Family stockings are finally finished!! 

What do you think?

We love how they turned out. Miah was so surprised. I had been using a stocking that I had when I was a little one and Miah just had been using one we picked up at the store a few years ago and Bells had a little puppy head at the top stocking. So I figured we needed matching family stockings. I have a family I go to for my embroidery, they are seriously amazing people. He is a cop and she stays at home but they run their little business from the house. The machine is so interesting to watch. I called Ron up and told him I have some ideas for stockings but I needed some pictures of the snowflakes he has. After a few emails we finally got the design just right and I sewed the front took them over and he did all the fun work. I picked them up and almost cried with how beautiful they looked. I literally ran home and sewed the whole stockings together as fast as I could. 

Now we have the cutest little stockings ever. 

Now I can't wait to fill them up with all the fun goodies!

I think a Nike GPS Running Watch will look just darling in mine, don't you?

Christmas in a week!?! 

Seriously where did time go? 

The beginning of October is always so slow but then once Halloween hits, it is off to the races. My favorite time of year is this time of year. But it is also my least favorite. The worst day of the year..... December 26. It means the best time of year is over and we have to wait another year for it. I think this year has been just crazy. I know this sounds weird but I am still trying to get my life together, as in settle in. Will it ever happen? I think so but not for awhile. Miah and I were talking about it and we believe we want to move to a house. We need more room, especially a third bedroom. He thinks it will be for his study, hehehe but I think it will be MY SEWING ROOM! 

Anyway, I was snapping some fun shots of Bells the other day and after doing a little bit of adjusting, this cute little picture came out. 

I hope everybody is having a wonderful holiday season. 

One week left....

A Few Crafts

I had some time on my hands when I was sick. I hate being sick but even worse I hate sitting still and relaxing. I can't even sit through a movie without doing something else too. I usually take that time to write my recipes on their own cards. Slowly but surely one day I will have them all done. 

Anyway, I decided to post a few things I had been working on. 

I went with a friend to a craft party one weekend and they were making some wreaths. They had taken burlap and made them into roses and glued them on. A little plain for me and well I like to add my own touch to things and make it mine.  Take a coupon to Hobby Lobby and get this wreath for about $6, burlap, paint, wooden scrap piece and a glue gun. 

I cut out the desired circle size I wanted, painted the burlap the color I wanted, then cut the circles into a spiral. I then rolled and glued each circle up and Ta-DA....a rose!

I painted welcome, I was going to put Taylor but I am scared here.  I do not want anybody knowing my name by my front door. Being on the mainland creeps me WAY out! Then I started gluing the roses on and finally my welcome sign. I love it. Simple, cheap and fun!

A close up of the roses and sign. 

I think my dining room is my favorite room in my house. 

Not only because I love cooking and it is where my family gathers to eat, laugh and talk but because it is beautiful (to me at least). 

Our table needed some love, it is beautiful but it just needed something else. A table runner would be perfect I decided. So I came up with an awesome design and called my mom to tell her, she told me it would work, might have tweaked it a little bit and I went at it. 

I love the gathered look, simple sides and a little something to draw your eyes to the middle. 

Gray and white...perfect!

My dining room left side. 

My dining room.

Oh how I love you. 

Miah designed the center piece. I love it. A teal glass long bowl thingy and he added shells and candles. Perfect for our beachy themed house. What I love about the glass thing, it has ripples and it really looks the ocean waves. Crazy we found it!

I needed a blanket. It gets cold here and when it drops below 70 degrees, I FREEZE! Bells isn't really liking Arizona weather either. She actually cried the other morning because we had to go  to the grocery store and it was about 45 degrees outside. She wouldn't go out and told me she would just stay here on the lovesac. Obviously I took her, she cried, we drank lots of cocoa at the store and she told me over and over, she doesn't like Arizona and she wants to move back to Hawaii. Not someday but now. 

I made a blanket to match the house. More ocean theme. I love the free range quilting. Lines to just go here and there. It really added some funk. I binded it with some cool white fabric that had swirls, like waves too. Of course I had to add a triangle that I had embroidered with the 3 of Us. 

