out !!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!! is all that I can say ~ soooo.... we had a shabby and stuff yard sale today ~ it was alot of fun to get rid of things that I just was "over" ~ ya know that stuff that you couldn't live without and now it would be just fine to sell it for 10 cents or maybe for "free just please take it so I don't have to pack it back up again" stuff ~ well it was fun but I am really ready for a good relaxing bath ~ we are having it tomorrow too so I will talk to you soon!

We are in Kansas for some antiquing and just hanging out at our friends house ~

They live in an old house in a small town that doesn't even have a manned Post Office ~ It is fun to visit and go to the little towns around and shop at the antique stores ~

The guys shot their guns so we had to go out and be Annie Oakley which was kind of fun too ~

We made tons of salsa because their garden was overflowing with tomatoes ~ it is soooo yummy !!

We will be on our way home tomorrow but it has been fun !

I received a precious gift from a friend for my birthday that I wanted to show you ~
I am constantly amazed at how some of my very best friends are ladies that I have met online ~ What a cool world we live in that we can have so much in common and be such close friends with people that we have possibly never met face to face ~

This is what I got in the mail from Sherri at Punk Rose Journal ~
Thank you so very much my dear friend ~

I have a confession to make ..... I am not a yard sale shopper ~

A flea market shopper but not a yard sale shopper and it is all because I have already been there done that on the Little Tykes stuff ~ I have friends ( Pat and Lisa ) that live close to me that always find treasures at yard sales ~ not me though ~

But ...... when Dorothy at the Shabby Y emails to say she is having a yard sale I am there with bells on (really flip flops) ~

She has the most amazing studio in the back that she even opened up to the shopping gals ~I pretty much drooled over her neat as a pin studio stuffed with awesome treasures ~

Here are the wonderful things that I got from her that will be on my website soon ~ well, except the oval frame ~

I also went to a tiny little flea market and found these old photos and sweet baby shoes ~ I am going to use the pictures for pocket pillows ~ My daughter was with me and we just cracked up going through the boxes of pictures ~

This girl's bow is so fun ! I can't imagine wearing a bow that ginormous :)

People did call my girls bow heads though when they were little so maybe I can imagine it ..... hmmmm

Today it was a wonderful day to get out petticoats, wash them

and hang them out in the beautiful sunshine to dry ~

There is something so gorgeous about seeing the layers and layers

of ruffles hanging in the sun ~

I want to live in the time when all girls wore petticoats

because they are so sweet and feminine ~

I could definitely be a petticoat kind of girl !

You can find the one Kristin is wearing here ~

My sister and niece have

been visiting me in Texas for

the last week ~ They live in California

and so we try and go back and forth

as much as we can ~

We hit the road shopping all week

starting with Canton's First Monday

{never can get enough junk!! }

Then as much shopping and

crafting as we could squeeze in ~

It was really cold and rainy most

of the time so we spent one day in

front of the fireplace watching movies

and Chelsey ( my niece ) taught

us all to crochet ~

{below is my daughter Stephanie and above

is a good friend Bethany, my niece Chelsey and

daughter Kristin }

Kristin added a rose and I just

love it !!

One day we decided to go

to the Gaylord Texan Hotel because

it is just gorgeous at Christmas ~

{ my sister Kim & I }

{my niece Chelsey, sister Kim, son in law James

daughters Kristin & Stephanie }

It is always fun to have them come

visit and sad when they leave!

I miss my family in California like crazy!!

I guess it is time for us to take

a trip there again soon ~

I haven't been around because I am in California visiting my family ~ They live in Central California and it is just beautiful !! This is where I grew up and I miss it sooo much ~
Yesterday we went to Cambria for lunch and so I took pictures of the gorgeous scenery to show you ~

This little dog was soooo cute ~ she rides on this motorcycle and they were eating where we had lunch ~

This is the view off of my mom and dad's deck of their house ~ I could just sit there forever ~

I will post some more pics later ~~~

Spring is here, and you don’t even need to look outside your kitchen window or open your front door to know it. Just waking up to the sweet melody of a backyard robin cheerily singing outside your window is enough to tell you that life is renewed and spring is reborn. The birds of spring have returned and the earth reawakens.

Outside, in our fenced yards and open fields, brightly colored bluebirds and streaked song sparrows flit between tree branches and land carefully among the budding leaves. Singing songs of love to each other, chirping madly over jealousies. Bringing home odds and ends to build their nests - bits of bright string, broken twigs. Items insignificant to everyone else, but the stuff of life for the feathered set.
With the return of spring, we find our winged friends building homes in every unclaimed corner…. under the eaves of buildings, in riverbanks, on rocky ledges, suspended from tips of tree branches, hidden under flaps of loose bark. Even in the nest boxes we offer up with hope. Hanging baskets, mail boxes, old boots, flower pots. Any place that somehow looks like home.
No matter where we live, or what the season, avian accessories create eternal springtime in our homes too. Birds and their nests placed carefully upon our shelves, painted delicately on a wall, stitched on a delicate needlepoint. Perhaps we invite into our homes the same birds we see each spring.

Make sure and join Katies Rose Cottage and the participating shops at Make Mine Pink for Pink Friday "For the Birds" ~

The vintage images are from Lunagirl.com

Remember the excitement of the Moonlight Madness sales when you were a kid?

I remember being out late in our local department store with my mother, just waiting for the exciting chaos when a special sale was announced. Shoppers raced from all corners of the store in hot pursuit of a bargain that we were sure we couldn't live with out. Well Make Mine Pink has added that fun back into weekend shopping with the Make Mine PINK TWILIGHT sale.

