Monday, May 13, 2013

Weekend in Review

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  I hope that you had a day that was filled with love and laughter.

I had a wonderful day, thanks for asking.  Saturday we had hoped to go to dinner at the restaraunt that Tim is working at, but he said that he expected to be very busy and probably would not be able to come out and chat with us.  So, we decided to wait for a more conducive time to do that.  After all, we don't want to go into DC and not have the opportunity to see him.  Since Mr. Wonderful was going to be working on Sunday, we decided to celebrate on Saturday instead.  Michelle and I were both asked what we wanted to do or where we wanted to go and neither of us cared much, so Mr. W took things in his own hands and made reservations for us to go to  Medieval Times.  If you have never been, I highly recommend it!  They have a number of different locations and it is a lot of fun!  FOr those not familiar with it, Medieval Times is a dinner and entertainment venue set in the middle ages.  We got to the castle at about 3:15 which was the recommended time.  We got a drink and sat at a table in the lobby for a while and listened to the revelers and looked at some of the suits of armor.  Then the King started to give the appointment of knight, dame, etc. to various people and we went up to watch.  Bella was standing there and watching and said that she would love to get called up.  Well, the next thing she knew her name was announced!  Mr. W had arranged it but had not told her.  (This of course is for an extra fee!)  She was so shocked that she didn't move at first and we had to encourage her to go on up.  She was so excited to be given the title of Dame Isabella!  She was cloaked in a cape and then it was announced that she was there as a celebration and she received a tiara with long strands of pink fabric that hung down each side.  (Another fee for that.) 

She looks so grown up in this picture!
Here she is as the king appoints her 'Dame'.
She just loved it!  By then it was about time for the castle doors to open and we found our seats.  Again, Jim upgraded our seats to 'King' and we sat in the front row!  It was great!  Soon the waiter came out and told us that we were to cheer for the Black & White knight and he encouraged us to practice.  Then dinner was served.  As we started on the first course Tomato Basil Soup, the show began. 



This was our knight.
The knights were all introduced and they were each given a couple of flowers from the Princess.  The knight then choose an audience member to bestow the flower upon and he choose Bella.  When she realized that he was tossing the flower to her, she about squeeled! 
As the courses were served, we watched the jousting, horsemanship, fighting and had a great time!  We cheered for our knight and booed when he was defeated by another knight.  It was really a lot of fun!  The dinner was delicious too!  In addition to the soup we were served: roasted chicken, bbq spare ribs, garlic bread, potatoe wedges and apple turnover.  We were all full by the time it was over. 
Bella really got into waving her flag and cheering!

After the show Michelle, Shawn and Bella posed with the young woman who demonstrated the 'Sport of Kings' (falconry) earlier in the arena.  Those birds are really quite amazing.


After  we were done, we walked around the mall for a little while and by the time we got in the car to head for home we were all pretty tired.  Isabella was asleep within minutes and she continued to sleep the whole ride home! 

Sunday, Jim left for work at 3:50 am and the house was quiet which allowed me to sleep in until 9:15!  That is really sleeping in for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  I fixed myself a cup of tea and some yogurt, and was even able to work in my craft room for a little while before Jim came home.  We then went for an early dinner at Caraba's before heading home.  Once home, we both took a short nap-it was a great day!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Chaotic Goddess Swap

So, it's time to reveal what I received in the mail from the Chaotic Goddess Swap.  Actually, it is past time but my swap partner had some family obligations to attend to out of state and got the package out late.  No big deal for me, but it meant that I couldn't post the reveal on time.  So, ready?  Here goes:
Look at that loot! 
To refresh your memory, the swap was called Mug O' Comfort and we had to include a mug and then some other items that were tailored to the recipient.  Can be a little difficult as we've never met each other, but by reading  her blog, I was able to get some insight into Sarah and she obviously got some insight into me!  I love the green polka dot mug and have used it several times already.  There is loose tea, a couple packets of Sweet & Spicey tea (yum!), hot chocolate, a book that Sarah had read and passed along, an adorable tulip shaped rice crispy treat, Jelly Beans, a Munch bar and a family favorite of hers that she mixed up and sent along.  Can't wait to try that one out!

I thought this swap was lots of fun and I will certainly do another one.  If you think this is something taht you would like to do, go over to Chaotic Goddess Swaps.  Sign ups are going on now for the next one!
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Friday, May 3, 2013

May Already?!

Where does the time go?  Honestly it feels like Christmas was just last week and now it is May already.  I also realized that my darling Isabella is going to be nine soon and then she reminded me that ten is next and she'll be a teenager and driving and dating before I know it!  Like I needed to be reminded of those days.  Ha!  I think her father has been getting busy polishing his gun.  (Kidding!  He doesn't own a gun, but you know what I mean.)
So, Spring is here in all its glory and with it comes a very busy season.  I have a baby shower to attend on Sunday and the mom to be is a dear friend of my daughter's and the two of them have spent many, many hundreds of hours together over the years and her mom and I are good friends too.  I offered to do a few things for the shower which has a bird theme, so I have been busy working on those few things.  (Pictures next week.)  Additionally, there are several graduation parties for which I have been asked to do some crafting for and of course, the main event is Isabella's birthday party which this year is on the 1st of June.  My plate is pretty full!
 When I was thinking about what to get Brooke, the mom to be,  for the shower I wanted it to be something special yet pratical too.  Hmm.  While I was browsing on Pinterest one day I came across an adorable hat for a girl.  It was a baseball hat and Brooke loves baseball! 
I was going to order it but it was $23. and I wanted to do something else as well so instead I called my sister. I asked if she'd be willing to make one and sent her a picture and she said sure. Now, my sister Susan, is freaking amazing. She got the creative genes in the family and is a whiz with any type of craft needle-knit, crochet and sewing-she can do it! She won a blue ribbon for a poncho she entered at the county fair when she was like 13. Anyway, she whipped it up and sent it to me and voila!  The hat above is the one I saw one Pinterest and she replicated it without the little brim and I had the baseball button so I sewed it in (that's about all I can handle!) 
I also decided to make her a Diaper Cake, as what mom doesn't like diapers? Brooke spent a great deal of her childhood and young adulthood in ballet classes and is all about the ballet, so I decided to go with a ballet themed cake.  Here is what I came up with:



Sorry about the picture, it won't stay turned!

Anyway, I made the little tutu  on the bottom layer, they layers are formed around a large bottle of baby powder, the top layer is a headband and the little shoes are sparkly.  The lamb is from some TV show that I've never heard of, but it was the only thing I could find that was a ballerina.  The picture really doesn't do it justice, but it came out really cute. 

I also made the invitations for Bella's party.  The theme this year is a Red Carpet Movie Party.  Here's what I came up with:

                                                                   And the inside:

(I put a little piece of paper over the address and phone number, but you get the idea!
I liked the way they turned out and Bella's thrilled, so that's what matters.

As you may have guessed, these projects have been occupying any free time that I have lately.  Gotta tell you, working really gets in the way of my social and crafting life!

What have you been up to?