A close up....Can you see the swirls?

I really enjoyed these projects. I thank my mom for this. She gave me the genes to be able to do this.

I have a special surprise on my next post!!

No hints either.....

Surprise Party

It was not just a random surprise party but the town of Surprise's Christmas Party. 

Confusing, I know. Somebody invited me and I told them I didn't feel comfortable going to a party for some stranger. I went anyway. Boy was it fun! I was recovering from more kidney issues so it was very calming and relaxed. 

I wonder how sore this guy is after hours upon hours of walking around like this. 

He was so so Jolly, I just loved him.

They had about 12 hot air balloons that were all around. They would light them up and it just looked beautiful. 

Bells' favorite...why because it was a SPIDERMAN hot air balloon! The other side was his face and that looked even better!

Who would of thought, hot air balloons were Christmasy? But then again, the last 3 years we have been decorating palm trees and playing on the beach on Christmas day. 

The coolest event of the whole night, they had 4 guys jump out of an airplane and they all had lights or sparklers. They went all over and made fun designs and then landed right in front of us....like 20 feet in front of us. The coolest thing I have seen. Of course they waited to blow up the sky with fireworks until after they had all safely landed. 

Daddy and Bells got to ride an elephant. Miah was way excited.

He thought it was the best thing ever, LIKE EVER. 

He asked me if I saw him sway back and forth like crazy. 

Yes my dear, I did. 

Hmmmm, I look and wonder who has a nicer bum....

Vote 1 for Miah

Vote 2 for the Elephant

(he won't ever know)

She loves getting her face painted. These ladies are so talented and patient. Painting thousands of kiddos and wanting perfection. 

This lady especially...

Bells loves Jack Frost. 

I need to go to the court house and change her name on her birth certificate to drum roll please....

Ellah Grace Taylor Bells Jack Frost. 

She wanted Jack Frost on her face or arm, either would do. This nice lady didn't really know what he looked like. I showed her a picture I carry around in my pocket, just incase these situations come up. 

She couldn't do it. She said how about a nice pretty snow queen. My innocent angel looked up and glared, I AM NOT A QUEEN, I AM JACK FROST!

Taken back, she said well how about a pretty purple snowflake. Again, she is so sweet (why did we name her Grace? It should of been Captain Hook) ICKY PURPLE, I DO NOT LIKE PURPLE.

She through a life line to me...

Bells what about Spiderman? She thought for a minute, a snowflake on my arm will be just fine, but one of Jack Frost's snowflakes. 

She started painting. 

I dislike the girls like pink and purple and sparkles stereotype....so does Bells. After telling her she does not like purple, she added some purple. Bells was not happy AT ALL. 

But I convinced her it was something to do with Pitch Black and it was going to change to another color. 

Crisis Adverted....

She then decided to take some of that frustration from the face painting out and hit the batting cage with Daddy. 

We had a good time playing at the Surprise Christmas Party.

P.S. I do not carry a picture of Jack Frost in my pocket at all times. I had to look one up on my phone. Please do not forget to vote on the best bum!!

Our List

I love this picture of Bells. She looks so much like my niece Reece here, wild hair and all! 

She just now started getting out of bed from nap time and bedtime, well that is afterwards. She would usually call us and patiently wait for us to come in and cuddle and play. Now she thinks it is a game, sneaks out, attacks us with stuffed animals. Right before this picture was taken, she had slipped her fingers under the door, it was hilarious. I ran to the cookie jar, grabbed a cookie, then placed it next to her fingers. She tried to pull it under the door but because of the carpet, it would fall back. Miah and I were laughing so hard watching her little fingers try over and over until the door slightly opened, a little arm slipped out and grabbed the cookie, door closed and the sound of little crunches. 