From 6:00pm-midnight EST on Saturday, you will find unbelievable buys from the Make Mine Pink boutique owners! 6 Hours and 6 hours only - once a month you'll see buys like never before on make Mine Pink. Mark your calendars so that you don't miss this new, monthly event. The first one starts tomorrow October 17th at 6:00PM Est.

The sale items will all show up on one easy to shop section, but as quickly as they appear, they'll be gone at midnight.

Come have some fun if you dare!

We have been doing tons of gardening, hanging out by the pool and running around since my mom and dad have been here ~
This is a picture of our 2 girls and my mom in our backyard ~

Today we went to Dallas Baptist University where one of my daughters goes to school to show grandma and grandpa ~ I just adore this school, it is gorgeous and pretty much all around amazing !

The picture above is outside one of the student centers ~

This is a picture in front of her townhouse on campus that she will live in next school year ~

The school has gazebos everywhere and this is a bridge that crosses one of the ponds on campus ~ The picture is from left to right : me, my husband Dana, our daughter Kristin, our daughter Stephanie, my dad and my mom ~

This is a picture with my daughter Stephanie's boyfriend Noah ~ I think they are on a slant because Noah looks really really tall and my husband looks really short, he is short but not that short :o)

Well I am off to watch a movie ~
Today I worked on a project for the Make Mine Pink Show and Tell Monday make sure and check back soon ~

Oh my goodness it is crazy cold out today in Texas !!

I have been busy creating stuff since it is too cold

outside to even step foot out there ~

But instead of showing you more ruffled stuff I decided

to reintroduce you to my family ~

It pretty much says the same thing in my

"About Me" page but oh well :)

Dana, my hubby, and I have been married 28 years ~

He is a pilot which is totally fun since our whole family

adores traveling and we do it as much as we can ~

I do have to say that we are originally California kids

since we grew up there and miss it alot ~

We have quite a bit of family still there ~

If you are my facebook friend you

have seen this picture alot but I LOVE it ~

James took it of us and it is where I want to be

pretty much all of the time ~

We have 2 girls that are 24 and 21

and are both married ~

Kristin and James got married 3 years ago ~

James is an awesome professional photographer

and Kristin works at a bank ~

Her passion is mentoring teenage girls

and also she loves to cook ~

Stephanie and Noah got married 1 year ago ~

Noah works at a huge

church in the sound area which he is going to school for

and Steph is in school for a Marketing degree ~

She likes to cook too so I recruit them

on the weekends since I hate to cook !

They all live close to us so that is wayyyy cool !

We get to spend time together quite a bit

which is always a fun time ~

I am off to the warmth of the fire ~ my office is cold !!

I am longing for a Beach Cruiser Bicycle :)

Every time we go to California and are by the

beach I see people with

their wayyyy cute bicycles!

Then when we went to the

Orange County Swap Meet

there were so many super cute baskets ~

Everyone in my family in California

have them

and always talk about riding

on the Bob Jone's Trail

at Avila Beach ~

So needless to say I am thinking I need one

even though I live in north Texas ~ I can pretend

I am by the beach :)

Oh my gosh I found the

sweetest bicycles ever !!

They are on the Beg Bicycles website

It would be wonderful to ride to

the flower market

and fill my basket full !

{Images courtesy of Beg Bicycles }

{I am not sure who to give credit on this picture because it was a google search }

I loved this picture too because

it is so pretty all in white ~

Target has some

pink bicycles with baskets~

I am thinking my birthday is

coming really soon :)

I just found this

super cute design and printed

it on a bag ~

It is perfect for my new obsession ~

I was tagged by Priscilla of Flea Market Queen to tell you 7 weird things about myself ~ hmmmm..... okay here it goes ....

1. If I see some great trash in someones trash pile, I will stop or make my family stop ~ they get so mad at me :o)

2. I would rather shop at a flea market than a mall

3. I fall asleep in movie theatres almost every time I go

4. I love spring and hate winter and really don't like the hot summer either ~ I kind of like just that perfect weather, I need to live in Hawaii

5. I can count on my fingers how many times I have worn high heals

6. I adore traveling !!! I guess that isn't so weird .... but I would be thrilled to hit thrift stores or flea markets no matter where I am and I usually do

7. I am almost always freezing cold ~ I think I might be looking forward to hot flashes ~ remind me I said that when I am going through them ~ :O)

It is funny how when you grow up somewhere you don't really appreciate it until you move away ~

I grew up on the Central Coast of California and did spend alot of time at the beach but truly did not know what I had just a few miles from my home ~

Now I live in Texas about 5 hours from the ocean and long for the days that I get to sink my toes in the sand and hear the crashing waves ~

Over the last few months we have been from one side of the United States to the other and each seashore brings a different, but so very much the same, awe inspiring feeling ~

I get lost in the beauty and majesty of the ocean ~

Here are some images that take me back that my son in law has captured so beautifully ~

I have had alot of people ask me if his prints are available for purchase and they are at James Brandon Photography ~ Just create an account and you can view his whole gallery ~

He also specializes in travel, family and wedding photography ~ He just did a destination wedding in Cancun that is gorgeous !

Alaska is beautiful but thank you Jesus
that I don't live there !

I tried to venture out today for the first time

since Monday and didn't make it to the neighbors

without almost sliding in a ditch

and then into a mailbox ~

soooo..... I backed my hiney ( and car ) home ~

I can't wait to see the sunshine melt this ice away !

I wasn't going to show you more ruffles but

well .......... hmmmm ~

There is not a whole lot new in my world ;)

This is what I have been working on this week ~

When I can get out and the warm weather hits I will be

doing a happy dance and singing !!

That is a scary thought but that is okay !