Easter Cookies!

This Easter weekend was a busy one for me, and I hate that I didn't get to spend it with family! I worked all weekend, so I spent it with the children in the ER!! I love this time of year, though, and I am so thankful for the truth that Christ has Risen!!! Since I had to work, I wanted to make some treats for my co-workers!
I had so much fun making easter egg and butterfly shaped cookies!

Fun symbols of spring and new life! So thankful for the new life that the Resurrection brings!!

Picture time!

Yesterday I took what has become my weekly trip to Birmingham! I got to babysit the kiddos while Ivey went to the dentist, visit with Robby and his girlfriend who was in town, take some pictures of Elaine Mae in her baptism gown, went on a community egg hunt with Thomas, and had dinner with Tom and Ivey, too! It was a full, fun day!

For the photo shoot, we went to Samford University where they have some really green grass and beautiful flowers right now! When Ivey put her dress on and positioned her on the grass, Thomas said, "She looks like an angel!" And we agreed!

 Of course, there is the behind the scene reality shots of cleaning noses:

 Babies trying to crawl off:

 Trying to eat the bark! We were laughing hard at this point! We could not keep her little hands out of the bark to save our lives!!

 Thomas thought all of this grass and running around was great!

 I said, "Thomas did you know that this is a college?" He replied, "No it's not! It's a park!" Of course, in his little eyes, lots of grass and running around HAS to be a park!

 While we were walking around the campus, we saw two little girls who looked to be about 10 years old doing somersaults. A few minutes later, I was focused on taking EM's pictures, and glanced over and saw Thomas doing this! I started shooting!

 He did a perfect somersault all by himself!

Here's a fun comparison of Thomas and Elaine Mae's pictures:

Elaine Mae, 8 months

 Thomas, 8 months

This could be a problem! ;)

I have a new hobby, and I am quite addicted! The problem is that once I get started, it's just so hard to stop! I might have to set some time limits for myself! :)

 Ivey learned how to smock last year, and she has been making some beautiful outfits. I keep wanting for her to teach me how, but every time I was in Birmingham, we were always just too busy with other things. I had a few days off work, so I decided it would be a perfect time to take a little trip with the intention of learning to smock! First I practiced the different stitches (Ivey is a great teacher!):

 Then it was time to work on my first piece--a little baby girl dress! I cut out the pattern and sewed the sleeves on, and then Ivey pleated it for me!

 I am having a hard time putting it down!

 In between our smocking lessons, we tried to figure out this machine! I am borrowing it from a friend who had never used it...it's an older model, but it still works. We finally figured out how to do this basic stitch, but I think that I need monogram software to do larger letters and 3 letter monograms...

 We made Thomas a little "Sunday bag" for him to take to his class at church...it turned out cute!

It was a fun couple of days crafting together and learning new things!

On being an aunt...

I love being an aunt! Today, my mom and I went to B-ham to see our babies, and my how they are growing!   It is such a delight to see them mature, to mark developmental milestones, to hear them recite Bible verses from memory (one of them at least!). I can't explain the love that an aunt has for her babies! But I know it's real, and I know it's deep! I'll never forget the day that I became an aunt--when I held Thomas in my arms for the first time...

 I knew at that moment that he melted my heart, but I didn't know the half of it!! I didn't know the joy of walking through the months with him as he changed from an infant, to a chubby cruiser, to an inquisitive little fellow! All I knew at that moment, was I was his "Aunt RuRu" and I was so very happy with my new title!

How does love grow when it fills your heart so fully from the start? I don't know, but I know it does! I love this little man more every time I see him...I love our conversations over the coffee table! I never knew that I would feel like the questions from his little lips would be the most important questions I had ever been asked! "What's your faborite aminal, RuRu?" he asks, and I pause to consider because I must not answer his question lightly...this is not casual chit-chat. No, my little man and I are building a relationship, one block at a time, one puzzle at a time, one book at a time, and it's the building that I find so beautiful!

Princess Margaret is quoted with saying this about her nephew: "I suppose, I'll now be known as Charley's Aunt!" I wouldn't mind it a bit to continue through life being known by a title just as sweet! :)

Shoot'n and eat'n weekend!

I had a busy, but incredibly fun weekend! My co-worker and sweet friend, Maggie celebrated her birthday, and I had a blast! When I found out that she wanted to go "shooting" on Saturday before the dinner party that night, I knew that I needed to bedazzle some shooting accessories for her! I hot glued the crown to some safety goggles and added some rosettes to the front of the safety vest:

 On the back I painted "Birthday Girl" and added an iron-on cupcake bling!

 This is Maggie's cousin and he deserves a gold medal that reads: "I took 6 girls shooting and I survived!!!" He was so patient with us took great care of all of us! (We missed our co-worker Jenn who happens to also be Patrick's girlfriend...she was out of town this weekend!)

 So, the place we went was sort of like a red-neck golf course, except instead of golfing, we were shooting shotguns! There is a course through the woods that you can either walk or ride on a golf cart (we chose to walk it!), and there are 13 stations where you shoot clays. I had SO much fun! I love trying new things (even though I am not good at it! :) I will definitely be back to try this again!

 All of the girls on the HUGE pile of shells!

 Walking to the next station...

 My roommate and I rushed home to get the centerpieces for the table for dinner finished...she spray painted some wine bottles and made a tiny happy birthday banner while I made cupcakes! I stuck some flowers in the wine bottles, and they turned out so pretty!

 I think I might be better at making cupcakes than I am shooting clays! ;) These are Devil's Food Cake (doctored up a bit with milk instead of water and mini chocolate chips added to the cake mix). I made some cream cheese icing from THIS recipe, and then crushed some oreo cookies to sprinkle on top!

 We had a big group at this fabulous new restaurant in town called Elemental. It is a farm to table restaurant that features local produce. We had a long table big enough for 25 people!

I had the trout and roasted vegetables, and it was amazing! I took a bite before I remembered to take a picture! :)

 The birthday girl blowing out her candle:

 I love the atmosphere! From the wood tables, to the lighting, to the big tractor in the center (which they encourage you to climb on!), the ambiance is delightful!

 My roommate and I with the birthday girl!

 We had a wonderful day together celebrating Maggie's birthday with new experiences and new restaurants!

Painting and New Tablescape

Last week, a friend of mine invited me to a Paint and Sip event at Brush. We painted this picture of the Tivoli Theatre (a historic landmark downtown). I am not an artist by any means, so I was curious to see how this would turn out! I was impressed with how the teacher walked us through it step by step! They all turned out looking very similar!!

 It was held in the back room of a winery. The guy up front is the artist walking all of us through the process step by step:

 My table of friends:

 My canvas as a work in progress:

 The group I was with. Such a fun time of fellowship and creativity!

 Today I decided it was probably time to change out the Valentine centerpiece on the table! I still wanted to use the glass dome, so I had to come up with something to "cover." I found this really unique vase at Marshall's. All three vases are connected. It had a little chip on the top so, of course, I asked for a discount! :) It ended up being only $3!!!

 I also found the lantern/votive candle holders at Marshall's today. I will be able to use them outdoors on my deck once it warms up...

 All lit up!