I am sure you are tired of hearing how much we miss Hawaii but lately, it is really bad. It is just a different way of living over there, the best place to be. Bells is going through major withdrawals. She tells my multiple times a day, she just wants to go back to Hawaii, she does not love Arizona. She wants to be back with her friends, Morrison will leave Washington and Kylia will leave Texas, she tells me and they will meet in Hawaii. She tells me she misses Kawela Beach and Baggers. She is always trying to find sand to make sand castles. Mommy, why does Arizona not have any sand? We have a big legos and we build Hawaii at her request. While at the park, a plane flew over head and she became really upset....

Apparently they were leaving to Hawaii without us and we must catch up to them. She will tell me one day we will live in Hawaii again Mommy, then she turns to Daddy and makes him promise.

We all miss it so much. My heart aches to be there again. Seeing my baby girl miss it like she does, just kills me. She misses her best friends even more. 

And as for Miah and I, it has been far too long Char and Jared!

Christmas is wonderful! I love this time of year, who doesn't? If you do not...something is wrong!

But people do get a little caught up with everything, especially presents. Shopping is crazy, I hate leaving the house starting Black Friday to New Years. I do like going to Costco though, lets say around 4pm, that is when the yummy samples start, this time of year, they are AMAZING!!

The other night Miah and  I were laying in the love sac talking about keeping the true meaning of Christmas and well how great Christmas will be this year. It will be all about watching Bells. She really gets it this year and I can't wait to watch her face on Christmas morning. 

If we could have one thing on our list...it would be back in Hawaii.

I am not sure if you have ever heard of Mike Thompkins...this guy is amazing. My good friend Bethany introduced us to him and the three of us can't stop listening and watching him. We kinda sound creepy. He does EVERYTHING with his voice and mouth. No other instruments or anything. You should check him out on youtube. 

I love this video about Christmas and presents.

Hope you guys are enjoying this time of year and not forgetting what Christmas is all about. 

Phoenix Zoo Trip

Who doesn't love a good day at the Zoo? When I suggest to Miah that we make a trip to the Zoo, he takes me to the computer and pulls up the website and shows me all the pictures of the animals there. When done showing me, he tells me that was a nice trip, let us go again sometime soon. 

My husband is sarcastic, not cool!

But Bells and I got our way, mainly because we had free passes to go.

So off we went...

What is it about giraffes? They are so beautiful and just such an interesting creature. 

A family of three just like us!

Miah shoving his face full of food, my being picky and Bells being easily distracted. 

We missed being able to feed and pet the giraffes by 10 minutes, DARN IT!!

Look at how happy those two are! I think Miah secretly loves and I mean LOVES the zoo. He just doesn't want anybody to know it. 

This big guy made us all laugh. He was doing all sorts of crazy things. Bells thought it was time he should take off his Halloween mask, silly baboon. 

This girl was taunting us just sitting at the window. She was very flirty with Miah. I told him to give her a kiss. He  went to place one on her and at first she was being very bashful.

But she never had a chance, his charm is too strong!

I'm still under his spell and it has been 5 years!!

Pucker up lil' lady!

She was mad at me, she must of saw me holding his hand. 

She does look a little green.

Just look at the face she is giving me!

Rude!

I was done with Mrs. Grumpy Pants Monkey, so I moved on to Lucas the Camel.

I was seriously so excited to ride a camel! Bells would have nothing to do with him.

I decided if I was ever Miss America, I would ride Lucas in a parade, I already have my wave down and just look at his smile.

Bells was super excited to see this HUGE tortoise. 

Like the giraffe, the jaguar is also very interesting. 

A very prestige animal. 

This little guy wanted to play, he was pacing back and forth in front of us....

or was he just hungry? 

Monkeys are my favorite animals. They are funny, cute, playful and just awesome. Bells thought he was funny, he was swinging around, gathering blankets to make a bed and coming up to the window to say hi. 

Miah thought he would be brave and go inside the Komodo Dragon's enclosure....

he got the best of him. 

This Zoo was awesome. There were so many more animals to visit. In between animals they would have activities for the kiddos, next to the monkey exhibit, you would have to do pull ups to see how strong the monkeys are. LOADS of facts and just fun things. 

We WILL be going again....